**CONTAINS SPOILERS THROUGHOUT**
I watched the DVD of 'Shadows In The Sun', formerly known as 'The Shadow Dancer'. Because 'Shadows In The Sun' is a much better name and makes complete sense.
Josh Jackson is a hotshot young publishing executive - the best kind! His boss, who is Gimli, sends him to Italy to track down an eccentric, reclusive author who hasn't written anything for 20 years, since his wife died. Josh goes to Italy and gets a hotel in a tiny, remote Tuscan village where everybody speaks enough English to tell him that no, they haven't heard of this author. But it turns out that they're all protecting him because they know he hates hotshot young publishing executives!
Josh, because he's clever and tenacious, finds him and he's Harvey Keitel, acting all crazy. But Josh sees through Harvey's cunning ruse (guess what he is Not Really Crazy) and begs him to sign a contract and write another book, because he should, because he's brilliant! Harvey tells him to GO AWAY. He sets his dog on him and pretends to throw him in a lake, because he's so eccentric and free-spirited. But then they start to form a grudging friendship, after Harvey trashes Josh's rental car and they end up in prison a couple of times, because that's how all real friendships start.
Meanwhile Josh meets Harvey's daughter, who is Claire Forlani (he has two other daughters, Goth Daughter and Hat Daughter, who serve no discernible purpose other than being Not As Beautiful As Claire Forlani) with-a an outrageous-a Italian-a accent-a, even-a though her father is-a American-a. He tells her the real reason he wants Harvey to write again is that Harvey's book 'The Shadow Dancer' (not 'Shadows In The Sun', which would be a stupid title) changed his life when he was 12. Claire says he should have told Harvey that. Josh agrees, but then for some reason he never does tell him. Claire says that despite what Harvey says, he does want to write again, but he's afraid. Possibly that his typewriter will turn into a giant scary cockroach thing like in 'Naked Lunch'. Needless to say a giant scary cockroach thing would have improved this movie immeasurably.
Anyway it turns out that Josh wants to be a writer as well, so Harvey teaches him to use words other than "the" and "it" and "and" to describe things, because this is a basic skill writers need. He also tells him that he needs experience to draw on and he tries to provide some for him, including punching Josh in the stomach and getting him to do karaoke. Harvey also gets naked and Josh is horrified, which presumably doesn't require much acting. Josh buys a nasty waistcoat at the market and starts to learn Italian from Claire, even though everyone speaks English in the remote Tuscan village. Because he's very subtle, the first words he asks Claire to translate into Italian are "beautiful", "lips" and "kiss".
Josh tells Harvey that he knows he wants to write again and he should stop hiding behind his DEAD WIFE!! After punching him and crying a bit, Harvey agrees to write again, and Josh gets to sleep with Claire, although without any proper nudity because that would be tasteless. Afterwards she tells him it was just a one-night thing, and he gets drunk and nearly cries, and then he has to leave. Harvey says Josh should stay, seeing as he has no family, doesn't really like his job, should live somewhere inspiring if he wants to be a writer, and OMG London (where he lives) is like so totally lame compared to Tuscany! But Josh says he just can't. So he leaves on a steam train, because Harvey doesn't just live in Italy, he lives in Italy in the 1890s! Then there's some nonsense about a bird and a horse, and Josh pulls the emergency cord to stop the train, for which there is probably a 75 fine, and he gets off and kisses Claire even though she was totally mean to him five minutes before, and they all live happily ever after in the shadows in the sun, I guess.
I watched the DVD of 'Shadows In The Sun', formerly known as 'The Shadow Dancer'. Because 'Shadows In The Sun' is a much better name and makes complete sense.
Josh Jackson is a hotshot young publishing executive - the best kind! His boss, who is Gimli, sends him to Italy to track down an eccentric, reclusive author who hasn't written anything for 20 years, since his wife died. Josh goes to Italy and gets a hotel in a tiny, remote Tuscan village where everybody speaks enough English to tell him that no, they haven't heard of this author. But it turns out that they're all protecting him because they know he hates hotshot young publishing executives!
Josh, because he's clever and tenacious, finds him and he's Harvey Keitel, acting all crazy. But Josh sees through Harvey's cunning ruse (guess what he is Not Really Crazy) and begs him to sign a contract and write another book, because he should, because he's brilliant! Harvey tells him to GO AWAY. He sets his dog on him and pretends to throw him in a lake, because he's so eccentric and free-spirited. But then they start to form a grudging friendship, after Harvey trashes Josh's rental car and they end up in prison a couple of times, because that's how all real friendships start.
Meanwhile Josh meets Harvey's daughter, who is Claire Forlani (he has two other daughters, Goth Daughter and Hat Daughter, who serve no discernible purpose other than being Not As Beautiful As Claire Forlani) with-a an outrageous-a Italian-a accent-a, even-a though her father is-a American-a. He tells her the real reason he wants Harvey to write again is that Harvey's book 'The Shadow Dancer' (not 'Shadows In The Sun', which would be a stupid title) changed his life when he was 12. Claire says he should have told Harvey that. Josh agrees, but then for some reason he never does tell him. Claire says that despite what Harvey says, he does want to write again, but he's afraid. Possibly that his typewriter will turn into a giant scary cockroach thing like in 'Naked Lunch'. Needless to say a giant scary cockroach thing would have improved this movie immeasurably.
Anyway it turns out that Josh wants to be a writer as well, so Harvey teaches him to use words other than "the" and "it" and "and" to describe things, because this is a basic skill writers need. He also tells him that he needs experience to draw on and he tries to provide some for him, including punching Josh in the stomach and getting him to do karaoke. Harvey also gets naked and Josh is horrified, which presumably doesn't require much acting. Josh buys a nasty waistcoat at the market and starts to learn Italian from Claire, even though everyone speaks English in the remote Tuscan village. Because he's very subtle, the first words he asks Claire to translate into Italian are "beautiful", "lips" and "kiss".
Josh tells Harvey that he knows he wants to write again and he should stop hiding behind his DEAD WIFE!! After punching him and crying a bit, Harvey agrees to write again, and Josh gets to sleep with Claire, although without any proper nudity because that would be tasteless. Afterwards she tells him it was just a one-night thing, and he gets drunk and nearly cries, and then he has to leave. Harvey says Josh should stay, seeing as he has no family, doesn't really like his job, should live somewhere inspiring if he wants to be a writer, and OMG London (where he lives) is like so totally lame compared to Tuscany! But Josh says he just can't. So he leaves on a steam train, because Harvey doesn't just live in Italy, he lives in Italy in the 1890s! Then there's some nonsense about a bird and a horse, and Josh pulls the emergency cord to stop the train, for which there is probably a 75 fine, and he gets off and kisses Claire even though she was totally mean to him five minutes before, and they all live happily ever after in the shadows in the sun, I guess.