|
Queens LogicRating:
Release Date: 10 August, 1999 Retail Price: $24.98 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (21 total) |
Queens Logic Reviews
Great movie, but too underestimated!!
When I saw this movie for the first time I was a Malkovich's fan and I had already seen all his films, from the "Glass Menagerie" to "Of mice and men", from "Places in the heart" to "Mary Reilly" and "Being John Malkovich", but this one was quite unknown and it was always given bad reviews. I have never understood why: first of all the cast is excellent(apart from Malkovich,whose lonely character is unforgettable, I think Kevin Bacon and Joe Mantegna give two of their best performances and Linda Fiorentino doesn't play another dark lady, showing how versatile she can be, even if Chloe Webb, Ken Olin, J.Lee Curtis are outstanding, too, as usual). Moreover the script by Spiridakis is very original and it avoids every possible stereotype: it includes a group of friends from Queens(NYC)who reunite themselves for Ray(Ken Olin)'s wedding to Patty(Chloe Webb), but Ray is very doubtful and he dreams to become a painter in Italy; however his pals have their own problems, too: his loud and impulsive cousin Al(Joe Mantegna) is in trouble with his proud and neglected wife Carla(L.Fiorentino); his roommate Eliot(Malkovich) is an apathetical homosexual, who dislikes gay lifestyles, and his old buddy Dennis(Kevin Bacon), who was in love with Patty, pretends to have got successful in Hollywood, but then reveals to be just a failure. Of course the plot is based on self-revelations, the actors are more important than the director, but the film is very fluent and unusual; it doesn't look like "The Big Chill" or "Diner" that much: both of them are good movies, but I prefer "Queens logic" because it's more anticonventional and non-conformist, since it involves odd characters like Jeremy(Terry Kinney, a co-founder of the Steppenwolf Company with Gary Sinise and Malkovich), a snob homosexual who pursues Eliot; or such as Monte, played by Tom Waits, a funny alcoholic idler, or Inez(Jodie Markell), an eccentric healer, or madame Rosa, a fortune-teller whom Patty and Carla tell their problems, or Grace(Jamie Lee Curtis), a psychotic who teaches Joe Mantegna to "throw it all away", namely to leave adolescence and grow up. If you add the magic atmosphere of the nights in New York, a wonderful photography of the city, a nostalgic and dynamic soundtrack(David Bowie, Van Morrison, Souther, Johnny Nash, Marvin Gaye), the scene which includes the young Joe Mantegna climbing up the bridge which links Queens to Manhattan and the other characters who gaze at him, you can easily understand how marvelous this movie is! It is my favourite movie and I got very disappointed when I discovered that it hadn't had any kind of success. In my country(Italy)it's also out of print, so I bought a dvd from USA, well-worthy to be bought; note that the Italian title is quite poetical and maybe more helpful, it's "Sognando Manhattan"("Dreaming Manhattan"). Anyway buy this movie! If you like the actors it's a must!!
Queens Logic: I'm Moving Out
As a lifetime resident of the neighborhood depicted in the movie(which is Astoria, where NOBODY says they're from "Queens"), I excitedly anticipated renting and viewing this movie. Unfortunately, the high points consisted mainly of spotting neighborhood sites and scenes, unless you also include laughing at the incredibly lame situations and dialogue. The high point of lameness (among many) is the speech by Chloe Webb, in which she explains how she's just a girl from Queens and "will always be from Queens". The accent selected for this speech is unidentifiable, and may contain some part Bowery Boys and some part Nanny, but has never been heard inside the city limits of Astoria (or Queens for that matter). Her boyfriend, Ken Olin, is going through the struggle (as all artists must) in which he must decide if this ordinary girl from Queens with the odd accent can be his "muse", or will he need to find a muse in Manhattan. Luckily, the N train is near, so the decision can be made conveniently. Elsewhere in the convoluted plot, Joe Mantegna inexpicably climbs the Hellgate Bridge with a toothpick in his mouth,and prefers to hang out in bars rather than with his extreme babe wife, Linda Fiorentino. The main saving graces for the movie are John Malkovich playing a lovable, friendly but somehow menacingly Malkovich gay guy, Fiorentino just for showing up, and the general attitude that Astorians are cool while Manhattanites are idiotic. (This is clearly true, but why base a movie on it?) Note that Malkovich and Kevin Bacon (also appearing) never ever discuss being in this movie. PS: Watch out for the howling scene-I give you four slices of Astoria pizza for free if you can watch it without cringing and running out of your living room. Oh yes, Jamie Lee Curtis plays a ditzy crazy lady- never seen that before!
More Customer Reviews (4 total)
You like Queens Logic?
|
