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clynn05
Reviews
The House of the Spirits (1993)
a waste of time
This was a silly movie - the mother had to be at least 10 years younger than the father, and yet they had her age so much quicker and die first ??
The main character was a horrible man - and yet the mother says to the daughter, about the father, 'it isn't malice'... What !? He is nothing but malicious. The character was never shown to do one good thing.
There is no romanticism here... masochism maybe... He was a horrible man and I could see no reason why Clara would have loved him.
There was no point to this movie, unless it is to encourage women to punish themselves by loving evil men.
Watching this was a big waste of my time.
Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
Stupid movie
I should have trusted my original instincts.
Half-way into this movie and I fail to see what all the raving was about. So far it is really stupid. Hard to follow from the get-go. But why any woman would fall in love with a man who wielded a sword and gave obvious glee to doing so.... ? makes no sense to me and why Gabriel and Bathsheba acted as if they didn't know one another when she hired him onto her farm as a shepherd ? makes no sense
Stupid too - he(Frank) refuses to marry the girl he slept with(Fanny) and loves, just because she made a mistake and went to the wrong church?
It also makes no sense that this lone soldier is out here in farm land... what is he guarding anyway?
Wanton little girl, frivolously, and foolishly, playing with men's hearts.
Nothing about Fanny after the wedding debacle... nothing about her leaving the farm... no explanation... just a sudden reappearance later on, and only to die ?
Bathsheba - she arrives on the scene and shows that she's no fool when it comes to farming - yet when the storm comes up she does nothing ? The story just doesn't fit.
He(Frank) threw over one woman and married another all before even 9 months had passed ? and within a few months, perhaps even as little as weeks, he cared nothing for Bathsheba? Why in the world would he have married her? None of the story makes any sense.
and how did he(Frank) suddenly stop being a soldier? and he wasn't ever much of a husband, so no real great loss either, is there?
There was nothing to tie this movie together or to provoke any sort of introspective thinking. Really quite boring and pointless. There is no way I will torture myself into watching the newest remake. Why anyone feels the need to remake this movie is beyond me.
A Mother's Son (2012)
heartwrenching and well played
Would have changed one thing... at the end... Mom says; "I think you did a bad thing and you know you must be punished." Would have been more appropriate to say, 'and you know you need to take responsibility'. Also included I think should have been, 'you can't be a bad person, or you wouldn't be feeling sorry... that says you did a bad thing, but you are not inherently bad.' Heartwrenching show. Well played. Hard to know how it would play in real life. Really, really, hard, and heartwrenching. Acting was all very good. The way the story developed was very realistic and provided just enough suspense and doubt. I can imagine every parent would dread such a thing ever happening to them, and pray that it never does.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
What a waste... trash
20 minutes into this and I am ready to turn it off. I am so glad I did not pay to see this in the theater. The rap music played throughout, totally does not fit. When I began to watch, and saw who was playing Nick Carraway, I immediately had high hopes, but this movie is a waste of time... trash.
The original with Robert Redford was a classic, with classy characters portrayed by actors with a touch of class. They have ruined a classic by making these characters ordinary and crude. I'll admit I didn't like Daisy any more in the original than I do in this version but at least the original demonstrated some class. This one is all raunch. I loved the characters in the original... with the exception of Tom who I passionately disliked... but he was supposed to be an unlikeable character. None of the characters in this version are likable in any way.
It is hard to watch and I don't know if I'll see it through to the end. That will depend on whether or not Leonardo DiCaprio can bring anything to it.
One hour in and I couldn't watch any more. Watch the original if you appreciate good film making.
The Lady Vanishes (2013)
see the original
Falls far short of the original. This was such a disappointment to watch after I had really looked forward to it. The previews made it look worth watching but I really felt it was a waste of my time. I didn't like the characters. I didn't like the way the relationship was developed or portrayed between Iris and... I didn't even catch his name... that's how poorly it was done... Just didn't like much about the show at all. About the only character I did like was Miss Froy. The plot was over-dramatized and difficult to follow. And I don't know why this review has to be 10 lines long. It is really irritating. There just isn't that much to say, and who is going to want to read a long review anyway. I try not to say so much as to give away the story, the plot, or the ending. That would only ruin it for others who wanted to watch.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
a different view
I have a different take on the story The Age of Innocence (having watched the movie, and not read the book) The movie was masterfully made.
My view is one of a typical 'the grass is greener on the other side' story. A story of obsession... being obsessed with a thing you can not have to the point of missing the life you do have. Focusing on the fruit of the forbidden will rob a person if they allow it to. It's a story as old as time... the story of Adam and Eve... of being so far sighted in looking outside that you miss the blessing of what's right in front of you and chase after an idea, a dream, an idealization. It is Satan's lie, as old as time itself.
I know that this does not fit with the typical interpretation of an Edith Wharton novel, but it is the view that I take on the story. Perhaps Edith Wharton was writing about the thing she herself realized she missed by flouting the rules.
When he walks away at the end I take it as his final realization that the life he chose was the one with which he was blessed.