The Loveless (1982)Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow + Monty Montgomery
Written by: Kathryn Bigelow + Monty Montgomery
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Robert Gordon, Marin Kanter, J. Don Ferguson, Tina L'Hotsky, Lawrence Matarese
A young biker (Dafoe) on his way to a rally in Florida is held over in a small sleepy roadside town when his motorcycle needs repairs. While waiting in a diner he meets some other bikers and some locals looking for a thrill. 'The Loveless' focuses on atmosphere over plot and hhile the movie is incredibly slow moving, I guess it really captures what it was like to be in a biker gang in the 50's. You didn't know where you would end up, time passed by unnoticed and you never knew who you were going to cross paths with. B
La Femme Nikita (1990)Directed by: Luc Besson
Written by: Luc Besson
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana, Tcheky Karyo, Jeanne Moreau
In France, a violent gang member is arrested after a botched robbery, declared dead by the government and enlisted into a top secret organization of assassins. After being held underground and trained for a few years, she is released and sent on various missions. When she falls in love with an unsuspecting civilian she has a hard time keeping her double life as an assassin separate from her married life. This film has a wonderful look to it, as well as a great soundtrack. But the best thing about it are it's action set-pieces, which keep you on the edge of your seat. B+
Gojira (1954)
Directed by: Ishiro Honda
Written by: Ishiro Honda, Shigeru Kayama, Takeo Murata
Starring: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Fuyuki Murakami
After a Japanese fishing village is ravaged by what everyone thinks is a hurricane, a team of scientists discover that a radioactive monster has been awakened by atomic bomb testing in the pacific. The monster, nicknamed Gojira by the Japanese after a mythical sea god, ravages Japan, while the scientists race to find a way to destroy it. There were two versions of this film released, the original Japanese version, and a version released in America with scenes of Raymond Burr as a visiting American shoehorned in while other scenes with the Japanese cast were omitted. This is the original version, and while the effects seem dated and clunky, and the acting stiff, the images of civilians being burned alive, children dying and cities being toppled and burned to the ground are an all too painful reminder of how Japan was eviscerated at the dawn of the atomic age. B
Running On Empty (1988)Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Written by: Naomi Foner
Starring: Christine Lahti, River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch, Jonas Abry, Martha Plimpton, Ed Crowley, L.M. Kit Carson, Steven Hill, Augusta Dabney
During the Vietnam War, a pair of liberal activists blew up a napalm factory, paralyzing an innocent bystander in the process. Ever since they have been fugitives of the law, going from town to town under assumed identities. Now they have two children, Stephen, a young boy and Michael, a teenage piano prodigy (a wonderful River Phoenix.) After they arrive in a small town in New Jersey, the teenager falls in love with his music teacher's daughter and applies to Julliard in NYC. But when the family needs to skip town and go on the run again, he is torn between his aspirations and his family. Christine Lahti and Judd Hirsch are both great as the streetwise, idealistic parents, but the real star here is the late River Phoenix, who gives a wonderful, angst filled performance. A-
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