WHEN YOU FEEL HARD DONE BY, TAKE A LOOK AT "THIS BOY’S LIFE"

Oh look. A true story. We haven’t had one of those in a while… I stumbled onto this film after a particularly tough day at work. Apart from it being that wonderful combination of tense yet uplifting – it’s an early 90’s film, based on the autobiography of the hero so obviously he overcame his difficulties, it really did set me thinking. I am a great fan of watching films or reading books like this. It is always educational to see the lives of those who have had it tougher than you and put your life into perspective. Even if you are of the mentality that says “oh that will never happen to me” (and believe me I AM one of those people), it does help to know that it occasionally happens to somebody. I don’t really agree with people who are too against “rosy endings” and “false hope” even though I have ranted about unrealistic solutions to onscreen problems more than once. I think, so long as it is realistic or, as in this case, an actual real story, hope is vital. It is, literally, what keeps us alive. It isn’t really something you can have “too much” of. That’s why it’s good to hear the stories of people who “made it” despite the odds. People like Tobias Wolff.

Tobias (Leonardo Di Caprio) and his mother Caroline (Ellen Barkin) live a rather erratic life. Caroline is vivacious and full of life. True, their finances never quite stack up and they do have the unsettling habit of upping sticks at a moment’s notice and embarking on Caroline’s madcap ideas to get rich, but Tobias enjoys it. It’s sad that his father who has divorced his mother and moved to the East Coast with his older brother never calls but hey. They have their own fun too. What Tobey doesn’t quite realise of course is that deep down, despite her lack of organisation, his mother is worried, worried about his future, about her future and about how much longer this lifestyle can continue. That is why, when a particularly eligible looking beau, Dwight (Robert DeNiro) comes along, Caroline seizes the chance. Seemingly it’s all perfect, Dwight is also divorced, has children of his own of a close age to Tobey and a steady job. Caroline takes the plunge and accepts his proposal so the couple is married. This, it turns out very quickly, is a mistake. With the two families merged, Dwight’s true nature comes to light, however this is the 50’s so divorce is not the easy option it is today. Tobey who has a tendency to get bad grades and make unsuitable friends must use all his wits and courage to stay sane and make it out of that house. ..

Now it was strange watching this one. And I am not usually so unspecific with my commentary but the first half has something wrong with it. I’m not entirely sure what. It improves drastically with Robert DeNiro entering the story. I don’t know what it is about the character of Caroline but something about her doesn’t scan for me. It’s not Ellen Barkin – she is a fantastic, talented actress who I have admired in many other films. I thought for a while it was the dialogue – but then again… I don’t have a problem to that degree (I mean OK, I have seen dialogue that is better written than this but still ) with the other characters in the film. I don’t know, she’s a wonderful character, but she was a little too… Generic? She is not, as you may have noticed, a typical mother figure. But then again characters like Caroline are two-a-penny out there. The dreamers, the ones who refuse to settle into being sensible. I think it’s a tad odd to make a character like that generic, as one of these people, I can vouch for the fact that we tend to be a rather eclectic bunch. I don’t know if it was the way she was written (and I suspect this was a large factor) or Ellen Barkin having an off-day (week/month) but… I don’t know I watched her with a constant sense of deja-vu… Robert DeNiro is brilliant, as he always is as Dwight, and by that I mean down-right scary and unpleasant. As for Leonardo DiCaprio, I did a double take when I saw his age in the film and unless I have got my maths incredibly wrong he is 19. He looks A LOT younger, I really need to look into this. I mean he is brilliant but he looks 13 -14 to me… I have always been terrible at guessing ages, but still…

For all the faults I find in it, this is a great little number, and above and beyond anything an incredible story. I found the film to drag a little in places which makes me think the dialogue could have been better written but hey. I’m not saying it’s going to change your world – and this film is not trying to do that. It is just trying to tell its story in its own voice – and it’s being spectacularly good at it.

Oh and watch out for an equally young looking Tobey Maguire in a teeny-tiny part in the second half! 

