"Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" more or less made a star of Banderas, whose next gig was "The Mambo Kings". (He had not yet learned English, and did his lines phonetically). The other star, Victoria Avril, tried to break into American movies, but didn't have the staying power.
"Sweet and Lowdown" was excellent, probably Penn's best performance. I have missed a couple, like the musical, and only picked up "Celebrity" ( a little disappointing) on cable. "Hannah" is wonderful. I think "Manhattan" is in the top 5 American films of the 70s ("The Godfather" and "The Godfather II" fill two spots). I disliked "Crimes and Misdemeanors", but loved "Husbands and Wives". Of the lesser known films, I highly recommend "Broadway Danny Rose" and " Another Woman", one a comedy, one a drama (with Gena Rowlands). Speaking of Rowlands, the Cassavetes film "A Woman Under the Influence" belongs on any top 100 list.
I also am a big Spacey fan, since "Wiseguy" on tv.
There was a period of time when videos were a great creative medium, back in the mid- 80s. My favorite is "Slave to the Rhythm", a Grace Jones video done by her then boyfriend, whose name escapes me. Exceptional imagery...... |
