Change Your Image
easter.egg
Reviews
Phantoms (1998)
Why are these people in this movie?
I admit that I've never read a Dean Koontz book, but I have nothing against the horror genre. I watched this movie mainly because Peter O'Toole is in it, and I also like Rose McGowan for her edgy roles.
I was impressed, but not in a good way, by three things. First, the cinematography was awful. Badly shot, it had special effects that looked like special effects instead of being part of the movie. The whole thing looked amateurish, as if it was shot to be a CBS after-school movie (was it?)
Secondly, the dialogue and it's delivery was very weak. The lines were delivered as if they were the best words ever to be said on screen and not part of the dialogue, which would have been a better choice. In short, it came across over-acted. Very strange considering there is some real talent in this one.
The last thing is the story. Not to slam Koontz - maybe it's not his error- but there doesn't seem to be any consistency or reasoning in the characters. Why is Shreiber's character such a happy goof in the face of such danger? No reason. Why are McGowan's and Going's characters able to pick up shotguns and shoot them like they've been using them all their lives? No reason. For that matter, how is a dentist able to calmly give an autopsy on a gory, faceless corpse that has just been brutally murdered by a supernatural force? no reason. Why not, I guess...
This movie left me wondering why it was made so poorly, and more importantly why, in 1998, when most of these actors had decent careers, did they choose to be in this garbage?
The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002)
Unsettling and Wonderful
I managed to catch this one at the Toronto film festival and was quite impressed. Mr. Rudolph and his crew's indie vision of the novella is fantastic. Campbell Scott and Hope Davis play off each other at turns subtly and overtly as married dentists. Dennis Leary supports well as a Brad-Pitt-esque character (that's Brad Pitt in Fight Club!)
The cinematography is fairly basic, but it fits the story well. The score is interesting too as it poses a kind of driving beat, pacing the movie in an unusual way.
Loved the metaphor of dentistry as marriage!
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Something old, something new, something borrowed...
I've got mixed feelings about this one.
I've never been in a war so I appreciate the efforts made here to help a relatively privileged population understand its horrors.
I was torn while watching it, because I realize there's a money-making motive here. The movie is big and bang-filled to pack people in seats. There's a duel going in this movie between the desire to reveal the fear and pain of war, and the studio push to turn a huge profit. Unfortunately, I'm afraid this movie will be judged in the coming weeks based on its box-office earnings rather than its substance. In other words, I think the message may be muted somewhat by a desire to develop the Hollywood themes in the story.
It's the first Vietnam movie I've seen (or rather, that I can remember)that makes an attempt to show the Vietnamese- North, South, or otherwise- as humans rather than 'yellow demons.' It's been about 27 years since the 'war' 'ended', which I guess is far enough removed for this kind of movie to come out and be accepted by a larger audience.
Unfortunately, there's a rampant resurgence of the "I'm tough on 'em but I love 'em" officer archetype. I've not read the book the movie's based on, and I've never met Lt. Col. Moore or Sergeant Major Plumley, so I don't know.... maybe they are/were really like that. Still, in this movie, its not novel; it's John Wayne. Say yer prayers and then say yer prayers.
In all, this movie is no classic as far as I can tell (only one day after seeing it) but it's not bad. It tells the story well, and makes a superficial attempt at seeing both sides of the issue. What I would really love to see is a film that takes that idea one or two steps further. Might be a couple of years off yet, though. I don't know if Hollywood's understanding of America is ready for it.
Oh! Something old... done, Something new... covered, Something borrowed... done that too, Something blue: Mel Gibson's eyes in the night scenes. I swear they've been enhanced to make him look more heroic/boyish/pure. Those scenes don't have much else that's vibrantly colourful, except for his eyes. Hmmm.
The Bone Collector (1999)
Predictable, but good range of actors
I gotta say that I'm torn about this one. I didn't know much about it before watching, including the cast of actors. As I read the opening credits, I was pleasantly surprised to see a great variety of actors from a wide range of backgrounds. I guess I never expected to see Queen Latifah in the same movie as Ed O'Neill. As I said, it was a pleasant surprise.
Then I saw Leland Orser's name come up. Unfortunately for him, he's one of the most type-cast actors out there. I've seen too many movies that have him playing the skittish/high-strung/totally insane loser who never has a good fate. Watch Se7en, Alien Resurrection, and Very Bad Things to see what I mean. Anyway, from that moment onward, I could guess what would happen. I won't give any details here, but suffice to say that the plot degenerated into a straightforward chase-down-that-psycho-killer, rehashed and unoriginal. There were a few situational twists to change it up, but ultimately it borrowed heavily from other movies in this genre, most blatantly Se7en.
Hmmm. Overall, it was a disappointment to see such good talent squandered on such a blasé plot. I generally love the work of Washington, Latifah and Jolie, and although this movie won't change that love of mine, it won't be added to my A-List either.