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28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
I will have my final review done sometime late Monday.
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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews



Amadeus




When the title card for the film came on and underneath Amadeus it said; Director's Cut, I knew I was in for a long-ass movie. Clocking in at 3 hours, the film details the life of Mozart, his genius, the rivalry to Salieri and his demise. They don't make movies like this anymore.

With Godfather Part II, Deer Hunter and Amadeus, I for sure must have the longest runtimes out of everyone. Heck, even Strange Days was almost 2 and a 1/2 hours long. I'll use that as my excuse for why I'm taking so long.

I would see this movie poster as a kid a lot and for some reason always thought it was about Egyptian History. Something akin to a Cleopatra film. Why? No idea, it looks like a menacing Egyptian God on the cover. When I found out what it was really about, my interest depleted. Who wants to watch a long movie about composers in white wigs creating music? I was wrong, as I tend to be in these situations. The film has so much more going for it than that. I won't go into whatever historical inaccuracies there are, probably many, but stick to what works. These changes were obviously made for dramatic effect and they work.

The music is transcending. It's refreshing to hear classical music, is that weird to say? Today we are beaten over the head with repetitive drivel on the radio that we miss the art of music. It's an industry and people turn out music to make a buck, not for the art of it...which is hilarious because that's what is depicted in Amadeus.

The costume design, the set design, the grand scale of this film. Today you'd get a few sets and then the rest would be filled in with CGI. Everything here feels real and lived in. We are witnessing people from the 1700's live their lives, feel jealousy and rage, depression and pressure. Everything that is related to us today, these emotions never leave and unite us all.

In reading about the Director's Cut, there seems to be a pivotal scene omitted from the Theatrical Cut. Mozart's wife is positioned by Salieri, if she wants her husband to get the job, they must sleep together. She arrives at his place, disrobes and Salieri calls his servant while she is topless. This humiliates her and gives more emotional weight to their scene towards the end when she tells him that she doesn't have a servant anymore to show him his way out. Without that context, in the beginning, the ending feels empty.

Amadeus is a beautifully imagined film that I don't suspect I'll be watching again anytime soon...my ass is numb.
I noticed right away how long many of your watches were. It could have been torture for you had you not been enjoying them so much, just like Amadeus was torture for me



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Amadeus




When the title card for the film came on and underneath Amadeus it said; Director's Cut, I knew I was in for a long-ass movie. Clocking in at 3 hours, the film details the life of Mozart, his genius, the rivalry to Salieri and his demise. They don't make movies like this anymore.

With Godfather Part II, Deer Hunter and Amadeus, I for sure must have the longest runtimes out of everyone. Heck, even Strange Days was almost 2 and a 1/2 hours long. I'll use that as my excuse for why I'm taking so long.

I would see this movie poster as a kid a lot and for some reason always thought it was about Egyptian History. Something akin to a Cleopatra film. Why? No idea, it looks like a menacing Egyptian God on the cover. When I found out what it was really about, my interest depleted. Who wants to watch a long movie about composers in white wigs creating music? I was wrong, as I tend to be in these situations. The film has so much more going for it than that. I won't go into whatever historical inaccuracies there are, probably many, but stick to what works. These changes were obviously made for dramatic effect and they work.

The music is transcending. It's refreshing to hear classical music, is that weird to say? Today we are beaten over the head with repetitive drivel on the radio that we miss the art of music. It's an industry and people turn out music to make a buck, not for the art of it...which is hilarious because that's what is depicted in Amadeus.

The costume design, the set design, the grand scale of this film. Today you'd get a few sets and then the rest would be filled in with CGI. Everything here feels real and lived in. We are witnessing people from the 1700's live their lives, feel jealousy and rage, depression and pressure. Everything that is related to us today, these emotions never leave and unite us all.

In reading about the Director's Cut, there seems to be a pivotal scene omitted from the Theatrical Cut. Mozart's wife is positioned by Salieri, if she wants her husband to get the job, they must sleep together. She arrives at his place, disrobes and Salieri calls his servant while she is topless. This humiliates her and gives more emotional weight to their scene towards the end when she tells him that she doesn't have a servant anymore to show him his way out. Without that context, in the beginning, the ending feels empty.

Amadeus is a beautifully imagined film that I don't suspect I'll be watching again anytime soon...my ass is numb.
I have ALWAYS been a fan of Amadeus from the first time in movie theater. Great GREAT film that I have only seen the Director's cut during the Musical Artist HoF where it took #1. It is definitely one of those films where the Director's Cut is a Must See.
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I would see this movie poster as a kid a lot and for some reason always thought it was about Egyptian History. Something akin to a Cleopatra film. Why? No idea, it looks like a menacing Egyptian God on the cover.
That's hilarious because I thought something along the same lines and therefore never had any interest in it until I was much older and figured out what it's really about.

