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enzobaker77
To breathe the air around Tom Paine's,
I spied the fairest damsel
That ever did walk in chains.
I offer'd her my hand,
She took me by the arm.
I knew that very instant,
She meant to do me harm.
"Depart from me this moment,"
I told her with my voice.
Said she, "But I don't wish to,"
Said I, "But you have no choice."
"I beg you, sir," she pleaded
From the corners of her mouth,
"I will secretly accept you
And together we'll fly south."
Just then Tom Paine, himself,
Came running from across the field,
Shouting at this lovely girl
And commanding her to yield.
And as she was letting go her grip,
Up Tom Paine did run,
"I'm sorry, sir," he said to me,
"I'm sorry for what she's done."
Reviews
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
4 Junkies and One Mad Fridge
A movie in my native Coney Island--that was enough of a reason for me to see this movie. I expected a moody, dark, sullen film and the "faded glory of Coney Island about 4 people searching for their vision of happiness" as the back of the box said. What I got was a 360 doing tumblesaults---highly stylized, almost comically absurd at times, and ultimately, just another movie about junkies, but with a bizarre directing style that got on my nerves midway through.
Harry Goldfarb is a twenty something living with his mother Sara in a small Coney Island apartment who has to pawn his mothers TV for money. He and his friend Tyrone (played by Marlon Wayans quite well in a rare dramatic role) already drug addicts, decide to sell some for a huge sum of money. Harry's girlfriend Marion, also an addict, serves as Harry's inspiration and encouragement for a better life together. Harry's mother Sara, a very lonely widow, who watches infomercials all day, gets a telemarketing call about being chosen to be on TV as a contestant. That potential opportunity serves as Sara's purpose for getting up in the morning, trying on her favorite red dress repeatedly and checking the mailbox incessantly. She begins taking diet pills prescribed by her doctor in order to lose weight. Soon the film showcases all 4 people suffering from their addictions and spiraling out of control.
Here are my numerous problems with the film. Jared Leto seems to be speaking in a comical John Travolta-Welcome Back Cotter accent obviously to accentuate his Brooklyn twang, which was silly, because Jennifer Connelly, actually from Brooklyn in real life, speaks nothing like the buffoonish Leto, who is from Louisiana in real life. That bothered me as a Brooklynite, who also does not talk like Kotter. As for the plot, there's nothing wrong with tackling a common plot theme---there are many different ways a common plot could be directed, but the way Darren Aronofsky tackled it was ridiculous. At times the movie resembled the style of 2 directors I like--PT Anderson in Magnolia, and David O. Russell in Three Kings. The way the dialogue moved and the constant references to what was on TV looked a lot like Magnolia, and the closeups of the heroin entering the body from the needle looked like that bullet penetrating the soldier's body in Three Kings. I thought that was kind of interesting and definitely different when I saw it in Three Kings, but here's the difference. It was done once or twice. Darren does it over and over in this and at one point I wanted to turn it off. It was also done when Sara was eating, complete with slurping sounds to show her coffee being drunk. I hated that! Many shots were done in a similar fast forward motion which were equally annoying.
But for what it's worth, the acting was OK save for Leto at times. Ellen Burstyn is eerily good as an aging, ignorant and delusional sad sack, as were Connelly and Wayans, whom I could not get out of my head as the Coolio character in Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, which was hilarious. The last 15 minutes are gut wrenching, particularly Sara's unravelling, which got under my skin. But overall, too stylized and trying too hard.
And what about that fridge? Thought I was watching Amityville Horror for a second!
Shame on you, Darren Aronofsky from Brooklyn!
1999 (1997)
Been Done Before
...but not bad for a first time director. In fact, in the beginning of the movie, the director himself tells the camera how broke he was as a result of making the film. I thought that was odd---was it part of the movie? The side of the box said First Rites Series, an independent film thing, so I guess it had something to do with that.
The movie tells a simple story of a group of young adults celebrating New Years on the eve of the year 2000. It had some witty dialogue, but nothing else about it was original, including the Woody Allenesque lead character Rufus. (have you noticed actors who impersonate other actors are very annoying?)
