What can I say, except that this film really knocked me on my keaster. I went in to the theater not knowing what to expect, but was pretty sure it would be worth the ticket price. Boy was I happy when I left. Not only was it worth the ticket, I paid to see this film two more times. This film is virtually perfect. The acting is superb, the story is magnificent, the narrative is brilliant, and the structure of the film is truly groundbreaking (absolutely loved the last 20 minutes). What really surprised me about this film was how well the cinematography was done. In a small, character driven film such as this, it is very unusual to have such great cinematography. With this film, there is something interesting going on in every scene, not many films you can say that about. In a year where first time directors have made some of the best films, Three Kings, Being John Malkovich, etc... Sam Mendes seems to have out-done them all. Though I have yet to see The Green Mile or Magnolia, I find it hard to believe that either film will out-shine American Beauty. This film should easily win a substantial amount of the Oscars this year. What's up with all the cirtics awards snubbing it so far?
Reviews
3 Reviews
Rushmore
(1998)
Incredibly well done!
10 December 1999
I have to say right now that this is one of the most enjoyable films I've ever had the pleasure the view. I hate that there is a thousand word limit on these things, because I could talk about this one all day. Never before have I seen a film that so perfectly melted the humor of a situation with the pain and awkwardness that ultimately result in each scene. It is truly fascinating to see how these characters react to each situation presented. Sometimes we got humor, other times we got these incredibly complex and painful situations. What makes things interesting is that we never knew what was going to come about, and that was the true test for Wes Anderson here. It is a daunting task for a director to try and evoke so much humor, pain, sorrow, and ultimate redemption in one film, just ask Robert Altman, and Anderson does it masterfully here. It is nice to see Anderson growing up and coming in to his own as a director. I enjoyed his previous Bottle Rocket, a very interesting film, but found it a little boring in stretches. With Rushmore, Anderson has created a masterpiece of a film that is an instant American classic. Bravo!
Jackie Brown
(1997)
the most underrated film ever
9 November 1999
It really upsets me that this film got panned the way it did. In reality it is probably Tarantino's tightest film, and most thoughtful. People went in expecting the fireworks and shock-value Tarantino's earlier films, and what they got was a very tight character study about lonely, aging people. Tarantino did a lot of growing up as an auteur with this film, and should be commended. Can't wait to see what he does with 40 Lashes.
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