Change Your Image
valky
Reviews
Rocks with Wings (2001)
Suspenseful and fascinating
It is excellent to know that not every documentary is about something illicit or made to laugh at. I was up late last night and I was watching PBS, and there were these native american girls talking to the camera. They were recreating an event that had taken place in the past, and I started thinking, "Oh, no. It's going to be about someone who died as a result of ___ (fill in the blank)." But in an interesting turn, the argument between the girls of the basketball team and their coach turns into a segway for better things.
The interviews lead up to an highly charged confrontation between the basketball team and the coach. You find yourself holding your breath while you wait to see how the different people will react to each other. Then we see the state championship game. I am not a sports fan, particularly basketball, but I couldn't tear myself away from watching the game. I held tightly to the remote control in my excitement.
And the rest of the movie is "wonderful and more wonderful" in that it holds the energy from the first part of the movie and increases enjoyment. We see how unexpectedly positive human nature is. In a hardly corny way, this movie renews our faith in humanity. We can expect some more promising work from Rick Derby, but if he didn't make anymore documentaries or movies, we can all be happy with this flawless effort.
The Magnificent Ambersons (2002)
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is amazing.
Any time that A&E makes any minisieries, I am very curious because the company makes really great things. Well, I've now seen "The Magnificent Ambersons" two and a half time. It's wonderful. Every character is fully dimensional. It's a new trend I've noticed that not too many films are picking up on, but the dimensionality of characters adds to the richness of the film. There isn't one character that you don't both like and also get irritated with. I am especially impressed with Tilly's performance as Aunt Fanny. I enjoyed Fanny because she was such a person; irrational, concerned, and nosy. Amazing. Madelein Stowe is a favorite actress.
But the real reason to see this film is for Jonathan Rhys-Meyers' performance. As Georgy, Rhys-Meyers could have easily played a cold snob unattached to anyone. But he doesn't. Rhys-Meyers' George is cold, but he's also vulnerable. He's bold, but he has so many moments where he relates to everyone he deals with in either a friendly manner or otherwise. Even when throwing out his mother's boyfriend, there is cold assurance in his eyes, but only someone with something to hide can act so rigid. He makes a safe transformation in the moments after his mother's death. Maybe it's too sudden, but nevertheless it's convincing.
Bacheha-Ye aseman (1997)
Every scene is breath-taking; a masterpiece in cinema
This movie is amazing. Every character is fully dimensional, which is a rarity and it's a smart trick to keep the audience fully involved throughout. Majidi does this with our young protagonist and his sister, and he does this, amazingly, with those with smaller roles. His technique for making the kids speak volumes (tho they are obviously not "trained & accomplished" actors) is the use of their facial expressions, Parviz Malekzaade's attractive cinematography, and the musical score. What captivated me most about the film was that the story was told so well. It's hard to find a good story teller, and it seems that we can trust Majidi with this. The story is of a boy and his sister struggling with diffrent problems, but they become each others saviors. I can't think of ONE person who would dislike this wonderful gem.
The Reef (1999)
a fanciful story
> i recently saw "the reef" on channel 11 or some such ABC type, and i was > very enthralled in it. the film was rather melodramatic and occasionally > too fabricated to believe, but like it amused me as much as any day time > soap opera keeps most house wife's audiences. the story was nicely > complicated in all sorts of unrealistic ways, but i have to be thankful > because sometimes the realistic world is far too un-complicated.