Cyrano de Bergerac (2008)

One of the greatest love stories ever, destroyed by one person. Most of the cast is quite good. Daniel Sunjata's Christian is sufficiently fluffy for us to believe his character. Kevin Kline, although he occasionally appears to be uncharacteristically (for Cyrano) mocking himself, is very charming in the title role. The translation used is not my personal favorite, and some of my favorite monologues have been chopped in half, but the overall beauty of the story and the language is still kept intact. However, the instant Jennifer Garner opens her mouth, all illusion is lost. She speaks all her lines as an obvious theater "newb," making bizarre theatrical gestures that do not in the least complement the lines, and overenunciating each word with the painstaking awkwardness of someone in a middle school production. Her voice is distractingly unsuited to the classical poetic sound of the story. She may be able to pass as an actress on screen, but on stage, where all camera magic and re-takes are stripped away, she is painfully exposed as having very little to offer. There is no reason either Christian or Cyrano should pine for the love of this bizarre, flailing Roxanne who insert soap opera inflections into each line. If only someone more able had been cast in this role, this would have been a very rewatchable version of my beloved story. 2 stars.

Cyrano de Bergerac (2005)

There was not a lot of music worth paying attention to in here. I like opera, but this was less than fabulous. However, Roberto Alagna sang his part marvelously and the story is still one of the best love stories ever to grace the stage or screen, so I give it a gracious medium rating. Other versions of the story are probably worth seeing instead, however. 2.5 stars.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

I was a fan of the first movie, and I'm certainly not going to pretend this sequel was nearly as clever as its predecessor. Several of the moments in this one were far-fetched and generally ridiculous. The entire Thai prison plotline ran like something out of a bad road trip comedy. But the characters I loved in the first movie are still in place. Colin Firth and Hugh Grant still reign supreme as the potential love interests, and Renee Zellweger, though a bit more over-the-top here than necessary, still plays a real-life, awkward, clumsy person who does NOT do everything right. Kudos to them. A passable follow-up, though not a great one. 3 stars.

Topsy-Turvy (1999)

This was one of my favorite portrayals of the theater in moviedom ever. The film dedicates large amounts of time to just watching rehearsals, and entire songs from the opera. I thoroughly enjoyed this, although I can't imagine it being nearly as interesting to someone not interested in theater. Jim Broadbent continues to impress me as one of those actors who usually appears in seldom-noticed side roles, but here he is a brilliant portrayal of the artistic perfectionist, determined to make his work genius and despairing that it ever will be. The story itself is not gripping, but the little moments throughout are very much so. Highly recommended to theater fans, less so to others. 4 stars.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

A small portion of this movie got it right. ABBA's songs are certainly meant to be sung by joyous characters on the beach. I'm pretty sure they weren't supposed to be sung by flailing actresses, though. Or thrown into a script that seems to assume no one in the world has aged past the age of 16 emotionally. By the end of the movie, I was so amused by how immature all the characters were that I had resorted to making snarky comments at the screen. Songs that begin promisingly ("Lay Your Love On Me") suddenly trip over horrible choreography and directing and fall flat. Meryl Streep gesticulates so wildly during her solos - I'm not sure whether she was directed stupidly, or doesn't know what to do with her hands when she sings. Also, Pierce Brosnan is far, far, far from a singer. The soundtrack might be worth getting... the frenetic, hyperactive movie is not. 2.5 stars.

Fatal Attraction (1987)

Quite a satisfying thriller. It builds up very solidly, creepy without being overly melodramatic. Glenn Close played her character brilliantly. This whole movie masters the art of the build-up, creating a believably tense story about the dangers of this man's impulsive choices. 3.5 stars.

Shadows and Fog (1991)

(Some spoilers in this review.)

This is the most visually tantalizing film by Woody Allen, with the possible exception of Manhattan's opening five minutes. Steeped in... well, shadows and fog, every scene plays out like everyone's awake at 4:00 in the morning, not quite themselves, not quite sure of what's going on them. Judging by reviews of the film, many people felt the message was too convoluted, trapped beneath an impressive cast list and jokes that fall flat. The message takes some thinking through, especially with the misleadingly happy ending that may seem unsatisfying and trite if taken at face value. The image of Allen's character never knowing what his part in the plan is (although everyone else seems to know and finds him incompetent for not knowing) stuck with me long after the film ended. Not a perfect Allen film, but one worth hashing through afterwards. 3.5 stars.