Mas allá del destino

I didn't actually have high hopes for this film because I had read some critics reviews when it first came out. I have not read the novel either. I thought the film was very well done and was moved by it. I agree that many of the supporting characters are underdeveloped but I could overlook that because I knew what was motivating the main characters. The two lead actresses are brilliant, especially Jessica Lange, who deserved an Oscar nomination for this. I loved the way her character slowly changed through the movie and Lange can evoke so much emotion in the viewer with something as small as a hand gesture. Pfieffer is strong as well although the story mainly revolves around Ginny and I don't really see why Pfieffer gets first billing here. I strongly recommend the film, espeically on dvd.

This movie was absolutely wonderful. To tell you the truth, I wasn't very excited about having to watch this movie; I didn't see it as being my type, but that just proves that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Jessica Lange and Michelle Pheiffer brought the plot to life with their incredible acting abilities. I'm glad Jennifer Jason Leigh didn't have a big part though, as I am not too fond of her. There is a surprise about the father in the movie too, if you have not yet seen it. It is a wonderful film, and I recommend seeing it.

A Jane Smiley novel, loosely based on Shakespeare's KING LEAR about the Cook family and its dark secrets. Director Moorhouse seems tamed in her approach, allowing the characters to step forward and take a bow. And how could you go wrong with the talents of Pfeiffer, Lange, Leigh, Firth, Carradine and Robards?

I was really looking forward for this picture since i heard that Michelle Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange would star together. But when i eventually went to see it i must say i was a bit disappointed. I don't say that the movie was bad ,but the fact that i expected much more from it , make me regard it an average movie. The direction was very poor and the editing unacceptable. The adaption seemed to lack in many ways and Jennifer Jason Leigh was unbearable. But seeing Pfeiffer ang Lange together on screen made me forget everything. These two great actresses proved for once more their talent. When you see them together on screen you forget all the disadvantages the movie has and there's nowhere else you want to be. They both deserved Oscar nominations and Lange probably the award too. Jason Robards though not as good as in some of his previous roles was great too.

Having seen A 1,000 ACRES in a theater many years ago, for some reason, I blocked it out and had little recollection of it. Funny how we humans often block things out!

In fact, I wouldd like to categorize ACRES a "Human Flick". (As opposed to...you know what!) I like a movie that consistently refuses to follow your expectations. At least for me, from beginning to end, despite having seen it before, I just couldn't get it right! KUDOS to ACRES. Produced by, Based on a novel written by, Screenplay by, Directed by and Starring WOMEN! Yes, HERE, they do it ALL! And a job exquisitely well-done, I might add!

From the onset, it's obvious that patriarch Larry Cook (Jason Robards, Jr., in one of his last really meaty, showcase roles) together with his 3 daughters; Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Stunning ensemble performances) form an utterly dysfunctional family.

Apparently, the premature death of Larry's wife, the girls' mother, when they were all children, served as the defining event in all their lives, derailing each member and hurtling them into disparate realities...The operative word here being, "Apparently". Robards is inspired as the old-school, iron-fisted farmer, who, because of his age, is beginning to show a few cracks; starting to lose his grip.

Probably sensing this, the old-man pulls the rug out from everyone when he announces at a family dinner that he has decided to screw the government out of inheritance taxes on his choice 1,000 Acres by forming a corporation where each daughter is an equal partner. All his daughters are stunned, but the two eldest go along with the idea. Caroline, the youngest, who happens to be a lawyer, exercising professional caution, says she'd like to think it over a bit. The old man is beside himself, and sets off a chain of events. There is a very deftly handled undercurrent that adds a potent dose of tension throughout the film. I loved the ending. I imagine a lot of people simply did not!

ENJOY!/DISFRUTELA!