Personal Velocity

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id1735.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heaven"><U>Heaven</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1663.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hell House"><U>Hell House</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1761.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hidden Fortress"><U>Hidden Fortress</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1813.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="His Secret Life"><U>His Secret Life</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1849.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Holiday Movie Preview 2002"><U>Holiday Movie Preview 2002</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1865.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Hot Chick"><U>The Hot Chick</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1847.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Hours"><U>The Hours</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1862.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How The Grinch Stole Christmas"><U>How The Grinch Stole Christmas</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1805.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How I Killed My Father"><U>How I Killed  My Father</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1869.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Hunted"><U>The Hunted</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1827.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="I am trying to Break Your Yeart"><U>I am trying to Break Your Yeart</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1706.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="I Spy"><U>I Spy</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1742.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="In Praise of Love"><U>In Praise of Love</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1844.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Intacto"><U>Intacto</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1860.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Its a Wonderful Life"><U>Its a Wonderful Life</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1760.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jackass: The Movie"><U>Jackass: The Movie</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1770.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Just a Kiss"><U>Just a Kiss</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id335.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Knock Around Guys"><U>Knock Around Guys</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1586.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lan Yu"><U>Lan Yu</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1747.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Life of David Gale"><U>Life of David Gale</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1873.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Lion King"><U>The Lion King</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1679.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Long Days Journey Into Night"><U>Long Day's Journey Into Night</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1721.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"><U>The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1875.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Love in the Time of Money"><U>Love in the Time of Money</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1749.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Madame Sata"><U>Madame Sata</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1788.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Maid in Manhattan"><U>Maid in Manhattan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1854.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Maid in Manhattan"><U>Maid in Manhattan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1804.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Man From Elysian Fields"><U>The Man From Elysian Fields</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1807.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Manchurian Candidate"><U>The Manchurian Candidate</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1729.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Master of the Flying Guillotine"><U>Master of the Flying Guillotine</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1736.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Monsoon Wedding"><U>Monsoon Wedding</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1821.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Narc"><U>Narc</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1797.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nicholas Nickleby"><U>Nicholas Nickleby</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1754.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Notorious C.H.O."><U>Notorious C.H.O.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1677.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="One Fine Spring Day"><U>One Fine Spring Day</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1826.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Only the Strong Survive"><U>Only the Strong Survive</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1237.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Optimists"><U>The Optimists</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1675.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Paid in Full"><U>Paid in Full</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1845.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pandoras Box"><U>Pandora's Box</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1828.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Pianist"><U>The Pianist</U></A>   |   <B>Personal Velocity</B>   |   <A HREF="id1794.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pinocchio"><U>Pinocchio</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1730.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Adventures of Pluto Nash"><U>The Adventures of Pluto Nash</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1716.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Possession"><U>Possession</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1758.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PunchDrunk Love"><U>Punch-Drunk Love</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1740.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PunchDrunk Love"><U>Punch-Drunk Love</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1874.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Quai Des Orfvres"><U> Quai Des Orfvres</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1808.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Quitting"><U>Quitting</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1786.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RabbitProof Fence"><U>Rabbit-Proof Fence</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1799.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RabittProof Fence"><U>Rabitt-Proof Fence</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1829.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rain"><U>Rain</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1835.