The Master (R) Review
"...The Fool or the Fool who follows him?" (Revised 3/20/2013)
PT Anderson's follow up to his last opus, Best Picture contender "There Will Be Blood" stars Juaquin Phoenix as Freddie Quell, an unbalanced ex-WWII sailor drifting through the world as a hopeless violent drunk. Phoenix is astonishing, playing Freddie as a stooping maniac with a twisted evil grin, a slave to sex and homemade alcohol, a barely restrained psychotic who is let loose on an unsuspecting public by a no-longer desperate US Navy. Freddie feels real, his foibles and mannerisms adroitly make him uncomfortable to be around and yet sympathetic to the audience, Quell is a manly man and does not dwell on his pathos, he shrugs his shoulders and laughs about them. That is until he chances to meet Lancaster Dodd, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, an enigmatic man who's electric personality and wit have gathered a flock around him, the sproutings of a cult. Dodd proceeds to delve into Quell's mind, to try and cure him through his "proven" methods that he has discovered, of his alcoholism and depravities; most of all he welcomes him unabashedly into his family (his first day among them Freddie attends a Dodd family wedding) and gives him a home. Hoffman plays Dodd with enough panache to really let us understand why people would fawn over him, read his book, believe his abstract teachings, but Phoenix is the star here and has the most screen time, and rightfully so. This story is not about Scientology, does not bash or berate, instead it simply tries to show what it believes, what humans did to each other in the blossoming of the Atomic Age, one side of the coin that was the dawning of the New Age cultism. Humans looking for answers, and finding someone claiming to have them (Dodd). Much to everyone's chagrin, Freddie Quell is more interested in his next drink even as he becomes a sycophant and violent enforcer of Dodd's teachings (which he may or may not even believe in, but they do seem to assist in his quality of life).
The film was shot on 65mm, the last film since Branagh's Hamlet in 1996, and the clarity and light are wonderful.
The score, once again by Radiohead's Greenwood who also did There Will Be Blood, is periodic and well done, but surprisingly not a strong character in the movie except at the very beginning. I was shocked to find myself being worn out by the slow pace of it all, of watching a film with such great performances in a story that went nowhere and seemingly had nothing to say. There were shockingly few (unlike PTA's other, I'd say more Masterful, films) moments of poignancy, of energy and life and death. The violence happens behind doors, is discussed in past tense or feels impotent (perhaps PTA is trying to break his own mold but I would say detrimentally). The nervous twitter of Punch Drunk Love or the angry machinations of There Will Be Blood are not present, the cold clarity of Hard Eigth or the youthful zest of Boogie Nights, the random calamity that is Magnolia, all missing. The movie felt very Kubrikian to me, long shots of actors characterizing for the camera, sexual tension and obsession, the framing and the construction of the scenes. Don't get me wrong, this is definately a Anderson film (it greatly resembles There Will Be Blood in beauty and texture), but one without teeth. There is no great story to tell, there is no dynamic way to tell it, no greater subtext or purpose other than "this happened", and at a long 2 hours 15 minutes it feels like a slow tedious happening. I was happy when it ended, and that is no jab at PT, this is a movie about Quell and his post-WW2 PTSD and the film's final frames satisfied me with the character's story arc. The rest of the film may not be enough to get us to that ending, in fact I believe the story is as pointless and drifting as Quell himself, Masterless.
There are many things about The Master that are unforgettable, mesmerizing (literally), and should open a few doors for some typecasted actors (Amy Adams as Dodd's wife is a pleasantly chilling performance), and when the large beauty of the open sea smacks the camera lens it is wonderful. However, I believe the best of this film is probably in the making, the dallies and extra angles and alternate and deleted scenes. Unfortunately I don't think most of that made it onto the screen, that it held itself up enough and as entertainment The Master comes across as an unfortunately dull movie about a fortunately interesting subject, a film that doesn't point fingers where we need it to and is ultimately talking about a subject that no one understands. The whys of existence and the insanity of trying to define it, so what does that say about those who attempt to? In that, The Master succeeds wonderfully, and I won't soon forget it, but will have a hard time recommending it.
*ADDENDUM*
Having rewatched the film and gotten over the shock of PT Anderson teasing his own conventions and then throwing them overboard, there can be no doubt that The Master was the best film made in 2012. PT's vision and the way he thinks around corners is flush on the screen is fascinating, infuriating ways, and while I stand by my review and everything it says, in perspective to the rest of the years choices in film it is the clear stand out. Seeing it at home also has allowed me to absorb the amazing beauty in every single frame of film, the beauty is as hypnotising as Juaquins performance, and as Paul Thomas Anderson's refusal to do what I expect. Braco, and must be watched again to appreciated fully.
8.5 Bread Filtered Cocktails out of 10 (GREAT)
Formerly 6.5 "I'm as Shocked as you are" out of 10 (GOOD)
Showing posts with label Iownit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iownit. Show all posts
X-Men First Class (2011)
X-Men First Class (PG-13)
"Where's Fresh-man"
Mix MadMen with IronMan and you get this new offering from the movie House of M. Color me surprised, they didn't screw it up, but I've been saying for years a period piece is just what they need (after all, the originals were written in the 60s). Xmas Jones can't act her way into any emotion, Bacon chews the scenery without the needed sideburns and all the History kind of dwarfs the tiny cast of characters (4 bad guys vs 4 good guys, c'mon...) But the cool James Bond-like pizazz of the 60s really lends itself to a good time and Magneto once again steals the show being a Nazi-hunting pragmatist. There's some sketchy CGI, some dues ex machina from hell, and it could have been edited down a bit, but the plot and charisma shine through (Bryan Singer is getting story credit, and its good to have someone who understands the XTeam back to give the series a good kick in its shorts). Welcome back X-Men.
8 M'Kraan Crystals out of 10 (GOOD)
"Where's Fresh-man"
Mix MadMen with IronMan and you get this new offering from the movie House of M. Color me surprised, they didn't screw it up, but I've been saying for years a period piece is just what they need (after all, the originals were written in the 60s). Xmas Jones can't act her way into any emotion, Bacon chews the scenery without the needed sideburns and all the History kind of dwarfs the tiny cast of characters (4 bad guys vs 4 good guys, c'mon...) But the cool James Bond-like pizazz of the 60s really lends itself to a good time and Magneto once again steals the show being a Nazi-hunting pragmatist. There's some sketchy CGI, some dues ex machina from hell, and it could have been edited down a bit, but the plot and charisma shine through (Bryan Singer is getting story credit, and its good to have someone who understands the XTeam back to give the series a good kick in its shorts). Welcome back X-Men.
8 M'Kraan Crystals out of 10 (GOOD)
Drive (2011)
DRIVE (R)
"I've been driving all night, hands wet on the wheel"
From start to finish, Drive is pure visceral film making. The cinematography is fascinating, the editing sublime, the characters and how they are portrayed and composed in frame are filled with minutia. It reminded me of Vanishing Point, but with less car porn. It reminded me of early Tarantino without the "snappy-on-purpose" dialogue. The hyper-kinetic, golden rayed ultra-violence will turn some people off, but for me it was the splash of red on a beautifully large and complex canvas that has to be there for the film to be as effective as it is.
9 Muscley Cars out of 10 (GREAT)
Kick-Ass (2010)
Kick-Ass (R) - Review
"Hardcore Nerdcore"
Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) helms this adaption of the indy comic book done by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. A slice of life and parody of the current state of Super Hero films, Kick-Ass is violently gory, childishly funny and rambunctious to an infectious degree. It's the typical Super Hero origin story told through a rose colored filter of grim reality and cartoonish blood and guts. Dave Lizewski is an average high schooler, an awkward comic book nerd with zero love life and even less smarts. Instead of joining the varsity football team he dreams of becoming a real life super hero (named Kick Ass), saving damsels and beating bad guys to a pulp. Attempting to fulfill his fantasy he instead gets dragged into a criminal underworld full of murders, drugs and thugs. Often unexpected, many times morally ambiguous, Kick-Ass is entrainment for the masses and the film lover alike. The British crime-film mood and look marries beautifully with the American Super hero trope, Millar's imaginative ideas about what a teenage superhero's gritty life might actually be like shines through all the gloss and ichor and curse words. The cast does a fantastic job, even as out-of-control Nicolas Cage's character Big Daddy tries to distract the movie with an iffy Adam West impression complete with scenery chewing, but in cartoony context it all works. The biggest hurdle for most will be rooting for an antihero 8 year old vigilante Hit Girl, murdering mobsters with extremely violent impunity. Whether or not you can forgive that is a matter of taste, no-one can argue that Kick-Ass doesn't live up to its name.
It came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and luckily it was all out of gum.
8 Utility Belts out of 10 (GREAT)
"Hardcore Nerdcore"
Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) helms this adaption of the indy comic book done by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. A slice of life and parody of the current state of Super Hero films, Kick-Ass is violently gory, childishly funny and rambunctious to an infectious degree. It's the typical Super Hero origin story told through a rose colored filter of grim reality and cartoonish blood and guts. Dave Lizewski is an average high schooler, an awkward comic book nerd with zero love life and even less smarts. Instead of joining the varsity football team he dreams of becoming a real life super hero (named Kick Ass), saving damsels and beating bad guys to a pulp. Attempting to fulfill his fantasy he instead gets dragged into a criminal underworld full of murders, drugs and thugs. Often unexpected, many times morally ambiguous, Kick-Ass is entrainment for the masses and the film lover alike. The British crime-film mood and look marries beautifully with the American Super hero trope, Millar's imaginative ideas about what a teenage superhero's gritty life might actually be like shines through all the gloss and ichor and curse words. The cast does a fantastic job, even as out-of-control Nicolas Cage's character Big Daddy tries to distract the movie with an iffy Adam West impression complete with scenery chewing, but in cartoony context it all works. The biggest hurdle for most will be rooting for an antihero 8 year old vigilante Hit Girl, murdering mobsters with extremely violent impunity. Whether or not you can forgive that is a matter of taste, no-one can argue that Kick-Ass doesn't live up to its name.
It came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and luckily it was all out of gum.
8 Utility Belts out of 10 (GREAT)
Shutter Island (2010)
Shutter Island (R)
"Why don't you tell me what really happened"
Great psychological thriller, very Hitchcock-like. If you remove the pretty terrible CGI you could have filmed this in b&w and no one could tell it from a classic thriller. Also, Leo didn't ever annoy me, which is a first. I rate it better than The Aviator, not as good as The Departed.
7.5 Leos out of 10 (GOOD)
Away We Go (2009)
Away We Go (R) Review
"Home is where the heart is"
This amazingly funny and touching movie has to be Sam Mendes' (American Beauty) best to date. A beautiful story about an unmarried couple looking for a home to raise their baby, John Krasinski (The Office (US)) and Maya Rudolph (SNL) jet about the country meeting with friends and family (and the drama that comes with them), reaffirming their modern relationship and their wants and dreams for their future. Gorgeously photographed, humorously written and performed with love, this movie is about growing up, growing old and growing a child without losing who you are and who you can be and where you came from while maintaining a level of humor that rarely works in Hollywood. Us grown up folks can have fun too, even in adult life situations.
9.5 Strollers out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
"Home is where the heart is"
This amazingly funny and touching movie has to be Sam Mendes' (American Beauty) best to date. A beautiful story about an unmarried couple looking for a home to raise their baby, John Krasinski (The Office (US)) and Maya Rudolph (SNL) jet about the country meeting with friends and family (and the drama that comes with them), reaffirming their modern relationship and their wants and dreams for their future. Gorgeously photographed, humorously written and performed with love, this movie is about growing up, growing old and growing a child without losing who you are and who you can be and where you came from while maintaining a level of humor that rarely works in Hollywood. Us grown up folks can have fun too, even in adult life situations.
9.5 Strollers out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Crank: High Voltage (R)
"Jason Lives!"
Director duo Neveldine/Taylor's highly unlikely return the crack highlight reel that was Jason Statham and Crank somehow not only was conceived but produced as Chelios returns from the supposed dead sans his heart, stolen by the Chinese Tongs and replaced with a Kawasaki battery powered replacement without a warranty, and now Chelios must find his stolen ticker and keep his fake one electrified and the bad guys bleeding as he retreads most of the plot points and techniques from the first wacked-out drug laced original with a bad case of sequilitis, wherein the same jokes are made but "funnier", same actions taken but "bigger", see in the first Chelios kept his dying heart beating by putting the spurs to his girlfriend on a mailbox in Chinatown, while here he mounts up on the horse race track, no on the dirt of the track where all the spectators can see and his girlfriend can once again become embarrassed, but some of the moving parts are still fun to watch, even as they get a bit grimier, dirtier and less pure, like pure china white cut with baby powder, probably for die hard fans only but the giant Godzilla-like montage near the start of the film almost makes entry worthwhile, but the less experimental nature and extensive use of cheap digital photography make the hangover much more painful, and the high a bit more jagged.
5.5 Giant Jason Statham Masks would Sell! out of 10 (MEDIOCRE)
"Jason Lives!"
Director duo Neveldine/Taylor's highly unlikely return the crack highlight reel that was Jason Statham and Crank somehow not only was conceived but produced as Chelios returns from the supposed dead sans his heart, stolen by the Chinese Tongs and replaced with a Kawasaki battery powered replacement without a warranty, and now Chelios must find his stolen ticker and keep his fake one electrified and the bad guys bleeding as he retreads most of the plot points and techniques from the first wacked-out drug laced original with a bad case of sequilitis, wherein the same jokes are made but "funnier", same actions taken but "bigger", see in the first Chelios kept his dying heart beating by putting the spurs to his girlfriend on a mailbox in Chinatown, while here he mounts up on the horse race track, no on the dirt of the track where all the spectators can see and his girlfriend can once again become embarrassed, but some of the moving parts are still fun to watch, even as they get a bit grimier, dirtier and less pure, like pure china white cut with baby powder, probably for die hard fans only but the giant Godzilla-like montage near the start of the film almost makes entry worthwhile, but the less experimental nature and extensive use of cheap digital photography make the hangover much more painful, and the high a bit more jagged.
