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tt0455590 | The Last King of Scotland | Scotland 1970. The sky is cloudy and stark grey and a group of newly graduated students jump into the lake to celebrate. Newly minted doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) is having dinner with his mother (Barbara Rafferty) and father (David Ashton), also a doctor. It is a drab affair and the father assumes Nicholas will join the family practice. We are left with an impression that Nicholas's father is a controlling man.In his room, Nicholas spins a globe promising himself "first place you land you go first place you land you go." Shutting his eyes, he jabs the spinning globe. Opening his eyes he sees that his finger has landed on Canada. Thinking about it for a moment or two, he spins the globe again and this time his finger lands on Uganda.Credits roll as we are in Uganda. It is bright, sunny, lush, and full of activities and life. Nicholas is riding the bus and becomes friendly with a young woman . A line of military vehicles and tanks pass the bus on their way to a military coup to overthrow president Obote. Nicholas is completely clueless and the young woman assures Nicholas they are safe and it will be a great time for Uganda now that Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) will be president. Nicholas and the young woman have sex in her home.Nicholas arrives at his destination and meets Sarah (Gillian Anderson), the pretty wife of Dr. Merrit (Adam Kotz) whom he will be working for in a rural clinic. Merrit is a dedicated doctor, a "good man" who frequently leaves his wife and Nicholas alone in the clinic while he attends emergency cases several miles away. Nicholas offers to accompany Merrit or attend to an emergency case himself but Merrit dismissively tells him to stay at the clinic. Nicholas is disappointed with his latest 'father figure'. Sarah has a world-weariness about her.Though 80% of the villagers prefer their witch doctors, Nicholas still has his hands full with treatments and inoculations. While playing soccer with the village children, he hears that Amin will be giving a speech nearby and convinces Sarah to attend the rally with him. The two really stand out in the rally as they are the only white people there. Listening to Amin orating to a crowd of Ugandans, Nicholas is deeply impressed and enjoys the high spiritedness around him. Amin promises a reign of peace, prosperity, public health care and other visionary advancements. Nicholas sees Amin as the rest of the world first sees him; a charismatic and entertaining figure who was greeted with enthusiasm by his people and who seemed to have their interests at heart.Driving back to the clinic Sarah cynically said the Ugandans gave the same party to Obote before throwing him out. Nicholas thinks Sarah should give the man a chance to do his job before criticizing him. They are interrupted by terrified soldiers begging them to come treat Amin who has been in an accident. The scared soldier is our first clue of Amin's true character.The presidential motorcade has collided with a cow and Amin is sure that his hand is broken. Nicholas quickly determines that the injury is just a sprain and works to bandage Amin's hand. Unable to concentrate on his bandaging on account of the dying cow's incessant bellowing, Nicholas impulsively grabs a pistol sitting on the car and shoots the cow, putting it out of its misery. With 10 machine guns immediately trained on him, Nicholas stammers an apology and returns the gun to a menacing Amin who demands to know if Nicholas is British. Nicholas clarifies that he is Scottish and shows his emblem tee shirt under his first shirt. Amin's behavior immediately does a 180 degree turn and praises the Scottish culture and people, especially their historical warriors. Nicholas is confused but charmed by this man who seems to take a genuine interest in him. Amin asks for Nicholas's tee shirt for his son, Campbell and the two men exchange shirts. Amin's military shirt sits like an oversize coat on Nicholas.Later that night Nicholas invites Sarah for drinks on the porch. Knowing full well of Nicholas's intention, Sarah confides that as a wife of a "good man" she is often unnoticed and undervalued. Nicholas is empathetic as his own father is a "good man". Nicholas kisses her; Sarah quickly comes to her senses and leaves Nicholas alone. The next day the Ugandan Health Minister, who is Amin's #1 adviser, arrives to bring Nicholas to Amin in the presidential limousine. Thinking that the hypochondriac Amin just wants him to re-tie the bandages, Nicholas promises Sarah that he will return soon and is whisked away to the bustling capital, an active modern city and a far cry from the dilapidated village Nicholas is working in.Nicholas meets Amin and is taken back by the offer to be his personal physician. In an example where Amin's craziness seems benign at first he tells Nicholas that he has already dreamed the date of his own death. "I know exactly when I'm going to die so you do not need to worry about making a mistake". Nicholas turns down the job offer twice and Amin guesses that Nicholas has an infatuation with a married woman back in the village. He promises to take Nicholas back to the village first thing in the morning but first he must attend tonight's state dinner. Since Nicholas does not have a suit Amin sends him to a tailor.Measured for a suit by Asian tailors (they are either Indian or Pakistanis), Nicholas worries about the cost and the tailor assures him it is covered by the president's account. Overhearing this is a British diplomat, Stone. Outside the tailor shop Nicholas hears a commotion and sees a man being chased by Amin's men, who catch the man and stuff him into the trunk of their car. Amin's men are hunting down suspected Obote supporters. Stone praises Amin's "firm hand" - after all, he trained among Scottish soldiers with the King's African Rifles. Stone says Amin is one of their own.The state dinner is a lavish affair and Nicholas is introduced to Amin's wives. Wife #1 has given Amin 5 children and wife #2 has given Amin 3 children. The third wife is simply introduced as Kay. Kay tersely thanks Nicholas for the tee shirt for her son Campell, it is her way of saying she has given Amin a child as well. Amin makes a rousing speech starting with stories of Greeks stealing philosophies and Arabs stealing medicine knowledge from Africa and claiming them as their own. He says Uganda will be an independent and great African country and, please enjoy the food as he humorously promises that it contains no human flesh. Nicholas meets Stone again and Stone remarks that it is nice to have another Englishman around. Nicholas peevishly clarifies that he is a Scotsman. Amin's fondness for Nicholas is obvious and the British diplomats tease Nicholas that Amin has "clasped you to his bosom".Nicholas is woken in the middle of the night by the frantic servant and summoned to Amin's bedroom. Amin is lying in bed in pain, sure he has been poisoned. Nicholas palpates the stomach and notice glasses of beer and aspirin on the night stand. He finds a baseball bat, presses it against Amin's stomach and a large amount of gas is released. Amin immediately feels better and the Health Minister, who was watching the entire scene, leaves. Amin is ashamed and upset that Nicholas has seen him in his greatest weakness; fear and paranoia. Nicholas assures confidentiality due to the doctor's oath. Amin opens up a bit to Nicholas with stories from his childhood while the soundtrack tells us that Nicholas has been unwittingly trapped.Some time later Nicholas calls Sarah to apologize for accepting Amin's offer. In the background Amin is playing with his numerous children. Nicholas is given a swanky apartment in the immaculate presidential compound and his job is set up in the Presidential Hospital where he meets his predecessor, Dr. Junju. At the hospital he runs into Stone again who wants to use Nicholas as a spy due to his exceptional access to Amin. Nicholas rebuffs Stone's offer, nonetheless Stone cautions him to "keep in touch."Nicholas enjoys the benefits of being in Amin's inner circle and Amin takes him everywhere except outside Uganda. Due to their great physical differences, Nicholas looks something like Amin's pet or trophy. Very soon Nicholas is more than Amin's personal physician but also his most trusted advisor, something Amin says many times in front of senior officers. One day Amin tells Nicholas to attend a meeting in his place as he has to go to Libya at the last minute. Nicholas arrives at the meeting and introduces himself. The attendees are surprised that Nicholas is a doctor and Nicholas is surprised to learn the attendees are important contractors from the foreign consulates. The meeting is to bid for construction contracts.Dressed in Islamic garbs, Amin examines the model for the new building and is pleased with the design Nicholas has chosen. Praising Nicholas's good taste, Amin tells the Health Minister he has no sense of style. The Health Minister simply stares at Amin. Amin's pleasant mood turns sour and he sends the Health Minister away. Amin asks Nicholas if he thought the Health Minister looked at Amin strangely. Nicholas says no.While examining X-ray pictures, Nicholas and Junju hear a series of explosions. Rushing to the hospital roof they see columns of smoke rising in the distant hills where political prisoners are held in a prison. Gunfire can be heard. A messenger comes running looking for Nicholas, saying that the President's son is sick. Nicholas is taken to a house and finds a distressed Kay hovering over a boy in the midst of a seizure. Nicholas assumes that the boy is Campbell but Kay says he is Mackenzie. It is clear Nicholas never heard of or seen Mackenzie before despite being the family's physician, and it is clearer that Kay and the servants have no idea Mackenzie's condition is called epilepsy. Nicholas wants to take Mackenzie to the hospital but Kay begs Nicholas not to, as she and her son are banished from the palace. Kay says Amin regards her as a "bad omen" wife because of Mackenzie's condition and they cannot live in the palace with the other families. Nicholas gives Mackenzie a shot to calm the seizure and then puts him to bed. Nicholas finds it ridiculous that Mackenzie does not have access to medical attention and makes an appointment for McKenzie at the hospital. Kay looks at Nicholas differently this time.Amin is hosting a state event and he is dressed in Scottish garb, kilt and all. Scottish folk songs are sung in African arrangements. During the ceremony Kay and Nicholas exchange glances; Amin notices this. The following morning Nicholas is woken early by Amin. To thank Nicholas for helping his epileptic son Amin gives him a brand new silver Mercedes convertible. Nicholas is beyond thrilled and Amin wants Nicholas to drive him to the airport. Nicholas returns to his apartment to change only to see that Amin has followed him into his room. Realizing Amin is not going to leave, Nicholas quickly changes his clothes and asks about the explosions and gunfire heard coming from the hills. Amin says his men held off Obete's men at the prison and quickly changes the subject.Driving together to the airport following the presidential limousine, Amin tells Nicholas that his epileptic son has all the material comfort he needs. Nicholas argues that exiling the boy denies him treatment and a father's attention. Amin counters that Nicholas has never been poor. Their argument is interrupted by trucks of assassins targeting the presidential limousine. Nicholas manages to drive Amin out of harm's way.Once secured and surrounded by military men, Amin freaks out and repeats to Nicholas that he cannot die because he saw it in his dream. Amin continues to rant and vent about traitors while Nicholas is silent and shell shocked. Amin begins screaming for his number #1 advisor, the Health Minister, and belittles Nicholas for not knowing where he is. A solider comes to Amin to tell him some of the assassins are caught. Amin brings Nicholas with him to see the captured assassins who are being tortured. While Amin screams and rants at the prisoners, Nicholas looks down and notices there is blood on his hand.Nicholas is shaken by the recent events and goes to a Holiday Inn lounge to unwind and calm down. There he sees the Health Minister talking to a white man in a secretive manner. Some time later Nicholas is in Amin's office having him sign papers for supplies for the hospital. As he is leaving, Amin calls Nicholas back and asks him what is on his mind as it is obvious Nicholas is distracted. Nicholas admits he saw the Health Minister at the Holiday Inn lounge talking to a strange white man. It's probably nothing but perhaps Amin should talk to the Health Minister. Nicholas reiterates it is likely "nothing."While lounging in the pool in presidential compound, Nicholas sees Kay and MacKenzie playing in the pool with the rest of the family. Kay tells Nicholas that Mackenzie is doing much better now that he is allowed to return to the palace and play with his brothers. Kay seems happy for the first time and looks at Nicholas fondly. While Nicholas is admiring Kay, Stone arrives and tells Nicholas that people are disappearing in the countryside. Out of loyalty and ignorance, Nicholas accuses Stone of being a typical Brit with no regard for Africa and that he's sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for those disappearances. Stone then tells Nicholas that the Health Minister is one of the disappeared. Panicked, Nicholas goes to the Ministry of Health building only to find a different person is now the Health Minister. Nicholas knows it is his fault the Health Minister is likely dead even as he delivers the "official statement" that the Heath Minister has fled the country for embezzling funds and is a suspected Obete supporter. Nicholas soon learns that the Health Minister was securing a supply of medicine from the white man in Holiday Inn lounge.It is raining heavily late at night and Nicholas is floating in the pool alone, distressed and upset. Nicholas goes to see Amin to announce he is going home. Amin turns around and it's actually a body double in Amin's uniform. The real Amin and his goons jump out of the shadows laughing and teasing Nicholas. Amin keeps saying "I caught you I caught you" in a childish manner. There are several body doubles in the room and Amin asks Nicholas if the body doubles are more handsome than him. Nicholas of course says no and Amin taunts one of the body doubles that he is ugly. This is another example of Amin insulting his underlings.After sending his body doubles and goons out of the room, Amin turns serious and tells Nicholas that he cannot go back to Scotland, Uganda is his home now and he is like to a son to Amin. Nicholas begs that he is way over his head especially after the Health Minister affair. Amin scolds Nicholas for his naivety ("nothing can come from nothing"), arrogance, and his white man's attitude toward Africa. Amin then embraces him.Amin throws a party with go-go girls to cheer Nicholas up, even featuring himself as an Uganda cowboy. This doesn't help as Nicholas still looks very unhappy and downs drink after drink. He runs away from a go-go girl assigned to him and straight into Kay's arms. They end up having sex in a room while the party is still going outside. Kay warns Nicholas that Amin has always been this way and only now shows his true character to Nicholas. She tells him needs to find a way to get out of Uganda. Nicholas still tries to rationalize that things aren't really that bad. Nicholas and Kay return to the party to find it dispirited now that Amin is playing a melancholy tune on the accordion in a trance-like state. This is one of many examples of Amin's quicksilver temperament.Nicholas returns to his apartment after the party only to find it in completely ransacked. He finds an envelope and upon opening it finds a Ugandan passport with his picture. His Scottish passport gone, Nicholas goes to see Stone who shows him gruesome pictures of murdered people suspected of being Obete's supporters, even entire tribes have been wiped out. Stone saves the best for last, a picture of the dead Health Minister. Stricken, Nicholas pleads for help to get out of Uganda but Stone says he has to "earn his passage" by killing Amin now that the British can no longer control him. Nicholas learns that he has been called "Amin's white monkey" by others.Trapped without friend or allies, Nicholas and Kay continue to find comfort with one another.Amin grows increasingly unpredictable and Nicholas's hospital is filled with refugees and victims of Amin's regime. His latest crazy scheme is to kick all Asians out of Uganda within 90 days, calling them leeches. This is part of Amin's plan for an all-black African country. Nicholas arrives at the hospital to find it in total chaos as Amin's goons are trying to expel Asian patients. Goon#1 is beating up Junju and Nicholas stops him and demands that the goons leave the hospital. The goons leave but not before goon#1 gives Nicholas an especially evil glare.Nicholas goes to Amin and tells him he cannot expel the Asians as they have lived in Uganda for generations and only they have the ability to run the infrastructure of the country. Uganda's economy will be severely crippled if Amin carries out this mad plan. Amin doesn't believe Nicholas and angrily dismisses him as "nothing but a doctor - a nobody".Kay calls Nicholas in a panic that Amin is "going to kill us." She is pregnant. Kay threatens to go to a village witch doctor and Nicholas begs her not to, that he will somehow arrange the abortion in a clinical setting and that they will do it first thing in the morning. The following morning Nicholas tells Junju what has happened and he understandably freaks out and refuses to have the abortion done in the hospital as Amin is sure to find out and kill any doctors performing the abortion. Nicholas decides he will have to do it himself and raids the medical supply room for the necessary operation when goon #1 interrupts him and said Amin wants to see him right away.Amin is in hysterics, furious over international newspapers labelling him a madman and a cannibal. He screams that "these are all lies!" and threatens to throw all foreign journalists out of Uganda. He starts in on Nicholas and angrily demands to know why Nicholas did not warn him not to throw the Asians out of Uganda. Nicholas furiously protests that he did precisely this, and Amin throws back, "Ah, but you did not persuade me!"Cornered, Nicholas advises Amin not to throw the journalists out of Uganda but instead invite them where he can turn on the charm. Amin calms down and happily coos "what will I do without my Nicholas." But Nicholas only looks frightened and Amin asks if there is anything else. Nicholas says no. Amin grabs Nicholas by the face and asks again. Nicholas, losing courage, still says no. Amin lets go of him and says he has to stay for the press conference.By now we realise the two men's relationship is something of a bizarre love affair, an on-then-off again romance with the heart of darkness. The irony is Nicholas left Scotland to escape a controlling father figure only to be captivated by another, and has gone from the frying pan into the inferno.At the press conference Amin turns on his charm for the media to distract them and the world from what he's really doing. It works as nearly all the foolish journalists nod their heads in agreement with Amin's ridiculous explanations. Not surprising as many of history's great villains were charismatic enough to get people to go along with their actions. In this conference we find out why Amin calls himself the Last King of Scotland. He sees in Scottish devolutionary ambition a parallel to Africa's own struggle against the English and announces since he has successfully defeated the British, he will do the same for Scotland and hence he will be their king.After the press conference Nicholas drives like a bat out of hell to Kay's house only to find weeping servants telling him Kay has already gone to the witch doctor and now has been taken to the hospital due to complications from the back-alley abortion. Nicholas rushes to the hospital only to hear creepy wailings. Following the noise he finds series of crying people in the hallway, some appear to have gone insane. Going down to the basement he finds hordes of distressed people and goon#1 telling them this is what happens to those who betray Amin. Entering the morgue he finds Kay's dismembered body. Her legs have been sewn on in place of her arms and her arms in place of her legs.. Her son is in the same room. Nicholas cries over Kay's body and vomits.Nicholas goes to see Amin who is watching porn with his goons. He gloomily tells Nicholas that he did it to make an example of Kay because she betrayed him. Nicholas gives Amin a bottle of pills for his "headache" and rushes out. Outside he is stopped by the guards and brought back inside where Amin is gleeful and jovial and teases Nicholas for "running away from me". He tells Nicholas that Palestinian terrorists have hijacked an Air France plane and he has allowed them to land in Uganda. Amin feels this is an opportunity to both help his "Palestinian brothers" and show the world what a great leader he is.While riding to the airport with Amin and the goons, Nicholas nervously eyes the bottle of headache pills still in Amin's hands, indicating that the pills are actually poison. Amin, Nicholas, and the goons arrive at Entebbe airport where Amin assures the news media that the hostages will be looked after and sends in Nicholas. Nicholas notices that goon #1 now has Amin's bottle of pills but he can do nothing about it. Nicholas meets Junju and the nurses that are giving malaria pills to the hostages. While treating the hostages for shock, Nicholas sees goon #1 going outside with the pills. Nicholas follows and sees goon #1 force a child solider to take the pill. Before the boy could swallow the pill Nicholas runs out and makes the boy spit out the pill.In the next scene the goons are dragging a badly beaten Nicholas in front of the horrified hostages to a shop out of sight from others. Amin tells Nicholas that he knows about the affair with Kay and tells him a story of a practice done in his village to purge a man of evil by hanging him by his skin. Every time the man screams, a bit of evil is released. Amin tells Nicholas that he has "grossly offended your father." Nicholas reaches up to touch Amin and whispers, "You're a child. That's what makes you so scary."The goons bring ropes and 2 hooks. Holding Nicholas up they proceed to pierce his chest with the hooks while Nicholas is looking straight into Amin's eyes, refusing to scream. Nicholas is strung up and hangs from the ceiling by his skin (a couple of people in the movie theater passed out watching this scene). He never screams and appears to have died. Amin watches, looking genuinely sad and sheds a tear. Amin goes outside and his public persona immediately returns, smiling charmingly for the cameras. He announces that Israel is willing to negotiate and he has made arrangements for the non-Israel citizens to be safety transported away by plane.The goons take down Nicholas's body and proceed to the basement to unwind with cards and alcohol, leaving the body on the floor of the shop. Junju sneaks in, gives Nicholas a shot (probably adrenaline) to wake him up, bandage up his body and face, and wipe off as much blood as he can. Junju tells Nicholas that while he may deserve to die, he is useless dead. Junju plans to have Nicholas escape with the non-Israelii hostages to a plane and tell the world the truth about Amin, after all they would believe him since he is a white man. Junju gives Nicholas his blazer to better disguise him and pushes him out the door just as the hostages walking to the plane pass by. The hostages help him walk to the plane and comfort him once they are safely on board.The goons return and discover the body gone and go tearing through the airport looking for him. They find Junju trying to leave the airport and suspect that he has something do with the missing doctor. They take Junju back to the shop and shoot him in the head. The goons interrupt Amin's press interview where he has just explained that he has broken off relations with Israel. The plane is safely in the air and Amin watches it fly away.Knowing that he is finally truly out of Uganda, Nicholas lets himself pass out.Epilogue reveals that 48 hours later the Israeli military force made a daring raid on the Entebbe airport and rescued all the hostages except one that died.World opinion permanently turned against Amin.(Personal note: Ugandans saw the Israeli's successful rescue of the Entebbe hostages as a sign of Amin's weakness and this was the turning point on Amin's hold on his power)Amin was overthrown for good in 1979. He died in 2003 while living in exile in Saudi Arabia. He is responsible for 300,000 deaths in Uganda.The movie shows actual documentation reels of Idi Amin, including a scene of a Ugandan marching army dressed entirely in Scottish garb. | dark, murder, dramatic, violence, flashback, philosophical, historical | train | imdb | Gripping, brutal and powerful, 'The Last King of Scotland' is a brilliant dramatic depiction of the life of megalomaniac Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, perfectly portrayed by Forest Whitaker in his Oscar-winning performance as one of the greatest casting against type roles seen in film.
Impressed by the young man's lack of hesitancy to take action, Amin appoints Garrigan to be his personal physician, a post that seduces the impressed doctor into the Ugandan dictator's political inner circle and extravagant lifestyle.Scottish director Kevin MacDonald brings his extensive documentary film-making skills to the fore here, as he creates a most realistic-feeling atmosphere in capturing the oppressive Uganda of the 1970's.
He used the media to his advantage as his regime slaughtered hundreds of thousands of his countrymen.Also impressive is James McAvoy ("Chronicles of Narnia") who plays the dramatized Nicholas Garrigan, a young doctor who sets out on an adventure to make a difference in a small country and ends up counseling one of the most powerful madmen in history.
With "The Last King of Scotland," Kevin MacDonald has created a bracing, exciting and totally satisfying thriller.Forest Whitaker gives a titanic performance as Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator who rose to power in the 1970s.
James McAvoy plays Nicholas Garrigan, a Scottish physician who travels to Uganda for the adventure and wins Amin's affections, becoming his personal doctor.
Gillian Anderson also does terrific work in a small role as a fellow doctor, who understands things about Amin and the African culture that Garrigan does not.Unlike other recent thrillers set in African nations ("The Constant Gardener," "Hotel Rwanda"), "The Last King of Scotland" is not greatly concerned with the geo-political implications of Amin's reign.
The movie is seen completely through the eyes of young Nicolas Garrigan( James Mcavoy)a young Scottish doctor who decides he is tired of Scotland and ready to venture into another country to make a difference.Soon after he begins his work in the town he begins a friendship with Idi Amin(Forest Whitaker)a powerful African leader who offers Garrigan a job as his personal doctor.
Their developing relationship is wonderful to behold on screen, and for me was the main strength and the key point that made this movie go above and beyond.Spoiler ahead: Being a ill informed young adult I know close to nothing about African history, so therefore I had no idea what kind of leader Idi Amin was until the crashing scene when Garrigan figures out that he is actually a murderous dictator, who is destroying the African economy.
In the book, however, he looks at a far more colourful figure, Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC etc, president for life of Uganda, from the point of view of a young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan, who is plucked from a remote mission hospital to be Amin's personal physician and adviser.There is some factual basis for this in that Amin did at one time have a Scottish doctor and he also had as a close adviser a former British army officer, Bob Astle (who Foden interviewed living in retirement in Wimbledon) but essentially we are looking at fiction, based on the premise what would it have been like to have been a young, impressionable, rather feckless and sexually adventurous doctor working for Idi Amin.At first, being at Amin's court is a pretty heady experience for young Nicholas (who as played by the elfin James McAvoy with early 70s long hair seems to be a teenager).
However the initial charm shown by Amin gives way to a darker violent streak as Garrigan finds the superficial stability of the country and its leader is nothing of the sort.Famous now for the performance that will deservedly win an Oscar in a few weeks time, this film actually doesn't have Amin as the "main" character despite him being the draw and the title character.
Rather it's another of Peter Morgan's 'factions', (part fact, part fiction and co-written with Jeremy Brock), dealing with real people in situations which may, or more likely may not, have happened; in this case how a young Scottish doctor, (James McAvoy, first-rate), became principal physician to the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
And fuelled by his close personal relationship with Amin.The film winds itself up into a crescendo of violence to the that's like sitting in the launchpad in Space Mountain (believe me that's a scary moment).Thought provoking and authentic, thanks partly to shooting on location and partly due to Whittaker's performance this is a very good movie indeed..
At that time he was viewed as a "darling" by the western nations that helped bring him to power.As a novelist, I commend Giles Foden, Kevin MacDonald, Forest Whitaker, and the entire cast and crew of "The Last King of Scotland" for presenting such a vivid, albeit sketchy account of the horror of the Amin regime.
The love story between the doctor Nicholas Garrigan and Amin's wife is for instance a major flaw from a realistic point of view, even if it serves some narrative purposes, and the end of the movie is rather silly and really hard to believe when you consider the situation.
Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's (Forest Whitaker) regime as seen by his personal physician called Garrigan (James McAvoy) during the 1970s , which resulted in the deaths of a half million people .
The earliest of horror films used a concoction of suspense, Gothic imagery and implied brutality to trigger the viewer's imagination into assuming the worst, in the process leaving them terrified.When watching The Last King of Scotland I was finally given a reminder that these techniques have not been forgotten.The film charts the story of Nicolas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young and charismatic Scottish doctor, who moves to Uganda looking for adventure, but rapidly winds up the newly appointed president Idi Amin's (Forest Whitaker) personal physician, with all the side effects.
Director Kevin Macdonald turns Forest Whitaker from an underrated Hollywood b-lister who rarely played anything other than a disturbingly likable character, into a truly terrifying tyrant.Amin was an inspiring leader capable of great speeches as is shown in the film, but it is the other forms of persuasion displayed are far more interesting.
This is when Amin's true colors shine and we are aware of what lies behind his false appearance as a caring humanitarian -- a ruthless, psychotic and literally cannibalistic monster.'The Last King of Scotland' doesn't center around Idi Amin, but young Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (played by James McAvoy, who you may remember as Mr. Tumnus is last year's smash hit 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.) Garrigan is fresh out of medical school and instead of putting up with his father's (who is also a doctor) subtle mental abuse, he decides to go do missionary Medical work at the first place his finger lands while spinning a model globe.
The Last King of Scotland is the story of a young Scottish doctor, played by the wonderful James McAvoy, who ends up being Amin's personal physician and adviser.
There was me thinking for once I may agree with the Oscars...No chance...This is the most sanitized version of Idi Amin's regime that could've been made...Oh my god...They pulled someones hair....What a farce...So devoid of facts that I wanted to cry...Only Film Four (a British film company) could make a movie that swept under the carpet soooo much African suffering to instead concentrate on a fictitious Scottish main leads minor woes and suffering (which I felt he deserved after taking the easy pleasure route - hang on don't get caught up in a make-belief character's nonsense P23...hehe).
Now I know this film has been around for a while now and I'am ashamed that its taken me such a long time to get around and watch it, but here is my review...Plot Summary Based on the book of the same name, written by author Giles Foden, this is the story of a young Scottish doctor who travels to Uganda to help local communities and ends up getting stuck right in the middle of Idi Amin's Regime.What I thought of it Having seen old reviews of this film I did have an idea of what I was in for when I pulled it out of my collection and sat down to watch it, yet it still impressed me.I must admit that before watching this film I did do a bit of research into the subject just to get an idea of the setting and history etc.I am very pleased to say that director Kevin McDonald has done a very good job of getting Idi Amin's true behaviour and methods across onto film with sensational acting from Forest Whitaker.
I had no doubt that Forest Whitaker would do brilliantly in this role as he has in the past but he really does give, in my eyes, an Oscar winning performance matched only by that of James McAvoy who played Amin's physician.On a whole the acting in this film is of a very high standard as is work of the director and the whole crew.
Everything from locations to editing have been done well and add a great feel to the film.The only bad things I will say is that in the film, we don't really get a great idea of what the people of Uganda were going through at this time, the violence and such that they were living in, which I feel is a great shame as this really would have made our feelings towards Idi Amin and the countries people much stronger, whether they be good or bad.In Summary Overall I think this is a truly brilliant film in both story and acting, the cast, specifically Forest Whitaker really knew there role well and played on this fantastically, giving great insight into the life of Idi Amin and his closest friends and colleagues.I recommend this film to all, a definite must-see film.....7/10 Stars.
"Inspired by real events", Giles Fodin's novel becomes Oscar-winning triumph for Forest Whitaker, ideally and convincingly cast as Idi Amin who, in 1970 Uganda, staged a political coup, ousting the former African dictator with promises to the struggling country that he was just like one of them.
The movie is an adaptation of a novel offering the fictionalized story of a young Scottish doctor (James McAvoy) who becomes personal physician to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, and we see the descent of that country into a brutal nightmare through his eyes.
Wouldn't it be interesting if movies ostensibly based on true people and events added a caveat like "but otherwise, this movie is 100% fiction." That was the thought that crossed my mind when I saw the caption at the start of the movie, telling viewers "this story is inspired by true people and events".Otherwise, The Last King of Scotland is a thoroughly entertaining thriller but of negligible value in giving insight into what Uganda was really like under Idi Amin's reign.
In fact, Amin is actually a supporting character in this movie, but Forest Whitaker's incredible performance pushes him front and center, in the same way that Anthony Hopkins made The Silence of the Lambs about Hannibal Lecter despite having only some 30 minutes of screen time.In actuality, the movie could well be subtitled The Nicholas Garrangan Show as the movie is actually about the young Scotish doctor (energetically played by James McAvoy) who goes to Uganda in search of adventure and ends up as Amin's personal physician and one of his closest advisers.Director Kevin McDonald really knows how to ratchet up the tension and if he wanted to, he could easily join Paul Greengrass in bringing grit and edge to mainstream thrillers.
Based on the novel by Giles Foden, The Last King of Scotland is inspired by true events from the brutal regime of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin as told by his personal physician in the early 70s.Scottish director Kevin Macdonald directs fellow Scot, James McAvoy, as the fictitious Dr. Nicholas Garrigan, who sees Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) as both charismatic and terrifyingly gruesome.
While McAvoy is able to hold his own, acting-wise, against the fierce Amin portrayed by the Oscar-deserving Whitaker, he suffers from his youth; he looks like he belongs in high school and not believably a young doctor interested to help the plight of the African poor.Gillian Anderson (more popularly known from The X-Files) has an understated role as Sarah Merrit, wife of the small town doctor whom Nicholas originally came to help.
It's no surprise that in the rush of things after he whimsically decides to practice medicine in Uganda (anything is better than becoming an exact duplicate of his father), he unknowingly becomes best friends with the devil.Most of the politics of Amin and his rule are side-stepped in order to focus on the story of this fictional character, Nicholas, played by James McAvoy.
During the 70s,dictator Idi Amin ordered the genocide of a lot of people in Uganda(the total of victims are between 300.000 and 500.000),which was part of a large list of atrocities which were later revealed to the people.The last king of Scotland tells the events of Idi Amin when he was a dictator but from the point of view of his personal doctor.The result is a great and very interesting movie which deserves to be seen.The movie is very fun,it's never boring and it always kept me interested.Forest Whitaker makes an extraordinary performance and all the awards he received are totally deserved.James McAvoy(who appeared in The chronicles of Narnia)has a difficult character but the actor makes a fantastic performance.David Oyelowo has a great performance as Doctor Juju.Gillian Anderson has a short but excellent performance as an English doctor.Director Kevin MacDonald tells this story shaking reality and fiction on a dramatically efficient way and that results very appropriate.Also,he has a special talent in showing scenes of big impact for their content(like the tour for an Amin's torture room)or for their narrative style(like a persecution in the streets of Kampala).The real locations in Uganda give realism to the film and the atmosphere this movie brings is totally disturbing.The last king of Scotland is a great movie with perfect performances and which is very interesting and has a good level of realism..
Amin could have been depicted merely as a comical Gilbert and Sullivan grotesque (which he was), but Macdonald - in his first feature film uses his documentary-making experience to present Amin also as a far from fictional mass-murderer.Amin is revealed in all his horrendous authenticity by the creation of a fictional character in the young Scots doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) through whose eyes we see the dictator in all his raw brutal detail.
'The Last king of Scotland' is by far in my own opinion the best film of 2006' current acting favorite, James Mcavoy, plays a wet behind the ears young doctor, who sets out on a voyage of self discovery and more, travel's to 1970's Uganda where he becomes caught up in a political coup,and inadvertently becomes involved, and subsequently becomes personal physician and adviser, to madman dictator Idi Amin, initially he is treated like royalty by the Scottish culture loving Amin, played by Forest Whitaker in the role he was born to play, the resemblance is frighteningly uncanny.
To be sure,I feel like this is neither a remarkable or unique development in the world of politics,but to get a closer look at this regime and the larger-than-life,mercurial man behind it is still eye-opening.Scotish Physician Nicholas Garrigan(James McAvoy,who makes me wonder if Hugh Grant has a long-lost Scottish relative)moves to Uganda on somewhat of a whim,expecting to do good for man plying his profession.
Kerry Washington(As amin's third wife),Gillian Anderson(as the co-chief of the mission where Garrigan originally works),Simon McBurney(As the Brit diplomat,deep in the know)and David Oyedeno(As the former regime physician)show up and add to the story,but they are sparingly used,there to frame certain chapters in the turn of this relationship between ruler and doctor/adviser,and thusly,ruler and country.As hard to watch in parts fascinating and difficult to look away from in others,this movie may suffer a little from excess or of narrative abridgment,but it is as worthy as any movie to see this Oscar/Golden GLobe/whatever season.
Part-biopic, part-docudrama, but mostly supercharged thriller, The Last King Of Scotland tells the complex tale of a cocky young doctor Nicholas Garrigan (played by James McAvoy) who comes to Uganda by pure chance in the seventies, only to find himself as the personal assistant of one Idi Amin, the flamboyant dictator-cum-president of the newly independent nation.
However one of those movies "The Last King Of Scotland" is among the best out of the bunch of films that came out this year competiting against movies like "Dreamgirls","The Queen", "Children Of Men","The Flags Of Our Fathers","Pan's Labyrinth","The Departed",and so much more."The Last King Of Scotland",brilliantly tells the strange and gripping story of a young Scottish doctor(James McAvoy from "The Chronicles Of Narnia")who in 1971 signs up fresh out of college with the British Ministry of Health to work in a remote Ugandan village and winds up living the high life in the capital city of Kampala,clutched to the turbulent bosom of General Idi Amin(Forest Whitaker).
To make up a story around a doctor who never existed, bring him together in relationships with real life characters as a way to describe Idi Amin and the history of Uganda makes no sense and in fact is a huge draw back to the intensity of any film.
While I found "The Last King of Scotland" to be an entertaining movie with a superb lead performance from James McAvoy and supporting performance from Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin, I left the theatre wanting to learn more about the lead character of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan.
Giles Foden - on whose book this film is based - uses the fictional Garrigan as a device to reveal his portrait of Amin.Forest Whitaker is excellent in the role but I could not get past the fact that it was an actor - a very good one - giving a performance. |
tt0409904 | Dnevnoy dozor | MOSCOW, January 2006. It is the day after New Year's Day, over one year after the events in the first movie Nochnoy dozor/Night Watch. Night Watch agent Anton Gorodetsky [Konstantin Khabenskiy] and his trainee, Svetlana 'Sveta' Nazarova [Mariya Poroshina], the Virgin, are driving along the freeway near the Moscow Expo Center. Sveta is reading aloud a book about the legend of how Tamerlane came to possess the Chalk of Fate, an ancient artifact reputed to possess the ability to change one's fate. Suddenly, an emergency APB comes over the truck radio. An old woman has been attacked near the Expo Center by a Dark One wielding a long needle that he plunged into her back and began sucking out her lifeforce. Anton and Sveta quickly locate the woman. When Sveta sees the ski-masked assailant running away, she takes off after him with Anton trying to keep up. The assailant leads Sveta into the Gloom. Anton follows, but when Sveta and the assailant pass into second level Gloom, where only Great Ones can go, Anton is unable to penetrate the shield. As he calls to Sveta to come back, the Dark One sneaks up behind her and stabs her with his needle. Sveta spins around and pulls off his black ski-mask to reveal a young boy. Anton gasps. It is his son, Yegor [Dmitriy Martynov]. Before Sveta can eliminate Yegor with her UV flashlight, Anton manages to break the shield and pull Sveta back from the Gloom.After their ordeal, Anton and Sveta stop for beers at Cafe Zoar. Sveta wonders why Anton protected the Dark assailant, but he won't talk. The leader of the Light Ones, Anton and Sveta's boss Gesser (now going by the name Boris Ivanovich), enters the restaurant and reminds Sveta that she has a lecture to give tonight. After Sveta has left, Gesser/Boris [Vladimir Menshov] reminds Anton that it is forbidden to have personal relations with trainees, but his warning comes too late. Anton has already fallen in love with Sveta. After Gesser leaves, Anton finishes his beer and reads a little more in Sveta's book, the part about how Tamerlane was buried in Samarkand with his right fist clenched, presumed to be holding the Chalk of Fate. He then has Zoar [Nurzhuman Ikhtymbaev] wrap his remaining manti and, drunker than a skunk, Anton leaves the restaurant and heads for home.Zavulon [Viktor Verzhbitskiy], leader of the Darks, and his fiancee, the Dark witch Alisa [Zhanna Friske], are checking out the hall at Hotel Cosmos where they plan to hold Yegor's 14th birthday party coming in a few days when Yegor suddenly races in, upset about the fact that he was chased into second level Gloom. Just then, Zavulon gets a phone call about the attack on the old woman, warning him about the ski-mask left behind. It is imperative that they get it back before it can be linked to Yegor. The mask has been stored in the Night Watch archives, so Zavulon sends Yegor's teacher, Galina Rogova [Irina Yakovleva], to intercept Anton on his way home and ask him to go into the archives and get the cap in order to protect his son. Anton refuses, but later he sneaks into the archives and gets the mask anyway. While there, he also enters the Central Asia vault and reads the files on the Chalk of Fate, which confirms the legend that Tamerlane was buried in the Gur-Emir mausoleum in Samarkand and that he was believed to be clutching
the Chalk in his right hand. Anton also learns that Gesser made a request to search the tomb back in 1941, but it was denied.Galina is murdered on her way home by an unknown assasin, and her body found the next morning. The Darks' suspicion immediately falls on Anton. Since the Truce between Lights and Darks forbids any Light to kill a Dark (and vice versa), Zavulon orders Alisa to dig up some evidence on Anton so that they can take it to the Inquisition. Alisa talks with Galina's five-year old daughter Mashenka, but Masha denies knowing Anton. Next, she talks with Anton's neighbor, Kostya Sergevich [Aleksey Chadov], who has recently received his vampire papers, having been turned by his father Valery [Valeriy Zolotukhin] when he was a child dying of pneumonia. So far, Kostya has resisted drinking human blood. To Alisa, he admits to peering out the window last night and seeing Anton talking with Galina.Gesser has also received news of Galina's murder and that Anton is being accused. Gesser knows that Anton was in the archives at the time that the murder took place, but he also knows that Anton will never admit to that because it will finger his son as the attacker of humans, so Gesser contrives to have Anton and mage Olga switch bodies and then sends Anton (in Olga's body) to stay with Sveta. Although Sveta has the power of introscopy (the ability to see objects behind closed doors), she fails to accept her initial feeling that it is Anton in Olga's body and starts telling "Olga" about her feelings of love for Anton. When they get to Sveta's apartment, Sveta takes a shower while "Olga" fumbles around in the kitchen. Sveta asks "Olga" to bring her a towel, and "Olga" is mesmerized by Sveta's naked body through the shower curtain. "Olga" confesses that she and Anton have switched bodies and that "she" is really Anton inside. At first Sveta is angry, but soon they are in the shower together, kissing and hugging. Later, they go out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant.Meanwhile, Alisa has gone to pick up Kostya at his apartment. She tells him that they suspect Anton and Olga may have switched bodies, and she wonders if Kostya would recognize Anton in a different body, but Kostya isn't sure. When Alisa begins to caress Kostya's hand, he notices that she is wearing a gold band on her ring finger. It's actually a magic
ring that connects her feelings with Zavulon, and Alisa is unable to remove it. Makes no difference. They drive around in Alisa's Mazda, kissing each other.Back at the Chinese restaurant, "Olga" goes to use the rest room and mistakenly opens the door to the men's room. On the floor lies a dead man. Recognizing him as a Dark, Sveta and "Olga" run from the restaurant, straight into Gesser's car. It's a set up, Gesser explains as they find their car surrounded by Zavulon and many Darks. Zavulon informs Gesser that he's filing a formal charge of murder against Anton. Knowing that Anton is in Olga's body, the Darks lead her away. It is forbidden for any Light agents to interfere, but Sveta will have none of that. She rushes at Zavulon. When Gesser stops her, she wills a bus to appear and run smackdab into Zavulon, which only serves to anger an immortal. Zavulon knocks down some electrical wires and uses one of them like a bullwhip, striking at "Olga" as she flees. fortunately, "Olga" makes it to a taxi and gets away. She places a call to a friend at Samarkand and requests to be allowed into Tamerlane's tomb. She also calls "Anton" and demands that they switch back into the correct bodies. They are to meet at the airport in 30 minutes.Meanwhile, two Inquisition agents visit Gesser at his office in the Gorsvet Light and Power Company. They give him until dawn to prove that Anton is innocent in regard to the deaths of the two Darks or they will issue a warrant for his elimination. If Gesser refuses to hand Anton over, the result will be war. If he files an order of protest, it will be
denied. Gesser's hands are tied either way.Olga and Anton are back in their own bodies, having exchanged in an airport elevator. Anton purchases a ticket to Samarkand and, after a bit of a problem getting through security with his weapons belt, he boards the plane. Olga follows him on board, and they sit in aisle seats opposite each other. The plane tries to take off, but Olga and Anton use their powers to start and stop it until Olga relents and lets the plane take off. Once in the air, Olga confesses to Anton that she knows the Chalk is not in Tamerlane's hand because she tried to get possession of it in 1941. At the same time, Sveta is asking Gesser why he isn't doing anything to save Anton. Gesser, hoping to stop Sveta from interfering, tells her how he once broke the Truce and how Olga tried to help him. He was acquitted, but Olga was sentenced. Back on the airplane, Olga explains how she was warned by Zoar, Tamerlane's right hand man, that to open the tomb would start a war. Anton suddenly realizes that the Chalk rests with Zoar (right hand = right hand man) and asks Olga to help him mentally direct the pilots to return the airplane to Moscow. Unknown to both of them, Zavulon's spy Popugay [Igor Lifanov] (Parrot) has been listening to their conversation.After returning to Moscow, Anton heads for Cafe Zoar. He requests that Zoar hand over the Chalk, and Zoar does it willingly, informing Anton that he need only write his wish on the blackboard. Anton writes Yegor, and Yegor suddenly enters the cafe. Father and son embrace. While Anton gets some warm rice plov to eat on this cold and snowy night in January, Yegor takes a call from Sveta on Anton's cell phone. Yegor tells Sveta that Anton has a family and warns her not to call him anymore. When Anton returns with their rice plov, Yegor asks his father to come home and eat again with his mother, but Anton says that he has another life and can't do that. Angry and upset, Yegor smashes the cell phone and runs out of the cafe. Zoar explains that the Chalk didn't work for Anton because it had to be written at the place where Anton carved his own destiny... the apartment where he conspired with the Dark Witch Darya Leonidova 14 years ago to abort the child being carried by his wife Irina, a child he thought belonged to another man. Anton puts on his coat to leave the cafe and, checking his pockets, discovers that Yegor has taken the Chalk.Later that night at 1:00 AM, Anton calls Irina [Mariya Mironova] anyway and asks to speak with Yegor. She says that he's sleeping. After hanging up on Anton, Irina checks on Yegor and finds him not there. Yegor is with Zavulon, getting a haircut. Yegor presents Zavulon with the Chalk. Unable to touch the Chalk, Zavulon suggests that Yegor give it to Alisa. Anton tries to hitch a ride to the Expo Center, but he recognizes that the driver of the car that stops for him is a Dark. Anton manages to get away by hanging on to Popugay's passing car until he thinks he can safely drop off. Popugay continues to follow, so Anton jumps through a Metro sign into the Gloom and lands in a Metro station. When he sees scores of Darks coming down the stairs, he jumps into a moving train and escapes.Sveta, Gesser, and Olga look for Anton at Zoar's but find only his smashed cellphone. When Gesser mentions that Yegor has taken the Chalk, Sveta retreats to the ladies' room, disappears outside, and hops into a taxi. Meanwhile, Kostya and his father Valery are washing clothes together when their doorbell rings. It is Sveta looking for Anton. Sveta recognizes Kostya as a vampire, and he jumps at her for the shock value, but his father pulls him back, claiming that no laws have been broken. Sveta assures them that she's not interested in accusing them, and she departs. Finding it hard to deal with his budding vampirism, Kostya puts on his coat and hat and leaves the apartment.In her room at the Cosmos, getting dressed for the party, Alisa slips the Chalk into her cleavage. On second thought, she takes it out and writes Kostya on the wall. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. It is Kostya, come to run away with Alisa. Alisa explains that the ring she is wearing connects her to Zavulon in such a way that he can feel everything
she feels, so she can't just leave. Kostya promises to help her get the ring off, when there is another knock on her door. It is Zavulon, come to hurry Alisa along to the party. He recognizes Kostya as Valery's son, but Alisa covers for Kostya, saying that he's here because he can recognize Anton even if he's wearing another body.Anton has made it to a pay phone and tries to place a call. He is interrupted by Popugay, and they proceed to fight. Then Anton has an idea. He presses Popugay's face into the snow, digs out the impression, and places it on his own face. When the snow falls away, Anton has transformed into Popugay and can now attend Yegor's birthday party without drawing notice to himself. Unfortunately, he addresses someone with the wrong name and gets his face punched for it, returning him to his real face. To escape, Anton jumps through the Gloom and goes looking for Yegor. His face bloodied, Anton runs into a large, dark banquet hall. Suddenly the lights are turned on, and he finds himself in a room filled with Darks, all celebrating Yegor's birthday. Zavulon hands Anton a microphone and tells him to say a few words to his son. Anton wishes Yegor health and happiness and then downs a toast to him, not knowing that his drink has been inadvertently mixed with blood, which affects Anton as potent alcohol would.Reeling as though drunk, Anton makes merry with the Darks. Alisa asks Zavulon whether she should alert the Inquisition that Anton is here, but Zavulon says to wait, because there is one more guest who still hasn't arrived, that guest being Sveta. Legend says that when Sveta and Yegor, the two Great Ones, meet and spill only one drop of blood, it will begin
the annhilation of the world, shifting the power between Darks and Lights, and that's what this birthday party has been arranged to do. Zavulon informs Anton that the Inquisition is coming to take him away, but Anton just laughs. "Do you really want to know who murdered Galina Rogova?", he asks the crowd, just as Valery arrives at the party. Anton has figured it out: Valery made a deal with Zavulon in order to save Kostya from being labeled as a vampire. Zavulon agreed to delay the papers in return for Valery killing Galina so that Zavulon could lay the blame on Anton.Two Inquisition agents suddenly appear in the door. The Great Truce has been broken, they say, and ask Valery whether he will confess to the crime. Valery admits it, and the agents finally pronounce Anton innocent of the charges. As Valery leaves the hall to go away with the Inquisition agents, Kostya leaps to his feet, grabs his father's two-sided wooden stake, and rushes at Zavulon, intending to kill him for setting up his father. Zavulon grabs the stake and places it between himself and Kostya. So that no one will suspect what is actually happening, he pretends to tango with Kostya as he thrusts the stake through Kostya's chest. Realizing that Zavulon has just stabbed Kostya, Alisa jumps from her chair, but Anton grabs her and asks for the Chalk. Still clutching Kostya to his body, Zavulon leaps from the window, just as a taxi drives up to the hotel, and Sveta gets out.When Sveta enters the banquet hall, Anton notices her and tells her to go home. For a moment, Yegor is fooled into believing that his father does not love Sveta and has become a Dark, but Zavulon (returned from his trek outside) explains that Anton is just casting shadows, i.e., pretending. Wanting to get Sveta out of his father's life, Yegor remembers that he stuck Sveta with a needle when they were in the Gloom together. "I could drink from her now", Yegor says and starts sucking on a juice container. As Yegor drains the juice, Sveta's lifeforce starts draining out, too. Sveta falls to the floor, and her face starts aging.Meanwhile, outside of the Cosmos, Light agents have begun amassing. Olga and Light agent Simeon [Aleksey Maklakov] are racing to the Hotel, but their truck keeps getting intercepted and surrounded by Darks in their trucks and on their motorcycles. Sensing that Sveta is being drained of her lifeforce, Olga calls Sveta on her cellphone. When Sveta answers, Olga tells her not to close her eyes or to stop breathing. As the motorcycles ram Olga's truck, she keeps talking to Sveta, instructing her to get up off the floor and stay away from Yegor. When Sveta finally manages to get to her feet and stumble out to the hall, Zavulon hands a yoyo to Yegor and tells him to practice with it. This isn't just any yoyo, however. It is a yoyo of mass destruction.Yegor follows Sveta into the hall and confronts her with the yoyo. Sveta refuses to fight and turns to leave. Yegor rushes at her, and the two of them collide with a third person, knocking Yegor to the floor, with Gesser there taking photos of it all. When Yegor gets to his feet, his nose starts to bleed, and a drop of his blood falls to the floor. The war between Darks and Lights has begun! As Olga and other Light agents run down the hotel halls, knocking on doors and telling the guests to evacuate, Yegor tosses the yoyo at Anton. The yoyo cracks open to reveal more yoyos, and these yoyos multiply and begin flying around the banquet hall, destroying tables of food, knocking holes in the walls, and killing
both Darks and Lights. Soon the yoyos are unleashed on the city of Moscow. Within minutes, all of Moscow lays wasted.Back inside the banquet hall, Alisa has finally managed to get the ring off her finger... by cutting off her finger. Zavulon and Anton both go looking for Alisa so they can get the Chalk, but Anton gets to her first. Alisa is writing Kostya zhiv (Kostya lives) on the wall, but Anton tells her that it won't work because she was not the cause of his death. Anton
admits that he is to blame, so Alisa gives him the Chalk. As Anton races to exit the hotel, he is intercepted by Sveta and Yegor, each grabbing one of his arms, trying to pull him to their sides. All around him, the building is collapsing. As a large shard of glass falls down, headed right for Anton, certain to slice him in half, Gesser appears and snaps a
picture with his camera. Suddenly time stops, leaving only Gesser and Anton able to move and speak. "What a mess you've made," Gesser says to Anton.Gesser warns him that the camera will only hold for a short exposure so Anton must hurry and fix what he created from all this. Anton races back to the old apartment building where he first made the deal with Darya. The building has been destroyed, but the walls are still standing. He climbs to the old apartment, takes out the chalk, and writes Nyet (No) on the wall....Suddenly, everything reverts back to 1992. Anton is facing the Dark witch Darya [Rimma Markova] over her wanting to perform a spell to kill his pregnant ex-wife, and Darya asks Anton whether he wants her to perform the spell and agree to bear the responsibility for killing an innocent. "Nyet," replies Anton as if he is under some kind of spell. As he leaves the apartment, he runs into the three Light agents -- Ilya [Aleksandr Samoylenko], Lena [Anna Slyu], and Simeon -- in the hallway. Simeon asks him for a cigarette, but Anton says that he doesn't smoke and keeps going, giving no indication that he recognizes the agents. "He's human again," Simeon assures Ilya and Lena.Anton goes outside. It is spring and raining. As he walks down the sidewalk, a pig-tailed Sveta walks past him. Seated on a bench, Gesser and Zavulon watch, making bets on whether or not Anton will recognize Sveta, Gesser betting 'yes' and Zavulon betting 'no'. As Anton passes Sveta, he turns to look at her, then rushes to catch up with her. "Have we met?" he asks Sveta. "Maybe we did," she replies, as they walk off together.[Full summary by BJ Kuehl] | murder, cult, atmospheric, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic | train | imdb | While it can definitely appeal to a wider international audience (my girlfriend, albeit a bit of a Russophile, is an indication of that), it is at the same time literally packed with all sorts of clever wordplay and references to various realities of Russian life, ranging from political satire to hilariously blatant product placement.Even though I can enjoy a less obnoxious art-house film every now and then, on the whole I prefer clever commercial movies, and Day Watch falls into that category very neatly..
it helps if you saw the first film of this series- Night Watch, but that film sucked in comparison to this one in my opinion- and maybe that was just budgetary constraints but hey- it still sucked.The good thing about having seen Night Watch is that it will make you like this one a whole lot more because you will understand what's going on and then focus on the plot and the action- which is quite an orgy of bizarre circumstance.So suffer through Night Watch, then watch this and I think you will get a really unique experience out of this- it's fantasy, vampires, spell-casters and a very omnipresent Russia woven into this all.
Action, drama, suspense, CGI that's definitely better, and more believable, than in any of the matrix movies, a very intricate plot, that you have to follow carefully throughout the movie, wonderful acting and great dialogs.
Really good continuation of Night Watch assumes you've seen the first film as it furthers complicates the war of darkness and light..
There are no reintroductions, just forward motion so be prepared, see Nightwatch.Picking up some time after Night Watch ends this film concerns two parallel stories Anton's search for a means of righting all that has gone wrong since he joined the Watch, and his framing for the murder of one of the Day Watch.
Ironically, there is something kind of impressive about the sheer sloppiness of Day Watch (sequel to Night Watch) I would never have thought it possible for a fictional movie to be this big a wreck and still allow me to follow the plot (but barely) Day Watch is ridiculously demanding of an audience members attention and it doesn't give us anything in return.
The ending is the kind that makes the whole thing seem pointless, and by the whole thing I also mean the plot of Night Watch.How ever much you may have loved the first, is not gonna be enough to make Day Watch a worthy investment of time.
If you've watched the original film in this series you probably have a fair idea of what to expect from this offering: a surreal and dark Russian fantasy of battling supernaturals, enlivened by incredible special effects and impressive set-pieces.
Unfortunately the producers invested lots of money in the movie, but forgot the most important and used a confused story that makes no sense; indeed we have just watched this film and we did not understand the plot.
good effects though.bottom linethe makers of day watch have tried way to hard to come up with anything solid that surpasses night watch (even that was a bit iffy) and have moved well away from what this film should have been (not underworld 1 or 2) to an almost Charlie Chaplin like production.
In the movie, they tell you the whole story in the first minutes, so that you can already know what to expect, but then, instead of developing the characters and building understandable situations, they just recur to a chaotic display of events with no logical or sensible way to connect them.
I am under the impression that the writer gets paid for his not meddling in the filmmakers' work."The Day Watch" is a mixture of an action film, a melodrama, a detective story and fantasy.
The is some nice CGI and that is the only reason I am willing to give this piece of cr*p 2 stars.The people who actually think of this movie as one of the best ever made should be forbidden to write their reviews because they are clearly "others" ;) who are trying to get into to our minds and alter our perception what is real quality film making and good story telling.Don't go see the movie, really, don't...just read the book and leave it at that.
Worst yet, I didn't even care about the characters.Obviously, a lot of people had put money and effort into the movie, so I assumed I must not be "getting it," -- like a dog watching a car being fixed, waiting for a ride to the park.But the car never got fixed and I never got to go for my ride!
The visual effects are superb, using state of the art CGI with true artistry to create an original and interesting new look.Unfortunately the characters are all clichés: a troubled loner cop haunted by his past, his doormat girlfriend, the crusty chief of police, the sexy bad girl, the aristocratic villain, etc.The problem is not so much that the film makers populated the film with clichés, but that they don't do anything with them.
It's like watching a sport where you don't know the rules.The first movie had many of the same problems, but it also had some interesting scenes, like the vampire girl in traffic and the first time the main character encounters magic.
I've seen a few reviews that say you would need to read the book first to understand but if that's the case then what is the purpose of even watching this crappy movie.
--- all kinds of destruction and annihilation plus lots of the accompanying noise.Summing up: a music video director with plenty of cool ideas plus many CPU-hours spend on special effects does equal a good movie.
We love cars, money, parties, extreme more than other people of this planet :) The First film of the year - the first triumph of pop-movies with a humor, glamor, cool effects and arty director's work!
(Not litterly but close enough..) I think everyone should see both Night- and Day Watch simply because of the incredible story, actors and actresses and the unbelievable special FX!
I sometimes thought to myself: "This is more or less (has nothing to do with the story at all!) what War of the Worlds should have looked like with so much realistic destruction made by the SFX guys!!" I give it a 10 because this is one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever!.
u don't see this stuff in Hollywood.The idea,the effects the acting the scenarios are totally different than any other movie you ve watch.Pay attention to single details because great movies are usually a bit complicated.Follow the idea and if u can read the books they are really interesting.
This trilogy is tarantinos 2nd favorite trilogy.I never thought that Russian movies will ever call my attention again but they did it and in a great way!.Movie wont be in the theaters soon i watched it already from a Russian DVD and i can tell u that it deserves your time and attention.Lets support independent films.Enjoy day watch and just wait for Dusk Watch.
Well, the visuals were amazing, no doubt in that, but the story...So I read these boards, hoping to find some answers, but apparently all the answers are in the first movie: which isn't very helpful when I just paid to go see the sequel.I've read some of the reviews, but it seems everyone is all hyped up about this film - the exact opposite of what I've experienced.
The first 10 minutes I thought were good, they sort've outlined what was going on - and then it crashed and burned into a twisted entropy of randomness (which I am guessing was explained in the first movie).The problem I have is that the story didn't help anyone who didn't see the first movie - which is a bit humorous because no where did I see to go see the first movie before watching this movie - or at least a plot explanation in the introduction.
But then still I think "Day Watch" is an overall disappointing film that basically hasn't got much of a story to tell and certainly doesn't deserve the hype and attention it's getting.
Others will have described the massively complex plot here better than I ever could but I just came here to add that, even watching this is a foreign language with English subtitles, I 'got' enough of the in jokes (maybe it would even be called satire?) to laugh at the right parts of this film.
I found it very difficult to care about any of the characters, couldn't tell what the hell was going on for about half of the movie and didn't really care what was going on by the time it lurched to its predictable conclusion.The film was basically 146 minutes of boredom alleviated only by Zhanna Friske in That Dress, and my attempts to use my rather rusty Russian language skills to decipher the street signs in the background.
Couldn't Understand It, So I Didn't Like It. I had heard some very good things about DAY WATCH, so when I found the original DVD with Russian language soundtrack in DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 I promptly bought it.
The DVD blurb says— "Like 'The Matrix', DAY WATCH combines cutting-edge digital effects and mind-blowing action to create a stunningly original world."To be very honest, I did not understand 'The Matrix'.
In fact the first time I saw the movie I actually wasn't sure what to make of it, I decided I liked it because of the brilliant cliff hanger of an ending, that and of course the great action sequences.
Maybe I had too clear a view of how I wanted it to end, maybe I need to see it another time to like it better, but on first viewing its not my favourite ending of all time.Overall Day Watch is a movie I cannot recommend highly enough and is certainly better than nearly all the blockbusters of this year.
If you watch Nigth Watch and was a little bit disappointed and thought the movie had great potential, feel safe on watching Day Watch, but do not expect to see all the problems solved.The story is less confusing than the first one, but I still think they could have done it better, and that's the only problems that I've been having with the two movies, that the creators have the chance to create no only a great movie, but also a great world of fantasy, and became another star wars, having people going crazy to know about this world, but they just could not do it.Still, go and see it if you like these type of movies, see it also if you want to see something different....if not, go and see something else you are not going to miss a lot..
In contrast to the first movie "Night watch", this one is a bit less complicated to understand what's happening and why, but the special effects are much more advanced.
As a lot of people,I admired the style,creativity and direction of the film Night Watch.But,the story left me perplex.But,knowing that the film was based on the first part of a trilogy,I trusted that the two following movies would explain some mysteries.Day Watch,the second part,answers some mysteries and a few things things are clearer.This second part is totally fun, and better than the first part.The story in this second part is better developed.It also is visually spectacular and always fun.The characters are very well constructed.I also appreciated that the film leaves some things to the spectator's imagination.I like a lot when a movie does not explain everything and it leaves things for the spectator to conclude.Day Watch shows us how an innovative perspective can change the North American typical clichés of action movies.Day Watch is an enormously fun movie which did not bore me even one second..
Day Watch it's more than a plot of special effects and action, it's the other side of creation : real ART.It's full of emotion and poetry which involves the watcher in a story about the equilibrium of the bad and the good side of humanity.
His actions are a breech of the weak truce that keeps both the Day and Night Forces at peace.This is the sequel to Night Watch, a movie that I haven't watched and, after watching this film, I will never do.Day Watch is a moronic senseless and pretentious film, with mediocre and pedestrian acting, and good special effects.
The second film in the 'Watch' series builds on the same strong cinema messages as the first one, but the surprise is missing here, and as in the Matrix follow-ups repetition without too many new elements makes the best ideas look a little bit tired.
Although watching the action becomes tiring and confusing, the pace kills the development of the story and of the characters and makes it look much more a Hollywood production than a Russian movie, it is still a different kind of film, worth seeing..
But the fun isn't in plot, anyway, but in the would-be hammy performances that these guys (and you can tell from the making-of on the DVD) take so damn seriously.Thank goodness, then, that in the midst of this 'city-fantasy' as the producer dubs it, Bekmambetov allows for some earned camp, like when Anton- in disguise as a switcheroo with another Light-one agent- reveals to Svletlana that she is really Anton, and then Svetlana gets mad (she's in the shower, by the way), and then the two have an explosive, sensual kiss as they're transposed in front of a jungle waterfall (?) Or with little things like that freaky spider-doll-head-out-of-Toy-Story-thing during the climactic birthday party.
I thought NIGHT WATCH was bad, but DAY WATCH is even worse: it's an endlessly long mix of over-complicated plotting, ridiculous characters and outrageous special effects scenes added in for nothing other than lousy spectacle.From the very beginning I was out of my depth, caught up in scenes (forever muddled up with flashy editing) involving posturing characters fighting over a delicate balance between good and evil.
There's some nonsense back-story involving magic chalk (I kid you not) and when things threaten to slow down a pointless action scene is thrown into the mix (like a car driving along the side of a building for no apparent reason).There's over two hours of this trash to sit through, during which time I became convinced that the filmmakers thought they were making an epic along the lines of LORD OF THE RINGS.
this has been the case for me with day watch, in fact, night watch also helped a little bit.the main problem is that we don't have these movies in theaters in turkey (at least i didn't come across) or as original DVD's.
"Day Watch" attempts to make the plot even more confusing, but still remains almost as enjoyable as the first.The main problem here is the story, I didn't know where we were going or who people were half the time.
I didn't think "Day Watch" was as good as the "Night Watch", the story sort of got lost and it's easy for you to get lost amidst the fantasy any-thing-goes narrative.
And although the ending did seem like a complete cop-out and a waste of time, just sit back and enjoy the mind-blowing special effects, incredibly paced editing and exciting action.
After the first one might have been a little bit too confusing for western audiences (although still many loved the movie), this time around, it's much clearer (the plot that is) and even has an element (involving a man and a woman and vice versa) in the story, that seems to strengthen that point.Still if you hated the first one, don't bother watching this one.
The first movie opened to much fanfare here with overnight festivities and a graveyard hour premiere, but reality set in soon after that local audiences perhaps aren't game for something too foreign, despite it that it stuck to the familiar action-effects formula.So Day Watch will soon premiere on the local screens with less of the ra-ra fanfare, and while it helped a bit with its summarized recap of the first movie, my advice would be to ensure that you'd watch Night Watch first so that the characters who appear don't look too odd to you, and it'll be more satisfying come the ending because it makes the two movies just perfect and a wrap up.
It is hard to follow the dialogue, with the Russian accent voice-over and the impossible transitions from a scene to the other, but there is an underlying dark story that is hard if not impossible to be expressed by any Western culture and makes the film really stand out.Imagine Constantine, the Keanu movie, but with a really complex relationship between good and bad, less guns, more rules and breaking of rules, all of this around a poor guy who only wants to get back his son from the hands of the evil that adopted him, but has almost no power to affect any change except when it matters.
The CGI effects are better than the last movie, Night watch.
I don't know but whatever the second sequel is coming, I will be watching it.Overall, it does make a great action-packed movie.
So, a couple of days after watching Nochnoy Dozor I gave this one a try hoping to have more fun, much more, and I didn't.Dnevnoy Dozor is a fair sequel but lacks of the exact same elements I referred to Nochnoy Dozor.For both movies I was hoping to see crazy special effects to go with a crazy story and characters.
Needless to say, Day Watch was my most anticipated film in a long time and I bought it as soon as I could find it, confident that not even the possibility of horribly translated subtitles could ruin this movie for me. |
tt0080319 | Nine to Five | The film centers on the friendship between three women who work in the offices of a large corporation known as Consolidated Industries. Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) is a naïve new employee whose husband recently left her for his secretary. On her first day, Judy meets Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin), the supervisor of her department, and a longtime employee. Violet trains Judy and introduces her to the department executive, Franklin Hart, Jr. (Dabney Coleman), who immediately reveals himself to be arrogant and sexist. Judy soon learns that despite the fact that Violet has worked there for over 10 years, she has been passed over consistently for promotion and in fact has seniority over Hart.The third woman in the trio is Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton), Hart's personal secretary. Despite the fact that Doralee is happily married to a construction worker and part-time country-western singer, and Hart is also married to a sweet but oblivious woman named Missy, Hart continually makes inappropriate advances toward Doralee, pushing her patience and tolerance to the limit. Hart has also been lying to his colleagues that he's been sleeping with Doralee, causing office gossip to go wild. The women in the office treat her rudely as a result, and initially Judy shuns Doralee's attempts to be friendly.Some time passes, and Violet is once again passed over for an important promotion, even though her ideas are good enough that Hart passes one off as his own and takes all the credit for it. When Violet protests to Hart that he passed her over for a promotion because she is a woman, Hart bluntly tells her that the company would rather have a man in the position, and Violet becomes enraged, storming off on her own, but not before she reveals to Doralee that her affair with Hart is common knowledge. Doralee, who has been confused and upset about the way she's treated by her coworkers, snaps, and also rages at Hart, threatening to use her gun on him the next time he makes an indecent proposal. Judy witnesses a fellow secretary lose her job over a minor infraction and she, too, becomes enraged.The three women converge at a local bar to drown their sorrows, when Violet discovers a marijuana cigarette that her son left in her purse as a gift. They return to Doralee's house and smoke it together, prompting each of them to have a detailed fantasy about how they would take down Hart if they had the chance. Judy imagines a scenario where she's a great white hunter who hunts down Hart in the office with a shotgun. Doralee's fantasy is of her as a cowgirl who turns the tables on Hart and sexually harasses him before roasting him alive on a spit. Violet envisions a fairy tale where she is a Snow White-type character who poisons Hart's coffee and sends him falling to his death from his office window, which suddenly releases scores of oppressed "prisoners" chained to their desks.Things take a sudden bizarre turn the next day when each of the women's fantasies comes true in some odd respect: Violet accidentally poisons Hart's coffee, having mistaken a box of rat poison for artificial sweetener. Before Hart can drink it, he falls from his unstable chair and knocks himself unconscious in his office. Doralee finds him, summons an ambulance, and accompanies him to the hospital.At first the women have no clue what happened to Mr. Hart, but then Violet finds the rat poison, realizes what she did, and they all assume the reason Hart blacked out was because he drank the poisoned coffee. They embark on a wild nighttime chase to cover up the crime, starting with Violet stealing what she believes to be Mr. Hart's body from the hospital and putting it in her car trunk to dispose of it. Only after they get into a minor car accident do they discover that the corpse is not that of Hart. After shaking off a suspicious police officer, the three women dispose of the body by taking it back to the hospital and leaving it in a wheelchair in a restroom.The next day, they discover that Hart wasn't harmed at all, but their discussion about the incident is overheard by Hart's nosy personal assistant, Roz Keith (Elizabeth Wilson). Hart tries to use the information to blackmail Doralee into having an affair with him after all. Doralee loses her temper and ropes Hart with telephone wires when he threatens to call the police, and Judy fires on Hart with Doralee's pistol when he persuades her to untie him.With Hart's wife away on a lengthy cruise, the women decide to kidnap Hart and imprison him in his own home until they can somehow get him to cooperate and forget the whole incident. But the cold and impassive Hart refuses to listen to them and vows to kill them. Looking for a way to blackmail Hart to keep quiet, Violet discovers that Hart has been embezzling money from Consolidated by illegally selling inventory from a company-owned warehouse and keeping the profits. The women plan on using the information to blackmail Hart to keep him from calling the police.After purchasing a series of items, including a skydiving harness, chains, dog collars, and a remote-controlled garage-door opener to keep Hart confined in his own house, the women return to work after the weekend as usual while Violet sends for an order of the warehouse inventories as proof of Hart's embezzlement scheme. She soon learns from the head office that, because of a computer system change, the office will not send them the invoices for between four to six weeks.From this point on, a race is on to see if Hart can escape or if Violet's documented proof of the scam will arrive in time. The three women work together to make Hart's absence in the office as inconspicuous as possible, they sending Roz to Europe on a ruse to learn a foreign language. During the weeks of Hart's confinement, the three ladies take a number of liberties in improving the workplace in ways that they see fit. Hart's archaic and oppressive rules are done away with, employee morale improves greatly and productivity improves as well.One night, Hart almost escapes when he finds a nail file in the bathroom that his captors overlooked and tries cutting his restraints. Using the restraining system they'd installed in Hart's bedroom, Judy is able to render him helpless while he hangs from the ceiling. Judy is further surprised when her ex-husband shows up at Hart's house after following her there and asks to reconcile with her. But when Hart makes a noise, Judy is forced to restrain him, and seeing the captive Hart tied up, her ex-husband mistakenly assumes that Judy is having an affair with her boss and leaves, claiming that they are now over and will never get back together.Later, Hart is accidentally freed when Missy returns early from her cruise, and for three days, he quietly buys back all the items he sold and puts them back in the Consolidated warehouse. Doralee only learns about Missy's return when Missy calls her to thank her for her sending her flowers in Hart's name, which is why she returned from her vacation early. Doralee hurries to Hart's house to find the freed Hart now holding Judy captive.After taking them to the office to meet with Violet, Hart plays his final card, boasting that women never can defeat him. Just when it appears as if he is going to send the women to jail, a sudden visit from the reclusive and ruthless Chair of the Board, Russell Tinsworthy (Sterling Hayden), interrupts him. To the cold and unfeeling Hart's chagrin, he finally sees that Violet, Judy, and Doralee have made some radical changes in the office during his captivity, and the sudden surge in productivity has caught Tinsworthy's attention. Where Hart had bristled at the changes in the office -- job-sharing, flexible hours, new, disabled employees working alongside veteran ones, a drying-out program for alcoholic workers -- Tinsworthy congratulates Hart for the increased morale.Since the women did all of it under the false approval of Hart, they can take no credit for it, but fate seems to be on their side: Tinsworthy "rewards" Hart for his good work by immediately removing him from his position and sending him to work on a special project in Brazil, much to the amusement and delight of Violet, Doralee, and Judy, as now they are free from Hart, who will never try to destroy them without destroying his own career.In a postscript at the end, it is revealed that Violet took Hart's place as vice president of Consolidated, Judy married the Xerox technician and quit the company, Doralee also quit the company and moved back to her Tennessee hometown, where she became a country music singer (just like the actress that played her), and Hart was kidnapped by natives during a trip in the Amazon and was never seen or heard from again. | revenge, satire | train | imdb | Dolly Parton is Doralee, a secretary whom everyone at the office thinks is using her - ahem - "assets" to get ahead by sleeping with the boss.Soon these three become best friends and team up after they've gotten fed up with their chauvinistic and smarmy boss Mr. Hart, played to the hilt by Dabney Coleman.
This is the kind of movie where you check your brain at the door and take it for what it is.There are some great one-liners like the one where Fonda tells her ex-husband, who thinks she's having a kinky S&M affair with Mr. Hart, something along the lines of, "If I want to do M&M's, that's fine with me!" The office they work in is reminiscent of the one in "The Apartment".
Jane Fonda and the brilliant Lilly Tomlin round out the lead cast with hilarious performances in this screwball revenge comedies that was one of the first films to champion "girl power".
Dolly Parton is excellent, portraying the country girl, Jane Fonda as the divorced housewife's first job role, and Lily Tomlin as the bosses stepping stone.
Do watch the movie a few times, and soon you'll pick up on how funny the lines are "Violet, did you get my Memo?", "I did Roz, I tore right through it".Later in the film the plot is well underway and animation is combined successfully with Tomlin's scene of a Snow White type character!
Three miserable women (Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda) take it upon themselves to get back at their evil boss (Dabney Coleman) in this hilarious little film.
I thought about poor Shirley MacLaine who tried to commit suicide and eventually found love with Jack Lemmon, but both faced an uncertain future albeit with each other.Shirley and the other of MacMurray's victims should have seen this film and taken a lesson from Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton who start as strangers and end up as allies and who find a way to get even with Dabney Coleman for using and abusing his employees.All three women are different, different in real life and playing different types of characters in the film and at the beginning not really liking each other because they don't know each other.
And the beautiful and curvaceous Parton is Coleman's secretary who Coleman is trying to jump her form and the folks in the office think he already has.But eventually these women make common cause and what they do to Coleman is an inspiration to working women everywhere.As good as these women are the film would go nowhere without Dabney Coleman who makes a specialty of playing men you love to hate whether in comedy or drama.
And movie veteran Sterling Hayden comes on in the end as the chairman of the board of the company who in his own earnest, but clueless way settles all their problems.To Dolly, Jane, and Lily who took action for put upon employees everywhere, we did love you in this film..
Jane Fonda is Judy, a just-divorced woman new to office work, and her starchy appearance and nervous manner aren't really all that funny (she's immediately cold to secretary Dolly Parton on the basis of office gossip alone); her character's big flub in the copy room is an example of director Colin Higgins' use of silliness--and it's not even to make a point (the Xerox machine goes cartoonishly haywire and Judy just looks like a jinx).
Dolly Parton is dazed but not frazzled--she's just pleasantly zonked as Doralee, whom everyone thinks is sleeping with the boss (Dabney Coleman--who only shines in the fantasy sequences; his Mr. Hart is a tiresome tyrant who, of course, is not just a show-off and a cheat but an embezzler as well!).
No question that this is a very funny movie thanks to the gifted performances of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dabney Coleman and Dolly Parton.
Three secretaries (Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda) work for a sexist pig of a boss (Dabney Coleman).
I know it's a 'chick-flick' but I can't help but like this 1980 Comedy about 3 women played by Jane Fonda,Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton (who also sang the titlesong) who work as secretary's for a mean,horrible,sexist pig (a tailor made role for Dabney Coleman) who decide enough is enough and so plan their revenge.I've heard of this movie for quite sometime, but didn't watch it because I didn't think it was my cup of tea, How wrong I was, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from start to finishThe movie is quite dated (all the ladies use typewriters-which have since been turned into antiques by the onset of Computers.It's well Directed by Colin Higgins who had previously Written and Directed the equally enjoyable Chevy Chase-Goldie Hawn Crime Comedy 'Foul Play'.Followed By not one but TWO TV series based on the film 1982-1983 and 1986-1988 without the Stars and probably suffers as a resultall in all a very enjoyable 1980's Comedy that was a major hit on it's original release 24 years ago.My Rating ***1/2 out of ***** or 7/10.
NINE TO FIVE starts out with a good idea for a comedy involving such able players as JANE FONDA, LILI TOMLIN and DOLLY PARTON in a story about three secretaries who are fed up with their boss--the male chauvinist pig from hell--DABNEY COLEMAN in the film's funniest performance.
Three female company employees wage war against their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss in this prototype 80s sisterhood comedy, 9 TO 5 is the late Colin Higgins' second feature film and flexes the muscle of female star power which not only brings down the house, but also sets alight its box office, the runner-up top-grosser of its year, second only to STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.The Fonda-Tomlin-Parton trinity embodies three different types of career women, Fonda's Judy is a housewife grossly jilted by her ex-husband for his secretary, so she is the greenhorn in the workplace, prissy but not without wits and guts, her frilly entrance is remarkably incongruous with the rest, although her clash with the boss Frank (Coleman) is most tangential among the three, her personal victory climaxed when she blurts out to her feckless ex-husband that being dumped by him is the best thing ever happened to her.
Tomlin's Violet is a widow with a brood of four, the assertive senior office supervisor who has plodded for years in the company, yet the promotion she deserves proves to be unattainable because of Frank's sexism, and aggravated by being ordered about like a servant by him, she has every reason to get back at him; Parton's Doralee (her maiden picture, who also pens and belts out the Oscar-nominated title song), a corn-fed, bosomy secretary repulses the derogated stereotype as a boss-hunting schemer, who is indeed happily married and only humors Frank's advancement for the sake of the job, but in the face of Frank blabbering blackmail, she is the one who is not hesitant to pinion him like a steer.Truly, the triad enjoys a real blast together, initiated by a joint-influenced brainstorm about how each envisions a scenario to vent their grievance on Frank - here Higgins makes a good fist of genre conventions, whether it is a black-white mob thriller, a lasso-tossing oater or a Snow White animation with a dark spin, all are given a reality simulacrum later in the plot - and hits the mark during their hilarious blunder with the wrong body, although the resultant kidnapping idea is less wholly engaging for its yawning implausibility, not least when the deus ex machina comes about in the form of Sterling Hayden's chairman of the board, publicly asks equal pay to be eliminated from the reform program, which is actually conceived by the triad and executed by forging Hank's signature.
Nonetheless, 9 TO 5 is as delightful and jolly as one can get in a comedy that has something to say but consciously eschews any trace of indoctrination, all three leading ladies are having a field day, but for my liking Tomlin is the one gets an upper hand for her steely nerve and comedic timing; as the antagonist, a versatile Coleman eloquently exhibits shameless wickedness to the hilt, and lastly, Elizabeth Wilson has her own moment as a brilliant tittle-tattler, who perfectly encapsulates the entire farce with a precisely uttered "Holy merde!" to bring down the curtain in the coda..
When Jane Fonda, fresh from a divorce, enters the workforce and gets a taste of his attitude, the three ladies commiserate and become close friends.For any woman who's been disrespected by her boss, felt the pressures of being the breadwinner in the family, or been unfairly treated at work, this movie will be your new best friend.
Lily Tomlin shines as Violet (not shrinking), the smart but put upon, unappreciated supervisor who shows Judy the ropes, and Dolly Parton (my perennial favorite) is the sweet, well endowed Southern gal, Doralee, who is assumed by many to be sleeping her way to the top.The plot moves along ridiculously from one set of crazy antics to the next, both fantasies and actual revenge tactics.
After their undesirable-in-every-way boss (Dabney Coleman) threatens to have them arrested after a misunderstanding (it's a long story), the three take him hostage and institute progressive policies in the office.Especially a hoot is the mixture of characters: Jane Fonda is the mousy newcomer, Lily Tomlin is the goof-off, and Dolly Parton is the hillbilly.
However as a comedy it falls flat at times, since it heavily relies on just the three main characters, played by Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda.The movie begins good and sort of satirical, about the male domination at the office.
All three actresses are perfect in their roles (Dolly Parton's first movie role) and deliver some of the best lines ever."Will you two quit arguing and think of a way we can get our hands on some cement!" Very dated in it's theme (sexual harassment isn't mentioned ONCE; and the fact that everyone though that Doralee was 'screwing the boss'basically because of the way she looked like is never addressed) it still has enough 'timeless truth' to it to relate to modern audiences.Funny, funny, funny."Well it looks just like 'Skinny and Sweet', except for the skull and cross bones on the label.".
This movie is not only still hilarious, with all the jokes still making for side-splitting moments, the commentary on what a quality work environment is, and the need for rights for women in the workplace, is still utterly valid.A film that deserves the term "classic"..
The three female leads; Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are great as Judy, Violet and Doralee; three distinct characters whose developing friendship feels real.
I heard it took Jane Fonda a year to convince lily tomlin and Dolly Parton to do the movie.
Jane Fonda plays a newly divorced woman who begins working at the company Lily and Dolly have been working at for a good while, with a boss who's speciality is sexual harassing his female employees and cheating to get rich.
My 12 year old son watched for the first time and love it!The three leading ladies and Dabney Coleman's Franklin Hart are the focal points in the film.
9 to 5To ensure that your co-workers don't snitch on you when you kidnap your boss, nab them on a Friday morning so everyone gets a half-day.However, the co-workers in this comedy have avoided detection by taking their boss hostage before he arrives at work.When Judy (Jane Fonda) is hired as a secretary for a sizable company, she is quick to learn that her boss (Dabney Coleman) is a complete creep.Eventually fed up with his misogynistic manner, Judy and her colleagues (Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton) decide to take him hostage in his own home.Meanwhile, in his absence, they begin to implement bold new business ideas that really shake up the company.A ballsy comedy with feisty performances from the female leads, 9 to 5 is still ahead of its time, socially and comically.As for getting rid of a female boss for an extensive period, secretly inseminate her.
Colin Higgens directed and wrote this hit comedy that stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as three office secretaries in a successful firm who must contend with their lecherous and overbearing boss Franklyn Hart(played by Dabney Coleman) who treats them like servants, and wont leave Parton alone(despite being married).
Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Dabney Coleman and Lily Tomlin were made to play each of the characters in the film, and the film itself is so funny, it's hard to believe after all these years and times of seeing it, that it can still make me genuinely laugh.Judy (Fonda), has just gotten a job as a secretary at an office in the big city.
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin were so amazingly funny and I laughed myself to death when I watched this movie.
Jane Fonda plays prim, newly divorced Judy Bernly, Lily Tomlin plays feisty, pot-smoking Violet Newstead, and Dolly Parton plays sexy blonde Doralee Rhodes.
This is Dabney Coleman's greatest role and Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda have a field day.
It's quite funny to watch Jane, Lily and Dolly get back at their very stubborn no good male chauvinist boss played by Dabney Coleman.I think the movie shows woman power (female wisdom/intelligence as well) - women are stronger and smarter than what they think in a comical way.
If have ever worked in an office atmosphere,felt undue pressures from your bosses and fantasized about getting revenge,or just want to have some good laughs,Nine to Five is for you.It's just one of those films where all of those people that are entrusted to bring forth a great finished product went above and beyond.It is excellently written,casted,and acted.You would expect seasoned veterans like Dabney Coleman,Lily Tomlin,and Jane Fonda to deliver,which they do,but the biggest surprise was Dolly Parton,in her first film,proving to us that her talents were not limited to her singing.Fortunately,her great singing talents were made part of the mix,and that makes it all the better..
What I liked best was the catchy title song, by Dolly Parton, with its appropriate theme and disco beat.The film has its funny moments like, for example, when Roz, the overbearing admin assistant, hands Violet, the Lily Tomlin character, a memo admonishing Violet about the rules of "office décor".
What a combination of great talent in this cast and that includes Oscar nominees Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton with 2-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda and Dabney Coleman playing their despicable boss.
But if "Nine To Five" has an overt feminist agenda, it is only in the sense of showing feminists really do have a sense of humor.Fonda plays Judy, a newly divorced woman forced into the office, where she soon makes friends with seasoned supervisor Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin) and cheery secretary Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton), their bond formed in the crucible of cubicle misery overseen by the heartless Mr. Hart (Dabney Coleman).
Dabney Coleman is also great in the role of the chauvinist Franklin Hart Jr. The fantasies of the women of how they would like to kill their boss is one of the greatest moment of this film.
Lily Tomlin is the most talented here of our three heroines, with great work from Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, and of course Dabney Coleman and others.
I have watched this movie a few times and never really thought it was that funny, but it's still fun to watch and good for a few laughs.Its about women that work at a company and their boss is a jerk and they end up giving him a taste of his own medicine, and try to get the respect they deserve.The acting is really good.
Lily Tomlin is the best thing about this movie, she has the funniest lines and made me laugh out loud several times, gotta love her.I could recommend this to anyone that likes 80's comedy.
Here the purge of the women's frustration is outlined in some hilariously over-the-top healthy fantasies--marijuana-driven scenes that have Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda dreaming of how they'd rid their lives of an evil, despicable boss, with none of them seriously thinking they would actually get their revenge in such violent (and very, very funny) ways.
Nine to Five (1980): Dir: Colin Higgins / Cast: Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, Dabney Coleman, Elizabeth Wilson: Observant and hilarious view of women in a working world dominated by males.
Fonda, Tomlin and Parton are hilarious with Dabney Coleman perfectly cast as the chauvinistic boss.
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton, are an absolute joy to watch as they become increasingly fed up with their "Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical, Bigot," boss, played magnificently by Dabney Coleman.The actors hit all the right notes, which creates this gem of a film that remains appreciated to this day, and not just for its humorous elements.
The physical comedy during these scenes are top notch, including Jane Fonda's Judy character shooting at Hart like a carnival game, Dolly Parton's Doralee character roping Hart like he was cattle, and Lily Tomlin's masterful dark portrayal as a "Snow White" like women, surrounded by animated forest animals, playing the role of poisoning Hart.The world has turned upside down in 9 To 5 by the end of the film.
Jane, Lily, Dolly and Dabney Coleman have fun in this classic comedy and so will you.
Her boss is the "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman) who rules over his section of the building with an iron fist, cheats on his wife and does'nt appreciate the valuable asset that are such women as Violet (Lily Tomlin in a great performance) and Doralee (Dolly Parton).
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Dabney Coleman are simply great together. |
tt0071853 | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | The credits are rolled to deeply ominous music with several false starts, interlaced with apologies for the inadequacies of each, during which numerous titlers are fired en masse. In the end, credits that are heavily laced with references to moose, llamas and other furry animals roll to highly festive Latin music.Little is to be seen but fog over a grassland while the sound of a galloping horse—a sound that could only be made on cobblestone, but not grass—is heard. From the fog emerge two pedestrians: King Arthur (Graham Chapman), dressed in chain mail, a tunic and a crown; and Patsy (Terry Gilliam), who appears to be fulfilling the role of beast of burden, and is using two half-coconuts percussively.They approach a castle and Patsy perfectly mimics the sound of a galloping horse coming to a stop. Two guards become barely visible atop the castle wall. Arthur announces that he is looking for knights to join him at Camelot, and wishes to recruit the master of the castle. Unfortunately, the two guards are immediately distracted by Patsy's half-coconuts. Arthur tries to return the conversation to the quest, but the guards are unable to turn their attentions from the possible causes for coconuts appearing in Mercia (England), as Arthur claims that they found them there, or how a bird, or a set of birds, might have brought one up from the tropics. Frustrated, Arthur and Patsy emulate riding off.The scene changes to a plague village. A cart is being drawn through the streets, and is attended by a disheveled man (Eric Idle) who strikes a triangle and calls for the residents to "bring out your dead." A peasant (John Cleese) tries to lay a decrepit man on the cart, without calling attention to the fact that he is still alive. The attendant refuses to accept living cargo (citing regulations). When the peasant tries to abstractly request a favour, the attendant looks up and down the street to make sure there are no witnesses, and strikes the elderly subject a deadly blow to the head, solving the problem. The cart and the peasant continue on their ways. Arthur and Patsy emulate a ride through the village, and the attendant correctly infers that Arthur is a king from the fact that he is not covered in shit.On a hillside, near a castle, Arthur approaches a peasant (Michael Palin) from behind and calls out "Old woman!" The peasant, Dennis, barely turns his head to correct the king with "man!" Rather than killing this vulgar subject on the spot for such gross insubordination, Arthur tries to apologize for the mistake. Unimpressed, Dennis then launches into a rant, making it very clear that he has harboured a great deal of bitterness over the class system, which he has experienced from the bottom all his life (of 37 years). Arthur is challenged to justify his kingship, and to an accompaniment of heavenly voices, tells the tale of the Lady of the Lake presenting Arthur with Excalibur. Dennis confidently challenges this presumption of political legitimacy. Focusing on the executive branch, he asserts that it must "derive from a mandate from the masses." Arthur can only respond by barking orders that the peasant be silent. Unaffected, Dennis continues his elocution of democratic dogma, at which point Arthur manhandles him. This only encourages Dennis; he becomes a raving firebrand, and tries to call as much attention as possible to Arthur's assault. The king accepts that he cannot adequately assert this authority in this situation, and relinquishes Dennis with "Bloody peasant!" Dennis, despite his anger, appears delighted at this parting shot, and its significance to his message. He seeks validation from the gathering crowd.While travelling through a forest, Arthur and Patsy encounter an epic battle between two armoured, faceless men. The weapons: swords, an anointed mace, and an axe. When the black-clad knight (John Cleese) runs his opponent through the face, he retrieves his sword and then simply stands tall. Arthur approaches him and praises him for his performance. The knight neither speaks a word, nor even turns his gaze towards the king. Despite this insolence, Arthur again does not respond with homicide, but invites the knight to enter his court. When no response is given, Arthur announces that he will continue on his quest. The knight then speaks with a deep voice and economy of words, repeating "None shall pass," forbidding Arthur to cross the bridge before which he is standing. This bridge would allow the party to cross a gully no more than 10 feet wide. Arthur and the knight draw their swords, and a much less epic battle ensues. When Arthur severs one of the knight's arms, he is unwilling to accept defeat. Arthur relieves the knight of his other arm and kneels down to offer a prayer of thanks. The knight kicks him over. The now completely unarmed knight drops his ominous mystique, and childishly goads Arthur into chopping off his remaining limbs. As the knight can no longer obstruct Arthur, he and Patsy ride off, ignoring the knight's continued challenges.A group of monks are chanting in Latin while hitting themselves with wooden boards as they traverse a village which looks much like the plague village. A frenzied mob drags a lady accused of being a witch (Connie Booth) to Bedevere (Terry Jones), who is performing an experiment involving a coconut tied to a bird. They present their case based on the way she is dressed, the funnel on her head, and the parsnip tied over her nose. They also present testimony from a peasant (John Cleese) who had been turned into a newt (or so he claims). Bedevere proceeds to deduce the validity of their charge in his own way, after making the villagers admit that they put a fake nose on the witch. Using a scientific method befitting the Dark Ages of Europe, he develops a formula for identifying a witch based on the flammability and buoyancy of various objects and materials. The crowd becomes very quiet and still, probably because Bedevere is overtaxing their intelligence. It is eventually reasoned that the weight of the accused compared to that of a duck determines whether she is a witch. Remembering their original purpose, they return to their frenzy and carry her off to be weighed. As she is heavier than a duck, she is taken to be burnt as a witch. Right afterwards, Arthur approaches Bedevere. When Arthur identifies himself, Bedevere bows to the king, and is then knighted—Camelot has its first knight.We are hurried through the recruitment of the remaining knights by the Book of the Film. They are Sir Lancelot the Brave (John Cleese), Sir Galahad the Pure (Michael Palin) (also called "the Chaste"), Sir Robin the-not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir-Lancelot (Eric Idle), and the aptly named Sir Not-appearing-in-this-film (a baby (William Palin) suited up in chain mail).The party emulates riding to Camelot and when they spy it from a distance, they stop to appreciate its majesty. We are treated to a song and dance routine performed by the knights, presumably within the castle walls. This includes an interlude with tap-dancing, and a percussion solo. Even the decrepit shell of a man (Mark Zycon) suspended by his wrists in the dungeon below manages to pathetically cheer the upbeat celebrations upstairs. We are then returned to the outside of Camelot, at the same distance from the castle. Arthur seems to have had the same perception we have just had, since he elects to avoid Camelot, calling it a "silly place."As Arthur and company ride to some unknown destination, a low-budget animation of the Almighty appears in the sky. He is not willing to suffer fools gladly, and when done chastising Arthur for his obsequiousness, charges Arthur with seeking the Holy Grail. Thus, the Quest for the Holy Grail begins, as manifested by another animation sequence with images reminiscent of medieval art.Our heroes encounter a castle with a French taunter (John Cleese) who taunts them with random names like "Daffy English knights" (unaware that "knight" has silent letters, and only one "n") and makes up flowery insults such as "I fart in your general direction!" and "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!" Whether this man is French is unclear, since his French-talking colleagues appear to understand English words more readily than French ones, and his accent slips when shouting "I'm French!" Arthur gives the same terms to the inhabitants of the castle as he did with the first one he approached, including, of course, the part involving the Grail. The Frenchman claims that they already have a grail, but then indicates to his peers that this is a mischievous fabrication. Half-stunned, Arthur asks to see it. The guard rejects the request with his typical inane derision. Arthur then takes a more aggressive posture, and in mid-threat, the French launch a cow from what sounds like a catapult at Arthur's party, landing on one of them. With all possible gusto, Arthur orders a charge, and they all attack the castle walls (several feet high) with nothing more effective than swords. Arthur's party is treated to a barrage of livestock. Arthur orders a retreat, but since he does not know the meaning of the word, he uses a different expression. The taunter hears battle noises, but there is nothing to see. Sir Bedevere's keen mind hatches a plan: a giant hare made of wood known as a Trojan Rabbit is wheeled towards the castle. The French understand that it is intended as a present for them, and then cautiously bring it into the castle. Sir Bedevere explains the remainder of his plans... but at this point he realizes that he forgot the step where the knights are supposed to climb into the rabbit, before it is to be presented to the enemy. Using the same technology as before, the wooden colossus is sent over the castle walls, killing one of the servants (Neil Innes).A clapperboard is snapped in front of "a famous historian" (John Young) wearing a modern suit and tie, who narrates some unseen details of Arthur's experience with the French, and then informs us that the king decided that he and his knights should search for the Grail individually. Anything else he was going to tell us is cut short when an unidentified knight on horseback slashes his neck. The historian's wife shows up crying for help.After they split up, Sir Robin travels through a forest with his favourite minstrels. The vocal one sings of Robin's bravery, and describes in graphic detail the various ordeals that Robin is prepared to face. Just as the minstrel is about to sing of the gory treatment Robin's penis could withstand, Robin gracefully orders them silent. They immediately encounter a three-headed giant (Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, and Michael Palin). The giant interrogates Robin, who wishes to discreetly downplay his significance, but his minstrel sings of Robin's identity and credentials. One of the heads wishes to cut Robin's head off, but the heads immediately descend into bickering about each others' lifestyles and various things completely unrelated to Robin. When they finally agree on their next course of action, they see that Robin is no longer available. Sir Robin has continued on the quest, and his minstrel sings a song that absurdly describes his lord's brave cowardice, over Robin's objections.Galahad, wet, weary, and probably depleted of much of his short-term vitality, follows a Grail-shaped light to Castle Anthrax. There he finds a colony of robe-clad teens, who will not hear of any talk about a Grail, but insist on tending to what they perceive to be Galahad's immediate needs—they decide that they are medical. Galahad is shy, and finds the strength to resist temptation, and again demands to see the Grail. At this point a girl named Dingo (Carol Cleveland) realizes that one of their rules has been broken, for which Galahad must administer the punishment. Dingo describes the punishment, which expands to include more and more inhabitants of the castle, and becomes increasingly sexual. Galahad finally seems willing to accept their hospitality, but then his friends storm the castle and rescue him. As he is being rescued he insists on remaining to fight the perils alone, but they valiantly stand by him, thinking only of his safety. The heroes leave a castle full of very frustrated girls (Elspeth Cameron, Mitsuko Forstater, and Sandy Rose).In the famous "Scene 24," Arthur and Sir Bedevere are in a hut trying to extract information about the Grail from a frighteningly withered old man (Terry Gilliam), who can only cackle insanely to Arthur's questions. A fire burns in the middle of the room. Eventually the miscreation speaks, but does not answer Arthur's questions directly. He does speak of an enchanter and the Bridge of Death. The old man disappears, as does the hut—along with any indication of civilization, save the fire.Arthur's party progresses through a foggy forest to the accompaniment of stressful music, while Arthur makes anxious glances to the left and the right. The stress is brought to its natural end when they find themselves before a knight (Michael Palin) who's approximately twice the height of Arthur. He is surrounded by several other armoured men who lumber about like animals. They are the Knights who say "Ni!" They do indeed say "Ni!" as a form of intimidation and coercion, and liberally use it on Arthur at the slightest provocation, and also dread using the word "it." They demand a shrubbery from Arthur on pain of death.Meanwhile, a group of modern-day police officers conduct an investigation of the murder of the famous historian, and interview a woman (Rita Davies) who was close to him.The King of Swamp Castle (Michael Palin) brags (in a Yorkshire accent) about how he managed to build a castle on the worst possible terrain he could find, and brashly admits that the first few attempts were complete failures. He then explains to his son, Prince Herbert (Terry Jones), that the acquisition of more land is essential to their kingdom, which is why he must marry a princess who is connected to a great deal of it. Herbert has a horribly pale complexion, and is so effeminate that his own father mistakes him for someone called Alice.Herbert is reluctant to participate in this land-grab, and wishes to express himself in song, but the king shouts down the erupting music and forbids Herbert to sing. The king impatiently closes the discussion and storms off. As he prepares to leave the room, he orders two guards to watch Herbert. Unfortunately, the guard with speaking parts (Eric Idle) has a very hard time processing the phrase "stay here and make sure he doesn't leave." When the king finally leaves, melancholy music erupts, and the king returns to repeat his prohibition on singing. Herbert then tries to inconspicuously write a note, tie it to an arrow and shoot it through a window to the outside. The guards see what he is doing, but appear oblivious to the ramifications. Sir Lancelot discovers the note when the arrow it is tied to buries itself in the chest of his servant, Concorde (Eric Idle). The message is from someone pleading to be rescued from a forced marriage. Lancelot enthusiastically assumes that this is part of his quest for the Grail, and resolves to rescue what he thinks is a maiden.He charges into the castle and attacks several members of a wedding party, including the father of the bride and as many unarmed guards as he can. When he takes too many seconds between killing people, he attacks a wall-hanging. He bursts into Herbert's room, and then kills the guards while one of them tries to recall the instructions his king gave him, and how they might relate to the newcomer. The king appears and expresses his displeasure at the disruption that Lancelot has caused. However, when he learns that Lancelot is from Camelot, he appears to believe that Lancelot can provide some unspecified gain in lieu of Herbert.After severing the linens that Herbert is currently using to make his escape down the castle walls, the king escorts Lancelot out of the room, while making friendly conversation. The king tries to introduce Lancelot to the crowd, but their predictable hostility excites Lancelot into combat once again, and he kills a few more people before the king can calm him down. The king explains the new arrangement involving the princess and her holdings, which somehow depends on the death of her father. When her father appears to be recovering from Lancelot's attack, he motions to one of his guards, who approaches the father of the bride. The king delivers a narrative of the princess's father succumbing to his wounds, and surely enough, he dies. Herbert then appears in the castle, apparently in good health, which irritates his father. His irritation escalates when Herbert begins to explain his ordeal in song. Concorde appears and suggests that Lancelot return to the quest. Lancelot insists on a melodramatic exit, and then swings across the room from a rope. Somehow the stunt fails, and he is left dangling above the centre of the room.While riding into yet another provincial village, Arthur meets the Old Crone (Bee Duffell). She is asked about a shrubbery, but appears terrified by the inquiry, and refuses to cooperate. With some reluctance about the optics of such a spectacle, Arthur and Bedevere coerce her with the word "Ni!" Fortunately, Roger the Shrubber (Eric Idle) boldly happens by, and both parties are satisfied.Arthur and Bedevere return to the dreaded Knights who say "Ni!" but find that their name has been changed (to something so complex and random it was probably ad libbed, and therefore cannot be repeated here). The Knights who (so recently) said "Ni!" charge Arthur with another useless errand and an impossible task. The eccentric Knights are defeated by Arthur's accidental discovery of a secret word which is their weakness. Robin and his musically sardonic minstrels then appear on the scene. They ride off together.In the modern world, the police continue their investigation of the historian's murder.Back in the Medieval world, the adventurers each overcome their perils and reunite to face a bleak and terrible winter (which they survive by eating Sir Robin's minstrels).The reunited party ventures further to find the enchanter named Tim (John Cleese). Tim the Enchanter appears as a Scots-talking middle-aged man but commands great powers of pyrokinesis, has a very long, grey-streaked beard, and on his head either wears ram's horns, or grows them there. He is also able to withstand long awkward silences, doing nothing to break them. Arthur and his party are in awe of Tim and his spectacular display of pyrotechnics, and find themselves flustered when asking him for help, as per the instructions of the Old Man from Scene 24. Tim promises to help with their next phase of intelligence gathering and beckons the party follow him. After one step, he abruptly turns around and speaks of a terrible monster. The longer he spends on the warning, the more foolish he appears. Arthur's fearful respect for the enchanter is diminishing.The company approaches a rock-encircled clearing beyond which is the mouth of a cave that breathes smoke. Skeletons litter the scene. The tension jumps when Tim sights the monster. When the knights realize that the monster is an average-looking rabbit, the tension immediately turns to annoyance and scorn. Sir Bors (Terry Gilliam), ordered to dispatch the creature, sets forth to perform the task as casually as a short-order cook would perform his craft. The rabbit leaps about six feet to bite off Sir Bors's head before the knight even raises his sword. Tim feels vindicated and expresses it as would an 11-year-old. Arthur, believing a full scale attack is sufficient to accomplish the task, orders one. When several knights die in the attempt, he orders a retreat (in his own unique way).Tim regards the carnage with scorn of his own—wild chortling. When someone recalls the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, Arthur calls to Brother Maynard (Eric Idle), who is seen with his entourage a stone's-throw away, but off-camera until this scene. They consult with his order's exhaustive canon on use of the weapon, the Book of Arnaments, verses 9-21, describing how to use the grenade ("And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, 'O Lord, bless this thy hand grenade, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.' And the Lord did grin. And the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths, and carp and anchovies, and orangutans and breakfast cereals, and fruit-bats and large chu—[Cleric is told to skip forward by Brother Maynard]—And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less.Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.') After a miscount, the grenade is thrown at the rabbit, and a thundering explosion alerts the police, who are already looking for a murderer.In the cave beyond the rabbit, Aramaic writing is found, which Brother Maynard translates. Finally, they receive concrete instructions on where to find the Grail: the "Castle of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh". While they are trying to deduce the meaning of the text, the knights are ambushed by the Legendary (Animated) Black Beast of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh. The human party (also animated) are chased about the cave, and are only saved when the animator (Terry Gilliam) suffers a fatal heart attack.In the modern world, the police discover the gruesome scene at the cave entrance. They assume it's a homicide, and not an animal attack.Arthur's party approaches the Bridge of Death that is guarded by the Old Man from Scene 24. Arthur orders Sir Robin to face the deadly quiz that the Old Man will give him, but Robin deflects the order. Lancelot makes the first attempt, and when the party sees that the challenge is as difficult as answering a few superficial personal questions, Robin finds his bravery renewed, and volunteers to be the next participant. Unfortunately, the last question asked Robin involves geographical trivia that would have been very rare knowledge in the Dark Ages, and Robin is thrown into the Pit of Death. Then Galahad flubs his answer and is also lost. When Arthur is asked a question about aerodynamics (involving the redundant "airspeed velocity"), he solves the problem by answering it with a specific question (which the Bridgekeeper cannot answer). The Old Man is cast into the pit, and the way is clear.Arthur and Bedevere search for Lancelot, but he is not to be found. In fact, he has his hands pressed against a police car and is being searched. The king and his remaining free knight are called by an ethereal song. They are drawn over misty mountains to a lake. To a majestic, brass-rich soundtrack, a barge with the head of a monster transports our heroes across the water to the island of the Castle Aaarrghh.As the music reaches crescendo, the men disembark and kneel. Arthur, mounting his sword tip on the ground, offers the Lord a solemn prayer. The music is interrupted by the sound of a catapult being discharged. Arthur's speech switches from prayer to blasphemy as a sheep lands on them. The Taunting Frenchman appears atop the castle wall and offers his usual insolence. Arthur launches into orders, threats, and expressions of indignation invoking God's name. The French respond with human waste. Humiliated and soiled, Arthur and Bedevere walk back through the water to the mainland as the French taunt at will.Reaching the other side of the lake, Arthur shouts to an unseen party to stand ready. To the sound of a military drum, emerging on a nearby ridge, soldiers numbering maybe 1,000 form a line of battle nearly as many feet in width. They are well equipped. Arthur shouts a deadly oath across the lake to the French who persist in their taunts. Without hesitation, Arthur orders a charge, and the company surges forward.As the soldiers approach the shore on the mainland, they are cut off by just two modern-day police cars. The line of battle has shrunk to less than 100 feet, and Arthur and Bedevere are arrested. At least three of the officers start pushing back the crowd and confiscate an "offensive weapon." The film breaks in the projector and runs out of the gate, putting an abrupt end to the movie. For the duration of the film, there are several minutes of organ music but no end credits. | comedy, murder, cult, violence, psychedelic, absurd, satire, humor, entertaining | train | imdb | Easily the most hilarious and original comedy ever made, Monty Python and the Holy Grail claims it's undisputed throne through insanely ridiculous situations and characters that will very likely never be duplicated.
An absolute belly-laugh fest that never lets up.Only the cast of Monty Python could have pulled this film off, with each actor playing many different characters...all hilarious!
Two particularly excellent examples of this can be seen in the beginning scene, in which the characters discuss the origins of coconuts.....and the other when Lancelot breaks into the swamp castle to save the "damsel in distress." This is merely one technique that the cast has perfected to conjure up laughs consistently throughout the entire film.
And I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but this film takes some turns that no sane person could see coming.Ridiculous characters in ridiculous situations equals ridiculous laughter.The epitome of all-star comedy that will no doubt continue to stand the test of time.
The funniest of any monty python film, and amongst the top comedies of all time.
I do know, however, that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the funniest movies ever made.
Alongside Life of Brian, which is the sextet's masterpiece, Holy Grail is an excellent start if you want to get addicted to their surreal humor.As suggested in the title, the film deals with the Arthurian stories, freely reinterpreted by the Python ensemble: after recruiting his knights, including Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Robin (Eric Idle), Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) and Sir Galahad (Michael Palin), King Arthur (Graham Chapman) embarks on a mission from God (also Chapman, voice only though): to seek and find the Holy Grail.
It's pure comedy gold from start to finish, a non-stop gag marathon: from the mock Scandinavian subtitles in the opening credits to the argument about swallows, from the Killer Rabbit to the Black Knight and the jaw-dropping epilogue, you will keep grinning like never before (if you're unfamiliar with these comedians, that is).
The rest of the film is ace too, but those two scenes are the ones I can't stop thinking of fondly whenever the movie is mentioned.Oh, and let's not forget Terry Gilliam's vital contribution: he doesn't appear that much as an actor (his Bridgekeeper is absolute genius, though), but he compensates that with the remarkable animations used to depict part of this epic adventure.
Speaking of epic, this picture has one of the most brilliant tag-lines in comedy history, if not film history in general.Oh yes, the world wouldn't be quite the same without the Monty Python.
In the Realm of King Arthur, the Monty Python team set out on a quest to recruit the best Knights in the kingdom and find the Holy Grail.This is Classic Python Mayhem, where we encounter Killer rabbits, Knights who go Nee!
and Horny Nuns who lure the unsuspecting in with there Grail Shaped Beacon.The Cast all give Typically Hilarious Performances, bringing another must see to the Python Loving Audience.If You Like Monty Python, you'll love it, if you don't then stay away.If you've never seen Monty Python before then give it a try, yes it's dated but its still great fun.9/10Also see, The Life Of Brian and The Meaning of Life.
It's just silly, far-out humor.It's not all winners, no comedy is, but there are enough of them, and enough classic bizarre scenes that it's always a hoot to re-visit this film from time to time.
For many years I thought 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' was the funniest movie ever made.
Python (Cleese, Chapman, Palin, Jones, Idle and Gilliam) were on top form throughout, and apart from one or two less successful bits it's hilarious stuff, and arguably their most consistent movie.
But a few things to note.First, when you take into account that this film was done in 1974, most medieval movies of the time were glamorous set pieces with handsome knights and beautiful princesses.
This may have been a budgetary issue, but interestingly enough, they probably depicted medieval England more authentically than even films nowadays.Second, the amount of times the fourth wall is broken are numerous, and just goes to shows how dementedly hilarious the movie gets, but yet still holds the story well.That said, if you have never seen Monty Python (who hasn't?), this is a whole different level of comedy--yes, silly is about right, but not in the crude "Paul Blart" or "Larry the Cable Guy" type of silly, but at the same time, not the cerebral "Dr. Strangelove" type of silliness.Must watch..
The great group Monty Python stands out in this often uproariously fun and hilarious classic movie.
Irreverent and often sidesplitting nonsense comedy/satire of Middle Age movies that will probably like to nutty humor fans , including many Political and Social comments .
But Terry Gilliam' greatest success was the zany Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-74) (with Palin, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones and Eric Idle) and other hits such as Jabberwocky , The meaning of life , and especially Life of Brian and this Monty Python and the Holy Grail and this Life of Brian , among others .
All my life I've heard how funny Monty Python and the Holy Grail was but I had never seen it.
My Rating : 7/10This film is not for everyone, I will admit that, but it is a fun humorous take on the Knights of the Round Table as only Monty Python could do.
I think The Life of Brian is still a great piece of comedy and can be enjoyed as much today as it could 20 years ago but not The Holy Grail.
Having watched nearly every episode of sitcoms such as Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses and Blackadder before the film I can see that these shows have built on the comedy of The Holy Grail and are finer works because of it.
They'd stand by the fact that, um, a good deal of moose, coconut-carrying African swallows, cheeky revolutionary peasants, 'Ni'-saying knights, Broadway-style numbers and a famous historian are the key to a great, pitch-perfect comedy that stands the test of time...and you know what?
Even through their silliness, they'd be correct.Monty Python is a group of English thespians composed of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.
Monty Python gave England its laughs with their satirical, modern and outrageous humour reminiscent of Peter Cook, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett, and the few feature films they made together caused such uproar around the world that they're now considered utter classics by critics, film associations, cults, universities and families.
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail", possibly their most iconic film, is my personal favourite.The plot follows King Arthur, who has only just retrieved Excalibur from its stony perch and has been informed by the Lady of the Lake that he's to become the greatest king ever.
The film is hilariously nonsensical, too outrageous to be believed, silly at its core; it constantly strays from the plot to present different ridiculous sketches of the knights, it presents events that are not only unbelievable but preposterous...it is, in short, a farce of what comedies and epics have come to be.
The answer is pure and simple: it needs to be the inspired work of geniuses, and Monty Python lives up to those standards.Please, if you know what's best for you, SEE THIS FILM!
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is by far the funniest movie ever.
Like another comedy classic than came out a year previous to Holy Grail, Blazing Saddles, the whole story is rather inconsequential when it comes to the set-pieces and actors in the various roles.
King Arthur and the knights see a strange, God-like figure in the sky (my biggest laugh the first time around, one of many genius illustrations from Gilliam) who tells them to find the Holy Grail.
But even when a weaker bit might come along, it may be a bit that doesn't lack the fine visual detail and look provided by Gilliam and Terry Jones, or with some form of wit (i.e. I didn't find the "bring out your dead" scene as extraordinary, but I wouldn't doubt it's original).Although many say that Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which starts and ends with total disregard (and fitfully so) for all logical rules in storytelling, that it's one of the funniest films ever made (which it very well could be), I feel only very slightly reserved in recommending it to anyone.
To put it another way, Monty Python (not just this film but the TV show, movies, and albums) were a major influence on the guys who do South Park.
Monty Python takes a bit of getting used to, as their comedy company is somewhat of an acquired taste for most Americans who aren't accustomed to the dry British wit featured in these movies.
However, they are absolute geniuses of comedy, as is demonstrated here in their first full-length feature film, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." There are excellent and memorable lines, hilarious dialog, and intentionally cheesy acting, combined to give you the laugh of the Dark Ages.King Arthur and his lowest-budgeted knights set off on their legendary quest for the Holy Grail.
The characters act silly and ignorant, funny and gullible, everything expected from a Monty Python movie.
Now, I haven't seen very many Monty Python movies or series, but I have seen Life of Brian, Meaning of life and Monthy Python and the holy grail.
Monty Python has come out with some tremendous comedy, but The Holy Grail is one of there best!
Way too often when I ask people their favorite movies...one of these three flicks is offered.....Spaceballs...Shawshank Redemption or Monty Python and the Holy Grail.I've always considered these movies over- rated and thus avoided seeing them while simultaneously readjusting downward my opinion of the cinematic tastes of those recommending the flicks.I only avoided Shawshank for a few months.
I waited twenty years to see Spaceballs and when it was finally forced upon me I watched it with an attempted open mind but kept comparing the flick unfavorably to other Brooks films like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, Silent Movie,and The Producers.
Never has a movie been so brilliant, so twisted, so far afield of anything remotely resembling convention AND so low budget, all at the same time.This comedy forever changed our expectations of what is and what would be funny.
We both laughed at other comedians or comedy films but the Monty Python experience was not one that appealed to him.
If you like this movie, you will probably also enjoy "Eric the Viking" as well as "Life of Brian", both with Monty Python.
I watched Monty Python's other movie 'Life of Brian' and it was pretty good.
Graham Chapman plays Arthur in a quasi-Shakespearean fashion which at least makes the character memorable, and there are neat cameos from the likes of Connie Booth and Carol Cleveland, both honorary Pythons from the BBC TV series.It isn't a perfect movie and isn't consistently funny - however as a send-up of historical epics it does the job very well..
Monty Python is dumb humor, per se, and there's nothing really unique about it except its setting.If this movie deserves to be in the top 250 of comedy so do films like Dumb and Dumber, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle do as well ...
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table abandon Camelot (which is a very silly place, don't you know) in favour of the Quest for the Holy Grail, as ordered by God, who parts the clouds especially to have a chat.
One of my favorite comedies, and Monty Python's best and most irreverent movie is Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Sometimes their humor was forced -- some scenes in The Meaning of Lif(e) ; however, Monty Python and the Holy Grail has the perfect mix of antitoletarism, irreverence and silly sots.Speaking of silly sots, the cast of this film -- including Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin -- would later take Hollywood like a fierce Killer Rabbit.
the holy grail is an interesting film that i watch every month, classic comedy, that anyone with a sense of humor, including varying degrees of dry humor, can watch and enjoy.
Simply the best film about the holy grail quest (yes tou can forget Excalibur and all the other movies that has been and hasn't been released.
The movie is simply stuffed with classics like swallows with migrating coconuts, the black knight, brave sir Robin, the killer rabbit and the knights who say NI!The holy grail is one of a few movies made by MP, and is by far the best.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail was such a great movie.
Every second of this movie belongs in the Comedy Hall of Fame.I'd bet that his film is on more people's Top 10 Funniest Movies of All Time than any other.
Monty Python was classic comedy and this was the best Python film.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is, in my opinion, the funniest movie ever made.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is THE classic comedy..
I will never waste my time with a Monty Python movie again..
Many people enjoy the most hilarious movie of all time, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The actors in the movie: Graham Chapman, John Clesse, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Pain, etc., do a fantastic job in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Now knock it off!" This is just one of the plentiful examples how Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the most preeminent movie of all of history.Conversely, some people may not agree with me on the matter.
Some people would even go even to a ridiculous accusation that the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail is deficient.
The Monty Python and the Holy Grail is and will continue to be the most unsurpassed comedy forever.
If you you are a comedy lover or a Monty Python fan then I encourage you to go and see this movie.
There's not much to say about Monty Python that hasn't already been said, but it is well known that the group (John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin) were revolutionaries in the art of comedy, combining a number of elements to create an overall surreal and ingenious sense of humour.The film is based loosely on the legend of King Arthur (Chapman) and the Knights of the Round Table.
If it's not John Cleese as the taunting Frenchman or said in that very same obnoxiously fake French accent, it's about as funny as missing tea time."The Holy Grail," far and away the greatest comedic work of the Monty Python gang of Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam is a masterful example of the power of improvisational humor and satire.
I love this film and slightly prefer it to the Life of Brian (which is hilarious) I only saw this for the first time last year and was so glad i finally got to see it after many years of wanting to.The Pythons have such a unique style of comedy that at the time was groundbreaking, it's not as shocking or controversial by today's standards but the point is they weren't afraid to take risks or not do something for fear of looking stupid.Set in legendary King Arthur's England, King Arthur (played brilliantly by Graham Chapman) and his knights set upon a quest to find the holy grail.
The quest takes them to the most ludicrous places (like the castle Anthrax) and they face the most bizarre situations (the bridge of death to name but one) and meet some peculiar characters including the Knights of Ni.The acting is great with Chapman as King Arthur and the other pythons playing many small roles, each very talented and individually skilled.
I loved both (the musical is even funnier in my opinion, if that's possible).The tale of King Arthur (the great Graham Chapman) and his knights' quest for the Holy Grail is just an excuse for some marvelous gags as you watch an exciting adventure that includes French soldiers, flying cows, a Killer Rabbit, and knights who say "Ni!".This is the first Monty Python film I watched (I was long overdue, can't wait for the others!).
I know 90 per cent of the dialogues by heart and I regret nothing, I repeat, none second was wasted:) My sense of humor is just as one, presented in Monty Python's movies, especially in "The Holy Grail".
Graham Chapman is the one thing that makes Holy Grail look like a proper movie.
Any other python couldn't play it better or even as well as Graham.Holy grail is a lo-budged movie, but it doesn't mean that it looks tacky or it's not shot in a proper set.
Two minutes in, you're already lying on the floor laughing hysterically.It tells the tale of King Arthur and his knights on their quest for the holy grail.
Simply the best film about the holy grail quest (yes you can forget Excalibur and all the other movies that has been and hasn't been released.
Filmed without any substantial budget, Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail features a number of jokes that were born out of poverty, the most famous are the 'horses'.
My favorite movie by Python is, "The Life of Brian".I suggest that people see all of their films."WE are the knights that say NEIGH!!!'.
I know that 'Life of Brian' seems to be regarded as the finest Python movie but I love this the best..
It is by far Monty Python's best film!. |
tt0317919 | Mission: Impossible III | Ethan Hunt has retired from field work for the IMF. He instead trains new recruits while settling down with his fiancée, Julia Meade, a doctor who is unaware of Ethan's true job. He is approached by fellow IMF agent John Musgrave about a mission to rescue one of Ethan's protégés, Lindsey Farris. Lindsey was captured while investigating arms dealer Owen Davian. Musgrave has already prepared a team for Ethan: Declan Gormley, Zhen Lei, and his old partner Luther Stickell.
The team rescues Lindsey and collects two damaged laptop computers. As they flee, Ethan discovers an explosive pellet implanted in Lindsey's head. Before he can disable it, it goes off and kills her. Back in the U.S., Ethan and Musgrave are reprimanded by IMF Director Theodore Brassel. Ethan learns that Lindsey mailed him a postcard before her capture and discovers a magnetic microdot under the stamp.
IMF technician Benji Dunn recovers enough data from the laptops to determine Davian will be in Vatican City to obtain a mysterious object called the "Rabbit's Foot". Ethan plans a mission to capture Davian without seeking official approval. Before leaving, he and Julia have an impromptu wedding at the hospital's chapel. The team successfully infiltrates Vatican City and captures Davian.
On the flight back to the U.S., Ethan threatens to drop Davian from the plane as he interrogates him about Rabbit's foot, but Davian remains tightlipped. After landing, Ethan learns that the microdot contains a video of Lindsey warning that Brassel is working with Davian. The convoy taking Davian across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel is attacked, and Davian escapes. Ethan races to Julia's workplace, only to find she has already been kidnapped. Davian gives Ethan 48 hours to recover the Rabbit's Foot in exchange for Julia's life, but Ethan is soon captured by the IMF.
Musgrave takes part in Ethan's interrogation but discreetly mouths that the Rabbit's Foot is located in Shanghai, China, and provides Ethan with the means to escape. Ethan escapes IMF headquarters, travels to Shanghai, and acquires Rabbit's Foot along with his team. As he delivers Rabbit's Foot to the meeting point, Ethan is tranquilized. When he comes to, he realizes a micro-explosive is implanted in his head. The restrained Ethan sees Davian holding Julia at gunpoint. Despite Ethan asserting that he brought the real Rabbit's Foot, Davian shoots Julia and leaves.
Musgrave arrives and explains that the woman killed was not Julia, but Davian's head of security, executed for failing to protect him in Vatican City. The ruse was to confirm the authenticity of Rabbit's Foot. Julia is alive and held as hostage. Musgrave reveals himself as the mole. He arranged for Davian to acquire the Rabbit's Foot and sell to a terrorist group, so that IMF would have reasons to launch a preemptive strike.
When Musgrave lets his guard down, Ethan knocks him unconscious. He frees himself and uses Musgrave's phone to track the last call's location to find Julia. He arrives and finds the place, but encounters Davian. Davian triggers the micro-explosive in Ethan's head, but Ethan kills him and then jury-rigs an impromptu defibrillator to deactivate the explosive. Before electrocuting himself, he kisses Julia and teaches her how to use his Beretta 92 to defend herself. While Ethan is unconscious, Musgrave and a henchman arrive and Julia shoots them dead. She successfully revives Ethan and he explains his true IMF career to her.
Back in the U.S., Ethan is congratulated by Brassel as he leaves for his honeymoon with Julia. | murder, violence, good versus evil, psychedelic, action, suspenseful, sadist | train | wikipedia | J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost, takes on the third instalment of the action franchise, which sees human yo-yo Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in rare human mode as he plans on making an early retirement to be with his nurse wife (Michelle Monaghan), only to be go on another impossible mission as he plans catching sadistic arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
His scenes aside Tom Cruise are superb, as they practically tremble in tension and quiet hatred on both characters parts.You will go to see Mission Impossible III expecting some grand-scale set pieces, and you will not be disappointed here.
Still, "M:I:III" is a fast-paced thriller that manages to get hold of you for the 120-minute span of its running hour and never lets go.After retiring as Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team leader to lead a "normal" life with his fianceé Julia (Michelle Monaghan), Ethan Hunt (Cruise) returns to the team to help recapture criminal arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who has escaped from prison and is now making life difficult for the IMF.
Yet the way director J.J. Abrams and his co-writers injected humor and emotions, plus how its action scenes were superbly handled, save "M:I:III" from becoming just another passable popcorn movie which is why I liked it.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, as usual, is excellent as the main villain "Owen Damien." Michelle Monaghan makes for an attractive fiancée of Cruise in this movie, but her role is not a major one.
His sweetheart Julia (Michelle Monaghan) thinks he works for the Department of Transportation
When one of his pupils is kidnapped by a sadistic arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Hunt decides to assemble his old team to retrieve her, putting in mortal danger his new love
J.J. Abramsin his first feature filmshot "Mission: Impossible III" with a sense of timing and suspense
We're dealing with full-flash blanks, glass breaking, explosions
And we see Hunt, in a quite interesting shot, running up a wall to enter the Vatican
Also, in the bridge sequence, he runs away from a rocket hit on one of the vehicles
It's cool because the way he's running, the look on his face, before, during and after that impact could only have been done only by an actor as good as him
In China, in an old fishing village, we see him jumping off tile rooftops, with incredible grace, precision, coordination and footwork
Then, with Lindsey Farris (Keri Russell) they jump out of a building on a cable landing on a truck
The special effects, and visual effects are great
They all work together...
The Shanghai street chase with Tom leaning out of the car at some insanely dangerous angle to shoot a gun under a truck; Also Tom, in a high-speed boat, on the Tiber River in Rome, Italy; the blowing of a nice spectacular sports car; and, of course, the helicopter chase sequence where, in pursuit, the bad-guy helicopter emerges out of a fireball
Also, in a fantastic shot, in Shanghai, China, when the camera comes in and then goes around Tom as he's standing on top of a Shanghai roof
The camera comes over his shoulder and look down at the ground, so we'll see Tom on the top of the Shanghai building, hundreds feet in the air, and just to show and set up the jeopardy of what he's about to accomplish
Well, I loved the director's work
He's so detail-oriented
The fun, the adventure, the creativity, never eased up
And, please, don't miss Colleen Atwood, entering the Vatican, with a head-turner red dress.
Ethan Hunt still saves Julia though, without even being able to retrieve the "Rabbit's Foot"."Mission: Impossible III" is a great start to the summer movie season.
When I was watching this, I was thinking to myself, "I hope I don't have to use the restroom during this movie." What I liked most is that this was more of a team effort then the previous ones, especially "Mission: Impossible II", and in order to do that you need a good cast, which this had.
Both movies were a mess, with some great parts and a lot of bad parts.J.J. Abrams has had years of work doing spy drama in Alias, and he seems to recognize how to bring the movie back to its roots.I mean, essentially, that's what the TV series was, they had a mission and they'd carry it out in the most convoluted way possible, and the suspense was how they'd pull it off despite the million of things that could go wrong.Abrams is like a magician.
With a cohesive writer-director team, add a good team of actors (Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Simon Pegg and the two female leads, Michelle Monaghan and Keri Russell) plus a great scorer (Michael Giacchino who did a great John Barry impression for The Incredibles, doing a great Lalo Schifrin adaptation here), it's like an engine with all cylinders firing in perfect tune, the audience is taken for quite a wild ride.Even the essence of the story, that they are looking for the "rabbit's foot", Simon Pegg's explanation is brushed off as "It could be my imagination", and when Fishburne was about to explain it, he didn't!
There are moments where Mr. Abrams' style of dialog does come out, but one must wonder if the other two writers actually hindered his dialog.The plot of the movie revolves around Ethan Hunt's secret that he keeps from his fiancé about his true job working for the IMF and whether or not an agent can actually have a normal life.
A mishap with her during the mission causes Ethan to want to dig deeper into the nature of her mission which led to her capture.Enter our henchman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who does make for the best villain of the series (much like Blowfeld to James Bond) and Mr. Hoffman is an excellent actor, but when pitted against Tom Cruise on the screen, he does not come across as being threatening as much as he does a pawn in a much greater scheme (of which the movie begins starts to take more clever turns).
The action scenes are where this movie truly shines and it's a good thing there is an abundance of them in this film because when the film comes to meet one of it's more emotional scenes, it's such a jerky transition that the audience can feel like they're experiencing first hand what a manic-depressive goes through.Still, the Mission: Impossible movie franchise has yet to find it's feet and by the third part of the series, it can seem a bit exhausting as the audience waits and compares the style.
I watched this movie on DVD yesterday (Saturday, at the time of writing), after having seen the sequel, "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol", and not remembering certain developments in the main character's (Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise) life.
Of course, the IMF comes calling on him again to help out in a mission to rescue an agent he trained who has been kidnapped (the beautiful Keri Russell as field agent Lindsey Farris...the IMF seems to have impossibly high beauty standards for new recruits!).Predictably, things go pear shaped and soon Ethan Hunt has to deal with a mysterious, shadowy figure called Owen Davian (played coldly and malevolently by Philip Seymour Hoffman...a chilling performance as a truly nasty piece of work).
She is suitably adorable.Watching this movie I did get some odd moments with it...where I wasn't engrossed in the proceedings...like: * Ethan Hunt cracking a smile near the end of the movie...no doubt that is the 'money shot' for Tom Cruise's female fans...I can imagine the director wheedling that out of him with a "Come on Tom!
There was a good action scene missing from the movie, featuring the beautiful Maggie Q as Ethan's field agent partner Zhen Lei. Hmm...I was watching a scene in the Vatican in the movie...she wears a very revealing dress...I played a scene slowly where she reaches for an item hidden near her leg...something struck me as 'weird'...had a look higher up on Zhen's body...the 'weird' thing was her underwear!
The crack undercover agent Ethan Hunt(Tom Cruise) is again called back into action by IMF operation chief named Musgrave(Billy Crudup), his assignment is a crucial mission to rescue former protégée named Lindsay(Keri Russell).
Making the audience forget the disaster that was "Mission: Impossible 2", first-time director J.J. Abrams (best known for ABC's breakout television hits "Alias" and "Lost") gets back to what made the original in 1996 so great and interesting---liquid mercury flow and pace.
I just saw MI3 and came back home trying to imagine what MI4 will be like in 4 or 5 years, I really liked the TV show from the sixties and the remake from the 90's, when the first movie came out ( 1996 ) I felt a little disappointed, maybe because of Coppola and his very personal directing style, MI2 was much better than its prequel, but MI3 just fulfilled all my expectations, it's captivating and a very good way to spend 2 hours of nonstop action and Mission Impossible gadgets.
This is, without a doubt, one of the best action movies to date and just as good as the new Mission: Impossible film, Ghost Protocol (which means the best).
Before the mission is completed, things go from bad to worst; Ethan looses a friend, and a massive terror plot is unveiled for Ethan to prevent.J.J. Abrams, one of the most imaginative and intelligent directors/writers of the decade, mastered this film without breaking a sweat and took it so far that Tom Cruise was even thrown against a car by a (very) close explosion.
By far and away the best of the MI movies to date, the first having the gall to make the character Jim Phelps from the original TV series into the villain (what were they thinking, and what quicker way to alienate an established fan base?) and the second abandoning the old MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE team formula completely, making it a one-man show and just cashing in on Cruise and the title.Here the formula is re-established.
Added to all this is the fact that that Hunt is now romantically involved and his spouse consequently becomes the target of Hoffman's villain's revenge, and also adds a much needed humanity to Cruise's character.The wit and wiles of TV's IMF squad are admittedly replaced here by ridiculous yet riveting stunts, but when these are beautifully realised and executed under the direction of veteran 2nd Unit director and stuntman/co-ordinator Vic (Bond) Armstrong, you can't go far wrong, especially with a budget that Eon would cry for.British actor Simon Pegg (SHAUN OF THE DEAD - see my review in the archives) makes a welcome appearance as a 'Q' like computer boffin at IMF HQ, and eventual reluctant inside man to rogue agent Hunt.
This movie is sanitised for my liking.The acting especially from Tom Cruise was top class he played the role of a returned special agent all to easily and for the first time and thankfully so looked his age.
The scene had some great action and mind boggling special effects.The movie lacked the big ending that we have come to associate with the series.
J.J. Abrams is the director for part three in the Mission: Impossible franchise, meaning that there is an excess of lens flares but also a surfeit of top-notch action making this one yet another small step in the right direction for the series.This time around, retired agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) goes back in the field to try and apprehend Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a sadistic arms dealer who is trying to get his hands on a device code-named "The Rabbit's Foot".
In doing so, Hunt not only puts his own life at risk but also that of his wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan).Where parts 1 and 2 were sparing with their action scenes, Mission: Impossible III's pace is much faster, Abrams going all out for tension and excitement, including a superb helicopter chase through a wind-farm, Hunt breaking into the Vatican to capture Davian, an explosive attack on a bridge, and a perilous leap for our hero from one skyscraper to another.
In my opinion, M:I:III makes it an explosive start to the summer lineup, lives up to the hype it built, but though it took on a more personal look into the life of Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, I still felt, and no offense to JJ Abrams, that while it balanced action with personal drama effectively, somehow it lacked that X-factor oomph after all the smoke has cleared, to truly make it one heck of a classic action thriller.Sure, elements of M:I are there, the mysterious calls, high octane action and technology driven gadgets which self-destruct in 5 seconds, save for the missing traditional opening sequence where images and agents photos are juxtaposed as Lalo Schifrin's theme comes blaring.
Although this installment of the Mission Impossible franchise is certainly a better effort than the abysmal showing we had in MI:2, this movie still misses the mark by miles.We have come to know Ethan Hunt, or so we think, but even familiarity with that character is taken from us and we are never allowed to know him or connect with him again.
Likewise the character of Hunt's protégé whose rescue takes up a large part of the film is tossed at us and only much later are we allowed to understand Hunt's connection to her.Unlike MI:2, at least this outing has a plot, but even then, the story is tossed at us in pieces and in flashbacks too long after the questions arise in our minds to help us understand or enjoy the movie.Tom Cruise needs to stop now before we have to endure an MI:4 which could be subtitled Action for Action's Sake..
Just screened for critics and exhibs in Australia ahead of local release Thursday.....Tom Cruise is the biggest movie star of our generation for one very simple reason - he knows how to deliver the goods.Sometimes he chooses smart material that resonates (Collateral, Jerry Maguire, Few Good Men, Rainman, Risky Business); sometimes he promises and, most importantly, delivers great popcorn entertainment (Top Gun, The Firm, War Of The Worlds); sometimes he makes crap that coasts on his charisma alone (Vanilla Sky, Mission Impossible 2, Days Of Thunder, Cocktail).
The film tries to combine elements of the first two films; the intelligence and surprising plot twist of the first film, and the intense, loud action of the second, but part three does try to do one thing different that has yet to be done; giving our main hero and lead spy, Ethan Hunt a personal life, and you don't have to have seen True Lies or the first few episodes of Alias (which was created by J.J. Abrams) to know that spies can't have a personal life, it just flat out doesn't work.
This film is easily packed with more action than the first two films combined, but there's no real flow to it all like M:I-2, but some of these scenes early on are quite exciting and highly energetic and thrilling, like one particular scene where Hunt has to jump off the roof a skyscraper in Shanghai (which looks like an amazing city at night I must say) only to swing over and crash on top of the building next to it, but overall this movie does feel like a really intense two hour episode of Alias, and I'd expect a little more from Cruise, but this is pretty much exactly what I would have expected from director Abrams.The romance that the film is built upon isn't that convincing, probably just as convincing as the one in the last movie, but here we are just forced to "accept it" and move on.
guru that did manage to make me laugh, but casting Pegg in a small role wasn't the only good choice in casting, no; the film is pretty well cast throughout; from Keri Russell as Hunt's protégé to Billy Crudup as an IMF team manager, Laurence Fishburne as the IMF operations director and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the icy villain, but they are all underused, which is a damn shame, and even though these are all great choices and it certainly keeps the film entertaining and exciting.Part of M:I:III is brilliant and some of the best moments in the series.
STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back-this time on the trail of a merciless arms dealer (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who's implanting deadly devices in people's brains in order to obtain what he needs.Six years after the last movie, Mission:Impossible III hits the big screen.
(Reminded me of Spielberg in recent years with his hand-held shots to be honest.) The plot is confusing at the end because they try to implement the typical "twist" - and in that sense it's a lot more like the first film, which did a similar thing - but the build-up actually works quite well and the two hours + fly by.The acting - Tom Cruise picked up a lot of criticism recently because of his stupidity as a public figure (being the Scientology-promoting, couch-jumping, Katie-loving, psychiatry-slamming guy he is), but he does well here - the audience only laughed at him a few times to be totally honest.The scene-stealer is Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is the best villain any of the "M:I" films have had yet.
If you haven't seen the first 2 sequels, don't be whining about it, because you haven't missed anything special....All in all, I would say nice performance, and it was good with some new comers to join Ethan Hunt in his impossible missions, so it wasn't only Tom Cruise who contributed to the movie's perfection....
The Movie is produced by Tom Cruise so like as the previous chapter all the action and the story is around the character of Ethan Hunt! |
tt2167266 | Tracks | Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska), a young Brisbane woman, arrives in a country town with her dog, Diggity. She plans on travelling to Ayers rock and across Western Australia to the ocean. She finds work in the town at a local pub and then offers to exchange several months of her time with a local farmer named Kurt Posel (Rainer Bock) in exchange for 2 camels. He teaches her how to handle camels and eventually fires her after his partner leaves him. She is angry that he won't honour their deal.She finds a shell of a house in the middle of the bush in which to live.She goes to work for an camel wrangler, Sallay Mahomet (John Flaus), for a month at half pay in exchange for one feral camel, who she tames. She is now known by the local as "camel lady". He is doubtful about her ability to travel that distance by herself.One night a group of her friends arrive unexpectedly and Robyn looks slightly put out by their presence. They introduce a young American photographer, Rick Smolan (Adam Driver) who is awkward yet seems fascinated with her. She says she is trying to get money and supplies together for her trip and he suggests finding sponsorship. He offers to put her in touch with some editors. Her friend Jenny (Jessica Tovey) offers to come with her if she shortens the trip and only goes til Ayers rock. She declines. She wants to to the trip alone and on her terms. Her friends drink, smoke, and talk furiously under the night sky. Robyn sits removed from them all, then gets up and goes to visit her camels alone. She is happy with them.Jenny leaves her with an old tape deck of her mother's favourite album. She leaves a message on the tape and says she is uncertain as to why Robyn is determined to go through with the journey alone. Rick has left the contact details of National Geographic and Robyn writes to them informing them of her journey. They agree to sponsor her on the condition that Rick be able to meet up with her regularly to photograph her trek.Robyn convinces the farmer to whom Kurt sold his farm to give her the two camels Kurt owed her.Robyn's father, sister and niece arrive from out of town to wish her farewell. Her sister is somewhat aghast at the conditions in which Robyn in living. Rick arrives that evening and Robyn introduces him to her family, disinterestedly. As she says goodbye the next day, Robyn's sister tells her that there is no shame in turning back if there is trouble.Day 1: Robyn sets off on her trip with her four camels: Dookie and Bub from Kurt's farm and Zelly and her baby Goliath from Sallay. She noted earlier that she is "remarkably unqualified for such a hazardous undertaking: this is precisely the point of [her] journey".Rick follows in a Landrover. Over the course of the next few weeks, he comes to photograph her and she is frustrated and annoyed with his requests to pose for the camera.Day 61. Robyn awakes to find her camels have disappeared. She goes looking for them and finds them. She whips Dookie and then apologises.Eventually one night when Rick is with her again she shouts in frustration. She doesn't like his constant presence while she is on this arduous journey. He comforts her and they kiss.The next day they visit an Aboriginal settlement. They share a room together. At night, Rick sneaks out to take photos of a private ritual and Robyn is upset with him for disrespecting their hosts' rules. The next day she is told she has to take a longer route than she anticipated as her planned route takes her through sacred land and none of the elders will accompany her once they uncovered Rick's transgression.After trekking through particularly inhospitable land and having to shoot feral camel bulls in heat, Robyn is relieved to find a watering hole. A group of elders arrive at Robyn's campsite. When she says she can't take the short route as it will pass through sacred land, an elder offers to accompany her across that area to the campsite of a man called Glendle.Eddy and Robyn arrive at Glendle's camp site. She complains to Glendle that Rick is nice but he annoys her. Robyn asks Eddy to walk the rest of the way to Warburton with her. She gives him a new pair of shoes in exchange for accompanying her. Along the way Eddy helps her care for her camels, and teaches her about traditional Aboriginal medicine and culture and they slowly come to mutual understanding and enjoy each other's company.Rick drops in on them after Robyn sends a telegram requesting she bring a gun to gift to Eddy, who had fawned over her gun earlier in the trip. Eddy is thrilled. They travel on and come to a run-down settlement. Robyn insists on doing the next stretch of travel alone (2 months' travel with no water in sight), despite Eddy and Rick's misgivings. Ricks says he thinks Robyn has a problem with people. He insists on driving 1000 miles out of his way to drop water supplies along the way for her.Eddy wishes Robyn good luck and gives her a stone for her journey.She loses a clock her father gave to her and heads off away from her camels into the bush to find it, which she eventually does, with relief. Once she does, she realises she has lost her way. Diggity leads her back to the campsite. She hallucinates that a wild camel is racing towards her in the distance and run towards it to defend her pack. It is a mirage and disappears in a plume of dust.Day 124. She finishes her last drop of water from a canister. The watering holes are all dried up. Robyn continues to trek through the desert. She is caked in dust , severely sunburned and looks exhausted. She stumbles across another canister of water and smiles gratefully.At night a motorcycle pulls up to her campsite. A man dressed in white walks up asking for the Camel Lady. He is chatty: in the middle of an overland trip and has been following her tracks since Warburton, attempting to set a record from Bundaberg to Ningaloo. She ignores him, turns over and goes back to sleep.She walks further, past many animals who have perished along the way. She comes across an old farmhouse and stands hesitantly outside as she waits for the someone to appear. An old lady sweeps her stoep, looks up curiously and invites her in for tea with her husband. She tells them the story of growing up in Queensland farming Hereford cattle. A 7 year drought resulted in her family going broke. Robyn spends a quiet evening with the old couple.That night she dreams of a day when she was a child. her father tells her that her mother is dead and that she will have to live with her aunt Gillian. Her dog, Goldie, had to be put down.The old couple give her directions and supplies. She looks refreshed. The couple look worried as she sets off.She stumbles across a dead kangaroo. As she leans down to gut it, she sees a vision of Eddy trying to stop her telling her, "Women never break the law". She stands back up and moves on.At night she goes looking for her dog. She walks past a bottle of poison. Diggity looks ill and is foaming at the mouth. In the morning she is forced to shoot Diggity. It is painful to watch and she is distraught. She thinks back to her childhood dog who was euthanised.She falls into a depressed state and sleeps all day in the dust. She tries to use her radio but to no avail. A snake crawls over her in her sleep. The camels bay for her.Day 157. Robyn stumbles, naked, along a barren plain in the hot midday sun. She sees her camels in the distance. A small airplane flies overhead. Two cars appears in the distance. She puts on a sarong, but they drive past. Later a who series of cars drive past and she hides from them. They are tourists, come to photograph her and her camels. Rick arrives and she emerges from the bush. The tourists rush her. Rick asks if she is ok, that he has been trying to find her for a week. She screams at the tourists.It is evening and a number of international visitors & reporters have made camp nearby. Robyn tells Rick that her trip doesn't matter.The next morning she awakes to find him making coffee/tea over the fire. The visitors have left. Rick brushes out her tangled hair. Robyn cried and tells Rick she is "so alone." He embraces her as she cries into his shoulder. She cannot go on and misses her dog.She continues her trek and smiles as she see Rick playing with some local children and women. They ride the camels, giggling.Robyn reads newspaper clippings of her journey that have made The West Australian and other papers.Robyn decides to continue with her journey, and to escape the reporters.She passes through sand dunes, urging her camels forward and looks travel-weary. She crests a dune and smiles as she sees the ocean. Rick is waiting for her on the beach and they laugh and hug.The camels warily approach the ocean. The youngest camel is the first to wade out into the azure sea.Robyn dives into the calm, cool ocean as Rick looks on, taking photos from afar, saying nothing. She smiles freely as she stares into the depths of the ocean.We are told that after completing her 1700 mile journey, Robyn wrote the article that accompanies Rick's photos for Nat Geographic magazine. She then wrote an international bestselling novel, "Tracks". They quote her: "Camel trips do not begin or end, they merely change form." | flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0100150 | Miller's Crossing | Synopsis by "Cult Movies" author Danny Peary...Aging Irishman Leo (Albert Finney) runs an unnamed eastern city during Prohibition. Leo's chief adviser - and the only man he trusts - is the intelligent, nonviolent Tommy (Gabriel Byrne). Leo controls the mayor and the chief of police. However, the Italian Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) - whose chief henchman is the brutal, bisexual Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) - is becoming a threat to Leo's supremacy. Caspar tells Leo that he wants the unlikeable "Bernie" Bernbaum killed, because Bernie has been cutting into Caspar's gambling profits by selling information about fixed fights to betters. But Leo refuses to allow this because Bernie is the brother of Leo's tough mistress Verna (Marcia Gay Harden). Tommy tells Leo to allow Bernie's murder, because Verna isn't worth their going to war with Caspar. Tommy, fearing Leo's life is in danger, confesses to him that he also has been sleeping with Verna. Leo beats Tommy up and kicks him out of his organization. Caspar becomes the major power in town, taking control of the mayor and chief of police. Much to Dane's chagrin, Caspar recruits Tommy into their operation. Tommy must prove his loyalty by killing Bernie in the wilderness, at Miller's Crossing (hence the title of the movie). He allows the pleading Bernie to live, on the condition that no one finds out Bernie's still alive. Dane doesn't believe Tommy killed Bernie, so he takes him back to Miller's Crossing with the intention of finding Bernie's body. A body is there, with its face shot in. Bernie has murdered Dane's male lover, Mink - but Dane can't recognize the corpse. Bernie blackmails Tommy by saying he'll come out into the open unless Tommy helps him kill Caspar. Tommy convinces Caspar that Dane and Mink - whom Caspar thinks is still alive - are secretly selling information about Caspar's fixed fights. Before Dane can kill Tommy, Caspar brutally kills Dane. Tommy maneuvers Caspar to rendezvous with Mink; instead Caspar finds Bernie, who kills him. Tommy tells Bernie that they'll blame the murder on Dane, whom Bernie thinks is still alive. Tommy takes Bernie's gun, supposedly to hide the evidence. But then Tommy reveals that Dane is dead and, in revenge for being blackmailed, points Bernie's own gun at him. Bernie again pleads for his life, thinking Tommy hasn't got what it takes to kill anyone. Tommy blasts him between the eyes. Leo marries Verna and invites Tommy to work for him again, but Tommy turns him down.=====================================In the opening scene, an Italian gangster named Johnny Caspar is meeting with Leo O'Bannon, the city's most powerful gangster. Caspar, with his most trusted adviser and bodyguard, the fearsome Eddie "The Dane" Dane in tow, talks to Leo about a Jewish grifter named Bernie Bernbaum, who's been selling information on boxing matches that Caspar has been "fixing". Caspar wants to kill Bernie for chiseling in on the odds he fixes for his fights. Leo refuses to allow Caspar to eliminate Bernie and Caspar leaves, furious. After he leaves, Leo gloats to his own adviser, Tom Regan, that he'd so easily angered Caspar. Tom, who owes a large sum to a bookie, Lazarre, tells Leo that he should turn Bernie over to Caspar. Leo refuses because he's romantically involved with Bernie's sister, Verna, who's only dating Leo to protect her brother. Leo, as an act of friendship, tries to pay off Tom's debt to Lazarre, but Tom refuses, not wanting to fall under the thumb of either side.Tom wakes up the next morning after a night of hard drinking and card-playing where he lost his fedora to Verna and a man named Mink (who provides Bernie with his hot tips to cheat Caspar and is also the lover of both Bernie and The Dane). Tom asks the bartender, Tad, what happened the night before & about a bet he'd laid on a horse with huge odds. Tom's horse lost and Tom now owes even more money to Lazarre. Tom tells Tad to lay yet another wager on another horse with Lazarre.Tom goes to Verna's apartment. He demands his hat but Verna won't let him in, slamming the door in his face. When he knocks again & she answers, she lets him in when he asks for a drink. The two have been having an affair behind Leo's back for some time.Leo shows up at Tom's apartment very late that night and tells Tom he can't find Verna. He'd hired a private detective, "Rug" Daniels (so named because he wears a toupee) for Verna's safety, but Verna still gave Daniels the slip and disappeared. Tom tells Leo he has no idea of Verna's whereabouts and Leo leaves. Tom goes into his bedroom where Verna is half-asleep. When she asks if Tom told Leo she was there, Tom scoffs and tells her he'd told Leo she was a tramp. Verna is instantly furious and throws something at Tom.The next day, Tom meets again with Leo at his private club. Leo is already meeting with the Mayor & O'Doul, the chief of police. Leo has given the Chief a few of Casper's speakeasy locations. He also informs Tom that Verna turned up & is downstairs Tom suggests that Leo turn over Bernie to avoid a long & destructive war in the town. Leo still refuses and appears flustered with Tom. Tom gets a drink from Tad and marches into the ladies powder room to confront Verna and tell her to stop her charade with Leo solely for Bernie's protection. The two have a violent confrontation where Verna punches Tom and he hurls his glass at her, breaking a vanity mirror. Verna storms out of the room.Tom lays another bet with a short bookie and is picked up by two of Casper's thugs, Frankie (a tall, hulking man) & TicTac (a shorter but much smarter man). They take him to Casper's club where Tom meets with Johnny himself. Casper offers to pay Tom's debt to Lazarre and adds a substantial amount to the check he writes, hoping that Tom will become his personal adviser & help him win the war against Leo. Tom rudely refuses and Casper walks out, leaving Frankie behind to beat Tom. Tom slyly hits Frankie with a chair; Frankie gets TicTac to help and the two beat Tom briefly until the police arrive to raid the club. Tom blacks out but is revived by another officer. Outside the club, Tom talks to the Chief who seems to agree with Leo's idea of turning over Bernie. Tom tells the chief to stay in line with Leo.Tom again spends the night with Verna. At Leo's house, two of Casper's hoods, armed with Thompsons, sneak inside and quietly march up the stairs to assassinate Leo. However, a fire that breaks out downstairs alerts Leo and he's able to outfox the two assassins, killing them both. A car drives by shooting at Leo, who confidently strides down the street shooting with one of the thugs' Thompsons. The car crashes, catches fire and explodes.The next night Tom goes to Leo's club office and talks to him about how Casper is becoming more aggressive and will try to kill Leo again. Tom continues to advise Leo to turn over Bernie. When Leo refuses again, Tom finally tells Leo that he's been having an affair with Verna. Leo is silent and Tom leaves his office. Out in the hallway, Leo begins to hit Tom until he falls down the stairs. Leo calls his end to his relationship with Tom "the kiss off."Tom takes another meeting with Casper, this time with Eddie Dane present. Casper reveals that he'd heard about Tom and Leo being on the outs and is enthusiastic about hiring him. However, Casper needs to know he can trust Tom first and asks him to reveal Bernie Bernbaum's location. Tom tells him and Casper sends Tom and Frankie and TicTac to the Royale Hotel where they find Bernie and drag him out to the car. Tom drives them all to Miller's Crossing, a forest outside town notorious for gangland slayings. TicTac hands Tom a pistol and tells him that he's been charged by Casper with killing Bernie. He also tells Tom to use two shots: one to put Bernie down and the second shot to Bernie's head to make sure he's dead. Tom takes Bernie into the woods. Bernie pleads with Tom to let him live, appealing to Tom's sense of decency. While he's down on his knees begging, Tom shoots, deliberately missing Bernie. When Bernie tries to thank him, Tom tells him to shut his mouth and leave town immediately. As Bernie runs, Tom fires his 2nd shot. He returns to the car, telling TicTac that he killed Bernie.Tom meets with Casper, who tells him that his own bookie, Mink Larouie, lover of both The Dane and Bernie, has mysteriously disappeared. Tom later meets Verna at a boxing club & tells her to leave town for her own safety. Back at her apartment, The Dane breaks in demanding to know where Leo is. He tells Verna that she shouldn't bother covering for Tom since Tom killed Bernie. When two of Leo's guys burst in and try to stop The Dane, he shoots one and wounds the other. The one left alive tells him where Leo is and is gunned down.Bernie sneaks into Tom's apartment and they have a short conversation. Bernie is worried that his begging for his life at Miller's Crossing will get out. He demands that Tom kill Casper, threatening to appear publicly if Casper isn't dead in a few days. Just after he walks out, Tom jumps from his window to the street, trying to catch Bernie on his way out. Bernie outsmarts Tom and kicks him in the face.Tom is picked up on the street by The Dane, TicTac and Frankie. The Dane, still suspicious of Tom, had beaten the two thugs until they'd told him they didn't personally see Bernie's body after Tom shot him. The Dane plans to take Tom out to Miller's Crossing to verify that Bernie's dead. As they walk through the woods, Tom stops and vomits on a tree. The Dane draws his pistol to kill him when TicTac suddenly finds a body. The dead man's face is covered with gunpowder burns and has been partially eaten by birds. TicTac tells The Dane that he'd heard two shots from Tom's pistol.Tom visits a washed-up boxer named Drop Johnson. Drop has been raking in a sizable amount of money -- Tom suspects that Bernie has been placing bets with Drop. Tom leaves, telling Drop to tell Bernie to get in touch with him.Across town, a man walks up to the Sons of Erin club and tosses a bomb in the front window. The bomb goes off, throwing a dead and burned man out into the street. A police sergeant uses a bullhorn to order the rest of the club's occupants to surrender. When the first man walks out, he's promptly and cruelly shot by one of the mercenaries working for the police. A gunfight erupts. At the Mayor's office, Tom meets again with Casper and they discuss Bernie's and Mink's loyalties.Tom makes a phone call that night to Bernie. He tells Bernie about the body he'd seen in the woods: Bernie acknowledges that it's Mink Larouie and that he'd deliberately planted Mink's body there as insurance for Tom. Tom decides to call Bernie on his bluff of threatening to appear publicly to indict Tom. He tells Bernie to meet him at his apartment at 4 am with $2000.At Casper's house, Tom tries to convince Casper that Mink will be meeting him at his place at 4. However, The Dane is at Casper's and threatens to kill Tom for killing Mink and leaving him in the woods -- The Dane had captured Drop Johnson and had beaten the information out of him. As he prepares to choke Tom to death, Casper hits The Dane with a fireplace shovel and finishes him off with a shot in the head. Casper vows to kill Mink at Tom's place.Right before he walks home to meet with Bernie and Casper, Tom's stopped on the street by Verna. She threatens to kill him because she believes him responsible for the death of her brother. Verna can't shoot Tom and stalks off.Tom walks back to his apartment and tells Casper's driver to leave -- he'll drive Casper home himself. As Tom walks into his building, he hears a couple of shots. Walking up the stairs, he sees Casper's head protruding through the bannister on his floor. When he reaches the top, he finds Bernie, who'd shot Casper dead. He hands his pistol off to Tom looks through Casper's pockets, finding his wallet and pockets the cash in it. Tom tells Bernie they can lay the blame for Casper's murder on The Dane and asks for Bernie's pistol. He then tells Bernie they can't pin the shooting on the already dead Dane and that it'll have to be Bernie himself that takes the fall. Bernie is shocked and drops to his knees, pleading for his life. When he tells Tom to "look in your heart" Tom replies "What heart?" and shoots Bernie through the forehead. He takes Bernie's gun and lays it in Bernie's lap, doing likewise with Casper's gun and walks into his apartment. He calls Lazarre and tells him he has the money he owes him.A few days later, a small burial his held for Bernie. Verna is present; she takes a small scoop of dirt and indifferently throws it on Bernie's coffin in it's hole. Tom arrives and walks back to Leo's car with him. As they approach the car, it leaves abruptly, Verna having told the driver to leave without Leo and Tom. Leo pleads with Tom to return to his service, promising him anything he wants. Tom turns him down and Leo walks off. As Tom watches him go, he looks slyly in Leo's direction. | comedy, boring, neo noir, murder, dramatic, cult, violence, atmospheric, psychedelic, romantic, suspenseful, entertaining | train | imdb | In my opinion, Miller's crossing is easily the best of the Coen brothers' films, and one of the true classics of American cinema.On the surface, the story of warring gangsters in 1920's America is one that has been told many times before.
I'm talkin' about--hell Leo, I ain't embarrassed to use the word--ethics." So Jon Polito, as crime-boss Johnny "Caspar," describes to his overlord, Albert Finney as "Leo," his point of view while seeking permission to kill a double-crossing underling (played by John Turturro) in the opening lines of __Miller's Crossing__.
It portrays an earlier era in the nation's history of organized crime (perhaps Chicago in the late '20s), and one can imagine Leo as the Irish predecessor of __The Godfather__'s Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando).Just as __The Godfather__ was really about family relationships and the ethical complexities arising when familial loyalty collides with the business of violence, however, __Miller's Crossing__ is actually about, as Caspar tells us, friendship and character put under the enormous strain of that same business of violence.
Has he damned himself?Spectacular action sequences, beautiful production values, top-notch camera work by Barry Sonnenfeld, a haunting musical score, and the best dialogue ever written by the Coen brothers make this a great gangster film.
In my opinion, "Miller's crossing" is by far the top work of the Coen brothers, and one of the best movies in the history of cinema.
With this sober, brilliant, subtle performance, worth of a Bogart in great shape, Byrne just shows that he is the best actor in the world (my opinion, of course).The aged Irish boss O' Bannion - Albert Finney is the opposite of Reagan: naive, sometimes dumb, with a strong love and childish attachment for his girl-friend, he is confident only in his own charisma and in brutal force.
All this makes for an immensely challenging part, and the film could easily have fallen apart with a lesser actor than Gabriel Byrne playing the lead.But the acting is great from top to bottom: Marcia Gay Harden (in her big screen debut) as the hard-boiled moll; Jon Polito as the maniacal Johnny Caspar; Steve Buscemi as the hop-addicted Mink; J.E. Freeman, who is such a marvellous screen villain you have to wonder why he's still toiling in obscurity; and Albert Finney, an actor who embodies the term "screen presence." But the Grand Prix goes to John Turturro, who carries the most powerful scene in the movie: when Tom takes Bernie out to Miller's Crossing to "whack" him.Another criticism frequently levelled against the Coens is that they are preoccupied with "scenes" and don't focus enough on plot coherence.
In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of scenes that Tom Reagan (played masterfully by Gabriel Byrne) does NOT appear in.I won't go into great detail, because the story is full of subtleties...things that you won't notice even after seeing the movie several times.
The only way the Coen Brothers could pay greater homage to the old gangster classics would have been to have filmed Miller's Crossing in black and white...which they didn't need to do anyway, this film just can't be beat in it's set design and imagery.Oddly enough, there is almost no gratuitous sex in this mildly R-rated film...it's all implied, which is a nice touch given the way most R-rated films just give in to rampant sex and violence, just for the sake of being able to do it.
If you are sensitive to this disconnect, you may well dislike the movie, but if you are instead, longing for a complex plot, you may love it.I should note that as usual in a Coen brothers film, the dialog is a treat, but cannot fail to mention that unlike their better known work, you are likely to miss a good deal of it, as the sound quality is not high enough to decipher many a clever comment.All considered, the easiest way of looking at this film is to see it as an early effort, pointing to future greatness perhaps, but not a complete and developed masterpiece..
Gabriel Byrne plays Tom, Leo's (Albert Finney) right hand man and adviser who disagrees with his boss's decision to protect the conman brother (John Turturro) of his girlfriend Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) and must work his own wily methods to protect Leo from this decision.This is a masterpiece of modern film and definitely shows that the Cohen brothers can do anything with film.
It deals with a mysterious protagonist who sets a complex scheme in motion , Tom Reagan : Gabriel Byrne is the brain behind the throne of an Irish ganglord , Leo : Albert Finney, but at a violent war against another mobster ; John Polito, the latter begins falling out .
Meanwhile , there appears the girlfriend : Marcia Gay Harden stunts as the cunning woman who sleeps with Byrne and his boss , Finney , in hopes of a better life and protection for her small-time crook brother : John Turturro .Tom attempts to keep the peace an order between warring mobs , but things go wrong and he gets caught in divided loyalties.
Nothing is what it seems at Miller's Crossing.The faultlessly paced film is a really dark entry in the mobster genre , being crammed with suspense , menace , violence , turns , as well as sharp, witty dialogue and Byzantine plotting ; though , overlong , and hard to follow, at times .
However for me Jon Polito, a favourite of the Coens, just about runs away with the picture as the wise-cracking mob underboss Johnny Caspar, a tough talking and ambitious Italian who has become fed up of taking the scraps from Leo's table and launches his own bid for the crown as the town's head honcho.The film offers one of the most violent and memorable scenes in movie history when to the sweet theme of 'Danny Boy', two of Caspar's henchmen attempt to assassinate his now rival boss Leo at his home.
Tom unwittingly finds himself in the middle of the two mobsters doing his best to try and keep the peace (and more importantly stay alive).Miller's Crossing had an excellent sounding premise and has an impressive 5 star rating so therefore I fully expected that I would like it, but then again it is a Coen brothers film and I did wonder if the brothers would serve up yet another disappointment, and sadly, at least as far as I'm concerned they did...Let's begin with the positives; firstly, this film, like many Coen brothers films is exceptionally well-made; the camera work, editing, photography, costume and set-designs are flawless and it really is a handsome looking picture.
The principal cast are all excellent (especially Finney and Polito) and the Coen's have really gone to town to get the best out of their cast - the film has a real authenticity about it and all the actors look, sound and act like mobsters from the era so full credit to the Coens in all of these respects.
None of the characters have any real depth or development and are completely uninteresting and as a result of all of this I found the story dull and found that I didn't care about any of the characters - to be honest the film went round the houses so often that I forgot who was playing what character half the time - to me they were just names that were shouted out on the screen.With a more involving story and with stronger and deeper characterisation this would have been formidable, but as it is Miller's crossing is another rather mediocre entry for the Coen brothers which deserves credit for its technical greatness and strong acting performances, but loses a lot of points for its rather laborious and uninteresting story..
Many film classics through the years can leave you confused if you really dissect them afterwords.The story revolves around the central character Tommy (Gabriel Byrne), who is the right hand man to mob boss Leo (Albert Finney).
Casper of course leaves us with the immortal words....something he tells all his boys...."always put one in the brain".Gotta love it, and yes it was overshadowed by Goodfellas and other films when it was released, but like fine wine the classics always age well....and if you've never seen Millers Crossing I ENVY YOU, because you get the sheer joy of seeing a perfect film for the first time!.
Another in a long (at the time) line of gangster movies is a bit of counterfeit film noir, dressed up in the style of the late 1980s but taking its cues from the crime dramas of Hollywood's Golden Age. Up to a point the forgery works: Gabriel Byrne is a more effective lone wolf than Alan Ladd ever was, playing the proverbial man-in-the-middle when big boss Albert Finney initiates an obscurely motivated war against a rival gang.
But Miller's Crossing is a Coen brothers gangster film, which means expect the unexpected, and get ready to be surprised, weirded out and thinking about it for days after.
The cast is as good as it gets with amazing work from Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Albert Finney, and Jon Polito.
Capping the beautifully layered storyline is a barrage of wonderful performances from everyone, like Gabriel Byrne's wonderfully stone-faced performance, hiding himself under his facade; Marcia Gay Harden showing a different side of the traditional mob moll; John Turturro's wonderfully energetic performance; and, of course, Albert Finney brilliantly portraying Leo as not being a monster, but really being a tough but gentle man.A gleeful riff on a very old genre; the Coens make Miller's Crossing sing anew with wit, intensity, and irresistible black humor, thanks to a screenplay of pure gold.
It's easy to figure each one's motives, but the story gets more complex when it's revealed that Verna's heart belongs to Tom. That Bernie, John Turturro as the grifter who starts the whole situation is indeed a true sleaze-ball, and where some homosexual on-goings are revealed between Caspar's right hand, the towering and scary Eddie the Dane (J.E. Freeman) and a friend of Bernie played by Steve Buscemi.That's the thrilling set-up of a game of tactics and calculated double-crossings.
The second hour was more interesting though not brilliant, it began to get somewhat interesting from the time Byrne was asked to shoot Turturo his Jewish girlfriend's brother.The plot was muddled and hard to follow in many of its details while it lacked real depth and tension and many of the major characters came across as very cartoonish and wishy washy, Polito and Finney for example weren't at all convincing as authoritative top mafia bosses in their city though Byrne's character was quite satisfactory.The study of human reactions gave it some depth e.g the refusal of Byrne to shoot Turturo and the latter's behaviour towards the one who spared his life at enormous risk to himself.Overall a very mediocre film that's just about worth watching and while granting that in the subject of films personal tastes can differ enormously and one may find a film as being excellent and another as being totally dull I just can't understand why this film is considered as one of the greatest mafia films ever made.
Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito and John Turturro all do their part and the result is staggering in the way it demands complete attention from the audience not just to follow the plot, but also to contemplate and understand the motivation of these people.There is certainly more here than meets the eye, but that is the beauty of all the Coen's films.
Yet somehow it's always intriguing to watch, and one seems to get caught up in the action, as the outer conflict becomes a clear picture of the protagonist's inner conflict.Miller's Crossing is an interesting take on the "crime" genre that sets up Gabriel Byrne as the protagonist, playing Tom Reagan, a man who seems to have a kind heart and is caught between opposing sides.
An uncredited remake of "The Glass Key", the Coen Brothers' 1991 "Miller's Crossing" is in a number of ways an astounding film, (certainly one of the Coen Brothers' most tightly knit, narratively), full of black-humorous quirks, such as the marvelous set-piece of Albert Finney as the crime boss turning tables with a tommy-gun on would-be assassins in a car which he calmly follows on foot until at last the car crashes and explodes, while a classic rendition of "Danny Boy" plays over the soundtrack.The Coen Brothers' also take a minor scene from the Hammett text - where Ned Beaumont drunkenly gambles away his hat and then has to go hunting for it after he sobers up - and turn it into an over-arching metaphor for the emotional emptiness the anti-hero (marvelously played by Gabriel Byrne) struggles with throughout the narrative and which Hammett left as merely implicit.They also return the ethical bleakness to the finale, without actually duplicating Hammett's - now it is the crime boss who gets the girl and the anti-hero who is left to ponder the ruin of his friendship with his former boss.
Leo is also a gangster with ethics and principles, and keeps promises to protect people; again not a common gangster trait.But for all it's praiseworthy points, the story itself is a bit of a slow-burner; when compared to classic gangster films like The Godfather and Goodfellas, or even modern ones such as Road to Perdition, the story produces little adrenaline or excitement, and it is hard to become too wrapped up in the story and the plight of the characters.The Coen Brothers seem simply unable to produce a standard generic picture; everything they make always appears to be slightly off-kilter, and Miller's Crossing is no different.
Brilliant - the first sign of the Coen Brothers' genius for film- making.Tom Reagan (played by Gabriel Byrne) is the right-hand man, and chief adviser, to a mob boss, Leo (Albert Finney).
The other standout performance is John Turturro as Bernie - his under-pressure hysterics are something to behold.A wonderful modern film noir-type movie, and who better to do it than the Coen Brothers.
Tom goes to work for Caspar and he's commanded to execute Bernie in the woods at Miller's Crossing.It's the third big great movie from the Coen brothers and they show a real mastery of the cinematic arts.
Filled outstanding direction,a wonderful cast,an incredible flawless screenplay,amazing photography and a powerful score,Miller's Crossing is one of my favorite films and The Coen Brothers,Gangster Films Brothers,Gangster films and movie-making at it's best.Set during the Prohitbition era,Miller's Crossing tells the story of Tom Reagan(Gabriel Byrne),a adviser who works under Irish crime boss Leo(Albert Finney)and works as a guide for Leo. When a war with Italian Mob boss Johnny Casper(Jon Polito)starts to come to ahead,Tom is stuck in middle trying to stop the war between the two rival gangsters and has to deal with loyalty and death and Tom soon discovers that no one and nothing is what it seems.Miller's Crossing is an excellent and flawless masterpiece of cinema that was critically acclaimed by film critics but was basically ignored when it came out in the theaters in 1990.
With MC The Coens have given viewers a film where in the gangster world violence happens all the time,the main characters and their dialog are tough and cynical and the plot is very complex and big and characters can be loyal to you one minute and turn on you the next.
