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Reviews
Dahmer: Hang Men (2024)
Unintentional Camp
Like Mommie Dearest before it, this show seems to think it's a drama, but is actually -unintentionally - one of the funniest shows of the season. The Menendez brothers' story could have made a compelling mini series, but with so many narrative missteps and no suspense whatever (not to mention an embarrassingly outre soundtrack), the show ended up being a latter day Valley of the Dolls. The actors are either miscast (Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne? Really? Were he still alive he would sue for libel.), or handcuffed (pun intended) by the script. It's a testament to the professionalism of Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny that they were able to keep straight faces while reciting such dreck.
Autumn in the City (2022)
Where have all the writers gone...?
Obviously romance writers are not expected to churn out "Citizen Kane," but couldn't they at least consult the dictionary? Worse than the fact that Roderick's character uses the term "hoi polloi" incorrectly (he uses it to refer to the rich, elite of society - but it means the rabble, the commoners), but no one corrected it. Does NO ONE on this production have a vocabulary? Or access to a dictionary. I wanted mindless entertainment, but...there are limits. Also, I agree with the reviewer that said the leads were mismatched - it bordered on a reverse "Lolita" - he didn't look old enough to drive, let alone drink, and while she's not old by any means, she looked ancient next to him. Creepy.
The Clue to Love (2021)
Lead actress problems
This is pretty standard romance fare, made nearly unwatchable by a one-note performance from the lead actress. It's a stretch to believe that a woman this vapid is a journalist at all, let alone a talented one. The rest of the cast saves the show, but it's an uphill climb for them.
The Long Call (2021)
Read the book
I watched this series and thought it was a bit dull for a detective story. I thought perhaps they had lost something from the book, so I checked out a copy from the library. What an eye-opener. I don't know why they chose to revise so much of the book, but nearly every choice they made diluted the story. I will grant the TV show one improvement: the relationship with Venn's mother is more satisfying in the show than the book, but all the other changes merely neutered the suspense and cohesiveness of the original plot. Pick up the book. It's quite good.
Lucky Them (2013)
Take the good with the bad...
This isn't a BAD film, but it's not very good. Toni Collette (always watchable) gives it the old college try, but it's hard to muster up much love for her messed-up character. Ryan Eggold shines as one of the objects of her affection, and the delightful Nina Arianda adds another quirky, delicious character to her list of such. Sadly, the script is a hodge-podge of Rom-Com tropes with a tepid mystery at its core, and Thomas Haden Church seems to be in a completely different film - his portrayal is so broad and painful, it feels like he walked out of an old "Pink Panther" movie. He's torture to watch and pretty much sinks every scene he's in. But if you're a Collette, Arianda or Eggold fan...you could do worse, I suppose. Just be prepared for one of the most unsatisfying endings of the century.
Café Society (2016)
A Sad Shadow of Better Works
In Cafe Society, Allen rips off earlier, finer films to create a Reader's Digest condensed version of an era he loves. But his heart doesn't seem to be in this one. Everything in the film has been done better, and by Allen himself. He narrates this piece in the vein of his "Radio Days," but it's a desultory performance - as if he's reading it off the page cold, with no preparation. Jesse Eisenberg as the Allen-surrogate does a great job with the look and sound of the character, but he rushes through his dialogue, tossing aside his quips with no timing or relish, so any laughs are lost. Kristen Stewart is completely lost in a period piece, looking like she wandered in from the 21st century, her lack of personality a black hole sucking in the film around it. By comparison, Blake Lively does a marvelous job of creating a woman of the era, but her role is little more than a cameo. Wasted in their roles are Corey Stoll, Parker Posey and Steve Carell - all of them reined in so tightly that they have little opportunity to shine (though Posey makes the most of her limited opportunities). The mob aspects pale next to those of "Bullets Over Broadway," the seder scene can't compare to the version he gave us in "Crimes and Misdemeanors," the New Year's Eve sequence doesn't come close to its predecessor in "Radio Days" - although Stephen Kunkel's turn as Leonard runs a close second to Max Von Sydow's similar character in "Hannah and Her Sisters." Allen has revisited past works before, but never successfully. His "Match Point" - lauded by many - is nevertheless a minimalist version of the much finer "Crimes and Misdemeanors." The man needs a new topic - he may not tire of this nebbish-gets-the-model fantasy, but we do.
Tangerine (2015)
Embarrassingly Amateurish
The film has one single credible performance - that of Mya Taylor, who has to carry the film despite not being the central figure. The remainder of the cast runs the gamut from "not great" (pretty much everyone, frankly) to "painful-to-watch" (Kitana Kiki Rodriquez as Sin-Dee). It varies wildly in tone, lurching from comedy to drama to melodrama to camp - often within the same scene. I left wondering what the point of the film was, other than to embarrass all those involved (as well as the audience). There are several sub-plots in the film, only one of which is handled very well. Two others are insufficiently fleshed-out/resolved, so that it all seems like much ado about very little, indeed. As a cautionary tale about "how not to make a film," this piece is a success. But otherwise...take a pass. I stayed until the end, despite wanting to leave for pretty much the entire film. I wish I had followed my instincts.
The Experiment (2010)
Truly dreadful film
The concept of the film seems tailor-made for drama: a number of men are placed in a prison-type situation as a psychology experiment. What great fodder for dramatic interaction! But then... Oy. Do they ever screw it up. The action (such as it is - and it ain't much) is predictable, the motivations for all are ridiculous and unbelievable, and the entire experiment happens far too quickly (yet the film drags so much) that it's impossible to buy into how the plot could have gone from Point A to Point Z without any points in between. If you watch it drunk or high maybe it would be funny, at least (or even just watchable) but viewed sober...it's just torture. Which may have been the intention of this experiment all along.
