trvolk Reviews

Suspiria (1977)

Skip the hour in the middle

[5/10 · 16 May 2009]

Suspiria has a great beginning and a truly effective ending, but the middle hour is a craptastic mess of bad writing, bad acting and particularly bad editing. The music by The Goblins is truly haunting but the repeated use of the main theme, over and over and over, and over again, dilutes its impact when once again it loops over the final fifteen minutes. The same applies to the cinematography and its multiple cycles of reds and blues to create atmosphere.

The plot was nothing new even in 1977, basically Rosemary's Baby set in a girls' school only without the baby nor even a motive. Hammer Films themselves had already beat this dead horse to a pulp years before.

Go ahead and rent though if you are a die-hard horror fan or a film student as the film does have bits of creative genius, however the sum adds up to much less than the whole. Then after viewing it, compare it to Polanski's Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby.

Crash (I) (2004)

What A Crock Of Soap Opera Doodoo

[3/10 · 15 October 2006]

Melodrama never smelled so bad. The various endings to the subplots are so badly written that they are laugh out loud hilarious. The acting is nonexistent, but then the characters are too linear to give any decent actor some meat to chew. I guess that is why they cast Sandra Bullock and Brendan Fraser, as one-dimensional as they come. However, why Don Cheadle and Matt Dillon signed on to this film is beyond me.

This is hack screen writing, straight off prime time network television. Not too surprising when you consider Paul Haggis's resume includes "Who's the Boss?", "The Facts of Life", and "Diff'rent Strokes". Datytime soap operas have more convincing coincidences.

Like "Magnolia", another big-budget soap opera, the only good thing about this movie is "it sure is pretty to look at".

Last week I watched "A Streetcar Named Desire" for the first time, a movie made ten years before I was born and so not a movie of my generation. Hollywood does not make 'em like that anymore.

A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

Don't Forget That This Is A Robert Altman Film

[7/10 · 12 June 2006]

The closest comparison I can make of "A Prairie Home Companion: The Movie" is Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". Just as Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel barely traveled beyond the title and the basic plot, Robert Altman creates a screen version of a fictional radio show in consultation with this era's most experienced purveyor of the medium, Garrison Keillor. Fans of the weekly PHC broadcast who expect a faithful rendering will be disappointed, just as fans of original "The Shining" were disappointed with Kubrick's vision.

Divorce the source. Return to the premise of Prairie Home Companion and rebuild it as a movie based on a solid foundation of snappy dialog with a visual element. Trust Altman to do what he does best, and allow Garrison Keillor to write a script unfettered by the restrictions of a public broadcast.

So, why a 7? It's too short! The plot lines of the Axeman and the mysterious lady could have greatly benefited from expansion, even if just a minute or two each. As well, the chemistry between Keillor and Lindsey Lohan as they bridge generations barely scratched the surface of what could have been. *** Minor spoiler *** That they find common ground in so earthy a topic is reflected by GK's subsequent "sermon" that parallels the sentiments of Lohan's poetry. *** End spoiler ***

Fans of the radio show, leave behind your preconceptions. This movie does not ruin what you have enjoyed in the past and (to my knowledge) what you will continue to enjoy in the future. This movie is an alternate universe, a tangent, and an enjoyable entertainment in its own right.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Dump Halle Barry Already

[6/10 · 4 June 2006]

I was a fan of the DC universe, and my exposure to X-Men was limited to whatever issues my friends had. Given that, I do not know how central Storm is to the X-Men oeuvre, but for the movies, her prime has long passed. Xavier was alright, but I am hoping that with his death and kicking Storm upstairs as headmistress will allow any further movies to breath without the oppressive star power of the actors.

As for the X3 story, with her overwhelming power why did Magneto hold back Jean for the final attack? True, unleashing her earlier would have cut out 5 to 7 minutes of the battle scene, but since that time was devoted to killing off unnamed mutants anyway, the main characters could have had a more spectacular and, more importantly, an actual tactical clash.

Although this film has some major flaws, at least the producers left the field open for the next film to rethink the X-Men as a movie vehicle. With Ian McKellan playing such a strong Magneto, the basis is here for three more strong movies, if not more, but the good guys need to be reworked from the bottom up without consideration for actors' egos.

Festival Express (2003)

"Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar"

[6/10 · 27 October 2005]

Why do producers have to ruin movies like this with after-the-fact interviews? At 89 minutes, that time would have been better spent showing more performances. So many great bands, and each deserves more than one song. The on-train documentary was all right but even that could have been abbreviated to make room for more jam sessions.

