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Reviews
American Playhouse: Miss Lonelyhearts (1983)
Dark, disturbing, and excellent
Nathanael West's tale of a young, somewhat naive newspaper writer, who doesn't quite know how to deal with his own altruism, (and is therefore abused by his cynical and cruel boss) has been filmed before, most notably in 1958. That version is excellent as well. Robert Ryan, Montgomery Clift, and Myrna Loy are superb. But this 1983 TV version, part of the first season offering of PBS' 'American Playhouse' series, is just as effective in its own right. A young Eric Roberts, bemused and bespectacled, is the victim of his own naivete and idealism; Arthur Hill, as his boss, the editor Shrike, is nothing short of brilliant. His mocking, cynical, and sarcastic portrayal of the newspaper editor is chilling and unsettling; a more cruel character has seldom been portrayed on film. Another reason this version succeeds is its length. As written by West, 'Miss Lonelyhearts' is really a novella, though it accomplishes a great deal of sober storytelling. At only 56 minutes, so does this film, bringing the viewer West's troubling vision of human nature: the emptiness, hopelessness and despair of the readers who write to 'Lonelyhearts', in the real hope the answers can actually help. A disquieting and uneasy vision of urban middle America in the 1920s, but well-drawn, and with great performances. Veteran character actors John Ryan and Vincent Schiavelli lend their talents in supporting roles. It doesn't appear as if this film is available on video, but if you can catch it on your local PBS station, don't miss it.
Kiss the Girls (1997)
Don't want to be picky, but...
It's Dr. Alex Cross, not Jack. And, he isn't 'a psychologist working for the police'. He is a senior detective with the Metropolitan Police Department, who also has a doctorate in psychology. These two disciplines, police work and psychology, make his skills at profiling and apprehending serial murderers formidable. Thus he is a unique character in detective fiction, and Patterson's series of Alex Cross novels, including 'Kiss the Girls', are great reads.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Unadulterated dreck
This is a great film? By what standards? Anyone can string together a bunch of violent, disjointed scenes, designed to shock and disturb the viewer. Violence, in and of itself, without context and pertinence to the story, is the tool of no-talent scoundrels masquerading as filmmakers. Such, unfortunately, is Tarantino. What a shame for Travolta that this was his 'comeback' film. For me, the only watchable part of this film was the sequence featuring Bruce Willis. Even that, though...how Willis was convinced to be in this film is a mystery to me. Cameos by Emil Sitka, Christopher Walken's brief part, and Harvey Keitel's appearance cannot save this self-indulgent and troubling example of a director gone wild, suffused with the sense of his own talent. This was a BOMB.
West Side Story (1961)
Ten Oscars Say a Lot
This is an excellent version of a fine stage musical. Although the sequence of events was changed, and a couple of musical numbers were switched to reflect this, it is still a superb rendition of this Robbins-Laurents-Bernstein-Sondheim masterpiece. Maltin's review, though he does give the film 4 stars, says that the leads (Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood) 'lack charisma'; I disagree. I think they do a fine job of portraying the two young lovers; they are '12 feet off the ground'; terrified; excited; and looking forward to a future that, on some level, they know they don't have. Yet, they strive for it anyway. They act like two young lovers who are confused yet elated, and optimistic against all logic. The music, singing, and dancing could hardly be better. Great a stage play as it is, the canvas of the motion picture screen gave the makers a truly large place to paint this story; and they do an outstanding job.
10 out of 10.