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culpan
Reviews
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Great, dreamy, tough.
This should cause riots in mall multiplexes across the country. Audiences expecting soft-core starring Kidman and Cruise will find themselves sitting for three hours watching something that requires thought and be filled with rage. This should be an even better indicator of a person's mentality than The Thin Red Line. What a great year! Kubrick and Malick! A great movie that I can't wait to see again tomorrow.
Orphans (1998)
A truly great debut, one of the best in recent years.
This film is totally original. One is uncertain until almost the very end about how feel about anything or anyone onscreen. It uses the gritty style of Loach and Leigh to a far finer end. It's funny, disturbing and finally very moving. I was thrilled to be introduced to some wonderful new actors and Mullan is simply a terrific writer. Orphans is as good maybe as Solondz' Happiness, not as precise but maybe deeper and maybe even more original. The photography is uneven, sometimes perfect sometimes dodgy. The score and editing are very good. If this film doesn't get US theatrical distribution I'll be very disappointed, because I want to see it again.