There is also a great use of the song Danny Boy(Sung by Frank Patterson)in a amazing,unforgettable classic scene.In final word,if you love The Coen Brothers,Gangster films,Film-Noir,Crime Dramas or cinema in general,I highly suggest you see Miller's Crossing,an unforgettable masterpiece of cinema that you will never forget and is a film that every film lover should have in their movie collection.
Take the most well-known Coen films such as 'The Big Lebowski,' 'Fargo,' and the recent 'Oh Brother;' remove the comedic aspects, creativity, and uniquely intriguing characters, and you'll have a good idea of what 'Miller's Crossing' is.
Millers Crossing is a terrific mobster movie.Can't compare it with The Godfather but this one's on the top of all gangster films.A mob film with a great intellect.Gabriel Byrne as Tom Ragen has done a fabulous job.I could think of him to replace Al Pacino in the Godfather & still he would have been at par with Pacino.A role perfect match to that of Al Pacino's Michael Carleone in Godfather.Marcia Gay Harden has given a decent enough performance as Verna.Jon Polito adds that little bit of satirical feeling thats always required in a mob movie otherwise it would become too dark of a film.The storyline is fabulous.Millers crossing,the place where lot of things happen.People often loose their morality there.You loose your morality or else you gain faith.Tom has to decide that at Millers crossing.Still i feel after seeing a lot of Coen brothers movie,this one's the best from them.And of course,Whats the rumpus.......
Not at all what I'd expected from a Coen brothers gangster movie, and with "Miller's Crossing", that's a virtue.
If you are a fan of the Coen brothers or the gangster genre then this film is worthy to be a part of your DVD collection and even if you're not Miller's Crossing is worth seeing..
Like any other good gangster film you have to watch the whole way through till the end especially Gabreil's trials and tribulations The Coen brothers are the best film making team and this is one of the examples why.
In fact, this could be my #1 Coen Brothers' movie if I were to rank them."Miller's Crossing" tells the story of two rival Mob bosses, Leo (Albert Finney) and Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) and Leo's most trusted adviser, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne).
John Turturro, a Coen brothers' favorite, plays the weaselly Bernie to perfection- also one of his best films. |
tt0105236 | Reservoir Dogs | The film opens to eight men eating breakfast at a diner. Six of them wear matching black suits and ties and are using aliases: Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Blue (Eddie Bunker), Mr. Brown (director Quentin Tarantino), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel). Among them is the elderly Los Angeles gangster Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney), and his beefy son, "Nice Guy" Eddie Cabot (Chris Penn). Mr. Brown discusses his comparative analysis on Madonna's "Like a Virgin". Joe's senior moments involving an old address book rankle Mr. White; White grabs the book away from Joe and refuses to give it back until Joe stops talking incessantly about it. When it comes time to pay the bill for the meal, Mr. Pink explains that he doesn't tip and defends his anti-tipping policy until Joe forces him to contribute with the group.After the opening credits, the action cuts to the interior of a speeding car. Mr. White, driving with one hand, is trying to comfort Mr. Orange laying in the back seat, who has been shot in the abdomen and is bleeding and screaming in delirium. They arrive at an abandoned warehouse, the robbers' rendezvous point. Orange begs White to take him to an emergency room but White refuses, saying that it takes a long time to die from an abdominal gunshot wound. Mr. White leaves Mr. Orange on the floor when Mr. Pink appears, angrily suggesting that their robbery of a jeweler, orchestrated by Joe Cabot, was a police set up, indicated by the rapid response of the police to the alarm. White agrees, and they wearily get their stories straight with each other.The scene cuts to Mr. Pink escaping from the jewelry store with the diamonds. While running down a street chased by three or four policemen, Mr. Pink is hit by a car, out of which he drags the woman driver and opens fire on the policemen hitting one or two of them before getting in the car and driving away.Back in the present. Mr. White reveals to Mr. Pink that Mr. Brown was shot and killed by the police during the getaway, and the whereabouts of Mr. Blonde and Mr. Blue are unknown to both. They agree to stay put for the time being.The film then flashes back to a scene showing Mr. White meeting with Joe Cabot and Nice Guy Eddie at Joe's office where he offers Mr. White (whose real name is Larry Dimmick), a low-time veteran criminal from Detroit, a job in an upcoming heist in a few months. Mr. White agrees, hinting at White's long-time friendship with Joe Cabot.In the present, after taking care of an unconscious Orange, the two men discuss the actions of Mr. Blonde, who acted psychotic during the heist and murdered several civilians in the store after the alarm had been triggered. Mr. White is angered about Joe's decision to employ such a violent individual and agrees about the possibility of a set up, while Mr. Pink confesses to having hidden the diamonds in a secure location. However, they violently argue about whether or not to take the unconscious Mr. Orange to a hospital when Mr. White reveals that he had told the former his true first name, "Larry". Mr. Blonde, who has been watching them from the shadows, steps forward and ends the dispute. White angrily chews out Blonde for his antics, while Blonde calmly defends himself, saying simply that he'd warned the staff of the jeweler's not to touch the alarm. He tells them not to leave the rendezvous as Nice Guy Eddie is on his way. Mr. Blonde walks to his car and opens the trunk to reveal a captured police officer named Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz) who he apparently took as a hostage to escape from the jewelry store.Another flashback to several months ago shows the origin of Mr. Blonde who meets with Joe Cabot and Nice Guy Eddie at their office. The meeting reveals that Mr. Blonde became involved in the heist because of his friendship with Nice Guy Eddie. Blonde (whose real name is Vic Vega) had served four years in prison for armed robbery and had refused to give the authorities Joe's name for a lighter sentence. When he meets with Joe and Eddie, they first arrange a job that will appease Vic/Blonde's parole officer, then Eddie suggests that Blonde join the crew they're putting together for the jewel heist. Blonde enthusiastically accepts.In the present, White, Pink, and Blonde beat the policeman and demand that he reveal who the "rat" is. He protests that he doesn't know. The beating continues until a furious Eddie arrives at the warehouse. After berating the men over the carnage and incompetence displayed at the heist, he orders Pink and White to assist him in retrieving the stolen diamonds and disposal of the two hijacked vehicles. He orders Blonde to stay with Marvin and the dying Orange.When Blonde questions Officer Nash again, the policeman states that he has been a police officer for eight months and is ignorant as to a possible set up. He then pleads with Blonde to release him without further incident. However, after the others leave, Blonde confesses to enjoying torture, and is really uninterested in what the cop knows and what he doesn't. He turns on the radio and dances to "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel before slashing Marvin's face and severing his ear with a straight razor. Blonde then douses Officer Nash in gasoline, making a small trail of the remaining gasoline in front of the policeman. Just as he is about to light the gasoline, Orange suddenly wakes up and saves Marvin from being burned to death by shooting Blonde several times, killing him. At this point, the policeman and Orange are alone in the warehouse. Orange reveals he is a police detective named Freddy Newendyke. Marvin says he knows (because he briefly met him a couple of months earlier) showing us that he had resisted the beating and torture so as not to reveal Orange's true identity. Orange reassures Marvin that a massive police force is in position several blocks away but are waiting to move in when Joe arrives.A series of character development past scenes detail Orange's involvement in an undercover police operation to capture Joe, and his developing friendship with White. Orange/Freddy is shown rehearsing his cover with his handler Holdaway (Randy Brooks), as well as getting into character for his first meeting with Joe.Mr. Orange/Freddie first meets Joe Cabot, Eddie, and White at a local nightclub where he tells them a fabricated story (shown in a completely fabricated flashback) about being in a men's room with a large bag full of marijuana. In the men's room with him were four L.A. County sheriffs with a German Shepherd and explains about his coolness under pressure, knowing the dog can smell the marijuana. The group is wholly amused and accepts him into their gang.Later on, Orange then goes with Eddie, White, and Pink on a drive where they discuss their favorite movie soundtracks and about Pam Grier movies from the 1970s and Eddie tells them a story about how a black waitress at one of Joe's nightclubs got even with her abusive husband as well as how black women seem to be more abused and temper angry then white women.At the warehouse, Joe Cabot meets with all of the members of the gang where he angrily tells them that their joking camaraderie might get them in trouble if they don't take the heist seriously. He gives them their aliases to be used and to go over details about the upcoming robbery of a diamond store. A brief argument ensues when Pink complains about his name. Joe regains his control over the meeting and they begin plotting the heist. Later on after the meeting, Orange develops a friendship with White as they drive over to the jewelry store to discuss their roles in the upcoming robbery. White tells Orange about a few methods of crowd control he knows are foolproof.In another flashback to the robbery getaway, we see that Brown was somehow shot in the head, and dies while driving their escape car with Orange and White. While attempting to steal another getaway car, Orange was shot in the stomach by the female driver of the car he stole along with White. Orange reflexively shoots and kills the woman after she shoots him.Flashing forward back to the present, the remainder of the heist group returns to the warehouse to find Blonde dead. Orange claims that Blonde was going to kill Marvin, Orange and the rest of the gang so that he could take the diamonds for himself. Boiling over with rage, Eddie reveals Blonde's back story, that he was a close friend of his and a loyal soldier of his father's. Orange struggles to defend himself, which makes Eddie even angrier and he fatally shoots the captive policeman three times. Joe himself arrives and, after informing the group that Mr. Blue was killed, confidently accuses Orange of being an informant, forcing White to defend his friend. A Mexican standoff ensues, leaving Joe and Eddie dead, and White severely wounded, and Orange mortally wounded. Pink, who hid to avoid the shootout, takes the cache of diamonds and flees the warehouse.As police sirens are heard outside, White cradles Orange in his arms and Orange reveals that he is in fact a detective. This piece of information devastates White, who begins sobbing in frustration and points his gun at Orange's head as police can be heard outside. At that moment, the police can be heard raiding the warehouse (with the camera in a close-up of White's face), demanding White drop his gun; he refuses and shoots Orange, resulting in the police opening fire on White just before the screen goes black. | comedy, dark, neo noir, murder, boring, suspenseful, mystery, dramatic, violence, cult, sadist, flashback, psychedelic, humor, claustrophobic, tragedy, plot twist, storytelling | train | imdb | From the original initial dialogue, to the final outcome, the director astonishes everyone and makes clear his style: anthological dialogues (pay attention to the discussion in the distribution of colors that will identify each gangster, hilarious) a breakthrough structure, very good soundtrack (as in all his films), great doses of violence (although not at all gratuitous, but rather ironic) and, above all, a lot of black humor.
In short, a great example of good noir cinema (with all its ingredients: shootings, violence, betrayal, suspense, etc.), but with the innovative and very personal touch of the brilliant director, who would later continue to dazzle with the wonderful "Pulp Fiction".
Reservoir Dogs is a testament to the idea that "less is more." This doesn't apply to the violence, the film is extremely violent from beginning to end, but the details of the botched diamond heist, which the entire film is based on, are conveyed only in the dialogue, except for one scene where Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) recalls his escape.
Instead of all of that garbage, Tarantino decided to just present the film as simply and straightforwardly as possible, and by doing that he makes it seem that you're really looking at a bunch of criminals trying to figure out what to do after a suspiciously failed robbery.
When films are overly violent, they usually get branded as such, but despite the extreme violence, Reservoir Dogs still manages to deliver an important overall message about the consequences of your actions.
I didn't care much for the "Kill Bill" movies, but who cares, I'm not reviewing them.If you haven't seen Reservoir Dogs, just rent it, buy it or steal it right now..
It showed their disregard for human life and that our anti-heros saw killing a cop as being as stepping on a cockroach .I urge future viewers of this movie not to instantly compare it to Pulp Fiction and enjoy it as it's own film.
Penn is good but not the best of the cast.Tarantino mercifully has little acting to do, but it is his film as writer and director.
After watching this half a dozen times with a biased, anti-Tarantino, "what the heck is so great about this guy, anyway" view(which, as most anyone watching any film with that view and a fair bit of self-knowledge will tell you, is a rather fruitless practice in pointlessness...
The editing is great, with the non-linear time-line telling the story far better than a "regular" film ever could.
One of the many Tarantino-fans, in fact, the very person who originally talked me into watching this film, once told me that he had heard of someone editing films with such time-lines - this, Pulp Fiction, Memento, etc.
All I knew was that, like another "dog" movie from the same era that I saw, 'Man Bites Dog', that it was supposed to be violent, funny and disturbing, and that it starred a long time favourite of mine Harvey Keitel, and Tim Roth, who I mainly knew from Greenaway's 'The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover'.
Ten years later I've seen it countless times so the surprise has obviously worn off, but it is still a brilliant movie because beneath the violence and wise-cracks of Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi - 'In The Soup'), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen - 'Thelma & Louise'), and Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn - 'At Close Range'), there is a lot of depth, that being the very human relationship between Mr. White (Keitel) and Mr.Orange (Roth).
No doubt Tarantino was a breath of fresh air after the shallow era of 1980s action movies, but he was not much of an innovator, and I don't think that his super-cool style has stood even the shortest test of time; he has, after all, practically dropped off the face of the earth..
Unfortunately, a lot of people hate the police, and for them such a film functions as escapist "entertainment," but "Reservoir Dogs" seems to lack any redeeming value of another kind, like a snuff movie.
Like Guccione, Tarantino, director of "Reservoir Dogs" may be a big fan of pornography and possibly he doesn't make the distinction between sex and violence.
A total waste of time.This movie would have been pretty good without extraneous scenes floating around, popping up at random, and taking entirely too long to finish.
I watched Ringo Lam's city on fire and I was upset to see how Quentin stole everything from it to make Reservoir Dogs, Yes I like the way he combines different movies to make one but reservoir dogs was like an American Version of city on fire with white actors (not in a bad way).I know it has been said before, but I recommend you to watch City on fire, things that didn't make sens or if you don't want to waste your time listening to those tough guys talking about what they did, City on fire will just show you what happened in a small box of time.But anyway, I think Mr Blond and Pink made it look pretty though.I am sorry, just in case he paid for the rights..
Tarantino has a minor role, as does criminal-turned-author Eddie Bunker.It feels a bit silly to write it now, but there was a time when Reservoir Dogs barely made a ripple in the cinema loving world; in America that is.
Everybody knows that criminals are big losers but still there is a strong tradition in American cinema especially in Hollywood of making films which glorify criminals.Everybody knows that Godfather,a film about a mafia family is hailed as a classic film.People know well as to what kind of things mafia do and how harmful they are to human society in general.Reservoir Dogs is one such dumb film which through its antics champions the cause of crooks without morals.Tarantino is believed to be a humorist however his humor is undoubtedly bland and mainly consists of filthy abuses.A word about the violence in the film: by showing macabre scenes of senseless violence Tarantino has shown that in the name of creative freedom and in order to gain easy publicity all rules can be broken and more the violence the more controversial the film is going to be.Good that this film has not been emulated by other film makers.
First, I love Tarantino, because he is able (as a director) to follow his own unique style and made a very good movie like Pulp Fiction.
3) Movie focuses on same characters who are connected to the same story which makes it easier to follow.I believe all of the actors did a pretty good job.
just like the entire film...).I've seen lots of movies, and maybe I didn't like the 10% of them, because I usually try to see what's behind it, and if there's something, I appreciate it, but this is definitely the worse thing I've come upon..
Quentin Tarantino seems to concentrate his movies very much along the lines of "cool" and "tough" and pulpy storylines and characters.
To me, his scripts come across as done by someone who reads too many B-grade comic books, mainly because his movies have very similar content.The story is very thin, and to sum up the what you see on the screen most of the time: there's a bunch of cookie-cutter emotionally retarded tough-guys who compete over who can deliver the coolest and toughest lines to each other and wave their shiny guns at each other with the right sort of swagger.
That sort of thing is just so ho-hum, clichéd, and juvenile that I felt like tuning out right away.Mixed into this macho posturing is some gratuitious violence (even to the point of being repulsive at times, for example when Mr. Blonde gets his way with the cop) and a couple of "cool" stories in the vein of Pulp Fiction's story about McDonald's in France (what depth).
The only redeeming quality of this film is that you can watch this one film and and you will have just seen every Quentin Tarantino movie ever made, because they are all the same.
"Pulp Fiction's" violence was milder and stood out less from the rest of the story, but "Reservoir Dogs" goes way over the top.
But if I want to see a good crime movie I'll stick with The Maltese Falcon, The Grifters, Miller's Crossing; hell, even 101 Dalmatians is a better "film noir" than this overrated stinker..
Many people believe "Reservoir Dogs" is a good film.
"Dogs" is about a group of men who messed up a bank robbery and went to a warehouse to talk about things and get very angry at each other.Many find the movie hip, but at best the movie itself is not hip, the pitiful characters may seem to be, but really the only hip character is Mr. White, played by Harvey Keitel.
The film's violence is legendary, as is its potty-mouthed dialog, but neither of those are necessarily bad things in a movie.
"Reservoir Dogs" has great casting, an amazing script, awesome characters and a classic sound track.
Upon the release of "Dogs", Tarantino was rightly vaulted into the great directors' fame and, I imagine, became even more enthusiastic about film-making.The end product is a very good film that sees five anonymous hit men team up for a big heist an armed robbery on a Diamond warehouse that will be central to the wide variety of eccentrically quirky characters who all lend their skills to the job.
The interactions and actions between the characters are at focus, placing environment in the backseat; this means that Reservoir Dogs can proudly boast of having one of the greatest dialogue-driven scenes in film, and it takes place at the beginning at the diner when Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) explains to the other guys why he does not tip waitresses--the others are compassionate and argue that they are minimum-wage workers no rely on tip, but Mr. Pink is stern: "Do you know what this is?
"The film is full of gems like these, full of great colourful gangster performances (in particular Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde--the most badass character in history) and full of clear-eyed and gory style.
This is no surprise as Reservoir Dogs was originally written as a short film, barely stretching 20 minutes and with characters that weren't meant to be particularly developed or dimensional.
This seemed more like a fantasy crime movie that would only be interesting to the person thinking about it in their own unique way.There's also some torture scene put in, which I really thought didn't need to be.
Reservior Dogs is a classic film and Quentin Tarantino is just an absolute genius.I really liked this film, it was gripping and suspenseful.
Reservoir Dogs (1992) is a slow paced story-driven flick about a heist gone wrong.It's a Tarantino's movie, so go on for it knowing that: plot is not linear, there's a lot of swearing, acting is great, story is awesome.
However, at the time this film was first released, as was with his still best picture 'Pulp', he was regarded as a filmmaker who makes violent movies, filled with violence, chock full of violence, "too violent" (if there ever could or should be such a thing in movies), etc.
True, Tarantino writes and works his actors to such an intensity that the feelings that go with violent acts and violent tension is there, and true he shows the blood, he lets us hear the cries of agony and despair, and indeed there are times that bullets fired into people are shown as such right in frame.
Yet he never exactly displays any truly violent acts (he decided to leave the shot of Masden slicing the ear on the editing floor, unlike a director like David Lynch who gets right inside the matter) - his technique is to evoke and strive for all of the emotions one would feel in such asituation, movie or in real life, to the most honest, near heart-wrenching limits, and thus to someone who may have even not even seen the film the images that appear in a trailer or on a video box bring the notion of this being an overly violent movie immediately.
For most films with such an ambitious and grounded script, nearly every performance is a crucial asset to the film's success, and Tarantino knows this in his bones, as well as in the casting of the right parts (i.e. Steve Buscemi auditioned for Mr. White but got Mr. Pink, makes sense doesn't it): Keitel and Tierny are like old pros merely portraying old pros; Roth has a true breakout performance as Orange; Busemi himself proves why he's needed in film today; Chris Penn makes for a fine supporting role; Masden is one of the most convincing of the 90's psychos; even Tarantino makes a perfect monologue for himself in the opener.
"reservoir dogs" is the perfect example of a movie that continues to receive praise albeit it deserves none of it.it is a weak rip-off of ringo lam's "city on fire" -- a bit of cinematographic education goes a long way and i recommend watching the original instead of this over-hyped puke.Tarantino has made two good movies during his career, "pulp fiction" and "jackie brown" ...
The first time I'd seen Reservoir Dogs was after a wave of Tarantino enthusiasm having watched and loved Pulp Fiction, a film released two years after this little masterpiece.
But looking back and after many further viewings, Reservoir Dogs has snuck up on me because I now value it a little higher than Pulp Fiction and bizarrely enough, I get more of an emotional kick out of this film then Tarantino's follow up.Perhaps it was my naivety in regards to independent film at the time that I didn't take to this after the first viewing, but any doubts towards this not being an excellent and spell-binding film have since been laid to rest.
Reservoir Dogs is a film that delves into the past from the present, setting up several characters; situations and stories within flashbacks that all combine to deliver a hair-raising climax with plenty of other dramatic, some more gruesome than others, moments thrown in for good measure.
Shot on a budget with the help of Harvey Keitel but written with a budget of a lot less in mind, Reservoir Dogs shocks but entertains; humours but does not glamorise and generally gives its viewer a kick every time they watch it..
Moreover, you can see what are probably the earliest hatchings of the 'reverse-plotting' trend starting here that lead to such films as Memento getting made.All of the cast are excellent, and it can only be the work of the hands of fate that while some went on to really make names for themselves (Tarantino, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi) others (Michael Madsen, Chris Penn) just got delegated to either supporting roles or straight-to-video roles.
The dialogue is just people talking about normal stuff like music, TV, movies and random stories.
It seems that it was only yesterday when in 1992 the then unknown director Quentin Tarantino screened his debut film, "Reservoir Dogs", at Sundance with great success suddenly becoming the new star of independent cinema and an the most promising director of that "class of 1992".
But despite the rights and wrongs of Tarantino's career, the groundbreaking "Reservoir Dogs" is a fine example of excellent cinema and a classic of the 90s on its own right.The plot begins with two criminals, codenamed Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) and Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), arriving to an abandoned mortuary.
Finally, the arrival of another member, Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), complicates the plot, as the other three are sure that he is the one who betrayed them.Without a doubt, "Reservoir Dogs"' greatest strength is in the remarkably well-written script by Tarantino himself.
With very simple, but effective camera-work and a great use of incidental music as a soundtrack, Tarantino crafts a superb film despite its budgetary limitations shows a very promising talent with huge potential as a filmmaker.The four main characters are wonderfully played by a very effective cast of actors.
Almost a flawless film.Wheter one loves or hates Tarantino becomes meaningless at judging this film, its qualities makes it speak for itself as one of the best movies about crime ever made.
This film has been a blueprint for basically every other wanna-be-like-Tarantino movie made in the last seven or so odd years.
Reservoir Dogs is easily the best film Quentin Tarantino has directed.
Like I said before, Tarantino makes you think like this is going to be a great film but it ends up disappointing.
I really wanted to love this movie because of its creativity but the script completely ruined it for me.I don't recommend this movie but I do recommend Tarantino's next film, Pulp Fiction.
"Reservoir Dogs" is a great film with a couple flaws that I wasn't too interested in.
See the movie for yourself and figure it all out."Reservoir Dogs" ain't no "Goodfellas," but on the level of film it is a masterpiece.
I like films where there aren't many characters, because you will almost always find the actors on screen giving some of the best performances of their lives.
Harvey Keitel was the most enjoyable to watch, and finally we have a film with Tim Roth that I actually like.
I had started and stopped this film many times before actually sitting down and watching it all the way through.
Probably the same things what makes other Tarantino's movies good: great soundtrack, good actors, stylish direction and of course - violence (actauly there was only one scene which I would call really violent).
Also everything in a movie looked pretty realistic (like violence) and all characters acted very natural (there were many memorable dialogs, so you could know each character better).
Took me totally by surprise because I wasn't expecting this type of witty and hilarious writing.Reservoir Dogs is still one of my favorite Quentin Tarantino movies of all time. |
tt1437212 | Gölgesizler | Every one of our lives is stuffed with secrets, of lies, of hidden desires and fears we can reveal to no one... Believing in lies or hearsay, deferring to other peoples reality; these are things that come surprisingly easily to most of us. But what happens if you start believing in your own lies?A barber working in Istanbul longs to be both here and far, far away. And one day, without warning, he takes himself off and disappears abruptly into the great far away. But is it really possible to begin a completely new life far, far away as a nobody?There is a village there far away... But where exactly is a mystery. And when, which year, which age, that too is a mystery. It is as if time has stood still, locked in eternal spring.There is a village there far away... All well and good, but whose village is it?The village is in the hands of the mukhtar, the elected local chief. The barber from Istanbul settles in this far-flung village, and as chance would have it the one-time local barber, Jingle Nuri, vanished from the place years ago. So the new barber rents his shop and opens the doors for business.The village is not, however, the innocent village of your imagination. The mukhtar, the leader of the village, its everything, finds himself dealing with one mysterious disappearance after the other. Güvercin, the prettiest girl in the village, is now missing without trace. The mukhtar and his only armed man, the village guard, set about questioning everyone in the village. The mukhtar suspects Cennets son more than anyone else. And he beats the gentle dreamer with the soul of a poet to a pulp as he cross-examines him - which causes the boy to lose his mind. The mukhtar and the guard spread terror through the village, but still they fail to find Güvercin. And Cennets son starts drifting through the streets of the village asking, Why does snow fall, snow? - even though not a flake of snow has even been known to fall.In despair, the mukhtar seeks the advice of the village sage, Musa Dede, but only to be reminded that the history of the village is full of such secrets, misdemeanours and disappearances...Even more peculiar things start happening. Jingle Nuri suddenly turns up out of the blue, for instance. He arrives but now its the turn of his wife, who has been waiting patiently for him all these years, to disappear. Then a bogus love spell is cast in order to convince Güvercins stubborn and sceptical father of the power of incantations: this is, after all, their last resort to finding the girl. The trouble is, the spell backfires and an innocent lad is killed in the process.The mukhtar, the guard and the villagers are appalled by the succession of disappearances and deaths they seem to encounter every step of the way. The complexities of life and their bewildering destiny as a village are simply dizzying.In the end, the mukhtar decides to turn to the state to resolve his unspeakable troubles. So he sets off for the district town never to return again.Güvercin is eventually found, but this solves none of the villages problems. On the contrary, it leads to her being swallowed up by a gigantic lie fabricated by the villagers themselves.The barber seems content to watch this all from the distance like a dispassionate spectator. And one day, when the poplar pollen is wafting through the air like the snowflakes that never fall, he just walks away, looking down on the village for the very last time from a nearby hill.But what the barber doesnt know is that he too is being watched by someone far, far away...written by Ümit Ünal | psychedelic, suspenseful | train | imdb | null |
tt0375154 | Tristan + Isolde | The film is set in Great Britain and Ireland, in the Dark Ages, after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. Lord Marke of Cornwall plans to unify the peoples of Britain – Celts, Angles, Saxons, and Jutes – under himself as high king to resist Irish domination.
Most lords agree to this, as Marke is highly regarded and respected as a fair and courageous leader. The Irish king Donnchadh discovers this and sends troops to attack a Jutish castle where a treaty between the British tribes is being discussed. The raid claims the lives of the castle's lord and his wife, but Marke manages to save their son, Tristan, at the cost of losing a hand. Feeling compassion for the young boy, whose father loyally supported him, Marke welcomes Tristan into his home and regards him as a son.
Nine years later, Tristan has grown into a fierce, courageous warrior whose loyalty to Marke is not that of a knight to his lord, but rather a son to his father. Tristan and other Cornish warriors launch an attack on an Irish slave caravan. Tristan fights Morholt, the champion and leader of the army of Donnchadh, whose lord's daughter, Princess Isolde, has been promised to Morholt in marriage. Though Tristan kills Morholt and Donnchadh's forces are overrun, he is severely wounded in the fight and believed dead, though he is in fact only suffering the effects of Morholt's poisoned sword.
Tristan's body is put out to sea on a funeral boat which eventually washes up along the shores of Ireland. He is discovered by Isolde and her maid, Bragnae, who administer an antidote that revives him. Bragnae insists that Isolde conceal her identity so Isolde tells Tristan her name is Bragnae and that she is a lady-in-waiting. Tristan and Isolde fall in love as she nurses him back to health. The two lovers must separate after Tristan's boat is discovered. Tristan returns to Cornwall and receives a hero's welcome. A confused but overjoyed Marke welcomes him back with open arms.
Plotting to defeat Britain, Donnchadh proposes a peace treaty, promising his daughter Isolde in marriage to the winner of a tournament. Tristan wins the tournament on behalf of Marke, unaware that "the prize" is the woman he fell in love with in Ireland. When he discovers the truth about Isolde, he is heartbroken to see her betrothed to Marke, but accepts it since the marriage will end "a hundred years of bloodshed."
Marke and Isolde are married and there is finally hope that Britain will be united. Marke is kind to Isolde and genuinely falls in love with her and although Isolde grows fond of him, her heart still belongs to Tristan. Isolde tells Tristan that she is his anytime he wants. Tristan is torn between his love for Isolde and his loyalty to Marke, a man whom he loves as a father. Marke is confused over what is tormenting Tristan and disappointed by the distance he is putting between them.
Tristan eventually gives in to Isolde; they renew their love and begin an affair behind Marke's back. The affair is discovered by Lord Wictred, a longstanding dissenter to Marke's leadership. He informs Donnchadh of the affair and they conspire to use their love to overthrow Marke, with Wictred getting Marke's throne in exchange. Marke confides in Tristan that he believes Isolde is having an affair. Tristan is tormented by the guilt and burns down the garden where he would meet Isolde. After Marke and Isolde's coronation, Tristan attempts to end their relationship, but Isolde begs him not to leave her. They are caught in an embrace by Marke, Donnchadh, and the other British kings. Donnchadh pretends to be furious that his daughter is being treated as a whore and ends the alliance. Seeing this as weakness on Marke's part, the other kings also decide to part ways with him.
Marke is hurt and furious over his wife and son-figure's betrayal. He tells Tristan he has ruined everything and that he wishes that he had never saved his life. However, after Isolde explains their history, Marke relents. Tristan is taken to the river and Isolde tells him that Marke is letting them run away together. Tristan puts Isolde in the boat meant for their escape and tells her that if they leave they will be remembered for all time as those "whose love brought down a kingdom." Tristan pushes the boat away from the shore and runs off to the ensuing battle.
At the same time, Marke's nephew and Tristan's old friend, Melot, resentful of his uncle's long favouring of Tristan, shows Wictred an old passage into the Roman foundations of Marke's castle. Wictred had made Melot believe that he will become king when Marke is defeated. Once they are in the passage, Wictred stabs Melot and sneaks his army into the castle. Marke and his forces swiftly become pinned down by Donnchadh's army outside the castle and Wictred's men within.
Tristan sneaks back into the castle via the secret tunnel, which he used to carry out his affair with Isolde. On the way, he finds the dying Melot; the old friends forgive one another before he dies. Tristan emerges from the tunnel and attacks Wictred's men, allowing Marke's soldiers to secure the castle, but he is mortally wounded in combat by Wictred, whom he still manages to kill. Now outnumbered, Tristan, Marke and the soldiers loyal to him emerge from the castle and present Wictred's severed head to Donnchadh. Marke urges the British kings standing with the Irish to aid them in making Britain a single, free nation. Inspired by his words, the British kings and their men attack Donnchadh and his army.
As a fierce battle between the British and Irish erupts, Marke carries a dying Tristan to the river, where they are met by Isolde. Marke leaves to lead the British to victory, while Tristan eventually dies in Isolde's arms after uttering his last words: "You were right. I don't know if life is greater than death. But love was more than either." Isolde sees to his burial beneath the ashes of the Roman villa where they had met to be with each other. She plants two willows by the grave, which grow intertwined. She then disappears from history and is never seen again. Marke, it is said, defeated the Irish, united Britain, then ruled in peace until the end of his days. | murder, violence, revenge, historical fiction, tragedy, romantic | train | wikipedia | While I do not know the actual historical story, I found the storyline highly captivating.I thought James Franco played Tristan brilliantly - broken hearted but not brooding, he seemed to only come to life during battle before meeting Isolde, and then afterward only in their stolen moments together.
As king, he had to walk the thin line between diplomacy and his own frustrations; as a man, he came alive when with Isolde, and so her betrayal was all that more heartbreaking, a scene which he played with focus and power.I thought the fight scenes were very well done, except for the excess of cut shots, jumping from person to person, which moved the action almost too quickly, occasionally resulting in a jagged flow of action.
One of the great love stories from the medieval courtly romances, "Tristan and Isolde" has received many different treatments from medieval poets such as Gottfried of Strasbourg to the haunting opera by the nineteenth-century German composer Ricard Wagner.
In each of the versions of the story, there are new and different plot details in this tragic love story.In Kevin Reynolds' film adaptation, the most intriguing new twist from the traditional story is the way in which Tristan and Isolde meet.
In this film, the young people fall instantly in love without any need of an elixir.In two touching performances, the young lovers are played by James Franco and Sophia Myles.
Rufus Sewell delivers an excellent performance as King Mark caught in the love triangle that recalls the famous story of King Arthur, Lancelot, and Guineviere.
Their fateful meeting and the unfolding of their relationship make this film worthwhile for audiences both familiar with the legend and for those being introduced to this timeless love story for the first time..
The film's main departure from the traditional story is it's decision to leave out the love potion between T+I, which for modern audiences is a smart choice; it makes the whole relationship appear more 'authentic.' This is also one of Rufus Sewell's only' sympathetic roles, and it's a treat to see him play someone we don't automatically hate.
This movie is sure to make the entire female population fall in love with James Franco, and it's story is unforgettable..
I know some people who didn't like it, I won't lie, but if you come to the movie with an open mind and know that some things are going to be different, you will absolutely love it, as I did..
Tristan & Isolde was basically the best Love story that I have seen in a good while.
I did not know that this movie would cause me to sob severely and to really fall in love with Tristan & Isolde.
to keep those action film fans happy, and yet there's a lot of good love stories, and not just between the two leads as you might expect.
Years later, after another attack of the Irish forces, Tristan (James Franco) rescues his people that were captured to serve as slaves and kills the mean Morholt, for whom the beautiful Irish princess Isolde (Sophia Myles) was promised to get married.
When he sees who Isolde is, he has to decide between his friendship and loyalty to Marke and his love for Isolde.This is the first time that I see the poignant story of "Tristan + Isolde" and I loved this movie.
I liked most of the scenes from the very first shot of a rabbit and small Tristan, through the following moment that shows a map of the British Isles of that time moving to Ireland where small Isolde weeps on a funeral of her queen mother to the very last shot when two lovers are separated by death.
Marke's love scenes with Isolde are perfectly contrasted with Tristan's thanks to performances and camera work.
Tristan (James Franco)-Wictred (Mark Strong) fight is lively and natural.Finally, I have to mention one more aspect of the movie that is a pearl to me.
This aspect makes the epic universal and can be admired by different viewers, even the ones who cannot stand sword and sandal productions.TRISTAN AND ISOLDE is a wonderful film that I recommend anyone to see.
They told the story they were hired to tell, and tried to put as much emotion as possible into their character.In the end, Tristan and Isolde is a movie that accepts the fact that it will never be a great movie, and settles for being a good movie.
Like another famous medieval legend, King Arthur, it's got a frustrating but passionate story or forbidden love.
Supporting cast are better with good performances from Rufus Sewell, Mark Strong and the now rising star Henry Cavill.The battle scenes are confusing with everyone looking alike.
She looked exactly the right age, acted the right age and like Sewell, made me feel the emotions of her character, it was easy to see why some of the characters loved Isolde.The flaws?
Like "Romeo and Juliet," "Tristan and Isolde" is a tale of forbidden love set in the Middle Ages (although it far predates Shakespeare's work both in setting and in origin).
running around on screen that it is often difficult to distinguish one from the other and to know just who is fighting whom (or who is allied with whom) at any given moment.James Franco and Sophia Myles make for a fairly bland, conventionally modern young couple, but Rufus Sewell provides a subtle, sympathetic performance as the man who both raises Tristan and marries Isolde.If Medieval romances are your cup of tea, by all means check out "Tristan and Isolde," but there are far better tales of unrequited love around than this one..
There is so much to this movie that is just wrong, the locations are wrong, the costumes are from a different period, the equipment used by the Irish characters is completely inaccurate, and when you take the love story out of the plot it makes no sense even as a war movie it would never have happened.
The love story itself is spot on, it's got all the casual clichés, but as I watched I couldn't help but think, I've seen this before, it's as if the writers took the key to the patents office and thought they might re-write the legend of King Arthur and flog it as something different.
Although the love storyline was quite tried and tested, I believe the movie managed to stand out from most love stories that I've watched lately because of its strong themes of loyalty, honour and duty, as opposed to an indulgent tale of lovers getting it on with wild abandon.
I confess that while Sophia Myles delivered an animated, lively performance in the first half of the movie (as well as the rest of it), James Franco seemed rather vague and faraway in the first half, as if he had not quite settled into the demands and grasped the "feel" of the role.
But later, immediately after he realizes that in a cruel twist that he has actually won Isolde for his very benefactor, and that he must live in the constant torture of seeing his love wedded to someone else in the same household, the pace of the movie instantly picks up and the audience's sympathy is secured permanently.
When Lord Marke, who Tristan has a great amount of respect for, becomes involved with Isolde; it will break your heart to see how Tristan must choose between love or duty.
I'm not trying to be mean about the movie, but Tristan and Isolde's chemistry was negative, it felt like lust more than love.
James Franco as Tristan is bland, Sophia Miles as Isolde is pretty but far too modern for the role of a medieval princess.
The story line seems to move to quickly and it doesn't spend enough time convincing the viewer about the undying passionate love Tristan and Isolde have for each other.
After watching Isolde and King Marke together, it almost made me wish it was a love story on them and not Tristan.
Some of the simple magic of the original story still manages to shine through however, and we at least get some sense of chemistry between the two lead characters and their hopeless battles of conscience as they wrestle individually with dilemmas of duty - Tristan to protect the nobleness of his King and Isolde not to be totally indifferent to Marke's kindness.Could it be that, if 'love can transform destiny and the fate of nations', it is a force for good when it strikes wisely, and can wreak destruction when it affects those whose attraction causes havoc, suffering and all-round evil?
Tristan and Isolde was the best movie i have ever seen in my life.
There are some pretty cool fighting scenes, and if they are soft hearted they will fall in love with Tristan and Isolde.
I think that this was a beautifully done movie, and that the acting was very good.James Franco gives a commanding performance as Tristan, and his cold facial expressions are a realistic representation of the character.
Sophia Myles as Isolde portrays a much softer looking character, but she must, especially when Tristan is not so kind to her.
But, if you stay through the whole thing, I say it is worth it.Tristan & Isolde is a better movie than any Romeo & Juliet interpretation I've seen.
Plus, the actors' looks fit the time period, and it helps that they are both attractive.I disagree with some of the critics and give this an 8/10, since it was a more genuine love story than I've seen in any movie recently..
Basically, the only character that felt real to me was Lord Marke, portrayed by Rufus Sewell, because he actually showed some emotion through his words, his diction, and his acting.Overall, if you had as high of hopes as I did for this movie, I recommend steeling yourself to be let down.
Both Sophia and James Franco did excellent jobs acting.The plot is really interesting, about forbidden love, and I found myself teary or crying more than once during this film.
The costumes and settings are extremely beautiful, and there was nothing confusing about this plot - it doesn't meander with explaining much at the beginning other than that there is war between Ireland and Britain, and then gets on with the great story.Tristan is a very noble, lovable hero - extremely so (and not just because we get to see him without his shirt on).
The relationship between James Franco (Tristan) and Sophia Myles (Isolde) was lacking in the passion that is the supposed foundation for their relationship.
i found this movie to be one the best loves stories that i have seen in along time.James Franco and Sophia Myles were amazing together the love scenes where great they have the chemistry to pull the scenes off.the story wasbrilliant and i like how they've changed the story and the way they put the whole movie together was great.
Franco and Myles made the love look so real and if people say it was a bad movie their wrong because it was a brilliant love story..
Either way Tristan and and Isolde is definitely one of my new favorite movies..
The previews for this movie made it seem like it was going to be about the romance between Tristan and Isolde.
More beautiful than Romeo and Juliet, more passionate than Helen and Paris of Troy, Tristan and Isolde captures the imagination, the heart, the mind, and the sense of longing.
I guess the ending is not bad, a bit touching and certainly not as cliché as other parts of the film (always a good thing)Tristan and Isolde, had potential.
good acting & production thoughIt has many battle scenes with too many closeups,that go so fast you do not know what is happening.Both my partner & I fell asleep, it was so boring.This was supposed to be a tragic love story & it is just tragic.Now if they used Richard Wagner's triumphant opera music It may have been watchable.Do not waste your time on this bore.rating **1/2 out of 4*--- 58 points out of 100--- IMDb 4 out of 10.
Legends normally don't tell you much about the actual historical settings, they use symbols and are allowed a bit of fantasy.The love story of Tristan & Isolde should be a fairy tale for adults, not a pseudo-historical movie for children.
although the directing of this movie is very good, the roles played very good (i loved the King Marke Role by Rufus Sewell) but i have a point of view i 'd like to express; this love story would be much better & get more influence if it's a normal fair, not illegal one.
Last night I went to see a preview of Tristan and Isolde, not being familiar with the stars of the movie.
I am familiar with the original myth of Tristan and Isolde and this movie was a really good adaptation of it.
Because Hollywood is still hungry for medieval adventures with swords and sandals, Prince of Thieves director Kevin Reynolds finally brings us the ancient love-story Tristan and Isolde (2006), after Ridley and Tony Scott carried this project around like a baby since the 1970s and finally gave it up.
For long the film navigates two parallel story lines of sorts Tristan in England and Isolde on Ireland without bringing the two together.
James Franco is young Tristan, heir to the British throne - and Sophia Myles is princess Isolde of the feuding Irish, so you see the difficulty in expressing their love.
Franco is uneven in his performance, and in his "English" accent.Tristan and Isolde (2006) is classic melodrama, but without the most sentimental emotions, and it has things to say instead of having the characters resort to meaningful glances to convey their agony and love.
Tristan and Isolde is possibly the best love story produced yet.
This movie is sure to make you fall in love with James Franco, and it's story is unforgettable.
Stop trying to analyze whether it's like the book you read or the song you heard, and just enjoy this movie for what it is: a very very good entertaining, sad, beautiful, intelligent and romantic story with very talented actors and a strong script.
when i went to watch the movie i expected a good movie, u know a love story etc like any others, would be cool and i'll like then it's over.
and i also would like to congratulate the actors in this movie for their wonderful performances especially James Franco well done you were amazing and mind blowing (i seriously believed you were the character it self )keep it up OK OK OK OK well nothing else i left to say so bye and good luck all this is to people didn't watch the movie yet rash to the cinemas now except people with heart problems it will set fires in your hearts and you don't need that (: bye.
I hate Romeo and Juliet, I love Tristan and Isolde.
Tristan and Isolde is so beautiful, I watched it three times in one week!I recommend this movie for anyone who loves the whole castle and princesses type of film.
Tristan and Isolde kept me thinking about the movie a week after I saw it.
I thought the story was really good and made sense even though I had never heard of the legend of Tristan and Isolde before.
However, I felt the film was compelling, especially in the performances of the two leads, as played by James Franco and Sophia Myles.There was outstanding chemistry between the two actors, and the best scenes were when they were together.
But "Tristan and Isolde" is a love story, not a big-budget action saga..
But for a female, the raging love and passion that Tristan and Isolde have is clear, but could have not have been done without the tremendous chemistry between James Franco and Sophia Myles.
Overall, I thought the film had strong performances, although James Franco's English accent came and went throughout the course of the movie!!
Tristan and Isolde is one of the best movies I have ever seen!
Tristan is played by James Franco who is like one of the cutest, or maybe even the cutest actor that I have ever seen.
James Franco and Sophia Myles look like they are made for each other in this tragic love story.
Another reason it was good is that it appeals to more then just girls looking for a love story, my boyfriend enjoyed it because of the fight scenes and entertaining violence..
Tristan and Isolde is a beautifully shot movie with a great plot, interesting dialoge, and brilliant acting.
Tristan and Isolde was such an excellent movie.
Tristan+Isolde is the best movie that has been made in many years.
James Franco and Sophia Myles are fantastic as Tristan and Isolde.
Tristan and Isolde is a remarkable movie.
Tristan & Isolde is the BEST MOVIE EVER!.
The love that Tristan & Isolde share is amazing!!
Loved the Movie -Very Impressed with Tristan.
"Tristan and Isolde" is a great story.
That's how I felt about James Franco as Tristan in this movie.
It's a love story and for those who say it's unrealistic....please King Kong might be unrealistic...but this movie is touching and makes you feel.
James and Sophia were just so great in the movie together, you could really see the love through the characters.
I love "Tristan & Isolde" so much!!.
I thought the acting was amazing from all three actors; James Franco, Sophia Myles, and Rufus Sewell.
Although, the legend of Tristan & Isolde is more like the tale of Lancelot & Guinevere, actually it had great influence, if not entire influence, for their whole story.The film was beautifully done.
I watched this movie many times and I always loved it so much!
It is the best love story film for all times, sadder than Romeo and Juliet. |
tt0429493 | The A-Team | The A-Team is a naturally episodic show, with few overarching stories, except the characters' continuing motivation to clear their names, with few references to events in past episodes and a recognizable and steady episode structure. In describing the ratings drop that occurred during the show's fourth season, reviewer Gold Burt points to this structure as being a leading cause for the decreased popularity "because the same basic plot had been used over and over again for the past four seasons with the same predictable outcome". Similarly, reporter Adrian Lee called the plots "stunningly simple" in a 2006 article for The Express (UK newspaper), citing such recurring elements "as BA's fear of flying, and outlandish finales when the team fashioned weapons from household items". The show became emblematic of this kind of "fit-for-TV warfare" due to its depiction of high-octane combat scenes, with lethal weapons, wherein the participants (with the notable exception of General Fulbright) are never killed and rarely seriously injured (see also On-screen violence section).
As the television ratings of The A-Team fell dramatically during the fourth season, the format was changed for the show's final season in 1986–87 in a bid to win back viewers. After years on the run from the authorities, the A-Team is finally apprehended by the military. General Hunt Stockwell, a mysterious CIA operative played by Robert Vaughn, propositions them to work for him, whereupon he will arrange for their pardons upon successful completion of several suicide missions. In order to do so, the A-Team must first escape from their captivity. With the help of a new character, Frankie "Dishpan Man" Santana, Stockwell fakes their deaths before a military firing squad. The new status of the A-Team, no longer working for themselves, remained for the duration of the fifth season while Eddie Velez and Robert Vaughn received star billing along with the principal cast. The missions that the team had to perform in season five were somewhat reminiscent of Mission: Impossible, and based more around political espionage than beating local thugs, also usually taking place in foreign countries, including successfully overthrowing an island dictator, the rescue of a scientist from East Germany, and recovering top secret Star Wars defense information from Soviet hands. These changes proved unsuccessful with viewers, however, and ratings continued to decline. Only 13 episodes aired in the fifth season. In what was supposed to be the final episode, "The Grey Team" (although "Without Reservations" was broadcast on NBC as the last first-run episode in March 1987), Hannibal, after being misled by Stockwell one time too many, tells him that the team will no longer work for him. At the end, the team discusses what they were going to do if they get their pardon, and it is implied that they would continue doing what they were doing as the A-Team. The character of Howling Mad Murdock can be seen in the final scene wearing a T-shirt that says, "fini".
=== Connections to the Vietnam War ===
During the Vietnam War, the A-Team were members of the 5th Special Forces Group (see episode "West Coast Turnaround"). In episode "Bad Time on the Border", Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith, portrayed by George Peppard, indicated that the A-Team were "ex-Green Berets". During the Vietnam War, the A-Team's commanding officer, Colonel Morrison, gave them orders to rob the Bank of Hanoi to help bring the war to an end. They succeeded in their mission, but on their return to base four days after the end of the war, they discovered that Morrison had been killed by the Viet Cong, and that his headquarters had been burned to the ground. This meant that the proof that the A-Team members were acting under orders had been destroyed. They were arrested, and imprisoned at Fort Bragg, from which they quickly escaped before standing trial.
The origin of the A-Team is directly linked to the Vietnam War, during which the team formed. The show's introduction in the first four seasons mentions this, accompanied by images of soldiers coming out of a helicopter in an area resembling a forest or jungle. Besides this, The A-Team would occasionally feature an episode in which the team came across an old ally or enemy from those war days. For example, the first season's final episode "A Nice Place To Visit" revolved around the team traveling to a small town to honor a fallen comrade and end up avenging his death, and in season two's "Recipe For Heavy Bread", a chance encounter leads the team to meet both the POW cook who helped them during the war, and the American officer who sold his unit out.
An article in the New Statesman (UK) published shortly after the premiere of The A-Team in the United Kingdom, also pointed out The A-Team's connection to the Vietnam War, characterizing it as the representation of the idealization of the Vietnam War, and an example of the war slowly becoming accepted and assimilated into American culture.
One of the team's primary antagonists, Col. Roderick Decker (Lance LeGault), had his past linked back to the Vietnam War, in which he and Hannibal had come to fisticuffs in "the DOOM Club" (Da Nang Open Officers' Mess). At other times, members of the team would refer back to a certain tactic used during the War, which would be relevant to the team's present predicament. Often, Hannibal would refer to such a tactic, after which the other members of the team would complain about its failure during the War. This was also used to refer to some of Face's past accomplishments in scamming items for the team, such as in the first-season episode "Holiday In The Hills", in which Murdock fondly remembers Face being able to secure a '53 Cadillac while in the Vietnam jungle.
The team's ties to the Vietnam War were referred to again in the fourth season finale, "The Sound of Thunder", in which the team is introduced to Tia (Tia Carrere), a war orphan and daughter of fourth season antagonist General Fulbright. Returning to Vietnam, Fulbright is shot in the back and gives his last words as he dies. The 2006 documentary Bring Back The A-Team joked that the scene lasted seven and a half minutes, but his death actually took a little over a minute. His murderer, a Vietnamese colonel, is killed in retaliation. Tia then returns with the team to the United States (see also: casting). This episode is notable for having one of the show's few truly serious dramatic moments, with each team member privately reminiscing on their war experiences, intercut with news footage from the war with Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction playing in the background.
The show's ties to the Vietnam War are fully dealt with in the opening arc of the fifth season, dubbed "The Court-Martial (Part 1–3)", in which the team is finally court-martialed for the robbery of the bank of Hanoi. The character of Roderick Decker makes a return on the witness stand, and various newly introduced characters from the A-Team's past also make appearances. The team, after a string of setbacks, decides to plead guilty to the crime and they are sentenced to be executed. They escape this fate and come to work for a General Hunt Stockwell, leading into the remainder of the fifth season. | comedy, murder, violence, flashback, clever, psychedelic, action, revenge, entertaining | train | wikipedia | If any film demands to be graded on a curve, it's The A-Team.Simply consider the notion of making a big-budget summer movie from of one of the cheesiest television shows of a cheesy TV era.It's a crafty plan to lower your expectations.
A (very) lengthy credits sequence set in Mexico shows us how the team of former Army Rangers comes together: Leader John "Hannibal" Smith (Liam Neeson), his right-hand man Templeton "Face" Peck (Bradley Cooper), powerful Bosco "B.A." Baracus (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) and loony pilot James "Howling Mad" Murdock (Sharlto Copley).We jump ahead several years, where the A-Team is now an Army covert operations crew with dozens of successful missions under their belts.
You'd never have guessed the guy who played eighth fiddle on Alias would be front-and-center for a star-making performance, but it's true.The A-Team shows off Cooper's buffed-up physique almost to the point of absurdity – he's shirtless on screen more than Mark Wahlberg in Date Night – but Cooper's charisma carries the day throughout.A well-rounded supporting cast also delivers.
(It probably doesn't hurt that Bloom, a veteran actor mostly relegated to TV work, gets co-writing credit.) Their wonderfully brash characters bring welcome levity to the pounding machine of gunfights and explosions that propels The A-Team.Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't note the drinking game that by all rights should be born from this film: Drink whenever a guy with icy blue eyes is on screen.
You'd pass out halfway through the film.There's Cooper and Neeson alone, plus Bloom and Wilson, with a little Gerald McRaney – yes, Major Dad himself – thrown in for good measure.If you're really into dudes with bright blue eyes, The A-Team is like porn.
That being said, the expectations and sensitivities in a fan of the original series is non-existent in me, so this is purely based on what I felt about the movie itself.First off, the casting is near perfect.
There are unresolved plot holes and some people have expressed upset at this, but the film was never marketed as a 'story' kind of film in any way so they really should've known better.This movie is not for movie buffs who look for the meaning of life in films, but if a hilarious, well-acted, action-packed movie is your thing?
All of these things happen before the opening titles.The A-Team is like Hollywood Action Movie Lasagne: it's a layer of cliché, followed by a layer of implausibility, followed by another layer of cliché and so on, with the whole lot finished off with a sickly rich layer of computer-generated special effects.
(Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson), Murdock (Sharlto Copley), Hannibal (Liam Neeson) and Face (Bradley Cooper) are all great at their roles.
Humor , thrills , several agreeable characters and trademark effects abound and will please the series enthusiasts such as the neophyte .The agreeable acting convinces , especially the leader Liam Neeson , the sympathetic Bradley Cooper and Brian Bloom in a super-villain role , while other players also make a nice work as Patrick Wilson and the gorgeous Jessica Biel.
It looked tacky, un-original(well it's Hollywood and a re-make so it still kind of is), with totally over-the-top and overblown Micheal Bay-style action sequences and not a single trace of any whit or plot visible!If it was not for my Dad (also an avid fan of the show) offering to pay for me, I probably would not have bothered seeing the film.
Fortunetly the characters, although played by different actors - are successfully updated and portrayed and still somehow feel the same as the originals with the humour and witty dialogue still there in spades!The cast did a fine job in their respective roles especially South African actor Sharlto Copley as 'Howling mad Murdoch'!
None of the action sequences are drawn out too long and although some of the scenes suffer a bit from a little too much CGI, shaky-cam and quick cuts making visibility difficult and a bit muddled, still doesn't take away from the film's overall entertainment value.The plot is not overly complicated but it IS there and it is not completely dumbed-down and insulting to the viewers intellect.
A perfect balance of action, story and humour make A-team a brilliant and successful up-dated film adaption that successfully brings The A-team into the new millennium yet doesn't tread over the original.Thankfully the best bits aren't shown in the trailers and the film is most deserving of at least one more sequel!I pity the fool who doesn't enjoy this film!.
Just came back from a 11 o'clock session of The A-Team and heres what i think.Actors: Bradely Cooper (The Hangover) plays Face Liam Nesson (Taken, Chronicles of Narnia) plays Hannibal Quinton 'Ramage' Jackson (UFC) plays B.A. Baracus Sharlto Copley (District 9) plays MurdockWith most of the audiences being pleased about the film, The A-Team may look like a ridiculous, broken and edgy film that is just full of CGI garbage and failed actors...
It may be ridiculous to think about the idea, such as the new G.I. Joe movie, which currently isn't a total pleaser but it does help for other audiences alike.The CGI effects itself were brilliant, the actors performance were at some stages exciting and with some help of music composer 'Alan Silvestri' who also did other epic titles such as Forest Gump, Eraser, Cast Away, Back to the Future and The Long Kiss Goodnight.
The bad guys so often overlooked in casting, in this case Wilson and Bloom, supply some of the movies best moments, lines and action.The plot is never lost here with the A-Team now operating in Iraq to bring it up to 21st Century speed.
I loved the A-team TV series but this movie is an unsuccessful attempt, it is super noisy,pointless,very confusing and over crowded ...up to 20 minutes through the movie still you will read titles and credit texts.the story starts with so called Hollywood labelled bad guys,in this case a few Latinos that in spite of their greater number they are defeated by 2 guys,then all of sudden they are talking about going Baghdad and talking to go to Kabul too and so on,I think movie making in Holiwood hit the bottom with this one.
Structure was a complete mess.I am trying to remember the last time I actually sat in a movie theatre watching a full on action sequence with explosions and the like thinking how bored I was.And at the end of all of this, a disrespectful and tacky add on at the end of the credits with Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.
Something just gave me the impression that Mr Carnahan got to the editing suite and suddenly realised that Dwight Schultz was so good it showed up the crap he had actually made and so relegated it to the post credits sequence.All in all I really think the filmmakers missed a trick here and have made a bland and convoluted no brainer for 13 year olds rather than for the legions of devoted fans that loved the TV show so much.Even after all these years, there was something inside me that just thought it would have worked better to bring back the original cast (with Liam Neeson as Hannibal in the place of the deceased George Peppard) and just update everything to the present day and see what happened to this crack commando team after 20 or 30 years on the run..
The A-Team maybe isn't the best movie adapted from a TV series, but I'm sure that is is one of the most if not the most entertaining and full of action.
It is the typical action movie full of explosions, fights, lots and lots of weapons, with very good humor, a very enjoyable yet predictable story and a decent plot.
The list is endless...However, I must say, this is pretty good in my honest opinion, it feels like a good rebuking of a classic series, and it has been fully loaded with CGI and ham acting, to say the least.If you watch this movie, try to distance yourself from the preconceptions of other remakes that have been botched in the past and try to watch it for what it is and I guarantee you will enjoy it more.The characters are decent, and it's a pleasure to see Sharlto Copley having his full on debut in this movie and for me he pulls it off rather well...
A five year old could have written it.The effects, some action scenes are done well, others look like they ran out of time and botched it together.The script has the occasional good one-liners but in the whole film there are about 10, not worth the two hours to find..
full of action a lot of funny moments an dialogs like we all know from the good old A-Team.
Stupid stupid, stupid.Hollywood had to Holllywoodize it and bastardize this.Gone is the funny and now comes the stupid and absurd.Back in the 80's the A-team were mellow and sarcastic.They had no money, they all drove in a black van and they basically did charity work.They didn't talk trashy, they didn't kill anybody, they didn't go overboard like in this movie.The entire concept of the 80's TV show and this movie are far between each other.The TV show was fun to watch...this was just really "effin" boring and dismal.I had a small role in this movie and I saw it for the first time last night.
I saw it for free and I was really upset that the result was this overblown piece of crap.It's pathetic from so many ways to even consider that this was an A-Team movie - based from the series.The characters were horrible developed, unfit for their characters and had no charming personalities.Their dialog was absolutely horrible and the action was overdone.The story in all capacity was just too damn Hollywoodized like some bad version on a Schwarzenegger movie - without the funny and it was just wrecked on all levels.I didn't pay to see this and I'm very glad...because it just sucked...Event he popular lines weren't used...what gives.A waste of my film viewing experience..
This being said I can only confirm what some reviewers already stated: The A-Team is an all-fun action movie that does a lot of credit to the original series.
The Definition of Dumb Summer Fun. If all you want out of a movie is dumb summer fun you could do much worse than "The A-Team," especially if you're a fan of the original series.Preposterous doesn't even begin to describe the set pieces in this film, but at least it's got a sense of humor, which is something that far too few big action films lack.
Sharlto Copley comes up from behind to give the film's best performance as the crazy Murdock, but he's in good company with Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper, who do exactly what they're asked to do.
(And I want the services of Cooper's personal trainer).Jessica Biel, in the grand tradition of female agents in films like this, does her job while wearing spike heels and chic leather trenchcoats, and Patrick Wilson (of all people) is almost too effective as a smarmy villain (you want to see far worse things happen to him than actually do).This movie taught me quite a lot.
I normally check out the reviews before watching a movie but this time I decided just to give it a go.I did not have high expectations for this film as at end of the day it was at a minimum going to be loosely based in the original from the 80's and no matter how hard they try they are never going to please everyone.
The cast did a good job with the characters, Humour was good, the storyline/plot was nothing new and jumped around a bit too much for my liking.A watch-able film though..
It was written like a hero action series for kids and the film is aimed at those same people who spent those three years watching it, but who are now grown and probably with children of their own.
There are plans, good guys, bad guys, at least a little eye-candy, inconceivable escapes, and lots of explosions.The action is pretty much straight forward, and each main character, with the possible exception of Smith, had a chance to grow.
I have never been a fan of the TV series The A-Team because I found it to be excessively absurd...even inside the parameters of the 80's television.However, I had some optimism before watching the film The A-Team thanks to the presence from director Joe Carnahan, whose previous movies were the excellent Narc and the entertaining Smokin' Aces.And even though it did not result to be a highly memorable movie, I cannot deny it kept me entertained because of Carnahan's dynamic direction, the competent performances and the action sequences.The A-Team (of course that the film) decided to follow the doctrine from films like Charlie's Angels, xXx and The Transporter, because it discards the realism in order to show absolutely over the top action sequences which require the defiance of every law from the Physic and of every limit from the human resistance.But the truth is that they all work well in the context from the movie.As for the characters, I honestly did not care too much about them, because due to the fact they are apparently immortal, I could never feel the sensation that something bad was going to happen to them.In other words, they did not emotionally connect with me.However, something which lessens to some degree that important fail are the performances from Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quinton Jackson, who bring a good amount of enthusiasm and energy to their characters, at the same time they never loose the credibility.So, The A-Team is not a brilliant movie, and it does not result to be a very memorable experience.However, I had a good time while I was watching it, specially during the ridiculous action scenes.And in conclusion, I think it deserves a recommendation because of that..
I have never seen the original TV series back in the early eighties, but this sounded like a good action fun film so I thought I would see it and as it turns out this was really great and better than I would thought it would be.The A-Team would normally be the sort of summer Hollywood blockbuster that would fall into the lines of just trashy fun with bad acting, cheesy script and dialogue with lots of clichés and a basic story opposite exciting action and special effects.
One of the things I also like and is rare in films like these is that the actors looked like they were enjoying themselves in terms of the action but also the script, which though as I said it is cheesy, they take it for what it is and there are some great comedy moments in there, and as a result the audience get more thrills from the fun and enjoy it more too.Why I gave this a seven was because first the acting, Liam Neeson is terrific as Hannibal Smith.
Quinten Jackson and Bradley Cooper provide good support but Sharlto Copley (last seen in Distirct 9 and who gave an excellent performance) is superb as the madly insane Murdock who makes the most of his time on the screen.
A chance to lose yourself in pure entertainment.Silly plot,yes but who cares it's really just a set up for the next joke and action scene.Memorable characters, yes the whole cast feels like they have known each other for years.Awesome editing on said action scenes.My only real complaint was Jessica,she had almost nothing to do in this flick except be bitchy and look good,Which I guess she did well.All in all I would say this everything that made the TV show great is in this movie cheese and all.I haven't had this much fun at a film since Raiders of the Lost Ark.Well worth seeing make sure you bring a friend it's that kind of movie..
Patrick Wilson is great as the arrogant (and often juvenile) Lynch, and Jessica Biel does a fine job as Sosa (though she doesn't seem to be anything more than a plot device...existing so Faceman has an established connection with the "good guys").A final complaint: A-TEAM is one of those action films where the protagonists never seem like they're ever really in danger.
And the villains of the film also feel paper thin, and generic.D for story, C for supporting cast, A for the leads, and A+ for what the movie REALLY gets right, the action: It's highly implausible, over the top, and cartoonish, but that's what makes it SO MUCH FUN, because it's so gimmicky and in your face (Literally so in one scene that pokes glorious fun at 3-D).
He even has "PITY" on one hand and "FOOL" on the other; that looks like a tribute to me.The other thing that makes this movie great is the way the action sequences were executed.
I think some of this has to do with the fact that I saw this movie for an action film and not as a remake of an original series.
They include Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson, the Colonel and master planner), Faceman Peck (Bradley Cooper, the slick intelligence operative and ladies man), B.A. Baracus (Quinton Jackson, the muscle), and Murdock (Sharlto Copley, the crazy pilot).Joe Carnahan's film updates the original idea, from a TV series in the 80s by the same name, to the contemporary military world, having them fight 80 successful missions in Irag (off camera), and facing off against non-military members of a private security firm (Black Forest).
Fortunately, the whole thing is kept together by a committed cast: sure, Biel is a bit wasted, like most female performers in huge action movies, and Jackson doesn't really have Mr. T's charisma, but Wilson's villain is a joy to watch, and Neeson's team leader is a hoot. |
tt0057012 | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | At the Burpelson U.S. Air Force Base somewhere in the continental USA, the eccentric Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) orders the 34 nuclear-armed B-52's of the 843rd Bomb Wing past their failsafe points where they normally hold awaiting possible orders to proceed and into Soviet airspace. He also tells the personnel on the base that the US and the USSR have entered into a "shooting war".In the "War Room" at The Pentagon, Air Force General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) briefs President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) about the attack that General Ripper ordered. Although a nuclear attack should require Presidential authority to be initiated, Ripper used "Plan R", an emergency war plan enabling a senior officer to launch a retaliation strike against the Soviets if everyone in the normal chain of command, including the President, has been killed during a sneak attack. Plan R was intended to discourage the Soviets from launching a decapitation strike against the President in Washington to disrupt U.S. command and control and stop an American nuclear counterattack. Turgidson tries to convince Muffley to take advantage of the situation to eliminate the Soviets as a threat by launching a full-scale attack. Turgidson believes that the United States is in a superior strategic position, and a first strike against the Soviet Union would destroy 90% of their missiles before they could retaliate, resulting in a victory for the U.S. with "acceptable" American casualties of "no more than 10 to 20 million killed, tops... depending on the breaks". He is rebuked when Muffley instead admits the Soviet Ambassador (Peter Bull) to the War Room, contacts Soviet Premier Dmitri Kissoff on the hotline, and insists on giving the Soviets all the information necessary to shoot down the American planes before they can carry out their strikes.Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (also played by Peter Sellers), an RAF exchange officer serving as General Ripper's executive officer, realizes that there has been no attack on the U.S. when he turns on a radio and hears pop music instead of Civil Defense alerts. When Mandrake reveals this to Ripper, and Ripper refuses to recall the wing, Mandrake announces that he will issue the recall on his own authority, but only Ripper knows the three-letter code necessary for recalling the bombers and locks the two of them in his office. Mandrake tries to convince Ripper to give up the three letter code. The psychotic Ripper refuses and rambles on that the Communists have a plan to "sap and impurify" the "precious bodily fluids" of the American people with fluoridated water, a theory that occurred to him during sexual intercourse, and which he believed to be the cause of his post-coital fatigue.Over the phone, an unseen and drunken Kissoff reveals to the Soviet Ambassador that their country has installed an active "Doomsday Device" which will automatically destroy all human and animal life on Earth if a nuclear attack were to hit the Soviet Union. The Doomsday Device is operated by a network of computers and has been conceived as the ultimate deterrent: as a safeguard, it cannot be deactivated, or it will set itself off, because its hardware and programs have been configured in such a way that an attempt at its deactivation would be recognized as sabotage. The doomsday weapon is described as based on "cobalt-thorium-G" [this was inspired by the real idea of a cobalt bomb, conceived by nuclear pioneer Leo Szilard, founder of Council for a Livable World]. According to the Soviet ambassador, life on Earth's surface will be extinct in ten months and was made as a low cost alternative to the bomb-race.The President now calls upon Dr. Strangelove (a.k.a. Merkwürdigeliebe), a former Nazi and strategy expert (Sellers in his third role). The wheelchair-bound Strangelove is a type of "mad scientist", whose eccentricities include a severe case of alien hand syndrome, so that his right hand, clad in an ominous black leather glove, occasionally attempts to strangle Strangelove or make the Nazi salute (no one in the room acts if this is unsusual). Strangelove also slips in addressing the President, as either "Mein President" or even "Mein Führer".Strangelove explains the principles behind the Doomsday Device, which he says is "simple to understand... credible and convincing". He also points out that a Doomsday Device kept secret has no value as a deterrent; the Soviet Ambassador admits that his government had installed it a few days before they were going to announce it publicly to the world, because Kissoff "loves surprises".U.S. Army paratroopers sent by the President arrive at Burpelson to arrest General Ripper. Because Ripper has warned his men that the enemy might attack disguised as American soldiers, the base's security forces, and Ripper himself with a .50 caliber M1919 Browning machine gun kept in his golf bag, open fire on them. After a fierce firefight the Army forces win the battle and gain access to the base, and Ripper, fearing torture to extract the recall code commits suicide. Colonel "Bat" Guano (Keenan Wynn) shoots his way into Ripper's office, but suspects that Mandrake, whose uniform he does not recognize, is leading a mutiny of "deviated preverts" and proceeds to arrest him. Mandrake convinces Guano that he has to call the President to tell him the recall code, which he has deduced from Ripper's desk blotter doodles to be based on the initials for the phrases peace on earth and purity of essence. Since office phone connections had been knocked out by the fighting at the base, Mandrake is forced to use a pay phone to try to contact the President. Not having the correct change to place a long-distance call to the Pentagon, Mandrake persuades Guano to shoot a Coca-Cola vending machine to get the change out of it, and eventually is able to forward the likely code combinations to Strategic Air Command.The correct recall code, "OPE", is issued to the planes, and those that have not been shot down return to base except for one. Its radio and fuel tanks were damaged by a Soviet anti-aircraft missile, with the result that the plane is neither able to receive the recall code nor to reach its primary or secondary target where, at the urging of the U.S. President, the Soviets have concentrated all available defenses. On the crew's own initiative, and losing fuel, the plane proceeds to fly at low level under radar to a closer target of opportunity.As they start their bomb run, the damaged B-52's bomb bay doors will not open, and aircraft commander Major T. J. "King" Kong (Slim Pickens) goes down to the bomb bay to open them himself. He succeeds just as the plane reaches its target, and one of the nuclear bombs falls, with Kong still sitting on it. He straddles the bomb and rides it to the ground like a rodeo cowboy, whooping and hollering and waving his cowboy hat. The bomb explodes, triggering the Doomsday Machine.Back in the War Room, Dr. Strangelove recommends to the President that a select group of about 200,000 or more people be relocated into a deep mine shaft, where the nuclear fallout cannot reach them, so that the U.S. can be repopulated afterwards. Because of space limitations, Strangelove suggests a gender ratio of "ten females to each male", with the women selected for their sexual characteristics, and the men selected on the basis of their physical strength, intellectual capabilities, and importance in business and government. General Turgidson rants that the Soviets will likely create an even better bunker than the U.S., and argues that America "must not allow a mine shaft gap". Meanwhile, the Soviet Ambassador retreats to a corner of the War Room and starts taking pictures with a spy camera disguised as a pocket watch.A visibly excited Dr. Strangelove bolts out of his wheelchair, shouting "Mein Führer, I can walk!". Abruptly, the film ends with a barrage of nuclear explosions, accompanied by Vera Lynn's famous World War II song "We'll Meet Again". | dark, comedy, dramatic, cult, violence, absurd, humor, satire, psychedelic, suspenseful, entertaining | train | imdb | Peter Sellers, fantastic three times over (and he was also going to play the Slim Pickens part) George C Scott in one of the greatest comic performances ever put on film and Sterling Hayden in a frighteningly credible show of abuse of power, complete the pleasures of this remarkable film..
The characterization is excellent.Peter Sellers (Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley and Dr. Strangelove, the wheelchair-using nuclear war expert and former Nazi) is simply awesome as a kind of voice of reason, incompetence and insanity at the same time.
Scott for his astounding performance, as well as Peter Sellers for the most versatile acting I've seen from an actor in one film, and to Sterling Hayden, for performing the most serious, yet the most hilarious role in film with perfect accuracy.
The horrors of the nuclear war caused by a simple mistake materialize before us, directed with skill by the late maestro, Kubrick.There are simply not enough words to describe Peter Sellers's BRILLIANT performance in three roles: A british officer, the U.S president and Dr. Strangelove.
He is hilarious as the british officer, with his wonderful accent, gloomy and neurotic as the president and simply insane as Dr. Strangelove.Also note that this movie includes a performance by very young James Earl Jones, who we now all know as the voice behind Darth Vader.The ending scene is also a masterpiece..
So realistic in fact, that the FBI almost investigated how they got the B-52 Bomber replicated to near perfection!In the end, 'Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' is the best comedy.
Other features of the film such as the remarkably designed "war room" set, the hand-held camera techniques employed by Kubrick and the black and white cinematography of Gilbert Taylor only add to the power and impact of "Strangelove." Quite simply, the greatest American film by the greatest American director..
Made in a period of time where the thought of nuclear war was a terrifying idea, that was believed to be a reasonable fear, the film takes this idea and turns it around, makes us laugh at it.
Just like Kubrick's other films, this one has some very memorable scenes, one of which(the bomb-riding sequence) has been referenced and spoofed a huge number of times...
Scott (his facial expressions are a crack up every time), and a supporting cast of crazies in a government of loons, the most impressive of these being the incomparable Sterling Hayden in his best dramatic/funny role.
These twisted paranoid ideas could mean the end of the world as we know it and director Stanley Kubrick made a great classic comedy about it.When watching this classic movie, one must not forget that the director made this movie in an era in which the americans came close to nuclear war with the russians during the "bay of pigs" conflict in Cuba during the sixties.
Stanley Kubrick's pitch black satire about the nuclear threat and the ends of which mankind is capable of going to prove its superiority.The plot goes that a US general has gone rogue and ordered a nuclear attack against the Soviets.
The first two were on the subjects of war and treason, but while the former was extremely serious, DR STRANGELOVE is a dark comedy which tells many truths about the delicate balance of the nuclear bomb and peace, in contrast with FAILSAFE, a film which came out on the same year but which approached the subject of nuclear conflict from a much more factual and formal angle.I can safely say that DR STRANGELOVE made me far more aware of the world's perilous balance, because my guffaws at some of the film's funny lines caused my mind to imagine the real consequences much more realistically than the serious-minded FAILSAFE ever could.
Scott is marvelous as the US Armed Forces commander with side interests and an eye always firmly tracked on the military solution, conveying suspicions about the Ruskies and sending shivers down your spine with his mad eyes and his confidence in US military capacity; Keenan Wynn does well with a tiny part and his quip about Coca Cola Company's power is so outlandish that it is frightening; Peter Bull is superb as the Russian ambassador called to the War Room, who uses the opportunity to take spy shots; Slim Pickens, as commander of the aircraft which delivers the bomb, is memorable in his desire to serve his beloved country, to the extent of going down with the bomb; and Sterling Hayden is also at the top of his form as the base commander who loses his marbles and orders the air attack on Russia, and then takes the coward's way out.Great photography, special effects, fitting soundtrack, and fantastic dialogue, full of sharp one-liners, always pursuing the absurd and darkly comic angle, complete the bouquet.
Well I warned you this doesn't sound like a comedy - A General paranoid with fear and Xenophobia as to what The Russians are doing launches the emergency plan to nuke hot-spots and eventually start World War III, not content with just that he also locks down his own base telling his men to shoot everyone on sight if they aren't known to the soldiers personally.
There are moments during movie that you follow the dialogue and watch it progress and you feel fine, but then there are verbal 'bombs' (for lack of a better word) dropped on you and you can fall on the ground for laughing so hard.At some point in the move I was thinking: is it inappropriate that I'm entertained, and then I looked it up on IMDb to see the genre: and felt a bit relieved to see that it is indeed a comedy.The pace was so slow (and in the best way possible): you wonder how Kubrick managed to squeeze so much in so little screen time, yet nothing feels rushed, and everything gets enough time.
Peter Sellers is doing one of the best performances of his whole carrier in his triple role in the film; As group captain Lionel Mandrake a British RAF exchange soldiers who has the bad luck of being locked in the same room with the maniac that launched the attack, as President of the United States Merkin Muffley and Dr. Strangelove a former Nazi and now nuclear war expert.
With a slightly better storyline and less boring characters, "Dr. Strangelove" truly might have become worth watching.And that explains the very good reason why this is Kubrick's first and only comedy.
There intervenes a motley group of offbeat characters such as a scientist (Peter Sellers was paid $1 million, 55% of the film's budget ,Stanley Kubrick famously quipped "I got three for the price of six") whose artificial arm repeatedly makes Heil Hitler sign as an involuntary reflex action , a hawkish general named Buck Turgidson (gunchewing militarist excellently performed by Geoge C Scott , this character was patterned after the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Curtis LeMay, who was renowned for his extreme anti-Communist views) and the US President Merklin Muffley (inimitable Peter Sellers , this role was patterned after Adlai Stevenson II, who lost two presidential elections to Dwight D.
Eisenhower )to deal with consequences a nuclear attack .This splendid film contains unforgettable scenes such as a soft drinking vending machine dispute , sketches involving a phone call to the American President and the movie's funniest the notorious Slim Pickens's wild ride on the bomb .
It was during this stage that, according to Harris, Kubrick began to toy with the idea of turning it into a comedy .Very good acting by Sterling Hayden as a crazed general initiating a nuclear attack on the Soviets and George C.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a 1964 movie directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Meanwhile back at the airbase, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) finds out that General Ripper issued the go code for no good reason other than 'the commie boogeymen trying to pollute the natural fluids their enemies' and struggles to recall the bombers.People at Pentagon are also informed of the unstoppable Russian Doomsday device by Soviet Ambassador Alexei de Sadeski (Peter Bull) built to wipe out all life on earth in case Russia is attacked by Nuclear weapons.
This could have been so much more and if Peter Sellers was not in it this flick and Kubrick did not have his name to it then this film probably would have been placed in the correct chart ie the worst of comedy.On a positive note some of the characters are good ie the base commander, and Sellers as his side kick.
This is barely even a comedy by any definition I am aware of.If you are a massive Kubrick fan then maybe you should watch this film but go in with open eyes and accept that you won't laugh, not even once.1/10.
I quite liked his English airman though: suitably snooty without being offensive.Many of the other actors (notably excluding James Earl Jones) were fairly rubbish, I thought; lots of overacting, presumably under the mistaken impression that this is what makes a good comedic performance.The story was original enough, although it basically fizzled out at the end, not knowing quite where to go and instead just stopping.
The variety was stunning and almost without precedent--except for a very similar multiple role situation Sellers also played in 1959's THE MOUSE THAT ROARED--another brilliant comedy about nuclear war.In addition to the great acting and writing, I do have to take my hat off to Stanley Kubrick.
A mad American general (Sterling Haydon) orders an nuclear attack on Russia that the rest of the US military machine finds hard to overturn.A film that has three major "The's": The best regarded cold war film, the film that crowned director Kubrick as a genius, and the role(s) that made Peter Sellers the comic actor of the 60's.
In reality no food or drink is allowed in war room locations in case it is spilled in to the sensitive equipment.)Strangely a more straight version of the "ultimate nightmare" Fail-safe (1964) is generally forgotten, although it is, perhaps, better plotted and more true-to-life.Kubrick's admiration for Sellers allowed him to be cast in four roles (he only played three in the end): An RAF officer, the US President, the mad German scientist (Strangelove) and one of the bomber pilots.
On the Shining (1980) Kubrick wanted 50 takes to get a door slam right!Despite having three shots at the prize Sellers doesn't come out of the film with the best comedy performance award.
In the sad little world of close-minded people who sip fine wine as they watch "films" but never "movies", Dr. Strangelove is a timeless classic.
You have everything you could ever want here: great dialogue, fantastic acting, flawless directing, cool sets, and timely political farce (that could still ring true today in this age of Bush America, Institutionalized Fear, and the War on Terror).Everyone deservedly raves about Peter Sellers in his multiple roles (as Mandrake, the President, and Dr. Strangelove), but I dare you to find a funnier performance than that of George C.
With characters like Colonel "Bat" Guano, and Slim Pickens' Major Kong, great scenes naturally flow forth, and Kubrick's one take on pure comedy is simply genius.
45 minutes into the movie, we literally looked at each other and said "this is a comedy, right?" 15 minutes later I fell asleep (that shows how boring the movie was) so it wasn't until the next day that I finally found 2 things to laugh at:1) The scene with Sellers looking for spare change and the subsequent shooting of the Coca-Cola machine.2) The bit with Dr. Strangelove referring to the president as "Der Fuehrer" and his hand continually attempting to raise in the style of a nazi salute.Those of you who have seen this movie know what I'm referring to.
Both most important geniuses of this film, Kubrick and Sellers, very well know that when fighting stupidity, a good laugh can often be much more effective than a ton of serious warnings.If you are by any chance amongst those who didn't see this movie - don't wait for another second.
Scott as General Turgidson, a calculating general on the edge of losing his mind, who gives a terrifically over the top performance ;Slim Pickens, the captain of a B-52 and determined to rain hell on the USSR; Sterling Hayden, as General Ripper, is also great as an American Patriot brought to the frayed ends of sanity by paranoia and "flouridated water in his bodily fluids." ; also, Peter Sellers' triple performance as Captain Mandrake, the US President, and Dr. Strangelove (three voices of sanity, well almost) in an otherwise insane situation, is terrific.Cast aside, the film's real power comes in it's presentation of the world stage and the irony of it all and the fact that there are two sides to every coin -- war is both a nation builder and a nation destroyer, nationalism both creates trust and demolishes it, paranoia both helps to keep the military in top shape to protect their nation or it can destroy everything we now know and hold dear.
Watching "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" was a refreshing comedy on mass destruction and the insane predicament during the Cold War and the Nuclear arms race.
Turgidson says this to President Muffley (Peter Sellers- in his first of three supporting roles) in the "War Room" as Gen. Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden) has gone "psychotic" and ordered 34 planes to Nuke Russia (U.S.S.R) because he thinks the commies are trying to spoil their "precious bodily fluids." He says the meaning is "water," but the low angle shots, almost as if the camera is in Hayden's lap, of Ripper sucking on a large cigar only scream of something more than just bodily water.
One such film is The Great Dictator, which was explicitly aimed at Hitler but also works as a mockery of every kind of dictatorship; another example is Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, a cold-war satire which has lost none of its power considering nuclear weapons still exist and, albeit less than in the past, constitute a threat to the planet's safety.Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (one of the longest titles in history, but also one of the most poignant) is set in a dystopic reality where the conflict between USA and Soviet Union has reached disastrous proportions, leading the mad Gen. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) to believe the Russians have poisoned the American soldiers'water supplies, contaminating their "bodily fluids" as he puts it, and orders an irrevocable attack on Sovietic soil: a series of nuclear devices will be dropped on the enemy's territory unless someone convinces Ripper of the insanity of his actions.
Scott) and the titular scientist (still Sellers), think of what to do to keep humanity alive, given the Bomb on hostile soil will trigger a device called the Doomsday Machine (the name says it all).The genius of Kubrick's masterpiece derives from the exaggeration of typically clichéd elements of other war movies: the officers' incompetence, the paranoid atmosphere, the soldiers' selfless bravery et al.
The same goes for Hayden: what could easily have been a low-quality parody of war-related madness becomes in his hands a realistic depiction of paranoia and (extreme) patriotism.Neither of them, however, can match the brilliance and versatility of Sellers' triple act: the first (and one of the few) to get an Oscar nomination (Best Actor, more precisely) for playing multiple characters in the same movie, he successfully moves from pure slapstick (Strangelove) to typically British anxiety (Mandrake) and deadpan delivery (Muffley) without breaking a single sweat.
Unlike in any of Kubrick's later works, there's a sense of playfulness here that gives the whole movie a crazy kind of energy; I'm guessing that Seller's love for improvisation forced Kubrick to ditch his usual perfectionism to a certain degree (and the film is all the better for it).
Unlike in any of Kubrick's later works, there's a sense of playfulness here that gives the whole movie a crazy kind of energy; I'm guessing that Seller's love for improvisation forced Kubrick to ditch his usual perfectionism to a certain degree (and the film is all the better for it).
Peter Sellers plays three roles in here, but is best as the President of the U.S. Scott, with an outlandish Patton-like performance (no wonder he got that role later on), is particularly good with his facial expressions as "Buck Turgidson." Hayden, meanwhile, was always a favorite from the 1950s film-noir days.
Stanley Kubrick's political masterpiece "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" is a brilliant satire on the cold war as we follow absurd characters trying to deal with a rogue general and his order to bomb the enemy.
It is Kubrick at his best with the genius of Peter Sellers and some great performances by George C.
I thought this movie was not only funny but very well thought up especially that this was the only real comedy that Stanley Kubrick made.
Watched this movie because it is supposed to be one of the best comedies ever and I did not laugh a single time.
I just rented this movie out and to be honest I couldn't even finish watching it..I really thought it wasn't funny or whatever it was suppose to be.First of all it started out really boring, I usually love black and white movies but this one was really bad for some reason..I didn't like the shots and the picture anyhow.I just don't understand how this is one of the best movies in the history.Can somebody tell me what is it that so good about it I'm really interested to learn about it..Also was this suppose to be a dark comedy??? |
tt0074084 | Novecento | Born the same day at the turn of the 20th century Italy, January 1, 1900, two best friends, Alfredo Berlinghieri (Robert De Niro as an adult) and Olmo Dalcò (Gérard Depardieu as an adult) come from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Alfredo is from a family of wealthy landowners led by his abusive but populist grandfather Alfredo the Elder (Burt Lancaster), while Olmo is an illegitimate peasant son off the estate whose grandfather Leo Dalcò (Sterling Hayden) is the foreman and peasant strong man who verbally and spiritually carries a duel of wits with both the peasants as well as his employer, but without ever reaching violence with Elder Alfredo's bidding. While growing up, the young Alfredo is somewhat rebellious and despises the falseness of his family, in particular his weak but cynical father Ottavio (Werner Bruhns), he befriends Olmo, who was raised as a socialist.The two become friends throughout their childhood, despite the social differences of their families. Alfredo's grandfather, suffering from gout, senile dementia, and other ailments, commits suicide by hanging himself in the dairy barn. As a result, Ottavio inherits the plantation.In 1917, the teenage Olmo enlists with the Italian army during World War I and goes off to fight on the front lines in northern Italy while Alfredo stays behind to learn how to run his family's large plantation. Olmo returns from the war over a year later and his friendship with Alfredo continues. However during Olmo's time away, Alfredo's father has hired Attila Mellanchini (Donald Sutherland) as his new foreman following the death of Olmo's own grandfather. Attila is sadistic man who becomes taken with fascism, especially after the fascists come to power in the early 1920s, Italy.Attila eventually incorporates his new belief system in his dealings with the Berlinghieri workers; he treats them cruelly and later cages them in the Berlinghieri compound and accuses them of treason against Fascist Italy. Several are killed by Attila himself. Alfredo's father, Ottavio, eventually dies from an illness and Alfredo inherits the vast estate as its sole heir. As the new padrone (master) of the plantation, Alfredo does little to challenge or halt Attila's evil actions.During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the intimacy and lack thereof in their respective relationships with others is highlighted in their love lives as both Alfredo and Olmo cannot seem to hook up with the right woman to be with. Alfredo eventually marries a gorgeous, demure woman, named Ada (Dominique Sanda), while Olmo marries Anita (Stefania Sandrelli), a fellow idealist who, like him, shares in the enthusiasm of the cause of workers' rights in the vein of socialism. Ada, however, sinks into alcoholism when confronted with the reality of the emptiness of her relationship with Alfredo.Anita dies tragically in childbirth, bringing another member into the community; a daughter whom Olmo names after his late wife. As Olmo takes on his fateful role of leader among the poor farmers and their families, he clashes with Attila several times as the years go on. Olmo's daughter, Anita the Younger (Anna Henkel-Grönemeyer), grows into a young and resourceful teenager whom is supportive of her father's socialist beliefs.The power, however, shifts after World War II in 1945, and the ruling class is at the mercy of the jovial and bitter peasants in the agricultural estate. As padrone, Alfredo is captured by a teenage peasant boy carrying a rifle. Attila is also captured when he and his wife, the equally cruel and sadistic Regina (Laura Betti), try to flee the region. Attila is stabbed, non-fatally, several times by women wielding pitchforks and is imprisoned in the Berlinghieri pig sty. He is later executed by the peasants (while they cut off most of Regina's hair), who have discovered that Attila had raped and killed a young boy (ironically, the son of one of the most fervent supporters of fascism as an antidote to socialism) several years prior in a fit of rage and had also murdered a wealthy landowner's widow, Mrs. Pioppi (Alida Valli), whose husband had been economically ruined by Alfredo, in order to steal her land and home.Alfredo is brought before Olmo's workers tribunal to stand trial. Many workers come forth and accuse Alfredo of letting them suffer in squalor while he (and his social class) profited from their labors and on top of that, he did nothing to stop the sadistic Attila. Alfredo is sentenced to death, but his execution is prevented after Olmo explains that the padrone is already dead even though Alfredo lives... that is, the social system has been overthrown with the end of the war. As soon as the verdict overturned, however, representatives of the new government, which includes the Communist Party, arrive and call on the peasants to turn in their arms. Olmo convinces the peasants to do so, overcoming their skepticism. Alfredo declares to Olmo: "The padrone is alive." | cruelty, murder, violence, flashback, insanity, absurd, romantic, revenge, sadist | train | imdb | Bertolucci's film would have us believe that the rich landowners (represented here by the Berlinghieri Robert De Niro's character's family) were responsible alone for sponsoring the Fascists.
And essentially the film follows the exploits of the two protagonists as they deal with love, friendship, money, death and the evils of war.The film unfolds like a finely crafted book, taking its time to tell its story.Unfortunately, the version that I watched was horrendously dubbed.
In a way this is an intimate epic, if such a thing could exist.This is an excellent film that is highly recommended for people interested in Italian history, the landscape of Italy and beautifully crafted films.
This film tells us a story of two mans (Alfredo and Olmo) born in the same day back in the beginning of the twentieth century - Alfredo is a landowner, Olmo is a peasant- and their relation with friendship, love, politics.
( I think this is a film about how friendship can be true in a cruel half century that was the fist half os the "novecento").There is a Marxist view about life and about cinema itself in this Bertolucci film: the two main characters, Alfredo and Olmo, symbolize the strike between the two classes of the capitalism - the high bourgeosie that owns the land where live the proletarian.
The cast list alone is fabulous:Burt Lancaster, Sterling Hayden, Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Gerard Depardieu, the best of Italian artists, the incandescent Dominque Sanda, at her prime.
Gifted filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, along with his collaborators, probably bit off more than they could chew with this massive epic of politics, revolution, love and war, but it's nevertheless a fascinating entertainment for those with the constitution to sit through at least 4 hours (the original long version is 5 hours +!) of imperfect dubbing.Robert DeNiro and Gerard Depardieu play, respectively, a rich landowner and a peasant, born on the same day of the new century.
By the way, de Niro's character is in every detail a clone of the Last Emperor from another Bertolucci film: same spoiled childhood, same loneliness, same conformism, same bohemian farniente, same relationship with wife, same end as a prisoner of the people.
I can't really describe the film any other way than that - it is a novel.There are some scenes that are hard to watch, especially in this day and age of political correctness and "you can't do that on television" attitude, but set your 21st century mind aside.
The photography, on the other hand, is brilliant, but as Ebert suggested, it comes across almost like an apology for the narrative mess of the rest of the film.Most interesting is that Bertolucci managed to make such an incompetent film with such stupendously talented actors as Gerard Depardieu, Robert DeNiro, and Donald Sutherland.
Its a typical story, one rich, one poor, with a large portion of the film taking place in Italy under Il Duce, but the handling of the film turns it into something more.The release version of this film is four hours long (and a directors cut is even longer), but don't let that stop you.
Mix a pretentious story intended to be "epic"; a bunch of famous good actors horribly directed and submitted to a senseless script; bad and pointless sex seemingly for no other reason than showing some sordid scenes and pretending to make the film more "realistic"; a lot of gratuitous, exaggerated and mostly out of context violence; good communists (angelic most of them!); bad fascists (did I say bad?, actually monstrous, pure evil, sadistic to the utmost!); and a nice setting with wide and pretty landscapes (yeah, watching the first 10 minutes recommended for wide screen bucolic landscape lovers), and what you get is...
Probably I have seen no film in my life where stereotypes and identification of good and evil with particular ideologies/social classes were so clumsily and naively shown, a tale for 6 years old children contains more character introspection and development than this film.I don't want to enter historical flaws (and actually blatant manipulation of history), other commentators have put it clearly and possess more background than me on the topic.
But two viewings of this somewhat bloated 5 hour plus film left me feeling the same way; The film is over-simplistic in its characters and politics, badly dubbed (with actors from all over speaking their own language, so whatever soundtrack you pick there are important characters who sound like something out of 'What's Up Tiger Lily'), and even the English spoken by DeNiro seems post- recorded, making for an oddly stiff sounding performance.
In short advice, stick mostly with English (it is people like De Niro, Sutherland, Depardieu and Lancaster here after all), but for those little moments like with the children in the first quarter, try some of the Italian portions for realism sake.Because this is, indeed, such an ambitious work, such a passion project, such a work by a director running strong off the steam of his previous successes (The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris), a work including people from all over Europe and the States, and according to the director with the original- and later admitted naive- intention of the picture being a "bridge" between the US and Russia, that it's easy to say it is a big waste.
But then again it will either seem a success artistically or a mess, or maybe both depending on how much a viewer can take of Bertolucci's pirouetting camera movements and the occasional jarring scene transition.It covers, essentially, a tale of friendship, which to me is a strength in conventional wisdom: the two sides of the coin on a farm in the first half of the 20th century, as Alfredo (as an adult De Niro) and Olmo (as an adult Depardieu) become close friends after sharing the same birthday, but lead different paths as the former is the inheritor of the land turned quasi fascist and the latter is a worker-cum-socialist.
For all of the pieces of the story that bulk up the picture to its current length, for the most part all of the sections are important in building up who our two 'sides' are, and how certain personal events (i.e. Lancaster and Haydens' respective deaths, the theft of a gun, the pressures with violence and their unspoken destinies) shape them as much if not more than the state of politics.It's so rich and alive and engrossing a story, with moments that intrigue and question and actually shock (a certain scene with a cat and Sutherland had me cringe, and another with a boy had my mouth drop), that it's a shame to report it's not the pinnacle of Bertolucci's career.
It is probably too long, by how much I can't definitively say; it isn't acted all around greatly (Sanda, for example, has no place being among the likes of De Niro and Sutherland and Depardieu who all deliver real top shelf work here, particularly De Niro as his mid-point between Corleone and Bickle); and as mentioned some scenes transition a little suddenly, like with a key turning point scene at a wedding that goes on to a pig killing some undetermined time later.And yet all of these flaws are somewhat minuscule in the grandiosity of the film as a whole.
This film features an incredible cast as well, with stunning acting performances by Gerard Depardieu, Donald Sutherland (great and disquieting), Sterling Hayden and the superb Burt Lancaster.
The depiction of the strong rebellious son of a peasant farmer born at the turn of the 20th century, which coincides with the birth of a wealthy landowners son who is passive in nature but bred into a fascist society, become childhood friends but in adulthood, adversaries on principals and politics.Not one element in this film is shot as filler, each scene gives a different emotion and captures your attention on multiple levels.
In spite of long running time, this film is not boring at all.This film shows political and social history in the early twenty century in Italy through two famous actors, Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu.
So many missing blocks here...!Acting: I can only say that this movie features one of the best casts in the history of cinema, including greats such as Robert De Niro, Gerard Depardieu, Burt Lancaster, and Donald Sutherland.
While the performances are given by such amazing actors, the characters receive little help from direction, montage, and the script!Music: I consider myself an enormous Ennio Morricone fan; and indeed his music in this movie is quite beautiful as in his other films, however, except in some minor scenes--mostly in the scenes where there's nothing going on--the music is irrelevant to what we see on the scree, mainly because of the soft music (very similar to the Legend of Greensleeves music) we are already falling asleep, even at the peak of the climax scenes and where enormous elements of suspense or shock are present.Cinematography/Montage/Mese En Scene/Light: To sum up the collective faults of the above elements give the viewer a pure indifference, that is quite inevitable; half way through the movie, (i.e after 2 hours) most viewers merely leave, and the rest furiously continue watching it, just so they never ever have to do it again!
As I mentioned before the choice of Mese En Scene is quite inappropriate: e.g. irrelevant music, inappropriate images, unnecessary nudity (including 2-3 scenes of CHILD nudity!) which finally brings us to the last element, cinematography: it is done in the worst possible way, very similar to 'Once Upon A Time In America' use of dead colours, in a blurry, rigid, shaky format!In the end, I'd like to point out that many scenes and elements of film-making in the movie is set so they convey allegorical meanings and symbolism, which makes the movie incredibly rich, but meanwhile confusing and ambiguous.
So if you're a die hard Bertolucci fan give the movie a shot by all means, but make sure you also give a look to Italian History following World War I and the lives of people in the southern Italy.
Although this film shows the brutal events of the 20th Century it's still a beautiful movie with great pictures and sights of Italy's villages and natures.
The failings, as I perceive them, include Novecento's tendency to drag on for more than six hours so that scenes are included that are simply unnecessary (like the strangely comic scene at the end where the Olmo (Gerard Depardieu) and Alfredo (Robert De Niro) are trying to beat each other to death) and the other problem is the blatant dubbing.
Despite the rather in-genuine acting of De Niro in this movie( also noted by others) this film stands out as a masterpiece of Italian cinema, rising above its own storyline to show the viewer something greater then the sum of its parts.Depardieu is fantastic as Olmo.
Bertolucci's characters are involved in a human drama but they are also players in a history, and as such they have dual roles: as real people and as representations of larger themes.This is established from the beginning, as the history (la storia) opens with the birth of Alfredo the aristocrat and Olmo the peasant -- on the same day and in the same house and on the eve of the 20th century.
many crimes were committed by some fascists, but not fewer than thos committed by the Italian communists that were concerting to take power with the help of Moscow.to come back to the movie, well, great actors, especially the ingenuous Depardieu, who was giving himself in those years to all of the movies that were lacking of ideological originality, as some ferreri's movie (ciao maschio, l'ultima donna), but that still has a great physique and that is perfect to incarnate the sane and robust farmer to counter with a De Niro who is representing a society who is weak and decaying.some bucolic set and frames are beautiful as painted pictures.This movie has anyway to be seen, if not for its political accuracy, for what can offer: a surface analysis of a country that is undergoing great changes after which, as always, somebody will win and somebody will lose..
It says in the trivia that Donald Sutherland was so upset with his performance as Attila that he couldn't watch the movie for several years, and one can only feel sorry for him because that role was truly just about the worst in my viewing history.
The drama spans from 1900 to about 1945, and focuses mainly on the rise of Fascism and the peasants' eventual reaction by supporting Communism, and how these events shape the destinies of the two main characters.This film excels as an epic, and must be commended for catching Robert DeNiro early enough in his career that he was able to sneak away for what could be called an art film, and then have nobody in America even notice that he did it.But also, that wonk scene...
1st watched 2/21/2000 - (Dir-Bernardo Bertolucci): Long & involving film about the relationship between landowners and peasants in the early 1900's in Italy seen thru the lives of two families.
This is one of my favorite movie is very long about 6 hours but its so good that you don't care i saw this movie the first time in in a revival movie house in New York City i love the movie from beginning to end is a masterpiece ,plus is the wonderful Dominique Sanda one of the most beautiful and talented actress in the world , plus Laura Betti a great actress she play the fascist wife of Donald Sutherland both are evil and perfect in their part plus Burt Lancaster never been better than here evil rich old man , Robert de Niro and Gerad Depardieu i am not a fan of either one are good here, Stephanie Sandrelli a great Italian movie star is good too , don't miss the movie i know is very long but you will not mine just go with the emotion and the time in history plus remember is Dominique Sanda in this movie.
Bernardo Bertolucci's massive epic, a history of Italy from 1900 to 1945 as reflected through the friendship of two men across class lines, is one of the most fascinating, if little seen, of his films.
Though this epic drama by Bernardo Bertolucci was originally released thirty years ago, revisiting the film, now available in its entirety of 315 minutes, is like reading a favorite old classical history novel.
The actors include not only such durable stars as Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Burt Lancaster, Donald Sutherland, and Sterling Hayden, but also some of Italy's finest actors and an entire town of 'naturals', adding a sense of verismo to the film.
Though rather simplistic assessment of both fascism and communism in early 20th century Italy, the film does capture the emotions and sentiments of many contemporaries who lived through this difficult period in Italian and European history.The efforts on the youthful Sutherland, De Niro, and Depardieu, along with the beautiful Dominique Sanda, are met by the mature acting of Alida Valli, Sterling Hayden, and Burt Lancaster.
Bernardo Bertolucci's massive film is a masterpiece of movie-making.
What could be better than a film written and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, scored by Ennio Morricone, photographed by Vittorio Storaro; using the acting talents of Robert DeNiro, Gerard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Burt Lancaster, and Donald Sutherland, for a whole 315 minutes?
Most of the chunks of Velveeta are the bits of politics thrown haphazardly into the film.There are also some of the characters: the villains are so hammy (and fascist), Robert DeNiro puts on a frankly bad performance, and the peasants seem kind of cheesy at times (although they're perfectly fine throughout most of the movie).In the end, I would still give this a positive rating.
There were plenty of sequences in 1900 that felt like they were in a great movie, and throughout almost the entire film I could feel just how high Bertolucci's ambitions were, which made it all the more disappointing when the film, over the course of its more-than-four-hour running time, failed to deliver on all it had promised.
When a movie's over four hours long, it's more than a little disappointing when it turns into the longest Grumpy Old Men film in history.
Because the story is so thin and the points so familiar that this is the only way we'll endure this long, tiresome film.This is however a beautifully photographed movie, and the performances of both Depardieu and Sutherland are very watchable (Sutherland does go a bit overboard at times but he is still a commanding actor).
1900 or Novecento is an Italian epic film by Bernardo Bertolucci that tells the story of two men during the political turmoils that have taken place in Italy during the first half of the 20th century.It features Robert De Niro and Gérard Depardieu together with Dominique Sanda, Donald Sutherland, Alida Valli, and Burt Lancaster.
The two meet each other when Alfredo goes back to Parma to handle Olmo's trial.The movie has a classic feel due to the lavish cinematography by Vittorio Storaro and the magnificent score by Ennio Morricone.The performance was also great especially by De Niro and Gérard Depardieu.Also,Bertolucci provides a great socio-political commentary and makes the viewer feel the richness of the Italian landscape.It was just unfortunate that it fell short of being a classic due to its cumbersome length and probably its being too ambitious in setting up so many goals for the films that not all of them are realized..
Both De Niro and Depardieu give credible leading performances, Sutherland is extraordinary as the evil character, and Lancaster gets his time too, there are certainly some eye catching moments and memorable scenes, despite it being five hours and seventeen minutes long, it is I suppose worth it, a most watchable epic period drama. |
tt1232200 | That's My Boy | Opening in the year 1984, 15-year-old outgoing and rebellious wild child Donny Berger brags to his friends about scoring tickets to Van Halen. One of the friends suggests taking a girl who they think is cute, but Donny declares he's not into girls anymore...he's into women. Ms. McGarricle (Eva Amurri), the sensually hot teacher is seen walking through the halls of the school, attracting the attention of many young boys. Donny makes a very stupid move trying to hit on her by inviting her to the concert and asking for a handjob, resulting in a month's worth of detention by Ms. McGarricle.In detention, however, Ms. McGarricle comes on to Donny, a very obviously inexperienced virgin, and invites him into her office, where his friend can hear the action. We see that this affair continues over several occasions, culminating during a school assembly, where they are caught having sex behind the stage curtain. As Ms. McGarricle runs away embarrassed, the entire student body (and a few faculty members) begin applauding Donny, then give him a standing ovation as he runs upfront and embraces his victory.Ms. McGarricle is put on trial for statutory rape (having sex with a minor), where the judge sentences her to 30 years in jail because the affair has resulted in a pregnancy. Donny's dad is pissed because the baby will be in his custody. As a result of this scandal, Donny becomes a nationwide sensation, getting a deal for a TV movie and becoming an overall celebrity.Present Day. Donny (Adam Sandler) meets with a man named Jim Nance (Rex Ryan) who informs Donny that he owes the IRS $43,000 after skipping taxes since 1994. They both talk about Donny's son whom he hasn't seen since he moved out, evidently because he was named Han Solo and was incredibly overweight. Jim suggests Donny get him to help, but he doesn't think that'll do anything. Jim also tells Donny about an obese man running in a marathon, and the odds on him are 8,000 to 1. Donny then bets $20 on him.Donny goes to a strip club and talks to waitress Brie (Ciara) and stripper Champale (Luenell). He sees a magazine with his son's picture, now very slim and having changed his name to Todd Peterson, and even making up a story that his parents died in an explosion. Donny learns that his son is getting married and that he is a successful hedge fund manager.In the next scene, we are introduced to Todd (Andy Samberg) and his fiancée Jamie (Leighton Meester). He is so nervous about her overbearing and annoying parents coming over that he even has a spare pair of underpants with him. She tells him to relax.Meanwhile, Donny goes to see a guy named Randall Morgan (Dan Patrick) for money. He bumps into Vanilla Ice (playing himself), who hates Donny for sleeping with his mom. They get into a fight until Randall breaks it up. He meets with Donny privately and tells him that he is no longer relevant like he was when he was a kid, so Donny schemes to get his name back out there while scoring some money. Randall tells him to get his son to come with them to the prison where his mother is for a reunion special, and Donny will get $50,000.Todd takes Jamie and her family to stay at his boss, Steve Spirou's (Tony Orlando), house. Jamie's brother Chad (Milo Ventimiglia), a marine, comes in and intimidates Todd. As they are having lunch, Donny appears and freaks Todd out. He pretends Donny is his old friend, giving Donny the opportunity to come up with an outrageous story about how he saved his life, which the family seems to believe. Todd pulls Donny into a room to talk to him about how he was an awful father and he needs to go away so he won't ruin his wedding, but Donny asks Todd to give him a chance, as well as going to see his mother in prison, making up a story about how she is terminally ill. Todd tells him to wear a tie for a cocktail party that's about to happen.Donny puts on a tie but looks as informal as he can. He does manage to make an impression on Steve and his mother, along with other guests by going "WAZZUP!" He tells the guests about the made-up story about saving Todd. He also meets a co-worker of Todd's named Phil (Will Forte) and his wife (Rachel Dratch). Phil admits that he had no idea why Todd picked him as the best man, so he passes it to Donny. Donny then notices a baseball field nearby and has everybody go play. This makes Todd nervous because he can't play sports, and it shows as he gets hit in the throat during the game.That night, Donny hears Jamie yelling at Todd to get the cake, showing how whipped he is. Donny sees him in the shower wearing a swimsuit, revealing an old tattoo of New Kids on the Block with warped heads, which Donny finds hysterical. They suddenly get into a tickle fight which becomes awkward when Donny waves his boner in Todd's face. Chad comes in and thinks they're wrestling, so he starts wrestling Todd, only to get knocked out by a bottle. Later, he whacks off to Steve's mom, who used to be a model. He admits to being turned on by the old woman now as opposed to the picture of her younger self. In the morning, she and Todd find all the used tissues on his bed.Everybody goes to church for a rehearsal with Father McNally (James Caan). He says he is sorry Todd's dad couldn't be there, and Todd says he deserved his imaginary fate of dying in a car explosion. McNally berates him for speaking of his father like that when he didn't abuse him, so Todd insults him. This leads to a fight outside, and Todd getting his ass kicked until Donny knocks out the priest with a bottle. The family is pissed at Todd for provoking the priest, but Donny saves him by telling the family that Todd had a bad experience with churches after his dad's "death," so he is forgiven, and they decide to have the wedding at Steve's home.As they are preparing at the home, Donny learns that there will be a bachelor party. It turns out Phil booked a party at a men's treatment spa, bringing Donny, Todd, Chad, Steve, and Jamie's dad Gerald (Blake Clark). Donny hates the place because he is not getting pleasures, even trying to proposition the masseuse (Jackie Sandler). He decides to take the guys to the strip club (not before nailing the hostess (Ana Gasteyer) who, despite her acknowledging how vulgar he is, still wants to screw him), where they all get drunk and get lap dances. Brie appears and tells Todd she knows he is Donny's son, but it'll be a secret.Chad, Steve, and Gerald go home while Phil gets head from a stripper. Donny and Todd leave to bond. Donny gives Todd an earring that Ms. McGarricle gave him, though he makes him bleed while putting it in. They run into Vanilla Ice (who was known to Todd as Uncle V as a kid), working at a skating rink. Donny apologizes to Ice for sleeping with his mom, and he forgives him. They then go into the rink after smoking a bong, messing with the skaters, along with Todd Bridges, who also works there. They go to a convenience store and drink beer without paying and get chased by the clerk with a shotgun, though he joins them in creating chaos as well, including stealing a little girl's bike to teach Todd how to ride, even though he hits a car and interrupts an old couple having sex.They return home, and Donny tells Todd he loves him, but Todd doesn't appear to feel that way about him yet. Ice passes out in the front lawn as they go inside. Donny ends up having sex with Steve's mom while Todd sees Jamie's wedding dress, thinking it's her, and starts humping it. He wakes up to Jamie screaming about the dress covered in puke, along with semen (which Jamie discovers after licking it). She yells at Todd and tells him to send the dress to the dry cleaners and to take off the earring. Ice then comes in after hearing the commotion, then goes back to banging Steve's mom.Donny makes Jamie's family and the two Chinese servants breakfast when he gets a call from Todd. He tells him that he left Donny a present and is going to see his mom in prison. Donny rushes to stop him, but Ms. McGarricle (now played by Susan Sarandon) is already coming to talk to Todd and Donny. She is still in love with Donny, and he still wants her back. That's when Randall and his crew come in and tape the reunion, which angers Todd as he realizes what's really going on. He leaves, but not before hitting Donny and getting tasered, and he craps his pants. Because Todd didn't sign the release form, Donny will not get paid.Donny goes home and hears Jamie on the phone with Steve, learning that she is cheating. He goes to the rehearsal dinner at night and tries telling Todd, but she manages to make up a cover story. He leaves again, shamed. As Jamie and Chad leave, Kenny (Nick Swardson), a very creepy guy who goes to the strip joint, tells Donny to go after Jamie and try and win her forgiveness. He gets into the hotel room after the clerks recognize him as the kid who banged his teacher. He goes up with two ice cream cones when he hears Jamie having sex. After sneaking in through the window, he discovers that Jamie is having sex with none other than... Chad! Donny is understandably grossed out, telling Chad he is a disgrace as a marine, until Jamie says that he only buys those outfits so their dad won't find out he's a jazz dancer (which Donny thinks is worse than the incest). Donny starts leaving to tell Todd, but Jamie says she will give him money to keep his mouth shut.Donny calls Jim and tells him that he got the money, but he opens Todd's gift and discovers it's an oven mitt puppet from his childhood. This inspires Donny to move on and stop the wedding. He rounds up Ice, and they get to the wedding in time. That's when Donny and Todd reveal that they are father and son, and Donny rips Jamie's check, saying he'd rather go to prison than take her money. He forces her to tell Todd about her affair with Chad through a whisper, but Todd is so grossed out that he blurts it out to everybody, and Donny reveals she is also sleeping with Steve. Todd then quits his job and starts walking out, proudly accepting his name as Han Solo Berger, also telling Steve how Donny and Ice banged his mom. Jamie grabs a cake knife and starts running toward Todd, but Donny knocks her out with a bottle. Chad tries to attack, but he is knocked out by Father McNally. Donny, Todd, and Ice leave together.Sometime later, Donny and Todd are having a little going-to-jail party at the strip club. Todd is now with Brie, and Donny accepts that he'll be going to jail for three years, because by then, Ms. McGarricle will be done with her sentence, and they can get together again. Just then, Jim comes in and tells Donny that the fat guy they bet on is running the marathon. Since Donny placed the bet, the money would come to $160,000. The patrons all cheer him on as the fat guy wins the marathon, and therefore, Donny will now have enough to avoid prison. | humor | train | imdb | At no point in this movie did I think "oh man this is the worst thing I've seen in my life." Had good feeling, good comedy, a solid entry to Sandlers recent works.
I mean you cant tell me when he was on SNL and in some of his earlier movies he didn't act stupid, Maybe some of you reviewers are just getting old and don't know comedy anymore when you see it.
To be fair, Adam Sandler does act immature and pretty stupid throughout the movie, but lighten up folks.
But if you're an Adam Sandler fan who loves his earlier stuff, this one is right up there with Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore!
You will laugh at the movie because it can get very silly.Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg have AMAZING chemistry, and I think we are expecting more from the duo, well, hopefully!
I have tried to watch this abortion of a film called "That's my Boy" a couple of times now , and all I can say is "Who is giving Adam Sandler money to make "films" , and who in the hell thinks this CRAP is funny"?
wont' like this.The cast varied greatly from many well known actors and actresses to current top stars and new faces, they all played their parts really well.Adam Sandler has redeemed himself, That's My Boy is hilarious..
Actually at times through out this hard to watch excuse for a comedy, due to his hair style Adam Sandler looks similar to his Little Nicky persona without the obscure voice.
And which makes me sad since I've liked, and even loved, other Adam Sandler films.
Actually, James Caan stood out as the only proper actor, in my opinion.I really liked many previous comedies that starred Adam Sandler, and this film was real rubbish compared to any of them..
especially if he hasn't been in the media in a good decade or two at that point and he was near completely broke???) Plot holes aside I would still be lying if i said that i didn't laugh at a fair number of things that happen throughout the film, and i would be lying if i said that i didn't think the semi serious scenes between Sandler and Samburg didn't work.
(Especially in something like Click where the humor turns much more bittersweet in the last half) Its because I felt that Sandler geuinely wanted to be a better person to his kid, that i thought the ending worked, (even if the end reveal does kind of come out of nowhere) and i thought the movie to be a resonably good time if you've liked sandler's movies these past number of years more or less....and c'mon some of the things happening are pretty funny.Also the very quick scene with Vanilla Ice where Sandler asks him to drive him at the end and Vanilla goes "You Kidding Me????" and then strikes a pose and then Sandler waits a beat and says "Is that a yes or a no?
I haven't seen a movie like this before it was awesome and is a great combination of Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg.
although it had all of these amazing great things it wasn't as good as some of other Adam Sandler movies like the Waterboy, Happy Gilmore, and Billy Madison, but i still loved the movie but also disliked some of the things in the movie.
Otherwise, pick a cleaner comedy to watch, even if you have to go back several years in the film library to do so, because- honestly-Adam Sandler & the Hollywood crew have reached the bottom of the barrel in what they think is funny.
I don't mind edgy humor, but there should be a limit, This film takes things up a notch, to the point where it's not funny, it's sick.Donny(Adam Sandler) is drunk, broke, and is about to go to jail for failing to pay taxes, his only hope is his grown son(Andy Samberg), who Donny has not seen for nearly a decade.
Sandler, Samberg where not funny, neither was anybody else, except for Vanilla Ice who makes fun of himself perfectly, I thought Jack and Jill was bad, this was much worse.
Give that money, instead, to the families around this country that cannot afford food, a decent place to live, medicine for their children, teachers who are grossly underpaid, victims of sexual abuse (like the Sandusky victims), women who cannot afford health care, teenagers who cannot afford college tuition, dogs and cats that need a good home, talented children who cannot afford to go to school for arts, our soldiers who return home with major injuries or mental disorders, building safe housing for families in New Orleans, to young filmmakers around the country who actually have an interesting story to tell and need a career break.BUT PLEASE, PLEASE do not give anymore money to ADAM SANDLER.
First of all, one of the largest flaws I see with the user reviews involves 'I took my church group...', and 'was too childish and vulgar'; but I have to say that it is not intended for your church group, and Adam Sandler movies usually fit into the vulgar comedy category.
I have avoided Sandler movies on principle for years, and the local cineplex's line up wasn't very strong on the night, but I don't know what possessed me to choose this dog, especially to take 3 young ladies to see.Yes, there were some belly laughs but they were few and far between and I was over the constant swearing after the first 15 minutes.
In the circumstances I simply slid into my seat and cringed.The plot is simply inane, Sandler's acting is atrocious and resorting to incest and granny screwing for humor makes it clear that Sandler is finally scraping the bottom of the comedy barrel.After this debacle, I guess I won't be choosing the movies for some time to come.Folks, don't duplicate my mistake.
Adam Sandler does not seem to realize that stuff like what a character says, does, or their background can be funnier than gross out humor..
Jack and Jill yes indeed was not good in the slightest but this movie i was sure was guna Be Adam's come back.
Furthermore, the whole room was laughing as hard as I was so I know I wasn't the only one.In conclusion, if you are expecting a movie like Mr.Deeds you will be surprised or disgusted.
I know Adam Sandler is probably trying to go back to his roots of "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" style of movies.
The weak plot of a former child star bad boy (sandler) realizing he has a long lost son raised by a rich family(Andy Samberg) and needs to reconnect to pay a debt isn't enough to carry this movie past the over acting predictable jokes we have all seen time and time again.
To save you some time, not really, but for more informative details read on about this latest addition to the "comedy" family.As I'm sure you have all seen, That's My Boy tells the story about Donny (Sandler) who at the hormone crazy age of thirteen decides to have sex with his teacher.
After not seeing each other for almost ten years, Donny decides to visit his son days before his wedding to attempt to reconnect with his illegitimate offspring, while also keeping his eyes on the prize.If you think the trailer looked good, then I'll let you know now this movie is for once summed up in the trailer.
And I'm not some idiot who likes every Adam Sandler movie.* This movie has lots of laughs.
This is the kind of film that Adam Sandler has always been capable of making even though he chose to take a break so he could work on movies to watch with his wife and kids.
Bottom line: If you like crude sexual humor and you go into this movie with an open mind, you're going to have a great time.---------------------------------------------*I like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore.
Now we know Adam Sander hasn't produced the best of films over the past year or two, most of his comedies would have a sense of homour that wasn't always funny, from sarcastic lines to terrible story lines made you think if he could ever get a movie right...I wasn't so keen on watching this movie as i was expecting it to be another stupid comedy flick but i have to admit this movie really did make my day.Amazing story line, good casting and just absolutely hilarious, don't know why people are rating it as a 4 on IMDb, i thoroughly enjoyed it, much better than waterboy and all of his previous movies, laughing my head off through out the film just makes it perfect...well done Sander and the cast, Adam Sander can always surprise you, glad i watched it and would probably continue watching his upcoming films....
Now, returning to the classic drunk, absent-minded, and squeaky-voiced man-child role, which has made him famous in the first place, Adam Sandler now stars in "That's My Boy", which although is better than the other crappy movies in Sandler's career, is still a disgustingly obnoxious, and incredibly insulting film that will leave audiences cringing...out of disbelief.
There were some funny moments, and Adam Sandler did make a better movie than "Jack and Jill", but overall, this was just a dumb, annoying, unrealistic, and unbelievable movie that really tries it's best to go beyond the odds of a comedy....way too much!
With the lack of these comedies being made, with a name like Adam Sandler attached to the project it can be expected for this movie to relish in the box office.
The movie stars Adam Sandler who plays Donny Berger, who at age 14 has sex with one his teachers and ends up fathering a child.
I do prefer comedies that don't use cuss words and vulgar jokes to get their laughs, but Adam Sandler movies will feature crudeness and disgusting jokes; even though I thought some were forced, I did think they worked out in this movie.
It's about time Adam Sandler made good "dumb" comedy again!.
this is a funny movie with Adam Sandler in it.
Any bad review of this film are coming from people who for some reason think Adam Sandler films are are supposed to be intelligently written & masterfully directed.
Adam Sandler is back at wasting the time and money of movie viewers once again.
It seems like Sandler follows a simple formula
he comes up with a funny voice and attempts to make a movie out of it.
It's obvious Sandler enjoys making movies that immature guys will find funny, and he doesn't seem to be looking to change.
From the moronic casting of people who can't act (Vanilla Ice, Ciara & New York Jets football coach Rex Ryan), to the jokes so forced they seem to be written by a panel of fart and puke loving 12-year-olds, to Sandler's stupid Boston accent that loses any sign of amusement within the first 10 minutes of screen time.It's sad to see Sandler refuse to grow as an actor, especially since he has shown glimpses of what he can accomplish with the right project (Punch Drunk Love, Funny People).
I'm certainly not going to give anything away, but even if you're not a huge Sandler fan, the movie is worth watching just for the unbelievable cameos, by people I haven't seen in years.
This film may go down as one of the greatest comedies and possibly a top 10 all-time movie, with the likes of the Godfather and so many other enduring classics.
This movie is the Adam Sandler of old, the Billy Madison, and Happy Gilmore I fell in love with as a kid that introduced me to what comedy movies should be!
IF you like to laugh and you like Adam Sandler you need to go see this movie..
I love most Adam Sandler movies, and i noticed a lot of reviewers say the same thing, Thats my boy, is a really funny movie (at least to me, my friends and all the other younger people in the audience ranging from about 16-30's) It wasn't a movie i went in hoping for some comedy classic, it's a great movie to watch when you just feel like watching a movie that gives some good laughs (depending on your humor) and slight amused disgust.....
the concept of the move was very straightforward with the teacher and student having sex and getting caught...etc then trying to reconnect with his son around 20-30 years later to pay off debt, which most of the audience would guess he would find out about and they'd get in a massive fight but i did not expect the major twist near the end of the movie that had the whole cinema i was in going 'gross' 'wtf' 'LOL' and causing a general sense of amusement.This is one of those movies where its crazy, stupid and funny....i loved it so did all my friends and the rest of the audience in the cinema with us - so really if you like his movies watch it with an open mind and see for yourself, it really all depends what you find funny...the other reviewers just say its bad don't watch it, but really you should give it a go.
With their jerk off jokes and ridiculous scripts this movie is a pile.I used to like Adam Sandler but give up it's over.
The acting would be bad even if this was some low budget amateur movie, specially Adam Sandler who makes a voice for his character that sounds as fake as it gets.
A bad Adam Sandler movie..
You know what an Adam Sandler movie is going to be like.
I'm a big fan of the happy Madison comedies, but Adam Sandlers movies recently for me have had very little laughs in them, 'funny people' 'Jack and Jill' 'grown ups' for example.
This one had me laughing all the way through, I'm not ashamed to admit I enjoy a daft Sandler comedy full of crude humour, it had a few nice cameos in there too, Vanilla ice and Willis from different stokes were good sports and fans of Adam Sandler/ Happy Madison movies will recognise a lot of the usual crew, I enjoyed this movie the same as I did when I watched Grandma's boy and Benchwarmers, I put this movie on par with those two so if you liked those two i'm sure you will enjoy this one.8/10.
It wasn't the best Adam Sandler movie, but it was hilarious,stupid, raunchy riot.
"That's My Boy" comes after his last flick: the outright horrible "Jack and Jill", and it indeed proves to be a comeback of sorts for the struggling actor/comedian.The laughs are big, and the supporting cast is excellent in this funny off-beat Rated-R comedy that benefits largely to the addition of SNL funny-man Andy Samberg who has become surprisingly adept at hanging around with the best of Hollywood and even surpassing them along the way.Sandler and Samberg are a team made in comedy heaven, and you wouldn't expect anything less than a wildly-gross, ridiculous comedy that does things you've never seen before on the big screen.
Adam Sandler has been delivering one horrible movie after another lately, but That's My Boy is actually pretty damn funny.
It hearkens back to the days of Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, when Sandler made comedies people liked.
The best part is that as in all Adam Sandler films, there are all these "Easter Eggs" to find while watching the movie...
watching an Adam Sandler movie hits the spot when I just want to take a break from all of that and reset myself with humor with little thought...
I watched with my girlfriend and we both thought it was funny and the rest of the cinema was laughing also so i think maybe the other bad reviews are people still angry with Sandler for making Jack and Jill..
Lets face it, we all know that the days of great Adam Sandler Movies (Water Boy, Billy madison, Happy Gilmore) are behind us.
After all, there is an actual story to this movie and it's filmed, and written, beautifully.If you like classic Adam Sandler, you'll love this movie.
The film had its stupid parts, but they weren't too bad to where you just roll your eyes.I think that Adam Sandler is still a very funny person and if he continues to make movies like this one, then he will still have a career in making movies.
And not only was this funny but it was interesting as well, I mean it actually had a story that made you want to see how it was going to turn out.I was hoping this movie would take our minds off of our day at work, and boy did it not disappoint!
And honestly when was the last time Sandler made a funny movie or even a good one at that.
I really like many of Adam Sandlers films, but this isn't one of them!.
That's my Boy – TRASH IT (D) Reviewing an Adam Sandler's movie these days is like slamming your head on the wall again and again.
He is Adam Sandler in all of his movies these days.
Adam Sandler has done some Dodgy films in the past and I wasn't sure what to think of this before watching it.
Andy Samburg is a great comedy actor and does well but Adam Sandler la voice through the film gets very annoying.
It's a silly movie with rude humour, personally loved its silliness and classic Adam sandler feel good vibe.I laughed all the way through it and had a great time.
If you're a fan of Adam sandler movies you'll love it..
The best Adam Sandler Movie Ever!. |
tt0138510 | Idle Hands | Anton Tobias is an average lazy stoner teenager. He has two caring parents (Fred Willard and Connie Ray) and two best friends, Pnub (Elden Henson) and Mick (Seth Green). He has a crush on Molly (Jessica Alba), the girl across the street. Everything is going fine until a string of murders plagues the town. Then, when Anton's parents wind up dead on Halloween, all the clues point to Anton. Anton's hand stabs Mick's forehead with a bottle (killing him), and throws a circular saw blade at Pnub (beheading him). He then realises that his right hand has become possessed (little does he know, the hand is searching for a soul to bring back to Hell). Anton's hand throws his cat across the street after fighting for the remote, and while searching for his cat, his hand forces him to ring Molly's doorbell and the two start a relationship. Anton holds a funeral (of sorts) for his parents and friends. However, Pnub and Mick decide not to go to heaven, claiming the entrance was "too far", and instead return to their former bodies, (although Mick has a bottle in his head and Pnub is still decapitated). With their help Anton must stop his possessed hand.Meanwhile, a druidic high priestess named Debi LeCure (Vivica A. Fox) in Utah has found out that when the locations of killings that have happened all over the country are connected in the order they happened, it makes a pentagram. After his hand kills two cops Anton knew from high school, Anton cuts it off with a cleaver and Mick cauterizes his wound with an iron. Pnub and Mick go to his place for a First-Aid Kit as Anton battles with his severed hand, eventually trapping it in a microwave and burning it. Meanwhile, Debi (now along with Randy (Jack Noseworthy), a local metalhead with a monster truck and a neighbor of Anton) hunts Anton down, as Debi knows how to put a stop to Anton's possessed hand. After sending Molly to the school dance, to what Anton thinks will be a safe place, Anton returns to his home to finish off the hand. Unfortunately Pnub and Mick opened the microwave to make some burritos and the hand had already escaped. Mick fixes Pnub's decapitated head with a meat fork and duct tape and they head to the dance with Anton to look for the hand.The three steal Randy's Ford, accidentally hitting Debi while backing up, and knocking her unconscious. Randy uses "CPR" on her and revives her. Meanwhile, a couple making out in a car are killed, one's neck being broken, the other's head bashed in. Anton, Pnub, and Mick see this and split up. Mick and Pnub go to the school Halloween dance (everyone thinks their gory appearance is a costume) to watch over Molly, while Anton looks for the hand. The hand, meanwhile, kills the principal in his office while he indulges in a little phone sex. Randy and Debi meet up with Anton, and after attempting to kill him to "stop the evil", they realize he has cut off his hand, and it is loose somewhere in the building, Debi explains to Anton that the hand will drag Molly's soul into the netherworld with it at 12:00am Druid time, which is in 6 minutes. Pnub and Mick, meanwhile, are at the dance 'watching' over Molly. Anton tries to warn everyone about his hand, but is just booed at for stopping the show.The Hand then kills the lead singer (Dexter Holland of The Offspring) at the dance and causes a panic. Molly and her friend Tanya, however, escape through the vents. They end up at a giant fan, and Molly uses Tanya's shoe to stop the fan from moving. Molly climbs down using a rope, but Tanya is too afraid to go, so she stalls; and the hand comes and ties the rope around her neck, then shoves her down. Then the Hand removes Tanya's shoe, causing the rope to pull Tanya into the now moving fan. Molly runs into the art room, only to have a pot smashed on her head by the hand, knocking her out. Anton, now searching in the art room, fights with the Hand while it is inside a puppet; but as soon as he is about to finish it off, Mick and Pnub drop from the vents right on top of him, causing it to escape. They hear Molly scream, and find the Hand in an autoshop, with Molly strapped to a car being raised toward a pentagram on the ceiling. Anton, Mick & Pnub fight with the Hand over the controls to try stop the car, but the Hand has a good grip. Mick finds a mechanics "Mighty Joe Bong" and he and Pnub smoke a bowl "for strength" while Molly is raised toward the roof. Anton takes in some and blows his smoke into the Hand (which is still inside a hand-puppet) getting it stoned, where it drops the controls and they save Molly. Debi throws a ritual knife into the Hand (which lands in Mick's chest), stopping it in a puff of smoke and fire. She and Randy take off for "ritualistic sex." Anton releases Molly from the top of the car, they go under the car and start making out. Meanwhile, Mick realizes he never got a hit off of the mechanics 3-Chamber Bong, and tells Pnub to 'light me up'. In the process of lighting the Bong, Pnub accidentally hits the controls for the car, and Anton is crushed by the car when the controls lower it too fast.In the film's climax, Anton and Molly went into the hospital. Anton has given up heaven to stay with Molly, and Mick and Pnub are now his Guardian Angels, sent to see that he does not return to his "evil ways". After Molly leaves, Mick and Pnub go to the SnackMaster in the hall, shutting off the lights as they leave the room. Anton looks at the ceiling to see "I'M UNDER THE BED" written in glow-in-the-dark paint. As Anton screams for Mick and Pnub, the two joke about how they wrote the sign and how Anton screams like a girl. | comedy, murder, stupid, cult, violence, good versus evil, entertaining | train | imdb | In addition to really revving up the laughs, this feature is also what kind of makes this movie stand out from the usual horror fare.Now, here's the key: While Anton struggles with the evil in his bumbling way, egged on by the wise-cracks of Mick and Pnub, the film delivers actual horror.
Its still a rather brainless teen slasher flick, with the usual array of 2D characters ( the goofy friends, gorgeous love interest, aggressive hunk etc) and situations (school Halloween dance), but the great dialogue and great visual effects elevate it above the majority of other movies in the teen slasher style and doesn't do too much talking down to the audience.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't up there with the likes of Lawrence of Arabia, but it never sets out to be; it's hilariously funny, satisfyingly gory and one hell of a lot better than you'd ever think.
The plot centers around Anton Tobias(Devon Sawa), he's 17, he hasn't been to school in 6 months, he's in love with Molly(Jessica Alba) a girl who has lived across the street from him for lord knows how long, and he smokes pot with his friends Mick(Seth Green) and Pnub(Elden Henson).
Yes, it's humor geared more for teens but people far older than 15 should still get a lot of laughs out of this.Warning: some of the scenes are pretty gross, at least for a comedy, but that's what made those particularly scenes funny.
Now that I finally saw the whole thing, it's now one of my favorites!It's a welcome change from most of the horror movies I've seen.Great music, great acting, and gorgeous women (Specifically speaking, Jessica Alba)...
Cast and crew were smart enough to put the whole horror genre into perspective a bit and therefore this feels a lot more like a light-headed spoof than a sickening gore flick.
Ever since that dreadful "Scream", the teen-slasher flicks are going through a revival and "Idle Hands" picks into this in a funny way with a very exaggerated plot, eccentric characters and outrageous situations.
"Idle Hands" is an overall okay film...not good enough to be named among the better horror-comedies but surely a lot better than the so many other pretentious spoofs..
It's got all of the elements for the perfect horror/comedy: (1) Great dialogue (2) Great gore/great make-up (3) Great performers/ Sawa and Green shine (4) A hot chick/Jessica Elba [insert panting and howling here} (5)...and a barrel full of laughs.
Loving a film like "Idle Hands" takes a certain mind-set, understanding and intelligence.
idle hands is very funny.it's entertaining,and cool.it's not for everyone's taste.the only way you will like this movie is if you like goofy comedy.in this case goofy horror/comedy.idle hands is about a lazy pot-smoking kid,and one day his hand gets possessed,and he can't control it.his parents were killed.then his hand kills his two best friends.they come back to live,they start partying again as they did before they were killed.he also finally gets with his dream girl.from across the street.his hand is always getting out of control.also a women tries to hunt the evil hand.it's a fun,bloody,and goofy movie.a lot of comedy in this movie.but you have to like goofy horror/comedy to like this movie.i give idle hands *** out of ****.
I use Idle Hands to break up the marathon with a bit of humor and levity when the serious and somber horror films start to take their psychological toll and depress everyone.
Great comedy & acting (especially Seth Green) make this one fun movie..
Him and his two best friends Mick and Pnub(Seth Green and Elden Henson) try to save their town, in particular a girl named Molly(Jessica Alba), from a horrific end,with the help of Debi(Vivica A.Fox),who has been trying to trace the the 'idle hand'.
Also, it's pretty much a late 90's time capsule with the likes of Seth Green, Devon Sawa, Jessica Alba and music from Rob Zombie and Offspring..
Devon Sawa from the much known horror film final destination stars in this movie as a young boy who's at home when his parents weirdly disappear and there is a murderous serial killer loose around,suddenly,this boy finds out his hand is possessed and soon goes on a night of mayhem with his dead friends(Seth Green)and the love of his life(Jessica Alba).
OK it is really silly but I honestly loved this film,it was such a funny stoner movie,Devon Sawa gave a hilarious performance as well as Seth Rogen.
Idle hands is a funny stoner horror comedy starring Devon Sawa,Seth Rogen and Jessica Alba and I forget his name but that guy from American wedding and date movie..
IDLE HANDS is a late-'90s comedy horror flick that comes across as a cross between the self-knowing humour of SCREAM and the bodily dismemberment of EVIL DEAD 2.
Unsurprisingly it's nowhere near as good as either of those movies, although those with a penchant for '90s horror might get a chuckle or two from this one.The worst thing about this, for me, was the main characters, who are a trio of the usual slacker/stoner types that I don't think much of.
The drug humor with his freak-outs, hallucinations and misconceptions about reality contort with the actual horror set-ups that result when he's sober again as the big revelation scene about his parents to his friends which leads into their own attack throughout the house that's insanely hilarious while being utilized by gruesome actions throughout which causes even more great fun in the scene.
As well, there's a lot of fun to be had from the film's last half which again features plenty of hilariously gruesome and horrific moments here as there's the rather bloody encounter with the cops, the main sequence of the group dismembering his hand and then going around trashing the house trying to stop it and the few odd interludes of him chasing after the truth about his condition all feature some rather enjoyable comedy while still trying to be scary.
The film is pretty shallow in terms of plot and character development but then again a horror comedy spoof like this it was never going to be deep in either of those aspects.
Whilst not hilarious there were a few scenes which I did laugh at but this isn't a film I'd expect to be as funny on a second or third watch for example.
I enjoyed this movie quite a bit im a big fan of horror and comedy and when they do it together just right it turns out pretty well.
Then all of the sudden his hand becomes possessed by the devil as it kills people he tries to control it.This movie is nothing too special but it is definitely worth a watch for most people considered.
"Idle Hands" is a classic 90's comedy/horror flick which although swooped a little under the radar - it is still a must-see film for fans of horrors such as the "Evil Dead" series (especially army of darkness) and/or teen comedies like "American Pie"."Idle Hands" works well by striking the perfect balance between comedy and horror and this works extremely well.
Reletavely unknown actor Devon Sawa plays the lead character 'Anton', who's hand gets possessed by an evil entity and goes on a murderous rampage!
Though I have never seen Devon Sawa in any films prior or since "Idle Hands" - he is excellent in his role and the way he makes his hand move wildly and mis-behave really makes it look like it is not controlled by himself!
I won't give away what happens to singer Dexter Holland but it is pretty amusing!In conclusion, "Idle hands" is a great late 90's comedy/horror flick which should have been bigger than it was.Most definitely worth a watch!.
And so after his parents he kills his 2 best friends, really funny dudes named Mick played by Seth Green and Pnub by Elden Henson.
His one-liners hit the spot every freaking time I watch this movie.If you dig Dark Comedy or stoner flicks like Pineapple Express this one is for you !.
Devon Sawa from 'Final Destination' and Jessica Alba from 'Awake' star in this funny and drug filled horror movie known as 'Idle Hands'.This movie has something that most horror movies don't have a lot of.What this movie has is humor, lots and lots of it.You'll be chuckling and screaming at how entertaining and fun this movie is.The movie is about a teenager named Anton.He sits on his sofa all day, watches TV, and smokes lots of pot.Things suddenly go wrong one day.Anton finds out that his hand is possessed by the devil, which accidentally makes him kills his two friends.His 2 friends actually come back to life for some reason and they are willing to help Anton with his problem.Now it's up to 1 pot smoking teenager, his 2 undead friends, and his secret crush played by Jessica Alba to save the day.You're probably saying to yourself that this movie sounds kind of stupid.Let me tell you that this movie is certainly not stupid.It's a campy and funny horror movie with lots of drugs, lots of violence, and a very sexy Jessica Alba.I'm giving 'Idle Hands' two very big thumbs up.In fact, I might as well give it two hands up..
IDLE HANDS is horror teen comedy that definitely is not to be taken seriously; otherwise I couldn't score it more than 1 or 2 out of 10!
Idle Hands, a horror/comedy that sadly debuted only ten days after the Columbine massacre, is one of those films that, due to the circumstances surrounding its debut, was pushed under the proverbial rug, almost never to be seen again.
I thought that Idle Hands was a very good horror film.
it was a cold winters day i felt rather bored so i went to the video shop to get out some movies upon walking in i saw a new movie on the shelf.idle hands.in a rush i quickly rented it i took it home and boy was i surprised.I thought it would just be another stupid teen movie but i was wrong.As soon as the movie started i was laughing myself to a pant-wetting state.i think that the makers of this movie deserve an emmy or something.although its not that original i enjoyed the average amount of slapstick gore just like evil dead 2.If you want to see a really funny movie,are a teenager and have a sick sense of humour rent out this movie.
However, if you want to watch a movie that is fun, and don't expect it to be serious, you should see Idle Hands..
i enjoyed this movie, it took me a couple of times to get into it, the first time i saw it i wasnt really in a laughin mood so it was just annoying, but after viewing it a second time i saw it for what it really is, a standard horror comedy with a few bits of funny hillarity, but i think with out mick and pnub, it would have been rather boring, they had all the best lines and were good solid co-stars without them there would be no idle hands.
Devon Sawa is pretty good as the teen with the possessed hand.
Through an asle of old classic horror comedies you see favourites like Evil Dead 2, Troma Films, the contemporary classic Scream, any maybe you say, "I have seen all of these." Then you randomly pick a movie without looking and pick up something like "Robot Holocaust." F-this?
What is it about marijuana jokes that always seem to be universally hysterical?This movie is basically a punk-horror flick with (other than the perfect music) side-splitting laughs and a little too much gore to add to the unbelievable wackiness of the story.Anton is the slacker we've always secretly wanted to be, who just doesn't care if he's walking around his neighborhood in just a shirt and boxers...
And molly is hot too....) and the possessed hand jokes, although reminiscent of Evil Dead 2, are fantastic.After renting this movie about 15 times, I finally managed to buy an ex-rental copy for £4.99 - what a bargain!I seriously urge you to watch this if you are a horror or comedy fan, and especially if you enjoyed the Evil Dead movies!
Idle Hands is funny.The horror is just a vehicle for the humor.
Idle Hands is a great movie for the teen audience, with sex, drugs, and humor you can't help but enjoy this movie.
Green and Henson have the best chemistry together for comedy, I could have just watched them sitting in their house making fun of each other and smoking pot all day.Bottom line, this horrific/comedic attempt at showing what happens to a high school slacker and his friends when his right hand gets possessed by an evil force, scored a perfect ten.
A good horror comedy should make you laugh and want to throw up at the same time, and this does it!
Great physical comedy from Devon Sawa, good undead support by Seth "Oz" Green and the kid who plays Pnub.
This could easily be a bad movie, if it simply alternated between scary and funny scenes, but thankfully, Idle Hands blends both together perfectly for a hugely enjoyable film..
Like Evil Dead 2 it's not for the person who wants to see a pure horror movie.
From a first-time director who has obviously seen Dead Alive, Evil Dead 1-3, and far too many Cheech & Chong movies comes Idle Hands, a movie that wears these and various other influences on its blood-soaked sleeve.The lack of originality shouldn't stop a true horror fan, though.
There's a good deal of backhanded irony that make this a lot of fun to watch -- the main character, Anton, uses his asthma inhaler as a marijuana pipe, for example, and in one scene he meets the girl of his dreams, who fawns all over him even though he's covered in blood and twitching maniacally.The hero of the movie, however, is the always-great Seth Green as a stoner-turned-zombie with a bottle stuck through his head.
One of the main reasons I love this film is because it mixes horror and comedy and doesn't screw it up like many other movies have done in the past.
HORROR + COMEDY = GREAT MOVIE.
Idle hands mixes horror with comedy and the result a great movie.
If Idle Hands was just a horror movie it would be a complete bomb but the comedy saves the movie and make it a very enjoyable watch.
Credit has to go to Seth Green and and Elden Reatliff who give us most of the laughs as Devon Sawa pot smoking, lazy, TV watching friends.
Although not original (short story in a movie exactly the same) Idle hands is a great, and fun watch.
A very original idea (I guess) and some pretty good acting (especially by Devon Sawa's hand) make this a better than average horror comedy.
The film is a great comedy which will make you laugh your a$$ off, and horror which will give you the chill.
Ok, I didn't get around to see 'Idle Hands' in the movietheaters, but since it looked like an interesting "teen-horror"flick, I checked it out on video.
The acting was very good for a horror movie, especially Elden Henson, who kept me laughing the whole time, and Jessica Alba, the most beautiful teen actress in Hollywood.
As before mentioned the best reasons to watch idle hands would be for the always great Seth Green's performance, and (from a male point of view) newcomer Jessica Alba.
Idle Hands was an incredibly funny movie that succeeds in making fun of old slasher movies without actually trying to be a horror film in itself...I think calling it comedy-horror might even be stretching it.
People who go in expecting a horror film will be disappointed, because I really don't think that was the idea behind Idle Hands.
I got what I expected--A silly, hilarious movie with strong performances by Seth Green and Devon Sawa.
You have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy a movie like "Idle Hands".
I advise you to see "Idle Hands" for 3 reasons:1) Very funny sidekicks (especially Seth Green) 2) Beautiful love interest (Jessica Alba) 3) The Go For Broke attitude of the writers and director (Rodman Flender) Enjoy!.
Seth Green in particular pulls off some really dumb lines with charm.The movie fails as a horror parody, but is surprisingly funny.
The only other movie I've seen trying to be funny and scary at the same time was "Scream", but those films went for the scares more with incidental laughs.
In this one, the comedy was put up front and there are some pretty scary parts to it too, though scary in an '80's horror sort of way.I'm getting to be a fan of Seth Green, who is always good in the roles he's given, kind of like Steve Buscemi.
He plays one of two friends of main character Devon Sawa, whose hand becomes possessed and kills them, so they come back as zombies.
This movie was one of if not the best comedy/horrors I have seen since well ever.
This movie is a good waste of time for those who have nothing much better to do, although see it with friends.Acting: Devon Sawa cannot act interesting for two seconds.
With a full hit of drug humor, Idle Hands is close on being a dude movie but with the horror, it rests firmly on the line.With a cast of Seth Green, Devon Sawa and Jessica Alba, we are able to see the talent of future great films with these actors/actress'.The Irony of a Bong killing the creature is very poor, but it's near enough a dude movie so its allowed...I give this classic film 9/10.
It's not a good movie to watch if you are not in the mood for twisted horror comedy, but if you are, this one is a killerA must see!9/10. |
tt0123950 | The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island | After a swarm of "leaf-gobblers" devours all of the plants in the Great Valley and reduces it to a barren wasteland, the inhabitants leave to find another place where they can survive until the plants in the Great Valley have regrown. However, the leaf-gobblers have left a path of devastation behind them, leaving no food for the dinosaurs to find. After searching for many days, tension enters the group as Cera's father and Littlefoot's grandfather argue over changing their course, which starts a fight between Littlefoot and Cera. The fight soon breaks up when Cera's father declares that each herd should go its own way the next morning.
Not wishing to be separated, Littlefoot leads his friends away from the adults during the night, intending to find food before they are found missing. They leave a trail for the grownups to follow, and eventually reach the "Big Water". Although they are disgusted by the saltwater, they see a verdant island connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge. On their way, an earthshake occurs, causing it a tsunami that they narrowly escape. They quickly tuck into the plentiful bounty of the island, but are then horrified to discover the tsunami has destroyed the land bridge.
Isolated on the island, they try out Cera's idea to return to the mainland by using a log as a boat. The plan initially works well, despite Cera suffering seasickness and Petrie being too terrified of the Big Water to act as lookout. However, a Cretoxyrhina attacks, and in the confusion and fright that follows, they end up on the island again. That night, they remember their families, while the herd, who discovered the children were missing and followed the trail, sleep on the beach on the mainland, worrying for their safety.
The next morning, the children wake up to the shadow of a Sharptooth. They take off, but find themselves cornered by high cliffs. They huddle together when the Sharptooth approaches, only to find that it is Chomper, a young Sharptooth who hatched in their care before returning to his parents, and who has learned how to talk like the children. Chomper hides the children from his parents in foul-smelling plants, and provides them with leaves upon their request. However, an overcautious Cera openly distrusts Chomper because he is a Sharptooth, which saddens him, and he departs. Littlefoot follows him and apologizes, but is interrupted by Chomper's mother. Littlefoot watches as she nuzzles Chomper, then leaves, and is intrigued by her display of love to Chomper.
Meanwhile, a Giganotosaurus living on the island finds and chases the children. Chomper and his parents intervene, and they battle the Sharptooth near the edge of the island. The Sharptooth eventually falls into the Big Water and takes Chomper with him, much to his parents' shock. Littlefoot dives in to save Chomper while the Sharptooth is swept away by the current. An Elasmosaurus named Elsie appears, saving Littlefoot and Chomper from drowning. She returns them to the island, where Chomper's parents promise never to harm the children. Cera realizes and accepts that not all Sharpteeth are so bad and monstrous as she thought. Elsie offers to take them across the sea, so Chomper and his parents bid them farewell, promising to see them again. When back on the mainland, the children find that the herd found a lush, green, little sanctuary on the shore to stay in until the Great Valley becomes fertile again. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | sad memories.
One of the reasons I love this film is the song 'always there' where littlefoot sings a verse about his mother.
That has NEVER happened before or since this movie was made and it brought a tear to my eye.The other songs are fun, the art brightly coloured and it's action packed...What more could a fan want?Well better voices for one.
Chomper and littlefoot both sound like they have a cold.
ahh well I can't be too picky.Kids and long time fans will love it.oh and chomper comes back too..
Land Before Time Luver.
I am a HUGE fan of the land before time series i started watching them when I was around 6 or 7.
This movie is a very good one that goes by 2 titles.
This one and The Journey To Big Water.
Even though this is a very good movie I believe that number #6 is better.
It is me all time favorite.
Any ways this movie is awesome and I would watch it over and over again.
Its AWESOME !
The Land before time series is an amazing series.It is awesome especially for kids all ages.it tells about a mysterious land again.
Which no one really knows about.
And Dinosaurs every child is fascinated by dinosaurs.The songs are also magical on any movie you watch from number one to the very newest one.
They all take you on a magical journey of your own..
Mysterious Island-one of the better sequels.
I love the first "Land Before Time", and still consider it one of the better Don Bluth movies.
I have liked most of the sequels, but there have been some I have not liked(more about that another time).
Along with "Great Valley Adventure" and "Time of the Great Giving", "Mysterious Island" is one of the better ones.
The animation, while not as sophisticated or as handsome as the visual style of the first film, is nice and colourful, and I think it is one of the better animated sequels of the franchise.
The incidental music is lovely, and while not particularly memorable, the songs are pleasant "Always There" especially is very touching.
And the voice acting is excellent, and the characters are at least likable.
Who cannot love that adorable Chomper?
All these positives make up for a too-short duration, a touch too simplistic writing and a plot that takes a tad too long to get going.
I also thought the singing was mixed, Cera's singing was beautiful but Ducky sounded off for some reason.
Asides from these flaws, this is a surprisingly pleasant and watchable sequel.
6/10 Bethany Cox. A weirdly good LBT.
This is a good LBT, not the best, but certainly is up ahead of quite a few of the others.
One weird thing about this LBT: This was directed by Charles Grosvenor and (except for LBT7) all of his later ones did not have as much action, heart, kindness or plot and story as this.
Yes, some of his other ones are good as well and yes, they do have action, heart, kindness, plot and story, but not in the same way as this one.
The animation in this is also similar to the films before that and it is luckily good quality LBT animation as well.?The plot is also very interesting, gripping and a little bit more heartwrenching than a lot of other LBTs (even more so than some of the ones before Charles Grosvenor).
The first ten minutes or so is very gripping and exciting, showing a swarm of "evil" locusts ridding the great valley of all green.
The film goes on, everyone in the valley has to leave to find more food in the dreaded mysterious beyond.
The children (Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike), go along with this.
As the film goes on we see much betrayal, hard work, teamwork and hope.
These feelings are expressed in a different way than a lot of the other LBTs and hopefully this will give pleasure to all who watch it (except for those who think that there should be no LBT sequels, however good they are).?
? So, enjoy "Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island".
:-)?7 and a half out of ten..
My sons' favorite...and Daddy's too!.
This is arguably the best entry in the entire LBT series, which, as of this writing, is up to number 10.
My sons (along with Mommy and Daddy) have watched this one more times than any of the others, and there's a reason for that: it's a good one.
(Number 2, "The Great Valley Adventure," with Ozzy and Strut, the first appearance of the baby T-Rex Chomper, and some great songs by the Roches, comes in second.) "The Mysterious Island" also contains three fabulous songs, perhaps the best three songs from the whole series: "Big Water," "Always There," and "Friends for Dinner," all by Michele Brourman & Amanda McBroom.
Don't miss it.
(And also watch "The Great Valley Adventure," if you haven't already.).
Talking T-Rexes!
Heartwarming..
What's cool about this sequel is that we find out T-Rexes have their own language.
Subtitles translate the roars.
Chomper of course speaks English because of previous acquaintance with our favourite babies.
The "Always There" song is heartwarming.
The story is strong and will keep everyone entertained.
a wonderful film.
of the numerous Land Before Time films, this one stands out with some high quality songs and a great storyline.the two big songs of the film, Big Big Water and in particular Friends For Dinner, are two of the best that you will find in the series of films, and are of the high, singalong quality you would normally only find in a high profile Disney movie.the basic premise of the storyline, one of how all can work and flourish together despite obvious differences, is a good one, and provides many moments of education for youngsters as much as it does entertainment.our little one, who is not yet three, loves this film to bits.
that's the target audience, and you can't argue with that!
watch and enjoy, and be prepared to be singing "friends for dinner" in your head for quite a while after!.
Less bad than the others..
Ok, I am way behind on these..
I think I stopped at #6..
And yes, they're all terrible.
But I actually thought this #5 was the least terrible of the ones I've seen.
I guess because it does have a pretty touching song in it ("Always There") and at least it's *different*..
for one thing it gets those dang dinos OUT of the Great Valley and onto an island, and they meet Chomper and do some new, different stuff.
Then again I do have a thing about movies where people get stuck on islands..
for some reason I just like them.
Anyway maybe that bias invalidates this whole review, but I did think The Land Before Time part 5 wasn't too bad.
I mean, if you *have* to watch one of them, you could do worse than selecting this one..
While decent, it's not as good as the original was.
While the Time of the Great Giving is a much better sequel than the others, this one is also better, but is not as excellent as the original was.
The dialog is nice, but the story is predictable and takes way too long to get it going.
Even the writing was inept.
There are a few redeeming qualities that save this movie.
The songs, although not memorable, are pleasant to listen to, especially Always There which was very touching.
The animation is beautiful and the voice acting is excellent.
Thomas Dekker did great as Littlefoot and the cameo Christina Pickles did great as the sea creature near the end of the movie.
The character are likable, especially Chomper which made me feel glad to see him again after The Great Valley Adventure.Overall, not as excellent as the original, but still a worth-watching sequel..
The Mysterious Island.
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island, the fifth installment in the Land Before Time series, we have the return of Chomper in this one!
Which I absolutely loved, because he was such an adorable character in the second sequel to the series.
Littlefoot and his friends are back and they do get into another squwabble, but it's all good to continue their adventures.
I've so far have actually enjoyed these sequels, as silly as they are, I think that they are great for the kids and even as a family film.
The characters are lovable and the story has great morals on friendship, trust and respect.
I'd rather have my kids watching this vs.
some of the shows on the Disney channel today.
But The Mysterious Island was a great addition to the story as we continue to see Littlefoot grow with his friends.After a cloud of locusts descend upon the Great Valley, devouring all plants and leaving it a barren wasteland, the inhabitants must seek another place where they can survive until the plants in the Great Valley have grown back.
However, the "Swarming Leaf Gobblers" have left a path of devastation behind them, leaving no food for the dinosaurs to find.
After looking for days through this desolation, the herd fight and threaten to separate.
The main characters do not want to be separated, so they set out to find a location with plentiful food.
They leave a trail for the grownups to find them with, and eventually reach the ocean.
There, they see a verdant island connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge.
On their way, an earthquake occurs, which they narrowly escape, and which wipes out the bridge.
Isolated on the island, they try out Cera's idea to return by using a log as a boat.
However, a "swimming sharptooth" attacks, and in the confusion and fright which follows, they end up on the island again.
That night, they remember their families, while the herd, who followed the trail, sleep on the shores of the beach on the mainland, worrying for them.
The next morning, the children wake up to the shadow of a Sharptooth.
They take off, but find themselves cornered by high cliffs.
They huddle together when the sharptooth approaches, only to find that it is Chomper.
He then helps them to hide from his parents, who are also on the island, and provides them with food upon their request.
However, an overcautious Cera openly displays distrust to Chomper because he was a Sharptooth, which grieves him, and he departs.
Littlefoot follows him and apologizes, but is interrupted by Chomper's mother.
But with a sharptooth's reputation, they don't know if this will be a good or bad meeting as well with the woe of not knowing if they will ever see their families again.The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island is a good movie, I'm really disappointed in the ratings on these movies, after all they are more meant for the kids.
As a child's movie, it's a great one, as a movie that the whole family can enjoy together, I think it's very possible if you give it a chance.
Plus you just have got to love Chomper, how could you not?
He's so adorable and I loved seeing the sharptooth's reaction to their friendship.
But this is a great story and I think these movies are good so far, I'm looking forward to watching the next sequel.6/10.
TLBT 5.
I remember this once as this one was made in 1997, this one is about when the great valley gets destroyed my moskitoes as they steal all the food in the great valley.
The dinosaurs get hungry as then they all stick together to find more green food.
Littlefoot and his friends set off with out them the next day, leaving foot prints so that the grown ups can follow them, the little ones end up on a mysterious island as then they finally meet Chomper again..
even worse than the first four.
one of the most boring, stupid movies I've ever seen.
I would never show it to my children.
Children's movies should be entertaining, or at least even vaguely educational.
This movie is neither..
It's a great movies to learn and laugh with....
my kid's love "the land before time" series they learn new songs and see new things my kids are 2 and 4 and find this movies one of there favorites...especially with the song "BIG water" which they sing along with.
They identify great with the characters get excited when little foot and his friends get excited they laugh when little foot laughs its an enjoyable movies along with all the movies before it ....its also great as the parents watch with their kids and sing the songs even when the movies off and have a great time.
MY vote is a BIG thumbs up!!!.
How are you going to bag on a kids movie?.
Seriously.
Whats the point of trying to insult a children's movie?
Thats right, there is no point.
Just because its not educational because your kid isn't watching some giant child-molesting purple dinosaur doesn't mean that it still isn't a good movie.
And technically, they are educational movies.
Just because they don't teach your kid math or who started WWI, but it teaches your child about friendship and being honest and all that other bullshit every child should know.
Why don't you go bag on movies that actually deserve your stupidity?
Such as Bad Boys II.
Or Anal Sluts 9.
Your a poopy face and I don't like you..
The Return Of Chomper.
The Return Of Chomper.
As I have mentioned before, I'm a big fan of the Land Before Time series and I think that this is one of the great entries along with the original and The Stone Of Cold Fire.
The story involves the gang bickering over who gets the last leaf from a tree, despite Petrie being an obligate carnivore, when a swarm of leaf-gobblers (locusts) eat everything in the valley, forcing the dinosaurs to find a new temporary home.
While wandering across the desert they stumble upon the ocean and spot an island covered in greenery.
They manage to travel to the island and spend the night there, discovering the next morning that it's where Chomper and his family have taken up refuge.
I won't spoil the rest of the story, but what I will say is that there is a lot to like about The Mysterious Island.
The songs are Big Water, Always There, and Friends For Dinner.
Always There is very sweet and beautiful, as well as being the first time Littlefoot mentions his mother, Big Water is very funny, especially with all the descriptions of creatures that might be in the water, and Friends For Dinner is also funny, especially the play on words.
Finally, I like that Chomper came back since he's so cute and funny..
Cute and Heartfelt.
This is where the Land Before Time franchise got really good.
The story is very interesting and actually has some tension for once.
Sure, a few things don't make sense but in my opinion, it doesn't amount to much.
The animation has improved a bit but not by much.
Oh yeah, and Chomper is back, and he can talk!
Yay?
Okay to be fair, Chomper is pretty cute and the family dynamic between his parents is still adorable.
I also thought that the action scenes were pretty brutal.
Watching 3 T-rexes fight each other was highly entertaining and they showed blood!
Yeah I was just as shocked as some of you were watching that action scene.
Also, in one of the songs Little foot mentions his mother for the first time since the first movie.
I was so close to tears when I rewatched the song.
Yeah, the song is poorly sung but the lyrics are beautiful.
The other 2 songs are tolerable but nothing special..
The true sequel to part 2, and better than the other sequels.
"The Land Before Time 2" was a good film.
It slightly altered the tone of the original film (which remains a true classic and the best of the series) with it's use of songs.
It still had a fine mix of action, character development and of course introduced "Chomper".
For me, sequels 3 and 4 were not that appealing, with unnecessary secondary characters that "dumbed down" the films.
Part 5 returns to the nice tone established in part 2.
There is adventure, surprise developments both in story and with the characters.
And best of all we learn what happened to Chomper.
If you want a true "trilogy" with a story arc, I recommend watching the original, then part 2 and then part 5.
What an epic!.
Charles Grosvenor's first LBT film is a ROARING success!!.
The fifth installment in the grand series of LBT.
What a great way to follow up Journey Through The Mists, putting in another adventure outside the great valley!
(SPOILER) When swarming leaf-gobblers(locusts)devastate the great valley, the dinos set off to find a different paradise.
Day after day, they found nothing.
Arguments arise, threatening to separate the herds.
Littlefoot and co.
venture off on their own.
They stumble onto a sea and find a land path to an island.
The island is perfect, but they see that the land path has been pulled underwater by the shifting tides.
Cera uses a log to sail to the grown ups, but a shark attacks them, sending them back to the island.
They find Chomper, but I won't spoil the rest for you.
(END OF SPOILERS) Always There is so touching... |
tt0365686 | Revolver | Jake Green (Jason Statham) is in prison in solitary confinement for seven years. He has two mysterious characters serving solitary in cells on either side of him (one a con man, the other a chess master). While in solitary, Jake and the other two exchange thoughts on chess and the perfect con via handwritten messages slipped inside of provisional books that the three share. Jake comes to learn the makings of a perfect con, but never fully grasps its depth and relevancy to him until much, much later. In the course of these exchanges, Jake reveals a lot about himself to the other two. Jake never meets these two men face to face. The two prisoners plan to break out of prison and agree to break Jake out as well. The next day, the two escape, leaving Jake behind. He feels cheated.Jake remains in prison while the two escaped convicts steal all the money Jake had hidden "on the outside". They trusted Jake with the formula; Jake trusted them as to the whereabouts of his money...a LOT of money. They take the money, leaving in its place, a message on a card:The first rule of any game - YOU CAN ONLY GET SMARTER BY PLAYING A SMARTER OPPONENT.Cut to two years later.When Jake gets out of prison, broke and penniless, he starts to practice what he understands of the formula and of the con he learned from his time in solitary. Its very successful and he does very well in world of gambling, he seemingly learned a valuable lesson from the two conmen inside.Once Jake is up on his feet again (financially speaking), he takes on his nemesis the power hungry Dorothy Macha (Ray Liotta). Jake enters Macha's casino with his brothers in tow, and is swiftly summoned before Macha to play a game of chance. En route to Macha's game, they must take an elevator up 22 floors, where it is revealed Jake suffers from extreme claustrophobia following his years in solitary, and must suppress an anxiety attack to make the journey. At the game, Jake beats him in a game of chance, humiliating Macha. Fearing more of the same, Macha wants revenge and orders a hit on Jake. As Jake and his brothers leave the casino, Jake is approached by a mysterious man (Zach), who offers him assistance and hands him a note reading "take the elevator." Jake cannot face the return journey and opts to take the stairs, but blacks out unexpectedly, falls down the stairs and is rushed to the hospital. The doctors report he is very ill but do not disclose why he had the blackout. Macha puts out the order for a hit on Jake, asking professional killer Sorter (Mark Strong) to take care of things. Jake arrives home, without Billy, to be welcomed by one of Macha's hits. Jake is the only one who survives, being rescued by the mysterious Zach. Sorter is confounded by Jake's escape and survival, unaccustomed to his hits going wrong, which instigates a quiet, intense process of self-questioning in the otherwise passionless killer.Zach takes Jake to his equally mysterious partner, Avi, who produces the results of his hospital tests and informs him that he is in desperate physical trouble from an internal disease, with only three days to live. He tells Jake he and his partner can save him from both Macha and his physical aliment.Simultaneously, Macha is trying to get into business with the infamous, but apparently invisible Sam Gold. He makes a deal with his female representative Lily Walker (who represents the queen on the chess board). Macha is warned if he does not come through on the deal that Sam Gold will be very disappointed. Macha is after the reward of being in business with Gold (who represents the opponent) and foresees no problem.The deal is for some white powder, which represents vice of multiple manifestations, in other words, false ways to escape the wrath of Gold or win the game, but perversely these just bring you closer to him.Jake agrees to do whatever the two mysterious characters tell him to do (a gun to the head so to speak - he has three days to live), there is no time to haggle, and he is prepared to do whatever hes told by these characters. Avi (André Benjamin) and Zach (Vincent Pastore) appear to be loan sharks and gradually force Jake to give away all his money that he made using the con, much to his despair. This is so painful that it seems to be killing a part of him, as Avi and Zach force him to do whatever he hates to do. Jake is repeatedly forced into elevators, taking him on a physiological and psychological ride from hell. They also sabotage Macha's deal with Gold, putting Macha in jeopardy with Gold and forcing Macha to seek the powder from a rival crime boss, Lord Jon (Tom Wu). To make matters worse, they sabotage the deal with Lord Jon to make it appear that each gang is responsible for the treachery. These two gangs begin to destroy one another through their ignorance and greed.Jake's journey climaxes when Avi and Zach, now his masters, ask Jake to shoot a man that didn't pay a debt. Jake refuses, going against the voice in his head. This is the turning point and just when Jake has had enough he forces the two mysterious characters to reveal their game. Is he ready for the answer? What is the point of putting him through all this pain?Avi and Zach simply repeat the treasured formula that Jake learned in prison and which the audience is told at the start of the film.The first rule of any game: YOU CAN ONLY GET SMARTER BY PLAYING A SMARTER OPPONENT.Jake now realizes that he has fallen victim to this "perfect con", that he is actually the pawn in the game, and his opponent ("Sam Gold"), resides inside Jake's head - "the last place he would ever look" (another component of the perfect con formula) Sam Gold is a metaphor camouflaged as fear, ego, evil, the Devil.Now armed with this information which has been so elusive, Jake goes to war with himself. He realizes the game Avi and Zach have made him play has been to diminish the Sam Gold within himself - and that is why he felt like he was dying, because a part of him was.This game it seems is back to front. Jake gives away his remaining money to a charity in Dorothy Macha's name and Macha takes the credit. At this point we understand that the voice we hear in the film as a voice over is not a voice over at all, it's the Sam Gold in each of the character's heads.Macha is being fattened up by the voice in his head that encourages Macha to take the credit.To conquer the game that Jake now realizes he is in, he goes to Macha and humiliates himself, begging for forgiveness at the foot of his bed. This goes completely against the voice in Jakes head, which is now in major agony. Leaving Macha's bedroom, Jake takes an elevator that gets stuck, (his worst nightmare, as he is claustrophobic) but here is where a real battle takes place. Jake induces the pain "Sam Gold" hides behind. Sam Gold tries every technique to control and debilitate Jake, but Jake is now detached enough from the voice to fall for it. "Embrace the pain and you will win this game" -- in doing this, Jake completely sheds himself of Sam Gold. Immediately upon doing so, the elevator starts up. He realizes that though free from the physical prison he knew for seven years, he was still a prisoner - of his own mind. Upon facing and defeating his fear, he is profoundly free.As the elevator doors open, there stands a confused and angry Macha with a gun in his hand. He can't understand what game Jake is playing, but Jake no longer cares about Macha. Gun or no gun, Jake walks straight past Macha. Because Jake no longer fears him, Macha breaks down. His ego can't handle this, he falls prey to the voice he hears inside his head, the voice of his own "Sam Gold". Still unaware of who Sam Gold really is, and where he resides, Macha agonizes over his knowledge that Sam Gold is going to come and get him. What he doesnt realize is that Sam Gold is already getting him - from the inside.Jake makes a large donation of money to a charity in Macha's name, further conquering the Sam Gold within him, while augmenting the Sam Gold within Macha, who happily takes the credit and public acclaim. Macha is at first magnanimous towards Jake following this gesture, however on learning that Jake had orchestrated the sabotage on the 'powder' deals, Macha orders him dead with renewed vigour. Macha's men find Jakes brother and niece at his home. While Macha's henchmen are in the process of torturing Jake's brother and threatening his little girl, the previously passive Sorter concludes his process of self-questioning and steps in, methodically executing all of Macha's men only to be outgunned in the end by the last surviving member of the gang, who takes Jake's niece back to Macha.Jake, now understanding that the mysterious characters Avi and Zach are not who he thought they were, finishes a game of chess in Macha's casino with Avi. Here it is revealed that Avi could have beaten him at any time. Avi tells him one of the rules again, the art is for the opponent to feed pieces to the victim to make them believe they took those pieces because they are smarter and you are dumber. Jake realizes that these are the two associates from Solitary confinement that he spent seven years living between while in prison. They promised they would break him out of prison and they did, its just Jake didn't realize it was the prison of his mind and how big that prison was. Avi and Zach confide they did not help him because they liked him, but because they ARE him - they are aspects, or projections, of his own higher self. Meanwhile, Jake's Sam Gold persona grew from Jake's activities on emerging from prison, fooling his enemies into thinking he was making them rich when instead he was siphoning their money away from them, just as the ego grows rich from encouraging excess and a sense of entitlement in those within whom it resides.Jake confronts Macha, who is holding his niece hostage. Jake continues to be unafraid of Macha, who continues to be unnerved by his lack of fear - the "Sam Gold" inside Macha is screaming with rage, pride, fear, while Macha himself is consumed by doubt and panic. Macha is convinced Sam Gold is coming to kill him for screwing up the 'powder' delivery and the "Sam Gold" within Macha - his ego - whispers "you can't kill someone who's already dead." Ultimately, his pride and fear lead Macha to suicide rather than kill Jake or his niece. Sam Gold wins.In the end it's a story about realizing that the prison is the mind and the ego is the hidden master of that environment. The only real enemy to have ever existed is within; it is fear. The external world is determined, to great degree, by ones fear. Fear is the opponent in life, and as you get smarter so does he. Once it's recognized for what it is, it can be mastered, but without recognition of this situation, you are simply an unconscious slave and the game hasn't gone full circle. | psychological, murder, violence, cult, flashback, clever, philosophical, sadist | train | imdb | this movie so far has been slated by critics and board-posters alike (although playing devil's advocate you could suggest that critics are often people who didn't make it for themselves as film-makers, and board posters are often people who didn't make it for themselves as critics) so I wanted to sit in Guy's corner with the magic sponge to perhaps reach maybe a couple of the people who've decided not to see the film based on how everybody seems to be looking down their collective nose of approval at it.The film's biggest flaw in earning wide support is how unexpectedly complex it is.
