SnoopyStyle
Trombone playing Harry Washello (Anthony Edwards) falls for Julie Peters (Mare Winningham). They have a good day together. They set up a date after her shift at the diner ends at midnight. Harry takes a nap but a power outage stops his alarm clock. He oversleeps and arrives at the diner at 4am. Julie is long gone. Harry calls her from the payphone and receives a weird call from a guy warning his father about the launch of nuclear missiles. Nuclear blasts are expected in an hour. Diner customer Landa (Denise Crosby) calls and discovers politicians all leaving the country. She organizes planes to leave for Anarctica. As the group drives to the airport, Harry stops to find Julie. It's a chaotic night. The premise has this wonderful urgency. It could be tweaked a little. The new love idea is a bit of a fable. This whole movie is somewhat one. It's a great one-late-night movie. The story isn't completely cohesive but it is very compelling. I also love Harry's varying stories although it may be even more compelling if the audience doesn't hear the original phone call from the missile base. It would be great if the audience wonders about the veracity of Harry's story.
tgchan
7.0/10 from 5,683 users, good enough for me. The real treat here is the plot. A young man hears a chance phone call telling him that a nuclear war has started and missiles will hit his city in 70 minutes. Sounds greats~! Let's see if it is well worth the 7/10 rating.22 minutes – and it's hard to write anything particular about it. It's not boring and the action is about to start now, we'll see how it goes from here 32 minutes – oh boy~! It's happening~! What would you do, if you would know that the nuclear war was about to happen in a very short time!? Definitely amazing idea for a film. The action has already started and it's super interesting with a great amount of pressure in the air 39 minutes – I love it~! + it's funny where it needs to be as well~!DISAPPOINTED~! I hoped for so much more and it failed miserably. Waste of time. It was not utterly bad, but definitely not worth my time.tgchan's rating: 5 /10
Woodyanders
Shy and romantic jazz musician Harry Washello (an excellent and engaging performance by Anthony Edwards) intercepts a telephone call informing him that a nuclear war is going to happen in seventy minutes. Harry tries to escape from Los Angeles with his newfound girlfriend Julie Peters (well played with sweet charm by Mare Winningham) in tow while the city's population starts to panic and riot as the grim news spreads.Writer/director Steve De Jarnett keeps the riveting story storming along at a breathless brisk pace, astutely captures a harrowing sense of deep-seated dread, builds plenty of nerve-rattling beat the clock tension, totally nails the palpable Cold War paranoia of the 80's era, and does a masterful job of crafting an edgy off-kilter tone that's precariously pitched between coal-black humor and mounting hysteria. Moreover, De Jarnett warrants extra points for having the guts to conclude the dark premise on a haunting and uncompromising downbeat note.The neat array of colorful cameos from a top-rate cast helps a whole lot: John Agar and Lou Hancock as Julie's folksy grand parents, Denise Crosby as well-connected stock broker Landa, Mykelti Williamson as slick thief Wilson, Kurt Fuller as crazed drug-addled yuppie Gerstead, Brian Thompson as a macho gay helicopter pilot, Robert DoQui as excitable short order cook Fred, O-Lan Jones as a friendly waitress, and Eddie Bunker as a shotgun-toting night watchman. Theo von de Sande's fluid cinematography provides a funky'n'glittery neon sheen. The hypnotic pulsating score by Tangerine Dream further enhances the oddball dreamy atmosphere. Worthy of its cult status.
weekes138
This movie divides reviewers so much, signalling it as one to watch. I thought it was friggen great. Even the summary given in the IMDb page gives away too much. Go into it with no preconceptions and it is really enjoyable. Purveys a real sense of rising panic. Plus the connection between the two main characters is quite beautiful. They have known each other a short while and it is an unusual way in which their relationship develops. Music is by Tangerine Dream. If you know your krautrock this will excite you from the start and creates an evocative back ground. Such a movie of it's time. Watch it, you might really enjoy it.
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