Landscape with Invisable Hand (2023)

 'Landscape with Invisable Hand', odd name, based on the 2017 novel by M. T. Anderson. This is a young adult dystopian story that got its self an R rating, lots of F-bombs, no real sex and violence. Also it's directed by Cory Finely, known for black comedy, ' Throughbreads', 'Bad Education'. I don't expect this will make much money.

It's hook is as an off beat send up of social media culture, but it's about a lot more. Set in 2036, 5 years after mankind's first contact with aliens. The Vuvv are tiny brown creatures, they look (to borrow and expand from one characters observation) like fleshy, moist, coffee tables. The Vuvv are capitalists, they are here to conquer, but finically. Their superior technology allows them to speedily corner our markets, and while nation states continue to exist, the new commers are effectively calling  the shots on Earth in short order.

It reminded me of the British Raj in India, and as an examination/parable of colonial occupation I thought it really succeeds. Some collaborators do well for themselves, but most suffer under the new regime, poverty is rampant. Set in Rhode Island, Adam Campell (Asante Black) invites the homeless family of Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers), a girl he likes from school, to stay in his family's basement. While her father is an accountant and his mother a lawyer, neither can find work, they are just getting by, but for how much longer?

Being asexual reproducers the Vavv are fascinated by human concepts of romance, they enjoy watching people date on their own versions of Tiktok or YouTube. Adam and Chloe decide to monetize their feelings for each other, at first to great success, but the awkward home situation cools the romance, they try to fake it,   but the Vavv viewers catch on, landing them in legal trouble for false advertising. With the prospect of landing their family's in generations of, let's call it indentured servitude, the need for some kind of way out becomes paramount.

This is a pretty bleak film. It's clever and has a bunch to say. The characters mostly work (Tiffany Haddish has become someone I'm always happy to see turn up in a film) as does the sense of world building, there are both amusing and chiling moments throughout. The Vavv see themselves as benign, they don't really understand the humans, though they think they do. It's a case study in how different cultures, different peoples, perceive the same events, and the difficulties in seeing the others point of view. Yes, some have critized the movie for trying to cram too many ideas into it's 105 minute run time, but I didn't have trouble kèeping up with the narrative and suspect this movie will reward repeat viewing. Also it's the kind of thing Ron DeSantis would try and ban from Florida schools. So thumbs up. ***

Spinning Gold (2023)

 Neil Bogart (Broadway's Jeremy Jordan) was a hustler from an early age. Jewish kid from the Brooklyn projects, he changed his name and reinvented himself multiple times, from childhood schemes, to a stint as a C level teen idol, even a brief appearance in soft core porn. He found himself in the world of record producing, a hit in of all things Gospel music, then helped discover Bill Withers, hits with The Isley Brothers and collaboration with Gladys Knight. 

These early successes were with Cameo-Parkway and Buddah Record's, but he longed for success under his own label, by then going as Bogart he chose the name Casablanca Records, and brought along with him a team he'd put together over years. They had an eye for talent, but it took awhile to figure out how to market it. KISS, Donna Summer, The Villiage People, Parliament, a steller roster for the 1970's. Then at the top of his game, recently signing Joan Jett, dead from cancer at 39.

Directed by Neil's son Timothy Scott Bogart, the film is its own kind of hustle, a bluff. Cheaply made, cliché ridden, serviceably directed and adequately acted, its soundtrack and sense of hutzpa are its strong suites. It's just not that good, there is affableity mixed with corneyness, head shaking decisions like bringing in Michelle Monaghan and Jason Issac's and giving them nothing to do. Being directed by the man's son I'm shocked how little the kids are in this. His adultery is treated as though it was a charming quark, he just had so much love to give. An overlong self parody, I did kind of like it in an ironic TV movie way, could make some pretty good wallpaper viewing, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend it as a movie. *1/2

Golda (2023)

 Story of Isreali Prime Minister Golda Meir's successful handling of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, against great odds and while fighting cancer. An interesting story, sometimes a little blah in the telling, but held together by Helen Mirran giving the quality performance you'd expect from her. Liev Schriber does good work as Henry Kissinger, underplayed. ***

Before Midnight (2013)

In 'Before Midnight' there is a scene in which a famous writer, commenting on the novels of author character Ethan Hawke, declairs his 3rd one to be his best. Hence Richard Linkletter makes a commtary in his Before Trilogy on his Before Trilogy, and I think he's right, the 3rd ones the best. 

Where 'Sunrise' and 'Sunset' are highly idealized romances, and wonderfully so, 'Midnight' picks up another 9 years later to comment on the trials and triumphs of a lived relationship, nearly a decade in. Hawke is divorced from his first wife, and seeing the son he had with her between movies one and two off at the airport. They are in Greece on a working vacation at a writers retreat, Julie Deply is there, along with their twin, roughly seven year old daughters. The film has the requisite walking through an ancient European city and some great conversations, including a long one at a dinner table siting eight, so it's not just the one on one conversations of the earlier films, here we have a plethora of perspectives.

What sets this film most apart from its predecessors, and elevates it (though the rest of the film is also great) is the argument scene. A long masterpiece that winds through various stages, ebbs and flows from reasoned discourse to rage, fascinating, uncomfortable, distressing and reassuring. It had been building, you see the rumblings earlier in the film. The thing is both are right, it involves a big decision and both have perfectly valid points. It seems unreconcilable, and while we never get a straight answer on which way they are going to go, it brings home that the key to making a relationship work, is reconciling even the seemingly unreconcilabe, and remembering the love that undergirds everything. It feels true. ***1/2

Before Sunset (2004)

Sequel to 'Before Sunrise', 'Before Sunset' picks up 9 years after the events of the first film. Ethan Hawke has used that memorable night as the basis for a best selling novel. In Paris on book tour Julie Deply shows up at one of his readings (Paris's famous English language bookstore 'Shakespeare and Company'). It's the first time the two have seen each other in nearly a decade, they walk around another great European city, talk, get reacquainted, and the implication at the end is that this time the two will stay together. These are proving a real treat, unlike a conventional movie its just pleasant time spent with an endearing couple. ***

Before Sunrise (1995)

 'Before Sunrise' is the first film in what would become a trilogy. American Ethan Hawke and French woman Julie Delpy meet on a train, feel a connection, and decide to spend late afternoon to the next morning together in Vienna, before Hawke must catch a plane back to the States. The couple go to an amusement park, restaurant, a couple of bars, watch street performers and otherwise kill time, but mostly they talk. It's charming, low key, a magical night.

Richard Linkletter is a director particularly interested in capturing a sense of the moment. When he can help it he's not concerned with a rigid plot, he favors a lose, naturalistic feeling. Our leads only meet because the German couple seated near Julie get into an awkward fight, so she moves seats and ends up sitting near Ethan, there is mutual attraction, they strike up a conversation, serendipity. There is a very young energy here, yet also a timelessness. I like Ethan and Julie, I like them as people and as a couple, and am curious to see what comes next. ***

Apostasy (2017)

 This post will contain heavy spoilers, because those are the things I'm most interested in writing about on this movie. Also, 'Apostasy' is a small, obscurish British film, your probably not going to see it.

Manchester, England. Jehovah's Witness family. Mother and two college age daughters. The father is not in the picture, we get no details on him other then that he is still alive. One reason he may not be in the picture is the mother's pretty intense. Ivana Whitling (Siobhan Finneran) loves her daughters, though she is not an emotive person, a bit of a fault finder. She works some kind of office job. There is seemingly not much to her personality beyond her devotion to her faith.

Oldest daughter Luisa (Sacha Parkinson) is going to college, this is atypical for JW's who tend to shun higher education. Luisa enjoys the break from her cloistered upbringing, mixing with those outside the faith she avoids mentioning her background.

Alex (Molly Wright) is the youngest. Sincerely devot. She has a heart condition. Is only alive because doctors forced a blood transfusion at a young age. She has guilt about having someone else's blood in her, as the Witnesses famously disapprove of blood transfusions. She is just out of high school, works as a gardner.

Luisa tells her family she is pregnant. Father is a guy from school, not a Witness and not interested in being one. Luisa is disfellowshiped. She can live at home, but family must minimize contact with her, not talk unless absolutely necessary. Luisa can't take this, she leaves. Stays with boyfriend for awhile, then she breaks it off, gets own apartment, possibly through some kind of Britiah welfare system.

An unusually young Elder named Steven (Robert Emms) moves into the Whitling's congregation. He is taken with Molly. They start a very chaste, chaperoned courtship per JW ways. Molly is worried that Steve will break things off with her when she confesses her childhood blood transfusion. Steve does not break things off, he loves her and is a good guy. 

One day Ivana, Alex and Steven attend a small JW party, lammer even then Mormon parties. Alex has some kind of attack... and she dies. This surprised me as the story had been told mostly through Alex's point of view. I thought things were building to Alex having a faith crises (there were a few signs), breaking from the Witnesses, Steven and her mother, reuniting with her sister, probably needing medical intervention at some point.

Funeral. Luisa is allowed to attend. She is devastated. Has a bit of a breakdown, she agrees to go through the process to be restored to full fellowship. Steven is on the committee overseeing this, nice guy he provides Ivana a link to what is going on and takes an active interest in checking in on his would be mother in law, making sure she is okay.

Luisa tries, but some on the committee do seem to have it out for her, very skeptical of her intentions. She also tends to speak her mind more then the male committee appreciates. Eventually she gives up, breaks off again with the faith. Her mother emplores her, but she just can't do it.

Though she is not supposed to Ivana keeps visiting Luisa to help as the pregnancy continues. Steven warns her she could get in trouble, so she reluctantly breaks contact with Luisa.

The baby comes, a girl, Luisa leaves her mom a message. Ivana comes to see her granddaughter, begs daughter to try again to regain her fellowship. She says she can't, but mom is welcome to come visit on the downlow. Ivana says she can't do that, but can she take granddaughter to services? Luisa says no. Then Ivana tries to kidnap her own granddaughter, she wants to "save her". Kidnapping does not succeed. Last scene is Ivana trying to distribute tracts to pedestrians in a square.

Sad. I thought that Ivana would find her way out, unwilling to cut off remaining family after lose of her youngest daughter. Ivana just wasn't strong enough, too conditioned. Though this is the way a situation like this would probably go, I'm sure stuff like this happens all the time.

This is a solid, understated little film. Quite affecting. The Witnesse life seems a desolate one, even by the standards of other high demand religions. I'm glad I wasn't born into it, and I'm glad I saw this movie. ***

The World's End (2013)

'The World's End' is the 3rd and final movie in director Edgar Wright's "Three Flavors Cornetto" Trilogy, a play on Krzysztof Kieslowski's 'Three Colors Trilogy'. A lose triad held together by leads Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, overlapping supporting cast, meta-genra send up, and references to or appearances by Cornetto brand ice-cream treats. Though this might as well be called the 'Fence Jump' Trilogy, as each film contains a scene of suburban fence jumping, to varying degrees of jumping success.

While I am rather fond of the earlier films in the trilogy, 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz', I can not say the same for 'The World's End'. I actively disliked large portions of this. A slog whose ideas never quite come together, this just didn't jell with me. Five old high-school friends get together 23 years later and attempt to finish an aborted pub crawl. We are first presented with a kind of dramadey about failure, but the film collides with another type of movie around 39 minutes in, when we learn townspeople have been replaced by... let's call them robots.

Hitchcock or Sturges could pull a major tonal/genera shift like this off, while Wright's just doesn't land. This is somewhat surprising because Edger was so skilled at genra melding in the previous two films in the trilogy. I found too much of the film to be, well, annoying. Long on promise, short on delivery. It also lacked a character I liked enough to really latch onto.

While the ending also didn't quite work for me, I admired its audacity, an interesting failure in a movie that is mostly just failure. *1/2

Red (1994)

 'Red' is the third and final film in Krzysztof Kieslowski's 'Three Colors Trilogy', it would also be the directors final film, he would announce his retirement around the time of its release and then pass away while in heart surgery in 1996, he was 54.

In 'Red', Geneva based student and model Irene Jacob (Americans of my generation might know her as Wesley Snipps girlfriend in 'U.S. Marshall's') accidently hits a dog with her car, the dog turns out to belong to a retired judge (Jean-Louise Trintignant), a tormented soul who is slipping into nihilism. The two form an unusual friendship, Irene lifting the old man's spirits and Jean-Louise helping the young woman determin what is really important to her. There is also a subplot concerning Irene's neighbor Jean-Pierre Lorit. 

Kieslowski's profound sense of empathy and deft hand with character is on full display. A moving film, sad, beautiful and cautiously hopeful. The tie-in between the stories of the three films is brought about in an unexpected way, turning what could have been a framing device into a coda. Exquisite. ****

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Porco Roso (1992)

 Marco Rossilini was one of the most skilled pilots in the Italin air force during World War I. Unlike most of his friends Marco managed to survive the war, but ended up cursed, transformed into an anthropromorphized pig. Going by the name Porco Rosso, Marco works aa a bounty hunter, going after sky pirates and rescuing loot and kidnapping victims in the 1920's Adriatic. Madame Gina, a restaurantur and widow of a friend from the airforce, hopes for the day when the curse is lifted, something Porco has largely given up on.