5.5 Giant Jason Statham Masks would Sell! out of 10 (MEDIOCRE)
Zodiac (2007)
Zodiac (R)
"What's your sign?"
Chronicling the real life crimes, and ensuing panic and decades long manhunt, of Northern California's famous 1970s serial killer, the Zodiac. A true crime police procedural and slice of life investigation, Zodiac is the most entertaining and realistic serial killer thriller ever made, especially considering the anti-bombastic nature of the crimes and the unsenstionalized nature of the film.
The visuals are pristine, yellowed like vintage Polaroids. Time passes unerringly, the Transamerica Pyramid is built, tastes in music changes; the film is a reconstruction of the life and times of another time steeped in classic Bay Area lore. The crime scenes and events are meticulously recreated, almost obsessively so (much like many of the investigators inside the real story). This is a credit to Director Fincher (Fight Club), who is obviously very interested in the subject matter that wracked his own actual NorCal childhood. Using Robert Graysmith's book (portrayed by Donnie Darko's Jake Gyllenhall) as a template, Fincher and company re-investigated all they could, made former victims into film consultants and put it all into a thrilling script with a chillingly real motif. Some may nitpick small details, quibble left out information (the internet has been obsessing about Z since before it's invention), but the film captures the paranoia filled frustration of the real case wonderfully. The killings aren't glamorized or action-movied, the investigation is years long and complicated with many red herrings and suspects. The audio and soundtrack drive the tension to great lengths, you'll never hear Donovan the same way again. The cast is strong from all angles, with even the voice of Roger Rabbit, Charles Fliescher, lending to the creep factor at a critical moment.
Zodiac's nostalgic visuals and fantastic cast of grounded actors and characters shine into the murky morass of this modern mystery like a Maglite full of Evereadys. What it's beam falls on is illuminated in srark relief, but it leaves just as much lost to the outlying shadows, forever in the dark.
9 Well, Do Ya, Punk!? out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
Crank (2006)
Crank (R)
"Crank it up!"
Jason Statham is Chelios, a loveable former L.A. hitman that receives a lethal dose of "the Chinese Shit," a poison that is slowing down his heart and slowly killing him unless he can keep moving, keep running, keep his heart lurching as he speeds around town on the bend for revenge and trying to keep his stoner girlfriend safe in directors Neveldine/Taylors wild entertaining freshman effort Crank, an action comedy that is a nonstop all-downhill rollercoaster with the brakes removed and the operator on seriously messed up drugs as the camera zooms and distorts, the filmmaker's love of video games and action movie quips apparent even as they reinvent the genre with so many so-over the top moments it will make your grandchildren's grandchildren blush even as they cheer the amazing mishmosh of music and kinetic camera work nailed to a razor thin plot that not only trumps action film classics in speed and versatility, but does it smartly like Tarantino with a coke hangover for even when you think you have this film figured out it finds other gears, other fumes to huff as it blasts and lampoons itself with a gregarious finale that not only delivers on it's premise of leaving Chelios, but leaves the audience hopelessly hooked on exotic junk that they have little hope of finding again.
8 Flared Nostril Police Drawings in Chinatown out of 10 (GREAT)
"Crank it up!"
Jason Statham is Chelios, a loveable former L.A. hitman that receives a lethal dose of "the Chinese Shit," a poison that is slowing down his heart and slowly killing him unless he can keep moving, keep running, keep his heart lurching as he speeds around town on the bend for revenge and trying to keep his stoner girlfriend safe in directors Neveldine/Taylors wild entertaining freshman effort Crank, an action comedy that is a nonstop all-downhill rollercoaster with the brakes removed and the operator on seriously messed up drugs as the camera zooms and distorts, the filmmaker's love of video games and action movie quips apparent even as they reinvent the genre with so many so-over the top moments it will make your grandchildren's grandchildren blush even as they cheer the amazing mishmosh of music and kinetic camera work nailed to a razor thin plot that not only trumps action film classics in speed and versatility, but does it smartly like Tarantino with a coke hangover for even when you think you have this film figured out it finds other gears, other fumes to huff as it blasts and lampoons itself with a gregarious finale that not only delivers on it's premise of leaving Chelios, but leaves the audience hopelessly hooked on exotic junk that they have little hope of finding again.
8 Flared Nostril Police Drawings in Chinatown out of 10 (GREAT)
Sin City (2005)
Sin City (R) - Review
"Family Values"
A city populated by criminals, victims, prostitutes and macho men. A neo-noir slugfest of questionable morals exploding onto the screen in black and white (and red and yellow).
Brought to life from the pages of comic-book legend Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror) directs the maniacs and femme-fatales into a whirlwind of bloody knuckles and smoking barrels. Based mostly on The Hard Kill and That Yellow Bastard, the film is almost a panel for panel, shot for shot translation instead of adaptation. The dedication to the look and feel works tremendously, especially with Mickey Rourke and Bruce Willis fleshing out the iconic roles of Marv and Hartigan. Mickey's role is the linchpin as Marv, a pyscho with a hell of a jaw. Rourke is perfect for the tremendous tough guy, and the prosthesis bring out his jawline and his brow wonderfully, much like Perlman's make up on Hellboy brought the character to true life. Meanwhile Bruce is the prototypical sacrificial good cop Hartigan, chasing a demonic politically-protected pervert (one of the most unique villains ever put to paper and somehow brought to screen perfectly by actor Nick Stall and a lot of yellow tinting). The rest of the cast supports them to a great degree, Elijah Wood playing against type as an unstoppable killer, Rosario Dawson as a S&M leather clad enforcer, Rutger Hauer as a sinful bishop, Benicio Del Toro as a dead sleezeball, the cast really is terrific. Even Quentin Tarrantino got in on the fun, stepping in to direct a scene or two without breaking style.
A couple of duds should be mentioned however. Sometimes the green screen limits the action and creates some awkward compositing, and not every member of the cast sparkles. There can be a wish for more of an intercutting between the stories than the existing one-at-a-time framework. Having to wait through the half-slog of Clive Owen's Dwight to see the conclusion of Hartigan is a bit of a drag, slipping through the series' true star Marv so early on is a bit of a let down. As direct of a translation as it is most of the mysoginy and strange femme-power from the book makes it onscreen and won't be everyone's cup of teeth. Still, the rapid highs overshadow it's lows, and Sin City has no place for grey area. Either you are all in or you are out, and damn the consequences.
8 Hatchet Noses out of 10 (GREAT)
"Family Values"
A city populated by criminals, victims, prostitutes and macho men. A neo-noir slugfest of questionable morals exploding onto the screen in black and white (and red and yellow).
