Esteban Estraño

I just finished watching this movie, not having much of an idea what it was going to be like when I sat down. I hate to be non supportive of all of the people who hated this movie, but I really liked it. Its been a long time since I've seen a good stranded in deep space movie with some "oh my god and what are we going to do now" thrown in as well as some of the coolest stuff and equipment that I've seen in a science fiction movie for a long time. And, it certainly was entertaining to see James Spader in a role that I wouldn't have cast him in (he's always Daniel in my mind), but he was great. I liked all of the cast. Finally, I enjoyed the camera work, the way everything was lit and how so many of the shots were close up or interesting angles. But then, I love science fiction anyway. So, I just enjoyed it for what it is. That's all.

So, as far as I'm concerned, if you love science fiction you'll want to see this just because. If you're the kind of person who thinks that a movie has to be totally explainable and "normal" and that science fiction has to be Star Trek, or end with moral judgements like The Black Hole, then you probably shouldn't bother.

I just finished watching "The Man Who Cried". I'm still wrapped in the atmosphere of it so I'll try to collect my thoughts.

First of all it was a very interesting story. True, not especially original or unique. But considering the backdrop of Russia, war, WWII, Paris, Germans and general fleeing there are only so many ways to tell those stories. But what the story is really about is the people in it.

To be a little more specific, Sally Potter (writer/director) started telling it right away, and from that moment it had my attention until the credits rolled up.

Some movies hold my attention and pull me into their world because they are so real. Some do the same thing because they create a feeling or truth that resonates with the same feeling or truth in me. That is what this movie did. Right away I could see that it was not even trying to tell the story of these events in a factual, journalistic way. Rather, it was trying to create the image of the story in my heart, so I could always touch it and hear it.

Its strange, in a way, because I could point to some flaws both in the movie itself, as well as some acting or directing, but it doesn't matter because that isn't where the magic of this movie is. That magic is in the whole gestalt of the movie, acting, music, and story, all working together to create a Jungian world of symbols as well as heart-felt emotions.

There isn't much more I could say without giving away plot or needlessly going into details. So I'll just leave you with what I've said so far.

If you appreciated Orlando (another Sally Potter movie) for some of the reasons I mentioned above then give "The Man Who Cried" a try. It also has a beautiful and haunting soundtrack, much of it played by the Kronos Quartet.

Finally: John Turturro and Johnny Dep are plenty of reason to at least make it worth the price of a rental.

Esteban

I watched this movie because I had just recently read the Nevil Shute book and wanted to see how much I liked it. I loved the book and expected the movie to be good too. How could you go wrong with all the good actors and a BW Sci-Fi/Drama theme to boot? I saw this movie when I was in grade school or something and also wanted to know my reaction to it now. In short, I was disappointed. It was overly melodramatic, the characters had been all changed and the plot mixed up. Nevil Shute had written a wonderful, subtle story about the end of human life on this earth and how people might cope. This movie was harsh and jangling to watch, punctuated with loud blasts of music at dramatic points when it was obvious what we were seeing. Standing alone, with no comparison to the novel, its not a bad movie. It is 2hrs 15min in length and I was not bored durring any of it. I love Gregory Peck. He did a great job of portraying an American family man trying to cope with what happened. Its almost worth it just to see what an interesting actor Tony Perkins could have been. Fred Astaire may have been the most believable. He also is worth seeing. I love his dancing, but he can be a great dramatic actor as well. To sum up: If you like this theme and these actors, then definatly watch this movie. Its not a waste of time. I just felt there was a lot of depth that could have been there and wasn't. Esteban