Change Your Image
pcalkins
Reviews
Glory Daze (1995)
Had the references correct, but failed miserably as a movie.
This movie was well informed as far as the music references go... nice soundtrack... Alternative Tentacles shirt... Brown Reason to Live sticker... lotsa NOFX, etc.. etc... but where's the movie? It seemed like the most exciting thing about it was Spalding Grey. ...did I just say that? "SPALDING GREY is the most exciting character in the movie." -wow
Kurt & Courtney (1998)
A perfect example of losing objectivity
I had to get this film when I heard that he had interviewed El Duce. It's not a very good documentary but it clearly shows what can happen when the film maker gets a bit p****d off. You can almost see the cloud drifting over the entire process. He gets desperate once his funding is pulled... trying to connect things which really don't. El Duce's death, the nanny, Courtney's wish to meet Mr. Stipe... it gets pretty silly. I'm no fan of money grubbing, back-stabbing, claw-your-way-to-the-top, image-conscious people, but it doesn't quite add up to evil murderess.
Breakdown (1997)
Fun movie, but the conclusion it reaches is pretty mean
This was a very fun movie, and pretty suspenseful, but something about the way it portrayed the truckers and poor highway towns really disturbed me... it was almost offensive the way it treated them. This was no fantasy or horror movie where there are crazy or evil people doing crazy or evil things... it was a portrayal of small town people and hard working truckers as being dangerous and evil. It is built around an unconscious class racism of sorts and is the kind of movie which reveals much about its target audience.
Besides that, though, this movie is a fun suspenseful ride. Well worth renting.
Gravesend (1995)
Simply a great movie at any budget
I can't believe the low rating this movie has received so far. It's a great description of life in an east coast city. The events evolve like a great tragedy... It's like a mix between Shakespeare and Cassavetes. The acting is top notch... no need to qualify it with "for unknowns"... The shot of the freeway bridge at the end reminds me a little of the end of "Over the Edge", another great modern tragedy. This is definitely not a suburban film, though, which may be why some people can't seem to connect.