Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict
Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Kirpianuscus at first sigh, it is his film. at the second, it is the film of Adrien Brody. or the film of city, period, locations, atmosphere, humor. but Jesse Bradford has the irable - and provocative - art to create an entire universe around him. a sort of aura. who becomes one of the most inspired descriptions of the "30 decade. who gives to the childhood the right an complete definition. who impress. who becomes source of a form of seduction out of ordinary rules. a beautiful film. ing Dickens and the great books about Economical Crisis.
gavin6942 A young boy struggles on his own in a run-down motel after his parents and younger brother are separated from him in 1930s Depression-era Midwest.Being based on a memoir, I have to wonder how much of this is fact and how much is fiction. There is nothing fantastical, so I am inclined to believe that it is largely true. However, given that the main character is prone to telling stories, it leaves me to wonder if perhaps the narrator may even have fudged a few things in the process.Ultimately, it does not really matter either way. The story is enjoyable and the whole thing is very tightly directed and edited. Although not very much actually happens to this kid, it is still fun to watch him get himself into and out of jams... and we have to wonder how much of a con artist the pet store owner is.
zetes A charming and gentle period piece set during the Depression. Jesse Bradford stars as a teen whose family, along with so much of America, is not doing well financially. They've moved into a hotel, and the father's traveling salesman gig is going terribly. Bradford's younger brother is sent away to their uncle's place and, soon after, his mother has to go stay in a sanitarium. Finally, his father gets a job selling watches out west, and is forced to leave Bradford alone in the hotel room, surviving on a very small sum. Bradford's a resourceful kid, but he struggles to outlast the ordeal. Jeroen Krabbe and Lisa Eichhorn play Bradford's parents. Other familiar faces include Spalding Gray, Elizabeth McGovern, Karen Allen and Adrien Brody (I don't think I'd ever seen him in a movie before The Pianist, although, looking it up, apparently he shows up in an uncredited role in Natural Born Killers). The film is somewhat reminiscent of the classic Depression-era film Wild Boys of the Road, though this one is actually a lot less gritty. This film has never been available on DVD (it was on VHS), but it has recently popped up on Netflix Instant. It streams in its original aspect ratio and, all around, it looked gorgeous.
aph312 Whenever I watch this film, I find myself days later still being haunted by certain scenes. I can't believe that I had never even heard of this movie until I accidentally recorded it off HBO when trying to record the TV show of the same name. I love the unhurried pace of the film; I love how much is conveyed in people's faces. When the father returns home and Aaron is clearly angry with him, the father acknowledges and apologizes, and Aaron forgives, without a word being spoken. Absolutely brilliant.The scenes that haunt me are those of Aaron being so hungry. I've never been hungry in my life, but the image of him eating yet another dinner roll nearly brings me to tears.The last thing I'll add is that it's so refreshing to see a film set in an American city other than New York. Nothing against the Big Apple, but it's nice to have a different backdrop.
