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Reviews
Shopgirl (2005)
An intriguing failure
Watch "Lost in Translation" and then this, and ponder why the former is a gem and this an interesting failure. A thirty minute contemplation will be as worthwhile as film school. This film feels tragically inorganic, desperately edited and re-edited, and then suffused with a narration that basically admits the original attempt at narrative didn't work. Claire Danes, without whom this film would probably not really merit this much discussion, is nevertheless ironically miscast. There is an exquisite elegance to Danes that implies her character possesses a profundity that's not really there. It tricks you into at first into believing there is more to the film than there actually is. It's a glimmer of Kieslowki padded out with a huge dose of Hamburger Helper, a cri de couer that's ultimately smothered by inadequate direction. I don't understand why Martin didn't direct it himself, so that if it were to fail, it would fail on the original auteur's terms. I'm not someone who glibly points to an excess of voice over as a sure fire indication that the material is not there, but in this case it's unmistakable. Martin's narration sounds like a glowing interpretation of the film he would like to have made, a film which would have allowed viewers to draw inferences rather than having them explained. An uneasy marriage of the French 'art' film, the undershot student film, and the bang'em over the head Hollywood film. We can learn much from failure, and for budding confessionalist filmmakers,this is an object lesson.
Derailed (2005)
A complete disaster
For students of truly bad films, this is a must. Rarely can a film with this large a budget reveal it's awfulness as swiftly as this one does. Derivative, uninspired, perfunctory, -- these are its less glaring flaws. Clive Owen is as miscast as any actor in any part since Dick Van Dyke in "Merry Poppins". The chemistry he has with Aniston is less than zero. Weinstein would have been wise to pull the plug on this after seeing the first dailies. I would say it's a mystery as to why this was made, but its current rating (6.5) seems to indicate there are a significant number of people willing to accept anything with Jennifer Aniston, decent production values and an intellectually undemanding plot. Someone must have seen "Unfaithful" and wagered they could make an even worse film in a vaguely similar vein. They won.
Breezy (1973)
Worthy of Note -- Quite bizarre
This film is interesting for a number of reasons. I saw it at 12, when it first came out, and again at 45, and it felt creepy each time. Holden, who was 53, but had the drinkers' face of a 60 year-old is really tough to buy in a relationship with the nubile 17 year-old Lenz plays (Breezy). His character Frank is so crusty and grumpy, he would be more at home in a Cheever short story as a life lesson of middle age foolishness that the symbol of hope he is meant to be. A real estate agent who doesn't even have an office, but rather a desk in front of the huge plate glass window of his company's tacky office, Frank somehow lives in a luxurious, elaborated furnished dream house. When Breezy, a homeless hippie barges into his extremely exposed home(double height windows, isolated in the hills above LA) with her long straight black hair and floppy hat, I could not stop thinking that Frank's mind must be on the Manson Murders of only a couple years before, and Charlie's girl Susan Atkins, who Lenz could easily have portrayed in Helter Skelter. I'd love to know if that discussion ever arose on the set. How could the not have? Sociologically, while the Frank of 1973 is just moderately ill-at ease with the logistics of the relationship, if this film was made today, it would be a cause celebre, with Bill O'Reilly calling for Frank to be jailed and his name blasted across the internet as a sex offender.
Come to think of it, I'm afraid Arthur (Dudley Moore) would not be such a crowd favorite these days either, with his devil may care attitude towards alcohol abuse and drunk driving. If we're right about all this now, were we all completely insane such a brief time ago? what's happening in our culture?
Finally, a not very good film which Eastwood inexplicably calls own of his best, this looks like an ABC movie of the week with nudity. Nevertheless, it has enough curiosities to it to make it compulsive viewing.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
The emperor has no clothes!
This is an awful film from an excellent director, one of the finest working today. whatever he was trying to communicate here was completely lost on me, and 'artistic' touches like the unbearable soundtrack and hideous cinematography completely alienated me. There was absolutely no electricity between Sandler and Watson, and no possible clue as to what would draw her to him. If this film had been made by Joe Bloggs, firstly, it would never have been made, and secondly, it would have been trashed. Instead, insecure cineastes struggle desperately to find merit in this disaster, presuming that if they don't get it, they're the ones lacking. (Much like the nuts who like Eyes Wide Shut). Sometimes, if a film seems bad, it is bad, regardless of who made it.
The Art of Murder (1999)
Film noir setup with some imaginative plot twists,
A decent script with innovative (and believable) plot twists can be found if one dusts away the substandard acting and directing. Sadly, Moriarty appears to be barely able to stand during most scenes. The once beautiful Pakula is too old to play this role, and exhibits the enthusiasm of a beaten mule. Peter Onorati is pedestrian as a villain who should be played as a maniac. Interesting the wish list for casting in this was: Gene Hackman (in Moriarty's role) Alec Baldwin (as Tony) Rachel Ward in Pakula's role, and Willem Dafoe in Onorati's role. (script was written in mid -eighties) The original setting was Charleston, South Carolina, with the principles members of the southern aristocracy.
Into My Heart (1998)
An investigation of human behavior and moral relativism, as a young man falls in love with his best friend's wife.
I loved this film. It deserves and demands a truly attentive viewing,and rewards that attention with a wealth of insight, nuance, and moments of emotion so striking and realistic they're almost heartbreaking to watch. The acting and dialog is absolutely first rate, and the chilly feel evoked by the unblinking location shooting in Manhattan and The Berkshires brilliantly underscores the film's themes of love, envy and betrayal. It's hard to believe how this missed being a bigger film. Much more ballyhooed projects have tackled similar themes far less adeptly.
Into My Heart is an overlooked gem, brimming with sincerity; It touches your heart and mind in subtle, sometimes unnerving ways, and lingers long after the final credits. Film lovers should put this one on their must see list.
Winter Kills (1979)
An assassinated president's younger brother tumbles into an Alice in Wonderland world as he searches for the real killer.
Winter Kills is a wild, breakneck ride, impossible not to enjoy if you can muster up a two hour attention. Dullards who like to browse or half-watch will be quickly mystified and thus bored, but this film rewards those who make the investment. An excellent, creepy movie--funny and insightful, particularly relevant in these strange and disturbing days. John Huston gives a great over-the-top performance that seems more like a cartoon version of himself than the Joe Kennedy caricature he is meant to be. Tony Perkins is the embodiment of everyone's paranoid suspicions about who really runs things. Karl Rove must have sat spellbound in the theater as a young homunculus, taking notes as he ate his popcorn. Bizarre cameos and way inside references provide the icing on the cake.