Reviews

Watched this Andre De Toth western last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Robert Ryan did a nice job and I liked Burl Ives as the heavy. Lots of interesting tension for what seemed to be a pretty low-budget feature. The combination of this tension and some melodramatic elements made the film very entertaining(and kind oddly of funny at times). It does seem to have a more noirish, fatalistic feeling to it than most westerns-which was great. Too bad it's not on vhs or anything(all De Toth's films should be!!), but I'm sure TCM will air it again.

Charming and strange little film. I enjoy it a lot. A great cast put together here-and they are all excellent. I find it to be a little like another favorite of mine-BLUE COLLAR. This film deals with office temps and how they relate to each other and band together against 'permanents' while still striving to be them. Really a good film that seems not to reached as many as it should have. Much better than a lot of smaller films that are considerably more forgettable-this film needs to be watched and enjoyed so watch it, enjoy it and tell someone about it!

One of Cronenberg's best films! It has some moments that will stick with you for a while. When the brood first appears and the beatings begin, I was not only disturbed by them, but the way that their faces look was burned onto my brain. I once read that Cronenberg calls this film his KRAMER VS. KRAMER. I think that's very interesting. He's taken the pain that he went through in his own life and manifested it in the physical form of these creatures. I find this kind of creativity to be associated only with some of the more visionary contemporary filmmakers. Cronenberg is that, there is no question. Performances by the late great Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar and Art Hindle are perfect for the film. It is scary and disturbing and should be seen by all horror film fans. I find it to be a sadly neglected classic.

This is indeed an underwatched and underappreciated film. I am perpetually impressed with both Richard Pryor's and Yaphet Kotto's performances. Watching a likeable group of characters like this limp through their daily lives is very engaging. There's a great deal of comedy that makes the movie enjoyable too. From a half-ass robbery of a union office safe (their disguises are the best) to the Zeke's IRS confrontation, it's a sad story but one that pulls you in. Though I think I've heard that he has basically disowned this film, it is by far one of Schrader's best efforts.

This is definitely one of my favorite romantic films. It's well acted, well written and well directed. Arquette and Spano's chemistry is wonderful. With the people I've talked to who have seen this film, there seems to be something personal that they can relate to the story. It's definitely not a happy movie, but I think that's what makes it really stick with you. It's starts out somewhat like a period romance you might have seen before. About midway through it takes a turn and may seem to lose momentum. This is what sets it apart from other romances. It has this unpredictability to it that some people might find unsatisfying. I have seen it several times and each viewing is fascinating. It is very rare that such a bittersweet marvel of a film comes along and even rarer that it gets the attention it deserves. One of John Sayles' finest.

Wow, it's a crying shame that more people haven't seen this one. It's really a lot of fun to watch. Frankenheimer's direction is sharp (as always) and the performances from Glenn and Mifune are pretty okay. The fact that John Sayles worked on the screenplay is what first drew me to it. My expectations were definitively on the lower end (I mean Alligator, Battle Beyond the Stars and Piranha are fun, but.....). So I was pleasantly surprised to find a film that I ended up really enjoying. It's not as good as Sidney Pollack's somewhat similar Yakuza, but they'd make an interesting double feature. The final raid on Mifune's brother's complex is a nice finale.

This is a great movie. It's such a remarkable throwback to 40s noir and detective films. Art Carney's Ira Wells adds a kind of post modern twist to the genre as he is an aging detective, not as hard boiled as he used to be. One thing that's neat about this film is the way that Ira and his contacts talk to each other. Benton resurrects the distinctive lingo of The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon within this interesting group of underworld entangled characters. I've seen a lot of other flicks that try to do the same thing, but this one makes it much more believable and doesn't play it for comic effect. Similar to the way Miller's Crossing draws you into its world with dialogue (among other things), so too does this film. Lily Tomlin also teams up well with Carney as his flighty new partner in private investigation. This film is a genuine treat for fans of Spade or Marlowe movies.

I had been a little down on Walter Matthau at some point not too long ago, but with performances in films like this one and Charley Varrick, he's surely proved himself for all time. Henry Graham (Matthau) is such an obnoxious, condescending egotist that he is hilarious to watch in action. As his trust fund has just run out, (which William Redfield has some trouble explaining to him) Henry must find a quick source of income to allow him to maintain his posh lifestyle. His solution- borrow $50,000 from his uncle and quickly court and marry a wealthy woman or lose all his worldly possessions. That being set in motion, Matthau and Elaine May collide (literally) at a social gathering. From there on out Matthau zeroes in on his prey ( May's clumsy botanist widow) and acts as swiftly and smoothly as possible. This tale of offbeat romance is certainly worth a look and is a great showcase for both May and Matthau.

