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Paradise Now (2005)
A courageous film, with which "both sides" can disagree...and learn.
A tense and intense film about the terror of Palestinian terror -- mainly from the perspective of Palestinians in the West Bank city Nablus.
This film is remarkably fair to Israel as well, despite showing Palestinian dilemmas from the Palestinian viewpoint. This film will likely cause partisans of all stripes to reconsider and broaden their perspectives.
The portrayal of life in the West Bank is vivid. Simply as a suspense film, this film would be a winner.
But this film is also profoundly important because of its ability to pose the difficult Middle-East issues that divide even the Arab world itself (as reflected, for example, by Al Queda's Amman, Jordan bombings this week and the angry reaction of Jordanians). The audience I saw it with was paralyzed in their seats as the credits for this film scrolled endlessly by. Emerging from the theater, the viewer is hard-pressed to say what, if anything is a helpful approach to problems in the middle east.
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
One of Cable TV's Finest Achievement was One of its First!
This fascinating documentary portrays the work and life of early cable-TV programming genius, Gerry Harvey, whose Z Channel had attracted a substantial 'cult' following in metro LA at the dawn of the cable TV era into the late '80s. It is also a re-view/revue of many of the finest films of Z Channel's generation and earlier. The finest, often augmented by the weirdest too (e.g., Russ Meyer festivals and the 'soft porn' of those earlier times).
The biographical portions of the documentary -- Harvey's rise from ultra geek to film aficionado, then exhibitor/promoter, all amidst emotional chaos -- are all very interesting, and also tragic. Even more interesting is the history of how The Z Channel was launched, built, ... and eventually lost.
This documentary presents fascinating stories about movies and filmmakers. Michael Cimino's story is a good example. A good friend of Harvey's, Cimino had earned financial support and a free hand by making the incomparable Best Picture, "The Deer Hunter", and then destroyed his credibility & career by his excesses in filming the underrated Heaven's Gate. Through that time, his life was intertwined with Harvey's, presenting unique perspective on the unfolding events.
Harvey not only knew films, and had exceptional taste; he also had the courage and ingenuity to discover and present films (often 'director's cuts) in relentlessly creative, compelling programming. Excellent and important films that have otherwise been overlooked -- like Bertolucci's '1900' and Cimino's Heaven's Gate -- were shown with success by Harvey. One weekend there might be a Truffaut festival, the next perhaps Spaghetti Westerns or the Marx Brothers. Seemingly no genre was ignored; Harvey trusted his audience to watch with open minds and receptive hearts, to respond to great and quirky films, ...and to spread the word and keep the fledgling channel alive and growing. After his death (portrayed compellingly in interviews within the documentary), the station went into decline -- including the desperate step of incongruently showing sporting events (!) in alongside the great film programming. After all, wasn't that part of HBO's success?! Yikes. So sad.
Yet, the greatest joy of this documentary is neither the biography nor the story of Z -- it is the extraordinary range of film clips from the huge range of programming that the Z Channel broadcast.
The visual quality of the documentary is variable, from great to low-grade. But for me, at least, this technical 'weakness' could not undercut a fascinating tour of movies and a devotee who made his taste count. (Indeed, sometimes the "degraded" video imagery was itself a point of interest and beauty.) With apologies to the pretty good Independent Film Channel and the sometimes delightful Turner Classic Movies, the Z Channel appears far better than any station I have seen. I was oblivious to it at the time, so this film was a revelation to me.
Moonstruck (1987)
Superb Craftsmanship in Our Finest Romantic Comedy!
This film stands head and shoulders above the vast majority of cinematic romantic comedies. It is virtually flawless! The writing, acting, production design, humor and pathos are all wonderful! Even the music -- from Dean Martin to La Boheme -- is captivating and delightful!
Every character is peculiarly delightful and memorable, from the leads played by Cher and Nicolas Cage, to the many supporting roles -- Olympia Dukakis , Vincent Gardenia, John Mahoney, Danny Aiello -- even grandpa with his dog pack! Each of these performers, plus Norman Jewison as Director, performs above their normal quality in this ensemble work. For several of the actors, this was an early major exposure in film, so the casting is also exceptional -- and we have many current acting powerhouses whose careers were altered by their effectiveness in this film.
