elliottrainbow Reviews

And a Nightingale Sang (1989 TV Movie)

A film that is sweet and bittersweet at the same time!

[10/10 · 12 October 2009]

I first saw this around 1990 when it came on PBS American Playhouse - I think. I taped it and since then I have watched it probably 50 times. Phyllis Logan is excellent and if this had been a theatrical film I believe she would have been nominated for an Academy Award. Her performance is that good. She is so good as Helen, the crippled older daughter of a slightly dysfunctional family. She falls in love with a married soldier but believes it will work out, yet we know she will have her heart broken. I just felt so sorry for Helen when I first saw this, I remember thinking that this guy was idiot to stay with his wife and child instead of Helen. The rest of the cast is good as well and their characters are all interesting without taking away from the main storyline. I think this is out on DVD now. Rent it and you won't be disappointed. It is a wonderful film. There are many scenes that show the range of emotions that Helen feels in her first love affair and Phyllis Logan is great in all of them. This is one of the best TV movies I have ever seen, if not the best.

Rachel River (1987)

An overlooked, slice-of-life movie that deserves to be seen

[8/10 · 1 September 2009]

Pamela Reed gives the best performance of her career is this wonderful, thought-provoking film. She plays Mary Graving, a divorced woman with two children. I think this is the kind of movie that you will either love or hate. I loved it. I've watched it probably a dozen times since I first discovered it on PBS. All of the actors are great; in fact, the acting is very low-key but to me that's what made this such a great movie. The characters are real, it's easy to believe in them as they go about their daily lives in a small town during a snowy winter. James Olson is very good as a would-be suitor and Craig T. Nelson makes the most out of a small role. Viveca Lindfors is always worth watching but it's Pamela Reed's performance that makes the movie a winner. I was kind of surprised that she didn't get any awards for this, her performance is that good. She makes the character of Mary Graving a interesting, flawed, complex individual, IMHO. Go to netflix.com, get this movie and let yourself be caught up in this film and the residents of Rachel River.

Law & Order: White Rabbit (1994) Season 5, Episode 5

A very good hour of television based on the Katherine Ann Power case...

[10/10 · 16 August 2009]

Considering this is a 15 year-old episode of TV, I don't really see how telling all of it is revealing spoilers, but I'm not taking any chances, lol. If you are familiar with the Katherine Ann Power case this episode of "Law & Order" should hold your interest. It's also very well written, acted and directed. I'm a much bigger fan of "SVU" than the original series, but this episode is probably as good as any episode of the spin- off. The episode starts out with a bank robbery and one of the items in the robbery is a gym bad with lots of cash and a gun. It is traced back to Billy Goodwin (Peter Friedman) and from there eventually to Rita Levitan (played by Mary Joan Negro). Rita Levitan turns out to be Susan Forest and she is wanted for the bank robbery and murder of a police officer from the early 1970s. Susan Forest has been on the run since the crime and along the way assumed the identity of Rita Levitan. How she is caught is interesting and uses a bit of coincidence to weave the tale. What was interesting to me is how Susan Forest became a conservative soccer-mom type to avoid capture. Everyone does a great acting job, even attorney William Kunstler. Susan Forest's friend Margaret Pauly, played by Peggy Roeder does a great acting job, especially when she realizes that her friend has betrayed her. There are a few twists and turns and some great writing. I'm not sure if this is available on DVD, but if you get the chance to see this episode, don't miss it.

Fandango (1985)

After 25 years, this movies still holds up...

[10/10 · 28 April 2004]

I'm updating my review because since I first posted it in 2004, this movie has come out on DVD. This is still one of my top five movies of all-time. I'm such a movie fanatic that for me to narrow it down to five is like pulling teeth. But this sleeper of a movie is that good. Especially if you like road trip movies. Kevin Costner, Judd Hirsch, Sam Robards, Chuck Bush and Brian Cesak play the Groovers, Univerity of Texas graduates (well, four of them, anyway) that go on one last road trip to dig up Dom. They have adventures along the way and learn about themselves, each other and what true friendship really means. While this might not be considered an A film, it's easily one of the best (if not THE best) road trip or slice-of-life film ever made. IMHO, Kevin Costner gives the only unaffected acting job of his career but the rest of the cast is equally good. Chuck Bush and Brian Cesak don't get as much dialog as the rest of the cast, but there is no way this movie would be the same without their characters. The same goes for Marvin J. MacIntyre and Suzy Amis. Glenne Headly and Pepe Serna have small parts. This movie has a great soundtrack, not only with pop songs of the era, but especially with jazz instrumentals by Pat Matheny. I could go on and on about what a wonderful film this is. If only more road trip movies would follow this pattern. I'm not giving away any of the ending (sorry spoiler fans!) but I will say the ending is...well, right. It just wouldn't have been the same with a different ending. The DVD has some deleted scenes and a trailer. To reiterate some comments from my previous review, there are a few scenes in this film that belong in some type of "unforgettable movie minutes" hall of fame. Rent this, watch this and hopefully you will fall in love with film as I and many others have.

