Change Your Image
JohnD47
Reviews
Cradle Will Rock (1999)
A moving, historical carousel of character and politics!
What a treat! I've known of the story behind Cradle for a long while and never thought it could be translated to the screen with such color, character and effectiveness. Robbins has elicited some wonderful performances and his adept, flowing editing and the film's cinematography lift this story from what could have been dry didacticism to an enjoyable, literate and moving panorama of art, politics and the human spirit. Cherry Jones as Hallie Flanagan, the head of the Federal Theater Project is wonderful! Another story of 40+ women being relegated to TV movieland? Probably. Joan Cusack, Bill Murray, Emily Watson, John Turturro, god, the list goes on....this is a literate, fun treat ...Bravo!
Outside Providence (1999)
Teen angst, class war, young love, & humor in a warm blanket!
"Outside Providence" evoked memories of "Breaking Away" (1979- the film not the TV series) for me...and that's a very good feeling. My friend Kim and I laughed our butts off at a number of its comic turns and interractions but worked into the well-traveled plot of boy-girl and school class divisions are some natural, seamless acting and plot turns that lift this film high. Part of the film's strength comes from its source, Peter Farrelly's novel and the fact that as with the late Steve Tesich in "Breaking Away", there is a continuity in the script that evolves unsurprisingly, but well.
The "Bowery Boyz in the Dazed and Confused 'Hood"....and Alec Baldwin puts in a surprising performance that easily could have descended into a trite Archie Bunker spin. A wonderful film easily deserving of an 8 from this critic. Just Bogart this film!
Repo Man (1984)
Punk sci-fi comedy with a killer soundtrack!
Ah, the punk "Strangelove"! What a trip...I remember going back to the Nickelodeon Theater to see it again and again with friends during its first few weeks of theatrical release. A marvelous cast, a soundtrack to die for ("Nobody ever called Pablo Picasso an asshole!"), some great satiric turns (from the frequently-cited store food shelves to the central conceit of 'trying to recycle nuclear waste') mark this as a cult favorite for many, but a small film with a big heart and an even bigger bite! Two toes up!
Titanic Town (1998)
A moving and challenging film
I saw this at the 1998 Montreal Film Festival and found it a moving and challenging film on the complexities of personal and political response to a longstanding and divisive issue. Well acted and cinematographed, this film added a dimension that has been rarely touched upon in other depictions of the "troubles in Northern Ireland." It compliments "Every Mother's Son" and "In the Name of the Father" with a moving story of the long-lasting and indiscriminate effects of violence and an attempt to question its limits as a political strategy. This is not a simplistic film, and its power comes from the depth of its critique of all the players in this ongoing political struggle.
Hugo Pool (1997)
Some fun moments, but 12 characters in search of an author!
There are a number of memorable acting turns, some more than obvious self-reflective references to addictions (of all types), and a too-pat hand of predictability to move this film beyond a 6 for me. The performances almost rise above the plot restrictions (or lack of restrictions)....an interesting contrast is Robert Altman's "Cookie's Fortune" which I saw two days later which used the characters' idiosyncrasies to move a plot.