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Reviews
French Kiss (1995)
Paris and Meg Ryan just don't mix.
While I have never been a fan of Meg Ryan, I find myself attracted to the films that she is in. Sometimes I just want to sit back and watch American romance comedies they're usually so much fun. So I watched this, knowing I don't usually like her, hoping that maybe she could change my opinion of her. She didn't.
Poor Kevin Kline. This movie could have been really exciting a reunion with Jamie Lee Curtis would have been perfect Curtis could have pulled this off with ease. Or how about Jennifer Aniston a great comedic actress who has the skill for serious drama. But Ryan is just Ryan in this movie: I saw her Kate in 'Kate and Leopold' and other Ryan major roles all surface in this flick
and was turned off as usual.
There is a strange physical jaunt that she expels in many of the romantic comedies that she is in in exasperation, she thrusts her arm into the air and bends slightly at the waist rocking back and forth, in an 'Aw sheesh damn' kind of rhythm which is so trite and so unnecessary that she throws at us again in this film. More than once. It is tiring, and too recognizable: why should I be reminded of 'Kate and Leopold' or 'When Harry Met Sally' every time I see Ryan?
The story is fun and smart, the supporting cast is great. Everyone shines especially Kevin Kline, whom I don't consider supporting cast, don't get me wrong. He is perfectly cast as the Franco-American with dreams as of yet beyond his grasp. He is sly and wise as a criminal, and gives us the benefit of the doubt throughout this movie. Jean Reno is perfect as his comrade-cum-official.
This movie could have been so much more than it is. The French countryside is gorgeous, and you might just wish there was more to the leading lady to complement it.
Bad Santa (2003)
I Love a Good Script
I am genuinely surprised to see such a high user rating for this film. It's at a 7.2 as I write this. It isn't bad, but it's
I'm finding difficulty bringing the right word to mind; I keep landing on, 'eh.' It occurs to me that this movie's script finds this very same difficulty.
The movie kept my interest; each actor took hold of his character very comfortably and naturally (with the purposefully-directed exception of The Kid), and each one again kept me interested. I wanted to continue watching them, listening to them. But mid-way through the movie, I felt my face change. My neck hurt. At that moment, I realized that I hadn't smiled or laughed ONCE up to that point. And by the end of the movie, I think I counted two instances when I laughed out loud, and no other instances of smiling.
There is such amazing acting in this movie, that it completely out-performs the script and screen writing. I hadn't even noticed I was watching a comedy. I mean, sure, the jokes are foul and there is vile behavior, but what's funny about that when every other word is f**k? I am not offended by foul language. If I have anything against 'The F-word' it is that it steals the flavor and meaning from the words it substitutes. When it's every-other word, f this and f that, f'n, f'n, f'n, the script becomes boring and typical. Replace them back with the original thoughts' words, and you've got comedy!!
Some "scenarios" are funny, I must add. The guy across the bar, the first aid for The Kid, the spar-session at the ring. The actors in their scenarios carried these scenes with selfish little help from the script.
It's an OK movie. I liked it. But I didn't think it was very funny; I just liked it. Good story, top-notch acting, nice weather.
5/10
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
I am so bored by mediocrity
Pointless is what a reviewer before me said. Pointless is right. I watched half one night, was so bored I went to bed. Watched the second half the next night, and literally said aloud to myself, "Why am I doing this?" wondering whether turning it off would be giving up. I hate giving up.
I kept trying with this one, and just had to give up. Forget how much I love the talent. Forget how much I wanted to see this. Forget how much I wanted to love this. It all just doesn't matter in the end - it's not worth it.
My favorite scene was the Tesla Coil. That was great. That was something. Something new. Something familiar. But that was it. That was the peak. The pique. The pinnacle. The highlight. And that was just more than half-way, if I remembrer correctly.
I am tired of mediocrity - in music, sitcoms, novels, lectures, prestentations, coworkers, lunch specials, customer service - and seriously, in movies - I spent $8 on this?!?
I don't need ground-breaking. I don't need high-tech. I need something above of, something more serious than, something more interesting than mediocre self-indulgence.
I give it an 'eh.
Karen
The House of Mirth (2000)
Ugh... I struggled to see this to the end.
Compelling? Not to me - quite a common story. Dramatic? I was waiting for the drama.
I could foresee the outcome of every scene in this trite story. I couldn't feel anything for Lily or her suitors. The actors did their best with a boring script and with characters who deserved no sympathy. Eric Stolz really needs to be cast more often: is he purposely on hiatus? Laura Linney continues to earn my respect; she is one of the finest actors today.
I don't know why I saw this to the end - I really have to learn when to quit.
Married to the Mob (1988)
Still on my list of all-time favorites, after all these years!
