Darryl Hannah is ravishing-- and nothing else is-- in this early, erotic romance set largely at the nude beaches on a Greek Island. Hannah is a photographer. Hard to figure out what Gallagher does other than stare. [649]
Didn't see entire film-- saw about an hour of it. That hour was visually stunning, gripping, funky, and original. Background music is big surprise. Acting is very good. Highly original and worthwhile. Need more info. 2018-03: finally watched the while thing. Superb dramatization of the explosive tension that results when Flipper Purify, happily married with a daughter, indulges in a workplace affair with the seductive Angie Tucci, an Italian girl engaged to Paulie Carbone. The overt, violent racism of her family, and Paulie's family, is a little shocking, because it isn't smoothed out for white, liberal viewers: it's raw and uncompromising. Paulie's friends urge him to take drastic measures; his father ridicules him. And Angie's family would almost certainly beat Flipper to death if they had the chance. But there isn't a single one-dimensional character in the film. Everyone lives and breathes their own sweaty heartbreaks and frustrations. The dialogue is political and provocative, searingly expressive of roots and culture and burning grievances. Everything expertly filmed, beautifully acted, with a soaring soundtrack of Stevie Wonder songs, written for the film, and, often, a classical orchestra. [553]
Funny and well-directed and acted, especially Raul Julia as Gomez. Some good jokes, dies down a little in the last 45 minutes. Good visual effects. A teasing but unsatisfying link drawn between the kind of masochism/sadism also expressed in some rock music and literature, and the Addams' family's perversities, but not explored enough to lift this film from the realm of confections. [552]
RAUL JULIA, ANGELICA HUSTON
Quietly graceful film about eight elderly women trapped in the Canadian wilderness in Quebec after their bus breaks down and their young driver injures her ankle. The women share thoughts, struggles, despairs, hopes, in very low key, casual way, gradually working up a kind of elegiac salute to the vicissitudes of life, aging, physical deterioration. All while struggling to find a place to sleep and food to eat and get the bus back on the road. The script is mostly improvised by non-professional actresses and is unusually blunt and unsentimental about what it means to grow old. [551]
Very powerful, rich, moving--and deeply flawed-- film about "Noodles", a Jewish thug in New York, and his friend Max and their gang, and their rise and fall as they bootleg their way to wealth. McGovern plays a striking, intelligent woman Noodles loves but can't possess, and finally rapes in sheer, stupefied frustration. Weld is a mobster's moll. Very elegiac, and moving at times--thanks partly to a lovely score-- but ends with a bizarre sequence of developments that make neither dramatic nor narrative sense. All the make-up in the world can't make this Elizabeth McGovern look 60, and Woods also never does seem right in any role I've seen him in. The role called for deep self-examination, sorrow, and regret, but I believe he is incapable of expressing anything deeper than insouciant arrogance. 225 minute version was viewed. A 227 print exists, in Europe. Some second thoughts. The bottom line is that, yes, this film is deeply flawed, but I still like it a lot, and if I ever see it scheduled on late night cable, I will watch. It is gorgeously filmed, and the music is haunting. Woods is better than I gave him credit for, and De Niro, though he seems confused by the movie at times, is brilliant. The child- actors, especially Connelly as the McGovern character, are riveting. Yes I like this film, but I cringe when I watch the last twenty minutes. [550]
Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Jennifer Connelly, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, Dannie Aiello, William Forsythe, James Hayden, Larry Rapp, Cusack Joan
Solid, entertaining drama about Bates meeting old woman (Tandy) who tells her about Idgie and Ruth, two cousins from the 1930's, who established a profound friendship that survived abusive husbands, murder, and other adversities. Dignified, intelligent drama. Doesn't over-reach itself. Mary Stuart Masterson is very good as Idgie; Tandy is best ever as Ninny Threadgoode. [547]
