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Ha amazing man. Bet you have a load of stories from that era.
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It was weird, it didn't seem like the right people being chose to tribute him. People who were probably provided with prepared speeches and google searches from which to work instead of people of his generation at the very least. There were a couple of teen actors up there gushing about the guy. What would a teenager, even a teen actor, know about Norman Lear? I don't know may be it's just me, maybe you need to watch it for yourself but the whole thing was very strange to me. And Sally Struthers wasn't even there.
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By [1] Derived from a digital capture (photo/scan) of the film poster (creator of this digital version is irrelevant as the copyright in all equivalent images is still held by the same party). Copyright held by the film company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45516140
The Pajama Game - (1957)
Here's another Broadway show turned movie - I've been broadening my knowledge of such, and I've been curious about Doris Day lately - so two birds. Sid Sorokin (John Raitt) gets a job at a Pajama factory as a superintendent, and immediately gets to what these days would be called sexual harassment. Babe Williams (Doris Day) relents in the end - suddenly in love, but guys the world over kept thinking "if she says no, you just come on harder and persistently dog that lady until she says yes". All of that aside though, I kind of liked the song and dance routines in this (choreographed by Bob Fosse) but it felt fluffy and light - something like a Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie or an Elvis one. Confectionary for the moviegoers of that era. Bright pastels, catchy songs and the always-pleasing Doris Day. I get the feeling she was in 100 movies of this sort.
6/10
By https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4267026/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57992770
Hell House LLC - (2015)
It's often nice to realise that my subscription to Shudder isn't a complete waste of money, and that among the mountain of sub-par horror there's a title here and there that at least passes my minimum threshold for creepy found footage fun. Yeah, Hell House LLC overdoes things, as many of these movies do, but there are scenes that were really effectively scary. As a whole I wouldn't say the film is, but I'd watch this again just to see those segments again - there's much invention, but if you ever stop at certain moments and think "Why the hell are they still recording this?" it won't make sense. A group of young people who dress up abandoned properties as Ghost House fun attractions for the public get their hands on a property that is genuinely haunted, and disaster ensues. The film has a mockumentary style, which includes news footage of the disaster, uploaded YouTube videos, and then the footage captured by the proprietors themselves. It's no Blair Witch but it is a somewhat enjoyable romp. Many sequels are here already, and probably to come.
6/10
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We miss you Takoma
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Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)
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DESPERATE SOULS, DARK CITY AND THE LEGEND OF MIDNIGHT COWBOY
There was little "Midnight Cowboy" (about 90 seconds of a new Jon Voigt interview interspersed) with a lot of other extracurricular shit.
There was little "Midnight Cowboy" (about 90 seconds of a new Jon Voigt interview interspersed) with a lot of other extracurricular shit.
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'Earth Mama' (2023)
The new A24 drama - This film is directed by Savannah Leaf - a lady that has just turned 30, and who was in the 2012 Olympics representing Britain at volleyball! What at talented girl. It’s a neo-realistic type film in the same vein as ‘Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always’ or perhaps ‘A Thousand and One’. Tia Nomore stars as Gia, a single mother in California who is struggling with addiction and has had her two children put into foster care.
She’s pregnant again and the film explores her actions as she tries to be a good mother in order that her newborn is given the best start in life possible. Tia Nomore’s performance is very engaging. I felt the film could be a little more dramatic at times but it’s a really promising debut from Savanna Leaf.
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Theater Camp -
This endearing and very funny comedy is not far off from being the Waiting for Guffman of this era. The titular camp, known as AdironACTS, is a hair's breadth away from shutting down. To make matters worse, founder Joan (Sedaris) slipped into a coma. Her son Troy (Tatro), despite not "getting it" and being the kind of guy the average camper tries to avoid, is enthusiastic about keeping the lights on albeit in a particularly misguided way. Meanwhile, best friends, former campers and now teachers Amos (Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Gordon) stage a musical based on Joan's life, which is beset by the latter having one foot out the door. All the while, a representative from the wealthy camp across the river is champing at the bit to take it over.
