Queens Logic (1991)

I have seen a ton of reviews of this movie over the years and I am always shocked and disappointed as to how "low" the movie is rated. This is simply one of the best movies ever made. It's that simple. Look at the cast: John Malkevich, Joseph Montegna, Chloe Webb, Linda Fiorentino, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ken Olin, and on and on (including Tom Waits - hysterical as Monte). It is sweet and funny and engaging and the sound track is super. I have the DVD and I have lent it out to friends dozens of times and the before and after is always the same: before "never heard of it" - after "loved it" --- and it doesn't matter the age or gender or politics of the viewer. Sure it helps if they are from some urban area as opposed to a rural area. And it helps if childhood friendships still mean something to them. But even if you're a lifelong lonely country boy, you should love this movie.

After watching Dogma for the umpteenth time on Comedy Central, I became a Linda Fiorentino fan along with others out there who wondered what happened to this promising actress since 2002. I have seen other films. This one shows that she can play a desperate housewife who can be both strong and vulnerable to her husband played by Joe Mantegna. Jamie Lee Curtis is underused in this role. Fiorentino and Chloe Webb's characters form a believable friendship on screen that I wonder why Linda hasn't worked in five years is a mystery to me. Anyway, it's an all star cast featuring besides Webb, Mantegna, and Fiorentino but also Kevin Bacon, Ken Olin, John Malkovich, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The storyline needs some work. I loved the scene where Carla steals the guys' clothes while they are skinny dipping in a pool. The movie is about a reunion of friends who get together for a wedding that may or may not happen anyway. I plead that Linda gets work soon again because she is really one of the best actresses out there playing strong women rather than weak and superficial.

Actually this came as a reaction to carmenjonze-1. I really wonder how someone can be disappointed by this film. Granted, it's in the Big Chill vain, but it features a fabulous cast in top-notch form, real attitudes, compact characters, and quite a few memorable scenes, even if it doesn't do justice to JL Curtis. Yes, it's more verbal than visual, but that's not necessarily a bad point, considering it leads to comments like "wounded animal convention" or Eliot's rationale for not going' out. All in all, I find it quite entertaining; a gem of a story about everyday people in everyday situations. And yes, again,it's not Bergman. But if you're sick of films that blackmail your interest in a once-in-a-million character in a once-in-a-trillion-situation, then you could definitely give this one a try.

Another boring early 90s movie about desperate, unattractive males and the desperately conventional women who coo and giggle at them. What is comedic about this? Why is it considered entertaining to watch uninteresting, perpetual losers? Self-conscious "homosexual" subplot is supposed to make it new and different. Fails.Merits: Tom Waits, and a decent soundtrack. And perhaps a third: the Artisan DVD indicates Queens Logic was filmed in 1:33. That means no dizzying pan and scan.It's movies like this that turned me towards the classics. Not even the presence of John Malkovich or Jamie Lee Curtis can redeem this criminal misuse of celluloid. 3/10. Get rid of it.