Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
ShangLuda Admirable film.
Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
gavin6942 An ex-convict (Jeff Bridges) is tracked down by his estranged teenage son (Edward Furlong), and the pair try to build a relationship and life together in Seattle.Elements of the screenplay for "American Heart" were based on material originally covered in the director's prior documentary film "Streetwise" (1984), such as the relationship between Dewayne and his father. Having not seen the earlier film, I cannot comment on the connection any more than that.Not surprisingly, Edward Furlong won an award for this, and Jeff Bridges is as great as ever (he is quite the natural). It is a shame that Furlong went on to a more questionable future. One cannot help but wonder if the early success tainted his later life.
LeonLouisRicci The Film is a fine character study of a Father/Son relationship from the dark side that is more hopeful than one would expect from the despair surrounding this rough but realistic re-bonding. Everyone on screen is believable and the two leads are impressive and surrounded by characters and scenery that is streetwise. It is Jeff Bridges' powerfully laid-back anger and unrelenting belief that he can escape this entrapment and maybe provide some guidance and hope despite the odds. His son is mostly incapable of resisting the obvious temptations of his environment, girlfriends, drugs, and the need to get some money.The Movie is quite engrossing despite its low-budget and downbeat story and is rendered remarkably restrained and never boring. It also resists trying to be too clever or too condescending. This is quite an achievement and deserving of more attention from those seeking something down to earth. This one is all the way down to street level and never, surprisingly, descends to the gutter.
Woodyanders The always excellent Jeff Bridges gives one of his finest, most impressive and hard-edged performances to date as Jack Kelson, a scruffy, but basically decent ex-con who gets paroled and has trouble readjusting to civilian life. Jack gets a job washing windows, resides in a cheap crummy apartment, tries to save money so he can move to Alaska and start life afresh, and attempts to bond with his forlorn, disaffected teenage son Nick (beautifully played by Edward Furlong). Documentary filmmaker Martin Bell, working from an astute, no-nonsense script by Peter Silverman, directs his first fictional feature with a commendable blend of total assurance and steady compassion for the more downtrodden members of modern society. The strong, moving and absorbing story about redemption and urban blight thankfully eschews cloying sentiment and hokey mainstream Hollywood razzle-dazzle; in their place we instead have a rough and unsentimental tone that naturally draws poignancy from the characters and the dire situation they find themselves struggling to overcome. Bridges and Furlong are both outstanding in the leads; they receive fine support from Lucinda Jenney as Jack's sweet cabbie girlfriend Charlotte, Don Harvey as Jack's slimy old criminal partner Rainey, Tracey Kaprisky as sad teenage prostitute Molly, and Melvyn Hayward as Jack's stern, but fair parole officer Normandy. The cinematography by James R. Bagdonas nails the grimy despair of the grungy Seatle locations with exceptional vividness. James Newton Howard's spare, bluesy score and a tip-top soundtrack which includes several terrific songs by Tom Waits further add to the film's deeply affecting impact. The downbeat ending is absolutely heartbreaking. A total powerhouse.
george.schmidt AMERICAN HEART (1993) **** Jeff Bridges, Edward Furlong, Don Harvey, Tracey Kapisky. Bleak yet truthful look at a father/son relationship in a world of despair. Bridges gives a modulatedly depicted performance as an ex-con fresh from jail and confronted with his teenage son, who is also on the path of hard knocks. Great rapport between Bridges and Furlong as well as a hopeless demise that maintains despite its moments of carefree aimlessness. Bridges co-produced as well.
