izauze

IMDb member since November 1999
    Lifetime Total
    1+
    IMDb Member
    24 years

Reviews

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
(2001)

Forget the rich and famous - wake up and smell the coffee.
It's really just astounding to me that this film has this low of a rating. This is probably the most profound one man show I have ever seen committed to film. Its profundity is even increased by the fact that Bogosian admits that he doesn't have the answers - he is just honestly exposing his own confusion and dismay with the modern world, and juxtaposing it to the confusion and dismay that we ALL feel. There is a fault in the film, but it is not in Eric's astounding performance - it is the utterly horrible direction. Watching the way this thing is shot is like watching someone trying to perform a great song by literally acting out its lyrics. Instead of relaxing and watching this live performance in front of an audience, the camera constantly asserts its existence, reminding viewers of how annoying poor attempts at clever editing can be during what is essentially a stand-up act. Future one man show directors can look to John Leguizamo's "Freak" and the late Spalding Gray's "Gray's Anatomy" for help in doing it right, and to this film for how to do it wrong. Nevertheless, underneath the occasionally distracting exterior is an unforgettable performance for the ages, one that should launch Bogosian into a world of fame and riches...if only he were a little less reluctant to be a part of that world. If the mishandled exterior keeps him relegated to late nights on IFC and to the life of a struggling artist, both he and the audiences he entertains may be better off.

Comic Book Villains
(2002)

The real villain is whoever made this dreck
For a little bit, I thought this was just a bad movie. After about half an hour though, it really revealed itself as an utterly horrible movie. The most glaring of its many problems was its incredibly weak screenplay, which falls victim to every cliche, pratfall, and cheesy coincidence that you can imagine. To be fair, there was maybe one good performance out of the bunch (of course its hard to act well when the lines you're supposed to say are so God-awful) and the direction is somewhat competent.

But usually, when I see a film that has been written and directed by the same person, I assume it's something that the writer/director really cares about and that it is going to escape the formulaic nonsense. Unfortunately, James Robinson seemed to have no such noble intentions with this film. Imagine someone taking your typical everyday comic book geeks who live at home with their mothers (and are not interesting people in the least) and trying to give them motivation to go on psychotic killing sprees and act like they're all suddenly trapped in a bad TV remake of Pulp Fiction -- And all to uncover the film's great theme of not getting too crazy over comic books. Are you serious?

Please, for the love of God and all that is holy, skip this one and save your money and 90 minutes of your life.

Dancer in the Dark
(2000)

A "Musical" like no other before it...
Gene Kelly's musicals may never have tempted a tear, but this film sure did. This is the most creative and powerful film I've seen this year. I just got back so it will take a while to absorb where it fits in the hierarchy of great movies, but it is one of the few 10's I have ever given on IMDB. I went in knowing nothing other then that Bjork was the lead and that it was a Cannes favorite, I and was rewarded greatly. I am not closed minded, but I thought I would never again find a musical that so wrapped you up in the emotional core of the piece, such as the musicals that I enjoyed in my youth. Its style is experimental enough that I would be surprised if it got a Best Film Oscar nod, but never would I be surprised for any honors bestowed on Bjork, who torturingly WAS Selma for those two painful hours. She is a goddess.

See all reviews