slofstra Reviews

Dickinson (2019–2021)

Fun romp but decidedly inauthentic

[8/10 · 9 December 2023]

This review is based on the first two episodes of the series. I very much enjoyed them, and am optimistic about where this can go. I'll get back to my reasons for optimism, but first let's get something out of the way. What I have seen bears no more resemblance to a writer's life in the mid 19th century than Gilligan's Island resembles the actual experience of a latter day shipwreck. By 1850, there were not general objections to women writing although there were limited opportunities. A good picture can be obtained from a paper available online, "Victorian Women Writers' Careers", ed. Linda H. Peterson. And it seems doubtful that Emily's father, Edward, despite being a stern and severe man, ever wrote that women should not be published. I haven't read Dickinson intimately, but descriptions of her family life and education are readily available online.

Based on even a cursory reading of Dickinson's life, coupled with extensive reading of and on Victorian writers, I think it is highly improbable that Edward Dickinson would have objected vehemently to the publication of her daughter's poems. As to why she wasn't recognized in lifetime, there is a range of reasons, but unrequited genius is not uncommon, not least of which is the difficulty of being recognized and published, period.

The fact is that with women and men confined to separate spheres of life, men generally having much more opportunity and liberty in theirs, women did not need to be constrained with vehemence and force, the barriers were broad, systemic and also generally approved by most women. The reaction and resistance offered by Emily's mother seems much more realistic. And the sneaking into Amherst College would be seen as an amusing adventure; not likely met with force. On top of which, Emily's actual education included teaching in secular topics, maybe even volcanoes.

So the resistance which Emily encountered is revisionist based on how most women today would react to the strictures of that era. The strictures acted much more insiduously and seductively on the women of that time.

But all that aside, I like the show. It's clear that it's not meant to be authentic in any way, other than dressing up in colourful costumes. (And who knows how authentic they even are.) Austin states the he is "psyched" to be going to Michigan, at a time when Sigmund Freud hadn't even been born.

The program makes no pretensions to be anything but a bit of silliness as far as biography or history is concerned. So, where lies its promise? The fact is that some women suffered terribly and were limited by the strictures of that era, while many women lived comfortably within them. Most women today would not stand for a week of a general loss of their liberty, although a substantial minority would have no problem with it, to be fair. The premise might be that Dickinson was ahead of her time in her thinking and did suffer. (Although it seems likely that because her family was wealthy, she had latitude to live a contemplative life and had considerable liberty to do as she wished.) I look forward to seeing where this goes.

Hearts of Gold (2003 TV Movie)

A new record in how bad things can get

[5/10 · 26 September 2023]

... before it's all pulled out of the dumpster fire with a happily ever after ending. Normally, these things end just before she marries the other guy. This one goes a step beyond that, and still recovers. 3 hours of worse, and worse, and even worse and all neatly tied up in a bundle in the last 2 minutes. This one is just a little too contrived to be believable. And many of the characterizations based on class divide are implausibly extreme. An implausible degree of miscommunication drags things on for an extra hour of viewing. The overall effect is one of unmitigated dreariness.

It's saving grace is reasonably good performances, but the script is heavy handed and required a lighter touch.

18 Pages (2022)

Somehow this works ...

[8/10 · 6 March 2023]

'18 pages' is implausible and fanciful and normally, I wouldn't get through a movie this unrealistic.

However, somehow this does work, and I think, in part, it's the plot device of 2 people connecting through a diary, not in real time. The diary takes on a magical, transcendent quality. Second, the culture, setting and Telugu language give the story an otherworldly charm. Third, the story has many twists and turns; the movie has good bones. Finally, the soundtrack and cinematography are at a high level, and both are creative and novel.

Final analysis - the movie is a captivating, emotional ride. Well worth seeing.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

A Marvel movie for the rest of us ...

[9/10 · 10 September 2022]

I'm not really a Marvel movie fan. All those CGI fights bore me very quickly and the movies often take themselves much too seriously, IMO. All respect to those who are into the franchise, but it's not for me. My taste runs more to LOTR, and much of the Star Wars series, even Harry Potter.

