Monster (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I watched Monster without any expectations, save knowing that it was a movie about two women. At the end of the screening, i was totally blown away. One, Charlize Theron gives a spectacular performance as 'serial killer' Aileen Wuornos. Her facial expressions and bodily movements strongly resemble that of the actual person (based on what i read). Secondly, the 'human' aspect of Aileen was brought out in the film, and despite her brutal killings, one can symphatise with aspects of her life which brought her to this point of no return when she started killing her johns. Thirdly, although Monster is primarily about Aileen the killer, yet the viewer is treated to a love story between Aileen and her lesbian lover. This is in many aspects, the driving force of the film and which makes the film memorable. Some prison psychologists had diagnosed Aileen as having Borderline personality disorder, which explains her behaviour of wanting to keep Selby Wall, her girlfriend (in real life, the girl's name is Tyria Moore) at all costs, despite the fact that Selby was at times a selfish, immature person who ultimately betrayed Aileen. The final scene of the 'confession' phone call (which basically nailed it for Aileen) is heartbreaking. Aileen basically took the fall for everything and absolved Selby of any blame. Even though the audience may sense a taste of Hollywood drama here, one must remember that in real life, Aileen did take the blame for everything, and even went to the extent of sending Tyria money while she was on death row. Perhaps this is a glimpse into a rare aspect of her life (which traditional documentaries on her never cover), which shows us that at the end of the day, she is a human being like the rest of us and despite her heinous crimes, she too longed to be loved and feel love. The betrayal scene will stick in my mind for a long time to come. I welcome emails on this film as i am interested to know more about the film as well as Aileen and her lover.

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A SHOCKINGLY MOVING FILM THAT BURROWS DEEP BENEATH THETABLOID-SIZED HEADLINE STORIES OF AILEEN WUORNOS, THE MAN-HATING SERIAL KILLER EXECUTED LAST YEAR IN FLORIDA.

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The Addams Family (1991) Review

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(More customer reviews)A treat for all fans of the popular sixties sitcom. This new cast (all but John Astin who played Gomez are now deceased) featuring Angelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, and the late Raul Julia do the film and the Addams characters great justice. As the song says: "They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're all together hooky, the Addams family." It's very funny entertainment not just for Halloween, but all year long!

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Penelope (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)I give 5 stars for the movie and 2 for the DVD. The movie is a fun fantasy type with awesome visuals and great acting. But, I was very disappointed in this DVD version. I had seen a foreign copy of the movie and was looking forward to having my own clear copy. But they cut out some really great scenes (one that my husband and I were especially looking forward to) and then they don't even have a deleted scenes section! If we hadn't known what we were missing, I suppose we wouldn't have been so disappointed. The scene with the reporter and the real Max in jail is shorted (missing a hilarious interaction). A really neat story point at the end where Penelope reconciles with Edward is completely cut. The birds flying out of the house when Penelope's mom calls after her are cut out (except in the security cameras) - a neat visual. And the scene with the kids at the end is shortened. Those were the scenes that we particularly remember missing, but I think there must have been some other shortened scenes. What a waste of money, the DVD will be just sitting on the shelf while we watch our low res foreign copy.

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Genre: Feature Film-ComedyRating: PGRelease Date: 15-JUL-2008Media Type: DVD

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Black Snake Moan (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was drawn to this movie because I enjoyed director Craig Brewer's earlier film, "Hustle and Flow". If anything, I liked "Black Snake Moan" even better. The movie combines tawdry and lurid components with a tale of love, forgiveness, and hope. I don't think the film is exploitative. Instead it suggests in a simple way how sensual and redemptive parts of life often complement each other.
In thinking about this movie, I was reminded of George Eliot's novel, "Silas Marner", the bane of every high school student. In Eliot's novel, Marner, an embittered miser finds redemption when he raises Eppie, an orphaned girl, from childhood to young adulthood. Similarly, "Black Snake Moan" tells the story of a middle-aged black American man, Lazarus, portrayed by Samuel Jackson, who feels embittered when Rose, his wife of 12 years, leaves him for his best friend. Lazarus happens upon a young scantily dressed white woman, Rae, played by Christina Ricci, who has been beaten and left near-dead on a country road following a wild party. Lazarus takes her into his home and tries to teach and care for her. Ultimately, the movie suggests, both Lazarus and Rae receive a kind of hope, Rae by marrying her boyfriend, Lazarus by finding what may be a promising new relationship.
The story gets life through a great deal of tawdry sex. At the turning point of the movie, Lazarus chains Rae to a radiator to prevent her escape. Rae was a victim of sexual abuse and a neglectful mother, and in her boyfriend's temporary absence for military service, she throws herself at every man she can find. She appears in the movie scantily clad, in a cut-off blouse with a Confederate flag and in shorts. Lazarus has his own frustrations to work out from the loss of Rose, his wife. A black preacher, the Reverend R.L., played by John Cotham, helps both Lazarus and Rae and is the quiet hero of this movie.
In this movie, atmosphere and scene count for a great deal. The story is set in a small Tennessee town near Nashville, and the story is redolent with poor Southern life, both black and white. There is scenes in shacks and farms, and small town stores and streets, and in clubs and bars that bring the movie to life. Brewer shows the same love for and knowledge of the rural South that he showed in "Hustle and Flow". Most importantly there is music. The tale of sex and redemption is captured in the flow of the blues in a soundtrack and in performances by Lazarus himself. Jackson spent long hours learning the blues guitar in preparation for this movie. The movie includes two scenes of footage with the great Delta bluesman Son House holding forth appropriately on love, loss, and the blues. Music is a redemptive force in people's lives, and in this movie of the hot-blooded South, redemption comes through the blues.
I found the tawdry elements of this movie an essential part of the story it had to tell. "Black Snake Moan" is rewarding.
Robin Friedman

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In this tale of love, loss and faith, Academy Award nominee Samuel Jackson and Christina Ricci seek redemption Down South through the power of the blues and the transcendence of an unlikely friendship.

