Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)
Date of first viewing: Monday, April 28, 2003
Format: DVD
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Format: DVD
Birthday Girl (2001)
Date of first viewing: Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Format: DVD
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Ice Age (2002)
Date of first viewing: Sunday, April 13, 2003
Format: DVD
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The Last Picture Show (1971)
Date of first viewing: Saturday, April 12, 2003
Format: DVD
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Opening Night (1977)
Date of first viewing: Monday, April 07, 2003
Format: DVD
I LOVED this movie. So why has it taken me so long to write about it? (Writing this Tues 8/26/03.) I rented it after seeing All About My Mother, since Almodovar lists this film and Gena Rowlands as inspirations for his movie. Vivid, colorful, emotionally wrenching, and spooky as well. Gena Rowlands getting beaten up by her invisible ghost girl is brilliant.
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A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
Date of first viewing: Sunday, April 06, 2003
Format: DVD
Having a mini Gena Rowlands fest, inspired by seeing All About My Mother.
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Network (1976)
Date of first viewing: Saturday, April 05, 2003
Format: DVD
I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!
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Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Date of first viewing: Saturday, April 05, 2003
A definite crowd pleaser. I don't normally enjoy these "feel good" types of movies. Count me in the tiny minority of Americans who didn't fall in love with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. But this one has enough salty humor in with its sugar to keep me interested and laughing.
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Blood Simple (1984)
Date of first viewing: Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Format: DVD
The Coen brothers' first movie. A young Frances McDormand. A bizarre plot that moves slowly but deliberately and builds in intensity and complexity until the end. What could be better on a Wednesday night?
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Tommy (1975)
Date of first viewing: Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Format: DVD
April Fool's Day. Am I a fool to have enjoyed this movie? I've been reading many of the viewer critiques on IMDB, and it seems that most die-hard fans of The Who find the movie to be a big disappointment. Well, I like The Who when I hear their stuff on the radio, but I've never owned an album, and I mostly had a ball watching this outrageous psychedelic trip of a movie. The first few scenes are overly melodramatic, and the young boy Tommy leaves me cold. But once Roger Daltry takes over, the thing flies. The Church of Marilyn Monroe is fantastic. Tina Turner as the Acid Queen ignites the screen. Elton John's Pinball Wizard is campy fun, and Jack Nicholson as A. Quackson, Mental Health Specialist, is a scream. The visuals are insane: Ann-Margret as Tommy's mother rolling around in baked beans and chocolate, the Acid Queen's hypodermic-needle-robot-thing (what else to call it?) that encases Tommy, the weirdly touching story of Sally Simpson, I could go on and on. Something that differentiates this movie from a rock opera like Jesus Christ Superstar, which predates this movie by 2 years, is that the film plays like a string of independent rock videos. Each song is separate, distinct, and melodic. There aren't many "connecting" bits of "talk singing" between songs as there are in most operas, and being a member of the MTV generation, I appreciate that. No one can call me a snob!
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