Category Archives: 1990

1990, Complicated, Conspiracy, Corruption, Imperfect, Lawyers, Mediocre, Murder, Murder Investigation

The Two Jakes (1990)

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From Netflix:

World War II is over, and an older, wiser Jake Gittes still works divorce cases in this sequel to Chinatown. Developer Jake Berman asks Gittes to get proof that Berman’s wife is cheating on him — and wants other things Gittes doesn’t yet know about.

Hopefully you remember “Chinatown” because 16 years later Jack Nicholas is back as one of the Jakes, J.J. ‘Jake’ Gittes, along with Harvey Keitel as the other Jake, Julius ‘Jake’ Berman.

For my money this film is not the classic that “Chinatown” is. Moreover the plot seemed to me to be a bit complicated, if not downright contrived.

If only for the sake of film history you might want to see this film, but there are so many other films calling to you.

1990, Anti-Semitism, Based on true facts, Could Be Hard To Watch, DO NOT MISS, Gay theme, German, Human spirit, Jewish Culture, Military, Nudity, Polish, Revenge, Russian, Sex Scenes, True Story, Violent, War, WWII

Europa Europa (1990)

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From Wikipedia:

Europa Europa is a 1990 film directed by Agnieszka Holland. Its original German title is Hitlerjunge Salomon, i.e. “Hitler Youth Salomon”. It is based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel, a German Jewish boy who escaped the Holocaust by masquerading not just as a non-Jew, but as an elite “Aryan” German. The film stars Marco Hofschneider and Julie Delpy; Perel appears briefly as himself in the finale. The film is an international co-production between CCC Film and companies in France and Poland.

Hopefully you will watch both this 2 hour film and also the 3 hour film Sunshine.
Whereas “Sunshine” is an epic showing the history of Hungarian Jews during several epochs, “Europa Europa” is a true story about one Jewish teenager’s survival in the confusing changes in political alignment in Germany, Poland, and Russia between Hitler and Stalin.

WARNING: Once again (as in “Sunshine”) there will be some ugly scenes. Once such scene shows what it was like in the Jewish ghetto during WWII when the Germans either starved the Jews, or killed them outright, or sent them to concentration camps.

If this were not an autobiography I would label it as fantasy or magic realism or some such departure from reality. Yupp, the teenager, had literally unbelievable good luck. However, he survived partly because in all his reincarnations he learned to speak not only German but also Polish and Russian. Of course, he was also very resourceful. Moreover, when faced with a moral choice, he chose survival.

Watching the indoctrination of the Nazi Youth into a violent anti-Semitism was a revelation.

Despite the story’s best efforts, I will personally never believe that the German people did not know what was happening to the Jews.

Coupled with “Sunshine” I would call this film a DO NOT MISS!

1990, Comedy, Cooking and food, Detective, Mayhem, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Violent

Miami Blues (1990)

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From NetFlix:

Veteran criminal Junior (Alec Baldwin), just out of prison, moves to Miami to get a fresh start; right after landing at the airport, though, he inadvertently causes the death of a Hare Krishna, sending a weather-beaten Miami detective (Fred Ward) after him. Stealing the cop’s gun, badge and false teeth, Junior embarks on a crime spree and moves in with a former hooker (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who longs to settle down. But can they outrun the law?

Alec Baldwin is probably the best known of the four Baldwin brothers (the others being Stephen, William, and Daniel). In this film Alec is a mere child of 32 years. Currently he is best known for his role in “30 Rock” at the tender age of 53. His appearance has changed somewhat over those 21 years, to say the least.

This crazy, funny, unpredictable, and violent film predates “Pulp Fiction” by four years and could easily have been the inspiration for John Travolta’s film. Junior (Alec Baldwin) is an intelligent, clever, charming, and resourceful thief, liar, and cold-blooded killer. If you can ignore the violence, you might really enjoy watching Junior slip out of one bad situation after the other. There are enough sight gags, sudden twists, and comic understatements to keep anyone interested.

