Change Your Image
snoopie
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Session 9 (2001)
A thriller that slowly gets under your skin
When this film was released in theaters, I wanted to check it out. I am a fan of the genre, and SESSION 9 looked interesting. It could easily have been poorly acted/directed trash. It came and went so fast that I dismissed it entirely. When I saw it on the rental shelf at Blockbuster, I almost passed it by. But since the only alternative was NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE, I decided to give SESSION 9 a try. I know I would be able to tell if it was trash in the first fifteen minutes, in which case I could just shut it off and get to bed early.
I didn't get to bed early.
This is one of those thrillers that slowly gets under your skin. It is well acted, directed, edited, and scored. A perfectly paced chiller that doesn't immediately grab you... it gradually lures you into its web. As it unfolds you find yourself wanting to know more and more... about the abandoned hospital, a mysterious patient from its dark past, and the 5 workers hired to remove the asbestos from the building.
I was surprised when reading some of the other comments on IMDB that some people clearly didn't get it. Did they shut it off before the last line? Anyone who thinks this is a supernatural thriller about a haunted building is dead wrong. This film is about the evil that lurks in the weak and the wounded. It's not about possession or things that go bump in the night. It's about seemingly normal people, like you and I (or are we normal?). How many times have you read in a newspaper about a man who killed his entire family, but everyone in his neighborhood thought he was a friendly guy? How many times have you seen on the news a bunch of students questioned about a boy who shot his classmates, and heard them say, "He was a great guy, I can't believe he did this." SESSION 9 is about these people. People who lost their jobs unexpectedly, when they had a family to feed. People who were dumped without warning by someone they desperately love. The weak and the wounded... slowly suffering underneath their complacent facade. Even those closest to these victims can't see the volcano within them about to erupt. That's right... they are victims, not villains. People who turn against others because they couldn't find help for themselves in time.
What makes this film so genuinely scary is that it opens your eyes to the thought your closest friend... a co-worker... or family member... even your life partner... could be about to explode. And you won't have a clue... until it's too late.
A first rate thriller... engrossing not only because of the taut suspense, but because SESSION 9 has a lot to say about the frailty of the human condition. Not to be missed.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
Ground-breaking animation! A soaring journey!
I have to admit, I was skeptical about this film. An animated feature about a horse fighting for his freedom during the "How the West Was Won" years. It sounded a little dull. Well I couldn't have been more wrong. SPIRIT is a captivating film... beautifully animated and told.
In the film's dramatic opening, we follow an eagle as it soars through rich Western landscapes. The backgrounds are stunning. I've never seen better in a 2D animated film. The eagle flies over a rushing river and into a forest, which comes alive with fluttering birds and frolicking bears. Han Zimmer adds an eloquent score, which gave me chills. There's some tasteful narration during this segment, done by Matt Damon. A perfect choice for the voice of the hero, Spirit. I'm not a big fan of narration, but the film-makers were smart, and the narration is used sparingly. Within moments a herd of horses charges over the horizon and the audience is taken on a wild ride.
The big surprise in this film is the amount of story telling that is achieved without much dialogue. Yes, the horses in SPIRIT don't talk. I was shocked too. John Fusco is credited with the screenplay, but he obviously didn't have much to write. The real story tellers here are the animators. These horses are beautifully drawn. Their dramatic expressions tell you everything the horses might think or want to say. It's nice to see a film daring enough to break away from the Disney formula. I was dreading a sequence with singing and dancing horses. Fortunately, it never came. There are no silly side-kicks either. Again, a welcomed change.
I don't want to give away too much of the story, because it is quite an exciting experience. The basic premise deals with a stallion named Spirit who is captured by some cowboys. Spirit is then dragged off to a Cavalry fort, but he never forgets his herd and longs to return to them. Spirit meets a mean colonel, a friendly Indian and a attractive mare (you knew there had to be a love interest) in his travels. All of them help open Spirit's eyes to the new world around him.
The film features songs from Brian Adams. Most of the songs are strong and serve the story well. Once or twice I felt the songs were a little too close to each other, but that is only a minor gripe.