Dear Sidewalk (2013)
Charming Dram-edy
I caught "Dear Sidewalk" at an old (read: dirty, poorly maintained) theater in San Francisco as part of an independent film series. Though the venue was a fright, the film turned out to be something else altogether: a charming, quirky comic drama about an introvert with no social skills trying to navigate the waters of his first serious adult relationship. Though it doesn't end up going anywhere much, and though the ending is too quick and tidy to be believed, the film is nevertheless a pleasant diversion (and it's worth the price of admission simply for the performance of Lana Dieterich as Trudy, and Austin, TX - though not named specifically - provides a lovely locale).
Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)
Almost Perfect
This is an endlessly fascinating filming of a play in rehearsal - we meet the actors as they congregate at an old theater on 42nd Street that is scheduled for demolition. So natural is the acting that we don't realize that the actors have begun the play until one of the characters mentions a samovar... The cast is uniformly excellent -- with the exception of Wallace Shawn -- whose obvious choices and broadly comic persona make us aware that he's attempting to ACT while everyone else seems to truly inhabit their characters. Particularly notable are Julianne Moore, Larry Pine and Brooke Smith. This is a heartbreaking version of a difficult play (thank goodness for close-ups - the extended scene between Sonya and Yelena would be torture on-stage - it's brilliant on-screen. If only we'd gotten an ACTOR (rather than an odd personality) in the role of Vanya, it would have been perfect.
Grand Canyon (1991)
Gawdawful
If there is a hell, it contains a screening room in which GRAND CANYON is playing over and over again on an eternal loop. One would hope that the presence of so many marvelous actors - Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, Kevin Kline, Mary Louise Parker - would help make up for the presences of Mary McDonnell (whose penance is to watch her own films for all eternity)... But, no. Apparently they injected those other actors with a serum made from McDonnell. The entire affair is pretentious, overblown, insulting (if you are deaf or know anyone who is, be prepared for your blood to boil at the ludicrous TDD scene). GRAND CANYON is filled with obnoxious, self-involved people, but never gives us a reason to like/understand/sympathize with or even tolerate them. With rare exception, they are insufferable losers that the gene pool would be better off without. There's no plot to speak of, no character development (these people won't EVER develop), no break-out performance and the most arch writing you'll ever encounter in a film. The best thing about GRAND CANYON? Its title. This is one large HOLE of a movie.
The Boy Friend (1971)
Truly Awful
Glenda Jackson was wise to have her name removed from this film - it re-defines the word dreadful. But maybe if you've taken enough hallucinogens... Ken Russell apparently hates the musical he based this film on - which was always a trifle and meant to be a giddy spoof of 20's musicals - it was never really meant to be taken seriously. What Russell had in mind is anyone's guess - the result is a "musical-whithin-a-film" in which both parts - musical and film - are amateurish and embarrassing. Twiggy is lackluster as the understudy who saves the day, Tommy Tune is on a different planet as the amnesiac dancer, and Glenda Jackson - though brave and game - is wasted as the star who suffers injury and has to bow out of the disastrous musical before it opens.
Raggedy Man (1981)
Lovely film, botched video
The most glorious scene of the film - a lovely and loving sequence in which Sissy Spacek dances with her broom as she sweeps the house, singing along with the Andrews Sisters' "Rum and Coca-Cola" - has been brutally excised from the video - I assume due to rights restrictions -and it's enough to make you cry. That sweet, simple scene is one of those priceless film moments that will haunt you always - if you were lucky enough to see the film before it was raped. Still, even a ravaged "Raggedy Man" (inside joke) is a marvelous film - especially for the honesty in Spacek's and Eric Roberts' portrayals, the surprise redemption delivered at the end, and the charming presence of a pre-"E.T." Henry Thomas.
La historia oficial (1985)
All-time favorite
I cry each time I watch this film. (The scene with Norma Aleandro and the baby clothes) Always gets me. An American film-maker would have made a film about one of the "desaparecidos" (disappeared ones) - but Puenzo is too sharp for that - by making a film about one of the quietly complicit, he has indicted all of us who are aware that things aren't quite right in the world, but choose to ignore the fact...and do nothing. Devastating, political and yet personal. My all-time favorite film.
The Black Stallion (1979)
Mesmerizing
It is RARE that an adult film maker can truly make a film through a child's eyes. Carroll Ballard does it exquisitely in "The Black Stallion." I read the book as a child and loved it. As an adult, my view point has shifted and the book no longer holds much interest for me. The film amazingly re-captured the awe I felt as a child - no small feat, considering what a jaded old thing I've become... Repeat viewings retain the magic. Bravo.
Another Woman (1988)
Brilliant
After the unfortunate "September", it was a treat to see Allen in top form on "Another Woman." His use of mirrors (actual and human), flashbacks, dreams and simple (or not so simple) dinner conversation to examine and amplify Marion's life is without parallel - repeat viewings only deepen one's appreciation of this overlooked film.
Standing Room Only: Vanities (1981)
Three cheerleaders grow up and grow apart in this stage play.
Meredith Baxter-Birney, Annette O'Toole and Shelly Hack (yes, she did something other than "Charlie's Angels") star in this excellent staging of Jack Heifner's off-Broadway hit play. I particularly liked O'Toole's take on Kathy, the smart one. Her role isn't as flashy as Hack's (the whore) or Baxter-Birney's (dumb and later, drunk), but she nevertheless stole the show, despite excellent turns by the other two actresses (particularly Hack, from whom I was expecting nothing).