Change Your Image
jen-47
Reviews
In Love and War (2001)
A Lovely Surprise
I happened across this presentation quite by accident and was pleasantly surprised. The story, set in wartime, is sweet and romantic and made even more interesting because it is true. The young British actor who played Eric Newby really impressed me...he has leading man potential and I hope to see more of him. Tall, lanky and angular with an expressive, wide-eyed, boyish appeal, he was convincing in both the comic moments, the romantic scenes, and the tenser escape scenes. He plays a British soldier, escaped from a POW camp in Italy. His escape is hampered by a foot injury. While his injury is healing, with the help of the local villagers, he hides from the Nazis, learns some Italian phrases (these scenes were particularly amusing) and falls in love. The movie will eventually be offered by Hallmark as part of their video collection.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Amazing and Emotionally Moving
I saw A.I. last night, and was completely taken by surprise. This is an AMAZING movie. I found it a profoundly moving and supremely emotional experience, to put it mildly. In fact, I was so overcome with emotion by the end of the movie, I was literally choking back sobs.
Why did this movie affect me? I honestly don't know. Compared to most viewers, I think I had an unusually strong emotional reaction, none of the critics reviews described it as a tearjerker. Maybe it was Haley Joel Osment's amazing performance. One thing I noticed is that like a true robot, he never blinked. He was actually kind of creepy at first, but by the end I actually felt sorry for David, even though he was, essentially, a machine. That kid deserves another Oscar nomination.
Jude Law's performance was also very good, his character Gigolo Joe was entertaining and lightened up the somber mood cast by David's obsession with finding the Blue Fairy and reuniting with his mother. I would have liked to see more of his character interacting with his "clients". The concept of an artificial lover was intriguing, from a woman's point of view. With his perfectly made up features, he looked artificial but strikingly beautiful. He was all style, all prancing, preening attitude.
The movie could have ended at several points before it actually does, and think at Spielberg took it a bit further than is necessary, but overall it kept my interest, and emotions, at an appropriate level.
This is not a movie that everyone will like. Teens, in particular, may find the pace too slow. Its certainly not a check-your-brains-at-the-door summer popcorn flick. But I think if you are reasonably mature, intelligent and can appreciate a movie that forces you to think, it is not to be missed.
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Powerful, Effective
I thought this movie was very entertaining and I would highly recommend it.
The opening sequence was effectively, frighteningly intense. I would expect this film to be in the running at next years Academy awards for production and set design, cinematography and art direction.
The performances were very good, especially Jude Law, Ed Harris, and Rachel Weisz. Jude Law takes on a role that is essentially an 180 degree departure from the ebullient and confident Dickie Greenleaf (`The Talented Mr. Ripley'). His character in this movie is shy and humble, a simple farmer put into extraordinary circumstances and having to live up to a larger than life image as a hero, given to him by the Soviet political officer who uses him as an example and a morale booster. As the movie progresses you can see the changes in his face showing the cumulative effect of the stresses his character has to endure on a daily basis. By the end of the movie he is exhausted both mentally and physically.
The dialogue is rather sparse and simplistic, probably because it was written in English by a Frenchman, but it propels the storyline adequately. The movie's strength is really in the battle and several gripping cat-and-mouse sniper sequences, anyway. Much of the emotion and mood of the scenes was represented by the actor's facial expressions and the director's chosen emphasis on their eyes.
Despite many opinions to the contrary I thought the super-slow and super-quiet sex scene was touching, tender and very erotic (even though they were fully covered).
*SPOILERS* follow....
The director chose to change the way the sniper's duel was resolved, maybe because he felt seeing Vassili pick the German off from a great distance wouldn't be as dramatic as a final, face-to-face confrontation. Also, the final scene seemed almost an afterthought, but I left the theater feeling satisfied with the movie as a whole.
The Beach (2000)
This film could have been much better
I ignored the critics lukewarm reviews warnings and went to see this film, because I was a fan of Dicaprio, whose talents I greatly admired for some of his previous work. Unfortunately, I don't predict this film will do well at the box office once word of mouth gets around.
The first half to two-thirds of the film is tolerable, and Dicaprio's golden-boy charisma is is still evident. There were some light moments and the story was moving forward, with Dicaprio's character `Richard' and his two friends joining a secret, secluded beach community. However, at one point Dicaprio's character is effectively cast out from the group and reduced to isolated sentry duty. It is at this point the movie takes an abrupt turn, with the character, `Richard' having hallucinations and generally acting weird. The sudden change in the film's tone is confusing to the viewer. There is no real tension or sense of danger, and the character's odd behavior is never really explained. Then, just as suddenly, `Richard' snaps out of it and comes to his senses, and this leads to the films rather anti-climactic resolution. (I was just relieved the weirdness was over).
