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tkleeman
Reviews
Love Happens (2009)
An intimate exploration of grief disguised as a comedy
This movie is an unrecognized masterpiece. It has been dismissed as a failed romantic comedy. It is in fact an marvelous exploration of the grief that accompanies the loss of a loved one. Both the protagonists in this drama have lost someone, and are initially fractured human beings, unable to deal with their own grief. They eventually find love only because they are able to confront their loss, acknowledge it, and move on to new experiences. Enjoyable as a romantic-comedy, but much more life-affirming and satisfying as a meditation upon death. It also contains a relatively positive depiction of the leader of a cult or new religion, which is rare in popular media. In this regard, it can be compared to the Taxing Woman (Marusa no onna) series of Itami Jūzō, which also featured detailed depictions of a new religion.
Elvis Has Left the Building (2004)
Elvis is angry and the Pink Lady is his emissary of doom
This movie starts a bit slow, and you have to bear a bit of malice toward Elvis impersonators (who doesn't?), but it is hilarious. Kim Basinger is perfect as the guardian of Elvis's true spirit who unwittingly brings doom to a whole string of bogus Elvis's as she keeps pure the memory of her own childhood encounter with the real thing. And the Elvises all come to such delicious ends. The final mass annihilation of Elvises opens Harmony's eyes and we see finally see the angry Elvis behind all of the misfortune. If you like black humor, don't miss this gem. I only wish they had a found an actor to play the real Elvis who looked more the part...
Wu ji (2005)
Meaningless mess
This is one of the worst movies I have seen and a new low for Chen Kaige. The plot is a confusing mess, the acting stilted, the dialog lifeless. Even the special effects are amateurish and the supposed capital, consisting of a series of narrowly spaced concentric walls, not only looks fake but is wholly impractical. The title also seems meaningless as "Wuji" (literally "the limitless") has no special meaning(certainly nothing like what Chen implies) in Chinese philosophy or religion. Naming the lead actress Qingcheng ("overthrower of cities"), a traditional name for evil women who lead men of power astray, was both trite and inappropriate. And the lead actress is certainly not attractive enough to make her worldly success believable. Most disturbing was the treatment of "barbarians" (who inexplicably herded longhorn cattle), which verged on pure racism, and slaves, who seem to delight in their position. The silliness reaches a high point early on in the movie when the slave Kunlun outraces a raging herd of cattle while crawling on hands and knees and carrying his dead slavemaster on his back. This movie is not quite as offensive as Hero (Yingxiong), Zhang Yimou's cinematic paean to dictators as the salvation of China, but is far worse in terms of acting, script, and plot.
21 Grams (2003)
Nice acting but a mess
This seems to be a perfectly nice film that the director decided to cut into little pieces and rearrange randomly. There is no pattern and what is left is simply confusion. Things become clearer by the end, but there is no excuse for this sort of self-indulgent narcissism. Great performances all around, and a beautiful love scene, but who wants to solve the director's crossword puzzle just to understand what is basically a pretty straightforward story? I found it difficult to connect to the characters because their stories are presented in such a piecemeal and distracted fashion. On the whole, a rather overrated movie, but redeemed by great performances by Naomi Watts and Benecio del Toro.
Onmyôji (2001)
Superb recreation of Heian Japan
Contrary to some of the more unfavorable comments, this is Japanese movie, has nothing to do with the Chinese genre of wuxia or martial hero movie, and does not prominently feature martial arts. Instead, it is a movie about an Onmyoji or Master or Yin and Yang, an ancient Japanese master of the occult arts, including exorcism, necromancy, foreknowledge, etc. The recreation of these arts is quite authentic and the movie is suitable for use in the classroom to help students understand the jumble of Chinese Daoism and Indian Buddhism that made up Chinese esoteric learning for the early Japanese. The hero, Abe no Seimei, is played by a noted Noh actor. His style is arresting, so mannered that it might seem artificial. But in this performance it gives Seimei an otherworldly, superhuman air that ads mystery to the character. If you rent it on DVD, be sure to choose to hear it in Japanese with subtitles rather than in the dubbed version. Much of the magic depends on chants and spells and I can't imagine how they could have dubbed those. THis movie requires close attention to follow the story, but it is worth it. An engrossing story of a totally different world, where the fate of nations is determined by sorcerers and wrathful spirits, and imperial forces rely as much on exorcists and priests as on generals. Highly recommended.
