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Reviews
Cold Mountain (2003)
What movie did the critics see?
We're back in the old South ("old times there are not forgotten). The movie old South. No balck people to speak of. (Well, we hear that Nicole Kidman freed her slaves in Cold Mountain, North Carolina - during the war - musta made her popular). Horribly staged battle scenes, laughable dialogue, generic southern accents, and a story-line that would make the writers of daytime TV hide for shame. It's a tacky, badly acted, badly directed joke. 2.5 hours of film-making at lowest ebb. Give it a miss. Or a take a bottle of scotch in with you and mock the film as it goes by.
Cookie's Fortune (1999)
Not
I have read with growing consternation the positive reviews and user comments for this film. For the record, Glenn Close's "over-the-top" performance is depressingly debilitating to this film. Honesty in this role would have made the film (perhaps) ultimately touching and moving. As it is I had to restrain myself from actually yelling at her on the screen to just go away - or perhaps for Chris O'Donnell to shoot her. The plot, of course, makes no sense. Willis, Cookie's companion, is held for Cookie's murder - even though the fake trail at the house is obviously "breaking and entering". For God's sake - Willis lives in the house. Even the stereotype stupid bozo Mississipi sherrif's in this film could figure this out. And do we really nead to see Chris O'Donnell jumping on Liv Tyler constantly - it's dumb, just plain dumb. This is a film made by a great American director who is obviously lost as we approach the 21st Century. The film is feebly plotted, and a clone of all sappy, patronizing films about those zany, eccentric Southerners. I lived in the Deep South for 18 years, and I can promise you these "Eudora Welty-ish" characters are in the minority.
If the entire film were made up of performances of the reality and dignity of that given by Charles S. Dutton, this film might have been very different.
Put a bag over this one.
The Phantom President (1932)
Same as DAVE
This is the movie that DAVE was based on. Cohan is a song & dance man who is a double for the President - brought in to run for a second term, as the real President has no charisma. Durante is his sidekick.
This film used to be shown a lot on TV, but has been AWOL the last 10 years as far as I can determine.
Cohan's only film.
A Simple Plan (1998)
Not a good night out.
I am astonished at the positive press this film has gotten. I viewed the film at Sony Lincoln Center, in an audience of about 200. From half way through, the film was audibly heckled by a large % of the viewers.
Bill Paxton, in my view, gave a non-actor non-performance. Flat, unbelievable delivery, no sense of depth of reality to his character.
Mr. Thornton has now perhaps played one too many "backward" characters. Aren't we over this?
The benchmark of good story-telling is that each event must be inevitable. In this film, each killing is progressively less necessary, less useful - it just doesn't make sense. If these characters are this stupid, why should we care?
Bad writing, bad acting, and a few too many shots trying to look like FARGO. A Coen is a Coen is a Coen. A Raimi is not.
The positive press for this film will remain a mystery, along with why anyone liked "Titanic".