WATCHED THEM AGAIN. “Sid and Nancy.” / “True Romance.”

“Sid and Nancy” (1986, Plex) British biographical film, portrays the life of Sid Vicious, bassist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, and his destructive relationship with girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Gary Oldman is Sid; Chloe Webb is Nancy. Both performances are awards worthy though they had some over-acted sequences somewhere. 



       But definitely, Mr Oldman's Sid is the best Sid wasteland portrayal ever, especially if we compare his gig with the two others who channeled the punk icon: Ade Edmondson in 1982's “The Comic Strip Presents: Demonella” and Louis Partridge in 2022 “Pistol,” both TV series fares.

       Gary's hilarious antics while onstage with the Pistols was better than Sid himself, LOL! Alex Cox's direction was point-blank cold as the fury and filth of the era but the impressionistic wanderings don't impress me.     

       But then I (re)watched the movie to relieve those years not to dissect its aesthetic merits. And as is, I enjoyed the movie again as I did in the 1980s. 🎥💻📽


“True Romance” (1993, Roku) romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. Cast: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Walken. A newlywed couple heads to California with a stolen suitcase of drugs, with the Mafia in close pursuit and their future very uncertain. 



  

       A kickass cast, indeed. These guys get to act their stereotypes: Mr Hopper as a cop, Mr Oldman as trash-talkin’ junkie, Mr Pitt as a dumb slacker, Mr Jackson as the cursin’ maderfacka, and Mr Walken as a Mafia boss. And there’s John Gandolfini and forever stoopid Michael Rapaport there, too. 

       It was said that Mr Tarantino sold the screenplay in order to finance his debut feature film, “Reservoir Dogs” (1992). True to most Quentin movies, there’s a lot of violence here, although not as violent as recent movies by guys like Gareth Evans or “Squid Game.” 

       Though initially a box-office failure, the film's positive reviews, with critics praising the dialogue, characters, and offbeat style, helped it earn a cult following. Still a cult movie, “True Romance” is fodder for drunken conversations among us older guys. 🎥💻📽

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