Bad Manners

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Tense, but hardly Virgina Wolfe
Review: I saw this on a lazy Saturday afternoon, lucky enough to catch it on cable by accident just as it began. I would imagine the V.Wolfe comparisons are drawn from the way the author has these four volatile main characters never completely answer the all important questions. Words are spoken, sexual tensions and (possible?) liasons occur, pressing questions arise, but as in the best of Shakespearen drama, the "truth" is always at best an opinion of the audience. For those interested in tidy endings that kill most Hollywood scripts nowadays, it ain't here. And that's what makes this a great watch. As in V.Wlofe, the four main characters personalites are slowly exposed through interaction, sometimes brutal interaction, with each other. It's a fly on the wall view of social pleasantries falling away to be replaced by raw emotions. While I thoroughly enjoyed the script, my most negative comments are reserved for the sometimes, and somewhat "Alan Alda" esque feel to the film. A certain phony-1980's-middle-age-Alda-smugness often drips from both male leads. While it could be partly from the fact that they play their parts to well (too intellectuall and macho depleted), the parts alternatly could have been played to the same violent confrontational tone that rears its head so often in V.Wolfe.
All in all, though, a memorable and non-disposable watch.

Rating:
Summary: Sleeper Gem
Review: Immediately brings to mind "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", similar format, but very different plot, splendid writing and acting. I caught this first on satellite TV and had to own it. Unforunately the DVD leaves a lot to be desired. Parts appear as if shot through a screen door, it has only 2 channel sound and an annoying background hum in chapter 10 (also noticeable on satellite but worse on DVD).In spite of these caveats, I don't regret the purchase one bit--it bears repeated watching.

Rating:
Summary: Hey, I liked it.
Review: It was a pretty good film full of twists and turns. There is this coupple and the womans ex-boyfriend comes to visit and brings his new girlfriend along. The the coupple think that the ex-boyfriend's girlfriend stolled money from the man's wallet and it just goes on with accuzations and miss judgements. The ending, for me was slightly unclear but mabey I just didn't notice some key elements. It had really good acting and I enjoyed this movie. I kept me on the edge of my seat.

Rating:
Summary: Sleeper Gem
Review: The comparison of this film with Virginia Wolfe is fair in the context that the psychology of those effected in the film is clearly drawn from their sociallization of the time period. The characters are drawn from the highest of intellectual caliber that anyone can imagine. Then these characters are thrown on to a modern palette of events. This is the most sincere sociological writing that I have seen since the movie "the last supper". Very compeling, and a must in any intellectuals collection. Thank you Saul.