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morgana-6
Reviews
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
Average Fare
I probably would have avoided this after seeing the trailers on HBO. I like my ghost stories 'pure' rather than the result of some mechanical means (the recent remake of Shirley Jackson's The House comes to mind). But I noticed that Tony Shalhoub was in it, and having become a fan of his Mr. Monk series on USA, I thought I'd give it a try. His low-key performance was the best thing about the film. The occult elements were ho-hum; the ghosts were ugly but not scary. F. Murray Abraham was wasted as the evil uncle, who sets up his nephew and his children. And one of the biggest missing plot elements is just exactly was the goal of the uncle and what would have happened if he succeeded in activating the machine? It's kind of hard to get invested in an outcome if you don't know the stakes. The special effects are fine, but I'd only recommend it to those who must see all B films of this ilk, or completist fans of Tony Shalhoub.
Saint Sinner (2002)
Puerile Fare
I watched this offering from the SciFi channel this weekend, and was vastly underwhelmed. I admit I wasn't glued to the tube, but was alert enough to keep a partial eye and ear on it -- enough so, that had it been interesting, I would have ceased what I was working on and paid serious attention to it. But, alas, no such luck. The acting was lackluster, the special effects were uninspiring, and the storyline pedestrian. It felt and looked like the wet dream of a 15-year-old male. There are much better ways to spend a couple hours.
Moonlight Mile (2002)
Impressive Drama
I was so impressed with this film. The story is interesting enough: fiance of slain only-child daughter stays on with prospective inlaws, as they work their individual ways through the grieving process. But there is so much more going on with these interesting people. I won't tell many details: you should experience the revelations yourself. This story in 'Smalltown USA' is so personal and timeless, that you don't even realize it takes place in the 70s, during the Vietnam War years, except for a few incidental comments, typical of the time. These are real people, complete with problems and warts, trying to deal with a senseless tragedy that has disrupted their lives, changing them forever.
Most impressive are the cast. Dustin Hoffman, as the father, gives yet another of his impeccable performances. I might not like a role Hoffman has chosen in the past, but I can't remember the last time I didn't admire his ability. And this one is something he can sink his teeth into. Likewise for Susan Sarandon, the writer mother who is hopelessly blocked by the tragedy from her usual release, the written word. She is witty and outgoing, pushy to her husband's tendency to be fussy and avoiding of issues. But obviously they stay together for more reasons than just familiarity, if not still love.
Jake Gyllenhaal's performance as Joe Nast, the ex-fiance, is amazing. Joe is trying desperately to be everything that everyone wants him to be, and often ends up inarticulate when the truth can't be said. He doesn't want to be become a commercial real estate broker with the father, but doesn't know what else he wants to be, so he just goes along. He wants to tell the parents the real truth about the relationship between himself and their daughter, but doesn't want to add to their grief. He wants to testify convincingly at the trial of the shooter, but can't tell the version that district attorney (played by Helen Hunt) wants him to convey. But you can see the 'real' Joe in the rare moments that he breaks, and just says what needs to be said, regardless of the consequences. And reveals a sharp-witted, entertaining young man under the grief and stress.
Another credible performance is given by Aleksia Landeau as the young woman Joe meets, and with whom he can share some of his grief and frustration. She, too, is grieving -- for a friend and lover missing in Vietnam. And meeting Joe allows her to accept it and move on. Her body language and movement reminded me a bit of Michelle Pfeiffer, to Landeau's credit.
I hadn't seen either Gyllenhaal or Landeau before (except with Gyllenhaal apparently played Billy Crystal's son in City Slickers many years ago now), and I won't forget them.
This is a film that doesn't leave a dry eye: but it's not all tragedy. There's a lot of joy and laughter in it. And I haven't even mentioned Nixon, the dog who gets Pepto Bismal with his breakfast food.
If you're looking for a chance to meet some interesting people and share their lives for a short time, you might give this film a try.
