Reviews

The director of this rubbish completely missed every single moment of drama in the magnificent Welles screenplay. It doesn't help that they cast a young man who has absolutely no acting talent to play George. This role is central to the drama of the whole piece.

The casting agent who found Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, a high-school drop-out in Cork, Ireland, said "Jonathan Rees-Myers(sic), from County Cork apparently, who looks like a young Tom Cruise. Comes into the casting session with alarming certainty. Obviously gifted." Just because you look like Tom Cruise doesn't mean you can act. This kid nearly breaks his face mugging for the camera. I don't know why the other truly gifted actors in the sames scenes (James Cromwell and the wonderful Canadian Bruce Greenwood who did such a terrific job in Thirteen Days) didn't throw things at him!

Between the director's ponderously slow pace and Rhys-Meyers' putrid performance, this movie is an excrutiating experience.

The film is worth seeing for Kevin Spacey's and Helen Hunt's performances. The story is compelling and nicely structured. I enjoyed the way it began at the end, flipped to the beginning and then slowly worked its way to the middle from both ends. However, the ending is a complete let down and isn't worthy of the preceding story.

I am glad the recent remake of The Mummy has aroused interest in the original - much the same way the remake of The Haunting has renewed interest in the brilliant original.

Comparing the two films is futile since they are really apples and oranges - the remake is an action/adventure film of the Raider's variety with the original being an effectively atmospheric example of German Expressionistic filmmaking.

If I was to find a similarity between the 1999 and the 1932 versions it would be in the powerful performances by the actors in the role of The Mummy - Karloff and Vosloo. Karloff is absolutely brilliant in The Mummy. Watch the way he moves! His performance intensity shines through all the makeup as it did in Frankenstein.

This is an awful film. I don't know what is worse, the acting, the exploitation or the script. The ending is a total red herring. The film is rife with references to the Simpson trial and steeped in the world of LA sleeze. Typical LA navel gazing at its worst, this film is horribly misogynistic including the 'hit' rap lyrics of the defendant. I don't get the title at all. Unless the film-makers had never heard of Alfred Hitchcock or the film Shadow of a Doubt, of which I have no doubt!

I must say that when Saving Private Ryan came to the cinemas, I wasn't compelled to go see it. I usually avoid films that have hoards of lemmings camping out to see it (read SW Episode One). Pvt. Ryan had been on the video shelves for a few weeks before I picked it up. I wasn't really looking forward to YAAWF (Yet Another American War Film).

This film is absolutely brilliant filmmaking. If Speilberg had not made ET and Indiana Jones, he would not have had the creative control to make a masterpiece like this. He reminds me of Hitchcock at the height of his powers in the late 50's early 60's.

This film is riveting from beginning to end. Every scene, every shot, every sound has meaning and is seamlessly integrated with the overall artistic vision of the film. I have a degree in Film Criticism and have seen a lot of film. You quickly become jaded by formula after formula.

Speilberg has created a fresh approach to what could be considered a tired genre. The hand-held, chaotic filming of the Omaha Beach landing along with the sizzling soundscape make this sequence one of the best in cinema history. The point, however, is not to bombard the viewer with gory war scenes for shock purposes. It is a setup for the rest of the film. You are never at ease at any time for the rest of the movie. They payoff for this setup is the sequence towards the end of the film in the battle to hold the bridge.

One beautifully crafted sequence (of many) is setup in the opening sequence crossfade from the old man's blue eyes to Tom Hank's shaking hand at the Omaha landing. That crossfade is a film convention that Speilberg subverts for dramatic effect. When you see the final crossfade from Pvt. Ryan's face to the old man's face (beautifully done) it comes full circle. This subversion of a typical film convention is what makes Tom Hank's final scene so incredibly moving. You'll know what I mean when you've seen it.

Speilberg has gone beyond technical mastery of film, he has become a consumate artist, using his film making skills with intelligence, sensitivity and confidence.