The
Unbelievable Truth
(1989)
Hal
Hartley's first and probably best (although Simple
Men and Amateur rate highly too).
All the signature tics and quirks are here and the dialogue is frequently
hilarious. Adrienne Shelly and Robert "not
Peter Weller" Burke are attractive leads, but Chris Cooke is served
the meatiest role as Shelly's money-motivated father.
****
The Underneath
(1995)
Early, pre-career revitalisation
Soderbergh. It's all fairly so-so for the first two-thirds, but once the heist
occurs the director really finds his feet, particularly during the extended
bed-bound sequences with Gallagher laid up. Always nice to see William Fichtner
seething with fury too. Decent overall, but better in technique than plot.
***1/2
Until the End of the World
(1991)
The 4 1/2 hour Director's Cut, which I'd
not seen before (German DVD import, meaning there were a few scenes in French
and German I just had to go with the flow on).
The soundtrack for this was one of my most listened to of the '90s, and in this trilogy format it really comes to the fore, with multiple versions of songs. By rights this should be categorised as an incredibly self-indulgent bloat-fest, but I find it lyrical and its sprawling majesty utterly absorbing. The "Greenspace" scene at the end remains gruesomely cheesy, though.
The soundtrack for this was one of my most listened to of the '90s, and in this trilogy format it really comes to the fore, with multiple versions of songs. By rights this should be categorised as an incredibly self-indulgent bloat-fest, but I find it lyrical and its sprawling majesty utterly absorbing. The "Greenspace" scene at the end remains gruesomely cheesy, though.
*****