Hera-8 Reviews

Fresno (1986)

Funny is the word!

[10/10 · 8 June 2003]

This film came out when I was nine years of age; I didn't see it then, but I remember hearing my sisters talk about it.

Well, years later, I have sought a copy of the film (and finally got one in a bidding war on ebay! yay!) Why the interest? Well, I am a fan of Anthony Heald, and I found out he had a role.

Needless to say, I laughed the whole time watching it. The movie is terrific. A whole miniseries that is a spoof--what a great idea! In the past, I loved primetime soaps like "Dallas," "Knots Landing," and "Dynasty." This film skewers them mercilessly. Bravo!

Oh...and Anthony Heald is just terrific is the bleeding heart son.

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978)

Before "Rushmore"

[8 February 2003]

This movie is quite similar to the American film "Rushmore," in that both films portray sensitive, intelligent young teen boys becoming infatuated with adult women twice their age. Major difference: Blier the guts that the director of "Rushmore" did not have.

"Rushmore," like most films about teen boys having crushes on older women, took the easy way out. The boy falls madly in love with his teacher, but the romance is never consummated. Instead, he encourages her, at the end of the film, to continue her affair with a much older married man. So, the message is the older men have the right to take advantage of younger women, yet not vice versa?

In Blier's film, the relationship of boy and his adult crush is consummated. Therefore, the film breaks the mold. "Rushmore" merely follows a traditional (and just plain worn out) plot pattern.

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

I watch it for one reason!

[29 April 2002]

I was eleven when I went to see this movie with my stepmother, who is a Tom Cruise fan. Originally, I found the movie to be dreary and gruesome. Yet, years later I watched it again--and who did I see that I had not noticed the first time? Josh Evans, the gorgeous son of Robert Evans and Ali MacGraw. I would endure anything to see his face on the screen. He should be a bigger star than Tom Cruise. Alas, it is not a perfect world.

So, I watch the movie whenever it is on cable today, though I still find it dreary and gruesome. I am a creative writing major, and I write screenplays. Maybe one day, if a movie is made of one of them, I will suggest the casting of Josh Evans!

Queer as Folk (2000–2005)

THE BEST SHOW EVER!!!

[4 May 2001]

After reading the last comment, I must say that I have seen the original and think the American version is far superior. The actors are better looking. The plots are more upbeat but still have a kick. Before I saw the British version or the American, I read review after review about how the original is excellent and the new version is bad. I say the reviewers are wrong! Everyone should watch the show!

Star Maps (1997)

A Great Movie

[4 March 2001]

When I saw this movie, I immediately liked how it broke free of tired plot points. There is no happy ending, and the bad guy does not pay for his sins. It's the story of a young hustler working for his--get this--father. As he turns tricks, he also aspires to become a film star. The young man is also Latino, and the film resists the urge to be overly pious--like studio efforts do when dealing with minority issues. Though the film is downbeat at times and doesn't end on a happy note, it is still enjoyable to watch. It's a ten.

Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Very powerful film

[9/10 · 4 April 2000]

This film is very powerful. Hillary Swank deserved all of the awards she received. Playing Teena Brandon, a woman who passed herself off as a man, Swank brings the confusion of the character to life.

The supporting performances are also admirable. All the supporting players look so real. They look like anyone you would pass on the street.

The conclusion will shake anyone. It is sobering.

Chasing Amy (1997)

very realistic

[10 June 1999]

This film presents an amazingly truthful representation of the complications involved with having a relationship in the nineties. It brings about issues like experimentation, promiscuity, and homosexuality with an unusual frankness. The dialogue is one very impressive thing. It is the dialogue of real people. Real people discuss sex frankly. It is not the synthetic dialogue heard in films like "Picture Perfect" or "My Best Friend's Wedding." The story, which is about a heterosexual man wooing a lesbian, is very fresh. The cinematography and direction are amateurish, but this film did not have a big budget. Kevin Smith belongs to a group of directors that value honesty and individuality over big budgets, explosions, and the same old formulaic plots forced down the throats of the public over and over.

Maurice (1987)

one of the best films i have seen

[10/10 · 10 June 1999]

This movie is one of the best that I have seen. It is the love story of two very different men. Both Rupert Graves and James Wilby are sexy in dissimilar ways. Graves brings raw, unbridled passion to the screen, and Wilby beautifully illustrates a quiet passion. He presents a very graceful, elegant character that has so much inside that needs to be expressed. This film is unusual in that it is not only a faithful adaption of a great book but it also presents a happy ending to a gay love story. No suicides. No tragic ending. Absolutely wonderful! One of my favorite films!

Wilde (1997)

Good and bad

[4 June 1999]

I have always been fascinated by Oscar Wilde. He was the first gay icon. This film was a bit of a disappointment though. I think that Fry was miscast. He did not seem to capture Oscar's wit or style. He seemed too tall and to not have enough of an edge to play the legendary Wilde. I did like the performances of the younger actors, and I thought the film was daring enough. It did not cover enough of his life though. I want to know more. What was his childhood like? More more more. That is why I say this movie is good and bad.

Twenty-One (1991)

one of the worst films ever

[1/10 · 4 June 1999]

This film was horrible. It was supposed to be a story about a modern, liberated woman, but the woman in question is pathetic. She wastes her affections on a junky that can not even satisfy her sexually. She has an affair with an unattractive married man. Is this a liberated woman? This film was painful to watch.