Jonathan-Demme Movie Reviews

I've been a fan for years and years, but I have learned that my friends just don't see the brilliance in Robyn that I do - mainly because it takes a little effort on the part of the listener to look beyond the cheese, flesh, and tomato references to find the humor and genius. I saw Storefront Hitchcock this weekend, and the film is so well-made: the store-window concept, the camera work, and the songs that were chosen - all excellent. If you're this kind of fan, buy this video!

just like HOCKEY...it seems to get Robyn Hitchcock you need to see him LIVE...and I can't imagine a better simulation than this wonderful little film. THE ONLY drawback is it is WAY too short! with DVD I have become expectant of bonus material and a few extra songs wouldn't hurt ..but hey that just tells you how good this is..YOU DO NOT WANT IT TO END. I wasn't a big fan before I saw this movie and now I understand why his fans (or cult) are so passionate..lyrics which are challenging (to say the least) great vocals (lennonesque) and a pretty stunning guitarist to boot...BUY this DVD...you will be charmed and enthralled.

This is a unique and soul stirring documentary that will grip you and humble you, and perhaps, change the way you think about God, poverty and racism forever. As you are drawn into the world of Father Bob Castle, a Yale-educated white rector of a small Episcopal church in Harlem, you can't help but be in awe of this extraordinary man! Yet this is not the tale of some white liberal do-gooder "gracing" impoverished minority neighborhoods with his help. Rather it is the story of a very human man whose hard-earned presence in the heart and soul of a mostly African-American and Latino community takes him to the drug-infested, pot-holed streets of Harlem, and it is there, among friends, where he lives with a reasonable hope for God's amazing Grace! A very personal story of Jonathan Demme's long-lost cousin Bobby, COUSIN BOBBY is filmed like an amateur home-movie so that it allows you to experience, even if it's in a little itty bitty way, all the love, anger, faith, grief, outrage, fear, joy, remorse, pain, beauty, sadness and hope that must be part of Father Castle's world every grace-filled day.

Because this was filmed in a studio, some people may have overlooked this video. These are "LIVE" performances folks! If you taped it off VH-1 you're missing some great sound. Buy this video if only for the sound quality. The performances are fabulous. Crazy Horse "ROCKS", and Neil is in great form. The version of "Change Your Mind" is worth the price of admission. Because of it's short running time, it may have been a little cheaper, but it's stll well worth the fifteen bucks. This one is for the true fan.

I saw this movie on HBO a couple of years ago, and I have been trying to find it on DVD for a couple of months now, I finally found it on VHS and bought it anyway, cause I just had to have it. The story with Taral Hicks is my favorite, she is trying to reach her mother who is dying in the hospital. She gets stuck and eventually she ends up having to call her from the subway station. When she gets a hold of her mother she sings here favorite song to her over the phone, the song is Troubles of the World. That girl sings the mess out of that song, it will bring tears to your eyes. If you have not seen this movie, you really should.

The first time I saw "Subway Stories" on HBO, it totally blew me away. The whole concept behind the film was to compile the winning short stories from a contest (all of the stories had to be connected to the subways of New York). While the stories are diverse in their plots and themes, I couldn't help but be glued to the TV anticipating the next story. There is something there for everyone. I was particularly fond of John Guare's segment about the war vet pan-handling on the train, although all of the stories were much better than average.

My only problem with this movie is that it is not yet available on DVD. IF you haven't seen this and are a fan of short stories, you will love this movie.

Please please please release "Subway Stories" on DVD! Its a great movie, but I'm waiting for the DVD (perhaps with some extras)!

I saw this movie on HBO a couple of years ago, and I have been trying to find it on DVD for a couple of months now, I finally found it on VHS and bought it anyway, cause I just had to have it. The story with Taral Hicks is my favorite, she is trying to reach her mother who is dying in the hospital. She gets stuck and eventually she ends up having to call her from the subway station. When she gets a hold of her mother she sings here favorite song to her over the phone, the song is Troubles of the World. That girl sings the mess out of that song, it will bring tears to your eyes. If you have not seen this movie, you really should.

The first time I saw "Subway Stories" on HBO, it totally blew me away. The whole concept behind the film was to compile the winning short stories from a contest (all of the stories had to be connected to the subways of New York). While the stories are diverse in their plots and themes, I couldn't help but be glued to the TV anticipating the next story. There is something there for everyone. I was particularly fond of John Guare's segment about the war vet pan-handling on the train, although all of the stories were much better than average.

