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Reviews
Shadowlands (1993)
Life Changing - If you let it
Ever since my childhood years, the name C.S. Lewis meant something. His chronicles of the land of Narnia occupied many a night's reading growing up. So it was with trepidation that I watched a movie about his adult life, wondering if it would impair in some way my memories of that fabled land. And early on, I began to regret it, as we saw a man living in a dull world, with very little to connect him to the Narnia other than the fact that for him, it was a way to escape as well. What the movie did in the end, was connect me in a way emotionally to his life, and truly make a difference in the way I view the world.
As with nearly all movies based on true stories, Shadowlands does have some problems. When comparing the events in the movie with the real life of C.S. Lewis, you seem to lose grip of things like the amount of time that passes (While the events took more than 8 years to pass in real life, the movie makes them seem as though they happened in a very short period of time) and some things don't appear to be entirely based on fact (weren't there two sons?) but rather are put in place for dramatic purposes only. However, the movie's main goal is to show the transformation in thought that occurred in Lewis's life, and the transformation in his view of the world. That, it accomplishes spectacularly.
The idea of Debra Winger and Anthony Hopkins becoming involved in a romance seems somewhat silly considering their difference in age, but this only adds to the power of the movie, since in real life, Lewis was 17 years older than Gresham. The duo perform their usual outstanding jobs, and Winger's Oscar nomination was well deserved, although I personally thought Hopkins turned in a much more powerful performance and deserved one as well. The fact that he was nominated that same year for Remains of the Day probably hurt his chances for a 2nd nomination.
Overall, the movie is incredibly well acted and directed. The scene with Hopkins and Joseph Mazzello near the end of the movie as they sit in front of the wardrobe is one of the most powerful scenes I've ever seen, as it not only brings us to a wonderful finishing moment, but shows two actors dealing with a tough scene in fantastic manners. The moral of the story is a life-changing one, and is summarized by the last line in the movie. It has the ability to change your entire outlook on life if you take it to heart, and after all, isn't that what a good movie should be all about?
Strangers in Good Company (1990)
This is the true story of 8 strangers.
Currently, when we turn the television on, we are besieged by reality TV. Every night, somewhere on the dial, you can find something that will show us how someone else is choosing to live their lives in artificial circumstances. For the most part, these shows are worthless displays of self-indulgence giving people a chance to gain their 15 minutes of fame in exchange for any self-respect they once had. But before The Bachelor, before Survivor, and even before MTV pioneered the concept with The Real World, someone had the bright idea of taking 8 women, stranding them in the middle of nowhere, turning on the cameras and seeing what happened. Like most reality TV of the early 2000's, it was a pure waste of time and effort.
I find it interesting to see all the other comments which discuss the wonderful performances in this movie. These weren't performances, they were just women being themselves. And that, in a nutshell, is why this movie just doesn't work. There's no plot, and no moral to the story, just a few women talking about things. Okay, so we get to see them taking delight in accomplishing little tasks. But I really spend my time wondering what it is the filmmaker's were trying to accomplish, and I continually return to one thing - this movie is among one of the first efforts at reality entertainment. At least when watching reality TV, we can take the time to laugh at the people as they make fools of themselves, no matter how pointless the tasks they are trying to accomplish. Watching Strangers in Good Company, you spend your time cursing at the bus and wishing it would just start so we can all go home.
For Richer or Poorer (1997)
Someone thought this might be funny?
This is a good example of why script rewrites are done up until the last minute. When not done right, the jokes just fall flat. I don't think I laughed a single time while watching this movie. The ending was obvious a few minutes in, and the way it all came about was so predictable. But, the thing that amazed me the most was the fact that whoever made this movie thought for a second that it sounded like a good idea. There are some actors that just shouldn't pick their own roles, and some movies that shouldn't have been made. This movie is definitely a good example of what happens when you let those things take place.
Avoid at all costs.
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Simple in appearance, but speaks volumes
This is a film which every movie buff really does need to see, for two reasons. 1) It shows how far the movie making process has come, and gives us all a way to truly appreciate some of the other early films, and how far the moviemaking technology advanced between 1915 and the 1930's. and 2) It also allows us the chance to appreciate just how conflicted our society has always been, not just today. Many of the other reviewers have labeled this film as racist garbage, but it truly does represent one group's view of society at the time, and gives us a great way to understand some of the driving factors behind the race relations problems we would have later. In particular, during the Civil Rights battles that would take place during the 1950's and 60's in the deep South.
The film is the story of two families, one Northern and one Southern, and how their lives would be intertwined during and after the Civil War. It focuses on two sons who fought in the war, and the effects their fighting would have on their families, mostly focusing on how one son would go on to be the founder of what we now know as the Klu Klux Klan. What I found most interesting is that a group we now speak of in such evil tones are represented in the movie as the defenders of all that is good and holy. When put in it's historical context and we realize that President Woodrow Wilson talked about the movie in such high praise, it gives us a real appreciation for how the world we live in has changed.
In particular, though, pay attention to the battle scene in the movie. What seems to us to be extremely simple special effects, were the highest technology available at the day, and viewed by the public as an incredible work of storytelling. When taken in context, you can only be impressed by Griffith's storytelling abilities, no matter what you thought of the story.
While the movie is no great work by today's standards, and I actually found it very hard to watch considering it's simple style as compared to today's movies, I think this is a movie you definitely must see. It gives one a real appreciation for how far movie-making technology has advanced, and makes us realize just how much different our society is now than we were just one century ago.