alanshills

Jane Austen is evergreen- kinda like Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. Emma lacks the depth of passion present in the other Austen films, but, in large part because it's trying for something lighter and breezier, it's still fun. The film runs a little longer than seems necessary, and gets off to a slow, fitful start (Douglas McGrath's screenplay is not the equal of the other Austen adaptations), but Paltrow keeps us interested until the story's inherent romantic magic begins to weave its spell. Speaking of star-making turns, Emma is likely to open eyes to the talent of its leading lady, Gwyneth Paltrow who is rather good in the main lead. It's the romantic buried inside each of us that responds to movies like Emma. Sure, the film, like the Jane Austen novel upon which it is based, is laced with wit and sophistication. And, although it contains enough social commentary and character development to lift it well above the plane of genre romances, Emma is still primarily about lovers finding each other during a simpler age.

This film is strange. It has great set pieces and the pacing is good but it just ends abruptly. Its jarring how the film just ends- you'll see and understand. Non-demanding fans of the original The Matrix will likely be enthralled by the second installment in the series. More demanding aficionados will likely have a few reservations, some of which will not be addressed until the release of the third feature, Matrix Revolutions. I fall into the latter category. Although there are things about The Matrix Reloaded that I like, the movie is so open-ended and riddled with gaping holes that it's virtually impossible to view this as a finished project.

John Madden, who last year brought to life a dark, moody adaptation of Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, shows some of the same tendencies with Golden Gate. In spite of the film's uneven tone, the atmosphere is consistently strong. The sense of place, cemented by various shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, is never lost on the viewer. Unfortunately, the sudden shifts in mood, and the screenplay's unwillingness to develop in a more original direction, hamper Golden Gate. The movie has themes to explore, and it holds the audience's attention while doing so, but there are flaws that even all the fog of the Bay Area can't conceal. The acting by leads Matt Dillon and Joan Chen is more than adequate.