Jared-Harris Movie Reviews
VHS movie reviews for "Jared-Harris" sorted by average review score:
Urban Legend
Released in VHS Tape by Columbia/Tristar Studios (29 August, 2000)
Starring: Alicia Witt and Jared Leto
An attractive young woman is driving her car on a dark country road and singing along to the radio. She's running out of gas and so she pulls into a gas station (run by a jittery, stuttering Brad Dourif), but then flees what seems to be an attack, only to find the real threat in her backseat: a hooded killer with an ax who takes her head off with a well-aimed swing. You've heard the story before? Not surprising, given that it's one of the more famous urban legends borrowed for Urban Legend, a post-Scream exercise in self-referential horror. The students at an ivy-covered New England college are turning up dead, the victims of a serial killer who murders in the fashion of the "apocryphal" modern myths. It's all for the benefit of good girl with a dark secret Alicia Witt, the sole witness to most of the killings. Doe-eyed Rebecca Gayheart, as her gullible best friend, and Jared Leto, the ambitious campus journalist who tracks down the secret that hangs over the school, lead a cast of pretty young women, hunky guys, and campus characters, notably the suspicious professor Robert Englund, a genre legend in his own right as the star of seven Nightmare on Elm Street films. Take away the cheeky remarks and self-awareness and it's a throwback to the 1970s' rash of teen slasher movies, where sexually active teens are sliced, diced, and otherwise slaughtered in elaborate and ingenious ways. The increasingly preposterous film is no Scream, but the modestly stylish production has its moments. --Sean Axmaker
Average review score: 
Cable viewing only
Finally, a teen suspense film, since Scream, that's good!URBAN LEGEND is the horrific story of college teens who are stalked by a masked killer dressed in a parka. One young woman, Natalie, is the killer's main target, after a disturbing incident involving Natalie and a young man's death. Kill by kill based on Urban Legends, no one believes her story of why her friends are dying. So she, her friend Brenda, and her new male interest- Paul (Jared Leto), run for their lives- and also try to uncover who is behind the mask.
MY REVIEW:
"Highly entertaining! A new twist in teen suspense! URBAN LEGEND, like SCREAM, is a fun, shocking thriller that will keep you guessing by the minute! This film is a guaranteed FUN ride of excitment! URBAN LEGEND stars: Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Tara Reid (American Pie, American Pie II), Joshua Jackson (Scream 2, Mighty Ducks Trilogy, Dawson's Creek) and Loretta Divine. Skip the sequel- URBAN LEGEND: FINAL CUT, and head straight for the original! It is a great 'Teen Slasher Film' flick to catch!" MJV & the Movies.
DISTURBIN URBANURBAN LEGEND is definitely a cookie cutter slasher movie, but Jamie Blanks directs with an intense fervor; the cast plays and/or overplays its roles with thespian gusto. The identity of the killer is sly; early on, I suspected this person, but got lost in the other red herrings, so that only when it became obvious who the killer is, did I pat myself on the back and say "I told you so." The use of the urban legends as a stimulus for the killings is unique, and there are some tense scenes. Robert Englund looks a little lost in the rather docile role of the professor who is an expert on "urban legends." Alicia Witt and Rebecca Gayheart, in particular, do nice jobs as the teeny bopper girls screaming and running. Loretta Devine as the campus security cop is very "cool" in the you go girl arena. Joshua Jackson, Michael Rosenbaum and Tara Reid fare less effective, but fortunately do not hinder the movie. The "Halloween" syndrome occurs again in that we never know if the killer is really dead???
I've definitely seen worse thrillers, so this one isn't the dud some critics assert.
I've definitely seen worse thrillers, so this one isn't the dud some critics assert.
Urban Legend
Released in VHS Tape by Columbia/Tristar Studios (29 August, 2000)
Starring: Alicia Witt and Jared Leto
An attractive young woman is driving her car on a dark country road and singing along to the radio. She's running out of gas and so she pulls into a gas station (run by a jittery, stuttering Brad Dourif), but then flees what seems to be an attack, only to find the real threat in her backseat: a hooded killer with an ax who takes her head off with a well-aimed swing. You've heard the story before? Not surprising, given that it's one of the more famous urban legends borrowed for Urban Legend, a post-Scream exercise in self-referential horror. The students at an ivy-covered New England college are turning up dead, the victims of a serial killer who murders in the fashion of the "apocryphal" modern myths. It's all for the benefit of good girl with a dark secret Alicia Witt, the sole witness to most of the killings. Doe-eyed Rebecca Gayheart, as her gullible best friend, and Jared Leto, the ambitious campus journalist who tracks down the secret that hangs over the school, lead a cast of pretty young women, hunky guys, and campus characters, notably the suspicious professor Robert Englund, a genre legend in his own right as the star of seven Nightmare on Elm Street films. Take away the cheeky remarks and self-awareness and it's a throwback to the 1970s' rash of teen slasher movies, where sexually active teens are sliced, diced, and otherwise slaughtered in elaborate and ingenious ways. The increasingly preposterous film is no Scream, but the modestly stylish production has its moments. --Sean Axmaker
Average review score:
Cable viewing onlyWhile not flat-out 'bad', Urban Legend really ammounts to nothing more then an untimately unfulfilling 'Scream' clone. It has it's moments, there are scenes where UL is at least trying to be clever. That's about the nicest thing I can say about it though.
Unless you know someone actually in the movie, I can't possibly reccommend buying a copy. However, you could catch it on cable without feeling like you've been cheated.
Finally, a teen suspense film, since Scream, that's good!URBAN LEGEND is the horrific story of college teens who are stalked by a masked killer dressed in a parka. One young woman, Natalie, is the killer's main target, after a disturbing incident involving Natalie and a young man's death. Kill by kill based on Urban Legends, no one believes her story of why her friends are dying. So she, her friend Brenda, and her new male interest- Paul (Jared Leto), run for their lives- and also try to uncover who is behind the mask.
MY REVIEW:
"Highly entertaining! A new twist in teen suspense! URBAN LEGEND, like SCREAM, is a fun, shocking thriller that will keep you guessing by the minute! This film is a guaranteed FUN ride of excitment! URBAN LEGEND stars: Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Tara Reid (American Pie, American Pie II), Joshua Jackson (Scream 2, Mighty Ducks Trilogy, Dawson's Creek) and Loretta Divine. Skip the sequel- URBAN LEGEND: FINAL CUT, and head straight for the original! It is a great 'Teen Slasher Film' flick to catch!" MJV & the Movies.
DISTURBIN URBANURBAN LEGEND is definitely a cookie cutter slasher movie, but Jamie Blanks directs with an intense fervor; the cast plays and/or overplays its roles with thespian gusto. The identity of the killer is sly; early on, I suspected this person, but got lost in the other red herrings, so that only when it became obvious who the killer is, did I pat myself on the back and say "I told you so." The use of the urban legends as a stimulus for the killings is unique, and there are some tense scenes. Robert Englund looks a little lost in the rather docile role of the professor who is an expert on "urban legends." Alicia Witt and Rebecca Gayheart, in particular, do nice jobs as the teeny bopper girls screaming and running. Loretta Devine as the campus security cop is very "cool" in the you go girl arena. Joshua Jackson, Michael Rosenbaum and Tara Reid fare less effective, but fortunately do not hinder the movie. The "Halloween" syndrome occurs again in that we never know if the killer is really dead???
I've definitely seen worse thrillers, so this one isn't the dud some critics assert.
I've definitely seen worse thrillers, so this one isn't the dud some critics assert.
Urban Legend
Released in VHS Tape by Columbia/Tristar Studios (01 May, 2001)
Starring: Alicia Witt and Jared Leto
An attractive young woman is driving her car on a dark country road and singing along to the radio. She's running out of gas and so she pulls into a gas station (run by a jittery, stuttering Brad Dourif), but then flees what seems to be an attack, only to find the real threat in her backseat: a hooded killer with an ax who takes her head off with a well-aimed swing. You've heard the story before? Not surprising, given that it's one of the more famous urban legends borrowed for Urban Legend, a post-Scream exercise in self-referential horror. The students at an ivy-covered New England college are turning up dead, the victims of a serial killer who murders in the fashion of the "apocryphal" modern myths. It's all for the benefit of good girl with a dark secret Alicia Witt, the sole witness to most of the killings. Doe-eyed Rebecca Gayheart, as her gullible best friend, and Jared Leto, the ambitious campus journalist who tracks down the secret that hangs over the school, lead a cast of pretty young women, hunky guys, and campus characters, notably the suspicious professor Robert Englund, a genre legend in his own right as the star of seven Nightmare on Elm Street films. Take away the cheeky remarks and self-awareness and it's a throwback to the 1970s' rash of teen slasher movies, where sexually active teens are sliced, diced, and otherwise slaughtered in elaborate and ingenious ways. The increasingly preposterous film is no Scream, but the modestly stylish production has its moments. --Sean Axmaker
Average review score:
Cable viewing onlyWhile not flat-out 'bad', Urban Legend really ammounts to nothing more then an untimately unfulfilling 'Scream' clone. It has it's moments, there are scenes where UL is at least trying to be clever. That's about the nicest thing I can say about it though.
Unless you know someone actually in the movie, I can't possibly reccommend buying a copy. However, you could catch it on cable without feeling like you've been cheated.
Finally, a teen suspense film, since Scream, that's good!URBAN LEGEND is the horrific story of college teens who are stalked by a masked killer dressed in a parka. One young woman, Natalie, is the killer's main target, after a disturbing incident involving Natalie and a young man's death. Kill by kill based on Urban Legends, no one believes her story of why her friends are dying. So she, her friend Brenda, and her new male interest- Paul (Jared Leto), run for their lives- and also try to uncover who is behind the mask.
MY REVIEW:
"Highly entertaining! A new twist in teen suspense! URBAN LEGEND, like SCREAM, is a fun, shocking thriller that will keep you guessing by the minute! This film is a guaranteed FUN ride of excitment! URBAN LEGEND stars: Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Tara Reid (American Pie, American Pie II), Joshua Jackson (Scream 2, Mighty Ducks Trilogy, Dawson's Creek) and Loretta Divine. Skip the sequel- URBAN LEGEND: FINAL CUT, and head straight for the original! It is a great 'Teen Slasher Film' flick to catch!" MJV & the Movies.
DISTURBIN URBANURBAN LEGEND is definitely a cookie cutter slasher movie, but Jamie Blanks directs with an intense fervor; the cast plays and/or overplays its roles with thespian gusto. The identity of the killer is sly; early on, I suspected this person, but got lost in the other red herrings, so that only when it became obvious who the killer is, did I pat myself on the back and say "I told you so." The use of the urban legends as a stimulus for the killings is unique, and there are some tense scenes. Robert Englund looks a little lost in the rather docile role of the professor who is an expert on "urban legends." Alicia Witt and Rebecca Gayheart, in particular, do nice jobs as the teeny bopper girls screaming and running. Loretta Devine as the campus security cop is very "cool" in the you go girl arena. Joshua Jackson, Michael Rosenbaum and Tara Reid fare less effective, but fortunately do not hinder the movie. The "Halloween" syndrome occurs again in that we never know if the killer is really dead???
I've definitely seen worse thrillers, so this one isn't the dud some critics assert.
I've definitely seen worse thrillers, so this one isn't the dud some critics assert.
