Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-19 13:51:06

Tennessee Williams meets Oliver Stone

This movie is bizarre and out of whack, because it tries to fit a fascinating, Tennessee Williams-style character study into a tired, cliched paranoid conspiracy story. But the movie is worth watching for its first half, when the focus is on the sexy, needy and dysfunctional marriage between the stolid, ambitious military engineer played by Tommy Lee Jones, and his attention-getting, Marilyn Monroe-like wife, played by Jessica Lange. Both Jones and Lange are excellent. Their characters have many responsibilities: their children, their reputations at the military base, the protection of the Free World. But the actors convince you that they would throw all of that over, temporarily, for each others' hot love. But once you understand that, the filmmakers insert these great characters into a predictable, hackneyed plot that draws on "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Silkwood" and the entirity of Oliver Stone's career. The hinge for all this is a very unwise sexual encounter between Lange's character and Jones' Evil Boss. The Evil Boss, played by Powers Boothe, is a real Snidely Whiplash. From the first moment you see him, you know he's just a dastardly fellow without a conscience. Boo! Hiss! By having sex with this Bad Man, and then believing another obvious lie he tells her, Lange unwittingly aids in the coverup of a nuclear accident, which she then must go to preposterous lengths to expose in order to save her husband from having his mind stolen from him by the Evil Boss. Some have wondered why this movie sat on the shelf for several years before being released, given that it won Lange an Academy Award. The answer's obvious; the plot is an embarrassing joke. But we should be glad it got released. Lange's performance is stunning, and Jones' is not far behind her. It's hard work to suspend disbelief through this story's many dumb moments (do you really think a lifelong army brat would pull the pin on a grenade and then casually toss it to her boyfriend?), but it's worth trying to, just to appreciate Jones and Lange's acting.

nama chakravorty 2012-05-19 05:46:57

Jessica Lange is Stunning!

Jessica Lange's Oscar-Winning Performance in 'Blue Sky', is Stunning!The 2-Time Academy-Award Winning Legendary Actress once again lightsthe screen on fire by delivering such a stunning performance. 'Blue Sky' is set in the 1960's, where a nuclear engineer faces a lotof difficulties in his professional & personal life. 'Blue Sky' is a depressing film. The journey its characters go through,the entire story, is very depressing. But, that's exactly how thisstory is supposed to be: Difficult & Unsettling. It's certainly notmeant for the Faint-Hearted, as the drama in here is No-Holds-Barred.Rama Laurie Stagner, Arlene Sarner & Jerry Leichtling's Screenplay isdevastating & very effective. Tony Richardson's Direction is good.Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are nice. Lange's Oscar-Winning Performance is the prime reason to watch 'BlueSky'. It's an unforgettable performance, that leaves an hauntingimpact. Also Terrific is Tommy Lee Jones, who plays the troubledhusband, with great control & understanding.On the whole, 'Blue Sky' is depressing, but Lange's Oscar-WinningPerformance makes it a must see. Strongly Recommended!

2012-05-16 10:57:59

Luv-it Luv-it Luv-it--More more more

How can we get them to produce more? I sure would like a copy of my own.Fyrwife@aol.com

anonymous 2012-05-15 19:07:41

A bimbo is not always what she seems.

wow! Jessica Lange is so good in this movie it is embarrassing! She owns thescreen in every one of her scenes. Tommy Lee Jones to his credit- lets herbe the star of the movie. Though the plot is a little implausible- justlike David sent off Bathsheba's husband to certain death- to seduce her- thearmy didn't reckon with the power of a strong and slightly crazy woman. Theteenagers in the film add to its poignancy. On the surface the Marshallfamily seems dysfunctional- but actually- with love they function very well.

