This weekend I saw a movie, so I thought I'd take an opportunity to give you a little sample journal. Note that I included a link to the SUMMARY of the film by critic Stephen Holden, and then a link to the actual review: please view both so you get an understanding of what the difference is, and what is acceptable to use for your journals.
-SPUN
-Released 2002
-Director:Jonas Akerlund
-Released by Newmarket Films
-Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, Patrick Fugit, Mena Suvari
-color
>>NOT THE REVIEW
>>THE REVIEW
One of the features of my Netflix subscription is that Netflix will make recommendations based on films I've rented recently; curious to find if their recommendations were accurate, I rented Spun this weekend. It seemed like a good choice, as it was a nominee at this year's Cannes Film Festival and starred Brittany Murphy and Jason Schwartzman.
Spun, like many independent releases I've seen lately, has cinematography that, although artfully done, seems to "try too hard". Spun has a plot that primarily revolves around the sad lives of amphetamine addicts whose lives revolve around the acquisition and consumption of drugs: the jumpy editing and special effects (including the occasional lapse into animation) are meant to convey the feeling that 'crank' produces. Other than the visual effects and wistful soundtrack(brilliantly done by Billy Corgan) there really isn't much to Spun's plot. The actors all seem to be gamely trying to rise above the lack of story, and fortunately they do rather well in spite of being frequently upstaged by the cinematography.
New York Times critic Stephen Holden agrees with me that Spun "doesn't have much of a story", although I think he's being a bit too generous when he states the film has a "doomy charisma"; I think this may be true in the case of some of the performances (notably Mickey Rourke, and a cameo by Deborah Harry) but the film itself, even as an anti-drug film, is eclipsed by classics like Drugstore Cowboy or (as Holden points out in his review) Requiem for a Dream. I found it hard to believe that this critic only gave a fleeting mention of Brittany Murphy; even though she is, once again, playing a wacked-out, cracked out waif, she was one of the best things about Spun. I look forward to the films she will make when she finally grows tired of being typecast.
-SPUN
-Released 2002
-Director:Jonas Akerlund
-Released by Newmarket Films
-Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, Patrick Fugit, Mena Suvari
-color
>>NOT THE REVIEW
>>THE REVIEW
One of the features of my Netflix subscription is that Netflix will make recommendations based on films I've rented recently; curious to find if their recommendations were accurate, I rented Spun this weekend. It seemed like a good choice, as it was a nominee at this year's Cannes Film Festival and starred Brittany Murphy and Jason Schwartzman.
Spun, like many independent releases I've seen lately, has cinematography that, although artfully done, seems to "try too hard". Spun has a plot that primarily revolves around the sad lives of amphetamine addicts whose lives revolve around the acquisition and consumption of drugs: the jumpy editing and special effects (including the occasional lapse into animation) are meant to convey the feeling that 'crank' produces. Other than the visual effects and wistful soundtrack(brilliantly done by Billy Corgan) there really isn't much to Spun's plot. The actors all seem to be gamely trying to rise above the lack of story, and fortunately they do rather well in spite of being frequently upstaged by the cinematography.
New York Times critic Stephen Holden agrees with me that Spun "doesn't have much of a story", although I think he's being a bit too generous when he states the film has a "doomy charisma"; I think this may be true in the case of some of the performances (notably Mickey Rourke, and a cameo by Deborah Harry) but the film itself, even as an anti-drug film, is eclipsed by classics like Drugstore Cowboy or (as Holden points out in his review) Requiem for a Dream. I found it hard to believe that this critic only gave a fleeting mention of Brittany Murphy; even though she is, once again, playing a wacked-out, cracked out waif, she was one of the best things about Spun. I look forward to the films she will make when she finally grows tired of being typecast.
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