Igby Goes Down
Released in VHS Tape by M G M, Inc (02 September, 2003)
Starring: Kieran Culkin, Jeff Goldblum, and Susan Sarandon
Many movies strive to capture the confused, yearning spirit of The Graduate or The Catcher in the Rye; Igby Goes Down succeeds. Igby (Kieran Culkin) is a teen struggling to find any purpose or meaning to his life; surrounding him are his tyrant mother Mimi (Susan Sarandon), schizophrenic father Jason (Bill Pullman), wealthy and deceitful godfather D.H. (Jeff Goldblum), and cold brother Oliver (Ryan Phillippe)--all of whom have their own problems. While evading being sent to yet another boarding school, Igby seeks solace with two women: Rachel (Amanda Peet), a drug-addicted dancer who's D.H.'s mistress, and Sookie (Claire Danes), a college student who becomes perhaps his only friend. Culkin carries the film, ably supported by the superb cast; script, direction, and performances are razor sharp. Igby Goes Down doesn't let anyone--including Igby--off the hook for their cruelty, hypocrisy, or lack of empathy. --Bret Fetzer
Average review score:
Down But Not Out"Igby Goes Down" is one of those small, acerbic black comedies that some people find pointless and others love to the point of turning it into a cult classic. I would have to lean toward the latter category.
Igby, honestly realized by Kieran Culkin, is an angry, aimless teenager rebelling against the cold, loveless world of his well-to-do but ultimately miserable parents (Susan Sarandon and Bill Pullman) and extremely wealthy godfather, D.H. (Jeff Goldblum, in a particularly good role). The focus of the movie is his quest to find a place where he belongs, while his schizophrenic father wastes away in an institution and his cruel mother dies of breast cancer.
None of the characters in "Igby Goes Down" are very likeable, but they're REAL. Culkin does a wonderful job of conveying Igby's lost, angry restlessness, Susan Sarandon is wonderfully hateable as mother Mimi, and Amanda Peet is particularly poignant as Rachel, "a dancer who doesn't dance" whose friend is a "painter who doesn't paint", and who is having an affair with Igby's godfather D.H. There is a lot of rather unpleasant honesty in the lives of these miserable, screwed-up people, and writer-director Burr Steers succeeds admirably at peeling away the layers of unhappiness. And in the midst of pain, this movie is brutally, bizarrely FUNNY.
Kieran Culkin's triumphNot every movie starts with a pair of teenage boys painstakingly killing their mother, and even fewer could make you like those boys. But "Igby Goes Down" actually manages to do this. It's a coming-of-age story (much as I hate the phrase) with humor and poignancy, and it's a hard role that the fantastic Kieran Culkin pulls off.
Igby's father (Bill Pullman) is in a mental home, his mother Mimi (Susan Sarandon) is a pill-popping harpy, his godfather D.H. (Jeff Goldblum) is humorously scruple-free, and his brother Oliver (Ryan Phillippe) is cold-blooded and mercenary. Igby himself (Kieran Culkin) is a perpetual dropout who deliberately fails at every prep school he's sent to, and then he runs away from a cab taking him back to military school. Free at last of his suffocating upper-crust life, Igby secretly moves into the loft apartment of D.H.'s dancer-junkie mistress Rachel (Amanda Peet).
At first, things are okay for Igby, especially after he meets and falls for a cynical, ice-cream-eating college student named Sookie Sapperstein (Claire Danes). But when his brother disrupts his love life, his godfather finds out about Igby's relationship with Rachel, and Mimi's cancer grows worse, Igby begins to go down... unless he can break away to freedom.
One of the most unique aspects of "Igby Goes Down" is that a concrete reason is given for the lead character to rebel. Most rebels don't have a cause. But Igby rebels not just out of unhappiness, but out of fear that he (like his father) will "go down." One of the most moving parts of this film is when a young Igby (played by Kieran's little brother Rory) sees his father come unglued in the shower. An equally memorable scene has Igby hollowly repeating his father's words at his own reflection.
The humor is mainly of the weirder sort, like half the people in the cast punching Igby (even his SHRINK!), Mimi sitting on the maid's head, or the disgruntled drag queen ("Lucky... CHARMS!"). The dialogue is witty and full of little quotable insults. Kids probably shouldn't see this movie -- there's nudity, a couple of bedroom scenes, cursing and a few scenes involving suicide.
Kieran Culkin is brilliant in this film, which has garnered some of the recognition he deserves. Susan Sarandon seems to revel in her role as the mother-from-hell, and while I didn't like Ryan Phillippe in "Gosford Park," his cold acting fits the role of Oliver. Goldblum seems to be revelling just as much as Sarandon as Oliver's future self; Claire Danes, when she doesn't cry, is fantastic as the wannabe-cynic Sookie, who is obviously just as confused as Igby.
"Igby Goes Down" is worth watching, if nothing else, because of Culkin's fantastic acting. But it's also witty, sad, weird, and quite well-written. One of the best indie films of 2002 -- and that's saying a lot.
Kieran grows upMost people remember Kieran Culkin as Fuller from the Home Alone movies or the little brother in the Father of the Bride flicks or simply as playing young Mac in several movies. But in '02, Kieran really began to come into his own. With lead roles in Igby and Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. He really is one of the greatest actors that young Hollywood has to offer. His talent is really unbelievable here. He really immersed himself in the role of aimless Igby, and the cast around him (including legends Susan Sarandon and Jeff Goldblume, and gen-Xers Ryan Philipe and Claire Danes) pale in comparison for me in terms of the standout performance by Kieran. I really think that he is on the fast track to stardom and is finally being recognized for his talent. I also see his younger brother Rory (who was excellent in You Can Count on Me) following in his footsteps.
Chinese Box
Released in VHS Tape by Vidmark/Trimark (23 March, 1999)
Starring: Jeremy Irons and Li Gong
Set during the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong in 1997, this fascinating film uses that urgent and grandly ceremonial political backdrop for an intimate study of personal transition. Jeremy Irons plays a seasoned journalist who discovers he is terminally ill, causing him to be torn between his obsessive love for a former prostitute (Chinese film star Li Gong) and a streetwise hustler (Maggie Cheung) whom he has chosen as the subject of a video documentary. Through his involvement in the lives of these two very different women, director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) creates a cinematic "love-hate letter" to his native Hong Kong, where each character is allegorical and suffers an identity crisis much like Hong Kong itself. The film's love story is somewhat aimless and ultimately unimportant, but Chinese Box (even the title suggests a place that holds secrets within its borders) remains a fascinating film in the semi-documentary tradition, capturing the psychology of its time and place with compelling immediacy. Musician/actor/politician Ruben Blades is featured in a memorable supporting role. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
Not bad overall, but don't expect fireworks.The Chinese Box is a film that draws parallels between the relationship of Jeremy Irons and Gong Li to that of the Hong Kong handover. It is far from Irons' best performance, and I was dissapointed by Li's miniscule role in the film. Such a wonderful actress could've been given more lines despite her shaky english. Oh, and it was a little slow.
