Category: 1980s

“The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (1981)

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I bought this (hard to find) DVD via Amazon!
I bought this DVD recently.

I wanted to see this movie for a few wks!  Some parts were on You Tube, but NOT the entire film.  So I decided to buy it on Amazon (it was a low price).  It’s an unique and memorable picture w/ 2 VERY strong actors, though Meryl Streep later said he felt “in over her head” in playing Sarah.  There is some beautiful lighting and scenery, including a lush forest.  It’s also mysterious, making you think about the complexity of the human mind.    

The mysterious Sarah Woodruff (Meryl Streep)
Sarah (Meryl Streep)
This is a movie w/in a movie b/c Streep and Irons play two roles.  In the modern world, they are Anna (an American actress) and Mike (a British actor).  Anna (who plays mysterious outcast Sarah Woodrough) and Mike (who plays wealthy science enthusiast Charles Smithson) are filming The French Lieutenant’s Woman in Dorset and London.  We shift from the past (Victorian England) to the present (’80s) throughout the film, enabling us to compare and contrast the actors and their roles.   
Charles Smithson (Jeremy Irons)
Charles (Jeremy Irons)

Charles comes from London to engage the hand of Ernestina, the young daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder.  He’s known her for several weeks, and they seem very much in love.  Ernestina’s father approves of the match, though Charles is a follower of Darwin.  After their engagement, Charles and Ernestina take a walk near the seaside.  Charles sees the far-off figure of a woman (wearing a dark cloak) at the edge of the walkway.  It’s a very windy day and violent waves are coming up over the seawall.  Being a sensitive gentleman, he is alarmed about the stranger’s safety. 

When Charles asks about her, Ernestina remarks “oh, tragedy.”  Sarah is notorious in the community b/c of her (actual or alleged?) affair w/ a French officer years ago.  Though it is dangerous, the curious Charles runs out to warn the woman.  Sarah turns to face him, but says nothing.  We see that Charles has been deeply affected by seeing her- love at first sight!  He learns more about her (precarious) position in life, and wants to help her.          

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The actors, Mike and Anna, are romantically involved during shooting.  These modern people are NOT as interesting as the Victorians, but have their moments.  In one small (but eye-opening scene) Anna reads to Mike from a history book.  We learn that most of the girls working in London brothels were “nice girls who’d lost their jobs”; some had been governesses.  I don’t want to give TOO much away; you should watch this film ASAP!      

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082416/

Want a Thrill?: Jagged Edge & No Way Out

EmmaLeave a comment

Jagged Edge (1985)

jagged edge_poster

This is a film I didn’t know much about until I saw it last wk.  It’s not TOO gory or scary, but the opening scene might be hard to take for some viewers.  There is some trial testimony that MAY make you cringe, too.  The acting of the main players is quite strong.  There are twists and turns in this thriller, but I’m sure viewers will figure out some of them.

The defender: Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close)
The defender: Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close)

Glenn Close looks VERY pretty in this movie, and plays Teddy Barnes, a lawyer/divorcee/mother of 2 young kids.  I thought she did well in the courtroom scenes, but I REALLY liked her vulnerable and motherly sides here (she doesn’t often get to show that in her roles).  She interacts VERY well w/ the kids and w/ Robert Loggia (who plays a mussed-up/ cynical/elderly former cop).  Teddy and the cop went through a tough criminal case before, and were VERY affected by it.

The defendant: Jeff Bridges

The handsome/charming/newspaper editor Teddy defends is Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges).  His wife Paige, whose family ran a San Francisco paper, was brutally assaulted and murdered in their beach house.  It turns out that the money was ALL in Paige’s name, so Jack would’ve lost it all if there was a divorce (job, status, etc.)  Though Teddy doesn’t want the hassle, her boss convinces her to take on the high-profile case.

From their first meeting, we see that Teddy and Jack have GREAT chemistry (as do the actors).  And he keeps insisting he’s innocent.  (It’s tough NOT to like Jeff Bridges, right?  He’s a VERY natural actor.)  There is a memorable romantic sequence where Jack takes Teddy horseback riding on his ranch.  Though she tries to keep things professional, the lawyer gets involved w/ her client!

