Catchin' Up - Short Short Reviews of Recently Seen Films
Submitted by lbangs on Fri, 07/23/2004 - 04:21
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- Matrix: Reloaded Much better than I suspected; great highway scene counterbalances lame ending to make this one merely alright, even if it is still much better than I... ** 1/2
- Some Like It Hot Classic, as always... ****
- City of God Yeah, the directing is impressive, but has anybody noticed what great storytelling this is? In its epic feel and stylized rendering, everything Boogie Nights cries at night wishing it was. ****
- Spring Summer Fall ... And Spring Terrific. A religion disguised as a beautiful character study, or the other way around. ****
- Coffee and Cigarettes Very uneven, but the good segments shine like stars. ** 1/2
- Clueless - First, fair warning - while most of my friends swooned over the John Hughes high school world (and some of those films are fine), my favorite locker movie in high school was Heathers. Clueless tries so hard to be THE school film of the 90s. Truth be told, it tries much too hard, especially in the opening hour. Forced lingo flies by, trends are exploited, and every attempt is made to bring Emma up to date. Sadly, it worked too well; this film already seems quite dated, pinned to a 1995 that never really existed. Matters get better as the film focuses on plot over cuteness, but this simply isn't the gold standard for this sort of thing it is often held up to be. ** 1/2
- The Crimson Rivers - This French import is a treat for fans of forensic mysteries. Sure, there's one plot twist too many towards the end, but there is also some killer scenery framing the terrific Jean Reno in a starring role. The atmosphere is dead-on, and the story mixes some very intriguing elements that elevate this mystery above the average. ***
- Nicholas Nickleby - Douglas McGrath is the perfect English literature teacher. He understands the spirit of great work. Never too solemn, approaching terrific novels as if they were mummified, he also is never flippant, disrepsectful, or ironic. In other words, he brings masterpieces to honest life, and Nicholas Nickleby is a perfect example of his art. It really isn't any wonder that Dickens' novels make great film material, still, I am amazed at just how many terrific adaptations there are of his books. No author has ever been served so well by cinema, and with its perfect casting, terrific directing and pace, stellar yet not showy cinematography, and sharp, smart script, this over-looked film surely stands with the best of them. *** 1/2
- Hamlet - One of Shakespeare's best plays meets one of his finest actors of the last century and hardly surprises anybody that it is terrific. Olivier takes the Coleridge route and plays Hamlet as inactive, paralyzed between his various options, and his excellent portrayal does an excellent job selling this interpretation of the character. Not only does his acting impress, but also his editing is simply one of the very best trims I have seen of a Shakespeare play. He has cut out entire characters, and yet his Hamlet plays like a sharp, thrilling play with all the major lines intact. He moves his camera about quite a bit for 1948 Shakespeare adaptation, and it works for me. Thank goodness he knew enough to pull that camera out and capture this great presentation of the play in the first place! ****
- Panic - Add Panic to that long, treasured list of well-cast, well-written, well-shot, and well-nigh-ignored great films begging intelligent film viewers to discover it on video. Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of this film is how balanced its various virtues are. Sure, William H. Macy gives a terrific performance as lead (adding to his work in State & Main to make 2000 a wonderful year for Macy fans), and Neve Campbell gives a subtle, nuanced performance as Macy’s counterweight with material that so easily could have been played much broader, but neither realized character overwhelms the excellent script, the extremely effective direction, or the amazing support cast (including Donald Sutherland, Tracey Ullman, Barbara Bain, John Ritter, and David Dorfman). As a fan of Party of Five, I have always been convinced that Campbell was so much more promising as an actress that the average bimbo starlet to be paraded before the cameras, so I took especial delight in watching her soar here, and does Macy really not have an Oscar yet? (He did score a deserved Emmy with Door to Door.) Under all these qualities, however, lies ex-Homicide scribe Henry Bromell’s intelligent, sensitive screenplay that manages to mold material that so easily could have collapsed as cliché into a sparkling, fresh story unique and intensely involving. The dialogue alone sucked my wife from her work into watching the entire film; after the credits, she seemed amazed. “That was really good,” she said as if surprised. She just doesn’t know the validity of Listology suggestions the way I do… *** 1/2
- Swimming Pool - Sometimes the arty endings work, and sometimes they don't. Swimming Pool is a very absorbing drama with a few final moments that very nearly capsize the entire affair. Still, it is very interesting getting there. ** 1/2
- The Adventures of Ford Fairlane Alright, I didn't really watch this at all, but I do know I watched more films in my days away than I listed. I cannot remember the others, so this shall stand for them.