Also agree with you about the scene where Constanze visits Salieri. Of all the added scenes in the DC that is the one that needed to be in the theatrical release. Maybe the studio didn't want a topless Constanze? I don't know but I agree with you about the impact that scene has on later scenes in the film. F. Murray Abraham gives one of my favorite performances of all time and how about the make up crew? I've often heard the hardest makeup/fx to do is make someone look much older than they are and they did prettay, prettay good for Salieri.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I agree, F. Murray Abraham is absolutely incredible in this. Those scenes in the asylum as he's talking with the priest had so much nuance, it's completely captivating.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
The Deer Hunter




Another 3-hour movie down....and it's the last one. Thank God.

I've always assumed The Deer Hunter would be an overrated movie and that it would be a bloated mess that thought itself as more poignant than it really was. While some of it is true, I couldn't help but feel some depressed emotions by the time the friends raised a glass to their fallen brethren. The Deer Hunter isn't about Vietnam, we hardly spent time there. It's more concerned with the horrors of war and what it does to a human. For the most part, the film does it really well, on the other hand, a film like Born on the Fourth of July really digs into that subject matter.

The Deer Hunter feels messy. Each hour is more or less dedicated to BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the war. A solid hour to get us acquainted with these characters does feel a bit much. I appreciate the artistry in having the viewer pick up on a lot of social cues in the wedding scene without much dialogue, but this could have been a learner movie. Just because something is 3 hours long does not make it an "instant classic" or "important" by any means. I don't need to see the bride and groom walk around an altar with crowns above their heads. Small details like this taken out don't change the emotion you feel towards these characters at all, instead, it makes a 3-hour movie into something more or less 2:45 or 2:30.

Then we get to Vietnam and we are almost immediately POWs. Then the famous scene of the film happens and much to my surprise it was still pretty intense. It's hard to go into a movie you haven't seen, but know exactly how the next scene will play out. I couldn't get a grip on the PTSD that Walken's character feels because the Russian Roulette sequence is one and done. I felt like we could have spent a little more time with them captured, to show how they're mentally beaten down. Being thrown almost directly into the mess feels like a missed opportunity. With that in mind, I found it hard that Walken would re-live the Roulette scenes and that he would become famous for it. No skill is involved, it's pure luck and he somehow manages to do this for months and when DeNiro finally shows up it just so happens to be the end? I understand the emotional need and pull for this, but reality set in pretty quickly for me and I didn't buy it.

The third act has DeNiro try to put his life back together back home. He purposely drives past a welcome home party because he can't face his friends after the horrors of war. Too much too fast and he prefers a small and quiet re-entry to life. He strikes up an emotional bond to Meryl Streep, one that felt underutilized in the first two thirds. There is something in this film, a sense of loss, a sense of not being able to get back what once was...it feels genuine. We all have things in our lives that we would like to have back, it could be something as silly as our youth or a long lost friend. This film nails that aspect and the ending feels depressingly poignant.

The Deer Hunter is a messy film with spotlights of brilliance. I would put most of that mainly on the talent of the cast and the relatability of the content. I might have never fought in a war, but I know what loss feels like.



Congratulations Suspect, you are the 10th member to finish!

I've loved The Deer Hunter ever since I was a child. Now that I think about it, I must have been a weird kid.

Spaulding still has 3 left but I get the feeling he's done, and he's just creeping around and watching us.




Naked
(Mike Leigh, 1993)


For all the adjectives typically thrown at Naked -- "bleak," "unpleasant," various other synonyms that describe the film's seedy nature -- rarely do I see "hilarious" used as a descriptor, yet the humor is what stood out to me the most on this first viewing. I might not care to spend much time with Johnny in the real world, but with a screen to serve as a barrier like glass at a zoo, he makes for a fascinating, entertaining animal of a human being. Loquacious, well-read, philosophical, gifted with a sharp intellect and acerbic wit, yet appearing as if he was birthed in a gutter and nourished on the teat of a homeless woman. He's an enigma hiding behind an unkempt mustache, hopping from street corners to couches depending on the charity of others, a bag of books slung over his shoulder because he has no bookcase on which to place them. I turned on subtitles partly because of the strong accents, but mostly so I wouldn't miss any of the brilliant dialogue from laughing at Johnny's lengthy tirades and sardonic quips. I'm amazed to read that much of the script was improvised. David Thewlis is brilliant as Johnny, delivering one of the most memorable performances of the Nineties. Rarely have I seen an actor dive so deeply and convincingly into the mindset of a character.

