spiritwriter Reviews

Country Strong (2010)

Movie of the 'Weak': Corn pone with a side helping of unsalted grits, overpowered with sticky sweet honey.

[1/10 · 27 August 2011]

A one-dimensional flat weak wannabe imitation/variation of the 1954 Judy Garland James Mason version of 'A Star is Born.' The only thing strong was the overpowering fake, exaggerated hick accent of the up and coming singer played by Hedlund. Judy Garland he ain't. The director is no George Cukor either.

If you want real melodrama with heart and flair, watch that or 'Imitation of Life'. Or something else directed by Douglas Sirk so at least the scenery being chewed by real actors (who knew what over the top 50s melodrama meant) is beautiful.

Hedlund's is the worst performance hands down. Not that there was much in the way of art/acting in the entire thing.

Talk about over-acting, one-note, stereotypical, superficial and clichéd. He should win a raspberry just for singing (and trying to act) with a truly awfully bad hick accent. At least Paltrow didn't overdo it (too much).

And the director responsible for this mess? Fifty classes at a serious film school to start, followed by internships with some director who has a soul. The ending should serve the whole film, not vice versa. Not that I would call this a film. Movie of the 'weak' back in the 70s maybe.

Okay: so some brief, entirely Minor, slimmest glimmers of a couple of highlighted songs that could have been promising (in someone else's hands) -- but alas, they too were sentimental, uni-dimensional and mawkish, not to mention repetitive. Not exactly original. And why not just name the Paltrow character 'Singer' instead of 'Canter'? Duh.

And 'gosh darn it, score some (negative) points fer makin' sure Hedlund gits thet exaggerated kuntry twang in thet thar sangin' so we alluns know he's a real down home feller.'

I just can't say enough bad things about this visionless wreck of a movie: truly a stinker.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Brilliant art from a master

[10/10 · 19 February 2008]

The movie it most makes me think of is "3 Women" by that other cinematic master, ( dearly departed ) Robert Altman.

One occurs throughout old Hollywood, in the shop-worn jewel- toned culturally recycled 'old' downtown and in the hills of the more established privileged, elite Los Angeles; the other in the hinterlands of the suburban/rural California desert. Both hail from a culturally complex southwest, specific to or influenced by a uniquely L.A./Southern California/southwest USA ethos. These movies couldn't have happened anywhere else or they would be different films entirely.

This is the kind of movie that cannot simply be spoonfed to one like 99.9% of movies and other commercial media. It has to be experienced on many levels simultaneously, interwoven with mystical spiritualism, magical realism and ever-changing mythologies -- and yet to experience it means that it goes far beyond those limiting attempts to describe this masterpiece.

Mulholland Drive is mystical and magical, spiritual and physical, intellectual, emotional, soulful, visual ... meta-sensory, extra-sensory and ultra-sensory -- it simply cannot be categorized or dissected nor completely understood.

All I can do is thank David Lynch and his ensemble of creative souls for something that should continue to be seen, studied, experienced forever.

Æon Flux (2005)

Slick look, empty, vapid, pitiful

[2/10 · 29 September 2007]

Apparently written by a couple of fourteen year old boys dreaming of what it would be like in comic book bubbles. No, wait, it was worse than that. Dreary, monosyllabic, abstract but in a stupid superficial cardboard way. "Now we can move forward, for once, to live, for real...."

Wow. So captivating. So original.

Okay maybe the writers were actually thirteen year old boys. That's about what Hollyweird has come to these days. Who better to reach their target audience than their target demographic? and their stand-ins, of course, the narcissistic adult (I use that term lightly) males who produced this movie, who run the film business and fancy themselves 'kings of the universe' .... yes it's a perfect marriage of those two groups.

So unless you're a sucker for stupid, or if you just need the pain of a bad movie, avoid.

The Sopranos (1999–2007)

Brilliant Allegory for us, our culture, our nation, our human nature

[10/10 · 9 June 2007]

The Sopranos is us -- us as in the USA specifically. We ARE the Sopranos. It is both uniquely regional to New Jersey, while also being uniquely American and yet completely universal to the human experience (mostly the dark side of human capacity for all things evil and banal with heavy doses of lying self-delusion).

The show itself is art, entertainment, satire and parody combined. The best Stories and art can simultaneously entertain, enlighten, illuminate, reflect, inspire, inform, disturb ... tell us more about ourselves, our deepest dreams, our sickest fears and fantasies. It lingers and makes us ponder long after the fact.

As Brecht suggested art both shapes us and reflects us -- as most great art does. As T. might very well say in his malapropic way "It's a mortality tale."

I will miss my Sunday night fix.

