Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence (B-) is full of so many good ideas, many germinated by the late Stanley Kubrick for decades, that it’s a shame the final package is a bit, well, robotic. The story starts off with Frances O’Connor and Sam Robards adopting an android child, played by Haley Joel Osment, but they ultimately reject and abandon him to a cruel world of robot runaways (Jude Law plays a cyber-gigolo who befriends the tin tyke). The imagery cribbed from Pinocchio as the central character pines away to become a real boy is haunting, but the enterprise doesn’t seem to know what its viewers’ key takeaways are supposed to be. Both the humans and the androids in the film are equally unappealing, but the flickers and flights of fancy help the film occasionally rise to its ambitions.
Tag Archives: Drama
“In the Bedroom” is Potent Domestic Drama
Todd Field’s In the Bedroom (A-) is a suburban stunner that starts out as a romance between Nick Stahl and Marisa Tomei, then something awful happens, then it’s something much more. Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson play parents forced to face the aftermath of violence in this searing and perfectly acted piece. Field is masterful in his debut work directing quite an accomplished ensemble.
Director Ron Howard and Russell Crowe Reunite for Wonderful “A Beautiful Mind”
Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind (B+) is a 1940’s-set psychological drama starring Russell Crowe as a Princeton science and math prodigy who gets enlisted into some strange and secret experiments. Jennifer Connelly plays his long-suffering but supportive soul mate. The film is fascinating and surprising at times and is a great showcase for its fine actors.
“Requiem for a Dream” is a Haunting and Hypnotic Interlaced Anthology of Addiction
Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream (A) is a haunting look at the effect of addiction through three interlocking stories. Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly are among the amazing actors headlining this ensemble. Shocking and mesmerizing visuals mark this audacious director’s wicked and direct style.
“A Walk On The Moon” is a Watch with a Swoon
Tony Goldwyn’s A Walk on the Moon (B+) is an unexpected sleeper of a melodrama and a highly recommended movie of 1999. An unfulfilled homemaker, played beautifully by Diane Lane, quietly suffers as the tumultuous events of the summer of 1969 unfold on the surface of her TV screen. But, when she invites a dashing traveling salesman (Viggo Mortensen) into the safety of her living room for the live broadcast of the historic moon landing, they begin a passionate affair that threatens to destroy her marriage to her by-the-books high school sweetheart, sturdily played by Liev Schreiber. Goldwyn does a great job working with the actors, including Anna Paquin as the wise family daughter, who give lived-in qualities to the characters. The film is also a superb depiction of a time period in transition, with Woodstock and Vietnam era references and songs such as “Purple Haze” on the soundtrack. It’s sexy, symbolic and pulls you in.
M. Night Shyamalan Makes Mighty Mark with “Sixth Sense”
M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense (A-) pairs Bruce Willis and child actor Haley Joel Osment for a tender and suspenseful look at the afterlife. As a psychologist helping a boy who believes he sees and talks to people who have died, Willis is absorbing and effective. Newcomer Osment is very good in his role. Shyamalan turns the screws with great suspense, leading to a stunning showdown with fate.
“American Beauty” Captures Malaise in Modern Suburban America
There is more than meets the eye behind both Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening’s picture-perfect marriage and nearly everything going on in their neighborhood in Sam Mendes’ revealing dark comedy American Beauty (A). The acting is superb and the satire biting in this cautionary tale with parallel tales of unhinged, unfulfilled adults and teens acting out fantasies in modern-day suburbia gone horribly awry.
“Magnolia” Interlaces Complex Characters in California Milieu
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia (A) is a rich canvas of interweaving Los Angeles stories about the wounds people inflict on each other and the redemptive qualities the right people can bring to each other at just the right time and just the right moment. Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore are among the standout performers in this miracle play, in which you feel frogs really could start falling from the sky. Anderson’s quick pacing and cross-cutting also leaves room for some very long conversations and extremely poignant conversations. The songbook of Aimee Mann is almost a supporting character as it features prominently in many of the film’s vital scenes. This is a dramatic tour de force and will challenge the viewer in myriad ways.
David Fincher’s “Fight Club” Punches Modern Manly Toxicity and Consumerism in the Face
David Fincher’s Fight Club (A-) is an awesome underground action drama with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt playing the opposite ends of the spectrum of modern men of today. Fed up with his WASP-y life, Norton’s character finds himself lured into a nihilistic world of fighting and vulgarity, where he can finally feel again. But it’s not as simple as it seems, when you can’t tell anyone about fight club. Helena Bonham Carter is great in a supporting role as a love interest of both guys. Norton and Pitt are outstanding in their parts and add iconic cult characters to their repertoire.
“Pleasantville” Showcases Modern Mores in Bygone Time
Gary Ross’ Pleasantville (B) transports two 1990’s teens (Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon) into an alternate 1950’s sitcom reality, and the mores of the four passing decades get a dose of parody and pathos in a story that blends drama and comedy. Although quite entertaining, it pales a bit in comparison to the similarly themed Back to the Future. It is lifted by a supporting performance by Joan Allen as a mom who finds unexpected liberation and by quite lovely effects morphing a color and black and white world into vivid existence.
“Gods and Monsters” a Gargantuan Emotional Drama
Bill Condon’s Gods and Monsters (A-) is a drama about the final days of Frankenstein film director James Whale, regally played by Ian McKellan, haunted by his WWI service and transfixed by his own homosexuality and his new gardener played by Brendan Fraser. Lynn Redgrave is outstanding as Whale’s disapproving housemaid. Superbly filmed and acted, the movie makes deft metaphor for the exploring and remembering of one’s demons.
“Saving Private Ryan” Pays Tribute to Greatest Generation Through Search Party Story
Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (B) has one of the most amazing, bloody and grueling first twenty minutes of war re-enactments ever committed to film with its beach invasion of Normandy. Unfortunately, the remaining film featuring a search for the title character is rather pedestrian. Tom Hanks and an ensemble of Hollywood A-listers lead the charge to find Ryan (Matt Damon). The remaining film includes a series of exciting and nostalgic episodes but not a one that again matches the opening sequence.