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Reviews
Interstellar (2014)
More drama than sci-fi, should have been better.
Christopher Nolan has made some great films, but alas, this isn't one of them. It's not a bad film, but as sci-fi, it misses the target. A film about alien life forms is credible, because it's possible, but a film that mumbles abstract nonsense about a relationship between quantum data, time and five dimensions, that puts a primary character behind a bookcase to observe what's going on in front of the bookcase while unable to communicate through the books had me shaking my head. And then, in what seemed like an eternity later, in a silly and inconvenient way he does communicate. Also, I'm still wondering about the significance of the drone chase sequence. Particularly distracting was when HE rose from the pod. Maybe if I'd known he was in the movie would have prepared me for it, but it came across as an unintended joke. And the constant crying by every one of the characters was just too much. Reportedly costing $165 million to make, the money sure doesn't show up on the screen. For all the questionable raves about the effects, among other things, I wasn't wowed by them at all. A dark color palette full of dull grays was far from inspiring, as good science fiction should be and it came across on the screen as being low budget to me. Visually, it was no Oblivion. The relationships and drama between the characters is the main focus of the film with space and time travel serving only as a device to advance and put some quirkiness into that plot line. As I said, it's not a bad film. Without the lofty expectations of seeing top notch sci-fi from a great film maker, it still had some good dramatic and emotional moments that held my attention, largely because the actors threw their all into it and because Hans Zimmer's great score made some overly long sequences seem way more exciting that they were. Here's hoping Mr. Nolan gets back on track next time out.
A Change of Seasons (1980)
A touching and poignant comedic farce
This film was well written by Erich Segal of Love Story fame and by the producer, Martin Ransohoff. It is a comedic farce, but it is also touching and poignant and the characters are all quite likable and well developed. One reviewer didn't see the point to it all, but the point was that life does not end with marriage and middle age. We all have our temptations and we do the best we can with the complexities that confront us. No character in this film meant harm to any other and the result of each person's actions were not to be tidied up with easy answers. The consequences of the decisions made by the husband, the wife, the husbands girlfriend, the wife's boyfriend, and the girlfriend's father were left for us to ponder. Only the daughter, with the idealism of youth, could blissfully move on without considering what bends in the road she might face in her future. Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLane and the other cast members do a fine job with the material. I liked it very much and strongly recommend it.
Blue (1968)
Blue is worth seeing
Although it has been castigated by the critics, this movie still has a lot going for it and is definitely worth seeing. Given a big budget for its time, it has outstanding photography, beautiful scenic vistas, a very good music score and great stunt work by the legendary Yakima Cannutt. It also has Terence Stamp, who is always worth watching, no matter what he does (if we skip Priscilla, Queen of the Desert). Yes, it is not hard to tell that he is an Englishman playing an American raised by Mexicans, but his lines are few and far between, and who cares anyway? If we can have Englishmen and Australians playing Roman gladiators without critical comment, let's give this one a break. I admit that, although the plot line intended to contrast a violent past with the power of love, a complete lack of tenderness in the love scenes was laughable. But overall, this movie beats most of John Wayne's westerns by a mile.