Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 14th, 2006
Synopsis
The unfortunate part for me is that movies like this, and before that, Sling Blade, were only in arthouse theaters that are in downtown Washington, DC, and I really have a problem with driving 25-30 miles to pay $10 for 2 hours of joy, and possibly that same amount of time spent in traffic trying to get in and out of DC. If you want to call it laziness, I'll admit to that also, but I think my first excuse holds a lot more weight. It's gotten better lately, but there's still some work to be d...ne. Several years ago, there was a muted, but powerful push for a G-Rated film directed by David Lynch (yes, of Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks fame) to receive Oscar nominations, and the film defined the "has universal critical support but no one saw it" catchphrase. When this was available to rent, I did so, and found myself feeling good and happy, something a David Lynch film isn't supposed to do I thought. David Lynch films make you say, "What the hell did I just see?"
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 14th, 2006
Synopsis
I was amazed that a film starring three Academy Award winners (Robert De Niro (Raging Bull), Kathy Bates (Misery), F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) would be so ignored and passed over by the movie going public. Based on a novel by Thornton Wilder and adapted for the screen and directed by relative unknown Mary McGuckian, the film recounts a tragic incident where several people fell to their death from a bridge collapse. A monk by the name of Brother Juniper (Gabriel Byrne, The Us...al Suspects) tries to piece together the lives of the people involved in the accident, to determine if it was a larger act of divine intervention.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2006
Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is not your standard activist. She won’t be satisfied by simply standing on protest lines – she must be where the action is, and for her it’s in disease infested Kenya. When a pharmaceutical company sets up shop there to distribute a prototypical drug to the people, Tessa becomes involved in a conspiracy that will eventually costs her her life.
After Tessa turns up dead – and this is no spoiler – her death is featured in the opening scenes of the film, husband Justin (Ralph Fien...es) delves into her world – a world he has learned to accept as a diplomat – to find the reason behind her death. Upon his discovery he learns that his wife was an entirely different woman than the one he knew, a woman who regularly hid things from him. But why did she keep secrets? Was she having an affair? Was she protecting Justin from a life she knew he would not sympathize with as a government worker?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 11th, 2006
Synopsis
The film focuses on the life of a family of nomads in the Gobi Desert region of Mongolia. Their camels are vital to their well-being, and when a mother rejects her newborn white calf, this is a serious problem. Two sons set off to a distant village to summon a magician is summoned, who, it is to be hoped, can perform the necessary miracle to save the calf.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 9th, 2006
Synopsis
Tae-suk is a young man who breaks into people's home while they are away. He lives there in their absence, but doesn't steal anything, and fixes odds and ends while he's there. During one such break-in, it turns out that owner's wife is there, and a love affair begins between the two. When the abusive husband returns, Tae-suk winds up killing him with the title instrument, and the lovers flee.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 8th, 2006
Synopsis
Lenny Baker is a young Jewish lad (based on writer/director Paul Mazurksy himself) who dreams of being an actor. The time is the early 1950s, and Baker moves from Brooklyn to Greenwhich village to make a name for himself. Every conceivable element of Beat life in the Village is present, and Baker encounters all sorts of characters (including a young Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum). He must also deal with complications in his relationship with girlfriend Ellen Greene, and his domineerin... mother (Shelly Winters).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 5th, 2006
Synopsis
Can someone stop the multimedia empire that Oprah Winfrey imparts on the rest of the world? I mean really, you’ve got the TV show, you’ve got the books, and you’ve done the movies, what else is there to do? Oh, provide reading and watching lists of material you enjoy? Um, OK. But why?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2005
Sorry for Kung Fu tells the story of a woman, who has defied her staunchly conservative heritage by getting pregnant out of wedlock. Not so big of a deal, except she's returning home to live with her parents, and must deal with the tension that comes with having gone against the ways they have taught her. In spite of it all, she manages to enjoy a truce with mother and father until the baby is born - and it's of Asian descent. With family turmoil and racial bigotry within family bloodlines to propel its conflict, you'd think this film would have a lot to recommend it. However, it can't jump that one final hurdle of execution in order to make it all happen. Part of what makes it not work is the fact that it's a family drama with an incredibly unsuitable potty mouth.
Before you label me a prude, allow for explanation.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 29th, 2005
A Dry White Season is a rather faithful adaptation of the critically acclaimed Euzhan Palcy novel. The film attempts to portray the infamous South African policy of apartheid, beginning with a massacre of peaceful demonstrators that occurred in 1976.Perhaps the point could have been made without the disturbing depiction of children being shot in such graphic detail. Such on-screen brutality seems drastic even under today’s less constrictive standards. I’m sure it can, and likely has, been argued that these events require realism, much as the opening salvo of “Saving Private Ryan” has been justified. In any case, the film certainly makes its point, leaving a lingering impression.
If anything, the film does provide a showcase for some quality performances. Donald Sutherland is most convincing as school teacher and former athletic star who finds himself compelled by conscience into the moral struggle.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 28th, 2005
I must admit feelings of suspicion before popping in the DVD copy of Prozac Nation:. I remember seeing the theatrical trailer years ago. It was not, by any means, poor advertisement. I had taken a liking to the acting of Christina Ricci, and the film looked like a decent outing with a talented supporting cast. So I waited for the film to come out. Then I waited some more. Years passed and the film never popped up at my local multiplex. It is generally not a good sign that a film is shelved for so long, but I s...ill kept an eye out for its theatrical release.
However, Prozac Nation: never did get that theatrical release. Instead Miramax gave it a cable debut on its sister network Starz/Encore, and the film went straight to DVD. Now I have seen awful films that have been delayed for years, and those titles were even given a theatrical release. Since Prozac Nation: was not even given that freedom, I couldn’t help but suspect a terrible film. Just when I had started thinking about the film after seeing an advertisement on Encore, a copy of the film ended up on my doorstep a few days ago for review. Truthfully speaking, I don’t quite see what all the delays were about. This may not be a wonderful picture, but it certainly deserved more respect than some of the other crap that reaches screens across the world.
