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Truly Dreadful Film

the audience applauded

Good start, but then it gets ruined

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

A mixture of hit and miss tales, comedic, tragic and sometimes more of a fantasy than "Harry Potter", this outrageous stew of New York goulash is worth seeing for a few segments, a few memorable character bits and most of all, memory of a time where technology didn't ruin your morning commute. Set in 1996 (based upon stories submitted in 1995), this features advertisements of Broadway shows which were playing that year ("Big" prominently featured; "Phantom" nowhere in sight), and a collection of characters whom only New Yorkers and a few select others can understand.We can all relate to Bill Irwin's plight of ending up on an empty car (reeking of a bag featuring an undisclosed stench) or the con-games of a small percentage of pan-handlers. There's also a sexually aggressive woman who won't talk but basically gets a cheap thrill every morning for months from a well-dressed (and newly married) businessman that wreaks of being totally gratuitous. More touching is the beat-up young man who finds compassion from an older woman (the unforgettable Mercedes Ruehl) who refers to him as an angel in a scene that only hints of a sexual encounter but other than their kissing never goes there. A disrespected nightrider (the outlandish Rosie Perez) gets vengeance on a drunken masher in the middle of the night, while some rowdy passengers realize that a young woman singing on the telephone isn't your standard New York whack-a-doodle. A morning rider (Gregory Hines) looks concerned over at an obviously pregnant woman he believes is about to jump onto the tracks as a train approaches. A young couple have two different conversations at once and she storms off, convinced he doesn't give two crap-loads about her political feelings, or even her feelings at all, and the follow-up with her brief conversation with a passenger in another car on the same subway. Extremely interesting is a segment between a young stock broker and an older man (the always scene-stealing Jerry Stiller) which, in the wake of 9/11 and the 2008 market crash seems a bit prophetic and is certainly more than just a bit Capra-esque. Whether or not you relate to any of these experiences (such as a paranoid white woman taking a late night train for the first time whose fear results in her being locked up overnight in a closed off exit) or of the various scary looking "creatures" whom New Yorkers know that deep inside are totally harmless, is based upon chance, but there are enough subway stories in the naked city to keep this theme going on at infinitude. While each segment has a different director, unlike other similarly multi-storied films, it never feels like its going from one place to another, but suffers from lack of believability in certain circumstances while others will win you over totally.

I do regret a little that I bought it without seeing it first. Some people might really like the style of those short stories, others might not. People who tend to like reading short stories would definitely enjoy most of them.If you are an (amateur) filmmaker yourself or have worked on low budget productions, I guess you would really appreciate it. Some of those stories are constructed very clever, it is amazing how they turned everyday situations into something special in so little time. If you have happened to see the September 11 short stories you might know why I expected a little "more".

Where to begin...This movie should be the dream of any sociology-minded person. It analyzes the best and worst aspects of humankind. Unless you're emotionally dead inside, you'll find yourself laughing, crying, and oft times pitying...but most of all you'll see yourself, as in the ten shorts you're bound to find a character you can relate with.My least favorite segments had to be "Love on the A Train," "The Listeners," and "The 5:24." Typically Steve Zahn and Jerry Stiller can do it for me, but this short is all business, literally. You half expect when you see the both of them together that it's going to be a comedy, but you leave the segment disappointed that you didn't get what you expected. This is "5:24" in a nutshell."Love on the A Train" is by far the most risqué of the shorts, but it's done in a fashion that still makes it viewable to even the most puritanical of people. It's also the first time Rosie Perez has ever looked genuinely sexy to me. For people who AREN'T fans of her, you don't have to worry about dialog.I've always been somewhat drawn to Lili Taylor for some odd reason, which is why I had a lot of hope for "The Listeners." Unfortunately, it didn't have the bite of the other scenes. There could have been some real development there, but since these are based on true stories, any alterations to make them seem more cinematic would have taken away from the "reality" these shorts try (and on a lot of levels succeed) to convey.I didn't list "The Red Shoes" simply because I was of a mixed mind about it.I absolutely love Denis Leary (man has the best hair in showbiz, I think - plus having a love scene with a topless Liz Hurley in Double Whammy elevates him to "God" status in my eyes), and Christine Lahti commands attention. I didn't like the sketch because it was poorly done...I didn't like the sketch because it deals with a subject matter you can quite easily relate with on a grotesque level. Let's just say one thing of Lahti's dialog might be true by the time the segment ends."The Red Shoes" ties in nicely with "Fern's Heart of Darkness." Both segments force you to look at a part of yourself you don't wear on your sleeve.I wasn't a particular fan of Honey-Getter but I can't knock Ajay Naidu. The guy was Samir in Office Space, which automatically exonerates him of any bad roles or performances. If I talked bad about him I could never watch the movie again, and that would be a travesty.Now, onto those I absolutely loved:"Sax Cantor Riff" was gorgeous. It draws you in with a mediocre beginning with a mediocre start (even though it includes Sam Rockwell, a fledgling actor back then who's moved onto greater things - Charlie's Angels not withstanding). Then you're exposed to one of the most beautiful scenes and sounds in the movie (which was so initially shocking to me the first time I saw this that it brought tears to my eyes), followed immediately by something that attempts to convey something only the educated will understand. Absolutely phenomenal.Mercedes Ruehl's character in "Underground" should be proof enough that older women can still be incredibly sexy. She was 49 when this was released in 1997, but you can't really tell. "Underground" is probably one of the shortest pieces, but it's very expressive - even though you're left to wonder at the end if anything illegal actually took place.Lastly, since I don't want to come off as pathological about this movie, "Manhattan Miracle" was extraordinary. I've always been an extraordinary fan of Gregory Hines, and this segment shows you that there is a lot more to acting than just remembering your lines.See this. You won't forget it.

I liked all the stories. Fern's Heart of Darkness was a nice little turn on a rich white woman when she was faced with being...well, I won't ruin it. Each story was a wonderful look at life and its tragedies, celebrations, and hopes. The one that got to me the most was Taryl Hicks singing to her dying mother. That not only sent a tear to my eye, but sent chills down my spine with the power and emotion displayed in her voice. There are rarely any singers that I would call even special in their talents, but this absolutely is the one I remember. Every time I see her portion in the vignettes it still sends chills down my spine and a tear to my eye.