Change Your Image
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Reviews
Duane Hopwood (2005)
Wanted to like it, but couldn't
This film certainly includes some good performances. Schwimmer is believable as a drunken loser, but also maintains his likability. Judah Friedlander succeeds in bringing much-needed levity and humor to the film.
But, overall, this one just misses the mark. Lacking any real story, we are led through a series of events that never culminate in anything. Yes, there are some serious themes brought up (my dad drank and it didn't destroy our family; friends can become our surrogate families; etc.) but none are played out enough.
Poor editing leads to uneven pacing throughout, terrible music choices create a disjointed feel, some of the worst DP work I've ever seen--unattractive angles, poor lighting, too many close-ups--make the viewer cringe at times. And Garofalo--whose work I usually like--seems miscast and out of her element here.
Where is the climax of the film? I don't think there was one. Where is the ending? That's also missing.
It's a mess. The question I kept asking myself was "Why this story?" Why did this story need to be told?
Entourage (2004)
Sexist and not funny
The most insulting and worthless piece of trash on HBO since "1st & Ten." Intelligent viewers: Don't waste your time on the bad scripts, laughable acting, and lack of any cohesive storyline.
Fans of the show seem to enjoy the product placements, bikini models, and rap music, but no one can claim there is a shred of humanity or humor in the whole first 8 episodes.
There's a term for such glossy, over-scored footage with impossibly vapid and interchangeable women surrounding jerky guys with inferiority complexes--it's called a Beer Commercial. Actually, that might be an insult to genuinely funny beer commercials.
I'm especially disappointed with Jeremy Piven and his endless parade of fake hair. Dude! You're not going to win an Emmy for this trashy show. And, we all know you've lost your hair. Now, stop mocking the people who can help you land other acting gigs. HBO, put us out of our misery and cancel this awful show!
Mysterious Skin (2004)
Brutal, Disgusting, Miscast
I ran from the theater in tears while watching this and wish that I could take back all knowledge of this story and its characters. Overly brutal and cold, this is a case of "stacking the deck," i.e. we don't need to see the same scene over and over to get the point. Add to that the poor production value and hideously miscast performances from Elisabeth Shue and Michelle Tractenberg. If you were ever abused or molested as a child, you will no doubt be offended by the two possible outcomes for such people offered in this film. It's the same clichés you always hear, either the asexual freak who can never be touched, or the promiscuous young adult who becomes a prostitute. Given the sadly large number of people in our society who have suffered child sexual abuse, it's clear that the majority of them lead functional adult lives with healthy sexual relationships. This movie is exploitative crap. It's like all the students in your college creative writing class who wrote stories about the girl who was raped and then killed herself--it's unnecessary and offensive to the real people who have lived through those experiences. Anyone who didn't run out of the theater disgusted and repulsed by this film should consider that they might have a problem. I have nothing against gritty, challenging material in film. I am not a prude. The film Happiness, for example, was very difficult to sit through, but worth it for its emotional honesty. Breaking the Waves, also excruciating, was lyrical and guided by excellent performances. DO NOT GO SEE THIS FILM! I walked out and didn't even care to find out how it ended--that's how bad it is.