Change Your Image
RottedReviews
Reviews
Strictly for the Birds (2021)
A charming movie that missed the mark in its perspective format.
"Strictly For The Birds" tells the story of Kate Birdsall, a transgender woman in her late 60s, finding love in an unexpected place when she moves to a new city and meets her neighbor Andrea.
It's dangerous waters to have an autobiographical story told in a traditional film format starring the actual people involved. I thought that Kate Birdsall and Andrea Drury were very lovely together on screen, but it could not be gotten around that they are not trained actors. So much of the dialogue delivery together felt like watching a community theater production. Not bad, but certainly lacking polish.
It also becomes a bit difficult in this format, as there are parts that come across as somewhat self-congratulatory. This is the inherent danger with being so close to the project and controlling all sides of the narrative in every 2-person interaction. It's like watching a person's inner thoughts as they replay scenarios in their mind... shower arguments, etc.
I would have much preferred to see this film presented as a documentary instead. Drop the script, let Kate and Andrea just be themselves as they tell this story. There was clearly chemistry and they clearly love each other, but the confining nature of a traditional scripted narrative prevented that from coming through. The only time I really saw something beautiful was those very-clear character breaks that ran off script but was kept in the movie (rightly so).
The problem with a documentary is to tell the story of the past, you often need a lot of source material. Interviews, photos, archive video, etc... and that can be difficult. If that was the case I think the best thing this movie could have done is fit the format of a docu-drama: have Kate and Andrea as themselves, being interviewed together, telling the story together, and when it comes time to show past events, THEN get actors involved to re-enact things. Especially since the flashback sequences were noticeably better performed and as a result, rang more "true".
Without trained performances, the characters were there and were charming, but they failed to really elevate the film. There was clearly conflict, mostly in "human vs self" in both Kate and Andrea, but it failed to come through in a way that felt compelling or had real stakes on the line.
I'm glad I watched this and I hope for nothing but love and prosperity in the future for this lovely couple, but judging it as a film I'm afraid it just didn't work and I'd have difficulty recommending it.
Surviving Christmas (2004)
Surprisingly cute holiday film.
First of all, after seeing the trailer and reading the scathing reviews out there, I went into this not expecting much more than "brain mode=off" comedy. I was surprised to find much more there.
This movie really struck me in how much it connects with actual family togetherness - in that there rarely is any. Families try and hash things out the best they can, but growing apart and getting on each other's nerves is simply reality. Since the holidays are without a doubt sensory overload, it can either make families come together or drift apart like no other time of the year.
Ben Affleck pulls off a fairly decent job as Drew. There wasn't much there behind the cocky smile, but he pulled off the role nicely.
The real pleasure here was James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara. Gandolfini was great as a gruff tow-truck driver with a cuddly warm side burning deep down. And I loved O'Hara as the depressed, under-appreciated mom.
Really, I had only two issues with this movie - one was the incredibly 1-dimensional character of the son, Brian. Either have some development of some kind or cut the character out. As it was, he was nothing more than a chronic masturbator for the entire movie, save the last two minutes. The other issue I had was the opening montage - it was cute, but the last image of a grandma putting her head in the oven was just too dark and depressing.
Other than that, I give this movie high praise. A true depiction of family (at least, as I knew it), with a delightful and warm ending. Classic holiday movie that I will watch with regularity in the years to come.
Ying xiong (2002)
What were they thinking with the American Trailer?
Firstly, I love everything about this film - the music and cinematography especially. Ying xiong is a clear example of when a movie truly becomes art. My friend showed it to me from his DVD imported from Hong Kong, and I went out to buy it for myself the following day.
I was pretty excited to hear it was coming overseas, a little nervous they would chop it up, but excited nonetheless. Now that I've seen the trailer for the U.S. release, my fears seem validated.
1. The trailer gave away pretty big spoilers almost immediately. 2. The way it described the three assassins was entirely inaccurate, indicating that they worked for the emperor.
This is a great film that everyone should see, but those that see it based solely on the weight of the trailer will be expecting a much different movie than Hero.