 

No Way Out (1987)

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This is another popular ’80s thriller, but set in the world of politics in DC.   This film made Kevin Costner (who plays career navy man Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell) a major player in Hollywood.  (I’m NOT a fan of Costner, but he fits his role VERY well here.)  Gene Hackman plays Farrell’s boss in the Pentagon, Defense Sect. David Brice.  After a heroic rescue of a crewmate at sea, Farrell is brought in (by old college pal) to work for Sect. Brice.  That pal, Scott Pritchard (Will Patton), is an enigmatic and ambitious man who serves as Brice’s “right hand.”  Will Patton NEARLY steals almost every scene he’s in!

Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) & Susan (Sean Young)
Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) & Susan (Sean Young)

 

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Did you know?

Kevin Costner turned down the role of Jack Forrester in Jagged Edge.

"The Big Chill" (1983)
“The Big Chill” (1983)

Costner played the dead body in the opening of The Big Chill (1983). Director Lawrence Kasdan, who liked Costner’s work, shot some scenes involving his character (the friend who commited suicide), but edited them out later to fit the mood of the film. 

“Do The Right Thing” (1989)

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This film is an accurate portrayal of New York City at that time, under Mayor Ed Koch, who I think really escalated the racial polarization and fear in New York City. And it’s safe to say that the city is not like that today. The New York you saw in this film is not here today. That’s not to say all racism is gone, just because Barack [Obama] is in the White House. 

-Spike Lee

 

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I watched this film after many years.  Did you know that Pres Obama and  Michelle went to see Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing on their 1st date?  They mentioned liking the film very much.  It was controversial when it came out; some reviewers worried that race riots would ensue.  These people totally didn’t understand the film!    

 

This film helped launch the careers of Rosie Perez (who plays Mookie’s gf, Tina) and Martin Lawrence (one of the jobless guys on the block).  Perez (who grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn) was a college girl when Lee noticed her dancing abilities; Lawrence was living in the projects in Maryland.  Wow!

 

Mookie (Spike Lee) and Sal (Danny Aiello)
Mookie (Spike Lee) and Sal (Danny Aiello)

 

One of the most well-rounded characters in DTRT is the Italian-American owner of the pizzeria, Sal (Danny Aiello).  In a nice scene w/ his unabashedly racist older son Pino (John Turturro- see pic below), he tells the young man: “They grew up on my food.  My food.  And I’m very proud of that.”  Pino, on the other hand, hates being around black people.  His friends back in Bensonhurst make fun of him for working in Bed-Stuy.  “If they make fun of you, they’re not your friends,” Sal quietly tells him. 

 

Pino (John Turturro) 

 

Pino’s extreme prejudice toward blacks doesn’t make sense.  Racism doesn’t make sense!  The black customers he (often) curses at put money in his family’s pockets.   Sal sees Mookie not just as a delivery man, but as “another son.”  Vito, Sal’s younger son, likes that Mookie listens to him.     

 

The looks on the faces of Pino and Mookie speak volumes when they see Sal (innocently) flirting w/ Mookie’s younger sis, Jade (Joie Lee).  Sal’s face lights up, and he says “I’m gonna make you something special.”  He notes that hers are “the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen.” 

 

I think what everyone underestimates in the film is how funny the film is. One of the great gifts in the film is its tremendous humor. The film keeps its edge, but you’re still laughing up until the last 15 minutes of the movie. … It’s got the energy, the humor, the color … but it’s really not heavy-handed.

-John Turturro 

 

Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) tells Mookie: "Always do the right thing."
Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) advises Mookie: "Always do the right thing."

 

A voice of reason on the block is elderly, wrinkly-clothed, and (often) drunk Da Mayor (Ossie Davis).  Da Mayor doesn’t like the fact that some young people are rude to him, judging him for his drunkenness.   After all, they don’t know what he’s been through over the years.   

 

Da Mayor and the lady he has a big crush on, Mother-Sister (Ruby Dee), harken back to another era.  In that time, people looked out for each other in the neighborhood.  In an action sequence, Da Mayor performs a heroic act.

 

Radio Raheem
Radio Raheem

It’s not often that films evoke that type of response where [racism] is really that exposed in people.

