Reviews

I watched it on HBO Latin tonight and even though I only speak very very basic Spanish, I enjoyed it. I'm a Julianne Nicholson fan, so I was happy to get a chance to see it. I'm sure I'd love it if I could understand the dialogue. Anyone know anything more?

I first watched this film about a week ago. I watched it again last night because I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I broke down in tears at the ending on that first watch. And then I cried twice more that night just thinking about how impactful that resolution is. I think it's better to go in not knowing how it ends so that you feel the full weight of it. I don't mean to imply that it's a sad ending. It's more like a bittersweet suckerpunch that makes absolutely perfect sense. It also illustrates the true power of love and human connection, and how far we're willing to go when we find it.

Though the ending is likely to be the thing that sticks with you, the movie has so many other delights. Let's start with what drew me to it in the first place... the utterly luminous central performance by Julianne Nicholson as Sophie. Whether she's out "crabbing" in overalls, or dolled-up for an evening at the "picture show" with Miss Ann, Sophie is a magnetic, fascinating creature. How much of that was on the page, and how much is merely the result this gifted actress's presence, I can't say.

Based on the synopsis, you might be expecting a sad, lonely old spinster. That's not Sophie. No. Instead, she's a strong, fiercely independent, delightfully offbeat, daring woman. Gentle of spirit, sweet of soul, most of the townsfolk do dismiss her as someone in need of their protection. The town busybody, who was the best friend of Sophie's late mother, seems to think managing Sophie's life is her personal mission. Her constant snooping and interference drives most of the conflict in the story. And we are treated to flashbacks that reveal that Miss Ruth has been butting in and causing havoc ever since Sophie was a child. These flashbacks also reveal Sophie to be one of those rare humans with nothing but boundless love in her heart. Unfortunately, by the time we meet her, the social constructs of the era and place she was born into have beaten a lot of it out of her.

When a beaten, barely coherent young Japanese man, Mr. Grover Ohta is dumped on a park bench in her small coastal South Carolina town, little does Sophie know the stranger is about to change her life.

I don't want to give away a whole lot because I think you'll enjoy the movie much more, the less you know. I will say that the cinematography is gorgeous, the score is unobtrusive, and all of the acting is uniformly outstanding. Kudos to whoever found Takashi Yamaguchi and brought him on board. He's just perfect. Margo Martindale is as wonderful as always.

One thing I do want to mention is how glorious the love scenes are. They're so heartfelt and well-earned they brought tears to me eyes on that first watch. I can't remember the last time I had such a strong reaction.

See this movie. Then share it with like-minded friends. You will probably need someone to talk to and/or cry with when it's over.

Julianne Nicholson, who would go on to play Det. Megan Wheeler in 24 episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, turns in a terrific performance in this early role. She had only been acting for a few years. The biggest kick for me was seeing Mike Logan's cherished former partner, Lennie Briscoe interrogate his future partner. I'd been chasing this one for a while and just finally got to see it tonight. It did not disappoint.

Seriously. I love indie films, but this plays more like an inept Z-grade, straight-to-video fail of an "erotic thriller" of the type you'd find filling the shelves of your local video store in the early 90's. I gave it a watch because of the cast and I can't tell you how many times I wanted to turn it off. So glad I didn't have to pay to watch it on Amazon Prime. If you like the following, this is the movie for you!

1) droning voice-over narration by an emotionless character 2) shots that linger on minutia for small eternities for no discernible reason 3) boring, unsexy sex scenes that just feel embarrassing and exploitative 4) dumb plots that make very little sense and go nowhere 5) downbeat endings that resolve nothing

You've been warned. I'm still trying to wash this trash out of my head. It would've been instantly forgettable if I didn't feel so insulted by it. With most indies, you can feel the passion of the filmmakers. It's not easy making a movie so most of the time, you understand what drove the writer and/or director to do whatever it took to get their movie made. This thing feels like a film school thesis gone very wrong. There's no passion behind it. You don't feel any connection to any of the characters. Nor do you feel an artist's drive to tell a story that means something to them. Mostly, you'll probably just feel bewildered.

