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Reviews
Late Show with David Letterman: Peter Lassally/Doc Severinsen/Johnny Carson Tribute (2005)
Classy tribute to a mentor......
Starting with a monologue written by Johnny, Dave pays tribute with a great delivery and anecdotes from himself and guest Peter Lasally, Johnny's longtime exec producer (and now Letterman's exec). Musical tribute from Doc Severinsen and some ringers (Tommy Newsome and Ed Shaughnessy) from the old Tonight Show Band sitting in with Paul Shaffer and playing "Here's That Rainy Day". My love of big band music pretty much started with the Tonight Show, from which I discovered a lot of jazz greats. I am so glad I downloaded this performance off Usenet, since I have no idea if Dave will ever release this stuff on DVD.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Beautiful Complex and Moving
Good Will Hunting weaves many themes: love, friendship, loyalty, rivalry, class, relationships and intelligence. Considering that this film was also written by Matt Damon & Ben Affleck makes it even more remarkable. What started as a collection of scenes became this modern fable for generation X. Folks might be put off by the language, but it is what makes the film real. Having been in Boston, I have seen the differences between Southies and the upper crust, and Matt & Ben, who I believe are from Boston, really bring this class issue to light. You also see unconditional love & loyalty in the friendship of Matt & Ben (which parallels the Stellan Skarsgard/Robin Williams friendship), and later, in the relationship of therapist Robin Williams with Matt. Matt's lack of vulnerability is his shield in relationships until he meets the premed student as played by Minnie Driver. With her, his walls come down, but he is still wary of exposing his vulnerability and has a fear of commitment. And it is the therapist (Robin Williams) who finally breaks through, teaching Matt about revealing himself. There are many poignant moments in this film; and given the fact that Ben Affleck has been slammed many times for his acting, he gives a sublime, endearing facet to his character's friendship with Matt in his performance. Minnie Driver projects a warmth and intelligence that Matt's character is attracted to. She is an open book, unafraid of falling in love with Will Hunting, and sad when she cannot feel the reciprocation from him. But the real scene stealer is Robin Williams, whose therapist character is similar to Will; southie boy who is wicked smart. The scenes of Matt and Robin are like a well choreographed dance, and I believe that this is some of Robin's best dramatic work since Peter Weir's Dead Poet's Society. Having watched this movie many times, I keep finding new subtleties in all the acting performances. Definitely a must see film!
Voices That Care (1991)
Definitely Memorable......
I still remember vividly when this first came out. Desert Shield, then Desert Storm, the burning oil fields. This video is about a song, and the making of that song with a bunch of celebrities in the choir. This ain't "We Are The World", kiddies---the actors in the celebrity choir don't really do it for me. But the important thing is the song and the musical performances. My two favorite performances are Celine Dion's and the late Warren Wiebe's (leaving him off the official credits is a travesty and should hopefully be corrected). Celine is a pure singer with great technical gifts; you can tell that David Foster (the producer/writer) is in awe of her talent. Warren Wiebe, for the uninitiated, was a studio session singer who, like Celine, was a technically gifted singer with a wide range and the uncanny gift to mimic other singers --- Warren was known for doing a great Stevie Wonder impersonation, as well as Cher (!). He even did the singing voice of Dean Martin for the Rat Pack movie on HBO. Warren is gone now, but this video for me is a keepsake and reminder of his talent. Rest in peace, Warren.
Phenomenon (1996)
This movie is special
I normally don't get choked up during a movie, but I happened to see this movie after my father had passed, so it affected me. This movie is about a lot of things: about the extraordinary happening to the ordinary (George Malley's "event" and his newfound powers), unconditional love (the love of Lace), friendship (George with Doc & Nate), and tolerance (the ignorance and fear of the townspeople and the Feds). As George said in the movie, "It's all about possibilities"---and in this movie it's about romance, potential and the dance of life amongst all things. John Travolta (as George) delivers a disarmingly charming performance, and Robert Duvall (as Doc) displays a warmth and affection for his friend George. Forrest Whitaker (as Nate) is masterfully understated as the faithful friend who is the recipient of George's manipulation (the "translation" scene) and Kyra Sedgewick (as Lace) is the love of George's life. The inquisition scene with Brent Spiner was funny without being trite or serious---you feel George's frustration as he is treated like a lab rat. Every time I see this movie, I see new layers I haven't noticed before. Director Jon Turtletaub did a terrific job with this cast without being preachy. Highly recommended!
The Good Shepherd (2006)
Epic Shades Of Gray
"Epic shades of gray...." That's how my son described this movie and I thought it was a very astute observation (he's 17 and graduating next year). DeNiro as director takes a lot of his cues from all the directors he's worked with, but with this film, it's obvious that Coppola was his biggest influence as auteur. Lots of use of shadow and light as alliteration to the screenplay. Muted color tones suddenly become vivid as truth is revealed. Use of flashback as exposition to Matt Damon's extraordinary turn as Edward Wilson, a fictional forefather of the CIA. The flashbacks act as a gauge to the gradual loss of Wilson's soul, from his introduction to Skull & Bones ritual and culminating in the ultimate disclosure of failure at the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Afficionados of the X-files will no doubt enjoy the shrouds of secrecy that permeate this yarn, especially since the most subliminal message of this film is: Trust No One. I felt that Angelina Jolie's character as Damon's wife, though well drawn, was missing something from the cutting room floor and towards the end of the film, it was hard to swallow the thought of Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie being the parents of a 22 year old CIA agent. William Hurt has a way of playing despicable characters that appear normal. John Turturro as Damon's assistant is a cool customer, never revealing what hand he is holding. Alec Baldwin as Wilson's FBI contact recalls the performance of Donald Sutherland's deep throat-ish character in JFK---warm, amiable, but dangerous. Even DeNiro takes a turn as the General who helps the President transform the wartime OSS to the peacetime CIA and as one of Damon's mentors. This movie is probably DeNiro's most ambitious, though I found his style lumbering, but the plot was strong enough to keep me attune to the story.