Liar's Moon

This is one of my favorite movies. I saw it on cable when it first came out. The first time I saw it, it was one of those feel good movies. Then the next day when I settled in to watch it again it turned into a sad movie because of the different ending. When it came out on video I bought it hoping the feel good ending was used. It was not. I recently found out that the DVD version doesn't have both ending available on it but it DOES have the feel good ending. Now I HAVE to buy a DVD player!

This modest pic left me in a dreamy, relaxed state, and I felt like I'd experienced a minor gem.

It was not widely released, but it played cable TV outlets in the early 80's and features one of Matt Dillon's earliest screen personas.

It's not brilliant, but it's extremely unusual and stylishly directed. It has an atmosphere that reminds me of Jack Fisk's underrated RAGGEDY MAN.

A dark, haunting tale of forbidden love, it describes the love affair between dirt poor Matt Dillon and the lovely Cindy Fisher, daughter of a wealthy banker who is the keeper of a terrible secret.

Stunning photography and a terrific cast elevate this provocative film into the ranks of "minor classic".

The real downfall to this movie is Mike, played by Jim Greenleaf. Unfortunately his over the top goofy portrayal of a doofus hillbilly is nowhere near genuine, and only detracts from the momentum of the film. The other friend is likewise forgettable, and the idiotic slapstick scenes they're in add nothing to the film's drama. Joe Don Baker is the same typical non-presence he always is. Thankfully he doesn't get much screen time. The rest of the cast is quite effective, albeit it not exactly very likeable. Ginny's father was way too overbearing for credibility. Not much subtlety in any of the performances. I liked the story, and Cindy Fisher and Matt Dillon were pretty good together. Despite some hokey scenes and awful music, it was still rather cute. Cindy was truly stunning in this movie. Matt Dillon is always a force in any role he tackles, and this is no exception. I'd say he's rather on the bland side in this one. It's not a classic movie or even an excellent one, but it's strong enough to keep the viewer watching and interested. 5.5 rounded up to 6. There's really not much here that the viewer will remember after the credits roll, but it's still all right. Light hearted fare.

As the apprentice editor. My boss, Steve Rosenbloom, went on to edit most of Ed Zwick's films and supervise the editing of Bedford Falls shows (thirtysomething). The editor, Chris Greenbury, was English and was known for the occasional temper tantrum. I didn't know it at the time, but he was one of the fastest cutters in the business.

I was seventeen and studying film at HSPVA, Houston's High School for Performing and Visual Arts. There was an actors' strike going on in Los Angeles, so the cast and crew were really top rate for a low-budget local film.

I ran the edge coding machine. We worked on Moviolas in two rooms of a large hotel near Sharpstown. Cindy Fischer smiled at me once, and I saved enough money to make a 16mm film the next semester, before coming out to LA and going to film school at USC.

I gradually fell into the world of software development, which I love, and recently ended up at DreamWorks. So, if you watch the title crawl at the end of Shark Tale, way below the HP logo, you'll see my second feature film credit -- nearly 25 years after my first.

Gavin Doughtie

Liar's Moon is a coming of age film set in the early Fifties of the Truman administration in rural East Texas. In a role that bares a small resemblance to Cybill Shepherd's in The Last Picture Show, Cindy Fisher is the daughter of the wealthiest man in town, Christopher Connelly and Molly McCarthy.

For reasons he won't articulate Connelly takes an unreasoning dislike to dirt poor farm boy Matt Dillon whose parents, Hoyt Axton and Margaret Blye are so far the opposite side of the tracks they're in another zip-code. Still the two young people feel a strong attraction for each other and run off to elope in Louisiana. That drives Connelly into a rage. But it turns out a lie about a past indiscretion told Connelly by McCarthy sets in motion a horrific tragedy.

The young leads Dillon and Fisher are perfectly cast in this film about more innocent times. Oddly enough the innocence of those times also contributes to the tragic climax of Liar's Moon.

Also in the cast are two Hollywood veterans in small roles, Broderick Crawford as Fisher's grandfather and Yvonne DeCarlo as the proprietress of a motel the two young people elope to.

But it's the playing of Fisher and Dillon as a Texas version of Romeo and Juliet that really drives this very neglected and underrated film.