-Spike Lee 

 

What’s the big deal about having pics of black people on the wall of Sal’s Famous Pizzeria? Jade asks Buggin Out.   Jade advises him to channel his energies into something productive.  But Buggin Out decides to boycott Sal’s.   Mookie tries to keep everyone cool b/c he needs this job ($250/wk) to support his baby son, Hector.  

 

Toward the end of the film, Mookie does something that is STILL debated by viewers!  Did he do the right thing?  You decide!   

 

Related Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_the_Right_Thing

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/

http://www.theroot.com/dtrt20

Hanging out here… cable TV offline today!

Emma2 Comments

Pics of Today:

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At least it’s sunny…

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but I’m in a LOUSY mood!

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I heard MANY DC ppl didn’t go to work yesterday!

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My lunch: tuna salad sandwich, baby carrots, & roasted red pepper hummus.

Recent iTunes Downloads:

Hindi Songs:

Haule Haule – Salim-Sulaiman & Sukhwinder Singh (Saavn Presents: Bollywood Hits 2008)

Jashn e Bahaara – A.R. Rahman (Johaa Akbar film soundtrack)

Jai Ho – A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack)

Nachley – Daler Mehndi & Kunal Ganjawala (Lakeer soundtrack)

Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte – Salim Sulaiman & Sonu Nigaam (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

Ringa Ringa – A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack)

Country Songs:

Never Loved Before – Alan Jackson & Martina McBride (Alan Jackson, Good Time)

Sweet Thing – Keith Urban’s new single

Things a Mama Don’t Know – Mica Roberts & Toby Keith (Mica Roberts’ debut CD)

Quick Movie Reviews:

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I had to be careful where I went because I was a Jew, because I was young and because I was handsome. It made me wiry and erratic and paranoid, which is what I still am. Always on guard.  –Tony Curtis

Trapeze (1956)

Two gorgeous guys in tights- what’s not to like?  This film stars Burt Lancaster (gymnastics kept him off the streets as a kid) and Tony Curtis (who didn’t have the required skills at first, but was very enthusiastic).  Curtis’ willingness to learn impressed Lancaster very much.  The two men did most of their own stunts in this film- wow!

This classic pic is set in Paris, and focuses on the working relationship and friendship btwn an older, injured former trapeze star Mike Ribble (Lancaster) and his energetic, young protege Tino Orsini (Curtis).  Tino came all the way from NYC to learn a difficult/dangerous trick on the trapeze (that only Mike can teach him).  But an ambitious/manipulative  young woman, Lola, also in the circus, has her eyes on Tino.

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Tony Curtis has always been an actor who has refused to play it safe, and has devoted his working life to performing in a vast array of characters… Yet what stands out about all his performances in the inner vulnerability and humility he finds in his unsympathetic characters and the never-say-die attitude of the heroes he plays.  -IMDB bio

Life is to be lived within the limits of your knowledge and within the concept of what you would like to see yourself to be.  –Burt Lancaster

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Another pic w/ Lancaster & Curtis, BUT there are few nice guys here!  J.J. Hunsecker (Lancaster) is a powerful, much-feared gossip columnist.  He doesn’t feel guilty about ruining careers, marraiges, and his sensitive little sister’s budding romance.  (You can see the blemishes on Lancaster’s skin in this film; that suits the flawed character he plays.)  Sidney Falco (Curtis) is his ruthlessly ambitious publicist.  Friends worry that working w/ J.J. has corrupted Sid.  Just how far will Sid go to get a taste of success?

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A Soldier’s Story (1984)

This is a very thought-provoking ensemble fim based on a successful Broadway play; a young Denzel Washington playing a key role here.  It’s set in a Southern army camp during WWII; soldiers were segregated by race at that time.  They spent a lot of time playing baseball (many hailed from the Negro Leangue), waiting for a chance to fight.  The recruits may have clashing personalities, but they share a hatred of their drill instructor, Sgt. Waters (Adolph Caesar).

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Though Waters is black, too, he is very hard on his men.  His moods go up, down, and every which way.  Waters is not hesitant to use the “n” word to refer to those men he sits as “bad for the race.”  Waters takes no excuses from anyone, so no recruit is too upset when he meets w/ a mysterious death.  The white officers are worried, however, and call for assistance from Washington.

