Bonnie-Bedelia Movie Reviews

A more accurate movie is "Day One", at least as far as the plot goes, but even that fails to grasp the Manhattan Project's scope. The best film on it, which unfortunately no longer exists, was "The Beginning or the End" which was made in 1946 (Brian Donlevy played Groves). The main people on the project served as technical advisors for that one. Unfortunately, that was never put on video and probably rotted away in some warehouse.

Fat Man and Little Boy uses history as the foundation of its story, which is really to illustrate the great moral dilemma the scientists and military personnel involved in the Manhattan Project were faced with as they realized the potential (both positive and negative) of "The Gadget" they were building. The story is not so much on "how" the bomb was built, but on the repercussions of the bomb. In this, it does quite well, trying its best to be balanced. In the end, however, the producers miss the balancing act and come across fairly strongly "anti-nuke". They do present both sides throughout, despite the stand they take at the end.

A well-acted movie, Newman and Schultz do a good job and the film is entertaining. History as a backdrop for a moral argument, rather than history for history's sake.

Marilyn in FL

For the record, the original Gloria came out in 1980. It was a small independent film by John Cassevetes starring his wife, Gena Rowlands. I recall it's being a tight, first rate thriller about a gangster's girlfriend's one chance of doing good. The role was tailored for Rowlands, and her performance alone is well worth seeing the movie, if you can find it. My other memory of it is that it was shockingly violent for its time.

The new version of Gloria is fairly faithful to the original plot. Gloria, this time played by the underrated Sharon Stone, has just gotten out of prison, where she has served three years to save the skin of her gangster boyfriend, Frank [Jeremy Northam]. During her stay in the slammer, she's had a lot of time to think. She thinks, for instance, about how Frank never once visited her. She goes to Frank and tells him that the relationship is over and that all she wants is the large sum of money he promised her for taking the rap for him. He refuses to give it to her.

Meanwhile, the gang's accountant has tried to give himself some protection by creating a computer disk which has the names of all those involved in the outfit's criminal activities. The plan backfires, and, in trying to get the disk, one of Frank's trigger happy henchmen kills the accountant, as well as his wife, mother and daughter. Only his eight-year old son Nicky [Jean-Luke Figueroa] escapes, but is quickly caught and brought to Frank's apartment. It is there that Gloria and Nicky's paths cross. Gloria must decide whether or not to risk her life in order to save the boy.

Gloria was directed by Sidney Lumet, whose credits include Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Murder on the Orient Express. This sophisticated New Yorker here fails to deliver a superior film. The photography of the New York locales is superb, and Howard Shore delivers a great music score. Gloria is one of the screen's most memorable characters and certainly one of its most unlikely heroines. She is streetwise, tough, shrewd and very self-centered. Doing the right thing does not come naturally to her. Sharon Stone undoubtedly could have given a performance equal to Gena Rowland's, if only the movie had stayed more focused on her. This new version is also hampered by a couple of plot holes, each bigger than the one that sank the Titanic. Still, assuming you have not seen the original, this should be fairly decent escapist entertainment.

In a comment on our times, the violence in the new version is much more graphic, yet by modern standards, it's fairly tame.

Sharon Stone gives a cracking performance as a tart with heart when she takes on a child orphaned by the mafia and sets about saving his life and her own. This is an up-to-date Gloria with little Nicky clutching a computer disc rather than a book of names that could bring Gloria's ex-friends crashing down from their villainous thrones. Unlike Gena Rowlands version, Sharon Stone's version of the film is not so overtly violent, relying instead on short bouts of brutality that doesn't leave too many people dead and dying in the gutter. There are also some memorable moments, most of them containing Stone wearing the most outrageous outfits I have ever seen on a woman! Her black dress in the opening jail scene is a cracker, she looks like Liz Hurley at the Oscars, only better looking, and her choice of clothes to take little Nicky to Catholic School, played by newcomer Jean-Luke Figueroa makes you laugh out loud. What on earth will the Nuns make of this brassy young thing???? I mean a skirt so short it makes your eyes water and those shoes, how on earth did she walk in them?

All in all Sharon Stone gives a gutsy performance, and so does her little co-star Nicky, dodging bullets, gangsters and crooked cops as they struggled to stay alive, relying always on Stone's survival instinct and biting humour. The film isn't as fast paced as the Gena Rowlands version but it is entertaining enough and it has times when it is touching and thought provoking. The wonderful George C Scott is excellent as the mobster Ruby who has a soft spot for Gloria, and it is through him that Gloria and Nicky find a form of salvation and safety.

Worth watching as long as you don't compare it too closely with the Gena Rowlands version. I enjoyed it anyway.

The language is more poignant in the Stone version, and some people may be turned off by this. But I see this as being typical of the type of characters being portrayed. Remember, Gloria has just served 3 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Then her boy friend would not give her the money he promised for taking the rap. The language is similar to that being heard today on the Soprano series.

The original version was good, the remake is better. Photography is better - I loved the car chase scene.

This is an enjoyable suspenseful film to watch.

Directed by Fraser Heston (Alaska) made a Entertaining, Often Tongue in Cheek-Black Comedy. Which is Based on the Novel by Stephen King (The Green Mile, Christine, Hearts in Altantis). Screenplay by W.D. Ricther (Invision of the Body Snatchers-1978, Big Trouble in Little China) makes it Clever, Funny and Viciously Genuine Flick. Although before it`s Summer Release in 1993, Needful Things was Heavily Cut to Toned It Down from the Original Three-Hour Cut to a Two Hour Movie for Theatrical Release. The Film Wasn`t a Hit in Theaters, as usual, it did Better on Video. The Movie does have a Good Supporting Cast, Including:Bonnie Bedella, J.T. Walsh (RIP) and Amanda Plummer. The Performances of Sydow and Harris are Fine. Heston made a Special Cut for TBS Superstation-Adding most of his Original Cut for Television (Although, Just Cutting a Few Vulgar Comic Scenes from the Original Theatrical Cut), It`s Runs about Three Hours-Making Much More Sense to It. DVD is the Original Theatrical Release has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an fine Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound. DVD's only extra is a Trailer. Mostly Fans of Stephen King or Fans of the Actors in the Movie will find this Enjoyable. Watch for Lisa Blount, Which was She was seen very Briefly in the Original Release-In the Television Version, Her Role is much more Extended in the Special T.V. Cut. Also:Watch for Lochlyn Munro (Scary Movie, Unforgiven) in a Small Role as a Police Deputy. Grade:A-.