Russell has been fooling with ensemble stories for a long time, now. Still, I think this (his first feature) is still his best. Strong creative performances from Mary Tyler Moore, Lily Tomlin (seemingly still on good terms with Russell after this one), Alan Alda and especially Richard Jenkins make this one memorable. As a road-trip movie 'Flirting with Disaster' stands out in the genre (while not quite trying to redefine it).
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Stevie 2002
It's not often that a film (whether documentary or narrative) allows the POV character to look this conflicted. As revealed in this movie (directed by himself) Steve James is a man filled with regrets and uncertainty. It's a portrait not primarily about the title character (James' former 'little brother', coincidentally and wonderfully also named Steven). That story is predictable and tragic. Inevitable. This movie is rather more fully about the filmmaker's own human shortcomings. In other hands this it would…
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The Beautician and the Beast 1997
Timothy Dalton is a very good actor. He needs money, just like you.
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Battlefield Earth 2000
Saw this in Detroit and the film melted about 35 minutes in. The manager of the AMC came into the theater and offered all present a free ticket to a future screening of a film of our choice and assured us that the film would restart in 5 minutes if we cared to stay. We didn't. None of us. We all left, grateful for the chance to stand in line for our new tickets. Gratefull for the 2 painful hours we'd just been spared. We exited the building together, smiling at strangers-turned-co-survivors. This was living as it was intended to be.