Gummo (DVD)
More a poetic collage than a narrative story, GUMMO presents the viewer with a lavish feast of images--some disturbing, some gorgeous, all memorable. In the small impoverished town of Xenia, Ohio, Solomon (Jacob Reynolds) and Tummler (Nick Sutton) spend their teenage boyhood killing cats, sniffing glue, and generally trying to alleviate their boredom. The towns other residents find their own amusements. Solomons mother (Linda Manz, of DAYS OF HEAVEN, a film that GUMMOs dreamlike imagery evokes) tap-dances, local teen siren Dot (Chlok Sevigny) puts tape on her nipples, and Bunny Boy (Jacob Sewell) explores the desolate suburban landscape on his skateboard, wearing pink rabbit ears. Xenia and its inhabitants have never quite recovered from the tornado that ripped the town apart 20 years ago; the place remains inside out, raw, and shattered.
GUMMOs gritty realism is enhanced by director Harmony Korines use of real locations in and around Nashville, Tennessee, and his use of nonprofessional local actors in many of the films roles. These techniques harken back to filmmakers such as Werner Herzog and John Cassavetes, both of whom Korine cites as influences. Korines willingness to explore the borderlands of feature filmmaking has resulted in a beautiful and challenging film whose haunting images remain long after its over.R"
Director: Harmony Korine
ACTORS: Jacob Reynolds, Chlok Sevigny, Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, Darby Dougherty
Seduced: Pretty When You Cry (DVD)
Sam Elliott stars in this erotic thriller as Detective Lukas Black, a grizzled cop called in to sort out the particulars of a bizarre murder case. His investigation unearths a shocking tale of sex and betrayal, which is related in flashback. It begins when the beautiful and mysterious Sara Carreni (Elizabeth) seduces a naive young man named Albert (Kennedy), eventually initiating him into the world of S&M and drugs. Entranced by his skilled new lover, Albert allows himself to get involved with a complex murder scheme in which he is only an unwitting pawn. A kinky thriller that owes its edge as much to neo-noirs like BASIC INSTINCT as it does to DOUBLE INDEMNITY, SEDUCED: PRETTY WHEN YOU CRY is a sexy, violent thriller whose surprising plot twists will surely leave the viewer guessing until the end.R"
Director: Jack N. Green
ACTORS: Sam Elliott, Jamie Kennedy, Carlton Elizabeth, Michael Cavalieri, Lori Heuring
The Middle Passage (DVD)
Thousands of Africans were captured and brought to America as slaves as the new country was gaining its independence. These ships of human cargo traveled across the Atlantic with enslaved people who would be traded for sugar, tobacco, or other products. This program depicts one of these voyages using brutal imagery and voice over narration to powerfully capture this disturbing historical period.NR"
Director: Guy Deslauriers
ACTORS: Djimon Hounsou
Jagged Edge (DVD) Anamorphic Widescreen; Closed Caption; Multiple Languages After a wealthy socialite is found brutally murdered, her manipulative husband becomes the prime suspect. An attractive attorney takes his case, and their relationship quickly e...
After a wealthy socialite is found brutally murdered, her manipulative husband becomes the prime suspect. An attractive attorney takes his case, and their relationship quickly evolves into what on the surface appears to be mutual love. Academy Award Nominations: Best Supporting Actor--Robert Loggia.
R"
Director: Richard Marquand
ACTORS: Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Robert Loggia, Peter Coyote
The Good Fairy (DVD)
Margaret Sullavan stars in this William Wyler comedy as Luisa Ginglebusher, a young woman who has spent most of her life in a Budapest orphanage. When a movie theatre owner comes to the orphanage looking for potential usherettes, Luisa`s guardian pushes her toward the opportunity to leave the orphanage and tells her to be a good fairy . She takes the advice literally when she decides to play the good fairy for Dr. Max Sporum, a poor but honest Budapest lawyer, by pretending to be his husband. Regardless, it isn`t long before the beautiful Luisa has attracted the attention of a number of other Budapest bachelors, among them a rich meatpacking mogul whom Luisa uses to send some lucrative business to Dr. Sporum. As Luisa`s ruse causes endless complications and confusion, she only becomes more determined to see that Dr. Sporum enjoys the wealth he deserves and to evade the clutches of her more demonstrative suitors.
Displaying the trademark wit of screenwriter Preston Sturges (including an unforgettable exchange about usherette uniforms) as well as the effortless elegance of director Wyler, THE GOOD FAIRY is a hilarious and involving romantic comedy and one of its director`s forgotten gems.NR"
Director: William Wyler
ACTORS: Margaret Sullavan, Herbert Marshall, Frank Morgan, Reginald Owen, Eric Blore
