marquee-3 Reviews

I Stand Alone (1998)

claustrophobic nihilism

[29 September 1999]

A powerful and memorable example of the cinema of the extreme. As the other comments indicate, this is not for the faint hearted and includes some of the most unpleasant scenes I've ever seen at the cinema. On one level it's a convincingly claustrophobic descent into the personal hell of a violent misanthrope. But the 'realism' is constantly interrupted by intrusive shotgun zooms, bangs on the soundtrack that make you jump out of your seat and particularly the final countdown warning that things are about to get really unpleasant. I saw it at a film festival screening attended by the director who took questions afterwards. This was notable for a couple of things. The film buffs present nearly came to blows over whether this was an exploitative piece of crap or a work of genius. Noe thought this was highly amusing and disingenuously claimed that he thought the movie was funny, not shocking, and that he put in things like the countdown as a joke and to stop himself from getting bored. This if course outraged the critics even more. Best question from the audience: 'Did your mother enjoy the film?' Now, that's the sort of thing I always wonder.

Mary Reilly (1996)

neither thrilling nor thought provoking

[29 September 1999]

This is a dull movie. It doesn't really try to be a horror film but it doesn't succeed as a psychological thriller either. Julia Roberts is hopeless, with the worst Irish accent since Sean Connery in the Untouchables and John Malkovich seems to think - as usual - that just speaking very quietly makes him scarily intense and irresistibly sexy. At no point do we believe in either of them and so their stories don't engage our sympathies. If you want to see a really different and interesting reinterpretation of the Stevenson story, try Borowicz's Blood of Doctor Jekyll. Now there's a movie to generate debate and give you nightmares.

Bad Boy Bubby (1993)

A unique, memorable and sometimes hilarious movie

[29 September 1999]

I went to see this in a preview with no idea of what to expect.This made it all the more enjoyable as the movie veers unpredictably between tragedy and comedy. It starts out very disturbing and unpleasant with the filthy idiot boy Bubby locked in a stinking room and sexually abused by his parents. But as the movie went on, my friend and I found ourselves starting to chuckle and then laugh out loud at Bubby's adventures in the outside world and his love of big breasts. This is one of those movies that sets out to cram in a bit of everything - break taboos, make you laugh, make you cry. it's completely unlike anything else and completely brilliant.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (1981)

weird sex horror movie

[29 September 1999]

A strange and dream-like interpretation of the Jekyll and Hyde story that brings out the themes of sexual fantasy and violence. It's several years since I saw it, but there are still scenes that stick in the mind, like memories of a disturbing nightmare.

Rushmore (1998)

touching, funny, excellent and different movie

[28 September 1999]

I loved this film. These days American movies are becoming ever more bland and formulaic and comedy displays the worst of these traits. Rushmore is a brilliant exception. It's memorable, funny and moving, with an odd but compelling vision of the sadness and joys of adolescence that reminded me of the feeling I got when first reading Catcher in the Rye. (There are also references to and hints of The Graduate.) I can only assume users who have posted negative comments on this film were disappointed that it is a more subtle and charming picture than either typical teen rites of passage crap comedies like Porky's/American Pie or schmaltzy Hollywood coming of age tearjerkers like Dead Poet's Society/Good will Hunting.

Cube (1997)

Intriguing and entertaining psychological sci-fi.

[22 September 1999]

Like Dark Star, this is a sci-fi movie that tries to make a virtue out of its low budget by concentrating on characters and situations rather than special effects. This is a good thing. However, the quality of script and acting here aren't so great as to elevate this to the classic status of Dark Star. It's intriguing and entertaining but lacks wit and depth. The acting is a bit ropy at times and the mathematical escape route is a bit too pat. But I like the fact that the origins of the cube are unexplained and the ending is ambiguous and particularly that the cop 'hero' character turns out to be a psycho wife abusing murderer. These are the elements that make it just a bit more entertaining and thought provoking than the average.

The Wedding Singer (1998)

funny period trappings, shame about the script

[22 September 1999]

This is a mildly amusing movie that gets its laughs from the cringe-makingly awful naffness of its eighties pop culture fashion and music references. These have absolutely nothing to do with the plot itself, a slight and predictable romance yarn but the knowing digs at everything from 'Der Commisar's in Town' to mullet hairdos will draw an embarrassed laugh from anyone who remembers rolling up the sleeves of their jacket in a Don Johnson stylee. Quite a charming performance from Drew Barrymore also but Adam Sandler is a bit wet.