I read your books! I read ALL YOUR BOOKS!
Part of the MovieDiva Film Series at the Carolina Theatre, it was a joy seeing this classic adventure-romance on the big screen, especially after watching it non-stop on VHS when I was a kid.
Pretty much everything works here. The chemistry between Turner and Douglas is palpable and wildly intense while Dean Cundey’s photography and Alan Silvestri’s fabulous score synchronize and deliver big time. Early scenes have a few groan-worthy bits of dialogue, but the late Diane Thomas’ script (with a bit of uncredited doctoring) is structured beautifully.
Zemeckis pulled a Ryan Reynolds here. He kept getting chances, especially since he’d had Spielberg’s support since the late 70’s, but he was definitely turning in his last ‘get out of jail free’ card. Fortunately, it turned into the 8th highest grossing film of the year and it proved to be his breakthrough.
And don’t tell me the Alfonso ‘El Guapo’ Arau scene isn’t pure gold. The movie was chugging along fine, but the future director of Like Water For Chocolate is a stitch as a Columbian drug lord and avid reader and injects a much-needed shot of adrenaline to keep up the pace.
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