Movie review - "A Safe Place" (1971) **

 Henry Jaglom's best known movie because it features Tuesday Weld, Orson Welles and Jack Nicholson. All bring their considerable charisma - Weld has rarely been more gorgeous or captivating. But there's no story here not even a short film's worth. There's a lot of hanging around Weld and Orson Welles hangs around Central Park and the Zoo, Weld and Philip Proctor hanging around, all the while songs play on the soundtrack. The best bits are Weld and Nicholson.

This was once a play. A play! JFC.  There's no story.

Weld is beautiful. Nicholson has charisma. So does Orson Welles. I would have preferred 90 minutes of them just talkign.

The photography is nice. 

Movie review - "Money Shines" (1988) **1/2

 Interesting rather than gripping. Paralysed man has a pet monkey who becomes homicidal. The cast don't feel quite up to it - Jason Beghe as the guy, Kate McNeil as the sexy nurse, Jon Pankiw as a mad scientist (Stanley Tucci  should have played this role).

Monkey acting strong.  But the core relationship between the monkey and Beghe isn't there.

I wonder if maybe it should've been told through the POV of McNeil as Jane Eyre instead of chronoligcally.  Romero's directing not quite up to it here.

A lot of future famous people like Tucci, Stephen Root, Janine Turner (going nude). 

Movie review - "Multiple Maniacs" (1970) ***

 Overshadowed by Pink Flamingos but the vision was fully formed by this one - John Waters freaky friends causing chaos, lots of bitchy lines and insane encounters, melodrama with a twist. Goes too long - really this should be a tight 30 minutes. But it's fun to hang out with Waters and his mates - Mink Stole, Divine, David L, Cookie, Edie. You feel like you're over at their house as they play dress ups.

Movie review - "Bruiser" (2001) ***

 Thoughtful. Interesting. Jason Flemyng maybe too handsome in the lead - could have used a real whimp. Attractive women - Romero liked a bit of toplessness. Peter Stomare hams it up. The mask is wonderfully effective. The big flaw-  lacks a central love story. Phantom of the Opera had that. A person for us to identify with who's not a killer. Like Martin we spend a lot of time identifying with a killer

Confidently directed. 

Script review - "Female Trouble/Desperate Living" by John Waters

 Getting through these audio readings by Waters of his scripts. Both are crime-ish melodramas - like most of these early Waters films he takes a series of wacky characters and haves some way-out exchanges. For me Desperate Living worked better - the insults felt funnier, an "innocent" in a trash town, though Female Trouble is fun too

Movie review - "Survival of the Dead" (2009) **

 George Romero's last feature. It looks ugly, shot in bland digital, the acting isn't much, the encounters tiresome. It's about some National Guardsman who stumble on a feud. Lots of Irish accents and people being shot in the head. There's a decent amount of action and no character I cared about or found interesting.

Movie review - "The Dark Half" (1992) **1/2

 Solid. Steven King wrote an interesting book based on his own work as Richard Bachman, and the voices in his head. Tim Hutton isn't convicing as a writer. A really great star would've made this sing. Amy Madigan must be so sick of playing wives. Michael Rooker solid as a cop.

Not sure they got the POV of this right. Maybe better via Rooker? Or be upfront about Hutton? 

Good story though.