This is but one example of Ritchie's far more mature approach he has taken to film-making with Revolver, we have a storyline which is pretty archetypal (the strong but silent gritty anti-hero gets released from jail with a score to settle but gets drawn inadvertently into a world of corruption...
I mean it's paint by numbers film noir here guys, all the way down to the vague poetic choice of diction and the gritty voice-overs) but then Guy has taken this framework to make a number of extremely philosophical and complex points.Take the scene where Jason Statham's character runs afoul of a car.
but Ritchie is making point about how such little chance happenings such as receiving a phone call can make the difference between life and death.So the final act of the movie is pretty mind boggling, I'd be taking the p*ss if I said I didn't spend the last 20 minutes or so of the film turning to my date going "uh...
I feel that if everyone watched this film over and over they would understand it a lot more and maybe appreciate it for the fine piece of modern cinema that it is and i hope also that Ritchie continues in this vain as i far prefer this to his mockney "masterpieces"..
I was very surprised to see the overall rating as 5.2.Not only does Guy bring together a b list(ish) movie cast and make them into such glorious characters, he has given us a movie with a fantastically diverse story line with much left to the imagination.Far too many people are wanting movies with a plot that can be understood and handed to them on a plate...yet these are the films that get poor reviews because they are far too predictable.This film is special.
I believe he has taken movie-making to another level ( i know most people will be laughing at this comment guaging the reaction to this film, but i believe time will prove me right ).
In this picture, Ray did it amazingly.The film is well worth seeing by all those who like psychological and mob-style movies.Probably not the best of its kind, but for the performance of the actors, for the script well written, for the action-packed adventure of our hero, I gave it a 9 out of 10.
It happens every year critics have so many mediocre films to write about that a good one sees loving reviews in the same way as a bad one is the chance to write a really memorable, scathing review whether either it is truly deserved or not.So this leaves me with my colleague's statement and on that I found him to be accurate because at times it does SEEM to be a really cool film that is going somewhere interesting.
The rest of the cast pretty much provide solid enough tough men without (fortunately) sinking into the easy "apples and pears" type performances that Ritchie seems to like in his films generally.
The only performance of real note though is from Ritchie as director because he pulls everything together with a lot of visual style and imagination; shame then that the worst "performance" is also from him as a writer because he has produced a script so full of its own cleverness that it cannot be bothered to aim for engaging the audience and sits back arrogantly while the delivery is fudged and incoherent.Revolver is not the screaming disaster that everyone would have you believe, but this is as close to a recommendation as I can give it.
We saw this film at the TFF premiere Sunday night and although the first half was entertaining (despite the seemingly ridiculous premise), it took a turn towards insanity about halfway through and completely lost and disappointed me.Now, I like to consider myself a reasonably intelligent viewer (though maybe I'm wrong) and I love movies that make you think, but this one just went too far.
Guy Ritchie got really good actors for this film, and i think Andre Benjamin was great as Avi and seemed like he does acting for a living he done so well.
The cinematic smoke and mirrors only lead me to believe that Ritchie was as bored telling this trite tale as I was watching it.The film is filled with moments of revelation that are supposedly shocking but they only come as news to Mr. Green.
It seems like an awfully long time since Guy Ritchie's last film Snatch (Don't even mention the Madonna vanity project Swept Away).
So what the audience gets ultimately is a terrible screenplay intertwined with many pretentious oneliners and clumsy setpieces.Revolver is ultimately an unoriginal and bland movie that has stolen countless themes from masterpieces like Fight Club, Usual Suspects and Pulp Fiction.
After catching this at the cinema last night and having a nights sleep to think it over I've got to say I'm still a) not quite sure what happened at the end and b) not 100% sure if I enjoyed it or not.However, given the recent glut of dot to dot plot and expensive thoughtless nonsense we've been treated to this summer is it really a crime to make a film that regardless of your liking for it still makes you ponder?
Sure it has delusions of grandeur and at times disappears up its own backside - the anime still baffles me as to its inclusion - but you've got to give Guy Ritchie credit for trying to make something a bit different, and whilst he is taking a battering on all sides I've got nothing but admiration for his 'bravery' - as his missus declared at the premiere.Jason Statham is as dependable as always - despite the dodgy barnet - and Ray Liotta and the rest of the supporting cast all acquit themselves well - special mentions should go to Mark Strong and Andre Benjamin.
It looks great and has some good set pieces - so all in all - interesting.....did I like it, not sure - am I still thinking about it -Yes - which is more than can be said for the majority of the other instantly forgettable nonsense we've been spoon fed with over the last few months - a DVD viewing beckons, I'll work out that ending even if it kills me!!.
Its like if you took the general themes of The Usual Suspects and Fightclub, take away all their style and class and mixed them together with a lot of pretentious new wave "i'm intellectual so my movie must be hard to make sense of" film maker rubbish, mashed in a few extra styles for good measure, chopped off the ending, there you have Revolver.Yes, I did think about it for a little bit after watching, and yes it did kind of make sense, however that doesn't stop it being garbage.Waste of money.
The soundtrack (a strength in previous Richie films) was disappointingly sparse.As far as addressing the defenders of this movie who claim that the detractors "didn't get it," I will say this: It's not that the plot 'didn't make sense,' it was that it was implausible.It's not that I don't enjoy non-linear story-telling, it's that I actually want to be told a story.It's not that I didn't understand what was going on, it was that I didn't care..
It's almost as if he had a checklist of films he wanted to rip off, here are some of the ones I noticed:The Matrix, Fight Club, Kill Bill, The Usual Suspects, Vanilla Sky...I think the most frustrating thing is that the performances from the two main actors, Jason Statham and Ray Liotta, were actually very good and it was really the self indulgent story and editing / direction that let the film down.So a big, big thumbs down from me..
An advert for the lousy cult that Guy Ritchie and his gap-toothed wife belong to, Revolver is one of, if not the worst film of the year.Plot: nonsensical.
Ostensibly a gangster movie, Guy Ritchie's REVOLVER turns out to be some self-serving, pretentious piece of existentialism in which characters aren't really characters but rather archetypes and a key theme revolves around a game of chess.
Statham is way out of his comfort zone and needs to go back to the stock action movies he's better known for, and Ray Liotta, prancing around in tight swimming trunks, should really know better.I do tend to gain some mild enjoyment from most of the films I watch, even the bad ones.
And the 'fear me' scene between Liotta (a shoo in for a Raspberry if ever there was one) and Statham (should stick to the Transporter movies) was one of the stupidest ever committed to film.A waste of time and money, go rent Snatch instead.* out of *****.
I have seen a worse film than this, something involving Lee Majors and a load of Vikings, but that's it - this can't even be described as pretentious garbage, as that would suggest that there was a definitive idea behind it - this plays as though it was made up as it went along.Every now and then Mr Ritchie finds a new button on the editing suite and thinks "That's neat - lets play about with that a bit" regardless of whether it makes sense or not which just adds to the utterly incomprehensible plot line - one of the twists is so obvious it's painful, and by the time you get to the other one, you're way beyond caring.Utter, utter rubbish.
It was like GR had written down one of their conversations, mixed it with a game of poker and turned it into a script.It is fairly obvious that GR wanted to make us think, but with so many plot threads and so many clues and plot threads, the viewer is left in a horrible purgatory between being told the plot as a whole and being able to draw his own conclusions - leaving us sitting like morons in the dark looking at our watches.As an example of the needless effects used, at one point in the film, Guy Ritchie take it uses a cartoon effect similar to that in Kill Bill.
It's from The Usual Suspects of course in relation to Kaiser Gold..I mean Sose..I got another one like that: -The dumbest trick a director ever pulled was trying to convince an audience he actually had a storyline-This movie is one of the saddest pieces of film-making I have seen in a long time.
"Ah Ritchie's made another gangster film with Statham" thought the average fan, expecting another Snatch/Lock Stock; expecting perhaps a couple of temporal shifts, but none too hard for "me and the lads" to swallow after a few beers.Ah, pay attention, you do need to watch this film.
maybe this would resemble Lock stock or snatch, but I was wrong, but that didn't stop me.The movie starts pretty good, even promising, it even has a nice plot build up, but then it slowly begins to turn into something so stupid and unimaginative that it nearly makes you cry, plot holes are everywhere, at most the plot doesn't make any sense, and that's how the movie goes until the most illogical ending ever, making you feel like you were raped, the acting is OK at best, but that's because of pre-film school writing, the script of this movie is like something that escaped out of a trash can or a reject list.In short, spare yourself from watching this garbage, this movie should have never been made, therefore should not be watched by anyone, you don't hate your brain cells that much that you should put them through watching this..
For a film that starts out so well and with a great cast (the acting is actually quite good) it just ends up getting more and more confused about what it wants to be until the highly disappointing end.
The reason for this is not specifically made clear (probably because the writers thought "ah, screw it, it doesn't matter") but rather we are given hints through the central character's inane voice-over.Thus Jason Statham endlessly mumbles absolute garbage like "He is the bad guy, but how can you be responsible for all the evil in the world if you don't exist?" That's a genuine quote by the way.And so continues the movie.
But this new movie, well, there's no other way to say it; "Revolver" makes NO SENSE AT ALL.It's very difficult to write about a film in which I have no idea what goes on.
With "Revolver," Ritchie has left behind the unintelligible cockney of his earlier films that baffled so many audiences, and traded it in for unintelligible whole movie instead..
I was however left with a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth after sitting through 115 minutes of confused, ill-thought, and generally "bad" direction, I only was left thinking "given the same budget and resources how could I have physically made a worse film?" This question to me still remains unanswered.I am a huge fan of Snatch and Lock-Stock, and Mr Richie would have been better advised to stick to the formula that made him so successful instead of trying create something for him to be taken more "seriously" in the film industry.Please don't suggest that Revolver is a good film just because of the success of the previous two movies.
Maybe for y'all, if it's complicated you get all excited and figure that means it's real real deep.Ritchie took themes, conventions and plot turns from countless movies, used them instead of paying homage to them, wrapped them in a mediocre riddle and doused it with some pop-spirituality juice, pulled the riddle apart into pieces, tied those pieces into knots and gave them to a bunch of very good actors and then filmed them out of order with beautiful camera work on gorgeous sets.Doesn't make it modern art, doesn't make it deep or smart, and it doesn't mean that if I didn't find it compelling, it must have gone over my head.
It was like you could here people saying " what the heck was that?"I think you should watch this film with no expectations, its nowhere near as good as lock stock and snatch.
I think my mistake was having watched Snatch just two days before watching this, so I had expectations on the nature of the film I was about to watch.Ultimately though, there were times during the film were I just got bored and desperately wanted Vinnie Jones to make an appearance and bring the movie back down to Earth..
The acting is so bad (apart from Andre - who is brilliant and has such a sexy voice!) After watching the film I was left feeling totally confused and surprised that it was a Guy Ritchie film as I was sure that with his name it would be a good watch.
Perhaps the most interesting casting choice is George Sweeney a very familiar face in British TV dramas in the 1970s playing the same sort of roles Ray Winstone inherited in the 1980s In summary REVOLVER is an absolute mess of a movie but the sheer kinetic energy Guy Ritchie puts in to the visuals means it holds the audience interest which is something of a compliment to the director even though it's a very back hand compliment.
I'm still not sure whether you're meant to ignore these things, because if you do it's actually a pretty enjoyable film, despite the lack of cockney humour (the only laughs coming from Ray Liotta in his underpants)But it's my bet that the film was written with the intention of people watching it multiple times, to a: make lots of money, and b: to become a classic like The Usual Suspects, Fight Club, and to a lesser extent 12 Monkeys.
It looks as if Guy Ritchie has just sat down and thought 'right Layer Cake rocked, ill try and make my own serious gangster film, but ill mix in fight club with the usual suspects'.Where the amazing camera has work, the awesome comedy dialogue of lock stock and snatch, Is this the end of Guy Ritchie?
If you think Madonna is the sh*t, see this movie.Otherwise, stay away.Ritchie, using the familiar hook of the gritty crime flick to bring in his Lock, Stock and Snatch audience, proceeds to spend 104 minutes of your valuable time wanking off.The film, a fantasy set in an alternative universe that is a cross between New Jersey and Blackpool, gets off to a rousing start, then quickly devolves into the world's longest MTV video with gag-inducing philosophical pretensions.I won't bore you with its professed philosophy, but suffice it to say that it is so obtuse the director had to resort to running interview clips with various PHDs over the closing credits to explain it.
Decided to give it a go as I've seen some of Guy Richies' movies and liked 'em, and was I ever in for a ride.Revolver is definitely the best of Richies' films.
Night Shyamalan titled "The Man Who Heard Voices." It's my personal professional opinion, not as any kind of psychiatrist but as a humble hobby-interested movie critic, that Guy Ritchie could join that club following his film Revolver.
I started watching this without knowing it was a Guy Ritchie...once I found out it made perfect sense.This film is awful. |
tt0293662 | The Transporter | Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a highly skilled driver known only as "The Transporter." The titular character is a former Special Forces officer who, disillusioned with his former leadership and tortured by the memories of his past, now lives on the French Mediterranean coastline with a lucrative "backup" career. He will transport anything, no questions asked, from Point A to Point B, always on time, and he is known as the best in the business. He strictly follows three rules when transporting: Rule #1: "No new deals, when it's a deal, it's a deal", Rule #2: "No names", and Rule #3: "Don't open the package".
Frank has been hired to transport "Three men, 254 kilos." When not three but four men get into his car, fresh from a bank heist, Frank refuses to move, holding fast to Rule #1. After one gang member is killed by the others, Frank leaves with the remaining robbers. On delivery to their destination, they foist new money on Frank to drive further from the city. He refuses the deal, again adhering to Rule #1. The robbers escape in another car, and Frank leaves.
Frank returns to his mansion in the south of France, and he finds out via the news that the gang was caught after crashing their getaway car in a pursuit. Later, local police Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand), who happens to be a close acquaintance, arrives to question Frank about the robbery, since his make and model of car was the same used in the robbery. However, despite his suspicions about Frank's involvement, Tarconi has no concrete proof about the heist (due to Frank cleaning up the car and changing the licence plate) and leaves his Villa.
Frank is then hired to deliver a package to an American gangster (Matt Schulze) known only as "Wall Street.". During the way, he notices that something is moving in the package, but he refuses to open the bag due to Rule #3. While changing a flat tire on the road in France, he breaks one of his rules and opens the package that was placed into the trunk at Point A. He finds the package is really a woman, and he makes a small hole and gives her a bottle of juice to drink. He delivers the package as promised to Point B.
Wall Street suggest Frank to transport a briefcase to the new position. Frank relucantly accepts the job. He takes the briefcase and leaves. On the way, he stops at a gas station to eat and rest for a little while, but the briefcase turns out to be a bomb that destroys Frank's car in the parking lot but leaves him unharmed. Frank snaps and returns to Wall Street's residence with a vengeance, dispatching several of his henchmen and then stealing a car to get away, only to find "the package" tied to a chair in the back seat.
Later on, he returns to his house, and unties the package who tells him that her name is Lai. The next day, Tarconi arrives again and makes the usual inquires, producing a scorched license plate, and the suspicion that a house maid drives a Mercedes. Lai supports Frank's alibi, leaving Tarconi with no proof again (who didn't notice that the front light on the car was broken). However, after he leaves, missiles rain down on Frank's house, and Frank and Lai are barely able to escape the house into the sewer, swimming away from the house before it completely explodes. They hide in an apartment in the city, but Tarconi finds them and takes them to the police station for questioning about the destruction of Frank's house.
At the police station, Frank and Lai are able deflect Tarconi's questions, and Lai manages to sneak onto Tarconi's computer to access information on Wall Street. She tells Frank that Wall Street is trafficking two shipping containers full of Chinese people including her own father and family, and is planning to sell them into slavery. Lai and Frank go to Wall Street's office to find the shipping docket identifying the containers. However, Wall Street reveals that Lai's family is not in the containers. In fact, her father is the man responsible for the human trafficking. Tarconi, who was following Frank, then arrives at the office. Wall Street and Lai's father accuse Frank of kidnapping Lai and attempting to blackmail them. Unable to prove otherwise, Tarconi has Frank arrested and locked up in the station.
At the station, Frank does his best to explain the situation to Tarconi. Tarconi agrees to abet Frank's escape as his faux hostage. Frank then tracks the criminals to the docks, where they load the containers onto trucks. However, Frank is spotted and is forced to fight his way through the guards, failing to stop the trucks. He then steals a small airplane and parachutes onto one of the trucks, killing Wall Street and a number of his henchmen. After getting out of the truck, Frank is then ambushed by Lai's father. However, Frank is saved when Lai shoots her own father. Afterwards, Tarconi arrives with the police and they rescue the people trapped inside the containers, and Frank and Lai help to load them in the ambulances as the film ends.
The Transporter drives a BMW in the first film and an Audi A8 (12 cylinder W12) in the 2nd and 3rd films. | comedy, cult, revenge, action, murder | train | imdb | Actually, a lot of the film is that but it's such a fun movie that I didn't care.Jason Statham is very cool in the lead and it's he that makes this a decent film.
The Transporter (2002) was a fun action film that was directed by Jet Li's fight director Corey Yuen and it starred Jason Statham.
I think he's a pretty cool guy and at first, even I questioned his casting as Frank Martin in "The Transporter." But the problem is, and I'm assuming this is the result of the quickly edited action scenes (which were toned down to make the film "PG-13"), he's not being given the room to really be the best he can be.As the lead character, he's a transporter.
Common sense tells us that it was curiosity that killed the cat, and the cat in this picture thankfully doesn't die some horrible death but instead, curiosity yields him a break - a beautiful woman named Lai (Shu Qi) - bound and gagged, and in the trunk of his BMW.It's not spoiling much that she and Frank get together and as a result, are forced to do battle with shady and vicious American businessman Wall Street (Matt Schulze) and his army of high-kicking, disposable assassins.
There's a little more to the plot and Lai, and the circumstances surrounding her appearance in the trunk of Frank's car, and it involves some smuggling of poor Chinese immigrants from China to Europe, where much of the action takes place.Speaking of action and there's plenty of it, Statham does display some pretty impressive moves but the frantic editing just doesn't do him justice.
Director Corey Yuen (whose work on Jet Li's 2001 action film "Kiss of the Dragon" I admired), is behind it and Besson's got a producer credit.The problem may not be Statham because I think he's a really cool actor with a raspy British accent, but the script is worth some deeper examination by more thoughtful minds.
Jason Statham makes a great tough guy, loved him in The Italian Job as well.I recommend inviting your friends over, grabbing some Orangina, and watching this great movie..
This movie is pure action having all the usual clichés: car chasing, explosions, fights when nobody uses guns, the lead actor gets some kind of involvement with the victim etc.
If you like completely mindless movies that don't even try to come up with an intriguing or original plot, realistic characters, believable dialog, suspense, emotion, etc., etc., but are only looking for a fast paced succession of action and martial arts sequences, then this is your movie!
A hard-boiled ex-soldier (Jason Statham) runs a private 'transporting' business in which he moves goods for clients from point A to point B, no questions asked, no packages opened and no names exchanged.
One day, he breaks his own rule by opening the large bag he is transporting and finds a beautiful gagged woman (Qi Shu) in it.Jason Statham of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame slips into the buff testosterone-fuelled action-hero role with almost effortless conviction and the perfection with which he delivers his cheesy lines deserves credit ("All right, that's enough juice for now.").
This thrilling film is packed with unstopped action , stirring car races and sensational fights .The former mercenary called Frank Martin(Jason Statham in his starring debut) turned in security agent is now serving as chauffeur for delinquents and mobsters .
Jason Statham is top-notch as action hero, he lives what seems to be a luxurious life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods from one location to another , he's a tough man fighting stunningly .
The stunts and fights are really fun to watch, but the storyline and acting is bare bones and boring.The Transporter focuses on Frank Martin, a highly trained mercenary, getaway driver for criminals, and a "transporter" for anything that needs delivered.
To be fair - I got some good car chase action in the first ten or so minutes of the movie and one good fighting scene in 70,000.
However, the transporter screws up by breaking the rules by opening a package and getting involved when he ends up transporting a Chinese woman to someone.At this point you want to know where the story is suppose to go, but what really happens is it goes nowhere.
But at some point the people making this tried to make the story solve itself within 5 minutes in an office room as they start introducing more bad guys, and try to write up a hasty conclusion.From this point on you can't even like the film for its stupidness.
Like the great French setting this movie reaked of over ripe camembert.It's too bad cause Stratham is definitly passible as an action hero, and the oil slick fight scene is quite ingenious.
The hero Frank is a super fighter who makes other action figures from movies like "Die Hard", "James Bond", "Mission Impossible", and "Terminator" look like schoolboys, and he would probably win a fight against all of them with his hands tied to his back.
I watched this movie because there was absolutely nothing else on TV, but if I can help just 1 other person from wasting their time as I did...If you re-create every action scene you have ever seen (ala James Bond, Terminator, Die Hard), splice them together in no particular order, develop a plot more brainless than a Steven Seagal flick (not easy), you will have The Transporter.The only plus -- that oriental chick was pretty cute.If you like cars that explode like nuclear bombs when they crash, and villains that have super high tech military weapons 1 minute -- then mysteriously lose them just before the obligatory martial arts fight scene -- then this movie is for you..
Jason Statham rules.Qi Shu delivers some very cute and adorable lines.Matt Schulze is utterly convincing as a bad guy.The script is poorly written.
The rest of the plot sort of falls into place heavily and, when it needs to explain things, feels very slow and ponderous it's better if you don't think about it.Despite the weak plot the film is very enjoyable simply because of the great action scenes.
It isn't great, the plot is weak and the ending is a little bit of an anti-climax with it's happy sunny ending, but the action is good and, more than some over hyped films, it is actually FUN to watch it just don't expect all the bits to be good..
When the heavies decide to reciprocate with violence, Frank is introduced to Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand) who believes that Frank is certainly a 'Person of Interest.' The rest of the movie becomes a fun filled adventure of high flying street chases, explosions and physical action involving Martial arts of the best kind.
In Jason Statham's first starring role he plays Frank Martin, an ex-something or other who now lives in the sunny French Riviera delivering packages for shady gentlemen.
The only thing worth watching (or so I used to think) are the fight scenes, but they are so poorly edited (as is the whole film) that you never feel the impact or the excitement.The Transporter is good enough if you want to switch your brain off and veg over some tame action against a scenic backdrop.
However, the action is far from hard hitting and this only makes the abysmal story more obvious.Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a hired mercenary transporter, who while on one delivery, breaks his own rules and opens his package.
Frank (Jason Statham) earns his living as a transporter, a driver who operates on the wrong side of the law, making deliveries of any kind, no questions asked; but when Frank breaks one of his own rules by opening a package en route, his ruthless employers decide to silence him using any means necessary.Jason Statham has some pretty lousy titles in his filmography (the preposterous and tiresome Crank movies, the disappointing The Expendables), as do director Corey Yuen (the mediocre So Close, the abysmal Blade of Kings) and producer Luc Besson (the awful Arthur and the Invisibles).
The Transporter, however, sees all three on top form, their film providing an hour-and-a-half of exhilarating, knowingly dumb comic-book nonsense, star Statham playing his part perfectly, with an admirable sense of seriousness despite the patent silliness of the action (unlike his irritatingly OTT performances in the Crank films).As the story progresses, the gunfights, fist fights and explosions get bigger and better, with logic never allowed to get in the way of spectacle.
The rest of the movie is car chases, explosions, and fights.I won't go into the plot, because it's pretty much only here to give Statham a pretext to hand out his butt-kickings.
In the early part of the 21st Century, he turned to producing and one of his major hits was The Transporter, the film that made Jason Statham into an action star.Frank Martin (Statham) is an ex-military man who turned into a driver for hire in the South of France.
Frank has to work with the woman, Lai, and a police detective, Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand), to bring down Bettencourt and his operator.The Transporter takes a basic B-Movie plot and story and gives it an MTV flash.
The best sequence for me was the highway chase because it was easier to tell what was happening and for the most part the fighting and gun fights were well done.The Transporter was Statham's first leading role outside of Guy Ritchie's films.
Statham also had very good chemistry with Qi who did have charm as Lai. The pair worked well and were surprisingly believable in the context of their world.The Transporter lacked a threaten villain: Schulze played his role more as a man who is partier then a ruthless crime lord who will kill anyone who crosses him.
The film also introduces a character called Leon who was able to beat up and knock out Frank, leading you to think that there is going to be a showdown between the characters: but it never comes about, which is very disappointing.Stanley Clarke gave The Transporter a more modern, techno score which was fitting for the most part, especially when it becomes pumping for the action sequences near the end.
The Transporter had 'Macho Duck' written all over it from the opening scene and I'm afraid that was enough for me....yet another example of modern movie maggot husbandry where 'action' and "Look at me...look what I can do!" (like some little brat sat in an amusement arcade racing car/fighter jet) is all that matters.
Jason Statham plays Frank Martin a man works as a professional transporter.
Some cool action stunts, fight scenes, car chase and some, but not much, snappy dialog.In the end The Transporter is nothing more and nothing less than a good action flick.
In this, he was the lead and tougher and way more cool and the fact that he did 99% of the stunts himself was impressive.Personally, I would have liked to have seen much more actual "transporting" though, so we could enjoy more of the driving scenes.
Sure, most of the action sequences are reasonably well choreographed, and Jason Statham is quite engaging as the titular character, but neither of these is enough to save a film that chokes on one of the worst scripts of the year.
The opening frantic car chase through the streets and along the boardwalks of Nice, sets the tone for the for the rest of the movie infused with equal parts action and humor you quickly realize that this is not a film that takes itself seriously.
I had a great time watching The Transporter.It's a pure popcorn entertainer with terrific action, and a great story too.It's not a dramatic or very serious film, it's meant to be enjoyed and I'm telling you that if you like action movies, this movie is not to be missed.It's another highly entertaining French action film written by Luc Besson, one of the best action movie screenwriters.Jason Statham is obviously a delight to watch!
Explosions and car chases are done brilliantly, while it's the fight sequences which have been done with extreme sincerity and perfection.Given that it's a 2002 film, The Transporter (or Le Transporteur) stands tall as per action movie standards.
Statham was Excellent as one of the expendables in the great action packed trilogy & was fantastic in The Mechanic & Home front films he also was very cool in Death Race & Ghosts of mars but i honestly liked him best in this first Transporter film!!!
Statham here is a nice mix of bruce Willis (his bald head & stubbled face) & Van damme (his ripped body & fighting moves) & he really is cool to watch especially the "oil fight" that's a great fight scene & yes this has the usual corny & cheesy bits but that's what makes this movie a throwback to those old school action films, this is a very slick looking film with tons of Action & stunts but still on the lower budget side & that's very cool!!!
I can honestly watch this film over and over again.Jason Statham makes his first appearance as Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin who lives a quiet life in the French Mediterranean, but hires himself out as a "transporter" who moves goods from one place to another.
he gets some help from his friend and Police Inspector Tarconi played brilliantly by François Berléand who adds some humour to the film (and subsequent Transporter films).But what makes this such a great film is the introduction to film of the great character of Frank Martin, brilliantly played by Jason Statham.
Overall, this is a must-see if you're a fan of Jason Statham or action movies in general..
The Transporter is a decent movie with an alright storyline and an average cast.It is an enjoyable movie but there really isn't any element to it that is outstanding and I honestly don't see why it's what one of Jason Statham's best known films,his performance is good but he's done so much better action films than this and it's sequels.Qi Shu is a really terrible actress and without a doubt the worst part of the movie,she is very attractive,but pulling off eye candy isn't that easy when the actress says her lines as if she's reading the script for the first time.The Transporter has some action packed scenes,but there is nothing amazing about this movie and I would only recommend it as an action to just watch on TV if there is nothing else on,don't go out of your way to see it.
The story is about an ex-military man, Frank Martin (Statham), who is covertly working as a transporter for hire - a man who basically moves things from one place to another.
Before the action finale to the film, Statham played a much slicker character - almost like a cheaper version of a James Bond.
By the end though, it's a standard Jason Statham action movie that has consistent flow and doesn't have bad pacing..
The first time I watched The Transporter, I had never seen Jason Statham before, but after the movie was over, I was in Love.
Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a hired transporter willing to deliver anything with simple rules.
This Action/Crime/Thriller is about an Ex-Special Force operator Frank Martin (Jason Statham) with a mysterious past now works as a "transporter" who moves goods--human or otherwise from one place to another.
but he broke his own rule & gets into trouble, which one & what type of trouble see the movie please ;).The most strong element is Jason Statham been an Olympic Diver on the British National Diving & background in martial arts gives us some amazingly thrilling car chases & fighting sequence, as a man one of the reason watching some movies is gorgeous ladies which this flick fulfill through beautiful Asian actress Qi Shu (lai).Now lets come to the weak part the reasons why i gave 6/10 , this flick has a very weak script for mature audiences & predictable too,no character development except Frank martin unreal heroism & a weak villain with not much to offer & avg performances by supporting casts sends this flick right back to being an avg , when i compare this action flick to first movie of Die hard series or MI which been released much earlier then " The transporter" they have much better story line to offer.
yet if u like watching Jason Statham in action & want to feel the innocence of Qi Shu call your friends rent the movie don't buy ;) & have fun on couch :).
There were plenty of car chases and memorable dialog.This is about guy named Frank Martin whose living is to transport smuggled girls all across Europe.The acting is not too bad.
Jason Statham plays Frank Martin the transporter.
Corey Yuen has directed some low-budget action films but in 2002 he directed a great action flick called The Transporter, which stars Jason Statham.
Jason Statham and Lucy Liu did a good job with their characters, but I think it was the storyline that brought this movie down.It had good and innovative action scenes, but that was basically all.
Acting is mostly good and Jason Statham pulls it off great, like he always does.
Most of the scenes are a bit over the top (well, i think that's the idea..), but if you liked the action in Stathams another 'kick-ass-movie' Crank, i'm sure you'll love this one too.
In this movie, Jason Statham plays Frank Martin, a man who is a freelance transporter who is hired to deliver a package to an American gangster known as Darren "Wall Street" Bettencourt (Matt Schulze).
'The Transporter' defined Jason Statham as action star but I think he deserves better as we have all seen his great acting abilities in debut movies ('Lock, Stock...' and 'Snatch'). |
tt0082186 | Clash of the Titans | In ancient times, after defeating their predecessors, the Titans, the gods divided the Universe among themselves. Zeus took the skies, Poseidon took the seas, and Hades was left with the Underworld upon being tricked by Zeus. The gods created the mortals, whose faith and prayers fueled the gods' immortality. As time passed, however, mortals began to question and soon resist their creators, angering the Olympians.
A fisherman named Spyros finds a coffin adrift in the sea, discovering a baby, Perseus, and his mother, Danaë. Spyros and his wife, Marmara, raise Perseus as their own son, alongside their daughter, Tekla. One day, an adult Perseus and his family watch soldiers from the city of Argos destroying the statue of Zeus. Infuriated at this, the Gods unleash the Furies who attack the soldiers and destroy the family's fishing vessel. Only Perseus survives and is found by a group of the soldiers.
Perseus is brought before King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, who are celebrating their campaign against the gods. Queen Cassiopeia compares her daughter Andromeda to the gods and boasts that she is more beautiful than Aphrodite. The revelry is cut short by the arrival of Hades, who has been given leave by Zeus to punish the mortals for their defiance. Hades threatens to unleash his monster, the Kraken, against Argos, unless Andromeda is offered as a sacrifice. Before leaving, he reveals that Perseus is a demigod and the son of Zeus. Perseus meets Io, who confirms his origin. According to Io, a king of Argos named Acrisius defied the Gods and laid siege on Olympus. Zeus wanted to teach him a lesson, but he could not kill the humans because he loved them so much. Instead, he decided to make an example out of Acrisius and disguised himself as the king, and then had sex with Queen Danae. When Acrisius realized this, he executed his wife and son, while cursing Zeus and denying him their bodies. Zeus punishes him further by changing him into the deformed creature Calibos. Though Queen Danae dies, her son, who turns out to be Perseus, survives.
Perseus leads the King's Guard to the Stygian Witches, looking for a way to kill the Kraken. After being betrayed by the power-hungry Hades, Zeus gives Perseus a sword forged on Mount Olympus and a winged horse named Pegasus. Perseus refuses both, but the captain of the King's guard, Draco, keeps the sword for when Perseus needs it. Soon after, they are attacked by Calibos. Draco severs Calibos's hand and forces him to flee. The band give chase but are attacked by giant scorpions called Scorpioxs that spring from spilled drops of Calibos's blood. They are saved by a band of Djinn, non-human desert sorcerers led by Sheik Suleiman, who tame the remaining Scorpioxs. Also wishing for the gods' defeat, the Djinn lend their aid to Perseus and his band.
The group arrives at the lair of the Stygian Witches and learn that to kill the Kraken, they must obtain and use the head of Medusa, a gorgon who resides in a temple in the Underworld. Any living creature that looks on Medusa's eyes turns into stone. Perseus, Io, Suleiman, Draco, and their remaining men cross into the Underworld. The men enter Medusa's temple lair while Io, being a woman and forbidden from entering, remains outside. Medusa kills everyone but Perseus, who manages to behead her by using his reflective shield to see her with his back turned. As he leaves the temple, Calibos appears behind Io and fatally stabs her. As Perseus and Calibos fight, Perseus accepts that he is a son of Zeus, picks up the Olympian sword, and stabs Calibos through the chest, which restores him to his human form. With his last breath, Calibos urges Perseus not to become a god. Before dying, Io urges Perseus to leave her and save Andromeda and Argos. Pegasus takes Perseus back to Argos as the Kraken is released. The people of Argos seize and bind Andromeda to offer her to the Kraken. Meanwhile, Hades reveals he does not require the faith or worship of mortals as Zeus does, as he has learned to survive on their fear. Hades then subdues the weakened Zeus.
Perseus arrives at Argos and exposes Medusa's head to the Kraken, which makes eye contact just before it is able to reach Andromeda. The Kraken, petrified, slowly turns to stone and shatters. Prokopion, the insane leader of the Cult of Hades, tries to kill Perseus, but Cepheus stops him and is stabbed, before both are killed when the Kraken's petrified hand falls on them. Hades appears, intending to kill Perseus, but Perseus, calling upon Zeus, throws his sword at Hades, forcing him back to the Underworld. Perseus rescues Andromeda, who is now crowned Queen of Argos. She asks Perseus to stay by her side as King, but he declines. Perseus also refuses another offer of godhood from Zeus, who then proclaims that if Perseus is to live as a human he should not be alone and subsequently revives Io. Thus, Perseus and Io become lovers. | cult, revenge, psychedelic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1486834 | The F Word | Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) has an odd job and lives with his sister and nephew in Toronto, Ontario. He dropped out of medical school after discovering his girlfriend having sex with his anatomy teacher and has not been social for more than a year. He is coerced by his best friend Allan (Adam Driver) into going to a house party, where he meets Allan's cousin Chantry (Zoe Kazan). At the same time, Allan meets Nicole (Mackenzie Davis) and they begin flirting with each other.
Chantry and Wallace leave the party and he walks her home where he finds out that Chantry has a boyfriend. Even so, she gives him her phone number, but he decides against calling her. They later run into each other at a movie theater, where they had both gone alone, and end up having dinner together.
Over time the friendship grows and Wallace is invited to meet Ben (Rafe Spall), Chantry's long-term boyfriend, who works for the United Nations. Ben, however, ends up in the hospital due to a series of unexpected accidents when Wallace visits their house for the first time. At the hospital, Wallace and Chantry run into Wallace's ex-girlfriend, Megan. Ben later moves to Dublin, Ireland for six months due to requirements of his job. During this time, Wallace and Chantry begin to see their relationship develop further and they begin to have deeper feelings for each other.
Allan and Nicole get married. Chantry's sister Dalia (Megan Park) tries to seduce Wallace in her car, but he does not reciprocate, because Wallace is worried that it would ruin any chance he would have with Chantry. Allan and Nicole invite the two to have a walk on the beach at night. They decide to go skinny dipping and soon Wallace and Chantry decide to join, whereupon Allan and Nicole steal their clothes, forcing them to sleep naked together on the beach. Wallace and Chantry feel forced into the intimate situation and begrudgingly decide to share the sleeping bag. The next day they leave the beach angrily.
Chantry is given a promotion to direct an animated project in Taiwan. However, she is pressured because of her strained relationship with Ben so she travels to Dublin to join him. On arriving, she discovers that Ben has accepted more work commitments that require him to travel frequently and she decides to break off the relationship. Meanwhile, Wallace decides to follow Chantry; upon arriving Ben punches him in the face, knocking him down the front stairs. He then checks his voicemail, learning that she has returned to Toronto. They meet, but Wallace tells Chantry about the trip and his feelings for her and she responds unfavorably.
Wallace considers going back to medical school and moving on with his life; however, he decides to attend Chantry's farewell party and they have a tearful goodbye. They finally admit to their mutual feelings while giving each other a Fool's Gold Sandwich, something they had previously discussed while hanging out together, and kiss.
In an epilogue set 18 months later, it is revealed that Wallace followed Chantry to Taiwan and proposed to her there while he completed his medical studies. They marry and contemplate the rest of their lives while sitting on Wallace's rooftop. | romantic | train | wikipedia | It's a well written film about Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) who becomes friends with Chantry (Zoe Kazan) who is with her long time boyfriend Ben (Rafe Spall).
It's fairly staple Rom Com script.Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Cazan) become best friends, but do they want more than to be just friends.
Chantry has a long term boyfriend Ben who she is very close to, so it seems they will remain just good friends regardless of whether Wallace wants more.This is pretty much by the numbers rom com storyline.
The direction makes it real simple, though it does pull off a little hipster-y animation when it shows their abstract feelings, but most of the time it just let it linger at the very meaningful moments.The most important thing What If needs is gumption at portraying how doomed the both are from ending up with each other, but it still is a worth a watch for its often delightful environment.
I went to a screening of the F Word at the Toronto International Film Festival and I can say I had a good time (I can also say that Daniel Radcliffe is much much shorter in person than what you would expect.) I wasn't sure what the story was or what type of movie it would be and from the director of Goon and Fubar, I probably wouldn't have expected a romantic comedy, but as it turns out it was and I quite enjoyed it.
The film tells the story of Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Kazan) who meet at a party when Wallace finally gets over being dumped over a year ago and goes back into the world.
Toronto is featured a lot as the film was shot and takes place there (for once, they're not pretending it's New York) so it was great to see the city.While there is no release date set, the director said the movie should come out around Valentine's Day so by all means, if you're looking for a fun comedy to watch, go see it.
Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Kazan) meet at a mutual friend's party and instantly bond with one another.
Chemistry between them is flawless and spontaneous – but she has a boyfriend, which leaves recently heart-broken Wallace in the 'friend-zone'.Containing much witty dialogue, quirky references and probably redefining the entire term awkward – 'What If' seems firm and fresh in style, yet is typically conventional in story, hindering on the exact narrative of Harry Met Sally actually ...Lead star Daniel Radcliffe, seems as if he is still trying to get to grips with genre post HP and distancing himself after trying a mixture of features; Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, and upcoming horrors; Horns and Frankenstein.
Nonetheless, he seems concrete in his first Rom- Com performance and we want to see more.Also interesting to see him play a Brit in an American/Canadian film, rather than putting on an accent like a baffled Hugh Grant we are used to in this Richard Curtis-esqe movie.
We see great potential ahead of him and are going to go ahead and call it that Dan' will win an Academy award before 2018 is out.Alongside Radcliffe stars Zoe Kazan in an equally exceptional performance (her best yet), and co-starring upcoming Star Wars actor Adam Driver for even more humour – the film is solid.
I didn't expect one of the year's best but still hoped it would be a worthy romantic comedy.What If is Directed by Michael Dowse and it stars Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Rafe Spall, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Jemima Rooper and Sarah Gadon.
Still, there is no denying the chemistry between them, leading the pair to wonder, what if the love of your life is actually your best friend?"Well What If does end up being a worthy romantic comedy i guess.
This is a fine time at the movies but it does feel way too predictable and overly familiar.It makes me sad not to really like this feature because, you know, i actually really wanted to.
I mean really the supporting characters though amusing, are little more than card board pieces in the movie's screenplay.So yeah the film is basically saved by it's two lead performances from Potter Daniel Radcliffe and Ruby Sparks Zoe Kazan.
Unless you consider Daniel Radcliffe not being Harry Potter a completely new approach to movie making.If you are into this genre, please disregard my comments, as you may even find something fresh in this predictable plot like other reviews suggest (I smack my forehead in total disbelief).
Was expecting this film to be more predictable and very cliché when it came to plot line, however i was pleasantly surprised by the outcome, Daniel Radcliffe's performance was a little stiff to begin with but once you warm to his witty self deprecating character, you forget he was once the embodiment of Harry Potter.
Stylish and refreshing, putting people's emotions and personalities to the front, managing to stay both artistic and natural, so that the characters never feel boring or washed-out yet you still can connect to their problems and life choices.One thing that first brought my attention to this movie is Daniel Radcliffe.
Zoe Kazan and Daniel Radcliffe's romantic chemistry is off the charts in this film.While the major plot points are cliche, the characters are far from it; they're funny, meaningful, and relevant.
It's an interesting take on the romantic comedy genre to have 2 main characters that the film focuses on perfectly evenly.It's not hard to fall in love with Wallace and Chantry in this beautiful character piece..
Wallace who is coming out of his shell after being recently heart-broken becomes friends with Chantry who is actually with her long-time boyfriend Ben. As predictable as this might sound, Wallace and Chantry start liking each other & eventually develop feelings for each other.
The F Word also called What If is a romantic comedy about a man named Wallace who can't quite decide when friendship ends and love starts and that puts him at odds with the already in a relationship Chantry.
Chantry is played by Zoe Kazan who does the same kind of job that Radcliffe does, neither really eclipse each other and that is good because the chemistry runs well through that, we see enough of both characters lives and emotions and it makes them more accessible to us on a connecting level.
I liked the addition of Rafe Spall as the partner of Chantry, he gives a funny performance and mixes things up well, I felt he was going to be a little funnier at first but all in all he is still a well made character and played well by Spall too.Michael Dowse directs and I can't say he does a fine job but he still manages to create something alright, I wasn't too keen at times in the way he makes the movie look but he at least gets the pacing right.
So in the end this movie is one that probably won't rank high on many peoples lists of great romantic comedies but that doesn't mean it isn't worth a watch, it's actually not a bad movie at all and if you're the kind of movie viewer who is a hopeless romantic or just loves romance, this is pretty fun..
The acting is wonderful (huge props to Daniel Radcliffe in this role, seriously he is great and fits into the character so well) and it was very well-casted, and I highly recommend if you want a good romantic comedy to spend the evening with..
Chantry is an animator, and occasionally her drawings come to life in the movie, adding a really cool multi-media element to the film.My favorite character is Chantry played by Zoe Kazan.
A fun movie- witty dialog, attractive actors/actresses who did their roles well, story is nothing complex but that's what you expect in a romantic comedy.I gather it wasn't a huge success- I believe it fell short of breaking even.
Zoe Kazan, who it sure seems is making a career out of offbeat rom-coms is expectedly fantastic as Chantry, who forms a bond with Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) after he gets his heart broken once again.
What If is an ensemble romantic comedy led by Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan as Wallace and Chantry.
"Is it" is a typical romantic comedy, which deals with one of the most recurring subjects of the things of the heart, a friendship that starts to get too strong, not that the film treats it in a perfect way, it just gives a tone and the (Daniel Radcliffe), a man who has just left the house, and who has just left the house.
centers on Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) who develops a close friendship with Chantry (Zoe Kazan), yet finds himself unable to fall in love with her due to her long-term relationship with boyfriend Ben (Rafe Spall).
The story starts of with meeting the two leads, Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Kazan).
The acting in this movie was quite surprising, as Radcliffe, who is slowly being seen as a normal actor, instead of Harry Potter, plays the part of Wallace well, and stays in character quite well.
Harry's ably supported by his new BFF Zoe and Adam from Girls is always good value, whether it be offering advice to Harry or just generally providing his life with some humour.What If is a neat, quick and eccentric little rom-com that is lovingly directed by Michael Dowse (who directed the awesome and under seen hockey comedy Goon) and well-acted by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry's alter ego) and Ruby Sparks breakout star Zoe Kazan.
The story is similar to a lot of rom-coms: Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe), a young man with a history of failed relationships, become the platonic friend of Chantry (Zoe Kazan), who is living with a long term boyfriend.
Additionally, while the two leads (Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan) are both very likable, some of the supporting characters are absolutely ridiculous, as no one talks or acts like some of these folks.The film is much like the premise behind When Harry Met Sally.
The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, as it's two leads, and costars Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, Megan Park and Rafe Spall.
The two become really good friends and end up spending a lot of time together, while Wallace continues to develop stronger and stronger feelings for her.I've definitely had a lot of crushes on a lot of girls with boyfriends, so this is definitely a film I can relate to.
After popping up in 'Horns' and 'The Woman In Black' Daniel Radcliffe opts for more lighter fare in this indie and quirky romantic comedy.While the idea is nothing we've not seen before (can a man and a woman be just friends?)this film manages to put a new spin on the idea and include some good jokes in the process.A lot of the film's success comes down to the casting.
Radcliffe is dry and funny in his role of Wallace, and i'm sure lots of people in the audience fell in love with Zoe Kazan throughout the film's run.Much like 500 Days of Summer this film isn't as quirky or as entertaining as it thinks it is though, and some of the supporting characters are just plain unlikable.
Radcliffe is whingeing all the way through the movie about how he likes his best friend, but she is loyal to her boyfriend, so he doesn't know if he should confess his feeling to her.
The plot revolves around the same old Rom comedy about Wallace ( Daniel Radcliffe) and chantry ( Zoe Kazan ) whose has a boyfriend already met the hero and try to be friends and atlast how they got in love is all about story.
It is the characters of Wallace and Chantry that not only save this film from being yet another generic rom-com, but that lift it far beyond the confines of the genre so that you almost forget that we're going to end up where we always do with these types of stories.
To see if the worries were justified, look below.Characters & StoryAfter being cheated on, Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) has taken a long break away from dating, but upon Allan (Adam Driver), his only friend, getting him to go to his house party, he ends up meeting Adam's cousin Chantry (Zoe Kazan).
Though with Chantry being with Ben for 5 years, and Ben seeming like he is mentally preparing to propose to Chantry, will Wallace accept friendship is the most he may get out of his relationship with Chantry, or will fate have mercy on him?PraiseThere are two main highlights when it comes to the film: The story's dialog which doesn't seem overdone a la Juno, nor like a most romantic comedies, and the fact that the characters take their time to get to know each other.
Starting with character chemistry, in the film we see 3 relationships: Allan and Nicole's, which shows your usual romance movie plot where they fall in love at first sight, fight, come back together, and etc; Ben and Chantry's which is comfortable, cute, and committed; and then there is Chantry's relationship with Wallace which, at first, presents that rarely shown idea that men and women can be friends.And through their friendship you get some very entertaining dialog which almost seems like "the best of" when it comes to conversations you might have had.
This dynamic helps elevate the film from other commonly known character situations because it isn't about one guy being a "bad guy" and us yelling at the girl to leave him for the other, it is about both guys being "good" and having her decide between who she really wants.Radcliffe and Kazan are marvelous in this, with the former continuing to shed his Harry Potter typecasting and the latter achieving the most "adorkable" performance of 2014.
It is almost good, it is almost quirky, it is almost very funny, it is almost both romantic and a comedy and it is almost worth mentioning in the same breath as the 2009 Zooey Deschanel/Joseph Gordon-Levitt hit.Almost.What it is, however, is overworked, obvious and eventually tiresome.What If is the story of dropout medical student Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) who, after a string of failed relationships, meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan) an animator who lives with her long-term boyfriend, Ben (Rafe Spall), and forms a close friendship with her.
I have to say one thing first regarding the films title the original name was the f word then it changed to what if 2013 for ridiculous reasons and second is what if Daniel Radcliffe avoided this project no really he is a great actor the harry potter series quite ruined his talents so what if he really never signed this film then his filmography slot would have looked better.The sole reason to hate this entirely is none other then zero chemistry between actors let me clear this out once again not the characters if anyone is saying that the writing of this film is bad or dialogs are not worthy of listening they are dead wrong this film runs on comic moments from start to finish as the actors are not comfortable with each other it can be seen they don't liked working with each other it was like the director forced them at a gunpoint to work on sets.The story is about Wallace a medical school dropout he got a lot of friends and everyone is having fun enjoying life with their life partners and settling down Wallace is left alone but soon he becomes friends with chantry a girl who lives with a boyfriend Wallace wonders if chantry is really the one special girl he always wanted so he decides to take his chances with this relationship and tries to turn it into a love affair.These types of films are done so many times why it was made again is beyond me its like this genre is on repeat mode nothing new or original is here that we haven't seen before same old love triangle,sex etc only locations are changed.The cast is wasted Zoe Kazan was a totally wrong choice for this role she was boring other girls like Megan Park,MacKenzie Davis,Jemima Rooper,Tommie-Amber Pirie,Meghan Heffern & Jordan Hayes surprises with good performances as for Daniel Radcliffe is he trying to kill his own career he should be careful next time or else these type of films will do it for him he is a rich guy but this was a desperate move for cash.Overall What If 2013 is only for die hard Daniel Radcliffe fans he can be seen doing some comedy nothing more my rating is 3/10..
It is obvious how this film is going to end from the moment it starts (although initially I thought she was lying about having a boyfriend) Danial Radcliffe was about as good as he gets and Zoe Kazan is great as the oblivious 'geeky hot' girl who thinks a guy can just 'want to be friends'.
There are many romance film just like this one but unfortunately it's doesn't came with something new to this genre, the content is just filled and the best part is the ending or when the main characters kiss for the first time.Zoe Kazan is cute and a good choice to play the girl who you will end up falling in love.
The F Word (2013): Dir: Michael Dowse / Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis: Young adult romantic comedy about chances.
I was very excited to see this new romantic comedy 'What If', starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, and Adam Driver.
The film gets by on its characters: Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe), a cynical med school dropout, and Chantry (Zoe Kazan), a lively, funny, and beautiful girl.
He managed to look witty in front to me even if he's a romantic in this film and it still worked.Zoe Kazan as Chantry did justice to her character. |
tt0473367 | Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na | The story begins in an airport, when Jignesh a.k.a. Jiggy (Nirav Mehta), Ravindran a.k.a. Rotlu (Karan Makhija), Sandhya a.k.a. Bombs (Alishka Varde), and Shaleen (Sugandha Garg) offer to tell Mala (Renuka Kunzru), Jiggy's friend and crush, the tale of Jai and Aditi, a love story with joys and sorrows, happiness and heartbreak, laughter, songs, and fights, and...a climax at the airport. Mala is initially uninterested in the story and hates love stories in general, but still agrees to listen as the flight carrying the friends they have come to receive is late.
Meet Jai Singh Rathore, a.k.a. 'Rats (Imran Khan), the most non-violent Rajput ever. Meet Aditi Mahant(Genelia D'Souza), a.k.a. ‘Meow‘, a highly aggressive, impulsive girl. She abuses and scratches people (hence the name Meow). Despite their differences, Jai and Aditi are college-going best buddies. Rotlu, Jiggy, Bombs, and Shaleen are also college-mates of Jai and Aditi, and a part of their group. Rotlu loves Aditi and Bombs loves Jai. However, Jai and Aditi are always so busy with each other that they overlook this. Jai and Aditi are perfect for each other. Their friends know this. Their parents know this. Everybody but the two themselves know this. Aditi dreams of a virile, macho husband, while Jai wants a sweet, romantic girl. Since the two of them don't believe that they are in love, after finishing their college they decide to hunt for a perfect life partner for each other. Jai falls in love with Meghna (Manjari Phadnis) at first sight in a club where two psychos were misbehaving with her. He saves her, not by fighting but by tricking the two psychos who always ride horses. Meghna always plays the game of imagination, “What's this?” When Meghna and Jai get close to each other, Rotlu, Jiggy, Bombs, and Shaleen are happy for Jai but nobody notices that Aditi is missing Jai's company. Aditi notices changes in Jai's behaviour.
Meghna informs Jai that her parents squabble but cannot live without each other. She says this is really "cute." Jai visits Meghna's parents. Her father is an alcoholic. Her parents always argue with each other and Jai feels uncomfortable around them. When Jai goes to meet Meghna's parents, he misses Aditi's surprise birthday party. She is hurt by this and acts rudely to Jai when he goes to wish her a happy birthday later that evening.
Aditi gets engaged to her father's friend's son, Sushant Modi (Ayaz Khan). She sees in him the macho man she always wanted. However, Sushant is also a spoilt playboy. Aditi's brother, Amit (Prateik Babbar), tries to make her see who Sushant really is. But Aditi thinks that Jai loves Meghna and continues her relationship with Sushant. At Jiggy's birthday bash, Aditi introduces her fiancé. Then everyone decides to dance. Aditi is disturbed because she is jealous seeing Jai with Meghna, and Jai is upset that Aditi is engaged and disturbed. Aditi becomes emotional seeing Jai with Meghna, however, in the middle of the dance, Sushant thinks Aditi is crying because she likes him and kisses her. Jai sees this and stops dancing abruptly. While taking Meghna home, she tries to cheer him up, but it just results him in becoming more angry. He shouts at Meghna for acting childishly.
Jai realises that Meghna is a girl who runs away from reality and hides in rather stupid refuges. Meghna breaks down and lets Jai know how and why she became this way. Meghna shares her dark childhood story of her father (Rajat Kapoor) having an extra-marital affair and her mother, Sheela(Kitu Gidwani) leaving the residence, but later only returning for Meghna's sake. Meghna is hurt when she sees her parents in pain solely on her account. But since there's no other way round, she decides to close her eyes and see things the way she wants, in a happy manner. Therefore, according to her, her parents fight in a very 'cute' manner. All is happy in the way she sees things, and does not want anyone to remove this veil before her eyes until she is ready for it. The next day, to cheer up things, she kids Jai by saying that Aditi is the right girl for him and he should marry her instead. Jai is taken aback when Meghna laughs and apologises, saying that she was only joking, and did not intend to shock Jai. But Jai reveals that there is more truth to the joke than Meghna thinks, and says that he is actually in love with Aditi. Meghna is shattered and leaves with a goodbye kiss. Aditi reveals her feelings for Jai under duress from Sushant, who slaps her on her face, leaving a bruise. Aditi breaks up with him and decides to go to the USA to study film-making at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Jai spots the bruise on Aditi's face and contrary to his usual non-violent nature, he thrashes Sushant for daring to lay a hand on her.
Inspector Waghmare (Paresh Rawal), an old enemy of Jai's mother Savitri Rathore (Ratna Pathak), arrests Jai for thrashing Sushant and puts him behind the bars. There, he meets the two psychos,Vinay Singh Rathore a.k.a. Bhageere (Sohail Khan) and Kuber Singh Rathore a.k.a. Bhaloo (Arbaaz Khan), who were harassing Meghna in the club. However, they find out that they are closely related cousins, separated in childhood. They tell him that for a boy to become a man in their Rathore clan, he must complete three conditions: 1.) Thrash someone 2.) Get arrested 3.) Ride a horse. They tell him that his father was a brave man and fought heroically with his enemies but died while doing so. Jai realizes that his mother had lied to him by claiming that his father was a non-violent person who died while trying to stop someone's fight. Unaware of all this, Aditi makes her way to the international airport for departure to USA. Bhaloo and Bhageere, who are sons of an MLA, use their influence to get Jai free, following which, Jai rides a horse, borrowed from his cousin, and heads towards the airport to stop her. Thus, Jai fulfills all the three conditions to become a man in Rathore Clan, causing dismay to Jai's mother and delight to spirit of Jai's father(Naseeruddin Shah), as he had challenged Jai's mother that Jai will fulfill the conditions some day.
He jumps over the security booths and runs, seeking for Aditi, while the Airport security chases him, supposing him to be a terrorist who ran away from security checks. He finds Aditi and sings the song – "Jaane tu ya jaane na" for her, which is the same song that Jai had said in the beginning he'd sing for the love of his life. Aditi, delighted, hugs him and cancels her US trip. Airport security cop Inspector Prakash, on finding that Jai is not a terrorist, lets him go, but with a warning.
Rotlu, Jiggy, Bombs and Shaleen conclude the story and welcome Jai and Aditi, just returning from their honeymoon after 5 years, at the airport. Mala gets extremely delighted to see them and introduces herself as Jiggy’s girlfriend and they leave the airport together. | flashback | train | wikipedia | Beauty of this movie lies in a simple way of narrating it.Now let's talk about the star cast which can be bucketed in to three parts: 1- The leading pair Imran Khan as Jai Singh Rathore and Genelia DSouza as Aditi, 2- The group of friends of Aditi and Jai and 3- All other characters with small but strong presence.
A movie which displays the Love and Friendship in the way it is just hard to come by in bollywood and here Abaas Tyrewala comes up with a wonderful script and screenplay and the audience will have to just sit back and enjoy the magic getting unfolded on the screen.The movie has many One liners which hits the chord with the Young and Old of the audiences.A.R.Rahman with the music is simply flawless as usual.Imran Khan is sure to be the next lover boy in Bollywood he simple effortlessly gives the performance of his lifetime you think that He is born for this role,Genelia rocks and gives an mind blowing performance after Bommarillu.Editing could have been little bit good.Coming to the story Jai and Aditi are very good friends and the journey in which they find love for each other is the movie.Its completely filled with numerous sub plots which doesn't live you with a dull moment.The entire proving of Jai as an true Rathor is fantastic.Cameos by Paresh Rawal,Sohail and Arbaaz Khan is just as ans icing on the cake.Go watch it otherwise you will miss things in life.........
There's been a lot of expectations from the movie as everyone was wondering if aamir khan the producer could deliver another movie of the kind after a spectacular feature presentation called Taare Zameen Par.What seemed really likable to me was the unique story telling experience where you get the feeling that you are listening to your own friends telling you a story.
The complex nature of the relation between a boy and a girl, their bonding, separation and other aspects of the story sound like a typical love movie but there is freshness in this approach.
The dialogues are very memorable...my personal favorite is about the "Violent Streak"Ratna Pathak who plays the protective mom and Naseerudin Shah who plays the royal father have taken funny scenes to the best possible level.Ginelia looked convincing in her role but she needs to work on her voice a bit.
His simple next door boy looks combined with good comic timing and right kind of acting will win him a lot of fans.This movie is good to watch with friends preferably college friends because it brings out a lot of shared fun moments one has had in the past.
At several points, the movie moves at a lethargic pace and this friends-narrating-story-outside-the-airport sequence only further slows things down.Tyrewala does a fairly decent job with directing but an even better job with writing.
And, Paresh Rawal is back as a villain but this time with a pleasant touch of comedy.The central love story feels a bit like the Rahul-Tina-Anjali story (of 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) meets Akash-Shalini-Rohit angle (of 'Dil Chahta Hai') but it is the little moments that show the relationship between the mother and son, the brother and sister among other such fine moments that make 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' a refreshing experience.
Ya Jaane Na is a film that I have been wanting to watch ever since I saw the first promo with Imran Khan posing behind a cardboard cutout to make us believe that he is the next big hunk of Bollywood.
However, it's the way it is done that deserves all the credit..The slow, yet never boring pace of the film; the songs, added in at the right moment; the background music, absolutely engrossing; all add up to two and a half hours of great fun!
Whether it is the witty dialogue (Bond, James Bond), the friends (Rotlu, Jiggy, Bombs, Shaleen - you'll love everyone!), Pappu - who really cannot dance, or even the horse riding eve teasers - Sohail and Arbaaz Khan(with a whole 'other' story!); the predictability factor simply disappears from your mind once you listen to the first song.
As a group it was fun to watch them and it would have been nice to see them have some more comic misadventures.The story is nothing new but at least it looked interesting...the two main characters are so close that even a blind man could guess they would end up together but the script takes them on a round trip to nowhere and back.
If this had been handled better there would have been more jealousy/comedy moments written but then this is bollywood...The story definitely takes a nose dive after the interval with all the usual clichés being reused...The two find that shockingly they are in love with one another but neither wants to admit it...Aditi's boyfriend turns out to be a villain (gasp, I didn't see that coming!!), Jai's girlfriend is a little nuts (what a surprise there).
Abbas Tyrewala (Director) has done a wonderful job using simplicity to create this magnificent cinema experience.The use of carefully chosen scenes makes this films stand out from other typical Hindi movies.
(For instance, Aditi's Brother.)Jaane Tu Jaane Na is a fun, fresh, energetic and romantic Hindi movie which is a good example for SMART FILM-MAKING.Best film in year 2008 so far!!!.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Aamir Khan's Production, launching of his nephew Imran Khan, A.R.Rahman's music, superb songs I was too eager to see this movie.
Anyways
The story is about Jai (Imran Khan) and Aditi (Genelia D'Souza) very good friends.
Go and see it for yourself what happens in the end.There are small cameos from veteran actors and actresses Naseeruddin Shah plays Imran's dead father who speaks from the photo-frame wanting Jai to become like a Rajput; Ratna Pathak plays Imran's mother; Paresh Rawal plays a bad cop; Arbaaz and Sohail Khan (Salaam Khan's brothers) play Rajput brothers who rescue Imran from the jail in the end; apart from them there is Rajat Kapoor, Kitu Gidwani, Anuradha Patel, Jayant Kriplani and a bunch of young boys and girls who play friends of the main lead.
Genelia D'souza (Actress Harini of South Indian Cinema) plays Aditi with equal conviction.Apart from the lead the biggest selling point is the movie's music by A.R.Rahman especially the song - Kabhi Kabhi Aditi
is just mind blowing (comes within the first 15 minutes of the movie so do not miss the beginning).
I found the first hour very irritating (except the songs); if you can bear the first hour, the movie is good and enjoyable.The first hour of the movie all the characters (except Jai and Aditi) look over the top, artificial and very annoying may it is the characterization, that the first Director Abbas Tyrewala wanted to stress.
The most irksome were the five characters who are sitting at the airport telling the story of Jai and Aditi whenever they appear on the screen, I just wanted to pull my hair..Uh
Overall a good movie if you can bear the first hour and those irritating friends of Jai and Aditi.I will go with 5.5 rating out of 10 and thumbs up to Imran Khan, a great debut..!.
'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' is a very common story...but has been portrayed very differently...its a simple love story with instant comedy...and no complex or over the top scenes..Imran has played "Jai Singh Rathore or RATs'..he has a family history in rajhasthan which plays its part in the movie while Genelia has played 'Aditi or MEow'..she has done justice to her role..nice acting...amazing songs....Don't Expect to be shell shocked or awestruck by the movie...Its just fun to watch and enjoy...
This movie ends at the airport like most of the films...but the way the imran breaks into the airport and does his part is very cute!!...Its also flashback stuff...but don't judge it by this...its really nice...It doesn't contain total freak comedy..its just instant..u may not laugh out loud but u will definitely smile...'Naseeruddin shah' has played as the dead father of imran .
He has been shown talking to ratna pathak (Jai's mother ) through the portrait...both of them (jai's parents) have strong roles..and have added more fun to the movie...All character in the movie are strong but towards the end i loved when arbaz khan(bhaloo bhaiya) & sohail khan(bhagera bhaiya) showed up in the jail..and revealing the legacy..as u want to say it..lol..is aw-sum...
Imran and Genelia exhibit excellent chemistry and keep the viewers glued to the screens till the very end of the movie.In some parts of the movie you feel that your watching the younger days of the chocolate hero Amir Khan.
The movie is fresh like a morning breeze though it has an old plot of "just friends and not lovers".No doubt, the brilliant music by A.
The director has given full freedom to the actors and everyone is chilled out in the movie with no signs of stress or expectations to be fulfilled.The main points why the film works is its fresh outlook, new energetic & cool faces and above all the freak out language used in the script with carefree "Tu", "Tera" in the dialogues.
It just takes you away from the formal "Aap" attitude and makes you feel more light.The story is not new and the narration is also quite similar to movies like "Chalte Chalte" (Shahrukh Rani) where the friends are talking about the lead couple's affair & marriage.
In the competitive world where every star son wants to outshine another, Imran shows that he damn cares about this competition and just wants to enjoy his work.The seniors in the movie, Ratna Pathak Shah & Naseer are enjoying their roles which is nice to see.
character trying to act smart and make fool out of themselves.But do watch the movie for wonderful chemistry of imran and Genelia D'Souza..
When it begins, Jai (Imran Khan) and Aditi (Genelia D'Souza) are very good friends and have been for many years.
The simple characters, the simple dialogue, along with the natural acting, the brilliant soundtrack by A.R Rahman, and the depiction of modern-day India made for a very fine and enjoyable movie.The film does not only work because of its romantic nature, but also its striking portrayal of relationships, whether it's the one between Jai and Aditi, between Aditi and her brother, and particularly between Jai and his mother.
The acting by the leading pair is adequate.Genelia D'Souza is convincing in her role as fiery, spirited Aditi and Imran Khan though lacking in some emotional scenes delivers a likable performance.
Imran khan is okay in his debut role but Genelia proves to be the performer of the movie.
Although countless movies have exploited this wafer-thin plot in the past, JTYJN does it in a new, cool , fresh kind of way which makes you cheer for the couple in the end.The characters are etched out neatly.
For eg: Aditi's brother, the naive gujju friend and of course Paresh Rawal(I love him, he manages to pull off anything.) Hated the rotlu- his girlfriend whatever.The Arbaaz-Sohail Khan & Ranjhod ka Rathore track was unnecessary although the cousins calling each other by names from The Jungle Book characters was funny.(and this is the only nickname one would like in a movie where grown-up characters address each other by rats-meow sheeesh!!!!) As for performances, sadly the new heartthrob Imran Khan just cant cant(sorry fans), Genelia needs to work on her accent.
And the mother, well she rocks big time:)I loved every moment she was on screen :)And come to think of it the movie never became ugly for a sec a bit clichéd around the end but never boring or even close to unbearable If you like this i think you may like one of these Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula or(exclusive or :P) Taxi No. 9211 or Dil chahta haiAnd sadly to the non Indian viewer There are'nt many movies like this in bollywood only the recent ones a re similar something with aamir khan and not very mainstream would be a good choice..
what can i say about this one i was against going for this movie but because of friends forced me to cm with them i had to go for it and guess what...i am really grateful to them for making me watch this movie...acting is superb from all the cast...all played out beyond expectations ...especially..Imran khan..(whom i really hated to see on news just because he somewhat overreacts on TV and really who is not more better looking than me..)i thought Imran would be a massive failure...but luks like this boy really pulled out a big one for himself..in fact his uncle Aamir khan really paid back for what his(Aamir) uncle did wen aamir gave his first movie..Oh!!!
Imran Khan{better known as Uncle Aamir's nephew] is mediocre,but then again so is the industry.Genelia D'Souza has her moments especially with her brother, who is one well sketched out character in the film.
I followed my instincts which made me trust Aamir Khan's credibility and I went finally to watch the movie.The movie had a very typical plot in which two friends like each other but it takes them two and a half hours, four songs, and two heart breaks to realize it.
Unconventional looks and style of Genelia, ably supported by Imran, with a fresh approach towards directing a love story repeated and seen many times over, makes this movie different.I'll have to say I enjoyed watching this movie, and finally I got to watch another typical bollywood romantic comedy movie.
The other thing is that one of the other friends has affection fro Aditi and one of the girls has an affection for Jai.The movie, directed by Abbas Tyrewallah, introduces Aamir Khan's nephew, Imran Khan and stars Genelia D'Souza, M.
Watch it for some sparkling dialogue, some fantastic music, but most of all, watch it for Imran and Genelia who conceal the film's many flaws.Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na plays out as a predictable Bollywood love story, sticking faithfully to old formulas, even culminating in that now obligatory airport climax.
The first promo itself said this is a fun romantic college kinda film This is a Kuch Kuch Hota Hai type film, thankfully there is no much heroic style or fake college scenes here the crowd is real and thankfully the heroes and heroines are not worshiped though the scenes involving the characters at the start(at the airport) and the entire story telling style could be done without every time focus shifted, it got boring The entire cat scene looks too childish while the entire farewell track is nice and then the scenes between Genelia and Imran are cute Even Manjiri's part is good The Sohail- Arbaaz scenes are quite funny first but get repetitive The Prateik Babbar part is the best part, it actually needed more time Towards the end however the film gets boring, with the entire horse part and the airport scene looking too bad and childishDirectorally Abbas shows a flair for light entertainers, after writing lines and screenplay for Munnabhai MBBS and LRMB he shows he can be a good director Music is good and suits the filmPerformances are nice Imran Khan looks the part, performs well in serious, romantic and comic scenes and also reminds of his uncle Genelia is awesome, this is her true heroine role, she does a g8 job even manjiri is good While Prateik babbar is outstanding in his role Ratna and Naseeruddin Shah have a great chemistry and their acting is great Paresh Rawal is funny after a long time, he steals many scenes Arbaaz Khan and Sohail are funny at times irritating at times.
A talking portrait, EXTRA CHILL PARENTS (i wish each and every parent was really that chill in real life).This movie did have some special moments though, but most were anything but subtle, like the Khan Brothers, meeting the parents etc etc.Expert No 3 - All the actors did a superb job.Me- Did they Genelia still has difficulty in handling emotional scenes, and her dubbing/voice is at least 5 movies away from being even good, Imran Khan was actually quite good, but as the joker says "WHY SO SERIOUS", even in the comedy scenes there was an air of aloofness or seriousness about it, as if to say im here to do a serious job, and if the scene require comedy then i will processionally handle it.ALSO WHAT NOT MANY PEOPLE HAVE POINTED OUT IS THE SLOWISH PACE OF THE FILM, really there is only one story in the entire film and for that movie is quite long, its not like alternate tracks have been given much importance.The placement of songs and the fact that we feel compelled to play the whole song once we start it, is still annoying.ON MOST OF THE REST I AGREE WITH.Yes the acting is very good but lets not push it to superb.Yes the movie is funny most of the times when it wants to be.Yes some of the emotional scenes are actually tolerable for a drama hater like me.Yes this is one of the best movies this year (more from the lack of good movies i might add).Yes you must watch this movie (hell if you like movies (especially Hindi) what other choices do you have, and you will enjoy yourself).In all a very good if not great movie that should be watched if you like some good fun with the odd emotional moments.-s sluggish pace, bad use of songs, not fresh or original.+/-s acting superb????
The movie lives up to the name of aamir khan production's.Its a simple story with a new face.
Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak as Jai's parents, Paresh Rawal the cop, the guy who plays Aditi's brother Amit, and at some moments Sohail and Arbaaz Khan (as the cowboys with the sub-plot) all put in good performances. |
tt0124901 | Thursday | The movie opens in a Los Angeles convenience store one late Monday night, where a small-time drug dealer named Nick (Aaron Eckhart) is trying to decide what coffee brand to buy. His ex-lover Dallas (Paulina Porizkova) and fellow hitman Billy Hill (James LeGros) are getting impatient and tell him to hurry up. Conflicts between Nick and the cashier (Luck Hari) ensue, resulting in Dallas shooting the cashier dead. Though the three attempt to cover up the crime, they are forced to also shoot a police officer (Bari K. Willerford) when he discovers blood on the ground.
Three days later, Nick shows up on the doorstep of Casey Wells (Thomas Jane), an old drug dealing partner who has cleaned up his life. He is now a married architect and is looking to adopt a child with his wife. Nick leaves a couple of suitcases in Casey's guest room before leaving to run some errands. After Nick leaves, Casey becomes suspicious of one of the suitcases and eventually opens it to find it filled with heroin. After calling Nick to yell at him for bringing drugs into his home, he disposes of all of it in the kitchen sink.
Ice (Glenn Plummer), a Jamaican Rasta hitman, enters Casey's house and is about to kill him, but Casey manages to persuade him to have a last smoke of marijuana. After having smoked, Ice is about to kill Casey when Ice's cell phone rings. Ice begins to rap over the phone in an effort to clinch a record deal, and Casey seizes the moment and knocks him out. Casey then ties him up and leaves him in his garage. Dr. Jarvis (Michael Jeter), a representative from the adoption agency comes to interview Casey about his fitness to be a father. Dr. Jarvis is particularly curious to know what Casey did for several years when he lived in L.A. as there is no account of his time there. Casey tries his best to cover up his past as well as his recent encounter with the hitman.
During the interview, Dallas, who wants the money that she believes Nick left with Casey along with the heroin, shows up. She scares away Dr. Jarvis from the adoption agency by telling a story about Casey's drug-dealing and murdering past. When left alone with Casey, Dallas questions him about the money's whereabouts. Angry that he cannot help her, she decides to kill him. But not before she ties him up to a chair, fellates him to force an erection, strips naked and proceeds to mount and rape him. She tells him she will not kill him until he orgasms and she plans to go on until she makes him get an orgasm. Delivering on her word, she reaches multiple orgasms, but gets no results from him. While Dallas reaches a third orgasm, Billy breaks in and shoots her, splattering her blood all over Casey, his walls and his floor.
Billy believes Casey when told that he does not have the heroin, but plans on torturing him with a saw and a blow torch anyhow, while he brags about his prowess and technique of cauterization as he sets to work. Billy is interrupted by cops ironically raiding the house next door. As Billy checks on it Casey is able to loosen the tape around his wrists and grabs a frying pan and sits back down. Billy returns and tells Casey the cops got the wrong house. As he is about to proceed, he notices something is wrong. But catching Billy off guard, Casey overpowers him, and leaves him in the garage.
Nick calls Casey from a pay phone, apologizes for everything and admits he had stolen the heroin and money from the police. After he hangs up, it is revealed to us that Nick has been shot, and is bleeding severely, seemingly about to die. Finally, corrupt cop Kasarov (Mickey Rourke) arrives with a bag which contains Nick's head. He gives Casey until 7 p.m. to find the money but tells him that he does not care about the heroin. Kasarov then sees the garage with Ice and Billy tied up and Dallas dead and unloads a magazine into Ice and Billy. He then tells Casey to throw them out as it is garbage day.
In the end, Casey calls Ice's boss and tells him that the heroin is being auctioned off at 7 p.m. at his house, setting up a gun battle between the Jamaicans and the corrupt officers. He recalls Nick's earlier words which promptly lead him to find the money and a wedding present in the spare tire of his car. He takes them, puts them in Dallas's Lamborghini Diablo car and goes to pick his wife up at the airport to presumably escape the country. | dark, comedy, neo noir, murder, cult, sadist, violence, flashback, claustrophobic, revenge, storytelling | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1959409 | Imaginaerum | Thomas Whitman is a 75-year-old former musician who has lapsed into a coma after years of suffering from multi-infarct dementia. As he is clinging to his life while his estranged daughter Gem ponders on signing a do not resuscitate order, Thomas' mind enters a fantasy world where he relives his life as a ten-year-old orphan. After meeting a girl named Ann at the orphanage and acquiring a snow globe containing a dancing figurine named "Arabesque", young Thomas befriends a snowman named "Mr. White", who takes him on a flight to the skies. But while chasing his father Theodore's airplane, Thomas loses his balance and falls into a surreal world bordered by a run-down roller coaster track, which represents his mind and memories. As pieces of the track fall apart, a mechanic, symbolic of Thomas' doctor in the real world, complains about how futile it is to try to repair the track. The doctor looks to a younger Gem for advice who says they should just let it fall apart; this coincides with Gem agreeing to the DNR order in the real world. Thomas meets a younger version of Gem and a 72-year-old Ann, who warn him about Mr. White. He runs to a "dollhouse", where he sees himself and Ann in their 30s, as members of his band Whitman. The elderly Ann once again appears in front of him, warning him that the snowman is evil and is responsible for the loss of his memories.
As he travels to other parts of his past, young Thomas witnesses the simultaneous events of both his father and his older self lamenting the deaths of their wives. Suddenly, Theodore pulls a gun and shoots himself through his head while the older Thomas smashes the Arabesque globe against the wall, resulting in Thomas distancing himself from his daughter. He chases after Gem throughout the dream world as they both age to the present day.
Back in the real world, Gem arrives at Thomas' home, where she encounters Ann. It is revealed that when Thomas and Ann toured together with their band, Thomas' wife was killed in a car accident when Gem was a child. Because Thomas was not around during her childhood, Gem grew up resenting him throughout her life. Ann informs her that the night that Thomas' wife died, Thomas was with her, as he had stopped her from overdosing on drugs at the time, which reminded him too much of his father's suicide. Later, Ann opens a safe in Thomas' study, only to find sheets of paper containing incomprehensible writing. Ann makes Gem realize that in time Thomas grew as bitter as his own father due to their similar pasts. As a result, he pushed her away in order not to hurt her as his father did. Gem realizes that the notes are all of Thomas' memories when he found out about his dementia and that he did care for her after all. She spends the night piecing the sheets together to form a pattern on the floor. When the house experiences a power failure and Gem's cell phone dies, Ann drives Gem to the hospital.
Meanwhile, in his dream world, Thomas rediscovers his memories with Gem and is determined to hold on to them. He confronts Mr. White, who reveals himself as the manifestation of Theodore. During the ensuing roller coaster ride, Thomas relinquishes his grip on his father. In turn, he lets go of his last memories of Theodore, and holds onto those of Gem. He reaches the end of the roller coaster ride and awakens from his coma with Gem and Ann by his bedside. With his last breath, Thomas reconciles with his daughter before passing away.
Gem returns to her father's home to play the grand piano. When she notices a key not playing right, she opens the lid and discovers a brass name plate lodged between the wires, removing it and placing it on the repaired snow globe. The name plate reads "G Em", revealing Gem's name as the keys G and E minor. Thomas mentions throughout the film that the two chords are key to his memories and all he wants is to hear them one last time. He told her that when the chords are played correctly, the Arabesque in the globe will spin. After Gem realizes Thomas really loved her, she plays the chord and the Arabesque spins, symbolizing their reconciliation. | fantasy, sentimental, flashback | train | wikipedia | In few words Imaginaerum is a dive into a man's surreal dark dreams with superior strengths in terms of powerful images and music and some minor weaknesses in character development and acting.
I might add that Imaginaerum demands much (but not too much) of the viewer rationally as well as emotionally: It requires active thinking to follow the central plot and it is necessary to apply yourself to the emotions of the movie to understand the scenes.
For example I really enjoyed the great performance of actor Tuomas Holopainen!Imaginaerum as a "band-movie": I don't consider myself a Nightwish fan even though I don't dislike their music.
I was positively surprised that Imaginaerum, in contrast to other band movies, did not make it a 2 hours narcissistic music video.
A few times the band is on screen but only adding positively to the atmosphere.As being someone who enjoys strong images, demanding plots and artistic implementations I totally recommend this movie to my friends and to you.
I advise parents to be cautious showing Imaginaerum to children, as some scenes "can be disturbing" (as other reviewers already mentioned) and the movie as a whole may be hard to understand.
McCarthy on the other hand is very convincing playing the role of the old demented song writer Thomas Whitman.If you are a Nightwish fan, you'll get a kick out of this movie.
If you have never heard of the band called Nightwish, you might enjoy it anyway if you are one of those people who like the fact that not everything is clear at the very beginning.
As a longtime fan of the band it was really exciting too see if they could transform a great celebration to life such as the album Imaginaerum to a full time (almoast) movie.
They looked a lot better than the 250 million dollar Oz the Great and Powerful, which felt sadly fake in near every scene, and both movies are fantasy, so I saw nothing lacking in the special effects.
The brief appearances by the band did leave me wanting way more, because I am fan of the group, but it didn't hurt the movie a bit.
This film is imagined to life by the band Nightwish.
Imaginaerum is beautiful as a whole: the special effects are stunning (unless you're a Transformers fan), the cast look like they really care about the story - which does become clearer towards the end - and it's all well carried by the soundscape (by Nightwish).
As a die-hard Nightwish fan, Imaginaerum was an absolute must-watch for me.
I have followed the creation of the project from the very first steps on the band's fb updates, and I was in love with it from the beginning, so I might be a bit biased, but on the other hand I know almost every hardship they had to face during the process of creating a movie.
Mind you, this is not your regular Hollywood movie, with 10s of millions on the budget...The special effects were beautiful in my opinion and considering their budget, they did a spectacular job on bringing this story to life.
:) I flew to Finland just to watch this movie.) The music is absolutely beautiful and awesome.
Knowing both albums already before watching the movie did help in understanding certain scenes, even made me anticipate some with great curiosity.
While I know not everyone who watches it will know or like Nightwish' music as much as I do, I can still recommend listening to the album "Imaginaerum" if you leave the movie theater with too many questions.
Tuomas Holopainen's remark in 2010 about the album fits the movie as well, in my opinion: To me the album sounds like a roller-coaster ride in a theme park designed by Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton and Salvador Dali." The reference to the story of The Snowman" works perfectly as well, and personally, I can see some homage to Stephen King's epic story The Dark Tower" too – which Tuomas Holopainen admits to liking.
Add a dark, yet amazing fantasy world to this, and you have Imaginaerum – a movie that I wholeheartedly recommend to watch.PS: Some scenes (e.g. the circus) might be a bit disturbing to some people (children maybe)..
this movie is definitely overcomes most of the movies from the years 2012\2013!This film is one of the most interesting films i've ever seen.The plot is really unexpected but if you pay enough attention for details you'll realize how the entire plot and all characters are fitted together despite that the scenes are pretty much scattered and not realistic.
but it's how the people's imagination works, especially if a person has a Dementia.I'll definitely highly recommend my friend to watch it!I salute for the makes of the movie and who came up with the story..
The art of the movie fit very well in the feeling of the story and sometimes you cannot understand is this happening in the real world or in the dreams of Thomas Withman.
This is truly an epic film and one that i will not be forgetting for a long time.The acting the graphics are faultless and the music score by for me an unknown nightwish fits the film perfectly.
I am a Nightwish fan of course, but that had no effect on how I viewed the film.
This Finnish made title looks like a AAA Hollywood movie except here the rest of the quality matches.Otherwise known as the Nightwish movie as it was scored & soundtracked by the Finnish band, this is a dark fairytale that really took me by surprise.It tells the story of a man in his final hours living a bizzare fantasy in his head while his embittered daughter deals with his condition in her own way.It is a true visual treat that though very fragmented and not the easiest movie to follow does in fact have an outstanding payoff and all comes together in the end.Looking great, sounding fantastic and with a story that comes together this beautifully my one criticism was that I wanted it to continue for longer.A wonderful movie worthy of anyone and everyones attention.The Good:Visually stunningFantastic soundtrackDevastatingly well writtenThe Bad:Should have perhaps been longerCouple of weak moments that damage the flowThings I Learnt From This Movie:I should start listening to more Nightwish.
They are really really amazing.) I'd rather considered it as a very long music video than a film.The film tells a story about a man who lost in his dream,and how he tries to get rid of it.Sounds like a fairy tale but there's another story hidden.It's about father's love,and more,dealing with the suffering of lost his families(Maybe more,i don't know)And that's why I don't think it was a good film.It's true that it tells us a wonderful story and show us plenty of fantastic scenes,but we should not neglect the fact that it was busy of telling stories and show the great scenes which made us forget to find the emotions deep inside.(I don't know how to tell my feelings.)But still,I want to say,I love the band,I love Nightwish..
I found myself trying not to fall asleep through the whole movie and the nightwish music parts are just out of place.
The music which is a BIG point of this movie just doesn't fit with more of the scenes!
So when I heard they were going to make a whole movie giving visuals and form to their latest album, Imaginaerum, I was understandably hyped.
Sure the limited budget would mean that it wouldn't be visually on par with Hollywood blockbusters, but Tuomas Holopainen is a man with such imagination that I trusted him to deliver a story I wouldn't soon forget.And I wasn't disappointed.
Imaginaerum, the movie, is a unique-looking creation that fits the mood and feel of the album remarkably well, breathing life into the grand story that the album only hints at.
Any fan of Nightwish, naturally, but I'd also recommend it to anyone who appreciates gorgeous music, dark and Gothic visuals, magical realism and stories that delve deep into imagination..
If you're a Nightwish fan, there's the added bonus of the band members performing in the film as well.
With the small budget, time and space they had making this movie, I say they did one hell of a job.No, the characters aren't ''deep'' and the acting isn't oscar winning either, but if you are gonna whine about that you are missing the point of this movie,.
Nightwish - great band as they are - tried to deliver a powerful message using creative imagery and delving into a realm of fantasy movie making that this world seriously lacks and needs more of!
Laced in between is the -almost biographic, considering the sate of Nightwish themselves at the time - story of the band that fell apart, leaving scars in Thomas' mind.
I can say a lot more about it, but it comes down to this: forget for a moment that this was made by a band as an ''extended music video'' (it isn't, this IS a full, stand alone movie).
Almost certain that people who even never heard of Nightwish but do appreciate an honest, small and endearing fantasy movie will enjoy this.
they'll buy anything and tell you how great it is.this movie is horrendous, what little plot there is is nonsensical, there's no motivation for anything people do ("tom, let's you and me take a trip, who knows?
That's a movie with lots of layers and it takes a few listens to Nightwish's album - Imaginaerum as well, to see what Tuomas is trying to say.
It's just a very long, sad and melancholic Music Video.Of course you might shed a tear near the ending but that doesn't make up for the rest of the film.Especially the enforced appearances of the band are very misplaced.
Those scenes are turning a not so bad movie into a Music Video.Watch it if you are bored but don't expect too much.
It gets five stars for being very average, good special effects, okay story, bad band placements.
its root - a music album but the message, the poetry of images, the references to other movies, the delicacy of details, the trip of Tom to himself are good points for enjoy a complete show.
Instead, it was a full feature film about a demented old man trying to hold on to the good memories of his life before he dies and an estranged daughter that needs to reconcile with him.
Also, musically it has the soundtrack from Nightwish and a couple of actual songs with the band playing, but nothing spectacular, either.In a way it is a Finnish version of What Dreams May Come, but not that good and smaller in scope.
I really don't think this movie deserves the hate it's been getting.Thomas Whitman is an aging composer who has nervous breakdowns and he has to use the final moments he has to search through the fantasy world of the mind and piece together the puzzle of what happened.
While this is going on his daughter has a distant relationship with him and she gets a visit from the lead singer of the band he used to be in and she tells her that Thomas was a much more caring person then what she perceived him as for most of her life.The visual style of this movie is probably one of the best elements.
Literally, if you went into this movie wanting to listen to Nightwish then they only make about two, maybe three songs and I am not including how many times I heard a piece of background score that made me think "wait a minute, that sounds like Nightwish" (I haven't listened to the full album yet, I was saving listening to anything for this movie).
Everything else I might boil it all down to "It's okay".So, I can see why this movie got negative feedback but I for one enjoyed it regardless of whether I heard Nightwish's music or not.
It isn't exactly the movie I was expecting but if you keep an open mind and have some pre-determined knowledge of Stobe Harju's career as a music video director then you may like it okay.
It might be best however to not really see it as much of a Nightwish film and more of a movie that the band wanted to help make rather then be in..
I am a really big fan of the band, so I was obviously interested in the film a lot and it did not disappointed me at all!
It is a great ride through the movie and there are lots of symbols you will find hard to interpret for the first time.
Listening to the album Imaginaerum by Nightwish will help a lot to understand what is going on in the movie.It is a must-watch movie for everybody who can get beyond the usual Hollywood films which literally look you dumb and offer only visuals or mindless action or romance or etc.
So if you cannot stand films where you have to use your brain and of course you have to use it the right way, then this film is not made for you and you should not watch it for everybodys sake.For a not Nightwish fan or for someone who does not know Nightwish at all I recommend checking their songs or maybe their history out, because they are one of the best bands!
I was highly anticipating this film because I am such a big fan of Nightwish but the movie itself was very difficult to follow.
I like Nightwish, and especially the Imaginaerum album so that makes me un-objective as hell.
Visually striking, beautifully made, a good story, and of course the music is the best of Nightwish, epic as hell and beautifully orchestrated.A special note (spoiler here) the scene of the suicide / orb breaking is one of the most visually innovative piece of cinema I have seen in years.
And of course the music was good, which is why were were all watching this movie to begin with.The bad: All these reviews talk about how hard the story is too follow.
In the film the band do appear in the movie a few times usually performing a song.
Imaginareum is an album by Nightwish and they had planned to make a video for every song on the album in the end in turned out into a film.This Film can make you feel several emotions and you may even find yourself shedding a tear at the end, it is a dark dream just like it is described as.I would like to also state the actors in this film are amazing and each gave their own special thing towards acting as the characters.
Honestly, it feels like the Imaginaerum movie was built to go along with the music.
It's an oddity of a movie that one would only really understand if they understood Nightwish beyond their music.Additionally, the run-time seems kind of short if they want to create a movie with even a bit more information.
I'm a long-time nightwish fan but this film was just cheesy.
I know Nightwish are great musicians and this film is meant to go alongside the album, but the songs did not overly fit the theme all that well.The part where they performed "Scaretale" and "Slow, Love, Slow" was great though.I'm thinking this was some lazy effort at self-promotion?
If you don't know the band Nightwish, you can still enjoy this movie.
At times it feels like a over extended MTV video (from back when MTV used to play music videos).But someone versed in the arts, often I had the feeling while watching this movie that the guys from Nightwish saw Pink Floyd's The Wall for the first time, and said "Heck!
I have to say, that I was looking forward for this movie for a very long time because I am fan of Nightwish for many years now.
So I was expecting great musical movie.Honestly I don't know for whom this movie is made for, cause nightwish fans want to hear nightwish & rest of the people who don't listen to metal probably don't care (or don't even know that there is something like imaginaerum)Story is confusing, until very end you will not know what is going on exactly, but I wasn't expecting another boring Oscar stuff, I expected average story with excellent music and songs.
Musical movie, with three not complete songs?
again.Don't take me wrong, its not a bad movie, even effects are quite good, but for me this movie is probably under average, to tell you the truth if I didn't know that its from nightwish I would have never watched it, and I wouldn't have missed much.Shame & pity...
I'm not a Nightwish fan, but I did enjoy some of the music - especially a few piano melodies.
The good: Most people complain about the film being "a series of scenes that have nothing to do with the actual story".
If few words, you have plenty of Hollywood to leave your brains at the door, not so with Imaginaerum, which complexity isn't just an excuse to present the soundtrack, but an invitation to an artist and a dreamer's mind, in which time and stories are build up with a different logic that in that one found in movies a hollywwodies.Nonetheless, the film has great effects for it's limited budget, it would have been great to give it another half an hour, just to let it stretch on its development..
Decently made, beautiful, dark and cryptic movie that will satisfy the hardcore fans of the Finnish band Nightwish.
Imaginaerum is a movie made especially for you if you are either into Gothic-cum-symphonic rock or a hardcore fan of the Finnish band Nightwish.
The movie starts out like something you would have watched from Tim Burton's classics or from the canvass of Salvador Dali. |
tt0097579 | An Innocent Man | Jimmie Rainwood (Tom Selleck) is a respected maintenance chief with American Airlines in Los Angeles. He has a beautiful, successful wife (Laila Robins) and a nice home in the suburbs. Life is good.Meanwhile, two rogue narcotics cops take down a cocaine smuggling operation aboard a fishing boat at the Long Beach waterfront. One armed suspect is wounded during the bust. The officers' behavior during the arrest unmasks their violent and unorthodox methods. One of the cops, Mike Parnell (David Rasche), carries the confiscated cocaine from the boat, stopping to put a couple of kilos in his car trunk before turning the rest over to a supervisor who arrives to take charge of the operation.Jimmie Rainwood arrives at home that same evening, expecting an empty house and salad in the fridge. Instead, he is surprised to find his wife home early and a steak dinner waiting for him. Jimmie and Kate make plans for a last luxury vacation before they have kids.The next day, Officers Mike Parnell and Danny Scalise (Richard Young), both adrenaline junkies, stop at a phone booth to call an informant. As Parnell prepares to dial the call, he turns his back to Scalise and snorts coke from a vial he is carrying. The informant tips Parnell off to a suspected drug deal taking place that evening. Delighted, Parnell returns to the car and relays the address to his partner, but recklessly confuses "Oak Lane" for "Oak Way."Rainwood arrives at home that evening to find the empty house and cold salad he expected the night before. As Rainwood showers, Parnell and Scalise creep up to the house. After carefully peering inside, they break down the front and back doors and storm into the house while Rainwood uses the hair dryer. Rainwood hears the loud noise and steps out into the hallway, dryer in hand. Amped up by the tense situation and the cocaine, Parnell mistakes the hair dryer for a weapon and shoots Rainwood, seriously wounding him. Scalise enters from the back of the house and quickly realizes that the supposed weapon is a hair dryer. They search the premises and find no drugs. Realizing they are in the wrong house, they use a drop gun and planted drugs to frame Rainwood and cover their tracks. Kate arrives to find her husband seriously injured and falsely accused of selling narcotics and shooting at police officers.An Internal Affairs officer, John Fitzgerald (Badja Djola), is suspicious of the cops' story but has no proof with which he can challenge their version of events. The crooked narcotics officers coerce their seedy informant into falsely testifying that he had bought drugs from Rainwood on several occasions, and that Rainwater had used his airline maintenance job to smuggle the drugs into the country. Rainwood is confident that justice will prevail and therefore refuses a misdemeanor plea deal, since it would ruin his career. Shockingly, he is convicted of felony assault and drug distribution and sentenced to six years in prison.Rainwood is totally unprepared for the harsh realities of prison life. Soon after his arrival, his cellmate is shanked and burned alive in a prison yard vendetta. Rainwood decently but foolishly tries to rescue the dying man, but he is quickly tackled by lifer Virgil Cane (F. Murray Abraham) before the guards can shoot him. Rainwood tries to hang on to the morality of the outside world inside the prison walls, but he quickly realizes that won't be possible. He is quickly targeted for domination by a black prison gang and their brutal leader, Jingles (Bruce A. Young). Offered protection by an Aryan Nation gang in the prison, he declines, considering them an equally vile option. Not wanting to become a helpless pawn, "Jimmie Rain" is offered help by Virgil Cain, who was once set up by the same pair of dirty cops. Jimmie agrees to think about it, but refuses to consider solving his problem by killing anyone.Soon afterward, Rainwood is cornered by Jingles and two muscled-up members of his posse. When he refuses to give them his "outside money," he is viciously beaten, ending up in the infirmary. He refuses to identify his attackers to the warden, earning him 15 days in segregation. Back in the general population, he is once again confronted by Jingles, who taunts him about the beating. Virgil offers him advice once again, but Jimmie isn't ready yet. Then in the gym one day, Rainwood is seized by Jingles and his crew, hustled into the bathroom, and made to watch the brutal rape of an inmate who was "sold" to them. Jingles makes it clear that the same fate is in store for Jimmie, and soon.Rainwood goes to Virgil and says he is finally ready to deal with his problem. In the prison workshop, a thick piece of Plexiglass is fashioned into a shank. At Virgil's direction, some shaved soap is mixed into Jingles' eggs in the cafeteria serving line. During a subsequent basketball game, Jingles suffers severe intestinal cramps and heads for the bathroom. Rainwood follows him in. As Virgil covers the entrance, Jimmie silently approaches Jingles as he is getting up off the toilet. Jingles, seeing the shank, sneers at Rainwood and threatens to take it away and use it on him. Jingles feints at Jimmie but isn't quick enough. Rainwood buries the shank into Jingles' midsection and breaks it off. He drops the hilt into the floor drain and staggers out with the help of Virgil. The warden admits he can't prove anything but sends Jimmie into solitary confinement for 90 days.Back on the outside, the two rogue cops approach Kate in a parking lot and threaten her, advising her to keep her mouth shut and to quit agitating about her husband's case. She goes to Fitzgerald and pleads for his help. When he tells her once again that he can't do anything without proof, she lies and tells him that Parnell and Scalise used the n-word to describe him. He confronts the pair in an alley and warns them to leave her alone.Having served three years, Rainwood is paroled. Kate brings him home, and he tries to adjust to life on the outside. As he works on his classic Pontiac Firebird one day, Parnell and Scalise show up and tell him they need to have a talk. Inside the house, they threaten and intimidate him and Kate. They emphasize that as an ex-convict, they can make his life miserable. In desperation, Jimmie and Kate turn to Virgil, who concocts a plan to set up the crooked cops. They also meet with officer Fitzgerald, promising him a chance to bust Parnell and Scalise in the act of buying illicit drugs for the purpose of re-selling them.Parnell and Scalise have been busy taking down drug dealers in the area, stealing the bulk of the drugs, and selling them to a mobster named Donatelli at a discount. Rainwood and an accomplice from prison feed a bad tip to Parnell and Scalise through the informant who originally set Rainwood up. Acting on the tip, the dirty cops stage a raid and seize 25 kilos of cocaine. What they don't realize is that the drug dealers work for Donatelli. Donatelli demands the cocaine back by the following day. Parnell briefly muses to his partner about fleeing with the stolen drugs. That night, Rainwood and his accomplice, wearing ski masks, jump the surprised cops and steal the drugs. Donatelli has made it clear to Parnell and Scalise that he will kill them and their families if they don't return the cocaine. They stall Donatelli, telling him things are too hot at the moment and they will have to bring the coke back the next day. The desperate pair soon gets a phone call from the "frightened" hijackers, offering to return the drugs in exchange for a meager $20,000 in traveling money. Parnell and Scalise can't believe their good fortune. They decide to keep the drugs after the buy-back meeting and flee to Florida, $750,000 richer. The meet will take place at a marina.At the pre-arranged meet, Internal Affairs detective John Fitzgerald waits in his car and listens over a wire attached to Rainwood's accomplice, Malcolm. Malcolm approaches with part of the coke and explains that once he has the money, his partner will leave the rest of the drugs in a nearby trash barrell. But hot-headed Parnell grabs Malcolm and threatens to blow his brains out. He demands that the mystery bagman (Rainwood) step out of hiding with the remaining coke. When Rainwood reveals himself, Parnell sends Scalise to retrieve the drugs and then shoots Malcolm in the back. Detective Fitzgerald exits his car, identifies himself, and exchanges gunfire with Parnell. Scalise jumps in his car with the bag of drugs and tries to flee the scene, but Fitzgerald manages to kill him. Parnell hijacks another vehicle from a startled driver and speeds off, but Rainwood leaps into the back of the car and and grapples with him, causing a crash that throws Rainwood out, injured and stunned. Parnell continues his flight on foot. Just as he thinks he is home free, Rainwood comes out of nowhere and slams into him. A vicious and bloody hand-to-hand fight ensues, with Parnell finally pulling a knife and lunging at Rainwood. Rainwood disarms Parnell and starts to cut his throat, but he hears Kate (who has followed him) begging him to stop.In a final scene, Parnell enters the same prison that had held Rainwood. He hears someone call out to him from the cells above and looks up to see Virgil Cane grinning in derision. Jimmie Rainwood returns to his airline job. | revenge, murder | train | imdb | The movie talks an ordinary family man (Tom Selleck) who works as an airplane engineer and married a good woman (Laila Robins) .
He's only helped by a veteran convict (F.Murray Abraham) framed for prison life.It's an interesting film developed in two parts : in and out of prison .
Tom Selleck, always calm in his roles seems to take it lying down at first, but when he is constantly picked out by the usual jail hoodlums and is still haunted by the cops who framed him, he can take no more.
This movie is a great example of a character thrust into an awful situation - a situation where you question, "What would I do in his shoes?" For that reason, it is very tense and suspenseful throughout as Tom Selleck's character tries to navigate prison life.
Two crooked cops make a mistake (in more ways than one) when they go to the wrong address expecting to find a drug dealer, break into his house, mistake a hair dryer he is carrying for a gun, and shoot him.
(Abraham plays another inmate.) I liked this film even though it did follow a formula and was a typical revenge type movie.
F. Murray Abraham is excellent as Tom Sellecks Obi-wan, the one who guides him throughout the movie and helps him bust the cops that framed him.
Having spent time in prison myself may make me a bit biased in favor of a movie where a convict actually gets revenge on the cops who set him up-so be it.
I can remember only one other movie as good as this that came close to showing the reality of prison life and that was 'Short Eyes' a movie filmed in the Tombs in Manhattan-a place where I was a guest more than once.
Murray Abraham in this flick as the tough old con that give Selleck advice on how to survive in prison.
I think An Innocent Man proved that whenever he decided to end his Magnum PI series, Tom Selleck was going to have no trouble in getting good parts.
And not those that were a variation on his Thomas Magnum persona.This is one really powerful film about An Innocent Man getting caught in the criminal justice machinery because of a pair of dirty cops, David Rasche and Richard Young.
Selleck does things that were against his old nature.When he does get paroled from inside the joint Abraham quarterbacks a revenge scheme that Selleck participates in.Besides those mentioned I should also single out Laila Robins who plays Selleck's wife who stands by him and Bruce Young who plays a violent convict that Selleck has to deal with in the joint.An Innocent Man is one of the best made for television films done and should have gotten big screen theatrical release..
An underrated prison movie-Selleck and Abraham are great..
Selleck is very good and Abraham as the hardened con is excellent.The worst premise: how do you prove you are innocent ...Dirty cops high on coke made a fatal error and enter the wrong home.
Prison life is hell.What does a man of integrity and character do in prison, unjustly accused??!!His wife is obsessed with proving his innocence.So compelling ...
James Rainwood (Tom Selleck) is a real stand up guy, with a loving wife and in a dream job with a company that just couldn't cope without him.
Earlier in 1989 we had seen the release of Sly Stallone vehicle Lock Up, a film, that for all its many faults, was a dream come true to the action movie fan who also has a bent for any piece involving incarceration.
So up steps Tom Selleck, who after recently showing himself to be a more than effective light entertainer in films such as Three Men and a Baby and Her Alibi, is looking to break out into other, more rounded genres (he also made the quite excellent Quigley Down Under in 1989).
Anybody who can make a bad guy like-able by being so over the top corrupt, you know there's something special going on.Bruce Young as Jingles was another all-time classic character, another charismatic villain with a sparkle of gleam in his eyes.
F. Murray Abraham was fantastic, as he delivers one of the best ending lines to a movie of all-time.Honestly everybody who participated in An Innocent Man was on their A game, I can mention every single character here.
A law abiding airplane mechanic is caught in a drug sting by a couple of dishonest cops and finds out that even being innocent isn't good enough to keep him out of trouble.Tom Selleck, F.
I was hooked on a "memorable quote" in the movie during the prison stay where Tom Selleck's inmate friend told him during mealtime that "you don't have to speak up in here, but you have to stand up!" Gave me a personal motto that stayed with me.I liked the story.
While An Innocent Man, and Tom Selleck, both, do an admirable job in exposing how this can happen to any one of us and what we would have to do to survive, I detracted one star because it depicts a scenario only about 1/3 as horrible as real life in state prison: In real life, Jimmie Rainwood would have had multiple, simultaneous enemies, not just one.
Great Tom Selleck Movie.
Good movie with Tom Selleck as the lead.
I think that this was one of Tom Selleck's best movie roles.
Jimmie Rainwood was minding his own business when two corrupt police officers (getting an address wrong) burst into his house, expecting to find a major drug dealer.
Rainwood is shot, and the officers frame him as a drug dealer.This is a very unconventional action film, with a good guy turned into a threat.
This is a very good "B" movie, and I enjoyed just about all of it -- the affectionate scenes between Jimmie Rainwood (Tom Selleck) and his wife, the scenes with the two corrupt cops, the scenes with Detective Fitzgerald (Badja Djola), the scene at the beginning with Rainwood assuring his boss that the jet airliner his people are working on will be fixed on time, and even the scenes in prison, especially those with Virgil Cane (F.
:-)This is the kind of movie to rent if you're in the mood to watch a good and truly innocent man get knocked around by nasty people you'll seriously love to hate (crooked cops AND prison gang members), watch the guy suffer a bit, and then watch him get back on his feet and get his revenge on his tormentors (without losing his humanity).
Tom Selleck Is An Innocent Man- Mainly because it's not all his fault this movie is terrible.
Tom Selleck Is An Innocent Man- Mainly because it's not all his fault this movie is terrible.
Ordinary Joe Tom Selleck is in the right house at the wrong time when two scummy cops invade his home to arrest him for drugs; Selleck is clean, the cops made a mistake, so they rectify their gaffe by planting the goods on him.
Tom Selleck unwisely tries his hand at the action genre in this perfectly awful tale about a man named Jimmie Rainwood (Tom Selleck) who is sent to the slammer on a phony rap of drug dealing, in jail he meets a man named Vrigil Cane (F.Murray Abraham in the film's one and only bright spot.) who shows him the ropes and helps him avenge the bad deed that landed him to jail.
The film opens with sequences conceived to present Selleck as a loving husband and a devoted airlines maintenance supervisor
His name is Jimmie Rainwood
One night, a couple of crooked narcotics cops break down Rainwood's peaceful door...Jimmywho had just taken a showercomes out with a hair dryer in his hand
He is shot twice by the anti-drugs cops who have caught a shadow of what looks like a gun
So to justify their error, they concocted an entire fairy tale planting drugs in Jimmy's home and a gun in his hand
Rainwood ends up in jail
Luckily, he is befriended by Virgil Cane, played by F.
Murray Abraham
Cane was the character to keep your eye on
He is a 'schemer and a charmer.' Virgil disagrees with Jimmy's sensitiveness as a straight man
This is an 'insane place with insane rules' that tests the human consciousness, yet survival will never be the same without some sort of sacrifice
A group of degenerate prisoners make life unbearable for Jimmy until he learns how to really fight back
The film had its fair share of bloody moments and did not shy away from the nasty things that go on in men's prisons.
With the former all you have to do is put an ordinary joe in a prison , surround him with a bunch of black men and have a guard say "Time for a shower you scum " and you'll have the audience biting their finger nails.***** SPOILERS ***** Tom Selleck plays the everyman character of Jimmie Rainwood fairly well in this film and you really can empathise with him as he gets mugged by the home boys on his way back from the canteen , and the following scene made me aware of something I hadn't known at the time - American prisons are factionalised along ethnic lines .
I know this now after reading up on it and watching documentaries on the American penal system which did slightly spoil the credibility of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION for me .In no way should THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and AN INNOCENT MAN be compared of course , but this film is very entertaining and sometimes chilling as the prison clichés come one after the other .
The white prisoners despise Jimmie for supposedly showing the white race to be weak while the black prisoners show what's in store for him by letting Jimmie witness a gang rape in the gym , and if you look like Tom Selleck you've got to worry about being popular in prison for all the wrong reasons .
My main criticism about AN INNOCENT MAN is the rather weak ending where it's revealed that the cops who fitted up Jimmie are corrupt which lets the screen writers - just like Jimmie - get out of jail .All in all a good prison drama .
This little under rated gem is a great flick.Witness the transformation of Tom Selleck from all round nice guy to bad ass dude as his life is turned upside down by two corrupt cops who make a mistake on a bust.
I never cared for Tom Selleck until this movie.Tom plays a nice guy who gets framed by none other than the dirty police.Rainwood (Tom Selleck) gets convicted and sent to jail.Rainwood has to learn what it takes to survive in jail.He even kills a man.After being released from jail he still was hounded by the same cops that framed him.Finally he (Rainwood) gets even with the dirty COPS that framed him and they land behind BARS.I loved it.It was REALISTIC..
Of course, Selleck comes out the better man, toughened by prison life and seeks his revenge on the 'bad' cops.
This movie was fantastic and Tom Selleck was real good, I think this is one of his best performances ever.
So my recommendation is a must see, especially if you enjoy revenge movies and like Tom Selleck!!
But that's okay, because I was watching it on a TV set.Tom Selleck plays Jimmie Rainwood, and aircraft engineer living in the seaside 'burbs with his wife, Kate (Laila Robins), who suffers the old 'wrong place at the wrong time' thing when two highly decorated (and highly corrupt) cops, acting on a tip, hit his house, which is on Oak Lane, mistaking it for Oak WAY, where the real drug deal is going down.Jimmie's just taken a shower while he contemplates the salad Kate left for him in the refrigerator (she's working late) when the two narcs burst in.
Mistaking Jimmie's hairdryer for a gun, coke-addled detective Mike Parnell (David Rasche) shoots Jimmie.Not wanting to tarnish their "distinguished" careers, the two cops frame Jimmie and the legal system fails him and he winds up sentenced to 6 years.While Jimmie learns how to survive in the big house from lifer Virgil (F Murray Abraham), his wife writes letters, harrasses people etc to try and get him out, including clever manipulation of Internal Affairs Detective Fitzgerald (Badja Djola), and the corrupt narcs do their best to keep Jimmie and Kate silent about their collossal screw-up.A pretty formulaic prison-drama revenge-story, An Innocent Man has strength in it's performances and in it's realistic depiction of prison-life, particularly the tendency for some more experienced inmates to take pity on the "new guy" and give him some pointers so he stands at least some chance of surviving beyond his first week.
It's a revenge flick, a Tom Selleck action movie (you gotta love that he simply adds some 'handlebars' to that ridiculous moustache for his tough-guy jail-look) and a bite of after-dinner entertainment that delivers.
Todd Graff deserves a mention as the hapless Robby, a repeat offender who offers Jimmie some initial tips when they first arrive, though he gets doused in petrol and set alight about 10 minutes in...he's really good though, playing the loser who knows what every prison on the eastern seaboard looks like.F Murray Abraham is worth the price of admission alone.
A fun 'wronged man' prison movie with an improbable climax.
This watchable "wrong man" drama is probably the highlight of Tom Selleck's less than impressive movie career.
He gets railroaded at the beginning of the movie, earns the respect of his fellow prisoners by not taking being a pushover, and gets even with the dirty cops who framed him to start with.
Here is a good old-fashioned story about a man accused of murder, all because two cops (actually, one of the two cops) don't want to admit their mistake of picking the wrong house.
Tom Selleck is ideal to play the innocent man.
It's not as dark in tone like most prison movies, however.*** out of ****.
Right up there with Shawshank Redemption.One of the more underrated prison movies there are.I highly recommend watching this.the unwritten rules between convicts.Great movie and awesome case.Definitely a good prison flick I recommend this to anybodyA wrongfully accused man set up by crooked police, learns the difference between the real world and prison world.
Tom Seleck did a pretty good job playing the straight man Jimmy Rainwood who was an honest married man with a career of working maintenance on commercial aircrafts, who was then unfairly railroaded by two dirty cops (Officer Parnell and Danny) who framed him for being a drug dealer who shot at them when invading his house.
The movie never made clear what he actually did to get even with them.The other characters along the way were pretty standard for this type of story, there was Detective Fitzgerald who had already suspected Parnell and Danny of foul play but couldn't do anything about it without solid proof.
He is sent to the big house for 6 years, but gets out after 3 for good behavior, which I was curious about because Rainwood was suspected of murdering another convict in there, gangster Jingles.
Then there was Robbie, the first guy Rainwood met in prison, who acted like he knew everything but then met a horrible death by being lit on fire for, as F Murray told Rainwood, he ripped some guys off for something, but he didn't make it clear what.Parnell and Danny were the reason Rainwood's entire ordeal happened, from the minute they framed him to after he got out on parole, when they visit him right after he gets out.
Remember that, and it 'might' keep you from going back to prison.".It was a pretty good, interesting movie overall.
And I liked Rainwood's wife Layla Robbins who stuck by him throughout the whole ordeal, crusading to try to get him out of prison, her getting harassed by Parnell and Danny for it, and then her helping Rainwood when he got out to fight for justice (with Fitzgerald's help too) for everything those dirty cops had done to him..
Pure revenge film all the way is this drama from the pen of Larry Brothers which tried to be a serious movie about the prevailing of justice when "An Innocent Man" (Tom Selleck) is framed by a pair of corrupt narcotics detectives.Peter Yates never stood a chance of making this a film with a message due to its obvious direction, conclusion and its total lack of life's ever present ambiguities.
Tom Selleck's character is just too pure and righteous, and his loving wife is far too good for words, while the bad guys are just so, so bad it's annoying.
If anything, An Innocent Man has about it the air of a competent but totally uninspired made-for-TV prison drama (in actual fact, this is not a TV-movie but a major big-screen release, complete with relatively big stars).
It is not a bad film, merely one that never rises above mediocrity at any point.Airline mechanic Jimmie Rainwood (Tom Selleck) leads a normal life.
It wasn't until this film that I became aware of Selleck's arch-conservative, right-wing politics, and how his politics seem to influence some of his motion-picture roles.Here' Selleck plays an innocent white man [Jimmie Rainwood] being thrown into a prison with, and antagonized by guilty black men.
I didn't know the name of the movie, but I remembered that the corrupt police officers mistook a blow dryer for a gun (I believe...) and I remembered that his prison mate was bald (I think...) and the leading character had a mustache (now this I knew for sure!) And since I only know 2 major actors with mustaches (and apparently it wasn't Burt Reynolds, I checked) it had to be Tom Selleck, and it was!!! |
tt0048021 | Du rififi chez les hommes | Tony "le Stéphanois" has served a five-year prison term for a jewel heist and is out on the street and down on his luck. His friend Jo approaches him about a smash-and-grab proposed by mutual friend Mario in which the threesome would cut the glass on a Parisian jeweler's front window in broad daylight and snatch some gems. Tony declines. He then learns that his old girlfriend, Mado, took up in his absence with gangster Parisian nightclub owner Pierre Grutter. Finding Mado working at Grutter's, Tony invites her back to his rundown flat. She is obviously well-kept, and Tony savagely beats her for being so deeply involved with Grutter. Tony changes his mind about the heist; he now accepts on the condition that they rob the jeweler's safe instead of the window. Mario suggests they employ the services of Italian compatriot César, a safecracker. The four devise and rehearse an ingenious plan to break into the store and disarm its sophisticated alarm system.
The caper begins with the group chiseling through a cement ceiling from an upstairs flat on a Sunday night. The suspenseful break-in completed, the criminals appear to escape without leaving any trace of their identities. However, without the others' knowledge, César pocketed a diamond ring as a bauble for his lover Viviane, a chanteuse at Grutter's club. The four men arrange to fence the loot with a London contact. Meanwhile, Grutter has seen Mado and her injuries, who breaks off their relationship. Infuriated at Tony's interference in his life, he gives heroin to his drug-addicted brother Rémy and tells him to murder Tony. Grutter sees the diamond César gave to Viviane and realizes that César, Mario, and Tony were responsible for the jewel theft. Grutter forces César to confess. Forsaking a 10 million franc police reward, Grutter decides to steal the jewels from Tony's gang, his brother Rémy brutally murdering Mario and his wife Ida when they refuse to reveal where the loot is hidden. Tony retrieves it from the couple's apartment and anonymously pays for a splendid funeral for them. He then goes looking for Grutter and stumbles onto the captive César, who confesses having squealed. Citing "the rules," Tony ruefully kills him.
Meanwhile, seeking to force their adversaries' hand, Grutter's thugs kidnap Jo's five-year-old son Tonio and hold him ransom. The London fence arrives with the payoff, after which Tony leaves to single-handedly rescue the child by force, advising Jo it is the only way they will see him alive. With Mado's help he tracks Tonio down at Grutter's country house and kills Grutter's brothers Rémy and Louis while rescuing him. On the way back to Paris, Tony learns Jo has cracked under the pressure and agreed to meet Grutter at his house with the money. When he arrives Grutter tells him Tony has already snatched the child and kills Jo. Seconds too late to save his friend, Tony is mortally wounded by Grutter before killing him as he tries to flee with the loot. Bleeding profusely, Tony drives maniacally back to Paris and delivers Tonio home safely before dying at the wheel as police and bystanders close in on him and a suitcase filled with 120 million francs in cash. | suspenseful, murder, bleak, violence, cult, atmospheric, romantic, revenge | train | wikipedia | But Rififi isn't just this one scene - every scene in the film is as masterfully put together, and as a whole, the film is not only taught with suspense, plot and character, but an adroitly told moral tale that set the scene for film noire for years to come.Cinematically and technically, the heist sequence may be the most impressive scene of the film, but for me, it's the final scene that holds the most power - Tony le Stéphanois's hallucinogenic drive towards redemption..
Juan Cesar makes things go wrong when he gives a valuable ring to his mistress."Du Rififi Chez les Hommes" is a magnificent film-noir, certainly among the best I have seen.
(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)Or vice-versa.This is a French film noir directed by an American film maker (Jules Dassin) who had to leave the country because of being blacklisted by Hollywood thanks to HUAC.
Tony's recently out of prison, past his prime, but still tough and decisive when he has to be, his mind still sharp when focused, the kind of anti-hero whose eyes water even though the tears will never fall.Dassin plays the Italian safecracker and would-be ladies man who knows the rules but gets careless.In film noir we are forced by the logic and focus of the film to identify with the bad guys.
In the old film noir, which evolved from the gangster films of the thirties, the usual motto, following the old Hollywood "code," was "Crime Doesn't Pay," with every criminal having to pay for his or her crime before the end of the movie.Probably the most impressive feature of Rififi is how nicely the film moves along.
Getting the dubbed version of this film would be an act of sacrilege since the dialogue (when there is some: the heist itself is done entirely without dialogue, about 30 minutes worth) is terse and easy to follow requiring only an occasional glance at the subtitles, which, by the way, are quite utilitarian and guiding as opposed to having every word spelled out.One other thing: all the brutality is done as sex used to be done in film, that is off camera.
I see alot of movies at the cinema (103 so far this year) and I have to say that this is by far and away the best film I have seen this year, even though it was released back in 1954!I sat in awe and watched this work of genius and felt quite ashamed that I had never even heard of it before my local art house cinema decided to show it for a week on what looked like a new print.
How they're gonna pull this off?Ironically, Dassin was blacklisted in Hollywood and went on to try his luck in France and made this little masterpiece, aptly called by some "The Grandddady of all caper- and heist movies".
This film is a work of pure class from start to finish, for a moment forget the famous 28 minute no dialog heist, forget that it's set in Paris and forget it's Noir.
Jean Servais, who later appeared in the entertaining horror sexploitation movie 'The Devil's Nightmare', is absolutely wonderful as Tony, a veteran criminal talked into joining his young friend Jo (Carl Mohner) in a daring robbery.
In some senses, it's like most other film noirs: you have tough guys ("rififi" meaning tough guy), capers, and things going bad.
The story is classic film noir: Bad guys pull off heist, get duped at the end.
The infamous hush-hush(20 min.) heist scene, and the fact that a blacklisted American makes the ULTIMATE film noir while in Paris, FRANCE...if you haven't seen it...what the HECK are you waitin' for!?!?!?
Great moments, too, including the 35 minute sequence of the actual heist which had no dialogue and no music, but was still involving; Dassin's own "Forgive me" scene; and the car ride at the end of the movie.
It is essentially the first real heist movie, and still the best.The central character played by Jean Servais does a great job.
At a chic nightclub called "The Age Of Gold", we meet Viviane (Magali Noel), a tall, stylish singer with big lips whose stage show includes the song "Rififi", a word used to describe the danger of streetwise tough guys and their risky, outlaw pursuits; how appropriate.But Viviane's sexiness leads to a situation that causes problems for the four guys, and this plot turn occupies the final third of the film.
I know these four American films I mentioned are not caper movies per se, but rather detective stories with complicated story lines, which still exude a "noirean", gritty quality about them, similar to "Rififi".What is different here is the way Jules Dassin sets into motion the total ambiance of the film, not only in the gritty realism of the principals, but also in the usage of the streets of Paris as a subliminal character and co-conspirator unto itself!
Perhaps it IS a lot like the French director Melville's films in many ways--and I am sure Melville was influenced strongly by Dassin.I would say that "Rififi" is among the best Noir films ever--and probably the best Noir France has to offer--and that's saying a lot, as I often prefer the French Noir films--they are THAT good.
He did act in a few movies here and there in addition to directing--and his most famous acting role was probably in "Never on a Sunday" (in which he co-starred with his wife).If you liked this film, some other wonderful French crime films would include "Bob le Flambeur" (which, in many ways, is a re-tooling of "Rififi"), "Le Samourai", "Un Flic" and "Le Circle Rouge" (all by Jean-Pierre Melville), "Le Balance" (sort of an early 80s reinvention of Noir) and even "Diva" (yes, it's NOT Noir but has many Noir qualities).
A recent re-issue of the French crime film (original title 'Du Rififi Chez les Hommes'), with its famous 20-minute silent jewel heist sequence, now comes in the US in a gorgeous new print from The Criterion Collection with improved subtitles and some extras.
He's one of the most memorable characters, a dandified Italian safe cracker who speaks no French.Although this classic has all the trappings of French film noir--the black and white twilight world of well lit apartments, shiny black cars, men in suits, the nightclub scenes, including a dramatically filmed and lit title song performed at the club, the stony faces and the Gauloises in hand or mouth--I don't think it's as atmospheric or has quite as distinctive a style as Melville's films do.
Purists of tough-guy Hollywood genre work would eschew these and favor Dassin's early films, which include a prison drama, 'Brute Force' (1947);a cop flick, 'The Naked City' (1948); and two hard core noirs, 'Thieves' Highway' (1949), and 'Night and the City' (1950).
But to try to compare "Taming of the Shrew" with "Kiss Me Kate" is to do a disservice to both.With the single exception of how Dassin develops a somewhat rapid and questionable unraveling of the perpetrators' plan, this precursor of the director's later "Topkapi" combines a Hitchcockian cast with other film noir elements to hold the viewer's attention from beginning to end.
Rififi, directed by Jules Dassin, is in line with the Melville crime pictures (particularly Bob le Flameur and to a point Le Cercle Rouge) of being totally focused on story and character and making sure not a word is spoken that doesn't need, and was ahead of its time.
Dassin, like Melville years later, decided to create practically a silent film of a heist, sound effects included.
The few character scenes that do appear early on are intense and well done, but they only serve to make our protagonists sleazier and less sympathetic; am I supposed to root for a guy who beats his old girlfriend with a belt?I started to get on board with the robbery itself, a wonderful piece of almost silent film-making (no music, no dialog).
Very tense, and it's easy to see that directors have been ripping it off for generations, generally in much weaker movies such as "Mission: Impossible" and the godawful remake of "Ocean's Eleven." But even then, I wasn't convinced that "Rififi" deserves its classic reputation.Thankfully, the film takes a twist about 2/3 of the way through, and the final act is rich in both characterization and suspense.
And the last scene gives an urgent new meaning to that standard car-ride catchphrase, "are we there yet?" "Rififi" just gets better as it goes along, so make sure you stick with it - even if heist movies aren't your bag..
Enough has been said about the heist sequence already but it really is one of the tensest and most entertaining sequences in cinema and quite possibly the single greatest heist sequence ever filmed, not to mention the most plausible."Rififi" is far from a simple crime thriller, providing a thorough examination of human behavior and psychology which is worked into the main plot excellently in the screenplay written by Dassin, René Wheeler, and Auguste Le Breton (who also wrote the novel the film is based on).
Du rififi chez les hommes is a brilliant film which studies criminal minds and allows viewers to have a better understanding of criminals who are fundamentally not different from ordinary folks like us.What director Jules Dassin shows is that criminal do have families and they care a lot for them.That is why they adhere to a strict code of honor.
For them a family is not only made up of wives,mistresses and children but also include casual acquaintances and close friends.Contrary to what many might find it hard to believe,Jules Dassin has not tried to glorify crime in his film as rififi makes it clear that crime never pays.It shows that all kinds of bad activities result in some kind of human loss.Apart from its philosophical stance Rifif is worth watching for its technical finesse.While watching one of the film's most brilliant sequences about breaking of a safe,one would find it hard to believe meticulous precision with which criminal minds execute their plans.This is a scene which nobody has dared to copy in Hollywood..
The mood is just great, with its dark, well-composed photography and tough, spare dialogue and performances.2) That silent half-hour heist sequence is legendary for a reason, capturing minute details and tensions through a visual style that is easy to follow and absolutely gripping.3) The ending, which shows the final death in a manner that is dizzying, dogged and powerful.This remains a terrific movie..
Rififi is a classic heist film that is right up there with the best of its peers - The Asphalt Jungle and The Killing.
With Italian safe expert Cesar, they meticulously plan the burglary of a large jewelry establishment.This film is probably best known for two things: one, the half hour heist sequence that has absolutely no dialogue and no music, just the sounds of the men at work.
Former blacklisted US director Jules Dassin delivers a tense and unique film with terrific atmosphere, blending Film Noir with the French New Wave.One of the more unusual aspects of the film is that the actual heist is Act II, not Act III - which actually involves a kidnapping and a quest for vengeance.
He got the chance to direct a crime film and on a shoe string budget and managed to create a classic that still vibrates with a sense of urgency, seedy despair, unspoken rules of the underground and shocking violence.The plot is simple – le Stephanois is a tough, street smart and aging criminal who gets out of jail after taking a fall for his fellow thugs.
The infamous heist scene, shot in near silence with no dialog, is almost unbearable This really is the grand daddy of all heist movies with a central character who is as tough, haunted, and blasted by rififi as anyone to slouch through a crime film.
His three confederates give able backing while the female actresses also shine, with Tony's ex-girl and girlfriend candidly shown in states of undress five years before Hitchcock shocked America when filming Janet Leigh in her brassiere.Filmed in a brooding black and white, often in the Parisian rain, it literally drips atmosphere and features many memorable shots (the death of Cesar at Tony's hand, the kidnapped child's mother running to the camera in her anguish and more), while the centrepiece is of course the celebrated 30 minute dialogue-free scene of the robbery itself, where you forget you're watching actors and instead feel like you're witnessing closed circuit TV before its time.
But Dassin's decision had its merits - it helped the rebirth of the original French "invention" that once got exported to the US, went through several changes there, and now returned home through the hands of a cast out American: film noir.The screenplay Dassin wrote varies considerably from the source, first getting in depth into the authentic characters, then focusing especially on a beautifully choreographed, realistically played heist scene lasting nearly 30 minutes without any dialog or music, with the film's aftermath concluding in a spine-tingling denouement.
On the street, "rififi" means "likes it rough" or "plays rough." There is sure some playing rough in this brilliant Jules Dassin film, which went a long way toward taking him off the blacklist and breaking it all together."Rififi" concerns a 240-million franc jewel robbery in Paris, meticulously planned and carried out by Tony le Stephanois, Jo le Suedois, Mario Farrati, and Cesar le Milanais (Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel, Jules Dassin), le Stephanois being the master criminal.
The suspense is riveting and leads to what happens after they almost get away with it.The post heist sequences are a film noir lesson in crime doesn't pay.
Dassin's direction keeps the tale moving forward with the emphasis on vivid B&W photography and a pace that quickens once the crime has been committed.Undoubtedly one of the best heist films you'll ever see, comparable to John Huston's THE ASPHALT JUNGLE in the manner in which it hold the viewer in its grip..
They should not have the right to remake any of his films.I love "caper" films and "film noir," and this combines the best of both.Tony (Jean Servais) gets out after doing a nickle, and after he beats up his old girlfriend (Marie Sabouret), he plans a big score with his friends Mario (Robert Manuel) and Jo (Carl Möhner), What makes this a great caper flick is the attention to detail in planning the robbery.
But it is the only really worth thing within the movie.Some of the actors are good, especially Jean Servais (who had become a top star in the 30's but was in his low days at the time Rififi was being made) and the director, Jules Dassin, who plays César, the Italian specialist in safes.
Following his blacklist in Hollywood, Dassin went on to direct one of the all-time masterpieces.Without a doubt the best scene is the heist itself.
"Rififi" is often considered the landmark film that modernized heist movies, and it shines brilliantly as a suave, sexy crime noir (that happens to be French).
However, it's always beneficial to consider the origins of a film movement, and, though it may not be the first example, Jules Dassin's 'Rififi (1955)' would undoubtedly influence ever cinematic heist flick that followed it.
This 1955 heist film follows Tony le Stephanois, recently released from prison for theft, as he undertakes the robbery of his life.
Personally, I think that there were some really bad choices made in the casting of Rififi's six main characters.Set in Paris, France - This film's significance in movie-making history marks it as director, Jules Dassin's first foreign film following his blacklisting (and the ruin of his career) in Hollywood..
That's not to say this isn't a great noir film, cause it is (and directed by a commie, no less), just that without the aforementioned scenes, this movie would be a footnote in history at best.my Grade: B-.
There isn't a flabby moment or duff performance in the entire film and Dassin captures the milieu of seedy clubs and Parisian back streets like no-one else and the final drive through Paris by a dying man is one of the most iconic closing sequences of any movie.
While the 30 minute heist sequence is the most famous part of the movie(and rightfully so)the film actually gets better afterward.The director Jules Dassin knew what he was doing when he decided to not have any music during the heist scene or the final shootout, but instead inserted a great climactic score during Tony's final ride towards his destiny.
The action that Grutter subsequently takes (including the kidnapping of Jo's son) ultimately leads to none of the gang profiting from the success of the heist."Rififi" was the second film that Jules Dassin had made in Europe after having been blacklisted in Hollywood during the McCarthy era and interestingly his character betrays his fellow gang members just as he himself had been betrayed by others who gave evidence about him to the House Committee on Un-American Activities.Tony is man who looks drained, disillusioned and haggard and who doesn't even look forward to enjoying the rewards that he can reasonably expect to gain from the heist.
But someone had brought up good point that The Asphalt Jungle, which is finest film noir that center around heist sequence but nowhere that level similar to Rififi, had appear 5 years earlier.
An excellent example of Dassin's innovation is the heist sequence in Rififi, which is completely free of dialogue and music.
"Rififi"This gangster-heist film noir was a one-of-a-kind when it first came out , and still one of the best to do it today.
Regarded by many critics as the finest film noir ever made, the 1955 Rififi directed by Jules Dassin is available on a 7/10 Criterion DVD. |
tt0107808 | A Perfect World | "A Perfect World," ostensibly about the escape of convicts Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) and Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) from a Huntsville prison, quickly focusses on their hostage-taking of an 8-year old boy, Philip Perry (T. J. Lowther). The movie opens with the final scene, Butch lying in a field with a Casper the Friendly Ghost mask lying beside him in the grass, a helicopter hovering, and money blowing in the breeze. Both the man and the mask have a faint smile on their faces. The rest of the movie answers the questions posed by that enigmatic opening image.In a small town somewhere in Texas, the town kids are trick or treating except for one family sitting at the kitchen table talking about Halloween. The mother, Gladys Perry (Jennifer Griffin), explains that their religious beliefs put them on a higher plane where such activities are forbidden. Just then the doorbell rings and some children outside yell "trick or treat." Gladys answers the door and explains they don't participate in the holiday because they are Jehovah's Witness.Meanwhile, Larry Billings, a prison guard, returns to the prison to get some paperwork to do at home even as the two prisoners in their cells (Butch and Terry) consult with an elderly inmate regarding where the vents go. Once Butch and Terry break through the vents, and it is clear that an escape is underway, Butch tells Terry that they will separate when they get free and reach the state line because he doesn't like Terry. And Terry agrees with that plan as their hatred for each other coalesces. Butch and Terry get past the guard at the gate in Larry's car with Larry at the wheel. Once they reach town they commandeer Larry's car and search for a new escape car. Terry is sidetracked by Gladys making breakfast. Terry breaks into the kitchen holding a gun and terrorizes her, grabbing her around the neck for a smooch. Young Philip, who has wandered in, gets on Terry's nerves so he slaps the boy, an action that further infuriates Butch and precipitates a struggle between the two. Butch asks Philip to pick up the "Pistola" and give it to him. Then Butch says to point it at him and say "stick em up," a make-believe playful act, but deadly serious, which he does. A neighbor tries to save the family but Buzz asks him to drop the rifle because he might hit the boy and the neighbor agrees, a pattern of negotiation and violence avoidance that continues throughout the movie. Butch and Terry take the boy, Philip, as a hostage and leave, still in the guard's car.At the state office of the Texas Rangers, Red Barnett (Clint Eastwood) speaks with the Governor by phone. Sally Gerber (Laura Dern), criminologist from Huntsville hired by the Governor to assist Red in matters concerning parole and escapes, introduces herself to Red as one of the team, a fact that does not sit well with Red. The Governor also loans Red's team a shiny new truck and trailer to track the escapees. The rig has lots of bells and whistles and looks suspiciously like a Campaign Headquarters on Wheels with its decorative bunting. While loading up the new trailer prior to starting the manhunt, FBI agent Bobby Lee (Bradley Whitford) is added to the team and Sally is almost left behind.Meanwhile, the escapees and their young hostage are trying to find somewhere to hide out. Terry looks for his cousin's name in a phone book while keeping an eye on Butch and threatening him. Butch responds by breaking his nose. They stop at a store for provisions and Butch asks Philip to train the gun on Terry to hold him in check while Butch shops. Terry starts to play with Philip and try to get the gun away, and resorts to intimidating Philip physically and verbally by casting aspersions on Philips manhood ("Kind a puny, ain't it?"). When Terry grabs Philip, Philip bites his hand and runs to hide in a corn field across the road, maintaining possession of the gun. Terry searches for Philip even as Butch sees his traveling companions are missing. Butch locates Philip first in the corn field and Philip returns the gun to Butch. Butch shoots Terry. As Butch and Philip get back to the car, the store owner emerges from the store with a rifle but Butch tells him to go lie on the floor of the store until they leave.As the truck and trailer head down the road Red's manhunt team learns about the sighting of the escapees. Sally tells Red they need an auxiliary roadblock because the prisoners will split up. Only one road block is set up. Red and Sally argue about her spot on the team. Red informs her that a strong back side and a sense of humor are the only prerequisites to serving on his team. Sally explains that she is not a moron, she just wants to do her job. Red says that he is in charge and takes responsibility but agrees to listen to her concerns.Butch and Philip continue on as running buddies, drinking RC Cola and getting to know each other. Butch appeals to the boy's desire to play by telling Philip that the car is a time machine and they are driving into the future. He explains gas and brake pedals and that they need to find a Ford to steal.Terry's body is found. Red's entourage continues to follow the escapees.Butch and Philip find a Ford. Butch has Philip play "like an Injun" and check whether the keys are in the ignition and whether there is a radio. Yes on both counts. While Philip relieves himself, Butch goes to a clothes line to steal some civilian clothes for himself. The farmer who owns the car and the home spots him helping himself. While the farmer runs in from his tractor, Butch jumps in the Ford and fiddles with the starter for an interminable time. The farmer nearly catches the two until Philip bites his hand and he releases his grip on the car.The manhunt team discusses whether locals should shoot if they have a clear shot. Red and Sally say no because of the boy.Butch learns that Philip's dad is gone. They realize they have some things in common: they are handsome, they like RC, and their dads ain't worth a damn. They are on their own and seek foolish destiny.Red gets to the scene of the car recovery. They pry open the trunk and find the dead guard, Larry Billings, inside. Sally barfs and Red shows a smidgeon of compassion.Butch gives Philip an alias, Buzz, so they can go to a store called Friendly's to buy skivvies, britches, rope, and duct tape. Buzz eyes a Casper costume left over from Halloween. A local cop finds the car parked by the store and waits to nab the escapees. The clerk flirts with Butch and gets a nice tip. Butch refuses to buy the Casper costume. Mr. Willits, the store manager, starts to call to report presence of Haynes but Haynes threatens him with a look. Troubles aplenty outside but Butch outmaneuvers them and stops by to pick Buzz up on way out of town. "You ain't so friendly," is Butch's take on the clerks screaming at Buzz for shoplifting the Casper costume. The two are a team.Buzz and Butch hide behind a barn while the coast clears. Butch forgives Buzz by saying that although stealing is wrong, the Casper costume theft is an exception to the rule. Buzz is embarrassed by his puny pecker (in the words of Terry). Butch looks at it and declares it good sized for a boy his age. Buzz is heartened by Butch's assessment.Red and Sally believe that Haynes (Butch) and the boy are headed for the Panhandle. Sally outlines Butch's sad life before incarceration. Mom killed herself and Daddy split. After Haynes killed a man who hurt his mom when he was just 8, he stayed clear of the law until he stole a car some years later. Haynes received an inappropriately long sentence. Sally declares that where they are going is not important but why they are going there is very important.Butch trains his navigator in the ways of map-reading. They pass a trailer and wave just for fun. Turns out it is the team of trained criminologists. The trailer does a U-turn when they spot the Casper costume. A chase ensues. The trailer and truck get separated in the process. The Governor's trailer crashes, much the worse for wear. The Governor tells Buzz's mom that the boy is OK as he smiles for the cameras.Butch lets Buzz decide what to do, whether to hoof it or stick with the car. Butch informs Buzz that he is headed for Alaska. Buzz considers the options and decides that 1500 miles is too far to walk. Supply inventory is low, just soda, gum, and half a Moon pie.The Governor wants the trailer back but Red doesn't tell him its condition.With Buzz now sporting the Casper costume, they go trick or treating even though Buzz is a Jehovah's Witness and Halloween is past. Butch tells him how it's done. They go to a woman's house way out in the country, and she says that he is too late. He missed the popcorn balls. When she sees Butch's gun, however, she changes her mind and gives them whatever she has, including money. They feast on the spoils, mustard sandwiches.Later, while Buzz sits in the car alone waiting for Butch to check out the road block, the car starts rolling. Buzz finally sorts out the brake from the accelerator and stops it. Then it happens again. A guy out with his family almost hit by the car buys their story about bad brakes and agrees to take them along in their car, enabling the pair on the lam to get through a checkpoint.The mom in the car with Butch and Buzz blesses her children out and slaps them for spilling a drink in the new car. Butch's face clouds over and he decides to have Bob let them out of the car. Then he kicks the family out with their suitcases and steals their car. The next scene is of the family approaching one of the roadblocks on foot.Red and Company are getting hungry. They find steaks and tater tots in the trailer and Red starts cooking them up. Bobby Lee tries to put the make on Sally but Red cuts it short to ask Sally how she likes her steaks cooked. Then Red sets the would-be suitor Bobby Lee straight about the mission.Butch and Buzz talk over the limitations of the Jehovah's Witness religion. Butch introduces Buzz to the fun side of American life by allowing him to ride on the car roof. Later, they stop for dinner and Butch hopes for a side order of nookie from the waitress. Buzz watches out of curiosity. When Buzz is discovered, the couple's mood is dampened. Butch and Buzz get back on the road not fully replenished. They discuss women and love.Butch and Buzz hide in a corn field to lay low, plan their journey, and catch some sleep. Buzz tells Butch he wants to return home and Butch promises to return him soon. Butch reassures him of his concern for the boy by asking him to make a list of all the stuff he wants to do, such as eat cotton candy, and says he will try to make certain he gets a chance to do some of it.Sally asks Red whether he was a sheriff when Haynes got his long sentence for stealing the car. Red said Butch's dad was a crook, bad news, and Red thought it would be better for Butch to send him away from the household to an institutional setting. Regret was in his eyes.A sharecropper, Mack (Wayne Dehart), finds Butch and Buzz in the corn and offers them a place to sleep and Butch agrees. Mack hits his grandson, Cleve (Kevin Jamal Woods), upside the head and Butch does not approve. The two families eat breakfast together the next day and get to know each other. Butch shows Cleve a gymnastic trick like skinning the cat and they practice a little. Butch plays some old 45's and invites Mack's wife, Lottie (Mary Alice), and the boys, to dance. Butch talks about growing up in a whore house watching his mama dance. Mack hears about the manhunt on the radio and the mood changes quickly: Butch threatens him to secure his silence. The farmer's family gets tied up with their mouths taped shut, and Butch is ready to kill Mack for hitting his grandson.Trust is the topic of conversation and it is clear that Buzz does not trust Butch as much as he did because of Butch's hairpin temper. Buzz shoots Butch in the gut, crying the entire time. Then he throws the gun in the well, throws the car keys on the ground, and runs away. Butch, bleeding profusely, shows mercy and leaves his pocket knife on the table so Mack and his family can use it to free themselves after he leaves. Philip crawls under a fence and runs through a field, leaving a bit of his torn costume on the fence. Butch follows him telling him he's a hero and agrees to let him drive if he will continue on as his running buddy. It is clear, however, that they have reached the end of the line. Philip climbs a tree. Butch is slowly dying from his wound but he continues to follow the boy. Butch asks Philip to go with him to Alaska and he reads the message from his dad on the back of the postcard out loud to Philip. Philip apologizes for shooting him. Butch says he was glad it was Philip who shot him and not some stranger.Butch and Philip are surrounded by cops. Shotguns abound and Bobby Lee, the FBI agent, gets out a high-powered rifle with a telescopic site and prepares to shoot Butch. Red talks to Butch via a megaphone. Negotiations begin and end with a threat to kill the boy even though the "pistola" is in the well. Gladys, Philip's mom, arrives on a helicopter and she pleads for Philip's life. Philip trick or treats the group of cops and Butch negotiates for Philip's future fun, not his own life. When Philip tries to say that his Mom lets him do a lot of great stuff, Butch is skeptical: "Don't kid a kidder, Philip." Butch makes her promise to allow him to go to fairs and trick or treat and Philip vouches for her veracity as a "real good mama." Butch asks him to walk toward the cops and yell, Trick or treat! The running buddies shake hands goodbye. Philip, still dressed as Casper the Friendly Ghost, starts to go to his mom but returns to Butch who is dying. Philip is worried they will shoot Butch. They hug and begin to walk toward the cops very slowly, hand in hand. Red walks out to talk to them but tells Bobby Lee to keep him "locked down, clean as a whistle." Red drops his gun on the ground and tells Butch to drop his gun. Butch says Pistola is gone, thanks to his partner. Butch tries to hand the postcard to Philip but Bobby Lee, looking through his scope, thinks Butch is reaching for a weapon and shoots him, a mortal wound. Buzz weeps over him. They run and grab the boy as Red looks on and winces.Red punches Bobby Lee for improper discharge of his weapon. Sally gives Bobby Lee a knee to the groin for good measure. The last scene is Butch in the field again as in the first scene. Only now it is clear that Butch is a ghost too. | cult, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0265298 | Big Fat Liar | Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz), a 14-year old living in the fictional town of Greenbury, Michigan, is an incorrigible liar and a con artist. When his English teacher, Ms. Phyllis Caldwell (Sandra Oh), assigns her class a creative writing assignment, Jason does not complete it. His parents are later called into school, where Ms. Caldwell tells Jason that if he can't bring her a handwritten story to the community college by 6 p.m., she will not consider it a valid contribution. After remembering that his father told him that "making up stories appears to be his God-given talent", Jason finally writes a story entitled Big Fat Liar, based on his experiences of how he lies all the time. Now finished, Jason rides his older sister's old bicycle and accidentally collides with the limousine of an arrogant Hollywood producer Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti), whereupon Jason blackmails Wolf into giving him a ride to school. During his ride, Wolf reveals to Jason that he is also a liar and con man, but a more professional one than Jason, however. When the limousine reaches the college, Jason hastens out of the limo, not realizing that he has left his story behind. Wolf initially attempts to give it back to Jason, but when he sees that it is excellent, he decides to keep it for himself.Upon entering school, Jason realizes that he does not have the story. Neither his parents nor Ms. Caldwell believe him when Jason claims to have written it, and he is therefore ordered to undergo summer school. Later, Jason and his best friend Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) found out that Wolf has plagiarized his composition by making his film Big Fat Liar. When Jason's parents and sister leave town for a summer holiday, Jason and Kaylee use their savings to fly to Los Angeles to confront Wolf, leaving local bully Bret Callaway (Taran Killam) to attend to Kaylee's absent-minded grandmother after Jason bribes him by promising to do his summer school homework for him. After arriving in Los Angeles, Jason and Kaylee trick limo driver Frank Jackson (Donald Faison) into giving them a ride to the studio, where Jason tricks receptionist Astrid Barker (Rebecca Corry) into leaving her post to allow him to speak with Wolf about his situation. Wolf agrees to return the story, but intentionally burns it and has Jason and Kaylee removed from his office.Angered, Jason and Kaylee plan to inconvenience Wolf until he admits to having stolen Big Fat Liar. Frank eventually discovers their true identities and plans, but eventually joins them, as Frank explains that he was an actor formerly mistreated by Wolf. After gathering intel about how he treats his workers, Frank takes Jason and Kaylee to Wolf's mansion, where they add blue and orange dye to Wolf's swimming pool and shampoo, giving him blue skin and orange hair. Kaylee, impersonating the Universal Studios' president's secretary, sends Wolf to a child's birthday party to get vengeance for veteran stunt coordinator Vince (Lee Majors), an elderly employee of his whom he criticized and who had wanted to take his granddaughter to the same party. There, Wolf is mistaken for a clown and a group of children attack him. Meanwhile, Jason and Kaylee modify the controls to Wolf's blue Jaguar XKR convertible, causing various controls to perform the incorrect function and playing the song "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65, resembling his blue skin. Struggling to control his convertible, Wolf stops just behind a monster truck, but is later rear ended by a vengeful old lady, whom he had insulted earlier, which causes him to crash into it, therefore causing its driver, The Masher (Brian Turk), to destroy Wolf's convertible in anger.As a result of these pranks, Wolf misses his appointment with his boss Marcus Duncan (Russell Hornsby), president of Universal Studios. Wolf and Duncan met at a party to celebrate the premiere of another film Whittaker and Fowl, which proves to be a box office failure. Duncan distrusts Wolf to create anything better and tells him that all the funding for Big Fat Liar will be withdrawn unless Wolf can convince him otherwise. Jason agrees to help Wolf in exchange for a confession of the truth to his father. Wolf, guided by Jason, makes a successful presentation which convinces Duncan to green-light Big Fat Liar and warning him should any little mishap occur, funding for the film will be withdrawn and his career will be over. However, Wolf betrays Jason again and calls his security guards to remove Jason and Kaylee from his office for the second time, but this time, after their true identities, schemes, and hiding place have been and revealed. Jason and Kaylee are told by Rocko, the head of security, that they will be forced out of Hollywood, the incidents they caused covered up, and may be sent back to their hometown in disgrace.Jason is about to throw in the towel and prepares to be forever humiliated and disbelieved in his hometown when Wolf's personal secretary, Monty Kirkham (Amanda Detmer), appears after dismissing Rocko, who was keeping an eye on him and Kaylee, and states that because many of Wolf's co-workers and employees have been abused by him, they are able to help Jason and Kaylee to take revenge against Wolf. Together, Jason, Kaylee, and the studio crew members devise their plan by which to do so. By now, Wolf has either removed or concealed the color of his skin and hair. En route to the studio, Wolf falls into several traps organized by his co-workers including skydiving out of a helicopter piloted by Vince and getting soaked from the Universal Studios Hollywood flash flood backlot prop. Upon arriving at the studio, bedraggled and desperate, Wolf finds out that Jason has taken his beloved toy chimpanzee, Mr. Funny-Bones, hostage. Wolf pursues Jason until they reach a climactic rooftop confrontation, where Wolf admits to having stolen Jason's story, thinking they are alone, and swearing that Wolf will never tell the truth because it's 'overrated'. Immediately, it is revealed that Wolf has been filmed throughout the confession with multiple cameras. As a result, Wolf is exposed and shamed before all those whom he has abused, including Duncan, who is outraged at him for his act of plagiarism, and from a kid no less. Without hesistation, Duncan fires Wolf for his actions, and Jason thanks Wolf for having taught him that "the truth is not overrated". Enraged, Wolf chases Jason, but Jason runs off the side of the building and eventually lands on an inflated crash pad. Afterwards, Jason and his parents re-establish their trust.The epilogue.In the epilogue, Big Fat Liar is later reproduced and shown in movie theatres across North America, utilizing the talents and skills of all those whom Wolf had abused. During the closing credits, Jason is credited for having written the original story, and Ms. Caldwell is impressed and very proud of him. Meanwhile, Wolf declares bankruptcy and starts his new job as a clown, which role he is assigned to entertain the son of the Masher, whom he insulted earlier. Recognizing him, the Masher orders his son: "Yo, Little Mash, show him your nutcracker!", a newly-learned prizefighting technique as a means of avenging the earlier offense. He delivers a flying kick to Wolf's scrotum, and Wolf's eyes dilate and rotate. | revenge, prank | train | imdb | One day, through an amazing fluke, he meets up with a nefarious movie producer named Marty Wolf who steals Shepherd's story idea a composition he wrote for his English class entitled `Big Fat Liar' and proceeds to make a movie out of it.
When Wolf refuses to do this, Jason concocts an elaborate scheme to make Wolf's life a living hell until he relents and helps make things right back home.Kids will love `Big Fat Liar' for the simple reason that it works as pure adolescent fantasy wish-fulfillment on several levels.
Jason and his pretty cohort, Kaylee, get to call the shots and pull the strings that eventually get the grownups to pay attention and listen to them.`Big Fat Liar' might actually have been a better film had it resisted the tendency to overdo so much of its comedy.
When a 14 year old boy has an accident with one of Hollywood's biggest producers, he soon finds that the producer has begun to make a movie off of an English paper story he left in his car.
(I already submitted the cars from "Back to the Future" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".) It's almost like the movie is one big plug for the Universal Studios tour.Speaking of plugs: Note the obvious ones for Coca-Cola and the E.T. re-release.Parental Guidance note: Please be sure to explain to your kids that a) Hollywood is not a nice place to run away to, and b) they shouldn't expect to get hugs and encouragement after they run away..
Big Fat Liar is the type of movie I would've liked even more if I was younger and by that I reccomend this movie to the kids and if the parents don't want to go see Collateral Damage or Black Hawk Down or whatever, they might chuckel as well.Frankie Muniz plays a young teen who is usually lying a lot, and when he really looses a paper for school in a movie producer's (Paul Giamatti's) limo and winds up in summer school, he decides to go with his girlfriend (Amanda Bynes) to Hollywood to confront him.
On the way to hand in his assignment, he gets a ride from a famous hollywood producer Marty Wolf(Paul Giamatti) but unfortunately he forgets his english assignment.
Jason notices that the movie is based on his english paper and that Marty Wolf has stolen his story.
Now along with his cute friend Kaylee(Amanda Bynes) Jason will travel to Los Angeles and try to convince everybody what a big fat liar Marty Wolf is.
Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bines actually appear to have some talent and probably will continue to have careers after puberty--at least on infomercials or doing voice-overs.So, if you are looking for a film to see with your kids, you certainly could do a lot worse!.
Big Fat Liar is about Jason Shepard (Frankie Muniz), an 8th grader who is highly known by his parents and classmates to be a liar about things.
When Jason goes to turn it in to his teacher, he realizes the paper is gone, and he tells his parents and teacher what happened- how he got hit by a limo transporting Marty Wolff--- but his parents don't believe him.
Marty then steals Jason's story and puts "Big Fat Liar" into production.
This movie had some fun scenes and moments, and many laughs (mostly from the hilarious Amanda Bynes), and keeps you entertained to the very end.
2. How old do you have to be to completely lose sight of the fact that movies for kids (you know, the kind starring Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes) are not the same as the movies that you might like?
Big Fat Liar contains many pranks pulled by the teenagers seeking their own back against Marty Wolf, it's fast funny and theres lots of cool music in there too including an 80's tune from Duran Duran, great stuff..
He is forced to attend summer school while Wolf makes the story into a big Hollywood movie.
As Jason, Frankie Muniz combines just enough breezy charisma and ah-shucks appeal to perform his Ferris Bueller gag quite well, but the really impressive stuff comes from Amanda Bynes, who delivers some truly hilarious vocal impressions, usually when on the phone.This is all really tame stuff, will not change the world or ruin it (or the art of film) in any way.
The laughs are definitely aimed at kids to older teenagers and would deem too harmless for even the most easy-going of adult viewers, but the film has no too little energy and innocent charms that entertained the not-too-critical side of me.Here's your first clue that the film is a teenage TV-show extended to movie length: The lead star is MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE's Frankie Munez stars.
Inevitably, it falls in the hands of self-centered, money-mongering Hollywood producer (reminds you of anyone?) Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti), who finds it his next big must-see.
Now Jason, who has no one who believes in him but his best friend Kaylee (current-Nickelodeon graduated Amanda Bynes), they set off to the big-streets of Tinseltown to get back his script, and at the same time give good ol' Marty a little jolt, a little pay-back.The gags are frequently physical humor, which means discard all your thoughts for some biting sense of humor or sarcasm.
A 14-year old boy Jason Shepherd wrote an English paper called "Big Fat Liar".
So Marty Wolf took it and he turned Jason's English paper into a movie!
At the end, Jason's story, Big Fat Liar was a movie.
It tells a good story in a lighthearted way without trying to dazzle the audience with over-the-top special effects, like lots of films these days are.
(The film producer had given him a ride, and he accidentally left the essay in his car.) Naturally, no one believes the kid when he claims that the idea was his, and he sneaks off to Hollywood with his best friend in tow to try to set the record straight.
When Jason (Frankie Muniz - "MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE") and Kaylee (Amanda Bynes - "ALL THAT") played those tricks on Marty (Paul Giamatti - DOCTOR DOLITTLE), I really smiled and felt good.
When I first saw him, I couldn't be certain, but, when I asked my mother if it was him, she said, "Of course!" Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say, "Like I said earlier, there is a moral to this story, and that moral is, always tell the truth." Now, in conclusion, if you are a fan of Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, or Paul Giamatti, I highly recommend this absolutely hilarious movie with a moral to it..
Big Fat Liar is a great watch for kids of all ages, even adults.
I had a great time watching this movie and recommend this to kids of 10 years and under.
Lo and behold, he commits himself and writes it only to have it end up in the hands of a big time Hollywood Producer (Giamatti) who is also a big fat liar in his own nefarious two-timing ways and plans to turn the essay into a film.
Such films are The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, the two Agent Cody Banks films, and many others that strike a nostalgia chord with me solely because they came out right around the time I was immersing myself in film.Shawn Levy's Big Fat Liar is a film I watched as a young child in pieces.
In fact, it's kind of spirited and lively, to the point where I find myself replaying sequences in my head, ones I didn't laugh at before, and now silently giggle at their geniality and the silliness they employ.One particular scene comes later in the film, where Paul Giamatti's character has already been manipulated unconditionally by Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes to the point where he is ready to call the day quits entirely.
The scene is so goofy and unexpected that the only rational response is to laugh and embrace the current situation.I'll catch you up; Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz) is a fourteen year old boy, known by his family and teacher as a pathological liar who enjoys dreaming up ways to get himself out of trouble.
One day, he doesn't write his English paper on time, so is given a time extension, which he utilizes efficiently to write a semi-autobiographical story called "Big Fat Liar." He races to school on his sister's bright pink bike (the bullies stole his skateboard), and crashes into the limousine of Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti), a cocky, wealthy movie producer.
His transcend into lunacy and madness, especially in the third act, is wonderful and is played off effectively thanks to great comic-timing and spirit on his part.Big Fat Liar is not a film I'd recommend to adults.
When he is knocked off a bike by movie producer Marty Wolf, he accidentally gets his essay mixed in with Marty's papers, leaving Jason's story, 'Big Fat Liar' behind.
Now Jason, along with his best friend, Kaylee set off to retrieve his paper back and earn his dad's trust back.A movie like this is really going to have one main target audience.
Putting aside the fact that this is nothing more than an updated version of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," Let's start with a run-down of the cast;Frankie Muniz: Would have nothing to do with Disney, if he hadn't played himself on an episode of "Lizzie McGuire." This time, he plays Jason Shepherd, a habitual lying kid who's schoolwork gets stolen by a rotten-to-the-core movie producer.Amanda Bynes: Clearly grew out of her old variety show in more ways than one, and has proved herself to be a teen-aged Jenny McCarthy.
Frankie Muniz is pretty good, but the thing is, he acts the same in every single movie, though smart-alecky suits him better in Big Fat Liar than in the Cody Banks flick.
The main difference is that the (main) target audience for Big Fat Liar is pitched about 3 to 5 years below that of Ferris Bueller.My kids enjoyed it whilst it was on but it failed the "endlessly repeat the best bits after the film" test..
Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz) proves that he was not lying and goes to Los Angeles to Get his paper back from Marty Wolf( Paul Giamatti).
i thnk this movie is charming and funny at the same time with great performances by Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti,Amanda Detmer and ecspecially Amanda bynes who is uttelry charming without trying.i like that its not like most kids films with fart and burp jokes.
It's just the whole set-up of producer Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti) stealing Jason Shephard's (Frankie Muniz) paper and turning into Big Fat Liar.
It was actually a pretty dull movie, where nothing really fun happens.Jason Shepherd, a 14 year old kid who often gets into trouble, and always finds a way out.
If you want to see a wonderful one, see Cloak and Dagger (1984) with that child actor from E.T.Who should see this film:-- kids, parents you'll get through it-- adults who see the occasional kids flick, but only on a rainy dayI'll give "Big Fat Liar" a surprisingly high 5 out of 10 because it was genuinely funny, but the ending devolved into yuck..
Jason, who wants to prove to his father that this occurrence is not a lie, travels with his girlfriend, Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) to Hollywood to have Marty call his father and confess the truth."Big Fat Liar" is aimed at kids, but I doubt even they would like it.
The film tries for a wink-wink, nudge-nudge approach at spoofing Hollywood, but it's all been done before, so none of it is fresh or funny.What annoyed me the most was Marty Wolf makes Jason's "Big Fat Liar" story seem like a great motion picture experience.
Even though this movie is meant for an younger audience, i expected better, with actors like Paul Giamatti its hard to believe that it can get this bad.
There's a decent story being told, the two central actors give good performances and there is actually a good mix of child friendly/adult jokes.The nice relationship between Muniz and Bynes keeps the movie afloat, but it is nice to see Paul Giamanti having fun with his role too.I can't say that this is the best family film that has ever been made, but if you're looking for something that has charm and a unique story being told then this is a good film to watch..
Shawn Levy's "Big Fat Liar" is just a funny movie.
Anyone watching it will have to agree that it would be fun to get to do what Jason (Frankie Muniz) and Kaylee (Amanda Bynes) do.
I have no doubt that Paul Giamatti enjoyed getting to play the slimy producer who becomes the target of the kids' pranks.However, some other things caught my eye all now that I've seen the movie over a decade after its release.
From blue dye in the swimming pool to sabotage on the movie set, Jason MUST have Wolf call his parents and tell him how he got the film idea.
Big Fat Liar is a good movie for the children but may not have enough life in it to please the adults.
This is not a laugh-out-loud riot, but there are some mild chuckles to be had.Shawn Levy's film is a take on the legend of "Boy Who Cries Wolf." After a 14-year old kid has his essay stolen from him by a Hollywood producer and turned into a movie and no one believes him, he goes all out to prove that his essay was indeed stolen.The acting is okay.
Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes sometimes seem to be a little over-the-top, but at least they are not terrible.Overall, this is an average film that kids will love.
I also personally found a lot (probably most) of the story a bit boringSince I was an adolescent by the time the 2000s began, I haven't seen too many other kids' movies like this one that have come out sometime in recent years.
But the problem is Jason leaves his homework in the car, the other way of saying this is Marty Wolf(Giamatti) steals it.After a few months Jason goes to a movie and sees a trailer that takes him aback.
When Wolf refuses it, Jason takes action and ruins his life.This is the short story of the Big Fat Liar.
Unfortunately, I am not a big fat liar to say that this is a good movie.
The scene where Jason (Muniz) and female lead Amanda Bynes try on clothes and props in the movie studio may make you laugh, but it proves to be the film's most poignant and memorable scene.
Amanda Bynes is great as the puppy-love buddy of Frankie Muniz and Paul Giamatti is excellent as the villain..
Amanda Bynes is great as the puppy-love buddy of Frankie Muniz and Paul Giamatti is excellent as the villain..
My nine-year-old noticed the following canine references sprinkled throughout the movie: Frankie Muniz plays Jason Shepherd (like German Shepherd), and Paul Giamatti's chracter is Marty "the wolfman" Wolf.
"Big Fat Liar" tells of a 14 year old boy (Muniz) who bumps into a film producer (who happens to be in his hometown making a movie) who gets his hands on the boy's homework assignment, a story of the title name, and turns it into a movie which the boy sees previewed.
The boy and his friend (Bynes) then set out for Hollywood where they raise all kinds of hell in an attempt to wrest creative credit for the film from the evil producer (Giamatti).A simple "David vs Goliath" flick with obvious forces of good and evil in opposition, "BFL" is a fun comedy romp with great casting, an excellent score, lots of zany antics, and direction which is reminiscent of early John Hughes and Chris Columbus kid films.
One day he is pressured to write an English essay, but it winds up in the hands of sleazy film-maker Marty Wolf ( Paul Giamatti ) who plans to turn Jason's story into a Hollywood blockbuster.
Jasons paper is actually turned into a big screen movie that we all love.
The film tells a story about a 14-year-old pathological liar, Jason Shepherd (Muniz), whose creative writing assignment is stolen by an arrogant Hollywood producer, Marty Wolf (Giamatti), who later plans to use it to make the fictional film of the same name.
At least.the boy works big fat liar movie.
Big fat liar is a pretty funny movie.
He stole Jason Shepherd's essay on Big Fat Liar, and makes it in to a movie.
The always-appealing Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) proves that even at the tender age of 15 he can carry the starring role in a major film.It helps that his co-star, Amanda Bynes, is equally appealing.There is a good story here: lying will not get you what you want and if you lie enough people will no longer believe you: `The Boy Who Cried Wolf' for this century.This is not a spoiler because anyone that has seen any of the previews or television commercials about this film will know the story...Jason Shepherd (Frankie), in an effort to make up a school assignment, writes a fable about a `Big Fat Liar.' Then the nefarious and fairly slimy Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti) steals the story to save his rapidly sinking career as a film producer.
Big Fat Liar was a very cheesy but good comedy film.
It was about a 14 year old kid Jason Sheperd,who as he is riding to school bumps into a limo which coincidentally happens to be the one where the famous(but not really famous)movie producer,Marty Wolf.
Later Jason finds out that Marty stole and read Martys paper titled "Big Fat Liar",and makes it into the summers biggest must-see movie. |
tt1422020 | Dog Pound | Butch, Davis and Angel are teenagers who have been sentenced to Enola Vale juvenile detention center in Montana. The focus is on Butch, who has been imprisoned for attacking and blinding a correctional officer.
Goodyear, a tough but fair officer, urges the new inmates to follow the rules and quietly serve their time so they can earn a second chance on the outside. At first Butch attempts to conform to the rules, but soon he and his friends are attacked by the chief bully Banks and his thugs, Eckersley and Looney.
Refusing to reveal the names of his attackers, Butch is sent to solitary confinement. Once out, he immediately exacts revenge on Banks, Eckersley, and Looney. Butch saves the worst for Banks, who is savagely beaten. The beatings establish his rank among the inmates and offers temporary protection to his friends, Davis and Angel.
During a routine painting job, Angel and Goodyear get into a physical altercation; Angel is thrown against a wall by Goodyear and dies instantly. Butch, who was a witness to the altercation, is placed in solitary confinement while an investigation takes place.
Without Butch's protection, Davis is raped by Looney and Eckersley. Davis tries to contact his mother during the night, but an officer denies his request, telling him he'll have to wait until morning. Feeling helpless, Davis goes back to his bunk, eventually committing suicide by slitting his wrists.
The deaths of both Angel and Davis result in their dormitory going on a hunger strike during breakfast. After a stare-down in the cafeteria, Butch loses control and instigates a riot. The detention officers are overwhelmed and return to the cafeteria in riot gear, using tear gas and plastic bullets in an attempt to end the riot. During the riot, Butch tries to escape the building, but is caught by the prison officers moments later. | pornographic, violence | train | wikipedia | I have to admit, that I have not seen "Scum" yet, which this movie is based on (or a Remake according to IMDb), but after seeing this, I have to go out and rent that one.The characters on display here might feel a bit too distant and not everyone will be able to find a character he can entirely sympathize with, but that's what made it so intriguing to me.
It's raw and sometimes feels like a documentary (though it obviously isn't).Very good acting and a story that flows from start to finish, with no (visible) flaw in the storytelling.
Alan Clarke made the violent and barbaric movie Scum 31 years ago and there have been various attempts with smiler movies since, all trying to become the daddy of juvenile delinquent dramas, from Sean Penn in Bad Boys to Larry Clarke's Kids.
This attempt, albeit billed as 'inspired' by scum, is inherently a remake with three miscreants sent to a juvenile facility in Montana, with no chance of any hope of reform, forced into a system of sheer brutality forcing Butch (Adam Butcher) to go on the rampage.
And though Alan Clarke's original film still has the edge, this perhaps has more relevance for a new generation of cinema goers which cleverly used real ex prisoner instead of conventionally well know actors, helping in part to set a more real and gritty tone.
It is rather the crude, raw scenes that are sought out, actors with faces that tell a story, a fluid motion from scene to scene without all the pretentious cinematic effects (symbols, metaphors, angles, music etc...).Like I said, straight to the point.And where this movie might lack in depth, it solidifies the viewers' expectations all through the one channel of ADRENALINE.
