Reviews

This is exactly what Rod Serling would have written if he had been a comedy writer.

Billie Golden (played by Isabel Rose, in a part she wrote herself) is an extremely small-time cabaret performer in a seedy neighborhood of Queens (or is it Brooklyn?). She sings pretty well, and loves the great cabaret standards, but her musical career is going nowhere, and when she loses the one real performing job she's ever had it precipitates a crises in her life.

Billie lives in a world of Technicolor musical numbers, which occur at frequent intervals throughout this extremely entertaining romantic comedy. She meets a handsome corporate lawyer and falls in love with him, then gets an unexpected chance to perform again at her old stand. Many complications ensue, some of which are quite predictable, but all of which are written and enacted in a very charming way.

Andrew McCarthy as the third corner of the love triangle is very appealing here, in a scruffy sort of way. Isabel Rose is terrific, and the remaining cast members turn in quirky and convincing performances. Of particular note are the cinematography, set decoration, and costumes, which manage to achieve the look of vintage Technicolor on what must have been a very small budget.

This film has been released for cable under the title "Anything but Love," from the song that is a key part of the musical score. Whatever the title, "Standard Time" is well worth watching.

From the startling beginning to the somewhat ambiguous ending, this is an extremely watchable bit of cinema. The characters are diverse and interesting, and the acting throughout is excellent. The director uses the camera skillfully and the music underscores the action perfectly. I happened across this gem at 2 a.m. and couldn't turn it off, despite the fact that I have an aversion to subtitles. Actually, one thing that helped is that the titles were always legible, unlike those of some other films I've tried to enjoy on the small screen. This film is a depiction of a certain segment of gay Italian life as seen through the eyes of an outsider -- the widow of the central gay character's dead lover. The ex-lover and the widow, who also happens to be an AIDS doctor, form a complex relationship that's fascinating to watch. There are many other characters in the story, some of whom appear only fleetingly, but all of whom are artfully portrayed. I'll definitely watch His Secret Life again when I have the chance.

This feature starts with great promise and an interesting premise, but somehow manages to be boring, even when the young man starts to have frightening visions. Maybe that's because the audience can't understand what's happening in the boy's mind, and his chaotic thoughts aren't explained until much to late to capture our interest. If you can stay asleep to the end it has an interesting but not very well explained twist. It's a pity the narrative is so confused, since all the principal actors are excellent.

I've read the comments of the other viewers posted here, and I agree that the film is fun (if a bit silly) and the music is great. The Siddartha angle is interesting, and I think the script by Firesign Theater is very entertaining. But I ask you: Am I the only viewer to notice the sexual tension between Rubenstein and Johnson, and to pick up on the gay sub-text? Yes, Zachariah tries to renounce violence, but could it be he's really just denying his attachment to Matthew?

Fans of Steel Magnolias should give this one a look. All the casting is just about perfect, and the story moves forward without a single dull moment or false note. The women (Dench, Caron, Dukakis, Laine, Whitelaw, Whitfield, Sims, et al) are all fun to watch -- and Ian Holm does a fine job as the aging Lothario. And, by the way, the jazz and swing music that forms the backbone of the story is terrific -- expecially the finale with Cleo Laine cutting loose as only she can.

Millennium is one the few movies about time travel that stays true to the original source material. This far-out John Varley narrative is brought to the screen as faithfully as can be imagined. If you've ever wondered what really happens during so-called "natural" disasters, this is the script for you. The film is pure science fiction -- fun to watch, but impossible to understand unless close attention is paid. Stay awake and you'll be astonished by this story. Kristofferson and Ladd are surprisingly well paired, and the time-traveling Ladd is 100% believable in this mind-bending scenario. The sole jarring note is the voice-over coda at the end of the film -- an un-credited Churchill quote that sounds comical and out-of-place. This is one of the most under-appreciated movies of the '80s.

Combining an almost wordless but insightful script with the magical cinematography of Nicholas Roeg, this is a unique movie experience not to be missed. This brilliant film rewards patient and attentive viewing. And you're unlikely to see anything that does a better job of portraying youngsters bridging the gap between cultures.

When Dr. Zhivago was originally issued I had the privilege of seeing it in an elegant, wide-screen theater, as it was intended to be shown. All in all, I didn't like it a bit. I found the acting unconvincing, and was particularly annoyed with Omar Sharif's wide-eyed moping about. Subsequently, I read the original novel and, in retrospect, was impressed with how well Bolt and Lean had succeeded in distilling the emotional impact and underlying meaning of the epic story. A few months later I went to see it again. To my amazement, many of the things that annoyed me initially seemed absolutely right -- from the sometimes jarring sound track to Sharif's moist and helpless gaze. After many viewings Zhivago now seems to me one of the greatest films