Alex Fraser
I'm a writer specializing in Movie Criticism, Politics, Short Stories, Poetry, Nov

Alex Fraser's Writings

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Article May.30.2012 Have a Guiness with Your TUNES OF GLORY! Published by: Epinions.com [Slightly revised for the Red Room Edition.] Pros: The performance of Alec Guiness is classic, and John Mills is not far behind. Cons: Occasionally a bit stagy, in the style of its time. The Bottom Line: Alec Guiness and John Mills engage in an intense contest for the soul of a Highland Regiment, revealing the subtle class and emotional relationships of all those involved. ******************... Continue Reading »	Article May.26.2012 In SPARTACUS, Men See Themselves, and Thousands of Christlike Figures! Published by: Epinions.com [Slightly revised for the Red Room Edition.] Pros:Epic set pieces, generally well handled quieter scenes, classic Alex North score. Cons:The dialogue suffers at times from the Hollywood "Biblical" tradition. The Bottom Line: SPARTACUS remains the strongest, most exciting, most moving of Roman Epics because the characters have emotional validity. It is far superior to GLADIATOR (Scott, 2000),... Continue Reading »
Article May.21.2012 BODY HEAT lives up to its title. Published by: Epinions.com BODY HEAT lives up to its title. Written: Feb 12 '00 (Updated Oct 04 '02) Pros: This sexy, corkscrew suspense film, full of warm Gulf atmosphere, gets better on every sitting. Cons: You may have to see it twice just to conclude that its all perfectly logical. The Bottom Line: BODY HEAT captures the atmosphere the Floria Gulf Coast in a story that... Continue Reading »	Essay Apr.15.2012 I'm late, I'm late, for a Very Important . . . BAD HORROR MOVIE Write-off. Published by: Epinions.com -- Moderately revised, and a Red Room Note added About the Author Epinions.com ID: macresarf1 - Top 100 -------------------- Location: San Francisco, Ca. Reviews written: 567 Trusted by: 382 members About Me: 4/14/2012: Not on the [BLEEP]? Didn't see the movie (again)? You're okay! For the present. -------------------------------------------------- I'm late, I'm late, for a Very Important . . . BAD... Continue Reading »
Article Apr.08.2012 GILDA: A Subtle Groundbreaker (with the help of Orson Welles) in 1946 Published by: Epinions.com -- originally published, February 12, 2000 -- Slightly revised, and a RED ROOM note added Pros: A sultry gangster/spy story with Rita Hayworth at her peak! Cons: A rather abrupt, not quite satisfying ending. The Bottom Line: Rita Hayworth's sexually charged performance, her chemistry with friend Glenn Ford, the influence of Orson Welles and a plot that suggests homosexuality, a triangle, and Nazism make GILDA memorable. Shot in the... Continue Reading »	Article Apr.01.2012 Is THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, Talented Enough? Published by: Epinions.com -- Slightly revised Pros: Good performances; talented photography and editing; a dramatic, Jazz influenced musical score. Cons:Motivational problems in the screenplay mar the verisimilitude, inhibit suspense. The Bottom Line: THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY, something of a box office disappointment, survives on tape and DVD as dark parable of the loss of 1950's American innocense. Now... Continue Reading »
Article Jan.14.2012 Corporatism Vs. Democracy -- THE CORPORATION; What FAHRENHEIT 9/11 Doesn't Tell You! Published by: Epinions.com (originally published, June 29, 2004. [Note for the Red Room Edition: When this review was posted, only the most cynical could have imagined that the World Financiers, especially American ones, would be willing to sacrifice the middle class of the developed World to their boundless greed. As it turned out, once more, I was right. Time has told us the sad story, which we shall have... Continue Reading »	Article Dec.30.2010 BLUE VALENTINE, a Realistic Movie about American Love. Published by: Epinions.com Pros: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka; ensemble, editing, shape of the film. Cons: Slow for some, apparently unresolved; too violent for some, not violent enough for others. The Bottom Line: BLUE VALENTINE is one of those films any couple contemplating the possibility of marriage in our chaotic time should see. Twelve years from... Continue Reading »
Article Aug.06.2010 "The Kent State Truth Tribunal" makes THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND Relevant Again Published by: Epinions.com Product Rating: Pros: Reminders of Vietnam's crucible which formed today's America. Contrasts revolutionaries, now in middle age Cons: Some important questions are not asked of the principals. Comparisons with today are not made. THE RED ROOM EDITION: THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND, while not as probing as might be hoped, suggests uncomfortable... Continue Reading »	Short Story Jul.19.2010 "The Welcome Wagon" (An Epistolary Satire) Published by: Epinions.com [Composed on the passing of President Ronald Reagan, June 5, 2004, for The Edinburgh Castle Writers Bloc in San Francisco, which was directed by the likes of fellow Red Roomers, Alan Black and Luke James. (Hence, an inside joke or two which have not worn well.) Otherwise, I hope you may agree that this attempt at satire is even more relevant today than when I... Continue Reading »

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About Alex

Born in a little town east of Cleveland, Ohio, I attended Kent State, taking a degree in Political Science and History; served in the U.S. Army (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) at Lakenheath Airbase in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. This experience was one the most...

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Connections

Causes Alex Fraser Supports

Greenpeace

Alex’s Favorite Books

Revolutionary Road, Easter Parade, Disturbing the Peace, and Eleven Kinds of Loneliness by Richard Yates; Pan by Knut Hamsun; The Dubliners by James Joyce; Dog...