Review of Nell (2003) by Jennifer A — 24 Mar 2006

[size=2]I'm beginning the rather lengthy task of entering into the database every film I have seen, at least those I have a decent memory of. Some may have the briefest of reviews while many will just have a number. Those films that I consider personal favorites and/or those that have some historical signficance I will add later when I have time for more lengthy reviews.

[b]Mississippi Masala[/b], directed Mira Nair, is an above average interracial romantic drama set in Mississippi. Jay (Roshan Seth) is an Indian immigrant who flees Uganda with his family due to an oppressive regime. He runs a motel in Mississippi and is resentful towards blacks which becomes further complicated when daughter Mina (Sarita Choudhury) becomes romantically involved with African American Demetrius (Denzell Washington). This film does a pretty good job at examing issues of race, class and ethnicity. Fine performances all around.

[b]A Few Good Men[/b], directed by Rob Reiner, is a star-studded military courtroom drama starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Demo Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, and Kiefer Sutherland. The film is overblown, and the acting over-the-top. Although a box office success, I wasn't overly impressed by this film. Definitely not one of my favorite films involving Rob Reiner or Jack Nicholson.

[b]Nell[/b], directed by Michael Apted, stars Jodie Foster as Nell, a 30 year old woman who has spent almost her entire life living in the wilds after her mother and sister pass away. She speaks an incomprehensible language, and has had no human contact until a Dr. Lovell (Liam Neeson) discovers her. Lovell and psychiatrist Paula Olsen (Natasha Richardson) then try to determine, through the courts, what type of treatment Nell should recieve. Jodie Foster is astounding as Nell, but the film ultimately suffers from convention. Worth seeing for her performance however.

[b]Pacific Heights[/b], directed by John Schlesinger, is a psychological drama about a young couple (played by Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith) who buy an old Victorian house in San Francisco. They lie about their income, but plan to renovate and rent the place out. One of their tenants (Carter played by Micheal Keaton) turns out to be a psychotic schemer who fails to pay rent and hopes to drive the couple into foreclosure. The Keaton character is rather intriguing at first, but becomes over-the-top as the film progresses. Schlesinger also fails to fully develop the couple's characters as they seem mere fodder for Keaton's evil games. This could have been a strong film, and it's still somewaht fascinating, but it has too many holes to be more than that.

[b]Speed[/b], directed by Jan de Bont, is a non-stop action romp about a runaway bus. Keanu Reeves stars as an LA bomb squad specialist trying to stop antagonist Dennis Hopper who has wired with explosives a city bus. Sandra Bullock gets pressed into duty as the driver of the runaway bus. As with most action films, the plot is rather absurd, but unlike most action films, this one is non-stop fun. Bullock breathes fresh air into the genre as the mouthy, sassy Annie, and the action sequences rank among the most exciting this genre has ever produced. It's undeniably a wild ride.

[/size].