This is a fun movie with subtle intention. Its off-beat comedy is hilarious to me, unfunny to my friends. The soundtrack is perfect.
I own this on VHS and I have watched it many, many times, because it's simply a fun and funny love story with great performances by all the principals (though using Joan Cusack solely as a perch for big hair was a waste of her talent. I know, I know, she was still young...).
On a sad note, I decided to check out the DVD last night (instead of watching my VHS tape), and was SHOCKED to find many crucial scenes cut. And on the copy I watched, there was no special feature of deleted scenes: it was as if the deleted scenes never existed!! I am so glad I bought the used VHS at a flea market.
It is clear there was a great deal of choreography in this, which is another reason I love it so much. It takes great skill, talent, and genius to move around the scenes like Mercedes Ruehl, Dean Stockwell, and Matthew Modine do from scene to scene (Note the scene when the grocery carts converge, the rolling on the floor during the shoot-out in Miami, the Chicken Lickin' debacle, the foot massage, the salon hair-washing.) There is a very "theatrical" feel to this film, which may be the turn-off for so many whose poor reviews follow: I know some viewers who don't quite understand this style mistake the exaggerations and over-the-top performances for poor acting and worse direction. Not so. Jonathan Demme does a great job bringing to life the entire company and their respective roles.
The opening credits and first scene rank among my all-time favorites, as well (another favorite opening credits/first scene: Fly Away Home).
Too bad Matthew Modine so ardently skipped out of the public eye; I really like him, and found his casting PERFECT in the role of Mike Smith. Actually, this film is well-cast from soup to nuts: everyone is believable and true to his role. As for the question of expecting audience to accept Pfeiffer and Stockwell as Italians - why not? I thought they pulled it off perfectly well.
Charming, fun, exciting... what is there not to like? If you want a little fun, watch this quirky, colorful adventure-mob-love story. If you are looking to learn more about organized crime and families, tune to HBO's The Sopranos.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
If you like Johnny Depp, you'll love Johnny Depp in this flick.
Well, I finally got around to seeing this because I continue to hear such rave reviews and decided they can't be all wrong.
Turns out, I was wrong: this movie bored me bored me bored me. By the time the movie was half-over, I began waiting impatiently for the smallest sighting of Johnny Depp - any scene he was in was incredible: his acting was genius, his costume was perfect, and his Captain Jack Sparrow consumed him. During his appearances, the scenes were understandable, sensible (for a quirky Pirate movie), and extremely entertaining; I laughed aloud almost every time he was on screen.
Unfortunately, if he was not involved in a scene, it was guaranteed to be confusing and boring. Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush were the only actors whose lines could be understood the first time listening, I felt. I saw this on DVD with the convenience of the life-saving remote control to rewind when I couldn't get it. How did theater-goers manage?? Everyone else spoke too fast! I found myself rewinding many of Kiera Knightley and Orlando Bloom's lines, along with a few of the pirates. What's up with that? Why the frenetic spewing of lines? Depp's and Rush's words flowed from them as though part of their being, their essence. Masters, they are.
The story unnecessarily twisted back and forth - trust or don't trust, honesty or dishonesty, honor or betrayal - it went from one extreme to the other like the audience was in a secret attempt by the writers to break the Guinness Record for yo-yoing. Too much work for the audience, for too little payoff, I say; it was exhausting. I am guessing that the ride in the park is similar: back and forth and back and forth, just to the point of breaking "the fine line," you know, when you are just about to throw up? Now that I think of it, the actors' quality of performances yo-yoed from scene to scene as well. Up with Depp, down with Bloom. Up and down, up and down. It could have ended far sooner than it had.
And the special effects, while impressive programming for video games and home entertainment centers, also did nothing for me when substituting skeletons for fleshy humans in this movie. I found the graphics an answer to the laziness in not using real humans in makeup and costume. They looked incredibly costumed and made up as human pirates, why not try the same technique for the immortal pirates? I thought it was kitschy and a cop-out.
Johnny Depp outperformed everyone in this movie, including the writers and director. Other than Rush, the only others who performed on nearly the same level were the two goofballs trying to prevent him from docking, and later holding the flag during the execution scene.
6/10
Secretary (2002)
In this film, the power of love is far stronger than in any "traditional" romance movie (contains spoilers)
Someone commented earlier about whether this movie is sexist. I am rather critical of sexist themes and undertones, but at no point in this movie did I feel a twinge of sexism. Here, the leading lady does whatever she can to fulfill her sexual urges - often by herself, to the point of climax... how often do we see that in movies?
Additionally, the screenplay was written by a woman as was the short story. I guess those who might see this movie as sexist aren't quite appreciating others' need for relationships characterized by dominance and submission. I have no experience with sado-masochistic behavior, dominance and submission role-playing, or any other type of mis-labelled "fetishes." But I do understand that sex is a purely personal idea, expressed as many ways as there are personalities.
