castor by Jodie Foster - i give this movie **, even though the movie obviously has taken great risk w the subject but i really find it not v sensitive and too "hollywood" w slapstick comedy and tough scenes that are totally not convincing, not tender. Jodie Foster doesnt know how to be tender.
Mel Gibson with his savvy blue eyes and rubber like face somehow doesnt show any "depressive" emotions. When he hangs himself on the shower, falls down walks to the balcony with the curtain rod and curtain trailing after like a robot - these typical type of slapstick comedy silliness is all over in the film, not a depression content film.
All the scenes are so tough, quick, and hard, its not soft. Depression is usually more languishing, in this movie, its so hollywoodian, not interesting to watch.
Jodie Foster in her interview is always very lucide and intellectual and she takes great risks w her projects; but this movie is not about depression or explores depression. It has depression as its target - but goes about it with 1, 2, 3, cut and dry. Boring and unconvincing to watch. I like Jodie Foster as an actress, as an intellectual, as a singer even when she was a kid she sang w Claude François, charming through and through. Beautiful and intelligent, bright, shiny star ! However in this movie, its not convincing, she doesnt feel like a wife. Not gentle, not soft. Something like tenderness is missing in her character. Even the several love scenes, in bed, in shower, etc etc, kissing all not tender.
We dont know how come the "Beaver" - Walter became this way? Compared to the "Play me a Song" - there is much more nuance, levels of howcome people become depressive in such a small town, without any particular event, we could feel how this depression builds up everyday, layer by layer. In the "Beaver" we dont know how, or why. Just saying dont know how or why is not enough for the viewer. Its blank and boring.
Too bad, I had wanted to see a better movie, i had wanted to see a good movie even though its not going to be a box office success - but, its just not a gd movie! Another box office un-success might be a gd movie, but this one - its just plain not gd.
Play me a song - ***, a stifling small town where people often commit suicide from depression by jumping off a river - its like a painting w many layers of muffled emotions, stuffiness, gray tones of bleak countryside and mediaocre everyday living - enough to convince the audience of a contextual depressive environment with no way out. Very well done. Music is gd.
Animal Kingdom ***half, very gd actors and actress. All details, dialogues clean sharp to the point. V gd movie.