Red Dragon (2002)
Clever Prequel
I was very pleased with Red Dragon. I confess I have not yet seen Hannibal, but I am an avid fan of Silence of the Lambs. Without going into spoiler details, I will simply say I felt Red Dragon managed a fine balance between the relationship of the profiler to Hannibal Lector and the search for the serial killer. This is what Silence excelled at, and I think fans of Silence will be pleased with Read Dragon. My only criticism is the killer seemed a bit too hard to actually kill, coming back a bit more like a cartoon villain than a 'human being.' But the acting of the excellent cast more than makes up for that. And to give it one of my ultimate compliments: the movie makes me want to read the book, because there's so much going on in it, that you know there's got to be even more in the book.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Fun fantasy
I watched my videotape last night with a friend who hadn't seen it (but had seen The Scorpion King, which I hadn't). I was struck again by how much fun is in these two movies. They strike a delightful blend of humor and action. The plot in this one is a bit muddled (don't try to figure out the timeline), but the first time through you just don't notice. If you liked the good guys in the first flick, there is more of them, especially Ardeth Bey and the Mehji. If you liked the sexy mummy, there's more of him too: and you almost feel sorry for him at the end. And then there's the Rock, who lived up to his name. He has just about as much acting ability as his name (which is the main reason I avoided The Scorpion King). I gather wrestling fans were disappointed with how little he was in the film: I was grateful. And I mustn't forget to mention the son of Evie and Rick O'Connell. Normally, I abhor films and tv shows that add children, but this one has all the feisty fearlessness of both of his parents, keeps his head under fire, while keeping the ability of all children to get into trouble. He reminds me of the children/young adults in the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and that's a compliment. Overall, if you enjoyed the first movie, there's lots you'll like in this sequel. I'd like to see more of them, even without the mummy!
Men in Black II (2002)
Fun, but not awesome
It was a given that my friends and I would see this flick in the theatre. And it was worth the matinee admission. I adore Tommy Lee Jones, and the chemistry with Will Smith was as delightful as the first movie. This is a fantasy, so don't try to make sense of the plot or believe the possibility of some of the stunts. I'm not as taken with the villainess as others were: adequate, but not much more. The talking dog had the best lines, especially the 'singing.' It delivered what I expected: a fun time at the movies in the summertime with friends.
Panic Room (2002)
A must for Jodie Foster fans
I was very pleased with this flick. It has few 'idiot' devices (i.e. only an idiot would do that), something I abhor in a thriller/mystery. How do you trap someone in their panic room so that they can't alert the police? Do it the first night in their new home, before everything is hooked up. That's not giving away much, as it happens early in the film. Thus begins the series of problems for everyone: victims and criminals.
The criminals have their own problems: they didn't know anyone had moved in yet, so their keys didn't work, and what they want is in the panic room. As they attempt to coax the victims out, they have internal conflicts about how to proceed. There's a fair amount of dithering by them as one thing after another goes awry, but they are human reactions, not just plot conventions.
I've admired Jodie Foster movies for a long time, as she picks good scripts and portrays strong women. As a mother, trying to protect her daughter and to figure out how to get out of this dilemma, she's done it again. The character isn't perfect, but she doesn't panic and she uses her brain.
The acting is excellent to very good. Worth seeing on the large screen so you can be fully absorbed in the story.
West Side Story (1961)
Still dynamic, after all these years
It was a late Saturday night. I'd done my chores and decided to relax with some needlework before crawling into bed. Looking over my tapes, I decided it was time to visit West Side Story again, after some years. It was a fine choice. I would catch myself with my hands idle, as my eyes tracked the dancing, the most dynamic part of the film. I reveled in the Sharks on the rooftop and the gymnasium dance. "Cool" was cool, as always. This is a musical that doesn't try to transcend itself. It just lets the music and dancing speak for itself (and offkey singing along is allowed at home). I've always felt that Richard Beymer was the weakest of the actors, and nothing has changed my mind. But he's easy to ignore in comparison to the outstanding performances of George Chakiris, Rita Morena (who dominates the screen and steals all her scenes), Russ Tamblyn and the rest of the supporting cast. I'll leave the experts to make the minute comparisons to Romeo and Juliet, and to the critics to point out all the flaws. I'll just say, let yourself drift back to the 50s, break out the popcorn and enjoy.
