vivalarsx Reviews

My Uncle Antoine (1971)

Stunning Coming-Of-Age Tale

[10/10 · 27 July 2013]

This Canadian coming-of-age tale is a magnificent example of how powerful a "small" character piece can be. Young Benoit (Jacques Gagnon, an amateur whose expressive face could put many a more-established actor to shame) lives with his uncle and aunt (Jean Duceppe and Olivette Thibault) in a tiny village in which the primary employment opportunity is mining asbestos. Over the course of a deceptively low key Christmas Eve and Day in the early 1940s, everything Benoit thinks he knows about his small world will be turned on its ear and he will become a man. There is possibly no way to do justice (at least for me) to the precision and delicacy with which the director Claude Jutra infuses the humdrum of day-to-day life. So much happens, and yet it could be argued that "nothing" really happens. In reality, Life happens. While some events are more dramatic and life-changing than others, most everything is given its full due, presented with perceptive grace. (A small barrel of nails taking up precious walking space in the general store that Benoit's relatives own—his uncle is also the town undertaker-- is just as prominent a storyline as some of the more devastating turns of events—and when it is finally picked up to be put away, the film gets its biggest laugh by having the young man carrying it still lift his leg high to step over it.) Jutra isn't afraid to take his time and thoroughly investigate all aspects of life in this depressing little town; the primary foci are on sex and death—about which Benoit will learn much, though he can't make sense of all of it. What's most amazing about Mon oncle Antoine isn't that it's unlike anything we've seen before, but that it shows us the utterly familiar and universal moments of life and makes us see them with a depth we're unused to. But what I've never seen anything like in any movie is an astonishing scene between Benoit and Carmen (Lyne Champagne, another emotive amateur), the young store clerk who his uncle and aunt have basically bought from her poor father. Upstairs in the storeroom of the store, Benoit and Carmen flirt and chase each other among the caskets, she in the bridal veil a customer waits for downstairs. They end up falling to the floor, and he puts his hand matter-of-factly on her breast. She turns away, crying, and flees; Benoit, shaken, lies down on the floor and realizes they've been observed by the store's chief clerk Fernand (played by Jutra himself). It is a simple, but almost staggering scene of such allusive beauty, with both characters caught up in a moment they can't quite make sense of. And the "sex and death" metaphor is unstressed, allowing us to try and comprehend all the subtext without a lot of editorializing. It is in the last third of the movie, though, that Jutra brings all his themes together. A young boy has died suddenly, and Antoine has to drive hours away through the snow on a horse-drawn carriage to retrieve the body. Benoit begs Aunt Cecile to let him go (Uncle Antoine warns him, "Don't get all excited"), and the literal journey to manhood begins. But Jutra never bogs the journey down, full as it is, with the weight of self-importance; we watch what happens, we process what it means to Benoit, and we are allowed to make sense of it on our own. Jutra stresses nothing, he just shows it. (Benoit has a moment when he has to touch the dead boy's body. He hesitates for a moment, and suddenly takes hold, and I thought, "I've just watched a boy become a man, right this second." His nascent maturity allows Benoit to react as he does when the trip back home—and the arrival at home, as well—completely knock him out of the world he's known; he's angry, he's hurt, but he's not confused. He sees what's what, and accepts it for what it is. I wish I could say Antoine is perfect, because it comes awfully damn close. There is a really silly dream sequence near the end that takes all the allusion we've witnessed and makes it rather obvious, but this is about 90 seconds out of a movie, and—though disappointingly lumpy—can't undo everything Jutra has so phenomenally laid out before. This movie affected me as few movies have; certainly nothing this year (with more than a few really fine films) comes close. In stressing again how small it is (which, as I've stated more than a few times, is right up my alley, aesthetically), I attempt to not overhype it. It's tiny, but it is as powerful a movie as I've ever seen. **** and Most Highly Recommended

Summer Storm (2004)

Better Than Many

[8/10 · 23 April 2006]

Oh, the sensitive-young-man-coming-out films--they're a genre unto themselves, and a pretty tired genre at that. But Summer Storm is really one of the better ones. Mainly because the young man at the center of the story, albeit sensitive, is not altogether virtuous or put-upon; he is a fully formed, very flawed character. So many of the things that do go wrong toward the end are his own fault. I really appreciated that; teenagers are dramatic to begin with, and gay teens probably more so--simply because walking around with The Big Secret just compounds all the other universal teen problems--angst pretty much seeps through one's pores. (A movie like this can bring back so many memories for those of us no longer teen-aged.) Very well-written, mostly well-directed, with a core of real feeling about it--like the best drama, one extends good will toward many of the characters. My heart was breaking for the wannabe girlfriend Anke through most of the movie, and she turned out to be such a strong, supportive, and important character. I expected histrionics and was pleasantly surprised by her reaction (and her resolve). Highly recommended.

