A rarity in modern cinema, In the Bedroom is a movie for thinking adults that is one of the most thorough yet subtle examinations of violence and its consequences I've ever seen. Tom Wilkerson gives a masterful and restrained performance, and Sissy Spacek and nearly everyone else is uniformly excellent. Although it is a searing and unflinching look at nearly unspeakable grief, it is poignant and thoughtful and even has scenes of humor if you are ready for it. Todd Field's screenplay is one of the most brilliant in recent memory. I really wish we had more mature stuff like this coming out of Hollywood. Powerful films that deal with violence and its aftermath and meaning like this make films like Kill Bill look even more repellent than they already are.
Reviews
6 Reviews
The Gorilla Man
(1943)
decent film, misleading title
29 October 2003
This breezy, hour-long 1942 movie sports a wildly misleading title. It's not a thriller or horror movie at all, but rather a spy film. It features Warner Bros. staple John Loder in a convincing performance as a shell shocked Army captain who gets sucked into some intrigue involving Nazis. Provocative and taut for a B picture; catch it on Turner Classic when you can.
Training Day
(2001)
solid crime drama
19 October 2003
This is a well-crafted, taut crime film with not too much corn, which is refreshing in H'wood these days. It was fun to see Denzel Washington play a bad guy for a change; he deserved the Oscar. E. Hawke, T. Berenger, H. Yulin & even Snoop Dogg were good. This is the kind of tense, interesting, character-driven thing that Quentin Tarantino should be doing instead of making ridiculous Matrix-style martial arts garbage for the masses.
Moment by Moment
(1978)
Why Lily Tomlin?
16 October 2003
This is a plodding, slow, not very interesting or engaging love story featuring John Travolta right before he faded into oblivion in the 1980's. It is one of the great Hollywood mysteries why on earth a decidedly unattractive and not very good actress like Lily Tomlin was cast here, except I understand she's great friends w/ Dir. Jane Wagner (who is terrible by the way). I know they needed an older woman, but, geez. Even dumpy Jill Clayburgh or Beverly D'Angelo would have been more acceptable. Damn, I would have settled for Delta Burke or Phyllis George.
Bad Boys II
(2003)
vulgarity synopsis
9 August 2003
I was expecting a breezy , silly action flick but I wasn't quite prepared for something this aggressively disgusting and profane. I didn't need to spend 10 bucks to see rats copulating or jokes involving cadavers. There was also a stupid bit where they menace a teenager and stick a gun in his face for cheap laughs. Martin Lawrence & Joe Pantoliano had some energy and humor, but Will Smith was very annoying. This piece of trash made Coyote Ugly look intelligent.....I was the stupid one for trying a Bruckheimer flick.
Fall: The Price of Silence
(2001)
The Virtues of Guilty Pleasures
17 November 2002
When I selected this title on a decidedly busy, rainy night w/ a slim selection, I knew I wasn't settling in for a night of Shakespeare. I saw the cast was a hodgepodge of direct-to-video staples, but I wasn't prepared for how jaw-dropping inept and poorly produced this was. The dialogue and over-the-top acting are beyond juvenile in this failed road film. This movie is a peculiar kind of train wreck as you can't help but stare at this mindless production and wonder how it ever secured a distributor. You'll also curse Quentin Tarantino and the day he was born as he was the obvious influence to this debacle. Even Tarantino, not known for his smart acting choices,knew to stay away from this drivel. I should also note that Daniel Baldwin, the least talented of an overrated acting family, shows signs he's still on the pipe, and that Mike Madsen is becoming the funniest walking self-parody since Mickey Rourke. I look forward to THEIR direct-to-video collaboration (hopefully w/ Daniel Baldwin directing).
Tell Your Friends