The Long Weekend Reviews
Chasing Amy (1997) 7/10
I’m not much of a fan of director Kevin Smith’s film. Clerks just didn’t impress me. Still, Smith’s refreshing take on the rom-com genre is a sharp and witty. Ben Affleck hasn’t made a good film in a long time, and this is a reminder that once upon a time, when he often paired up with Matt Damon, he was once a promising film star. Now, having his name appear on any film credits is often a touch of death. Excellent dialogue, solid cast and enjoyable film.
Brick (2006) 6/10
Joseph Gordon Levitt is one of the most promising young actors around. With a solid turn in Mysterious Skins and now in Brick, i believe he may well be the Johnny Depp of the next generation, and his willingness to take arthouse projects over mainstream films earns major brownie points in my book. Brick is an ambitious debut film by director Rian Johnson which transplants the film noir genre into a high school setting. Its not as easy as it seems, and while some parts work, the overall effect is uneven. Still, it gets points for style as well as yet another solid lead performance by Joseph Gordon Levitt. It loses points for a sometimes confusing plot, especially early in the film where alot of names are thrown around without proper explaination. Also, unless you are very confortable with American accent and speech, some of the words are spoken too fast, and the audience might not catch some of the subtleties and nuances of the dialogue. This is one film in need of English subtitles since alot of the dialogue can be hard to follow.
The Devil Wears Prada(2006) 6/10
The story and plotline is predictable, and some of the situations exxagerated, but this film still makes for a passable comedy. The main reason to watch it is for Merly Streep who plays the boss from hell with much relish and aplomb. Anne Hathaway puts in a decent performance, although she does get overshadowed by Streep at times. A fine supporting cast rounds out this film, which is watchable but unremarkable.
Amistad(1997) 5/10
There are some fine moments in this film, such as Anthony Hopkin’s extended monologue, as well as excellent flashback sequences, but that is not enough to save this staid and unengaging film. The historical background is interesting enough, but putting much of the meat into courtroom drama makes it seem more detached than usual.
Plus, there are some embarrasingly manipulative moments than weaken rather than enhance the film by their sheer corniness, like the ‘Give me Free’ speech in the courtroom. Spielberg is clearly capable of making brilliant yet serious films, as seen in Munich and Schindler’s List, but this is one of those times that he has dropped the ball. One problem with the film is that most of the black slaves are simply voiceless and characterless, and is represented only by one person, viz Djimon Hounsou. This prevents the audience form connecting with the characters. Also, it was disppointing to see the strongest cast members, namely Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman given so little screen time. What a waste of talent! In addition, at more than 2 hrs 30 mins, the film gets draggy at times and is clearly would benefit from better editing. Ultimately, Amistad is an ambitious film that doesn’t quite reach its lofty goals. This is one of the weaker Spielberg films.
Anger Management(2003) 4/10
Good for a few laughs, but once the novelty of the plot wears off, it begins to feel tiresome. Its nice to see Jack Nicholson overact a tad, but again, there is only so much of seeing Nicholson acting looney that you can take. As for Adam Sandler, he basically reprises the role of the loser character that he takes on in every other movie. If you’ve seen one Adam Sandler role, you’ve seen it all. Other than that, the fragmented plot starts to take a clear nosedive towards the end with a lame ending.