Friends with Money (2006)

If this were a television series...

[7/10 · 22 April 2006]

I would watch it weekly without fail. The characters are 3D, their lives interesting, the dialog graceful and funny...so why was I so disappointed by and frustrated with this movie? Because there just needed to be more. The short running time compacts all the problems and situations down to bare essentials, and there is too much going on for this film to skim across the surface the way it does. I guess the point is to show us a snapshot of these people at a very specific point in their lives, and then move on. The more-than-able cast certainly helps--particularly Frances McDormand, who can do more with just her eyes and mouth than most actors can with a page of script (just watch the way she looks at everything around her--especially other people). And while I am a huge fan of 70s-style non-endings, I admit that this movie's abrupt stop (after a very convenient and pat wrap-up) left me with an "Eh" kind of feeling. While it is certainly watchable and interesting AS FAR AS IT GOES, this movie is no "Walking and Talking." Have you seen that movie? "W and T" is absolutely brilliant, another small portrait of long-time female friends, but because it narrows its scope to two characters in a particular situation (one's wedding), it achieves all the depth and poignancy and hilarity that "Friends with Money" lacks. If "F w/ M" were a TV series, if it fully explored the characters' lives and situations in some depth and detail, I'd be its #1 fan. Maybe the DVD will include deleted scenes (say about 40 or 50) and the movie will finally feel complete.

Eating Out (I) (2004)

beginning, GREAT MIDDLE, end

[5/10 · 5 June 2005]

I'll be generous and give it a 5, because I sure rooted for it. The plot (blah blah blah, hashed over here in every other review) took a little too much time getting set up, but once it starts moving, the film gets a lot better. Eating Out almost appears to be an entire movie constructed around the absolutely brilliant, erotic, and funny phone sex scene--even the awkwardness of the after-sex was just spot-on. And right after that there's another sex scene which complements and rebuts the previous one. All that was marvelous. And the four leads aren't too bad; actually, Emily Stiles is beyond fabu--over the top, true, but she sure had the hag attitude down cold. What isn't so great is the self-consciously "faggy" dialogue (not funny), the horrific lighting and videography (so dim and murky, they all appear to be living underwater), and stumblebum pacing. It's so awkwardly put together that its sudden wrap-up seems inappropriate; I forgot, at times, that it was trying to follow the conventions of romantic comedy. Still, that middle section is genius. If this were a 15-minute short, it would be winning awards.

The Wedding Date (2005)

No Spoiler Alert Necessary

[3/10 · 1 February 2005]

A romantic comedy, by virtue of its very genre, is going to end only one way: with the couple getting together. The pleasures to be had in watching one, though, is in the journey to the happy ending. There are very few pleasures to be had in The Wedding Date, however. There are problems from the get-go. Even in a movie of this type that require suspension of disbelief, it is too easy to spot big gaps of logic: for instance, we are asked to believe that a woman who spends $6000 on a male escort to pretend to be her boyfriend would 1) never meet him beforehand and 2) not bother to fill him in on the facts of her life. They are apparently just going to "wing it" when meeting her family. The movie seems chopped down from a much larger picture throughout. A woman comes up to the gigolo at a party, says "I've seen you before," and is promptly never seen again; we expect her to show up and expose the ruse, but nothing comes from it. And the central couple seems to have fallen in love off-camera; we get no sense of any deepening interest or understanding of each other--they just suddenly are "in love" (despite the fact that they have little chemistry). Thank heavens we have a couple of good performers to lead us over the bumpy patches. Sarah Parish, as Kat's tarty cousin TJ (I don't think we even learn her name until the little subtitle-captions wrapping up the action) may be playing a rom-com cliché role, but she fills out the role with rude good humor, and seems to have some sort of life outside of the weekend in the film. And Jack Davenport, as the dunderhead groom-to-be, Ed, creates a full character out of thin air. Ed is someone the other characters laugh at frequently, but his foolishness is lovable, and Davenport uses body language as much as his amusing dialogue to give real heft to Ed. He's the lightest, most throwaway character in the movie, but Jack Davenport makes him the most compelling. Ed is a bit of a doofus, yes, but Ed's no fool. Now, if we could have had a movie built around him...well, it probably wouldn't have been much better--I think Ed is made to be taken in small doses--but at least something would have been at stake. As it is, there is no real emotional investment in The Wedding Date, and no real joy in the outcome.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Egads!