Despite all this, the film does manage to draw you in somewhat and you end up caring about what happens to the two character. In the end, it's worth a view... but not twenty dollars.
Stuck in the middleChinese box is a very interesting film. First of all a Wayne Wang film (remember eat a bowl of rice ? a film portrayed the Chinese immigrants life in US and excellent movie smoke as a result of his cooperation with Auster) that is set in Hong Kong and includes excellent performances by Irons, Li, and Cheung . Secondly it is based on the time period which was extremely important as well as worrying for many Asian people. It marked the end of British rule and unification with China. Film focuses on those days with an impossible love story between Irons and Li.
Film has full of images and tales about the people of Hong Kong and their way of living, power politics and market scale as well as the difference of eastern and western people in their way of thought and living. Irons' impossible love for Li and her struggle between two man, are represented throughout the film in a different way and thus forcing to make the viewer try to understand or at least make him/her to be as objective as it is possible on making judgements on Asian life. Western people has problems with understanding Asian mind and way of living and unfortunately only very few people really tries to do. As portrayed in Irons character, he tries to understand the people and the city over a decade but fails because in his words everything is changing so fast.(Maybe like many westerners suggest, it is rather a difficult task and since you have the best (!) of it why sweat it ?)
Wang draws the picture of city in one hand a fast moving, modern Asian city full of local and foreign businesscholics.Caught in the middle , on one hand trying to stay as traditional it can be but on the other hand trying to look , live and feel as a western democracy. There are many symbols and signs showing this as fish market, mah jong, family relationships as well as the businessman with mobile phones and blasting western flavoured music, scarred cheung and the running dog prepared to fight by the owner etc. Lions offers a solid performance and Li suceeds to come up with goods as it is her most difficult role so far portraying such an untraditional character. Cheung continues to rise with the young, hip but a bit of a desperate character.
This movie is not an easy, let's go type of film. As I mentioned, Wang tries to make us understand the way of life, thinking as well as the identity clashes in people who lives in this fascinating neon city. So viewer has to force his/hers mind to de code the symbols and icons which tells a lot to the viewer about the situation.
Basicly film is called Chinese box and it is a chinese box indeed. It expects you to open and solve it.
Film has full of images and tales about the people of Hong Kong and their way of living, power politics and market scale as well as the difference of eastern and western people in their way of thought and living. Irons' impossible love for Li and her struggle between two man, are represented throughout the film in a different way and thus forcing to make the viewer try to understand or at least make him/her to be as objective as it is possible on making judgements on Asian life. Western people has problems with understanding Asian mind and way of living and unfortunately only very few people really tries to do. As portrayed in Irons character, he tries to understand the people and the city over a decade but fails because in his words everything is changing so fast.(Maybe like many westerners suggest, it is rather a difficult task and since you have the best (!) of it why sweat it ?)
Wang draws the picture of city in one hand a fast moving, modern Asian city full of local and foreign businesscholics.Caught in the middle , on one hand trying to stay as traditional it can be but on the other hand trying to look , live and feel as a western democracy. There are many symbols and signs showing this as fish market, mah jong, family relationships as well as the businessman with mobile phones and blasting western flavoured music, scarred cheung and the running dog prepared to fight by the owner etc. Lions offers a solid performance and Li suceeds to come up with goods as it is her most difficult role so far portraying such an untraditional character. Cheung continues to rise with the young, hip but a bit of a desperate character.
This movie is not an easy, let's go type of film. As I mentioned, Wang tries to make us understand the way of life, thinking as well as the identity clashes in people who lives in this fascinating neon city. So viewer has to force his/hers mind to de code the symbols and icons which tells a lot to the viewer about the situation.
Basicly film is called Chinese box and it is a chinese box indeed. It expects you to open and solve it.
An Exceptional Movie, Can't Wait for the Signature DVD!!I first saw this film in Scottsdale, AZ at the local arthouse movie theatre, and it really left me with a feeling. Couldn't immediately put it into words or identify it, but a feeling nonetheless...an impact...a strange sensation. The more time that passed, the more I thought about the film and the more I liked the experiece while watching it. Although I have never been to HK, I believe that Wayne Wang has captured the breath and soul of Hong Kong and the mysteries that it carries. It has put in me, a hope and a dream that one day I can visit this exotic city and breathe in the aroma, the sounds and sights of its vibrant, pulsing atmosphere. Even with Ms. Li's newly budding English skills, this is still a remarkable piece and dazzles with metaphors and rich character-driven fabric. Ruben Blades is a marvelous choice as Iron's ex-pat friend and strums a beautiful song, Across the Borderline. Mr. Wang, if you are listening, this is fine piece of work and I hope that you continue to make these wonderful films that evoke a canvas of feelings and stimulate the senses.
Chinese Box
Released in VHS Tape by Vidmark/Trimark (29 September, 1998)
Starring: Jeremy Irons and Li Gong
Set during the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong in 1997, this fascinating film uses that urgent and grandly ceremonial political backdrop for an intimate study of personal transition. Jeremy Irons plays a seasoned journalist who discovers he is terminally ill, causing him to be torn between his obsessive love for a former prostitute (Chinese film star Li Gong) and a streetwise hustler (Maggie Cheung) whom he has chosen as the subject of a video documentary. Through his involvement in the lives of these two very different women, director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) creates a cinematic "love-hate letter" to his native Hong Kong, where each character is allegorical and suffers an identity crisis much like Hong Kong itself. The film's love story is somewhat aimless and ultimately unimportant, but Chinese Box (even the title suggests a place that holds secrets within its borders) remains a fascinating film in the semi-documentary tradition, capturing the psychology of its time and place with compelling immediacy. Musician/actor/politician Ruben Blades is featured in a memorable supporting role. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
Not bad overall, but don't expect fireworks.The Chinese Box is a film that draws parallels between the relationship of Jeremy Irons and Gong Li to that of the Hong Kong handover. It is far from Irons' best performance, and I was dissapointed by Li's miniscule role in the film. Such a wonderful actress could've been given more lines despite her shaky english. Oh, and it was a little slow.
