GabeCruz Reviews

The Faculty (1998)

The Faculty - A waste of talent

[5/10 · 29 December 1998]

I knew long before I went to see The Faculty, that it probably would not be a classic. But I thought, between Dusk til Dawn & Desperado director Robert Rodriguez and Scream/Dawson Creek writer Kevin Williamson, I could count on at least getting my 6 bucks worth. I was wrong. Everyone seems to be trying and the performances rank from acceptable to very good, but the material just isn't there. Williamson has not written another Scream by any means. I would be fine with that myself. This movie felt rushed. Despite its obvious flaws, it could have been so much better. The entire first hour is almost pure set-up, and the pay off is terribly contrived and lame. It almost felt like Williamson resents the audience of his films and this was some cruel joke on all of us. And what of Robert Rodriguez? His technical flair seems to have diminished. Or perhaps the material was so lame, it gives him little to do. I tend to want to believe the latter, because I expect much more from Rodriguez. Perhaps its worse crime is the complete waste of acting talent. We have some great actors from numerous generations represented. Why waste Jon Stewart and Salma Hayek in such throw away rolls? Robert Patrick repeats his T2 roll effectively and Bebe Neuwirth is pretty good when she gets a little screen time. Piper Laurie I would have preferred to see in a sympathetic adult role instead of being reduced to roaming around the halls like a zombie.

There are a few good points. There are a few good jokes sprinkled through out, mostly provided by teens snorting some homemade crank-like powder and acting like morons. The special effects are not painfully digital looking (most of the time). And a few moments of suspense are to be found. Unfortunately it's just not worth other 90 minutes of complete and utter boredom. If you must see this, wait til it goes to the bargain theater or video. I would warn you also not to take a date to this movie.

Inside the Goldmine (1994)

Explain this one to me someone

[6 December 1998]

Perhaps I am the world's greatest masochist, or maybe I just have too much time on my hands, but I have watched this film twice. The first time I saw it I thought it had to be the worst film ever made. But I couldn't accept that it was as shallow as it appeared, so I attempted yet again to watch it. Parts of it are obviously improvised to a large degree, this would be alright if their dialogue reached somewhere outside the realm of random expletives shouted at the top of the actors' lungs for minutes at a time, without a cut I might add. That's right, just one shot that goes on and on and on and essentially goes nowhere. In fact, maybe it wasn't improv, maybe the actors forgot their lines and the director fell asleep while they tried to remember. I would tell you about the plot, but I can't figure out what the point is to this project. Would the filmmaker's care to step up and offer us naive minds out here in la la land some enlightment on this terribly profound work (sarcasm).

Crash (1996)

Look beyond the obvious

[30 November 1998]

Having just watched Crash and then reading through the numerous critics reviews, I must say I am shocked. I really believed that more critics would have appreciated this compelling character study. I don't believe this film was made purely for shock value or to titilate. While not one of Cronenbergs finest, it is still am amazing piece of work Give these fine actors some credit, for turning out some of the best, albeit subtle, performances I have seen in quite sometime. Some actors rely on shouting, crying, yelling to express emotions, not in this film. They say so much with their eyes, and slight facial expressions. It's filmed in such a deadpan manner that lacks eroticism. How could anyone criticize it on that basis? If you are looking for something off the beaten path, and intelligent, see it.