Smooth Talk (1985)

 

 

A free-spirited 15-year-old girl flirts with a dangerous stranger in the Northern California suburbs and must prepare herself for the frightening and traumatic consequences.

Laura Dern is extraordinary in this realistic, dark adaptation of a Joyce Carol Oates' story; the final sequence is particularly intense and harrowing.
 

Halliwell (no star): "Unattractive scenario about thoroughly dislikeable people."

Maltin**1/2: "Disarmingly realistic...Williams...all but deadens rest of the film. Worth seeing if only for Dern's fine performance. Impressive feature debut for documentary director Chopra..." 

 

 

City of Ember (2008)

For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing ... and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker.

A very nicely produced adaptation of a good young adult novel adds some quite unnecessary aspects to the story and is fairly watchable, but fails to capture the mystery and atmosphere of the book.

Maltin**: "Adaptation...never fires the emotional response it needs so badly. The real star of the film is production designer Martin Laing."

Starting Over (1979)

 

 

A divorced man falls in love, but somehow he can't get over his ex-wife. This affects his love life in comic ways.

 

From memory:  70s relationship drama, humorous, lively and with a good cast, but not particularly memorable.

 

Halliwell*: "Plain-speaking sex comedy-drama with accomplished stars giving rather more than the script is worth."

 

Maltin***: "Likable comedy...top performances but unfortunately, story goes awry toward conclusion for a lackluster turn of events and denouement."