The DVD includes the bonus material:

Grateful Dead "Hard to Handle" Grateful Dead "Easy Wind" Janis Joplin "Move Over" Janis Joplin "Kozmic Blues" Buddy Guy "Hoochie Coochie Man" Mashmakhan "As Years Go By" Eric Anderson "Thirsty Boots" Ian & Sylvia "Tears of Rage" Tom Rush "Child's Song" Seatrain "Thirteen Questions"

Better, but not nearly enough.

The Great Raid (2005)

A Yawner

[6/10 · 10 September 2005]

"The Great Raid" has the look and feel of a History Channel production. It should play well on television over two evenings, but on a theater screen, its weaknesses become far too apparent.

The biggest problem is the film's length. Half an hour could easily be chopped out, especially considering how quickly the raid itself passes. The entire nurse subplot is completely unnecessary. Much of the POW scenes is redundant.

Beyond being too long, the actors in the Rangers unit are truly uninspired. Benjamin Bratt is OK as the colonel in charge, but the remainder act just like those in the POW camp. If the unit was full of combat veterans, I could understand the 'just another day at work' attitudes, but as explained early in the movie, these were raw recruits straight off the farm: ready, willing and able to kick some major butt.

Do NOT file this in the category Action Movie.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Tossing In My Two Cents

[7/10 · 26 July 2005]

*** Not really a spoiler in my opinion, but anyway...

I saw the original Gene Wilder Wonka in a theater when it was first released, and at the time, it was a magical film even for a 13-year-old. I read the novel in my 30s shortly after seeing Edward Scissorhands, and imagining Burton and Depp remaking the film came easily at the time, especially after watching the original again on video during that period.

The plot of "... The Chocolate Factory" makes for a good story, but not a great one. All three versions have flaws, yet none share the same flaws. The characterizations of the kids in the book are flat, even Charlie. Except for "The Candy Man" and the "Oompah Loompah Song", the songs in the Wilder movie are intrusive, and the burping scene is unnecessary. Only after reading the book did I understand why; it was added. This leads to the fatal flaw in the Burton/Depp movie, adding the father back story. Willy Wonka's quirks should not be explained.

Enough comparison, the new version stands well on its own and I rate it a 7. Whether intentional or not, Depp injects way too much Michael Jackson into his Wonka and it is distracting. I often felt that Depp was walking through his lines like a one-trick pony and that he relied too heavily on his charisma to carry him through many scenes, much like Jack Nicholson did in The Witches of Eastwick.

To sum up, all three are good entertainment and well worth a look or two, but like all confections, they quickly melt away leaving a pleasant but empty memory.

Magnolia (1999)

Like Watching A Week's Worth Of Soap Operas In One Sitting

[6/10 · 15 February 2005]

Magnolia is what a daytime soap opera would look like if filmed with a big budget. The pacing is the same, the interrelationships are the same, the feeling that nothing is really progressing is the same, and except for the profanity, the dialog is the same. Even the ending is straight out of the Luke and Laura arc of General Hospital.

Further, the use of music is intrusive, or perhaps it was meant to mask that the characters aren't saying much of importance. I found it particularly ironic that at 2 hours and 20 minutes, all the main characters start singing "It's not over yet." The best thing about this movie is Amie Mann's contribution of original songs, but only if one listens to them from the soundtrack CD.

Blow-Up (1966)

Walking Away From The Herd

[8/10 · 9 January 2005]

From this American's perspective, Antonioni is saying in Blowup that to see the world for what it truly is takes a brash, bold individual. However, to be considered a member of society, to disappear into the mass of faceless clones, a person must accept the unreal, buy into the comfortable fantasy, reject all that his or her senses scream is true. Insisting that others simply examine the evidence is to be met with a blank, drugged stare.

One aspect of this film that I particularly enjoyed was the power of black-and-white photography. Antonioni projects this quite well in choosing to use no music or sound effects during the sequence when the photographer examines the blowups and discovers the big picture.

Unfortunately, Blowup includes one critical plot hole. During the first part of the movie, the photographer always has a camera. Yet, when he returns to the park to verify the existence of a body, he carries no tool to document his discovery.

