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hernanjp
Reviews
John and Mary (1969)
Four stars-Don't miss it!
Remember the days when we were all having free sex and enjoining our elders to make love-not war? Well, if you long for those days or would just like to see what they were like, a good way to telescope back to `those thrilling days of yesteryear' would be to watch John and Mary.
This wonderful little gem from the height of the Sexual Revolution era is about young people trying to connect after the sex part is done.
The story begins on the morning after the night before when two strangers awake together in bed. A delightful, youthful Mia Farrow is compelling, bright, sexy and very appealing as Mary. Dustin Hoffman as John is excellent. The story unfolds as the two young characters struggle toward mutual understanding and respect. As they do, I could easily imagine myself among a theater audience in 1969 all rooting for them to succeed.
The script is intelligent and the flashbacks very effective and interesting.
If you like a mature story emphasizing superb character development with fully-realized, appealing characters, this is for you. I give it four stars-my highest rating! But don't try to get this on video or DVD because as far as I know they are not available. You have to wait for it to be shown on cable or at your local art house theater.
Sans toit ni loi (1985)
A masterpiece.
A Rave! Beautifully photographed by Patrick Blossier, every shot, every frame is a delightfully balanced composition of light, color, and framing.
What's more amazing still is how Varda can make such a depressing story so mesmerizing. It is a touching, enchanting story of a lost girl slowly sinking deeper and deeper into society's refuse pile. And even though from the first reel we know her fate, we have to see how it unfolds. I don't remember the last time I saw such a beautiful film. One for the film schools. A masterpiece of French neo-realism.
Raintree County (1957)
Hated it!
This is one bad movie and a waste of some great talent. The characters are totally unsympathetic. The story is dreary and plodding and plays like a soap opera whose characters we don't care about. After two hours of hoping it would get better I gave up. Life is too short to sit through junk. If you like Elizabeth Taylor or Montgomery Clift or Lee Marvin see anything else that they've done-it's bound to be better! Many `B' movies are more interesting and engrossing than this. There's only one reason to see this and that's to see what Liz would have looked like if she could have played Scarlett in Gone With the Wind. But that's still no excuse to waste three hours.
Fast and Loose (1939)
Slow and Tedious
I love the films with Robert Montgomery. There was no one better at light comedy roles. And Roz was no slouch either. That's why this picture was so disappointing.
This picture is about two murders and 40 minutes too long. Don't try to keep up with who killed whom and why-you'll get a headache! Normally with a 30's whodunit you wouldn't expect to keep up with the plot twists. But here they just bog down the lifeless story more. It's dull and formulaic. Only the charm, wit and affection of the stars make this watchable at all.
But still, I'm not sorry I saw It-because as a film "buff," I wouldn't have believed otherwise that Montgomery and Roz had made such a stinker!
Head (1968)
a fun sleeper with a message
Considered light fluff upon release, Head can now be seen as a snapshot of a bygone age. This film is a real sleeper. It's a fun romp, yes-but it's also a serious inquiry into the nature of consciousness and reality as the simians drop in and out of each new situation, time and place, often with a film crew capturing or directing the action. Not only is there not a coherent plot-but there is no solid basis of reality, with the possible exception of the film crew that follows (and sometimes directs) the action. There is only what is preceived. Isn't that a fairly accurate mirror of our own lives?? Clearly inspired as much by A Hard Day's Night as Huxley's Doors of Perception, it was most likely intended to be viewed while under psychotropic substances. It even has a moral: Don't take yourself or your current reality too seriously-it could all change really quickly! Look for a lovely young (thin!)Teri Garr and look quickly for the now-famous writer Jack Nicholson.