Brought to life from the pages of comic-book legend Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror) directs the maniacs and femme-fatales into a whirlwind of bloody knuckles and smoking barrels. Based mostly on The Hard Kill and That Yellow Bastard, the film is almost a panel for panel, shot for shot translation instead of adaptation. The dedication to the look and feel works tremendously, especially with Mickey Rourke and Bruce Willis fleshing out the iconic roles of Marv and Hartigan. Mickey's role is the linchpin as Marv, a pyscho with a hell of a jaw. Rourke is perfect for the tremendous tough guy, and the prosthesis bring out his jawline and his brow wonderfully, much like Perlman's make up on Hellboy brought the character to true life. Meanwhile Bruce is the prototypical sacrificial good cop Hartigan, chasing a demonic politically-protected pervert (one of the most unique villains ever put to paper and somehow brought to screen perfectly by actor Nick Stall and a lot of yellow tinting). The rest of the cast supports them to a great degree, Elijah Wood playing against type as an unstoppable killer, Rosario Dawson as a S&M leather clad enforcer, Rutger Hauer as a sinful bishop, Benicio Del Toro as a dead sleezeball, the cast really is terrific. Even Quentin Tarrantino got in on the fun, stepping in to direct a scene or two without breaking style.
A couple of duds should be mentioned however. Sometimes the green screen limits the action and creates some awkward compositing, and not every member of the cast sparkles. There can be a wish for more of an intercutting between the stories than the existing one-at-a-time framework. Having to wait through the half-slog of Clive Owen's Dwight to see the conclusion of Hartigan is a bit of a drag, slipping through the series' true star Marv so early on is a bit of a let down. As direct of a translation as it is most of the mysoginy and strange femme-power from the book makes it onscreen and won't be everyone's cup of teeth. Still, the rapid highs overshadow it's lows, and Sin City has no place for grey area. Either you are all in or you are out, and damn the consequences.
8 Hatchet Noses out of 10 (GREAT)
Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club (R) - Review
"I am Jack's grinning pleasure center"
Chuck Palahniuk's anarchistic realworld prose, David Fincher's exacting hand on the aesthetics, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton's mutually bipolar appeal and a revolutionary male-centric message filmed using still state of the art visual effects, story telling, electronic music and dynamite sound effects, Fight Club is THE penultimate movie to define the 90s (and subsequent decades') corporate culture, consumerism and politically correct male-bashing (literally)! It documents the breaking point of the American Male's psyche, an image so warped by its own repressed masculinity that's so crammed into pinching DKNY dress shoes 40 hours a week that anarchy might be a viable option.
Everyman Jack (Norton) has a boring job that allows him to travel, shops the Ikea catalogue while on the can, has no personal relationships beyond those with his boss and couch, and can't sleep. Jack has insomnia, which he seeks to cure by attending support groups in church basements, a tourist in cancer-town. His new found serenity is broken when Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) shows up and muscles in on his scene. When his condo is detonated while away, Jack calls newfound single serving friend Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) for a ride and ends up staying with him in a dilapidated house indefinitely. They forge a friendship (and an underground homoerotic-tinged boxing club) that soon blossoms into a antisocial cult that spirals out Jack's control, as does his love triangle with Tyler and Marla, and his own self identity.
David Fincher's anti-movie is the perfect translation of Chuck's book; like the chiseled bodies of its stars the story has been trimmed of all the fat, gone is the cookie dough confusion and fizzled twist reveal of the novel. Cut down to effective fighting weight, Fight Club rages off the screen with bloody knuckled repartee intact. Norton and Pitt's bromance is used to great effect, obfuscating a heavily anti-corporate message (heavily accented by a young post-advertising career Fincher) that even Jack blanches at in the end. Special effects used effectively to progress a mood or joke or style (unlike 1999s previously released sfx laden letdown Star Wars Episode I, ironically where Fight Club first advertised to the masses) and electronic soundscape of the Dust Brothers banging the surround stereo track, Club is a 15 course banquet dinner (without the soiled clam chowder).
10 Gallons of Nitro Glycerine out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
"I am Jack's grinning pleasure center"
Chuck Palahniuk's anarchistic realworld prose, David Fincher's exacting hand on the aesthetics, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton's mutually bipolar appeal and a revolutionary male-centric message filmed using still state of the art visual effects, story telling, electronic music and dynamite sound effects, Fight Club is THE penultimate movie to define the 90s (and subsequent decades') corporate culture, consumerism and politically correct male-bashing (literally)! It documents the breaking point of the American Male's psyche, an image so warped by its own repressed masculinity that's so crammed into pinching DKNY dress shoes 40 hours a week that anarchy might be a viable option.
Everyman Jack (Norton) has a boring job that allows him to travel, shops the Ikea catalogue while on the can, has no personal relationships beyond those with his boss and couch, and can't sleep. Jack has insomnia, which he seeks to cure by attending support groups in church basements, a tourist in cancer-town. His new found serenity is broken when Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) shows up and muscles in on his scene. When his condo is detonated while away, Jack calls newfound single serving friend Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) for a ride and ends up staying with him in a dilapidated house indefinitely. They forge a friendship (and an underground homoerotic-tinged boxing club) that soon blossoms into a antisocial cult that spirals out Jack's control, as does his love triangle with Tyler and Marla, and his own self identity.
David Fincher's anti-movie is the perfect translation of Chuck's book; like the chiseled bodies of its stars the story has been trimmed of all the fat, gone is the cookie dough confusion and fizzled twist reveal of the novel. Cut down to effective fighting weight, Fight Club rages off the screen with bloody knuckled repartee intact. Norton and Pitt's bromance is used to great effect, obfuscating a heavily anti-corporate message (heavily accented by a young post-advertising career Fincher) that even Jack blanches at in the end. Special effects used effectively to progress a mood or joke or style (unlike 1999s previously released sfx laden letdown Star Wars Episode I, ironically where Fight Club first advertised to the masses) and electronic soundscape of the Dust Brothers banging the surround stereo track, Club is a 15 course banquet dinner (without the soiled clam chowder).
10 Gallons of Nitro Glycerine out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
New York Stories (1989)
New York Stories (PG)
"Big Apple Stories"
It's a movie about NY in 3 parts by 3 different directors, so deserve to be reviewed seperately:
Life Lessons - Martin Scorsese directs one of his finest films as Nick Nolte growls and roars as Lionel Dolbey, a larger than life modern artist driving himself and his assistant crazy with his desires and need to express himself on large canvases and piles of oil paint. Look for early cameo work by Buscemi, but the camera is the real star here, zooming, irising, slowing down and isolating to the LOUD rock and roll soundtrack, its the best photography in any of Scorsese's work, and that's saying something. 5/5.
Life with Zoe - Get the fast forward button ready... Francis Coppola's piece is an indulgent look into a spoiled lifestyle seen through the eyes of an upperclass childhood (written unsurprisingly enough by his daughter, Sofia). Tries to be dream/fairytale like, instead comes across as bratty and privileged. Probably didn't mean to come across as snotty as it does, but its an unfortunate sour note and the main reason the film as a whole isn't as acclaimed as it could have been. 0/5
Oedipus Wrecks - Woody Allen at his best is a comedy scriptwriter, and the ideas here are very funny. He plays himself, a man under the constant scrutiny and humiliation of his overbearing Jewish mother who disapproves of his every decision. There are several humorous to laugh out loud moments, culminating in a great visual gag that is so absurd that it works, Woody was always a big idea man, and the paranoid fantasy of how far this mother will go to maternally bend him to her intended lifestyle really has a delightful Kafka-esque torture to it, cartoony as it is. 4/5
As a whole film? 7 Leave Zoe at home Francis' out of 10 (GOOD)
"Big Apple Stories"
It's a movie about NY in 3 parts by 3 different directors, so deserve to be reviewed seperately:
Life Lessons - Martin Scorsese directs one of his finest films as Nick Nolte growls and roars as Lionel Dolbey, a larger than life modern artist driving himself and his assistant crazy with his desires and need to express himself on large canvases and piles of oil paint. Look for early cameo work by Buscemi, but the camera is the real star here, zooming, irising, slowing down and isolating to the LOUD rock and roll soundtrack, its the best photography in any of Scorsese's work, and that's saying something. 5/5.
