Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by rico (A) on November 24, 2006 at 13:49:46

I suppose it could be argued that "Avalon" is a Fourth of July movie but I always watch it on Thanksgiving. One of the most delightful films ever made, Barry leveinson's film looks at three generatiuons of Russian Jewish immigrants and how the U.s. culture and TV in particular affected how families interact with each other. The film is episodic and leaps about in time, focusing mainly on a patriarch, his go getter son, and the son's son. One gets the feeling that many of the events happened to Levinson personally or at least to his family. Although focusing on this particular ethnic group the stories could be transferred to just about any other in the mid twentieth century with nary a ripple. This is a a wonderful family film, full of warm humor and genuinely moving sequences. Highly recommended.