dinky26 Reviews

A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

Loved it, but is it accessible?

[8/10 · 11 June 2006]

I just recently saw A Prarie Home Companion this weekend, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The atmosphere and feeling of the radio show is deftly recreated on screen. However, I do wonder how accessible this is. People who live in the midwest certainly get it, people who don't live in the midwest, but listen to the show get it, but what about those who don't listen to the show or live in the midwest. Will they get it? I don't know if I would. The audience that I was watching it with laughed the most at lines like "we come from people who know it could be worse, and expect it will be." It was very funny to us, but I know it's very regional. I would think that if I lived overseas I might be scratching my head at the end saying "what was that all about?" Answer: it's a love letter to a real radio show that a lot of people hold in great esteem and affection.

Keane (2004)

A wonderful character study

[10/10 · 25 March 2006]

Is this movie exciting? No. Fascinating? Yes. Let's get one thing straight. This is an independent movie. It is not a commercial release and therefore does not have the trappings of a commercial release. There is no musical score, the ending is abrupt, you end up with more questions than you started with, and you walk away feeling unsettled and not at all content. That's what makes the movie great. The silence and quiet adds to the intimacy and tension, the lack of resolution leaves you lost in thought even days later. Soderbergh said that the movie was of primary interest to film makers and film critics. It is a character study, so if you think what you are getting is another version of "Flightplan", you are in for a terrible disappointment (or wonderful surprise, depending on your tastes). 90 percent of the film simply follows Keane around on his daily routine. We see him eat lunch, we see him look for a job, we see him paying rent, we see him trying to function normally. Then we see him trying to quiet those demons that make it impossible for him to function normally. The scenes between Keane and the little girl Kira are tense and heartbreaking. We see Keane lucid and clear for enough time to really understand the tragedy of this situation. A glimpse of who he could be or who he was and the contrast with who he is now is crushing. We feel his agony when no matter how he tries, he can't keep up that lucidity 2 days in a row. We feel sad because even though we already knew it, we know this little girl can't save him, she can't help him. We know that if his missing daughter were to show up unharmed tomorrow, he still wouldn't be okay. The biggest question seems to be,was the daughter real or is she a delusion? Not one person in the film suggests or offers clues to that answer. After thinking about it, I say, does it really matter? What matters is that William Keane believes she's real. Everything he does is based on that belief. The fact that he himself is not *seen* by people adds to his frustration.

Raising Victor Vargas (2002)

Another Latino View on Raising Victor Vargas

[2 June 2003]

I loved the movie. This is a typical coming-of-age story, but it's played out so realistically that it sometimes feels like a documentary. I recognized everyone in the film, and their family relationships. I felt like I was sitting in my grandmother's own lower east side apartment watching my cousin bicker with his little sister while his little brother hero worshipped him. Victor struck me as a "trash talking" kind of guy. He talks a good game, but we never actually see him in "action" (his attempts to seduce Fat Donna are thwarted by his sister and his best friend). Which led me to believe that we're meant to understand that Victor, despite all the big talk, has had very little, if any, experience.

What I loved was how everything rang true. From the reactions of Grandma, to the sibling arguments, the budding romance between Victor and Judy's respective best friends, Nothing hit a false note...EXCEPT

I would agree with another reviewer who said it surprised him to see that the three children would sleep in the same room with such a conservative grandmother. In my family Vicki would have slept in the same room as Grandma. However, that's my family, and it was never established if the apartment was a one or two bedroom. If it's one bedroom, than Grandma was probably out in the living room, and it would make sense to have the kids in one room (of course, the fact that it stood out enough to cause such reasoning is evidence that something was off about it. Again, based purely on my experience. I cannot speak for other Latinos.)

