Tag Archives: Tim Robbins

1993 Films, Best Feature- Independent Spirit Award Winners, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, Los Angeles, Top 250 Films

Short Cuts-1993

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Short Cuts-1993

Director Robert Altman

Starring AndieMacDowell, Julianne Moore, Bruce Davison

Top 250 Films #123

Scott’s Review #1,400

Reviewed September 20, 2023

Grade: A

I am such a fan of acclaimed director Robert Altman because he typically features an enormous cast of richly drawn characters, all serving a story’s purpose.

Frequently, there is much character development and investment.

Short Cuts (1993) is a latter-day Altman offering set in Los Angeles, California, the City of Angels, that is nearly as good as my all-time favorite of his, Nashville, made in 1975.

Similarities burst onto the screen with twenty-two principal characters to Nashville’s twenty-four. Their lives frequently intersect, and the fun is peeling back the layers of their lives and discovering who is connected to whom.

Comparisons to 1992’s The Player (also Altman) and 1999’s Magnolia, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, can also be made for obvious reasons related to the Los Angeles setting.

But Magnolia is much weirder than Short Cuts.

The irony is that most characters are anything but angels as they suffer from insecurities, deaths, infidelity, and various shenanigans as they attempt to get through California life amid an earthquake and a fleet of helicopters spraying for medflies.

Altman based the film on the nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver.

Some of the tales include a waitress Doreen (Lily) who is married to an alcoholic limo driver (Tom Waits) who accidentally runs into a boy with her car.

Soon after walking away, the child lapses into a coma. While at the hospital, the boy’s grandfather (Jack Lemmon) tells his son, Howard (Bruce Davison), about his past affairs.

Meanwhile, a baker (Lyle Lovett) harasses the family after they fail to pick up the boy’s birthday cake.

Dr. Ralph Wyman (Matthew Modine) and his wife, Marian (Moore), meet Stuart Kane (Fred Ward), an unemployed salesman, and Claire Kane (Anne Archer), a party clown, at a cello concert.

They impulsively decide to have a Sunday dinner date. seemingly having nothing in common.

Meanwhile, Marian’s sister, Sherri (Madeleine Stowe), is married to a cheating cop named Gene (Tim Robbins), who is having an affair with Betty Weathers (Frances McDormand), while Betty is divorcing one of the helicopter pilots, Stormy (Peter Gallagher).

There are other stories and connections to round out the fabulous cast.

The juicy, dramatic storylines play out like a terrific arc on Days of Our Lives or As the World Turns, with some needed comedic elements to balance things out.

Anyone who knows Altman will salivate with the name recognition among the cast, most notably Tomlin and Robbins. Actors frequently chomped at the bit to appear, knowing that he was an actor’s director.

This means he allowed his cast open range to create dialogue appropriate for their characters.

There’s no better example than when Jack Lemmon tells a story in the film. His improv and free dialogue are a dream to watch and a lesson in good and natural acting.

Despite the enormous cast, everyone has something of quality to do. Nobody is languishing on the back burner with throwaway scenes or unimportant activities.

All characters connect to others in some way.

Fans who fancy Los Angeles both in film and in real life, with its bursting sunshine and cheery perception, will revel in the down-and-dirty subtext of Short Cuts.

The fun is getting there.

Some characters are wealthy, but most struggle with day-to-day routine, so the film contains a harsh realism. They try to find any shred of happiness wherever they can.

Like real life, which is part of the brilliance of Short Cuts. The audience can relate to the characters because we all know people like them, which makes the film a beautiful and treasured experience.

Or some may even be like us. The writing is brilliant, and the characters are true to form.

One day, I’ll create a list of my Top Ten Robert Altman films, and I bet Short Cuts (1993) lands in the Top Five.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director-Robert Altman

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 3 wins-Best Feature (won), Best Director-Robert Altman (won), Best Screenplay (won), Best Supporting Actress-Julianne Moore

1992 Films, Best Feature- Independent Spirit Award Winners, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, Los Angeles, Satire, Top 250 Films

The Player-1992

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The Player-1992

Director Robert Altman

Starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi

Top 250 Films #181

Scott’s Review #601

Reviewed January 11, 2017

Grade: A

The Player (1992) ranks up there with other Robert Altman classics such as Gosford Park (2001), Nashville (1975), and Short Cuts (1993).

The film is an excellent piece of Hollywood satire and centers on a jaded movie executive, played by Tim Robbins, who does an incredible job in the role.

Robbins plays Griffin Mill, a man with no scruples. Feeling usurped by a younger executive, played by Peter Gallagher, as well as receiving death threats, he goes on the hunt for the person he feels responsible for, which leads to murder.

The audience is unsure whether to love or hate Mill, thanks to Robbin’s performance. He is snarky, but also vulnerable and a tad sympathetic.

The film contains a slew of real Hollywood celebrities (Cher, Malcolm McDowell, Bruce Willis) playing themselves and is largely improvised (as many of Altman’s films are).

Whoopi Goldberg and Lyle Lovett star as odd police detectives.

The plot is nothing new, but it’s the realism and direction that make this movie a must-see, especially for Robert Altman fans.

The Player (1992) is a hidden gem.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director-Robert Altman, Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, Best Film Editing

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Feature (won)

1999 Films, Adventure, Camp, Comedy, Satire, Screwball Comedy, Spy

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me-1999

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Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me-1999

Director Jay Roach

Starring Mike Meyers

Scott’s Review #1,454

Reviewed December 7, 2024

Grade: C

The silly comedy franchise Austin Powers, which gripped the nation in the late 1990s, never tickled me pink like it did so many others.

International Man of Mystery debuted in 1997 and provided a smirk or two, but the follow-up ran out of gas by using more or less the same schtick as the first in the series.

I’ll never forget people mimicking taglines like ‘Yeah, baby’ to delightful laughter during this time, which I found more irritating than humorous.

Mike Meyers is talented and gives his all in the title role and two others. He infuses his natural comic talents into ridiculous, over-the-top, loud characters. He also does triple duty, portraying the main villain and a henchman.

He deserves props for solid performances with mediocre writing.

Poor Heather Graham, excellent as ‘roller girl’ in Paul Thomas Anderson’s brilliant Boogie Nights (1997), is reduced to a scantily clad love interest.

Besides being eye candy, her character has little of value to offer, undoubtedly frustrating the then-rising star.

The film isn’t a total failure, as the visuals and makeup are admirable. Colorful sets and groovy designs evoke the 1960s in a zany way, making watching the film better than listening to it.

It also serves as a modest treat for James Bond fans since the satire and parodies give credence.

Jay Roach, the director, must have advised his actors to perform as outrageously as possible, especially Robert Wagner, Rob Lowe, and Mindy Sterling, and Meyers does so on his own.

Blessedly, the running time is one hour and thirty-five minutes.

In the second installment, British super spy Austin Powers (Meyers) must return to 1969, as arch-nemesis Dr. Evil (Meyers) has ventured back to that year and successfully stolen Austin’s “mojo,” set up a powerful laser, and aimed it at Earth.

With the help of gorgeous agent Felicity Shagwell (Graham), the newly single Austin must now contend not only with Dr. Evil but also Evil’s vicious, pint-size attack clone, Mini-Me (Verne Troya).

The point of the franchise is to spoof the legendary James Bond series while incorporating a Swinging London, free-love vibe, which on paper sounds good. However, the situations play more like sketch comedy or Saturday Night Live setups than a flowing screenplay.

Even the title greedily borrows from the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

As with many comedy or romantic-comedy films, screenwriters Mike Myers and Michael McCullers desperately resort to bathroom humor and countless sly sex sequences for laughs.

Also, keeping with a popular theme of comedy films, celebrity cameos run rampant. Jerry Springer, Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, and others appear as themselves.

I like the Bond references and themes the best, but the jokes mostly don’t work.

To its credit, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) is not as bad as its follow-up, Goldmember (2002), but the gags fall flat most of the way.

Oscar Nominations: Best Makeup

2003 Films, Boston, Crime Drama, Drama, Psychological Drama

Mystic River-2003

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Mystic River-2003

Director Clint Eastwood

Starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon

Scott’s Review #801

Reviewed August 10, 2018

Grade: A

Mystic River (2003) is a film I consider the second-best offering directed by Clint Eastwood.

Along with Million Dollar Baby (2004), Eastwood successfully creates two compelling back-to-back dramas, not too dissimilar from each other.

He was unquestionably the “it” director of the early 2000s, and with Mystic River, he helms a gritty, mystery drama with a stellar cast, nuts-and-bolts storytelling, and enough twists and turns to keep the audience guessing and ultimately shocked.

All of these pieces result in a memorable experience.

The film is based on the novel of the same name, written by Dennis Lehane. A tremendous element is a locale of Boston, and an Irish, blue-collar/working-class theme, prevalent throughout the story.

Thanks to the cinematography, which illuminates a grey, stormy look, the rest of the film is enhanced. I adore films shot in and around Boston, as it offers so much culture and flavor.

Eastwood hardly misses a beat, with some cold, grizzled touches that play into the hardships and struggles of the characters’ everyday lives.

The story begins with the central characters (Jimmy, Dave, and Sean) as young boys, in a three-musketeers-type scenario where they are like blood brothers.

After an incident occurs where Dave is accosted by men and sexually abused, he is ultimately rescued after four torturous days, but his life is never the same.

Fast forward twenty-five years, and the boys are now men, still living in a working-class Boston neighborhood. Each is now married; their lives have moved on, drifted apart, and they have vastly different personality types.

They reunite after a tragedy occurs.

For starters, a major win for Eastwood is the casting of each male character.

Sean Penn plays Jimmy, the volatile ex-con, who runs a small store, while Sean, played by Kevin Bacon, has become a Massachusetts State Police officer, putting him directly at odds with Jimmy.

Sadly, Dave (Tim Robbins) now lives a quiet life, still harboring trauma, shame, and guilt from his childhood experience.

When Jimmy’s daughter (Emmy Rossum) is brutally murdered, the three friends’ lives are intertwined as they search for the killer, taking the viewers down a dark path filled with secrets, some from the past.

Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden give tremendous performances as Jimmy’s and Dave’s wives, respectively.

Mystic River is a film in which all the great elements come together perfectly. From the acting to the story’s components to the whodunit to the exciting twist and conclusion to the overall film, it is truly exceptional.

But what sets it apart from a standard drama or thriller is the characterization and relationships among these characters.

Childhood memories can last a lifetime in their monumental importance, as evidenced many times by Jimmy, Dave, and Sean. Blood brothers, yes, but when tragedy strikes, old wounds and fresh wounds together run deep.

The themes of violence and revenge are firm staples of this film and are common to many Eastwood films. Viewers may also find themselves conflicted with whom to sympathize with or where their allegiances should lie.

Jimmy, the anti-hero, will garner sympathy for the vicious loss of his daughter- pain that can never be fully healed.

Did Dave, the obvious prime suspect, kill the girl? If so, was it on purpose or by accident? Are others, specifically his wife, involved in a cover-up?

Eastwood carves the setup spectacularly, but is it a simple red herring? These events make the film unbelievably compelling.

Fabulous are the performances all around, but especially by Penn and Robbins, both awarded with Oscar wins for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

Penn never delivers a poor performance, but Jimmy is one of his best characters yet.

As for Robbins, he fills the character of Dave with empathy- a wounded bird left damaged through no fault of his own, suffering a terrible fate due to circumstances, misunderstandings, and ultimately tragedy.

Mystic River (2003) watched alongside Million Dollar Baby (2004) would make for an excellent Saturday night for fans of Clint Eastwood’s directorial talents.

These two are the best of the best with great character development and rich writing.

The direction, however, enhances the spectacular elements and takes them a bit further, providing appropriate texture and a wonderful atmosphere.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Clint Eastwood, Best Actor-Sean Penn (won), Best Supporting Actor-Tim Robbins (won), Best Supporting Actress-Marcia Gay Harden, Best Adapted Screenplay