I have followed the Thor movies within the Marvel franchise, after very much liking the first one. My expectations for this, the fourth Thor movie were low. What else is there to say on the subject?

Basically, the movie blew me away. Everything worked for me. The movie brought back the feeling I had as a kid in reading Marvel comic books, many long years ago. Too fantastical, even nonsensical, to be real, but inviting at the same time. I really like that the director went camp with this one. Well, mostly camp. Because, there's also: cancer, basic existential questions and Gorr to balance off the levity.

I'm still wondering why this worked, because the tone of the serious scenes was so different from most of the movie. But life is like that isn't it? Light moments, levity, and then cancer, death, and those existential questions about the life we're living. So maybe those shifts aren't unrealistic after all.

The various elements of the movie were all at a very high standard. Loved the colour and the sets. The cast was sterling, especially Christian Bale. And Guns 'n Roses' music fit exceptionally well. This could well be one of the movies that becomes a favourite for me. The ones that I've seen 5 or more times; there aren't all that many. But first I'll see how viewing number 2 goes, and that will be soon.

Seeking True Love (2017)

Worst ever ...

[2/10 · 5 March 2022]

Young woman is finding all young men are jerks, then marries to a cowardly jerk. Definitely one of the worst movies ever.

One also feels quite stupid after watching this movie, given that it's creators think we will believe this garbage.

Les Misérables: The Staged Concert (2019)

Finally, a worthy production ...

[9/10 · 14 February 2022]

Everything on the screen has paled in impact compared to the original stage production which I attended a number of times in the 1980s.

And the movie was the worst example.

Finally, this production does justice to the score and the original stage production.

Restaurants on the Edge (2019–2020)

What's not to like?

[8/10 · 11 October 2021]

You could do a restaurant rescue program by humiliating the owners, cursing a great deal, abusing the staff and insisting that you, the host, have the final answer on everything.

Or you could do it this way: empathize with committed, hard working restaurateurs that need a boost. Understand their aspirations and what makes them tick.

Then take a look at local food options, renovate in line with local colour and culture, and take the viewer on a mini-travelogue while doing so.

Sure, it's low intensity television, but it's incredible fun to watch, and the vibe is very positive.

Ginny Weds Sunny (2020)

Uneven, has its moments.

[6/10 · 14 August 2021]

This is an okay watch. The male lead comes across as such a drip you wonder how he can redeem himself. He does mature a bit as the movie progresses but one wonders what a girl would see in such a spineless wonder, a quality he never loses entirely even in the climactic final scene.

The various fights and arguments are quite humorous and were enjoyable to me. But overall, the script and story line are weak, but redeemed to a point by the strong cast, especially Yami Gautami as Ginny. That her character stays strong for the duration keeps one from squirming too much.

One tip. In dance scenes don't shake or zoom the camera in time with the music. If the dancers are good, the cheesy effects aren't necessary and they just make it harder to watch.

Not the greatest movie, but light, escapist and fairly enjoyable fare.

Fantastic Fungi (2019)

Boring infomercial in the latter half.

[4/10 · 30 August 2020]

I feel cheated. I enjoy Schwartzberg's Moving Art series and this promised to be more of the same with a more in depth look. There is some impressive photography, but very little science or hard information on the biology of fungi. Instead we're treated to a series of claims, which may well have merit, for the medicinal and therapeutic properties of psyllocybin and other fungi. This was extremely boring to watch, and suddenly we found ourselves watching the Shopping Channel instead of a nature movie.

The Bride of Badrinath (2017)

Had to bail out on this turkey ...

