Crimson Tide (film)
Crimson Tide is a 1995 American submarine film directed by Tony Scott, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It takes place during a period of political turmoil in the Russian Federation, in which ultranationalists threaten to launch nuclear missiles at the United States and Japan, it focuses on a clash of wills between the new executive officer of a U. S. nuclear missile submarine and its seasoned commanding officer, arising from conflicting interpretations of an order to launch their missiles. Its story parallels a real incident during the Cuban Missile Crisis, albeit aboard a Soviet rather than U. S. submarine. The film was scored by Hans Zimmer, who won a Grammy Award for the main theme, which makes heavy use of synthesizers in place of traditional orchestral instruments. An extended cut, which incorporated seven minutes of deleted scenes, was released on DVD in 2006; when the film was released on Blu-ray two years however, the film was restored to the theatrical version. In post-Soviet Russia, civil war erupts as a result of the ongoing conflict in Chechnya.
Military units loyal to Vladimir Radchenko, a Russian ultra-nationalist, take control of a nuclear missile installation and are threatening nuclear war if either the American or Russian governments attempt to confront him. A US Navy nuclear submarine, USS Alabama, is assigned to a patrol mission to be available to launch its missiles in a pre-emptive strike if Radchenko attempts to fuel his missiles. Captain Frank Ramsey is the commanding officer, one of few commanders left in the US Navy with combat experience, he chooses as his new XO Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter, who has an extensive education in military history and tactics, but no combat experience. During their initial days at sea, tension between Ramsey and Hunter becomes apparent due to a clash of personalities: Hunter's more analytical, cautious approach, as opposed to Ramsey's more impulsive and intuitive approach. Alabama receives an Emergency Action Message, ordering the launch of ten of its missiles against the Russian nuclear installation, based on satellite information that the Russians' missiles are being fuelled.
Before Alabama can launch its missiles, a second radio message begins to be received, but is cut off by the attack of a Russian Akula-class submarine loyal to Radchenko. The radio electronics can not be used to decode the second message. With the last confirmed order being to launch, Captain Ramsey decides to proceed. Hunter refuses to concur as is required because he believes the partial second message may be a retraction. Hunter argues that Alabama is not the only American submarine in the area, if the order is not retracted, other submarines will launch their missiles as part of the fleet's standard redundancy doctrine. Ramsey argues; when Hunter refuses to consent, Ramsey tries to relieve him of duty and replace him with a different officer. Instead, Hunter orders the arrest of Ramsey for attempting to circumvent protocol; the crew's loyalty is divided between Hunter and Ramsey, but the Chief of the Boat sides with Hunter in having Ramsey relieved of command and confined to his stateroom, putting Hunter in command.
Alabama is attacked again by the Russian submarine. Alabama destroys it, but during the chaos, a counter-mutiny ensues and Ramsey retakes the control room, confining Hunter, the Chief of the Boat and a few others to the officers' mess. Hunter escapes his arrest and gains the support of the weapons officer in the missile control room, further delaying the launch. Other crew members try to repair the radio. Ramsey traps Hunter in the control room, thus quelling all mutinous actions, but with the radio team reporting they are near success, the two men agree to a compromise. After several tense minutes, communications are restored and they see the full message from the second transmission, it is a retraction ordering that the missile launch be aborted because Radchenko's rebellion has been quelled. After returning to base and Hunter are put before a naval tribunal to answer for their actions; the tribunal concludes that both men were right and wrong, so Hunter's actions were lawfully justified. Naval Station Pearl Harbor, has been presented in this final scene.
Unofficially, the tribunal chastises both men for failing to resolve the issues between them. Thanks to Ramsey's personal recommendation, the tribunal agrees to grant Hunter command of his own sub while allowing Ramsey to save face via an early retirement. Both men reconcile their differences and part ways; the film has uncredited additional writing by Quentin Tarantino, much of it being the pop-culture-reference laden dialogue. In 1993 the Navy allowed studio executives researching the movie to embark aboard Trident submarine USS Florida from Bangor, with the Gold Crew; those embarked included Hollywood Pictures President Ricardo Mestres, director Tony Scott, producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, screenwriter Michael Schiffer, writer Richard Henrick. While aboard, the Navy allowed the film crew to videotape Florida's Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander William Toti, performing many of the same actions that actor Denzel Washington performed as Executive Officer in the movie. Washington's remarkably accurate portrayal of a Trident submarine Executive Officer in the movie may have been due to the fact he studied these videotapes of Toti to prepare for the role.
