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adamdwyer
Reviews
The Village (2004)
The Village Of Lies
The biggest problem with this film is not the film itself but the marketing of it. The synopsis, the trailer and other promotional materials of this movie are misleading to the point of being a bold lie. That aside, the film is really not that great: M. Night tries stretch out the suspense but it ends up becoming thin and boring in places; Brody's mentally-handicapped character remarkably manages to overcome his disability at just the right moments, over-conveniently serving the plot. Although, for the most part M. Night's talent as a director is on full display; as well, he has assembled a great cast (as usual).
Nonetheless, I can't help but feel disappointed in the fact that I didn't get what I was promised in the ads. Many people are going to see this film because they know there is a surprise ending, but I'm willing to bet that most (if not all) of them will walk unsatisfied, even feeling cheated, largely due to the mishandling by the marketing department. 6 outta 10.
Dragonwheel (2002)
Kind of delightful
A low, low budget romantic comedy. The cheapness of this movie seemed to add to its hilarity. I didn't buy the kids as a boy-band -- they just didn't look right. But they were funny because of that. The male and female leads did rather well respectively. The dialogue was fairly well written; very funny in places (especially some of lines the boy-band members say, like the eleven-year-old who insists he is gay). But overall the writing was not very good and the film lacked direction. In spite of this, I somehow found Dragonwheel (albeit, not a good title) to be a charming little movie.
6.5 outta 10.
The Hours (2002)
Powerful and Haunting
Like most truly great films, THE HOURS isn't a film for everyone.
This one is for those filmgoers with an acquired taste (like for fine
wine). THE HOURS has been often criticized for being too long;
but, if you think about it, three intercut stories in two hours... that is
concise. Stephen Daldry has done a marvelous job. All three
stories connect smoothly. This is greatly due to the beautiful
score by Philip Glass. David Hare displays some the best
screenwriting in recent years. All performances are great. The
reason most people won't like this movie is because it is very
dark, showing people full of despair, people who dream of self- killing. Oddly, suicide in this film is examined as a positive
solution to the characters's situations. (People in Eastern cultures
are more likely not to find this so odd.) As dark as this picture may
seem, it is not void of hope. You just have to look....
A perfect 10/10!
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Very Good Remake = Fairly Good Movie
Of course there is no way director Marcus Nispel could have topped the original. The 1974 film was crazier, at times even subtle, and had a greater social commentary underlining it. This remake is more violent and certainly gorier. Nispel's CHAINSAW has a few scares in it -- some cliche (in these films we always see a friend scaring a friend in what can only be called a "false scare") and some genuine. The lovely Jennifer Biel allows herself to be dirtied -- and bloodied -- up in this flick. Most of the time she is running around wet in a white t-shirt at night, but she never quite looks cold enough (if you know what I mean). Nonetheless, she gives a very good performance. And it is good to see John Laroquette reprise his role as the narrator. The film looks great. The music is very good. For fans of the genre, this is worth seeing. This remake is better than most and, in a time when it seems that Hollywood is only interested in producing remakes and sequels, that says a lot. It is too bad that in re-imagining this modern "grim" fairytale, Nispel jettisoned the subtlety and creepiness of the original, instead he just pounds us over the head, and eventually nullifies us, with shock after shock as fast as the plot will allow. But that's been the trend in Hollywood horror movies since the 80's. Oh well. A gift-wrapped 7 outta 10.
Cabin Fever (2002)
Possibly a cure for insomnia
The title sequence and the following 60 seconds are promising. But that's a promise that gets broken. When all the cabin dwellers seem to be infected, one of the characters says that it feels like being on a plane that you know is going to crash. I got the same feeling watching this movie. Poor direction, bad editing. It had some laughs; it looked good; the music was fantastic. But the pilot of this plane (Eli Roth) just couldn't keep it in the air. 3 outta 10.
May (2002)
A Perfect Horror Film!
This is a truly scary film. It is about the fear of living as a ghost among the living, literally: the fear of being alone in the world. Something to which everyone can relate. It is not a supernatural thriller, but it looks like one at times. MAY (both the film and character) seems to be a step removed from reality; I don't think everything in this movie is meant to be taken literally, and if you keep that in mind while you watch you'll be in for a hell of a ride. All the characters are well written (rare in horror films); great direction and editing; strong performances all around, especially Angela Bettis as May and Anna Faris as a delicious lesbian and Jeremy Sisto as the likable b**tard Adam. And don't worry, kids, this character-driven, thought-provoking horror film has plenty of those grusome murders that you crave. This one reminds me of early Polanski, like Repulsion and The Tenent. The best horror film of the year! 10 out of 10!