Review of Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) by Megan O — 19 May 2005

[color=red][b]Dogville[/b] [/color](2004).

Director: Lars von Trier.

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Patricia Clarkson, Lauren Bacall.

4 stars out of 4.

Breathtaking. Beautiful job by avant-garde auteur Lars Von Trier. Wonderful acting by all, and wonderful story that will compel to the end - quite an achievement for a film that is three hours long. I cannot wait for the next installment in the trilogy. People who are still deluded enough to think that America is the "land of the free, home of the brave" would do well to view these bold films.

[b][color=red]Candyman- Farewell to the Flesh[/color][/b] (1995).

Director: Bill Condon.

Starring: Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, William O'Leary, Bill Nunn.

2 stars out of 4.

Although I must admit that over my long hiatus, I have forgotten virtually everything about this film, I do remember that it was quite boring, and lacking in the originality and charm of the first one.

[b][color=red]Crash[/color][/b] (2005).

Director: Paul Haggis.

Starring: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton.

2 stars out of 4.

Ridiculous. I expected a smart drama that paralleled racism with people's communicational boundaries as illustrated by automobiles. I thought that this would be a well-acted, well-written exploration of a promoted notion of self-importance within our culture, and how this notion affects our interactions with others. Well, at least I got the "well-acted" part right.

The screenplay was ludicrous. It painted each character as such an over-the-top racist that they seemed incapable of thinking or speaking about anything else. It felt as though Paul Haggis wrote an essay on racism in an 11th grade english class, and decided to turn it into a screenplay, with each character only serving as a mouthpiece for a series of contrived points that he needed to cover before the end. Painful to listen to, and painful to watch, as it went back and forth between Hollywood melodrama and irritating dialogue.

[b][color=red]House of Wax[/color][/b] (2005).

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra.

Starring: Chad Michael Murray, Elisha Cuthbert, Jared Padalecki, Paris Hilton.

1.5 stars out of 4.

Just as ridiculous as [i]Crash[/i].