Bizwarcho movie reviews by Vinylvixen. Other movies and reviews are available on the main site. http://www.bizwarcho.com/movies en-ca Fri, 26 May 2006 13:59:00 EST Gnabgib's D2S Engine http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.bizwarcho.com/movies/index.php?todo=viewmovie&id=124#vinylvixen Title: Closer<br /> Rating: 41% (fx: 0%, plot:20%, ent:12%, rage:0%)<br /> Recommended viewing: Rent (if alternative is cleaning)<br /><br /> Review:<br /> I wholeheartedly agree with Jack Matthew's review of this film: not even the phenomenal performances of the actors could save it. The dialogue was choppy at best, full of (supposedly) dramatic pauses and sideways glances that only serve to alienate the audience from not one but all of the main characters. <p> Matthews hits the nail on the head with his remark "what's really missing in these characters and relationships are the psychological foundations that might make us care - or, at least, understand - their destructive behavior." That's precisely it - <i> we don't care </i>. There is a breathtakingly large gap in the information the audience is given about the characters...preventing any sort of empathy we might potentially feel for any of them. <p> And what's with the use of the word "whore"? Why does Larry spend the entire movie screaming that word at anyone with breasts and within shouting distance? WE GET THE BLOODY POINT: YOU'RE HURTING BECAUSE YOUR WIFE LEFT YOU. GET OVER IT ALREADY. He looks greasy, glassy-eyed and just plain creepy throughout the film, even uttering "Because i'm a cave-man!" at one point. A fitting remark since the film drags up gender stereotypes from the stone-age. <p> Anna and Alice are treated and traded like posessions by the men in their lives, both of whom are incapable of love or happiness...let alone a functional relationship. For these men, love = ownership. Hey guys, why don't you just mark your territory by pissing on things? As they spend the entire film thinking with their penis', that seems to be about the right level of intellect for them. <p> Alright, last point. Hasn't this filmmaker ever heard of continuity? If you're going to skip over (extended) periods of time...at least make visual changes so we can follow along. When every one/place/thing looks exactly the same...it's bloody annoying to find out that we've now missed years (literally!) of people's lives in the blink of an eye. Verbal cues don't cut it, it's a cop out and just plain rude. Tue, 14 Dec 2004 12:45:25 EST