World Traveler (2001)

another film glorifying a sociopathic narcissist (another Scott Peterson-type)

[4/10 · 1 January 2005]

What a waste of talent -- although it appears that Crudup in real life is a lot more like the vapid, self- absorbed, character-less character he portrays in this disappointing movie.

In art, sometimes the empty spaces reveal more than the painted or created content. What this movie reveals is the unconsciousness and the contradictory/competing, unresolved impulses/consciousness of the film's director/writer. It unintentionally shows the LACK of awareness that a truly evolved, deeply aware character should have and be tormented about in order to deserve audience empathy or sympathy OR the lack of which is used to serve as a cautionary tale to the audience. But this film fails on either level in that regard.

The fact that Cal, the main character (very much an ANTagonist, not a protagonist in the true sense of the word), has no empathy for anyone, especially those most deserving of it (which does NOT include him) and that he has such overblown, entitled, self-pitying, whiney sympathy only for himself, combined with the hallmark lack of remorse and no sense of guilt or awareness of his impact on others -- all converge in this film to make him the epitome of the self-involved, developmentally arrested, narcissistic sociopath -- somehow this is now the gold standard for males on film and in the world at this point and time.

One of his counterpoints (James LeGros) states with a laser-true flash: "I bet you haven't done one good thing in life -- and I bet you won't". It captures the absolute essence of the Cal character. Something the other characters he bulldozes over in the film seem to realize fairly quickly despite the director having stacked the deck to manipulate sympathy for Cal. That is a testament to the supporting cast's talent and skills.

Cal's eventual 'return' has nothing to do with character development, transformation or evolution of consciousness. It has only to do with the ultimate capitulation that until something better comes along, he may as well be back in his comfy cozy status quo of entitled enablement where the living is easy and no one will demand that he grow up--something of which he is willfully incapable and uninterested in doing.

The film could have been pointed and intentional about showing the traps and tragedies -- the devastating effects of this kind of lack of conscience/ consciousness, but it excuses and glorifies it instead -- in fact, it wallows in self-pity right along with the arrogant, selfish, emotionally stunted main character.

(and it sure sent chills up my spine when thinking of the recent revelations about convicted murderer Scott Peterson).

If you want to see Crudup at his most nuanced and full of an exciting potential that has never been truly realized in my opinion, see the underrated 'Inventing the Abbotts' ....

Malice (1993)

similar to a tv movie 3 yrs prior...

[11 August 2003]

incredibly similar to a tv movie released 3 yrs prior......known originally as "bodily harm" later as "the operation" -- released ~3 yrs prior to malice....hmm...very interesting...which came first? tv productions *are* usually shorter....but this seems quite a gap.

as for malice the 'serial rapist' storyline is totally superfluous -- just filler and detracts from the main story. Otherwise, pretty good flick

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

underrated -- more than fluff

[8/10 · 27 January 2003]

underrated action/comedy: witty, intelligent, nuanced humor in the writing and acting. Lest people forget, this was an early entry in the no-longer-waiting-for-her-prince, newly-empowered, women-who-can-kick-butt genre ....full of satire and irony for the non-literal viewer.....truly delightful!

The Jackal (1997)

stacked deck: only the bad buy has decent technology in this spy v. spy flick

[5/10 · 12 January 2002]

Plot holes big enough to drive a Russian snow plow through. High caliber acting once again from Diane Venora. Gere's likeable if implausible as the anti-hero. Poitier is also better than the material.

Turns out the jackal isn't really so smart -- mostly lucky and: it's that the members of law enforcement he's pitted against are exponentially dumber. For example, this contingency of the FBI (which is frantic to protect its own #1 G-man from the assassin) doesn't even use telephones to warn/help each other, much less cell phones or secret/hidden mikes or short-wave/radio contact. And gee, I really believe it when they not only allow a former IRA terrorist to join their international team, he's welcome to sit in on THE highest level "intelligence" meetings.

Still, I have to admit, was compelled to watch the whole thing to see who would win and how.

The Majestic (2001)

disappointing -- coulda been a contender

[6 January 2002]

Although I was disappointed, I wish more people would see it than I imagine actually will.

Much of Carrey's acting felt forced, hollow & disingenuous to me despite what others have claimed, while the other actors were absolutely terrific and believable, especially Holden & Landau. Really liked the concept, but the historical lessons and ending were muddled/muddied -- the EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and totally RELEVANT TODAY political message was thus diluted and finally, any sense of emotional satisfaction felt superficial and hollow.

The Sex Monster (1999)

hilarious--great acting!

[9/10 · 4 January 2002]

One of the few truly hilarious adult films of the 90s. Sophisticated while being silly, sly, witty, wry, insightful, ironic -- for mature people with a high degree of self-awareness, self-honesty & ability to recognize and accept the fluidity of human sexuality. Great acting: natural, unaffected, unself-conscious!