JayDee's Movie Musings

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Well if it's Nicholson you don't like, you might not like The Departed. Jack is very Jack in it, if you know what I mean.
^^This.^^
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5-time MoFo Award winner.



Well if it's Nicholson you don't like, you might not like The Departed. Jack is very Jack in it, if you know what I mean. But I think it works very well for his character.
Jack Nicholson is my favorite actor, but his performance was my one disappointment with The Departed. He was great as always, but it's not close to one of his signature roles. He is overshadowed in this movie by the rest of the cast, which is phenomenal.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Before I move onto my next review I think it's about time I clear my backlog of micro musings, so here's the first batch. I had kind of forgotten all about them and I think some of them have been sitting around for about 6 months or something, back just before and during the Films of the 90s countdown


Micro Musings


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Year of release
1992

Directed by
Robert Altman

Starring
Tim Robbins
Greta Scacchi
Fred Ward
Peter Gallagher
Whoopi Goldberg

The Player

-

I was enjoying this film quite a bit up until its central murder after which I felt it started to lose a little bit of steam. However it recovered its impetus towards its conclusion with the great Bruce Willis-starring film within a film, which was both highly entertaining and made a salient point about the compromise of artistic integrity for Hollywood success. I also enjoyed the satire that came into play in terms of the pitches that Robbins' character heard, from The Graduate 2 to how everything is one thing meets another. Personally I'd really like to see Ghost meets The Manchurian Candidate. The film has got a number of good performances, including Robbins' central showing, Vincent D'Onofrio as the bitter writer, Greta Scacchi as Robbins' mysterious love interest and Richard E. Grant in a small role as the screenwriter with morals. Well at least for a while until money comes into the equation. I feel that I should have enjoyed it a little bit more than I actually did so will definitely get a rewatch someday.


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Year of release
1995

Directed by
Richard Linklater

Starring
Ethan Hawke
Julie Delpy



Before Sunrise

++

This was a strange viewing experience, and one I'm really not too sure what to make of. As the film was going along I was enjoying it well enough, a little dull at times perhaps, but nice enough. Perhaps heading for a score somewhere between 3 and 3.5. Then however in the final 10 or so minutes I found that I had actually become really emotionally invested in the characters and their relationship; so much so that at the end I even found myself tearing up a little. I was really quite surprised, and I'll be fascinated to see what I make of the whole film whenever I revisit it one day as well as its sequels. What got to me was both the parting of these two souls who had found each other, and also a sequence after their split. There are a series of static images which show the locations where they spent their time on that magical day, except that now they are deserted. Without them these places now seem very lonely and empty. I'm not sure I can say why it touched me so much but there was just something about it. Oh and I've got to say that I thought Julie Delpy was just delightful as Celine; really attractive but also just lovely and sweet.


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Year of release
1998

Directed by
Joel Coen

Starring
Jeff Bridges
John Goodman
Steve Buscemi
Julianne Moore
David Huddleston

Big Lebowski

-

Ever since I joined this board I feel that I've constantly been saying how I didn't 'get' The Big Lebowski but that I really needed to watch it again. Well I finally got round to it, and while I did find quite a bit of enjoyment here I still don't think I'd say I really 'got' it. I still don't quite understand why it's so beloved and has developed such a cult following, but as I said I did enjoy it. I liked the moments of sheer weirdness, the epic dream sequences and John Goodman I thought was just fantastic! I'd probably say Goodman was the best bit about the whole film. John Turturro was also highly amusing as their freaky bowling nemesis.


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Year of release
1995

Directed by
Michael Mann

Starring
Robert De Niro
Al Pacino
Val Kilmer
Tom Sizemore
Jon Voight

Heat

++

This was certainly a very well made film but one that just didn't really engage me massively. I just felt it was a little bit too slick and stylish, creating a bit of a hollow sensation for me. Although I'm aware of how insanely hypocritical I'm being because I love Mann's Collateral which is just as slick and stylish, if not even more so. As I said it is well done, with the huge shootout following the bank robbery being a particularly astonishing scene. I could see and appreciate what the film was doing in terms of paralleling the lives of Lt. Hanna and McCauley but as I said I struggled to really connect to any of the characters or performances, largely down to the cast. This was an example of Pacino going big and really irritating me at times; the bit about the “GREAT ASS!!!” I found positively cringeworthy. Then you've got Robert de Niro who is an actor I have just never warmed to whatsoever. Like some other tough, macho actors (Jack Nicholson for example) there is just something about him I find a massive turn off. I've got a pretty good idea that a psychologist could find a link between these aggressive guys and my father who I didn't have a great relationship with and that's why I don't like them.


