Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) Roy Rowland 8/10
A year in the life of a Norwegian farm community in then contemporary Wisconsin as seen through the eyes of a 7 year old girl. A big hit at the time, and shown quite frequently on TV in later years, the film has been restored to pristine condition by the Warner Archive.
Personally I could have done with a little less Margaret O'Brien and Butch Jenkins, who plays her 5 year old cousin, and a little more Edward G. Robinson and Agnes Moorehead as her parents.
This was one of three standout performances from Robinson that year, the others being in The Woman in the Window and Scarlet Street. Moorehead, eschewing her usual larger-than-life characters, nicely plays a down to earth farm wife.
Great special effects in the scene where another farmer's barn burns down and he has to shoot his prize Hereford cattle who refuse to move out of harm's way.
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Big Magilla
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Everyone owes it to themselves to see An Early Frost. It works both as a time capsule and as one of the best TV movies ever made.
Incidentally D.W. Moffett later played Aidan Quinn's brother in the short-lived TV series, The Book of Daniel in 2006.
I agree that Gena Rowlands gives a great performance, one of her two best. The other was as Betty Ford in another made for TV movie, 1987's The Betty Ford Story, which has just been released as part of the Warner Archive.
She won an Emmy nomination for An Early Frost and the award itself for The Betty Ford Story.
For the record Aidan Quinn and Ben Gazzara lost their Emmy bids for An Early Frost to Dustin Hoffman in Death of a Salesman. John Glover lost his supporting nod to Salesman's John Malkovich. Sylvia Sidney lost to Colleeen Dewhurst in Between Two Women, Rowlands lost to Marlo Thomas in Nobody's Child and the film itself lost to Love Is Never Silent. Quinn, Rowlands, Glover and the film itself were robbed. Sidney rightfully lost to an even better performance by Dewhurst. Fortunately for her, Dewhurst's film from 1986 was not in competition at the Globes.
Incidentally D.W. Moffett later played Aidan Quinn's brother in the short-lived TV series, The Book of Daniel in 2006.
I agree that Gena Rowlands gives a great performance, one of her two best. The other was as Betty Ford in another made for TV movie, 1987's The Betty Ford Story, which has just been released as part of the Warner Archive.
She won an Emmy nomination for An Early Frost and the award itself for The Betty Ford Story.
For the record Aidan Quinn and Ben Gazzara lost their Emmy bids for An Early Frost to Dustin Hoffman in Death of a Salesman. John Glover lost his supporting nod to Salesman's John Malkovich. Sylvia Sidney lost to Colleeen Dewhurst in Between Two Women, Rowlands lost to Marlo Thomas in Nobody's Child and the film itself lost to Love Is Never Silent. Quinn, Rowlands, Glover and the film itself were robbed. Sidney rightfully lost to an even better performance by Dewhurst. Fortunately for her, Dewhurst's film from 1986 was not in competition at the Globes.
An Early Frost (1985)
dir. John Ermin
8 and a half stars out of 10
This is a five-hanky weeper. After Big Magilla mentioned the anecdote about Sylvia Sidney going after a role intended for Eva Le Gallienne in this film, I decided to seek it out and I'm very glad I did.
As the first film to deal with AIDS ever, An Early Frost explores the epidemic on a small scale, following Michael Pierson, a young Chicago lawyer (played by Aidan Quinn, in a beautifully honest, Emmy-nominated performance) as he learns he has the disease. Forced to reveal the one-two punch to his family that he is gay and has also come down with "the gay plague", Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara and Sylvia Sidney all must come to grips with his disease as well as the possibility of losing their son and grandson. The intense emotions that are brought to the surface by Michael's revelation to his family lead to some of the most poignant and beautiful scenes.
This is an incredibly powerful and well-made film that unapologetically confronts AIDS in a frank and realistic manner at a time when misinformation and paranoia ran rampant in the United States. The mood of the 1985 time period (which is, of course, the present day of the film as well) is exposed and dealt with effectively through characterization and a well-rounded conveyance of of facts mixed with misinformation (Michael's pregnant sister is afraid to be near him, several gay friends withdraw from his life, etc). The writers also demonstrated a lot of foresight in their portrayal of the disease, even though there are obvious instances where the information is now dated.
Sylvia Sidney's performance as Michael's devoted grandmother is certainly a stand-out and was deservedly recognized with a Golden Globe. But also not to be missed is Gena Rowlands' affect-less and sensitive portrayal of a mother trying to process what is happening to the son she adores (she leaves behind much of her usual bag of tricks for this performance), John Glover as a flamboyant and witty AIDS patient in the same hospital as Michael and D.W. Moffet, who plays his caring boyfriend who may or may not have infected him.
