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Reviews
Diner (1982)
Great ensemble cast, nostalgic look back at the neighborhood diner
Barry Levinson's brilliant look at friendship and growing up. Great performances by all involved, especially Mickey Rourke and Daniel Stern. Stern's performance especially touching as he is the only married member of the group, and has some concerns about how married life is not necessarily all he had imagined. Lots of great dialogue, especially improv stuff in the diner scenes. Paul Reiser is good, back before the "Mad About You" transformation to adulthood. Is this the film where he got the name of his production company from ("Nuance")? One of my favorites, I keep coming back to it.
Road House (1989)
I know it's bad, but I can't help myself.
I know this movie isn't what you would call "high art." That isn't the point. It is just a fun movie that sucks you in. You'll catch it on TV and before you know it 90 minutes is gone. And best of all, it was a fun 90 minutes.
A Simple Plan (1998)
Billy Bob Thornton should have gotten the Oscar.
A guy comes home one night and asks his wife what she would do if he found four million dollars in the woods. She takes the high road and speaks of returning it, but then she finds out it wasn't just a hypothetical question when she actually sees the money.
I love this kind of movie. The kind that makes you examine yourself and wonder what you would do if it were you. Paxton is great as the "everyman" character, Billy Bob Thornton is simply phenomenal as his brother Jacob. Jacob is supposed to be the "slow" one, but he routinely surprises his brother with astounding truths about their own father and their own past while also being the only one who understands what depths they are sinking to. When he says that he is tired, you feel it with him.
Wonderful film that will have you thinking about its implications for days.
Hurlyburly (1998)
Good and bad.
I had really mixed feelings about this film. I have always respected Sean Penn, and while he certainly had a ton of interesting dialogue to share I found myself always waiting for Kevin Spacey to come back into the scene. Another thing that was interesting was to hear a constant stream of metaphysical thoughts and ideas interspersed with threats of violence (all through a thick Brooklyn accent) coming out of Chazz Palmintieri's mouth, but he was just shy of pulling off his philosopher-thug character. The two best performances were actually from Gary Shandling and Meg Ryan in supporting roles. Worth a rental, but don't be afraid to fast forward through Sean Penn's scenes with Robin Wright. I wish I had. And Sean Penn's little Wayne Newton mustache also bugged the hell out of me. I know we weren't supposed to really like or even identify with his character, but it was just begging to be ripped off his lip. Spacey has a few particularly insightful lines about friendship and why we keep some people around when we probably shouldn't. I liked it, but it dragged near the end and Penn was chewing the furniture a bit too much.
Dead Man's Curve (1998)
Surprisingly decent...
I went in expecting nothing, and was very pleasantly surprised. Matthew Lillard's performance is quirky and very entertaining, but the single reason to see the film is for an early scene which can only be described as spoofing _The Deer Hunter_ with a popular college drinking game. This is a "thriller", but I was laughing for five minutes straight.
Angel Heart (1987)
Great story of black magic, detective work, and the Devil...
I saw this film for the first time on an 18 hour layover in Helsinki, Finland with a few friends. None of us knew what to expect as we had been overseas on a school trip so knew nothing about it. What a pleasant surprise. Great period piece with attention to the details, wonderful cinematography and a fun little story with enough little twists to keep it interesting. The biggest twist is a bit obvious, but it is really a lot of fun getting there, with Mickey Rourke perfectly cast as the slightly shady and completely disheveled Harry Angel. Trevor Jones and jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine combine to form a wonderfully spooky soundtrack that I have listened to a hundred times. Definitely one of Alan Parker's best, along with the completely opposite _The Commitments_.
Pushing Tin (1999)
Great cast, but their talents are wasted.
This movie had so much potential, that I can't help but wonder if I was setting myself up for a fall. Initially, it was a testosterone drenched show of one-upmanship between Nick (John Cusack) and Russell (Billy Bob Thornton). That ran out of steam quickly, though, with the contest depending more on stupid free throw shooting and other even more juvenile contests, rather than focusing on the competition in the air traffic control room. This is where the movie came to life, and was sadly where the film spent the least amount of time. I am still not convinced that these two guys were as good at their jobs as we were supposed to believe, though, and the character development of the immensely talented Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie was pathetic as their respective wives. Don't really know what either of these women saw in their husbands, and had trouble buying in to the "spiritual" nature of the Russell character. Two plus hours could have been better spent than seeing Billy Bob Thornton singing "Muskrat Love" in an Italian restaurant.
Kicking and Screaming (1995)
Dialogue driven comedy about life after school...
This film is much smarter than the average "slacker" film, about a group of friends still hanging around their college town even though they have graduated. Sharp dialogue and great chemistry, especially between Chris Eigeman (so great in _Metropolitan_ and _Barcelona_, and now the TV show "It's like, you know...") and Carlos Jacott as Max and Otis. Intelligent but not overly smug, with a touching thread on the aftermath of a relationship that quite possibly should not have ended. Really one of my favorites.
Local Hero (1983)
Beautiful and funny film that inspired many imitations.
This is one of my all-time favorites, a beautiful and funny film that inspired many imitations (the TV series Northern Exposure being the most notable). The key word here is subtle, as Texas oil company employee Mac encounters a group of exceedingly quirky and easy-going townsfolk while trying to purchase the town and surrounding area to build an oil refinery. What he doesn't know is that they can't wait to sell, and are already counting the money.. .