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Year of release
1995

Directed by
Tim Robbins

Starring
Susan Sarandon
Sean Penn
Robert Prosky
Margo Martindale
Raymond J. Barry

Dead Man Walking

-

A very powerful film that is propelled along by two fantastic performances in the lead roles. Sean Penn is a fine choice for the role of death row inmate Matthew Poncelet; he just has the look of someone with a potentially dangerous side to him. And Susan Sarandon is excellent as the nun who forms an intriguing bond with him. It really is quite a strange relationship; you feel at any point it's heading towards a romance even if we know how unlikely it us. I had no idea until I saw the credits that Dead Man Walking was directed by Tim Robbins, and on this evidence it's a shame he hasn't done more films. He does a very impressive job, particularly at the film's conclusion. He cuts back and forth between the execution and flashbacks of the harrowing events that resulted in him ending up on death row; showing us both his crime and his punishment. Dead Man Walking acts as a real examination of the merits of the death penalty and forces the viewer to question what their opinion of it is. Now I think there are some people who do things so reprehensible that they do deserve it, but I don't know if it's gone about in the right fashion. Having an audience to view and perhaps savour the death feels uncomfortable; the burden and guilt it places on the people responsible for executing the procedure seems unfair on them.



Nice to see you liked The Player I think you've got the film spot on with how it loses a bit of steam in its middle part but recovers towards the end, and I loved the Bruce Willis, Hollywood satire bit too (well, the whole thing is ). And good to see positives ratings for The Big Lebowski and Heat, although I give both higher
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I agree with you on the Big Lebowski. A damn good very quotable movie, but I do not get the cult status. I disagree on Dead Man Walking. I am against the death penalty, and that movie still managed to piss me off. And that movie should be preaching to the choir, and it still failed.

Oh well.



I love Dead Man Walking. I gave it a
.

I'll be back in a moment with your picture.



Thumps up, although The Player is rated much too low, in my opinion. It's one of my all time favorite films by now, though, so I get that I'm probably a little bit biased.

I think the film actually only gets better and better. The murder in the middle gives everything more moral gravitas, even when it's obvious that everything is supposed to be very satirical.
It makes the movie more cruel, more evil. It makes it morally more despicable and confronting, which I personally really REALLY liked in this context.

Next to the practically perfect narrative, I also thought the film looked amazing. It showcases Hollywood in an irresistible, darkly glamorous fashion and I absolutely ADORED it!

About The Big Lebowski:

I think it's the overall attitude of the whole film and the main character that attracts so many people. Also, after having rewatched it again a few weeks ago, I have to say that the Coens were truly ON FIRE when directing this film. It's full of great stuff to look at. It all seems very laid back and loose, but the craft that is put into this film is definitely the result of hard creative work!
I still don't consider it as one of my favorite films, but I do have to say that I get fond of it more and more. I can definitely see why it's a cult classic.

I also liked Before Sunrise and I think Heat deserves a little bit more credit than you give it, but I get your criticism. It's definitely not a perfect film or anything like that.
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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019



I agree with your assessment of The Big Lebowski JayDee. I don't think it's great or even that funny, but it is a lot of fun and it's a lot more rewatchable then many better movies.

I like Heat an awful lot, but that type of movie with that cast should be in my top 25, and it just isn't. Top 200, yes.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Second batch of micro musings. Will perhaps try and get another batch up later on but photobucket is playing up for me just now, meaning that it is taking quite a bit of time to get it all organised.


