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kayanders
Reviews
Surrender, Dorothy (2005)
Unsympathetic means uninteresting.
(Very light spoilers, maybe.)
Normally a fan of Diane Keaton, I tried to watch this tonight. I had to switch it off before the second hour because I found myself with absolutely no sympathy for daughter or mother. Both came across as self-absorbed with little regard for others, with the daughter also adding in rude, disrespectful and reckless to the mix. When the daughter died, the only thing I thought was, "At least we won't have to watch her anymore." Keaton did a good job of moving into her stunned state and into the grieving, but it was too far gone for me by then. I simply wasn't enjoying it, so I stopped watching. If you want me to care for the protagonist, you need to get me caring about the characters much sooner--if it's nearly an hour in and I don't care, it's too late.
The supporting cast was sincere and well played--I felt for *them!*--and the gay best friend was wonderful, but even combined, that wasn't enough to carry the film for me.
Feardotcom (2002)
Expected More, Got Less, Went Blind.
I loved the remake of "House on Haunted Hill," so when I heard this film was coming out, I was eager to see it. I went in prepared for a chilling, creepy experience... And wound up having to try to focus on the film instead of mulling my laundry list. There *were* a few good moments, and some mystery, and both the male and female lead did good jobs, but overally it was, well... Unmemorable. Very disappointing to me, considering how much I love "House," though for someone without such high expectations as I had, it may be passable as a few hours' diversion.
I felt that the characters were constrained, the scares and emotional levels felt flat to me, and darn it, the film was just hard to *see.* I understand the use of shadows and dark corners, but there were scenes I couldn't even tell what was going on, it was so dark. Toss in a little color and a little more light, for pete's sake--that alone would've made the film more enjoyable, so I wouldn't have to go blind trying to watch it.
I give "House" a 9, but this... A 3. Better luck next time.