MEANWHILE, ACROSS THE POND... : "MEAN STREETS"

Now we skip a few years. And an ocean – but I digress. What I like about Mean Steets – in conjunction to this weeks’ entries that is, I like a lot of things about the film but more of that in a sec – is that it is actually almost contemporary with Call the Midwife. At a push they are just about 10 years apart. But they both are, basically, a slice of life from impoverished, dangerous areas in two countries literally across the pond from each other. If you think about it, Johnny Boy or Charlie (ok, perhaps not Johnny Boy, but definitely Charlie) could well be one of the husbands of Jenny Lee’s patients. What we have here, you might say, is a simple reversal of perspective. Here however, there is no benign convent and nuns watching over people. Here, it’s a dog eat dog world and it’s really and truly every man for himself…

Charlie (Harvey Keitel) only knows this too well. Of course this is America, you can always build and live your dream, but in Little Italy, it can be a bit harder to do that than your average neighbourhood. Luckily Charlie knows how to use his head. And he has the right connections in the shape of his uncle Giovanni, an influential man in the neighbourhood, a businessman and unofficial moneylender. Giovanni likes Charlie a lot and is even considering making him manager of one of his restaurants, a job that Charlie dreams of and that would secure him for life. However, Charlie is a man torn between his head and his heart. Although his head shows him clearly what path to follow to become a “big man” of the neighbourhood like Giovanni, Charlie’s heart leads him directly to his distant cousin Teresa of whom Giovanni does not approve (on the grounds that she is “sick in the head” i.e. has epilepsy). That could be sidestepped, albeit with difficulty, if they manage to keep the relationship under the radar, which Charlie is doing despite loud protests from Teresa. But then there’s Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro). Charlie’s young, irresponsible and slightly mad cousin is nothing but trouble. Johnny Boy owes money to the entire neighbourhood and has neither a glimmer of hope of paying it back nor an ounce of respect for anyone. He is, as you can imagine, constantly in and out of trouble and heading straight for a very sticky end.  If he wants to achieve his own dreams Charlie may well have to stop bailing him out and concentrate on his own life. But that’s the problem with these head – heart conflicts you see…

This film is, of course, one of Martin Scorsese’s first films. But even so early on we can see the themes the cast and the style that will preoccupy Martin Scorsese for most of his career. This particular film is not for the most part quite as “hard hitting” as his later films. But in a funny kind of way, I like that. Yes, there is a very clear storyline, but the style of the film is a clever mix; that of a fly on the wall documentary mixed with a commercial film. So events unfurl a lot more slowly and less predictably then they would in your “average” Hollywood flic. This also matches Johnny Boy’s character very well, I guess the character in his early twenties (De Niro is 30 at the time but as you know that means very little in the world of film) and in any case Johnny Boy has the level of responsibility of a particularly air-headed 12 year old. He lives with utter disregard for the consequences of his actions and that means things can “erupt” at pretty much any moment. In short, be prepared for surprises.

This is, in fact, the classic story of a main character caught between his heart and his logic. Here the pull of the heart is twofold, because not only does Charlie desperately want to help Johnny Boy out, there is the matter of the woman he loves, Teresa. The dynamic there is also interesting because all Teresa wants is to get out of Little Italy, get a nice little flat and have a quiet life. Charlie however, is determined he will become a man of the neighbourhood. And leaving Little Italy is categorically out of the question. So already we see the strong feel of “neighbourhood” present in a lot of Scorsese films. Here, perversely it almost acts as the ultimate curse that brings Charlie down. To be fair, he would have had a calmer life if he had gone along with Teresa’s plan. Ah, but would their story then be worth making a film about? That, my dears, is a totally different story all together…

PRESENTING AN OSCAR SWEETHEART: "SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK"

You may look at the name of this film and the subject matter and you may well decide to steer clear of it. It’s understandable. Especially if you haven’t read the book. Mental illness and family difficulties may sound a tad bit too serious for an evening out. Luckily this particular baby has 8 Oscar® nominations and a big name like Robert De Niro for extra pull. A good thing too, otherwise audiences would miss out on one of the sweetest films made in recent history.