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Washington sends down Capt. Davenport (Howard Rollins from the TV series In the Heat of the Night); he’s a black officer/lawyer.  It’s not an easy case- Davenport quickly discovers.  The rag-tag group of recruits do a double take when they see an articulate/strong black officer, and the white officers fear that Davenport is the wrong man for the job.  “Folks around here won’t talk to you!” an older white officer exclaims.  But Davenport remains calm and professional, determined to find the truth.

Did You Know?:

– Burt Lancaster turned down the lead in Ben Hur (and the $1 million salary) b/c he thought it would be awful.  He set up his own production company (rare for an actor of his time) to do his own projects.

– Both Lancaster and Tony Curtis are native New Yorkers.  Who can mistake Curtis’ strong Bronx accent?

– Lancaster admitted to being nervous when working w/ Montgomert Clift in From Here to Eternity:

The only time I was ever really afraid as an actor was that first scene with Clift. It was my scene, understand: I was the sergeant, I gave the orders, he was just a private under me. Well, when we started, I couldn’t stop my knees from shaking. I thought they might have to stop because my trembling would show. I was afraid he was going to blow me right off the screen.

Movie Review: “An Officer and a Gentleman” (1981)

Emma1 Comment

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This is a GREAT growing-up movie, directed by Taylor Hackford (who recently made Ray) that young people (older teens/20s) will easily relate to.  It’s full of (real-life) drama and characters who remain in your mind after the film is over.  It was shot on-location in Washington state.       

 

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You may know that Louis Gossett, Jr. won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Foley, the steel-tough drill instructor who serves as a father-figure to protagonist- young, undisciplined Zack Mayo (Richard Gere). 

 

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Zack lost his mother before his teens, tragically.  He flew to the Phillipines to live with his sailor father Byron (Robert Loggia); he’s an alcoholic, womanizer, and disinterested parent.  But he’s all that Zac has…  

 

Byron: I’m out at sea three weeks out of every month, and when I’m back at port I don’t have time for this daddy stuff ’cause that’s not who I am.

Young Zack: That’s okay, sir.

Byron: Wait a second, kid, you don’t understand. I’m too old for this. I don’t care what the Navy says. This is no place to bring up a kid like I told you on the telephone. You’re better off at that state school back in Virginia. 
     

Warms the heart, doesn’t it?

 

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Though discouraged by his not-so-dear dad, Zack decides to try out for the Navy’s officer school.  His secret dream has been to become a pilot.  At the school, on Port Rainier, Zack becomes part of a motley crue of recruits.  Foley will serve as “mom and dad for the next 13 weeks,” one recruit comments.  As well as leading his group in various exercises, Foley warns the men about the “Puget Debs”, the local single girls who take the ferry each weekend in hopes of landing themselves a pilot husband.  

 

 

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Zack (nicknamed Mayonaisse) quickly distinguishes himself in various physical trials, but struggles with certain lecture classes.  He even makes friends, including Sid Worley (David Keith), a sweet/enthusiastic young man from an Oklahoma military family.  (Last season, you may’ve seen Keith on an ep of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.)       

 

 

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I’ve never had a girl.

 

Zack meets Paula (Debra Winger), one of the local girls who works at a paper factory, at a dance.  Zack flatly states that he’s not looking for a relationship, just “some fun.”  Paula insists that she’s not a husband-hunter.  But over time, they grow closer and closer.  (The former loner even goes over to her house for Thanksgiving dinner!)       

 

Gere and Winger have GREAT chemistry!  They are comfortable getting physically close, discussing personal issues, but also laugh and joke around.  (But a producer felt she was not HOT enough for the part!)  Strong, positive emotions are new to Zack; he admits that Paula is his first girlfriend.  Paula, who is wise and hopeful, encourages him in his endeavors.       

 

 

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Zack is pushed by the training, and by Paula’s need to get emotionally closer.  In the meantime, Sid struggles with his own insecurities and a relationship of his own.  

 

Several men drop out of the program, including a VERY young David Caruso.  (He has a couple of GREAT scenes!)  One weekend, Foley (nearly) pushes Zack to his breaking point.  But he won’t give up…     

 

 

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Okay, so you may know the (fairy-tale-like) ending of the film!  Check out An Officer and a Gentleman– it has plenty of action and unexpected moments.  It’s not just a “chick-flick” as I read before.  (My mom, who got the DVD, really liked the story, too!)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084434/