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Sleepy Hollow (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)This was a very enjoyable telling of the classic tale that is very heavy on atmosphere. The DVD has several extra features that really add to its value beyond the straight movie too.
The look and feel of the film are great. We are taken back to the late 1790s to a very convincing Sleepy Hollow that has lots of fog and smoke, distant lightning, scary jack-o-lanterns, and twisted trees. The movie has a great deal of suspense built into it, and we are treated to lots of tense moments when the horsemen is near, along with some fairly short, but sometimes very intense scenes of decapitation. The film is much more of a drama than a horror film -- the plot is quite complex and usually laid out well.
For me, one of the best parts of the film was the Danny Elfman score -- it was very rich, with lots of interesting effects built into -- brooding strings, eerie children's chorus, and tinkling bells. It added both suspense and humor to the film.
The acting was good. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton work well together -- Depp shows a nice range of emotions as the somewhat nervous Ichabod Crane who was investigating the horseman's murders. Christina Ricci played a very pretty but very mysterious young lady with links to the horsemen. The whole cast was very good and tended to play a bit over the top (this is Tim Burton after all).
A particular favorite for me was Christopher Lee in a small but powerful role as a judge who sends constable Crane off to Sleepy Hollow.
The DVD has several very good features, including commentary by Tim Burton, a nice set of interviews with cast and crew, and a good "Making of the Movie" feature that shows how a lot of the special effects (including decapitation) were done.
A good movie on a DVD with lots of features!

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Now and Then (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great character film expanding the lives of four young girls from the good old 70's decade and stirring up a lot of old memories.
The film starts with the adult versions of the four girls played by Rosie O'Donnell, Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore and Rita Wilson as they come together for a reunion for the birth of Wilson's child. Not much has changed! O'Donnell has become a doctor, Griffith a movie star, Moore a writer and Wilson a pink and perky mother to be. This film allows us all to discover how these women came to be and it is actually pretty insightful. So sit back and take yourself on an "old school" journey back in time.
Soon enough this movie goes back in time to the early 70's when kids could ride bikes all over town, ice cream sodas were the rage, AM radios hung on every handlebar, laughter hung in the air and stories were meant to be told. The young O'Donnell is played by Christina Ricci, a tough tomboy growing up in a family of men because her mother was killed. Ricci is the strong one, the shoulder to cry on, the fighter who would rather play sports than sprout a couple of breasts. Griffith is portrayed as a young girl by Thora Birch and as a youth is fascinated early by sex, fake breasts and being an actress. Birch is the adventurer, the wandering heart and the heartbreaker of the group. Moore's child is played by Gaby Hoffman and she is the quiet, introspective and questioning young girl. Hoffman gets herself in all sorts of dilemmas stemming from the shame of divorced parents who act more like children than she does. Finally Wilson is played by Ashleigh Aston Moore, and of all the girls she remains steadfastly the same in adulthood as in youth, a simple, rather innocent girl surrounded by a perfectionist mother (played by Bonnie Hunt!) and an entire room of pink and lacy curtains.
The young girls are shown growing up and daring the world, finding where they all belong and how they are alike yet very different. The film brings back great memories of the time through the use of great music and ties to certain events that impacted the generation. The happiness and innocence of the decade is found on the country roads and soda shops as the girls plan their adventures. Silly crushes and fights with boys are inevitable along with all the challenges of growing up imperfect. All of the fun of childhood is represented here, the cemetery séances, tree-house meetings, excursions on bicycles, splashes in the river, sneaking out the bedroom window at night and childhood friendships that should last a lifetime. I found this film inspiring and insightful, but then I came from the same generation so I can totally relate. So I watch it every now and then for the sweetness and the memories of a great childhood.

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After.Life (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The "surprise ending" of this movie was telegraphed pretty early in the film .. so that kind of killed the suspense factor.
Otherwise this could have been a much better film considering the acting talent, great photography and overall mood and tone they were able to create.
But in the end, something just doesn't come together and give this movie the spark it could have had.
One redeeming feature of the film ..... if you are a young man who likes Christine Ricci, you will get LOTS of opportunity to see more of her in this film.
She spends 75% of the movie walking, sitting and laying around nude.
Since she is cute, you can't find any fault with that !
What struck me as the most eerie in this film was how Liam Neeson made this movie so near the time of his own wife's death.
It is the same strange feeling when you see Christopher Reeve's last movie where he played a paralyzed cop and weeks later was of course really paralyzed.
Or seeing John Wayne in the Shootist playing an old gunslinger trying to die in peace from cancer when we know that in real life he was battling cancer when he made that film.

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A YOUNG WOMAN CAUGHT BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH... AND A FUNERAL DIRECTOR WHO APPEARS TO HAVE THE GIFT OF TRANSITIONING THE DEAD, BUT MIGHT JUST BE INTENT ON BURYING HER ALIVE.

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