Change Your Image
pmcilvaine
Reviews
The Interpreter (2005)
Good Thriller/Weak Ending
I'm pretty much in agreement with most of the comments. Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman were excellent, even though there was no "screen chemistry" between them. As such, that was a letdown, as the script led us to believe that there would be a romantic subplot. As it was, when Kidman finally reveals that she had an affair with a black activist, I nearly missed it. The revelation had all the impact of a laundry list.
IMO, this script suffered from the all too familiar illness of saddling the main characters with "too much back story". For actors of Penn and Kidman's caliber, they need scenes to show off their acting chops. I would bet that somewhere along the line (probably in development), the decision was made to give their characters more "depth". The end result was that their characters nearly collapsed from the weight of all that excess baggage.
The script also suffered from another, potentially fatal ailment: "coincidence reflux" as it related to Kidman's character. We're asked to "suspend our disbelief" one too many times.
Sydney Pollack is a wonderful director. I LOVED the bus sequence, which made the subsequent denouement all the more disappointing.
After the Sunset (2004)
Eye Candy in the Caribbean
You could find worse ways to waste two hours. Brosnan is in fine form, damn, he's like Sean Connery, the older he gets, the better he looks. Harrelson does a nice comic turn as the FBI agent, and its true, the chemistry between Brosnan and Harrelson is better than Brosnan and Selma. Now that would've made an interesting movie!
As for the plot...ahem. Okay, so its supposed to be a caper movie, but in reality, it's just Selma in sexy lingerie and that gorgeous beach background. Other than stand around and look sultry, Selma doesn't have all that much to do. Oh, I almost forgot, Don Cheadle is also around for quick payday as the baddie, but he earns his dough.
The ending is as predictable as ham on rye, but hey, when you've got Pierce looking that good with a week old beard...who cares?
Unadulterated (2006)
Troll Alert!
Disclosure: this short was filmed in my house, so I know the story and the director/writer quite well.
The "supposed" review of this short could be applied to ANY film. There is not one detail in this "alledged" review which would lead one to believe that this "critic" had even seen the short (and since it was a local production, I tend to think not).
A valid critique is one thing, but to slam and trash is another. Sure, this short isn't going to win an Academy Award, but that's not the point. Even Spielberg had to start somewhere. Give struggling artistes a break, will ya?
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
10++++++
I adored this movie. If it doesn't get an Oscar for Best Picture, something is very rotten in La La Land. It was uniformly superb. The battle scenes were stunning. I got dizzy watching them! I applaud Peter Jackson and the rest of the Fellowship.