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Reviews
An American Haunting (2005)
A complete and utter disappointment
This should have been a Lifetime movie (or even an after-school special), since it felt exactly like that kind of overly sentimental dreck. Even the actress playing the mother in the present day looked like she stepped out of a beginning acting class for The Very Sad Divorced Wife (i.e., big bulky sweater, mussed hair, a bottle of vodka next to her on the desk).
How disheartening to see a film that could have been a great period piece end up as a big-screen version of every "victim of the week" TV movie, circa 1992. One point in its favor: excellent set design (it's nice to see a movie set in the South that doesn't automatically recall the plantations of _Gone with the Wind_). But overall, what a sad, stupid waste of Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland's talents.
Camp (2003)
A straight guy as the hero ?!? (May Contain Spoilers)
I went to this movie thinking it'd be a good affirmation of gay youth, but boy was I unpleasantly surprised.
Who thought it was a good idea to make a straight guy the hero of this film? In a movie that's supposedly about affirming difference and the difficulties of being a gay teenager, I found it really shameful that a straight guy was the protagonist. I at first thought it might be interesting to see such a guy trying to see how difficult it is to fit in to a society different from his own -- but instead the director decided to make all the kids (gay guys and straight women) fall for him. What a sad, stupid choice ...
Also really deplorable that the primary gay character is not given someone gay to love himself -- talk about reinforcing hetero society!
This is one of those movies that's only masquerading as progressive. In truth, it's depressingly conservative.
Shame on Sondheim for doing the cameo.