Roswell Reviews

Igby Goes Down (2002)

"The Catcher in the Rye" for a modern crowd

[8/10 · 4 October 2002]

If you read my subject line: "'The Catcher in the Rye' for a modern crowd" I must apologize. "The Catcher in the Rye" IS for a modern crowd... Nevertheless, I can't think of a better way to describe this film. About a rich private school kid who runs away from it all to live like a starving artist, Igby Goes Down is engaging (and important!) from beginning to end.

Sociologists take note! Some of us want more than wealth and "utility" these days...

Secretary (2002)

Perfectly wierd and engaging!

[8/10 · 4 October 2002]

Secretary is one of these rare movies that cause me to feel so good about spending $8 and sitting in the dark for two hours that I rush home to write about it. Marvelously weird, so strange that it keeps you locked into every frame, Secretary is a film that will forever change your perception of sex and relationships.

About an S&M relationship so strange it's impossible to explain, Secretary puts on the screen all of the pain and joy in it's fullest and maximum levels that each of us feels with regard to love and sex, yet it does so in the context of two completely bizarre people whom most of us probobly would have no connection to.

But that's the brilliance; it brings you into this foreign and unbelievable world and it allows you to accept it insofar as you get into the story of the romance and aren't distracted by some sort of Hollywood-ized S&M shock gimmicks.

I fell in love with actress Maggie Gyllenhaal when she acted opposite her brother Jake in Donnie Darko. In Secretary, we see her as a totally mature woman with boundless possibilities. She's way cooler than any stuck up mainstream Hollywood model. She's a real actress. My deepest respect for having made this movie, Maggie. Keep up the great work!

The Experiment (2001)

quite simply one of the best movies i have ever seen!

[8/10 · 4 October 2002]

With a large cast and very gimmicky plot, Das Experiment could have been some Steven Segal movie with no substance. Fortunately, it was made by Germans who probobly hate Hollywood films a billion times more than even I...

Translation, this film is outstanding with a gripping plot that doesn't let your attention wander once, and a cast of characters played brilliantly all around, with performances delivered better than any Oscar gets given for. Truly brilliant, this movie flirts along the edge of the full potential of the filmmaking medium.

Donnie Darko (2001)

intriguing and philosophically moving

[9/10 · 25 April 2002]

This film captures profound philosophical truths about the human condition and the bleak nature of education and our society. I am amazed beyond belief that they let this movie get made. "Donnie Darko" made roughly two hours of my life worth living.

Moonlight Mile (2002)

excellent heartfelt film worth checking out

[7/10 · 10 April 2002]

It's very rare that I vote on the IMDB for a movie and it's even rarer that I write comments for one. I see as many movies as possible - this is quite a lot - and reviewing them all would be both pretentious and incredibly time consuming. Still, I am very critical of what I see, most of which I would summarize as being horrible. Once in a while though, I'll see a movie that compels me to sit down and share my views, and this film is definitely one of them.

I had the privilege of screening this film in a pre-release answer print state. Not all of the aspects were finalized. Nevertheless, this movie, which at the time I am writing this apparently doesn't have an official title, was heartfelt, engaging, well made, and most of all, very entertaining.

I highly recommend this movie to filmgoers who are tired of the typical Hollywood schlock we see again and again and again. I am surprised and dumbfounded that this picture was even produced because it is so original and thoughtful and like nothing I've seen before.

Is it the best film ever made? No. Did it make a profound difference in my life? No. But it did remind me why people make films; that some of us in Hollywood are, in fact, creative; and that once in a great while, filmmaking is art.