Films Showing at the First Run Theatres in 1991 - How I called'em when I saw 'em

****

"The Silence of Lambs"

"Dead Again"

***+

"Jacob's Ladder"

"The Russia House"

"Awakenings"

"Mr & Mrs. Bridge"

"Long Walk Home"

"Godfather III"

"Truly, Madly, Deeply"

"Thelma & Louise"

"Boyz N Da Hood"

"Drowning By Numbers"

"City of Hope"

"Black Robe"

"Terminator 2: Judgment Day"

"Barton Fink"???

***

"Cyrano de Bergerac"

"Hamlet"

"The Grifters"

"Vincent & Theo"

"Alice"

"L.A. Story"

"Closetland"

"Oscar"

"Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"

"Jungle Fever"

"Rambling Rose"

"The Fisher King"

"Little Man Tate"

"My Own Private Idaho"

"Cape Fear"

"Prospero's Books"

"The Ballad of Sad Cafe"

"Strangers in Good Company"

"Bugsy"

Top/Favorite Movies of the Year in Retrospect

"The Silence of Lambs"

"Black Robe"

"Dead Again"

"Jacob's Ladder"

"Mr & Mrs. Bridge"

"Truly, Madly, Deeply"

"Thelma & Louise"

"Boyz N Da Hood"

"Drowning By Numbers"

"Barton Fink"

"City of Hope"

"Terminator 2: Judgment Day"

"The Grifters"

"Vincent & Theo"

"Rambling Rose"

"Cape Fear"

"Bugsy"

12/31 "Jacob's Ladder" ***+

Disturbing and unsettling; if this is what a bad trip, I can't see why anybody takes hard drugs; dark visual imagery is reminiscent of Brazil. ($3.00- Lindbergh, with Shelly)

1/01 "Cyrano de Bergerac" ***

Subtitles hurt appreciation of the poetry of the dialogue; death scene is probably forefather of all 5 minute + death scenes in theater; probably a **** in France. ($4.00 Hi-Pointe, with Shelly)

1/04 "Born to Dance" ----

1940 MGM musical doesn't hold up too well; lots of missed used talent exemplifying the negative side of the studio system; individual pieces far stronger then the whole (leading to successful films like "That's Entertainment); Porter's song are both excellent (I've Got You Under My Skin, Begin the Beguine, Easy to Love) and awful (Rolling Along Home ?) ($6.00 Art Museum with Shelly).

1/06 "The Russia House" ***+

Locations are fabulous and story line is strong and intriguing; Conery is as good as ever and Pfeiffer is captivating and believable as a Russian ($5.00 Galleria, with Shelly).

1/11 "Awakenings" ***+

Excellent performances by all, perhaps a bit over sentimental in places; real tear jerker; emotional highs in middle and not at the end hurt the flow and leave you slightly down but that's the way it happens in the real world ($5.00 Kenrick with Shelly).

1/12 "Hidden Agenda" **+

Implies that MI-5 committed treasonous acts in late 70's to assure that Thachter's Conservatives beat out the Labor party; hurt by low budget ($3.50 Creve Coeur, with Pooky).

1/19 "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" ***

Sophomoric and silly but surprisingly entertaining (video, at Jeff Stitt's apartment, with Shelly, Jeff, & Tracy).

1/20 "Hamlet" ***

Enjoyable film adaptation that flows along fairly well at the expense of some of the Bard's dialogue ($11.25, Cincinnati with Shelly and Tracy Clavenna).

1/25 "The Grifters" ***

Realistic (?) but dark and tragic tale of con artists; well acted by Cusak, Huston & Bening; this definitely not "The Sting" ($5.00 Esquire with Pooky)

2/01 "Vincent & Theo" ***

Scenes of sunflower & wheat fields were memorable bright images in tale of dark lives; Vincent's suicide attempts were quit chilly ($11.00, Tivoli with Shelly)

2/03 "Alice" ***

As always with Woody Allen, multi-layered tale of ultra-rich women in mid-life crisis; raises questions about values, life and who, why and when; not among his best works but thought provoking as always ($5.00, Galleria with Shelly).

