Rating: Summary: Calculating Demi Moore gets caught in her own net Review: The allegedly questionable behavior exhibited by character Meredith Johnson in this film was a whole lot of hype about nothing of much importance. It certainly did not rise to the level of Johnson's dismissal from the company -- in fact, she was working as hard as she could, doing the business of the company. Plus, everybody does this sort of thing, it is common behavior in the corporate world. Plus, the charges of harassment leveled by Tom Sanders were lies. Also, the suggestion that Meredith had done something which merited dismissal from her job was a lot of hate talk, the corporate politics of personal destruction. And finally, by the time the harassment charges really arose in the movie, most of the characters had pretty much put it in the past, they had turned the page and moved on with business -- it was old news.The best advice anyone could have given Tom, at the point he decided to go public and complain, was a wise bit of rape crisis counselling provided on one occasion by another of society's mistreated male victims: "You'd better get some ice on that."
Rating: Summary: A Much-Ado Movie Constructed Around Nothing Important Review: The allegedly questionable behavior exhibited by character Meredith Johnson in this film was a whole lot of hype about nothing of much importance. It certainly did not rise to the level of Johnson's dismissal from the company -- in fact, she was working as hard as she could, doing the business of the company. Plus, everybody does this sort of thing, it is common behavior in the corporate world. Plus, the charges of harassment leveled by Tom Sanders were lies. Also, the suggestion that Meredith had done something which merited dismissal from her job was a lot of hate talk, the corporate politics of personal destruction. And finally, by the time the harassment charges really arose in the movie, most of the characters had pretty much put it in the past, they had turned the page and moved on with business -- it was old news. The best advice anyone could have given Tom, at the point he decided to go public and complain, was a wise bit of rape crisis counselling provided on one occasion by another of society's mistreated male victims: "You'd better get some ice on that."
Rating: Summary: Is this early backlash? Review: The clawing of women into positions of corporate power was supposed to bring a new era of "humanity" and softness into the business scene. This film demonstrates what a false promise that was, on the assumption anyone believed it. The struggle to gain positions at the narrow end of the corporate pyramid grows more intense the higher the role. And Vice Presidents are pretty near the top. Demi Moore usurps Michael Douglas for one of these niches, but her victory tastes bitter-sweet since they were once intense lovers. Now he's contentedly married, a parent, and well settled in his mid-level position. Once that scenario is established, the film takes some bizarre twists. One her first day in the new role, Moore decides to seduce Douglas. While the idea of reversing sexual harassment roles is intruiging, here it seems more than a little contrived. It's far too sudden; we could have done with a little build-up. Especially given the duration of the seduction in the film. Nor is there any real motivation given for Moore's action. Is it revenge for leaving her [we don't know that happened]? Jealousy for Douglas' wife? Whatever the cause, it's implausible that a climbing corporate woman would put so much at risk through such a blatant act. Once the failed encounter is past, we're subjected to the sordid "disclosure" of the event and its ramifications on other lives through the remainder of the film. Harassment hearings are never charming affairs, with contestents and their advocates striving to make each other look bad and succeeding long before any resolution is achieved. Although nobody in this film shines in performance, Roma Maffia almost walks with it as Douglas' lawyer. Even Donald Sutherland's role, which could also have been enhanced, is made too superficial to give him breathing room. It's inspiring to see this issue raised, it needs more exposure. Unfortunately, this isn't the film to make it happen.
Rating: Summary: . Review: This film will only be "controversial" and "thought-provoking" to the bland, white, middle-class working drones it is catered to. This is basically just your typical "adult-oriented" Hollywood fluff. It could've been worse, but it's only very marginally entertaining (the "virtual reality" stuff is just plain silly), and it's certainly a far cry from profound.
Rating: Summary: Sexual Harassment Turned Upside Down Review: This is a reversal of the typical case in most workplaces. I remember most people in the movie theater were yelling for Sanders (Michael Douglas) to proceed to have sex with Meridith (Demi Moore). There was a big disappointment when he did not. Some statements were funny, particulary those of his wife. It was also amusing how he turned the tables on Meridith at the shareholders meeting. The movie shows that he did the right thing, because he avoided the awkward situation of his boss becoming the mother of his child.
Rating: Summary: Sexual Harassment Turned Upside Down Review: This is a reversal of the typical case in most workplaces. I remember most people in the movie theater were yelling for Sanders (Michael Douglas) to proceed to have sex with Meridith (Demi Moore). There was a big disappointment when he did not. Some statements were funny, particulary those of his wife. It was also amusing how he turned the tables on Meridith at the shareholders meeting. The movie shows that he did the right thing, because he avoided the awkward situation of his boss becoming the mother of his child.
Rating: Summary: Michael Douglas had better roles¿ Review: This is the common type of Michael Douglas type of movies with one exception, he rarely plays the role of a victim! Of course the movie is intriguing, you can see for the first time Demi Moore acts as a smooth criminal! But for those who enjoy reading books, I advise them to read the book instead of watching it! Here is why: 1. The suspense in this movie is not as powerful as it should be. Usually Michael's movies are more powerful, violent and compelling. But the book creates all the dimensions you need to live the thrill and suspense of the story. 2. In the movie, Michael never losses his temper! Come on his reputation, career, money and family are all in jeopardy but he manages not to lose his temper!!! Normally he should lose his mind! Other than that, the movie is brilliant and is still worth seeing! Both actors did a great job but maybe the screen writer or the director is to blame for the weak points!
Rating: Summary: Looks Good Enough - Too Bad It Makes No Sense Review: This movie is just dumb. First of all, most plot points make little to no sense. Much of it is based around a new file system called Corridor - the most useless invention ever, which takes all the convenience of a computer file system, then makes it totally inconvenient by making it look and act like the old paper'n'cabinet storage systems that computers were designed to replace. In fact, the only reason for this is to set up a virtual reality scene, to add to the film's pattern of style over substance. Than you have the silly mystery unfolding with clever twists - like Demi Moore's character accidently spilling her whole evil scheme right in front of Michael Douglas! Or how about the random "solution" to the film's problem that comes so far out of nowhere it's desperately hard to appreciate it as some sort of resolution to what is supposed to be an evolving conclusion. But it doesn't really matter, because most of the acting and plot twists are so contrived you shouldn't be that involved, and DISCLOSURE becomes an unintentional comedy rather than the sleek, sexy thriller it intended on.
Rating: Summary: Turning the double standard on its ear. Review: When most people watch movies that have been made from books, they usually come away from the movie thinking, "The book is better." My own response to that comment might be, "They're pretty equal in quality." With the exception of a few name changes ("Twinkle Drive" in the book becomes "Arcomax" in the movie; from "Louise Fernandez" to "Katherine Alvarez"), the movie follows the plot of the book pretty closely. It's actually one of the first modern movies I've seen that doesn't stray that far from the book. The premise of the movie is an intriguing one to me. High profile cases, such as the confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas and the testimony given by Anita Hill, have increased people's awareness of sexual harassment exponentially. Based upon our personal perceptions and "expectations" of the people around us, we "expect" men to be more sexually aggressive than women and therefore more likely to engage in sexual harassment or rape. But what can happen if a man is harassed by a woman? Watch "Disclosure" and find out.
|