Life with Zoe - Get the fast forward button ready... Francis Coppola's piece is an indulgent look into a spoiled lifestyle seen through the eyes of an upperclass childhood (written unsurprisingly enough by his daughter, Sofia). Tries to be dream/fairytale like, instead comes across as bratty and privileged. Probably didn't mean to come across as snotty as it does, but its an unfortunate sour note and the main reason the film as a whole isn't as acclaimed as it could have been. 0/5
Oedipus Wrecks - Woody Allen at his best is a comedy scriptwriter, and the ideas here are very funny. He plays himself, a man under the constant scrutiny and humiliation of his overbearing Jewish mother who disapproves of his every decision. There are several humorous to laugh out loud moments, culminating in a great visual gag that is so absurd that it works, Woody was always a big idea man, and the paranoid fantasy of how far this mother will go to maternally bend him to her intended lifestyle really has a delightful Kafka-esque torture to it, cartoony as it is. 4/5
As a whole film? 7 Leave Zoe at home Francis' out of 10 (GOOD)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Empire of the Sun (PG) - Review
"Cadillac of the Skies!"
A spoiled young British lad, grown up in 1940s Shanghai, soon experiences the loss of affluence and innocence as the Japanese enter the city limits at the start of World War Two.
Jamie, the role nailed by a preteen Christian Bale (Batman Begins), must cope with the loss of his home and family, living on the mean streets with fellow waifs and mercenaries (one by John Malkovich at his slimiest). They are soon all rounded up and sent to Japanese POW camps, where Jim is adopted by disparate families: the starving yet stiff-upper-lipped British are his mother while the wiley and stubborn American GIs are the father he idolizes. Striving and scheming against their severe Jap captors, Jim must take the brunt of human compassion and treachery of wartime China.
Steven Spielberg's (Indiana Jones) best and most overlooked film, Empire of the Sun is a fantastic period piece, War record and historical work (based on the semi-autobiographical work by its author). Combining his love of WW2 societies and technology (particularly fighter planes), Empire doesn't get bogged down in politics or finger pointing yet remains honest and true to the circumstances, all shown with an effortlessly gorgeous scope that sees the snotty angelic Jim transform to a world weary young man older than his years. Empire is a complete picture of the world before, during and after the Second Great War, especially its effect on the young generation of all nationalities that lived through it.
10 Flashes in the Sky out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
"Cadillac of the Skies!"
A spoiled young British lad, grown up in 1940s Shanghai, soon experiences the loss of affluence and innocence as the Japanese enter the city limits at the start of World War Two.
Jamie, the role nailed by a preteen Christian Bale (Batman Begins), must cope with the loss of his home and family, living on the mean streets with fellow waifs and mercenaries (one by John Malkovich at his slimiest). They are soon all rounded up and sent to Japanese POW camps, where Jim is adopted by disparate families: the starving yet stiff-upper-lipped British are his mother while the wiley and stubborn American GIs are the father he idolizes. Striving and scheming against their severe Jap captors, Jim must take the brunt of human compassion and treachery of wartime China.
Steven Spielberg's (Indiana Jones) best and most overlooked film, Empire of the Sun is a fantastic period piece, War record and historical work (based on the semi-autobiographical work by its author). Combining his love of WW2 societies and technology (particularly fighter planes), Empire doesn't get bogged down in politics or finger pointing yet remains honest and true to the circumstances, all shown with an effortlessly gorgeous scope that sees the snotty angelic Jim transform to a world weary young man older than his years. Empire is a complete picture of the world before, during and after the Second Great War, especially its effect on the young generation of all nationalities that lived through it.
10 Flashes in the Sky out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
Miami Connection (1987)
Miami Connection (R) - Review
"D.A.R.E. to keep Ninjas off drugs"
A new drug cartel has set up shop in 1980s Miami, and their violence and depravity knows no bounds. These ninjas on cocaine are about to rule the streets, and only the synthrock groove of local martial arts and musical group Dragon Sound can stop the madness!
Lost for over 20 years, Miami Connection has gained cult status thanks to a Drafthouse films rerelease in 2012. The film was purchased on ebay for $50 and ran for a couple midnight showings, where its infectious violence, 1980s dance scene music, neon laden visuals and happy go lucky attitudes caught on like wildfire there and spread to the internet, saved from obscurity.
The movie is the brain child of martial artist Y.K. Kim, a self help guru and master of taekwondo and friend of Korean director Park Woo-sang. Kim, a tireless self promoter, wanted a larger platform to philosophize and show off his talents. Recruiting his students and shooting in authentic Florida locales, the film revolves around a group of orphans lead by Kim who perform martial arts and music together until they are confronted by a deadly army of motorcycle ninjas who are trying to smuggle cocaine into the country. Entire sections of the movie are disjointed and surreal, there is an apparent reel of shakily performed taekwondo practice footage all done in slo motion that can only be included here to pad run time, show off real martial arts and setup situations for the big finale. The synthdrum heavy soundtrack is catchy, which is good since Miami Connection teeters into music video territory with whole entire songs being performed on stage by the band ala Purple Rain. The evil ninjas, joined by outlandishly characterized local ruffians, are miffed by Dragon Sound's snubbings (and the datings of their sisters) and begin an all out rumble in the jungle (or perhaps a tromp in the swamp is more appropriate), an emotional all out war expertly paced and choreographed by Park and Kim, delivering a satisfyingly brutal conclusion.
The orphans are the heroes and stars here and what with the atrociously amateur acting and insanely bizarre character subplots these good guys brazenly outshine some of Hollywood's recent attempts at making a "so bad its good, on purpose" film. This is "so good its good, on purpose" on a shoestring budget (but still with fun gore effects and good action), with a group of guys who were obviously friends of a likeable and enigmatic (though barely intelligible) Korean-born but all American entrepreneur/Grand Master guru. The result is pure joy, kids playing ninjas in a swamp and slashing each other with katanas, people jumping up and down on stage pretending they can play an instrument, people way over emoting on screen while the rock track blares and the neon burns. This movie is everything that was right in the world of the 80s, made by a man who didn't know what he was doing but doing it so well, instilling in it a precocious love of martial arts and a philosophically positive attitude that everything will work out (especially if you reshoot the ending!).
Miami Connection is a retro80s sugar high whose only comedown happens when the movie ends and you notice no one is wearing legwarmers anymore.