The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

How Not To Write A Con-Game Movie

[5/10 · 23 August 2004]

I originally voted this movie a 7, but then a very bad aftertaste developed. The first hour is an excellent con-game set-up, but the second hour is far too full of plot holes; some were obvious during my initial viewing but others cropped up as I thought more about the plotting.

Now I give it a 5, because the final 20 minutes are simply impossible, not just improbable. The main character's behavior had become far too erratic for the ending to occur as shown.

*SPOILERS* First, while blank books of the type used are quite common, given its heavy usage and security, the villains could not have duplicated the inevitable wear-and-tear (spots, scratches, dogears, etc). Second, when the main character leaves the airport, the plan was bust; neither the villains nor the Department of Justice could know that the main character would travel on that specific ferry. *SPOILERS*

The last line of the movie is kinda cute though.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Things Fall Apart

[6/10 · 23 August 2004]

I love "Candy" and "Myra Breckinridge", and I was looking forward to finally seeing "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls". Hiding (somewhere) under the surface of these three movies are some great stories, and the scripts all show glimpses of some astounding writing and insight into what was happening between 1966 and 1969 among those late teens and young adults who had more than a bit of disposable income and a warped perspective toward destroying the social order.

However, somewhere during the production of these three movies, things fell apart. My guess is heavy drug use by the casts and crews. Acting is non-existent; the casts may have read the scripts a few times and prepared their characters a bit, but once the cameras started rolling, all that was cast aside, except for the occasional afterthought. In each movie, a freeform miasma of expression was the result.

These movies are not for everyone, and even those of us who had a clue about the 60s scene outside the hippy communes will watch these with a jaded eye.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Not to forget...

[8/10 · 29 March 2004]

So many comments here focus on Jim Carrey's fantastic portrayal of Joel, but please don't forget Clementine, as played by Kate Winslet; she nails the part!!! Too well, in fact.

As the movie progressed, I developed my own love/hate relationship with Clementine. Bipolar and only occasionally takes her meds? Seems that way at times.

The only sticking point for me is why did Joel choose to erase his memories of Clementine? If I had met this woman and fell in love with her, I would never choose to erase my memories of her, even if the relationship ended terribly. As I said, Kate plays the part too well, but then, we wouldn't have much of a story, would we.

BTW, Kirsten Dunst in panties!!! Nuff said. ;-)

Lost in Translation (2003)

I Do Not Want To Know People Who Liked This Movie

[1/10 · 19 October 2003]

People who liked Lost In Translation must be chronically depressed for this movie to be such a highlight in their lives. Nothing happens, the main characters spend the entire movie moping around, bellyaching about how their lives suck.

"Does it get any better than this?", the girl asks. No, you stupid twit, not if you are going to hang around your hotel room all day in one of the most exciting cities in the entire world!

Yes, this film has enough dichotomies to satisfy the art-house crowd, but the director only sets them up for display; she doesn't do anything with them.

If you do see this movie on a date, sit in the back cuz you are going to get a lot of make-out time. ;-P

School of Rock (2003)

Usually I Hate Movies Like This

[7/10 · 5 October 2003]

I hate feel-good movies. I hate pretentious rock-poseur movies. I should have hated this, but I loved it. Jack Black is the leader here, but the kids carry this movie. I am convinced that most of their reaction shots were filmed between takes while they were getting direction. Not even the most experienced adult actors can achieve such pure expression when on-camera. One of the drummer's screw-you looks about halfway through the movie is pure punk.

No one has mentioned yet Miranda Cosgrove who plays Summer, the band manager. Her casting was perfect. I believe she is the next decade's Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu.

The Rundown (2003)

A Future Staple of Cable TV

[8/10 · 28 September 2003]

If you surf cable TV, expect The Rundown to turn up quite often in your future. This is the kind of movie that TBS Superstation repeats ad nauseum. It is a well-written action movie with insignificant plot holes, and the pacing is such that you never have enough time to run to the snack bar. Witty, fast-paced, sassy and brassy.

Admittedly, The Rock is quite ham-handed at acting, but he does comedy very well. Not only does he deliver punchlines adeptly, but his real strength is as a straight man, setting up the payoff with aplomb and then reacting with tolerant dignity. Amazingly, The Rock is every bit the equal to Christopher Walken's villainy. Overall, a very satisfying confection.

Candy (1968)

Candy Lives Up To Her Reputation

[6/10 · 19 July 2003]

As putrid as reputed, a singularity of excess. I loved it!

