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klbrisby-1
Reviews
Lilyhammer: Trolls (2012)
Mobster fun in the midnight sun
If Martin Scorcese and Ingmar Bergman collaborated on a sit-com, it could be something like this--fascinating and tough and not very sit-com-like at all. This is dark fun, featuring characters of high ethics and low morals, or else the reverse, confronting personal crises in a quirky winterland. There is a real confidence and patience in the storytelling that viewers will probably love or hate. The story development over the course of the first season (only 8 episodes) was surprisingly substantial, but never arbitrary or forced. Steve Van Zandt plays Frankie, the heart, soul, and cojones of the show, so it's a good thing that he is always interesting on screen. As American exports go, we could do a lot worse than Frankie.
Tempest (1982)
TEMPEST as crisis and catalyst
I can't say what knowing the source for this movie adds, but this is one of my favorite films from Paul Mazursky (director and co-author). This is a retake on the Shakespeare "comedy", but utterly removed from the stage. Without much text, Mazursky and star Cassavettes make visual a mid-life crisis of passion and purpose. Desperate to re-center himself, Cassavettes retreats to a remote Greek island--where the locals and the island itself weave a little magic. With Raul Julia especially, Susan Sarandon and Molly Ringwald, this is an adult fantasy that is emotionally satisfying and visually gorgeous. And funny. It wasn't a big box office hit, but whenever it does come to DVD, it will sell.