8 Songs about Ninjas out of 10 (GREAT)
"D.A.R.E. to keep Ninjas off drugs"
A new drug cartel has set up shop in 1980s Miami, and their violence and depravity knows no bounds. These ninjas on cocaine are about to rule the streets, and only the synthrock groove of local martial arts and musical group Dragon Sound can stop the madness!
Lost for over 20 years, Miami Connection has gained cult status thanks to a Drafthouse films rerelease in 2012. The film was purchased on ebay for $50 and ran for a couple midnight showings, where its infectious violence, 1980s dance scene music, neon laden visuals and happy go lucky attitudes caught on like wildfire there and spread to the internet, saved from obscurity.
The movie is the brain child of martial artist Y.K. Kim, a self help guru and master of taekwondo and friend of Korean director Park Woo-sang. Kim, a tireless self promoter, wanted a larger platform to philosophize and show off his talents. Recruiting his students and shooting in authentic Florida locales, the film revolves around a group of orphans lead by Kim who perform martial arts and music together until they are confronted by a deadly army of motorcycle ninjas who are trying to smuggle cocaine into the country. Entire sections of the movie are disjointed and surreal, there is an apparent reel of shakily performed taekwondo practice footage all done in slo motion that can only be included here to pad run time, show off real martial arts and setup situations for the big finale. The synthdrum heavy soundtrack is catchy, which is good since Miami Connection teeters into music video territory with whole entire songs being performed on stage by the band ala Purple Rain. The evil ninjas, joined by outlandishly characterized local ruffians, are miffed by Dragon Sound's snubbings (and the datings of their sisters) and begin an all out rumble in the jungle (or perhaps a tromp in the swamp is more appropriate), an emotional all out war expertly paced and choreographed by Park and Kim, delivering a satisfyingly brutal conclusion.
The orphans are the heroes and stars here and what with the atrociously amateur acting and insanely bizarre character subplots these good guys brazenly outshine some of Hollywood's recent attempts at making a "so bad its good, on purpose" film. This is "so good its good, on purpose" on a shoestring budget (but still with fun gore effects and good action), with a group of guys who were obviously friends of a likeable and enigmatic (though barely intelligible) Korean-born but all American entrepreneur/Grand Master guru. The result is pure joy, kids playing ninjas in a swamp and slashing each other with katanas, people jumping up and down on stage pretending they can play an instrument, people way over emoting on screen while the rock track blares and the neon burns. This movie is everything that was right in the world of the 80s, made by a man who didn't know what he was doing but doing it so well, instilling in it a precocious love of martial arts and a philosophically positive attitude that everything will work out (especially if you reshoot the ending!).
Miami Connection is a retro80s sugar high whose only comedown happens when the movie ends and you notice no one is wearing legwarmers anymore.
8 Songs about Ninjas out of 10 (GREAT)
Cobra (1986)
Cobra (R) - Review
"Send a Maniac"
A "zombie squad" cop must track down a cult of psychopathic killers and their leader before they strike down the only beautiful witness alive in this violently commercial respinning of Dirty Harry politics for the 1980s. Starring (and adapted from a novel by) Sylvester Stallone, the film sprouts more dumb one liners and obvious product placements than a half dozen other 1980s action flicks, yet there is a ignoramus bravado that is hard not to admire. Stallone's Mario Cobretti is the prototype he strived to achieve in all subsequent films; tough guy, sunglasses, cool car, heart of gold and ruthlessly violent.
This slice of golden cheese is as pure American popular filmmaking as only an Italian Director like George Cosmatos (Rambo 2) could have pieced together. Brigitte Nielsen (Red Sonja) stars as the witness/love interest/robot fashion model, and if you find that hard to swallow just drive down to the supermarket in your 52 Coupe, snatch a beer off the shelf and down it while defusing a shotgun wielding maniac in a hostage situation.
7 Cutting Pizza with Scissors out of 10 (GOOD)
"Send a Maniac"
A "zombie squad" cop must track down a cult of psychopathic killers and their leader before they strike down the only beautiful witness alive in this violently commercial respinning of Dirty Harry politics for the 1980s. Starring (and adapted from a novel by) Sylvester Stallone, the film sprouts more dumb one liners and obvious product placements than a half dozen other 1980s action flicks, yet there is a ignoramus bravado that is hard not to admire. Stallone's Mario Cobretti is the prototype he strived to achieve in all subsequent films; tough guy, sunglasses, cool car, heart of gold and ruthlessly violent.
This slice of golden cheese is as pure American popular filmmaking as only an Italian Director like George Cosmatos (Rambo 2) could have pieced together. Brigitte Nielsen (Red Sonja) stars as the witness/love interest/robot fashion model, and if you find that hard to swallow just drive down to the supermarket in your 52 Coupe, snatch a beer off the shelf and down it while defusing a shotgun wielding maniac in a hostage situation.
7 Cutting Pizza with Scissors out of 10 (GOOD)
Paris, Texas (1984)
Paris,
Texas (R)
"Been through the Desert..."
Sometime in the past, in a class or in a text book or on the internet, I had heard of this film. At some point whose memory is dark and cloudy it had ended up in my watch que and finally ended its journey at my home, on my television. Such was the fate of Paris, Texas, and I couldn't be more satisfied that it did. The performances, the colors, the mood, the emotions, the
10 good ole Chevys out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
"Been through the Desert..."
Sometime in the past, in a class or in a text book or on the internet, I had heard of this film. At some point whose memory is dark and cloudy it had ended up in my watch que and finally ended its journey at my home, on my television. Such was the fate of Paris, Texas, and I couldn't be more satisfied that it did. The performances, the colors, the mood, the emotions, the
direction.
A German sensibility of design and efficiency, a European point of
view on the American family and society, a completely human tale bereft
of action or excitement so riveting and captivating I could hardly take
it, a movie that lives and breathes forever. A literal work of art, the
dusky hushed landscapes of the plains settled by our fore bearers, where
we were conceived and where we now live. That is Paris, Texas. I only
wish I had seen it in a small theater with the projector whirring
softly below the sharp acoustic guitar soundtrack as this film in its
dust colored boots meandered slowly by off to parts unknown on roads
well worn.
I have rarely seen, and perhaps will never see, it's like again.
I have rarely seen, and perhaps will never see, it's like again.
10 good ole Chevys out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Barry Lyndon (PG) - Review
"Barry was one of those born clever enough at gaining a fortune, but incapable of keeping one"
The long running, tragically black comic tale of the life of a country Irish boy named Barry, whose fortunes and travesties are spread all about 18th Century Europe as could only be accomplished by master director Stanley Kubrick.
Famously shot using mostly natural lighting, the picture is luxuriously bathed in candle, sun and moon light. Every frame is intended to invoke a painting from the period, adding a soft even glow that surrounds the often turgid affairs onscreen. This was made possible, yet still famously, when Kubrick borrowed three lenses that had been constructed for NASA's moon landings to shoot Barry Lyndon. The rolling hillsides, the elegant costumes, the pastoral music all combine into an epic of a quiet simplicity: to observe Barry slink his way through the stations of his life and fortune as it comes and goes. With the dry wit of the script and drier still voice over narration, Lyndon gracefully lambastes the European castes and societies while still fabulously dousing itself in it's fashions, practices and beliefs.