Very strange, off beat film about two Dutch brothers, both of whom appear to be mad, who are separated by mother and father. Father commits suicide; the one brother is simply committed. Strange unpredictable sequences of slapstick humour, black comedy, and bizarre images. Hard to understand purpose of clumsiness. Helen fell asleep and gave up. [546]
Funny, madcap satire of advertising agency, gets bogged down a little at the end by rather didactic lecture on evils of big corporations and advertising, but still wildly provocative and interesting. [544]
Charming and entertaining story of secretary (Melanie Griffiths) who works for a ruthless broker (Sigourney Weaver). When the broker is injured in a skiing accident, Griffith uses her office and connections to arrange a big merger, with the assistance of a friendly agent (Harrison Ford). Griffith is charming and seductive. The secondary characters are filled out, and Weaver plays an incredible bitch. Decent film, likable, if not overly deep. Update 2020-03: perhaps not as a clever as all that, and is Griffith a charming, eccentric, stylish actress, or just amateurish-- it's not clear. She speaks in a geisha voice, occasionally sounding sophomoric. But it works in this film, and she can be funny. The film has become even more interesting on account of the dated sexual stereo-types, though, as has been pointed out, Griffith's daughter, Dakota Fanning, starred in "50 Shades of Grey", perhaps the most regressive film of it's era. [541]
Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, Baldwin Alec, Bosco Philip, Spacey Kevin, Oliver Platt, Melanie Griffith
I thought it was better than the remake with DeNiro; not as excessively, ridiculously violent at end. And Peck and Mitchum, for my money, are superior to Nolte and DeNiro. Taut, surprisingly brutal, and powerful. [539]
Why not just see the original, "Hustler", a far superior film, largely due to the fact that Newman's persona suits his role in the Hustler far more than it does here. Over-rated. [535]
Thoroughly entertaining, scary film. Directorial credit is correct: Rob Reiner has crafted a suspenseful, yet meaningful film. Intelligent and sometimes witty. Bates is absolutely perfect. Caan is a little baffling at first, but controlled. Cinematography is nothing special: manages to make the rocky mountains look mundane. [534]
Thoroughly enjoyable, inspite of-- or sometimes because of-- its flaws. Smartest move was employing a cast of unknowns to keep it believable. Second smart move: casting of lead singer, who is not only believable, but sometimes astoundingly good. Third great move: pick some of the best soul numbers of the past 30 years and do them up well, with an Irish lilt. [533]
Interesting cast. [532]
Very off-beat, unusual film, about black college and student obsessions with dates, looks, etc. The "wannabees" straighten and colour their hair; the "jigaboos" go natural. Dap leads protests against investment in firms that do business with South Africa. The stories are based on Lee's experiences at an all black college, with particular focus on fraternities and sororities. There are dance numbers which I thought were fantasy elements but which were actually based on real events, and musical elements that are clearly fantasy. Along the way, a character named Half-pint makes it into a fraternity but is suspected of being a virgin: so Julian makes his girlfriend have sex with him. Scenes like this give the film an edge, but the life of the film is the interactions between strongly drawn characters, who simply refuse to fall into stereo-types. Nobody makes films about black social experience like Lee-- he is a treasure. [529]
OSSIE DAVIS, BILL NUNN, KADEEM HARDISON, JOE SENECA, SAMUEL JACKSON
Charming, honest, modest little film about a salt-of-the-earth type trying to win the heart of the class valedictorian. She has a great relationship with her father but things are not exactly as they seem. (No, there's no subplot about abuse here.) Well-directed and acted, some original twists to the plot, and the leads are appealling. And there's a decent, if inoffensive, message in here about crossing boundaries and so on. Why don't we ever see films about the obverse, a male intellectual pursued by a "salt-of-the-earth" girl? Because American's are fundamentally anti-intellectual. It is the girl in these films who always comes around to realizing that beer-swilling, inarticulate, sweaty blue-collar men really are more desirable than intelligent, literate, imaginative men. It's a wonderful fantasy for the average male tv viewer who sees himself more in the image of Stallone or Mickey O'Rourke than, say, Yves Montand : "Yeah, I might be stupid and ugly, but I know that deep down the women really go for me." Unfortunately, they might be right. [528]
