Virgin Suicides, The (1999) 
Sofia Coppola
Bizarre black comedy about several young boy's obsession with the Lisbon sisters and their lifelong attempt to figure out their lives. The five sisters become four after the youngest ones suicide, which is the start of the end of the family. This film has a lot going for it and Coppola, in her debut, does an impressive job juggling the various themes running throughout the movie. We have teenage suicide, obsession, sexual awakening and all of it is look at with a very skeptical eye and in the end the film comes off rather haunting if not a complete work of art. What Coppola does well is the entire mystery built around the suicides in the film. A lot of information is given out yet no answers are even attempted. Even when the boys are trying to come to terms with what happened, nothing. We get no answers and not many ideas as to what was going on with these girls that would push them so far over the edge. Their parents, perfectly played by James Woods and Kathleen Turner, are faceless monsters but not in a bad way but in a way that any kid would see their parents as villains. We have Kirsten Dunst giving one of her finest performances as the sexually advanced 14-year-old who ruins a fun night out for her sisters when she runs off with the town hunk (Josh Hartnett) instead of returning home on time. Even the parents are surrounded in mystery as is the Hartnett character who walks away from the girl he loved the most after having sex with her for the first time. While the film asks a lot of questions, at the same time I think it bites off more than it could chew because at times the film itself doesn't really know what it's trying to say. Perhaps that's a point and another reason for not answering any of the questions in that suicide itself is just a mysterious item that one can't get answers from the victim. It happens and no one really knows why except for the person it happens to and they aren't talking. The fine performances, great cinematography and overall great tone makes this a must see, although I'm not sure if one viewing will capture everything that's here.
Viva Villa! (1934) 
Jack Conway, Howard Hawks
Wallace Beery's tremendous and rousing performance as Pancho Villa is the main reason to view this troubled production, which sadly can be seen in the movie itself. The movie tells the story of Pancho Villa, who as a boy sees his father killed by the Mexican government. Later in life Villa wages war against the greedy bad guys of Mexico first as a bandit and then as a general. It's not often a bio starts off with a warning that the thing is strictly fiction but that's the case with this MGM picture. I'm really not sure what to make with the final film but I found it clear to see that there was a lot of tampering with it. After viewing the movie I read some of its history, which includes director Howard Hawks being fired and original reporter Lee Tracy getting kicked out of the country after getting drunk and urinating off his hotel balcony onto some military men. There was also a plane crash that destroyed a lot of footage, which had to be re-shot and all of this caused the film's release to be pushed back, which then had the thing being cut by the Hayes Office. The entire film is quite choppy and a lot of what's going on has to be explained with title cards that come up every few scenes. The film's running time of 110-minutes seems double that and it doesn't help that the majority of the supporting cast are rather weak. Fay Wray, Donald Cook and George E. Stone walk through their roles. Leo Carrillo and Stuart Erwin are pretty bland in theirs. Henry B. Walthall gives a very good performance but he's role is quite minor. What keeps the film moving is the great performance by Beery who clearly becomes this character and when one thinks of Villa you can't help but picture Beery.
Fat City (1972)
John Huston
Huston's grim drama about a washed up boxer (Stacy Keach) trying to make a comeback and the up and comer (Jeff Bridges) who doesn't have much to look forward to. There's not too much plot here but what Huston delivers is one of the most interesting films of his career. This is a very strong, extremely well acted character drama that has a lot of nice touches throughout and one can't help but feel the directors passion in the story. It seems Huston liked making film about losers who dream big only to fall short and that's a basic plot device to this film. We're introduced to a lot of different people, both young and old, who set themselves up for greatness only to lack what it takes. Huston does a great job with the pacing, taking his time yet never letting things get too dull. The story shifts focus to both boxers where we look at their lives as they continue to make one mistake after another. Huston builds a wonderful atmosphere that really captures the sadness of the characters and their lives. Keach delivers a wonderful performance and I really couldn't see any other actor in the role. I had read that Huston originally wanted Brando and while he's the greatest actor ever in my opinion, I still wouldn't have taken the role away from Keach. The sadness and worn out feel Keach brings the character really packs a nice punch as you want to see him win yet you know he's just going to keep messing up. Bridges also does a terrific job as do Susan Tyrrell and Candy Clark as the women in the boxer's lives. This is another gem from the 1970's, a decade where a filmmaker didn't have to be scared into delivering happy endings or rousing finishes. The movie is pretty dark and grim but that's what makes it so special because it comes off very realistic and makes for great drama.