I guess I'm in the minority of folks who enjoy this movie. I am a huge Friday the 13th fan and this is probably my favorite one. I mean you've got Jason's first appearance(sans hockey mask), you've got Amy Steel from APRIL FOOL'S DAY and Stu Charno from JUST ONE OF THE GUYS. Amy Steel is my goddess. She is easily the coolest of any of the actresses used in any Friday The 13th movie. She's a badass. The acting overall in this movie pretty much sucks, but I still think it's kind of scary. The direction is mediocre to poor, but Steve Miner went on to direct a lot of other flicks(including this year's LAKE PLACID-which is a fun movie also). And how can you not like the fact that Stu Charno's character(he was the guy who owned the lizards in JUST ONE OF THE GUYS) survives this movie by staying out at the bars after everyone decides to go back to camp! This entry in the saga ranks right up there with both the Final Chapter(great 80s cast) and Jason Lives(a kind of self- conscious spoof), my other two favs. Any Friday The 13th fan is obviously aware that these flicks are not high quality cinema, but just the same this one is quite enjoyable.

It is unfortunate how people can be blinded by an interestingly structured film that is really not that great. Yes, it's neat to see how the three plot lines converge, but who really cares about any of these people? The characters that inhabit this film are all pretty stupid. They do stupid things. I don't mind a not-so-bright character here and there, but all of them do things that tend to come back to haunt you (and not too surprisingly, they do). I have little or no sympathy for any of the characters' problems as they kind of deserve what they get and end up getting off easy. The dialogue is pretty sharp and certainly speaks of a fairly wide pop culture background. I guess I just want a little more than dead celebrity names, mentions of Knightrider and speeches about inwardly drawn 90 minute orgasms. I just found myself wishing that within this wacked out evening of evil- something horrible would happen to the entire cast (that would reduce the element of comedy of course). The Tarantino comparisons seem a little lofty though. I find myself much more interested in a lot of Tarantino's villains than the so called "hipsters" that I'm supposed to care about in this film. I would certainly not discourage anyone from at least giving it a look, but what's up with the 8ish approval rating? Are people so starved for a good movie that's fairly accessible in terms of structure that they need to attach themselves to this? I heard somebody call it the movie of the decade! Wow, is this movie overrated.

This is such a unique film. It's just so enjoyable to watch. The score is excellent, the cast is sharp-it's just a rare experience. This movie buries all competitors in the possible end-of-the-world category so badly it's just plain ridiculous. It is definitely not as watched as it should be though. In my encounters with people who do know the film, they are typically as passionate about it as I am. Please, if you get the chance-join the club.

What a movie! So energetically and self-consciously conceived and directed. My membership in the Casey Siemaszko fan club obviously started here. He's great as the hypoglycemic Jerry Mitchell. So many classic moments that must be remembered by more people! We must make as many new people as possible aware of this movie. It is our duty as honorary employees of the student store to tell everyone to watch this movie on a daily basis. I personally have made a few of my friends into devoted fanatics of this film. Perhaps if we are rabid enough in our push to make Jerry's story known as one of the best, most enjoyable teen films ever made we will reach enough non-believers to make a difference.

More people should watch this movie. I'm quite sure they won't enjoy it as much as my friends or I, but the cast is so fun that it's worth a look. Rowdy class clown J.J. (double J) Manners (Michael J. Fox) is certainly smitten after he bumps in to Beth Franklin (Nancy McKeon) in the hallway. Big problem though-she's dating Beau Middleton (Anthony Edwards) the cocky king of the preps! A class struggle ensues and it's quite wacky to watch it unfold. The supporting cast here is really interesting. You've got Todd Bridges and Dana Plato (Different Strokes), Crystal Bernard (future star of Wings) and a plethora of actors and actresses from older TV shows. Bob Denver plays Crispin Glover's pet supply selling dad. Tony Dow plays the high school's principle. There's even a scene where Anthony Edwards pulls and Eddie Haskell on Eddie Haskell himself (Ken Osmond). There's nothing too original about the plot of this baby (it is a TV movie after all), but it became really addictive for me and a couple of my friends. It's fun to throw quotes around from it. All in all, well worth a couple bucks to watch on video (although I haven't found it in too many video stores). Give it a chance with low expectations and I'm quite sure you won't be too dissatisfied.

This is such a great film. The cast is so excellent. You've got Dustin Hoffman, who turns in one of his best performances, but it only gets better from there. Gary Busey plays Hoffman's buddy and husband to Kathy Bates-both excellent. Harry Dean Stanton (probably one of my favorite actors) plays one of Hoffman's partners in heist. His performance is right on the money as always. M. Emmet Walsh plays Hoffman's nearly inhumanly sleazy parole officer. Walsh does such a good job here too(I read somewhere that the Coens saw him in this movie and that was what led them to cast him in Blood Simple). Theresa Russell does a nice job as Hoffman's girlfriend. Eddie Bunker himself shows up as a bartender. It's no one wonder Tarantino would want to study this film-it's remarkable.