AWN Blogs

The first time I saw this twisted little film I didn't really like it. But after several viewings, I've been won over by LORD OF THE RINGS director Peter Jackson's tale of two young girls in the 1950s whose imagination and sexuality become too hard to handle for their parents.

Based on a true story, Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey, BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER) is a cubby loner who is nagged by her over-protective, yet caring mother, Honora (Sarah Peirse, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE). Then enters the flamboyant and highly imaginative rich girl Juliet (Kate Winslet, TITANIC). Before too long the two girls create an entire kingdom of knights and maids in their heads, casting themselves as central characters. Pauline starts going by the name Gina and Juliet goes by the name Debora.

This mix of THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD series and Stephan King’s THE STAND is the smart man’s zombie movie. This intense horror film has raw energy behind it. Director Danny Boyle has breathed life into a subgenre of scary movies that hasn't felt fresh in ages. There's grit and sweat and anger underneath this story, but there is also heart. The best way I can describe the mood of this film is to call it pure punk rock.

The set-up is typical; a virus quickly spreads through England turning humans into bloodthirsty killers. Jim (Cillian Murphy, GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING), a comatose bike messenger, wakes up in the hospital and finds the city deserted. He soon meets up with Selena (Naomie Harris, TV’s DINOTOPIA) and Mark (Noah Huntley, MEGIDDO: THE OMEGA CODE 2), who have been battling to stay alive against the infected for the last 28 days. Later on the trio meet, Frank (Brendan Gleeson, DARK BLUE), the devoted father of Hannah (Megan Burns, LIAM), and Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston, THE OTHERS), a no-nonsense leader of a small group of military officers.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (***1/2)
(First Reviewed: 11/26/01)
One of the most important things about making a great fantasy/sci-fi film is the creation of the world. That's why HARRY POTTER is so great… The characters are rich and not cliché, which is the most surprising thing about the film. J.K. Rowling knows kids and developed all of them with different strokes… I could spend pages writing about the wonder of various scenes... I can't wait to re-visit this world and these characters in subsequent adventures.

* Upon further review: (****)
My original review stands pretty much as it did originally. However, I really do feel the HARRY POTTER films are turning out as masterpieces of children's entertainment. Like THE WIZARD OF OZ, you can watch them as an adult and not even think once that you're watching a film targeted to kids. That's saying a lot. For all the films I've seen, it's one of the ten best films of 2001.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (***1/2)
(First Reviewed: 12/23/01)
I liked CHAMBER OF SECRETS quite a bit, even though it didn't blow me away like the first one did. This may be due to the fact that the plot structure is basically the same… The real delight of the film is the added details that have expanded the wonderfully immense world that was created in the first installment. I loved the plot element about mud-bloods… Another highlight is the new characters...

* Upon further review: (****)
I think the real reason I only gave this film 3 1/2 stars was because it didn't seem as original as THE SORCERER'S STONE. But I think I had that reaction because I had already been introduced to the film's universe. After watching this back-to-back with the first film, it really stands up against it. I really can't say that I like one any more than the other. But this is a film that really stands up well to repeated viewings. I'm really looking forward to next June for the third installment.

Part of what makes older action films seem weaker than modern ones is speed. The action seems too slow, thus seeming staged. What this Hollywood classic lacks in all out speed it makes it up with pure bravado.

Robin Hood (Errol Flynn, CAPTAIN BLOOD) is a noble who is loyal to King Richard (Ian Hunter, 1941's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE) who is off on a crusade. In the king's absence, his brother Prince John (Claude Rains, CASABLANCA) rules over the peasants with tyrannical rule. Along with Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone, CAPTAIN BLOOD), Prince John plots to take the throne. Robin brazenly challenges Prince John's rule, which makes him an outlaw. His bold actions attract followers including Much (Herbert Mundin, CAVALCADE), Little John (Alan Hale, STELLA DALLAS) and the drunken Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette, MY MAN GODFREY).

As you can guess from the title, the film follows the rise to fame of 1950s rock ‘n' roll legend Buddy Holly. The story plays like most rock ‘n' roll biopics, but it’s set apart by a wonderful performance from Gary Busey (LOST HIGHWAY) as Holly and lots of great Holly music performed live by the main actors.

Along with Jesse Charles (Don Stroud, AMITYVILLE HORROR) and Ray Bob Simmons (Charles Martin Smith, AMERICAN GRAFFITI), the Crickets became a sensation. The film follows the controversy their music caused in their Texas hometown to being the first white band to play at the Apollo. It shows Holly as the confident musician who knew what he wanted and how it should sound. At the record studio, Holly meets Puerto Rican secretary Maria Elena (Maria Richwine, HAMBURGER… THE MOTION PICTURE), who he falls for quickly. We watch as the original members part ways as Holly star rises faster than a rocket and the reunion that never happened because of that fateful plane ride on "the day the music died."

Harvey Pekar is the last guy in the world you'd think Hollywood would want to make a biopic about. He's a balding grump with a raspy voice, who spent his whole life working as a file clerk in a VA Hospital in Cleveland. Oh yeah, he also appeared on THE DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW a dozen or so times. Why you may ask? In his spare time, he wrote an underground comic book, which dealt with his day-to-day life.

