We‘re still working on the site, so please bookmark this page. Stay Tuned!™

Where do you want to go today?

Attention:

The next River Trip (#43) dates are: (Confirmed, save the date) Thurs July 25 - Sunday July 29, 2024.

How long do you have to wait? Click here.

Join WNM Private Email List

The River!!

Floating Info (FAQ)

What the CIA sees when we are floating!

Wednesday Night Gear? WNM GEAR

Wednesday Night Memorial Photo Tour WNM Photo Gallery

Recent movies screened by our discerning staff (in order of accepted reviews):

WNM Movie Night Liner Notes

Note: We are now database driven; but there are some gaps. As these links get filled in, we are getting closer and closer to being caught up.

HOME | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998

Search Feature

2003

Liner Notes.

"Muriel‘s Wedding [1994] was written and directed by the Australian P.J. Hogan (not the comedian Paul Hogan). Toni Collette plays Muriel Heslop.

"This film is a peculiar combination of satire and sadness that apparently appeals to the Australian audience. Muriel lives in the town of Porpoise Spit, Australia. She is the daughter of an old-school, backslapping, corrupt politician, who as a working-class man is trying to better his place in society, but is doing so at the expense of his family.

"Muriels‘ home life is depressing. Her mother has been dragged down by her father and underachieving siblings, who seem destined for a life of public relief. Muriel is a somewhat homely, overweight young woman with sham friends and no future. She is bright enough to realize this and keeps her sanity by fantasizing about an idealized wedding to a handsome man. Eventually, she takes half a loaf and in a well-publicized ceremony marries a star athlete to help him get a Australian passport.

"Muriel‘s bigest problem is that she has no faith in herself. Once she finds a friend who believes in her, Muriel breaks out of her depression, family cycle of decay, phoney marriage and strikes out confidently on her own terms. Watching Muriel‘s process of self discovery is the payoff that prevents the viewer from being depressed by this film.

"The performances here are all fine. Sufficient humour is injected into the film to take the edge of its depressing background. Maintaining this is a delicate balancing act that the writer/director achieves."

--ggf

"Fargo [1996] was written and directed by the team of Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coen brothers were critically noticed with their first film, Blood Simple [1984]. Their trademark is offbeat crime drama that involves unusual characters joined to a comedic undertone. Fargo is their best critical success to date. It was nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture, director, screenplay, plus best actress for Frances McDormand and supporting actor for William H. Macy. It took best actress and screenplay.

"Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a pathetic car salesman who has married into a wealthy family. McDormand plays Marge Gunderson, the police chief in the small town of of Brainerd, Minnesota. Jerry is in serious financial difficulty. In desperation he concocts a phony kidnapping scheme that spins out of control.

"The plot of Fargo has several surprises, but the joy in the film is the supporting role characterizations and the believability of the performances of Macy and McDormand. Although the plot seems improbable, this film works."

--ggf

"Kind Hearts and Coronets [1949], starring Alec Guinness in eight different roles, was the first of the classic Ealing Studios comedies. Guinness starred in several Ealing comedies, The Lavender Hill Mob [1951], The Man in the White Suit [1951] and The Ladykillers [1955]. Each are fine, but Kind Hearts is commonly given the nod as the best of the four.

"The plot of Kind Hearts centers around Louis Mazzini, played by Dennis Price, who would be the heir to a dukedom, except for the eight relatives closer to the title than he and a small matter of class. Mazzini‘s mother didn‘t marry well, hence the Italian surname. Each of these eight relatives is played by Guinness. Mazzini sets out to murder all of them. Although this film is about a serial murderer, it is a comedy and told in such a way that you wish Mazzini got away with it.

"For those of you who enjoy seeing a single actor playing many roles in a film, look for The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao [1964], in which Tony Randall also plays eight roles. This is a peculiar film, but not unpleasant."

--ggf

"Big Trouble [2002] is the film version of the comic novel by Dave Barry. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld of Get Shorty [1995] and Addams Family [1991] fame, who unfortunately also made Men in Black II [2002]. Light comedy is something that Sonnenfeld can do well and, although not quite up to Get Shorty levels, this is a good effort. Big Trouble stars Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci and Dennis Farina, all of whom give performances suited to the material.

"Big Trouble got into big trouble. A comedy about inept, criminals, a plane hijacking and a nuclear bomb, with dim-witted airport inspectors in tow, it had the misfortune to be scheduled for release 9/21/2001. It was pulled. Big surprise.

