Bonnie and Clyde

Genre: crime drama 

With: Warren Beatty (Clyde Barrow), Faye Dunaway (Bonnie Parker), Michael J. Pollard (C.W. Moss, the mechanic), Gene Hackman (Buck Barrow), Denver Pyle (Frank Hamer), Estelle Parsons (Blanche Barrow, Buck's wife), Dub Taylor (Ivan Moss)

Director: Arthur Penn

Screenplay: David Newman and Robert Benton (with Robert Towne)

Release: 1967

Studio: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Tatira-Hiller

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.8/10

Not All It Was Cracked Up to Be

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Story-line: 1931, the Depression era. When Bonnie Parker, a waitress at an East Dallas restaurant, sees a loiterer near her mother's car, she shows neither fear nor shame. Standing naked in the window, she talks to the man and befriends him instantly. From then on Bonnie and Clyde will be partners in life... and partners in crime.

Pluses: legendary turns by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, a strong supporting cast, superior direction, a riveting screenplay that mixes violence, startling events and moments of heartbreak, great cinematography (Burnett Guffey) and one of the most disturbing final sequences in film history.  

Minuses: none, except for a few graphic scenes.

Comments: the old proverb ‟once a thief, always a thief” aptly applies to Bonnie and Clyde's outlaw days and Arthur Penn’s momentous motion picture recounts them in vivid, tragic detail. This dark work is a milestone in American cinema, no less.

MBiS

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We Don’t Live Here Anymore

Genre: relationship drama

With: Laura Dern and Mark Ruffalo (Terry and Jack Linden), Naomi Watts and Peter Krause (Edith and Hank Evans)

Director: John Curran

Screenplay: Larry Gross (based on two short stories by Andre Dubus)

Release: 2004

Studio: Front Street Pictures, Front Street Productions, Renaissance Films

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.0/10





‟You know what I wanted. I wanted to know where we were. Now I know.”





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Story-line: one Friday evening, the Lindens are hosting their good friends the Evans. They all seem quite happy… but are they really?

Pluses: a talented cast led by Laura Dern and Mark Ruffalo, a logical and honest screenplay, able direction and adequate production values.   

Minuses: the foul language used may irritate sensitive viewers. 

Comments: while some movies about disenchantment in marriage take ruinous shortcuts, this one carefully establishes each protagonist’s mindset and dares to explore difficult issues. How do two people know they are meant for each other? When things go sour, what should a couple do… hang on or call it quits? Can you love your partner while having an affair? Those are the questions our couples will consider… and try to answer as best they can. With its mood reminiscent of THE ICE STORM and its twisted games à la DANGEROUS LIAISONS, John Curran’s modest film is competent, thoughtful and enlightening.

MBiS



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