As the final song of the camp's project lovingly puts it, it's more of a home to the campers than their real homes. Besides being enthusiastic about something that most people only think of as something fun to do while traveling in New York, most of the staff and campers are LBGTQ. I especially like how their suspicious treatment of the seemingly only straight camper reiterates this, which is capped by a hilarious moment of acceptance from his gay parents. The character of Troy is all the more genius while considering this and not just because Tatro is so funny in the part. Presumably like anyone who goes into this movie cold, he's a guy who doesn't get why theater is so important to everyone else but wants to. The drama (no pun intended) of whether the camp will stay open always keeps things interesting, whether for how it strains Amos and Rebecca-Diane's friendship, or the increasingly offbeat ideas Troy comes up with to make money. They range from making campers work at a Rotary Club event to a possible investment from shady dudebro influencers. The drama and the kids' hard work in spite of it culminates in a performance that brings the laughs, tears and is bound to make you want to see it in its entirety. It results in a comedy that expertly stresses the importance of having a place to belong and of making such places last. By the same token, it reminds us that it's just as important to take a chance on outsiders to such places.
This endearing and very funny comedy is not far off from being the Waiting for Guffman of this era. The titular camp, known as AdironACTS, is a hair's breadth away from shutting down. To make matters worse, founder Joan (Sedaris) slipped into a coma. Her son Troy (Tatro), despite not "getting it" and being the kind of guy the average camper tries to avoid, is enthusiastic about keeping the lights on albeit in a particularly misguided way. Meanwhile, best friends, former campers and now teachers Amos (Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Gordon) stage a musical based on Joan's life, which is beset by the latter having one foot out the door. All the while, a representative from the wealthy camp across the river is champing at the bit to take it over.
As the final song of the camp's project lovingly puts it, it's more of a home to the campers than their real homes. Besides being enthusiastic about something that most people only think of as something fun to do while traveling in New York, most of the staff and campers are LBGTQ. I especially like how their suspicious treatment of the seemingly only straight camper reiterates this, which is capped by a hilarious moment of acceptance from his gay parents. The character of Troy is all the more genius while considering this and not just because Tatro is so funny in the part. Presumably like anyone who goes into this movie cold, he's a guy who doesn't get why theater is so important to everyone else but wants to. The drama (no pun intended) of whether the camp will stay open always keeps things interesting, whether for how it strains Amos and Rebecca-Diane's friendship, or the increasingly offbeat ideas Troy comes up with to make money. They range from making campers work at a Rotary Club event to a possible investment from shady dudebro influencers. The drama and the kids' hard work in spite of it culminates in a performance that brings the laughs, tears and is bound to make you want to see it in its entirety. It results in a comedy that expertly stresses the importance of having a place to belong and of making such places last. By the same token, it reminds us that it's just as important to take a chance on outsiders to such places.
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[quote=PHOENIX74;2425313]
By [1] Derived from a digital capture (photo/scan) of the film poster (creator of this digital version is irrelevant as the copyright in all equivalent images is still held by the same party). Copyright held by the film company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45516140
The Pajama Game - (1957)
Here's another Broadway show turned movie - I've been broadening my knowledge of such, and I've been curious about Doris Day lately - so two birds. Sid Sorokin (John Raitt) gets a job at a Pajama factory as a superintendent, and immediately gets to what these days would be called sexual harassment. Babe Williams (Doris Day) relents in the end - suddenly in love, but guys the world over kept thinking "if she says no, you just come on harder and persistently dog that lady until she says yes". All of that aside though, I kind of liked the song and dance routines in this (choreographed by Bob Fosse) but it felt fluffy and light - something like a Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie or an Elvis one. Confectionary for the moviegoers of that era. Bright pastels, catchy songs and the always-pleasing Doris Day. I get the feeling she was in 100 movies of this sort.
6/10
i love, love, love, love, love this movie. Day has rarely been better and the choreography is superb..."Steam Heat" is a master class in the art of choreography...the body just wasn't meant to move like that.
By [1] Derived from a digital capture (photo/scan) of the film poster (creator of this digital version is irrelevant as the copyright in all equivalent images is still held by the same party). Copyright held by the film company or the artist. Claimed as fair use regardless., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45516140
The Pajama Game - (1957)
Here's another Broadway show turned movie - I've been broadening my knowledge of such, and I've been curious about Doris Day lately - so two birds. Sid Sorokin (John Raitt) gets a job at a Pajama factory as a superintendent, and immediately gets to what these days would be called sexual harassment. Babe Williams (Doris Day) relents in the end - suddenly in love, but guys the world over kept thinking "if she says no, you just come on harder and persistently dog that lady until she says yes". All of that aside though, I kind of liked the song and dance routines in this (choreographed by Bob Fosse) but it felt fluffy and light - something like a Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie or an Elvis one. Confectionary for the moviegoers of that era. Bright pastels, catchy songs and the always-pleasing Doris Day. I get the feeling she was in 100 movies of this sort.
6/10
i love, love, love, love, love this movie. Day has rarely been better and the choreography is superb..."Steam Heat" is a master class in the art of choreography...the body just wasn't meant to move like that.
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1st Rewatch....This slick and sexy sports comedy/romance holds up beautifully 35 years after its release. Directed by Ron Shelton (White Men Can't Jump), this is the story of the romantic triangle that develops on a minor league baseball team between two players and a very special baseball groupie. Susan Sarandon's sex on legs performance as Annie, the intelligent and vivacious groupie who takes it upon herself to have a sexual relationship with a team member every year is incredible because she creates white hot chemistry with both Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins. As a matter of fact, the heat between Sarandon and Robbins continued offscreen into a relationship that lasted almost 20 years. The great thing about the movie though is that, despite Sarandon's steamy presence, it is the relationship that develops between Costner and Robbins that is the heart of this movie.
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NOVEMBER 21, 2023
THANKSGIVING
Well, all I can say is Eli Roth's done it again! And by "it" I mean that caustically black-humored and often politically barbed take on the American slasher genre that I'd say is about roughly equivalent to the Italian Sergio Corbucci's equally abrasive and idiosyncratic take on the Western genre back in the late '60s. And this particular tale has been an epic 16 years in the making, ever since we saw Eli's fake trailer in the middle of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's 2007's Grindhouse double-feature (along with similar fake trailers from Rodriguez, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie. NEWSFLASH: Rodriguez and now Roth's trailers were the only ones to eventually be made into actual feature films!)
I'll not bore you with a rehash of the plot, but I'll just say that it was a satisfyingly horrific cinematic experience, even if I suspect that the director of the first two Hostel films is getting just a tad mellow as he gets older! I really must say that it was an honest surprise when the identity of the killer was finally revealed. (I must say that I didn't fall for the frame-up job which precedes it, although I strongly suspect the audience isn't really meant to buy it.)
To sum up: A very bloody holiday-themed slasher tale, told with just the right amount of shocks and scares, even if it does come off as just a tad domesticated compared with Roth's earlier work.
NOVEMBER 28, 2023
NAPOLEON
I must say, I was impressed with Ridley Scott's epic historical drama based on the life of French military general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Quite famously, it's the one great subject that got away from Stanley Kubrick, who never got to bring his own version to the big screen. (Although I think Steven Spielberg is now working on bringing Kubrick's version to the small screen.) So far, it's probably my third favorite movie of 2023 behind Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer. Joaquin Phoenix strikes just the right tone, playing Napoleon as a somewhat immature yet very intelligent man-child, and Vanessa Kirby was also note-perfect as his willful and often wayward wife Joséphine. Lest it be lost in the shuffle, let us also give a shout-out to Rupert Everett's performance as the Duke of Wellington, who leads the British army against Napoleon at Waterloo. (And yes, I can hear some of you breaking into that damned ABBA song right now. Stop it!
)One thing that struck me about the earlier sequences, dealing with the aftermath of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, is how farcical the sequence of events is. And I'm not saying "farcical" as a criticism of Scott's film, but as an observation of the historical events. We begin with a scene showing the beheading of Marie Antoinette, and then subsequently a whole series of would-be revolutionary leaders and provisional governments is elevated and then overthrown in their turn! It would be almost comical if the consequences weren't so bloody. And I think that Ridley Scott gets this balance of horror and farce absolutely right. And that Battle of Austerlitz is a real doozy. (If you've seen any of the film's trailers, that's the one where the Austrian and Russian armies are forced to retreat over a frozen lake, whereupon the French just bombard the ice and drown them.)
Verdict: With Napoleon, Ridley Scott once again proves himself to be a master at blending large-scale epic storytelling with intimate personal characterizations. He never lets the latter get swamped by the former. And it's all delivered with Scott's usual, much-vaunted visual panache. Highly recommended.
Oh, by the way, completely apropos of nothing, I just thought you'd find this amusing...
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"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid." - Clint Eastwood as The Stranger, High Plains Drifter (1973)
"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid." - Clint Eastwood as The Stranger, High Plains Drifter (1973)
Last edited by Darth Pazuzu; 11-29-23 at 03:19 PM.
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Chilly Scenes of Winter - 7/10
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By IMDB, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17258440
Infernal Affairs - (2002)
I've been meaning to see this for years and years and I have a nice Eastern Eye release I got for next to nothing which has come up in the rotation - so very enjoyable! A lean 101 minutes as opposed to Scorsese's 151, not that running time defines a film's worth - but if you can tell the story well in 101 it hits a bit harder. Hey, I loved this year's two biggest movies, and they went 181-minutes and 206-minutes respectively, but they earned those lengths by having nothing in either that felt really extraneous. Infernal Affairs really fast-forwards through years of story, setting everything up so all of a sudden we're with our characters as their story is already coming to a climax - two men infiltrated into the police force and Hon Sam's (a Hong Kong Triad boss) operations. Feeling each other out, they are diametrically opposed and both given the tasks of rooting the other out. This is fast-paced Hong Kong crime action storytelling - with emotionally complicated characters navigating a foggy minefield - trying to live some kind of life amongst the danger. I really liked this - the pace, the visuals, the style, sound and the story all work well in conjunction. Better than The Departed for me.
8/10
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9076613
Love Me or Leave Me - (1955)
Okay - after Pillow Talk and The Pajama Game I was not expecting a Doris Day movie so complex and for it to have an abusive, toxic relationship at it's heart. Here we have a biopic involving singer and actress Ruth Etting (I went in completely blind, so I knew nothing about her to start off with) - and the movie keeps Doris Day singing by having her belting out some of Etting's old numbers (aside from one or two newly composed songs), all in a diegetic framework. James Cagney plays Martin Snyder, Etting's first husband and a notorious gangster - a role Cagney rips into with relish. Doris Day's other love interest in the movie is Johnny Alderman, played by, of all people, Cameron Mitchell. I've only ever seen him in low-to-no budget movies during the heydays of VHS - so seeing him here was a blast. This was something more than I thought it might be - and I'm glad I saw it.
7/10
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Saltburn (2023)
Brideshead Revisited if it were set in 2007 and the main character was more Tom Ripley (or even Gormenghast's Steerpike) than Charles Ryder.
The excellent Barry Keoghan plays Oliver, an awkward student, who falls in with Felix, rich, popular and good looking and ends up spending the summer at his family's country house, Saltburn. Here, he seems to try to ingratiate and seduce his way into the heart of the family.
You're never quite sure how sincere any of the characters are and almost every interaction feels like it could end with lust, humiliation or possibly even violence. The family are outwardly charming but casually awful and Oliver himself flits between admiration and manipulation.
