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Payne722
Reviews
Moment by Moment (1978)
Sleepwalker and Streetwalker in Love
Saw this last night in high-def which only made its flaws that much clearer. Poor John Travolta tries his best, even puts a sunny spin on some of his insipid lines. Lily Tomlin acts like she's in a tranquilizer-induced daze throughout. But what are they supposed to do? I blame this train-wreck on Jane Wagner, who not only wrote this hair-brained cougar wet dream but also directed (essentially a gender-reversed remake of the early '70s William Holden flick, "Breezy") with all the finesse and emotional depth of an Adam Sandler movie. I love unintentionally funny and this film does have its moments, like the classic 'Are you a member of the automobile club' line, the flashes of Gucci and Hermes signs as Lily sleepwalks through the Rodeo Drive opening credits, the tear-jerking forgotten birthday storyline, and that damned address book that just keeps turning up missing. And John strutting around in those black bikini underwear? One reviewer on this site blathered on about his gorgeous physique. I mean, seriously? Zero muscle mass, hair everywhere, distressingly apelike jawline. I watched, thinking that by today's standards he'd be lucky to be cast as Borat's gangly little sister from Kazakhstan. Lily comes off as more physically attractive in this movie which basically says it all. The two of them, stuck on celluloid forever, made up like raven-headed twins, forced to exchange endless, supposedly meaningful glances, the vagrant man-child and the icy socialite with everything but a penis of her own to love. That anyone involved with this ham-fisted clunker thought, even back then, that anything about this was provocative is more unintentionally funny than the movie itself. No, it doesn't score high on my so-bad-it's-good list but it is worth a look once, mostly to understand that occasionally, even back in the day, major studios could release movies as banal and lifeless as the ones they churn out regularly today.
The Last Married Couple in America (1980)
See it for Natalie Wood
No, this isn't a very good movie. Fun to watch though if for no other reason than to laugh at the supposed 'hip' attitude of the whole thing when in truth it's about as conventional as a Love Boat episode. The party scene at the end with the hookers, swingers and disco version of 'Singin' in the Rain' is hilarious.
But the reason to see this movie is for Natalie Wood, who gives this film heart. She's absolutely wonderful in it. She was a terrific actress, even in something as frivolous as this ... funny, beautiful, a class act to the very end! None of today's actresses come close to her kind of star-power. I miss great actresses like Natalie Wood.
A History of Violence (2005)
Super Dull
I've always thought Cronenberg's work is overrated and "History of Violence" is no exception. This is basically a 30-minute 'Twilight Zone' premise stretched into a full-length movie and man is it ever boring! Here's a summary: bad guys on the loose, violence, blah blah, 69-er sex scene, Ed Harris with scar and messed up eye, violence, blah blah, violence, staircase sex scene, violence, more violence, blah blah, pass the meatloaf.
And why is the cinematography in Cronenberg's movies always so frickin' ugly? Oh, and wherever William Hurt has been, he needs to get back there. I'd be happy to never see him on a movie screen again. Avoid this flick.
The Ring (2002)
Awful!
I'm a horror film fan from way back, and I love a good scare. I was really looking forward to this film. The trailer made it look great. Unfortunately the film makes absolutely no sense and isn't scary in the least -- unless you're frightened by images reminiscent of some old Nine Inch Nails video.
I can't figure out why a great actress like Naomi Watts would do a film like this after her success with Mulholland Drive. Maybe they offered her a lot of money? I guess.
The movie is terrible -- completely stupid. You want an example? A little girl is suffocated by her mother in the early 1950s using a plastic trash bag. Uh, like they had Glad Bags back then? And that's a small goof in a film full of them, though I won't mention any more here.
Don't waste your time or money on this. Wait till it shows up on the SciFi channel or someplace like that to check it out.
Donnie Darko (2001)
MAD WORLD
What an amazing film! Beautiful and frightening, funny and sad and deep all at the same time. Terrific performances, a haunting score, and most instrumentally, a thoroughly original storyline that blooms into multiple interpretations before your eyes. It's had a slow time making it into the public's consciousness but this film will undoubtedly become a major cult classic of the same stature as BLUE VELVET or BEING JOHN MALKOVICH. Kudos to all involved. I can't get that wonderfully icy cover of Tears for Fears's MAD WORLD out of my head! DON'T MISS THIS FILM.
Session 9 (2001)
Psychological thriller that demands second viewing
Ambience alone will provide serious thrills and chills for most horror fans upon the first viewing of Session 9. But a second viewing is almost mandatory to catch the subtleties of the storyline and to truly make sense of what's going on. I wasn't frightened at all the second time I viewed this. Rather, I recognized it for the warped character study that it is. There are some terrific performances (particularly by David Caruso and Peter Mullan) along with some pretty sizable red herrings. Biggest criticism: the other 3 characters are poorly drawn.
Some supposed know-it-alls on this site have erroneously compared this film to the likes of Don't Look Now. No, it isn't in that league. Much closer to Blair Witch or The Shining in feel and Erik Skjoldbjaerg's Insomnia in perspective.
Check it out. Movies like this give us horror fans hope that the genre hasn't been completely prostituted by the likes of Scream, etc. My compliments to Brad Anderson for taking chances. Next Stop Wonderland took the romantic comedy to a higher level. Now he's done the same for the horror genre.