Murder by Numbers (2002)
Nice psychological study
Ostensibly a thriller, I found it more fascinating than scary. There were a couple moments that had people jumping in the chairs and gasping, but overall there's not many surprises. From the beginning you know who committed the murder, although you don't know exactly who did what until the end. The meat of the movie is the characterizations of the two teens, genius geek Richard and playboy Justin, who attempt to execute the perfect murder, and the cop who's onto them. The relationship of the two boys to each other is complicated and convoluted, and appears to change from moment to moment in a strange dance of interdependency. The cop (Sandra Bullock) is immensely conflicted and almost seems to be two different people. As the survivor of a vicious murder attempt from which she carries physical and emotional scars, she takes her job as a homicide cop very much to heart, making her both very good and very obsessed. One of the teens is too similar to her attacker, and this makes her more erratic than usual. And she's got a new partner who's having his own troubles trying to figure her out. The acting is at least good by Bullock, Ryan Gosling (Richard) and Michael Pitt (Justin), and often riveting. If you like psychological studies, I recommend this, although it might be a disappointment if you're expecting a nonstop thriller.
The Corruptor (1999)
Interesting flick
I tuned into this because it starred Chow Yun-Fat, the excellent co-star of Jodie Foster's Anna and the King. I had never seen him before that, and was fascinated to see him in Sleeping Tiger Hidden Dragon. In The Corruptor, he is an Asian-American cop (Nick Chen) on the Chinatown beat. And he's been around for awhile. The precinct is surprised (and annoyed) to discover that a young Caucasian cop has been assigned to them, Danny Wallace. It starts out as a buddy movie, with Chen and Wallace getting to know each other, as Chen becomes the mentor for Wallace. There are a fair number of layers here: this is not your average martial arts flick with lots of action and not much story (although it had its fair share of fast action). Chinatown itself is complex, and it impacts the various characters in different ways, forcing them to make philosophical and emotional choices along the way. Without giving away what the movie evolves into, I'll just recommend it to Chow Yun-Fat fans, as well as fans of twisty cop movies. Not a keeper for me, but definitely worth the first view.
The Rookie (2002)
Great baseball film
Many of my friends have heard me say "I don't do sports movies." So why did I go to The Rookie? I gotta admit that Dennis Quaid brought me: I can't resist his engaging grin. But that isn't why I'm writing a review. I went expecting a charming movie and got a lot more. Yes, it's charming. But there are many layers: father-son relationships, husband-wife relationships, how people inspire and support each other, and seeking your dreams. Few of us are lucky enough to know what our dreams are, let alone see them come true. And here's a true story of someone that lucky. The characters are not one-dimensional, and the acting is fine and often subtle by both leads and supporting cast. One of my favorite moments is when the wife says "go for it," and you see the dream fill Dennis Quaid's eyes, and you know the right decision was made. The film moves in loving slowness, letting us get to know the characters and to understand Jim Morris' love of baseball. My friend, as we were watching the credits said, "for a film with not an unhappy moment in it, I sure cried a lot." So bring some kleenex if you're susceptible to tears of love and joy. If you liked The Natural or Field of Dreams, you should check this flick out. Did I say I didn't do sports movies? I guess I'll have to revise that and say "except for good baseball."
Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
A rare failure
Normally I am quite the fan of Woody Allen movies. I find them funny and witty, filled with interesting people. So I was surprised at my lack of appreciation for Broadway Danny Rose. The structure was effective, including the framing device and use of black and white for the actual tale, and the acting by leads and supporting cast (as always) was fine, but the overall effect fell flat for me. I think it was because I didn't like any of the characters, or find them interesting -- I was more often appalled by their actions rather than charmed by them. And that lack of interest in the characters is a failure I can't ignore in movies (or books). I would only recommend this movie to a Woody Allen completist: he has many more that are much more fun to view.