WeRunWithScissrs Reviews

Lonesome Jim (2005)

Son Returns to his Midwestern Dysfunctional Family and Learns that Some Things Never Change

[8/10 · 23 April 2005]

I saw this film at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the East Coast Premiere of the movie. It was extremely well received by the audience with laughter throughout the film.

Having roots in the Midwest myself, I felt this movie did not resort to stereotypes about life in the nation's heartland. Rather I believe the movie accurately shows that small town life is slower paced and that everyone knows you and your business all too well. Even the little sight gag of seeing the 3 bars with similar names felt familiar to me and I couldn't help but chuckle along with the audience.

Jim (Casey Affleck) has returned home dehydrated and depressed and is looking for sympathy and attention from his family. Instead, his brother is soon in an accident and is briefly the focus of the family. Jim meets Anika (Liv Tyler) during his visit and her gentle observations about her small town life offers the grace that his family can never provide.

This movie reminded me of the Kenneth Lonergan film You Can Count on Me in both pacing and the way the return of the brother stirs up issues in a family. It reminded me also of a much less slick and lower budgeted Garden State

If you are in an independent film place, I would recommend this movie. If you are looking for big stars and big production, look elsewhere.

I personally would be interested to see what Mr. Buscemi could do with some bigger stars and a bigger budget. Clearly the director was working with many limitations on this film.

The Upside of Anger (2005)

People Behaving Badly After a Husband Leaves

[5/10 · 20 March 2005]

Joan Allen plays a woman with three teen-aged daughters and one finishing college. We learn that her husband has recently left her and we witness how she copes by drinking and neglecting her children. She becomes reacquainted with her neighbor, played by a doughy Kevin Costner, an aging former baseball star that now makes his living doing a lousy radio show and by selling his signature on baseballs. They become drinking buddies and sex partners. The mother turns her love and attention to vodka rather than the children that were also left behind. She does absolutely nothing to find her husband (aside from calling directory assistance in Sweden and Googling that same nation) and so the husband pays no child support and isn't divorced. Interestingly, we see no attempt for Joan Allen's character to support herself and one has to wonder after a later scene when a daughter is hospitalized how they still had any health insurance. Instead, we see Joan Allen's character drinking, driving through the neighborhood too fast and sleeping with her neighbor ... while we are told that she used to be very sweet, that the anger of being left changed her into this.

I found none of the characters to be especially likable on any level. And, why should we care at all about the daughters if even their own mother doesn't care? This felt more like a bad, made-for-Lifetime TV movie rather than something worthy of this decent cast that was completely wasted.

Birth (2004)

A Woman Learns More About Her Dead Husband

[1/10 · 18 January 2005]

In the opening credits we slowly witness the death of the main character's husband. This sets up the slow and seemingly endless pace of this movie. I found myself not caring one bit about any of the main characters and nothing in the film gave me any reason to feel otherwise.

I would compare the pacing and tone to that of Eyes Wide Shut, another film starring an unlikeable and cold version of Nicole Kidman. Like that film, the characters seem self-centered and without any ability to give or receive love.

One much talked about scene shows a close-up of Ms. Kidman at the symphony. We are expected to gaze upon her visage for what feels like eternity. I kept waiting for some subtle play of emotions across her face as she processes what she has learned. I got nothing. I read reviewers going into rapture talking about how marvelous it was that she could sustain this scene which, for me, she could have just as easily been going over her "to do" list of errands for her personal life ... that is how disconnected she seemed to her situation. To me, the scene served no purpose except to waste film and the time of the viewer.

Another much talked about scene involving the bathtub to me just felt painfully awkward and contrived ... much like the rest of the film.

I guess for me the film just felt so inauthentic ... sometimes it is appropriate to show emotions and there were many opportunities for the characters in this movie to show that their was some depth to their feelings. Instead, the writing and the acting disappointed and the film just felt one-dimensional.

Birth is a laborious film to watch and seems to last nine months instead of 100 minutes, ending in a miscarriage. A root canal has more passion and entertainment value.