I take it back---just because its a film by a first time director, there's no reason it shouldn't be 'original'. While all directors cannot have the first film appeal of Scorcese, Tarantino, or Spike Lee, they should all take a stab at it and resist directing what has been done before. What have they got to lose?
Best lines include something about a hotel "labia" and signing in with his "penis" and a hippiechick talking about why she wants to be an ear doctor instead of a singer.
5 out of 10
Identity (2003)
Promising Start, Cheap Ending
With a stellar who's who cast of greats from yesterday and today, and a beginning that wastes no time, this movie looked and felt like a classic. I say 'felt' like a classic because for the first half hour I felt tight and uneasy, and whenever a film evokes queasiness I know its bound to be a winner. But it took the cheap, cliched way out after the first hour or so.
The basic plot involves a bunch of strangers more or less thrown together under various circumstances in a Nevada Motel due to a bad storm. They are soon forced to work together when a few from their small group begin turning up dead. Thats all I have to say about that.
The colorful combo include Cusack the efficient limo driver, DeMornay the stuck up actress he is chauffeuring, Liotta the no nonsense cop with the son of Gary Busey as his prisoner in transport, Peet the prostitute with a plan, a jerky hotel manager named Larry, a young unhappily married couple, and a boy in a bad state.
What frightened me the most was when May 10 was worked in as a pertinent date to the plot, I realized that was indeed the present date! (as I sit here and write this on May 10, hours after I saw it) I couldn't help but feel a dose of religion and superstition (same thing to me)
If you like feeling a little sick and rattled for an hour or so, this movie is worth seeing. If you like surprise endings for the sake of surprise endings, then this too is for you. If you despise cliched Hollywood endings, skip it. 5 out of 10
Greedy (1994)
Very Underrated Comedy
You must see this movie if you like Phil Hartman and offbeat comedies! And if you simply don't care about popular opinion and what critics say, then you should definitely see this movie!
This film tackles a subject matter that I've never seen in a movie: inheriting money and being included in a will. Kirk Douglas plays a wealthy and eccentric business man bound to a wheelchair who says what he wants and gets whatever he asks for. Retired from his coal mining business, his days now consist of toying with his asskissing moneyhungry family who secretly are waiting for him to die, and being with his sexy live in housemaid (played by The Wonder Years' Olivia D'abo, whom I did not know was British, not to mention the daughter of Doo Wa Diddy's Manfred Mann). Led by the hilarious and unfortunately late Phil Hartman in top form, the family take turns accomodating Douglas and verbally assaulting him in private. The movie takes a turn when they decide to call Douglas' favorite nephew, played by Michael J. Fox, who has moved away to get away from his gold digging cousins, in order to cheer up Douglas. Fox, and his wife, played by the charming Nancy Travis, are the only ones who aren't after their uncle's money. Or are they?
With many twists and an ending to die for, this movie is my pick for the most underrated comedy of the 90's. See it!
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
"Woody's Most Ambitious"....
...is the way revered and world renowned film critic Leonard Maltin summed up Woody Allens most multilayered film. And who would disagree with the bearded scholarly veteren Maltin? He's only seen like every movie ever! (except for Nightmare in Badham County and Nature of the Beast, which are suspiciously absent from the 2000 edition of Lenny's book, the most recent edition I have--perhaps I should invest in the most updated one)
Crimes and Misdeamenors is Woodys all time best combination of comedy and drama ever. It centers around Judah, a "middle aged man" torn between risking his marriage because of chatty, unstable mistress Delores (a very unmistress like Angelica Huston) and affecting his successful optomology practice.
Then theres the Woody subplot. He's Cliff--an unhappily married failure of a documentary film maker who has the hots for Halley, the new woman assigned on his latest film project (played by who else, Mia Farrow) His latest project was set up by his sympathetic/fed up wife about her brother, rich, womanizing, successful documentary film maker Lester, who represents everything the envious and snippy Cliff wants to be. The verbal quips between the unenthusiastic Cliff and the arrogant Lester are very funny, and Woody is in top form.
The two plots intertwine in the finale, and what follows is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The film is full of visual symbolism regarding religion and love, and only the true film buff will pick up on the Bergmanesque references.
Look carefully for Frances Conroy, the actress who plays the mother on Six Feet Under.
10 out of 10