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Reviews
Mùa hè chieu thang dung (2000)
Beautifully shot, but slow and boring
A few years ago I saw The Scent of Green Papayas by the same director. My feelings about both films are in fact the same: beautifully shot, but terribly slow and boring. I saw this film in a Sneak Preview, and left after half an Hour. Couldn't stand it anymore. How can one make an interesting film about people who are constantly telling each other how happy they are, and how perfect their lives are.........? I had a fantasy about a forgotten American G.I., still wandering around in the Vietnamese jungle, who was not aware the war had ended. How he would suddenly pop up in the film, and would start emptying his M16 at the characters in the movie. The red of their blood would make a beautiful contrast with all the green plants in the film........... So I was not very much gripped by this film! Time to leave!
Accelerator (2000)
Illegal race
When I saw this movie, I had never heard anything about it before. Often that's the best way to see a film, and have an objective look at it. This movie starts of promising with a car chase scene, accompanied by loud drum and bass-like music. The tone is set: another movie about young people in the slums of some Anglo- Irish city ( compare Trainspotting), with lots of modern music. The music in fact is the only thing that remained interesting during the whole movie. For the rest, it's nothing more than a sympathetic effort to make a film about these youngsters, their boredom and the illegal race it results in. Oh, and there's something about the problems in Northern Ireland as well! Most of the characters are quiet flat and the acting often is well meant, but very poor. And the race, witch takes up most of the time of the movie, is in fact a bit boring. There are much more interesting films about illegal car races, like for example the classics "Two-Lane Backtop" and "Vanishing Point" ( I bet you the makers were influenced by these movies!) Finally, I recently saw a much more interesting and natural film about youngsters and their problems, with no car chases at all, and hardly any loud, modern music. That was the recent Swedish picture "Fucking Åmål". Now there's a movie I'd really recommend!
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Why I won't go!
I'm aware of the fact that I'm cheating a bit, because in fact I did NOT see this movie. But I would like to let you know why I've not seen it, and why I'm not going to see it too. The main reason is Matt Damon! Together with his partner in crime Ben Affleck he's one of the most overrated young Hollywood actors of this time, while in fact the both of them are just boring and much too decent to be of any interest ( a bit like a pair of young Kevin Costners). Nevertheless I've seen a few of their films, mainly because I'm a regular visitor of Sneak Previews. So I know what I' m talking about..... As I said, I did not see this film, but I read a few reviews of it, and it's a complete mistery to me why Damon was cast to play such a complicated role. He's just not up to that. Most reviewers agree on that. I also read there's a French film from 1960 based on the same story titled "Plein Soleil", with Alain Delon in the role of mr. Ripley. Now there's a great actor ( even as young as he must have been in those days) who's up to a role like that! I'll check out that movie one of these days. And if you want to see a movie with a real young Hollywood talent, go and see one of the films Edward Norton played in so far!
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
The Muscles just can't act!
This whole movie of course is complete nonsense! And I've seen everything in it before. Even the super computer that starts a life of it's own is a direct copy of the famous computer HAL in Kubrick's "2001, A Space Odissy". But in fact it's quiet entertaining some of the time when you take all the nonsense for granted. However, there's one big problem: the scenes witch Jean Claude! They're awful! This guy just can't act! He's even worse then Arnie ( Schwarzenegger). And why the hell does he have to team up with all those silly women all the time? Whatever do they seen in him?
Beautiful People (1999)
Chaotic but very nice.
This is a very chaotic, but very nice movie. It tells the story of a whole bunch of different people who, in one way or another, are or will be connected with the war in Bosnia. Most of the characters are in London. Most of them are British citizens. Some of them are refugees from former Yugoslavia. In the background there's also the qualifier match between Holland and England for the World Championship Football of 1994, witch England lost. As a result England did not qualify. On his way back one of the characters, an English hooligan, even winds up right in the middle of the Bosnian war, and by accident becomes some kind of a war hero! As the film continues we learn how all these people are connected with each other. It's all told with a lot of speed and a lot of humor. Nevertheless the film deals with some pretty heavy subjects. As a whole it's one big plea for tolerance and understanding between people. One remark: the film is a bit to long in the end. It looks as if the director could not make his mind up how to end it. I voted an 8.
Fucking Åmål (1998)
A great "small" movie!