"Since such a comedy would now not conceivably be made, at least not by Hollywood, viewers can get a feeling that they are watching a comedy about a time now long past, even though it takes place now. The producers must have felt they were cursed. Released finally in April 2002, it died a terrible death at the box office, grossing $7.3 million in the US in two months. It cost $45 million to make.

"Reviewers give this film mixed results. Some like it a lot. Some dislike it a lot. However, Dave Barry is talented and much of what is funny about the book does come across on the screen."

--ggf

"review - tbd."

--wls

"review - tbd."

--wls

"Tonight we watch the well-regarded western light comedy, Support Your Local Sheriff [1969], starring James Garner, Harry Morgan and Joan Hackett. We have been looking for this film for some time."
--ggf

"Support Your Local Sheriff (1968, Color, 1hr 33 minutes)

"Armed with a wry sense of humor and a straight-shooting sidearm, James Garner (Maverick, My Fellow Americans) fights for peace, justice and fun in this outrageous, irreverent and very funny farce co-starring Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Harry Morgan and Jack Elam.

"On his way to Australia, frontier opportunist Jason McCullough (Garner) stumbles into a small gold-rush town and decides to earn a little extra pocket money by accepting a temporary assignment as their sheriff. Happily applying himself to his new position., McCullough manages to turn the town derelict (Elam) into his deputy, outsmart the dreaded Danby clan (led by Brennan in a hilarious comic performance). and fend off the lusty advances of the mayor‘s daughter (Hackett) - all without breaking a sweat or dirtying his shiny black boots!

"The year before the Director Burt Kennedy directed "The War Wagon" with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. It was 1974 when Garner stared in the famous "Rockford Files" TV series and 1972 when Harry Morgan stared on the TV series MASH."

--jf

"We are watching Moonstruck [1987], a comedy directed by Norman Jewison starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. This movie proves that Cher can act."

--ggf

"We are watching The Devil‘s Backbone [2001].

"El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil‘s Backbone) [2001] was directed by Guillermo del Toro. This is a ghost story told from a child‘s perspective. However, this is not Hollywood product. The story material is too serious and the way it is presented avoids typical cliche‘s of the genre. The director‘s choice of material and his presentation produces a creepy, forlorn atmosphere.

"This is a gothic horror film for adults. While the ghost of a murdered child provides the centerpiece for the children, the corruption of adults during wartime and the lust for money is what actually drives the plot.

"Del Toro showed a particular affinity for unusual material at an early age. He directed Chronos [1993] when he was 29, winning the Critic‘s Grand Prize at Cannes, which gave him a reputation outside of Mexico. He has since been tapped by Hollywood to do horror films, Mimic [1997] being the most notable. It remains to be seen if Hollywood will dilute this director‘s style and abilities."

--ggf

"Stephen and Laurie Coles provide us a studio copy of Safe House [1998].

"Safe House [1998] is a Showtime, made-for-TV film, which stars Patrick Sewart and was both written and directed by Eric Steven Stahl. Although not a ‘movie‘ production, some consider it near the top of its class. Safe House generates strong feelings, positive and negative from reviewers. The material Stewart is given requires a wide range of emotional responses."

--ggf

"This Wednesday night‘s movie will be Waiting for Guffman (1996), which Greg has obtained for us by departing work early for a well-earned vacation overlfow half day, leaving me behind to write the preview review. "Thanks for going to get the movie!", I might have said as Greg left the building. "You‘ll be sorry!", I might have thought, as I started to write this review.

"First off, this is mocumentary was directed, written by, and starring Christopher Guest, who wrote and starred in This is Spinal Tap (1984), which we all admit was pretty funny, right? It‘s only 84 minutes long, so don‘t you show up late... er, I‘m the one who often shows up late. I‘ll try not to, this time.

"The plot‘s as follows: a small town in the Midwest is celebrating its 150th year of (improbable) existence. What‘s this town famous for? Well, it once presented a piece of wooden furniture to the President of the U.S. one year, and henceforth claimed the title, "Stool Capital of the World". Do you sense the direction in which some of this movie‘s humor is leading? Fortunately, it‘s handled more wittily than I‘m making it appear.

"The town hires a down-and-out, or maybe not-yet-out, off-Broadway director to put on an amateur musical celebrating the town‘s history. Have I mentioned the UFO landing? Various town characters are introduced, such as the travel agents who have never traveled, themselves, but are sure that you‘ll enjoy your trip.

"Word is spread that a big-name Broadway reviewer will come to see the show, and if he‘s impressed, maybe the show‘ll go in the road. This leads to the movie‘s title. Have I mentioned stage/movie merchandising options yet?

