Sharon Movie: Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Washington Irving (story) and Kevin Yagher (screen story)
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery/Horror/Thriller

Story

Heads will roll! That was the tag line and certainly it was true. There were plenty of decapitations in this retelling of a classic story about the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow. We all know the story about Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) who is sent to investigate the strange murders occurring in Sleepy Hollow and the Hessian Horseman (Christopher Walken) committing the murders. When Crane gets to the village he is immediately drawn into the action with murders happening on a daily basis. As Crane comes closer and closer to discovering the truth the job becomes more and more dangerous for him and the townspeople.


Everything Else

The directing by Tim Burton was certainly not his best work and after watching Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow actually left a little to be desired. Even so, Burton provides another unique version of a classic story and keeps you entertained throughout. The character interactions usually seemed natural, but at times there were things that seemed odd; namely the reactions to murders and the headless horseman. The problem was most often the fact that there was not enough emotion, but this allowed Burton to keep the idea of decapitation lighthearted and even funny at times. With more emotion from the characters it could have been a much darker film which would not have appealed to as wide an audience.


The dark and foggy atmosphere created for the film keeps the mood mysterious and spooky, but often seems a bit over the top. The special effects did the job nicely, but there weren’t any standout, great effects. The story flows well even with the twists and turns as the viewers are slowly shown the truth about the murders in Sleepy Hollow and who the headless horseman is or rather why he is.

The acting on all parts was good with Depp (would it be a Burton film without him) and Christina Ricci as the stars. Christopher Walken does his crazy man performance as Hessian Horseman and the teeth were wild for sure. The supporting roles were not lacking good acting, but the acting did not stand out in Sleepy Hollow much because of its way of muffling the emotion involved. Even when a kid’s father is killed he seems to care very little about it. Overall, Sleepy Hollow is a balanced, well made film about the headless horseman.


The Real Deal

The first viewing of Sleepy Hollow a few years back was a lot of fun. Sharon was there and she of course liked it (or it would not have been a Sharon Movie) even though that may come as a surprise. This may be one of those movies that if seen in the wrong mood could be somewhat disturbing (heads rolling and all), but it was simply hilarious when viewing it in the right mood. This is the real reason it was a Sharon Movie for sure. If she had not seen the humor in it then there would not have been anything “Sharon” about it. It is also interesting that an R rated film is a Sharon Movie as this is often the first deterrent. The blood and gore along with language and decapitation was enough to give this one the R rating, but not enough to keep me from laughing at it. I recommend it to anyone who can find the humor in it and are looking for an entertaining and lighthearted movie.


Sharon’s Take

Sleepy Hollow is a movie that people might not expect to be a Sharon Movie. I really liked this film because it was suspenseful, and yet humorous at the same time.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 785,938
Sharon Movie? Yes

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I Love Your Work

This review of I Love You Work was requested by Mike

I Love Your Work (2003)

Director: Adam Goldberg
Writer: Adrian Butchart and Adam Goldberg
Genre: Drama

The Story

Giovanni Ribisi is an actor having a difficult time dealing with the fame and fortune of his career. He is constantly looking over his shoulder and imagining thing that are not really happening; or are they? He becomes increasing paranoid about everything that is going on in his life and struggles to keep his relationship with his wife (Franka Potente) together. I Love Your Work explores the fears and paranoia of fame and the desires of the main character for another women and the jealousy that he has towards his wife. It sounds like a mouthful, but trust me the actual movie is a lot more confusing.

Everything Else

Adam Goldberg makes a dull first impression with I Love Your Work. I liked it and I didn’t like it at the same time. There were so many different things going on at once I dare say that it reminded me of a David Lynch flick, but then this didn’t have the graceful flow (not to mention reputation) to back it up. With that said though, it was a lot of fun to watch and giving it the benefit of the doubt I would say I Love Your Work was a strong directing effort by Goldberg.

The film is constantly changing colors and providing bright flashes of cameras mixed with dark and sometimes difficult to see images. This further confuses the viewer so that it is truly impossible to determine what actually happened in I Love Your Work. I think only a commentary viewing would shed some light, but I question whether Adam Goldberg really knows what happens in this movie. I guess that is what reminds me of David Lynch films; I wonder the entire time if David Lynch knows what is going on or if he is just trying to make a weird movie. Either way the film was interesting and kept my attention. The mystery holds you the whole time and even once it is over it would seem a second viewing could be in order (still unlikely to reveal exactly what happened). In the end the movie is completely up for interpretation.

The acting in I Love Your Work was good with plenty strong actors and actresses to round out the cast. Christina Ricci was good with her big eyes and calm acting. Franka Potente was great, although the blonde hair was more than distracting. Joshua Jackson provides another solid performance that will not get him more attention. He seems doomed to be stuck in the movies that are looking for that other guy to fill the gap. He will break out of his shell one day hopefully. Giovanni Ribisi continues to please me with his quirky acting. He just looks the part of someone who is frustrated and confused. In addition to that, his sudden outbursts and facial expressions were priceless in this one.

The Real Deal

Mike requested this review and actually provided the movie so that I could watch it. Thanks Mike; I enjoyed the movie and I am glad I got a chance to watch it. There is no question whether this one deserved the R rating with its constant language. The sex, violence, and drugs also helped give it the R Rating though. Overall I would recommend this one to those that are looking for a movie to leave you thinking at the end and one that has a few great moments in it. I found it to be funny and entertaining.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 703,302
Sharon Movie? No

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The Gathering

The Gathering (2002)

Director: Brian Gilbert
Writer: Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller

What's It About

Christina Ricci plays Cassie Grant, a girl that gets in a car accident in an unfamiliar town and doesn't remember why she is there. Cassie finds herself in an interesting situation when she keeps seeing horrifying images of the townspeople around her. The strange visions begin to add up, but the truth is hard for Cassie to take. This film is about having a second chance in life.

How'd They Act

The most notable actress is Christina Ricci who plays Cassie Grant. Ricci does well in this horror film. Although she does not give a truly great performance, she is able to pull off the role of Casie Grant quite well. Ioan Gruffudd plays Dan Blakeley, but the main character is Ricci. Gruffudd seems to be a good actor, but he is not given the chance to really break out in this film. Fantastic Four is even more unlikely to boost his career in my opinion. If want a film this has one main actress, with one main part, then you've got it.

Delivery

The directing was clean and understandable, but there are no break throughs here. Sometimes strong, consistent directing is all that is needed to make a great film, but this time it left the film with many opportunities to grow. When I think about a movie that was able to have strong, consistent directing without bringing attention to itself, I think about The Saint (my second favorite movie). Philip Noyce directs in a way that makes the viewer not think about the directing at all, but concentrate on the other aspects of the film and how they come together beautifully. The Gathering seemed a little rough around the edges at times, and without any other strong actors besides Ricci, the directing almost seems bland here. This is definitely not directing with the intensity of The Shining from Kubrick or Natural Born Killers from Oliver Stone. The directing and cinematography does carry the movie through without too many "ouch" moments.

The Real Deal

This less know horror movie may surprise you with its meaningful message. It may not have been worth the ticket price when it came out, but a Blockbuster Online rental was more than worth it. If you want a horror movie without too much gore and a little deeper plot line, then this may be your movie. Christina Ricci does well in this film. The most shocking fact about this movie may be how it ties back into to morality and religion with respect.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 741,871
Sharon Movie? No