[3/10 · 22 March 2020]

Plot synopsis. Guy tries to abduct girl who jilted him, then stalks her, and messes up her potential career. At this point, I scrubbed ahead to see that after all this, they somehow reconciled. No thanks. There is a serious flaw in the director's thinking here. We're supposed to believe that once "the guy" obtains a more enlightened viewpoint about women, that this will redeem him. Whereas, in actual reality, if a man shows a violent streak, to the point of throwing a woman in the trunk of his car, and subsequently harassing her, his enlightened views are of no consequence whatsoever. He is likely to display this violent nature again. No young woman with any self respect should stay with someone who has acted like this. He may well strike again, no matter what his views on women are.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019)

Serious flaws marred this otherwise interesting character portrait

[6/10 · 31 August 2019]

Overall this movie was enjoyable, especially on the strength of Blanchette's portrayal of a very compelling person's life history, and the relationship with her daughter. But the first two thirds of the movie dragged on for far too long, with scenes that added nothing to our understanding of the character. Worse, the scriptwriting for the crucial crisis of the movie was not believable. For example, why blame Bernadette for being a victim of identity theft? What does that have to do with her psychological well being, in the view of any person of reasonable judgement? And what kind of psychiatrist draws serious conclusions without talking to the subject first? The psychiatrist, who supposedly had a sterling reputation, didn't seem credible in her demeanour, or her so-called diagnosis. At this point, the movie was careening out of control. Thankfully, the ship righted itself somewhat, contained a few surprising scenes after this low point, and perhaps was a bit too tidy at the end. But the ending did offer vindication for the portrayal of the subject, Bernadette, and the sum of the parts seemed credible in the final analysis. Too bad, though. This could have been much, much better.

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018)

Gotta like Sweety.

[4/10 · 20 April 2019]

This movie would have been better if Sweety had won the struggle. She's uncowed by threats and highly likeable. Her character is under developed though, and I would have liked to see a little more villainy. The two guys are obviously jerks. Now, I say, it would have been better, but I didn't say it would be good. The script is lame, the plot development is snail's pace, even for Bollywood, and the slow motion effects and musical synth track are intrusive and un natural. The fake highly affluent lifestyle is one dimensional, and who goes about their life worrying about their cousin's life style 7x24. Doesn't this guy have some events to plan, along the way?

Captain Fantastic (2016)

An introduction to Captain Fantastic

[9/10 · 12 September 2016]

In this short review, I won't summarize the content of the movie. If you're unfamiliar with the content, please watch a preview or read some of the fine reviews that provide a precis of the plot and characters.

It's perhaps easier to say what the movie is not, than what it is. The movie is not trying to convince you that a left-leaning, off the grid, back-to-nature lifestyle is necessarily ideal or even desirable as a child rearing strategy. Some points are made in favour of such a lifestyle, and some against, but I don't believe that this movie has an agenda. So don't worry that Ben drives a gas guzzler, or that he takes his kids on a shop-lifting excursion.

The movie is a study of a family that is trying to do something better than what is conventional; that's not going to drift with the tide. As an older parent, and now, a grandparent, I identified strongly with the basic idea of giving your kids more than what school, society and the previous generation offered. What parent doesn't. Most of us aren't as driven or idealistic as Ben Cash, the father played convincingly by Viggo Mortensen. But like many parents, we have in common with him, to do "X" when church, school, business associates, and especially, our own parents, seem to be doing "Y". In parenting our own children, we didn't live in the woods, live off the grid, or go rock climbing. We did camp a lot, and read some of the classics of literature seen in the movie. My political views have a little in common with Ben Cash, but like most viewers, I'm much more acquiescent than Ben Cash. But here were our touch-points with the movie, and this is true for all or most parents: we face resistance, and we make mistakes.

In this movie all the cares and caveats of parenting children in the face of a corrosive background culture are raised to another level from what we experienced, and probably from your experience. The dynamics and tensions presented by Cash's moral and cultural framework within culture at large are an object lesson in social psychology, not to mention, fascinating and compelling drama, and a rip-roaring good tale. If you are reading this review and you're not a parent, then my perspective may well be different from yours. But parent or not, we all have ideas on child-rearing and how it is best done, and what's wrong and what's right with our country and how life is generally lived. Yes, the movie touches on all of that, or aspires to do so. Here's a chance to consider and think about what is done, what can be done, and what you're doing now.

Again, this is not a heavy message movie, but a deeply thought provoking one. If there is a message, it is only this, from Noam Chomsky, as spoken by Rellian. (Rellian is at the very centre of the movie, I believe.) "If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, then there is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world." And that's really what the movie is about.

Other notes: great script, every line and scene counts. Super, superb acting performances, the characters jump off the screen. My only caveat is that I was so worried about the outcome of the movie I couldn't laugh as much as I wanted at the funny stuff. I'll have to see this one again. Without spoiling anything for you, if you go, know that things work out okay, and just roll with it.

9 out of 10, which is my maximum on first viewing.

A Late Quartet (2012)

Perhaps not the movie we wanted, but a good one all the same ...

[8/10 · 26 December 2012]

The problem with a movie about classical musicians is that we approach it with too many particular expectations. We're either Beethoven fans, who expect to see Beethoven venerated, or to see musicians portrayed in a certain light, and so on. This was a pretty good movie, and although it was a bit more melodramatic than I might have liked, if it had been higher and purer in its artistic aspirations, I have to admit it wouldn't have been quite as engaging. And it wasn't all mawkish. Somewhere in the middle I felt the movie did drag with Hoffman's character's ego issues. But the movie moved on from there: the other characters were far more compelling, although Hoffman's portrayal was excellent as an acting exercise. I just wasn't that interested in his character. I felt Walken's character had the best scenes and moments in the movie. His quiet dignity and strength pulled everything together, for the moment and for the last concert they would play, but against a background current of great tragedy. This was echoed in the music, and also in the various historical anecdotes and received wisdom around the op. 131. All of this is also to Walken's credit as an actor. His portrayal prevented the movie itself from descending into mush. Complaints have been made as to whether such melodrama is representative of the life of a string quartet. One should keep in mind that this was the chaos that followed from Walken's illness and forced withdrawal. In any close knit group or family there are hidden resentments and issues, but these do not represent the main state of affairs. In a crisis, these can come to the fore, so I felt that, yes, the events of the movie were quite plausible. All in all, this movie was well worth seeing, and, I felt, fully engaging from beginning to end.

The Gospel (2005)

Surprisingly good

[7/10 · 1 January 2011]

I received this movie as a gift this year (2010) and frankly, had never heard of it, even though I pay attention to movie releases. I approached it with no expectations whatsoever. To me, almost everything about the movie, including the Christian subculture, the cast, the director, and so on, was an unknown. I've never seen a movie rated with so many 1's and 10's before. I suspect that people are projecting their religious agendas, and not properly rating the movie itself. A movie needs a good story; and I found the story engrossing, so that gives it at least a 6, for me. What particularly fascinated me was the highly interior look at personal conflict and challenges in church ministry, and this is a very honest movie. The music and the setting were an entertaining and enjoyable backdrop to the story, enough to raise the score to a 7. The acting won't win Oscars, but I felt deeply involved emotionally at various points in the story. Because of the Christian context, I believe many viewers just won't get into the story. The only thing to add is that I've never actually seen a movie like this; that in itself makes it worth watching, and brings the score to an 8, which places it within the top 10% of movies I've seen.

Easter Parade (1948)

The other reasons to watch this

[8/10 · 29 October 2010]

Of course, you've read about Astaire, Garland and Ann Miller, and this movie has plenty of star power. But you also get dresses, style, backdrops, delightful choreography, and songs with very clever rhymes using simple words. And Easter hats. The production effort behind this movie is unbelievable, not a second is wasted, and this is an entirely different kind of eye candy than you might see in LOTR or Iron man. This won't be repeated, the style, the glamour, the whimsical songs. No need to tell you about the plot. Who cares. If you haven't seen this before, nothing bad happens, there are some hurt feelings and a few complications, but everyone plays nice, and everything works out. Enjoy it while it lasts. 8 out of 10 ranking for me put this very near the top. What a surprise this movie, one of four in a DVD pack, turned out to be.