Author Comments:
A cop-out, sure, but if I don't make this list, I'll never get to reviewing again...
Okay, but just this once, right? :-)
Glad Reloaded beat your expectations (although that couldn't have been hard). I hold out no such hope for Revolutions though, even if I personally failed to hate it.
It's not fair that even in your cop-out reviews you have great lines like "everything Boogie Nights cries at night wishing it was."
Finally, I really must see Spring, Summer, etc..
Reloaded quite easily beat my expectations. Was it not for a goofy ten or twenty minute chunk towards the end, it might have edged into my three star realm.
Thanks for the compliments! As always, you really are too kind.
And yup, I loved Spring, Summer, etc., though I fear it will bore many (no, this comment is not aimed at you). Shall we say 'leisurely paced'?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I liked it. I saw it in the theatre. I thought it was beautiful, although I didn't get all the religious stuff. Keyword 'meditative'. A movie in which form and content are perfectly served by each other.
"A movie in which form and content are perfectly served by each other."
I couldn't agree more.
I'm thrilled you enjoyed it!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
You are such a tease! :-)
You love it. You know you do!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
:-) Especially with such a rewarding payoff! You know I'm thrilled you loved Panic, and my envious compliments (which I've bestowed before, I believe) on your ability to effectively write about what you like. I find it so much easier to write about what I *don't* like, but that's just so durn negative. Oh, very glad the movie sucked your wife in as well - I knew she'd be a tough sell with her initial reticence. Thanks for the review!
Thanks, Jim, and a double thank you for loaning me the film! I was very happy my wife ended up watching and liking it; I kept delaying popping in the DVD until I though there was a decent chance of that happening!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Like the review of The Crimson Rivers but there's one big part you forgot to mention. The kung-fu fighting, May I ask what the heck that was doing in this film. The detective strides and he's like "I want info..." and suddenly they're kickin' away like it's a Jet Li flick. Strange movie.
Re: Matrix Reloaded - Now watch Revolutions and avoid the natural instinct to barf, scream, slap the person who rented it to you, drive to Keanu's home and egg it, etc.
Re: City Of God - so true. A movie with tons of buzz that's still underrated.
Re: The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane - I like Ford.
T'ho
:?)
Yeah, that fight scene is Crimson Rivers certainly seemed to belong to another film. I'm still not sure if that's because it was a bit unusual or simply poorly placed and too clashing with the rest of the film. The later is probably true, but for some reason, I want the former to be correct. Hmm....
We'll see if I ever get around to Revolutions.
You're kidding about Ford Fairland, right? I've only seen a bit years and years ago, but that was more than enough...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Ah, sorry if I steered you wrong on "Swimming Pool" (or at least contributed to steering you wrong). The ending didn't really bother me, but I could see how it could irk some people. But rest assured that the reason I loved the film so much was for the first 98 minutes and not the final 5.
Don't sweat it. My wife was probably the major driving force behind this one, and the interesting discussions on Listology only made me quite game to watch it.
Also, remember, I'm pretty tough with these ratings. A two-and-a-half-star rating usually means I still felt like the movie was time well spent.
For what it is worth, my wife and I were discussing the ending to this film out of nowhere yesterday in the car. That may be a good sign that the film will ripen in my memory, but I make no promises...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs