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Post by london777 on Dec 5, 2020 2:18:24 GMT
--- Directed by one of the most acclaimed Hollywood artists of the time
--- Less than twenty years old
--- Cast includes:
Joe Mantegna, Skeet Ulrich, Faye Dunaway, Viggo Mortensen, M. Emmet Walsh, William Fichtner, Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise and John Spencer.
Strangely for such a star-studded movie I have never seen it mentioned anywhere.
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Post by caretaker on Dec 5, 2020 5:04:01 GMT
Sounds like Albino Alligator
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Post by OldAussie on Dec 5, 2020 5:39:29 GMT
Never heard of it but it sounds interesting.
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Post by kijii on Dec 5, 2020 6:18:30 GMT
No. Not from memory but then there is always Google  |
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Post by london777 on Dec 5, 2020 22:42:28 GMT
No. Not from memory but then there is always Google Well, that rather misses the point, doesn't it? No genuine film-buff would stoop to Googling. I am sure Caretaker did not. My question is why such a star-studded and relatively recent movie seems to have totally slipped off the radar. Or has it? I am a Brit so maybe I am getting the wrong picture here. Albino Alligator (1996) was Kevin Spacey's only effort at directing a movie, apart from the vanity project Beyond the Sea (2004), which was made to showcase his crooning talents. He is (was?) an esteemed theater director though, so a progression to directing movies would seem a natural step. Albino Alligator is a very "theatrical" movie, concentrating on the dialog and actors' performances. I was surprised it was an original screenplay as I assumed it had been adapted from a stage-play. It is a neo-noir, a hostage-situation tale with the gang, their hostages, and a mysterious singleton holed up in an after-hours bar. There is a prologue showing how they arrived there, which is IMHO the weakest part of the film and could have been dispensed with, and some scenes set outside among the police and newshounds (including one prize newsbitch of the "Nightstalker" school). These include a marvelous cameo by Joe Mantegna as the cynical and foul-mouthed officer in charge putting the newsbitch in her place. These scenes are needed, but a clever playwright could work these into a stage production, no problem. I rate this film between "OK, worth a watch" and "good, recommended", but I am not sure just where on that spectrum because I missed a lot of the dialog. There is a lot of whispering between the hostages,and between the gang-members (realistically enough given the situation), but I missed most of it because of the sound quality on my DVD (despite the volume turned up to 11). I only acquired the film because it was the cheapest way to acquire The Grifters, (on a 3-film DVD). Perhaps the compression onto one DVD affected the sound, though the other two movies are fine. Anyone else seen it? Or own it on DVD (and, if so, how is the sound on your copy)?  
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Post by politicidal on Dec 5, 2020 23:35:26 GMT
Until reading this thread, I never even heard of it. There’s a good choice for a future question on final Jeopardy.
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Post by Dirty Santa PaulsLaugh on Dec 6, 2020 0:06:09 GMT
No. Not from memory but then there is always Google Well, that rather misses the point, doesn't it? No genuine film-buff would stoop to Googling. I am sure Caretaker did not. My question is why such a star-studded and relatively recent movie seems to have totally slipped off the radar. Or has it? I am a Brit so maybe I am getting the wrong picture here. Albino Alligator (1996) was Kevin Spacey's only effort at directing a movie, apart from the vanity project Beyond the Sea (2004), which was made to showcase his crooning talents. He is (was?) an esteemed theater director though, so a progression to directing movies would seem a natural step. Albino Alligator is a very "theatrical" movie, concentrating on the dialog and actors' performances. I was surprised it was an original screenplay as I assumed it had been adapted from a stage-play. It is a neo-noir, a hostage-situation tale with the gang, their hostages, and a mysterious singleton holed up in an after-hours bar. There is a prologue showing how they arrived there, which is IMHO the weakest part of the film and could have been dispensed with, and some scenes set outside among the police and newshounds (including one prize newsbitch of the "Nightstalker" school). These include a marvelous cameo by Joe Mantegna as the cynical and foul-mouthed officer in charge putting the newsbitch in her place. These scenes are needed, but a clever playwright could work these into a stage production, no problem. I rate this film between "OK, worth a watch" and "good, recommended", but I am not sure just where on that spectrum because I missed a lot of the dialog. There is a lot of whispering between the hostages,and between the gang-members (realistically enough), but I missed most of it because of the sound quality on my DVD (despite the volume turned up to 11). I only acquired the film because it was the cheapest way to acquire The Grifters, (on a 3-film DVD). Perhaps the compression onto one DVD affected the sound, though the other two movies are fine. Anyone else seen it? Or own it on DVD (and, if so, how is the sound on your copy)? Actually Caretaker is my sock and yes I googled it. 🥴
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Post by london777 on Dec 6, 2020 1:50:12 GMT
No genuine film-buff would stoop to wearing socks.
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Post by hi224 on Dec 11, 2020 16:56:44 GMT
interesting pic of Fichter
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Post by london777 on Dec 11, 2020 18:49:06 GMT
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Post by hi224 on Dec 11, 2020 19:06:17 GMT
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