Remarkable for exploring the disease and its effects on those surrounding the afflicted only four years into the AIDS crisis, this is a film as powerful today as I imagine it was when it first came out.
Worth noting: D.W. Moffett also co-starred in the original Broadway production of Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" which came out the same year as this film, playing Ned Weeks' lover Felix Turner who learns he has AIDS halfway through the play. When I performed in that play in college in the role of Tommy Boatwright, a hospital administrator who joins the Gay Men's Health Crisis, one of my lines of dialogue always stuck out to me, "There are gonna be a lot of mommas wondering why their sons have suddenly up and died of pneumonia." This film explores the repercussions of having to come out twice: as a gay man and as a person with AIDS.
"Living with AIDS", a short documentary directed, produced and edited by Tina DiFeliciantonio, and chronicling one young man's struggle with the disease, accompanies the film as a DVD bonus feature. Todd Coleman, a 22-year-old gay man living in San Francisco and the subject of the short, died before the film was bravely shown on broadcast television.
Edited By flipp525 on 1258853757
dir. John Ermin
8 and a half stars out of 10
This is a five-hanky weeper. After Big Magilla mentioned the anecdote about Sylvia Sidney going after a role intended for Eva Le Gallienne in this film, I decided to seek it out and I'm very glad I did.
As the first film to deal with AIDS ever, An Early Frost explores the epidemic on a small scale, following Michael Pierson, a young Chicago lawyer (played by Aidan Quinn, in a beautifully honest, Emmy-nominated performance) as he learns he has the disease. Forced to reveal the one-two punch to his family that he is gay and has also come down with "the gay plague", Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara and Sylvia Sidney all must come to grips with his disease as well as the possibility of losing their son and grandson. The intense emotions that are brought to the surface by Michael's revelation to his family lead to some of the most poignant and beautiful scenes.
This is an incredibly powerful and well-made film that unapologetically confronts AIDS in a frank and realistic manner at a time when misinformation and paranoia ran rampant in the United States. The mood of the 1985 time period (which is, of course, the present day of the film as well) is exposed and dealt with effectively through characterization and a well-rounded conveyance of of facts mixed with misinformation (Michael's pregnant sister is afraid to be near him, several gay friends withdraw from his life, etc). The writers also demonstrated a lot of foresight in their portrayal of the disease, even though there are obvious instances where the information is now dated.
Sylvia Sidney's performance as Michael's devoted grandmother is certainly a stand-out and was deservedly recognized with a Golden Globe. But also not to be missed is Gena Rowlands' affect-less and sensitive portrayal of a mother trying to process what is happening to the son she adores (she leaves behind much of her usual bag of tricks for this performance), John Glover as a flamboyant and witty AIDS patient in the same hospital as Michael and D.W. Moffet, who plays his caring boyfriend who may or may not have infected him.
Remarkable for exploring the disease and its effects on those surrounding the afflicted only four years into the AIDS crisis, this is a film as powerful today as I imagine it was when it first came out.
Worth noting: D.W. Moffett also co-starred in the original Broadway production of Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" which came out the same year as this film, playing Ned Weeks' lover Felix Turner who learns he has AIDS halfway through the play. When I performed in that play in college in the role of Tommy Boatwright, a hospital administrator who joins the Gay Men's Health Crisis, one of my lines of dialogue always stuck out to me, "There are gonna be a lot of mommas wondering why their sons have suddenly up and died of pneumonia." This film explores the repercussions of having to come out twice: as a gay man and as a person with AIDS.
"Living with AIDS", a short documentary directed, produced and edited by Tina DiFeliciantonio, and chronicling one young man's struggle with the disease, accompanies the film as a DVD bonus feature. Todd Coleman, a 22-year-old gay man living in San Francisco and the subject of the short, died before the film was bravely shown on broadcast television.
Edited By flipp525 on 1258853757
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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Big Magilla
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One Man's Journey (1933) John Robertson 8/10
A Man to Remember (1938) Garson Kanin 7/10
The first is a pre-Code gem about a country doctor, the latter a literate remake shaped to conform to the Hollywood Production Code.
The former benefits from strong performances by Lionel Barrymore and Dorothy Jordan. Barrymore is the long suffering doctor who is paid in potatoes. Jordan is the abandoned girl he raises until she is four and her father takes her back. His slightly older son grows up to be Joel McCrea.