"By the way, I haven‘t actually seen Waiting for Guffman yet, but the reviews I‘ve read while writing this pastiche-preview review all agree that it‘s a riot, largely due to off-the-wall dialog (some of which was improvised during filming) and bizarre situations. The IMDB Movie Links References list for Waiting for Guffman is truly powerful, so you should be on the lookout for references to The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, My Fair Lady, Raging Bull, Das Boot, and others, and, of course, Waiting for Godot and Waiting for Fidel.

"This movie is preceeded by This is Spinal Tap (1984), and is followed by Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003) in Christopher Guest‘s oevre. (Where, exactly, is an oevre?) Almost Heroes (1998) which was almost funny (but not quite, according to the reviews) doesn‘t count."

--ggf

"Tonight we will be watching Salaire de la Peur (Wages of Fear) [1953], or if that cannot be obtained, Les Diabolique [1955]. Both were directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and both are superb.

"Wages of Fear [1955] is often considered Henri-George Clouzot‘s best film. Starring Yves Montand and Peter van Eyck, the film expertly combines elements of both film-noir and suspense genres. The story concerns the nearly hopeless lives of destitute drifters living in a seedy, backwater Latin American town dominated by a US oil company, and the risks that they are willing to take to better their lives.

"The first hour of the film concentrates on the depressing aspects of life in a miserable town. Dwelling on the unpleasant nature of the town and the people in it is perhaps unneccesary and has been called aimless. Yet others feel this carefully laid groundwork.

"This film has also been criticized as being anti-American. When originally screened in the US, the anti-oil company bias and homosexual suggestions in the film were largely edited out. Clouzot apparently had a political axe to grind and depicted American oil companies in an unpleasant light. But times change and cynicism in film is now commonplace.

"The last half of the film is generally credited as the best extended suspense sequence ever filmed. For this reason Wages of Fear has remained A-listed by critics for decades. Clouzot was considered to be the Hitchcock of France. Both this film and Diabolique [1955], ensure that Clouzot will be remembered as a great director.

"We will be watching the fully restored version. This film is 148 minutes long, so we should start this earlier than we normally do."

--ggf

"Tonight Laurie and Stephen Coles will be providing Local Hero [1983].

"Local Hero [1983] was well received by critics when it appeared. Written and directed by Bill Forsyth, it stars Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert. The plot concerns an attempt by a large US oil company to site a refinery in an out-of-the-way corner of the Scottish seacoast.

"Forsyth considered Local Hero to be a modern Ealing-style comedy. This film is indeed an understated and distinctly odd comedy that is populated by quirky individuals. Forsyth was near the top of his game when he made Local Hero, which won for him the New York Film Critics Circle award for best screenplay.

"Bill Forsyth made several successful small films in the 1980s, including Gergory‘s Girl [1981], Comfort and Joy [1984] and Housekeeping [1987]. Unfortunately, Forsyth‘s first expensive Hollywood film was a critical flop. But that pales into insignificance compared to the extent of the financial train wreck he caused. Being Human [1993] was a disastrous Robin Williams film that cost $30 millions. Its total gross in the US was $1.5 million. That‘s the sort of disaster that a writer/director is not forgiven. His career has never recovered."

--ggf

"Tonight we will be watching Diamond Men [2000].

"Diamond Men [2000] was written and directed by Dan Cohen and stars Robert Forster. This is a film that provides a primarily B-movie actor the chance to really shine. It is also essentially Dan Cohen‘s first film and demonstrates that Cohen can write a good screenplay.

"Forster plays Eddie Miller, a diamond salesman who has lost his wife, had a heart attack and is told he is no longer insurable in is job. He has to train his replacement, Bobbie Walker, who is both green and initially too unsophisticated for the job.

"Eddie is a real pro, almost too good for his position. Bobbie on the other hand looks at work as something to be avoided. The generation gap between the two is palpable. The tension in the film revolves around how Eddie loosens up and how Bobbie wisens up. The ending is a bit of a surprise.

"This film was originally unrated. It has some mature content, primarily of thematic rather than visual nature. This is a movie that Hollywood could make, but rarely does. A solid film directed toward a sophisticated adult audience. Since it is about a subject that has no appeal for teenagers, it saw almost no distribution in the USA, other than a bit in NYCity and some film festivals. Diamond Men got uniformly good reviews, but you can‘t see what isn‘t distributed.

