Reviews

It's man versus man, versus machine, versus nature in this captivating film by Terrence Malick. Filmed in Canada, DAYS is a visually stunning film it could easily have been a silent picture because there are long gaps between dialog and when the characters do speak, they use few words to convey feeling. Richard Gere, pre-American Gigolo, is quite good as a poor laborer. It is hard to buy Gere in period films because he seems to be a very contemporary leading man, but he works well here, mostly because he was still relatively unknown when the film was made; Brooke Adams is haunting as Abby and Linda Manz plays the role of narrator with the right amount of despair and hope.

Purple Rain is a great film if you are a 40-something music lover who partied to Prince music in the 1980s. The story is a much-used formula: Rising musical talent must overcome personal and professional hurdles to find his audience and self-respect. Prince is a bad actor, but his performance, especially of Purple Rain/I Would Die 4 U make it worth sitting through the film. He is himself and as a showman, as powerful on stage as Mick Jagger or Michael Jackson, circa Thriller. Apollonia Kotero, a former Prince protégé, is beautiful and shows some acting talent and chemistry with Prince, but her script doesn't let her far. Morris Day and other supporting actors provide comedic elements.

Anthony Quinn is perfectly cast in the role of a wealthy Greek aristocrat to Jacqueline Bisset's rich American widow. Set in the 1970s, the acting is passable though not fantastic. Quinn's turn is the best, though, as he plays an emotional, powerful man who is used to having his way in and out of the boardroom. Thinly veiled plot, you can figure out what is going to happen in the movie during the first few minutes, but it is worth sitting through for the scenery of the Greek islands. Even if the volume is turned to mute, it is nice to see how rich and famous frolic aboard yachts, in pools and on the beach. Serious film critics might just see this film as a glorified television movie of the week.