Immediately after getting out of one of his many stays in prison he hooks up with Jennifer Jason Leigh (who is 28 years old in the film). She played Pauline in “Margot at the Wedding”. Her character Susie Waggoner is a sweet, naive hooker (and college student) who really wants to be a homemaker and who thinks she has found a wonderful life partner. Stick around!

Fred Ward, who has nearly 70 performances under his belt, lends comic relief especially as concerns his false teeth. His role as the stereotypical lonely, dedicated detective whose personal life is a shambles is pitch perfect.

Another reviewer of this film said “There’s also a good soundtrack, capped off at the end by Norman Greenbaum’s classic ‘Spirit In The Sky’ .”

1990, Drama, Explicit sex, Kidnapping, Not Feel Good, Nudity, Suspense, Violent

After Dark My Sweet (1990)

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From NetFlix:

When a couple of conniving lowlifes (Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern) hatch a plot to kidnap the scion of a wealthy local family, they pick the wrong man to carry out the job: Kid Collie (Jason Patric), a disturbed ex-boxer on the lam from a mental institution. Collie narrates this twisted tale of double crosses and deception directed by James Foley (At Close Range) and adapted from the Jim Thompson novel.

Years ago I saw Jason Patric in “Sleepers”, a difficult-to-watch film about child kidnap and sexual abuse. In looking for more Patric films I tried “Expired” (2007) and “Your Friends and Neighbors” (1998). In both films he played the part of a nasty somewhat despicable person. I refused to recommend either film. In “After Dark My Sweet” he does and excellent and consistent job in becoming the damaged Kid Collie. Good story with unpredictable plot twists. For the life of me I cannot figure out what the ta

1990, British Mystery Series, Detective, Mystery Film, Old-Fashioned

Inspector Alleyn Mysteries: Set 1 (1990)

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From NetFlix:

Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn (Patrick Malahide) is a sophisticated detective who’s comfortable among society types in 1940s Britain but equally able to navigate the trenches when duty calls. His skills come in handy when he’s handed cases that mystify his colleagues — such as the murder of an artist’s model, the mysterious death of high-powered politicians and barristers and the blackmailing of an upper-crust debutante.

We were a bit disappointed in set 1 of Inspector Alleyn. Kathy and I found discs 1 and 3 boring. Discs 2 and 4 were better but not great. These period pieces are a bit slow and antiquated. However, subtitles are available which is a plus for many viewers.

1990, Detective, Drama, Imperfect, Kathryn Bigelow, Nudity, Suspense, Violent

Blue Steel (1990)

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From NetFlix:

When psychotic Wall Street broker Eugene (Ron Silver) witnesses rookie cop Megan (Jamie Lee Curtis) gunning down an armed robber in a store, he becomes instantly obsessed with her. After lifting the robber’s gun from the crime scene, Eugene carves Turner’s name into the bullets and uses them in a series of murders. Soon, Turner is drawn into a deadly game of wits with a psychopath who’s always a step ahead … and much closer than she thinks!

Since I am on a Kathryn Bigelow (director) kick, I tried this film. Although Ron Silver plays an acceptable psychotic, Jamie Lee Curtis is a bit stiff. Give this film a B. The plot could have made things a lot harder for the cop Megan. I could have framed her and sent her away for life. For a better Kathryn Bigelow film see The Weight of Water.

1990, Could Be Hard To Watch, Horror, Not Feel Good, Revenge, Stephen King, Suspense, Violent

Misery (1990)

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From NetFlix:

In this creepy thriller based on Stephen King’s book, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) rescues her idol, romance novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan), after a horrible car accident. But she morphs from nurturing caregiver to sadistic jailer upon discovering that Sheldon plans to kill off his literary heroine, Misery, in his next volume. Bates’s disturbing performance as the psychotic Annie netted her a Best Actress Oscar.

The book is quite good especially compared to the movie. The movie vaguely resembles the book but still offers the same roller coaster ride. It’s just fun at a B level. Kathy Bates as the crazy captor and James Caan as the captive are a hoot. Bring along your strong stomach for some of the violence.