beautifulcopper Reviews

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: And So Died Riabouchinska (1956) Season 1, Episode 20

Tragic and pitiable

[14 November 2011]

I found this episode to be really interesting in a sad way. The central character is a disturbed old man unable to cope with a failed relationship.This story shows, to what extent the human mind can go to shield itself from pain. However, the element of suspense/tension is missing.

One scene, I found a bit weird - In the beginning of the story a woman discovers a man lying face down under the staircase and screams. I could not help but wonder why she automatically assumed that its a corpse. Normally, one would check if its just a drunkard or someone lying unconscious.

Overall, a good story but not scary, suspenseful or thrilling. Rather a bizarre and heartbreaking drama. The detective reminded me a lot of Josh Hartnet :)

Twentynine Palms (2003)

Watch if you like slow, ambiguous movies and then dissect them for symbols, hidden meanings etc

[2/10 · 2 May 2011]

I watched this movie last night, and I am still feeling spaced-out :D Actually, I really liked the first half, which is all serene and normal ( I had not read many reviews...was watching it without much expectations ). Nothing much happens, but its still good. I thought it was all building up to something very interesting/moving/disturbing . I found the couple kind of interesting and sweet at first. But 70 minutes into it, I began to wonder, where exactly the film was going.

The one thing that disappointed and confused me was, how the bloody climax, makes all the interesting little details of the relationship ( the ice-cream conversation, the late-night fight, oral sex in pool, David stalking his girlfriend etc ) seem irrelevant. The couple itself doesn't seem normal, but I think the climax would have been the same, irrespective of how normal/dysfunctional the couple was. An incident as horrific as that, can make anyone go mad. 90% of the 114 minutes, are focused on their relationship, but the "horror element" which arrived in the last 5-10 minutes of the film, just comes out of elsewhere.

Sure the rape is horrible and humiliating, but it seemed to be there just for shock value. Maybe, the director wanted to show how one random horrific incident, can absolutely ruin everything...but if thats the case then the duration of the film doesn't really make sense.

I think the makers have done a great job in building up the suspense....but the wait is too long and when the bad stuff happens it is just weird. For me, the climax was neither shocking nor thought-provoking (Everyone knows, man is capable of both savagery as well as saintliness) , but just very very saddening. So this movie has left me in a sad and confused state of mind.

Also, I don't know, why are movies like these, are marketed as something they are not. If you promise the viewers "a deliverance meets psycho", and give them this movie, there are bound to be negative reviews. Even, the original trailer tries to make the film look so eventful and thrilling......I can understand why horror fans are badly disappointed.

Its NOT a bad movie, but I would not call it a horror film either... I agree that the desert looks quite menacing, so OK that qualifies as a "thriller" element. But there is a disjointedness to this movie, which is why I would not recommend it.

But if you like to watch slow, ambiguous movies and then dissect them for symbols, hidden meanings etc..then go ahead. You just might like it.