CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

The Cider House Rules

Director

Lasse Hallström

Year

1999

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Monday, September 25, 2000

Hello everyone. I'm here to talk about one of the most touching, intense movies of the year. I'm still shocked about what a great cinematographic year 1999 was. Too many gems, it's unbelievable! The year was so good, it's hard to decide what movies were better than others. Too many were good in different ways.

As for The Cider House Rules, I gotta say that it's not just another movie, not one of those that people refer to as "Oh yeah, the one about the orphanage and the buncha kids." NO. This is a film about human nature, simplicity, and love. What's good and what's bad, and when. This is a film that threatens to shock all the time, but never really does because it's so cool, so calm all the time. No matter how scandalized you want to get for the controversial themes it has, all you can do is be touched by its intensity.

I promise I never stopped crying. All the time, tears kept falling from my eyes as the story went by.

Michael Caine is Dr. Larch, the keeper of a big orphanage. Tobey Maguire is Homer Wells, an orphan who stays there until he's a grown-up and a medicine apprentice. As Dr. Larch's helper, he becomes kind of his protégé, kind of his son. There is love there. But not only between them. There is love to each and every one of the orphans, whom have their own stories. As the story goes on, Homer feels the itch to know the world and leaves and falls in love with Charlize Theron and so on, but it's always great, always touching. The slow story has a rhythm that never becomes heavy.

The controversy is mostly about Dr. Larch practicing abortion on his patients with the least charge of conscience. Homer is not so convinced about Dr. Larch's procedures, but he ends up thinking the same way. Curiously, their way of thinking and the way it's presented in the film makes you buy their ideas, in a way. You may not think the same way, but you understand why they do, and accept it. Additionally, the film has a serious subplot about incest, with perfectly controversial elements.

My favorite moments of the story were definitely the ones with the kids. The girl who's in love with Homer and the expressions on her face are pure gold. The kid who says he's the best and the one who thinks King Kong thought the girl in the movie was his mother are also great. But the very best of the film is Michael Caine, as a tower of strength and wisdom. He's what holds the story together. The moments when he's not onscreen, you wonder what he's doing and what he's thinking about life. You miss him. Believe me, his calm, cool performance is actually a strong, powerful one. Even the way he narrates the story is unique. I loved his performance, I really really did.

As for the technical achievements, I think everything is great, especially the beautiful photography. God, such landscapes, rich in color and greatness. Those autumn leaves can be the most beautiful things in the world if the camera knows how to see them. And the camera always knows here.

Now, here goes my special mention: the score by Rachel Portman. SO beautiful, so perfect for the mood. It's not very versatile, but it's always right, always precise. The variations on the same theme fit every scene to perfection, I loved it. God, I can still hear that music! At the end of the film, I stayed there till the credits were over. I simply couldn't stand up and leave with the music still playing. I couldn't.

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Review

Forrest Gump

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Year

1994

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Sunday, September 24, 2000

My all-time favorite!!! I just love this movie with all my heart. It is an unbelievably good motion picture that tells the remarkable story of a somewhat retarded man (Tom Hanks) as he goes through life stuck in his own world and along the way takes part in nearly every major event between the 50’s and the 80’s.

It is, indeed, a very powerful movie which shows us the world through the eyes of this man, a human being just as everyone else who doesn’t seem to realize how things really work and in spite of that keeps going through life just as a feather flies through the sky.

The movie has a satirical and intelligent tone which makes up for a wonderful experience as we come to realize that somehow we don’t need to be so complicated to triumph, so stubborn to succeed or so selfish to give the best of ourselves.

Through his life, Forrest has encounters with a lot of people that in one way or another keep being influenced by his good-natured intentions, and from whom he learns a lot about relationships and life as it is. There’s his mom (Sally Field), his best friend since childhood (Robin Wright Penn), the quick tempered captain he meets at war (Gary Sinise) and a whole other bunch of characters that make this journey one not to be missed.

Of course, it helps that Hanks gives an amazing performance, which requires a lot of complexity and is performed here with just the right touch. This is the character for which he’ll always be remembered.

And then there is the beautiful score by Alan Silvestri and the wonderful direction by Robert Zemeckis. A funny, touching story that you’ll never forget.

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”

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