The cast are excellent, Rosamund Pike and Richard E Grant are spot on as the parents, with all the best lines. It's darkly funny and genuinely disquieting (with more bodily fluids than you might expect).
It does seem to lose that comic energy towards the end, and there is an unnecessary sequence of flashbacks that plays like a twist but doesn't really offer much of a new perspective. I feel like more could have been made of the idea of the unreliable narrator. It doesn't quite have anything new to say, rich people are awful and so are other people sometimes.
The film is beautifully, brilliantly shot. It looks absolutely gorgeous. There are suggestions of gothic horror, references to other films/genres and paintings. The party sequence is fantastic.
I enjoyed the 2000s nostalgia as well.
Best film I've seen this year so far.
,
Brideshead Revisited if it were set in 2007 and the main character was more Tom Ripley (or even Gormenghast's Steerpike) than Charles Ryder.
The excellent Barry Keoghan plays Oliver, an awkward student, who falls in with Felix, rich, popular and good looking and ends up spending the summer at his family's country house, Saltburn. Here, he seems to try to ingratiate and seduce his way into the heart of the family.
You're never quite sure how sincere any of the characters are and almost every interaction feels like it could end with lust, humiliation or possibly even violence. The family are outwardly charming but casually awful and Oliver himself flits between admiration and manipulation.
The cast are excellent, Rosamund Pike and Richard E Grant are spot on as the parents, with all the best lines. It's darkly funny and genuinely disquieting (with more bodily fluids than you might expect).
It does seem to lose that comic energy towards the end, and there is an unnecessary sequence of flashbacks that plays like a twist but doesn't really offer much of a new perspective. I feel like more could have been made of the idea of the unreliable narrator. It doesn't quite have anything new to say, rich people are awful and so are other people sometimes.
The film is beautifully, brilliantly shot. It looks absolutely gorgeous. There are suggestions of gothic horror, references to other films/genres and paintings. The party sequence is fantastic.
I enjoyed the 2000s nostalgia as well.
Best film I've seen this year so far.
,
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I found more versions of A Christmas Carol on Prime. Actually there were countless others but these appeared to be the most faithful to Dickens' story. I'm not much into adaptations set in modern times but, since I still haven't seen it, I would like to watch Bill Murray's Scrooged. And I'm definitely going to re-watch the 1951 version with Alastair Sim.
A Christmas Carol (1954) - In this version I immediately noticed a confined sort of scope to the opening shots of Victorian era London and thought it looked like a television production of some kind. Which it was. The fact that Fredric March headlined as Ebenezer Scrooge and Basil Rathbone as Marley's ghost is what drew me to it. But then it also turned out to be a musical of sorts which immediately dropped it a couple of points. But since it was only 51 or so minutes long I stuck with it. The fact that it was designed to fill an hour long slot along with the addition of the songs led them to truncate the story quite a bit especially with the spirit of Christmas to come. This is a trifling bit of stagecraft with some of the characters hamming it up and playing to the back rows like the beefy actor playing Scrooge's nephew Fred. This being TV there was none of the ambient set design of the more well known productions and the abbreviated nature of the story being told made it impossible to immerse yourself in it.
45/100
Scrooge (1935) - This one features Sir Reginald Hicks playing Ebenezer and is notable for being the first full length sound adaptation. It's mostly faithful to Dicken's novella but it does play out in typical mid 1930's fashion with the same music playing in the background that you may have heard in the Our Gang or Laurel and Hardy shorts. And since it's in the public domain the print I watched was noticeably subpar. Hicks, who portrayed the character over a thousand times during his career, goes for a frail, elderly and fearful Scrooge complete with a palsied shake. Which made me realize that, despite Scrooge's age, all the versions of the character I had seen before were played with a modicum of vigor.
