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Snow Cake, a review by Jon

Snow Cake
4 out of 5

Directed by Marc Evans and written by Angela Pell, this is the story of Alex (Alan Rickman) who picks up a hitch-hiker, Vivienne. Unfortunately they are soon involved in an horrific accident and Vivienne is killed. Despite it being clear he is not at fault, Alex is wracked by guilt and seeks out the girls mother, Linda (Sigourney Weaver). However the meeting doesn't go as smoothly as Alex hoped because Linda is autistic. He ends up staying for a few days, organising the funeral and starting a relationship with Linda's neighbour, Maggie (Carrie Ann-Moss).

This is a simple, gently comic film (the overview above is pretty much it!), given substance by it's great cast and affecting story. It could very easily have been a typical TV-movie, but its central theme of autism is handled very well and acts as an anchor to stop things going too sentimental. In fact, that's rather the point. After the accident, Alex can't help but feel responsible and is quickly heading for pious self-pity, but Linda's stark acceptance of the situation is like a slap in the face to both him and the viewer.

Sigourney gives a superb performance as Linda, although it takes a little getting used to. Really roles like these work better when played by someone you don't recognise so well, especially when she is normally synonymous with tough focused women in films like Aliens, Working Girl or her previous, very different collaboration with Alan Rickman, Galaxy Quest. Like Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry, I'm sure repeat viewings will be rewarding. Actually this film has the advantage because Linda isn't the central character.

That job is for Alan Rickman as Alex. Typically, he is very good indeed, especially as the films weakest point is possibly the rather whimsical nature of Alex. Where he has been and where he is going is very important to the story, but trying to build suspense into the reasons for his dark past seemed at odds with the rest of the film. Also his relationship with Carrie Ann-Moss' Maggie almost feels forced, though she is excellent and there are some funny and touching moments. The best moments though are those between Alex and Linda. The Scrabble game is hilarious and that's the way I'll play it from now on! There's also a wonderful moment involving a trampoline, as a bewildered Alex is forced to enjoy himself with the child-like joy of Linda sweeping all other concerns to one-side.

I believe the best depiction of grief is still the fifth season Buffy episode called The Body and part of that was down to the brilliant use of Anya, a demon-turned-human. Despite being a mere fantasy character, her inability to comprehend what happened was a perfect depiction of the absurd feelings we have to deal with. Linda is a similar character (especially when she has to ID Vivienne) because she accepts it too readily and continues her routine. While her high-functioning autism seems cold, it challenges Alex and forces him to look at himself very closely. An easy pitfall for the film would be making it too one-sided, in that Alex is affected by Linda, but not vice-versa. While it's quite clear that Linda's autism will not allow her routine or perception to be altered by Alex, there are a couple of nice touches where he does make a difference.

Aesthetically, the film is probably closest to the snow-bound vistas of Fargo or Insomnia, but it shares neither of those films flair for visuals. There are a couple of key scenes that stand-out, notably the accident, the funeral and an abstract, but joyfully uplifting moment when Linda tries to block-out the mass of unwanted visitors to her home. Otherwise the environment is a bit too bleak, but the films story and characters are absolutely wonderful and make this an uplifting, if melancholy, experience. It's simply "Dazlious" (38 points!)... "Dazlious" (38 points!)



(From Snow Cake **** on January 11th, 2009)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, a review by addicted2dvd

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Warner Home Video (United States) Director: Andrew Dominik Writing: Andrew Dominik (Screenwriter), Ron Hansen (Original Material By) Length: 160 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Brad Pitt as Jesse James
Mary-Louise Parker as Zee James
Brooklynn Proulx as Mary James
Dustin Bollinger as Tim James
Casey Affleck as Robert Ford

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Featurettes

First off let me say that Westerns is not a favorite genre of mine. But I can enjoy them when I am in the right mood. This one is a very slow paced film and utilizes narration a lot. Two things I normally hate for films. But in this case I felt both worked very well. Actually I felt both was needed to do this film right. At almost 3hrs... this is a very long film... but still felt it was well worth the time put in to watch it. I definitely feel comfortable recommending this one.



(From Within My Lifetime: 2017 Edition on January 22nd, 2017)

NCIS Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. YANKEE WHITE
A Navy commander carrying the "football" on Air Force One collapses mid-flight and dies.

My Thoughts:
This is a start of an awesome series.  I have been hooked since day one... when this episode first aired. I really enjoyed every one of the main characters from the very first episode. There is not many shows you can say that about. I also really liked how they introduced  Kate. And Gibbs... he is just a trip! I don't know what I would call his type of humor... sarcastic don't seem to fit it right... but what ever you would call it... it is another thing that brings me back episode after episode. In this episode there is an elaborate plan to try to kill the president on Air Force One.

2. HUNG OUT TO DRY
A Marine is killed during a night training jump, and Gibbs (Mark Harmon) thinks it's a murder.

My Thoughts:
This was another really good episode. Talk about a terrible way to die! I couldn't imagine... Of course it would be hard being the couple that was in the SUV as well. I had to laugh on how DiNozzo finally got to try sky diving. That is something that looks awful fun... yet completely scary to me. I myself have never even seen a plane close up let alone fly in one!

3. SEADOG
A Navy sailor is killed, an apparent casualty of a drug war, but Gibbs and his team refuse to believe the sailor was dirty,

My Thoughts:
Another really good episode. I really get a kick out of all the bluffs and such Gibbs pulls on this show. His character is one tough SOB!... but at the same time you can tell he really cares about people.

4. THE IMMORTALS
A young sailor is found drowned In what appears to be a video game gone wrong.

My Thoughts:
OK... I have to admit... I for one have never seen the appeal these online games has. Sure I enjoy playing a video game here and there... but never had the urge to play something online with thousands of other people. Give me a console hooked up to a TV and a one player game that I can play here and there when the mood hits... and that is all I need. and talk about taking the game to the next level... These sailors were right nuts! Pretty cool episode though.

(From NCIS Marathon on November 29th, 2007)