Rogue-18 Reviews

Live Nude Girls (1995)

Live Nude Lies

[1/10 · 2 September 2005]

The tragedy is that some people -- men *and* women -- will watch a movie like this and think that it reflects the truth -- "how women really feel", etc. It's utter baloney, and the fact that a woman wrote this garbage is testament to one woman's willingness to write anything in order the appeal to the lowest common denominator and make a buck. Same goes for the performers involved.

This flick was apparently a precursor to prettily-packaged toxic waste like "Sex in the City" -- and the tragedy is that, watching material like this, gullible men end up thinking that women enjoy degrading, unpleasant sex acts, and women, God help us, end up thinking they are *supposed* to enjoy them. Saddest of all are the little girls who see this stuff on TV and have developed no defenses against it.

Road House (1989)

Ohhhhhhhyeah, this is movie is a good time for all red-blooded gals 'n' guys

[16 July 2005]

Yes, I said gals 'n' guys...I'm a gal and never get tired of watching Patrick whale the tar outta the slimebuckets at the Double Deuce and at Brad Wesley's creepy mansion...and act bored by the ladies who come onto him...and then mesmerize Dr. Elizabeth Clay without laying a finger on 'er until she's just PARALYZED with desire and then...oh baby. (Those who've watched this film for years will have noticed that this particular scene is missing lately when the movie runs on TV.)

Anyhow...yeah, sure it's unrealistic in some rather basic ways. In an environment as dangerous as Jasper MO, Dalton's bouncer skills would have been useful for about 20 minutes, and then one of Wesley's goons would have taken him out with a few well-placed bullets. But, as so many others have pointed out, this is the stuff of fantasy, not reality, which may be part of why it's a guaranteed good time, every time.

I give the film a lot of credit for being quirky enough not to just deliver the expected moves at the expected moments. Case in point is the young waitress/singer who barges into Dalton's loft on his first morning in town. Surprise: though clearly staggered by his gorgeousness and mystery, she doesn't come onto him, and he doesn't try to take advantage of her. They just...chat. She's like his little sister. God, it's wonderful.

Kelly Lynch as Dalton's physician-girlfriend has such class...she is as beautiful as any of the hot women who try to get Dalton's attention at the bar, but clearly is a different caliber of human being which is why Dalton is interested...Lynch's acting is just beautifully calibrated, understated & authentic.

And Sam Elliot...well, what can you say. Nothing not to love about the guy, who seems to inhabit the characters he plays more effortlessly than anyone I can think of. Every look, move and word right on the money. He's just so damn good.

Well...see this movie. It's one jaw-dropping good time. Good v. Evil, respect for human decency, & Swayze, Lynch and Elliot at their physical peak and workin' it, babe. Dang.

Princess Caraboo (1994)

Delicate, funny, intriguing, beautiful -- this film is a treasure on many levels. See it!

[10/10 · 22 February 2004]

"Princess Caraboo" is a rare breed of film these days -- aimed at adults, but highly respectful of the human soul and therefore safe for all ages. All viewers should find the historical angle fascinating, lovers of whimsical, offbeat humor will be delighted, "romantics" will be stirred by the powerful ending...and the ravishing color palette of the sets and costumes will enchant those who crave sheer visual beauty.

I personally thought the wonderful ending was handled very well -- it was particularly powerful for being beautifully understated, and did not "take away" from the effectiveness of the story. Because it had been foreshadowed (with great subtlety) throughout the movie, it did not arrive as a shock but rather as a fulfillment.

I must also put in a good word for the glorious music...another home run. See this film. As others have noted, it will stay with you long afterward.

Two for the Seesaw (1962)

Touching, intimate love story full of atmosphere and offbeat charm

[17 January 2004]

Robert Mitchum and Shirley MacLaine are well-cast in this engaging love story set in NYC and shot in gritty, atmospheric black and white. Mitchum's wonderfully-modulated performance as a middle-aged lawyer on the rebound, and MacLaine's as the effervescent young dancer he becomes involved with, mesh very appealingly. The Broadway-caliber dialogue is more sophisticated, and the emotional level more intimate, than the films the two were typically making at the time. If "The Grass is Greener", a Mitchum (and Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr!) film from the same period and also an adaptation of a stage play, is a tepid example of how *not* to bring a play to the screen, "Two for the Seesaw" is a vibrant example of how to use film to endow a play with an intimacy that would be impossible to achieve onstage. Major kudos to Mitchum, MacLaine, and the director, Robert Wise.

A Taste of Honey (1961)

A poignant, delicately powerful gem of a movie!

[10/10 · 17 January 2004]

This offbeat film is funny, tragic, and all the stops in between...and if Rita Tushingham, as the teenaged heroine "Jo", is the movie's heart, its soul is Murray Melvin, whose subtle but searing performance as her friend "Geoff" is one of the greatest on film (it deservedly won him the Cannes Film Festival's "Palme d'Or").