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ram Dass Fierce Grace"><U>Ram Dass Fierce Grace</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <B>Home Pages for</B></div> <div> <B> </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm"><U><B>Movies</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>      </B><A HREF="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B>Books</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>          </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Travel</B></U></A><B> </B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>                </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Great Web Sites</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Personal Velocity</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="501" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 96 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="132e4e5a0.png" border=0 width="78" height="90" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="132f85590.png" border=0 width="133" height="89" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="1330865a0.png" border=0 width="134" height="90" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1331865a0.png" border=0 width="134" height="90" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </B> <IMG SRC="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/serve?bfmid=26864318&siteid=37746411&bfpage=home" BORDER="0" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" NOSAVE > <A HREF="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=26864318&siteid=37746411&bfpage=home" TARGET="_top"><IMG SRC="http://www.dvdplanet.com/satellite/banners/affiliate-ad3.jpg" BORDER="0" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="60" ALT="DVDPlanet.com"></A>  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Personal Velocity</B></div> <div> <B>*** </B></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:leeshoquist@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:leeshoquist@aol.com"><U><U>Reviewed by Lee Shoquist</U></U></A></div> <bR> <div> If you look back at the most important decisions you've had to make in your life, you might often remember that they involved scenarios that seem to have come out of nowhere, abruptly.  Or maybe if you look more closely, you might see the logical chain of events that have occurred - sometimes over the course of your entire life - that led up to those moments.    </div> <bR> <div> <I>Personal Velocity</I>, the Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, features intimate and personal recollections of three very different women, with different backgrounds, values and goals.   Writer/director Rebecca Miller adapted <I>Personal Velocity</I> from her own collection of short stories, that at first would seem at home on the Lifetime network, but actually evolve into something more intelligent, deeper and observant.    </div> <bR> <div> Delia (Kyra Sedgewick, in a performance of depth and nuance) is a wife and mother of three, fleeing from an abusive husband and trying to rebuild a life that feels unpromising; hopeless.  She's a fierce creation, filled with anger and regret, stuck in a dead-end life and finding empowerment only through sex, smart enough to remember just enough happy times with her husband that stir a tinge of regret inside.  There's a lack of resolution to her story that feels completely authentic.  </div> <bR> <div> Greta (Parker Posey, full comic gifts on display) is a happily married and moderately successful Manhattan cookbook editor, who gets the chance of a lifetime when a hotshot, best-selling author handpicks her to edit his new book.  Before long, they're working together on more than raw manuscripts, and Greta begins to re-visit her damaged relationship with her father, re-evaluate her marriage and re-examine her fidelity problems.  The richness here comes from Greta's subtle shifts and the way Posey navigates them.  And there's quiet attention paid to her shifting lifestyle that emerges very closely to her own father's questionable moral decisions of the past.  </div> <bR> <div> Paula (Fairuza Balk, underplaying to great effect) is a young pregnant woman from Manhattan who takes an impromptu road trip into self-analysis when her life is spared during a freak accident.  Along the way, she picks up a hitchhiker; a mysterious, badly beaten teenage boy. They share a ride to her mother's (Patti D'Arbanville, in a nicely performed scene) house, with a few stops at a Dunkin' Donuts and some quiet conversation in a motel.  Of the three segments, this one is the most shapeless, least written and probably most fascinating, in that very little is spoken and maybe less accomplished on a narrative level.  But the velocity driving this piece is Balk - an underrated presence in the movies today, who has never fit anyone's idea of what a young actress should look or act like - who conveys an aura of sad displacement, maternal care and developing personal responsibility.  She's appealing her in her contemplation, and manages to say much, particularly in her evolving relationship with her mysterious new friend.   </div> <bR> <div> Each of the stories is well acted and features several dimensions, including connection to family, love, sex, career and responsibility.  Miller ambitiously tries to cover much ground in the relatively short running time, and creates three interesting women, each of whom might make a compelling film on her own terms.  </div> <bR> <div> But for all its strengths, <I>Personal Velocity</I> has a few liabilities that I keep getting stuck on, one of which is its technical make-up.  It's another intimate film shot on digital video, and in this case, it looks it.   Murky, sometimes dark, lacking vivid images and sometimes just soft, the video format has looked much better than here.  </div> <bR> <div> And I also couldn't help the overriding feeling that much of the "empowerment" on display here was a bit familiar ground, though well-told and acted without an ounce of pretension or preachiness.  </div> <bR> <div> The presence of a male narrator on the soundtrack is both illuminating and lazy.  On and on the stories go, while he prattles on about the inner lives, motivations, childhoods, decisions and directions of the women.  I found this device particularly irritating, given that what the narrator is explaining would do well by the film to have actually been dramatized.  The narration, though well-written and intelligent, calls to mind images and episodes from the girls lives you wish you could have seen, rather than just heard about.   </div> <bR> <div> Sure, there are several sequences in the film that flash back to still photo essays that compose pivotal turning points in each of their lives.  But I kept thinking what a richer story it would have been to see these women behaving and living through some of the sequences that are described in such voice-over detail.  </div> <bR> <div> Still, <I>Personal Velocity </I>is a critical film in today's movie landscape, given its intelligence and grace in dealing with three different women's lives and issues.  I am thankful that it was made, as it's just the kind of character-driven film that's so sorely lacking today. It's the type of story so badly needed if the movies are ever to teach us anything about human nature, real life and hard choices that end up with loose strings and no easy answers. The film, in its own way, is very true to the difficulties and messiness of life, features no tidy endings and though a minor achievement, has integrity.    </div> <bR> <div> <B>85 Minutes</B></div> <div> <B>Not Yet Rated</B></div> <div> Violence, Profanity, Sexuality</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="621" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="617"><div> <B>Lee Shoquist © 2002</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> <A HREF="mailto:leeshoquist@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:leeshoquist@aol.com"><U><U>Leeshoquist.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <div>    </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>