Jacques Scott Movies

Derek Cianfrance made his directorial debut with this noir-styled drama based on the real-life friendship of lead actor Keith Zimmerman and a black ex-con -- along with the apparent influence of Elia Kazan's 1955 film-adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Cal (Zimmerman), the sensitive younger brother of Aaron (Jason Hauser), is friends with black barber Cassius (Carey Westbrook). At a Christmas party, Aaron picks a fight with Cassius. When Cal stands up for Cassius instead of siding with his brother, tensions erupt. In a parallel with the Kazan film, both brothers are attracted to the same woman, Camille (Christina Chang), who is initially attached to Cal. At their mother's house, Cal is stunned to realize that Aaron is dating Camille. Cal's brother and mother, who cuts him off, both leave him feeling painfully alienated from his family. Filmed in black-and-white and color, the story spans an entire year, from one Christmas to the next Christmas. Shown at 1998 film festivals (Berlin, Sundance). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

You Can't Run Away From It is a musical remake of Frank Capra's Oscar-winning classic It Happened One Night, complete with same-named characters and word-for-word scene reconstructions. It all begins when spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (June Allyson) is literally kidnapped from the altar by her wealthy father (Charles Bickford). Escaping from her daddy's yacht with only a handful of clothes and minimal finances, Ellie hops a bus, intending to travel cross-country to be reunited with her fortune-hunting husband. Reporter Peter Warne (Jack Lemmon), sensing a swell newspaper story, tags along. Though Peter and Ellie aren't terribly fond of one another (that's putting it mildly!), by the end of their journey they've fallen in love -- but there are still several last-minute complications before a happy ending can be reached. Most of the musical numbers in the remake are awkwardly inserted during the more famous scenes from the Capra original: the "Walls of Jericho," the impromptu singalong on the bus, the hitchhiking bit, etc. Benefiting from the breezy performances of Jack Lemmon and June Allyson, You Can't Run Away From It is easy to take, but hardly within shouting distance of the original film's brilliance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide