ctimberl Reviews

Traveller (1997)

Excellent small film about gypsy-like con artists.

[7 March 2004]

To satisfy one reviewer's curiosity: These people do exist, or at least clans like them exist. There is a well-known Scottish clan who are con artists, doing roofing jobs, driveway sealing, etc. that are no good. They gather yearly in Cincinnati, OH at which time the local media warn people to beware of them and their "work". Their graves are marked by rather gaudy headstones and monuments in Cincinati's Spring Grove Cemetery. The cemetery has been the resting place of prominent cincinnati families since the 19th century. I first was told of these people (perhaps the name of the clan is MacDonald) when I was shown the cemetery many years ago. Their red granite monuments stuck out like sore thumbs amongst the more sedate ones of proper Cincinnatians. As to whether an Irish clan of travellers exists, I do not know, but the Scottish clan does. As to the movie--Nice, small film. Nice work by Bill Paxton and Mark Wahlberg.

Sordid Lives (2000)

Outrageous fun!

[1 June 2003]

"Sordid Lives" is not a great comedy, but it is a lot of fun, especially if you've ever lived in Texas. I have, and I "know" those people. Don't expect a great plot and don't expect sophisticated humor from this film, but just sit back and have a good time. It may not be a good film, but it's a good movie.

The Yards (2000)

Excellent performances

[21 January 2003]

Encountering "The Yards" on cable over the weekend, I found myself drawn into the film much more than when I first saw it. I think the film has too many things wrong with it to be a really good one, but it does hold one's attention. Watch it for the performances. What a cast! And all of them are excellent. Mark Wahberg continues to grow as an actor in this film. He created a memorable character. This is a guy we really respect, a guy we'd like to help out, but all we can do is watch his sense of loyalty lead him into trouble just as it did in the past. As to problems, well, the ending is too pat. The strength of all the actors is also a weakness. If every actor is that good and their parts are written strongly to match their talents, then the film loses focus. One feels that the film doesn't concentrate enough on the few characters that are really important to the storyline. Our attention is diverted to characters of secondary importance. Still, watch the film for those excellent performances, especially, Mark Wahlberg's. He holds his own with the best of them.

Defying Gravity (1997)

One of the more interesting gay coming out movies.

[7/10 · 27 October 2002]

For the writer/director's first effort at creating a work of fiction, "Defying Gravity" is quite good. While one might quibble about too many plot coincidences, shots of actors held a little too long, or music that attempts to cover up some weaknesses, the film does tell an interesting story and uses good actors to do it. This is better than average film making. Gay coming out films are difficult to bring off for either a gay or a straight audience. This one succeeds very well in holding the interest of both audiences. I look forward to seeing more work by this film maker.

Star Maps (1997)

An excellent original, offbeat film.

[9/10 · 3 August 2002]

"Star Maps" leads us from something familiar--the sight of boys on street corners selling maps to homes of movie stars--to the unfamiliar world the boys really inhabit, a world in which they sell not just maps, but sell themselves to women or men. This world is explored beautifully through the life of one boy. Good cast! Good script! Good directing!

Deux plus un (1991)

Two young, gay men at a seaside resort encounter a young, straight woman.

[29 June 2002]

A great contemporary French director creates a delightful short film. A young gay couple is vacationing at a seaside resort. The younger man has a sexual encounter with a woman 10 years older at the beach. What effect does this have on the gay couple's relationship? But that would be telling. Sex and nudity are handled tastefully by Ozon and are visually rewarding, especially for gay men and straight women.

The Delta (1996)

Bad movie.

[1/10 · 28 July 2001]

This is not a good film. The writer-director, in an interview, explained that he wrote the script, saw a Bergman film that influenced script changes, and then there were further changes when he hired the actor to portray the Vietnamese character. At that point, a total rewrite was needed. The stories don't hold together. Emphasis shifts from one character to another, seemingly secondary, character by the end of the film. Visually, it is too dark. Memphis is its locale and was important to its director, but there is no feel of Memphis in the film. Beyond that, the story isn't very interesting. I think this is one of those films that is very personal to its director, but doesn't have much to interest the rest of us. My life would not be interesting on film, either, which is why it is NOT on film.

The Velocity of Gary (1998)

Was, perhaps, a good play, but not a good film.

[2/10 · 25 November 2000]

The film has an interesting beginning and introduces promising characters and a promising theme. Alas, very quickly things start to fall apart. Characters are introduced and dispensed with, having served no real purpose. One character who, unfortunately, is present throughout the film serves mostly to irritate us and the film's other characters. One wonders why anyone would put up with her for an extended period of weeks, months, or years when we don't want to see her for 2 hours. What was the man dressed like an accountant doing in this film? Why was an illness introduced clumsily? I wish I had seen the play so that I could see what went wrong in the translation to film (assuming that the play was good enough to warrant film treatment). I did watch the entire film, but I wish I hadn't. I do think the film should be seen by all college and university film majors as a lesson in what not to do. This one is a real mess.