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Reviews
Choose Me (1984)
Delightful character-driven dreamscape
Choose Me is certainly not for all tastes. It is quirky, slow-paced and very talky. It still is one of my favorite movies of all time. It achieves one of the toughest things in film production, mainly creating a unique atmosphere. The whole ambiance of the film is something never seen before, a strange mix of artificiality, softness and eeriness. Someone described this movie as a 'neon orchid'. Which is right on target as far as I am concerned. It has all the material and artificial allure of the 80's, and yet, it is very vibrant and touching, filled with delicate feelings and emotional nuances. The dialogues are not always good and the direction is sometimes questionable, but the ensemble is a great unique success. Genevieve Bujold excels in a very complex performance, again, Lesley Ann Warren is quite touching and convincing as a tough-acting ex-prostitute who refuses to be a victim and Keith Carradine is perfect as the smooth-talking, smooth-acting center of attention. The Highly-stylised sets, the caressing and dreamy music and the recurrent use of the radio as a medium for communication (which allows Rudolph to use the actors' voices to good effect in a number of situations) make this movie a truly original piece of work. The fashion can be a bit distracting (shoulder pads and hairspray, thank god the 80s are over) but it also participates in the uniqueness of the look and feel of this production. A great film. Rudolph has not done anything as good as this since (except, perhaps, The Moderns).
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980)
Compelling and tasteful
I read a few reviews of this TV movie which all said that the film dragged on for too long and that it was basically only sensationalistic entertainment. I agree that perhaps, the film goes on a bit too long (2h30 would have been enough...) but I certainly do not think it sensationalize the subject matter. Jim Jones' expansive power trip and slow degradation into mental illness, paranoia and drug abuse are never treated in a voyeuristic manner. The movie takes its time in showing how Jones recruited followers (Brenda Vaccaro's and Brad Dourif's character are stand-outs in that matter) but also in observing an uncanny shift in Jones' perception of reality. It is mind-boggling to see an egalitarian, left-wing and compassionnate preacher become such a destructive and cruel dictator. Perhaps the movie doesn't explore Jones' motivations enough, which can make the whole ordeal a bit superficial at times (may have to do with censorship as well...) But Powers Boothe's mesmerizing performance makes it all come true. I am not familiar with the details of the real Jim Jones' life, but Boothe sure makes the monster he plays believable and real. The movie features many strong scenes, among them the preaching messes of Jones, Jones's meeting with Father Divine (a remarquable James Earl Jones), Congressman Leo Ryan (Ned Beatty)'s visit to the Guyana camp and of course, the suicide scene. It is quite a gloomy spectable to watch and Boothe is quite commanding in those last moments. Madge Sinclair shines in this scene as one of the suddenly sceptic follower, and so do Veronica Cartwright (as Jones' wife) and Brad Dourif, especially when their time comes to drink the murderous potion. The relative calm of the end of this scene, the tasteful direction and the contrasting beauty of the natural surroundings all work in making those images quite impossible to erase from one's mind. A disturbing reflection on human nature and its weaknesses. Worth watching, if only to keep in mind one of the truly horrific events of the 20th century. Not to let it be repeated again. Like, ironically, the inscription in Jim Jones' camp: "Those who do not know the past are bound to repeat it".