2/08 "2001: A Space Odyssey" -----

Exceptionally well made film for time, but difficult to appreciate in retrospect; gaps in action on TV are boring, not awe inspiring; almost have to read the book to understand what's going on ($0.00, on TV with Shelly and the Swaines)

2/10 "Fiddler on the Roof" ****

Better then I remembered, music and score very tight (one of the best written) and has surprisingly multi- layered in meaning; sadly Technicolor print had deteriorated to red ($7.00, Creve Coeur with Mark).

2/22 "Mr & Mrs. Bridge" ***+

Paul Newman summed it up best when he said that "It's not about anything, it's about everything."; Woodward is personal choice for Best Actress; sexual repression and lack of communication are major themes ($7.00 Shady Oak with Shelly)

3/01 "L.A. Story" ***

Reminded me of "Joe vs the Volcano",(though consistently funnier throughout) a fable with a skewed reality, and something to say about happiness and self discovery; failure to tie it altogether meaningfully makes film somewhat unsatisfactory ($5.00 Esquire with Shelly)

03/02 "The Silence of Lambs" ****

Very frightening and disturbing thriller; "Hannibal the Cannibal" and "Buffalo Bill" strike a raw nerve of fear with realism; Jodie Foster shows that "The Accused" wasn't just a fluke ($3.50 Esquire, with Raye and a friend)

03/03 "Lawrence of Arabia" ****

Epic picture of the sort rarely made these days, cinematography, direction & O'Toole are fantastic; demonstrates my ignorance of 20th century history outside America. ($7.00, Creve Coeur with Mark)

03/17 "Guilty By Suspicion" **

Important story about Hollywood and the House Un-American Activities Committee in the late 50's; good acting but poor direction/ writing never brought the story home the way it might have ($5.00, Crestwood with Shelly)

03/19 "The Wizard of Oz" ****

Can't say I could tell which scenes had been edited out for TV in the past as I had seen it all before but it's nice to know it won't be edited from here on out; Toto isn't black but rather dark brown ($0.00, CBS with Darcy)

03/24 "Closetland" ***

Good acting in difficult roles and effective sets but pretentious and arty dialogue obscure the message a bit; we figured that it's main message was that governmental torture is similar or rather the same thing as child abuse in it's effect on society and people at it touches ($5.00, Crestwood with Shelly)

03/28 "The Grapes of Wraith" ****

Some of the dialogue seems a little corny, especially during the first 15 minutes. After we meet the Joad family, the story's power shows forth. The contrast between the haves and have nots is striking, making me feel guilty in my wealth. Reminded me of Cancun, Mexico in many ways ($6.00, Art Museum, with Shelly).

04/02 "The Searchers" ****

2nd John Ford film in a week. Can think of about a dozen things wrong with the picture (white actor indian chief, Jeff Hunter's acting and dialogue, & other Ford comic touches that don't fit in too well); they don't stop the greatness. The scenery is spectacular and Wayne shines in one of his best roles; the film moved me despite flaws ($3.00, Washington University)

04/06 "Long Walk Home" ***+

Well done story about the Montgomery Bus strike in the 1950's, manages to show character form most view points; lacked something; perhaps fire or maybe combing too many peoples stories in to two example families ($4.00, Hi-Pointe, with Mark)

04/27 "Oscar" ***

Very funny story of Stallone as a crime boss trying to go straight; filled with Runyanistic characters and typical screwball situations that work well ($7.00, Ronnies 8, with Mark)

05/03 "The Godfather" ***-*

Difficult to judge by itself anymore having been exposed to 15+

years of parodies and other references, it is now part of the American culture; the music was effective and Pacino was the real star; film seems very "romantic" when compared to Scorsese's "Goodfellas", which I preferred ($3.00, Art Museum).

05/05 "Defending Your Life" **

Humorous but ineffectual comedy about the after life or reoccurring lives; Albert Brooks thesis that before one can advance into a higher reality, one has to conquer their fears seems too simple and it is not what life is all about; the love scenes were unbelievable, Meryl should stick with drama between this, "Postcards from the Edge" and "She-Devil" I am convinced comedy is not her forte ($5.00, Crestwood, with Shelly).

