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Reviews
8 ½ Women (1999)
Not bad at all.
I went in expecting the worst and left completely turned around. 8 1/2 Women doesn't hold a candle to The Pillow Book, The Cook the Thief..., or his earlier Drowning By Numbers, but I had fun! It was almost like Peter Greenaway does Woody Allen (wanna talk about film makers who purge their sexual fantasies on screen!) With the exception of a couple of scenes, the visual style of this film is stark and simple (much like Drowning...) and relied heavily on smart dialogue, which at times got a bit over the top, intellectually speaking, but kept the film going. I never got bored with it, I never got too disgusted, and even if I can't recommend it to most of the people I know, I still feel it's a strong feature.
Now, even though this is Greenaway Lite, it still isn't for people who didn't like any of his earlier films. But even if you only liked The Cook The Thief, you should give this one a chance. Forget that you have hang ups about sex and sit back and watch the perversion unfold! Pure, sick fun!
Coven (2000)
Could be the beginning of brilliant filmmaking.
I saw "Coven" last night after watching American Movie. I've got to say that aside from a slightly underdeveloped story, it shows promise. The group meeting scenes especially are a sign of good things to come. I am excited to find out what happens with "Northwestern."
The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1974)
The Usual Suspects of pornography.
When adult films of the '70's made their way back into the mainstream of popular culture, Radley Metzger most definitely holds his regard as the finest adult filmmaker ever. My first encounter with Metzger's work was "The Opening of Misty Beethoven" which, as a boy looking through a friend's parents' videos, was far more than I'd expected. Years later, I was happy to view "The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann," which, aside from the pornographic content, I found totally engrossing. I admit being completely shocked by the surprise ending!
Maybe it's the recent admiration of independent film that has made the acting in Radley's movies seem so much better, but his camera work is unsurpassed in his field. Beautifully shot, well acted smut, which borders on proving itself as "erotica!" Yeah for Radley Metzger!
Cosas que nunca te dije (1996)
An honest and original tale of love and depression.
As some directors wear their influences on their sleeve, so does Isabel Coixet but with enough style and originality that you enjoy noticing. Though we've seen stories such as this many times, we rarely get away without feeling ultimately manipulated to the gills. Things I Never Told You actually takes the uncommon stance that the audience can decide what to feel based on their own experiences and their own aesthetics. No John Williams scores swelling over touching imagery and no lingering shots of teary unions with lovers, children, pets, or parents.
The range of bizarre characters and the nearly flawless performances by the finest of indie film actors (and Andrew McCarthy of all people) place this film in a class of rarely distributed features that rent like crazy. I highly recommend this movie to anyone.