Dolores Claiborne

The story goes that when Stephen King came to visit the set of Misery he was so impressed with Kathy Bates that he wrote the character of Dolores just for her. The book was quickly adapted into a wonderful film, with Bates in a lead role, the film that is sadly very underrated and didn't get the acclaim it deserves. Unlike most of King's work, Dolores Claiborne is not a horror film dealing with supernatural. However, the themes featured in the film - of domestic violence, abuse, growing old and dying are universally horrific.

Casino

There is a certain problem one has to deal with while reviewing movies you absolutely adore. Instead of writing about them, you should just watch them again. But since I said I'll review Casino for RorschachReviews and on the odd chance there are those out there who haven't seen that splendid movie and I have the opportunity to encourage them to do so, I shall now review one of my all time favorite films. And I'll probably see it again afterwards.

Strange Days

(145 min, 1995)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writers: James Cameron (story), James Cameron (screenplay)
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett and Juliette Lewis

Never fade away

“See... I can get you what you want, I can. I can get you anything, you just have to talk to me, you have to trust me. You can trust me, 'cause I'm your priest, I'm your shrink... I am you main connection to the switchboard of he soul. I'm the magic man... Santa Claus of the subconscious. You say it, you think it, you can have it.”

Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) deals in dreams. Formerly an LAPD vice cop, he now deals in illegal 'squid' recordings - recordings made directly from the cerebral cortex of the participant, which allow the viewer to feel and experience everything the participant experiences as if they were there. One of life's perpetual losers, he ekes out a lonely, miserable existence at the end of the millennium, still pathetically yearning for his beautiful ex-girlfriend Faith (Juliette Lewis), a beautiful singer, and is dependent on his friend Macey (Angela Bassett). But Lenny's life is about to be shattered; when he is anonymously sent the recording of the brutal rape and murder of a prostitute, he and Macey soon find themselves reluctantly embroiled in a dark web of murder, blackmail and intrigue amid the civil unrest surrounding the suspicious death of an influential, politically active rap singer.

What's the best thing about memories? The fact you can replay them in your head, long after the event you're recalling took place. And what's the worst part? It's that they fade away. With time, as with videotapes that have been used too many times, the details dissolve in time – you can't remember the color of someone's eyes, you can't recall anything about the background. The sound of voice escapes your memory, the sense of being there is with you no more. What if you could play the same memories, over and over again, feeling what you felt when you experienced them, in the loop, on repeat, as many times as you like?

To Die For

(106 min, 1995)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Writers: Joyce Maynard (book), Buck Henry (screenplay)
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon and Joaquin Phoenix

All she wanted was a little attention.

“You're not anybody in America unless you're on TV. On TV is where we learn about who we really are. Because what's the point of doing anything worthwhile if nobody's watching? And if people are watching, it makes you a better person.“

Suzanne Stone Maretto (Nicole Kidman) knows exactly what she wants. She wants to be a television newscaster and she is willing to do ANYTHING to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in cold determination and diabolical wiles. As she pursues her goal with relentless focus, she is forced to destroy anything and anyone that may stand in her way, regardless of the ultimate cost or means necessary.

I like when the events behind the movie mirror the story we see in it. After reading the script, Nicole Kidman was so determined to land the lead role in this movie that she tracked down Gus van Sant's personal phone number and rung him at home. She spent 40 minutes talking to him on the phone about her thoughts on Suzanne and how to play her. Van Sant called back 2 hours later to tell her she'd got the part. It's funny that she actually had to fight for that role (Meg Ryan turned down the movie after she wasn't happy with the salary offer) - in the novel on which the movie is based, Suzanne states that she would like to see "that actress that just got married to Tom Cruise in real life" play her in a movie about this. Kidman who, sadly, has her best roles behind her nowadays (apart from her recent good work in “Rabbit Hole”) delivers one of her best performances here. Channeling a bit of Catherine Deneuve in “Belle de Jour” she is icy, fascinating and reserved. But since “To die for” is a dark comedy Kidman manages to make her character adorably silly and devilish. She may look sweet and innocent, but this girl with serious look in her eyes has a plan on how to get what she wants. No matter what.