Freedom (1981 TV Movie)

I really, really like this movie!!!

[9/10 · 27 December 2003]

Mare Winningham...what an actress! IMHO she is the most under-rated actress in Hollywood. She can act rings around most of the 40ish 'stars' out there. She can sing like an angel, too. I first saw her on The Gong Show of all places in about 1976 and a few years later when I started seeing her on MOW (movies of the week) I remembered her. Then when I watched this movie I realized what a terrific actress she is. She sings several songs in this movie and the opening one (I think the name of it is "On My Way To Me" by Janis Ian) is truly a beautiful song. Her character of Libby is much more multi-faceted than the usual teenage runaway was portrayed back in the late 70s/early 80s. Mare is great in every scene and very believable as a teenager trying to sort out her life. I try to see everything she is in. She's that good an actress. Try to catch the movie Georgia from 1995 - she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The soundtrack from that movie is great. Freedom is very hard to find. I don't think it has been released on video. I watched it again for the first time in 20 years at the Museum of TV and Radio in NYC. Go there and watch this in a viewing booth and see what a great actress Mare Winningham is.

Go Ask Alice (1973 TV Movie)

the walls are dripping, I can't come down...

[10/10 · 27 December 2003]

Just kidding. I don't do drugs. But I do love this movie. I grew up believing the book Go Ask Alice was real and then to read on IMDB that it is a fake and written by some middle-aged woman...bummer. I watched this movie when it came on as a MOW (movie of the week for all of you who did not grow up in the 70s) and for years I was OBSESSED with finding it on video. I finally did in the spring of 1999. Now I'm not sure what my obsession was. I mean, I really liked this movie when I first watched it (I guess I was about eight) but I don't know why it had such an impression on me. I wish Jamie Smith-Jackson hadn't stopped acting. She is quite good in this movie. I read that she is married to Michael Ontkean. But, anyway, the movie is good and the performances (except for William 'Do I HAVE to do another take? What's wrong with the first one? Just because I didn't show ANY EMOTION WHATSOEVER...' Shatner) are good. I would like to see a remake of this movie. Eve Plumb (always under-rated IMHO) would be great as the mother. Even though this movie is (gulp!) THIRTY years old (that means I'm almost forty...nah, that can't be) it still holds up as to the dangers of experimenting with drugs. Alice and her friend have a pretty rough time of it on the road after running away. They encounter pill-pushing child molesters, eating out of garbage cans and Andy Griffith (a million light years from Mayberry and Aunt Bee) as a with-it preacher! BTW, the other movie I was obsessed with was She Lives! with Season Hubley and Desi Arnaz, Jr., also made in 1973. While I hardly ever watch Alice anymore (I do have it on VHS) I've watched She Lives! probably fifty times in the four years I have had it. I'd like to hear from others who have seen either of these movies.

Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1983)

A review from someone who actually likes this movie...

[30 October 2002]

Yes, this movie has bad acting, a poor plot and no real horror to speak of...but it is also one of the 'so bad it's good' movies. Evelyn (who IS creepy, by the way) goes on a killing spree at her motel. I think the idea of Evelyn going from one cabin to the next through an underground tunnel was a neat idea. I also liked that not all of the likeable characters were killed. There is also some humor. While this movie is surely not of the caliber of Psycho or even Texas Chainsaw Massacre (both favorites of mine!) it is worth a look; if only for the camp value. Rent this off of the 99 cent rack, turn off the lights, and get ready to be scared...a little! But please do not disturb Evelyn...SHE ALREADY IS!

Leaving Normal (1992)

An overlooked film that deserves to be seen...

[6 September 2002]

