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rlmac
Reviews
Glitter (2001)
nice, not good, but not terrible
err...right. technically its probably as bad as they say, at least, its not a particularly *bad* movie, it just doesn't seem to fit the description "movie" at all. it doesn't flow, the acting can't be believable because i felt i was watching people acting in drama class, i felt i was actively watching, going through the story with them, waiting to see what the storyline would be, waiting for them to tell me what would happen next/to see what they were going to do... in other words, i didnt get drawn into a whole other world, i didn't get lost in it, i never left my iMac (well i was going to say sitting room, but i was watching DVD on my computer) i still don't feel i've watched a movie, or that it waaz a movie. but it was nice, and enjoyable. and there are some nice songs, and interesting outfits (nb see it was also like sitting in front of a fashion show waiting to see what they were going to show me next) so if you want a hollywood blockbuster give it a miss if you would like to spend an hour or two with the divie Mariah Carey and the gorgeous (though less so in this) Max Beesley (think Tom Jones) seeing what they've got to show you......
Sparkhouse (2002)
excellent
fantastic series inspired even if not adapted from Wuthering Heights I was glued to the screen for the first episode and was distraught to find I had to wait a whole week for the conclusion. gripping, dramatic, emotional. the two lead characters had few scenes together, yet the connection between them was unmistakable. A review in the Newspaper was scathing, mocking the writer for claiming it was a modern day Wuthering Heights; I found this odd - the similarities are plainly obvious for anyone to see. Maybe its better to say it was beautifully inspired by the classic, which is itself woven throughout the programme. From the trailers I expected Sparkhouse to be an average run-of-the-mill story of teen lovers, but I was wrong. It is a brilliant dramatisation of TRUE love.
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
confusion
Will Smith. Matt Damon. Jack Lemmon. inspirational film about a heroe who is broken by the war, helped to become great again. it should have been fantastic. epic. sensational. but somehow it wasnt. and i have no idea why. i remain extremely grateful a film with such ideal elements was made, but go away feeling i didnt quite get it. anything.
maybe it was because the style was comic-strip. if they'd made it to seem real maybe it would have worked. there was something missing.
Out of Darkness (1994)
fascinating
this film is really about longterm illness, or "loss of life" and the devastation it causes. the character was a brilliant, vivacious young woman. when she was born the doctor said this child has been "touched by god" because she was so beautiful. noone was sharper, nobody was quicker than Paulie. she was going to be a doctor, in her 3rd year of medical school. and then she got schitzophrenia. 18 years later she wakes up. shes 43, not 25 any more. shes lost 18 YEARS of her life. her life doesnt exist anymore. - her sister is a middle aged woman, who resents her for the way shes behaved, her mother is resigned to the fact her daughter is mentally ill. and she has a daughter she doesnt know, whom shes never known. the story is heartbreaking. Diana Ross is convincing, and the script is accurate. it may not be the best film about schitzophrenia, but as a view of the consequences, and the effects, it is well worth watching.
Love Letters (1999)
this *is* one of the most beautiful films ever made
I stumbled across Love Letters on TV one morning and was immediately struck by the clever way in which its done. Re-reading all their old letters, delving into their past, reliving their history. How many of us havent done that? I was spellbound and stayed glued to the screen to the end. The film is so clever. It does stay in one place, rarely straying from the room, and some will find this boring, but have we lost all imagination that we have to have endless action and moving about to stay entertained? The story and the way the two characters relate to one another, weaving in and out of each others lives, is a masterpiece; and I am disappointed it never made it to the big screens (too boring hah?);- I would like to have bought it on video. (and DVD) I suppose in a sense it is like Steel Magnolias, but whereas that *can* be slow, and certainly sentimental, Love Letters, is sharp and unfussy. I only wish the years didnt pass by so quickly. Laura Linney is now my favourite actress, and I leap to record Love Letters each time it appears on TV (just in case!);- even the most unemotional of viewers will find something to appreciate.
Beaches (1988)
a beautiful film, emotional yet never mushy
I first watched Beaches with my childhood best friend - she said it was her favourite film, and it swiftly became mine. The characters were a hotch potch combo of each of us, i could never say definately i was one and she was the other, because we each had traits of both. We'd been friends forever but even as we watched this we were driving each other crazy. we soon drifted apart. one of us went on to be seriously ill, the other to develop an amazing singing voice (guess which one!) At the time watching the film always made me really sad (must have know inside how it would turn out) but now it makes me smile slightly, in the way an old musical, or a cartoon i watched when i was a baby does. theres something comforting about watching human relationships, seeing what people mean to each other, and how their lives interact. its soothing. I suspect everybody can identify with this film. It shows how two people from very different worlds can mean the world to each other - and even when they cant stand each other, you know they still care a lot. The storyline sounds sentimental and cliched, but it isnt, beaches is never over-emotional or excessively tear-jerking. Its realistic and perfect to curl upto on a rainy day. And its the perfect tribute to those friendships where you know each other so well you drive each other crazy. Wind Beneath my Wings btw, is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. and if this review sounds stuffy its becoz its 2am and im tired, lol just watch it.