Pat (Bradley Cooper) is just out of hospital.  This would be a sensitive time for anyone, but especially for Pat and his family, because Pat is just out of a mental institution.  Having just discovered he had undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder (after what we shall call for now a rather unfortunate incident involving his ex-wife and her lover) he has undergone the necessary treatment and is now ready to face society once again – or is he? Yes, Pat seems to be doing everything he possibly can to get his life back on track but with one caveat. He wants his life back on track so he can get back together with his ex-wife. His ex-wife has a restraining order on him, so, as you can imagine, this is not an entirely straightforward process. In the midst of all this, however, his friends and relatives are doing the best they can to support him. His father’s (Robert De Niro) OCD is as bad as ever and it’s all his mother (Jacqui Weaver) can do to keep them both in line. Besides, on good days Pat is buoyant, full of energy and optimism… But then there are the bad days… The bad days are really bad… Especially considering Pat is not too hot on the idea of taking his meds. But then, then Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence of The Hunger Games fame) comes into his life. Tiffany has her own demons to contend with, this much is obvious. She is intelligent, sassy, talented, ok she’s more than a little crazy, but she may well be just what Pat needs… If he can get his mind off his ex-wife for two seconds that is…

Now, on the one hand there are things I don’t like that much about this film. Mainly the fact that, when you scratch the bottom of it, it is blindingly obvious who’s going to get together with who, etc, etc. Ok it’s technically a spoiler so I won’t tell you the end, but yeah. It’s basically the first scenario you thought of. You might say, why get upset with that? Films like that are two a penny, why let this specific one get to you? Well my dears, simply because, the film has SO much promise in other areas I would have honestly expected a lot better from it. A lot better.

Having had personal experience of people with Bipolar disorder, I can safely say that both the character of Pat and his relationship with his family are accurate to the bone. I have read reviews from viewers with the same disorder, all highly recommending anyone who has the disorder – and now has it under control – and the families and loved ones of anyone with this disorder to see the film. I second that. You will see SO MUCH that is so familiar. Pat is infuriating. His behaviour is erratic to say the least and sometimes downright dangerous, both to himself and to those around him. But with his endless optimism, his seemingly inexhaustible ability to bounce back, you can’t help but love him as well. Then there is the relationship with his father. Again, this is not a particularly original theme, but, maybe due to Robert De Niro’s great talent, there were bits that brought tears to my eyes. Not only are they a typical father – son in that everyone is very “manly” and problems and feelings are not discussed, the father also suffers from what is obviously quite serious OCD.

I guess the point is we’re all a little mad when you think about it but we’re all trying to battle our personal demons, be they big or small, towards the same goals in life. Love, happiness, success…  Ok, yes, I do think bits of it could be worked out a lot better. But the bits that work, work SO damn well… I don’t know man, you just HAVE to see it. 

THOUGHTS ON ONE OF THE EPICS: "THE DEER HUNTER"

Oh, I’m pretty sure that those of you who know of this film sort of sat up in your chairs and took notice when you saw the name. I know. There is a lot to say about this film. Which is precisely why I reckon we should say it. As you guys know by now,  I usually only go for films that I like, unequivocally. But with a film like the Deer Hunter, the thing is you can’t help being emotionally involved in it at some level, but then again you may not necessarily love / like it. Well, I was affected by it. And there is a ton of stuff to say about this film. So maybe we should leave the “like” pre-requisite to one side? Hm, hang on. I see a theme emerging. But first, The Deer Hunter.

The Deer Hunter is a Vietnam story. It is the story of war and how it affects the inhabitants of a small industrial town. Nick (Christopher Walken) and Michael (Robert De Niro) are best friends. They and their gaggle of friends in this small close-knit town have pretty average lives, going hunting and boozing together – not to mention working together, day in, day out. Then, however, war erupts. And the two boys, along with their friend Steve, go to Vietnam to serve their country.  The horrors of war are absolutely unspeakable and when Michael, our hero, returns he is not the same person. However, a promise means he has to return to Vietnam and come face to face with his demons. And the demons that haunt his friends…

Now, I have gone down the more lyric route and done my best not to give away spoilers but it is such a famous film a lot of you know the score, I am pretty sure of that. In fact, this was talked about, in fact became quite a controversy back in the day. I am of course, talking about the infamous Russian roulette scenes, where our three heroes are forced to play Russian roulette with each other by their captors. In the first place, let’s jump right in and point out that not only has it been argued (quite eloquently) that this is completely inaccurate, the portrayal of the Vietnamese borders quite heavily on racism. They are all despicable psychopaths with no morals, who often take great pleasure in torturing others and they almost all harbour this bizarre addiction to Russian roulette – or watching it. Granted, it makes for a very emotional build-up and the climatic end (that naturally involves Russian roulette) made me jump even if I could see it a mile away.

