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Reviews
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
A Good Movie but underplayed
I liked this, I really did. Actually, the fact is that I wanted to like it more than I could. It's well told, honestly characterized, and pretty much as the Boston street cops might see it. But, for me, there's a couple of problems... Anyone familiar with the Kenzie/Gennaro series of books absolutely knows that, 1st - Angie is much more of an action person than was given to Michelle to work with. She seems so, well, "secondary" to the plot line. In the books she's much more a central figure and quite a bit more outspoken. The second, and perhaps the biggest problem I had with the movie is in the portrayal of Kenzie himself. Kenzie is supposed to be a big guy. Casey Affleck isn't. Kenzie is MUCH more action oriented. Again, not so for Affleck. His director brother, Ben, seems to be trying to not get him hurt. A nice brotherly touch, perhaps, but certainly no Kenzie. Finally, and this is purely personal, I hated the ending with a passion. I certainly do not expect all wine and roses, but it seemed such a letdown.
Rustlers' Rhapsody (1985)
Simply Put, A Hoot !!
A beautiful parody of the old-styled westerns, Tom Berringer and company hot the nail on the head with this one. Replete with the usual suspects - the town drunk, the hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold, the not-so-innocent baron's daughter, and more - it centers around the deadly serious hero, Rex, and the loony situations he encounters and conquers. Berringer's comic timing is right on, also, as is his portrayal of a guy on a white horse who, at one point, comes to terms with his masculinity in a showdown with another 'good guy' who's actually an ex-lawyer (wonderfully played by Patrick Wayne). Along with a few good references towards marijuana use - "You're just being paranoid, Rex" - this flick is simply put, a hoot.
Angel's Dance (1999)
This is a sleeper...
Jim Belushi's movie to carry, it appears, but what it slowly becomes is a character portrait of the rebirth of a lost soul. Sheryl Lee as 'Angel', at first somewhat amusing as an eccentric mortician, becomes the real center of the film in her transformation from freaked-out ditz to a woman in control of her own destiny. I found her character fascinating, and the interplay between her and Belushi is like watching a dance with strangers evolve into an odd interplay of almost-love. Detached from the get-go, that same detachment carries Angel through to the end. And it's Belushi's character, the "Rose", who gets sucked up in the surprising finale. Quite frankly, this is a good watch.