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Jim M.
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Reviews
Prime Suspect 1973 (2017)
Nowhere Near the Quality of the Earlier Dramas
As a great admirer of the Helen Mirren portrayals of Jane Tennison, I have to say this recent "prequel" is a huge disappointment. Stefanie Martini is simply not believable as the young officer who would become the later Tennison. Her pretty face almost never changes its expression throughout; she does not inhabit the role as Mirren did so completely. I could only sit through a few episodes but did watch the final one straight through, and it reinforced my low opinion of both the star's acting and the show's writing. If you want to see how a police drama focusing on women can be done with both realism and superb writing and acting, check out Scott & Bailey, a much better British series.
Beavers (1988)
Superb Nature Documentary
I watched the film on the high-definition cable channel INHD2 last night, and was glad I caught it. The remarkable work of beavers is beautifully filmed, including underwater and inside-dam footage that is hard to believe. The narration is excellent--intelligent, restrained, not in the least sappy. Ditto for the musical score. This production was originally for IMAX, and it must have been wonderful to see it in one of those theaters. Other animals besides beavers make appearances, too, including a rabbit, skunk, and bear. The director, photographers, and all who contributed are due thanks from nature lovers. Great short for kids and adults!
The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)
Mediocre at best
I confess that I rented this from Netflix, based on its description and cast, and couldn't watch more than 40 minutes. We are asked to believe that the Sean Penn character (and Penn does his usual excellent job of acting)--a nervous, self-conscious, private individual who hates deception--would seek out and gain employment as an office furniture salesman. And then be given extra chance after extra chance by his hard-driving, amoral boss! In addition, we're given no background or basis for his friendship with the Don Cheadle character, who is so different from him.
The film comes across as a pale riff on Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," proving that good intentions are not enough to create a good movie.
The Crying Game (1992)
One of the best films of the '90s
The first part of The Crying Game is based on a great short story by Frank O'Connor, "Guests of the Nation." The balance of this provocative, brilliantly made film takes you on a journey fueled by guilt, romance, terrorist intrigue, and a plot twist that ranks as one of the most startling in all cinema. The acting, by Forest Whitaker, Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, and others, is all first-rate; the cinematography and score are stellar; and Neil Jordan directs with vigor and empathy.
How can anyone give this movie less than a 10? I can't.
Vertigo (1958)
Hitchcock at his dizzying best
This is a film to watch again and again, savoring all its complexities and delirious richness. How far can a man go in a quest for a fantasy woman? Why is Scottie compelled so? And what does this movie say about its creator, a guy who continually created fantasy women (and men in dire psychological straits) for us on the screen?
You can think about questions like that, or you can just immerse yourself in the fluid, mesmerizing story that Hitchcock has fashioned. And when Scottie has Judy appear in that hotel room as the reincarnation of his beloved Madeleine and they embrace as the camera circles and Bernard Herrmann's haunting score rises to a crescendo, if you don't feel a rush of empathy and pity and foreboding that rivals anything you've experienced watching any film--well, I guess this isn't your movie, my friend. It just knocks me over....