cathyyoung1

One of the best TV shows ever.

Xena: Warrior Princess is the thinking person's fantasy/action show. A perfect mix of often dark drama, wacky/campy comedy, action, angst and romance, it was poignant, thrilling, funny, suspenseful, sexy and much more. Set in the fantasy world of a creatively reinvented antiquity, X:WP offers us the ultimate female hero: strong and vulnerable, tough and soft, brave and caring, heroic and deeply flawed, she's all warrior and all woman. We follow Xena's journey on her quest for redemption as well as Gabrielle's growth from a naive peasant girl to a reluctant warrior. And there are other fascinating characters: Ares, the God of War who is determined to lure Xena back to the dark side but is eventually changed by his love for her; Callisto, Xena's victim and nemesis who manages to be sympathetic even at her most evil; Joxer, the bumbling warrior wannabe with the heart of a lion.

Of course the show had its weak moments, especially in the last three seasons. At its best, however, it featured smart writing and creative directing, enhanced by the wonderful acting of Lucy Lawless as Xena, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle, Kevin Smith as Ares, Ted Raimi as Joxer and Hudson Leick as Callisto. (Alexandra Tydings' Aphrodite, Paris Jefferson's Athena are worthy of mention as well; so are Karl Urban as Julius Caesar and Marton Csokas as Borias, Xena's lover in her days as a warlord.)

I have to comment on one of the reviews which mentioned Xena and Gabrielle being out for revenge against men and complained that the heroines beat up men all the time but never get hit themselves. Hello? Did this person even watch the show? I suspect not. Some of the most prominent villains on the show were women (Callisto, Najara, Alti), and many of Xena and Gabrielle's allies were men. In fact, the episode "The Dirty Half Dozen" explicitly repudiates hostility to men. X:WP's feminism was never anti-male or heavy-handed.

Bottom line? If you haven't seen this show, get the DVDs (or VHS) and give it a try. Start with the premiere, "Sins of the Past." The first half of S1 wasn't all that great (the show had yet to find its footing) but watch "Hooves and Harlots" and "The Reckoning." If you're not hooked yet, try "Ties That Bind," "The Greater Good" and "Callisto." You'll probably want to stay on for S2.

A young man, just out of prison, wants to go straight but is drawn back into crime as a result of circumstances beyond his control, and ends up being hunted by the law and betrayed by his friends. A close-knit family is torn apart due to its involvement in crime and corruption. Sound familiar? Yes, it's been done before; but James Gray manages to steer admirably clear of "crime drama" or "urban corruption" cliches and to create a haunting, moody film driven by character and not "action." There are no credibility-defying stunts or chases here, no inventive new ways to kill someone off; the fight scenes are realistically messy and un-melodramatic. And yet the suspense at times is almost unbearable. What matters is that Gray actually makes us care about his characters; one can even feel sorry for the "bad guys," who in a way are also victims of circumstance. A couple of plot developments may be unconvincing, and in at least one scene Gray sacrifices plausibility to drama: Several police officers walk into a borough council meeting and deliver a tragic news to two people right in the crowded room, leading to a dramatic reaction. (In real life, of course, they would have been asked to step outside.) But these are minor problems. Some critics apparently thought that the ending of the film was lame and hackneyed. I totally disagree. For once a hero in a film makes the morally right choice without grandstanding. How refreshing.

The film is beautifully shot, for the most part well-written, and above all, wonderfully acted. I have been a Mark Wahlberg fan ever since "Boogie Nights," and I think this is his best role and best, most natural performance since then, except maybe for "Three Kings." (I agree with another IMDB reviewer who said that in his other recent performances you can see the acting. People may not realize that "The Yards" was shot RIGHT AFTER "Boogie Nights" -- its release was delayed by nearly two years because of Gray's perfectionism in editing the film. I hope this doesn't mean that Wahlberg's best work is behind him and that he has become "hollywoodized"... I hope it just means that he needs a good director to bring out his natural talent.) Without a single false note, he conveys Leo's desperation, fear, and tenderness toward his mother. Joaquin Phoenix also does a superb job as Leo's friend-turned-traitor Willie, who is not really an evil man but ends up doing evil things out of a desire to save his own skin. A virtually unrecognizable Charlize Theron is very good as Leo's cousin and Willie's girlfriend Erica. And the "elders" -- James Caan as the sleazy, weary family patriarch, Faye Dunaway as his wife, Ellen Burstyn as Leo's mother -- are superb.

Because Miramax has refused to give this film the backing it deserves (evidently the suits believe audiences are too dumb to appreciate an intelligent movie that doesn't have gore and explosions galore), it may not be around much longer. Run, don't walk, to see this gem!

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a finely crafted, well-acted, visually stunning chiller that leaves you with a sense of horror far more searing than grotesque onscreen violence. It explores profound questions of identity and selfhood, yet never turns into heavy-handed preaching. Without divulging too much of the plot, Ripley is a human chameleon who assumes others' identities because he feels that, as himself, he is worthless. Pretending to be somebody else is the only way he can rise to a higher station in life. The line that sums up his story is, "I've always felt that it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody." He achieves his goal but at a terrible price.

Apparently, in the novel on which the film was based, Tom Ripley is a cheerful sociopath who gets away with his crimes and goes on to enjoy the good life. The film's Ripley is far more fragile, torn and vulnerable, and while he manages to fool the law he does suffer a terrible punishment -- the loss of his only chance to be truly loved for himself, for his REAL self. One could say that the filmmakers didn't have the nerve to replicate the novel's completely amoral atmosphere in which evil triumphs. But they have also given us a far more human, far less alienating protagonist.

The story pulls you in right away and moves at a fast, involving pace, though the film also takes the time to develop the characters and relationships. The tension mounts steadily, reaching an almost unbearable pitch toward the end of the film. It's enough to make all but the most nitpicking-prone viewers overlook a couple of holes in the plot.

Before I saw "Mr. Ripley" I thought Matt Damon was a bit too "clean-cut" to play the part, but I was won over by his excellent, moving, often mesmerizing performance (even if, at times, he didn't give Ripley's dangerous, sociopathic side enough of an edge). Jude Law, one of the most talented and beautiful actors working in film today, plays Dickie Greenleaf with a perfect combination of easy golden-boy charm, insouciance, and arrogance bordering on casual cruelty. Philip Seymour Hoffman is wonderful as always, in the little time he has on screen, playing a rich obnoxious snob. Gwyneth Paltrow is good, though I don't think this is her best performance.

All in all, a riveting, provocative, haunting film.