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Reviews
Dolphins (1999)
Stunningly Beautiful
The opening sequence alone is worth buying a "Dolphins" DVD. This movie is one extended moment of intense beauty, more like a modern dance performance than a theatrical production.
There is no dialog, so don't worry about having to deal with sub-titles inherent foreign films. The movie unveils itself in such a way as to reach any person in any modern culture.
The story is small and the plot simplistic, but you won't care. I promise.
The Annihilation of Fish (1999)
The whole theater was filled with laughter
I'm not sure how this movie could have been funnier, but I'm glad it wasn't: if I had laughed any harder, I would have p**d in my pants. Top-flight performances by three top-flight actors made this comedy one of the best I have seen in years.
The ending was completely predictable... If you can't guess how the movie will end after watching the first ten minutes or so, you just aren't trying. Even though you generally know what's going to happen, the craftmanship with which the characters are portrayed makes it certain that your joy is never diminished.
I had the giggles for half an hour. See this movie!
A Texas Funeral (1999)
Not bad
"A Texas Funeral" could have been better, but there wasn't anything resoundingly bad about it. It was a quirkily comical view of a family reunion brought about by the death of the family's atriarch, and the characters had an authentic 1960's Texas flavor to them.
Everyone except grandma had at least one moment of personal revelation, and everyone got something good out of the deal. It was a pretty "feel good" kind of movie, and it was sufficiently funny to compensate for its lack of depth.
If you see rent this on video as an excuse to eat hot buttered popcorn, you won't be disappointed. If you are expecting great cinema, you will be.
Beyond the Ocean (2000)
Dark, gloomy, odd
If I had written this review as I left the theater, it would have been vastly different. Though I felt that the acting was excellent, the lack of a coherent plot and a "beginning, middle, end" type of story left me feeling cheated. I was simply annoyed with the director for wasting my time.
Over the next day, though, something happened to my perception of the movie. As I was sitting and chatting at a Sunday brunch with a dozen people or so, I kept having images from this movie flit through my mind... Connections with my life and with the conversations ranging over a dozen subjects kept materializing. This is particularly surprising because I had seen "Beyond the Ocean" at a film festival and it was just one of nine movies I had seen over the preceding three days.
I was so put off by the movie that I left before the Q&A session with the director. I wish I could have talked with him the next day.
Hamlet (2000)
Very Good Adaptation
Everything but the language of the play felt modern -- and the script was very faithful to the original. Ethan Hawke was a little weak in the lead role, but he did a reasonably creditable job in a very difficult role. Bill Murray was an absolutely wonderful Polonius. The strength of the script and the smoothness of the adaptation make this a very fun movie to watch. The neat little tidbits scattered throughout the movie -- trivia items related to tragic figures -- will be particularly delightful for those into that sort of thing.