[2/10 · 23 December 2004]

I won't say this is the worst movie I've seen all year, but only because my memory might be faulty and I've forgotten something worse. This is pretty bad, indeed. I'm not a big fan of the show onstage, yet somehow have managed to see it twice (!); I'd sit through it a few more times if it meant I never have to see a Joel Schumacher "film" again. This man is a hack, through and through; his camera is all over the place, and rarely where we want it to be. The cemetery sword fight is so awash in quick cuts and flashy angles (and with that damned ever-present fog that Schumacher seems to think is "artistic") that you can't quite figure out who is doing what to whom. The worst part of the movie BY FAR is the masked ball, wherein a group of 19th century Parisians begin vogueing--I am not making this up. I nearly fell out of my chair in shock and giggles. The only reason I rated this a "2" and not the "1" it so richly deserves is because Emmy Rossum has a nice voice (unlike the Phantom himself, who can barely carry a tune--nice casting for a musical, eh?), and because Minnie Driver is such a hoot. Every time she appears I sat up a little straighter, eager to have some more fun. The rest of the movie is just awful. When it was over, several people in the theater applauded, and several more people laughed at those who were applauding. I hope the applause was ironic; heaven help us all if someone thinks this drivel is the real thing.

Tarnation (2003)

I Get It

[16 November 2004]

As much as the manner in which this film was made bugged the hell out of me, it was also pretty devastating. I thought much of it was pretentious, and I was distracted by scenes that were so clearly staged, and yet...I am also the adult gay son of a mentally ill parent (in this case, my father, who committed suicide in 1991) and I have to admit: the visuals and the overwhelming white noise of the soundtrack do honestly represent what my life often felt like when I was young. The constant, oppressive fear of another psychotic episode; the desperate need for play-acting as a release from the hell of real life (that we are both gay and we both acted up a storm cannot be coincidence); the shame and embarrassment of your peers wondering what the hell is wrong with your parent; and especially, having to BE the parent. This movie captures it all in ways that you won't even get if you haven't lived it. No, it isn't as brilliant as it thinks it is--but it sure brought back memories. I was so keyed up after seeing it I felt I would be plagued by insomnia; oddly enough, the opposite was true: it so exhausted me to "go back there" that I practically passed out as soon as I went to bed.

Heat (1972)

Deadpan

[30 August 2004]

For fans of the utterly deadpan only. Those looking for more conventional laughs might choose to look elsewhere. Not as overtly funny as "Trash," this one requires a little more patience--or, in the case of suffering through Andrea Feldman's TERRIBLE "acting," a LOT of patience. It's basically a one-joke affair, with all the mundane (though slyly hysterical) chatter leading up to the funny last few seconds. Paul Morrisey's camera typically meanders around, catching whatever it can on the fly, but for one classic moment: Sylvia Miles walking into frame and interrupting a twisted little encounter between Joe Dallesandro and Feldman; the camera stays stock still, but the timing of the movements of the actors is a stitch! Dallesandro is his typically passive self--but this is probably the most gorgeous he has ever looked on camera. There are times the camera just stares at him with awe. He isn't quite as bad an actor as his reputation makes him out to be--he's actually quite subtle and kind of funny when he dumps Miles at the end--but one look at him and you know why he's in this movie.