Plot-wise, it literally makes no sense that the unnamed mob boss offers up his moll, Ann as a gift to this William dude that he's trying to recruit and when William declines to sleep with her the first time they meet, suddenly the mob boss changes his tune and warns William to stay away from Ann. And of course, out of nowhere, William decides he can't stay away from her. There is absolutely no recognizable chemistry between William & Ann at that first meeting, but William is supposed to be totally smitten with her and ready to put both of their lives in danger to... what? Save her? She doesn't want saving. The second time they're together, she sits with him for an endless viewing of his dumb nature films. They never touch. They never kiss. They barely exchange a word. He gives her a kimono, and I guess that's love baby! At least in his weird, emotionless world.

We get to watch William slowly, pointlessly eat about five meals in this movie. We get to watch him amble around the streets doing nothing. We get to watch him sit around his empty storefront looking morose. Why? We never learn a damn thing about this cat. And God, those stupid nature films and their narration! Oh so symbolic! Of... what?

This is really one of the flattest movies I've ever seen. I'm not being facetious when I say it has no reason to exist. It has nothing of value to offer. It only gets 2/10 from me because I love Julianne Nicholson. You know how people sometimes say they could watch their favorite actor read the phone book? Well, I just did. And I wish I hadn't.

I watched it Saturday, along with all the special features. It was a tough movie. If you don't like indie film, you might have a hard time with it. If you do, it's an astonishing achievement. All the acting is uniformly excellent. I don't mean to undercut the obviously painstaking work Tilda Swinton did in creating her character...

...but this is Amber Tamblyn's movie. Period. Anyone who watched Joan Of Arcadia already knew she could act her heart out. But what she does here is nothing short of phenomenal. She gets every nuance of Stephanie --- someone VERY different from her own flaky, artsy hippie-chick personality --- absolutely right. There's not one minute of "acting" in her time on screen. I promise you that if you give yourself to this story you will not come out of it the same.

And you will not soon forget it.

Others have already synopsized the movie for you, so I will just stick with the fun stuff...

As a longtime fan, I have an old VHS tape with three of Tom Conti's very best performances on it, all recorded off cable back in the late 80's: The Gospel According to Vic; Reuben, Reuben; and Saving Grace. This movie is my favorite of the three. I've probably seen it ten times. I will admit that most of the reason I love the movie hinges on Conti's delicate, relaxed performance. It's damn near perfect.

But you also get some delightful work from the magnificent Giancarlo Giannini. "You're Pope Leo, no? You're Pope Leo, yes." And a hoot of turn by adorable Angelo Evans --- the real life gypsy kid from Robert Duvall's oddball semi-doc, Angelo, My Love --- in his only real acting role. Whatever happened to that kid? He's so cute as the little gangster, Guiliano, whom Conti's character befriends.

There's also a very sweet almost-love-story and some funny stuff by Fernando Rey as Pope Leo's trusted confidante, Stefano. Eddie Olmos provides some menace as the head gangster in Montepetra.

Oh, just see it! You'll love it. I must warn you though that I think they sold the movie way wrong by calling it a comedy. It's a drama with humor. But it's definitely a feel-good flick.

So, I was watching the new Fox series, "The Inside" the other night and marveling at how handsome and young and talented Adam Baldwin still is and I realized that the film I fell for him in is 25 years old! How time flies! I saw "My Bodyguard" in the theatre in 1980 with a friend from high school the very first time her parents allowed her to hang out with me. They were very protective and thought I was some kind of hood. I totally was not! I was a good kid who was perceived as nothing by the real bad kids in my school. I was invisible, for the most part. But I was bullied a lot from time to time. And during one really bad year, I did the bullying. You do what you're taught. And there were a couple of years there where I just couldn't get along with anyone. The movie meant a lot to me at a time when I probably really needed it.

Adam Baldwin was so completely adorable in this movie that I must've seen it 20 times over the years. I identified with Clifford, of course. But I just loved Linderman. I've seen most of Adam's stuff. Even some of the cheesy direct-to-video crap. Well, I was in the video business for a while, it didn't cost me anything. He's always better than the material he's given. When they cut him loose, he's great. And it's no harm that he's extensively easy on the eyes.

