Who knew that sadomasochism could work in a romantic comedy? Well, in "Secretary", it does so in convincing fashion. And, while James Spader's creepy/sadistic/vulnerable lawyer is a winner, Maggie Gyllenhaal is the true star here. While I'm sure she'll go onto much bigger movies, many fans will remember this as her breakout role.
Reviews
4 Reviews
O Princípio da Incerteza
(2002)
Don't Waste Your Time
3 October 2002
Saw it at the New York Film Festival and could tell I was in for trouble when they didn't have some guy dressed in black tell us how great the film would be before it started. That's because they (the people that run the NY FF) must've known this movie was horrible.
Ostensibly about the nature of love, class distinctions and other high-brow stuff, the movie was a series of banal discussions that led nowhere. The acting was uninspired. The endless shots of the Portuguese countryside, while beautiful, were, well, endless.
People started walking out on this movie about 45 mins. in. I should've joined them.
Ostensibly about the nature of love, class distinctions and other high-brow stuff, the movie was a series of banal discussions that led nowhere. The acting was uninspired. The endless shots of the Portuguese countryside, while beautiful, were, well, endless.
People started walking out on this movie about 45 mins. in. I should've joined them.
The Magdalene Sisters
(2002)
Tragic Story Shows Directorial and Acting Greatness
29 September 2002
Saw The Magdalene Sisters at the NY Film Festival and was completely floored by the story (a fictional version of a true tragedy--Irish "fallen women" forced into slave labor at convent laundries, a sick practice that only ended 7 years ago), the acting (real, right-on) and the direction (pure storytelling brilliance). This has got to be one of the best movies of 2002.
Real Women Have Curves
(2002)
Connects On Many Levels
25 March 2002
I saw this movie at MoMA's "New Directors, New Films" Festival. This is a Real Film that makes the viewer feel as if the actors are the characters...Even though I have no first-hand knowledge of LA sweatshops and the women who work in them, I feel that the writer, director and the actors brought me into that world honestly and without sensationalism...This movie is fantastic!
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