Mary's Reviews: Miller's Crossing

A super long ass time ago, when The Site was new, I asked my friend Mary to write about movies for my site, because she has what I consider the most interesting perspective on things and the way she words things kinda amazes me. She did, writing two articles/reviews for me before she vanished into the netherworld known as "the real world". Well, she recently came back to the dark side (the internet) and I realized I had her reviews kinda buried on my site. So I figured I should upload them to here. With that said, two things:
1. Mary is real and not some made up character I swear. If you do not believe me, look on my Facebook and you'll find her name.
2. Things written in Mary's Reviews are the express opinions of Mary and Mary only. Jason Soto, Invasion of the B-Movie, and Up Late Productions do not nessessarily agree with any comments or statements Mary might make. Thank you and have a good day.

MILLER'S CROSSING:
THE COEN BROTHERS DO IT AGAIN & JOHN TURTURRO CRIES LIKE A BABY

I HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE MILLER'S CROSSING, a Coen Brothers film about the mob, and it was in typical Coen Brothers fashion: It was really good. Lots of great characters, lots of great images (the hat in the leaves was fucking genius), lots of great dialogue. But the two things that totally stuck out in my mind about this movie were these:

John Turturro and graphic violence.



Anyone who knows me can tell you of my love for Turturro. The man just makes me happy. He's got a crooked smile and a snaggletooth, he's got sleepy eyes, he's tall and lanky. But he's just so damn lovable. I think he stands in my Top 5 Favourite Actors, and that says a lot, seeing as how I have a lot of "favourite actors". He can play an idiot, a racist, a pedophile, a dad, a playwright, and whatever he wants to be, and he still makes me giggle like a schoolgirl (yeah I know..)

This movie is no exception. He plays Bernie, the brother of a woman who....ah, hell, I don't want to explain the plot. Let me just tell you why he steals this movie.

His character seems to be a bit dim. He pisses off the wrong people totally. They drive him to the woods in typical mob fashion to kill him, and here's where he really shines. It dawns on him that yes, they really are going to put a bullet in his brain, this is his last moment alive. He totally does it up. They drag him out there like a mom dragging a screaming kid away from a toy store. He's bawling, screaming, whining, crying. It's so fucking great. He's just totally losing it. The Man marches him out there, saying nothing, holding out his gun . Bernie is up ahead, turning around constantly and trying to reason with him to not kill him. "I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE, NOT HERE!" - he becomes more and more frantic and panicked. Finally he drops to his knees in the leaves and holds his hands up in plea like one of those old biblical paintings (I wonder who chose that action; the Coens or him?) and starts crying. "Look in your heart!" he yells, "Look in your heart!"

I won't give away what happens with Bernie, and whether The Man actually looks in his heart, but those words come around again once more later on, for one of the more effective death scenes I've seen in a movie. Plus, Turturro is sneaky and greasy and a right total bastard - my crush on him still remains. What the hell is wrong with me?

Also, this movie is so violent it would make Tarantino blush. It's one of those things where you think, "They're not going to show that..." -- but they do. Oh do they ever. People die alot in this movie. But they don't just die; they are beaten, tortured, mocked, humiliated, each death squeezed out for the most pain. The guy who plays the 'Brother Shamus' detective in the Coen's other film The Big Lebowski, has a pretty good role in this one, and man, he's fucking awesome. I began the film by laughing at the fact he was in it; all I could think of was, "Who the fuck are the Knutsons?", but that quickly dissipated. Then I began to kind of get scared of this guy. I mean really scared. What a fucking screwloose.

If it weren't for Turturro and some other things, this movie would be pretty pedestrian. I didn't care about the main character much, he wasn't that interesting. The lady was..eh. Anybody could have played her. But the things that make this movie good, REALLY make it good. I suggest that if you're a fan of violence, good filmmaking, talent or mob movies, you should see this. It's pretty good.

Oh and keep an eye out for Frances McDormand in a really small role as a seceratary. Even back in '90 before she really made a name for herself, she was a bright light in the film. And I think she had like 3 lines. Maybe 4. She's so fucking talented. Good thing they put her in Fargo.

See Miller's Crossing, with my blessing.



-M

Ooohhh, so that's where I got my "-Jason" from. Damn. Guess I owe Mary years of royalties.
-Jason (another 50 bucks down the drain)