jimbell's film blog - Archive

Minority Report

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Minority Report (2002)

The people I was watching Minority Report with, did not really like it. One walked out, another said “Gross” a few times and went and had a bath, and as soon as the crime was solved, the third headed to bed, with 5 minutes to go. So Steven Spielberg’s movie starring Tom Cruise was not a hit with us. No one mentioned why, but I can guess. As a futuristic crime/suspense set in 2054, Washington, D.C., the emphasis is very much on cold gray interiors and futuristic gadgets such as eye-scanners for identification and “spiders” that can invade buildings and find people. The coldness is not relieved by any warm human relationships, even though there is plenty of opportunity. Tom is distraught because his son was abducted and murdered six years earlier, and that is why Tom got involved in the experiment to stop murders by using three “pre-cogs” or people who can see the future, to stop murders before they are committed. Tom’s estranged wife—no chemistry. Tom’s cagey old boss—no chemistry. The cop team—no chemistry. The main “pre-cog”—very emotional, but sometimes I could not figure out why. To top this off, the movie really does not force you to think about the interesting moral question it poses—if you stop someone from committing the crime, why are they guilty? And, how do you know the system is perfect, or, how close to perfect is close enough? Unfortunately, the movie is well over two hours.

Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 10:05 PM by JimBell | with 0 comments

Chicago

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Chicago (2002)

After several people who seemed unlikely to like Chicago said what a great movie it was, I had to watch it. It was every bit as bad as I thought it might be. Although I don’t like singing/dancing musical films to begin with, this one had the cute thesis that killing your husband is fine and getting away with the murder depends largely on your developing the wonderful skill of conning everyone. You can in fact use your status as a murderer to enhance your career.

Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 10:02 PM by JimBell | with 0 comments

Absolute Power

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Absolute Power (1997)

Absolute Power by Clint Eastwood just does not work very well. The pacing is needlessly slow in the first part, and the father-daughter relationship, although plausible, is not believable enough to hold up the huge weight the film gives it. Give this a miss.

Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 9:59 PM by JimBell | with 0 comments

Billy Bathgate

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Billy Bathgate (1991)

Billy Bathgate (1991) is not just another gangster movie. The plot is refreshingly unpredictable. When young Billy from the Bronx joins Dutch Schultz’s gang and becomes Dutch’s protégé, you expect him to work his way up through the crime organization, but he becomes essentially a baby-sitter for Dutch’s moll. While you expect him to use his position to ruthlessly carve out a niche for himself, his fundamental decency comes through, as for example when he keeps his promise to the moll’s former boyfriend (killed by Dutch) to protect her. I assume much of this subtlety comes from the famous writers involved—E.L. Doctorow wrote the novel, and Tom Stoppard adopted it to the screen. As well, director Robert Benton is especially good at revealing subtle human interaction (for example, his Nobody’s Fool). All of this is brought to life by wonderful acting by Nicole Kidman as the high society moll, Loren Dean as the wide-eyed but smart Billy, and a host of minor characters who are just perfect (for example, Bruce Willis as the moll’s boyfriend who is given a cement foot bath). Throughout, the cinematography is superb. This was the last film for Nestor Almendros who had a distinguished career in France and, after 1978, in Hollywood (including Kramer vs. Kramer, The Blue Lagoon, Sophie’s Choice, and Days of Heaven for which he won an Oscar).

Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 12:29 PM by JimBell | with 0 comments

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Minority Report

Chicago

Absolute Power

Billy Bathgate

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