I do not know the details of Candy's production, but I suspect that the bulk of the scenes were shot with only one take. That is the only explanation I can conjure.

I only knew of this film by way of seeing the trailer at a drive-in in the 60s. The images sparked my 10-year-old imagination, particularly James Coburn flipping off the operating room gallery and the loud rock music. I had to see it! I finally found a limited edition DVD copy on eBay and snapped it up.

Adaptation. (2002)

Boring

[4/10 · 21 June 2003]

I like weird films, but this one was simply boring. Too bad, because "Being John Malkovich" is one of my 5 favorite films. Was it supposed to be a comedy? I didn't laugh. 5/10, I won't go out of my way to see it again, but I might rewatch the ending.

About Schmidt (2002)

Nicholson Acts Too Well

[7/10 · 12 February 2003]

Jack Nicholson's character, Warren Schmidt, is dull and boring, and Nicholson's portrayal is so well done that the movie itself is also dull and boring. All the actors did a wonderful job with the script they were given, but the script is taken verbatim from anybody's last family gathering. This is a better 'Jack does the retirement thing' movie than The Pledge, but not by much.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

What A Long Movie

[8/10 · 19 December 2002]

I am not a fan of the books, and I skimmed more of The Two Towers than I read. This is a war movie, pure and simple, and parents should know that the force of violence is well depicted (if not the gore). Overall, this movie tells the story well and aptly moves it on to the final conflict. 8/10

Spirited Away (2001)

Not An Anime Fan

[6/10 · 11 November 2002]

I am not an anime fan. This is the third so-called masterpiece of the genre that I have seen, and I simply don't get it. Simplistic plots, adolescent themes, ho-hum animation. I have seen each of the pieces before, and I have seen them executed better.

5/10 ( *IF* I were to watch it again, I would fast forward a lot )

Femme Fatale (2002)

DePalma's Funniest Film?

[8/10 · 8 November 2002]

My interpretation of Femme Fatale is DePalma was making fun of a particular film genre (on second thought, maybe he's just making fun of David Lynch), and many of the plot developments left me laughing. The story just gets more and more ridiculous until all of a sudden, everything makes sense while leading up to a very non-DePalma ending. I speculate that those who loathed Mulholland Drive will be quite satisfied with Femme Fatale.

While Rebecca Romijn-Stamos did a fine job in her role, the true surprise was discovering that Antonio Banderas really can act. I gave it an 8 (excellent movie, I'd watch it again a few more times, but I won't buy the DVD).

Red Dragon (2002)

Correcting Manhunter's Mistakes

[8/10 · 11 October 2002]

As a big fan of the original novel, 'Manhunter' was a major letdown for me, especially after the impressive visuals Michael Mann conjured up for 'Thief'. 'Manhunter' just did not capture the menace of the book, and I rated it a 6.

However 'Red Dragon', the movie, stays truer to the book both plotwise and feelwise while tying up the loose ends for those who only know the story by way of the films, an easy 8. (I reserve 9s and 10s for those films I intend to buy on DVD.)

For what it's worth, I hated 'Hannibal', the novel, writing it off as commercial pretense, and I have not yet seen that film.

Caligula (1979)

What a Bunch Of Overwrought Moralizing

[7/10 · 10 August 2002]

The "violence" in Caligula is tame by today's movie standards. The "sex scenes" are tame by today's Internet standards. The 'name' actors are good, but not spectacular. Conversely, Helen Mirren (Morgana in 'Excalibur') does a wonderful job as Caesonia. The movie could be edited down by 45 minutes, but not the dreadful R version. Worth watching if you can borrow it.

The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)

This PowerPuff fan says 'Thumbs Down'

[5/10 · 5 August 2002]

The 'mandatory' origin of the girls is WAY too long and uneventful. They should have compressed the first 45 minutes into the first 10. As it is, the movie is like one long diluted episode with all the gore and violence tamed down for a wider audience. Wait for the video and rent it, as this fan has no intention of watching it again.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

From Someone Who Didn't Like the Original Books

[8/10 · 23 March 2002]

At least it was better than the books. I hated the books. What this movie did for me was reveal how closely the story follows "The Wizard Of Oz" (L. Frank Baum's book, not the movie), although I guess most quest stories pretty much follow a similar formula. What I find interesting is how the most recent comments seem to be somewhat negative; perhaps that is to be expected from latecomers. So, if you haven't seen "Lord of the Rings" by now, chances are good that you won't be too impressed by it.