One of Hayao Miyazaki's lesser works, it's still a solid movie. Low key, likable, sometimes clever, lovingly animated; a simple story endearingly told. Supporting characters include a plethora of pirates, a cocky American pilot and a young female engineer. Set against the backdrop of the rise of Italin Fascism. ***

Inserts (1975)

 It's depression era Hollywood. Richard Dreyfuss had been a "boy wonder" director, but he couldn't make the transition to sound. Down on his luck he is now making pornographic films for producer Bob Hoskins. When leading lady Veronica Cartwright dies mid production from a drug overdose, Hoskins 'Girl Friday' Jessica Harper offers to body double for some "inserts", while her beau and male lead Stephen Davies are out disposing of the body.

The once great filmmaker reduced to shooting porn has story potential, there is ugly pathose there. The idea calls for a big screen treatment, and a budget. 'Inserts' is really more of a filmed play, one set and five characters. It has its moments, but mostly overplays them. The story is often off putting, though by its nature the story should be so. NC-17 with arty airs. The film Dreyfuss made immediately before becoming a star with Jaws.**

Halloween 5 (1989)

 The fifth 'Halloween' film is a direct sequel to the events of Halloween 4'. 'Halloween 4' was just awful, I hated it, but this I didn't hate. It's a little more inventive then it's immediate predisascor, it plays against expectations just enough to remain interesting, Danielle Harris sufficiently sympathetic as lead. It was kind of amiable and pleasant, which is an odd descriptor for a slasher movie. Not bad, but not really good either, a true ** film.

Barbie (2023)

 When I first heard that Greta Gerwig would be (co) writing and directing the Barbie movie, I was surprised and amussed, what would that even be like? I figured it would do okay and be smarter then it needed to be, I hadn't anticipated it would be the colossal hit that it is, a moment defining movie, or be as layered as it is.

The plot is there is a "Barbie World" parallel to "our world" and that the Mattel Corporation is well aware of this. Margot Robbie, in a case of fated casting, plays a Barbie whose natural rhythms are disrupted, manifesting in the form of burnt waffles and thoughts of death. She is being affected symbioticlly by the melancholy of the owner of her plastic "real world" counterpart. In order to get her perfect life back she must journey into the human world and cheer up her owner, Ryan Gossling's Ken stowes along, hijinks ensue. Boardly speaking that is the plot.

At a certain point in the movie I found myself thinking things had gotten surprisingly heavy. I later heard someone describe the film as a Gender Studies 101 course in movie form. There is truth to that, which is much of why the film has been somewhat polarizing on our nation's Right flank. 'Barbie' does  a better job, on seemingly every level, of doing what 'Don't Worry Darling' was trying to do last year, explore the internal and sociological conflicts regarding the roles of women in society.

While I think the film can be appreciated in the escapist sense, it is funny, there is alot of substance here as well, a density that I found a little disorienting. There are issues, particularly in the final act, thought for the most part the seemingly lose structure works to the movies benefit. While I'm clearly not the target audience I enjoyed it, though I do wonder what younger viewers would make of it, how much would the themes of adult angest register? There is pathos in the plastic. ***1/2

Air (2023)

 'Air' is a prime example of the strangly ascendant sub genre of 'The Business Film'. Specifically it is about how then upstart-ish company Nike signed Micheal Jordan and launched the tremendously successful Air Jordan line of basketball shoes. The film is well constructed, cast (even Chris Tucker) and acted, the direction by Ben Affleck (who also appears in the film) is restrained, it's about as good a movie as you could hope to see about a shoe. Yet it was still about a shoe, and for me, with little interest in sports, busines or shoes there was a disconnect between the quality of what I was seeing and the lack of any apparent hook. Still it oddly worked, a pleasantly mild picture whose existence is as unlikely as a bunch of guys in Oregon reinventing the basketball shoe. ***

Condemned! (1929)

 Early talkie. Ronald Coleman (Clark Gable before Clark Gable) is a suave thief sentenced to the South American French penal colony at Devils Island (in operation 1852 -1952). The stupid warden (Dudley Diggs) decides to make Coleman his house servant, which means he'll be spending alot of time around the wardens much younger wife Ann Harding. This doesn't end well for the stupid warden, and he has only himself to blame. Much as I have only myself to blame for watching 'Condemned', as I already knew that 1920's talkies are seldom good. **

White (1994)