Overall, I found the film completely engaging and surprisingly moving. Also, the themes, especially involving freedom, are very timely, given the post-9/11 era we find ourselves living in. Without a doubt the best animated feature in a long, long time. I look forward to seeing it again.
U-571 (2000)
Lacks heart, but great action keeps this sub thriller afloat.
If you've seen a submarine action/thriller before, whether it be "Hunt for Red October", "Crimson Tide" or any one of the countless others, you know we're not exactly sailing in uncharted waters. "U-571" begs, borrows and steals from the best of the rest, but there is enough suspense and a few surprises to make this boat worth the ride.
Matthew McConaughey, Harvey Keitel, Bill Paxton and a host of newcomers take sail to overtake a German submarine during WWll in an attempt to steal a precious telegraph device (a.k.a. "Enigma"), which allows the Germans to communicate in a code the US simply can't crack. How the Americans tapped into the communications between the sub and the German command seems to defy the premise (i.e. "Enigma"), but we'll let that slide for the moment. And that the soldiers look as though they were handpicked out of GQ magazine instead of boot camp... we can let that slide I guess. And the historical fact that it was actually the British that sought the Enigma... well, we'll just have to let that slide too. It's a movie... not a documentary.
As with all the action pictures of this genre, explosions are a must... and "U-571" is no exception. In fact, one must wonder if, after the umpteenth depth charge explosion, the film-makers were able to claim "no fishes of any kind were injured in the making of this picture." At least we know what the cast ate for dinner. Nevertheless, the special effects deliver... and with an 80 million plus budget, they had better.
The acting and writing are adequate, although Harvey Keitel, usually in top form, delivers his lines as though he has just read the script for the first time. I simply can't believe he agreed to utter lines like, "I'd sail with you any day of the week." The plot, loosely based on a true story, surfs along with as many predictable devices as it does surprises, but I guess it would have been a work of pure fiction otherwise.
But what I miss most from "U-571" is a strong emotional core. There are so many sailors running around that it's hard enough to remember all their names, never mind get to know who they are. We know that they're handsome, skilled and afraid to die (yadda, yadda, yadda)... but who are they? "U-571" never submerges deep enough into the hearts and minds of it's occupants for us to find out. And so, even though the action/suspense cup is more than half full, the emotional cup is more than half empty.
What keeps this ship from sinking is the tight direction of Jonathan Mostow, who also wrote the script. Mostow directed Kurt Russell in the less successful "Breakdown". Mostow keeps the action flowing at a hundred knots per hour. Relentless at times. But you never feel irritatingly bombarded, as in films like "Armageddon". Mostow knows how to walk that delicate line between action and suspense... even if we are all too aware of the safety net below.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Life on other planets? Apparently not!
There must be some mistake. Please tell me there has been a mistake. Lucas spends two hours on a plot point involving the invasion of a small planet that should have lasted no more than twenty minutes. This was supposed to be Episode 1, right? "Phantom" feels more like Episode 1.5.
All the questions I had about the beginning of the saga remain unanswered. Where does Obi Wan come from? What about Yoda? What was the Republic like before the dark times? What is the origin of the dark side? Evil Sith apprentice Darth Maul exclaims in one of his too few lines, "Now we will finally get our revenge." Revenge for what? This is Episode 1, remember?
But what bothers me most about "Phantom" is not the uninspired story. The dim light in this star system is the depth (or lack thereof) in Lukas' characters. Liam Neeson delivers his lines like he has just read the script for the first time. Ewan McGregor's Obi Wan is one dimensional and passive at best. Even R2D2 registers more emotion than Princes Amidala. Sadly, the only new character with any spark of personality is Jar Jar Binks. It's too bad that Jar Jar is also the most irritating new character. Wait a minute... strike that... the two-headed pod race commentators certainly take that prize. George, what were you thinking?
The film is not a total loss. There are brief moments of wit and charm. But these sparse bursts of excitement wet our appetite for more. Unfortunately, more never comes.
The characters are cardboard, the script is stale, and there are more unnecessary special effects than our eyes can comprehend. It's a good thing that "Phantom" is the fourth installment in the saga. Had it been the first, it probably would have been the last.