05/09 "Blood in Your Face" **

Independently produced documentary about white supremacist groups in the mid-80's, more important for it's content then it's execution. To me these groups came across as a bunch of low income, uneducated, rural malcontents of the world (i.e. backward-ass country fucks), I didn't take them too seriously, but as the panel discussion afterwards pointed out, the Nazi's started out as the lunatic fringe and it took a lot of normal people to bring the world the Holocaust and WW II ($4.00, Webster University)

05/10 "The Godfather Part II" ****

Powerful, the last 20 minutes really made the film; the movie is about so many things: revenge, family, power, America the Land of opportunity, trust, changing values, children of powerful/successful people; the mafia/gangster elements are much more secondary in this film, actually just background to the rest of the story; slow in places but better then the first one; Pacino's character reminds me very strongly of Michael on "thirty something" ($3.00, Art Museum)

05/11 "Spartacus" **

Great fill making is damaged by silly, heroic and "inspiring" screen writing; Kirk Douglas obviously was trying to make himself look too good; Ustinov, Olivier, Laughton, Simmons make the most of what Douglas gives them; scale of the film is impressive ($7.00, Creve Coeur, with Mark)

05/11 "One Good Cop" **

Keaton is a cop in a genre film; shows the dichotomy of a cop's life - moments of extreme violence next to moments of warm family tenderness ($11.00, Union Station, with Shelly, and Sally Hall friends)

05/17 "Godfather III" ***+

Continues well in tradition of the other two but not as sharp or with as much to say as part II; story line is weakest of three with a few gaps in credibility and questionable ties to events surrounding Pope John Paul I; the symbolic repetition and the irony of the opera were not terrible effective, not subtle enough for my taste; well done though ($3.00, Art Museum)

05/31 "Truly, Madly, Deeply" ***+

It took a bit to relate to the level of grief Juliette Stevenson's character felt for her lost love, low glitz and poetic tone carry film; scene where she and her new love interest introduce themselves while hopping was wonderful; ghost buddies watching videos was also clever ($11.00, Tivoli with Shelly)

06/07 "Thelma & Louise" ***+

Excellent film with believable story line sequence and strong performances; very much like "Butch Cassedy and the Sundance Kid" but a little more serious; held back by unbelievable Arkansas Cop character who seems to have been inserted to have at least one decent male role in the movie, Jamaican bicyclists scene and production gaffes (scene in bar where the margarita glass goes from full to half full about 7 times; Louise getting off work into car with top down, but rain water on the lot; driving scene repeated from different direction) ($7.00, Kenrick with Shelly)

06/13 "L'Atalante" ****

Listed as the 28th "top" movie ever made; reminded me of Buster Keaton's films which were made at roughly the same time, subdued yet lyrical in it's humor and message; enjoyed seeing them lock through a couple of canals in France; difficult to appreciate innovations for that time ($5.00, Webster University)

06/16 "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" ***

Enjoyable but it is slightly compromised by trying to be a summertime hit (ie increased marketability and all things to all people); Freeman's character is an interesting addition to the tale and it works; Marian is forgettable and symbolic of the current representations of women, sometimes a fierce fighter and equal of men, at other times shirking away from the fight with the bad guy in the final fight scenes; one reviewer suggested that Costner and Gibson were better suited for each other's roles in Robin Hood and Hamlet, I agree ($12.00- Joint, Sannibel Island Cinema, with Shelly and Tracy and Tom Clavenna)

06/22 "Jungle Fever" ***

Spike Lee is able to write strong dialogue and present current issues about being black and race relations in America but the story line is disjointed and seems to want to say everything. It isn't completely satisfying in a story way in that it doesn't seem to end, more of a slice of life film. The crack house scene was powerful and Stevie Wonder's sound track was wonderful ($5.90, Regency with Shelly)

06/29 "City Slickers" **

Entertaining though predictable, not exceptionally funny and forgettable. Average Billy Crystal film. His bonding with the new born calf reminded me of Buster Keaton's "Brown Eyes", I could never kill a cow ($7.00, Crestwood with Mark)

07/05 "The Rockeeter" **+

Fun comic book film; lead actors didn't work well for me but Alan Arkin as the engineer and Tim Dalton as the Errol Flynn character were good; I liked the Bulldog Cafe. ($7.00, Kenrick with Shelly).