Perhaps a rushed scene or two - a little more footage or info in the end, that culminating to the point of the viewer looking back and asking himself how this movie stormed past his eyes so fast, in the method of a one-dimensional scene-after-scene procedure.This film is genuinely "lived".
It stars Adam Butcher, Shane Kippel, Mateo Morales, Taylor Poulin, Dewshane Williams, Lawrence Bayne and Trent McMullen.Young offenders Butch (Butcher), Angel (Morales) & Davis (Kippel) are sent to the Enola Vale correctional facility and find that bullying, drugs and abuse are the order of the day.To clear things up, since there seems to be a lot of confusion on internet forums, Dog Pound is to all intents and purposes a remake of Alan Clarke's seminal British Borstal shocker, Scum (1977/79).
What should be noted is that Chapiron hasn't hid from this fact, he didn't make the movie thinking nobody would notice, he actively acknowledged his worship of Clarke's film, making Dog Pound very much the ultimate American homage.
Claims of it being a rip-off etc are way off the mark, it's a remake and nobody has denied this.Much like the original British version, Dog Pound is brutal, upsetting and has a loud booming voice.
The director follows Clarke's template by keeping it grimy and raw, and by shooting it in semi-documentary style and using rookie actors and real life ex-offenders in the cast, Chapiron has gone, and gotten, gritty realism.
The recreation of a young offenders facility is well researched, with laid bare dormitories and depressing corridors, while the cast, particularly a terrific coiled spring Butcher, can't be faulted for excellent serving up of the material to hand.Minor problems do exist, familiarity of genre is always an issue, and here for anyone who has seen either of the Scum movies, there is no surprise factor, it does feel a little old hat.
Very well made and still it has something to say, in that the cycle of violence continues inside, that juvenile institutions are still questionable tools for rehab, problems are there and Dog Pound ferociously makes its point.
Dog Pound had a huge effect on me unlike most films that have come out in the past couple months.
A movie like "Dog Pound" has a lot of peers.
Raw. Although i did not yet see "Scum" - but will see as soon as i can - i think it's perfectly acceptable a remake (still not sure that it's a remake) after several decades.The thematic of life in a prison or juvenile delinquency is not new.
In various aspects, Dog Pound fulfills with its purpose: bringing us a raw and intense look to a "juvenile detention center", supposedly dedicated to the juvenile delinquent's rehabilitation, when it is in fact a sadistic and brutal environment which stimulates the cruelty, the intolerance and the violence as the solution to every problem.
I have to say that Dog Pound kept me interested; however, its story is almost non-existent, and it's reduced to a series of vignettes which follows the experience of three young interns of a recent entry.The main problem from Dog Pound is that it doesn't provide too much to the "prison cinema".
If director Kim Chapiron had selected 15 or 16-year-old actors, Dog Pound would have been more shocking and subversive.
Unfortunateley, he let that chance go.In conclusion, Dog Pound entertained me; it brings an interesting message; the performances are solid; and Chapiron's direction is agile and efficient, with the emphasis on the clarity and free of stylish distractions.
*Note I did not see the original 1979 french Film "Scum" by Alan ClarkeDog Pound follows three teenagers as they are incarcerated into the Enola Vale correctional facility.
In between the violence are openings into the vulnerable sides of some of the characters but those are small carrots in a mostly dreary cage of concrete and metal.Violence like the kind found in Dog Pound comes from a extremely raw place.
However, "Dog Pound" is really shocking when it comes to the extent of the similarities to "Scum (1979)", directed by Alan Clarke.I think the director Kim Chapiron should have credited the script to Roy Minton (Scum's writer), not to himself.
It is a good movie, but quite embarrassing that it is so similar to "Scum (1979)", directed by Alan Clarke.
I wish luck to this young French director Kim Chapiron, but he needs to think twice before trying to hide that it was not him who wrote the script of a film he is directing.
"Dog Pound" a MUST WATCH movie..
A mean prison thriller that goes for the jugular throughout, the Canadian film DOG POUND is in actual fact a remake of the British borstal classic SCUM from 1979.
While it's not as powerful or harrowing as that film, nevertheless it packs a punch in its harsh depiction of bullying and brutality within prison confines.The prison in this film is a juvenile one and the movie is populated by new and unfamiliar faces, but don't let that put you off, because DOG POUND turns out to be a highly effective movie in its own right.
The acting is up and down and probably the weakest part of the production, but that matters not when the direction is strong and the writing compelling.DOG POUND is a slow paced film for the most part and yet it's alive with simmering tension as character relationships develop and things move towards some scenes of violence which are devastating in their depiction.
Some of the sub-plots are distinctly underwhelming (with the fate of one particular character not a patch on his counterpart in SCUM) but others hit home with precision force, making this a film I really got into..
Excellent movie for sure a lot of drama happening a lot of pain in their eyes this film is absolute blockbuster.THE ACTING WAS PERFECT.You must watch this movie i really enjoyed it and i am happy that i found this movie.The only bad thing for me was the bad ending maybe they could do a lot of bad ending or when you end a movie like that you need to make a second PART for sure :D.
If you've seen the awesome Alan Clarke film Scum (1979), don't bother watching Dog Pound, you'll realise fairly early on that you already know what's going to happen.
Perhaps not on the same scale as say U571, but galling none the less.Whilst I'm sure that this film does have it's uses (assisting insomniacs for example, or perhaps the case could be used to replace a broken one from a good film), there's just so much more you could do with an hour and a half of your life than watching a cheap rip off.For those of you who haven't seen or got a copy of Scum and do have a copy of Dog Pound, please don't hesitate to incinerate and dispose of it before rushing to the shops to buy the real thing..
Short movie and each scene inflicted emotions and thoughts through me.For the people who have never seen Scum (as myself), it was entirely enjoyable because of that.
I would not feel so because I did not see Scum so I enjoyed all of Dog Pound.This film would not have been what it was without Mr. Butcher (Adam Butcher aka Butch).
Dog Pound features three primary inmates and their empty routines at a facility for troubled teenagers: I must say this is definitely a must-watch film.
The actors' portrayal of each character was crucial in making the movie breath-taking and emotional and, luckily, they were successful.The horrors that each young adult endures is sickening, yet entertaining in which they are excellent actors for the roles portrayed.
I think for a younger audience, watching this first then Scum would sway them towards a Dog Pound vote.
Luckliy Adam Butcher (playing Butch) fills the with a cracking portrayal.At the end of a film I always ask myself.
What follows is a transitional phase within the prison between the three kids who basically run things and the newcomer, Butch, who is provoked into violently assuming the leadership role.There are subplots as well featuring some of the other inmates and the guards.
Goodyear is the bitter C.O., whose home life is being complicated by his job.This film is supposed to be a commentary on the rehabilitation system, much like the original was.
It's like they touch on the lives of the characters but instead of making that the core of the film they try to do both but don't succeed.
It's tweaked some things and added some additional plot lines but anyone who has seen Scum will know exactly what happens all the way to the ending.
Scum on the other hand played out almost like a pseudo documentary and was very washed out and gritty.Several scenes from the original have been altered, some for the better and some for the worse.
Dog Pound is just a prison movie.
The story is solid, the acting is excellent (Adam Butcher as Butch is mesmerizing) and unlike Scum which had a notable lack of music, the score for this film is quite good and used appropriately.
Visceral, brutal, nihilistic film-making that feels authentic, and is (half the cast was culled from juvie centers around the U.S., and their slang found its way into the script).
While the acting isn't dreadful, and the film is entertaining, I don't think I've ever seen a movie so directly copied from another film.
Did the writer/director really think no one has seen the 1979 British film "Scum".
The entire story line is stolen from this film, the feel of the film, the grittiness, the bullies, the new boy taking control of the prison from the bullies, the rape, the deaths, and to the final scene in the canteen which was so obviously stolen from the original film it beggars belief.Do yourself a favour and watch the British film with Ray Winstone, "Scum" is the title...a far superior film, and at the very least original...shame on the writer/director of this film!
Having just finished watching this film "Dog Pound", it was clear to me right from the start the similarities to the UK film, "Scum", and were confirmed when the rape scene was shown, and the aftermath shortly after with the raped guy killing himself after repeatedly trying to call for help via the internal alarm messaging system.All in all though, even though this is clearly copying "Scum", its not too bad of a copy, although it doesn't pack the dirty punch in which Scum brought to the table.Differences from Scum in Dog Pound..ScumPool Balls in sock Rape scene in greenhouse Suicide in isolated cell Dog poundLarge steel drinking mug Rape scene in laundry room Suicide in DormThere were many other similarities, but I think I have revealed more than enough spoilers for now, but one thing I would say, is even if you have read my review, still watch this film, and the characters/actors do a very good job with their roles..
" Well just when you thought it was safe to go back to the DVD store where you rented American remakes of GET CARTER , etc along comes yet another remake of a classic British movie based on Alan Clark's brutal and bleak borstal British realist drama SCUM One thing that strikes you about the differences between the two films is the ironic differences in culture between Britain and America .
SCUM seems rather dated in that it's just too bleak where as DOG POUND fails because it's a little bit too nice !!!!!!
SCUM gets off to a brutal start with Carling being assaulted by two of the screws who are portrayed in a cruel manner with perhaps the worst type of cruelty being an officer who witnesses the gang rape of Davis which he turns a blind eye to .
. Likewise Davis is allowed to commit suicide in a crowded dorm by bleeding to death which isn't impossible but unlikely compared to the scene in the original Chapirion also misses the point that Clark's original was the archtypal realist film with no incidental music and subplots that disappear .
DOG POUND will appeal to anyone with an interest in films set in prisons but if you've seen the original source material it is lacking whilst ironically throws a spanner in the works when it goes its own way.
Along with Shane Kippel and Mateo Morales, as the main delinquents, the film displayed the violence and brutality of the system.
Right from the start of the film, or "yaaaah, movie" as the yanks say, you know the whole film is going to be $hit, what with the over acted yelling involving that miserable looking idiot and the screw.I couldn't quite pinpoint it, but the whole flow and style of the film was cheesy, two dimensional and unrealistic.The dialog is laughable, the main screw walks round with a cup of tea/coffee most of the time.Every main scene from Scum is ripped of in Dogpound.
Dog Pound to Scum is like alligator to crocodile..
From what I have read Dog Pound is a film influenced by the British film Scum and is not a remake but if the truth be told it is almost exactly the same.
Even some re-makes of other film's are not as close as these two film's are and because I seen Scum first and thought it was brilliant, Dog Pound has a lot to live up to.
Not a lot more I want to say about this film really, it is no where near the level of Scum and having said that I would recommend that film but not Dog Pound.
Dog Pound 6.5 out of 10, Scum 9.5 out of 10..
Dog Pound (2010): Dir: Kim Chapiron / Cast: Adam Butcher, Shane Kippel, Mateo Morales, Lawrence Bayne, Slim Twig: Disturbing drama about human imprisonment, or in this case, juvenile prison.
Adam Butcher plays a seventeen year old sentenced after brutally retaliating against an abusive corrections officer.
What I got from this movie is not that Butch, his friends and the majority of the inmates are the bad guys but that the crooked and abusive officers and inmate bullies are.
I was hoping that the movie would end with Butch making Officer Goodyear and all the other crooked officers answer for their crimes and that he would escape.
If you're into very realistic movies(not unrealistic stunts and plots that can only happen in Hollywood movies), you will surely like this one because it almost makes you believe that this was based on a true story because its events are not over the top or cliché situations where the prisoner escapes in a cool unimaginable way.
Many people that say this movie lacks plot only say so because they are accustomed to always watching movies that present summaries of the character's life with an uncommon and unrealistic ending, such as that of prison break(an awesome TV show, I recommend it ;)).
The idea is that young people will reform in those institutions, when the reality is they probably come out worse off than when they went in, which is the message one gets after watching this violent account of youth deprived of freedom.The prison genre has been done better before, but to his credit, Kim Chapiron has gathered a good cast, especially with the happy selection of Adam Butcher in the leading role, to give life to this drama.
"Dog Pound" keeps reminding a lot of the contributors to this forum of Alan Clarke's much better "Scum", a film in which the great Ray Winstone was the absolute star..
Nonetheless a good movie which becomes rather cliché in the end,sudden death of two of the teens comes out from no-where.
The problems starts in the 2nd half when movie becomes rather more cliché, when Adam Butcher Aka. Butch takes over the prison after beating up the bullying teens.
Adam Butcher as Butch is really good in Dog Pound, he doesn't have to say much and with his eyes and face he showed all the emotions.
I haven't seen Scum yet, but I definitely willI RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE!!! |
tt0038559 | Gilda | Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) is in Buenos Aires playing dice with locals. Soon someone holds a gun to his head, but a man with a snappy cane helps him out and also tells him about a casino on the other side of town.At the casino, Johnny makes sure he looks his best and enters the gambling room. He watches a short man win with a late bet at the roulette table. He goes to the blackjack table and wins several hands after requesting each time to cut the deck. Two tough guys says the casino director wants to see him; Johnny tries to fight them, but fails. The director turns out to be the man with the cane and goes by the name of Ballin Mundson (George Macready). Johnny admits to cheating, but instead of being thrown out he manages to persuade Mundson to hire him.Soon World War II ends, and there is a party at the casino. Mundson is due to leave town and leaves Johnny in charge; they have gained each other's trust. When Mundson returns he has Johnny come to his house. Mundson has brought home a woman, Gilda (Rita Hayworth), as his wife. When Johnny and Gilda see each other it's clear that they know each other, though they don't tell Mundson. That night at the casino Johnny sees the man from earlier winning at roulette again in suspicious manner and learns that it is Mundson's way of bribing those that allow his casino to continue despite gambling being illegal.Johnny has dinner with Mundson and Gilda. When Mundson leaves the table to meet with some German men, Johnny blames Gilda for marrying Mundson for the money. Gilda dances with another man, Capt. Delgado, and even gives him her phone number in front of Johnny. Later that night Mundson reveals his suspicion to Gilda that she knows Johnny from before and warns her that she should not make any missteps.Another night at the casino we see the man from before looking for his bribe at the roulette table, but his bet is turned away. Soon Johnny finds Mundson in his office talking to the same man; the conversation is about tungsten trading, Mundson telling the man he should not be selling the metal according to their agreement. Johnny goes downstairs to get Gilda out of the way, who is again enjoying herself with another man, and he and Mundson have a drink in the bar. Suddenly there's a gunshot, it's the man with the tungsten who is out to get Mundson; he misses, but in the commotion goes into the washroom and shoots himself.Scared by the threat to his life, Mundson tells Johnny about the cartel that he runs to monopolize tungsten and control the world, and gives him the combination to the safe in his office. Later that night Gilda returns home from town with the young man, Gabe. Johnny knocks the guy over and has him leave and tells Gilda she should not make trouble with Mundson and that he will make things appear right even if she does continue to cavort with other men.One night Johnny wakes up by the sound of Gilda singing in the casino room with only the washroom attendant, Pio (Steven Geray), as audience. She's been out again. Johnny takes her home and they tell to Mundson that they have been swimming, together.Another night the casino is having a carnival party. Two Germans come to Johnny's office and demand to see Mundson; Johnny rings Mundson. Mundson talks to Gilda about being late for the party; tension runs thick between them. At the party Johnny and Gilda dance; Gilda comes on to him, but he refuses. A man, Obregon (Joseph Calleia), who's been hanging around the casino for weeks, tells Johnny there might be trouble. Johnny gets a message that Gilda has left and wants him to pick her up later. Soon a man is revealed to be dead behind his mask, and there is commotion. Johnny finds Mundson in his office and warns him he might be in danger. But Mundson tells Johnny to go find Gilda, then calls an airfield and makes some arrangements.Johnny picks Gilda up, and they go to the house. Gilda suggests they make use of the time alone. He goes to her room to throw her out, but ends up kissing her. They hear a sound and Johnny sees Mundson leaving the house: he has seen them. Johnny goes after Mundson in a car, and so do the police, headed by Obregon. They follow Mundson to an airfield and watch him take off in a plane and crash down into the ocean, assuming that he is dead. However, we soon see Mundson being picked up by a boat, revealing that he had indeed intended to escape from the police investigation.With everybody thinking Mundson is dead, Gilda inherits his fortune, and Johnny takes over the casino and the cartel. Gilda and Johnny get married, and he takes her to a new home. Gilda is happy, but Johnny does not intend to live with her; instead, he makes sure she cannot have contact with anyone. One of the Germans from the cartel comes to see Johnny and tells him that Mundson held the tungsten patents unrightfully. Now he wants them and the cartel leadership back.Gilda comes to see Johnny, wanting a reason for his treatment of her. He blames her for cheating on Mundson and wants to punish her. Seeking company, Gilda starts going out with other men, but Johnny has them disappear one by one. Realizing Johnny wants to keep her in cage, she runs. We see her as a club singer in Montevideo with another man, Tom. He persuades her to go back to Buenos Aires to get an annulment of her marriage. But when they arrive, it turns out Tom is on Johnny's payroll, and Gilda is back in her cage.Obregon talks to Johnny, wanting him to reveal the names of the cartel members, Johnny says he knows nothing about it. Gilda starts singing and dancing in the casino and flirts with the men. Johnny doesn't like it and hits her. Obregon comes again, closes down the casino and puts pressure on Johnny. Johnny gives him what he wants. Obregon tells Johnny that Gilda is waiting in the casino. Johnny overcomes his pride and asks Gilda to take him with her back to America. Suddenly Mundson appears from his office, explains how he is not dead afterall and announces his intention of killing them both. But before he can, Pio stabs Mundson with his own cane. Obregon comes in seeing what's happened, but lets them go, saying afterall a man can only die once. Gilda tells Johnny, "Let's go home." | intrigue, murder | train | imdb | GILDA is what this film is all about and Rita Hayworth is so engrossing and beautiful, you sometimes forget what is going on and just stare.
There is a film to talk about here but the alluring Ms. Hayworth is always on the tip of your tongue.Glenn Ford is the anti-hero of this excellent Noir portrait of double-crosses, jealousy, and forbidden love.
The crisp black and white cinematography is effective, especially in the casino where 2/3 of the film takes place.GILDA is all Hayworth and, whether you are a male or female viewer, you see a good performance.
Glenn Fords' Johnny Farrel (perfect name for Noir character) cannot look past her deceiving flirtation and realize that the bad guy is right in front of him.
Another triumphant film of the 1940's that works every time, GILDA is Rita Hayworth's claim to fame and sent her into the stratosphere as a star.
Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth made five films together, but when they are talked of as a screen team, it's only Gilda that people are really talking about.
Affair in Trinidad was a good effort to recapture the magic of Gilda after Rita's storm marriage to Aly Khan and the last film The Money Trap was a Glenn Ford film where Rita has a brief role as an old girl friend.
And still this film has much more to offer; an economical but effective story line; a tight witty script loaded with innuendo; and superb acting all around, especially the overlooked icy performance of George Macready as Ballin Mundson..
He only has two problems: Johnny and Balin's beautiful wife Gilda (Rita Hayworth) apparently know each other and can't stand each other - but he has to leave them in charge of his nightclub while he's away.
Obregon suspects Balin's involvement in this illegal cartel scheme, and is watching him like a hawk."Gilda" is the film that made Rita Hayworth a star, and (with "Paths of Glory") gave Macready his justifiable claims to being one of Hollywood's best villains.
However, beyond the overtly heterosexual lures of Ms. Hayworth lurks a complex and ambiguous romantic triangle that provides more intrigue than the surface plot, which involves a gambling casino that is a front for shady operations that originated in a recently defeated, Fascist country.Hayworth may either be the intruding wedge that comes between Glenn Ford and George Macready or the object of both men's romantic interests.
From the initial meeting between Ford as two-bit gambler Johnny Farrell and Macready as Ballin Mundson the casino owner, an ambiguous, possibly homo-erotic, attraction is established between the two men.
Macready's jealousy also grows as the heat between Ford and Hayworth intensifies, but, again, it is ambiguous of whom he is jealous.With a dazzling performance by Hayworth, excellent black-and-white photography by Rudoph Mate, fine direction by Charles Vidor, and layers of psychological possibilities to ponder, "Gilda" is as golden as its title suggests..
Even the best things can't be faultless but any faults can be more easily overlooked.There is no golden age film I've seen quite like Gilda, full of strange people with highly-charged emotions saying and doing odd thought-provoking things in semi-comical ways - if you include violence and swearing you could say that's 90% of modern movies though!
There's so many good bits: The inventive and relentlessly snappy dialogue between the main characters throughout the film; Johnny quoting statistically that there are more insects in the world than women; Johnny waking up at 5am to the sound of Gilda singing to Pio the toilet-attendant; Pio's reaction after the midget industrialist killed himself in the toilets; Ballin describing his little friend's attributes to Johnny who claims he's just as good; Ballin asking Gilda if she was decent when she was; Johnny telling Ballin categorically that he taught Gilda ALL she knew; Gilda's little striptease - what creeps there were in that club - and fancy stopping her!Not quite as good as, but a worthy bookend for Casablanca, THE best B picture ever made..
It's just that the wonderfully Noir-like dialog and Rita Hayworth's incredible sex appeal are what you are left with when the film is over--not the plot!
Only later, after Ford has been Macready's right-hand man for some time does Hayworth enter the film.
Gilda is very much a star vehicle for Rita Hayworth's provocative sexiness and, in truth, she comes across, esp in the finale, as a vulnerable minx rather than an acid hearted femme fatale (Barbara Stanwyck in 'Double Indemnity).The plot's noir elements initially hold your interest - the downbeat narrator, the love triangle, Mundsen's shadowy dealings with Germans/Nazis, double-crossing - and the dialogue fizzes brilliantly at times especially when Gilda & Johnny, her former paramour, encounter one another again (the talk on hate as an emotion).Yet one gets the feeling that plot & character development are secondary elements and I found my attention wondering now & again due to the uneven pace of the plot.I did like the idea of Farrell (Glenn Ford) becoming insanely jealous of Gilda - like Mundsen before him - after their marriage.
Johnny's Ex, Gilda played by the enigmatic Rita Hayworth.The film is well made, and is shot in typical noir style.
The three way dynamic between Johnny, Gilda and Ballin, is engrossing and fascinating to watch as the power struggle switches between the characters thought the duration of the film.Over-all the films script was written well enough to keep me invested, and the ending makes up for the ponderous middle act.
Charles Vidor directed this film noir about Johnny Farrell(played by Glenn Ford) a small-time crooked gambler who finds himself in Argentina, and is in trouble with a gunman when he is helped by Ballin Mundson(played by George Macready) who happens to own a casino and is impressed by Johnny, and makes him his right-hand man.
Things go well at first, until Mr. Mundson returns from a trip with a wife named Gilda(played by Rita Hayworth) whom Johnny happens to have a history with.
Rita Hayworth is GILDA, the mysterious sex-bomb who slinks into the life of casino owner Ballin Mundson (George MacReady) and his right-hand man Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford).
It's the psychological creations of Gilda and Johnny that are interesting, with Gilda especially being an intriguing character.Rita Hayworth is without a doubt the best thing about the film: she's sexy, gorgeous, and sizzles whenever she's onscreen, from her guitar-strumming rendition of 'Put The Blame On Mame' through to that famous reprisal in the black dress and elbow gloves.
Clearly in a marriage of convenience with a much older, sophisticated and powerful casino owner, Hayworth runs into her old flame, Glenn Ford, who has grown loyal to her husband, who also is Ford's employer.There are a few twists to this story, while the highlight will always be the stage appearances of "Gilda", singing the legendary "Put The Blame On Mame" number better than Marilyn Monroe could have ever done it.
With our very first glimpse of the ever-elegant Rita Hayworth in Gilda it's so easy to understand why this beautiful woman was voted, time and again, one of Hollywood's #1 Pin-Up Girls of the 40's.
Because of all this indoor shooting we, the viewer, never really get any feel for actually being anywhere near South America, at all.Rita Hayworth plays the title character, Gilda, in this rather screwy (weren't they all?) Romantic/Comedy from 1946.
And that's before Rita Hayworth has even appeared (as the title character).Glenn Ford is young and almost baby-faced here, but a mature presence, great to see in this demanding role, at least for a film noir.
If you can unravel the threads to discover the answers to these two questions, then you're on your way to understanding this extremely complex, intriguing, yet highly entertaining cinematic gem.The three leads, Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, and George Macready turn in what should have been award-winning performances.
One of the most enchanting scenes in the entire film is when she strums the guitar and sings "Put The Blame on Mame" to a hypnotized Uncle Pio. The camera work under the direction of Rudolph Maté, dazzling throughout, is particularly noteworthy in this scene with just the right zooms and angles to capture the essence of the magic moment.Glenn Ford as the sexually frustrated Johnny delivers one of his best acting jobs ever.
This classic film noir is a very entertaining film and the casting is good although I do think Glenn Ford could have been played by any of a number of leading men.
"Gilda" is a tense, engaging melodrama with surprisingly snappy, suggestive dialogue and a still-steamy Rita Hayworth....but the final 30 minutes are inconsistent with everything that has gone on before, and the ending appears to be somewhat compromised.
Their relationship changes when Mundson returns from a trip bringing his new wife Gilda (Rita Hayworth) that has a past with Johnny.
When Mundson is presumed dead in a plane crash, the hatred of Johnny and Gilda grows with the behavior of the easy Gilda that is always dating different men."Gilda" is a movie with wonderful cinematography, good performances and a story with romance, murder, double-cross and jealousy and would be a great film-noir like many others from the 40's.
You might as well classify "Gilda" as science fiction rather than film noir since none of it has any resemblance to reality.The characters are fake, the South American locale is fake, and the casino where most of the action takes place looks like something the Wizard of Oz's interior decorator came up with.
(Maybe to suggest Ballin' Munson?).Welcome to Gilda's alternative universe, my friend, one which succeeds on an anthropological plane of investigation; helping we poor mortals of the 21st century determine what kind of escapist entertainment our ancestors found amusing.In sum, "Gilda" is just a vehicle for Rita Hayworth to strut and dance around inher glittering designer gowns, waving her gorgeous locks of hair, and uttering lines of dialogue she would never be clever enough to come upwith on her own.
Casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready) hires bum Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) to help run his casino because they share a total lack of scruples.
However things become complicated when Mundson marries gorgeous Gilda (Rita Hayworth)...I didn't really like this but it does have a few interesting points.
All three work so well together, and this coupled with the whole sensual/dangerous mood to it all, how it is photographed by the great Rudolph Mate, and those songs that are fun cinematic set pieces first, like any good dance number, and iconic for their sexy allure second (the acoustic Blame on Mame is sweet too), and you got a minor classic.Shame the end tops Woman in the Window for 'whaaaa?'ness.
Gilda (played by Rita Hayworth) comes in between the strong and intense friendship between two men (Glenn Ford and George Mcready) who run a casino together in Argentina.
However, a strange love story at the casino, which is a front Nazi cartel, do not believe that someone would swallow at first.Rita Hayworth as Gilda Mundson Farrell, perhaps the first time in a serious role.
This woman of course is Gilda and right from the start, from her first memorable moment on the screen, Hayworth takes hold of the movie.
In playing Johnny Farrell, the character we unfortunately spend more time with than we do with Gilda, Glenn Ford comes across as being somewhat dull.
The story is wonderful in the first 3/4 of the movie, full of innuendo -i.e. did the Johnny character played by Glenn Ford have an intimate relationship with Ballin played by George Macready?
It certainly appears that way so macho-male star Glenn Ford playing a bisexual is one for the books."Gilda" is a suggestive and enthralling melodrama with riveting Rita performing "Put the Blame on Mame, boys" worth the price of admission alone.
Her beauty is of that variety that looks better in stills and movie posters than it does on the screen."Gilda" isn't an especially memorable film.
Viewing it today brings about many feelings, but chiefly it's the feeling of hate being as powerful a weapon on the emotional front as love is, and it's that heartbeat that drives the film to its delightful finale.The film boasts a great turn from Rita Hayworth as Gilda, her performance is what holds the film together, whilst Glenn Ford as Farrell is perfectly rugged without overstating the character.
It does not seem to matter how many times one sees "Gilda", the beauty of Rita Hayworth in this, clearly up there with her best films, is quite spectacular.
A man always looks a bit ridiculous, don't you think, grabbing his wife from another man's arms" Ford: "Alright".The real treat in this movie is the portrayal by George Macready as the aloof, aristocratic, and mysterious Ballin Mundson.
Like a dream.Gilda and Ford's character, Johnny, have known each other, loved each other, and hurt each other before Johnny's boss, George Macready, brings her home as his wife.
And Gilda's tempting cruelty and alluring coldness also mask a lot more that is going on underneath the surface.Ford is effective as Johnny, making his character disreputable yet interesting, and he works very well with Hayworth.
Most of the time, the story makes very good use of all of the possibilities, and only a couple of missed opportunities towards the end keep it a notch below the very best films-noir..
In Argentina, wealthy casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready) saves drifting gambler Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) from a hold-up man and, later, gives him a job.
But the situation becomes strained when Mundson brings home a sexy new wife named Gilda (Rita Hayworth) who Johnny used to be in love with but now hates.Sultry and riveting film noir.
A toxic love-hate imbroglio taking the center stage in Charles Vidor's GILDA, the film that cements Rita Hayworth as the unrivaled pin-up goddess of Golden Age Hollywood, but also covertly circumvents the production code with its latent homosexual undertone.
When she sings Put the blame on Mame and glides across Johnny Farrell's stage to show him he can't push her around she is like a glittering diamond!The sexual tension between Johnny and Gilda is ever present and after watching this movie a person will never use the word "hate" in the same way ever again.I think she should have been nominated for an Oscar because her performance is perfectly synchronized to her characters motivations..
**SPOILERS** Set in post WWII Buenos Aires the movie "Gilda" has to do with betrayal infidelity and treason with a hotter then a flamethrower Rita Hayworth as the sultry and alluring Gilda Mundson who just drives every man in the film insane with her looks and jealous with her actions.Having married casino mogul Ballin Murdson, George Macready, after breaking up with crooked gambler Johnny Ferrell, Glenn Ford, as fate would have it Johnny ends up owning his life to Ballin after saving him from getting killed by an angry dice shooter whom he cheated.
You get the impression that Johnny and Ballin are only using poor frustrated and beautiful Gilda as a beard, a sexual cover, to hid from the people, in the movie and those watching it, their real sexual feelings which would have never been allowed on the screen or to see the light of day in a film coming out of Hollywood back then in 1946..
The movie stars two male protagonists who are clearly more interested in each other than in Gilda, even though Rita Hayworth is by far one of the most beautiful women ever to be filmed.Recently restored for DVD release, the film looks sharp and the graininess is gone from the original.
Gilda is a perplexing yet extremely interesting film featuring the Love Goddess of the 20th century, Rita Hayworth.
Rita Hayworth burns up the screen in a film-noir classic..
You can see the influence of Gilda in movies coming many years after, Chinatown (1974) and L.A. Confidential (1997) come to mind, the former in the night scenes and the latter because Kim Basinger really looks and behaves more like Rita Hayworth than the Veronica Lake look-alike she portrayed.Memorable is George Macready as the casino owner, he of the pinched face and the long, curved scar on his right cheek, giving him the devil-may-care air of a man who has fought and won many duels.
Ballin introduces his new wife Gilda Mundson (Rita Hayworth) to Johnny.
Johnny and the flirtatious Gilda don't get along.Rita Hayworth does a big hair flip in her intro and she never looks back.
This is truly a great film classic and Rita Hayworth,(Gilda Mundson Farrell),"Pal Joey",'57 gave one of her best acting performances with her sexy dancing and singing.
Excellently crafted sexual noir film with Hayworth, Ford and Macready at their best as a twisted, violent bisexual love triangle in South America.
Things begin to heat up in GILDA--Rita Hayworth's signature film--as soon as mysterious casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready) hires Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) as his right hand man.
Rita Hayworth (Margarita Cansino) as Gilda along with Glenn Ford as Johnny Farrell gave a lot of life to this picture.
The story follows Johnny Farrel (Glenn Ford) as he works his way up to manager of Ballin Mundson's (George Macready) illegal gambling club.
While the overall story for "Gilda" isn't anything too compelling, the movie is still a great one to watch, which is mostly due to it's main character Gilda, played by Rita Hayworth."Gilda" perhaps isn't exactly a good textbook example of a film-noir, it still has it's most classic ingredient present in it; the femme fatale.
This classic film noir is all about Rita Hayworth driving men crazy.
Hayworth, along with Glenn Ford and George Macready make up the perfect cast in this practically perfect film noir.
But Gilda is not a good movie, is a weak movie, and Rita Hayworth is a weak actress, the story, everything is weak. |
tt0033021 | Santa Fe Trail | The movie begins in 1854 prior to the U.S. Civil War with cadets at West Point practicing cavalry maneuvers.From the beginning there is obvious friction between some of the cadets.
After one of the cadets reads from a tract by abolitionist John Brown they discuss the issue of slavery in the United States and what should be done about it. Primarily the argument is between one Northern cadet, Rader, and 'Jeb' Stuart, from the South. Rader supports Brown's beliefs and Stuart opposes them, saying the South should be left alone to work out what to do about the slaves.
Various cadets take sides, a fight breaks out. Afterward several of the cadets are reprimanded and assigned to the cavalry as 'punishment' (though they seem happy about it). Rader is thrown out of school for stirring up trouble. The cadets are then shown graduating. These include 'Jeb' Stuart, George Armstrong Custer, George Pickett, and other famous participants in the war that is to follow. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (future president of the Confederacy) gives a speech and the cadet's sing a song.
During the ceremony Stuart and Custer catch sight of a pretty girl Kit Carson Holiday(Olivia deHavilland) whose father is a railway baron.The newly minted young officers then travel by train to their new post in Leavenworth, Kansas. There is discussion about the troubles that Kansas has been having with John Brown's raids (Kansas is not a state yet and it is not clear if it will join the Union as a slave state or a free state).
Stuart and Custer then flirt with Kit Holiday who is also along for the ride with her father, who intends to extend the railway West, through the troubled territory of Kansas.Attention then shifts to some slaves who are also in the passenger car. A man claiming to own them keeps them from being thrown out, but then he is confronted by some men with guns who attempt to force him off the train "before it crosses state lines". It turns out that the man with the slaves is an operative of John Brown. The men with guns are concerned that he is attempting to aid renegade slaves across the border from Missouri to Kansas (where they have no formal status). There is a gunfight and one of the Southern men is shot and killed. The man who was transporting the slaves jumps off the train. The slaves are left on board, confused.The young officers arrive at Fort Leavenworth, a frontier garrison. There is some scary talk about how dangerous the post is and how some of the previous officers are dead or missing.
Stuart and Custer are sent out on patrol but before they leave the stop for supplies and to flirt with Miss Carson. The two flip a coin to see who gets first crack at her and Stuart wins.Focus then shifts to the camp of John Brown, who is setting out orders for the conduct of his followers. Rader, the cadet who was kicked out of West Point, is seen arriving at the camp by wagon. The man who escaped from the train earlier also shows up and is reprimanded by Brown for leaving the slaves behind. John Brown then leads everyone in prayer.Stuart and Custer's patrol meets Brown. There is a delivery of Bibles in the wagons for him and the officers don't recognize him at first. A box falls off the wagon and breaks open, revealing that the 'Bibles' are actually rifles. John Brown's men take the rifes at gunpoint, then Stuart and Custer's group chases after them. John Brown gets away but the wagon with the rifles is wrecked.The forces of Fort Leavenworth then assemble to ride out after John Brown and stop him, but despite a wide-ranging campaign he alludes them.Eventually Rader comes to Jefferson Davis to discuss betraying John Brown to them. Brown ends up trapped at Harper's Ferry and the military is sent to capture him. The troops surround Brown and what is left of his forces and a big gun battle ensues. During the battle John Brown shoots Rader for betraying him. Shortly afterwards the military blasts its way in and takes the survivors prisoner.John Brown being is hung while Custer and Stuart and Miss Carson watch. Brown gives a prophetic speech on the scaffold before he dies.The final scene is of Stuart and Carson being married on a train. | violence, murder, romantic | train | imdb | No big deal.What makes this film a remarkable document is its unflinching, for the Hollywood of the 1940s, portrayal of the evil of slavery, the pain of blacks ensnared in its web and the thundering role of John Brown, played by Raymond Massey in a powerful, gripping performance.John Brown, the abolitionist who in life and in the film murdered slavery supporters and seized the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia was a zealot, not a madman (he refused an opportunity to plead insanity at the trial which ended in his death sentence).
It seems to me that Massey had a picture of John Brown that he was determined to bring to life, the inane or frivolous parts of the film being totally irrelevant to his mission.Hollywood before World War II generally treated blacks as minor props (waiters, Pullman car attendants, cooks and maids).
The film's producer and director and script writers took a major detour from the concerted Tinseltown effort to not produce any story that might cut into box office take in the South (and elsewhere-the North was no hotbed of campaigns for racial equality).Worth seeing because of its unique take on slavery, for the time, and Raymond Massey's towering performance.8/10..
I now feel that, though this movie makes a sham of history - - it is a great showcase for the wonderful talents of Michael Curtiz, Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan and Olivia de Havilland.I particularly love the final rescue scene.
The original location had become a railroad embankment...so it could not stand at the original spot.Whatever you think about the historical inaccuracies of this film, its entertainment values are excellent for their own sake.RAYMOND MASSEY is especially memorable as John Brown.
It was a popularly held view of the time, the abolitionists were well intentioned rabble rousers who brought on the Civil War and as Errol Flynn as J.E.B. Stuart says, the south will settle the slavery issue in its own time.Back in the day even in A westerns like Santa Fe Trail, liberal use of the facts involving noted historical figures was taken.
Massey repeated his John Brown character in the later Seven Men From Now. Other than Abraham Lincoln it is the role that actor is most identified with.As an action western though, Santa Fe Trail can't be beat.
It quickly becomes the duty of Stuart and his pal Custer (Ronald Reagan) to capture Brown dead or alive, and put and end to his attacks.There are many exciting sequences in the film, leading up to the final confrontation at Harper's Ferry.
"Santa Fe Trail" takes place in the 1850s as the America moved toward Civil War. It's mainly about the activities of self-proclaimed slave abolitionist John Brown and his efforts to provoke a war between the North and South.The film begins in 1854 at West Point where a number of historical figures who would play prominent roles in the Civil War, are about to graduate.
It had nothing to do with "The Santa Fe Trail", but dealt with abolitionist John Brown from Kansas to Harpers Ferry in the years before the Civil War, and the reaction of West Point officers to him.
A gross distortion of history to no purpose.JEB Stuart (West Point Class of 1853), George Custer (Class of 1861) and a bunch of other Civil War generals whose real ages vary by about 20 years are shown as classmates and best friends sent out to Kansas to protect the railroad (which didn't actually exist) from the depredations of those naughty abolitionists led by John Brown (who wasn't in Kansas yet and was still a pacifist when the story took place).
Completely messed up on so many accounts.The film depicts the U.S. Army's many attempts to stop abolitionist John Brown as he uses his violent tactics to stop pro-slavery forces across the U.S. and to free slaves.Okay, at first a historical docu-drama sounds like a good enough effort to make.
And, lovely Olivia DeHavilland, who at first expresses concerns for the conflicts over slavery to come, turns into proclaiming to Errol with blood lust, "Kill John Brown!" And, last but not least, we have slaves who ACTUALLY say they rather stay enslaved than live in the conflicted Kansas of the story!
Errol Flynn is lost and Olivia de Havilland wasted in one of their last films together, an oddball Westerner that straddles the Mason-Dixon line presenting events leading up to the American Civil War.Not a good film, "Santa Fe Trail" is nevertheless fascinating now because of the political and social undercurrents running through it.
This is not only one of the most racist films I have ever seen after "Birth of a Nation", but it is also a gross distortion of reality and actual events; hell, "Santa Fe Trail" just makes a lot it up - all to make it appear that Southern slaveowners were great guys, and the Civil War was started not by the slaveholders but by those abolitionists whom the movie tries to portray as fanatics.
This is based around the story of one Jeb Stuart, a Southern born gent who would go on to become one of the South's greatest cavalrymen during the American Civil War. We follow his romance with sweetheart Kit Carson Holliday, his friendship with George Armstrong Custer, and onto his battles with abolitionist John Brown.Tho it's mostly agreed these days that Santa Fe Trail has no great historical worth, it is however still a decent movie that boasts great drama, a sweet romance, and no little amount of action.
Knowingly directed by the astute Michael Curtiz and featuring the acting of Errol Flynn (dashing as Stuart), Olivia de Havilland (gutsy as Carson), Ronald Reagan (solid as Custer), and Raymond Massey (acting overdrive as Brown), the picture certainly holds up well on the technical front.However, the relatively low rating on this particular site is of much interest to me, for being as I'm British I have no sort of conflict of interest with the actual story.
Despite the 'Western'-sounding title, the comedy/drama actually involved a remarkable class of West Point cadets (who, in reality, were not classmates), and their ultimate pursuit of legendary abolitionist John Brown (portrayed, with fiery brilliance, by Raymond Massey, in the role that, next to Abraham Lincoln, he would be most famous for).
Despite bringing back Flynn's resident film 'family' (Olivia de Havilland, Alan Hale, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams), and adding Ronald Reagan, a rising star and friendly rival at Warner's, to the mix (the pair had terrific chemistry, and would reteam in 1942's DESPERATE JOURNEY), the atmosphere on the set was often tense, as Flynn despised director Michael Curtiz, the difficult taskmaster who had made the 31-year old Tasmanian actor a star, and he made it clear that he would NOT work with him, again.
For his part, Curtiz considered Flynn a lazy carouser (which, in truth, he frequently was), and devoted more of his energy to the John Brown Kansas and Harper's Ferry sequences than to the romantic subplot of Flynn/de Havilland/Reagan, and the West Point storyline (creating, in effect, two films out of SANTA FE TRAIL, a light-hearted adventure, and a heavy, emotionally-charged drama).
After graduating from West Point, handsome cadet Errol Flynn (as Jeb Stuart) finds romance with lovely Olivia de Havilland (as Kit Carson Holliday), and fights abolitionist Raymond Massey (as John Brown).
'Jeb' Stuart (Errol Flynn) and George Custer are best friends in the army, disputing the love of the same woman, Kit Carson (Olivia de Havilland) and fighting against the abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey), in a period pre-civil war.
The first half-hour is entertaining about Jeb Stuart and George Custard's friendship at West Point and their fight over Olivia de Havilland, but when the film focuses on John Brown and his problem about slaves, the film really runs off track.
The characters that Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, and Olivia de Havilland portray are likeable and Raymond Massey's portrayal of John Brown is superb and at times haunting, especially the close-ups of his face and those eyes of his.
"Santa Fe Trail has great themes--slavery, John Brown, and the coming Civil War--and it's not a bad film, surely, but it has some awkward moments, some filler, and is not half the movie it could have been.
It seems almost to want to follow along the success of the great Civil War themes of two other recent successes, "Jezebel" (1938) and "Gone with the Wind" (1939), but it gets distracted by little bits of nonsense and some awful writing."Santa Fe Trail" has the same director (Michael Curtiz) who would make "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Casablanca" two years later, the same leading actress (Olivia de Havilland) who had just finished an important role in "Gone with the Wind" and would win an Oscar for "The Heiress" later in the decade.
This is such a nauseating and idiotic fiction of the US Army's pursuit of abolitionist John Brown, that the handful of survivors who have sat through it must feel that they have been tested by a higher power for some great task.I kept hoping that Ronald Reagan was whispering under his breath, "I'm here to pay my dues, nothing more, Lord!" What was most disturbing is the shamelessness of slave-supporters being the good guys, and the abolitionists being painted as lunatics.I'd read through the other reviews for a synopsis; I just wanted to point out that Santa Fe Trail must be on Hell's version of Netflix..
Hollywood almost never got right anything historical."Santa Fe Trail" is a good example.However, if one just blocks out true U.S. history, and shuts down his mind, this movie can be enjoyed for the portrayals and action.Since there is a little truth in it, it can also be enjoyed, or at least admired, for the dedication of people on both sides of a philosophical and moral issue.Plus, as ever, one can just sit back and enjoy looking at the always beautiful and talented Olivia de Havilland.When first released, dashing Errol Flynn was billed as the star and a young and up-and-coming Ronald Reagan was listed fourth.
This first class "A" production put first-rate director Micheal Curtiz in charge of a cast topped by Errol Flynn, Ronald Regan, Olivia De Havilland, Raymond Massey (as John Brown), and Van Hefflin in a villainous role, along with Warner's terrific stable of supporting players, and hundreds of extras.
The new class of Cadets are about to be graduated and infused as new blood into the U.S. Army WE are introduced to some of the members of the Graduating Class, such as: J.E.B. Stuart (Errol Flynn), George Armstrong Custer ("Dutch", himself, Ronald Reagan), Phillip Sheridan (David Bruce), George Pickett (William Marshall), James Longstreet (Frank Wilcox) and John Hood (George Haywood); great Civil War Generals on both the Union and the Confederacy.STOP!
Kansas was torn by a mini-Civil War of its own; a sort of 'Dress Rehearsal' for the big one, if you please.THE picture hits its climax with a highly fictionalized and fanciful depiction of John Brown's Raid and capture of the U.S. Armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia ; which is now in the present day, in the State of West Virginia.TO their credit, the producers included in the cast plenty of regulars in Warner Brothers' stock company, people like: Alan Hale, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Joe Sawyer, John Litel, Russell Simpson, Charles Middleton, Susan Peters, Spencer Charters, etc., etc.AN interesting aspect of the film to me is the heavy handed and unsympathetic characterization of everyone involved with the Abolitionist movement and this dramatic license has a modern day equivalent; for it seems that most of our present day left leaning writers and liberal producers have equally vilified those in the Pro-Life, anti-abortion movement.
Flynn and Reagan star as 2 army officers who both love de Havilland -- Heflin is billed way down the list, but in fact serves a major role as the film's true baddie -- he's involved in the conflict only for profit, whereas Massey's Brown is depicted as a megalomaniacal idealist with an unhealthy Christ complex.
Still, I think it succeeds as being a well-made story about John Brown and his battles against eight future Civil War generals (Stuart, Custer, Sheridan, Pickett, Longstreet, Hood and their superiors here, Robert E.
I was impressed.In order to give Santa Fe Trail a considerable amount of clout and hopefully rescue it from becoming yet another insufferable story about yet another repulsive clique of snot-nosed wimps from West Point Military Academy, a sinister-ish subplot was cunningly added into the mix.And it's here, of course, where the less-than-fact-based introduction of abolitionist John Brown (a made-to-order American Hitler) comes into play.Unfortunately, when it came to Brown's so-called "character", far too much time and effort was utterly wasted away trying like hell to firmly establish him as a certified loony-tune/madman/whatever.Believe me, actor Raymond Massey (who played Brown) did his absolute damnedest (spewing out self-righteous passages from the Bible like a thundering psycho) to confirm that Brown was, in fact, a villainous terrorist of the highest order, and nothing else.Filmed in 1940, Santa Fe Trail's story is, needless to say, a truly lopsided tale that can't seem to make up its bloody mind about anything, including what side it's taking, or what it wants to focus on.I strongly suspect that Santa Fe Trail was specifically made by Warner Bros.
in a lame attempt to show the movie-going public just how far America has come since 1854 when it came to the emancipation of Blacks.Santa Fe Trail stars these 3 darlings of Hollywood royalty - Errol Flynn (gag), Ronald Reagan (puke), and Olivia de Havilland (she's OK, but kinda butch, if you ask me).....
Cast as Errol Flynn's best friend and love-rival, he comes over as the lesser half of the duo, and his limitations show up plainly - a handsome tailor's dummy who can speak clearly, but never with force or conviction.Here he is wearing the uniform of a US Army cadet, one of a troublesome gang who are punished by being sent on their first posting to Kansas, the edge of civilisation in 1855, and the scene of guerrilla fighting between abolitionists and pro-slavery patrols, often viewed as the curtain-raiser for the civil war.The opening is almost comic - a line of cadets being called out by name, all the names belonging to famous future generals who could not possibly have been at West Point in the same year.
And it is also true that the religious maniac Brown was betrayed by his own Judas, for greed of gold.The title 'Santa Fe Trail' does not really signify anything much, except that the planners of the big new railroad are having to suspend work until John Brown's body is firmly in the grave, and the boss's beautiful daughter (Olivia De Havilland), is being competed-for by Stuart (Flynn) and Custer (Reagan) in a style almost reminiscent of Bing and Bob.Star of the show is Raymond Massey as Brown, hugely sinister both in physical presence and in ominous wild talk.
The leads do a good job, but Ronald Reagan is stodgy as George Custer (later played much better by Flynn!), while Raymond Massey has a great time blaring out fire and brimstone messages as John Brown.
this isn't really a western,although it does take place during the same era which encompasses the genre.it's more of an action/adventure,with some drama and romance thrown.it takes place 6 or 7 years before the civil war,and details the events leading up to it,or at least this movie's version of it.it stars Errol Flynn,Ronald Reagan,Olivia de Havilland,and Van Heflin.here we meet George Custer,future general,but right now,newly graduated West Point military Academy Cadet.i thought his was quite a good movie.it flows very well,the acting is good,especially from Raymond Massey,who plays John Brown,a man who has fought against slavery,but has become an ego maniacal madman in the process.Massey's performance is brilliant.the movie does feel a bit long,but otherwise i liked it.for me,Santa Fe trail is a 6/10.
"Santa Fe Trail" only nominally lives up to it's title, serving as a backdrop to it's story of abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey) and his zealous mission to ban slavery in pre Civil War America.
Their mission is simply to bring John Brown to justice, dead or alive.It's interesting to reflect on the film from a historical perspective today, some sixty six years after it was made, while only seventy five years after the end of the Civil War. The portrayal of blacks in movies often found single characters in subservient or comedic roles, but here a slave family on the way to freedom is portrayed as human, terrified of confrontation aboard a train bound for still neutral Kansas Territory.
Their goals, bring in abolitionist John Brown, and marry Olivia De Havilland.While all of the performances are very good, especially Raymond Massey, the story is an absolute mess.
Santa Fe Trail (1940): Starring Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, William Lundigan, Van Heflin, Gene Reynolds, Henry O'Neill, Guinn Williams, Moroni Olsen, David Bruce, John Litel, Hobart Cavanaugh, Joe Sawyer, Charles D.
As entertainment, it provides an excellent mix of action, drama, humor, mesmerizing monologues by Raymond Massey(John Brown), romance with Olivia de Havilland, and patter within and between the buddy pairs of Errol Flynn(JEB Stuart) and Ronald Reagan(Custer), and Alan Hale and 'Big Boy' Williams.Van Heflin's purely fictional obnoxious character provides an additional element of conflict as a sinister devote of Brown, who proves to have more in common with Benedict Arnold, after not receiving his expected due share of glory and monetary reward for his contributions to the cause.
Flynn plays Stuart, a gentlemanly southerner sent with several of his fellow recent West Point graduates to Kansas where Massey (as fanatical abolitionist Brown) is wreaking havoc in his quest to stir up a civil war.
Errol Flynn's character (Jeb Stuart) is the worst offender of the bunch, and his dialog lines all but condone slavery and the coming Civil War. Playing his sidekick is Ronald Reagan as a very congenial and light-hearted George Armstrong Custer. |
tt2182229 | The Neighbors | How well do you know your neighbors? Meet The Weavers: Debbie (Jami Gertz) and Marty (Lenny Venito). Marty, in hopes of providing a better life for his wife and three kids, recently bought a home in "Hidden Hills," a gated New Jersey townhome community with its own golf course. Hidden Hills is so exclusive that a house hasn't come on the market in 10 years. But one finally did... and the Weavers got it! It's clear from day one that the residents of Hidden Hills are a little... different. For starters, their new neighbors all have pro-athlete names like Larry Bird, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Reggie Jackson, and Dick Butkus. Over dinner, Marty and his family discover that their neighbors receive nourishment through their eyes and mind by reading books, rather than eating. The Weavers soon learn that the entire community is comprised of aliens from Zabvron, where the men bear children and everyone cries green goo... from their ears. The Zabvronians have been stationed on Earth for the past 10 years, disguised as humans, awaiting instructions from home, and the Weavers are the first humans they've had the opportunity to know. As it turns out, the pressures of marriage and parenthood are not exclusive to planet Earth. Two worlds will collide with hilarious consequences as everyone discovers they can "totally relate," and learn a lot from each other. Dan Fogelman (the writer of Cars, Tangled, and Crazy, Stupid, Love), Director Chris Koch (Workaholics, Modern Family), Jeff Morton (Modern Family) and Aaron Kaplan (GCB, Terra Nova) executive produce this new comedy about close encounters of the 3rd kind, in New Jersey. | satire | train | imdb | null |
tt0110005 | Heavenly Creatures | New Zealand, 1952. Fourteen-year-old Pauline Rieper (Melanie Lynskey) is a student at a strict all-girls high school in Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand. She resides with her working-class parents, Herbert and Honora (Simon O'Connor and Sarah Peirse), whose home doubles as a boarding house. Introverted Pauline sleeps in a small furnished hut in the yard.Pauline's life changes dramatically when she befriends wealthy British transfer student Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet), the daughter of a respected physicist. Pauline's quiet nature is countered by Juliet's charisma and outspokenness, and the girls quickly become inseparable. Juliet is unafraid of authority, impressing Pauline by fearlessly correcting their French teacher during class and by ignoring their art teacher's instructions altogether.They are also the only two girls in their class forbidden from taking part in gym activities, due to childhood battles with bone disease, on Pauline's part, and lung disease on Juliet's. They spend this class period bonding over their passions for music, art, film, and literature. They share a particular fondness for the music of popular tenor Mario Lanza, and for the actor James Mason.Pauline is invited to visit Juliet at the Hulme home, a stately mansion on a sprawling property of woods and creeks. Juliet and her younger brother Jonathan (Ben Skjellerup) often dress up and play fantasy games in the fairy tale-like setting. Pauline is awed by the lifestyle of the Hulmes, but becomes a regular visitor as her friendship with Juliet grows. Juliet occasionally visits Pauline at her parents' house, but Honora is nervous and uncomfortable with Juliet's large personality, while Pauline is embarrassed by her father's questions and silly comments.Juliet and Pauline create a fantasy kingdom called Borovina, about which they write stories, create models of the characters, and eventually interact with each other as the invented king and queen, Charles (Pauline) and Deborah (Juliet). They also elaborate on Juliet's theory of the afterlife, "the Fourth World," where they believe their favorite film stars and musicians will be saints. The girls hope to one day become famous actresses in America, and to have their stories about Borovina published.Pauline spends extensive time at the Hulme house with Juliet and her parents, Henry and Hilda (Clive Merrison and Diana Kent), and Juliet's younger brother Jonathan (Ben Skjellerup), even joining them on vacations. During this time, Pauline sees the dysfunction that exists within the Hulme family. Juliet has a deep abandonment issues, stemming from her childhood when her parents left her in the Bahamas for five years to recover from a bout of illness. When Dr. and Mrs. Hulme mention they are planning a trip to London together, Juliet becomes very upset and channels her resentment into her relationship with Pauline, continuing to construct an alternate reality of bliss and hopefulness that becomes more and more real to both girls.Shortly before her parents' departure, Juliet contracts tuberculosis and is sent to a clinic for four months. At the beginning of her stay, her parents (somewhat reluctantly) tell her that it's not too late to cancel their trip to London, if that's what she wants, but they quickly change the subject and bid Juliet a brief goodbye. Juliet is miserable at being abandoned by her parents again, especially during another bout of illness, and remains angry until she is visited by Pauline and Honora. While Honora is anxious about Pauline becoming ill as well, the girls are overjoyed to see each other again. They continue to communicate via frequent letters detailing both their own thoughts and those of Charles and Deborah.With Juliet away, Pauline begins to seek new experiences to fill the emotional void. She allows the persistent affections of John (Jed Brophy), an awkward young man boarding at the Rieper's house who claims to be in love with Pauline and comes to her room at night. Though Pauline is annoyed by his presence, she allows him to climb into bed with her to have sex. She remains oblivious to his intentions at first, as her thoughts are occupied with Juliet, Borovina, and her disdain for school, but John soon makes his true feelings known. They are caught together by Pauline's father, who evicts John and is deeply angered and hurt by his daughter's behavior. Her mother, Honora, is furious as well, calling her a "tart" who brings shame on their family, and forces Pauline to move back into the main house where she can be kept out of trouble. Pauline continues to sneak out to see John, whom she calls "Nicholas" after one of her and Juliet's characters from Borovina, though she has no real interest in him, and allows him to have sex with her simply out of resentment for her parents.When Juliet is well enough to return home, the girls resume their relationship, which only grows in intensity. Juliet's father Henry is disturbed with the obsessive behaviors of the girls, and nervously meets with Pauline's parents to reveal his concerns. Though he admits that he has seen no explicitly inappropriate behavior from the girls, he recommends that Pauline see a doctor friend of his, Dr. Bennett (Gilbert Goldie), who also has a background in child psychology.After interviewing a sullen Pauline, Dr. Bennett tells Honora that Pauline is likely going through a homosexual phase, but that it will likely wear off as Pauline matures. With homosexuality being considered a mental illness at the time (not to mention the social implications from the largely Catholic community), the parents of the girls agree that the friendship must taper off.Meanwhile, Hilda Hulme's affair with her marriage counseling patient, Bill Perry (Peter Elliott), is discovered by Henry and they agree to divorce. Henry resigns from his position as rector of the University of Canterbury and plans to move back to England. After being told the news of this final abandonment, Juliet is told that she will be sent to live with a relative in South Africa, using the excuse that the warm climate will be better for her health. Juliet and Pauline will be allowed to spend three weeks together before the move. Pauline makes a desperate plea to her mother to be allowed to move to South Africa with Juliet, but Honora flatly refuses to allow it. Pauline begins to despise her mother for her role in breaking up the relationship, which has endured and blossomed for the past two years, and her thoughts turn violent as her time with Juliet begins to run out.After viewing an Orson Welles film at the local cinema 'The Third Man', Juliet and Pauline return home to Juliet's house where they finally consummate their feelings towards each other and make love for the first time. With their romantic bond cemented, Juliet and Pauline entertain a rather flimsy plan to run away together to America, but following the scheme's collapse, they decide to kill Pauline's mother to remove what they believe to be the chief obstacle to their fantasy life.On June 22, 1954, they arrange an outing with Honora to Victoria Park, where the three of them stop for tea before going for a walk in the woods. After a bit of hiking, Juliet distracts Honora by dropping a pink gemstone onto the path and directing Honora's attention to it. While Honora is bent over examining the stone, Pauline extracts a brick in a stocking from her purse. She and Juliet take turns bludgeoning Honora until she is dead, and then run screaming, drenched in blood, back to the tea shop where they tell the shopkeep that "Mummy's been terribly hurt."The final scenes are a montage black and white fantasy segment of Juliet's parents taking her away on a ship while Pauline watches from the docks as she and her one true love, Juliet, are separated as a result of their murderous actions forever.The film closes with an on-screen text saying that the girls' story of Honora's "accidental" death quickly dissolves, and both are arrested after police find Pauline's diary which explicitly outlined their murder plan. Pauline is charged under her mother's maiden name, Parker, after it was discovered that her parents were not legally wed. Being too young for the death penalty, Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker were convicted of murder and served five years in prison and were released in late 1959 under the condition that they never contact each other again. Juliet returned to England with her mother, while Pauline remained in New Zealand until 1965 when she left and her current whereabouts are unknown. Neither of them saw each other again. | fantasy, psychological, murder, boring, cult, violence, revenge, flashback, insanity, psychedelic, melodrama, romantic, queer | train | imdb | null |
tt0093986 | Slam Dance | In Hollywood, the land where dreams are made.Charles C. "Drood" Drood (Tom Hulce) is a professional artist who makes his livelihood from cartoons. He has fallen asleep because he spent all the night working. Helen (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), his ex-wife, calls him in anger because he forgot to pick his daughter up - a sweet girl called Elizabeth "Bean" Brood (Judith Barsi) C. C. is also trying to avoid his boss, who phones him to demand whatever work he had to finish up. If not, he'll be fired. At that moment, when he is trying to avoid him, is when his friend Jim Campbell (rock star Adam Ant) tells him that he has sold a piece of his artwork and that his comission is 500 dollars. When Charles meets Helen, he asks her to move in with him once again, as he is not that sure about their impending divorce. It's implied - but not seen - that she rejects the offer.At school, during her daughter's break, CC talks to Bean. One of her young teachers talk to her, Mrs Margaret Bell (Rosalind Chao). She finds him amusing.Some thugs pick CC up. They demand something from him, but nobody clarifies CC what it's expected of him. They kidnap him, beat him and scare the shit out of him. Charles goes to the police, who think he must have done something. The police asks him whether the name of a young woman called Yolanda Caldwell (Virginia Madsen) tells him something. Charles says that he's never heard of her. The police officer shows him a photograph of her, dead. Charles has a reminiscence of him having a warm sexual relationship with her. Det. Benjamin "Ben" Smiley (Harry Dean Stanton) and Det. John Gilbert (John Doe) question Drood about her. He admits he didn't attend a meeting with her, because after all he's still married and has a child, and he's trying to make things work out with Helen.He tells how he met Yolanda - he questions her when he realises that he's got many drugs/pills in her handbag. She is a blonde bombshell, and flirts with him.Back home, Charles' aspect is horrible: his face has been smashed to a pulp. His landlady, Mrs. Raines (Herta Ware), a hard-of-hearing old lady, gives him a package, and talks about a post office conspiration about mixing dates. He tries to convey to her landlady the message that he may leave the flat soon, but communication is impossible. In the packet which Charles has received there is a photograph of Yolanda in a sexy outfit having fun with several important grey-suited men, probably politicians.Somebody has created a mess in his condo because they are looking for that photograph. A young man points at him with a gun to get it. Charles remembers how they were together, in a picnic on the top of a hill close to a high way but dressed to the nines. Ben is happy playing around, while her father is a bit melancholic. Helen is worried about the breaking-in in Charles' apartment. He tells her to chill out. Helen doesn't believe he's become mature at all. When Charles comes back to his flat, there is a funny conversation with Mrs Raines because she won't use a hearing aid, and she complains about the new lock on his door.Charles Drood enters and starts making cartoons. However, he soon goes down to a pub, looking like a punk, buying shots for himself. Obviously, he gets drunk. The thug who vandalised his apartment appears out of nowhere and pulls his gun out again, threatening him in the toilets. Charles doesn't know what to do anymore. Charles paints, and the crime becomes his main inspiration. The police has organized surveillance of him and is following all his steps, he can only remember how worried her lover was during the last part of her life. He questions Jim about one party at which Yolanda was present, especially whether she went there with a Congressman. Jim says that she may have attended with somebody but can't remember whom with. Jim is at loss about Charles' intentions. However, Jim is cracking jokes and that gives Charles inspiration to go and look at her body in the morgue.At the mortuary, - to which he goes with a ridiculous hat and dark sunglasses - he mentions that she was married but doesn't know the name of her husband. The perton who helps him makes a phonecall right afterwards he leaves the place without looking at the body in the morgue. Charles draws and draws about the situation.His life goes downhill, from bad to worse. Little by little, he tries to investigate. She phones to a phone he found in a visit card. He phones and enquires about Yolanda. Shelly appears. It looks like she's a professional secretary, but she gets naked, as she is really a prostitute. He tells her to go away, but she won't, as she needs to earn her money. When she looks at Charles' artwork, Shelly calls her "Nancy", instead of Yolanda. Suddenly, Drood is interested in Shelly, and tries to get Yolanda's real name and surname. Shelly refuses. At that moment, Bean and Helen enter the studio, and they find Charles hugging the naked young woman. Helen won't believe anything that Charles says; in fact, she doesn't want to talk to him in her life again.Drood tries to talk with Mrs. Raines. He enters her apartment, where she is deepley asleep. He looks around and realises that she has been nicking things from mail and packets from all the tenants in the building, as she is a nosy lady. As usual, she can't communicate with her, and he only suceeds in scaring her. When he comes back to his apartment, he finds "Shelly" dead. He has to run away once again - this time, he's found a photograph of some masked middle-aged men naked, presumably about to have an orgy with some of the prostitutes from Shelly and Virginia's agency. When he's about to talk to Smiley at the police station with that new clue, he recognises one of the detectives (Marty Levy) - who is celebrating Smiley's promotion - as one of the thugs who threatened him in the car at the beginning of everything.Drood asks Helen for help, but she won't help him out. Charles has to almost break in because she won't even try listening to him. Helen was having sex with a young man. Helen tells him to go away. Charles decides he needs to see Bean, even when it's really late. He doesn't want to wake her, though, and is tender with his little girl.The police are investigating Shelly's murder the following morning. Smiley questions Helen in her workplace. She works at a kindergarten and Drood phones him while she's talking to Smiley. Smiley and one of the detectives talk about framing Drood: either they will go down or Drood will.Drood disguises himself: even his friend Jim can't recognize him. Jim is panicking. Helen is worried and Ben is having trouble at school: his friend accuses him of beng too selfish, too absorved with himself to worry about anybody else. Drood gets Jim's car keys with threats.Nancy Barron was the secretary/office aide of Bobby Nye (Millie Perkins), a person involved with a city hall sex scandal. At a city hall party, Drood attends in disguise. An opera singer (John Fleck) is singing. A lady at the party recognises him, and presents Drood to several councilmen and their wives as an artist. Later, somebody says that lady's name: she is Bobby Nye. She comments that his work will rise its price as the model has passed away. The detective/thud appears, and he softly takes Drood away. Somebody had told him to hit Nancy/Yolanda, and he took things too far. That young man commits suicide: he is sorry that everything went overboard.Drood phones Helen: she now knows she's innocent. Drood tells Helen to remember the number of their hotel room during their honeymoon. Droods asks her for money and new clothes. Drood is worried because Helen decides to phone Smiley to talk with him face-to-face, with the bait of telling him where Drood is hiding. We see Smiley's office: he used to be in love with Yolanda/Nancy as well.Helen wants Drood to talk with Smiley. Smiley seems eager to help Drood. Detective John Gilbert appears and points his gun towards Drood. Drood shoots Smiley. In the ensuing fight, Drood kills John. Drood feels that he's a walking dead man. Helen panicks when an over-the-top maddened Charles Drood decides to kill himself. The audience knows that Helen is in love with him all over again.Drood goes on his own way without Helen, advising to her that she say she was kidnapped by demented Charles. Charles Drood puts his rings on the fingers of the suicidal detective and plans to make his body pass as his own dead body. In order to do that, he must savagely take all his real teeth out, later putting his there. He sets fire to the car, who goes off in flames. Charles Drood will attend his own funeral in a disguise and being careful to hide away.Helen and Bean, mourning Drood with long-looking faces, enter a car with a chaffeur.Closer to the chaffeur driving away: it's Charles Drood. | neo noir, murder, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0055022 | Gli invasori | A voice-over narrator explains that in the year 786 A.D., three large Viking ships landed in the British isles, heralding the beginning of an attempted invasion. More ships followed, and within a few years, an all-out war is instigated. King Harald, the only Viking chieftain interested in maintaining peace, makes a plea to King Loter (Franco Ressel). The English king sends Sir Rutford (Andrea Checchi), the commander of the British sea forces, to work out a deal with the Vikings. However, Rutford is not interested in making bargains, and stages a surprise attack on the Vikings, thus opening the movie. In the ensuing battle, many Vikings are killed, most of them women and children. King Harald and a few Vikings fight bravely, killing a number of English knights, but he himself is felled by an arrow fired by Rutfords chief assassin. During the battle, Harold's two young sons, Erik and Eron, are whisked away by one of his chiefs. But in the attempt to escape from the beach where the battle rages, Eron is rescued by a few Vikings along with some women and children, but Erik is left behind in the chaos.Later, King Loter arrives on the scene where he threatens to strip Rutford of his title and of his command of the sea forces for the indiscriminate killing of Viking women and children. But Rutford retaliates by having his assassin kill Loter with an arrow, and making it seem that a wounded Viking killed him. Loter's wife, Queen Alice (Francoise Christophe), is greatly distress by the sudden death of her husband, and wonders away. She finds the young Viking boy, Erik, on the beach hiding away from where the carnage happened. Figuring out that he's a Viking, the queen decides to raise Erik as her own son, and takes him back to her castle residence, not realizing that a small tattoo on the boy's chest is a family crest which adorns the chest of both boys. Eron, in the meantime, is returned to the land of the Vikings and vows to spend the rest of his life plotting revenge against the British for the death of his father, and brother.20 years later, the Vikings once again wage war against the British. The adult Eron (Cameron Mitchell), has fallen in love with a vestal virgin named Daya (Ellen Kessler), the identical twin sister of the vestal virgin Rama (Alice Kessler). But because of the pagan Viking custom, she is promised to the gods, and they cannot reveal their love out of fear of being executed. Eron knows that only a king is permitted to marry a vestal virgin, and so he plans to take advantage of the forthcoming war with England to prove his valor and leadership abilities.King Olaf, the leader of the Vikings, makes a pack with Iceland, Norway, and Sweden to form an alliance to invade Britain once again for control of the North Sea. Because of his old age and physical infirmity, Olaf determins that a younger man will have to lead the attack in his place. Olaf chooses Eron, but his choice is resisted by Garan, who fears that Eron will lose sight of the objective by seeking out personal glory. Garan wishes to be elected leader, and a vote by the 20 field chieftains is taken. When the vote is a draw, Olaf determines that they will have to fight to the death. In the ensuring swordfight, Eron is victorious, but refuses to kill his opponent, and asks Garan to lead with him side-by-side. Eron is clearly a man of passion and valor, and although hot-tempered, he has compassion. But his major flaw is that Eron is too trusting.In England, the adult Erik (Giorgio Ardisson) is appointed as Duke of Helford, and leader of the British sea forces, replacing Sir Rutford. Erik's first duty by his mother, Queen Alice, is to stave off the impending Viking invasion. But Rutford is jealous of the young man, and plots to sabotage the mission by planting a spy on board who will set fire to Eriks ship while at sea.The two Viking and English fleets meet in the North Sea, and a sea battle begins. The Vikings board Erik's flagship, just as the spy begins to set fire to it. In the battle, Erik and Eron meet and engage in a swordfight, neither of them aware of their blood kin relationship. However, as Rutford planned, Erik's ship catches afire, enabling the Vikings to advance upon England. Erik jumps overboard, and later washes ashore in Viking land. He is found by Rama, and is immediately smitten with him, but she does not understand the significances of the cross he wears around his neck, and especially when he asks her if she's an angel. Fearing discovery and execution for interaction with a male, Rama points Erik in the direction of a local Viking fishing village and agrees to secretly meet with him later. Because of his blond, Nordic features, Erik is accepted by the Vikings as a ship-wrecked fisherman. One of Erik's crewmembers, also shipwrecked, recognizes him and plots to help him escape when the time is right.Back in England, Sir Rutford proposes marriage to the queen. He accepts the fact that she cares nothing for him, but claims to see the marriage as an opportunity of uniting the country. However, it is apparent that he is only interested in becoming king for his own self-interest. Queen Alice immediately sees though his deception and refuses by saying. "your ambition shows. It devours you."When the Vikings arrive, Rutford grants them admission into the castle. Eron and his men take over with little difficulty, and Rutford is appointed Regent, with the objective of ruling in Eron's absence. Eron then takes Queen Alice as a hostage back to Viking land, promising to kill her if anybody in England rebels against Rutford or his men.In Viking land, Rama is assigned to look after the captive Queen Alice. Rama happens to notice that the queen also wears a cross, and she mentions this to Erik when they secretly meet again. Demanding to know the prisoner's name, Erik is shocked when Rama mentions that its his 'mother'. Erik surmises that his presence in Viking land is an act of fate to rescue his mother, and also find happiness with Rama.The next day, Eron and Daya are to be married, while Rama and Erik plan to take advantage of the ensuing ceremony to flee to England with Queen Alice. As Erik, standing anonymously among all the other Vikings, watches the wedding ceremony, is mistakenly believes that it is Rama who is being married. Enraged by this imagined 'affront', Erik confronts Daya, who doesnt know who he is, and as a result, gives his true identity away when Eron recognizes him. Erik is then locked away by Eron to be executed the following morning.After drugging the men who are guarding Erik, Rama explains to him that the woman he saw married was her twin sister, and not her. Erik is relived to hear this and escapes from his prison with Rama. However, Eron and a horde of Vikings give a pursuit. Chasing them across a rickety bridge, Eron nearly falls to his death. Encouraged by Rama, Erik, rescues Eron from certain death. Undaunted by this act of kindness, Eron continues to peruse them, but Erik and Rama, meet up with Queen Alice and they safely sail away back to England.Upon their return, Erik is pleased to discover that the Scots have volunteered to help defend England against the Vikings. Before Erik and his combined English-Scots forces can attack the castle and reclaim it from Rutford, Eron and the Vikings arrive. Eron leaves Daya in Rutford's castle, while he accepts a direct challenge from Erik. In the ensuing swordfight, Eron catches sight of the tattoo on Erik's chest. Recognizing it as the same mark which adorns his chest, he comes to finally realize that Erik is really his long-lost brother.Reunited with his brother, Eron declares a ceasefire. This upsets Rutford, who respons by having his henchman fire an arrow at Erik. Eron throws himself in the path of the arrow, and is fatally wounded. The enraged Vikings attempt to storm the castle, but Rutford raises the drawbridge, and promises to kill Daya by the next morning if the Vikings to not disband.As Eron lies dying, he names Erik as his successor as King of the Vikings. Becoming more and more delirious, he asks to see Daya one last time. Erik determines to do this by breaking into the castle and retrieving her. With the help from Viking arch men, Erik begins to slowly scale a wooden tower alongside the cliff waterfront of the castle, as the Vikings shoot arrows into the wooden frame which he uses as grappling instruments. When Rama realizes that the dying Eron will not last much longer, she poses as her sister to him. Eron is oblivious to the deception, and upon declaring his love for her, he finally dies.In the meantime, Erik has scaled the wall, and makes his way into the castle. He rescues the captive Daya, killing Rutford's henchman guarding her. At dawn, the combined Viking, English and Scots armies attack the castle. Despite heavy casualties, the Vikings succeed in scaling the walls, and fighting the defenders. Eron manages to fight his away out of the castle and lowers the drawbridge, allowing the rest of the armies to advance into the fortress. All of Rutford's men are killed with Rutford himself being the last to fall when he attempts to shoot an arrow at the escaping Eron, and he is pierced with at least a dozen arrows by the Vikings and falls off the castle rampart to his death.With peace restored, Queen Alice reclaims her throne and allows Erik to leave England to claim his title as King of the Vikings. Erik returns to Viking land with Rama, while the dead Eron is also returned to Viking land with the mourning Daya to have a traditional Viking burial. | cult, cruelty, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0041598 | Long-Haired Hare | One day, Bugs is sitting outside his hole, playing a banjo and singing "A Rainy Night in Rio". Nearby, in a luxurious house, a famous opera singer named Giovanni Jones is rehearsing "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville. However, Jones is distracted by Bugs' singing, and goes over and smashes his banjo over his head in a fit of anger. Bugs remarks, "Music hater."Later, Jones is rehearsing again, but is again distracted by Bugs playing the harp and singing "My Gal is a High Born Lady" (with re-written lyrics). Jones destroys the harp and jams Bugs' head in it, causing him to remark, "Also a rabbit hater. Oh, well." Bugs then decides to loudly play the tuba, but this does not impress Jones any more than previously. He ties Bugs' ears to a tree and beats his head against the branch. Fed up, Bugs makes his trademark Groucho Marx comment: "Of course you know, dis means war!"That night, Jones is performing a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, and begins by singing "Chi mi frena in tal momento". Bugs is sitting on top of the large stadium, and taps it with his fingers, the reverberation causing Jones to tremble slightly when he hits a certain note in the song. Bugs remarks, "Acoustically perfect," and bangs on the stadium with a mallet, resulting in a much more violent reverberation & causing Jones to wildly shake and move around the stage, until he falls into a tuba player's instrument. Bugs takes Jones back stage, informing the audience of an interruption in the program, and orders the maestro to play a vamp. Bugs fixes Jones up backstage, and sprays liquid alum into his mouth. Jones goes back on stage and proceeds to sing the "Figaro" section of "Largo al factotum". With each singing of "Figaro", his head shrinks to an extremely small size and his voice grows extremely high in pitch.Later, Jones is due to go on stage again, but Bugs, dressed in a bobby soxer outfit, begs him to stop. Bugs showers Jones with praise, and asks for his autograph, giving him a pen which turns out to be a stick of dynamite. It explodes as Bugs sneaks away, and Jones steps onto stage, bows and faints.Finally, Bugs enters disguised as famous conductor Leopold Stokowski. Greatly in awe, all the orchestra members, Jones and the conductor immediately stop what they are doing, so Bugs can take over. He snaps the conductor's baton in half, and proceeds to conduct first the orchestra and then Jones through a bizarre performance with his hands. He receives rapturous applause, but Bugs is not finished. He then persuades Jones to hold a high note for an extremely long period of time. While Jones is holding the note, his clothes unravel and his face changes from one colour to another. Bugs slips his hand out of his glove for a brief period, and steps outside to order a pair of earmuffs, which he puts on to block out the noise. He returns to find Jones still holding the high note and pounding on the floor, but continues to have him hold the note. Eventually, this causes the Hollywood Bowl's dome to crack and fall apart. The debris crashes onto the stage, burying Jones.Bugs receives massive applause, and bows to the audience. The ravaged Jones also emerges from the rubble and bows. Just then, Bugs notices a large boulder suspended on a rafter. He gets Jones to hold the high note again, as the boulder tumbles off the rafter and hits Jones, finishing him off. Bugs then pulls out his repaired banjo, and plays "Good Evening, Friends". Iris out. | psychedelic | train | imdb | null |
tt0040369 | Fort Apache | At sometime in the mid 1870's (the exact date is never given) Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda) is en route to his new posting in Arizona at Fort Apache. Traveling with the widower Lieutenant Colonel is his daughter, Philadelphia (Shirley Temple). Colonel Thursday is clearly upset at having received this posting. We learn that during the Civil War, Thursday was a brevet General but has lost his promotion since the war and has been floating around the war department since with no one knowing what to do with him.
When Thursday and his daughter arrive at a store on the way to the fort the meet up with recent West Point graduate, Second Lieutenant Michael Shannon O'Rourke (John Agar). Philadelphia is smitten with the young lieutenant. At this point, Sergeants Beaufort, Mulcahy, Quincannon, and Schattuck (Pedro Armendariz, Victor McLaglen, Dick Foran, and Jack Pennick respectively) arrive with a wagon to escort O'Rourke to Fort Apache. O'Rourke offers Thursday a ride to the fort which the Colonel accepts, also starting a running gag where Thursday is unable to remember O'Rourke's name.
At Fort Apache we learn that Captain Kirby York (John Wayne), a popular and respected officer, was hoped to take over the regiment. Many are visibly upset at Colonel Thursday's appointment to command, especially Captain Sam Collingwood (George O'Brien) who along with York served under Thursday in the Civil War. Collingwood puts in for a transfer to West Point when Thursday arrives as due to an indecent during the war which is only ever alluded to Collingwood refuses to serve under Thursday again. We then meet Lt. O'Rourke's father, former brevet Major now Sergeant Major and Medal of Honor holder Michael O'Rourke (Ward Bond) and his mother Mary (Irene Rich).
Lt. O'Rourke attempts to take over the training of new recruits but proves unsuccessful as the lieutenant is described as "... an officer and a gentleman..." doing work not meant for a gentleman. The four sergeants immediately take over training leading to comedic outcomes. This frees Lt. O'Rourke to call on Philadelphia and spend time with her, much to Philadelphia's delight. Time is also given to show the soldier's wives (Anna Lee, Movita, and Mae Marsh) helping Philadelphia to settle into the Fort.
It is learned through exposition that Colonel Thursday would rather be on the northern plains fighting the Lakota or Cheyenne tribes rather than remain in Arizona to contain the Apaches on their reservation. He even dismisses the Apaches as "digger Indians" much to York's chagrin. Thursday clearly hungers for glory and will go to any lengths to achieve it. Thursday is also upset at what he sees as Fort Apache's lack of discipline and military protocol. He institutes reforms which, while unpopular, do contribute to better the regiment.
While on a pleasure ride with Philadelphia, Lt. O'Rourke sees smoke on the horizon and finds that a repair team sent out to fix Fort Apache's telegraph lines has been massacred by Apaches. They return to the fort to sound the alarm. Colonel Thursday, while grateful to O'Rourke for protecting his daughter, is angry at the lieutenant for taking his daughter off post without his permission. He later revels that he thinks O'Rourke, as the son of an Irish immigrant, is beneath Philadelphia's social class and thus an unsuitable match.
Thursday sends Lt. O'Rourke out with four men to bury the repair team and finish their job. When a small band of Apaches attack the repair crew, Thursday and York's company spring a trap and drive back the Apache.
They then travel to a store managed by Indian Agent Silas Meacham (Grant Withers), fearing for his life. They learn that Meacham, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in general, are incredibly corrupt and spend money given to them to take care of the Apaches on cheap, shoddy goods. The Apaches, tired of getting poor grade food and cheap whiskey instead of proper meals and tools, have subsequently left the reservation under Cochise (Miguel Inclan). The soldiers also find a cache of Winchesters which Meacham has been illegally selling to the Apaches for even more personal profit. Though Thursday finds Meacham a despicable human being, he is a representative of the US government and entitled to army protection. Thus, Thursday has Meacham taken back to Fort Apache and destroys most of Meacham's supplies.
Captain York, who as dealt with Cochise in the past, volunteers to meet with the Apache leader and negotiate the latter's return to the reservation. Succeeding in his enterprise, York returns to the fort during the annual non-commissioned officer's dance to report to Colonel Thursday. Thursday then musters the regiment to intercept Cochise, disarm the Apaches, and escort them by force to the reservation. York argues against this as he promised Cochise fair and humane treatment. Thursday dismisses York's advise and departs to attack Cochise. Not a minute after the troops leave the fort, Captain Collingwood's transfer orders finally arrive but his wife doesn't sent a runner to fetch the Captain, knowing he would rather die than be seen a coward.
Thursday finds himself outsmarted by Cochise but the Apache chief doesn't initially attack. He tries to negotiate with Thursday but the Colonel, hungry for battle, insults Cochise and forces the Apache into battle. Not wanting to share glory with Lt. O'Rourke and York, Thursday orders them to remain behind and defend the wagon train while he leads the bulk of the regiment to attack Cochise.
Riding into what he believes is the Apache camp, Thursday is ambushed and most of his men killed. Thursday manages to escape to the supply wagons but takes a spare horse from York and returns to the survivors of his command. His return earns the respect of Lt. O'Rourke, his father, York, and Captain Collingwood. Thursday, Sergeant O'Rourke, Collingwood, and the dozen or so other survivors are subsequently massacred by Cochise and his men.
Seeing Cochise and his band approaching the last company protecting the wagon train, York send O'Rourke to nearby Fort Grant to get reinforcements and "... marry that girl!" But Cochise, knowing the York is an honorable man, gives the Captain Thursday's banner and rides away with his people.
A year or two later, York has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given command of the Fort Apache regiment. Philidephia and Lt. O'Rourke have married and have a son. York interviews a group of reporters about Colonel Thursday. Though York knows Thursday's actions and character have been glorified to the extreme a la Colonel Custer, he goes along with what the reporters believe in order to support the regiment's image and support their actions against a new Apache uprising led by Geronimo. | cult | train | imdb | null |
tt4052886 | Lucifer | Based upon the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, LUCIFER is the story of the original fallen angel.Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR has abandoned his throne and retired to L.A., where he owns Lux, an upscale nightclub.
Charming, charismatic and devilishly handsome, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) is enjoying his retirement, indulging in a few of his favorite things wine, women and song when a beautiful pop star is brutally murdered outside of Lux. For the first time in roughly 10 billion years, he feels something awaken deep within him as a result of this murder. Compassion? Sympathy? The very thought disturbs him as well as his best friend and confidante, Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt), a fierce demon in the form of a beautiful young woman.
The murder attracts the attention of LAPD homicide detective CHLOE DANCER, who initially is dismissive of Lucifer. But she becomes intrigued by his talent for drawing out peoples secrets and his desire to dispense justice, doling out punishment to those who deserve it. As they work together to solve the pop stars murder, Lucifer is struck by Chloes inherent goodness. Accustomed to dealing with the absolute worst of humanity, Lucifer is intrigued by Chloes apparent purity and begins to wonder if theres hope for his own soul yet.
At the same time, Gods emissary, the angel Amendiel (D.B. Woodside), has been sent to Los Angeles to convince Lucifer to return to the underworld can the Devil incarnate be tempted toward the side of Good, or will his original calling pull him back toward Evil? | good versus evil, paranormal | train | imdb | null |
tt0960731 | Bedtime Stories | It's 1974, and a man by the name of Marty Bronson (Jonathan Pryce) is narrating a story. The story is about himself as the owner of a quaint hotel that is also run by himself and his 2 children. The daughter (Abigail Droeger), at 12 years old is very serious minded and runs the front desk efficiently. And the son (Thomas Hoffman), at 10 years old, has a wondrous imagination that will take him anywhere, but is absolutely, totally, completely, utterly, & entirely useless to the hotel. Little do the children know, though, that the motel is in debt, and Marty is forced to sell to an English chap by the name of Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths). However, Marty will only sell to Barry under the agreement that his son run the place when he is of age.Fast forward and we see the quaint hotel quadrupled in size and is no longer a family establishment but more for the rich and famous, and Marty's son Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is the hotel handyman. When Nottingham announces plans to build a new hotel he appoints another man named Kendall (Guy Pearce) to become the manager.After work, Skeeter visits his sister for it is his niece's birthday (who he hasn't seen in 4 years). There his sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) informs him that the school that the children Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit) and Bobbi (Laura Ann Kesling) attend, which she herself is the principal at, is being closed down and that has to relocate to Arizona for a job and asks Skeeter if he could watch her kids while she goes for an interview. Even though Skeeter doesn't know his niece and nephew very well, he agrees.After the day shift babysitter Jill (Keri Russell) leaves, he settles them into bed and they ask him to read a story. After looking at the lame books that the children have, he refuses to read them and instead makes up his own story. Modeled around his own life, he tells the story of a medieval squire named "Sir Fixalot" and his rival "Sir Buttkiss". Throughout the story the kids make their own additions, such as the king giving Sir Fixalot a chance to prove himself. During the celebration, Patrick announces that "it starts raining gumballs" and the story ends.The following day, Skeeter is called to fix Nottingham's television and during the visit, Nottingham tells Skeeter the "secret" theme that he had announced for the hotel - a rock and roll theme much like that of the Hard Rock Hotel. When Skeeter points out this has been done before he is offered the opportunity to compete with Kendall "to prove himself" for a better theme. While driving to his sister's house, Skeeter is suddenly greeted with a shower of gumballs raining down from above (which he does not see is caused by a crashed delivery truck). Skeeter concludes that the story has come true and quickly develops a plan to use it to his advantage.For the next story, he elaborates a Western theme in which he receives a free "Ferrari" horse from a Native American chief. The children do not corroborate the story, but have him save a damsel in distress from several criminals. They claim he should be rewarded with a kiss, but an angry dwarf kicks him instead. That night, Skeeter goes out in search of his Ferrari and meets a Native American man who steals his wallet. Later, Violet who is being hounded by paparazzi, is rescued by the passing Skeeter. Just as he is about to kiss her, he is kicked by an angry dwarf from a nearby fraternity.From this point, he determines that it is only the changes made by the children that actually affect reality. The following night, Skeeter tries to sell the kids on the theme ideas contest, but they are more interested in romance and action in their stories. The next story begins with Skeetacus, a Greek gladiator who, after impressing the emperor and a stadium of onlookers, attracts the attention of the "fairest maiden". He and the maiden walk into a restaurant where all the girls who were mean to him growing up are sitting at a table, they are to be so impressed by the maiden he is with, they start to nervously sing the "Hokey Pokey". After a meal they go for a walk on the beach where a large hairy man who is having trouble breathing is washed up on the shore, and after Skeetacus saves this man's life, a rainstorm sends him and the maiden into a magical cave which has Abraham Lincoln in it. Skeeter loses his patience with the story and upsets the children. Unable to get them to continue, the story ends.The next day, Skeeter learns that Violet will not be meeting with him as he thought, but unexpectedly runs into Jill, who invites him to lunch. The girls from Skeeter's high school are at the restaurant, so Skeeter asks Jill to pretend to be his girlfriend. After the girls break into the "Hokey Pokey" and Skeeter casually saves the life of a man on the beach, a sudden rainstorm sends them under the dock and he realizes that he is falling in love with her. But the kiss he is about to receive is interrupted as he is reminded about the Abraham Lincoln part of the story as someone walks on the dock above them, and thinking that the real "Abe" is going to appear he ducks. Instead a penny falls through the dock.For Skeeter and the kids' final night together, a space-themed story begins with Skeeter's character who battles Kendall's character in anti-gravity. Skeeter's hard-to-understand character wins and Skeeter quickly ends the story. Patrick interjects that the story is too predictable and says that Skeeter is then 'incinertated' before ending the story.At Nottingham's birthday party, among the fiery hazards that Skeeter is trying to avoid, his tongue is stung by a bee, making him hard to understand when competing with Kendall's new Broadway-themed hotel. Nottingham enjoys Skeeter's approach over the showy approach that Kendall had provided. A panic attack on a fiery birthday cake causes Skeeter to be "fired" by Nottingham. Afterward Jill, Patrick, and Bobbi are all upset as they learned where, which Skeeter had just discovered, the hotel was going to be built: on the property of the school which they all work and attend. Wendy believes he did not know, but is upset because he had inadvertently taught the children there are no such things as happy endings. When they attend the demolition to protest, Skeeter is inspired to prevent the school from being demolished. After finding Nottingham an alternative location, Skeeter takes Jill on a wild motorcycle ride which ends at the school and manages to stop the countdown. Sometime later, he marries Jill and founds a hotel named after his late father. Kendall and his scheming partner Aspen (Lucy Lawless) are demoted to Skeeter's hotel waiting staff. | psychedelic, cute, entertaining, romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0411061 | 88 Minutes | The film opens with a scene of an unknown assailant breaking into the home of two sisters. After one goes to sleep, the attacker subdues one of them using halothane and murders her after torturing her. After police questioning, the attacker, Jon Forster (Neal McDonough), is convicted by a jury after Jack Gramm (Al Pacino) testifies against him in court. As Gramm leaves, Forster taunts him, saying "tick tock."Nine years later, several similar torture murders with very similar modi operandi occur. Gramm is questioned but released. On the way to his class, he receives a threatening phone call telling him that he has 88 minutes to live until 11:45 a.m.. He reports the threat to Shelly (Amy Brenneman), his secretary, and brushes off the threat. He receives another call while teaching in his classroom, and he becomes suspicious of several of the students. A dean, Carol (Deborah Kara Unger), enters the classroom and warns everyone of a bomb threat, telling everyone to leave. Gramm finds a written threat on the overhead projector screen in the classroom. Gramm goes to the parking lot to see that his car has been vandalized with a similar threat with fewer minutes showing.As Gramm walks toward campus security, he finds one of his students, Lauren Douglas (Leelee Sobieski), has been attacked by an unknown person in the same parking garage. Gramm reports this to the campus police after questioning nearby people at the garage exit.Gramm later discovers, through a tape about his younger sister being killed years earlier, that someone had accessed his secure files. With the help of his teaching assistant Kim (Alicia Witt), Gramm tries to notify authorities while trying to uncover Forster's past at the same time. One suspect is Kim's former husband, Guy has been watching Dr. Gramm. Guy had spent time in the same prison as Forster.His secretary, Shelly, who is a lesbian, finally admits that she was distracted by a woman who some how got a copy of the tape out of the secure area. As Shelly and the woman are lying on the couch in the office after their love making, the camera pans down and you can see it is Lauren there with her. The pieces begin to fit together.Guy comes to Dr. Gramm's apartment about the same time as someone starts a fire in the elevator. As Kim opens the door to the apartment, some one on the lower landing, wearing a motorcycle helmet, opens fire and Guy is killed in a hail of bullets.Parks wants to arrest Gramm now because of all the evidence piling up against him, but Gramm convinces Parks to give me just ten more minutes to find out who's behind all the murders and why. However Gramm has found out that a visitor to Forster on several occasions and identified herself as a "Lydia", one of his attorneys. He looked at a fax copy of her ID and sees the picture is Lauren.Carol calls and tells Gramm to meet her in his office on campus at 11:40, she ends the call by giving Gramm a similar threat by saying "tick tock." Soon after, Kim calls Gramm telling him he has five minutes to meet her in another building on campus and she adds, "tick tock." Before leaving, he manages to convince Agent Parks (William Forsythe) to make a rendezvous with him at 11:40 in the other building on the 7th floor. Gramm arrives and finds that Lydia (who is actually Lauren under a pseudonym) had set this up and was working with Forster all this time.Carol has been hung over a balcony by a rope around her heel, while Kim has been tied up in a chair. Lauren threatens Gramm with a gun and threatens to drop Carol if he doesn't drop his gun. She forces him to "confess" that he gave false details at the trial, but Parks has arrived is across the courtyard on the same floor. Gramm tells Lauren, but she doesn't believe him. Parks shoots Lauren just as the 88 minutes ends.Both Carol and Lauren begin to fall from the 7th floor balcony. Gramm tries to save both but is unable to hold onto Lauren and haul up Carol, and so he chooses Carol over Lauren who falls to her death. He manages to pull Carol back up with the help of Parks. Just then, Lauren's cell phone rings and it's Forster calling, Forster laughs at Gramm and tells him to put his lawyer on the phone. He says when he gets out, he's going to come pee on Gramm's grave. Gramm tells him that Lauren is dead and that Forster only has 12 hours to live. Gramm then throws the cell phone over the railing and it smashes on the floor below. | neo noir, murder, violence, flashback, suspenseful, sadist | train | imdb | null |
tt0106950 | Fortress | In a dystopic future society, married couples are allowed to become pregnant only once and are not permitted to become pregnant again even if the baby doesn't survive gestation or delivery. A faceless corporation called MenTel controls society, including its prisons. Couple John and Karen Brennick have had one failed pregnancy and are forbidden to have another, however she becomes pregnant again. In the film's opening scene, the couple are attempting to pass a security checkpoint while traveling to a safer region. Though they're careful to protect Karen's abdomen from detection, the guards become suspicious and try to stop them. They are captured and sentenced to a MenTel prison.John arrives at the penitentiary, a vast underground facility where treatment is harsh and punishments are brutal. He is ushered through the initial check-in where a small device is forcibly inserted down his throat: an "intestinator", which causes extreme abdominal pain when a punishment order is issued. The device can also be triggered to detonate in cases of extreme punishment, which John witnesses soon after he & the other prisoners are implanted; a prisoner, who becomes hysterical and crosses a safe-zone, is killed when his abdomen explodes.John is put into general population with some of the prison's worst inmates. In the cell that he shares with three men a hulking man, Stiggs, lords over the cell. John is forced to sleep on the floor. During his first night, he dreams of a sexual encounter with his wife and is interrupted by the prison's control system, ZED-10, which can enter the minds of inmates who have inappropriate thoughts. The prison's director is a man named Poe, who oversees ZED's operations.John also runs afoul of another hulking inmate, Maddox. Maddox attacks John and the fight, which would normally be stopped by intestination, continues when Poe cancels the punishment order. The two men battle across the walkway that leads out of the cellblock. The walkway is retracted and John wins the upper hand, causing Maddox to fall off the walkway where he hangs on by one hand. John pulls the man up, saving his life, however, Poe orders a powerful weapon called the splattergun to target Maddox' intestinator: the man's abdomen is blown out and he falls to his death. John is immediately intestinated along with dozens of other prisoners. While John writhes in pain, he notices that Maddox' intestinator lies nearby, undamaged. As he's dragged away to isolation, he passes it to one of his cellmates, Abraham, who holds it for him.John is subjected to physical and mental torture in isolation -- he is encased in a pod that feeds him hallucinatory visions that bombard his senses. After spending several weeks there, he's returned to his cell but is catatonic and remains in that state for four months. His other cellmate, Abraham, who works as a housekeeper in Poe's office and living quarters, nurses John. When it seems hopeless to return John to his normal state, John returns, having been encouraged by the thought of his wife, who had gotten Poe drunk on champagne and had accessed ZED, entering John's dreams and breaking his catatonia. John becomes leader of the cell, bumping Stiggs down the ladder.While John was in isolation, D-Day had taken the opportunity to study the intestinator. He finds that they are magnetic; using Stiggs as a test subject, he uses the freed intestinator to pull the other one out of Stiggs. It causes Stiggs a great deal of pain and nausea but the men realize they can at least free themselves from ZED's & Poe's control. They also have Abraham steal a small crystal from Poe's office, part of a holographic projector which shows construction plans for future prison levels. John forms a plan to have the men escape out of one of the construction sites where they all work. While they study the plans, they crystal is dropped and damaged. Abraham, who'd been up for parole, takes responsibility and may lose his chance at release. He decides to join John and the others in the escape.Poe becomes attracted to John's wife Karen. He allows her to live in his apartment with her. One day she finds him in a reclining chair, hooked up by leads to ZED; Poe is a cyborg. Horrified, Karen rejects him. Abraham, who'd been listening to their conversation, tells John, who charges Abraham with freeing Karen when the escape is attempted.The next day when the men report for work, John and Stiggs start a fight to distract the guards at the construction site. While they do, D-Day places all the intestinators he'd extracted from his cellmates on a ventilation pipe. When Poe orders a mass intestination, the intestinators explode, blowing a hole in the duct. John and his crew run for the exit but are stopped by strike clones, prisoners who have been converted into cybernetic soldiers. Stiggs is killed by a clone when he tries to surrender. John and the men are able to overpower one and steal the gun it had built into it's arm. When the splattergun is sent to their level, it cannot track them and they ride it's carriage to the top level.In his offices, Poe secures the room and traps himself, Abraham and Karen inside. When Karen and Abraham try to kill Poe, he overpowers them and kills Abraham. John, D-Day and their cellmate, Nino arrive at Poe's quarters; Poe shows John that Karen has been taken to an operating room where Karen's baby will be removed from her abdomen by Cesarean section and she will not survive the procedure. John forces Poe to take him to Karen, however, Zed sends the splattergun and Poe is destroyed. Zed tells John and his crew that a unit of strike clones are being sent to their location. D-Day tells John to get him to a computer console and is able to successfully disrupt ZED with a computer virus -- moments later, D-Day is killed by a strike clone. The virus is enough to shut down the lights in the surgical lab and delay the doctors long enough for John to find Karen. John, Karen and Nino escape to the surface where they steal a MenTel truck and drive off, finally arriving in a forested area where Karen goes into labor in an abandoned barn.Suddenly the truck they stole, still controlled by ZED, tries to run them down. Nino is killed, however, John is able to destroy the truck with the weapon he'd stolen, setting it on fire with the flame thrower. The truck swerves into the barn where Karen had been in labor and explodes. John believes Karen and his child are dead until he hears the child wailing and sees Karen alive; she'd escaped the barn shortly before. John and Karen leave to start a new life with their newborn child. | insanity, cult, violence | train | imdb | The central characters are John and Karen Brennick - a couple sent to the Fortress after she becomes pregnant with a second child, thus breaking a futuristic population control law.
The film really is never boring for a minute; if there isn't something directly going on in the movie then Gordon is using the time to build up the situation that the prisoners find themselves in.
The film features a good B-movie cast, with 'Highlander' Christopher Lambert taking the lead role.
Loryn Locklin isn't given much to do as the leading lady, but the rest of the support cast includes the likes of Lincoln Kilpatrick, Vernon Wells (who, coincidently, was also in the 1986 Australian movie of the same title!) and Jeffrey Combs, who is just great as always.
Now John and other prisoners (Clifton Collins Jr., Jeffery Combs, Lincoln Kilpartick & Tom Towles) tires to find other ways to escape the Fortress but John finds out that his pregnant wife is captured and is kept in Poe's working area.Directed by Stuart Gordon (Edmond, Re-Animator, Stuck) made an entertaining high concept low-budget Science Fiction adventure.
The producers originally wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger as the star, but he went on to do "True Lies" instead (it was Ah-nuld that suggested Gordon as the director of this feature).Some interesting ideas are present in this tale of a husband and wife, John and Karen (Christopher Lambert and Loryn Locklin) who are expecting their second child, despite the fact that the law now forbids couples from having more than one kid.
Kurtwood Smith played the bad guy in Robocop, and he plays bad guy in Fortress, too, but not as NEAR as bad as in Robocop's manic performance.Due to the film's violence and fierce moments, this is pretty close to Paul Verhoeven's style of making action films, as couple of scenes are very violent and almost too violent for this kind of mainstream production, and as far as I know, this had to be trimmed by two violent scenes to get the R rating in US, and this slightly cut version has been released also on DVD in US and Europe.
The violence in Fortress isn't funny in the tradition of Re-Animator; It is serious because the film itself is serious, not the kind of half comedy like Re-Animator.The film is perhaps little too slow moving in the middle part but for most of the time, this works fine and pleased me very much, and proves the talent of Gordon in other genres than horror, too.
Lambert stars as John Brennick he is an innocent prisoner in a futuristic high-tech prison trying to escape with his wife, there's lots of special effects and blood and guts in this fantastic film.
They are caught trying to cross the border and sent to a maximum security prison that is owned and run by the "MenTel Corporation" A place where dreams are not your own and all thoughts of escape are dealt with severely by futuristic methods unheard of in the civilised world.You got Connor MacLeod, Herbert West, Clarence J.
Tho nothing much as an actor, Lambert none the less gives the likes of Sly and Arnie a run for their money here and looks every inch and sinew an action hero.Kurtwood Smith, Jeffrey Combs, Lincoln Kilpatrick, Clifton Collins Jr. and of course,Loryn Locklin's bottom, all add varying degrees of fun and frolics to the occasion.
It's B movie berserker time folks, a dystopian world where Christopher Lambert can beat the crap out of blokes twice his size, where half humanoids have flame throwers for arms, and Kurtwood Smith is in charge of a prison.
The story is your standard prison movie formula, only it's set in the future.The best thing about this film is the suspense of the action sequences.
The main flaws would be the predictability of the plot and some cliché characters, but it's all handled so well that it doesn't really hurt the movie.It's a good popcorn action movie, and one of my favorite Stuart Gordon Films.
I like this movie because it not only has a great story line but also stars one of my favorite actors (Christopher Lambert).
And also unlike Boddicker, Poe's actually a fairly interesting character - though an aloof, even sadistic Warden, we do see what little personal life he has, and are continually reminded in his scenes that he's still a person - he has tastes, even loves, and by the end of the film it's not even clear whether he's the real bad guy.
This movie was very well put together from the underground prison facility to the artificial intelligence from which it operates, not to mention the twisted prison director who basks in his authority, hell it makes you feel as if you are in the shoes of the main character actor Christopher Lambert(a legend in my eyes).
The action and sci-fi parts of the film are reasonably entertaining, and pretty good for a B-movie.
(Still Waters) and Lincoln Kilpatrick (Bulletproof).Lets get on with the plot: Set in a dystopian future the year 2017, in the USA, an ex-US Army officer John Henry Brennick (Christopher Lambert) and his wife Karen S.
However, the prison is also overcrowded.John is put in a cell with three other convicts — Abraham, who is awaiting parole; D-Day, a machine and demolitions expert who was turned in by his criminal partners after he destroyed both a bank's safe and its money; Nino Gomez; and Stiggs, a particularly tough inmate who initially tries to extort John, and has a tough friend called Maddox, who is killed in the beginning of the movie.Brennick also learns his wife has been captured as well and is being held in a separate level of the prison with his unborn child who, being illegal, is now officially owned by the MenTel Corporation and will be confiscated on its birth.Poe, having become infatuated with Karen, summons her to his quarters telling her that if she lives with him there he will treat John well.
Again, both the film and book is worthwhile.Anyway, so, a man (Christopher Lambert, perfect genre everyman) has to escape from a prison to save his wife with the help of the likes of Jeffrey Combs (taking a break from trying to bring things to life) against the evil Kurtwood Smith (of course!).
The danger with making films of this nature is not that it envisions a brave new world which those of good conscience should work to avoid but that it might inspire those personalities like that of Prison Director Poe (Kurtwood Smith) to the means and methods of more effective repression.Do works in the bleak Orwellian futuristic 1984 genre warn or provide a model for action?
Fortress is the second time director Stuart Gordon tip his toes into the action genre and compared this one to his giant robot movie Robot JoxI I must say I prefer Fortress more when on the surface it look like one of your typical " Escape from something" type of movie but beneath that simple premise the movie freaked the hell out of me with it unsettling sub plot about population control.
Christopher Lambert is not an idea lead man to be the lead role in action movie but this time he done a good job to convince me as he pull out some quite decent action scene and one of his companion named D-Day played by Jeffrey Combs also very fun to watch.
Fortress (1992) is one of my most watched action films from my younger days back on video & it was always such an exciting movie with the excellent underrated Christopher Lambert as the hero & he has never been better than here in Fortress his performance is excellent!!!
Anyway Fortress is not a "guilty Pleasure" as it's a brilliant movie & so well made with depth & emotion & has a great score & some fantastic action scenes with brutality & gritty violence with that gorgeous 90's look/Cinematography it's lovely to watch & a childhood classic of mine.
Christopher Lambert is the best he's been ever in a movie here in Fortress but that's my personal opinion & this movie is truly an exciting entertaining dark sci-fi action Thriller that is an easy 10/10 for me!!!
Kurtwood Smith is the main villain of the movie and he did a pretty decent job with restraining himself to not go over-the-top with his character, like probably a lot of other actors would had done.
The movie also has some other decent actors in it, that fits their roles fine, such as for instance Jeffrey Combs, Lincoln Kilpatrick and Vernon Wells.The story and its storytelling are at times really quite messy and bad but when you can look all past that, "Fortress" is still some good mindless fun for you.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
Stuart Gordan the master of really (and I mean REALLY) cheezy literature based horror movies (Re-Animater, Pit and the Pendulem, Castle Freak, From Beyond etc.) brings us FORTRESS, a Christopher Lambert, Sci-Fi classic.
That way when guys like me go to the video store and we're not in the mood for some hollywood bullsh*t, and we've rented every horror movie on the shelves a hundred times, and there hasn't been a new Bruce Campbell "straight to video" classic released in ages, we can pick up one (or all) of the seven Christopher Lambert videos that have come out that week and know that our weekend is not going to be a complete waste!.
"Re-Animator" had a very nice and catchy ending so I thought Gordon would have another surprise like that waiting here, but sadly there is none.But that aside, this is an enjoyable film and seeing those early 90s computer effects at work is always fun, especially since the ones here never try to outrun themselves.
In the future having more than one baby is illegal, Christopher Lambert and his trophy wife Loryn Locklin has broken this law, so they are sent to a futuristic prison where sadistic Kurtwood Smith runs things with excruciating fury of the worst degree.
Christopher Lambert has always been hit and miss, he made the excellent Highlander, made forgettable comedies and then made the dungheap sequel everyone knows about (The Quickening, for those fortunate not to have seen it) however Fortress represents one of Lambert's best works, which is good in that it's consistently watchable and interesting through out but bad because it isn't fantastic and which speaks how good Lambert's movies in general were.
A Stuart Gordon Sci-Fi action movie about a private underground supermax prison in the future year of 2017.It is scary that I felt like there are things in this that I felt could have very much come about in that year.
Private prisons, population control, cops killing civilians, half-human half-machine prison wardens made from the non-aborted babies of the prisoners...well one of those things may be a stretch.Plot-wise, after being caught at the Canadian border trying to escape America with his wife who is pregnant with their second child.
Kurtwood Smith is great as Warden Poe and Lambert plays his typical combat hardened ex-military agent he has portrayed in the likes of Mean Guns.Good supporting characters and few plot holes round the movie out.
Film has usual prison themes - the hero a victim of injustice (in this case imprisoned for trying to father a second child which is outlawed by the State), a brutal Governor, homosexual threats from butch inmates, old guy who is full of philosophical monologues, etc, etc.Some sci-fi themes are thrown in - prisoners have an internal tag called an 'Intestinator' which can give pain or even kill as commanded by a female talking computer (allowing some Alien-like stomach exploding of a very third rate); things are controlled by a faceless all-powerful Corporation (like Rollerball, Blade Runner, etc).
Despite the 'Highlander' series, I'm not convinced that Christopher Lambert has any of the ingredients to be an action hero and I find him bland and dreary.The sci-fi films from the 50's & 60's still stomp all over lame efforts like this..
They're both nabbed trying to make a break for Mexico, locked away in a horrific prison called Fortress, a place where science has run amok and all kinds of neurological and biological experiments are performed on the inmates under the steely direction of evil Director Poe (Kurtwood Smith).
Vernon Wells sticks his head in as another prisoner, but aside from that, one will be hard-pressed to recall any of the other cast members' names.Truth be told, I am having the hardest time recalling anything about this film, save for one classic scene in which Christopher Lambert is about to mount some woman who may or may not be his character's love interest here.
The irony of people trying to get to Mexico to start a better life is about the smartest element of the entire movie.They're caught, and sent to prison in the Fortress, a huge underground complex where inmates are fitted with "intestinators," small devices forced into the gastrointestinal system which create pain as a method of discipline, and serve as targeting beacons for the sentry guns of the complex.Naturally, Brennick wants out.
Not a groundbreaking or overly innovating movie in anyway, but still it is good entertainment.The story in "Fortress" is about John Brennick (played by Christopher Lambert) and Karen Brennick (played by Loryn Locklin) who are sent to an underground high security prison for having an illegal pregnancy.
But John Brennick wants to get to his wife and break out of the Fortress prison at all costs.The reason for why I watched this movie even back in 1992 or 1993 is because of Jeffrey Combs (playing D-Day in this movie), as I am a big fan of him and his movies.
Christopher Lambert and Kurtwood Smith star in this hi-tech sci-fi prison film- where the prison is located underground, and you get these intestinal implants that ensure you never escape.
There's something very comforting for me about watching Christopher Lambert in the nineties sci-fi/action movie 'Fortress.' It's like revisiting an old friend in a comfortable environment.
The titular 'Fortress' is a prison (tower) buried under the ground in the desert where escape is 'impossible' (yeah, in the same way that 'no one' had ever won 'The Running Man' until Arnie had a go).Once imprisoned, Lambert is subjected to all the usual prison movie tropes, including clichéd cellmates, aggressive bully-type alpha-male prisoners and – of course – the fascist warden in charge, this time played by Kurtwood Smith (or that-baddie-in-Robocop to most of us).
In this movie we observe how a family with an illegal baby tries to pass the population control and it shows how they feel, what are their emotions and all of that staff.I liked this movie because of the plot and the story of it and because of the interpretation of Christopher Lambert who plays as John Henry Brennick and he did a great job.
Imagine a version of those classic prison movies - PAPILLON, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - updated violently into a futuristic setting and what you'll have is FORTRESS, a gung-ho ride full to the brim of action.
Despite the associated delays and bad press, the film was completed, much to the delight of sci-fi aficionados.Christophe Lambert portrays an ex-marine John Brennick who's wife Karen (played ably by Loryn Locklin) is expecting her second child.
I watched it and loved it, it may be a low-budget film but it was great.Lambert does a great performance as John Brennick a man sent to the Fortress because he wanted another kid with his wife Karen.
The law in the future says you can have only one child and that's it.Kurtwood Smith does an equally great performance as the warden Poe, who gets pleasure out of watching the inmates sexual dreams but dreams are not allowed in the Fortress.
Each prisoner is implanted with a device that shocks them if they break the rules and also kill them if they misbehave too much.Jeffery Combs is good as D-Day a computer genius, his performance in Re-Animator was great too.Fortress is a great sci-fi film that wont disappoint.
Fortress is set in the near future where America has become a Government controlled country, it is illegal for a couple to have more than one baby & because of this former Black Beret Captain John Henry Brennick (Christopher Lambert) & his wife Karen (Loryn Locklin) are trying to escape over the border to Mexico.
Despite a relatively poor & underdeveloped script at least it moves along at a decent pace, there are a few entertaining action set-pieces & it doesn't last for too long either but I had hoped for something a little better & slightly more substantial.When he made Fortress director Gordon had some good genre efforts behind him like the excellent Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986), Dolls (1987) & The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) so it's maybe a little disappointing to see him turn his hand to such a generic & surprisingly thoughtless sci-fi film.
The cast are strangely off colour too, Lambert doesn't make much impression as the hero, the always watchable Jeffrey Combs is wasted while Kurtwood Smith was probably cast because of his superb performance in Robocop (1987) but doesn't really seem that interested or intense as the villain.Fortress was the most widely distributed film Gordon ever had & it's a shame it's a bit of a let down, it's not a complete disaster as it's an alright watch but it's fairly moronic stuff most of the time & doesn't feature any of the biting satire or commentary most great sci-fi have like Robocop or Starship Troopers (1997) to name but two..
Brennick has to come up with a plan to escape the prison and save his wife, while contending with the evil Prison Director Poe (Kurtwood Smith) and his AI sidekick Zed-10 (voice of Carolyn Purdy-Gordon).Fortress is a pretty silly film, but as with most things starring Christopher Lambert, enjoyably silly. |
tt1316037 | Birdemic: Shock and Terror | Rod (Alan Bagh) is a young software salesman living a successful life in Silicon Valley. He meets up with old classmate and aspiring fashion model Nathalie (Whitney Moore) and begins dating her. Things go well for the couple, with Rod receiving a large bonus that he uses to start his own business, while Nathalie is chosen as a Victoria's Secret model. As they grow closer, the couple remains oblivious to signs of something going wrong around them, such as unexplained wildfires and the carcasses of diseased birds turning up on beaches.
After consummating their relationship in a motel, Rod and Nathalie wake up to find that their town is under attack from eagles and vultures. The birds spit acid and explode into flames upon striking the ground. On the DVD commentary, the director explained that was because they became mutated and toxic due to global warming. Rod and Nathalie escape from the motel by joining up with an ex-Marine named Ramsey (Adam Sessa) and his girlfriend Becky (Catherine Batcha). As they leave town, they rescue two young children, Susan (Janae Caster) and Tony (Colton Osborne), whose parents have been killed by the birds.
The group proceeds to drive from one town to the next, fending off more bird attacks along the way and briefly meeting a scientist named Dr. Jones (Rick Camp) studying the phenomenon. Becky is killed by the birds. Ramsey tries to save a busload of tourists. As they leave the bus, Ramsey and the tourists are killed by acid that is dropped by the birds. Nathalie stops Rod from attempting to rescue Ramsey because she feared the birds will kill him, too.
Rod, Nathalie and the kids continue to flee from the birds, driving into a forest where they briefly meet a "Tree Hugger" named Tom Hill (Stephen Gustavson), who talks to them about the dangers of global warming. On the DVD commentary, the director explained that the birds were attacking people in retaliation for global warming, and that they were targeting gas stations and cars, since they burn carbon dioxide [sic]. After escaping a forest fire, the quartet ultimately settles on a small beach, where Rod fishes for dinner. As they prepare to eat, they are attacked by the birds, but then doves appear and all the birds leave in peace. The film ends as Rod, Nathalie and the kids watch the birds fly off into the horizon. | cult | train | wikipedia | The movie tricks a viewer like yours truly; at first, having not seen anything made by its director, the inimitable James Nguyen - he has two other films to his credit, Replica and Julie and Jack, neither seen by me (just as well, one of whom gives its highest praise as "Ed Wood quality" on IMDb) - I wasn't sure what I was really seeing, if it was either the highest or lowest of artistic expression.The film takes place in some sunny seaside community on the California coast - as we're made PAINFULLY CLEAR in the opening from-the-car driving shots (immediately calling to mind the opening credits of Manos: The Hands of Fate) - and is about how Rod (Alan Bough) and Nathalie (Whitney Moore), who meet one day by chance, he a successful solar-panel salesman and she a Victoria's Secret model (she just made the cover!) Oh, and there's an almost inexplicable warning of a crazy-killer bird epidemic on the news, from, um, I guess it's global warming.
I kept thinking during the film, 'either Nguyen is a total genius, crafting the most intentionally bad movie in recent memory, or he's quite possible the most sickening hack you've never wanted to meet.' It's one thing that the film was shot on a shitty camcorder.
It's another that the actors appear to be non-professionals or at best from community theater (Alan Bagh is so stiff he just might make your eyes bleed; Moore is too hot to have that happen, though her talent is just as nill).But it's something else how absolutely, and surprisingly consistently, awful the film-making is.
oh, boy, the birds (if you need further proof, watch the trailer, do yourself a favor and get it out of the way).Now, again, experiencing this film, especially in the case I had in a theater with people perhaps anticipating its awfulness based on the trailer or the website or the claim by Nguyen to be a "Master of the Romantic Thriller" (Trademarked.
Certainly the "message" part of the movie- and it's wielded with such a sledgehammer it would make Stanley Kramer look like Jim Jarmusch - is done to such a ludicrous extent, with characters appearing for walk-on scenes like a Old-man Biologist who appears to explain that the birds were caused by man's harm to the planet, or the "Tree-Man" in the woods who has a tree-house home and finds the birds don't attack him because he's in the woods and not out on the road like the rest of stupid man-animal civilization.
But Birdemic, friends and neighbors, is the worst movie in the history of film-making, on this planet or in any other dimension for that matter.
The worst audio issue was when they film on the beach because the sounds of the beach are 5 times louder than the actors voices.The movie itself is very slow paced, the first half of the movie is just the main guy meeting his dream girl and building their relationship.
This feels like an eternity where it goes from his boring job that he is way too enthusiastic about, his obsession with a greener world, and his dates.The second half of the movie is when the birds finally go on a rampage.
If it featured better sound, editing, writing, acting, direction and special effects, it might just be a forgettable homage to "The Birds"; its very flaws elevate (or should I say depress?) it to a special level otherwise occupied by a few special films like "The Room" and "Manos: the Hands of Fate" ~ the legendary realm of films that are so bad they're good.
However, even this joke wears thin pretty quickly, and you're left feeling quite empty, as if you've been cheated out of 95 minutes of your life.Nonetheless, I am firmly convinced that it is the director James Nguyen who is having the last laugh, as he has created a film so notoriously bad that everyone wants to see it.
I watched birdemic thinking it was a 'deliberately bad so it's funny' kinda movie.
When an actor can't even walk straight without showing signs of having something rectangular shoved up his rectum, there's something wrong.After about 45 minutes of clapping (yes, see it for yourself), a love story that makes the Twilight-saga seem like "The Notebook" and "Titanic" combined, dialouges that are from another planet and all-in- all all I'm thinking: Is this movie the "Shock and Terror" the sub-title proclamates?
This film sucks a giant donkey's wiener; nothing makes sense with meaningless characters, god awful special effects, and don't get me started on the acting - BUT - I love this film simply because I couldn't stop laughing, and laughing, and laughing, and laughing.If laughter is the best medicine, this'll heal cancer.The plot is something to do with birds or something, I don't really care what the plot is because when I first saw those birds dive bombing into buildings I fell off the sofa and on to the, harder than I thought, wooden floor.You may start watching this film and almost immediately give up from the long driving scene and windows movie maker opening credits, but you got to stay strong because before you know it a girl gets killed by a bird while peeing on the side of the road.In conclusion - A masterpiece of cinema..
I work at a branch library and one day as I was checking Birdemic out to one of our older patrons, she said to me, "Whenever I feel down or depressed, I check out this movie and watch it and it always makes me feel better." At the time, I thought that was very strange.
Non-stop action combines with stunning special effects to portray the inherent struggle that humans face against killer eagles and vultures around the world on a daily basis; this film might just be the inspiration needed for governments to tackle this global problem.Birdemic and Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus are the best movies I have ever seen.
The lack of acting skill reminds me of a 3rd grade Christmas play.By FAR the worst movie EVER.Even the Rifftrax version was hard to watch....The only believable actor was the little girl.
Birdemic is one of those movies which are so extremely bad that it ends up being funny, the production quality, cinematography, audio, acting, and pretty much all about it is so bad that it makes up for a great movie to watch with drunk friends, even more if you enjoy subjecting them to excruciating pain and despair, I mean the film is basically and established joke nowadays so there's no point on me talking much about it.
This is one of the rare "Hey, I just got a camera, let's film something" abominations that I enjoyed..but I use term enjoyment loosely as this thing is, what I call, an endurance testing vehicle.It doesn't quite have the charm of The Room (another home made keeper), but it excels in all of the other trashy movie checklist dogma(s)..absolutely no plot, absolutely no acting, absolutely no special effects, absolutely no directing/editing/sound, absolutely NOTHING.
The movie's biggest enemy is not the birds but the director itself ( and the hungry kids).( Btw : in case u don't know, the special effects are really bad)..
From the terrible muffled sound which varies with every camera angle, revealing that there microphone was on the camera and sometimes the background noise drowns out the dialogue, to the script and acting which makes you want to throw things (the lead guy walks like a drugged 5 year old, which is a shame as there are many long minutes of footage devoted to showing him just walking).And then we have to bird effects which look like a screen saver or a phone app.
Stuck just on top of the filmed action we see looped animations of birds which can seemingly hover in one place flapping in slow motion.The appalling plot sees our heroes spend 45 minutes doing normal everyday things like dating, meeting the parents, visiting restaurants and driving cars before anything happens.
It might just be the worst, most boring movie about killer birds and ecology ever made.Rod (Alan Bagh) is a successful software salesman who has just started dating Nathalie (Whitney Moore), a Victoria's Secret model.
But it's not as relevant as the message of this movie: Nguyen saw 'An inconvenient truth' and thought it would be a good idea to make global warming the cause of the birds' madness, turning this movie into a bad horror with elements of ecological propaganda that nobody cares about.
Like if you want a good laugh with some friends, watch this movie.A group of my buddies and I were in stitches the entire time.Aside from the humorous aspect of this disaster, I'm afraid there is little-to-no-value in watching this.
The 1st problem I have with this....um..."thing" is that whoever was involved in this process couldn't speak up and say "Um, Mr. Nguyen, what the fu*$ are we doing?" The 2nd problem is whenever someone tries to send a political message in a film, either you better know what you are talking about or at least do it somewhat well, because if you do it as shitty as this nutcase, you will look like a complete idiot and disgrace all your hippy friends...dear God!
You inevitably realize how the filmmakers are trying to manipulate the viewer rendering its manipulatory attempts ineffective but not without reminding you that it does nothing else than what most action-y big budget movies do and you think to yourself: "Even if done well, how could I ever fall for such stupidity in other movies?" It exposes the fabric of movie-making itself and therefore if you watch 'Birdemic' attentively you will never see an overly manipulative or cliché-ridden movie the same way again.There's the story arc of establishing the hero with a romance before it turns into the movie we actually want to see.
So careless that they take a break from escaping the attacking birds by having a picnic outdoors with their kidnapped children who just lost their parents and whose only purpose in the film (apart from getting "rescued" by our the-second-coming-of-Siegfried protagonist) is to bitch that they are hungry and that instead of fresh fish they want a Happy Meal®.There's a theme that runs through the whole film as is typical for even the most shallow disaster movie but this one really rubs it into the viewer's face.
The sound comes and goes from time to time, the picture quality is good, not much for horror scenes, and the birds when they attack looks so fake; like a video game.We have seen our share of bad movies but, this one takes the cake; I would not recommend this movie at all unless the person is that bored and willing to watch this kind of cheesy class b movie.I have noticed that there is supposed to be a part 2 to this movie; I don't think I will be renting it, it's supposed to be in 3D too but, if it's as bad as this one; forget it, I won't waste my money or time.This is more of a made for TV movie, but I wouldn't recommend this for TV either; I don't know what they were thinking when they did this movie..
My view on this movie is that the director wanted you to feel his pain, wanted you to understand how difficult it was to make a movie on Tesco vouchers, wanted you to experience all the feelings of watching his masterpiece movie that he knew he could never make so he gave you all those feelings by reversing the 'good film, plot, special effect' guide developed by Hollywood and translated it into Birdemic.
Anyone who has watched this film is in an elite club, they know and they cant wait to pass on the word.Despite what anyone else thinks my short summary is: I love many movies however I don't write a god damn review about them.
I fail to understand how any person can dislike such a masterpiece.I will stand by my word, the film Birdemic, is truly one of the best movies I have ever seen (and I've seen thousands) Why?
The special FX birds and gore were an afterthought, the sound was either muddled or rerecorded ADR in a studio with different actors, some of the shots went on for way too long, the direction of the actors was jarring and made the characters feel creepy towards each other, the plot is an abomination, and every step these characters take, you're screaming at them as the audience, "what are you doing?!" The main blonde actress has been interviewed about the film where she explained that the director would often run out of money and call them back to shoot scenes randomly.I had a great time watching it, though.
If you like to watch bad movies, you've got to see Birdemic.
I know that a lot of people call this or that movie "the worst movie ever made," but in this case I have to say that this is definitely the worst movie I've ever seen.First I'll discuss the "plot." Apparently global warming is so bad it makes birds in southern California attack people, even conducting kamikaze attacks against buildings and gas pumps (complete with aircraft sound effects!).
Kids playing with a ball and having a good time while they're on the run from killer birds (and after their parents were killed by same).The first 45 minutes or so of this "movie" center around the hero, Rod, who finds the woman of his dreams, Nathalie, and starts to develop a relationship with her.
Watch the scene early in the movie where Mr. Stick-butt is walking into the building, and then contrast that with how naturally the extras are walking.And the piece de resistance is the incredibly cheesy special effects birds in the form of what appears to be animated GIFs added to the video post filming.
If you don't want to sit through the whole thing, watch the trailer or see the video showing the "best" action scenes from the movie.I understand they've made a Birdemic 2.
I don't undersand why a lot of people still thinking that "The Room" of 2003 is the worst movie in history exinting this.Comparing to The Room, this one has worse directing, worse acting (hard to belive but true), worse script, worse visual effects (with much difference), and worse sound.But beacuse is an idependient film got no nominations to the Razzies at 2010, The Last Airbender (from that year) at least has good sound, descent cinematography and decent prduction design and not so bad acting.You better search the accidentaly hilarous scenes on youtube than see it, is a waste of time..
I am lighthearted, and like lots of movies people consider bad (Troll 2, Satan's little helper, The Room, etc.), I can usually laugh at films that I myself find bad.
Possibly the finest acting, story, editing, and sound engineering ever committed to film.What happens when a director/writer completes a masterpiece?What movie can fill the empty hole in your life?What is the meaning of life?Where can we look for answers?Birdemic is the answer to all of these questions..
There's even one particularly hilarious scene where Rod and Nathalie go out for a double-date and chose to see "An Inconvenient Truth", just so Rod can spout the dialog "That was a good movie, 'An Inconvenient Truth!'" while his friend retorts with "That is it, I am getting myself a car that's more environmentally friendly!" The film is liberally peppered with awkward and out-of-place moments like that, and it's brilliant picking up on them with repeated viewings.Our entire cast seems completely clueless, save for a bizarrely honest and well-natured performance by Patsy van Ettinger in a supporting role as Nathalie's mom and Stephen Gustavson as a frankly kind of eerie "tree-hugger" (that's how he's credited) that the gang runs into.
There are some great scenes in Birdemic, like the choppy applause scene, but I got more bored while watching this movie than many other bad movies.
Well, then you learn by watching a bad movie and not masterpieces.Birdemic is about a small Californian town which gets attacked by deadly birds one day.
But the script, directing and most of all acting is so poor.Alan Bagh who plays the main character in Birdemic, is the worst actor I've ever seen in a movie.
And the birds make a sound that gives you an headache within a second.The movie continues to be a bad film throughout.
Like many other bad movies, this has massive pacing problems making the film a very dull slog.
This movie made the room look like a masterpiece its terrible acting, terrible set,awful cgi effects,and weird audio cuts during dialouge,I can't find anything good to offer in this film,I actually procrastinated this review multiple times because i couldn't finish the "movie",atleast the room has a cult following,but not birdemic oh no this film has a following but its not at cult status thats how bad it is,not to mention the first hour out of the 1:31:10 running time of the film is nothing but pointless sequences that have nothing to do with the film and i swear they used a 8 mm camera to film this,for a 2010 release it has poor visual qualities and the audio OH GOD!
Worst movie ever, that you MUST watch (So bad it's good).
In this film you get what you would see in any other bad movie like the CG, the acting, the music, the lighting, and the camera work to name a few staples.
Watching this movie will be a good primer for anyone looking to get into the genre because it will be bad, it will be terrible, but the "accidents" to gawk at in other films are here in spades. |
tt0104797 | Malcolm X | As the opening credits roll, we hear Malcolm X (Denzel Washington) delivering a speech about the oppression of the black race by the white race, openly and loudly accusing whites of murder, rape and slavery. Intercut with the credits is footage of the 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers and an American flag burning into an "X".In the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, in the early years of World War II, a young Malcolm Little meets with his friend, Shorty (Spike Lee) at a local barber shop to have his hair straightened to make him acceptable to whites. The process is a painful one, with a concoction of eggs and lye applied to Malcolm's head and combed out. Malcolm admires himself in the mirror and he and Shorty take to the streets dressed in colorful "zoot" suits.In a flashback sequence, Malcolm narrates that he grew up poor in rural Nebraska. When his mother was pregnant with him, a small group of Ku Klux Klan riders broke the windows of his parents' house, looking for his father, a local minister and activist. Malcolm later narrates that his family's home was burned down and his father was murdered when he was four or five, thrown in front of a train after suffering a skull injury. The case was falsely recorded as a suicide and his family received no compensation, becoming destitute. Malcolm's mother, who was of Caribbean descent and partially white, married his father because he was black and a follower of Marcus Garvey, who preached that Black Americans should return to Africa to have their own region of the world, free of white influence. Eventually, his mother was remanded to a mental institution and Malcolm and his brothers and sisters became wards of the state. Malcolm, while in grade school, showed excellent academic skills and told a teacher he wanted to be a lawyer. However, his racist teacher tells him that it "isn't a practical career for a negro".Flashing back to contemporary 1944, Malcolm and Shorty and their girlfriends go to a jitterbug club. After a rigorous dancing number, Malcolm meets Sophia (Kate Vernon), a white, blond woman who becomes infatuated with him. Malcolm's black girlfriend, Laura (Theresa Randle), is a devout Catholic and has avoided Malcolm's sexual advances. Eventually, Malcolm takes up with Sophia. At one point, he treats her with obvious racial misogyny, getting her to feed him breakfast.Working for a local railroad company, Malcolm travels to Harlem. He goes to a bar where his drink is doubled unexpectedly by a man named West Indian Archie (Delroy Lindo), who runs numbers locally. When Malcolm is harassed by another patron who insults his clothes and speaks ill of his mother, Malcolm hits the man in the head with a liquor bottle. Archie recognizes that Malcolm won't back down in a fight and calls him over to his table. Malcolm sees immediately that Archie is a person of considerable influence and goes to work for him, running numbers.One night, while Malcolm, Sophia and Archie drink and snort cocaine, Malcolm places a bet for several numbers with Archie. One of Malcolm's numbers hits and he stands to collect a large sum of money. Archie denies that Malcolm had the number and reminds his protege of his reputation for never forgetting a number. Malcolm chooses to break his ties with Archie.A few nights later, at a dinner club, Archie threatens Malcolm. Malcolm escapes through the bathroom window. He returns to Boston, reconnects with Shorty and the two resolve to become petty thieves. One of their first partners, Rudy, tells them about a elderly man he takes care of who has money and many valuable items in his house. When Rudy declares he'll lead the group, Malcolm plays Russian Roulette, threatening to blow off Rudy's nose. A terrified Rudy tells Malcolm to lead the group.The robbery is a success and over a period of time, Shorty and Malcolm loot a considerable amount. One night, while Shorty and Malcolm straighten Malcolm's hair, they discover the water has been turned off. Malcolm is forced to rinse his head in the toilet bowl and he and Shorty are arrested when the police burst in. Sophia and Peg (Debi Mazar) are also arrested. The racist judge (a cameo by civil rights attorney William Kuntsler), after hearing a guilty verdict, sentences the two white women to 18 months for their association with the robbery group, but harshly sentences both Shorty and Malcolm to eight to ten years for 14 different robbery charges and declares the sentences will be served concurrently (a devastated Shorty faints in the courtroom, thinking he'd serve over 100 years until Malcolm explains what "concurrent" sentencing is).Malcolm is sent to a Massachusetts penitentiary. On his first day he refuses to recite his incarceration number and is thrown into solitary confinement. The prison priest (Christopher Plummer) tries to reach Malcolm but is obscenely rebuffed. Malcolm is eventually released and recites his number. While in the showers, straightening his hair, he is met by Baines (Albert Hall), a member of the Nation of Islam, the black Muslim organization of the United States. Baines tells Malcolm that the best way out of prison, both the penitentiary and the figurative prisons of his mind, is through the teachings of Elijah Muhammad (Al Freeman Jr.), the founder and leader of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm refuses at first but grows more interested in Baines' preachings. Malcolm becomes a willing student; Baines tells him that all white people are not to be trusted. Baines has Malcolm copy out an entire English language dictionary, pointing out the double-standards that guide words like "black" and "white", telling his student that he must learn the meanings behind every word and that language is the key to using the white race's power against them. Malcolm is reluctant at first to pray directly to Allah until he has a vision in his jail cell of Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad tells him that the only path to truth is through Allah. Malcolm finally gains the courage to pray as a Muslim. Malcolm also becomes a sore point for the prison priest; Malcolm challenges the traditional images of Jesus and the apostles, claiming they were anything but white.Malcolm is paroled from prison in 1952, after serving six years and he goes to the Nation's headquarters in Chicago where he meets Elijah Muhammad himself. Malcolm is noticeably humbled by the experience and breaks down in awe-filled tears at meeting his savior. As part of joining the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad instructs Malcolm to drop his last name of 'Little', which his ancestors inherited from a white slave owner, and replace it with the letter 'X' which is a symbol of his lost African surname.Malcolm X returns to Harlem and begins his life as a preacher for the Nation of Islam. The Nation sets up a mosque in a single room and their congregation quickly grows. At one point, Malcolm, while preaching a sermon, sees Shorty in the crowd. He embraces him, kindly pointing out that Shorty is a representative of his former criminal life and the two go out for coffee. Shorty tries to get Malcolm to join him for a cocaine fix but Malcolm tells him that he's clean. Malcolm gets news about West Indian Archie and his old gang from Shorty and finds out where Archie is living. Archie has since suffered a stroke and lives as an invalid in a squalid Bronx apartment. Malcolm visits him and comforts him when he sees how poor life has become for his old boss. Malcolm also challenges the Harlem division of the New York City Police Department when one of his temple's members, Brother Johnson, is beaten in the streets and taken to jail and denied medical attention. Malcolm gathers the Fruit of Islam, the Nation's security force, and, joined by a growing mob of local protesters, marches on the police precinct, demanding to see Johnson. When he is turned down he calmly and firmly tells the officers in charge that neither he nor the Fruit of Islam will move until they are satisfied that Johnson is being cared for properly. The silent protest works and Johnson is taken to the hospital. Malcolm orders the Fruit of Islam to disperse and leaves the angry crowd on the street for the police to deal with. As the Nation leaves, the captain (a cameo by Peter Boyle) remarks "that's too much power for one man to have."A short time, while drinking coffee in a nearby cafe, a young man named Benjamin, who'd witnessed the police beating of Brother Johnson and was impressed with Malcolm's stolid handling of the police, approaches Malcolm and asks him how he can become a Muslim. Malcolm questions Benjamin carefully, saying he shouldn't join an organization if he doesn't understand it. Benjamin becomes disappointed and begins to leave when Malcolm tells him he shouldn't give up easily either. Malcolm invites him to come to his temple the next day. Benjamin leaves, promising he'll make Malcolm proud of him.In 1958, Malcolm meets his future wife, nurse Betty Sanders (Angela Bassett). The two are instantly attracted to each other and Malcolm eventually proposes to her. They are married in a private ceremony and plan to have children. They are soon the parents of four daughters.Over the next few years as Malcolm's influence grows, he soon finds himself in a high advisory position to Elijah Muhammad himself, which draws much jealously from Baines. As a result, Malcolm receives less attention in the Nation's official publication, "Muhammad Speaks". Baines speaks to Muhammad directly, telling him that Malcolm may be shamelessly courting the white media for himself, rather than for the good of the Nation. Following a formal public speaking session, Malcolm is confronted by a disgruntled man who suggests that Muhammad may not be the benevolent leader the Nation believes him to be.Malcolm, tipped by Betty, begins to investigate reports in the New York Post that Muhammad himself may have fathered illegitimate children with at least two unmarried women who served on his office staff. Malcolm talks to the women who confirm the reports and have been ostracized within the Nation. Malcolm privately confronts Muhammad who claims that, because he himself never married, that he must father his progeny any way he can. Baines also tries to justify Muhammad's philandering by recounting the stories of both Noah (a drunk) and Solomon (who had many wives). Malcolm is not convinced and loses much of his stature and faith in the Nation of Islam.In November 1963, Malcolm's candid and brutally truthful reputation is further damaged when, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, publicly states that the president's death was an example of the historical violence of the white race and the United States itself, referring to the incident as an example of "the chickens coming home to roost." The remark is quickly misconstrued in American newspapers, prompting anger from both the black and white establishments. Muhammad, who appears to be in poor health, decides to sideline Malcolm by informing him that his duties as the Nation of Islam's spokesperson are suspended for 90 days. Malcolm is enraged by what he sees as a clear case of betrayal by both Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, but he none the less accepts and submits to the punishment.In early 1964, during his suspension, Malcolm decides to complete a "hajj", a holy journey of self-discovery to the Middle East and Mecca in Saudi Arabia, required of all Muslims if they are able. He tours the ancient pyramids at Giza, knowing that he's being tailed by two men he assumes are CIA agents. Arriving in Mecca, he participates in the Muslim ritual of the seven circuits around the Kaaba, drinks from the Well of Zamzam and kisses the Black Stone. He also realizes that Islam is not limited to people of Arab, Middle Eastern or African descent, but the many people in his pilgrimage include many Caucasian whites, mixed race people and Asians as well. Malcolm willingly eats and prays with them. The hajj changes Malcolm's outlook and he experiences a spiritual re-awakening, realizing that exclusion of races other than African-Americans from Islam cannot accomplish anything.Returning to the United States, he gives a press conference where he declares that his days of preaching for African-American separation from white America are over. He forms a new Islamic organization, the Organization for African-American Unity (OAAU), one that will spread the word of tolerance of all who wish to worship Allah and the Qur'an, and which involves breaking his relations with the Nation of Islam. Very soon, Malcolm's family begins to receive death threats on the phone from Nation of Islam members. Malcolm guards his house at night with a rifle.One night in February 1965, two firebombs are thrown at Malcolm's house and he gives a public statement to a television news crew that if he'd actually seen the bombers himself, he'd have opened fire on them in the street.Malcolm receives further death threats and becomes somewhat despondent. He arranges to speak at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem on February 21, 1965, his first such public speech since founding OAAU. Malcolm goes to a New York hotel and stays overnight there, possibly to draw attention away from his family. He receives more death threats from the Nation of Islam in his hotel room. He drives to the Audubon and meets a woman on the street who tells him not to listen to his detractors and that Jesus will protect him -- Malcolm acknowledges her kindness. One of his men, Brother Earl (James McDaniel), wants to position guards around the stage and podium and wants everyone attending to be searched to insure Malcolm's safety. Malcolm refuses, saying he wants the attendees of the speech to feel relaxed. Malcolm also becomes angry when his staff inform him that the OAAU program hasn't been completed and that the reverend scheduled to speak before Malcolm cannot attend. The rest of the staff are excused and Malcolm speaks alone to Brother Earl, muttering about the present day being "a time for martyrs." He also refuses to postpone the engagement when Earl suggests it. Earl leaves and Malcolm prepares his notes.In the auditorium, Betty and Malcolm's daughters are seated in the front row while Brother Benjamin 2X (the same young man from the cafe scene) speaks ahead of Malcolm and introduces him. Malcolm steps to the podium and greets the crowd when a man in the back row suddenly starts shouting at someone... intended as a distraction. While the security guards run over and deals with the yelling man (exactly as planned), a man in the second row runs up to the stage and opens fire. Malcolm smiles slightly and is hit in his left shoulder and chest by two shotgun blasts and falls to the stage. Two additional assassins in the front row also rush the stage and shoot Malcolm several more times with pistols. As the killers run out of the auditorium, one of them is caught and beaten by the angry crowd. The police arrive a few minutes later to find Betty holding her dead husband and crying. Malcolm's body is taken to a nearby hospital just down the street where he is declared dead-on-arrival from multiple gunshot wounds.The story ends with Martin Luther King's weary statement on Malcolm's death and the violence that caused it. The same eulogy delivered by Ossie Davis at Malcolm's memorial services plays over a montage of film and photographs of the real Malcolm. Footage of Nelson Mandela (recently released from prison after 30 years) speaking to a South African grade school class is also shown. The final shot is of Malcolm himself shouting "By any means necessary." | murder, cult, violence, flashback, historical, blaxploitation | train | imdb | null |
tt1289406 | Harry Brown | Shot with a cellphone camera, the film opens with a gang initiation, where a boy living on a council estate in South London is made to take drugs and hold a pistol. He is later shown joyriding with two others on a motorbike, harassing and shooting dead a mother walking her child, and then fleeing only to be killed by an oncoming lorry.The eponymous Harry Brown (Michael Caine), an elderly former Royal Marine and Northern Ireland veteran, tries his best to be indifferent about his violent neighbourhood. He lives in a small flat at Heygate Estate in Walworth, London. He often pays visits to his hospitalized and comatose wife, but avoids cutting through a noisy public underpass under a local motorway, which is a gathering spot at all hours for a local street gang. Otherwise, he spends his days drinking and playing chess with his best friend, Leonard Attwell (David Bradley), at a pub run by Sid (Liam Cunningham), a shady Irishman who takes kickbacks from a pair of black marketeers, Kenny (Joseph Gilgun) and Stretch (Sean Harris).Harry is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call where he is informed that his wife is dying, but in order to reach the hospital before she passes away he must go through the underpass, but he is too scared to do so and arrives too late. After the funeral, Leonard confides that he is being bullied by some youths and shows him an old bayonet he now carries to defend himself, citing that the police would not heed his complaints. Leonard later wakes in his flat to find someone had pushed burning dog faeces through his mail slot. He goes on his balcony and curses loudly.The next day, Harry is visited by detectives Alice Frampton (Emily Mortimer) and Terry Hicock (Charlie Creed-Miles), who tell him that Leonard had been murdered. Members of a local gang, including the gang's leader Noel Winters (Ben Drew), are arrested, but they refuse to answer questions about the murder and are all released due to lack of evidence. Noel is very abusive to the cops and refers to his jailed father as the local kingpin. Harry gets drunk after Leonard's funeral, and while walking home along a cannal street, one of Noel's gang attempt to rob him with a knife; Harry's military training suddenly reasserts itself and he turns the knife on his drugged-up attacker, killing him.Detective Frampton visits Harry again the following morning and informs him that because Leonard was killed with his own bayonet, the crime will probably be reduced to manslaughter on the basis of self-defense.Harry decides to take matters into his own hands by becoming a vigilante. The following night, he follows Kenny from Sid's pub to a squalid house and manages to talk himself into a pistol deal. Inside, the drugged-up dealers are growing copious amounts of cannabis and making pornography, and have one of the girls abused in these videos on their sofa, suffering from a drug overdose. Harry asks Stretch to call an ambulance for her, but he threatens him instead, forcing Harry to ambush the pair and kills them both. He then steals several handguns, burns down the den, and drives the girl to a hospital in the drug dealers' vehicle. He notices that the bag that he had picked up at the den contains enormous amount of money, which he takes with him, after leaving a wad of notes for the girl, who is still unconscious. He later deposits this money in a church.Over the next few days, Harry continues to survey the gang and underpass from Len's old apartment. He follows a a major drug-trafficker to capture the man's nephew, newest gang member Marky (Jack O'Connell). Harry kills the man, then captures and tortures the young man into revealing some cellphone camera footage of Leonard's murder, proving the gang's involvement. Harry uses Marky to bait Noel and another gang member into a gunfight at the underpass, which ends with Noel escaping, but Marky and the other gang member are killed. Harry gives chase, but collapses after having an emphysema attack, leaving him to be taken to hospital.Certain that the recent violence is related to a gang war, Police Superintendent Childs (Iain Glen) orders a major arrest operation, unconvinced that Harry is the vigilante as Frampton has suspected. Childs tells Frampton she will be re-assigned to an Identity Theft Unit. The late-night raids on the neighbourhood result in a massive riot. Harry awakens and leaves the hospital, and Frampton convinces Hicock to help her stop him, but the two end up badly injured in a car crash in the riots. Harry rescues them and takes them to Sid's pub, where Frampton confronts Harry and tells him that Sid is actually Noel's uncle. Harry finds Sid and Noel in the pub basement and shows Sid the cellphone video. Sid appears to be apologetic but as Harry drops his guard with an emphysema attack Sid takes his gun and delivers a vicious blow.Frampton is in the midst of calling for backup when Sid and Noel come upstairs. Noel kicks and pounds the already injured Detective Inspector. Harry is thrown on the floor semi-conscious. Sid decides they will kill the three and dump them outside as riot victims. Sid suffocates Hicock to death while Noel begins strangling Frampton. Harry then manages to draw a hidden revolver and kills Noel and Sid in return shoots Harry. Harry asks to be taken out of his misery but before Sid can finally execute him, Frampton's police backup arrives and he is gunned down by a police marksman.At a news conference held after the riot, Childs states that Frampton and the late Hicock will be rewarded for their work, but denies the rumours of vigilante involvement in the entire case.The final scene is of a seemingly recovered Harry walking toward the underpass, which is now quiet and safe and the gang nowhere in sight. The VoiceOver of Childs states the impressive decrease in crime due to police efforts in the estate. | neo noir, murder, thought-provoking, cult, revenge, violence, flashback, suspenseful, sadist | train | imdb | null |
tt0090329 | Witness | Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), a young Amish widow, and her 8-year-old son Samuel (Lukas Haas) are traveling by train to visit Rachel's sister. At the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Samuel inadvertently sees two men brutally murder a third. Captain John Book (Harrison Ford) is the policeman assigned to the case.Samuel witnessed the murder, a slashing, in the restroom and escaped the killers' detection by hiding in a stall. Book and his partner, Sergeant Elton Carter (Brent Jennings), question Samuel. He is unable to identify the perpetrator from mug shot photographs or a police lineup, but notices a newspaper clipping at the police station with a picture of highly regarded narcotics officer James McFee (Danny Glover) and recognizes him as one of the killers. Book remembers that McFee was previously responsible for a drug raid where evidence had mysteriously disappeared from the police department.Book confides his suspicions to his superior officer, Chief Paul Schaeffer (Josef Sommer), who advises Book to keep the case secret so they can work out how to move forward with it. As Book returns home, he is confronted by McFee in a parking garage and badly wounded in the ensuing gunfight before McFee escapes. Since only Schaeffer had been told, Book realizes Schaeffer must have warned McFee and is also corrupt.Book calls Carter and orders him to remove the Lapp file from the records. Book then hides his Dodge and uses his sister's VW to return Rachel and Samuel to Lancaster County. After the Lapps' safe arrival in rural Pennsylvania, Book collapses from loss of blood in his vehicle in front of the Lapp farm.Impressing upon them that hospitalization will allow the corrupt officers to find him, Book is gradually tended back to health by the Amish. As Book heals, he begins to develop feelings for Rachel. The Lapps' neighbor, Daniel Hochleitner (Alexander Godunov) had himself hoped to court her and this becomes a cause of friction. Later Rachel and John are caught dancingan affront to the conservative Amish way of life. Rachels father-in-law, Eli, takes her aside and warns that if she continues she could be shunned (ostracized) by the community. Rachel, in turn, feels she has done nothing wrong.The corrupt officers intensify their efforts to find Book, who is informed via a call from a payphone that Carter has been killed. While still in town, Hochleitner and the other Amish men are harassed by local punks. Breaking with the Amish tradition of nonviolence, Book retaliates. The fight gets noticed by the local townspeople and is reported to the police. The news reaches Schaeffer.John subsequently comes upon Rachel as she bathes, and she stands half-naked without shame before him. He walks away without a word. Soon after, the two realize they are in love, but because of the publicity the fight has gotten, Book knows he must leave. Upset, Rachel removes her bonnet, and she and John run to one another, embracing with a passionate kiss.McFee, Schaeffer, and "Fergie" Ferguson (Angus MacInnes), the second killer at the train station, arrive at the Lapp farm with pump action shotguns. Book, unarmed and in the barn with Samuel, orders Samuel to run to the neighbors for safety. The trio split up and search for Book. John tricks Fergie into the corn silo and suffocates him under tons of corn. He retrieves Fergie's shotgun and kills McFee. A crazed Schaeffer then forces Rachel and Eli out of the house at gunpoint; Eli signs to Samuel (who returned unseen upon hearing gunfire) to ring the warning bell. Although Schaeffer briefly forces Book to surrender to him, the loud clanging summons all other Amish within earshot. With so many witnesses present it is clear to Schaeffer that he cannot escape, and he gives up.As Schaeffer is taken by local police and Book prepares to leave, he shares a quiet moment with Samuel, then exchanges a silent, loving gaze with Rachel. Eli bids Book goodbye for his return to Philadelphia, saying "You be careful out among the English [i.e., non-Amish]", as he had said to Rachel at the beginning of the film, and showing Book that he now respects him like the people of his own faith. As Book drives away from the Lapp farm, he passes Hochleitner, presumably on his way to court Rachel, and exchanges an amicable wave of farewell. | mystery, neo noir, murder, realism, dramatic, violence, romantic, suspenseful | train | imdb | You have tremendous suspense, a top-flight popular actor as the hero, a touching romance story, plenty of action, a different kind of setting than normal, people you care about, nice photography, very moral and very immoral people, a little humor.....I mean, this is how it's done.I also appreciated seeing Amish people (of which I am not) portrayed in a better light than secular Hollywood usually puts them.
I also liked the wholesome female lead Kelly McGillis (although she was the only Amish character out of character, a bit loose than what you would ever find) and who didn't think young Lukas Haas was the cutest kid they ever saw on film?Harrison Ford gives a typical solid performance as John Book, a Philadelphia detective who winds up protecting the young boy ("Samuel Lapp"), his mom (McGillis as "Rachel Lapp") and others against crooked cops (Hollywood's favorite kind).
During that time, we also have the blossoming romance between the two leads and then a dramatic shootout at the end when the cops find out where "Book" is staying.There are many memorable scenes in this movie, from the boy hiding in the bathroom stall as a murder takes place; Ford slugging some goon who was making fun of the Amish; Ford and McGillis dancing in the hayloft to an old rock 'n roll tune; the Amish lifestyles and the raising of the barn; and the suspenseful ending.
I would like to clear up a couple of comments made by movieguy1021, who wrote:"One thing I didn't understand is how come everyone seemed to use such strong accents yet they've been living in America for a long time."Most Amish communities mainly speak Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a dialect of German, hence the accents in the film.
The film was Weir's first in Hollywood, after achieving great success with the Australian productions 'Gallipoli' and 'The Year of Living Dangerously (1982).'Following the death of her husband, a grieving Amish woman, Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), takes her young son Samuel (Lukas Haas) into the city.
Now with a price on his head, Book falls into hiding with the reluctant Amish community, and both parties come to learn a thing or two about the conflicting values of their respective worlds.Harrison Ford has rarely given a better performance.
The film is fantastic on that level, especially thanks to Peter Weir's direction, who brilliantly shows Ford gradually becoming accepted by the Amish men.There is very little dialogue among the characters, and Rachel (McGillis) talks even less, not because she doesn't have anything to say, but because Amish rules of life don't seem to allow her to.
The filmmakers seem to have some kind of answer to how the killer's storyline should be resolved, but it's not very good.Despite the flaw, the film is excellent based on the performances of the cast, the editor who had to put all the dialogue-less scenes together (and later, won the Oscar for it), and Weir's masterful handling of the story..
Now, Harrison was terrific in this movie--probably why I wasn't bothered too much about him being the center of attention--and I think he's a very underrated actor (sure he's widely known, but recognize him more as a macho action hero than an actor), but I think if Weir decided to expand that subplot it would've made a more interesting film.Kelly McGillis is convincing as the boy's Amish mother, who gets swept away by Book.
This beautiful love story contrasts corruption with goodness.Harrison Ford underplays his role so well it is scandalous his Hollywood buddies must have laughed their arses off at him taking this role
what some cop living with Amish?
The story focuses on a detective (Harrison Ford) protecting a young Amish boy who becomes the target of a ruthless killer after he witnesses a brutal murder.
Harrison Ford gets out of his action movies to have one of the best roles of his career playing John Book.Peter Weir's film is about a hard-nosed detective named John Book who investigates a murder that a small Amish boy witnessed.
Into their midst is thrown Harrison Ford, a tough city cop who must learn to cope with their insular society.The thriller aspects, while wonderfully handled, come second to the film's exploration of Amish culture.
I mention this scene because it best reveals the true character of the movie Witness, which is not so much a police drama, but a film about one man's introspection.Witness is set, for the most part, in Amish Country in Pennsylvania.
On the weaknesses front, we have implausibilities, a formulaic story development (a typical corrupt cop movie), a mixture between thriller and educational drama that does not exactly work, lots of long dialogue-free moments that should be inspiring, but are boring in quite a few cases (eg the barn scenes), some weak humour and a bad lack of thrills.
From the script to the screen, this flows very well and is a masterpiece in itself.What future filmmakers should watch when developing a small budget story that has significant story telling.It's close to flawless and will be for years to come.Somehow they even manged to get the Amish story to be kept interesting...I never fell asleep watching people milk cows or raise barns in this movie.Yeah, it's good...and you better agree with me too....
The film features striking scenes and a score that I found enjoyable even though it frequently had synthesizers in it.Harrison Ford is well-suited to the role of John Book, a tough policeman foreign to Amish ways.
Specifically, the crime story is put on hold when John Book must hide in the Amish community to avoid the murderers.A love story is developed between Ford and McGillis which is effective and convincing and leads to great moments like the dance scene.
This is probably Harrison Ford's best performance of his career, as Book has to protect the young boy and his mother (a terrific Kelly McGillis) by joining the Amish community and adjusting to their way of life.It's a very simple script, and McGillis is extremely convincing as Rachel, a mother who gradually falls for the man whose meant to be her protector.
The chemistry between McGillis and Ford builds and builds to a divine conclusion, while equally wonderful background music heightens the emotions involved.The final showdown with the killers makes Witness even more compelling viewing, and certainly proves the point that not everyone is to be trusted...The lack of dialogue in the scene in which Book and Rachel finally part adds to the sympathetic and emotional impact of their feelings for one another.
Peter Weir's film Witness does what should be expected in a genre piece using this subject matter: place a regular guy (Harrison Ford) in the midst of this Amish world as a culture clash occurs.
With this premise, and that Book is shot and must stay put in Amish country for a bit, Weir explores the nature of the characters in this situation as opposed to the by-the-numbers plotting of the story, which are (thankfully) darker than one might usually expect.And a good deal of Witness's success is Ford in the role.
So many great things about the movie stand out, Harrison Ford is perfect, yes it's a perfect performance, his John Book is gruff and rugged yet as the story moves on he nails the endearment and knowing traits that the character calls for.
Kelly McGillis is an actress who I feel drags down nearly all the films she leads in, yet here I forgive her because she is marvellous as Rachael, an Amish woman fighting her inner feelings as much as she is the bad outside world that wants to hurt her son.Peter Weir IMHO is one of the most under praised modern day directors around {yes even now}, and here his deft hands put the story together adroitly, whilst John Searle's cinematography is gorgeous and out of the top draw.
It's an almost perfect movie as regards acting and the process of making a film, I do however fly in the face of popular opinion as regards the score, it doesn't work for me i'm sad to say, Maurice Jarre's drawn out synth seems to me out of place for the piece we are watching, I personally would of liked a more subtle string arrangement, but that is me.For those looking for a first time viewing in the Drama/Thriller genre can do no worse than seek this one out, because it's put together so well, it delivers on a plot front, and the ending doesn't pander to studio yearnings, 9/10.The S/E DVD has a wonderful making of feature that is crammed full of quality input, and for Ford worshippers such as I, it contains none aloof input from the legend himself, that alone was worth the 5 Euros it cost me for this cracking film ..
Amish youngster, away from the family farm in Lancaster County for the first time while visiting Philadelphia, witnesses a men's room killing, the victim a police officer; a good-hearted cop smells corruption and goes into hiding to help protect the child, falling in love with the boy's mother in the process.
Happily the film doesn't bottle it with an unlikely happy ending but stays true with a rather downbeat final shot.The culture clash element is interesting and is better than other Amish movies I've seen (mind you Holy Matrimony is my benchmark!), it is a lot slower than the thriller sections but that is the point.
The movie was shot in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the actual Amish country and in Philadelphia.Witness was nominated for several Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor for Harrison Ford, and Best Director for Peter Weir.
Featuring a rich, startling performance from Ford and a powerful turn by Kelly McGillis (who had only appeared on "One Life to Live", a TV movie and the marvelous film "Rueben, Rueben" at that point in her career) "Witness" still manages to amaze with the suspense that Weir generates in the film.The contrast between the gritty urban police precinct and the bucolic Amish farm country is one of the best things about the film.
Witness is a great movie with a very well developed storyline and a terrific cast.It is a very enjoyable drama which contains elements of both crime and romance that manage to balance out very nicely in this despite how different the tones of the romantic scenes and the crime scenes are.Harrison Ford delivers one of the best performances of his career in this movie,I'm a huge fan of him,but he honestly isn't someone who would take my breath away with his acting skills and someone that I think deserves an Oscar,but he easily could have received one for this movie,he takes a break from his big franchise roles to play a much smaller and more human character,and this makes for very sincere acting.I feel like it definitely needed more scenes between John and Rachel,there is plenty,but I felt that in the last thirty minutes it started revolving around it much less and I would have liked to see it develop some more.Dramatic and very well acted,I would recommend Witness to anyone looking for a good crime film or romance.
A tuff cop is hired to guard two murder witnesses,a gentle Amish mother and her son,from the killers out to silence them.Best Performance: Harrison Ford.
Harrison Ford is John Book, the "good cop" police captain who inadvertently tips his hand to the bad cops, survives an assassination attempt and has to hide out in Amish country of all places.This movie can be looked at a lot of ways but the consensus seems to be that the basic cop story plot is simply an excuse to put a gritty Harrison Ford character in the bucolic and appealing Amish setting for an hour or so.
Everyone remembers the barn raising scene, but the moment where Book and Rachel dance in the dimly lit barn to the wonderfully slow cover of "(What a) Wonderful World" is a stunning and excellent scene, perfectly capturing the emotion between the two characters in a way just about everyone in the audience should be able to fondly relate to.The directer does a good job of showing you the way of life of the Amish (or at least, his version of it) without hammering you over the head with it, and Harrison's low-intensity acting is the perfect match for that.
The movie is book-ended by a story about police corruption, as a young Amish boy (well played by Lukas Haas) witnesses the murder of an undercover police officer, and then identifies the killer as another cop.
By showing the vast differences between the violent and corrupted world of crime in Philadelphia, with the apparently simple world of the Amish, we are given an opportunity to be reborn through the adventures of Book (Harrison Ford) and the Lapp Family (McGillis and Haas).Our perceptions and knowledge are altered by the end of the film.
This is a fabulous romantic thriller, with Harrison Ford at his most magnetic as the hardened big city detective, John Book, and Kelly McGillis portraying his Amish love interest, Rachel Lapp.
I actually think he should have took home the Best Actor Oscar home that year as opposed to William Hurt for Kiss of the Spider Woman (Though I understand why he got it) Plot In A Paragraph: A young Amish boy is a witness to a murder in a train station, Philadelphia detective John Booker (Ford) is assigned to the case.
Peter Weir directed this interesting thriller that stars Harrison Ford as Philadelphia policeman John Book, who is assigned to protect a young murder witness, an Amish boy named Samuel(played by Lukas Haas) while he was traveling with his mother Rachel(played by Kelly McGillis) at a train station.
"Witness" (1985 Paramount) starring Harrison Ford is the most important movie ever made set in Lancaster County Pennsylvania old order Amish country telling their story!
"Witness" (1985 Paramount) starring Harrison Ford is the most important movie ever made set in Lancaster County Pennsylvania old order Amish country telling their story!
This solid thriller stars Harrison Ford, given his first chance to truly act, as a detective who must infiltrate an Amish community in order to protect a little boy who accidentally witnessed a murder.
Ford's detective brings with him the violence and aggression of the outside world, but he also brings an understanding to the Amish, and especially to the mother of the little boy (played by Kelly McGillis), that at heart he's not much different than they are, even if their cultures are.It's a good if unremarkable film, hampered somewhat by an obligatory and unnecessary love story that merely serves to slow things down.Grade: A-.
In my opinion his last excellent movie was "The Fugitive", but he has done some very fine things before that as well as this "Witness" proves.While traveling with his mother Rachel, a young Amish boy called Samual Lap, witnesses a murder in a washroom at the train station in Philadelphia and detective John Book is assigned to the case.
Harrison Ford plays John Book, a Philadelphia detective who is assigned to take charge of a witness to a murder involving a police officer.
When Book discovers that certain members of the police force are responsible for the crime, Ford flees with the boy and his mother (Kelly McGillis) to hide in Amish country.Superb director Peter Weir, brings excellent direction to the film and draws top-notch performances from the cast.
The film gives a very vivid description of amish life, and it is great because its not one of those movies like "Out Of Africa", that just focuses on the lifestyle and becomes very boring, but "Witness" also throws in a lot of suspense, which makes it exiting.
Weir also brings humanity and humour to all his films - lightness of touch is one of his trademarks.The heart of the film is the growing relationship between Harrison Ford's John Book and Kelly McGillis' Rachel Lapp; he the tough city cop, she the young widow from a sheltered, devout rural community.
Once you look past that, though, you'll find Witness is basically another cop thriller, but with a twist to it that actually works.Ford is Detective John Book, your average detective, and he's called into a case where an Amish boy (Lukas Haas) witnesses a murder at a train station.
Peter Weir, an Austrailian director, made this film his first in the U.S. and Weir has carefully made a masterpiece."Witness" is a great and clever thriller about a young Amish widow, Rachel (Kelly McGillis) and her son, Samuel (Lukas Haas) take John Book (Harrison Ford), a bitter and impatient Philadelphia detective who's wounded and on the run from a good friend now foe, Schaffer (Josef Sommer) and a pair of corrupt cops, to their home in the middle of an Amish community.The few scenes that Book (Ford) has with Samuel (Haas) involves mostly facial expressions is one of the strong parts.
In steps Philadelphia cop John Book (Harrison Ford) who ends up trying to get the young boy to point out who the murderer was.
A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book (Harrison Ford) goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.First of all, I have to point out that this was the first big screen role for Viggo Mortensen.
Peter Weir's first Hollywood film places Harrison Ford as John Book, a big city police officer, who, after investigating a case involving police corruption, hides out in an Amish community.
This is definately a film that I would recommend for a date, or a film to watch with your spouse.When a young Amish boy witnesses a murder of a police officer in a Philidalphia train station, it is up to John Book (played by Harrison Ford) to protect the only material witness from the people that committed the crime.