Truly one of the most offensive films ever made, about a woman who removes unwanted hair with electrolysis and unwanted people with special "hit girls". Carroll Baker is superb. Interesting, vulgar, tasteless. Not a masterpiece but an interesting dissection of Viet Nam time morality: nice people blow up women and babies with bombs; why not individuals from a beauty parlour? Warning-- like I said, this is REALLY offensive. [523]
CARROLL BAKER
Mildly funny, sometimes enchanting film about poor boy who wins chance to see Wonka's chocolate factory. Gene Wilder is interesting, but doesn't capture the cynicism of the main character. Peter Ostrum is very good as Charlie. [522]
Occasionally affecting drama about medical problems of older man, giving way to medical problems of his wife, which helps him regain some of his youthful vigour. Tries a bit too hard. Acting is pretty good. [521]
Poorly subtitled. Appears to be a beautifully filmed epic about village life in the mountains of Japan, centreing on the matriarch of the family, who is getting old, and near time for "Narayama", wherein the elderly are abandoned on some kind of mountain to die. Beautiful film, but I wouldn't want to see it twice. The only film I can think of in which a man has relations with a dog and horse. [520]
Brilliantly evocative, very honest portrait of labour problems in Matewan, West Virginia, in the 1920's. Visually rich, strong characterizations, well acted and directed. A rare true left-wing film, with only the slightest bit of contrivance in the race to prove Joe's innocence. [519]
Dumb, anachronistic, unimaginative, and dull. The last fifteen minutes are fun, but the first two hours go wrong every way possible. Costner is a dud, the romance has no spark. The Sherriff, however, is royalty entertaining, especially when trying to consumate his marriage with Marian on the floor of the Chapel while Robin and his men are taking the castle. [518]
Excessive and flamboyant; miscast. Boring. Bereft of ideas. Yet movie book gave it three stars? What gives? [517]
Not bad, but a little disappointing. Very much talk talk talk. Definitely the raw material for the "The Big Chill", though this version was far more honest and unconventional. Reportedly made for $60,000. How come only the men get naked for the skinny dipping scene? It's really about the sexual relationships, the struggle to find some kind of stability as these young people-- baby-boomers-- enter a new phase of their lives. [516]
MAGGIE RENZI, JOHN SAYLES
Affecting film, very well-done, but I wondered if it wasn't too similar to Paths of Glory: vainglorious generals order men to execute risky and fruitless maneuvers on the battlefield. Unpretentious, intelligent, and well-acted and scripted. [515]
MEL GIBSON
Brilliant animation, beautifully crafted storey. [513]
Brilliant film-making, superior in many ways, but also, in many ways, another "Hollywoodization" of an important storey. Sidebar on Garrison's wife is irrelevant and weak; extensive, fascinating use of 8mm, real footage, 8mm shot by Stone, newsreel and television, etc. Faithful to Garrison's book, and reasonbly responsible. [512]
Powerful, stunning, astounding German-French co-production about a decaying slum and labour problems in Brooklyn in 1950's. Photographed with loving detail and luminence, by same cinematographer who did Thin Blue Line. Film depicts violence and lust with dispassionate but sanctifying detachment. Depressing, yes, but also illuminating. Helen stopped watching half way through. Stephen Lang as Harry Black is obsessively watchable. [511]
Based on the story, by Disney. [499]
Brilliant, stark documentary style film about the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas in 1960. Riveting performances by Blake and Wilson as the two miscreants whose personalities seem to weld into a single psychopathic entity. The film is shocking in the way it refuses to caricature or excuse the violence, or moralize about injustice or violence. The police, in John Forsythe's smug, "father knows best" austerity, come off as dull, lifeless conformists. All the verve and life seems to emanate from the criminals, along with dark urges and desperation. Stylishly but not obtrusively filmed. Based on book by Truman Capote. [495]
