Reviews in a line or two: “Huge Collection of Films I Never Posted About in 2012” edition, part 1

When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
Dir: Luis Mandoki
Starring: Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia
This was a blind purchase from Goodwill. (You know I love that $2 DVD section!) It’s Meg Ryan in the ’90s, and since I didn’t know anything about the film I expected it to be a romantic comedy. Instead I got a movie about alcoholism and a film that was full of drama rather than rom-com cutesy-ness. It’s a sad watch, but a good one.
The score: 3.5/5

Swimming With Sharks (1994)
Dir: George Huang
Starring: Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley
TiVo recorded this as a suggestion and I decided to give it a watch because I looooove Kevin Spacey. Sure enough, he churns out another great performance here, which was reason enough to justify spending two hours of my time on this. As for the film as a whole, it is enjoyable but not an instant favorite.
The score: 3.5/5

Two Worlds Colliding (2005)
Dir: Tasha Hubbard
Narrated by Andrea Menard
This should be required viewing, especially for anyone who has romantic misconceptions about the Native experience in the modern world. It is a powerful documentary from the National Film Board of Canada about the “freezing deaths” of a number of Native men in Saskatoon.
The score: 5/5

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Dir: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly
This is a fantastic film. I love the non-linear storytelling, I love all of the performances. There is not much I can say except watch it now, if you haven’t yet!
The score: 5/5

Do You Know Me (2009)
Dir: Penelope Buitenhuis
Starring: Rachelle Lefevre, Jeremy London
This is pretty average as far as Lifetime movies go. The performances are pretty overblown, the story quite contrived. That being said, it’s certainly a fast-paced watch, entertaining if you’re in a “bad television movie” mood.
The score: 2/5

Going the Distance (2010)
Dir: Nanette Burstein
Starring: Drew Barrymore and Justin Long
This romantic comedy about a long-distance relationship was better than I expected it to be, but not phenomenal. It has its moments of humor (quite a few of which come from Charlie Day) and there does seem to be a lot honesty in the story, but it sometimes feels like it’s trying too hard.
The score: 2.7/5

The Raven (2012)
Dir: James McTeigue
Starring: John Cusack
I can’t decide whether I hated this or sort-of liked it. The clever premise has a ton of potential: a man begins committing murders based on Poe’s stories. I’m a big Poe fan, and if done right this could have been a great tribute to his work… but it isn’t exactly done right. Visually the film is quite nice, and it did manage to keep my attention thoroughly. But there are some anachronisms I just can’t get past, and I didn’t like the way the character of Poe was written (though Cusack’s performance was fine, if you think of the character as a non-Poe man).
I can’t give this a rating. The Poe fan in me says “0/5,” but if I think of this as a film about a man coincidentally named Poe rather than the real Poe I’d give it a 2.5/5.

Flashdance (1983)
Dir: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Jennifer Beals
I’m sure you’re as baffled as I am that it took me until 2012 to watch this film. My parents both graduated from high school in the early ’80s and have introduced me to a lot of the great music/films of the decade. Flashdance is everything that I expected and hoped it would be, equal parts dance film and corny rom-dram-com. Awesome soundtrack, too. It’s a fun watch for fans of ’80s cheese.
The score: 3.5/5

Stay tuned for Part II!