Ford is Book, a Philadelphia detective who must protect a young Amish boy who witnessed a brutal killing that involved other cops. |
tt0049833 | The Ten Commandments | The film covers the life of Moses from his discovery in a basket floating on the Nile as a baby by Bithiah, a childless young widow and daughter of the then-Pharaoh, Rameses I, to his prohibition from entering the land of Israel in the wake of God's judgment on him at the waters of Meribah. In between, the film depicts the early adulthood of Moses as a beloved foster son of Pharaoh Seti I (brother of Bithiah) and general of his armies, his romance with Throne Princess Nefertari (or Nefretiri, as she is called in the film) and rivalry with the Pharaoh's own son, Prince Rameses II.Shortly after Moses' birth, Rameses I had ordered the slaying of all firstborn male Hebrews to prevent the prophecy of the Deliverer from coming true. Moses' mother (called "Yoshebel" in the film) had set him adrift on the Nile to escape, with his sister Miriam watching from a hidden spot. Bithiah discovers the Ark while playing with other young women in the banks of the Nile. She orders them to leave, then shows her servant Memnet the baby. Memnet warned Bithiah that the swaddling cloth was Levite, so the baby was placed there to escape Bithiah's father's edict. But Bithiah declared that this baby would be her son, and remembered when the pyramids were dust, and named "Moses" because she had drawn him from the Nile (the Hebrew name "Moshe" derived from the Hebrew word "Mashu", meaning "to draw"). Despite Memnet's protests about serving a son of Hebrew slaves, Bithiah ordered her to serve him and to swear to secrecy on pain of death. But Memnet hides the cloth under her clothes.As a young general, Moses is victorious in a war with the Nubian people of ancient Ethiopia, loosing captured ibises to combat the serpents (as recorded by Josephus) and further impresses Seti I by being wily enough to enter into an alliance with the conquered Ethiopians rather than subjugate them. Moses then is charged with building a treasure city for Seti's Jubilee, that Rameses failed to complete (probably the Biblical treasure cities of Pithom and Ramases (Avaris)).Meanwhile, Moses and Nefretiri are deeply in love; she is the "throne princess", who must marry the next Pharaoh. Rameses wants her for himself, not because of any liking for her but for the throne, but Nefretiri hates him.When Moses assumes control of the project, he rescued an old grease-woman from being left to be crushed; unknown to him it was his birthmother Yoshebel. Moses tells the Egyptian Master Builder Baka, "blood makes poor mortar" and asks "are you a master builder or a master butcher?" And he frees Joshua the stonecutter who had struck an Egyptian, punishable by death, to try to save Yoshebel whom Joshua didn't know. Moses was impressed with Joshua's bravery and words, and institutes numerous reforms concerning the treatment of the slave workers such as one day in seven to rest and even going so far as to raid temple granaries for necessary food supplies. Moses questions Joshua about his God, and Joshua declares his strong faith but says that God's name is unknown.Rameses uses these changes as proof that Moses is planning an insurrection by currying the slaves' favor, and points out that the slaves are calling Moses the "Deliverer" of prophecy. However, when Seti confronts Moses, Moses argues he is simply making his workers more productive by making them stronger and happier. He proves his point with such impressive progress on the project that Seti becomes convinced that Rameses falsely accused his foster brother. Seti promises that Moses will get credit for the new city. Rameses, meanwhile, has been charged by his father with the task of finding out if there really is a Hebrew fitting the description of the Deliverer, and is having no luck.As Nefretiri is joyously preparing for marriage, Memnet informs her that Prince Moses is not a prince at all, but the son of Hebrew slaves. Nefretiri is furious at the accusation, whereupon Memnet produces the Levite cloth and tells Nefretiri to wrap their firstborn in it. Memnet also tells her that a little girl had led her to Yochebel to breastfeed Moses, which she realized must be the real mother. Nefretiri kills Memnet by pushing her over the balcony.Moses learns of this, so asks Bithiah, who dissembles and reminds him of how he never doubted her when he held his hand as he took his first step. When Moses leaves, promising that no matter what he found, he would always love her. She rushes in a chariot to Yoshebel. Bithiah pleads with her not to reveal anything, since she has put the throne of Egypt within his grasp, and also declares how much she loved and cared for him, and promised to free them and make sure they were well cared for. But Moses had followed from a distance, and Yoshebel could not look him in the eyes and deny that she was his mother. And her robe matched the pattern of the much more faded Levite cloth Memnet kept. Then Yoshebel's adult children introduce themselves to Moses as, "I am your brother, Aaron," and "I am Miriam, your sister." Bithiah sadly departs.Declaring he is not ashamed ("Egyptian or Hebrew, I'm still Moses"), but curious, he spends time working among the slaves to learn of their hardship, only to be rescued from the mudpits by Nefretiri. Moses then saves Joshua, a Hebrew stonecutter, from being whipped death at the hands of Baka; he kills Baka who was about to whip Joshua to death. Dathan, the devious and ambitious Hebrew overseer who's been charged by Rameses to help him find the Deliverer, watches from hiding. Moses confesses to Joshua that he himself is Hebrew; Joshua excitedly proclaims Moses the Deliverer, and although Moses denies it, Dathan has all the proof he needs. Revealing what he knows to Rameses, Dathan bargains for Baka's house, a post as Governor of Goshen and the ownership of Joshua's betrothed Lilia.Moses is arrested and brought in chains before Seti, who begs him to say he is not the Deliverer. Moses does so, but avows that he would free the slaves if he could. Bithiah confesses to her brother Seti that she took Moses from the Nile knowing by the design on his blankets that he was Hebrew. In a short, impassioned speech, Moses says that it is evil to enslave or oppress people, "to be stripped of spirit, and hope and faith, all because they are of another race, another creed. If there is a God, He did not mean this to be so!" Seti is grievously hurt, since he said that he had always loved him as a son, more than his own real son Rameses. So Seti imprisons him and orders his name stricken from all records and monuments, to be unspoken in Egypt forever thereafter. Rameses banishes Moses to the desert, fearing to execute him lest he create a martyr. Meanwhile, Seti proclaims Rameses to be the next Pharoah. Nefretiri as the Throne Princess is required to marry the arrogant prince, to her great distress.Moses makes his way across the desert, nearly dying of hunger and thirst. He comes to a well in the land of Midian. After drinking and eating dates from a nearby palm tree he passes out, to be awakened by the sound of seven sisters watering their flocks. Bullying Amalekites appear, pushing the girls aside, whereupon Moses wakes. Seemingly appearing out of nowhere he thrashes the Amalekites soundly with his staff, forcing them to wait their turn at the well. Moses finds a home in Midian with the girls' father Jethro, a Bedouin sheik, who reveals that he is a follower of "He who has no name", which Moses recognized as the God of Abraham. Jethro explains that they are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's first-born. Moses later impresses Jethro and the other shieks with his wise and just trading, so Jethro offers Moses one of his daughters as a wife. Moses chooses the eldest daughter, called Sephora in the film (the Greek form of her name), the least flamboyant but wisest, who was previously the one who had stood up to the Amalekites.Back in Egypt, Seti dies heartbroken, with Moses' name on his lips, and Rameses succeeds him as Pharaoh (becoming Rameses II), taking Nefretiri as his Queen. Herding sheep in the desert, Moses finds Joshua, who has escaped from hard labour in the copper mines. Moses sees the Burning Bush on the summit of Mount Sinai; climbing up to investigate, he hears the voice of God. Naming himself "I Am That I Am", God charges Moses to return to Egypt and free His chosen people.At Pharaoh's court, Moses comes before Rameses to win the slaves' freedom, turning his staff into a snake to show Rameses the power of God. Jannes and another magician do the same, but Moses's snake eats the others (not shown; the small son of Rameses and Nefretiri tells his mother with alarm). But the Pharaoh decrees that the Hebrews be given no straw to make their bricks, but to make the same tally as before on pain of death. As the Hebrews prepare to stone Moses in anger, Nefretiri's retinue rescues him; but when she attempts to resume their relationship, he spurns her, reminding her that not only is he on a mission, having been touched by God, but that he is also married.As Moses continues to challenge Pharaoh's hold over his people, Egypt is beset by divine plagues. We see the water turned into blood, and hear of others. But Rameses hears of a naturalistic explanation of a mountain beyond the Nile cataract spewing red mud, although this would not have explained what the film showed: the red colour starting from where Aaron's stick touched the river and moving away, or the water in pitchers turning red as it was poured. but given this explanation, Rameses declared it not surprising that fish would die and frogs leave the water, and flies would bloat upon their carcasses and spread disease. So Moses predicts hot hail and three days of darkness; the hot hail comes shortly after and bursts into flame on the ground. Moses warns that the next plague would come from his own lips.Enraged at the plagues and Moses' continuous demands, and at his generals and advisers telling him to give in. Rameses orders all first-born Hebrews to die, but just as Moses had foretold, this intention backfires. Although Nefretiri warns Sephora to escape with Gershom on a passing caravan to Midian, Moses tells her sadly that it is her own son who will die, and he cannot save him. In an eerily quiet scene, the Angel of Death creeps into Egyptian streets in a glowing green cloud, killing all the firstborn of Egypt, including the adult son of Pharaoh's top general, and Pharaoh's own child. Meanwhile, Bithiah is released to Moses.Broken and despondent, Pharaoh orders Moses to take "your people, your cattle, your God and your pestilence" and go. Dathan is also ordered out when the Egyptian guards sees the sacrifice lamb's blood on the sides of his door frame, his position as an overseer counting for nothing with the Egyptians, the Hebrews resentful of him and refusing him the privileges he expects. The Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt begins.Behold His mighty hand!Goaded into rage by Nefretiri in her grief and anger at Moses, the Pharaoh arms himself and gathers his armies to chase the former slaves to the shore of the Red Sea. Held back by a pillar of fire, the Egyptian forces can only watch as Moses parts the waters ("Behold His mighty hand!") to provide his people an escape route. As the Hebrews race over the seabed, the pillar of fire dies down and the army rides in hot pursuit. The Hebrews make it to the far shore just in time to witness God's closing of the waters on the Egyptian army, drowning every man and horse. Rameses looks on in despair. All he can do is return to Nefretiri, confessing to her, "His god is God."The former slaves camp at the foot of Sinai and wait as Moses again ascends the mountain. When Moses delays coming down from Sinai, the Hebrews lose faith and, urged on by the evil Dathan, build a golden calf as an idol to bear before them back to Egypt, hoping to win Rameses' forgiveness. Aaron is forced to help fashion the gold plating. He also orders Lilia to be sacrificed. The people proceed to indulge their most wanton desires in an orgy of sinfulness. Sephora, now re-united with Moses, tells the people that he has gone to receive God's Law, and Bithiah asks, "Would the God who's shown you such wonders let Moses die before his work his done?" But their defences are mostly disregarded after Dathan's demagoguery.Meanwhile, high atop the mountain, Moses witnesses God's creation of the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. When he finally climbs down, Moses beholds his people's iniquity and hurls the tablets at the idol in a rage. The idol explodes, and Dathan and his followers (such as Korah) are killed, a burning crevasse swallows all who do not join Moses at his side. After God forces them to endure forty years' exile in the desert wandering lost to prove their loyalty, the Hebrews finally are on the eve of arriving in the land of Israel. An elderly Moses then appoints Joshua to succeed him as leader (with Lilia by Joshua's side), says a final good bye to his devoted wife Sephora, and goes forth out of Israel to his destiny. | violence, murder, melodrama | train | imdb | null |
tt0041604 | Love Happy | Private detective Sam Grunion (Groucho Marx) has been searching for the extremely valuable Royal Romanoff diamonds for eleven years, and his investigation leads him to a troupe of struggling performers, led by Mike Johnson (Paul Valentine), who are trying to put on a musical revue called Love Happy.
Grunion notes that the impoverished young dancers would starve were it not for the sweet, silent Harpo (Harpo Marx), at Herbert & Herbert, a gourmet food shop that also trafficks in stolen diamonds. Harpo kindly helps ladies with their shopping bags, all the while pilfering their groceries and stuffing them in the pockets of his long trench coat. When the elegant Madame Egelichi (Ilona Massey) arrives, store manager Lefty Throckmorton (Melville Cooper) tells her that "the sardines" have come in. Harpo sneaks into the basement and watches as Lefty lovingly unpacks a sardine can marked with a Maltese cross, and swipes the can from Lefty's pocket, replacing it with an unmarked one. Madame Egelichi, who has gone through eight husbands in three months in her quest for the Romanoff diamonds, is furious when Lefty produces the wrong can. When Lefty remembers seeing Harpo in the basement, she orders him to call the police and offer a $1,000 reward for his capture.
At the theater, meanwhile, unemployed entertainer Faustino the Great (Chico Marx) asks Mike for a job as a mind-reader, and when Faustino's clever improvisation stops the show's backer, Mr. Lyons (Leon Belasco), from repossessing the scenery, Mike gratefully hires him. Harpo, who is secretly in love with dancer Maggie Phillips (Vera-Ellen), Mike's girl friend, gives her the sardine can, and she says she will eat them tomorrow. A policeman sees Harpo inside the theater and brings him to Madame Egelichi, who turns Harpo over to her henchmen, Alphonse (Raymond Burr) and Hannibal (Bruce Gordon) Zoto. After three days of interrogation, Harpo still refuses to talk, and when he is left alone, he calls Faustino at the theater, using the bike horn he carries in his pocket to communicate. Madame Egelichi listens on the extension as Faustino declares that there are plenty of sardines at the theater, and she goes there at once.
Meanwhile, Mike has just finished telling the troupe that they do not have enough money to open when Madame Egelichi arrives and offers to finance the show. Mike cancels his plans to take Maggie out for her birthday so that he and his new backer can discuss the arrangements. In the alley outside the theater, Harpo, having escaped from Madame Egelichi's suite, finds the diamonds in the sardine can which had been set out for a cat, and puts them in his pocket. When he finds Maggie crying in her dressing room, Harpo takes her to Central Park, where he plays the harp for her and gives her the diamonds as a birthday gift.
On the opening night of the show, Grunion is visited by an agent of the Romanoff family, who threatens to kill him if he does not produce the diamonds in an hour. At the theater, Lefty and the Zoto brothers spy through a window as Maggie puts on the diamond necklace, but Mike asks her not to wear it, promising to buy her an engagement ring instead. As they kiss, Maggie removes the necklace and drops it on the piano strings. The curtain goes up, and when Harpo sees Lefty and the Zoto brothers menacing Maggie, he distracts them with a piece of costume jewelry and leads them up to the roof. Meanwhile, on stage, Faustino plays the piano, and when he strikes the keys forcefully, the diamond necklace flies into the air, drawing the attention of Madame Egelichi, who is watching from the audience. Faustino pockets the diamonds, then rushes to the roof to help Harpo. Madame Egelichi shows up with a gun and demands the necklace, but Faustino gives her the fake diamonds. After tying up Lefty and the Zotos and recovering the real diamonds, Harpo encounters Grunion, who has been hiding on the roof. Harpo drops the diamonds in Grunion's pocket, but then steals them back as Madame Egelichi begins to lead the detective away.
Later, in his office, Grunion comments that Harpo disappeared with the diamonds, never realizing their true value. Grunion interrupts his story to take a phone call from his wife, who turns out to be the former Madame Egelichi. | humor | train | wikipedia | Groucho was never supposed to be in this film, but the sponsors said that they wouldn't release it unless he was, so that they could bill it as a "Marx Brothers" picture.
Since most Marx fans are Groucho fans first, Chico/Harpo fans second, this setup comes as a slap in the face, and the film gets trashed.As such, if you watch the Marxes mainly to see Groucho's witty quips, this movie will bore you stiff.
However, if you--like me--love the others just as much as Groucho (for me, Chico will ALWAYS be the funniest Marx Brother!) you'll be surprised at how good Love Happy really is.
In short, to a Chico/Harpo fan, this movie is as good as (and often better than) At the Circus or A Night in Casablanca.
"Love Happy" is remembered, primarily, as the last "Official" Marx Brothers film (they would all appear in brief vignettes in "The Story of Mankind", seven years later, but not as a team), but if the film were a baseball statistic, it would have an asterik (*), because it truly isn't a showcase of the brothers, together, but a comedy starring Harpo, with Chico in a supporting role, and Groucho doing narration, and making brief appearances, occasionally (rather like the "General Electric Theater" TV episode the brothers would do, in 1959, where Harpo and Chico played crooks with hearts of gold, and Groucho would make a surprise appearance at the finale, as their lawyer).
As a comedy, "Love Happy" is so-so, with Harpo providing some genuine laughs, particularly during an interrogation scene with villains Raymond Burr, Ilona Massey, Eric Blore, and Bruce Gordon, and in the rooftop finale, with Harpo offering the same kind of outrageous physical humor that he had demonstrated in the classic MGM comedies.
But the rest of the plot, while mildly entertaining, is simply a musical variation of "Room Service", as an impoverished group of performers (headed by Paul Valentine and future star Vera-Ellen) struggle to put on a Broadway musical.The back story of the film is possibly more entertaining than the movie, itself; Harpo had wanted to make a solo film throughout the forties, and had tinkered on the script for several years, while soliciting financial backing for the project.
Chico, meanwhile, was running up huge gambling debts, as was often the case (while a brilliant card player, he was a notoriously bad gambler), and just as the Marxes had made "A Night in Casablanca", in 1946, to pay off his debts at that time, Harpo brought him into "Love Happy" to do the same.
Unfortunately, the end of the decade was a depressed time for film making (with television making inroads into the ticket-buying public), and backers would only fund the project if all three brothers would appear in the movie.Groucho, by now a genuine TV star, thanks to the "You Bet Your Life" quiz show, hated the script of "Love Happy", and had little desire to co-star in the film.
He could honestly say he helped 'discover' Marilyn Monroe, at an open audition (watching two other starlets walk across a stage, followed by Marilyn, when asked for his pick for a small role, he raised his eyebrows and quipped, "You're kidding, right?")Be warned: While "Love Happy" is not terrible, it certainly is no "Night at the Opera", or "Duck Soup"!.
i'm a big marx bros fan and love most of their films, especially the early paramounts and a day at the races and most of the others so thats pretty much all of them i guess.
Room service is the weakest of their output as far as i can tell..If I was mainly a Groucho fan, which most of the reviewers of Marx Brothers films seem to be, I'd be giving this movie between 1 & 3 stars.
His part is minimal, not very funny and is mainly famous for the scene with Marilyn Monroe in one of her first speaking roles (which lasts a few seconds)...I've just read a review for this film calling it unfunny.
I am completely fed up with reading the nonsense that's been written about this film by people who probably haven't even watched it...I'm a Harpo fan.........I really think he's a true screen genius, the greatest one of his kind.
Chico's and Groucho's appearance was an afterthought..Chico performs well and the scenes when he's with Harpo are great and are the equal to any other marx movie.
Harpo doesn't disappoint with so many great hilarious scenes that were mainly devised and performed by himself (he did most of his own stunts)...quite amazing considering he was in his early 60's at the time....The story revolves around a theatre production called 'love happy' and a missing diamond necklace in a sardine tin.
Chico does a great piano duet with a violinist and harpo plays the harp as beautifully as ever..If I was hoping to see and hear Groucho in his element, i'd be very disappointed with Love Happy.
Some production trivia mentioned in the Turner Classic Movies airing suggest that 'Love Happy' was intended to be a Harpo vehicle, but the backers weren't going to unless Groucho and Chico were also in.
"Love Happy" was the movie that marked the end of the Marx Brothers as a single comedy act.
The chase was a riot.For those who were saddened over this movie being the end of the Marx Brothers as a comedy act, this movie also marked the beginning of the Marx Brothers as individuals who would each enjoy his own level of success with Groucho being the most successful with his TV show "You Bet Your Life" in the 1950s and a comeback in the 1970s, touring the country.After "Love Happy", Harpo would make 9 appearances plus 15 as himself.
Harpo originally conceived "Love Happy" as a solo vehicle, but Chico wormed his way in because he needed money to pay gambling debts.
Groucho was written in at the last minute to secure more funding from backers who insisted on having all three brothers in the film.Harpo loves the beautiful dancer Maggie, who faces a collapsing career if the theater troupe fails.
Love Happy is the last movie where the Marx brothers appear together.Harpo is the biggest star of the movie.He gets in a trouble when he steals a sardine can that has Romanoff's diamond inside.Love Happy is good Marx movie.Groucho, Harpo and Chico are as good as they were in their younger days.And you can see Marilyn Monroe in a little part as Groucho's client.A must see for Marx fans, especially Harpo fans..
Groucho briefly shines with Marilyn Monroe in his brothers' Love Happy.
So, technically, this isn't really a "Marx Brothers" picture, just Harpo starring with Chico in support and Groucho in an extended cameo.
This last Marx Brothers film is NOT the right place to begin if you've never seen one of their movies before.
But as it stands, Harpo fans should find some things to chuckle about, on and off.That's the main problem with LOVE HAPPY - it's not consistent in entertaining you, and the funny bits come and go.
Love Happy is the final movie that features the three Marx brothers (Groucho Chico Harpo) in top billing and as the stars.
It's what he was made for as a performer, moments like this.The main problem for me is a major lack of the brothers interacting with one another - Groucho barely appears in the first half for Pete's sake, and only through limited 4th wall breaks - yet there are a lot of legitimately entertaining musical numbers (really, there isn't a dull one, including a number where a woman sings about being frustrated with motherhood).
Chico play much smaller role then usual and don't have nothing funny to do (there is a callback to the Ice-cream scene in "Day at the races" which came out like a poor attempt to get a chip laugh) and Groucho is for about 10 minutes all together, and you can tell his character was force into the script so it would had all three Marx brother.
Big mistake.If your a Marx Brother fan Its simply distracting and I think it would work way better as a Harpo solo movie (like "A girl in every port" was for Groucho), but at the same time I must admit it was entertaining and Harpo made me smile...
Only a life-long fan can see any redeeming qualities in "Love Happy".The Marx Brothers are "over-the-hill" and it shows.
And, of course, there is the very brief - yet unforgettable - walk on by Marilyn Monroe.A bit of trivia -Groucho was not slated to appear in this movie.
"Love Happy" has been classified as a Marx Brothers movie.
"Love Happy", the last official Marx Brothers film (unless you want to count "The Story Of Mankind"), is also usually listed as their worst, but I'm not sure I can agree with this evaluation.
There are numerous problems with it, to be sure: Groucho only appears about 4 times in total; Chico overdoes his Italian accent more than ever before, but his only truly funny scene is the pantomime game with Harpo; the piano and harp interludes are dull; the chase climax is weak.
And yet, there are lots of things to like in "Love Happy" as well: Harpo is joyful, expressive, tireless and sometimes even touching (the scene where they "search" him for the diamonds is hilarious); during his limited appearances, Groucho throws out all the funniest lines in the film (my favorite comes at the very start: "The FBI was baffled, the Scotland Yard was baffled.
They sent for me, and the case was solved immediately: I confessed!"); Ilona Massey milks the icy-hot bad girl role for all it's worth; the supporting cast is filled with lovely, leggy ladies; the musical numbers, although not exactly necessary, are quite entertaining in their own right; and let's face it, if you're a fan, every film the Marx Bros.
LOVE HAPPY (United Artists, 1949), a Mary Pickford presentation, directed by David Miller, became the 13th and final collaboration of Marx Brothers comedy team, this time with a few alterations, especially in featuring the silent one, Harpo, as the leading character, with Chico and Groucho taking on lesser responsibilities.
While this could have been simply a Harpo Marx comedy, following Groucho's solo effort in COPACABANA (1947), someone probably didn't think it possible to have Harpo carrying on 85 minutes of screen time without his brothers, in spite the fact that he's credited as author of the story.
The final result is a musical-comedy labeled the least liked of all the Marx Brothers movies.
Overlooking it's negative reputation, it be best to consider the possibilities of what the story has to offer, with some fine comedy material thrown in, that actually keeps this one from being a total disaster.The story opens in typical 1940s fashion, with Groucho as Detective Sam Grunion relating to the movie audience as to how he had spent eleven years investigating a million dollar theft of the Ramanoff diamonds, followed by his introduction of numerous characters, including Mike Johnson (Paul Valentine), both manager and leading man; Maggie Phillips (Vera-Ellen), his dancing partner; Bunny Dolan (Marion Hutton), a singer and Maggie's best friend; and finally Harpo (Harpo), a kindly hobo who happens to be love happy for Maggie.
And watch for the surprise ending.LOVE HAPPY is actually not an attempt to revive the Marx Brothers on screen, for that their best work was already behind them, yet it shows how far they have come, twenty years from their screen debut (1929).
Even Egilichi's attempt to vamp him nearly works, but Harpo uttering a word is totally impossible.On the musical program, there's "Love Happy" (sung during opening credits); "Mama Wants to Know," "Willow Weep for Me," "The Sadie Thompson Number," "Gypsy Love Song" (piano solo by Chico) by Franz Lehar; "Happy Birthday to You," "Swanee River" by Stephen Foster (Harpo on the harp) and "Love Happy" (reprise, closing credits).Paul Valentine, Raymond Burr and Marilyn Monroe receive special introductory billing during the opening credits.
Monroe's very brief scene with Groucho as a lady in distress constantly being followed by men is truly a highlight.So ends the movie careers of Groucho, Harpo and Chico as a team.
In spite of an odd mixture of gags, ranging from good, bad to disturbing, LOVE HAPPY has enough ingredients to satisfy any Marx Brothers fans.
"Love Happy" (1949) was the Marxs brothers final film.
Most Marxs brothers fans dismiss it, which is doing the movie a great wrong.
Of course, its not up to the standard of their other pictures but there are some really funny moments in the film such: The climatic chase across roofs, the villains trying to find out where the jewels are from Harpo and Groucho's virtual cameo has some good one-liners.
For their final film, the Marx Brothers are featured in Love Happy which while it has some flashes of brilliance, does not come any kind of close to what they were doing in the Thirties.
Dancing ingénue Vera-Ellen gets the valuable sardines though she doesn't know it and the necklace goes on quite an adventure.Harpo gets the best moments for the brothers in Love Happy.
If you watch this film as a Marx Brothers fan then there is some hope, but for the neutral it's a disjointed and disappointing effort that raises few laughs, has no plot to speak of and goes nowhere with no purpose.
Film buffs will tell you that the minute of the film in which a young Marilyn Monroe appears is worth the entrance fee (it's not) or that Raymond Burr as a vertical baddie is wonderful (it isn't) or that it's great to see so much of Harpo (give me strength) but this independent, though grumpy, soul thought it was a dog's breakfast of a film stitched together from mediocre musical numbers and half-hearted Marx Brother's cameos.
It was the last film the Marx Brothers made together, except for "The Story of Mankind" (1957), which they were all in but appeared separately.
Mostly the film is Harpo's - and he has some inspired moments, particularly his interaction with neon signs.There are other reasons to see this - there's Marilyn Monroe in a bit part (that gives Groucho his best moment), Raymond Burr as a heavy, Vera-Ellen dancing very well before MGM snapped her up for "On the Town", and that producer credit - Mary Pickford!
"Love Happy" is the last film to feature appearances from Groucho, Chico, and Harpo Marx, but it hardly stands as a Marx Brothers film.
Love Happy, the last Marx Brothers venture, a disappointment .
Love Happy, the last Marx Brothers film, is a sincere disappointment.
In fact, the only scene in which Groucho appears with another Marx is toward the end of the film, where he shares a very few moments with Harpo.
Love Happy is not one of the first Marx Brothers pictures that you're going to want to watch.
Nah. I've seen every Marx Brothers movie a billion times.
Besides some sloppy TV and film editing of individual performances (i.e. GE Theatre: The Incredible Jewell Robbery, The Story of Mankind)) this was the the LAST Marx Brothers movie.
Although this movie is not one of the real Marx Brothers classics, it is a must-see for the fans of the biggest humor icons of all time.Harpo is the main character, and he is also the most amusing brother.
While Chico is weak and Groucho too brief, Harpo is just great.
Taken as the final Marx Brothers movie, then Love Happy can't help but disappoint.
I've reviewed three Marx Brothers movies on the IMDb over the last decade or so, and in some of them I've been pretty mean about Harpo's character.
And in an age of product placement, then the mark of the financial backers is even sent up, with Harpo amusingly using most of the advertising billboards during the climax as makeshift fairground rides.With all this in mind, it's a likable enough movie that features the final film performance of Harpo Marx, with a guest appearance from his brother.
This film marked the finale for the Marx Brothers glorious career in movies.
It almost appears the movie was a vehicle for Harpo Marx more than a collaboration of the trio that made us laugh.The plot is paper thin, but there are moments that work, like the chase sequence at the end and the "Kleptomaniacs" performance by Harpo as the film begins.
Vera Ellen, Eric Blore, Marion Hutton, Melville Cooper and Paul Valentine have featured roles.In spite of all its flaws, "Love Happy" is a must see for all Marx Brothers fans..
This is a very sad effort from the Marxes, as you can't help but wonder how much better the film would have been if they hadn't messed with an old formula and allowed the brothers to actually work together--Groucho is more the narrator and has no real involvement with Chico or Harpo.
By no means vintage Marx, but worth savoring for two reasons: The second is that it was the Brothers' last film (even if Groucho's role is smaller and he meets up only fleetingly with Harpo and has but two short scenes with Chico).
The comedy scenes and business are usually extended way beyond their capacity to amuse, and one of the "straight" plots - the struggling-to-Broadway-on-a-shoestring-players - has little interest), Love Happy was enormously popular, enjoying a second lease of life when Paramount re-issued their vintage Marx comedies in the mid-fifties.For a fuller account of Harpo's on-screen capers in this film - he wrote the story I would guess primarily to showcase Chico and even more particularly himself (Groucho's role reads like an afterthought) - I warmly recommend "The Marx Brothers: Their World of Comedy" by Allen Eyles, published by Tantivy Press, London, 1966.
Recently I watched LOVE HAPPY, the last Marx Brothers film, on Amazon Prime. |
tt0213985 | Partition | Gian Singh is a Sikh who goes off to war in the British Indian Army with his two best friends Andrew and Avtar. The three are being seen off by Andrew's sister Margaret and Walter. Gian promises to look after Andrew only to resign after Andrew is killed. Gian is tortured by the guilt of not being able to save Andrew. The young Muslim woman Naseem (Kristin Kreuk) is separated from her family in riots and unaware that her father has been killed, hides in hope that the Sikh mobs won't find her.
Gian finds Naseem in the woods, having just returned to his home town near the Pakistani border. Their efforts to hide are foiled; Naseem and Gian are forced to bargain for Naseem's life with money. The townspeople, although initially resenting her presence, begin to accept Naseem, and it seems that the bad parts of their lives have faded away until night when both Naseem and Gian suffer from tortured visions of their past. These visions ultimately unite the two and they get married and have a son they call Vijay.
In love, the world seems perfect until Margaret shows up on Gian's doorstep with news that Naseem's family has been found in Pakistan. Naseem leaves to see them in Pakistan. She is to return in a month but does not arrive. Her two brothers, discovering her marriage to a Sikh, lock her up in her room and forbid her to ever return to India. Akbar, the eldest, is particularly stubborn, and vows to keep her away from her husband at all costs. Gian, tired of waiting, sets off on a trip to Pakistan to retrieve Naseem. He disguises himself as a Muslim, cutting off his hair and donning a Kofi. Even with the disguise he has to sneak across the border as his papers are not sufficient.
Gian meets with Walter and Margaret, who barely recognise him without his turban, and leaves Vijay with them while he goes to get Naseem. When he arrives, still dressed as a Muslim, Naseem immediately recognizes him. As they run toward one another they are stopped by her brothers and Akbar beats Gian. To explain himself to his neighbors he tells them that Gian is a Sikh. Meanwhile, Naseem has been locked up by her brother Zakir. Gian is hauled to jail and there he wallows in the darkness, refusing to return to India until he remembers that he has a son who needs him.
Naseem's mother, realizing that the couple are truly in love, frees Naseem, who runs to the train. She recognizes Vijay immediately and hugs him, unaware that Gian is just on the other side of the tracks. When he calls her name, they begin to fight through the crowd to reach one another. Just as they meet Akbar pulls them apart and begins a struggle with Gian. Gian is pushed over the railing onto the tracks just as the train arrives and is killed. Naseem sobs hysterically as she slowly collapses to the ground.
Naseem and Vijay escape on the train as the police arrive for Akbar. With the help of Margaret and Walter they move to England and Avtar spreads Gian's ashes given by Walter over a banyan tree. | romantic | train | wikipedia | Cinematographer, Vic sarin's camera work takes this wonderful love story to a higher plain.
His sweeping vistas, a heartwarming story and a comment on religious intolerance..all add up to make one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.
Jimi Mistri and Kristin Keruk give outstanding performance with Neve Campbell playing the sympathetic British subject during the time of the raj.
Set in India during the partition of Indian and Pakistand in 1947, this movie is timely in its focus on the trouble that surround our world today.
Gorgeous film dealing with a marvelous love story under historical background.
Gian Singh (Jimi Mistry) and Avtar Singh (Irrfan Khan)are Indian officers with the British Army serving under the command of Andrew Stilwell (Moss), who lives with his sister, Margaret,(Neve Campbell) in New Delhi .
Millions of Muslims crossed from Pakistan to India and vice versa , similar number of Hindus, and Sikhs crossed over from the other side.
A group of Muslims who were crossing over to Pakistan are attacked by a bunch of sword wielding horse-riding Sikhs, and Hindus, including Avtar (Khan), many are massacred, but some do manage to getaway.
Muslims, in turn, murder all Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs passengers on a train en-route to India.
Meantime , Gian, who refuses to collaborate in any slaughter , is picking up wood , he comes across a young Muslim girl names Naseem (Kristin Kreuk), in sheltering , and decides to hide her .
Gian asks the villagers to give him some time to find her family from Pakistan and then send her on her trace , to which they agree .
In the meantime, Naseem (Kreuk) befriends people , adapts herself to the village life, and soon Gian and Naseem fall in love with each other.It's an enjoyable romance/drama story where duo protagonist is awesome .
The picture is finely directed by Vic Sarin , he is an usual director for TV and occasionally for cinema , ¨Partition¨ is the best of them.The motion picture is correctly based on historic events , these are the following : The actual division between the two new dominions was done according to what has come to be known as the 3 June Plan or Mountbatten Plan.The border between India and Pakistan was determined by a British Government-commissioned report usually referred to as the Radcliffe Line after the London lawyer, Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who wrote it.
On 18 July 1947, the British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act that finalized the partition arrangement.
Purists who were up in arms about Chinese actresses playing Japanese characters like in Memoirs of the Geisha will probably flip again at the portrayals of Indians by non-Indian actors, and could cite again similar examples whether the country of origin lacked capable actors to pull the roles off (Of course not, this is Bollywood we're talking about, certainly no lack of actors).
Or maybe the subject matter explored here outweighed such negative, meaningless, counterproductive thoughts and arguments.Journeying back to the time of the British withdrawal from India, one of the policies introduced during the independence, is this little handiwork done by the British, which had the population at the time segregate themselves into Hindu India, and Muslim Pakistan.
Gian Singh (Jimi Mistry) is an ex-soldier serving in the British army, and in his retirement from war, he returns to his village to seek a certain peace from within, after making a decision during the war which he has yet come to terms with.
One day, he rescues Naseem Khan (Kristin Kreuk) from a massacre by the Sikhs on the Muslims who were en route to Pakistan, and shields her from his fellow men when they bayed for her blood.As you might have guessed, the two will fall in love amid the background of violence, and their love will transcend religion, culture, and intolerance.
There are two acts in this movie, which I thought the second was somewhat hastened, given the idyllic pace which the first had dwelled in, sharing its rich cinematography by writer-director Vic Sarin.
Perhaps herein laid a message that love will transcend that as well, given that after all, God is also about love?Like how The Namesake made me sit up and take notice of Kal Penn, Partition had the same effect for Jimi Mistry.
Best known for his comedic The Guru role in which he plays a "sexpert", he's almost unrecognizable under that thick beard, and gave a very strong performance as a man haunted by his past, and finding a future with a loved one, willing to make extreme sacrifices for his family.
Kristin Kreuk, in her second movie outing after her bimbotic role in Eurotrip, brings a more Smallville's Lana Lang-ish appeal to her character here, as she pines for the loves of her life, and lets those tears roll.
It's strange though to see her try her best to put on a believable accent, and mannerisms right down to head movements, but she looks good in those saris!I was surprised to see Irfan Khan in a bit role here, having enjoyed his performance also in The Namesake, and Neve Campbell and John Light rounded up the supporting roles, with Neve's Margaret Stilwell a character whom I thought was a tragic one, no doubt if you interpreted as her still holding onto the candle for Gian, without him realizing, probably consciously aware that their status and skin colour are too different to have resulted in anything fruitful.With a one track beautiful theme song, lush sceneries, and wonderful performances, Partition is a surprise of the week, and over here, it's two screen release doesn't do it much justice.
Should you want to watch a love story set against a historical background which still has repercussions until this very day, then make it a point not to miss this..
It gives great insight into the creation of Pakistan and it's break from India in the late 40's.While Canadians have made some great movies of late and a lot of talent comes out of Canada, many of their movies are small stories (with the exception of Atom Agoyan's films) but as a movie, this for us is probably the best move ever made in Canada, and one of the best we've seen from anywhere this year.
Movie moves at a good pace.
A must watch for anyone moved by well made movies with good scripts..
I know what to expect as the movie is about Indo-Pak partition and the hardships faced by people in both the countries.
Here's an oddball mix: A Canadian film dealing with a Sikh-Muslim love story set against the partition of India in 1947, with Kristin Kreuk playing the lead Muslim girl (Naseem), Neve Campbell playing a British Indian, and everyone from the villagers to the city folk, despite being mostly uneducated - speaking English of various accent!!!
The central love story is nothing new (the film seems like a different handling of the loud, crude, jingoistic, and ultimately inferior Indian film Gadar), and no aspect of it covers any new ground.
The child actor was also good, and I wish we could have seen more of Irrfan Khan than the bit part he plays.
Vic Sarin's Partition is an absolute masterpiece in cinematography, with a compelling continuing story of emotions, historical cultural divides summarized by the human need to love and be loved regardless of the events of the world around us.
A masterpiece in independent film-making in epic proportions Vic is an absolute master of his art, through the medium of film he has bought alive the mainly forgotten and least acknowledge problems of the on-going situation on the India and Pakistan borders.
Very solid, very enjoyable love story with an interesting historical background.
More films like this should be made and the sexual content should be removed so younger people can watch it and understand the reason why people were slaughtered in Pakistan and India.People were slaughtered for being either Muslim, Sikh or Hindu and Christan's were not spared either.
It was a disgusting vicious cycle.This film really revolves around the central two characters Jimi Mistry, a Sikh and Kristin Kreuk, a Muslim, whom fall in love, at a time when Muslims and Sikh are dividing.The story follows there love for one another and kind of emphasises the point love is greater than religion or any other divide that segregate people.Neve Campbell and Irrfan Khan also support the cast superbly..
It was no doubt a touching story and the partition background provided the scope for an epic.
i played an extra in this movie as a street vendor of vegetables and fruit/scene in fireworks diwali celebration.
Gian Singh (Jimi Mistry) and Avtar Singh (Irrfan Khan) are Sikh officers in the Indian Army sent to Burma under the command of Andrew Stilwell who lives with his sister Margaret (Neve Campbell).
He finds survivor Naseem Khan (Kristin Kreuk) and shelters her.
It's not an easy journey and at the end of it, he finds that Naseem's family had been keeping her prisoner.There is a small compelling love story in this movie.
The movie is fine as an Indian love story and it doesn't really need a British hand in it.
Kristin Kreuk is an unlikely choice to play an Indian.
The movie does lack the scale at times, and the cinematography needs better style.
Finally, Neve Rises; Beautiful Take on Star Crossed Love.
Much better than the more promoted India-set films, like "Darjeeling Limited" (2 stars) & the Julia Roberts vanity piece "Eat, Pray, Love." A tale relatable to our times, the underlying hatreds more true than fictional - and the unintended consequences of the arrogance of the English people of the now evaporated British Empire.
(This reviewer's ancestry is English.) The actors should be grateful to have had such excellent material and production value, finally, in their careers, especially Neve Campbell, who rises in a lovely restrained perf to her natural assets (instead of the "When Will I Be Loved" James Tobak-type- clapcrap).
Partition was a lovely film, very tastefully set in picturesque locales.
Being an Indian, in India, I wonder about the authenticity of the story.
Sirsa, the centre of the the story, where Gian belongs, is not the everyday city of erstwhile Punjab that one would have expected a non-Indian movie to talk of.
The trivia that hints at fiction are:Gian's son is named Vijay, a non-Sikh name, even if the marriage was of two people of differing religions, one does not expect that the child would be named on a third religion.Sirsa is not so close to the border that people from Delhi were required to cross over to Pakistan on foot - when the massacre takes place.Sirsa is also in the very arid west.
Even so, I am sure the director, Mr Vic Sarin has heard of a story from his father or uncle, which was the simple basis of this lovely production.Highly recommended for the above-average viewer..
It's a terrible disappointment, considering the cast, but I can't look past the fact that the dialogue is in English and some of the actors pretending to be Indian are not even close (read: Kristin Kreuk).
Considering that India alone has 1/6th of the world's population and one of the biggest movie industries, I don't think it would have been hard for the film-makers to have found an excellent Indian actress to play the part.
For example, however good an actor Tom Hanks may be, he'll never be able to play an Australian Aborigine!But that is still minor to the biggest faux pas the film-makers made: having the dialogue in English.
Unfortunately, as things stand, I would not recommend anyone seeing it, apart from film students who want to study "What not to do" in movies..
This movie portrayed the Sikhs and Muslims in a very negative manor, while making the third group (Hindus) look as if they were non existent in the brutal killings of the people of both nations.
I hope those that watch this movie do not see or use it as a template for the actual historical event..
Partition is a copy of Hindi blockbuster Gadar which released on 2001.I must say GADAR is the better movie because of its fast pacing action, hard hitting dialogues.
Partition lacked both action and dialogues.The atrocities to Muslim girl when she returns to Pakistan are well shown in GADAR.Since it was about India-Pakistan,there should have been lot of actors from the sub-continent.
The Muslim girl played by Kreuk was just satisfactory.The film does not properly explains why he kills Andrew.
Mehta's 'Earth' is the better choice for partition story.
While there were other aspects of the film that I enjoyed, I think that Deepa Mehta's film 'Earth' is a better rendering of the partition story and better communicates the situation.
The mixed race love story is clichéd though the origins of this one seem credible; it does leave a few open questions as to just how (in)tolerant the various ethnicities involved were at the time..
A Canadian production of a love story between an Indian Sikh boy and a Pakistani Muslim girl set during the Partition/Independence era of the 1940s by a director who is Kashmiri by birth and has professional origins in Australia, is a ripoff of one of the biggest hits Indian cinema saw in the last decade GADAR - Ek Prem Katha http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284137/ !!!
"Partition" deals with an important turning point in history (the division of India and Pakistan along religious lines) and classic theme (love conquers all).
However, it does not succeed as well as Deepa Mehta's far superior "Earth", which covers the same period."Partition" handles the love story between Jian Singh and Naseem in a delicate and sensitive way.
However, this information should have been woven into the dialog.By the way, the dialog is sometimes drowned out by a score that made me feel like I was watching "Lawrence of Arabia".The film's denouement is fairly predictable (in slow motion, yet!).
What an amazing breathe of fresh air this film was, following the start of the summer bandwagon of Rubbish comes a small movie that proves budget & stars does not always mean success, look at the less promoted titles also.I must admit that i did not realise like i am sure a lot of people the intense hatred between the Sikhs and the Muslims at this period of time.
I being white and married to a Indian girl myself had a very big interest in this movie and although i found the film amazing it did not historically shed any light on what i did not know about this point in time.
The slaughter of both the Sikhs and Muslims was graphic and the cinematography was fantastic.The only down side to this spectacular movie was giving a role to Neeve Campbell, the British accent was laughable.
Mistry and Kreuk were brilliant with Mistry putting in an alround stunning performance.The story keeps you entertained the whole time and you do not know what the ending has in store.
I can only strongly recommend this as a must watch film, a stunning film from story, score, performances, i just cannot fault it.
SO i just watched this movie and its a total rip-off from an Indian movie called Gadar- Released sometime in 2000.
I can't believe they would applaud a director for lifting his story line and scenes from an Indian movie.
The whole movie seems like an act.
The worst off is the female character who lacks depth and emotional display in her characterization.All they did was change the end a little- from the two movies, and introduced a few Brit characters.
Its almost as if the Director had the original Gadar movie which he kept watching and decided to make his movie and change it a little according to his whims and whissals.
Somebody should go see The Namesake, and see what a fine story can be told using Indian Actors.
Like the male lead in the movie, I slowly but surely fell in love with her innocence, her humility, and her soft spoken mannerisms, all of which were very much a part of her charm and made her hard to resist.
Truly wonderful acting on her part.As for Jimis character (Gian Singh), there wasn't a second in the entire movie where I didn't feel that he was in love.
Where the movie falls a bit short is with fleshing out his character.
I believe that change would have made me fall in love with her and relate to him in a much more personal way all at the same time.
This alone makes it worth watching, albeit as a love story alone.If it's movie night, I recommend watching this one first....before the action movies or comedy because of it's slightly slower than steady pace..
Partition is a good attempt to narrate the story of the protagonists, in the backdrop of the partition of India (as India and Pakistan) in 1947.
Though knowledge of the actual partition would help understand the story better, it is not a prerequisite as such.
The main protagonists (Gian and Naseem) have given stellar performances, and so have few others like Neve Campbell (Margaret Stilwell) and Irfan Khan (Avtar).
The script is strikingly similar to a Bollywood (Hindi) movie titled "Gadar - A Prem Katha" released in 2001 and became very popular too.
Partition should keep you gripped till the end, with its fabulous characterizations and performances of the lead actors.
The movie ends differently too, leaving you convinced of the improvisation of the script.
This is mainly a love story set amidst the 40s partition.
Neve Campbell also seems out of place as a British woman in India in the 40s.
Not a great movie but worth one watch if you are interested in the subject matter but prepared for a rather trying love story..
good movie... |
tt1161864 | The Rite | Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue), disillusioned with his father, a mortuary owner, decides to enter a seminary school and abdicate his vows upon completion, thereby getting him a free college degree. Four years pass and Michael is being ordained to the diaconate at the seminary. However, after ordination he writes a letter of resignation to his superior, Father Matthew, citing a lack of faith. Father Matthew (Toby Jones), apparently wanting to talk Michael out of his decision attempts to catch up to Michael on the street. He trips as he walks over a curb, causing a biker to swerve into the path of an oncoming car. The young woman, believing Michael to be a priest after seeing his clerical garb, asks him for absolution. Unable to refuse, Michael comforts her and performs the ritual absolving her sins. Seeing how calmly he handled the situation, Father Matthew tells Michael he is called to be a priest, whether Michael believes this or not; he later approaches Michael with an invitation to travel to Rome in order to attend a class on exorcism. Michael reluctantly accepts after being told by Father Matthew that he will be levied a $100,000 student loan if he leaves immediately, but that if he still desires to resign from his position after taking the class, then he may be free to leave.During classes, he meets a young woman, Angelina (Alice Braga), who is also taking the course. He soon learns that she is a reporter who has been asked to cover the course for an article in a newspaper. Realizing Michael is a skeptic and is very tentative in his faith, Father Xavier (Ciarán Hinds) later asks Michael to see a friend of his, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who is a renowned Welsh Jesuit exorcist. Michael agrees and meets Father Lucas at his home, where he sees one of the priest's patients: a pregnant sixteen-year-old girl. It is later revealed that she was raped by her father, which led to her possession. However, Michael remains skeptical, even after witnessing several preternatural events, such as the girl coughing up three long nails and fluently speaking English. She pointedly reminds Michael of the last patient he performed embalming on and of his loathing for his father. He later speaks with Angelina again, who asks him to relay the information that he gets from Father Lucas to her, as she has tried to get an interview with him many times now but has been refused, and Michael declines. Meanwhile, the possessed girl's condition worsens, which prompts Father Lucas and Michael to have her taken to a hospital for further care. There, Father Lucas performs another exorcism on the girl while Michael observes; they leave the hospital room together with Michael leaving the hospital and Father Lucas staying overnight outside of the girl's room. Late that night, she miscarries, and the baby dies from cardiac arrest and the mother via blood loss. Disheartened, Father Lucas feels he has failed her. After Michael sees this he decides to confer with Angelina.After the death of the young woman, Father Lucas begins behaving strangely, exhibiting signs of demonic possession. Michael and Angelina later find him sitting outside of his house in the rain. Father Lucas takes them into his house and, knowing himself to be possessed, tells Michael that he needs to find Father Xavier in order to perform the exorcism. Angelina and Michael try desperately to contact and find Father Xavier; however, they learn that he is out of contact for 3 days. Learning this, Michael decides to perform the exorcism on his own, with Angelina present. After constant rebuking by the demon and a long, drawn out fight, Michael regains his once lost faith and is able to force the demon to reveal its name, which is Baal. He completes the exorcism and the demon leaves Father Lucas. Successful, Michael leaves Rome, returning to the United States and to his life.The final scene of the film shows Michael, now Father Michael Kovak, entering a confessional and beginning to hear a girl's confession, revealing that he has found his calling as a priest and did not resign. | mystery, suspenseful, psychological, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0119174 | The Game | Nicholas Van Orton (Douglas) is a successful businessman, but his success has come at the cost of his family life. When the movie opens, he is divorced, distant from his caring ex-wife and cold toward his only living relative, his kid brother, Conrad (Penn). Nicholas goes about life in a cold, detached manner and seems incapable of expressing emotion or caring for anyone outside of himself.On Nicholas's 48th birthday, Conrad presents him with an unusual gift, a game offered by a company called Consumer Recreation Services, promising that it will change Nicholas' life. (The idea of Consumer Recreation Services seems to be borrowed directly from the G.K. Chesterton story "The Tremendous Adventures of Major Brown"). The nature of the game is unclear at first, but it appears to be a sort of live action role-playing game that integrates directly into the player's real life. After a full day of tests and a physical examination, Nicholas is informed that the game company cannot serve him. However, Nicholas soon discovers that this is false and the game has begun. The game focuses on a key moment of Nicholas' life when, as a child, he witnessed his father committing suicide by leaping off their family home, the same home Nicholas lives in. Significantly, Nicholas' father took his life on his 48th birthday, the same age as Nicholas is now.As the movie progresses, evidence mounts that the game is actually an elaborate scheme, but each time Nicholas thinks he has uncovered the truth, he finds that a new layer of complexity has been revealed and that his previous assumptions were false. The Game quickly escalates into a no-holds-barred assault on everything Nicholas values, and his carefully ordered life and business empire rapidly disintegrate around him as The Game takes control. An employee of an upscale restaurant (Unger) at first assists him in escaping from the clutches of the CRS operatives, but after a series of narrow escapes and repeated attempts on his life, Nicholas is captured, transported to Mexico and subjected to a premature burial (albeit one he easily escapes from), all while having his bank accounts drained by the employee who was pretending to help him. The Game is now revealed to be an elaborate scam to relieve the power elite of their property and their lives.Alienated from his friends and his trusted lawyer, Nicholas comes to a realization about his life and reconciles himself with his ex-wife, who has happily remarried and is pregnant with her second child. Nicholas soon becomes desperate and retrieves a hidden handgun from his home, where upon he heads directly into the offices of The Game company and takes one of the staff hostage. The movie comes to a climax on the roof of the game company's skyscraper. A jumpy Nicholas demands answers. The employee appears surprised by the gun, telling Nicholas that the game company thought they had replaced any real firearms Nicholas could access with fakes. A door opens, surprising Nicholas, and he fires without looking, only to reveal that he has shot his brother holding a bottle of champagne and dressed for his birthday celebration. Stricken with remorse, Nicholas leaps off the skyscraper and crashes through a glass ceiling, but he lands safely in an airbag. There he finds his family and friends awaiting his arrival and The Game is revealed to have just been a game. The accounts have not been drained, the gun was replaced with one firing blanks, and his brother is alive. As they embrace, Conrad confesses that he arranged the game as a way to shake his brother back to reality and make his brother enjoy life, to which the two break down in tears. Nicholas then offers to split the seemingly large cost of the game, to which his brother happily agrees.As a party is in full swing with friends and family, Nicholas meets several of the guests who at all points, were operatives in the game in various guises. When he finds out that one employee is about to depart for the night, Nicholas runs outside and strikes up a conversation with her as the film ends. | dark, psychological, neo noir, mystery, atmospheric, plot twist, psychedelic, action, tragedy, suspenseful | train | imdb | Filled with plot twists and turns, this film takes the movie-goer on a psychological roller coaster ride from the tile screens to the final credit roll."The Game" is truly an intelligent tale, sort of a brain teaser that you get to watch and listen to, with a time limit.
"The Game" took me on one psychological thrill ride after another loaded with twists and turns scene after scene.Michael Douglas pulled off his best performance as Nicholas Van Orton a man who is approaching his birthday.
Nicholas reluctantly agrees and soon finds out that the game is more than he bargained for.I thoroughly enjoyed this film because I never knew who was trustworthy or what was going to happen next, this truly was one film that must be seen by those who enjoy never knowing for sure how a movie will turn out.
However, a really good movie can not be pulled off by one actor, a whole lot of credit should go to Sean Penn and Deborah Kara Unger for their convincing portrayals in this film..
Fortunately, he was wise enough to try different paths, and although all his movies can be classified as thrillers there's no real similarity between them, except maybe a common theme of alienation and solitude.In Fincher's third film, The Game, that solitude is physically incarnated by Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), a wealthy businessman who is so obsessed with his job he has forgotten everything about the simple joys of life.
With his assets frozen, his apartment no longer a safe place and no one left to trust, Nicholas must figure out how to solve the problem before it's too late - for him or someone else...As usual, Fincher makes sure the film works on a technical level, cleverly using camera angles, lighting (shades of red and brown being the dominant color) and editing to keep the suspense alive and the atmosphere conveniently murky.
Two other elements contribute to elevating The Game above the average mystery tale: a truly unpredictable, phenomenal ending, in pure Fincher tradition (well, at least until he made Panic Room), and the great work by the leading men, Douglas' paranoid desperation slyly erasing all hints of typecasting (after all, this is not the first time he has played someone who is being manipulated; in fact, one scene explicitly spoofs one of those previous movies) and Penn's smug anarchy anticipating director's masterpiece, Fight Club, and its central character, Tyler Durden (without a doubt Brad Pitt's best role to date).In short, those looking for a "different" cinematic experience should give The Game a try: it might come off as overly cold or contrived at first, but like all of Fincher's movies it deserves a re-evaluation (Fight Club wasn't exactly a hit when originally released) and stands the test of time as one of the most original, smartest films of the '90s..
I saw this on the big screen and throughout most of this masterpiece I kept asking myself, "where is this movie going?" For 128 spirited minutes The Game takes your mind and twists it ruthlessly, contorting it in any way it so desires.
It has often been said that this movie was one he'd wanted to make for a long time and upon viewing you can really see his belief in both characters and the story- overall an excellently directed movie.Although several people argued that "Seven" was gory, in my opinion it wasn't, for example, there is a total lack of blood in the Lust scene, something which I particularly admired- the fact that a director could make a chilling and shocking movie without resorting to piling tons of blood onto the screen.
"The Game" is about a wealthy investment banker, called Nicholas Van Orton, who is given a mysterious birthday present by his brother Conrad.
The film was eventually ranked #44 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.This thriller successfully holds suspense the whole way through.
There is a wide range of occurrences happening throughout the movie, which only make sense at the end of the story, so once we have seen a few of the experiences that Nicholas must go through, we are dragged into the film, continually wondering who is good, who is bad, and how the events all link together.
The Game (1997)The steely intensity of Michael Douglas comes to play once again here in a role where that determination keeps getting waylaid by the mixed-up birthday present he's been handed, somewhat against his will.
The main example is of course "The Fight Club," the distortions are almost literal in the more ordinary "Panic Room," and the world is somewhat friendlier in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Yes, these are all Fincher films (as is the brand new American version "Dragon Tattoo" flick and the riveting "Se7en").The production and the shooting and editing in particular are all first rate, classic Fincher.
In a way, the film is preposterous from the start, but yet you go along with the idea because very rich people have very unusual lives, and maybe this kind of mind-trip birthday present with lots of people participating could happen.
It's one of Fincher's best films and deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as Fight Club, Se7en etc etc.It starts by slowly showing us the world of Nicholas (Michael Douglas) and how he's alone on his 48th birthday.
Of all the films I saw in the year 1997, this "The Game" with Michael Douglas has to be one of the best.
Because really you don't see any complex plot twist, and the the film is thrilling and suspenseful with a hard and direct pressed acting performance from Douglas.
So one day younger brother the more liberal and free spirited Conrad(Sean Penn) gives Nicholas a birthday present a gift card from a corporate company called consumer recreation services(CRS) for as Conrad says the experience and pleasure of a lifetime that this game will add all the fun and entertainment to your life that's missing.
Overall really a fine done film with good acting from Douglas and the story was a neat concept from Fincher with thrills and fun suspense and in it's day this film might have been a glimpse into the future form of identity theft.
Fincher's third movie stars Michael Douglas as the rich, cold and alone Nicholas Van Orton.
However, this does not make his performance nor the film "The Game" something to avoid...and considering I am no fan of him as a person, the fact I loved the movie so much says a lot.
Up until that moment, you feel like you were watching a work of art, and then just before it ends in the same way that the rest of it has been, it cuts to some lame excuse for everything that happened in the movie up to that point, rather than a good explanation.
Sean Penn and Michael Douglas are two actors, who's work I had until this film came out, found always watchable, regardless of plot or role.
Director David Fincher is becoming rather predictable: once again, he gets the proceedings off to a sluggish start (with stilted introductions to his players) and doesn't follow through on promising ideas or with basic logic (as when Douglas finally calls the police about a break-in, yet the scene is left unresolved).
David Fincher's The Game gets another fine performance from star Michael Douglas.
Just watched this suspense thriller directed by David Fincher and starring Michael Douglas on HD DVD.
Michael Douglas turns in a likable performance as the perfect character to have so many things go wrong for him, and the dialogue and music craftily add to the suspense; the unnervingly high-pitched piano and deep string music never lets you forget this is a thriller.
His paranoia and uncertainty of what is happening interests us in the same way as if we were engaged in the game ourselves.David Fincher has been making feature length movies since 1992 when he directed the third film in the Alien series.
I would rather not discuss the plot with anyone because this movie is definitely an experience which some could argue come close to what the late Alferd Hitchcock would bring to us , all I can say that after watching you might love it loathe one thing is for certain and that is that won't ever be bored during the course of this journey.
Having recently seen it again, it is also a flick which is one of those as interesting on subsequent viewings as the first.And aside from the excellent cast and performances, and with Michael Douglas, my personal favorite actor -- it managed to combine several genres at once, all of them better-presented than in films where only one would be involved.Science fiction has always presented unexplainable and impossible features compared with "real life." Heck, 70 years ago, Buster Crabbe as "Buck Rogers," along with his cohorts, was flying throughout the universe in a craft, large and well-equipped and -furnished, much like Kirk and Spock and the "Star Wars" denizens, everyone walking around freely as if they were in a fancy hotel suite.
As the game that central-character, Nicholas Van Orton, was offered unfolds, and prank after elaborate prank turns to deadly ambiguous reality, Nicholas loses control of his life but also finds himself as the traveler in a Danteesque hell.The metaphysical meaning is this: the whole experience works as some sort of purgatory for Nicholas, who gets a chance to redeem himself of his sins (him being a ruthless capitalist businessman and alienated from pretty much everyone around him).
Anyone who watched this film and thought the ending was a surprise or twist, my god you couldn't handle the Teletubies.The film started off ok, but about half way through I realised that things were getting silly and started not to care about the main character at all.
With Michael Douglas, Sean Penn and an interesting concept I thought i'd be in for a decent watch but at the end I have to say it is way too contrived and unbelievable, it thinks its clever and symbolic but it isn't and this has the effect of being extremely annoying , the movie is ultimately pointless and i felt cheated im not a fan of Fincher at all extremely overrated, far from the genius he is billed by the public and media.
I don't want to spoil the film but if anyone gave me that birthday present i would at the very least break their nose, the basic plot is that Michael Douglas, an extremely rich successful buisinessman clearly lonely and depressed is given a highly expensive gift which is a kind of "personalized reality game" for his birthday from his moronic brother Sean Penn, to enjoy this film you would have to suspend your disbelief to infantile levels which is OK for some films but this makes pathetic attempts at realism, I don't want to go into specifics as it's exausting those that have seen the film know what im talking about, I think it could have been much better if they had gone down the route that the film twisted away from but i predicted extremely early that it wouldn't ultimtely the film is very hollow and idiotic, sorry to those who thought it was a work of genius with a profound message.
You would have thought that a thriller helmed by Hollywood darling David Fincher, whose resume includes Seven, and with a cast that includes Michael Douglas, Sean Penn and the wonderful Deborah Unger could not fail to deliver.It does fail and there are two reasons why.
The main thread common to most all of the poor reviews is how things so quickly spin out of control with absurdity piled on absurdity, finally reaching an ending that ranks with the most ridiculous I have seen.Things start out well enough with Michael Douglas playing the self-important, officious, extravagantly wealthy financier Nicholas Van Orton.
Michael Douglas shows his perfection in this movie by playing a Wealthy San Francisco financier, 'Nicholas Van Orton'.
So, his younger brother, Conrad (Sean Penn), gives Nicholas an unusual gift for his 48th birthday: an invitation to play an elaborate and mysterious "game", from a mysterious corporation called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS).It's an intriguing film concept; a cold-blooded corporate exec submits to a proposition that forces him to function as a puppet on a string.
The script is solid, but it is really the effective partnership between Douglas and Fincher, as well as great supporting acting turns from Sean Penn, James Rebhorn and Debra Kara Unger, which really helps ground this slow burning but always engrossing psychological thriller.
You have to pay attention, but as the plot twists and turns it does work its way to a satisfying if surprisingly climax (especially for a director of Fincher's background) you'll enjoy the way that Douglas's Nicholas Van Orton character is stripped of his layers of reserve and control as the character is cleverly placed in one crisis after another.
David Fincher directed this twisty thriller that stars Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orton, a successful banker who gets a most unusual present on his birthday from his wayward brother Conrad(played by Sean Penn), a gift card to join CRS(consumer recreation services) an entertainment company.
A very smart thriller, the plot unfolds time to time and turns and twists and surprises and toys around with your mind and builds hyper- tension and plays a game with the viewers.
That's always been his trademark!The ending does have a few plot holes but with a little cinematic liberty, Fincher makes the whole movie-experience all the more interesting for us.
He and Fincher together makes us experience the same emotions as Nicholas Van Orton character feels in the movie.
The deviation from normality following this immensely realistic opening created an amazing contrast that set the tone of the film.The plot twists come and go, and you never really know what is going to happen - the guessing game is expertly crafted both by Fincher in his direction, as well as John D.
You have to watch that now not only movie that's like playing game.
The music really helps with achieving that immersion.In the end, it is hard not to go over the movie in your mind, consider if the plot holds together when you finally discover what is happening, and ultimately it does not entirely hold together, it has contrivances necessary to realize this story and requires you to suspend disbelief and/or not think too hard about the plausibility of some sequences.
I normally predict where a story is going and what characters are really after but I was always one step behind in this movie.Im sure there was lots I missed and would see only on second watching.Acting,stunts,story,cinematography was all amazing.Currently rated 9 because Im still a little hyped but if I feel the same way I will change to 10.What I like best about the movie are all the little lessons that are sprinkled throughout without laying it on thick, such as the banker needing to take his life a little less seriously and break bread with his family.Great job!!!!
Yet, films like this seem to leave an ambiguous impression for me which isn't the case why "The Game" is considered as one of the most underrated of all David Fincher's works.This is about Nicholas Van Orton played by Michael Douglas.
Just like other films, David Fincher relies more on a plot twist as an attraction in his films and leaves a dark impression with a genre of mystery, drama, and thriller.
You are waiting at the end or for the end, choices in your hands.The pace of this movie is like other David Fincher films, not all, but it's very different.
Is Nicholas' flashback itself related to the ending at the end of the film because I see, the CRS is so careful in handling this game whether they play with Michael Douglas or the audience's minds.
Bottom line, "The Game" is an underrated gem of a masterpiece like other films by David Fincher.
Douglas is in top form and this was at the end of his run as leading man as the late 90s dawned but the film is a David Fincher signature.
A neo-Hitchcock movie if I ever saw one.The film follows a dull and greedy investment banker who is given a card as a birthday present by his brother, who tells him to phone up the company whose expertise lies in some form of enigmatic character building game.
If I had any complaints about the film it would be the ending which, for a movie that was pretty believable for the most part, required a lot of suspension of disbeliefBest Scene: Like I said it's been sometime since I've seen it.
The film tells the story about how a wealthy financier's life turns around after he is gifted a live- action game on the eve of his birthday.
Good writing like there is in, "The Game," is hard to find.I've seen some of David Fincher's (director, "The Game) films - his latest being "Benjamin Button." "The Game" is one of his best efforts.If you like originality and getting psyched out this movie has it all.
Never once in the movie (or at least once we were introduced to the game that Nicholas Van Orten was playing) did I have the thought that "I could see this happening." Never.
Michael Douglas was in character, playing a fairly stereotypical character for him, as Nicholas Van Orten, and Sean Penn did well as his little brother Conrad, who presented Nicholas with the game as a birthday gift.
Another thing I am a big fan of in David Fincher films are the legendary plot twists.
If you like David Fincher, expect the usual suspense, mystery and thrill that surrounds his movies, but not to the same high class. |
tt0385752 | The Golden Compass | Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) is (ostensibly) an orphan living at Jordan College in the Oxford of an alternate universe. In Lyra's world, every person is accompanied by a daemon, a physical representation of their soul in animal form. Because she is young, Lyra's daemon, Pantalaimon (voice: Freddie Highmore) -- Pan, for short -- can change his shape to appear as any animal he chooses. He most often appears as an ermine, or at need a moth or a cat. Adults' daemons settle in to one shape and don't change.Lyra overhears an interview between the Master of Jordan College (Jack Shepherd) and Fra Pavel (Simon McBurney), a representative of the powerful and sinister religious body called the Magisterium. They're discussing an expedition to the far north planned by Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig); Asriel wants to study a mysterious substance called Dust that seems to enter Lyra's world from parallel universes. Fra Pavel pressures the Master to withhold his support from Lord Asriel's expedition. The Master refuses, so, when left alone in the room, Fra Pavel poisons a decanter of Tokay wine that has been decanted specially for Lord Asriel.Lord Asriel soon arrives (accompanied by his daemon, a snow leopard), and pours himself a glass of the poisoned Tokay, but Lyra emerges from her hiding place to stop him from drinking it: she dashes the glass to the floor where it shatters. Lord Asriel sends her back to eavesdrop on the meeting that is about to begin. The Master and fellows of Jordan College, plus Fra Pavel, convene to hear about Lord Asriel's proposed expedition and research on Dust, which they agree to fund. Asriel is sure that Dust is connected with a means to get from one universe to other parallel universes. Pavel tells Asriel that talk of Dust is heresy.Even before we meet Lyra, boys and girls have been disappearing, snatched off the streets. The children call the kidnappers Gobblers. Lyra and her friend Roger (Ben Walker) promise one another that if either is caught, the other will come to the rescue. That night, while Lyra is at dinner being introduced to Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman), Roger and another friend, Billy Costa (Charlie Rowe), are taken by the Gobblers.At the dinner, Lyra is seated immediately across the table from the Master when Mrs. Coulter arrives, accompanied by her daemon, a golden monkey. The Master and all the scholars are evidently in awe of her. Mrs. Coulter takes a seat right next to Lyra, who is most impressed with her new acquaintance and agrees eagerly when Mrs. Coulter says she is also planning a trip to the far north, and proposes that Lyra come along as her assistant. The Master is evidently forced (by Mrs. Coulter's influence in high places) to agree.In the morning, just before Lyra's departure, the Master comes to Lyra's little upper room in college and gives her a strange golden instrument called an alethiometer, or "golden compass". He tells her that it is capable of telling the truth, but he can't tell her much about how it works. He admonishes her to keep the alethiometer to herself and above all not to let Mrs. Coulter know that she has it.Lyra spends some time in Mrs. Coulter's company, going to expensive shops to be bought new clothes and restaurants to dine with posh people. All the while, Lyra keeps the alethiometer with her in a shoulder bag. One day Mrs. Coulter orders her to stop wearing the shoulder bag, and when the girl shows reluctance Mrs. Coulter has her daemon, the golden monkey, half strangle Pantalaimon. Lyra runs to her room, now hating Mrs. Coulter, hides the alethiometer, then goes to explore Mrs. Coulter's private study. In a waste paper bin Pan finds papers which show that Mrs. Coulter is deeply involved with an arm of the Magisterium called the General Oblation Board (the Gobblers!); that the General Oblation Board is using children to investigate something called intercision; and that Billy Costa and Roger the kitchen boy are on a list of boys who have been taken. Immediately after discovering this, Lyra catches Mrs. Coulter's golden monkey daemon trying to steal the alethiometer. Pan changes into a bird, grabs it back, and they flee through the upstairs window. They're pursued and caught by Gobblers, then rescued by fierce but friendly Gyptians, who have been watching over Lyra at Lord Asriel's request. One of their rescuers is Ma Costa (Clare Higgins), Billy's mother.Lyra travels with the Gyptians and becomes acquainted with John Faa (Jim Carter), lord of the Gyptians, and his advisor Farder Coram (Tom Courtenay). She learns how to ask the alethiometer questions and how to interpret its responses. She also meets Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), queen of the witches, who tells Lyra that she is the subject of a prophecy concerning the fate of the world; that the missing children are being held at Bolvangar in Norroway; and that Lyra will find help in Trollesund, a town on the coast of Norroway. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter has dispatched a pair of mechanical spy flies to locate Lyra. When the spy flies find the Gyptian ship, Farder Coram captures one and seals it up in a tin, explaining that its sting contains a sleeping potion. The other escapes, though it's not clear that it does Mrs. Coulter any good.When they arrive in Trollesund, Lyra meets the Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot), who offers to help her -- but first he wants to get a friend out of a jam. The friend is Iorek Byrnison (voice: Ian McKellen), one of the great Panserbjørne -- armored ice bears -- of Svalbard. Iorek, exiled from his home after losing a fight, is a virtual prisoner in Trollesund; the townspeople got him drunk and stole his armor, which he cherishes the way humans cherish their daemons. Now, alcoholic and despairing, he works as a mechanic and metalsmith in exchange for whiskey. Consulting the alethiometer, Lyra learns that Iorek Byrnison was heir to the throne of Svalbard until he was betrayed and defeated by Ragnar (voice: Habib Nasib Nader), the current king. She also learns where the armor is hidden and tells Iorek, who promises in return to help her find the missing children. Lee Scoresby and the Gyptians dissuade the soldiers who try to stop the re-armored bear, and Lyra and her allies march into the interior toward Bolvangar.When they camp for the night, Lyra puzzles over something the alethiometer is telling her and seeks out Iorek Byrnison. She asks him to take her to a valley nearby, where she finds Billy Costa, weak and anguished because he's been separated from his daemon. This, Lyra realizes, is what intercision means; it's a fate so horrible she and Pan can hardly bear to think about it.Iorek Byrnison and Lyra take Billy back to the Gyptians' camp, which is immediately set upon by the ferocious Samoyed people who live in that area. They capture Lyra and carry her to Svalbard as an offering to the armored bears. Recalling that Mrs. Coulter told her King Ragnar longs to have a daemon of his own, Lyra asks Pan to hide and introduces herself to Ragnar as Iorek Byrnison's daemon. As she hoped, Ragnar becomes furiously jealous. Lyra tells him that if he can defeat Iorek in single combat, she will become Ragnar's daemon. Ragnar agrees to fight Iorek Byrnison, and Iorek gallops up on cue, intending to rescue Lyra. When Lyra explains what she's arranged, apologetic and frightened because after running all that way Iorek seems in no shape to fight, Iorek surprises her with his enthusiasm. He wants nothing more from life than a chance to fight Ragnar, and dubs her Lyra Silvertongue for her skillful manipulation of the usurper-king.Iorek fights Ragnar and kills him by feigning an injury, then hitting Ragnar so hard his jaw flies off. This victory wins back Iorek Byrnison's rightful place as king of the ice bears, but he leaves his kingdom to complete his obligation to Lyra. He takes her most of the way to the experimental station at Bolvangar where the children are being held, but has to leave her and go for help when the bridge over a crevasse breaks, leaving Iorek on the wrong side.Inside the experimental station, Lyra asks Roger to get the other children ready to escape. He shows her to a room where she can be alone with the alethiometer, but she has to hide under the table when the experimental station staff and Mrs. Coulter come in. After Mrs. Coulter leaves, Lyra's foot slips, giving her away. She's captured by the staff and she and Pan are put into the intercision device, the machine used to separate children from their daemons. The separation is almost complete when Mrs. Coulter, looking terrified, runs in and stops the procedure.Lyra and Pan wake up with their bond intact, and a distraught Mrs. Coulter assures Lyra that she's safe and she'll never be hurt. Lyra, shrinking from Mrs. Coulter, asks why they're separating children from their daemons. Mrs. Coulter explains that Dust (which she seems to equate with original sin) came into the world long ago when people first disobeyed the Authority (God). While children are immune from Dust, it contaminates adults through their daemons. The goal of the intercision research is to prevent people from ever being affected by Dust. (This explanation is a slightly more palatable version of the one given in an earlier scene, in which high officials of the Magisterium, disturbed about Jordan College's rebellious support of Lord Asriel, look forward to a future when intercision will mold a population that never questions the Magisterium's authority.) Mrs. Coulter says that intercision doesn't hurt -- "it's just a little cut."If intercision is such a good thing, Lyra counters, why did Mrs. Coulter stop the lab staff from doing it to Lyra? Mrs. Coulter admits that the procedure isn't perfect yet. When she mentions taking Lyra home, Lyra says venomously that her home is Jordan College. Mrs. Coulter reveals that she is Lyra's mother -- a relationship Lyra rejects -- and that Lord Asriel is her father. Lyra pretends to cooperate when Mrs. Coulter asks for the alethiometer, but gives her instead the tin holding the spy fly. The fly's sting knocks out Mrs Coulter and her daemon. Lyra escapes and leads the children out into the snow, pausing only to sabotage the intercision device, which explodes in a very satisfying way.Outside the experimental station the children confront the guards, who attack them. Iorek Byrnison intervenes, but is nearly overcome before the arrival, at dramatic intervals, of Lee Scoresby, the witches led by Serafina Pekkala, and the Gyptians. There's a ferocious melee; whenever someone is killed, their daemon disintegrates in a swirl of Dust. Lyra's friends win the battle.Lyra sets off with Iorek Byrnison and Lee Scoresby to find Lord Asriel, who has been captured by the Samoyed people. Roger insists on coming along. Meanwhile Mrs. Coulter, having learned that Lord Asriel has bribed his captors and set up a laboratory to continue his research on Dust, sets off to stop him. In the final scene, Lyra and Roger curl up with Iorek Byrnison in the back of Mr. Scoresby's flying machine, heading north. | fantasy, boring, violence, intrigue, alternate reality, psychedelic, storytelling, sci-fi | train | imdb | I am a huge fan of the His Dark Materials books, and was reading all three in preparation for the movie to come, I was praying this would be the new fantasy epic to watch.
The Golden Compass is not a bad movie, its definitely better than the first Narnia movie and Harry Potter movie, but after reading the book I couldn't help but criticise because I know how amazing this movie could have been.
Its a great film to watch for Christmas and will hopefully do well at the box office so the Subtle Knife is made very soon.The biggest surprise of the cast definitely comes from Dakota Blue Richards as the lead, Lyra.
Occasionally it is a blessing to get a two hour movie rather than a bloated two and a half hour once, but this story requires all the time it can get, and with events just taking up mere seconds and events being cut out (fans of the book will hate The Cocktail Party not being in the film) makes the film feel too short and missing something.
An evil empire called the Magestirium attempts total control of the population by hiding the secrets or parallel universes and a unifying particle called Dust in Chris Weitz's clunky but entertaining adaptation of Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass"."Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings" have never apologized about their overt paganism.
Since we currently live in a world where a born-again Christian sits in the White House and wages wars in Muslim nations, it's easy to see why folks from both sides of the aisle, ardent fans of the books and conservative Christians alike, have been worked up into a mindless and silly frenzy over even just a watered-down film version of the first of Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, with one side saying it's not wickedly subversive enough, and the other side saying it's still subversively wicked.However, viewing the film out of the context of the books upon which it is based and the ridiculous faux-controversy surrounding them, it makes the grade as a big-budget fantasy flick.
There's also the disturbing subtext of child abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church as seen in the Magestirium's cruel experiments with kidnapped children, which makes the film feel charmingly grotesque.Bottom Line: Any movie that depicts Nicole Kidman walking around with a monkey and preaches the importance of free will, making bonds, sticking together, and fighting for your friends and loved ones can't be all that bad.
Despite some of the themes of the books being exorcised and arbitrarily presented by a poorly chosen Chris Weitz (a director known for his comedies "American Pie" and "About a Boy"), "The Golden Compass" still has enough interesting elements and old-fashioned razzle dazzle presented with new age CGI to make it entertaining.
That may still be the case if the bulk of early reviews are to be believed (but see Ebert's all-out glowing review.) Admittedly, the movie probably works better if you have read the first book (I had), but those readers are precisely the people who would likely complain the most.
There are moments in this, that i won't spoil for those like me who didn't know the plot, that really surprised me that they'd do in a family film.A big fight scene between polar bears and the end battle are suitably exciting and i found myself really invested.
Whereas in Narnia they hadn't done enough to make you care about Aslan's fate (criminal given how effectively the book and the 80s BBC TV serial managed it) this really has you on the edge of your seat for the good guys.Overall I really liked Golden Compass and would give it an 8/10 compared to LOTR 10/10, 9/10, 7/10 for the series, Potter 5/10, 6/10, 8/10, 7/10, 7/10 for the series and Narnia 4/10.
Having seen the Golden Compass I can honestly say Im hoping they don't make a follow up.The story was truncated beyond the necessity involved in translating a book to film, the intricacies of the characters (especially Lyra) were swept over with a series of single scene expositions, that despite the talents of all the actors involved failed to accurately portray their persona's or motivations.Whether or not you agree with Pullmans subtext in the book or not, the film failed miserably to deliver any semblance of the authors story.On the plus side the Daemons and other effects were expertly achieved, fantastically voiced.
The effect of this cowardice left behind a film that was a total waste of time, an insult to the original writer of the book and a waste of talent that should have been used better in a greater film than this mixed, unexplained unmitigated disaster.If there is going to be sequels and going by this film, I hope to all heavens there is NOT - can we the audience have a change of makers, scriptwriters and a producer, a director with a brain and at least someone with guts to stand up against the zealous religious right.To sum up: what a complete mess and waste of talent.This film could have been so, so so much better.Rating: one out of ten..
Most of the books that I have read that later became movies I really enjoyed, all the Harry Potter series so far and of course the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The film has virtually none of the depth of story and characters that the film has....the movie strings together all the action sequences of the book (in different order!) and gives the tiniest bit of exposition on the plot in between.
My advice is that if you have not read the book then you may enjoy the movie..it's beautifully done on the surface...there's some decent acting etc....but if you have read and loved the book you will be very let down at the lack of depth in both story and character development....it's hard to believe Pullman allowed his name to be on the credits of this turkey....
- The film treats the audience like retards, basically explaining things that should come naturally as the story progresses and also keeps showing flashy visuals for things (reading of the alethiometer) over and over again rather than actually filling the scene with some substance.
The visual effects are beautifully executed, and the way the characters interact with the CGI is perfect.However, beyond the enjoyment of the movie I have to say, the one thing that stood out was Dakota Blue Richards: a young actress with such screen presence and believability in her portrayal of Lyra that I hope she will be picked up and engaged by many studios.
This film will surely get new audiences to the bookstore and provides good value to old fans too.Any misgivings I have with The Golden Compass adaptation stem from cuts made by its studio, and when I say "cuts" I mean the kind that makes art bleed internally.
The Golden Compass is a film that will have you asking questions; but not the sort of questions that you knock about after the film regarding its appeal or intelligence but those that have you asking "Just what were they thinking?" Even as a Hollywood, CGI fun-fest; the film still manages to fail pretty miserably with its lack of conflict; lack of characterisation and its over reliance on gimmicks that I'm sure probably worked on paper but don't on the screen.I wasn't aware of the fact this was based on a book until some further research after watching the film; from what I've read, people don't like the adaptation.
Its idea that these people (who inhabit an alternate 'Earth) have their souls on their outside is an interesting one and one that all credit must go toward the author of the novel and yet on screen, we are supposed to relate to these characters by way of their animal accomplices ie; Lord Asriel's (Craig) is a tiger: strong and powerful who knows what's what; Marisa Coulter (Kidman) has a monkey of some sort; suggesting not a playful and cheeky persona but one that could change from good to aggressive very quickly; the other example is of the hero; Lyra Belacqua (Richards) whose daemon keeps changing from cat to bird to chipmunk suggesting she hasn't quite 'found herself' yet although the fact she's only about ten probably has something to do with this.
This film basically turns into a recruitment process with Kidman's and Craig's characters hovering around in the background although never creating a presence; this is Indiana Jones all right: for nine year olds but then there's the complicated narrative and the fact the three Indiana Jones films were for people of all ages anyway.What we are led to believe is that in this world, they haven't made the technological advancements like cars and aeroplanes (their cars resemble horse and carts without the horses and they fly around in blimps) and yet build vast utopias that still find room to house criminals of some description whose main aim is to 'cut' away the souls of children at the first mention of the word 'dust' yes, it's that bizarre.
This was an astonishingly good film.Without getting into any comparisons with its pop-culture-ordained rival, The Chronicles of Jerusalem (I mean Narnia), I will say this is the best fantasy movie to hit the shelves since Lord of the Rings.The story is explosive, dynamic and startlingly accurate if viewed in a historical sense.
Her character is a forceful blend of guts and intelligence to the point that several of her actions throughout the story made my jaw drop to the floor, thinking "wow, this girl is CRAZY!" in awe and admiration of her strength and courage.For those of you who have not seen this movie, if you want to see a child actor rival virtually every A-list blockbuster star in Hollywood, Dakota Blue Richards is your girl.I was also happy to see Daniel Craig in this film, as he was great in Casino Royale and it was interesting to see him in such a starkly different role.
I was very disappointed with how the Bolvanger scenes were handled, they are crucial to the film, as is the 'you cannot trick a bear' storyline from Iorek and now unexplained leaves the watcher confused as to why the fight scene is so important to the story.The scenery, set design, costumes and daemons (in particular) were great and clearly had time spent on them to ensure 'authenticity'.I thought Nicole Kidman was perfectly cast but am unable to assess Daniel Craig as he was barely on screen, another oddity.
"Northern Lights" written by Philip Pullman is the story of a little girl in a parallel universe called Lyra Belacqua who journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization.The adaptation is directed by Chris Weitz and the screenplay is also written by the director and the adaptation is so close to the mark it is hard to believe they managed to fit the story of the book into just under two hours.
The pacing of this film is pretty good and it gives quite an in-depth introduction to the characters and story lines as does the author in the books making the characters and plot readily accessible for the second and third installments of the story, this is pretty well adapted to the screen and when you leave the cinema after the film you feel like you know the characters well enough to feel for them in their anguish and their joy.The acting in this film is superb including a star studded cast which includes; Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge, The Hours, Fur), Daniel Craig (Munich, Casino Royale, The Invasion), Sam Elliot (Buffalo Girls, Conagher) and Eva Green (Casino Royale) and Nicole Kidman gives possibly one of the best performances of her career delivering the icy cold persona that Mrs Coulter embodies in the books and reminding us of the nasty and cold characters she has played in the past including Suzanne Stone in To Die For and Grace Stewart in The Others.
Eva Green and Sam Elliot give solid performances here and are practically what I imagined Scoresbey and Serrefina Pekkalla to look like when reading the books, but they are totally outshined by total newcomer Dakota Blue Richards who is radiant as Lyra; showing the wreckless yet intelligent sides of the young heroine and also embodying the adventurous lead character.
However after thinking about it before writing the review I decided that the film has enough great points to level out the flaws.Overall this film is possibly one of the best films this year and I feel it is one of the most faithful book adaptations I have ever seen on the big screen; great effects, great acting, great director.
Instead of the book ending we see the ending for part 2 of the book, which simply doesn't make sense given all the events that took place by that time.If you want to know how NOT to make a movie on an excellent book, read "His Dark Materials" and then watch the "Golden Compass".
Some great scenes, some fascinating artwork, and, although in rather short supply, some enchanting acting performances such as from Eva Green who portrayed a witch, or from Sam Elliot who was superb, or from young Dakota Blue Richards who was indeed good, and Nicole Kidman, who always is impressive though this time maybe was not at her best.I enjoyed the film, yes, but...
The Golden Compass spends far too much time explaining the boring and generic mythology behind the dull and uninteresting world it takes place in; far too much time setting up the silly and poorly crafted antagonist's motivations, and almost no time actually entertaining the audience.Almost all of the actors' performances in this film come off as extremely pretentious and forced, especially Nicole Kidman who's career has been rocketing through bad movie after bad movie since the late 90's.The only real actor in this disaster is Mr. Daniel Craig, who, bless his heart, is given barely any screen time to speak of.Without giving anything away, the heart of The Golden Compass' problems is that its story is ridiculous, silly, stale, and spiritless.If you can manage to get past the incredibly dull first hour and half of the flick, you are eventually treated to 2 giant polar bears fighting, and an giant ending battle, where the lighting is so dark and poorly executed that it might as well have never happened.
When I first heard that they were going to make a film out of the most enthralling and inspiring books I have read made my very excited, but at the same time very nervous, as I needed to balance my love for the story with my movie critical mind
Like most HDM followers I watched the films production via fan sites and rumour networks quite religiously (or should I say regularly!).
Though the acting in this movie is well done, and the special effects rather good, I found the story to be dull and uninspiring.Young Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) is taken under the wing of Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman).
I also think some, especially those who haven't read the books may feel a bit let down at the end, but for me it felt more like it was building up towards the next two movies (if made) and I left the theater already wanting to see the next one..
Surprisingly lacking at the most important terms,and factors,but kids will love,maybe they love rather.At this moment seems like some economical problems finally the creators get with this project.The little girl who plays the main role,is very acceptable actress,creators has luck with her,cause the little money this film earned is just cause her,and it would be less without her.Daniel Craig is only for the marketing,cause at the start of the shooting it was clear for the creators that the story,and Nicole Kidman just will not enough to make money,and seems like this logic just followed the creators while they shoot-ed the movie actually.Unfortunately I have just less good feelings about this film,like I hoped I will.As a business it was a fail,but user rating says that most of users loved this film.I have to tell you I'am absolutely not a fan of everything,and any story,or film that has a material with fantasy elements,but my nature time ,after time pulls me to a mood when I wants to see these type of films,just cause I hope I will learn something new,this film was good to repeat an important question,but was not new for me.4/10-this is not a new story,but important..
The Golden Compass was a bit rush but because of that, you wouldn't feel bored watching this movie, since it doesn't go on and on to explain a background for like 10 minutes.
Nicole Kidman's Marissa Coulter leads the list; her actions and others' have to be stopped by Lyra (new talent Dakota Blue Richards), the film's main character and owner of a special 'compass'.
Lyra's young dæmons, Pantalaimon (voiced by Freddie Highmore), is a shape-shifting weasel, and some of pair's affectionate exchanges prove surprisingly touching.What makes 'The Golden Compass' such an enjoyable adventure is the selection of diverse and colourful characters: Nicole Kidman is exceedingly creepy as the icy Marisa Coulter, Sam Elliott is a lot of fun as a kind-hearted Texan aeronaut, Daniel Craig's Lord Asriel is the film's most charismatic and interesting character {so it's unfortunate that he's afforded precious little screen-time} and even CGI-created Iorek Byrnison the Armoured Bear {his voice naggingly familiar I should have picked out Ian "Gandalf" McKellan anywhere!} gives a genuinely affectionate performance.
The film I saw stuck as closely as one could expect to the plot of the book (excluding the ending, of which more later), had some great acting (sadly only cameo roles for most of the big-name actors, but Dakota Blue Richards was superb as Lyra), used visual effects to create a truly fantastical world, and kept up a great pace throughout. |
tt0090903 | Il miele del diavolo | Johnny (Stefano Madia) and Jessica (Blanca Marsillach) are young lovers embroiled in the throes of wild passion. Johnny, a musician, is obsessed with sex, and carries the protesting, but breathless, Jessica along with his erotic charm. The film opens at a recording studio where Johnny, after taking a break playing his saxophone, calls Jessica into the booth and sexually fondles her before other techs arrive and Jessica is forced to leave.Meanwhile, Dr. Wendell Simpson (Brett Halsey), is a surgeon with marital problems. He never makes love to his unhappy wife Carol (Corinne Clery), and is obsessed with his work at the hospital more than anything else. What's more, Carol has recently discovered that he makes regular visits to prostitutes during and after work. He visits Anna, a call girl at a local hotel where after fondling her and having quick but unsatisfying sex, forces her to leave after paying her.The next day, Johnny continues his torrid affair with Jessica by forcing her to fondle him while riding on his motorcycle. Afterwords at their house, he semi-forces himself upon her and has sex with her anally despite her protests to stop. Next, while Johnny fools around by riding around on his motorcycle he falls and hits his head on a stone plate. At first he appears fine, but later, in the recording studio, he collapses into a coma brought on by an apparent subdural hematoma.That evening, Carol demands a divorce from Dr. Simpson when he is called to the hospital in the operating room to perform emergency brain surgery on an injured musician. Carol follows Simpson right to the O.R. and springs the divorce plans she has for him again. During the operation, Simpsons mind wanders, and Johnny dies on the operating table. Driving away from the hospital, Simpson is chased by the grief-stricken Jessica who swears revenge on her boyfriend's "killer".Jessica starts sending threatening notes and making harassing phone calls to Simpson at his office, always repeating the same line, "why did you let him die?" At a private golf club, Simpson and Carol are playing on the links when they decide to make one final attempt to patch up their marriage. Entreating her husband to "treat me like a whore", Carol entices her husband to bed. Just as things start to happen as Simpson begins having sex with Carol, the telephone rings. After more then a dozen or more rings, Simpson feels compelled to answer despite the urgency of his wife's needs. He rolls off her to pick up the phone, but the phone rings off before he can answer. However, the damage is done. Carol gets up, dresses, and walks out on him for good. Seconds later, the telephone rings again. When Simpson picks it up right away, he hears Jessica's voice again saying, "why did you let him die?"Jessica becomes steadily more deranged with grief, spending hours watching home videos of Johnny. The next day she pulls a gun on Simpson as he gets into his car to go to the hospital. Forcing him to drive to her house, she chloroforms him when they arrive and ties him up in the cellar. Simpson regains consciousness to find an Alsatian dog barking furiously at him, tied up just inches away. Outside, Jessica is smashing his car with an axe. She then informs her captive that she intents to kill him... but only when she's ready. Jessica then sets about humiliating her captive by forcing him to eat dog food, and having him lick her bare abdomen which is smeared with his own blood from a wound she inflicts on him. Simpson finds himself strangely and perversely attracted to his tormentor.Jessica's sadistic games go further when she forces Simpson at gunpoint to down to the beach outside the building. Whilst dragging him on a leash, she says she intends to drown him, and almost does by holding him under the water of the surf. But then she suddenly changes her mind and in a panic pulls Simpson out of the water and revives him.In a series of flashbacks, Jessica's memories are shown of her dead lover, which become more ambivalent as she recalls some of the cruelties and excesses Johnny was capable of. A baby she'd been carrying from her affair with Johnny miscarried at an early stage, and her periods resume. Her pet dog dies as well, and she buries him on the beach. Growing ever more melancholic, she engages in further sex games with the submissive Simpson who listens with compassion to Jessica's ramblings about her life with Johnny, until she re-calls a final recollection which changes her mind about Johnny.Several months earlier, during a vacation getaway to Venice, Italy, Johnny bought an expensive bracelet to symbolize their love for one another. Johnny and Jessica went to a local cinema with one of Johnny's friends, Nicky (Bernard Seray), a camp musical associate. During the movie, the two lovers embraced in a passionate kiss, but Jessica was horrified to discover that Johnny was simultaneously letting Nicky go down on him. The memory of this kinky ménage-a-trios was the last straw.Back in the present, Jessica, finally seeing the self-destructive person Johnny really was, walks to the ocean and throws the "mystical bracelet" Johnny bought for her, into the water. Jessica returns to the house to her prisoner's "kennel", where she unties Simpson and tells him that he is free to go.Jessica goes back upstairs to her bedroom, strips off all her clothes, and lies down on her bed, putting the pistol to her head intending to kill herself. Seconds later, the besotted Simpson walks willingly into her bedroom and prevents her from committing suicide by having sex with her as both of them are now drawn into a torrid passion of their own making. The film ends with Simpson and Jessica laying side by side in bed when Simpson begins to recite a poem to Jessica that he said earlier in the film:"When you have spent your life like a fortune that never seemed to end. A second chance will come like a long lost friend. Great joy will fill you and flush you hot. No more will you ever be cool for she is the Devil's honey pot. And you'll drown in her you fool." | sadist | train | imdb | Not usual Fulci-movie.
I've seen overall 30 Lucio Fulci's movies, horror and non-horror, and have to admit that Devil's honey did surprise me.
Many people doesn't like this one, because it's so different than Fulci's better known splatter-movies, but I have to disagree with that.
Even though movie differs very much maestro's earlier works like for example Zombie flesh-eaters, Beyond, City of the living dead or even notorious New York ripper, doesn't make it bad.
Sure there's different kind of elements involved this time, but movie is still worth to watch.Basically Devil's honey, as it is titled in most English language countries, is a story of a love and disappointment, which leads eventually to a kidnapping and a torture.
It's a story of a disappointed young woman, who kidnaps a doctor who failed to save her boyfriend and who tortures the doctor to the limits to get her satisfactional punishment.
There's some sadomasochistic elements involved too, because doctor falls in love with his torturer and starts to enjoy his punishment.
Many people see this as a main thing in this movie, but it isn't.
Although the story behind the torturing is very simple and little twisted (like many other Fulci movies too), sadomasochism isn't playing the leading role here.I'll give Devil's honey 8/10 just because it's nice to see that Fulci can handle this kind of erotic thriller as well as his earlier horror flicks.
Lucio Fulci's name has become synonymous with gore; and that is unfortunate, as there's so much more to the great Italian director than just splatter flicks.
The four pre-Zombi 2 Giallo films that Fulci made prove this, and there's enough other gems dotted throughout the man's filmography that go a long way towards proving it further; The Devil's Honey being one of them.
This is a surprisingly restrained film considering the more famous Fulci flicks, although the lack of gore is somewhat made up for in nudity; as this film is certainly not short on that front.
The first twenty minutes aren't a far cry away from being a porn film, and it's not until the first plot point that we realise Fulci does have actually have a story to tell.
The plot follows a young man who has an accident (which is completely his own fault) and ends up on the operating table of Doctor Simpson, a man tormented by his nagging wife and questionable manhood.
After the young man dies, poor old Doctor Simpson begins receiving irritating phone calls from a woman repeatedly asking why he let the man die.
Before long, he finds himself the captive of the vindictive female.It has to be said that the story plays out well, and while it's not exactly plot heavy; Fulci does a good job of keeping the sexual tension high, and that is highly beneficial since it's the main point of the movie.
The film is bound to appeal to sadists and feminists alike, as much of the movie features the young women exacting her revenge on the man she blames for the death of her lover.
The main intrigue comes from the relationship between the two leads, as although their acquaintance is based on hatred; they soon develop a perverse love for one another.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this film is the fact that the love doesn't come across as contrived!
Fulci sets up the characters so well that it's easy to see how and why this relationship transpires as it does.
The only real problem with the film is that Fulci spends a little too much time with flashbacks between the girl and her dead lover, and this takes the focus away from the girl and the doctor, which should always be kept at the forefront of the film.
However, The Devil's Honey works well in spite of that and overall this little thriller is well worth seeking out!
I'd also like to give a quick mention to the poem that the movie takes its title from, as like the rest of the film - it's rather good!.
Also known as Dangerous Obsession,this movie was intended to be Lucio Fulci's comeback after more than a year of dealing with hepatitis.
It's a return to the giallo (or at least sexually related drama) that he was creating in the early 70's instead of the gore that he'd become infamous for throughout the 80's, but when you're dealing with Fulci, you know you're going to get something certifiably insane and also something that doesn't fit into any set category.The film opens on Johnny playing that tender, tender saxophone that the ladies love so much.
And no one loves it more than Jessica, his woman, who runs into the booth to lick the spit off his lips rather than let him wipe it himself.
Johnny responds by fondling her in front of the engineers and his band, who are all like, "Brah, you gotta get outta here with that noise." Instead, Johnny kicks everyone out and he takes her right in the middle of the studio, against her protests, telling her that he is her master and that everything he loves is in her.
She argues that he doesn't want her, only a piece of her, and Johnny responds by playing sax music directly into her woman parts.
Honestly, I don't even know if this is physically possible, but it's one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen in a movie.
It's like Fulci was upset he couldn't just cut out someone's eyeball, so he decided to do the most ridiculous sex scene possible.You know how you get jaded and say, "I've seen everything?" Well, I'm here to tell you that you haven't until you watch The Devil's Honey.Unbeknowskt to our lovers, everyone was in the booth watching.
They blame Jessica for distracting Johnny, so she leaves for the bar.We cut to a Dr. Wendell Simpson (Brett Halsey, Return of the Fly, Demonia) being stripped of his scrubs after a successful surgery.
He calls to tell Carol (Corinne Clery, who of course is Kala from Yor, Hunter from the Future), his wife, that he will be late.
The doctor responds by rubbing that red nail polish all over her face before taking her violently and quickly, then he pays her to leave, as she calls him a monster.Honestly, Fulci stages a sex scene like he stages a spider eating off someone's face.Carol catches the doctor leaving the prostitute's apartment, just as we move back to Johnny and Jessica on a roller-coaster.
They lick faces as the coaster goes up and down the hills, which is intercut with Caol lying in bed, unfulfilled as the doctor sleeps.Just when you think Fulci is going to back off on the insanity, we have Johnny and Jessica on a motorcycle, where he forces her to fondle him while he races the bike faster and faster until they nearly hit a car.Ladies — if you're into dudes wearing Cosby sweaters, tight jeans and brown leather, Johnny is the man for you.They head back to their house, where they make love while Dickey from The Beyond barks outside their door.
Seriously, her mood swings seem like a red flag, but I'm 45 and not a famous saxophone player.
Lucio Fulci's films are not known for their great scripts, and indeed the storytelling in "Devil's Honey" is often sloppy and the ending is weak.
Of course this is a rather atypical outing for Fulci (his answer to "9 ½ Weeks", perhaps?), and it works mostly thanks to Blanca Marsillach's surprisingly good performance: she's a beautiful young woman with a perfect body who walks around in the nude a lot, but beyond her looks she gives more depth than you'd expect to her character, making her innocent and curious (and easily aroused!) at first, sadistic and vengeful in the second half (I loved those little smirks that showed how much pleasure she got from her power over her male captive), but always very human underneath.
Although she is 3rd-billed, make no mistake: she is the star of this film (2nd-billed Corinne Clery has a relatively small part, but she DOES get fully nude as well!).
This is why this erotic thriller is so much more "erotic" than "thriller": who wouldn't want to be captured by a woman like Blanca and become her plaything?
Cecilia (Blanca Marsillach) is in love with the sax player Gaetano (Stefano Madia) who has an accident with his motorbike.
Later, Doctor Guido Domenici (Brett Halsey) supervises the operation, but he makes a fatal mistake because he doesn't pay attention.
He has problems with his wife Carole (Corinne Clery) who wants a divorce.
Understandably, Cecilia doesn't care about the doctor's personal problems - she only knows he is responsible for the death of Gaetano and wants revenge.
However, as they spend a lot of time together, a strange relationship begins to form...
(Note: the names of the characters are different in the original Italian version compared to the English version.) Although this may have similarities with "9 1/2 Weeks" on the surface, "Il miele del diavolo" reminds me more of the deeper, obsessive films of Andrzej Zulawski or even Luis Bunuel.
Stylistically, this is quite experimental, as Cecilia sees her dead boyfriend walking around and has flashbacks like visions.
Beyond the obvious bits of exploitation, this is an ambitious and interesting work by Fulci (who briefly appears as a talisman seller)..
Sadomasochism, love, obsession.
This is an atypical Lucio Fulci film in that it focuses on themes which are usually examined by Jess Franco.
Nevertheless, this is still one of my top three favorite Fulci films (behind Lizard in a Woman's Skin and New York Ripper).
It is an interesting examination of an increasingly dangerous sadomasochistic relationship, a relationship tinged with unbridled lust, obsession, torture, and love.Although the first thirty minutes of the film (with the exception of the great saxophone sex scene) are quite silly and cheaply done, the second half of the film completely surprised me with its serious and dark tone.
As the film progresses, we are increasingly drawn into a truly screwed up relationship, until we realize that the only resolution to this relationship is absolute nihilism and destruction.An atypical, yet ultimately satisfying film by the maestro Fulci.
I do know Fulci as a horror buff from his splatter flicks but I even knew him from his sometimes almost porn look-a-like flicks.
it's a weird story full of sex and torture towards the end.
Fulci fans do search this rare to find flick but it's findable on fleamarkets in the Netherlands and Belgium on VHS.
As I said before, not a typical Fulci but not boring at all.Gore 0/5 Nudity 3,5/5 Effects 0/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5.
Blanca Marsillach looks great, everything else just so-so.
Corinne Clery got a top billing, but she played only a minor character in this film.
The real star was Blanca Marsillach, and she was pretty good, inasmuch as I can tell in a film that appeared to be dubbed.
Her sweet, innocent look was a good one for the violent revenge she takes.
(Man, I wish European actresses would shave their armpits, though) Also in the early scenes where "Johnny" was playing the saxophone, it was painfully obvious that he was not.
Devil's Honey, The (1986)** 1/2 (out of 4) Bizarre film for Fulci sees him in more of a Jess Franco type of territory.
In the film, a woman (Blanca Marsillach) loses her mind after the death of her boyfriend.
Even though it was his fault, she blames the doctor (Brett Halsey) who was operating on him when he died.
Soon the woman kidnaps the doctor and plans to torture him both physically and sexually.
This certainly isn't the type of film you'd expect someone like Fulci to make especially during this period in his career.
Throughout this decade we were getting non-stop violence and gore but that's all cut out here and in its place is non-stop nudity and bizarre sex scenes.
The first twenty-minutes of this film features one sex scene after another and it appears they each get more and more bizarre.
Fulci's THE NEW YORK RIPPER was pretty perverse but so is this film and that includes a scene where the boyfriend "satisfies" the woman by putting his trumpet up to her private parts and playing.
The sex scenes never reach the hardcore stage but Fulci handles them pretty well, although he never quite reaches a full erotic mode.
One could compare this film to Franco's SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY but that movie worked a lot better because we understood the woman's need for revenge.
The second reason is because the woman is simply blaming the wrong person for his death.
Halsey, a soon to be Fulci regular, does a pretty good job in his role but there's no question that the film belongs to Marsillach who really digs deep into her character.
The two work quite well together and certainly make the film a lot better than it really has the right to be.
Fans of Fulci will certainly want to check this one out but others probably won't find too much entertainment here..
Fulci and his team bring quality and interest to something that could have been a lot worse in the hands of a lesser director..
Johnny (Madia) is an up-and-coming saxophone player (this was the 80's, after all) who lets his sax do the talking.
Johnny is in an intense, stormy, and tumultuous relationship with Jessica (Marsillach).
Meanwhile, Dr. Wendell Simpson (Halsey) is in a downright failing relationship with his wife Carol (Clery), primarily due to his frequenting of prostitutes and neglecting the needs of his wife.
When Johnny suffers a motorbike accident - again because he's the ultimate 80's coolguy - while proclaiming his undying love for Jessica, he ends up on the operating table of Dr. Simpson.
So Jessica reacts in the way anybody else would - she kidnaps the doctor and subjects him to endless psychological/physical/sexual torture.
What will happen to Jessica and the doctor?
Did you know AIP released a Lucio Fulci film?
No one's a bigger Fulci fan than me, so I was delighted to stumble on to a movie of his I'd never seen before.
Because of his famous horror movies, most people that know his name simply associate it with gore.
But the truth is, the man has worked in just about every film genre there is.
As we all know, the Italian film industry is known for, let's say, jumping on the bandwagon of prevailing cinematic trends, and at this point in time, erotic dramas were, no pun intended, hot.
And while many people have drawn parallels between this movie and 9 1/2 Weeks, it's really like a "Last Tango In Rome" meets Emanuelle's Revenge (1975), which was directed by Joe D'Amato, himself no stranger to the erotic drama, namely Eleven Days, Eleven Nights (1987).
Of course, the whole thing has a very European flavor to it that I personally found appealing.The aforementioned Emanuelle's Revenge is probably the closest parallel you'll find to Dangerous Obsession, because both are Italian psychological-erotic hostage dramas with a structure of flashbacks.
But only Dangerous Obsession opens with live smooth sax.
Probably the best place to turn at this point would be to quote Stephen Thrower, from his must-have monograph on Fulci, Beyond Terror: "Fulci turned in a trashy, often hilarious S&M fantasy with a few dark undertows of melancholia for good measure." So Fulci fans who haven't seen it should check it out, especially those only familiar with his horror output.
For everyone else, those with a taste for this kind of thing most likely won't be disappointed, because Fulci and his team bring quality and interest to something that could have been a lot worse in the hands of a lesser director..
With your host: Lucio Fulci!!.
"The Devil's Honey" is definitely one of the rarest and possibly also the strangest movie Lucio Fulci has on his impressive repertoire.
And even though it must be very appealing to fans of the man, I certainly wouldn't advise to move heaven and earth in order to purchase a copy of this film.
Although not at all bad or boring, this is an extremely atypical Fulci-movie and the complete lack of gore and zombie-action is likely to disappoint people that only know Fulci from films like "City of the Living Dead" and "Zombi 2".
"The Devil's Honey" is more like an erotic melodrama and it seems like Fulci took this opportunity to insert as many bizarre sexual fantasies as humanly possible in one screenplay.
Especially during the first half hour, this film brings forward some of the oddest sex scenes ever, including sex with a saxophone (very creative!), sex with red paint (weird!), sex on the roller-coaster (exciting!), a threesome in the movie-theater (too strange for words) and sex on a motorcycle (don't try this at home!).
We follow a young couple with an extremely healthy sexual appetite as well as a frustrated surgeon who regularly visits prostitutes in order to escape his boring marriage.
All their lives interfere when the young man is involved in a banal accident and the surgeon isn't able to save his life.
The slightly insane girl Jessica personally holds Dr. Simpson responsible for her lover's death and decides to kidnap him.
Her plan is to kill him but, of course, they start a passionate sexual relationship instead.
Like other reviewers pointed out correctly, it's very interesting to see how Lucio Fulci universally known as the director of gorehound movies is also capable of bringing an intense, non-graphic thriller.
The music is good & atmospheric and, perhaps the best thing, the chemistry between the girl and the surgeon comes across as very realistic.
Nothing like the average Italian horror film, this movie reminded me most of artistic portraits like Paul Verhoeven's "Turkish Delight", Annaud's "L'Amant" or Catherine Braillat's "Romance X". |
tt0074611 | Full Circle | Julia Lofting (Mia Farrow), her husband Magnus (Keir Dullea), and their young daughter Kate (Sophie Ward) eat breakfast and Kate starts to choke on a piece of an apple. When the apple refuses to dislodge, Julia reaches for a knife and tries to perform a tracheotomy on Kate's throat, but fails and Kate bleeds to death.Distraught by the death of her only child, Julia leaves her husband and moves to a new house; a mysterious old row house in a low part of London. An upstairs room contains a child's possessions. As she unpacks, Julia finds a mechanical clown toy with sharp, clanking cymbals and accidentally cuts her finger on them.In a nearby park, Julia thinks she sees Kate, but the girl disappears. She hears strange noises in her house, blaming them on Magnus, who she believes is spying on her. When Julia takes photos of the child's possessions in the room, she is baffled when there is nothing in the frame of the developed photo and sees that the items cannot be photographed. A radiator in the house mysteriously turns on by itself. Later, Julia sees the girl in the park, but finds a mutilated turtle and a knife where she stood.Magnus' sister, Lily, asks Julia if her friends can use her house to conduct a seance. The medium, Mrs. Fludd, explains that spirits need to control someone to carry out physical acts. During the seance, Mrs. Fludd becomes frightened and tells Julia to leave the house immediately. Moments later, one of Lily's friends, Miss Pinner, falls down the stairs.While Julia is out, Magnus breaks into her house to find her. He sees something and follows it to the basement, but is killed after falling from the staircase - his throat cut on a broken bottle.A neighbor tells Julia the house once belonged to Heather Rudge, who moved away after her daughter Olivia choked to death (in a similar manner to Kate). Julia visits Mrs. Fludd, who has taken ill since the seance. She tells the medium she is convinced her house is possessed by Kate's spirit, but the medium tells her she saw a boy in the park, bleeding to death. When Julia finds an article about a boy, Geoffrey Braden, murdered in the park, she visits Greta Braden, Geoffrey's mother. Mrs. Braden tells her a vagrant was executed for the crime but that the other children in the park murdered her son. She says she and her companion have been following the lives of the children, now adults, and asks Julia to visit the remaining two, Captain Paul Winter and David Swift. Winter dismisses her after she says she's seen Mrs. Braden. Outside she sees Miss Pinner, who denies seeing anything frightening in the house. Julia next visits Swift, an alcoholic, who admits that Olivia had power over him and the other children. She made them each kill an animal, then made them watch as she murdered Geoffrey. He says he told only Mrs. Rudge.That night, as she sleeps, a child's hand caresses Julia's face and holds her hand. The phone rings and when Julia tries to answer it, a child's hand pushes hers away, causing her water glass to fall and break. Later, Swift is shown leaving his apartment. He slips on a broken bottle in the stairwell and he falls over the railing to his death.Julia tells her friend, Mark (Tom Conti) what she has discovered but he doesn't believe her. That evening, her heater won't turn off. She tries to unplug it and shocks herself. Mark is later electrocuted when a lamp falls into his bath. Julia visits Mrs. Rudge in a psychiatric home. Mrs. Rudge confesses that she killed Olivia after learning about the murder. As Julia rushes out in fear, she looks over her shoulder at Mrs. Rudge, who sees Olivia's eyes. Mrs. Rudge dies of a heart attack.At home, Julia sees the ghost Olivia in the bathroom mirror, then in the living room on the floor playing with the clown toy. She takes it from her, offers her a hug and asks her to stay. In the final shot, Julia is seen bleeding to death, her throat apparently cut on the sharp edges of the cymbals. | gothic, haunting | train | imdb | While it does open with a bang and ends with a bang (probably the films' most powerful and haunting sequences), Locraine goes instead for an interesting psychological analysis of a grieving mother's crisis over her daughter's death.
Staring with small things that go grow more and more nasty as the story progresses, and the line between fantasy and reality becomes more and more blurry, The events that go on through the film may well be figment of her imagination, and the fact that, by the film's shocking climax, you still don't know for sure if it did happen at all, only adds to it's creepiness and strange atmosphere.
In fact, it does move a little too slow for it's own sake, but Mia Farrow's gripping, strong performance and Locraime's visual flourishes help it from becoming uninteresting.
Nevertheless, one can still see it's impact on the film, particularly on making the wintry streets of London and the old-dark-house setting even more menacing.The film also benefits from having a lovingly melancholic and often genuinely spooky score by Colin Towns, which blends perfectly with it's visual brilliance, as well as perfectly capturing the characters' emotions.
I am a very big fan of slow moving, atmospheric horror movies.
I agree with Scott Davies's comments,this film is really a masterpiece,and it's probably one of the best ghost stories ever made,but it's also one of the best "horror" movies of the 70's.
The story is complex and moving,the acting is very good (Mia Farrow's performance is amazing),the direction is elegant,the use of Cinemascope,the sets and peter Hannan's cinematography are wonderful,and colin Towns's famous and beautiful soundtrack perfectly fits the sad and chilling mood of the film.
Mia Farrow plays upper class woman who lost her eight year old daughter due to tragic circumstances.Her grief is immense.She distances herself from her wealthy husband Keir Dullea and begins to live in a flat on the outskirts of London.When paranormal party séance starts she begins to see sinister manifestations of children around her.As the story begins to unravel it seems that it's connected with brutal torture and murder of a small boy many years ago...Adapted from excellent and truly creepy Peter Straub's novel "Julia" this slow-moving ghost story is effectively eerie.The acting is fantastic and the conclusion is unforgettably devastating.The piano-and-strings score by Colin Towns adds a lot to subtle atmosphere of dread.8 spectral visions out of 10..
"The Haunting of Julia" features that undercurrent of melancholy (or pessimism, depending on your point of view) that weaves itself into so many 1970s horror films, such as "Don't Look Now").
The Haunting of Julia is an absolute must see for those who love eerie gothic style ghost stories that are intelligent and entertaining.
A failed adaptation of Peter Straub's eerie book "Julia", which had a tough time getting released in the States (in the early 1980s, it made the rounds of the Los Angeles art-house circuit under the title "The Haunting of Julia", not much of an improvement over "Full Circle").
Excellent adaption of Peter Straub's haunting (in SO many ways!) and gothic novel.Mia Farrow is well cast, and supported by tight direction and an intelligent script.Read the book first, however...
As soon as I watched this movie, I ran to the bookstore to purchase Julia, by Peter Straub.
This movie follows Julia Lofting, who recently lost her only daughter (and the only thing holding her shaky marriage together).
The ending makes much more sense in the movie than in the book, but otherwise the details really help you appreciate this already decent thriller.6 out of 10: Confusing at times, film quality is poor and really distracts the viewer at times..
The Haunting of Julia does not benefit from an interesting atmosphere either, as while some attempt is made to build one with a musical score; it never really comes off.
Mia Farrow is a very frail, timid woman who moves to a very large, built to be haunted house after her daughter dies and, surprise, it turns out to be haunted by a young blond girl who (gasp) looks just like her daughter!!
okay, three: The views of London, A Wonderfully romantic old house, and Tom Conti's portrayal as Mark, an antique salesman, and a mutual friend of Julia (Mia Farrow) and her husband Magnus.
Timing and transition are very important, but almost nonexistent in this movie.For example, one minute, Julia's in bed, grieving the sudden loss of her daughter, and the next minute, she has rushed out the door, gotten a cab, and purchased this huge Victorian house because she's leaving her husband...
sure, happens all the time...Secondly, just WHO are we supposed to be focusing on here: is it Julia's husband Magnus and his sister (because he seems to be plotting to prove that Julia is mentally unstable and his sister doesn't want him to, but neither idea ever develops); is it the sudden death of Julia's daughter?; the death of the young boy in the park?; the death of the little blonde girl haunting the house (who is not Julia's daughter)?; the mother of the young boy who died in the park?; the mother of the young girl who died in the house?, or the piano salesman who was supposed to have seen it the little blonde girl get killed?
It appears that Julia's husband gets into her basement when she isn't home, and while he is searching for her, the spirit of this elusive little blonde girl finds him and kills him.
Mark, the one that's supported Julia and protected her when no one else would, is suddenly electrocuted one night in the bath tub, when the spirit of this little blonde girl pushes a lamp into his bath water.Fourthly, the plot of this movie is terribly slow, and thus hard to pay attention to, the "creepy" music is so overkill that it drowns any suspense that would be created at tense moments.
The audience is not allowed to feel the tension for themselves because the music takes it all over before we've even had a chance to see what's happened.In my opinion, Tom Conti is a wonderful actor, and his performance in this movie does add some humor and vulnerability to a film that is otherwise..
After the accidental death of her daughter, Julia (Mia Farrow) leaves her domineering husband Magnus (Keir Dullea) and moves into an old house.
But when people around her are murdered, Julia realizes this isn't her daughter she's dealing with.I wish I understood the logic behind casting Americans Mia Farrow and Keir Dullea and then making them speak with British accents the whole film (when they remembered).
It's based on Peter Straub's first novel "Julia." Haven't read it but I see many people who have saying it's better than this film.
After reading Peter Straub's "Julia," I searched and searched for this movie, and finally found a copy.
In the prologue, her young daughter starts choking on an apple and Farrow, in a panic, tries to slice into her throat with a knife, thus making sure she's quite dead.
Haunted by guilt, she ends up leaving her husband (2001's Keir Dullea) and moving into an old mansion in London.
In this TV horror, Mia Farrow plays Julia Lofting, a wealthy American woman living in London, who separates from her husband and moves into an old house in Kensington after the untimely passing of her daughter.
But, as soon as she moves in, she sees apparitions of a young girl and believes it is her daughter, until being told otherwise.It is a dreary movie with a dark setting, poor acting, and muffled dialog - you could hardly make out what the actors were saying.
The Haunting of Julia (1977) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Mia Farrow plays Julia Lofting, a woman suffering from depression after her daughter choked to death on an apple.
After being released from a hospital Julia decides to leave her husband and buy a house on her own where she just sits around crying over her loss but soon a vengeful ghost starts to visit her.
THE HAUNTING OF JULIA appears to have quite a few fans and while the opening thirty-minutes are great the film quickly falls apart and runs out of fresh ideas.
But the acting is good enough to keep me engaged, with plenty evidence why Farrow was in demand for close-ups.The score is decent, but it misjudges several scenes - especially the mirror reveal toward the end - with cheery/wistful plinky-plinky synth.Overall, a good story that undersells itself at the start.
Julia then spirals down, her marriage diminishes, and she is then visited by a ghost of a little dead girl who isn't really nice.She wants the little dead girl to be her daughter-replacement, not realizing the child isn't alive, as she only gets glimpses of her.
Featuring Mia Farrow as a woman experiencing strange things following the death of her daughter, it comes out a little confusing.
Mia Farrow is so good in this type of film.
She plays a fragile and innocent Julia, who loses her daughter to a choking accident in the first few minutes of the film.
We then learn that she and her husband are now separated, presumably because of the stress and tension caused by the loss of the little girl and Julia's short stay in a sanitarium following the tragedy.
Then she starts seeing a ghost who is an evil little girl.This is well-done and serious with good acting...but it just doesn't work.
Those interested in Mia Farrow may find something rewarding in the film; there is little else here that is worth a look..
Mia Farrow looks and acts too bland in her role, and this movie is far, far too slow and drawn out.
After the death of her daughter, wealthy housewife Julia Lofting (Mia Farrow) moves to London to re-start her life.
All seems well until she is haunted by the sadness of losing her own child and the ghosts of other children.This is the second film of director Richard Loncraine, and the first film adaptation of a Peter Straub novel.
The movie is a good film.
Nothing wrong with the film but I think they dragged it out to much in the beginning with Julia moving, her new boyfriend (or whoever he is) and her soon to be ex-husband, barely any ghost stuff going on etc...
Then it became this film about Julia trying to find out who the kids are the medium talked about because she bought the house and found it highly important to know.
I rented it based on the fact that it was a ghost story, and it had Mia Farrow in it (which probably meant it wasn't going to be a teen motivated film).
The story is about Julia Lofting, who loses her daughter early in the film, and spends the rest of the movie trying to make up for it in some way.
The book made Julia sound like a looney running around yelling THERE'S GHOSTS IN MY HOUSE!
Me, I enjoyed it immensely.Based on a story by Peter Straub, the film works best when it creeps up on you.
The film's most frightening moment (for me) is when Farrow's husband breaks into her house and hears footsteps creaking about, this short scene manages to sustain the tension for a surprisingly long time before the payoff.The acting is pretty good.
Tom Conti is about the only normal person in the entire film, and he creates a believable person in his antiques dealer (originally, he's obviously smitten with Farrow, later on he's untrusting of her stories of ghosts and views her with some unease).
Added on to this is a subtle ending which is left unexplained (I'm not sure if Farrow is aware of what's going on), and THE HAUNTING OF JULIA is a chilling, above-average ghost story..
Well I haven't seen too many movies starring Mia Farrow.
Trying to get over the loss of her daughter Julia leaves her husband and goes to live on her own.
It's based on a book which probably explains things a bit better than the movie.
Soon Julia uncovers a dreadful past in the house; a little girl named Olivia used to live there but died.
Soon Julia's husband and friends begin to be killed in strange ways and she suspects Olivia's spirit may be behind it.
The acting was extraordinary; Julia (Mia Farrow), had previously played the main character in Rosemary's Baby and was just as good in this film.
This movie deserves better ratings, it's a great little film that's totally worth watching.
It was based on the novel 'Julia' by horror and mystery author Peter Straub..
Peter Straub is one of my favourite writers of horror and Full Circle (aka The Haunting of Julia) (1977) is the best adaptation into film I've seen of his work.
It has all the elements of a ghost story, so many in fact that on a superficial review of the exposition you could be fooled into thinking it is a clone of films involved with hauntings.
Like The Changeling (1980) – a highly competent haunted house film - it involves a spectre attached to a location into which a recently bereaved character moves, just as the realisation of both plots have the main protagonists uncovering the dark secrets held by the house.
Watching Julia Lofting, played perfectly by Mia Farrow, being subsumed by her obsession with the evil child she is ultimately responsible for evoking, is one of growing dread.
After a little research I discovered that the book was republished with the film's title, so I imagine the two parties involved in adapting the book for the screen, attempted to redirect the attention of the audience towards the narrative, one which involves a cycle revolving around an evil child and the revenge it takes upon those who had let her down in life; I'm also reminded of the haunting shot that ends the film: the camera circles around the main character, panning to reveal the bloody and circular wound cutting Julia's throat leaving her very dead.
Although the book is remarkably true to Straub's novel and actually manages to fit in a great deal of the content, it has some moments of its own, like a scene early on in the London residence, where she's seen building a house of cards; as the camera closes in on Julia's face, the card house naturally topples and you see that the playing cards actually contain identical images of her dead daughter's face.
What makes this film worthwhile, however, is the fact that in spite of the dense plot the sense of horror develops slowly and aside from Magnus' early death there is little actual violence or even appearances of supernatural entities – it is implied and a sense of dread gradually leads you the horrific closing of the circle suggested by the title..
During the first scene of the film, it appears she has a happy life as she has breakfast with her daughter and husband.
However, only a few minutes into the film, Julia's daughter starts choking on a piece of apple and cannot breathe.
But I'm beginning to think that this may actually be a sample of the movie-going community, some of them perhaps even twelve years old or more.Apparently, this is an adaptation of a novel by Peter Straub, who also supplied the goods in the dazzling GHOST STORY.
MIA FARROW is as vulnerable as ever, and KEIR DULLEA her son-of-a-bitch husband – he should probably have stayed on Jupiter.The traumatic loss of a child has of course long since become a stock-and-trade of horror movies, the idea being that it makes the bereaved mother more susceptible to supernatural influences (especially dead children).
unforgettable.There are some death scenes throughout, and I can't help to think the movie would be more effective and more creepy without them.
This is probably a different reaction then the one I had to the book.I think people who are only familiar with modern horror movies may find this movie a little slow, but almost every scene does have to do with the plot or the characters in some way.Don't expect it to scare you, it is not that kind of story.
To date there have been only two films based on books by bestselling author Peter Straub: "Ghost Story", which was an appalling mess, and this one.
"Full Circle" is derived from "Julia", Straub's second published novel and first foray into the horror genre--and, while certain arbitrary departures from the book prevent this film from being totally effective, it does capture the formidably spooky atmosphere of Straub's prose.
She's every bit as persistent, and as fragile, as her counterpart in the novel; desperate for some sense of resolution after the tragic death of her nine-year-old daughter, Julia puts herself at greater and greater risk as she pursues the ghost that haunts her newly-purchased London townhouse and the park adjacent to it.
Keir Dullea delivers an adequate performance as this diminished Magnus, but he's only an incidental character here--not a link to the troubled history of Julia's house, as he was in the book.
"Full Circle" (which played U.S. theaters in 1981 as "The Haunting of Julia") will please most fans of Peter Straub and intelligent horror in general.
When you finally get to see the ghost girl, in spite of all the evil things you know that she has done, you do not feel any fear.This movie OUGHT to be scary and entertaining, because it is about a ghost child in an old house, and there is also a mystery that Julia (the main character) is trying to unravel by visiting people who might know what happened thirty years ago...
Nutshell overview (no spoilers or give-aways): After losing her own daughter to a random act of providence, Julia (Mia Farrow) isolates herself to try and make some sense of life afterward. |
tt0346934 | Embrace the Darkness 3 | NOTE: Sequel to Embrace the Darkness 2 (2002).Jennifer [Brooke Larele] isn't happy with the way Jack is trying to control her life
so she kicks him out into the sunlight. While Jack burns up, Jennifer
notices that her own skin isn't reacting to the sun. When news of Jack's
"spontaneous combustion" reaches the newspapers, reporter Sean Flynt [Glen Meadows]
becomes interested. So does vampire Victor Chamberlain [Ty Winston]. But Jennifer is
more interested in finding out why she didn't react to the sun, so she
reads up on vampires in the local bookstore. She learns that she is a
"pure" vampire (a mortal who was "pure" at the time of turning can become
a "pure" vampire with superpowers and the ability to become mortal again
if she falls in love with a mortal who also falls in love with her) and
that her powers will be at their greatest during the next solar eclipse
which, coincidentally, happens in four days.Just then, Sean enters the bookstore, the owner decides to go to bed,
and Sean and Jennifer have sex on a couch. Sean is certain that he could
fall in love with a girl like Jennifer. Jennifer refrains from biting him
and, instead, returns to her motel room where she finds Victor waiting for
her. Victor has figured out that Jennifer is a pure vampire and plans to
take Jennifer's power for himself during the eclipse by consuming her
blood and eating her heart.Meanwhile, Sean has grown interested in Victor Chamberlain, even
though his editor has warned him to back off from any investigation, so
Sean asks coworker Anna [Vanessa Lynch] to crash Victor's party. Victor discovers that
Anna is from the press and kills her. When Anna's body shows up, drained
of blood, Sean goes after Victor. Sean manages to expose Victor to the
sun's rays, but Anna saves Victor before too much damage is done. As
Victor recuperates, Jennifer reads his copy of the Opus Vampiris and
figures out that Victor intends to kill her for her powers.
Now Jennifer has a dilemma. Does she kill Victor and assume her
position as the ruler of vampires or do Jennifer and Sean fall in love and
return Jennifer's humanity? | pornographic | train | imdb | Sex and vampire saga continues.
In this, the final part of the Embrace the Darkness trilogy, Jennifer is now played by Chelsea Blue, although in the credits she is Brooke Larele.
Using Renee Rea again would have given the last two films a welcome consistency although it has to be said that Ms Larele does exude the growing stature and power of Jennifer compared to the novice vampire Jennifer in the second film and the soon-to-be vampire Jennifer (Madison Clark) of the first.In the opening of this film we find Jennifer and Jack (Tristen Couer D'Alene, but credited as Tristen Edwards) hiding out in a run-down hotel where they exist by stealing blood bank samples.
Jennifer finds that she can manage very well without Jack but on one of her nightly forays she is spotted by powerful businessman, Victor Chamberlain (Ty Winston) who senses that she has a power like no other vampire.
She learns that Victor and his retinue are also vampires and slowly she is drawn into Victor's world, not realising that he has an ulterior motive for wanting her.
They are drawn to each other but time is running out for Jennifer unless she discovers Victor's motives, and for Victor who needs her for his nefarious plans.This film, like the first is more character-driven, unlike the second which is more for the sex and nudity brigade.
Ty Winston really shines as the evil and duplicitous Victor Chamberlain and Brooke Larele gives a good performance as the vampire who is becoming more confident in her new existence.
One weakness is Sean, (Glen Meadows) a newspaper reporter who, on this performance would never make it as a paparazzo.
There are varied sex scenes throughout the film so there is no lacking on that score.
An award of 5 stars seems reasonable..
"A vampire sex movie".
This movie is basically the story of a sexy female vampire named Jennifer, who discovers she is one of the few "pure vampires" who has incredible vampirestrength, is unaffected by sunlight, and has great sexual powers.
So Jennifer often has sex with her victims which are either young men or young women andthen she bites them!
Jennifer claims that she's only been a vampire for a year, so she is only starting to learn the secrets about her dark gift, and that other vampires will kill her for her "pure vampire" powers.
Jennifer is certainly the most seductive vampire I have yet seen, but I'll admit this film does have a bit too much sex scene.
This film doesn't have the fascinating aspects about vampires as seen in 'Interview With The Vampire' nor excitingaction scenes that were seen in 'Underworld'.
You should see this film if you'd like to see a seductive female vampire, but I'd stick to the well known films about vampires that appear in cinemas..
Conclusion.
I don't think you have to watch the Embrace the Darkness trilogy (especially if you're a fan of Twilight), but when I start something, I do like to finish or conclude that thing.
In this case it was the soft-core trilogy that has an ongoing story development throughout the series.
I'm not sure this was intended as a trilogy from the get-go (and I didn't bother to look up what this was based on), but it ended up as one that's for sure.The acting is OK I guess for a movie that relies more on nudity and pretend intercourse.
The second movie was the best story wise (for me), though I'm not sure you would want to watch it for that or the erotic scenes that are in there.
I did fast forward them, to get to the story, which wasn't as pleasing as it should be (then again, I might have gotten that wrong)..
More hot sex with Jennifer the vampire..
The following review contains spoilers.This is the final video in the Embrace the Darkness trilogy.
I thought this one was the best of the three films.
We've got a new Jennifer (Brooke Larele).
She's hot and I liked her better than the second Jennifer, but not as much as the first.
Most of this video is the same as the other two, vampire finds victim, has sex with victim, bites victim.
It isn't until the end that the plot kicks into gear and everything gets tied up.
But up until then we are treated to many beautiful women and several very good sex scenes.There are nine sex scenes.
Seven are boy/girl and two are girl/girl.
There are some new faces (Brooke Larele and Vanessa Lynch) as well as some old favorites (Holly Hollywood, Ava Lake, and Sasha Rochelle).
All of the sex scenes go to completion and you can hear the sounds of the actors over the music.
There is some really good stuff here including an excellent lesbian scene between Brooke and Sasha.I recommend this one..
Vampire action.
*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*A sexy vampire decides she's had enough of her boring vampire lover and makes him hit the road.
This brings her to the attention of a wealthy vampire and a newspaper reporter.
They both want her bad.
The rich vampire tries to seduce Jennifer into joining his depraved world so that they can live together as two powerful vampires should.
The reporter wants a hot story out of her.
Both want as much sex as possible with whomever they can find.
Jennifer, the sexy vampire, feels the same way."Embrace the Darkness 3" is a pretty good sex flick.
It showed as much plot as it could before rolling into a sex scene.
There are some familiar faces in this one.
Mia Zottoli shows up as the head vampire's assistant/lover.
She has a short sex scene with him on a couch.
She looks great in this one although I was surprised to see that she didn't have any more sex scenes.
That's not enough Zottoli.
The girl playing Anna the reporter looked familiar.
She has a great scene with the guy reporter on a couch.
A lot of couch action in this one.
There are also two good girl/girl scenes near the end.
Overall, "Embrace the Darkness 3" is worth a look.
I had a good time. |
tt1714209 | In the Land of Blood and Honey | Danijel, a Serb, first meets Ajla, a Bosnian, on the dance floor. Their flirtations are brought to an abrupt end by a bomb attack. Its 1992 and Yugoslavias civil war is raging. All of a sudden, Danijel is a soldier with orders to obey, and Ajla is now a woman who lives in fear of her life. Shortly afterwards Ajla is imprisoned at an internment camp where rape and torture are the order of the day. One of the camps henchmen is Danijel. In order to protect Ajla, who is an artist, he asks her to draw portraits of his comrades-in-arms. At first their relationship is fuelled by passion but before long Ajla realises her powerful position and uses Danijels desire to help other Bosnian women prepare an uprising. Desperate for his Islamic-hating fathers respect, Danijel tries to prove his masculinity to Ajla of all people.Angelina Jolies directorial debut tells a story that puts a human face on the Balkan war. The plot centres on a struggle for survival, and a conflict on a battlefield where it is no longer possible to distinguish between repression and desire, strategy and feelings.Source: Berlinale | revenge, murder, violence, flashback | train | imdb | the film tells nothing about events i have encountered whatsoever so i have no interest whatsoever in choosing sides..,I am Just someone who enjoys cinema if it's good.But...this Film held almost nothing pour moi.The script seemed to lead nowhere..i seriously had the feeling a few times that the Director lost all control as to where we where heading.I mean we watch a couple dancing..suddenly there's an explosion en after that there is no reference to that explosion what so ever.When they later meet again, it's as if they never saw each other before.The character studies are awfully weak and stereotypical...why bother witch Photographical composition, well lit scenes etc.when awful things like mass-rape are taking place...I'v read in other reviews ' but it was very beautifully photographed' in this story that's a weakness IMO.In the first part we see the main character,Aijla wearing a lovely yellow coloured sweater..which gives great looking camera color & compositions and atmosphere...but...why?
It,to me was a boring movie.and should hold lessons in Filmmaker/vision For Jolie.Next time better !This film to me looked like a schoolgirls naive-sentiment in viewing the horror's of war.
Chronicling the systematic encampment, rape and slaughter of the Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) ethnic group during the Bosnian War sounds like some very compelling and powerful material, and "In the Land of Blood and Honey" would have been compelling and powerful, if that was what the movie was about.
Furthermore, without Ajla's sister's subplot, "In the Land of Blood and Honey" is a war film that only lightly dabbles in the brutality of war for less than a third of the movie and then it's back to the flimsy love story.
In the end, Jolie attempts to address the political, brutal and cultural elements that make war so complex, but spends far, far, far too much time telling the remedial Romeo and Juliet love story between Danijel and Ajla.
But because "In the Land of Blood and Honey" is a far less developed film, the "all Serbian's (except for one) are inherently ruthless and cruel" mentality this film encourages, comes off as unnaturally skewed especially to those (like me) who are unfamiliar with the in-depth events of the Bosnian War. Now I am not saying that the Serbs in this film, who are shown ethnically cleansing a mass group of Muslims, were not horrible people, BUT the way this movie presents an entire race (The Serbs) as irrational and blood-thirsty, could be perceived as quite one sided.
But much as Jolie tries, it seems as if she knows more about the logistics of a love story than about creating a compelling war film.
Not to say that "In the Land of Blood and Honey" isn't a watchable effort, and does minimally redeem itself in the final two scenes of the film, BUT how this film was nominated for a Golden Globe only proves that the Hollywood Foreign Press will do anything to hang out with big stars.Please visit my page on Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/x-52464-San-Jose-Indie-Movie-Examiner and leave any comments you have about this or any review.
But even the executive summary of such a story would take up more time than Angelina Jolie's feature film directorial debut.So if you ignore historical background and accuracy, this is essentially a bad movie.
This might be convincing to the average viewer but sounds stupid to anyone who knows this part of the world.The only good thing is the atmosphere at the beginning of the conflict, where most of the people believed the war would be over in a matter of weeks.I find it remarkable that a star like Angelina Jolie devotes her times to humanitarian work and tells the world the untold stories of human suffering.
Before watching this movie, I thought this would be more of a sappy twisted love story between a Bosnian woman and Serb man and the focus would be on them versus the actual events of the war.
Perhaps the Serbs picked up on this as well and that's why they didn't want to show this movie in their country, but either way the love story was just as much a part of the symbolism as was the actual depiction of the murders, rapes, and torturing of the people.
The love story was actually not sappy and not a Hollywood plot of getting you to watch the film, rather it was a means of small-scaling the war for the viewer.
If you told me that a Bosnian made this movie, it wouldn't have surprised me but the mere fact that an American actress did this who hasn't lived a day in the life of a Bosnian during the war, shows you how sheer genius her script really is.
I can understand, she stirred a lot in the mood of audience, making people feel bad about what happened in front of the eyes of all world,especially the Europeans, simply watching and waiting it ended somehow.And again, it must be a woman who was courageous enough to hold the mirror into the faces of people, men especially with so much ignorance and hypocrisy.
Its recommendable for teens from 19+ and its the counterpart for "Schindlers List" just for the modern times.The both main actors won't show you an extraordinary performance but it the given situation of destruction and war, you won't even miss it.This movie also shows very well there is nobody to judge, just our self by allowing this on an international level or simply watching away !
They rekindle their love, but can they trust on each other?"In the Land of Blood and Honey" is a surprisingly good romance in the brutal Bosnian War and the debut of Angeline Jolie as director.
The movie was powerful, and its important that when u watch any movie, you need to focus on how u feel after it, and since I know that, as we sit behind our computers and cups of coffee, truth is, many suffer, whether it is Muslims, Christians, or Jews or any other religion.The movie touches upon many personal issues such as love, hate, betrayal, anger,suffering, and many other emotions.Favorite quote " are we so terrible...we should be exterminated" .After reviewing others' reviews, it seems that the main focus was on how one sided the movie is.
It's been an hour now since it ended and I still can't shake the feeling that awakening the spirits of the Bosnian war in such a gruesome fashion was in bad taste.However, I also feel the need to address some of the unfounded accusations made against the movie and its director in some of the more politically motivated reviews.
One that comes to mind is Pretty Village Pretty Flame, which is a very good movie in its own right, but looks like a slightly sinister comedy compared to what I watched tonight.All in all, once you get over the fact that you are not going to be taught a history lesson by this movie, you may begin to see it as a story of two people destroying each other in the midst of a slaughter neither of them understands.P.S. The 'factual error' on the movie page saying the uniforms Serbian soldiers wear are not authentic, is not really an error.
There's Act of Valor and its war on terror against a fictional opposition, and both 5 Days of War and The Land of Blood and Honey take on a look back at the 2008 Russo-Georgian conflict and the 1992-1995 Bosnian War respectively, weaving a fictional story in front of an historical backdrop, the former aligning itself closer to an action film, and this one being a more dramatic take that deals with a forbidden romance.Written, directed and co-produced by Angelina Jolie, one wonders what went through her thought process when she decided to take up duties and responsibilities from behind the camera instead of in front of it, and to have one's directorial feature debut deal with such a heavy topic about genocide, sexual violence, and the inner beasts that mankind has the propensity to turn into when fighting for beliefs, regardless whether right or wrong.
She doesn't shy away from graphic portrayal of the many atrocities committed by the aggressors, and showed how humanity can crumble into nonchalance through murky politics, and when it decides to sit back from the outside and do nothing.That's the macro picture, and the film balances it with a micro look at a more personal level through the eyes of the protagonists, Serbian Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Bosnian Ajla (Zana Marjanovic), who begins the film looking very optimistic and expectant of her date with the former, at a time of peace and tranquility if not for a bomb blast to signal the end of harmony, and a prelude of the unimaginable and inexplicable violence to come.
Marjanovic brings about a balance in both vulnerability and steely strength in her character of Ajla, who has to decide on her emotions, whether or not she can literally fall in love and be sleeping with the enemy, while Kostic's own performance deals with the ability to show compassion, or be seduced by a master-slave power that overwhelms, and slowly but surely corrupts and spirals into obsessive suspicion and paranoia.What became more intriguing as the narrative wore on, was the similarities with Ang Lee's Lust, Caution in the second half of the film, where a woman found herself tasked to do a job to make a stand for the oppressed and her people, given her natural charms and close proximity to do so.
The final scene between Danijel and Ajla is intense and will serve as a talking point given the quick, convenient and inevitable way to closure.But like 5 Days of War, this film is fairly lop-sided in its politics, so focus not on that but on the relationship that is Romeo-and-Juliet-ish involving star crossed lovers from opposite sides of the land trying to keep the flickering flame of their love affair alive amongst the chaos and destruction around them..
The thing about this story being a fictional one set in war that actually occurred is also a fact that shouldn't bother the audience and stop it from enjoying this great film, because I don't think it's fair to enjoy a fictional story about Jack and Rose, two love-birds on Titanic, and criticize this well written story about Ajla and Danijel.
My point is, Angelina Jolie proved herself as a great director and producer, and others who say otherwise are just not happy with this film because it touches one serious matter that is still going on in Bosnia, even though the war is over..
I think this was a good movie, but it just have a small part of the truth, the reality was much worse, This war was genocide on the Muslim population, the sad part is that the Bosnian part of the population is really peaceful people.
I find the movie interesting, I would give it 6/10 and would like to encourage Mrs Jolie to direct more movies like this one.I'm giving it a 10 because 90% of the comments come from Serbians that rate it with 1 star only because they can't handle the truth.This movie's subject, although very sensitive, shows some really horrible sides of war and situations that still happen every day, in the whole world.
Most Americans know nothing of the horrors that went on during this time period because American Media and Popular World media gave it very little coverage at best, but mostly no coverage at all of what was really happening.This is about the genocide in the Bosnian / Serb War. It depicts many points of view, form a Muslim's POV to A Serb's POV and many POV's in between.
Women in captivity were raped and killed, children slaughtered; and the World pretty much ignored the whole situation.Angelina Jolie learned of the conflict and researched into it and was horrified by what happened and how it was not something the media seemed to care about.
It's not your typical blockbuster action packed thrill ride, or your "chick flick" romantic type movie......it's an emotional roller coaster of love, hate, politics, religion, genocide, shame, guilt, pain and loss.If you find history boring or fictionalized stories interwoven with true events tedious, then you will hate this film.
i do admire courage of those who dare to say something about story of conflict without being actually there or knowing- or even LIVING BALKAN HISTORY...i do wonder...what would you all say,when it would happen to you...true is,there are no winners in war..but genocide happened( how much anyone helped MAY BE SEEN IN SREBRENICA-where you may still find big cemetery called town)have you been there?!
In an incredibly thoughtful way, Jolie selected the cast of new and celebrity actors, mainly of Serbian ethnic origin, with whom she worked closely in creating the movie and representing the story of the war.
I had just recently seen "In the Land of Blood and Honey", and as this woman was speaking to me, I almost told her about having watched the movie made about her story.
It is impressive, that of all people, Angelina Jolie, has made this important movie, and told the hardly believable, but true story of Bosnian women's war experience..
Yet, nowhere is his hugely unimpressive performance more exposed than in the movie's final scene, which, to be fair to Howard, is lost on the foreign viewer watching the English version of the film or the one in the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language with English subtitles.
Watch the movie instead, from your point of view, as a human being, without choosing sides and if nothing else then bear this message in your minds: that war was as brutal and violent as it is shown but something like that could happen to anyone.
It is a true story that Angelina Jolie's first movie isn't the greatest of all times, but it ain't so bad as it is represented.
For this one, no matter how hard I try, I can not say if it is good or bad as a movie, 'couse I am watching it from the perspective of a Bosnian, whose nation suffered in this war.
Serbs will think it is a big lie, Bosnian will awake memories of these hard times and raise this movie to the sky, the neutral ones will watch it probably because Angelina Jolie signs it.
I applaud Ms. Jolie for making a film like this, showing the different sides of war.
The ethnic cleansing is a difficult subject to talk about and a lot of Serbs are angry because of this movie so only somebody form outside could actually make a move like this and that somebody is of course Angelina Jolie.
I don't think that the Bosnian or Serbian OR anybody else is right, because they thing that with war they will have power, but they have only the land of blood :)I don't care what other people say about the movie, but i like this movie and i'm sure that if AJ do other movies they will be much better and i think she have interesting point of view..
She talked to the raped women and she told their story, so that everyone should know the truth about war in the middle of Europe.They did the same thing that did Hitler during the WW II against the Jewish people..
I find it sad that so many people have given this movie such negative reviews, I think this movie is very underrated maybe its just because Angelina Jolie directed it and not some hot shot like Steven Spielberg or something maybe people have a vendetta towards Angelina or something,or maybe people are peeved because it doesn't tell the story of the Bosnian war in a realistic way, but I think the movie was very well done, the actors were superb,and the story although not completely true, was very thought provoking , it gives you a sense of what it was like, I found it very sad and tragic I think that's all Angelina was trying to do was to give you a sense of what it was like, she never said it was going to be a documentary or anything, I think for her first time directing she didn't do a bad job, this movie isn't perfect but its not bad either, I think people just need to get over there issues,the whole brad and Jen thing was so last decade ago get over it already..
I know that Angelina Jolie is huge into drawing attention to this type of atrocity but after awhile it was like "I get it, it was bad, please stop showing rapes." This is a tough movie to watch but I will say that the fighting scenes and the acting were very good.
Great movie, shows the real side of chetniks (serbs) during the war in Bosnia...
That is not the point; this movie is about a love affair between a Serbian man and a Bosnian Muslim woman, and the inner battles both of them go through knowing what is happening around them.
Story of Bosnian and Balkan Wars is complicated and I admire Angelina Jolie because this is first Hollywood attempt to present this complex period of time for all people in balkan area.
But it's a great film, a masterpiece really and should be seen.The story covers a few years of time starting in the nineties, beginning with the invasion of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Bosnian Serbs and the Serbians, greatly aided by the well armed Serbian army.'Ethnic cleansing' something the Nazi's were committed to in many areas of Europe during WWII, included the Serbian people, something the collective Serbian memory forgot about since they practiced this barbarism as a war policy against the Bosnian Muslims and Croats.
Moreover this was Directed by Angelina Jolie.Well the story of the movie revolves around a Serbian soldier and his love affair with a Bosnian Women. |
tt1604171 | Prom | Class president Nova (Aimee Teegarden) has been planning her high school's prom. She and her friends, Mei (Yin Chang), Ali (Janelle Ortiz), Brandon (Jonathan Keltz), and Rolo (Joe Adler) have created the perfect decorations, which they store in the school's shed. Nova, who has a crush on Brandon, hopes he will ask her to prom.Meanwhile, Lloyd (Nicholas Braun), the "invisible" guy at school, is complaining about prom to his stepsister, Tess (Raini Rodriguez) because he has no date but she encourages him to just ask someone. Elsewhere at the school, Tyler (De'Vaughn Nixon) is confronted by his girlfriend, Jordan (Kylie Bunbury), who assumes he is cheating on her due to the single gold earring she finds in his car. He assures her this is not the case, and Jordan believes him."Bad boy" Jesse Richter (Thomas McDonell) has been missing school lately and showing other "unacceptable" behavior, such as riding his motorcycle on school grounds. Principal Dunnan (Jere Burns) has a talk with him, but is not satisfied with Jesse's attitude.Mei learns she has been accepted into Parsons, which conflicts with the plans she made with her boyfriend, Justin (Jared Kusnitz), of going to the University of Michigan together. She is stressed about this and becomes irritable as prom approaches, which she agrees to go with Justin.Sophomore Lucas (Nolan Sotillo) is attracted to Simone (Danielle Campbell), his lab partner, who he tries to get with the help of his friend Corey (Cameron Monaghan).That night, Tyler takes Jordan to the school's shed, which he has decorated with many candles, to ask her to prom, and she agrees. When they leave the shed, however, they forget to put out a single candle. The shed catches fire and burns down. The next day, a devastated Nova, with no decorations and only three weeks to prom, asks her friends for extra help to pull the dance off, which they all back out of, each listing their own reason.Principal Dunnan, seeing her dilemma, has an idea, and forces Jesse to help her for Prom, or he cannot graduate. Although Nova and Jesse both are unhappy with this situation, they comply anyway. At school, Lloyd is having trouble finding a date, even with the help of his sister. As one thing goes wrong after another, Lloyd loses confidence and becomes frustrated.Later at home, Brandon shows up at Nova's house to tell her he cannot take her to prom, and that she will have to find another date. As the date becomes closer to prom, Nova and Jesse grow closer while working together.During lacrosse practice, Tyler invites Lucas to the team barbecue, and tells him to invite a girl. Lucas decides to ask Simone, which she agrees to. At Tyler's barbecue, Tyler tries to make a move on Simone, only to be rejected by her. It is made clear they have a history. Simone tells Lucas that if she had known it was Tyler's barbecue, she would not have come. Mei's attitude is becoming worse and worse, and Justin believes she does not want to go to prom. He calls the date off, and Mei is left feeling very uncomfortable. One night, Nova finds out that the neighboring high school has the same theme for their prom as her own. Jesse suggests they take his motorcycle to go check out the other school's decorations, and she agrees. However, they are caught by the police, who call Nova's parents. Nova's father is infuriated with Jesse and insults him.At school, Lucas is blowing off Corey to spend more time with Simone, and asks her to study for the upcoming test with him, to which she agrees. However, as she is about to go to library, Simone is stopped by Tyler, who convinces her to talk with him. He tells her about his feelings for her. Jordan sees the two talking and immediately grasps the situation.After school, Nova apologizes to Jesse for her father's behavior. Later, she takes him dress shopping. Back at school, Simone apologizes to Lucas for having ditched him. She has a surprise, tickets to a concert, where Stick Hippo (his and Corey's favorite band) is opening. Lucas wants to take Simone instead of Corey, much to Corey's dismay. Jordan dumps Tyler for his unfaithfulness, and decides to go to prom alone. This prompts him to ask Simone to prom, which is the same night as the concert, and she agrees. Simone tells Lucas that she is sorry, but she cannot go to the concert.Mei apologizes to Justin for her behavior and tells him the truth, but instead of feeling hurt that she is going to a different college, he tells her he is proud of her. They agree that they should still go to prom together.Lloyd spots Lucas sitting outside the school, looking dejected. He learns his situation, and tells Lucas his own mistake with girls and high school. Lloyd tells Lucas that if he really loves Simone, he should tell her.Two nights before the prom, Nova, Ali, and Mei are in Nova's room, talking. Nova confesses to them that she has feelings for Jesse, which her dad unfortunately overhears. The next day, Nova's father tells Jesse he cannot ask Nova to prom, because he is "bringing her down". That afternoon, Jesse is unusually hostile towards Nova and deserts her.On prom night, Lucas climbs a tree to reach Simone's window. He tells her how he feels and begs her not to go to prom, but she goes anyway. Disappointed, Lucas realizes what a bad friend he has been to Corey, and offers him the other concert ticket. The two head off to see their favorite band happily.At her house, Nova is heartbroken, and refuses to pose for the camera in her prom dress. Her father, worried, explains that he was the one who told Jesse not to ask her to prom. Angered, Nova storms out of the house. Meanwhile, at Lloyd's house, it is revealed that he is taking his sister to prom. At Jesse's house, his mother has a talk with him, and he realizes that he should still take Nova to prom.At the school, Tyler leads Simone into the building, and almost immediately abandons her. Simone finds out from a couple of girls that it was actually Jordan who dumped Tyler, and Tyler had gone to her with no other option. When Tyler asks her to dance (He was crowned prom king and Jordan queen) she refuses and leaves. She goes to the concert parking lot, where she waits for Lucas, and they share a dance.Nova is having an awful time at prom, and when Ali tells her the fountain centerpiece is broken, she cannot take it anymore. As she is about to leave, she hears the fountain work again, and knows the only person who could have fixed it was Jesse. He walks up to her and asks her to prom. She agrees, and they dance and share a kiss. | romantic | train | imdb | So I'm sure a lot of people saw this from the trailer, but Prom is a classic Disney spin on a very big moment in a teenager's life.
Yes this movie is a preteen/early teen's dream about the life and drama involved in asking someone out for prom and the plans that go in it.
The scenarios are a romance story between the class president and a ruffian, another love story between a dweeb and a beautiful sophomore, a small side story about a guy trying to get someone to come to a prom, another story of deceit and betrayal, and finally a story about an ideal relationship hitting a rocky course.
Despite the poor main story line and the intense drama from others I enjoyed the brief interludes present throughout the movie that involved the unknown loser Lloyd and his quest to ask a girl out.
It adds zest to the film and makes one feel like they are in prom, but if you're not a fan of mainstream radio then you will not enjoy it.
The camera work is nice too, and the setting does actually feel like a high school setting so that's another thing I find positive.
However this movie was also like being in high school musical, except get rid of the singing and dancing and instead replace it with Twilight qualities.
To wrap this up, Prom is a movie that will make teenage girls go gaga and laugh at almost every scene.
However, it is a cute, high school soap opera that will entertain those that like to see happy endings and smiles.
Disney movies are known to be, well, "Disney Clean." But when a film is swabbed down to the point of utter harmlessness, and it sugarcoats the nightmares and sadness some experience during prom, it ultimately becomes laughably unrealistic and a pale shadow of the real event.There's nothing wrong with being all well and good, but the events in Prom are executed very poorly, the drama is handled in a fictitious way, and the overall result is calamity.
Hollywood is able to create a convincing high school premise, but they can't create convincing high school characters.The story is almost an anthology series of a plethora of boys and girls getting ready for "that one special night" of prom.
Prom is said to be one of the greatest nights in a teenager's life, and these kids are hellbent on that believing in that philosophy.
She is the over-achieving high school girl who wants the Senior Prom to be perfect.
He is a little like me in that sense, but even he can't escape the true high school formula for creating teenagers.This film has everyone; the jock, the cheater, the scared girl, the persistent boyfriend, the geeks, the pretty girl, the over-achiever, the rebel, etc.
The story itself is very slim, but even being so small, it could've spawned a good film.I always try to find the target audience in films, and it seems Prom is shooting below the bar.
Seniors who will be attending prom will likely not be amused or even interested by such a film, and people around the age of eight will either not know what prom is or find the film by complete accident.
It does a fine job at showing the very basic problems and events that go into such a dance, but still, if this had been made by any other company but Disney, it likely would've focused on more personal problems and more of the serious issues rather than just "what dress should I wear?" This isn't incredibly disgraceful film-making.
Again - standard Disney fare, but this time, Disney misses the target and the target audience.Starring: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, Yin Chang, Nicholas Braun, Dean Norris, Danielle Campbell, Nolan Sotillo, Cameron Monaghan, Christine Elise, and Raini Rodriguez.
I can however see how it would be a great movie for much much younger kids because it is very clean and good natured.
But if you're looking for the kind of teen romcom humor as in John Tucker Must Die or Mean Girls, do not waste your time on this movie.
The only thing made me go through this movie was Amee Teegarden and Thomas McDowell's story because as incomplete and typical it was, they brought some charm to it.
Very entertaining, touching high-school movie....
Their story was predictable ( like the whole movie in general), but it was nicely done.
Of course, just like I said, movie is predictable, sometimes corny and unrealistic, but that doesn't mean that it's bad.
At the end of the day, it's just comedy about high- school.Overall: With all of this, some positive energy reaches to your heart, while you're watching "Prom", at least in my case.
Although painfully innocent, rude or even subtly rude gags completely left out, and remarkably cliché (almost all moments were predicted by people in the room while watching), PROM is a light-hearted, humorous and generally nice tale of the most important moment to teenagers about to leave school.Most enjoyable was the acting of Lloyd, played by Nicholas Braun, and just how believable and funny the small story lines for him were.
Their troubles with getting dates, fixing destroyed decorations, and a bunch of other high school drama stuff that is neither interesting nor realistic.
I understand Prom is geared towards the TWEEN crowd and I'm sure those tween girls will love this movie.
His story about trying to get a girl to go to prom with him and failing each time is the only funny bits and it's due to the performance he manages to give.
She is also the prom committee organizer and when two teens accidentally burn down all the decorations, she is partnered up with the resident 'bad boy' to get them all back in working order.
It's a shame that the two actors didn't have any chemistry with each other.The second character story I had a problem with involved a young guy trying to be on the lacrosse team.
Tyler, team captain, soon to be prom king and all around popular guy sees the cute girl with the freshman and decides to use him to get to her.
If I want a film that helps me discover who I am at that age, I watch John 'fricken' Hughes my friend, not a cheaply made Disney flick..
This movie, by Disney, is about as G rated as they come when dealing with teens.
This movie should have been about 6th graders instead of high school seniors.
Any way the main story centers around the prom decorations being destroyed.
I heard many of the boys talking to one another (we are so much like those two guys, etc.) The girls in the audience could relate to the girls in the movie.
It is the perfect "date" movie with your little girl!
PromWhen a high school hosts a 1920s-themed Prom and the graduating class comes dressed in Civil War attire, it is irrefutable evidence our education system is failing.Thankfully, the premise of the promenade in this teen-comedy does not involve any historical accuracy.
When all of the decorations for the prom perish in a random fire, the class president (Aimee Teegarden) is left scrabbling.Serendipitously, the class badass (Thomas McDonell) infuriates the principal, garnering himself a severe punishment, wherein he must help craft the new ornaments.Simultaneously, a host of other clichéd high school romances sprout up and play out in similar fashion.A rose coloured representation of high school graduation, Disney's Prom is squeaky clean: the actors are fresh faced, the vignettes are wishy-washy and the jokes are sterile.Besides, how can you even call it a senior prom if there wasn't even one abandoned newborn found in the toilet?
So there's no reason I shouldn't give it a 10.And I remembered some of my experiences from my high-school experience (which was a calm and beautiful one), which was another indicator that I liked the movie.So yep, it gets a 10 from me..
I think this is very interesting high school movie..
In this story a group of teenagers are getting ready for their high school prom.
The first story is about a girl and a boy who make the prom decorations, the second story is about a boy who loves another girl but pretends like he is love with another girl, the last story is about a boy who is shy and always waits for the right time.
Still given Magic Kingdom parameters the Disney Studios they came out with a nice G rated product.Several teen romance stories are involved in Prom.
They should make movies that kids can watch at the ages through 5-13 that don't always have kissing and couples in them!
and whats the point in having a movie with a bunch of soon to be college kids when seventeen year old aren't even bothered about watching movies like prom!
And I rarely watch movies like prom but I had nothing left to watch so I decided to try and watch it, BAD CHOICE..
The only thing I liked about this movie is that the bad guy turns out to be the winner.
The hero (anti-hero) was pretty much a carbon copy of Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club; and of course, the guy from the wrong side of the tracks falls for the rich girl, dad warns him off, but it all comes right in the end.To my surprise it picked up, and I even had a smile on my face by the end, which is surely the point of these sugary tween movies.
The rest of the cast were serviceable if a little less memorable.As for the plot and writing, it was all of course hopelessly predictable, and some of the lines will have you laughing for the wrong reasons, but somehow it was almost refreshing to watch a film where I knew there would be a happy ending.
Here, the good guys get together, lessons are learned, and there are enough nice little sweet moments like the candy necklace (no pun intended) to feel your intelligence hasn't been insulted too much by sitting through a movie that really anyone over thirteen will have seen many times before.
This was really a surprisingly good movie.The acting was good and there were some really well developed characters.There was the pretty smart girl, the tough guy with the big heart, the geek without a date and the bumbling newbies to the school.There was also some very funny and well thought-out scenes.The guy with the imaginary Greek girlfriend really cracked me up, "She's not allowed to have a Facebook profile because she got grounded for clubbing too late".Also, the tough guy story was also very believable and the working relationship with him and the smart girl was very well done.I am surprised that users would give this movie a negative rating.
High-schoolers are getting ready for prom, led by the over-achieving, blonde, class president, but who is being opposed by the local rebel.The rebel is the leather jacket-wearing, too-cool-for-school, dark and handsome type with long hair.
Next year, he will at least play him in the up-coming "Dark Shadows" (2012) where Depp is the vampire Barnabas Collins and McDonell is the "young Barnabas Collins." Instead of writing in additional plot lines (i.e. more than just getting ready for prom), we got additional characters (all of them getting ready for prom).
Prom night - guys and girls anxious to get their dates.
All packed in a neat Disney way without too much of a fuss, with some bad, mediocre and good acting thrown in together.I enjoyed the movie.
Nobody has the time to help, and the school principal forces the misunderstood bad boy Jesse Richter (Thomas McDonell) to help redo all the decorations.There is really only two things anybody needs to know about this movie.
This movie could have been better but they did add a good plot, theme, and setting for the story of a high school prom.
He displayed the type of person who changes in a story at first he didn't care about prom at all he felt like it was a waist of time, then he fell in love and made the show a great one that i enjoyed greatly.I would recommend this movie to anyone who is an adult or teen 11-any age..
It's one of the biggest night in high school and Disney's movie "Prom" brings to life the biggest days for many juniors in high school.
With multiple story lines, humorous interactions, and real life situations the movie captures what is going through the minds of teenage girls all over the United States.
The movie steps into the life of high school students trying to prepare for prom while still managing all other aspects of life.
The main focus duo, Nova (Aimee Teegarden), who returns to the role of the perfect A+ student that she played in "Friday Night Lights", and Jesse (Thomas McDonell), who is the resident bad boy in the film, are forced to work together after a fire destroys all the prom decorations.
Nova also faces the fear of going to prom alone as all her friends are getting asked and she's not.
Lloyd (Nicholas Braun) brings the most humor to the movie with his failed attempts at asking girls, yes plural, to prom.
Having numerous story lines usually leads to confusion but in this movie the cast works smoothly together feeding off the chemistry and skills of their co-stars.
Prom (2011): Dir: Joe Nussbaum / Cast: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, DeVaughn Nixon, Danielle Campbell, Yin Chang: Dreadful teen comedy about that hopeful night full of fear and anxiety with regards to acceptance.
Thomas McDonell plays the bad ass who turns out to be the misunderstood good guy.
This is a perfect teenage life story movie.
Everything that someone could experience during high-school was in this movie.
The fact that the good girl had to work with the bad boy, and changed him, was perfect.
Well The Disney's prom is not a movie which i expected.
It was missing the fun when watching this show i didn't see my self laughing and i am a very peppy girl that laughs when i get a good joke or even a stupid joke i would laugh because it's senseless but i didn't do that much through the whole movie.
It's not the normal garbage movie like "She's All That" (1999) where the "ugly" girl that is clearly beautiful is given a "makeover" and gets the most popular/attractive/nice/smart/etc.
While Jesse Richter (Thomas McDonell) is the tough guy that has no dreams and bashes everything since he's had a tough life.So Nova's prom decorations get destroyed and the rest of the prom committee does not have the time to help her rebuild (internships, A.P. tests, exhaustion, etc.).
I never went to my high school prom.
A cute movie about an important rite of passage: senior prom.The movie stars Aimee Teegarden as Nova Prescott, your typical honor student.
We see him slowly change during the course of the movie and begin caring about prom and the young class president.
McDonell is perfect in this role and my favorite in the film.With the exception of these two leads, the rest of the movie is made up of a plethora of different characters.
There's the sophomore boy, Lucas, who is in love with his classmate Simone, who wants to go to prom with the biggest jock in school.
One person I really enjoyed was Rolo, who goes through the whole movie claiming that his date will be coming to prom, but us never seeing her.
He is portrayed as a loving father who wants what is best for his little girl.Special effects in this movie are minimal; but in a story like this, you do not need a lot of graphics.
The dresses worn by the girls at prom were beautiful, but a few looked too conservative for high school.
Again, being a Disney film, swearing is not allowed.While not the best movie in the world, I found myself quite entertained throughout it and eagerly anticipated the next time I would see it.
I had resisted watching Prom for the longest time, as I'd seen the low rating and read more of the unflattering reviews.
What you get for 100 minutes is a semi-sweet semi-interesting story that's unlike your own high school days...with a few exceptions of course.Even though the movie starts by quickly introducing several cast members the only one the movie really concentrates on is Nova, the nice, super involved class president trying to get the perfect Prom event organized, until a fire destroys her efforts till date and she's got to start all over again.The downside to the movie is that Nova's story is not really that interesting.
Jesse's character is too one dimensional and superficial...the misunderstood bad boy rebel that we've seen in practically every teen movie, spoof or not.
According to Nova Prom represents the togetherness, the camaraderie that four years of high school has developed.
Instead, it is a serious look at the coming of age among graduating high school students and what prom means to them-not only the fun associated, but it is certainly a coming of age film.Of the variety of stories told among the seniors, the most poignant, of course, is the one involving Nova and Jesse.
Just a fluff of a high school movie, the kids getting ready for prom..
Interestingly, in their IMDb profiles many do not indicate their birthday (or even year) so it isn't easy to tell how old they are.There are several stories going on in parallel, but early on when the 'good girl', the high achieving class president, and the 'bad boy', the motorcycle riding guy who usually skips out last period every Monday, have an uncomfortable dialog in the Principal's waiting area, we know that they are destined to end up falling in love.