My only problem with this movie is that it is not yet available on DVD. IF you haven't seen this and are a fan of short stories, you will love this movie.

Please please please release "Subway Stories" on DVD! Its a great movie, but I'm waiting for the DVD (perhaps with some extras)!

Since it was nearly seven years since the last time the E Street Band and Bruce Springsteen played together during the Tunnel of Love and the Amnesty International tours, their coming together in 1995 was a fans dream.

The band members had become more adept at playing their instruments, they had matured some, and it comes out in the numerous renditions of Blood Brothers and Secret Garden (which would be later used in the movie Jerry Maguire) that we get to eavesdrop on like a fly on the wall in the studio.

The E Streeters do an awesome job with Murder Incorporated, a song they'd used for years in concerts, just had never released on an album before.

And when they finally get to This Hard Land, it's Springsteen at his purist; no politics, no agenda, just people and good hard rock and roll.

As a fan I'd cheer the Boss if he did nothing more than sit in a chair with an acoustic guitar and sing for an hour, but what you've got here is 90 minutes worth of behind the scenes goings on, and it's well worth the money.

And if you never have, make sure you go to a concert if you ever have the chance. You'll never forget it.

This video is a behind-the-scenes look in the recording studio for the Greatest Hits album. Bruce and the E Street Band have just re-united, and meet in the studio to record three new tracks to add to the CD -- Murder, Incorporated; This Hard Land; and Blood Brothers. This band rocks!

This is a documentary filmed over 7 days, which was the total time that the band came together to put together their Greatest Hits CD. The whirlwind project entailed recording 4 songs in the studio, taping a live performance of "Blood Brothers" for a music video, choosing which previously recorded tracks to include, taking still photographs for promotion and many other decisions. You will see footage containing debate about which cover photograph to pick, which songs should be on the CD or not, including entertaining a ghastly suggestion to leave "Thunder Road" off to make more space for other songs! This is basically a reality show about a slice of the life of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Well back in 1995 when this was made we called these documentaries but now that it is 2002 and we are deluged with reality shows I'd liken this more to a reality show than a documentary!

If you are interested in what really goes on during a studio taping and mixing of music, and about behind the scenes decisions, you will love this. People interested in the business end of the entertainment industry will enjoy seeing the interaction between the producer and the manager and the musicians. If you are a big fan of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band you will love it, of course, that goes without saying.

I am not a musician and am ignorant about the process of making music, but this movie gave me some insight. We see Bruce telling the band what his vision for the songs is, how he wants the mood, his raw ideas, and then the feedback of the musicians and the businessmen. We see discussion of whether the music is overpowering the lyrics, whether the music is really setting the tone of the message of the song, etc. We see the band members composing their own parts to the songs. We hear debate about which version of the song is the best, which invokes the proper mood and message. We see a meeting with an outside consultant who remixed "Secret Garden" with some string instruments and we see the band vote for their favorite version (it is not unanimous). We see Bruce tired and working hard, and in one scene he looks as if he just woke up from a nap with "bed head". We see them out on the streets with fans calling their names and asking for autographs and asking Bruce for a kiss on the cheek (which was refused).

Springsteen brought up the Greatest Hits project idea on a Thursday and recording began a few days later. The whole project was done in a week. What a whirlwind. Because this was the first time the band had officially studio-recorded in 11 years, and 7 years since performing together, there were some interesting dynamics going on and band members were commenting about their emotions and happiness at being together again.

After watching this I have more respect for musicians than I used to. As a consumer and listener of the final product I hadn't really been exposed to all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. It is apparent throughout the film that Bruce, the band, the other artists and the business people worked very well together but still I could appreciate the hard work and difficulty of it all. As with other types of projects, there is the dream and the original conception, there is the path along the way where others give input, compromise is made, different things are tried, and one final thing results, which does not always please everyone. The looming deadline is there and impacts the project.

I also was left completely in awe of all it takes to write great lyrics, to compose music, and then to get it to the end product. This film helped me realize just a slice of what goes on behind the scenes and to appreciate all it takes to put out a studio recording. What talent each musician must have to be able to do this work! I was left with the feeling that to be musical, it is an inborn talent not something that is easily learned. I also realized the true dedication of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band. It was very clear to me that Springsteen cannot help but write and perform, it is in his blood, it is a calling, it comes natural and it cannot be suppressed. Musicians must make music, writers must write, you cannot stop them! And to Bruce and the E Street Band I beg: "Don't stop!"

My one complaint was the spoken part of the track seems to be a lower volume than the music. I was straining to hear some of the mumblings and fast-talking and then when the music came on it was blasting! As I watched it I took out my copy of the Greatest Hits CD and compared it with the final songs that made the cut, the photograph of the band we saw being shot, and one inside shot was a proposed cover, which was shot down. And of course as a huge fan I wished the film were longer, and that I could have such a bird's eye view of their work process more often!

MARRIED TO THER MOB is not only Jonathan Demme's best film but perhaps the single funniest comedy to emerge from Hollywood in the Eighties. Its depiction of the New York area mob enormously influenced David Chase's THE SOPRANOS on HBO, and hasn't received the recognition for this it deserves. The genius of the film is that all the film's characters (with the exceptions of Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine and Sister Carol) are all mosters of taste as well as morality, and yet none of them seem to realize this: they think everyone else likes the same furniture, and beahves in the same way, as they do. This has the effect of making their awful choices in home decor seem sublime ("I see a great house!" Alec Baldwin complains, when he looks around at the illgotten and hideous goods his mob work has won him), and their moral choices hilarious. Dean Stockwell, as the randy head of the mob family after Pfeiffer's heroine, and Mercedes Ruehl, as his dumb but jealously devoted wife, almost steal the show (there's a great moment--just two seconds, really--when Ruehl decides to surprise her husband while standing at Kennedy Airport under an advertsiing sign that says, "Miami is for Lovers": her goofy look of inspiration is priceless). But the film in the end belongs to Michelle Pfeiffer, as the hapless heroine, the widowed wife of a mob enforcer. This was the film that really made Pfeiffer a star. Years before she began to perfect the irritating mannerisms that marred her work in the Nineties, she manages to make her character's sufferings and her innate goodness seem immensely touching and also, almost bewilderingly, deeply funny. She has a great date at a salsa club with Matthew Modine's character that remains one of the greatest first dates in film history: watch especially for their little dance outside the Criminal Justice Building in the outtakes during the closing credits.

"Married to the Mob" is a very funny movie about an Italian Mob Wife who wants out. It is one of my ultimate favorite movies of all time because it is so funny, so well acted, and pure fun to watch. Michelle Pfieffer stars as Angela Demarco, the wife of Frankie "Cucumber" Demarco(played by Alec Baldwin) and mother to 7 year old Joey.
Frustrated by the lifestyle, she just wants to start over fresh and have a second chance for a good life. She asks for a divorce, which is ignored. Then Frankie and his mistress get iced by the big boss, Tony "The Tiger" Russo, played by Dean Stockwell, who roars as this cool mob boss. Angela is beside herself, and ready to move out and on with her life. She moves out of the neighborhood and into a tenament in a seedy looking neighborhood. She plans to get a job and raise her son on her own.
She is then being unknowingly surveillanced by the FBI, and Agent Mike Dowling(Matthew Modine) becomes interested in her.
Young Pfeiffer and Modine seem to have a little chemistry going in the movie. They are very cute together.
Once Frank is dead, Tony tries to seduce Angela. His wife, Connie, played by a hilarious Mercedes Ruehl who is just wonderful in this role, tries to stop it. Tony tries and fails several times.
Mike falls hard for Angela, but eventually she finds out that the FBI is behind it all. They want to use her to get Tony.
Chaos ensues with comedy following. All the actors in this movie work so well together, too. I liked every performance in the movie. Pfeiffer being the best. She plays the character with zest and the accent is perfect!
It is a movie I intend to purchase soon as I just don't tire of it's upbeat, funny, and romantic story.
Highly recommended!!!

This is a great film. FUN FUN FUN and Funny too. Pfieffer does such a great job in this role, as does Alec Baldwin and Mathew Modine. A terrifically fun film.

Thomas Harris wrote three novels on which four different films are based: Manhunter (1986) and Red Dragon (2002) based on the same novel as well as Hannibal (2001) and this film. After a decade, it retains its strengths in terms directing, acting, and production values. For obvious reasons, however, it has lost much of its emotional impact for those such as I who have seen it several times since its initial release in 1991. Nonetheless, I find it every bit as entertaining now as I did then but for different reasons.

