RaiderJack

If you are expecting ridicule, vilification, or even justification, this would be the wrong movie to watch on J. Edgar Hoover.

Eastwood delivers a dark brooding, and rather objective look at one of the most controversial and polarizing figures in America. While the story itself may not be overly compelling, it does offer explanations behind some of the motivations that made up the man, John Edgar Hoover. The cinematography was a ...crucial element in creating and maintaining throughout a sense of secrecy, brooding, alienation, as well as distance. The chronology is disparate and effective: at times we see Hoover dictating his memoirs to an array of journalists and then we are taken back to the time in question, all the while framed in this overcast mood that fits the film and its subject matter perfectly. As a matter of fact, the manner in which this was filmed constitutes, to me, the biggest indication of Eastwood's opinion one way or the other - Hoover was a dark man with some even darker secrets.

J.Edgar's homosexuality as well as his proclivity for cross-dressing are only suggested and are handled with the utmost sensitivity. There is one scene which strongly implies his helplessness with his desires to cross-dress that was simply quite touching. And the relationship between Hoover and Tolson was beautifully written. No, I did not come away feeling empathy/sympathy for Hoover at all; neither were any of my perceptions surrounding him challenged in the least. I did leave the film however with surely a more heightened sense of his humanity.

This could NOT have been accomplished however, were it not for the positively riveting performance by Di Caprio. This guy can just ACT, okay? The other supporting players were equally excellent, most notably, Judi Dench who played his overbearing mother, Naomi Watts as his faithful secretary, Helen Gandy, and Armie Hammer, as Hoover's lifelong companion, Clyde Tolson. Some of the movie's most compelling scenes involved these three and all three gave powerhouse supporting performances to match Di Caprio.

I highly recommend as yet another excellent outing from a very good director.

I am still glowing from the distinct pleasure of having watched Laurence Fishburne so thoroughly realize a very intriguing and important figure in the civil rights struggle, Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Laurence Fishburne has indeed come a long way from Cornbread, Earl, and Me. He made his mark in his compelling portrayal of a struggling African-American father with fierce integrity in Boyz In the Hood and since then he has more than become the consummate actor. He has maintained an air of integrity around him and his characterizations regardless of the weaknesses seem to possess at the very least a measure of dignity.

This performance can certainly be counted as an accomplishment. Understanding of the world then is made very personal and thus very easy to relate to. Fisburne wonderfully exemplifies Marshall's strengths and poignantly reveals his weaknesses in this intriguing, very informative, difficult, colloquial, sad, and funny one-man show. The wonderful photography and sound effects combine to make for a compelling evening of theater. Fishburne is in his element portraying the very human and ultimately exceptional example of leadership in the fight for civil rights. I was a teenager when Marshall was appointed in the 60s and can assure you it was indeed a VERY tumultuous time. It was eerie trying to celebrate and appreciate the magnitude of this progress while cities were going up in flames all around you.....and on a fairly regular basis.

.....obviously this was far more than an excellent theater production for me.....but isn't this just what good art form is supposed to do?!! :0)

I highly recommend this as not only an excellent one-man show with a tour-de-force performance but as more than a worthy addition to any movie library! It has something to say to ANY disenfranchised community.

I finally got a chance to view this much-hyped, forever-talked about freak fest known as Eraserhead by David Lynch.

First and foremost, I am QUITE sure that subsequent viewings will find me liking this movie more and more. To date I have only seen it once. I KNEW I would have to write a review and my thoughts about it were all over the place - I was disgusted, frightened, amazed, laughed like hell but ultimately was THOROUGHLY entertained.

Secondly, I had to come up with a plot line to couch a review in. After only one viewing that seems virtually impossible. Hello folks, this is a David Lynch film - plot is ENTIRELY too restrictive a concept. Suffice it to say, it deals with loneliness, insecurity, frustration, a horny mother, an endlessly smoking grandmother, a hapless father, a mysterious Lady of the Evening, and a VERY disturbing baby.

Lastly, pegging it as merely "different" is a masterpiece of understatement and for a directorial debut is MOST unforgettable. Actually, I have come to like most, if not all of Lynch's work because it was NEVER commonplace, trite or contrived. Lynch is behind such fascinations as "Lost Highway," "Blue Velvet," "Wild At Heart," and, of course, "Twin Peaks." My ultimate justification is that David Lynch and I share a birthday which probably explains a lot.

Nonetheless, I most certainly recommend.