Film Reviews
Absolutely Biased
Descriptions of Brendan's Many Movies
NEW! Seven stunning snapshots in the School Ties
Gallery. I fixed it! It works
now!
Dogfight (1991) is a cute River Phoenix movie (also
starring Lili Taylor) about a Vietnam veteran remembering his
girlfriend as he returns home. Brendan plays Sailor #1 (I'm not
positive which number sailor he is), who incites a fight in an
arcade. Not only did he become eligible for Screen Actors Guild
membership by acting in this film, but he also injured himself during
the fight scene, and I guess he recieved compensation pay. The
credits spell his name incorrectly, but rent Dogfight anyway because
you'll enjoy the chemistry between Phoenix and Taylor, and Brendan
looks great in uniform. It's a humble beginning for his acting
career.
Guilty Until
Proven Innocent (1991) is
a Lifetime Original Movie that I have never seen, but I figured I'd
include it anyway so you can view a more complete list.
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Encino Man (1992) can be a riot, if you're willing
to let your brain atrophy for 88 minutes, and as long as
Pauly Shore (from whom Brendan steals the whole show)
doesn't set your teeth on edge. Watch Encino Man for Bren's
first (and less-publicized) loincloth scene, as well as for
his Monkey Dance at the Senior Prom. Unfortunately,Encino
Man set the stereotype into motion that Brendan is a
talentless monkey-boy. We know better, however, and we can
appreciate the movie as a showcase for Bren's ability for
physical comedy.
NOTE: Brendan also
makes cameo appearances in Shore's Son -in-Law and In the
Army Now.
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I ADORE School
Ties (1992)! In
one of Brendan's best performanes, David Greene is awarded
the unsavory task of becoming the sole Jew in a preporatory
school full of anti-Semite WASPS. School Ties's amusing
beginning (after David's initial fight, right)--especially a scene
featuring Brendan's terrific dancing-- lulls you into
complaceny, then the movie turns around and breaks your
heart. Brendan has declared this to be his favorite work.
Surely this is because he filmed School Ties right near
me, at two Massachusetts parochial
schools. This movie was released a month or two after Encino
Man, and served to demonstrate Brendan's talent as a
dramatic actor. If only more people would watch it, he might
get more respect.
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Twenty Bucks
(1993? not sure) is
another movie that I never saw, but I own it, so I'll get around to
watching it someday.
I don't really like
Younger
and Younger (1993). It's
boring and Brendan doesn't make his appearance until halfway through.
He wears a pair of glasses, which makes him look uncannily like Dean
Cain of the now-defunct "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of
Superman". YAY isn't horrible, but its only true redeeming scene
takes place right at the end. Of course, it's Brendan dancing.
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With
Honors (1994) is the third movie to require Brendan
to portray a character younger than himself (the first two
were School Ties and Encino Man, although Encino Man is
debatable, since he plays a REALLY old high school student .
. . anyway, what was I saying?). This time he's a college
student who meets a homeless guy and learns life lessons
from him. It's pretty sappy, but watch it anyway, because it
has amusing scenes (Brendan accidentally eats his roomate's
pet, ha ha ha), and he flashes us a Full Monty (HA! I made a
funny . . . that's his character's name . . . what? yes it
is funny! . . . hey!) after a passionate horizontal tango
with Moira Kelly's character. With Honors isn't a crucial
step in the Evolution of Brendan, but it's nice to watch
anyway.
On a
side note, this movie was set in Cambridge, right near me,
but I think it was filmed in Chicago.
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