Tea Cakes or Cannoli

Madonna mia! Where do I begin? I saw this movie in a local theater which usually shows second runs at a discount. They charged me the price of a standard first run viewing at a chain theater. I shrugged and figured I was supporting local art. My feelings of philanthropy evaporated after about ten minutes of the "art" in question. Despite Conor Dubin's (Is that Italian or what?) obvious physical prowess, his acting is in need of more than protein shakes. But, in this Field of Screams, he stands out as struggling to act. The others seemed convinced they can, but ... The physical setting of Boston's North End is deceptive. The North End, which the story portrays, died about twenty years ago with the development of the Boston waterfront. The class struggle at the heart of the movie is absurdly portrayed with nearly infantile simplicity. If I were Italian American, I think I'd be horrified at the portrayal of my ethnic roots by actors who can't even move effectively while they talk. The exterior shots of Boston landmarks caused me to worry that tax dollars may have been spent on this opus. In fleeting moments, I saw the potential for farce in the production, in the vein of David Lynch, but there was no tongue-in-cheek here. The only tongue was in the sandwiches. The only cheek was the astonishing nerve it took to put this on a big screen and charge admission.