THE ICE STORM -- Ang Lee, dir

©1997
studio: 20th Century Fox
production company: Canal+ Droits Audiovisuels, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Good Machine
director: Ang Lee
cast: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Hnery Czerny, Tobey Maguire, Christine Ricci, Elijah Wood
screenplay: James Schamus, based on the novel by Rick Moody

1973, suburban Connecticut: middle class families experimenting with casual sex, drink, etc., find their lives out of control. [from IMDb]

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A dark, moving film, with an all-star cast. This is haunting, creepy, but all because of what goes on inside a human being, not because of some raging, tormenting killer. Here are suburban, middle-class families that are stuggling to identify themselves. While the adults experiment with all sorts of drugs, sex, alcohol, and even shop-lifting, their teenage children are stifled in their attempts to reach out and experiment. With these parents as role models, who could be surprised that the children are deviant?

There are problems with the script and with the direction, but over-all, this is one film that will make your skin crawl and possibly even turn you on at the same time.

Recommended.

YOU'RE THE TOP: THE COLE PORTER STORY -- Allan Albert, dir

©1990
studio: Winstar
production company: Channel 4 Television Corporation, Videfilm Producers International Ltd. (VPI), WNET Channel 13 New York
director: Allan Albert
cast: Bobby Short, Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland
documentary

Biographical portrait of one of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters. Told through the use of archival material and interviews with the rich and famous that knew him, this portrait concentrates on his career and his public life events. (from Amazon.com)

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What amazes me, watching this PBS documentary, is how little Mr. Porter ever had to do for himself. He defines the adagae "born with a silver spoon in his mouth."

I cannot relate to the lifestyle he led and I'm incredibly surprised that he was ever able to write songs since he had no idea how most of the citizens of the modern world lived.

Worth watching.