The Navy had been led to believe that the movie's storyli
The Chase (1994 film)
The Chase is a 1994 American action comedy film directed by Adam Rifkin and starring Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson. The film follows a wrongfully-convicted man who kidnaps a wealthy heiress and leads police on a lengthy car chase in an attempt to escape prison, it features Henry Rollins, Josh Mostel, Ray Wise in supporting roles, with cameo appearances by Anthony Kiedis and Flea of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Upon release, The Chase received mixed to negative reviews from critics, but has since attracted a cult following. Jack Hammond stops at a gas station in Newport Beach, where he encounters two police officers and a young woman; the officers receive a car radio call that indicates the car Jack is driving is stolen, he panics and kidnaps the woman, holding a candy bar in his pocket such that she believes it is a gun. Fleeing in her car, Jack soon learns that his hostage is Natalie Voss, daughter of a millionaire industrialist. Two police officers pursue them in a squad car with a television crew filming a Cops-style reality show.
The car chase moves onto southbound Interstate 5. The chase intensifies, leading to several chaotic events including a medical truck spilling cadavers onto the freeway and Jack accidentally shooting a police car's tire, causing it to flip and crash. Two bystanders attempt to run Jack off the road in their monster truck, but lose control and roll the truck onto its side, where it is hit by a semi-trailer truck and explodes; the news media further dramatize the car chase, covering it under such headlines as "Terror on the Freeway!" and "Kidnapped at 100 Miles per Hour" and going to such lengths as having a reporter hang out the side of a van alongside the speeding car. Jack explains to Natalie that, while working as a clown performing at children's birthday parties in Sonoma, he was mistaken for the "red-nosed robber", a criminal who had robbed several banks while wearing a clown costume. A blood test sample improperly collected at one of the crime scenes proved Jack's innocence but its inadmissibility led to his conviction and sentence the prior day to 25 years' incarceration.
During transfer to prison he escapes the guards and steals a car, leading to their present situation. Jack's lawyer explains Jack's predicament to the media and tries to convince him to surrender to the police, but Jack believes escape is his only option. Natalie sympathizes with Jack, is impressed when he berates her overbearing father, she shares with him her seeks to escape from her dysfunctional family. As the chase continues, she begins to fall in love with Jack, the two have sex while he drives, she suggests feigning being his hostage so that they can flee together to Mexico, they reach the San Ysidro Port of Entry and find it blockaded. Jack continues to evade the police but stops, telling Natalie that her life cannot be ruined by him, releases her reluctantly to her father. After considering going out in a blaze of glory, Jack decides to surrender; as he is being arrested, Natalie releases Jack. The two steal a news helicopter and escape to Mexico; the Chase was written and directed by Adam Rifkin, who at the time was best known for directing cult and independent films like The Dark Backward.
Rifkin conceived The Chase as a direct response to The Dark Backward's poor performance at the box office. According to him, "I needed to make something that studio executives could watch and see money-making potential from. So, I wrote and directed, purposely, a brightly lit, simplistic car crash movie that I wanted to be the polar opposite of The Dark Backward." Although the film was released by 20th Century Fox, it was made with a small budget of "a few million dollars". As a result, Rifkin considers it an independent film rather than a studio film. Although the film is set in California, it was shot in the Houston metropolitan area, Texas; the opening scene, where Jack kidnaps Natalie, was filmed at a convenience store in Kemah, while most of the chase scenes were shot on a section of the Hardy Toll Road. Other film locations include the Mecom Fountain and the Houston Police Department headquarters at 61 Riesner. To reduce costs, part of the car chase was filmed in the middle of a traffic stream during an actual Houston rush hour without clearance and stunt drivers filling in for actors Charlie Sheen and Henry Rollins.
Rollins, a former vocalist of the punk rock band Black Flag, was cast as an "attention-hungry, gung-hop" cop due to his muscled physique. The role proved to be exciting for Rollins. During the film's production, Sheen was training for his role in Major League II. Musicians Anthony Kiedis and Flea of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers had cameo roles in the film. Flea commented positively on his experience in creating their characters. According to him, "We were making up lines the whole time. I remember we said something about Geraldo Rivera and we called him Jeraldo. We thought, so funny." The Chase received mixed to negative reviews from critics. According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 37% rating based on 19 reviews. Although the film was criticized for its forced script and subpar characters, several critics praised the film's use of satire to criticize the television news industry. Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert, who gave the film two-and-a-half out of three stars, felt that The Chase was "slick and with moments of real wit".