Ryan O'Neal (Love Story) leads the cast of wigged and ruffled actors with stoic determination, but all of the strengths of the movie lie with the filmmakers: the script, the production design and the editing are all the major feats of accomplishment. The actors may then end up just models for the camera and lighs, but one can hardly complain when the frame it produces is this gorgeous.
The transformations of Barry, the log winded nature of its humor, and the absolute genius of Stanley Kubrick's artistry allow Barry Lyndon to be more than just a sly romantic period piece. While the story certainly meanders a tad (the MTV generation might scoff at its 3 hour runtime and lack of jumpcuts), nothing in retrospect is either excessive nor unnecessary. To remove a scene would be the same as removing the color blue from a great oil portrait, leaving a gaping hole in the tapestry that is obviously more than the sum of its hues.
8.5 Sheep Drawn Carriages out of 10 (GREAT)
"Barry was one of those born clever enough at gaining a fortune, but incapable of keeping one"
The long running, tragically black comic tale of the life of a country Irish boy named Barry, whose fortunes and travesties are spread all about 18th Century Europe as could only be accomplished by master director Stanley Kubrick.
Famously shot using mostly natural lighting, the picture is luxuriously bathed in candle, sun and moon light. Every frame is intended to invoke a painting from the period, adding a soft even glow that surrounds the often turgid affairs onscreen. This was made possible, yet still famously, when Kubrick borrowed three lenses that had been constructed for NASA's moon landings to shoot Barry Lyndon. The rolling hillsides, the elegant costumes, the pastoral music all combine into an epic of a quiet simplicity: to observe Barry slink his way through the stations of his life and fortune as it comes and goes. With the dry wit of the script and drier still voice over narration, Lyndon gracefully lambastes the European castes and societies while still fabulously dousing itself in it's fashions, practices and beliefs.
Ryan O'Neal (Love Story) leads the cast of wigged and ruffled actors with stoic determination, but all of the strengths of the movie lie with the filmmakers: the script, the production design and the editing are all the major feats of accomplishment. The actors may then end up just models for the camera and lighs, but one can hardly complain when the frame it produces is this gorgeous.
The transformations of Barry, the log winded nature of its humor, and the absolute genius of Stanley Kubrick's artistry allow Barry Lyndon to be more than just a sly romantic period piece. While the story certainly meanders a tad (the MTV generation might scoff at its 3 hour runtime and lack of jumpcuts), nothing in retrospect is either excessive nor unnecessary. To remove a scene would be the same as removing the color blue from a great oil portrait, leaving a gaping hole in the tapestry that is obviously more than the sum of its hues.
8.5 Sheep Drawn Carriages out of 10 (GREAT)
Papillon (1973)
Papillon (PG) - Review
"Jailhouse gets empty"
The true life account of 1930s French thief and accused murderer Henri "Papillon" Charriere (played with absolute perfection by action star Steve McQueen) who is sentenced to imprisonment on the infamous Penal Colony "Devil's Island". On the way there by boat he befriends and protects fellow convict Louis Degas (Dustin Hoffman in one of his more unique and fantastic roles), a rich banker who has been caught swindling the entire country and is now a lamb among wolves. The conditions on the island are bleak, the situations the characters slog through are inhuman but the spirit of freedom and justice carry Papillon through escape attempt after escape attempt, recapture after recapture. Themes of loyalty, friendship and hardship are palpable, the solitary confinement scene is riveting, McQueen's performance impeccable (we expect great things which are often exceeded by Hoffman, and his role in this movie is equal parts important and amazing). The guards attempt to break the prisoners, the prison attempts to extinquish them and their lust for life and survival trumps them all. Written by the late great Dalton Trumbo the movie is thematically strong and yet unpreachy. Viewers are allowed to experience the hell of severe confinement and feel the brief joy of freedom along with the characters. The controversies surrounding the Penal Colony, the authenticity of the autobiography and the discrepancies in the life of the real Henri Charriere cannot tarnish this pristine piece of movie fiction and it's statements about willpower and the flight of the human soul.
10 Butterfly Tattoos out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
"Jailhouse gets empty"
The true life account of 1930s French thief and accused murderer Henri "Papillon" Charriere (played with absolute perfection by action star Steve McQueen) who is sentenced to imprisonment on the infamous Penal Colony "Devil's Island". On the way there by boat he befriends and protects fellow convict Louis Degas (Dustin Hoffman in one of his more unique and fantastic roles), a rich banker who has been caught swindling the entire country and is now a lamb among wolves. The conditions on the island are bleak, the situations the characters slog through are inhuman but the spirit of freedom and justice carry Papillon through escape attempt after escape attempt, recapture after recapture. Themes of loyalty, friendship and hardship are palpable, the solitary confinement scene is riveting, McQueen's performance impeccable (we expect great things which are often exceeded by Hoffman, and his role in this movie is equal parts important and amazing). The guards attempt to break the prisoners, the prison attempts to extinquish them and their lust for life and survival trumps them all. Written by the late great Dalton Trumbo the movie is thematically strong and yet unpreachy. Viewers are allowed to experience the hell of severe confinement and feel the brief joy of freedom along with the characters. The controversies surrounding the Penal Colony, the authenticity of the autobiography and the discrepancies in the life of the real Henri Charriere cannot tarnish this pristine piece of movie fiction and it's statements about willpower and the flight of the human soul.
10 Butterfly Tattoos out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
The Getaway (1972)
The Getaway (PG) - Review
"Honor among heart sleeves"
A Texas prison, the men are gears in a machine that slowly grinds on, day after day. A prisoner, unable to take it anymore tells his woman to let the authorities know he is willing to capitulate. He is sprung, let out the gates and into the arms of his young wife but only on the condition that he do one last job at the risk of his life, and ultimately his marriage.
This is Sam Peckinpah's (The Wild Bunch) vision of modern life, an excitingly violent yet playful caper through the highways and byways of 1970s Texas. Leading man Steve McQueen (Bullit) is at the top of his game, exuding confident cool and conman icyiness. The byplay with his woman, the very raw actress Ali MacGraw (Love Story) is tender yet rough, their long seperation by the law and subsequent reuniting by the law has strained their relationship to the breaking point.
When the job goes bad and the couple makes a run for Mexico with the cash they are pursued by Al Lettieri (The Godfather's Sollozzo), an enigmatic villain named Rudy who is a crook diametrically opposite to McQueen's Doc. Where Doc is a loving conflicted husband, cool customer and hesitant killer, Rudy is a backstabbing wife stealing maniacal hoodlum and the two conman lifestyles come to a head in a backwater Texas hotel room at the climaxing shootout of the film. Peckinpah's well known thumbprint is very apparent here, the western motifs, the bloody violence, the action emphasized by slowing down the frame at certain points to give you a deliciously brutal yets omehow unglorified view of the carnage. McGraw's acting is stiff, amateurish but her onscreen chemistry with McQueen is apparent and a driving force for the plot (the two were married in real life sometime afterward). McQueen's chisled features is picture perfect for the role of Doc, but being scripted by Hollywood great Walter Hill there is more emotion and sensitivity in the role than you would expect, and McQueen handles it perfectly.
