KaterinaNV Reviews

Looking Through Lillian (2001)

Gene and Lillian - More Please

[9/10 · 3 December 2002]

I was fascinated with this film. And I was glad to see Essence Atkins in a drama and a feature no less. Although she seemed a little uncomfortable in the genre, I believe it's a good beginning. I was even more pleased with discovering something new, the actress that plays Lillian played by Jade Henham. There was such a naturalness to her being and performance that she completely ensconced me from beginning to end. I also enjoyed the relationship between Andrea (Atkins) and Lilly (Henham) - their portrayal of best friends that share everything was so authentic and not "Hollywoodish" at all.

The most fascinating part of the whole film though is the relationship between Gene (Sam Bottoms) and Lilly. If for nothing else, the film is worth just that in itself. The dynamics of the relationship and the psychological 'scoreboard' between the two was totally encompassing. If I have any gripe with the movie, it's that I would have liked to have seen more of what went on in that bedroom and just more of Gene and Lilly, period. Their bond, or whatever it is, is just so complicated and unorthodox that I wanted to wash the boyfriend out of the film so that I could concentrate on picking apart and studying the two of them. My only thought is that the mind is always better when left to the imagination and perhaps that what's the filmmaker was thinking by limiting how much he allowed us to see. Perhaps I wouldn't have been as intrigued if I'd seen "everything." But any way you look at it, I still came home wanting more of Gene and Lilly. Then again, if you come home wanting more of something then you obviously just saw something that was pretty damn good. And I'd have to say that "Looking Through Lillian" was that - pretty damn good. It is a bunch of unknowns and first time out of the gate talent, so after seeing what they accomplished on the first try, I will be keenly watching to see where they all go when they've blossomed and become seasoned.

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Entertaining, but not all that

[6/10 · 3 December 2002]

I found parts of this movie, mainly the beginning to be very promising. I really thought that it was going to be an 'on the edge of your seat' horror film and the opening had all the tension and weirdness that one needs to set that kind of atmosphere. But as the movie progressed, even though it never sunk to being bad or even mediocre (no Friday the 13th B.S. here), I think it became a little bit of a disappointment because it didn't live up to the promise that it made in the beginning. And although I like to let my mind fill in the blanks, there was a lot that went unexplained that made it so that I wasn't really satisfied by the time it finished. I didn't recognize the names of the actors or the director, and they were neither here nor there for me - that's not to say that I thought the performances were bad, they definitely were fitting and on the mark for the genre. It's just that they didn't really stick out for me.

All of the above being said, if the movie was on cable on a cold winter night, I'd probably relent and watch it again - it's certainly better than most in it's category, but would I recommend it as a 'great' film? No, probably not.

Wonder Boys (2000)

Perfect, quirky, polished and cool, cool, cool

[10/10 · 3 December 2002]

Can I just say how much I thoroughly enjoyed this film??? Fantastic. I don't know what happened to Curtis Hanson, but he's obviously had two lives: before LA Confidential and after LA Confidential. First off, the script was awesome, I couldn't find a flaw in the story anywhere. And Michael Douglas? Not that I don't love him in thrillers, but man, it was great to see him do something different and do it so well. I think it's probably the most endearing character he's played to date. And utterly convincing in the process. Katie Holmes is obviously a very shrewd young actress, she continues to avoid teen movie leads and take interesting supporting roles in quality film and I'm sure this will only end up working in her favor. Frances McDormand, who is brilliant in her own right was wonderful and firm and quirky - a perfect fit. And Tobey was customed made for the part of James Leer. Forget Spiderman, yeah, I know it made tons at the box office and was fun to watch but this is an infinitely better showcase for his talent and gives him his own niche. Hanson (may I kiss the ground you walk on for giving me this film?) really made a great film. I know I already said it above, but I really was impressed. And whoever wrote this, now that's talent. From the blind dog, to 'Vernon' to Marilyn Monroe to the novel that never ends, the whole thing was just a joy to watch. I haven't enjoyed a movie that I could compare to this since Nobody's Fool with Paul Newman (another outstanding film).

You know it's a good film when you're in the midst of hell and your spirits are down and after sitting for 2 hours watching a film, you get up and feel like the world might still be an okay place and all is not lost. That's what Wonder Boys did for me and I can tell it's one of the movies that I'll probably watch many times over as the years go by. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I can't recommend this film highly enough.

Half & Half (2002–2006)

Good Cast, but where are the writers?

[28 October 2002]

When will american sitcoms finally get decent writers or invest a little more talent into their productions? I caught this show purely by accident and thought that the set up was a good one for a comedy and liked both Rachel True and Essence Atkins in it as the two half sisters. What I didn't find as appealing is the fact there are so many opportunities for real comedy here and both girls are so available and open for it, and yet where are the writers? Constantly the laughs are not there because they're not writing them in! It is the most confounding thing and the most irritating to to watch a comedy that has the potential to go places, only to see them go nowhere. Must we wait 10 years each time for the next Cosby Show, Cheers or Friends? Are there really that few writers out there that can actually put pen to paper and make something funny come out of it? I hope for the sake of the show and the cast (who deserve better material) that the producers come to their senses and start whipping the storylines into something a little more witty.

Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

A good try by Drew

[7/10 · 28 October 2002]

I was surprised by how much I actually liked this film. It took awhile for me to get used to the idea of Drew Barrymore as someone that was not only portraying a mother but that the film also uses flashbacks to show her life and thus, we see Drew next to a 20 year old son. At first, this was very difficult for me to accept and my suspension of disbelief was just not happening. However, the longer I stayed with the film, the more I forgot about Drew's age and started to see her character take over. This was also helped largely by Brittany Murphy's performance, which was so utterly convincing and true that it was hard not to believe in whatever she did, thus strengthening Drew's character. I avoided this film like the plague in theaters but I was very impressed by how much Drew Barrymore invested of herself into the film. She just kind of leapt in and gave it her all and in the end, if there is a fault with this film, it is not with actors but perhaps with the director. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent film and it does have heart, but there was something missing that I couldn't quite put my finger on and it was in the way the director chose to sculpt her film. The end was a little bit stilted - all is resolved rather quickly and rather abruptly, given that we listen to harping for decades about the ruins of the lead character's life. I would have enjoyed a little more insight in the resolve at the end. But all in all, an enjoyable film with the two young actresses really applying themselves.