Despite all this, the film does manage to draw you in somewhat and you end up caring about what happens to the two character. In the end, it's worth a view... but not twenty dollars.
Stuck in the middleChinese box is a very interesting film. First of all a Wayne Wang film (remember eat a bowl of rice ? a film portrayed the Chinese immigrants life in US and excellent movie smoke as a result of his cooperation with Auster) that is set in Hong Kong and includes excellent performances by Irons, Li, and Cheung . Secondly it is based on the time period which was extremely important as well as worrying for many Asian people. It marked the end of British rule and unification with China. Film focuses on those days with an impossible love story between Irons and Li.
Film has full of images and tales about the people of Hong Kong and their way of living, power politics and market scale as well as the difference of eastern and western people in their way of thought and living. Irons' impossible love for Li and her struggle between two man, are represented throughout the film in a different way and thus forcing to make the viewer try to understand or at least make him/her to be as objective as it is possible on making judgements on Asian life. Western people has problems with understanding Asian mind and way of living and unfortunately only very few people really tries to do. As portrayed in Irons character, he tries to understand the people and the city over a decade but fails because in his words everything is changing so fast.(Maybe like many westerners suggest, it is rather a difficult task and since you have the best (!) of it why sweat it ?)
Wang draws the picture of city in one hand a fast moving, modern Asian city full of local and foreign businesscholics.Caught in the middle , on one hand trying to stay as traditional it can be but on the other hand trying to look , live and feel as a western democracy. There are many symbols and signs showing this as fish market, mah jong, family relationships as well as the businessman with mobile phones and blasting western flavoured music, scarred cheung and the running dog prepared to fight by the owner etc. Lions offers a solid performance and Li suceeds to come up with goods as it is her most difficult role so far portraying such an untraditional character. Cheung continues to rise with the young, hip but a bit of a desperate character.
This movie is not an easy, let's go type of film. As I mentioned, Wang tries to make us understand the way of life, thinking as well as the identity clashes in people who lives in this fascinating neon city. So viewer has to force his/hers mind to de code the symbols and icons which tells a lot to the viewer about the situation.
Basicly film is called Chinese box and it is a chinese box indeed. It expects you to open and solve it.
Film has full of images and tales about the people of Hong Kong and their way of living, power politics and market scale as well as the difference of eastern and western people in their way of thought and living. Irons' impossible love for Li and her struggle between two man, are represented throughout the film in a different way and thus forcing to make the viewer try to understand or at least make him/her to be as objective as it is possible on making judgements on Asian life. Western people has problems with understanding Asian mind and way of living and unfortunately only very few people really tries to do. As portrayed in Irons character, he tries to understand the people and the city over a decade but fails because in his words everything is changing so fast.(Maybe like many westerners suggest, it is rather a difficult task and since you have the best (!) of it why sweat it ?)
Wang draws the picture of city in one hand a fast moving, modern Asian city full of local and foreign businesscholics.Caught in the middle , on one hand trying to stay as traditional it can be but on the other hand trying to look , live and feel as a western democracy. There are many symbols and signs showing this as fish market, mah jong, family relationships as well as the businessman with mobile phones and blasting western flavoured music, scarred cheung and the running dog prepared to fight by the owner etc. Lions offers a solid performance and Li suceeds to come up with goods as it is her most difficult role so far portraying such an untraditional character. Cheung continues to rise with the young, hip but a bit of a desperate character.
This movie is not an easy, let's go type of film. As I mentioned, Wang tries to make us understand the way of life, thinking as well as the identity clashes in people who lives in this fascinating neon city. So viewer has to force his/hers mind to de code the symbols and icons which tells a lot to the viewer about the situation.
Basicly film is called Chinese box and it is a chinese box indeed. It expects you to open and solve it.
An Exceptional Movie, Can't Wait for the Signature DVD!!I first saw this film in Scottsdale, AZ at the local arthouse movie theatre, and it really left me with a feeling. Couldn't immediately put it into words or identify it, but a feeling nonetheless...an impact...a strange sensation. The more time that passed, the more I thought about the film and the more I liked the experiece while watching it. Although I have never been to HK, I believe that Wayne Wang has captured the breath and soul of Hong Kong and the mysteries that it carries. It has put in me, a hope and a dream that one day I can visit this exotic city and breathe in the aroma, the sounds and sights of its vibrant, pulsing atmosphere. Even with Ms. Li's newly budding English skills, this is still a remarkable piece and dazzles with metaphors and rich character-driven fabric. Ruben Blades is a marvelous choice as Iron's ex-pat friend and strums a beautiful song, Across the Borderline. Mr. Wang, if you are listening, this is fine piece of work and I hope that you continue to make these wonderful films that evoke a canvas of feelings and stimulate the senses.
Chinese Box
Released in VHS Tape by Vidmark/Trimark (23 March, 1999)
Starring: Jeremy Irons and Li Gong
Set during the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong in 1997, this fascinating film uses that urgent and grandly ceremonial political backdrop for an intimate study of personal transition. Jeremy Irons plays a seasoned journalist who discovers he is terminally ill, causing him to be torn between his obsessive love for a former prostitute (Chinese film star Li Gong) and a streetwise hustler (Maggie Cheung) whom he has chosen as the subject of a video documentary. Through his involvement in the lives of these two very different women, director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) creates a cinematic "love-hate letter" to his native Hong Kong, where each character is allegorical and suffers an identity crisis much like Hong Kong itself. The film's love story is somewhat aimless and ultimately unimportant, but Chinese Box (even the title suggests a place that holds secrets within its borders) remains a fascinating film in the semi-documentary tradition, capturing the psychology of its time and place with compelling immediacy. Musician/actor/politician Ruben Blades is featured in a memorable supporting role. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
Not bad overall, but don't expect fireworks.The Chinese Box is a film that draws parallels between the relationship of Jeremy Irons and Gong Li to that of the Hong Kong handover. It is far from Irons' best performance, and I was dissapointed by Li's miniscule role in the film. Such a wonderful actress could've been given more lines despite her shaky english. Oh, and it was a little slow.
