Actuakers
One of my all time favorites.
SeeQuant
Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
Tayloriona
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
sundialpictures-01657
What's good about this flick? The gorgeous Anita Morris plays Nelson's stepmother and the woman oozes sex appeal. A wonderfully smarmy performance by Paul Winfield as a corrupt police chief. David Caruso acts circles around his co-star Judd Nelson. Some really nice shots of the coastline while Nelson rides his hog down the interstate. Ry Cooder's bluesy score is just a treat to listen to and captures the atmosphere of the settings.What's bad about it? Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson aren't trying at all; they look like they're here for the paycheck and nothing more. They exhibit no chemistry in any of their scenes together, and Nelson looks like he's reciting all of his lines in the least interested manner possible, and Sheedy looks as though she'd rather be anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, these two performers are probably the reason why most people would want to see this movie. I say skip it and see them in St. Elmo's Fire or better yet The Breakfast Club.
Wizard-8
"Blue City" came and went from theaters pretty quickly, and has been pretty much forgotten today. I picked up a copy of the movie from a thrift store for 55 cents, to see if there was a reason why the movie is now in obscurity. It did not take me long to figure out why... and that I paid way too much to see it. There are many problems with the movie, but I think the biggest is that there isn't really any character to identify or sympathize with. The biggest offender is the main character played by Judd Nelson. Right from the start he is deeply arrogant and unlikable, so it's really hard to get involved with his quest to solve the murder of his father. It doesn't help that Nelson's performance really rubs the viewer the wrong way. (Actually, EVERY actor in this movie gives a poor performance.) As for the mystery angle of the movie, it is uninvolving, mainly because the investigation moves at an unbelievably slow pace. And Nelson's character makes a lot of actions that are so unbelievable that you'll wonder how he's not thrown in jail countless times, or simply killed off. The climax tries to pull off a surprise twist, but if you have seen your share of thrillers, more likely than not you will have guessed what that twist will be long before it unfolds. I'll be shortly donating my copy of this movie to a thrift store, so if you happen to see it there, let it remain there gathering dust.
Thorsten-Krings
The film got quite bad reviews mainly because it hasn't got a lot to do with Ross McDonald's brilliant novel about a veteran returning to his home town and finding it completely corrupted. This adaptation is more aimed at a teen audience, so the veteran becomes an young man who left as a teenager and the prostitute he befriends becomes a childhood sweetheart. The story is extremely simplified. However, the film is actually quite well made. The storyline and the way it's told resembles more a Budd Boetticher western about the cowboy who cleans up town. The acting/casting is pretty good, the film is fast paced and well told and Ry Cooder's soundtrack is absolutely amazing. There is of course a lot of violence, some of it rather mindless but in the end the cocky avenger gets his come-uppance. I found it a very entertaining and really well put together film and also pretty stylish in a Miami Vice kind of way.
pdk
I knew nothing beforehand about this film. I only watched it because Ally Sheedy was in the cast. This was one of the poorest films I have seen in a long time. In my opinion, the only actor who really put anything into his part was Paul Winfield. I like Ms. Sheedy no matter what film she's in, ever since I first saw her in War Games. Judd Nelson was inappropriate as the hero. The plot became more preposterous as the film went on, so that by the end nothing that happens surprises the viewer. The actions which the hero did were totally over the top, and he got away with all of them!! All in all, a film to avoid.
