Reviews
Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004)
Wasted promise
You'd think that combining a good director, excellent actors and fascinating
historical events would make for an entertaining miniseries -- but you'd be
wrong. The writing stank, the history was worse than inaccurate, and I can
barely believe excellent actors such as McKidd and Carlyle were able to deliver some of their lines with a straight face. Historical inaccuracies aside, the story itself was delivered so disjointedly it was downright choppy -- almost as if an entirely different director and writer made each half. Skip this one.
The Other Boleyn Girl (2003)
Huge disservice to the book.
I'm still amazed that they were able to take such fascinating subject matter and turn out such a dull, miscast and disjointed feature. Switching the ages of the two main female characters didn't help, either. On the plus side, it was enjoyable to see Jared Harris apparently channeling his late father for his role of Henry VIII.
Skip the movie, read the book.
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Hooah - WHOah?
Relentlessly paced, MORE than a bit gory... but well made. A bit problematic remembering who was who. There were just too
many uniforms and 'high-n-tight' haircuts to discriminate. (Even
the occasional name on the helmet didn't help me much.) Pass the popcorn - but let my stomach settle a little first.
Memento (2000)
"I have this condition..."
Believe the hype. I'm not easy to impress, but my jaw literally hit my lap watching this feature. As has been said before, the question isn't should you see the film, but when. Good writing and the unique narrative structure make for a stellar film, and the cast -- superb. Kudos to Guy Pearce for an outstanding performance.
The Basement and the Kitchen (1999)
Kooky, paranoid fun.
Weird gets weirder, and truth becomes MUCH stranger than fiction. Witty script, excellent acting and the sense that the cast had as much fun making the film as we do watching. A very enjoyable film.
The Tale of Sweety Barrett (1998)
"Sweet" Indeed
This was a selection in the Seattle Int'l Film Festival this year. A parallel to 'Sling Blade' can obviously be drawn, but Brendan Gleeson's excellent performance as the wide-eyed, lumbering Sweety and a not-entirely-expected ending make up for remaining deficiencies. A touching film.