Despite all this, the film does manage to draw you in somewhat and you end up caring about what happens to the two character. In the end, it's worth a view... but not twenty dollars.
Stuck in the middleChinese box is a very interesting film. First of all a Wayne Wang film (remember eat a bowl of rice ? a film portrayed the Chinese immigrants life in US and excellent movie smoke as a result of his cooperation with Auster) that is set in Hong Kong and includes excellent performances by Irons, Li, and Cheung . Secondly it is based on the time period which was extremely important as well as worrying for many Asian people. It marked the end of British rule and unification with China. Film focuses on those days with an impossible love story between Irons and Li.
Film has full of images and tales about the people of Hong Kong and their way of living, power politics and market scale as well as the difference of eastern and western people in their way of thought and living. Irons' impossible love for Li and her struggle between two man, are represented throughout the film in a different way and thus forcing to make the viewer try to understand or at least make him/her to be as objective as it is possible on making judgements on Asian life. Western people has problems with understanding Asian mind and way of living and unfortunately only very few people really tries to do. As portrayed in Irons character, he tries to understand the people and the city over a decade but fails because in his words everything is changing so fast.(Maybe like many westerners suggest, it is rather a difficult task and since you have the best (!) of it why sweat it ?)
Wang draws the picture of city in one hand a fast moving, modern Asian city full of local and foreign businesscholics.Caught in the middle , on one hand trying to stay as traditional it can be but on the other hand trying to look , live and feel as a western democracy. There are many symbols and signs showing this as fish market, mah jong, family relationships as well as the businessman with mobile phones and blasting western flavoured music, scarred cheung and the running dog prepared to fight by the owner etc. Lions offers a solid performance and Li suceeds to come up with goods as it is her most difficult role so far portraying such an untraditional character. Cheung continues to rise with the young, hip but a bit of a desperate character.
This movie is not an easy, let's go type of film. As I mentioned, Wang tries to make us understand the way of life, thinking as well as the identity clashes in people who lives in this fascinating neon city. So viewer has to force his/hers mind to de code the symbols and icons which tells a lot to the viewer about the situation.
Basicly film is called Chinese box and it is a chinese box indeed. It expects you to open and solve it.
Film has full of images and tales about the people of Hong Kong and their way of living, power politics and market scale as well as the difference of eastern and western people in their way of thought and living. Irons' impossible love for Li and her struggle between two man, are represented throughout the film in a different way and thus forcing to make the viewer try to understand or at least make him/her to be as objective as it is possible on making judgements on Asian life. Western people has problems with understanding Asian mind and way of living and unfortunately only very few people really tries to do. As portrayed in Irons character, he tries to understand the people and the city over a decade but fails because in his words everything is changing so fast.(Maybe like many westerners suggest, it is rather a difficult task and since you have the best (!) of it why sweat it ?)
Wang draws the picture of city in one hand a fast moving, modern Asian city full of local and foreign businesscholics.Caught in the middle , on one hand trying to stay as traditional it can be but on the other hand trying to look , live and feel as a western democracy. There are many symbols and signs showing this as fish market, mah jong, family relationships as well as the businessman with mobile phones and blasting western flavoured music, scarred cheung and the running dog prepared to fight by the owner etc. Lions offers a solid performance and Li suceeds to come up with goods as it is her most difficult role so far portraying such an untraditional character. Cheung continues to rise with the young, hip but a bit of a desperate character.
This movie is not an easy, let's go type of film. As I mentioned, Wang tries to make us understand the way of life, thinking as well as the identity clashes in people who lives in this fascinating neon city. So viewer has to force his/hers mind to de code the symbols and icons which tells a lot to the viewer about the situation.
Basicly film is called Chinese box and it is a chinese box indeed. It expects you to open and solve it.
An Exceptional Movie, Can't Wait for the Signature DVD!!I first saw this film in Scottsdale, AZ at the local arthouse movie theatre, and it really left me with a feeling. Couldn't immediately put it into words or identify it, but a feeling nonetheless...an impact...a strange sensation. The more time that passed, the more I thought about the film and the more I liked the experiece while watching it. Although I have never been to HK, I believe that Wayne Wang has captured the breath and soul of Hong Kong and the mysteries that it carries. It has put in me, a hope and a dream that one day I can visit this exotic city and breathe in the aroma, the sounds and sights of its vibrant, pulsing atmosphere. Even with Ms. Li's newly budding English skills, this is still a remarkable piece and dazzles with metaphors and rich character-driven fabric. Ruben Blades is a marvelous choice as Iron's ex-pat friend and strums a beautiful song, Across the Borderline. Mr. Wang, if you are listening, this is fine piece of work and I hope that you continue to make these wonderful films that evoke a canvas of feelings and stimulate the senses.
Sylvia
Released in Theatrical Release by ()
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig, and Lucy Davenport
The biting poetry and sad life of poet Sylvia Plath form the story of Sylvia, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. This subtle but fascinating movie centers around Plath's relationship with poet Ted Hughes (Daniel Craig, Love Is the Devil), with whom she fell aggressively in love while a student at Cambridge. Their relationship proved passionate but rocky; many of Plath's fans blame the depression that eventually led her to suicide on Hughes's infidelity. Sylvia doesn't let Hughes off the hook, but it doesn't paint Plath as a helpless victim either. Paltrow's superb performance captures the poet's fierce jealousy and artistic ambition as much as her debilitating sorrow. The movie makes no big statements about Plath's poetry, letting the troubling details of her life tell their own compelling story. Also featuring Jared Harris, Blythe Danner, and Michael Gambon; the acting is outstanding all around. --Bret Fetzer
Average review score:
AwfulIt is difficult for one to make a film about sylvia Plath without being terribly melodramatic & cliched. Guess what. This film is terribly melodramatic & cliched. What is funny is how in the preview it says this is the "untold story" about Hughes & Plath. Frankly, I can't think of a more boring & dead literary topic than those two because it has been beaten to death! This film is like reading a linear progression of Plath's life in a bio, only the film offers nothing new to say, other than now you're just watching it on screen instead of reading it. This film is not as bad as "The Hours" which was one of the worst movies of the last fifty years, mainly because this is not as PC & reeking of propaganda like in the way "The Hours" was. The score is not good nor bad- (in "The Hours" it is abysmal- Philip Glass should stick to the Koyaanisqatsi films).