"In giving a lesser-known, but veteran actor Robert Forster a great role, Diamond Men reminds me of Sam Peckinpah‘s ill-fated film Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia [1974]. That film gave Warren Oates a similar opportunity."

--ggf

"Tonight we will be watching Who Is Cletis Tout? [2001].

"Who Is Cletis Tout? [2001] was both written and directed by Chris Ver Wiel, who is a recent indie director. This is a bit of an insider film. The central character is a contract killer, Critical Jim, played by the comedian Tim Allen. Critical Jim is obsessed with classic film and sees much of the world as if it were a bad screenplay.

"Some consider this film to be a Quentin Tarentino knock-off. I disagree. It does not take itself seriously enough for that. Also, the basic caper in the film is a shade too silly to be believed. Crtics who think this film is a Tarentino knockoff dislike it. Those who think it is more of a screwball caper comedy tend to like it."

--ggf

"Tonight we will be watching Siam Sunset [1999].

"Siam Sunset [1999] is a quirky Australian romantic comedy along the lines of Muriel‘s Wedding [1994]. This is a fine effort as a first film for the actor/director John Polson. In this odd type of comedy the central character is emotionally wounded, then seeks and finds fulfillment in an absurd world. Some find similarities in these films to Ealing comedies. The lead in this case is a recently widowed English designer of paint colors, who is more or less being forced to take a vacation. He wins a budget tour to Australia at a bingo game and off we go.

"Australian comics find much in their society that is uniquely absurd and the script makes use of this, at times exaggerating to the point of the surreal. Intense Aussie pride of country, tough character and love of competition plays against the bleakness of most of its landscape and the sensibilities of a sophisticated city dweller. There is a bit of meanness inserted toward the end of the film which does not fit well with the general comedic theme. Other than that, Siam Sunset is a nice, modestly funny film."

--ggf

"Tonight we are watching Femme Fatale [2002]. This is Brian De Palma‘s most recent film, for which he also wrote the screenplay.

"De Palma is known for making Hitchcock-like suspense films, such as Sisters [1973], Dressed To Kill [1980] and Body Double [1984]. Although these are not bad, they are usually criticized as being formulaic attempts to copy Hitchcock. This criticism has often risen to the level of accusing De Palma of not having any creativity, which is odd, since he often also writes the screenplays for his films. However, critically the films he directs but does not write are much better received, Carrie [1976] and Scarface [1983] being the obvious examples.

"In Femme Fatale it seems De Palma has satisfied many critics that he can both write and direct superbly. Some critic reviews were almost saccharine. Those reviewers who did dislike it, display a visceral hatred of De Palma for making movies like Hitchcock‘s, something I do not understand.

"This is certainly a stylish thriller. The lead character is a smart and attractive female criminal. She is sufficiently interesting that the somewhat implausible plot can be ignored."

--ggf

"Tonight we will be watching Best In Show [2000].

"Best In Show [2002] was written by Christoper Guest and Eugene Levy and directed by Guest. Guest has so far specialized in satires. Best In Show is a pseudo-documentary (mocumentary) about dog fanciers, their problems, desires and preparations for a big dog show. This is a very funny film if you do not show dogs. If you do show them, you may end up sulking in a corner.

"Guest specializes in writing and directing comedy. His success is due primarily to his mocumentaries, This Is Spinal Tap [1984], which he wrote but did not direct, Waiting for Guffman [1996], Best In Show and his recent A Mighty Wind [2003]. His one outing so far directing a straight comedy, Almost Heroes [1998], which he did not write, was a critical disaster.

"The cast from Guffman is used again in this film. Their abilities to handle Guest‘s material were well demonstrated there and they don‘t disappoint. The comedy in Best In Show is perhaps a bit too broad in comparison to Guffman. But whereas Guffman poked fun at a subject that few knew, many viewers know dog lovers who are a wee bit irrational when it comes to their four-legged children."

--ggf

"Tonight Celeste is bringing Far From Heaven [2002]. This film was nominated for best actress, score, screenplay and cinematography and was at or near the top of critical reviews for that year."

--ggf

"Far From Heaven [2002] is Todd Haynes realistic re-creation of typical east-coast 1950‘s society in which race, sexuality and other taboos surface to disturb the otherwise "tranquil" lifestyle of a society couple, deftly played by Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid. Dennis Haysbert turns in a wonderful performance as their gardener. Despite having a very talented cast, all the way down to some of the bit parts, my favorite aspects of the film are the cinematography and the score. It is both a thought provoking and visually stunning film."

