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Reviews
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Excellent screenplay. Fairly original.
A rigged card game. A pot grower selling his employer's product back to him. A pornographer who collects antique guns and beats a man to death with a big black rubber dildo. A thug who brings his kid to work. Individually, it all sounds a little weak but this is an exceptionally well written and directed film which needs to be seen.
Celebrity (1998)
Good comedy. A neurotic "La Dolce Vita."
It seems that the better Allen films don't have Woody Allen in them. "Alice" is a perfect example and so is "Celebrity" I just wish I could stop feeling I've seen this film before. "La Dolce Vita" kept coming to mind but the moral quandary element was not explored.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
A visually stunning film.
Kubrick was one the greatest directors the 20th century and 2001 is just another example of his genius. It was initially panned by the public but was slowly recognized as being far ahead of its time in both thematic development and directorial control. FYI for all of you Lucas fans: Since outer space is a vacuous environment, sound does not travel. Space is silent.
Le mépris (1963)
Good story Excellent direction
A film which is about film making usually falls into one of two categories: good or bad. This is a good one. I was never a fan of Bardot but her stunning beauty adds the necessary element to make this story so poignant. "I loved you yesterday, but I no longer love you today." sound so trite but within the context of the film, one can understand its power.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Spectacular. Visionary Excellent Film very misunderstood.
Everyone seems to have seen "Saving Private Ryan." Whenever I mention "The Thin Red Line." I often get the following responses "I heard it sucked." "It's self indulgent." "It didn't have a main character." "No one could figure it out." Needless to say, bad press can really kill a film. I was glad the academy was able to at least nominate it for an award but unfortunately the great power and popularity of Steven Speilberg just overwhelmed the public and put "The Thin Red Line" into obscurity. Terrence Malick is a genius. "Badlands and "Days of Heaven" were indications of his ability and "The Thin Red Line confirms it." The narrative style and lack of a central character are far from flaws. They are artistic techniques that unfortunately most of the public just didn't get. The cinematography by John Toll is spectacular and Malick's use of the visual metaphor is unparalleled. See it and you will believe it. The film is spectacular.
City of Angels (1998)
Why remake a classic when you don't know what you are doing?
Wim Wender's spectacular "Wings of Desire" was made into an unintentional parody by Brad Silberling. As his second film, he had the extremely difficult task of making an exceptionally well received German film into a palatable form for American audiences. Well, he blew it. Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan were not properly cast. Making her a cardio-thoracic surgeon (a heart doctor) is totally assinine and to be exceptionally beautiful on top of that? Yeah, right. What was Silberling thinking? Lord only knows but I have to say. Forget this one. It is a clunker beyond belief.
One Night Stand (1997)
What a stupid premise. What an insult to my intelligence.
Realistically, how could a successful man who has a beautiful and sexually available wife, two children and a great home, decide to sleep with a stranger and have the audacity to come home without taking a shower? Realistically, how could this woman turn out to be the sister-in law of this man's best friend. Realistically, how could these two hook up again, and then find their respective spouses going at it less than 20 feet away? Come on!!! This movie is a great example of bad filmmaking. People in the socio-economic strata displayed in the film just don't engage in acts worthy of the "Jerry Springer Show." The film takes what could have been a viable premise and makes it into nothing but a laughable farce. Ming-Na Wen's first love scene is a complete joke. What is she supposed to be a coxswain? Give her a megaphone so she can yell 'Stoke! Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!' What a bad film.
Trainspotting (1996)
How could anyone say this film glorifies drug use?
Most people told me "I didn't like the topic. It wasn't fun like I thought it was going to be. It would make kids want to use drugs." Well, life is never a rip-roaring fun-filled adventure. It is often harsh and presents chilling realities to those who indulge in forms of destructive escapism. The film is exceptionally well written and directed. The casting was excellent and overall it is both an excellent cinematic work and a PSA (Public Service Announcement) displaying the horrific consequences of drug usage. A must see by any standard.
In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993)
Lousy and pathetic sequel to "Wings of Desire"
I could be wrong, maybe I just did not get it but this film was such a horrible sequel to "Wings of Desire" that I could only watch the film in total astonishment at how horrific and poorly executed the film was. The title song by U2 is great. The trapeze scenes were totally stupid and out of place but hey, some one out there greenlighted the film. I'm just glad I didn't.
Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)
A story of true love and how it can make anything happen.
An angel who forsakes immortality for the love of a woman. Sounds awfully hoakey but Wim Wenders' direction has created one of the best love stories since "Cyrano de Bergerac." The lyrical poem "When a child was a child" adds a very unique subtext to the film. The sound mix is one of the best examples of layered sound that is not used as a special effect but as an element of the story. I just wish I could give a glowing review for the sequel "Far away, so close." but Wenders was only able to pull it off once but has done it so well that the film will always be a topic of discussion. I love this film.
Hamburger Hill (1987)
A waste of time. A war film to ignore.
I remember seeing full metal jacket and was so absorbed by the film that I sat through it twice. I decided to see Hamburger Hill a few weeks afterward and wanted leave after the first twenty minutes. The "senseless battle" has been a topic explored numerous times. Although I was not a student of the cinema back then, I did realize one thing: John Irvin was no Kubrick. A definite "Must avoid."
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The definitive war film of the last 20 years.
So much has been said about this film yet the accolades often seem to be filled with a hint of confusion. "It was weird, but I liked it" was my 16 year old cousin's response. After some explanation of the plot and having her read "Hearts of Darkness" she came back and said she rented it and watched it twice and finally got it. Vittorio Storaro's cinematography is spectacular and the sound mix can only be truly appreciated with a pair of headphones. In ten words or less. "A must see."
Lost Highway (1997)
Not the most easily explained. Excellent cinematography.
To understand this film one needs to appreciate a little film history. Maya Deren's "Meshes of the Afternoon" and the first 15 episodes of "Twin Peaks" will provide some insight but for the most part, view it with an open mind and understand that the person who thinks "Barbed Wire" is a good film is not going to like this.