Amusing and fairly authentic take on high school life in California in the 1970's, featuring Sean Penn, Forest Whitaker, Nicholas Cage, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and others, in their first significant roles. Mostly they go to their minimum wage jobs at fast food outlets at the mall, socialize and talk about sex, and try to get through their classes at school. Writer Cameron Crowe posed as a high school student at Clairemont High School in San Diego in order to absorb the vibe. Or was it Van Nuys High School, in Van Nuys, California? It was long ago that I saw it so I can't remember if this is a bold, courageous, authentic portrait of high school California culture, or an exploitative, trash remake of "Porky's". Watched again 2017-05-01. Interesting take on first-time sex: not glamourized or romanticized, and includes a take on consequences, and an affirmation of the value of developing an emotional relationship before getting physical. Sean Penn is brilliant, really, as an interesting slacker-- not a bad guy really. Ray Walston as Mr. Hand is also remarkably developed as a character: he's tough but fair enough and the kids give him grudging respect. [2286]
Norman Jewison brings the celebrated Tevye to the screen in this well-filmed adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof. The film breathes dust and smoke and samovars and the cast is exuberant. Occasionally, Fiddler even dips into profundity, with Tevye's musing about God in "If I Were a Rich Man". Kids may find this boring. Updated 2013: really, a very good drama which magically brings in the musical bits without seeming ridiculous. Jewison deliberately modernized the dramatic style, discarding the broader humour of the traditional Broadway approach, and elicited excellent performance from an exceptional cast, including Topol (who unexpectedly grabbed the lead after Zero Mostel thought he had defined it on Broadway), and Michele Marsh as Hodel, whose restrained, tasteful interpretation gives heft to the final scenes, when she runs off with a non-Jew, and then returns, demanding her fathers' blessings. Filmed in Yugoslavia (and England). [864]
Sophie is a Polish refugee living in New York. She has horrible stories of shattering experiences under the Nazi occupation that gradually emerge under the curious, searching intelligence of Stingo, an aspiring writer, and a transparently admirable alter-ego for author William Styron. Is Streep brilliant or flatulent here? Nobody seemes to know. It is easy and sometimes tempting to giggle at her accent, but the drama is so laden with importance and self-importance that you feel embarrassed for her and for yourself. Maybe if she hadn't been so well-known by then, and so clearly pegged as an actress of substance, it might have worked better. As it is, this film will convince middle-class viewers that they have experienced something of great emotional intensity and philosophical value, and maybe they're right. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if I saw it again, I'd be moved and impressed. [802]
Somewhat pretentious and contrived comedy about three couples who vacation together on someone's sailboat or elsewhere. Usual upper-middle-class effrontery of posing problems of lust and adultery and friendship within extravagance and indolence. The first step of Alda's gradual decline in esteem after the end of M*A*S*H. No-- Alda's self-centred performances in the last few years of M*A*S*H were the beginning of it. [600]
Interesting recreation of primal man, struggle for survival, discovery of how to make fire. Rae Dawn Chong performs some extraordinary medical treatments with her mouth... Nicely filmed, sometimes compelling, but occasionally pretentious or awkwardly comical. By director of NAME OF THE ROSE. [538]
Powerful, stark parable about mob rule. A rancher races into town to report that his cattle have been heisted. Posse immediately forms, siezes three men hearding cattle through the region, and prepares to lynch them. Superb performances, especially by victims. [487]
Don't remember much about it, except football and Beatty. That may be all there needs to be said about it. [426]
Sally Field plays a journalist trying to run up her resume with an expose about a local mobster. But what if she's wrong? Supposedly explores serious issues about the media and the criminal justice system, but the deck is stacked in this one. Well written and acted. [420]
Searing, disturbing portrait of cold-blooded killers who go to prison, but learns the legal system, and exploits it, while the cop that witnessed his partner's murder (and fled), is shattered. Woods is powerful as the con who becomes a prison "house lawyer", helping other inmates exploit loopholes in the legal system. [402]
Powerful performance by Ullman highlights a brilliant, intimate, compelling look at marriage relationships. [305]
The story of preacher Jimmy Jones and his cultic followers, how he started as just another charismatic fundentalist and descended into meglomania and delusions, leading hundreds of his followers to commit mass suicide at their planned idyll in Guyana. Relatively restrained and tasteful and well-acted. Poorly filmed. [246]
Dumb. I only vaguely remember this. Maybe I didn't even see it. [230]
One of the all time worst sequels. [189]
Natasia Kinski in Schrader's sick dream. The problem with Schrader is he wants to be liberated like the Europeans but it's more fun for him to imagine that thoughts about sex really are evil. [168]
Tony Curtis plays Albert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler, in this creepy, documentary-style film about the police hunt for the elusive "measuring man" (who sometimes posed as a Playboy scout). Daring role for Curtis, who had a reputation as a leading man to consider. Shows how the police rather lucked into DeSalvo, who eventually cooperated with detectives and confessed to the crimes. He was later murdered in prison. [137]
TONY CURTIS, HENRY FONDA
Lyrical film about modern day Orpheus, set in Brazil during Mardi Gras. [123]
Absolutely the most brilliant thriller I have ever seen. Certainly deserves to be remade into a good english film. [86]
Likeable attempt-- but Olivia Hussey really can't act. She's pretty, but she can't act. She's the right age-- thank God-- but she still can't act. Besides, the camera was so loud that all the dialog had to be looped. [71]
Not bad, but not great. Some interesting dynamics with O'toole as possible psychopath-- interesting to set this story among generals and Nazis at that. [13]
All Contents Copyright © Bill Van Dyk 1985 All Rights Reserved
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