Change Your Image
squee766
Reviews
Open Water (2003)
Two out of Ten
First thing is first: the material that this movie is based on is, in a word, amazing. I can think of no set-up for a movie that could have more basic power; our instinctual fear of being stuck in the middle of the ocean is just so strong that you can't help but react, in some way, to this film.
This does not, however, excuse the fact that almost every single decision that went into the making of this film was terribly, terribly wrong, from the soundtrack to the casting (crucial in a movie that basically consists of two characters). The movie consistently misses its chances to create tension or suspense, irritates us with the banal stereotypes it calls characters, offends us by throwing in gratuitous nudity (I'm a Peter Greenaway fan, so that's a complaint I don't make lightly), confuses us through botched editing (especially towards the end of the movie; you'll know what I mean if you see it) and mangled continuity, and much, much more. I thought I would scream if I saw one more badly handled musical transition...
Anyway, it's a terrible, botched attempt at what could have been an amazing movie; anyone who wants to see a really good film about human beings faced with almost certain death at the hands of nature should rent "Touching the Void."
Profondo rosso (1975)
Nearly Perfect
Deep Red is not, I am sorry to say, a perfect film, no matter what some people may try to say. This rests entirely on about half an hour or so of footage, mostly cut in the initial American release, that simply should never have been in the movie; most falls entirely in the category of failed comic relief (although some of it, the arm wrestling scene for example, is very important, and the "director's cut" is certainly the version to watch).
The rest of the movie, on the other hand, is a masterpiece. Vaguely similar to (but far superior than) some of the more Hitchcock-esque work of Brian De Palma, "Deep Red" makes the intelligent choice to forget careful narrative believability (it makes much more sense than most "thrillers", though) and immerse the viewer completely in a bizarre, disjointed nightmare, edged on by the audacious Goblin soundtrack and some of the most brutally dazzling murder scenes ever filmed (although not the goriest, exactly; I'd still advise those with weak stomachs to stay far away), which explode from the plot-line (which itself is really made up of an unfolding series of jagged vignettes that finally coalesce in a jaw-dropping finale, a precursor in many ways to David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive") every so often to amaze us with acts of cinematic virtuosity, sort of like the songs of an old MGM musical.
Even better than the brilliant "Suspiria","Deep Red" is the giallo film to watch, and the ideal place to start for absolutely anyone interested in this weirdly fascinating sub-genre. It certainly makes the last 25 years of American "thrillers" look tamely pathetic, to say the least.
Shurayukihime (1973)
Close, but not quite.
A female samurai revenge film from Japan, "Lady Snowblood" is certainly interesting, but doesn't quite work. This may be partly because the endless barrage of cinematic techniques (sort of French New Wave, actually); including but not limited to flashbacks, freeze-frames, colored lighting, slow and sped up motion, still images, and comics panels; actually serve to distract the viewer from the highly effective story at hand. Add to this the occasionally shaky camera work and spots of extraordinarily out-of-place jazz music on the sound-track (although the theme music is very effective), and end up with a very uneven experience.
Not that it isn't worth watching. Terrific acting from the heroine, very good action sequences (although the gushing torrents of indescribably fake blood may be off-setting to some), and powerful story (especially the final moments...) end up creating a near-classic. A must for genre fans or anyone curious, I simply can't give it much more than 6/10.
Io non ho paura (2003)
Very good, but over-rated.
Although "I'm Not Scared" is very good, as most other reviewers will tell you, it simply isn't a great film, as many seem to be saying. It simply doesn't seem to go far enough in exploring the emotions it raises, being unsettling when it could've been devastating. The photography, although very good, is simply too stylized for the otherwise straight-forward narrative approach that the movie takes (the movie should be especially commended, though, for not only showing the story through the child's eyes but committing to the approach throughout the film).
For another film that deals with similar subject matter a little more interestingly, try "The Reflecting Skin" or "The Return (Vozvrashcheniye)".