ccthemovieman-1 2012-05-12 07:16:36

Story Is Not Much, But Lange Is A Hoot

This film had some really interesting scenes that made me watch themovie twice but that was enough. The story overall is a bit too messy.Jessica Lange was a hoot as the manic-depressive flirtatious wife ofArmy Major "Hank Marshall." Boy, poor Hank had his hands full with"Carly" as his wife. Lange plays the role a little over-the-top butthat's what makes her interesting here. It turns out to be a militarysoap opera film, if there is such a thing.The soap angle came in not just between the Major trying to control hisout-of- control wife, but the couple's poor daughters who had to livewith this under their roof. Amy Klempp and Amy Locane played thesympathetic daughters.There's more to the story, such as incidental things like nuclear bombtesting but, believe-it-or-not, that takes a back seat to Jones andLange's marital woes. Frankly. when I write this, over 10 years afterseeing the film, I wonder why I bothered watching this twice. I was abig fan of Jones, and maybe that was it, plus Lange looked good backthen playing the blonde bombshell. This is one of the last films inwhich she looked this good as her "Tootsie" days were starting to wan.

2012-05-11 16:14:52

Blue Sky

This review is from: Blue Sky (DVD) This is a terrific movie regarding military life in the '60s. Jessica Lange truly deserved her Oscar and Tommy Lee is excellent and of course Powers Booth shows his narily side which he protrays so well in so many movies. I can't even tell you how many times I have seen this movie and I will watch it again and again.

2012-05-09 21:05:57

Blue Sky

This is a terrific movie regarding military life in the '60s. Jessica Lange truly deserved her Oscar and Tommy Lee is excellent and of course Powers Booth shows his narily side which he protrays so well in so many movies. I can't even tell you how many times I have seen this movie and I will watch it again and again.

2012-05-09 07:30:39

Hot Lange Served Up For Tommy Lee Jones - An Atomic Sleeper Hit!

Thank Heavens this Sleeper was recognized by the Academy and Lange won the Best Actress Academy Award or this film would have went by the wayside, unseen and that would have been a complete shame for this classic. I was somewhat confused at first and didn't pick up on all the nuances of the script/plot and therefore, I opted to watch the film a second time, paying closer attention to detail and the motivation of the characters and ALL aspects of the intense plot. It was well worth the second watch! Lange definately deserved the Oscar for this performance but, I still can't believe that THIS is the film she finally gets the Oscar for! Oh well... a good performance deserves the kudos it gets and her incredible sexual smoldering in this film kept it interesting and is a good portrayal of what a wife will do when she's left to her own devices too often. No matter what anyone else says about the plot, it was pretty much how I remember the time that the film is set in, including the state of treatment for mental illnesses (the film doesn't pretty them up or horrify them like some do...it's pretty much just the facts, here), the nuclear issue, and the beginings of the era of free love and open sexuality...and so for that reason, I really enjoyed the film that much more. The main issue here is the incredible script, cinematography, and performances! Jones and Lange showed the deep down, dirty, gritty, fire and emotion that both of these fine, high caliber actors are capable of and I'm surprised that Tommy Lee Jones didn't take home a few awards for this film, himself. Also, what an incredible supporting cast! More like an ensemble....Chris O'Donnell, Carrie Snodgrass, Powers Boothe and the likes all turn in performances worthy of their abilities. This film is destined to be a cult classic favorite by most film buffs and historians as well as fans of the members of the cast and crew but, none the less, I'd put it high on a list of "must be watched or mandatory viewing" films.

2012-05-04 19:58:36

Blue Sky

A delightful kick off your shoes and curl up in a comfortable chair film! No convoluted plots, no whodunnit, just plain wonderful relaxing movie of love and marriage of a serviceman and a seemingly brainless ditzy wife who steps up to the plate when all she loves is almost lost.

2012-05-04 07:05:37

Blue Sky viewed

This review is from: Blue Sky (DVD) Average movie. I am Tommy Lee Jones fan and I had not seen this one.

moonspinner55 2012-05-03 03:33:08

A cliffhanger performance by Lange in a melodrama too ambitious for its own good...

