mj11111 Reviews

Limbo (I) (1999)

WWW = Well Worth Watching; don't dismiss it by the few negative reviews.

[19 June 2001]

This is a film that pretty much draws you right into the time and place of it, and the pace reflects the way "real" time must be, in Alaska. I loved the wry humor and the great dialogue and characterizations, and the complexity of issues facing people there (and universally.) David Strathairn is coming into his own; he may be overlooked by some, but I'm becoming a true admirer.

I'm not a student of film, but definitely will be checking out some more Sayles films.

And hey, everyone, let the ending BE. Sure it takes you by surprise(unless you've been reading too many of these reviews), but that's the reason Sayles did it... he brought us up to the PRESENT moment with these people and we are all waiting to see what happens in their lives and ours, and what choices we'll all be faced with. These people are good people, and (we hope) so are we; and we HOPE for the survival of all of us; and if not the survival in the physical sense, then the redemption which comes because of the trials we have faced and the love we have given.

Foreign Affairs (1993 TV Movie)

It has become one of my top 10 movies for life!

[10/10 · 8 June 2001]

A friend of a friend allowed us to browse her movie collection for a few to watch one evening; this one I picked out only because it was one of the few that even looked watchable. How glad I am that it was one of our choices! It has become one of my favorites, I've watched it 5 times and am in the process of procuring a copy. Why? I can't explain, except that it takes you by surprise and touches your heart and it must go beyond that, to some glimpse of eternal truth of the human soul and spirit. Perhaps something to do with "l'beau sauvage." Even though you'd at first think the characters are stereotypes, that evaporates when Joanne and Brian BECOME the flawed but likeable Vinnie and Chuck. Please see this movie at least once, because I'd like to know if anyone else had the impulse to see it often, like I and another reviewer did. I even bought the book by Alison Lurie, from which the movie is taken; it was the same yet different (as those things go), but it was a gem also, on it's own ground! I recommend both! Soon!

Tumbleweed (1953)

Appearances are deceiving; and don't underestimate this little Western gem.

[8 June 2001]

10 years ago, as a forty-year-old, I "discovered" Audie Murphy, and since then have tried to tape as many of his movies that are shown. Why? Because they entertain, and they also show the imperfect people that we all are, and even so, the good that can come out and how we can move on with our lives. Too bad Murphy had a sad personal life, for all the good messages he gave to us through his films over the years. But "Tumbleweed" is one of my favorites, and also of my 6 year-old granddaughter! It's the horse. Give credit to the horse for his quiet role in ALL westerns, without which they could not be made. This Tumbleweed horse shows the intelligence and stamina and unsung heroism that has lived in the breed, since early times. Add that to the HUMOR and the melodramatic "give a guy a chance because I was given a chance once myself" plot, and you have a nice mix of all the Western elements of the the wild, vast, half-civilized country we used to long for. I know Audie loved it, and understood the conflict in all our souls when faced with our raw natures and the better person inside. I pray he finally found rest from that conflict. So thank you, Audie, for giving the horse his due, and giving us some fun, in "Tumbleweed"!