I love Tony Bill. He has made some terrific, very underrated movies in his time. Anyone seen "Five Corners"? God, I love that movie.

Having been a Ruth Gordon fan since I first Saw "Harold & Maude" at an art-house when I was a kid, it was a delight watching her granny-gone-wild act in "My Bodyguard". Martin Mull was sweetly droll as he tried to curb her as best he could and be there for his son amid the chaos of them all living inside his career.

Had anyone ever before seen a family living in a big-city luxury hotel that the dad's trying to run? What a delicious touch! How boring would this film be without the hijinks at the hotel? In fact, all the locations were exceptionally well-utilized.

Would it scare any of you that I can hear the musical score in my head as I write this? It really is one of "those" films for me. It stuck with me. Even though I never owned the score, I remember the music. The character-driven semi-classical score by Dave Grusin is refreshing. If you've never seen this film, you owe it to yourself to partake. Most especially if you were anywhere near the range of 10-20 years old in 1980. And it's finally on DVD!

I don't now know where this kid came from who played Robin Williams but he was channeling. It was astounding at times. The writing was as good as it could get for someone trying to capture Robin's crazy improv in a script. And I gotta tell you, it made me cry. I really felt empathy with Robin and Valerie. When Robin walked away from his crippling vice and into the best years of his marriage and fatherhood and a mostly sparkling movie career, I was moved to tears.

Sometimes, these insider TV movies can be terribly cheesy. This one benefited greatly by the lead performance and Daniel Roebuck's loving turn as Garry Marshall. These people are heroes of mine and I came out of this movie with even more admiration for them than ever before.

and I really don't know what to do. There's so much tension in the atmosphere. I'm in a panic that I might not get through. Hey, nurse is that a warning sign or can you make me feel fine? Take me up to the emergency room and give me something to relieve the pain..." For the record, that's how the Lou Rawls song went.

Is it scary that I know that? I got my first VCR in 1983. I actually have almost all of the episodes of this show on tape. Ladies and gentlemen, this E/R had one of the very best ensemble comedy casts of all time.

Elliot Gould played Dr. Howard Sheinfeld, a lazy, womanizing much-married father of two teens who lost everything in his most recent divorce and is forced to work overnights in an ER to make ends meet. Mary McDonnell played Dr. Eve Sheridan, the uptight, fussy but sexy chief of the ER staff. George Clooney played "My Place" Ace in a role that pre-dated even his recurring shot on "The Facts Of Life", egad! Corrine Bohrer totally won my over as the adorable Cory, she of the major crush on Sheinfeld. The inimitable Conchata Ferrell was Nurse Thor, wife of Bud and a big, loud softy. She was amazing. Lynne Moody was Nurse Julie, the lovelorn. Shuko Akune was the hilarious Maria "Stay back of the white line!". And Bruce Young was her sweetheart, cop Fred. Oddly enough, Sheinfeld had his George Costanza for a bit when Jason Alexander showed up as the ludicrous hospital administrator, Stickley. Jonathan Silverman played Sheinfeld's teen son. The chemistry with this cast was remarkable. And there's another coincidence with the current ER series. This show was set at the Clark Street ER in Chicago.

I watched the show because of the actress who played Sheinfeld's daughter, Pamela Segall. Pammy gets no respect. Her name wasn't even in the IMDb listing for the show. I added it tonight. Maybe you're thinking you've seen that name somewhere before. If you've ever watched the credits for "King Of The Hill" in the last 8 years you have. She's the voice of Bobby Hill. She's also a delight in front of the camera --- an adorable, terrific comedienne and a heartbreaker in dramas. I highly recommend the Christian Slater/Mary Stuart Masterson romance for a look at Pammy as the quirky, cool best friend.

Just another bit of trivia, Pamela Segall was a semi-regular "The Facts Of Life", too. The season before Clooney came aboard.

I don't know how in the world anyone will ever get a shot at seeing this E/R. It's too bad. It didn't deserve such a quick, cruel death.

In 1975, I was 11 years old. "Escape To Witch Mountain" played to a packed house at a now-defunct old theatre called, Miracle. People were sitting on the floor because they sold more tickets than they had seats. I'd never seen anything like that before.