07/12 "Regarding Henry" **

Empty, predictable, poorly written; fine performances by all can not bring this picture to life; recovery scenes were especially uninspiring except for the therapist ($1.00, $10.00, Kenrick with Shelly).

07/13 "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear" **+

Typical Zucker and Company picture; Exactly what one would expect ($7.00, Esquire with Mark)

07/19 "Taxi Driver" ***+

De Niro is excellent as always as is Jodie Foster as a 12.5 year-old prostitute; Not to proud that I can empathize with De Niro's character's loneliness and need to do something or accomplish something (how far from his character am I really?); On a personnel level I understand the casting of Cybil Shepard as the woman of his dreams ($1.00, video with Shelly)

07/31 "North by Northwest" ****

Much better and funnier then I remembered; Hitchcock is at his best getting us to accept and enjoy the entire farce; scenes and locals are a major strong point as well as Grant, Marie Saint and supporting cast; Ray was annoyed with my laughter and we argued the entire trip back ($11.00, Creve Coeur with Mark and Ray).

08/10 "Life Stinks" *

Exceptionally disappointing Mel Brooks film; only funny scene was the slapping scene ala Three Stooges; Jake picked the film out over my objections ($2.75, Country Fair in Champaign with Jake)

08/10 "The Gold Rush" ****

Chaplin's adventure in Alaska is more of a love story then anything; hard to appreciate on all levels since most of it has been imitated and echoed since it was released (video with Jake)

08/11 "Boyz N Da Hood" ***+

Story of life in South Central LA is powerful and intelligently made; all the character seem realistic-not larger then life; disturbing in what passes for normal life in these neighborhoods that look like fairly typical America (Free Passes, Crestwood with Shelly)

08/16 "To Be or Not To Be" ***+

Having seen Mel Brooks' version previously took away some of the freshness I'm sure; lighter then Brooks' with more depth of feeling and less "shtick" that is much more enjoyable; Benny's performance is subtle and Lombard is very sexy ($3.00, Art Museum)

08/17 Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdonovich in Archer City, Texas"A fine documentary tribute to "The Last Picture Show" at the time of it's remake "Texasville"; Bogdonovich really does come across as somebody who lost his touch and Shepard seems as manipulative and bitchy as her character JC; made by George Hickenlooper of Dogtown ($3.00, Art Museum)

08/17 "Hearts of Darkness: A Film Makers Apocalypse" Also made by George Hickenlooper of Dogtown; uses tapes and footage shot by Eleanor Coppala at the time in preparation for a documentary that this became; As I recall the film lacked structure and direction, in many ways it's because it was rewritten and ad-libbed along the way; Brando seems as difficult as tales make him to be ($3.00, Art Museum)

08/22 "Earth Girls are Easy" **+

Offbeat Sci-fi comedy set in the "valley" humorous but forgettable; Interesting to see Jim Carry and Daymon Wayans before "In Living Color"; Julie Robertson's "Because I'm a Blonde" was a hoot but was almost a video inserted into the film ($1.00, video with Shelly)

08/28 "Drowning By Numbers" ***+

Peter Greenaway's film is an offbeat, dark, earthy, kooky and erotic comedy; Juliette Steveson is one of 3 generation of Cissie who drowns their husband; multi-layered movie is filled with numbers and counting( generally from 1 to 100), games (exceptionally complicated ones), water(tubs, ocean, pool, water tower), fire (and fireworks) death and corpses, insects (maggots and Madgit) and cows meeting untimely, violent ends, cricket, food and kinky sex (auto-circumcision, necrophilia, infidelity, only from behind, pop-cycle dildos); quite enjoyable ($5.50, Tivoli)

08/30 "Women on The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" ***

Slow getting started; first ten minutes seemed very artsy, surreal before understood what was going on(the language subtitles might have added to this); once the characters were established the screwball comedy started to really work. Film seemed very sexiest (four woman all at the point of breakdowns over men leaving them, man kissing hysterical woman to get a gripe, "european" attitude of matching couples). ($1.00, video with Shelly)