This one is funny. I mean, it almost really touched me. But something was missing. I am unsure what. The fact that I watched it in several chunks – as opposed to in one sitting – no doubt has something to do with it. Then again, the film is a proper old fashioned epic; it’s almost 3 hours long. Cimino’s aim was, no doubt, to have a Godfather-like effect. The dates fit, it has to be said. The film even starts with a wedding. We have the main guys, but the thing is we follow them around. For far too long. The aim is, no doubt, to establish emotional connection and this does happen on a level. I really felt Christopher Walken was, for example, great for this part; especially with his looks as a young man, he is the perfect, tragic poetic hero. And Robert De Niro is… Well, he’s Robert De Niro. So duh, of course they’re both brilliant. But I don’t know. The film is, I think, trying far too hard to be epic. And it’s doing this for three hours flat. At some point, you start to seriously glaze over.

And there is the whole matter of the afore-mentioned racism against the Vietnamese and the seriously nationalistic – American – overtones. But I don’t know, the thing is, it’s an important film. It does some good stuff. I mean, there are a lot of poetic things in there, far too many for my liking but you may spot something you like. I am pretty sure you won’t like it all. But at the very least, this is an important film of cinematic history. You kinda need to see it, if only to know why you don’t like it. That’s my opinion on the matter anyway. 

THE TRUE STORY OF LEONARD LOWE AND DR. MALCOM SAYERS : "AWAKENINGS"

I know you must be slightly sick of me telling you how I coincidentally picked something up and it turned out bowling me away. You must think I am incredibly scatty and/or rather easily impressed (the former is absolutely true, the latter is not incidentally). I came across this film in the bargain basket of a big chain store. I always haunt bargain baskets, you have no idea what you might find there, I probably told you this but I once found the collective works of Jim Jarmush in a bargain basket. This may be the thing that prompted me to keep on looking in them… Anyway, I read the sleeve and decided to take it home purely because I thought it would make a good evening’s entertainment for me, my mother and my grandmother (yes, we’ve sort of become a family of movie-buffs over the years although I have to admit that I spearheaded the movement =) ) . I expected something rather sentimental and of good quality, but never, ever this. It just reinforces what I have always said, life itself, real life, is full of the most incredible stories and lessons. As one doctor’s battle with a mystery illness demonstrates.
Dr. Sayers (Robin Williams – I do so love it when he does serious parts, honestly I don’t think he’s a good comedian!) arrives at the chronic hospital in the Bronx in 1969 and almost completely by accident. He is a researcher more than anything else; he is shy, awkward and has almost no experience of actual patients and diagnosis. However, the hospital is understaffed and he needs the job, so there he is. As he tries to find his feet in the chaos of the neurology department he makes a rather surprising discovery. A group of patients, ranked as “living statues”, who have been living on the ward for almost 30 years in what appears to be a catatonic state. That is what everyone has been assuming about them anyway. But Dr. Sayers has the sneaking suspicion that they aren’t catatonic at all but in fact that they are conscious on some level, just incapable of relating to the outside world… His experiments and persistence leads to a trial with a new drug on one patient: Leonard Lowe (Robert de Niro), who has been “unconscious” since the early ‘20s. Excitement in the ward quintuples when the drug actually works and Leonard “wakes up”. He is slightly dazed and cannot quite fathom that he just “went to sleep and woke up 40 odd years later”, but he is back. Dr. Sayers sets to work waking up the other families and finding long-lost relatives who have given up on them years ago. The patients have to adapt to this new life and the fact that they have missed decades of their lives, none of them easy feats. Will they be able to adapt? Is their ordeal finally over? Dr. Sayers, Leonard and the others are about to learn that there is no such thing as a simple miracle…
I cannot quite describe how this film made me feel. I can tell you one thing though, although I don’t know from firsthand experience, I suspect that on an emotional level it’s similar to being hit by a truck. Just imagine it, you were living a normal life, young, happy, in your 20’s, maybe even younger with your whole life ahead of you… Then one day you get ill and get swept “out of the world” and you wake up 40 years later… Your parents and loved ones are dead and gone, the world has changed so much you can’t recognize a thing, heck; you look in the mirror and can’t recognize yourself you’re middle aged… Of course things like that happen all the time in sci-fi, we tend to laugh at it; there are two problems here though, first of all, the people in this case are actual people. As opposed to, oh I don’t know, Marty McFly. So they have actually aged. And that means they have actually “missed” an entire chunk out of their lives. They are aging, and dying.
I will not give details about the second half of the film, apart from the fact that it is truly heart-rending. One word of warning though, this is a real real story. That means, unlike Hollywood films with nice and tidy ends where all the goodies get what they deserve, in this end, some good and deserving people get bad stuff they do not deserve. The story is definitely bitter-sweet. But it is a testament to the strength of the human soul. And, as Leonard would like us to remember (this will make more sense once you’ve watched the film) how important the simple things in life are. Family, work, play. Going for a walk on your own. Having an ice cream. Going to sleep at night and knowing it’s going to be tomorrow when you wake up, not God knows how many years later. All those things you tend to take for granted in life. Things you never even thought you could lose… Definitely makes you stop and think. And be grateful.

