Quick Movie Review: The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

We all know Matt Damon can act. But if someone were to disagree, you'd have to show them this film. His, along with every single performance in The Talented Mr. Ripley, is top notch. Everything he does is so subtle, yet so calculated, that you believe it all. Or you're not sure what to believe. You see the brood amidst the confidence.

Here, he plays Tom Ripley, a brilliant sociopath who uses his deception skills to fake his wealth. But the thing is, we the audience see every move he makes. It's the other characters who are being tricked.

In fact, Damon is so convincing that it's not until after the film is over when you realize there's nothing to like about his character at all.

Beautifully shot with authentic set design, The Talented Mr. Ripley leads us in the direction of a truly Hitchcockian feature in every way--the experimentation of narrative, the pseudo-protagonist, and even the signature blonde.

You have to applaud this film for keeping the audience on their toes. The story is constantly changing. Resetting its goals. Much like when our brains shift a bit when Janet Leigh dies half way through Psycho. We feel like it should end there. Wouldn't most movies?

Leaving us sitting up in our chairs, it becomes reminiscent of The Master of Suspense, himself. But then, all of a sudden, things change, and it no longer seems that way at all. You realize it keeps avoiding some sort of conclusion. Dancing around it, actually. And usually when films continue on like this, you expect a redeeming ending. However, without giving anything away, we don't get one.

When the movie is constantly showing us its hand, we are left wondering why. Maybe something bigger and better is around the corner. Maybe they're saving the real twist for the very end. The story has so many chances to give us something grand, but they all fall by the wayside.

Director, Anthony Minghella, definitely has the creepy and suspenseful tone down. And he pulls the best performances from his actors. He does a very good job, given the source material. But his the biggest impression he's left here may be how he gets us to look at Damon in a much different way.
 

Twizard Rating: 84

Quick Movie Review: Cinderella (2015)

Who doesn't love a good redemption story? Especially one where the redeemed is such a likable person. And as most of us have seen Disney's 1950 adaptation of Cinderella, we know that there are several gaping plot holes and improbabilities. It's in the nature of the story. But it's a folk tale that is meant for a higher purpose than to merely entertain--so we don't worry about it too much.

However, these days most films are meant for us to enjoy, so we have to adhere to logical circumstance. And this version of Cinderella does just that. It may play a little bit too loyal to the Disney version, but every change they make is for the better. They manage to dodge most of the plot holes that we were anticipating and ease our minds about them.

The talent is really good all around, with the obvious standout being Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother. But Helena Bonham Carter is a nice treat as the Fairy Godmother, along with the under-noticed Stellan Skarsgard as the conniving Grand Duke. The characters have a bit more depth in this one as well, which ups the redeeming value in the end some more.

This film's biggest fault lies in the first act. With a sloppy time frame and slow build we begin to think that this is just another ploy by Disney to get our money into their pockets. But it starts to prove us wrong about half way through the film.

I wouldn't say that it's an improvement from the original. Maybe it's more detail oriented in the script, but the "original" took a classic tale and recreated it in a way that made it become synonymous with the story. And this film pays great tribute to the beloved classic.

Twizard Rating: 88