Starman (1984)
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“You’re not from around here, are you?”
Synopsis: |
Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
Response to Peary’s Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
Must See? Links: |
“Castaway, castaway, trust in your star… You know I will find you, wherever you are.”
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Review: Unfortunately, it’s the lack of any real danger which makes In Search of the Castaways disappointing as an adventure film; as noted by DVD Savant (see review link below), certain sequences — such as the wild avalanche slide through the Andes — seem more like Disneyland rides than genuinely life-threatening situations. Equally disappointing are the special effects, especially in the first half of the film, when it’s obvious the actors are traveling along a sound stage with painted matte backdrops. Nonetheless, ..Castaways has its heart in the right place, and manages to provide a few genuine thrills (i.e., Hamshere nearly being dropped from a rope down into a tribe of vicious Maoris; don’t expect p.c. depictions here), as well as a sweet would-be romance between Mills and heartthrob Michael Anderson, Jr. If you don’t analyze it too closely, this remains innocuously enjoyable family fare. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“I didn’t like being an animal, and I didn’t like seeing everybody else be an animal.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments: Must See? Categories
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“My plays are about getting away with it, and the ones who get away with it are the guilty ones. It’s the innocents who get it in the neck.”
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Review: Because the film opens with Orton’s bloody death, there’s no surprise about the outcome of events; instead the shifting power dynamics in Orton and Halliwell’s evolving relationship is the focus of the screenplay. We’re shown Halliwell’s pathological inability to deal with Orton’s sudden success, and Orton’s refusal to leave Halliwell behind despite his desire to be with other men. (In many ways, Prick Up Your Ears is a post-modern variation on A Star is Born.) The acting throughout is commendable: Oldman is note-perfect as Orton, showcasing his cockiness and pan-sexuality, and Molina is mostly effective (and appropriately creepy) as Halliwell, though he gradually loses our sympathy. Also notable is the incomparable Vanessa Redgrave, in a small yet pivotal role as the third party left behind to tell the world about Orton and Halliwell’s tragic love story. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“The house cats we’re dealing with, having first tasted flesh through this — maybe — or from other sources, react exactly like their wild cousins.”
“There’s one thing I mustn’t forget, and that’s that we’re sworn enemies, you and I — all the moonlight in heaven can’t change that.”
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Review: this movie is simply a mish-mash of poor acting, sloppy continuity and editing, and a convoluted storyline. Whatever pathos could have been generated between Garland’s character and the hitman she falls in love with (Ireland) is sublimated into silliness. Even MST3K’s spoofing can’t (doesn’t) turn this clunker into enjoyable viewing. Redeeming Qualities and Moments: Must See? Links: |
“The dream is always the same; I’ve had it many times — only the victim changes. There’s a huge clock with a huge hand, the edge of which is very sharp, like a razor.”
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Review: While many have expressed frustration with the story’s dated implication that David’s mother (nicely played by Neva Patterson) and father (Richard McMurray) are at least partially responsible for his illness, I found this fairly easy to forgive, given that even individuals with clinically-diagnosed OCD occasionally come from troubled backgrounds. And the fact that Lisa gradually opens up to David doesn’t imply that his friendship has cured her — it’s simply brought her one step closer along the path to wellness. Ultimately, David and Lisa should be seen as a gentle character study rather than a treatise on mental illness; and, as such, it works. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Remember, my people: there is no shame in being poor, only in dressing poorly!”
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Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Listen, little girl, you don’t know nothing ’bout the Candy Man — he’ll have you crawling on all fours and howling like a dog!”
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Review: Since I’ve neither read the novel nor seen the previous film, I can’t make any comparisons; on its own, however, Richardson’s version (scripted by Ruth Ford and James Poe) seems to suffer from the same fate befalling so many cinematic translations of literary works — namely, an egregious lapse in motivational logic. The crux of the narrative — Temple’s radical change of heart, post-rape — simply doesn’t ring true, and no time is spent trying to explain it. As noted in the New York Times original review, this transformation “makes for purple melodrama but not much psychological sense”. This is too bad, given that beautiful Lee Remick turns in a sympathetic performance in the lead role — it’s not her fault that her character is so poorly written. Also effective is blues singer Odetta in a pivotal role as the woman who first tries to warn Temple against the bootlegger (renamed Candy); one wishes she’d been given more screen time. Yves Montand as Candy gives the worst performance in the film — he seems to be walking through his scenes, and is badly cast. Once again, however, we know so little about his character that it’s hard to get a sense of what makes him tick. By the end of the film, we feel like we’ve only been given a glimpse of a much bigger, potentially intriguing world. Redeeming Qualities and Moments: Must See? Links: |
“That mirror showed me the whole lie of my existence. I realized what a pitiful fool I was — she didn’t love me at all!”
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Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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