Dennette
Joined Sep 1999
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Reviews6
Dennette's rating
Peter Sellars has taken Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and set it in modern New York City ... and it still works, which just goes to show how timeless the genius of Mozart really is.
But Sellars true genius was in casting African-American twins to play the parts of Don Giovanni and his servant, Leporello ... there is a scene where they change places, disguised as each other, and you don't have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy it.
There is a scene where they discuss their plans for the evening over a meal ... the fact that they are sitting on a curb eating burgers from McDonalds does not get in the way at all.
For any inner-city teacher who would like to introduce their students to opera, seeing two vital, young black males singing music that's 200 years old, and in Italian (with English subtitles), should be an eye-opening experience. The multiracial cast showcases many splendid young (and at the time, unknown) voices selected only for their talent, and demonstrates that opera is really for everyone.
I'm glad that I taped it from PBS years ago, because it hasn't been released yet on VHS or DVD. <sigh!>
But Sellars true genius was in casting African-American twins to play the parts of Don Giovanni and his servant, Leporello ... there is a scene where they change places, disguised as each other, and you don't have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy it.
There is a scene where they discuss their plans for the evening over a meal ... the fact that they are sitting on a curb eating burgers from McDonalds does not get in the way at all.
For any inner-city teacher who would like to introduce their students to opera, seeing two vital, young black males singing music that's 200 years old, and in Italian (with English subtitles), should be an eye-opening experience. The multiracial cast showcases many splendid young (and at the time, unknown) voices selected only for their talent, and demonstrates that opera is really for everyone.
I'm glad that I taped it from PBS years ago, because it hasn't been released yet on VHS or DVD. <sigh!>
My scale for rating movies is very simple, ranging from "I'd pay to see it again in the theater" (as I did with "Dances with Wolves") to "That's two hours of my life I'll never get back."
I'm enough of a fan to have "Aliens" (the 2nd one) in my VHS collection in wide-screen format, and I'm thinking of replacing my VHS copy of "Predator 2" with a DVD ... my homey and I had been looking forward to it for months (one of those testosterone bonding things that guys do), but waited a week for the lines to diminish before we caught a matinee, so that we wouldn't be surrounded by kids.
For "Alien Vs. Predator", I have to say, "I would have enjoyed it more if it had cost less." My advice is that it's worth seeing once, but you'll probably enjoy it more as a rental for half the price of theater tickets and popcorn ... I mean, a DVD rental will cost *LESS* than the theater popcorn! If you *must* have the theater experience, do like we did and catch a matinee.
So put it on your "Maybe Someday" list, but save the gas and the thirteen bucks ($25 if it's a date) for something better. OTOH, it's the Sigourney Weaver wannabe who survives, so it's not a bad date movie, as an alternative to a chick flick. :-)
I'm enough of a fan to have "Aliens" (the 2nd one) in my VHS collection in wide-screen format, and I'm thinking of replacing my VHS copy of "Predator 2" with a DVD ... my homey and I had been looking forward to it for months (one of those testosterone bonding things that guys do), but waited a week for the lines to diminish before we caught a matinee, so that we wouldn't be surrounded by kids.
For "Alien Vs. Predator", I have to say, "I would have enjoyed it more if it had cost less." My advice is that it's worth seeing once, but you'll probably enjoy it more as a rental for half the price of theater tickets and popcorn ... I mean, a DVD rental will cost *LESS* than the theater popcorn! If you *must* have the theater experience, do like we did and catch a matinee.
So put it on your "Maybe Someday" list, but save the gas and the thirteen bucks ($25 if it's a date) for something better. OTOH, it's the Sigourney Weaver wannabe who survives, so it's not a bad date movie, as an alternative to a chick flick. :-)
Every hero is guilty of some atrocities, and Pancho Villa was no exception. Antonio Banderas delivers a convincing performance as a complicated man who had the brilliance to use the majesty of his own personality to help finance a peasant revolution in Mexico.
As docudramas go, this one is very well balanced ... it reveals the darker side of a legend, the people who tried to manipulate him, and the people he manipulated. Although the original film, the making of which is the heart of this story, has been lost to the ages, it is nonetheless a moving story.
How much is history and how much is Hollywood? Who can say? All I know is that I was more impressed than I expected to be, and more than just being entertained and educated, I was given a lot of food for thought. I sincerely hope that a Spanish language version of this will be available so that the people of Mexico can learn a different version of his story than the one that is in the books in their schools.
This was two hours of my life that I'm glad I spent in front of the screen, and I thank everyone involved for the experience. It is not the best movie I've seen this year, nor will it ever be on my Top Ten list, but it *IS* a very good example of what cinema *SHOULD* be, and all too often is not ... a thought provoking drama that tells a slightly different story than the one we thought we knew.
As docudramas go, this one is very well balanced ... it reveals the darker side of a legend, the people who tried to manipulate him, and the people he manipulated. Although the original film, the making of which is the heart of this story, has been lost to the ages, it is nonetheless a moving story.
How much is history and how much is Hollywood? Who can say? All I know is that I was more impressed than I expected to be, and more than just being entertained and educated, I was given a lot of food for thought. I sincerely hope that a Spanish language version of this will be available so that the people of Mexico can learn a different version of his story than the one that is in the books in their schools.
This was two hours of my life that I'm glad I spent in front of the screen, and I thank everyone involved for the experience. It is not the best movie I've seen this year, nor will it ever be on my Top Ten list, but it *IS* a very good example of what cinema *SHOULD* be, and all too often is not ... a thought provoking drama that tells a slightly different story than the one we thought we knew.