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Reviews
Point of No Return (1993)
"no return" says it all
Don't think for a moment that this film establishes, let alone delves into, the conflicts and diametrically opposing aspects found within our protagonist, Maggie (Bridgit Fonda). Instead, "Point of No Return" is all over the place, this because of the screen-scrivener's apparent use of stream of unconsciousness.
Consequently, there's no return to reality (if there was any from the start) once this train's left the station. Indeed, the film's a mishmash of conflicting scenarios: "She's a psycho!" "No, she's a tender-hearted lost soul." "She's a man-eater!" "No, she's a fragile child." "She's a seasoned siren!" "No, she's only now in the throws of first love." And, so, on and on the celluloid chugs.
See, presently, femme fatale Maggie, the "Assassin" (title in the UK), enters into training as a kill-joy for the US government. How she got to that point is truly ludicrous. And worse is fact that a third of the movie is wasted in failed attempt to establish as believable her two-dimensional "transformation" (it's maybe better to think in binary terms: "0-1" transposed into "1-0").
Moreover, Maggie, in seeking out to silence each target, kills numerous others. Talk about collateral damage. Innocent victims stack up into the dozens! And why, in the first place, is she after those targets? Except in one, truly lame, "nuclear" instance, no reason's given.
Not to be lost in translation here, however, joy can be found in the cinematography-- whether a scene be subtle/tender or full-throttle, or, for instance, in instantaneous scene swipes from the steely still to the crazed. And there's also the sure-handed talents of Fonda and Gabriel Byrne (as Maggie's handler), who provide reason for why anyone ever considering a return to this heavy-handed material.
That Uncertain Feeling (1941)
"That Uncertain Feeling" is unfleeting
Loved "That Uncertain Feeling" (1941)! Here, a superb, substantive, yet oft-times simultaneously silly, screenplay (adapted from the stage) meets first-rate actors. (The beautiful Merle Oberon is at her comedic best.) What makes this a must-see film is the palpable pathos swirling just beneath it all. In lesser hands (actors and writers all) this might've fallen into the snidely melodramatic or the mildly comedic.
By the by, who says the feeling man is dead? The reviews give credence to the fact that-- whether in their teens, twenties, or, like me, in their fifties-- men enjoy romantic comedies as much as women. I suspect that any polls showing otherwise are eschew for the very reason that too many films today use a "straw man," where the male lead isn't much more than duplicitous, a nitwit, a heel (or all three). In "That Uncertain Feeling," a certain maturity and balance rules the writers. Sure, men AND women's flaws come to the fore, but as (or more)importantly, both sexes' attributes are on show, too, to boot. If the writer creates, equally, humorously offensive male and female characters, then it actually mirrors the real world while not playing partisan sexual politics. Do that and movie theatres will be swarming with women AND men, maybe like in days of old...like those when I, too, was young.
Collateral Damage (2002)
A+ Pleasant Surprise!
I hesitated before seeing this film for fear it would be just another action movie...and I'm not even a major fan of this genre. But I'm pleased I took the chance despite the overall reviews posted here. While I think IMDB members generally accurately assess films, I was personally pleasantly surprised by Collateral Damage's creative storyline and it's sufficiently fleshed-out characters. (Surely, Mary Higgins Clark and Patricia Cornwell could well learn from screenwriters Peter and David Griffiths!) In particular, I bought the mirror argument (however misguided and reprehensible) for revenge as posed by the Che-styled, Trotsky-effected (Elias Koteas) guerrilla and, especially, the role of his femme fatale (Francesca Neri) wife. Worthy of further note are the film's fully believable twists, together with the performances by Arnold Schwartzenegger, Koteas and Neri. And hold your seat--but not your laughter--while watching that superbly wacky role masterfully played by John Leguizamo! In sum, the film is a pleasant surprise worthy a watch!
Grand Canyon (1991)
A dated, cynical view of humanity, especially within LA
This film is cynical, with a worn, post-seventies angst. This time out, post The Big Chill, Larry Kasden sets--now with his wife--to make men seem all the less real men and,instead, appear more like pre-menopausal women (more infra). It reaches the laughable stage when Danny Glover's character has to also play it all in drag. The picture attempts to be Grand Canyon in scope of all of the lives depicted. All have been somehow screwed by life. And while ultimately offering no insights, it does maybe give insight that perimenopausalwomen are always right, and that it's not who wears the pants but the most alluring skirt in one's household. Chick flick? I don't even think chicks would swallow this wallow.