| Billy's Film Blitz: Rapid Reviews from an Indian Point of View |
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| Rating System Chief=Excellent Warrior=Good Squaw=Fair Paleface=Poor |
| Almost Famous(Crowe)- Made all the top ten best lists last year, but Billy wasn't that impressed. Interesting glimpse of the 70's rock scene, but that 15 year old kid was terrible. "Almost" a Squaw. Warrior |
| Shadows and Fog(Allen)- Wonderfully shot film about mystery in a European town. Little in the content is satisfying, though, except for Allen's neurotic standard(this time named Kleinmann). Squaw |
| Safe(who cares)- Yikes! A San Fernando Valley housewife thinks she is being poisoned by the environment. I spent most of the movie trying to recognize L.A. landmarks. Don't bother unless you are dating a real liberalized dame. Squaw/Warrior |
| Nights of Cabaria(Fellini)- Flawless fifties fun with Fellini. Frankly, film fans will be fascinated. An inspired performance by that chick that was married to Fellini, plus his usual great photography. Warrior/Chief |
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| Eve's Bayou- Decent drama about a well to do(not a typo) black family in the deep south and all the crazy shit that happens when Samuel L. Jackson is your dad. Billy's tired of child actors. Squaw/Warrior |
| Magnolia(Anderson)-Altman style collage drama about folks in the San Fernando Valley. Good writing, good editing, and the Tom Cruise character is the best since that drill seargent in Full Metal Jacket. Billy's tired of movies about the S.F. Valley, though. Warrior/Chief |
| Scent of Green Papaya- If you've ever wondered what life would be like as a Vietnamese servant girl, this picture's for you. For the 6 billion people who haven't, y'all could probably skip this one. Squaw |
| Crimes and Misdemeanors(Allen)- Great work from the Wood-man. A study of morality and consequence showcasing some great performances by Allen's cast. Missing this one would be a "crime." Warrior/Chief |
| Amadeus(Foreman)- The Man, The Music, The Madness, The Murder, The Motion Picture. Good as it got in the 80's. Top notch look and soundtrack. Billy knows what it's like to be a genius. Chief |
| The Birds(Hitchcock)- Hitch uses 'Psycho' style switcheroo plot structure in this satisfying 'nature' film. The FX are pretty good for '63, too. Warrior |
| Rumble Fish(Coppola)- Little known masterpiece about a teen rebel trying to live up to his legendary brother. One of the great youth movies, shot in black and white and in a very formalist style. Don't miss this one, folks. Chief |
| Summer of Sam(Lee)- Things really heat up in 1977 New York as the Son of Sam killer scares the be-Jesus out of a bunch of horny, quick tempered Brooklynites. A worthy effort by director Spike Lee(his first movie with no black main character). Warrior |
| A Streetcar Named Desire(Kazan)- The 1951 screen adaptation(which featured the original Broadway cast) is a landmark in cinema acting. Get aboard this fine version of an American classic. Chief |
| American Beauty(Mendez)-This award winner was hailed by many as the greatest thing since the tomahawk. I won't go that far, but this picture is well scripted and tackles the interesting topic of appearances masking the 'truth of the matter.' If you haven't seen this one, "look closer." Warrior |
| Red River(Hawkes)- The portrayal of Indians as fat and savage is forgiven, as this Hawkes classic is one of the most beautifully filmed and exciting Westerns. The Duke comes through with one of his best performances as the leader of the firtst cattle drive along the Chisolm Trail. Not to be missed is the wagon-burning reference made toward the picture's Indians. Chief |
| Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil(Eastwood)- A "square" from the North finds himself amongst murder and homo-sexuality in the Grand Ol' South. An enganing story, complete with scenery from Savannah. Way too gay for Billy, though. Sudden thought: when in Savannah, don't drop the soap..Squaw |
| Gone With the Wind(Flemming)- The one and only, America's favorite tale of the old South. Still one of the great screen epics and a top notch production. Though Flemming usually gets credit for directing this classic, there were several others who had a hand in it. Some of American lore's best characters can be found here. See it before it's 'Gone." Chief |
| Kramer vs. Kramer- A New York advertising exec learns to take care of his kid without having Meryl Streep around. A great performance by Dustin Hoffman and an interesting look at life in the "Big Apple", if nothing more. Warrior |
| Fargo(Cohen)- A well acted, well written comedy suspense that takes place in the blandness of Minnesota and North Dakota. Could there be a sequel in store for Montana? Warrior/Chief |
| Breakfast at Tiffany's- Considered a classic by many, this pic's far from a masterpiece. A decent script keeps your interest, but George Peppard does little more than phone-it-in and Audrey Hepburn is slightly more charming than a hound with mange. Guaranteed to offend is Mickey Rooney's portrail of a bucktoothed Japanese. Squaw/Warrior |