Dude!

Cinema Criticism Writing
Last week, we watched Dangerous Liaisons with its all-star cast: Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, John Malkovich, Uma Thurman, Swoosie Kurtz and, in a fairly minor role, Keanu Reeves. The film came out in 1988, before the Matrix movies and the Bill & Ted movies and Speed and all the other films that made Keanu Reeves who he is. But even so, in our discussion this week, a lot of the students simply could not get past his current image enough to accept him in as a credible character in 18th century France. One student said that, as an actor, Reeves ranges from Dude to Surfer Dude.  Bogus!

Art Film

Cinema Criticism Writing
Dangerous Liaisons, which we watched in class this week, is one of those movies that has what can pretty fairly be called an all-star cast: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Keanu Reeves and Swoosie Kurtz. Some of them are bigger stars now than they were in 1988, when the movie opened; some perhaps not quite so big. And yet it's still a bit surprising to see them all assembled in one movie, especially a costume picture set in 18th century France. It's a little like going to an art museum and spotting movie-star faces in a painting by Watteau.