This is a great "small" movie. I don't know much about the Swedish cinema; as far as I know nothing much happend there since the "great days" of Ingmar Bergman ( who's films I personally never really liked; much too serious!). So now I saw a movie made by a bunch of people ( director as well as actors) I've never heard of. And I liked it a lot! It looks very low budget. I'm not sure if it was shot on video or on film. It could very well be one of those "Dogma" films, but I don't think it is. It's the story of a bunch of teenagers growing up in a small, boring Swedish town. We see how they struggle with their lives, their parents, love and big questions like "Is this all there is in life? Will I end up like my parents? I'm I gay/ lesbian?" Everything is told in a very realistic and straight forward way, and the acting by the mostly very young cast is pretty good. Despite the serious topics there's a lot of humor in the film as well, and it leaves you with an optimistic feeling in the end. You get the feeling that these film makers really have portrayed the problems of those kids. The movie would do very well in a series of movies for instance called "Big And Little Trouble In The Suburbs", together with films like the French movie from a few years ago "La Haine/ Hate" and the recent Hollywood masterpiece "American Beauty". I voted a 9!
Dogma (1999)
Just not funny most of the time.
The making of comedies about the big questions of life ( "why are we here?", "does God really exist and is he a he or a she?") should be the privilege of Woody Allen and maybe the Monty Python team. Not of young film makers who have only made one succesfull, very low budget movie, and are now given lots of Hollywood millions to work with, because they are considered to be the new future of film making. Or just because Hollywood just can't have it that someone else in the industry makes a little money and has some succes. The young film maker usually can't resist the temptations of Hollywood, and take "offers they can't refuse". This time it happens to Kevin Smith, who made a hit a few years ago with his entertaining little movie "Clerks". Since then he made two other movies in Hollywood, and now he has made a Hollywood monstrosity: a movie that should have been an off- beat comedy, but now, despite ( or because of) all the Hollywood millions and technology and "big names", turns out to be over the top and just not funny most of the time. It's a story about two fallen angels ( Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) who are trying to get back to heaven. By divine intervention a woman ( Linda Fiorentino) is appointed to try to stop them. On that mission she meets all kind of strange "people": angels, prophets, apostels, demons and even God. Damon and Affleck give a reprise of John Travolta and Samuel Jackson in "Pulp Fiction": constantly talking all the time. ( By the way: I never understood all the fuzz about Damon and Affleck; they're good actors and their debut "Good Will Hunting" was a solid Hollywood movie, but in fact I think they're a bit boring and have no real "edge". Damon for instance, was completely played of the screen by Edward Norton, a REAL new acting talent, in "Rounders" two years ago.) Alan Rickman ( a very fine actor) is an angel and tries hard to save his role, but does not really succeed. If you want to see him as an angel ( or something like that) go and see "Truly, Madly, Deeply"; in this film he's really great! The director himself reappears in his by now well known role of Silent Bob. Finally: it's about time there comes an end to the "gimmick" of constantly citing and displaying knowledge of other movies by characters. I've seen this in for example "Clerks", "Scream", and now here it happens once again. I think the joke has worn out by now.
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)
A real disaster!
The new year/ century/ millennium is still very young, and already I've seen one of the worst movies of the new era! This movie really is a mess! As I understand by the opening credits it's a typical "Europudding", a term my great hero Barry Norman of BBC's film magazine always used for films that were financed with funds of different European countries, and with a lot of different actors from these countries acting together. Usually these films result in an incomprehensible mess of cultural differences, vague stories and the lot. So does this film! I hope and expect that someone somewhere had good intentions when writing and conceiving this film, but then somewhere everything went terribly wrong. The funders should ask their money back! Despite the beautifully shot pictures of Hawaii, the movie is a disaster: the story is un- involving and very moralistic, the acting is very poor and characters are flat and predictable. The music is much too loud constantly. I hope ( and maybe even predict) that this one "goes straight to video", and then is forgotten in some quiet little corner. ( I voted a simple 1!)
American Beauty (1999)
Great!
This is simply a great movie! It's that rare proof that big Hollywood studios are really able to make great and interesting movies if they set their mind to it, and for once give up the idea of making another big budget blockbuster with a lot of stars and a lot of explosions, but with a story that's too silly to be true! As far as I know this is the first really interesting movie made by Dreamworks, the studio founded by Hollywood's boy wonder Steven Spielberg and friends. The expectations about this "independent studio" were very high, but so far never came true. Now they finally do. This is the kind of movie one expects from intelligent film makers. It's all about a "disfunctional family", and all kind of strange things that happen to them in their suburban surroundings. At times it all seems a little too much, but eventually everything falls into place, and the film is never predictable. The storytelling of the narrative voice over brings back memories of "Hollywood Boulevard" ( without giving away too much about the plot). It's especially the movie of Kevin Spacey! He's simply fantastic, and on his way to becoming one of my favorite actors ( after for example his roles in "The Usual Suspects" and "L.A. Confidential"). The scenes with him are the very best of this film, but the rest of the cast is also of very high quality. The film is beautifully shot, and has the wit of a good Woody Allen movie, and reminded me a bit of last years much praised "Happiness".