The Village (2004)

Without a Twist

[5/10 · 1 August 2004]

I kept wanting to like this movie more than I did. The problem, in my view, is the "twist." Because Shyamalan is so known for surprise endings, it seems that he caves into the pressure to have one. I won't reveal it here, though I think it is what does the film in. Rather than have the "big surprise" (which I DID figure out--and I'm no supergenius) at the end, I found myself much more interested in that backstory. How much better the film would be if the "twist" were actually the beginning of the movie, and not a surprise at all. One is given only the surprise; what one needs is all the information to let you in on ALL the implications of that surprise. I saw the movie this morning and keep filling in all the blanks myself. Because what is quickly glossed over is actually a compelling story full of sacrifice, hard work, and guilt. Now, THAT movie I would line up to see--without a surprise in view. Having said all this--and it probably makes no sense unless you have seen the film--I will add that Shyamalan remains a superb technician: there are individual shots and sometimes entire scenes of such evocative beauty that I found myself holding my breath. Specifically, the scene of Ivy standing in the doorway, with her hand held out, waiting--that was tense and lovely. And the long, static shot of Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard sitting on the porch and talking in profile was just gorgeous--it was also the best-acted sequence in the movie not involving Sigourney Weaver (who gives the single best performance in the film--maybe her best ever). The Village could have been astounding, had Shyamalan not felt it so necessary to tweak us. Without relying on a big shock, he could have filled this film full-to-bursting with prodigious emotion.

Marci X (2003)

Worst of 2003?

[1/10 · 3 March 2004]

I inserted a question mark because I really can't recall if I saw a worse movie last year. Probably not. This is dull, illogical, and stupid--no, worse than that, it's stoopid. Lisa Kudrow's Marci says that she can't rap, yet almost immediately launches into a (very bad) rap about handbags. Uptight Senator Christine Baranski hears about 5 seconds of a hip hop beat and is instantly transformed into fabulous dancer with stripper potential. Instead of the comedy arising from the situation and/or the characters' quirks, screenwriter Paul Rudnick (hope he loves whatever the money from this crap bought!) just throws any gag he can at us, and nothing sticks. I laughed ONCE: when the obviously-meant-to-be-J.Lo Yolanda says, "I'm bleeding, I need a photographer." That's the only time in 84 (seems longer) minutes that a "comic" line was directly related to a character's personality. The rest is just stoopid.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

A Strange Mix

[20 October 2003]

Tarantino does it again! As much as I want to hate the man (well, I do, in fact, hate the MAN--just not his movies) he is a phenomenally gifted film-maker. Kill Bill Vo. 1 is clearly the work of someone in thrall to movies. One of the reviews herein states that Tarantino hasn't the guts to go all the way and make an exploitation movie, but I think that comment slightly misses the mark. I think he sees the potential in exploitation and uses it as a platform from which to create beauty and art--even though said art might contain elements one doesn't normally associate with beauty (cruelty, gore, coarseness, venality). I think his use of Brechtian distancing is quite appropriate and really very funny. Sure, one is always aware that this is "just a movie"--that's part of the point. Not the entire point, however, or Kill Bill would not be such an emotional movie. I found moments of the movie nearly unbearable--and they weren't the violent ones. The moment in which Uma Thurman discovers a child has witnessed a violent act is not staged for comedy but for pathos, and it achieves this in the simplest way: with silence, with stillness. The overhead shot when The Bride walks away from the child across the cereal-strewn kitchen floor is absolutely beautiful. And Thurman's sobbing when she wakes from her coma--how can anyone not respond to that? (Though the director wisely cuts it short for an amusing "play dead" gag, it is a strong moment--and an important moment in that it evokes just enough sympathy to put us squarely on The Bride's side. We know nothing about her--she might be the "bad guy"--but Tarantino knows we have to root for her, or his film is meaningless.) But for all my pontificating, I'm neglecting to say that Kill Bill is, above all else, really quite funny. The violence is over the top (another distancing trick) so as not to actually offend, and it becomes comic. The Bride's thirst for revenge is not played for laughs, but the vengeance itself is. Who can be upset over literal geysers of blood? (This is a good place to add that the stage blood is very well done--it may spill and shoot and erupt more than it might in real life, but it does look real--not always the case in a violent film.) The film's single funniest moment is Uma Thurman throwing on a pair of sunglasses to "disguise" herself (like the blood-soaked hospital gown and the two corpses nearby wouldn't be cause for suspicion). The entire cast has the slightly stylized speech rhythms down, and everyone gets their comic moment. Daryl Hannah makes up for a LOT of bad performances just by playing it hyper-straight, and therefore making her scene one of the comic high points of the film (it helps if you're a DePalma fan--as I am--to access all the humor Tarantino throws into this entire hospital room sequence). And Chiaki Kuriyama is the scariest/funniest villain we've seen in quite awhile. It's a smart performance--she can play Go-Go utterly straight (and very scary!) and still fit into the fabric of the movie because the sight of her swinging her chain while dressed in a schoolgirl uniform is deadpan comedy. And Uma Thurman is an absolute revelation: she should work with Tarantino more often, they seem to "get" each other, or at least what the other one is looking for and capable of onscreen. She has to jump from sorrow to anger to humor (she definitely sees what's funny about all this killing) and every other emotion in the human spectrum often very quickly. It is a performance so completely rounded, you know it can only be the result of so much hard work. And unlike, say, a DeNiro or Streep, we don't see the research. She is remarkably open--the emotions just come pouring out of her--kind of like all that blood.