For example, the compelling personality of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) had such an impact on me the first time around that I paid little attention to information revealed about Clarice Starling's childhood. Jody Foster received an Academy Award for her performance as did Hopkins and director Jonathan Demme. Well-deserved. I now have a much better appreciation of the evolving relationship between Lecter and Starling, and a much better understanding of childhood influences on her values and especially her vulnerabilities. Also, I now have a greater appreciation of the performances of others, notably Ted Levine (Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb). During the final confrontation, he more than holds his own with the highly talented Foster. Finally, I am now more aware of Jack Crawford's importance to Starling. Portraying her supervisor, Scott Glenn appears only briefly but makes a critically important contribution to Starling's development, both personally and professionally. Her judgment proves better than his as they pursue Buffalo Bill and he duly acknowledges that.

As I now think again about this film, I realize that the dominant image previously had been of Lecter in his cell, smiling serenely at the earnest young F.B.I. agent. Whenever I heard a reference to the film or to Lecter, that is what immediately came to mind. Now, the dominant image is of the "cage" in which Lecter is served a lamb chop dinner by two of the guards. I recall it so vividly...and shudder.

The DVD version of a film offers clearer image and sound (which I certainly appreciate) but also, more often than not, a "bonus" of supplementary materials. In this instance, they include 20 minutes of deleted scenes, interviews of Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, a "making-of" featurette, and a reel of out-takes.

Enough good things can not be said about this film. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is a horror-thriller-drama in one, a masterpiece of modern cinema that swept in five Academy Awards including Best Picture. Loosely adapted from the best-seller by Thomas Harris, the film follows Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a young FBI trainee who must play an imprisoned cannibal genius' (Anthony Hopkins) mind games while trying to single-handedly track down a psychotic serial killer (Ted Levine). THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is deservedly a legend, which was followed by three sequels (chronologically, the film occurs after it's second sequel, RED DRAGON). Let me try to sum up my good thoughts in words. Jonathan Demme turns this from a masterpiece to a work of art with his outstanding direction and intriguing Point-of-View shots; Ted Tally writes the creepy, intelligent screenplay; then there's a short but very nice score by Howard Shore. Foster is at her best and portrays the character better than anyone else could try; Scott Glenn is good as her section chief, and Anthony Heald is good as the annoying and ignorant Dr. Chilton; Levine is very good as well, and brings out the character just as he should be. But the true highlight of the film is Anthony Hopkins as polite and genius Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter; Hopkins gives his best performance and one of the best performances ever captured on film - there is no doubt in my mind Hannibal Lecter is the ultimate villain. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS must be seen to believed. Make sure you take a bite out of this artful masterpiece!

This psychological thriller descends into the realm of madness as Dr. Hannibal Lecter (encased in an escape-proof cage - but is it REALLY escape-proof?) establishes an unusual connestion with FBI agent Clarice Starling. She comes to him requesting his insight and help figuring out the criminally insane mind of a serial killer she's stalking. Lecter agrees to cooperate, but at a price...
Impecable performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster playing the leads.
Warning: Do Not Watch This Movie alone on a dark and rainy night. And take some Excedrin PM afterward, or you'll never get to sleep. Highest recommendation.

Thomas Harris wrote three novels on which four different films are based: Manhunter (1986) and Red Dragon (2002) based on the same novel as well as Hannibal (2001) and this film. After a decade, it retains its strengths in terms directing, acting, and production values. For obvious reasons, however, it has lost much of its emotional impact for those such as I who have seen it several times since its initial release in 1991. Nonetheless, I find it every bit as entertaining now as I did then but for different reasons.

For example, the compelling personality of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) had such an impact on me the first time around that I paid little attention to information revealed about Clarice Starling's childhood. Jody Foster received an Academy Award for her performance as did Hopkins and director Jonathan Demme. Well-deserved. I now have a much better appreciation of the evolving relationship between Lecter and Starling, and a much better understanding of childhood influences on her values and especially her vulnerabilities. Also, I now have a greater appreciation of the performances of others, notably Ted Levine (Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb). During the final confrontation, he more than holds his own with the highly talented Foster. Finally, I am now more aware of Jack Crawford's importance to Starling. Portraying her supervisor, Scott Glenn appears only briefly but makes a critically important contribution to Starling's development, both personally and professionally. Her judgment proves better than his as they pursue Buffalo Bill and he duly acknowledges that.