Micro Musings


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Year of release
1992

Directed by
Rob Reiner

Starring
Tom Cruise
Demi Moore
Kevin Bacon
Jack Nicholson
Kevin Pollack

A Few Good Men

+

I think that as a film, the iconic status of A Few Good Men probably outweighs its actual quality; its acting can be rather overblown and the central romance that develops doesn't exactly satisfy. Despite these flaws it is still a very good crowd pleaser. Cruise's performance is pretty good and certainly grows as the film goes along. Early on I found him a bit irritating as his character required him to be the smug, arrogant, showboating Tom Cruise which I've never been a fan of. I often feel that with a role like this he often just phones in his performance, relying solely on his star quality to be adequate. As his character changes so does his performance however and by the end he had won me over in fine style with his showing during the trial. Alongside him the other performances are a bit mixed. Kevin Pollack I felt was good and I always enjoy the work of Kevin Bacon; in fact those two probably deliver the strongest performances. On the negative side of things however I felt Demi Moore was pretty awful. Her performance to me just felt so wooden and lifeless. I'm not a big fan of Jack Nicholson but he does what is required of him here and is rather entertaining in his big angry rants. Though his big revelation at the end does feel like it was obtained a bit too easily. You would think that someone who has risen to the position that Nicholson's charcter has would be able to put up more of a fight against Cruise's tricks. That said though A Few Good Men remains a solidly entertaining courtroom drama
.

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Year of release
1999

Directed by
Michael Mann

Starring
Russell Crow
Al Pacino
Christopher Plummer
Diane Venora
Phillip Baker Hall

The Insider


A compelling thriller, I probably found this to be more frightening than at least 90% of the horror films released today. I think it's extremely troubling the level of power and influence that big tobacco, oil companies, gun manufacturers etc have. Pacino gives a very good performance, and given the levels he can sometimes reach he deserves huge praise for the amount of restraint he shows. I'm not sure I've ever seen him so laidback as he is for much of this film. Star of the show however is definitely Russell Crow who is absolutely excellent as the whistleblower. Oh and Christopher Plummer also impresses as 60 minutes reporter Mike Wallace


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Year of release
1997

Directed by
Gus Van Sant

Starring
Matt Damon
Robin Williams
Minnie Driver
Stellan Skarsgard
Ben Affleck

Good Will Hunting

++

I've caught bits of Good Will Hunting on TV a bunch of times, including the “how do you like them apples?” scene three times I believe. I had never seen it from start to finish however until now, and it turns out that most of it was not at all familiar. It also turns out that it's a rather excellent film. It may not exactly cover much new ground in terms of its story but it does it all so well that it feels really fresh and invigorating. Van Sant directs the excellent script with assurance and it is wonderfully acted. As has been seen in the likes of One Hour Photo and supposedly Dead Poet's Society (I personally have not seen it) Williams once again proves that he can deliver when it comes to a dramatic role. He is excellent as the unconventional therapist who takes on Will as a patient. As good as Williams is though, I'd have to say that this is without a doubt Damon's film. He is absolutely terrific as Will, so raw and natural a performance. He is just bursting with an unrelenting energy as the guy with a massive chip on his shoulder. The scenes that Damon and Williams share together are fantastic. They just crackle with chemistry, with both men given the chance to deliver some great monologues. Williams' speech that convinces Will to give therapy a go is wonderfully inspiring, while Damon's rapid-fire speech about why he won't work for the NSA is terrific. Hell for once not only did I not find Minnie Driver exceptionally irritating, but even somewhat appealing. It's a slow burner of a film, but so much more involving that you could imagine a film about a mathematics genius in therapy ever could be.


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Year of release
1998

Directed by
Todd Solondz

Starring
Jane Adams
Dylan Baker
Lara Flynn Boyle
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Cynthia Stevenson

Happiness

+

Well this film somehow made it onto the top 100 of the 90s list, and on that evidence there must be a lot of sick people on this board! Personally I thought this was pretty damn trashy. To me it just felt like one cheap, self-conscious shock tactic after another (rape, paedophilia, on-screen ejaculation etc) with a half-hearted excuse of a theme/message as an attempt to justify it. What I will give the film is that it was fairly well made for what it was, had a few dark laughs and it was also extremely well acted by its cast, most notably in the form of Dylan Baker and Philip Seymour Hoffman. But other than that rather distasteful and certainly not for me.