"Blue Sky" might have made for a great night of television had itpremiered on HBO or Showtime as a cable-film. With somewhat reducedexpectations coupled with the intimacy of watching the movie on thesmall screen, one might be inclined to forgive the film for its lack ofscope. Set in Alabama in the mid-1950s, Jessica Lange plays an ArmyEngineer's wife and the mother of two young girls who is tired of beingdragged from one military home to the next. She harbors a dangerous,possibly manic-depressive side, and makes life difficult foreverybody--leaving a trail of gossip and bad blood behind her. TommyLee Jones is her patient, loving husband, and Powers Boothe is Jones'newest Commanding Officer who sees only Lange's sexy externals anddesires her. All three performances are very good (with Lange winningthe Best Actress Oscar, possibly due to a slow year for women in film),however the picture takes a wrong turn in its third act and finisheslimply. Wolfish Boothe becomes a deceitful villain (as if being acheating husband wasn't quite enough), while Lange's volatile Carly issent out on a limb to save her husband from the clutches of theignorant, power-hungry government. Had the script stayed true to thecharacter conflicts (which would have matched the film's modestbudget), this may have been an effective little soaper. But there aretoo many ambitious ideas cranked out in the final stages, and theediting darts around trying to round off scenes which are squashy anddramatically unfulfilled. It isn't the fault of the actors; the moviebecomes so hectic in its plotting that the puny returns we do get (andthe overall lack of vision) are not enough to satisfy. "Blue Sky" bitesoff more than it can possibly chew. **1/2 from ****

sackofdogmeat 2012-05-02 20:30:14

Lange's Oscar well deserved....

One of the most deserved oscars in history. Jessica Lange's powerfulportrayl of a wild, vivacious, before her time woman who's loving husbandisin the army. Every so often, Carly (Lange)and her husband Hank (in apowerful performance by Tommy Lee Jones) and their two daughters aretransferred across the world to different army bases. When Hank is saidtohave been unfortunately diagnosed with radiation because of operation:BlueSky,he is put into a mental institution. Carly discovers Hank isperfectlyokay, she goes on a determined spree (with her daughters)endeavoring togetHank out. One of Lange's best films... highly underrated.

W Mitchell Morgan 2012-04-29 18:55:46

Seen it, and was IN it

Jessica Lange's supporting-actress Oscar is one of a few noteworthy thingsabout the abysmally boring "Blue Sky." Viewing it by rental, I rewound itlittle more than halfway through and promptly returned it--its rareinteresting scenes just weren't enough. Sub-mediocre melodrama hobbledfurther by an antiquated Hollywood anti-nuclear slant. Geez, won't theyeverquit? Sadly, Mr. Richardson's last film.Some trivia:Shot in 1990, but not released until 1995, as Orion Pictures was mired inChapter 11 litigation.Nearly all of it was filmed in Alabama, including Pacific island sceneswhich really didn't fool anyone.At what is now a de-commissioned Army air base outside Selma, AL, I wasoneof Blue Sky's extras, a soldier marching at the head of a parade columnthrough which Miss Lange's character barrels through with her 50's Buick.(Ithink it was a Buick.) The first really hot day of summer '90, and I willalways remember Mr. Richardson wearing a windbreaker.He gave me a line: "Look out!", which ended up on the cutting-roomfloor, no great loss.An observation: our infantry rifles were manufacturer-stamped "Blue SkyIndustries--Virginia" on the barrels. Either a coincidence, or these werecustom-made (and expensive) props.At the casting call in Montgomery prospects were given lines ("sides") totry on-camera. My sides were from an excerpt that was a bald-faced andsenseless humiliation of an Army officer, which I don't think made itthrough final editing and perhaps was never shot. Seen perhaps out ofcontext but the feeling was plainly anti-military, akin to 1960's BillyJack-style agitprop. (See title "Billy Jack") The hippies are still withus, alas.

2012-04-29 03:13:21

Jesica LAnge shows she is still one of the best

Jessica Lange is one of today's most talented actresses and in this movie she proves that once more. She plays an aofficer's wife whoo is also a nympho and when her husband goes out of town things begin happenning until she must save her husband's life on her own. Good acting by everyone nice score, and good direction. Recommended

2012-04-25 23:27:56

Hyper City.

Blue Sky won Jessica Lange her second Oscar and boy her smoldering performance is over the top to say the least. She plays a manic-depressive and poor Tommy Lee Jones plays her military hubby. The story is pretty boring so pretty much skip this stinker.

lwang 2012-04-25 07:30:22

Jessica Lange was unbelievable

The film is about the relationship of husband and wife, their troubles andhow they cope with it. It also had a side plot about underground nucleartesting, which I don't think was that powerful or had that much of an impactfor it to carry though as the finale, which also seem to be wrapped upuneventfully.But the main story is their troubled relationship, and how through good, badand worse they get through it with each other's support. Jessica Lange'sperformance as an unstable woman was amazing, not over the top in which itwould have been typically done, but was portrayed truely and its fine nuanceconveyed the subtle change in her mental state.

