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jmajor
Reviews
The Amati Girls (2000)
Didn't want to see the movie end.
It is a rare occasion when I want to see a movie again. "The Amati Girls" is such a movie. In old time movie theaters I would have stayed put for more showings. Was this story autobiographical for the writer/director? It has the aura of reality.
The all star cast present their characters believably and with tenderness. Who would not want Mercedes Ruehl as an older sister? I have loved her work since "For Roseanna".
With most movies, one suspends belief because we know that it is the work of actors, producers, directors, sound technicians, etc. It was hard to suspend such belief in "The Amati Girls". One feels such a part of this family! How I wanted to come to the defense of Dolores when her family is stifling her emotional life. And wanted to cheer Lee Grant as she levels criticism at Cloris Leachman's hair color. The humor throughout is not belly laugh humor, but instead has a feel-good quality that satisfies far more than pratfalls and such.
The love that is portrayed in this cinema family is to be emulated and cherished.
It is no coincidence that the family name, Amati, translated from the Italian means 'the loved ones'.
I Dreamed of Africa (2000)
Disjointed, yes, but. . .
The film is admittedly disjointed; blocks of time are omitted with little or no transition. That being said, this film deserves a closer admiring look at direction, photography and acting. Director Hugh Hudson brings alive the relationship between Basinger and Perez with all of its ups and downs. The photography enhances emotional moments with stunning close-ups of faces. Basinger's strong suit is her believability in recreating scenes of panic, grief, hopefulness, anger. At first I thought the movie was simply "Out of Africa, Part II"; but it surpasses even that film with its character development and photography of African vistas.
The Great Santini (1979)
Worth seeing several times
The story of a warrior without a war - so he makes war on his family. Robert Duvall is superb, as is Blythe Danner, his on-screen wife. Technically and emotionally accurate portrayal of a family's life in the military. A film on many levels - worth seeing several times.