In the very first scene we witness possible sexual assault. I hesitate to call it rape since such a violent act doesn't fit with the character we come to know. Sexual liaisons with Johnny quickly turn rough, as he seeks to mentally and physically dominate his partners, but his sexual encounters throughout the rest of the film are consensual. (If not for Johnny's ability to opportunistically switch on the charm, I'd call bulls**t that such a haggard individual meets multiple women willing to open their legs for him, despite the fact that he reeks of mildew, sweat and urine, his hair and coat a likely omnibus for fleas.) However, since we join that opening scene in progress devoid of context, audiences can only assume the worst. For viewers reliant on likable characters, this introduction confronts them with an immediate ultimatum: Prepare yourself for an unsavory ride or hop off now.

Johnny is not a good person. He's lazy; he's lecherous; he's a thief; he abuses charity; he views everyone around him with contempt; he openly derides anyone who ventures within his stratosphere. And yet I find him strangely sympathetic. Part of that might be his aforementioned wit and charm. Part of it might be the juxtaposition of the "Landlord," a truly despicable, monstrous human being who makes Johnny appear saintly in comparison. Much of it is likely Johnny's self-inflicted impoverishment. Here is a man capable of great accomplishments based purely on his enormous intellect, yet he so loathes humanity and himself that he willingly pisses away all ambitions to drift aimlessly through life while leeching off others. Some have speculated that Johnny is terminally ill due to his chronic cough. That's irrelevant, since mankind itself is terminally ill in Johnny's eyes. The end is nigh, and while the rest of society scurries on top of each other like nescient vermin, Johnny will ring in the apocalypse with a smoke and a sneer.

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I'd planned to type another paragraph, but I love that last sentence so much that I'm choosing to end with it. Instead I'll just include a few quick thoughts on Naked as an addendum:

The scenes with the security guard are likely my favorite moments of the episodic plot, while Johnny's interactions with the aggressive, dim-witted Scot walking the streets yelling for his girlfriend are the most amusing. I was very impressed with Katrin Cartlidge's performance as the fragile Sophie. (Her wry responses are quite funny at times. I especially loved her response to a question about a hole in her fishnet stockings (paraphrasing): "A spider wove them, and that's where he took a tea break.") The "Landlord" character is the film's only misstep. Here we have a realistic drama with believable characters, and in drops this cartoon of a villain to upset the balance. I'm confused by his inclusion. Yes, he makes Johnny more palatable by comparison, but what point does his duality serve?

I've seen @neiba champion this film a lot in the past, and he once nominated it in a HOF, so I'm confident he chose it for me. A wise selection, as these are the types of conflicted, morally-bankrupt characters I find so fascinating.



Spaulding still has 3 left but I get the feeling he's done, and he's just creeping around and watching us.
I'm dropping out!

I watched Funny Games (1997) a few days ago. Since I feel so conflicted about the film, I've been reading a lot of reviews and essays, in addition to watching interviews with Michael Haneke. I've even taken notes and written down quotes, which is not something I usually do. I should have a review posted within a day or two, depending on how well I manage to wrestle my love/hate thoughts on the film.

There's a few movies on streaming platforms set to expire at the end of the month that I'd like to watch, so I likely won't get to my last nomination until over the weekend.



The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
I'd planned to type another paragraph, but I love that last sentence so much that I'm choosing to end with it. Instead I'll just include a few quick thoughts on Naked as an addendum:

The scenes with the security guard are likely my favorite moments of the episodic plot, while Johnny's interactions with the aggressive, dim-witted Scot walking the streets yelling for his girlfriend are the most amusing. I was very impressed with Katrin Cartlidge's performance as the fragile Sophie. (Her wry responses are quite funny at times. I especially loved her response to a question about a hole in her fishnet stockings (paraphrasing): "A spider wove them, and that's where he took a tea break.") The "Landlord" character is the film's only mishap. Here we have a realistic drama with believable characters, and in drops this cartoon of a villain to upset the balance. I'm confused by his inclusion. Yes, he makes Johnny more palatable by comparison, but what point does his duality serve?

I've seen @neiba champion this film a lot in the past, and he once nominated it in a HOF, so I'm confident he chose it for me. A wise selection, as these are the types of conflicted, morally-bankrupt characters I find so fascinating.
Amazing review, as always!

You're right, that was my pick for you! It was not very well accepted in the HoF, but I always thought you would appreciate it! Glad you liked it!



The trick is not minding
The Shop Around the Corner


Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan meet cute only they aren’t aware of it. They write letters anonymously to one another and fall in love. Meanwhile, both work together at a shop and have a adversarial relationship. But it’s only a matter of times before one of them releases they’ve been writing to each other all along.
In the meantime, there’s a subplot about their boss who’s wife Is having an affair with one of his employees. Unfortunately it’s dealt with in much too swift s manner. It could have lasted a great deal longer to help drive the movie, as it was the only interesting part of this film.
Stewart is good here, as usual. But he is t given much to do and his do workers aren’t fleshed out enough to be entertaining either. With the exception of the errand boy, who is also good in his role.
Not much to say here. Sorry whoever nominated it.