moonspinner55

Virginal 19-year-old boy finally makes the break from his overbearing parents in Great Neck; he moves himself out of the suburbs and into New York City, where he meets a girl. Early directorial effort by Francis Ford Coppola, who also adapted the screenplay from David Benedictus' novel, has an unusually strong cast including Geraldine Page, Rip Torn, Elizabeth Hartman, Julie Harris and Karen Black. It also shows off Coppola's stylish eye, which nearly disguises the fact there's not a whole lot of plot at work here. The Lovin' Spoonful contributes a bright soundtrack, and there are spirited moments, but the picture fades quickly in one's memory. Curious viewers will be satisfied after about an hour. Page received the film's sole Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. ** from ****

One-part black comedy, one-part slasher flick--and neither half successful. Producer Paul Bartel, reuniting much of his "Lust in the Dust" personnel from 1984 (including cameos by former co-stars Tab Hunter, Lainie Kazan and Divine, the latter in his final on-screen appearance), bottoms out with tale of killer clown preying on phone sex girls who work for Suite Nothings. No irony, no wit, nothing; just a lot of murders (underlined with a jokey tone) and lots of T&A. Production polished for this sort of thing, and Karen Black has an amusing role, but the police asides are strictly TV cop show stuff. *1/2 from ****

Left by her husband, a neurotic, chain-smoking amateur singer in New York City meets a slightly less neurotic, divorced Jewish businessman at a sidewalk café; soon, they're intimately involved and she decides she wants a baby. Written and directed in a flighty, free form, scattershot fashion by Henry Jaglom, "Cherry Pie" often resembles a shapeless Woody Allen relationship comedy--the difference being, Woody Allen makes his neurotics engaging while Jaglom encourages Karen Black to chatter away as if her mind were disintegrating. Cruelly photographed, unattractively coiffed and costumed, Black acts as if paranoid-schizophrenic behavior were a positive character attribute. Michael Emil is far more interesting (and he has a great Noo Yawk voice), but Jaglom constantly undercuts his strengths with Cassavetes-like Sturm und Drang. Instead of being the loose, hip story of two lonely people who find each other, the movie becomes constipated with its own 'arty' flourishes (such as including scenes from Jaglom's previous film "A Safe Place"). As an acting exercise, marginally interesting; however, as a romantic comedy, "Cherry Pie" is half-baked. ** from ****