Unfaithful (2002)

Interesting film, but hardly a classic

[6 January 2003]

While watching Unfaithful, I couldn't help but think, "wow, for an American film, this movie is really really French." It had a real 'Belle Du Jour' vibe going (for a 'housewife gone awry' film, that is the standard). So it didn't shock me for one moment when I found out it is a remake of a French classic from the 60's. I haven't seen the original, but now I feel I must so I can see how it stacks up. Her seeming lack of motivation was probably the greatest similarity. In those great old French films, none of the characters who did dumb things with their lives had obvious motivation. You had to think about it, look for it. The one big difference I'm sure is going to be restraint or the lack of it. This movie is fairly in your face, while French films at that time were really controlled. Little was shown, less was said, which made you all the more convinced that there was something so much more to what the character was doing than straight up passion. My only problem is that in this film, their relationship is so in your face, that it would seem that her only motivation is that, well, Paul is hot. I guess I prefer to think that there is more to it than that.

Memento (2000)

Original filmmaking!

[10/10 · 6 September 2001]

Intelligent and creative film. Don't overthink it, just enjoy. Memento has become an "internet" movie. I.E. It's a movie that gets analyzed and discussed to death. This can really mess with your expectations, and ruin the experience of simply watching an original piece of work. My advice is to not read all the discussion before watching the movie. I didn't, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Other Men's Women (1930)

A happy accident

[9/10 · 6 April 2001]

I woke up early, turned on the T.V. flipped to TMC just as this movie was showing opening credits. Happy Accident! I loved it! Yeah, the plot was hokey and melodramatic, but as a whole the movie was very charming. It was a "moment" filled movie. Lot's of scenes and dialogue that was original, and fun. Like a scene where Bill,Lily, and the Peg-Leg guy are planting seeds in the garden. Or Bill's Tag line "Have a chew on me". It was made in 1931, so they were able to get away with all sorts of lines that would not have been included had the movie been made a few years later, after the code was established. For instance Bill's waitress girlfriend commenting to a customer, "I'm APO, Ain't Puttin' Out". Hee! I always find those pre-code "Talking" films interesting. The films that existed before people got bent out of shape about the things you could and could not say, do, or insinuate in a movie. Definitely a fun and entertaining viewing. Even more fun when you realize a good portion of the things they were saying wouldn't be allowed in movies again until the 1960's.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Visually breathtaking

[9/10 · 2 February 2001]

If you are one of those people who needs to have everything in a story justified and explained, skip this movie. You won't like it. If you need it to be "realistic", watch Survivor, and not this movie. You won't like it. However, if you can suspend disbelief, and understand that this movie is a fairy tale, and like most traditional fairy tales asks you to simply "accept" certain things without judgement, then you will fully enjoy what it has to offer. And what is has to offer is stunning cinematography and a lyrical storyline. So no, it's not "realistic" to have people running down the sides of walls, flying through the air, and fighting each other from slowly swaying treetops, but it sure is breathtakingly beautiful.

Bound by Honor (1993)

Interesting watch

[30 January 2001]

I've seen this movie a couple of times and its got its good points and its bad. It's an interesting story, though generally, it perpetuates the "East L.A. gang member" stereotype. However, it also addresses something I haven't seen before in a movie of this type, and something that was perfectly illustrated (unintentionally) by some of the unfavorable reviews posted here. I'm referring to the character of Miklos, and how stereotypes within his own community about "what is Latin" contribute to the person he becomes. There have been a few reviewers here who feel that the character of Miklos was not believable as Latino, as he was "too" white looking. As I understand, that was exactly the point. He was always having to prove himself as 'more latin than thou' because of his fair skin. Somehow being 'more latin than thou' became akin to being a hardest of the hard gang member. I think that was the most compelling idea out of the movie because that sort of thing happens quite often. Many Latinos subscribe to the stereotype that "all latinos are a sort of medium brown". Forgetting that "Latino" is not a race. It refers to ethnicity. You can be of any race and still be Latino. Those who don't fit into the stereotype of appearance sometimes try to find another way to 'be more Latin', and become susceptible to other, more insidious stereotypes. I've known my fair share of blue eyed blond "Miklos" who felt compelled to prove their "Latin-ness" by being a thug. So despite what has to be a record usage of the word "ese", I found this movie a worthy viewing due to the addressing of this topic.