Lone Star | Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña | Sayles' finest hour (or two)

Lone Star | Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña | It's time to dust off this shining star and give it its due...

DVDs:

King Arthur - The ... Beyond Cheerleaders Chris Latta Lone Star

	Lone Star Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña Turner Home Ent, 1999 average customer review:based on 88 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

One of the most acclaimed movies of the 90's! The more a lawman probes into a long-ago murder the more he uncovers layers of family and racial strife that divide this Texas border town.Year: 1996 Director: John Sayles Starring: Chris Cooper Kris Kristofferson Matthew McConaughey Elizabeth PenaRunning Time: 135 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 053939251524

Sayles' finest hour (or two)

If I could have only ten DVDs on a desert island, this would make the cut. If you can only see one film by John Sayles, choose Lone Star. How come? Characterizations, acting, settings, cinematography, music, and above all, the writing. This film satisfies on every level, illustrating a complicated place (the U.S./ Mexican borderland) in contemporary American life in short, deft strokes. There is brutality, cynicism, and despair, along with history, hope, and even a little hilarity. All that plus, in a barroom scene, Lucinda Williams can be heard on the jukebox.

for more information click here

It's time to dust off this shining star and give it its due...

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I sat down to watch this film, but what I got was far more than I bargained for. One of those dusty western films that is far from dusty, `Lone Star' works more like a crime noir with a dash of thriller and volatile romance thrown in as apposed to a western by definition. It is rich with startling character development (whoever said these people are stereotypical caricatures needs to get a reality check) and engrossing from beginning to end.

`Lone Star' is by far one of the best films of the 90's you may have never seen.

Chris Cooper (complete with sunken demeanor and pent-up sorrow) plays Sam, a young sheriff who starts asking too many questions when a skeleton wearing a badge gets uncovered outside his town. Sam starts sticking his nose where it don't belong (well, it belongs there, but townsfolk think otherwise) and begins to unravel a tale that answers some longstanding questions about his own father and the life he once led.

The film is very easy to follow, but it carries with it a twisted tale, so your attention is demanded. Don't be too worried about that, since the payoff is very rewarding, and the final scene between Cooper and the luminous Elizabeth Pena is such a mindblow that it just warrants another viewing.

The films central morale, of self discovery and acceptance, is gloriously handled throughout the film, and the script just covers every base without feeling too stuffed, too rushed or too flimsy. It is the perfect balance of emotional connection and political correction. The controversial subjects such as race relations, family development, political corruption and misguided loyalties are all explored adequately and carefully so as to appear fluid and complete as apposed to an amalgam of ideas with no real sound structure.

The film couldn't have been made any better.

And then we have the performances, all of which are stellar. Chris Cooper is brilliantly subtle here, gliding through each scene with a restraint that elevates his character's development. Elizabeth Pena harnesses a sensuality that she breaks apart here in order to convey the appearance of a worn and tattered woman who still breathes a fire that just cannot be extinguished. Kris Kristofferson is evil to a T here, capturing fear and handing it to the audience without hesitation, and Matthew McConaughey ACTUALLY DELIVERS here. This may be his finest performance, albeit a small one. He has the natural cowboy swagger (does that term work here) to make his performance work.

And we can all bow to the glorious Francis McDormand, who makes the most (and I mean THE MOST) of a beautifully fleshed out cameo.

So, I promise you, `Lone Star' is all the movie you need. If you haven't seen this brilliant film I urge you to seek it out as soon as possible. With the dirt covered grunge of a western, this crisply tailored exploration of humanity exceeds expectations and remains on of the best films of the 90's; easy.

for more information click here

LoneStar stars!

I ordered Lone Star to show my 12th-grade lit students as a contemporary take on an ancient theme as an introduction to Oedipus Rex. Schlondorf's Voyager is another film I've shown them as introduction.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

products you might be interested in