Fascinating and influential sci-fi drama said to have been based on Shakespeare's Tempest. An intellectual scientist lives alone on a planet with this beautiful daughter, warning off strangers. When they come, a horrible alien beast appears, kills, and disappears. Well acted, well-scripted, and the effects are pretty good. An obvious source of inspiration for Star Trek. Seen again 2018-08. Really smart science fiction but not so clever melodrama. Typical example: when a significant character tries an alien machine out on his brain and collapses, and offers some last words, of course, Commander Adams makes no attempt to seek medical help for him. He behaves exactly as if he was an actor who knows that the character dies in this scene. There is also a romantic subplot that seems to appear out of nowhere. The early scenes of Adams' men ogling Anne Francis are creepily anachronistic-- she is seen as a hot potential mate by everyone, dramatizing, perhaps, a very progressive view of sex awkwardly presented. Robbie the Robot was a brilliant conception, except for the horribly clumsy way he moved, with feet in big rubber rings. "Lost in Space" wisely gave their robot treads, but neither is as intriguing as Boston Dynamics' current projects. And the sets with extensive electronics and effects are impressive. "Forbidden Planet" projected human travel to the moon as occurring far in the future, in 2096, not in 13 years! Anne Francis wears a very short mini-skirt in the film: the first time Hollywood dared. But it definitely started a trend (see "Star Trek", the original TV series). [494]
Low-key but powerful depiction of fatal influence of a pair of lovers on adolescent boy's emotional life, in 19th century England. Beautifully filmed in English country-side. The boy is used by Marion (Christie), an upper-class woman engaged to a respectable but boring man, to bring messages to a local tenant-farmer with whom she is having an affair. The boy adores Christie at first but comes to resent the burden he carries. When the other adults pressure him to reveal what he knows, disaster results. The film is really an indictment of certain upper class sentiments about the "rugged poor". Christie--who seems a romantic character at first--is revealed as a self-centred, self-serving romanticist, with no consciousness of the effects of her actions on others. Somewhat archaic in the development of dramatic scenes, (and boys rough-housing can be so hard to reproduce in film it almost always fails), but otherwise superbly acted. The music also is a trifle over-bearing but tolerable. Very unusual perspective on romantic trysts and class difference. [482]
Lovely, unpretentious film about hysteria surrounding the Beatle's arrival in America in 1964. Grace is an aspiring journalist who is convinced a Beatles exclusive will kick-start her career; Rosie is a fanatic who swears she will die if Paul doesn't marry her; Janis despises the Beatles and wants to protest their appearance; Pam is about to be married and reluctantly tags along for a last thrill before the wedding. They find out that Larry's father owns and funeral home and persuade him to steal one of the limos so they can try to get into the Beatle's hotel. Rosie hopes to win tickets to the Ed Sullivan Show appearance by correctly answering a radio- broadcast trivia question. They are joined by Tony, who believes the Beatles are a threat to America (he's an early "incel") and discovers that all the women he meets are more interested in Paul McCartney than him. Once they arrive at the hotel, their paths diverge. They attempt to break into the Beatles' hotel room, and obtain tickets to the Ed Sullivan Show, and or any kind of souvenir, including pieces of the carpet they walked on. Funny and fast- moving with good comic performances from, especially, Wendie Jo Sperber as Rosie. All of the music is diegetic, and all original Beatles' recordings. Points for a very cleverly, richly developed plot, which never quite rises above frivolity and slapstick, but keeps things moving and has provides a satisfying moment at the conclusion. Shrewd combination of documentary and frivolity, with a quiet if limited sense of the larger significance of this cultural earthquake: Pam tells her fiance that she suddenly realizes that there might be more to life than just being a housewife. It's somehing "American Graffiti" didn't have to announce. [481]
