|
|
Gosh darn it, what a fantastic, amazing movie.
I usually don't appreciate these sorts of family dramas, but I was willing to give this one a whirl because of all the names associated with it. Director Ang Lee of course, I'd only seen his "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" before, and was intensely fascinated by it.
Sigourney Weaver, probably one of the most gifted actors on this planet, she's always a favourite of mine. In this movie, she doesn't disappoint at all. Often we have an actor that plods along, you recognize the face and the performance. Then there are true actors that change their entire personality according to the role. People, such as Anthony Hopkins for example, or Sigourney Weaver. When I watched her, I did not see HER, I saw the true character. An intensely powerful performance.
Christina Ricci. Yes, she's pretty and cute, and despite her youth, there is an aura of dark foreboding around her somehow. She is also a favourite of mine, because of her on-screen presence and obvious talent. In this movie you want to see her as an angel, while she in reality is anything but.
Kevin Kline, while not particulary dear to me, he's done great things in previous movies, and in this one, he was probably better than I've ever seen him before. I gained new appreciation for his skill as an actor. Cold towards his family, only warming up to his neighbour lover (who ironically does not appreciate it very much).
Jamey Sheridan, the man with that most fascinating face, has a fairly small part as the husband of the second household, but I always enjoy watching him perform. He is under-appreciated in my opinion, and should get bigger parts and more recognition. He is a rock of an actor I think, always stable and dependable, no matter if he plays a crazy monster of a badguy like in the TV version of King's "The Stand", or a sympathic but distant family father like in this movie.
Elijah Wood. Yes, sweet, beautiful Elijah... He's a real nut in this movie, really giving his character life and soul. NOT just a pretty face, but a true master at performing. You don't see that often in young people, but he has what it takes.
What can one say about the story without spoiling it, other than it's about two unhappy, dysfunctional families in the early seventies, who are forced to re-evaluate everything because of a tragic event. How it all ends, we never find out.
It is an amazing movie, and a tragic one too. I feel very much touched by it, and will try to find it on DVD so I can watch it again... I usually only watch movies on TV with one eye, maybe surfing the web with the other while listening to the dialogue. But this one, I did not want to miss even a SECOND of it... It was THAT good.
It almost made me cry...
-Lenny
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
|
] 
A Place of Safety
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
"The Ice Storm" aired on TV last night. Ever seen it? 
