Love and Other Catastrophes

The only reason I lasted past the first 5 minutes of this movie (on cable last night) was the 3-star rating from the digital cable guide. I almost changed the channel, but decided to give it another 5 minutes, and I'm glad I did. It is quite slow-moving though, especially in the beginning.

A nice little movie, but the acting is definitely the best thing about it. It could have been so much better with a catchier opening and better dialogue throughout... but still it's worth watching.

The best scenes are Michael (Matt Day) talking to himself in the mirror, and his subsequent discomfort at the party... classic!

An excellent film. Many will miss the references to life, mainly due to not living it. But it struck a major chord with those that have. A must see if you have enjoyed your college years, or are pursuing them now. A good reference for those attempting fate.

this is one of the few successful attempts at trying to capture the vitality, the heart-break, the ecstacy and the madness of college life and campus romances. this is about the desperate and hurried search of adolescents, on the brink of adulthood, for meaningful romances and fulfilling careers. the terrible reality of their tribulations and the utter pettiness of their failures, the monstrosities of their triumphs and the fleetingness of their celebrations.

debutante director emma kate croghan captures all this beautifully in putting together a few days in the lives of group of friends. the shoe-string budget of $37,000, provides for the warmth and credibility of the characters and their situations. clearly this is a movie that would have been a disaster with a million dollar budget.

the characters are portrayed extremely realistically by the fresh actors and each of the characters shines through with their ability to convey the humor of their plights.

all in all, a delightful movie that does not tax the viewer much, but takes one along for a voyeuristic look into campus lives. this might not be one of the three best movies of my life (watch the movie to understand the significance of top three movies) but it is one of the top 5 English language movies of the 90s, whose central theme is love.

5. chasing amy 4. as good as it gets 3. love and other catastrophes 2. before sunrise 1. high fidelity

anyway, this one is a winner. a delightful 9!

"Love and Other Catastrophes" is co-written and co-produced by a Jewish Australian woman, makes some jokes on Woody Allen, and doesn't repeat any of his stereotypes.

There's an interesting Jewish character or two - including a guy named Ari who is a lothario and a guy considering a circumcision due to the demands of his Jewish girlfriend.

It fits nicely in the genre of twentysomething roommates seeking love, i.e. "Singles," "Kicking and Screaming," etc.

The lesbian couple is treated completely naturally and romantically and is really the most interesting couple. None of the guys even assume the lesbian's straight best friend is gay, as I think would happen in most American films.

The film student satires are a bit heavy handed, but on a whole it's a cute, funny first-time movie casually made.

I only recognized two songs out of the whole soundtrack as it was filled with Australian rock 'n' roll I've never heard before.

(originally written 4/2/1997)

When a movie lover like me is watching a movie like this one, his heart becomes happy, really happy. The characters love movies, they are talking seriously about them, with some respectuous words. I hope that the director of this one will going far in her career because she has a lot of talent.