The Mirror Crack'd (1980)

It's All in the Dialogue

[7/10 · 28 April 2003]

Just a trifle--though its solution is genuinely unexpected--this is worth seeing for the howlingly funny bitchy dialogue. Kim Novak (surprisingly aggressive and good) and Elizabeth Taylor get to wrap their mouths around some of the best campy-mean putdowns ever caught on film. Trust me--you'll be using their better insults at the next party you attend.

Identity (2003)

TMI, still pretty good

[8/10 · 27 April 2003]

This is a very fun B-movie: well made, extremely well acted, and with just enough twists and turns to keep one happily unsettled. **SEMI-SPOILER COMING UP** Unfortunately, because both the theatrical and television previews show Alfred Molina talking to John Cusack--which, because of the way the film progresses, we know could not happen UNLESS--it was easy to figure out the "twist". I hate when commercials do that! That said, there was still one more creep-out at the very end that I did not see coming at all, and so enjoyed very much. **SEMI-SPOILER OVER** Identity was very clever, and a movie like this needs cleverness because that is its whole reason for existing, to catch the viewer unawares. We don't look for depth, or for an answer to the human condition. We want to be scared and we want to be surprised. And this movie accomplished both. A great cast of character actors helps--especially the criminally underrated Amanda Peet, who has been the best reason to see many bad movies in the past. She is always worth watching, and her tired, retiring hooker here nicely avoids the whole gamut of movie-hooker cliches. How nice that she can show tenderness and compassion to the other characters without being saddled with the proverbial heart o' gold. Fun movie. If the preview hadn't spoiled it for me, I'd like it even more.

Phone Booth (2002)

Not a Wasted Second

[8/10 · 18 April 2003]

**WARNING: SPOILERS (FOR A DIFFERENT MOVIE): The best thing about Phone Booth is its brevity. It is a short movie, but in this case, "short" translates as succinct, to the point. There really isn't a wasted second. As characters are introduced, we are given a very shorthand version of their personalities and their place in this particular tale (though it is amazing how intricately cult screenwriter Larry Cohen manages to work in threads of their pasts in order to give us a fuller view of the person). I saw this two days after seeing The Core, and it is interesting to compare the two. The Core, while fun-ish, is really a bloated and overloaded contraption with one crucial flaw: the crisis gets solved, but the movie doesn't end. When the earth-drilling vessel ended up trapped on the ocean floor, the movie just stopped cold; the crisis was over, why add an anti-climax? Phone Booth, on the other hand, gets to its point, and then--bam, bam, bam!--the plot just catapults along, the central issue gets resolved (I won't say how), and the movie is over. It's so quick even uber-hack Joel Schumacher doesn't have a chance to destroy it. What a fun movie; it moves so fast, it's embarrassingly bracing.