Weep weep weep boo hoo- this film offers no insight into the characters. Why was Plath such a great poet? How was she? The film also does not explore how Hughes is a talentless Hack, & for the first half you do not know if he is cheating on her or if it's just her paranoia. He cheated on her, period. Sylvia was too messed up to handle it. Let's watch her stick her head in the oven. The good thing is that Paltrow gives a solid performance, (better than Kidman mumbling in the air to herself to show that she's crazy) but only for as much as the script allows. The script is terribly written & I think that's shown best (or worst) when Al Alvarez, her pal/critic tells her that "she and ted understand one another in ways others can only dream of," Are you crying yet? Have pity on me please. Unless you are Plath obsessed, I cannot see anyone finding this film interesting. It is also too long & I found myself checking my watch several times in the theatre. I also had a stiff neck at the end & decided I'd never paint my walls pea green. Also, if you don't want to be depressed, keep plenty of lamps and open windows around. Apparently they did not have such inventions back in 1960's England.
Weep weep weep boo hoo- this film offers no insight into the characters. Why was Plath such a great poet? How was she? The film also does not explore how Hughes is a talentless Hack, & for the first half you do not know if he is cheating on her or if it's just her paranoia. He cheated on her, period. Sylvia was too messed up to handle it. Let's watch her stick her head in the oven. The good thing is that Paltrow gives a solid performance, (better than Kidman mumbling in the air to herself to show that she's crazy) but only for as much as the script allows. The script is terribly written & I think that's shown best (or worst) when Al Alvarez, her pal/critic tells her that "she and ted understand one another in ways others can only dream of," Are you crying yet? Have pity on me please. Unless you are Plath obsessed, I cannot see anyone finding this film interesting. It is also too long & I found myself checking my watch several times in the theatre. I also had a stiff neck at the end & decided I'd never paint my walls pea green. Also, if you don't want to be depressed, keep plenty of lamps and open windows around. Apparently they did not have such inventions back in 1960's England.
Great performancesLet's face it: if you're going to see "Sylvia", most likely you realize that it's not going to be a feel good movie. You won't leave the theater all warm and fuzzy.
And you don't. However, you do leave the theater with a lot to think about for the rest of the day. First and foremost, both Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig give bold, memorable performances as Sylvia Path and Ted Hughes, the doomed poet couple of the late 1950's and early 1960's. Patrow looks so much like photos of Plath that it's eerie. However, she does more than just look like her-she conveys the woman's neurotic brilliance, her desperate need to conform to her ideals of feminity, motherhood and wifehood while at the same time trying to produce world class poetry. Craig meanwhile (who also looks like photos of Hughes) illuminates both the magenetism of Hughes' presence--which drew sylvia and many other women to him--and his trying to meet the challenge of living with Sylvia. Hughes was brilliant too--but not mentally ill and that makes all the difference.
Strong supporting performances run through the movie; most notably, Blythe Danner as Plath's mother and Michael Gambon as a kindly though increasingly impatient neighbor.
I would recommend this movie to those who gravitate towards art house movies and literature lovers. If you're a Ted Hughes basher, this movie may be too balanced for you. Likewise, if you're a Plath basher. Yest it's a small movie in many ways--the score could have been better, the story fleshed out a bit more (hence the four stars)--but it is a very good small movie.
SylviaI am going to give this film 4 stars even though it probably doesn't meet everyone's expectations. Making a biography is difficult because life doesn't necessarily offer as many sensational choices as fiction. At two hours a lot of her life is left out. 'Gandhi' with Ben Kingsley is the great biography which comes to my mind now and that movie was over three hours long.
As history, 'Sylvia' does a good job from what I know about her life. Left out is the fact that Ted Hughes later became poet laureate of England, although he was blamed by some for her demise and death. Worth watching.
Mr. Deeds
Released in VHS Tape by Columbia Tristar Hom (27 May, 2003)
Starring: Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder
Following the flop of Little Nicky, Adam Sandler returned to safe territory in Mr. Deeds... and made Nicky look inspired by comparison. A loose remake of Frank Capra's 1936 classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, this dumbed-down version finds Sandler in the Gary Cooper role, inheriting a vast fortune and a corporate empire, foiling a greedy executive (Peter Gallagher), and winning the heart of an undercover reporter (Winona Ryder) who's been mocking his small-town naiveté in print while falling for his goodhearted sincerity. It's fun enough to satisfy Sandler's loyal fans--and John Turturro's a hoot as Deeds's foot-fetishist butler--but the subtleties of Capra are lost on Sandler, director Steven Brill, and writer Tim Herlihy. While Gary Cooper portrayed a rube who was savvy about big-city cynicism, Sandler's an amiable goofball with a heart of gold and an empty skull. You can admire him, and parts of the movie (including Steve Buscemi's unbilled cameo), but you have to work harder to get there. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
An adventure in mediocrityBetter than Little Nicky, far from Happy Gilmore, and on about the same level as The Waterboy, Mr. Deeds is decent, but not all that great. Adam Sandler plays Longfellow Deeds, a good man with a somewhat short temper, but ultimately mild mannered. When it is determined that he is the son of a recently deceased billionaire, he inherits the entire estate. The premise sounds good, and apparently it did before as it is based on the movie, "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town." That however doesn't help this movie. What does push it forward is some good acting, inventive characters, and a decent plot. Sandler has the ability to get more cameos into a movie than I thought physically possible. Al Sharpton, John MacEnroe (forgive the spelling), Rob Schneider, Kathy Bates, and others all wind up in this film and do an excellent job in supporting Sandler. Detracting seriously from the film though is Winnona Ryder. Why on Earth she is still an actress boggles my mind. She plays her part horribly and just sounds so atrocious. Her, and the dips in comedic action pull this film down 2 stars. Overall though it could be worse, given everything it's not that bad. It's an enjoyable film that can be viewed a few times without the effect wearing off.
