nataloff Reviews

Anticipation of the Night (1958)

a stunning memory-in-progress

[10/10 · 5 March 2006]

"Anticipation of the Night" is a memory piece set in the present tense. It is best described -- I think by the filmmaker, for I saw this work when it was new -- as "the day's events as recalled by an infant who is, as yet, unable to organize his thoughts." Thus we are shown not only a series of concrete shots of activities that the kid has just been through, but also a number of recurring abstract images that he cannot quite put into context because he doesn't have a sense of time. One goes into a trance while watching it and, amazingly, the film takes hold only when it's over when the viewer tries to sort it out -- exactly as the child has done as it anticipates the night. (See also Jim Shedden's intimate profile of Stan Brakhage in the 1998 documentary "Brakhage").

September 30, 1955 (1977)

One of the very few films to examine the power of movie stars

[10/10 · 5 September 2005]

This autobiographical film is one of the rare American motion pictures to examine the effect that movie stars have on audiences, particularly young audiences yearning for role models during times of emotional isolation. Writer-director James Bridges ("The Paper Chase," "The China Syndrome") recalls his youth in Paris, Arkansas (called Conway here) to create a heartfelt work of escalating intensity as its impressionable hero, Jimmy J (Richard Thomas), leads his friends over the edge as they mourn James Dean. "September 30, 1955" integrates images, themes, and even the music (also by Leonard Rosenmann) from "East of Eden" and "Rebel Without a Cause," and adds resonances to both films. This little, unheralded picture needs to be seen -- as does Richard Thomas's utterly brave performance. The key to understanding this film is not to think of it as a "youth picture" but as a deconstruction of the movie star mythos.

Frankie and Johnny Are Married (2003)

The Play's the Fling

[21 June 2004]

An absolutely fearless enterprise by all involved, "Frankie & Johnnie Are Married" is the ultimate actor's nightmare: not only that the curtain goes up and you're naked and you don't know your lines, but that the entire production is collapsing around you...and you're still naked.

Writer-Director Michael Pressman expertly brings each scene right to the brink and then expertly pulls it back from the abyss, thanks to his co-star (and real-life wife) Lisa Chess and their gutsy co-star Alan Rosenberg. In particular (ask anybody who's tried this), they've worked through how to a) act natural; b) act like they're acting; and c) blur the line in all the right places.

This is a hoot for anybody who's ever done Equity waiver theatre, low-budget movies, or worked with their relatives and friends -- and Pressman, Chess, and Rosenberg have the gall to do all three at once.

For those who enjoyed "Waiting for Guffman" and "Noises Off," this splendidly warm, sharply funny, but somehow intimate and upbeat comedy-drama is a perfect example of why everybody loves show biz -- and hates it -- at the same time.

You Can Count on Me (2000)

Makes "The Royal Tenenbaums" look good

[7 April 2002]

Reminiscent of "Five Easy Pieces" (1970) only with less well-defined characters and motivations, this is nevertheless an important film to cite as an example of what passes for "relationship" drama in a modern movie industry otherwise dominated by special effects and predictable plots. What's truly revealing is director-writer Kenneth Lonergan's articulate commentary track in which he describes a really great film --unfortunately, it doesn't happen to be the one he actually made. "You Can Count on Me" is a meandering, soft-centered, unfocused project that -- and here's why it's instructional -- nevertheless addresses critical issues about commitment, self-image, and morality that audiences clearly want to see on screen. This just isn't the film that shows them to us effectively.