PtownB5 Reviews

The Break-Up (2006)

Give this movie a chance!

[8/10 · 25 August 2006]

This is not your garden variety romantic comedy, thank god! I loved the authenticity of this movie. I don't know anyone who has been in a serious relationship that wouldn't relate to this movie. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston are superb- they are both so credible and organic in these roles. Not sure about the bizarre-ish people the characters may surround themselves in the movie- family, friends and co-workers definitely are weird- but maybe they serve as a springboard to really bring the 2 main characters to life. (maybe comedic relief, too) In any case, so refreshing to watch a movie that is realistic and unpretentious. The opening scenes are scrapbook photos when the couple were together- they were wonderful- the exact types of photos most of us have in our own scrapbooks. It isn't an indie art-house film, but a big production that doesn't follow a relationship formulaic predictor for ratings, insead it portrays arguments and a break up in a realistic way. Lack of communication, lack of effort, too much pride, battles over what isn't so important but seems so at the time- all that. I was also pleased that it didn't wrap up in a big red bow at the end like most Hollywood movies.

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

This movie is beautiful.

[10/10 · 8 November 2005]

I loved this movie. I was completely captivated by this movie-laughing and crying simultaneously. I have heard some criticism about the light heartedness of the film being inappropriate given its subject- WWII, The Holocaust. However, I think the heart of the film isn't really about the Holocaust, it is about love, fatherhood and hope. Further, I think that the juxtaposition of the human spirit set against a backdrop like The Holocaust was a brilliant decision, it heightens the true spirit of the film. Everyone knows (or should) how devastating this part of history was, so I don't think it is a disservice to focus the movie on a father and his son. It truly is a beautiful, wrenching film. The main character displays an emotional integrity of sacrifice and strength that far surpasses our traditional requirements for a hero. I was in awe of this character the entire time, and I have to admit the colorful MGM old Hollywood beginning was irritating to me, in spite of it's cleverness- but the way it bled into the main storyline... it is critical to introduce you to the characters this way. Just watch and let it be what it is, and it will deliver a transcendental experience. The movie really takes your heart and runs. An absolute must see.

Battle Royale (2000)

Great book, great movie

[8/10 · 12 April 2005]

I usually have significant trouble with the adaptation of a great book into a movie- they miss elements that the reader may have found to be key- the emotional propulsion is lost, the motives are blurry, the poignance is compromised. Movies have a time limit, a book does not. However, given these constraints, I think Kinji Fukasaku did a really good job at maintaining the integral elements that make Battle Royale so fascinating. I think reading the book is pretty instrumental at fully grasping the concept that is delivered in this film. One one level, it is pretty basic- 42 classmates have 48 hours ( I think it is 3 days in the movie) to kill one another . They are dumped on an evacuated island, given a random supply of weaponry (could be a fork, could be a machine gun) and maps of the island which marks the rotation of the "forbidden zones"- forcing movement, which forces interaction between the students. Only one can survive, or the metal collars they are equipped with will explode at the expiration date of the game. One another level, it raises a lot of philosophical questions about life and death, societies and politics - humanity in general. It is definitely a violent movie, and it is definitely absurd in some ways- but I don't see how we could see it any other way, the concept is so extreme. A government regime that forces 14 year old kids kill each other. However, it is the tension area between the violence and absurdity that is most compelling- Do we cease to see something as dark, ominous, wrong- because of our familiarity with it? Are questionable ethics or values cloaked in rules, hidden in smiles, lost in our inability to change it? What does our compliance mean, ultimately?

I think the book deserves the kudos to raise these questions, and I think the movie does a great job at delivering these concepts with visual punch. The cast was great, they were all quite young- and they were phenomenal at capturing the fear, the hysteria, the calculations of these kids, and it is always cool to see Beat Takeshi in a film.

Landspeed (2002)

Okay,so not an Oscar contender

[6/10 · 3 April 2005]

This movie has a LOT of flaws- the plot is thin, the graphics are toe-cringingly cheesy in some parts and there was an accuracy issue, but let me just say this: There was something warm and natural about some of these characters that was so nice to feel and see.(alternately there were a few characters that were so wooden it was hard to watch them) It made me want to know them, the elite little "gang, not a club" of race car drivers that devote their lives to the love of the game. Another review mentioned it wasn't very realistic that competitors of a 50 million dollar prize would go to strip clubs and scooter race with each other, but that didn't strike me as unrealistic, that was the nice part of the movie- the warmth of their camaraderie. I figure that's worth a little something...some of the actors, particularly Billy Zane, did a great job of warming their characters in spite of the some of overly cheesy lines and plot.

This World, Then the Fireworks (1997)

A seductive film noir wasteland.

[7/10 · 3 April 2005]

Beautifully filmed with a hallmark noir smoky narrative by Billy Zane, who plays the main character, Marty Lakewood. All the characters in this movie, like this movie, are intriguing but so very flawed. But then, aren't we all? The cast was superb, Rue Mclanahan as a feeble mother whose life has outplayed her strength, Billy Zane as Marty Lakewood, a complex parasitic character driven, or being driven, by an ethos perhaps only he understands. Sheryl Lee was phenomenal as a character so desperately needy it blurs your vision, and Gina Gershon plays the twin sister to Marty Lakewood, and she is simultaneously vulnerable and calloused. I can't really tie this movie down with any certainty, but it lingered with me for days, and that is a hallmark of something good. There are some clunky scenes, some gorgeous scenes and there are beautiful diaphanous elements of human nature- there is a dim light within apathy and arrogance, a bond within self indulgence and narcissism- I think the movie is definitely worth checking out.