Change Your Image
a-cornlover_1988
Reviews
Homo Faber (1991)
Frisch didn't deserve this
Schloendorff at his worst. All his movies are badly acted, awfully staged and directed, but this adaptation of Max Frisch's fabulous classic novel is just ... I can't even tell you HOW bad it was!! Schloendorf didn't understand the novel at all, he seemed to be more than confused, and the actors! Poor Sam Shepard, poor Julie Delpy! Schloendorff hunts them through various (admittedly lovely) locations, lets them talk a lot and loses the paths of the author too often. This movie is no entertainment, it's not thought-provoking, it's just an assault on good taste. The only good thing about this movie is the title song sung by Ute Lemper, the jazz standard "Careless Love Blues". But for that it might suffice to buy the soundtrack. My, this movie is awful!
Shadow Dancing (1988)
Nadine van der Velde's first and only starring role
"Shadow Dancing" is a bizarre experience: a mystery/thriller/drama set in a "Flashdance"-like environment with an overacting Christopher Plummer doing the male lead. Aside from the unconventional storyline, the movie doesn't offer very much: the direction, the camera-work, the music - everything's just okay, nothing special. It's not bad either. The one and only reason that made me going for this was Nadine van der Velde, the pretty girl from "Critters" and "Munchies". She was a starlet in the 1980s whose career never hit off, and this was her only starring part before she left to become a writer. Her performance as the troubled dancer who delves into the mysterious story is highly convincing, and one wonders why she didn't have a bigger career as an actress. If you like pretty girls, if you are a Nadine van der Velde fan, try to get a tape. It's hard to get, though. 5 out of 10.
Wish You Were Here (2005)
Could have been much better
It's a sweet little film with some nice shots and a certain holiday feeling, but somehow it doesn't quite work as a thriller for me. The story was odd, yet it seemed used and worn out. The direction: poor. The supporting roles were just fine: Lidea Ruth, Howard Marks, Joseph Berwick and Germany's Andre Schneider give wonderful insights into their art. But the film's leading man, Sam Page, was as wooden and unintentionally funny as it can possibly get. He delivers his lines clumsily, and his entire performance seemed as if he didn't want to do the movie in the first place. The photography and editing were slightly above average, but all in all the movie lacked tempo, and excitement. A boring thriller. A pity. 3 out of 10.