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1 July 99
- Combined details for
Arlington Road (1999)
Directed by 
Mark Pellington
Writing credits
Ehren Kruger
Release Date: July 9th
Genre: Thriller
A
relatively unproven director and equally novice writer are the creative
forces behind this Jeff Bridges vehicle. A thriller that carries the tag line "fear
thy neighbor" and seems to be very much in the Pacific Heights mold. It certainly has
the requisite acting pedigree to be a good movie, with Jeff Bridges in the starring role.
Jeff Bridges for my money is one of the few actors of this generation who could have cut
it during the glory days of Hollywood. He's one of the few actors with the brooding
intensity of a Robert Mitchum, and the screen chewing force of a Kirk Douglas, but with an
added dimension of vulnerability. However, Jeff Bridges choices in movies ,with few
exceptions, has not been the best.
Jeff Bridges has been making movies (discounting his
childhood work) for over two and a half decades, and out of that period only about half a
dozen really stand out. And the ones I like tend to be the ones he didn't get recognized
for, but movies I felt he did his best work in. Movies in which the material was worthy of
the man. For a list of the Jeff Bridges movies that make my thumbs up list click here. Hopefully ARLINGTON
ROAD will prove to be Jeff Bridges next great movie.
The movie was released overseas way back in March,
but the stateside opening has been continually delayed (isn't there something odd about
this, we're the US for goodness sakes. We should at least see our own domestic movies
before the rest of the world. These studios, I tell you. No loyalty or respect for the
American audience). Usually not a good sign. I'll let you know how this movie stacks up
July 9th when it hits the states.
RECOMMENDED REVIEWERS: Most reveiwers suck, every other week they
are proclaiming some peice of crap the best of the year. I.E. Blair Witch. They count on
you having a very short memory and not remembering their names. I remember their names,
come here to have the reviewers reviewed. And while we're taking to task the prostitutes
of the field, I also want to illuminate those I feel are consistant and reliable.
For my money there's only a few reviewers out of the thousands doing
it I consider any good. One of them is James Berardinelli. For the most part his
cinematic tastes have mirrored my own (there are exceptions, I totally disagreed with his
review of tombstone. But for the most part I have found his calls good). Click here to see his
take on Arlington Road.
Before I move onto the next movie to be on the lookout for, I saw a blurb on the IMDB
(International Movie Database), that Edward Dmytryk had died this Thursday July 1st 1999.
Most of you probably don't know the name but he was the Director of one of the best hard
boiled noirs of the 40s, 1945's MURDER
MY SWEET,as well as 1954's classic CAINE MUTINY. So if you can, take some time out of your busy schedule and curl up with
these two great movies. And somewhere between your enjoyment, remember the young man from
Grand Rapids, British Columbia ,born in 1908, whose directing career would span five
decades.
Blair Witch Project, The (1999)
 Directed by
Daniel Myrick
Eduardo Sánchez (II)
Writing credits
Daniel Myrick
Eduardo Sánchez (II)
Release Date:
Genre: Horror
One of the most eagerly anticipated movies of this summer, and one that is
garnering rave reviews from people who have seen it is THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. An ultra low budget faux documentary pic that is being heralded as the best
horror film since Sam Raimi's EVIL
DEAD(1982) or George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD(1968).
Made as a student project , the hype surrounding this movie is even
larger than the hype generated by Robert Rodriguez in his 1992 movie EL MARIACHI, that Rodriguez made reportedly using his credit cards. That was a great
movie, and propelled Rodriguez into the Hollywood Limelight. This film will undoubtedly do
the same for its young filmmakers. Definitely looking forward to seeing this one. MY
recommendation don't even read the reviews, reviews give away too much of a horror movie.
Just find where it's showing, and go in with low expectations, and get what you get. This
is really my only must see film of the summer.
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