movie reviews, Volume 4 number 8, September/October 2002, © by Thela Clayton Video Dreamland Ah...September. The season of the blue tarp. From the plane over Seattle, you can see miles of them. On the news, I see them in every foreign country. I missed the boat; I should have invested a thousand dollars in that company. But back to September--things to do. First, make sure you pull the snow shovel out now and put it in plain sight. Second, mow the lawn to get rid of the leaves. Third, size up that log pile, you can never have too many. Fourth, cover all precious, worthy, ‘can’t-live-without-it’ items under the blue tarp. Then take a moment for silent prayer and feel the unity of all the humans around the world who own one of these truly obnoxious colored tarpaulins. For:
Last Order, R I do so like those English films that capture a slice of life. In this one, we meet a character named Jack, portrayed by Michael Caine. Jack has just died and the film opens on the day his friends and son gather to honor his ‘last order’ and spread his ashes in the sea. During the trip, each character reflects on his relationship with Jack, covering a fifty-year span. Besides Michael Caine, Helen Mirren and Bo Hopkins deliver well-rounded, solid performances. Playing the widow and best friend, we see the influence of Jack and his contribution to the attributes and faults in their own life values. None of the characters do heroic deeds, yet the film shows that there is a hero living in each of us. Each of us is very powerful in our personality and our continuity exists beyond our death to influence the relationship we shared with loved ones. There were moments where the English slang zipped right past me, but if you enjoy films about the ordinary person--this film is made for you. Pivoting around Jack’s death, this movie remains upbeat and ends on a lovely high note. In the Bedroom, R There is an old valentine saying from when I was a child: "Your eyes are like deep pools--cesspools." That pretty well sums up the eyes of Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson in this film. Beware, this movie was nominated for Best Picture. Not only did I rent it, but sat all the way through it, convinced it would redeem itself at any moment. It ended up being predictable and boring. The story line consists of a college son having an affair with a married woman with two kids, whereby he gets shot by an estranged husband. Mother and father are sad and not happy with the courtroom outcome. One, the film is full of inconsistencies. It just doesn’t make sense at times. Second, the mother and father figures are supposed to be stoic in nature, but their lack of compassion created no compassion in me for their situation. As a reviewer looking at those empty eyes, I saw nothing but empty hearts. If you want a downer, believe me, there are far better films out there to choose from. This dull film should have been left to rust in the snow, because it’s cold--brrrr--bitter cold. Rare Birds, R I passed over this video several times before I rented it. Then came the night I needed a light romantic comedy and it proved itself to be a wonderful little offbeat gem in the rough. William Hurt plays Dave, a real doofus character, who owns a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, near a small village in either Newfoundland or Nova Scotia. His good friend is Flinn, who is always ready with a plan A, plan B, and if needed a plan C. Needing to stimulate the restaurant business, they concoct a story about seeing an extinct species of duck near the restaurant. Dave is paranoid as heck that he will be caught, and his paranoia is only heightened by the spies Flinn refers to as the ‘winnabagos.’ Flinn is an inventor, and wait until you see his contraption. Flinn is played by Andy Jones and provides the comic relief to Hurt’s straight man. The R rating is for the drug usage (though pretty funny) in this film. It’s a quirky, lighthearted film that produces lots of giggles instead of big belly laughs. You’ll feel lighter just knowing there is always a plan C. P.S.: Hurt has turned me off in his last few films, but he redeems himself here. For didn’t we always think he was part doofus from all the rest of his roles? Birthday Girl, R It’s only worth a dollar because it’s only a half-decent film. Nicole Kidman is the Russian mail-order bride found through the internet by the Englishman, Ben Chaplin. Of course, she is part of a con team to shake down the lonely westerner for his money. This film has a few good moments but overall, it’s a plain cheese pizza. But come winter, nothing else on the shelf--you could do worse. Besides, I like Nicole. Breaking the Waves, R Wold you like to see something really different? This foreign film is English, I believe, filmed in Scotland. This is the romantic tale of Bess and Jan, set in the ‘70s, and broken into chapters with an epilogue. The wonderful sound track features a prefigurative song and painted landscape that melts into reality at the beginning of each chapter. Emily Watson and Stellan Skargard portray our lovers, whom we meet on their wedding day. Bess is part of a small village and church community, wary of outsiders. Jan is the oil field worker on a derrick in the North Sea. It is with grave trepidation that her parents relent and allow the marriage. Happiness is abundant until Jan returns to his job where he suffers a paralytic injury. Bess, in her devoutly religious beliefs, holds the same honorable esteem for her husband as she does for God. Jan, believing he will die, tells Bess to take a lover. Things get pretty complicated from then on. Several different filming methods were used, so that we may examine our thoughts of the events from different angles. It will be presented to you that Bess is a feeble-minded girl; however, Ruben and I both do not think that is the case. This film can be fun palaver among friends come January, as any fundamentalist religion can be detrimental to its believers. Look beneath Bess’s character, for she serves as a reminder that metaphysically we first dream, then fashion and create, then live the reality we built. Who is to say that reality must fit the norms of society? This is my favorite pick of the month. Made for adults with a mature theme and brief male and female nudity. Believe me--you really don’t want to explain this film to some thirteen-year-old. | ||
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