beacon1 Reviews

Mentor (I) (2006)

Awful. Old plot, horrible writing, boring direction, poor acting...

[1/10 · 5 December 2007]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS...

It was a mess. I felt nothing but irritation at the characters and the quality of the film,the colors, the costumes, the presentation felt like an movie made several years ago. I didn't feel the storyline added anything new to for us to consider.

The muddled flashbacks were often disorienting.

Yawn. We've seen this theme presented before in a more appealing and skilled manner. It's substandard writing, directing and acting. Each of the the three principals has done much, much better in other roles.

The ending put the final nail in the coffin for me. It was telegraphed too plainly, was too convenient, and left me with a sense of being cheated out of a real story.

I was not invested in any of them.They were just predictably self-indulgent, "angst-ridden" stereotypes in a well-worn plot.

Finally, besides the fact that the soundtrack was driving me crazy, there was the constant smoking. Everyone was lighting up in scene after scene. Dress these characters in dark colors, film them in black and white, toss on subtitles and stir. All the makings of a mediocre bargain-bin foreign film.

Angels in America (2003)

This presentation touched me deeply

[10/10 · 31 January 2004]

I wish I could put into words how deeply touched I was by this movie/ miniseries. It has haunted me since I first saw it in December. I taped it when it was shown all together on HBO Signature and purchased the playscript book. And I have the soundtrack which is so beautiful.

I loved this work. It made me think, it made me laugh, it made me mourn. The concept of God abandoning Heaven just made me weep. The utter resolve Prior displays before the Council was so uplifting...and then Hannah's desire to have them all bathe in the Fountain of Bethesda and be healed. So touching.

Each character was such an intrigal part of the delicate equation. The awards/nominations were/are all richly deserved. (SAGs are on 2/22.)

Patrick Wilson positively floored me. I'd never heard of him before and was slack jawed by his range, his depth and his delivery. His vocal inflections, modulations, etc are incredible. And, his "look" was perfect. As a straight, active (practicing) LDS woman , I can tell you that he could have been dropped into any Church meeting and he would have blended right in. Kudos to the wardrobe/hair & make-up department. Of course, though Joe's particular struggle is not representative of every man in the Church, all individuals have burdens we must handle. I could really relate to that.

The rest of the cast were equally fantastic. You know, even if the character was being despicable...you appreciated the talents and efforts of the person portraying them.

I could gush forever about this. Bravo to Tony Kushner, Mike Nichols, and the incredible cast.