Prospero's Horrible Reviews

Black Narcissus (1947)
Directed by Michael Powell
Stars: Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, David Farrar, Sabu

I watched Black Narcissus for the first time recently, having heard it is one of the Best Movies Ever. Hm. I dunno. I don't do well with melodrama, and this has it in spades. That being said, it's still a very good film, with plenty of good points.

First and foremost is Jack Cardiff's brilliant cinematography. His use of color and light is simply astounding. This is, IMHO, far and away the best aspect of the film. I may put it back on my Netflix queue for that alone.

The performances are all good, with Deborah Kerr giving a solid performance as Sister Cladagh, the leader of the nuns. The standout performance in my mind, though, came from Kathleen Byron as Sister Ruth, who gradually descends into madness.

The story revolves around a group of Anglican nuns sent from their home in Calcutta to establish a church and school in a remote village in the Himalayas. Ironically, the building they are given by the local ruler ("The General") for their sanctuary was once the residence of his concubines, and now deserted.

The central point of the movie seems to be that these nuns, used to a cloistered existence, find the world, and worldliness, intruding on them as they live in this remote outpost in the Himalayas. Sister Cladagh finds her mind turning to the memories of her life before she entered the service of God, and also finds herself being more and more strongly attracted to Mr. Dean, their laiaison with The General, all-around handyman, and the man Sister Ruth, in her madness, has become obsessed with. And Sister Philippa (I think), the gardener among them, finds herself planting ornamental flowers in the convent garden instead of vegetables, as planned. I wish the movie had explored the reasons for these changes a little more, although perhaps the filmmakers intended that to be ambiguous and leave it up to the audience to consider the whys and wherefores.

As I said, the movie is strong in the melodramatic department, which detracted from my enjoyment and appreciation, but there were some very strong scenes as well, and some things to consider. One of my favorite parts is when Sister Cladagh is troubled by the presence of the local holy man on the convent ground, and wishes to expel him. This is a man who just sits without speaking and apparently without sleeping, day in and day out. Why does the Sister feel so strongly about him? Is it because the local people venrate him rather than the Christian God, or is it because he leads the ascetic existence that she is unable to find? When she makes her feelings about removing him known to Mr. Dean, he simply replies: "What would Jesus have done?" That's the end of the argument.

As I said at the beginning, my first impression of this film was not the best. But as time has passed, I find my thoughts returning to it again and again. This is one of the few movies that has risen in my estimation the more I think about it.

Recommended

you are really good at writing these reviews. and from what i see you have good taste in horror movies.

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"A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theater admission and the babysitter were worth it."
- Alfred Hitchcock

No kidding, he's only been here a week and look at his rep!

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"All I have in this world is my balls and my word, and I don't break them for no one."

Thanks, guys!
I appreciate the support and encouragement.

I just finished watching another Asian horror: Dark Water by Hideo Nakata (2nd viewing).
Good stuff. I need to think about it some, then post a review in a few days.

DOH!
I only just now saw Slay's request for reviews of these two movies.
I'll get on it.
Unfortunately, you won't like what I have to say about Blair Witch, and I need to see Rosemary's Baby again. It's been too long.

they are great reviews, thanks for them...what did you think of dark water? be curious to know

I like Dark Water a lot. Nakata is great at creating an atmosphere of dread (and sadness).

Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner

I was about to call Sweet Smell Of Success "a film noir classic," but that would be wrong, since the term "classic" implies that a movie is well-known. Nonetheless, this is a terrific example of the genre.

Burt Lancaster plays J.J. Hunsecker, a powerful newspaper columnist who is as vicious and manipulative as he is famous. Tony Curtis is Sidney Falco, a conniving press agent who will do anything to get ahead and to remain in Hunsecker's good graces. The plot revolves around the fact that Hunsecker's younger sister is romantically involved with a jazz musician, and Hunsecker, who has a rather unhealthy affection for his sister, wants Falco to break up the romance. That's all I'll say about the plot, for fear of spoilers. As someone I know has said, though, the final scene is "shattering."

Lancaster and Curtis are both great in this film, which features some of the best performances by either of them. Curtis may have surpassed this performance in The Boston Strangler, but he comes pretty damn close here. He just oozes a feeling of sliminess, and Lancaster...wow...he electrifies every scene that he's in. I've never seen Elmer Gantry, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar, but it's hard to imagine him being any better than he is here.

The movie also looks great, with stunning black and white cinematography by James Wong Howe. Although this is no light romp in the park, I give it my highest recommendation.

Thank's Prossie a great movie.

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Bubba Ho-Tep (2003)
Directed by Don Coscarelli
Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce, Bob Ivy

Elvis is alive and not so well, living in a nursing home, where everyone thinks he's an old Elvis impersonator. And now a mummy who eats the souls of the living has invaded the home and is feeding off the residents. It's up to The King and another resident, a black man who thinks he's JFK, to stop him.

I know it doesn't sound like it, but this is a great, great movie. If you're looking for horror, though, look elsewhere. Bubba has some horror elements, certainly, but it's mostly a comedy-drama with a ton of heart. Ossie Davis is great as always and Bruce Campbell has never been better. In the past, I've always thought of him as a decent character actor, but in Bubba Ho-Tep, Bruce is Elvis.

But the real star of this movie is the script by Don Coscarelli and Joe R. Lansdale: damn, it's good! Plenty of cool one-liners are sprinkled throughout, but there are also some great quiet moments with Elvis' reminiscences and introspection. He's not just The King, but a King filled with sadness for what he's become and regret for the loss of his wife and daughter. But now he's been given the chance to redeem himself and become the hero he always pretended to be.

Add to this a close to perfect musical score by Brian Tyler, and it adds up to one of the best films I've seen in quite a while.

Highly recommended

Awesome movie, Great Review. Well done.

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Dark Water
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Stars: Hitoki Kuroki, Rio Kanno

Who would have thought that a yellow raincoat and a red handbag could be so terrifying?

One of the best Asian horror films I've seen, Dark Water is the frightening tale a of a woman going through a divorce who moves into an old apartment with her young daughter Ikuko. From the beginning she is troubled by her surroundings: inside the apartment by a dark, dripping water stain on the ceiling of her bedroom, and outside by visions of a girl in a yellow raincoat, and a girl's red plastic handbag that keeps reappearing no matter how often she tries to get rid of it. The sense of menace and danger to her daughter gradually increases until the film's terrifying climax.



Throughout the film, director Hideo Nakata creates an atmosphere of fear, dread and infinite sadness. The colors are washed out almost to the point of the film being monochromatic, and Nakata uses sound to great effect; some of the sound effects turn the most ordinary scene into one filled with menace and dread. Water is a feature of nearly every scene, whether it's the seemingly incessant rain, the water dripping from the bedroom ceiling, or the puddles in the building elevator and hallways, and soon it seems that every drop of water holds unspoken danger.

The performances are all strong, especially by Hitoki Kuroki and Rio Kanno as the mother and daughter at the center of the story. But it is the set design and Hideo Nakata's direction that makes this film work. It's not the scariest movie I've ever seen, but it does have a compelling story, and for a case of the shivers and some decent scares, you could do far worse.

I think I go to a different Hollywood than you, as I've seen maybe 5% of the movies you've reviewed. Nice reviews, though! I'mna see Bubba Hotep. Sounds awesome!

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Review: Cabin in the Woods 8/10

Sounds interesting thanks

Les Diaboliques (1955)
Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Stars: Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meurisse

Another terrific suspense film from Henri-Geoges Clouzot, Les Diaboliques (also known as "Diabolique") is a tense story of murder, suspicion and revenge. The plot revolves around two women, Christina (Vera Clouzot) and Nicole (Simone Signoret) who conspire to murder the brutish man who is Christina's husband and Nicole's lover Michel, played by the delightfully sullen Paul Meurisse. He is the principal of a boarding school for boys who relies on Vera's money to support his excesses, and the two women are both teachers at the school.

Vera has her doubts about committing murder, even though Michel is incredibly abusive. But Nicole convinces her to help drug and then drown Michel. All seems to be going well until Michels body goes missing and the two women turn against each other. The situation is complicated further by the appearance of a retired police inspector who is determined to help Vera find her "missing" husband, despite the poor woman's protests. The tension continues to mount until the hair-raising climax.

This movie is on a par with some of Hitchcock's best work, although Clouzot doesn't mix much humor in with the suspense, as Hitch often did. However, Vera's interaction with the droll inspector does provides some chuckles. Unlike his previous film, The Wages Of Fear, Clouzot doesn't spend a whole lot of time on the set-up of the plot, but gets right to the meat of the matter, and from there Diabolique rolls along very quickly with barely a letup in the action.

I can't believe it took me so long to see this masterpiece.
Highly recommended.

I've been meaning to see this. I saw the remake, and couldn't understand why those women would fight over Chaz Palmentari. Hopefully, this guy is worth all the hoopla.

He didn't do anything for me, but what do I know?

Gerry (2003)
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Stars: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck

Gerry is a beautiful looking movie. Harris Savides' cinematography showing the beauty and desolation of the desert is breathtaking.

That being said, Gerry is also an incredibly boring movie. It's the story of two not-so-bright individuals lost in the desert. They walk and walk and walk. And then....get this...they walk some more! About the most interesting thing that happens is one of them gets stuck on top of a big rock and they spend a while trying to figure out how to get him down. The little dialogue there is is inane and uninteresting. Lost in the desert you'd think they'd have something more important to talk about than Wheel of Fortune or a computer game.

I guess this is an experiment in minimalism or something, and director Gus Van Sant is trying to show us the hopelessness of the situation these two nimrods find themselves in. No, scratch that. The situation they have put themselves in. But Van Sant seems to have forgotten that the soul of drama (and comedy, for that matter) is conflict. There is almost no conflict in this movie. The two characters call each other Gerry, and although you might think that their situation might pit them against each other, it doesn't. They have one or two mild arguments, but nothing significant. I know some people might say the conflict is between their hostile environment and themselves, but the desert is just as passive as the Gerries are. It's big and it's hot, and there is no water, but that's it.

Here's an example of one of the sequences in this movie that some folks might find interesting, but I didn't: One of the Gerries is sitting on a rock, looking pretty dejected. The camera does a very slow revolve around him; 360 degrees....verry...sloowly. The the point of view shifts to his surroundings and starts a very slow pan of the surrounding countryside. 360 degrees...verry...slooowly. That's it.

Gerry is a beautiful film, but almost completely uninvolving. I'd rather look at a book of Ansel Adams photographs.

Thanks for the review Prospie won't rush out to see this one

I would have like this issue explored more also, i could never figure this out, maybe it had something to do with the place being the former residence of the concubines

Any way i am a fan of Sabu, I know but he is cute