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Reviews
The Crooked Eye (2009)
Beautiful.
I saw this little gem at a festival two years ago and was quite excited to find out it is now on iTunes. I watched it again and now have even more appreciation for it. The special effects aspect is not the selling point here. It's the story and the acting. Fay Masterson turns in a subtle and touching performance as a woman sinking in her own insecurities. In 20 minutes, my heart was in her hands. Linda Hunt's narration is ethereal and haunting. An excellent short that deserves a much higher rating than it has here (though I suspect the rating system is flawed or broken).
In addition, the music is simple and dreamy enough to evoke the appropriate moods. If you get it from iTunes, be sure to get the HD version as the visual effects degrade with the regular version.
Melancholia (2011)
Flawed and infuriating
It upsets me when a film that has such wondrous cinematography and production value is undermined by a sadistic premise, shoddy improvisation and utter disregard for the audience. It upsets me further when it appears no one cares.
"Dancer In The Dark" is a phenomenal film. The improvisation with dialog is believable and incisive. The dialog here (as well as the situations) is melodramatic and just inane. It's only saving grace is the acting and visuals. The pacing is so slow that I had to fast forward through it (saw it on iTunes).
The idea of manifesting depression as an audience experience is an interesting one, but ultimately unrewarding.