Journal Entries
Nurse Betty
Posted Apr 1, 2001
Occasionally amusing look at the illusions & facades people put up around them in order to get through life. In particular, one woman's fixation on a certain soap opera.
While it's often funny, there seems to be something of a cruel streak running through the movie which is kind of off-putting.
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Latest reply: Apr 1, 2001
The Legend of Bagger Vance
Posted Mar 30, 2001
Elegantly made film, thought not a helluva lot different from the dozen or so "redemption through sports" flicks out there: Bull Durham, Tin Cup, Field of Dreams, etc...
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Latest reply: Mar 30, 2001
Castaway
Posted Mar 28, 2001
This trailer for this one had me more than a little perturbed - what exactly are you meant to think when you the theme from Braveheart being played on a completely different movie? If they can't be bothered, why should I?
That initial stumbling block aside, Castaway's not too bad. Not great, but not bad.
Snappily structured Castaway cunningly places action scenes so the ordeal of a single person trapped on a deserted island doesn't become boring.
And if you think Castaway looks like a big vanity trip enabling Tom Hanks to hog most of the screentime - then you may have something. But consider this: Castway's one man show is in stark contrast to the recent trend of actors playing more than one role, eg Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Mike Myers.
I'm not sure Castaway is at all about survival, it seems to me to be more of a "back to nature" flick. Hypertense workaholic, life ruled by the clock, finds paradise on a deserted island. Coconuts, crabmeat, sushi, a cave he can call his own... Sure, he has a few problems initially, but he eventually thrives on it. This is compounded when he discovers the old idiom "You can't go home again" to be true.
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Latest reply: Mar 28, 2001
Billy Elliot
Posted Mar 22, 2001
This is all wonderfully executed stuff, the acting, the choreography, the cinematography...
There are flashes of brilliance in the composition of shots, especially the police presence. BE is not just set against a backdrop of miners strikes and riot squads, they form an integral part of the scenery. The Elliots' neighbourhood has the look of a prison or a gulag (with the pit being the forced labour), and the boys from the Met reminiscent of prison guards. But the inmates seem very pleasant, and the cell doors are never locked.
The one minor niggle I have is that there's a tangible degree of hope, an expectation of a happy ending throughout the movie and for me, it tends to undermine the sense of desperation - which in turn lessens the impact of Billy's success at the end. In other words, it's always darkest before the dawn - and the darker the night, the more brilliant the dawn. (eg that other great mining film Brassed Off)
But that's just a personal preference and I'm just nitpicking. There's plenty more that's likeable about BE and films this good don't come along often enough.
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Latest reply: Mar 22, 2001
Proof of Life & Dude, Where's My Car
Posted Mar 16, 2001
Proof of Life
Don't bother looking here for any, because this one's dead on arrival. Boy, I felt like an actual movie critic saying that! But seriously, there's not nearly enough drama, action, romance or tension to hold anyone's attention Our boy Russell keeps the girlies happy by wearing a black t-shirt, but there's not enough to keep a guy's interest. A major problem is actual process of negotiation seems to slow the movie right down, instead of providing the dramatic tension. The makers seem to acknowledge this fact by having unlikely looking victim David Morse become the film's back-up action hero - trying desperately to get home to his wife, whenever Russell is doing something boring like negotiating. Another problem is that though the story takes place over 4 months, you never get the impression any real time has passed. In fact, it barely feels like a week's gone by.
Dude, Where's My Car?
If Proof of Life is DOA, DWMC? is clinically braindead. Will probably appeal to the adolescent of age or of mind (which is probably why I found myself laughing occasionally), but for the most part, this is garbage.
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Latest reply: Mar 16, 2001
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