Celeste

"The Quiet American was made before by Joseph Mankiewicz in 1958, that played Michael Redgrave against Audie Murphy. It remains a respected film primarily due to Redgrave‘s memorable performance. The mood of the novel was not carried into the film successfully. The evil of American involvement was consciously soft pedaled by inverting the roles of Fowler and Pyle.

"This film proved to be a huge disappointment and occasioned bitter criticism by Graham Greene. Political involvement in script changes, by a CIA principal involved in the rise of Diem to dictatorship, caused considerable controversy. Those who are interested can read The Quiet American: Text and Criticism and A Thinkers Damn: Audie Murphy, Vietnam and the Making of The Quiet American.

"The newer film version was withheld from release because of 9/11. A film that points out that the US engaged in terrorism predictably was not going to play well. What limited distribution it had in the US was due to Caine‘s pressure to have it seen at the Toronto film festival, where it was very well received. It made little money in the US and Caine received considerable criticism for having appeared in it."

--ggf

"Tonight we will be watching a film suggested by Celeste, About a Boy [2002].

"About a Boy [2002] is light comedy that was directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, based upon the novel by Nick Hornby and adapted by Peter Hedges and the directors. While not necessarily newcomers, this film is one of few either have written or directed and certainly their best effort to date.

"Hugh Grant plays Will Freeman, a self-centered, charming, confirmed bachelor. Inherited wealth allows him to lead a pointless life of pleasure. Will grazes single women for fun and puts a stop to any relationship when it threatens to become serious. Because he believes that with a child to care for, mothers will be less demanding than the women he normally dates, Will begins to date single mothers. However, ignoring the children in this equation leads to complications. Eventually, Will begins to question his life and he falls in love.

"This is an outrightly manipulative, sentimental film. However, the material provided by Hornby has just enough edge to it that the film is not saccharine. Grant gives a convincing performance. Nicholas Hoult also does a fine job in the supporting role as a precocious child of a troubled mother."

--ggf

"Long on our list of want-to-sees, we have been unable to show Treasure of the Sierra Madre [1948] due to its commercial absence. It has just been released on DVD. After calling around, Cinefile has a copy and with luck I‘ll be able to grab it.

"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [1948] is a great classic film. Based on the novel by B. Traven, the screenplay was written by John Huston, who also directed. The film stars Walter Huston and Humphrey Bogart.

"Although Bogart has more popular and endearing roles, this role was picked by Bogart and Huston at the height of their power. The story is a study of how greed can quickly and totally corrupt a person of weak character. It is also a tragedy of friendship utterly betrayed.

"There is an enduring mystery about this film. B. Traven remains unknown. Traven was an assumed name. He dealt with the world entirely through his literary agent and remained unknown to Huston, the studio and Bogart. Huston assumes he met Traven on the set in Mexico, when someone named Hal Croves showed up claiming to be Traven‘s representative, but he could not be sure. We now know that Croves was indeed Traven.

"Traven spent much of his life in Mexico, but wrote primarily in German and is thought by some to have been German, which he denied. He was immensely popular, published in hundreds of editions and in dozens of languages, except in the US and Great Britain. Traven remains unknown to this day and is likely to remain so, since he died in 1969. He instructed his widow to confirm that among his several identities were Ret Marut and Hal Croves.

"What is now known is that for twenty years Traven went by the name Ret Marut and published an underground German anarchist magazine. The next time he turned up it was in a British prison. He left London and began to write, sending his manuscripts to a German publishing house. Treasure of the Sierra Madre is not considered by most his best work. That is reserved for Death Ship [1934] or The Bridge in the Jungle [1938]."

--ggf

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969] has many things going for it. The screenplay was written by William Goldman and the director was George Roy Hill. Both won Oscars for their work and the talents of these two are perhaps primarily responsible for this film sitting in the AFI Greatest Film list at position 50. Butch Cassidy took home four Oscars: screenplay, cinematography, score and song. It was also nominated for best director, picture and sound.

"The magic spark of Butch Cassidy was its casting. The pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford is considered by many to be the best pairing of actors in film. The chemistry between the two that shows up on the screen elevates this beyond being a just fine buddy film, making it a cultural icon. It also turned Redford into a major star.

"Although the screenplay is a tragedy and the main characters are criminals, Goldman wraps the situations and characters in a manner that creates a light comedy. This diversionary tactic makes the viewer virtually ignore the gathering doom that awaits Butch and Sundance and forget who they really are.

"Butch Cassidy was the most successful western at the box office, grossing $96 million in the US."

--ggf

Last update on Jan 15, 2010 at 12:15:10.