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Reviews
Electric Dreams (1984)
Funny, Well-Acted Movie from the 80s with Great Music!
One by one recently I have been digging up all the movies from the 80s & 90s that I remember liking.
Recently I procured a copy of Electric Dreams, remembering how much I liked the music in this movie.
Watching it, I quickly realized this movie is one of the best performances and characters from the 80s that Virginia Madsen was in. Her character is interesting and at times comical. As is most of her 80s films she is absolutely stunning in this film - my favorite scene is The Duel - the actress & character really look like they are having such a fun time dueling with the Computer ... and what is it with this actress and men in towels? Funny scene though as is the one in Creator ... The scenes at Alcatraz are good also. Then as now she has to be one of Hollywood's best actresses - it is her voice and her eyes, the expressions in her eyes, that I find most interesting about her. Her voice as well - she is so good at projecting her voice, soft at times, strong willed and defiant at other times.
Lenny Von Dohlen also gives a good performance as the perfect Computer "geek" and quite pleasant to the eye as well. He is perfect as the geeky Miles, the architect with the Earthquake brick. The scene at the live concert with his battle with the pager - very funny - he looks so mortified and embarrassed though Madsen's character is definitely intrigued.
Max Caulfield with a bit part in this as well as the shallow Bill.
Bud Cort turns in a good performance also as the very spoiled and juvenile voice of Edgar, the newly created Artificial Lifeform. Edgar is very spoiled but turns out some wonderful musical compositions first the Duel, then Love Is Love a love song written and performed by the sultry, soft vocals of Boy George & Culture Club and of course Madeline's Theme. I love that piece of music. And Together in Electric Dreams performed by Philip Oakley - it is really the music that really shines in this movie. Bud Cort also as the juvenile Edgar - spoiled brat at times, comical at times but in the end has some hard life value lessons to be learned. That love is give and not take.
Is this movie for everyone? Probably not and since this is not in Wide release or widely available on DVD it may hurt its exposure a little bit even now - they are releasing so many movies now to DVD, why not this one? Definitely worth finding if you like movies of this sort - for it to make sense - no but just a movie with good fun and how a computer can take over a person's life. Do they go wrong to the extent as this one does? No hopefully not but they can be equally as frustrating. And they do seem to have personalities - work perfectly at one time and act stupid another.
I found this film entertaining and enjoyable and if you like 80s music this one is for you.
Fire with Fire (1986)
Very Entertaining Movie from the 80s
Why is it that the 80s produced so many great movies? Uncanny but true.
Have been recently one by one re-discovering them but on the strength of comments from this site and the obvious talent of Virginia Madsen both then and now, I found and bought this on DVD.
All in all this is a very entertaining movie where 2 teenagers fall in love - Madsen the teenage Catholic schoolgirl and Craig Sheffer as the Prison Camp bad boy. They seem to interact very well together in this movie - some great scenes especially the dance sequence.
They fight all foes to be together: her parents, the Nuns at the Catholic School and the Prison Camp Boss ... scenery is fantastic in this movie and the music to die for - again the 80s produced some great music - Huey Lewis, Price, Bryan Ferry the list goes on.
Madsen as an actress in her mid twenties really carries off this teenage role - perhaps in the best performance of her 80s career. She does an excellent job in this one - you really believe she is a school girl from the soft voice to the hair, the eyes, the school uniform.
Sheffer as Joe Fisk also is very good as the bad boy with 1 redeeming quality his love for Lisa Taylor Madsen's character - he is in a word - very attractive in this movie. They share humor, danger and their love for each other in this movie in their attempt to escape the forces that chase after them at the end ... will leave the ending for you to watch yourself! As for music some of it seems unavailable - but one of the songs "I'm In It For Love" by James House - a version of this song by Donny Osmond is on his Soldier of Love album ... also on a Best of product as well ...
Nonetheless great entertaining movie from the 80s
Sideways (2004)
Well written film with excellent acting from its cast!
This movie seems to get mixed reviews, perhaps due to the diversity of people of movie goers in general? Not sure on that one.
I for one overall liked this movie. Writing terrific - acting also particularly Paul Giamati and Virginia Madsen. Haydn Church is very good also the down and out actor trying to get his life together.
