4.5 Razors

Dune – Extended Edition

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Dune
  • IMDb: link

David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation of the bible of all sci-fi epics, Frank Herbert’s Dune, has met much criticism over the years for being incomprehensible, indulgent, untrue to the book, and just plain terrible. Love it or hate it, Dune is back in print on a DVD that features its original 2 hour and 15 minute theatrical version as well as the nearly 3 hour TV cut (in Widescreen) that has actually been known to cause some faithful sci-fi fans to Gom Jabbar their own eyes out. If you don’t know what Gom Jabbar means, don’t fret; you’ll still be able to follow my review better than your first three viewings of Dune itself.

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RENT to Own

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: RENT
  • IMDb: link

rent-poster

RENT explores the issues and of friendship, death, drugs, and AIDS during one year.  Terrific casting, most of the broadway leads hired for the film, and a terrific score only underpin the import of the story.  The music unveils the plot rather than just put on a show.

The movie examines the life of seven Bohemians living in the east village of New York from 1989 through 1990.  The movie begins with the mugging of Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin) who is mugged on the night he has returned to New York just outside his friend’s apartment.  He is assisted by Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia) a crossdresser who helps him up to Mark and Roger’s apartment.

Mark (Anthony Rapp) is a struggling documentary filmmaker who’s girlfriend Maureen (Idina Menzel), a popular artist with the Bohemian crowd, has left for an attorney named Joanne (Tracie Thoms).  Roger (Adam Pascal) is a musician struggling to write one last song worthy to leave behind.  Mimi (Rosario Dawson) is a dancer at the nearby strip club who lives downstairs and burns a candle for Roger.  The eighth figure is Benny (Taye Diggs) a friend who owns the building and used to live with them but has gone corporate and wants to evict everyone and rebuild the neighborhood.

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We Are All Fools in Love

/ / Movie Reviews, Theme Week
  • Title: Pride & Prejudice
  • IMDb: link

Let me start out by saying I’m not a big Jane Austen fan and just the thought of reading a novel of hers makes me drowsy.  Joe Wright‘s new version of Pride & Prejudice is anything but dreary.  With a wonderful eye, energetic performances, and a droll since of humor and wit this piece of Austen’s work comes alive on screen and not only is fresh, inviting, and enjoyable it just happens to be one of the best movies of the year.

In England during the Georgian era Austen’s tale follows the lives of the Bennet women especially the headstrong Elizabeth (Keira Knightley).  The Bennet clan is headed by Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland) and lorded over by his wife (Brenda Blethyn) who spends all her time trying to wed off her five daughters and improve the family’s fortunes.  Into the picture arrives Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) a wealthy suitor who takes a fancy in the eldest Bennet daughter Jane (Rosamund Pike) and his rather drab companion Mr. Darcy (Matthew McFadyen) who raises the ire of Elizabeth.  What follows is the tale of love found and lost and the consequences of choices made.

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The Ninth Gate

/ / Home Video
  • Title: The Ninth Gate
  • IMDb: link

The Ninth Gate

Roman Polanski at his best gave us Chinatown and at his worst gave us Pirates.  The Ninth Gate is a great suspenseful mystery as Johnny Depp is thrust into the world of the occult and dark knowledge.  One of Polanski’s, and Depp’s, best films.

The film opens with an older gentleman, Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), just finishing his affairs one evening.  He then gets up from his desk and very matter of fact manner hangs himself from the chandelier of his study.  The camera pans to the books of his study for in this film knowledge can bring both power and death.

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Everything is Illuminated

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Everything is Illuminated
  • IMDB: link

everything-is-illuminated-posterStrange.  Quirky.  Moving.  Poignant.  Wonderful.  There are so many words to describe Everything is Illuminated that I find it hard to choose them.  It is simply one of the best movies of the year.

Jonathan Safran Foer (Elijah Wood) collects everything dealing with his family.  After receiving a photograph from his grandmother, he decides to travel to the Ukraine to meet Augustine, the woman in the photograph with his grandfather, who he believes saved his life during WWII.  He procures the services of Alex (Eugene Hutz) and his grandfather (Boris Leskin) who is a driver who sometimes believes he is blind and will not go anywhere without his seeing-eye-bitch Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. The trio and dog travel to try and find the small town and the woman in the picture amid the emptiness of the Ukrainian countryside.

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