Tag: Meg Tilly

ONE DARK NIGHT (1982)

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Directed By: Tom McLoughlin

Written By: Tom McLoughlin and Michael Hawes 

Cinematography: Hal Trussell 

Editor: Michael Spence and Charles Tetoni 

Cast: Meg Tilly, Melissa Newman, Robin Evans, Leslie Speights, Elizabeth Daily, Donald Hotton, Adam West, David Mason Daniels, Kevin Peter Hall

As part of an initiation into a club called the Sisters, a young girl must spend the night in a mausoleum.

We might be judged better and find its audience because of the time that it was made in over the years found admiration for it, Writer Director, and as always, we respect things the older they get that doesn’t necessarily make them better, but if you find something in it that speaks to you or ahead of its time then it is worth admiration

strangely, this film feels like your typical drive-in fair and offers up something a little different

But it plays more like a 1980s typical horror film where more of the fascination is the culture of the times and what was allowed as this film is pretty clean. It does offer up to jump scares that are inspired but ultimately corny. 

The movie it’s all set up and then one stuff does happen. It is somewhat interesting but by that point, you might find yourself not really caring or excited just because something is finally happening. 

It’s a film. I would say that might be fine if you have younger children, except for drugs, but ultimately it feels like a film that’s more scary for younger children than maybe an adult audience.

There’s a reason it’s not particularly scary. Is there any excessive violence or exploit materials pretty basic a television truly isn’t really as offensive as the slang and verbal word juvenile could’ve been for school kids

as it feels like a movie, that’s dressed up for a younger audience where you’re thinking, oh man, we’re gonna see something that we shouldn’t have, and then by the end, you’re like that’s it could’ve easily watched this in one of our normal films only it shows itself to be that way almost like it’s a student with better production values

This is one of those films that even being under 90 minutes feels long

At least this film is pretty much a mostly female affair as far as the cast as they take center stage, and the few men in the film are more on the sidelines either watching or coming in at the last second trying to be heroic 

Even Adam West being in the cast here seems more for name and star recognition value than actually giving him much to do 

Sorry, if you were watching this film just for him as he is in it but he’s not in much of though it is one of the rare times where he is in a dramatic role 

Grade: C-

SLEEP WITH ME (1994)

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Directed By: Rory Kelly 
Written By: Duane Dell’Amico, Roger Hedden, Neal Jimenez, Joe Keenan, Rory Kelly and Michael Steinberg  Cinematography: Andrzej Sekula
Editor: David Moritz 

Cast: Eric Stoltz, Meg Tilly, Craig Sheffer, Lewis Arquette, Todd Field, Parker Posey, Vanessa Angel, Susan Traylor, Dean Cameron, Thomas Gibson, Joey Lauren Adams, June Lockhart, Adrienne Shelly, Alexandra Hedison, Quentin Tarantino 

Sarah, Joseph, and Frank are BFFs. Joseph and Sarah get married but the evening before she tells Frank with a kiss that it could’ve been him. Frank continues to have a thing for Sarah.

Six different writers wrote a scene each of this romantic comedy featuring the marriage and turbulent relationship of Joseph and Sarah, with Joseph’s best friend Frank trying hard to cope with letting the love of his life marry his best friend. An interesting experiment though it might also explain why it

Seems like a bit of a mess. That seems endless and single-focused. After a while it feels like small talk, about a lot of things said but nothing of any depth that can be called interesting. It might have worked better as a play. 

A 1990’s relationship drama with some very little comedy thrown in. It seemed dated even when it came out. It feels like a dramatic episode of the television show FRIENDS.

The film involves a group of friends who are all married and/or in serious relationships and only seem to hang out with each other. They are still young and hip with no kids in sight. 

So, of course, they have only one friend who is single and this film Explores all the different couplings in relationships. The one that gets the most attention is Meg Tilly who is usually a joy to see on screen. As she is rather obscure. Whose character is engaged to Eric Stoltz’s character. Who is kind of a ladies’ man whose best friend, played by Craig Sheffer with some Ill-advised facial hair and even worse hippie wardrobe is in love with Tilly’s character and she knows it.

She comes across as cruel because she knows yet every time he brings a date to their get-together. She interrogates and then insults them. 

When she suspects her fiancé of cheating she sleeps with Sheffer’s character out of spite and when he thinks they have started a relationship she begins to feel bad and have feelings. When Eric finds out and informs her he didn’t cheat. So now the two guys are competing for her. 