 A Polish hairdresser (Zbigniew Zamachowski) is divorced by Julie Delpy in France, then is smuggled back home in a suitcase, gets involved in a real estate scheme, prevents a bridge players suicide, becomes a business mogul, and fakes his own death, all in an attempt to... The darkly melancholy Polish humor may not fully translate. Odd middle chapter in Krzysztof Kieślowski 'Three Colors Trilogy'. This thing threw me, I'll probably like it more on a rewatch. **1/2

Midnight Express (1978)

 This is the once famed "Turkish Prison" movie, bain of the Istanbul tourist board. I was aware of this from a pretty young age, it used to be referenced in pop culture a fair bit, today you never hear about it. Gen Z knows not 'Midnight Express'.

This is the true story of Bill Hayes, at 23 he was arrested for trying to smuggle 4 lbs of hashish out of Turky. This was in 1970. Originally sentenced to around 3 years in prison, 53 days before he was to be released his sentence was upped to 30 years. A higher court wanted to set an example, the lower court judge (one of the few Turkish characters to come off reasonably well) was forced to comply. Bill would eventually escape from prison in 1975, come back to the Sates and write the book on which this movie is based.

The movie is mostly slow periods mixed with moments of brutality and horror. There is a real sense of helpless dread to the piece. Brad Davis plays Hayes, he's not the strongest actor but he conveys Bill's torments effectively. John Hurt and Randy Quaid play two of Bill's fellow inmates, they are likely the only actors in the film you'll recognize.

'Express' did tremendously well at the box office, taking in $35 million off a $2.3 million budget. It won two Oscar's, Best Adapted Screenplay for Oliver Stone, and best score for Giorgio Morodor, an Italin born composer who did other film scores, most memorably for 'The Neverending Story', but made his greatest mark as a composer and producer of popular music, earning him the honorific "The Father of Disco". ***

Call Northside 777 (1948)

 This oddly titled film is based on the true story of a Chicago journalists investigations, which got a man wrongly convicted for the murder of a police officer released. (The woman whose testimony convicted him lied, afraid of retribution from the real killers.) Sometimes mistakenly identified as a film noir, which its really not. The movie is done in a then popular quasi documentary style, one which I don't much care for, though there are exceptions like 'The Snake Pit' which came out that same year. 

James Stewart is the reporter, he elevates this thing, it would be forgotten without him. I also liked the polygraph scene, which manages to both explain the then newish process to the audience, and be somewhat tense. On the whole though not much to this. I'm glad the guy got released, but suspect the reporters articals were more interesting then this movie. ** (One of those stars is for James Stewart's performance alone.)

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part 1 (2023)

 The 'Mission Impossible' films remain the most consistently high quality vehicles for Hollywood action spectical today. Tom Cruse's signature stunt work and elaborate set pieces, highlights here being a Roman car chase, around a half hour on a train, and that motor cycle jump off a mountain. Regulars Ving Rhams, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson return, new additions include Hayley Atwell, Pom Alexandra and Esai Morales. While the plots don't really matter a whole lot here, they are at least reasonably intelligent. The main villain of the piece is reveled before the title sequence, so it's arguably not a spoiler, but I'll just say I think we will be seeing alot of this type in the near term. Worth seeing on the big screen. ***1/2

Holy Hell (2016)

 Three weeks after graduating from film school in 1985, Will Allen meet his sisters spiritual guru Michel Rostand, he was mesmerized by the man and his movement and would spend the next 22 years in the Buddfield cult. Will served as the groups in-house filmmaker, doing documentary work, directing short films, at least one music video, and recording the annual ballet performances the group did during most of the 1990's. Will retained this massive video archive, which combined with roughly present day interviews with former members and family, make up most of this documentary film.

The charismatic Rostand started his group in Hollywood, moved it to Austin and later Hawaii. Something of a mystery who was vauge about his past, he changed his name several times, even while leading the group. His true backstory had to be pieced together. Born Jamie Gomez in Venezula in 1942, his mother died when he was an infant, details about his relationship with his father are uncertain, but he had implied or told multiple followers he was the victim of sexual abuse as a child.

Gomez came to the United States, apparently in the 1960's, danced ballet professionally in California and became an actor, bit parts, mostly or all non speaking, but in some major movies including 'Airport 1975' and 'Rosemary's Baby'. He also did gay porn. Gomez became a licensed hypno therapist and then started Buddfield in the 1980's. A hodgepodge of vaugly Eastern New Age beliefs, Gomez claimed to have trained under a 'Master' but really got his ideas out of various books. While in its early years the group was somewhat benign, it didn't stay that way.

