Change Your Image
Sepia-3
Reviews
The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994)
A Respectable Followup
Thoughtfully done in the same style as the original. Cheap, gritty veneer suggests a bad movie, but this was a purposeful move, because the family is country, and country isn't well-lit or well-versed. Truly, this film is best enjoyed immediately after watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Burns is much easier to recognize that way!!)
Passion in the Desert (1997)
A beautiful Film
This movie is beautiful in all ways. It is visually stunning, and this is a good thing since the dialogue would only take up a page or two of paper. The acting is superb; it is subtle, passionate and intense. Ben Daniels does a fabulous job of turning himself into an animal, and mixing that wild nature with a man's overbearing passion and honor. There is not one flaw, not one mistake or wrong moment to be found anywhere. It is completely perfect, but only if you understand what you're going to experience. It isn't a movie for anyone who wants normality.
Basquiat (1996)
A passionate postcard
This movie is beautiful. It's cinematography is crisp and clear, its script is potent and the acting is nothing short of phenomenal. I got the feeling watching the entire film how much Julian Schnabel must have truly cared for Jean. Even though the Albert Milo character is a little sympathetic considering what his purpose was, it's still a loving gesture. The movie is like a passionately-scrawled postcard from Julian to Jean, a warm word of appreciation and remembrance.
Marquis de Sade (1996)
Intellectual pornography
This role may be one of Nick Mancuso's best. He finally seems as though the character fits into his skin, and his lines are not forced or hazy in any way. The script leaves little to be desired in the way of a plot and dialogue, truly. It isn't historically accurate, but that isn't the point. For a movie with an X-rating, it struck me as suprisingly witty and deep at some times. If you can find it, it's a good way to spend an evening.
Flinch (1994)
Purgatory
The dialogue is painful, the plot is sort of melodramatic and Judd Nelson's monotone loses its charm after the tenth second. But Nick Mancuso and Gina Gershon have wonderful exchanges at the end, and their acting separately is nothing short of magical despite the junk all around them. He is quite the subtle antagonist, and she builds layers of the character without seeming obvious. It's worth watching just for Gina and Nick, if you're the sort to watch a movie for the style of acting.