Change Your Image
surrealkitten
Reviews
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
A Debacle
How can a man (Myers) with such insight into the nature of comedy be so completely unfunny? This film goes beyond being offensive to just not being funny. It was a real, palpable agony to watch this, having loved the book as a little girl.
Uncle Sam (1996)
Think of it as 'Manufacturing Consent' for the Gen-X crowd
This film is a good, healthy dose of satire in the wrap of a hilariously funny, gruesome B-flick. All burgeoning protestors and liberal-minded buttkickers will enjoy it for its wealth of tongue-in-cheek humor.
Gigli (2003)
Premeditation at it's Dorkiest
Any culture-savvy filmster worth her salt with tell you, if they're boinking on and off screen, the film is likely to be made of the same soft, squishy, unsubstantial material as a big pillow. Fluffy film fare is nothing new from J.Lo or Affleck, but both have been making calculated efforts of late to provide a film for every interest. Indeed, Lopez' entire persona has been of the 'knows where she's going, remembers where she came from' variety, and she aims to be all things to all people (at least, all people with some expendable cash in their pockets). So, film of the year, Gigli is not. The cast looks bewildered, the script is insane, and both leads have gotten so good at faking on-screen chemistry that it's embarrassing. But that's nothing new. The question we should be asking ourselves is not, 'how could they make this THING?!' but, 'why on earth do we keep putting up with it?'
The Medallion (2003)
Let's Play!
The true mystery of the medallion must be that it allows 8-year-old Beijing children to suddenly emit sounds that are remarkably similar to inspiring sentences, spoken in lightly accented American English. Hm. This is a forgivable, indeed even enjoyable quirk of the film. No kung-fu movie is supposed to be as serious as an American action flick, so many viewers may find the unself-conscious, childlike air of many parts of The Medallion to be careless and hokey. To prove legitimacy, a viewing of Jet Li's Drunken Monkey may be necessary. Jackie Chan and Lee Evans do wonderful flip-flopping of the role of Straight Man, and Claire Forlani delivers a sweet, charming performance, blessedly in her own voice. Julian Sands suffers gallantly through some truly bad dialogue, but he is the baddie, and somehow it all fits into place.
The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1998)
Triumph!
Julian Sands is well labeled as the Muse of director Mike Figgis. After no less than three films where Figgis has successfully coaxed the best performances out of this fine, sadly underapreciated actor, one begins to see an almost DeNiro/Scorsesian reparte' between the two artists. The film itself is quirky, breathless, passionate British celluloid at its most honest, and any project that can make even the bricky, fish-eyed Saffron Burrows look exciting is a success in more ways than one.
Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
Pretty Fancy
A good film for a burgeoning horror aficionado, this movie is true to many themes of American horror, while remaining fresh and entertaining. It is a bit slow in the saddle, as are many low-budget horror films, but the fun cast and imaginative plot twists near the end make it all worth the wait. For the uber-film buff, look for lots of cameos by Canadian character actors like Matt Craven and Griffith Brewer.
Palabras encadenadas (2003)
Dario Grandinetti.... oooo!
This film is the finest effort of all parties involved. Pure, unpretentious, riveting. This movie should remain a symbol of the extraordinary passion of Spanish filmmakers and actors. For non-native speakers, very little spanish language is needed to understand the action of the movie, such is the skill of Mana, Grandinetti, and Toledo, who proves so skillful in her presentation of Laura that she may perhaps stunt herself for a while. Not even Grandinetti's amazing performance in Hable Con Ella can match his portrayal of a sexy, vulnerable, completely horrifying villain in Palabras Encadenas.
Reckless (1995)
A Celluloid Dream
This metaphorical story of a woman leaving her husband and coming to terms with the sadness in her life is filmed as if everything is a dream. Mia Farrow plays a truly epic character, and her strength in the role finally proves her more than a beautiful waif. Even the smallest elements are connected to the larger center of the picture, and no strange story is left unexplained. A real joy.