Though I can't say CLUB PARADISE made me laugh out loud, it had me smiling a lot from beginning to end. It's one of those amusing films that goes along with such ease, I can't help but settle into it and enjoy.
All of the participants on screen seem to be having a great time (for all I know they hated each other and the production) and that vibe effected me on this Sunday viewing in the best way. Robin…
I haven't read the Saul Bellow source material but I suspect this adaptation is too faithful to the author. SEIZE THE DAY feels it was taken straight from the pages, with every idea and line of dialog packed into a screenplay that never lets itself breathe. It tries to do too much and to pack in a lot of literary themes that can be absorbed from the page but don't easily translate to the screen.
The movie is also loud,…
This film is often crude and clumsy... and I love it.
What I mean by crude is that compared to the polished, sophisticated cinema we see on a regular basis, both in the commercial and "art" categories, John Milius has given us the equivalent of a caveman painting. It is not refined or cultivated and for that very reason feels so fresh and good to watch.
By clumsy, I mean that the movie is often flawed, mostly because it is…
There aren't many good Westerns made these days and from the looks of the trailer The Old Way wasn't going to be one either. However, I'm happy to report that the Nicolas Cage-starring Western (his first of two due this year) is in fact good.
The trailer sold The Old Way as an action-packed, shoot 'em up. It isn't. It has far more dialog than it does fire power and, for this viewer/filmmaker, that's a good thing. If last year's…