Great, entertaining character study: Bogart as an earthy, individualistic steamboat captain; Hepburn as prim missionary. They are in Africa during the war, and circumstances bring them together with an opportunity to help the cause by attacking a German gunship. Script by James Agee, from novel by Forster. [477]
Moody, atmospheric, and graced by the presense of Genevieve Bujold. From the novel by Anne Hebert, based on a true story, about a woman in 18th century Quebec who rebels against her brutish husband, the Squire of Kamouraska, and falls in love with a doctor. When they murder the husband, the Doctor escapes across the border and she is charged with the crime. Her aunts testify to her good character and she is released and marries a stodgy, reliable sort and the doctor is not heard from again. [475]
Trivial all the way through. [469]
Surprisingly good drama about coming of age, and sinister goings-on behind the facades of small town America. [458]
Dumb and boring. [457]
Hilarious! But also beautifully filmed. [454]
Modern retelling of Jesus story, takes potshots at commercial advertising and crass materialism, politicians, the police. Unsurprisingly, a liberal humanist slant on the Christ character but with touches of mysticism, and the occasional oddly humourous touch of realism, as when Jesus, posing on the cross in a tableau of the crucifixion, is arrested and has to climb down. [450]
Beautiful sequel to Jean de Florette: simple, elegant, true, and profoundly resonant of humanity and redemption. Great film. [438]
Can't remember much about this particular one. [436]
I was impressed by the liberalism of this film when I first saw it, but many critics see it is patronizing: what if the black dude isn't Mr. All-American over-achiever Doctor Sidney Poitier (yes, he's a doctor)? Good point. Still, it is Hepburn and Tracey in last film for Tracey. And considering the era in which it was made, it's on the right side of the issue-- the parents, Matt and Christina, are liberal, educated, professionals, who probably aren't racist but believe their daughter is inviting a lot of problems by marrying a black man. [425]
Beautifully filmed, lush adaptation of E. M. Forster novel about a young, "proper" British woman resisting her own infatuation with an impulsive, passionate man, while engaged to an exceedingly proper atheist. The atheist is somewhat dishonestly caricatured, though characterization essentially rings true. Interesting, but dissatisfying. [356]
Delightful comedy about a film troupe making a movie about love, with serio-comic overtones. A pleasure to watch, for the affection Truffaut shows for his own industry, the behind-the-scenes look at film-making, and the sense of irony and humour. In the end, the movie plot and the characters "real" lives begin to intertwine, suggesting that fact and fiction mix with equal measure in our romances and self-image. [325]
Usual inspired Gilliam fare. And I added to it here. [267]
Amusing and literate but somewhat pointless "comedy" about wild impulsive Hepburn eventually realizing that she is better off with true love rather than money. Resonates with "How to Marry a Millionaire" and, oddly enough, "Cabaret". Supposed to be funny, but hard to imagine that it ever was. At times, bitterly, pointedly satircal about New York society, money, etc. Hepburn is okay but tiresome. Buddy Ebsen appears, Martin Balsam, George Peppard, and it's surprising to find that they could ever actually "act" before they started doing TV. The theme, of course, is Mancini's melancholy MOON RIVER. Based on story by Truman Capote, screenplay by "Lord Love A Duck"'s George Axelrod. There is one interesting angle on this film. In many ways, this film is more "amoral" than the far more controversial "Bonnie and Clyde". The characters in "Breakfast..." live only for the moment, for themselves. There are no "values" or "truth"-- just that party or experience that makes you feel alive, and that life is fun. [211]
AUDREY HEPBURN, GEORGE PEPPARD, PATRICIA NEAL, BUDDY EBSEN, MARTIN BALSAM, MICKEY ROONEY