He praised Swanson's "unaffected charm and Sheen's ability to play an impossible role in a straight style." Film critic James Berardinelli agreed, stating that Sheen develops "a sur
NCIS: New Orleans
NCIS: New Orleans is an American television series combining elements of the military drama and police procedural genres that premiered on Tuesday, September 23, 2014, following its parent series NCIS. The pilot was written by Gary Glasberg; the series stars Scott Bakula and CCH Pounder, is executively produced by Glasberg, Mark Harmon, James Hayman and Chris Silber. The series is filmed in New Orleans, it is the third series of the NCIS franchise. On April 18, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a fifth season; the season premiered on September 25, 2018. NCIS: New Orleans follows a fictional team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents stationed out of New Orleans and led by Special Agent Dwayne Cassius Pride; the team focuses on crimes that involve personnel in the United States Navy and Marine Corps, their territory ranges from the Mississippi River to the Texas Panhandle. The agents under Pride's supervision include Christopher LaSalle, a former Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputy recruited by Pride following Hurricane Katrina.
Support personnel for the team consist of the coroner for Jefferson Parish. When Pride is promoted in Season 5, NCIS agent Hannah Khoury transfers to the New Orleans office to replace him as the team's direct supervisor. Scott Bakula as Dwayne "King" Cassius Pride, NCIS Supervisory Special Agent / Special Agent in Charge Lucas Black as Christopher LaSalle, NCIS Special Agent Zoe McLellan as Meredith Brody, NCIS Special Agent Rob Kerkovich as Sebastian Lund, forensic scientist / NCIS Forensics Agent CCH Pounder as Loretta Wade, medical examiner Shalita Grant as Sonja Percy, ATF Agent / NCIS Special Agent Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as Patton Plame, NCIS computer specialist Vanessa Ferlito as Tammy Gregorio, FBI Agent / NCIS Special Agent Necar Zadegan as Hannah Khoury, NCIS Supervisory Special Agent On January 12, 2015, NCIS: New Orleans was renewed for a second season that premiered on September 22, 2015. On March 25, 2016, CBS renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on September 20, 2016.
Show creator and executive producer Gary Glasberg, age 50, died unexpectedly on September 28, 2016. On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season, which premiered on September 26, 2017. On April 18, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a fifth season, which premiered on September 25, 2018. Scott Bakula was cast as the series lead on February 2014 with CCH Pounder, Zoe McLellan and Lucas Black joining soon thereafter. Rob Kerkovich joined the cast in July, he was the final original cast member to join the series, though Daryl Mitchell and Shalita Grant joined the series as regulars during season 2. Both had recurred previously. In July 2016, Zoe McLellan, who plays Special Agent Meredith Brody, left the series "for creative reasons", Vanessa Ferlito joined the cast as FBI Special Agent Tammy Gregorio, a series regular. On February 2, 2018, it was announced that Shalita Grant would leave the series in the 17th episode of season 4. On August 24, 2018, it was announced that Necar Zadegan would join the cast as Special Agent Hannah Khoury in season 5.
Brad Kern became the series showrunner in January 2016. Within a year he had become the focus of two investigations for inappropriate behavior toward women. On May 17, 2018, it was reported that Kern was exiting his role as executive producer and showrunner, but would remain as consulting producer, with Chris Silber replacing him as showrunner. Kern was placed on suspension in June 2018, when CBS launched a third investigation into claims of harassment, which led to his firing by CBS in October 2018. In December 2017, TNT acquired the rerun rights to the series. NCIS: New Orleans airs on Global in Canada. In Australia, the series premiered on Network Ten on October 7, 2014; the series has been sold to Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, which premiered it on February 13, 2015. From season 4 onwards, the series will premiere on Fox UK on Fridays at 9PM starting on July 20, 2018; the series has been sold to Prime in New Zealand and Fox in Asia. On April 2, 2015, the series began airing on South Africa's M-Net cable TV service and is broadcast to several other sub-Saharan African nations via DStv.