From Here to Eternity (1953)

This beat out Shane?

[6/10 · 15 September 2010]

The most interesting thing about this movie is to try and understand why it struck such a chord in 1954. It's not a terrible movie, but suffers from some highly implausible scenes and dialogue. For example, at the end why doesn't Prewitt stop when the soldier yells "stop or I'll shoot"? Throughout the movie he displays remarkable self-control, so this very crucial scene makes no sense. And the really bad lines, like this one by Deborah Kerr, "Of course .. the baby was dead". You didn't know how to use the telephone to call a doctor yourself? On the good side, there are some fine acting performances, and the movie maintains dramatic intensity for most of its duration. But near the end there are a couple of turns which just dissipate the tension without really resolving the conflicts the movie worked so hard to set up. Quite a disappointment, I thought. Again though, it was just after the war, and I wonder how this movie struck viewers in 1954. To win 8 Oscars it must have had a much greater impact than it does today. Despite the great acting performances, to be truly great a movie needs a good story and a great script. In that area, this one falls short.

One Week (I) (2008)

A great movie that happens to be Canadian

[8/10 · 13 March 2009]

Sure we like Slapshot, Mon Oncle Antoine and Duddy Kravitz because they are distinctly Canadian movies. We feel validated as Canadians because we happen to see Roll up the Rim, the Stanley Cup, and the Wawa Grey Goose on the screen. We do like that about this movie also.

But the premise of 'One Week' is compelling regardless of setting: a young man learns he has terminal cancer, and suffers an existential crisis. He feels compelled to examine where he's going; suddenly he realizes that he's just drifting with the tide. This is not an unusual theme. To correct one fine point though, the protagonist, Ben Tyler, played by Joshua Jackson, doesn't have only one week to live, as some of the blurbs indicate. He's given around two years, but takes one week or so on a motorcycle journey across the country to try to sort things out.

The dramatic tension in the movie develops as Tyler pushes further West on his bike, while the woman he is about to marry pleads for him to come home. This sets up a conflict between the unknown and a kind of certainty or finality, and the movie risks becoming one more cliché denouncement of middle class life. I felt it did admirably well in not falling into that trap. The tension continues to the very end with his wandering motorbike ride not really providing any ready answers.

What makes the movie different from others of this ilk, and uniquely Canadian at that, is the importance of the Canadian landscape and how we seek to find meaning in our lives through our relationship with it. In fact, many Canadians go to extraordinary lengths to connect with what's around them. The ethos of this movie is similar to another Canadian classic, Water Walker, which is devoted to whitewater canoeing in the Pukaskwa. That movie was by and about Canadian legend, Bill Mason, who lived what some would call the Canadian dream. Mason also died, not very old, of cancer. 'One Week' presents a more reachable Canadian landscape represented by scenes like: the world's biggest hockey stick, the coulees around Medicine Hat, Alberta and the hiking trails near Banff. The journey seems a bit random, but at the same time this movie displays something closer to the landscape that most Canadians actually know: not quite wilderness but still untamed and certainly unruly.

I've seen Water Walker at least half a dozen times, and I'll probably see this one as many over the years. It sounds like a cliché, but at this point I have to say, "instant classic". The theater was sold out tonight in Waterloo, Ontario. I think this movie touched the audience very deeply.

