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Reviews
Authors Anonymous (2014)
A Thoroughly Enjoyable Film
As a writer myself, with two self-published novels and more rejections than I'd care to count, I found "Authors Anonymous" to be thoroughly enjoying. It is the sort of movie that Christopher Guest does so well, depicting a group of wannabes who take themselves far too seriously. True, most of the characters were rather buffoonish, but the movie does convey the angst and frustration of the aspiring writer, desperate to make a connection with someone who might make things happen. The postage-stamp size rejection slip that one character gets is an exaggeration, but not by much, of the minuscule size of many such disappointing missives from agents, almost as though the intent is to make the writer feel small as well. I can understand the frustration of the Obert character over the fact that Hannah has achieved overnight success despite lack of any knowledge of literary history, but the fact is that in the book world of today, serendipity plays almost as important a role as talent. Possibly this film is aimed at a small niche market and won't strike a chord with the broader public, but for me, it was well worth viewing.
Stolen Lives (2009)
This movie fails to engage and strains credibility.
Little flaws in production design can distract viewers from the story. Here, we have Josh Lucas and his wife losing their home to foreclosure in 1958, yet they own a brand new Rambler. The set-up would have been more persuasive if the family car had been something from the late 40s or early 50s. The boys' hair styles, particular John's, are likewise out of place. Further, most of the male actors are chronically showing about a 4-day growth of beard. Some of those characters might be expected to shave only occasionally, but not so for Thomas Atkins, a police detective. I found the pacing far too slow and the movie was the longest 91-minute flick I've ever seen. The story never grabbed me by the collar as it needed to. Quickie, casual sex while standing up and fully clothed is another silly cliché that detracts from the plausibility of the story. I'm quick to defend movies that have been unfairly maligned by critics, such as "Bonfire of the Vanities," but this DVD box is headed for the donation bin of the local thrift shop.