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MorgaineS
Reviews
House of Cards (1993)
**Spoilers** Wonderful story, great cast.
House of Cards is a really unusual story, and you have to really pay attention to understand what is going on. It juxtaposes modern medicine with Mayan ritual, but you have to listen to the conversations with the Mayan man and Sally (Asha Menina) to understand what she's going through. I'll try not to give too much away, but I have to talk about the ending because that is what is confusing people.
The movie begins with the father dying from a fall at an archaeological dig in South America. The little girl is only about 5, but she's multilingual, speaking Spanish and a native Mayan dialect fluently as well as English. We hear Sally's memories as narration, the Mayan man that she spent so much time with telling her how to become very quiet, how to deal with her grief, and that her father now lives on the moon. The family leaves for the States shortly after the father's death, so this little girl who has only really known the people at the site is taken from an extended support system to a rural American setting. Her mother and brother are so caught up in the move and their grief that they don't really notice Sally has stopped talking. As she begins to exhibit extraordinary powers like climbing and throwing or catching a ball with freakish ability, the brother notices but doesn't really tell their mom.
Sally's "symptoms" create concern in the local authorities when she climbs up building equipment trying to reach the moon, where she's been told her father is now. They only manage to get her down because the worker that goes after her is Native American and she trusts him. No one ever mentions this in the movie, but he's the only one she responds to during her mourning spell. A therapist who is assigned to deal with Sally and her family struggles to define the problems and the extreme gifts demonstrated by Sally. He's using modern techniques that are unable to reach the girl. Her behavior becomes more bizarre, and more beautiful, leaving him to struggle with the idea of whether we enter or withdraw from the world through creativity.
In the end, the mother, played by Kathleen Turner, follows her instinct and builds a tower based on the design of Sally's house of cards. No one connects the fact that Sally's structure ended with a Major Arcana Tarot card, The Moon, and that the tower appears to be directly under the moon, as in the card. The Native man from the construction site helps the mother, as do friends and family, though they don't understand what she's doing. When the tower nears completion, the mother falls asleep on it, and she connects with Sally in a dream. She's awakened by the doctor coming across the field, where he found Sally headed for the tower.
This is where most people get lost. Sally and her mother work the problem out on an inner plane. From the outside, they appear to just be staring at each other. On the inside, Sally is expressing her grief, says good bye to her daddy, and comes back to her mom. Once Sally lets go of her dad, she is back to normal. She has no memory of her "quiet" time.
Sally's journey is a vision quest, and her mother intuitively reaches her with a ritual based on the symbols Sally has been taught. No one in the movie understands how it happens or why, so if you aren't familiar with Native American spirituality, it won't make sense - though it is still poetic and beautiful, if you let go of trying to make it fit your expectations.
I highly recommend the movie, especially for family viewing.
Dark Blue (2002)
I went to see Kurt Russell...
but I stayed for Scott Speedman. Kurt is always good, but Speedman stole every scene he was in. This is a violent, ugly movie about violent ugly people. It's pretty much all been done before, though they did this one pretty well.
Russell's performance was solid, with his trademark glee at his own bad ass. Micheal Michelle (I think) has the best speech, and I can't believe she didn't get more attention for her work here. We've seen the rookie in over his head cliché many times, but this one is special. You really feel the betrayal and the confusion in Bobby Keough as we see the twinkle in his eye replaced with his revulsion at having committed a cold-blooded killing.. If Speedman's last scene doesn't break your heart, you haven't got one.
Underworld (2003)
Absolutely the best of its genre
I've watched this movie about 20 times now, and I've ordered a copy for myself because it's the best Goth-themed movie anyone has produced so far. (I have high hopes for the sequel.)
*Slight Spoilers*
The plot was ingenious. The idea of the Vampires having at one time enslaved the Lycans (werewolves) and later warring with them for centuries created an interesting dynamic. The look and the feel of the film was perfect - beautiful, spoiled, elitist vampires in lush dark environs; coarser, but more sympathetic Lycans (once you got to know them). Every part was well cast and well-acted.
I was particularly impressed with Kate Beckinsale. I'd only ever seen her in a Jane Austen production, and you'd never know it was the same girl. Despite her petite frame, she played the part of warrior ferociously. She had a darker, more sullen approach to her character than is usually written for a woman in an action film.
Scott Speedman is easy to love, of course, but I initially had my doubts about him in the role of Michael Corvin. Somehow, I never pictured him in an action role. I was pleasantly surprised that he can appear so fragile one moment and kick ass the next. The relationship between Michael and Selene will make or break the sequel. I can't wait.
Waydowntown (2000)
If you've ever worked in a cubicle, you've got to see this film.
I'm going to be honest. I saw Fab Filippo on Queer As Folk and wanted to check out some of his other work. Yeah, he's gorgeous, but that isn't the only thing I liked about this movie. It's so funny, and so well done that it has become one of my favorite indie films. If you've ever had to work in a cubicle and felt like a rat in a maze; if you've ever had co-workers you were sure would be starring in a hostage negotiation; If you've ever let someone continue to call you by the wrong name because it's just easier, WayDownTown is about YOU. The bet that these 4 co-workers have undertaken requires that they stay indoors for 24 days and counting. Their voluntary confinement combined with that all-too-familiar daily grind has resulted in a wicked sort of "mall buzz". Tom (played to absolute perfection by Filippo) carries the movie along with running narration that we hear as he tries to multi-task while stoned. He runs into an assortment of difficult people and to make matters worse, he's starting to hallucinate. The head trips he's pulled on the other 3 involved in the bet are taking full effect and we gradually watch them all come unglued in situations that are funny because of their familiarity. The movie does a great job of making one day run into the next, just like real life. What color is his tie? What color is her sweater? Wait wasn't he wearing a blue shirt? The colors in the movie are used to enhance the stifling artificiality of the office and the attached mall. You won't be able to resist trying to figure out who the Bradley in your office is...
The Ex (1996)
Yancy Butler is Fierce!
Ok, it's not a big budget film and the cast isn't exactly up to par, but there's one awesome reason to love this movie - Yancy Butler. Her performance is fierce, and so is the character she plays. If you love bad guys, they don't get any badder than this.