I've seen this film several times all the way through -- which can sometimes deflate the impact of a film substantially. More tellingly, I realized some years ago that whenever I channel-surfed my way into a scene from this film -- any scene -- the scene was compelling and beautifully crafted. There are so many stunning and memorable scenes the original meeting between the Cher and Nicolas Cage characters, where Cage tells his tale of woe; Vincent Gardenia discovered with his paramour at the opera, amidst the splendor generated by his gold-mine plumbing business; Olympia Dukakis scolding John Mahoney for philandering with his student in the classic line about liaisons with co-workers: "Don't sh-t where you eat!"; Danny Aiello at his dying mother's bedside; Nicolas Cage "taking" Cher as the rapture of an aria soars in the background!
There are of course many great romantic comedies, among them Sabrina (both versions, but especially the Audrey Hepburn/Humphrey Bogart/William Holden original); When Harry Met Sally; The Apartment.
None quite equals Moonstruck!
A Price Above Rubies (1998)
Intriguing Personal Drama Set in Orthodox/American Jewish Culture
A carefully and compellingly rendered drama of a contemporary woman's stirring discovery of self, "A Price Above Rubies" is set in the context of a Hasidic Jewish/American community. Beautifully photographed, this film's acting sparkles -- and renders a reasonably accurate portrait of an easily caricatured community.
In a role played well before her current celebrity (circa Jerry Maguire), Renee Zellweger establishes herself as a talent of unlimited possibilities. That she doesn't "look Jewish" (by the stereotype) does not make her less convincing....
The film's feminist perspective is gracefully realized without belittling all guys -- which greatly enhances the film's power! (And lowers my blood pressure!) While compelling in the early going, the plot becomes a bit overly complex. But the film remains very well worth watching throughout. Production design is exceptional! Those Orthodox Jewish critics who are angered by this film's portrayal of Jewish Orthodoxy might have us believe that the world of Orthodoxy is monolithically benign. It is not. ...
Traditional thought and practice -- orthodoxy in many settings -- has its beauties and strengths, and -- like most things human-- it has its dark, shadow side as well. I've personally experienced both the light and the dark, and know they both exist. "A Price Above Rubies" depicts the delicate balance gone awry.
For a very different, also wonderful film which depicts both light and shadow sides of American Jewish traditionalism, but less critical of Orthodoxy, try "The Chosen" (1982) (adapted from Chaim Potok's book), with Robby Benson (quite good in this film, to my surprise), Rod Steiger and Maximillian Schell. For me "The Chosen" is a "ten", and among my all-time top 10 films!
Berkeley in the Sixties (1990)
Fabric of '60s Counterculture Politics : Weaving the Threads via Berkeley
This is a superb, valuable documentary.
Berkeley was at the epicenter as the counterculture politics of the '60s emerged. And revisiting the political ferment of '60s Berkeley can offer an unusually helpful overview of these interwoven political currents. This film does that very, very well.
The fascinating footage (including early glimpses at Reagan as a relatively new "pol"), the deft editing, the years-later retrospective reflections of "now-grown-up" participants in the Berkeley "FSM" (Free Speech Movement) -- these are all very engaging, and beautifully assembled. But what makes the film great for me is its clarity in reflecting the interplay of counterculture themes: the movements for free speech and for civil rights, the movement against the Vietnam War, and assertion of the new feminism. Along with the energetic pursuit of "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll," these elements blended into one 'tsunami' of a movement -- were experienced by us all coming of age during that time, throughout the US and throughout much of the world. But as a young person during that era, who became very swept up in the self-proclaimed "dawning of the Age of Aquarius," I recall also feeling unclear on how these ideological components -- which otherwise seemed to me distinct and substantively unrelated became intertwined in the social politics of that era.
Whether the film is slanted, and whether "The Movement" was positive or negative, seem to me besides the point. The Movement was; like it or not, that reality is indisputable. From varying perspectives, our entire culture experienced it, and was affected by it. Most of the many millions of us on college campuses during that time were forever changed -- for good, for ill, or both. This film presents the most coherent depiction I've seen of how this happened, what it's "logic" was and manages to do so engagingly, without becoming pedantic. That's a whole lot for one film to do, even for someone who respects and loves film as our culture's greatest current art form.