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JimTom-2
Reviews
The Green Mile (1999)
Much, much, MUCH too long..
The first three times I caught this film on television, I was unaware that I had missed (at least) the first hour. (Hey, call me stupid, but this is a fact.) Given that, it became one of my favorite movies.
On the 4th viewing, I saw the entire film from the beginning and... Oh, what a difference! This film does not need the first hour to be good. If, on my first viewing, I had begun at the beginning, I probably would not have watched it at all.
My verdict: Hollywood screwed up.
If you get a chance to see this film on the tube, I advise you to tune in one hour late. And enjoy!
Last Lives (1997)
Good Luck
If you can get past an early scene in which the kidnapped lady can escape her captors by simply sliding under the steering wheel and driving away in the vehicle her captors have all vacated, but--INSTEAD--chooses to leave the vehicle, run toward a cow pasture, tear half her dress off on a barbed-wire fence, and be quickly dragged back into captivity--GOOD LUCK! It is THAT kind of movie.
Lucy (2003)
Moving
I have no idea how historically accurate the story is. But to my own surprise, I found myself crying through most of this movie. Gradually--very gradually--the (I must say amazing) actress Rachel York uncannily takes on the appearance and personae of the Lucille Ball we all knew from the wildly popular sitcom people my age grew up with many years ago. Though we read stories of the tensions between Ball and her husband/TV co-star, Desi Arnez, none of it seemed very real. This drama drives it home. It is a true tragi-comedy. Neither of these two enormously talented personalities come across as villains.It is, in the end, simply a tragic clash of cultures.
All performers in this production are top notch.
A Change of Heart (1998)
Nine-tenths believable
The perfect family--Mom, Dad, teenage daughter and son--is thrown into absolute turmoil when Dad is discovered to be a closeted gay with a male lover. The unanimous hysterical reaction of wife and kids to his carefully guarded secret is all too believable. One could question his judgement in marrying and raising a family, but not his fear of the consequence of discovery (which probably drove him into marriage in the first place). In about nine-tenths of this film, knee-jerk responses, closed minds, and programmed thinking reign. Given this, the last few scenes stretch credulity to a cinematic breaking point.