My dad and step mom took me to the movie and we got the last of the few remaining seats. They probably only took me because it was a Disney flick. Had to be harmless, right? Hardly. Afterward, they were puzzled by the seemingly surprising UFO angle. I remember being absolutely transfixed. I'm still fascinated with mysterious stuff like UFOs and ghosts. I wasn't supposed to like that stuff but this film made it impossible for me not to.

And I identified with the kid heroes on a deeper level as well. I, myself, was kind of a ragamuffin misfit kid from a broken home who spent weekends with my dad's new blended family. I felt the siblings' pain at being torn from their home. Tia broke my heart. She was as fragile as me, but far stronger when it really counted. Tony was just hot! Older and very cute at 13. And those powers they had? How cool was that? By the time the credits rolled, I knew I'd seen the best movie ever!

I was lucky enough to have an older cousin who loved movies and hanging out with me and she bought the Disney movie record for me. I don't know if any of you remember these; Disney used to release LPs of the audio track of some of their movies, usually truncated and featuring narration. In the case of "Escape", it was narrated by Eddie Albert. This thing enabled me to memorize every line of Tony and Tia's dialog and much of that of the other characters, too. I still have it, though the sleeve is long lost. It's tough for me to watch the movie without speaking along with the characters (especially Tia), at least in my head.

My cousin also bought me Alexander Key's book. Boy, Disney sure took liberties, didn't they? Key's book is far more serious and developed and meaningful. I tried to take the best parts from the book and the movie and incorporate them together into the Tony and Tia of my imagination. It deepened them. Too bad there was no fanatic outlet back in those days! It was pretty egolesss of Alexander Key for coming together with Disney on the eventual novelization of "Return". Without Key's kind participation, it would of been an empty exercise. I was especially impressed with how he incorporated the issue of Tia needing to learn to speak.

Through the years, I never "Escape" and I saw it as often as I could. For instance, when "Return" was released, Disney sent the movies out as a double feature. I loved "Return", silly as it was, even though there were things in it that really bugged me. Like the sibs being split apart for most of the movie. I loved them together! I think most of the fans of the first film were most affected by their chemistry. I think we wanted to see more of that. Even so, I really liked the Earthquakes, all of them. And it was fun to see Kim and Ike a bit older and even cuter than before. I also remember seeing "Escape" on an odd revival double-bill with "Bambi" at some point in my teen years. I think I would've followed Kim and Ike anywhere. Heck, I even followed them to "Devil Dog, The Hound Of Hell". You have to see the comments page here at IMDb if you haven't already.

I would've seen "Tuff Turf" even if Kim wasn't in it, but that's a convoluted story for another thread. Suffice to say I have seen TT far too many times and many of them were for Kim. Also, I can honestly say I enjoy the TV edit of "Star Trek II" far more than the theatrical cut because it has more Ike. I even had a good time watching "Blair Witch Mountain..." when it hit the web. I have to agree that it might be fun to revisit Tony and Tia with the original actors today. Hey, last year, the new "Twilight Zone" brought Anthony (Billy Mumy) back and introduced us to his similarly gifted, but far less scary (real life) daughter (Liliana Mumy). And all those people came back from the cornfield. Why not Tony & Tia?

I could rhapsodize for paragraphs about both "With Mountain" films, and I may still do so when I get my special edition DVDs. In the meantime, here's hoping that a whole new generation of kids will discover "Witch Mountain" for themselves.

I was a fan of Tony Perkins and the original "Psycho". And I loved Bud Cort from the time I saw him in "Harold & Maude" on. What I came away thinking about when I saw "Bates Motel" though was, boy would this have made a great series. Also, who is Lori Petty? This was really one of her very first jobs. I followed her to the "Booker" TV series and I've been a fan ever since. Who would've thought that a Tennessee-born Pentecostal preacher's daughter would go on to be "Tank Girl"? I will always love this goofy little TV movie for keeping the But Cort flame alive and introducing me to Lori Petty. A note of trivia: Kurt Paul, who played Norman in this movie went on to stunt double for Tony Perkins in the big screen "Psycho" sequels and to guest star as the serial killer being interviewed by CCH Pounder in the "Psycho IV" cable movie.