jengod-2 Reviews

The Village (2004)

This movie is not a horror movie

[7/10 · 13 February 2005]

This movie is not a horror movie--it's an allegory about control versus liberty and innocence versus amorality. It's closer to *The Truman Show* than it is to any horror movie. New Urbanism, indeed. At first I thought the death of Noah at Ivy's hand was some kind of justice, but I eventually saw that it was in fact the death of an innocent, not at the hand of particular criminal, but as a consequence of the corruption innate in the premise of the Village. William Hurt's character's fundamental deviousness and duplicity is demonstrated in his choice to send the blind girl out to see the real world--she was the only who got leave and return without being immediately transformed. I wish this movie had a part two and three, because I have no doubt that a slow revelation of the truth is at hand. The story of the Village is incomplete, and that's what was frustrating to me, not the infamously unsatisfying reveal at the end. A fascinating cautionary tale.

Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

Hysterical

[24 August 2003]

Best imagery of the Thin Man movies--the scene on the Golden Gate is fabulous--and hysterical. So. Damn. Witty.

Why in the hecking heck isn't the Thin Man series available as a DVD box set?! It seems like such a gimme! Is there some rights question I don't know about?

Down with Love (2003)

Dammit, this was great. I was planning on hating it, too.

[24 May 2003]

I saw this over the weekend, because <I>Bruce Almighty</i> wasn't starting for an hour. I figured I'd catch the first few minutes of <I>Down with Love</i> and then slip into the <i>Almighty</i> screening. Suffice it to say, I stayed through all of <I>Down with Love</i>. I'm so sad there were only five or six people in the theater with me. I was thinking that the sugary sweet world of Day-Hudson would be incredibly annoying, but the cast, crew, writers and set designers made it a perfect balance between twerpy '60s homage, and modern smarter-than-thou romantic comedy. The plot is more involved than you'd expect, every actor is pitch perfect, the throwaway lines are, in the parlance of the movie, "a gas." You won't believe me until you see it for yourself, but this is a real charmer.

Love in the Afternoon (1957)

Hideous!

[3/10 · 20 January 2002]

What a wretched movie! I didn't know until after the fact that it was a

Billy Wilder and now I'm even more disappointed. In short, it

makes my little feminist heart break. Audrey Hepburn is a ninny,

Gary Cooper is one of the most romantically and morally

unattractive leading men in history, the plot is non-existent and

long stretches of the film flop to the ground. Maurice Chevalier is

pretty decent, wise and interesting, but for the most part there's

nothing even a little lovable about this love story. By far the worst

Audrey Hepburn movie I've ever seen, although Charade is a close

second.

Masquerade (1988)

Very Dick Wolf... A long, sexy episode of L&O.

[7 January 2002]

Okay, could Rob Lowe be more naked in more movies? That said, this isn't bad it all. It's very Dick Wolf in the incredible number of switchbacks the storyline endures, but essentially compelling and capable of retaining surprise. The end is ham-handed at best, and Jennifer Tilly is essentially a cardboard cut-out good girl with her little lace collars. Both Rob Lowe and Doug Savant are competent and almost complicated as prominent figures in the heiress' life. Rob Lowe is perfect for the role, although the director doesn't make the most of either his complexity or his simplicity, whichever way you choose to see it. Doug Savant is especially sharp, but his character's emotional motivation is never clear and the extent of his involvement remains murky. (For example, did the mother die accidentally or on purpose?)

Quiet Days in Hollywood (1997)

Incoherent, amateur-hour crap.

[23 June 2001]

Lordy this movie is bad! I rented it because I'm up for anything set in L.A., but I gave up less than halfway through because it's all but unwatchable. The director is reasonably competent from a visual standpoint, but it doesn't matter. The characters lack any kind of charm, although Daryl Williams' natural charisma manages to occasionally overwhelm the idiocy of the writing. The voices of the characters are so angry and obscene it's revolting and the audience has no choice to reject them all, especially Chad Lowe's malicious suit. Natasha Gregson Wagner is lovely, but she, like all her fellow characters, talks too much and says nothing. This film is bereft of plot and fundamentally, criminally incompetent. Don't even think about renting it.

Winding Roads (1999)

Pretty sharp indie film.

[11 April 2001]

Somebody get this film a distributor, quick! With James Marsters, Michael Weatherly and Rachel Hunter, the star power alone will drive this movie to success, but even more it's an elegantly produced, realistic drama. Set in a tight-knit community of young people, the "winding roads" of the title describe the surprising twists and turns of their broken hearts, new opportunities and second chances. Beautiful cinematography and excellent performances, especially by Marsters, Bronson and Hunter.