Rating: Summary: It's Really Winona's Show All The Way Review: Angelina Jolie took home best supporting actress for a showy role as a troublemaking sociopath in a late 1960s mental hospital, but it is Winona Rider who turns in a great performance in the lead role. It's a very well-done movie, and the main group of girls are all memorably played, especially Brittany Murphy as a patient with an eating disorder.
Rating: Summary: Susanna has a lot of spirit and courage Review: I love this movie I gave it four stars instead of five because the acting was good but the story of her life did run flat like things in our life do. I did not like the plot thow well I dint get what the plot was supposed to be.
Rating: Summary: Disturbingly wonderful Review: This movie gives a great view into the mind of Girls who lives were "interrupted" by some tragic event. Whether it be drugs, molestation or divorce. This movie also awakens us to society's mishandling of these fragile minds in the 60's. Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie and Whoopi Goldeberg polish this movie off with great acting.
Rating: Summary: must see! Review: This was one of the last oscar movies I saw. I wish it had been one of my first. The entire acting cast was wonderful. I can't tell you enough how much I loved this movie! I had to see it twice in a row. Hats off to Joli and Ryder.
Rating: Summary: GIRL, INTERRUPTED DVD REVIEW: A pretty good movie! Review: I don't usually watch the Oscar's because for many years, people and movies I expect to win, never do. So, when I see a DVD that has "Oscar nominee" or "Academy Award Winner" and even "One of the best films of the year!" on the covers, I tend to say.."yeah, right! Whatever..." I purchased the DVD of "GIRL, INTERRUPTED" and one of the driving forces for me to buy this is for the acting of Winona Ryder (watch her eyes because those emotions are within the eyes) and Angelina Jolie that is currently the eye candy for many entertainment magazines at this time. After watching this movie, I must say that I was actually very pleased with the storyline. It's actually a very good story and the interaction among the girls was really interesting. James Mangold said in the director's commentary that it was about adding conflict and the conflicts between Susanna and Lisa or Susanna and her nurse and of course Susanna with Susanna is very well done. Winona Ryder is a talented actress and again her eyes play a big part in this movie. In fact, the HBO First Look: "The Making of GIRL, INTERRUPTED" goes into that. As for Angelina Jolie, she did a perfect job in playing Lisa. With all the rumors and news going around, sometimes I wonder if Angelina and Lisa share anything in common. She deserves the Academy Award for playing a convincing sociopath. The video quality of the movie is pretty good but there are noticeable artifacts during the dark scenes. The audio is good and you don't get so much because it's a dialogue driven movie. I think the only time I heard sounds from the speakers is when they rode on the VW van and you hear the engine. What about the extras? Well, first, let's be thankful they made it anamorphic and they included the director's commentary, deleted scenes and an isolated music score. The HBO making of is very interesting to watch and the theatrical trailers for Winona and Angelina's movies were a nice touch. So, overall you get a pretty good DVD with a pretty good story. Some might deem this as more of a movie more for women but I think both genders can enjoy this movie. It has a nice blend of drama, comedy and a few dark moments. Check it out!
Rating: Summary: Realistic but could have been better Review: I was in a mental institution, against my will, for a month once. I emotionally relate to this sad, yet triumphant story. It was realistic in many many ways. Yet, it lacked good storytelling. I found it dragged its feet, and some things were hard to dismiss: Why wasn't Angelina Jolie sent to a higher security facility if she'd escaped so many times and was such a "danger" to herself? Why, in every movie that was supposed to have taken place in the sixties, do they show the assassination of either Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr. on TV? This is a cliche I could have done without. Winona Ryder saves this movie. She is the only real person in this movie, the only character I cared about.
Rating: Summary: Too Sentimental, No Depth, Bad Acting, Many Flaws Review: I guess this is a teen girl film or something, but here is my utterly valueless opinion not being one: Flaw one: what's the point? A girl commits herself to an institution. Winona Ryder acts crazy, Angelina Jolie acts crazy, they all act crazy....but isn't that what real "crazy" people do: ACT crazy? Basically the people in institutions are playing the game that the doctors set up for them; they accept their diagnosis as legitimate, take the prescribed psychotropic drugs and electroshock and indulge their "illness" as an excuse to vegitate. Basically there is no such thing as mental illness and this film, though unintentionally, drives that fact home. Winona Rider is the "good" luny while Angelina Jolie is the "bad" luny and they are all playing the game of being suicidal as the doctors indulge their patients' mind games. This scenario set in the 1960's has 2 scenes of infinite irony: One, the cab driver says if Rider's character needs to be committed for seeing things then John Lennon does too. 2: her boyfriend comes to take her away to Canada where he's going to avoid the draft. He really drives the nail into this whole mental illness game and speaks the truth to Rider's character: you're not crazy. Who are these people to say who's normal...indeed. The rest of the film is predictable overly sentimental soap opera. There is no depth to the psychology of the characters; believe it or not they consider watching "The Wizard of Oz" to be some secret communal nirvana experience. That's as deep as it goes. Also a word on setting consistency: watch the scene when money is displayed; though the director uses 1960's cars, he doesn't notice the obvious--the big faced 1990s bills are used for a scene supposedly set in the 1960s. But don't worry; to let you know what era it is they show the totally irrelevant (to this film) King assassination. Finally a note on the acting. The easiest thing in the world is to act like someone who's stupid or crazy. They act crazy pretty well, acting as if stupidity were a virtue. For a much better true story showing the abuse of psychiatry see the film, Francis, starring Jessica Lange.
Rating: Summary: Oscar Worthy! Review: This movie is just too much for mere words. The plot, the actors, the direction; all are just extraordinary. The true story of Susanna Kaysen's life at a mental institution comes across incredibly on this DVD. Winona Ryder pulls off a terrific performance and it's a shame it wasn't recognized more. The acting of Angelina Jolie, however, was recognized and what an unbelievable job she did. Her performance alone is worth buying the DVD. The extra features on the DVD are a definite plus, especially the deleted scenes. This movie is incredible and should have gotten even more praise.
Rating: Summary: One Flew over the Parakeet's Nest... Review: As another reviewer said...this is kind of a female version of "Cuckoo's Nest" and really, who could compete with Jack Nicholson acting (? ) like a wild and crazy guy? Why do manic depressives and asylums make for such popular screenplay material? I've not a clue. The lead character is so completely self-absorbed with her own life and her own problems, you stop caring what happens to her. However, in all fairness - I did watch the movie through to the end and found some of the characters quite interesting and there was also some good writing and really good lines. Just kind of a snoozer - overall.
Rating: Summary: Angelina Saves the Day! Review: Winona Ryder was, in my opinion, very poorly cast in the title role of this film. She never loses her poise or inner glamour, and I don't believe that anyone can look that pulled together in a mental hospital. However, ALL of the supporting actresses pour their hearts and souls into their roles, and it shows. It's heart-breaking to watch a girl with severe burns try to make the best of her situation, and Angelina ABSOLUTELY deserves her Oscar because she totally embodies the crazy, too-beautiful-for-her-own-good character she plays. Also, it's wonderful to see Jared Leto in ANYTHING... All in all, definitely a watcher!
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