From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll6!
THERE ARE SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE REVIEW. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE AND DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, DON'T READ THIS REVIEW.
Gone With The Wind https://i.imgur.com/PG01lfr.jpg Scarlett has been in love with Ashley for as long as she can remember. One day to her misfortune, she finds that he's about to get married with her mild-mannered cousin Melanie. But she isn't one to give up. Even after the wedding has happened and everything, she still continues to try and pursue him. Melanie knows that she's smitten with Ashley, but ”smitten” isn't a strong enough word in this case. She's dead set he's the man of her dreams, no matter what he says. In the wake of it all, a Civil War is also close to erupting, and a mysterious gentleman (or so he says) pops up: Rhett Butler. Little does she know what kind of trouble she'll get into with him as well... Where to start with Gone With The Wind? The Citizen Kane of romance dramas. Except even better. But every occassion I watch a movie with the length of three hours or more, I always need as much concentration as possible. Not even when I paused the movie did I check my phone for messages, who cares about those anyway? They could wait. And what I got was one of the most unique love stories ever put to film. Especially during the time it was made. During the age of sentimental romance movies starting to blossom (until they exploded in the 40's), Victor Fleming gave us one of the darkest ones of the type ever put to film. True, there is love here, and I experienced several different emotions throughout the movie. But it's not the kind of love that makes you feel happy. Vivien Leigh plays one of the most unlikeable characters you'll ever witness. When she isn't pursuing Ashley no matter how many times he rejects her, she comes up with ways to screw people over however she sees fit, either because she's in a bad mood or is looking to get something out of it. The most devious thing she does is cheat Frank out of possibly a life-long happy marriage and forces him into a miserable one which puts his life short instead. Even though she did it so her family could raise money to survive, it was a horrible and rotten thing to do. She's completely blind to how much her cousin Melanie loves her, and sees her as an enemy instead due to her committment to Ashley. But it's an amazing character. You absolutely love to hate her, and as nasty and cunning as she gets, you can't stop watching her. Leigh gives a perfect performance, managing to get on your nerves, but never makes it feel unbelievable in any way. So when Rhett arrives, you think they're practically perfect for each other. Both selfish and with no other goals in mind than their own. But because Rhett doesn't let himself be taken for a fool, he's the one who manages to upset her the most. Even from the scene where they first meet, she hates him already as soon as he gets snappy. Scarlett can't stand that someone calls her out for all her flaws, even when it's affectionate. That's right, for all the teasing Rhett does truly love her. But his bag of tricks with buttery words and kisses do nothing as long as she's in love with Ashley. Clark Gable plays his role with such intensity that he pops out of the screen. He's in practice just as bad as Scarlett, yet there's something about him that's less grating, and rather strangely magnetic. With his classic mustache and smile, you're almost fooled into thinking he really is a proper gentleman. But when he does get angry and fed up, he's scary. The night scene where he sets somber at the table is full of eerie dramatic tension, especially when he hold his hands against Scarlett's ears, attempting to take control of her. By that point he's completely given up. He's through with being a gentleman. Enough is enough. So when we get to the very awaited goodbye at the end, it feels earned. You entirely understand how sick he is of Scarlett's countless mind games. She's flip-flopped from adoring him to looking back at Ashley, and when she blames him for the death of their daughter, that's just too much to take. Anyone would leave at that point. And yet... you don't wish Scarlett a life of misery. Near the end when she's really, really been through more than anyone is able to endure, and when she's down on her last legs, it's hard not to wish it wouldn't end this way. You get the rug pulled away from under you, making you feel sympathy for Scarlett just when it's all too late. We still get a glimmer of hope. Tara. The land of Tara. Will she finally get a new fresh start and become a better person? Or is this land the only thing she'll hold onto? The audience is left figuring that out for themselves... Now when I've gushed about the brilliantly innovative story, there is still so much left to talk about. This movie lends itself for endless analysis. The supporting cast, much as they have to live up to the towering Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, they all range from admirable to great. It's not only Leigh and Gable who give amazing performances, that honor also goes to Olivia de Havilland. She plays someone with such a relentlessly good heart that you're almost amazed how much awfulness from Scarlett and even Ashley to some extent (it turns out he was cheating on her) she is able to forgive. But some people just naturally are like that. Even after someone has committed such a large amount of mistakes, they try to see the good in the person. Havilland's natural performance gives a lot of humanity that's needed to a someone so settled down as she is. Similarly to Anastasia: The Mystery Of Anna, we get some heartbreaking scenes which show her possibly standing on her last legs, soft-spokenly uttering as much as she still can. Trevor Howard as Ashley has been criticized, seeing as he sounds miserable all the time. But I thought it fit the melancholy of his character, who has to go through quite a lot of tough **** in war. To get into the territory of controversy, I can't deny it: I love Hattie McDaniel as Mammy. Even though she's based on a stereotype (How hard could it have been to give her a name?), McDaniel gives her character a warm, lighthearted charm that makes it easy to sympathize with her. She cares about people a lot, and is filled with tears when she has to deliver some particularly bad news. Hattie was truly a one-of-a-kind, and I believe that even if you dislike the way her character was written (which is fine with me), McDaniel deserves all the respect she can get. Big Sam doesn't show up a lot, but Everett Brown plays him with a similar amount of likability. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Prissy. Now, as for the performance itself, I actually found it kinda cute. Butterfly McQueen's squeaky voice is a joy to behold, and she's a natural comic talent. But man, the way her character was treated throughout the movie... ouch. It was hard to watch. You see Scarlett treating the rest of the black characters just fine, but when Prissy even make the slighest ****-up, she bullies her and even threatens whipping! I felt incredibly sorry for Prissy, and wish she had been given at least a little bit comfort from some other characters. Unlike most of the things in the movie, the cruelty directed at her character didn't seem to serve a lot of purpose for the story and got jarring to watch. Luckily that's the only real flaw in this fantastic movie. I watched the restored version, so I got to hear all the music compositions before, inbetween and after. I love that all the long old movies have breaks like these. Not because I would be getting impatient, but it really gives you a sense of how big the movie is, and you get to really appreciate the score more as well. I know they were basically there so the audience could take a rest, maybe go to the bathroom... but it adds a lot. Nowadays you never see long movies do this anymore, and any movie closing in on 4 hours is very rare. If you've never seen Gone With The Wind, I can guarantee you won't regret it if you do. I felt really bad for that poor horse Scarlett whipped to death. I hope the actual horse wasn't harmed in any way. 9.5/10, rounded up to |
Excellent review of Gone With The Wind :up:....I enjoyed reading it, and your love for the movie really comes through in your writing. I love Gone With the Wind too..now after reading your review I want to see it again! That's always a sign of a good review writer:)
Glad to see you made your own movie review thread, we need more reviewers here at MoFo. Are you clicking the box for "Suggest this post for inclusion in the Reviews area" ?...If you do then your review gets logged into MoFo as an official review and people can find it by the Review & Movie links at the top of MoFo pages. |
Amityville 3-D
https://i.imgur.com/RbyUxo8.jpg The movie starts off with two people trying to contact their dead son through a seancé. The room starts moving and they not only hear their son's voice, but also see a ghost! But suddenly, it's revealed to be a bluff. They are in fact long-time debunkers who always manage to uncover so-called ”supernatural” happenings and expose them as fake. But as soon as they start spending a little too much time in the Amityville house, weird stuff starts going on... We are three movies in and have reached the dreaded 3-D gimmick. But unlike some other examples, it's actually pretty good. Sure, the 3D shots look pretty goofy and is used bizzarrely at times (with a frisbie coming at the screen), but the story is intriguing and the scenes contain some good suspense. There are some really creepy scenes throughout. John and Melanie's daughter turning around with a blank stare and continuing up the stairs, the elevator starting to act up, and the house punishing Melanie even when she avoids making stupid horror mistakes. Which thank God never happened with her. Yes, there are some other characters who make the typical dumb mistakes you find yourself gritting your teeth at, but it's always good to have a lead as well who's not as stupid as the other ones. Candy Clark has proven herself to be a great talent. After her charming performance in American Graffiti (as well as disappointing performance in More American Graffiti, but that's more the fault of the script), she plays Melanie with such charisma and emotion that you want to see her in more dramatic roles. The look on her face when she's terrified is bone-chilling. You're right there with her. After Melanie drops out, the second half revolves around John, his wife Nancy and their daughter Susan. It's not completely the direction I expected the movie to go (I thought they would have Melanie on the other end of the line helping out John), but it still works. Nancy is likeable too, and you feel scared for this family's lives. The climax is where you get what you've been waiting for. The house going totally nuts and going out of its way to try and get everyone. While at the same you are also hoping everyone will be okay. It also features the most hilarious example of 3D, with an ominious swordfish almost stabbing John. The house gets ruined, and I mean DEMOLISHED. Completely. And who's gonna want to rebuild it? By this point it's pretty obvious this house won't be nicer to any residents no matter who they are. Since this franchise is far from over however, we know that not to be true. Despite most of it being relatively welldone though, there are a few flaws with the movie. First of all, when I say Melanie drops out, I mean they completely forget her character once she has nothing important to do anymore. She sees a creepy photo, and then she's out of the movie. I hate when that happens. Why do so many movies establish an important character, and then randomly drop it? The acting was mostly really good, but when it came to the teen characters it was pretty bad. Including Meg Ryan, although it was pretty funny to hear her talk about ghost sex. It seems like 80's movies have a habit of making teenagers as obnoxious as they possibly can, with the typical teasing and calling people cowards left and right. The glass spinning scene in particular makes everyone except Susan look like complete dicks. Maybe it's just because I hate peer pressure so much in real life, but scenes like that are so annoying to watch. Amityville 3-D still shows some signs of life in the franchise, and the living house remains scary. It gets crapped on because it's not as classy as the first two parts, but if you like supernatural horror it's a good watch. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
I have to thank you for this lush and brilliant review of Gone With The Wind - I actually started to write a very long 'review' of your review earlier today, but apparently the Internet gremlin ate it ( guess it's gone with the cyber wind)
You have such great insights about the characters- Scarlett was so hateful to watch- vain, greedy, selfish, etc. - but as you said, in the end she gained your sympathy and you wished her well. ( For me it started when she swore 'to never go hungry again, nor..... any of her kin"- you see a strength of character emerge that meant she would face whatever fate threw at her - and triumph). Rhett, also a selfish sort, was more likeable and charming for sure, but shows his underside of potential violence in the head grabbing scene you mentioned. And Mammy- how could you not love her. I do not find her a cliche; in fact she may be the most appealing character in the film- especially when she's scolding Scarlett and then when she finally dons the petticoat. All in all a magnificent movie - and your review makes me want to watch it and luxuriate in it again. So many current movies cannot hold my attention like GWTW. 3 Billboards, for instance, had me eager and expectant to watch it; by an hour in, I was clutching my chair waiting for them to 'get on with it' And there was the contrast of an open ended ending- 3 billboards had me saying 'who cares'. Not so in GWTW. By the' don't give a damn ending ' of GWTW, I not only cared but wanted the movie to go on. Four hours and not a scene wasted, not a minute went by that did not hold my attention. I agree with the possibility of a hopeful future after the movie's end; somewhere down the road- somewhere along the horizon, surely things will get better . For Rhett and Scarlett , for the entire vanquished south. After all - "Tomorrow is another day" (Thank you again for this wonderful review which I will read again, as surely as I ll watch the movie again) |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
|
Wow! Thank you! I really put a lot of effort into the review since there was so much about the movie that was worth analyzing. It was such a ride of different emotions, with some of the most beautiful-looking scenes in cinema. I also agree about not being bored once. Sometimes with a really long movie there can be a few slow parts, a scene that goes on for too long. Nope. Not here. I'm glad this movie never experienced loads of different cuts, because if you cut a single scene out you lose something very important.
I hope you enjoy watching Gone With The Wind again, and I'm impressed you want to re-read my review just because you liked it so much. It's rare that ever happens :) |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
You're welcome. The pleasure was mine. 😀
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
American Sniper
https://i.imgur.com/zKG6O6H.jpg Chris Kyle is one of the world's most famous snipers, and reputed as the deadliest there's ever been. At a very young age he had to go through bullies beating up his brother, trained to use a gun by his father and that he has to be the ”sheepdog”. Not the one who lies down, nor the asshóle picking on people. But instead, the man who protects those who are being beaten. And after the 9/11 attacks happen, Chris is more motivated than ever to get out into the war and fight for his country. But how long is it really worth it before it mentally affects him? There are pro-war movies and there are anti-war movies. And then there are those which are inbetween. American Sniper falls into that category. Now, while war is shown as a brutal playground, the line is grey whether it's justifiable or not. What it does show more clearly however, is that war doesn't disappear just because you return home. Hearing gunshots for months, taking human lives on a regular basis and having to see your closest friends die, it's not unusual to feel anger, regret and shame. Kyle goes back and forth from reluctantly accepting the ”Legend” staple to feeling uncomfortable when people try to label him so. What makes him a hero? Taking lives? Why do people give him credit for that, when taking a life is much easier than saving one? Early on we see him having to shoot a child so it won't throw a bomb he's been given by his mother, with him angrily responding to another soldier impressed by his shot. In a much later scene, we see him again in a similar scenario where he could be forced to make a decision no one ever wants to make. We see him deeply hoping the kid won't pick up the rifle, so he never has to take a child's life again. I think that sends a very strong message. You don't ”get used” to war. It doesn't matter how experienced you are, or how patriotic you feel, it's not something that ever can feel like it's not a big deal. What you can however, is get addicted to it. Kyle's brain is there the whole time, even when he's home. He's gotten it so ingrained into his mind that he has a mission to cover for everyone else that he forgets about the simple joys in life. Like watching your kids grow, being there with your loving wife, not having to worry about a bullet passing through you any minute.
WARNING: spoilers below
The ending shows him trying to adjust to civil life once and for all, sick and tired of fearing for his and everybody else's life. After he attacks a dog at a party, he finally realizes how hard it really is to separate himself from the war zone, and goes to see an army psychologist. Unfortunately, the psychologist doesn't know what a big mistake he makes when he shows him the other soldiers less fortunate than him. One of them turn out to be even less stable than him, so the day they go out for a walk, he kills him. Kyle was killed by one of the people he's fighting for.
This is a very powerful and sad ending. You're left there kinda thinking ”Whoa, what the ****?!”. Yet, I do have a problem with the ending as well. Just like his father showed him, he teaches his own daughter how to shoot. Of course, this is realistic with how a sniper would raise his child. The issue lies in how it's presented. No, it's not a sign of a good father. You should not teach your kids to be ready for service when they are barely even 10 ****ing years old. Just left a bad taste in my mouth. Despite that, this is one of the most honest portrayals of how easily war can psychologically damage you. You could be the most patriotic soldier there is, and still not escape the post-war effect. Bradley Cooper gives a career-best performance, humanizing a character with one of the least sympathetic jobs in the world. In my opinion, he didn't make Chris Kyle a hero. That's the whole point. He was just a regular human being. Sienna Miller gives the second best performance as his wife Taya, who has to watch in horror as her husband becomes fixated on the idea of killing people for other's protection, and barely acknowledging that she's there. The movie does send a few mixed signals, but is another good entry into the war-is-traumatizing genre. Whereas Saving Private Ryan was focused on making everyone heroes, this one instead explores the idea of being perceived as a hero, which I find far more interesting. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Come on in and read, people! I need support.
|
Top Gun
https://i.imgur.com/w3J0eHd.jpg Pete Mitchell, a.k.a. Maverick is known as a Navy pilot who's not afraid to take risks. Mostly because he creates the risks himself. His controversial reputation should get him kicked out, but instead he gets accepted into Top Gun, an elite fighter school. But to get accepted turns out to mean more just being a joyriding daredevil... Top Gun is without a doubt the most macho movie ever made. I could name all Arnold action movies on one arm, and none would even come close. You get everyone talking tough towards each other, sweaty half-naked bodies, lots of shower discussion sequences, everyone acting like their own ladies' man, and absolutely fearless attitudes. Save for Goose. Of course, this means it's going to be very cheesy. I found myself laughing at points because of how hard everyone tried to be cool, and the music choices for the romantic scenes. Best of all though has to be Maverick pulling off his smile every time he get uncomfortably close hitting on Charlie. Oh, Charlie is a woman. Don't worry though, there are plenty of homoerotic undertones throughout anyway. I love the friendship between Maverick and Goose, they are the kind of friends who get silly with each other as often as they act endearingly sympathetic towards each other's struggles. The best performance goes to Tom Skeritt, who is very likeable as the instructor Viper. He avoids being the cliché character who makes life even tougher for Maverick, instead serving as his mentor. When everyone else thinks he's nothing more than a dangerous nutcase, Viper believes in him. Kelly McGillis does a good job as the love interest Charlie, and her character is also decent for the most part (I'll get to the latter later on), and while the scenes between her and Maverick do follow the regular conventions, you believe in the chemistry between them. The music is welldone, with lots of memorable tunes playing (especially during the training sequences), really managing to get you pumped up. They do overuse Danger Zone a little, but it's still a great song. Do I have anything bad to say about the film? I guess the first thing would be that at first I didn't really get into the characters. It felt like they were just showing off to each other or doing spit-takes at first, which made me feel like the writers were having a little too much fun trying to be clever. But after a while you start to like them, and Iceman goes from ice cold to well... medium-temperature water. I thought the only weak part of the last act where Maverick feels guilty over himself is how Charlie reacts to it. It's like, wow! Ease up! The man has been through a lot of ****! Maybe the best way to motivate someone who's been through a tragedy isn't to harshly call them a coward. I would've liked to see her offer an apology at the end. But thankfully, Viper comes with some very nice advice and understands how he feels. I think that's all I have to say. It's unpretentiously fun, go check it out. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Regarding Henry
https://i.imgur.com/8GcsXTA.png Henry Turner is not a very nice man. In fact, he has an infamous reputation as a scummy lawyer. Not only that, but he's generally loveless towards his wife and daughter as well, and shows no signs of caring about anyone but himself. After going to the store one evening, a robber holds him up. When the robber gets impatient with Henry, he shoots him; once in the chest, once in the head. But in a stroke of luck, Henry survives! Only he can't speak, and can't remember anything from his past life... Mike Nichols makes another fine film. Something he gets very well is how to let the actors dominate the screen, that great performances speak for themselves. And Harrison Ford is nothing short of fantastic. He would be very entertaining playing a scumbag in a film throughout, as we get some nasty funny lines when his ego rises to his head. Especially in the scene where he reprimands his daughter instead of apologizing to her like patient wife Sarah Turner asked. But where I'm even more impressed is how he portrays the same person attempting to master the power of speech again and connect pieces of his previous life. The portrayal is dead-on realistic and very respectful, and really makes his newfound innocence and change of conscience shine through wonderfully, delivering both the funniest and the most heartfelt moments of the film. I did see it coming he would go into a porno theater, but his facial expressions and mixed confusion/curiosity makes it hysterical. Something this movie succeeds with is its positive energy. You just feel so warm inside seeing Henry reconnect with his family and having an overall pleasant and charming personality. The humor is simple, but very funny in a cute kind of way, like the scenes between Henry and his assistant, and him saying to his wife before sex ”I don't know if I can do it like the guy does in that movie”. Completely without any intention of impressing her, just genuine nervosity over how he will perform. A movie like this can very easily be sad and a Debbie downer to sit through, but films like this one, 50/50 and Untouchables prove that doesn't have to be the case. I find a light and endearing movie like this portraying someone with a sickness or mobility problem much more true-to-life than an overdramatic piece of tear fluff like My Sister's Keeper. You really care about this family, and you love seeing them looking at life from the bright side, and turning Henry's memory loss into a good thing. As expected, there does happen something unfortunate though,
WARNING: spoilers below
that being when Henry finds out his wife was cheating, and then that he cheated on her himself. But they don't extend it any longer than neccessary, and it's completely understandable considering what a jerk Henry was before he suffered memory loss. And best of all, it ends happily.