A very powerful, tightly written, very intelligent, well-acted thriller. Mia Farrow is fine. John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon excellent. Cassavetes is the husband who may have made a very bad deal with the devil-- but wife Rosemary has trouble convincing anyone about it. One of the great, genuinely creepy films of the era. Watched again 2023-10-06. Really brilliant thriller. Guy Woodhouse is an unsuccessful actor and Rosemary is his very young wife. They move into a very nice apartment with some strange, creepy-- but not too creepy -- neighbors. Suddenly, Guy's career takes a turn for the better, but their neighbors, Minnie and Roman Castevet are more than a little nosy and intrusive. Guy and Rosemary decide to conceive a child and here the story takes a very dark turn. An astonishingly challenging narrative is handled brilliantly by Polanski, without camp or parody. Is this the secret origin of the current fetish for conspiracy theories? In a sense, Guy and his cohorts do to Rosemary what Trump supporters think liberals are doing to the nation. Everywhere Rosemary turns, every apparently anodyne interaction, merely confirms the complicity of all. She is ridiculed for her quaint, traditional beliefs. She is ridiculed even more when she perceives (Rosemary is quite smart) what is really going on and attempts to seek help from outsiders who are uninvolved. There is also a potential feminist subtext here: Guy is a bully, and Rosemary is forced to become Satan's handmaiden. [207]
MIA FARROW, JOHN CASSAVETES, RUTH GORDON, SIDNEY BLACKMER, MAURICE EVANS, RALPH BELLAMY, CHARLES GRODIN
Well written, but ultimately unsatisfying biography of Bugsy Siegel, ends up admiring a man who was, after all, a thug. And what is it the movie makers seem to admire: that he had the foresight to build the first Las Vegas hotel and casino. [202]
WARREN BEATTY, ANNETTE BENNING
A very intriguing, though slow-moving, tale of two men, best friends, and the extraordinary woman they both fall in love with. Disturbing, lyrical, but a tiny bit out-dated in that the sexual overtones can't be nearly as shocking today as when the film was made. Pre-feminist feminism? [193]
Very stylish, but somewhat lacking in substance. Keaton is a dramatic, intense Batman, but ultimately, this is a triumph of style over substance. Batman is a vicious vigilante, motivated by the murder of his parents by a thug when he was a child. Keaton plays him with Brandoish muffling introversion, which adds some interest, but Nicholson steals every scene with his deliciously malevolent Joker. In the end, what do we have? Another "Dirty Harry", in tights and cape? Doesn't really address any of the issues it glibly suggests-- what is the role of law and government in a corrupt system? Answer? I don't know. It's just there and it's corrupt. It's more fun to play with the high tech toys and the sound effects. Well-filmed and well-acted, but ultimately dumb. [191]
MICHAEL KEATON, JACK NICHOLSON, DARRYL HANNAH
Dumb. [186]
Looks serious and substantial. At the end, I was left wondering what was the very subtle point after all. Good character study. Well-acted and filmed. [160]
Syrupy, contrived, and coy. Some charm due to the personality of Anna Chamalkin, but pretty boring. Compare to My Life as a Dog. [157]
Cliche-ridden, predictable, and poorly written. So why is it still funny? Because the music is strong, and the material just true enough to its spirit. Charming and fun. Appropriate for children. Note-worthy: adaptations of popular songs to hymns for the convent choir. A more important flaw: Whoopi Goldberg is a mediocre singer and simply unbelievable even as a lounge singer in Las Vegas. And one does cringe when Sister Mary Robert allegedly discovers a soulful talent for wailing and they lay the emotional discovery on thick, with Goldberg leaning in. These scenes are most contrived and heavy-handed, which is sad, because it drains the movie of charm. [149]
Not as compelling as "It's a Wonderful Life", but marked by same odd juxtaposition of supreme idealism and cynicism. [5]
Gary Cooper
Charming, and unintentionally-- or intentionally-- funny film about three gold-diggers trying to snare rich husbands, and ending up finding the true meaning of love, of course. Monroe is delightful. [2]
Compelling, but slow-moving story by W.P. Kinsella, about bankrupt farmer who gets a vision: build it and "he" will come. He builds a baseball diamond in his field of corn, and Shoeless Joe Jackson appears, along with other members of infamous "Black Sox" scandal. Ending is very moving. [1]
All Contents Copyright © Bill Van Dyk 1992 All Rights Reserved
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