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Jarhead (2005) --> Not to demean the American military and its personnel but has the military machine and Hollywood finally ran out of ways to put war on film? What the point of this was travels beyond the capacity of understanding from this reviewer. Although it may show the frustrations of military men waiting for war and give the public a Hollywood version of what it was like in the deserts of the Middle East for its sons and daughters serving, it wasn't enough of a story to merit the backing of a major studio and the 10 bucks it would cost to see it in the theatre. Although the scenes where the men had to hump through mists and rain made up of oil was interesting as it hasn't been shown on film before.


Full Spectrum Staff

Stuck On You (2003) --> Stuck on You is an entertaining comedy/drama about conjoined twins and their bonds of brotherhood from being in each other's company all their lives. Starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, the film follows the brothers through their lives until they finally decide to separate even if it could cost one of them their lives. It's touching without being too serious and even though it was glossed over it gave enough insight into the lives of the men to see how we would react in a similar situation given the same circumstances.


Full Spectrum Staff

The Stepford Wives (1975) --> The film was in need of an update as the original was both long and mostly uneventful. The development of the story was slow and because you knew what was going to happen in the end, the build up to it was excruciatingly long. A film where women are replaced by robots who act as perfect housewives and mothers may have been a reaction to the feminist movement by Ira Levin who wrote the novel the film was based on.

Women's move outside of the home and into jobs in the public sphere had spurred a nostalgic look back to when women and men had separate roles. But the film turns into a promotion of the new way as women's work is shown to be something a simpleton can succeed at and therefore women are demeaned by being forced to do it exclusively. The concept for this film was intelligent but its execution was less than brilliant.


Scott D. Brown

The Seven Year Itch (1955) --> Directed by the great American film-maker Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Blvd. (1950), Stalag 17 (1953)) and starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, The Seven Year Itch is a comedy about temptation and infidelity.

When Richard Sherman's wife leaves New York City (as many families do) during the summer heat waves, Sherman (Ewell) must stay behind to work. This phenomenon allows many husbands to behave like horny teenagers while their wives are away in the country. Sherman also suffers from what was called at the time 'the seven year itch,' a condition found in men after seven years of marriage. It drives them to search out new members of the opposite sex like some animal in heat.

When a beautiful woman without a name (Monroe) moves into the flat above Sherman's the hilarity commences. Sherman, driven in opposite directions by forces almost beyond his control, has his lust for the woman pulling him in one way and his commitment to his wife pulling him in the other. What will he do? Monroe is at her sensual best playing the innocent blonde sex-pot with skill beyond her years. She jumps off the screen.


Full Spectrum Staff

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