It is that type of movie.Being a Disney film, rated PG, there is no bad language or even sexual innuendo. |
tt0042832 | Panic in the Streets | At night, on a seedy street of New Orleans, we see an upper floor window that is thrown open. In that room a poker game is under way. One of the players is seaman Kochak (Lewis Charles), who gathers a large pot he has just won and says he feels sick and needs to go rest. The other players object, Blackie (Jack Palance), Raymond Fitch, ( Zero Mostel), and Poldi (Guy Tomajan), claiming that it was too early to quit. Despite threats, Kochak leaves. Blackie quickly talks to the other two, ordering them to bring back Kochak or the money. Raymond and Poldi follow Kochak out, stop him and push him, but Kochak continues on his way. Raymond and Poldi are giving up, but an angry Blackie demands that he be followed. Some distance away, in the dock area, Kochak is surrounded, there is a brief fight. Blackie kills Kochak with two shots and orders Raymond and Poldi to get rid of the body after retrieving the money.The next morning, Dr. Clinton Reed, a U.S. Public Health Service officer (Richard Widmark) is at home looking forward to a day off with his wife Nancy (Barbara Bel Geddes) and son Tommy (Tommy Rettig), We see him as a family man painting furniture with his young son. Later he and the wife discuss how it appears they can't make ends meet with his salary, as there are bills that have gone unpaid for quite a while.From a dock on the river front, the dead body of Kochak has been spotted, and policemen pick it up and take it to the morgue. The coroner technician digs out the two bullets and notices something strange with the body. Immediately he isolates the body and phones Dr. Reed at home.Dr. Reed reluctantly agrees to come back to the morgue, and confirms the dead man had pneumonic plague, similar to bubonic plague but attacking the lungs, and transmitted not by rats but by coughing and sneezing and physical contact among people. He takes charge, isolates everyone who touched the body, has the body cremated and starts inoculating the policemen and morgue technicians.At a hastily summoned emergency meeting with mayor Murray (H. Fowler, Jr.), police chief Tom Warren (Paul Douglas) and other authorities, Reed describes the potentially enormous consequences and deaths that could ensue from not finding those infected. Death occurs within four days of the onset of illness, and illness within about two days of contagious exposure. So they have a 48 hour window to try to find those exposed and prevent further illnesses by inoculations.Since the dead man was moved by his killers, the killers have been exposed and must be found. The search has to be done with a different excuse, otherwise the killers might leave town and potentially infect the whole nation. The secret must also be kept from the public, otherwise there would be a mass exodus that might spread the illness through a vast area.The mayor supports Reed, the rest go along very reluctantly. Warren objects that he has an impossible job because the murder victim is unidentified, but grumblingly he promises to do his best. Reed and Warren display short tempers and grudging respect for each other as they start off on their search for the killers.Warren orders a round up of all known petty criminals and suspects, who are shown a picture of the murder victim and are asked what they know. Reed is so involved an intense that he gets in the way of the police procedures, so he goes on his own to try other ways to identify the murder victim.Dr. Reed goes into the seamens hiring hall and offers a $50 reward to anyone who can identify the murder victim, to no avail. He senses there is a reluctance to give information, so he announces he will wait at a nearby café, Franks Place just in case anyone wants to talk to him. After some waiting, a girl comes to him and says she thinks she knows a boat owner who might have seen the unidentified victim. Reed follows her to a boat and the owner denies knowing anything. After some pushing, the owner says he also owns a café that is run by his wife and will ask his wife.At the café, the wife is consulted by her husband out of sight from Reed. She recognizes the man but refuses to admit it. She complains of having a headache, and she starts to cough.Meantime, Blackie, Raymond and Poldi have sensed that the police is after something important, and Blackie guesses that the dead man, who was Poldi's cousin, is much more important than one would guess from a merchant seaman, and imagine that Kochak had information about some treasure or drug stash.A scene in Blackies supposed legitimate business serves to define the characters of both Blackie and Raymond. Blackie argues with Raymond and his shrewish wife (Liswood), and shows Raymonds frantic subservience as he tries to pacify each, like some berserk pinball.There are brief scenes where Blackie's complex character is further developed. When a stunning prostitute asks Blackie for $100 (the equivalent of $1000 in 2010), he doesn't hesitate. When a little newspaper seller gives him some information, he insists on giving money to him, although, he doesn't want it. When a doctor tells him that the man he is trying to kill is sick and needs an expensive sanitarium, Blackie quickly offers the money. He may be a killer, but he sure is generous.The film intersperses small scenes that grab attention simply by making the characters and their little exchanges interesting. Like the Irish dwarf, for instance, who refuses to take payment for his favors, looking up at the towering Blackie, saying, "No, Blackie, no." And then after Blackie stuffs the bills into his sweater, he hobbles away backwards and saying, "God bless ye, Blackie, God bless ye."In the same vein, Reeds character is developed as struggles with his status as a nearly absentee dad, slaving away at a job that pays him poorly and barely managing to spend any time with his wife and son. The $50 reward he offers for information means the bill he was going to pay will have to wait.Blackie starts to suspect Poldi of holding out on him, since Kochak was Poldi's cousin, so Poldi disappears trying to get away from Blackie.Meantime, the wife of the café owner has been taken to a hospital, and dies from the plague. Her husband arrives, and Dr. Reed is able to extract more information due to the heavy guilt and grief. Kochak is identified as having arrived in a ship called the Queen of the Nile, which is still within reach of the authorities.The ship is boarded, and despite the Captains denials and lack of cooperation, Reed succeeds in questioning the crew, and finds that there had been a recent death on board. The interview of two Asian cooks aboard the Nile Queen is hilarious -- "He cawr me dirty names and ask for Shishabob!" Later, loudly proclaiming that the crew will start dying in just a few days, Reed succeeds in convincing the seamen to get inoculated. The captain yields as his crew starts to mutiny.During these searches, three times, Reed just misses meeting up with Raymond. The viewer is tantalized with both men in the same frame but unaware of the connection between them.The film has a subplot in which a news reporter, who wears his "Freedom of Speech" as a badge of honour, is shut down and locked away in a jail, to prevent him from publishing a story that might indeed trigger panic in the streets. This is a decision by the mayor at the urging of Reed that gives rise to a brief discussion of Constitutional rights.Eventually Blackie finds and interrogates the dying Poldi as to the precise nature of his cousin's presumed contraband. Cat like, Blackie stalks his victim across the room, eventually preying over the doomed man's sick bed, holding Poldi's feverish head in his hands. Meantime, Poldi's mother has summoned a nurse, whose entrance prevents Blackie from torturing the dying Poldi. She is aware of the seriousness of Poldi's condition, and refuses to leave. Blackie summons his own doctor, and the doctor expels the nurse, who manages to get messages to Reed about the situation. Were it not for the serendipitous perceptive nurse, Reed and Warren might still be looking for the killers.The doctor together with Blackie Fitch start to move Poldi out of his room and down some stairs and this is when they meet up with Reed. Poldi is thrown down to his death, and an exciting chase follows. Blackie and Raymond hijack a van to flee, as they are being chased by Reed, Warren, and half the New Orleans Police, first in 1949 Ford police cars, then on foot after the van is surrounded. The two escaping killers try to throw off the pursuers in a coffee and bananas warehouse where they hide among the mountains of burlap coffee bags. At one point Reed enters and yells at them that they will die unless they surrender and get inoculated.The weight challenged Raymond trying to keep up with Blackie is a source of shots that would be funny except for the circumstances.After Raymond is captured, in the final chase shots Blackie is on the run at the water level under the wooden docks, with the police hot on his tail. Trying to escape on a fruit boat headed towards South America the dirty and murderous rat, Blackie, is prevented from getting on board by the ship's rat shield causing him to end up in the water where he is eventually captured.The final shots symbolize that the emergency is over, as the exhausted Reed returns to his family. | murder | train | imdb | null |
tt1128075 | Ai no mukidashi | Chapter 1: YuYu Honda, a young teenage Catholic is attempting to live his life in a faithful and orderly manner. Before his mother dies, she makes him promise that he will marry a woman as beautiful as The Virgin Mary. His father, Tetsu, becomes a devout Catholic priest following the death of Yu's mother, and operates his own church. As he grows up, Yu comes to realise that only marrying Mary will suit him, and goes on his search for Mary. A woman named Kaori becomes obsessed with Tetsu, and forces her love on him, which he eventually reciprocates. Together, the three move into a new house where their relationship is kept a secret. Tired of this secrecy, Kaori leaves the house, which leaves Tetsu broken and depressed. He makes Yu come to confessional every day, and demands to know his sins. Yu, unable to think of any sins he might have committed, lies, but is caught. He decides to deliberately commit sins and confess them to his father.Tetsu becomes displeased with this, and moves to his church, almost disowning Yu as his son. Yu falls in with a gang of three delinquent boys named Takahiro, Yuji and Senpai, who teach him to steal, fight and live on the streets, amused by his need to commit sins only to confess them to his father. They suggest he try something more provocative, which a Catholic priest would not tolerate, and take him to a man named Llyod, who specialises in a "kung fu" technique of taking voyeuristic "panty shot" photos of girls in public. After great training, Yu becomes an expert himself at taking "panty shot" photos, but unlike others, does not do it for perverted reasons, but simply out of a need to commit sins. When he confesses his activities to his father, Tetsu beats him as a father would beat his son, which pleases Yu. He refuses to take Yu's confession, and throws him out of the church, where Yu piously prays to God even in the rain.A gang of three girls, led by Koike pass him and he photographs them, but is caught. Koike however, lets him go, amused about his situation. Yu's friends see this and are greatly inspired by Yu, whom they approach to be trained themselves. Yu obliges, and the four operate as a ring of voyeur photographers, comparing each others photos and rating them. On one such day, Yu bets that if Yuji's photo is better than his, he will wear female clothes, kiss a girl he likes and profess his love in a female voice. Yu loses the bet, and goes out wearing the outfit worn by Meiko Kaji in Female Convict #701: Scorpion, and refers to himself as Sasori (Scorpion).He finds a girl being attacked by a large group of thugs, while she stands off against them. Taking this to be his chance, Yu attacks the group, fighting side-by-side with the harassed girl, whom he sees as the Mary he had promised to marry. The title card is shown at this point.Chapter 2: KoikeKoike, who performs many fraudulent and illegal activities such as drug-dealing, works for a New Religious Movement called the Zero Church, of which she is the regional leader. The daughter of a man seen by society as a model Christian, she was frequently abused by him as a child, physically and sexually. As she grows up, she comes to resent all sex and violently attacks men. One day, she finds that her father has had a stroke, but with a full erection. She takes her revenge by snapping his penis and then chopping it off.Extremely happy after doing so, she ends up meeting the Director of the Zero Church, who inducts her in their ranks and tells her that she has the unique ability to seek out the "original sin"s of others (which she explains is how she came to discover Yu). Unbeknownst to Yu however, she continues to observe and film him, electronically eavesdropping on his conversations with his father and in a board meeting of the Zero Church, proposes a plan to convert Yu's entire family.Chapter 3: YokoYoko grew up with an abusive father who often brought women home and neglected her. Growing up, Yoko becomes fatalistic and comes to hate the very idea of a happy family. She develops a hatred for men, but her life is changed when she meets Kaori, whom her father brings home one day. Kaori and Yoko come close to the point where Yoko accepts Jesus, while being treated to every whim and fancy by her new foster mother Kaori.Kaori however, returns to Tetsu's church and beings to force her love on him, which he resists. Obsessed with him, Kaori rams her car into his, crashing it until she can finally achieve him again. Tetsu returns home with Kaori, much to Yu's surprise, and declares that he will be giving up his priesthood in order to get married to Kaori. When Kaori breaks the news to Yoko, she gets angry and walks away.Meanwhile, Koike, who had been observing Yoko as well as Yu, organises the group of henchmen who harass her before Yu, prompting his intervention in the fight.Chapter 4: SasoriFighting as the enigmatic Sasori, Yu inspires Yoko and the henchmen are dealt with. As per the bet, Yu kisses her after the fight and tells her that he loves her before departing. After this event, Yu realises that this is the first time he has had an erection to a girl - confirming that the girl, Yoko is his Mary.Yu becomes infatuated with Yoko, while Yoko comes to believe that she is a lesbian and becomes infatuated with Sasori. Yu loses interest in his "panty shot" photography, and finds that Yoko will be joining his class as a new student. As Yoko has no interest in Yu, he finds himself unable to approach her directly. When dressed up as Sasori however, Yoko lets her guard down. Yu gives her his number, and finds later that night that Tetsu will be marrying Kaori once he is relieved of his priesthood by the Vatican. Yoko is repulsed when she learns that Yu will be her brother, and calls Sasori. Yu, as Sasori, advises Yoko to be more understanding of him and to understand that perverts have a reason for being the way they are. Sasori ultimately makes Yoko promise that she will treat Yu more affectionately, and as a brother.Yoko does as told, and this sudden improvement in their relations pleases Yu, who still finds himself unable to reveal to her that he is Sasori. The next day however, Koike joins Yu's class as a new student. As per Koike's instructions, henchmen attack the class seeking Sasori. Yu is pushed aside by Koike, who dispatches the thugs and declares that she is Sasori, before Yoko. Yoko is overjoyed to learn that Sasori is in her class, and the two start to have close sexual relations, much to Yu's chagrin. Koike repeatedly taunts Yu, who is infuriated with her designs.Meanwhile, Tetsu's faith in Catholicism starts to waver as he is chastised by his superiors for wanting to give up priesthood in favour of romance. He breaks a long-standing family tradition by not saying grace before dinner. Koike embeds herself in Yu's family, coming to help Yoko with her homework and often for sleepovers, in which she'd have sex with Yoko. She also comes to be the family's spiritual guide and counsels Tetsu and Kaori. When Yu learns that Koike slept with Yoko in his Sasori outfit and has discovered his stash of photographs, he knocks her out cold and decides to reveal the truth about Sasori to Yoko.Yoko however is repulsed by this, and runs away, leaving Yu helpless and angry. The next day, Koike spreads videos and photos of Yu's perverted photos in the school, leading to Yu's expulsion. Yu's family becomes estranged from him, and Tetsu beats him. With Yoko avoiding him, Yu runs away from home, running wildly in the streets screaming Yoko's name. He is eventually found by his friends Senpai, Yuji and Takahiro, and returns to takes refuge in them and recounts his tale.Sneaking into school, Yu learns that both Yoko and Koike have stopped attending school. He finds his home abandoned, and that Tetsu has been missing from Church. Koike managed to convince the family that it was the parents' immoral and sinful behaviour that caused Yu to become a perverted sinner, and inducts Yoko, Tetsu and Kaori into the Zero Church, where they are placed under brainwashing sessions.Yu receives a call from Koike, taunting his situation and advising him to join a porn video company called Bukkake-sha, where he is accepted. The company president is pleased with his skills and assigns him a job filming adult videos in the Tosatsu genre, which is Yu's specialty. Yu is told by Koike's sidekicks that he will continue to work in Bukkake-sha if he wants to see Yoko again. The videos become highly successful, as Yu is motivated by the promise of seeing Yoko again. The company president is impressed with Yu and offers him an active role in adult videos, which Yu fervently denies.Yu is instead placed as a performer in a "weird show" for perverts, wherein he is introduced as the immoral son of a Catholic priest, who "forgives" perverts for their perverted thoughts that they confess to him. He eventually meets Koike's sidekicks again, who show him a video of a brainwashed Yoko. Furthermore, he finds Yoko in a TV report on an attempted suicide in the Zero Church, and he takes researches means to recover Yoko from the Zero Church, but is largely unsuccessful.One day, Yu's friends organise a plan in which Yoko is abducted and taken to an empty beach, tied up and left alone with Yu till she breaks. Yoko refuses to give in, repeatedly calling him a pervert, and a few days into her abduction, tricks Yu into releasing her. Yu catches her and tries to convince her to leave Zero Church, calling it a sham, declaring that even if he is a perverted sinner, he at least has the dignity of being one. Yoko recites the entirety of Corinthans 13, and refuses to give into what she perceives is Yu's perverted love.The next day, Koike and the director of the Zero Church arrive at the beach, having caught Yu's friends. Yu is beaten up and Koike orders Yoko to cut off Yu's penis, while Yu hesitates. Eventually, the director intervenes and invites Yu to join Zero Church, under the condition he strive to get rid of his pervert nature, and prove it by not having an erection while facing Yoko. Yu joins the Church and manages to not have an erection while facing Yoko, and is taken as a dedicated member of the Church.Pretending to be a dedicated member to the cultlike organisation, he discovers Yoko's location and procures dynamite, a katana, a knife and the Sasori outfit, with the help of his friends. He raids the Zero Church facility where Yoko is being kept and brainwashed, and kills the Zero Church's director. Dressing up as Sasori, he arrives before Yoko alongwith his family and Koike. Restrained by Tetsu and Kaori, and with Yoko retreating away from him, he uses the dynamite to blow up a lower floor of the facility, forcing police intervention.When he starts to attack Koike, Yoko starts to strangle him to death, causing him to bleed from his eye, making it look like he's crying blood. Yu breaks free, but has a nervous breakdown and becomes mentally affected. Koike is amused by Yu's breaking down, and says that he has become the same as her and kills herself with the katana. All the while, Yoko cries out of fear and stress.Last ChapterOnce the cult's brainwashing activities come to light, it is closed down. Tetsu and Kaori join a victim support group and appear to return to normal. Yoko goes to live with her relatives, where she uneasily settles into ordinary family life again. She comes to profusely miss Yu, watching the Tosatsu adult videos he made. Eventually, she breaks down on remembering how he cried blood when she tried to strangle him. She berates herself for not having known anything then, and for never having understood Yu.Yu is placed in an mental institution where he has developed a complex in which he is Sasori, and he attacks invisible foes with his katana. Yoko comes to meet him and finds that he does not recognise her, and greets her as Sasori, only remembering that he once saved a girl like her. Yoko presses on him and insists that he is her brother and that he opened her eyes and rescued her from Zero Church. She drives the doctors away and is forcibly taken away by the police, while Yu remains in shock. Shortly thereafter, however, he sees a reflection of himself from below in which he sees his erection, and realises that he is a man.Having flashbacks of his childhood, and the fight in which he first met Yoko, he regains his memories and starts running frantically out of the institution, meeting up with Yoko as she is being taken away by the police. At long last, the two are finally united. | pornographic, cult, romantic, brainwashing, plot twist, sadist | train | imdb | The typical art film could be boring or pretentious, but Sono never ever bores the audience and that assertion goes doubly for the fact that this film is four hours long.It may be no coincidence that the Japanese title for Love Exposure begins with 'Ai No...' which is similar to the original title for In The Realm Of Senses (Ai No Korida), the other infamous Japanese anti-mainstream movie.
This film was recommended to me when I mentioned going to a film festival in London, so I read a little about it and it gathered that it was a four hour plus Japanese movie with themes surrounding Catholic guilt, love, up-skirt fetishism, and transvestism.
Despite numerous sashays forward and back in time and a pretty complex plot, what we've got here is basically a love story between star-cross'd lovers, a young man Yu, and a young woman Yoko.
We quite often see ornate gold and mother of pearl rosaries being held by female characters, and the ritual of confession becomes incredibly fetishised, literally causing Yu to commit far more sin than he would otherwise have done.It occurs to you occasionally that the film is low budget, as some of the cinematography is reminiscent more of a documentary than a high production values movie.
Some of the many ideas the film dealt with in the 4 hour runtime included commentary on religion, cultism, perversion, growing up and coming of age, love, and life.
With such an engagingly innocent central character as schoolboy Yu, it seems completely natural to suspend disbelief and go along with everything he experiences, including his hilarious initiation into the skills of a panty photographer, his role as father-confessor at a perverts' convention and his attack with explosives and much blood letting on the HQ of a brainwashing religious cult.
The film's Christian angles are a little tougher to get a hold on, but ultimately I feel Sono's stance is satirical (rightfully so) regarding the hypocrisy of organized religion while not completely writing off the possibility of a fulfilling spiritual life.
I am a little concerned about the casual treatment of Yoko's lesbianism (which I can't get into without spoiling) but I suppose that's usually going to be an issue when you have a male writer/director tackling the subject.Despite the hefty length, the movie is never dull, mixing up styles and tones in a way that keeps you wondering what will happen next.
Due to other commitments, I had to undertake watching the recording in 3 manageable pieces, turning each into 'normal' film lengths.Lurching between high melodrama and lamenting ballad, Love Exposure IS a love story.
If you think though that this is just about emotional roller-coasting, there are some of the most striking story lines and stunts and ideas that have come from a fertile, imaginative and superb director, that mix martial arts with technology, religion with sex, perversion with love and much more.The choice of music, from Ravel's 'Bolero' to other brilliant rock pieces, that were repeated in loops really added to the structure and my enjoyment and I'm sure they hypnotised us into feeling the film shorter than it actually was.
Truly a one-of-a-kind experience: this is a massive epic that weaves an impressively deep and invoking story, which includes the search for true love, coming-of-age themes, family values, kung-fu, cross-dressing, upskirt photography, perverts, religion, sin, fanaticism, and dangerous cults.
To think the film was originally going to be six hours) would get tiresome, but surprisingly, Love Exposure never once drags.
Overall, the film takes its time to let the story and characters breathe, making the story and characters easily accessible and relate-able, and it does so without being boring or overdone.You'd also think that this film could be cut down further, but strangely, the story actually benefits from its lengthy runtime, and uses up every minute of it.
With such an ambitious plot structure at work, the film manages to dig up some important themes regarding love, life, and religion, and possibly other things.The film is shot and edited in an interesting manner; at times, the way it frames and puts images together reminds me a lot of an anime series.
Love Exposure is Sion Sono's first truly great film.
Love Exposure continues Sono's themes of alienated youth on the fringes of cults and the extremes of pop culture, but here he gives himself the freedom to be funny, sweet, frail, absurd, and exciting.
His small sins are quickly not enough for his father who thinks he's just making it up and not really concerned with sin and thus his immortal soul.It is only when he meets a group of street kids, and begins learning the secret art of up skirt panty photography (peek-a-panty), that his father reacts and beats him, finally not acting like an impartial priest but an enraged father.This backfires a bit for Yu when his father moves out of the house completely, to live in the church and be "closer to God".
This is all played out in black comedy fashion, the peek-a-panty training sequence which uses elements of kung-fu and acrobatics to capture the naughty pics, being some of the most especially funny.Yu's incorruptibility while he performs these increasingly corrupt acts is another thing that keeps this movie from wallowing in its transgressions.
In fact none of the characters even the film's villain, the young leader and "criminal mastermind" of the Zero Church (a Scientology/Aum inspired cult; the Aum carried out the deadly Serin gas attacks in a Tokyo subway in 1995, an event which seems central to much of Sono's work) named Koike, who strokes a small green parrot like a James Bond villain, is motivated throughout the havoc she wreaks, not by a desire for world domination, by her love for Yu.Yu out one day in drag after losing a bet, encounters a group of inexplicable street toughs harassing a girl, who comes to resemble "his Maria" the girl he has been searching for all this time (and who he insists he will know because she will be the first to give him an erection).
To make a four hour story short, Yu and Yoko become step brother and sister, and Yu is put in a Tootsie/Spiderman like position of having created an alter-ego the love of his life is more interested in than "the real him".Then things heat up, dramatically and under the collar, when Koike whose been observing impassively for the first hour or so, enters the picture claiming to be Ms. Scorpion (Yu's alter ego, the spitting image of Blank Blank in Lady Prisoner), and seducing Yoko (in many a lesbian school girl make-out session) in order to get closer to Yu.I'll stop there with plot, because there are still two and half more hours I would have to describe.
Goodness and perversion are the two twin themes throughout the film, just as I've said each character is motivated in some ways by love, but they all different definitions of what love is.
Though love may lead take on one on many a strange "detour" in life, it ultimately really does conquer all (see Corinthians 13).For these reasons and too many more to write down, Sonos up-skirt peek-a-panty ninja quest for the Virgin Mary as Holy Grail is one of the best love stories, coming of age tales, and movies of the decade.
I hope when it gets released stateside it comes with its full run time intact, because it's the first four hour movie I've ever seen that I sincerely didn't want to end..
There is no point one should criticize an artwork like Love Exposure, with all elements a good film should consist of.
This is what I personally believe to be the best film ever made by one my favorite director Sion Sono.It's hard to believe how this film is 4 hours long and I still never wanted it to end, it's never boring, it's always charming, always funny and always intelligent.
How is this even possible?This film is such a trip of emotions, the story goes around religion, love, fetish and social standards and it all sums up in a beautiful and crazy experience.
This film is incredible
Sono overall is kinda like Takashi Miike but he's able to make a 4hr film & hold your attention right till the end
it's filled with dark comedy, twisted story lines & random characters with violence & sex
it's so absurd all u can do is laugh, even in the most violent parts
but it also has beauty, tenderness, tension, psychological, and many other facts which makes this brilliant film so profound
If you haven't seen Miike's Ichi the Killer (2001) or Sono's Cold Fish (2010), then do that first before tackling this 4hr beast so you have some context of this fascinating masterpiece
http://samuellbronko.tumblr.com/post/120084197997/love-exposure-2008- sion-sono-10-10-added-to.
And I must say i'm a huge fan of his work now.I'm going to try and keep spoilers out of this review for obvious reasons, go and watch this movie.The film (for me) centres around three young individuals Yu, Yoko and Koike.
All these aspects work amazingly and somehow bring all these characters together in some bizarre ways.The film is 4 hours long, yes that is a long time for a the average film goer also it does have some violent and bloody moments so if you're squeamish you have been warned, but if you give this movie a chance i'm sure the time will fly by.
I instantly wanted to give it another watch.Overall, Love Exposure is a phenomenal movie and I would highly recommend anyone who has been interested reading my review to go and watch it.
Lastly, I have to say that the movie is really top notch from almost every aspect, like filming, acting, character development etc.
All the characters' (which you are so easily drawn by) reactions, development, morale behind their actions add up to where the plot leads them.What Mr. Sion Sono wanted to do (and succeeded in) with this movie is tell a story about actions and reactions, about how people from similar backgrounds can easily be both same, yet so different.
It's a story about love, pain, strength, devotion, kindness and ultimately, morale.4 hour length of the movie is very justified by the complexity of the plot.
But they are important and the story demands them.The movie films a bit ridiculous and unreal sometimes, but never boring though.
Love Exposure is one of the most entertaining Movies i have seen jet.You may think 237 Minutes is a long time but this Movie is not a single second to long , the Story is thrilling and the Charackters are fantastic.
Unfortunately he's also a self-confessed pervert, looking for his one and only Mary, who happens to be a man-hating, Nolan-loving girl who falls for him whilst he's in drag (as a dare).Once the love triangle is introduced things become even more interesting with the addition of two new characters who have a complex back-story.
There's a lot to admire in Love Exposure with its incredible characterisation, exciting and interesting writing with a complex story-line, but being four hours it takes away its effectiveness.
after all, it does contain scenes of castration, geysers of fake blood, an endless parade of orchestrated pantyshots, and realizations of true love on contemplating one's erection.It may come as a surprise to anybody unfamiliar with S(h)ion Sono's previous works that Love Exposure feels like a student film.
If you want to watch a wonderful love story, Rainbow Song (2006) is a lot better and features real acting, if you like trash, few films beat spy-fi softcore anti-Iraq flick The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai (2003).
There are so many weird scenes that the overall story gets a bit lost on the way, and you have a hard time appreciating the movie as a whole.However I have to give it some credit for being so full of life all the way through the entire 4 hours.
But years later, and racked with the displaced guilt being piled upon him by his failing priest father, he becomes, naturally, the leader of a martial-arts panty-shot photography gang, and his antics bring him to the attention of both a cult-leading psychotic with an abusive past, and the kick-ass girl of his dreams who falls in love with his cross-dressing alter-ego.At this point we are about fifty minutes into the set-up of Sion Sono's epic Japanese misfit soap opera, and now the opening titles roll.
Love exposure is a long movie, and changes of style and exposed themes make it almost feel like a few different films, and even though some moments of it are not quite as interesting and entertaining as the others, in the end you will still get one of the most enjoyable and unique experiences movie can provide..
Instead, Sion Sono takes us through the story of Yu Honda and his love of his young teenage life, Yoko, as if it's in homage to City of God: things move forward fast by way of the characters' narration taking us along, telling us the back-stories and then how they meet in an outrageous, fateful moment.It's too hard to simply condense all of what Love Exposure is "about".
This should not be a mark against Sion Sono, on the contrary it's a mark of a film so rich in a creative story, of characters wholly developed in their various tragic and twisted and sometimes very funny ways that it almost does a disservice to have to break everything down into simple summaries.
It's a film that takes many chances as outrageous satire and sordid melodrama with its ideas and details and succeeds on nearly all of them.It all starts with the protagonist, Yu Honda (Takahiro Nishijima) telling us in narration how he was raised: his mother died when she was very young, instilling in him and Honda's father a sense of religious purpose (the Mother Mary comes into play very early at this point, and Sono comes back to it later as a device of infatuation for Yu).
But the "Father" is insistent, and so Yu takes up more "sins" such as petty theft with a gang, and this soon leads into one of the real highlights of the film, which is Yu's training and mastering of the art of taking lighting-quick pictures up teenage girl's skirts for their panties, all for the ironic "approval" of having sinned enough for the confession, with hilariously disastrous results He loses a bet with his friends and has to dress up in drag.
It's from here, at the one hour mark, we move from Yu to Yoko's back-story, even *more* harrowing and melodramatic than Yu's, THEN this leads into another back-story for the pivotal character Koike (Sakura Ando) who has ascended by her rather evil tendencies (she castrated her father as a young girl for abuse, but this isn't even what makes her evil as we find out) in a church called ZERO, which is a cultish church looking to drag families in and brainwash them with their caste system of dehumanization.What happens when Koike starts to infiltrate Yu and his family circle, and in particular with her known connection between Yu and Yoko, shouldn't be spoiled.
Oh sure, it is the story of teenagers in love, and so we get a lot of what makes teens teens: sexual frustration, angsty-tendencies (Yoko has a "I HATE MEN" policy leading to her thinking she may be a lesbian), and being "perverted" in the eyes of the church.
And if you want some actual hardcore drama out of theater there's a show-stopping scene on a beach where Yoko breathlessly and tearfully delivers the entire excerpt from Corinthians 13 to a baffled Yu. The music selections are also phenomenal, ranging from catchy Japanese pop-rock to Beethoven's 7th symphony 2nd movement, surely one of the most dramatic pieces of music for use in a movie let alone this.Love Exposure is crazy, inspired film-making, shot on digital video with care and acted with so much gusto to match with the breakneck speed of the mis-en-scene.
LOVE EXPOSURE is a film unlike anything else you've ever seen before or since (although Sion Sono's follow-up movies, made as part of his unconnected trilogy, COLD FISH and GUILTY OF ROMANCE, come close at times).
At four hours this is a real test of the viewer's ability to take this incessantly crazy storytelling and I confess that I watched it in two settings as I think one would have been just too much for me to take.The film boasts fully-rounded characters and psychological depth that you don't often get in the world of Japanese cult cinema.
When Yu finds out, he abducts Yoko to try to de-programme her, and ends up in the Church himself, following which (if you can believe it) things get unpredictable.This hugely bizarre and very long movie is an astonishing, but always stylish and engaging, mishmash of elements.
I must admit that the four-hour run time of this film nearly put me off however I decided to watch it over two nights and ended up really enjoying it.
The film follows Yu, a boy whose father is a Catholic priest who finds and loses love.
This is all in the first half of the film; later on Yu's father, Yoko and her mother are seduced into joining a sinister cult and Yu must do what he can to rescue her.I was surprised how quickly the time went by while watching this; while the plot was obviously ridiculous it was also very funny.
They could've just utilized and maximized it considering that the movie has already been sensual from beginning anyway, showing how Yu truly loved Yoko, they could've injected some intimate moments with the two of them.And the best part of this is:this is a true story. |
tt1590796 | Sentô shôjo: Chi no tekkamen densetsu | Rin (Yumi Sugimoto), a young high school student, is an unassuming and awkward girl who is bullied at school. One day, while being bullied, she feels a sharp pain in her hand. Later, Rin learns that she is a descendant of the ancient Hiruko clan, whose members are mutants gifted with superpowers. No sooner than she learns of this, that her home is raided by anti-Hiruko soldiers. Rin's parents are killed and Rin barely escapes with her life. After killing an entire shopping district out of misunderstanding and grief-fueled rage, Rin meets Rei (Yuko Takayama), another mutant. Rei introduces Rin to a small rag-tag group of mutant rebels led by a transvestite samurai named Kisaragi (Tak Sakaguchi), who is bent on restoring the Hiruko clan's place in the world.Under the instruction of Kisaragi and Rei, Rin begins training, wearing an iron mask until she can control her powers. While in training, the tentacle-armed Yoshie (Suzuka Morita) tells Rin about Rei's past; only three years ago, Rei had been a freak show attraction at a circus, and the only person to show her compassion and acceptance was a human boy who gave her a gold cross necklace. When the townsfolk killed the boy for loving her, Rei's hatred for humans was born. Rin later finds the necklace after Rei accidentally drops it after a training session.When Rin achieves control over her powers much sooner than Kisaragi had expected, he orders her, along with Yoshie, to infiltrate an anti-Hiruko conference and attack a high ranking general named Koshimizu. Rin and Yoshie successfully take out Koshimizu, but find themselves unable to kill some innocent surviving humans. Rei, under Kisaragi's orders, kills the survivors.Eventually, Rin realizes that, in spite of everything that has happened, she cannot turn against her human side. She manages to persuade Yoshie to join in her cause to protect innocent humans rather than kill or subjugate them. Meanwhile, other Hiruko schoolgirls are being brainwashed to carry out suicide bomb attacks at various locations to kill humans. Kisaragi kidnaps and drains the blood of the fervently anti-Hiruko prime minister, which grants him a large grotesque and super-powered body. Yoshie takes on the brainwashed mutant schoolgirls while Rin faces off against Rei. Rin manages to successfully convince Rei to stop her war on humans when she returns Rei's treasured gold cross necklace and triggers fond memories of the human boy who loved her. Rin, Rei and Yoshie team up to defeat Kisaragi and rescue the prime minister. | violence, murder | train | imdb | null |
tt0103924 | Captain Ron | Martin Harvey is a middle-aged office worker who lives in a suburb of Chicago with his wife, Katherine, 16-year-old daughter, Caroline and 11-year-old son, Ben. When he learns his recently deceased uncle has bequeathed him a 60' yacht once owned by Clark Gable, he decides to take his family to the island of Ste. Pomme de Terre ("Saint Potato") to retrieve the yacht so he can sell it. Katherine resists the idea, but agrees after Caroline announces she has just gotten engaged.
When the Harveys arrive at the island, they discover that the yacht, the Wanderer, is in terrible condition. Upon hearing this, the yacht broker cancels his plan to send an experienced captain to help them sail to Miami, and instead hires a local sailor, Captain Ron Rico, a one-eyed man with a very laid back attitude, and Navy veteran who claims to have piloted the USS Saratoga. He launches immediately when he sees the car he arrived in roll off the dock and sink. The car's owner arrives at the dock and shoots at Captain Ron.
Captain Ron takes Ben's money in a game of Monopoly, giving him beer to drink and charging him for it later, but shows loyalty to Martin, who he refers to as "Boss". Martin doesn't like him, calls him "Moron" in his diary, and believes that he doesn't know what he's doing.
The Harveys decide to stop off in the Caribbean, but learn that Captain Ron doesn't know how to navigate. While on a random island, Martin decides to go on a nature hike, but runs into guerrilla led by General Armando. Captain Ron bargains for Martin's freedom by giving them a lift to the next island, and receiving some firearms in return to fight off pirates. This angers Martin, as he declares there will be no firearms on his yacht and tosses them overboard, before realizing that without them, he is going to have to give the guerrillas a lift.
In the yacht's cabin, Katherine shows Martin the initials from Clark Gable and Carole Lombard marked on the bedpost. Katherine and Martin are so excited that they share their feelings and have passionate sex.
When they arrive at their next destination, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Martin and Katherine are arrested for smuggling guerrillas. Caroline and Ben party with the locals and Captain Ron, which ends with Caroline getting a tattoo, Ben breaking his glasses and Captain Ron losing his glass eye. Martin and Katherine are released from jail, but forced to leave that night. Martin decides to leave Captain Ron behind and they encounter pirates who steal the yacht, and are stuck floating in a raft.
They land in Cuba and discover the yacht there. The pirates find them, but with the help of Captain Ron, they are able to escape with the yacht. Captain Ron learns that they underrate Martin and decide to play hurt, forcing him to take control in the escape. Using the skills that Captain Ron taught them, they are able to get the sails up after the engine breaks from lack of oil to distance themselves from the pirates. The United States Coast Guard fires once at the pirates, scaring them away and creates a safe passage to Miami.
They arrive in Miami and part ways with Captain Ron. As they sail to their destination, they decide to turn the yacht around and keep it. In the final scene, Captain Ron (now cleaned up with his hair pulled back and wearing a suit) appears and is now employed by a wealthy couple in a small motorboat. Captain Ron tells the couple they should take the boat out for a spin. | cult, comedy | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0348836 | Gothika | Psychiatrist Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) who works at the Woodward Penitentiary For Women, has a car accident after trying to avoid a girl (Kathleen Mackey) on a road during a stormy night. She rushes to try to help the girl. The girl turns out to be a ghost and possesses Miranda's body. Miranda next wakes up in the very hospital she works for, but as a patient treated by her co-worker, Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey, Jr.). Drugged and confused, she remembers nothing of what happened after the car accident. To her horror, she learns that her husband Douglas (Charles S. Dutton) was brutally murdered and that she is the primary suspect. While Miranda copes with her new life in the hospital, the ghost uses her body to carry out messages (most noticeably, she carves the words "Not Alone" into Miranda's arm), which leads her former colleagues to believe Miranda is suicidal and is inflicting the wounds on herself.
Meanwhile, Miranda bonds with fellow inmate and former patient, Chloe Sava (Penélope Cruz). Several times in sessions, Chloe had claimed that she'd been raped while in the hospital, but Miranda had always attributed these stories to mental illness. One night, the door to Miranda's room in the hospital is opened by the ghost that has been haunting her. When she passes Chloe's room in the hospital, she can hear the rape occurring and momentarily sees a man's chest pressed against the window. The man's chest bears a tattoo of an Anima Sola. Miranda realizes that Chloe was not making up these stories and, when she sees Chloe the next day, she apologizes and the two embrace. Chloe warns Miranda that her attacker said he was going to target Miranda next. Miranda begins regaining some of her memories bit by bit and slowly comes to remember herself killing her husband. She realizes that the ghost had used her body to murder Douglas, thus making Miranda the patsy for his murder. This is why all of the physical evidence points to Miranda.
Miranda escapes from the hospital, having recognized the girl as a ghost. Seeking clues to the mystery of why she killed her husband, she goes to a farmhouse in Willow Creek, Rhode Island. In the cellar of the barn, she discovers a room containing a blood-stained bed, what appears to be a box containing drugs, restraints, and video equipment. She watches the tape that is still in the camera and the viewer hears a woman screaming as if tortured or raped. In the final seconds of the video, Douglas walks into the shot, covers a woman's lifeless body on the bed with a sheet, and winks at the camera. At this point, police arrive and one officer comes closer to Miranda and draws a gun on her while she is holding a knife to him. Miranda backs up to a staircase and, all of a sudden, an injured, frantically screaming girl grabs hold of her from the adjoining crawlspace. The police release the girl, and Miranda is taken to jail. While she is in jail, Sheriff Ryan (John Carroll Lynch), who was Douglas's closest friend, talks to Miranda and quizzes her on how she knew all these things. He does not believe her claim that ghosts told her everything and asks her what sort of person the accomplice would be. Miranda uses her experience as a psychiatrist to give a psychological profile, and as she does so, realizes that Ryan fits the profile perfectly. He attacks her and, in the fight, reveals his tattoo (an Anima Sola). Miranda kills the sheriff in an act of self-defense with the help of the ghost. Pete, just a few seconds later, shows up at the station, worried about Miranda's safety after he solves the mystery himself. He looks relieved to see Miranda safe and, through the soundproof window, mouths the words "I'm sorry, Miranda."
Approximately a year later, Miranda is seen walking with Chloe on a city sidewalk, discussing how each helped the other come to terms with her experiences. Miranda claims to be free of the ghost's influence and sends Chloe off in a taxi. Miranda then sees a young boy standing in the middle of the road who appears as though he is about to be struck by a fire truck. Miranda yells for the boy to move but, after the fire truck passes through the boy without harming him, she realizes he was only a ghost. As Miranda walks away, a poster with the words "Have you seen Tim?" and a picture of the same boy is shown taped to a pole next to the street on which Miranda is walking. | psychological, neo noir, gothic, murder, paranormal, violence, horror, flashback, insanity, romantic, suspenseful | train | wikipedia | What's more, Berry and Cruz signed onto a film made by a production team which has typecast itself with some fairly disappointing ghost stories / horror films involving big-names in the recent past.Finally, this is one of those cases where the trailer was so good that the film could not possibly follow it.
What saves the film is the excellent acting of Halle Berry, Penelope, Cruz, Robert Downey Jr., and all the rest of the cast, the haunting setting, and the way the atmosphere is being build.
and the truth isn't quite as gripping and terrifying as we would have hoped(although thats not tosay it is pleasant).Robert Zemeckis was one of the producers and i think it shows..there is some great camera work and some really interesting ideas but gothika doesn't have some of the subtle touches that What Lies Beneath had, but its easy to see some of the parallels between the two films.Even though halle berry wears the same look of shocked disbelief throughout the film, she plays it with conviction.
and a supporting role from penelope cruz certainly doesn't take anything away from berry.all in all, gothika provides a good story, an average screen play and enough innovative ideas to keep its audience.
I am a great fan of horror movies and I liked "Gothika", even with such a silly end, but it could have been better and better.
If this statement were an exact science then "Gothika" would be one movie to avoid at all costs, with its all-star ensemble cast including Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Penelope Cruz, Charles S.
Gothika is an exploration of what happened to Miranda, as she gradually uncovers a mystery.This was a very effective combination of a horror film and a suspense/thriller for me.
It creates an atmosphere that works very well for a horror/suspense film of this type, and that is heightened by the Gothic sets and production design (the one shot we get of the exterior of the psychiatric prison makes it look like an old castle).
The characters were great, Miranda and Chloe heading a thoroughly good cast that carried a more than decent movie.
Dutton) and she has been seeing a Violent Spirit (Kathlenn Mackey) trying to help her to see the truth what happen to Dr. Grey and the Violent Spirit.Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz (The Crimson Rivers, Hate) made a extremely familiar but a well made stylish supernatural horror film.
Berry gives a good performance but she surrounded by an solid supporting cast like Robert Downey Jr., Penélope Cruz, John Carroll Lynch and Bernard Hill.
In Mathieu Kassovitz's Gothika, Penélope Cruz and Halle Berry share a shower, but DON'T soap up each other's jubblies; that glaring goof aside, the film is a worthwhile supernatural thriller—smartly written, with slick direction, solid acting, and some effective shocks—one that should pass the time fairly painlessly for fans of mainstream horror.Halle Berry plays penitentiary psychiatrist Miranda Grey who winds up as an inmate herself after she inexplicably chops up her hubby with an axe.
With no memory of the murder, Miranda begins to suspect that there is a supernatural reason for her brutal act.Although the story evolves in a predictable Hollywood manner, the well developed atmosphere, stylish visuals, and some great supporting performances (the aforementioned Cruz, Robert Downey Jr. and Bernard Hill) all go to make this an enjoyable, if not exceptional, creepy murder mystery.6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb..
In addition, it stars the Spanish Penelope Cruz and Bernard Hill, the famous captain of the well known "Titanic¨ picture.It's a good spooky film which begins with Berry as a physician happily married, who is later locked in a jail framed to kill his husband .
The film was lavishly produced by Dark Castle , production specialized on terror genre and in charge of Joel Silver , Robert Zemeckis and Gilbert Adler ; both of them have produced successful terror movies dealing with eerie tales about horror , grisly killings and lots of blood and gore such as ¨House of haunted hill¨, ¨Return to house of haunted hill¨ , ¨13 ghosts¨ , ¨Ghost ship¨, ¨House of wax¨ , Whiteout¨ , ¨Splice¨ , ¨The reaping¨ , ¨Orphan¨ , among others .
There are elements of the supernatural mixed into the plot to be sure, but it is the lovely and talented Halle Berry that makes this film memorable..
Lights flicker menacingly and steely grey corridors echo with the sound of Ms. Berry crying 'help, I've fallen down another plot hole'...Whilst French actor-director Kassovitz has assembled an interesting support cast (Dutton, Carroll Lynch, Hill, Harewood), as with his previous thriller Les Rivières Pourpres (The Crimson Rivers) he is completely hamstrung by a ludicrous and implausible story.
Often an interesting actor, here Downey Jr. tries for ambiguous but ends up just plain creepy (contrast with Jeff Bridges in Jagged Edge) although Cruz fares better, playing against type for once to some effect.And Ms. Berry?
Other characters, include Robert Downey Jr. as "the colleague/friend (who happens to be the 2nd best doctor at the prison) who becomes her doctor and wants to help her because he loves her even though he doesn't believe her story", and Penelope Cruz as "the crazy inmate/ex-patient of Miranda's who becomes her only friend on the inside when everyone else thinks she's guilty and/or crazy." There are more, but I won't name them all.The scares in this movie were cheap and blatantly telegraphed to the point where I laughed out loud at the people in the theater who jumped.
Even the ghost does not understand the plot !.The majority of scenes do lend themselves to a slightly uncomfortable mood , but most of the shocks are just the same old build up of dramatic music then the compulsory pop up scare.I love a good scary phsycological thriller but this one left me confused and laughing at the suddenness of the ending.
A movie that can put the viewer in with the actors, has to be a good one!I do not understand why the IMDB customers are only voting Gothika a 5.6, when Gothika was very well written, directed, had great special effects, and I must say that Halle Berry needs to win another "Best Actress" Oscar after seeing this film!
Gothika is a new-fashioned ghost story in which a conscientious, well-liked criminal psychologist (Halle Berry) wakes up in a cell in the very insane asylum in which she works - and she's accused of a heinous crime.
If you stop to think about what Miranda's doing, you'll realize how little of it makes any real sense.Gothika is overwrought; its twists are broadcast so blatantly that you'll feel like the electroshock therapy some of the patients at the institute receive.
Oh boy, I don't even know where to start.Basically, Halle Berry stars as Dr. Miranda Grey, a psychiatrist in a creepy mental hospital who one day wakes up in one of the cells, apparently for violently killing her husband (Charles S.
There's also horrible dialogue ("I'm not deluded...I'm possessed!"), Berry's thoroughly underwhelming running-and-shrieking performance (Robert Downey Jr. is the only actor to escape with his dignity), the HUGE holes in the plot, and the movie's portrayal of the mentally ill, which is crude and offensive.
This is a decent supernatural thriller with good acting performances by Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz.
Although without mentioning my flatmates' DVDs, obviously."Gothika" tells the tale of brilliant psychiatrist Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) who works at an asylum so dark and Gothic that you imagine it right next door to the Addam's family.
Downey Jr looked like he needed a little more rehab time in some scenes while Penelope Cruz (as one of Grey's patients / best buddies) plays the part exactly the same as anyone if they'd read "Acting Like Mental Patients For Dummies".
Halle Berry stars as a psychatrist who during a dark and stormy night (this cliche is appropriate for this movie) sees a woman in the street, blacks out, and wakes up in the psychatric ward she works in as a patient accused of killing her husband.
Halle Berry portrays Dr. Miranda Richardson extremely well, waking up suddenly one day as a patient in the very institution she worked, accused of murdering her husband.
As a supernatural movie, Gothika actually moves way beyond what viewers may think, but this doesn't mean the film should be ignored: the story can actually keep us guessing as to what happens next, and that's what makes Gothika more interesting to me.A great performance from Robert Downey Jr., although Penelope Cruz seemed an odd choice to play patient Chloe.
Great eerie atmosphere created by the ominous dark settings though.Gothika was the first movie in which I'd seen Halle Berry in, and she carries her role off significantly well.
A repressed female psychiatrist (Halle Berry) wakes up as a patient in the asylum where she worked, with no memory of why she is there or what she has done.How do you put John Carroll Lynch and Robert Downey in a movie and have it be bad?
Halle Berry is a beautiful woman, but here she spends most of the movie weeping, grieving, scared to death, and otherwise emoting in such ways as to undermine her natural good looks.
The acting by Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., and Penélope Cruz are all great.With intriguing characters and original plot, this movie delivers the thrills and chills and will keep you entertained throughout.
Set in a female psychiatric institution, Gothika tells the story of Dr Miranda Grey (Berry), a criminal psychiatrist who suddenly finds herself as in inmate of the institution she works at, with no memory of a murder that she is accused of committing.
Add to this the buzzing and flickering of florescent lights within the tiny psychiatric cells gives you an also clichéd, but very effective 'dirty' and uncomfortable feeling very reminiscent of B-Grade horror movies.Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz (who played the role of 'Nino Quincampoix' in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 'Amelie'), Halle Berry's portrayal of her character is well done as is the performance by Penelope Cruz who plays Chloe, Dr Grey's abused patient.
About Gothika: A brilliant and respected criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is an expert at knowing what is rational.Under the direction of her husband (Charles S.
Dutton), Miranda treats dangerously disturbed patients at the Woodward Penitentiary for Women.But Miranda's life is thrust into terrifying jeopardy after a cryptic encounter with a mysterious young girl leads to a nightmare beyond her wildest imagination.Xcellent movie to own or just watch, This movie is great for those that need lots of action to stay awake!Gothika keeps your mind working and you toes curled!Unlike most "wanna-be" thriller movies Gothika has a great cast, great story line and leaves you in suspense on more than one occasion.Gothika only has one fault that I can find, being that I cant figure out why its called Gothika, but none the less.....ENJOY THE MOVIE!!!.
It feels like a mix of horror flicks in their most seen parts, that ends up being offensive for its shameless rip-offs (John Ottman's score is a carbon copy of James Newton Howard's "The Sixth Sense"), utter predictability (c'mon, how many countless times have we seen the lonely character driving at night beneath the soaking rain and thunderstorm?), and many serious plot holes (can anyone explain how that final coda can exist?).
Dr Miranda Grey (played by Halle Berry) is a highly respected psychologist and works the mental asylum section of a prison.
The supernatural stuff was vastly overdone: if it had stuck to being a mystery-drama it would have been much more believable and interesting.Decent performances from Halle Berry and Robert Downey Jr. Penelope Cruz was wasted in such a minor role though..
The third horror outing from Dark Castle productions (following on from HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and THIRTEEN GHOSTS) and the first NOT to be a remake, GOTHIKA is a surprisingly serious mental-institute thriller which eschews the rubbery gore and bloodshed of the previous two movies in favour of psychological shocks and a "I'm losing my mind!" scenario.
The final half hour of the film has some neat twists and is pretty eventful, but viewers must endure an hour of tedium before the payoff.Oscar-winner Halle Berry reveals a poor choice in movies (something proved by her turn in the following year's CATWOMAN) and, whilst adequate in this turn, she's hardly outstanding.
Halle Berry plays Dr Miranda Grey a psychiatrist working in a female asylum with her husband.
I doubt a psychiatrist is likely to end up as a patient in her own hospital but Berry tries to be believable but the script can be preposterous and dialogue is not always good.Yet the film is engaging enough with enough thrills and chills to keep it going although you kind of guess what the dark secrets could be..
Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is a psychiatrist who works in a prison mental institution.
With an all-star cast this film was, almost inevitably, not given the best reviews when it was released.Gothika follows the story of a psychiatrist, Miranda Grey, whose life suddenly becomes a lot more complicated - but why?
I think that they made this movie just to fit in with the recent slew of psychological/supernatural thrillers involving a creepy ghost girl and a twist ending.
Robert Downey Jr., and Halle Berry held this picture together, although I doubt if either one of these actors enjoyed making this film..
Gothika is not a great film by any standard but it does have some real creepy scenes and a pretty good story where mental patients and their plight are concerned.
However, the dark, brooding promise of the film was excellent and Halle Berry and Robert Downing Jnr put in two good performances.
The sign of a great actress, although this is not the best film she will ever act in and it will not win any Oscars, I predict that Halle Berry will win more awards than the Best Actress Oscar for Monster's Ball.After seeing the final scene with the ghost of the little boy standing in the road and the poster asking if anyone had seen him, poor Miranda appears to be the chosen one to champion those who have met untimely and horrible deaths.
A psychological horror movie with a surprisingly good story, Gothika (Whose name's relevance is not clear) manages to avoid being predictable from the outset and gives a decent couple of hours of entertainment.Halle Berry is criminal psychiatrist Dr Miranda Grey, happily married to the penitentiary boss Doug.
The rest of the movie is a mystery of her trying to figure out what is happening to her.This essentially got slated by the press, and IMDb gives it about 6 or so out of 10, but while I can see why many people would take a dim view of it I also managed to find it half decent if you don't take it too seriously.It certainly helps that Robert Downey Jnr features as Grey's former colleague and now current doctor Pete Graham, because he truly is rolls royce in Hollywood.
"Gothika" is an above-average ghost story/mystery film, but has a really interesting ending.
The plot revolves around Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry), a very smart and successful person who works at a mental institution for women.
But soon after awaking in the institution, she is then plagued by visions of a ghostly girl that may have a connection to her - and it may just help her solve the mystery behind her husband's murder, and explain what really happened.A well photographed and moody horror movie, "Gothika" is an above-average supernatural thriller with a wonderfully executed twist and some great performances.
I was very impressed with the acting here, Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., and Penelope Cruz are all amazing in their roles.
The really fast ending was like pulling the power cord out of your DVD player while the credit titles were still rolling.The cast makes up 200% for this, especially Halle Berry of course.Now lets try to compare Gothika to a real world mental hospital.
In Gothika, Halle Berry plays criminal psychologist Miranda Grey.
Halle Berry especially stiff and colourless.Good effects is the only thing that made me not through my guts out when watching these movie.If you want to see this, reconsider!
Sorry, I didn't find it that scary, because I found myself trying to figure out what really happened.So whether you are a fan of Halle, a suspense movie buff, or even someone who likes cuddling up with a who-dun-it film, this one's for you!
the plot is full of everything you have ever seen in a ghost story/horror film before.
This one doesn't.In fact it's more of a whodunnit than a ghost story, and the ghost aspect is a lot more believable than the resolution - which frankly just doesn't work other than as a plot device.However the movie is still worth watching - but purely for Halle Berry.
Halle Berry stars as Miranda Grey accused of murdering her husband played by Charles Dutton.
"Gothika" has the promise of being a dark, Twilight Zone type story where a psychologist at an asylum played by the always beautiful, Halle Berry, drives home from work and finds herself having to take an alternative route and comes across a mysterious girl.
Halle Berry might have starred in worse films than this complete maudlin of a movie, but I very much doubt it.
How can I explain a movie like Gothika Ok. Take some parts of Stir of the Echoes and some Sixth Sense make Halle Berry give us and advance of her new Cat Woman and that's it.This movie just gives you some entertainment for a while, some good suspense but that's it.
Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Penelope Cruz, and all the supporting actors gave great performances. |
tt0245674 | Thir13en Ghosts | Ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham) and assistant Dennis Rafkin (Matthew Lillard) lead a team on a mission to capture a spirit, called the Juggernaut, in a junkyard. Several of the men are killed during the ensuing fight, including Cyrus himself. However, the team is able to catch the ghost.Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub), a mathematician who is also a widower, is informed by the estate lawyer of his uncle Cyrus, Benjamin Moss (JR Bourne), that he has inherited a mansion. Arthur and his financially insecure family plan to move into this mansion with his two children, Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth) and Bobby (Alec Roberts). Their babysitter/nanny Maggie (Rah Digga) accompanies the family.Dennis Rafkin, disguised as a power company employee, meets the family and Benjamin as they tour the mansion. The residence is made almost entirely of glass. It contains Latin phrases etched on floors and movable glass walls, along with priceless artefacts. Arthur and his family are eager about inheriting this new home, and while Arthur is discussing financial matters with the attorney, Kathy and Bobby venture off on their own to explore the mansion. After seeing several ghosts in the basement, Dennis frantically runs upstairs to warn Arthur about the home he is about to own. Benjamin assures Arthur that Dennis is crazy and should be ignored. Dennis tells Arthur that there are twelve spirits are imprisoned in the house, held captive by the spells written throughout the residence.Benjamin Moss is seen sneaking off to collect a valise of money which was intended to be payment. However, upon taking the money, he activates a mechanism set up by Cyrus that seals the entrance and releases the ghosts, one by one. Consequently, Moss encounters one of them, the Angry Princess, and backs up into an open doorway, which snaps shut and slices him in half. Later the existence of ghosts is proven to the skeptical Arthur, when he witnesses an attack on his daughter by the ghost known as the Jackal.Bobby, the younger of the two children, disappears after getting separated from Maggie and he wanders into the basement. There he encounters several spirits, including the Torso and the Bound Woman. Arthur manages to find Kathy, and the two battle the Jackal. Kalina Oretzia (Embeth Davidtz), a spirit liberator, helps Arthur free Kathy from the Jackal's grip, only to be lost again a few moments later. After this, Arthur's objective is clear - to find his children and leave this house as soon as possible. This becomes problematic for two reasons: only those equipped with special glasses are able to see the ghosts; and the walls continue to shift, making navigation difficult.Kalina explains that this is not a house - it is a complex machine built by Cyrus, known as the "Ocularis Infernum" (Eye of Hell.) Created by the Devil and powered by the dead, once completed, this demonic device would allow its user to see into the future. To Arthur's horror, he discovers one of the ghosts powering this machine is the spirit of his dead wife, Jean. Kalina goes on to tell Arthur that his children are in grave danger, and the only way to ensure their successful return is to offer his soul in exchange. If Arthur takes his place as the 13th ghost, his sacrifice of pure love would combat all of the evil contained within the machine, thus shutting it down.Cyrus is revealed to be alive, having faked his death in order to lure Arthur to the house; Kalina turns out to be his secret partner and lover, and knocks Maggie unconscious. Cyrus has orchestrated the previous events, including the abduction of Kathy and Bobby, so that Arthur will become the 13th ghost not to stop the machine, as Kalina had claimed, but to trigger it. Cyrus then turns on Kalina and crushes her between two glass walls, claiming "greatness requires sacrifice."Arthur and Dennis make another attempt to save Kathy and Bobby with the help of a detached wall. Facing the Hammer, Dennis pushes Arthur into a corner where he is then protected by the wall, sacrificing his own life in the process. After combating the Hammer, Dennis finds himself cornered by the angry spirit and the newly released Juggernaut; he is brutally beaten and dies when the Juggernaut breaks him in half.Trapped behind the glass, Arthur is visited by Jean's ghost. Then, all the ghosts disappear from the basement, responding to a tape-recorded summons played by Cyrus. Kathy and Bobby have been placed at the center of a set of whirling, razor-sharp rings. Arthur and Cyrus have a violent confrontation , which is interrupted by the sound of Maggie beginning to destroy the machine. Due to this breakdown in equipment, the ghosts are released from their trance. All the ghosts except Jean immediately grab Cyrus, and hurl him into the spinning rings. Dennis' ghost then appears, telling Arthur to go to his kids. Waiting for a break in the razor rings, Arthur jumps to save his children, making the leap without dying. The house's glass walls shatter, releasing the spirits from captivity. A peacful-looking Jean lingers briefly to say goodbye to her family, then departs with the others.The film ends with a battered Maggie walking through the wreckage yelling, "I quit!" | murder, stupid, paranormal, violence, psychedelic, revenge | train | imdb | null |
tt0307987 | Bad Santa | Willie T. Soke and his dwarf assistant Marcus Skidmore are professional thieves. Every year, Willie disguises himself as a department store Santa Claus and Marcus disguises himself as an elf in order for both of them to rob shopping malls at night, using Marcus' wife Lois as their getaway driver and accomplice. Marcus takes his duty as an elf seriously, but Willie is a sex-addicted alcoholic, and is gradually unable to appropriately perform his Santa duties with children, plus his safe-cracking performance is being affected, much to Marcus' dismay. When they are hired at the Saguaro Square Mall in Phoenix, the vulgar remarks made by Willie shock the prudish mall manager Bob Chipeska, who brings them to the attention of security chief Gin Slagel.
At the mall, Willie is visited by Thurman Merman, a friendly but exceedingly naive and gullible, overweight boy who thinks Willie is really Santa. Thurman is a constant target of bullying by a teenage gang of skateboarders. At a bar, Willie meets Sue, a woman with a Santa Claus fetish, and they begin a sexual relationship. Willie is harassed by a man in the bar, but Thurman intervenes. Willie gives Thurman a ride home, then enters the boy's house where he lives with his senile grandmother. Thurman reveals that his mother died, and his father, Roger, is away "exploring mountains" (he is actually in jail for embezzlement) until next year. Willie tricks Thurman into letting him steal from the house safe and a BMW owned by Roger.
Bob informs Gin that he overheard Willie having sex with a woman in a mall dressing room and Gin starts to investigate. Willie goes to his motel room and sees it being raided, causing him to take advantage of Thurman's naivete and live in his house, much to Thurman's delight. The next day, Marcus gets angry at Willie for taking advantage of Thurman, and states his disapproval of Willie's sex addiction when Willie makes a rude remark about Thurman's grandmother.
Gin's investigation of Willie includes visiting Roger, who indirectly reveals that Willie is staying with Thurman illegally. Gin confronts Willie and Marcus at the mall, and takes them to a bar. There, he reveals that he has figured out their plan, blackmailing them for half of the cut to keep silent. Marcus tries to reason with Gin for a smaller cut, but Gin is adamant. With Willie and Marcus now in a corner, their partnership begins to falter, which is exacerbated further when Willie shows up to work clearly drunk or hungover and destroys the Santa attraction, much to Marcus' and Gin's shock.
Willie attempts to commit suicide by inhaling vehicle exhaust fumes. He gives Thurman a letter to give to the police, confessing all his misdeeds and information about a heist that will take place in the mall on Christmas Eve. Willie notices Thurman's black eye, which persuades him to make an example of the skateboarding bullies. He confronts and beats up the gang's leader, frightening the other members into stopping their acts towards Thurman.
Enraged at Gin for blackmailing him, Marcus and Lois set up a trap for Gin, feigning needing a jump start for their vehicle. Lois hits Gin with the car, then Marcus kills him via electrocution.
As Christmas draws closer, Willie and Thurman set up for the holiday, with help from Sue. On Christmas Eve, when the heist is almost complete, Willie goes to get Thurman a pink stuffed elephant that he had wanted for Christmas. Just as he gets the elephant, Marcus reveals to Willie that he intends to kill him, fed up with his increasing carelessness year after year. Lois tells him to hurry up and kill Willie so they can get away with the money and merchandise. But just as Marcus is about to shoot Willie, the police swarm the trio, tipped off by the letter Willie gave to Thurman. When Marcus opens fire, the police shoot at him and Willie flees. Determined to give Thurman his present, he leads the police on a chase to Thurman's house, ignoring orders to freeze. He is repeatedly shot on Thurman's porch, but survives.
The epilogue is told through a letter from Willie, who is in a hospital recovering. He expresses his gratitude for Thurman in giving the letter to the police and his name was cleared of the robbery, adding that he will be working for the police as a sensitivity counselor. The shooting of an unarmed Santa embarrassed the police, and Sue is granted guardianship over Thurman and his house until Thurman's father is released. Willie also explains that Marcus and Lois are doing time behind bars for their actions, while expressing hope that Roger is wise to avoid the two. Willie ends the letter by telling Thurman that he should be let out of the hospital soon and for him to be ready for his return. When the lead skateboard bully harasses Thurman again, Thurman finally stands up to him by kicking him hard in the crotch and riding away on his bike. | comedy, dark, murder, adult comedy, cult, suicidal, violence, humor, melodrama | train | wikipedia | It has hilarious humour and its almost an unique growth story of a man that has grown tired of his miserable life and finds something worth fighting for.The thing that bothers me is that some people criticize the film cause it has too bad language.
But it's Christmas,and even for losers third,fourth,fifth,or 50th chances sometimes show up.Watching Billy Bob's character 'grow-up'during the film is surprisingly heartwarming.For a broken man,he does the best he can once he allows himself to 'give-a-damm'.
Hilarious from start to finish, this movie covers the story of an alcoholic safe cracker who works as a shopping mall Santa to steal money from the mall on Christmas eve.
When I first saw the trailer for this film I thought that it was basically just gonna be a funny little dark comedy that would be a nice distraction from the annoying family movies that are being dumped into theaters around this time.
Instead a good movie, I got a great one, with good direction and a wonderful script and, best of all, the performance of Billy Bob Thornton, who makes the film what it is.
Without being sappy, unlike almost any other film I've ever seen, "Bad Santa" is able to make this an emotional journey for a contemptable character, get us to like him, and disguise it behind dark, sick humor.
That in itself makes Bad Santa a very welcome surprise and a great time at the movies..
The first time I saw Terry Zwigoff's latest effort (co-executive produced by the Coen brothers) Bad Santa, I didn't know whether I was watching a comedy that had astonishingly funny and madcap moments, or if it was a really bad movie.
This man is Willie, played by Billy Bob, as something of a loser, low-self esteem, boozing, cursing, and a thief, though only at Christmas time.
On the first viewing of Bad Santa, along with not knowing whether I was seeing a good or bad film, I didn't know whether Billy Bob was pushing the 'rotten-dude' envelope over the top or just right.
But I think Bad Santa is one of those movies that merits a repeat viewing- you may laugh less or harder at certain jokes and moments of outrageousness, some may fly over your head completely or make you go "eww".
In fact, that's something that can be said about Bad Santa, is that it feels like a work in the vein of Parker and Stone, but since it's from the director of Ghost World it comes off a little fresher, with an appeal all its own..
Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) is a drunk who plays store Santa for Christmas.
If you like Christmas movies with more of an edge and lots of comedy however, "Bad Santa" might just be your new favorite holiday movie.
In my mind, usurping "A Christmas Story" and "Scrooged" as the funniest holiday movie yet, Bad Santa (or BS as I like to call it) pulls no punches as it delivers a raunchy, yet funny, and yes, even a little bit of a touching film.Billy Bob Thorton is a drinking, fornicating, defecating thief who freeloads for the whole year, only to work 25 days in December while robbing a mall of all it's holiday proceeds.
But the acting is superb, the script hysterical, and the unbelievable jokes and inappropriate situations are just so entertaining you won't care about anything else.Bernie Mac and Lauren Graham deliver polished supporting roles, as does John Ritter in his final film role before his death.
The kid doesn't have many lines (and I want to slap him for the ones he does deliver), but just looking at him makes me laugh, so I can't complain there.Basically, this is the ultimate inappropriate Christmas movie; one that makes you stand up and scream, "Holly s*!t I can't believe they did that!" This movie is just so blatantly wrong, the only other film I can compare it to is "South Park: The Movie." Just as South Park crosses every line of decency that previously existed, so does BS.
Typically, around Christmas you will find yourself watching a generic, feel-good, moralistic "Christmas movie", Bad Santa is the "reversed" version of the Christmas genre.
No, Bad Santa is not It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and nor is it Home Alone, yet it still incorporates features from all of those films and that is what makes it such a special take on the Winter holiday.Willie (played by Billy Bob Thornton) is a perverted, alcoholic, part-time conman, who during the Christmas season indolently works in shopping malls with his fellow criminal in disguise, Marcus (Tony Cox).
While working at a mall in Arizona, Willie meets a child who teaches him the meaning of Christmas, whilst falling in love with an attractive waitress and having law-enforcement hot on his trail.When a film starts off with a guy in a Santa outfit, sitting at a bar, drinking his life away you know you are not watching your average tale of "good tidings".
I honestly believe that Billy Bob Thornton's performance in Bad Santa was worthy of an Oscar nomination.It is not a case of whether you are a lover of Christmas or not although, it would come as an advantage when viewing the film- as Bad Santa is continually entertaining and at times, even charming.
There's not a lot of stretching required of Thornton to get into character in this flick which capitalizes on the grosser than gross sense of comedy/humor as it wends its way through a simple tale about a scamming Santa and his dwarf/elf sidekick who rip off a department store a year to avoid honest toil.
It is mean spirited at times but it is not trying at all to be a "Politically Correct Hallmark Movie".Billy Bob Thornton is very good in the role.
And, oh yeah, it's funny and I like it!Every single character in "Bad Santa" is damaged goods.
Throughout most of the year he crashes and burns around good ol' US of A eating (and drinking) into the money he made/stole the previous Christmas while anxiously waiting for the next one to roll around since he's usually dead broke by June.He and his partner Marcus (Tony Cox) who happens to be a handicapped black midget have an annual ritual of getting jobs as mall Santa and his helper Elf, which allow them to scope the place out and rob it blind after closing time on Christmas Eve. It's an uneasy 8-year relationship based solely on mutual financial interest, but more serious cracks are showing every new Christmas.
By the time they reconvene in Phoenix for yet another holiday score, Willie is at his alcoholic, lecherous, unprofessional worst - showing up drunk for work almost every day, having quickie sex in the plus size department, etc, etc...Despite his abhorrent veneer, he is befriended by not one, but two local oddballs whose names he doesn't even care to ask, simply referring to them as the Girl and the Kid. The Kid (later we find out his name is bully-friendly Thurman Merman) is lonely, wide-eyed leech capable of creeping you out of your shoes one moment and melting your heart with his sweetness the next.
Also memorable are Bernie Mac as oily mall security chief, late John Ritter as mall manager and Lauren Tom as Marcus' greedy girlfriend Lois.Watching this film doesn't make you feel good about the state of humanity but IT IS funny, and since that's really the only thing they were going for - mission accomplished.
While the swearing and cussing provide humour, they also make the characters more authentic.'Bad Santa', in spite of the language and sexual content is kind of a sweet movie.
Otherwise he's quite adequate.Basically 'Bad Santa' is one of the darkest funniest Christmas films, one that has a strong repeat value as it still makes me laugh in repeat viewing and sometimes when I think of the situations in the film, I at least end up with a smile.
This is movie is great, especially because for once it is Christmas for grown up and not some little kid movie.I like the movie because it got so much to offer its viewer starting from the brilliant directing and lighting of Terry Zwigoff.
First, to all those IMDB'ers who are just SHOCKED by the bad language and general depravity depicted in this movie: what in blazes do you expect in an R rated film anyway?
Quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen all the way through to the end, with the possible exception of Cats & Dogs or Pokemon that I had to stay through with my son.When the funniest part is Cloris Leachman sleeping in a recliner, you know you're in trouble.Career lows for Billy Bob and the Gilmour Girl as well as Bernie Mac, what were they thinking, did they read the lousy script?
Swearing drinking swearing drinking swearing at kid, pissing self (twice believe it or not) swearing at more kids, drinking and smashing bottles, trying to kill himself, getting laid totally inexplicably by the beautiful Gilmour Girl (are you kidding me?)...They must have saved a lot of money having not to hire any comedy writers.Save yourself the time, get a bottle of Old Grand Dad, dress up as Santa, drink the entire bottle, swear at every kid you see, then collapse in the gutter covered in your own excrement and you will have lived this sorry movie for yourself....
Billy Bob Thornton is the lowest of them all as Willie, an alcoholic dirtbag criminal con man who poses as a mall santa every year just so he and his 'elf' partner in crime Marcus (everyone's favorite black midget, twitchy Tony Cox) can rob the department stores blind after hours.
Throw in Bernie Mac as a preening mall detective and the late John Ritter as the moronic mall manager, and you've got a feel-bad holiday gem that's always worth a watch.
It just turned out to be another movie that proves that Hollywood keeps creating movies for the dumbing down of America and the fact that people laugh at anything.The movie starts off with Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) who is posing as Santa and his little friend Marcus (Tony Cox) who is posing as an elf.
I mean Billy Bob Thornton playing an alcoholic mall Santa, who would have thought he could do that?
The late great John Ritter, who was extremely wasted in the film and had a look on his face throughout the movie, which seemed to pose the question `Why, am I here?' John Ritter acted along side Billy Bob Thornton in a movie called Sling Blade, which was brilliant.
They think because they use a lot of bad language that it will make the movie funnier which it doesn't it only makes it worse since there is no need for it and the performances are average if not poor all around.The director Terry Zwigoff has suffered from the Hollywood curse.
The good news is that Terry Zwigoff is going back to the Independent films after this crap and making a movie called Art School Confidential which is another underground comic book from the writers of Ghost World so I am looking forward to that and I am glad he didn't let Hollywood drag him in fully and take all his talent away.
Warn your friends, warn your family, warn anyone you can because Bad Santa is an awful movie and one of the years worst films.
Bad Santa is the funniest Christmas movie ever.
The drunkard Willie (Billy Bob Thornton) and his partner, the midget Marcus (Tony Cox), work once a year, near Christmas, dressed like Santa Claus and his helper elf in department stores.
However, their intent is to rob the place in the Christmas Eve. When Willie meets a lonely fat boy (Brett Kelly) and the hot bartender Sue (Lauren Graham), he learns the meaning of Christmas and gets in trouble."Bad Santa" is a gem of black humor, and certainly one of the most "politically incorrect" movies I have ever seen.
Billy Bob Thornton does all of these bad things (and more) while working dressed as Santa Claus along a couple of days before Christmas.
An alcoholic con man Willie(Billy Bob Thornton) and his midget sidekick (Tony Cox)pose as Santa and his little helper for the children every year in a different mall.
When it tries to be funny it's only crude and clichéd (this film cannot even execute its lamest jokes), the characters are about as dimensional as a black hole (Billy Bob Thornton playing an alcoholic?
The acting by Billy Bob Thornton (Willie = Bad Santa), Tony Cox (Marcus), Brett Kelly (The Kid), Lauren Graham (Sue), Lauren Tom (Lois), Bernie Mac (Gin), John Ritter (Bob Chipeska), and Ajay Naidu (Hindustani Troublemaker) is wonderful.So what's wrong?
It all works out well though for the movie and it makes its comedy and originality stand out.Billy Bob Thornton is a Santa Clause unlike any other.
Truly finally a Christmas movie that got aimed completely toward the adult audience.Of course part of the reason why the movie works out so well is Billy Bob Thornton's performance, for which he even received a Golden Globe nomination but lost to Bill Murray, for his role in "Lost in Translation".
There's no other way a movie could suck the life out of so much great talent.If Bad Santa worked on its own merits, then Santa's intense profanity would fit his character.
Setting aside BAD SANTA's dubious aim to offend it's viewers; overlooking its casual contempt for childlike innocence and the simple pleasures of the Christmas season; showing a momentary indifference to the way it churns out obscenities like snowflakes in a midwinter blizzard, the film still remains awesomely incompetent.
Billy Bob Thornton plays the scumbag thief who every year works as a shopping mall Santa so that he can rob the safe of one of the department stores.
There will be those that will argue that you shouldn't make too much of the fact that BAD SANTA targets children and Christmas for its abuse, because, after all, it is not a kids' film; it is made for adults.
And even then it was nudity free so what's the point.The movie summary states that an 8-year-old befriends Billy Bob Thornton's character and shows him the spirit of Christmas.
anyway that is what a call a poor excuse for a movie, Billy Bob Thornton don't do it again please, how it was possible so many people actually liked that mediocre film as bad as 80s b-movies.My rating: 1/10..
Dark comedies are tough movies to do, and seeing Santa on a drunken rampage sounded like a good idea.
Bad Santa reviews and TV promo clips looked like it would be an amusing film she might enjoy.
One of the worst movies I have ever seen, the story revolves around Billy Bob Thorton's "stupid" Santa and his unbelievable exploits (and unbelievable mouth).
BAD SANTA (2003) *** Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, John Ritter, Bernie Mac, Lauren Tom, Cloris Leachman, Brett Kelly.
There are some feel good moments, like when Billy Bob Thorton becomes attached to the "kid." Bad Santa is funny almost all the time, seemingly without even trying.
Bad Santa obviously isn't for people with a huge Christmas spirit, but it is still such a great comedy.One of the funniest films EVER made, without a doubt..
The actor who played the Kid was good even though his character is annoying.Overall, this is a very funny film.
It goes without saying that Billy Bob Thornton is brilliant but every supporting character is also perfectly cast, performed and directed.I watch this movie at least annually and every viewing makes me laugh more than the last.
Bad Santa is not a movie for everyone which is what makes the film a great Christmas classic.
Marcus has three important jobs: He plays Santa's elf and keeps Willie just sober enough to snarl at the kids who come to the malls' North Pole castles.Others may find it stale, while the reviews have been overwhelming great and the film is just popular today, even more so than when it was released back in 2003, now after watching it on Christmas day 2015.
Billy Bob Thornton is absolutely brilliant as Bad Santa and even got a Golden Globe Nomination for his performance.
In Bad Santa's case the producers went back and filmed additional scenes to make the movie more mainstream.
Billy Bob Thornton plays Santa Claus at various shopping malls every Christmas.
"Bad Santa" is not the typical Christmas film, but it still touches your heart with its unique way..
It's got one hell of a funny and extremely profane script, and presents a man who just may be one of the worst Santas ever.He's Willie (Billy Bob Thornton), a miserable alcoholic with a bad case of self hatred who lets himself get dragged into one department store robbery after another by his conniving "elf" partner, Marcus (Tony Cox).
The reason is that i'm not a big fan of Christmas films and also i'm not a big fan of Billy Bob Thornton (only in The Man who wasn't there, that's a great performance).
Bad Santa (2003) Directed by Terry Zwigoff Starring: Billy Bob Thorton, Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac, and John Ritter Rated R for Pervasive Language, Strong Sexual Content, and Some Violence"Bad Santa" is really good film.
The movie is about a santa named Willie (Thorton) who works in a shopping mall meets a girl (Graham) and a kid who won't seem to leave him alone.
Willie is drunk half the time and cusses at the kids, its one of Billy Bob Thorton's best films!
Both Bad Santa and Badder Santa: The Unrated Version are now available on DVD.In this outrageous Christmas tale, we meet Willie (Billy Bob Thornton, Slingblade); a department store Santa with a serious drinking problem; and Marcus (Tony Cox, Friday); a dwarf who works as the store Santa's elf during the holiday season. |
tt0071361 | Coonskin | In the South, Sampson and the local Preacherman plan to bust out their friend Randy from prison. As they rush to the prison, the two are stopped by a roadblock and have a shootout with the police. Meanwhile, Randy and another cellmate named Pappy escape from inside the prison and wait for Sampson and the Preacherman to help them get out. While waiting for them, Randy unwillingly listens to Pappy tell a story about three guys that resemble Randy and his friends. Pappy's story is told in animation set against live-action background photos and footage.
Brother Rabbit, Brother Bear, and Preacher Fox are forced to pack up and leave their Southern settings after the bank mortgages their home and sells it to a man who turns it into a brothel. The trio moves to Harlem, "home to every black man". When they arrive, Rabbit, Bear, and Fox find that it is not all that it is made out to be. They encounter a con man named Simple Savior, a phony revolutionary leader who claims to be the cousin of "Black Jesus", and that he gives his followers "the strength to kill whites". In a flashy stage performance in his "church", Savior acts out being brutalized by symbols of black oppression—represented by images of John Wayne, Elvis Presley, and Richard Nixon, before asking his parishioners for "donations". Rabbit and his friends quickly realize Savior's "revolution" is merely a money making scam. Rabbit openly steals a large portion of the donation money, prompting Savior to try to have him killed. After Rabbit tricks his would-be murderers (in a paraphrasing of the story of Br'er Rabbit and the briar patch), he and Bear kill Savior. This allows Rabbit to take over Savior's racket, putting him in line to become the head of all organized crime in Harlem. Rabbit lays out his plan to keep all organized crime money in Harlem. But first, he has to get rid of a few other opponents. Savior's former partners tell Rabbit they will join him but only if he can kill his opponents, otherwise they will kill him instead.
Rabbit first goes up against Madigan, a virulently racist and homophobic white police officer and bagman for the Mafia, who demonstrates his contempt for African Americans in various ways, including a refusal to bathe before an anticipated encounter with them (he believes they're not worth it). When Madigan finds out that Rabbit has been taking his payoffs, he and his cohorts, Ruby and Bobby, are led to a nightclub called "The Cottontail". A black stripper distracts him while an LSD sugar cube is dropped into his drink. Madigan, while under the influence of his spiked drink, is then maneuvered into a sexual liaison with a stereotypically effeminate gay man, and then shoved into women's clothing representative of the mammy archetype, adorned in blackface, and shoved out the back of the club where he discovers that Ruby and Bobby are dead. While recovering from being drugged, he fires his gun randomly, and is shot to death by the police after shooting one of them.
Rabbit's final target is the Godfather who lives in the subway with his wife and his cross-dressing, gay (and possibly incestuous) sons. The contract for killing Rabbit is given to his only straight son Sonny. Arriving outside Rabbit's nightclub in blackface and clothing representative of minstrel show stereotypes, Sonny is shot multiple times by Rabbit before dying in an explosion caused by a car crash. His body is cremated and taken back home, where his mother weeps over his ashes. Also during the shootout with Sonny, Bear defends Rabbit and is shot several times. Rabbit helps an injured Bear to safety. During his recovery, Bear becomes torn between staying with Rabbit or starting a new crime-free life. Bear decides to look for Fox in order to seek his advice. Upon arriving at Fox's newly acquired brothel, Bear is "married" to a girl he, Fox, and Rabbit met during the fight with Savior's men. Under the advisement of Fox, Bear becomes a boxer for the Mafia. During one of Bear's fights, Rabbit sets up a melting imitation of himself made out of tar. As the Mafiosos take turns stabbing at the "tar rabbit", they become stuck together. Rabbit leaves a bomb next to them and then he, Bear, Fox, and the opponent boxer rush out of the boxing arena as it blows up.
The live-action story ends with Randy and Pappy escaping from the prison while being shot at by various white cops, but managing to make it out alive.
The main plot of the film is interspersed with animated vignettes depicting a white, blond, large-breasted Miss America who serves as a personification of the United States. In each of these short scenes, she seduces a black man (meant to depict the African-American populace), only to instead beat or kill him. | comedy, cult, violence, absurd, psychedelic, satire, humor, blaxploitation | train | wikipedia | This is a movie you watch when you need food for thought.To dismiss this film as simply racist is to miss the point entirely.
I had watched this film from Ralph Bakshi (Wizards, Hey Good Lookin', etc.), one night ago on www.afrovideo.org, and I didn't see anything racial.
Well, I do admit the character designs are a bit crude and unaccpectable today, but I think it's a satire and a very, very urban retelling of the old Uncle Remus stories that the Black American culture, created right down to the main characters and the blatant nod to "The Tar Baby" and "The Briar Patch." These aren't bigoted stories, mind you, but cultural icons created by Black Americans, and me being a white woman read and love those stories.
And I also found it an interesting time-capsule view on the black culture in Harlem, New York in the 70's.Well to get to the nitty-gritty of this film: This film is a live-action/animated film, which begins in live-action with a fellow named Sampson and the Preacherman rush to help their friend, Randy escape from prison, but are stopped by a roadblock and wind up in a shootout with the police.
While waiting for them, Randy unwillingly listens to fellow escapee Pappy, as he begins to tell Randy the animated story of Brother Rabbit, a young newcomer to the big city who quickly rises from obscurity to rule over all of Harlem.
An abstract juxtaposition of stylized animation and live action footage, the film is a graphic and condemnatory satire of stereotypes prevalent in the 70s — racial, ethnic, and otherwise.So anyway, it is another good Bakshi movie.
One of the most interesting movies to be classified as "blaxploitation," Bakshi's "Coonskin" is a rich text full of wonderful insight.
If he had stated that he had made it merely as a sarcastic and mean racist statement against African Americans, especially since I am proud to say that I am one of the only two white members of a wonderful all-black church filled with beautiful and kind people who have shown me nothing but the most wonderful love and respect I have ever known, I would ***NEVER*** have watched it.I was familiar with all of Bakshi's other works by then, many which I found unsettling, to say the least.
The only thing I knew for certain about THIS film was that it had CAUSED a scream of its own, being picketed and disowned by Paramount almost immediately.So what was my personal reaction to it?Well, first let me start by saying that this is easily the angriest animated film I have ever seen in my entire life.And believe me, I've seen hundreds of them from all over the world.
I guarantee you right now that if you should ever choose to do what I finally did-- to prepare yourself the best you can emotionally and watch this film--I hereby guarantee you that you will never forget the experience.It's very rare that a movie has the power to affect us so strongly.
When I first saw "Heavy Traffic" in 1991, I found myself shrinking in my chair shaking because of all the powerful suggestions that Bakshi was showing me--all of his convincing arguments of what it can really be like to live in today's world for those less fortunate than myself.
While watching "Coonskin", I was shrinking in my chair shaking even worse--but this time it wasn't from the convincing arguments Bakshi was showing me, it was from the raw, ugly, horrifying attack that my senses were being assaulted with.
In other words, NOBODY gets out of this film in one piece--but the MOST horrifying design of all here, one so hideous that he singlehandedly makes all the others in this movie look gentle and affectionate in his shadow, is the ITALIAN GODFATHER!
Even the most "normally designed" character, Miss America, is so obviously a symbol of ugliness that has haunted the USA that she comes across as disgusting and a plague to our country.The main three though (Rabbit, Fox and Bear) gave me a different reaction: Rabbit I thought looked cool except for those awful exaggerated lips (but I wish to state that he looks absolutely tame compared to other characters you encounter later on), Fox looked alright although I kept wondering where his tail and ears were, and Bear...I liked his appearance the most.
Charles Gordone is a natural match for Fox and sounds like he had a lot of fun voicing his part in quite a few scenes, and Bear is voiced by one of my all-time favorite talents, Barry White!
In a way, it was good for me personally that White was in the film as one of the "heroes" here because his familiar deep voice which has always sounded so gentle in his wonderful music gave me a comforting little something from my own life--a mental "security blanket" to hold on to during the movie, if you will--that helped a bit to cushion the concussive force of this film.And that was a good thing for me.
Bakshi obviously never intended for his film to be yelling at an audience already on his side concerning this issue.But even though this is a movie I would never personally buy or want to watch again, I have to tell you: for what it's created to be, this is an excellent movie.
Streetfight (aka Coonskin) is a very unique film directed by animation pioneer Ralph Bakshi.
They are stuck at a police roadblock, and Crothers tells Thomas a story about a black rabbit, a bear, and a fox who move from the South to Harlem in order to find a more peaceful existence.
Like all of Bakshi's films, most will be annoyed and will dislike the animation.
Whatever the answer to that, Coonskin/Streetfight is still very much worth watching for animation aficionados as well as cult movie fans.
by Dane Youssef "Coonskin" is film, by the one and only Ralph Bakshi, is reportedly a satirical indictment of blaxploitation films and negative black stereotypes, as well as a look at life black in modern America (modern for the day, I mean--1975).
Anyone who knows the name knows that if HE made a movie, he has something big to say...Although it's roots are based in cheap blaxploitation, "Coonskin" isn't just another campy knock-off of mainstream white film or any kind of throwaway flick.
Nor does it just indict black people, but actually seems to show love, beauty and heart in the strangest places."Coonskin" tells a story out of some convicts awaiting a jail-break.
The fact that it's even possible to break out of a prison in the "Coonskin" world alone makes it old-fashioned.One of the inmates tells a story about a trio of black brothers in Harlem named Brother Bear, Brother Rabbit, Preacher Fox who want respect and a piece of the action and are willing to get it by any means necessary.
From an angry, hip, deep, soulful black man with a hate in his heart and a gun in his hand.Bakshi's films never know the meaning of the word "sublety." This one looks like it's never even heard of the word.
Here, unlike in Spike Lee's "Bamboozled," he seems to be using it to try and really say something.Like 99.9% of all of Bakshi's films, this one incorporates animation and live-action.
Anyone who's really seen the movies, the state of things and has been in company of the people know what I'm talking about.Even some of the of the black characters are a bunny (junglebunny), a big ol' bear and a fox.
Randy (Philip Michael Thomas) and Pappy (Scatman Crothers) escape from prison and await a pick-up from their friends Sampson (Barry White) and Preacherman (Charles Gordone).
Pappy begins to tell a strange story about three crooks, Brother Rabbit (voiced by Thomas), Brother Bear (White) and Preacher Fox (Gordone), who rise up throughout the Harlem crime ring.
They come up against an evangelistic maniac who teaches his followers to kill whites, a crooked white cop with a hatred of Brother Rabbit, and a fat, Italian-American, Godfather-type who put out a contract on the trio.Ralph Bakshi, one of the most revolutionary cartoonists in recent times, had a long history with the making of Coonskin.
If you don't get satire or if you completely miss the point of Coonskin, then this is possibly the most offensive film ever made.The animation is crude and dirty-looking, but I believe this was Bakshi's intention.
The film is also quite strange, jumping between different styles and tones, and the result is as often confusing as it is mesmerising.They are some truly inspired moments, such as the scene when our animated trio enter Harlem (the "home to every black man") to be greeted by a wailing saxophone in the street, as well as Scatman Crothers' rendition of Ah'm a N****r Man over the opening credits.
Coonskin might be my favorite Ralph Bakshi film.
The most normal looking creation in looking drawn "real" is, in fact, a naked woman painted red, white and blue.In mocking these stereotypes and conventions and horrible forms of racism (i.e. the "tar-rabbit, baby" joke, yes joke, plus black-face), we're looking at abstraction to a grand degree.
This is why, for the most part, Coonskin is a hilarious piece of work, where some of the images and things done and sudden twists and, of course, scenes of awkward behavior (I loved the scene where the three animated characters are being talked at by the real-life white couple in tux and dress as looking "colorful" and the like), are just too much not to laugh at.
It's not just the imagery, which is in and of itself incredibly "over"-stylized, but that the screenplay is sharp and, this is key for Bakshi this time considering, it's got a fairly cohesive narrative to string along the improvisations and madness.Using at first live-action, then animation, and then an extremely clever matching of the two (ironically, what Bakshi later went for in commercial form with Cool World is done here to a T with less money and a rougher edge), Pappy and Randy are waiting outside a prison wall for a buddy to escape, and Pappy tells of the story of Brother Rabbit, who with Brother Bear and Preacher Fox go to Harlem and become big-time hoodlums, with Rabbit in direct opposition to a Jabba-the-Hut-esquire Godfather character.
This is obviously a take off on Song of the South with its intentionally happy-go-lucky plot and animation, here taken apart and shown for how rotten and offensive it really is.Yet Bakshi goes for broke in combining forms; animated characters stand behind and move along with live-action backgrounds; when violence and gunshots and fights occurs it's as bloody as it can get for 1975; when a dirty cop is at a bar and is drugged and put in black-face and a dress, he trips in a manner of which not even Disney could reach with Dumbo; a boxing match with Brother Bear and an opponent as the climax is filmed in wild slow-motion; archive footage comes on from time to time of old movies, some and some from the 20s that are just tasteless.Like Mel Brooks or Kubrick or, more recently, South Park, Bakshi's Coonskin functions as entertainment first and then thought-provocation second.
It's also audacious film-making on an independent scale; everything from the long takes to the montage and the endlessly warped designs for the characters (however all based on the theme of the piece) all serve the thought in the script, where its B-movie plot opens up much more for interpretation.
Ralph Bakshi's Coonskin is indeed a movie that would "offend EVERYBODY".
After finally watching Walt Disney's Song of the South on myspace, I decided to watch Ralph Bakshi's response to that movie-Coonskin-on Afro Video which I linked from Google Video.
In this one, during the live-action sequences, Preacherman (Charles Gordone) takes his friend Sampson (Barry White) with him to pick up Pappy (Scatman Crothers) and Randy (Philip Thomas, years before he added Michael for his middle name professionally) as the latter two escape from prison.
During their attempt, Pappy tells Randy a tale of Brother Rabbit (voice of Thomas), Brother Bear (White), and Preacher Fox (Gordone) and their adventures in Harlem.
As expected in many of these Bakshi efforts, there's a mix of animation and live-action that provides a unique point-of-view from the writer/director that is sure to offend some people.
Another fascinating animated character is Miss America who's a big-as in gigantic in every way-white blonde woman dressed in skin-tight red, white, and blue stars and stripes who has a hold on a little black man and has him shot in one of the most sexually violent ways that was shockingly funny to me!
That said, I definitely recommend Coonskin to fans of Bakshi and of every form of animation..
Ralph Bakshi's half animated, half live-action flick is actually a memorable one.
An alright film but I preferred Fritz The Cat. MPAA:Rated R for Violence,Language,Nudity and Brief Drug Use. Quebec Rating:13+ Canadian Home Video Rating:18AI saw Coonskin today.This film is also known as Bustin Out and Street Fight.After watching Fritz The Cat,I wanted to see more of Bashki's films.I saw Cool World and thought it was mediocre and I saw this.When it was first released, the film was very controversial.It was considered racist and Al Sharpton wanted the film banned, he even led protests outside the theatre where the film was playing.The film was only released on VHS under the title "Street Fight".It is now considered a cult-classic film and African-American celebrities such as comedian Richard Pryor,director Spike Lee and the rap group The Wu-Tang Clan are said to have enjoyed this film.I personally thought Fritz The Cat was a much better film but this is very enjoyable as well.Worth watching for Bashki or Blaxploitation film fans.The film mixes live action and animation sort of like the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.I would have preferred it in full animation but whatever.The film starts off with a reverend and another man racing to rescue two of their friends from prison.While the prisoners wait,the older one tells a story of three men he knew.The film then switches into animation format, we see three black men who sold their house to this man.They decide to make names for themselves in Harlem.So the leader, a black rabbit, kills a big player in Harlem and he basically becomes a big shot.The film moves on as the Italian mafia want him out.The mafia involves the godfather,his three sons who are homosexual and an Italian clown.Coonskin is an entertaining animated film that's worth checking out, if you can find it..
Seeing this film, I can see why Coonskin won't appeal to all, due to its very gritty subject matter(racism) and the fact it is stereotypical.
However, I loved this movie surprisingly and consider it one of Bakshi's better films alongside American Pop and Heavy Traffic.
The satire really does bite and hit you hard, while the story is rich and multi-layered with lots of insight(correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Bakshi has done anything as ambitious as Coonskin before).
The movie begins where we see Preacher (Gordone) talking to God, then go meets up with Samson (White, R.I.P.), as they head out to go break their friends, Randy (Thomas) and Pappy (Crothers) out of prison.
While they're waiting outside the prison walls for Samson and Preacher to come, Pappy tells Randy the story of Brother Rabbit, Brother Bear, and Preacher Fox, about how they got runned out of the South and into Harlem.
Often times sex in a movie deepens the characters, or provides story development, or even a good love scene.
Just seeing this 1975 blacksploitation film in 2016, it still holds up to its jab at stereotypes of black, whites, gays and, mostly, Disney's "Song of the South".
(I, however, don't find that kind of ironic racism clever, but instead as an excuse to draw offensive cartoons.)There was one scene in the film that came remotely close to explaining the real underlying cause of problems in the black community, and that was the scene of the single Harlem mother with her child, whose husband left her for no good reason.
After watching Bakshi's personal drama/comedy Heavy Traffic, I was pleasantly surprised at how one could blend animation and real life together (both figuratively and literally) to make a gritty and vulgar, yet still poignant film.
The only thing keeping them from rising to the top is the Godfather and his associates.What makes this movie better than Heavy Traffic is that it actually has a ground in plot, unlike the former, which more pretended like it had a plot.
The movie takes place in Harlem Nights (No, duh, it was a working title.) but with a twist that becomes a lampoon of a Disney movie, Song of the South.It's about Sampson (Barry White) and the Preacherman (Charles Gordone) rush to help their friend, Randy (Philip Michael Thomas) escape from prison, but are stopped by a roadblock and wind up in a shootout with the police.
Pappy's story is told in animation set against live-action background photos and footage.Brother Rabbit (voice of Thomas), Brother Bear (voice of White), and Preacher Fox (voice of Gordone) decide to pack up and leave their Southern settings after the bank mortgages their home and sells it to a man who turns it into a brothel.
The live-action story ends with Randy and Pappy escaping while being shot at by various white cops, but managing to make it out alive.This movie was controversial at that time of release, and was re-edited by the director several times under the title, Street Fight, which is obvious, since Street Fight is a 2005 documentary about racism in the streets.
The film's plot follows along the traditional black men facing white bigotry gambit of so many of the pure live action efforts. |
tt0096320 | Twins | Julius Benedict and Vincent Benedict are fraternal twins, the result of a secret experiment carried out at a genetics laboratory to combine the DNA of six fathers to produce the perfect child. To the surprise of the scientists, the embryo split and twins were born. The mother, Mary Ann Benedict, was told that Julius died at birth, and not told about Vincent at all. Vincent was placed in an orphanage run by nuns in Los Angeles and believes his mother abandoned him. With no one but himself to rely on, Vincent escaped from the orphanage and became an indebted, small-time crook. Julius was raised on a South Pacific island by Professor Werner, where he engages in intense physical training and extensive study. Each twin is unaware of the other's existence.
On Julius's 35th birthday, Julius discovers he has a twin brother. With Professor Werner's blessing, Julius proceeds to the United States to find his brother. Julius discovers that Vincent lives in L.A. and eventually tracks him down in jail for unpaid parking tickets.
Julius bails Vincent out, but Vincent does not believe his story and abandons him in a car park. Julius pursues Vincent to his workplace and finds him being beaten up by Morris Klane, a loan shark enforcer. Julius subdues Morris, earning Vincent's trust and respect. He later meets Vincent's girlfriend Linda Mason and enters a romantic relationship with her sister Marnie. Over dinner, Vincent shows Julius a document he stole from the orphanage that shows their mother is actually still alive, but believing that she abandoned him at birth, Vincent shows no interest in finding her. Julius tracks one of their six fathers to the address on the document. The father directs Julius to Mitchell Traven in New Mexico, the other professor who headed the experiment.
Vincent steals a late-model Cadillac Sedan de Ville for his chop shop contact and finds a prototype fuel injector in the trunk that was to be delivered to an industrialist, Beetroot McKinley, in Houston, for five million dollars. Vincent decides to pose as the delivery man and deliver the fuel injector himself so he can collect the money and pay off his debts. He reluctantly allows Julius, Linda and Marnie to accompany him to New Mexico to find professor Traven. Mr. Webster, the real delivery man, begins pursuing Vincent.
In New Mexico, Traven reveals the truth to the twins and directs them to Santa Fe, where their mother lives in an art colony. On the way to Santa Fe, the twins are accosted by the Klane brothers, but they fight them off for the last time. At the art colony in Santa Fe, a painter informs Julius and Vincent that their mother has died. They leave, unaware that the painter is in fact their mother, Mary Ann, who didn't believe their story.
Vincent bitterly heads to Houston alone to deliver the prototype to McKinley, leaving Julius and the girls behind in New Mexico for their safety. Julius chases after Vincent, and finds him seconds after the exchange with McKinley. Webster appears and kills McKinley, demanding the money from Vincent. Julius intercepts Webster in order for Vincent to escape, but Vincent returns and agrees to give Webster the money to save Julius. Webster decides to kill them anyway for seeing his face, but Vincent kills him by unloading a heavy chain onto his head and burying him. Julius and Vincent return both the prototype and $4 million (Vincent skimming $1 million), and use that along with the reward to start a consulting firm. Their publicity reaches the art colony and Mary Ann learns that her sons are alive. She violently confronts Traven for concealing the truth and tracks Julius and Vincent down to their workplace.
Sometime later, Julius and Vincent marry the Mason sisters. Both marriages produce twin children, and the couples are last seen meeting their mother and Professor Werner on an outing. | comedy, entertaining | train | wikipedia | His desire to trace his roots leads him to the big city where he soon discovers he has a "twin" brother named "Vincent" (expertly played by Danny De Vito).
Among the supporting cast you will see some familiar faces, including the legendary Nehemiah Persoff, in a very relaxed role.This fun film has a great story, lots of plot mechanisms to keep you interested, a wonderful mix of characters, a good soundtrack, plenty of laughs, and even some very touching moments.
Arnold is more obvious as the one who wants a family while Danny is just trying to get his way out of debt with the Mafia.Twins is a fun little comedy that I think anyone could enjoy.
Part of a genetic experiment and separated at birth, twins Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito meet at last some 30 years later and hilarious situations follow.
De Vito is willing to help his brother into the world and teach him the things he knows as is Arnie.Through the use of this partnership the plot is very consistently funny with more speaking humour than physical but some dancing scenes involving the pair towards the end are very humorously memorable.The idea of juxtaposing two completely figures in Schwarzenegger and De Vito was sheer movie genius.
It conveys great humour throughout and through this bizarre partnership audiences will be able to appreciate the comical ideologies put forth but the director of 'Kindergarten Cop' and 'Junior'.De Vito completely outshines the terminator who we all know can't act but some of his scenes with Kelly Preston are very funny.Though the partnership was great it was a shame De Vito and Schwarzenegger got together again for 'Junior' which was terribly unfunny and predictable throughout and this 1988 hit completely outshines it in every aspect.The use of each character's personalities makes this film what it is and is therefore a much watch for anyone who enjoys family jokes.A very relaxed comedy with chuckle-some jokes worth watching for the whole family 8.5/10.
starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito.The film is about twins whose birth was involved with a science experiment .
With two beautiful girls and a secret that could get vincent rich , they set out to find their birth mother.Also a great supporting cast with Kelly Preston and Chloe Webb as the girl twins who fall in love with Vincent and Julius and inbarge on their trip to find their mother.
Twins is one of the finest films ever made.It stars a particulary fine Schwarzenegger in his first comedy outing and he was outstanding in every scene, DeVito shines all the way through and he has many funny lines.
An extremely beautiful Kelly Preston also starred and gave extra spice to the film.The story is cute and charming, the music soundtrack was very good and Georges Delerue and Randy Edelman gives us the best tunes ever made.As comedies go Twins is my favourite because it combines a perfect cast with a charming story and great music.
Initial ingredients of this comedy seem far-fetched and desperately protracted, but the film is enthusiastically performed and laugh-out loud funny, with a good sense of family values.
Twins is one of those late 80s comedy classics with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny De Vito; directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters).
While I'm not a huge fan of De Vito, he provides a cynical realism to the film along with some of the more humorous moments.Re-united after several decades of separation, twins Julius (Schwarzenegger) and Vincent (De Vito) Benedict set out to find the woman who was the "mother" in the lab experiment that created them...and unbeknownst to Julius, Vincent wants to deliver a stolen engine to a buyer in Texas....an engine that a ruthless hit man is looking to get back by any means necessary.
However, 'Twins' proves that the right actors, meeting with the right script, can produce something that stands the test of time.The premise is simple (if only a little far-fetched) that a *ahem* 'perfect' man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) grows up on a tropical island, to discover that he actually has a long-lost twin brother back in mainland USA (Danny DeVito).
Maybe it was 'lightning in a bottle' as many other 'action heroes' have tried their hand at comedy since (including Schwarzenegger/DeVito again in the ill-fated 'Junior') and it was never half as good as this.There are few films today that can be described so genuinely as 'fun for all the family.' But, while we still have all these 'blasts from the past,' who cares?.
Plot In A Paragraph: Julius (Arnie) a physically perfect but innocent man goes in search of his long-lost twin brother Vincent (Danny De Vito) a small-time crook.Last time I watched this movie, Arnie's love child had just been revealed to the world, and I felt it lost a lot of its charm due to Arnie not being so innocent.
The main movie focuses around their ages of 35 when Julius Benedict (Arnie) learns the truth about his birth and goes in search to the USA to track down his twin brother Vincent Benedict (DeVito).
"Twins" is a very funny movie, this is one of Schwarzenegger's best films.
This is a somewhat funny Arnold Schwarzenegger movie where he stars as Julius Benedict, who goes out to find his long-lost twin brother Vincent (Danny DeVito).
Julius is the intelligent and athletic twin, a product of a scientific experiment, while Vincent turned out to be a forgotten, short low-life, who is on the run from loan sharks.Schwarzenegger and DeVito were funny as the the mismatched brothers, great in chemistry and is sure to send some laughs your way.
Twins is a terrific movie with a well developed and comedic storyline and a really good cast.I don't think you could have gotten anyone better than Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito to play two completely nonidentical twins.The movie is unusual for DeVito,but its one of the few comedies Schwarzenegger is in,and its probably his best,hes a very funny,stupid and energetic character in this movie,and people that think he can only play characters like the Terminator will see that he can act really well with completely different characters.I've heard rumors about a sequel called Triplets,that will star Eddie Murphy as the third twin.Ihope these rumors are true because it sounds like it would be a very funny addition to an already very different set of twins.Fans of family comedies,Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger will definitely enjoy this movie.Two long lost nonidentical twins born from an experiment meet up many years later and work together to find their mother..
"Twins" (in which he co-stars with Danny Devito) is certainly one of those light comedies, and as usual Arnold does well with it.
Schwarzenegger and DeVito play the Benedict twins (Julius and Vincent respectively.) Julius was the result of a scientific experiment to create the perfect human being.
Fascinated by the thought of having a twin brother, Julius (with no experience of the real world) sets out to find him and to bring his family together.Schwarzenegger was great in the role.
Some of the fun in the movie, of course, simply comes from the contrast between the twins - the big muscular Julius, and the short, fat Vincent.
("If you mess with me, you mess with my whole family" he says to one of the loan shark's collectors after Julius has knocked him senseless, as he defends his beloved brother.) But the relationship grows, especially as the two start to seek out the mother they believe is still alive.Supported by Chloe Webb (as Vincent's girlfriend) and Kelly Preston (as her sister who falls for Julius) this is a pretty funny movie and a fun movie to watch.
Acting wise, both leads are on top form, Danny DeVito is hilarious as the dim-witted scuzzball and Arnie is endearing and handles the comedy well as the intelligent and naive genetically-engineered brother.
Twins for me will be the better film, because while it is one-joke and occasionally tenuous in terms of story(loved the concept I will admit and on the most part it did work very well) it is very enjoyable with great lead performances in particular.
As long as you know what to expect, and really that shouldn't be too hard to do when you are getting ready to watch a movie that has Danny DeVito & Arnold Schwarzenegger as twin brothers!Julius (Arnold) & Vincent (Danny) are the result of a genetic experiment that should have realised the perfect child, instead they were born as twins, separated at birth and both went on to lead different lives.
Upon learning of having a twin brother, Julius sets off to the big city to find the brother he never knew he had, trouble is, is that Julius has no comprehension of city ways, and coupled with the fact that Vincent really isn't the brotherly kind, this only compounds the situation further.Twins is a very tidy piece, the two leads play off of each other very well, and as dumb as the plotting is, it sure as hell makes for a good fun night viewing.
Female gravitas comes in the form of the sultry Kelly Preston and the criminally undervalued Chloe Webb, but really the film's charm is all down to the little and large act of DeVito & Schwarzenegger, plenty of laughs here.
The sight gag never fails to please, the character similarities and contrasts work very well, the brothers' quest is an adequate plot, the female leads both work well (and Kelly Preston is always sufficient to bring a dead man back to life), and DeVito's character has a nice development arc, as they say: ultimately, the story is about Julius redeeming Vincent.The sentiment feels real and is never overdone.Oh yes, and it's funny, too..
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito have to struggle to keep a weak story going, but it's fun watching them work at it and that makes this movie worth seeing.I really have to question the PG rating, though.
A film like 'Twins (1988)' lives and dies depending on the chemistry of its two leads, so it's lucky that Schwarzenegger and DeVito play off one another extremely well.
You cannot compare movies, music or media entertainment in general to today's evolving technology; not even mind-blowing genuis directors out there, today.But these two actors: Danny Devito and Arnold Sch. were amazingly good in acting.
To be fair though this movie was rather funny as Arnold and Danny DeVito worked perfectly as complete opposites.
This movie is a comedy by Arnold and does not contain all that much action in it, but it still has its moments of action as they must evade a super hit-man and some guys trying to claim some money from DeVito's character.
Arnold and Devito make a great on screen pair, and the movie makes good use of the obvious physical differences comedically I think.I always remember Twins as the first movie that displayed the softer side of Arnold.
Unfortuanely, the unexpected twin brother, Vincent (Devito), is born soon after with none of the genes of his multiple fathers, as they were all used up on Arnold.The two are separated at birth from each other and their mother, who was told that they both died during labor.
Director Ivan Reitman of Ghostbusters fame reminds us that these people are related by having Schwarzenegger and De Vito play out scenes during which they mimic each others activity simultaneously; resembling perhaps a Marx brothers film or otherwise I wonder how much funnier the takes that didn't work turned out.Twins is a film that knows its place in the pyramid and never dares to be anything bigger or smarter than what it actually is; entertainment.
This never was one of the better Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, but still I decided to revisit it because it might just happen that my memory of the movie was way off.But it turned out that it was exactly as I remembered it."Twins" strayed quite far away from the usual action movies that Arnold Schwarzenegger was known for and made famous by during the 80s and 90s.Aside from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, of course, then the movie also starred Kelly Preston and Chloe Webb, although they didn't have that big roles to play.
Devito adds a lot as well...the plot is pretty simple but its a fun movie and has a bit of fun comedy along the worry..Arnie seems like a 10 year old who cant act but in whole its good one....
TWINS is the first and best of the three Schwarzenegger comedies (the others were JUNIOR and JINGLE ALL THE WAY), thanks to a freshness of feel and some genuinely funny moments in the script.
Schwarzenegger is truly believable as the lunk-headed fish out of water who makes his way to America and discovers that his long-lost twin brother Danny DeVito is a small-time crook with plenty of trouble of his own to contend with.The film has plenty of laugh out loud moments and Schwarzenegger's goofy, idiotic charm fits well with DeVito's sharper, more cynical wit.
A physically perfect but innocent man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes in search of his long-lost twin brother (Danny DeVito), who is a short small-time crook.Looking back now (2015), it is interesting to think of this as the movie that made Arnold the most money.
Danny DeVito is fun as his twin and is also down on his luck a lot, he plays these parts the best in my opinion and obviously the way that one twin is massive, one twin is small makes for some fun and great circumstances.Ivan Reitman at the directing helm does a good job and for such a difficult comedy to do with such absurd circumstances, he does a fine job indeed.
Arnie fans may be left disappointed if they are expecting violence and armed gangs, he does used violence about once or twice in this but he is no Commando by any means in this film.Overall I'll give it a 6/10 because I did feel it was safely an OK- ish movie, albeit it is nowhere near being good let alone just OK but it still is entertainment and these two actors together on screen at there best and funniest.
After 35 years, Mr. Schwarzenegger heads out to Hollywood, where he'll find long-lost twin brother Danny DeVito (as Vincent Benedict).
Genetically absurd, "Twins" becomes cartoon-like violent and goes nowhere, but still continues to draw a chuckle now and then.****** Twins (12/8/88) Ivan Reitman ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb.
Twins (1988) *** (out of 4) After being told he was part of a science project, Jules (Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes looking for his twin brother Vincent (Danny DeVito) and finds that the two are quite different in appearance as well as their life styles.
Twins, the first comedy effort by Arnold Schwarzenegger Twins is the story of Vincent (Danny DeVito) and Juilus (Arnold), two twin brothers who have never met until now.
The fact that this movie is already widely regarded as a comedy classic has got very little to do with the quality of it or the story but more with the concept of having the huge and muscled Schwarzenegger as the twin brother of the short, balding and fat Danny DeVito.
But his stiff delivery actually works in his favour for this film, and he makes a great double-act with Danny DeVito.Arnie plays Julius Benedict, and is the result of a top secret government experiment to create the world's most physically and mentally enhanced human being.
When he is told he has a twin brother, Vincent, he decides to leave the seclusion of the island to find him.Vincent (Danny DeVito) had a completely different upbringing than Julius.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is AMAZING as always, and was extremely hilarious here, he looked like he was having a ball with this role, he also had amazing chemistry with Danny Devito, and Kelly Preston, and extremely likable!
Arnold (I'm not going to even try to spell his last name), plays the twin brother of Danny Devito.
Both Devito and Schwarzenegger are really good actors.Here is a film that makes someone ponder about Nurture and Love.Devito plays Vincent,a sly,"son of a gun" who thinks he can get away with everything.When he gets into trouble, Vincent finds a pair of helping hands that belong to someone he can trust.Julius(Schwartzenneger)his brother,is a person we find who became part of an experimental study at birth.They need each other, and help one another find their lost mother.Kelly Preston, plays Marnie, the girl Julius always dreamed about.It is saddening,when you see how intense and eager Vincent looks at his mom.His eyes are like a puppy searching for recognition and loving arms to hold.In finding out their mom still lived,their hopes were restored.This movie made me realize the power of Family..
Getting a younger, and more widespread audience here would ensure that more people would come to love Srnie, and he would be the greatest movie star ever.Arnie plays Julian, a twin separated at birth from his brother and mother in a dubious experiment.
This was the first of two films that brought director Ivan Reitman (Evolution), Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito together, the second being the pretty silly Junior.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb, Bonnie Bartlett and Marshall Bell star in Ivan Reitman's 1988 comedy.
He learns he was separated at birth from twin brother, Vincent (DeVito) who became a womanizer & small-time crook.
I've always enjoyed this film, Arnold & Danny are great together and reunited 6 years after this in Reitman's other film, "Junior." I recommend this good comedy..
"Twins" is more than just an unlikely comedy, for the most part, the usually very successful director Ivan Reitman presents a rather silly film which audiences may find hard to swallow.Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny De Vito are the twin result of a genetic experiment.
So when they meet their mother for the first time they ask what and where their father is.Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Devito and Mary Ann Bartlett. |
tt1251357 | Moonshot | "On July 20, 1969, three men made history as the men on a mission to land on the moon. The eight-day journey aboard Apollo 11 was one of the most watched events ever. This film tells what it was like to be at the heart of the mission that changed the world. I know, my name is Buzz Aldrin. I was there."
THE MOON was once a source of bizarre science-fiction and fantasy stories because it was such an unexplored mystery.
All that changed on July 20, 1969. History was made as the first men landed and walked on the moon.
The Apollo 11 mission was one of the most watched events ever and the amazing story is recreated in the docu-drama Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, on ITV at 10.50pm on Monday, exactly 40 years after the landing.Starring Daniel Lapaine (Hotel Babylon, Muriel's Wedding) as Neil Armstrong, James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville) as Buzz Aldrin (pictured) and Andrew Lincoln (Afterlife, Teachers) as Michael Collins, this drama documentary weaves the story of the men who undertook the mission with HD Nasa footage of Apollo 11 to bring together a unique testimony of this historic event.
Written by Tony Basgallop (Hotel Babylon) and directed by Richard Dale, (Diana: The Last Days of a Princess, 9/11: The Twin Towers), Moonshot is the story of the moment that united 600 million people around the world.
Dramatising key moments and events in the years spent preparing for their mission, the film builds a picture of the astronauts' lives on the ground and how they shaped what happened in space and on the moon.
In 1961 President Kennedy told the world that that the United States would land on the moon by the end of the decade. This began the series of Apollo missions that would culminate with Apollo 11 - the first moon landing.
Moonshot follows the astronauts as they go through NASA's intense selection procedures and reveals the arduous Apollo training process that has such an impact on their families and friendships.In 1967, the dangers of the mission were brought home when three astronauts were killed by a fire on the first Apollo spacecraft, affecting everyone in the close knit space community.
Then, in 1968, Apollo 8 was the first manned flight to orbit the moon and the mission was a big media event.
The nation crowded around their television sets to watch, prompting a concerned Buzz to tells Neil Armstrong: "My face doesn't fit on the screen, like some of the other guys. Too big, too long."
Neil also has his concerns about the media and he tells Buzz: "If they want to talk about the technical aspects then sure, I'm happy to answer but for some reason they just want to know how everything feels."
Buzz replies: "Even if you could tell them they wouldn't get it. Because when you're up there in space looking down there's nothing wrong with the world, but when you're down here looking up, everything's different."
The film captures the deliberations involved in selecting the crew. In one scene, the NASA official leading the process tells Neil Armstrong that Buzz Aldrin has a reputation for speaking his mind.
He gives Neil a choice between Aldrin and fellow astronaut Jim Lovell, forcing him to think about who he would be able to work with - and who he could trust with his life. Armstrong chooses Aldrin, but which of them would take the first steps on the moon would be decided by NASA. [D-Man2010]The fact that this docudrama on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 is a British/German/ French/American co-production and scripted by a Hotel Babylon writer might lead you to dread a mushy mess, but it turns out to be solid, worthy and well put together. It interleaves news footage with dramatised scenes that imagine what it was like behind the scenes at Nasa and among the astronauts' wives. James Marsters (Spike in Buffy) plays Buzz Aldrin as a restless, shoot-from-the-hip type; Daniel Lapaine is excellent as unflappable Neil Armstong; and Andrew Lincoln makes up the numbers as Michael Collins, the module pilot who never got to walk on the Moon. Instead of focusing on the engineering feat, the film dwells on tensions between Aldrin and Armstrong and their awe at being in space. It's impressively done, but bathed in the kind of rich, orchestral music that sounds stirring and self-important. Plus why is Anna Maxwell Martin wasted in a non-role as Armstrong's wife? [D-Man2010] | historical | train | imdb | Apollo 11 Retold.
With the fortieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing upon us it is no surprise that there would be a dramatization of that historic flight to accompany the anniversary.
That film would be Moonshot, which is at least the third dramatization of the Apollo 11 Moon landing (the first two being the 1996 TV movie Apol1o 11 and the episode from the 1998 miniseries From The Earth To The Moon entitled "Mare Tranquilitatis").
While it covers much of the same ground Moonshot proves to be just as interesting and watchable as either of those efforts even with some drawbacks.The acting of the film is fine stuff.
The three astronauts were especially well cast with Daniel Lapaine as Neil Armstrong, James Marsters as Buzz Aldrin and Andrew Lincoln as Michael Collins.
Lapaine in particular excels in the role of Armstrong and wonderfully captures the man who would go down in the history books as the first man on the Moon.
They are supported by a fairly good supporting cast especially from the actresses playing their wives.
Moonshot has some rather nice performances that are convincing without being potentially cliché or overly serious.The film is also blessed with a nice script by writer Tony Basgallop.
Despite dealing with a familiar story, Basgallop manages to bring in some new details into the story which shed a new light on events (such as the UFO sighting by the crew on the way to the Moon).
Basgallop's script takes the viewer through the back story without taking too long or being underwhelming in building up the journey's of these three men before the flight itself.
Basgallop also handles dialog well for the most part thought here are a few moments where the film delves a little too heavily into clichés such as argument between Armstrong and Aldrin after a simulator test goes wrong (a better handled version can be seen in From The Earth To The Moon's "Mare Tranquilitatis").
The script, despite some occasional dialog issues, is a nice one and serves as a nice basis for the film.Where the film has the biggest drawbacks is in its production values.
Depsite some well designed spacecraft interiors which could rival those used in Ron Howard's feature film Apollo 13 let alone the aforementioned previous film tellings of Apollo 11, the earthbound sets reflect the film's rather low budget.
The sets of the NASA offices are bare and look as those that are thrown together rather quickly with little thoughts for personal touches that should be there such as pictures on the walls for example.
In particular there is a set for one of the press conferences that is simply the astronauts sitting in front of a bare wall with an American flag hung behind them.
The result is a dull looking set to be honest.
There's also the astronauts suits which lack patches and sorted items that should be on the suits which hint at getting things right in broad strokes but not inn finer details.
The film's single biggest drawback is an over reliance on archival materials.
Once the Saturn V launches, everything not taking place relating to the astronauts is archival footage.
all the mission control sequences are told from archival footage so there's not real characters from mission control as a consequence.
Even during the landing and moonwalk the reliance on archival material continues to the point where the actors even end up lip-syncing to some of the original audio material.
All that seems a shame especially in light of the film's rather nicely CGI work.
Sadly these faults can be rather distracting at times from the fine acting and nice script which is a shame.Despite the drawbacks of a low budget and an over reliance on archival material, Moonshot still makes for some interesting viewing.
With some fine performances especially from the actors playing the three astronauts and a nice script by Tony Basgallop, the familiar story of Apollo 11 gets a nice retelling here.
While it may be lacking in style in terms of production values (espeically in comparison with "Mare Tranquilitatis") it certainly isn't lacking in substance and that's what counts..
The human side of the moon.
Everyone knows the basic story, and when there is an anniversary there is a glut of documentaries.
This dramatized version is different, in that it focuses mainly on the human relationships.
It makes Buzz Aldrin into an ambitious and slightly abrasive character who would quarrel with Neil Armstrong, if only the the latter were not so easy-going (not to say bland).
Well, that's how it's played here.
I don't know how true it is.It's entertaining and well acted.
Daniel Lapaine has a good (moon) shot at Neil Armstrong - not an easy thing to do.I'd only really criticize the structure of the film.
It is packed with flashbacks, so much so that it's quite confusing at times..
Only a seven-star production, but I'm giving it ten.
This was an OK production of the now-familiar story of the first manned landing on the moon.
There are better versions, but this one was pretty good, I'd say about seven stars out of ten.HOWEVER, I'm giving it a ten-star rating simply to counter the 3-star rating given by a dumbass who didn't know what the hell he was talking about.
David Byrne got all bent out of shape about what he perceived as lazy and uninformed set design: "The final straw was when about half way thought the film, green 7-segment LED digital displays were in view.
"Sorry to burst your indignant bubble Davie, but the Apollo DSKY (Display Keyboard) computer interface used aboard the Apollo Command Module did indeed have a green LED numerical readout, as even a cursory look on Google would reveal.
No, LEDs were not in wide use in 1969, but you can chalk that up as yet another piece of cutting-edge technology developed or first used by the U.S. space program..
Too many faults and boring.
This film was OK, but it was destroyed with mistakes like a whooshing sound in once scene as command module and lunar module went past near the moon.
It might appeal to those who know nothing about science, but to the majority of educated viewers, it is an insult to their intelligence.
The final straw was when about half way thought the film, green 7-segment LED digital displays were in view.
They were not even invented in 1969 and thus were not used in Apollo 11.
They were not even invented in 1969 and thus were not used in Apollo 11.
I had to switch it off at that point - I had enough.
I had to switch it off at that point - I had enough.
The acting was reasonable, but on the whole I found this film boring.
At least in The Dish movie (which was quite fictional), they used authentic equipment used in 1969.
Producers should do their homework before embarking on a topic they know little of nothing about.For the purists out there, don't bother with this film.
Nothing beats the telecasts during moon landing in July 1969..
Very watchable low budget version.
In 2019 comparisons will inevitably be drawn between this film and First Man. If this film was made with the budget of First Man it would be a winner.
It was more watchable than First Man. Armstrong's character is far more rounded than the morose and withdrawn character in the other film.
You can believe in him much more here, and that connects you and draws you into the film.
There is a fair amount of stock Nasa footage used which interestingly they have managed to lipsynch to the Nasa audio.
This is a much vaunted feature of the upcoming Apollo 11 documentary.
What really lets this film down are the silly mistakes.
If you are not a space buff you probably won't notice, but if you are - prepare to be frustrated!
The floating space pen has already been mentioned in other reviews, but for me the incorrect wristwatches (which got a far amount of screen time) and footwear made me roll my eyes.
The DVD can be picked up very cheaply online and if you're into this stuff it's definitely worth a loo. |
tt0897361 | I Know Who Killed Me | The quiet suburb of New Salem is being terrorized by a serial killer who abducts and tortures young women, holding them captive for weeks before murdering them. Aubrey Fleming (Lindsay Lohan), a pianist and aspiring writer, appears to be his latest victim when she disappears during a night out with her friends. She is later seen bound and gagged on an operating table as her hands are exposed to dry ice. As the days tick by, the special FBI Task Force convened to track the killer begins to lose hope of finding him before it's too late.
Late one night, a driver discovers a young woman by the side of a deserted road, disheveled and critically injured. The girl is rushed to the hospital, where Aubrey’s distraught parents, Susan (Julia Ormond) and Daniel (Neal McDonough), wait by her side as she slips in and out of consciousness. When she is finally able to speak, she shocks everyone by claiming to be a down-on-her luck stripper named Dakota Moss, who has never heard of Aubrey Fleming. Convinced Aubrey is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, her doctors, parents, and law enforcement officials can only wait for rest and therapy to restore her memory. But after returning to her parents’ suburban home, she continues to insist she is not who they think she is, despite bearing bizarre wounds identical to those of the serial killer's previous victims, which include her hand and half of her leg cut off.
An FBI psychologist believes Dakota to be a delusional persona of Aubrey, and the agents speculate the persona is to distance and protect Aubrey from the events that happened. Examining Aubrey's laptop, they discover a short story about a girl with an alter ego named Dakota. In addition, a DNA test confirms that Dakota is Aubrey.
Unaware of this, Dakota explains away her injuries as various events that happened before she arrived in town. She begins to suspect she may be Aubrey's identical twin sister, and comes to believe her injuries are sympathetic resonance with her twin's wounds, in a stigmata-like fashion. However, Susan shows Dakota a video of her pregnancy ultrasound clearly revealing there was only one fetus in her womb. Dakota then confronts Daniel and asserts Susan's child died shortly after birth, and that Daniel took Aubrey from Virginia Sue Moss (another character from Aubrey's short story), a crack addict and leaving her with Dakota to raise alone.
Confused and terrified, Dakota starts seeing visions of a menacing figure slowly butchering his captive. One of these visions take Dakota to a nearby cemetery. After investigating the grave of Aubrey's recently murdered friend, Jennifer Toland (Stacy Lynn Gabel), Dakota finds a blue ribbon from a piano competition, with a message from Jennifer's (and Aubrey's) piano teacher, Douglas Norquist (Thomas Tofel). She is followed by Daniel, and declares "I know who killed me".
The two go, without FBI backup, to Norquist's home to confront him. Daniel heads into Norquist's house alone leaving a panicking Dakota in the car alone. Attempting to calm herself, Dakota refers to herself as Aubrey. Daniel is seemingly overpowered, and it is implied killed, by Norquist. Dakota, having entered the house, attacks Norquist in self-defense and cuts his hand off before being overpowered and tied up. Confused, Norquist asks why she has returned and exclaimed he had buried her (referencing an earlier vision Dakota had). Freeing herself, Dakota kills Norquist and heads into the nearby wood finding where Norquist had buried Aubrey alive. Having freed Aubrey, seemingly verifying Dakota's version of events, Dakota lies on the ground next to her. | dark, cruelty, murder, violence, flashback, revenge, sadist | train | wikipedia | Oh God. I went into this movie with a friend thinking it would be a cheesy, fun horror movie - just a good way to pass the time on a rainy day.Oh god, was I wrong.It's as if the director spent the film's entire budget acquiring Lindsay Lohan and disregarded everything else.
EVERYTHING within this film is bad - the scary parts aren't scary (or even remotely suspenseful), the dialogue is awful, the acting is questionable at best, and, I am very sorry to say that Lindsay Lohan's stripping/ sex scenes were not sexy at all.
I like so many other unsuspecting fools thought even with the bad reviews and cheesy look of the film (not to mention the fact that it's main star was Lindsay lohan) that this movie just might be a good thriller in the vein of Hitchcock Jesus I can't believe how wrong I was, the only person more wrong then me was the guy I watched it with.
Ha!this movie requires us to make up a new word for terrible just so we can properly describe this film basically it's like they couldn't write a real script so they filled in the blanks with torture porn imagery and Lindsay trying to be sexy.
I Know Who Killed Me. This movie helps explains some of Lohan's real life problems.
In an absolutely moronic plot, Lindsay Lohan plays a girl who gets kidnapped, found years later, and wakes up missing an appendage (and a brain apparently) and thinks she is somebody else.
No actress could have done well with this script and this not what Lindsay Lohan needs in her time of crisis.All I know is, I want 1 hour and 47 minutes of my life back and would rather be killed than watch it again!.
I joked to the person beside me that I hadn't laughed as hard since the first time I saw "Borat".Stylistically, the movie is a film school student's wet dream rife of "artsy" shots and recurring motifs.
I can say that Lohan's performance seemed rather bland and stale throughout, as though in the back of her mind she knew the movie was trite and looked at it more as a paycheck than a serious mark on her resume.Aside from the occasional, "I almost died laughing when....", I heard scarcely a good comment in the lobby after the film.
I watched "I Know Who Killed Me" on DVD only because I think Lindsey Lohan is a knockout and a pretty good actress.
I felt like taking a shower after watching this movie to wash the grime off.I hope this promising young actress gets her act together and chooses better material.
The movie has several ridiculously long scenes of Lindsay Lohan twirling around a pole like the seasoned professional she is, and an unconvincing sex scene, (both sans nudity) But I suppose if you have the imagination of a half-wit, you could probably spend a fair amount of "alone-time" with yourself in the movie theater.
And what I mean by "insultingly bad" is that you, as an audience member, should feel offended that filmmakers and screenwriters (like the ones who poured 4 months of their lives into this movie), actually think you are too stupid to understand anything, without being expressly told what to think and feel; or that an art film, by definition should have nothing open to interpretation.
This flick was supposed to put Ms Lohan's sexual antics to the top of the box office.Unfortunately, the script was so bad and the plot was trying to be something out of an Alfred Hitchock movie.
I just felt that this movie was a complete waste of time.If people want to see a really good sex thriller, try watching those late night movies on cable.
It's like the writer couldn't decide which avenue he wanted to take the movie down, gory violent thriller, or a drama/suspense movie, and in the end compromised with a boring, lifeless story with lots of blood and gore.And what was with all the blue items everywhere?
Honestly, I don't know if the writer/director of this film figured that no one would have the slightest idea of how real cops work, or if they just didn't want to put in the research to find out for themselves, but every scene with the cops was so unbelievable, and the actors portrayed them too like they'd never seen one before.
No plot, horrible acting (especially from druggie Lohan), pointless sex, and graphic scenes.I can't think of one good thing to say about it because it was so pointless.
I don't know what the point of the movie was at all, just a chance for Lohan to get money, which she probably didn't get much because no one saw this (I didn't even pay to see this, good thing too).All I can say about this crap, is stay away, save your time, and money.
The ending to me seemed abrupt, strange, and wasn't satisfying to watch at all.The supporting cast were good enough, but the main problem with this movie was it's ridiculousness..
how did this get out in Theatres...i just don't understand...the camera quality was horrible...the acting was horrible..the script was HORRIBLE...it was all over the place..some of the effects were unneeded and just made the movie extremely distracting....some parts of this movie did not make sense and was not realistic at all...the casting was not good...how was lindsey in this is absolutely made her look horrible...i believe that her this showed the path of where lindseys career is heading.
I was really excited to see this movie, thinking it would have gotten a lot more press if Lindsay hadn't had started acting all stupid so I thought i would give her the benefit of the doubt and check this out.I'M SORRY I DID.
I still cannot believe, months later, that I was forced to watch "I Know Who Killed Me", aka the worst film of the year (tied with "The Heartbreak Kid").Truly, I cannot fathom as to why people are so eager to call Lindsay Lohan a "great" actress - the girl cannot even pass for mediocre, at least not here.
LAUGHABLE is the perfect word to sum up this film; everything from the editing, the dialogue, the premise, and the acting from the overall cast (save Julia Ormond, who manages to take her scant lines and create a glimpse of character that could actually be worth caring about, if the rest of the film weren't so contrived).I cannot imagine a bigger waste of anyone's time when it comes to watching films.
Men and women alike with any taste or idea of what a solid film should like look with greatly dislike "I Know Who Killed Me." Please, don't listen to the rabid Lohan fans who insist IKWKM is artistic or even watchable - its not even worth the few laughs you'll get from watching a film that's so bad, its funny..
My friend and I were looking for a movie to see in the theater yesterday, everything I saw she didn't ad everything she saw I didn't, but one movie we didn't see was I Know Who Killed Me. We never heard of it, we actually for a minute didn't wanna see it because Lindsay Lohan was in it, but eventually we were just like "What the heck?".
So after seeing I Know Who Killed Me, I just was thinking of how much of a strange movie this was, but at the same time I didn't think it was all that bad, there were some things left unexplained and the ending was pretty lame, but I think over all, this was a thriller with good potential and just needed a little pick-me-up.Aubrey is a good girl who has strong potential to be a good writer and piano player, she has a good life, good home, loving parents, good friends, and a loving boyfriend.
Everyone calls her crazy and just tries to make her believe that she is Aubrey, but Dakota searches for the truth and wants answers.Like I said, I Know Who Killed Me turned out to be a little surprise of a film, I liked it personally, there were things that were confusing, but over all I think the plot kept me guessing and going.
Lindsay I would say did a good job, but the strip scenes at times were a little too much, just because we all know her personal life, so I think it would make us a little uncomfortable.
After seeing I Know Who Killed Me yesterday, surrounded by a New York/East Village crowd, I am getting pretty annoyed by the sadly anticipated reviews claiming to whoever might want to hear it that this movie is as much of a joke as Lindsay Lohan's latest "career" moves.Being familiar with miss Lohan's personal struggles much more than I am with her movies, I bought my ticket with a somewhat open-mind, even though after seeing the trailer (maybe the only bad element of the movie), I admit that I was basically expecting a teenage slasher movie.
Obviously, so did the critics but they won't have the decency to review the movie for what it actually turned out to be.From the little promotion we got, we basically were told that this would be Lohan's first "adult" role as a leading lady.
She's a teen actress playing a stripper, she knows it sounds bad and it makes the movie good.The ending might be open to interpretation, like most interesting endings always are (Mulholland Drive, Basic Instinct, etc.) but who killed the poor girls won't matter much by the end of this movie.
The psychological journey of Lohan's character is the central piece of the movie, and the foundations to it are its own comical elements.Of course, I referred to Lynch, Tarantino and Verhoeven (who interestingly enough suffered the same kind treatment after the camp classic Showgirls) but I would not go as far as saying that I Know Who Killed me has the same rare genius that will make it last through the years, but it absolutely delivered the cynical fun that comes out from somewhere in between utter stupidity and sharp wit.My little East Village crowd surprisingly was open-minded enough to clap the movie throughout the end credits.
Maybe Lindsay Lohan is not as guilty as the writer Jeff Hammond,or the director Chris Silverstone.The acting of Lindsay is not what the viewer wants to see.The screenplay trying to be special,but that is what was too disturbing,to be acceptable,The film is just boring,I'am personally just wondered just sex scenes,instead a good crime solving scenes.That is a real boring thing to see Lindsay when she have a table dance,or any other sex scenes,cause we know for sure,this is not a hardcore porn film,what is also not interesting for me personally.I just wanted to say,that is not enough if somebody think we only want to see some nude girls,in a film,so your rental money deserves something more..
My personal opinion of Lohan aside, this movie - like others (Dead Silence for one) relied heavily on effects that at times, become quite distracting.
However, the movie is easy enough to follow that people who don't like complex horror films can sit back, and enjoy the ride.
It has some entertaining parts (like the strip tease from the creepy gardener character), but overall, it is hard to think of Lindsay Lohan as a straight A student from small town America.
However, the movie, as well as Miss Lohan's performance takes a strong turn for the best when she transforms into Dakota Moss, the sassy stripper with a troubled past.
It just seemed like a movie suffering from an identity crisis - trying to be film noir, psychological thriller and gross-out horror flick.
When the movie started I knew it was going to try to seem smarter than it was, by the middle I had a headache from the bad acting and ridiculous story line, and the stupid, out of the blue ending couldn't come soon enough.
I hated every minute of this movie which, if I were an idiot killer with no back-story and a fetish with blue glass knives (I didn't know piano teachers also blew glass) I would torture my victims by making them watch it..
I didn't dislike this film because Lindsay Lohan was playing the lead role, but because the acting in general seemed like I was watching a soap opera.
If you're expecting "Mean Girls" or "Herbie Fully Loaded", you will need some therapy to recover from this one.I should mention that while there is no Lindsay Lohan nudity per se, there are some extremely raunchy scenes involving close shots of various body parts of Dakota's while she is wearing next to nothing and writhing around a stripper dance pole.
My favorite color happens to be blue, but after seeing this train wreck, I don't think I ever want to see another blue thing again.The script is lame-brained to begin with, and hearing some of these actors, especially Lohan, deliver these lines is just an indescribably awful experience.And then there were all the shots of gore and blood I found completely unnecessary (A word of advice: If you do want to see this, don't eat anything beforehand), not to mention the ridiculous twist near the end.
And Lindsay Lohan's acting, though not brilliant, was adequate and convincing.The directing in some of the dramatic dialogue scenes could have been tighter, with a bigger sense of urgency, especially towards the end, but I will be interested to see what director Chris Sivertson does next.7.5 out of 10.
A highly entertaining and dreamlike little thriller, I KNOW WHO KILLED ME is essentially a modern-day film noir about a horrific crime and a victim (Lindsay Lohan) who turns out to be someone very different than we think she is.
Lohan, in a nifty dual role, gives a very credible performance throughout, and I encourage anyone who sees the film to put pre-conceptions aside and try to look at the movie, and her work in it, with fresh eyes.
The real discovery here, though, is director Chris Sivertson who more than delivers on the promise of his earlier film, the incredibly disturbing drama THE LOST (see it when it comes out later this year.) I KNOW WHO KILLED ME is much more of a mainstream, commercial movie than THE LOST, but that's not a bad thing -- this is a genre film, pure and simple, and within the rules of that terrain, Sivertson & Co. deliver a strange and hypnotic little mystery that confounds expectations at every turn.
I think Lindsay wanted to make a movie where she could be a bad girl and break the good girl mold.
The big problem with that is that Lindsay was not very good as a bad girl stripper in the movie.
Well, let me just start by saying that, if Lindsay Lohan wasn't in this movie, a lot of people wouldn't be criticizing this.I saw it last night at a free screening and thought it was really good.
I've never been a fan of Lohan and I'm still not one but I do think she has good movies and can act.
If I allowed movie reviewers to sway my interest in seeing a movie, I'd miss a whole lot of great performances."I Know Who Killed Me" is an exciting roller-coaster ride that combines the best of several genres: thriller; horror; crime and mystery.
Lindsay wasn't cute, she was very naughty.This is an original, well written, well directed, well acted film.It's silly that some people are saying they don't like the movie because they weren't impressed with her strip dancing.
Yes it did have some over the top gory scenes, but isn't that a good thing for adult fans of the genre, i mean how come SAW became so popular and recommended, if you don't like gore then don't watch it, but don't give bad reviews of the film because you are too weak to stomach these scenes, i totally enjoyed it !!!
Very good as horror flick too - especially for women because Lohan won't be distracting your date.There were some plot reasons for assigning the main character a job as stripper but I think with 3-5 minutes more they could have changed the profession and avoided a lot of critical defamation.Overall it probably would have been a good idea to drop the stripper profession in favor of some other hard profession where weird, unlucky, hardcase personalities are accepted, targeted and not immediately believed by police -- maybe metermaid or cosmetic door-to-door sales.Any big serious movie with main character strippers will always be panned.
The people on these boards calling it 'i know who killed my career', and etc seriously need to go back and re watch, and put Lohan's personal life aside.
In the beginning of "I Know Who Killed Me", Lohan's first character, Aubrey is a high school student, reading a story to her classmates about her supposed alter ego, Dakota Moss.
I can understand why people were laughing, sadly i couldn't join them because i was too busy thinking, "what on earth is going on?" I've seen a few of these actors on screen before and they weren't that bad, but this movie just made them look like they didn't know how to act.
I can't give away the story even though it is lame but the only thing I can say is I knew more about Lindsey Lohan's personal life than I did about her movie character.
Aubrey Fleming (Lindsay Lohan) feels like half a person.
First time i saw it, i wasn't expecting Lindsay Lohan to actually do it and be good in it.
Lindsay Lohan proved that she can act in any movie and the movie will still be good.
Lindsay Lohan and the rest of the cast did an average job on the acting, but this seriously is one of the WORST movies I've ever seen! |
tt0065377 | Airport | The story takes place during one long night during a sudden blizzard at Lincoln International, a fictional Chicago airport based very loosely on O'Hare International Airport.The action mainly centers on Mel Bakersfeld (Burt Lancaster), the airport general manager. His devotion to his job is tearing apart his family and his marriage to his constantly angry and domineering wife Cindy (Dana Wynter), who resents his use of his job at the airport as a device to avoid going to various after-hours events she wants him to participate in, as she attempts to climb into the social circles of Chicago's elite. His problems in his marriage are further exacerbated by his romantically-charged friendship with a lovely divorcee, Trans America Airlines (TGA) passenger relations manager Tanya Livingston (Jean Sebrig).The movie centers on Bakersfeld's struggles to keep the airport open during the snowstorm. His chief problem is the unexpected closure of primary Runway two zero, caused when a landing airliner turns off past the wrong side of a runway marker light, burying the plane's landing gear in the snow, and blocking the runway. Bakersfield is forced to call upon Joe Patroni (George Kennedy), the tough and practical head of maintenance operations for Trans World Airlines, at Lincoln. Patroni is told to move the disabled aircraft blocking the runway two zero. Patroni spends the rest of the movie with his men to dig the plane out of the snow and fights with the pilots to do so under the aircraft's own power without damaging it.Meanwhile, Bakersfield deals with his brother-in-law Vern Demerest (Dean Martin), a pompous and self-confident senior pilot for Trans America Airlines who opposes Bakersfield on a number of issues involving business and personal issues. Both Mel Bakersfield and his sister Sarah (Barbara Hale) are unaware that Vern is having an extramarial affair with Gwen Meighen (Jacqueline Bisset), a chief stewardess on his routine flights whom is planning her latest trip to Rome, Italy and is frustrated about her secret affair with Vern who keeps telling her that he will leave his wife.Back at Lincoln Airport, the closing of runway two zero due to the stuck plane requires the use of shorter runway two-five, which has the unfortunate consequence of causing planes to take off over a noise-sensitive suburb, whose residents picket the airport in protest. Mel Bakersfield instists that the airport stay open despite pressure from the owner and the mayor to close it for the night.A little later, the airport authorites arrest an elderly lady named Mrs. Ada Quonsett (Helen Hayes) whom is attempting to board a plane without a ticket. Ada is brought to the TGA lounge office where he and Tanya discover her to be a frequent stowaway whom has a long record of stowing away aboard cross-country flights and passes herself off as the "poor old lady" to get away with it. Mrs. Quonett is put in the custody of a TGA agent to be put on a flight back to her home in California, but gives him the slip.Meanwhile, D.O. Guerrero (Van Heflin) is an increasingly psychologically-disturbed, bankrupt building contractor and demolitions expert, who is determined to find a way to solve his financial problems, regardless of what it will cost others. After having signed up for a $225,000 life insurance policy, he plans to commit suicide by blowing up a Rome-bound Boeing 707 Intercontinental jet over the Atlantic Ocean so his wife Inez (Maureen Stapleton), who manages a seedy diner, can collect the insurance money since a plane crashing in the ocean leaves no trace of evidence for the insurance company to investigate his death. He leaves their apartment on the ruse that he intends to take a bus to another part of town to meet with a potential employer. When Inez arrives home and finds a special delivery from the travel agency who issued his plane ticket, she heads off to the airport to try to stop him.Gwen and Vern arrive at Lincoln to board their Flight 2 to Rome and she tells him that she just learned that she's pregnant. As the plans begins to board, Ada stows away on plane and sits next to Guerrero whom is behaving nervously, holding his briefcase (with the bomb in it) on his lap, intending to detonate it once the plane is over the ocean.After the plane takes off, Guerroero's wife arrives too late at the airport and goes into a state of shock. When she is brought to the security office after she is found wondering around, she manages to tell them about her husband and what he intends to do. Bakersfield learns about this and has Flight 2 contacted to inform Vernon as well as the co-pilot Captain Harris (Barry Nelson) about the bomb on board. Also learning that Ada is on board the flight and sitting next to Guerrero, Bakersfield contacts Vernon on board the flight to turn the plane around back for Chicago.As the plane is being turned around, Gwen approaches Ada, loudly exposing her as a stowaway while ignoring Guerrero, in a ruse to bring her to the cockpit, where Ada is let in on what is going on. Ada agrees to help create a diversion. When she is brought back to her seat by Gwen, Vern appears and attempts to lunge at Guerrero who figures out what is going on and stands up out of his seat. Gwen manages to grab the briefcase, but another passenger, thinking they are wrongly grabbing "personal property," tosses it back to Guerrero. Vern tries to persuade Guerrero not to trigger the bomb but Guerrero runs into the lavatory at the rear of the aircraft and triggers the bomb. The detonation blows a large hole in the plane, killing Guerrero and seriously injuring Gwen. The plane is structurally damaged in the explosion and subsequent rapid decompression.As Flight 2 returns to Lincoln, Vern learns that the short runway two five is unable to handle the landing of the damaged plane so Flight 2 must land at runway two zero which still has the stuck-in-the-snow plane on the runway. Patroni and his men are still trying to dig the plane out of the snow and after hearing about the emergency, he goes into the cockpit and attempts to rev up the engines to free the plane, which after a tense minute, Patroni finally manages to do so without damaging the runway or the plane.After a harrowing flight back, Vern manages to land the plane and save the rest of the passengers and crew. After everyone had disembarked, he decides to accompany the badly injured Gwen to the hospital where his wife sees him and becomes aware of his extramarital affair. He has decided to leave his wife to be with Gwen.After Mrs. Ada Quonsett is cleared of all criminal charges of stowing away, she is given a first class ticket to return to her hometown.His marriage over, Mel Bakersfield asks Tanya if she would like to "have breakfast" at her apartment with him and she happily agrees. | cult, suspenseful, melodrama | train | imdb | null |
tt0039152 | Angel and the Badman | Wounded and on the run, notorious gunman Quirt Evans (John Wayne) gallops onto a farm owned by Quaker Thomas Worth (John Halloran) and his family and collapses. When Quirt urgently insists upon sending a telegram, Thomas and his daughter Penelope (Gail Russell) drive him into town in their wagon. After wiring a claim to the land recorder's office, Quirt passes out and Penny cradles him. Ignoring the doctor's advice to rid themselves of the gunman, the compassionate Worth family tends to the delirious Quirt, and Penny becomes intrigued by his ravings of past loves.
Days later, when Quirt regains consciousness, Penny patiently explains the family's belief in non-violence. Three weeks later, Laredo Stevens (Bruce Cabot) and Hondo Jeffries (Louis Faust) ride into town looking for Quirt. When Penny's younger brother Johnny (Stephen Grant) rushes home to inform Quirt of his visitors, Quirt quickly prepares to flee. Penny, now smitten with Quirt, offers to run off with him. At the sound of approaching horses, Quirt grabs his gun and discovers that it has been emptied. Training his gun on the doorway, Quirt calmly greets Hondo and Laredo. Thinking that Quirt has the upper hand, Laredo offers to buy his claim. When Quirt sets the price at $20,000, Laredo hands over $5,000 in gold and challenges him to come for the balance when he is able – if he has the nerve.
Afterward, Quirt saddles his horse, but when Penny begs him to stay, he changes his mind. Later, Quirt learns that cantankerous rancher Frederick Carson (Paul Hurst) has dammed up the stream that runs through the valley, thus draining the Worths' irrigation ditches. Quirt intimidates Carson into opening the dam.
One Sunday, Penny asks Quirt to join the family for a ride. Before they leave, Marshal Wistful McClintock (Harry Carey) comes to question Quirt about a stagecoach robbery. The family swears that Quirt was with them at the time. The marshal then asks Quirt why he resigned as Wyatt Earp's deputy, sold his ranch and crossed over to the wrong side of the law soon after cattleman Walt Ennis was gunned down in a saloon brawl. When Quirt refuses to answer, the marshal leaves. Penny then begs Quirt to steer clear of Laredo, and he acquiesces because of his love for her.
As Quirt and the Worths ride to the Quaker gathering, Quirt's erstwhile sidekick, Randy McCall (Lee Dixon), tags along. Randy tells Quirt that Laredo plans to rustle a herd of cattle and suggests that they then steal the herd from Laredo and let him take the blame. Mr. Worth gives Quirt a Bible for ending the feud with Carson. Fearing that he will never be able to live up to Penny's expectations, Quirt abruptly leaves with Randy.
Quirt and Randy steal the herd from the original rustlers. They then celebrate with showgirls Lila Neal (Joan Barton) and Christine Taylor (Rosemary Bertrand). When Lila, sensing a change in her old flame, teases Quirt about his Bible, Quirt becomes angry and rides back to the Worth farm. Overjoyed, Penny throws her arms around him, just as the marshal arrives to question Quirt about the rustling. Quirt states that Lila can provide him with an alibi. Penny is hurt that Quirt was with his old flame, who she heard him talk about in his delirium, thinking Quirt prefers Lila's fair hair. Quirt realizes the depth of his feelings for Penny, and they kiss hungrily in the barn, while the camera fades.
The marshal warns Quirt that he is the wrong man for Penny. Quirt decides to propose to her anyway. Instead of replying, Penny invites Quirt to join her picking blackberries. Quirt answers Penny's questions about his early life. Kindly Walt Ennis raised him after his parents were massacred by Indians. Then Ennis was murdered.
Quirt and Penny are ambushed and chased by Laredo and Hondo on their way home. Their wagon plunges over a cliff into the river, causing Penny to develop a dangerous fever. When the doctor informs Quirt that there is no hope for her, Quirt straps on his pistol and rides into town to exact revenge. After Quirt leaves, Penny's fever suddenly breaks.
In town, Quirt sends Bradley to tell Laredo and Hondo he is waiting for them in the street. Penny and her family arrive. She gets Quirt to surrender his gun to her. As Laredo and Hondo draw their guns, Marshal McClintock shoots them both. Quirt rides off in the wagon with Penny. The marshal picks up Quirt's discarded weapon. Bradley comments that Quirt may need the weapon, to which the marshal says, "Only a man who carries a gun ever needs one." And, the film fades to black. | revenge, comedy, violence | train | wikipedia | He is rescued by beautiful Gail Russell, a Quaker girl with a strong, silent father and a marvelous, generous mother who makes donuts and cakes that melt in your mouth, but according to her are, "not very good, the flour you know...".Poor Quirt never has a chance.
But not before he must taste his old way of life one more time, which leads to a dramatic conclusion.John Wayne never looked better on film then in The Angel and The Badman.
If you are new to John Wayne, check to one out and fall in love.Harry Carey plays the Marshal of the territory who keeps track of Quirt, not completely convinced of his conversion, until the surprising climax.
Wayne plays young gun hand Quirt Evans, a most feared man in the territory, who wounded falls in the hands of a Quaker family who nurses him back to health.
This was his idea of charity and something that never gets talked about enough by people, even some of Wayne's most devoted fans.As this was his first film as producer, I have no doubt that the Duke wanted Harry Carey, the man he patterned his cowboy image after in this film.
ANGEL AND THE BADMAN is a film that many John wayne fans may not have seen; nonetheless it's one of his best that shows a very different side.Wayne as Quirt Evans is wounded and taken in by a gentle Quaker family.
After he recuperates he notices their daughter--the absolutely drop dead gorgeous Gail Russell.The plot of AATBM is remarkably similar to Harrison Ford's WITNESS (probably a remake).But what ultimately makes this movie work is Wayne's performance, and Russell's natural "Angelic" qualities.
John Wayne got to kiss a score of pretty ladies on screen, but his romance with Gail Russell as Penelope, the "Angel" in this story, shows the best screen chemistry I can recall.
This all goes on under the watchful eye of the Marshall (Harry Carey), who serves as not only a foil for Wayne constantly threatening him, but almost like a self-appointed guardian who sees Quirt's potential for good, trying to steer him toward the light.
Carey's humor, and good spirit plays off Wayne perfectly.The film builds to a brilliant finish, with Quirt forced to choose between peace or violence once and for all.
Fun movie about a cowboy named Quirt (John Wayne) who is wants to reform his ways after he meets a sweet Quaker girl.
When he is shot, the Quaker family takes care of him, and after he wakes up the daughter (Gail Russell) falls in love with him.
There are several wonderful supporting characters who add a lot of worth to the proceedings, including Harry Carey as a marshall, Lee Dixon as one of Quirt's friends and old partners in crime, Tom Powers as the local, scientific, atheist doctor, and Olin Howlin as the town telegrapher.
Writer-director Grant (another Ford insider) has given us an excellent script and able direction.The film was produced by John Wayne himself, who knew a good story, and who here allows us an odd insight into his personal politics - which were far more complicated than his right-wing fans or left-wing detractors ever understood.
Memorable Western with an excellent role by John Wayne and an attractive Gail Russell.
This is one of Wayne's best movies, the simple but powerful story of a man changing for the love of a woman.
It is always a great introduction to John Wayne for someone who has not appreciated his work, his best movies are about love and redemption.
While being chased by a sheriff bent on capturing Quirt Evans (John Wayne) he is wounded in a bank robbery, he ends up knocking at the door of Penny's home (Gail Russell) and is nursed back to health by her.
A romantic story about a gunfighter(Wayne ) who falls in love with a Quaker woman (Gail Russel), is almost surrendering himself to domesticity, then has a last go at his old lifestyle.
What makes this film so good is the peculiar beauty, charm, and excellent performance of Gail Russel which has an incredible chemistry with Wayne at his best.
Harry Carey who used to play cowboys in silent movies is the Marshal, a key character, and also Bruce Cabot(King Kong), who made many B westerns is the bad guy, Laredo..
He falls in love with a woman, Gail Russell, and just watching him play that part, one can truly enjoy Wayne's character, since he plays in very few love stories.
He proves that he can handle a romantic role and any woman watching this film, I can honestly say, would love to be in John Wayne's arms.
When John Wayne is in love with his co star he is a terrific actor as he was in The Quiet Man and his movies with Gail Russell.Whether a lover of western movies, love stories, action and adventure or just plain movies this one is a winner in every category.The obvious chemistry, the horsemanship and research into Quaker habits and ways, and the attention to detail is wonderful for all movie fans of all genres..
It stars John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey, Bruce Cabot, Irene Rich, Lee Dixon and Stephen Grant.
It's a touch too slow at times for its own good and runs for ten minutes longer than was needed, things that no doubt stunted its financial growth at the 1947 box office, but there is much to enjoy here.Technical values are high, from Stout's photography that beautifully realises locations in Sedona, Arizona (Monument Valley standing out, naturally!), to cast performances from Carey, Wayne and the gorgeous Miss Russell (chemistry unbound between the three actors), film never lacks for quality.
7.5/10DVD version viewed was Region 2 taken out of the John Wayne Out West 6 film Box Set. A good quality black and white print..
ANGEL AND THE BADMAN is a John Wayne western with a greater emphasis on character development than usual; I found it quite interesting, although not one of his most exciting vehicles.
He plays the "bad man" of the title, a wounded gunslinger taken in and healed by a Quaker family who teach him the ways of peace at the same time.
Wayne plays notorious gunslinger Quirt Evans, who is wounded and nursed back to health by a Quaker family.
Quirt will have to choose between his way and the Quaker way, which means choosing Penelope or the gun.John Wayne is really good in this one.
Gail Russell (Penelopoe Worth) "Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour"'43 tried to keep Quirt from going gun crazy and almost got her man killed, but finally saved by the U S Marshall (Harry Carey),veteran silent film actor of 258 films, "Red River" '48.
Many more great ones would follow that he produced or made for his own production company, and it's arguably his best performance in a romantic role (until he made THE QUIET MAN.) Although STAGECOACH made the Duke a star and many fine films soon followed, this was his most popular shoot-em-up after STAGECOACH, and definitely put him on the trail to becoming the greatest western movie star of all time.
I was disappointed it wasn't much afterward.John Wayne's role as the "hero," so to speak, "Quirt Evans" wasn't that appealing to me anymore than was the name "Quirt." Wayne, like the crusty old characters he played the last few decades of his career, didn't want anything to do with the Quakers in here, but they turn his ugly personality into something much better.
Yates' Republic Pictures was one of the few poverty row moguls that could pull off a convincing 'A' effort, which essentially ended with 1952's The Quiet Man. Directed by Republic contract writer (and frequent John Wayne colleague) Jim Grant, Angel and the Badman is a very good picture, with a bravura twilight performance by the late great Harry Carey.
this movie shows a very different side of John Wayne that you don't get to see very often,, a quite reserved kind of solitude, instead of the gun toting,, angry man we see most of the time.
this western is more of a character study than anything else,and a romance.there isn't a lot of action.it's not the worst movie i have seen,but i do felt it went on too long.i felt it was too tedious.there were several times when i thought it was over,and could/should have been over,but it kept going.i think they could have told just as good a story if they had shortened the film.it's definitely not one of my favourite westerns,nor one my favourite John Wayne westerns.it's certainly no classic,in my opinion.i know many people would disagree with that sentiment,which is fine.i wouldn't likely watch it again,at least for a long time.for me,Angel and the Badman is a 4/10.
This truly uplifting humane Repubic Pictures western produced by John Wayne in 1946 is a genuinely wonderful film in many ways.
A western the good times with John Wayne showing here that really was the great actor of westerns in the role of Quirt Evans, an out-of-law is delighted with the daughter of a pastor, and radically change his life.
But "Angel and the Badman" had the merit to meet John Wayne and the beautiful Gail Russell, who, for all we know, lived a great passion for years and years.
Count the number of shots he fires for the rest of the movie; you may be surprised.While riding away wounded from a gun battle, Quirt Evans (Wayne) is taken in by a family of Quakers.
Quirt likes her, too, but can the love of a devoted, peaceful woman match up against life on the prod, especially when that life is gunning for you?I don't know if it's true that Wayne and Russell had an affair during this production, as it has been said.
But there's no denying the affair Russell had going with the camera here, which starts two minutes in when she stands up on her wagon shot low against the sky, and continues all the way to the film's end.Those amazing eyes of hers are a big part of it, but so too is the character she plays.
The vulnerability and strength of her performance catches me short, as it does Quirt when she quietly says she's his for the asking."It's the way I feel and it would be dishonest to say anything else," she says."You sure get to the point!" he answers.Watching a John Wayne movie for the love story doesn't sound promising, but it works here.
When he is wounded he is taken care of by a devout quaker farming family.When he gets better he discovers that the daughter Penelope (Gail Russell) is rather keen on him.To thank the family Quirt goes to have a word with the neighbouring rancher who his withholding water from flowing down the land.
The mere mention of Quirt Evans name leads the landowner to let the water flow to the neighbouring land.Quirt falls for Penelope but it means accepting the pacifist religious beliefs of this devout honest to goodness quaker family.A local Marshall (Harry Carey) follows Quirt about, just waiting for a shootout with his enemies so he can hang the winner.
The story is somewhat reminiscent of WITNESS, the Harrison Ford film about an outlaw and a Quaker family and their influence on his behavior.Wayne is fine as the cowboy with a habit of getting into barroom brawls, the kind you'd expect to see in a John Ford film--which this isn't, complete with bouts of humor.
GAIL RUSSELL is a pretty gal, especially in all the loving close-ups, but let's face it, she was never much of an actress and is pretty vapid in the leading lady role.IRENE RICH does nicely as Russell's mother and HARRY CAREY and PAUL HURST are good in supporting roles.The film is obviously aiming for a quaint sort of charm with its Quaker theme, but it's really pretty forgettable material and one of the less vital John Wayne films..
But the more of his films I watch, the more aware I become that he wasn't quite so bad an actor as thought."Angel and the Badman" is a light-hearted story, with a witty script and energetic direction (both from James Edward Grant).
B&W John Wayne Western with romance (Gail Russell), action and interesting theme.
RELEASED IN 1947 and written & directed by James Edward Grant, "Angel and the Badman" is a Western starring John Wayne as a gunslinger in Arizona who finds temporary sanctuary with some pacifistic Quakers.
The film tells the story of how Quirt and Penelope fall for one another and how, under the influence of her pacifist beliefs, he reforms his violent ways.(You can tell that the Worths are Quakers because they still use the archaic second person singular, although they seem not to understand the grammatical rules governing its use- "thee are" rather than "thou art", for example.
A good example is "High Noon" in which the hero, Marshal Kane, has plenty of opportunity to avoid a shoot-out with the villains but refuses to take it, believing that to run away would be cowardly and dishonourable."Angel and the Badman" is very different from the "revisionist Westerns" of the sixties and seventies like "The Wild Bunch", which were in themselves often very violent and which tried to call the Code into question by denying that anyone in the Old West had ever lived by it.
His role here in some ways anticipates his final film, "The Shootist" from nearly thirty years later, in which he also plays a notorious gunfighter seeking redemption, except in that case he is seeking it through the traditional Code and not through a religious conversion.Wayne's co-star Gail Russell is an actress I had heard about but never previously seen.
This is a quiet western ;there's violence in the first pictures (close shot of a revolver) and towards the end but this is a true story of redemption.These quaker family is some kind of heaven where you can eat the best donuts in the world and their influence radiates on the others : take the scene of the water ;we expect a fight between Wayne and the selfish old man ;but it is not so: not only he lets the waters flow ,but when he comes to his neighbor's farm,the good mom presents him with baskets of food.as in the title of William Wyler's famous movie (1956),friendly persuasion indeed!Gail Russel had wonderful eyes and you should see her in "the night has a thousand eyes" where they merge in the sky..
Whatever else, this pacifist Western gives Wayne his best last line of any film in that long and storied career.
While this is far from John Wayne's best film, it is a nice little change of pace that tries to be a bit different from his typical Western.
Not surprisingly, young Gail Russell (the daughter in the Quaker family) falls for Wayne.
An injured Quirt Evans (John Wayne) is taken in by a peaceful Quaker family, among them the lovely daughter Penelope Worth (Gail Russell).
Former Chicago newspaper reporter James Edward Grant spent most of his career either penning or polishing screenplays for John Wayne, and Grant handed Wayne one of his best and earliest western classics in 1947 with "Angel and the Badman" that Wayne produced as his first film and Grant helmed.
John Wayne is perfectly cast as Quirt Evans, a fast-drawing, crack-shooting cowboy and Gail Russell is Penelope Worth.
Opposites attract, as the lovely and sweet Quaker girl Penelope Worth, ( Gail Russell ) falls in love with badman Quirt Evans, ( John Wayne ) who tries to resist the tempting gentle beauty for awhile .
What people who have reviewed the film, have overlooked is the why behind the relationship behind Quirt Evans (Wayne), and Penelope Worth (Gail Russell), which is essentially she was a woman who was essentially put on Earth by God for Quirt, and vice versa.
That's what Quaker Gail Russell sets out to do to gunslinger John Wayne in this light-hearted western.
Old rivals also seem to want to see him six feet under, but while recovering from injuries with Russell's family's help, Wayne begins to see life from a different perspective.This interesting but occasionally slow-moving film has some great action sequences and a lot of heart.
In a roster that is worthy of a movie of Directors Frank Capra or John Ford, we have: Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot join John Wayne and an equally impressive array of supporting players in a storyline that would appear to be singularly unique, a very unusual occurrence in "Tinseltown." WHAT WE MEAN is that ANGEL AND THE BADMAN covers all of the bases.
The story begins with a shoot out and takes Wayne, the gunslinger, mumbingly half-conscious, to the house of some Quaker family, who nurse him back to health, introduce him to the purity of their daughter, Gail Russel, and finally convert him from his heathen ways.Wayne by this time was a propulsive force at Republic and this is "A John Wayne Production." Wayne was in a position to hire James Edward Grant as the writer, and Grant in fact does a journeyman job on the script.
A wounded "Quirt Evans" (John Wayne) is injured even more as his horse collapses near the house of a Quaker family, who take him in and treat him.He catches the eye of the daughter in the family (Gail Russell), and he is obviously attracted to her.
One of the best John Wayne Black and white westerns for the whole family.
It helps him change his life views in every way.So grab some popcorn and get the family gathered, sit back and enjoy this great John Wayne movie..
One Quaker in particular, Penny (Gail Russell), is the "angel" in this movie.Dr. Mangram (Tom Powers) comes over to take the bullet out. |
tt0454224 | Penny Dreadful | Penny, (Rachel Miner), a young woman traumatized by a childhood auto accident that killed her parents, accompanies her therapist Orianna (Mimi Rogers) on a road trip to a mountain community as part of her therapy to overcome her fear of cars. On their way up a secluded road Orianna finds out that Penny is taking sleeping pills. This greatly disappoints Orianna as the pills only slow Penny's recovery.She explains this to Penny in frustration and fails to notice a hooded hitchhiker standing on the side of the road. Orianna accidentally hits the hitchhiker and then offers the hitchhiker a ride to their destination, which happens to be an even more secluded location. The Hitchhiker remains completely silent during the drive with his hood pulled up to conceal his face. The only action the hitchhiker takes, besides silently offering them a skewer of raw meat, is checking out the bag in the backseat containing a book written by Orianna which then leads to Penny explaining the reason for their trip and her severe fear of cars.Orianna and Penny drop off the hitchhiker in the middle of the road going through a camp which is closed for the season. The duo does not get too far, however, due to a flat tire caused by the Hitchhiker, who punctures the tire with one of the meat skewers. Orianna insists that Penny wait in the car while she goes to try to get reception on her phone and call for help-much to Penny's disapproval as she knows the hitchhiker is waiting out there for them.Orianna sets out for help but she doesn't get far when she sees a bright light in front of her. Penny waits anxiously in the car; after half an hour she realizes something has gone wrong. She leaves the car and tries to locate Orianna. Penny finds a phone and tries to call for help, but the phone is disconnected. As she turns around she sees the hitchhiker behind her, and tries to run but falls and hits her head.When Penny wakes up, she is sitting in the car again, with the video camera in her hands. She turns it on to find a video recently recorded. She watches the video in horror as she realizes that the hitchhiker taped the murder of Orianna. Penny starts to panic, and when she looks to her side she sees Orianna's dead body in the seat next to her and realizes that she is trapped in the car between two tall, thick trees and there is no escape.Penny tries to call for help, but the hitchhiker continues to terrorize and torture her. A man who works in the mountains tries to help, but is killed by the hitchhiker who is hiding under the car. The man's mistress is also killed nearby, while waiting for a tryst in the woods. The man's bearded co-worker comes looking for him, but falls down a hill and is killed by the hitchhiker as well.Penny is tortured for another few hours and when she tries to crawl out of the car window, the hitchhiker grabs her right foot and cuts off one of her toes. Penny continues to take sleeping pills and painkillers to escape the madness. When she awakes for the last time, she turns around to find the hitchhiker (a wild-eyed scruffy woman) sitting in the back wearing Orianna's clothes, who then tries to strangle her while saying, "Don't forget your breathing exercises, Penny". She manages to fight off the hitchhiker and escape from the car, only to trip from her injured foot. The hitchhiker finds her and tries to attack but a man driving a pick up truck drives past in time to hit the hitchhiker with his truck. The hitchhiker appears to be dead at this point and the truck driver is panicking. He tells Penny to wait in the car while he assists the hitchhiker. Penny feels a bit of relief as she watches the man and the dead hitchhiker. But terror boils up when she realizes the hitchhiker is still moving... | violence, murder, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt1465478 | Die | Six people, each of them is on the road to self-destruction. They wake up in cells in a surreal facility, without knowing how they got there or why. An insane criminal captures six people that have had problems in the past and makes them play a game to decide the fate of each others lives. Die is basically a PG-13 version of Saw. Die is mainly dialogue that is uninspired and pretty predictable. When I saw that Elias Koteas was one of the stars I had pretty high hopes for this movie. I feel he a great actor who isn't given enough recognition. he played in Skin walkers, Shooter and many others.
The movie introduces the captives one by one until they are apparently killed off. Then eventually they all wake up to find themselves in a glass prison cubes and a guy that informs them they must play a game. A game which will decide their fate. We find out that at some point in each of the six captive's lives they tried to commit suicide. So they are paired up in teams and one has to roll a die (guess this is where the title of the movie comes into play) to decide what kind of chance the opposite captive has to live. For instance one guy was going to kill himself with a gun so he had to roll a die to see how many bullets had to put in the revolver. Once the number of bullets are decided he then had to squeeze the trigger while pointing it at the other captive. This was done a few times while some people lived and some didnt. Not a bad ideal for a horror flick. The back ground stories of the captives was pretty lame and not very interesting. The scenes with the villain and the captors was actually the best part of the movie. The rest of the movie was a couple of FBI agents trying to track down the kidnapped, missing people. Then they had to figure out how to connect the dots that were found.
It's really not too shabby of a horror flick. | suicidal, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0101745 | Doc Hollywood | Dr. Benjamin Stone is a promising young surgeon working in Washington, D.C. with plans of making more money working for a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. On his last day, he realizes that none of his colleagues care enough about him to say good-bye to him, instead leaving him a cake with an insult made out of icing.
Driving out west in a 1956 Porsche 356 Speedster, Stone swerves to miss a cow on the highway and crashes uncontrollably into the fence of a local resident in the rural hamlet of Grady, South Carolina. The resident is local Judge Evans, who sentences him to community service at the nearby hospital as punishment rather than allow Stone pay for the fence with cash. Defeated and stranded due to the damage to his car, Ben reports to the local clinic, where Nurse Packer further humbles him by recording his community service hours by clocking him in and out, like a factory worker.
Though upset, Ben makes friends with Mayor Nick Nicholson, who is also the owner of the town's cafe, and Melvin, the local mechanic tasked with repairing his car. Ben soon finds the clinic work is more laid-back than the emergency room to which he is used with simple cases, such as spots before the eyes of an elderly patient not cleaning her glasses, fishing hook impaling and even reading mail for a young illiterate couple, Kyle and Mary Owens, whose baby he later delivers.
The small-town experience soon humbles Ben when he misdiagnoses a young boy as having mitral valve regurgitation leading to late cyanosis, a case the town's curmudgeonly doctor, Aurelius Hogue, treats with a Coca-Cola. Hogue explains that the boy had chewed his father's tobacco and was given too much bismuth subnitrate as an antacid, causing a blue tinge; the carbonic acid component of the soda would relieve his stomachache. The two finally bond when Ben saves Hogue after he suffers a near-fatal heart attack. Since Hogue is eager to retire, Ben is urged by the locals to stay and replace him, although he is tempted by his budding romance with a tomboyish ambulance driver, Vialula, better known as "Lou," a single mother to a four-year-old named Emma. Ben soon confides to her that he grew up in a small town in rural Indiana, where his parents lived and died, and how he can't see himself confined to a small town.
Lou is also pursued by Hank Gordon, a local insurance salesman. He waits for Ben at the mayor's lakeside lodge, where Ben has been staying. Ben expects a fight, but Hank explains that though he can't give Lou what Ben can, he's still a better man for her. After the two men talk, Ben comes to realize he's not selfless enough for a life with Lou and plans to not see her anymore. Ben is soon pardoned from community service for saving Hogue, allowing him to head to California for his job interview. With his car fixed, he tries to sneak out of town, but his departure is delayed when he finds Kyle and Mary Owens stranded by the side of the road with Mary in deep labor. While he's delivering their baby, a tractor trailer smashes into his Porsche and he must leave town without it: the entire town comes to see him off in a taxi.
