Suddenly (1954)

JFK Assassination Movie #1 (I wanted to include reviews of two other JFK assassination films – Interview With the Assassin, and Executive Action, but I couldn’t get my hands on them. They will have to wait for another time). 

Synopsis: It’s 80 minutes of Old Blue Eyes out-acting a bunch of idiots who keep telling him: “you’ll never get away with it!”

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Reportedly, this movie was viewed by Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. For this reason, Frank Sinatra withdrew this movie from circulation.” [According to imdb.com, this is actually a myth – Sinatra didn’t have the authority to block the film’s distribution.]

What Did I Learn?: The best way to a woman’s heart is to repeatedly tell her she’s a crappy mom for not letting her little boy play with toy guns. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know you never want to get on Frank Sinatra's bad side.

 

Really?: 1) Nothing clears the mind quite like having a gun pointed towards it. If a bunch of gangster asked me if anyone was coming over to the house, I’m pretty sure I would remember to mention the TV repair guy. 2) Similar to point #1 – if my home is ever taken hostages by mob assassins, and they tell me to shut up, I don’t think I’ll spend the afternoon throwing insults at them. 

Rating: I wanted to like Suddenly, but the script is hackneyed, clichéd, and terribly written. The talented Sterling Hayden is reduced to a bellowing loudmouth, and I found myself seriously wanting to see the gangsters bump off their hostages in the house. I can’t recommend this movie, but its one saving grace is Sinatra – his performance is electrifying. Clearly, he could act when he wanted to do so. 4/10 stars. 

Would It Work For a Bad Movie Night: Probably not. Take a drink any time the gangsters pass up a perfectly good opportunity to whack an unruly hostage. Take two drinks any time a character questions Ellen’s parental skills. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047542/?ref_=nv_sr_4

Traveller (1997)

Synopsis: It’s like a rural, low-rent, country-music version of The Sting.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Swindlers Scammers Con-Men As American As Apple Pie” 

What Did I Learn?:  When it comes to US currency, “A” is the Federal Reserve Bank Seal for Boston. It doesn’t stand for “America.” 

You Might Like This Movie If: You enjoy watching ordinary, working-class Americans getting ripped off.

 

Really?: 1) I had no idea there’s big money in offering to apply driveway sealant for a discounted price, and then using cheap black paint. For a con, that seems like a lot of work for not a lot of cash, and quite low-rent. 2) Scamming a waitress for every penny she has – gee, that’s cool. 3) So wait – Pat (Mark Wahlberg) really, really, really wants to join the Traveller community, so he needs the boss to like him, and yet he keeps hitting on his daughter even though she’s engaged to be married? I realize he’s young and naive, but wow – that’s incredibly short-sighted and reckless behaviour. 

Rating: Traveller is an entertaining film about an insular community of Irish-American con artists somewhere in the South. It’s a good movie when it focuses on Bokky (Bill Paxton) teaching Pat the ropes about running scams (but cheating poor people out of their money? That’s low), but the twin romances strain its credibility, and the uber-violent ending seems a bit out of place. 7/10 stars.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120366/?ref_=nv_sr_2

The Cotton Club (1984)

Hey – this would have worked for my Nicolas Cage film fest! 

Synopsis: Hmm...gangsters, New York City, Francis Ford Coppola...it’s The Godfather with tap-dancing!

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Richard Gere is Dixie Dwyer. In his powerful hands a trumpet became more than a horn. And a girl became more than a woman. He was the only man who could walk the violent line between music and the mob.”  

What Did I Learn?: If a gangster tells you that he was found as a baby in a garbage pail, and that he doesn’t have a mom, there’s a very good chance he won’t be a terribly sensitive soul. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You firmly believe Gregory Hines wore tap shoes everywhere he went.

 

Really?: 1) You know, if I had the fame and charisma to bang nearly any chick I wanted in New York City, I don’t think I’d play footsie with the mistress of the city’s biggest gangster. 2) Gee...if Dutch Schultz really wanted to bump off Flynn, wouldn’t it have been much smarter to smile, shake his hand and then do the deep later on, rather than killing him with his bare hands at a heavily-attended party that’s supposed to be a truce? 3) See "You Might Like This Movie If" - although it is an awesome scene.

Rating: I wanted to like The Cotton Club more than I did. The movie is jam-packed with stars, the musical numbers are top-notch, and there are many great performances and memorable moments. Alas, the film doesn't amount to more than the sum of its parts, and the Richard Gere/Diane Lane storyline never really intersects with the Gregory Hines/Lonette McKee sub-plot. There's a lot of cool stuff, but it's a long movie and it really tends to drag. The Cotton Club is good, but not great. 7/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087089/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The Public Eye (1992)

Synopsis: Joe Pesci sets out to prove the Princess Diana, Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin, Kanye West, Mike Tyson and Pink were totally wrong about the paparazzi. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Academy Award winner Joe Pesci is a brash, 1940’s tabloid photographer whose camera leads him into a shadowy underworld of mob violence, unlikely romance and dangerous corruption in this atmospheric mystery-thriller.” 

What Did I Learn?: “Everybody loves to have their picture took. Everybody.” 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that taking pictures of hot-headed celebrities isn't an easy job.

 

Really?: 1) See “Synopsis”. 2) See “What Did I Learn?” 3) So, instead of attempting to prevent the big mob hit, Bernzy wants to photograph it? I realize he’s doing his job, but that doesn't seem terribly noble...

Rating: Joe Pesci delivers a tour-de-force performance as “Bernzy,” a kinda-sleazy-but-mostly-decent shutterbug who finds himself dodging bullets and romancing a woman (a very sexy Barbara Hershey) far out of his league. The Public Eye is an enjoyable film noir thriller, and highly recommended. 8.5/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105187/?ref_=rvi_tt

Light of Day (1987)

Synopsis: Michael J. Fox rocks out, and if he can’t make his parents kiss at the Under-the-Sea dance, he’ll never... oops, wrong movie!

 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Music is the only escape for siblings Joe and Patti Rasnick – in Patti’s words, ‘One hour on stage makes up for the other 23.’ MICHAEL J. FOX is Joe, devoted bother, blue-collar worker and guitarist for The Barbusters, an undiscovered local rock band featuring him and his sister Patti.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) The best strategy for stealing meat from a grocery store is to stick it down your pants. Better still, stick a package of frozen steaks down your 4-year old son’s pants. 2) According to a sign on a chain link fence next to the factory, “Performance is a Reflection of Attitude.” 3) Cleveland is a seriously ugly city. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You enjoy watching both a good temper tantrum, and a bar getting busted.

 

Really?: 1) Wow... Joan Jett really doesn’t perform her “A” material in this movie, does she? 2) Nobody personifies a rock music-loving, working class Joe quite like Michael J. Fox. 

Rating: While I generally like Paul Schrader’s films, he really dropped the ball with Light of Day, a nearly-forgotten late-1980s rock-and-roll drama featuring an unlikeable Joan Jett (her acting range apparently stretched from sullen and pouty to self-righteous anger), and Michael J. Fox, who was just plain wrong for his part. (Incidentally, I felt the same way about his performance in Casualties of War). Oh, and the story goes nowhere, and by the end, I really didn’t give a shit. I cannot recommend this movie. 4/10 stars. 

Would It Work For a Bad Movie Night?: Absolutely – take a drink every time every time Patti blows up; take another every time Joe gets judgmental. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093415/?ref_=nv_sr_1