Individual Movies
 Prison - The Unknown Movies
Detailed review of the script, acting and production hails director Renny Harlin but pans Viggo Mortensen. "Judging from his performance here, it's hard to believe Mortensen managed to work his way up to a high class project like Lord Of The Rings. He is incredibly vanilla bland, whether he's being confronted by a Bubba-like prisoner, or trying to escape from the evil wraith that has enveloped the prison. His unemotional state ends up transforming him into some kind of holier-than-thou snot, making him quite an annoying hero.... In his defense, Mortensen's character is just as blandly sketched by the screenplay."
The Reflecting Skin (1990) - goatdog's movies
Critic Michael W. Phillips, Jr. gives The Reflecting Skin only 2.5/5 goats. While praising the film as "visually stunning," he finds the characters and their actions to be incomprehensible. Comparing filmmaker Philip Ridley with David Lynch, he observes that "Lynch's characters behave in more or less predictable, human ways when trying to find their way out of [a] mess. In The Reflecting Skin, nobody behaves like a normal person would, and the viewer is left as a patron at a freak show."
The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) - Movie Reviews UK, 1997
Damian Cannon begins his review: "A twisted, haunting fantasy-tale, The Passion of Darkly Noon weaves the fate of strangers together and plunges them headlong into destruction." After discussing the film's plot, characters and metaphors, Cannon concludes that "as in most fairy-tales, the storyline is slight and only a small element of the final picture. Instead the interaction between characters, symbols, sound and light provide the engine which drives Darkly on his inexorable path towards chaos. It is these factors which make [the film] such a compelling and absorbing experience, encompassing viewers willing to experiment with a little logical relaxation. While unlikely to appeal to all, The Passion of Darkly Noon is worth a visit by those looking for something off the beaten track." He rates it 4/5 stars.
 The Passion of Darkly Noon by Philip Ridley - Film Festivalen SE, 1997
Of The Passion of Darkly Noon, film festival reviewer TR observes that "The brutality and contradiction of human nature is revealed without any romanticizing, by using dream-like images which are open to interpretation." He concludes that "The Passion of Darkly Noon secures Philip Ridley's position as one of the most interesting young British filmmakers of today."
smug mystery date - smug.com, February 1997
Film critic Robert "VX" Lee compares and contrasts the 1971 and 1997 versions of Vanishing Point. The good news is that "If the only thing you liked about the first movie was the car, you'll love this one -- same car, and it's pretty much the star of the movie." But then he delves into the philosophy and deeper meaning of the original and how it was lost in the remake, concluding that "What was a really simple, strange, and even subtle (for what is, in essence, the dumbest car chase movie ever) exploration of the heart of man, of individuality, and of life in general has been co-opted and twisted into a stupid, mean and (I would argue) ultimately racist piece of crap that doesn't even have the attraction of being fun to watch."
The Reflecting Skin - eFilmCritic.com, October 30, 1999
The Grinch gives The Reflecting Skin a 5-star rating while warning that it is "definitely not for the squeamish."
Review: 28 Days - The Onion A.V. Club, 2001
Reviewer suggests improvements in 28 Days but concludes that it "exceeds expectations at nearly every turn" and that Viggo Mortensen is "used well, for once."
Passion of Darkly Noon - Ozus' World Movie Reviews, January 14, 2001
Reviewer Dennis Schwartz summarizes the film as "an off-beat, haunting, overwrought fairy tale for adults," and discusses its biblical metaphors. "This visually pleasing allegory ends on an apocalyptic note. It takes a stab at being an intelligent slasher movie for those who like their gore laced with some sensible dialogue to go along with its good and evil characterizations." He gives the film a grade of 'C.'
The Passion of Darkly Noon (1996) Movie Review - Rotten Tomatoes, November 25, 2002
Director: Gus Van Sant - The Onion A.V. Club, March 5, 2003
The director speaks about shooting in Death Valley and the state of American independent film. The most interesting part for Viggo fans comes in the last few paragraphs, where he discusses Psycho: "When we were shooting it, Viggo Mortensen and I were talking about the next one. We were going to do a black Psycho, a punk-rock Psycho... Viggo knows all the punk rockers, so he had some ideas about how to pull it off."
Review: Hidalgo - The Onion A.V. Club, March 3, 2004
Whaaaaaaaaaat? - Late Reviews and Latest Obsessions, December 13, 2004
"The Critic" explains that he rented The Passion of Darkly Noon because considered The Reflecting Skin to be an "amazingly good film." Unfortunately, his opinion of PoDN is rather less. He goes into some detail about the inconsistencies and nonsense that he sees in the film. "In one short film, Philip Ridley managed to completely undermine his reputation—at least for me."
 Alatriste already fight - Publicaciones del Sur, S.A., April 13, 2005
Description of the filming of Alatriste on the Beach of Valdevaqueros in Spain, with information about the upcoming shooting schedule. Original article in Spanish; translation at Brego.net. [Brego.net]
 'Rings' star Viggo takes to the high seas - Hello Magazine, April 14, 2005
Brief article compares Viggo Mortensen's role in Alatriste with that of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. Illustrated with two nice shipboard photos from the filming.
 'The Road' Less Traveled - Entertainment Weekly #994, May 30, 2008
Two of the first images from The Road, with a quote from Viggo Mortensen. [Brego.net]
|