Overall, the film's failure is primarily due to a weak script and poor direction, and unfortunately I cannot recommend this movie. Although I could see glimmers of Dicaprio's talent in a few emotional scenes, at other moments in the film he seemed to be overacting. I don't know if this was the due to the director's instructions or the actor's own interpretation. Die-hard Leo fans: save your money and wait for the video, where you can at least fast-forward through the boring parts. Sorry Leo, better luck next time, and in the future be sure to choose your scripts and directors wisely.
Playing by Heart (1998)
Very sweet, funny, touching movie
I thought this movie was overall very pleasing. The dialogue was very entertaining although somewhat contrived (I never met anyone who really talks like that). Definitely the best storyline was Angelina Jolie and Ryan Phillipe's. Sean Connery and Gena Rowlands were good. The other stories were OK but not as interesting. I didn't think the mother/son-dying-of-AIDS storyline was necessary, and it didn't really fit in (too depressing). They could have dropped that and fleshed out the other stories. I'm glad most of the critics did not reveal the "secrets" and plot twists, because that was what kept you interested, wondering what was going to happen and what these people had in common. The ending was almost too perfect, but I like fairy-tale endings, anyway. Not recommended for cynics.
Wild Things (1998)
Not Bad for Cheap Sexploitation
I did not bother going to see this in a theatre but rented it on video. I figured the soft-core action might interest my husband. I wound up being pleasantly surprised; this film actually had a pretty interesting plot with some great twists. Speaking just for myself, I found the sex scenes kind of boring and contrived, and Kevin Bacon flashing his willy in the shower scene was purely gratuitous. Ditto for the car-washing scene. What kept me interested was the story, which kept you guessing as to who was good/bad right to the end. The way the closing credits wraps things up was a nice touch too.
Meet Joe Black (1998)
Best Film of 1998
JauntyJen@aol.com Ronkonkoma, NY
I thought Meet Joe Black was a sweet, funny, touching, and thought provoking film. I already saw it twice and plan to go back a third time. For this movie to work, the viewer has to have an open mind about two things: 1. To accept the absurd notion that Death is a conscious being who experiences a sudden curiosity to experience life as mortal human beings know it. 2. To be forgiving of certain plot elements which are never fully explained. A lot is left to the viewers interpretation. I thought all the performances in this film were noteworthy, especially Anthony Hopkins as Bill Parrish. Here is a man who not only has to deal with the knowledge of his impending demise, but has to spend his last days accompanied by Death, in the heavenly human form of Brad Pitt. (who has never looked better). Death, introduced as "Joe Black" follows Parrish around as he tries to tries to tie up loose ends in his business (which Parrish considers his legacy), and tries to make the most of his time left on earth with his family. Brad Pitt as he plays the mysterious Joe Black is both innocent and awkward, charismatic and seductive, and frighteningly omnipotent. In his arrangement to give Parrish a limited reprieve while he "sees the world", he holds all the cards, and Bill Parrish is increasingly frustrated in his realization that he doesn't have the bargaining power which served him so well in former business dealings. The character Joe Black also develops a romantic interest in Parrish's younger daughter Susan (played by the misty-eyed Claire Forlani). As for the concept of Death falling in love or even having any human emotions, it can be explained that love and other human emotions are at least partly influenced by bio-chemical processes. It stands to reason that a being occupying a human body would be subject to these hormonal and chemical reactions to outside triggers (such as the sight or smell of a potentially compatible mate), which cause the human brain to experience feelings of lust, desire, infatuation and ultimately love. It is even easier to understand, since we already know the previous human occupant of Joe Black's body was also attracted to Susan, who had a brief but flirtatious encounter with him in a coffee shop. By the end of the movie, even the supporting characters such as the fawning older daughter, her seemingly inept but good hearted husband, and Bill Parrish's trusted business partner, are fleshed out. Each has at least one emotional or pivotal scene which brings their motivations to light. I did not think this movie was too long, in fact I hardly noticed it was 3 hours. I cannot think of one scene which could be cut without compromising the movie. The scenes were paced to give the viewer time to imagine what the characters might have been thinking at that moment. The actors did an admirable job of conveying the various emotions through their facial expressions and limited dialogue. The cinematography and lighting were also extremely relaxing and pleasing to the eye. All in all, I would recommend this film to anyone who believes the key to happiness is keeping close family ties, living life to its fullest without compromising moral and ethical principles, and settling for nothing less than true love.