katie_w125 Reviews

Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996 TV Movie)

A pretty pathetic film.

[2/10 · 27 October 2005]

Anyone who is a fan of Marilyn Monroe and has spent at least a little time learning about her life will probably end up being completely appalled by this movie. I know I was.

"Norma Jean and Marilyn" portrays Monroe as a completely superficial, selfish lunatic. It was almost as if the screenplay was written by someone that just heard about her mental problems, and never bothered to read a single biography.

What was the point of casting different actresses to play Monroe before and after her plastic surgery? In reality, the woman didn't really change that much in appearance. Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino are so different in the way that they look... The whole thing was just a bad idea.

And while I will admit that I was impressed at times by Sorvino's acting chops, the casting of Judd was ridiculous, and overall both of their performances were pretty over-the-top.

When this movie ended, I was just flat out mad. Mad because I had wasted two hours of my life watching the stupid thing. And mad because of the unfair portrayal of one of classical Hollywood's most talented stars.

Marilyn Monroe was not crazy. She did not have hallucinations. She did not live in her own little world. She had a drug problem. And she had paralyzing insecurity, stemming from a childhood spent in numerous foster homes, where she was molested and abused. Years after her death, it was revealed that she had bipolar disorder, yet this travesty of a biopic stuck to the idea that she was nuts.

Spare yourself the annoyance, and do not watch this movie.

Saw (2004)

overrated

[4/10 · 31 July 2005]

Spoiler alert.

I really hated this movie. And it shocks me that I am one of only a few.

To me, the film was heavily influenced by several 90s thrillers and slasher films ("Se7en", especially) and the story basically relied on old ideas and shock value. The violence was disgusting and often ridiculous, and I sort of feel like the people that did this movie thought they had to make it really gross to be scary.

Most of the scenes seemed as though they were trying to just scare the bajeezus out of the viewer without creating any sort of suspense or fear. For example, a woman has to dig around in the stomach of her drugged-up friend so her head doesn't explode. Why?? What the hell is the point of that? It's just stupid.

And in the final scene, why did the guy have to saw through his foot?! I mean, c'mon. There were ways around that. He just seemed to snap, and suddenly the fact that the key to his shackle was just a few feet away was irrelevant.

Okay, I admit that the cinematography was sort of cool...

But Cary Ewles? Good god. He was great in "The Princess Bride", "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", and as the villain in a variety of family and action films. But in "Saw" he was truly awful. I think my local newspaper stated it best in a caption under a photo of Elwes in "Saw": 'Mommy, please make the bad actor go away'.

In conclusion, "Saw" was an interesting concept that was executed horribly. But I'm probably just crazy, because everyone else in the world seems to love it.