Change Your Image
dcwidman
Reviews
Click (2006)
If you like bathroom humor, this one's for you.
First, I must admit that I could only watch 45 minutes of Click. So maybe it gets better. But I just couldn't sit through anymore of it. It was an interesting and creative idea that was simply a gimmick for bathroom humor. I finally turned it off the sixth time a dog was humping a stuffed animal. If that sort of comedy makes you laugh then you'll probably enjoy the movie. But there's too much yelling and screaming, too much anger, too many sex gags, too many mean things said to children. It's a shame that the writing wasn't more inspiring. It could have been an uplifting movie and maybe by the end it was. But getting there was just too painful for me.
Wild Horses (2015)
Luciana Pedraza is an unknown gem.
While Robert Duvall often plays a similar character, he is such a fascinating character actor. His hand movements, his walk, his facial expression, and the little noises he makes are so unique. The way he raises or lowers the pitch in his sentences adds meaning to his words. The way he repeats himself at times or says something out loud that no one can hear -- or so quietly that no one can hear are mannerisms that make a great and interesting actor (like Alan Rickman or James Earl Jones, or Anthony Hopkins).
Luciana Pedraza was mesmerizing in Assassination Tango which is where she and Duvall first met. What some commenters call "bad acting" I call refreshingly real. She feels like a real person. Someone who thinks before they speak. Too often in movies the lines are spoken so quickly and without the slightest hesitation that it feels rehearsed. In Assassination Tango, she took life seriously -- but not too seriously. That is rare in movies today.
The plots in Wild Horses is interesting though not unique. We find out soon that Duvall's character, Scott Briggs was the suspect in the disappearance of the boy 15 years earlier. But we don't know whether or how he is involved. A second pot is the relationship between Scott Briggs and his sons which remind me of Robert Duvall in The Judge, where father never forgave one son for an accident that ended the baseball career of another son.
So I was intrigued by the movie, and certainly don't mind slow dialog that others might find boring, if it helps to understand the characters.
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
warning to viewers: hand held camera
My wife and I were really looking forward to seeing this movie. However, the hand held camera was so intense that we had to leave the theater after 10 minutes. We both felt dizzy and with upset stomachs. I had trouble following what was happening and had to look away at times. My wife ended up with her head in her lap. Fortunately, we left early enough to get a refund on our ticket. So, while we can't "review" the movie, we both feel that it is necessary to warm potential viewers that the hand held camera is severe. While this might be Demme's desire for viewers to see the chaotic life of the lead character, it doesn't work if it is distracting. If hand held cameras don't bother you, you may enjoy the movie, don't know. But, if you too are bothered by this then take a pass. Note to Producers and Directors: please consider your audience. If you must use a hand held camera (I'm not convinced it is ever necessary) please warn us in your advertising.
Sunburn (1979)
guilty pleasure
"It's so bad, it's good." Farrah Fawcett has never looked better. And, maybe you have to like Charles Grodin's humor. He's like Albert Brooks, Jim Carey, or even Woody Allen, you either "get them" or you don't. I saw this as a comedy not an action flick. If you see it as a serious drama or action film you'll find all kinds of flaws including horrible acting by the insurance company's board of directors. But this seemed necessary in order to have Grodin "assigned" to investigate the death of the insured. Grodin is the "clueless" investigator. He is the anti-hero, he stumbles his way through everything with Farrah Fawcett there to rescue him. I guess I wouldn't mind stumbling around a bit if Farrah Fawcett were there to rescue me. Art Carney adds a wonderful "serious" performance as the local contact. It's harmless and funny, even endearing at times. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though it was "bad".
Apocalypto (2006)
Technically excellent but been done before.
This isn't a bad movie at all. In fact, I enjoyed it. It just wasn't as original as I thought. I wanted to learn more about Mayan culture. As a result it was just parts of other movies set in Mayan days. For example, the opening hunting scene is similar to the opening hunting scene in The Last of the Mohicans. The second part is like Dances with Wolves when we learn that natives have emotions and feelings, where they laugh and joke, and where some experience sexual frustrations. The third part is like Tears of the Sun (and many other movies) where one dominant native tribe raids villages of more gentler tribes and then (much like the TV Mini series Roots) where natives are taken away as slaves leaving dead or dying family members behind. Our hero is saved just in the nick of time by a "total eclipse of the sun." How convenient. And, how often does that happen? In other words it is a "plot contrivance," where something happens because if it didn't our hero would be dead and the movie would be over. And, the last part is (dare I say) like Rambo where bad guys are killed one by one by the good guy they are chasing in the forest/swamp etc. It is very well filmed, and the Mayan culture is interesting although I would have preferred to see more of it. Was there anything good about the city people? Did these people have any of the same feelings as the forest people? Or were they just ritualistic madmen? In the end, though, this is more a movie for Action Genre fans. And, because it is graphically violent it will (and probably should) exclude the faint of heart.
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man (2005)
much better than expected
I had known Leonard Cohen and his music - had several albums (Jennifer Warnes 'Famous Blue Raincoat' a great one). I went to see this movie, though, thinking it should be good but not knowing what to expect. I had just seen Neil Young's Heart of Gold and was disappointed because it was essentially a concert film of new (and very similar) music. It failed to show the diversity in Neil Young's songs over the years. The Leonard Cohen movie was also a concert film but with artists I wasn't very familiar with. WOW, was I surprised. To me it surpassed The Band's "The Last Waltz" and now - for me - is the best music film ever. I was blown away by the performances, being mesmerized by Anthony's performance and deeply moved by Teddy Thompson's. I wanted a remote controller so I could push repeat and see these performances again. Martha and Rufus Wainwright's performances were equally stunning. Nick Cave looked and sounded like Leonard Cohen, while the others brought new and wonderful interpretations to these great Leonard Cohen songs. Nick Cave's Suzanne was fascinatng as he sang the lead 'behind' the backup singers instead of in front. It was filmed in black and white adding to the experience. In short, there wasn't a disappointing performance among any of them and I wouldn't want any of them left on the cutting room floor. If there was a disappointment at all it was that The Handsome Family's wonderful rendition of "A Thousand Kisses" was cut short. That's the music. But, this is also an "art film". Very masterfully edited were comments by Leonard Cohen and other musicians including Bono and Edge from U2. Photos of Cohen's life, his art, and his poems were appropriately and artfully placed to give a real sense of this amazing person's life and contribution. When Cohen reads his introduction to a book of poems being translated into Chinese we not only understand the man, we understand and appreciate the value of humility and the too often overemphasis on self-importance. The final number with Leonard Cohen singing and U2 playing and capped off a marvelous movie. This is a must see for any lover of the arts.