As I now think again about this film, I realize that the dominant image previously had been of Lecter in his cell, smiling serenely at the earnest young F.B.I. agent. Whenever I heard a reference to the film or to Lecter, that is what immediately came to mind. Now, the dominant image is of the "cage" in which Lecter is served a lamb chop dinner by two of the guards. I recall it so vividly...and shudder.

The DVD version of a film offers clearer image and sound (which I certainly appreciate) but also, more often than not, a "bonus" of supplementary materials. In this instance, they include 20 minutes of deleted scenes, interviews of Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, a "making-of" featurette, and a reel of out-takes.

Enough good things can not be said about this film. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is a horror-thriller-drama in one, a masterpiece of modern cinema that swept in five Academy Awards including Best Picture. Loosely adapted from the best-seller by Thomas Harris, the film follows Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a young FBI trainee who must play an imprisoned cannibal genius' (Anthony Hopkins) mind games while trying to single-handedly track down a psychotic serial killer (Ted Levine). THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is deservedly a legend, which was followed by three sequels (chronologically, the film occurs after it's second sequel, RED DRAGON). Let me try to sum up my good thoughts in words. Jonathan Demme turns this from a masterpiece to a work of art with his outstanding direction and intriguing Point-of-View shots; Ted Tally writes the creepy, intelligent screenplay; then there's a short but very nice score by Howard Shore. Foster is at her best and portrays the character better than anyone else could try; Scott Glenn is good as her section chief, and Anthony Heald is good as the annoying and ignorant Dr. Chilton; Levine is very good as well, and brings out the character just as he should be. But the true highlight of the film is Anthony Hopkins as polite and genius Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter; Hopkins gives his best performance and one of the best performances ever captured on film - there is no doubt in my mind Hannibal Lecter is the ultimate villain. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS must be seen to believed. Make sure you take a bite out of this artful masterpiece!

This psychological thriller descends into the realm of madness as Dr. Hannibal Lecter (encased in an escape-proof cage - but is it REALLY escape-proof?) establishes an unusual connestion with FBI agent Clarice Starling. She comes to him requesting his insight and help figuring out the criminally insane mind of a serial killer she's stalking. Lecter agrees to cooperate, but at a price...
Impecable performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster playing the leads.
Warning: Do Not Watch This Movie alone on a dark and rainy night. And take some Excedrin PM afterward, or you'll never get to sleep. Highest recommendation.

This psychological thriller descends into the realm of madness as Dr. Hannibal Lecter (encased in an escape-proof cage - but is it REALLY escape-proof?) establishes an unusual connestion with FBI agent Clarice Starling. She comes to him requesting his insight and help figuring out the criminally insane mind of a serial killer she's stalking. Lecter agrees to cooperate, but at a price...
Impecable performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster playing the leads.
Warning: Do Not Watch This Movie alone on a dark and rainy night. And take some Excedrin PM afterward, or you'll never get to sleep. Highest recommendation.

Foster and Hopkins kick butt here! Their chemistry is amazing. This film was ground breaking and truly shocking. If you haven't seen it, do that now. If you have, revisit it and remind yourself of why it's so great.

A serial killer, known to the media as Buffalo Bill, has kidnapped and skinned several women and cannot be found. A beginner FBI agent, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), is assigned to speak with a brilliant psychopathic psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecktor (Anthony Hopkins), in a mental ward. In doing this, she hopes that he will provide both valuable information regarding his whereabouts and insight on how a serial killer thinks. Soon after her first meeting with Lecktor (overwhelmed by the manipulation she received from him and other inmates), a woman is reportedly missing, and that Buffalo Bill is behind it. This adds to the stress, and Lecktor reaches into Clarice Starling's haunted memories.

A riveting and disturbing psychological thriller that succeeds in most departments. It does not rely as much on blood and gore as it does on generally eerie dialogue. Jodie Foster's character does take a little while to get comfortable with, but her portrayal as a haunted woman is always compelling and unforgettable. It is Anthony Hopkins that delivers the most with his cannibalistic and thought-provoking persona. See it!

Overall rating: 4.8 stars (rounded to 5)

If you like this film, I would also recommend "Se7en".

Rated R for strong language and suggestive dialogue, violence, brief nudity, and mature themes.