The Front

The Front (1976)
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, Michael Murphy, Andrea Marcovicci
Memorable Line: "I don't recognize the authority of this committee to question me."

For all the inherent dramatic tension of the plot and the comedic talents in involved, The Front isn't all that dramatic or all that funny.

Harold Prince (Allen) is making it by as cashier at a restaurant and by making petty sports bets when one of his old friend, Alfred, (Murphy) approaches him with an irresistible proposition. Alfred is a blacklisted writer because of his affiliation with the communist party and is desperate to make a living again He's looking for a way to get his TV shows scripts accepted by TV producers who are being pressured to cooperate in every way with the house on Unamerican Activities. His idea is to find a "front" -- a person to represent himself as a writer with the networks to sell his scripts. And that's where Harold comes in. Harold decides that making 10% on each script for simply delivering it the producers is a sweet deal and jumps at the chance to make easy money. After the ball gets rolling, Harold becomes the hit of the town. The young woman who works on one of the shows Harold "writes" for falls for him. Harold gets a bit cocky and starts representing a stock of blacklisted writers and his popularity grows, but so does suspicion. People around Harold begin to fall to the over zealous anti-communist investigators and Harold becomes ensnared in the search to root out communists.

My two biggest problems with The Front are that it is painfully predictable and un-funny. Many people have said that it's not really a comedy, but there are comedic possibilities not exploited and playing that potential against the foil of the dramatic tension could have created a more effective movie. Also, the plot points of the movie tick by a regular and predictable pace, making it easy to predict the next complication.

Director Ritt must have felt that the material contained all the tension the movie would need because with the exception a couple scenes, he does little creatively to elevate the tension. Some say that Allen is miscast in the lead, but he acquits himself in the role. Zero Mostel is great as the actor who's life is ruined by those who want to purge any trace of communism or communists from the entertainment industry.

The Front is a good film to watch to learn about the effects of the anti-communist scourge, but, in my opinion, you do much better trying to find a good documentary on the subject.

Coming Home

Coming Home (1978)
Director: Hal Ashby
Cast: Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern, Robbert Carradine
Memorable Line: "Nobody has the right to tell anybody what do against their will if they don't believe it."

Coming Home is a creative and engaging movie with a polemic hidden beneath it. It's not heavy handed, but the anti-war message is loud and clear.

Sally (Fonda) is the "stand by man" wife of a Marine captain (Dern) left behind when the captain finally gets to go off to a his war -- which just happened to be Viet Nam. A passive women, Sally for the first time is on her own and left to find her way. To find meaning while her man is away, she decided to volunteer at a V.A. hospital. While there she strikes up a relationship with a former high school classmate only to have the relationship move from platonic to romantic as she grows and changes. Things get sticky when her husband returns from the war and try as she likes, she finds it hard to return to her life and what she once was.

While the protagonist is Sally and Fonda's performance is one of her better ones, the performance of the film is Voight's. Voight performance resonates with a subliminal sadness and an overt anger. Dern also steals the stage when he's on screen.

Ashby directing career has been uneven, but Coming Home is one where all his talent seems to come together. Using a combination almost documentary approach and traditional dramatic technique, Ashby creates a very real portrait of a turbulent time. The film has some very real and poignant moments.

If you're looking for a real gem that may have seemed like it has receded into the past, give Coming Home a chance.

Logan's Run

Logan's Run (1976)
Director: Michael Anderson
Cast: Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter, Farrah Fawcett, Peter Ustinov
Memorable Line: "Run, runner!"

There are some memories and movies best left to the past and Logan's Run us one of those.

It's the 23rd Century and the people of the future are living a Utopian existence. All their needs are met -- they don't work and pleasure is at the center of the culture. The only drawback is the no lives past 30. Set into place for as long as these people can remember is the idea that at 30, they can go to a ceremony and "renew" into a new life, but underneath it all is a sinister truth. Some who reach 30 don't want to risk the ceremony and they try to run. It's the job of a sandman -- futuristic policeman -- to track down and eliminate these runners.

Logan-5 (York) and his partner, Francis-7 (Jordan), are Sandmen who are perfectly happy until Logan-6 is assigned by the master computer that oversees the operation of the city to find "sanctuary." Logan hooks up with a young woman,Jessice-6 (Agutter) and together they have to run and find their way to the secret of sanctuary.

The bottom line with Logan's Run is that it is really dated -- and not in a kitchy, funny way. The sets, the special effects and the miniatures are all terribly dated and unconvincing. To add to the problems, most of the acting is stilted and the script is full of contrivances and bad dialog.

I had hoped that I would travel down memory lane and enjoy a past treasure, but Logan's Run turned out to be best left to memory.

North Dallas Forty

North Dallas Forty (1979)
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Cast: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning, Bo Svenson, G.D. Spradlin
Memorable Line: "People who confuse brains and luck can get in a whole lot of trouble."

Marketed as a sport comedy, North Dallas Forty is really a realistic and gritty look behind the scenes of professional football.

Phil Elliott (Nolte) is an aging wide receiver who is on his last legs and trying to tap into last bit of competitive spirit despite being both beat-up and disillusioned with the sports. He is surrounded by a heartless management team that only see wins and dollars. Players are simply disposable commodities to bring about bring about a successful on the field product.

