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Reviews
The General's Daughter (1999)
Promised a lot, delivered little
The movie had lots of potential. The theme is very original, the actors are good, there are some good scenes and dialogue, but suddenly the movie mixes some of the worst suspense clichés in the mix and have terrible plot twists.
The first thing that annoys me is the attitude of the main characters. They are that kind of "know it all" people, who act the way they want just to make it seem that they are clever, and this is annoying, because, investigating military officers, if they really behaved like that, they would end arrested.
There are other thing that annoys too much are the clichés. First, there is the romantic involvement of the partners (Must every suspense movie with a man and a woman investigating a case have some past, present or future romantic involvement between the partners?). Second, there is the notion of evil superiors using their force to hinder the hero's actions. Third, there is the "army conspiracy". Army, government and church conspiracies are so out of date in a modern world, because they are linked to middle ages thought (king = government, nobility = army, church = church). At last, the General's Daughter secret behavior, which is ridiculous, even considering that she underwent a traumatic experience. Her ways, instead of making the viewer feel compassion for her, makes the viewer feel that the "evil" characters were right to a certain degree.
As for the directions the movie takes, the development of the investigation is predictable and the good explanations for the main suspense case are soon overwhelmed by nonsense or cliché explanations and reasons of the main characters.
The worst is that they try to embrace a social question in the end of the movie (woman in US Army) out of nothing and without logical reasons to do so. It ends being harmful to the movie.
The good points are that some actors are very good, some scenes are very well made, despite of the not so good plot, and the theme could have been developed to a great and intriguing suspense. Sometimes, some good segments give hopes that the movie will start picking up after some boring or cliché parts, but unfortunately it is not true and the movie goes downhill in the end.
Revelation (2001)
Conspiracy suspense filled with clichés
This movie, Revelation, is a conspiracy suspense, which is already a bad start. But the movie could be a bit better without the clichés. Of course, the actors are not superb (the main couple, in fact, is very weak) and the general plot is not innovative, but what concerns me most is the clichés. Any movie that links Knights Templars, Freemasonry and a great secret about Christ deserves to lose at least two stars in any evaluation, because if the person that wrote the plot could not think in something more original, he doesn't deserve much praise. The symbolisms and the "magical" link between the main characters doesn't help either, being cliché at its worst. And the end of the movie is not good as well, maybe because they wanted to continue it and leave it somewhat open. There are some good scenes and ideas scattered in the plot, but the bad ideas and clichés overwhelm them, unfortunately.
Maybe the most interesting thing about this movie is that Da Vinci Code is a blatant rip-off of Revelation, but that doesn't save the movie. Only recommended for people who love conspiracies.
The '60s (1999)
60s for those who don't know a thing about it
The "movie" (it was a TV series converted in movie for other locations) has lots of things about the 60s? Yes, plenty of nostalgia. The movie presents many historical facts about the sixties? Yes, too much. The movie has 60s aesthetics? Yes, a lot, mainly the music, which is great (the best thing in fact). The movie has a plot? No.
This is the problem with the movie is that there is not plot. They try to link many important happenings of the 60s with the history of two families, but the characters are shallow and the drama is artificial. Incredible enough, the characters were the main protagonists in many important moments of the history, making it cliché.
The movie is good for those who don't know a thing about the sixties and want to learn more about the culture and history, in a superficial way. Of course it gives a dreamy and magic representation of the decade, so it is advisable to consult and encyclopedia after watching the movie to get your feet back on the ground. Maybe those who lived in the 60s may like it for the nostalgia, but certainly will not like the absurd and exaggerations. Anyway, you can always excuse yourself by saying that you watched because the soundtrack, because it is worthy the time watching a movie with no plot.
There Goes My Baby (1994)
Naive presentation of the 60s
There Goes My Baby is another movie dealing with the magical reputation of the 60s generation. The movie passes in just a short period, but tries to capture what was going on in the whole decade. The main story is based on class of youngsters leaving the High School and preparing themselves to go to the adult life, which involves Universities for some, Army for others and "just hanging around" for the rest. This period of time is represented as "The Last Days of Paradise", an alternative title to the movie.
The plot goes showing the indecision, problems, obstacles and the general crisis lived by each of the many people portrayed. Themes like Vietnam War, racial conflicts, hippie movement, counterculture, parents and sons clash of generation and sexual revolution are portrayed without much depth, usually using one or two characters to explore these facts of the 60s generation, but never going deeper in the questions.
Apart from these subjects, the movie uses a local burger restaurant that will be demolished to give place to a new shopping mall and a radio DJ that will change from AM to FM, broadcasting his program from the restaurant, as symbols of "the end of innocence".
Everything in the movie is used to emphasize the idea of change in the lives of the youngsters, and their lives are have a semi-heroic portrait, including some drama, but after all naive. In the end, the characters start separating, going each one his way and the narrator (one of the characters) talk about the destiny of everyone in the future, adding magic, naiveté and nostalgia to "The Last Days of Paradise", when confronting the future (adulthood) to those days.
Being so, the history isn't deep or complex, the actors are not superb, just competent and it is a movie to enjoy the two hours watching to it and nothing more, but at least grants enjoyment during its length. And the soundtrack is very good.