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All reviews by user Date  Helpful Rating 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Whodunnit? And to Whom?Posted: 8/11/2006A review of Diabolique by Niteowl710 This is a great film. Cluzot has been called the French Alfred Hitchcock, and this film is his greatest achievement. The wife and the mistress of a cruel private school headmaster, upon finding out he abuses both of them, team up to murder him. Their scheme, to drown him in a distant city, and then dump the body in the school pool, the day before it is to be drained, seems to come off without a wrinkle. That is, untill the pool is drained, and the body has mysteriously disappeared!
Interestingly, there is a bumbling detective in this film, who seemed to be clueless, but in the end, had divined the true plot all along. The detective, right down to his rumpled raincoat, became the inspiration for the American TV series, Columbo. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  The nominee for Worst Picture of 1988 isPosted: 8/11/2006A review of Little Sweetheart by Niteowl710 I like to rent small movies. The Brother from Another Planet, Office Space, Clerks, and 10 Rillington Place are all perfect examples of why you would want to.
This movie is a perfect example of why you shouldnt bother.
Bad acting, bad direction, and a bad screenplay add up to a movie that scarcely deserves to be called entertainment.
Nice scenery and a twist ending (although, by that time, you arent interested) are the only redeeming qualities. Youll probably have a better time if you pop some popcorn, and watch your laundry spin in the dryer. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Brilliant in any languagePosted: 8/10/2006A review of Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl by Niteowl710 The story of the making of Xiu Xiu, the Sent Down Girl is fascinating in itself, and well worth searching out on the Internet.
Xiu Xiu is a bright, pretty young girl living in Chengdu with her family. The daughter of a tailor, she wears clothes that he has lovingly crafted from bits of cloth hes stolen from the textile plant where he works. Chengdu itself is a kind of paradise. In the evening, children practice their musical instruments while the men smoke and play chess outside. Its the kind of place where youngsters offer to help their elders carry their groceries, without waiting to be asked. Xiu Xiu is taken away from her family and friends, along with millions of other communist youths, to teach them the underlying principles of communism. Her mentor in her new life is Lao Jin, a middle-aged horse herder, who lives a solitary life on the steppes after a border war that resulted in his castration. Xiu Xiu hates life on the steppes, and misses her family. She looks forward to the day when she will be returned to Chengdu. But, that day comes and goes, unnoticed by the local party leaders, for whom she has ceased to exist. Desperate to see her family, and regain the life of innocence she had in Chengdu, she agrees to prostitute herself to all manner of low-level government officials, in hopes one of them will help her. Lao Jin has developed avuncular feelings for the young girl, and in a memorable scene, strikes back at those who abused her. Now her only friend and protector, they are more isolated than ever. She realizes her innocence is forever lost, and the two of them find a tragic solution.
A very sad, but very beautiful and moving film. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful This is a must-see film!Posted: 8/7/2006A review of Seven Samurai by Niteowl710 Seven Samurai is one of the greatest films ever made. I recommend the Criterion version (on DVD), for its excellent commentary. This movie should have something for everyone - History, Drama, Comedy, Romance, and Action. If youre looking for a straight action film, however, youre liable to be disappointed. The battle scenes are not choreographed. Kurosawa isnt glorifying war. He thinks war is wasteful and destructive, but sometimes, necessary. So in this film, he presents a more realistic vision of war, a desperate struggle for survival between men skilled at killing. And sometimes, the good guys dont survive. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  A Near MissPosted: 8/7/2006A review of Man on the Moon by Niteowl710 This movie starts out well, showing the legendary performer Andy Kaufman (Jim Carrey, who did a superb job) struggling for success in small time comedy clubs. Andy performed for years, for free, to unappreciative audiences who just didnt Get It. When he later appeared for the first time on SNL, there was some concern that larger audiences wouldnt Get It, either. But, once he appeared, his star took off immediately. He was dubbed an over night sensation (as though the years he had spent in comedy clubs hadnt counted.)
Toward the middle, though, the movie starts to flounder. Too much time is spent on Tony Clifton, Andys alter ego, an obnoxious lounge entertainer. It makes Andy appear self-indulgent, mean-spirited, and self-destructive.
Jim Carrey was excellent in the title role, and had a talented cast of supporting talent, including many actors from the original TV series, Taxi, appearing in cameo roles. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful The inspiration of Ed Wood, Jr.Posted: 8/6/2006A review of Ed Wood by Niteowl710 Tim Burton is a genius. Not because he was able to capture the look and feel of an actual Ed Wood movie (any competent director could have accomplished that), but because he looked at the life of Ed Wood, and found a sympathetic, even inspiring story. Ed Wood came to Hollywood, determined to make his own movies. But there were problems he had no money, no connections - and no talent. He did have determination, though, and an odd assortment of devoted friends and supporters. Together, by hook or by crook (sometimes they stole props they couldnt afford to buy or rent), they made an impressive body of some of the worst films ever created, a fact that Ed Wood seemed mercifully unaware of. Ed Wood was like Rocky in this respect he wanted to go the distance. Which for him, meant sitting in a darkened theater with strangers, watching his name appear on the screen. And the viewer is left thinking, If this guy can make his dreams come true, when he has no money, connections, or talent - Whats holding me back? Was this review helpful? Sign In 1-6 of 6 Per Page |
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