phibes012000

Paul Mazursky's completely wonderful journey of a woman from happy, married life to being single. Jill Clayburgh plays Erica, a woman who seems to have the perfect existence. One day, without warning, her perfect life unravels completely. The film follows her odyssey into divorce and recovering from it. What's even more great is that the film does not forget to be funny while not losing its ability to move. This is Jill Clayburgh's finest hour. Alan Bates is the perfect actor to play Erica's love interest. I kept imagining his Rupert character from Women in Love being presented with another kind of woman. Not a false note in the whole film. One of the best movies of the '70s.

Recently I read a forum where various people expressed joy that Gene Siskel is dead. I did not agree with this critic a lot of the time, and I disagree with him about this film. Gene Siskel was the most vocal critic against this overrated slasher, and it is to him I dedicate this mini review. I think Mr. Siskel was giving this film way too much credit. In the case of this kind of film bad publicity only helps the gross. I think Friday the 13th is a Z grade ripoff of Halloween and Twitch of the Death Nerve, and THAT'S IT. The story is moronically simple: a buncha kids are violently murdered by an unseen killer. The bloody shock scenes and the surprise ending are what made this flick a runaway hit. Frankly I've never liked it at all. There's a stupidity lurking around the festivities that makes the gore very non threatening. The killer's identity is one of the dumbest revelations ever put to film. And there is zero suspense here...just bloody carnage. Even the bloody effects are outdated now...they look plastic and fake. Still people like this junk, so whatever.