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Year of release
1999

Directed by
Anthony Minghella

Starring
Matt Damon
Jude Law
Gwyneth Paltrow
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Cate Blanchett
Jack Davenport

The Talented Mr Ripley


A superior, classy slice of a psychological thriller. Matt Damon is absolutely excellent here as the sociopathic chameleon that is Tom Ripley; it's actually quite unnerving watching him slip so easily in and out of the various identities that he has either created or stolen. He really does grab a hold of the film and lead it. Although he does have some strong support helping him along the way. I've never been especially enamoured with either Jude Law or Gwyneth Paltrow but I actually found both of them to be very good, Law in particular I thought was actually pretty great. And then of course there is the terrific Philip Seymour Hoffman who rarely, if ever, disappoints. The film is really quite gorgeous to behold, Minghella's camera and John Seale's cinematography beautifully capturing the 50s era Italian backdrop of the film, seemingly shot almost exclusively in natural light. If I had a complaint, its pace dips a bit in the middle and as a result feels perhaps just a slight touch too long. Overall though this is a sharp and intelligent movie, one I look forward to revisiting in the future.




Happiness

+

Well this film somehow made it onto the top 100 of the 90s list, and on that evidence there must be a lot of sick people on this board! Personally I thought this was pretty damn trashy. To me it just felt like one cheap, self-conscious shock tactic after another (rape, paedophilia, on-screen ejaculation etc) with a half-hearted excuse of a theme/message as an attempt to justify it.
*Adds Happiness to her watch list*



As I've said before with the likes of Nicholson and De Niro I think it's those macho, aggressive types that I find a turn-off
isn't die hard one of your favorite movies? and don't you consistently give schwarzenegger and stallone movies really high grades? they seem far more "macho" that nicholson or de niro ever are, and nicholson and de niro are infinitely better actors.



You hit three of my 100 faves there. Few Good Men, Good Will Hunting, and The Insider. I have always liked Ripley quite a bit as well. I dont see me visiting Happiness anytime soon, it sounds awful.
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Letterboxd





I will go one step further with A Few Good Men and say that the romance between Cruise and Moore is unneeded altogether! Why is it in the film? I think it is so Cruise can look straight.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
I think this is the last of my micro musings for the 90s films, still got a bunch of others to get through though


Micro Musings


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Year of release
1994

Directed by
Robert Redford

Starring
Ralph Fiennes
John Turturro
Rob Morrow
David Paymer
Hank Azaria

Quiz Show


A very classy, old-fashioned slice of cinema. Quiz Show is directed with a real elegance by Redford and impressively acted by its cast, especially n the case of John Turturro who jumps back and forth from being a real dork on the show and a bit of a snivelling weasel in real life. Ralph Fiennes is also in fine form. Quiz Show's smart script uses the cheating scandal to tackle larger issues and values in American at the time such as prejudice fuelled by race or the class system, and how intelligence was viewed with great esteem back then, whereas these days we have the likes of Honey Boo Boo, Jersey Shore etc. And it has to be said that these days in the era of reality TV it would be more surprising to me if a show was not rigged. A very sharp and elegant movie, it's one I could see growing on me over time. Very surprised it only got one measly point on the 90s list.


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Year of release
1992

Directed by
John Woo

Starring
Chow Yun-fat
Tony Leung
Teresa Mo
Philip Kwok
Anthony Wong

Hard Boiled

-

I struggled to really get into the story of Hard Boiled to any great extent, but when it comes to what is required to enjoy the film the story would probably be quite low down in the criteria. The main thrust of Hard Boiled undoubtedly arrives in the form of its astonishing action sequences. They are thrilling, balletic, mind-boggling feats of agility, staging and direction. Completely outrageous but oh so satisfying. The action throughout is fantastic but there is one sequence which stands out as being truly incredible. It sees our two heroes (Yun-fat and Chiu-Wai) walking along one corridor, blasting away a series of goons, entering an elevator and coming off on another level into another assault of bullets. The whole thing is shot in one tremendous take. And the duo's battles with Philip Kwok's Mad Dog are stupendous. The film features all of Woo's signature touches and it's no surprise that this is held up as one of the great action films.


