marieelise0928 Reviews

That Was Then (2002)

I'm sorry it didn't get more of a chance...

[27 July 2005]

It only aired two episodes, and those were three years ago, and yet here I am thinking about it. That has to indicate something, doesn't it? It was an interesting and fun show with a good premise that deserved more of an opportunity to find an audience. Unfortunately TV these days is all about instant success, and there is never any investment in quality programming...

Great cast and a cool story! I'm just sorry those of us who caught the first two weeks of it never got a chance to know how the main character would work everything out so that he got the girl and kept the nephew and didn't screw anyones life up to dramatically!

Beyond Borders (2003)

Powerful, affecting, and lingering...

[10/10 · 1 November 2003]

Perhaps lingering is the wrong word, since as I write this, I only left the theater about 30 minutes ago... But I can still feel my heart clenched in my chest, and my mind is still rolling back and forth over what I've just seen. In my experience, those are the kinds of films that stay with you.

There have been a lot of reviews on both sides as far as Beyond Borders goes, and I think it comes down to knowing yourself as a movie viewer. Beyond Borders presents you with a glimpse of the world, and it asks you to believe in it, to internalize it. If you're the kind of person who can EXPERIENCE a film, rather than just kick back and watch it, than you'll be brushing flies out of your eyes, and jumping at every sudden burst of gunfire. You'll be overwhelmed by the desperation around you, and you'll feel despair, and helplessness, and you'll think "Good for those people who go to Ethiopia/to Chechnya/to Cambodia. I'm so glad someone's helping," and then deep down, you'll be ashamed to realize that you think that just because you elected to see a movie about Relief Workers rather than The Texas Chainsaw Massacres, you deserve some sort of gold star.

And yes, there is the love story. And if you love love stories (as do I) you'll love this one. Again, it comes down to how much you'll let your self believe in a movie, and how much you expect to be convinced. Certainly, I would NEVER accuse Angelina Jolie and Clive Owens of sharing no chemistry, as I was completely unable to breathe during most of the scenes they shared. Both actors excelled in their roles, together and separately.

No, it wasn't fast-paced. It wasn't full of witty acerbic dialogue, or fantastic car chases. There were no jokes about bodily functions. It was just sincere, and powerful, and good (in every sense of the world). Though it was by no means perfect, I gladly rated it a 10 for excellence.