Change Your Image
danpai
Reviews
Bobby (2006)
A masterful ensemble experience
OK, so i can understand that some film-goers want to see things tied up neatly, with all of the characters having a defined purpose and all questions resolved by the writers and director. Those people will be frustrated by "Bobby." I can also appreciate that a film which is centered around the assassination of an important public figure can re-energize memories in viewers, and the movie itself can never match the very personal emotions which are tinted by their experiences. No film can be all things for all people, but each one can be judged on how well the director accomplishes his or her goals, by how well the cast interprets and portrays the writers' intentions, by how we feel when we leave the theater...and the day after. For me, "Bobby" is a masterful work of art,a brilliant slice of life, which vividly recalls the hopes and dreams which briefly surfaced and then were were dashed in the summer before the police riots of the Chicago Democratic convention and the Nixonian attempts to steal the Constitution. I was moved by the photos and newsreel footage, and a family shot of a young Bobby, and JFK and Teddy brought me to tears...what a waste of potential. I left the theater asking all kinds of questions: Who knew Emilio Estevez had this in him? How'd they get such pitch-perfect performances out of such large-ego actors? How did i not know about the collateral victims in the kitchen shooting? What (who) was really behind Sirhan Sirhan's plan? What would America look like today if RFK had been able to provide leadership in the form of "compassionate liberalism"? What has happened to me and my ideals? Why am i not in the world anymore, trying to accomplish what i believed in during my own post-war period? When can i go see this film again?
Hollywoodland (2006)
A real "movie" movie, for a change
Just came from a screening of this film thanks to the Palm Springs International Film Society, and it was nearly perfect...like films used to be before pop culture took over. Adrien Brody was his best since "The Pianist", and Ben Affleck was his best since...well, his best, period. Diane Lane disappeared into her role and Bob Hoskins was his usual, brilliant self. The supporting cast of Molly Parker, Joe Spano and Robin Tunney were (no pun intended) "picture perfect". The parallel stories of Brody's private investigator and George Reeves before, during and after "Superman", and the mystery of whether Reeves was a suicide or a homicide (and, if the latter, who done it?) were wonderfully brought to life. This film made me want to know more,and raised the question: just where do they find all those primo 50's and 60's vintage cars? Go see this one, and take a friend...you'll be the recommendation hero.
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)
a lovely film
Saw this film at the 2006 Palm Springs International Film Festival and was delighted by it, along with 600 other attendees. We laughed out loud, smiled even more, and were moved by the pitch-perfect performances of the leads and the character actor ensemble. The story line doesn't break any new ground, but it is far from a "Harold and Maude" update. If you want to enjoy two hours of a slice of life at a certain age, see this film. We were fortunate enough to have the director, Dan Ireland, in attendance, and he told us how his artistic bar was raised to new heights by his experiences with Dame Plowright. London was the perfect setting, actually becoming one of the actors with its presence.
Paper Clips (2004)
A must-see film
I saw this film at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in early 2004, and am thrilled that it is finally being released. It moved me to tears with its touching realities, and i tell everyone i know to see it as soon as possible. It is informative, inspiring, and breath-taking...and, for you Hollywood types, it has a "happy ending". I seldom want to travel anymore, but were the wanderlust bug to bite me again, i think that i would head to that little own in Tennessee, to witness this miracle first-hand. Go see this film. Don't think about going or analyze whether it is for Jews-only. Just go...and be a better person for the experience.