The Hours (2002)

Rebuttal

[10/10 · 1 March 2003]

I have been reading the overwhelmingly negative comments herein and felt the need to add my thoughts. "The Hours" is one of the most profoundly moving films I have ever seen. Anyone looking for thoughtful, intelligent, and meaty drama should run to the nearest theater to check it out. It is absolutely amazing to me that someone would see this movie and hate it (have already had this argument with my sister, who did). I don't mean to imply that "getting" it and loving it makes one superior to those who don't--I am simply dumbfounded that anyone could hate it! "The Hours" is near-perfect (only a slight slowing down near the end--the time after the party is cancelled--was less than superb to me). The acting is flawless; the performers deliver their lines in a consistent, stylized tone that allows one to not only "feel" the performance, but to look at it from an intellectual perspective as well. I am that rare freak who finds Meryl Streep's reputation as the "greatest living actress" hugely undeserved (she bugs the hell out of me--ever notice how she suddenly pauses and takes breaths in the middle of her sentences--grr!!), but her performance in this movie I loved. Her big moment in the kitchen, as she just starts coming apart and doesn't know why, IS great acting; she should drop her mannerisms and just give us real moments like this more often. Julianne Moore has to convey much through mood and expression, and does so beautifully. Of course, Nicole Kidman is the real "star" here, and she does something not only beautiful but rare: shows us an intelligent character THINKING, and makes it interesting. Phillip Glass's music was exquisite--great to listen to, and also in character! Don't be put off by the comments of those who kept waiting for the chase scene and the car explosion--"The Hours" is literate, spellbinding, adult entertainment (yes I use that word intentionally) for those tired of the same old-same old.

Lady in White (1988)

Not Quite

[5/10 · 4 January 2003]

Lady in White really tries hard, and you can see what it is aiming for, but the writer/director scatters his narrative too many directions and can't quite reel it all back together into a coherent whole. The film might be better if most of the fantasy/dream visuals were cut and it focused on solving the mystery in a more earthbound, conventional manner. Because this really is a conventional movie in a lot of ways, and the scenes dealing with life in a small town are sometimes quite effective. But every time one of the characters (be they ghost or mortal) starts flying, you'll be unable to supress your titters. I like Lady in White because I WANT to like it. You have to forgive the moments of awkwardness (sometimes plain old ineptness) and enjoy what might have been.

The Other Side of Midnight (1977)

Say "Cheese"!

[1/10 · 1 January 2003]

If you are looking for a good, fun melodrama, certain titles come to mind (Peyton Place, Dark Victory); but if you want to laugh in a very superior way at the blunders of others, this is certainly as good a place to start as any. The Other Side of Midnight has it all: horrible dialogue (bonus points for breathless delivery!); flat, miniseries-inspired direction; ugly cinematography; a hideous music score; and valiant bad acting. This is a juicy slab o' cheese, slightly aged for maximum odor. The one-two-three outrageousness of the plotting kept cracking me up (motives are ridiculously basic, and methods of achieving goal are hilariously protracted), and "surprise" ending--please, you can see it coming from veritable MILES away--just leaves you gasping with laughter. I rated this a "1" as a regular movie, but on the camp scale, it comes pretty close to "10"--rent it by all means!

White Oleander (2002)

Almost, but Not Quite

[8/10 · 16 October 2002]

The best thing that can be said about the film is that it is admirably restrained--imagine a hack like Joel Schumacher attacking this movie and damn near beating the audience to death to get them to shed tears. I was impressed with the filmakers' willingness to let the audience interpret events, and to make connections without being talked down to. Only in the final, uber-Oprah voiceover did I feel the movie was being dumbed down for us. The movie is by necessity episodic and a trifle disjointed, but that actually works here, as it is exactly how Astrid's life would feel to her. Most impressive of all are the gallery of extremely strong performances by nearly the entire cast: Michelle Pfieffer has perfected her steeliness until she can communicate volumes with a single hard gaze, and Renee Zellweger gives the most intuitive, fluid, and graceful performance I have seen in quite awhile. While I generally enjoy her work, I didn't realize she had this much in her; her ache is quiet, but palpable. Robin Wright is so funny (and scary) that she just zips you past her beauty until you don't quite notice it; her Starr is tired, and so let down by life (no matter how much she protests to the contrary) that she can't even find that prettiness anymore. And Allison Lohman just scores over and over again, not a single moment when she isn't utterly believable, not a false note struck. Not one of the great movies, I could see this several times just to revel in the care these actresses have taken to bring their roles to fruition. And yet they never seem to be shouting for attention, they work well TOGETHER. Isn't there some festival somewhere who can just give them ALL an award, so we don't have to decide?

