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Reviews
29th Street (1991)
Loved it, Loved it, Loved it!
I saw this movie 5 times. Anthony, Lainie, Danny and Frankie are great. This movie is 10 for me. More people should see this film. It's funny, the cast is authentic and every one's dream is to win the lottery. You truly find out that some people are just born under a lucky star and sometimes luck can be something feared.
P.S. Frank Pesce cousin lives on the 39th floor of my apartment building. I will say no more.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
I had more courage seeing this movie when I was 16 than now at 43.
I remember in 1971, when I was 16, my boyfriend took me to see this movie. I laughed through most of it, not seeing the violence, just dealing with the obnoxiousness of Alex. It was so weird and cleverly masked with beautiful classical music, I ignored the violence. I sort of cheered when Alex's friend's gave him is "just desserts" by kicking his ass after he had done the same to them in the past. The end of the movie showed what I've always believed: "No one gets away with anything, if they do something with malicious intent".
Now at 43, I have to see it again, come back to IMDB and do another review. I will tell you right now: I will not see this movie at night. I don't think my nerves can deal with violence so frivolously as I did back in time. Remember, gang violence, teenage violence was a great minimum in the 70's. The Love Generation was still around and we did not think of anything but "loving our brother and sister". So Clockwork Orange was an unbelievable story for the 70's. Now look where we are at in the 90's: A Clockwork Orange.
See you later with Part II of my adult review of "A Clockwork Orange".
Chinese Box (1997)
Disappointed with Irons. Li Gong needs more work in American Films
Very short, very sweet: I was disappointed.
If you have read my reviews about Mr. Irons, you can understand why I felt that his character was a bit weak. For a person who watches a film at least 3 times in one sitting (for technical, dialogue and story evaluation), I felt that I was not fulfilled with the message of this film. I saw Li Gong in "Raise the Red Lantern" and she was wonderful. In this film, she had very little dialogue, probably because her English is limited. I believe she should get more American roles in order to develop her second language. I felt that her character was weak also. The only person that had any "flavor" or depth, was the woman who portrayed "Jean", the woman with the scar. I felt that her character was the best and was very colorful. I am sorry that the main characters had very little to offer. I also like Ruben Blades, but I felt he was in the wrong movie. You know, displaced.
The Doors (1991)
Will Val ever act in another movie with this much intensity?
My favorite Door songs are: Love me Two Times, (of course) Light My Fire, People are Strange (really a favorite of mine since I related to it so well) Don't You Love Her Madly and Riders on the Storm. Now that I got that out, I have to say that I truly enjoyed this movie. I was 12, 13 and 14 during the Door reign, and to tell you the truth, I was not into the Doors inner sanctum, I just liked their music and of course, Jim's voice.
Val K., has not done a movie with so much intensity after this one. He really WAS Jim Morrison. I have to check to see if he sung any of the songs or if he lip synced. If he sang, maybe he has Jim's spirit in him. He even looks a little like Jim. Great casting Oliver. One thing about Stone, when he does a movie, you better have time to see it because it is LONG! Also, it can't bore you and this did not bore me.
I recommend this movie and I believe Jim is not dead and he is hiding from the law. As I hear it, I don't think he has a lot of time to serve, but I guess any time in jail is too much time.
Peace, Power to the People.
Damage (1992)
Passion, thy name is Jeremy.
I have to honestly say that when it comes to a movie the features Jeremy Irons, I always look for obsession. Until I saw Damage (aka Fatale, somewhere in Europe, I think Italy), I could not visualize in my mind what passionate obsession was all about. Jeremy's characters in Damage, M Butterfly and Lolita definitely screams passionate obsession. And he does it so good. When it comes to depicting sexual passionate, desperateness, despair, isolation, masochism, Irons knows what to do. When he is experiencing ecstasy, you can see it all over his face with no shame. His characters have absolutely no shame when it comes to romantic love and then when this romantic love becomes difficult to acquire, the frenzy begins. In Damage, Jeremy's character did not care where he met his son's girlfriend (that in itself is sleazy) for their daily sexual fling. It could be a street, a car, a bike ( I am exaggerating), but he did not care.
However, Jeremy's character's obsession never ends in a happy ending, and in reality, obsession rarely does. In Damage, he is found having sex with this son's girlfriend in their love nest by his son. I could write on and on and analyze Iron's characters sexuality, sensuality, depravity and passionate. I think that the three movies, which include Damage, show Iron's characters base vulnerability, holding nothing back and all you can do is watch him and wallow in it with him.
The Rose Tattoo (1955)
No one could be more "naked" then Anna
Anna Magnani is the only actress that I have seen that is able to actually put her guts into a role. Unfortunately, and no pun intended, Anna put so much of herself in her acting career that she died of pancreatic cancer.
But you have to say if you ever sa this movie or even the others like Wild Is The Wind, you see an actress that surpasses the script. Anna lives her role as if she is there and there is no separation from Anna and Serafina Della Rose. You can tell that Anna has lived her part and her life by the bags under her eyes, but she holds nothing back, nothing. This kind of actress (not even Streep in Bridges of Madisson County where she played an Italian woman) can explode like Anna. In Rose Tatoo you see a woman who is utterly destroyed by the death of her husband, you see it, you feel it along with her. You also experience the mourning with Anna shamelessly wallowing in self-pity and depression, not wanting to live because her "rose" of a husband has been removed from her life. Her baron. Then we experience the disbelief when Serafina finds out that her Baron, her rose had been unfaithful to her. Anna Magnani expresses her joy, her sadness, her anger, her suspicion and her grief with such authenticity, you cannot help but see this movie over and over and over again, because it is so real. There were great things happening in 1955, first, I was born and then there was The Rose Tattoo.