The Shape of Things (2003)
Ho-hum
Pretty bland stuff. The dialog is stilted and unnatural. The actors are all a decade too old to be believable as college students. And the "transformation" of the lead was less than startling; still looked like a nebbish to me at the end, certainly not a stud. There is the germ of a good movie here, but no more.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Dreary boring waste of time
An utter waste of time. Barely got through it. Adam Sandler shows nothing new whatsoever. He's more subdued, but still the irritating whiny voice and the incomprehensible bouts of rage. THough not as incomprehensible as the plot, which features a family that tries to extort phone sex customers who have said nothing incriminating, then travels to a different state to attack the reluctant patsie. Just skip it!
Crush (2001)
Hilarious at times but disturbingly amoral
It is interesting to see the wide range of comments. I found the movie pleasant, on the whole, and found several of the scenes absolutely hilarious. But ultimately the characters are not sympathetic. They destroy their friend's only chance at happiness out of spite and jealousy, then she quite inexplicably forgives them! I found their boorish behavior, especially their habit of smoking in prohibited areas and throwing lit cigarettes anywhere they please, revolting. The vicar, the only really sympathetic character in the film, is disgraced at the altar and no one seems to give a damn about him. The film ends with the Andie McDowell character deciding to poison her baby with tobacco and alcohol as some sort of a perverted statement of independence. I just don't understand why anyone would write such a screenplay or make a movie of it. The only thing I can compare it to is the Absolutely Fabulous series. Maybe it's a British thing...
Memento (2000)
Major disappointment
A very manipulative movie that constantly tries to fool the audience. It runs in reverse, but only halfway up the story line where everything that went before is called into question. The director is a David Lynch wannabe, but the expostion is SLOW and BORING.
Quills (2000)
Boring and trite
A surprisingly flat and uninteresting movie, with little to recommend it. The Marquis de Sade is portrayed as a sad old man, nasty to those about him, exploitive of his fellow inmates, but with a secret crush on his laundress. The Abbe, his keeper, is an anachronistic social reformer with repressed sexual desires. Michael Caine's Royer-Collard is introduced as a crypto-sadist then has to be goaded beyond belief he will apply his "scientific" methods to the perverted and irritating de Sade. Even his child bride, who suffers the outrage of brusque sex with no foreplay, can manage nothing more outrageous than having sex with another man on his bearskin rug and leaving a nasty note. In short, a major disappointment.
Simply Irresistible (1999)
Simply marvelous!
What a delight! A wonderful mixture of magical realism and romance that will delight viewers of all ages. Also a great food movie. The acting is understated and sincere, the sets are beautiful, the dialogue is engaging and realistic. Only a true curmudgeon could dislike this gem!
Simply Irresistible (1999)
Simply marvelous!
What a delight! A wonderful mixture of magical realism and romance that will delight viewers of all ages. Also a great food movie. The acting is understated and sincere, the sets are beautiful, the dialogue is engaging and realistic. Only a true curmudgeon could dislike this gem!
Mrs Dalloway (1997)
Insufferable
One of the most boring,pointless movies I have ever seen. The title character is self-centered, self-absorbed and wholly distasteful. The secondary plot line is incomprehensible and its relation to the primary plot line is mystifying. Hated it.
Home for the Holidays (1995)
God awful
This is surely one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The dialogue is so unnatural it would be funny, but the plot line is so serious that we are denied even that. Avoid it like the plague!