While this road trip movie isn't as good as Thelma and Louise, it really shouldn't be compared. The two films are very different. While Thelma and Louise are on the run the police, Mary Ann and Darly (the two main characters of Leaving Normal) are only on the run from themselves. Meg Tilly and Christine Lahti play the title characters with just the right touches of naivete and cynicism. Mary Ann is leaving a bad marriage (her second) and Darly is heading to Alaska to reclaim land from an earlier marriage. Their paths merge in Normal, Wyoming and they set out on a road trip that changes both of them. A few of the scenes (thankfully very few) don't seem to work - almost as if they were added for comic effect. Both actresses give great performances. If you can overlook a few plot problems (their new overweight friend Sixty-six seems to find a rich man and leaves all of her belongings behind with Mary Ann and Darly all in the same day) I think you'll find this movie to be an enjoyable and touching tale. The tag line of the movie is: Sometimes the only way to find where you're going is to lose your way. I don't know about you, but in my life that has been true more than a few times. Oh, be sure not to miss the best scene in the whole film. When returning to their car with coolant after it has overheated to find the car stripped and their possessions strewn everywhere Mary Ann (always trying to believe things will work out) says, "We'll still get there. We'll still get to Alaska." Cynical Darly gets the best line in the film, "You're just like a punching bag aren't you, Mary Ann? Knock you down and you get back up. I bet you're one of those people who say when life gives you lemons make lemonade. Well, guess what, sweetheart, life hasn't given us lemons, it's given us SHIT!" I laughed so hard the first time I watched this scene and it's still a line I quote on one of those days when nothing seems to go right. Rent this movie and you won't be sorry.

The Young Runaways (1968)

Ok, I admit it, I've watched this movie countless times...

[10/10 · 20 April 2001]

This movie seems to have vanished from the minds of most movie lovers. I really don't know how well it did at the box office when it was released in 1968 but I found it on TNT about 10 years ago and I thought it was great. It may be a little predictable but I think it has a great story and acting. Brooke Bundy is outstanding as a teenager who can't communicate with her father (Lloyd Bochner, who later gained fame for the scene in Dynasty where his character dies while having sex with Alexis Carrington, played by the under-rated Joan Collins) and so she runs away. Patty McCormack (still the bad seed!) is very good as a runaway who comes to a bad end. Kevin Coughlin (who would later die in a car accident) has a good role as Dewey, the runaway with a good heart. Also in the cast is Dick Sargeant (the 'other' Darrin Stevens) and Richard Dreyfuss as a car thief as well as a few bit players who look familiar but probably aren't. I have this movie taped if anyone is interested.

Money on the Side (1982 TV Movie)

A pretty good movie of the week about prostitution...

[8/10 · 6 March 2000]

This made for TV movie stars Karen Valentine, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Linda Purl as three women who become prostitutes for different reasons. Karen plays a woman whose son needs a special school. Jamie Lee's character likes the thrill of hooking and Linda's character is saving the money to buy a house. This isn't landmark television but it's better than the title suggests. Karen Valentine is always a top-notch professional actress and she delivers a strong portrayal here. Jamie Lee Curtis and Linda Purl are also good in their roles. Catch this movie if it comes on late night TV (sadly, it doesn't very often) and I think you will like it.

Four Friends (1981)

A wonderful must-see film...don't miss this one!

[6 March 2000]

This film about four friends coming of age in the 60s is one of my favorite films of all time. The acting and script in this movie are unlike any you will ever see in another film. Jodi Thelen is perhaps the best young actress I have ever seen. She makes Georgia a truly unique, unforgettable character. I have to admit that I fell in love with Georgia AND Jodi after seeing this movie. Some of the dialogue spoken between the characters is like poetry (and some of it is poetry). Craig Wasson (one of my favorite actors...he's a natural actor, never fake) plays Danilo with such passion that's it easy to believe that he is an immigrant that comes to love America. This is on my list of top 10 best films of all time. Anyone who has seen this movie PLEASE write me! I can't find ANYONE around the south who has seen this film, much less anyone who loves it as much as I do.

What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1977–1978)

A great show that didn't last long enough...

[6 March 2000]

This was a wonderful show that only lasted a season but it is still in my memory. It was an anthology drama with a different story every week. Some of the stories were a little more sad than others but all in all, this was a great show. I can't believe that out of all of the garbage in reruns out there, this show seems to have just vanished. I wish it would show up somewhere...cable or video or something. It was just too good to not be seen again.

She Lives! (1973 TV Movie)

A very 70ish made-for-TV movie that's actually quite good!

[31 January 2000]

I watched this movie when it first came on in 1973 (I was about 8 or 9 at the time) and I loved it! I finally managed to get a copy of it just a few months ago - thanks, Regina, wherever you are! - and I still think it's a pretty good movie. Season Hubley and Desi Arnaz, Jr. are very convincing as the young couple whose happiness is threatened when Pam (Season) gets cancer. It's not a Love Story ripoff, in that this movie centers around the illness itself and not how the characters are so different. Also, you can tell by the title how the movie ends.

The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)

A truly original, wonderful film!

[29 March 1999]

This story of a strange girl falling in love with a boy who at first resists, then embraces her is a wonderful movie. Pookie Adams is unlike any character in any other movie I have seen. She is truly desperate for love and when she finds it she ruins it by holding on too tightly. This movie is heart- breaking because there is no way for the teenage lovers to find a happy ending. A sweet, touching look at first love that is not to be missed.