Most of the musical score may sound odd to American ears (I believe it reflects the instrumental music that actually accompanied the stage play from which this film is adapted), but the chorus of lilting children's voices, singing a traditional song, that is heard over the movie's opening and closing sequences, is extremely effective.

River of No Return (1954)

Very entertaining, if lightweight, visually luscious western

[14 January 2004]

Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe are young and vibrant in this film, and there is great location scenery shot in the Canadian Rockies. Both lead characters (Mitchum's and Monroe's) are attractive and likeable, the story is just offbeat enough to hold the interest, and there are some touchingly "real" moments amid the action sequences. Monroe's luscious costumes and sensuous singing are knock-outs. Lightweight but satisfying entertainment.

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

A disappointing film--vicious and untruthful

[9 December 2001]

I am a woman, and this "women's movie" sickened me. "Fried Green Tomatoes" tends to be admired by radical feminists because the women in it are portrayed as loving, sensitive, mutually supportive, and oppressed by men--and the men in it are portrayed, of course, as evil, stupid, or both. It is a travesty.

The ending is nothing short of filth--a plot twist that is inhuman and monstrous, but which fans of the movie seem to regard as uplifting. That says it all.

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

Wonderfully atmospheric music and locations, excellent pacing, and especially wonderful performances by Redgrave, McGoohan, and the compellingly handsome Nigel Davenport.

[10/10 · 15 August 1999]

A visually lush, beautifully-acted treatment of the compelling story of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots--refreshingly, not slanted in favor of Mary's English opponents. Along with massive doses of romance, the film provides an interesting depiction of the long-distance tension between Mary and her Cousin, Elizabeth I of England, and the forces at work in the courts of continental Europe and of England and Scotland that made Mary's life hazardous from the moment she set foot on Scottish soil. This is above all a vivid portrait of the interrelationships of fascinating personalities--none more so than those of the Queen, played with riveting and unselfconscious elegance by Vanessa Redgrave, and her great love Lord Bothwell--in which role the gifted and compellingly attractive Nigel Davenport is perfectly cast.

Summer and Smoke (1961)

A haunting treatment of a Tennessee Williams drama, fraught with repressed, deeply felt emotion. Geraldine Page gives a riveting, heartbreaking performance.

[10/10 · 15 August 1999]

Set in a small, insular town in the deep South, this is a gripping drama of miscommunication and repressed passion. Geraldine Page's powerful performance becomes progressively more harrowing as her character, the spinsterish Miss Alma, struggles to forge a connection with the man she has always loved--the handsome, dissolute son of the town's respected doctor (Laurence Harvey, perfectly cast). In the process, lives are forever changed--in ways none of those involved could have predicted. Page is simply incredible in this movie, delivering a climactic soliloquy that will leave you emotionally shell-shocked.

Look Back in Anger (1959)

Intense, vividly-written and well-acted drama of a disaffected, working-class English youth and his upper-middle-class wife as they struggle to remain together through emotionally and financially hard times

[10/10 · 15 August 1999]

The ultimate British "kitchen sink" drama, filmed in gritty, atmospheric black and white, "Look Back in Anger" depicts a rough period in the married life of Jimmy and Allison Porter, a young English couple of disparate backgrounds whose turbulent relationship appears doomed. Richard Burton gives an intense performance as Jimmy, whose love for Allison, played by the ethereally lovely Mary Ure, only occasionally breaks through the anger he takes out on her in merciless verbal assaults. But when the clouds do part, their mutual devotion is beautiful to behold. Gary Raymond, as the couple's stalwart and sweet-natured friend Cliff, and Dame Edith Evans, as the one person Jimmy loves and respects unconditionally, contribute wonderful supporting performances. The delicate, dark-eyed beauty of Claire Bloom, as Allison's brittle best friend, provides a striking counterpoint to Ure's fragile blonde looks.

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

Subtle, bittersweet story of the bond forged between a tough but tender-hearted Marine and a young nun stranded on a Pacific island during WWII.

[15 August 1999]

Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr give beautiful performances in this touching study of a Marine and a young nun who find themselves stranded on a Pacific island during WWII. Their platonic relationship deepens when the Japanese return to occupy the island, and Cpl. Allison and Sister Angela take refuge in a cave, surviving by his wits, her prayers, and the saving grace of their mutual respect and affection. Mitchum gives one of the finest performances of his career as the proud Marine who finds himself falling in love with his companion, and Deborah Kerr is unaffectedly enchanting as Sister Angela. Quiet moments of compelling character study are interspersed with suspenseful action sequences set amid ruggedly beautiful scenery.