Word: benton
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
PLACES IN THE HEART Directed and Written by Robert Benton...
...redeems from bitterness. As these archetypes of disenfranchisement assemble in her kitchen, a bonding of proletarian fiction and gaslit theater takes place. And a wary customer may be forgiven for wondering if the shades of D.W. Griffith and John Steinbeck are warring for possession of Writer-Director Robert Benton's soul...
...matter in considering a movie and focus it on what truly matters. "Yes-oh, dear, yes-the novel tells a story," E.M. Forster once announced in a self-described "drooping regretful voice," and it is the same, only more so, with movies. Having provided richly for this simple need, Benton is free to turn to what really interests him: the quality of the lives that people lead between the plotlines, their sense of the world and of their connections with it. In particular, his business is to evoke, and thus rescue from the onrush of history, the way things were...
...CLASSIC hero-villain conflict of the movie is, however, somewhat problematic. Morris Day and his sidekick--ex-roadie, ex-football-player Jerome Benton--are hilarious as a self-caricaturingly "sharp" twosome, complete with Abbott and Costello routines. They enjoy dressing up, abusing women--in one of the first scenes they dump a troublesome one into a trash can--and being generally vicious. The Kid spends his time dressing up (though in spike-heeled white boots rather than two-tone shoes), mistreating women, and being generally misunderstood and abusive. Quite a contrast...
...Benton also teaches executives to express themselves more effectively and to develop better attitudes toward themselves. Prior to making a presentation, Benton advises, "find out what others expect or what they want to avoid before you spill your guts." Executives must be able to see themselves as successes. Says Benton: "It may sound corny, but if you think you are getting better, you will get better...