henkdawg

Hidden in America works both as a terrific film and as an advocate for child hunger. Beau Bridges leads the way with a very real performance of a single father trying to raise two kids after losing his wife to cancer and losing his job of 16 years at an automobile plant. Bridges character deals with feelings of inadequacy as he struggles to find work and properly raise his family. His pride also tested when he meets a doctor (Bruce Davidson) who wants to help the family and when he has to take donations to battle his daughter's malnutrition. The two kids in the film (Shelton Dane and Jean Malone) are great and Frances McDormand adds a nice touch as the rough but concerned mechanic who befriends the boy Robby. I highly recommend this movie which is now available on video.

My favorite thing about The Perfect Storm is that although the characters may seem bland, they are very real. This comes through not only in the performances but in their appearance and dialouge as well. I felt like the movie really took me away to another place and deep into the dangerous but romantic lives of the fisherman. It skillfully explored the desperate and troubled lives of the characters who were both heroic but simple people trying to make money anyway possible in order to get what they could out of life. Clooney and Wahlberg were very likeable in this film and special credit to James Horner for a great score. The music wasn't terribly original but when you can write a great tune it adds a lot to the film. I highly recommend this movie; it's a summer block buster with integrity in addition to the fantastic special effects and action sequences.

Chattahoochee is a fine film that explores heroism as well as the trials of personal relationships in times of hardship. The acting is superb, especially Oldman's performance of Emmet Folley as the unstable Korean war Veteran who ends up in an abusive and unsanitary mental hospital. Dennis Hopper also does a fine job and special recognition to Frances McDormand who plays Emmet's wife. She isn't the most likeable character but she proves herself again to be a fine character actor. I appreciated the movies realism and there was no doubt about the horror and darkness associated with the institution which Oldman's character was fighting against. Watching the entire movie is worth it just to see the scene where Emmet barricades himself behind the bunk beds and begins rallying against the guards. I wasn't completely satisfied with the sound track but the music was used in the all the right places. A great film both for it's historical significance and for it's study of relationships--and also of course for it's well built up exciting moments.