The Swimmer

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: May 15, 1968

DVD Release Date: April 29, 2003

Plot 411: A man decides to swim his neighbors' pools on a journey home.

Review: I wanted to reserve judgement till the very end of this show, but now that it's over my original feelings of WTF still stand true. What the hell is this movie about? My initial feelings about the main character Ned (Burt Lancaster) are icky. The guy just gives off an extremely creepy vibe from the very first scene. He talks in riddles that even his friends do not quite comprehend. As the film goes on, you clearly see that he is disoriented about a lot of things. The movie begins with him randomly emerging out of the woods (a metaphor?) and onto the property of his wealthy old friends. He plots a course through the neighborhood and plans to swim through people's pools until he finally reaches his home. Apparently he's been away for a while and is welcomed with much delight. However, as his journey continues Ned runs into people who don't welcome him with open arms. He is clueless as to why they don't want him around, which is a symptom of his ongoing denial and repression. The real reason for his confusion is never revealed, but you can infer that he's had financial trouble in recent years. He seems to have fallen from his ivory tower, but he doesn't seem to realize it or want to acknowledge it. Is the movie trying to tell us that affluence is only fleeting? Is it showing us the negative effects of being a playboy? Is it trying to tell us not to be arrogant? Are we just supposed to watch the demise of this man? I don't really know, and this kind of annoys me. I sat watching this film with a solid WTF imprinted on my forehead from the very first few minutes and that WTF is still there at the film's conclusion. Another annoying thing about this movie are the weird camera angles that were selected in some scenes. Some shots are somewhat artistic, but I think they're actually supposed to reflect Ned's state of mind. Some of the action seems to "jump" ahead instead of transition in a smooth manner. Sometimes the dialogue seems to have been re-dubbed and doesn't match the scene. Is it to reflect Ned's instability? Does it mirror his own distortion? I have no clue.

Watch It: So you can tell me what it all means.

Skip It: Unless you like a movie that is purposely vague.

Atlantic City

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: September 3, 1908 (France) / April 3, 1981 (USA)

DVD Release Date: May 14, 2002

Plot 411: A girl with big dreams is caught up in a mess when her estranged husband shows up with drugs in tow.

Review: Susan Sarandon is Sally, a girl just trying to make it as a casino dealer in Atlantic City. However, when her husband Dave (Robert Joy) and her sister Chrissie (Hollis McLaren) turn up at her workplace, Sally is forced to give them a place to stay despite her personal feelings. Dave, a petty thief, has plans to sell drugs in Atlantic City but soon discovers that the thugs the drugs belong to are after him. Former runner for the mob Lou (Burt Lancaster) has secretly been infatuated with Sally, his next-door neighbor, for quite some time and is finally given the opportunity to interact with her when Dave asks for his help as a runner. He thinks she can make him feel young again because he longs for the old days when the mob ran the town. The lives of the characters all intersect as drug deals unravel. This movie had a lot to say about the changing of times, how people deal with aging, one's identity and self-esteem and the innocence of youth. It contrasted the lifestyles of hippies and of soon-to-be yuppies as progress and development changed the landscape of people's lives during this time period. Lou reminisces about how powerful he was when he had a purpose in life running numbers for the mob, but in reality, he was just a low-ranking errand boy. To be honest, I thought this film was quite slow going despite the great acting of Lancaster and Sarandon. Even with the addition of "bad guys," this film is more focused on the lives of the characters than on the action one assumes would be involved when drugs in the picture.

Watch It: For a character piece that has larger societal implications.

Skip It: Because everything just looked drab and disheartening. Although, I'm pretty sure this is what the filmmakers were going for, it was also gritty because of the age of the film and probably the film-to-dvd transfer wasn't all that good.

Local Hero

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: February 17, 1983

DVD Release Date: September 21, 1999

Plot 411: A Texas oil company exec goes to a small Scottish fishing village to negotiate the purchase of their land.

Review: This movie is definitely from the '80s. The first obvious fact is multiple references to a telex. What exacty is a telex? LOL Anyway, the film was about a Knox exec named Mac (Peter Riegert), who is sent to Scotland by his boss (Burt Lancaster). His mission is to buy up all the land so an oil refinery can be built. Mac is all about the money and power, which I suppose is a typical '80s attitude. He's thrilled to be climbing the corporate ladder, and this land negotiation is his ticket to the top. However, when he arrives in Scotland, he falls in love with the slower pace and simple lifestyle. His yuppy mentality soon changes as he begins to enjoy the eccentric townspeople. Mac comes to a crossroad as the deal nears its conclusion because he's torn between preserving the quaint town and stomping upon it in the name of progress. Interestingly enough, the people who live there are not opposed to the buyout. They shrewdly try to out-negotiate the negotiator in order to squeeze the most money out of the American company. The movie forces you to question if natural beauty is worth preserving or if development of society is always the way to go. It takes a look at the wonders of technology and the wonders of nature. It's actually quite appalling to see capitalism in all its glory.

Watch It: For a whimsical tale about a big fish in a small pond.

Skip It: If you always back the little guy and always oppose "The Man."