wis293

This movie is aptly named! The title names accurately the ways in which the problems arise for the characters involved - both the protagonists and antagonists. Everything hinges on lies and secrets, but it's easy to see that doing anything different would have been difficult - especially for the (main) teen-aged girl. What surprised me was how suspenseful this movie was. I anticipated a crime drama, but with the suspense level in this movie, it borders on thriller. You know, the kind where you aren't entirely sure the "bad guy" isn't going to get away with what s/he did. (I don't normally watch thrillers, so it will probably be tame to most of you.) The ways in which the characters deal with the issues - and the ways in which they don't - are believable and make for an interesting story. It was not hard to believe that they responded in the ways they did, which was refreshing, and kept the story moving. Never a dull moment in this one!

The acting in this movie is excellent and the effects are awesome. The relationship between Mastriano and Harris is the pivot point of the movie, and it's outstanding. It also provides the opening for an unexpected encounter in the abyss. The movie is thought-provoking, heartening, and worth every minute of viewing. However, a word of caution regarding the "Special addition" with the additional 28 minutes: a few scenes added to the movie, but for the most part the additional footage relegated the Special Edition of The Abyss to the category of disaster (or near-disaster) flicks that are rarely worth the time. I was very disappointed to see how much the additional footage detracted from the original version, and extremely appreciative of the editors who cut the original version! If you haven't seen it yet - find the original version. It is very worthwhile!

I have enjoyed both of the earlier versions of The Miracle Worker so much so that I wanted to see this one. While the performance by Alison Elliott as Anne Sullivan was very well done, she was handicapped by the watered down dialogue and tension between her character and that of Helen. For someone who has never seen either the 1962 version with Anne Bancroft as Anne and Patty Duke as Helen or the 1979 version with Patty Duke as Anne and Melissa Gilbert as Helen (which is my favorite - probably because I saw it first), this version may be enjoyable, but I found it to be deflatingly understated. If you have seen either of the earlier renditions, do not expect the dramatic scenes to be as emotional or the dialogue to be as effective in this latest remake.