Piranha (1995)
Scott P. Levy
Remake of the 1978 cult classic by Joe Dante features pretty much the same story as we hit "nature strikes back" mode again. This time out a bad girl and her dorky boyfriend go missing so a detective (Alexandra Paul) goes looking for them. With the help of a mountain man (William Katt) they learn that the government has made some man-eating piranhas and sure enough they've let them loose in a popular lake. Whereas the original film was tongue in cheek in terms of its black humor and violence, this one here plays it rather straight, which is a minor problem. I'm not sure if the production team here, which included Roger Corman, just decided to not try touching the original but a little humor here would have helped things. Without the humor we're left with a pretty standard, made-for-TV horror movie that ups the violence and gore. Outside some stock footage from the original movie, the attacks here are pretty good especially one scene towards the end when our hero is trying to save the day when a group of fish attack him. The rather violent bites will certainly make your squirm and this is preceded by some other nice attacks including one poor soul who leaves his feet in the water a tad bit too long. Katt and Paul deliver fine performances and are strong enough to carry the film. The supporting cast doesn't get much done, although the James Karen (THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) was nice. Fans of the original really aren't going to find this film topping it in any way but fans of the nature attacks genre will want to check it out as harmless fun.
Don Juan (1926)
Alan Crosland
John Barrymore shines in this highly impressive costume drama, which is also historically important as being the first film released with the Vitaphone soundtrack with a synchronized score and sound effects. In the film Barrymore plays the title character, lover to many woman, but he falls in love with Adriana della Varnese (Mary Astor) but the evil Lucrezia (Estelle Taylor) and Donati (Montagu Love) have plans to keep them apart. I really wasn't sure what to expect out of this film and I ended up being pleasantly shocked at how well made and entertaining it was. Barrymore does a wonderful job in the role even though he was way too old to be playing it. The make up work is very effective as the actor really does appear to be twenty years younger. You can tell he's having a blast in the role as he's constantly playing that "lover" type who always has a smile or serious look in his eyes. Barrymore also made news for doing all of his own stunts, which included some impressive horse riding and an even more impressive fencing scene. The fencing scene here was marvelously done and makes for some great drama. Pay close attention to the point of view shots during this sequence because they're quite ahead of their time and very effective. Astor, Taylor and Love also turn in fine performances as does Warner Oland as Cesare. Fans of Myrna Loy will also be happy to see her here. It seems today that this movie is best remembered by film buff's due to the soundtrack but it's certainly a lot more than just that. The wonderful costumes and sets are another major plus.
Hurricane, The (1937)
John Ford
Excellent John Ford film has the director pretty much making three movies in one but his wonderful direction keeps everything in line and in the end delivers a nice little gem. Tarangi (John Hall), recently married to his one love (Dorothy Lamour), sets sail for Tahiti where he ends up getting into a fight after a man slaps him and uses a racial slur. The politics of hitting a white man gets him thrown into prison where a sadistic guard (John Carradine) is constantly abusing him. Tarangi finally is able to escape but once home he has no time to rest as a large hurricane is about to wreck his island. As I said earlier, this is about three different movies as we get the typical love story, a great prison drama and then the disaster film, which was clearly on a high as movie crowds had just gotten SAN FRANCISCO. This time out the special effects are certainly the highlight but there's still a lot of other great stuff here. Hall does a wonderful job in the lead role even if it was a tad bit hard believing him as a native. He is incredibly strong in his role as is Lamour who looks downright beautiful here. The two have wonderful chemistry together and one can't help but hope they can survive their ordeal. Carradine has a minor role but he once again shines in it. Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, the Oscar nominated Thomas Mitchell and Raymond Massey all deliver fine supporting performances. The final fifteen-minutes feature the $250,000 special effects, which are downright haunting, tense and jaw dropping. The way this small island is torn apart by the wind and water makes for one of the most memorable scenes in film history and one can't help but feel as if they are going through a real storm. There are a lot of underline beliefs thrown out, most dealing with religion, and they are perfectly brought to life by the director. Just take a look at the scene where everyone takes shelter in the church, which slowly starts to break apart. This is certainly another classic film, which proves you don't need CGI and I doubt anything made today could look half as good as this. Those impressed with the storm here might also want to seek out Griffith's ONE EXCITING NIGHT. A pretty bad movie but there's a storm at the end, which is just as impressive as the one here.
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)...but that Tarantino imbroglio kind of took the wind right out of my sails! Basterd!!
Death threats? Over what?!?!?!
