valerie-hoganfamily-fan Reviews

Chinese Coffee (2000)

Hauntingly Beautiful & Truly Aesthetic!

[10/10 · 27 December 2013]

Well I just loved the Chinese Coffee for its brilliant acting and direction. It reminded me of the theater of the Absurd in a strange haunting way! With Chinese Coffee Mr. Pacino surpasses his own status of being a stellar performer & a superstar combined and cements his position as one of the greatest artists of all times.

The tone of the movie is intimate and artistic at times a little dark. I loved the stream of Levine's consciousness which makes the audiences look into his past---his hopes & failures. Pacino is brilliant as a middle aged struggling writer who is haunted by his own past, his parents' and his own shortcomings and aspirations.

Kudos to Mr. Pacino for providing us with such a brilliant artistic piece! He truly is a gem of an artist. Love him! God bless!

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Al Pacino cementing his role as the greatest icon so early in his career

[10/10 · 26 December 2013]

One word! WOW! Dog Day Afternoon is an amazing classic enduring the test of time. I find the movie one of the greatest tragic-comedies interspersed with pathos leading towards the sublime tragic heights. And one of the greatest factors in gaining that status is the unparalleled acting by Al Pacino. I really wish that this movie is watched by everyone today to appreciate what brilliant cinema is like and to watch in awe & understand as to why Al Pacino received 5 successive Oscar nominations in only his first 6 years into movies- a feat that leaves me awe-struck even to this day- The man is BRILLIANT in DDA to say the least.

The way Pacino conveys his innermost fears, intensity, love, vulnerability, strength, optimism and innocence (all at one and the same time) with his eyes and his body language is a treat to watch. He leaves you wonder-struck and enchanted. I truly believe it was highly unfair on the part of the Academy not to have awarded him an Oscar for this. He genuinely deserved an Oscar for such a riveting performance.

I highly recommend the movie to everyone. It should be a 'must have' DVD in one's movie collection to appreciate and treasure Al Pacino's excellence in Dramatic Art.

Warriors (1999)

A poignant story of lost humanity! Highly Recommended!

[10/10 · 28 September 2013]

The Peacekeepers/Warriors is an excellent work of art and real life... Its brilliant in its cinematography and characterization & poignant and intense in its portrayal of a real life situation which showed humanity's brutal face in the advent of the Civil War in Bosnia... What makes this story so depressing yet so worthy of being watched is its authenticity in portraying events that happened only some years back right in front of our eyes. It leaves you frustrated and guilty at not being able to help those who were most in need of it. The movie is a historical document and in its silent way, invokes humanity, compassion and the dire need for kindness in everyone's heart... It reminded me of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and the haunting words "horror, horror!!!" at seeing the dark side of humanity. Yet the only saving grace was that the UN soldiers who were reduced to the role of nothing but zombies had hearts and souls and that became their tragedy. The Warriors/ Peacekeepers is an effort to jolt the conscience of the world and to rise them up from their silly, petty concerns and be bold enough to stay good in the midst of horror and darkness... Ioan Gruffudd is brilliant as always... And Mathew Macfaydan brings heart to this grim story of love and lost humanity. I wish more and more people get to watch this. Highly Recommended!

Great Expectations (1999 TV Movie)

A beautiful and classy piece!!!

[10/10 · 20 September 2013]

This one is surely my favorite rendition of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations into a movie. The story is brilliantly told and masterfully executed thanks to the stellar performances by Ioan Gruffudd, Charlotte Rampling, Daniel Evans and others.

Gruffudd's Pip is more believable and mysterious at the same time. He plays him very convincingly. Gruffudd should do more of period pieces as he does them SO artistically well. Such roles come to him so naturally. And his voice: He brings all the charm, music and pathos only by uttering his thoughts in words. You could linger on every word that he utters. Such is the beauty and spell of his voice!

Joe and Biddy are beautifully depicted. They bring joy to an otherwise sad story by their mere presence. Miss Havisham looks ravishing and tragic at the same time.

In my opinion, this is by far the finest version of the Great Expectations. I,therefore, highly recommend it to the true lovers of literature. They would not only love the movie but they would adore the book even more after watching this.

Its kinda sad to see that such masterpieces don't make their inroads into the mainstream Hollywood cinema. Coz if they do, I am certain that they would gain more popularity and recognition which pieces like this truly deserve in tons. All and all a beautiful beautiful period drama not to be missed at any cost.