emotionallyunfit Reviews

Stealing Beauty (1996)

It's important to appreciate the finer points

[13 January 2002]

First, I hate Liv Tyler and I think she has little to no talent. However, she is there for her beauty and her je ne sais quoi and Bertolucci (sorry is that's spelled wrong) uses her gorgeously. If you are a pretentious film critic who can't relate to a film because you can't remember back to the time when you were Lucy, then by all means, stay away from the film. Many people complained about the nudity and sex, but I can't stand watching perfect movie sex that happens in Hollywood and every other film, art house or not. Lucy's sexual experiences are how it happens, and I really appreciated seeing it pictured so realistically. It's not a perfect film, and by no means as good as Sheltering Sky or some other Bertolucci films, but it grasps something about teenage women like Lucy that seems difficult for most directors or writers to get. I saw myself, my melodramatic, struggling, exploring self. I was a little p***ed that I related to Liv Tyler, but them's the breaks. The music, the supporting cast, the story, they all blend and support each other, and the merits of Stealing Beauty make up for its lesser points.

Empire Records (1995)

A weird movie that somehow works

[13 January 2002]

I was reading all the comments given to Empire Records and I have to say that they sum it up. Empire Records seems to have nothing going for it and then suddenly it turns into this guilty pleasure that you can't get enough of. When I was in high school my entire class knew Empire Records off by heart. I'm not talking that they could speak along with the movie, we could do it sitting in class, and we did, for fun. The acting isn't great, the story is unoriginal, it all turns out in a sickening saccharine way, but for some reason it grabs teenagers and sucks them in. I think it's because all the characters, their clothes and lives and jobs and words and music are what teenagers want to be. I think it deserves some credit for that, and for Lucas, who remains one of my favorite fantasies to this day.

Dune (1984)

Better the first time

[23 December 2001]

Dune is probably one of the better books I've read in the last several years. I watched the movie before I read the book and liked it. It had trademark Lynch stuff (like the heartplugs that are not in the book) and I thought the casting was really well done. The story is confusing, but for a viewer who likes a challenge and not coma inducing bland entertainment, it makes enough sense to be satisfying. It was nice to see Alicia Witt in her only good role until Cecil B. Demented. The costumes and visual representations of the navigators and the environment were awesome too.

Then I read the book.

The film, although visually breathtaking and with some cool ideas, doesn't get across the basic themes of the film. Emphasis is placed on the wrong things and no attention is given to important characters and ideas. I was more confused by the film after I read the book because it just didn't use the same ideas. It's a cool movie by itself but compared to the book, it just doesn't work out that well. It needed to be two hours longer to include the badly needed character development and certain key scenes that explain the philosophy of the book.

Head On (1998)

Look a little closer

[9/10 · 13 December 2001]

I think that a lot of people missed the boat with this one. Yes, it was brutal and heart wrenching and seemed to have a sad ending, but it's one story of one person. This film is not representative of every gay man on the face of the earth and it is not trying to be. Ari reaches out and grabs your heart, yanking it out of your chest with his bare hands. At first I found his various sexual encounters repulsive, but then I realized that sex is not just romantic (okay, my film teacher pointed this out). If I found his need to use sex as a power struggle repulsive, then it's my problem, it how I see sex. The ending, I thought, was a step, a jumping off point for Ari. It didn't fit in a pretty box, but he comes to a realisation that he is going to deal with his sexuality in his own way. He is going to unite his traditional family background with his sexuality even if it's not the way the audience would like to see him do it. The point is that he's made a decision, hard as it was or it may turn out to be. Head On is just so visually stunning, so enticing, especially with the Greek music. It's off the beaten track, assuredly, but gorgeous.

I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

Low budget, but a ball busting look at women in the 70`s

[9/10 · 27 October 2001]

I Spit On Your Grave (the better title, I think) is a lot more then a low budget film and to sign it off as a wanna-be horror flick is superficial. The lack of music certainly draws attention to the one scene where there is music. The graphic nature of the rape and the resulting revenge grabs you by the balls (even if you`re a girl). The effects are not great but we`re talking low budget here. It`s visually a harrowingly realistic film. Also, take the film into context: it was made during a revival of women`s lib and makes a severe comment towards the movement and the position of women in society at that time. The evolution of Jennifer demonstrates three stereotypical views of women but the transitions between each are smooth and believable. The male characters are intentionally caricatures but they are not completely one dimensional. In fact, if you analyze the script, bare as it is, every line has something to say about the character saying it.

This film came after movies like Russ Meyer`s crazy depictions of ultra violent, sex crazed vixens and before films like Cronenberg`s The Brood. It is a low budget and obviously the director`s first film but it demonstrates some interesting points about what was going on during its creation.