sion, appearing in such films as Dog Day Afternoon, Prizzi’s Honor, The Jazz Singer, Car Wash and The Godfather (a tiny part), and being granted a lifetime membership in The Actors Studio. His last major role was in a pivotal episode of The Sopranos, in which he played a psychiatrist who is consulted by Tony Soprano’s wife — and who tells her the alarming truth about herself and her family. As the longtime movie critic at the Orlando Sentinel, I would occasionally run into actors, directors and others who, noting my last name, would ask me if I knew Sully. It was always nice to hear what they had to say. But getting back to that early glimpse of my uncle on TV, I think that was the first time I felt a personal connection to the world of arts and entertainment. That world, which I’d previously idealized, seemed, in a flash, more approachable and human-scaled. It was a world that I might one day become a part of, if only as a sort of observer. I think it surprised, and even puzzled, Uncle Sully when I later expressed an interest in becoming a critic — clearly not his favorite species in the A&E world. Over the years we had many long, often combative, discussions about the arts, but he was always supportive and never condescended to me. And though he taught me a lot, no lesson was as important as that first lesson, when he suddenly appeared on my family’s TV set. As I’ve written about arts and entertainment, I’ve always kept that lesson in mind. Artists are possibly a bit different from other people, often more sensitive and expressive in some ways, sometimes more glamorous. But, of course, they’re still people, and their work, at its best, is a personal expression, intended to reach others on an intimate level. My curiosity about the hearts of those artists (and, ultimately, about my own) is part of why I keep going to movies, plays, art shows, concerts, whatever. And often enough, I’m rewarded for my trouble. So I’m making it my mission in Limelight to share those rewards — and the disappointments, too — with you. And while I can’t be totally sure, I like to think my uncle would have approved. n Jay Boyar, arts editor of Orlando Life, has written about film and travel for the Orlando Sentinel and numerous other newspapers. He’s the author of Films to Go: 100 Memorable Movies for Travelers & Others and a contributor to ReelRomance: The Lovers’ Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies. Boyar teaches classes in film analysis and writing about film at the University of Central Florida and Rollins College. WWW.ORLANDO-LIFE.COM
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Miami Connection: So Bad It’s Good? Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the movies,
Miami Connection returns! About 25 years ago, this low-budget turkey opened in Orlando, where most of it — despite the title — was filmed. The production features a motorcycle gang, big bags of cocaine, all manner of garish violence and a rock band called Dragon Sound whose members are tae kwon do black belts. That last part isn’t so surprising when you consider that one member of Dragon Sound is played by Y.K. Kim, the local martial-arts master who masterminded and stars in Miami Connection. When the film opened, I was the movie critic of the Orlando Sentinel, and I ripped it to shreds. A bit later, I dubbed it the year’s worst movie and “a possible classic of unintentional camp.” Now I can change the word “possible” to “acknowledged.” A quarter century after its initial dismal release, the film is being revived, playing on screens around the country including at Enzian Theater, where it had several midnight showings last month. Miami Connection has also been rediscovered (or perhaps just discovered) by such media outlets as Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post and The Village Voice, which called it, at least half-admiringly, a “junkster piece of uncut ’80s electro-pop chop-socky ridiculousness.” If you’ve somehow missed out on this deathless cinematic achievement, Enzian is considering a return engagement. In the meantime, there are new DVD and Blu-ray releases. I can’t decide: Is this a happy ending or not? ORLANDO LIFE
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