08/31 "Dances with Wolves" ***+

Excellent but second viewing emphasized shortcomings; Costner's "enlightened" soldier/environmentalists is hard to believe and somewhat preachy; several references that were puzzling (ie. crazy Major at Fort Hayes who wets himself and blows out his brain-why?); "Bad Horse" scene-a calvary man would have never left his horse saddled while he was snoozing (This is particularly frustrating since it added nothing and the handlers would have known). ($3.00, Lindbergh with Mark)

09/01 "Dead Again" ****

Kenneth Branagh has created a brilliant, film noire in the best traditions of Hitchcock; I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Film is very similar to Vertigo, though not a shitty De Palma rip off but equal to it. His shots of buildings and locations were excellent like those in Vertigo. Surprisingly could stomach reincarnation angle quite well ($7.00, Shady Oak, with Shelly)

09/09 "Sherlock, Jr." ***+

Keaton is a shear joy to watch; playing pool, disappearing into a projected movie (since duplicated by others), and the incredible chase scenes on a motorcycle; I always want more ($3.00, Washington University)

09/09 "The Three Ages" ***+

As above; bit with lion and dog sled chariot, chase scenes and claymation dinosaur were high points.

09/13 "Children of Paradise" -----

Difficult to judge, dialogue was kind of sappy (I love you, I love you etc) but sweep and romance were similar to GWTW's; didn't seem to pick up the subtle messages of artistic and human freedoms; not on my list of the all time best films ($3.00, Washington University)

09/14 "The Wonderful World of Dogs" & "Cane Toads" **

Two tongue in cheek documentaries by Australian Mark Lewis; material was humorously done but dragged on too long like a bad SNL skit; would have been much better at half the length; Chihuahua dream sequence of getting scooped up by a pelican was high point; Cane toad story very interesting from a naturalist view point ($4.00, Webster University)

09/20 "The Commitments" **

Mediocre story of the rise (almost) and fall of a Dublin soul band; none of the characters were that likable or that flushed out; music was excellent & enjoyable but on the whole effort is forgettable (Moviewatchers free passes, Crestwood with Shelly)

9/29 "Longtime Companion" ***+

For the first time I had the complete feeling that gays were just like anyone else; the signs of affection between 2 males didn't bother me in fact I was genuinely touched; film more important for the story it tells then how it tells it. (Channel 9)

10/04 "Rambling Rose" ***

Excellent (award winning?) performances by Robert Duvall, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd and Lukas Haas (what else was he in?); Dern oozed sexuality everywhere; scene with Dern and Haas in bed was great, though perhaps hard to believe; Ladd's defense of women's rights and the double standard of sexual conduct for the sexes were also powerful; overall effect marred by unneeded last few minutes of the film ($5.90, Kenrick with Shelly)

10/11 "The Fisher King" ***

Dark look at society and the meaninglessness of American values of importance; slow in places; visual/Gilliam standouts: red knight, Train station waltz; Robin Williams frolicking in Central Park nude; Williams singing "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" at the Chinese Restaurant (I especially liked the rising glow of the blue backdrop); Williams' girlfriend's murder (exceptionally violent but not gratuitous in a De Palma kind of way but in an extreme horror of this would make you loony too). Would this have been more enjoyable/better with somebody else then Bridges? I never liked or had any sympathy for his character, was I suppose too? ($7.00, Kenrick with Shelly)

10/12 "Barton Fink" -----

Performances are excellent, film is well made and seemed to be exactly the way the Cohen Brothers wanted it but there is a lot I did not understand about this film. On some levels it made sense, it is a story of Fink, a serious playwright of the common man going to Hollywood (writers Hell), where he wrestles with mediocre and mundane expectations, lack of inspiration as well as for control of his soul. He meets another writer, Bill Faulkner(?) who has already lost his soul, his secretary helping write most of his stuff. The secretary leads Fink's soul down the drain also. This is when I start to lose it. Goodman's character puzzles me. He's already in hell and is suffering. He then goes on to destroy all the people in Fink's life that are somewhat redeemable. What is this suppose to represent? Perhaps the lonely common man that really is never understood by another, the evil in us all...Satin? ($2.50, Hi Pointe)

10/18 "City of Hope" ***+

Superb writing by Sayles, who manages to weave an intricate, dark look at urban political decay with a menagerie of believable characters (I especially liked Sayles as Carl); weak spots were: love interest scenes, large number of characters cast with unknowns were hard to follow; realistic tone with no preachy-ness or solutions offered; Imagery typical of TV news and dramas, perhaps making this a bit forgettable (I think the ideal is somewhere between this and "Jungle Fever"). ($11.00, Tivoli, with Shelly)