The Redeemer: Son of Satan! (1978)

Masterpiece or Piece of Crap?

[25 September 2002]

I am amazed how many people seem to remember this movie, and actually hunted it up on video. Me, too. I saw it when I was 17 and was so scared I actually slept with my bedroom light on. OK, it didn't have that effect today, 24 years later, and most of it is just terrible, but: I can't believe how well I remembered it over the years. Parts of it definitely stayed with me, and that is pretty impressive for a no-budget little nothing movie. I think most of the religious symbolism is underdeveloped (I really can't tell if the movie is endorsing religion or appalled by it), and the mysterious second thumb that travels from character to character is a bit much. The acting sucks (only Jeannetta Arnette seems to have any talent, and even then it's hard to be sure because of the poor sound quality--though she has proven it over the years, most spectacularly in Boys Don't Cry), the special effects are limited by budget, and the film is a technical shambles. But it is really scary in places, and it does indeed stay with one. Most memorable moment: the creepy marionette who releases the dagger. Creepiest moment: the extremely sudden, yet strangely calm moment when the Redeemer just shows up in the bathroom, though the women have only just turned their backs and have only separated for a second or two. Its quickness, unaccompanied by a jolt of "Boo!" music makes it quite frightening; he is just there all of a sudden, and ready for business. I guess I recommend this movie with big reservations. I don't quite buy all the pseudo-deep religioso explanations I see posted here, and I think the film-makers' intentions were way above their abilities, but, still, The Redeemer (and I do recall the "Son of Satan" tag as part of the title clear back in 1978)is worth seeing. Hack through the cheese and there is something there. It fairly cries out to be remade, this time with just a bit more polish.

Port Charles (1997–2003)

Great Show Goes to Hell--minus handbag

[25 September 2002]

I watched this show from Day One, and it took a little while to get going, but once it hit its stride, it was a marvelously smooth machine. I hate one-hour soaps, more filler than plot, and hadn't watched a soap regularly since Ryan's Hope went off the air). Once we got to murder and business intrigue and mismatched couples, the show took off. Unfortunately, the ratings did not, and the producers took the low road and decided to scrap all credibility and introduce supernatural storylines. Well! I thought the time travel arc was @ least well-written enough that it had a modicum of credibility (for all its fantasy elements, the storyline was fueled by Frank searching for his "lost" love). After that, it was all downhill. The vampire saga was sub-retarded, and it lasted for not one arc but TWO. I suffered through the angels, but stopped watching completely once Eve was killed. I even stuck w/ it a couple more weeks just to make sure she didn't come back as a zombie--which could have happened on this ridiculous potboiler. The core cast has always shown extreme poise under the conditions in which they are expected to perform, and I would gladly return to a show with problems that involved real human beings. If you're going to rip off another soap, at least have enough couth not to steal from the worst of the worst "Passions"! Good heavens, do these people know nothing?! If this is being a soap producer, then where do I sign? I could pretend to be as dumb as the people who drove my beloved little soap into the ground. There: tirade over!

Circuit (2001)

Cheesefest Deluxe

[2/10 · 7 July 2002]

I can't say I wasn't warned, BUT: boy does this movie suck. (Not a pun, but if it was, it would have more of a sense of humor than anything in this ham-handed melodrama.) Circuit can't quite make up its mind: is it a hard-hitting expose of or a celebration of the circuit scene? The moral seems to be, Don't let this happen to you, but: how pretty! Man, does the circuit life ruin you, yet: see how pretty they all are! Director Shafer just can't decide whether to be repulsed or turned on, and my guess is he's a bit of both, though this dichotomy isn't entertaining or thought-provoking. Not quite bad enough to be funny (except near the end when Hector is "floating" above his bed and I laughed REALLY LOUDLY, only to realize no one else was laughing along with me), and certainly not good enough to take even remotely seriously. I will say, on the plus side, that I liked Kiersten Warren as John's roommate Nina (though she isn't quite up to her big dramatic moment), and of course Nancy Allen is always a joy, even with a nothing role like what she's given here. Circuit doesn't have enough humor to give us a Kristine W. remake of "Theme from Valley of the Dolls." This is just a boring dud--but how pretty!

