jongru Reviews

Patch Adams (1998)

Another Robin Williams vehicle but the worst so far

[26 September 1999]

So we have this real-life doctor who's a bit eccentric, huge moustache, ear-rings, claims that he isn't in medicine for the money. Let's give it the Hollywood treatment. Who should play the lead role? Why, Robin Williams of course - we don't have the imagination to find any new acting talent, we'd rather go for the same formula that worked so well in Dead Poets Society. Being in the movie industry we don't really understand the medical profession so let's fall back on some familiar stereotypes, namely: (1) doctors are only in it for the money and status (2) doctors only see their patients as pieces of meat (3) doctors feel threatened if you suggest they should smile at their patients (4) medicine ought to be free to everyone and if it was, then everything would be all right. And let's pretend that Patch has some sort of original philosophy that we can all learn from: let's set him up as a guru and let's take the credit for discovering him.

There's nothing in this movie that is true or original. Worse, it misleads the viewer. Worst of all, it offers glib tear-jerking scenes that offend your intelligence. Grade: 2/10. Avoid like the plague.

The Wings of the Dove (1997)

Nice shots of Venice, anyhow

[30 January 1999]

I haven't read the book, and maybe you need to if you want to appreciate the story properly. All I could see was a Dynasty-style plot about a man trying to bring himself to seduce a dying rich girl so that he could inherit her money, then having terrible qualms about it, as you would. None of the characters seemed to have any personality. It's worth watching if it's on TV free of charge but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it. But if you have never seen Helena Bonham-Carter's bare bottom...

Oleanna (1994)

Sophisticated, intellectual drama

[8/10 · 30 January 1999]

I'm surprised by the negative comments. I found this film engrossing and very well scripted. Yes, it was a bit stagey, as you'd expect of a stage drama translated into a movie. Maybe your reaction depends on your preconceptions. I was at university in the mid 70's and it all seemed to ring true for me. The male teacher who speaks as he writes using wooden and formulaic ideas and theories, little seeing how his ideas relate to real life and emotions. The female student, taking his words too literally and perceiving them as an attack on herself from which she must defend herself. Usually the teacher is in an unassailable position of power, able to humiliate the student with a poor grade. Here, the student empowers herself, uses the system and destroys the teacher because in this debate there's no mediator to ensure fair play, only the audience watching powerlessly. I think it has a lot to tell us about academic debate, and is among Mamet's finest work.

Death of a Salesman (1985 TV Movie)

The woods are burning!

[9/10 · 30 January 1999]

Arthur Miller's timeless and most important creation, Willy Loman is as relevant today as he was in the 1950's. Most of us who try to make a successful career for ourselves are salesmen - selling ourselves to our employers or customers. Most of us are secretly yearning to find the secret of how to make money and to achieve an easy life. What makes a salesman successful? He has to be liked, and he has to build up a momentum of confidence and self-esteem which is easily destroyed if a sale goes wrong or there's trouble at home. Willy Loman is each of us (but the older you are, the more you'll see that), and it's painful and moving to watch what happens.

The Atomic Cafe (1982)

Duck and cover

[9/10 · 30 January 1999]

I could watch this movie again and again. If you remember the days when we were all terrified of impending nuclear war with the Soviet Union, this puts your half-remembered anxieties and prejudices in perspective. There's rare archive footage of the first nuclear bombs being primed and detonated. There's stomach churning archive footage about the execution of the Rosenbergs for espionage. And the now hilarious footage about how civilians should protect themselves against the bomb. Makes fun of politicians and broadcasters, and leaves you feeling that you've learned something and that you won't be fooled again.

Badlands (1973)

A sophisticated exploration of the nature of good and evil

[9/10 · 24 January 1999]

Surely one of the most brilliant films ever made. The haunting music and cinematography would almost suffice by itself. The hero is little more than a child: the heroine his willing accomplice, and we are made to question what is good and what is evil by seeing the world through the eyes of children. From the moment when the girl's father shoots her dog to punish her, we lose any loyalty to traditional values or to the rights of parents over their children. By the end, it's obvious to us that society doesn't value the lives of those who were killed. It anticipates Natural Born Killers, but perhaps says more and uses a tighter structure.

Brilliantly acted and directed, with many layers to it. A film to watch again and again.

Lost in Space (1998)

Good special effects, storyline abysmal

[3/10 · 23 January 1999]

My children aged 6 and 9 found this a gripping film because of the robot, the spiders and the space-ships. But one looks in vain for any proper plot. I think they made the story up as they went along and it came to an end when they ran out of time. Probably not for the over-20's.

Titanic (1997)

A film with the soul of a soap-opera

[5/10 · 23 January 1999]

Oh dear - I really wanted to enjoy this film but it had too much wrong with it. Yes, you really feel that you're on a big ship but everything that happens is as phoney as a dream. Would they really let you roam everywhere and stand at the prow? Would the characters be so stereotyped, with the friendly plebs dancing their joyful Irish jig in the basement and the stuffy aristos so hopelessly unable to have a good time? And no, I don't believe the iceberg would have been so big, brash and in-your-face. Watch "A Night To Remember" for how it should be done.