My Uncle Antoine (1971)

Will appeal if you're a certain kind of film-goer

[8/10 · 14 January 2009]

This isn't quite the best Canadian film ever, IMO. I won't get off track and name 3 or 4 better. Just a couple of nights before I'd seen "The Bicycle Thief", the highly rated Italian classic, and there are some parallels. Both filmmakers shot their film in a specific time and specific place, with minimal resources in terms of sets and cast. And the result in both cases is fascinating and a joy to watch for the realistic setting and characters alone. The lingering shots over faces and landscape almost make this worth watching on its own. That being said, this one isn't quite in the same league as the Italian classic. The movie is shot in a frigid, barren Quebec asbestos mining town. That frigidity is contrasted with the warmth of the people and the eye of the filmmaker Claude Jutra. Basically, what you get is a series of vignettes that are likely nostalgic recollections of Jutra - not ha, ha funny - but poignant, and probably sometimes difficult at the time, but now warmed over with the patine of nostalgia. The movie meanders; there is little tension. Somewhere around half to two thirds way through the story begins. Everyone you've met to this point is involved, and you've gotten to know these characters rather well; so have a little patience at the outset. The story is a good one; it will leave you thinking, and it involves sex, love and death, all the basic elements. If you like Bergman, Godard, Truffaut, all that kind of stuff, you won't be disappointed by this.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

Overcomes its thinly disguised political message

[7/10 · 8 April 2007]

White man + progress + industrialization = BAD. First nations + nature + animals = GOOD. Simple formula. Actually, in past days the same kind of propaganda was used to defend the status quo; now it is used to attack it. However, that being said, I think the movie does succeed in overcoming hackneyed politicization because it plays to the themes of freedom and original nature in a way that appeals to everyone. You may not be onside with the movie's rubbishy revisionism of how the West was won, er lost. But anyone can feel a sense of longing for the days when horses could run free on the Western plains. (The movie also conveniently sidesteps the fact that there were no horses in America before the evil white man brought them there). Anyway, I liked it. The quality of the animation - especially the opening shot - is incredible.

The Break-Up (2006)

Great script

[7/10 · 3 November 2006]

The male-female relationship dynamics as portrayed in this movie are spot on. It's not easy to write realistic and interesting dialogue, at least it would appear that way based on the formulaic and banal stuff Hollywood often subjects audiences too. So this movie starts with a script that's very realistic and very interesting 'in the small', maybe like a Chekhov play. The overall story arc is not as strong, and the plot drags in the middle somewhat - going around the same circle several times, as Jennifer tries several ploys to get Vince back. Still, this movie is a cut above the rest. Up there with other great relationship flicks like When Harry Met Sally or Walk the Line. This movie is bound to spark an interesting conversation with whoever you might see it.

Oklahoma! (1955)

Worst of the classic musicals

[4/10 · 21 July 2006]

I have to admit that there are some great songs. And great dance scenes, some clever comedy, more great songs, but I find myself restive watching the entire movie, and finally, disappointed at the end. I think the problem is the the story line and lack of plot development. In a musical plot shouldn't matter. Certainly Singin' in the Rain or Easter Parade, both of which are much more enjoyable to watch, have little to offer in terms of story. Perhaps the problem here is the lack of cohesion between the movie elements and the overall story line. It certainly promises more. The romance also is quite dull, and the "big conflict" at the end is the most anti-climactic ending that's ever been scripted. I'm thinking that while the songs will be remembered for aeons that the musical itself will not continue to find favour. It seems quite dated to me. Later edit - Given that this is the "least helpful" review I have written, my point of view must be at odds with many viewers. I do like a large number of musicals, but for the reasons cited I found this one to be a big miss. But the individual elements of the movie, many of which are well executed, might work for you. For me, a musical still has to have a good story to work, and that is missing here.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Held to any normal standard can only be considered excellent ...

[8/10 · 10 December 2005]

Because it's Star Wars, I think viewers don't see this as just another movie, but tend to micro-analyze everything. Since I don't really care that much about Star Wars, compared to something more serious such as 'Shadowlands' or any one of a hundred other movies, I think this movie comes off really well. It's gorgeous to watch, especially the imaginative scenic renderings of the different planets. The acting is quite credible, the storyline has way more dramatic tension than you'd normally expect in sci-fi, and there's an ominous brooding presence I find quite amenable to our lives and the times. So I give this an 8/10 (only a very few of my ratings get up this high).

Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

Consider the time in which the movie was made ...

