wcb Reviews

The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1998)

Lots more than innocence lost here.

[8/10 · 20 May 1999]

I just saw this film tonight at the Seattle International Film Festival, and was very favorably impressed. I think, while it's not a great movie, that it's a very good one, and well worth seeing. *** The title is a bit misleading, in that there is a lot more lost than innocence in this movie. There is loss of life, loss of control, loss of personal focus, loss of illusion. And while there's a lot of innocence lost as well, it's not just sexual innocence. In fact, if the title were just plain LOSS, it would fit perfectly-- though admittedly it wouldn't sell as well! *** The visual style reminds me of Bergman's *Wild Strawberries*, as does the constant interleaving of various time periods. This is a tale told visually, rather than with narration or dialogue. Figgis is no Bergman, but he succeeds to a very large extent. The only fault I find is that the Adam-Eve symbolism is rather heavy-handed. Other than that, this is excitingly different from the ordinary, and should provoke lots of discussion.

Dune (1984)

2nd worst movie I've ever seen

[1/10 · 23 January 1999]

Frank Herbert put on a good face and said he was pleased, but you could see the truth and the suffering in his eyes. He died shortly after release, probably to escape the horror. This movie sets special effects back by about a century or so, is a monument to bad acting and bad direction, and redefines "hopelessly muddled plotlines." Sad, because it's such a great book. If you've read the book you can barely figure out that it's supposed to be the same story. If you haven't read the book, you won't be able to understand even one thing that's going on. The sandworms are a joke, the stillsuit design completely ignores their purpose, the ornithopters are stupid, the space ships look like some kid playing with his mom's dishes, and the blue eyeballs look exactly like what they are-- some guy with an airbrush going over the movie frame by frame to try to convince you that these people really do have blue eyeballs. Not to mention that the musical score is a travesty. Can you tell?-- I hate this movie.

Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

a lot of subtleties

[11 January 1999]

There are many subtleties in this movie. First, the opening credits being entirely spoken rather than printed on the screen. Second, the double casting of Julie Christie as Montag's wife and as his new romantic interest-- in other words, we keep falling for the same person. Third, the parallel between the 'book people' who spend their lives reading and reciting books, and the 'TV' people, who spend their lives glued to the set and playing silly interactive games with it-- it would seem that, as opposed to the book, the movie is asking whether one obsession is actually any better than the other. Fourth, the movie successfully predicted, or at least anticipated, the Walkman and other earphone devices, as well as anonymous crime-reporting phone-lines.

Jane Eyre (1996)

Yes, she's a plain Jane, FINALLY!

[10 January 1999]

I've heard several critics put this movie down for casting the lead with an excessively plain actress. These people have evidently never read the book! That's one of the main points! I could never really buy Susannah York as Jane Eyre, because she's so beautiful. And Liz Taylor as the youngun? C'mon, give me a break-- was any kid ever more beautiful than she? Not that Anna Paquin is ugly, mind you, but they hide her subtle beauty well in this version. As a previous commenter says, by casting a plain person as Jane, Zeferelli has made it possible for the inner beauty to shine through. Bronte would have approved, I feel certain. And Hurt is great too, as usual.

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995)

Well, I'm going to break the tie-- I vote YES.

[10 January 1999]

Of the two comments so far, one is for, one against. Can't let that stand! I loved this movie. Not boring at all. Loved Hugh Grant (much better than in 4W&aFuneral). Loved EVERYBODY, even the dour surveyor. The humor is so subtle and insidious, the acting so underdone, the writing so sparkling, the plot so effervescently predictable in macro, but not in micro. The film score is wonderful, too, using as it does actual Welsh melodies rearranged into big 'movie soundtrack' full orchestration. And has there ever been a more beautiful cinematographic masterstroke than the torches on the mountain at sunset? I think not!

Little Buddha (1993)

Nothing wrong with slow.

[10 January 1999]

I certainly disagree with the commentary that calls this movie plotless. I agree that it's slow, but what's wrong with slow? Roger Ebert put the movie down by calling it 'Buddhist Sunday School.' True, the Buddha parts are simplistic, but then so is the original Buddha story. Slow, thoughtful, peaceful, subtly stimulating, and with a plot to end all plots-- the one-ness of all individuality. I much prefer this to the more recent Kundun, which tries to tell essentially the same story. In fact, Scorsese rips this movie off dreadfully, even to the same wiping out of the sand pattern at the end.

Comes a Horseman (1978)

Who said they don't make real villains any more?

[8/10 · 1 January 1999]

Jason Robards plays such a slimeball character in this that you know the ending from about the fourth minute. Nevertheless, it's a good story, with lots of hidden secrets to reveal. Caan plays a believable laid-back love interest for tough, gutsy Jane Fonda. The best thing is the photography, however-- in particular the dance scene, in which the camera follows Fonda and Caan as they move through a crowded outdoor dance floor without every losing either focus or the stars. Breathtaking. Some great mountains somewhere in Wyoming come close to stealing the show.

The Wings of the Dove (1997)

Subtlety is not dead

[10/10 · 31 October 1998]

It's nice to see that some directors still believe that a great movie is subtle. No need to hit audiences over the head to get the point across. Think 'Howard's End.' Think 'Remains of the Day.' Think 'A Passage to India.' Wings of the Dove is in the same league. Helena Bonham-Carter is magnificent as she takes us from thinking of her in sympathetic terms, to beginning to have second thoughts about her character, to becoming aghast at the cold calculation of her plot. No one is good or evil here, merely human and full of beauty, pain, and unworthiness. I loved it. And most of all, it's a moving PICTURE. The night scenes in the gondola are some of the greatest cinematography ever. 'Titanic' didn't come close.

The Horse Whisperer (1998)

Better than the book

[10/10 · 31 October 1998]

Wow, do I ever disagree with 'Anonymous,' who thought the book was better. Yes, I agree the book was well written and the opening scene is one of the most powerful I have ever read. BUT-- one of the marks of a great book is that the author creates believable characters and then lets them create the story. (A great author NEVER imposes a plot development or, especially, an ending, on his or her characters.) The ending of the book version is powerful, but contrived. There are many other ways out of the dilemma than the one Booker consciously or unconsciously takes. The ending of the MOVIE on the other hand grows directly out of the characters and is not imposed at all. And changing the ending allows the writers to take out the other contrived scene-- the one at the outbuilding during the dance. The ONLY criticism I have of the movie is that the events in the first third or so are too rushed-- more like a summary than a story. Of course I realize that nobody is going to go see a four hour movie, but that's how long it needed to be. The acting is great-- ALL of it, even Redford, who usually plays the same character over and over again, but not this time. Newman did a fabulous job on the music. And the cinematography has GOT to win an Oscar-- if not, there's no fairness in the world.

Earth 2: First Contact (1994) Season 1, Episode 1

Best Sci-Fi series ever; best TV any genre since Soap.

[10/10 · 22 September 1998]

Yes, yes, I know, the horse in a can was stupid; the guy in The Greatest Love Story Never told was a slime-ball; the special effects in Flower Child are laughable, etc., etc. But the major characters in this show are so real I feel as though I've always known them and always will. The premise is well thought out and convincing. The Terrians are great 'creatures.' The subtext is always amusing and relevant. The so-called 'cannibalism' episode is the most powerful hour of TV I have ever seen. The three Tim Curry episodes bristle with tension. I LOVE THIS SHOW.