Video Picks Archive
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Reviews by Matt Heffernan <matt@filmhead.com>
This week my picks are
Joe Gould's Secret
(2000 - 
) and
Big Night
(1996 - ).
Like their creator, the films of Stanley Tucci are works of
quiet genius. His latest film is the first pick this week.
Tucci plays legendary New Yorker columnist Joseph
Mitchell, who wrote articles about Joe Gould (Ian Holm),
a homeless man who claims to be writing an oral history
of the world. Most of the film looks into the relationship
between the two men and life in Greenwich Village in the early
1950s. The brilliant performances by Holm and Tucci make
the film really stand out among this year's entries. It
remains the only new American film to receive four stars from FilmHead.com in
2000. Few other critics bestowed it such high praise, but
this film touched me in a very deep way. I hope you could
have the same experience.
Full review from May 3, 2000
Next is Tucci's directorial debut, in partnership with Campbell Scott. Big Night tells the story of two Italian brothers (Tucci and Tony Shalhoub) who try to run a restaurant in America. It's a simple story of family, love, tradition, and jealousy. Again, what makes this film so wonderful are the fine performances and well-formed characters. Seemingly without effort, Tucci and company manage to pull you into their story and make you feel all of their joy and pain. Big Night was one of the most highly praised films of 1996, but it failed to receive any nominations from the Academy or the Foreign Press. Joe Gould's Secret may suffer the same fate, having come out so early in the year with such a low profile. Please, don't let that deter you from finally watching these great films on video.
For more information, visit the Internet Movie Database:
Joe Gould's Secret (2000)
Big Night (1996)
Here's some merchandise for sale at
| Joe Gould's Secret (2000) | -- VHS |
| Joe Gould's Secret (2000) | -- DVD |
| Joe Gould's Secret, by Joseph Mitchell | -- Hardcover |
| Joe Gould's Secret, by Joseph Mitchell | -- Paperback |
| Joe Gould's Secret: Original Soundtrack | -- Compact Disc |
| Big Night (1996) | -- VHS |
| Big Night (1996) | -- VHS Widescreen |
| Big Night (1996) | -- DVD |
| Big Night: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | -- Compact Disc |
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