[7/10 · 25 June 2005]

One of the interesting minor themes of the movie is the concern with a soldier's duty in following orders. This is a broad preoccupation within the decades following the Holocaust and the Nuremberg trials. One wonders how deliberate the casting of a German (Karl Malden) as the commander of Fort Robinson (the native people's Auschwitz) was. It must have been a considered choice, as was the ethnicity of the casting in general. (Which opens up another set of questions well-covered in other reviews you'll find on this site.) The German commander is empathetic with the Indians' plight, and disagrees with his superiors' orders, but stops short of open resistance. The moral lesson is that empathy is not enough. When he emerges from his barracks to view the devastation of the attack, he is subjected to the scorn even of one of the worst of the Indian-haters, who says (more or less paraphrased), "What do you say about your orders from authority now?" This sub-plot at Fort Robinson, where the doctor finally seizes command from his superior officer, bears more than a passing similarity to the plot of the Caine Mutiny, and suggests that in America a moral authority will always strive to prevail over a 'de facto' one.

In one scene, a very affecting one given that I'm not an American, the 'Secretary of the Interior' contemplates Abraham's Lincoln portrait wondering how his mentor would have handled the situation. Until quite near the end the narrative of the movie is fairly believable, but the movie strikes a positive note at the end that is just too improbable. Other than concession to a Hollywood ending, Ford strikes the correct cynical tone given what we now know of the American natives' history. Indeed, one has the feeling Ford is holding back - that he senses the reserve of the soldiers in this movie who withhold the facts from their command and also from the American people. Ford could not risk making the American army look as bad as the Nazis, with WWII not that far in the past.

Overall, this movie is well worth watching. It's unlikely that this story could be told as well today, given the cast, the co-operation of the Navajo Indians, the shots of the steam trains, and the incredible on-location footage of Utah's Monument Valley. One tip. The movie is a little too long, but that can be easily remedied. When you see Jimmy Stewart, fast forward until you don't see him anymore. (Nothing personal here - he's had a lot of great roles, otherwise). You'll save 20 minutes and won't miss a beat out of the storyline. The so-called comic relief is as out of place here as the Three Stooges would be in Stalag 17. Finally, does Sal Mineo's character have to die in every movie he's in? The tacked-on epilogue seems like it was designed just to make sure he will.

A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

The alchemy is impressive, but the elements don't come together

[5/10 · 24 May 2005]

Jim Carrey's portrayal of the incorrigibly evil Count Olaf, in itself, makes this movie worth watching. And the sets and props are intoxicating eye candy. However, I found myself getting quite restless at times, mostly because the story is just not that good. Not even close to Harry Potter, even though the execution of this movie is of a much higher standard. The movie also seems confused as to genre. Was I supposed to empathize with the child characters, or revel in how bad Olaf was making things for them? As an adult viewer I was pulled in both directions (well, okay, I probably rooted more for Olaf). The sets indicate a 'film noir' atmosphere, and Olaf's villainy is very humorous, but also very black. All this probably runs over the heads of much of the target audience, which I think would be pre-teens of age 12 to 16. Running at odds with the dark tones of the movie are the various crises which are resolved using tricks that are reminiscent of an episode of McGiver. Further confusing the mix is the funny, callous and sudden way in which first the parents and later, the guardians, die, making it hard to feel too sorry for the three children. This would all be fine if the movie tried only to be campy, but it does try, at times, to create pathos around the children, using a lot of close-ups, cute baby sequences, and showing them camping in a little tent with a seemingly touching cameo of their parents. Thus, the movie becomes a strange melange of bleak Dickensian orphan narrative, black humour, and 'Inspector Gadget' tricks, leaving this viewer's emotions somewhat confused. Incidentally, this movie is much too callous for younger children. The darkly humorous approach to the deaths of the guardians, and the lack of any display of grief for the victims, requires a fairly high level of sophistication to detect the irony and humour involved. (Which older children may very well possess in spades; discretion advised).