Everyone in the cast perform greatly. Annette Being is admirable as Sarah Turner, who just like Ford conveys the sweetness inside her character. Then we have Kamian Allen as Henry's daughter Linda, who is so adorable in the role that it's truly a shame she's never appeared in another movie. But of course, I can't conclude this review without mentioning Bill Nunn as Bradley. What a great presence. The way he talks and crack jokes reminds me of people I've had as assistants myself. They really do make the same kind of corny jokes and laugh and smile a lot. Besides being a funnyman, he also offers some great wisdom, showing he really cares for Henry as a friend and wants him to live a happy life together with the family. Before this movie I didn't even realize what a range Harrison Ford has as an actor. We all know him as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, but here he really transforms into someone entirely different, who's down-to-earth and instantly very likeable. If he wasn't nominated for an award, he got snubbed. |
Great review of Regarding Henry. It's one of my favorite movies.
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
It seems you always make my cherished movies- like Regarding Henry - come alive again for me. An 'endearing movie' - exactly. And glad you noticed the range that Harrison has as an actor (I have already squawked about this and about him being snubbed by the Academy in other well trod threads, lol , so I'll keep my sputtering to a minimum here- or is it too late for that? ) I really enjoy and value your reviews(s)
I think we are on the same page in what makes a movie an experience you want to watch and rewatch ( and rewatch) again. Well realized characters, good pacing, a thread of humor even in harsh situations, a storyline you can empathize with, and, as complicated as life can be, even in the movies- an ending that leaves us filled with hope. Another great review! |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Pink Floyd: The Wall
https://i.imgur.com/DinE5vi.jpg I'll try my best to sum up the plot of a movie which really doesn't follow any regular conventions. Basically, it's about the rock star Pink, who in later years has isolated himself so much from people he's continuously going insane, either sitting in a cathatonic state in front of the TV, or having violent outbursts. This is accompanied mostly through visuals, and almost exclusively dialogue and music taken from Pink Floyd's album The Wall. I always like to watch a movie sometimes which challenges my senses. Which really takes you on a ride and never lets go. Having read only the one-line summary about the film, I didn't know what to expect. At first, I'll admit I was a little confused. Is it supposed to be like this the whole time? The dialogue was weirdly low at times, while the music was MUCH louder by comparison. I was starting to get a bit worried this would be one of those movies everyone else loves, but I don't get. My least favorite kind of disappointment. And then... It suddenly clicked for me. I don't know what it was, but I reached a certain point where I gained a much better understanding of what the film was trying to communicate, how the heavy reliance on lyrics for telling a story actually enhanced it instead of hindered it. It's not even just the lyrics which make it work so well, but the actual mechanics of at which moments a certain song is used as well. The dreary kind of music used in scenes where the police is mercilessly beating people down and even going so far as to rape some of them. And whenever you reach a shocking moment (that bear in mind, you're never prepared for), the music sounds panicky and invoke a sense of terror. I don't think I ever startled more than when a groupie enters Pink's room, and he sits there completely motionless, only blinking when he stares at the TV. Not even when she oddly enough sucks his fingers he gives any sort of reaction, outside of maybe a small hand gesture for her to leave him alone. He doesn't say a single word either. And then just SUDDENLY, HE STANDS UP! And starts screaming, throwing and turning over objects, trying to hurt her just for being there, and finally throws out his good ol' tube. Interestingly enough, his line when throwing out the TV set is the only line he had that was written specifically for the movie. And even though you're wondering what he means when he says it, it really emphasizes the craziness of the whole situation. Fortunately, there are some explanations provided for why he has reached a mental state where he's trapped inside himself, and won't let anyone in. As a child, he was rejected and had a mother who didn't care about him, a school which nothing more than reprimanded him, a father who died in the war, and had to witness the destruction of all things good, tons of lives lost to a cause worth nothing. And the relentless school teacher? That's his step father. His life has been a nightmare all along, and we see him trying to connect with other people but never going anywhere. The TV which he mindlessly watches becomes his only comfort in life. But one can't go without mentioning the beautiful animated sequences, which overflow with such creativity and unforgettable visuals. There is the iconic scene where two flowers carefully approach the other, with relatively calm music playing. And then, as they violently **** each other the sound gets louder, and it's suddenly kinda scary to watch. I don't even know why it is, but something about it is so bizzarre you are taken aback. The album cover and poster for The Wall are represented as well.
WARNING: spoilers below
The poster shows up as a screaming face emerging from the wall, and even though it's brief all three times, it's just as terrifying as you would imagine it. That poster still makes the list of one of the scariest posters I've seen next to Zazie. As for the album cover, it manifests itself in several forms. First as unbreakable, a wall which Pink tries to get through, but just won't relent no matter how much he tries, and then at the end when he finally breaks the wall, as a symbol of freedom. He's finally broken the evil circle, he will no longer stay isolated from everyone.
I have to applaud the bravery of Alan Parker for taking on this project. Nobody understood it at the time it came out, and sadly, Parker himself thinks he failed as well. Don't worry, Parker. We understand now what you were trying to do, and if you ask me, you succeeded. |
About Schmidt
https://i.imgur.com/xfzj11B.jpg Warren Schmidt has worked in the insurance industry for many years, and now it's time for his hard-earned reward: retirement. But what is a reward to some is a showstopper for others. What will he do now? How will he proceed in life? Warren gets even more to think about when a tragedy happens with his wife as well... Jack Nicholson is one of those actors who's admired for his larger-than-life performances, but can also be surprisingly sensitive when he wants to be. In this movie, he deplays the most natural acting he's ever pulled off in his career. Everything we see and feel with this character feels completely real. He goes about his daily routines, he engages in smalltalk (keeping his own little grievances mostly to himself) and has a somber expression and drooping eyes which show he's not getting younger. It blurs the line between watching someone acting and just... watching someone. Warren is very softspoken, and keeps a lot inside. The only time he gets a chance to express himself fully is to Ndugu, his donor child. This provides an interesting choice of narrative, where we get to follow a spiritual journey expressed through his letters, and Jack's slow, methodic narration works quite well. He's shown as more much more likeable than some of his other characters too, where he seems to get annoyed by a lot of things, but also genuinely cares about people. He wouldn't be on his daughter's case about her new boyfriend if he didn't care about her. Even more so when his wife Helen passes away, he doesn't want her to grow into a life full of disappointment. Randall is the pretty-boy type he absolutely hates: making money in dishonest ways, acting so perfect and polite that it's almost like a joke, and as he finds out later on, has a family full of freaks. But no matter how much he hates him, Jeannie loves Randall, and won't do anything to let him interfere with their happiness. The movie smartly sometimes makes you side with Warren, other times doesn't. In a way I can understand Warren's problem, there's something about Randall that seems very fake, and that he's too full of himself to be a decent partner for his daughter. In another, Warren doesn't rule over her anymore. If she loves him that much, she has the right to stay happy that way. Warren's soul searching trip with his van ranges very often between comic and deeply sad. When he arrives at his old childhood home only for it to be turned into a tire shop, you gotta smile at how he doesn't mind it in the least and just happily talks about his memories to the shopkeep. Or when he arrives at his old school and shares a motto with the other students that leaves them confused. But when he meets up with two other travelers, things turn dark. After he gets some time alone with John's wife Nicki, she starts to psychoanalyze him, and sees right through his happy fascade right away that he's been unhappy for a long time, and feel like he's accomplished nothing. Mistakenly taking them as inviting words, he kisses her. Obviously, she's shocked that a lonely old man kisses her out of nowhere and throws him out. Now, I'm not saying that he was right to kiss her, because that was literally the worst thing to do in that situation. But what kind of right does she have to psychoanalyze him like that when he was just having a good time, laughing and enjoying their company? For the first time in long, he seemed to legitimately enjoy being with people, and not having to worry about anything. And so we follow him as he briskly leaves to do his healing elsewhere. One of the most touching scenes in the film is when he looks up at the stars, forgiving Helen for cheating on him when he constantly rejected her, and also questioning if she stayed with him because she loved him, or did it because she didn't want to hurt him. The last act involves him spending time with Randall's family, a band of misfits, but none of them more so than Roberta. Not only is she one of those talky types who will utter any kind of nonsense without second thought, but she's uncomfortably open about sex as well, much more than Warren is used to, going so far as to assume the reason Randall and Jeannie stick together so well is because of their lively sex life. Kathy Bates provides some needed comedic relief in her role, and despite the somewhat annoying nature of her character is fun to watch. Nothing is more memorable than when she sits down in the jacuzzi together with Warren, whose look on his face is that of Oh-God-what-the-hell-am-I-getting-myself-into, and gets up as soon her flirting goes too far. He reacts exactly what a person who wouldn't want to find him/herself in that situation would do, and it's priceless. The final conclusion is the wedding, where you wonder if Warren will do something to stop it or not. Will he blindly accept his daughter's happiness or steadily refuse and protest in front of everyone?
WARNING: spoilers below
He opens his speech rather negatively, re-iterating what he and his wife have said about their daughter's boyfriend, that he's up to no-good. But then he cops out and instead delivers a speech dripping with such intensity and heart that you'd be crazy not to believe it. But Jeannie knows her father, and that despite how convincing he came off, none of it was genuine. And Warren isn't happy that he didn't go through with it, and takes a miserable piss afterwards, in disbelief over what he just did.
But just when things look the bleakest and Warren's had nothing but disappointments, he gets a letter from a nurse taking care of Ndugu, who's made a drawing where they hold hands. You start to tear up along with Warren, who is crying over someone ever making such a sweet gesture for him. Just by telling a small child pieces of his life, he's found someone who gives it meaning. A reason for him to not give up, to enjoy what he's been given. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
@cat_sidhe Man, are you the quickest reader ever :laugh:
|
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1909625)
@cat_sidhe Man, are you the quickest reader ever :laugh:
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Grease
https://i.imgur.com/QNbseVN.jpg Over the summer, Danny and Sandy find love with each other, and are the happiest they've ever been in their lives. But school starts, and it seems like they never will see each other again. ... Or will they? As it turns out, they both start a new year at the same high school, and naturally they're happy to be reunited. But things are not the same anymore... I got the luck to see this in theaters, as a 40th anniversary showing. And right from the start you're getting ready for a fun ride. The animated opening sequence is very stylish and smoothly animated. The dialogue whenever the characters talk has a certain style of its own. If you're bothered by exaggerated dialogue it's gonna be a hurdle, but I thought it had a comical flavor to it, especially when the greasers talk about girls and try to look cool. John Travolta is believable as the greaser with a heart of gold, and well conveys the pain in his face when he's forced to give into peer pressure by at first talking to Sandy just as romantically as before, but then copping out and talking like a dorky "ladies' man" type. He gives the most genuinely good performance in the movie, and you gotta love Travolta's snarky laugh when he tells Sandy not to make him laugh. The main attraction of course, are the musical numbers, and aside of maybe 1 or 2, I pretty much loved all of them completely. There are many I could mention, but I'll go with Beauty School Drop-Out. The costume design and the grand staircase paired with the witty lyrics and great music makes it one of the stand-outs. The final car chase where Danny and Leo have a car race is short, but excitingly executed.
WARNING: spoilers below
The surprise ending where Sandy is dressed in greaser-like clothes made me smile even though it kinda contradicts the overall message of the movie to go your own way instead of trying to fit in? Nevertheless she looked very cool, and it was great to see her and Danny finally ending up together.
Why is it so god-damn hard to write about this movie? It's actually kinda giving me angst I loved it so much, yet I can't think of much else to write about it. 9.5/10, rounded up to |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Utøya 22. juli
https://i.imgur.com/tN8xepj.jpg I was afraid to see this movie. But it's one of those cases where I felt I HAD to. I was inevitably drawn to it. I thought there was a risk of it being a little exploitive. But I looked at the cast list, and an actor cast as Breivik was nowhere to be found. And as soon as you watch the movie, it makes perfect sense. Many of the campers didn't have a chance of seeing who the shooter was, and if they did they were most likely doomed. It makes the situation extremely scary, as there is no visible presentation of the threat. Just shots firing from a gun, with one person after the other getting hit... I'm sorry, I'm getting too emotional. But it's really hard not to. I felt all the fear, all the dirt and sand and the uncertainty over whether someone was going to make it out alive or not. The fact that it's impossible to know the fate of any of the victims beforehand is particularly horrifying. There are no easy hiding places, not a spot where you can feel completely safe and sound. It feels weird to point out the acting in a way, since never at any point in the movie did I notice I was watching people acting. But I still have to give props to the especially brilliant performance of Andrea Berntzen as Kaja. Even though her mission to find her sister is extremely dangerous, you understand it from her angle why she would do it. You can sense every heartbeat and emotion that she goes through as she finds herself witnessing things that once you've seen it, it's stuck in your mind forever. I was bawling my eyes red at the end of it. It's unbelievable that such a tragedy struck a country like Norway, at a nice and homely island, the place where you would least expect something like this to ever occur. Yes, it's "just" a movie. But this is the closest you will possibly come to experiencing a tragedy at an isolated resort. As horrible as watching it play out in great detail was, be as grateful as you can it never happened to you. And to all the brave people who survived, stay strong and live your lives as happily as you can. |
Once again you get to the meat of the matter, and this time it's your terrific review of About Schmidt. You've nailed it exactly when you talk about Jack's sensitivity to the part, and his gifted acting in this movie. I saw this in the theatre when it came out, and again at home on one of the movie channels, and enjoyed the movie both times. I think I am sort of drawn to these type of movies: where the character seems so real that it's as if the actor isn't acting at all, where the plot is character driven and not ostentatious, and where there's a thoughtful underpinning to the entire enterprise.
Jack surprises his audience, as you inferred, by playing a sort of washed up middle class, middle American Everyman - who teeters on the verge of discovering he's just a nobody. To his wife, daughter, all his efforts to live a meaningful life seem to be a sham or in vain. And what a simple, yet beautiful, concept it is to discover his redemption is in reaching out to another lost soul-in this case; the boy overseas, You know I've said it before but I'll say it again; whenever you review a movie I've enjoyed but hadn't seen in a while - you make me want to see it again. You meld a keen insight with an easy conversational tone that makes the whole cinematic experience come alive again. Sorry I 'm late with my 'review of your review ' ( and I catch heck for this tardiness on another thread. lol ) but been busy a lot lately and don't get to every thread right away. Also summer is my time to be out and about! But you can bet that on the next rainy day, when I have to stay indoors, I'll be rewatching About Schmidt. |
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1921856)
Utøya 22. juli
https://i.imgur.com/tN8xepj.jpg I was afraid to see this movie. But it's one of those cases where I felt I HAD to. I was inevitably drawn to it. I thought there was a risk of it being a little exploitive. But I looked at the cast list, and an actor cast as Breivik was nowhere to be found. And as soon as you watch the movie, it makes perfect sense. Many of the campers didn't have a chance of seeing who the shooter was, and if they did they were most likely doomed. It makes the situation extremely scary, as there is no visible presentation of the threat. Just shots firing from a gun, with one person after the other getting hit... I'm sorry, I'm getting too emotional. But it's really hard not to. I felt all the fear, all the dirt and sand and the uncertainty over whether someone was going to make it out alive or not. The fact that it's impossible to know the fate of any of the victims beforehand is particularly horrifying. There are no easy hiding places, not a spot where you can feel completely safe and sound. It feels weird to point out the acting in a way, since never at any point in the movie did I notice I was watching people acting. But I still have to give props to the especially brilliant performance of Andrea Berntzen as Kaja. Even though her mission to find her sister is extremely dangerous, you understand it from her angle why she would do it. You can sense every heartbeat and emotion that she goes through as she finds herself witnessing things that once you've seen it, it's stuck in your mind forever. I was bawling my eyes red at the end of it. It's unbelievable that such a tragedy struck a country like Norway, at a nice and homely island, the place where you would least expect something like this to ever occur. Yes, it's "just" a movie. But this is the closest you will possibly come to experiencing a tragedy at an isolated resort. As horrible as watching it play out in great detail was, be as grateful as you can it never happened to you. And to all the brave people who survived, stay strong and live your lives as happily as you can. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
It might not be written, but I recorded video reviews for the first time in quite a while...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cjHu6cGp28 |
Rated X
https://i.imgur.com/uozozy5.jpg Jim Mitchell has a tough childhood. If he's not getting beaten by the principal in school, he's getting beat by his father at home. But through it all, his brother Artie always sticks to him. As he enters film school, he develops his passion for movies. But when presenting his documentary-type of short, his teacher objects to the gratuitous content. "There's nothing artistic about it, it's just smut". Instead of discouraging him however, it gives Jim an idea: making his own pornographical films! Artie is skeptical, but gets convinced to help out. And so begins the tale of the most famous porn directing duo in history... Directed by and starring Emilio Estevez, along with Charlie Sheen. It's a fascinating story. It presents the industry pretty neutrally, which I thought was a wise move. It's not a morality tale, it doesn't pick any sides one way or the other. Mostly it's about the relationship between these two brothers, and how working so closely can bring two people closer just as much as it can tear them apart. Estevez' portrayal is sympathetic. He shows every side of his character with seamless conviction. He shows a man who had a dream. Not everyone's dream, but his dream. His frustration in having to put with his brother's antics is very authentic, and seeing as how he and Charlie in real life couldn't get along sometimes, it feels very personal. Charlie Sheen shows all the sides of his character flawlessly. As he spirals out of control more and more, we are concerned in the way of seeing a close friend throwing their personal well-being out the window. And he even gets scary sometimes, showing flashes of his performance in Under Pressure. Sheen shows a lot of range, where we think he has to be nuts, but also is hard not to feel a bit bad for. Artie could have a normal, well-working life headed out for him, but as soon as fame got to his head, he changed into a completely different person. And even Jim becomes a different person when he's so scared for his family's safety after getting several death threats
WARNING: spoilers below
that he takes a gun and shoots his brother multiple times. I'm told that this is not exactly how it happened. Even so, it stands out as a very powerful and heart-crushing scene. How could their bond have deteroriated this badly?
We also see Nicole De Boer with a very good turn-out as Artie's wife. She is one of the few really pure people, whose marriage with him goes so sour that she has to fear for her life. Admittedly, the performances are what mainly make the movie. At times it's very slow-moving, especially in the middle. It doesn't grind to a complete halt, but creates a feeling of restlessness, like they didn't know what to fill the scenes out with. Once Jim and Artie are forced to contront their problems (both have a drug addiction, and Artie is emotionally unstable), it really picks the pace up again. And there's also use of slow motion, which is distracting when it's used so many times. I have to wonder why this was only produced for Showtime. Right now it at best reaches obscure classic status when it deserves much wider recognition. It's not just a movie about how porn became popular. It's strangely enough, a story about family. Didn't expect me to say that with a title like Rated X, did you? |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Lethal Weapon
https://i.imgur.com/z0Zitku.jpg Martin Riggs is an unstable man. He lost his wife a long time ago, and is always on the edge no matter who he encounters. Roger Murtaugh is a family father who has been in the force for many years. He has a relatively tidy life, but feels a bit anguished over turning 50. When a woman jumps out of a window in what looks like a suicide but might be something else, Riggs and Murtaugh have to work with each other. To their dismay. This is an iconic staple in the buddy cop genre. The chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover is said to have rarely been replicated as well, and it's easy to see well. Gibson is impressive as the unstable cop and approaches his character with both a darkly humorous and tragic quality that makes him so engaging to watch. The scene where he's so close to really pulling the trigger on himself is both intense and heartwrenching. He doesn't do it, but you can tell he thinks he might as well. Unsurprisingly, he's not the greatest choice trying to talk a suicidal person out of jumping off a building. They both land happily, but could very well have been fatal. Gibson teasing the guy and telling him to jump if he really wants to is disturbingly hilarious, and such is Murtaugh telling Riggs to kill himself if he really wants to die that badly. Murtaugh anger/fear over his unstable partner is very realistically portrayed, yet you can't help but smile when Glover yells in at the opponent, who is equally compelling as the down-to-earth cop who loves his wife and kids, but doesn't like feeling like a dinosaur. There's not much mystery around who murdered Michael Hunsaker's daughter even if the movie does a good job hiding it, but the journey there is what grabs you. The two cops slowly learning to trust each other chasing down people who are connected to the murder is very fun watch, and even more so the scene where Murtaugh shows Riggs his home and family. I like how Riggs starts to grow on Murtaugh, but is immediately disturbed again when he talks about how killing has been a part of him since he was a child. The last third is when the action takes a faster tempo, and Gary Busey gets a time to shine as Joshua, the man who had Hunsaker's daughter murdered. With his cold intimidating stare and playful delivery as he tries to keep control of the situation makes him a memorable villain. The final fight scene where he faces Riggs is gritty and intense, where you can feel the two of them trying to bite each other's ears off.
WARNING: spoilers below
I predicted he would stand back up and getting killed for real after Riggie lets him go with the police to arrest him, but the fact that he was shot by *both* partners is what makes it so cool. In trying to overcome each other's differences, they became one and the same. It's pretty odd though how the other cops just stood there and let the fight play out not knowing who will win. Did they think it was so cool they don't care if it went one way or another?
The final part is Riggs coming to his now friend's home with a present getting ready to leave right away, but Murtaugh insisting he stays and endures his wife's bad cooking with him. It's apparently so bad they used the joke thrice. As a fan of the genre, this is one of the best in its kind. The action, drama and comedy mix together perfectly and makes it a highly satisfying experience. You can never get too old for this shît. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Hello? Anybody there?
|
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1940257)
Hello? Anybody there?
wat do you want? |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Attention.
|
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1940266)
Attention.
|
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1940257)
Hello? Anybody there?
Not attacking you. Just wandered in here. :) |
Because I loved the movie and want to express why? Your job as a reviewer is to give your thoughts on the movie you've seen in a way that engages the readers. In this case, I couldn't possibly have shortened it down. It wouldn't be right, since there are so many fascinating things to talk about in it. It’s like lenslady said, a good reviewer sometimes make you want to see a movie again. :)
I had never seen it before myself, and there will always be people who haven't seen even the most wellknown classics. Sometimes your love for a movie can even be a reason itself to read a review for it. |
Stereo
https://i.imgur.com/HnUFuri.png A couple of people at an experimental clinic are daily practicing their mindreading techniques on each other with a bizarre narrator describing all events. Yep. That's pretty much the best way to sum up David Cronenberg's feature debut. One thing you'll notice at first it's that it's shot in black-and-white, the only one of his films where that's the case (probably so he could afford to make it). The second thing is that there's virtually no sound. You can actually hear a *little* bit of sound if you really turn the volume up, but it's not recommended lest you get the narrator's booming voice blasting at you. As with most of Cronenberg's work, it's beautifully shot. The superb use of frog perspective, the pans showing the isolated, lonely hall filled with lonely people. The theme of warped psychology would occur in many of his later movies, and is present here as well. The test subjects turn into manic creatures in the name of science, even getting pills so they'll be able to have sex with anyone regardless of their original sexual preference. The story as you can see is erratic, but it nevertheless is intriguing. The highlights are quite absolutely the people in the experiment going insane, demonstrating man's tendency of deprivating behavior, another Cronenbergian element. And at first, the odd-sounding narrator might be a source of minor amusement. Despite having a few things going for it however, this is not a flawless movie. The biggest hurdle for many will be the narration, which is so bundled up in technical jargon that it becomes nearly completely impossible to understand at times. If that's supposed to be the joke, it's a little too inside and not quite funny enough. The problem with it as well is that you don't understand the greater purpose of the experiments the scientist (never onscreen) performs on these subjects. Since this is not your usual silent film, which often has music and an easy narrative flow (which this doesn't), you never really get to know the characters, even though you're always following them. You see them laughing and eating, but you have no idea who they really are besides one woman always acting jumpy and another always looking monotone (who gets to narrate a little as well). The change to different narrators is a nice touch, but they all are equally confusing. I recommend it if you're curious how the master started and want to see the early stages of the themes he would later explore in more eleborate detail. It's interesting enough to stick out with throughout. If you are about to start checking in Cronenberg however, it might be best saved after you've watched some of his more famous work. |
Stir Crazy
https://i.imgur.com/2RWuMSo.jpg Look at these two faces. Don't you just love them already? Skip Donahue and Harry Monroe are two life-long friends whose lives aren't going the way they wanted. Skip isn't making a penny on playwriting, and Harry just got fired from his waiter job. But Skip gets what initially sounds like a very good idea: travel to Hollywood and start over! But just as they get a new job, they are framed for armed robbery when two criminals steal their bird costumes. They go to prison, but they are here and they are Bustin' Loos- whoops, wrong movie. Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor has to be the most brilliant comedy pairing in cinema history. Their energetic yet very different acting styles mesh together fantastically, and makes this film as memorable as it is. Already at the start when one of the cooks in the kitchen accidentally gives the guests Harry's hard grass, I am laughing already. His reaction both over how hard it was to obtain and what will happen if the guests get high is hysterical. Gene Wilder's first scene is similiarly uproarious when he keeps following an actress in hopes of casting her in one of his plays, where he's blissfully unaware of the provocative nature of his comments. Wilder showcases such a friendly innocence that he's as endearing as he is hilarious. But I don't think any part got to me more than when the two of them are going to prison and have to act "tough" to survive. Their over-the-top mannerisms with Harry walking in a very exaggerated manner and Skip making ninja sound effects made me laugh so hard I snorted. That's an accomplishment generated from a truly brilliant comedian. Skip and Harry's personality differences contrast in really funny ways where Skip is forced to take every beating with a smile on his face but suffers in agony whenever the deputy Ward Wilson is out of sight... while Harry doesn't even try to mask his angst and flips out at every turn. While Wilder and Pryor absolutely steal the show though, it's helped even more by a great supporting cast. Joel Brooks is likeable as Len Garber, the optimistic lawyer, and JoBeth Williams is cute as a button in the role of Meredith, cousin of the lawyer. We also have Craig T. Nelson, but he's not playing opposite of JoBeth. Instead, he goes against type and plays a real bastard of a deputy who makes Skip and Harry's time in jail hell. He's so entertaining in his sadistic obsession with making sure they don't come out as strongwilled heroes in any way. This guy isn't interested in being a Coach. Finally, my mentions go to Miguel Ángel Suárez and Erland van Lidth, who later become very important to the plot. I don't want to spoil too much, but Erland was wonderful as the large brute who's hard on first glance, but a very gentle and trusted companion once you get to know him. He makes a memorable entrance in the jail cafeteria, where everyone gets scared shîtless and run away from him. It's true as with baby plot-heavy comedies however that the laughs are not quite as frequent in the third act. And normally this is a huge draw for me. But in this case, even though I still wish there had been a few more gags thrown in, it works. It actually gets a bit suspenseful and you're wondering if the convoluted plan these pals come up with will work. The directing is very skillful, where you have characters popping in and out of various places seamlessly. Tom Scott's score also helps increase the tension. The love story between Skip and Meredith works so well even though they only get to see each other on brief visits, simply because he's such a charmer. Who could say no to that sweet face and such genuine, tender affection. When JoBeth jumps up with glee when Skip remembers to invite her to his next play, you smile together with them. Even Len who was confused at first over the blooming connection between them lets out a chuckle. This is a classic feel-good comedy worth watching whenever you need some cheering up. Don't forget to check out See No Evil, Hear No Evil as well! |
The Spy Who Dumped Me
https://i.imgur.com/SqRX2JQ.jpg If I had only judged this movie by the trailer, I would probably not have gone and seen it, or at least not until it got available online. But I gave it a chance, and in my opinion this is a very fun and wickedly crazy flick. If you're tired of spy movies taking themselves too seriously, this is the one for you. You can tell how much of a blast Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon had making this movie. I'll sum up the story briefly: Audrey isn't happy on her birthday. Her boyfriend Drew dumps her via a text message, which makes her angry and confused. Her friend Morgan suggests they burn his things as revenge. Audrey later flirt with a man by the name of Sebastian, who unexpectedly throws her into his car and reveals to her that Drew is actually a secret agent. She informs Morgan, and Drew suddenly returns home to instruct them to deliver an important trophy. I wasn't super familiar with Kate McKinnon before this, but she got a lot of the best lines. Her character's tendency for saying whatever's on her mind, no matter how weird or badly timed it may be, makes the jokes more unpredictable, and you laugh at her ballsy nature and impulsiveness. And you've got to love her go at a British accent. Mila Kunis gives one of her performances in a while, really managing to live into the wacky situations she gets thrown into. Not to mention she has some pretty funny moments herself. The few quieter moments where she and McKinnon just reflect on their lives are nice to see, and helps you emotionally connect to them. Justin Theroux and not-Chris-Pratt Sam Heughan also give really good performances as agents Drew and Sebastian. I won't spoil too much, but the movie takes some pretty interesting turns with their characters. Not just the comedy works, it's also surprisingly well-filmed, with intense and very brutal action sequences. You feel the bullets and the impact of the action. It's less Mission: Impossible and more Kingsman: The Secret Service in terms of the violence. If you're coming to this movie for Gillian Anderson (that was part of the reason I checked it out), she gives a restrained, fairly comic performance as the spy organization boss Wendy. The highlight is when she gets to yell at her two incompetent lackeys. However, this is where I get to one of my criticisms. I wish she would have gotten more to do. In total her screentime equals to a few minutes at the most, and that's not enough. I would have loved to see her play a bigger role, instead she always gets pushed to the side. Then there are also a couple jokes that didn't do it for me, but given the amount of humor in the script, you can't hit the target every time. Plus they are so few and far between that you forget about them quickly. We don't have enough R-rated comedies nowadays that's not exclusively about partying. This is a light feel-good ride with some darkly comic elements. |
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1945596)
https://i.imgur.com/2RWuMSo.jpg
Look at these two faces. Don't you just love them already? |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Excuse me, what?
|
THE ENTIRE REVIEW IS A SPOILER.
North By Northwest https://i.imgur.com/Ec8YhkA.jpg John Thornhill has a typical busy day of work, and will later go to the opera with his mother. But suddenly he gets kidnapped by two spies, and they continually adress him as George Kaplan, which both confuses and angers him. He's brought into the palace of Lester Townsend. He forcibly gets gin poured into his body, and wakes up in a car driving off towards the end of a cliff. Realizing they are trying to murder him, George steers the car away and tries to drive the best he can while drunk. The police stops him for driving too fast and throw him in a cell to sober up. The police don't believe his story. Neither does the court. How will John escape from his kidnappers, and who is George Kaplan? The movie introduces John pretty interestingly. You hear him talking so fast it gets hard to keep up, and I'm thinking "Whoa, this is not gonna be the whole movie is it?". But as soon as he gets kidnapped, he starts talking at a more reasonable tempo. Hitchcock gets a funny little cameo where he's about to take the bus, but it closes the door on him. John's irritation and confusion is merged very well by Cary Grant, and you immediately fear what is going to happen to his character. The banter between him and his mother makes for some of the best lines in the movie, Jessie Royce Landis comically depicting the mother's nonchalant and careless attitude. She has such a hard time taking her son seriously that she casually converses with the men chasing him. Once John says goodbye to his mother, we are introduced to another figure: Eva Kendall. The introduction between them is perfectly done. John is happy to finally talk to a sane person, and a beautiful woman nonetheless. Eva has the blend between cute and sassy that I love. She can tell right away John is lying, but feels sympathetic towards his plight. The part after that when she seduces him is hands down one of the most erotic sensual scenes I have seen maybe... ever. The soft way she talks and slowly caresses him is so irresistably sexy that you'd lose any semblance of skepticism just like John. It wouldn't surprise me if Hitchcock got a little sweaty filming it. Hitchcock also manages to catch you off-guard by moments after seeing Eva slip a note giving away where she and John are hiding. Yet she also helps him to escape right after. It cleverly instills doubt in a character the audience were tricked into liking at first. Why does she help both sides at the same time? Something's fishy. It gets even fishier once we found out George Kaplan doesn't exist whatsoever, and yet Eva tells John where to go to "find" him. You find yourself begging for Eva to tell him the truth or for John to see something is wrong. You can tell she doesn't want to do it either, so you realize she's actually just as conflicted as the audience now is. And as John arrives to the location, we are treated to one of the most iconic and eerie scenes of suspense in history. First it's so quiet... so dreadfully quiet. You see a helicopter hovering ominously in the background. Later, when John is practically ready to give up and call it a day, the helicopter becomes a murder weapon. What can be scarier than right into the open getting chased by a helicopter trying to catch you in its blades, with no one around to help you? The ground perspective with John hiding among the crops with the threat flying above him makes you feel like you're put into the same seat. The situation gets even scarier when John realizes there is no one left to trust, including Eva. John's underpressed anger over Eva betraying him, and trying to stop her from pulling any more phoney tricks is excellently conveyed both through Cary Grant's acting and the dialogue. "I thought it might be best if we stick together. TOGETHERNESS? Get the picture?" When he heads to the auction Grant shows his comedic abilities as his character tauntingly either raises the bid to unreasonable levels or lowers it so much it's insulting. But there's some sadness in there too. You can tell how hurt and disappointed he is that a lady who might have been the love of his life turned out to be a traitor. And it only gets weirder and weirder. John is later met by a goverment agent professor, who reveals George Kaplan doesn't exist, and it's just a distraction from Eva Kendall, the real goverment agent, and he has to cover for her. To be honest, I didn't realize at first when Eva shot him at the Mount Rushmore visitor center it was only staged. It was such a shocking turns of events that you think of Eva being just as much of a villain as the spies themselves. Hitchcock has cleverly disoriented me once again. Eva sadly has to continue going along with the spies (whose names are Philip and Leonard, which first now I remembered to mention), despite the obvious danger she's putting herself into. John is knocked unconscious and brought into a hospital by the professor, who doesn't want him to help Eva, or get any more involved. As soon as his back is turned, John escapes and goes after Eva. The scene of John listening to Philip and Leonard just outside their house is amazingly tenseful, and in the style of Rear Window shows how exciting and scary it can be observing people you just know are up to something. The sweat drops continue when John has to get inside the actual house and warn Eva what the spies are planning to do with her if she goes with them on their private plane. And equally as iconic as the crop chase is the climax on top of the Mount Rushmore, which despite the odd rule that they were not allowed to show the people climbing on the Founding Father's actual faces, it makes great use of the menace of the mountain, doubling the threat by having to worry about both falling to the ground and getting caught by Leonard and Valerian. Hitchcock makes it look just hopeless enough that when Leo and Val are stopped, you breathe a huge sigh of relief. Interestingly however, John helping Eva up so he won't fall is seamlessly transitioned to getting her up to his bed. It made me raise my eyebrow initially, but I quickly appreciated the original way the tension resolved. And if Hitchcock hadn't angered the censors enough already, he ends the film by simulating sex with a shot of a train driving into a tunnel. It put a huge smile on my face. North By Northwest is the essential Hitchcock masterpiece. The stakes are as high as they can possibly get, with flawless acting all around the board, a story which takes a lot of thrilling twists and turns, and with a brilliantly crafted score by Bernard Hermann. Hermann compliments his director's talent so massively that it reads like a giant love letter. The cinematography is very colorful and full of personality, which makes the movie very pretty to look at. Well, having Eva-Marie Saint also helps of course. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Can there really be spoilers for a 60 year old movie?
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Probably not, but I appreciate the "better safe than sorry" posture, since it's pretty hard to draw a line anywhere.
|
Originally Posted by Stirchley (Post 1951016)
Can there really be spoilers for a 60 year old movie?
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
@lenslady Seen North By Northwest? :)
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1951362)
@lenslady Seen North By Northwest? :)
I saw it years ago, but your vivid review was delightful, as always . Didn't mind the spoiler at all!! b'c that was the type of movie I'd need 'Cliff Notes' to follow- or, in this case: I can use your review as a go-to guide next time it comes around on my ' old movie' channel. Btw . I 've preferred Charade to N by NW b/c that was a plot I could almost completely sorta follow ;D on my own. And loved the romantic/ comedic ending Perhaps you' ll do a review on that one someday. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Good review of The Wall. I admit, as a film 8t was pretty good, but I hated it as a Floyd fan. The Wall, Dark Side and Wish You Were Here are three of my favorite albums, and I thought the lack of dialogue and cutting out Hey You were bad moves.
|
The Nun
https://i.imgur.com/ZG9eOpq.jpg It opens with two nuns walking at the lowest part of a monastery until they reach a sign which translated to English says "God ends here". Knowing what a risk it is, they still open the door. A nun shows up bloodied and panicking, who warns one of the nuns (the other is now gone) what she must do. The warning nun then gets dragged away and the other nun kills herself so a demon won't take her soul. Conceptionally, this could make for a good, creepy opening. But there is so little sublety involved and so much bombasity right away that it just feels over-the-top. Even the opening to It '17 (which is arguably one of the only creepy parts of the movie) doesn't blast the loud music until you see Richie get dragged away. In this movie, it gets loud about a minute in, so I'm going "Wow, bringing out the big guns right away, huh?". I just miss the very calm openings old horror movies tend to have, where everything seems so safe and sound, until suddenly something really horrifying happens. It makes the actual intended terror much scarier. But let's not get stuck at the opening only. Let's get into the story. Father Burke is brought on to investigate not only the suicide, but also the monastery itself. Is it really as cursed as people say? (Short answer: Yes.) He brings with him Sister Irene and Frenchie as help. Frenchie hesitates showing them where the monastery lies, but is persuaded into taking them there, probably partly because of a hot nun. We get some very cliché attempts of flirting from him, including suggesting that maybe it’s better she doesn't become a nun at all. The dialogue is pretty awkward already, but at least we get to enjoy some nice outside scenery. When they enter the monastery they are confronted by Mother Superior, who does have a good, creepy voice. But while the set-up is fine enough, you soon come to realize they don't really don't do much with it. As you'd expect, there are jumpscares. A LOT of them. And they almost always have the exact same lead-up! Some ominous figure stands behind, they turn around, they turn back and BOO! Or maybe they turn around just one more time to make sure there won't be a lousy jumpscare. The point is, it's s'hit that we've seen a thousand times. The one attempt to have the monster come from a different angle fails completely since it was spoiled in the trailer. It's not like jumpscares can never work, but there has to be a decent amount of build-up before trying to scare you, if you wait only five seconds after you expect something scary to happen, it loses all impact. The Conjuring movies had jumpscares, but there were fewer of them, and you actually got enough time to feel some chills down your spine. How am I supposed to feel the uncomfortable dread if I've only got seconds on me? Are they so damn impatient to scare their viewers they can't hold off a little? Not just the jumpscares are repetitive, the structure of the plot is. You get see the characters walking, and walking, and walking, and walking... I swear at least an hour of this movie probably consists of people walking after something. These scenes are so freaking pointless and irritating since you could spend that time on developing the main demon nun's backstory. You know, the nun that the movie is about??? You get some info about the monastery's history, but why the nun is evil, why she wants people's souls? Nothing. You come to a prequel movie about a minor The Conjuring 2 character, and you learn nothing you didn't know before already. Let's talk about the nun, by the way. How does she come across in this movie? Overdone. People have debated about the nun being shown too much or too little, but I don't think the amount of screentime she has is the problem. It's the way they use her. The couple times she appeared in The Conjuring 2, she was creepy as fūck. Mostly she was an ominous painting standing in the background, which would then slowly move closer in a way that's really eerie. This time we get close-ups of the nun laughing, saying cheesy one-liners, and show off the dreaded CGI teeth. Oh God, how I can't stand that. "Less is more" is certainly something that movie hasn't employed. Bonnie Aarons still does a good job as The Nun, but the director just didn't know how to use her correctly. When the nun is defeated by Irene spraying blood at her (I'm not kidding, that's all it takes), she collapses into a pool of dreadful CGI effects. Now, there is one more redeeming feature about the movie: the acting. Even though there are a few weak spots, like Ingrid Bisu's overacting with Sister Oana and Jonas Bloquet as Frenchie really not coming across as charming as he hoped, most of them do a decent job. Demián Bichir is believable enough as Burke (even though he does kinda use the same facial expression a lot) with Taissa Farmiga as Irene being the true stand-out. She seems to have inharited the talents from her sister and looks like a promising new performer. She made her character Irene easy to root for, and even though the suspense for reasons I mentioned isn't well-done, you care about her character making it out okay. The ending ties the movie together to The Conjuring, where
WARNING: spoilers below
it turns out that Frenchie (after saving Irene and Father Burke's life) got bit by the possession bug and is shown 20 years later on a tape where he's screaming in agony while priests perform an exorcism on him, indicating that the danger is never really over. I think I spotted a small cameo by Vera Farmiga, which if it was her that's cool. If it isn't... well, at least she was wise enough to stay away from this mess.
The Nun is not good. It's boring, it's predictable, it's not scary, which wouldn't be as much of a problem if it at least had atmosphere, and even though it's only 1 hour and 37 minutes, it feels like it will never end. Despite that, it's not the worst horror movie I've ever seen. But it's very mediocre. As a huge fan of the Conjuring movies, this is a serious letdown. Unless they get a really talented director, it seems like only James Wan can make a movie in the Conjuring spirit work. |
Haven't seen The Nun yet, but it has all the markings of a boring sh*tfest. Thanks for confirming, but I'll probably still watch it.
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Nooo! You are the second person who has listened to my negative critique on the movie and still decides to go watch it! :laugh:
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1952835)
Nooo! You are the second person who has listened to my negative critique on the movie and still decides to go watch it! :laugh:
|
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
https://i.imgur.com/HyNZEm0r.jpg After surviving the traumatic events of the previous adventure, Kristy Cotton is brought to a mental institution. Wanting to save her dad still stuck in hell, Kristy tries but fails to have her voice heard, until her psychologist witnesses something so unspeakably horrible he decides to help her. But will Kirsty make it out this time too? Hellraiser II is a model example of how to do a horror sequel that feels fresh, while at the same also giving the fans what they want. Kirsty goes through the portal again, but this time there's a different villain, and she has a different companion with her. There are a lot of cool special effects, and some stunningly well-done makeup work and stop-motion animation mixed inbetween there as well. When psychologist Kyle McRae, who was previously cautiously sceptical towards Kristy's story witnesses the murder of a mentally ill man who literally has bugs crawling inside his skin, and later is devoured by someone wanting to look like a "real" human being again, you feel his fear as it looks so incredibly disgusting and realistic. I liked Kirsty and Kyle's dynamic with each other. You can tell how much Kyle cares about his girl even before he believes her, not trying to write her off as a kook unlike Dr. Philip Channard. And when he does believe her, you root for him so badly that The main villain this time is Julia, who comes off as possibly even more frightening than Uncle Frank. But damn, if she isn't one of the most hatable characters ever! It was to the point where every second she was onscreen at first, I was full of rage and forgot I was watching a fictional character. It's not until after a while I was able to relax more and not having to feel boiled-up all the time. Philip Channard is a great villain as well, who once he transforms becomes a truly sick force of nature. Frank for the little screentime he has is also still as creepy as he was in the original. Now, let's talk about Kirsty. After this movie I'm convinced: she's one of my favorite horror protagonists. She's fearless yet fearful at the same time, and is pushed around a ton but never ever gives up. How she remains sharp and never gets anyone overpower her makes her both likeable and cool. Clive Barker (who wrote the script) gets that his audience doesn't like being insulted, they love a character who's actually able to think and doesn't make a ton of stupid mistakes so the villain can easily slash her. The story is suspenseful enough that the script doesn't need that. The director Tony Randel adds a bit more violence, adding to the grotesque and dark nature of this unforgivably cruel yet also weirdly alluring underworld. The environments look hauntingly beautiful. And there's Pinhead himself, whose role is more prominent, but still only shows up when it's neccessary. Him and the other cenobites still look amazing, with tremendous makeup. Doug Bradley brings an imposing presence as Pinhead, who is not merely out to be cruel, but rather wants to show people they don't want to know what he's capable of. And even with him and the other cenobites' hideous appearance, they are really just people who ended up this way due to circumstance of somber fate. However, I do also have one small bit of criticism with his character this time: he's a bit too lenient. I think he would have posed more of a threat had he not gone "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you for a second". While he's a "fair" leader (as much as you can be there anyway), he also forgets that Kirsty is incredibly smart and can outwit him if he's not careful enough. I get this is because Julia and Dr. Channard are more villains than he is, but it did strike me as odd.
WARNING: spoilers below
The film ends in a similiar manner as the original. The danger is over, but only for now. Pinhead and crew will be back...
Well, at least they didn't make it so that someone destroys Pinhead so massively it wouldn't make sense for him to come back (*cough*Jason Vorhees*cough*). Hellraiser II will make your hair rise on end. It's a good bit of fun. |
The Mummy's Hand
https://i.imgur.com/4VvbMSs.png Steve Banning and Babe Benson are on vacation in Egypt. But unfortunately to them, they have so little money they can't afford to go back home. Suddenly Steve finds a broken, but intriguing historical vase that he decides to purchase. Babe thinks he's nuts, but Steve has a hunch that it might be a huge moneymaker. The vase is confirmed by Dr. Petrie to be authentic, but Andoheb claims it's a duplicate, in order to discourage them from going on the trip. Ignoring his words, Steve and Babe go in search of a treasure, with fatal consequences... Hearing me describe it you might notice I didn't use the word "mummy" once. Well, I think the reason might be that I not only see this as a good mummy movie, but also a very exciting adventure. In a smallscale way, it shows the sense of wonder traveling to a mythic place can have. Steve and Babe also make for wonderfully likeable protagonists, with Dick Foran playing the sensible and collected straightman, and Wallace Ford playing the goofy sidekick, who manages to balance the fine line of being a nice bit of comic relief while not just standing in the way as a foil. When it really comes to it, he shows a nice bit of bravery despite being so scared. Most of the best lines in the movie also comes from him, especially
WARNING: spoilers below
right after he's saved Marta: "Oh, that's just like a woman. When the shooting's all over and everything, they pass out." Of course, he proceeds to pass out himself.
The plot is pretty similiar to the first one. You have the mummy Kharis, who was buried alive when he tried to revive his loved one with tana leaves, so ever since then he's just rested in his tomb, waiting for someone to set him free. You have the expeditionists, who go there in site of the lurking danger. The last act is also nearly identical in how it plays out and how it ends. And if you think the flashbacks with Kharis look extremely alike the ones in the previous movie... well, that's because they're using archive footage! Most likely they needed to save some money, so they used old material hoping nobody would notice. Sorry, but we did. Everybody noticed. However, what's makes this one stand on its own anyway is not only the fact that most of it takes place in the desert (the original kept things mostly at homebase), but it adds a lot more humor into the script. There are scenes of tension, but also scenes where you see the characters relaxing, and Babe offering one funny line or two. At the same time, it takes itself seriously enough that you sit there in suspense hoping the good guys will make it out. Tom Tyler brings his own interpretation as a mummified creature, with his iconic walking style and the uneasy black stare. It's not a role which requires a ton of acting skills, but he's still a fairly imposing Kharis. The director Christy Cabane does the most with a low budget. The scenery is very nice to look at, and it's nicely framed and shot. There's a particularly good-looking image of a wolf howling at the moon in the bane of night. The ancient temple has an air of mystique and intrigue. I won't force your hand... But you should see The Mummy's Hand. |
Anger Management
https://keyassets-p2.timeincuk.net/w...Management.jpg Dave Buznik is on his flight to work. On the plane, he meets an annoying passenger while also getting horribly misunderstood by a flight attentant who thinks he wants her to give him head instead of a headset. Dave gets told to "calm down" even though they are the one who aren't calm (Boy, how we all can relate to that and he gets hit by a taser and then taken to court for "assaulting" a flight attendant. He gets sent to anger management where funnily enough, the bothersome passenger turns out to be the leader. But is he out to help Dave out or is there something more sinister behind? Anger Management is a classic example of a frustration comedy. Dave has all these horrible things happening to him, all with them trying to make it out like he is in the wrong instead, and he deserves none of it. Either this is funny or it's just plain painful to sit through. Thanks to the witty screenplay and a talented cast it's in the category of funny. Let's first talk about Adam Sandler. He can be a bit hit-and-miss. There's the tedious obnoxiousness in That's My Boy, the sleepwalker performance in Pixels (for playing a character so into videogames he couldn’t look more bored) and of course, the infamous Jill in Jack And Jill. I've only seen clips here and there, though even the little footage I've seen of him as Jill already makes my skin crawl. But if he really puts his mind to it he can deliver. He plays Dave with effectionate sympathy, portraying very well someone who's forced to be patient with a lot of people who don't give him any kind of respect. If you've dealt with a lot of those people, you know what it feels like. Because none of the misfortunes are his fault, you feel so bad for him whenever anything goes wrong. Sandler portrays the repressed anger and ongoing tension so well that when he finally has it and unleashes his rage, it's like a bomb explodes. Sandler rarely uses any of his crazy child voices this time, so the comedy feels much more natural. Just taking Dave as he is, a man under pressure who's pushed to the limit, gives us a likeable grounded persona who's easy to root for. While Sandler's good though, no one steals the show more than Jack Nicholson. His sly sense of humor shows through more than ever, and plays the character Buddy Rydell with extraordinary sadistic glee. Nicholson relies on his incopiable charm to make Rydell so entertainingly assholish and manipulative that he makes you smile even though you should hate him. All the iconic Nicholsonesque facial expressions are there in full force, and does so much with his material he even makes you chuckle at a cheap fart joke. "You hear that frog?" Buddy is well-written as a character too. Occassionally he does take you by surprise, thinking maybe he maybe isn't so bad after all. Other times you wonder how far he fell down from the god-damn nut tree. The supporting cast deserves mentions as well. Marisa Tomei as Dave's girlfriend Linda is charming, and has good chemistry with Sandler. There are the colorful personalities in the anger management group, who all get their time to shine throughout. There's the highly underrated Luis Guzman as the on-edge Lou, Jonathan Laughran as Nate, Krista Allen and January Jones as the crazy porno chicks Stacy and Gina... and my favorite of all, John Turturro as the egocentric war veteran Chuck (who at first is Dave's anger partner until that fails and Buddy takes over). Every scene this guy is in he's hilarious. Completely unhinged and unpredictable, he loses his temper at virtually everything and anyone. Turturro plays the character with manic intensity, and out of any in the anger group to get the most screentime he was the most deserving. You can tell the the whole cast is just having a lot of fun, some playing it up but never to the point where it becomes too unbelievable. Besides those, there's Kurt Fuller as the overly demanding boss Frank Head (who Buddy in one of his teasing provocations calls "Fran"), Woody Harrelson as the lovable prostitute in drag Galaxia, Harry Dean Stanton as the blind man Dave involuntarily provokes (casted at Nicholson's wishes) and John C. Reilly in an excellent cameo as the grown up version of Dave's old bully Arnie Shankman. Hell, you even have John McfreakingEnroe!* In fact, the only forgettable performance is Allen Covert as Andrew, which isn't really his fault since he doesn't get much to do. Andrew is mostly more like an object of irritation Dave gets to deal with inside his head rather than personally. There are only two issues I have. First off, there's some inconsistency regarding whether Buddy is a highly respected psychologist, or if he's a revered one. Sometimes we hear he's controversial, other times that he's a genius. The script can't seem to decide which stance on him it wants to take. Also, while I don't mind the
WARNING: spoilers below
football stadium conclusion like some do, maybe because I'm a bit sentimental, I don't think it was neccessary to throw in how the whole thing was set up. It makes no sense at all. There's no way that a judge would agree to waste her time sentencing someone several times just to be part of some weird experiment, plus it seems kind of cruel Linda would want to put Dave through all of this just so he would propose to her. With every other scene I was able to suspend my disbelief, but this is where they really stretched it.
With all that being said, the more I think about it the more I like this movie. The laughs are perfectly timed, the acting ranges from decent to great, and looking at the bloopers you realize just how hard it was to perform some of the scenes with a straight face. I mean, the part where Kendra (played by Heather Graham in another memorable small role) tries to bed Dave, all while stuffing herself full with chocolate brownies, I don't think I could manage even after a thousand takes. Anger Management is a great Adam Sandler vehicle, maybe because it's not only his, but an entire ensemble's. If you have anger problems, maybe this is the best way to soothe it. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Great analysis of Anger Management. It's been too long since I've seen it, but I would consider it one of Sandler's best.
|
Children Of The Corn III: Urban Harvest
https://i.imgur.com/hWrs1kR.png Two brothers are adopted after the younger one kills their father. The two parents are delightful to have kids to take care of, but something about the younger brother Eli isn't right. While Joshua does his best to conform to the new surroundings, Eli is more interested in summoning the wrathful god He Who Walks Behind The Rows... It's another sequel to the somewhat one-note premise of a corn cult. In fact, a lot of things about this one is similiar to Children Of The Corn II. But whereas that one focused more on the adults, this one is told from the perspective of the kids. There are scenes of genuine suspense and times where Eli frightens you with how relentlessly evil and controlling he is towards anyone he meets. Daniel Cerny is most certainly the brightest spot in the film, and gives a wickedly entertaining over-the-top performance. Ron Melendez as the goody-goody brother pales in companion, but manages to make his character likable enough to work. Michael Ensign is also good as the priest Father Frank Nolan, who has an uncanny likeness to John Cleese. One very memorable creepy scene takes place at a dinner table with Eli, Joshua's girlfriend Maria and her parents. I won't say anything more than that, but it's a pretty shocking moment. Generally this entry is more well put together than you'd expect, but I think for the most part I just laughed along with it. There are many hilarious lines related to corn, like Eli asking about the corn meeting, "You reap what you sow" and him asking where the corn is. This would very easily fit into a sketch parodying the series, but I think written into the movie itself it becomes a lot funnier. The dialogue from the high school kids amused me sometimes as well, like the obligatory scene where a group rises up from their chairs and starts acting hostile. One of them pulling out a knife going "What's up?". That part made me laugh so much I decided to pull it on my friend afterwards as a joke.
WARNING: spoilers below
The stepfather William meeting Eli and every kid he has brainwashed into the Galtin cult is another terrific highlight. The look of disappointment rather than fear on his face when Eli kills him (like all he did was break a neighbor's window) is my favorite part out of the whole movie.
There are multiple scenes which I think are supposed to be scary, but I burst out laughing instead. Which is something I would normally hold against it, but in this case it just adds to the fun. The crazy special effects in weird dream sequences, scenes of killing and the final act makes me chuckle as well, though some of them are actually pretty welldone. And I love whenever a horror movie uses stop-motion. At times it gets a little unbelievable, like how insanely oblivious William is when it comes to his Eli's odd behavior,
WARNING: spoilers below
and how quickly he gets over the death of his wife Amanda and doesn't bother trying to find out how she died
And now there's only six left to get to. |
Sabrina
https://i.imgur.com/SWuHs89.jpg Sabrina has been in love with David ever since she was a little kid. But unfortunately to her, he keeps going out with all these other women all the time. So one night when she realizes David might never be hers, she tries to commit suicide. Linus walks in on her in the garage after it makes a lot of noise. She lies about what she was doing there and Linus takes her home. She reluctantly agrees to go to a cooking school in Paris like her father wants. As it turns out, she learns a lot there, and when she comes back she's a changed person (at least in terms of hairstyle and clothing). Once he realizes it's her, David becomes smitten! But shacking up with a chauffeur's daughter spells bad business for the sugar production, and so Linus steps into the picture and tries to make Sabrina fall for him instead. Directed by the talented Billy Wilder, what we have here is an elegantly put together, stylish romantic comedy. And as tired as a love triangle might sound, Wilder makes sure to never make any of the two men pining for Sabrina's attention unlikable. William Holden fills up the screen with his charismatic, wide smile and makes his character an amiable, if very clumsy seducter. He doesn't get as much screentime as the other two stars, but is very good as David Larabee, with a fair share of humorous moments, the highlight being when he sits on champagne glasses hidden in his back pocket and has to get shards off glass removed from his ass. It's made even better by him later trying to get up from a hammock and falling down. Humphrey Bogart gives a very memorable performance, who with just a small, but noticable change of tone in his voice shows he means business in one minute and the next one that he's out for love. His internal conflict over romance versus making money is a driving force throughout. He doesn't realize the problem with trying to steal someone's girl as a mere diversion can result in him really falling in love with her if she's charming enough. Thanks to Wilder's and Ernest Lehmann's script successfully balancing the thin line of a man harboring devious intentions yet also genuinely caring for someone, Linus never turns into a villain. Linus has only known business all his life, falling in love with a woman is something new entirely, that he was never prepared for.
WARNING: spoilers below
When Sabrina does find out he was using her in order to kickstart his company's sugar deal, you can tell he feels a great deal of remorse and regret, even in the moment he's telling her he was about to ship her off to Paris without him. When the ending arrives where Linus changes his mind and goes with her on the trip, your heart feels fulfilled.
Similiarly to how David and Linus are portrayed, Sabrina is handled with great care throughout. I disagree with one reviewer calling Sabrina a brat. Rather, I see her as the hopeless romantic, who as her father quotes, is "reaching for the moon". Many of us have been there at one point or another. The only way she'd come off as a brat is if she was played by Paris Hilton. One criticism I do have is that it was never really explained why David later has so little time for Sabrina. At first he had to heal, but after he had healed, what was the problem? You'd think he would want to spend more time with the woman he really loves. Thankfully this is made up for with the sinewy chemistry between Hepburn and Bogart. Sabrina is one of the all-time great sweet romantic comedies, which never oversteps in sentimentality and treats all its characters with intelligence and respect. It's so damned pleasant that you can't get enough of it. |
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1960180)
Sabrina
Have you seen the remake of Sabrina with Harrison Ford? I like the original version, but this is one case where I prefer the remake over the original version. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
I haven't seen the remake.
|
I just was going to say that @gbgoodies. ( Well actually I don't remember seeing the original but the remake is still my favorite lol)
Harrison is, for me, the definitive Linus, and this is the definitive 'Sabrina' film. And the modern version is also very, very funny; so many witty interchanges, not to mention the comedy from the interaction of the characters. Nancy Marchand and John Wood are also unforgettable in supporting roles; and brief appearances by Richard Crenna and Angie Dickenson just add to the fun. Although it's a relatively ' modern' movie, I think 1995, it plays like one of those old fashioned Cary Grant style romantic comedies: one funny scene after another- quick witted and smartly paced. And btw the scenery is gorgeous- from the opulent Long Island estate to lovely Cape Cod to NYC at its elegant best. Two favorite scenes: When the maid talks about how long it took her to adjust to being in America; and when David keeps trying, unsuccessfully, to guess who the new stylish Sabrina is, but Linus gets it straight away. There's also an hilarious line from Linus about Sabrina's new style of hair, but I won't spoil it. Here's what's interesting to me, and why I value your insightful reviews so much, Mattias. Your analysis of the film, characters and how this romance commences is spot on for the new Sabrina as well. You remark that the characters are basically likeable - true- and also mention what it's like for Linus to lift his head out of business and find, to his surprise, that he's falling in love. I guess the makers of the new version kept true to the essence of Wilder's intentions, albeit with a few changes in plot. Your last paragraph describes the new Sabrina to a T!!!! Hope you get to take a look at it sometime Mattias, and certainly hope. you enjoy it as much as gb and I did. As usual, your review makes me want to revisit a favorite film- but this time I' ll take the one with Harrison Ford ;D |
The Big White
https://i.imgur.com/EdYs0KD.png Paul Barnell's brother has gone missing. And as far as he knows, might even be dead. But the insurance company still doesn't want to give him any money, which leaves Paul in a state of desperation. When he discovers a lifeless body in a dumpster, instead of calling the police he decides to use it as a decoy for his brother, so he can prove that "he's" dead and cash in a huge check. Unfortunately for Paul, Ted is very suspicious and will do anything to uncover his bluff. And that's not the only problem... It's been a while since I saw a dark comedy. And I thought, what better way to go than with one of my favorite actors? Robin Williams was known for wanting to surprise his audience. So when the 2000's came along, he decided to take on more darker roles, while still also doing the occasional lighter ones. But in terms of how sinister his character is, it's less Insomnia or One Hour Photo and more World's Greatest Dad. Despite his twisted plan of taking some random poor guy's body to exploit for his own financial gain, you side with him all the way. He has an understandable motivation, and Williams plays him with such likability and genuine care that you not only feel bad for him, but actually start to smile every time he manages to get around corners and continue proceeding with his plan. There's one part where he has to explain why the body he found doesn't have the birthmark his brother has, which of course would prove he's using this body as a decoy. But then he comes up with an explanation so ridiculous, yet incredibly smart at the same time. Ted's dumbfounded reaction makes it even better. Let's talk about Ted as well. He could easily have been a typical obnoxious character whose entire job is to stand in Paul's way, and that's about it. But as much as we might find him unlikable in his introductory scene, as the movie unfolds he becomes more vulnerable and human. He's consumed by work, he gets no respect or considerable help, he gets beaten around (quite literally at points) and he has a girlfriend at home he never makes any time for because he's so focused on his own tasks. Giovanni Ribsi plays the character with the right amount of snarkiness and vulnerability. Allison Lohman is equally good as the phone therapist Tiffany, and portrays very well someone who can reach out to just about everyone except Ted, the man she tries to connect to but is no longer the same person she fell in love with.
WARNING: spoilers below
When Tiff threatens to move out, Ted finally comes to his senses and gets her involved in his mission as a chance for them to reconnect. This gives Tiffany the idea of the listening game, where they both have to give them their sides (this has a more effective use little later on).
But the best performance next to Williams comes from Holly Hunter as Paul's wife Margaret. I loved her in this movie! Her jittery almost parrot-sounding way of talking along with her bouncy body movements makes her a joy to watch every second. One part that made me possibly laugh the most is when she blinks franctically. It looks unreal, like someone used a CGI effect, but that's simply a credit to Hunter's acting. She has Tourettes and it's the kind that we usually see depicted, but Hunter's childlike and adorably quirky portrayal makes her more than just a one-joke parody. The way they do use her Tourettes as well is clever, where she both has moments where she swears involuntarily and others where she clearly uses them as a weapon or as a snappy comeback. She has a sickness, but doesn't let it make her a victim. And you can tell that Paul still loves her even though she's not entirely herself anymore. He just wants her to be happy.
WARNING: spoilers below
It's the entire reason he goes through with this elaborate scheme in the first place.
There's another, much worse obstacle Paul has to deal with besides Ted breathing behind his back. The body he stole happens to be a murder victim, and when the killers Gary and Jimbo can't find the body in the container, they have to find it. And when they discover that it's Paul who kept it stored, they keep his wife hostage and demand Paul get them the money he would earn for the body (which is 1000000, but he lies and says it's 100000). There's some very funny back-and-forth dialogue between Margaret and her kidnappers, where she constantly tests their patience with her constant insults, where Gary also argues that she's faking her Tourettes due to things he's read up about it, and the fact that the majority don't tend to swear so much. Jimbo has some good lines too, like questioning Margaret's comment about the food how she would know it tastes like a rectal polyp. Generally though I think Gary made me chuckle more, a rare example of the straightman being funnier than the goofball.
WARNING: spoilers below
But you can't talk about this movie without bringing up Woody Harrelson. He's so intimidating yet comic in his psychopathic callousness (going as far to suggest Paul should kill his own wife "just in case") that you laugh at him even though you're scared of him at the same time. In the last scene where he goes after Paul after he deserts him, he's genuinely creepy in his determination to kill his own brother if he has to, and makes you realize he was the real threat in all of this, not the kidnappers or Ted. When he gets shot and dies, the movie comes full circle. It started out with Paul thinking his brother is dead, and now he really was, showing how maybe he was too crazy for his world.
The final confrontation between Paul and Ted is what the whole plot has been leading up to. Ted has proof that he lied and now demands some god-damn answers. He's also through with sentimentality, so when Paul starts to explain but does it in a very rosy manner, he punches him anyway. After that we see the two couples in the car, with Tiffany asking Ted to listen to Paul and not interrupt. He starts talking and the story ends there. We don't see Ted's reaction, we are left to wonder for ourselves if he forgives him or not. Funnily enough, by the end I forgot the kidnappers are actually killers, given how they are so enjoyable throughout. I guess that's the power of audience manipulation. One thing that makes it stick out is the visual style. Throughout the cinematography is very white-looking, and I don't just mean the cast. Giovanni Ribsi looks very pale even when he's not out freezing, and there's a heavy use of large snowy backgrounds, with overhead shots of people walking like figures against a blank surface. It looks very beautiful and serves the dark story well. If you love Robin Williams, don't skip over this one. It's more cute than laugh-out-loud, but will make you smile all the way through. |
Leave No Trace
https://i.imgur.com/2O8drOWr.jpg Will has lived with his daughter Tom in the woods for years. And by selling things to other war veterans they manage to get by just enough that they can stay there. One day however, they're discovered by the police and have no choice but no leave. They get a decent home to stay in with two understanding and friendly people. Tom eventually gets used to the new surroundings, but Will feels trapped and misses the simplicity of the woods. How will they stick together when their ideals suddenly start to clash? The movie opens beautifully with the father and daughter spending a normal day in the woods cooking food, providing a roof over their heads, and most importantly going through a drill in case someone might spot them. The photography shows how pretty-looking and nice the forest seems, with all the green colors and big, bushy space. So with such a relaxing opening, I was hoping it wouldn't get less interesting once they were forced to leave it. But luckily, I'm still hooked seeing how the two of them try to adapt to a conventional society. Ben Foster is great as the dad scarred by memories of the war, who not only sees the forest as his home, but as the only way he can live. Foster's performance is very understated and emotionally gripping. He speaks a lot with his eyes, which communicate how he's feeling about getting thrown into something scary and unfamiliar. Not only the weird environments, but having to be away from his daughter occassionally as well. If you're used to spending that much time with someone, even the smallest reduction can be a living hell. But soon as he's in the woods, a glimmer shines through even as he has to deal with the worst hardships. Tom is not too excited about the situation at first either, but does the best she can. And once she starts making friends, she slowly starts to like it there. Thomasin McKenzie is equally impressive as someone who loves her dad through sticks and stones, and who's always been there for him. She shows off a warmth and affection that someone only does for the person you hold the most dear to your heart. Tom has never gotten a taste of how it's like to live in a regular society while Will has but doesn't want to go back. Will chooses to live in the woods out of determination while Tom has lived there her first thirteen years just because that's how things simply were. When Will has given up on society and urges Tom to go back with him to the forest, she no longer has the same admiration for it. She gets very cold, her feet tire out and she has to eat cheap canned food. She still loves her dad, but am starting to claim her independence.
WARNING: spoilers below
In the final scene, when Will despite almost dying and barely able to walk yet wants to go back to the woods, Tom pleads with him to stay with her in the RV. But he just can't. He has to say goodbye to her tearfully while she's forced to let him go and do what makes him happy. This has to be one of the best scenes of a reluctant farewell I've seen in a long time. Both of them hate to leave each other, but are split on their different ideals. As the movie was over and I got home, I continued thinking about this ending and how I wish there was a way for them to be happy with each other rather than separately. That's what powerful stories do to you.
The director Debra Granik shows a huge affection for the characters, and turns someone like Will who would seem crazy and irrational otherwise into a flawed, but empathetic soul. The drama doesn't have to hit at you from all cylinders with tearful music (not that that's neccessarily a bad thing). The true-to-life and so awfully sweet relationship between him and Tom is why I still go the movies. |
The Blues Brothers
https://i.imgur.com/zqoX1Ke.jpg Jake Blues gets out of prison a bit early thanks to good behavior. He joins his Elwood in a crappy car and they go to see Sister Mary ”The Penguin” Stigmata. She gives a task of gaining 5000 dollars to save the boarding school they grew up in. The only problem? They have to do it the honest way. Can they get the money earnestly together with their blues band or do they have to take more extreme measures? The Blues Brothers defines the word ”cool”. Terrific music throughout, wildly chaotic car chases plus the right mix of highkey and lowkey comedy. But most of all it's the duo of Jake and Elwood which has given it the reputation it has. They are so levelheaded throughout that even when someone tries to outright blow them up, they carry on like nothing has happened. They don't let barriers push them down, they break through every barrier with a crash. Elwood is granted the more optimistic one of the two, but both of them work together very hard and find a solution to any problem no matter how hopeless it may seem. Their nice, brotherly friendship helps make this film as memorable as it is. Dan Aykroyd gives a great straightfaced performance and his deadpan delivery of the lines makes them all the funnier. I'd never seen anything with John Belushi before, but he makes a strong first impression on me. He's simply hysterical as Jake, and provides most of the comedy in the film with his character's crazy impulses such as singing passionately in an all-black church and his rendition of the Rawhide theme. I also love how convincingly he tricks his ex-wife (played by the equally brilliant Carrie Fisher) into sparing him and his brother by giving such a heartfelt speech I wondered if they suddenly were gonna patch things up, only for him to literally throw her in the mud instead. Of course though, what would a movie about blues be without the music? We have cameos from legends like Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, James Brown and Aretha Franklin, who all get a chance to shine musically as well as comedically. Franklin's musical number is both amusing and incredibly sung and Ray Charles is charming as the friendly, but slightly greedy instrument shop owner. Aykroyd and Belushi sing surprisingly well when they finally arrive at their own concert they are late to (you'll know why once you see it) with the song Everybody Needs Somebody To Love. Like every catchy tune, it got stuck in my head like a suction cup. Although it's not the funniest 80's comedy I've seen, it's one of the most entertaining ones to watch. |
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS THROUGHOUT.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown http://1125996089.rsc.cdn77.org/wp-c...03/TTTDS04.jpg Just a few months after World War II, something happened that shook the little town of Texarkana. Everything had gone back to normal and it generally was a very peaceful place to live at. But all of a sudden, a man in a mask appears and kills two teenagers at the dating spot Lover’s Lane. And just like that, a manhunt begins after one of the most brutal serial killers in history… This low-budget ambitious horror film was based on a true story, where the only major change is said to be the names. There’s a narrator throughout who tells about the course of events, which gives it an extra sense of dread. The acting is very good. Andrew Prine (known to horror fans as playing a priest in Amityville II: The Possession) does a solid job as the deadpan cop Norman Ramsey. Whenever he’s tracking down the perpetrator he’s convincingly courageous, yet quietly terrified at the same time. Charles B. Pierce (the director) appears in a role himself as the unstable traffic cop A.C. “Sparkplug” Benson, who gets dragged into the case. Generally this is a serious movie, but he provides some nice comedic moments as he shows off as a very hot temper and driving so incompetent he would need to learn how to drive more than SpongeBob needs boating school. One especially funny scene is when he goes undercover dressed up as a girl and the other cop (going undercover as well) starts flirting with him. Any scenes where the serious cop J.D Morales (portrayed impeccably by Ben Johnson) gets angry at Sparkplug for screwing up are ingenious as well. Where the movie really excels however is the ominous night scenes where you see unsuspecting couples just hoping to spend some quality time with each other, only to get stalked by a sadistic masked killer. Hearing the heavy breathing from the mask and seeing the victims start to panic as they try to get away but he(?) only gets closer and closer makes you very scared for them. One particularly eerie sequence is when the victim Peggy gets tied to her tree while her boyfriend Roy Allen lies limp on the ground. As Roy regains consciousness he tries to escape, his face all bloody. But the killer won’t have none with it. You see him desperately trying to find an exit route, but you know it can only end badly. It then gets worse when the killer (the police calls him “the Phantom”, so let’s use that name from now on) returns to the girl tied to the tree. You see him pull up a trombone, and put a knife in it, attempting to stab her by making a sound with it. You see him make several attempts, hoping that maybe he will just give up and let her off the hook. But eventually, Peggy gets stabbed. It’s by far the saddest killing in the entire movie, as she had absolutely no chance of getting away. This is worse than any over-the-top death scenes from the Friday movies, since you know it’s real. You feel the terror crawling like a spider inside your skin. The ending will come off to some people as extremely anticlimactic. And truth be told, anticlimactic endings are usually my biggest enemy. Even Zodiac as good as it is, I was left thinking “So that’s it, huh? We’re some kinda Zodiac hunting squad.” Okay, that joke was terrible. But in this case, it actually made it a bit spooky. Knowing that since nobody identified his face, he can just walk around the usual folks and no one will notice. We saw a few scenes earlier how the Phantom was there at a party. We only saw the shoes, but the fact still remains that the answer was there in front of their very eyes, hidden in plain sight. Some of the victims did survive, such as Helen Reed (played by Dawn Wells, who gives the best performance next to Johnson), which I guess is the closest we get to a happy ending. But whatever happened to the Phantom, we may never find out. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
@lenslady Seen The Blues Brothers? Feels like your kind of movie.
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1984405)
@lenslady Seen The Blues Brothers? Feels like your kind of movie.
Will you be doing a review? Sorry to get back late to you, been busy for a while. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
@lenslady I did review it actually, that's why I mentioned you :)
|
Teacher's Pet
https://i.imgur.com/8rwkG03.png John Gannon is a self-taught newspaper editor. He did go to school, but never graduated. He believes the best way to learn about journalism is by hard experience, and that learning it through college is a waste of time. After writing an angry letter to a school, his managing editor gives him the loathsome task of helping the college professor out. Only he thought he wrote to a man, and is embarrassed when he finds out it's a beautiful woman called Erica Stone. Not wanting to admit he's the one who wrote it, he disguises his identity as the eager student Gallagher. Inititally only wanting to show himself as better than her, he (you guessed it) falls in love with her in the process... This feels like the romantic comedy Billy Wilder never made. The dialogue is very witty and clever, the humor is well-executed at every turn, and the actors all give the characters their own effeminate charm. Clark Gable takes on a very interesting role. He still plays the classic sneaky gentleman type, but he's not invulnerable. Quite a few times, we see Gannon make an ass of himself and sometimes get upstaged by his love interest/rival. Which speaking of, Doris Day is just as fantastic as the teacher who gets on Gannon's nerves, but at the same time that's what he loves about her. She's a strong, confident woman that's like right out of a dream. Their repertoire is excellent, to the point where it almost seems like they've worked as a duo for years, but in fact this is their first and only screen effort together. The story unfolds in a highly engaging manner. While Erica is definitely very impressed by Gallagher's short, but tenseful story aout a street gang-connected murder, she sees more potential in him and asks him to build on it further. You know... like a thinkpiece. Used to only pumping out stories by the minute, he's quite taken aback, never really having thought about the humanitarian element before, just the cold hard facts. I love when he gets annoyed by another worker at the work station when he just like Erica asks why someone committed a certain crime. Besides the journalism elements, Gannon also has a romantic rival: the young and hunky psychologist Dr. Hugo Pine. He's the textbook definition of Mr. Perfect; always comes up with eloquently presented analyses, knows the answer to everything (even when it's a baseball game), can speak a lot of different languages, has traveled the whole wide world. You can really see Gannon gritting his teeth at this guy. But then just like that, Hugo drunkenly falls down on the ground like Eddie Willis after one too many drinks. And to Gannon's surprise, Erica thought that moment alone was more entertaining than Hugo having all the right answers. It's a great little moment to advance their relationship. But when she takes him home to her apartment, his entire world falls apart. He finds out that
WARNING: spoilers below
the Pulitzer Price-winning newspaper writer Jonathan Barlow Stone is actually her father. Feeling ashamed of having tricked her all along, he leaves before she has time to get back with the coffee. At a loss of what to do, he surprisingly goes to Hugo Pine for advice. And unlike the cocky guy we saw earlier, he's now tired, sick and groggy. The scene of them talking is one of my favorites in the movie. You see how Hugo isn't so bad after all, and talks to Gannon almost like a friend.
WARNING: spoilers below
Gannon's talk about how worthless he is, good at absolutely nothing and probably shouldn't have even gotten into the newspaper business is very depressing. You can feel how all lust for life has drained right out of him. It's a very effective dramatic shift from the previously smiling and cocky seductor we witnessed earlier. After a while Hugo tells him the only way to make himself feel better is by telling Erica the truth. If she hears it from him there's a better chance of forgivance than if she hears it from a second source.
But alas, she does find out, and naturally she's mad at him. When Hugo later tells her how awful Gannon feels about disguising his identity and how lowly he thinks of himself, she starts to feel some empathy... until then he suddenly comes out of Hugo's bedroom criticizing her father's poor articles, how he never could come up with memorable stories. Surprisingly (although she's defensive at first), this doesn't lead to a bigger conflict, but instead she starts to adopt some of his ideas just like he adopted hers. I thought this it a smart and unpredictable route to take their relationship. This also leads to him firing his copy boy Barney Kovac. Not because he thinks he does a bad job (on the contrary), but more along the line with ”Why be satisfied with this when you can study and do so much better later in life?”. He's showing a bit of tough love, reaching the final bit of realization that he misjudged the value of teaching. Teacher's Pet is both a warm and boisterously merry piece of 50's fluff. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Nice review.
"Boisterously merry" is a good phrase. :up: |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Thanks! Thought I'd use something else other than "hilarious", which I already say so often.
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
@lenslady Seen this Gable gem? :)
|
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 1998558)
@tylenslady Seen this Gable gem? :)
I don't remember seeing this one, but it sounds like one I will enjoy watching in the future. What sounds intriguing is the pairing of two most unlikely costars - Gable and Doris Day! And from your review, it seems both are ' playing against type' but not so far afield from how we expect to see them onscreen. And with great chemistry between them. Nice review, as always, that captures the feel of the movie. Btw I think you took a small break from writing in this thread here , and since your reviews are so thoughtfully and meticulously done, it makes sense you may need to rest from creating them from time to time. But glad to see you here again. |
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS THROUGHOUT.
Class Of Nuke 'Em High https://i.imgur.com/fK4Avho.png Tromaville's high school is a messy one. Most of the students only give a damn about smoking weed, fooling around and generally causing mayhem. And none are worse than The Cretins. But things get even nuttier when a nuclear power plant nearby starts leaking radioactive waste, which makes it into the schoolgrounds. The film's opening scene is very welldone. You get a shot of the power plant, and how due to a pipe leakage, the nuclear waste seeps out. Then we cut to the high school. It's the usual stuff, a nard gets picked on by bullies in the bathroom. He washes himself and notices the water is green. He gets mildly disgusted, but other than that doesn't think much of it. Already now it's evident he's doomed. As the first lesson of the day starts, we see a classroom right out of hell. The teacher berates the unruly students and states that the only one who cares about learning anything at all is Dewy. We see him smile when he gets the compliment, but that smile turns to fear as he suddenly starts to twitch and make weird sounds. And before you know it, starts vomiting up green goo and have his face melt! It's an impressive demonstration of the wonders you can achieve with practical effects, especially when keeping in mind how low the budget was. This movie's no Raiders Of The Lost Ark, yet the melting face is just as convincing here. After that the catchy title song Nuke 'Em High plays, which gives off a really fun vibe and sets the tone for a zany gorefest. And just like the thing as a whole, it's unabashedly 80's. The main characters are the couple Chrissy and Warren. Unlike the rest of the school, they take their studies seriously, and are even shown to be fans of classic film. They discuss going to the Fellini festival). And as a result, also end up becoming the most likable characters. But due to group pressure, they're forced to smoke a joint. And just any joint, but a ”nuclear high”, made up of radioactive waste! You expect them to turn into mutants, but instead they become really horny and have sex. Believe it or not though, this scene is actually important to the plot. I like the look on Warren's taunting friends' faces when they talk about how there's no way in hell he's losing her virginity to Chrissy, only to discover them going at it like animals. Gil Brenton is very over-the-top as Warren. He either delivers every line from the top of his lungs, or as awkwardly as he can. But it makes him entertaining to watch, that's for sure. Janelle Brady does a great job as Chrissy. She pulls off the charming ordinarity of her character, and plays seductive like no one else when she pines for Warren's body after smoking the toxic joint. In the scenes of terror, her facial expressions feel very genuine, yet they are kinda adorable at the same time. I don't know how to best describe it. Am I starting to crush on Janelle Brady??? And this part... this part is the most hilariously disturbing in the whole movie. They leave the party for a good night's sleep at home. Happy afte the wonderful sex they had. And they start to see all kinds of weird things. Chrissy's stomach starts growing like there's something inside waiting to come out, and Warren gets the BIGGEST boner EVER. It was so unbelievable I had to think twice about what I was seeing. ”Is that really his... oh dear God.” It's even more ****ed up with the derviously menacing grin his face makes. When they wake up after falling back asleep though, everything looks normal again (aside from the fact that they feel sick), so it gets passed off as nothing more than a hallucination. Before I get into what happens next, let's take a look at the rest of the characters. Eddie, the most prominent of Warren's friends, pretty much goes around embarrassing himself by acting sleazy around girls, and is the one who forced him to smoke a joint. Maybe not the most charming guy, but the real monsters in the movie are The Cretins. I'm generally mixed on bully characters. Sometimes they have real depth while other times they just annoy the hell out of me. Here's the thing though: the Cretins are so ridiculously sadistic and horrible to everyone around them it becomes hilarious. One standout scene is when a poor school nerd gets ganged up on since he hasn't paid back their money. He says he can't get it that soon, but Judy aggressively grabs his dick so it almost gets crunched, so he relents and promises to get it by 12 'o clock. But it doesn't end there. He continues to gets punched and kicked in the dick and stomped on by all the Cretins. It goes on for so long I started laughing in shock at how they pointlessly harrass the guy even after he gives into their demands. My favorite performance out of them comes from Brad Dunker as Gonzo. He plays him like a real beast, grunting after every sentence and speaking with a loud, gruff voice. Appearance-wise he also stands out the most, with the various marks on his face, weird hairstyle and gigantic nosering. And while not quite as evil, I really hated the power plant manager Mr. Minley. He's neccessary in order for the plot to progress, but god-damn he's a thickheaded, greedy moron. Instead of admitting it's their fault the nuclear waste leaked into the school no matter how obvious it is, he does nothing but lie about how everything just fine and doesn't even close the plant to prevent more nuclear waste from leaking out. Pat Ryan plays him with an effectively obnoxious dopeyness and drives home the message how big corporations care more about the money than the safety of their own customers. The climax at the school is a joy to behold. Classrooms get completely demolished, The Cretins holler in the corridors and terrorize those still left in the building (which... are only Chrissy and Warren actually) and there are some really cool monster kill scenes. One such involves a classically frustrating scenario where someone gets the job of checking for nuclear spillings at the school. He goes down in the cellar, but still finds zit. However, he hears a sound and constantly hesitates between turning back to check what where it comes from and returning to base. After the fourth time you're simply screaming ”Come on, dude! You've had so many shots already!”. Deep down though, we're all waiting for that wacky slasher killing. And before you can report ”One man down”, he gets dragged into a keg full of nuclear acid by one of the mutant offspring. For being a safety inspector he's incredibly stupid. Sticking your hand into that **** without gloves? It gets very intense when Spike and Taru kidnap Chrissy and threaten to cut her tìts off. Luckily he does get saved, as an image that disturbing would feel tonally out-of-place in a fun-spirited flick like this. It's very satisfying seeing these cretins (see what I did there) get there comeuppance. Especially Spike when War comes up with a remarkably creative solution. I won't spoil what it is, but once you see it you will nod your head approvingly the same way I did. In the conclusion, most oft he students are safe, but only Warren and Chrissy seem to give a **** about the horrifying crazy events that have transpired. Even with all the fun I had, there's something that doesn't quite add up for me. Everyone who gets exposed to the nuclear waste rather than killed right away turn into mutant murder freaks, right? Well, this seems to happen to everyone except Chrissy. Of course, a baby growing inside inside of her is still pretty damn rad (the look on her face when she vomits up a monster into the toilet says it all), but there doesn't seem to be a clear explanation to why she doesnt turn into a mutant herself. With that aside, Class Of Nuke 'Em High is a Duke Nukem of a rollercoaster you'll want a ticket to. |
Rubberface
http://www.jimcarreyonline.com/img/m...bberface02.jpg Janet is overweight and insecure about herself. Her mom constantly nags at her to lose weight, and she feels ashamed to admit she's intelligent. But her teacher is impressed by her writing talent and gives her a new essay to write (with a subject she chooses herself): What makes people laugh. Does that plot sound boring and generic to you? Well, that's because it pretty much is. I guess they were going for a coming-of-age story, but it's too cheesy and clumsily made to work. Right from the opening scene where Janet and her mom are talking to each other, I was laughing at how horrible the acting was. Ann-Marie MacDonald as the mom is easily the worst actor in the movie. She really sounds like she's reading right off the paper, and is so wooden that a tree could give a more convincing performance than her. Adah Glassbourgh is hit-and-miss. Sometimes she's okay, other times she makes you cringe. And most of those cringeworthy moments come from when she's trying to be funny, which is a real problem seeing as the movie is billed as a comedy. But there are a few things lifting it up from being downright terrible. The only ones watching this movie will be die-hard Jim Carrey fans, and he's really good here. You can tell he's not quite as secure as he would be later on, but already back then he showed a clear knack for goofy facial expressions and molding his voice. While the material he's given is fairly weak (too much dialogue like "To make people laugh, you gotta..."), he does his best to elevate it a bit. There's a part where Janet calls him a "clown" in front of her friends, and I'm not sure if it was meant to be funny or serious, but his dumbfounded look as she says it is quite amusing. There are glimpses of decent chemistry between Tony Moroni (yes that's actual name oddly enough) and Janet. They are definitely the most bearable scenes with Glassbourgh in them. But then there's the really forced conflict later on where Tony thinks she tries too hard to impress people, like her mom and her friends. She instantly gets pissed off and walks away. I thought this was very confusing since her friends do genuinely seem to care about her besides being a comedian. When she tearfully read her latest essay in front of class and ran out of the room afterwards, one of them later came to her and asked her if she was okay. Sounds like a pretty trustworthy friend to me. Not sure if this counts as a positive or not, but occasionally I got some unintentional chuckles out of the melodramatism. Especially when Janet would watch TV and there would always be something related to food or to her weight, often accompanied by her mom telling her to lose some. And not just the interactions between her and the mother, but the ones with her friends are just as amusingly awkward. The pacing is really slow, despite it only being 48 minutes. The storyline is so thin that there are several scenes that are just filler or dragged out for too long. The music is straightup awful at times and feels like straight out of a Lifetime drama. The worst part of the entire movie is the ending.
WARNING: spoilers below
Of course, since Jim Carrey is the funnier actor, you want him to do the standup at the end. You're even led to believe that will be the case, seeing as Janet gives him a script to perform with. But instead, the script decides to make him sick, so Janet will have to perform instead. After standing nervously on stage for two minutes, she finally gets the courage to talk. And people start laughing... in the movie, that is. Personally I felt embarrassed at how bad the material was and how horribly she performed it. Standup for movies is very hard to write since a comedy script is different from a standup script. But while trudging through these very long 7 minutes, I started thinking about how brilliant the last scene of The King Of Comedy was. Similarly the whole thing had been building up to that moment, except I actually laughed. I didn't get mad at most of this movie, but with this conclusion I felt pissed off.
In general, Rubberface or more accurately Introducing... Janet is not the worst thing ever. I'm sure it's way better than Copper Mountain at least. But it's still not worth recommending as something other than an odd curiosity. That being said, the DVD cover is a real "screw you" to the poor unsuspecting customers. |
City Heat
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/...pg?imwidth=450 Mike Murphy's partner Dehl Swift tries to blackmail a mobster with his secret accounting records... with unfortunate consequences. A rival gang goes after the missing records, so Murphy has to team up with his old partner Lieutenant Speer to fight both gangs before it erupts into one giant mob war. Before I start talking about what I thought, let me just get this straight: I love Clint Eastwood. I will see just about anything he does, no matter what it is. In every movie I've seen him, he commands the screen, whether it be an emotional role like Honkytonk Man or the gritty Dirty Harry. And Burt Reynolds, although I haven't actually seen him in that much, he always makes a great impression on me. Switching Channels is a clever and underrated news satire, and who can forget the remarkably tragic Deliverance? So naturally I looked forward to seeing them paired together. After all, the odd pairing of Eastwood and Charlie Sheen worked surprisingly well in The Rookie. Now... This is not a bad movie. At times there are lines which make me chuckle, and I really like the old-fashioned 1930's setting, with the nice-looking cars, the classy clothes and fancy jazz clubs. Clint also seems to have a lot of fun. He never takes himself too seriously, and his deadpan delivery and subtle facial expressions makes even the silliest one-liners work (for the most part). Burt is more uneven, but his classic charm definitely shows in some scenes, and works as a good companion piece to his more straightfaced screen partner. I liked Jane Alexander as the secretary and love interest Addy. She has a cockiness to her character that's not too obvious, and serves as the voice of reason when Mike and Speers get a bit too crazy. Richard Roundtree as the con man Dehl is sadly not there for that long, but he's good for the small time he gets. Rip Torn similiarly doesn't get nearly enough screentime, but is a joy to watch as the villain Primo Pritt. The jazzy soundtrack featured occasionally is nice to listen to, most notably the title track City Heat. Those who've heard about the movie might know about the scene where Reynolds' character fends off crooks dressed in a Big Bad Wolf costume. And yes, it's just as gloriously ridiculous as it sounds. I'm not really sure what the thought process behind that was, but all that matters is it made me laugh. Unfortunately, City Heat stumbles over itself so often that it never really quite comes together. The opening scene with our two main characters at a diner was very promising. Speers is just trying his best to enjoy his coffee as two mobsters are looking for a guy named Mike Murphy, who enters only minutes later. Seeing Mike fight for his life with Speers not giving a shít at all until someone spills his coffee made me snicker, and I couldn't wait to see what else the two of them would be up to. But it doesn't take long before something starts to feel off. Initially I can't quite figure out why, but I struggle feeling engaged in any scenes playing out. Then I realize it's the dialogue that's at fault. Usually if a movie contains great actors, you can forgive some of the more glaring script flaws, but some of the lines that come out of the characters' mouths just doesn't feel believable, at times even kinda embarrassing. Why does Mike have to say "snotball" so much? Come to think of it, the insults in general are just weirdly placed. Really, "ape face"? That's the best you could think of? I mentioned before I thought Burt was uneven. In some sections he's good while other times he doesn't look very comfortable, especially with some of the more questionable lines he has to deliver. The characterization is the biggest problem. We're supposed to believe two things. First that Mike and Speers have known each other for years. Secondly that they used to be best friends, but now are worst enemies. It never gets explained why exactly they hate each other, not even with the simplest most basic explanation. Not to mention if you thought Clint and Burt would share a lot of screentime, you're sadly mistaken. At most they probably share half an hour, which gives the movie nowhere near enough time to develop a real relationship between the two. It's a shame, since the actors have a good repertoire when they share a scene together. There simply isn't enough of it. The one weak link in the cast is Madeline Kahn. If I didn't know she was an experienced comedic actor I'd mistake her for an awkward first-timer. She was pretty bad. There are enough memorable moments to stay until the end, but disappointing by the genre's standards. |
I haven't seen this one
@mattiasflgrtll6 but I totally agree with what you said about Clint commanding the scene in any movie he 's been in - from Play Misty for Me to Dirty Harry. Did you ever see In The Line Of Fire? Very good thriller that I have often rewatched. I would enjoy reading of your thoughts on that film, , should you get the chance to see and review it . |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
I haven't seen Misty or In The Line Of Fire yet, but look forward to seeing them whenever I have time.
The Beguiled is another one I want to watch, it looks very intriguing and unique. Thanks for reading! :) |
Play Misty for Me's very good – especially Jessica Walter :).
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
I DON'T CARE THAT THERE ARE SPOILERS, YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING INTO.
Guinea Pig: Devil's Experiment (This was the only unscary screenshot I could find) https://i.imgur.com/miCP1uO.jpg This is probably the most meanspirited horror movie I've ever seen. No point talking about a story, but the structure goes like this: every form of torture is split into different chapters, beginning with "Hit" and ending with the most infamous one, "Needle". The movie starts off with an opening crawl with the owner claiming they got it under the guise of being an experiment, but it's really just an excercise in cruelty. Boy, could that have not been more correct. The first segment shows the poor woman (identified as Yegg by the kidnappers' dialogue) getting slapped around relentlessly, while the second shows her getting kicked down over and over again. While it's not the most violent one, it's the most psychologically disturbing since they keep taunting her by telling her to stand up only to kick her down again, while also calling her names. It was sad since you felt so bad for her being so powerless to do anything to stop the pain. "Unconscious" I suppose was the least hard to watch since all they did was spin Yegg around in a chair until she threw up, but even that one still makes you go "Oh geez, that's gross." "Guts" and "Needle" are at the end, and are by far the most harrowing segments. The former isn't very violent, but seeing the kidnappers throwing more and more sheep guts on Yegg just laughing like it's some kind of a joke made me so angry and sickened I came close to almost turning it off. Those have got to be the most evil laughs I've ever heard. Needle is very painful since the kidnappers really go all-out torturing Yegg, hitting every nerve in her body, and proceed to stick a needle through her eye so it fills up with blood. I'm surprised the director even had the restraint to not make the eye pop out. Like I mentioned earlier, there's not a single resemblance of a plot. You see a woman get tortured, that's it. There's no good character writing, acting or dialogue. The spoken lines that are there entirely consist of the perpetrators shouting insults at Yegg. Even the actual directing is not great. There are pointless slow-mo shots and there's no beautiful cinematography or art direction. No thoughtprovoking message or deeper meaning to be found either. But one thing it did succeed with: It felt real. I felt like I was in the room with the victim herself. I could feel every struggle, every ounce of pain, the desperation in her voice. The fact that the kidnappers seem to have no motivation to do any of this makes the various torture methods even scarier. I do not recommend this film. But if you really have to watch it, I suggest you do it with all lights on, and never forget what you're watching is just a movie. Otherwise, you might risk getting nightmares. And I sure as hell know I wouldn't want any of *this* in my dreams. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Thanks for the warning and the spoilers. I' m not usually a fan of horror and/or slasher movies for the most part - but this gory mess would send me running out of the room. A film to avoid, for sure.
|
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
@mattiasflgrtll6
I have seen many like this one above. One thing I remember, its a movie.. nothing more. I have seen real stuff but I would just stick with the "its a movie". Its good enough for me. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS THROUGHOUT.
Paranormal Activity https://i.imgur.com/Pg9b5uD.jpg Katie's had visions of a demon ever since she was 8 years old. And no matter where she moves, they just keep haunting her. So she and Micah get the idea to purchase a camera and record all the weird paranormal activities that happen at night. Maybe if there's enough proof they can deal with the demon and get rid of it once and for all. But is it actually helping? Paranormal Activity is the third of the key defining films that changed the found footage genre. The former ones were Cannibal Holocaust and The Blair Witch Project. And it's easy to see why. It introduced a unique style of filmmaking which hadn't really been attempted before, where through the use of security camera footage explore our deepest fear: not being safe in our own home. The pace of the movie is deliberately slow, introducing you to our characters and easing you into the oncoming dread that's waiting. The first activity is as simple as a door moving by itself. Only a little bit, but enough to get a sense of something being wrong. Then the footsteps start. And the banging. And a strange, hollow scream. Director Oren Peli doesn't care about showing the demon itself as much as observing what kind of effect the events have on the couple, and letting the audience's imagination run wild since you get a sense of what's going on, but you're never explictly shown a demon winking in the hallway saying "Come here, baby". One of my issues with modern horror have been how instead of leaving the movie on an eerie note, you have an incredibly over-the-top and silly finale with a barrage of jumpscares. But instead, when you hear Micah dragged around and then thrown across the room landing at the camera, you're freaked out. Equally freaky is Katie staring at the camera, revealing a demonic smile. 'Course, you still have that jumpscare moment when she jumps at the screen, but it still makes you spooked because of the context. The demon finally got to her, and instead of a poor, emotional wreck she's now a raging demon herself. She was fighting a losing battle. Katie Featherson's performance as the character with the same name is pretty good. She expresses the fear and increasing desperation very convincingly, and makes you feel bad for her when she just wants to live in peace, but keeps getting tormented by this evil spirit. She also rightfully gets angry when she doesn't get the support she needs, which she acts out well too. Micah Sloat as the boyfriend is decent. I certainly don't care for his character (I'll get to that soon), for the material gets however he does the script justice. He even manage to make me chuckle at his character's stupidity a few times where he says he only "borrowed" a Ouija board instead of buying it and the scene where he asks the demon what their favorite color is. But as well as the movie creates an unsettling mood, it has some pretty major problems stopping from being better. The first and most major one of these is Micah. His first thought should be to make his girlfriend feel safe, tell her everything is gonna be all right and cooperate the entire time to make sure they both come up with the best ways to try and drive the demon out. Instead, what does he do? When Katie brings a medium over, he acts rude to Dr. Friedrichs the entire time and basically calls her an idiot for bringing him over. First of all, while I think mediums are a bunch of scammers myself, it's at least understandable why she would think he'd be the solution to their problems. Secondly, given that Micah himself seems to believe in ghosts, why is he so adamant against bringing a psychic over? Maybe he doesn't think psychics are the best at finding evil spirits, but you'd figure he'd at least be open to the idea. He also rejects the idea of an exorcist later on, even though it couldn't really make things worse than they already are. When Katie tells him that she doesn't want him to film them having sex, he continually tries to convince her to let him film it, and even tries to do it without her knowledge. What an ásshole. And no matter how many times she begs of him not to buy a Ouija board since the last thing she wants is for more ghosts or demons to come over here, he does so anyway! He even nags at her over and over to come look at what the demon did to the Ouija board, even though she doesn't want to see it. It doesn't even stop with Ouija, he comes up with more and more methods to lure the demons to their house. It seriously pissed me off how he doesn't seem to give a shît about how scared she gets, he only tries to provoke the demons more and more, yelling stupid shît like "Is that all you got?!". Your first concern should be your girlfriend's deteriorating mental state, not whether the ghosts are making enough noise for you to capture some cool stuff on camera or not. You prick. Then there's the door. Why is the door still left open after a demon got inside and pulled Katie down the stairs? This annoyed me so much. Anyone who's not an idiot should know to close the door when a demon gets inside the bedroom all the time. While Katie was by far the more rational one of the two, her mood flip between wanting to leave the house immediately to suddenly wanting to stay there makes no sense at all. If the demon continues hurting you, shouldn't you want to get out of the house more instead of feeling inclined to stay there? This feels too much like the script forcing something nonsensical to happen just to make the movie scarier. Even Micah can't believe she won't agree to pack up and go. Finally, although Micah Sloat did a fine job, there were times where he overacted, like where he grunted at the ghost and I just laughed at how bizzarre he sounded. Don't let these flaws deter you from giving Paranormal Activity a chance. Although they prevented it from being a truly good movie, it's still a decent one. It gives the uneasy sense of dread I'm looking for in a horror piece, and the way it concludes is very shocking, yet natural. It won't leave me sleepless in Seattle, but it could be time to set up a video recorder or two. |
The Stepford Wives
https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/1581144...screenshot.jpg Joanna moves with her husband from crowded Manhattan to the relatively peaceful town of Stepford. But something about how the women act there doesn't seem right. They're so perfectly tidy, well-behaved and focused on housework that it creeps her out. What is actually behind all these bright smiles and overly polite behavior? And what is this "Men's Association" that Walter keeps going to? One good thing to know going in is that this movie takes its sweet little time. It sets up the characters and situations very slowly, and for the first 25 minutes or so nothing much happens at all. But if you're patient enough it pays off, and it reveals itself as one of the creepiest and most poigant sci-fi films out there. Katherine Ross as the photographer Joanna does a great job. She brings an instant likability to her character. She's very strong and won't back down easily when shady people try to stop her from starting a revolution in Stepford, trying to wake all the women up from their trance and become more independent, instead of just serving their husbands and doing housework all the time. As well as figure out the mystery of why everyone are acting so strange. I also liked Paula Prentiss as her friend Bobbie Markowe, who's the only woman there besides her who doesn't act manifactured. Her introduction scene was odd, but she grew on me quickly, and brings a refreshing bout of energy compared to all the stiff residents they encounter. It's not without reason why everyone act so odd. Walter starts going to the peculiar Men's Association organization, where he hangs out with some truly strange people. Joanna even points it out to Walter how he would never get friendly with such boring, grumpy men before they arrived to this town. And before she knows it, Walter starts acting cold and distant towards her, repeating over and over what a great home they've got and how everyone are nice here, no matter how many times she tells him she wants out of here. Peter Masterson is great as Walter, and portrays the slow and eerie transformation of the stressed-out but normal family father to an angry, mean and selfish bastard. The last half hour gets really spooky, with one of the saddest and most horrifying twists I've seen in a movie. Let's just say that it takes place in a kitchen. The ending is very powerful as well, and truly sticks in your mind. The Stepford Wives was ahead of its time when it came out. Maybe too much so, since it got wildly misunderstood at the time and a lot of protesters thought it presented women in a bad light, given that they're shown getting brainwashed. That's exactly the point though. The men in this town are controlling, selfish douchebags, who only want their wives to be perfect dolls whose only purpose is to please them and do all their work for them. That's why it's so creepy when all of the women act robotic, their individuality get completely sucked out by the patriarchal powers at force. Anyone who's a fan of thoughtful sci-fi should give this a look. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
|
Hi Mattias, Yes I did see this pic, though it was many years ago. I think you hit a lot of 'right notes ' in your review, as the term ' Stepford Wife' soon became a catch phrase for many who supported the woman's movement. And I'd say you are correct to note that the movie was ahead of its time. It concerned not just women's issues, but addressed the pressure for people of a certain place and time to conform unilaterally: and become soulless standard suburban issues, supposedly representing the middle class American Dream, but really trading in their unique individualism for a vacuous mask. Good review, Mattias and I' m glad you found this 'thoughtful ' sci fi film still meaningful. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 2022679)
@cat_sidhe I hope you still read my stuff. :)
|
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 2021993)
Don't let these flaws deter you from giving Paranormal Activity a chance. Although they prevented it from being a truly good movie, it's still a decent one. It gives the uneasy sense of dread I'm looking for in a horror piece, and the way it concludes is very shocking, yet natural. It won't leave me sleepless in Seattle, but it could be time to set up a video recorder or two.
But yeah, very Blair Witchy in the kinds of reactions and moods it produced in me. Definitely got under my skin for a few days. |
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
https://medias.spotern.com/spots/w64...1563183923.jpg Rick Dalton is down in the dumps. Even though he's been a successful TV actor for some time now, he's tired of getting typecast in the same kind of role every time, the villain who gets his ass kicked. His stunt double Cliff Booth's career has fallen by the wayside as well, working with Rick but not getting any other work. While they're dealing with their personal problems the Manson cult is starting to gain traction. This is a unique movie, even by Tarantino's standards. It harkens back to the dialogue-focused films in the vein of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, but it's quite different from those as well. While the stories are fun to watch, it's more strictly focused on character, both the people we are following and the 60's setting itself. The signs, classic posters, vintage stores, classic music and movie sets in their charming rough glory really transports you to a different time. It's not just a cute homage, he puts you right on the spot. The main arc is populated by Rick Dalton's dreams of becoming more than just a B-grade actor, feeling insecure with himself and feeling he's lost it. Leonardo Dicaprio brings a level of sincerity and admirable dedication to the role. Dalton is a starving artist. He's clearly got a lot of talent, but never gets a chance to fully utilize it. When he eventually even struggles to remember the simplest of lines, he loses it in what is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Yelling at himself in the mirror to lay off the alcohol and do the god-damn job an actor's supposed to do is hilarious and very relatable to anyone wanting to be taken seriously as an actor. Sometimes when I'm recording lines and I just keep doing takes of the same line over and over and over again I feel like I'm going insane. Is something wrong with me? When am I going to be good enough? Thankfully in this case, this results in Rick doing the best damn acting job he's done in his whole life. The scene with him as the mustached villain holding a little girl hostage threatening to cut her throat is legitimately intimidating. He finally found the confidence he needed to be truly great. Cliff Booth's story is less structured and mostly consists of him pissing people off and showing everyone who's in charge. But that doesn't mean it's not a helluva lot of fun to watch. Bruce Lee being shown as a cocky little kid whose mouth is bigger than his fighting skills is pure gold. Mike Moh did a great job playing him. Cliff throwing Lee so hard he creates a buckle in Janet's car got a big laugh out of me. When Cliff drives the flirty hippie girl Pussycat to George Spahn's movie ranch, we get a very tenseful sequence. He doesn't really trust anyone there. People are staring out the windows, the "farm" looks more like a barren wasteland and Squeaky is so desperate to stop him from saying hello to George it's like she's holding him hostage. Cliff's meeting with George is short, but amusing. Bruce Dern gives a colorful portrayal of a senile and cranky old man who's been kept isolated from the world for God knows how long. He's happy someone came to visit him, even if his grouchy behavior indicates otherwise, but Cliff still leaves feeling frustrated and disappointed he's forced to live with all these weird-ass creeps. His irritation reaches its peak when a guy who looks like he hasn't showered in a year punctures one of his tires.
WARNING: spoilers below
The resulting impulse to come over and beat his face bloody over and over again is a well-placed sudden shock of violence. Since the movie has been pretty restrained up to this point, you don't expect Cliff to get so angry he will beat someone to the point where their face is disfigured. It's funny in a darkly humorous way.
The friendship between Rick and Cliff is also a huge factor into what makes the movie so enjoyable, and gives it a touch of heart. Apparently Dicaprio and Pitt became friends in real life during the production, and some of that definitely translates into many of the scenes. When they are watching Rick's part in a television show and commenting while they're doing so, it feels very natural and loose, how you'd really hear two friends converse while they're doing something together. It wouldn't surprise me if this is one of the parts that were improvised. All right, let's talk about Sharon Tate. Margot Robbie's performance as Tate is adorable. Quentin Tarantino adored Sharon Tate, both as an actor and a person. And while I don't know her as much more than "That girl from Valley Of The Dolls!", I think he made me fall in love with her a little too. My favorite part is when she goes to a movie she's co-starring in in the theater, and finds it so exciting to watch herself and hear the audience behind her laugh. She can feel the admiration people have for her.
WARNING: spoilers below
I also love that her real-life fate was changed to something much more uplifting. Usually this would be a serious breach of historical accuracy, but is that really what you come to a Tarantino movie for? Her murder being prevented and Rick coming over for a friendly visit is the perfect conclusion you can give to her. She get to continue spreading joy and making people smile.
My favorite actor Al Pacino gets a few nice moments to shine, creating a very eccentric and funny personality in Marvin Schwarz. "Who's gonna beat the s'hit out of you next week? Mannix? The Man From U.N.C.L.E.? The girl from U.N.C.L.E.? How about Batman & Robin?" Unfortunately, and this is one of the few problems I have with the film, he's extremely underutilized. He only appears in a 3 minute long scene in the beginning, and at the halfway point or so he appears for a few more seconds. Maybe there's a lot that got cut out, but when I saw him in the trailer I thought he would be a major important character. Instead it's only just barely more than a cameo. The pacing can be slow at times too. It never hurts the movie severely, but it feels a little directionless at points. This is only for short stretches though, most of the time I had a blast.
WARNING: spoilers below
The final act does go all-out with the violence and mayhem, and does so with a touch of black humor. Cliff is so stoned that you think he's practically defenseless and an easy target for the Manson cult members, but then he suddenly starts stabbing people left and right and brutally beats Squeaky's face to a bloody pulp, even more so than the ass-holes who damaged his left tire. His dog (which I haven't mentioned until now) gets in on the action as well and demolishes Tex's crotch to the point where it probably looks like an anorexic gerbil. Nothing is more satisfying however than when one of them disturbs Rick relaxing in his pool and he responds by bringing out the flamethrower from one of his movies. Rick's just as much of an action hero in real life as he is onscreen.
Even my friend who's not a fan of Tarantino found a lot to like in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. It's funny, it's nostalgic without ever feeling self-indulgent, and it's got one of the best acting duos I've seen this decade. I promise it'll be worth your dime. |
Man Trouble
https://i.imgur.com/VrzD1L3.jpg Harry Bliss isn't at the top of his game. He's stuck in an unhappy marriage where the arguing never seems to end and he's got his ass up in debt. He seems to find some meaning when he gives one of his clients a dog to protect her home and forms a connection, but things start to go awry when someone blackmails him into stealing a manuscript from her friend. Man Trouble is a weird beast of a production. There are all the right ingredients to make something good. You've got a talented director (Bob Rafelson), an excellent cast (Jack Nicholson, Ellen Barkin, Beverly D'Angelo, Michael McKean, Harry Dean Stanton, Veronica Cartwright, Lauren Tom) and a good screenwriter (Carole Eastman)... and yet somehow, it doesn't quite work. It's not all bad. Jack Nicholson is enjoyable in the main role of Harry, playing him with his usual natural charisma, where even when the script is not the best he makes the most of it. Ellen Barkin is decent as Joan Spruance (until the third act, which I'll get to later). She doesn't have the same lustful aura of Sea Of Love, but gives her character enough credibility you buy into the romance between her and Harry. She's best in the quieter scenes where Joan and Harry get to know each other and share some interests and details from their lives. There are some amusing lines and moments here and there. Nothing laugh-out-loud funny, but Nicholson's affable dry wit (particularly in the marriage counsel scenes with him and Adele, amusingly portrayed by Lauren Tom), some slightly absurd moments and most of all, the cameo from Harry Dean Stanton provide some smiles and chuckles. Even Barkin gets a few in. The one thing I did like in the third act was
WARNING: spoilers below
the twist of who broke into Joan's house. When it turned out to be Eddy I was genuinely surprised, probably because he'd barely been in the picture until then.
The animated opening sequence is cool. The first problem with this movie is that it has no idea what it wants to be. Is it a romantic comedy or a thriller? It goes back and forth between the two all the time, undecided what to settle on. The tone shift in the third act is so inconsistent with what came before that it's jarring. If you want to inject some suspense into your romantic comedy you have to set it up much earlier. Even though you see Harry get blackmailed, it doesn't become a major plotpoint until much later on. You do hear about someone breaking into Joan's house, but it's treated too lightly to make you fearful for her life (with the exception of the break-in at the garage, which I admit actually rattled me a bit). And although there is humor, it becomes more infrequent as it goes on. Harry Dean Stanton's cameo when he showed up was such a relief since I finally got something to chuckle at again. I brought up earlier how for the first two acts, Ellen Barkin is decent. In the third however, she's... honestly pretty awful. She screams at the top of her lungs and seems like she's mad at the director for not giving her something better to work with rather than Nicholson's character himself. Veronica Cartwright is sadly also bad in her small role as Helen Dextra. In one scene she's just flailing her arms around and sounds like she's coughing up a hairball. The aforementioned suspense which comes into full force in the third act is not very suspenseful. Instead it's very boring and halfbaked, with only Stanton lightning up the mood a little. It's an okay watch if you're a fan of Jack Nicholson. It's definitely not the carcrashing disaster reviews make it out to be, but set your expectations low. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
@lenslady Ever seen this one? It's not a dog (pun maybe intended), but Nicholson has done much better.
|
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 2034508)
@lenslady Ever seen this one? It's not a dog (pun maybe intended), but Nicholson has done much better.
I saw it long ago, because Nicholson is one of my top favorite actors.I've rarely seen him in a bad movie, and he seems to lift every movie he's in to a higher level, with his mesmerizing screen presence. So if I saw it, it's been (conveniently) forgotten. But I enjoyed your review ( as usual ) as you made real the good and not so good elements of what sounds like a so-so movie. I probably wouldn't seek it out , based on the review, though if it turned up at my doorstep like a lost dog on a rainy night, I'd likely take it in- if just to compare notes with you. I can recommend two of his ' later' films which I rewatch - About Schmidt and the hilarious As Good as it Gets. Don't know if you' ve seen them, but would Iove to read your reviews when you do. Btw Man Trouble alas sound like a movie that is less than the sum of its parts- great , eminently watchable actors and ( previously) excellent screenwriters. But ultimately, not a good movie. Both Schmidt and 'Gets' are imho more than the sum of their parts. Schmidt has a sad, even depressing, undertone but its main character and premise become universal through Jack's portrayal - and there is enough to laugh at too. Good as it Gets may not be as brilliant as it could (should?) be l, but is very very funny, with Jack delivering lines and sarcastic barbs as no one else can - and yet still - somehow- sustaining our empathy. I don't ever get tired of rewatching this one. I especially liked the 'noodle salad' speech - and was very satisfied to fetch the warm rolls from the bakery ;) Hope you'll watch and enjoy these films some time. |
@lenslady Thank you as always for the positive feedback. I like your analogy of finding a lost dog in the rain. :D
As Good As It Gets is pretty good. I love About Schmidt. I wrote a review for it on the first page, you even commented on it. ;) |
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6 (Post 2034515)
@lenslady Thank you as always for the positive feedback. I like your analogy of finding a lost dog in the rain. :D
As Good As It Gets is pretty good. I love About Schmidt. I wrote a review for it on the first page, you even commented on it. ;) You're welcome. And lol oops, too bad we don't have an index list on these review threads. Anyway I went back and enjoyed some of your early reviews; GWTW , Schmidt and Regarding Henry. Also liked what you had to say about Tom Skerritt in Top Gun. . He's usually a supporting actor but plays his roles as solidly as any star. He can be a meanie too, but in general, has Paul Newman's kind of unaffected affable presence - liked him best in Steel Magnolias. Pure southern charm - telling 'Weezer' that the way he gets along with his wife is by 'making it a point of never dealing with his wife'. Lol |
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS THROUGHOUT.
Ad Astra https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content...ad-astra-2.jpg After an electrical circuit malfunction threatens the entire planet, Roy McBride is sent on a space mission to Neptunus to possibly find his father, who went missing 29 years ago, and to put a stop to the problem. As you might've guessed, it's not exactly smooth sailing... From the trailer, this looks like your typical gotta-save-the-planet sci-fi adventure. And there's nothing wrong with that of course. But in reality this is an intimate character journey, combined with some really beautiful visuals. Just like in Mandy, you're kind of put into a trance, where you just let the picture-esque quality absorb you. This is a case where the cinematographer deserves just as much credit as the director. The cast is very strong, with great performances from veteran actors such as Donald Sutherland and Tommy Lee Jones as well as Ruth Negga. But who the movie truly belongs to is Brad Pitt. It's extraordinary how you can go from the carefree Cliff Booth to the reserved and hurting Roy in the same year. The change from a distant to a much more personally involved and wounded person is portrayed in a very realistic manner. Roy finds he's got his own personal demons to deal with. His father always cared more about his work than establishing a meaningful relationship with his son. And Roy starts to realize he's becoming the same as him. He neglected his wife in favor of the mission, and is prepared to die without ever really living. The confrontation between Roy and his dad is underwhelming on a scientific level. Clifford found nothing, didn't even come even close to what he was looking for. But that's exactly the point: sometimes we reach too far to find answers that might not be there. Roy tries to talk his dad into returning to earth with him, but Cliff isn't looking to be rescued. For him life on earth is practically meaningless at this point. How could he live with the shame of spending all this time searching for extraterrestial life and wind up with nothing? Roy's pain over losing his father is very emotionally captivating. He never got the reconciliation he wanted. But he learns an important lesson: always put personal happiness before everything else, or else you end up confused and lost. There are a few things that drag it down for me though. For instance, the dialogue can be a little on-the-nose at times, with Pitt pointing out things that are already obvious to the audience. It's also left vague how Roy actually fixed the electrical circuit problem. I know it's not the main focus in the end, but still would've liked to see how he solved it. The fight scene between Brad Pitt and the alien was intense and well-orchestrated, though I'm not sure about the decision to make it look like an ape. Why would there be aliens on Mars that look like gorillas? Or did someone bring their pet onboard. I don't know, just struck me as odd. If vast space landscapes coupled with character introspection sounds good to you, I highly recommend Ad Astra. 8.7, rounded up to |
It: Chapter Two
https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img...=1553964599040 Moooom! The creepy clown is jumping at the screen again! 27 years after the members of The Losers' Club defeated It, visions of the clown start popping up again. Mike Hanlon calls everyone up for a meeting to come up with a plan to defeat It once and for all. Like the first movie, it starts off promising enough with the opening scene. Eddie and Adrian just want to have a nice day at the theme park, but are confronted by a couple of bullies who try to intimidate them. They get annoyed, but walk away from them. After they get cornered again however, Adrian starts mouthing off, going so far as to insult one of their haircuts. As you might expect, this doesn't end well. What makes this scene so much more impactful than any other in the whole movie is that it's the only one which feels real. The violence inflicted upon them just for their sexuality is very disturbing, and the tragedy is heightened when Adrian gets thrown off a bridge. It then finds him as well and eats him brutally, but the scariest part is the homophobic violence shown just before. Though it's still notable for being the only scene where any restraint is shown with the clown at all. As you can tell, I'm already getting into my negatives. This movie was horrendous. As someone who wasn't even a fan of the first one, I would much rather watch that one again since it seemed to care about its characters at least. Which is something It: Chapter Two doesn't. If you're looking for good character development and interactions, look elsewhere. Instead it seems more interested in wasting its time on extremely obnoxious and laughably unscary jumpscares. I was laughing out of embarrassment every time the movie tried to be scary. Who did they think they were fooling? Fortune cookies cracking open Gremlins-style, one of them having an insect with a baby's head? A Paul Bunyon statue showing off its big scary teeth? A naked old lady with hanging tïts? A hobo making out with your mother? These attempts at trying to spook you were so phony I couldn't tell if they were trying to be funny or not. There's one part which clearly was supposed to be intense, but for some weird god-damn reason they added comedic music to it. It completely ruins any sense of danger they tried to establish, and comes off as a cringeworthy way to make the audience laugh, since at the test screening everybody already laughed anyway. The CGI effects work is as fake-looking as it gets. Honestly, I'm surprised a lot of it even got past the pre-production stage. The dialogue is horrible. Instead of incorporating humor into the script naturally when it fits, every serious moment is ruined by a stupid one-liner. Richie especially deflated the tension all the time by either pointing out they are in trouble (as if we're too dumb to get it) or saying something goofy at the most inappropriate time. If they were going for a horror comedy it's too tonally inconsistent, not to mention most of the jokes are so lame anyway they're not funny. And when they try to be heartwarming it's so overdone and cliché that you keep rolling your eyes at the self help-esque quotes they keep spitting at you. I swear, there are maybe FIVE MONOLOGUES throughout, and they all sound exactly the same. Even Beverly's dad, one of the few creepy things about the first, comes off as a joke in the few scenes he appears in. The way he sprays his daughter furiously with perfume is so absurd I couldn't take it seriously, not to mention the moment where Beverly's inside a bathroom filled with blood and he keeps chanting "COME TO DADDY". Just like everything else it's too over-the-top. And for a clown as powerful as It,
WARNING: spoilers below
the way he gets defeated is absolutely pathetic. Forget fighting him to death, trick him in any way, or even the ritual Mike keeps going on about (which conveniently he "forgets" way too late it doesn't work). No, let's just call him a few hurtful words and he'll shrink to the size of a baby. I sh'it you not. The most evil and otherwordly clown alive is weakened by being called a regular circus clown. The scriptwriter really must have backed himself into a corner with this one.
The acting is mixed. Bill Hader is good (even though I find his character a bit annoying). Jessica Chastain gave a very earnest performance, and was probably the best out of the main cast. Isaiah Mustafa and James Ransone were all right. James McAvoy was a little off however, which was disappointing. His stuttering doesn't feel like it comes out naturally. Jaeden Martell as the kid version of Bill did it much more convincingly. Bill Skarsgård, and this might come as an unpopular opinion, was pretty hard to watch. To be fair the material he gets is ridiculous, but his line delivery was so exaggerated and goofy I wondered if he was trying to keep himself from cracking up or something. Most of all however, I was bored to tears. With all the constant repetition of jumpscares and scenes dragging on and on, I kept asking my friend "How much do we have left?" since I could barely wait to leave the theater. No way in hell the merciless 2 hour and 48 minute run time is justified. The biggest higlights are the cameos by Stephen King and Peter Bogdanovich. Skip this sorry excuse of a "horror" movie. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Harsh, but I can't really find much to disagree with you on.
|
Dirty Duck
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500_and_...7AP7YARSO6.jpg Willard's life is going nowhere. He's stuck at an awful job as an insurance investigator with a pushy boss, and is always too nervous to ask the girl at the office he has a crush on out properly. But one fateful day when he meets a pimp at a bus, everything changes for him... The only movie stranger than this I can think of right now is Begotten. This entry from the underground genre isn't perfect, but never unengaging and quite entertaining in its weirdness. The animation is crude, but it somehow fits it very well. There are lots of creative sequences such as the cop who can turn himself into a police car. Or is it the other way around? There are also some truly absurd representations of sex, none of which are erotic in any way but very humorous. As expected in the underground world, people get naked easily or are just walking around that way for no reason. For example, Eddie the duck rips Willard's clothes off at one point, and instead of finding a new set of clothes before going back to work, he just comes there naked. I find it amusing how his boss never comments on it in any way. It's pretty hard to tell what the plot is, but I'll try to describe it. Willard's confidence is very low, but he sees an opening when a pimp convinces him to buy some dope from a dealer. He's also been sent on an assignment to check on the claim of an old woman who supposedly is dead. He meets "Good Duck" (whose real name is Eddie) and his mother, who has the claim. It turns out she's still alive, but she insists that she'll be killed by a wizard on this Tuesday. Oddly enough, when Willard grumpily wishes her dead, she dies of a heart attack right way. Her heritage says whoever kills her will be in charge of her son. Eddie's mad at him at first, but then decides to cheer him up and show what life is all about. The poster kinda falsely midadvertises Eddie as a slick player when he's more of a goofball hippie who kinda bumbles his way through everything. Mark Volman's slacker-like voice suits him well and delivers in my opinion the funniest line in the movie ("Shut up, Yoko!"). Howard Kaylan also voices the protagonist Willard to enthusiastic effect, really getting across his massive insecurities and hormone-charged issues. The voice acting in general is pretty solid. The best one has to Robert Ridgely as the stuck-up police officer who is all about patriotism and *hates* ducks. Especially when they crap in his coffee! He's also hilarious as the overly ecstatic pimp who tries to sell Willard on the idea of weed. Cynthia Adler also does a good job as Willard's boss and one of the lesbians that he and Eddie meet. The soundtrack is very groovy and fun to listen to. Yet, for as much enjoyment you get out of the trippy sequences throughout, Dirty Duck still has its flaws. For one, Willard is made almost too pathetic, to the point where it's hard to root for him at times. Even though he's supposed to be the underdog, his bizarre behavior is hard to justify at times. The movie also is supposed to be about his spiritual journey to becoming a more confident man who can turn his life around, but the scenes are so loosely strung together that this narrative gets lost in the process. And why did Eddie turn into a woman all of a sudden? Dirty Duck is not as smart as Fritz The Cat or even The Nine Lives Of Fritz The Cat, and is pretty homophobic and racist at times, but if you just want to kick back and get immersed in a surreal experience, this might just be your jam. |
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS THROUGHOUT.
The Antenna https://i.imgur.com/IGeKifu.jpg The Turkish government starts installing new TV antennas all over the country in preparation for the state-mandated propaganda show The Night Bulletin. Mehmet, who works as a superintendent at an apartment complex gets the job of supervising the installation of it. But strange things start happening right away. A tenant falls off the edge of the roof, and a thick, black slimy subtance begins penetrating every area of the building. And he's the only one who seems to notice something's wrong... This is one very spooky sci-fi thriller. You're really drawn into this bleak, uncompromising world where everything is tightly controlled and any unfortunate mishaps are quickly brushed over. When one of tenants fall off a roof taking a look at the antenna, nobody seems to care how exactly that happened. "Work accident" is the only explanation given. This nonchalance over a tragedy is pretty eerie right away. Even Mehmet doesn't question it at first, only hoping he can stop dozing off at work all the time. The cinematography contributes a great deal to the unsettling atmosphere. The attention is directed to every weird thing that's going on, most of all the disgusting black liquid penetrating every area of the building. The night time scenes are darkly lit, but never hard to follow. Every storage room have a very haunting look, like nobody has been in there for years. The music is terrific throughout. It sells you on the creepiness and danger of the situation. You also get stressed at various moments when a character is in danger and the soundtrack increases the tension. Not to mention the sound design, they did a great job of making the black liquid sound just as gross as it looks. Ihsan Öhal, gives a good mostly muted performance. Much like the audience, he's simply an observer. Once Mehmet takes matters into his own hands and has to do some deep digging of his own after getting ignored, he gets more and more emotionally affected by the horror that's been unleashed, and he portrays this transformation very convincingly. A big standout is Enis Yildiz as Farat. When he accidentally eats the black ooze as it penetrates his food, he goes from a regular family father to a coldblooded psychopath. The look in Yildiz' eyes as he menacingly walks around with a scissor is the creepiest thing in the entire movie. The part where daughter Cemile hides in the wardrobe hoping she won't be discovered is especially intense. Elif Cakman is good as Cemile, at her strongest when she tries to flee from her father. The final scene Cemile's in really stayed with me. Farat stabs her in the back with a scissor and you presume she dies from her wounds. Then she turns out to be alive, but instead of making out of there slowly dies, her breath slowly being taken away as she gasps in a raspy voice. It's absolutely terrifying. The social commentary is woven into the story very well. People get so brainwashed by The Night Bulletin that they don't notice the black liquid slowly reaching and killing them. And as Mehmet finds out, they already know about the black substance reaching the building. It was planned from the start. The faceless individuals you see in the last act represent those who've had their voices and individuality taken away completely, now nothing more than servants for the government. A message about the importance behind freedom of expression has rarely been communicated as effectively. This has all the makings of a future cult classic. Hopefully more people will be as enthralled by it as I was. |
Re: From now on I have my own review thread. My name is mattiasflgrtll
Regarding the OP's first post here, every time I've seen Gone with the Wind, I've had roughly the same question: Holy crap, how much money did it take to pull this thing off?
50 speaking roles 2400+ extras Sweeping scenes that sprawl on forever ..............all without CGI. Holy................ Never liked the last scene though. Probably shouldn't have seen first as a young kid; I didn't understand the need for the occasional unhappy movie ending. |
Circus World
https://i.imgur.com/HTVaUvt.jpg In an effort to reignite success into his circus show, Matt Masters wants to tour in Europe. He also has a hidden motive behind this however, to find his old love and mother of stepdaughter Toni. Once he finds her, he comes to realize it's not only the circus he'll struggle with... I quite liked this movie. John Wayne is mostly seen as a macho western star, but once in a while he can also be subdued and sensitive. His character gets to deal with a lot of emotional difficulties throughout, and the inner pain is portrayed in his face very well. Rita Hayworth and Claudia Cardinale as his wife and daughter are just as great. I liked Hayworth in You'll Never Get Rich, and she didn't disappoint here either. The chemistry between her and Wayne is so believable that if you told me they got along just fine behind the scenes, I would have believed you. What's most interesting is how it portrays the relationship between Lili and Toni. Lili wants to connect with her daughter again, but constantly has to do it under the guise of being a complete stranger. Not to mention the potential emotional lashout Toni might suffer if she figures out the reason she really is there. Your father killing himself and mother then falling in love with your stepdad would definitely be a hard pill to swallow. The scene where Toni finds a note revealing what really happened to her father contains the finest acting moment in the whole picture. Her reaction to this is devastating, and Cardinale portrays the anger and hurt so convincingly it's scary. Matt understandly gets shocked, but was also prepared this might happen. Thankfully it ends on a sweet note as she and Lili come to Matt's rescue when his life is in danger. It's not just the drama that makes the movie however. It's also about a circus. Henry Hathaway directs these sequences with a clear affection for the art, since they are quite spectacular and entertaining to watch. I feel a bit mixed about the use of animals since it was hard not to worry about them getting hurt for real, but watching the performers and clowns doing their thing is a joy to behold. Imagine being a trapeze artist and trying to do 100 swings in the air! The energetic score by Dimitri Tiomkin does a good job of setting the circus atmosphere. As heavy as the story gets, there are also a few comedic moments. The funniest one for me is when Toni and Steve (The man she is in love with, but Matt has reportedly been antagonistic towards) are kissing each other, trying to hide from her father. But Steve is sick of sneaking around, and decides to tell Matt in a confronting manner that he genuinely loves her daughter and that he should stop treating him as an enemy. But since he is now in a good mood after Lili wants to stay, he gets the first word and happily asks Toni how her trapeze act is going, as well as tells them they can "go back your secret hiding place that nobody knows about". That final line is really what makes it. If you come for Wayne the action star you'll be disappointed, but if you want a well-acted drama with realistic and engaging characters you might get your value out of it. Along with The Barbarian And The Geisha this is one of his most underrated works. |
I've never heard of Circus World, but it sounds interesting. I recently watched a bunch of John Wayne movies for the Westerns Countdown, so I might watch this movie too.
|
The King Of Staten Island
https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily....20%2C480&ssl=1 Ever since his dad died in a firefighter incident, Scott's life hasn't managed to go anywhere. He spends every day smoking pot and talks about opening a tattoo resturant (but never follows through on it), plus has a case of ADD and Crohns disease. He also has to take care of his mother by himself when his sister goes away for college. But one day a seemingly minor event changes everything... Besides Judd Apatow's brand of humor, I didn't know what to expect from this film. Not a lot of interesting movies were playing in theaters, so I thought I might as well give this one a chance. I had never seen Pete Davidson in anything before this, but after his performance in this film I won't forget him. While at first Scott doesnt seem like much more than a crazy manchild, I really started to feel affectionate for the guy after a while. You laugh at his inappropriately timed comments and shortsighted decisions, but Davidson also portrays how his impulsive behavior makes him doubt his own selfworth, that maybe he's too stupid to ever reach any higher. The conflict that stirs up after his mom (superbly played by Marisa Tomei) hooks up with a new boyfriend doesn't feel cliché in any way. You understand Scotts worry once he learns he's not only someone he got off with on the wrong foot, but is also a firefighter just like his dad. His stubborn inability to give him a chance to the fear of going through another loss or the idea that she goes for the same type just as a vain replacement for his father feels justified. We're shown Ray doesn't think highly of him either, judging by the conversation with Margie where he dismisses the tattoo resturant concept and thinks he'll never amount to anything. The fact that she doesn't even defend her son is even sadder, like there might be some truth in what he says. Since I mentioned Ray, I should also talk about Bill Burr. Even though his face looked familiar, not once did I recognize that was him since he completely disappeared into the character. He walks the line between likable and kind of arrogant, which is hard to pull off, but he manages to do so perfectly. But while the movie does get heavy, it's also hilarious much of the time. Not just Davidson, but also Burr, Tomei, Pamela Adlon, Steve Buscemi and the actors playing Scott's friend circle get moments to shine in terms of comedy. At times silly, other times deadpan, the humor always feels natural to the characters and progression of the story. It feels very "hangout" in terms of tone, where you are just observing these people sharing laughs and poking fun at each other. Additionally, there are times where it can get uncomfortable and funny at the same time, most of those momens owed to Davidson. Apatow's daughter Maude does a very good job as Scott's sister Claire. She's kind of a regular in his films, but this is her most memorable part so far. Does the plot take expected turns? Sure. Every relationship gets a happy ending, everyone gets along in the end (except for Ray and his ex-wife Gina) and even Igor's potential catfish girlfriend is actually real. But none of that matters as long as you're having a good time, which I definitely did. The King Of Staten Island isn't Apatow's most serious film (that would be Funny People), but I do think it's his most sincere. Whether you know who Pete Davidson is or not, I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a good laugh along with engaging characters. |
@lenslady :)
|
La Verónica
https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/images/..._21258_600.jpg Verónica has a big aspiration in life: To gain 2 million followers so she can become the beauty company Beaut's next icon. But in the process of achieving that goal, she also jeopardizes her marriage and family life. I'll be honest, when I saw the description "Her life falls apart, one post at a time.", I thought it would be an annoying excercise in portraying shallowness in such a flashy manner it would feel like nothing more than a vanity piece, kinda like The Bling Ring. But when I was finally forced to give it a chance, it turned out to be have much more brimming under the surface. You see, Verónica is not just an attention seeker, she's a vacuous sponge who drags everyone down with her in the process. No matter whether it's a friend or a family member, if she's not able to use them to the benefit of her popularity, they're worthless to her. Everyone has to conform to her standards instead of the opposite. Her relationship with husband Javier is a joke. She constantly has to be at the center of attention, even though he has a very demanding job as a football player and has to help, or more accurately be the only one taking care of their daughter. To make it worse she is constantly jealous despite his incredible faithfulness to her. The scene where she accuses him of blowing a kiss at someone (which he did because she was a fan), then exaggerates the story more and more with every sentence is one of the funniest parts of the film. Or how about when she makes him cheat on her just to get it overwith, but cries like crazy because he was enjoying it? You can really not blame Javier for becoming exhausted with her drama. She's also jealous at the attention given to the baby, without once considering they'd be closer to each other if she took care of it too. The carelessness she shows towards her child Amanda is the main reason this is such a disturbing character. Whenever she cries she puts on deafening music to cancel out the noise instead of comforting it, and even when it's not crying she still feels nothing but absolute contempt.
WARNING: spoilers below
We are given details on how she had another daughter in the past that died, which an investigator suspects she was responsible for. The script does try to misdirect us a little, but the confirmation that she was behind the death is not a surprise. What does jolt you however is the way she was killed. It was more than pure neglect, she wanted this child to die. It brings another creepy layer to the disgusting behavior she displays towards Amanda, and brings about the tragic climactic point where she decides to repeat her past "mistake" once again.
The acting from Mariana Di Girólamo is superb. Her facial expressions and body language really sell you on self-obsessed Verónica is, and fully convinces you there's no limit whatsoever to how far her villainy can go. She's pitiable, yet unlikable enough that you don't start to feel bad for her. Even when cornered by her investigator she coldly issues a threat that she will turn the case around to make him look like the bad guy instead. The evil circle of vacuousness never ends. The directing is always focused on the characters facing the camera and very little else, which might sound unimaginative, but is actually the most suitable look for this story. An engrossing character drama with a touch of black comedy, La Verónica is one of the most surprising gems from The Gothenburg Film Festival. |
| All times are GMT -3. The time now is 05:11 PM. |
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright, ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
User Alert System provided by
Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Lite) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © Movie Forums