Synopsis
When Harry comes to town, he brings good times, bad times… And a lot of trouble!
An enigmatic drifter from the South comes to visit an old acquaintance who now lives in South-Central LA.
To Sleep with Anger
1990 Directed by Charles Burnett
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man, this movie rules. it's bizarre to me how underseen this one is outside of movie geeks, and even, among them, totally underrated.
not that this state of affairs is totally inexplicable. "magical realist dark comedy about the great migration" is a sort of tough sell, even if directed by charles burnett, who, in my opinion is one of the country's greatest living filmmakers. it's also probably the case that burnett is unlucky enough to be a visionary who was ahead of his time; it's not too hard imagine a movie like To Sleep With Anger becoming more of a critical hit and popular success if it were released in 2019. thank god for criterion -- a restored version was…
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This and Killer of Sheep are like glimpses at an alternate universe Hollywood where different approaches to storytelling and characterization are embraced, and the depiction of black American life and conflict is more rich and varied. Danny Glover gives a career best performance in this, perfectly cast as the biblical serpent in the garden of Eden.
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not quite smart enough to talk about this in any meaningful way so i'll just let you know that the woman who edited this also edited twilight
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Although the premise of a strange man barging in and wreaking havoc in a household where members are having problems and the nuclear family isn't in the best of shape has been done so many times, yet Glover brings to the table something that really sets it apart from the rest. He is completely seductive, but he also manages to bring a sense of menace that is equally terrifying. Something about him reminded me of a devil who seeks to corrupt all those who cross his path.
A significant part of this menacing element is elided by the script, which paints this character as more of an individual than a presence, a fact that is in many ways confirmed towards…
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I wish there was more space in movies for stories like this that never tip into outright horror but nevertheless take place in a slightly unreal register, totally authentic and true to life but without being overly concerned with traditional realism. Danny Glover is an absolute world champion.
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Plays like a South Central version of Hellraiser, with Danny Glover using his warm screen persona as a front for something that's as insidiously tempting as it is supremely creepy. As much as I liked this, I almost wish it were constructed more like a thriller -- shorter and with a little more tension.
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a bit taken aback on my first viewing (in the best way!) even though this isn't a movie that hits you over the head. it is a movie with so many beautiful ambiguities -- it is subtly, darkly hilarious and subtly, lightly evil. danny glover was interested in the script but wasn't sure which character he wanted to play. i can't imagine him as any other character than harry, or really, anyone else playing his character.
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“Have you ever seen yourself on screen?”
A friend asked me this question recently, and I was taken aback by my inability to form a clear response. I don’t think one necessarily needs to see their life represented in the movies in order to more fully come to terms that their life is valid, but the exactness isn’t the important part of the question. The act of seeing yourself on screen isn’t to say that, “this is a biopic of your life”, but to argue that your body and people like you are worthy of being remembered. Minority persons don’t have a deep wellspring of cinematic images to work with, and perhaps more damaging, those images are usually simplified into…
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Life works in mysterious ways. Family, now that’s a whole other kettle of fish.
There’s always been an unspoken rule in my family that some things go unsaid so as not to dredge up old scars or brave facing age-old problems head on. Like all tensions, they brew just below the surface, threatening to show face, flirting with inflaming all in their paths when given the word go.
And isn’t it funny how all it takes is one seemingly harmless reminder of times gone by to rupture all harmony, awaken old squabbles, burst open fresh wounds, cause generations of tension to implode all at once? The old friend returning should be but a symbol of how far you’ve come. The…
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Sometimes it is hard not to give into your baser instincts, those little thoughts - those slight things - that pull down your previously stable faculties. Rather than letting it rest, you sleep with it - it builds.
Don't go to bed angry, they say. Sort things out.
Don't go to bed angry.
To go to bed angry is to let hate simmer, to let the unspoken remain unspoken until it morphs into thoughts beyond articulation. From this point, hate externalises, and often in obtuse ways. Strange behaviours manifest far from their cause: the tip of a leaf crinkles and rots, so it is swept away - or handled directly - but nobody thinks to check the root. The actual…