shelkara

Rozema's 1999 adaptation of Mansfield Park is far superior to this ostensibly slightly more faithful film. The 1999 film is reviled by many Austen purists, but I admire the job Rozema did in making Mansfield Park her own. It may not be strictly Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, but at least it was well-written, beautifully shot, and well-acted by a superior cast. I don't see how Austen purists can be any happier with this 2007 version from ITV (and rebroadcast on Masterpiece Theatre/PBS). The screenplay is shoddily pasted together and dumbed down to boot, the production values are lackluster, and the cast (apart from Jemma Redgrave and Blake Ritson) are largely guilty of bad acting. I can't think of a worst miscast than Billie Piper as Fanny Price. Her look was all wrong (bleached hair and dark brows??) and her talent simply wasn't suited to the material. Sir Thomas looked constipated the whole time. Michelle Ryan as Mariah was on autopilot, as were the actors who portrayed the Crawfords (when I think how superior Alessandro Nivola and Embeth Davidtz were in the '99 version, I just kinda shake my head).

I haven't seen the 1983 version, so I can't comment on it, but I'd advise anyone who's curious to give the '99 version a chance. Read the novel before or after and make up your own mind.

I'd say that this, along with Ed Wood, is among Tim Burton's two best films. Okay, along with Batman, among his THREE best films. It can be difficult to winnow down the best of Burton.

Johnny Depp is fantastic as Ichabod Crane. He somehow manages to make Ichabod a seamless combination of solemn, mysterious, priggish, brave, fussy, humorous, and gentlemanly. I can't remember if Depp was nominated for any awards, but he definitely should've won a few.

The rest of the cast, including Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, and Michael Gough, among others, is also first rate, with the possible exception of Christina Ricci. She certainly had the right look for the part of Katrina, the ethereally beautiful daughter of the most prominent family in Sleepy Hollow who intrigues Ichabod from first glance, but I found her acting to be a bit wooden. Ultimately that's of little consequence, though. This film had so much more going for it. Another beautiful score by Danny Elfman, a well-paced script, fantastically cartoonish special effects, Halloweenish atmosphere to spare, and a great uncredited psycho turn by Christopher Walken.

I enjoy watching this one over and over again, especially 'round All Hallows Eve time.

Though no one would accuse this movie of being intellectually challenging, it is fun to watch and has some really funny scenes. The little girl who plays Mary was a great child actress -- I found her to be both adorable and convincing. The interactions between Sylvia, the three men, and the pompous English director she dates are amusing, if rather sitcom-ish.

The English stereotypes are nothing new, and I used to live in England, but I was still amused. Probably because they were done in such a goofy, light-hearted spirit. Fiona Shaw is hysterical, too, as the headmistress of a girl's school who develops an excruciating crush on Tom Selleck's character.

Definitely worth watching, and safe for little kids.

After a long hideous week at the office, I went to my friend's house for dinner on a Friday night, looking forward to a relaxing night of good friends and good food. She told me she'd rented a couple movies. I'd seen the other one, so we decided to watch Flannel Pajamas. Two hours later, we had to deal with the sad fact that we'd just wasted those 2 precious hours of our lives. This film is badly acted, even more badly written, and badly directed. The movie opens awkwardly--Stuart and Nicole are set up on a double date and fall in love "instantly." Stuart's dialog in this scene is incredibly corny and unrealistic. I turned to my friend and said, "If a guy said this stuff to me on our first date, I'd start looking around for the candid camera." But Nicole seems to lap it up. Later on, as their relationship is just starting to form, she accepts $15,000 from him to pay off her student loans after he offered it in the smarmiest and most condescending way possible. It was just utterly unbelievable, and the acting and writing of the romantic/sex scenes is so awkward that it makes for truly bizarre viewing experience.

The sex scenes are almost comical in their gratuitous explicitness (is that a word? you know what I mean.) It was definitely nudity for nudity's sake, and the two leads have no chemistry, so the scenes were completely, completely unerotic. After a while, it got to be so much that my friends and I started playing a drinking game -- a shot of tequila for every body part. The sex scenes abruptly stop when they get married (you know, because when you get married, you just stop having sex and life turns into an episode of thirty-something), which was lucky for us, or else I might have been very hung over this morning.

Horrible movie. I felt sorry for all involved. And yet, they have only themselves to blame. If you're looking for a romantic comedy to cozy up to on a quiet night, almost anything else would be better than this, I'm sorry to say.