Good rebound for Sandler after the "Nicky" bombI'm not going to compare this movie (tho loosely based) to the 1936 classic with Gary Cooper, "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town". Sure, the basic storyline is the same, but that's it. Cooper & Sander are totally different actors in totally different times. Cooper was a classic actor with a flair for some comedy, where Sandler is a comedian with a flair for some acting. "Deeds" did fairly well at the box office in 2002. Sandler proved there was life after his previous bomb, "Little Nicky". A great cast with Winona Ryder, Steve Buscemi, and John Turturro - stealing the show with his "sneaky" one liners and his incurable foot fetish. You'll recognize some supporting cast members from some of Sandler's previous flicks ("Wedding Singer, "Big Daddy", etc). Tho on the short side of today's movie standards (approx 90 minutes), this film is enjoyable on all levels. Sandler is more of the naive bumbling comedian here (remniscent of his role in "Wedding Singer"), rather than relying on gross humor geered toward the older adolescent male movie watchers. Included on this DVD are the standard feature length commentaries, outtakes & deleted scenes, and miscellanious featurettes. For those Sandler fans, I put this one behind the classics "The Wedding Singer" and "Happy Gilmore"... but well above "The Waterboy", "Big Daddy" and "Little Nicky".
Comedy With CharacterI loved this movie! It is the perfect balance between comedy, romance and personal character. Adam Sandler plays a simple man who is caring, compassionate, honest & generous. Adam's character "Deeds" make other people feel comfortable around him, and he won't let others disrespect him or anyone else. He gives away 40 billion dollars, because it comes between him and finding love. Then live rewards him with both love and money. It is a true feel good, happily ever after movie. A must see!
Mr. Deeds
Released in VHS Tape by Columbia Tristar Hom (27 May, 2003)
Starring: Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder
Following the flop of Little Nicky, Adam Sandler returned to safe territory in Mr. Deeds... and made Nicky look inspired by comparison. A loose remake of Frank Capra's 1936 classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, this dumbed-down version finds Sandler in the Gary Cooper role, inheriting a vast fortune and a corporate empire, foiling a greedy executive (Peter Gallagher), and winning the heart of an undercover reporter (Winona Ryder) who's been mocking his small-town naiveté in print while falling for his goodhearted sincerity. It's fun enough to satisfy Sandler's loyal fans--and John Turturro's a hoot as Deeds's foot-fetishist butler--but the subtleties of Capra are lost on Sandler, director Steven Brill, and writer Tim Herlihy. While Gary Cooper portrayed a rube who was savvy about big-city cynicism, Sandler's an amiable goofball with a heart of gold and an empty skull. You can admire him, and parts of the movie (including Steve Buscemi's unbilled cameo), but you have to work harder to get there. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
An adventure in mediocrityBetter than Little Nicky, far from Happy Gilmore, and on about the same level as The Waterboy, Mr. Deeds is decent, but not all that great. Adam Sandler plays Longfellow Deeds, a good man with a somewhat short temper, but ultimately mild mannered. When it is determined that he is the son of a recently deceased billionaire, he inherits the entire estate. The premise sounds good, and apparently it did before as it is based on the movie, "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town." That however doesn't help this movie. What does push it forward is some good acting, inventive characters, and a decent plot. Sandler has the ability to get more cameos into a movie than I thought physically possible. Al Sharpton, John MacEnroe (forgive the spelling), Rob Schneider, Kathy Bates, and others all wind up in this film and do an excellent job in supporting Sandler. Detracting seriously from the film though is Winnona Ryder. Why on Earth she is still an actress boggles my mind. She plays her part horribly and just sounds so atrocious. Her, and the dips in comedic action pull this film down 2 stars. Overall though it could be worse, given everything it's not that bad. It's an enjoyable film that can be viewed a few times without the effect wearing off.
Good rebound for Sandler after the "Nicky" bombI'm not going to compare this movie (tho loosely based) to the 1936 classic with Gary Cooper, "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town". Sure, the basic storyline is the same, but that's it. Cooper & Sander are totally different actors in totally different times. Cooper was a classic actor with a flair for some comedy, where Sandler is a comedian with a flair for some acting. "Deeds" did fairly well at the box office in 2002. Sandler proved there was life after his previous bomb, "Little Nicky". A great cast with Winona Ryder, Steve Buscemi, and John Turturro - stealing the show with his "sneaky" one liners and his incurable foot fetish. You'll recognize some supporting cast members from some of Sandler's previous flicks ("Wedding Singer, "Big Daddy", etc). Tho on the short side of today's movie standards (approx 90 minutes), this film is enjoyable on all levels. Sandler is more of the naive bumbling comedian here (remniscent of his role in "Wedding Singer"), rather than relying on gross humor geered toward the older adolescent male movie watchers. Included on this DVD are the standard feature length commentaries, outtakes & deleted scenes, and miscellanious featurettes. For those Sandler fans, I put this one behind the classics "The Wedding Singer" and "Happy Gilmore"... but well above "The Waterboy", "Big Daddy" and "Little Nicky".
Comedy With CharacterI loved this movie! It is the perfect balance between comedy, romance and personal character. Adam Sandler plays a simple man who is caring, compassionate, honest & generous. Adam's character "Deeds" make other people feel comfortable around him, and he won't let others disrespect him or anyone else. He gives away 40 billion dollars, because it comes between him and finding love. Then live rewards him with both love and money. It is a true feel good, happily ever after movie. A must see!
Unless you know someone actually in the movie, I can't possibly reccommend buying a copy. However, you could catch it on cable without feeling like you've been cheated.