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michellephillips
Reviews
Babycakes (1989)
Baby, dream your dreams.
This is a TV movie that feels like it should have been a film. Overall it is charming, and sweet, yet more serious than it appears at first viewing. It is an offbeat mix of Cinderella/Pretty Woman
I saw this many moons ago on the tube, loved it and never forgot it. I loved it because of the film's message. People are more than just their outward appearance. Heart and soul can matter more. Dreams can come true. Everyone, if they have the courage and spirit can make them come true, regardless of circumstance. Viewing the movie so many years later, I find that it still holds up for the most part. Rickie Lake's wonderfully realized Grace goes from finding her solace in a bag of chips to realized her zest for life and love in her pursuit of the man of her dreams.
Why she chooses the character of Rob to give her love to is the weakness of the film. And it leads into the other central issue of the film, the mystery of love and attraction. Why do we love who we love? Grace focuses on Rob because he is beautiful. That at least is her initial rationale for why she wants him. Ultimately she wants him simply because she loves him and he makes her feel loved in return. Surely the best of reasons, maybe the only reason.
If this film was made today, it might have ended differently. Rather than ending up with handsome Rob, Grace might have simply gone on to cosmetology school, growing from her relationship with Rob into a more confident woman, who would move on to someone else.
A better ending for this movie? Maybe, but most women will thrill to the ending of Rob kissing her in the subway. I know I did. When I first saw it, and when I watched it again. Baby, dream your dreams.
Shanghai Kiss (2007)
sweet and funny, witty and poignant
This movie made me laugh out loud. For that alone it gets my vote. It has a witty script, with more than a nod to Woody Allen along the way. The wonderful Ken Leung as Liam carries this movie on his very able shoulders and keeps the viewer watching throughout. I am not Asian or Asian-American, so I cannot comment as to whether or not this film accurately portrays the Asian or Asian-American experience. However, issues of isolation, family alienation, a desire for connection romantically are common to us all, so for me the film works. I like romantic comedy with a serious side, and I found that in Shanghi Kiss. On the negative side, the female lead is stereotypical, which was disappointing, hence my rating of 6. I would have liked the female lead to have as much depth and charm as Mr. Leung's character Liam, but she does not. This weakens the film. I would have liked to see more of Liam's father in the film. We hear about his mother, and again I want the same balance for both characters. Regardless of these reservations though, I recommend this film.
The Big Show (1961)
Poppas, and Sons, and Polar Bears, oh my...!
This movie is fun. It's one of those bad movies with enough good elements in it to make it enjoyable for the length of the film, even as you alternate between watching with a wince and a laugh. First of all, the story is compelling, all on it's own. Yes, it is a melodrama, but melodramas have their charms and this film exploits them all. It is well cast, with a surprisingly good, slimy performance by Robert Vaughn as the conniving Klaus. Nemiah Persoff is also very good as Poppa,providing a bellicose counterpoint to the sneaky Klaus. The rest of the predictable cast gamely grab on to the melodramatic elements of it and hang on for the ride. The polar bear act is a real highlight...watch out for those polar bears if you decide to view this film.
Cruising (1980)
A cop goes undercover to flush out a killer in the gay leather bars of 80's NYC
When this movie opened in theaters in 1980 I did not go to see it. I had heard that it was extremely violent, and exploitative of gay men. Violence is not really my thing. I had seen Friedkin's earlier film, "The Boys In The Band" which I did not like at all. "The Boys in the Band" seemed to me to be filled with stereotypical, largely unhappy characters. The film's view of gay life seemed skewed to me so, I decided to pass on "Cruising".
When "Cruising" recently became available in a remastered disc with features and commentary by director Friedkin, I decided to take a chance and watch it, and I am very glad I did. I think it is a masterful film that works on every level, as a murder mystery, as a psychological thriller, and as a social commentary of sorts since the film takes place in a millieu seldom seen on mainstream screens at that time.
Is it violent? Oh yes, graphically so. Some scenes are very hard to watch, but so compelling that you cannot turn away. The violence is not gratuitous and is in fact important to both the atmosphere of the film and sequence of the plot. Friedkin creates tension in the film from the very first frames when you see what appears to be a severed arm floating in the river, and continues to ratchet up the tension throughout the film. This tension drives the murder mystery. The solution to the murders could be considered ambiguous,yet emains compelling through the very last shot. The ambiguity of the film lets you draw your own conclusions in a way that causes you to think more deeply than you would if it was all spelled out. I think this is a real strength in the film.
Is the film exploitive of gay men? No, I don't think so. The film is realistic in it's locations which are gritty and stark. The bar scenes feel real. The bars are leather bars, and the men in the bars are there to engage in what you would expect to see in a gay S/M bar. If you don't like what you see, that is your choice, but I don't think that Friedkin films what you see in a way that is exploitative of the patrons. It is what it is, and you see it. In other scenes in the film you see the police exploiting some of the men, and that feels authentic to me too, for the most part, because that is also the way it was, like it or not.
It is in this backdrop that Pacino's character of a young cop must find a killer. Pacino's performance is both subtle and affecting. It is simply one of his best. Given that, I wonder why he did not appear with Friedkin in the features of the disc, or as a contributor to the commentary. I found this to be both strange (is he disavowing his performance by not appearing?) and a real disappointment.
Pacino's character is changed forever by his experiences in the film. How much he has changed is ambiguous. A careful viewer will see Pacino change throughout the film, though most of the change is implied, and not directly stated. Since Friedkin was willing to show us so much authenticity in the bar scene, and in subsequent scenes, he should have shown us more authenticity in the development of Pacino's character, and by that I specifically mean, at the very least a kiss between Pacino and one or more of the men he meets and or confronts in the film.
The weakest character in this film is Pacino's girlfriend, who is played by Karen Allen as if she is completely comatose, if not downright stupid. The role is both badly written and underplayed. The changes in Pacino's character need to be mirrored more clearly by the reactions of his girlfriend, otherwise, why is she in the film at all? Friedkin has dropped the ball here.
See this film, regardless of whatever you have heard about it. See it and draw your own conclusions. It is worth watching, especially if you are a fan of Friedkin's work.
The Lake House (2006)
a love that transcends the time space continuum, or something like that, I really was not sure, and later on I did not care.
This was an incredibly dumb movie. Although it is billed as a romance, the undeniable chemistry between the two leads is simply not enough to distract from all the plot holes in the film. Furthermore, nothing in the plot really convinced me for a second that these two folks had a reason for their love, or a love that would transcend the time space continuum for that matter.
I knew the movie had failed to hold my interest when I found myself looking at my watch several times during this dull film, as well as incredibly aware that my seat was not very comfortable, need I say more? Although I like both lead actors, I found their performances to be less than compelling, ho hum about covers it. The reliable Christopher Plummer is wasted in this film, in a role that could have been omitted, and no one would have noticed. I would not recommend seeing this film. Even a large popcorn and a box of Milk Duds would not make it bearable. If you are a die hard fan of the leads, then it is DVD rental material