Imagine the Andrew McCarthy-Ally Sheedy-Judd Nelson love triangle from ST ELMO’S FIRE. Only if Nelson didn’t cheat and it was the main part of the movie, only more dramatic and you are on the same page as this film. 

The film tries to be a broad comedy type of movie played subtly seriously. It comes across as a bunch of self-important characters. Who think they are cool but aren’t coming to grips with growing up and making it seem more dramatic and meaningful than it actually is.

It’s a shame as the film has a good cast and could have really been good under better circumstances. 

Somehow here the direction just seems to drain all the fun and interest out of not only the scenes but the characters. The script seems fine if not indulgent and self-important. 

One only wishes for a more skilled director. Who could have better handled the material and made the scenes a little more vivid and exciting. At least give it a kind of sense of humor about itself. 

Maybe also allowing the film to be more of an ensemble and not focus so much on the leads and give the side characters more nuance and more to do. So the love triangle could have been more of a side caper or we see how it affects the dynamics of everyone in the group. 

After a while though it seems Like every woman throws themselves at Stoktz’s character. This is easy to see when Sheffer’s Comes off more as creepy and he is the single available one. Who seems to mess up any chance he has with other women. While Stoltz’s Character is already married has nothing to lose. As he already has a wife. So he can talk to these women without seeming like he wants to bed them Or looking for something. Which in turn seems to make him a challenge for them 

The only true noteworthy scene is the cameo by writer-director Quentin Tarantino giving a rant or his theory on how the movie TOP GUN is really a movie about a man’s struggle with his homosexuality. (This was before the internet introduced many people’s wild outlandish film and television theories)

In fact, that is one of the only reasons I watched it. The other is Eric Stoltz and Parker Posey, actors I am a huge fan of. 

GRADE: D+

THE TWO JAKES (1990)

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Directed by: Jack Nicholson 
Written By: Robert Towne 
Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond 
Editor: Anne Goursaud

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeline Stowe, Eli Wallach, Ruben Blades, David Keith, James Hong, Frederic Forrest, Richard Farnsworth, Tracey Walter, Joe Mantell, Perry Lopez, Rebecca Broussard, Van Dyke Parks

The sequel to Chinatown finds J.J. “Jake” Gittes investigating adultery and murder, and the money that comes from oil.

When the film was coming out I remember all the advertisements for the movie as a kid and always being impressed by its poster artwork. At the time I had never seen or heard of CHINATOWN the movie, but knew this was a sequel to something and really only interested because Jack Nicholson was in it and this was right after BATMAN and I remember him from the movie THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK. 

This sequel or update of the film classic CHINATOWN tries to continue the look and style.  It even has some returning cast members and characters. While employing some great character actors. So by all rights, the film should be noteworthy. As it has some great shows to fill.

Though it falls short very short that barely stands in the shadow of the previous film. It has a similarly twisty and twisted storyline that ends up being easy to figure out. Not to mention not as devastating. As it doesn’t pull the audience in, as much to care. It stays at arm’s distance. Not that the first film was all that warm and cuddly but it kept you on your toes. Especially when it came to the mystery. Here you just wonder how everything fits. 

This film also lacks any memorable scenes or revelations. It’s pretty mundane as it seems to try too hard. You want it to be better than it actually is. As the material is there it just feels misrepresented.

Madeline Stowe at first seems like she will be a femme fatale and be more important to the overall story. Though after awhile she seems to be here for no real reason other than as pretty dressing and more of a distraction.

The cast seems to be playing more into the mood of the movie. Which is always gloomy rather than characters. This film has no spirit really it stays flat and simple.

The film tries but it comes up as rather dull and just going through the motions. As it never takes a definite direction or offers any real distinctions.

Knowing this film had a full share of behind-the-scenes dramas between screenwriter Robert towns, Producer Robert Evans and star/director Jack Nicholson, Evans was upset after hoping to play the role of the other Jake Played by Harvey Keitel, but not only not being strong enough an actor but getting bad plastic surgery right before filming began. Then Robert towns dropped out of directing and the film was postponed until Nicholson took the reins of the project. As this was supposed to be the second of a trilogy. 

You can see what they were trying to do and attempting before time ran out, but this might have been better off than what could have been. 

Grade: C+