Reviews

Never saw this Dietrich film before. It is wonderful, considering that it was made 41 years ago. Two sequences stand out--- the party sequence (catch the costume in all the splendor black and white can provide) and the hilarious Dietrich/peasant scene. I couldn't believe it was Marlene at first. This film is a small gem!

Thrillers. In today's age we know the classics, Hitchcok, DePalma etc. then there are the obvious average thrillers that a viewer can figure out within the first five minutes. "What Lies Beneath" is what one has to call an above average thriller. Not bad, by any means, but not outstanding. The basic premise of the movie covers the gamut of thriller icons--missing individuals, a secluded wife, eerie dreams, sounds, film noir glimpses, night time scenes. The first half of the movie unwinds and had me going. I wasn't sure to what disclosure would start the plot to unravel. Interesting exposition, convincing performances, generally shocking moments. However, once the viewer is abruptly let in on the secret that has generated the momentum, the film falls flat and becomes the typical "cat and mouse" conflict. I have never really thought Michelle Pfeiffer was a great actress, but she does show considerable vulnerability as the heroine. Harrison Ford plays an atypical role and does it well. Plenty of thrills and moments but the whole picture looses steam once we know what's going on.

This will remain an obscure film unless the viewer is familiar with the play as originally written and staged. I saw the original production and a local production and the play deserves to remain on the stage. In opening up the film, we get a mystic view of pre-Hitler Berlin that i enjoyed and also some detailed shots of the countryside location and the harsh reality within the factory where prisoners are working. There are several intense scenes but the whole claustrophobic feeling generated on stage is never matched by the close-ups in the film.

"Music Lovers" has long been labored over as another of Ken Russell extravagant excess baggages. Seeing it again has made me realize that the film is rather brilliant--not in cinema style but in conception. From the very start it seems to capture the schizoid world of Tsaichovsky and the social milleau he was forced to grip with. The point of view shots and the subsequent dream sequences in the early portion of the film capture this in brilliant colors and sharp editing. As the musician falls into his double life the scnes build to the scarring climax. Performances are excellent. The film may not be totally accurate, but who cares?

I don't think there is anything wrong with a movie that sets up a simple premise and then explores it...as predictable as the premise may be. Such is the case of "Flawless". An injured homophobic cop who is injured is nursed back to health by a flaming drag queen. Nothing more. Wht is enjoyable about this film is the simple layers it unpeels in exploring this relationship. I found both players giving rewarding performances. It was interesting to see DeNiro play a character so one-sided and Hoffman playing his character with all the stereotyped nuances the role demands. No fully-developed characters but characters who re right on target with their limited character. The film may detour into the predictable but it is enjoyable and the closing credits are a gas!

I eagerly awaited this thriller because I really enjoyed the intense fear in "Silence of the Lambs". There's not much here. The movie lacks the claustrophic, mesmerizing effect that "Lambs" produced. It's like the whole plot had been diced into bits and pieces that don't fit together. The visual style vacillates between brooding atmosphere and glowing panoramics. Hopkins is gallant; Moore is serviceable but there's not much depth in-between. Very disappointed. Even the gore lacks any type of suspense.

Having just read the book and the reviews, I eagerly awaited seeing this film. Alas, I was very disappointed! The film made an attempt to reach the inner core of the novel but in doing so it lacked focus, characterization, emotional content,acting choices and a general sense of the confusion the novel suggested. Visually the film lacked the subtlety needed to suggest a drowning in the maelstrom the character fell into. Special eefects were admirable but detracted from any sense of story-telling. even though the novel is written through a stream-of consciousness flavor that I enjoyed, the film fell flat in suggesting the increasing horror the characters face. The only redeeming scene with any flavor of the book was the altercation between Harry and Sara about her addiction. I would much rather feel the flavor of destitution inflicted in such films as "Midnight Cowboy" or even "Transpotting" than the bleak dimmensions of this film.

I consider myself an above average film-goer. In fact I teach film. But what is this movie all about? I have no idea. It reminds me of Ken Russell directing Donald Duck in math land. I watched the whole movie but where was it going? If anyone can unriddle the secrets of "Pi", let me know.

If they can recall tires, they might as well recall this one. When is Hollywood going to abandon the little child possessed with an evil spirit en route to some type of foray which leads others into peril and the necessary hallucinatory dreams. Let's not forget "The Omen", "The Sixth Sense" and "Shining" ad nauseum which fostered this type of genre. This one is really limp. I found myself laughing at the most profound moments.

A pretty lame movie. Other than some special effects and quick editing the movie plods along and we wait for "The Exorcist" spurt of blood or whatever to keep it going. Too much rain/water effects/blood sogs the movie down. The casting is rather uninspired. Haven't we seen it before?

"Something for Everyone" is indeed a very black comedy. It has many of the touches Hal Prince is known for onstage including the marvelous Angela Lansbury. It attempts to set the sexual ambiguities of "Cabaret" in a small Bavarian village. Scenery and local touches are gorgeous.

Mr. DeMille exits his Hollywood career in the grandest style with this epic.Although the film contains several cosmetic additions to the Biblical Moses story it is told in broad strokes. The cast is top-notch (though campy in parts) but the special effects for their time are great!This was the first Biblical movie that made a lasting impression on me as a child. The exit from Egypt is indeed your cast of thousands!