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Reviews
Cutthroat Island (1995)
A thrilling bundle of fun for an evening at home with the family
I just don't understand why this film was considered a flop!!! Except that it was not a box-office success. I live in Germany, and here it is shown on TV regularly (dubbed unfortunately for me), which is the sign of a good film, or it wouldn't be shown in the first place. It has been shown repeatedly for the last 10 or more years. So maybe it was only American viewers who didn't appreciate it. Then why? I personally found it a bundle of fun, full of action, and also with a good deal of comedy, which rendered it more family entertainment. Perhaps the film is not mean and gut gripping enough to convince teenager audiences 13 years on, even though not as trite as a Disney film. More modern action films are usually supported by computer technology and run at a much faster pace. Here the stunts were real, performed by the actors themselves. All the more reason to applaud them. Why did this film get such negative criticism? Gina Davis doesn't have to be pretty, here she's playing a pirate! Matthew Modine's was an attractive he-man hero, his athletic abilities enabled him to perform this very active and demanding - role convincingly, and his character was really very humorous and versatile. The villains were convincingly bad, they got their punishment, and the happy ending made the film satisfying for younger viewers. The ships were awesome, leading to questions and discussions on how they were actually sailed or controlled. So what went wrong? I assume it hit the cinemas at a bad time, had to compete with other films or the events of the times. I have lent out my video of the film repeatedly, and never had a negative comment when it was returned, so where did all the sarcasm originate? Does a film have to have steamy sex scenes, massacres and slaughters, machine guns, gangsters and drugs, to be a success? That doesn't say much for movie-goers!! I (and my family) will watch it again when it next comes round!
Equinox (1992)
A very deep film, excellently portrayed, a real "cult" film.
Those commentators who thought this movie was rubbish were either totally uneducated or in a vile mood and shouldn't have bothered watching, or else they have no knowledge of life at all.
The story was deep, and that requires thought and insight for an audience to appreciate, not just superficial watching and waiting for the action. There were so many messages in this one film I would need to write a thesis to cover them all. Sure, there were a few weaknesses, but a film is made to entertain an audience, not to satisfy literary critics. I found the characters all extremely clear-cut, the situations well portrayed, the story satisfying and very poignant. Again, the portrayal of the twins and their sad story was a very deep concept, open to all sorts of interpretation. The final scene was absolutely spot-on - a view into endlessness, waiting for explanation of why things happen as they do.
Matthew Modine is an outstanding actor, who is in my opinion not sufficiently appreciated for his fine work. Maybe for the average cinema-goer he plays parts that require more insight, and therefore doesn't hit the spotlights. That he doesn't appear in every boulevard magazine is a tribute to his qualities, they don't lend themselves to cheap gossip. His double role in this film is proof of his versatility, even though neither role is at all flattering to an actor's image. Who wants to play a loser! or a small-time gangster? Respectively, who can do it convincingly? I watch this film every time it's shown and can still find more in it. A real "cult" film, Mr. Modine's specialty.