Minority Report (2002)

Coulda, Woulda, Should

[5/10 · 4 July 2002]

This movie seemed like it was going to be great, but for me it simply ran out of steam. The movie takes a little while to really get going, but turns into a clever, fast-paced entertainment, only to absolutely stop dead for the last 20 minutes or so. The scene @ Anderton's ex-wife's house just stops the movie cold, and it never quite recovers. Then, when we are expecting the movie to end there, with all major players in the movie meeting up and tying up the loose ends, the film dribbles on for another half-dozen scenes, each one lumbering a little closer to resolution; some rethinking @ script stage could have easily made this one a classic. And am I being overly sensitive or does this movie have the highest quantity of product tie-ins EVER?! There were so many, and @ such frequent intervals, that it became very distracting. Not a horrible movie, but it could have been so much more.

Amélie (2001)

What a joy!

[9/10 · 22 November 2001]

I saw this movie last night, and I don't think my feet have yet touched the ground! What a silly, sweet, rueful little comedy--little used here affectionately, of course. This is a film for anyone who has ever felt lonely, unloved, afraid to live. Amelie helps so many around her, yet she seems unwilling (not unable) to help herself; it took me awhile to realize the depth of her fear. For such a lighthearted movie to touch on so powerful an emotion reveals that "Amelie" isn't quite so simple as it initially seems. Audrey Tautou is so physically perfect for the role, that she wouldn't even have to act--luckily for us, she knows how to turn hesitancy and slyness into a comic art form. And Mathieu Kassovitz (grrr!) finds just the right tone; everything we hear about Nino from others is there, but he allows us to see much more than he lets others see. They are a perfect match, and the joy in the movie is watching them pursue, back away, go forward, stumble away out of fear of contact. And the squeaky-clean faux-city the director creates is the perfect rarefied atmosphere for this little tale (in fact I find the movie fails only when it goes back to the country--the subplot involving Amelie's father and a ceramic gnome is an old joke, not deftly handled). This is a keeper. Go to see it if you're down; heck, go see it even if you are happy--it will merely lift you higher!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Rather Earthbound

[5/10 · 18 November 2001]

Harry Potter was actually not bad; considering the director, I assumed it would be horrid as his other films. It was a trace stodgy at the beginning, with much-too-much time spent with the awful relatives (this could have been a brief, effective montage during the credits--we know he's miserable, we don't need twenty minutes of beating over the head to "get it"). And we could have dispensed with the entire train ride; just because a scene is in a book, does not mean that it MUST be in the movie--movies and books are not the same medium, and a film needs to travel at some sort of a clip. But once Potter got to school, I rather enjoyed myself. With the exception of the ghastly Emma Watson as Hermione (an awful, awful little actress who mistakes enunciation for acting), the performers are enjoyable and funny. Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman are always a delight, and they really set a pace in their scenes that the rest of the movie lacks. Some of the effects are grand, some are rather lumpen, but the movie is by and large trying so hard to charm us that you have to give in or feel like a curmudgeon. I gave in. I had a diverting afternoon. Oddly enough, I took my children (8 & 10) and enjoyed it MUCH MORE than they did. I won't say this isn't a children's movie; it's just too long and there isn't that feeling of awe that the best children's films can evoke in a child. They both thought it couldn't hold a candle to "Shrek"--a movie with more of an and-then-what-happened vibe. Harry Potter needs to soar; this movie doesn't, but is enjoyable nevertheless.

Scream of Fear (1961)

Good, atmospheric chiller

[9/10 · 4 October 2001]

I had this movie so idealized in my mind from childhood, that I was afraid when I finally found it on video (after 4 solid years of searching!), that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered, but it holds up surprisingly well, thanks to director Holt's atmospheric direction and the crisp performances. What I recalled as the movie's biggest fright (the swimming pool) isn't all that scary, but the twist-ending surprise (no spoilers here!) still caught me off guard, and the last couple of minutes of the movie are genuinely suspenseful and more than cap the film's slow, steady buildup. All in all, a wonderful little chiller. Now, if I could only find my other, hard-to-find treasure, "Twisted Nerve"--anyone know if it holds up well? Anyone know where to find it on video or DVD?