Terry O'Reilly Movies
- 1988
The wife of a policeman hires a private detective to spy on her unfaithful husband in this mystery film noir send-up. The detective finds no proof of infidelity but uncovers a drug-running operation that involves the crooked cop. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Brisbin, Taunie Vrenon, (more)
Based on the William Kennedy novel of the same name Ironweed is set in the waning years of the Depression. Jack Nicholson plays Francis Phelan, a washed-up ballplayer (a onetime infielder for the Washington Senators) who deserted his family back in the 1910s when he accidentally killed his infant son by dropping him. Since that time, Phelan has been a shabby barfly, living from drink to drink; he spends his days palling around with Rudy (Tom Waits), with whom he works a motley series of jobs in exchange for a place to lay his head and an occasional jug of wine. Wandering into his hometown of Albany, New York, Phelan blearily seeks out his girlfriend and erstwhile drinking companion of nine years, Helen Archer (Meryl Streep), who has begun prostituting herself for drink and lodging. The two derelicts touch base in a mission managed by minister James Gammon, and later in Fred Gwynne's squalid gin mill. Over the next few days, Phelan takes a few minor jobs to support his habit, while his mind wavers between past and present. Eventually, a chance for a reconciliation with his wife (Carroll Baker) emerges. Directed by Hector Babenco following his enormous success with Kiss of the Spider Woman , Ironweed netted Oscar nominations for Nicholson and Streep. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, (more)
- 1986
Dead End Kids is not a belated entry in Leo Gorcey/Huntz Hall manifest, but instead the film adaptation of Mabou Mines' off-Broadway play. The full title is Dead End Kids: A Story of Nuclear Power, and that is essentially that. Scientific articles, interviews and eyewitness accounts are woven together to trace the history and consequences of nuclear energy. The cast includes David Byrne and Phillip Glass, who also wrote the film's music. Though its visual style cannot be described as cinematic, Dead End Kids is one of the best of the many filmed "readings" on the subject of nuclear power that appeared in the mid-1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ellen McElduff, George Bartenieff, (more)
