Review of Defending Your Life (1991) by Russell C — 25 Jan 2006

[i]Red Eye[/i] was certainly one of the best popcorn flicks of 2005. Everything here was handled with absolute precision, all to the credit of Wes Craven. clocking in at ~75 minutes, not a frame is wasted in this little gem of a movie. I really liked the acting, the story, and the suspense that was constantly (and masterfully) being ratcheted up. A perfect departure for Craven, and yet another performance by Rachel McAdams that stands out.

While enjoyable, [i]Defending Your Life[/i] felt like a series of wasted opportunities. A wonderful concept, where you are put on unofficial "trial" for your life in a limbo place between Heaven and Earth, was never fully realized. There is so much room here to put in some interesting and poignant drama, but Albert Brooks seems to opt more often for a cheap laugh, or a misguided joke (Although I loved his joke about people who drive Jeeps). There are some definite moments of good comedy, and some interesting analysis of his life, but this movie seems to be lacking in something. Maybe it's heart.

[i]Grizzly Man[/i], a portrait of a troubled, obsessed bear lover who was eventually killed by the animals he was trying to protect, is a wonderful analysis of how one life can come from and go to strange directions. The truly remarkable thing is that for the last 5 years he was involved with the bears, he recorded himself with a video camera, and we are allowed inside his mind and soul as he spends months in complete solitude in the wilderness. I really enjoyed the insightful narration of director Warner Herzog, and his analysis of this man's life is as compelling as it is tragic.

While a movie won't win a place in my heart on originality alone, [i]3-Iron[/i] definitely gets close. And while at no point was I blown away, I was constantly being surprised, and that's saying something, considering the two main characers never speak. A bit too strange to be fully enjoyable for me, this movie nonetheless moves along nicely and somehow makes the main characters warm and charming without using any dialogue at all. This one might require a second viewing.