Giamati as Miles is this down and out wannabee writer who is stuck in a time warp, his life is boring as an English teacher. He is the dog still licking his wounds, having never recovered from his divorce and his "feelings" for his ex-wife. He is at the beginning of this movie the loser or so its seems.
As Miles and his buddy Jack played by Haydn Church travel around California's wine country the week before Jack's impending marriage, we discover that it is his friend that is the real loser in this story.
As they travel about they meet two interesting women Maya excellently played by Virginia Madsen, a divorced waitress with a great knowledge of wine that Miles in fact has known for years, and Stephanie played by Sandra Oh whose character very quickly is physically attracted to Jack.
The story develops and boils to a head when both women discover that Jack has been lying - that he in fact is getting married ...
The story culminates with Maya's message to Miles as she accepts the fact that he did not intend to deceive her and that she has read his book and urges him not to give up. The ending lands Miles having the courage to seek out Maya in pursuit of his feelings and interests in this woman. What happens is left to the imagination - better to conceal than reveal ...
Film is very good though perhaps in my mind is a little long - great shots of California wine country and great performances by Giamati as the lovable loser and Madsen as the interesting Maya. Disagree with some however it is easy to see how these two are attracted to each other. One they have known each other casually for years - also both are from broken marriages and can understand the heartbreak that can result and both have an avid interest in wine. Madsen in my opinion is one of Hollywood's best actresses - she was stunning in the 1980s - and certainly equally so now - she is absolutely radiant - from within and without. Giamati is great as the down and out guy trying to make something of his life.
Even Jack in the end has the sense to marry the woman he intended to - great fight scene though with Sandra Oh. Haydn Church is good in this movie.
Good film overall but maybe a little long.
Diminished Capacity (2008)
This is simply an excellent movie with an excellent cast!
I must admit when I rented this movie it was largely because of its cast. I always liked Matthew Broderick and Virginia Madsen. The talents of Alan Alda go without saying ... Hawkeye as part of M*A*S*H was legendary to say the least.
I quickly found I was deeply interested in this movie as it began playing maybe because of what we went through with my own uncle who developed a form of dementia that accompanied his Parkinson's Disease I don't know but I was hooked.
The antics at times were funny and like other movies very serious at other times. Broderick's character is also suffering from his own memory problems due to a severe concussion and can at least understand some of what his uncle is going through. Though unlike his uncle, his neurologist states he should get better ...
Alda as the uncle is excellent in this movie, funny at times but very poignant and serious at other times - as he looks into the mirror his reflection that appears back is haunting and vacant. But he tries to deal with it though at times certainly gets things muddled.
Madsen also is very good in this movie as the now divorced old flame but is very strong as her relationship with Broderick's character rekindles itself. Her scenes with her son are also very touching as she tries to deal with his problems. Her character certainly though is not one dimensional as her own potential career as an artist are developed in the movie as well. Her paintings in fact were the reason for her visit to Chicago in the first place but her roots clearly are in their hometown. Madsen in this film is radiant as she has ever been. If she was stunning in the 80s she is radiant now and has only improved her craft and skills.
Overall a good movie, well acted and well written. If you like movies with substance and something to them with family themes behind it this is the movie for you. Well worth the watch.
Creator (1985)
This film is a gem! A Classic from the 80s!
It had been years since I saw this film - I forgot how much I loved it.
This film features a great performance from its cast most especially that of Peter O'Toole & Virginia Madsen.
O'Toole is magic in this film, the emotion he feels at the loss of his late wife all apparent yet he is torn with the emotions he now feels for Hemingway's "Meli". Hemingway also is very good in this film, as the comical nymphomaniac ...
Madsen in this film she is as beautiful and magical as she was in the 80s as she is radiant now in recent films.
This is fiction, a movie, but you feel as if the love between Madsen and Vincent Spano is real. You laugh when they laugh you are heartbroken when they are heartbroken. You feel their love and you feel their pain.
David Ogden Stiers gives a good performance as the stuffy but talented villain too.
I liked this film when I first saw it and that has not changed I love this film. Is it for everyone? Possibly not as people are different their tastes different but for most movie lovers this film is worth watching. Heartwarming and heartfelt you will laugh you will cry.