Touches You

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

I gave this a 6. I simply can't quite figure why people are gushing about the writing. Redford has only written 2 scripts, some TV, and something else. I felt the writing and script were the major detractors here. The cinematography was superb, but the film lacked inspired direction. This made for a tight, pro, looking film but otherwise constructed on air. It's a character study under the hood and the character we're studying is a silent, aloof type. Woops. This just screams pet-project of Sutherland's. I don't have a Pro account but I'd bet Sutherland spent his own money on this. Marcus Thomas was a brilliant casting move though and he really looked the part. Lastly, bull-riding in general is a sore point amongst many pro-cowboys. It's a zero skill affair that has it's roots in exhibition. Pro cowboys seriously resent the intermission entertainment stealing the show. I noticed too that there were no pick-up men being depicted. Odd that. It's a PRCA regulation. Professional Bull Riders (PBR), on the other- hand, I don't think use them so there's that.

While I did like this movie I thought the ending was both graphic and gruesome. That part of the movie traumatized me along with the fact that, really, who wants to see Kiefer Sutherland getting it? Marcus Thomas was a bit forced in the role of Ely Braxton although I could have seen him being a cowboy if his acting had been a bit more relaxed. It was good to see Molly Ringwald in a role other than the movies that she is truly known for. Darryl Hannah was just okay for me in the role of Celia. I think I enjoyed Kiefer Sutherland and the idea behind the movie more than some of the actors in the movie. I would definitely watch this flick again if only for Kiefer.

Spoilers hereinThe losers are only a few: the writer and Daryl Hannah. Daryl because she should be working at more challenging parts right now. Regarding the script, you can smell a Redford a mile away: cloying sentimentality, mechanical plot evolution, subconscious conflation of nature with goodness and freedom. This script is really bad: one can see the remnants of the formula: switching lovers mirrored by switching destinies. The curse of emotionally jailed parents. The challenge. The balance of victory and defeat. The nature-specific enlightenment at the end. Please advise this kid to go into another line or to radically reinvent himself.The winners are enough to keep this from being a waste. Most of the actors are strong enough to put something where the writer did not. Postlethwaite has one real scene and is memorable. Really. Sutherland and Dillon show they are better than the material. But the one that fascinates me is Molly Ringwald. She debuted in a quirky, actorly adaptation of `the Tempest' with Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia. She did a Godard free-style adaptation of `King Lear' with Woody Allen! In between, she had the unfortunate success of some cheap personality roles. Since then, she's been cruising. Will she come back from the dead? I see she is signed up for Greenaway's next project, `Luper.' He is the most intelligent mind in film today, so that seems promising.But here, she is background. A shame I say.Another winner: the sound designer. This has great sound. Fortunately they didn't lard it up with honk-a-glitz so far as the songs -- but the sound is what impressed me.Ted's evaluation: 2 of 4 -- has some interesting elements.

Production on this film took place in December of 1998 as Hearts and Bones. I was a production assistant on the film, and spent nearly a month on the set. I recently saw the film on DVD, and was pleasantly surprised. The film is actually a lot better than I expected, with decent performances by the stars and a good script from James Redford.The transfer to DVD was well done (at least on the German import disc I bought), and the film is presented in its original aspect ratio. The sound quality was also pretty good. The story is also very watchable. Unfortunately, this movie has only been shown on the big screen at film festivals, and widespread domestic theatrical release will probably never happen. However, the US DVD is slated for release on September 3rd, and it's probably worth the 4 or 5 bucks to rent it, even if you don't like rodeo. If you do like rodeo, though, this would be a good DVD to buy.