All Good Things

Movie: All Good Things

Cast:    Ryan Gosling (David Marks)

            Kirsten Dunst (Katie Marks)

            Frank Langella (Stanford Marks)

Genre: Drama, mystery

I saw it on: December 19, 2010

Synopsis: Based (more or less) on fact, the movie opens in the 1970’s where Stanford Marks is the imposing patriarch of the Marks family empire – which owned literally half of Times Square.  David is the older of his two sons and has not interest in joining the family business.  He falls in love with Katie.  They marry and move to Vermont to run a small store.  Stanford puts pressure on David who finally caves.  He and his wife move back to New York and he joins the company.

It turns out that the family business includes some less-than-reputable (if not illegal) sources of income.  Around this time, David starts showing another not-so-nice side of himself.  Katie is not sure what is happening to him.  Things start going downhill fast, culminating with Katie disappearing, never to be found.  The film follows what comes after Katie’s disappearance, including a re-opening of her case 20 years later.

My two cents: I was a little frustrated with this movie – I could not decide if it was trying to be a documentary, a docu-drama or just an “inspired by true events” movie.  It was also frustrating trying to figure out what was factual and what was speculation.  Regardless, this film had great performances by Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella.  The movie I most identify Ryan Gosling with is “Las and the Real Girl”.  It was chilling to see Gosling with the facial expression of the sweet-natured Lars while the Jekyll side of his personality was in charge.  His coldness and lack of visible emotion makes his outbursts even more disturbing.  You really felt for poor Katie who was definitely in over her head.  She really had not chance. 

Although I think the movie could have been put together better and more coherently, I think it was well worth the time. I am just frustrated that somehow I never heard or read about any of this when it was happening.  It is considered the most notorious unsolved murder in New York history.

Cropsey

Movie: Cropsey

Directors: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zeman

Genre: Documentary

I saw it on: December 19, 2010

Synopsis: “Cropsey” is apparently name used frequently along the Hudson river valley used to denote the local bogeyman: “Don’t go into the woods at night, Cropsey will get you.”, “Don’t go near that abandoned mine, Cropsey will snatch you” . . . that sort of thing.  The film’s directors were raised on Staten Island to stories about the Cropsey of Staten Island.

In 1987, Jennifer Schweiger, a 13-year old with Down Syndrome, disappeared.  After an intensive search, her body was buried in the woods.  Andre Rand was a drifter living in the woods nearby.  He was ultimately arrested and convicted of kidnapping Jennifer – but not of murdering her.  Fast forward to the 2000’s and Andre Rand is getting within shouting distance of the end of his prison sentence.  A District Attorney decides to charge him with another kidnapping from the 80’s.

The two directors of this film explore some of the spooky areas of Staten Island – such as an enormous former mental facility.  They give a lot of background material and origins of the “Cropsey” legneds.  They then examine Andre Rand and five kidnappings from the 70’s and 80’s and attempt to dig up fresh information and to try and determine if Andre Rand really was the  legendary “Cropsey” of Staten Island or if he was just a convenient scape goat.

My two cents: Not to be overly blunt, but I found much of this film to be a load of crap.  Much of it reminded me of some of the over-sensationalized “documentaries” you find on cable channels.  Way too much quoting of “some say” or “an anonymous letter”.  What really did me in was when they decided to take the camera into one of the buildings on the abandoned 300+ acres of the former mental hospital.  They decide to go in after dark with a hand-held camera, presumably so we can get all scared?  Nothing inspired by the filing technique of Blair Witch Trials, of course. 

I will admit that some of the history of Staten Island was pretty interesting.  The rest of the movie was as if these two directors were rookies who really should have had some kind veteran documentarian to steer them in the right direction. 

I looked this movie up in Rotten Tomatoes and was shocked to see that 90% of critics liked it and 65% of viewers liked it. I must be missing something.