Review of Shadowlands (1993) by Jennifer P — 09 Jul 2004

I've been very busy lately, so this is my first entry in over week. I'd apologize to my loyal readers, but I'm pretty sure they don't exist. I don't like to use the internet or RT as a soap box for my whining, but I'm going to anyway. I've been dealing with wheezy cocker spaniels, angry cats, car trouble, job searching, and shuttling friends and relations around. But that's enough negativity for now, so I'm going to try to make this something worth reading.

I finally paid off my Hollywood late fees, which weren't quite as outstanding as I thought they were, but still took a dent out of my cash. I mostly rent at the VideoStop now, because they have a fine selection and drastically lower prices. I picked up a used LOTR:ROTK for 10 bucks, so it's also a great place to expand my movie collection. I've got House of Sand and Fog, Chocolat, Dirty Pretty Things, and Elephant out right now, so the next few days will be hardcore movie watching, assuming you define hardcore as sitting on a couch, which I do.

I'm going to rate a few movies, so that this entry isn't a complete waste.

[u]Shadowlands[/u].

I loved this movie. This is the best I've ever seen Hopkins or Winger. The writing is slow, but very good. This is one of the most moving love stories I've ever seen on film. The score is excellent, and everything comes together perfectly.

10/10.

[u]21 Grams[/u].

A very interesting cinematic experiment. I don't feel it works all the time, but when it does, it's amazing. It was certainly an experience trying to piece everything together. Penn, Watts, and Del Toro are all excellent. I'm between giving this an 8 or a 9, but I'll round up because I'm optimistic.

9/10.

[u]Spider-Man 2[/u].

Great comic book movie. It showcases that you don't need a dark tone to explore the depths of the character. The moments of comedy work, and the action scenes are awesome. Maguire is excellent, Dunst is good, and Franco, Simmons, and Molina give excellent supporting performances.

9/10.

[u]Fahrenheit 9/11[/u].

Before I should say anything about Moore's latest, I should talk about my politics. It's only fair when talking about a political piece to talk about what I bring to the table. I'm a liberal democrat. I worked on the Dean campaign in Iowa last winter. I don't agree with, nor will I vote for, President Bush. Now that that's out the way, I really liked Fahrenheit 9/11. I felt it made it's point very well. Some of the threads didn't gel with the rest of the movie, and some don't really go anywhere, but most do, and add to the whole picture Moore is trying to present.

9/10.

[u]Equilibrium[/u].

A fine action movie with an Orwellian bent. Bale makes a good lead, and I'm confident he'll be an excellent Batman. The action scenes are fun to watch, if a little hokey at times. The film could do better in creating it's villains. It could have been an interesting take on freedom vs. safety, but the villains are so one-dimensionally evil that everything is one-sided.

7/10.

My indie theater is currently showing Broken Wings, which I might see (I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts), and the week after next will be showing Supersize Me, which I'll definetely see. Tune in later for a blurb about Anchorman.