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Reviews
Bedhead (1991)
The film that helped launch Rodriguez's career
A simple eight minute short which manages to demonstrate the unique style Rodriguez would soon become famous for. The special effects were well done, as was the camera work, complete with effective use of a multitude of angles and alternate speeds. The sound effects were also very well done, and I still can't figure out how he did many of them. While not his first film by a longshot (he made 30 other shorts before this, over a period of ten years) this was an obviously low budget production (he used his siblings for the actors). However, it did a brilliant job of showing off his potential, and, along with his first, ultra low budget feature film, he was able to get representation at ICM and became a major player in the Hollywood game.
Gladiator (2000)
Well worth seeing, but misses out on greatness
When I first heard about this film, I knew it would either be one of the best films of the year, or one of the worst. There was no middle ground. I'm happy to report that the former is the truth. This film took a very exotic and little used location, and needed to make it convincing to work. It succeeds admirably. The dreary landscapes, ragged populace, and gruesome attention to detail quickly make the viewer forget all the "tits and togas" films of the sixties. The film establishes a strong hold, and never lets up. It seems that ever since the success of the relatively intelligent Titanic, and failure of moron trash like Godzilla, every action film advertizes itself to be "character driven", or "plot centered". This usually means a character will talk about how much he is loved by someone, and proceeds to die an exotic death followed by the self-indulgent tears from the actress playing loved one. Not so here; the plot seems to flow from the personality of the characters, and even though cliches and cheap emotion are plentiful, the film is so earnest and determined, such things are forgiven. The characters also find the right note; Maximus is dignfied and silent, a man of action who leaves words to the politicians. Commodus is cowardly, inexperienced, and stupid, but also dangerously ruthless and ambitious. The sister also strikes the right note, posessing the intelligence and courage her brother lacks, but also develops empathy and a concern for others. The only wrong note is the fellow slave played by Houson. Real gladiators were vicious criminals or rebellious slaves, but Houson is too nice and benign to be convincing as either. There also was no really good villain, like Mesalla in BenHur, or Edward in Braveheart. Commodus is too pathetic to really hate. The plot is effective, but seemed focused on the wrong things. It would be better to tell the film from Maximus' eyes than the omniscient narration that kept pulling us away, into the Senate chamber and Commodus' bedside. Scott also makes a few directing mistakes, such as showing us the coloseum early and a huge procession, diluting the effect of Maximus' first coloseum battle. The dark, brooding photography helped set the mood, but many times made things hard to see. It also seemed to lack the epic sweep and power of Spartacus, BenHur, or Braveheart, and some battles were hard to follow, particularly the charioteer fight, which chariots were wrecked but it was unclear how. Still, this is a pleasant surprise after the meager offerings of Y2K, and while it may not be a classic, it is a good start for a promising summer.
U-571 (2000)
Decent as an action film, but could be better
If anyone goes into this expecting the submarine equivalent of Saving Private Ryan, they will be severely disappointed. This is simply an escapist action film served with a pseudo - historic template. Of course, if that is what you want, this film will fit the bill nicely. Just make sure the theater has a good surround sound system, as gunfights, exploding depth charges, pipes bursting, and other such events will give the speakers a workout. Unfortunately, while it claims to be "character driven", the characters are awful shallow and do not react the way they should. Several times, they are given orders, and always hesitate and question their new commander. Veterans will especially cringe at a scene in which a low - level crew member directly contadicts his commander and tells him to fire on a plane. Such action in real life would get him shot. Then there is the virtually indestructible sub, unsubtle foreshadowing (especially the egg metaphor), broken equipment that miraculously works when needed, and the question of why such an important undercover mission would be handled by a green crew that has only one German - speaking member. If reality checks like these don't bother you, then see it. If they do, rent Das Boot, a similar but much better film.