judithfessbeggler Reviews

The Amityville Horror (2005)

Surprisingly effective...

[3 May 2005]

Ryan Reynolds stars as George Lutz, who moves his family into a dream home on Long Island only to discover the house holds a terrible, haunting secret. If you've seen the original 1979 AMITYVILLE HORROR, any of its sequels or rip-offs, or especially, Kubrick's THE SHINING, you know the rest. George begins to hear voice, the family seems ghosts, and at times, people seem "possessed". I expected far worse- there's been a glut of inept, nonsensical horror films released in the past few months (DARKNESS, CURSED, THE RING 2) but the 2005 AMITYVILLE HORROR is actually well-paced, and effectively scary, with a surprisingly believable performance by the former VAN WILDER, Ryan Reynolds.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Frantic and totally disappointing adaptation.

[4/10 · 3 May 2005]

I really enjoyed the first act of this film, a film that goes completely awry after a promising set-up. A Brit (Martin Freeman) learns his home is scheduled to be bulldozed in order to make way for a new highway. Moments later, his best friend (Mos Def) arrives and reveals that he's actually an alien, whisking him away on a spaceship seconds before the earth is blown to bits. There are clever (if totally obvious) parallels between our own industrialism and the earth's destruction- but as soon as the third rock from the sun explodes, the movie goes downhill. The heroes bounce from planet to planet, meeting strange new extraterrestrials with cultures that all seem to be odd parodies of our own- but the good jokes are lost somewhere amidst a jumble of confusing ideas and gags that just don't work. Martin Freeman is especially annoying, John Malkovich is wasted in a scene that goes nowhere, and Sam Rockwell is the only cast member who gets any laughs whatsoever in a frantic and totally disappointing adaptation.

Titanic (1997)

Truly epic romance and adventure...

[10/10 · 29 April 2005]

"Titanic" the film could have very easily been as big a tragedy as "Titanic" the ship. A three-hour-plus period piece that couldn't make its original release date (July 1997) and still ranks as the most expensive film of all time, "Titanic" seemed certain to sink when it was finally released in December of 1997. Its opening weekend was unremarkable- it barely reached the top of the box office and made just 10% of its budget back in that first 3 days... but then something amazing happened. Word-of-mouth has never been more explosive than in the case of "Titanic". For four straight months, the film dominated the world's box office, as audiences everywhere, young and old, male and female, were swept up by a perfect juxtaposition of adventure and romance. By breaking every box office record and sweeping the Academy Awards, "Titanic" was bound to garner a backlash- which may explain why many people seem to write this film off. But try to remember the first time you saw that CGI iceberg hitting the deck (before the Celine's theme song saturated the radio or Leo's face covered the magazines) and you have to agree that "Titanic" is truly breath-taking.

Holes (2003)

So much cooler and more interesting than the usual live-action Disney junk.

[9/10 · 27 April 2005]

HOLES is not your average Disney stuff- it's very, very fun, even for adults who usually cringe at the cutesy, focus-group designed "family entertainment" that Uncle Walt's studio passes off as live-action. Perhaps the secret of this film's success is in its faithfulness to the original book, which is a little bit darker than your average kid stuff. The action begins when Stanley Yelnats is sent to a boys' prison camp, where all the inmates are forced to dig holes under the desert sun as a form of rehibilitation. But as the story progresses, Stanley's tale becomes interwoven with that of a legendary treasure, and this adventure becomes ten times more fun than any Disney movie about an all-boy prison camp has any right to be. Jon Voight is especially nasty and colorful, and Sigourney Weaver is beautiful, as always.

About Schmidt (2002)

Big laughs from a sad little man.

[9/10 · 27 April 2005]

I felt compelled to comment on ABOUT SCHMIDT after another user gave this film a 1, and stated that the ads had been misleading because he didn't think it was a comedy. Well, you're entitled to your opinion, but here's some free advice if ABOUT SCHMIDT is your idea of a 1: stick to DODGEBALL. This wonderful, heartfelt film is wickedly funny, featuring Jack Nicholson's bravest, riskiest performance ever, as Warren R. Schmidt, a recently retired widower experiencing a late-life identity crisis. Writer/director Alexander Payne has a gift for wringing great lines and big laughs out of sad situations. These aren't the high energy, more obvious gags of, say, the Farrelly brothers- but make no mistake, ABOUT SCHMIDT is a comedy, and a magnificent one.

Secretary (2002)

Wonderfully offbeat and politically incorrect.

[8/10 · 27 April 2005]

SECRETARY is a complete surprise to anybody expecting a traditional love story. The film starts innocently enough with Maggie Gyllenhaal applying for the title position at James Spader's legal office. The relationship between these two soon blossoms into a weird, quirky game of sexual give-and-take, but it's all very funny and plays much lighter than one would expect. The third act is probably the weakest- the film runs a little bit longer than it needs to, and the tone is not quite as comic towards the end, but most of the gambles the filmmakers take pay off in big, big ways. Very original, and very politically incorrect, without ever being insensitive.

Paparazzi (2004)

Trashy b-movie thrills...

[5/10 · 27 April 2005]

It's a milestone in post-modernism that an entire movie has been dedicated to the mysterious figures known as PAPARAZZI, the freelance photographers who hunt down celebrities for candid pictures. Ironic- Americans are so obsessed with movie-star culture that even the bottom-feeders who take their photos are now a kind of star, thanks to PAPARAZZI and those "STARS UNCENSORED" shows. The title characters in this film are villains, naturally, since everybody who actually has a real job in Hollywood seems to consider them mortal enemies. Don't let Mel Gibson's producer credit fool you- there is nothing in this film that resembles Gibson's usual integrity. This is pure b-movie sleaze, and the filmmakers' contempt for the title characters comes across in every flame. Consider it every movie star's sick revenge fantasy- totally arrogant and unnecessary, but kind of compelling.