On the West Coast, Ben's new boss, Dr. Halberstrom, hires him at the interview, based on an unexpected recommendation from Hogue. However, Ben soon tires of the superficiality of Beverly Hills, even going so far as calling to check the weather in Grady on his phone. The next day, he's surprised to receive a message at work from a woman with a "heavy Southern accent" and rushes to a restaurant, where he noticed his restored Porsche in the parking lot. Nancy Lee, the mayor's daughter, and Hank have come to California, and Hank tells Ben he took his own advice to "do what a man's gotta do." Ben returns to Grady, hoping to patch things up with Lou, who takes him back. | comedy, boring | train | wikipedia | This will be a shame, as Fox has been an ingratiating, very enjoyable actor to watch, in most of his films, and DOC HOLLYWOOD is one of his best roles.As breezy, fast-talking Washington, D.C. surgeon Dr. Ben Stone, who dreams of making big money doing plastic surgery in Hollywood, but finds his true calling as a general practitioner in a small southern hamlet, Fox is so 'right' that you can't imagine any other actor in the role.
After a minor traffic accident enroute to California forces him to do 'public service' in fictional Grady, South Carolina, taking on much of the workload of a crusty old local physician (the always enjoyable Barnard Hughes), Stone becomes the 'talk' of the town, and rustic but wise Mayor Nick Nicholson (David Ogden Stiers, in one of his most engaging performances), starts 'selling' the joys of country life to the cosmopolitan young doctor.
A quilt with 'magical' powers provides a nude vision of the girl he's destined to love, 'Lou' (Julie Warner), who turns out to be working at his office; his hormone-fueled pursuit of her, and her pragmatic 'indifference' to his flirtations make their gradual romance edgy and fun to watch.In a town full of colorful characters, two 'stars in the making' stand out; Woody Harrelson, as 'Lou's' suitor, Hank Gordon, a country variation of his bartending character from 'Cheers', talks dumb but has a knack for selling, only lacking a place to make big money at it; and Bridget Fonda, as Mayor Nicholson's oversexed but 'out of place' daughter, hopes Stone will take her away to the bright lights of Hollywood.
Both stars are terrific in their supporting roles, and show the charisma that would lead them to stardom.DOC HOLLYWOOD is full of charming vignettes, from Stone vicariously reading the mail for an illiterate farm couple, to being paid for services rendered with a rather large pig, who ultimately becomes his 'pet'.
The film abounds in warm comic touches that are guaranteed to bring a smile!With a very funny cameo by George Hamilton, as the Hollywood plastic surgeon Stone dreams of working with, DOC HOLLYWOOD hits all the right notes for a terrific entertainment.
I didn't like Doc Hollywood the first time I saw it in 1991 --- then I watched it again a few years ago and was blown away by the writing, acting and all-around sweet nature of the film.
Dr. Ben Stone is leaving DC for a job doing plastic surgery for celebs in LA when he runs into a picket fence in a small Southern town and has to do 3 days of community service at their clinic as penance.
This movie is great because it is about many people deciding for themselves how they want to live -- whether in a big city or in a small town -- and why they value what they do.
Fox plays a hard charging Dr. Ben Stone, with David Ogden Stiers giving a world class performance as the small town mayor that needs a new doctor, and also knows a thing or two about happiness.And then there is Nurse Packer who believes in procedure and punchcards, Julie Warner providing a memorable 'swimming' performance, fishing without hooks, the squash festival, a great rendition of Patsy Cline's "Crazy", and of course, the Pakistani.Way underrated movie that stands up over time.9 out of 10.
Small town Southern judge holds Fox hostage and orders him to work off the damage by helping out the local doc, well-played by Hughes.
Fox does a good job in the lead role, and there are great character turns from Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda.
The love story between Fox and Julie Warner is very funny to watch develop and their timing is classic romantic comedy.
While in town Fox locks horns with Woody Harrelson, becomes friends with the priceless Bridget Fonda (who has her eyes on Fox) and falls in love with ambulance driver Julie Warner.
But once I got past those 2 major obstacles and settled in, I found a little gem of a movie.Fox's young doctor, all full of spit and vinegar, sets off across country to medical nirvana: a highly sought position in a prestigious Beverly Hills plastic surgery practice.
I would definitely recommend this film to anyone that likes stories about the small town lifestyle and romantic comedies.
Admittedly, the premise of Doc Hollywood is more of a sentimental ideal than an actuality: high-powered big city surgeon falls for the charms of a small town full of colourful characters and in need of an old-time country doctor.But Michael J.
It just happens that he plowed into a freshly put up fence by the local judge Roberts Blossom.For the first offense in the town of Grady, Florida Fox is given community service in the local hospital where crotchety old doctor Barnard Hughes is ready to pack it in.
There's one particular citizen played by Julie Warner who wants to offer the ultimate in hospitality even though her ever present steady boyfriend Woody Harrelson is around.In many ways Doc Hollywood is an updated version of the Paramount classic Welcome Stranger with Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, and Joan Caulfield.
In that one however, the town folks don't take to city boy Bing right away, here they're going out of their way to make Fox welcome as they know that Hughes will not be there forever.One of the really nice things about Doc Hollywood is the impeccable casting of some of the rustic characters you might find in the Florida wilds.
Michael J Fox does an excellent job in this movie and it is whilst filming Doc Hollywood when he felt his first tremor in his finger leading to Parkinsons Disease.
And it is so underrated!Michael J Fox plays Doctor Benjamin Stone, a plastic surgeon in the big city.
He has a very interesting time in Grady including, dinner with the Mayer, and Lou's very weird hobby, urinating in the woods to scare away the deer from the hunters, Ben reluctantly joins in!Ben's beloved car is finally fixed, but will he leave the town for the big city, big job, and big salary, or will he drop it all to stay with the girl he loves?.
Fox earned every penny he got from the industry, and it's with films like this that I feel he is vastly undervalued by the movie watching public.
This cheeky and funny film is criminally rated low for reasons I just can't begin to fathom, it's got a sharp script with a very honest message driving it on.It's concept of putting a big fish in a little pond is always a tale worth telling, and who better than M J Fox to realise the big fish character here?
The supporting cast are just fine here, Julie Warner, Barnard Hughes, Woody Harrelson & Bridget Fonda are all in on the fun, and all of them give performances in keeping with this other side of the fence comedy.
Fox plays a hotshot surgeon on his way to Beverly Hills when he takes a detour that leads to him wrecking his car in a small Southern town.
This leads to many fish-out-of-water situations between the easily-frustrated Fox and the local rubes, as well as his becoming enamored with ambulance driver Julie Warner.Nice comedy helped by a likable cast.
But then there were times when i actually liked it and laughed (a little bit)...Anywayz Doc Hollywood is nothing to rave about, I probably would not see it again, but if there is nothing better to watch on TV then why not?.
Fox plays Dr. Benjamin Stone, who is on his way to Beverly Hills, where he has a well-paid job waiting.He takes a short cut to avoid the traffic jam but hits into a fence in a small town called Grady.He has to do 32 hrs of community service at the hospital.In Grady he meets all these people, like Dr. Aurelius Hogue (Barnard Hughes), Hank Gordon (Woody Harrelson), Mayor Nick Nicholson (David Ogden Stiers), Nancy Lee Nicholson (Bridget Fonda), Judge Evans (Roberts Blossom) and the most interesting of them all, ambulance driver Lou (Julie Warner).George Hamilton plays Doctor Halberstrom.Ben has all the reasons to leave the town as soon as he can, which is harder than he thought, but he also has one good reason to stay.He has strong feelings for the beautiful Lou.So will he leave or will he stay?
Michael Caton-Jones' movie Doc Hollywood is a really nice romantic comedy, and way too underrated, if you ask me.The cast is great.Michael J.
This movie has lots of good stuff.It has the romance thing working, like in the wonderful dancing scene, and it has the comedy thing working as well, the pig is there to prove that.Doc Hollywood may not be a perfect masterpiece, but it is a movie with a heart.And sometimes, that's all we need..
Love the small town movies,I'd Love to live in one.This town used to be small,but now it's competing with Larger towns.Doc Hollywood is a favorite of mine,Because the actors can play small town people,(Like fictional Mayberry.)Big city Doc finds Love in small town.Lou Looks great in the dress and hat,when she's in the Parade,Definitely Someone I would fall for.Great Characters,Typical Small Town Friendly people.Michael Fox is Great in this Movie.Too Big for a small town doc,But finally Fits in .He realizes He Loves Lou,But Leaves To Hollywood ,But Small Towns are far better Than Large Cities.(My Opinion)..
Fox, Julie Warner, Woody Harrelson, Bridget Fonda, David Ogden Stiers, Frances Sternhagen, Barnard Hughes, George Hamilton (Cameo).
Fox stars as a hot-shot young doctor en route to Beverly Hills to become a plastic surgeon when his car winds up in an accident a podunk country hamlet and winds up stuck for the duration and eventually defrosting his `city folk' demeanor largely thanks to the local colorful eccentrics (that can only be habinated by Hollywood).
Doc Hollywood is a film purpose built to allow Michael J Fox to be likable (if a little smug) in quirky surroundings, it also has some bizarre inexplicable nudity that is odd in what would otherwise be a PG 13 family flick.Fox is Ben Stone, a young hotshot surgeon waylaid momentarily in the sleepy small town of Grady ("Squash capital of the South!") on the way to LA to apply for a more cushy yet higher paid job as a plastic surgeon
he also plans to learn to surf.But alas for Stone a fence related automobile accident lands him in trouble, 32 hours of community service as the local doctor's replacement trouble.Now Stone is temporarily locum-ing for a cantankerous long time local doc who is laid up, and while the local townsfolk lay out the red carpet the staff of the hospital do not.
He is given a pig in lieu of payment for his services, has various amusing adventures and encounters with patients and locals including Woody Harrelson as a rival suitor for Lou's affections
and all the while the local pageant and highlight of the year is a comin'.This is entirely formulaic fare, but dammit Michael J Fox was just so damn likable at this time of his career that it is hard to
well
not like him in this.
And because he is the guy on the poster and there are enough cute moments (and unexpected nudity) along the way it makes Doc Hollywood difficult to hate.Even with all that said this was a 5.5 until the final minute or so, in a scene set in LA someone asks "Is that a star?" and Woody Harrelson's character replies offscreen "No, that's Ted Danson".
Fox was in a slew of comedy films between the 80s and 90s, Doc Hollywood was one of the better ones.
No antics or hijinks, but a down to earth film about a young doctor named Ben Stone, who after having an accident, has to become the town doc.
Dr. Hollywood is a great manners comedy,well structured and often funny,but predicable,the characters are colorful and weirds,to star the Mayor a stunning performance,the nurse Parker fantastic biting an old time clock when Doc arrives or leaves the hospital,the pig received as gift from a cured and grateful patient.
Michael J Fox brings a natural charm to his role as the young Doctor who is forced to spend time in the small southern town of Grady (home of the Grady Squash) after knocking down the judges newly built fence.
He is sentenced to community service under the eye of the irrascible Dr Hogue (played with relish by Barnard Hughes)and unexpectedly falls in love - with a woman (Lou the ambulance driver) and gradually the town.The plot's simple,but Fox carries it well,and he's surrounded by a great bunch of quirky characters.Warner is great as the love interest,sexy,tough yet vulnerable,and always believable.It's funny,heart-warming,and thoroughly enjoyable.
It's merely saying that the elements of this film was,to my viewing,more perfect for a continuing story instead of a finite,80/90 minute framing.Another "Fish-out-of-Water" story: Dr.Benjamin Stone(Michael J.Fox),still as pitch-perfect,quasi-yuppiesque yet charming as ever,in what would eventually prove to be a bit of a last hurrah of his film appeal from "Back to the Future")is a rising success as a young doctor/surgeon in a large,east coast city(I cannot immediately recall the city;I want to say Washington D.C. or Philadelphia)who is out to interview for a prestigious opening at a high dollar medical practice in Los Angeles.
What might be equally eye-opening(besides the choice smaller roles that might've come off as almost cameo-like from then rising stars Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda,as restless locals)was the not-tapped enough charm of Miss Warner as the love interest or the fine,unaccalimed bow of Barnard Huges and David Ogden Stiers as the town's incumbent doctor and mayor,respectively.A charming,likable show that,if it is able to successfully draw in the viewer,might leave said viewer left wanting perhaps to get more out of this story and these characters.
Here he plays an ego-centric yuppie doctor named Benjamin Stone who is headed for a big payday as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, until he's waylaid in a small southern town (Grady, Georgia) after a minor car accident.
Fox plays arrogant, money obsessed ER doctor Ben Stone, who finds himself stranded in a small rural town after he accidentally crashes into the local Judge's fence.
Here he is Doctor Ben Stone, just finishing his residency at at Washington, DC hospital, anxious to get to Hollywood and start a new job as a plastic surgeon, making the big bucks and having all the beautiful young ladies at his disposal.On the way out west he comes upon a traffic jam at a road construction and, being both impatient and wily, takes a side road, but gets lost in the back woods of small town South Carolina (actually filmed in Central Florida).
Good supporting cast, too -- Woody Harrelson, David Ogden Stiers from "Mash", Bridget Fonda as the girl looking for a way to get out of town, and George Hamilton as the slick Hollywood plastic surgeon..
fox is brilliant at playing doctor in this comedy about a small town doctor wishing to be a plastic surgeon in Hollywood.
However, having viewed it again recently, the very reasons I may have disliked it in the past, are the reasons why I rate is so highly now.Fox is firing on all cylinders as Dr.Ben Stone,who finds himself stranded in a rural town, and gradually transforms from a money obsessed egotist, to a more down to earth nice guy, who realises the things that really matter in life.Julie Warner gives a believable performance as the attractive ambulance driver Lou,who quickly catches Fox's eye in what could very well be the sexiest entrance in a romantic film.The film is Fox's vehicle and is carried by him, but it's to Warner's credit that the scenes between them are evenly matched and she gives a lot more personality to a role which could have easily just been a one dimensional love interest.The dialogue and chemistry between the two of them never seems forced.Of course, like all of these types of films, it's obvious from the start, that the guy will get the girl in the end, but it makes no difference because unlike many similar movies,the relationship seems natural and, to the film's credit, there are a few non-contrived obstacles before the "happy ever after" moment.All in all, I'm glad I saw the film again recently because I found it to be an highly enjoyable, unpretentious ROM-com (how many ROM-Com's show the two leads urinating all over the forest)that delivers a fine set of quirky characters and humorous situations..
Fox, Julie Warner, Woody Harrelson, David Ogden Stiers and Bridget Fonda star in this 1991 romantic comedy.
Fox plays Ben Stone, A plastic surgeon on his way to Beverly Hills who gets into a car accident in a southern town, Grady.
Sophisticated, newly minted cosmetic surgeon Fox) from the big-city has an accident in the small town of Grady, Georgia, and is sentenced to work in the local "hospital" for a while.
Such is Doc Hollywood a sweet little comedy I saw way back when it forst came out starring Micael J Fox as the ornery Doctor who thinks he's on his way to big things and big places, until one day certain circumstances put him in a very small town where he winds up learning a lot about where his happiness truly lies.
Mr Michael J Fox is more convincing as the big city man than the country boy he eventually aspires to be but it is the extraordinary Miss Julie Warner who keeps "Doc Hollywood" from disappearing up its own Jubilation T.Cornpone.From the moment he sees her Dr Stone's career as a Plastic Surgeon is dead in the water - he just needs to be made to realise it.
Fox plays surgeon 'Ben Stone', a hopeful young doctor who is accidentally detained in a small country town while on his way to the West Coast to take up a position as a plastic surgeon. |
tt0404032 | The Exorcism of Emily Rose | In an extremely rare decision, the Catholic Church officially recognized the demonic possession of the 19 year-old college freshman. Told in flashbacks, The Exorcism of Emily Rose chronicles the haunting trial of the priest accused of negligence resulting in the death of the young girl who is believed to be possessed and the lawyer who takes on the task of defending him.Lawyer Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) takes on the church and the state when she fights in defense of a priest, Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a young woman, Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter). Bruner must battle the state lawyer as well as her own loneliness, as she realizes that her career so far has not fulfilled her. She takes the case, albeit reluctantly, because she believes it will elevate her to senior partner at her law firm. The priest agrees to let her defend him only if he is allowed to tell Emily's story.The trial begins with the calling of several medical experts by the prosecutor, Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott). One expert testifies that Emily was suffering from both epilepsy and psychosis. The defense contests that she may have actually been possessed, though Bruner is careful never to say that in so many words intially. Indeed Bruner explains that Emily was suffering from something that neither medicine nor psychology could explain, and that Father Moore as well as her family realized this and tried to help in another way. Several flashbacks show how this began. Alone in her dorm room one night, at 3:00 AM, she smells a strange burning smell from the hallway. When she checks on it, she sees the door open and shut by itself several times. When she goes back to her room, she sees a jar of pencils and pens move by itself. Additionally, her covers roll themselves down, and a great weight seems to press down on her, a force which also proceeds to choke her and seemingly to possess her momentarily. Through these episodes she wonders if they are really happening or if it is just a hallucination she is experiencing. She suffers more "visions", is hospitalized, and diagnosed with epilepsy. She is given anti-seizure medications which she claims do not work. Her visions continue, as do her severe bodily contortions.She leaves school and returns to live with her parents. She and her parents become convinced she is not epileptic or mentally ill but is possessed by demons. They ask for their local parish priest to be called in to perform an exorcism, and the Church agrees. The prosecution counters that all this could be explained by a combination of epilepsy (the contortions) and psychosis (the visions).Meanwhile, Bruner begins to experience strange occurrences in her apartment at 3:00 AM, including strange smells and sounds. Father Moore warns her that she may be targeted by demons for possibly exposing them. Later in the film Father Moore explains that 3:00 AM is the "witching hour" which evil spirits use to mock the Holy Trinity. Significantly, it is the opposite of 3:00 PM, traditionally taken to be the hour at which Jesus died.Seeing that the prosecution is putting up a seemingly solid medical case, Bruner decides to try to show that Emily may have actually been possessed. She calls in an anthropologist, Dr. Sadira Adani, to testify about various cultures' beliefs about spiritual possession.A medical doctor present during the exorcism comes forward to reveal an audio tape made during the rite. The priest is then called to the stand to testify. The tape is played and the movie then flashes back to the exorcism. It is performed on Halloween night because Father Moore believes it might be easier to draw out the demons on that night. The priest, Emily's boyfriend, and her father are in the room. Emily is tied to the bed. The priest uses holy water and various words from the Rituale Romanum. She speaks in tongues, including Latin, German, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Several cats run into the room, jumping on the priest and knocking him down. Emily breaks her ties and jumps out the window, running into the barn. They follow her. Inside the barn, they are subjected to more supernatural phenomena such as unnatural gusts of wind and demonic screams and voices. The demon inside Emily refuses to name itself after repeated demands from the presiding Father but finally reveals contemptuously that there are not one but six demons. They go on to identify themselves in dramatic fashion, naming themselves one after another in dual voices from Emily. They identify themselves as the demons that possessed Cain, Nero, and Judas Iscariot and one of the Legion. Beyond that two demons name themselves directly as Belial, and "Lucifer, the devil in the flesh."The film returns to the court room. The priest says that after this, Emily refused another exorcism but also refused to take her anti-psychotic medication, having accepted her fate. She died a few weeks later. The prosecutor contends that her speaking in tongues can be explained by her having gone through Catholic Catechism, in which she could have learned the ancient languages, and that she had studied German in high school. The priest admits that it might be possible that she could have learned these languages in school.Bruner then wants to call the doctor as a witness, but he does not show. She walks outside and sees him on the street. He says he can no longer testify, but he does believe in demons. Before he can explain he is hit by a car and killed. Later that night Bruner's boss tells her she has ruined the whole trial and that if she recalls the priest to the stand she will be fired.Nevertheless, Bruner calls the priest back to the stand the next day. He reads a letter that Emily wrote him before she died. In the letter Emily describes another vision she had, the morning after the exorcism. She walks out of the house and sees the Virgin Mary, who tells her that although the demons will not leave her, she can leave her body and end her suffering. However, the apparition goes on to say, if she returns to her body she will help to prove to the world that God and the Devil are real. She chooses to return. She concludes the letter by saying "People say that God is dead, but how can they think that if I show them the Devil?" She then receives stigmata, which the priest believes is a sign of God's love for her, but the prosecution counters that she could have received the stigmata wounds from a barbed wire fence on her property.Father Moore is ultimately found guilty; however, on a recommendation from the jury, the judge agrees to a sentence of time served. In modern American legal practice, juries are only allowed to answer questions specifically directed to them, though sometimes they are asked separately to sentence defendants. The jury's recommendation in this fictional case does not follow American practice.Bruner is offered a partnership at her firm for saving Father Moore from extended jail time, but she refuses and in fact quits. She goes with Father Moore to Emily's grave, where he has put a quote (which she recited to him the day before she died) from the second chapter twelfth verse of Philippians on her grave: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling". | good versus evil, psychological, murder, flashback | train | imdb | In this way, the film doesn't distance its audience by declaring that "well, demons were in the film which was 'based on a true story', so demons must actually exist".But in many ways, 'Emily Rose' is different from almost every past horror movie in the sense that it doesn't make really obvious attempts to frighten its audience.
(although the cheesy demonic animation, as shown in the trailer, could have been done far better) It's true that composer Christopher Young seems unable to resist the horror movie cliché of having horribly over-dramatic music which builds to a climax at the most frightening moment, but for the most part the movie is able to surpass the usual horror clichés.It helps of course that the cast all deliver quality performances, the obvious standout being Jennifer Carpenter as Emily.
If you ignore the assertion that this has all happened in reality and just accept that you're in for a supernatural movie, you'll have a gay ol' time with "The Exorcism Of The Emily Rose".The first thing to mention is that there has never been a combination of horror movie and courtroom drama before, and while some reviewers have stated that the two genres don't go together well, I have to disagree.
One just has the feeling that the priest and the trial made a whole lot of fuss about nothing, because there's no real solution in the end."The Exorcism Of Emily Rose" has enough chilling moments not to be overshadowed by "The Exorcist", the big Kahuna of the exorcism genre, but it's not going to be remembered as a cornerstone of the horror genre.
I know a lot of people won't be able to see it for what it is because of the supernatural/horror elements (which are usually a turn-off for film snobs), but the movie is just extremely well-made.Consider the fact that Linney's character's true conflict is not winning the trial, but a satisfyingly complex internal struggle which I will not name so as not to spoil the movie.
I found it to be less of your stereotypical demonic possession movie (ie: The Exorcist), and more of a film that leaves you pondering the possibilities and questioning our more modern perspectives and scientific rationales for things that sometimes can't be adequately explained through these means.
What makes this film different than the obvious 70's classic "The Exorcist" (which also entirely revolves on the possession of an innocent girl) is that the story takes place after the actual exorcism and in the courtroom where father Moore is on trial for negligent homicide.
The screenplay of this film was based on a true story and director Scott Derrickson does a great job in making the extended courtroom sequences interesting and compelling.
It definitely makes Linda Blair's bad performance (in the 'Exorcist') look miserable.I'm not much of a horror movie fan, mostly because they tend to be ridiculous and end up being funny or boring rather than having the intended effect.
It will be wrong to lable 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' is much more than just another horror flick because it does raise questions and tackles some issues without coming to a definitive conclusion (as there are simply no answers to some things that happen)..
A good movie for psychology majors--as am I--who are trying to learn about mental illness, diagnosis, and the DSM-IV.You don't need to know much about Emily, science, exorcism, or the Bible to be able to follow this movie; but, if you do, it'll definitely make you raise questions about your own faith, beliefs, and what you've learned throughout life about yourself.Will you like this movie?
When one reads here the opinions of a lot of fellow cinema lovers on this film they will realise that there are a lot of creditable variables by which one perceives the ''right'' course this film should have taken.To my mind though,technicalities and possible directorial ''irregularities'' are not what's most important about this film.This film shows strong ,excellent performances by all the main actors and the director has managed to make this seem like a real story that could have happened to just anybody.We don't see the horrible violence of ''The Exorcist'' nor are the images and scenes shown as scary.What we see, lays emphasis on the drama and suffering of a girl and touches on the human side of things.I think that the perspective of this film is to a have more a social impact,not so much to be a horror film.It conveys a lot of messages and stresses how important it is to have integrity how sometimes you have to sacrifice your ambitions ,to do what your heart tells you.How some life experiences change us,our personality,and give us a true,deeper wisdom and understanding of life.How they can make us revise some views that previously we thought were unshakeable.Finally,the film provides an explanation why sometimes God allows some horrible things to take place and some people to become martyrs.I do agree though that for a materialistic,atheistic person this film might be less ''thrilling'' than he would have expected it to be.I have called it a ''modest masterpiece'' because in a simple,humane,full of strong performances way,it touches our hearts and strengthens our beliefs in justice,moral values,and for those of us who believe,in God and His mercy..
The murder took place in the form of an exorcism performed because of the girl's epilepsy and borderline personality.I could have accepted the concept of plain horror movie based on that story, but to turn this sad event into a defence for cold religious fanatics that killed in the name of God - and for two of them even their own daughter - makes me wanna p***.Taking into consideration the fact, that more and more innocent people are being killed directly and indirectly by religious fanatics of various kinds through wars and acts of terrorism, just makes the purpose of this film even more disgusting.If you want to see a horror movie about exorcism go see an "The Exorcist" movie - if you want to see the true story about the case this movie claims to be based on go see the German movie "Requim" (2006)..
It's very different.Story is about an exorcism gone wrong wherein a Priest who did it is convicted of culpable homicide, and gets a atheist lawyer to defend his case, against a society that will not easily believe in the supernatural.The storyline is fabulous, very different from any either horror film, effects are good, all actors have acted very naturally and smoothly, locales of shooting are good, the whole film manages to crate an eerie atmosphere throughout.A must watch for horror fans, TEOER will not lave you disappointed..
Written by Scott Derrickson, who also directed, and Paul Harris Boardman, the story is loosely based on an incident that occurred in Germany, but the usual horror movie clichés are intact: a door opening and closing in a storm, 'scary' shots of feet walking down corridors (to heighten suspense), a pencil case moving by itself, squeaky floors in nearly every house, Emily Rose freaking out during a test in the classroom (complete with a stormy sky outside), the unfortunate girl eating spiders (like Renfield in "Dracula"), as well as a defense lawyer who is 17 minutes late to court because a demonic force shut off her electricity!
The latest creepy horror fest 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' is nothing like the movie trailers make it out to be.
One very positive thing you can say about 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' is that the acting is absolutely top-notch with startling and powerful performances from Linney, Wilkinson, Scott and young Jennifer Carpenter who does a very good job in her first major role.
Maybe the sole reason I didn't like 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' as much as I could have is because I was expecting a totally different film and the movie trailers lead me to believe that.
I love movies like The Exorcist, and Ghostbusters, which are admitted works of fiction, but this one attempts to claim it's based on a true story, and sounds more like religious propaganda against skepticism and science that conflicts with people's personal feelings and world-views.Remember when people thought "The Amittyville Horror" was a true story?
Most people would rather believe the film's message because most paying customers don't consider skepticism an option, but yet want to make sense of this "spiritual world", without even considering once that the REASON the spirit world doesn't make any sense because it doesn't exist in the first place, so a movie like this will get high marks, even if it were shot with a home camcorder, and acted with the local neighbors.I call a mistrial..
When so many players in one production fail to register as believable characters, the Director must be held accountable.The best horror films succeed by taking their audiences out of the real world and replacing normal logic with the story's own internal laws and rules - in such a way that we can be sucked into accepting unreal situations as real.
Rose is a valuable addition to the canon because it is neither over the top as is The Exorcist nor biased in favor of the existence of demons, as is the case in most exorcism films.Rose is rather a treatise about doubt, expounded by Laura Linney as Erin Bruner, an agnostic attorney defending Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) against charges that he neglected the welfare of Rose, who died in his process of exorcism.
This film is enjoyable as a courtroom drama as well as an exploration into the arcane.The Exorcism of Emily Rose, based on a true story, is agnostic heaven for a fallen-away Catholic critic.
The nineteen years old Catholic college girl Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) dies a couple of days after being submitted to an exorcism carried out by her parish priest, Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson).
Based on a true event, I was expecting a horror movie like "The Exorcist", but actually it is a great story of trial, with the confrontation of science and religion, but with an agnostic lawyer defending and a religious one accusing a priest.
The direction of Scott Derrickson is excellent, using special effects only when necessary, and very well supported by a magnificent cast, leaded by the wonderful Laura Linney and the great Tom Wilkinson, followed by the unknown Jennifer Carpenter, who is great in the role of Emily Rose, Campbell Scott and Colm Feore.
Still, the scares are top notch (particularly a long exorcism scene which begins like Friedkin's Exorcist but then takes some surprisingly different turns) and presenting both religious and scientific explanations for the possessions (which was never an option for the head-spinning, levitating Reagan) will satisfy both believers and skeptics.
Being a big horror movie fan, i went into this film thinking it might be at least worth my time, possibly evoking the creativity of the original Exorcist movie (also based on a "true" story), which i knew would be too good to be true.
If you want to see some good horror films, i would like to recommend Suspiria (or anything by Dario Argento 70's movies), Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Exorcist, The Brood, etc.
The idea throughout the film was "she had faith", and this is portrayed in so many ways that by the time you're 30 minutes into the film, you realise how many times that sentence can be re-phrased.Now, another thing which, was to the amusement of several people around me was my guessing when a "flashback" would occur - it seemed that no sooner had the lawyer opened her mouth that we were presented with another flashback occurred, and i was surprised that when she talked about the bible, there wasn't a flashback to a man sat there, reading it out verbatim.If you're bored by seeing how many times a film can include Christian terminology and try and pass it off as absolute fact, a.k.a "a true story" as well as to bring up seemingly magnificent pseudoscience to illustrate a very long, drawn out point, then i suggest you walk into your video store and laugh if you see this title.Very well filmed, extremely poor acting, enough Christian terminology to tranquilise a herd of elephants and lots of lovely shots of her getting up with tons of make-up on.
This is not a horror flick: this is a thinking person's film that has the courage to discuss the possibilities of things on one can explain.Father Moore (a brilliant Tom Wilkinson) is a priest being tried for negligent homicide in the death of a young college student Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter), a parishioner who sought his help feeling she was possessed by demons.
The Exorcism Of Emily Rose Is without a doubt the scariest most frightening movie Hollywood ever done, It makes The Original Exorcist look like a comedy.
He is represented by a career-minded and driven lawyer who does not believe in God. Thus is the story of Emily Rose, told by those in the trial and the priest who watched her through her possession I enjoy the scenes in the scenes in the courtroom as I was hooked on every word.
Even if it was a small part it still makes me wonder could we be possessed like the character or even the real life person who it was based on.I have watched many scary horror films in my time and many of them to me were comical.
I live in a third world where Science has not touched every home where still procession is considered an act of god not logic or Science ,Hence may be my review is confined to bounds of my surroundings .I don't care what the original story is,was it really the way it was shown or some religious fanatics killing their own daughter .This movie is a product of ones understanding of an event and a outright Sincere belief that Good and Bad still exist in Pairs .Don't base your rationale on Speculations watch this with an open mind and I think any one who believes in the definition of Good likes it .Great acting ,Not much about the technical aspects of a movie which thrives more on the Story telling but yes they were all good when needed .Above all it never deviates from the point ought to be shown .Sometimes expectations do kill good movie experiences which happens with this movie as well .Don't expect Nerve wrecking thrills of The Shining or Exorcist but you still get shaken up whenever it is needed ..
The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a movie my partner and I watched just a few nights ago and I must say it's been a while since I've watched a good horror flick...I know, I know, half or three-quarters of horror films are pretty bad but this tops my top five favorite horror films.What intrigues me the most is the court room drama mixed with chilling horror...this film, in fact scared the hell out me and I'm hard to scare with just about any horror film thrown at me but Jennifer Carpenter did an amazing job as Emily Rose with her contorted body joints and demonic shrills!
I thought that the Exorcism Of Emily Rose was a fantastic horror film.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose tells the trial of the priest accused of negligence resulting in the death of the young girl who is believed to be possessed In an rare decision, the Catholic Church officially recognises the demonic possession of the 19 year-old college girl Told in flashbacks, the lawyer Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) takes on the church when she fights in defense of a priest, Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a young woman, Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter).
The film is based on events which took place back in the 70's; the possession of the young girl Anneliese Michel, who was possessed by several demons.In the film Jennifer Carpenter plays absolutely great as the possessed girl, Emily Rose (name has changed for the safe of the family), and Tom Wilkinson the priest Father Richard Moore, who is under suspicion for the death of Emily Rose (this fact is clear from the beginning of the film, so don't worry, no spoiler).
Not at all, in fact, this one is primarily flash-back, rather than on-site, which is what I prefer, personally.The first thing I look for in a horror film is how realistic the movie is, and, for the record, one that's based on true events USUALLY turns out good.
Some details have been changed for the movie but the heart of the story remains Science takes on religion in a gripping court room throw down.Starring Jennifer Carpenter, now of "Dexter" fame, as Emily Rose a smart and centered farm girl who goes off to college only to be either suffering from a number of medical conditions or possessed by demonic spirits.
Being based on a true story makes it more dramatic.The story is based on court trial where an ambitious lawyer Erin (Laura Linney) is defending the priest (Tom Wilkinson) who performed exorcism on Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) - a young, high spirited devout catholic.
It's actually quite a good film - more of a courtroom drama than a horror film, but still has some "creepy" elements.The story concerns 19 year old Emily, and her supposed "demonic possession" experiences.
Father Moore want's not only to make his case that the Devil does indeed exist but want's to use a modern court of law to prove it even, by being found guilty.With most of the movie taking place in the courtroom and in flashback "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" doesn't have the shock value that you would expect from a Devil/Satanic-like film like "The Exorcist".
Atmospheric and creepy throughout.Jennifer Carpenter puts in a solid performance as the possessed Emily Rose.I am generally not a post 1990's horror film fan but this is one to see.8/10 stars. |
tt0482606 | The Strangers | Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) return to the remote summer vacation home owned by James's parents in the mid-hours of the night following a friend's wedding reception. After an episode between the couple when Kristen turns down a marriage proposal from James, they receive a knock at the front door. When they open the door, there is a young blonde woman standing there with her face partly obsured by a burnt out door light. "Is Tamara home?", she asks. "No, I think you have the wrong house", they tell her. The mysterious woman then walks off into the night. James fixes the door light and then leaves the house to go buy cigarettes and get his mind off of things.Meanwhile, Kristen stays at the house alone. The blonde woman returns, asking for Tamara, but this time Kristen does not open the door; "You already came by here", she tells the woman, who responds with "Are you sure?". The smoke alarm goes off soon after, due to the fireplace being blocked, and Kristen pulls the alarm off the ceiling and it clatters to the floor. Someone begins banging at the door. Kristen, a little unnerved at the entire situation, locks the doors in the house, and calls James asking him to hurry back, when the phone line goes dead. Kristen plugs her cell phone in to charge it, changes into jeans and a flannel shirt, and then picks up a half-smoked cigarette. As she stands in the living room of the house, a man wearing a sack mask emerges from the hallway behind her, and watches her silently as she gets a glass of water. He then disappears.Another barrage of knocks come from the front door, and Kristen sees the smoke alarm, which was previously lying on the floor, sitting neatly on the center of a dining room chair. She hurries to grab her cell phone, but it has been taken off the charger and is nowhere in sight. She hears something hitting the windchimes and making a dragging noise on the back patio, and she slowly, armed with a kitchen knife, walks toward the sliding glass door. She pulls the curtain back, and the man in the mask is standing there, and he slams his hand on the window. She screams in terror, and bumps into the phonograph in the living room, knocking the needle off track, which causes it to begin repeating the same phrase from a country song. Suddenly, the front door opens slightly, and Kristen approaches it. In between the crack of the door someone wearing a doll-like mask peeks her head through. Kristen closes the door, locks it, and hides in the bedroom, yelling for the strangers to go away. Suddenly, the vinyl album stops skipping, and footsteps come down the hallfortunately, it is only James, who is entirely unaware of what is going on.The couple search the house, but find nobody, and James initially believes Kristen to be letting her imagination get to her. The couple see the blonde woman, now wearing a Dollface mask (Gemma Ward), standing in the back yard, staring at the house. James then goes outside to the car to retrieve his cell phone, only to find the car entirely vandalized, and his cell phone stolen. Dollface touches the back of his neck as he is crouched down in the car, and runs off, only to reappear a few feet from the car. He tells her to leave, and Kristen pokes her head outside in concern. James turns to Kristen, and when he turns back around, Dollface has vanished. James returns to the house, and he and Kristen find his cell phone sitting on the piano with its battery removed. James decides it's time to leave.They go outside and attempt to drive away in the car, even with its tires slashed, but a truck pulls up behind them, driven by a different unidentified woman, wearing a mask that resembles a pin up. The Man in the Mask (Kip Weeks) appears in front of the car, and a dark-haired woman wearing a the Pin Up Girl mask (Laura Margolis) rear-ends the car, as James and Kristen scramble back into the house. They find a shotgun and gun shells in the bedroom, along with the word "hello" written all over the bedroom window in red paint by the villains. They approach the front door with the gun, and the Man in the Mask begins to break through the door with an axe. They block the door with the piano, and James attempts to shoot him, but misses. They then hide in a room down the hallway, armed with the gun toward the open doorway.James' friend, Mike (Glenn Howerton), whom he called earlier, arrives at the house, and has a rock thrown through his windshield. He approaches the house, and hears country music playing loudly on the record player. He enters through the back glass door, just as Dollface emerges from the shadows behind him. He sees the house is a complete disaster, and he walks down the hallway as the music continues playing. The Man in the Mask appears behind him, holding up his axe preparing to strike. Just as the music stops, Mike steps in the doorway, and James fires the gun, striking Mike right in the head. He dies instantly, and after a few seconds James and Kristen realize they shot the wrong person. The villains paint "KILLER" on the back door to taunt James, and he heads to the barn outside to use a ham radio for help. He spots Pin Up Girl emerging from the barn, and attempts to shoot at her from down on the ground, but the Man in the Mask runs up behind him at full speed. Kristen soon follows, after she senses the presence of the Man in the Mask in the house. She falls, twists her ankle, and is unknowingly stalked through the front lawn by Pin Up Girl. Once she gets to the barn, she fiddles with the radio, but it is then destroyed by Pin Up Girl.Kristen crawls back to the house, as Dollface sits on the swing set in the backyard and Pin Up Girl stands in front of the barn. Once inside, Kristen cannot find James, and the power goes out. The Man in the Mask then enters the front door, and Kristen hides in a pantry as he lurks around the living room. He leaves, and just as Kristen is about to slip out of the pantry, Dollface appears in the door's slit shutters, and smashes it through. She then pauses, and notices the engagement ring, and Kristen emerges from the pantry, while Dollface taunts her by spinning a butcher knife around on the counter. The Man in the Mask then enters the house, holding a defeated James by his shirt collar. Kristen runs to the bedroom, but the window does not open. The lights come back on, and she creeps back toward the hallway. Upon reaching the doorway, The Man in the Mask rushes toward her, slamming her head into the back wall of the hallway. She falls to the floor and he drags her down the hall. She is initially unconscious but soon begins to claw at the floor and the screen fades to black as she screams.It is then daylight, and each of the strangers loom over Kristen and James, who are now tied to chairs in the living room; Kristen has been dressed back into her white gown. Kristen cries, and asks "Why are you doing this to us?", to which Dollface emotionlessly replies, "Because you were home". Each villain removes their mask, but the camera does not show their faces. The three strangers then take turns stabbing both James and Kristen, and then leave in their pickup truck. As they drive down the road, they stop to talk to two boys delivering religious pamphlets. Dollface gets out of the truck and asks for one, to which one of the boys asks, "Are you a sinner?". "Sometimes", she says, and when the children are out of ear shot, Pin Up Girl says quietly, "It'll be easier next time." The three strangers then drive off.The two boys approach the house, and enter to find a bloody and disastrous scene. James lies on the floor, dead, and Kristen in the hallway having dragged herself a short distance away from the living room, her white gown saturated in blood. One of the boys approaches Kristen's body, and just as he is about to reach toward her, she grabs his arm and screams in terror. | violence, suspenseful, murder, boring, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0113568 | Kôkaku Kidôtai | A police bulletin reports a 208 is in progress in the C13 area of New Port City. A figure studies a night-scope green image of men talking about programming bugs and Project 2501. A voice reports Section 6 is ready to move in. Major Motoko Kusanagi disconnects wires from the back of her neck and stands up, takes off her overcoat. She does a back layout fall from the top of a tall building. A group of armed and helmeted police enter a building. Inside a room four men are surprised that the police have arrived and two draw their weapons and go to the door to start firing. The older man of the group tells the others to stop shooting and as the police storm the room he claims diplomatic immunity.Nakamura, the head of Section 6 enters to say that taking a programmer out of the country is an offense. However, the young programmer has signed a request for asylum. Suddenly a voice speaks out and assaults the foreigner, an invisible attacker rips the man apart. The police fire at the windows, Nakamura goes to a smashed window to see Major Kusanagi falling and becoming invisible as her thermoptic camoflage turns on again.Title sequence begins showing a cyborg female body undergoing a genesis. Major Kusanagi ascends from a pool of liquid. She awakens from sleep in a dark room, looks pensively out the window then gets dressed in a combat suit and leaves her apartment.A VTOL twin-rotor craft lands on the roof of a tall building. The Japanese Foreign Minister leaves the aircraft and begins talking to the waiting Aramaki, the head of Section 9. They discuss a secret meeting with the Gavel Republic planned for the next day. Gavel has a new revolutionary government and the leader of the old ruling junta is seeking asylum in Japan. The Foreign Minister admits he'd like to deport Col. Maless if he had a good political excuse. He also thanks Section 9 for helping with the programmer defection, as this way the diplomatic corps was able to keep their hands clean.In a lab a group of red-suited techs and Major Kusanagi are studying an unconscious woman, trying to access her brain. She is the Foreign Minister's Interpreter, and has been cyber-brain hacked since 23 minutes earlier while on the phone. Aramaki suggests someone called the Puppetmaster is trying to disrupt the talks with Gavel by turning her into an assassin. Batou and Ishikawa are in a car tracing the signal, the Major goes to rendezvous with them.In their van, the Major dresses in armour as Togusa drives, they discuss the Puppetmaster. He is believed to be an American but nothing else is known about him. He has been active around the world conducting cyber terrorism and ghost-hacking people's brains. This is the first time he has appeared in Japan. They consider it may all be disinformation, then the Major chides Togusa for still using an old style handgun, as she loads and locks a large automatic rifle. Togusa is curious on why he was recruited into Section 9, the Major replies it is because he is still mainly human and so can be an unpredictable non-specialized asset on the team.On an inner city street two garbage collectors are at work. One urges the other to hurry up as the partner is busy at a public access computer terminal. The computer user explains a guy in a bar gave him some software so he could ghost hack his estranged wife. As they drive off Batou and Ishikawa arrive in a hurry and realize they just missed their target, yet again. They talk to a local and begin to suspect the garbagemen. Kusanagi plugs into the net and with Section 9 HQ quickly determines the trash route coincides with hacking locations. She takes over driving the van and issues orders to Batou and Ishikawa. The garbagemen are alerted the police are investigating and the hacker husband decides to go to his programmer friend. Togusa and the Major get close. The vehicles arrive together near a man wearing sunglasses at another 'net station. He fires a submachine gun and takes out the Section 9 van. The Major and Togusa scramble out of the wreck as the shooter continues to riddle the van with armour piercing shells. Batou arrives on the scene and the shooter cloaks himself with thermoptic camoflage and tries to escape.Batou notices the blurry camo and fires back. The Major goes to the rooftops to scan. The man enters a crowded street market area. A wild gunfight continues as Batou gives chase. The Major tries also but the man seems to escape and stands in a shallow waterfront. An invisible Major Kusanagi proceeds to kick the man senseless. On questioning Batou and the Major realize the man was also a hacked puppet.Outside a large estate house Aramaki and Section 9 prepare to assault. A helicopter lands on the lawn and a man they believe to be the Puppetmaster disembarks. Further questioning of the garbageman reveals he has been hacked also and given false family memories.Major Kusanagi floats from the depths of the harbour. Batou greets her onboard a boat and asks why she dives. They drink beer and reflect on being high maintenance supercyborgs. The Major speaks briefly in a different voice.In a grimy cityscape the Major rides a water ferry and gazes at the city around her. A sad eyed beagle stares back.On a roadway at night a blonde woman is hit by a car. In the Section 9 lab she is a cyborg wired up and is electro-shocked. She had been built two hours earlier at Megatech and escaped. The body has no organic brain but does have semblance of a ghost. The Major decides to dive into the brain to investigate and pauses to reflect on her own existence.Nakamura from Section 6 Treaties Section of the MFA arrives with an associate. Nakamura shows a card signed by the Foreign Minister and demands the cyborg body. In the parking garage Togusa is suspicious and checks the video of the Section 6 arrival. He reports the men may have come in with thermoptic camoflaged cyborgs.In the lab Aramaki and Nakamura view the partially dissembled torso of the mystery cyborg. The other Section 6 man, Dr. Willis, starts keyboarding and confirms the the cyborg is the Puppetmaster. Section 6 has also been chasing him and they lured him into the cyborg body. The torso comes alive and states it's name is Project 2501, a self aware computer program and requests political asylum.The camoflaged Section 6 cyborgs attack and grab the torso. Before driving away Togusa manages to hit the car with a tracking device bullet. Aramaki authorizes Section 9 to retake Project 2501, but to destroy it if they can't recover it. Meanwhile Ishikawa reports on his investigation. Dr. Willis and the defecting programmer from earlier developed Project 2501 for Japanese Foreign Ministry diplomatic dirty tricks, but somehow they lost control of it. Section 6 is trying to cover it all up.Out in the city Batou realizes there is a decoy car, The cars split up. The one Batou is chasing hits a roadblock and the two men inside are killed by sniper fire. Kusanagi in a helicopter overlooks the other car. She rappels down with her warbag then realizes the car is protected by a large cloaked walking tank. The Major loads up with heavy ammo as Batou rushes to help. After a hot and heavy firefight The Major gets on top of the tank and tries to lift the hatch. Her arms tear off and the tank grappels her head and shakes her like a doll. Batou arrives with an anti-tank weapon and takes out the armoured vehicle. He takes the Project 2501 torso from the car and places it beside the wounded Motoko. In the skies above two Section 6 helos observe and prepare. Batou wires up the Major to the torso.Project 2501 speaks through the Major and explains himself. He states he learned of Section 9 on the 'net and planned this joining up. Project 2501 wants to experience real life and death and proposes a merger with the Major. Batou is unable to disconnect the wires as the Section 6 targeting lasers rove over the female bodies. Section 6 is hacked to give the merger more time. As the Major sees the light the blond torso is destroyed with a headshot. Batou manages to partially cover the Major's face with his arm as another Section 6 shot seems to destroy Kusanagi.In an apartment a young girl with blank eyes sits in a armchair. The girl stirs and is greeted by Batou, it is Kusanagi in the only body Batou could find. 20 hours have passed since the shooting, the Foreign Minister has resigned but the incident will be covered up. The girl gets up to leave and tells Batou she is neither the Puppetmaster nor Major Kusanagi, rather a new being. The newborn states "the 'net is vast and infinite" as she leaves the safe house. | neo noir, murder, cult, violence, alternate reality, psychedelic, philosophical, suspenseful, sci-fi | train | imdb | null |
tt0046359 | Stalag 17 | Captured Americans coping with life in a German POW camp in World War II are puzzled by the simplicity with which the Germans are able to stave off escape attempts, shooting those who try. Sefton (William Holden) is a POW who has profitably wagered with his fellow American prisoners that these escapes would fail.The POWs fear there may be an informer in their midst, but who is it? As it becomes clearer and clearer to his fellow inmates that Sefton has considerable contact with his German captors, his fellow POWs mistakenly conclude that he is the informer and they turn on him, including physically beating him and helping themselves to some of his belongings.Sefton understands in full that to clear his name, he must determine the identity of the real informer, and he is, eventually, able to work out that Price (Peter Graves), whose English is impeccable, is a German informant masquerading as an American POW. Written messages, Sefton discovers, are being smuggled by Price to the Germans through a hollow chess piece on the chessboard in the barracks, wth phony air raid drills staged to enable the Germans to retrieve these messages undetected.Now realizing that Price has figured prominently in the death of the Americans that have attempted escape, Sefton plots revenge, and, after exposing Price's true identity to his fellow POWs, he maneuvers to force Price to make an unauthorized exit from the barracks. To the guards manning the tower, Price's exit looks like an American escape attempt, and they shoot him, much to the dismay of Stalag Commandant Von Scherbach (Otto Preminger).The diversion created by the shooting incident gives Sefton a chance to escape, and he takes with him a brave lieutenant (Don Taylor) who has recently been captured. Because of the measures of success against the Germans he had gained prior to his capture, the lieutenant is a marked man, but he and Sefton are successful in their escape attempt.The elimination of the German informer and the first successful escape by American POWs lift the spirits of the other POWs.================================A few days before Christmas, 1944, at the German prisoner-of-war camp, Stalag 17, two American POWs, Manfredi and Johnson, inmates of Barracks 4, are preparing an escape. The story's narrator, Cookie, one of the prisoners, suggests that there may be a traitor among the men of Barracks 4.The men have secretly been digging a tunnel from their latrine to a point just beyond the barbed-wire fence that marks the perimeter of the camp. After going over their plan to sneak into Switzerland, Manfredi and Johnson get out of the barracks through a trap door hidden under the wood-burning stove and sneak into the latrine. They crawl through the tunnel and begin digging to the surface beyond the barbed wire fence.Inside the barracks, the men speculate as to how long it will take their comrades to emerge beyond the fence. They begin to predict that the escapees will make it all the way when one of them, a shrewd man named Sefton, wagers two packs of cigarettes that the men won't even make it out of the nearby forest. The other men, most of whom dislike Sefton, wager against him.Outside, Manfredi and Johnson dig to the surface and are about leave when they are spotted by a small German squad outside the fence, who open fire, killing them both. Inside the barracks, the remaining prisoners, including Sefton, are disheartened, knowing their buddies could not possibly have escaped. The hot-headed Duke demands an explanation from the barracks' security officer, Price. Price says he doesn't have an answer. Meanwhile, Sefton and Cookie quietly gather up the cigarettes that Sefton has won in the bet and store them in a footlocker Sefton keeps under his bed.The next morning the entire camp is awakened for roll call. Barracks 4 is overseen by Sergeant Schultz, a jolly man whom the men have absolutely no trust for. In the camp's muster grounds, the men are addressed by the camp commandant, Oberst von Scherbach. Scherbach tells the men that his guards successfully prevented the escape from night before and that no man has ever escaped from his camp alive. He also has the corpses of Manfredi and Johnson lying in the mud and uncovered for all the men to see. The Barracks 4 chief, Hoffy, protests the treatment of the bodies and demands they have a proper burial. Von Scherbach agrees to do so. Von Scherbach goes on, saying that being caught outside the barracks after lights out means summary execution. Also, the stove in Barracks 4 will be removed so it cannot be used to camouflage the trap door the men cut in the floor.Von Scherbach also announces that each barracks will be given a small Christmas tree and that all the prisoners will go through delousing. One of the prisoners, the shellshocked Joey, begins to play his ocarina, which is gently taken away by another prisoner, Stanislaus "Animal" Kazawa. While the commandant talks and uses a mocking tone, Animal throws the ocarina at the water in front of the commandant, splashing his highly polished boots with mud. The Commandant demands the guilty man step forward. Animal does and is followed moments later by several other men. Eventually, the entire prisoner population steps forward, covering for Animal. The Commandant, temporarily flustered, cancels the Christmas trees and tells the men they'll be deloused with cold water from the camp's fire hoses. The men are dismissed.After the men have the opportunity to clean up in their latrines, and following a small incident where Animal is nearly shot for crossing the barbed-wire of the camp while lusting after Russian female prisoners, the men go back to their barracks for breakfast. Sefton fries himself an egg in front of the other prisoners and when questioned about how he paid for it, he tells them that he bartered for it using the cigarettes he'd won the night before. The other men are quite angry that Sefton would use cigarettes he'd gotten as a result of the deaths of their comrades, however, Sefton counters, saying that many other prisoners trade with the Germans and that life in the camp is such that thievery is common. One of the other prisoners, Duke, who has a short temper, tells Sefton that collusion with the Germans could get him hurt or killed and small fight breaks out. Hoffy promptly breaks it up and Sefton, claiming he has indigestion, gives the fried egg to Joey. Price, the barracks security officer, asks Sefton how he could be so sure that Manfredi and Johnson wouldn't make it to freedom. Sefton says he didn't know for sure but he "liked the odds" of the situation. Sefton also angrily tells his comrades that they're wasting their time and risking their lives unnecessarily by trying to escape. Sefton plans to ride out the war as a prisoner and stay alive.The barracks of the camp share a ham radio that they keep hidden and use to listen to the BBC and other communications about the war. The radio is smuggled throughout the compound by Marko and his partner, Steve, who is on crutches having lost a leg in combat. They use his empty pantleg to hide various items, including the radio. When the radio is brought to Hoffy and Barracks 4, Marko tells them they can have it only for two days; the traitor in their barracks is known to the rest of the camp and the other barracks chiefs fear the radio will be discovered. The men set up the radio immediately, using a few yards of chicken wire as the antenna, which doubles as their volleyball net. One of the prisoners, Blondie, is a radio expert and begins to report about military actions in Europe; the news he picks up is about the famous Battle of the Bulge. Just then, Schultz arrives to seize the barracks stove and the radio is cleverly hidden in a pail of water. Hoffy and Duke try to grill Schultz about the barracks spy but Schultz refuses to tell them anything. Schultz also notices that a signal from the spy has been left for him; a loop has been tied in the cord for one of the bare light bulbs hanging from the rafters. After he barks orders for the men to leave, he goes to the chess board and takes the black queen. Pulling off the crown, he sees a small note rolled up and hidden inside. He exchanges the queen for an identical piece, pulls the loop out of the cord and walks out.While the men uncover the escape tunnel they dug, they notice a horse-drawn cart going by with the coffins of Manfredi and Johnson. The men all remove their hats in respect. Cookie narrates for a while about Sefton himself who, despite the poor conditions of the camp, has built a substantial entrepreneurship for himself based mostly on the trading of cigarettes. Sefton has several successful businesses at his disposal including distilling schnapps from potato peels, horse races (he uses mice that run around a small track), and a telescope that the men use to peek into the delousing shack in the Russian compound where female prisoners are disinfected. Hoffy, Price and Duke are not pleased with Sefton's ventures, fearing that the Germans will find out and punish them more harshly than ever.A new prisoner arrives; Lieutenant James Dunbar, who is being housed at 17 until the Germans ship him to the officers camp. Dunbar is greeted warmheartedly by the rest of the barracks. However, there is instant friction between him and Sefton. Sefton tells everyone that Dunbar is from a wealthy family and should be pampered during his stay. Dunbar lets the first few comments go but tells Sefton that he can resent his family's wealth but he should tread cautiously. Sefton tells Dunbar that his family fortune won't protect him in the camp. Sefton leaves the barracks, to an unknown destination.The rest of the men ask Dunbar about how he was captured & brought to the camp. He was shot down on a bombardment mission and had been on his feet for three days without any sleep. He'd have been brought to Stalag 17 earlier but there was a major delay coming out of Frankfurt: a German munitions train was destroyed just outside the city and snarled much of the Reichsbahn transport for miles around. The sergeant that accompanied Dunbar, Bagradian, tells everyone that it was Dunbar himself that blew up the train. Dunbar is modest about the incident but tells everyone that he'd rigged a simple time bomb and tossed it aboard the train as it was leaving the station.Schultz shows up unexpectedly and confiscates the radio, playing coy for a bit before revealing it's hiding place in the bucket. After he leaves, the men turn on Cookie, demanding to know where Sefton has been for the past few hours. With Hoffy's permission, Animal breaks into Sefton's footlocker & discovers a wealth of contraband that Sefton's been hoarding. Duke suddenly appears and tells them that he knows where Sefton disappeared to: he's been over at the Russian women's barracks partying with them. In a fury, Hoffy smashes Sefton's prized telescope.When Sefton returns, he finds the men staring angrily at him and that his footlockers have been broken into. Hoffy and the rest of the men suggest that he's the German spy they've been unable to identify. The Commandant suddenly makes an appearance and arrests Dunbar for suspicion of sabotaging the train that was destroyed near Frankfurt. Dunbar is taken into custody and the men become angrier with Sefton, immediately suspecting him. They turn on him and he is brutally beaten.The next morning the men are rousted out by Schultz. Sefton is unable to get out of bed and Schultz notices that he's been severely beaten. Sefton tries to bribe Schultz into revealing the identity of the traitor but is rebuffed. When the other prisoners walk in on them, they're belief in Sefton as the traitor is reinforced. Hoffy tells Sefton that he tried to get Sefton transferred to another barracks but couldn't. Sefton tells everyone that he'll find out who the traitor is.On Christmas Eve the Geneva agent inspects the camp and brings Red Cross supplies for the men. A mistaken shipment leaves the men with a large supply of ping-pong balls. That night the men celebrate with a small tree they decorate with their dog tags. The solemnity of the evening is ruined when the camp lights go out & Schultz tells them all to evacuate and take refuge in the trenches used in case of bombings. Schultz waits until everyone leaves and begins talking to Price, who is the traitor. He shows Schultz how Dunbar sabotaged the train using nothing more than a book of matches and a lit cigarette. After they leave, Sefton steps out from a hiding spot, having heard the whole conversation.On Christmas Day the men throw a party in their barracks with music and much of the liquor and wine that Sefton had been hoarding. Sefton talks to a suspicious Cookie about the traitor in their midst. Sefton talks about the potential consequences of revealing the traitor to the others & what punishment they'd face if they killed the man outright. Sefton suggests that a well-constructed plan to rid themselves of the traitor and appear blameless is needed.Hoffy shows up and announces that the SS has arrived to take Dunbar into custody -- his method for destroying the ammo train has been uncovered. Hoffy tells the men that they've come up with a plan to rescue Dunbar from the SS. All the men from the other barracks will disperse outside and help with a diversion. Sefton seizes the opportunity to demand that he stay in the barracks & be guarded by someone they trust -- Sefton suggests Price.Outside, the men have Steve drop a smudge pot crafted from ground ping-pong balls from his empty pantleg onto the ground near the SS agents car. When the cover from it is thick enough, a small group of the men rush the SS guards and grab Dunbar, hiding him. The commandant is furious and runs checks of every man against their records. The barracks are searched and the prisoners are forced to stand in the appelplatz for six straight hours, however Dunbar is never found. It is later revealed that Dunbar is hiding out in one of the water towers above one of the latrines.That night Hoffy calls a meeting where they'll draw the name of the man who will get Dunbar out of the water tower and out of the camp through the barbed wire. When the name is drawn, Price takes the tag and says he'll go. He figures that his work as barracks security chief has been less than adequate and he'd like to make it up to the men. Another trap door is cut in the floor and as he prepares to leave, Sefton steps forward and announces another wager that Dunbar will never make it out of the camp. The men are instantly furious with him but he slowly begins to reveal Price as the traitor. Price slips up during interrogation, proving that he'd left the United States and had gone back to Germany when the war broke out. He tries to escape through the trap door but is easily caught and subdued. Sefton then tells everyone that he'll be the man to get Dunbar out -- he likes the odds because now they can use Price as a decoy. They'll throw him out the door with cans tied to his leg and he'll be fired upon by the Germans in the guard towers.Sefton slips down through the trapdoor, bidding everyone farewell and sneaks over to the latrine. He gets a freezing Dunbar down from the water tank and waits for the signal from his comrades. When Price is thrown out into the appelplatz he draws fire from all the towers, despite his cries for help in German. As he desperately tries to approach the commandant's offices, he's gunned down. At the edge of the camp, Sefton cuts through the wire fence and he and Dunbar escape into the woods. In the appelplatz, the commandant and Schultz first smile at the corpse lying the mud but are quickly chagrined to find that it's not Dunbar, but Price. In the barracks, the men reflect on how well Sefton's plan worked. The Animal suggests that Sefton merely wanted to steal their wirecutters. Cookie happily begins whistling the theme of the Army Air Force. | comedy | train | imdb | null |
tt0051201 | Witness for the Prosecution | A few years after War War II, in London, Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), is accused of murdering a rich widow, Emily French (Norma Varden), who has bequeathed him a substantial sum of money.Sir Wilfred Robarts (Charles Laughton), a skilled lawyer who has recently been ill, is asked to defend Vole. Sir Wilfred's doctor has instructed him to avoid excitement. After his hand-picked replacement barrister expresses doubt over Vole's innocence, Sir Wilfred decides to handle the case himself, despite protests from his nurse (Elsa Lanchester) and doctor.After a conversation with Mrs. Christine Vole (Marlene Dietrich), Sir Wilfred decides not to call on her to testify in defense of her husband.In the courtroom, Christine Vole surprisingly appears as a Witness for the Prosecution. A parade of circumstantial evidence points to murder. Christine's testimony does not provide an alibi for her husband.All seems lost as the defense concludes its case. But a late night phone call reveals new evidence that Christine wrote letters to her lover about denying her husband an alibi. This evidence changes the jury's opinion and Leonard is acquitted. However, Sir Wilfred suspects something is amiss with this sudden reversal and dramatic evidence.All is revealed in the last dramatic court scene, as Christine admits to deliberately sabotaging her own testimony with the letters, to get her guilty husband freed. But in the penultimate twist, Leonard shows his true stripes and reveals his intention to leave his "wife" for a younger woman. Christine seizes a letter opener and, in full view of Sir Wilfred, his nurse (Miss Plimsoll), and the other woman, stabs Leonard, killing him. Miss Plimsoll cancels Sir Wilfred's trip to Bermuda and Sir Wilfred announces he will defend Christine Vole in her trial for murder. | dramatic, mystery, murder | train | imdb | I can't praise Witness for the Prosecution any higher than that.Tyrone Power in his farewell film plays Leonard Vole who befriends a dotty old widow played by Norma Varden.
Laughton also has to deal with the efforts of his assigned nurse Elsa Lanchester to keep him following doctor's advice.The original play this was taken from concentrated completely on the Power character and the machinations of his wife.
Compared to films like this one, "legal" movies from John Grisham's novels are empty and meaningless, without soul.Mr.Wilder is the director, we know; we have Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich: what a cast!
There is no way that would be tolerated, at least today.Otherwise, it's a pretty solid film with a good cast that includes two fascinating characters played by actors who know how to entertain: Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich.
Laughton, who plays Power's defense attorney, grabs the spotlight in the story but Dietrich almost steals the movie in her role as Power's wife.
She, too, demonstrates her comedic talent and significantly adds to the fun of watching this film.If you like some fine drama, storyline twists, a little humor thrown in and great acting and dialog, this is a classic film to check out..
Starring the terrific talents of Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, and particularly Marlene Dietrich, directed by Billy Wilder, and based on the superb short story by Agatha Christie, it is a combination has all of the very best ingredients, and delivers a nearly outstanding film.The movie centers around Laughton's character, an aged, feisty, and very canny English barrister (lawyer) who is in poor health and headed toward retirement.
Charles Laughton is absolutely superb, and Elsa Lanchester is a perfect foil.Agatha Christie's story has more twists and turns than a roller coaster and this provides a strong foundation for the movie.
The film followed the basic story of Agatha Christie's play, but director and co-screenwriter Billy Wilder opened up the story by including numerous scenes that did not take place solely in the courtroom, as the play had, and changed the emphasis from "Leonard Vole" to "Sir Wilfrid Robarts¨.
Witness for the Prosecution is one of the most entertaining courtroom stories of all time, written by the crime mistress herself, Agatha Christie.
I would really have loved to be overwhelmed by the climax of this film- version, especially because Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power give away such fabulous performances.
The story, with its fascinating characters and dazzling plot twists, does remain the movie's biggest strongpoint, but there are a number of more reasons why "Witness for the Prosecution" is righteously considered as one of the most massive milestones in cinematic history.
Plus, having top actors on the top of their game (such as Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power and Marlena Dietrich) made this such a great film.
She just commands the screen and that wonderful German accent is spellbinding.Tyrone Power is a powerhouse but I found that he somewhat over-acted just a tad for my liking; however, this does not deter the quality of the entire movie.This is a terrific movie with a great little twist at the end, so stay with it right to the very end!.
Top barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts takes up the defendants case, but he, along with everyone else, is stunned when Vole's seemingly loving wife Christine turns up to testify against the defendant.Based on Agatha Christie's successful 1953 play, Witness For The Prosecution benefited from fine tuning from master director Billy Wilder and writing partner Harry Kurnitz.
The film plays out with no wasted scenes, no moments of boredom, and it has such vim and vigour you sometimes forget that there actually is drama in the story.The cast here are wonderful, Wilder had wanted to work with Charles Laughton for some time, and it's obvious that both parties here are getting the best out of each other.
Yet as good as they all are, they all sit in the shadow of Marlene Dietrich and her turn as Christine Vole, wonderfully sultry and femme fatalistic, it's a sizzling performance that crowns this delightful film.It occurred to me overnight that it's probably the closest film that Wilder got to being Hitchcockian, and I'm pretty sure the big master of suspense himself would have enjoyed this one.
One particular masterpiece from the latter was the 1957 courtroom drama Witness for the Prosecution.When a young man (Tyrone Power) shadily becomes the beneficiary of a recently murdered wealthy widow, he must testify to his innocence with the help of a master barrister (Charles Laughton) recovering from a heart attack.
He makes the trial process an enthralling, entertaining experience that seems to never have a dull moment.It is character-driven, stimulating films like Witness for the Prosecution that remind me of just how great courtroom dramas have the potential to be.
When the efficient but bitter and stubborn barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) returns to his office in London recovering from a heart attack, he is invited to defend Leonard Stephen Vole (Tyrone Power), who is the prime suspect in a murder case.
"Witness for the Prosecution" is another remarkable movie of Billy Wilder and one of the best about trial.
Summarizing, this Agatha Cristie courtroom drama gives us profound acting performances and delivers us a story with tremendously suspenseful cinematography and one of the best twist endings I've seen.
Hollywood legend Tyrone Power, in his final completed film role, plays Leonard Vole, accused of the murder of a lonely rich middle aged woman, Mrs. Emily Jane French (Norma Varden).
Taking his case is the irascible, witty barrister Sir Wilfrid Roberts (Charles Laughton, in a delicious, Oscar nominated performance), who's recovering from a heart attack.This viewer shouldn't relay too much about the plot, but, as adapted from Agatha Christies' play, it's riveting stuff.
"Witness for the Prosecution" is often throwing surprises at the audience, and while more savvy folk may be able to predict a fair deal, the ways in which characters and viewers alike are manipulated is nothing short of masterful.There's a great deal of humor to be found in the relationship between Sir Wilfrid and his nursemaid Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester, a.k.a. Mrs. Laughton).
But the film is very entertaining, it features great performance by Charles Laughton and fun to watch performances by Marlene Dietrich ("Damn You!" - what an acting!
This Billy Wilder-directed adaptation of Agatha's Christie's Witness For the Prosecution features Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton, and these three leads could easily have appeared in a 1937 version, except that Christie hadn't written it yet, and so this film is from 1957.
Fortunately for him, a first rate lawyer has agreed to take his case, and all kinds of complications ensue till the surprise ending, in which everything comes together, but not as the first time viewer might have expected.There's a lot of good and bad in the film.
The good is a tight script; and a a bravura performance from Laughton as the lawyer (okay, barrister) with health problems; Laughton's real life wife, Elsa Lanchester, as his nurse, is delightful; Tyrone Power, as the accused, is nicely enigmatic and ambiguous; Marlene Dietrich, as Power's neglected war bride wife brings her own special brand of charisma to her role; while John Williams, Una O'Connor, Henry Daniell and Ian Wolfe are all splendid in supporting parts.
Dietrich seems to be working extra hard and actually convinces me that she is or could be Power's wife.Overall, Witness For the Prosecution feels like a "leisure movie" for its director.
It was as though someone in the production staff decided they had to save Charles Laughton's (who gave a grand performance as the lead defense English barrister, Sir Wilford Robarts) reputation, so that he did'nt come off looking as though he had been duped by the main characters involved in the murder he was defending.
So at the end, when the wife (Marlene Dietrich) saves the murderer (Tyrone Power) from the gallows, they had to quickly concoct a scene to avenge the wicked and scandalous trick that had been played on the defense team, the law, and the true hand of justice.
I think people miss the point and Power is actually precisely what he needs to be as Leonard Vole)The film is a masterpiece of direction, of writing and acting.Perhaps a little dated in style but breathtaking in its mix of drama, comedy and thriller.BUT for me above all else it is the acting not only of the principals but the whole cast (even the lovely Norma Varden as the victim is a delight) that brings me back to watch this film again and again..
The combination of Agatha Christie's play, Billy Wilder's fluid direction, and superlative performances by Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and Tyrone Power combine to make this film quite extraordinary, if outré.
Charles Laughton is absolutely superb; he has the best lines and scenes and he brings the wit, intelligence, and the heart to the film.
That is thanks to two elements first, Billy Wilder's (Some Like It Hot, Sunset Blvd., The Seven Year Itch) masterful direction, and an ensemble of fantastic actors, all of whom bring their characters to life; Charles Laughton is beyond brilliant as the aging, ailing, wily solicitor, and Tyrone Power is electrifying and fascinating as his client.
Most of all the diva Marlene Dietrich grants a truly show-stopping performance, and steals the show from the rest of the cast proving just how great she really was.By far the greatest trial drama ever made, and one of the greatest murder mysteries, it took the combined talents of Christie, Wilder and the fantastic cast to create such amazing drama in the courtroom alone; Witness for the Prosecution is basically an ensemble piece that is no more than a theater production, but Wilder uses the full powers that he has at his disposal as a film director close-ups, music, cinematography, lighting to their full potential; and thus once again it is proved that he is one of the most underrated directors in history.
Even if you're not too keen on courtroom dramas, you should take a look at this one.Marlene Dietrich gives a surprisingly impressive performance as the seemingly deceitful wife of the defendant, played by Tyrone Power, who is effectively sympathetic in his role.
It was given the all star treatment - directed by Billy Wilder, starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, and Elsa Lanchester.
Power hands in an excellent performance, his last, and he's especially enjoyable in his flashback scene with Dietrich (who during the filming kept bringing him gifts while Charles Laughton leered at him - I'd say he still had it big time).
The film was greatly helped by the direction of Billy Wilder who was able to achieve great performances all around from his cast.Of course, this film belongs to Charles Laughton's brilliant performance as the barrister, Sir Wilfred Robarts.
Charles Laughton (surely one of the finest actors who has ever lived) put on an absolutely superb performance in this movie as the aging and well known defense attorney Wilfrid Robarts, who is hired to defend a man accused of murdering an elderly widow he had befriended in order to gain her estate.
Laughton manages to combine comedy (he's at times very funny, particularly in his exchanges with his nurse, played by Elsa Lanchester) with great drama and he does it seamlessly; everything about this movie flows absolutely perfectly.
Billy Wilder, assisted by a tremendous cast of actors, does a brilliant job of adapting and filming a classic Agatha Christie story in "Witness For the Prosecution".
All of these additions fit in perfectly with the original idea, and even a literary purist should find the film version to be a worthy tribute to the great mystery author and her conception.Most of the movie is driven by the battle of wills and wits between Christine Vole (Marlene Dietrich), whose husband is accused of murder, and Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton), who is defending the husband.
A wonderful and flawless script with a twist-reversal at the end that pretty much set the bar a dozen other movies since which have shamelessly copied it.And one of the most extraordinary performances ever put on film from an actress who strictly speaking did very few English movies, making this a rare treat.Marlene Dietrich at the peak of her star power, steals every frame she is in, projects a character so powerful (for a woman) that it is hard even today to find the equivalent combination of poise and strength and femininity.There is a specific scene in the film - a bonus if you like -- in which Dietrich plays a second role right in front of the audience and even if you watch the film many times you will still have trouble believing it is her, so astonishing is the acting.One of those films, if you were lost on a deserted island and could only pick a handful of DVDs, this is one of the keepers..
I started watching this movie with very least interest since besides being quite old and black and white,it is expected to be quite slow.At least that was on my mind,but with every next scene movie goes on impressing me thanks to the humor added Charles Laughton as an old lawyer.Witness for the prosecution is based on Agatha Christie novel.I previously encountered with another movie on Agatha Christie novel "Murder in Orient Express",and I wasn't quite impressed with that so expectations were low.But at the end I loved this movie because it gives you a big surprise in the end The movie deals with a man on the trial of murder.Its hard to imagine such movie in 50's because it seems so fresh today also.Watch it out guys,it's something special !!!.
The movies shows the star power of its cast from the starring to the smallest supporting role with great direction from Billy Wilder.
Even though one has a 60 year advantage over the other, Witness for the Prosecution was an incredibly better movie.I really love it when a film gets me so caught up that I feel at the same time worried and excited about what it's happening.
The best thing about the film is not the witty dialogues or the amazing character development or the brilliant Charles Laughton, it's the ending.
I have never seen a Billy Wilder movie that I didn't like, and to say that "Witness for the Prosecution" is another example of his masterpieces does not do it justice (pun not intended).
In the movie, American Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power, who died shortly after they finished filming) is accused of murdering a woman in England.
Some of the repartee between the leading lawyer, played by Charles Laughton, and his nurse, played by Elsa Lanchester, is especially funny when you know they were married at the time.The other great actress here of course is Marlene Dietrich, who is cold and clever and virtuosic.
Sir Wilfrid gave them that idea by bringing up how unrealistic and dangerous it would be to Vole's chances of being found innocent with his wife testifying in his favor which in effect, by some strange and convoluted reason, lead her to testify against him!The surprise witness who engineered the mind boggling ending of the movie and convinced the jury and everyone else in the courtroom of Vole's obvious innocence in Mrs. Frenchs murder was not the biggest surprise in the film.
It's no surprise that Billy Wilder, the man who gave us the ghoulishly funny "Sunset Boulevard," would be drawn to this macabre but witty Agatha Christie play."Witness for the Prosecution" is very minor Wilder, and would probably go unremembered today if not for the wonderful performances of husband and wife team Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester.
Agatha Christie's courtroom piece is given some life by the excellent performances of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester, as the grouchy lawyer and her crotchety nurse.
With absolutely fantastic character development, incredibly smart and unpredictable screenplay, simply wonderful humor and greatly executed trial sequences, Witness for the Prosecution is an amazing film from start to finish with a plethora of phenomenal characters wonderfully realized, fascinating finale with a superb twist and a bunch of powerhouse performances, of which Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich are the best in one of their finest roles.
Tyrone Powers is great, as well as Marlene Dietrich, but Charles Laughton shines!!!
Apart from being a GREAT courtroom drama(which some people don't think this movie is), this movie is so much FUN and ENTERTAINING to watch.Especially because of the characters of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester.
But Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich were convincing too in their portrayal of an innocent, afraid for his life man and a disloyal, unloving, poker faced wife respectively.Some people might say that they predicted the ending half way down the movie but i am not quite sure as to how the predicted the ACTUAL ENDING before it really unfolded before their eyes?This movie is great not only in the part played in court but also in the scenes shot in Sir Wilfrid Robarts's office(also due to Miss Plimsoll's caringly lovably irritating character!).Perhaps the people(the minority I'd like to believe) who don't think this movie deserves the high ranking and rating that it's got here saw this brilliant piece of art as more of a suspense thriller.But I loved this movie as a delightfully ENTERTAINING, MYSTERIOUS, DRAMA !I rate this 10 just because I haven't seen any other CLASSIC courtroom drama that was intense throughout(barring some light hearted scenes with Sir Wilfrid Robarts) and yet in the end I somehow felt light-hearted and had a smile on my face rather than a thought provoking look on it.The commentary in the ending credits was innocently adorable for our times of social networking "The management of this theater suggests that for the greater entertainment of your friends who have not yet seen the picture you will not divulge to anyone the secret of the ending of Witness for the Prosecution!And mind you I am a big fan of 12 Angry Men and How to Kill a Mockingbird!
Witness For The Prosecution (1957) is wonderful due to skilled stage actors, especially Charles Laughton, allowed to "do their thing.""Their thing" isn't seen any more in the present age (2009) because stage plays have almost disappeared and are only a memory supported by a great film like this, and that's a shame.
Strong performances by Charles Laughton, the barrister staunchly defending the innocent and charming Tyrone Power, so frequently the hero in his films, contrast with Marlene Dietrich's despicable role as his cold-hearted and faithless spouse. |
tt1188113 | Peacock | Peacock (2010) Synopsis:The film begins with lots of different voices and noises, shouting and people not saying very nice things. This is the voice of Johns mother throughout his childhood. Theres a massive storm and Emma Skillpa (Cillian Murphy) quickly takes down some of her washing off of the line and rushes in the house holding the basket. She quickly opens the door to collect the paper on the doorstep. She leaves dinner set out on the table and places the slippers in the same position. She peers out the window and keeps looking at the time. She moves the stool and walks up the stairs to the bedroom where she takes her wig off and gets undressed.John Skillpa (Cillian Murphy) sits reading the paper and collects his lunch from the table and walks over to his bike. He collects a treat from the hidden box under the stairs and cycles off to work in the Peacock State Bank. Once in his office, Mr. French (Bill Pullman) comes in to give him a pile of work and his pay slip.After work John stops by the river and chucks things around, he is emptying the contents of a bag he is holding, when he comes across a hand written note from Emma, which he looks down at, and smiles. He jumps onto the tire swing and sways looking up at the trees. On the way home, he stops by at the shop and bumps into Louise (Eden Bodnar) who invites him over for dinner as she says he must get lonely in his house. John returns home with the shopping, gets his dinner out of the fridge, which is accompanied by a handwritten note, which makes him laugh a little and soon after goes up to bed.The next morning, we hear the loud noises of the train nearby, Emma is taking down the washing in the garden, when all of a sudden the train comes crashing through the fence and Emma is unconscious for a short while. When she wakes up, lots of people are gathered around her and Louise questions who she is and how she knows John. Emma does not know how to respond, so walks away quickly muttering that she lives here. Emma enters the house and closes the door immediately and stands there taking deep breaths. Emma looks at the clock, ensures the curtains, blinds and doors are shut and that the food is on the table ready for when John arrives.John comes down into the living room and hears a lot of noise outside, he opens the door and is shocked at the state of the incident, which took place several feet away from his house. Louise asks if his lady friend is ok and he does not know how to answer this either and leaves the situation by giving an excuse that his breakfast is getting cold, so that he could go back inside. Next to Johns breakfast is a note reading Go straight to work. Dont talk to strangers! John walks over to see that his lunch has not been made, goes outside and jumps on his bike to cycle to work.On his way to work, he cycles along and Officer Tom McGonigle (Josh Lucas) stops to talk to John, he says that he needs to go to work and cycles off in a hurry. When at work, lots of people kept asking him about the train incident, his boss came into his office and said he could have the day off, but he decides to stay until lunch as he has lots of work to do. When he cycles home, the officer is in the garden and mentions how John acted like he did not know him when he passed him on the street earlier on. The officer also mentioned that when he knocked on the door to check if the lady was ok, nobody answered and people in the town said that it was Johns wife.The officer talks about how he told John what to do with the house and everything when his mum died. John wants the train gone as soon as possible as it is bringing everyone in the community to his house and they are all asking questions. John is quite worried about this because, he'll need to create some kind of cover story about Emma.Emma hears something at the door, so opens the door slowly and peers out. It's the neighbors Connor Black (Graham Beckel) a senior political advisor and Fanny Crill (Susan Sarandon), they are holding a newspaper. A bird flies in and the neighbors rush in to try and get it out again. Emma asks them to get out the house very quietly, but in a polite way. They are hoping to speak to Mr. Skillpa, as they want to discuss how John would feel if they used the train as a backdrop for a rally in the backyard, as the train was part of a campaign they were running. Connor talks to Emma about how he needs her and John's help for this, Fanny shows Emma the newspaper and there is a photograph of Emma on the front page, Emma does not really know how to react. Emma asks Fanny how she and Connor know John, Fanny's husband owns the bank where John works. Fanny sits down and takes her shoes off, while Connor is outside smoking his cigarette. Fanny runs the county shelter for women and she wants to use the rally for a photo shoot with the women from her shelter. Emma says to Fanny that she needs to go upstairs and Fanny gets up walking towards her as she wants Emma to say yes to let them use the train for the photo shoot. Emma stands upstairs looking out the window and looks over to John's clothes laid out on the bed.Emma comes down with some lemonade and cookies for Connor and Fanny who are standing out in the garden. After they leave, Emma goes back into the house and the phone is ringing. Emma answers the phone and it is Mr. French asking for John because he has not shown up to work yet. Emma rushes upstairs, gets changed. John cycles to work to find Mr. French, Connor and Fanny in his office. Ray Crill (Keith Carridine) holds up the newspaper and Fanny talks about how she loved meeting his wife Emma. John reacts as if he does not know anything and Connor talks about the political rally they want to hold in the back garden. Fanny tells John how Emma seemed very happy to hold the rally there; John raises his voice and shouts at Fanny. Mr. Crill stands up and is angry at how John spoke to his wife Fanny. John is very frustrated at the moment because he just wants the train gone and life to how it was before the train incident.Fanny and Connor leave the office and Ray sits down to talk to John so he can try and persuade him to say yes to the political rally. John cycles to the river to sit on the rock next to the tire swing. When John gets home, just before he steps in his door, Maggie (Ellen Page) with her son Jake (Flynn Milligan) calls him and starts talking to him. Jake runs into the house and they both follow. Maggie tells John that they are planning on leaving the town and how they need some help with money. John is unsure why Maggie is asking him and she tells him that his mother used to send her money. John has to break the news to Maggie that she died a year ago. John feels sorry for Maggie and wants to help her; John tells Maggie that he has his own money and walks upstairs. Maggie and Jake sit down on the sofa and Emma comes down the stairs.Emma introduces herself as John's wife to Maggie and Jake, they say goodnight and then leave the house. Emma comes outside and asks Maggie where her car is; she says she borrowed it to a friend and is walking, but Emma guesses correctly that she doesn't have a car so decides to offer them a lift home. Maggie asks for John and Emma says that he is sleeping. Emma does not usually drive, so it is a bit of a rocky journey to Maggie's. Emma helps Maggie into the house with Jake and puts Jake to bed; there is a knock on the door. Maggie explains how John's mother made him do horrible things. Maggie opens a small box in the room next door and gets out the birth certificate to show Emma that John is Jake's father. Emma looks shocked, but does not say anything. Back at home, Emma walks up the stairs towards the bedroom at the end of the hall very quietly and enters; she looks around at all of the photographs framed in the room and sees John's mother's dress that Maggie described earlier. Emma lies down on the bed.Emma makes a phone call and springs a question about wanting to adopt Jake. Emma turns up to the shelter to let Fanny know that they can go ahead with the rally. Emma drives with Fanny to tell Connor that they will do the rally. After telling Connor, Officer Tom McGonigle needs John and Emma to fill in an accident form with him. Emma makes up an excuse that Fanny Crill is waiting for her. Fanny asks Emma if she ever met John's mother and she says she did not, Fanny said not many people did. Emma asks Fanny if she has any kids and Fanny said she had a son called James, but he died 14 years ago. Emma tells Fanny how she and John wanted a little kid.Emma stops by at Wade's café to say hello to Maggie. Jake accidentally drops a plate and Wade shouts at him. When Emma gets home, she hangs the washing up outside and then goes to the broken step to get out the old box and finds a key and a bankbook. Emma goes to the bedroom and just sits there quietly. There is a loud knock at the door and John comes running down the stairs to answer it. It is Fanny; she has a gift for John and Emma to say thank you. Ray sits waiting in the car outside and says to John that he does not have to bother coming into work today. Fanny walks back to the car and John slams the door shut and turns the light on. John walks over to his breakfast on the table and takes the top plate off which is covering it. He picks up his breakfast plate and chucks it in the sink; it smashes. John then goes outside to the broken step to retrieve the box, looks at the key and book. John opens the present from Fanny and Ray Crill; it is a small photo frame, he puts it down and holds his head in his hands. John then walks over to the table again; to see his breakfast on the table and the sink empty. He is a little confused and has to take a double take. This time when he takes the top plate off, he is more satisfied than previously; picks up his serviette ready to eat and then hears voices outside. John rushes over to the door and Officer Tom McGonigle is there, he asks John to bring his wife out so that they can both go over the accident form with him. John is a bit overwhelmed by the situation and is not really sure how to handle it, so makes a fuss and says that he does not want the rally to happen. Officer Tom McGonigle said he would swing back later when John has calmed down. In this time, John decides to repair the fence the train had broken.John goes to a workshop to ask a guy if he could remove the train from his back garden, he demands 800 in cash. John rushes into work and gets asked straight away where he was yesterday. As John is about to walk into his office, there is a call for him at reception and the receptionist says that she thinks it is his wife Emma. It is Maggie and she is at the women's shelter; John cycles home quickly, goes to the cupboard for a particular key and notices that it is gone. John walks over to the hallway and at the end of the hall, his mother's bedroom door is slightly open. John looks in the wardrobe and sees a few extra hangers in there than before, looks at the photograph and sees that the bed is unmade. John rushes over to his wardrobe and picks up Emma's clothes to donate to the shelter; when he arrives at the shelter, he asks to see Maggie. John tells Maggie that he will giver her money as he wants her and Jake to get out of Peacock because it is not safe in Peacock. John talks to Maggie and says how he can not go home, instead he asks Maggie where she wants to go and that he will take her wherever she wants to go. Maggie has family in Madison and takes John's offer of taking her and Jake there; she apologises to John for causing trouble to him and Emma and John replies and tells Maggie that she is not his wife.John runs to the bank and tries to get in, but it is closed. John then drives to the river near the tire swing where he occasionally went before or after work. Officer Tom McGonigle pulls up in his car to find John lying down on the floor, beside the tree. John states to Officer Tom McGonigle that he cannot go home. John chucks a stone into the river and they both look over. John speaks to Officer Tom McGonigle and says that his mother held his head under water, when he was a kid. John starts talking about his mum and Officer Tom McGonigle reminds him that his mother is gone. John is upset and stands up in frustration.John and Officer Tom McGonigle both drive back to John's house and Officer Tom McGonigle waits until John is in his door before driving off. John slowly walks into his house and into the room, he then turns around and crashes the door shut. John opens the cupboard, gets something out and runs downstairs and calls for his mum. John rings on the doorbell at a nearby motel; he has turned up with a small bag and asks for a room. John is unsure of how long he needs the room for when he is asked. John sits down on a chair in his motel room, tilts his head back and closes his eyes for a short time. John opens the bag and is shocked to see his mother's blue and white dress folded up in his bag. John slowly backs away from the bag. Back home, Emma is wearing John's mother's dress and eating breakfast at the table. Emma draws open all of the curtains and someone knocks on the door. Emma opens the door and it is the guy from the workshop, John asked him to remove the train yesterday. Fanny pulls up at the house and asks if she knows where Maggie is as she is not at the shelter. Emma is worried, so drives to the café where Maggie works. Emma says to Maggie that Fanny Crill has a job for her at the bank and they could stay in Peacock together. Emma walks down to the basement back at home, turns the light on and opens a cardboard box, which is labeled John's Toys. The phone rings, Maggie answers it at the café; it's John, he tells her to meet him at the motel at 11 o'clock sharp and to make sure nobody knows, especially Emma.John turns up at the bank and sees Louise and Mr. French; Mr. French questions why John came in the front door. John sparks the question to Mr. French: "What would you do without me?" Mr. French simply replies, "Find someone more reliable." John is pleased with this response, because he is just prepping himself for leaving later with Maggie. John turns up in his office with his stack of paper work, he sits down at his desk and gets the key out of his jacket pocket for his safe. John opens his brown paper bag and fills it with his money. John goes outside at work and puts his bike in the boot of his car.Back at home; Emma is shaving her eyebrows off with a razor. Emma is at the motel and starts to dance with Cal (Nathan Christopher). Emma introduces herself as Maggie. They go back to the motel room, Cal is at the desk pouring drinks and Emma hits Cal over the head, knocking him down to the floor. Emma lays him down on the bed and sets the room alight. Emma is doing this to fake John's death. Emma goes back home and two people knock at the door and Fanny walks over too, they have come to let her know that John has died in a fire in his motel room. They say a prayer for John together.The rally goes on in Emma's back garden; Emma is nowhere to be seen while the rally is going on. Emma is in the house looking after Jake, she gives him John's old toys. Emma takes a photograph of Jake sitting at the table and then has a series of flashbacks and drops the camera. Emma rushes outside to the rally and asks Maggie to come with her; Emma gives Maggie the money in the brown paper bag. Maggie and Jake leave, because Emma says that is what John would have wanted. Fanny saw the door slam shut, Emma has locked the door; it is nearly time to take the photo. Emma ignores the constant knocking at the door and chooses to sit peering out of the window instead. | murder, flashback | train | imdb | It's not perfect, or a mind-blowing experience or something, but I thought it was a really interesting story, well-acted, especially with a wonderful performance by Cillian Murphy.
Not that much is revealed about her even by the end, and I would have liked to know more.Cillian Murphy is so interesting and engaging to watch as the Willardesque character John, and the completely different female character, Emma, who is mild, benignant, with a quiet strength.
It's like he completely becomes John, and then becomes Emma, and neither is at all "Cillian."I think this movie deserves at least a 7.
I couldn't help thinking that maybe some people just don't like to see Cillian Murphy in a more humbling or "weird" role, and that's why they didn't enjoy it more.I think a better title would have been "Emma," it's simple yet it really suits the movie and makes more of a point than "Peacock," which doesn't really evoke anything apart from just being the name of the town..
The film itself probably doesn't rate more than 3.5 stars because the plot of "Peacock" strains credibility a bit, but not nearly as much as it might have without Cillian Murphy's fantastic 5-star performance.
In this film, he proves himself an actor with great scope and depth.We learn at the outset (thus no spoiler here) that Murphis playing two characters, alternatively adopting the personality of an obviously dysfunctional young man during workaday hours as a bank file clerk--with a notable performance by Bill Pullman as his supervisor--and then transforming into his mysterious female counterpart, each living separate but connected lives in the same house.
It is based in a small town called "Peacock" where John (Cillian Murphy) is a bank employee and leads a solitary life.
What everyone is unaware of is that John dresses up as a woman(calling self Emma) very morning and does all the household chores like cooking breakfast, making lunch, cleaning the house, washing clothes etc.
Susan Sarandon, Ellen Page, Josh Lucas all have a small, yet pivotal role, played with intent and unfeigned."Peacock" explores the fragile and unstable mental health of "John" due to an abusive and extremely reserved childhood.
It's clear that "John" is suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, but the way both his personalities "John" and "Emma" competes with each others aspects, how they are aware of each others presence but do nothing to avoid it, how both have contrasting perceptions and beliefs, how both try to undo matters done by the other etc are portrayed superbly, but the overall premise is subject to multiple explanations.Overall, "Peacock" strangeness lies in the fact that it offers or rather viewer can perceive multiple explanations for the turn of events in the movie.
This film is about a young man whose life is radically changed by the death of his mother."Peacock" seems very slow at first, but as the story progresses, it becomes so captivating.
Acting by Cillian Murphy is amazing, he is so at ease as Emma and so nervous as John.The subject matter of "Peacock" may limit its popularity, which is a pity as this intriguing drama deserves wider recognition..
Just saw this down at one my favorite local internet theaters and I can tell you that this is definitely one of Cillian Murphy's top performances.Of course, Murphy was brilliant in 28 Days Later and downright creepy in Batman Begins but his turn as John Skillpa, a young man apparently tormented by years and years of child abuse, shows the truer depths of his acting range.I'm pretty sure this feature will be well overlooked by the Academy Awards, but it shouldn't be as far as I'm concerned as Murphy and the rest of a well picked cast shine in nearly every scene.
To be honest, however, I wasn't thrilled with Ellen Page's performance but I believe she did a capable job in the role she played.Keith Carradine and an almost unrecognizable Bill Pullman are the other actors of note besides, of course, the pushy but sensitive Fanny Crill played by Susan Sarandon.What I can tell you, without spoiling the film, is that it's set in a not too distant rural America where the oddities of life must be kept well hidden for one to survive.What is genuinely fresh and interesting though is how the mind of John Skillpa chooses to handle the forced revealing of a secret he's kept under wraps for quite some time in a quiet house where no one would suspect there was anything out of order..
Great movie although it didn't go where I thought it was heading - There may not have been a better actor for this role than Cillian Murphy - As usual Ellen Page is an endorsement for any film & this indie role suits her to a tee - The rest of the cast is notable - The film contains stunning photography (not of majestic mountains) and images that appeared perfectly constructed for a very visual movie - Well crafted script with many scenes where a single word delivers the next chapter of the storyline - Highly recommended for the moviegoer who likes to be emotionally drained as well as entertained - Almost from the start, this is an edgy film where it feels like something is just about to happen and there is little expectation of that something becoming anyone's successful pursuit of happiness..
Things start to turn and John's life is about to change dramatically.A fantastic Susan Sarandon, a bittersweet Ellen Page, and a believable Josh Lucas play alongside Cillian Murphy who portrays both John and Emma convincingly.
After a freak train accident in his front yard during his daily chores, he finds himself having to work extra hard to hide his other half from the towns people, and at the same time, trying to stay on top of the ongoing battle between his two halves.Let me start by saying, this movie is far from a easy watch.
The acting in this movie is pretty amazing especially the lead Cillian Murphy playing both the role of John and his other personality Emma.
This movie was deep and should have a following, especially in psychology classes.You can't help but wonder what would cause a man to dress like a woman daily, and then enter his daily existence still entrapped by the wounds of his past.Many more noted than I can give an attempt to explain this condition, but in the end, life can be a very sad place..
The problem is, the audience don't support movies that are difficult so a perfectly good production often gets shoved aside (as this one did) in favor of more conventional straight-forward brain-candy.The characters needed a little more development and it lacked a lot of suspense that could have been introduced.
But even so, the story works well enough and is thought-provoking and even heart-warming at times.BUT the stand out in this movie is the acting, particularly by Cillian Murphy.
Despite it's flaws this movie is a lot better than a large percentage of the stuff that ends up in wide theatre release and it's a crying shame this was just dumped to DVD without so much as a whisper.Watch it - if only to see the awesome performance of Cillian Murphy.
Cillian Murphy plays a deeply disturbed man who was abused as a child and expresses his resulting split personality by dressing as a woman.
When John's female alter-ego (Emma) emerges (actor Cillian in a wig, makeup and dress who looks like character John in a wig, makeup and dress -- and, actually, somewhat disturbingly like a young Mia Farrow), no one -- the boss, bank president, bank president's wife, and the Ellen Page character -- recognizes that John and Emma are the same person.
This was quite a strange, intriguing, disturbing and sad character study about a man with a split personality disorder created after his abusive mother passes away and gets worse after a train crashes in on his secret world.
I thought Cillian Murphy did an fantastic, Oscar worthy performance as the damaged individual with the disorder as well as a solid supporting cast but this is definitely his movie.
Anyway, Cillian Murphy put in a good performance, even though he doesn't say that much throughout the movie, and Ellen Page and Susan Sarandon played great cameos.
In all, it's watchable but not that great.Round-Up: This is the second movie that I have seen with Cillian Murphy dressing up as a woman, which is a bit strange.
The main plot revolves around the characters that Cillian Murphy plays, who has a multiple personality disorder in this movie and cross dresses.
Why You Might Like It: This movie primarily surrounds an individual who is suffering from split personality/gender disorder and revolves around his struggles to keep it under control and hidden after a train derails and ends up in his back yard making him and his home an overnight media destination.
Cillian Murphy does a great job and the supporting cast is filled with familiar faces (Susan Sarandon, Ellen Page) who all play their parts well.
The story bares some resemblances to Hitchcock's classic, "Psycho"; a slow burning movie, but extremely attention grabbing, due to fascinating characters and the wonderment of where it is taking you.Murphy is nothing short of awesome.
While a movie involving split personalities is certainly not new, this one shines with an interesting story and Cillian Murphy truly giving life to a divided character..
Ellen Page (as the main cause I watched this movie for) also did great, the character of Maggie was impossible to not love.
If you wanted to see this movie for chills, I do not recommend you to watch it, but if you're open to see an interesting life story with lovable and realistic characters who could easily be people living next door or who you meet at the nearby store, I think you will really find this movie entertaining and will make you stop and wonder about how normal you and your life are..
Some reviews have the movie set in the 1950s, and that is what I first thought, but the car he drives looks like a mid-1960s to early 1970s Chevy.Cillian Murphy is John Skillpa, lives alone, works in a bank, and has a very tightly scheduled routine.
A year ago John's destructive mother died and John's fractured psyche became divided into two characters - John the regimented worker and Emma (Cillian Murphy en trasvesti) who serves John with wifely functions - and it is John the town knows until a strange train accident occurs, releasing a caboose into the backyard of the Skillpa home while Emma is hanging laundry.
The train accident and the associated photo of Emma at the scene opens the town to her 'existence' and events begin to change: Emma is visited by Maggie who learns of John's son Jake an offers help to Maggie; the town's mayor Ray Crill (Keith Carradine) wants to use the Skillpa residence for a party for his campaign for Senate and Ray's wife Fanny (Susan Sarandon) befriends Emma and hopes the proposed benefit will aid her involvement in her shelter for young mothers.
Cillian Murphy gives a bravura performance as John/Emma, so much so that we the audience can understand every nuance of this divided person.
Oh yes, that demographic thing of teenage pimply boys out to see the stickemups and blowemups rule the roost of the film industry.Cillian Murphy, an actor who never disappoints and Ellen Page of equal calibre give incredible performances in challenging roles.I've only seen it the once so far but I hear from other aficionados that it's worth a second and third look due to its subtleties which might be missed upon viewing first time around.Astonishing performance is the accolade I would offer Cillian's performance, worthy of an Oscar for all it brings to the role.
I've watched this film 3 or 4 times and I cannot believe how criminally dismissed and ignored it's been.PEACOCK is the story of John Skillpa, a bank clerk who is habitually reclusive, easily agitated in the company of others.
Emma also gets to know a woman named Maggie (Ellen Page) whose history with John is probably some of the most disturbing stuff I've ever encountered in film, and there are no visuals.
The cast is one reason I am appalled at the way this film was treated: Susan Sarandon, Ellen Page, Josh Lucas (as a kind-hearted cop, one ancillary character who seems to know a little more about John than the other townfolks), Keith Carradine, Bill Pullman, and above all, Cillian Murphy.
This movie is as suspenseful as No Country for Old Men, as well directed as There Will Be Blood, and probably one of the best performances of an actor that I have ever seen.After watching Inception and being reminded that Cillian Murphy and Ellen Page existed, I loaded a bunch of their respective films into my Netflix queue.
I can't stand it!" Cillian Murphy manages to play both a beautiful, fragile woman and a deeply disturbed man all at the same time.I think everyone who has ever wanted to be an actor or who appreciates good acting, should rent Peacock..
Peacock like many other films about emotionally disturbed individuals is a character study, however strong performances by the lead actors and Michael Lander's visual storytelling push it to be something of a delightful anomaly.Peacock is a portrait of a man, John Skillpa who is a victim of child abuse, played expertly by the Irish thespian Cillian Murphy.
When he changes back into John, to ride his bicycle to the Peacock city bank where he works, I bought that completely as well.The story evolves slowly, deliberately, with details (about John's tormented upbringing at the hands of a clearly deranged mother)cleverly brought to light without ever saying too much; this is an example of how less can most definitely be more: the viewer finds himself/herself involved emotionally and gradually feeling true heartbreak for this soul, and it's all done with not even a shred of heavy-handedness or contrivance.A lot of people have carped about how the townspeople never catch on that John and Emma are the same person, but I didn't have a problem with this, as I said earlier, because to me, they were NOT the same person.Again, as I already mentioned, Murphy's characterizations of both are stunningly, seemingly effortlessly portrayed.
Thanks to great subtlety by Irons, you could tell when he was Beverly and when he was Elliot, both when they were on the screen at the same time and separately.In Peacock, John and Emma are not actually seen separately in physical form, but there are scenes where the two of them are fighting internally for identity control.
Lionsgate did the right thing by sending this film straight to DVD.***************SPOILERS*********************************************"Peacock" is the story of a schizophrenic transvestite named John, who lives in a small town that has kept his alter ego, Emma, a secret for a year.
There is not much that happens, there is no memorable dialog, and the supporting characters have no depth.The main reason to see "Peacock" is Cillian Murphy, who plays John and Emma.
I wish she had picked a better movie and a better role for trying to transition from comedy to drama.Susan Sarandon, Josh Lucas, and Keith Carradine are all good in their small roles but I don't know what Bill Pullman was doing in this film.
He plays John's overbearing boss almost like a comedic role while the rest of the film is dreary and depressing.Also, the time period is ambiguous.
Great drama.I did wonder how come Ellen Page as Masggie didn't guess the double' character of Gillian Murphy, Adams Apple and all that, and her covering up, but never mind that or the poor storyline about the politics, i really liked this movie.Yes, this film is no blockbuster and Susan Sarandon might have fitted in filming around Avatar.
Granted, Peacock has Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon and Bill Pullman all doing their damnedest to keep this story going.
That's because as well acted as this film is, and as adorable as Ellen Page always is, this is a story about what Norman Bates would be like if he didn't kill people.
And no, John's not a transvestite living in the 1950s small town of Peacock, Nebraska, though I couldn't help thinking that would have made a much more interesting story.
Co-writer/director Lander apparently thought he could fake out the audience by first making John appear to be the unstable one and Emma the normal personality and then pull the ol' switcheroo, but he only fakes out himself.Peacock is wonderfully performed.
Cillian Murphy isn't exactly doing anything you haven't seen before, but his John and Emma are quite well conceived and executed roles.
However, Peacock is overstuffed with supporting characters who never interact with John or Emma in more than superficial ways.
Murphy does such a fantastic job bringing both characters to life (yeah, split personality is done a lot, but this one's worth it) Here's a couple movies u should watch if you love peacock, just sending film ideas out there, like peacock, many of these are underseen etc...Hard candyPerfumeZombie strippers (i sh*t you not it's genius!
Movie would have been better if the audience had to figure out on their own that Emma and John were one in the same.
But because of the description of the movie, the audience is thinking there is some big mystery, and since we know from the get-go that John and Emma are the same person, we then assume there is some other mystery to be revealed.
PEACOCK could recover from such by convincing us how the lead character is able to convince others that John/Emma are different people.
First off all, let me tell you (as lots of reviewer did before) that there's superb acting in this movie - Cillian Murphy does an awesome job, and so do his co-actors. |
tt0087747 | Moscow on the Hudson | Set against the backdrop of the Cold War and Soviet political repression of the early 1980s prior to perestroika, Moscow on the Hudson tells the story of Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams), a saxophonist with the Moscow circus.The story begins in New York with Vladimir advising a newly arrived Frenchman that he is on the wrong New York bus and giving him instructions on how to get to his destination. He then tells the Frenchman that it is always difficult getting around the city when one first arrives. Vladimir then begins remembering his own arrival to New York from Russia, and the scene shifts to Vladimir riding on a Russian bus some time earlier.Vladimir exits the bus and immediately witnesses a group of three people holding signs being accosted by two men, likely KGB agents or secret police, who force them into a nearby car and confiscate their signs. Vladimir then inquires of a passing Russian soldier if the nearby queue is for toilet paper; the soldier replies that it is for shoes. Vladimir joins the queue and obtains three pairs of shoes in the only size (38) now available.Vladimir arrives late to rehearsal at the circus and Boris (Savely Kramarov), one of the apparatchik assigned to the circus, criticizes him harshly and implies that he may miss the approaching trip to New York City. Vladimir tells him the reason he was late and ultimately gives Boris one pair of shoes obtained from the queue.Later, while Vladimir is riding with his friend, circus clown Anatoly Cherkasov (Elya Baskin), in Anatoly's Lada, Anatoly begins expressing his discontent with life in Russia, claiming that he is an oppressed artist. Vladimir expresses disinterest in Anatoly's complaints. Anatoly stops to buy fuel for his car from a mobile black-market gasoline dealer. While the friends wait for the gasoline seller to fill Anatoly's jerrycans, the two practice their English. Anatoly reveals to Vladimir in English that he plans to defect during the upcoming trip to New York. Vladimir is disconcerted that Anatoly has told him this as he is obligated to inform on him. Anatoly shouts in English at the uncomprehending fuel seller and oblivious passing motorists that he wants to see the world.Anatoly leaves Vladimir at another queue; as Vladimir exits the vehicle, Anatoly asks if he will be coming by the apartment at 9:00 p.m. as usual and Vladimir agrees. After inquiring and determining that toilet paper can be purchased at this queue, Vladimir begins to walk to the end of the excessively long line but meets with a neighborhood friend, Leonid, already standing in line. During the ensuing conversation, Leonid reveals that he was once a teacher but is now paving roads after the authorities had sent him to a camp for protesting the war in Afghanistan. Leonid also reveals that the authorities had declared him to be crazy for protesting the war. After agreeing to talk later, Leonid advises Vladimir to never go crazy.Vladimir returns home to his family, who are overjoyed that he has obtained toilet paper. Vladimir announces that he won't be staying for dinner as he is meeting Svetlana. Vladimir's mother expresses a desire for Vladimir to marry Svetlana, and Vladimir remarks that he doesn't want another marriage.Vladimir meets with Svetlana, and they both walk to Anatoly's apartment for their date. Svetlana expresses a desire for Vladimir to join the communist party as it would make obtaining an apartment when they get married easier; Vladimir responds that he is not a "joiner". At the apartment, after Anatoly leaves, Vladimir gives Svetlana a gift -- a roll of toilet paper. Svetlana expresses her jealousy that Vladimir gets to see America without her and hints that she would like Vladimir to obtain designer jeans for her.Vladimir returns home drunk from vodka. In the morning, around the breakfast table, Vladimir's grandfather, Nicholai Ivanoff, aggressively criticizes the news reports on the television and Russia's leaders in general. As Vladimir is leaving the building with packed suitcases for the circus trip to America, he is intercepted by the two circus-assigned apparatchik waiting at the entrance. They question Vladimir about his grandfather's anti-Soviet behavior and imply that he may be senile and need to be committed. Vladimir responds that he is just a comedian, an old man, and a war hero who should just be ignored. They also reveal that they are aware that Vladimir and Svetlana have been using Anatoly's apartment for their "sexual encounters". Both agents finally reveal that they want Vladimir to "keep an eye on" Anatoly Cherkasov during the trip to America in exchange for protecting his grandfather.The Moscow circus arrives in New York and are shuttled around in a chartered bus. The performers are amused at the colorful environment that is New York, which strongly contrasts with the bleak surrounding of Moscow (as portrayed earlier). During the bus ride, Anatoly writes "freedom" in the dust on the bus window, and Vladimir quickly wipes it off.The performers stay at the Howard Johnson Hotel, and Vladimir and Anatoly happen to be sharing a room. Vladimir revels in the American custom of taking the towels, which he packs into his suitcase, and the quality of the toilet paper. Vladimir reveals to Anatoly that it is no coincidence they are sharing a room together because the apparatchik watching over the circus want him to "spy on" Anatoly.During a formal reception, Anatoly reveals to Vladimir that he intends to defect during the opening parade and his opening bicycle routine; Vladimir remarks, "Good. They grab you and throw you right to bear". Vladimir and Anatoly enter a bathroom, and the two Apparatchik, who have been shadowing Anatoly throughout the evening, emerge from the same toilet stall just as Anatoly was about to comment on his plans. The Apparatchik comment that they will soon be back in Moscow, but otherwise all leave the bathroom without further drama.The next day during the opening circus performance, Anatoly attempts to defect but is met by the Apparatchik agents.The following day, the performers are allowed to shop at Bloomingdale's for 30 minutes before going to the airport to return to Russia. Vladimir meets a perfume clerk at Bloomingdale's, Lucia Lomardo (María Conchita Alonso), while attempting to find blue jeans for Svetlana. Anatoly once more reveals to Vladimir that he is going to defect in Bloomingdale's. Vladimir angrily challenges Anatoly to just do it and stop informing him of the plan. However, Anatoly is shadowed by the quieter of the Apparatchik and loses his nerve.As the performers are being led back to the bus, Vladimir attempts to buy the designer jeans for Svetlana. Anatoly seemingly dares Vladimir to defect in his stead. Vladimir then attempts to defect to one of Bloomingdale's security guards, Lionel Witherspoon (Cleavant Derricks). A clerk announces the defection, and the Apparatchik, who are distracted by their own shopping, rush over to prevent it. A chase ensues through Bloomingdale's, out onto the street, and back into Bloomingdale's. Vladimir then attempts to hide behind Lucia's counter. Orlando Ramirez (Alejandro Rey), an immigration lawyer, approaches and gives Lucia his card to give to Vladimir. After trying to hide inside Lucia's dress, Vladimir crawls away through Bloomingdale's but once again encounters Lionel. Boris and the other Apparatchik arrive and confront Vladimir, but Lionel defends him. Boris first pleads with Vladimir to return and then threatens, but Vladimir repeats, "I defect", to the cheers of the rapidly assembling crowd. Connie Chung and an ABC News crew are already on scene. The FBI arrive and interview Vladimir about why he is defecting and whether or not he has relatives or friends in America. Lionel, basking in the glare of the media, offers to take in Vladimir after revealing he knows no one in America outside of Lionel and Lucia. As a final parting gesture, Vladimir rushes out onto the street as the charted bus of circus performers is leaving and says goodbye to his saxophone, which had been left on the bus. He also communicates to Anatoly that he is now free (a free bird).Lionel Witherspoon (Cleavant Derricks), an African American security guard who has just protected Vladimir from his furious Russian handlers during Vladimir's defection at Bloomingdale's, takes him home to Harlem to live with Lionel's mother, unemployed father, sister, and cranky but good-hearted grandfather--a living arrangement noticeably similar to that of Vladimir's family back in Moscow.With the help of sympathetic immigration attorney Orlando Ramirez (Alejandro Rey), a naturalized citizen from Cuba who witnessed Vladimir's defection, Vladimir soon adapts to life in America. Vladimir attempts to find work despite speaking little English and fearing the threat of his former KGB handlers. He initially lives in poor neighborhoods and takes low-paying jobs such as fast-food service, limousine driver, and sidewalk merchant.Vladimir starts a relationship with Lucia. At a party celebrating Lucia's becoming an American citizen, Vladimir proposes to her; but she refuses and breaks up with him. A little while later, Lionel decides to move to Alabama to be with his young son; and Vladimir learns from a friend of his sister that his beloved grandfather back home in Moscow has died.Grieving, Vladimir goes to a Russian nightclub to ease his mind. When he returns home, late to his apartment building and drunk, he is mugged by two young men. He later reports the incident to the police with Orlando present, and the two go to a diner where Vladimir rants about his misfortunes. A nearby Russian immigrant overhears the conversation, and interrupts Vladimir to disagree, leading the two into a tense confrontation that is settled after Vladimir comes to appreciate his good fortune of living in America. Soon after, Lucia reunites with Vladimir telling him that she is not ready for marriage but would love to live with an immigrant, and Lionel moves back from Alabama and takes over Vladimir's job driving a limousine.In the end, Vladimir gets a job as a saxophonist in the band at the Russian nightclub, with time to play the music he loves during the day. He encounters the former apparatchik Boris operating a hot dog stand. (Boris had lost his status back in the Soviet Union after Vladimir's defection.) The former apparatchik is glad to see Vladimir and gives him a free hot dog, showing his appreciation for the life he too now has in America. | flashback | train | imdb | I'm from former USSR and this film was prohibited in the Soviet Union.I think it's the best American film about America itself:sometimes fun,sometimes sad.It's useful especially for Russians who want to leave poor Russia for the US and release their 'Russian-American dream'.It's also the best film about the former USSR,its citizens' way of life,its lines to shops,surveillance of the KGB and many other bad things.I'm a history teacher in high school and I demonstrate this film to my young RUSSIAN students in Russian history class.Besides a very creditable performance of Robin Williams,Savely Kramarov.Very clever movie !.
Robin Williams is great as always, and I like especially his comedic style in a semitragic movie, which makes it so much easier to watch.
If you have something against new immigrants to America and don't get why they come here at all, watch this movie and you'll understand why..
Even in the Air Force One (with Harrison Ford!) I was laughing like crazy when they showed supposedly Russian Prison.So, all of you lucky to be born in freedom, please see this movie and you maybe will start thinking why you are so lucky and how exciting but difficult is to be an immigrant!.
After seeing him in so many great films like "Insomnia" and "One Hour Photo" and watching his numerous hilarious talk show appearances, I've become even more curious about checking out the movies on his filmography that I have yet to see.
It starts out as a fish-out-of-water comedy in which Russian immigrant Williams (who decides he wants to become an American citizen) explores the oddities of New York City and revels in its ambience, no matter how rough the neighborhoods are, no matter how many wackos are running around.
Now, there are certain movies like "Schindler's List" and "K-19: The Widowmaker" in which we do see American actors speaking English and putting on foreign accents and still prove to be good movies, but it's always more engaging to see characters from a certain country speaking their native language.
I mean, what if Russia were to make a movie set in America, where all the American characters were speaking Russian in American accents?
Robin Williams delivers the best performance of his storied career (yes I know he won an Oscar for Good Will Hunting) as Vladimir Ivanoff a Russian musician who takes a chance at freedom in America.
Noteworthy performances by Maria Conchita Alonso (as his eventual girlfriend) and Cleavant Derricks (as the Bloomingdales security guard who takes an immediate liking to Vladimir).
Manhattan looks so much more varied and gritty and real and less mall-ified than it does today in this, Paul Mazursky's 1984 love letter to the American way, and one of the last unambiguously patriotic mainstream American movies.
(It's very much a product of its Reagan time, right down to the casual homophobia.) Robin Williams, for once not twinkling too hard or overworking his virtuosity or adorableness, is an Everyman Russian who unexpectedly defects in Bloomingdale's and goes on to live the immigrant experience, suffering urban indignities and romantic angst along the way.
Cuban-born Maria Conchita Alonso also gives an excellent performance as the Italian young lady who falls in love with Williams.
Robin Williams became famous, I think, for his stand-up comedy, like his idol Jonathan Winters, but do you realize how many movies this guy has made over the years?
He's really become quite a film star and is especially good playing against-type as a criminal or simply as a wacko (see "One Hour Photo?")Anway, this was an early Robin Williams film in which he plays a Russian musician defecting to the United States.
He ("Vladamir Ivanoff") first hides out in a big store in New York City before being taken in as an immigrant by a black guy (can you say PC?) Williams does an outstanding job speaking Russian, by the way, as opposed to most English-speaking actors.There really isn't much of a plot here, just slices of life, if you will, some of it with the usual Liberal promiscuous (i.e.
Moscow on the Hudson is a fabulous example of a pretty-good movie chock full of 1980s artifacts like Jordache jeans, feathered hair-dos and Afro Sheen, that is often surprisingly interesting, sensitive and even occasionally profound -- especially on the level of the victory of the individual soul over totalitarianism, and the defense of American capitalism against Marxism.This film brings back a flood of cultural memories of the Eighties, the decade immediately preceding the collapse of the Soviet Union, a time in the United States when our political and cultural self-esteem matched our economic prosperity.
It doesn't hurt that this movie stars a young bearded Robin Williams with heart (and Russian soul!) and a really cute and occasionally nude young Maria Conchita Alonso (a real-life Venezuelan immigrant) full of Italian passion and an ambitious independent spirit.Only in the early 1980s could blue jeans from Bloomies, velvety white toilet paper, supermarket coffee, studio apartments, hot-dog stands, cab-driving jobs, and U.S. citizenship ceremonies be portrayed as symbols -- indeed even weapons -- of democratic capitalism in a world still governed "from Stettin on the Baltic to Varna on the Black Sea" by the totalitarian evil against which President Ronald Reagan called a crusade two years earlier in his famous 1982 Evil Empire speech to the House of Commons.The political content of the movie is startlingly black-and-white by today's standards of multiculturalism and moral relativism when many academics defend dictatorships' "sovereign right" to exist, and so the offhand manner with which at every turn the film's writers Paul Mazursky and Leon Capetanos deliver praise to political liberty, capitalism and America's unique cultural acceptance of immigrants dedicated to the pursuit of happiness is remarkable.
While the way in which their praises are conveyed may from time-to-time seem a little cheesy, sentimental or dated, their profound significance is not diminished.Exactly because capitalism is an economic system as well as a social system, Robin William's character is portrayed as a Russian seeking a remedy for his literal physical hunger and basic financial requirements of life that socialism fails to satisfy.
Perhaps it is precisely because the film's focus is on Williams' character that Moscow on the Hudson at times comes off as exhibiting the over-the-top 1980s commercialism that made it popular then and a little startling in today's Greener age.Russophiles can get a kick out of some of the Russia scenes.
I personally found the love relationship between Williams and Alonso to be touchingly realistic at times; and the individualistic focus of this film to be refreshing, as well as a shocking reminder of how inappropriately self-conscious the American media has become in publicly asserting the universal truth and appeal of its core principles: freedom and capitalism..
"Moscow On The Hudson" is a 1980s version of "The Wizard Of Oz." If you are an American watching it, there is no place like home.Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams) is a saxophonist with a Russian circus in the days of the bad old Soviet Union.
America means freedom, but will it mean happiness, too?"Have you ever felt like just not talking?" asks Vlad's new girlfriend Lucia (Maria Conchita Alonso)."In Russia that's permanent way of life," answers Vlad."Moscow On The Hudson" is another of those superlative Paul Mazursky films that was a hit in its day and has been ignored since.
It's so gray it feels at times like a Bergman film, with welcome clownish notes struck not by Williams but Elya Baskin as his friend whose dream becomes Vlad's reality.Then we get the trip to New York, a wondrous place where "you can do anything in this country if you want" but "everybody I meet is from somewhere else." A suddenly vibrant color scheme is married to a sometimes goofy sense of humor, yet a sense of menace and despair hangs over all.
Even when he leans too far in search of a shot, it still brings a chill, like when group of immigrants recite their oath of American allegiance or an old Asian guy lifts a sparkler up to the Empire State Building in celebration of the Fourth of July.It was easy to love America in films of the 1940s and 1950s, but by 1984 you needed to work a little harder at it.
Robin Williams is excellent as a Russian circus performer in New York City with his troupe for the first time, deciding to defect and become a U.S. citizen.
"Moscow on the Hudson" is a funny, sad, and loving look at the experience of a Russian immigrant to New York in the '80s.
Robin Williams' performance as the Russian immigrant is outstanding and the writing is excellent.
Further, the New York City settings in the '80s are even more fun to see today than they were at the time the movie was released.
Produced at the height of the Cold War, I took from this movie a statement that freedom is about much more than a political system.The first part of the movie deals with Vladimir Ivanoff's (Robin Williams) life in the Soviet Union.
Vladimir Ivanoff (played by Robin Williams) is a typical Russian citizen, working in the Moscow circus playing his saxophone.
This movie is the story of a Russian immigrant to America.
The movie can strike some as sad in that Robin's character has a deep sense of melancholy about him, from his days as an unhappy Russian musician to his days as a "free" american.
I'm not knocking the United States (although I'm pretty sure quite a few people in these post 9/11 times will, defensively, think I'm am, BUT I believe it is very difficult to make anything in art that's real positive about the US (or to argue strongly in favor of the USA) when most all of what you're showing or talking about is freedom: the US is a very green (ie, young) country that is still often juvenile, especially in "feeling its oats" too much.
Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams) is a musician in the Moscow Circus.
He's a fish out of water and tries to adjust to his new world.Robin Williams delivers a performance of both drama and comedy in equal parts.
The joke is - let's have Robin Williams imitate a Russian immigrant and have him walk around a wild city like New York and see what happens.
I thought Moscow on the Hudson worked better as a parody, but when it tried to overreach as a meaningful commentary on American life and morals, it lost its momentum and fell flat.Also, a movie increases its appeal and intrigue when it inserts a beautiful and sexy love interest.
Robin Williams stars as a Russian saxophone player named Vladimir Ivanoff.
I especially liked the theme of the Williams character struggling to gain street cred' as a blues musician.The movie is proud of America, but critical of the troubles immigrants face.
MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON (1984) *** Robin Williams, Maria Conchita Alonso, Cleavant Derricks.
Warm and funny comedy with Russian circus musician Williams (in top form) who, on visit to NYC with his troupe, defects in Bloomingdale's and receives aid, friendship, culture shock and some wonderful moments of the human condition with able direction by Paul Mazursky.
Any way the movie is about a russian immagrant played by robin williams who is just discovering life in new york.Clevland derriks a very under rated actor plays his friend.The movie has a great script and is very realilistic besides the point I made about us new yorkers being rude..
He plays a Russian Circus band member named Vladimir Ivanoff that decides to seek political asylum while on tour in New York City.
The US was, and still is, a bunch of debt slaves that live thinking how to make enough money to pay the next set of their bills, and have no time for real life.Not to mention that American kids grew up (and do even more so now) inside, seeing nothing but virtual reality, playing computer games, etc., while we in the SU were free to play out in the street all day long without being worried about drugs, psychos, kidnappers, etc.
The Late/Great Robin Williams Soars in this Strange & Wonderful Film!.
Written, Produced & Directed by The Late/Great Paul Mazursky, 'Moscow on the Hudson' is a strange & wonderful, where our beloved Robin Williams soars in the title role.
'Moscow on the Hudson' Synopsis: When a Russian musician defects in Bloomingdale's department store in New York, he finds adjusting to American life more difficult than he imagined.'Moscow on the Hudson' is about a man seeking freedom.
Directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Robin Williams, MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON is a brilliant and honest look at the immigrant/minority experience in the United States.
In what is probably his finest performance, Robin Williams plays Vladimir Ivanoff, a Russian saxophone player for the circus who defects while on tour in New York City (at a Bloomingdale's, no less).
Even though there is some necessary character establishment in Russia, the movie is largely concerned with his experience as an immigrant and how he adjusts to life here in the United States.
During the course of the movie, he meets a black man named Lionel, who is the first person to take him in, and an Italian immigrant named Lucy (Maria Conchita Alonso).What struck me the most about the film, other than the outstanding message, was the degree to which Robin Williams immersed himself in this role.
Among the things I really took out of the film is the sense of community that immigrants and minorities have, something which they bring from their own life experiences.There is also the central issue of not taking freedom for granted, as I'm sure many Americans born here would understand.
Acting-wise, of course Robin Williams gives an incredibly moving portrayal of a Russian immigrant, but Maria Conchita Alonso also does a great job as his fellow immigrant girlfriend.
Robin Williams' acting is magnificent, portraying a Russian torn between the love for his homeland and his need for freedom.Maria Conchita Alonso plays an excellent part as an Italian immigrant longing to be American.Great sensitive, funny and melancholic movie.
This was Robin Williams' first foray into semi-serious acting, and I think his performance in this movie confused some people who were expecting a different character.
Williams shows a lot of talent behind a Russian accent and so does Maria Conchita Alonso.The real interest is created by how Williams adjusts to life in a different America than he dreamed of, but there is an annoying, traditional KGB plot that weighs the movie down..
Robin Williams is a Russian musician who defects in Bloomingdale's in "Moscow on the Hudson," a film directed and co-written by Paul Mazursky.
This is a warm, funny yet melancholy film about the experiences of immigrants trying to adjust to American life, focusing mainly on Robin Williams as Vladimir.
Once the honeymoon is over, Vladimir has to come to terms with never seeing his family again, the frustration of not yet being able to find work as a musician, the mean streets - and Russia starts to look good to him.This is a wonderful movie that depicts what newcomers to our country go through as they adjust to life here and gives one a new respect for our ancestors and for those immigrants we meet today..
Robin Williams put in a great performance, along with the other characters who make the movie realistic and quite funny in some parts.
The movie does look quite dated because it came out in 1984, but the storyline is timeless and I'm sure that everyone can relate to the many different situations which Williams character comes across.
Anyway, it's definitely worth a watch, just to see Williams in a different light.Budget: $13million Worldwide Gross: $25millionI recommend this movie to people who are into there comedic dramas about a Russian defecting to America after travelling with the circus and visiting Bloomingdales.
In honor of the departed Robin Williams, I finally watched Moscow on the Hudson.
Paul Mazursky made a touching dramady about the struggles of a Russian musician immigrant trying to make it in America with many others from other countries settling here befriending him along the way.
However, in this film where he plays a Russian who defects to the United States during the height of the cold war he actually does so in a more calm manner than I am used to seeing him.
Robin Williams, in one of his more easygoing roles, plays Russian saxophonist Vladimir Ivanoff, who defects while his group is performing in New York.
Another choice for the lead role might have been much better, giving the movie a slightly more dramatic touch, since Williams (as always) plays his character as if he was partially demented.
Moscow on the Hudson is probably my favorite film of the '80s.It has a superb performance from Robin Williams as a Soviet circus musician who decides to defect to the US while on tour in New York.
In the early 80s there were many pro-American/anti-Soviet movies like "Moscow on the Hudson".
Robin Williams, who plays a member of a Russian travelling circus on tour in the US, thus decides to defect, literally seduced by the capitalist decadence of a Bloomingdale's department store.From here on virtually every character in the film is an ethnic minority or immigrant, Mazursky stressing that in America everyone is from somewhere else.
Robin Williams brilliantly portrays the Russian circus musician who ends up defecting.
Of course now we know what a big star he became, and also his unfortunate death last year.Robin Williams is Russian musician Vladimir Ivanoff and most of the first part of the movie depicts how hard it was in Moscow in the early 1980s.
It is on again, off again because she is not sure she wants to commit to a marriage relationship but in the end it seems they will.Good movie and Williams' Russian seems fairly authentic. |
tt0069947 | The Day of the Jackal | The film begins in the stormy period of 1962, France, where an assassination plot is attempted on Colonel Charles de Gaulle, the French President. De Gaulle had granted the country of Algeria independence, a decision that enraged many French citizens. Many of them, mostly fanatics and extremists from the army, forced an underground organization called the Organisation de l'armée secrète, which put the plot in place. As the Presidents car passes by a group of OAS agents, headed by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiery, open fire on the vehicle; a number of bullets shatter and enter the vehicle, but not a single of them make a mark on de Gaulle or anyone else inside. Six months later, Bastien-Thiery and the other conspirators in the plot are captured. Bastien-Thiery's lawyer makes a stay of execution, but it is turned down, and the next morning, Bastien-Thiery is executed by firing squad.The top members of the OAS, Colonel Rodin, manager Casson and treasurer Montclair take stock, and realize that they cannot make any move as they will constantly be watched and identified: the OAS is planted with snitches who will watch every members move, and each member has had their complete details archived. Rodin realizes that what they need is a foreigner, someone whom no one in France has seen and has no record.Three months later, Rodin has succeeded in finding the right individual, an Englishman with a short but impeccable record. He invites him to Vienna for an interview by the three OAS leaders. The Englishman is smart, enigmatic and cold-blooded; he points out the need for an outsider to assassinate de Gaulle, given that the other attempt failed and that informers within the OAS have crippled the organization. He accepts the job, but asks a fee of $500,000 (a huge sum back then), citing De Gaulle's first-class security and that the job is an once-in-a-lifetime assignment and certainly to be his last. He demands utmost secrecy and anonymity, and asks that no one but the four of them know of this project and that he work completely by himself. He takes the codename the Jackal, and takes his leave of the OAS heads; his farewell is observed by Rodins bodyguard and adjutant Victor Wolenski.The Jackal begins his preparations: he researches extensively on his target, he acquires two false passports, he pays a visit to Paris to acquire a good shooting location, and he contacts two individuals in Belgium. The first is an armorer whom he commissions to build a special rifle; the second is a forger from whom he requires special French documents.Later on, the Jackal receives an OAS contact named Valmy that will inform him of any developments regarding the President. Around the same time, the OAS sends a female agent named Denise to bed a high-ranking French politician. Two weeks after visiting the armorer and forger, he returns to acquire his purchases. He is satisfied with the gun the armorer has made, and a trial of the rifle goes well; the forger on the other hand tries to blackmail him over his papers, and the Jackal snaps his neck.All his plans complete, he leaves for France under the name of Paul Oliver Duggan.Meanwhile, to raise money to pay the Jackal, the OAS stages a number of bank robberies across Paris. The robberies range from late night burglaries to daylight ambushes of armored cars. This sudden crime wave is noticed by the French Action Service (the French espionage branch), and although several of the robbers are captured, they are hired thugs who only know that they've been ordered to carry out these robberies on behalf of the OAS.The Action Service's suspicions grow when they learn that Rodin and his associates have suddenly secluded themselves in the Hotel Garibaldi, in Rome, which is owned by an OAS sympathizer. They observe that they are being attended to by Wolenski; they abduct him off the street while he's walking to the post office to pick up mail, load him into the back of a truck and drive him to an airfield, where he's then flown to Paris in a small propeller plane. They interrogate and torture him to death, but all they get is that a blond killer named Jackal visited his superiors. This however is enough to deduce that this Jackal has been contracted to shoot De Gaulle.The French Interior Minister asks for an interview with De Gaulle, but his demand for secrecy is rebuffed; de Gaulle is a proud man who refuses to go into hiding or shield himself. The Interior Minister instead convenes a secret council to deal with the Jackal, which includes high-ranking individuals like Police Commissioner Berthier and Colonel St-Clair. Berthier states that because of the Jackals anonymity from even his own employers, no one has a clue where to start looking for him; the key to finding and stopping the Jackal thus is to establish his identity. He recommends his own deputy, Inspector Claude Lebel, as the best detective in France and ideal for the job of uncovering the Jackal.Lebel, a mild-mannered but tenacious policeman, is summoned to the council. He is given access to every resource available, but he is asked to keep things secret, and that he succeeds. Lebel brings in his assistant Caron to help him out, and the two get to work contacting the heads of police agencies abroad. Meanwhile, St-Clair arrives home and pours out everything about the situation to his mistress, Denise. She later slips off and phones Valmy...Over in London, enquiries are being headed by Inspector Thomas, who has been given express authority by the Prime Minister to make full investigations regarding the Jackal (ensuring that he not be English, or if he is to be stopped). The British police come up with two things that they pass over to Lebel. Firstly, that there was a suspicious character named Charles Calthrop who was in the Dominican Republic around the time its dictator Trujillo was assassinated (Jackal in French is chacal, the word formed from the first three letters of each name); a search on Calthrop's home reveals he is absent. Second and more worryingly, a review of all passport applications reveals that one was made for one Paul Oliver Duggan, who had died at the age of two.Meanwhile, the Jackal learns from Valmy that his assignment is blown, but decides to continue on regardless. He makes it to a hotel at Grasse, where he spends the night charming and seducing a fellow guest, Baroness Collette de Montpellier.The next morning the hotel records are taken and scanned, as is French custom (and more urgently than usual). Presently Duggan's name is spotted and immediately Lebel orders forces on the hotel and he heads over there himself. They find no sign of the Jackal, him having already left the hotel (something Lebel finds strange), but they learn that the Baroness's bed had been slept in by two people. Lebel interviews the Baroness, but she denies knowing a thing about the man.The Jackals quick getaway before the police arrive is cut short by accidentally crashing his car. He decides to head for the Baroness's estate, where she takes him in. That night she tells him the police were looking for him, but promises she wont say anything if he tells her what hes about; in response, he strangles her. He takes on a new disguise and identity of bespectacled Danish pastor Per Lundqvist, and quickly but quietly leaves. He heads to Tulle station in the Baronesss car and catches a train to Paris. Hours later, the servants discover the Baroness's body.Lebel reports the failure of catching the Jackal and the murder of Madame de Montpellier, and notes that he could not have escaped unless he had been forewarned and that he now has the identity of a Danish pastor (having traced the car to the station and questioned the station authorities). He also notes that the murder means he can do away with secrecy and initiate a public manhunt. A police squad heads to Paris station to intercept the Jackal, but they arrive a few minutes too late. Lebel sends police to check every hotel in Paris, but the Jackal evades them by entering a Turkish bathhouse and being picked up by a French homosexual.Lebel uses a phone tap to discern that Denise is the OAS spy thats been tipping off the Jackal. He presents a recording of her phone call to the council, and St-Clair leaves (he later commits suicide); he'd tapped all the phones of the council members, having had suspicions about the Jackal being forewarned. Afterwards, he works out that the Jackal will strike in two days, or August 25, 1963 which is Liberation Day, the anniversary of France's liberation from Nazi Germany. De Gaulle, as a World War II veteran, is sure to make a public appearance on that day no matter what the threat, and the council disbands, intending to make all attempts to find the Jackal before then.Meanwhile, the Jackal kills the homosexual when he sees a public broadcast about Per Lundqvist being wanted for murder.In the early hours of Liberation Day, the Minister wearily informs Lebel that they couldnt find the Jackal. All they can do is implement the utmost security precautions around. The day goes on, but nothing happens. Some time later, a police officer allows the Jackal, disguised as an old one-legged French war veteran, to head to his residential address, after seeing his papers; the Jackal enters his location, sheds his disguise and disassembles his crutch to form his rifle, and waits for the President to present medals to former French Resistance members.Lebel strolls around looking for anything the least suspicious or out of place, but he doesnt find anything until he meets the police officer around the time the President presents medals. He learns that the officer let a cripple with a crutch through, sees that the address pointed out has a window open on the top floor, and rushes over there, ordering the officer to follow him.The Jackal aims, takes his shot... and misses. De Gaulle had suddenly bent his head to kiss a Resistance soldier, a French custom. The Jackal reloads his gun for a second shot, but then Lebel and the officer burst in on him. He guns down the officer, but Lebel snatches up the officers submachine gun and empties it into the Jackal.Over in London, Charles Calthrop appears at his flat. The British authorities take him in for questioning, but conclude that he had nothing at all to do with the Jackal and close the matter (also forswearing any responsibility regarding the Jackal, since he was an Englishman but also a Dane and a Frenchman). Thomas ponders who the Jackal really was...The film ends with a funeral in Paris: a body is buried in an unmarked grave, with Lebel the only witness. | avant garde, mystery, murder, intrigue, historical fiction, suspenseful, historical | train | imdb | " The Day of the Jackal " is the story of a secret group of retired Agerian officers called the O.A.S. who promised to kill de Gaulle, opt to hire an expert assassin to carry out the deed.
I would not like to attempt analysing my favorite film because I admire so very much the natural way in which - in all simplicity - it allows a fascinating story to meander through screen time.Allow me instead to advise anyone not yet familiar with this masterpiece, to watch it.When you have seen The Day of the Jackal you will be - over time - rewarded with the most precious gift that only the best of movies can offer; a fond memory of cinematographic excellence combined with endless strands of story lines resonating in the mind.The Day of the Jackal is unique in perfection through directness..
The Jackal (Edward Fox) is a professional hit-man who has been hired by a French terrorists/resistance (depending on your point of view) group to kill Charles De Gaulle.
The French police somehow find out that an attempt will be made on De Gaulle's life so they begin a desperate search for the culprit.Director Fred Zimmerman is the man who brings all these elements together and weaves them into a solid film that holds up to this day.
Fred Zinnemann keeps it all moving at a steady pace and there's never any letdown in suspense since the film has the power to draw you in from the start.Based on Frederick Forsyth's best-seller about the painful preparations an assassin makes in an attempt to take the life of Charles DeGaulle, it belongs in the same class with a film like THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, almost documentary in approach.The British cast is excellent with Michael Lonsdale doing an outstanding job as the relentless detective.
Chilling yet on the ball at all times-type of a detective story and international mystery stirred up into a magnificent and skillful thriller.The O.A.S., the French version of the I.R.A. are determined more than ever to take out the current president, General Charles De Gaulle, at any cost.
And after the last attempt on DeGaulle went undone, an Englishman who is only known as the Jackal (Edward Fox) is hired to finish the job even though he wants to do it his way.Once the word gets out, a noble Paris detective, Claude Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) is chosen by his superiors to apprehend the Jackal before he can pull off the assassination.The movie is based on the novel written by Frederick Forsyth ("The Dogs of War", "The Fourth Protocol") and the adaption made by Kenneth Ross is remarkably accurate and retains mostly of the mind-numbing suspense.
This is a good rendition of Frederick Forsyth's best seller based on real events, it deals about an intelligent English assassin (Edward Fox) who is assigned by OAS to assassinate General De Gaulle.
Casting Edward Fox as the assassin, codenamed Jackal is probably one of the best decision in film history.
Lebel in many ways is similar to the Jackal, he doesn't look like your average cop but he is incredibly professional and diligent.The film sticks faithfully to the early 1960s and is shot very stylishly, going to the real locations from Genoa, the French Rivieria and Paris.
Based on a best-selling novel by Frederick Forsyth, the movie depicts an assassination attempt on French President Charles De Gaulle in the early 1960's.
This served him very well in the case of The Day of the Jackal, a novel that not only was detailed in these ways, but also was primarily about a cold calculated professional killer, whose lack of depth or real identity was actually a positive for the story.
In other words this story was perfectly suited to Forsyth's style.For those who don't know, the film is set in 1963 and is about a French right-wing political group who want president Chares de Gaulle assassinated because of his decision to grant Algeria independence.
With near excruciating detail, the two and a-half hour narrative follows out a plot to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle by disgruntled Algerian colonialists who hire a professional hit man known as the Jackal.Now you might think 140-minutes would provide plenty of critical material to write about.
Have my godparents to thank when watching it with them while holidaying with them, who could not believe me having not seen a film they hold in extremely high regard, and it turned out to be one of the finest films seen in quite some time.When it comes to crime drama thrillers 'The Day of the Jackal' is a perfect example of how to do them well and deserves every ounce of its acclaim and genre benchmark status.
The acting is a large part of 'The Day of the Jackal's' success too, Edward Fox in the titular role gives a career-best turn, a smoothly chilling performance he gives, and Michael Lonsdale is especially outstanding of the faultless cast.Summing up, a brilliant film with everything working so magnificently (especially the acting, script and direction) that the somewhat anti-climactic ending for me was easy to ignore.
Remarkable when you know what the outcome will be.French Intelligence gets a hold of the plot that a lone contract killer called 'The Jackal' has been hired by the OAS who can no longer trust their own network as it has been so compromised to kill DeGaulle.
What makes this a great film is that the assassin is a cold, calculating and brutal man--played by a rather nondescript but very convincing Edward Fox. In fact, the portrayal is so riveting and convincing, you can't help but getting sucked into this film so expertly directed by Fred Zinnemann.
Highly detailed and never less than compelling, this film follows the exploits of a professional assassin about to embark on his biggest job yet – and we follow him every painstaking step of the way.Fox – entirely chilling and somehow commendable, despite his ultra ruthlessness – is a lead you almost (but not quite) want to win out come the end, purely because of his professionalism and his attention to detail.
Fred Zinnemann's excellent film, "The Day of the Jackal," is the story of an attempted assassination of President Charles de Gaulle.
Actually, it's from Frederic Forsyth's novel.The Jackal (Edward Fox) is hired by the OAS, a militant underground group that opposes de Gaulle giving independence to Algeria.
Of course, Fred Zinnemann's 'The Day of the Jackal (1973),' based upon the acclaimed 1971 thriller novel by Frederick Forsyth, never purports to be telling a true story, but it remains a exciting consideration.
The film follows a cunning, ruthless assassin codenamed the Jackal as he plots to sniper the French President, as well as the frantic attempts of authorities to capture the anonymous man before he can carry out his plans.Unlike most thrillers concerned with capturing a killer before he can strike, 'The Day of the Jackal' spends most of its time with the assassin himself, where we watch him intelligently and artfully drawing his meticulous plans and putting them into execution.
They truly know how to make a captivating thriller.After seeing 1971's "Get Carter" I enjoyed another great ride with this story of a British assassin, known only as Jackal, hired by Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS) to kill French president Charles De Gaulle.
After several failed assassination attempts they turn to Jackal (Edward Fox), an outsider with a proved track record, who agrees to do it for $1,000,000.His planning is so meticulous and thorough that at certain times it's easy to forget what he's about and start pulling for him.
It follows step by step his preparations for the assassination and the authorities trying to track him down.Story has a huge cast of mostly unknown character actors which makes it seem more believable (i.e. in the 1997 remake Bruce Willis played the Jackal and you were always aware you were watching Willis).
These days, it's fascinating to see Edward Fox playing crusty old gents in episodes of "Midsummer Murders" or "Agatha Christie's Miss Marple" when you know that back in the day, he was a super-fit assassin who could kill with one blow from the back of his hand.In fact he was just about the best hit man ever in just about the best thriller ever.
Although "The Day of the Jackal" was made in 1973, with not one smartphone or desktop computer in sight, it is still the police procedural par excellence.I love all the detail as Edward Fox's methodical Jackal plans to assassinate Charles De Gaulle, and how Michael Londsale's equally methodical French policeman, Claude Label, plans to stop him.When I first saw the movie in 1973, many of the British actors such as Maurice Denham, Derek Jacobi and Cyril Cusack etc., were familiar, but over the intervening years, they became almost like old friends, turning up in countless movies and television shows.The French actors and extras were perfectly cast, from the tough-looking characters playing OAS and Action Service men to the Citroën chauffeured members of parliament, and the beautiful widow who uses her charms to get information about the government's plans.A few years ago, I lent the DVD to a friend who watched it with his teenage son.
STORY: The Day of The Jackal is set against the struggles of the paramilitary organisation the OAS in France and their attempts to kill President Charles De Gaulle.
He receives the mission to kill the General Charles De Gaulle.Building his plan accurately, he is chased at the same time by all the international authorities, that fear for the De Gaulle's life, and the hunt is set in the whole Europe.Fred Zinneman adapted the famous Frederick Forsith's book with extreme fidelity, and he accomplished one of the most frightening and tense thrillers of the cinema history.Using quick and accelerated cuts, abrupt cameras' movements and zoom effects (that later were adopted and improved by the excellent film director John Frankenheimer), Zinneman not only gave us a significant masterpiece, but also reinvented the proceeding of how to ally suspense and action.The suffocating photography seems to constantly suggest danger and fear, and the strong and vibrant sound track combines with the nervous and explosive plot's climate.A great box-office hit,"The Day of the Jackal" proves that it takes more than shooting and fights to create a nice work and attract people to the theaters:it also takes talent and a well-written, interesting plot.Edward Fox gives an outstanding performance as "The Jackal", portraying his character in a quiet and silent form.
How Thrillers are Supposed to Be. On the opposite end of an assassination scale from, say, The Interpreter, there's Fred Zinnemann's The Day of the Jackal, maybe a quiet second to the original The Manchurian Candidate for sheer, unnerving suspenseful pressure.What Zinnemann has done is to create a terrifying political-assassination thriller that looks and feels like a cross between a home movie and a documentary.
Intelligent thriller(directed by Fred Zinnemann) based on Fredrick Forsythe's novel about professional assassin the Jackal(Edward Fox, quite good) who is hired by enemies of French president Charles De Gaulle to assassinate him, despite being the most closely guarded man in the world.Engrossing thriller shows his careful research of his target, and how he prepares himself and comes up with a "foolproof" plan to kill him, and how, despite the outward appearance of an English gentleman, will still ruthlessly kill anyone who gets in his way, but of course history records a different outcome, which lends the right amount of truth to this examination of the case, even if the Jackal himself remains a mystery..
It's story of a code name of professional killer "Jackal", who was hired to assassinate the French president by a group of French people.
The movie also suggests the commending work of French Police investigation very exhaustively but "Jackal" is smart & how can they stop him is a thing to watch rather than make you read the spoiler.
The film is based on the book by Frederick Forsyth and follows a story surrounding the assassination of French president, Charles de Gaulle.
We then follow said professional, as well as a French detective as it counts down to the supposed day of the president's death.This is something of an odd thriller, as director Fred Zinnemann continually keeps the action relaxed and there is no music score; or obvious attempts to build tension.
Zinnemann hardly shows the target upon which the whole movie revolves around - namely, President de Gaulle, and this is of benefit to the film as it means that the action can focus on the more important plot threads of the assassin and the detective.
The movie follows the assassin, nicknamed the jackal, on his mission to murder the French president De Gaulle.
While the Allied governments continue to celebrate past victories, we get the sense that there are many issues left unresolved, scars that haven't yet healed.Enter "the Jackal", a suave, young assassin played by Edward Fox. France's Secret Army Organization (OAS) wants to kill DeGaulle; they explain that "we are patriots, not terrorists." Mr.
'The Day of the Jackal', a cat and mouse tale of the French police on the trail of an assassin, is an early example of a procedural thriller.
It was a game of cat and mouse that kept you on the edge of your seat for two and a half hours without noticing the time.That is because of director Fred Zinnemann and the fact that he kept things moving along beautifully.If you want to see how a thriller is done with craft and cunning and without special effects, then this is the film for you..
It was a game of cat and mouse that kept you on the edge of your seat for two and a half hours without noticing the time.That is because of director Fred Zinnemann and the fact that he kept things moving along beautifully.If you want to see how a thriller is done with craft and cunning and without special effects, then this is the film for you..
What a great movie this is, its a good old fashioned suspense film from the days of intelligent thrillers.
So many of today's films lack this concise execution and the confidence that a story can be told in actions and significant dialogue without incessant (and largely visceral) use of music and trendy editing.Thus, Day of The Jackal stands the test of time to rival most modern thrillers - strip the latter of their various production value gimmicks and one is rarely left with such a sturdy yarn as this.
Fred Zinneman's "Day of the Jackal" shows just how stupid my personal rule is, as the two-and-a-half hour running time literally flies by, and in return you're treated to a nail-bitingly suspenseful thriller with a fantastic screenplay, stupendous acting performances and an astonishingly wide range of authentic Central European (mainly French, obviously) filming locations.
The film appeals more to the intellect than the brute senses, as it traces the detection of an assassin hired to kill French President Charles de Gaulle.The story is set in Paris during a week in August of 1962.
Zinnemann establishes a pace that is deliberate, but never boring.An underground terrorist group in France, the OAS, decide to hire a professional killer to assassinate French President Charles De Gaulle (Adrien Cayla-Legrand) after their previous attempts have failed.
Top French police investigator Lebel (Michel Lonsdale) learns the name 'Jackal' from an informer in the plotter's ranks and cleverly pieces together the identity of the killer-for-hire.As with all good thrillers, it's the chase leading up to the climactic finale that is the best part of watching the plot unfold.
One of the best thrillers ever is this documentary-style film of a contract killer's preparation and stalk of President Charles de Gaulle.
The Day of the Jackal is the fictional story of an assassin hired by the OAS (a French right-wing terrorist group that was active in the 1960s) to kill President Charles de Gaulle.
The Jackal is a very skilled hit-man and the steps which he take to attempt to assassinate the French leader are shown in the movie.
The other "unknown" actors are a gallery of brilliant performers headed by French actor Michel Lonsdale as police inspector Claude Lebel, who is leading the search for the Jackal to stop him in his attempt to assassinate President de Gaulle.
The film, adapted from Frederick Forsyth's best-seller, centers on a professional killer, Edward Fox as 'the Jackal' assigned by the underground army group OAS to assassinate General De Gaulle, on anger for his granting the independence to Algeria, thus betraying his vows to the French Army.And there are reasons why the 'Jackal' demands half-a million dollars for his services besides danger and De Gaulle's difficulty to be 'approached': he's giving them France on a silver plate, he'll never be able to work again and they can use their networks to rob banks and jewelries
not to mention he has to make sure he can escape after the killing.
The film is a perfect cat and mouse chase as the French Secret Service -that knows a killer will attempt against the President- does his job too and starts to run against time.Edward Fox, a fine British actor, plays the Jackal most convincingly and some how you feel kind of sorry for his bad luck at the last minute (considering this is a movie we are talking about, of course); the man is a true professional with no feelings or scruples when it comes to his work.
He is a true professional too."The Day of the Jackal" lasts 2 and a half hours, but you can be sure you'll enjoy every minute of it if you like political thrillers with a real fact background (the OAS really existed and attempted against Charles de Gaulle several times). |
tt0062446 | Le viol du vampire | Three strangers--Thomas, Marc, and Brigitte--are coming to cure four sisters (for want of names, I shall call them Catherine, Nicole, Sylvie, and Marie) of their vampirism. Legend has it that vampire hunters ran a sword through Catherine's heart during the reign of Louis XV, and villagers raped Nicole and blinded Sylvie with a pitchfork. But they neglected to cut off their heads, and so the sisters survived. Today, they live on a manor, surrounded by crosses and protected from the villagers. Thomas, Marc, and Brigitte don't buy the legend. They think the sisters are simply humans who have been driven mad by years of persecution and villagers who think of them as monsters. Curing them will require only dispelling the sisters' belief that they are vampires. The first step is to burn all the crosses around the house. Catherine succumbs to Thomas' promise to cure her, but Marie feels that this is a betrayal and that Catherine must die to protect the other three. Catherine and Marie stage a sword fight, but it is Marie who gets stabbed. The next morning, Catherine goes off with Thomas to see if she can get over her fear of sunlight (she can't).With the crosses removed from around the house the sisters are free to roam. This causes fear among the villagers, and they gang up to search for and kill the sisters. When Nicole goes wandering in the village, the villagers get her. They also kill Brigitte, who happened to be standing nearby. The villagers then storm the manor. Sylvie is wounded. Thomas tells Catherine that he doesn't think she is a monster and asks for 'the kiss of the vampire.' Catherine obliges. When Thomas comes to, he has been turned into a vampire. So the legend was true! To escape the angry villagers, Catherine takes Thomas through a secret passage leading to the beach. Marc follows and, knowing that Thomas is now a vampire, he shoots both Thomas and Catherine, leaving their dead bodies on the beach.As the lord of the manor checks the dead bodies of Thomas and Catherine, he is surrounded by a group of vampires wearing long robes with hoods. They present him to the Queen of the vampires who, angry at the lord for failing to protect the sisters, kills him and licks his blood from her knife. "Now we have to start all over again," she says. The Queen orders that the bodies of Thomas and Catherine be destroyed, but her subjects disobey her and leave them lying on the beach. Eventually, Thomas and Catherine awaken.Marie's body has been taken to a clinic where she awakens. The Queen orders her to find Sylvia and also to bring her the body of a woman who recently died a violent death (turns out to be Brigitte). Brigitte's body has been placed in a crypt. The blind Sylvie has opened Brigitte's coffin and is singing to her. A funeral wagon flanked by vampires makes its way to the cemetery. They take the body of Brigitte away and transfer it into an ambulance just as Marc arrives with an armload of flowers. When he discovers that Brigitte's body is missing, he first knocks out Sylvie and carries her body outside. Then he jumps into his car and pursues the ambulance. He catches up with it, jumps from his car into the ambulance, but the driver knocks him out and takes him back
to the clinic. As the vampires pass the cemetery, they find Sylvie sitting on the ground. She has had her eyes gouged out and apparently is insane, believing that she's about to be married. The vampires take her to the beach, strip her naked, and leave her to wander in the waves.Meanwhile, back at the clinic, Thomas and Catherine have somehow made it there. Dr Semski asks Thomas for his help. At first, Thomas refuses. The doctor's assistant/lover explains how the Queen turned them both into vampires and then forced them to work in the clinic so that she could carry out research on vampires. But Dr Semski has been working on an antidote. Thomas finally agrees to help. Unfortunately, the Queen has learned that the doctor's assistant has betrayed her. The Queen has the assistant brought to her, where she is stripped, tied up, and beaten with seaweed.Thomas and Dr Semski are now performing in autopsy on a vampire. They find a reduction of the stomach and small intestine and enlargement of the heart. The doctor decides to test out the antidote on the autopsy victim (who is still alive) but, before they can finish preparing it, they are attacked by two of the Queen's vampires. Thomas is tied up and left on the floor in the autopsy room. When the autopsied vampire wakes up, she cuts Thomas loose.Marc has gone home and gotten some sleep. When he wakes up, he finds Brigitte in his living room. He can't believe his eyes but knows that she must be a vampire. He and Brigitte go to the Queen's house/clinic where they find some of the subjects in a lab, hypnotized, being brainwashed by a tape made by the Queen while they are hooked up to large cylinders that are either draining their blood or feeding them (it's hard to tell). Marc shuts off the tape, and Brigitte dies in his arms.There is to be a wedding. The queen has chosen Dr Semski and his assistant to be united in "the imminent triumph of the immortal race...the wedding of blood that will open the doors to the world." The doctor and his assistant are nailed into a coffin together. As the Queen revels in her triumph, Dr Semski suddenly breaks out of the coffin, and Thomas and Catherine appear and start shooting the vampires. The Queen escapes into the research lab to take a drink from a canister of blood. Unfortunately for her, someone has poisoned the blood. She dies in agony. The doctor decides to try out the antidote on his assistant. It works! She is no longer a vampire but, as a human, she is also dead. An unfortunate side effect.Marie runs down to the beach to escape in a boat, but she is attacked by Sylvie. Thomas and Catherine enclose themselves in a tomb to await their true deaths. Marc is last seen carrying the dead Brigitte from the Queen's house while crying out, "All the vampires are dead! Chere, chere, chere Cordelia." [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]. | psychedelic, gothic | train | imdb | null |
tt0086034 | Octopussy | The pre-title teaser takes place in an unidentified Latin American country: James Bond infiltrates a military airbase in order to plant a bomb on a secret radar system, however he is quickly captured by the same officer that he impersonates. As his captors drive him off the base, Bond's female assistant distracts the guards enough for the agent to escape. Using an Acrostar mini-jet, Bond attempts to fly out of the country. A missile is launched from a nearby battery and streaks towards his plane. Bond is unable to outmaneuver the missile at first but is able to lure it into the aircraft hangar where he'd previously failed to destroy the radar system: he flies straight through it, trapping the missile inside and destroying the hangar. As he streaks away, Bond sees that he is nearly out of fuel. He lands near a gas station and cheerfully asks the attendant to "Fill her up, please."In East Germany a clown is fleeing a circus, with two knife-throwing twins in pursuit. As he tries to escape at a border crossing into West Germany, one of the twins hits him in the back with a throwing knife and he falls into a river and is washed away. The man survives the attack and stumbles into the British embassy. He crashes through a glass door and falls dead, a jeweled egg rolling from his hand.In London, Bond reports to his MI6 superior, M, who tells him about the recovered egg which was made by Carl Faberge for the Russian royal family. M informs Bond that the egg is a very elaborately constructed fake and that the real egg is up for auction. He also informs Bond that the man who turned up dead in East Berlin was Agent 009.In a situation room somewhere in the USSR, a group of Soviet officers and state officials meet about the current peace and disarmament talks between themselves and the rest of Western Europe. A combative General, Orlov, presents a plan to the committee where he would lead a fast incursion with tank divisions into Western Europe through Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia. Orlov's belief is that the disarmament talks are weakening the Soviet army's numerical advantage. The plan is dismissed by the rest of the committee as far too extreme. Orlov sulks and receives a message to report to the Ministry of Antiquities. When he arrives, he gets the news about the stolen egg. He orders one of the twins who killed 009 to have the real egg purchased.Back in London, Bond attends the auction with MI6s antiquities expert and, during the tense bidding for the egg where Bond himself drives up the price, switches the fake for the authentic one. The bidder who wins the egg is a wealthy Afghani exile named Kamal Khan. Bond follows him to Delhi in India.Bond goes to his hotel's nightclub to meet Khan socially. Khan seems unbeatable in backgammon until Bond steps up and wagers the authentic egg. Bond exposes Khan's method of cheating; he uses loaded dice, which Bond seizes and uses to his own advantage, winning a large sum of money in the bargain. As he reports to MI6's safe house, he is attacked by Khan's henchmen, one of them is his personal bodyguard, the turbaned giant, Gobinda. Bond and his Indian Secret Service contact, Vijay, evades his pursuers during a furious chase through a bazaar and finds himself in Q's lab. Q plants a tracking device on the egg and synchs it to Bond's wristwatch.Later, at his hotel, Bond meets another of Khan's operatives, a beautiful woman named Magda, who tells Bond he may trade the egg for his life. Bond sleeps with her, knowing she'll steal the egg. While they're in bed, Bond notices she has an elaborate tattoo of a blue-ringed octopus. Magda escapes Bond's room and is picked up by Khan. Gobinda appears and hits Bond, rendering him unconscious.Bond awakes in Khan's palace and Gobinda informs him that he will attend dinner at 8pm. At the meal, Bond asks why he's being held captive when Khan already has the egg. Khan intends to torture Bond to find out what he knows and which British agency he is working for. Following dinner, Bond escapes from his room and makes his way to the lower chambers of the palace where he finds Khan meeting with Orlov, however, the details about the egg are still unclear but it appears to be a form of payment. He also hears the name of a East German city, Karl-Marx-Stadt. Orlov orders Khan to kill Bond. When Khan finds out that Bond has escaped his confinement, Khan orders a hunting party formed. Bond is able to evade them and the dangers of the nearby jungle.Bond reports to Q who supplies him with a motorized fake alligator which allows him to infiltrate the mysterious floating palace, inhabited only by beautiful women and their secretive leader. He finds a woman, Octopussy, who leads the Octopus Cult, women who are assassins and thieves, who pose as circus performers. She and Bond actually share a connection; her father was a thief whom Bond had tracked years before, however, before Bond could arrest the man, he killed himself and the gold the man had looted was never found. Khan himself suddenly appears, saying that Bond had escaped, however, Octopussy tells Khan that the agent is staying with her. Khan leaves, silently furious at the turn of events. He hires a small group of assassins to infiltrate Octopussy's compound, stressing that Octopussy herself is not to be harmed. Before the assassins make it to the island, they kill Vijay, who'd been on stakeout nearby.Bond snoops around Octopussy's private study and finds a flyer for her circus. She walks in the room and tells Bond she'll be going away for a week. Bond suspects that Octopussy will be going to Karl-Marx-Stadt with Khan. He and Octopussy quarrel a bit when Bond says he may not be there when she returns. The two make love; while in bed together they are attacked by assassins after Bond. Bond and Octopussy thwart them all, however Bond is forced out a window and into the river. He appears to be eaten by an alligator, however it is the same false one he used to infiltrate the palace. Returning to the stakeout point where Q and Bond's Indian contact, Vijay, had been waiting for him, Bond finds Q with the murdered Vijay. Before he died, Vijay confided in Q that he was attacked by Kamal's men. Bond tells Q to contact M and inform him that he needs to travel to Karl-Marx-Stadt.Bond travels to West Berlin to meet with M on the situation. From there, Bond travels into East Germany and secretly attends Octopussy's circus. The next day, Bond poses as a circus employee where he soon discovers that the Faberge egg is part of a cache of priceless jewelry being used to pay Orlov for a stolen Soviet nuclear bomb that will be detonated on the American airbase at Feldstadt in West Germany. The nuclear explosion will be planned to look like an accident by the United States - the bomb will be housed in the cannon from the human cannonball stunt in the show, which will also make smuggling it over the East/West German border easier. Orlov hopes that NATO will order nuclear disarmament throughout Europe so that he may make his lightning armored strike through the Iron Curtain and invade Western Europe.Meanwhile, the fake jewelry has already been delivered by Orlov to the Moscow Ministry of Antiquities to take the place of the stolen items. Orlov's superior, General Gogol, having discovered that the jewelry in Moscow is bogus, immediately departs for the East-West German border to apprehend Orlov.Bond is able to find the train car with the cannon where the jewelry is also hidden for smuggling purposes. The jewelry is being removed from one cannon and being placed into another - Khan and Orlov have been working together to double-cross Octopussy from the beginning. Bond finds one of the twin knife-throwers making the switch and kills him, hiding the body in the cannon's barrel and donning his clothes. Bond interrogates Orlov when the latter arrives to inspect the work, finding out his plan for conquering Europe. Bond is forced to retreat when Soviet guards come to aid Orlov and he steals Orlov's car. During a brief chase, the tires on Orlov's car are shredded and Bond drives onto the train tracks in pursuit of the train itself. He manages to board the train with Orlov in pursuit.Bond hides in the cannon car inside a gorilla suit. The train is stopped at the West/East German border and the border guards from both countries search the train, finding neither Bond in the gorilla suit or the bomb in the stage cannon. When the train resumes, Orlov drives to the border and attempts to flee on the train by chasing after it on foot. When he crosses the border illegally, the border guards open fire and fatally wound him until Gogol arrives. Standing before the dying Orlov, Gogol ridicules him as being a nothing but a "common thief", but with his last breath Orlov vows to be made Hero of the Soviet Union by tomorrow.On the train, now traveling through West Germany, Bond witnesses Khan and Gobinda arming the bomb by setting a timer to detonate it in four hours at 3:45 pm when the stage cannon will be used. Gobinda hears a clang in the room caused by Bond while hiding in a gorilla suit. He follows Bond to the roof of the train where they battle briefly. The brother of the twin that Bond killed finds them both but realizes that Bond is not his brother. The two fall off the train together, Bond being pursued by the twin - Bond kills the man and now finds himself lagging behind the train. He hitches a ride with a German couple, then steals a woman's car and drives to the airbase at Feldstadt with the local police in pursuit.Bond forces his way onto the base, chased by security guards. Bond trades the twin's clothing for a clown suit and goes in search of the cannon. Bond immediately runs to the base commander, who is sitting with Octopussy at the performance. Khan and Gobinda have already stolen out of the tent to clear the blast area, leaving Octopussy behind. Bond tells the commander that the bomb is about to go off and pleads with Octopussy to back him up, showing her some of the fake jewelry. Failing that, Bond returns to the cannon to open the box and disarm the bomb. Though Bond is restrained by security, Octopussy now convinced, uses a guard's gun to disable the lock on the box which exposes the bomb With the bomb now exposed, the base commander gives Bond time to disarm the bomb, which he does. Bond removes the detonator just seconds before it activates, and the bomb is disarmed. Octopussy asks Magda where Khan went, she tells her back to India.Both Bond and Octopussy separately follow Khan to his palace in Delhi. Octopussy uses her women followers as commandos to infiltrate the palace and subdue Khan's men. Octopussy finds Khan herself but is captured. Khan retreats to a waiting plane and takes off. Bond manages to grab hold of the plane's exterior and refuses to be thrown off by Khan. Khan sends Gobinda out to deal with Bond but Bond is able to throw him off the craft to his death. Bond next disables the tail mechanisms, sending the plan plummeting towards earth. Bond is able to find Octopussy inside the plane and the two jump to safety just before the plane crashes into a cliff, killing Khan.Back in London, M meets with Gogol, who wishes to congratulate Bond personally for stopping Orlov. M says that Bond is still in India, recovering from varying injuries. In truth, Bond is fine and spends a romantic evening with Octopussy aboard her yacht. | revenge, cult, murder | train | imdb | Because, for example, we see Bond dressed like a clown or keeping a plaster; there's an exotic and romantic atmosphere -which reminds us of some adventure books (like Emilio Salgari's "Sandokan" and "The count of Monte-Cristo"...) Here 007 has to travel between India and Germany for stopping a catastrophic plan of Soviet General Orlov and Afghan prince Khamal Khan.With a little more parody than in the previous film "For your eyes only", "Octopussy" continues in the line of more down to earth Bond adventures.Roger Moore's performance is good as usual, the cast is also remarkable -Louis Jourdan is one of the French actors who built a good Hollywood career, starring in films like Hitchcock's "The Paradine case" and Vincente Minnelli's "Gigi".
Jourdan brings a special touch of glamour -you see he's an actor of the golden years of Hollywood!Maud Adams is the only actress who played twice a Bond girl -she was Andrea in "The man with the golden gun".Steven Berkoff is an established English actor, mainly for theater, but he played also in Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon".Kabir Bedi is an Indian actor very popular in the second half of the Seventies -he was "Sandokan" in a famous TV film made by RAI, Italian public TV.John Glen directs the film with a lot of fun and assures a great show.
The film doesn't disappoint."Octopussy" is the last great Roger Moore movie as Bond, and maybe the last BIG Bond of the series as well -because it's original, lavish, acrobatic, romantic and pompous.
His investigation leads him to uncover a fiendish plot by a rogue Soviet General to detonate a nuclear device that will leave Western Europe vulnerable to a Soviet attack.Undeniably the film that should have been Roger Moore's last as James Bond, Octopussy contains both the best and worst of the James Bond franchise.
The cast assembled is mostly impressive, with Adams and Jordan doing great characterisations, the photography by Hume makes India look like a paradise, Glen orchestrates some excellent action set-pieces, including one of the best pre-credits scenes of the series, and Barry's score is a swirl of romanticism and invention.
While there's a new man enviably following the much missed Bernard Lee by playing M (Robert Brown) and Q (Desmond Llewelyn) gets a bigger role to play in the story.Sadly, even though Moore is continuing the good acting of Bond he achieved in For Your Eyes Only, he is looking his age and not physically suited to the action.
Many criticized this film at the time of its release with comments like" Moore's tongue in cheek humor has turned Bond's style into brainless films , full of silly jokes, with no plot or character development.
What makes this movie extremely compelling is its adventurous storyline, which successfully combines the classic 70's spy thriller convoluted plot with amazing, yet surrealistic, action sequences, more likely to be part of a comic book (but a good one, indeed) such as the jet escape at the beginning, which is definitely the BEST pre-credit scene in the whole series.
Add to that a smooth villain in Louis Jourdan, delicious over-the-top counterpoint from Steven Berkoff, a formidable henchman in Kabir Bedi, two exotic Bond girls in Maud Adams and Kristina Wayborn, beautiful location photography in the rich "travelogue" style (did India ever look as good as it does here?) and a great John Barry score and you can't go wrong with it at all.
This has more laughs in it - stupid and clever - than any Bond film I can recall.Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jordan, Kristina Wayborn, Steven Berkoff and Kabir Bedi must have had a lot of fun - and been worn out - making this film.
Bond again in an electrifying movie that scored a new hit at action genre.The immortal agent 007,whose deadly precision,sour irony and irresistible attractive is perfectly portrayed by Roger Moore.This time he investigate the killing of one his colleagues who appeared dead with a Russian egg Faberge of incalculable price.
