#2002 films

[raspberrydee]

padmé wearing THIS outfit to tell an unbelievably hormonal teenage anakin skywalker that they can’t be in love with each other is objectively one of the funniest things that’s happened in star wars 😭😭

[cressida-jayoungr]

So I Saw This Costume...

The Importance of Being Earnest / Reese Witherspoon as Cecily Cardew

This seems an appropriate dress to post on Valentine's Day, as it is worn in the scene where Cecily explains to Algernon that they have been engaged since February 14th (much to his surprise).

Cecily wears pink quite often in this movie, although here the effect seems to be achieved by a sheer layer of white over a red base. The top has a simple polka-dot pattern with rows of lace and the skirt has a floral design. The bodice is trimmed with red ribbon bows at the neck and on the puffed sleeves.

[bestofcaryelwes]

Cary as Carter in 'Comic book villains' (2002) ✨️

[adamwatchesmovies]

Red Dragon (2002)

Red Dragon can feel familiar at times: the novel by Thomas Harris was also adapted in 1986, much of what we see here we also saw in Silence of the Lambs and this is a prequel so you kind of know where things are going with most of the characters. That said, Hannibal Lecter as portrayed by Anthony Hopkins is such a compelling monster that even a little bit of him goes a long way. If you want more, you get it. Even if you shudder at the thought of ghoulish serial killers, this is an engaging psychological thriller.

After capturing Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) and nearly losing his life in the process, agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) retires from the FBI. Years later, he’s brought back as a consultant when a serial killer nicknamed the “Tooth Fairy” attacks a second family during a full moon. After hitting a wall and with the next full moon approaching, Graham reluctantly admits he cannot complete the killer's psychological profile without Lecter's help.

We’ve seen several aspects of this scenario in The Silence of the Lambs. Lecter behind bars, an FBI agent asking for his help, a serial killer whose pattern needs to be deciphered, etc. Though there is a segment at the beginning of the film that shows what Lecter was like before he was caught, it’s not like in Hannibal where he’s out in the world for a good chunk of the film; the scenes are there to establish the connection between Graham and Lecter. That relationship is where this picture differs the most from Silence, as there’s a horror equivalent of a love triangle going on. Lecter is playing a strange game with Graham. He wants to keep him nearby by feeding him information about the Tooth Fairy but he also wants him dead. Lecter hopes the Tooth Fairy can get revenge on Graham on his behalf.

On the agent’s side, he and Lecter were friends, or at least respected each other professionally before they tried to kill each other. One of the reasons why Graham was pulled out of retirement is his unique ability to put himself in the mind space of someone as deranged the Tooth Fairy. Diving back into that world puts him in danger, in more ways than one. You can imagine a scenario in which his psyche slips and he winds up in the asylum too.

Though he doesn't know it, the man Graham pursues is Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes). We meet him early on and see that he is infatuated with Lecter. Once he realizes Graham is on his trail, you can bet a part of him hopes he can impress his idol by adding him to his list of victims. He has many newspaper clippings of Lecter in the heavy scrapbook he hides in the attic and that means he's intimately familiar with the man who's on his tail.

That triangle is further complicated by the time we spend with Dolarhyde. He’s a bit… sad in a way, though we only think of him as a man whose redemption is possible because we exclusively see the aftermath of his murders – chillingly effective snippets thanks to the editing by Mark Helfrich and the cinematography by Dante Spinotti. Dolarhyde’s motivation may be even more off-the-wall than Buffalo Bill’s but he's made more human thanks to a romantic subplot with a coworker (Emily Watson). She adds an extra element of danger and intrigue to the story. Neither Lecter nor Graham knows she's in the middle of this storm. Only Dolarhyde has any idea of what she may have gotten herself into and he has feelings for her but he's also the one she should be afraid of.

The big unknown in this thriller is how Graham will track the serial killer down. What’s going to be the “Aha!” moment? In a way, then, we’re both ahead of the characters and following behind them. That’s sometimes the case with these types of films, particularly when the serial killer has a bizarre modus operandi but the characters make Red Dragon stand out. The familiar faces (Anthony Heald returns as the Dr, Frederick Chilton), the new main players and the side characters too. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Freddy Lounds, a reporter for a trashy newspaper has a memorable role.

I’d have to sit down and watch Manhunter again to decide whether this is the better adaptation or not. Maybe it doesn’t matter and there’s room for both on your shelf. While Red Dragon is not on the same level as The Silence of the Lambs (and I haven't seen Hannibal recently enough to decide where that one fits in the series) it is a satisfying way to get more of what you liked before. (October 9, 2024)

[inter-gal-actic]

Beyoncé in " Austin Powers Goldmember" 2002

[nanak0i]

blue 2002

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[wendigovertigo]

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Cinematography: Robert Elswit

Cast: Adam Sandler (Barry Egan), Emily Watson (Lena Leonard), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Dean Trumbell), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Elizabeth Egan), Luis Guzmán (Lance), Robert Smigel (Walter)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson