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Reviews
House of Sand and Fog (2003)
pandering implausible pulp
the film on the whole approaches utter hack work. the direction vacillates between sloppy and grotesque heavy-handedness; it's like being beaten about the head with a two-by-four--not much in the way of subtlety. kingsley's good; shohreh aghdashloo is splendid; connelly's adequate in an underwritten, unsympathetic and utterly preposterous role. the story's basic concept is so weak to begin with, it's hard to suspend disbelief as much as we're asked to.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
an awful example of style withOUT substance
tarantino, a master of indulgent egoism, essentially creates a wet dream of a pulp samurai tale. gory? yes, fine; to a point? no, not really. tarantino lacks any real story (girl wakes from coma, girl wreaks revenge; pretty straightforward stuff) and tries to make up for it by making his film look as cool as it can. the result: a film that reeks of self-awareness and literally bores one comatose. don't waste your time.
Mystic River (2003)
powerhouse performances power Mystic River
With an ensemble as strong as Mystic River's, one would presume greatness, though we have definitely seen movies where the sum of its parts does not quite equal the potential whole ("The Hours" comes to mind). Mystic River, however, delivers. Eastwood's film, masterfully and--excitingly enough--subtlety directed, barrels out of the gate and doesn't stop for breath until well into the final act. Sean Penn is stunning; one of the most vivid portrayals of grief on celluloid in recent memory. It is almost painful to watch him cope with the murder of his daughter. Everyone in the cast, in fact, is at the top of their game. Tim Robbins turns in his best work in years, and it is good to see Linney and Harden doing some strong work (in supporting roles). Linney's final monologue is dynamite. Though the film doesn't "teach us a lesson" per se when all is said and done, there is superb character dissection/examination going on.
The Pianist (2002)
a complementary piece to spielberg's SCHINDLER'S LIST, albeit the lesser complement
polanski's masterful direction makes this film a powerhouse. nicely transcends cliches (the sympathetic nazi) and the film seems to melt away as you watch until you suddenly believe you are watching real life unravel before you. brody is also quite good.