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Reviews
Grind (1997)
honest, intelligent, artful, moving! -like a bruce springsteen ballad vividly brought to life!
i caught this little gem on cable over the weekend and was so
unexpectedly moved that i felt compelled to write about it. it's an
intelligent and very truthful look at a blue collar new jersey family
and the pursuit of their american dreams. the locations, (from the
factory cluttered landscapes to the swampland drag strips), all of
the performances, the overall texture... were right on the money!
-like a bruce springsteen song vividly brought to life. i was
especially taken by the complex relationship between the brothers
played by billy crudup and paul schulze. nothing in this film rang
false, though as a result the overall tone may be a little too bleak
for the masses. i found it refreshing to find an american indy
director that is less interested in flash and trend than his
commitment to telling a gripping, honest, and meaningful story
about everyday people.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
interesting but trying too hard, ultimately not very involving.
if i got anything out of this movie it's an even greater appreciation of spike jonze directing ability. after seeing "being john m." and "adaptation" i was starting to think, like most everyone in hollywood, if you can get your hands on a charlie kaufman script you can't miss. well for me this one misses. george clooney has spoken about how well he prepared himself to direct this thing, how he boarded every single shot, and i think this is part of the problem. the movie feels stiff and cartoonish, it's overly thought out to the point that nothing in it felt organic or touched me in any way. i thought sam rockwell gave a great performance, and yes it was a very original and interesting script, but it left me cold. spike jonze seems to have a way with this kind of material, he takes a very naturalistic approach because the script is already so out there you need to give your audience something they can relate to, to ground them. as for george clooney, he's obviously a smart and talented guy, i think this first time out though he may have bitten off more than he can chew. at least that's how i feel, but then again, how many awards has this flick picked up already...
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
my favorite movie of the year, original, powerful, and deeply moving.
i was blown away by this one. i had no expectations at all going in
as i knew nothing about the film. based on a true story it tells the
struggle of three young sisters long journey home after being
separated from their mother by the government. the performances, mostly by unknowns, at least to me, were all
perfect. this film at times was excruciatingly sad, and at the same
time most uplifting. a truly unique story about survival and the
strength of the human spirit without a drop of the sentimentality. a
truly original and powerful film. -can't wait to see what phillip
noyce did w. "the quiet american".
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
my favorite movie of the year, original, powerful, and deeply moving.
i was blown away by this one. i had no expectations at all going in
as i knew nothing about the film. based on a true story it tells the
struggle of three young sisters long journey home after being
separated from their mother by the government. the performances, mostly by unknowns, at least to me, were all
perfect. this film at times was excruciatingly sad, and at the same
time most uplifting. a truly unique story about survival and the
strength of the human spirit without a drop of the sentimentality. a
truly original and powerful film. -can't wait to see what phillip
noyce did w. "the quiet american".
Cidade de Deus (2002)
brilliant, energized, hyper-real, crushing! talk about your tough childhoods.
wow! this film really blew me away. every single performance was right on the money, everything felt so real it was like watching a documentary, but oozing with style. this is one of the most powerful films i have seen in a long time and provided an uncompromising look into the brutal everyday world of the kids in the slums of rio. heartbreaking!
Minority Report (2002)
ho-hum, technically amazing but emotionally not very involving.
i just caught this flick on video in hopes that maybe i would connect with it better than i did in the theater -no such luck. obviously spielberg is a brilliant director who technically is always pushing the edge and expanding the vocabulary of film itself, but like so many of his movies, this one left me empty emotionally. the characters never felt real, (which is not to say that the performances were bad), i never felt invested in them in any way. the director's films that i find most powerful were his early works like "jaws" & "close encounters"... where we did an amazing job of creating an american middle class reality, we recognized the people on the screen because they were just like our family, neighbors, ourselves... then he would introduce a supernatural element like a shark or space craft... and he had me. but what do i know. he is, after all, the king of the world -despite what james cameron might think.
Gerry (2002)
not your usual flick and not for everyone. slow, self indulgent, but oddly enough, worth sitting through.
it was a very interesting experience watching this movie. yes what you have heard is true, it is excruciatingly slow and self indulgent , but if you force yourself to stay in your seat as i did, after a while the film starts to work on you. by the time it was over i felt that i had had a religious experience. this is not the most entertaining movie in the world, though i did find some parts rather funny, and it is certainly not for everyone, but i must admit i felt it was ultimately worth hanging in there with. and all said and done it stayed with me longer, and touched me deeper than anything i have seen in a long while. very bizarre!
All the Real Girls (2003)
A very realistic, well acted take on a typical teen movie subject. this director is someone to watch, but as for all the hype, he's no terrence malick.
i was really looking forward to seeing this flick after reading all the buzz at sundance and thankfully i did not have to wait long. i really enjoyed the film, a very realistic and well acted take on a very typical teen movie subject: essentially first love. the director was able to elevate a tired story by applying his intelligence and his own quiet style. he's not afraid to go against the current hollywood trend and take his time, though i think the hype about him being the next terrence malick is just that. he is certainly someone worth watching but his first two films are not in the same league as malick's "badlands" and "days of heaven". and certainly not of the level of "the thin red line". that said, i eagerly look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.