djsadegh Reviews

A Walk on the Moon (1999)

Otherwise known as "Attack of the Killer Woodstock"

[4 September 2000]

A beautiful movie about a jewish community in the summer

of 1969 that is nearly destroyed when a renegade hippy

blouseman rides in with his van spreading free love and

tie-die shirts at a discount. Pretty soon everything goes to

hell (a.k.a. Woodstock) in a handbasket.

But seriously, this is a likeable movie about themes common to most every relationship. What do we give up

when we choose to have sex, have a child, get married,

etc? Do we have a choice? Can we resist the temptation

to jump the fence for greener pastures? What does this

have to do with Neal Armstrong?

Vatel (2000)

Interesting, but underdeveloped

[15 May 2000]

The advance buzz on this wasn't very positive, so I wasn't expecting too much from this film. Unfortunately, I was still disappointed. Perhaps the film was poorly cast or just poorly written, but none of the characters are truly engaging and there is no connection made between the audience and what is happening on the screen. The inventions and spectacles that Vatel creates are truly amazing, but there doesn't seem to be any real depth or passion in the character. The film tries to do too much, and in the end is just a superficial glimpse of what could have been a great story.

Erin Brockovich (2000)

Cute people and cancer too

[12 May 2000]

A solid, entertaining portrayal of a woman (who has absolutely nothing going for her except for heart and stubborn determination) fighting against incredible odds. Erin Brockovich has every reason to give up the fight against a corporate giant who has successfully gotten away with polluting a small community's water for years. But she will not give up.

My only real problem with the movie is that it's a little too cute. Albert Finney is cute, the biker boyfriend who loves little kids is cute, of course Julia Roberts is cute - even the streams of obscenities coming out of Julia Roberts mouth are cute. You can't help but feel good after this movie, but the main characters are just so lovable you almost expect McDonald's to be handing out plush toys and Erin Brockovich happy meals. Don't get me wrong. I liked the movie a lot. But the characters and situations are a little bit too perfect to be believable.

Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Realistic, Brutal, Excellent

[12 May 2000]

This is a movie that will be hard for me to watch again, but not because it is a bad film. The inevitable violence that takes place in the movie is truly horrifying given the depth of the characters that have been created. The writing and acting and direction come together to present a true story that is as engrossing as it is terrible - we feel like we are looking through a window into real people's lives, each one victimized by the nightmare in which they inhabit.

As the lead character, Brandon Teena is a deeply flawed person, a woman who lies to herself and others with such desperate conviction that I began to believe her as well. I don't know if anyone but Hilary Swank could have pulled this off, but she does a perfect job. Chloë Sevigny is wonderful as Lana, a woman who ultimately sees through the lies, but continues to embrace them and Brandon as her only chance of escape.

Kimberly Peirce's direction is very good, only calling attention to itself in the stop-motion sequences that well-illustrate the suffocating monotany of the small town. Time is flying by, and the rest of the world, too, but nothing is going to change in Falls City, Nebraska. It is a place so in-bred and isolated that the inhabitants are forced to victimize themselves and each other in their struggle to keep things the same. It is a place that still exists and needs to be witnessed and understood. This movie makes sure that the tragic loss of those whose lives are destroyed by such place will not be forgotten.

Heavy Metal 2000 (2000)

Worst thing I've seen since "The Postman"

[5 May 2000]

The first Heavy Metal had its flaws, but this piece of trash makes the original look like the Mona Lisa. The weekday-afternoon TV-grade animation looks like it was thrown together by the artistic team behind the new Johnny Quest show, complete with awful, obnoxious 3-D computer animation which is unfortunately the most interesting thing about this movie. It's bad from the first minute and never gets better. There is nothing remotely entertaining about this film - every joke and plot development has been done a thousand times before. And the music is just sad. This is 90 minutes of the worst audio and visual crap I think I've ever seen on the big screen. At least "The Postman" had some nice shots of Montana.

Cradle Will Rock (1999)

A Wonderful, Intelligent Film

[3 May 2000]

Cradle Will Rock has everything I like in a movie - great characters, humor, suspense, depth, and music. The many subplots are woven together in perfect balance, leaving you wanting more of everything at the end, even though the film is over two hours.

The acting is excellent all around, especially Cherry Jones' portrayal of Hallie Flanagan, the head of the Federal Theater. Ruben Blades and Angus MacFadyen give us Diego Rivera and Orson Welles, respectively, and do not disappoint. It's rare to see so many charismatic, likeable people in a movie with a real story. There is no one star of the film - everyone is sharing the spotlight equally. Tim Robbins has really done a magnificent job of putting all the pieces in the right places.

And perhaps best of all, this is a film with real controversy - one that will get you thinking about art and politics and unions and the influence of money on everything. Cradle Will Rock is such an ambitious piece of work, it could have failed in so many different ways, and yet it succeeds on every level. Check it out.

Any Given Sunday (1999)

Go see everything else first

[3/10 · 27 April 2000]

On any given Sunday, you can see a better movie than this, or at least a real football game for free on TV. I'm tired of being disappointed by Oliver Stone's films. This one is a formulaic sports movie with nothing new to say. The characters are unconvincing and one-dimensional, sometimes making abrupt shifts in their personalities to aid the all-too predictable plot.

Whereas Stone normally enjoys taking real people and events and presenting his version of history, this time the names are changed to protect...nobody. Instead of taking a truly critical look at the game, Stone turns out to be a regular fan and the movie becomes an advertisement for a game that doesn't need salesmen.