10/20 "The Blues Brothers" ****

Excellent music throughout with great supporting cast; Belushi and Ackroyd at their absolute best; exceptionally memorable and funny lines; decadent waste of automobiles always enjoyable ($0.00, Video Disc, with Mike, Sue and Shelly)

10/26 "Shattered" **

Loose and sloppy writing mare this attempted Hicthcockian thriller; pacing is too fast, too many obvious red hearings and I had the whole "big twist" figured out from the start. Easier watching it then thinking about it afterwards (maybe I just enjoyed looking at the gal's breasts and face). Additionally, did the producer or writer have a thing for 68 Dodge Coronets and "Nights in White Satin"? Truly half of "Dead Again" ($7.00, Esquire with Shelly)

11/09 "Little Man Tate" ***

Story of unhappy, boy genius is let down by loose script, subtle points weren't subtle and well integrated or completely believable?? (Harry Conick's role, math skills competition, the "cause" of Diane West's character's coolness and why she wasn't more loving); acting is good (Jodie Foster is superb again and seems a competent director); story is basically about how we all need to belong for a decent feeling of self worth ($7.00, Galleria, Shelly)

11/10 "Mary Poppins" ****

Sheer delight!; score, visual effects and cast are all outstanding; I still get a kick out of this film; (felt a little uncomfortable with the "Hottentot" references by the Admiral, seemed a bit racist, but maybe I'm getting a little sensitive in these "Politically Correct Times") ($0.00, TV)

11/11 "My Own Private Idaho" ***

Gus Van Sant's film of narcoleptic hustler (Phoenix) with modern day Prince Hal (Reeves) and Falstaff is difficult to understand, though well acted; the retelling of Henry the IV, Part I was dark and definitely not comic; I liked the time lapse photography of the Idaho farms; parts seemed autobiographical? ($3.50, Shady Oak)

11/15 "Black Robe" ***+

Excellent, not overstated, story of Jesuit missionary in 1640's among the Algonquin and Huron in Quebec; Bruce Beresford's film tries to promote understanding about religion and values and how different culture's values and religions are more suited to their ways of life then someone else's; gripping realism in violence and fantastic beauty of scenery are major pluses ($2.75, Esquire)

11/20 "Cape Fear" ***

Fine performances by De Niro (as always), Nolte and newcomer Juliette Lewis can not bring this picture above formula (you have seen it all before and none of this is particularly better); believability in places, due to writing not acting, was difficult (De Niro fighting back after being beaten by iron pipes & Lewis's actions especially during the seduction scene); Scorsese's, camera technique seems gimmicky in places; the film is not up to his best work ($4.50, Esquire with Pooky)

11/22 "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" ***+

Fine action picture is admirable sequel to Schwartzenager's best film; the special effects are fabulous and most have cost a fortune; the writing is hoaky in places (especially the kid's lines and at the inevitable happy ending) but it generally works ($3.00, Lindbergh, with Shelly)

11/23 "Everything you always wanted to know about sex*

but were afraid

to ask" **

Film has lost much of it's impact and punch since 1972, the movie just isn't that outrageous by today's standards (assuming that it had impact then); most all the vignettes drag on to long (notably the sodomy bit with Gene Wilder); last scene with Tony Randall and Burt Reynolds operating the brain and Allen as a sperm stills works well ($1.00, video, with Shelly)

11/27 "Prospero's Books" ***

Visual cornucopia retelling of the Tempest; interesting angle of Prospero dreaming/imaging/writing his tale of deceit and revenge; Gielgud puts in a strong performance; Greenaway's multi-layering of images is exceptionally well done, there is always something to see on the screen; lots of nude "spirit/faire" bodies but they are never sexual; films drags after the marriage of Miranda, it seemed shackled to Shakespeare scenes ($11.00, Tivoli, with Shelly)

11/29 "Running On Empty" ***+

Strong writing and performances by Phoenix and Lahti make for a very realistic and touching story of two sixties radicals that accidentally blind a man blowing up a napalm factory and spend the next 14 years on the run from the Feds, reaching a critical stage when Phoenix wants his own life ($1.00, video)

