Reviews

I had just watched "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (OK, for probably the forty-third time) just two hours before first seeing "Frida." I realized that Alfred Molina (who played Diego Rivera in "Frida") also played Indiana Jones' slimy guide in the opening scenes of "Temple of Doom." Temple of Doom was made nearly 25 years ago (1981, I believe), and I heard that Molina had to gain 25 pounds for the role of Rivera in "Frida." Rivera painted some very famous frescoes at our local Detroit Institute of Arts, which were *very* controversial at the time. The story is that Rivera lost 30 pounds working on scaffolds near the ceiling at the (then) non-air-conditioned museum, and there were anti-communist pickets outside the museum all the time he was here. The Rivera murals have since become one of the *treasures* of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

If you've never seen the movie, you *must* go rent it. It's terrific. You won't be disappointed.

Regarding the reviewer who called this film "Transcendingly Awful," I couldn't disagree MORE. After reading that review (while 2/3 of the way through viewing the movie), I realized that anyone who liked "Birdcage" would like "Gaudi Afternoon." Plus, it's REALLY filmed in Barcelona, with all its beautiful Gaudi architecture. Some scenes actually shot inside one of the Gaudi-designed apartment buildings. Somewhat of a mystery, with Judy Davis' character (Cassandra) slowly figuring out what's REALLY going on.

GREAT performances by Marcia Gay Harden and Judy Davis. Juliette Lewis plays a great "flake," too!

OK, guys. Lighten up. It's not THAT bad--and as another commenter said, it has Horst Buckholz (cf: "One, Two, Three," with Cagney, not to mention "The Magnificent Seven," for crying out loud!). Name me another great fly-boy shoot-em up fantasy flic that has United States Senator Fred Thompson AND Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini in it? Plus great warbird flying footage?

As an Air Force vet, a little boo-boo that stood out immediately to me: In scenes where Chappy (Lou Gossett's character) is in his "dress blue" Air Force uniform (eagles on the epaulets correctly indicating a colonel) he clearly has ENLISTED MAN'S (airmen and sergeants) "U.S." insignia on his lapels. It shows the "U.S." inside a ring. That's how it looks on an enlisted man's uniform. A colonel (an officer) would have just plain "U.S." without the circle around it. Have a look at his boss's (the general) lapels. He has the correct ones.

Have to agree with "bob the moo" on this one. I've seen it probably two dozen times, and will see it many more, I'm sure. One of my favorite "war" movies (w/Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens as destroyer and submarine captains, respectively). My other faves are "Platoon," "Full Metal Jacket," "Decision Before Dawn," (w/Oskar Werner and Richard Basehart--most excellent!), and of course, Kubrick's "Paths of Glory," w/Kirk Douglas, Adoph Menjou and George MacReady.

More than a blood-and-guts war movie (though it has plenty of terrific action scenes), it's more of a man-vs-man "cat and mouse" story. Absolutely excellent direction (by Dick Powell) and some terrific cinematography. Terrific scene between Jurgens and Theodore Bikel (who plays his Exec. Officer), that is nothing but facial gestures and eyebrows.

A very "moral" tale, it shows that even sworn enemies serving their countries in wartime can show respect and compassion toward each other, especially since they're all men-of-the-sea: sailors. Conversations between Mitchum and his ship's doctor and between Jurgens and his exec officer mirror each other. Note the scene of the American sailors pulling the German sailors aboard their lifeboats near the end; Mitchum helping rescue the U-boat captain and his exec after ramming them.

Great tale, well-scripted, acted, directed and shot. An model of how to make a terrific story into a movie.

Sorry that it took me six years to see this terrific 1996 film!

First, after reading the other comments, I have to strongly disagree that this is somehow a rip-off of "Pulp Fiction." There *are* some gruesome murder scenes (it *is* about hit men), and it's an interweaving of many subplots, but there's where the similarity ends.

It's a lot less, well, pretentious than "Pulp Fiction" was, and the characters are a *lot* more sympathetic, especially Aiello and Mazursky.

The (San Fernando) Valley "culture" is an uncredited character in the film, too.

Many interesting twists, turns and surprises, plus the best knock-down, drag-out GIRL FIGHT I've ever seen! During this fight, the wife of an elderly couple living downstairs hears all the thumping, banging, and furniture breaking, and stares up at the ceiling in alarm. Her husband drily comments "maybe that's how they MAKE LOVE in Tarzana!"

There's a terrific, breathtaking climax.

Go rent it. You've got sixty seconds!

Sure, it's a strange film. Nope, it doesn't follow formulaic, traditional elements or expectations of plot and "character development". Like a LOT of great films! OK, this isn't Shakespeare! Very dark, very fantastic (a la Todorov) Lots of "visual" stuff, but nothing as nutty as "Natural Born Killers," or as gory as "Pulp Fiction." You WON'T be bored. You WILL want to watch it a second time. Obsession. Delusion. High-tech. Serial killer. Changing settings. Sexy (Ashley Judd as you've never seen her, for God's sake). K.D. Lang has a terrific role. Some people might call it artsy-fartsy. If you're old enough (sorry!), compare it to "Blow Up" (the original, from the late sixties, with David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave). Blow-Up was based on a detached observation of one dark incident through the lens of a 35mm camera. "Beholder" is a voyeuristic SEQUENCE of observations by an obsessed man with all kinds of high-tech equipment of a female serial killer with whom he is utterly, totally consumed. Can you tell? I LIKED it! But then, maybe I'M deranged and obsessed, too!