The Films of John G. Avildsen
Turn on to Love
Guess What We Learned in School Today?
Joe
Cry Uncle
Okay Bill
Save the Tiger (July 31/18)
Featuring one of Jack Lemmon's very best performances, Save the Tiger follows Harry Stoner (Lemmon), a middle-aged partner in a dress-manufacturing firm, over the course of an especially eventful day and a half - with the movie revolving around Harry's efforts at handling a series of possible calamities (eg his company owes thousands in back taxes, an important client almost dies after an encounter with a prostitute, etc, etc). Filmmaker John G. Avildsen has infused Save the Tiger with a deliberately-paced and decidedly matter-of-fact sensibility, as the movie, written by Steve Shagan, is primarily devoted to the minutia of the central character's existence and the impact his actions have on those around him - with the almost real-time vibe proving effective at transforming Lemmon's protagonist into a sympathetic and thoroughly compelling figure. And although the movie is rarely able to raise itself to Lemmon's superlative level, Save the Tiger nevertheless boasts a handful of admittedly engrossing sequences that cumulatively cultivate a stirring character-study atmosphere - with the picture's center piece undoubtedly a riveting sequence detailing Harry nervous breakdown during what should've been a routine presentation. The movie does falter towards the end, however, with an overlong and somewhat dull encounter between Harry and a freespirited hippie (Laurie Heineman's Myra), and yet it's not quite enough to diminish what's otherwise (and ultimately) an accomplished and surprisingly affecting little drama.
out of
W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings
Rocky
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Slow Dancing in the Big City
The Formula
Neighbors
A Night in Heaven
The Karate Kid & The Karate Kid Part II
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Happy New Year
For Keeps (August 2/01)
For Keeps takes a potentially intriguing subject (two teenagers attempting to start their lives together) and piles on cliche after cliche, until it's about as compelling as an afterschool special. Molly Ringwald, in one of her last pre-erotic thriller performances, stars as a young woman that finds herself pregnant by her long-time boyfriend, and the two decide to settle down and start a family. Obviously, it's not as easy as they might have hoped. Every possible cliche you could think of is thrown into the mix - from strained relationships with parents to alcoholism to Ringwald being on the business end of some serious resentment from her classmates - For Keeps really runs the gamut. And in the process, almost becomes a parody of itself. But it's reasonably entertaining, I guess, and various celebs pop up in pre-fame bit parts (Pauly Shore and Larry "Dr. Giggles" Drake, to name a couple).
out of
Lean on Me
The Karate Kid Part III & Rocky V
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The Power of One
8 Seconds
Inferno