Always

Rating:
Summary: Charming Movie of an Honest Spirit
Review: Wildland fire air-attack pilot dies in an airplane explosion and is dispatched back to earth by an angel to mentor a rookie pilot. Pete (Richard Dreyfuss)is the spiritual coach and he is not entirely confident about his mission, but he gives it a try and soon gets more than he bargained for when the girlfriend (Holly Hunter) he left behind begins to fall in love with his student. Pete tries to derail the affair with his angelic power, but instead learns about true love when his girlfriend contemplates death in a suicidal air mission to rescue smokejumpers trapped by a massive wildland fire.

This is one of Steven Spielbergs's more humble movies, a contemporary remake of "A Guy Named Joe," and it is a charming and humorous story. John Goodman is Pete's lovable best friend as the air-attack school commander, and Audrey Hepburn has a very nice role as Pete's supervisory angel. The movie features a beautiful backdrop of forest wilderness with wildland fires combatted by smokejumpers and World War II-era attack bombers.

Rating:
Summary: A film which promised much more !
Review: It is a real pity that such interesting initial premise has fallen in common places without creative flight.
You can notice this work as a crossroad between the wings of desire and Heaven can wait but with a great difference the movie still remains in a contemplative mood and the worst of all : it has not any substance .
The tears can not become in a river . I still wonder how this film has the sign of Spielberg .
I love Holy Hunter acting . She loads the screen with her expressive force , but Dreyfus does not seem run parallel to her . Hunter as Frances Mc Dormand need a stronger presence actoral due her inner spontaneous force . We can think in that age in Daniel Day Lewis , James Caan , Ray Liotta , Tom Berenger or Robert Downey Jr , the results could be different .
Brad Johnson looks inexpressive, and James Spader, Rutger Hauger or William Hurt were perfect for this demanding role .
The script is too obvious and unnecesary tearful. You notice the absence of secondary characters and parallel secondary lines which supported the story . To make that poetic film you need mich more than simply special effects ; you need poetic tapture and commitment .
The original idea was very promising . The hommage to the brave flying fireman simply does not appear .
Audrey Hepburn made her last appearance in screen and after watching all this film you miss her undoubtly and I would have wished a best result in this sense .


Rating:
Summary: Always
Review: This is one of my favorite movies. Simple, moving - it makes me laugh and it makes me cry. I tell people that it's a movie that slipped through without being noticed, and I'm not sure why.... Whenever I need to feel at home - I watch it.


Rating:
Summary: One Of Williams's Most Enchanting Scores
Review: John Williams has created a very beautiful score for, in my opinion, Steven Spielberg's most underappreciated film. Williams's score is very subtle and heavenly since we're talking about a dashing air firefighter (Richard Dreyfuss) who dies while trying to save his best friend (John Goodman), thus leaving behind the woman he loves (Holly Hunter).
After a string of good songs, -The Platters' 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' is included here, along with a very nice version by J.D. Souther -Williams's score begins with 'Among The Clouds', a lovely piece that has something like an overture before giving way to a full treatment of the main theme, itself repeated in cues like 'Pete And Dorinda', 'Saying Goodbye', and 'Seeing Dorinda'. There is also a fun moment with 'Follow Me' where Williams uses one of his trademark techniques: allegretto, if I'm not mistaken. We have also an element of suspense with 'The Rescue Operation', in which the fire flyers are getting ready to put out a big forest fire; in here what I call the "farewell theme" is heard for the first time when the Dreyfuss character is ready to say goodbye to his loved one. That "farewell theme" is better represented in the final cue 'Dorinda's Solo Flight'. However, we have sort of a "heaven-like motif", especially when the Audrey Hepburn character is present, and I'm not quite satisfied with it; somehow it makes the album feel a bit long.
In general, "Always" is a beautiful and touching score. A fine work by John Williams.

Rating:
Summary: Still one of my favorites
Review: I just re-watched Always - again. The cast is marvelous. The movie and script are memorable and touching. "It's not the dress, it's how you see me." or Dorinda shopping in her sleep or Audrey Hepburn playing an Angel. This movie is one of my favorites and I rewatch it again and again and again.