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Reviews
Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997)
Stop Making Sense
The best thing in this movie is the guy who plays the 'hustler' boyfriend - Randy Becker. He deserves success.
The rest of the performances are contrived, unbelievable, stereotypical, overplayed, shallow, emotionally erratic, painful (not in a good way) ... and Jason Alexander is positively frightening! ... and then come the twins !! Yowza !
The only allowance is I can make for this is the year it was made, 1997 - the world was much different then. And, attitudes toward 'gay' and 'AIDS' were much more fearful.
However, these people just don't make sense,
... but the setting is nice!
I can't recommend this movie to anyone. If you have any awareness of the real world, it will offend sensibility. If you are looking for role models to come out as, don't watch this ... it's complete misinformation and should not be taken seriously.
An Englishman in New York (2009)
You can take the Man out of England, but ...
John Hurt inhabits this character completely. This is not a sequel to The Naked Civil Servant, it is a continuation of the story of Quentin Crisp.
Quentin Crisp was a flamboyant and insightful 'homosexual' who, after spending the first 73 years of his life in not-so-gay, olde England, moved to New York and was embraced by the art and literary communities there. He spoke in quotable soundbites that challenged the world's assumptions, and people's perceptions of each other through the stories he told.
His live performances were more of Q and A between himself and the audience, as he never failed to provide an opinion about any idea presented to him.
This film fearlessly bases it's integrity on John Hurt's performance and he doesn't let anyone down. Having played Crisp previously in a film based on Crisp's own book, The Naked Civil Servant, Hurt "leaves nothing unpacked" in his rendition of Crisp. When I think of Crisp now, I see John Hurt's face.
Story-wise, I found this film very informative about a less-public time in the life of a courageously defiant man who refused to let society keep him in the closet, both in England and the U.S. Finally I got some clarity on why Crisp fell out of favour during the beginning of the AIDS crisis. It's unfortunate that Crisp's analysis of AIDS as a "fad" turned out to be true in some ways. Perhaps the disease isn't a fad, but certainly people's fear and behavioural changes were temporary, as we now see in increasing infection rates of young people. If only his insights weren't treated as simplistic in the midst of panic, or if Crisp had had the fortitude (at 75) to lead a change in attitudes, the fight against this disease might have followed a different trajectory. Unfortunately that was not Crisp's role to play.
If you enjoyed The Naked Civil Servant, you will likely find this film equally interesting. Hurt is remarkable, and Crisp's perspectives are still relevant.
Land of the Lost (2009)
A silly adventure for adults
Have never been a big fan of Will Ferrell's movies (Talladega Nights, Anchorman, etc.) even though I thought he was hilarious in just about everything he did on SNL.
This movie, however, caught me by surprise because Will's middle-class/suburban jokes/references fit right in to the storyline and tone. The supporting cast were also given lots of punchlines. I laughed and giggled throughout.
It's funny to see such hi-level CGI used for such a silly film, so I recommend this movie to people who just want a silly laugh and cool effects (ie.stoners!).
This is by far my favourite Will Ferrell film.
Dear Mr. Gacy (2010)
Well acted, intense and frighteningly realistic
I wasn't sure I wanted to watch another moralistic 'movie-of-the-week' about a serial killer since they are usually whitewashed beyond recognition to make them palatable to mainstream America.
When I found out this was based on the true story of a college student contacting John Wayne Gacy in prison before he was executed, however, I thought I would give it a chance.
It all starts like a 'docudrama' by the look of the cast, but with the first glimpse of the gritty characterization of Jason's mother, this film took on a much edgier realism than I was expecting. It seemed to me that I had not seen a woman like this before - not pretty, not likable, not whitewashed.
In fact, none of the characters were Hollywood suburban - they were conflicted, vulnerable, angry, manipulative and contradictory. And, 'Jason Moss' takes us on a journey that seems ordinary at first, but step by step, the tension ramps up and we soon find ourselves betting against higher and higher stakes on a happy ending.
What we end up experiencing is an intense and uncomfortable story that goes far deeper into the psyche of Gacy and anyone who came into contact with him than the usual fare. The acting is superb on everyone's part, especially Jesse Moss and William Forsythe - so much so that I had a hard time connecting to the pix of the real people at the end of the film.
This is one of the best studies of serial murderers that I have ever seen. Watch it but be prepared to go places that aren't 'nice'. People are much scarier than we care to believe - an idea that John Wayne Gacy used skillfully to entrap his victims up until the end.
2103: The Deadly Wake (1997)
Embarrassing Canadian-UK co-production
A terrible movie containing a bevy of D-list Canadian actors who seem so self-conscious about the fact they are on-camera that their performances are overly melodramatic and quite forgettable.
This film is badly written, badly edited, and badly directed. It is disjointed, incomprehensible and bizarre - but not in a good way. McDowell does a great job with what he is given, but is the only one in this film to do so - he really has a bad story and script to work with. It's not even camp enough to be funny.
I have yet to see Van Pelleske act in a credible manner, and even the sub-characters like Eisen (with his nasal, whiny voice) confirm that we are on a lot in Toronto rather than on a barge off Africa.
Didn't the director see that the 'creature' looks like a jazz dancer in an alien suit? The fight between the blue bolts of lightning and Pelleske's orange wisps of 'magic' (!?! for lack of a better word), is obviously the result of bad actors, with no choreographer, overlaid with completely derivative special effects. Was there even a director on set or in the editing room for this disaster film (not the good kind)?
Learn from the mistakes of others ... don't even waste your time with this one, you'll regret it like I did. I have nothing more to say about this waste of celluloid.