Category: 1990s

I considered turning off this film, about two adult brothers who chose very different life paths, a number of times, but managed to get through it. The brothers are David Morse, a farmer turned cop living in his hometown with his wife and young son, and Viggo Mortensen, a restless Vietnam vet who returns to town after being released from prison. Their parents are admirably played by Charles Bronson and Sandy Dennis in her last role. Valeria Golino inexplicably plays Morse’s Mexican wife while Patricia Arquette is Mortensen’s pregnant and somewhat unhinged love interest. There’s not much to the film beyond the brothers trying to figure out themselves and their relationship to each other and their families. Those two performances are strong, particularly Morse’s, and offer the main reason for watching the film.

I hadn’t felt particularly compelled to watch this, but saw that it would possibly be leaving Hoopla’s catalog in December and decided to check it out while I had the chance. It’s obviously a much lesser budget version than the other two versions I’ve seen, which isn’t surprising since it’s a made in Canada TV movie. Story-wise, it stays very close to the original film. Unfortunately visually, it is a relic of its era looking like it was filmed with a low quality camcorder, shaky and gritty. I appreciate that they changed genders with some of the mid-level characters to create some balance, though they lost some of that goodwill by having the sole moment of bonding between two of them by throwing in a motherhood sob story. While not an awful remake, it’s probably best to just stick with the original and ignore the later two.

While not without its tragedies, this is a jazz film that doesn’t settle on the standard tropes of destruction and downward spiraling due to drugs and alcohol. Instead, we have Denzel Washington, all ego and sex, caught between two women, and pushed early toward a career as a jazz musician. There’s a clash between him and Wesley Snipes for control of their band and the affections of at least one of those women. Worse for him still is the burden of friend, manager, and iterant gambler Spike Lee. Even with those obstacles, Denzel manages to come to terms with the direction his life has led him. While not one of his most well-known films, it has an evocative neon-colored jazzy atmosphere throughout and features enough flairs to make it a recognizable Lee film.  

Ooh-wee, was this a bad movie. A take on the Cinderella fairy tale, Jennifer Grey is a shoe designer whose big dream is to create shoes for fashion designer Rob Lowe. But she wears glasses and has wavy hair and has a comfortable-looking wardrobe, so of course no one looks at her twice. Only after she meets her fairy godmother who magics a pair of high heels to make Jen’s hair gets slicked back and her eyes become bright blue that everyone falls in love with her. I have no idea what Rob’s character traits are supposed to be. He’s flamboyant, has an Italian sounding name, sometimes has an accent, and is generally just a jerk. There isn’t really any chemistry between the two characters, whether she’s the model Prudence or everyday girl Kelly.  

Watching this for a second time, it made me wish that Michael Moore had done more feature films instead of his more questionable ‘documentaries’. John Candy, looking cute with longer hair, is a Niagara Falls sheriff, who along with his friends and former weapons plant co-workers, gets caught up in a false flag war with Canada. It’s got a great cast with, among others, Rhea Perlman as his girlfriend, Alan Alda as the President, and Kevin Pollak and Rip Torn as Presidential advisers. There are also comedic cameos from the likes of Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi. I still haven’t figured out if we ever see Wallace Shawn as the Canadian Prime Minister. The whole thing is funny and silly and lampoons both United States and Canadian cultures. There’s also a bit too much perhaps that feels true, with regards to international politics, though I’d love to see Rhea Perlman do more action roles.

Robert De Niro is a mobster who seeks help from psychiatrist Billy Crystal. Story-wise, the first one is better than the sequel. It’s a comedy version of The Sopranos focusing mostly on the doctor-tough guy relationship with some mobster drama and Crystal’s impending nuptials thrown in for added tension. Acting-wise, it makes sense that De Niro made Meet the Parents in between these two comedies. He seems to have a better grasp on the kind of comedy required in these roles. Unfortunately the story is a mess with De Niro facing psychosis to get out of prison and then finding himself as a consultant on the set of what is essentially The Sopranos. There are dueling crime families that weren’t in the original and a heist that suddenly comes out of left field. Together, the two films are a pair of mostly harmless, mostly forgettable comedies.

Someone in the tiny Irish village of Tulaigh Mhór has won the lottery. Unfortunately it turns out to have been Ned Devine, who died from the shock, so the entire village of 52 individuals conspires to cash in the ticket. It’s a very lovely, cozy film about friendship and community that’s both amusing and heart-felt.

Based on a true story, Phoebe Cates is the title character, a young woman who is found wandering in a field in 1800s England and is thought to be an exotic princess. Local aristocrats take to her as if she were a rock star and it all is incredibly far-fetched. It’s fun watching the rich snobs copy the costumes and mannerisms of the princess. Despite any shortcomings the story may have (it’s entertaining but a bit slow), Cates is fantastic in the role. The vast majority of her scenes require her to speak gibberish, feign misunderstanding of those around her, and emoting everything else.