Change Your Image
Lisa-66
Reviews
Babettes gæstebud (1987)
Exquisite, fulfilling tale of love and loyalty.
Occasionally a movie comes along that is so subtle, rich, and complex that the viewer is left with a struggle to properly describe it. "Babette's Feast" is just one such film. Deceptively simple, it is the gently unfolding story of two spinster Danish women and the French refugee, Babette, whom they take in to be their cook. Babette, however, brings something more to the relationship than merely good food--she gives the older ladies, who both passed up opportunities for fame and romance as young women, a taste of the beauty that life away from their tiny village contains.
Shall we dansu? (1996)
A moving, delicately told story.
Funny. Sad. Charming. These are all words that floated through my head while I was watching this beautiful, simple film.
It is rare that a movie truly moves me, but "Shall We Dance?" accomplished that with grace to spare. Gentle humor mixed in with occasional subtle agony made this easily one of the best experiences of my movie-viewing history. It left me with a quiet sense of exultation, but with a small touch of sadness mixed in.
And the dancing, oh yes, the dancing. Even if you are not a lover of the art, or can't put one foot in front of another, the steps displayed here will take your breath away, and make you want to sign up for classes as fast as you can. It was absolutely enchanting, even the parts that show Sugiyama's (touchingly portrayed by Koji Yakusho) stilted steps when he was first learning to dance were lovely in a humorous, child-like way. And yet, this film was not entirely about dancing, but more about the subtleties of human behavior and feelings. We witness a shy man learning to express his repressed feelings through dance, a beautiful dance instructor rediscovering her love for the art, and the personal growth of every member of the wonderful supporting cast.
Beauty. Pain. Emotion. All the love and little agonies of life are here, expressed with the delicate feeling of a fine Japanese watercolor painting combined with the emotional strength and grace of the culture.
You've Got Mail (1998)
Cute, funny bit of fluff--all in all, a pretty good movie.
Cute-cute. Super-cute. Way-cute. From the always adorable Meg Ryan to the charming bookstore she owns to Tom Hanks' darling children relatives, this movie is cute. You can tell that's what they were aiming for, and baby, they made it. Fluffy-cute. Easter Bunny-cute. At times, nearly nauseatingly cute.
But...I liked it. What can I say--I'm a sucker for romantic comedies, especially when they house one of my all-time favorite actresses (this would be Ryan). And I was pleasantly surprised by this film; it had some genuinely good moments. Anything with the dog, for starters. That was one great dog. And the scene where Ryan and Hanks discuss "The Godfather" lingo ("Go to the mattress."). Pretty amusing stuff. Of course, that's not to say it didn't have it's ouchy moments too. Like the bit where Hanks takes his two child relatives (one's an aunt, the other's a brother--don't ask) to a Halloween street fair. Yeah, it was a cute touch and shows you how wonderful Hanks' character Joe Fox is, taking kids out for a good time. But it was completely superfluous. All it did was add a bag of fish and a couple balloons to the set. And provide a VERY longwinded excuse for Hanks and Co. to visit Ryan's shop.
I think my biggest problem with this film had to do with three main things: (1) its overuse of sterotypes, to wit: good little guy (oh, sorry--girl) v. big bad corporate wolf theme (seen in probably 95% of all movies made anyway); predictably oddball characters; way-cute little kids and obvious romantic pairing of people (but since I've never seen a movie where it isn't obvious, I can't really hold this one against this flick); (2) Starbucks. I have nothing against the company, but I've never seen such blatant product placement in all my days; (3) the remaking of an older movie--why is every other film a remake anymore? What ever happened to original scripts?
Still, all in all, it's really a pretty good movie. Ryan is wonderful and a little vulnerable as Kathleen Kelly, Hanks (as Joe Fox) is charming and funny, and there's an obvious rapport between them (as also evidenced in the other two films they were in together, "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Joe Versus the Volcano"). The story is a sweet one, the supporting cast is pretty good overall and some moments are downright hilarious (Ryan had a beautiful moment of physical humor when she is psyching herself up for a "war" with Fox Books by shadowboxing behind the counter of her bookstore). And might I suggest that you check out the older film that this was based on. I can guarantee that it will increase your appreciation of "You've Got Mail" by pointing out all the little salutes to the original film, Ernst Lubitsch's brilliant 1940 "The Shop Around the Corner". For instance, the naming of Ryan's bookstore by using the title of the original, or my favorite bit, when Hanks goes to meet his cyberbuddy "in the flesh," so to speak, not knowing she's actually Ryan. Hanks' friend Kevin (as brilliantly portrayed by David Chappelle) asks Hanks if the signal between the two of them is going to be a rose tucked in a book or something like that--the same identifier used in the original film. The way Kevin asks, it makes it sound like the character has actually seen "The Shop Around the Corner" and was basing his guess on that. But definately check the original out. Yeah, it's old. Yeah, it's black and white. No, they didn't have email. No, it wasn't set in a bookstore. But yes, it's an awesome film, with wonderful performances by all the members of the cast. Doesn't have the dog though. Bummer. That was one great dog.
