dtburr

This sort of "artistic documentary" marks a milestone in our culture and it's really a must-see for people interested in history. The DVD version contains important additional features such as excerpts from a long KSAN call-in show the next day. Some of the callers were principals in this event and their commentary is valuable. In addition, there are some incredible still photo collections on the DVD that go even further to capture the climate at this event.

There is a lot of talk about "Hells Angels" this and that in the reviews here. The Hells Angels were not the primary problem - it was a terrible combination of sloppy organization, third parties who reneged on deals and contributed to the problem, and the concert-goers themselves. As some callers to the KSAN show commented, "I was at Woodstock, and Altamont was completely different. Nobody came together. We had no spirit of community. The whole thing was hurried and stayed tense throughout." So imagine 300,000 people working hard to get their groove on quickly - since the concert was only confirmed a day or two prior - using whatever they could roll up in a paper, stir into their cheap wine, or drop on a sugar cube. Then their heroes come up onto the 20'x20'x3'-high stage and viola, you have a massive problem on your hands whether security was Superman, Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner Bill Gannon, Acme Security out of Walla Walla, or the Hells Angels. There was going to be violence. It certainly didn't help that the organizers told the HA to park their bikes right next to the stage. With the crowd as it was, that was guaranteed disaster for a few people.

What a way to end the '60s flower power era.

This is tribute to how good this movie is. I am not necessarily a Matt Damon fan, and I know beans about poker. For all I know, the scenes in the movie have no technical merit from a poker standpoint.

Who cares? This move is absolutely loaded! The characters and the acting are incredible, from Damon (Mike) to Norton (Worm) to Malkovich ("Teddy KGB") to Landau (Prof. Abe Petrovsky) , and yes, even Rispoli (Gramma). I can't miss a scene, even though I have seen the thing 25 times. The story is good, the screenplay better. But the directing in this film is exceptional. It is what made the movie. Almost all characters are believable and totally engaging. Shot selection is top notch. Just watch it! This is no low-budget movie with the typical low-budget concessions. It has it all. In fact, from a directing standpoint, only the "fraternity boys" in the early card game were ridiculous caricatures. OTOH, they were making an attempt to segment the various types of "opponents", and some viewers are potentially pretty dumb, so I can cut them slack here.

The only other flaw I saw in the movie - my opinion - is that the part of Jo (Gretchen Mol), Mike's girlfriend, was miscast. I thought that Mol was too "cute". I think it would have been okay to have a more believable "lawyer-in-training". You could still have someone good-looking - just don't make me want to touch her cute little nose and then cup my hands on her ears, all the time smiling really wide, and give her a sweet little kiss. That's Gretchen Mol. Lawyers aren't like that.

I also thought that there was a "hole" in the film because Mike and Jo had a pretty deep relationship, but they broke up rather abruptly and there was no resolution. Granted that this was a side-story, but it was part of who Mike was, so it was important to do something with it, especially at the end where they had their last exchange. It didn't seem believable for people who felt about each other the way they should have.

I read reviews from poker experts who say that the filmmakers went the extra mile and stayed true to the game, and that just reaffirms my thoughts about this movie. It's a real work of art and one of the best of its era.

Casablanca. Gone With the Wind.

Mask?

Well, Peter Bogdonavich isn't exactly a no-name director. Give him a great screenplay and you might just be surprised. I am no big Cher fan, as applies to her acting, but in my opinion it was her best performance ever. Same with Eric Stoltz (Rocky). Stoltz has been doing his thing for 30 years and I have never seen one of his characters that wasn't believable. The guy is "uber-talented" and a true professional. This was tough role. He didn't act from *behind* the mask - he had to act *through* the mask. That requires acting at another level of complexity.

Sam Elliot (Gar) was believable for me as Cher's (Florence's)love interest and a biker leader. Some may say that all that biker stuff was over the top. I found it convincing. Bikers can seize on a cause with the jaws of a pit bull and be relentless in their support. This was, to me, a really believable situation.

The Diana character (Laura Dern) was very welcome and sweet, but I do have a hard time believing that she had not been exposed to some of the concepts that Rocky worked on with her (colors and shapes). She came across as too smart for this stuff to have been a new concept, especially after seeing her parents, who did not seem to be idiots. At the same time, the parents were TOTALLY unbelievable characters. Their daughter, who they obviously love, has a disability, but they are totally repulsed by Rocky and his. It rarely works this way in real life.

I do have to sum up with this: If at the end of the movie you did not cry - with real, liquid tears that you could feel with your hand, then you need to call the police right now and turn yourself in as at least a potential (if not actual) serial killer. Just sit on the steps of the front porch and wait for them to get there. Unless you're a certified something-or-other, is simply NOT POSSIBLE to watch the whole movie, and see the ending scene where Cher comes into Rocky's room after finding out he wasn't at school, and not get swept up into that emotion.