And I'm not sure if it was due to budgetary constraints or the technology not being up to snuff but Marley's specter was invisible as was the ghost of Christmas past (outside of a vague outline). The only other real difference I noticed was the inclusion of the Christmas Eve Lord Mayor's Banquet in London. I thought it made for an effective juxtaposition between the opulent surroundings of the banquet and the impoverished children begging for food at the windows of the kitchen preparing the feast. Outside of these few touches this adaptation didn't really offer much in the way of originality or pizzazz.
55/100
A Christmas Carol (2012) - This is an Irish production and opens at an estate on the outskirts of London. I thought it was going to be some sort of flashback to Ebenezer Scrooge's childhood but it turned out to be the home of Charles Dickens. He corners a servant and has them sit while he proceeds to read his latest story to them, which so happens to be A Christmas Carol. Having the author himself narrating parts of the story was a clever way of covering up what had to be a limited budget. It is most noticeable in the paucity of extras and the mise en scene. There are no scenes featuring substantial crowds and none of the convincingly cramped and shabby Victorian London settings. Instead all of the characters, including the Cratchits and even the ragpicker, seem to reside in bright, spacious homes. In an attempt at adding atmosphere there are endless shots featuring scudding clouds, ghostly figures staring forlornly into the camera and echoing voices. This adaptation doesn't really add anything innovative to the telling. Lead actor Vincent Fegan however makes for a middle aged, younger Scrooge and the overall acting is decent enough.
60/100
A Christmas Carol (1954) - In this version I immediately noticed a confined sort of scope to the opening shots of Victorian era London and thought it looked like a television production of some kind. Which it was. The fact that Fredric March headlined as Ebenezer Scrooge and Basil Rathbone as Marley's ghost is what drew me to it. But then it also turned out to be a musical of sorts which immediately dropped it a couple of points. But since it was only 51 or so minutes long I stuck with it. The fact that it was designed to fill an hour long slot along with the addition of the songs led them to truncate the story quite a bit especially with the spirit of Christmas to come. This is a trifling bit of stagecraft with some of the characters hamming it up and playing to the back rows like the beefy actor playing Scrooge's nephew Fred. This being TV there was none of the ambient set design of the more well known productions and the abbreviated nature of the story being told made it impossible to immerse yourself in it.
45/100
Scrooge (1935) - This one features Sir Reginald Hicks playing Ebenezer and is notable for being the first full length sound adaptation. It's mostly faithful to Dicken's novella but it does play out in typical mid 1930's fashion with the same music playing in the background that you may have heard in the Our Gang or Laurel and Hardy shorts. And since it's in the public domain the print I watched was noticeably subpar. Hicks, who portrayed the character over a thousand times during his career, goes for a frail, elderly and fearful Scrooge complete with a palsied shake. Which made me realize that, despite Scrooge's age, all the versions of the character I had seen before were played with a modicum of vigor.
And I'm not sure if it was due to budgetary constraints or the technology not being up to snuff but Marley's specter was invisible as was the ghost of Christmas past (outside of a vague outline). The only other real difference I noticed was the inclusion of the Christmas Eve Lord Mayor's Banquet in London. I thought it made for an effective juxtaposition between the opulent surroundings of the banquet and the impoverished children begging for food at the windows of the kitchen preparing the feast. Outside of these few touches this adaptation didn't really offer much in the way of originality or pizzazz.
55/100
A Christmas Carol (2012) - This is an Irish production and opens at an estate on the outskirts of London. I thought it was going to be some sort of flashback to Ebenezer Scrooge's childhood but it turned out to be the home of Charles Dickens. He corners a servant and has them sit while he proceeds to read his latest story to them, which so happens to be A Christmas Carol. Having the author himself narrating parts of the story was a clever way of covering up what had to be a limited budget. It is most noticeable in the paucity of extras and the mise en scene. There are no scenes featuring substantial crowds and none of the convincingly cramped and shabby Victorian London settings. Instead all of the characters, including the Cratchits and even the ragpicker, seem to reside in bright, spacious homes. In an attempt at adding atmosphere there are endless shots featuring scudding clouds, ghostly figures staring forlornly into the camera and echoing voices. This adaptation doesn't really add anything innovative to the telling. Lead actor Vincent Fegan however makes for a middle aged, younger Scrooge and the overall acting is decent enough.