Honestly, I was at first a bit shocked by the sexual behavior, and couldn't understand why anyone might find such practice pleasurable. But the cast so ingeniously portrays each character, that it didn't take me long to get over my naivete and see that Lee and Mr. Grey had very personal urges and sexual interests that they understood to be generally "unacceptable," and felt some comfort knowing that they were not alone.
Sex aside (and I did find this movie extremely sexy), what stands out above all else in this movie is the power of love. Sounds corny, I know. But hear me out: (spoilers follow)
Mr. Grey fires Lee, some time passes (days? weeks?), and Lee can't get him out of her mind. She knows she loves him. She abandons her groom-by-default practically at the altar and runs, in her mother's wedding dress, across town to Mr. Grey's office where she storms in and tells him she loves him. She tells him over and over, he refuses to accept her declaration and doesn't return the sentiment. After she repeats "I love you" a number of times and then sits at his desk, he asks her to place her hands on the desk, palms down. He tells her to sit with both feet on the floor and to not move "until I get back." She obliges.
He leaves the office, and we later see him peering through the window to see if she's moved. She hasn't. In one brilliant scene, he uses his cell phone to call his office, and she wants to answer the phone sitting next to her on the desktop. She refuses to disobey Mr. Grey's orders to leave her hands on the desk, and proceeds to try to answer the phone by using her mouth and teeth to remove the handset from the receiver.
It is that scene that "wakes up" Spader's Mr. Grey: he watches her determination, can't believe his eyes, and hangs up his cell phone in disbelief. This makes him a little crazy, as we see him live the next two days in a sort of a daze, and later lying on the floor of his bedroom instead of on the bed. Seems to me he is in shock at the discovery that Lee truly does love him, and he doesn't know what to do about it.
While other viewers consider his demands (of her to stay put) a "true test," it is Lee who is actually testing Mr. Grey: She is determined to make him see that her love is true, and after 3 days, he passes the test. He submits, and is completely captivated by her, treating her like a princess: feeding her, carrying her upstairs, bathing her, washing her hair... loving her all night long.
This is one of the sexiest love stories I have ever seen. The power of love is stronger in this film than in any "traditional" sexy romance movies.
Blast from the Past (1999)
Beautifully innocent from start to finish
In this romantic charmer, Brendan Fraser displays more than ever that he is highly underrated. His Adam's innocence and kindness are believable and not cliche. His (and Christopher Walken's and Dave Foley's) understanding of the subtle humor carries the film.
It might be a perfect film if someone other than Alicia Silverstone was cast as the leading lady. Silverstone doesn't seem to understand that Eve can be sarcastic and cynical without being downright mean. She is of the false notion that making faces, grimacing and scowling substitute for portrayal of a complex role.
Perhaps it's a matter of poor characterization on the writer's part, but the confusing Eve just left me mad - even yelling at the screen: she can't decide what she wants, isn't honest to Adam, and plays that "cruel to be kind" style of flirting. Her jealousy and cattiness is cliche, and so "movie and magazine stereotypical." (i.e., getting jealous of the two blondes swing dancing with style with Adam, furious that Adam went home with Sophia, even though Eve left the night club without Adam.)
I can get past that, though, because every other character is carried out confidently and wisely by the rest of the cast. It moves along nicely with surprising observations the whole way.
Four subtly hilarious moments: 1. Adam: "Driver! Stop the bus! Stop the bus immediately!" 2. Bellhop: "Dial 9 to get out." Adam: "Of what?" 3. Adam: (sincerely, whenever he leaves one's presence) "May I be excused?" 4. Adam: (confused after Eve calls someone a Dickhead, he falls against a wall in a confused state) "I'm just trying to picture..."
I just thought this was a truly sweet film - the polite, respectful, innocent man is a dream come true. If only I could meet someone who's been underground for 35 years, purely unjaded by the world, and as honest as Adam! Then again, this is a movie.
Slightly Dangerous (1943)
Funny, light, comedy-drama
I didn't find this film to be a let down in any way - I found it very funny. I didn't take my eyes from it; the gorgeous sets and beautiful Lana Turner were mesmerizing. There is a hilarious scene in which Peggy Evans (Turner) is trying to decide what her new name will be: Walking down a city street, she sees ads and signs of retailers and tries out the names to see if they suit her (Abercrombie & Fitch, Suzanne Hats, etc...). She's debating with herself, trying out new names - and it's just hilarious. There are a few scenes where we hear her talking to herself, and I find these scenes some of the most fun. She's clever and serious, but her logic is unfounded. This is a fun movie, and I don't believe the cast took it too seriously. The cast seemed to make it a light comedy-drama, with a few madcap laughs.