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A disaffected man seeks a sense of identity in one of the key films of Hollywood's 1970s New Wave. Once a promising pianist from a family of classical musicians, Bobby Eroica Dupea (Jack Nicholson, in his first major starring role) leads a blue-collar life as an oil rigger, living with needy waitress girlfriend Rayette (Karen Black) and bowling with their friends Elton (Billy Green Bush) and Stoney (Fannie Flagg). Feeling suffocated by responsibilities, Bobby seeks out his sister, Tita (Lois Smith), and, discovering that his father is gravely ill, he reluctantly heads back to the patrician family compound in Puget Sound with a pregnant Rayette in tow. After a road trip featuring a harangue from hitchhiker Palm (Helena Kallianiotes) about filth, and Bobby's ill-fated attempt to make a menu substitution in a diner, he tucks Rayette away in a motel before heading to the house. There Bobby seduces his uptight brother Carl's cultured fiancée, Catherine (Susan Anspach), but Rayette shows up unexpectedly. As Rayette's crassness collides with the snobbery of the Dupea circle, Bobby loses patience with both sides. After trying to reconcile with his mute father, Bobby departs, unwilling to give in to either destiny. Director Bob Rafelson and screenwriter Adrien Joyce (aka Carole Eastman) used the creative control afforded by the low budget to craft a European-influenced character study, catching a cultural mood of anomie and resentment as it was embodied in Bobby. Neither older generation nor hippie, Bobby fits in nowhere, and his desire for independence conflicts with his emotional emptiness. Nicholson's nuanced performance of simmering frustration resonated with 1970 audiences caught between Nixon's silent majority and the troubled counterculture; a substantial hit, Five Easy Pieces was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor, and established Nicholson as a star. Offering no easy answers to Bobby's existential crisis, Five Easy Pieces is one of the pre-eminent films in the early-'70s cycle of alienated American art movies, as even the fantasy of rebellion is reduced to merely running away.~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Starring:
Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Susan Anspach
Directed by:
Bob Rafelson
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 98 min
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The Twilight Saga: New Moon
You have to be living in a cave or a monastery to at least not know a little bit about this phenomenon. Here’s the second movie in the vampire saga, and this time the werewolves play more prominently in the plot – especially the constantly shirtless Taylor Lautner! Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart continue to excel in their performances as Edward and Bella.
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March 16th, 2010
The Princess and the Frog
Disney’s “return” to traditional, 2-D (two dimensional), hand drawn animation may not be a complete triumph – but is still pretty darn good. Story and song-wise, this one’s perhaps a little weak, but the animation is sumptuous! Not to mention, finally - an African-American princess for Disney!
Astro Boy
This computer animated cartoon feature is based on the 1960s cartoon TV series from Japan. A scientist loses his small son, and to help him deal with his grief he makes an exact replica of the boy as a robot. Thus is born “Astro Boy,” complete with the son’s personality. When you look at the theme of the story, it’s a sort of creepy take on the Pinocchio narrative – but hey, the kid-robot has machine guns that come out of his butt! How cool is that!? Watch this one with…say…any eight year old kid if you can. Freddie Highmore and Nicolas Cage, among others, provide the voices.
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
Clunker comedy starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker, cast as east coast urbanites that, after witnessing a murder, are whisked into the witness protection program and sent out to the country in Wyoming. A standard “fish-out-of-water” plot ensues, but sadly, the laughs do not.
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© 2010
