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Reviews
Have You Seen My Son (1996)
OK for a sleepy afternoon 'whatever'....
Just about every movie Lisa Hartman (Black) does is good, if you are into "babe" movies. This movie has a very interesting premise, with "realistic" notions creeping in, at some points, and incredulity at others. Believable? Some of it. Will keep you riveted? Not quite likely, unless you're semi-comatose. But, as an attempt at drama for a rainy Saturday afternoon when you might want something with which to gristle for a bit, this movie can involve you just a bit. This isn't a great movie, by any stretch, nor a particular very good one either, but certainly not a bad movie, for what it attempts. Mom wants her asthmatic little boy who is kidnapped by her separated seldom-do-well husband, with support from her nasty self-indulgent ma-in-law, and a simpleton waitress who doesn't know which direction the Sun rises and sets. There aren't too many characters in this movie whom you will care about, except for Mom, the son and the lawyer. Everyone else you will likely detest. The movie should have been called "A Kidnapping In Idiotsville Anystate USA". Long-time actress former hot-looking Anne Frances ("Honey West") 'allows' age to demonstrate its expectant ravages with too much make-up, and that is good for the type of person she portrays. You will not like the way she looks, but you will detest her character. For a dude looking at a "babe" movie, this one is OK for a sleepy afternoon, though you will not be too disappointed if you fell asleep on it.
Cimarron (1960)
One of the few pre-1965 westerns with depth, without being preachy
To sum up a in a sentence, this movie is about what happens with a couple in an early pioneer town of Oklahoma, where a man gets to do what he wants and a woman must do what she must. This is one of those movies that, unlike 90% of the "westerns" before the realist period (1965-present), has a lot more realism than one would expect from one produced in 1960. Not only does it depict violent racism, 19th century views on women, wayward youth, etc., it also depicts the nuances prevalent in a man desiring to give up, but incapable of burying, his wanderlust ideals (men are just boys with bigger toys) for the sake of his family. Just when one thinks the plot has died a death of boredom, another wrinkle of interest pushes it's way to the viewing screen provoking an astute viewer's enthusiasm for the story. Cimarron is one of those movies with just enough realism that it is a welcoming bridge from the 1950s 'cowboys & Indians' saccharine period to the ultra-realist, albeit minimalist, "spaghetti" westerns. If one doesn't fall in love (not in an amorous way) with Maria Schell in this movie then they haven't much of a heart anyway. This is a great western-genre movie with lots of characters to care about lovingly or with disdain.