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Reviews
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Was Pacino serious? SPOILERS
I can't believe how bad Pacino's performance is, especially in the climax, which is ten minutes too long and way over-the-mount with the devil's ridiculous, poorly-written ranting. Bluh-bluh-bluh. Not compelling. Uninspired. Boring. I lost track of the dude's point: too much shouting.
Reeves: good from the get-go with his dark "I'm gonna win" sin-grin in the bathroom mirror, which was spookier than all Pacino's subsequent screaming. The accents weren't good, but Charlize and Keanu (and everyone else) make Pacino look like a one-trick-pony trying hard to be scary.
Charlize's heartbreaker suicide scene is the scariest, most compelling in the movie. All the performances in it are GREAT.
This movie's too long, gives Pacino too many lines, has too much dialogue. Would be a better movie, and LESS preachy, if the reporter at the end had come from up above.
Shoulda let me enjoy my character arc for more than two minutes. And shoulda let Reeves and Theron have the last "word". This is clearly their movie, not Pacino's.
Alex & Emma (2003)
About the cliches...
Yes, this movie is full of cliches. That's the whole point. Yes, Alex is not Tolstoy. Again, the point. After reading the reviews I expected something terrible. But I DID laugh -- outloud -- in the first scene. And a few other times, actually.
The Cuban thugs, the ice cream cones and the walk in the park, the love triangle, the situation-romance, the picky, cute, finicky woman: all cliches. And the movie knows it. Cliches become cliches for a reason.
Some good one-liners. Luke Wilson is so handsome it hurts, and funny to boot. I think this movie's main problems are in editing and soundtrack. Yikes. Luke was lit beautifully, Kate drearily. Really, the cinematography was dreary in general.
Seems Luke and Kate were trying too hard to stay "just friends" during filming. Got the feeling these two people (not the characters) ARE quite attracted to each other after all -- but were fighting to keep that real spark in check. The result? Tamped chemistry.
Could've been better, but not the fiasco some are making it out to be. Except the end. Emma's resistance was unbelievable and poorly written. And not the best kissing I've ever seen. Again, I think they were trying to keep it in check. Now, THAT is interesting to ponder, eh?
Luke Wilson is so hot it hurts. I could've watched with the sound down.
Out of Order (2003)
Suffers from too much "style."
I like Stoltz so I tuned in. He's good in this, but - WOW - Felicity Huffman is humming at a sky-high level here: she's better than the pretentious writing (who cares if Spielberg is across the soccer field watching his kid?). Gimmicks: talking fish and cats, camera and crew in a few shots. Blech. And the voice over is distracting instead of illuminating. Repetitious lines something like, "Oh, judge and jury out in TV land," minimized me into something I'm not. I say 86 the self-indulgent, rationalizing voice over and just let Stoltz act his heart out. Mature themes need mature voice over. It's not their mistakes keeping me from caring about these folks -- it's the style of the show. The William Goldman quote feels plunked in as if the writers just couldn't wait to use it. Coulda been done more seamlessly. The ending missed also -- too stylized, and the actors looked physically uncomfortable. That was distracting as well.
I got the point: we're all just humans, after all. I didn't need the movie to TELL me that; isn't that what ALL movies teach us? Good ones, anyway. No new news, here. I'm afraid the self-conscious writers have been out cast by these good actors. If this series continues I hope they drop the gimmicky stylized bells-and-whistles and simply let these actors have all the attention. Trust the talent. THEN it will be good. THEN I might be moved.