Movie review - "She's the One" (1996) ***

Edward Burns' second film is done with freshness and verve - he still had something to say, even if you can sense he's running out of stuff to say. But his dialogue is a lot sharper here, his characters are meaner.

It focuses on two brothers, Burns and Mike McGlone, one poor and the other rich, which is solid contrast. Burns marries Maxine Bahns impulsively setting off a chain reaction... Bahns isn't the best actor but she has a lovely presence and nice chemistry with Burns.

John Mahoney is excellent as the dad - he always shone in these Gen X films, like this, Reality Bites and Say Anything.

There's a lot of smoking. Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston provide some star power as does Burns. Amanda Peet shines as Aniston's slightly trashy sister (the elder actors who play their parents are good too). Leslie Mann has a funny support role as Bahns' workmate.

The big thing is though that people were meaner. There was more conflict, more secrets. McGlone is cheating on his wife with Burns' ex - that's good drama. So is Bahns not being completely honest with Burns about her desire to go to Paris.

Some of it is tiresome - the plot about everyone wondering if McGlone is gay (because it doesn't pay off in an interesting way). But it's sweet, and tight, and polished.

Robert Redford executive produced.

Movie review - "Summer Days Summer Nights" (2021) **

 This Edward Burns film has a lot more visual confidence than other movies of his I've seen - long tracking shots, pans... maybe a new DOP, maybe more money. (It's not a big budgeted film but the soundtrack includes some well known songs from the early 80s). It's kind of Burns' American Graffiti being about several young people over one summer... it might've been better had it focused on a tighter time frame.

There's a lot of skinny/slender young actors walking around - no one eats too much food in this one. It is sometimes hard to tell the cast apart - maybe they're more familiar for US actors. I recognise Burns, of course, who plays (quite well) a dad, Anthony Ramos from In the Heights and Australia's own Caitlin Stasey.

There's also some bearded muso type who floats through the film and makes you go (me go anyway) "jeez, mate what's your frigging problem in life, f*ck off".

He's part of several subplots. Beardy falls for a blonde girl who is hung up on a guy. Another guy is hung up on his ex, who turns up having broken up from her husband who she is still hung up on. Another guy is  hung up on his ex and has a really hot "older" woman come on to him (she's 22) and encourages him to follow his dreams. I think that's it.

 It touches on the regular Burns themes - following your dreams as opposed to societal expectation, and The One That Got Away. It is pleasant.

Movie review - "The Groomsmen" (2006) **

 The budgets for Ed Burns movies got so low that this one looks like a lush production. It's full of familiar faces like John Leguizamo, Jay Mohr, Matthew Lilliard, Brittany Murphy. There's Irish American accent acting going on.

It's about people being angsty at 35. Burns is getting married to Murphy and his mates are being blokey about it. One is gay, another is infertile. Brittany Murphy has a thankless part as Burns' fiancee who hangs around pregnant. She whinges a bit that Burns doesn't show her any romance and eventually he does. That's her arc. Heather Burns is married to Donal Logue. She worries and whines and that's her arc.

Meatiest part is from Donal Logue as the infertile angry man who is rather relentlessly fat shamed.

Amiable, for the most part. Good actors.

Movie review - "Rifkin's Festival" (2020) **

 I'm a soft marker but I didn't mind it. Biggest problem, surprisingly, is Wallace Shawn. I normally love him but he's getting on now - his timing is a bit off, the candences slow. It's like Woody himself. Gina Gershon isn't quite right as his wife either. It is fun to see them in leads.

Shawn is a film critic at a festival. While Gershon flirts with a pretentious movie director Shawn chases after a doctor - you guessed it, a younger woman, played by Elena Anaya.  And you guessed it Gershon used t be a wild crazy bitch back in the day.

Anyaya is so far out of Shawn's league he never has a chance and there's no connection between the two apart from the fact he's from New York and she misses it. Maybe if she loved cinema and was older or he was younger...

Gershon can't wait to hook up with the movie director so it's not as though there are any stakes in the marriage. What's Shawn's dilemma - to be a critic or teach? Is that right?

The parodies of old films are fine eg The Seventh Seal. But this feels like another roughly formed first draft. Why not just have Swan play Woody with a younger wife and vicious paparazzi and some point...?

Nice scenery and photography.

Movie review - "Nice Guy Johnny" (2010) **

 I'm getting into the rhythms of these low budget Ed Burns films - not much happens, a few actors hanging out, easy going, big hearted. This is about a younger protagonist than usual for his movies - Matt Bush is turning 25, engaged to a hot girl (Anna Wood), has a job he loves but it doesn't pay well so he's going to work for his father in law's business.  That's a metaphor apparently for Burns wanting to stay independent instead of going studio -  a studio movie would probably be better written. But more hassle.

To sweeten the dream he runs into free spirit Kerry Bishe, who is slender and beautiful like Bush's fiancee. I guess that's Burns' type eg Maxine Bahn, Christy Turlington. 

Burns appears as Bush's scallyway uncle. There's an erratic English actor in this one as there was in Purple Violets - I don't know why.

Amiable. Likeable. Bush has a high pitched voice. Not quite as good as the girls. His moral dilemma isn't much - poverty isn't really dramatised and Bishe is there and waiting to help him be true. Nice shots of the Hamptons.

Movie review - "Purple Violets" (2007) **

 Ed Burns likes to make movies where characters wonder about "the one who got away". It's central to She's The One, No Looking Back and this one, where Selma Blair wonders about her ex, Patrick Wilson, while her bestie, Debra Messing, has feelings for her ex, Edward Burns.

There's also a lot of talk about artistic integrity and being true, and not selling out.

It's a slow amble. People hang out in kitchens, at diners, and chat. Lots of pouring glasses of wine, With the Irish American background downplayed Burns' voice feels less sure.

I didn't mind it. It passed over me amiably. I think I have nostalgia for that plotless 90s movie making.

Movie review - "Clerks III" (2022) ** (warning: spoilers)

Kevin Smith is at his best when writing about personal experience, and as he's avoided that in his films the quality of his work has declined. There's plenty of material to mine: the heart attack, turning vegan, trying to stay relevant as he gets old, having a daughter grow up, discovering the truth of allegations about Harvey Weinstein.

The only one he goes for here is the heart attack. I think Smith came up with the concept then was trapped by it - Randall has a heart attack and decides to make a film.  I get that's a sexy concept. 

But it's one that quickly runs into problems. I don't think Smith knows how Randall and Dante would talk these days - he knew how they did talk but not now. He knew how to write about making a cheap film them but not now. It doesn't make sense a forty something man would make a movie about working in a store now... an autobiographical film yes. But the old guys play their roles.

He would've been better off making a film about Walt Flanagan and co now - or his life now. Or a pure nostalgia piece. Maybe he didn't want to go there.

Fun to see cameos though cannot Ralph Garman impersonate anyone other than Arnie and Al Pacino? The Smith stock company is there - wife, daughter, Ben Affleck, Justin Long, Freddy Prinze and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Supergirl.

Some glimpses of a more interesting movie - like when Dante and Veronica hook up. That could've been a film. It has some emotion when Dante dies.

But like Jersey Girl this is outside Smith's comfort zone, despite it being Clerks. His comedy riffs don't work the same way. It's unsure of itself. It repeats the same arc as Clerks 2 with Randall telling Dante what Dante means to him. (Why not give Randall a romance, by the way?)

I loved Kevin Smith movies but they're just not working. If he's not willing to really put it on the line I'm not sure he should be doing it.