Reviews

This movie is basically the dumbest of all the latest action flicks, with the exception of Battlefield Earth. There are some great stunts, and then more great stunts, but no character development or genuine dialogue. We are supposed to know everything about the Cruise character from his past action movies and assume that he and the "impossible-girl with no lines yet plenty of slow-mo screen time" fall instantly in love during the one night they spent together.

The first installment will go down as a much better film because it at least tried to create a plot that drove the movie instead of creating a series of absurd action scenes to drive a plot. Also, the fighting scenes look like a poor man's Matrix and Woo, as usual, makes himself noticed with overly sylistic shots.

All in all, an entertaining movie if you're willing to leave all reason and expectations at the ticket counter.

Daughters of The Dust was produced by Geechee Girls and American Playhouse Company. The movie main focus is on the Peazant women. Nana Peazant is played by Cora Lee Day, and Eula, her granddaughter, is played by Alva Rogers who is pregnant and has been raped by a landowner. Nana's granddaughter, Yellow Mary, is played by Barbara-O who is returning, with her friend Trula, from the mainland and her life as a prostitute and wet nurse. Haggar, who has married into the family, is played by Kaycee Moore and wants nothing to do with the old traditions. Similarly, the Christian Viola, played by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, is returning from her life on the mainland.

Daughters of the Dust is a film written and directed by Julie Dash. It tells the story of a family of African-Americans who have lived for many years on a Southern offshore island, and of how they come together one day in 1902 to celebrate their ancestors before some of them leave for the North. The film is narrated by an unborn child, and ancestors already dead also seem to be as present as the living.

Julie Dash underwent many hardships in bringing the story to the silver screen. She had severe budget constraints, filmed in mosquito and insect infested areas, was delayed by Hurricane Hugo, sidetracked by sudden and violent sandstorms, and was forced to decide to either have a child or make the movie. In the end, she choose to give birth and nurture the story Daugthers of the Dust and the result is an unconventional masterpiece.

Initially, the response by white male critics was not favorable and they accused Dash of not adequately explaining the Gullah people, their culture, and their religious traditions. While attacking Dash, these critics failed to acknowledge many positive aspects of the film. The reasons behind this, according to Bell Hooks, is that "we've never been taught, most of us, in any history class that black people had different languages, had different religious practices, etc. So, to some extent, the film represents that challenge to a critic of any race" to review something they are not familiar with.

Because of these reviews and the fact that movie tells the story of African American women in an unconventional manner, it would seem to have slim commercial prospects. However, through word of mouth and some positive reviews it was able to generate a cult following. To date, the film has grossed 1.6 million from a budget of only 800,000.

The Newark Black Film Festival has chosen Daughters as the Film of The Century while the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound Magazine chose the soundtrack as one of the best in the past 25 years. It also received the Best Cinematography award at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991.

I believe the film hits the viewer on various levels. By placing the story in the early 1900's, Dash is able to show us a turbulent time for African-Americans and address many issues such as migration, lynching, and the changing African-American culture. Dash also shows and teaches us about Ibo culture and it's importance in the lives of those inhabiting the Sea Coast Islands, not just the African-Americans sharing the Gullah culture, but also the Native Americans, Muslims, and Christians.

Here's another Altman film that gives us a great cast and tells us each one of their stories as they overlap, depress, and amuse us. He shows us the a wide variety of professionals all sliding their way through life, all waiting for some event to justify thier existence, baffled at the place they are in life. Many of the stories are funny, such as Burton's, where he constantly lies and cheats on his wife only to use bogus cop stories to cover up his whearabouts. These fabrications are believed by no one but provide comedy for his wife and a sense of importance for Burton, even though he knows these stories aren't true, he states them in such a matter-of-fact manner that you sense he wants, and needs, to believe them. Altman doesn't just tell one side of each story but instead focuses on each character's counterpart. He shows us the life of Burton's mistress and her ex-husband and son; he shows not only a married couple invited to dinner by another couple but all four people's lives. While some stories are funny, other stories are tragic such as the young child hit by a car and the neglected chelloist. Overall this is a touching story that will entertain and touch you.

Fallen is a creative idea that is executed well and is a very entertaining movie. That being said, it has a few flaws, mainly in the casting of the characters. John Goodman plays his typical nice guy character throughout the movie, but you always sense his "Barton Fink" character underneath. Denzel Washington is convincing as a warm-hearted cop, but not as a noir hero trapped by evil. Because Washington is so good-humored, a horror/noir movie ends on a note that is more matter-of-fact than dark. I would have liked to have seen someone less fimiliar for Goodman's character and someone more depressed and desparate in Washington's place. The movie is solid, mostly due to the frightening ideas and filming techniques. Unlike most "horror" flicks that rely heavily on special effects, this one tends to challenge your mind instead of you eyes which makes some scenes completely erie and scary. All in all, the movie is worth watching but not more than once.