Change Your Image
ngear-2
Reviews
Wonderland (2000)
Such a disappointment
I saw the pilot of this show six years ago, and when it crossed my mind a few minutes ago, I had to see if I could find out why the series didn't continue. I recall thinking at the time that it was probably the finest pilot I had ever seen. When the show didn't materialize, I was so disappointed. I don't recall details, after all this time, but now I read that it was canceled because of pressure from advocates for the mentally ill. This is interesting, because I donate regularly to NAMI, and NARSAD, and am very much concerned with the wellbeing of victims of mental illness, as two very close, very beloved family members have died as a result of mental illness.
It seems to me that this series could actually have been used to educate the public about mental illness. If there were issues with how mentally ill persons were depicted, it seems to me that it would have been more beneficial to address those issues within plots rather than cancel the series. I feel certain that the writers were up to the challenge of keeping the show entertaining, dramatic, and not overly "politically correct" while actually making the public MORE aware of the plight of mentally ill people, and possibly removing some of the stigma and "otherness" which we add to the burden of their disease.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Lots of style, no substance
It seemed a shame that the cinematographers, costumers, set designers, etc. invested so much talent and effort into such a lame story. Way overblown. I can't think of another instance where I've seen as much visual power in a film and so of little anything else.
Smoke (1995)
One of my favorite movies
I have seen this movie about 6 or 7 times and it is just wonderful. I can see where it might not be for everyone, but I found it beautiful. The video cover is a bit misleading. It isn't really a comedy, even though it has some humor. It IS really a sensitive and literate story about touching relationships between some very interesting characters.
Frailty (2001)
Surprisingly Funny
I read a couple of reviews before I saw this movie, and I have read a few of the viewer comments here, and I am so surprised that no one else has mentioned that Frailty, while morbid and creepy and seemingly quite serious, actually contains quite a few chuckles, strange in a film with such grim subject matter, but at least the hunor keeps the film from being disturbing after you leave the theater. I don't know if everything my companions and I found humorous was intentional, but I have no doubt that the very last scene was played for laughs. Even the final twist felt a little like "Ha! The jokes on you" to me. The photography, casting, and especially the score were excellent. I could see Something coming in most of the twists, but I wasn't sure what it would be.
You should know that I am the kind of person who covers her eyes at violent scenes and generally "feel the pain" of victims in movies, even funny ones like "Home Alone".