守灵夜狂想曲

本片讲述了二十年代着名的芝加哥犯罪头目疤面人自崛起至暴毙的故事。全片以阿尔卡邦的生平为蓝本，再加上一名有乱伦关系的妹妹，越发使内容显得复杂而敏感，在当年是具有重大影响力的犯罪片之一。导演霍华德．霍克斯力求使全片看起来生动耀眼，暴力镜头有跃出银幕之感，主角保罗．茂尼的演出亦光芒四射，为类型电影的经典之作。

比利·巴特森和其他孩子们虽然获得了超凡的神力和成人的外表，但仍处在青春期的他们还在学习如何平衡内心与外在的不同。但是当阿特拉斯的女儿——复仇三女神来到地球，寻找很久以前被偷走的神力时，比利·巴特森和家人们将为了守护他们的超能力、生命以及整个世界的命运而展开一场激战。

与因事故而行动不便的儿子一同生活的葬礼师“成吉”与搬到隔壁的母女相遇后，逐渐找回被遗忘的希望的故事。在第53届休斯敦国际电影节上获得了相当于最佳外语片奖的白金奖，被誉为“蕴含着丧失和痛苦以及死亡中间的灵魂那令人心痛的共鸣”。

Fraught with over obvious symbolism, Hartley's early feature is nonetheless a joy to watch. Hal here shows us his uncanny ability to cast his characters perfectly came early in his career.Adrienne Shelley is a near perfect foil to herself, equal parts annoying teen burgeoning in her sexuality (though using sex for several years); obsessed with doom and inspired by idealism gone wrong she is deceptively – and simultaneously – complex and simple. Her Audrey inspires so many levels of symbolism it is almost embarrassingly rich (e.g., her modeling career beginning with photos of her foot – culminating her doing nude (but unseen) work; Manhattan move; Europe trip; her stealing, then sleeping with the mechanics wrench, etc.)As Josh, Robert Burke gives an absolutely masterful performance. A reformed prisoner/penitent he returns to his home town to face down past demons, accept his lot and begin a new life. Dressed in black, and repeatedly mistaken for a priest, he corrects everyone ("I'm a mechanic"), yet the symbolism is rich: he abstains from alcohol, he practices celibacy (is, in fact a virgin), and seemingly has taken on vows of poverty, and humility as well. The humility seems hardest to swallow seeming, at times, almost false, a pretense. Yet, as we learn more of Josh we see genuineness in his modesty, that his humility is indeed earnest and believable. What seems ironic is the character is fairly forthright in his simplicity, yet so richly drawn it becomes the viewer who wants to make him out as more than what he actually is. A fascinatingly written character, perfectly played.The scene between Josh and Jane (a wonderful, young Edie Falco . . . "You need a woman not a girl") is hilarious . . . real. But Hartley can't leave it as such and his trick, having the actors repeat the dialogue over-and-over becomes frustratingly "arty" and annoying . . . until again it becomes hilarious. What a terrific sense of bizarre reality this lends the film (like kids in a perpetual "am not"/"are too" argument).Hartley's weaves all of a small neighborhood's idiosyncrasies into a tapestry of seeming stereotypes but which delves far beneath the surface, the catalyst being that everyone believes they know what the "unbelievable truth" of the title is, yet no two people can agree (including our hero) on what exactly that truth is. A wonderful little movie with some big ideas.