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Jackson: My Life... Your Fault (1996)
An interesting little gem, shows great potential
"Jackson" is an enjoyable if flawed short film which I've always thought of fondly having seen it years ago on Channel 4. I felt it showed great promise and potential, even if it didn't quite deliver as a totally convincing and rounded film.
The film clearly is the product of a whole heap of interesting ideas, many of which are successful or nearly successful - the sense of magic, the fantastic mother figure (a wonderful overbearing upper class lush who is prone to histrionics, think Miss Haversham crossed with Bubbles Rothermere), the attempt to show the journey of a gay romance from initial flirtation through to mourned loss.
The use of music is interesting and works well too - a Britten choral work for boys' choir accompanies a sexily executed love scene shot in moody half-light, the final song at the very end sets an upbeat tone for the future ("I was love sick but now I'm feeling better").
As well as the music, the locations and pacing do a great job of conveying the buzz of mid-nineties London and showing off a fresh and vibrant gay scene, effectively contrasted with the old-world grandeur of the house where Jackson grew up.
Yes, there is some over-acting and yes the thing doesn't feel like it totally comes together (the central "ghost" story never quite works) but this film stands out as the work of someone who could produce great things once they've refined their craft.
There are some great moments that live with you afterwards - the drunken mother angrily stamping a fluffy pink mule on a call button to summon her maid, the sinister way she reminds her son "there's you, there's me, and there's nobody else", the way that erotic elements are picked up and weaved in to give the film an intelligent and subtle sexiness.
All in all this is a short which shouldn't be dismissed and drips with the promise of greater things to come.
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
How did this movie get good reviews?
I feel cheated. I've saved this movie to watch as a treat because I thought it might be special. I had sensed from some of the reviews and the Coppola connection that this was something a bit special, something genre-defining. Like others have said, it starts off with promise - but very soon it descends into total drivel.
I found myself constantly predicting exciting plot twists, only to be disappointed by the silly direction the plot kept going in. When strange things happened, like the phonecall at the diner, or the incident with the cat woman, I was excited because I was relishing some final ingenious denouement where these disparate and seemingly disjointed themes would come together. But it never came!
I really am at a loss when it comes to understanding those intelligent reviewers who really raved about this film - I am really disappointed. Yes it began well, yes it referenced some horror greats, and yes the central actors gave good performances. If the film had been totally panned, and if it had been rubbish from start to finish, I could have understood. But to start so promisingly, and then to descend into such a mess, and yet still get some respectful reviews... It doesn't make any sense!