John Sayles Part II
John Sayles' film Eight Men Out is the true story of the Chicago White Sox' World Series scandal in 1919. This scandal shocked baseball and the world. The movie shows the scandal through the eyes of individual players as the team goes through a contract dispute. The players are overworked and underpaid and Arnold Rothstein sees this as a chance to make some big bucks. He bribes players to lose the Series. This is a great movie with wonderful baseball scenes. The film is very visual and has excellent acting performances.
City of Hope is another film in which Sayles wrote, acted, and directed. It is a contemporary urban drama set in anywhere USA--a typical mid-sized city. In this city, there stands an apartment building which happens to be in the way of a commerical project. The owner must decided what to do about the building. This is a character study in which the viewer gets to watch as all the characters effect each other without ever having to meet. It is a sombre, complex story of corruption, decay, and daily strife in the inner city. Sayles has some interesting and strong statements to make about contemporary society in this film.
Sayles wrote and directed Passion Fish but did not act in this one. Another character study this time of two women forced by circumstance to care for each other. May-Alice Culhane was a popular successful soap star before she was left paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident. She returns to her now empty family home in the Louisiana Bayou country. Unable to deal with what has happened to her, May-Alice begins to drink heavily. She goes through a series of nursing assistants, until the agency says that this is the last one they will send. Chantelle is a recovering cocaine addict and she must keep this job. The two women eventually become friends and help each other to heal. Sayles delivers an funny, passionate film that offers some excellent acting and storytelling.
His next film, The Secret of Roan Inish is somewhat of a departure for Sayles. He wrote and directed this mysterious, charming, and sweet tale of a little girl that goes to live with her grandparents in Ireland. She learns of legend in which one of her ancestors married a selkie--a seal that can turn into a human. Years before this, her little brother had been swept out to sea in a cradle and now some people think the selkie may be raising her brother. When she sees a naked little boy on the island of Roan Inish, she decides to try and solve the mystery. This magical little story slowly draws the viewer in with a straight forward story and great acting performances.
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