Reviews
L.I.E. (2001)
Fine Job
L.I.E. is the name of the movie and short for Long Island Expressway. At the beginning of the movie fifteen year-old Howie stands on top a bridge over that expressway . A fine opening sequence in which we are not sure he will jump nor how the movie will break away from the tense opening. He returns to the bridge several times during the movie. The fifteen year-old has lost mother to the L.I.E. and has no substantive relationship with his father. He becomes friends with another boy who sells his body to men at a local rest stop. Together they rob houses and are caught in the act attempting to rob the home of a pederast called Big John. Howie narrowly escapes sans the left rear pocket of his jeans which Big John has torn from him in the chase. Later the pederast and Howie become friends. I don't want to give away too much of the plot but I found this movie a sensitive portrayal of a difficult subject to present objectively(especially in these times of the new conservatism): namely man-boy love.
The film has a very erotic quality to it with some nice shots of the teen in underwear. The keen edge of the drama is mollified by fine sequences of comic relief involving the friends of the main character. Ironically the only explicit sex scene was a heterosexual one between Howie's father and his girlfriend. The sound track is very good I thought. I liked the bit where they played 'Hurdy-Gurdy Man' as Big John is cruising the junior high school. And they have a touching Handel aria near the end. I think the relationship between the boy and the older man was well done. The actor who played Big John was exceptional. Much light is thrown on his character in scenes having nothing to do with boys: his birthday party, his drive home near the end. The only part I did not care for was the ending. It did not seem to fit at all. Roger Ebert felt the same way indicating that it seemed like an ending spliced on from another movie. I agree. I give two thumbs up to this movie: one for the way they portrayed the subject matter and another for the fine acting.
Internal Affairs (1990)
Gere's best role
Probably the best role I have seen Richard Gere play. I like it when he is out of the romantic comedy setting yet still working his pervasive (and in this case perversive) charm. The movie was tense and tight and held my interest to the end (which I expected to be more dramatic). I think the only failing of the film was not developing the Laurie Metcalf role. I wanted more dynamic between her and the Andy Garcia character. Her domestic or personal situation was not gone into at all. She was a cool, reserved, if somewhat mysterious, presence. I like how they show the similarities between Garcia's character and Gere's character. In fact the more I think about it the more I like this film. Give it a 8.
Strangers on a Train (1951)
One of his best
This is a little known Hitchcock movie but I think it is one of his best. I like how he inserts humor into this crime drama. For example the small boy pointing a gun at the Bruno character at the carnival and the Bruno character popping his balloon with a lit cigarette. And there is the comic scene at the tennis courts where the audience in unison moves there heads back and forth following the ball except for Bruno who glances straight away at the tennis player.
Hitchcock plays suspense masterfully as in the tunnel of love sequence early in the film. We know that Bruno plans to murder the woman and we 'see' that is why he is following her into the tunnel. We hear a scream and think the deed is done when voila! the girl comes sailing out with her two admirers. Then there is one of the finest scenes in all movie history: the final scene on the carousel. Hitchcock manages suspense on many non-stop levels: the two protagonists fighting each other, a small boy who nearly falls from the ride as it whirls at tremendous speed, and the elderly man who crawls beneath the carousel to try and get at the brakes. Although I think the end of the scene was a bit over the top it was masterful to that point and I will never forget it.
I was surprised to see Ruth Roman in the lead. Usually Hitchcock has blondes for his leads, but the commentator on the TMC channel told us Hitch had to use her because she was under contract to the studio where he filmed it.
I highly recommend this obscure Hitchcock masterpiece and give 9.99 out of 10.
Beautiful Thing (1996)
Impressed with the sense of place
This is the second gay film I have seen this week where the minor characters had more color to them than the major ones. (Trick was the other film)Still I felt this was a sweet and charming movie. I was impressed with the sense of place and the urban feel which the director gave the movie: the apartment complex and relationships between the neighbors. I especially liked the portrayal of the mother and her support of the son. The scene where she confronts her son's sexuality is among the best scenes in the film. I liked the tenderness of the romantic scenes between the two boys also.
Trick (1999)
Hopeless romantic
I know this film got mixed reviews from both the critics and the commentators at this site. I tend to agree that it would not play well with straight characters and that the minor character's scenes were a bit overdone, but be that as it may I was entertained despite the believability of the premise(they could have rented a room) and I cared very much for the main characters. I didn't want the movie to end. I wanted to see how their relationship developed further. I really wanted to see these two guys together. Guess I'm just a hopeless romantic!