2012-04-25 01:07:41

Blue Sky

This review is from: Blue Sky (DVD) I love this movie Jessica Lange and Tommy Lee Jones performed so well in this movie,it definitely is a classic!

2012-04-24 21:21:41

it's all about jessica

the movie: bleh. Jessica Lange: amazing. She manages to portray the complexity of her character, Carly, so that the viewer can like and root for her despite her huge weaknesses as a person. Tommy Lee Jones is wonderful too, and their chemistry is fab. You "get" this couple's unbreakable bond even if you would not want to be in a relationship like theirs.

2012-04-23 05:06:26

Jessica's "Gem"

My favorite Jessica Lange movie. She is so...sexy in this film. I personally love high-strung females like this, they are so much fun to be around! Anyway, I love everything about this film and kinda knew this was gonna be true when the film opened with one of favorite songs by Dinah Washington & Brook Benton (You've Got What It Takes). Anyone who wants to watch a well made great movie should check this out!

2012-04-22 16:51:43

The Worst Film of the Year?

Blue Sky, 1994 filmThe movie begins with pictures of women in magazines. Helicopters fly over a beach where a lone woman gets a tan. Then we see men in protective gear on sandy soil picking up small metallic rods. Major Henry Marshal has an attitude, his wife is from Virginia. We see an old Studebaker taxi, and a woman who enjoys attention. [The automobiles are from the late 1950s.] The couple arrive at a new army post. Will they fit in? They have two teenage girls. The wife has emotional problems. [Does she blame others for her problems?] Suitcases spill out of the back of a station wagon. "Are you OK, dear?" Carly sees radiation on her husband. "Mom is tired, she needs a little rest." The daughters recognize the problem. "You're right, Dad." Carly has a doll collection. Is her memory plastic? Carly returns with gifts. There is an outdoor garden party. How to keep looking young?There is a reference to the proposed nuclear underground testing ban. "Its only make believe" sings the band. Carly has another problem. "An exceptional woman." Can Henry cool off Carly? "She had an accident." Are they fighting to make up afterwards? A new nuclear test presents a crisis, Henry goes away for two weeks. Playing with a found grenade is a bad decision. [Is this credible?] They are caught. The underground test releases a lot of radiation. Two men on horseback intrude into the area. "It's a crime." Carly dances at a rehearsal. Is it too risqué? "Zip me up." [Its easy to predict a bad ending to this story.] The older daughter dials her Dad so her Mom can tell all. The other officer's wives gossip about Carly. There is a conflict between Major Marshal and Colonel Johnson. [Is this believable?] Carly gets hurt. "Hank is in big trouble."Carly needs Henry. Can he be helped out of all this? Was it due to stress? A court-martial would be a disaster. Colonel Vincent Johnson gives an order. Carly and her daughters visit Henry, who is sedated like the other patients. Carly creates an incident at a parade. "Is craziness inherited?" Carly opens a locked briefcase then takes her girls on an early morning trip across country. She wants to make a fuss, but those two ranchers don't' agree with her. Carly leaves the motel to return to the ranch. A lone rider is at the test site! She is arrested, reporters see this. What will they do with her? Television news reports on Carly - the usual story from a press release. There is a shake-up at the army post. Henry is out of the hospital and the Army. "Are you happy?" Henry will become a Professor at a university in California. [Is this the end of their problems?]This could have been a better drama with a better and credible story. A military officer who questions the nuclear testing program? Personal conflicts between officers? An officer's wife who doesn't fit in? Changing attitudes and policies in the early 1960s? Suppose this movie used nerve gas testing instead of the nuclear bomb testing? I wonder if the reason for this movie was to create the worst movie that would still return a profit at the box office from those who go to any movie each weekend? Does this movie show Hollywood's opinion about their audiences?