TAKE ON THE WORLD WITH THE "RAGING BULL"

Ok, let’s go on star-gazing, and why not… Next in line, another classic. Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro with an Oscar ® winning performance and a heart-hitting true story in more senses than one. This is the true story of one-time middleweight champion of the world and controversial character Jake La Motta.
Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro) knows and cares for one thing in life. Boxing. Luckily he’s good at it too. Along with his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) who is his manager they have just embarked on a boxing career. Jake rises meteorically in his chosen field, there is nothing wrong with his boxing but his character… That’s a different matter. Stubborn and determined to do things (everything) his way and his way alone, La Motta is no good at politics of any kind and it is all Joey can do to keep his unruly older brother on the good side of the various “powers that be” that are interested in his career. But Jake will not be content with just being “a bit difficult”. Especially after divorcing his wife and marrying Vickie who is about 5 years his junior and very beautiful, what starts with slight insecurity about his young and beautiful wife will turn to obsession and violence. Despite the tumult going on around him, he gets his “title shot” and wins it too, becoming middleweight champion of the world. But with Jake’s already crumbling self-confidence fading fast and with Jake alienating contacts around him on a seemingly daily basis how long can he defend the title? In fact, how long can he survive at all?
I do realize that’s kind of a rhetorical question for anyone who knows the man’s actual life story but if you don’t (I didn’t) it is a question that springs to mind as you watch the film. Boxing is, of course, a destructive sport but La Motta carries the trend right through into his own life. And this makes the film – that is brilliantly made in all aspects – very, VERY difficult to watch… The actual boxing scenes may well send those faint of heart running from the room and as to the “Raging Bull” s antics outside of the ring, well, some of them may send you running too. Now, a note on the actual boxing is that Robert De Niro actually trained with Jake La Motta until La Motta deemed him fit to fight professionally. The fact that he has been able to observe La Motta for such a time and doing what he is best shows clearly in his performance – no wonder the guy won an Oscar®…
And as you can tell from the paragraph above – yes, La Motta does survive, if by the skin of his teeth. He quits professional boxing (I’ll let what he does take up remain a surprise) and gets over quite a few of his more “anti social” thought patterns. Though the film makes absolutely no bones about this being touch. There is an especially touching scene towards the end of the film (you can’t miss it) where Jake is questioning why things always seem to end up the way they do; for all his faults you can’t help feeling sorry for him as you watch… Reading up on his life I see that as of 2007 he has been married quite a few times ( I believe it was four in total) and seems to be living in New York to this day, aged 80 years of age.
Well, the film is a tough film about a very tough guy. And it’s quite possible that you will not find this film easy to watch. But I reckon it’s worth a spin, if not for De Niro’s stunning performance, because it’s the true story of one of the most intriguing “tough guys” in boxing…

ANOTHER MIXED BAG: TAXI DRIVER

This was a funny film to watch… Almost unrecognizably young Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster on the verge of “being discovered” and Martin Scorsese doing his thing”. Though, as I write this another thing struck me, this was all thirty years ago of course, Martin Scorsese was pretty young too… I’m sure he hoped this film would become legendary but I wonder if he had any concept as to the legend it would become… Hmm, I’m sure there’s a quote on that somewhere… ; ) This was another film I kept meaning to watch but like so many of the great classics fell through black holes… I sincerely hope you haven’t taken as long as I have to get round to this one, and if you have, now is a good time to make a detour…
Travis Brigs (Robert De Niro) is (as the name of the film suggests) a Taxi driver. He is a taxi driver from choice, not necessity. He can’t sleep at night and therefore he works the night shift. He keeps to himself but he has strong ideas, like most people who are 26. He doesn’t really care who stops him but he hates the “scum” that dirty the city and hopes a rain will come to “wash it all away”. He’s slightly obsessive about things (like a girl who works at a party campaign headquarters he falls in love with) and slightly restless (he wants to “really do something” but is not sure what) but he’s basically a normal guy doing a dead end job. But time goes by, his ideas start getting bigger and bigger and when on top of all that eccentric patrons start giving him strange ideas as well, Travis is pushed well and truly to the edge. And if his basic good nature (buried deep beneath various obsessions and strange thoughts) keeps him from falling over entirely, it isn’t going to take much to push him over either…
“Are you talking to me? I don’t see anyone else in the room, are you talking to me?” we’ve all heard this one somewhere, right? I mean, you might not even know which film it’s from but you’ll know the line and you’ll know it was Robert De Niro. Funnily enough, that wasn’t my favorite moment of the film… No, I like the bit right at the end, when he pretends to shoot himself in the head three times. A wonderful touch, seeing as you physically CANNOT shoot yourself in the head three times. I can’t quite describe how it made me feel but it was cross between admiration and being spooked out… And then of course there’s Robert De Niro. We see a lot of him in Hollywood blockbuster romantic-comedies these days (no offence but I’m guessing the only purpose they actually serve in his career is paying the bills) but it’s great to see the master at work. And of course to see true talent in action… Travis’s part contains a delicate balance of psychology and action and De Niro pulls both of brilliantly… Jodie Foster (who appears later on in the plot) is also good and I am always slightly “creeped out” to see actors and actresses we know today when they were so young… Taxi driver, a stab at society and a cry from a generation who was looking for its place in the world… Worth watching more than once, this one…

A CLASSIC YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO WATCH... "SLEEPERS"

I was in two minds about sharing this film on my blog. Not because I had any doubts of its quality – quite on the contrary, it’s a classic. The director Barry Levinson won an Oscar® for his other great classic “Rain Man” – that alone speaks for itself. Then there is the cast: Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffmann, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver and Justin Patrick. But the subject matter is slightly tough (to put it mildly) and then there is the small problem that anyone who is ANYONE has watched this… But then again I myself only got round to it later on in life and my mother got round to it later still so, well, maybe you haven’t seen it yet either. If you haven’t you most definitely should…
Ok, this is by all accounts a true story. It’s a story that starts in the 60’s in Hell’s Kitchen, New York. Lorenzo, Michael, John and Tommy are four friends who live in the area. While priests and gangsters duel it out to draw the inhabitants to their side, the boys have a happy, normal childhood, doing what boys to best – getting up to mischief. One fateful summer’s day, however, their prank goes a step too far, landing them in juvenile detention – Wilkenson Center for a year. It is an experience that will change their lives forever, for inside head guard Sean Nokes lies in wait, waiting to give them… Let’s just say a lot more punishment then anything anyone could deserve… The boys eventually get out of detention and swear never to talk about this again but then Mr Nokes crosses their paths again, this time quite by accident. Naturally, there is no way the boys can let him just “walk on by”…
Now, this film is undoubtedly very VERY tough viewing. My mother for instance, is particularly sensitive about violence towards children – she just can’t stand to watch that kind of thing… I was cautious as I told her she should watch it and she was duly shaken but didn’t regret it… But I mean, with some of the best acting talent of our time crammed into one film, how can you possibly regret it? The story, as I said, is claimed to be true. It is based on the memoirs of Lorenzo Caracatera – memoirs that have been strongly disputed by all the institutions cited in it who swear blind that the events are fictitious. I will not comment on this because I believe it has been the subject of lawsuits so I will leave “that jazz” to the courts.
However, I will say that it is a story that will shake you, disturb you but at the same time keep you glued to your seat. I will also say that cinematically, it is by far one of the greatest films of our generation. Levinson’s directing, Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro the two masters, a young Brad Pitt at the height of his talents, Kevin Bacon – who makes a SUPERB bad guy as Sean Nokes. Even Jason Patrick who seems to have faded off our radars these days. Just steel your stomach and watch the film - it will change you too…

