Quick Movie Reviews (June 18, 2008)

Stan Winston - R.I.P.
A moment of silence please. . .the art of movie magic lost one of its best on Sunday when Stan Winston died at the age of 62. There are few special effects pioneers that come to the minds of most movie buffs but the ones that do include Stan and, probably, Rick Baker and Ray Harryhausen. Stan was nominated for nine Oscars and won three -- for Jurassic Park (1993), Terminator 2 (1991), and Aliens (1986). His most recent finished project was Iron Man. He also directed the special effects work on Terminator 3 (2003), Big Fish (2003), Galaxy Quest (1999), both Predator movies (1987 and 1990), and a host of other films. We have lost one of the true artists and pioneers in special effects technology.


Johnny Belinda (1948)
This 1948 film popped up on Turner Classic Movies not too long ago and I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did. It is an excellent movie with some terrific actors -- including Lew Ayres, who died in 1996, and one of my all time favorite radio and movie character actresses -- Agnes Moorehead, who died in 1974. Yes, I know most of my generation knows this great actress as Endora from Bewitched but, truly, if you haven't heard her in the old radio broadcast, "Sorry, Wrong Number," then you have missed some scary stuff. The best acting job in this movie belongs to Jane Wyman, who snagged an Oscar for her performance as a deaf and mute girl living in a small fishing village. Without giving too much away, she poignantly begins to learn how to communicate and then ends up being sexually assaulted by a local man. It's a terrific story and is driven by great acting all the way around. Piece of trivia: Jane Wyman's Oscar acceptance speech is one of the shortest on record: "I won this award by keeping my mouth shut and I think I'll do it again." Ms. Wyman died on Sept. 10, 2007.


Mean Streets (1973)
This 1973 film comes up anytime you get into a serious discussion about Martin Scorsese and his filmography. One of his earliest films, it is considered by many to be one of his best. I'll have to admit there are two earlier films that I like better including Taxi Driver (1976) and, of course, the film he should have won an Oscar for -- Raging Bull (1980). Mean Streets is a gritty look at life on the streets of New York's Little Italy (even though most of the shooting was done in Los Angeles). It is Scorsese's first collaboration with Robert DeNiro and then you have the lead being played by Harvey Keitel. It is a good movie, but it just isn't my favorite. After having watched many Scorsese movies over the years, you can watch Mean Streets and see many of the Scorsese directorial signatures -- the terrific music that helps drive the story; the great slow motion intros of key characters; and, of course, his mother. I would recommend you see this if you want to get a good idea of Scorsese's early work, but Taxi Driver is really a better way to go. One minor bit of trivia: Look out for David and Robert Carradine. They make brief, but memorable, appearances.