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
Suspend Belief
***contains spoiler
You have to suspend belief quite a bit here to enjoy this movie. If you can get past the fact that this family situation did not call for a live-in nanny and that the parents were unbelievably naive in hiring this woman practically off the street without reference checks and follow-up interviews, then be prepared for a deliciously evil Rebecca De Mornay. I was ready to plunge a knife at that bitch through the television set. Annabella Scorria was pretty and charming as the housewife, but I found Matt Mccoy's performance as the Dad rather bland. Julianne Moore in the minor role of the wife's friend was sexy and very polished, presaging her later successes. I found the performance of the handicapped man a bit awkward in the beginning but smoother toward the end. I would like to see this picture in black and white. The director builds suspense well. A standout scene is the wife stepping on the broken light bulb that is lying on the basement stairs at the end of the movie. You hear every crunch as suspense builds. The movie was evocative but I am only giving it a 6 out of 10.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Modern Alice In Wonderland
So much has been written about this picture and indeed it is superb. I thought of Alice in Wonderland as I was watching the scenes in the office building where the environment has shrunk. Also the portal is similar to that which Alice passes through. I am sure one could write a whole thesis on the myth and metaphysics in this picture. I like what was not done in this picture. They did not take a sci-fi approach and hook the 'visitors' to electrodes in order to transport them into Malkovich. This was done in The Cell. The portal in an office building made this movie believable. I hardly recognized Camreon Diaz until the end. She should have received an Oscar for her performance but it was Hilary Swank's year. Give this a 9.75 out of 10.
It's in the Water (1997)
relies largely on caricature
This enjoyable movie relies largely on caricature to achieve its comedic ends and it does so quite well. Lots of good lines here especially for the Spenser character. I thought the love scenes were handled tastefully if somewhat conventionally. I give it 7 out of 10.
The Opportunists (1999)
low key, straightforward, no fluff
Warning: contains spoiler
This movie, in the way it was crafted, reminded me of the craftsmanship of the great films of the forties. (Casablanca, African Queen, Mildred Pierce, to name a few of my favorites) That is, straightforward in telling the story and no superfluous fluff. The screenwriters could have easily gone astray in this film by adding love scenes between the daughter and the boy or even Lauper and Walken's character, but they deftly avoided this and stuck to the story. I enjoyed each and every performance and it is a shame that because of the Academy's focus on mainstream cinema Christopher Walkens will probably be overlooked at Oscar time. He conveyed so much with his facial expressions alone that it is easy to watch this movie again just for his low key performance.
My favorite scene in the film was where the Walkens character is practicing opening safes and his cohorts are watching this. Near the end of it they are shown asleep on the couch while Vic is still hard at work on the locks. This reminded me of the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane who slept while Christ 'watched'. I am not saying Walkens character is a Christ figure. But in this he and Christ were at one: they took their craft seriously. And later when the 'disciples' begin to loose faith in Walken's character he confidently parades out of the house and announces that the next day the heist will come down.
One minor glitch: Walkens character didn't impress me as the type who would botch an automobile repair job; so at that point I felt something was fishy, but I quickly forgot about that fact and rode the crest of the story. The minor characters were all equal to their roles and I was pleasantly pleased with Cindy Lauper. Give this one 9 out of 10 and hope it garners a Oscar nomination.
Go (1999)
Pleased in Las Vegas
I was pleasantly surprised at this flick. It is not the type of movie I would usually watch but it was showing at a local coffee house where I happened to be holed up for the evening so I gave it a view and was most delighted. I liked how the story would take on the characteristics of a drama-action movie and then turn comedic. The plot was compelling and my interest was held the entire time. I live in Vegas so those sequences were very enjoyable. That strip bar is no longer there and was razed last year to become a hotel. This film has been compared to Pulp Fiction, but not having seen that movie I can't really comment on that comparison. Guess which movie I am going to rent this weekend?
The Cell (2000)
Better than what most critics thought
Most critics panned this film and I read about half a dozen reviews of it before attending. Roger Ebert, whose views I respect, was one of the few who revered the film as one of the best of the year. While I would not go that far I might say I did like the film and was captivated by the story and the exquisite visuals. (I am a student of Jungian thought and I felt the film lent a new twist to 'finding ones inner child'. Here someone else finds it!) Being a fan of the artist Salvador Dali helped in my appreciation of the visuals. The acting was not strong, but then I think if it were stronger it would have overpowered the total effect. The storyline was adequate and some of the time I was on the edge of my seat. Score: 8 on a 10 scale