NCIS: New Orleans has received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the first season of the show a rating of 65%, based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "With a solid cast in a beautiful locale, NCIS: New Orleans makes extending this well-worn franchise look like the Big Easy." Metacritic gives the show a score of 55 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". In late September 2014, The Wrap's journalist Jason Hughes reviewed the pilot episode of the series, praising the music, the use of the city of New Orleans, CBS' decision to cast Scott Bakula as "one of the most likable leading men in television, so they're set there."David Hinckley of the New York Daily News gave a mixed but critical review of the pilot episode, saying there is a "Crescent City flavor here. But in the larger picture, not mu
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama. Each work in the series is set in a different decade, depicts comic and tragic aspects of the African-American experience in the 20th century. Wilson was born Frederick August Kittel Jr. in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, the fourth of six children. His father, Frederick August Kittel Sr. was a Sudeten German immigrant, a baker/pastry cook. His mother, Daisy Wilson, was an African-American woman from North Carolina who cleaned homes for a living. Wilson's anecdotal history reports that his maternal grandmother walked from North Carolina to Pennsylvania in search of a better life. Wilson's mother raised the children alone until he was five in a two-room apartment above a grocery store at 1727 Bedford Avenue. Wilson wrote under his mother's surname; the economically depressed neighborhood where he was raised was inhabited predominantly by black Americans and Jewish and Italian immigrants.
Wilson's mother divorced his father and married David Bedford in the 1950s, the family moved from the Hill District to the predominantly white working-class neighborhood of Hazelwood, where they encountered racial hostility. They were soon forced out on to their next home. In 1959, Wilson was one of fourteen African-American students at Central Catholic High School, from which he dropped out after one year, he attended Connelley Vocational High School, but found the curriculum unchallenging. He dropped out of Gladstone High School in the 10th grade in 1960 after his teacher accused him of plagiarizing a 20-page paper he wrote on Napoleon I of France. Wilson hid his decision from his mother. At the age of 16 he began working menial jobs, where he met a wide variety of people on whom some of his characters were based, such as Sam in The Janitor Wilson's extensive use of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh resulted in its "awarding" him an honorary high school diploma. Wilson, who said he had learned to read at the age of 4, began reading black writers at the library when he was 12 and spent the remainder of his teen years educating himself through the books of Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, others.
Wilson knew that he wanted to be a writer, but this created tension with his mother, who wanted him to become a lawyer. She forced him to leave the family home and he enlisted in the United States Army for a three-year stint in 1962, but left after one year and went back to working various odd jobs as a porter, short-order cook and dishwasher. Frederick August Kittel Jr. changed his name to August Wilson to honor his mother after his father's death in 1965. That same year, he discovered the blues as sung by Bessie Smith, he bought a stolen typewriter for $10, which he pawned when money was tight. At 20, he submitted work to such magazines as Harper's, he began to write in bars, the local cigar store, cafes—longhand on table napkins and on yellow notepads, absorbing the voices and characters around him. He liked to write on cafe napkins because, he said, it freed him up and made him less self-conscious as a writer, he would gather the notes and type them up at home. Gifted with a talent for catching dialect and accents, Wilson had an "astonishing memory", which he put to full use during his career.
He learned not to censor the language he heard when incorporating it into his work. Malcolm X's voice influenced Wilson's work. Both the Nation of Islam and the Black Power spoke to him regarding self-sufficiency, self-defense, self-determination, he appreciated the origin myths that Elijah Muhammad supported. In 1969 Wilson married Brenda Burton, a Muslim, converted to Islam, he and Brenda had one daughter, Sakina Ansari-Wilson, divorced in 1972. In 1968, he co-founded the Black Horizon Theater in the Hill District of Pittsburgh along with his friend Rob Penny. Wilson's first play, was performed for audiences in small theaters and public housing community centers for 50 cents a ticket. Among these early efforts was Jitney, which he revised more than two decades as part of his 10-play cycle on 20th-century Pittsburgh, he had no directing experience. He recalled: "Someone had looked around and said,'Who's going to be the director?' I said,'I will.' I said. So I went to look for a book on. I found one called The Fundamentals of Play Directing and checked it out."In 1976 Vernell Lillie, who had founded the Kuntu Repertory Theatre at the University of Pittsburgh two years earlier, directed Wilson's The Homecoming.
