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rainbowkeeper
Reviews
Hard Candy (2005)
Incredibly Intense and Thought-Provoking
I was thoroughly blown away by the performances turned in by the 2 main actors. While the dialogue could easily have been made dull and cliché by the majority of Hollywood talent, Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson OWNED these roles. Every subtle expression, inflection, movement, everything these two bring to the screen captivates the viewer completely. I am disappointed with many of the criticisms I've seen here about the movie. This movie was not made to have a neat and tidy moral message, primarily because there ARE NO neat and tidy morals. Crime and justice are brilliantly juxtaposed by the initial ambiguity of who is the criminal and who is the victim. I can see how it might trouble your average American viewer, who wants to see crimes vilified and justice pure and righteous (I call it the "Die Hard" syndrome). Here, we are first brought to empathize with the criminal as a victim and see the hand of justice to be brutal and apathetic, before slowly revealing the criminal for his deeds and the avenger for her purpose. Throughout the movie, the role of predator and prey changes multiple times, and the viewer is left to contemplate how narrow the definition can be between the two. This film was done so well, there is little room for improvement. My only complaint is that the ending is too neat, and there were at least 2 occasions where I felt that Haley made mistakes that her character was too smart to make, but that were convenient for plot development. Highly recommended for people who are open-minded enough to suspend personal judgments for the duration of the movie in order to fully explore both the humanity and inhumanity of both the criminal and the avenger of justice.
Independence Day (1996)
You can love to hate it
There comes a paradox with movies as bad as these. They're like a bad car accident, you wince at seeing the carnage and realize the tragedy of the situation, but you just have to take in the entirety of it. You are compelled to observe, it proves too difficult to look away. This movie is awful, there is no getting around it. At the same time, I sat through the entire movie, transfixed in horror at how terrible it was. Worse, years later, I was compelled to watch it again, knowing precisely how awful it was the first time around. It didn't get better with the second viewing. The only thing artful about this movie is how they managed to appeal to the primitive portion of our brains that revels in inane stupidity. The sad thing is, I somehow doubt this was their intent. Awful, awful, awful. How awful? You have to see it, really. Which is the paradox. I highly recommend this movie, because you have to see how awful it is. So awful, you'll want to watch it again.
Out of Darkness (1994)
Amazingly realistic account of schizophrenia
I stumbled across this on the Lifetime Movie Network, and was blown away to finally see an unglamorous, starkly accurate portrayal of someone with schizophrenia. Kudos to Diana Ross, that can't possibly be an easy performance!!! Being bi-polar, I've been in and out of mental wards as a patient, seeing other patients with schizophrenia. This is the first time I've ever seen a movie or television show that captures the frightening reality without making it seem like a mere eccentricity. Now, if someone would just make a decent movie about being bi-polar, so I could point to it to help people understand what I go through.
1408 (2007)
Can there possibly be too many good things to say?
I've been a fan of John Cusack from as far back as "Better Off Dead". John's ability to live a part, to really go with it, no matter how corny, no matter how lame, no matter how trite, no matter how cliché, (not many actors could pull off "Being John Malkovich", for instance,) is amazing. So when a movie comes along that isn't corny, lame, trite or cliché, it's a double-bonus to have John in it! I felt that way with "The Ice Harvest", and I feel the same about "1408". With so many miserable movie flops of good works by Stephen King, I wasn't expecting much,and, frankly, was worried that Hollywood might make a movie with Cusack in it I didn't like. However, they did a superb job with creating an atmosphere of terror and suspense, and not screwing it up by yanking you out of the moment with lame dialog for the trailers (save perhaps for "It's an evil f***ing room") or by making the effects more important than the story. They even managed to surprise me with the ending. Even though I didn't fall for the drowning setup (too easy,) I still didn't know where they were taking me until it was done. Thanks, guys, for keeping my eyes glued on the screen for a wonderful 94 minutes.
Primer (2004)
Engrossing, despite the confusion
I really should be on a tirade about how much less confusing the writer(s) could've made it for the viewer. The plot and concepts REALLY weren't as complex as the movie made them to be. Personally, I think there's only 2 possible explanations for the chaos: elitist ("the smart people will follow it, screw the rest"), or sloppy script writing. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to think language was invented so people could efficiently and effectively communicate ideas.
However, having spent 7 years at an engineering university, I can also recognize that engineers and scientists pretty much communicate EXACTLY as portrayed in the film. Coherence and continuity is gratuitous - words are needed only so long as it helps your target audience leap-frog to the next idea. If you lose the bystanders on the way, tough luck for them.
So, I guess I liked it as a fascinating study in communication dysfunction. That, and the expertise of the director in creating suspense and character conflict was top-notch. I'd wager that, whether they follow the plot or not, most viewers will be engrossed.
Red Planet (2000)
Surprised the avg rating is so low...
From start to finish, the movie gave me delightful images, kept me in suspense, and had me enjoying the performances. While not the blockbuster movie you'd stand in line on opening day for, it was the perfect movie to sit down to just before bed with a cuddly cat and a big bowl of popcorn. Doesn't anybody rate movies based on entertainment value anymore? It was fun to watch. Does everything have to be billion-dollar special effects, infinite surprise plot twists and Hollywood's hottest stars for us to enjoy a film? I think film buffs are becoming like drug addicts... we've been on the juice so long, that it takes a super-powerful hit to even keep our attention.
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
A disappointment
As someone who copes with the emotional disorder that is supposed to be portrayed by the lead role, there was very little in this film to illustrate what it's like to live with the disorder and how it affects interpersonal relationships. It was even difficult to discern exactly what behavior was extreme enough to warrant the level of care the character underwent. I have yet to read the book, but I've been told the original story is a personal account and is quite good at portraying the condition. I haven't read it mainly because I don't want to be disappointed twice. As long as I ignored the premise of the film, I could enjoy the movie for the chemistry between Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, who I thought put forth solid performances. But to me it was simply a fair yarn about two coming-of-age girls -- how one matures and the other doesn't -- with a little bit of extra Hollywood drama thrown in for good measure and to keep it interesting.