Goodnight, Joseph Parker

Goodnight Joseph Parker

OK, this is a tough one. My friend possibly coined it best when as we silently left the theatre suddenly said "Well, that's about enough to make you want to open a vein." Reminiscent of Tennessee Williams and as mentioned before 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" the film wreaked of darkness, inner tensions and hopelessness.

The dirge begins in a small very dirty bar containing a washed up owner (Sorvino) , a cocktail waitress (Mazar)and one greasy loser patron (Edson).

They are arguing about where everyone went and why. Edson lets on that he has a "secret" but won't tell what it is. There is some very good camera work and especially the XCUs on Sorvino to enhance the maudlin of his character. It's intense...I'm hooked.

Then, here comes the comic relief in the form of Steven Tyler. He comes in as this scum-bucket loud-mouthed trashy punk (a part he didn't seem to have much trouble pulling off) yelling at the other loser that it was time to go. He had about a 4 minute scene in which he talked some trash, got some laughs and then made a grand exit by being chased out.

It turns out the "secret" is Joey Parker(Chinlund) is coming "home" He's a local boy gone good in the citaay. Supposed to be guesting on the Jay Leno show soon they all hear ! He turns the mood around , getting drunk and promising to do a show in the bar to bring the customers back in. The cocktail waitress is in love with him. There's singing , dancing. Then as the roller-coaster clicks to the top he asks about their old friend "Monkey".

Well, Monkey is no more and there is a lot of underlying tension about how and why. From there it plummets into a deeper and deeper funk. The ex-girl friend (Dickens) that he intends to ask to marry him shows up. She's a junkie ho-bag, her and the owner have words. She gets some cash from JP. More fantastic secrets are revealed. Entangling more and more emotions and blather of the small town life centered around this scummy bar. This went on for another half hour or so until everyone is very drunk and numerous emotional catastrophes have transpired.

Again, here comes Tyler to lighten things up. Bouncing into the room. Running his abundant mouth. The scenes almost seem like they don't fit into the big picture being so abstract from the rest of the film. Then, as quickly as he came, exit ST and return to the emotional upheaval. This went on until the very end of the movie.

Now, it may sound like I didn't like the film. That's not true. It was disturbing but it was supposed to be. The acting, the camera work and lighting were exceptional (watch for the camera movement during Joey's second encounter with with his old girlfriend). I'm impressed that it took as little time as it did to shoot and came in under budget.

I gave this film a 9 but I'm surprised that there aren't more '1's' in the voting. It's encouraging, actually. This is a smart film but it's not for everyone. The stagey feeling mentioned by others is correct and it can be a little slow at times but the writing and the acting is brilliant! If this were a larger budget film it would be nominated for Oscars for writing and acting (Sorvino, Mazar and Chinlund) and set design. Yes, that's a set!!! You would swear you were in a real Jersey bar. I lived in various parts of New Jersey all my life and I really felt like I might have been to this bar before...so I looked into it hoping that I had, only to discover it was built on a soundstage.

There are moments in this film that had me tearing up and of course, hiding the fact from my girlfriend. It's rare this happens to me and it was the writing and the acting that got to me.

I wish there were more truly independent films like this with real acting and writing. Amazing.

I thought this was a great low budget drama. All the money must have been spent on the writing and talent but that's all they needed. The actors did an amazing job of commanding your attention. I thought their performances smacked of a recklessness needed to capture the essence of such desperate characters. As in any good drama, the dialogue was gritty, sincere, and emotional. I liked how the actors used the dialogue as tools to forge an atmosphere of loneliness produced by unfulfilled dreams. The camera-work was above average but not exactly great. The editing was excellent most of the time but fell a little short in one or two places. As always, EnjoyJ

I have read the reviews of "professionals" on this and they have little, if any, good to say about it. I say it is worth a try. I liked it. It is a depressing movie if you don't look at the larger picture. This movie is really about hope and redemption; just like the characters, you have to go through hell to get there though.

Lessons: 1) Don't believe everything people tell you. 2) Clean it up before someone falls in it. 3) If you wipe off your face you might find she's right under your nose.

Cast: The acting ranged from good to great. Sorvino did his best work in years and Chinlund has never been better. Mazar and Dickens were both amazingly striking in their performances. Edson did a notch above his usually fine work and even Tyler delivers a solid performance.

GOODNIGHT,JOSEPH PARKER (aka LAST CALL) is what every festival circuit film yearns to be: compelling, dramatic,and with a keen insight to the human spirit. I saw it at a preview screening and really liked it. Starring Paul Sorvino, Nick Chinlund and Debi Mazar, it is a film similar to Sorvino's THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON. Like that film, it shows how the past never really goes away and can wreak havoc with the present. The performances are uniformly excellent--with Sorvino being both gruff and tragic. The film also has a great music score--very jazzy and more appropriate to the action than you would think. The writer, director, and producer is Dennis Brooks, whom I haven't heard of before. I get the impression that he's probably a playwright trying to cross over because the movie seems somewhat stagy. Nevertheless, it's highly visual, almost like a color WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? My big question is, why hasn't this movie been released theatrically yet?

This is one of the most touching films i have seen in a long time. I was fortunate enough to see it in Los Angeles (a film festival). I think it would be safe to say that there was not a dry eye in the house. Anyone over 25 will identify with the theme of wanting to make something of their life that is noteworthy. The casting was perfect! Debi Mazur delivers a performance that is incredible. Nick Chinlund's performance will captivate you. Oh, and Kim Dickens will tear your heart out. overall, this movie is "unexpected". There was no telling the journey you would be going on. I can only hope it's released in theaters, because it hits on so many levels it would be a tragedy for this film to go unseen. Besides, Paul Sorvino is a shoe in for an Oscar nomination.