film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
A deeply compassionate, deeply unnerving portrait of a man suffering from dementia and losing his grip on reality. The empathy machine of cinema has rarely been put to such uncomfortably intimate use.
Charming based-on-fact British costume dramedy gently snarks about power and propriety but cuts a lot deeper when it comes to bigotry and bootlicking.
Feints toward feminism quickly descend into a diatribe against women with a villain who is all about revenge against a man who wronged her sexually. [This post is not behind the paywall.]
Quite hilarious in a deeply disturbing way that you won’t want to look straight on at, lest it forever ruin you as a lover of movies.
Feels like a cheap action flick and plays like an unintentional call to end drugs prohibition and the idiotic war between cartels and law enforcement.
And what actor would you cast?
Take a break from work: watch a trailer… Hey, did you know that Roman Polanski has a new movie about to hit screens? Yeah, neither did I. I wonder why everyone’s keeping it such a secret? Hmmmm…. Look at that cast: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams — Timothy Hutton’s in this, too, … more…
So while I am both a bit dismayed and smugly satisfied to report that yes, I was correct in guessing what The Sixth Sense’s big twist is (I won’t reveal it here!), I am overjoyed to report that not only is there much more to this film that just its twist, watching the film with full knowledge of its big secret adds new layers to enjoy.