In the beginning, the drawings for the comic were done by Robert Crumb, the legendary underground comic book artist (to learn more about him watch the amazing documentary on his life and family entitled CRUMB). SPLENDOR is hilarious. I laughed so loud in the theater I was embarrassing my wife. The humor of the film is rooted in the neurosis of the characters. Harvey is pathetic, but down deep he's smart and has a warm loving soul.

This film might be one of the most profound viewing experiences I will ever have. My impression of cinema, especially violence on film, has been turned upside-down. To most people (like my wife), this film will be unwatchable. Audience members at the Cannes Film Festival threw things at the screen. Many critics walked out of the press screenings for the film. I haven't thought about a film so much since I saw MULHOLLAND DRIVE. Part of the film's profound moments are its own undoing though. Like KIDS, once the shock wears off, IRREVERSIBLE looks kind of thin. By now you're probably wondering what is so shocking about this film.

First thing to note is that the film runs backwards like MEMENTO. It starts with two men talking about how time destroys all and then two other men Marcus (Vincent Cassel, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) and Pierre (Albert Dupontel, ACTORS) get arrested at the gay bar next door. With the camera moving around frantically, we then see Marcus and Pierre frantically looking for a man named the Tenia (Jo Prestia, FEMME FATALE). This search leads up to a brutal beating where a man's head is crushed with a fire extinguisher without the camera ever looking away. A few more scenes that precede the brutal beating have Marcus and Pierre search for the Tenia. Then comes the scene that is the crux of people's hatred for this film. We see Alex (Monica Bellucci, THE MATRIX RELOADED) enter an underground walkway were she is raped and beaten by the real Tenia, who isn't the man who was beaten. This scene is nine minutes long. I read that in reviews before watching the film and it really didn't stick in my mind. Just sit back and think about rape for nine minutes. It's pretty unbearable, huh? Just think what it's like watching it.

Time heals all wounds, they say. The distance of years from film school has allowed me to enjoy films again. For years, I have spoken of my distain for JURASSIC PARK for its lopping off subplots and featuring a Deus ex Machina ending (i.e. the heroes in peril are saved by the cavalry arriving just in time). I still think the ending is weak -- the third installment in this franchise has a better ending in my opinion. However, after this viewing, I was able to get wrapped up in the awe of the film like the very first time I saw it in the theaters.

The film drips with the style and themes of director Steven Spielberg’s best work. The film’s science is well thought out and detailed. The emotional center of the film surrounds children. The plot is perfectly paced and flawlessly executed. Sam Neill (THE PAINO) as Dr. Alan Grant is the focal point of all the action. We can see in his character the true awe of seeing the living dinosaurs, a topic he has dedicated his whole life to. The park brings out the childlike side in him, which allows him to bond with park’s creator John Hammond's grandchildren Tim (Joseph Mazzello, SIMON BIRCH) and Lex (Ariana Richards, ANGUS) when the trio are stranded in the park with the dinosaurs.

Why is this film good? Two main factors: it re-introduced a long dead genre with style and excitement and Johnny Depp. Who would have thought such a good film could be an adaptation of an amusement park ride?

The story has the cursed crew of the Black Pearl pirate ship, lead by Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush, SHINE), out to find the last piece of Coronado’s stolen gold so they can lift the curse that makes them living skeletons. They attack a Caribbean port city looking for the gold piece, which was given to the young blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom, LORD OF THE RINGS) when he was a boy and was taken by the Governor’s daughter Elizabeth (Keira Knightly, PHANTOM MENACE, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM). The pirates kidnap Elizabeth, and Will pressures Commander Norrington (Jack Davenport, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY), the older suitor of Elizabeth, to rush out to save her. Norrington’s lack of speed leads Will to break the pirate Jack Sparrow (Depp, ED WOOD) out of prison to steal a ship and head out after the Black Pearl.

This film is one of the best films of 1997, which contained a strong list of other contenders, including BOOGIE NIGHTS, CHASING AMY and L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. Director Gus Van Sant gained mainstream success with this Oscar nominated production. The film received nine Oscar nods, including Best Picture. A wonderful mix of writing, acting and music, GOOD WILL HUNTING can be just as funny as it can be soulful.

The story follows Will Hunting (Matt Damon, OCEAN'S ELEVEN), a poor, hardheaded orphan who happens to be a Math genius. To save Will from jail, MIT professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard, BREAKING THE WAVES) offers to take him under his custody provided that Will works problems with him and sees a therapist. After going through a few psychologists, Gerald gets Sean Maguire (Robin Williams, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME), a community college psych professor who used to be his roommate in college, to help.

This film is the thriller that all thrillers since have tried to be. The serial killer sub-genre has never been better. Anthony Hopkins was an established actor before this film, but his performance as the demented Dr. Hannibal Lecter made him a mega-star. I've seen this film dozens of times and with each new viewing I'm still thrilled and on the edge of my seat.

The story follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster, THE ACCUSED) sent by special agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn, THE RIGHT STUFF) to interview the serial killer Hannibal the cannibal. Her assignment is to elicit the notorious killer's insight into the newest at-large killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine, HEAT). This begins the film's battle of wills. Lecter is a genius and Clarice gains his sympathy because she does not insult his intelligence. He is a crafty manipulator and pulls out past traumas from her mind like they're cotton candy. Will he get into her head before she can get into his?