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Reviews
Fat City (1972)
Entertainment with an edge
Stacy Keach delivers a brilliant performance. Young Jeff Bridges' star power shines through. Susan Tyrell strikes one note well -- I can't tell if it's just her or the role that limits her. Cokes should have done more acting; oddly enough, he was a professional boxer but did no boxing in this boxing movie. Huston did a fabulous job of directing him and the other professional boxers for whom this movie was a single outing. The film is not a period piece, though its depiction of turn-of-the-decade Stockton and the small-boxing world is as accurate as it gets; it stands up well 35 years later. It's also an excellent cautionary tale for any recovering alcoholics out there who are considering a relapse. Too bad they haven't put this out on DVD yet; it would make a great re-release.
Gulliver's Travels (1996)
Good family movie
Swift's socialism and pacifism come through against all odds in this well done remake. (Did you know there is no hyphen after "well"? Fact.) He meets warlike miniatures, socialist giants, head-in-the-clouds (literally) philosophers, and pacifist horses who rule over Yahoos -- nearly neanderthal humanoids. (Is that where "yahoo" came from?) We also meet the dastardly Dr. Bates, the devoted Mary Gulliver, the sweet and devoted son Thomas, and the full cast of a truly horrific 19th century lunatic asylum. Suspension of disbelief comes easily, and our 7- and 12-year-old girls enjoyed it as much as my husband and I did. (Sorry for the length, IMDb requires 10 lines.)
The Wonderful World of Disney: Ruby Bridges (1998)
Disney does racism
What would you expect? Pap, pure pap. No context, no content. And by the way, in 1960 6-year-old girls would have gotten their behind paddled for saying "butt." Now they tell me I have to fill up 10 lines, so here goes. Meet Mom: Gentle, loving, Christian, patient, hardworking. Meet Dad: Gentle, loving, Christian, patient in a manly way, hardworking. Meet the local Jew: As racist as any cracker in New Orleans, but she sees the light. Meet Ruby: Obedient, smart, strong, brave. Meet the new teacher: Sweet, kind, considerate, not a racist bone in her Yankee body. Meet the old teachers: Racist, dour, prim and proper. Meet the psychiatrist: Caring, racist as the day is long but Ruby teaches him better! Meet the NAACP: Light skinned and they own a piano.