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Reviews
The Human Stain (2003)
Akin to a gourmet meal in every way
I knew nothing about this film before viewing, except the potential power of Hopkins, Kidman and Sinese, and the screenplay adapted from Roth's novel. I found it so beguiling that I wanted to watch it again as soon as it ended.
The cinematography is breathtaking and the opening scenes alone put this on my list of "Best Winter Scenes, Perfect for Hot Summer Days". Hopkins and Sinese play well off each other, as do Hopkins and Kidman. A few times Kidman's performance felt contrived (like when she's smoking without *really* smoking), but that's nitpicking. Perhaps what I like best about this film is that it demands you pay attention if you really want to get it. And there's a lot to be gotten: secrets, deceptions, tragedies, lies, betrayals; it could be it's own book of the Bible. I also like the courage of this film, tackling tough and always controversial issues without sinking into some dark abyss...and then leaving you there.
It's seldom that I like movies adapted from great novels and rarer still that I'll read a novel from which a film is adapted. This time I've been taken; I just ordered the book.
So how is this like a gourmet meal? Beautiful to the eye; satisfying to the palate; full or new scents, flavors and combinations; leaves one satiated and wanting to do it all over again.
I recommend this for anyone whose idea of entertainment is discovering a new or different way of looking at the world, and certainly at the specific issues raised here. Two hours well spent.
Born Rich (2003)
Worthwhile 75-minute investment
For anyone fascinated with wealth of the inherited kind, this is a sweet treat. The profiles of dozen or so 18-23 year-olds is a bell curve of character and temperament, indulgence and insight. Most of these kids are pretty clear that they differ from the masses, and they use this to their advantage. Less clear is their genuine understanding of these differences, and an awareness of and/or search for meaning beyond money. Exceptions perhaps are Ivanka Trump and Josiah Hornblower: both come across as more grounded and substantial than their peers. Surprisingly, actual footage of over-consumption was spare; Johnson let his subjects' words, habits and surroundings convey this: big houses, expensive clothes; signature stores, $800 bar bills; exclusive schools.
There are some choice moments of men-behaving-badly that are worth mentioning: Weil's petulance (which competed with his arrogance) and his endearing use of the word "bitch" to describe a prospective mate spoke volumes about his character. Cody Franchettis' self-described appetite for "book-pussy-book" was a great map to his Codyworld.
The interaction between Johnson and his father was interesting but all too brief. Perhaps a good sequel to Born Rich would be Raised Rich, or how to parent a rich kid.
In all, this was 75-minutes well spent; in his search for a career, Jamie Johnson would do well to pursue film.