I was simply blown away by this mini-series. Even if you have no interest in ballet, you'll be intrigued and captivated by the story and performances. Especially Sarah Hay as Claire. Her inner struggle really tugs deeply at the heart strings as she faces an issue that threatens an entire generation of young women. Please don't take my word for it, (as if you would), but watch this series! Parental warning - not for children or the faint of heart; it grapples with some pretty dark issues and approaches sexuality with unflinching realism. Thank you STARZ for bringing this experience to the world. And thank you Sarah for your talent and bravery.
Reviews
6 Reviews
The Tudors
(2007–2010)
Love the series.. but
16 September 2010
You must realize that concessions are made and artistic license is given when bringing such epic tales to the screen, so don't expect the perfect history lesson here. However, for the most part this series has been a real joy to watch and has often intrigued my wife and I to go to Wikipedia.com and search for the various character's histories. Henry VIII was quite the whore monger so I feel the sexuality of the show is appropriate for what was going on in that time period. We don't subscribe to Showtime but bought the DVDs and have been pleased until Season 3. If you watch the series on computer or a HiDef TV you'll immediately notice a drop in quality. Upon closer inspection I found that Season 3 (besides being two episodes shorter) has been squeezed onto a single layer DVD instead of the normal dual layer. This means the compression has been cut down to make it fit. The bit rate was cut in half, from about 8mbps to 4mbps, making it not much better than a YouTube video. So much for Showtime's motto, "TV at it's Best"
The Stepfather
(2009)
Once again the trailer was better than the film
19 October 2009
Though a lot of the elements were typical and expected in this movie, it still held interest and had a few good 'gotcha' moments. However, as it neared the end, it seemed that the editor just hacked together an ending to shorten the movie down because it was in danger of actually being two hours long. In fact, one of the coolest terror scenes in the trailer was when the circular saw falls from the attic and dangles over the girlfriend, (like Vincent Price's Pit and the Pendulum) but guess what? It's NOT in the movie. I was ticked off. Now, I know some scenes are in a trailer and don't make it to the final cut, but come on! It's the last shots in the trailer and the most terrifyingly memorable! It's false advertising at it's worst! Oh well, hopefully it will be in the DVD release, making that a good reason to skip seeing it in the theaters.
Sadly the popularity of this film hinges on the reality that way too many men marry into a family and think they can have everything go their way without regard for how the children have been raised before they came along. Kids love to push boundaries and rarely ever accept the 'new dad' as anything more than an ATM, so the guy let's his frustration build to the point where he explodes on them, losing all credibility and respect. Obviously they don't all become psycho killers, but the abuses run rampant in today's society, so it's no surprise why so many teens are eager to see this film.
Sadly the popularity of this film hinges on the reality that way too many men marry into a family and think they can have everything go their way without regard for how the children have been raised before they came along. Kids love to push boundaries and rarely ever accept the 'new dad' as anything more than an ATM, so the guy let's his frustration build to the point where he explodes on them, losing all credibility and respect. Obviously they don't all become psycho killers, but the abuses run rampant in today's society, so it's no surprise why so many teens are eager to see this film.
The Memsahib
(2006)
Sorry to rain on the parade
5 July 2007
Though beautifully shot with exotic locales, lavish wardrobe and period sets, this first film is too over-the-top for my tastes. The story is super sweet to the point of childish and though there's a conspiracy afoot, I never really felt the characters were real enough to care much about what happens to them.
Acting-wise everyone did an okay job except for the leading lady. Now, she may be a fine actress but the dialogue she had to deliver, in a proper British accent, before the turn of the last century, was way too 'stagey.' I don't know what it is about speaking the King's English of that period, but it's very hard to pull off convincingly. For the most part it sounded like it was being read from a book on a stage to children. The only performance of late that has been noteworthy would be Kiera Knightly in Pride and Prejudice.
In any case, sorry to inject a reality check into these back slapping reviews, but reality checks should have been happening all through this production. If it's just a playful fantasy film then make a cartoon, but if you want real recognition, real respect and real success, your film needs to feel real and for me it just didn't. What's funny is that in the 30s and 40s this film might have been a big hit.
Acting-wise everyone did an okay job except for the leading lady. Now, she may be a fine actress but the dialogue she had to deliver, in a proper British accent, before the turn of the last century, was way too 'stagey.' I don't know what it is about speaking the King's English of that period, but it's very hard to pull off convincingly. For the most part it sounded like it was being read from a book on a stage to children. The only performance of late that has been noteworthy would be Kiera Knightly in Pride and Prejudice.
In any case, sorry to inject a reality check into these back slapping reviews, but reality checks should have been happening all through this production. If it's just a playful fantasy film then make a cartoon, but if you want real recognition, real respect and real success, your film needs to feel real and for me it just didn't. What's funny is that in the 30s and 40s this film might have been a big hit.
Kisses and Caroms
(2006)
Why isn't this film on-screen or in-stores yet?
2 October 2005
This fun little romp into the world of billiards is just as good or better than many films I've seen in all the various video stores and yet I had to schmooze my way into obtaining a screener copy. It amazes me how even after you've completed a pretty darn good movie, you have to wait and wait for it to see any kind of release.
The film itself is a romantic comedy that most of the time hits it's mark and flows well and maintains interest. The language is pretty bawdy at times, but accurate in representing the culture-du-jour and the characters are all believable and relateable (I'm sure neither of those words are readable, let alone definable).
The title is a bit esoteric, and at first glance makes me think of Hershey's Kisses and chocolate carobs, but watching Nicole Rayburn as Tara certainly took my mind off everything else. To quote a famous line from one of my all-time favorite movies, "Schwing... Yada, yada, yada".
Bottom line, a fun film, a great first film, and entertaining to the last ball.
The film itself is a romantic comedy that most of the time hits it's mark and flows well and maintains interest. The language is pretty bawdy at times, but accurate in representing the culture-du-jour and the characters are all believable and relateable (I'm sure neither of those words are readable, let alone definable).
The title is a bit esoteric, and at first glance makes me think of Hershey's Kisses and chocolate carobs, but watching Nicole Rayburn as Tara certainly took my mind off everything else. To quote a famous line from one of my all-time favorite movies, "Schwing... Yada, yada, yada".
Bottom line, a fun film, a great first film, and entertaining to the last ball.
La première fois
(2001)
An amazing homage to the female form
28 August 2004
I saw this film from a 35mm print at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival in LA in February of 2002 and it completely blew me away.
The combination of the cinematography and the subject matter, created an artistic masterpiece of sensual delights as we watched the young protagonist on her flight of fancy. To see such beauty, so lovingly portrayed in a film restored my belief that film truly can be a fine art as stirring as any DaVinci.
It's been two years and I can still envision scenes from the film and I only saw it once. Where can I buy a copy??? Anyway, the story has a clever twist so pay attention to that as well.
Thank you Claude Paré.
The combination of the cinematography and the subject matter, created an artistic masterpiece of sensual delights as we watched the young protagonist on her flight of fancy. To see such beauty, so lovingly portrayed in a film restored my belief that film truly can be a fine art as stirring as any DaVinci.
It's been two years and I can still envision scenes from the film and I only saw it once. Where can I buy a copy??? Anyway, the story has a clever twist so pay attention to that as well.
Thank you Claude Paré.
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