Jordan has a pre-marital affair with the town's rich kid that results in a pregnancy. When the boy's father refuses to allow him marry Jordan, she attempts suicide but the two eventually marry. However his extra-marital affairs, including a brazen flirtation in front of the family and guests one Christmas, cause Jordan to become desperately ill. When McCrea and his brilliant doctor friends fail to find a way to save her, Barrymore steps in with his bedside manner and a dose of common sense and brings her back from the brink. There is a subplot invloving second billed May Robson as Barrymore's unpaid housekeeper that is played mostly for laughs. The ending, in which, the two go off to Niagara Falls, presumably on their honeymoon, comes out of nowhere and is the weakest part of the film. Another subplot involving McCrea and his real life wife Frances Dee as his fiancee works better.
Dalton Trumbo's literate script and Edward Ellis' fine performance as the doctor impress in the remake, but it's a completely different kind of movie. The film opens with the doctor's funeral and his story is told through flashbacks. There is no housekeeper and the girl's father doesn't take her back. Ellis raises his son and the girl as brother and sister. Instead of all that sex, the rich boy (William Henry) accidentally shoots the girl (Anne Shirley) and she doesn't marry him, instead getting the doctor's son (Lee Bowman) in the end.
These two films were part of a six picture payout deal that Merian C. Cooper got when he left RKO. They were not part of the package Ted Turner bought in the 1980s. They were purchased separately by TCM in 2006 and restored. A Man to Remember, which was thought to be lost, was discovered in Denamrk. The only existing print has unremovable Dutch subtitles.
One Man's Journey was Dorothy Jordan's last film before she married Cooper and left show business until her comeback in three John Ford films of the 1950s - most notably The Searchers in which she played Natalie Wood's mother. She was scheduled to play the part that went instead to Ginger Rogers creating the Rogers-Astaire team in Flying Down to Rio when she married Cooper and went on her honeymoon instead.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1258816496
A Man to Remember (1938) Garson Kanin 7/10
The first is a pre-Code gem about a country doctor, the latter a literate remake shaped to conform to the Hollywood Production Code.
The former benefits from strong performances by Lionel Barrymore and Dorothy Jordan. Barrymore is the long suffering doctor who is paid in potatoes. Jordan is the abandoned girl he raises until she is four and her father takes her back. His slightly older son grows up to be Joel McCrea.
Jordan has a pre-marital affair with the town's rich kid that results in a pregnancy. When the boy's father refuses to allow him marry Jordan, she attempts suicide but the two eventually marry. However his extra-marital affairs, including a brazen flirtation in front of the family and guests one Christmas, cause Jordan to become desperately ill. When McCrea and his brilliant doctor friends fail to find a way to save her, Barrymore steps in with his bedside manner and a dose of common sense and brings her back from the brink. There is a subplot invloving second billed May Robson as Barrymore's unpaid housekeeper that is played mostly for laughs. The ending, in which, the two go off to Niagara Falls, presumably on their honeymoon, comes out of nowhere and is the weakest part of the film. Another subplot involving McCrea and his real life wife Frances Dee as his fiancee works better.
Dalton Trumbo's literate script and Edward Ellis' fine performance as the doctor impress in the remake, but it's a completely different kind of movie. The film opens with the doctor's funeral and his story is told through flashbacks. There is no housekeeper and the girl's father doesn't take her back. Ellis raises his son and the girl as brother and sister. Instead of all that sex, the rich boy (William Henry) accidentally shoots the girl (Anne Shirley) and she doesn't marry him, instead getting the doctor's son (Lee Bowman) in the end.
These two films were part of a six picture payout deal that Merian C. Cooper got when he left RKO. They were not part of the package Ted Turner bought in the 1980s. They were purchased separately by TCM in 2006 and restored. A Man to Remember, which was thought to be lost, was discovered in Denamrk. The only existing print has unremovable Dutch subtitles.
One Man's Journey was Dorothy Jordan's last film before she married Cooper and left show business until her comeback in three John Ford films of the 1950s - most notably The Searchers in which she played Natalie Wood's mother. She was scheduled to play the part that went instead to Ginger Rogers creating the Rogers-Astaire team in Flying Down to Rio when she married Cooper and went on her honeymoon instead.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1258816496
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Precious Doll
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Anamorph (2008) H. S. Miller 2/10
Maradona (2008) Emir Kusturica 1/10
The Old Dark House (1963) William Castle 4/10
2012 (2009) Roland Emmerich 1/10
New Moon (2009) Chris Weitz 4/10
Maradona (2008) Emir Kusturica 1/10
The Old Dark House (1963) William Castle 4/10
2012 (2009) Roland Emmerich 1/10
New Moon (2009) Chris Weitz 4/10
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
Recount (Roach) - 4/10
Big missed opportunity but works as a nostalgia piece. Roach is clearly the wrong man to helm this thing. You can tell he has the wrong sensibility for the film whenever an (O.S.) voice of Gore, Bush, or Lieberman is heard. The emotional timbre of the 2000 Election boiled down to "The Lesser of Two Evils" (how little we knew...), the irony that *these* were the two titans battling. But it had nothing to do with them but the politics of the election process itself. The script is essentially a teleplay of a shit storm that never really delves into the egos of the men and women behind it. Everyone is one dimensional: the jaded Democrats fighting the good fight and the evil Republicans standing in the way of democracy. I personally believe this to be true but it's a little dull when you're "hero" is Kevin Spacey's sleep-walker. Laura Dern fights to find something of interest within the script: that this woman was the star of the moment. They were all stars of the moment! And what became of them? The film gets off on the wrong foot and never really regains balance. The script and director are nothing special, and there's not enough to really engage the talent.
