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GayProf
Reviews
Das Bus (2003)
A "mockumentary"? I'm not so sure.
The description of "Das Bus" on its main page makes a point of describing it as a mockumentary in the spirit of "Spinal Tap," "Waiting for Guffman," and "Best In Show." However, after watching "Das Bus" on the Sundance Channel recently, I'm not so sure it is a true mockumentary. Yes, there are obviously staged segments, but there are also many interviews with bus drivers and riders, that are clearly real interviews. In addition there are many interviews with people who are self-described bus haters who unabashedly express disdain for public transportation in general, and for bus passengers specifically, describing them as losers, drunks, or worse. These interviews, and the vitriolic prejudice expressed by the interviewees, really shocked me. I suppose I hope these were staged. At first, I was uncertain that a film about riding the bus as a means of public transportation could hold my interest beyond a few minutes as a mere curiosity. However, it's hard to turn away from "Das Bus" as one fantastic anecdote after another is shared. The best ones are from the bus drivers who share their stories about the passengers from hell - - truly unbelievable, which, of course, makes them all the more believable and compelling. "Das Bus" is one of those valuable, quirky films whose 94 minutes speed by in a flash.
Paycheck (2003)
Coulda, woulda, shoulda been -- but still lots of fun!
You'll find no great truths of the Universe in John Woo's `Paycheck,' nor will you find his (or anybody else's) best work. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this flick at a recent bargain matinee showing. The story was fun and well-played out for what amounts to a basic, mindless action film. And I'll tell you, this holiday season there are so many filled-with-doom, dark, sad, tragic films (albeit well-acted masterpieces), a mindless action flick is a welcome relief. After reading most of the mainstream reviews, I was ready to be bored and
irritated. I am happy to say, I left the theater feeling I had a good time, worth the price of admission. Yes, `Paycheck' could have been better made, would have
been better perhaps under different circumstances and, in deference to author Philip K. Dick, should have been better. But as it is, it's worth its 1 hour and 59 minutes.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Few laughs to fill these sails
Just about everyone I know who saw this flick when it was initially released, raved about how funny it was, how campy the actors were, how engaging the story was. For some reason, I didn't see it until it was released for rental. Good move on my part because I only paid $1 to see this film which was clearly worth only 50 cents. How disappointing! What a fine cast -- Depp, Pryce, Rush! What a lousy screenplay! A few laughs, yes, but more out of embarrassment for the actors and the lines they had to mutter, than the fact that the content was actually funny. I know I am clearly in the minority here as a sequel has been announced! Yipes! So perhaps I missed something. Maybe so. I'm thinking it could be that I am cursed to watch over-produced, special effects cotton candy cinema. I could lift the curse, however, and it's quite simple: Avoid movies like this.
View from the Top (2003)
Be sure you know the location of the nearest exit!
With every passing second, I kept hoping there would be something to redeem this shallow, one-concept film. Small town girl with high aspirations starts at the bottom of the airline industry with the goal of moving up. Sadly, even with a talented cast, the writing and direction suck the life out of a story that had potential.
The Salton Sea (2002)
"Sea" Before You Judge Others
This excellent film contains not only an outstanding performance by Val Kilmer (as the straight yuppie Tom Van Allen who becomes Danny Parker, the emotional pain-induced newbie tweaker), but also an important message that is lost on most of society. Before universally and dismissively judging someone who is a substance abuser, consider that there are some (perhaps many?) people who have taken the path taken by Tom Van Allen in "The Salton Sea" and that they have done so to escape the unimaginable pain of loss. This under-rated, under-appreciated film deserved much more praise then it has received, as do many in its cast including Kilmer - in one of his best performances - as well as fellow tweaker Peter Sarsgaard, and physically and emotionally abused Deborah Unger. There was a time in my life when I was a no-drugs poster child of whom Nancy Reagan would have been proud. The older I get, the more I realize just how much life has to do with the choices - both good and bad - that we make and that all of these choices have purpose and, perhaps, value.
The Station Agent (2003)
And that's why train travel gave way to flying. . .
The story in "The Station Agent" doesn't go where most people might expect or want it to go. And it takes its time doing even that. Yet, it's a delightful, slow, small story with a delightful, slow and (in one case particularly) small set of characters. At a few points, it's a bumpy ride, yet wonderful nonetheless. And although the story focuses on Fin, a dwarf, I found that after the film's first 20 minutes or so, I had completely lost sight of the fact that Fin is a small ("Four feet, five inches" in his own words) person because he is a character drawn bigger than life, at least his life. The other characters almost become ancillary to Peter Dinklage's portrayal of Fin, a performance that hopefully will be remembered for the excellence he displays from the first moment we meet him until the final fade to black. It's too bad that in this world of gotta have it now and gotta have it fast, "The Station Agent" will most likely get lost because, like the trains Fin so obviously admires, it's a purposefully slow story with stops along its story's route that most people would not want to even venture a visit.
Unconditional Love (2002)
Absurd, crazy, loveable, unconventional "Unconditional Love"
Yes, at times "Unconditional Love" overwhelms as it bounces -- no, as it ricochets -- from one story element to another in the most unconventional use of thematic elements and characters. In fact, it wasn't until I watched the film for the second time that I began to understand what I think P.J. Hogan might have been attempting to do with this quirky, unconventional flick. Perhaps the entire film itself is a metaphor for the unconditional love for which Grace (Kathy Bates) yearns and describes in the later part of the film. Grace insists that unconditional love is just that, without condition and without qualification. So I watched "Unconditional Love" again with that in mind. I laughed much more than I did the first time, I became more involved with the characters, I began to understand the, at times, absurd turns the story takes. The performances are often over the top but no more than they need to be to fit Hogan's weird and whacky vision, a vision which moved me to tears, yearning and outbursts of side-splitting laughter. Yes, Hogan is asking a great deal of his audience. But I for one have come to truly love his film -- unconditionally.