mcbrewster Reviews

Frailty (2001)

Too tidy, could've been a great movie.

[7/10 · 23 April 2003]

The final few minutes leave little doubt in the viewer's mind as to "the truth" (in the context of the movie) about the visions. Unfortunately, doubt was what made this film so interesting and frightening in the first place. If only this movie had been left more open-ended, it might have been great.

The scariest scene was (I imagine) the most difficult for the director to handle - when father first wakes up the boys in the middle of the night. This scene was set the incredibly uneasy tone for the rest of the movie. Bill Paxton is going to develop into a terrific director.

The Way of the Gun (2000)

Disappointed by the cool video box once again.

[3/10 · 18 May 2002]

And it's too bad; Benicio del Toro's talent & beauty is wasted in this movie. It started out stupid (gee, another film about a couple of cruel young criminals - how original!). But it became promising in the first hour. For instance - the slow, silent (but for gunshots) car chase down the alley; the weird, cold bodyguards. But then it degenerated to a slow, gunshot-ridden muddle. No, it's not YOU, it's the movie - everyone's motivation is all screwed up, it's not your fault you don't understand it.

The final scene summed up the inanity of the last half of the movie for me - 20 minutes (felt like more) of nothing but people poking their heads out from behind things and shooting one another. **[mild spoilers]** Although I admit I appreciated the surprise of the glass shard-filled fountain. I did not, however, appreciate Lewis' vivisection. Gross.

3 out of 10, and only because del Toro had lots of screen time.

Chasing Dreams (1989)

Uh, this is not Field of Dreams!

[18 May 2002]

I remember my poor mom rented this for us right after Field of Dreams came out. Who could blame her, Kevin Costner is featured right on the cover! I seem to recall the plot revolved around some idiot getting hit in the head with a baseball and entering a walking coma or something. Kevin Costner drove a truck and had about 5 minutes of dialogue. A truly awful movie and my first experience with fraudulent video promotion. For that, I'll probably remember it forever - congratulations to the filmmakers!

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Poor David. :(

[23 March 2002]

My problem with some anti-utopian futuristic movies from the last few decades is that they fail, in my opinion, at accurately accounting the development of human ethics. The ice caps melt, millions die, pregnancies are licensed, and a viable solution to millions of childless parents is a "throw-away" child? Is this premise really believable? Could we really become that incredibly shallow? How did it happen? Details, please!

Even taken on its face, the choice of parents for the prototype is highly risky (not "perfect" at all, as David's creators seem to believe) and therefore not really plausible. I imagine most viewers predicted the thawing of the "real" child as early in the movie as I did. According to the movie, there must have been many parents around with children who had already died and would've made better candidates--wasn't that the reason for David's creation?

The flesh fair scenes were grotesque and silly. However, despite themselves they slightly redeemed the humanity of this futuristic world when the audience refused to put David to death. The carnival barker's spiel about replacing real human affection with machinery was an accurate and poignant criticism of the world this movie created - I am torn that he is pelted with fruit.

What else can I say about the most depressing movie I've seen in a long time? Haley Joel Osment is the only child actor who can make me cry. :(