Archive for May 7th, 2002

The Dinner Game

In director Nancy Savoca’s film “Dogfight,” River Phoenix played a Marine ready to ship off to Vietnam who engages in an ugly date contest with his buddies. Each man was to bring the female equivalent of a dog to dinner, and whoever arrives with the mutt of the litter wins. Thanks to a talented cast and Savoca’s delicate handling of the subject matter, “Dogfight” emerged as more than a mean spirited exercise in humiliation. Read the rest of this entry »

Dead-Alive

You could lose your lunch while watching Peter Jackson’s “Dead-Alive,” and I’m not talking about leaving it on the school bus or handing it over to the school bully. I’m talking about tossing your cookies. This is the second time I’ve seen Jackson’s film. You’d think some of the impact would wane after the first viewing. Wrong! Read the rest of this entry »