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Too much of everything

The Age of Commercialism

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I've just seen this on dvd, rented from my local library, so I didn't spend much on it. It's probably one of the worst films on dvd this year. Extraordinarily boring, completely without horror, if horror's your thing. It isn't mine, but I don't mind watching if the rest of the film around the horror is worthwhile. This isn't. I rented it because Janet McTeer's in it, but even so it's simply not worth watching. Great sets by Luciana Arrighi. Beautiful wallpaper, steals the show.

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!I thought this movie was quite brilliant. What I thought would be a classic ghost story was a tale of madness, a dissolving marriage, female repression and uprising, and ultimately - about how far a parent will go to protect their child. This begins in a beautiful Victorian setting with a new and passionate marriage. As with many women during that time, she nearly dies in childbirth and must never have sex again because getting pregnant again would probably kill her. Eventually, this causes their union to deteriorate. She also learns of his "profession", which is not quite as noble as once presumed. This causes her to retreat further from the relationship. The "flying man" ghost begins to appear always in the daughter's bedroom. I do believe the husband was committing incest, and because she cannot fathom such an atrocity, she creates monsters in the room - this is just my opinion, and not necessarily a spoiler. Eventually, she seeks the help of a spiritualist and their bond becomes strong, reminiscent of the two women in The Crimson Petal and the White (also set in Victorian London) - one weak, the other strong - a rescuer. There is a theme in this movie of "protection". The word is used often in reference to different characters. In the end of the movie, we see the someone protecting the one they love most in all the world. I really enjoyed this movie.

It is unfortunate that Angelica lacks the bite of Lichtenstein's previous film, Teeth - excuse the terrible pun. Despite exploring the similar theme of women empowerment through sexual control, the humor misses its mark, leaving the shell of irony in its place. The fitting Victorian background to this tale, well captured throughout, does not suffice to make the film worth recommending.The story tells us of a mother's confession, Constance, who while lying on her deathbed admits to harbouring a dark secret from her daughter, Angelica. We go back to Angelica's conception as the fruit of a healthy, passionate marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Barton, which sadly leaves the to-be mother in a state that does not allow her to go through another childbirth. With contraception methods poorly at hand, that leaves abstinence as the sole means of ensuring Constance's good health. This results in a gaping void between the pair, where passion is replaced by restrained desire and mutual frustration. Moreover, as she faces her guilt of both being immoral in her pursuits and incapable of pleasing herself and her husband, a dark presence appears that plagues her nights, as she looks to protect her daughter.Unfortunately, the obstacles in turning the source novel into a novel film offering fails on most counts. First and foremost, in finding the thin line between clever irreverence and irrelevance, guarding the experience of the film as either something frightening, or something comical. Perhaps Drag Me to Hell highlights what this looks like when done successfully - and even in such a case, opinions are divided. Secondly, Jenna Malone labours to offer a conflicted performance as a British 19th century wife, but her efforts are consistently undermined as she appears around characters ridiculous in features or in speech. Finally, it's hard to feel for the fate of Constance and Angelica, as they fail to be more than the sum of this movie's parts - mundane and full of painful restraint.Lichtenstein is not able to find a balance in this story, mixing modern morality into his somber settings, thereby loosening the movie's grip of its characters. The rare moments of authentic playfulness or artfulness are drowned in an otherwise typical period piece, that looks fine - and that's about it.