Reviews Written by Renee
-
December 10, 2000
Vampire's Kiss
'Vampire's Kiss' is two movies in one. If I were a movie critic, I would say that 'Vampire's Kiss' is a grayscale polychromatic movie with undertones and overtones of salacious insanity. Nicolas Cage plays the lead character, Peter Loew, extremely well and to the extreme. But since I'm not a movie critic, what does this mean?
It means that Nicolas Cage plays a colorfully deep individual in a dark rich movie. On one level the movie is simply a vampire cult art movie where Peter falls prey to a vampiress causing his mind to collapse into a smaller focus - being a vampire. To this end Peter lives like a vampire. He sleeps under his couch, and stays away from light, and eats bugs - cockroaches to be more specific. As he becomes more vampire like, he develops a love / hate relationship with the vampiress, played by Jennifer Beals. (Flashdance)
On another level Nic's character relentlessly stalks his secretary, Alva, played by Maria Conchita Alonso, to find a misplaced file. This involves chasing her into the ladies restroom in one scene and jumping on a desk in another, and then finally going to her home when she calls off sick. All the while asking her, "Where's the file , Alva?" Alva is a sweet girl who has become increasingly frightened of her boss and wishes him dead. Toward the end of the movie, Alva finds the misplaced file.To which Peter in his far out state replies, "It's too late, Alva".
I believe Nic's character was loosing his mind from the beginning and the misplaced represented something else being misplaced his idenity. He is obsessed with finding the file, and the longer the file doesn't appear, the deeper Peter slips from reality. Peter is crying out for help. At one point in the movie he can't even see his reflection in the mirror and cries out, "where am I!". This was truly nice acting. I believe when Alva finally finds the file, Peter says, "It's too late, Alva", because he has already slipped to far into his insanity or fantasy.
The movie is very good, not quite a comedy. It displays as surreal enactment of a man truly loosing his mind, and we watch. I suggest you watch Nicolas Cage, a man who totally understands his character and allows us in. That's what I like about him - he's genuine.
I hope you rent it just to see Nic let it loose! ...
See the list of Top 100 Reviewers
City of Angels
3 of 3 Yahoo! Users found this review helpful "Did you ever get the feeling that there's something bigger out there, bigger than you?"'City of Angels'is about an angel who 'falls' in love with a 'human', but is bigger than that. Director Brad Silberling creates a movie about the essence of life. His tools are Academy Award winning director of photography, John Sealeand composer Gaberial Yared to score the movie. Enhancing this movie are two American icons, Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan and a Grammy rich soundtrack which features; Alanis Morrissette (Uninvited), Sarah McLachlan (Angel),Paula Cole (Feelin' Love), Jimi Hendrix (Red House) and the Goo Goo Dolls (Iris).
The celestial love story begins when Seth, Nicolas Cage, the angel, comes to claim the life of a heart patient. Maggie Rice, Meg Ryan, is the patient's doctor. There sult of this loss to Maggie is devastating. She begins to question life itself, "We fight for people's lives...don't you ever wonder who it is we're fighting with?" Witnessing her heartache, Seth tries to comfort,console and heel Maggie, but he too begins to question things. "She looked right at me." He tells his friend Casiel. Leading us to believe he sees more in Maggie than her pain.
Lovely lines of dialog exchange between Seth and Maggie throughout the movie, but few more powerful than their first meeting.
"Are you a visitor?"says Maggie.
"Yes."
"Well, visiting hours are over."
"Why do they have that?" Seth asks.
"What? Hours?"
"Doesn't it help the patient to be visited?"
"Are you in despair?"Seth.
"I lost a patient."
"You did everything you could?"
"People die." Seth
"Not on my table."
"People die when their bodies give out."
"It's my job to keep them from giving out, or what am I doing here?"
"It wasn't your fault, Maggie."
"I wanted him to live!"
"He is living, jus tnot the way that you think."
In Seth's attempt to help Maggie he creates a confusing mess of feelings for her and himself. No spoilers here, but this love story makes us think and wonder. 'City of Angels' is complete and feels like home. Like many things in life that we take for granted... Seth discovers, a sigh, a flower, blood, love and breath. Like a child they are all new to him and they are for a brief moment new to us as well.
Also, like much of life we are always searching and questioning. Seth believes he has found love and has a to choose between God and Life as a mortal. What are your soul searching questions? This movie makes you ask yourself that question.
Through powerfully tuned cinematography and a deeply moving score, City of Angels, the film, is allowed to whisper in your ear. Listen to the rich dialog, harmonious character interaction and robust story telling. It does it with wit and charm. Once seen and heard you will never forget it.
This brings to mind what I believe sums up 'City of Angels' to me, emotion means the movement of the mind brought on by something which affects it...
"Your mind and your feelings become to powerful and you just can't contain it...and your body weeps."
I was affected and I wept. ...