11/29 "For the Boys" **+

Bette Midler show all the way including her +/-; singing and music are excellent; story line bogs down in Vietnam, getting too preachy and manipulative; James Caan is also very good ($5.50, Crestwood, with Shelly)

12/01 "The Ballad of Sad Cafe" ***

Low key story of simple people in downstate Georgia during the depressions; film's presentation of their listless and unenlightened lives is depressing; Redgrave (as all the actors) is excellent as inarticulate, unaware, butch; fight scene is brutal: as always would have enjoyed it more if any of the characters was likeable but that ain't always how life is ($2.95, Shady Oak)

12//08 "Strangers in Good Company" ***

Quiet, subtle story of eight elderly women who become stranded in the backwoods of Quebec when their bus breaks down; honest, non-smaltzy dialogue, unknown, Non-Hollywood actresses and scenery are strong points; if made in America it would have been annoying but made more money ($2.50, Hi-Pointe)

12/13 "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" **+

Familiar and enjoyable, a good film for Trek fans; uninspired story line and cliched writing prevent it from being much more (as "The Wrath of Khan" was); if the series ends here it can do so with dignity as opposed to Star Trek V's fiasco of unbridled Shanter ($3.25, Galleria, with Ray)

12/15 "My Girl" **+

Sentimental, poignant and picturesque photography with fine acting by Anna Chlumsky as Vada and Jamie Lee Curtis; tries to cover a lot of "coming of age" territory sometimes successfully but generally uneven, resulting in not a particularly good job; obvious plot links/stringers are a minus (ie Curtis' RV home she drives to Ackroyd's house on their first date so Vada can see them kiss...please) ($3.75, Esquire)

12/17 "The Sting" ****

Excellent, but not as fresh as it was the first time seeing it, suffers from in own success much the way "The Godfather" does; editing and scripting still strong ($0.00, TV)

12/20 "Hook" **

Film started out well with subtle references to original story "Peter & Wendy" that were touching and meaningful. This all changed once you got to Neverland. The sets were extravagant (too much??) but the dialogue turned drippy, repetitive, and meaningless and generally showing a weakly executed story line which dragged for 2 1/2 hours. It was the all the simplistic crowd-pleasing Spielberg touches that particularly annoyed me: the All American-Brats representing the entire market; the obvious plays for nostalgia, sympathy and emotion - references to "home" (ie "Run Home" at the ball game), attempting to recall "There's no place like home" from The Wizard of Oz and "Phone home" from ET (which was probably recalling Oz). The problem with this is the story wasn't about the boy Jack or his sister and their dissatisfaction with home. It was about Peter and it wasn't about going or "running" home it was about being there. The references did not seem to be accidently placed in the film but rather calculatedly put in for nostalgic, sympathetic effect. The affect was hollow. I have also decided I really don't care for Julia Roberts at all, her lines always seem phony and forced to me. There was also the constant references to being a good parent. I'm sorry referring to noble concepts doesn't actually deliver them to the story. I could go on about why I did not enjoy this movie. I am probably too hard on it because all the wasted talent and money ($70M) for a piece of work that is fairly forgettable except visually and it could have been a classic ($6.50, Esquire, w/Shelly).

12/22 "Bugsy" ***

Warren Beatty is as good as ever; sure to be a nominee for best actor; scene where he's juggling his daughter's birthday, selling the gang on "Las Vegas" and calling for surveillance of Bening is particularly effective; end of film drags and the scripting falters; airport-goodbye scene was a clinker (ie unbelievable, added Hollywood sentimental tripe); after "Goodfellas" I have difficulty appreciating the sanitized and glorified gangsters of the movies ($7.00, Kenrick with Shelly)

12/23 "The Sound of Music" ****

Always a joy to watch, the score, location scenery and Julie Andrews' wonderful voice elevate this film over any shortcomings in the "family/Diseneyesque" dialogue; edited out ~ 30 minutes- Yuch! (TV)

Total Number of New Movies Seen 69

Total Number of Movies Seen Again 15

Total Money Spent - Randy $307.45

Total Money Spent - Shelly $43.90