60/100
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The Killer (2023) -
This is a clever and darkly funny thriller in which...well, I'll steal the official plot summary since it's spot on: "after a fateful near miss, [the killer] takes on his employers and himself in an international manhunt that he insists is not personal." To elaborate, in a tense Paris opening scene that I credit for making me jump, things go south very badly. In response, the killer's employers retaliate a bit too close to home. Thus begins a personal challenge: can the killer put his professionalism on hold and respond in kind without regaining his humanity - which we learn is hardly a skill in his business - in the process?
While I am more forgiving of voiceover narration than most, I would bet than even its most die-hard haters would agree it's the movie's secret weapon. Besides how well it gets us inside the killer's brain and learn his philosophy, I like how it reveals the impact of his unfortunate situation on it. The way he repeats or rephrases his mantras, for example, made me imagine an AI trying to fight a computer virus. The blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments proving that knowing and walking the path also add nice touches. The movie is divided into chapters, with each one being as unique as it is unpredictable. That each one features a sight as welcome as Fassbender is a plus - Tilda Swinton stands out in particular - with the best compliment I can give being I wish I could have seen more of everybody. Also, like he does in Fight Club, Fincher proves his expertise at using product placement in non-promotional ways, and come to think of it, the soundtrack of Smiths song may be just as effective at character building as the narration.
Despite how well the movie lets you walk in a contract killer's shoes and all the inspired touches along the way, it does not quite achieve greatness. The main reason is that the narration, lapses in judgement, etc. are clever ways of showing the killer losing his grip, but Fincher and company's presentation makes you admire and think about them, but it barely makes you feel. Even though cold blood is a trademark of movies like this one, similar movies it recalls like Point Blank, Drive and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai prove it is possible to do both. I still recommend it, particularly for successfully making you wonder if letting cold blood run through your veins is possible in the long-term.
This is a clever and darkly funny thriller in which...well, I'll steal the official plot summary since it's spot on: "after a fateful near miss, [the killer] takes on his employers and himself in an international manhunt that he insists is not personal." To elaborate, in a tense Paris opening scene that I credit for making me jump, things go south very badly. In response, the killer's employers retaliate a bit too close to home. Thus begins a personal challenge: can the killer put his professionalism on hold and respond in kind without regaining his humanity - which we learn is hardly a skill in his business - in the process?
While I am more forgiving of voiceover narration than most, I would bet than even its most die-hard haters would agree it's the movie's secret weapon. Besides how well it gets us inside the killer's brain and learn his philosophy, I like how it reveals the impact of his unfortunate situation on it. The way he repeats or rephrases his mantras, for example, made me imagine an AI trying to fight a computer virus. The blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments proving that knowing and walking the path also add nice touches. The movie is divided into chapters, with each one being as unique as it is unpredictable. That each one features a sight as welcome as Fassbender is a plus - Tilda Swinton stands out in particular - with the best compliment I can give being I wish I could have seen more of everybody. Also, like he does in Fight Club, Fincher proves his expertise at using product placement in non-promotional ways, and come to think of it, the soundtrack of Smiths song may be just as effective at character building as the narration.
Despite how well the movie lets you walk in a contract killer's shoes and all the inspired touches along the way, it does not quite achieve greatness. The main reason is that the narration, lapses in judgement, etc. are clever ways of showing the killer losing his grip, but Fincher and company's presentation makes you admire and think about them, but it barely makes you feel. Even though cold blood is a trademark of movies like this one, similar movies it recalls like Point Blank, Drive and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai prove it is possible to do both. I still recommend it, particularly for successfully making you wonder if letting cold blood run through your veins is possible in the long-term.
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I don't know if you ever saw the TV version originally airing on CBS with George C. Scott as Scrooge, I highly recommend it. Scott's performance is breathtaking.