End of Days (1999)
2000, the beginning of a new era
In fact this movie is totally ridiculous. But that's not uncommon these days with big budget blockbuster Hollywood action- movies. The story is too silly to take serious, witch should not be a problem when it is told convincingly, but some turns in the plot are too unlikely. But if you like movies with lots of explosions and shoot-outs with enormous guns, and don't mind about the plausability of the story, you might like it. The movie is a mixture of all kind of other movies, maybe in a homage to those, or maybe just because of lack of inspiration of the writers. The last option is the most likely. I saw references to Terminator 2 and Predator ( both also with Arnie in the leading role), The Usual Suspects, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist III, The Devil's Advocate, Speed, any James Bond movie, The Night Of The Living Dead, and even Monty Python's Flying Circus ( "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"!). The film once more shows that Arnie is in fact a very bad actor. He is playing a part that should have been played by Bruce Willis ( on the other hand: it's in fact better for Bruce that he's not in this mess...) The only actor that does a good job is Gabriel Byrne, but he's not as good as Pacino in The Devil's Advocate. In the scene where the two main characters meet in Arnie's apartment, Arnie is completely played of the screen by Byrne. Finally: what a shame that Arnie will never play a bad guy again, now that he is a big Hollywood star. He was at his best as a mean murdering robot in Terminator 1!
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Hype
OK, I've finally seen it! My conclusion: the whole Blair Witch thing is one big hype. It's an entertaining, very low budget movie, something like "The Scariest Home Video's". In fact, I found the first part a bit boring; it started to get more interesting when they got lost in the woods. That's all! On the other hand: I still like the idea very much that a bunch of kids with a video camera made the most profitable movie ever ( "El Mariachi" was in fact the same thing a few years ago). It's also very refreshing that they managed to make a very old fashioned "horror" movie, purely based on suggestion, with no expensive digital special effects at all. Hollywood, eat your heart out! Finally: there's a much better Belgian "mocumentary" about a serial killer titled " C'est Arrive Pres De Chez Vous/ Man Bites Dog". Go check that one out. I'm pretty sure the makers of the Blair witch Project were inspired by it!
Tarzan (1999)
Not my cup of tea
This kind of movie is definitely not my cup of tea. Disney has allways been great at creating lovely furry little animals, and of course creatures like Donald Duck and the like. But they have allways been very bad at creating interesting human characters. And there are more and more of those in their recent films, including this one. Also, most animal characters in this film are either too "human" or very cliche. Finally: it has one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard; !
Jude (1996)
Gripping lovestory
This is a beautiful, sad and very gripping lovestory. One of the really great lovestories in cinema, maybe even more intense then for instance "Gone With The Wind", "Romeo And Julliet" or "Love Story" ( though the last one is in fact on a comepletely different level). This is the story of two people who are made and meant for each other, but by fate, social conventions at the end of the nineteenth century and all kind of other misfortune, are prevented from becoming happy together. Off course there are more stories about this subject, but this one of the most powerfull ones I have ever seen!
The Straight Story (1999)
"Speed 3" NOT!
Earlier this week I saw Eyes Wide Shut, and thought that film was quite slow, a thing I really liked about it. But then I saw this film; one of the slowest movies I ever saw! But what can you expect from a movie about a man taking a trip across a few US states on a lawnmower ( it's hard to imagine Jan de Bont making an exiting "Speed 3" about this subject). I really enjoyed the film, though at times it's a bit sentimental and a bit moralistic about "Great American Values". It starts off by giving you the impression this is another David Lynch film about small town America, and the dark secrets that are hidden under it's surface ( Blue Velvet, Twin Peeks), with the typical bright Lynch shots and broody Angelo Badelamenti music, but then takes a completely different turn to the story about one man and his lawnmower on a quest to pay his brother one last visit. The result is another Lynch roadmovie ( Wild at Heart), and probably the slowest roadmovie that was, and will ever be made. Lynch plays around a bit with the conventions of his own style. For example: do you remember the shots of the white lines on the asfalt that go by at a very high speed during the nocturnal ride in Dennis Hoppers car in Blue Velvet? The same shot returns in this film, by daylight, and at the speed of a lawnmower!
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Last Kubrick is OK!
This is definetely not Kubrick's best movie. But it's really a lot better than some critics might suggest. The story is interesting enough, and Kubrick, as allways, does his own thing: the film is slow, the scenes and shots are sometimes very long, in a time where most movies are fast and flashy! Anyway: it's a lot better than his last movie before this one, and in my opinion his worst, Full Metal Jacket. The film shows that it's a great loss that there will never be another Kubrick again.