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Reviews
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
Where do we get such men?
You might as well ask as Edgar Lee Masters did; "Pro Patria, what the hell does it mean?" A jingoistic but human portrayal of the war (in this case Korean) shot through with a US navy recruiting film (and yes like Top Gun many decades later, endorsed and part realised by said navy).
William Holden, though, gives a magnificent portrayal of "the lawyer from Denver, Colorado" trapped in the "wrong war at the wrong time". Aided by some solid archetypes from Mickey Rooney and a true to form wooden Grace Kelly, Toko Ri still stands a war movie for those who hate war. In many ways it half articulates the sickened reaction against war that the Raging Bulls, Easy Riders generation would so eloquently give voice so many decades later.
Stop the movie at the Holden's last and lingering shot in camera and see it without the recruiting spiel tacked on at the end. Flawed but graceful.
Mother Night (1996)
Another failed attempt to bring Vonnegut to the screen
Here's an exercise; Read a Kurt Vonnegut novel, notice the pathos and poetry, the black humour, the beauty of the language and ultimately the feeling of having become a little wiser about the Human race.
Now watch this detached, soulless drudgery of set pieces and three act tedium. Nolte destroys any attempt trying to portray the tragedy here, going for a weary and bored performance. And weary and boring it is, you can see where the money has been spent but not one cent results in translating Vonnegut's poetry to this medium.
It's sad to think of the few million dollars that was flushed down the tubes for this inept and insipid waste of film. It's one and only saving grace is a moving glimpse of the author as a passerby, in ten seconds of silent screen time Vonnegut himself packs more pathos and humanity than this turgid effort manages in nearly two hours.
Packet of Three (1991)
Comedy without laughs
A quirky little series put on by Channel4 in the Uk. It launched the dubiously unfunny Frank Skinner and Jenny Eclair onto the TV stage. The format consisted of an imaginary theatre where the trio (Mr Normal faded back into the obscurity from whence he came or at least changed his name)put on a weekly show with guests even more mediocre than themselves. Largely devoid of wit or any thing remotely interesting, I watched as Jon (Blair the producer) was a neighbour of mine in Highbury and I was desperately trying to sell him some formats. I couldn't think of any other reason to watch this insomnia cure apart from wondering what Frank Skinnners' early beginings where.
This show with it's cheap production values and non-existent writing shows the poor state of british alternative comedy in the early 90's.