The guns, the cars, the grit and the humor all make for a stellar action movie. There is no love lost between theives and the society they prey on, but what of a husband and wife on the fringes of both.
8.5 Triple Aught Buckshots out of 10 (GREAT)
"Honor among heart sleeves"
A Texas prison, the men are gears in a machine that slowly grinds on, day after day. A prisoner, unable to take it anymore tells his woman to let the authorities know he is willing to capitulate. He is sprung, let out the gates and into the arms of his young wife but only on the condition that he do one last job at the risk of his life, and ultimately his marriage.
This is Sam Peckinpah's (The Wild Bunch) vision of modern life, an excitingly violent yet playful caper through the highways and byways of 1970s Texas. Leading man Steve McQueen (Bullit) is at the top of his game, exuding confident cool and conman icyiness. The byplay with his woman, the very raw actress Ali MacGraw (Love Story) is tender yet rough, their long seperation by the law and subsequent reuniting by the law has strained their relationship to the breaking point.
When the job goes bad and the couple makes a run for Mexico with the cash they are pursued by Al Lettieri (The Godfather's Sollozzo), an enigmatic villain named Rudy who is a crook diametrically opposite to McQueen's Doc. Where Doc is a loving conflicted husband, cool customer and hesitant killer, Rudy is a backstabbing wife stealing maniacal hoodlum and the two conman lifestyles come to a head in a backwater Texas hotel room at the climaxing shootout of the film. Peckinpah's well known thumbprint is very apparent here, the western motifs, the bloody violence, the action emphasized by slowing down the frame at certain points to give you a deliciously brutal yets omehow unglorified view of the carnage. McGraw's acting is stiff, amateurish but her onscreen chemistry with McQueen is apparent and a driving force for the plot (the two were married in real life sometime afterward). McQueen's chisled features is picture perfect for the role of Doc, but being scripted by Hollywood great Walter Hill there is more emotion and sensitivity in the role than you would expect, and McQueen handles it perfectly.
The guns, the cars, the grit and the humor all make for a stellar action movie. There is no love lost between theives and the society they prey on, but what of a husband and wife on the fringes of both.
8.5 Triple Aught Buckshots out of 10 (GREAT)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (G)
"Daisy, Daisy, tell me your answer due...I am crazy all for the love of you..."
Before any actual human set foot on the moon, master Director Stanley Kubrick was creating a possible future for mankind out there in the void, as still being penned by SciFi great Arthur C. Clark. In it it tells the epic story of a mysterious force in the universe that empowers the human race from cowering knuckle dragger of the Savannah to intrepid Space explorers seeking out the answers to existence. Told in a purposefully robotic fashion, filled with genius camera takes and tricks and gorgeous cinematography, ahead of it's time understanding of space and AI, and a mind-bending conclusion that had hippies, cinephiles and sci-fi freaks alike flooding the cinemas in the late 60s.
The movie is broken up into 4 separate but equal parts, shedding characters and intentions and time periods as needed. The opening often alienates the most viewers, what with its sociological pre-historic depictions of proto-humans, but without it the most famous film cut in film history wouldn't exist, that between the bone-weapon being flung and the space station being ballet-docking with a shuttle while orbiting Earth. Everything happens for a reason in 2K1ASO, and the more you watch the more it becomes apparent. The Cold War political intrigue of the Russian vs. America space may seem dated but still is relevant in today's headlines, HAL9000s malevolence and the human's reliance on him for their survival is incredibly timely in this day and age of Internet and technology overtake. The further leap into the super unknown is just the icing on the cake, and is a wonderful conclusion to a film that is not only about the future evolution of mankind, but the melding of art and science into one of the all time film masterpieces.
Now for those in the wrong, those who think 2001 as a slow plodding chore, consider the following. At 148 minutes in length, 2001 is shorter than most of the Bay Transformers and about 1000x more intelligent. Those CGI gonzo monstrosities have nothing on the sleek, beautifully groundbreaking model work found therein, nor the quick cutting explosion laden free for all. 2001 is a methodical step through the mindsets of greats. Great acting, great scenes, great writing, great ideas, great sets, great special effects, great music, great directing, great purpose, great art.
We can and must forgive the men in monkey suits, the PANAM antiquity, the video phone charges. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is not something to be watched, its a sensory experience that is like submerging into the black subconscious of the mind of man. Deep into that cold void where math meets color, ambition meets creation, and the survival instinct of the fittest in the deadliest of places. The beauty of staring into the abyss and the abyss stares back at you? When it looks this good it's a pleasure to stare.
10 Rectangular Microwaved Astronaut Food Receptacles out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
"Daisy, Daisy, tell me your answer due...I am crazy all for the love of you..."
Before any actual human set foot on the moon, master Director Stanley Kubrick was creating a possible future for mankind out there in the void, as still being penned by SciFi great Arthur C. Clark. In it it tells the epic story of a mysterious force in the universe that empowers the human race from cowering knuckle dragger of the Savannah to intrepid Space explorers seeking out the answers to existence. Told in a purposefully robotic fashion, filled with genius camera takes and tricks and gorgeous cinematography, ahead of it's time understanding of space and AI, and a mind-bending conclusion that had hippies, cinephiles and sci-fi freaks alike flooding the cinemas in the late 60s.
The movie is broken up into 4 separate but equal parts, shedding characters and intentions and time periods as needed. The opening often alienates the most viewers, what with its sociological pre-historic depictions of proto-humans, but without it the most famous film cut in film history wouldn't exist, that between the bone-weapon being flung and the space station being ballet-docking with a shuttle while orbiting Earth. Everything happens for a reason in 2K1ASO, and the more you watch the more it becomes apparent. The Cold War political intrigue of the Russian vs. America space may seem dated but still is relevant in today's headlines, HAL9000s malevolence and the human's reliance on him for their survival is incredibly timely in this day and age of Internet and technology overtake. The further leap into the super unknown is just the icing on the cake, and is a wonderful conclusion to a film that is not only about the future evolution of mankind, but the melding of art and science into one of the all time film masterpieces.
Now for those in the wrong, those who think 2001 as a slow plodding chore, consider the following. At 148 minutes in length, 2001 is shorter than most of the Bay Transformers and about 1000x more intelligent. Those CGI gonzo monstrosities have nothing on the sleek, beautifully groundbreaking model work found therein, nor the quick cutting explosion laden free for all. 2001 is a methodical step through the mindsets of greats. Great acting, great scenes, great writing, great ideas, great sets, great special effects, great music, great directing, great purpose, great art.
We can and must forgive the men in monkey suits, the PANAM antiquity, the video phone charges. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is not something to be watched, its a sensory experience that is like submerging into the black subconscious of the mind of man. Deep into that cold void where math meets color, ambition meets creation, and the survival instinct of the fittest in the deadliest of places. The beauty of staring into the abyss and the abyss stares back at you? When it looks this good it's a pleasure to stare.
10 Rectangular Microwaved Astronaut Food Receptacles out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
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About Me
- Kevin Gasaway via HardDrawn
- Turlock, California, United States
- Media and Reviews by Kevin Gasaway