The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)

[Guest AG/DC]

A farmer with a dry plot stands up to developers and irrigates his field in a southwestern village full of eccentric old men and young women with beautiful hair.

In a giant-killing not seen since the 1969 Mets, Dave Grusin won the Academy Award for best score when nominated against a field that included John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Maurice Jarre.

[metirish]

Added to the queue .

[Guest AG/DC]

I have mixed feelings about this. It's based on an excellent novel by John Nichols, and directed by Robert Redford -- with the characteristic lovely cinematography of Redford's other films (A River Rus Through It, Horse Whisperer, even The Natural, which he didn't direct). I think he meant only to produce but stepped in as director in a pinch.

It works more like a John Sayles film --- specifically a Bruce Springsteen video directed by John Sayles, with the lead trying to do right by his family in his work shirt and favorite baseball cap, unable to get a break from the man and the system. Squint and he looks like Springsteen, despite being of southwestern Indian heritage with a spanish name.

Anyhow, it almost seems like too much of a perfect darling for the Sundance crowd, with a disenfranchised indigenous population finding redemption in the old ways as creepy rich guys encroach --- the system hostile to their almost-subsistence culture. There's even some intellectual Jewish guys from the east seeking to fight for them. Fortunately they don't make these guys the heroes, but they need their own sort of redemption.

The main problem is that the acting is kind of hammy from most of the largely inexperienced ensemble, and from some of the vets too. The best part though, is Ruben Blades as the small-town sherriff torn between the citizens and the developers --- ironically aware in every scene that he can't win, but maybe keep bringing every conflict to a draw. If you want more of your Latin Amerian musical heroes on screen, there's also Freddie Fender as a corrupted mayor with awesome hair.

Christopher Walken's there, and he's Christopher Walken --- though in cowboy clothes. Other famous faces too. We went back to it so we could look for the scenery from our honeymoon. It's pretty much as we rememberd it, but it's funny because now it seems to metaphorically stand in for stories of international development of the global ecoonomy. Anyhow, we had forgotten how cool Ruben Blades was and are kind of sorry that he didn't have a bigger career. It's cool to see such a musical big shot kind of playing a shlump.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I saw this when it came out. It was reviewed much better than I received it, is how I remember it.

I mean, sweet little well-meaning flick, but, you know, not great.

[Vic Sage]

to the extent it evokes Sayles and Springsteen, i see that as good things. Blades was terrific. Mostly, though, i love the magical realism, which is rarely done this well.