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Reviews
Knight of Cups (2015)
Not only pretentious in the extreme, but BORING!
What a waste of a great cast (Frieda Pinto literally has two lines!) - this has got to be the most boring and pretentious move ever made - apparently much of it was improvised - and it shows. Although the cinematography is often excellent and a few of the shots are astonishing beautiful, the narrative drive is non-existent, and the move just plods on and on and on. The dialogue is series of cliches, and one is never invested in ANY of the characters enough to care what happens to them - NOT that anything does. Disturbingly, Malick also has way too many scenes involving nude women, in which he rarely even does them the courtesy of showing their faces - they are apparently just there just to flash their assets.
Adam (2019)
Ignore the backlash - worth seeing
I am not sure why there's such a virulent backlash against this film, especially as most of the negative reviews here are from people who have obviously not even see the film, but are jumping on some bandwagon. It's written by a lesbian, directed by a trans man and ALL the trans characters are played by trans actors (including MJ Rodriquez of POSE fame and first-timer Leo Sheng, who is a real find). The trans characters are treated with respect and sensitivity - no, they are not flawless, but that would make for a very dull film. As a cis gendered gay man, I came away with much more understanding and appreciation of the struggles in the trans community. It's not a perfect film, but I think it's heart is in the right place - and I enjoyed it.
Love, Weddings & Other Disasters (2020)
Seriously awful....
How could something starring Keaton and Irons be so miserably awful, nah, cringe-worthy. They should both be horribly embarrassed, esp. Keaton, who is offensive in her portrayal of a blind woman (and the tokenism of having a dwarf character and then making fun of him is also reprehensible). The other story lines are almost equally abhorrent - only Maggie Grace manages not to be a total waste of time. There is a reason this only has a 4% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Avoid it like the plague it is.
A Suitable Boy (2020)
Ignore the organized campaign and watch for yourself
There appears to be some organized campaign against the show, based perhaps on disgruntlement with the element of Hindu/Muslim conflict depicted, with the plethora of 1 star reviews being just ridiculous, and it's obvious many of those never even watched the program. The quality of the settings, writing, costumes, acting and directing are all on a par with ANY other BBC drama. As a huge fan of the book, I am a mite disappointed that some of it had to be truncated to fit into 6 hours, but it didn't feel unnecessarily rushed or confusing to me. Andrew Davies's screenplay is exemplary, and the cast is well chosen. Mira Nair is incapable of making a dull film, and this is as alive and vibrant as one could wish.
Bol (2011)
Sobering indictment of religious hypocrisy
Except for the out of place 'happy ending', this is a provocative and enlightening film about the religious hypocrisy of a monstrous father who commits crime after crime against his suffering family, while maintaining that he is just protecting his family's honor. The editing is a bit disjointed and it is sometimes difficult to figure out the relationships and who is who (with seven daughters, several of them don't really come across as more than stick figures), but this is a serious and sobering film, not at all in the 'Bollywood' style - although the songs, by Pakistani pop star Atif Aslam (who also makes an auspicious acting debut) are quite lovely. Definitely worth seeing.
Mere Jeevan Saathi (2006)
Most craptastic movie EVER!!!
OK, there is no way you could even conceivably take this movie seriously... But for connoisseurs of truly terrible train wrecks of movies...this is the creme de la creme of craptastic films. From the across the board over the top performances, to the insane art direction (dig the bright green carpets with red walls) to the horrible costumes (could Akshay LOOK any more gay?), to the cheesy dialogues and nonsensical motivations to the songs that go on...and on....and on.... (the theme song is repeated THREEE times) ... this is one movie that you will be SCREAMING at the screen while watching in horrified disbelief! Although it's basically a ripoff of Fatal Attraction, it goes so much beyond that film into the realm of surreality. Enjoy it for all it's unbelievable horribleness...
Surrender, Dorothy (2005)
Shockingly BAD!
I could not believe how awful this film was; I rarely watch commercial TV, but thought "Well, Diane Keaton is always worth watching". I stand corrected. Everyone involved should be hanging their heads in shame.
I realize there are not a lot of great roles for women of a certain age, but the script to this was so inept, clichéd and baffling that I am surprised it ever got into development or that Ms. Keaton thought she could make a silk purse out of this sow's ear. None of the characters had a shred of believability and were so incredibly unlikeable. The acting looked like exercises in a BEGINNING class - I stared in open-mouthed horror through most of this wondering "What were they thinking?". Very, very sad that it has come to this. Don't waste your time.
Trying Times (1987)
'Wanda's Visit' is a MUST - get this out on DVD
Christopher Durang's contribution to this anthology series, 'Wanda's Visit' is a comic gem that really should be more widely seen. I taped it in its original run and virtually everyone I've shown it to screams with laughter. It really is hysterically funny. Swoosie Kurtz gives a wonderful performance as the ex-girlfriend from hell. Durang himself appears in a small cameo. Julie Haggarty and Jeff Daniels are equally strong. Although Durang subsequently adapted it for the stage, the original is a masterpiece of comic writing and acting. I really don't remember and didn't tape any of the other segments, but from the people involved and the descriptions, it seems like this would be a winner. Whoever owns the rights (PBS?) really should dig through the vaults and release this.