This poor quality vanity production might appeal to sentimental Southerners. While treating other human beings kindly as equals is always welcome, this film is very simplistic and treacly. The time for even well-intentioned white savior stories is past. Racism is systemic, and treatments like this reinforce the false notion that it's just a personal issue.
Reviews
8 Reviews
The Breach
(I) (2014)
Brilliant documentary
25 January 2015
I am not generally a fan of environmental documentaries; many make a case by documenting often horrifying facts with no intent beyond good journalism or advocacy. As effective as this can be (e.g. Gasland), it's not art. The Breach is an exception; it's excellent storytelling that portrays the mutually beneficial relationship between salmon and humans, and leads us gradually to an implied call to arms. While I had some familiarity with a few of the issues involving salmon survival (dams, fish farms, fish ladders), The Breach clearly brought the impact to life, and I learned things I hadn't known before. I think the film succeeds with the gimmick of telling the story from the salmon's point of view. In any case, the cinematography is gorgeous, and The Breach demonstrates the critical importance of saving one of the last bodies of water where salmon and other wildlife can still thrive.
Haiku Tunnel
(2001)
Terrific satire of office life
26 September 2001
Very funny film. Anyone who's ever worked as a temp or any office job should get some major chuckles from this. J. Raoul Brody really nails the essence of a system administrator and Josh Kornbluth is great as the hapless temp to perm worker. Not a comedy classic, but a very amusing hour or so.
The Adventures of Felix
(2000)
Tres charmant!
15 August 2001
Although Felix is a quite delightful gay man, I would hate to see this wonderful film relegated to some "gay film" ghetto. Like most good films, the themes and characters are universal, and the interactions with various folks that he encounters in his five day journey from Normandy to Marseilles are completely entertaining. It is, in fact, very refreshing to see a gay character treated so matter-of-factly, but the film is well worth seeing for the story, to meet a collection of very interesting people, and to see the world through Felix's very open eyes. Although there is some violence and sexual activity that would make this film unsuitable for younger children, I'd recommend this for mature teenagers on up.
Km. 0
(2000)
A Delightful Romp!
22 June 2001
This is a completely entertaining, hilariously funny, film. The story revolves around a series of coincidences and mistaken identities among an attractive group of Madrilenos of varied ages and sexual inclinations on a scorching summer day. While the plot, as such, is completely ridiculous and fairly predictible, the performances are uniformly terrific, and there are some very amusing twists and turns on the way to the foregone conclusion. Well worth seeing, much more genuinely amusing than most Hollywood attempts at romantic comedy.
Lost and Delirious
(2001)
This story's been told too many times before
22 June 2001
This is a well-made film by a talented director, with good performances all around, and the angst of adolescent love is a perennial subject for film. In this case, the protagonist is an unstable young woman in love with another. While their relationship is portrayed realistically, and not trivialized as a schoolgirl crush, the conclusion of the film harkens back to the recent past, when tragedy was the only fate that could befall lesbians in film. The persistent metaphor of raptors soaring is a bit hackneyed, and ultimately, the film disappoints. Pool's Embrace-Moi is a much more satisfying effort.
Julie Johnson
(2001)
Bride of Good Will Hunting
22 June 2001
While there are some genuine moments between the characters portrayed by Lili Taylor and Courtney Love, the film as a whole is an unbelievable clunker that rings terribly false. The previously unrecognized scientific talent of the Taylor character is an unnecessary plot device; the story would be much more interesting if she was an average working-class woman seeking to continue her education. The characters, especially her husband, are portrayed as two-dimensional cliches. With a more talented director at the helm, this film might have been a good one, but Julie Johnson lacks the nuance and subtlety that make a film compelling.
Chill Factor
(1999)
Ready for Thanksgiving
27 August 1999
This film practically gobbles, it's so bad. At one point, I though it might even tip over to a parody of the thriller genre, but the funniest parts were unintentional. Cliches and unlikely, even impossible plot points and lack of continuity abounded. I realize the script was probably a first effort by a pair of 20-something boys, but these boys aren't even remotely clever. They shouldn't be allowed near a word processor (or better yet, a pitch meeting) ever again, at least not without adult supervision. And may the equally untalented director be similarly rewarded.
Cuba Gooding, who can be wonderful, was so hammy, he resembled Stephin Fetchit at several points. This was the first time I'd seen Skeet Ulrich, and he's a cute Johnny Depp lookalike, the perfect bookend for the Sharon Stone clone in one of the few female roles. David Paymer, who is usually a talented actor, has a grueling death scene in this that is unintentionally as funny as some of Bruce Vilanch's work.
I'm certain this film was created with the special effects first (gratuitous violence, literal cliffhangers, and things blowing up) and then a storyline was sketched out to incorporate this unlikely series of events. The plot, such as it is, involves a deadly substance, developed by the Paymer character, that Ulrich and Gooding, as two ordinary guys, are trying to keep out of the hands of the bad guys, a highly trained paramilitary group.
Unfortunately, I suspect this film will do fine at the box office, as some in the audience seemed to find it more entertaining than I did. While not my favorite genre, I like decent action thrillers (e.g. Escape from Alcatraz), and audience acceptance of dreck like this makes it even more difficult for more challenging films to get produced and released.
Cuba Gooding, who can be wonderful, was so hammy, he resembled Stephin Fetchit at several points. This was the first time I'd seen Skeet Ulrich, and he's a cute Johnny Depp lookalike, the perfect bookend for the Sharon Stone clone in one of the few female roles. David Paymer, who is usually a talented actor, has a grueling death scene in this that is unintentionally as funny as some of Bruce Vilanch's work.
I'm certain this film was created with the special effects first (gratuitous violence, literal cliffhangers, and things blowing up) and then a storyline was sketched out to incorporate this unlikely series of events. The plot, such as it is, involves a deadly substance, developed by the Paymer character, that Ulrich and Gooding, as two ordinary guys, are trying to keep out of the hands of the bad guys, a highly trained paramilitary group.
Unfortunately, I suspect this film will do fine at the box office, as some in the audience seemed to find it more entertaining than I did. While not my favorite genre, I like decent action thrillers (e.g. Escape from Alcatraz), and audience acceptance of dreck like this makes it even more difficult for more challenging films to get produced and released.
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