More drama than sports film, North Dallas Forty still has some inspiring grid iron moments. Nolte is memorable as the athlete who thinks too much. Country music singer gives a natural performance as the go-along with the flow quarterback. G.D Spradlin plays his typical overbearing authority figure. Real life football players have supporting roles. Director Kotcheff isn't showy in his treatment of the film, but tells the story with a straightforward honesty.

What's most notable about North Dallas Forty is that is spends more time on the people in the sport than the sport itself. It's also been rumored that the National Football League didn't cooperate with the making of the movie because of the less than flattering light it placed on the business of the sport.

Still, if you want a realistic sports picture, you can't do much better than North Dallas Forty.

The Life of Brian

The Life of Brian (1979)
Director: Terry Jones
Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Memorable Line: "Blessed are the cheesemakers?"

Some say it's sacrilegious while other say it's one of the funniest films they've ever seen. Straddling a thin line, Life of Brian is full some of the most of well written and performed comic bits ever on the big screen.

The Life of Brian has us following around none other than Brian (Chapman), a bit of sad sack living who just happened to be born at the same time of a significant religious figure in the manger right next door. We meander around with Brian from a group of underground Jews complaining about how the Romans have bettered their lives, to trying to sit in at the Sermon on the mount, to a mishaps in which he is confused for the Messiah and ends up in line for cruxifiction.

None of the above plot line may sound funny at all, but in the hands of the cast from Monty Python, this film is at once silly then exceptionally witty. The comedy bits are sharp and this film has a much more polished look and feel than their earlier film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The Python crew take on several roles from the Jewish man who wants to protest Roman occupation by having a baby to a Roman leader who goes by the name Biggus Dickus. Yes, it's low brow at times, but it is quite funny.

If you're not a fan of British humor and, in specifically, Monty Python, this film probably isn't for you. But if you like a good laugh, then The Life of Brian is a movie that is sure to be just funny as it was when it released.

Star Wars

Star Wars - 1977
Director: George Lucas
Actors: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Alec Guinness
Memorable Line: "May the force be with you."

The quintessential GenX movie, Star Wars should be etched into the psyches of every kid to pass through the 1970's and 1980's...and beyond.

But in case you missed it, Luke Skywalker (Hamill) is simple farm kid on out of the way planet who is dreaming of adventure when it all too suddenly finds him. After encountering a old recluse (Guinness) on the planet, Luke finds that he may be apart of mystical group called the Jedi - warriors tapped into universal energy called "The Force." The plot accelerates from there as the duo hook up with petty space smuggler, Han Solo (Ford) and then with an on the run princess (Fisher) and leader of rebel forces pitted against the evil Empire troops led by the ruthless and fearsome Darth Vader. The group end facing off against the Empire's ultimate weapon - the Deathstar, with the fate the free universe at stake.

Groundbreaking in special effects, Star Wars dazzled audiences, but it was so much more than a special effects extravaganza. There is an engaging story and charismatic characters. The story is reminiscent of an old western with characters with white hats and black hats. Lucas called it a Space Opera. I just call it fantastic.

The cast is mostly unknowns except for Guinness who add a gravitas to the movie with his performance, but all the cast members provide convincing performances.

So, pop some popcorn and power up the DVD player, put in Star Wars and get ready for a real adventure.

Serpico

Serpico (1973)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Al Pacino, Tony Roberts, Tom Kehoe, John Randolph
Memorable: "Let's face it, who can trust a cop that won't take money?"

What would you do if you wanted to just be an honest cop but discovered that just about every cop around you is on the take?

Serpico follows the life of cop, Frank Serpico (Pacino), as he starts as an idealistic rookie and carries that idealism throughout his career. This idealism gets him into a great deal of trouble as he comes to odds with a corrupt contingent of cops and ultimately, almost gets him killed. From precinct to precinct, Serpico finds cops on the take and when he says he will not "play," he is treated both as an outsider and an enemy. His only allies are a politically adept cop friend (Roberts) and one honest cop he encounters later in his career. After many attempts to report the corruption, he decides to go public. That's when he faces the an ultimate reprisal from the men in blue.

More character study than action film, there still enough here for those who want some action. For the most part, this is Pacino's movie because he is in nearly every scene and he acquits himself quite well. Pacino gives us Serpico's passion, his anxieties, and his short comings. The most prevalent emotion you feel from Pacino's portrayal is frustration. Utter frustration that he can't be what he wants to be -- an honest cop. The supporting cast comes across as authentic and competent. You actually believe some of these guys are real cops.

Directed by Sidney Lumet, Serpico has a even and deliberate pace. The film starts with a literal bang and then Lumet slows it down to backtrack to Serpico's entry into the force and tracks his career as he encounters bad cops and butts heads with authority along the way. Lumet is never showy, letting technique get in front of the story. Most of the time, it's the character's that tell the story in Serpico.

As with almost all of Lumet's movies, this is a thoughtful and provocative film. At points, you'll catch yourself sharing Serpico's frustration and wonder how the corruption became so rampant and how it could ever be stopped. It seems as if the cops in the movie have a greater incentive to get money through corruption, than through their jobs. If you're ready for a contemplative and engaging cop/character study, Serpico is the film for you.