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thecynicalone
Reviews
Pay It Forward (2000)
Little Pay off....
Pay It Forward has an interesting premise, and a ton of potential. Unfortunatly, Leslie Dixon's clear lack of faith in her script's ablity to move the audience shines through. Sure, the theater was full of sniffles. However, they didn't seem to come from the story. The film succeeds in making people cry because its just too heavy handed. One problem...for any character...is just not enough. Every scene seems to revolve around pain and misfortune, and its gut wrenching. You leave the theater feeling as if you've been hitting yourself in the head with a hammer. Simply put, its hard to swallow. Osment proably has the strongest performace. His maturity and poise clearly shines through. Spacey, while not up to par with American Beauty, does a good job with an over done character. Hunt seems to be trying too hard in many scenes, but considering the material she was given to work with, it probably isn't her fault. Many of the supporting characters are poorly drawn, making the real point of this film a mystery. Despite all this...I may have been able to forgive the film...had it not been for the disgusting plot device of an ending. (*Spoiler*) The death of a child, especially in such a creul attempt at dramatic irony/martyrdom is rarely appropriate. In this case I'd consider it cruel. There was no reason for this to happen, other than to shock the audience. After being beat over the head for the previous 2 hours, this move literally nauseated me. Sure, I heard sniffles. But if you have to rip the audience's emotions raw to get them...the script obviously lacks something solid.
The Other Sister (1999)
Downright Offensive.
I went along with someone to see this film and was very close to walking out. I cannot remember EVER seeing a film that was so offensive!
"The Other Sister" refers to Juliet Lewis' character, a mildly retarded girl who is often ignored by her matriarchial battle ax of a mother (Diane Keaton.) It is clear that this movie is trying to show that mentally handicaped people are capable of overcoming difficulties. However, this film fails to come off this way. Lewis and Ribsi's characters are portrayed in a mocking light, with the scene at the wedding reception in which Ribi's sings 76 trombone's being perhaps the most offensive thing ever put on film. With every plot contrivance, the crediblity of this film slips further and further downhill. And Diane Keaton's phoned in sterotypical performance crushes whatever positive strides this film makes. On to top it all off, this film is agnoizingly long. Lewis and Ribisi do do a nice job portraying their characters. Unfortunatly, we're watching sterotypes, not people. Tom Skerrit and Hector Elizondo are wasted in this film as well. Unless you're into schmaltz, do yourself a favor and skip this one.
Doug's 1st Movie (1999)
finally...an intelligent children's cartoon
Children's Cartoons have long been showcases for slapstick silliness and poorly written humor. Doug stands out in stark contrast to the rest.
This movie is sharply written, humorous with a message that is not laid on in a schmaltzy manner. The creative script is intelligent enough to keep the attention of adults while still entertaining children.
Doug himself is a likeable protagonist. He isn't really one dimensional, the kid has feelings. Its fun to watch him deal with the pressures of dating, (albeit at the ripe young age of 12...) he and Patti actually have a sort of chemistry (as far as cartoon characters are concerned.) I was actually able to watch this movie without feeling silly for being there....its dark elements are nicely balanced out with some traditional cartoon absurdities. All in all, its a surprisingly intelligent, fun, ride.
The Truman Show (1998)
Simply Incredible
I was very disappointed to see that The Truman Show did not get a nomination for best picture. This film is, in one word, INCREDIBLE. Peter Weir's masterpiece gives us a dark, multi layered satire of a media obsessed, voyeuristic society.
Many accuse The Truman Show of being a "one trick pony," but they are wrong. Paradoxily, to really "get" The Truman Show, you have to see the big picture. If you analyze every bit of the film, it becomes repetitive. And that's the point. The majority of the people in the world DO NOT analyze films to death..what you see is what you get. And that's how you have to view The Truman Show. What makes it so amazing is that it satirizes (albeit DARKLY) so many unlikely cultural staples: gated communities, the viewing audience and media stardrom. Yet... you can't really see this unless you look at the film as a whole. Anyone understand what I mean? Jim Carrey gives us a wonderfully restrained, yet manic performance as Truman Burbank. Ed Harris' megalomanical Christof also adds greatly to the film. My one complaint? Overly saccahrine Meryl. Although I suppose that goes along with the satire. One of my favorite films ever. Period.