Change Your Image
Inigo Jones
Reviews
In the Company of Men (1997)
Man's Inhumanity to Man.....and Woman
A sturdy first effort from LaBute which elicited nods of recognition from this male viewer - who admittedly is more Howard than Chad. I once sat behind a group of men at college who were obviously on a 'compare and contrast' exercise as they argued over who had been out with the student with the biggest boobs - yes ladies, this IS how some men think! - and I saw a parallel with them in this film.
Scene that will stick in my mind: Chad's smug, self-satisfied grin in his final scene.
Worth watching at least once, as is the rest of LaBute's small but perfectly formed output (with the exception of NURSE BETTY, of course, which LaBute obviously only directed in an attempt to avoid the 'male brutality' tag. Stick to what you do best, Neil - who else knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men as well as you and Lamont Cranston?).
The Toll of the Sea (1922)
Two-strip Technicolor curio
Updating MADAM BUTTERFLY for the twenties was an ideal way to showcase the talents of Anna May Wong, one of the earliest Oriental actors to become a star. The story was further updated, of course, for the theatre musical MISS SAIGON in the 1990s.
The early use of Technicolor seen in this charming if somewhat undemanding picture makes the film more interesting than would normally be the case. An earlier reviewer said it ran at 41 minutes, but my version (on Video CD - compatible with most DVD players) has an accurate running time of 50 minutes - perhaps contains more material. Don't know how long the version runs for on the 'Treasures of the American Archive' DVD.
Worth a look as a curio, and worth treasuring as a piece of cinema history.
Mater dolorosa (1917)
Abel Gance's little acorn of a melodrama
One of Abel Gance's little acorns which led to the great oak that is NAPOLEON, his masterpiece.
A doctor's wife has an affair with her husband's best friend, who shoots himself after she refuses to run away with him. The erstwhile suitor swears his lover to secrecy concerning the affair before he dies, in order to spare the doctor's feelings. However, the doctor learns of the ill-fated trysts by accident, and demands to know the name of her former beau. His wife refuses to break her vow to her lover.....and suffers the consequences....
A standard melodrama, heightened by atmospheric lighting at certain points. Interesting primarily because of the subsequent fame of the director.
IMDB gives a running time of 80 mins, but my Grapevine Video VCD copy (playable on most DVD machines) only amounts to 54 mins. Perhaps a less truncated copy with English inter-titles is out there somewhere.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Well-made if somewhat predictable ghost story
Good production values, subtle visual effects and underplayed acting (particularly from Willis) go to illustrate an unusual approach to the ghost-story genre, though the ending screams predictability - couldn't believe so many people were fooled by this (see THE CRYING GAME if you like unexpected plot twists!). A plethora of inconsistencies gives the game away almost from the outset. Nearly as much of a letdown as JACOB'S LADDER.
The film is over-rated as a result, deserving as it did its lack of Oscar success, though it did lead to a semi-revival of the 'spook' picture (e.g. the superior STIR OF ECHOES, THE HAUNTING), for which we should, for the most part, be grateful.
For the most effective treatment of the genre, fans of the supernatural should instead try and catch THE WOMAN IN BLACK, now available on DVD.
Frankenstein (1910)
Faltering first steps of a horror toddler
Short piece notable for being considered the first horror film - certainly the earliest to survive (if you don't count the fantasies of Melies).
For many years, visual knowledge of the film had been restricted to a single mug-shot of Charles Ogle as the creature; however, the sole surviving print released privately by Mr Detleff has granted the film a wider audience - deservedly so.
Although a little creaky, and somewhat static owing to its stage-bound nature, it is nevertheless worth owning a copy, if only because of its landmark status.
Shame it hasn't been deemed worthy of an official release - film archivists of the world take note!
Se7en (1995)
Sublime mix of madness and sanity
I've just finished watching Se7en for the first time since its cinema release, and I'm pleased to advise you seekers of truth that every 'serial killer' film produced before or since still cannot match it. I won't repeat the many superlatives that have been deservedly heaped on the film by other reviewers above/below; suffice it to say that its bleak nature, unremitting gloom and taut storytelling go to make up a sublime mix of madness and sanity. Here we have director Fincher's most satisfying work to date (and yes, that includes FIGHT CLUB!), in the form of a cinematic 'pound of flesh', cooked medium-rare, and served on an almost-stainless silver platter.
Boasting killer performances (pun intended) from all, the subject of 'theme killings' (not put to such effective use since the OTT Vincent Price 1970s classics THE ABOMINABLE DR PHIBES and THEATRE OF BLOOD) adds a finite touch to the numerous deaths involved, and lends the story a 'mythic' strength that it might not otherwise possess. By revealing only the aftermaths of the various murders in a similar fashion to that utilised in HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, Fincher stealthily avoids the 'exploitation' tag that could so easily have resulted from the presentation of such a subject. BONE COLLECTOR, COPYCAT, Freeman's subsequent KISS THE GIRLS - lower your candles in awe, gentlemen.
See it, for the love of Mike. You may love it or loathe it, but you won't be able to forget it.
As a footnote, the 2-disc special edition DVD is the one to watch, with its four separate commentaries (total viewing time - together with the film as is - ten hours!) and a whole host of extras. However, the Se7en completist may also like to hunt down the SE laserdisc boxed set. The format may be associated with the words 'elephant' and 'white' these days, yet not only are the LD's extras almost entirely different from those on the DVD, but they also feature a couple of contributions from spfx guru Rob Bottin, who is mysteriously absent from the DVD version.