A WOMAN WHO CALLS THE SHOTS - JACKIE BROWN

As I start my review, I just want to share a weird fact with you guys. Whenever I think about this film the song “Ma Baker” starts going around in my head. No idea why – no connection to the movie. The human brain is weird… Anyway, this, my dearest readers, is another Tarantino movie. One I hadn’t watched until recently. Now, I love Tarantino but this movie isn’t my favorite. It proves one point though: Even the worst Tarantino movie (I’m not saying it is the worst; it’s just that it’s the one I liked the least) is better than a lot of people’s best movies out there… Sorry guys but that’s a FACT…

OK, so who is Jackie Brown? She (Pam Grier) is a flight attendant for a tiny airlines flying between L.A. and Cabo – Mexico. She doesn’t make much money; therefore, she needs to take on a couple of extra jobs. Like acting as mule for arms dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson * swoooon * ). This is all working just fine until the cops bust her. They are not after her, however – but Ordell. The problem is that Ordell has been so successful in evading them and covering his tracks (you’re dead if he so much as suspects you MIGHT talk to the cops) the police (Michael Bowen and Michael Keaton) don’t even know his name. Hence Jackie finds herself in a VERY tight spot. She must either go to jail and risk losing her already modest job for good or collaborate with the police and risk losing her life. But then Max Cherry the bail bondsman enters the picture. He is a sweet guy who falls madly in love with Jackie and with him she hatches a plan to play the police and the gangsters off against each other and walk off with A LOT of money. It’s risky. She will have to get passed Ordell’s henchman Louis (Robert De Niro) and girlfriend (well sort of) Melanie (Bridget Fonda) and of course thwart Ordell himself…

So it’s basically a heist movie. But WHAT a blast from the past. First up it’s the 90’s. People buy cassettes (are you old enough to remember cassettes? I am and realized how long it had been since I had seen one as I watched this). Then of course, no cell phones. The hair and clothes. Then, the actors. I mean, naturally, barr Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro but ask yourself WHEN did you last see Pam Grier? Michael Keaton – I mean he was BEETLEJUICE for Heaven’s sake!! He appears to have tried his hand at directing and voiced over in Toy Story but when did you actually see him in something? In my case, I’m thinking years… Robert Forster was nominated for an Oscar® for this performance – but I honestly don’t remember seeing him in anything else… The film isn’t just a “brainless American flic” either – even the Berlin Film Festival nominated Mr. Tarantino for a Golden Bear. Samuel L. Jackson actually made off with a Silver Bear. And that’s only a tiny snippet of awards and nominations it received…

If you find Tarantino movies overly violent this one is good news. It isn’t as violent as his other stuff – not by a long shot. I mean sure there is violence (this IS a gangster movie you guys beef up a bit!) and sudden deaths but not in anyway that would upset… Let’s say your average cop drama viewer. And it contains all those other things that make me swoon over Mr. Tarantino’s work – a smart plotline, A LOT of excitement and witty repartee (and that last one you HAVE to admit is a rare gem in films today!)