perfectionist27 Reviews

Long Ago, Tomorrow (1971)

A different type of love story

[24 November 1999]

I recently obtained this video from and envisioned that I was going to see the ubiquitous boy-meets-girl scenario. I was far wrong because what I ended up viewing was a more interesting and realistic portrayal of two people caught up in a crossfire between their feelings towards each other and the deterrents that nearly prevent them from fulfillling it. I must commend Malcolm McDowell for portraying the surly but tender male lead in a performance that is truly a step beyond his trademark stormy and negative characters. Nanette Newman,too, should be rewarded for playing the fragile and compassionate heroine.

It's a shame that Long Ago Tomorrow was virtually overlooked upon its release in 1971- hopefully, if more folks other than myself will see this picture, it may get the recognition it is due, significantly, for honestly portraying paraplegics as normal human beings like everyone else.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Harrowing & breathtaking at the same time

[30 October 1999]

Rarely have I seen a film, especially one that was deemed controversial since its release, that would just overtake all five senses and make me eradicate its shortcomings; instead, it would allow me to carp it as a really formidable piece of work that it ought to be, especially after seeing the picture for the very first time. Such is the case with 1971's "A Clockwork Orange", a sometimes darkly funny and sinister view of a nearly futuristic society gone to the deep end, as told by the cheeky and calm narrator/main character, Alex(portrayed masterfully by Malcolm McDowell). Its director, Stanley Kubrick ,had done a grand job at creating this netherworld with the appropriate lighting and space effects, not to mention, the brutal moodiness around it. Mind you, one must be warned not to view it as a run of the mill weekend fare rented from the local video place, to capture the whole essence of what is being said(as often Kubrick's films usually are required to be seen more than once)- I may have be one of few to understand its nature from the start(and that's only because I read the Anthony Burgess novella beforehand)but again, one doesn't have to know, say, aversion therapy to see it. If you have an open mind to movies that are merely produced as "screen paintings" with something to tell as an added plus, in lieu of the "quickie quotas" made that are filled with the usual scatological humor or mindless blood and gore, then you need not look any further. "A Clockwork Orange" truly represents to be a compelling example from the former category.