That same year Wilson saw Sizwe Banzi is Dead at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, his first professional play. Wilson and poet Maisha Baton started the Kuntu Writers Workshop to bring African-American writers together and to assist them in publication and production. Both organizations are still active. In 1978 Wilson moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, at the suggestion of his friend, director Claude Purdy, who helped him secure a job writing educational scripts for the Science Museum of Minnesota. In 1980 he received a fellowship for The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, he continued writing plays. For three years, he was a part-time cook for the Little Brothers of the Poor. Wilson had a long association with the Penumbra Theatre Company of St. Paul, which premiered some of his plays, he wro
Roc (TV series)
Roc is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox from August 25, 1991 to May 10, 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor, a nurse. Roc began life as a traditional television sitcom, chronicling the ups and downs of Baltimore garbage collector Charles "Roc" Emerson, a tightwad who brought home "perks". A much-played scene during the series' promotion featured Roc greeting his returning brother with a casual glance and a tired "Hey, Joey." When Eleanor suggests that he should have more to say, Roc agrees, follows up with "Hey, where's my money?" The four principal cast members were all accomplished stage actors, had become acquainted with each other while appearing in various August Wilson plays on Broadway. Three of the four leads were fresh from appearing in The Piano Lesson. In fact, Charles S. Dutton wanted. After a successful live episode was broadcast in February 1992, the producers and the Fox network agreed to air each episode of the second season as a live performance.
Every episode from season two began with a prologue in which one of the cast members directly addressed the home viewers for a few minutes. A current events item from the past week, or that day, would be mentioned to prove that viewers were indeed watching a live performance, current events from the previous week were incorporated into the dialogue. One episode dealt with the 1992 Presidential Election, aired the Sunday before the election; as the Emersons await the results, the director interrupts the program to mention that the results are unknown, causing "dismay" amongst the characters. Roc was the first prime time scripted American series since the late 1950s to broadcast each episode of an entire season live, a feat which wasn't repeated until the entire third season of NBC's Undateable was broadcast live in 2015. A Fox executive said that Roc "didn't feel live" to audiences because "those actors were so good, they never made a mistake." After the live format received only a limited ratings boost, the show returned to its original pre-taped format for season 3.
As it progressed, the series adopted a more dramatic tone, with several installments featuring social commentaries on gang activities, violence among youths, the consequences of drug use on childbirth, the plight of African-Americans in the United States. One of the central problems around town was the arrival of a powerful drug dealer named Andre, whose efforts throughout the community were met with counter-movements from Roc and others; this began with a brief showdown at Roc's home in which an angered Roc grabbed hold of Andre and warned him that his actions would not go unchallenged. This soon gave rise to several new characters, including a vigilante named Ronnie and Calvin, a co-worker and friend of Roc; as the story line progressed, victories were back-and-forth between the two sides, with Andre taking one of Joey's young friends under his influence, taunting Roc, being shot on-screen by an unseen assailant. Roc became a quick police was exonerated, with the shooter soon revealed to be Calvin.
As Calvin began his prison sentence and Eleanor agreed to raise his teenage daughter Sheila. Once recovered, Andre was confronted by Joey and several of their friends about his continuing to trouble the community. After expressing a measure of respect toward Roc, Andre would soon begin steps toward reformation; the series moved on, continuing to occasional drama. Charles S. Dutton – Charles "Roc" Emerson, a garbage collector Ella Joyce – Eleanor Carter Emerson, a nightshift nurse at Harbor Hospital Rocky Carroll – Joey Emerson, Roc's freeloading, trumpet playing brother Carl Gordon – Andrew "Pop" Emerson, Roc's widowed father, a retired railroad porter Garrett Morris – Wiz Clifton Powell – Andre Thompson Heavy D – Calvin Hendricks Tone Lōc – Ronnie Paxton Jamie Foxx – Crazy George Darryl Sivad – Sly Joan Pringle – Matty En Vogue – "The Downtown Divas" Alexis Fields – Sheila Hendricks Rosalind Cash – Margaret Carter, Eleanor's social-climbing mother Richard Roundtree – Russell Emerson, Andrew's homosexual brother While fans were devoted, their numbers were low.
Roc gained recognition in the form of award nominations, including an Emmy nomination for its camera work, with Charles Dutton receiving an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Season 1: #72 – 8.95 rating Season 2: #71 – 8.91 rating Season 3: #102 – 5.10 rating The series' theme song began as "God Bless the Child", performed by a cappella singer Jerry Lawson and three unknown studio singers, was replaced with "Live Your Life Today", performed by En Vogue. Roc on IMDb Roc at TV.com
Prelude to a Kiss (film)
Prelude to a Kiss is a 1992 American romantic fantasy film directed by Norman René and starring Alec Baldwin, Meg Ryan, Sydney Walker. It is based on the 1988 play of the same title. Despite her pessimistic outlook on life, Rita Boyle, a liberal, free-spirited, aspiring graphic designer, communist, who earns a living as a bartender, falls in love with, marries Peter Hoskins, the conservative employee of a Chicago publishing house. At their wedding, they are approached by Julius, a lonely, elderly man, who requests permission to kiss Rita; when he does, their spirits switch places, leaving Peter with an aged man's soul inside his newlywed bride. Only when he can see beyond the physical, embrace the beautiful soul he loves, will Julius agree to return to his cancer-riddled body by kissing her again. Alec Baldwin as Peter Hoskins Meg Ryan as Rita Boyle Sydney Walker as Julius Kathy Bates as Leah Blier Ned Beatty as Dr. Boyle Patty Duke as Mrs. Boyle Stanley Tucci as Taylor Debra Monk as Aunt Dorothy Rocky Carroll as Tom Fern Persons as Elderly Woman Annie Golden as Tin Market Musician The film's title is derived from the Duke Ellington/Irving Gordon/Irving Mills tune of the same name, heard performed by Deborah Harry during the opening credits.