Oh, and I have one big question that's not related to anything: how does Meg Ryan always have the most perfect hair in the world in all of her movies? I know she has her own team of make-up artists, but so do many other actors and actresses and yet they are not as consistently hair-perfect as She of the Sleepless Seattle Nights (I bring before you as proof the King of the Bad Hair Dept., Johnny Depp). You have some awesome hair, babe.
Cute movie. Great dog.
The Siege (1998)
Ouch--big time.
If you want to see this movie because you liked the look of the trailer, forget it. Actually, if you want to see this for other reasons, still forget it. But back to the trailer. It makes this look like a heavy-duty-action, super-tense, the-government-has-gone-too-far, conflict-between-leaders (re "Crimson Tide") type thing. That might have been cool. Or at least mildly entertaining. Instead, you have to sit through a good chunk of the movie before Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington even meet. As my bro asked halfway through, "When does the movie start?" Good question. As to Willis and Washington, as well as the rest of the cast....
Poor Denzel. What on earth are you doing in a flick like this? Denzel, my favorite noble-headed hero (portraying Agent Anthony Hubbard of the Fibbies), who has gracefully handled everything from amusing fluff like "The Preacher's Wife" to the intriguing drama "Courage Under Fire"--ouch. Even this boy can barely give life to the dead script here, although he still manages to escape with a small modicum of grace.
And Brucie-Boy, my man! What's with the whole I'm-gonna-get-a-bad-haircut/rug-and-then-channel -Kevin-Costner thing? Man, be BRUCE, not Kevin! Why on earth would you want to emulate the original Man Without a Chin? That's not what we watch you for--we see your movies for the whole spiky hair, shirt-with-one-sleeve-ripped-off-and-a-hole-torn-in-the-chest, blood-running-down-an-arm thing. Not for this General William Devereaux, twitty Army dude, way overboard on the patriotism. Think "Die Hard", my man, think anything but this.
Annette (Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger), dear--what happened? Here, as I see it, the idea was to make a role prominently featuring major contradictions such as: which side am I really on? am I a government agent or a woman in love with my Arabian contact first? But it was too much contradiction--sorry, babe, but anyone with as inconsistent a life as Elise/Sharon's would be in an asylum. I can accept that as the fault of the screenwriters, however. Still, you could have tried a little harder (I hope).
Now for the good part (please note the use of the singular): thank God for Tony Shalhoub (of Jeebs, the memorable pawnbroker in "Men in Black" fame)! Playing Hubbard's Arabian partner Frank Haddad, he alone is seriously engaging and has a motive OTHER than patriotism v. non-patriotism. He also provided the intentional (ahem) laughs of the film, specifically in his on-going desire for "microwave" (the technology, not the nuker/cooker).
Oh, one last thing, as a note to director Edward Zwick (producer of "Shakespeare In Love" and "Legends of the Fall"): it is very rarely a good idea to go for the Serious Political Message (re "Primary Colors", which was amusing until they committed the grievous sin of the S.P.M.). Bad mistake, man. Shoulda left it as it was--forgettable, but at least not laughable.
"On November 6 our freedom is history." Hmmm...or our will to live, anyway.
Hey, I really wanted it to be good! Honest! Interesting idea, good cast, terrific tagline--it sounded like a sure thing. If you want a Bruce Willis-in-charge action movie, go get "Armageddon". At least you'll have a few giggles at the overall stupidity of the movie, instead of just sitting staring, praying dear God, let it end--please let it end.
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
A smart, funny courtroom caper.
A delicious courtroom comedy with fantastic performances and impeccable comedic timing. Delightful fish-out-of-water humor reigns as fresh-out-of-law-school New York lawyer Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci) takes on the southern legal system.
And Then There Were None (1945)
A must-see for lovers of the suspense genre and anyone who likes a thrill.
Tense, tightly filmed, and deliciously creepy, this is a classic cat-and-mouse for lovers of the suspense genre and anyone who enjoys a good nail biter. Colorful characters, fine pacing, a riveting story line, solid acting round the table, and an eerie island mansion setting will make you want to lock your bedroom door afterwards.