Gomez's group preached celibacy, but former group members state there was alot of consensual sex going on between members, and non consensual between Gomez and some of his better looking male acolytes. Will chronicals his near quarter century with the group form idealistic early day's, to mass defections in 2007 when the extent of the guru's abuses came to light via an anonymous whistle-blower, confirmed by many others. However not everybody left, Gomez also managed to attract additional followers and apparently leads a small group even today.

This film exists and this story is told largely because of Will Allen's near constant filming, as well as his perseverance both as a film maker and as a cult survivor. This is a one of a kind work. ***

A Different Story (1978)

 'A Different Story' lives up to its title. Meg Foster is Stella Cooke, a real estate agent in Beverly Hills. One day while about to show a property she finds a squatter inside, a squatter she vaugly knows. Perry King plays that squatter, his name is Albert Walreavens and until recently he was the boyfriend of one of Stella's wealthy clients. Ms. Cooke invites Albert to stay with her until he can make other arrangements, he tries unsuccessfully to do so but ends up staying on a long term basis. Stella and Albert find that they get along, their personalities click, they become best friends. Stella goes out and makes the money, Albert stays home, takes care of the condo and proves an excellently cook. The whole situation becomes very domestic. The sexual tension such a set up would seem to invite is mitigated because Stella is a lesbian and Albert is gay.

Things go well, but then complication arises when Albert's legal status in this country comes into question. You see Albert is Belgian, something you wouldn't guess from hearing him talk. The movie explains this away through some delightfully lazy dialogue. "Why don't you have an accent?" "Because I don't want one."

Stella suggests they get married as way to keep Albert in the country legally, so they do. Things continue to go well and Albert manages to land some work outside the home. One night they attend a birthday party, they get drunk, once home they start to fool around and end up having sex. The next morning neither talks about it, they are not sure what to make of it. When they finally do talk about it they realize they both liked it, so this domestic partnership becomes a real marriage.

Within three months Stella is pregnant, they decide to have the kid and raise it. Stella has a sometimes girlfriend named Phyllis, played by Valerie Curtin.  Phyllis is a high strung sort, a school teacher she is paranoid about her personal life becoming public, a major reason her and Stella's relationship never quite worked out. Well she finds out about Stella and Albert's new relationship, this prompts a suicide scare our couple must intervene to stop. They succeed but we never see Phyllis again.

Stella and Albert have a baby boy they name Albert Jr. Stella stays home to care for him. Albert, the son of a tailor, gets work in the fashion industry. His talent is soon recognized and he rises through the ranks quickly to become the assistant of a prominent designer, this designer is clearly gay. Albert start spending more and more time working late, Stella gets suspicious and surprises him one night. She finds him in the shower with someone, unexpectedly it's another woman.

Unsurprisingly this puts a great deal of stress on their relationship, Stella wants a divorce, Albert wants to explain but she won't listen. Eventually Albert forces a situation where she has to hear him out. He apologizes profusely, says he deeply regrets his mistake, loves Stella, and it will never happen again. He explaines that he had never anticipated becoming a husband and father, nor the work success he'd achieved; he was modeling off his understanding of what a successful man does, cheat on his wife. You know what, I can kind of buy this explanation, so does Stella and by the end the couple is reconciled. This really is a different story.

What a strange movie. I don't know who this was for then, and even less so now. The film never really takes a position on homosexual relationships, it doesn't overtly critize them, though it would be hard not to notice the couples adoption of traditional gender roles by the end of the film. The movie is too graphic to be of presumably much use in a 'pray the gay away' "educational" context.

The story of course is a horrible model, the 'become straight by finding the right partner' trope which is highly unrealistic and has caused so much pain for so many over the years. However, as viewed from our time of increased acceptance of gender fluidity, perhaps these two were more bisexual then they realized.

This film could have easily been a total disaster, but the likability of Foster and King goes a long way to selling it. Both are long time second stringers who never broke out, though Foster has extremely memorable blue eyes, and King is one of those actors you recognize but can't quite place. The pretty good script is directed in a pretty straight forward style, the films mixture of the low key and melodramatic works for it. It's off kilter energy is matched by an extremely 1970's production design, I'm a fan of the aesthetic but here there is honestly too much of it. It's a hard to make out kind of picture, though honestly I enjoyed it, was charmed by it, even with all its problems. **1/2