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CharlieCalvert
Reviews
Separate Lies (2005)
A well crafted, sophisticated movie, made for adults
This is a well crafted movie with a sophisticated storyline rife with moral ambiguity. We are never quite sure where our sympathies should lie.
Both Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson turn in excellent performances. Wilkinson plays a character who is controlled, Watson one who is always about to burst at the seams. In short, they are cast to type.
We start out disliking Wilkinsin for his rigidity and selfish behavior, and end up admiring him for his steadfast love and sense of inner decency.
Perhaps the weakest link in the movie is Rupert Everett, who plays a character who was to me more unappealing than I suppose the director intended him to be. However, my sympathies switched back and forth so often between Wilkinson and Watson that it was something of a relief to have a villain I could easily disdain.
If you enjoy movies that place characters in difficult moral situations, and if you enjoy watching them wrestle with their weaknesses and struggle to rise above them, then you should enjoy this thoughtful movie.
This production exists at the opposite end of the moral spectrum from the black and white simplicity of most Hollywood films. It is not, however, without a vision of human decency. In the real world, our choices are rarely black and white, and this movie shows how difficult it can be to live with integrity in a complex world. I found it a relief to spend some time with characters who had multifaceted personalities, and who faced complex problems. One of the characters even manages to rise above a pedestrian sense of self-interest, a turn of events that is all too rare in both movies and real life.
Serenity (2005)
Sleep inducing right wing propaganda
This is one of those movies in which there are no fully formed characters, little conversation, and endless violence. The theme of the movie is also a fairly straight forward instance of right wing propaganda. The core seed of the film is that people who want peace are destroying the world by creating hyper-violence. (I know, it doesn't make any sense.) In particular, the people who want peace are trying to do so by giving everyone a drug called Pax (latin for peace.) According to the movie, the drug suppresses people's natural and healthful impulse toward aggression, and thus makes them hyper-violent. I really prefer the right wing when they are in their WMD and yellow cake mode. That kind of propaganda may be based on lies, but at least it makes sense. The idea that a longing for peace generates violence is just silly, and contradicts everything we read in the New Testament.
The second major theme of the movie is that violence is the solution to all problems and that it is okay to do really, really bad things if you feel threatened. (But don't forget it is the people in this world who want peace who are really responsible for creating all this violence! What?)
Most of the acting in this movie is poor, though Summer Glau turns in an interesting performance. She is also an extraordinarily graceful and lithe woman. Just watching her move is a pleasure, but the director doesn't seem to be aware of that fact. Jewel Staite seems to have some real acting ability, and she is very winning. I'd like to see her in a comedy where she has a chance to stretch out a little. There were moments in this movie where she seemed to flicker into life for a few seconds, but everything around her was shrouded in such a deep, somnambulant haze that it was hard to tell for sure.
The primary problem with this movie is that it is overly long. I was yawning throughout much of the movie, and so was the person beside me.
Red Eye (2005)
Beautiful little suspense movie
Beautifully filmed, well acted, tightly scripted suspense movie. Had me on the edge of my seat. I liked the lead actress very much, and thought the villain was very well done. Not much to chew on here in the way of a theme, but if you just get in your seat, turn your brain off, watch the fancy camera work, and enjoy the plot, you will have a great time. The plot is well worn, and regular movie goers will probably know more or less what to expect by about ten minutes in. But that didn't bother me, as I enjoyed watching it unfold. In the old days, they might not have focused so tightly on just two characters, and there were some enticing moments when I hoped they were going to let some other people have a few lines. But these folks were probably right to keep the movie so tightly focused. The plot got me by the throat fairly early on, and never let go. It's not a good idea to think too much either during or after the movie. as I'm not sure it makes a great deal of sense. Just sit back and enjoy.
Yes (2004)
Uncompromising Film with Serious Themes
First off, you need to set your expectations. This is an extremely arty film. There are no explosions, chase scenes, or guns in this movie.
Instead, we have a film with metaphors, themes and relationships. There are few movies I have seen recently that attack such large and serious topics.
The major themes in this movie are God, love and politics. During the course of the movie, racism and war, terrorism and the Middle East, infidelity, atheism and Marxism are all brought on stage.
As if that weren't enough, the majority of the dialog is in rhymed verse, with perhaps occasional interjections of free verse. In fact, the entire very contemporary script has a vaguely Shakespearean feel to it, though there is no shortage of four letter words.
The entire cast of the movie is wonderful, but the centerpiece of the entire film is Joan Allen, who gives an almost supernaturally wonderful performance. The heart of the movie is a moving love story, but this is a serious romance with strong, deeply emotional scenes designed to reflect adult, rather than teenage, themes.
There are also major metaphors in the movie, such as the role of cleaning, which usually stands for an attempt to wipe out guilt or corruption, and the use of glass, and particularly glasses of water, to show the way different viewpoints distort a particular perception of reality.
If you are prepared to see a very serious, beautiful made, and extremely arty film, then this is an excellent way to spend your time. I simply loved the movie, and would probably enjoy seeing it again sometime soon. But please, don't bother to go if you are looking for something else. This is a very heartfelt and intense movie, which refuses to compromise.
In America (2002)
Great Movie
I see a lot of movies, and this is probably the best I have seen in the last year. The characters are well delineated and deeply drawn. The story is engrossing. The children in particular come to life to a degree rarely seen in film. The subject of child-parent relationships, which infrequently rises above the juvenile level in film, is portrayed deeply and well in this movie. The two children in this movie are overwhelming. Only half jokingly, I'd say that I'm not at all sure that the oldest of the two children didn't out do Johnny Depp or Charize Theron in terms of best actors for 2003. The mother in the movie is simply extraordinary.
The story is about a family from Ireland making their way in America. The central themes involve working with grief and overcoming hardship. There is a good mixture of comedy and serious drama, with two or three scenes that are very gripping.
This is a serious film, so don't go see it or rent it if you are in the mood to see a popular romance or adventure film. But if you are ready to sit down and watch an engrossing and uplifting tale about relationships and the struggle to overcome hardship, then this is your ticket.
As I said at the beginning of this review, I rate this movie very highly. I believe it is the best of the films that I saw coming out of the 2003 season. It is better than Lost in Translation (which was very good) and better than 3rd Lord of the Rings movie, and better than Bend it Like Beckham or Nemo. A total success.