The soundtrack includes the Cole Porter song "Every Time We Say Goodbye" performed by Annie Lennox, "The More I See You" and "I Had the Craziest Dream" by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon, "A Certain Smile" by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster, "The Very Thought of You" by Ray Noble, "Sweet Jane" by the Cowboy Junkies, "Someone Like You" by Van Morrison. In the beginning, Rita dances to the song "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls; the film grossed $20,006,730 in the US and $2,690,961 internationally for a total worldwide box office of $22,697,691. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes compiled reviews retrospectively to give it a score of 63% based on 24 reviews. In his review in The New York Times, Vincent Canby said, "The sad news about this movie adaptation is that it functions as a cruel critique of the problems that, for whatever reason, did not seem important in the stage production; this Prelude to a Kiss is not only without charm and wit, but it's clumsily set forth: many people seeing it may wonder what, in heaven's name, is going on.
The opened-up film lumbers like someone on crutches. Against the literal surroundings of Chicago, the North Shore and Jamaica, Peter and Julius become perfunctory characters, interesting only for the bizarre situation in which they are caught, they lack any convincing idiosyncrasy. The same dialogue that served well enough on the stage now sounds arch and coy or metaphysically flat."Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said of the film, "lthough it could do more with its story, what it does is gentle and moving. The film is hard to categorize, one of its strengths. Of the dialogue, I'll say how unusual it is for Hollywood characters to talk longingly and thoughtfully about our search for happiness in this world where most assuredly we will die. Prelude to a Kiss is the kind of movie that can inspire long conversations about the only subject worth talking about, the meaning of it all; the emotional heart of the movie belongs to the old guy, Walker, a New York stage actor who got his first starring role at 71.
He is wonderful here. He begins as a block of human wood, an old man who looks as if he has not one single thing to say, he develops eloquently into a person of poetry and longing, he is, in many of his scenes playing a woman in her 20s. How he does it - how he gets away with it - is through not just craft, but heart."In Rolling Stone, Peter Travers stated, "Craig Lucas's prince of a play has been turned into a toad of a movie. The disappointment is rending, since director Norman René made magic onstage; the play challenges us to make an imaginative leap into the wild blue. The film, however much it flails, stays resolutely earthbound."Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly graded the film C- and added, "Why is Prelude to a Kiss such a washout? I'm afraid it's because the play itself is a whimsically inept piece of high kitsch - a Twilight Zone for yuppie soft-heads; the characters aren't fleshed out as human beings. And so the ethereality of the premise never takes hold."In Variety, Todd McCarthy observed, "Thanks to a magnetic cast and intelligent adaptation, Prelude to a Kiss has made a solid transfer from stage to screen.
Back in the 1930s or'40s, this sort of sophisticated, literary-oriented treatment of a simple romantic idea would have been the norm. Today's general audiences, may be put off by the quick-witted talk and mildly confused by the central device, despite its resemblance to Ghost... Baldwin and Ryan make such a winning pair. Looking great and playing a normal guy whose optimism has prevailed over his troubled past, Baldwin is a romantic lead both men and women can enjoy watching. Cuter-than-cute too adorable for words, Ryan rambunctiously embodies the life force when playing a aimless young woman, the film suffers during her prolonged absence in the stages."Rita Kempley of The Washington Post said, "Packed with cheap sentiment and puerile romanticism, Prelude to a Kiss oozes sugarcoated comfort as might a drugstore valentine crushed enthusiastically to the recipient's heaving bosom. A faithful adaptation of Craig Lucas's popular play, it proves a feast for love gourmands those with an appetite for body-swapping.
The less starry-eyed viewers will remain starved for the comparative profundity of a leaky Love Boat rerun." The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated