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Year of release
1994

Directed by
Stephan Elliott

Starring
Hugo Weaving
Terence Stamp
Guy Pearce
Bill Hunter
Sarah Chadwick

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

++

A whole lot of fun. While it's as camp and colourful as I expected I also found it to be surprisingly tender and touching. It also makes for a very enjoyable example of the road movie. Priscilla has got three great performances at its core. Guy Pearce is a riot as the stupendously camp Felicia Jollygoodfellow, while Terence Stamp is really quite moving as the gruff Bernadette. And Huge Weaving does a nice job as the in between sort of character, treading the line between the two. While it's always enjoyable the moments where the film really comes alive are certainly to be found in the musical performances. They're a lot of fun and the costumes that the characters wear during them are absolutely fabulous! I loved Weaving's dress made of flip-flops!


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Year of release
1992

Directed by
Mick Jackson

Starring
Kevin Costner
Whitney Houston
Gary Kemp
Bill Cobbs
Mike Starr

The Bodyguard


The Bodyguard is undoubtedly cheesy and pretty damn melodramatic but I found it to very watchable and pretty good fun. The film certainly attempts to rely very heavily on the star power of its two leads, and just about succeeds on that front, even if I did not get any sense of chemistry between Costner and Houston whatsoever. The fact that I've always liked Costner certainly helps with me being able to enjoy the film despite its many, many flaws.


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Year of release
1990

Directed by
Tony Scott

Starring
Tom Cruise
Robert Duvall
Nicole Kidman
Michael Rooker
Cary Elwes

Days of Thunder


I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of this film but, and don't judge me too harshly for this, I found Days of Thunder to be a great deal of fun. It's certainly a pretty daft and cheesy film but all the better for it! Its plot certainly isn't going to tax you a great deal, it's a very simple and straightforward affair. And as the comedian Rich Hall brilliantly pointed out it's the same plot in just about every Tom Cruise film ever! Oh and while I'm not a fan of NASCAR in any what whatsoever I don't think this is a particularly accurate representation of it. The races seem more akin to Mario Kart than NASCAR given the amount of contact that seems to be allowed. That said though they are rather thrilling and well executed affairs with some impressive stunt work on show. Cruise really isn't stretching himself all that much, just giving us his big movie star style of performance, but it works well. Both Duvall and Rooker are good value in their roles with Duvall in particular scoring quite a few laughs with his gruff performance. Unfortunately that's pretty much where the goodwill to the cast ends. The reason? Nicole Kidman. She is absolutely woeful in this! I honestly can't remember the last time I saw such a poor performance from a well known performer in a 'big' film. She is so incredibly flat and insipid. The idea that her performance generated for me was that she must be an alien who had only just been informed of this human notion of 'acting' about two seconds before the cameras started rolling. Just awful! Oh and I forgot to mention the name of Tom Cruise's character - Cole Trickle. That's just funny every time I heard it.


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Year of release
1996

Directed by
Andy Wachowski /// Larry Wachowski

Starring
Jennifer Tilly
Gina Gershon
Joe Pantoliano
Christopher Meloni
John Ryan

Bound

++

Slick, stylish neo-noir that marked the directing debut of the Wachowski brothers and set them on their way towards The Matrix. I felt that there was definitely a Tarantino-esque vibe to Bound as it delivered a mix of violence, sex, noir and pitch-black humour but found it to be more satisfying than many of QT's efforts. Its opening stretch sets it out as a bit of cheap, trashy softcore flick whose sole selling point is its lesbian relationship and the extremely vivid sex scenes between Tilly and Gershon. After that however the film transforms into a very solid thriller laced with black humour. Much of its plot and characters may be rather derivative but it remains good, energetic fun thanks to the performances and the Wachowski's vibrant style of fancy camera work and style over substance mentality. While the cinematography does a nice job of creating a very noirish atmosphere. Gershon and Tilly are both very good; Gershon as the butch anti-hero and Tilly as the classic femme fatale, but star performer for me would have to be Joe Pantoliano as the twitchy, paranoid and slimy Caesar. Bound is of course most notable for its steamy, provocative sex scenes between Gershon and Tilly. And I've got to admit that I did find them rather.....interesting. Damn sexy movie.



Happiness is a favorite of mine; it's too bad you didn't enjoy it.

I Forgot about The Talented Mr. Ripley; that's an excellent film.

Bound, The Insider, A Few Good Men, Quiz Show, and Good Will Hunting are all favorites of mine to different degrees.

I liked Days of Thunder a little less than you, but it's entertaining no doubt about it.



OMG. Gunslinger, that's another I need a commentary with you for. If not during your first watch, then your second watch.