Big missed opportunity but works as a nostalgia piece. Roach is clearly the wrong man to helm this thing. You can tell he has the wrong sensibility for the film whenever an (O.S.) voice of Gore, Bush, or Lieberman is heard. The emotional timbre of the 2000 Election boiled down to "The Lesser of Two Evils" (how little we knew...), the irony that *these* were the two titans battling. But it had nothing to do with them but the politics of the election process itself. The script is essentially a teleplay of a shit storm that never really delves into the egos of the men and women behind it. Everyone is one dimensional: the jaded Democrats fighting the good fight and the evil Republicans standing in the way of democracy. I personally believe this to be true but it's a little dull when you're "hero" is Kevin Spacey's sleep-walker. Laura Dern fights to find something of interest within the script: that this woman was the star of the moment. They were all stars of the moment! And what became of them? The film gets off on the wrong foot and never really regains balance. The script and director are nothing special, and there's not enough to really engage the talent.
"How's the despair?"
/The Brothers Bloom/ (Rian Johnson) 8.5/10
Watching the deleted scenes on the DVD confirms to me that much of the third act was edited out for streamlining resulting in discord. Also, The Brothers Bloom becomes the kind of con film where the con is a more symbolic thing rather than having any true insight into the con itself, giving it the feel more of a lark than the rare great film that synthesizes the two. Ultimately the parts are more than the whole, but the parts are as endearing as anything I've seen this year. It's a zippy, wonderful film that announces Rian Johnson as a real talent, and the cinematography, film editing, production design, costume design, musical score, script, and performance by Rachel Wesiz rank among the year's best.
Watching the deleted scenes on the DVD confirms to me that much of the third act was edited out for streamlining resulting in discord. Also, The Brothers Bloom becomes the kind of con film where the con is a more symbolic thing rather than having any true insight into the con itself, giving it the feel more of a lark than the rare great film that synthesizes the two. Ultimately the parts are more than the whole, but the parts are as endearing as anything I've seen this year. It's a zippy, wonderful film that announces Rian Johnson as a real talent, and the cinematography, film editing, production design, costume design, musical score, script, and performance by Rachel Wesiz rank among the year's best.
"How's the despair?"
Last Orders (Schepisi) - 8/10
Lovely evocation of life, death, and memory through Irish laughter. Could've used a stronger visual stylist. Schepisi excels at flashbacks and unity in joyous performance but the film to me is slightly lacking in pause. Hard to knock it though. It's a resonating, lovely film.
Lovely evocation of life, death, and memory through Irish laughter. Could've used a stronger visual stylist. Schepisi excels at flashbacks and unity in joyous performance but the film to me is slightly lacking in pause. Hard to knock it though. It's a resonating, lovely film.
"How's the despair?"
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Precious Doll
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Just Like Home (2007) Lone Scherfig 6/10
Go Go Tales (2007) Abel Ferrara 2/10
Prime Mover (2009) David Caesar 1/10
Jellyfish (2007) Etgar Keret & Shira Geffen 5/10
Dorian Gray (2009) Oliver Parker 4/10
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Go Go Tales (2007) Abel Ferrara 2/10
Prime Mover (2009) David Caesar 1/10
Jellyfish (2007) Etgar Keret & Shira Geffen 5/10
Dorian Gray (2009) Oliver Parker 4/10
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"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Big Magilla
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Raggedy Man (1981) Jack Fisk 7/10
Sissy Spacek's husband directed her in this, her best non-Oscar nominated performance as a WWII divorcee stuck in a nowhere Texas town with her two kids, a pre-E.T. Henry Thomas and Carey Hollis, Jr. (his only fim). Eric Roberts is also excellent as a passing sailor in what was only his second film.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1258258563
Sissy Spacek's husband directed her in this, her best non-Oscar nominated performance as a WWII divorcee stuck in a nowhere Texas town with her two kids, a pre-E.T. Henry Thomas and Carey Hollis, Jr. (his only fim). Eric Roberts is also excellent as a passing sailor in what was only his second film.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1258258563
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anonymous1980
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