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* Flagpole Magazine
March 18, 1992
The Video Dope
A Pair of Double Features
In the wake of such films as Godfather III andGoodfellas
two New York Gangster-type films were overlooked. Now is
your chance to catch two films that were withheld from wide
release despite excellent casts and impressive direction.
King of How York (Abel Ferrara, 1990)
and State of Qrmoo (Phil Joanou, 1990)
Sterrtog Christopher Water), Lory Fi shbouma, and
Wesley Snipes, King of Hew Yotkhas enough intensity
through acting toat the stylized tfnadon throws it over
the edge of when warfar&Waten stars as a ex-con
who returns to his neighborhood and Ns former
occupation as crime warlord. Fsbboume plays his
slightly deranged right hand mat who has diwn pofoe
attsnfoo in toe form of Snipes and his ooworters. With
an involving story of identity and friendship, KingotNew
Ywfcs a powerful film. Slate o! Grace starsSean Penn,
Gary Oldman. Ed Harris, and Robin Wright in a f8m
somewhat derivative of Scorsese's Meanstmeis, but if
you have to get material from somewhere, that's as
good rsicanfankof. Penn plays a person returning to
his native Hell's Kitchen and getting beck in touch with
his tosh gangster pals. Oldman is his old friend who gives a performance worthy of
OeNtroas a wacked outcmzy. Twists come when Penn finds himself caught between
his old friends and his new ideals. I had a hard time liking this film just because Joanou
directed Hade and Hum as wefl, but he delivers a powerful and violent film.
The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder,
1978) and Deepalr (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)
Two films ty Fassbinder that you can find in mostvideo stores in Aliens which show
the distinct atmosphere and humor of one of Germany's finest fflm makers. The
Mamage of Maria Braun stars Hanna Schygulla as a wife searching for her busbend
in post WW8 Baffin. Thinking him dead, shefafis in tove with an American G.L who
she kls as a show of love when her husband mysteriously returns. When her husband
takes the rap, 6he must survive on the Berfin streets on her own until he gets out of
prison. Oesparise Tom Stoppard adaption of the Nabokov novel about a deiusioned
businessman who dreams of Wing e double file. Dirk Bogarde plays Herman
Hermann, a chocolate company owner who longs to become sometotoQ different He
sees his chance when he finds a bum who looks exactly Ste him, or so he thinks.
Fassbinder weaves to and out of Herman's mind as he tries to become someone else.
Jeff Frey
A Movie Dope Extra...
Stix Nix Hicks Pix
More Oscar™ Stuff
I thought I had done my
Oscar™ bit, but a tersely
worded letter from the
America Society of Film
Critics warned that I would
be in danger of losing my
pool and open bar privi
leges if I failed to make the
requisite predictions. I
don’t want no trouble...
Paradise Park will be at the GA Theatre. Monday the 23rd. Go and support independant filmmakers
Who wants to spend two hours in a West Virginia
Jailer park? That’s what I thought. It takes a certain
amount of guts to make a film set in one, and Daniel
Boyd, a West Virginia State College communications
professor has gone and done it. He’s pretty much pulled
it off too. Paradise Park, the story of just such a place,
comes to the Georgia Theatre on Monday, the 23rd.
It’s a long way from a Hollywood budget, and it
shows, but this one is not with out its charms. Writer/
director Boyd offers honest, realistic characters, and
his actors, generally, rise to the task. The film does in
fact work best when it deals with that realism, the
emotional tone in Paradise Park is often quite pal
pable, carrying a feeling of painful accuracy. But too
frequently, itdescends into flat, silly fantasy sequences,
and low, easy humor.
But hey, its well worth checking out. There are
cameos by country vets Porter Wagoner and Johhny
Paycheck, nutty crossover cult star Webb Wilder, as
well as, if you don’t blink, out own T. Graham Brown (as
well as a tune from the Dashboard Saviors). This is
regional cinema at its purest folks, lets all lend it our
interest and support.
Best Picture: Should win;
JFK. Oliver Stone’s epic was
the best picture of the year.
Period. Will win; Bugsy. Of
the other serious contend
ers Silence of the Lambs was too icky, and JFK didn’t
please the Academy’s many republicans.
Best Actor: Should win; Danny Glover went unnominated
for Grand Canyon, so of these, I’ll root for Anthony Hopkins’
goofy turn in Silence... Will win; Hopkins, can't be ignored.
Best Actress: Should win; Jodie Foster for Silence...
Hopkins got the glory role, but she made it all work. Will win;
Susan Sarandon, lhelma and Louise. This is where that
picture will get its due and Sarandon’s work was just that
much better than Davis. Yes it was.
Best Supporting Actor: Should win; Many great per
formances overlooked here, but of those offered Tommy
Lee Jones in JFK is the standout. Will win; Jones. The body
of great supporting work in JFK will be honored here.
Best Supporting Actress: Should win; Juliette Lewis
for Cape Fear. Her work opposite De Niro made for some
heady stuff. Will win; Mercedes Ruehl for The Fisher King.
She held her own against Robin Williams and Terry Gilliam,
these Academy people are a sympathetic bunch.
Best Director: Should win; Oliver Stone for JFK, that
picture raised the state of the art. Will win; Barry Levinson for
Bugsy. The Best Picture winner usually carries over into this
one, and it shouldn’t have much problem here.
J.G.
Bianchi
B
K
S .
Classiffltiian Machine
o n
.m
■■ :
S m. L E
MOW
294 W. Washington (across from the 40 Watt) (404) 548-6088
Rockville Records
See UNCLE TUPELO Live
this Friday night, March 20
at the 40 Watt Club
.if you've ever felt
the slightest twinge of
kinship with Dinosaur Jr.,
R.E.M., The Replacements
or Crazy Horse, I can’t
imagine you not wanting
to stand Uncle Tupelo a
round."
Steve Sutherland
Melody Maker
still feel gone