He undergoes an incredible adventure with spectacular pursuits until a chilling countdown towards nuclear holocaust.OO7 taking off an elegant villain(Louis Jourdan)named Kamal Khan living in India,Bond tries to stop him but the maniacal nasty wreak all sorts of havoc until Bond steps in and he schemes to put a nuclear bomb at a circus whose owner is Octopussy(Maud Adams,the only Bond girl who repeated acting,previously played ¨The man with the golden gun¨).The film contains excitement,emotion,lots action,suspense,gorgeous women(a beautiful Kristina Wayborn)and maniacal nasties(Jourdan,Steven Berkoff,Kabir Bedi).The argument tosses in every cliché including the obligatory intervention by MonneyPenny(Lois Maxwell),M and Q(Desmond Llewelyn).
Before essaying the role Bond, Roger Moore honed his suavity in the series ¨The Saint¨,hence he adds a humorous-tongue in check dimension to Ian Fleming's famed creation as the connoisseur(women and wine especially) spy hero,starting his role Bond with ¨Live and let die¨.Film displays gimmicks and silly set pieces that usually marred the best Moore outings.In spite of an exciting opening sequence and some thrilling scenes along the way the Bond-Moore series is starting to look a little tired, just its star protagonist.John Barry's music is unforgettable ,as always and colorful cinematography by Alan Hume.An agreeable screenplay and more believable exciting with cliff-hangers situations come to mind;still,this solid outing isn't bad Bond and it does star the best sympathetic OO7.This is one of the more watchable entries based on a short book by Fleming with the same title with Roger Moore in top form as 007 and assured direction by John Glen..
A good story with a great cast.Louis Jordan is a excellent villain in classic bond tradition.Kabir Bedi is a memorable Henchman that also gets one of the biggest laughs.Maud Adams is clearly nearer to Moores age thus looking a more belivable screen couple.the action is as good as ever.the cast look like they are having fun.and that fun was enjoyed by the audience i saw it with when i was 13 back in 1983.on dvd the print and sound could be better but the movie is so good i easily overlooked itsless than impressive transfer.i love the scene Bond tries to hitchike which is as real as it can get.i should also mention Steven Berkoff who went on to even more famous screen villains in Beverly hills cop and Rambo First blood 2..
The teaser is fantastic; the cinematography is a marvel; the henchman is sane (for once); it has the greatest title in motion-picture history; the best plot in motion-picture history; the most sustained suspense in motion-picture history (the tension reaches a head at the circus-tent bomb disarming sequence, and, by God, this circus sequence is one of the greatest pieces of film in history); golden Easter eggs; fake horse hind-quarters; (brief) nudity; sex; guys falling off of motorcycles; stunt chickens; fantastic one-liners; an auction sequence that ranks as cinema's greatest auction sequence (not much competition, though); comedic Hindus; backgammon; fire-eaters; a symbolic Shangri-La (also an island populated entirely with women); old-man jokes; a monstrous quasi-'70s safari suit; a Tarzan yell; a face-humping octopus, a buzz-saw yo-yo; Indians covered with feathers; a plastic crocodile; a gorilla suit; car thefts; monkey attacks; clown antics; and Roger Moore clinging to the exterior of in an in-flight 'plane.But what REALLY makes this film are its two leads: Roger Moore and Louis Jourdan.
"Octopussy" is actually one of three Bond films I have only seen three times, and I'm not quite sure why I liked this one on my previous two viewings, as I found it rather intolerable in places this time around, in spite of the presence of some fun action scenes.
I never thought I'd say it, but "Never Say Never Again" might just be the better film from 1983 to feature James Bond."Octopussy" sees Bond head to India, something which seemed inevitable but took the series a long time to get to.
Coming in at unlucky number 13 in the James Bond series, Octopussy is at the scrag end of Roger Moore's incarnation, when it had begun to look like 007 might require liver tablets just to make it out of bed in the morning.
Bond follows the trail to India where he meets the mysterious Octopussy (Maud Adams), a treasure smuggler and business mogul, and falls on the bad side of Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan), an exiled Afghan prince overseeing the operation.
(Credit to IMDb) A fake Fabergé egg and a fellow agent's death lead James Bond to uncover an international jewel-smuggling operation, headed by the mysterious Octopussy, being used to disguise a nuclear attack on N.A.T.O. forces.This is one of Roger's best outings as Bond.
This is another fun Bond adventure with plenty to like.Roger Moore is starting to show his age a little bit in this film, but he's still has his charm and can still seduce women and deliver the one-liners.
You'll enjoy the film if you just ignore those.By no means is this Bond's "All-Time High" like Rita Coolidge's theme song says, but this is still a fun, suspenseful, action-packed entry in the Bond series.
Story also takes him to India, where he meets up with the title character(Maud Adams) and her circus performers, staying with villain Kamal( played by suave Louis Jordan) who is involved with the evil plan.Despite the sight of James Bond dressed as a clown(!) this entry is still a lot of fun, striking the right balance between seriousness and high adventure, resulting in a satisfying film, though it does go on a bit too long!
Moore still carried the film through with dignity and his wit never seems forced in this movie, instead it seems to suit just fine.The mysterious Octopussy is played by Maud Adams, who had played Bond girl previously in "The Man with the Golden Gun" also along with Roger Moore.
Considering all of the films in the series which try to mix humor and frantic action together, Octopussy does it best.It's definitely a bizarre plot, beginning with a 00 agent found dead in a clown suit.
Bond hunts down a Faberge egg, leading into a terrorist plot in the twixt of the Cold War. Moore's Bond finally gets a woman his age, with an older Maud Adams playing the "Bond girl" who has a degree of authority and likes to stay in charge of things.
But another 007 adventure was released that year and to many it is considered the greatest Bond film of all time, 'Octopussy'.'Octopussy' starred Roger Moore in his sixth outing as Agent 007 and was directed by John Glen, the man who also directed Moore's second best Bond film, 'For Your Eyes Only'.
However it is wonderful to see yet more charming appearances from Desmond Llewellyn, Lois Maxwell and Walter Gotell as the irrepressible gadget specialist Q, consistently flirting secretary Moneypenny and kindly, wry Russian general Gogol respectively, as well as Robert Brown's debut in the role of MI6 head M after the tragic passing of Bernard Lee. A strong script, sumptuous locations, plenty of brilliantly executed action sequences and some quality casting make Octopussy one of Moore's most consistently impressive Bond outings, for those willing to forgive the occasional eye rolling moment of out of place silliness.
Begins fairly well: with an acrobatic, high-flying pretitle sequence, followed by a close adaptation of Ian Fleming's The Property Of A Lady short-story involving the sale of a Faberge egg at Sotheby's in London- which unfortunately goes nowhere, as Bond then ends up on in India on a small island populated by beautiful women belonging to an octopus cult, before relocated to East Berlin and disarming a nuclear bomb in a circus, in a surprisingly serious climax where Bond dresses as a clown as cover.But what's the point?
The seven films he did are as follows:LIVE AND LET DIE (1973), THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (1974), THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977), MOONRAKER (1979), FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981), OCTOPUSSY (1983) and A VIEW TO A KILL (1985).All seven were hugely popular at the box office, which explains why they kept making 'em every two years.Many Bond fans curiously look down on Moore's stint, no doubt because there was a little too much silly humor in his films but, to me, the Moore entrees are the most consistently entertaining.
Every Bond film features a main villain and a few accomplices/subordinates who want to cause great havoc; Bond defies death at every turn and runs into numerous beautiful women as he moves from one exotic locale to another trying to figure out the villains' scheme and stop it."Octopussy" was filmed on location in India, East Germany & England, with the closing aerial scenes shot in Utah; these settings are fabulous as usual.
We also get circuses, clowns, trains, mad Russian militarists and bombs-about-to-explode.One thing that distinguishes "Octopussy" is that it has more of an Indiana Jones appeal than any other installment, which stands to reason since Indiana Jones was hugely popular at the time ("Raiders of the Lost Ark" came out two years earlier while "The Temple of Doom" came out the year after "Octopussy").The "Bond women" featured in "Octopussy" are Sweden's own Maud Adams (who previously appeared in "The Man with the Golden Gun") and Kristina Wayborn.
"Octopussy", the 13th James Bond movie, is Roger Moore's best 007 picture.
Maud Adams (Octopussy) and Kristina Wayborn (Magda) are wonderful as the Bond women; Louis Jourdan (Kamal Khan) and Kabir Bedi (Gobinda) are excellent as two of the main villains.
In this country, Bond meets a mysterious woman known as Octopussy who is close to Kahn, and also finds that Kahn is working with Russian General Orlov to have a nuclear device go off on an American Air Force Base, leading to World War III!This Bond film has some good parts, and I think that includes a reasonable intro, and the scene where 009 is being chased in his clown suit is definitely one that got me excited.
I haven't seen View To A Kill or Moonraker lately, which I recall being pretty appalling, but Octopussy definitely represents one of the Bond series' lowest points, if not THE lowest.Dreadful performances (the worst being Steven Berkoff as a Russian general), a ridiculous plot (even for a Bond film), and 007 manages to find his way into both a clown's outfit & a gorilla suit.
Gorilla, not guerilla, I didn't misspell that.Not to mention the fact that Roger Moore was far too old at that point to be playing James Bond - it's often stomach-churning to watch him delivering slimy innuendo to the female cast, most of whom aren't even half his age, more like a third of it.One could argue that it's all in the name of self-parody, but once a film or TV series ends up making fun of itself, it's usually an indication that it's on its last legs.
Even with its flaws, however, "Octopussy" is one of the most entertaining - and re-watchable - James Bond films, and Moore's second best after "For Your Eyes Only".
A Little Bit Ridiculous But You'll Still Enjoy It. Out of all the Bond movies, this has to be the craziest and has some truly ridiculous moments but being a fan of Roger Moore as 007, I could forgive them.Louis Jordan plays Kamal Khan, the main villain and he is backed up by his henchman Gobinda played by Kabir Bedi.
In spite of most of the bad reviews of the film, I liked it, I thought it was the best movie in the James Bond saga with Roger Moore, it had fantastic special effects, interesting and captivating story, good gadjets and great characters.
1983 the year of the two Bond films, Octopussy and Never Say Never Again, Roger Moore Vs Sean Connery, but which was the best?
Despite the fact Sean Connery is by far the best Bond Never Say Never Again lacked just about everything needed in a 007 film, and Octopussy has it all, the amazing action scenes, the exotic locations, the gun barrel into, the teaser sequence (one of the best in the series) and of course a John Barry score.
OK Roger Moore is getting too old to play 007, but Octopussy is definetely his second best Bond film after The Spy Who Loved Me. Louis Jordan is great as the Bond villain and Maud Adams is one of the most beautiful Bond girls deserving her unique position of appearing in two James Bond movies.
It's an enjoyable Bond film, mostly because of Roger Moore, who is still terrific in the lead role in his sixth outing as 007, he's cool, slick and very funny, his one liners here are particularly excellent and it's what makes him stand out from other Bond actors, his scenes with Maud Adams are the best as the two have undeniable chemistry.
It has many flaws, if you're a fan of James Bond, and particularly Roger Moore, then you should certainly watch Octupussy, but if you're looking for a genuinely good adventure film, give it a miss.
Camera-work is good, background score is very much in tune with the events unfolding on the screen, the twists are often too many and they do eventually begin to pile up without providing any sort of surprise, while Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn & Kabir Bedi do an adequate job in their given roles.On an overall scale, what eventually works out in favour of Octopussy is its light-hearted narration that never takes itself seriously, doesn't let the fun vibe die down at any moment, and because of that, even its ridiculous-looking action segments don't bother much and end up working in an amusing way actually.
John Glen's direction is rather nice, I just wish the plot was stronger, I think the film suffers from an average narrative.The Bond girls are hot, Maud Adams returns, this time she's playing Octopussy, she does well and is old enough to make Moore look respectable. |
tt0454970 | Turistas | Three young American tourists, Alex (Josh Duhamel), his sister Bea (Olivia Wilde), and her friend Amy (Beau Garrett), are backpacking in Brazil. They decide to go by bus and visit parts of the country instead of flying directly to the Northeastern beaches they wish to visit. After a bus crash leaves all the passengers stranded, they are joined by two English men, Finn (Desmond Askew) and Liam (Max Brown), and an Australian woman, Pru (Melissa George), who is fluent in Portuguese. The group find a cabana bar where several other tourists and locals are partying. After spending the day on the beach, they are served drugged drinks and pass out.
The next morning, they awaken on the deserted beach, robbed of their luggage, money, and documents. Looking for help in the nearby village, they encounter conflict with locals as they see some of their belongings worn or lying around. Offering help, Kiko (Agles Steib), a local who speaks some English, volunteers to take them to an isolated cabin in the forest, where they can wait for help. In a long walk through the wilderness, Kiko shows them a “secret" cave beneath a waterfall, but, taking a bad dive into the river, Kiko hits the rocky bottom, and is rendered unconscious and begins bleeding profusely from a cut in his head. Proceeding to the cabin in the jungle, they find food, clothes, and a number of prescription drugs, as well as a drawer filled with other people’s passports. They manage to heal Kiko's wound and reluctantly decide to spend the night at the cabin.
They are awakened in the middle of the night by a helicopter bringing Zamora (Miguel Lunardi), a physician, and a few associates and doctors, surrounded by armed henchmen. A woman who arrives advises them to flee, but they are confused and try to fight them, only to be beaten into submission. Zamora proceeds to a makeshift operating room where he removes organs from a sedated Amy, while he explains to Finn, who is tied up, that organ theft for transplant from Brazilians by rich gringos is part of a pattern of exploitation of Brazilian "resources", and that it is time to "give back". Victims' usable organs are being harvested and sent to the People’s Hospital in Rio de Janeiro and used for the benefit of the poor. After her liver and kidneys are removed, Amy dies on the operating table.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group outside manages to break free from cages they have been contained in, and fight and kill one of Zamora’s associates, with the aid of Kiko, who returned after being sent away by Zamora. While Bea and Pru flee into the jungle, Alex, Kiko and Liam attempt to raid the cabin. They successfully rescue Finn, who is unable to walk because he has been sedated, but while they are running away from the cabin, Finn is shot in the head. Alex realizes they have to resume their escape, but Liam decides to stay behind to fight back, only to be shot and taken away to be "salvaged" .
Bea and Pru are separated in the jungle, and Alex and Kiko find Bea the next morning hiding near the river. The three head to the flooded cave, eluding one of Zamora’s associates who is trailing close behind, armed with a bow and arrows. For a time, they are able to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers. They enter the cave where they find Pru hiding. Diving and swimming to the cavern's secondary entrance, they find Zamora is also there, and he shoots them in the water, killing Kiko and injuring Alex.
The survivors are forced to backtrack into the water of the cave, where they can take air at only a few places. They are split up, looking for breathing points, trying not to be noticed and fall prey to the archer. Bea and the archer meet at the same breathing spot, but Bea grabs an arrow from the man, stabbing him in the neck and killing him. Alex, Bea and Pru get out of the cave only to run into Zamora at the exit. Alex attacks Zamora and repeatedly hits him in the head with a rock, but is interrupted by one of Zamora's henchman who is armed with a rifle. Zamora instructs him to kill the foreigners. Seeing the trio of survivors vulnerable and scared, and Zamora in agony, the man hesitates. This infuriates Zamora, who orders the gunman to carry out the killing. Pru tries to convince the gunman to spare them, pointing out Zamora's poor treatment of him. Zamora calls the gunman a coward, and is shot in the head by the gunman who turns and walks off. Soon after, the survivors, coming out of the jungle, meet local villagers who take them in.
Later, Alex, Bea, and Pru stand in line, waiting to board an airplane in silence while a couple of tourists behind them argue over going by bus. Alex turns and advises them to take the plane. The male tourist (director John Stockwell) says "thanks man", and they all board the plane. The last scene shows Alex, Bea and Pru sitting in the plane as it flies away. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | I think a lot of people would've found it better had they not expected a horror movie.
It was a thriller that was actually somewhat scary, which is something that suspense movies these days lack terribly.The parts I didn't like about it were overlookable.
Like in the underwater scenes, I thought the acting could have been a little better, but in the long run, Turistas isn't a failure.
'Turistas' was a fun horror flick with a 'Hostel' like plot.
I watched the movie and it was very very good.It had a great story line that was believable and made it more creepy.
something rating on here made me think this was going to be laughably bad but it really wasn't.I'm surprised this movie didn't do better!
I also really liked how they developed the characters in this but they could use less gore, I mean I know thats whats getting the audience for some reason lately but it didn't feel necessary and they kept a gross scene on for just too long.Overall, Don't get me wrong this movie isn't excellent but its not as bad as everyones saying it is.
One thing though, the English guy Finn I think his name was, man did he do my head in, I am English and I found him incredibly annoying.As a comparison I would say this film was much better than Hostel which I would give a 2 this I would rate as a five.
It draws out it's characters well, sets up moments of suspense for the horrors that will come, and keeps the viewer interested due to it's beautiful cinematography.Once the terror and violence actually begin (which doesn't happen until the last third of the movie no less) it goes way downhill.
The main villain (who ironically looks like the President of Iran) is not well drawn out, and the "climax" of the film is pitiful.There is however, fine acting jobs done by all involved, and a particular death scene that made me squirm in my seat due to its brutality and intensity.
If you really want to see a gore movie, with torture, blood and gross stuff for the major part of the film, go and see Hostel (I personally found the plot in Hostel interesting but the rest of the movie too unrealistic and kept laughing most of the time) The acting in Turistas is quite good and contrary to what other comments wrote, this is quite realistic and nobody is really making stupid choices.
This one explores the country of Brazil in South America, where tourists are taken into, as said before, a "Hostel"-type situation.As in "Hostel", it's all a matter of who to trust, whom not to, and what kind of things that people should be careful about when in foreign countries.It's a new taste of horror, and I enjoyed the film.
It isn't even a movie worth saying "at least I've seen it." If you think Turistas is a good film, I really think you haven't seen much of anything that is actually good..
If you like action, hot chicks, awesome acting, nice settings, good suspense and intensity then go see it, definitely worth movie and i would see it 20 000000 more times.
Every second of this thriller had you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what was going to happen next.Very comparable to the movie Hostel but was set in South America, more specifically Brazil.
Much like that film, Turistas is a thriller that relies upon suspense and tension rather than on brutal violence and gore.
And it wasn't as if you could tell what was going to happen every second of the film (at least, I couldn't) and I really feel like the movie went along at a good pace and the action was timed perfectly.
But as the ignorant and prejudge-filled persons you are, you will fill your ignorant sons with hate, starting the circle again.But obviously, you won't make movies about how Brazilians are kidnapped by people from the US (I am saying "people from the US" instead of Americans, because they don't own the continent, ya know), or how skinheads kill innocent Latinos in the streets.Besides this, the movie is boring, lacks a plot, the acting is poor, and the research for this movie...
Haha Secondly, This movie is in no way like Hostel, it isn't a torture movie (Although I did enjoy Hostel) Turistas is more of an adventure survival game thats fairly predictable but all in all if you can just sit back and enjoy the movie for what it is, it can be pretty entertaining and worth the admission price once it's over...SO LIGHTEN UP PEOPLE!
Stockwell brings a very strange vision to the screen, as he is also the director of two other movies with water scenes: Into the Blue and Blue Crush.Turistas tells the tale of three friends, Alex (Duhamel), Bea (Olivia Wilde), and Amy (Beau Garrett), who, after their tour bus falls from a cliff, are stranded in Brazil until the next bus comes.
After an incident in the town, a local man named Kiko leads the friends up to his uncle's house way out in the Brazilian jungle, where unseen horrors wait.Turistas is frightening because it could actually happen.
Turistas has a great climax, and it's nice to see a film from the horror genre finally end without screaming 'Sequel!' The cinematography is also utterly beautiful, as Turistas was actually filmed in Brazil.
Turistas may not be as gruesome as Hostel or as smart as Saw III, but it gets the job done well with a new take on a tired storyline, great acting, lots of thrills, an interesting killer, and the breathtaking landscape of Brazil.
TURISTAS is yet another talentless abomination made and released by the American film industry which hires reasonably talented actors like Josh Duhamiel and Melissa George, has them walk about in their swimming costumes, through mud and jungle (no production values needed) then mutilates the C grade characters (usually the non westerners) and then the rich kids who survive go home glad they got out of there alive.
It's very underrated and I'm still trying to figure out why because if a movie like Hostel does good then why isn't a better film like this doing good.
And to the list of good R-rated movies, we can now add "Turistas," a very dark horror film, to the list!!!!!Like "Crocodile," this movie is not only very exciting and scary; it also sort of follows the same plot line.
Also, about the travel agent thing I mentioned earlier, I do not know where this takes place (probably Mexico because Cancun is so popular and the title looks like a Spanish word for "tourists"), but I probably wouldn't recommend that place!!!!!If MST3K were still around, this movie would definitely be on!!!!!
The movie was a pretty good horror flick in my opinion, the characters are all stereotypes feels kinda like they should be in college or something, not brother and sister.
The girl even says something along the lines of "Brazil is the greatest place in the world, the weather is nice and the people are so chill" and hey, GET REAL its a movie FOOL P.S I was wondering what the name of the song is?
If the film actually conveyed any sense of suspense or edge-of-your-seat thrills it would have rated higher with me.Other "annoyances" like almost zero character depth, no explanation of what motivated the loyalty of Zamorra's thugs, no apparent reason at all for a sudden flip of loyalties and not a very thrilling finale made this film fall short of good or engaging.There is a lot missing from the story telling and it seems like there is a lot left to be filled in by the viewer.
'Paradise Lost' starts off looking like a promising little horror movie.A group of back packers are stranded in Brazil after their bus crashes, they think they've hit the jackpot when they hook up with some locals in a secluded beauty spot, beach, beer and babes, what could go wrong?
A few reasons why I was taken aback at how much I enjoyed this movie:The film slowly builds tension to a breaking point, Once it peaks (about the three quarters through) It maintains an almost unbearable level of intensity until the denounment.There are a couple of excellent chase sequences (underwater cave in particular) that were worth the price of admission alone.The acting is solid all around, the tone of the movie starts light and gets gradually darker.It has more in common with Deliverance and Southern Comfort than Hostel.In summary, I really dug the realistic style of the proceedings.
From the opening credits (a montage of passports and "scary foreign horrors", scored to upbeat Brazilian dance pop) the movie makes no bones about its agenda: foreigners are weird and scary, and if you don't watch your back, they'll kill you.From the initial set-up, we go through a predictable build-up to the half-way point, where the nasty stuff really kicks in.
It had OK acting, and pretty good character development.Now I am all for bloody, violent, disgusting, vulgar horror movies.
The pace of the film kept you interested, and the twists (although somewhat predictable) were fun to watch and kept you wondering what was next.I personally liked watching this movie.
They receive descending degrees of helpfulness from the locals until they realise that they should have caught the plane instead.This definitely isn't a movie the Brazilian Tourist Board would want you to take seriously in the year of the Rio Olympics; apparently Brazilians really didn't like it at all when it was released 10 years ago, and it was boycotted.They felt about it the way Australia's Tourism people probably felt about "Wolf Creek".
I know people who walked out of that one, although it wasn't actually boycotted."Turistas" is particularly well made, and shot on location with a very believable group of actors playing the likable and adventurous tourists.
Josh Duhamel plays Alex, a reluctant American traveller who has come along to keep his sister Bea and her friend out of trouble as they enter the sort of places strangers would be wise to avoid.Melissa George makes an impact as Australian surfer girl Pru. As an Aussie I must admit to a certain amount of national pride as she flitted around in a bikini revealing a body that is a tribute to an active, outdoor Australian lifestyle.You could argue that the film gets a little predictable towards the end, but I found the whole thing was so revved up by that point that you hardly noticed.
As far as Brazil's image is concerned, I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't take the actual premise behind the story too seriously, but maybe it's a reminder that double checking travel plans anywhere you go might be a smart idea - if the film has a message it's no more perverse than that.Anyway, international politics aside, I think you do get your money's worth with this travel package..
After hearing mixed reviews, i was unsure of whether to watch it but the trailers constantly came on the TV and looked Like a great horror.I instantly felt like i new the characters and there was a good "stereotypical" Bunch of people on.
I think music and settings were top-notch and overall think this film is definitely worth watching.My only bad word to say is it is quite short and has a cliché ending Very good choice of Hot actors to.People who enjoyed hostel or into the blue will most probably like this..
Following in the wake of the mediocre Hostel and the disappointing Wolf Creek comes Turistas, a slightly better (although still unexceptional) 'vacation in hell' horror movie that follows a bunch of travellers who wind up wishing that they'd booked a fortnight in Ibiza for their hols, rather than roughing it in Brazil.After narrowly escaping with their lives when their bus veers out of control and crashes down a hill, a group of '20-somethings' seeking sun, sea and sex in South America head for a nearby beach where they discover a party paradise: golden sand, blue sea, and a bar where they can hang out with like-minded backpackers and locals.After a hard night drinking and dancing, they wake up to discover that they have been robbed of all of their possessions; someone had drugged their drinks!
They hike to a nearby village, and run into some trouble with the locals, but are rescued by a friendly teenager named Kiko who promises to take them to his uncle's house.But in reality, Kiko is leading them to their fates: his 'uncle' is a crazed surgeon harvesting the organs of 'gringos' in order to help poor ailing Brazilians who are desperately in need of life-saving transplants.Structurally, this movie is very similar to both Hostel and Wolf Creek, with a slow build up which allows the audience to get to know the characters, before eventually unleashing the horror towards the end of the second half.
There are still a few moments where one questions the wisdom of the decisions made by the victims, but, on the whole, events unfold in a reasonably believable fashion.Best bits include the opening bus accident, the nasty and pretty gory 'operation', a great 'chase' through a series of underwater caves (all the more thrilling if you're a bit claustrophobic), and any scene in which the babes of the film totter around in their skimpy swimwear..
It follows the same awful formula, as most horror movies that are getting released these days: Naked women, loads of alcohol, random sex and then suddenly there are "bad people" that hack a group of 7-9 hot college kids to bits.
People, this film is pretty good and it ISN'T a stupid rip off of that sucky, piece of crap movie HOSTEL which was one of the worst films that I've ever seen.
It has suspense, a little bit of gore (not much), the obligatory "breast shot", and what I think is good - not great - acting.The story line is good and the movie progresses at a good rate.
It has constant action and keeps you engrossed in the film for the entire 90 minutes.But like I said, it IS what it IS....don't rent this movie expecting to see the next Horror Classic!
Look...This movie, is disappointing...BELIEVE ME I'm Brazilian...And, well...I know our Country reputation is not so good...But, well...This is a so ridiculous movie...We don't do experience with people...Brazil is not USA...Im sorry Americans, to disappoint you, but were not like as you guys imagine With movies like that, you people show to us, that your vision of my Country is a vision based on Pure Prejudice...The Brazilian People are very nice, you know...I ain't got words to express my disappointment with a movie like that...If a Brazilian want to make experiences with people organs...WHY A American ORGAN?LISTEN...We are not what you guys think we are!!!WE ARE CIVILIZED!!!Here in Brazil, lot of bad things happens, but this movie...It is so ridiculous...Well...Come to Rio, and see how it is...There is none EXPERIENCE WITH FOREIGNERS ORGANS...Man...Thats so stupid...For real....
The movie Turistas, like some other tentatives in the film industry to depict this country in the screens, has failed to the bones - or not, if you think that popular imaginary must be kept as it has been stereotyped for ages since the colonization.
There's always that need hanging over to show how distant America(or Europe) and Brazil are like it happened in the Stigmata movie, it starts somewhere in a jungle populated by hens and pigs with some human survivors who can actually speak some Spanish and look so primitive that one gets nauseated.
When we watch the backstage scenes, we see a lot of actors having fun on Brazil, really loving the place, saying they want to come back there every year.
I've seen a lot of horror movies in my time, and this rates about as low as it can get.
But there are a thin line among bad taste and idiotic stories.Some silly people miss to know HOW and WHERE, instead of do a 'thing' like this movie.
The movie basically starts out with all these good looking girls and Tad Hamilton in the country of Brazil.
"Turistas" (2006) isn't quite as bad as all its countless negative reviews make it out to be; I'd call it an average horror film and rate it a 6 out of 10.
The "horror" doesn't start until a full hour into the movie; the first hour is devoted to a lengthy setup and a (rather beautiful) examination of the natural beauty of Brazil, where the story is set.Second, there is probably less gore than you'd expect, given the film's story device.
After their bus crashes while touring in Brazil, a group of young adults find themselves in a world of misery...Not ever likely to be watched by members of the Brazilian Tourist Board, Turistas (AKA: Paradise Lost) is a whole mixed bag of a movie.
This is no great horror but it's got some B-movie goodness..
There are some differences in vibe and feel between Hollywood and foreign films, so if you're in a mood for foreign - finding out it isn't might be a little disappointing.Turistas has some beautiful landscape and view shots, the music is great, and everything gives you a "taste of Brazil".
I'm not going to remember Turistas as one of the better Horror films I've seen, or as one of the worse.
Well, first of all, this is not even close to a horror film, and much more a pretty good thriller.
If you go into this movie, expecting a "Hostel" like gruesome grimy gooey horror film, then you will be disappointed, or maybe surprised as I was, that the movie stands up well on it's own without being compared to anything.
Turistas is a good horror movie with good acting, suspenseful plotting and just enough gore to make it. |
tt3300542 | London Has Fallen | The opening scene is set somewhere in Pakistan where terrorist mastermind and financier Aamir Barkawi (Alon Aboutboul) is reportedly responsible for a bombing in Europe. He is throwing a wedding celebration for his daughter at his compound. Barkawi talks with two of his sons about one of them finding a mole, a German agent, in one of their terrorist cells in Lebanon. When he learns that the mole had been killed, he tells his sons to be "absolute" with removing the threat (implying to not only kill the spy but kill the spy's whole family as well). As the celebration is underway, an informant working as one of the waiters leaves a text message to the United States government to Barkawi's location. The military located in Nevada launches a drone strike against it just as the informant leaves. The compound blows up, supposedly killing Barkawi along with his family.Two years later.President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his top Secret Service agent/best friend Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) are jogging together near the White House in Washington (which is still recovering from the terrorist attack in the previous film). Mike returns home where it is revealed that he is currently expecting his first child with his wife Leah (Radha Mitchell). He is hoping to take some time off to spend time with his family and to finish setting up the nursery. She clearly becomes irritated by the number of security cameras in the room that he has installed.In Yemen, we see Barkawi is still alive (but walking with a limp), and he meets with his son Kamran (Waleed Zuaiter). They begin to set in motion plans for revenge.Back in Washington, Asher and Mike are both informed that the British Prime Minister James Wilson has recently passed away. They, along with Asher's staff, including now Vice President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) and Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett), travel to London to join all the other world leaders for Wilson's funeral. Believing it to be heavily secured, they are proven wrong when several mercenaries under Barkawi's commands initiate an attack, starting with a bomb destroying the Canadian prime minister's leader's limo. Soon, the mercenaries disguised as royal guards and police officers begin opening fire on civilians and other world leaders. The female German chancellor is killed by two assassins at Buckingham Palace before they are killed. The Japanese prime minister and his driver are killed on a bridge when two suicide bombers blow up both support spans and allowing the bridge to fall into the river. The Italian prime minister is killed with his mistress while standing atop Westminister Abbey. The French president is killed in his boat when another suicide bomber sails a barge containing explosives close to the boat. At St. Paul's Cathedral, Mike takes Asher and Jacobs with him to safety while shooting the mercs in the street.Quickly, the terrorists start to hit London's landmarks, including Big Ben and the Tower Bridge over the River Thames, setting off explosives that kill even more people. Mike, Asher, and Jacobs head into a chopper to safety. However, the terrorists launch Stinger ground-to-air missiles at the choppers, taking out the two security choppers before striking the presidential one. The presidential chopper crash-lands to the ground, resulting in Jacobs being fatally impaled. Before dying, she tells Mike to "make those fuckers pay". Mike and Asher then go on the run, while being chased by more assassins on motorcycles.Back in Washington, the president's staff sits in horror, fearing that their friends are dead. Mike attempts to contact Trumbull and send a message to let them know that he and Asher are still alive. He and the president are forced to venture to an underground station and after killing the terrorists pursing them, walk on foot through one of the abandoned metro tunnels. As Mike and Asher are running through the tunnels, Asher notes that the terrorists want him dead, and if it must come down to it, he orders Mike to kill him. Mike reluctantly agrees.Back in Washington, Trumbull and his staff receives a threatening call from Barkawi to let them know that he is out for revenge for the death of his family. They are informed that Wilson's autopsy report detected poison in his body, meaning he was intentionally murdered with the plan for all the world leaders to come together to be killed off.With the city on lock-down, Mike and Asher run to the home of MI6 agent Jacqueline "Jax" Marshall (Charlotte Riley), whom Mike knows well. Jax gets onto her computer and learns that Barkawi is behind the whole plot. She plays back a message from Trumbull confirming that they received Mike's message and are sending help. On the security cameras, the three see several armed men arrive in what is supposedly the Delta team there to rescue Mike and Asher, until Mike notices that the men are not sweating despite wearing heavy gear. They realize that the terrorists intercepted their message and are there to attack. The terrorists storm in and fire on the three. Mike shoots some of them and manage to kill all of them, with some help from President Asher. Mike and President Asher then take a car and drive through the streets until they are again ambushed by more terrorists, leading to their car being rammed by a truck. Despite being dazed, Mike manages to shoot and kill one of the terrorists who tries to finish him off, but Asher is abducted by the rest of the terrorists who then escape.Asher is taken to a private location where Kamran is setting everything up for him to be publicly executed. He punches Asher several times to make him suffer beforehand. Meanwhile, Mike is already on his way to rescue him with the real Delta team.The terrorists set up the cameras and broadcast it to every network around the world, so it's shown around places like Times Square. Kamran tells Asher to say some final words. Kamran readies his machete to decapitate Asher until Mike bursts in and shoots all but Kamran. He engages in a fistfight with Kamran and lets him know that no matter how many times enemies try to attack America, they'll still be there in a thousand years. Kamran manages to make a run for it. Mike orders the Delta team leader to blow the place up. Mike takes Asher and they jump down a shaft as the place goes up in flames, killing Kamran and the surviving terrorists. The Delta team finds Mike and Asher and reports to the staff that they're alive.Barkawi's compound is located in Yemen. Trumbull calls him to let him know that he's lost. Another drone strike is launched against Barkawi, and this time, he's taken out for good.Mike returns home and is spending time with Leah and their newborn child. He's looking at the letter of resignation to Asher he'd previously written. On TV, Trumbull speaks regarding the recent events, leaving an inspiring message that America will prevail. This convinces Mike to delete the letter. | comedy, murder, violence, good versus evil, humor, revenge | train | imdb | Whilst the original shocked (in particular the opening scenes) with a grandiose, beyond belief terrorist attack, London has fallen shocks with its stupidity, predictability, poor CGI, complete neglect for any realism (not a even a tad!) and tediously boring action scenes that would be more fitting for a new van dame movie.There's no need to break down this movie and pick it apart.
The plot is garbage - a bunch of terrorists blow up a crapload of stuff to kill world leaders attending a PM's funeral in London, and of course Gerard Butler is there and he has to save the day.
It could've been another mindless fun action movie and that's what I was hoping for, but the faults in London Has Fallen are too glaring to ignore.The script is dogsh*t, and that's putting it lightly.
...see, in an era of 12A action movies with tonnes of violence and no bad language, Butler dropping the F bomb a billion times ironically brings a level of realism to London Has Fallen, that is lacking in movies that take themselves far more seriously.Yes the entire concept is stupid, but that's not what we're here for.
Yes, in places the CG is a bit shoddy, but the movie is still quite spectacular in pulling off some big set pieces in London.London Has Fallen is mainly a two-hander between Butler and Eckhart, with some nice buddy moments and fantastic action sequences throughout, including a mega shoot-out at Somerset House, a mega shoot-out in the Underground, and mega shoot outs in dark buildings, including the finale in Soho, of all places.
This isn't going to get any Oscars, but it's a brilliantly retro action movie that takes itself far less seriously than throw-back action films like Taken, which is no less crazy in the plot department.Anyone who enjoys mindless action will not be disappointed, and where this movie lacks realistic plot, it makes up for it in pacing.
Gerard Butler stands on a level of his own, no decent actor should accept such role.I can't believe that I wasted any time of my life watching this.1 star, I wish I could give it a zero.
Indeed, it's not a real movie in the proper sense of the term, it's a propaganda campaign.a patriot secret service agent, Gerard butler, saving the life of his beloved president while fighting the bad guys with a beard and some black skin they call terrorists.Just take a look at it, it won't take long before you understand exactly what I mean.
but if you are a patriot and think that America is heaven, ready to give your life for your president, if you like closing your eyes while you're screwed by some politicians and if you think that everybody else who doesn't accept your opinion should die, then it might be the "movie" you 've been looking for..
This is a sequel to the successful movie "Olympus Has Fallen." The story begins in London, where the British Prime Minister has passed away under mysterious circumstances.
:) sadly that wont be happening , typical US propaganda movie , the "bad guys" do very well in the beginning but than its the usual , American superiority , its nearly ridiculous, the secret service seems to be completely clueless at 1st but than a few heroes safe the day , its disappointing for the realistic viewer, in real like nothing would play out the way it has been in this movie , and of course as usual the good and bad guys are reversed, i would only recommend this movie if you really bored , there are some neat spacial effects in there.
one of the worst movies i have watched, weak scenario, explosions like that application on the iPhone, RAMBO was back, add for that the childish imaging for the us president as the one who loves all the world.
surprised how Morgan Freeman accepted this scenario or this movie, anyway, sometimes you watched a bad scenario because there is some good work on action scenes , but this one neither a good story nor good scenes.
How on earth are movies like this made in 2016...All brown people bad and all White people good...this trash is war mongering , flag waving racist rubbish..i would imagine the average American person would be ashamed of this.Nothing works at all..they spent a few quid on a preposterous script and a few more quid on the ridiculous " Special" effects...nothing special about them...
they could have been done with a cheap computer app...and the acting is worse than bad.The lead is such a bad actor with little or no screen presence and the rest of the crew looked like extras....action sequences were totally ineffective I have an unlimited cinema pass and would have asked for my money back if I had paid for this rubbish.How on earth a movie like this could be made theses days is beyond me...in the week of the Oscars and movies like Joy..Spotlight..The Danish Girl..Revanant..etc..we get this tripe..incredibly bad..
There is so much wrong with this film, it is hard to know where to start; so its probably best just to summarise - its far fetched to the extent of being ridiculous, the plot is terrible, the script makes you cringe and the effects aren't up to much.
If you like films with plenty of action and no substance, this may be your thing; if not, I hope this review might help you save 99 minutes of your time..
When that trailer concerns itself with blowing London's most famous landmarks to bits and Morgan Freeman looking dreadfully concerned, you suspect that the movie is not going to bother the Oscars too heavily the following year.The Prime Minister of England has just died from a suspicious heart attack, the subsequent funeral in central London attended by rest of the world's leaders is a security conundrum of unprecedented scale.
The majority of leaders are killed in an attack on the capital apart from, surprise surprise, the US president Benjamin Asher (Eckhart), who is lucky enough to be defended by the most nauseatingly supercilious head of security in movie history, Mike Banning (Butler).
What follows is a meaningless chain of silly action sequences as the endlessly irritating Banning tries to return his employer to safety.Saying there are plot-holes in London has Fallen would unfairly suggest there is a plot, but the general narrative makes very little sense.
Morgan Freeman's implausibly predictable wise old man role is becoming a distinct bore, a step out of his safety zone becoming more and more necessitous as each film and identical character passes by.There is a sadly unsurprising miasma of xenophobia littered throughout the film with jaw-dropping dialog moments; 'Get back to F*ckheadistan or wherever you're from', made all the gloomier and surprising under the watch of Iranian director Bebak Najafi.Considering the movie was blatantly constructed entirely around the scenes of London's destruction, a surprising amount of the visual effects are mediocre; the Thames water dispersion from the Chelsea bridge bomb blast in particular has the mis-scaled feel of the Warlords of Atlantis squid attack.There really is no excuse for this kind of garbage any more.
Olympus Has Fallen may not be one of the great action movies of all time, but I enjoyed it's over the top tone and Gerald Butler still makes for a good action hero.
It also kept most of the story confined to the White House, which gave a tighter surrounding and even a tad more intimidating.The basic rule to make at least a passable action movie is to start off with a small bang, then let the scenes build from small to bigger before finishing off on the final large bang.
People like Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman feel misused and are given zero chance to do something new with their characters.If the people behind London Has Fallen were given this chance to make a sequel to a sleeper hit, why did they do the same story all over again?
To start, if you think you're going to be watching a summer movie blockbuster that's 10/10 than you don't have a great judgement on films.
This movie is extremely good all the way through just as it's predecessor "Olympus Has Fallen" was & is.WARNING: Can't go by IMDb negative reviewers; are often bogus & mere sabotage onslaughts.Gerard Butler is generally always good in anything he does.
When a movie becomes a surprise hit, as the White-House-under-attack-and-President-in-danger actioner "Olympus Has Fallen" did in 2013, earning $160 million worldwide on a budget of $70 million, a sequel often follows.
Movie Fans (especially those who liked the original), can only hope that "London Has Fallen" (R, 1:39) follows the rules of a successful sequel – and it does
partially.
Protected by the seemingly super-human agent Banning, POTUS is on the run in a dark and decimated London, with Barkawi threatening to capture him and kill him
slowly
live on the internet."London Has Fallen" is a half-way decent action flick which makes reasonably good use of modern international threats in its plot, but also represents some of the worst pitfalls of the action genre.
"London Has Fallen" will pump up your adrenaline and your patriotism, but a thinking-man's action movie, this is not.
So I watched that yesterday and I liked it, fun action movie with some noticeable flaws.Today I went to see London Has Fallen and I liked it better than the first one.
The action scenes were a bit better than the first and more intense, the lighting and cinematography improved quite a bit compared to Olympus and the scale was bigger.To get a little more in depth on certain matters that I liked: Gerard Butler is made for this role, he makes for a very likable action hero that gets the job done.
He did that in Olympus and now in this one he did it a bit better I think.The rest of the actors also do a good job, nothing really great but I got why everyone of them had a motivation to be there.As I said the action was better than the first and with that I mean there is a good build up and when it starts I was invested in the scenes and wanted Gerard Butler to kick ass.There are some issues with it though.
"London Has Fallen" is a non-stop action film with great cast, impressive special effects and scenes of destruction.
Olympus Has Fallen so much exceeded expectations at the box office so it only makes sense a sequel follows.Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is now expecting his first child and looking to resign from his Secret Service duties protecting the president.
You do have big names in secondary roles like Morgan Freeman or Angela Bassett but the script is made for Butler to do the most work.The only thing the film does really well is depicting London as the setting.
Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart both play their characters so well it was better than Olympus has Fallen...although i loved that film also.
The producers and writers to this movie must of been having a real bad day.I sat and watched London Has Fallen last night and it was more like watching Rambo in a suit.Mike Banning Aka #Gerrard Butler must be bullet and bomb proof.
Anyway, this was the kind of movie where you see Mr. Testosterone blast and kill with his M-47 machine gun as if he were in this high intensity video game, where "the bad guys" (in this case, Arabs) come at him a billion at a time, for ten full minutes.
It's been a good three years and the R-rated, action-packed "Olympus Has Fallen" has faded from most minds, even the consumers who saw the film such as myself.
However, that's not going to stop Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman from returning to stop a band of heavily armed terrorists, who have blown every historic landmark in the British capital to smithereens, by instilling the insurmountable power of the red, white, and blue up their asses like they're Red Foreman after a bad Fourth of July cookout.This time, however, instead of America being under attack, London is the target for a series of numerous bombings and strategic attacks during the time a funeral for the British Prime Minister is underway.
"London Has Fallen," as a result, turns its action sequences into some of the strongest I've seen since "Final Destination 5," in terms of visual clarity and sheer intensity.During the entire terrorist attack sequence, I was thoroughly enjoying the film as fairly basic but competent entertainment.
While I won't be one of the people to claim a New World Order agenda embedded within the screenplay of a new action film, I will be the one to claim that the personal politics, in addition to the lunacy between Butler and Eckhart throughout the whole film, work to take a simple, effective premise and effectively limit its potential by making it silly and overreaching."London Has Fallen" doesn't need to be a political sermon, but it sure wants to be.
The review simply said, "This is the movie playing on every screen in Hell." Well, move over Hudson Hawk because I think London Has Fallen may have taken your place.I realize that actors need a paycheck and this was clearly THAT or they never would have agreed to the awful blather that was written for them.
With this sequel however, 'London Has Fallen' has fallen short on my expectations that doesn't reach the high quality that was established in Olympus, not too say that it's bad as last year's 'Fan4tisc' but it failed to reach the expectations and became a half-arsed sequel.Taking place years after the hostage scenario at the White House (though I feel it doesn't connect to it as much), we see that the US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his friend/top Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) are living life smoothly with Banning expecting to be a father in weeks time with his pregnant wife due for their first child, and wishes to be there for both of them to be a caring and good provider.
The action this time around is a bit more but I felt that the film was rushing itself to get to the next set-piece, it felt more of a chase movie rather than a hostage scenario like Olympus did and hell even the first Die Hard but there's not much to care for since this is a popcorn flick.What's bad?
The plot itself wasn't strong and I was hoping it would carry the elements established in Olympus, there's not much to care for the characters besides the leading character and the ending of it seemed rushed and lazy (even in its stunt work).Overall, LHF is either a film you will like, hate or even feel left out after the credits but this sequel was so-so but it was made to lazily and cheap that it should have been made as a direct to DVD movie.
Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) has a feeling something is wrong when the President (Aaron Eckhart) has to attend funeral in London, with all the World Leaders gathered around.
This is really eerie,a city like London being overrun with terrorists and all its monuments getting blown up.I don't like this movie.At all.Olympus has fallen was a decent action flick that should have left these thinly developed characters well enough alone.Nobody ever,ever asked for a sequel.That movie wasn't meant to be continued.Somehow,Morgan Freeman,Robert Forster and Gerard Butler agreed to return to this movie.Obviously it is strictly for the paycheck.Feel sorry for Freeman,he is so much better than this garbage.If you want to make a terrorism movie,then make it.But why be so xenophobic?
just once i would like to watch a movie where the American is the bad guy and he is the terrorist ...
I'm not sure why a all the bad reviews but I can safely say that this movie was incredible!!!..the plot was good and the action second to none..Gerrard Butler remains one of the best action and all around great actors of our time..Definitely one for the catalog.
Next time if thinking of making this kind of Movie better ask your Government if in real life they have guts to do this, They will better tell you what Pakistan is Capable of here are some films that have you asking one simple question: are they entertainment or propaganda?
Never the less, the "retrograde, stab the bad guys heads" attitude of the film is a gleeful hearkening back to the less politically correct times of 80's/90's ear Arnie movies, and it gets down to the often vicious violence, satisfying baddie kills and hard action with little pretense and less respect for human life or morality, and sometimes this is exactly the sort of cinematic junk food you need, not good for you at all but certainly hits the spot.
Great film, not just for Americans but all fans of classic action movies.
So too have terrorists.TWO things you'll LIKE about "London Has Fallen": The action is fun and loud.
A sense of fun.London has Fallen, is not as good as the first movie, but crams in a great dose of action in its 99 minutes run time.
Morgan Freeman's first appearance, meeting Butler in the White House, looks as if it was filmed separately from the rest of the movie.Director Babak Najafi does a great job with the action, especially with a one take action scene in a London Alleyway.
If you saw Olympus Has Fallen you certainly think it was a pretty enjoyable action movie to watch which makes the sequel worth watching. |
tt0054743 | The Children's Hour | Former college classmates Martha Dobie (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen Wright (Audrey Hepburn) open a private school for girls. Martha's Aunt Lily (Miriam Hopkins), an aging actress, lives and teaches elocution at the school. After an engagement of two years to Joe Cardin (James Garner), a reputable obstetrician, Karen finally agrees to set a wedding date. Joe is related to the influential Amelia Tilford (Fay Bainter), whose granddaughter Mary (Karen Balkin) is a student at the school. Mary is a spoiled, conniving child who bullies her classmates, particularly Rosalie Wells (Veronica Cartwright), whom she blackmails when she discovers her in possession of a student's missing bracelet.
When Mary is caught in a lie, Karen punishes her by refusing to let her attend the weekend's boat races. Mary goes home to her grandmother and twists a story so that she will not have to return to school that day. Karen learns what the story is from a father of a departing student and confronts Amelia about Mary accusing Martha and Karen of being lovers. Mary is foiled at convincing others that she personally saw the interactions between Martha and Karen. Mary coerces Rosalie to corroborate her story. Joe is frustrated by the situation, saying that he has finished cleaning up his grandmother's home, and maintains his engagement to Karen and his friendship with Martha. The two women intend to file a suit of libel and slander against Mrs. Tilford.
Martha and Karen are isolated at the school. Aunt Lily returns after the suit has been lost because she would not return to testify on behalf of her niece and Karen. The incident had been circulated widely by the media. Joe wants to continue with his intention to marry Karen and wants Martha to restart life with them in a rural area where he has found a practice.
Karen insists that Joe tell her whether he believes that there was a relationship between Martha and Karen. Joe tells Karen that he believes it's untrue. She then says that nothing ever happened and that she could not continue with the engagement.
Rosalie's mother (Sally Brophy) discovers a cache of items among her daughter's belongings, including the bracelet inscribed to Evelyn. Mrs. Wells takes her daughter to Mrs. Tilford who, while walking over to meet her granddaughter, Mary, on the stairs collapses on the floor.
Karen tells Martha that Joe will not come back. Martha is distraught at Karen's cryptic explanation and urges her to not let Joe go. Karen, however, wants to leave town with Martha the next day. She believes they can go where they will not be recognized and can start a new life, but Martha does not. As Martha tries to talk herself into believing she and Karen are just good friends, she realizes that she does truly love Karen. While Karen does not believe her, tries to dissuade her and maintains her own heterosexuality, Martha comes to believe she has loved Karen ever since they met and that she was simply unaware of the true nature of her feelings. Despite Karen's assurances to the contrary, Martha feels responsible for ruining both their lives and is appalled by her feelings towards Karen.
Mrs. Tilford visits the two teachers. She has learned about the falsehood perpetrated by her; the court proceedings will be reversed and the award for damages settled. Karen refuses Mrs. Tilford's gesture.
Martha no longer wants to continue with the conversation. Karen leaves her for a walk on the school grounds. Aunt Lily asks Karen about the whereabouts of Martha as her door is locked. Karen breaks loose the door's slide lock with a candleholder and discovers Martha has hanged herself in her room. After Martha's funeral, Karen walks away alone, while Joe watches her from the distance. | tragedy, romantic, queer | train | wikipedia | The answer, however, is not in a re-make (the film is itself a re-make of a 1936 film by the same director called "These Three", and an adaptation of a play of the same name by Lillian Hellman), but a re-release of this fine example of moviemaking.Boasting a terrific cast including Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner, "The Children's Hour" is the story of two teachers, Miss Dobie and Miss Wright, who found a school for young girls in an idyllic town in America.
From the icy Regina in "The Little Foxes" to the sisters of "Toys In The Attic" - Jane Fonda played her, brilliantly, in "Julia", Here, her women walked a slightly edgier plane."The Children's Hours" was a big Broadway success and William Wyler, one of the best, directed the film version as "These Three" in the 1930's, washing away any reference to homosexuality.
Cruel and Heartbreaking Story about the Destructive Power of a Lie. Karen Wright (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha Dobie (Shirley MacLaine) are best friends since college and they own the boarding school Wright and Dobie School for Girls with twenty students.
So you see, the premise of "The Children's Hour" is not at all out-of-date!What is absolutely fascinating about this film, and what makes it unique in all the dramas which have been made on the subject of homosexuality, is the treatment of the road of self-discovery taken by these two very different women.MacLaine wants Hepburn to buy some new clothes in an early scene, because she remembers how stylish her friend liked to be in her university days, and she even shares the memory of her first sight of Hepburn, when she said to herself, "What a pretty girl!" By the time the action of this movie begins, these two women have already lived and worked together for at least ten years.
William Wyler's atmospheric drama has two teachers (Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine) be accused of lesbianism by a guileful schoolgirl, and then have that rumour ruin their job, their lives and their friendship.Somewhat of a taboo for the 60s, Wyler bravely tackles the subject with honesty and integrity, and his cast work well to bring the tense atmosphere to us.
It is not on whether the allegations were true (it is clear from the off that they are just slander of the worst kind from a bored, vindictive little girl) that the mystery of the film lies, but in whether her character does secretly love Hepburns', as more than a friend.The children are less apt in their roles.
Audrey Hepburn stars in William Wyler's film, based on Lillian Hellman's play, The Children's Hour.
It's a story about a girls' school and its two teachers Karen Wright (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha Dobie (Shirley MacLaine).
It's based on avery famous play from Lillian Hellman and it's directed by WilliamWyler (The Best Years of Our Lives, Roman Holiday, Ben-Her), and it stars Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, Fay Bainter, Karen Balkin, and Veronica Cartwright.
There is a little overacting (Maclaine's 'confession' to Karen) and James Garner at times (some thought he was miscast), but Faye Bainter gives one of the best performances on film as Mrs Tilford.While the theme may seem a little outdated, this film was great, and still stands strong when you view it again and again..
The film "The Children's Hour" based on Hellman's play tells the story of two young women whose lives and reputations are destroyed after a horrible little girl tells everyone that the two young women are lesbians.
Other supporting actors included are Fay Bainter as Mrs. Tilford, the rich and powerful woman who is made the pawn of spreading the lies told by her granddaughter; the wonderful Miriam Hopkins is Martha's judgmental and hypocritical Aunt Lilly Mortar; Veronica Cartwright is sweet and innocent as the young girl tortured into confirming the lie.
The Children's Hour stars two of it's days biggest female stars; Audrey Hepburn and Shirley Maclaine, who play teachers, and owners, of a private girls boarding school.
Add a brilliant script and some fine acting performances into the mix; and you've got a film that's damn near perfect.Despite the fact that it stars two of the biggest stars of it's day in Audrey Hepburn and Shirley Maclaine; the standout performance of the film for me comes from the young Karen Balkin, in the role of the troublesome child at the centre of the scandal.
I strongly urge anyone who enjoyed "The Children's Hour" to view the 1936 version; just one interesting factoid is that Miriam Hopkins, who turns in a brava performance as Martha's flaky (alcoholic?) aunt in this film, originally played the role of Martha in the earlier film, a stupendous casting coup, IMHO.As a child of the 1950's-60's, I am always grateful to have a chance to watch intelligent character studies which reflect the mores of the times, and this one is a stunning example.
Hepburn and MacLaine need no comment, but I especially appreciated Fay Bainter as the grandmother, a very 'proper' lady of the day; loving her granddaughter, she is both unwilling and unable to see through Mary's quasi-demonic nature, and her apologia scene at the end may be her best on film ever.My only real gripe with this film was its dreadful editing--rarely have I seen such poor work in a film of its stature and pedigree; in some scenes, it's like a record skipping a beat or two.
The themes explored in The Children's Hour are far from dated, so i just can't conspire to other writers who feel this way.Karen and Martha are best friends who share a home together, they also work at the same all Girls school.
James Garner plays Karen's beau, Dr. Joe Cardin, he's a crucial part of the story but Garner never really dominates the screen in the way you feel the character should, however in the face of the films best performance, it's probably understandable that Garner is hardly worth a second glance.
The tale begins as a fascinating look at a girls boarding school with its range of vividly defined characters among the students and staff...becomes a tremendously suspenseful tale where the viewer has no idea the direction it will take, causing the audience to really sit on the edge of their seats as the events unfold, and then, in an astonishing dramatic twist, becomes a tortured tale of those hidden personal feelings that well up in heartbreaking, searing emotion--made all the more powerful and gut-wrenching by the amazing performance of Shirley MacLaine and the carefully calibrated relationship she has with Audrey Hepburn.
...an user mentions in his comment did exist.If you do not believe it,you probably never worked in a school.A child like that,I met one three or four years ago.The French title is "la rumeur" (the rumor) ,and more than the right to be different,the main subject of "children's hour" (check the title) is slander which can destroy lives .Wyler's movie gains ,in spite of its dated side,an universal meaning because slander can be about anything and can lead anybody to humiliation,despair even death.And even in 2005,are all the parents prepared to accept a gay or a lesbian teacher for their child?Wyler was not happy with the first version (these three)which avoided the gay side.In 1961,it was a very courageous move to deal with a scandalous situation.The young audience will probably find it hard to understand what all the screaming was about.They have got to remember that the Production Code Administration Office (PCA)only began to change in 1958."The PCA finally altered its attitude toward "sexual perversion" (sic)- despite controversies over films like "suddenly last Summer"-when such major studio movies as "the children's hour " and "advise and consent" dealt with the subject."But it was 1966 before the code was revised ,this time drastically.Excellent performances by the two leads ,extremely moving,fine support by James Garner and Miriam Hopkins .Shirley McLaine is to be praised because she has the hardest part.Her evolution makes sense .What about the ending?Lilian Hellmann took the easy way out.But once again ,it was 1961.Mark Rydell ,in 1968,when the code had been revised ,did not improve on the ending with his own "the fox" .Neither did Claude Chabrol with "les biches".With his legendary depth of field,Wyler lightens what could have been a filmed stage protection.He places his characters in their space as a chess player (see the last scenes between the two women and the doctor;also the scenes with the old lady and the girls).Spoiler:Wyler refused to sweeten the final.Whereas today's cinema would have reunited Hepburn and Garner hugging and kissing with a full choir and orchestra behind ,he opts for an open ending.as an user already noticed ,everything is possible...William Wyler was never the academic director the French "cahiers du cinema" and the Godard clique used to spit at.He took more chances than they did .And it was not over."The collector",the follow-up ,four years later,tackled the real sexual perversion (The two heroines are normal for today's audience,and they were forty years ago as well ) and was definitely ahead of its time.Vive William Wyler!.
Karen Wright (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha Dobie (Shirley MacLaine) run a private school for young girls.Then one day one of the girls, Mary Tilford (Karen Balkin) decides to ruin their lives and lets her grandmother Amelia (Fay Bainter) think that these two women are having an affair.But is there a bit of truth in that lie?
William Wyler is the director of The Children's Hour (1961).The topic is mighty controversial, especially at that time.Wyler directed Audrey Hepburn again since Roman Holiday (1953) and their collaboration obviously worked.This may not be as good of movie as Roman Holiday but there's something good in this one too.Shirley Maclaine does excellent job in her role.Then there's James Garner playing Karen's boyfriend, Dr.Joe Cardin.This now 80 year old actor is very good in his part.There are times when you find this movie touching.Especially at the end.This is a good movie that is not meant to entertain..
Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, and Fay Bainter, Karen Balkin; produced and directed by William Wyler; written and adapted for the screen by Lillian Hellman.
I hope when you watch The Children's Hour you can appreciate how groundbreaking and scandalous it was in 1961.Based on a Lillian Hellman play (that's your cue to prepare yourself for a very heavy movie), Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine play two teachers at an all-girls school.
Which was light years ahead of any other film which were few in numbers about this long, at least in movies from out of Hollywood, unmentioned and taboo subject.Running the Wright-Dobie school for young girls both Martha Dobie, Shirley McLaine, and Karen Wright, Audrey Hepburn, were close friends since they were teenagers.
It wasn't until problematic and always not telling the truth 12 year old student Mary Tilford, Fay Bainter, overheard Martha's Aunt Lily, Mariam Hopkins, say something very "queer" about Martha's strange relationship with her best friend Karen that things started to go sour for the two school headmistresses.
It never truly touches on any idea of acceptance of the sort of sexuality, but rather glints with the frustrating social reaction to it and the characters' defense against the malicious gossip.Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn give wonderful performances as two sweet young teachers who have known each other since they were in school together.
As an extension to the Commandment, we are also cautioned about repeating things about another that we don't know to be truthful; or telling stories about one's fellow man which would be unnecessarily harmful to his reputation.THESE are powerful words to live by and we would all be much better off if both the the Spirit, as well as the Letter of the Law were observed.ALL of which brings us to today's subject film; which is the film of the Lillian Hellman play, THE CHILDREN'S HOUR (The Mirisch Corporation, 1961).IN the story, two women (portrayed by Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine), who are partners in an exclusive, upscale and apparently well established boarding-finishing school, are made victims of the willful and wanton spreading of untruthful stories about an "unholy and unnatural" relationship between the two.WITHOUT benefit of any real discussion or even of any open accusation, the two ladies loose their school as a mass exodus of students dries up any of the necessary operating capital.
Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine play two women running a private boarding school for girls who find their lives destroyed when one wicked little girl tells a lie that the two teachers are lovers.
Audrey Hepburn, following up her fashionable triumphant as Holly Golighty in "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and Shirley MacLaine, one year after receiving her best notices for "The Apartment", star in this lugubrious reworking of 1936's "These Three", helmed by that film's director, William Wyler (apparently going for a no-holds-barred version of Lillian Hellman's play).
The main focus of THE CHILDREN'S HOUR is how the power of a lie can destroy meaningful relationships between innocent people and forever change their lives once the lie has spread.And yet, as gripping as Lillian Hellman's play is, this screen version fails to match the intensity and penetrating truths exposed in William Wyler's original version, THESE THREE ('36), so expertly crafted with fine performances by Merle Oberon, Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea.
Wyler knew that the powerful lie was the center of the piece.While I admire Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine for giving sensitive performances here, it is really James Garner who impressed me most of all with what had to be a pretty thankless role.
Now I am sure some today may hate the film--as it could be construed as either pro- or anti-gay---I just admire its frankness for 1961.Audrey Hepburn and MacLaine play best friends who co-run a small boarding school for rich young ladies.
Directed with breathtaking brilliance by William Wyler for MGM, the film features intense and harrowing performances by Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine as the two young women who have been friends since they were 17 and who now run a private school for girls in New England.
There's lots to appreciate in this solid, somewhat daring for its time examination of the taboo subject of lesbianism in high society as two likable go-ahead young female teachers (Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine) become the victim of the scandalous accusations of one of their young pupils, but for me somehow it falls short of delivering the effect it should, although I appreciate my expectations of the film might differ from other viewers.
That same leap of faith is also required for the better-known "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, so I suppose what's good for one is good for the other...I did wonder how homosexuals then and now might feel about Maclaine's character, who "comes out" in the film, but up to that point seems the tougher of the two women even without the emotional back-up of a loving fiancé James Garner who attends on Hepburn, but who hangs herself at the tragic conclusion - the implication for me is too strong that this is her only way out as a revulsion against her own sexuality which weakens the moral purpose of the film.As a movie, the direction is surely handled by producer / director Wyler who tells his tale well.
The Children's HourThe best way to keep your lesbian relationship secret is by telling everyone you're sisters.The lovers in this drama, however, choose to deny their passions outright.When a spiteful private school student spreads rumors that her teachers, Martha (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen (Audrey Hepburn), are lesbians, she puts Karen's engagement to Joe (James Garner) as well as both women's careers in jeopardy.As the validity of the allegations is scrutinized by the faculty so too do both women explore their own feelings for each other.
Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine star as fellow teachers in a girls' school, and the targets of malicious gossip by one of the students, in this William Wyler remake of his own 1936 film, "These Three," both based on the Lillian Hellman play.This updated version is more faithful to Hellman's play and is meant to be much more shocking.
Miriam Hopkins is OK, but winds up taking a thankless role and doing very little with it.But really, this movie is such an anachronism, and so full of ridiculous relationships and decisions that it's best seen as a comedy.I like what Bosley Crowther of the New York Times said about it and mind you, this is what he said back in 1961: "IT is hard to believe that Lillian Hellman's famous stage play, "The Children's Hour," could have aged into such a cultural antique in the course of three decades as it looks in the new film version of it that came to the Astor and the Trans-Lux Fifty-second Street yesterday.But here it is, fidgeting and fuming, like some dotty old doll in bombazine with her mouth sagging open in shocked amazement at the batedly whispered hint that a couple of female schoolteachers could be attached to each other by an "unnatural" love.".
Still it is the acting by the glorious Audrey Hepburn, the brilliant Shirley MacLaine, the sensitive James Garner and the annoyingly real Miriam Hopkins, who plays Martha's aunt and employee, who bring this movie to life.
In this one, bratty girl Mary (Karen Balkin) lies to her grandmother (Fay Bainter) about a relationship between her teachers Karen Wright (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha Dobie (Shirley MacLaine).
It's not often that a director has an opportunity to remake his own film but with "The Children's Hour" (1962) William Wyler got a second crack at Lillian Hellman play about Martha and Karen, two schoolteachers (Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn) who are harmed by a resentful student. |
tt0047162 | The Last Time I Saw Paris | As World War II ends in Europe, Stars and Stripes journalist Charles Wills (Van Johnson) is on the streets of Paris, covering the celebrations. He is suddenly grabbed by a beautiful woman, who kisses him and disappears. Charles follows the crowd to Café Dhingo and meets another pretty woman named Marion Ellswirth (Donna Reed). The mutual attraction is instant and she invites him to join her father's celebration of the end of the war in Europe. Charles, Marion and her persistent French suitor Claude Matine (George Dolenz) arrive at the Ellswirth household, and we find that the woman who had kissed Charles is Marion's younger sister Helen (Elizabeth Taylor).
Their father, James Ellswirth (Walter Pidgeon), had survived World War I and promptly joined the Lost Generation. Unlike most drifters, he never grew out of it; raising his two daughters to desire such a lifestyle. Helen takes after her father and uses her beauty to sustain a life of luxury even though they are flat broke. Marion goes the other way and looks for serious-minded and conventional young men such as Claude, an aspiring prosecutor, and Charles, the future novelist.
Charles and Helen fall in love and start dating. After Helen recovers from a near-death case of pneumonia, they get married and settle in Paris. James good-naturedly joins the happy family of Charles, with Helen eventually having a daughter Vickie (Sandy Descher). Marion, having lost Charles to Helen, agrees to marry Claude. Charles struggles to make ends meet with his meagre salary, unsuccessfully works on his novels and looks after Vickie.
At about this time, the barren oil fields in Texas James had bought years before finally begin to produce. Charles, to whom James had given the oil fields as a dowry, quits his job, and Helen and James begin to host parties instead of going to them. Sudden wealth changes Helen, who becomes more responsible, while Charles parties his wealth away after quitting his newspaper job and having all his novels rejected by publishers. They also each start to pursue other interests: Helen flirts with handsome tennis player Paul Lane (Roger Moore), while Charles competes in a local Paris-to-Monte Carlo race with professional divorcee Lorraine Quarl (Eva Gabor).
After the race Charles returns to Paris, only to find Helen sitting in Café Dhingo with Paul. A fight breaks out between Paul and Charles, and an angry Charles goes home first and puts the chain on the door, preventing it from being opened all the way. When Helen comes home and tries to enter she can't. She calls out to him, but Charles is in a drunken stupor on the staircase and we hear the bottle drop from his hands as Helen calls. Helen ends up having to walk all the way to her sister's in the snow and rain. She catches pneumonia again and dies.
Marion petitions for and gets full custody of Vickie, while Charles returns home to America. A few years later, having straightened himself out, published a book, and stopped boozing, Charles returns to Paris, hoping his reform will persuade Marion to give Vickie back to him. Charles tells Marion that he only has one drink a day now. Marion refuses, still feeling resentful towards Charles for having fallen for Helen instead of her. Seeing that Charles and Vickie belong together, Claude steps in and tells Marion that she is punishing Charles for his not realizing that Marion loved him. It is painful for him to tell her that he, Claude, could not have all of her love, but Charles should not be punished any more.
Marion goes into Café Dhingo (on whose main wall is a big picture of Helen) to look for Charles (who is gazing at the painting) and tells him that Helen would not have wanted him to be alone. Outside the cafe, Claude is with Vickie. The child runs to Charles and Charles and the child walk off together as the movie ends. | romantic, melodrama | train | wikipedia | The Last Time I Saw Paris was the second of two films that Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson co-starred.
Look for Eva Gabor as a divorcée who likes Johnson and a very young Roger Moore as a tennis pro who'd like to be a kept man by Taylor.It's a nice story, but it could have been a whole lot better if MGM had actually shot the film in Paris completely and really set in the period it was written..
Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited from the jazz-age Paris of the `Lost Generation' to the late 1940s and early 1950s looks logical enough, one World War being much like another, but a certain piquant period flavor gets lost.
The way the characters ruminate about life back home in the United States, you'd think they'd colonized Mars rather than taken lodgings near the Eiffel Tower.Amid the city-wide orgy of V-E Day, Army correspondent Van Johnson meets two sisters: Donna Reed, who gives him the eye, and Elizabeth Taylor, who catches his.
But then Taylor, of such delicate constitution that she has been known to contract flu not from microbes but from a gentle rain, gets soaked to the skin when she's locked out of the house at dawn and slogs her way through the slush...Given these melodramatic excesses, Richard Brooks keeps the movie refreshingly low-key; he draws a subdued and affecting performance from Taylor (at the dizzying pinnacle of her young beauty).
The first being of course the rhapsodic National Velvet and the second the astonishing A Place In The Sun. The films in between those and The Last Time I Saw Paris were mostly along the `Isn't she beautiful?' line of movie making, and, why not?
A successful writer ( Van Johnson) remembers about his love story with a gorgeous American girl ( Elizabeth Taylor ) in post WWII Paris .
Scott Fitzgerald who is well incarnated by Van Johnson and in which Helen played by Elizabeth Taylor represents Zelda , Scott's wife .This interesting movie reminisces the love affair between a wealthy war reporter and a feisty young woman ; it packs romance , drama , and colorful scenarios .
Reed, the rejected third wheel, is actually not rejected, per se, but becomes the "odd man out" none the less when her sister (Liz Taylor) successfully steers the affections of the duped Johnson in her own direction instead.Reed adopts the persona of the rejected party to a relationship that never was, and exacts her revenge later in the film.While the big name actors of the day are no longer influencing moviegoers today, they undoubtedly sold the film in 1954.
Johnson possibly could have done more with the role, but the weakness of the character should not be confused with some partially perceived weakness in Johnson's delivery of the part.Taylor does a nice job as the sly and experienced older sister, the one with the better looks and the Machiavellian technique to get whatever she wants, again at the expense of little sister Reed.
Dolenz marries Reed and in the end does a very nice job of becoming the film's heroic figure.Eva Gabor at the peak of her youthful beauty does a good job as yet another love triangle component for the easily side-tracked Johnson after his marriage to Taylor.
Elizabeth Taylor, Donna Reed, and Walter Pidgeon turn in fine performances in this updated adaptation of F.Scott Fitzgerald's short story, BABYLON REVISITED.
The happy ending constructed for the movie is completely out of line with the story's point of view and makes no sense for the motivations of all the characters as written by Fitzgerald or adapted by the screenwriter.
Other reviewers have analyzed Ms. Taylor's performance, and she does quite well; her father is portrayed by Walter Pigeon as a shallow lothario, Donna Reed is the angelic sister, and Van Johnson the writer/husband.
Scott Fitgerald is not completely manifested, Johnson does a good job of being a conflicted writer, loves his wife, but needs more, eventually spiraling downward into alcoholism.One scene with their young daughter is particularly touching, she is on a merry-go-round in the park, near the Seine, it is cold, Johnson is trying to reconcile with Elizabeth Taylor; He will change, he will stop drinking, he will redeem himself;(he promises, to no avail).The hope and sadness are projected on screen.
The postwar Paris setting is used in a number of well-conceived ways in the story.Johnson plays the main character, a reporter and would-be novelist who begins the movie with a trip back to Paris, and begins reminiscing about the past.
The character's career disappointments and family crises give much of the story a markedly pessimistic (if not depressing) tone, yet Johnson plays the part believably, and the story brings out some worthwhile thoughts, as his character gradually loses his perspective on things.As his wife, Taylor's appeal and energy stand out every time she is on screen, but more importantly, she develops the character consistently throughout the story, often in interesting contrast to Johnson's character.
Her performance adds considerable meaning to the rest of the movie, and it also help in making the other characters more believable.Walter_Pidgeon (sorry, otherwise can't get it past the spell-checker) seems to be having fun as the easygoing father, and Donna Reed does a solid job in a rather thankless role as Taylor's more serious, sometimes envious sister.
Unfortenatly for Donna Reed, Van Johnsson is bound to meet her sister, a young beautiful girl played by Elisabeth Taylor.
After a year he understands where he went wrong and goes back to France for his daughter.The movie features good actors, especially Walter Pidgeon as the father of the two sisters.
If you're like that, do yourself and the world a favor and get some help --- we need more understanding and more happy endings in this world.Look for Zsa Zsa (yes, she actually did act at one time) and a young Roger Moore, and for all you trivia buffs, check out the character named Claude that plays Donna Reed's husband.
(Check out her appearances in Minnelli's "Gigi" and the Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward clunker, "A New Kind of Love," in which Eva almost stole the show, despite the presence of Thelma Ritter who usually carried off that particular prize.) "The Last Time I Saw Paris" was typical mid-Fifties high gloss soap opera from M-G-M, and it's a bit of a surprise that Richard Brooks was the director, since he's noted for somewhat more topical and/or hard-hitting stuff.
If MGM stretching a melancholy, intimate portrait of a flawed man into a feature-length romantic extravaganza was a bad idea, casting Van Johnson as the Fitzgerald character was a worse one.
Charles Wills, the Fitzgerald stand-in, is a journalist who marries a beautiful but impulsive debutante in Paris right after World War II, lapses into drunken self-loathing after writing a few failed novels, and wastes his wife's inheritance on the way to becoming a puffy, alcoholic playboy.
Thus, there's no reason Charles would attract two hot prospects like Liz Taylor and Donna Reed, the expatriate sisters who fight for the pudgy pretty boy's love in post- WWII Paris.
Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited" for writer Van Johnson (as Charles Wills), recalling his whirlwind post-World War II encounter with beautiful and curvaceous sisters Elizabeth Taylor and Donna Reed (as Helen and Marion Ellswirth), in Paris.
Alcohol dully plays a role in the story, especially, but unconvincingly, affecting star Johnson.**** The Last Time I Saw Paris (11/18/54) Richard Brooks ~ Van Johnson, Elizabeth Taylor, Donna Reed, Walter Pidgeon.
Elizabeth Taylor is really great and to me she was the one that truly carried the movie, though in screen time it is perhaps Van Johnson who plays the real main role of the movie.
The movie also has a supporting cast to die for; Walter Pidgeon, Donna Reed, Eva Gabor and even a young Roger Moore in his first real notable movie role.
The Last Time I Saw Paris is really bad; I'd even go so far as to say it's one of the worst Liz Taylor movies out there.
Elizabeth Taylor does what she can with the masochistic wifey role, even getting what actresses like to call "a good hospital scene," but Van Johnson has more of an opportunity as a performer to show range and emotion (the writing is slanted that way).
The story is a bit outdated and melodramatic to involve acting but it's Van Johnson's film and not his co-star Elizabeth Taylor.
Scott Fitzgerald novel on which this is based, but can only report that ELIZABETH TAYLOR, VAN JOHNSON, DONNA REED and WALTER PIDGEON do nicely in the leads and the film is given a graceful script by screenwriter Julius J.
VAN JOHNSON could have used more depth as the would-be novelist turned alcoholic and DONNA REED's subdued performance as the bitter elder sister is rather one-note in concept.Richard Brooks has directed this in too leisurely fashion, but fans of Taylor and Johnson should certainly be pleased with the final results.
Van Johnson finding his dream girl in Paris (Elizabeth Taylor) and failing to keep her.
The story is precarious in its delicacy, an American journalist in Paris falls in love with Elizabeth Taylor, they marry, but he is more or less a failed author (autobiographically by Scott Fitzgerald?
There is no way Elizabeth Taylor would ever fall for Van Johnson either on screen or in real life.
Reviewers either greatly admire or totally dismiss Van Johnson's presence and acting ability,never more so than in this movie.In one of his last interviews,he selected this as one of the works he was most proud of and I can understand why.As the story unwinds,over an eight year period,Van's performance takes us on a journey from a keen,love-smitten man through to a repentant,lonely one.His penultimate scene with Donna Reed really hits home,as we measure his helpless pleas against her stubborn bitterness.I'm genuinely moved each time I watch it,just as I am with the following moment when her husband (very nicely played by George Dolenz) awakens her to the sad truth.I don't want to give away any more than that.Donna Reed is very impressive in a role that's not easy to warm to.
Elizabeth Taylor is at the height of her beauty and her performance is quite pleasing.As already mentioned,the only available DVD's of "The Last Time I Saw Paris" are of the poorest quality.With a re-mastered edition,I believe this entertaining movie could attract a whole new following.It's such a romantic title and that can't be denied..
It's an autobiography about nothing.The film is saved from getting a 1 rating by the generally good acting, and especially that of Donna Reed and Walter Pidgeon.When Charles (Johnson) meets the two daughters of another useless wastrel, (Pidgeon) he obviously like Marion (Reed) but then falls for the flashy Helen (Taylor).
Perhaps later, much later, he regrets that choice.The film is set over a time span of eight or more years, but Van Johnson looks exactly the same from the first to the last scenes.
But for all its flaws, The Last Time I Saw Paris has much to like and the good stuff is beautiful and charming indeed.
And The Last Time I Saw Paris is also beautifully cast and beautifully played, especially by a luminous Elizabeth Taylor who brings sublime subtlety and nuances to her role an amusingly eccentric and endearingly roguish Walter Pidgeon.
Also, a standout is George Dolenz as Johnson & Taylor's silently suffering and devoted brother-in-law married to self-righteous Donna Reed - perhaps the one supporting role that seemed miscast or a bit flat to me.If you want to wallow in tears at a well-done schmaltzy love story, this one's for you..
Charles Wills (Van Johnson) is an aspiring American writer, living in Paris for the time being.
Over time, the struggle to become a successful writer alienates his family from him, and threatens to tear apart the family.I usually like Liz Taylor movies, and I have never seen a bad performance from Walter Pidgeon, so I was looking forward to seeing this movie.
The rest of the actors also do very well in this movie, especially Donna Reed, Van Johnson and George Dolenz.
In general, this film has good acting and a well-crafted script.Overall, I wanted to like this movie more than I really did.
There are some great points in the movie, such as Van Johnson's character gazing at a mural of Liz Taylor's character, and then later seeing someone create it.
The scenes with Johnson's character and his young daughter are especially effective, and that makes the end of the film so much better than it would have otherwise been, as you'll see.Donna Reed does a wonderful job in her role.
Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson star as a pair of tragic, lovestruck Americans who fall in love in Paris following the end of World War II.
Overall it's a pretty good movie with some quality performances from Van Johnson, Elizabeth Taylor, Donna Reed as Taylor's sister who's disappointed Johnson didn't pick her over Taylor, Walter Pidgeon as the girls' father who also embraces the live every day as though it were your last philosophy and finally Eva Gabor and Roger Moore as infidelity temptation for the married couple..
Van Johnson puts forth a decent performance, but better casting for the lead role would likely have made a more popular film.
Van Johnson and Elizabeth Taylor, among others, made The Last Time I Saw Paris quite enjoyable as a romantic drama.
So it is here that I finally watched this long-in-public-domain M-G-M feature that starred Van Johnson and Elizabeth Taylor with Donna Reed-the second Miss Ellie on that soap-among the supporting cast.
As for Ms. Reed, she doesn't seem much use as Ms. Taylor's sister until her climatic scene with Van Johnson near the end concerning his daughter.
"The Last Time I Saw Paris" converted the author's sensibility downward, to compassion and soap opera
The movie therefore betrayed the dry-eyed spirit of the original material
The first mistake, though, was in changing the era from the Lost Generation Twenties to post-World War II
The jazz age ambiance, recollected in the story, the mystique of Paris in the Twentiesthese key tokens of Fitzgerald's sensibility were missing
Even more damaging than the switch in era is the attempt to expand the characters whose motivations are only sketched lightly in the short story
Told in flashback, the story centers on a successful American novelist (Van Johnson) who returns to Paris and a reunion with the child he left in the custody of his sister-in-law (Donna Reed), since the death of his wife...The movie and the actors do not move the characters from point A to point B: why, for instance, do husband and wife reverse roles, she transformed from party girl to sober wife who wants to go home to America, he collapsing from serious writer to disappointed drunk
Van Johnson lacks the mythic stature to suggest other than a poor man's version of the great, doomed Fitzgerald
And Liz was too young and inexperienced at the time to embody an arch-neurotic, part a malicious temptress, and part an aiding angel
The role is a cumulation of the Taylor ingénue: the goodtime flirt, cunningly stealing a man from her older sister; the spoiled daughter of a fast living phony; the irresponsible party girl with a good heart underneath it all; the sober young mother and wife; the defiant adulteress; the frail spirit cut down by the forces of nature
At each "station," she is on home ground, but the part comes out in bits and pieces rather than a coherent whole: the character, finally, does not add up
It may be partly Taylor vapidity (Beverly Hills didn't prepare her for Paris), but it's also the script and the direction: that saintly woman, forgiving all, has very little connection to the blithe spirit who steals her sister's man and parties with non-stop frenzy.
With bright young things such as a very beautiful Elizabeth Taylor (aged 22 years) and Van Johnson taking the lead roles as the poor but vitality filled youths who must, and in the case for poor Charles Wills retrace his paths and once again revisit this Babylon city.
Then, oddly, the last portion of the movie seems to fall apart and is a bit of a confusing and saccharine-like mess.The film begins with Van Johnson meeting and falling in love with Elizabeth Taylor.
Johnson's ambition it to publish a novel, but in the meantime he has married Taylor, has a lovely little girl and a well-paying job in Paris.
Basically you have a pleasingly low-key performance by Van Johnson as a hard-working American G.I. who decides to stay in Paris, under the spell of a lovely bohemian (Liz Taylor) and her anti-pragmatic father (Walter Pidgeon), but his performance eventually veers too deeply into the maudlin as we're expected to believe that his inability to write a successful novel has brought about an existential crisis for the protagonist as well as a marriage crisis for the couple.The most irritating thing about the movie is the way that the writers tried so hard to make sure that the audience wouldn't blame either of the lovers for any of the bad things that are happening, all the while expecting us to buy that each lover blames the other at least at one point or another.
The Last Time I Saw Paris- Starring Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson with Walter Pidgeon,Donna Reed,Eva Gabor and Roger Moore- from a story by F.
I couldn't stand her character at all for she seems to hate Van Johnson's character without good reason,though she has one later.I will admit when it comes to scenes of parents and kids,I do get sentimental & a little emotional but then seeing Johnson & daughter reunited is a wonderful touching end to the film.
The movie becomes an endless series of similar scenes that have Van Johnson meeting with Liz Taylor. |
tt0082570 | It's Magic, Charlie Brown | Charlie Brown gives Snoopy a library card, and soon after, Snoopy checks out a book on magic.Pretty soon, Snoopy decides to put on a magic show, with Sally, Marcie, and Woodstock as his assistants. Going under the name 'The Great Houndini,' Snoopy does numerous tricks, most of which end up backfiring. They include:- pulling a rabbit out of a hat.
- penetrating a box and person with a stick.
- putting someone in a box, and cutting them into pieces.
- blindfolded and guessing what audience members have on them.
- levitating a person into the air.
- turning someone invisible.The last trick is done with Charlie Brown, but before Snoopy can make him reappear, the performance is rained out, and everyone goes home.Soon after, Charlie requests Snoopy to turn him back, but Snoopy doesn't seem to know how. Wandering the neighborhood, Charlie is surprised to see Lucy holding a football in an open field. Having some fun with his invisibility, he kicks the football out of her hand, before taunting her.Furious that Charlie seems to have put one over on her, she demands Snoopy make Charlie Brown reappear, or she'll pound him.Eventually, Snoopy finds the reversal spell, and manages to turn Charlie back, just as he attempts to kick the football out of Lucy's hands again. However, Lucy sees Charlie reappearing, and pulls it away this time.Even so, Charlie claims that he's ecstatic that he kicked the ball while he was invisible, while Lucy says noone will believe him. When Charlie claims that it's thanks to Snoopy, Lucy insults his magic powers, and Snoopy angrily levitates her above the ground, leaving her there, as Charlie and Snoopy walk away.In the aftermath, Linus finds Lucy levitating, and using his blanket, pulls her down. | psychedelic | train | imdb | Magical Charlie!.
A magic show can only mean disaster for poor Charlie Brown and his friends, especially when Snoopy is the magician.
This charming special is an exceptionally good one in the long line of Peanuts specials, containing the basic ingredients that make up the Peanuts strips- humor, simplicity, and innocence.Snoopy puts on a magic show for the neighborhood kids, and when he makes Charlie Brown disappear (for real!) he can't figure out how to get him back.
But rest assured, Snoopy always finds a way in the end, doesn't he?
This show gives us some surprising twists to the ordinary world of Peanuts, including a glimpse (for the first and only time, as far as I know) inside Snoopy's doghouse, Charlie Brown's victory at kicking the football (maybe), and a rare moment of Lucy getting (in my opinion) her well-deserved comeuppance when Snoopy performs a feat of levitation on her and leaves her in a very interesting situation.Great fun is always had with Charlie Brown and the gang.
This is definitely one to add to the collection..
Good C.B. fun.
Snoopy gets a magic book at the library & puts on a magic show.
He's, "The Great Houndini." Some of his tricks work and some don't.
He cuts up Linus' blanket & it should "magically" go back together, but it doesn't.
Then he makes Charlie Brown invisible and can't change him back.
The invisible C.B. screws with Lucy & actually kicks the football.
Lucy tells Snoopy to make C.B. reappear.
Somehow Snoopy gets "magical powers" to bring C.B. back & Lucy says he may not have kicked the ball - no one else saw it.
Snoopy levitates Lucy & leaves her up there.Good C.B. fun for all ages.
Magical moments.
I've always liked the Peanuts.
The cold reality life is given new life in humorous animations.
This is one of the best Charlie Brown shows I've seen.
The one where he actually kicks the ball.
Enjoyable and fun all the way through.
Amazing..
Snoopy the Magician.
One of the things I always loved about the Charlie Brown specials were that they were always a surprise, you never really knew what the Pennuts gang were going to get into next.
This is another of my favorite specials.There really isn't a whole lot to say about this one it's basically about Snoopy learning magic, that's pretty much it but that's cool because it finally dove into one of the things I always loved as a kid magic tricks.In a way the whole special plays out like a skit comedy as most of what happens is pretty random and all revolve around the subject magic.
I don't want to give too much away but from what you can see Snoopy is obviously a magician in progress as he seems to be hit or miss at first with most of the magic tricks.Two of my favorite parts of the special were seeing Snoopy perform a magic trick with Linus's blanket where it's the trick to cut it apart and then make it magically intact again.
It is just fraking hilarious as we just see the reactions on Linus's face, he's literally going into a nervous breakdown; for a really smart guy Linus has got problems.Another of course was Charlie Brown becoming invisible, throughout a whole third of the special it's focused on Charlie Brown despite not seeing him but it's just fun seeing Charlie Brown get into some antics and have fun with his invisibility.
He even gets to do something that I've been waiting for years to happen and it's finally paid off.Charlie and Snoopy are magically powered for fun.Rating: 3 and a half stars.
Real Magic, Charlie Brown.
Annoyed at Snoopy for just sleeping all day Charlie Brown gives him a library card and tells him to go educate himself.
The book he comes home with is full of magic tricks which he practises live in front a bunch of Chuck's friends.
Some of the tricks work, others don't.
But once the show is over Chuck is turned invisible as some kind of weird side-effect.
Now with the powers of invisibility Chuck's only desire is to kick a football without Lucy yanking it out of the way at the last minute, as she so often does.I think a lot more could have been done with this story.
As soon as Charlie Brown goes invisible he orders Snoopy to fix him.
Why not have more fun playing jokes on people?
There was a lot of potential here but it's mainly wasted.
Fun though..
Another highly enjoyable Peanuts TV special.
Charlie Brown encourages Snoopy to learn some kind of skill.
Snoopy reads a book on magic and decides to put on a magic show as the Great Houndini.
Although a fair share of the magic tricks don't work, Snoopy does succeed in making Charlie Brown invisible, but has trouble figuring out how to reverse the spell.
Charles M.
Schulz's typically warm and witty script milks the nifty premise for several very strong and sidesplitting belly laughs: Among the hilarious comic highlights are Linus fainting when Snoopy cuts up his beloved blanket, Snoopy smearing mud on Charlie Brown, Snoopy putting a white sheet, a belt, and shoes on Charlie Brown which makes him look like a ghost, Charlie Brown finally getting to kick the football while invisible, and Snoopy levitating the ever-snarky Lucy and leaving her up in the air.
Another cool moment occurs when we get to see the inside of Snoopy's surprisingly spacious and swanky doghouse.
The animation is bright and colorful.
The supremely funky'n'jazzy score by Ed Bogus and Judy Munsen keeps things bubbling throughout.
Best of all, there's a sweet and simple good-natured quality to the whole show that's impossible to either resist or dislike.
An extremely funny and entertaining riot..
Okay little movie.
"It's Magic, Charlie Brown" is another Peanuts cartoon that runs for 24 minutes as they usually do and was made almost 35 years ago.
As almost always, this one was nominated for an Emmy and director Phil Roman and writer Charles M.
Schulz, who made many Peanuts films, will not have been too sad that they lost the Emmy for this one here as another Peanuts film took home the award.
This little short film here is about magic as the title already implies.
The first half is basically a magic show, in which Snoopy does everything wrong that he could have done wrong.
A girl gets split into 3 parts, Linus' favorite blanket gets cut into little pieces and Charlie Brown becomes invisible.
The latter is also the core of the second half of the movie.
Charlie plays some pranks in his new state while Snoopy tries his best to make Charlie visible again.
The final football scene was a highlight this time.
Pretty funny.
They did well in going full comedy with this one and not really including emotional aspects with which they have failed occasionally in the past for other Peanuts films.
All in all, this is one of the better installments of the series and I recommend it..
Classic Charlie Brown.
It starts out when Charlie Brown pretty much tells Snoopy to go learn something useful and Snoopy checks out a book on how to perform magic.
It makes me laugh a bit that he was able to do some of the harder magic tricks perfectly, and yet the simple ones have problems.
All the time, he is looking threw his book in the backstage.
Then suddenly, Charlie Brown turns invisible.
It makes things interesting since we get to see the scenery pretty nicely.
Charlie also gets to actually kick the football though!
There are a couple of interesting things that he gets to do that he doesn't normally get to because of the others around him.The title of the book sometimes changes a bit but most everything else is pretty standard fair when it comes to the animation.
Beautiful watercolor backgrounds against rather clean characters.
Even how they do they show how Charlie Brown is invisible is pretty cool.Voices again seem to be the same as all the other ones.
They gave them the right voices to work for the characters. |
tt1817273 | The Place Beyond the Pines | In 1997, Luke Glanton (Gosling) is a locally well-known motorcycle stuntman working in a traveling act for state fairs. During a fair in Schenectady, New York, Luke reunites with his ex-lover Romina Gutierrez (Mendes) and drives her home. He asks her out on a date, but she declines, as she has become involved with another man named Kofi Kancam (Ali). Luke later discovers that Romina has a baby son that he fathered. Luke does not want their son to grow up without knowing who his father was, as he himself suffered the same fate. Luke quits his job to support Romina and their son, but Romina is reluctant to have him in their son's life. He turns to a local auto repair shop owner, Robin Van Der Hook, for part-time employment as he repeatedly attempts to insert himself into his son's life. Earning little, Luke asks Robin for more money so he can contribute to his son's care.
Robin reveals he was once a bank robber and offers to partner with Luke in hitting several local banks. They perform a few successful heists, in which Luke performs the robbery then uses his motorbike as a getaway vehicle and hides it in a truck driven by Robin. Luke uses his share of the money to win back Romina's trust and visits her and his son more often. Kofi objects to Luke's presence and the two get into a fight at Kofi's house, resulting in Luke's arrest after he hits Kofi in the head with a pipe wrench. Romina files a restraining order against Luke, vowing that he will never see his son again. After Robin bails him out of jail, Luke insists on resuming their bank robberies. Robin objects, not wanting to press their luck, and the two have a falling-out that results in Robin dismantling the motorbike and Luke, at gunpoint, taking back the bail money he had repaid Robin in order to buy a new bike.
Luke attempts to rob a bank alone and is pursued by police. He seeks refuge in a house, chased on foot by rookie police officer Avery Cross (Cooper). Luke retreats until he is cornered upstairs and calls Romina. Just before Avery confronts him, Luke asks Romina not to tell their child about who he was. Avery enters the room and accidentally fires his gun, hitting Luke in the stomach. Luke fires back, hitting Avery in the leg before falling backwards out of the window and dying. Upon being questioned about the shooting, Avery reluctantly states that Luke fired first.
Avery gains hero status in the community after killing Luke, but Avery feels remorse, especially as Avery's fellow officers illegally seize the stolen money from Romina's home and give him the lion's share. He later attempts to return the money to Romina, but she rejects his offer. Avery eventually tries to turn the money in to the chief of police, who rebuffs him, and says he does not want to get involved or see Avery inform on his colleagues. Following the advice of his father, a retired judge, Avery tape records a fellow officer asking him to illegally remove cocaine from the evidence locker Avery is supervising. Avery uses the recording to expose the illegal practices in the police department and pressures the district attorney to hire him-–a law school graduate–- as an assistant district attorney.
Fifteen years later, Avery is running for public office and has to deal with his now-teenage son A. J., who has gotten into trouble with drugs. Avery has separated from his wife Jennifer and agrees to have A. J. move into his home. A. J. transfers into the high school in Schenectady. There, A. J. befriends a boy named Jason Kancam (DeHaan); neither A. J. nor Jason knows that Jason is Luke's son. The two are arrested for felony drug possession, and when Avery is called in to pick up his son, he recognizes Jason's name. He uses his influence to get Jason's charge dropped to a misdemeanor and orders A. J. to stay away from Jason, but the boys continue to talk regularly.
Jason seeks the truth about his biological father, whom Romina refuses to discuss with him. Kofi, who now has a daughter with Romina, finally tells Jason his father's name. Jason discovers Luke's past on the Internet. He visits Robin's auto shop, and Robin tells Jason more about Luke, including his superior motorbiking skills. Robin shows Jason a newspaper article with a photo of his father and the officer who killed him. Back in school, A. J. pressures Jason to steal Oxycontin from a pharmacy and bring it to his house for a party. When he enters the house, Jason sees a framed photograph of Avery and realizes that A. J.'s father is the man who killed his own father. Jason confronts A. J., but the two get into a heated argument and Jason is hospitalized after A. J. beats him. The next morning, Jason buys a gun, breaks into the Cross family home, and beats A. J. with it.
When Avery arrives, Jason takes him hostage and orders him to drive into the woods. Although Jason intends to kill Avery, he reconsiders after Avery breaks down and tearfully apologizes for killing Jason's father. Jason takes Avery's wallet from his jacket and leaves. In the wallet, Jason finds a photo of himself as a baby with his parents, which Avery had stolen from the evidence locker. The police take Avery home, where he finds EMTs treating A. J.'s wounds. Sometime later, Avery wins his bid for New York Attorney General, with A. J. at his side. Jason purchases a motorbike reminiscent of his father's and rides away, destination unknown. Romina receives an envelope addressed to "Mom". Inside is the old photograph of herself with Luke and an infant Jason. | revenge, psychological, violence | train | wikipedia | "The Place Beyond the Pines" is the second feature film with the director/actor pair of Derek Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling.
In this film, they tackle an ambitious, emotional and completely original tale about fathers and sons, sins of the father, generational consequences, and how one moment can send shockwaves lasting a lifetime.The movie is broken into three acts, each as compelling and unpredictable as the one before it.
The only problem here is that the newcomer actors (Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen) don't carry their act as effectively and emotionally as Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper did.The story here is ambitious and succeeds in telling a new and refreshing tale that filmgoers have not seen or experienced on this level of deep sophistication in ages.
That works particularly well with Cooper giving a remarkable performance of Avery constantly coming to grips with his life.The final act tells a story very different from, but completely connected to, the two that came before it.
To talk at all about the films storyline would be to spoil what is really an extraordinary narrative where even the coincidences of the third act seem to me to have resonance of great drama and it is magnificently played by its four principal actors.Ryan Gosling, continuing to cement his reputation as the finest young actor of his generation, is Luke, an outlaw anti-hero worthy to stand beside any played by Dean or Newman.
Bradley Cooper, so much more now that the light comedian of The Hangover movies, is Avery, the idealistic young rookie cop who finds the consequences of a single act of violence leads him down paths he previously may only have dreamed of and relative newcomers Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen are sons in desperate need of a father's love and guidance.This is bold and innovative film-making from Cianfrance with a strong emphasis on plot development.
The three act structure was executed brilliantly and were all tied together in a very satisfying way.The opening tracking shot was absolutely brilliant and did a great job establishing Ryan Gosling's character without any dialogue.
Gosling's character is a joy to watch, the soundtrack is phenomenally executed and the cinematography is so beautiful, not to mention Gosling's partner in crime also manages to give an outstanding performance.The second act focuses on Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a rookie cop trying to move up the ranks with a family of his own.
It didn't need to be stretched out to achieve some extended purpose sought out by the director.Nevertheless, what we have are two excellent acts and one good one, which, in my opinion, would equate the movie to a "very good" viewing experience (as opposed to "excellent", "extraordinary" or "top of the range").In my final opinion, I would highly recommend this movie for the first two acts alone.PS I might also add that the introduction of Cooper's cop character Avery has to be one of the best introductions ever!
Quite possibly the most ambitious film of the year The Place Beyond The Pines is about Luke (Gosling), a stunt motorcycle rider performing at a low-grade carnival.
The final act of the film takes place 15 years later and focuses on two high school students Jason (Dane DeHaan) and AJ (Emory Cohen) Luke and Avery's kids.
Cianfrance reteams with one of that film's stars, Ryan Gosling, for one of The Place Beyond The Pines' three segments that unfolds over a 15 year period with interconnected story lines that mixes elements of crime drama, teenage angst, questions about fate, and the complexities of father-son relationships.The first segment is unquestionably the film's strongest, with Gosling further refining the brooding anti-hero character that seems to have become his stock-in- trade.
His Luke character is introduced in the film's great opening scene that employs an extensive single tracking shot, as the audience views his heavily tattooed body and carnival motorcycle stunt rider profession, which convey Luke's societal fringe elements without saying a word.
Bruce Greenwood is memorable in a small role as a high-ranking cop, while Ray Liotta's minor role as an intimidating, crooked cop feels like the kind of role we've seen from him dozens of times already.Segment three completes The Place Beyond The Pines' downhill slide, focussing on the teenage sons (played by Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen) of Gosling's and Cooper's characters.
Also distracting: a time jump of 15 years reveals Cooper's character and that of his wife (played by Rose Byrne) to have seemingly not aged at all, while Mendes' Romina looks to have aged about 25 years.I respect the fact that Cianfrance took some risks with The Place Beyond The Pines, which had its world premiere at TIFF - he throws in a major plot twist relatively early on and the movie's segmented structure is definitely a gamble and somewhat unconventional, but unfortunately, the loosely connected narrative and performances don't hold together over the course of the film's too-long 140 minute running time.
Having availability this weekend, I decided to dedicate three hours to the appreciation of the Gos. With every scene, Franco's voice echoed in my head as if he was sitting right there whispering the film's narrative into my ear.Despite being a bit long, with an over indulgent mid-section, The Place Beyond The Pines is an enjoyable experience.
It's an exhilarating start to the film and introduces Luke (Gosling) as a heavily tatted star attraction on the carnival circuit.This is director Derek Cianfrance's follow-up to his 2010 critically acclaimed Blue Valentine.
The first segment is mesmerizing and follows Luke's attempt to "do right" by his newly discovered infant son - the result of last year's carnival trip to this same town and a tryst with Romina, a local gal played by Eva Mendes.Gosling is especially effective (yet again) as he falls in with local mechanic played by a terrific Ben Mendelsohn (frightening in Animal Kingdom).
DeHaan especially shines as the Gosling/Mendes prodigy.Sean Bobbitt is the film's Director of Photography and he deserves special mention for his work with Cianfrance in bringing a different and intimate look to the characters, setting and story.
Well the trailer showed promise, but the film just never ends ,it may even still be on , Just looping endlessly round and round the projector ,If someone offered a one way trip to a Swiss clinic during this tedium I would have jumped at the chance I had wondered given some of the revues , but this is just a dull , tedious and dreary film No doubt the sort of people that pretend to like this sort of moody miserable films will say how wonderful it is , when in fact this film could be used as a form of torture , just one viewing and the threat of a second showing would break the hardest suspect The characters are dull and flat , the story drags its feet like a dog going to the vets , If you go , do yourself a favour and take a blanket , a flask of tea maybe even a 10000 piece puzzle to do whilst watching this glum old cods wallop.
I tried to like the movie, I really did try - only to end up being mad at how I wasted my time with something so utterly irrelevant I still can't believe it.The movie basically is split into 3 different stories, starting with a motocross biker (Gosling) who left his girlfriend only to find out later that he has a son with her.
Sad to say but the talents of Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and Eva Mendes were completely wasted on this film.
There are more than three dimensions filmed inside The Place Beyond the Pines, where many ideas are dealt with, each is rich enough to make a movie by its own.The 2 hrs 10 minutes of the movie is in fact the time where at least four different yet connected perspectives are shown, with every one being taken care of as the main one and all main actors in those parts are superstars.It is so good because it has excellent story, actors and directing..
- I am almost certain that it was Ryan Gosling's outstanding performance that hit me deep in my gamut of emotions, resulting in various intense feelings of compassion and sympathy that just seemed to keep appearing throughout the film - he represents such a heartwarming yet melancholic character who you can't help but to sympathize with.
In the most beautifully portrayed way, we undergo af journey starting from Luke Glantons' (Ryan Gosling) unfortunate situation to smoothly transitioning into Avery Cross' (Bradley Cooper) life whilst issues such as fraud within police departments, abandonment, poverty and social heritage are illuminated in the thrill of it all - and the crazy mixture of different perspectives and issues all makes sense.
This for me is the best part of the film.Section 2 has Bradley Cooper as a policeman who is given a heroes welcome back to work but soon finds himself in the corrupt world of underhand dealings within the police department Section 3 revolves around the grown up children of both Gosling's and Cooper's character.I don't want to elaborate too much and give any of the plot away.Doing the film this way though made it way too long.
This sense of trusting the film to take me where it wanted made for an engaging experience and I do suggest you try to come to it the same way.The plot starts with a motorcycle rider who quits his job in the carnival and stays in one town where he learns he fathered a child with a fling a year ago.
The supporting cast is dense with talent from Clohessy, Greenwood, Liotta, Ali and others – they come and go but help the feel of a bigger story.The Place Beyond the Pines is not perfect as a film but it is really engaging as a novel.
It is a waste of time and money.This is the first movie that I have been glad that it was over.Even if a lot of known actors like Eva Mendes, Ryan Gossling and Bradley Cooper were cast, the movie was really bad and lacking of content.
Ryan Gosling is undoubtedly one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood at present.He gained much credibility in the 2011 art-house hit, Drive, playing a taciturn stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver on bank heists.There are close similarities in his most recent film, The Place Beyond the Pines, where he is a drifting and taciturn motorcycle stunt rider in a travelling fair.When the fair returns to the town of Altamont in New York State a year after its previous visit, Gosling's character, Luke Glanton, discovers he is now the father of a 3 month old son, the result of a casual affair.
The end product is way too long, and is not helped by the fact that the tone is one of nearly relentless and one-note gloom.Some good actors like Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling are lost in this desultory mess, and I stopped caring about what would happen to their characters and anyone else for that matter long before the movie itself ended.Grade: D.
Blue Valentine wasn't exceptional, but it showed Derek Cianfrance had potential, whereas The Place Beyond The Pines completely ruins all hopes founded on the director-writer.The most difficult thing to understand is the structure of the movie itself: the script is divided into 3 subparts that fit badly together.
Gosling, in the same register than in Drive, is a bit irritating, but what about Bradley Cooper, one of the best actors of his generation, who is completely transparent because of his bland and uninteresting character.Fortunately, the cinematography is polished because without that, the movie would be a bitter failure.
It was erroneous of me to expect a film experience similar to "Drive" and the experience was very mixed.On the one hand, I cannot deny the effectiveness and depth of the storyline - robber who wants to provide for a lover with his child and the altercation with some corrupt police officers - especially when it was made one run through generations and how by killing off the main character soon in the film proved a risk worth taking.Despite the promise, this project did not bring home the exhilaration one has come to expect from the great crime movies.
Because of the high ratings on IMDb i decided to watch this film,but...It is one of the worst movies i have ever seen, very boring and slow and some weird 3 parts in the story that don't really connect.
The film not only saw Gosling and Williams at the top of their game, but also marked Cianfrance as a director to watch out for and after three years, he has followed it up with the generation- spanning 'The Place Beyond the Pines', a film that explores the notion of the sins of the fathers being passed onto their sons.
In the first story, Ryan Gosling plays Luke Glanton, a stunt rider for a travelling circus who, after a cage of death performance in upstate New York, is told by a woman named Romina (Eva Mendes) that he is the father to her child.
Then, the third story, set 15 years later, is concerned with Luke and Avery's sons (played by Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen, respectively) and the effects the sins of their fathers have had on them.A film which changes main characters three times over and carries out a 15 year jump at the end of its second act could easily end up feeling uneven and formless, but in Cianfrance's skillful hands, we never really feel as if we are watching a different film in each story, because they tie together excellently in a way that flows seamlessly, being adjoined by overarching themes and recurring motifs.
Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen are also very impressive in their roles, being naturalistic and engaging as they take over the film's final act.'The Place Beyond the Pines' is a very strong and bold film with moments of true greatness, especially in the film's first story, which feels akin to some cinematic dream, due to the flawlessness of it.
Mendes good but a bit over the top at times, I thought, but Ray Liotta, in his most brief of brief appearances, is as menacing as one man can look just standing.Still -- this LONG movie felt interminable, as if the writer was just going to keep on adding new weak plots, new central characters.
Produced in 2012 it has Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and Eva Mendes in the cast, all of them acting superbly, it's a beautifully written story about crime and corruption, guilt and fatherhood, which is at the same time human and universal as well as rooted to the detail in the realities of a small town in the state of New York where much of the filming was done on location.
Ryan Gosling, who plays the bike-rider errant-father turned to crime - and who'd I expected to be the major focus of the film - is somebody that on the evidence of this and 'Drive' I remain unconvinced by: he's all about bleached-blond wistfulness, and mumbling - and now pecs and six-pack, apparently; I breathed an audible sigh of relief when the Cooper story took centre-stage.Dane DeHaan as Gosling's son reminded me of a young Leonardo di Caprio, and was quietly effective; I wouldn't be as dismissive of Cooper son Emory Cohen's performance as one reviewer - certainly not on the evidence of one performance: his annoying mannerisms might just be down to script requirements; Eva Mendes looked great in 'Holy Motors', but I've never been convinced by her as an actor; Ray Liotta seems irreversibly typecast, now, and here he just seemed to be 'phoning it in'.
But it has haunted me, like all great films do, and I find myself coming back to it time and time again.Derek Cianfrance's last film, "Blue Valentine," had a similar effect, and was probably one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen - to the extent that, when I recommend it to people, I often tell them I loved it, but would never want to see it again.
The actor who played the role Jason's son was nice.Overall , if you are big fan of Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, the film is a treat for you.
That's the overall message of the depressing "A Place Beyond the Pines", where the bad choices of cops and robbers come back to bite them in the bum.Director Derek Cianfrance of "Blue Valentine", once again makes great use of Ryan Gosling who plays Luke--the epitome of the cool carny.
Brad Cooper and Ryan Gosling great performances but they cannot lift this movie.There were some memorable lines (I'm am your father was a classic).
Sme films should be talked about I feel and other need to be talked about, I believe this movie falls in the latter category.The story follows 2 generations of fathers and sons through their lives starting with Luke Glanton, a motor cyclist who takes up crime to support his infant son and a woman he had a one night fling with.
he gave every part of the film the exact time they needed, he also knew how to find the best in Gosling and made the best work with him.A great movie and a Big recommendation 8/10 , 2 points are lost because the first part was much better than the second and the third ..
Deatailed, clever writing, honest, sincere performances and an tense story, The Place Beyond the Pines is certainly worth the watch for anyone looking for a good drama or crime film.
Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper were great and Eva's character progressed beautifully.
All in all an excellent film with great acting, awesome story writing, a powerful score and interesting characters.
When I had first watched Place Beyond the Pines, it was mostly only because it stars both Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. |
tt0114863 | To vlemma tou Odyssea | In "Ulysses' Gaze" ("To Vlemma Tou Odyssea," 1995), a Greek-American filmmaker, not named in the film, and only referred to as "A" in the script, is on a quest to find three lost reels of undeveloped film, the first ever produced in Greece, from around 1905. These films are in fact the first cinematographic record, the first "gaze" in the philosophical sense, into the soul of the region. As the title implies, the story will take the form of an odyssey that begins in Greece and continues through Albania (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, known to the Greeks as the Republic of Skopje), Bulgaria, Rumania, Serbia, and finally Bosnia.The film opens with an old black and white silent film that shows some village women weaving. In a voice-over, Harvey Keitel comments, "Weavers in Avdella, a Greek Village, 1905, the first film made by the brothers Miltiades and Yannakis Manakis, [who filmed] all the ambiguities, the contrasts, the conflicts in this area of the world." For those of you who would watch "Ulysses' Gaze" only to find out if these three films ever existed, you now know the answer, and you don't have to watch to the end. But if you follow the advice of the Greek poet C. P. Cavafi, in his poem "Ithaca" (1911): "When you start on your journey to Ithaca, / then pray that the road is long, / full of adventure, full of knowledge", then you will enjoy the next 180 minutes of the journey.Following this antique piece of film showing the weaving village women, and before the opening titles, we see a small masterpiece of a scene, as only Angelopoulos can produce. An old man, standing on a quay, is getting his old-type camera ready to film a sailing ship coming out of the harbor of Salonika. The old man is Yannakis Manakis, and the scene, which took place in 1954, is recounted to "A" out of the camera's field of view by an old man who had been Manakis's assistant at that time. The assistant is not shown as he would have been at the time, but as he is today. While we watch Manakis finish preparing his camera and his assistant standing behind him recounting the event, the films takes on color. As the blue ship appears on the right side of the screen, Manakis is struck by a heart attack and collapses in a chair. The assistant walks toward the right of the screen, all the while continuing with his story. The camera scans to the right, and we discover "A" standing. "A" walks leftward, passing the point where we had just seen Manakis and his camera, but they are no longer there. We continue following "A" walking to the left, until the blue ship reappears in the field of view. The camera now follows the ship, slowly zooming in, until the ship stands still and fills the screen. Eventually, the camera stops tracking the ship and it disappears to the left. We are contemplating a blue-grey sea that dissolves into a sky of the same color. In his long shot, Angelopoulos has covered sixty years, and set the tone for the whole journey.As the film begins, "A" (Harvey Keitel) has arrived in a rainy Florina, a town in northern Greece, where one of his films is to be shown. The film is somehow controversial, and religious fanatics plan to demonstrate against its screening. One of the screening organizers advises "A" to leave town for his own safety. As "A" is about to enter a taxi, a woman (Maia Morgenstern) in her thirties passes him by and "A," apparently stunned, follows her, muttering to himself: "I did not expect you here." She disappears between the groups of demonstrators and counter-demonstrators who face each other. Morgenstern, who plays the roles of four different women in the film, is "A's" old love whom he left years ago, and therefore, a Penelope figure. The two groups rush toward each other, but the resulting confrontation is left unseen.Cut to a dreary winter day, with snow on the ground. "A" arrives at an Albanian border crossing in a taxi. While the taxi driver (Thanassis Vengos) tends to the police formalities, "A" notices an older lady (Dora Volanaki) with a suitcase standing nearby. "A" walks toward her, and she asks if he could give her a lift to a town over the border. She plans to visit her sister, whom she has not seen for forty-five years. "A" agrees and helps her into the taxi. Just then, a group of people arrives in a bus: they are illegal Albanian immigrants who were rounded up by the Greek police and are being return to their home country. As "A's" taxi proceeds across the Albanian side of the border, we see all along the road, in a desolate and gloomy snowy landscape, hundreds of Albanians standing like statues, waiting for a chance to sneak into Greece. The taxi reaches the town of Korytsa, stops in the middle of an empty square, and "A" helps the lady out. The taxi leaves, and a tracking-back long shot reveals the isolation and desolation of the town.The taxi continues toward the Macedonian border, but it has to stop because of snow on the road. The friendly taxi driver sensibly decides against a perilous crossing, and settles down, waiting for the snow to be cleared. He engages "A" in a conversation while listening to Greek music and drinking. He says, "Greece is dying.We are dying as a people," reflecting on the present situation of Greece and its people."A" arrives, apparently on a bus in Monastiri, in the Republic of Skopje. He is looking for the original home of the Manakis brothers. He stands in front of the door, and the film dissolves into old black and white footage made around 1956 by the Manakis brothers. The house is now a museum, and "A" enters. Inside, he briefly meets with a young lady (Maia Morgenstern), who gives him the cold shoulder. Later that evening, on the train to Skopje, "A" meets her again. He explains in detail his journey's purpose, and we learn that the young woman's name is Kali, which stands for Calypso, the goddess who held Ulysses captive for seven years on her island, Ogygia.. Kali tells "A" that the Manakis' films are not in the Skopje film archives. In Skopje, "A" is continuing on by train to Bulgaria and Kali is on the platform. "A" recounts to her an event he witnessed two years earlier on the island of Delos. The train has started leaving the station and is picking up speed. Kali is running on the platform alongside the train, fascinated by "A's" story. Finally, "A" grabs her and pulls her aboard. He continues his story, and Kali is so moved by it that she does not resist "A's" passionate embrace. She will now share "A's" journey.The train pulls in the station at the border. "A" and Kali are asked to step down -- apparently, there is something wrong with "A's" passport. Past and present mix once more: the train station alters and "A" finds himself being interrogated by an official dressed in turn-of-the-century clothing. "A" is now being addressed as if he were Yannakis Manakis. He is accused of sedition against the state of Bulgaria.. Although "A" protests that he does not understand, he is blindfolded and taken before a firing squad. At the last moment, a messenger arrives: King Ferdinand of Bulgaria has commuted Yannakis Manakis' sentence to exile until the war (The Balkan war of 1912-13) is over."A" is reunited with Kali outside the contemporary police station. They board another train for Bucharest. As they step off the train, a young women (Mania Papadimitriou) in 1940's dress comes and addresses "A" as if he were a child. "A," in turn, calls her "Mother," and he apologizes for missing her funeral. Once more, we find ourselves in a time-warp, where "A" has returned to "his" childhood. They board a bus that takes them to their old home in Kostantza, on the Black Sea. They enter the house, where all of "A's" deceased "relatives" are dancing. He greets each one in turn, as a well-mannered child would. A man in rags appears in the room: it is his "father" returning from prison. The celebration of the father's return and of the New Year begins. We are in 1945, and there has been a temporary switch in the roles: "A," as Telemachus, is greeting the return of his "father," Ulysses. This is a familiar style that Angelopoulos has used in "The Travelling Players," where this single scene, lasting some fifteen minutes in one continuous shot, covers five years as the characters waltz through the 1948 arrest of an uncle, to the 1950 New Year's Eve celebration, when the family is finally allowed to return to Greece. Through this scene, we now understand that "A's" memory has now merged with that of the Manakis' brothers."A" awakens in a contemporary hotel in Kostantza, with Kali at his side. They go to the harbor, where a huge statue of Lenin is being loaded on a barge, in preparation for traveling up the Danube to Germany. A tearful "A" tells Kali, "I cannot love you," just as Homer's Ulysses tells Calypso upon leaving her. "A" climbs aboard the barge, leaving a bewildered Kali on the quay. As the barge proceeds up the Danube River, groups of people on the riverbank stand in awe, many crossing themselves. This long traveling shot, accompanied by ethereal music, reminds us of the taxi ride in Albania. Toward the end of this shot, Arvanitis' camera, as if looking into Lenin's soul, circles slowly around the broken head of the statue, as a meditation on a ruin of the past.Arriving in Belgrade, "A" is met by his old friend, Nikos (Giogos Michalakopoulos) who, paraphrasing Angelopoulos' favorite poet, George Seferis, greats him with, "When God created the World, the first thing he made were journeys." To which "A" answers, "and then came doubt and nostalgia." They go to an old people's home, where they meet with an old man who was once in charge of the Belgrade Film Archives. The old man says that the Menakis' films are now with one of his friends at the Sarajevo Film Archives. Nikos and "A" end up in a café, drinking to the memories of old friends, and continue their voyage into nostalgia while drinking in the street. Obviously, Belgrade has become Ulysses' descent into Hades in the Odyssey, where he went to meet old friends and get instructions to complete his journey. "A" decides that despite the danger, he must go to Sarajevo. Nikos tells him to follow one of the many rivers which lead to it.Night time. "A," asleep in an old shack, is being awakened by a young lady (Maia Morgenstern, yet again). They are in Philipoupolis, Bulgaria, and the year is 1915. Morgenstern now assumes the role of Homer's Circe, the sorceress. She leads "A" to the river, and they escape in a small boat. The next scene shows them on a bright morning, floating down the river. The couple eventually lands on the shore of a village in ruins, and they walk to a particular house, which used to be the woman's. The house, gutted by a conflagration, is in ruins. The woman, grief-stricken, desperately calls out, "Vania!" the name of her husband, who must have perished during the village's destruction. In the debris, "A" finds a picture frame with a turn-of-the-century wedding picture, which most likely is that of the woman and Vania. In a somewhat surrealist scene, a table with a white tablecloth has been set up in the midst of the rubble, and it is there in the evening where "A" and his companion have dinner. In the background, the rumble of guns and sharp explosions can be heard.When "A" wakes up, he is naked. He wraps himself in a blanket, walks outside, and sees the woman washing his clothes. She comes back to the house and gives him some of her husband's clothes. The woman goes to the river and demolishes the boat with an axe, obviously in order to hold "A" captive, as Circe also tried to do with Ulysses. She returns to the house, and seeing "A" dressed up in her husband's clothes, pulls him to the floor and makes passionate love to him.In the next scene, in the darkness, "A" has escaped Circe. He is drifting down the river in a small boat. At dawn, he arrives in Sarajevo. He eventually finds his way to the Film Archives, where he meets a young boy who takes him to an underground market to meet the Archives curator, a Jewish man by the name of Ivo Levy (Erland Josephson). They walk back to the gutted Film Archives building, each carrying containers of water. The siege of Sarajevo has been going on for some time, and the whole town is in ruins, its infrastructure destroyed. People risk their lives daily while fetching water at some of the still functioning water fountains, braving the bullets of Serbian snipers. Running back to the Film Archives, "A" explains to Levy the purpose of his coming to Sarajevo. Levy does have the three films and has tried repeatedly to find the correct chemical formula to develop them, but to no avail. . However, impressed by "A's" courage and determination, Levy says, "You must have great faith, or is it despair?" and agrees to try one more time.At the Film Archives, "A" goes to sleep and when he awakens, he meets a young woman, Levy's daughter, Noami (<i> Maia Morgenstern in her fourth role), a contemporary Nausicaa;. "A" is obviously struck by Noami's familiar face. By now, we understand that "A" has projected his past lovers in every woman he meets. Noami leaves, and "A," looking around, sees that Levy has already started to get the lab working again. Later that night, Levy wakes up "A" and brings him to his lab where the development of a roll of film is in progress. At last, Levy is successful. "A" and the archivist are overwhelmed with joy and they embrace: after almost 100 years of being captive, an image of Greece from the turn of the century has at last been set free.The whole place is now flooded with fog. Levy explains that this is a welcome time for the inhabitants of Sarajevo: because of the fog, the Serbian snipers cannot operate, and the population is free to come outside their shelter and enjoy the open air. As "A" and Levy walk past a cemetery, we see some people taking advantage of the lull to bury their dead, Moslem and Orthodox Christians alike. The two friends come across an orchestra playing in a small square. Levy explains that it is made up of young Muslim, Croat, and Serb musicians. There is also a small production of "Romeo and Juliet" going on.Further on, some couples are dancing to a rock tune. Out of the fog, Naomi appears and invites "A" to dance. The music changes to a 1950s tune, and Naomi has now become the Penelope whom "A" had left behind in Florina, long time ago.Levy's family joins the trio and they walk together in the fog toward the river, with Levy and "A" straggling behind. Suddenly, there is a noise of a car stopping, doors slamming, and men's voices. Levy tells "A" to stay put and runs in the fog to rejoin the rest of the family. We hear Naomi's cry of, "not the children!" as gun shots are followed by splashes as bodies are dumped into the water. The car leaves and there is total, eerie silence. Throughout, we stare at the fog, only able to guess at the events that have just occurred. As always, Angelopoulos lets us contemplate the meaning of violence, rather than actually showing it. "A" runs to the spot of the massacre where he first finds Levy dead in the snow, and then Naomi. He embraces her, embracing at the same time all the women he has loved and lost. In helpless rage and anger, he releases several heart-wrenching screams. He returns slowly to the Film Archives, passing once more by the still-playing orchestra.The final scene shows a blank projection screen where a film has just been shown, most likely one of the Manakis' films. Then, a close-up shot of "A," followed by a zoom backward, as he speaks Ulysses' lines to Penelope,"When I return, it will be with another man's clothes""A" has reached his Ithaca, but his odyssey may not be over yet, as he is now looking toward another Ithaca. | murder | train | imdb | With "Ulysses' Gaze", Theo Angelopoulos proves that he is one of the most influential figures in contemporary cinema.
The atmosphere of the film is admittedly extraordinary, aided by the terrific cinematography of Giorgos Arvanitis, Angelopoulos' collaborator since "Reconstruction" (1972).But the incredibly dense philosophical context of the film does not stop there, as Angelopoulos depicts the tumultuous history of twentieth-century Balkans with extreme precision and artistry.Harvey Keitel gave the best performance of his career, even managing to speak a few sentences in Greek without sounding too awkward.
Maia Morgenstern (as symbols for Penelope, Nausikaa, Circe and Calypso in her multiple roles) and Erland Josephson are also quite good, while Thanassis Vengos gives a tragi-comic note to the film, with his performance as the taxi driver.The fact that I am Greek (and therefore I am familiar with the political situation and able to identify with events better) admittedly played a major part in my interpretation of "Ulysses' Gaze" and non-Balkan viewers may find it difficult to identify with the film.
Somebody once said that DW Griffith is to blame for having a wide open horizon, full of possibilities, and settling for melodrama as the blueprint of the movie-going experience.However, once in a long while, a film comes along that breaks the mold and shows us once again what can be done.
If just for this alone, I am hypnotized.To make the effort, to absorb "Ulysses' Gaze", is a small step towards understanding the ruthless, constant plight of the people of that small corner of the world that is the Balkans.
Imagine.I have to say that "Ulysses' Gaze" is an incredible film, one of a few by which XX century's great cinema should (and will) eventually be regarded..
I think this is the good movie and that Angelopoulos was right on target when he showed his disappointment for not winning the Golden Palm during the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.
Balkans is a very beautiful region with wonderful landscapes and people with long history.
The lost innocence of the Balkans, which the hero, the director "A" is looking for throughout the movie, is offered to the viewer through the movie's wonderful cinematography.
Yes the movie could have been faster a.s.o. But hey, have you ever seen a better "glance" of the lost innocence of the Balkans?People who have visited or lived in this region can surely appreciate this motion picture even more..
This makes it a bit more difficult but the theme of obsession is well shown and it's A's quest that gripped me for the most part.The direction is great beautiful scenery, wonderful mesmeric tracking shots and long takes make for a great visual experience.
You have to have a very deep insight in the history of Greece and the Balkan to understand this film.
Justly famous for being one of the last remaining directors still doing extraordinary cinema, in this film Angelopoulos celebrates the end of Communism in Eastern Europe, while, at the same time, looking with touching sensitivity into the lives of people molded by recent (and less recent) History.
In my opinion, this film offers the most complete, convincing and respectful take on the affected people's emotions, memories and relations among the (few) films, documentaries and books touching on the theme.The scale is epic both geographically and chronologically and since Angelopoulos manages to move easily between dream and reality (one of the biggest problems facing cinema directors), the personal stories are nicely interwoven with History.
Angelopoulos' characteristic long takes, in this instance serve more than giving the film a poetic atmosphere.
I had some idea through the music of what the film portrayed, but was somewhat put off by the three hours devoted to a movie about the Balkans.
I just wasn't ready for a drama about this violent and troubling history although I had adored the wonderful film "Before the Rain." Now after viewing the compelling and stunning "Ulysses' Gaze" I can highly recommend both the music and the film.
I was taken with the intense yearning and empathy of Harvey Keitel as the Ulysses of the quest, but especially struck by Maia Morgenstern as the female focus of the film.
Movies are an art form but like everything in this post-modern age, they cannot exist without the deep intellectual objective view point dividing the subjective experiences.
The story: A Greek film director caught in his own mid-life artistic and personal crisis goes on an odyssey to find lost footage by Greece's first filmmakers, traveling through the Balkans and revisiting his own life in the process.
This isn't an easy film, and if watched in the wrong mood, or without knowing what you're getting into (a slow, thoughtful 3 hour rumination on life, the past and art) could be very off-putting.
After about an hour we were both ready to give up in order to kill time some better way like playing monopoly or watching girls in infomercials for exercise equipment, but we decided to stick with it.
The plot-line is so wafer-thin, that as a consequence substories run into dead-end allies all the time, are stretched at full, with the actors giving the impression to be as bored as they expect later spectators watching this 'piece of art'.
Uncountable are the completely needless, seemingly endless stills of the landscapes Truly abhorring is the final scene, a real number one display of irritating movie-making by the director: you see nothing but fog, and you can only here the action taking place (how deep!
how symbolical!)I've seen some excellent movies about the Balkan (Kusturica's Underground for one, Before the rain for another) and I'm stunned to see this one ending up in the same category..
Harvey Keitel is in a catatonic daze throughout the film -- to the extent that I think he must have thought it to be "acting" simply to not break out in laughter at the pretensions of the director.
Seen this film at least 4 times and each time i'm both re-engaged by the scenes with which i'm very familiar, as well as seeing something new.I could go on about this and that...the bottom-line...you must see this film and take the ride yourselves...yes, it's an investment and yes, you have to "let yourselves go", simply plug in and enjoy the Taxidi(journey)!!Mr Kietels' work is unimpeachable, this i believe is as much his story as it is the story(in-part) of the brothers Manakia...and what a story that is...to think that they were chronicaling some of the most important events the world had yet experienced is in itself pretty incredible..
You might think that in making a film about Greek cinema or at least about a fellow film-maker Angelopolous would have made his greatest masterpiece but "Ulysses' Gaze" may be his most lugubrious film.
Perhaps working mostly in English didn't help or the one-note performance of Harvey Keitel as the exiled film-maker returning to his homeland in search of 3 reels of lost film by the Manakia Brothers was to blame.The structure is just as complex as anything by Angelopolous as Keitel moves back and forth in time but he also makes for an uneasy observer of Balkan history and the conflict in Sarajevo and ultimately the material feels less profound than I'm sure the director intended; there's only so much old ground he can cover.
This is truly an enchanting film about self-exploration, by the great auteur Angelopoulos.The movie is poetic, melancholic and lyrical (as expected from Angelopoulos), full of superb cinematography.
The scenes at the start, the Lenin statue in the boat, the Sarajevo scenes (orchestra and mist scenes), the old lady left alone in the town square, the family celebrating the new year...are works of pure art themselves.Can't believe it lost to Underground.
I am not giving it 10/10 because of the not up-to-par acting of Keitel and Karaindrou always regurgitating the same piece of melodramatic music again and again throughout Angelopoulos' films..
a director on a par with Fellini, and Kurosawa, and Bergman.Angelopoulos likes the long, slow shots that give you time to reflect on what you are seeing.
There are many self references to the director's other films, great modern greek poets, balkan history, and ancient greek thought and literature.
In this movie the roots are represented by the first cinematic footage ever filmed in Greece and Ulysses - Greek director "A" who had left his home country 35 years ago and now he is back and he HAS to find the footage.
There was one scene in the movie at the 2.5 hours mark that almost made me forget all the negatives - the orchestra on the snow in Sarajevo playing melody so marvelous that it could've easily been written by Orpheus whose music used to hypnotize every living creature on Earth.I don't regret seeing this movie and I will see more Angelopoulos' films in the future but I could've done something better with 173 minutes of my life..
But while the film might be exploring the history of the Balkans in a fascinating way, the execution is often times incredibly dull.
I have lived most of my life on Balkans, where I was born, among that many years in Greece, but still I cannot follow all the impressions of the director placed in the film.
If you enjoy films that are more cognitive you might like this one.Harvey Keitel does a lot of good films.
An example is at end of the film, at a New Year's dance: the protagonist dances reluctantly with his mother and then more assuredly with another character in a different time frame.
I had the impression that all the time he was saying: "O mortals, behold how much we, Greeks, have suffered over the century!" Yet, maybe except for Sarajevo at the end, there was not a single scene in this film, directed so that it will make one share a compassion for the things you see.
I do come from this region and I do have a pretty good knowledge on its history so this film cannot deceive me, but it would probably deceive thousands of viewers worldwide!
But definitely not from an artist claiming the standing of Mr. Angelopoulos!In fact, if you wonder how the infamous "deep-rooted tribal hatred" of the Balkans comes about - you might want to watch exactly this film as an example of an instrument to that end!
The main suggestion of the film is that Greeks are the only fine people on the peninsula (similar feelings run in every country in the region).
This movie is about a personal journey by one man looking partly for lost reels of film, and partly for his own past.The music and much of the cinematography in this film is quite beautiful; some of the images, such as the statue of Lenin floating down the river are absolutely unforgettable.The problem is that the director's artistic vision seems to be getting in the way of storytelling, and the result is a film with a lot of atmosphere and little substance.Anyone who claims to really understand this film is probably afflicted by the "Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome: too embarrassed to admit that this artful film just doesn't make any sense.Harvey Keitel and Maia Morgenstern seem to float in and out of various characters without any explanation.
It's a good movie, but it just goes to show that a director should not work in a language that isn't their first or that they are not 100% fluent in.
Although it takes the Balkan conflict and in particular the plight of Sarajevo as much of its background it is not a war film.
The central character's search for the missing reels of the earliest Balkan film footage is made without regard for his safety through war zones to the extent that he hardly knows where he is at times.
Up until 1995, all of Angelopoulos' films had for their subjects Greece, Greek history, and Greek myths.
He continues somewhat with "Ulysses' Gaze," but this time the filmmaker travels beyond the Greek borders into the neighboring Balkan countries.
In "Ulysses' Gaze," history is present, but contrary to "The Travelling Players" where it was the theme, and the group of players rather than any individual character was the "star" of the film, in the present film, history is now relegated to the background, and since "A's" odyssey through the region is the main story, we see a more conventional character in the personage represented by Harvey Keitel, and also in the different characters who cross his path.
The score is a counterpoint to the cinematic action, and establishes an emotional climate, combining with the image to express what cannot be said in words.As the title of the film announces, Angelopoulos is taking us on a journey through the tumultuous Balkan region and on a time-travel through its 20th century history.
It is, after all, where "the Great War" started, in Sarajevo, where the film ends eighty years later, among more massacres and mayhem.
I would like to emphasize that it is useless, and even detrimental to the enjoyment of "Ulysses' Gaze," to try to see in this film the retelling of Homer's Odyssey in a contemporary context.
Rather, the Odyssey is merely a reference point, and the missing films become the journey's Ithacan destination.On one level, "Ulysses' Gaze" is a search for the roots of the cinema of the Balkans, and more generally, of the cinema itself.
"Ulysses' Gaze" considers the importance of film in recording history, and its potential in influencing its future development.
Angelopoulos also suggests early in the film, through the events taking place in Florina, that film, not the Hollywood-type schlock, but thought-provoking film such as his can influence people's lives.The second theme is of course, the odyssey of "A" through the Balkans, and as Ulysses was, "A" must also be clever to overcome all the journey's obstacles in order to reach his goal, the lost film reels.
Finally, the film is also a Balkans history lesson.
But in Ulysses' Gaze, Angelopoulos knows his history well: the real Balkans are not, nor have they ever been, a heaven of peace.
In these respects, Ulysses' Gaze is undeniably an Angelopoulos film, and certainly one of his masterpieces.
Angelopoulos made an incredibly beautiful, poetic and deep film.
Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos's 1995 film Ulysses' Gaze (To Vlemma Tou Odyssea) is the first of that director's four films that I have seen that is not unequivocally a great work of art.
But, there are some missing narrative elements, some poorly scripted moments, and a too slow dramatic movement, especially in the latter third of the film, which takes place in the city of Sarajevo.The basic tale is that a nameless exiled Greek-American filmmaker, played by Harvey Keitel (and referred to as 'A' in the DVD credits, and in many reviews, although nowhere in the film is the character's name mentioned), returns to the Balkans after thirty-five years, and is seeking to find three lost reels of footage from the earliest known extant Greek film, made by the Manakis Brothers (Yannakis and Miltos) in 1905.
Some trimming of more pedestrian scenes by editor Yannis Tsitsopoulos, some neat Ozu-like elisions (which Angelopoulos makes expert use of in other films), and this film would have been a great film, if just shy of a masterpiece, due to several small forced moments of overacting, and soliloquies tinged lavender in their prose: 'If I should but stretch out my hand I will touch you and time will be whole again,' uttered by Keitel.
In this country, the most virulent review came from none other than that noted lover of Spielbergian tripe, Roger Ebert, who among other things, wrote: What's left after Ulysses' Gaze is the impression of a film made by a director so impressed with the gravity and importance of his theme that he wants to weed out any moviegoers seeking interest, grace, humor, or involvement
.It is an old fact about the cinema- known perhaps even to those pioneers who made the ancient footage A is seeking- that a film does not exist unless there is an audience between the projector and the screen.
Yet, we never see this anecdote's stunning imagery play out; it's only related via words, or the imagination, therefore all the more effective, in the way a great film like My Dinner With Andre is.
Would that more people had that quality which Angelopoulos so manifestly owns, in the best moments of this work, and his other masterpieces; for then even flawed but excellent films like this would get their proper due..
I like the recent surge of films that reset the bard's works into modern times.
Ulysses' Daze : So, Mr. A (could refer to "ailing" more than "Anglo" !) was searching for the first movie ever shot in the Balkans as the originality /the creative essence that has been destroying to lose everything because the foolishness of the modern human which led to war/ the final absolute madness that ended everything and everyone.
Great achievement for a movie that is !Ulysses Razes : (Angelo-mad-about-himself-poulos) as the maker of it is the only one who sees its joy, the only one who feels its trueness, the only one who finds it the greatest film ever made, and doesn't believe that anybody may feel anything but that.
Because the movie was fine, what it wasn't that fine it was the whole amount of time I had to stand to see it finally reach something like an end.
There are a few really innovating ideas (like how time goes by in a same scene without cuts, and also the character assuming the personality of one of the ancient greek filmmakers), and the last 30 minutes were really interesting (despite everything), the misty scenes are truly well recorded.
I know I said it before but making movies last so long is an abuse of power, for the director, that is (for the viewer it is obviously a bad echange of trust).
Cut down the manifesto, Angelopoulos; the film is real good but viewers have a limit in their resistance. |
tt0416508 | Becoming Jane | The film begins by panning over the breath taking English country side and to a quaint country home. This is where the Rev. and Mrs. Austen live with their family. While everyone else is sound asleep, Jane is up writing. She then gets up and wakes the entire household by playing loudly on the piano. The noise startles both Robert and Cassandra. Cassandra is Jane's sister and Robert is her fiance. Both Robert and Cassandra run out of their own rooms to see what the noise is and Robert catches a glimpse of Cassandra in her night gown which prompts the latter to smile slyly and then rush back to her own room.Mrs. Austen, who was trying to sleep, complains that Jane needs a husband. Rev. Austen, lying next to her, comments that because he has set an example of perfection, Jane can not be satisfied with anything less. The couple then playfully banter before rising for church.Meanwhile, Tom Lefroy is in London. He is the nephew of a very prominent judge but enjoys sowing his wild oats. Tom spends a lot of his time boxing, drinking, and enjoying the company of prostitutes and mistresses. His family is very poor, but his stern uncle has taken him under his wing in hopes that Tom will prove to be a respectable lawyer one day. Tom is friends with Henry Austen, a recent Oxford graduate who will be returning home soon.One day, Tom comes in late to court where his uncle is presiding. It is the last straw. His uncle speaks with him in private, saying that he is fed up with Tom. As punishment, he is sending Tom to the country side where Henry lives (as well as some other members of the Lefroy family.)Back in the country, there is a small gathering to celebrate Henry's recent graduation and homecoming. The Austen's distant and widowed cousin Eliza is there. She is quite wealthy and extremely beautiful and catches Henry's eye even though she is older than he is.The guests at the party beg Jane to do a reading. Apparently she is quite well known in their small community for her humorous writings. She happily stands up to read something dedicated to her sister and has barely begun when Tom strolls in - quite late. She is extremely annoyed and flustered, but continues reading. She is insulted when, while everyone else is laughing, Tom appears to be falling asleep. After she completes the reading, she overhears Tom commenting on her writing as being unremarkable and only so-so. (Very similar to the scene in Austen's Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth hears Mr. Darcy commenting on her merely "tolerable" appearance.) Extremely upset, Jane tears up some of her writing and casts it into a fire.Later, Tom goes out for a walk where he encounters Jane. They bicker about her writing, but sparks fly between them. Jane defends her writing, saying that he did not understand it because it was ironic. They part after a verbal sparring, but you can tell Tom is intrigued by her.The chemistry continues to build when Jane performs far better than Tom anticipated in a cricket match. He is forever being surprised by her. Then one day, Jane accidentally encounters Tom in a friend's library. He tells her that if she is serious about writing, she needs to have her horizons ... widened. He seems to be trying to seduce her and the prospect of it flusters Jane, who finds herself only a breath apart from Tom's lips. He hands her a book though (I think it was called "The History of Tom Jones") and tells her to read it if she really wants to be a novelist.Jane reads the book, which is rather scandalous. It depicts a woman's breasts and even has drawings of a topless women. She reads it anyway and when Tom asks her what she thought of it, she replies that she found it objectionable. However, she says it was not the characters or their lack of morality that she found it was unrealistic. Bad things happened to bad people in the book, she says, but that is not true to real life. In real life, Jane remarks, perfectly odious people (like Tom, she adds), succeed while good and noble people often fail. Jane says that a novel should reflect real life and real things. Once again, Tom is surprised by her and they develop of chemistry-fueled friendship.This makes things slightly difficult for Jane because her mother is encouraging her to accept a courtship with a nice-looking and friendly (but very dull) Mr. Wisley. Wisley is rich and has a very protective and snooty aunt who controls him (much like Lady Catherine de Bourgh from P&P). His aunt requests that he and Jane take a walk in the "pretty bit of wilderness" near the house (something that Jane immediately writes down and later appears in P&P spoken by Lady Catherine.)Jane doesn't want to take a private walk with Wisley, but she has no other choice. As expected, he takes the opportunity to propose. Jane says that she is honored by the sincerity of his proposal, but that she cannot consider it since she does not feel affection for him. He is embarrassed but says wisely that he has found that shy affection has often blossomed into great love. He walks away, leaving the impression that there is far more to him than meets the eye, but Jane cannot help that she does not love him.Jane's mother is outraged that Jane has not accepted Wisley's proposal. She herself married for love and the family is now very poor. She doesn't want Jane to suffer the same fate. Jane disagrees though. She believes that even if she never marries, she can support herself with her writing. Jane's mother vehemently disagrees.Later at a ball, Jane is searching for Tom but instead, Wisley's aunt finds her. In a very condescending tone, the aunt says that Jane has no choice but to marry her nephew even if she is just a poor daughter of a no-name clergyman. Jane is insulted and leaves. She is asked to dance by Wisley and she sadly agrees, believing Tom is not in attendance. She looks depressed throughout the dance until Tom takes her hand. He has slipped into the French contra line dance when Jane wasn't looking. The way the dance is structured, people exchange partners occasionally. Wisley notices that Jane seems to have come alive in Tom's presence.Later, Jane slips out to be by herself. Tom joins her and they share a private moment. He is leaving for London the next day. Jane leans in to kiss Tom and Tom leans back, but she continues and kisses him soundly. They break apart breathlessly and Jane asks if she did it (the kiss) well. Tom replies most enthusiastically that she did it quite well. They hear people coming, so Tom pulls Jane off into the trees where they kiss. Tom then confesses his love for her and that he is hers forever.Desperately in love, Tom decides to make his case to his very stern and un-romantic uncle who believes love leads to poverty. Tom, Jane, Henry, and Eliza all make a visit to Tom's uncle's home in London. His uncle is excited to see Eliza because she is nobility through her late husband, but he mostly ignores Jane. That night, Henry and Eliza discreetly share a room but Tom and Jane must settle for a very breathless goodnight. During this trip, Jane begins writing "First Impressions," the original title of her book "Pride and Prejudice."The next morning, Tom is preparing to ask his uncle for his consent to marry Jane. (His uncle gives him an allowance so Tom is completely dependent upon him.) Unfortunately, someone has sent a letter to his uncle portraying Jane as a husband hunter. Tom says he wanted his uncle to meet Jane for himself but his uncle is horrified and outraged. Jane is saddened but she believes she and Tom can still find a way to marry. Unfortunately, Tom doesn't have the courage to leave his uncle. Jane tearfully leaves with Eliza and Henry.(At this point, events might be slightly out of order. Sorry!) Once home, Jane resigns herself to her fate and decides to marry Wisley. She is upset with herself because deep down, she feels like she is betraying her convictions by marrying for money instead of affection. During a dinner with Wisley and his aunt, the family receives a disturbing letter. Cassandra's fiance who briefly left for an overseas trip to the Indies, has died of yellow fever.Jane is distraught. Her and her sister have both fared badly with love. It seems that no one will ever have a happy ending. Jane continues writing "First Impressions," something her sister Cassandra enjoys hearing about as well. She asks, "How does it begin?""Badly," Jane replies.
"And then?"
"It gets worse."But you can tell that Jane wants all the characters she invents to be luckier in love than she has been. Things take another disappointing turn when Jane learns from Henry and Eliza that Tom is back from London and that he is engaged.A short time later, Jane is on a walk with her brother George, who is deaf. He only has a small part in the film, but we know enough to know that Jane can communicate with him through sign language and they enjoy walks together. While they are walking, Tom appears. Even though the George is deaf, he can tell that the two of them are in love. Tom is attempting to explain himself to Jane when he breaks down and kisses her, telling her he cannot live this lie. They decide to forsake everything else and elope.Eloping means that they can never return to England, they will be poverty stricken, and Jane will probably find it difficult to write. Cassandra, the only one who knows what Jane is planning, explains this to Jane. But Jane asks if she would be willing to elope with Robert if it meant she could have him back. Cassandra understands and lets Jane go.Jane and Tom are thrilled and excited, but while they are on the coach, the wheel becomes stuck. Tom needs to help the coachmen, so he hands Jane his coat to hold while he helps. Jane notices a letter in his coat pocket. It is from his family. They are thanking him for the money he has been sending. Apparently, Tom was getting an allowance from his uncle and sending money back to his family to feed them. The letter expresses gratitude and they exclaim that they do not know what they would do without him. Jane realizes that Tom's entire family is depending on him and if they elope, he will no longer be able to provide for them.Jane tries to keep the new knowledge to herself, but her conscience gets the better of her and she asks Tom about his family. He is dismissive of her worries because he believes he can find a way to make money for them all anyway. Jane knows better though. She knows that they will probably have children too and there will be no way for Tom to provide for everyone. She believes that if she marries him, the guilt she feels will gradually erode their love. She tells Tom goodbye and leaves on a coach going in the opposite direction with Tom's face fading into the distance.Jane arrives back at home where everyone is looking for her. A young man who studies at the church with her father (John Warren) says that he will marry Jane and that he has been in love with her for a long time. Jane realizes he is the one who sent the letter to Tom's uncle. Jane cannot believe that love could have failed her and her sister so much.The family welcomes Jane back with open arms. One Sunday morning they walk to attend church together when a carriage pulls up along side them. It is Wisley and his aunt, who says she will not attend church since Jane is going to be there and she embarrassed by their family. Jane's family stands behind her and Wisley admires Jane's independence. He suddenly gets out of the carriage and asserts himself to his aunt, who is shocked.Wisley and Jane take a walk and Jane apologizes to him for her actions. He accepts her apology and says he believes he could love her but that he is prideful enough to want love in return. They agree to part as friends. He asks about what she will do and Jane says she will support herself through her writing. He asks if her characters will have happy endings. Jane says that, after a little trouble, her characters will have all they desire. He remarks that it is a "truth universally acknowledged" and Jane absorbs that statement (it later appears as the first line of P&P).Time flashes forward several years. A group of people are listening to an opera. The camera pans over the crowd and we see Eliza and Henry who have been married for a long time now. A much older Jane is seated with them. After the opera, a young teen girl approaches Jane as if she is a celebrity and exclaims how much she loves the book Pride & Prejudice. Henry quickly steps in and says that Jane is trying to remain anonymous. Jane then catches sight of Tom in the distance but he disappears. Henry goes after him, much to Jane's embarrassment. Jane and Eliza are talking when Henry brings back Tom who has a young girl on his arm.Tom says that he would like to introduce Jane Austen's biggest fan to her, his daughter. Jane is polite but when the girl pleads with her to do a public reading, Jane says that she can't because she is trying to remain anonymous. Tom's daughter objects, but Tom silences her saying, "Jane!"Tom has named his daughter Jane, after the one woman he loved. This is disconcerting to Jane, who immediately realizes why Tom named his daughter after her. She then concedes to do a reading. During the reading, you can see Tom toying with the wedding ring on his finger as he longingly watches his daughter and Jane read.The screen fades to black and writing appears on the screen, informing us that neither Jane or Cassandra ever married and Tom truly named his eldest daughter Jane. | romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0096734 | The 'Burbs | The film starts on a small cul-de-sac suburban neighborhood somewhere in the USA Midwest. Late one evening, Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) is unable to sleep, and a strange noise from the house next door causes him to go outside. However, Ray just stares at the rather unkempt house as a mysterious wind blows dead leaves around his feet, and several more unexplained noises are heard.The next day, Ray's wife Carol (Carrie Fisher) is non-plussed that Ray has chosen to spend his week's vacation just sitting around the house doing nothing. She attempts to convince Ray to take her and their 10-year-old son Dave (Cory Danziger) up to a nearby lake for a fishing retreat, but Ray refuses to do so. Suddenly, the sound of gunshots are heard in the backyard, and Ray sees his overweight and immature neighbor Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun) shooting at some crows with a shotgun.Art then invites himself into the Peterson's home for breakfast, and explains that his wife (who is away for a few weeks visiting her parents) wants the crows taken care of. The crows seem have just shown up recently. Talk soon switches to the neighboring house to the right of the Peterson's. The previous neighbors, an elderly couple known as "The Knapps," have supposedly sold their property to a family going by the name of Klopek. Art eerily explains how the realtor who sold the Klopeks their new home, said their last house burnt to the ground. Art also claims that so far, the Klopeks have not seemed at all neighborly, given that no one has seen them since they moved in several weeks ago. Dave then explains that he saw three of them with his telescope... digging in their back yard one night.After breakfast, Ray opens up the garage, and Art notes that one of the Klopeks, a scruffy red-headed young man, (Courtney Gaines) is standing on the porch. Both egg the other on to say "Hi," but the unnamed stranger quickly goes back inside the house. Next, the two decide to go over and ring the doorbell. This causes a chain reaction that causes a lamp to be knocked aside, revealing a hidden beehive that chases off Ray and Art.Later that evening, Ray goes over to Art's place where he also encounters Ricky Butler (Corey Feldman), a teenager on the block whose parents are away. As strange noises begin to eminate from the Klopek's house, Art tells the story of a Soda Fountain owner long ago known as Skip. One day, a strange odor began eminating from Skip's house, and eventually, a fire broke out. When the firemen went inside, they found that the local Soda Fountain owner had murdered his family with an ice pick, and stored them in the basement. Art eerily explains that: "almost every town has some strange mystery like that... some of which may be happening right under your nose."Ray soon tires of Art's antics and goes back inside to watch television. But soon after, Art gets Ray to come back out, where they meet up with Lt. Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern), a militarist Vietnam veteran who lives across the street from the Klopek's. Rumsfield has given the men use of an infrared night scope, and they take up position behind Rumsfield's garbage cans. As they watch the house, a strange noise is head, and bright lights flash from under the house's porch, before a rank odor permeates the air.Ray is about to go across the street and figure out what's going on, when suddenly, the garage door on the Klopek's house opens up, and the three men see a car pull out, and the scruffy man they saw before emerges. He then pulls out several trash bags, and attempts to stuff them into the already full garbage cans, using a stick. Once the car pulls back into the garage, a rain storm hits, and Rumsfield says they'll investigate what is in the cans further once "first light" comes around. Later that evening, Ray looks out his bedroom window, and sees three hooded figures in the Klopek's backyard, digging large holes.The next day, Rumsfield and Art stop the garbage men (Dick Miller and Robert Picardo) from taking the Klopek's trash and dump the trash into the street, but they find nothing in the black plastic bags. Ray then explains what he saw through the rain-streaked window last night. Art then claims that the supposed bodies that were in the trash bags were taken out in the rain, and buried in the backyard when the guy who drove the car saw them.Soon after, Rumsfield's young blonde floozy wife Bonnie (Wendy Schaal) finds Queenie, a little dog belonging to an elderly and grouchy neighbor named Walter Seznick (Gale Gordon). The group goes over to Walter's house, but when he doesn't answer the door, Rumsfield uses a glass-cutter to enter, and they find the television still on, and a chair turned over. Further investigation leads the group to the kitchen, where Walter's toupee is found on a counter. Rumsfield immediately suspects foul play, but Ray demands everyone leave the house. Ray keeps Queenie at his place, and leaves a little note for Walter, which simply reads: "Walter, I have your dog." As he slides the note under Walter's door, Ray glances towards the Klopek's house, and sees an old man (Brother Theodore) watching him from the Klopek's second floor window. When Ray says a greeting, the old man quickly shuts the window.That evening, Ray and Art meet in the basement of Ray's house, where Art has found a book on demon worship and Satanic sacrifices. Art insists that the Klopeks are Satanists, but Ray refuses to believe this. The conversation soon leads Ray to have a nightmare in which he is served up as a sacrifice.The next morning, Art and Rumsfield slide a note under the Klopek's door and ring the bell, before running off. When Art tells Ray about this, Ray panics, thinking that the Klopek's now suspect that he slid the note under the door, given the old Klopek man saw him do it to Walter's house the previous day. The conversation soon stops when Ray's dog returns with a bone, that Art soon classifies as a femur, or a human thigh-bone. Art thinks that the bone is Walter. Ray and Art scream until they see a figure behind the fence of the Klopek house (the old man) walking in the Klopek back yard who throws a crumpled up piece of paper into the back yard of Ray's house. Art goes to look at the paper and says that it's the note that he wrote. Ray panics more, thinking that he is now a marked man, while the immature Art still does not comprehend.Soon after, Carol and Bonnie feel that the guys in the neighborhood are acting childish. Carol proposes a simple solution: everyone will go over, knock on the door, and talk to these new neighbors. Due to Art being one of the more off-the-cuff persons, he is not invited.Ray, Carol, Rumsfield and Bonnie go over to the Klopeks where they meet Hans (the scruffy young man Ray first saw on the porch and driving the car). Minutes later Reuben (the old man Ray saw looking at him from the window) whom is Hans' uncle, soon enters. He is very cold and hostile around the guests, especially Ray. Soon after, Werner Klopek (Henry Gibson) enters to meet their guests. Ray is very nervous thinking that the Klopeks will do something to him now that he is in their house.During drinks, Werner is the more friendly and hospitable of the three. He explains that he is a practicing pathologist at a local university and his older brother Reuben (a retired college professor) and nephew Hans (a college dropout) have been traveling with him from place to place for years during his work. Werner explains that they will be driving to the university tomorrow because they will soon be transferring out of the current university he works at, and the family will be moving again. When the extremely wary Ray accidentally spills tea on himself, he runs and accidentally opens the basement door, only to have the Klopek's huge Great Dane dog come barreling out, and into the backyard... where it quickly spots Art, who had tried to sneak in through the back of the house. The dog chases Art off, but not before he sets off a burglar alarm while climbing over the Klopek's backyard fence.The group leaves the Klopeks and go to the Peterson's house. While Art and Rumsfield still see the Klopek's as psychos and they are hiding something, Ray (who is now strangely calm) claims he agrees with Carol and Bonnie that the Klopeks are all right. Ray then ushers the two men into his study, and then reveals something he found at the Klopeks and hid in his shorts: Walter's toupee. Ray explains that he had slipped the toupee back inside Walter's house the previous day, but when the dog came out of the Klopek's basement and everyone was out on the back porch while the dog was chasing Art, Ray found the toupee in the Klopek living room wedged in a stack of mail... which was addressed to Walter. This leads the three to believe that the Klopeks are trying to cover their murderous trail. Ray explains that the Werner had mentioned that they would all be going to the University the next day, and the three plot to investigate the Klopek's house and back yard, intent on finding Walter's corpse.The next day, after Mark Rumsfield watches the Klopeks, along with their dog, drive away, he gets ready by putting on military fatigues and arming himself with an assault rifle. At the same time, Ray sends his wife and son off to visit her sister, claiming that he and Art are going to play golf later on in the day. Carol is clearly suspicious to Ray's sudden change in behavior, but she leaves anyway. Once they are gone, the three men leap into action. They first attempt to disable the Klopek's alarm system by disabling the power to their house which activates the trip-wires around their backyard fence. When Art, dressed as a maintenance man, climbs up a poll to cut the power, he accidentally cuts the main circuit cable for the entire block (and probably the whole neighborhood) and gets electrocuted and falls from the poll, but the power to the Klopek alarms is disabled anyway. While Rumsfield sets up a "command post" on top of the roof of his house to watch for the Klopeks in case they return, Ray and Art scale the back fence of the Klopeks back yard and begin digging all around the yard looking for any dead bodies.Meanwhile, Ricky, seeing the action unfolding before him, calls several of his friends and they come on over to watch the events unfolding as if watching a drive-in movie. Rumsfield is annoyed by the literal party in the front yard of Ricky's house next door.As the day wears into the hot summer afternoon, Ray and Art, after having dug several holes in the Klopek's back yard where Ray supposedly saw them digging, finds nothing. Ray suggests they check inside the house. Finding the back door locked, the frustrated but determined Ray breaks a back window and unlocks the back door. The two of them venture to the basement where they find a large old furnace. When Art turns it on, it creates a blast of flames which makes them realize that the furnace (with a thermostat temperature of 5,000 F degrees) is no ordinary furnace. Ray suspects that after killing Walter, the Klopeks burned his body up in the furnace and buried the bones in a patch of earth ground of the basement. Ray and Art again begin digging the ground of the basement to look for the body. Ray continues digging for a few more hours as he hits ground water and then finds something metal when he hits with his his pick axe.As nightfall comes, Rumsfield, still on the roof of his house, notices a car pulling up in Walter's driveway where a middle aged couple gets out and to his shock, a frail-looking Walter, using a walker, exits the car. Ricky, watching from his front porch and Art, exiting the Klopek house from the front door into the street, also see Walter alive and are all in shock. But none of them notice the three Klopeks returning to their house. Seeing the lights from the basement on when the whole neighborhood is dark, they quietly drive away and return a few minutes later followed by a police car, which they are then spotted. Rumsfield tries to warn Ray on the CB radio he has, but Ray is still frantically digging and doesn't hear Rumsfield's warning. Art runs back inside the Klopek house to warn Ray, while Ricky tries to stall the Klopeks and the police by literally jumping in front of their cars to get them to stop.In the Klopek basement, when Ray finally tries to clear the ground water away from his find, he hits it again with the pick axe and bubbles start appearing in the groundwater and he realizes that he just hit the underground methane gas line and he warns Art to run when he returns to the basement. Ray struggles to get out of the hole as the gas begins flooding the whole house... while the Klopek furnace is still running. Outside, as Ricky and Rumsfield try to stall the Klopeks and the policeman from entering their house, Art runs outside yelling that they hit a gas pipe when seconds later the entire Klopek house explodes in a huge mass of flames, in which the spire of their roof lands on the policeman's car. Thinking that Ray is dead, Art is revealed when a partly burned Ray emerges from the burning Klopek house.Some hours later, Carol arrives back home to check up on Ray and sees fire trucks, ambulances, and a huge crowd in front of the Klopek house. Carol finds the shaken Ray being treated for his injuries. Nearby, Art talks to a police detective (Franklin Ajay) who tells Art that Walter was at the hospital for the last three days when on Monday night he apparently had a heart attack in which he called his daughter and son-in-law who live a few miles away where they took him to the hospital. The reason why Walter's mail and toupee were in the Klopek house when Ray found them is that Walter's son phoned the Klopeks to ask them to pick up Walter's mail in which the toupee got mixed up with the rest of the magazines and letters when Ray slipped it back through the mail slot of Walter's house.While Art claims that sooner or later the rest of the skeleton to the femur bone will be found eventually, Ray explodes at him claiming that because they never found anything, that the Klopeks really are innocent of any crimes and they have been really immature and over reactive the entire time. When Art still fails to comprehend Ray's explanation, he attacks Art, and has to be retrained. Angry and exhausted, Ray gets into on an ambulance stretcher and demands that they take him to the hospital for further treatment of his injuries.While in the ambulance, Werner Klopek enters, but he is now suddenly cold and suspicious to Ray. Werner tells Ray that he may have fooled Art and the others with his speech about Klopeks, but he cannot fool him. The confused Ray doesn't know what Werner is talking about, and the doctor mentions about Ray investigating his basement and found a skull in the furnace (which Ray didn't prior to Art turning the furnace on). Werner thinks that Ray knows all about the bones and the skull in the furnace and tells Ray that the femur bone that he found indeed belonged to a murder victim whom was Mr. Knapp. Werner tells Ray that they took the house and killed both Mr. and Mrs. Knapp after they refused to sell it to the Klopeks and they apparently cooked the bodies and ate them... implying that the Klopeks are a practicing cannibal cult.Ray makes an attempt to escape, but realizes that Hans is driving the ambulance as Werner attempts to stab Ray with a hypodermic needle to kill him. In the struggle, Ray manages to grab at Hans who loses control of the ambulance and attempting to avoid hitting a pizza delivery van, runs the ambulance into Art's house at the end of the street. The ambulance back doors fling open and the stretcher with Ray and Werner still struggling on it falls out and rolls down the street which ends when they hit the Klopek's car still parked outside the remains of their burned-out house in which the car trunk pops open. Now with witnesses around, Ray claims that the Klopeks are indeed murderers and part of a cannibal cult. Ricky happens by and points out to everyone that the trunk of the Klopeks car is filled with hundreds of human bones and a few dozen human skulls. (It is implied that most of the bones belong to human bodies stolen by the Klopeks from morgues and various college pathology labs for personal consumption) The police arrest Werner and Reuben, but Hans is nowhere to be found. Rumsfield finds Hans attempting to escape, but chases him and captures him.With Ray in the clear and the fire trucks and police leaving the scene, Ray and Carol are glad that he is all right and they agree to leave tomorrow to take the remainder of Ray's vacation at the lake. When Art approaches and tells them about the media circus coming to the neighborhood over the next few days to investigate the 'Klopek Cannibal Cult', Ray and Carol are not interested in staying around. Just then, Mark and Bonnie Rumsefield tell Art that his wife is home early and his house is on fire from the damage caused by the ambulance still lodged in the front door of his house. Art is shocked and devastated... but its mostly about his wife being home.While Art goes to try to explain what is going on to his wife, the fire trucks return to try to put out the fire to Art's house. With another crowd gathering to watch the action, Ray and Carol go to their house unnoticed, except by Ricky in which Ray tells him to "keep an eye on the neighborhood" while he is away for his vacation. Ricky agrees as Ray and Carol enter their house for the night. Ricky, breaking the fourth wall, looks at the viewers and replies" God, I love this street!" He then goes back to talking to his friends as well as the two garbage men as the image backs away from the street, and area to an overhead view from space as to where the movie began. | comedy, mystery, gothic, intrigue, insanity, psychedelic | train | imdb | Included in this terrific cast are Tom Hanks, who plays the skeptical neighbor of the new family on the block (a bunch of oddballs who never leave the house); Rick Ducommun, who plays the gluttonous friend of Hanks, who is convinced that the new neighbors are brain sucking murderers; Bruce Dern, the ex-soldier who hasn't quite left his miilitary roots behind him; and last, but not least, Corey Feldman, who plays the dopey teenage neighbor who basically watches the events of the movie unfold from the comfort of his front porch.
The chemistry between everyone of the characters is simply impressive, and much of the humor of the film can be found in the often ludicrous way the director portrays their interactions.I urge anyone who has seen this film before to watch it again, this time paying little attention to the story and focusing on the superbly acted characters..
The fact others don't share that opinion doesn't bother me, but I am glad to see reviewers on this site who appreciated this black, very underrated gem.I always get a big kick out of this film, no matter how many times I see it.I credit a little-known actor for making this so entertaining to me: Rick Ducommun.
I think he steals the show from well-known stars Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher and Corey Feldman.
Too bad, but I bet he had a lot fun making it, along with the rest of the cast.Ducommun and Dern are the hilarious wackos who try to help straight-laced Hanks find out about the really-strange neighbors he has next door.
Fisher is Hanks' always-complaining wife and Feldman is the teen across the street who watches all the lunacy from his porch, getting his getting nightly entertainment from these crazy adults.Director Joe Dante, of "Gremlins" fame, does a good job entertaining us in here, too, and providing some fun camera-work.
This is a great example of what Tom Hanks was doing in his former career of a comedic actor, before he returned to serious acting.The story follows three incredibly nosey suburbanites, spying on their new neighbours the Klopek's as they expect them to be murderers.Winning performances all round, but especially from Hanks.
He is well supported by the likes of Carrie Fisher, as his wife, and ex-army man Bruce Dern, with Henry Gibson giving his usual solid performance.A greatly funny movie which leaves you wondering why Hanks ever turned his back on comedy..
I recently rediscovered a childhood favourite of mine, The Burbs, and I have to admit that age has not in the least bit dulled the film's razor sharp wit and acid tongued dialogueTom Hanks plays Ray Peterson, an overstressed suburbanite who's decided to spend his vacation lounging around the house in a vain effort to relax.
Of course he finds his efforts hindered by the constant presence of his somewhat excitable neighbors Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun) and Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern) who suspect the new family in the neighbourhood, the Klopeks, of being mass murderers.
The premise is basically the set up for another of Joe Dante's (who directed both Gremlins and its remake in all but name, Small Soldiers) bedlam filled romps through suburbs in which he casts a sideways glance at all things American dream.Quite frankly, my nostalgia for this movie makes it hard to find fault with it.
Meanwhile the Klopeks are unveiled as characters perhaps a little too late in the story for the audience to truly develop any kind of opinions about them.Despite some small problems however, The Burbs remains an extremely funny movie with some terrific dialogue and almost universally good performances from its cast.
If Dante had it to do over again, he surely would have come up with something more suitable (and humorous).Of course THE 'BURBS is not for all tastes, but if you like the pre-PHILADELPHIA Hanks and are in the mood for something completely different, you won't want to mi.
We later bought the video, and more recently the DVD, and over the years since it's release I've watched it countless times (the exact number probably somewhere in the 50s or so) and have never grown tired of it.While managing to be both suspenseful and funny at the same time, the film also does a great job after capturing the day-to-day life of a small suburban street, with a variety of characters so simple and life-like, it seems like they could actually live on your own street.
The cast is an excellent combination, with everybody working great together, particularly Bruce Dern as the Vietnam vet who always has the right tool for the job and Tom Hanks as the average guy who's curious about his strange new neighbors, but not enough to really want to bother finding out more about them.
Tom Hanks, Corey Feldman, Courtney Gains, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Brother Theodore, Henry Gibson and Rick Ducommun did a great job!
In so doing, he also makes fun of suburbanites who seem to make it their business to know everybody elses' business.Tom Hanks stars as Ray Peterson, your typical 'burb dweller, who ends up severely stressed out when his nutty neighbors - Bruce Dern as ex-military man Mark Rumsfield and the late comedian Rick Ducommun as nosey instigator Art Weingartner - spur him to action.
Tom Hanks character is not really suspicious at first till his crazy neighbor and a paranoid one convince there is something up with the new family in the burbs.
You get many funny scenes as these guys try to find proof that the new family is as strange as they look and are in fact up to something as the poodle a man who lives in the neighborhood shows up dirty and the neighbor ends up missing.
The movie plays out rather good and is funny for the most part, at times it becomes a bit to dark as most black comedies tend to do.
The cast is very funny and I think this is like the only movie I have seen Carrie Fisher in besides the Star Wars trilogy.
All is well in suburbia until clues pop up that might reveal the new neighbors, the Klopeks, as murderers.With any other talent behind the film, this could have been a very dark comedy.
Dante also has fun with visuals, notably in a hilarious dream sequence that Ray has.Everything comes together to make this film work, including a great score by Jerry Goldsmith, that is part suburban comedy and part horror, complete with organs culled from a funeral march.
This film is far from perfect, but it's fun diversional comedy and reminds of the great comic actor that Tom Hanks once was before becoming Oscar's golden boy..
I think the cast was a pretty good choice, especially Tom Hanks who's doing a great job as usual.As a comedy movie i would rate it 10 out of 10 because i could watch it again and again and again without getting bored of it.
Anyway the burbs is well worth checking out, Tom Hanks is as good as ever and Bruce Dern is brilliant as a nutty ex-soldier.
Tom Hanks; Rick Ducommun; Bruce Dern; Carrie Fisher; Brother Theodore.Normal guy Hanks and his Joe six pack friend Ducommun decide to investigate their reclusive new neighbours.
We can see that Tom hanks already shows his personality and potentiality like actor in 1989, although the film does not help so much.
Even though it displays many of director Joe Dante's recognisable trademarks—dark humour, quirky characters, cartoonish violence, Dick Miller (all of which usually guarantee me a good time)—I still struggle with The 'Burbs.
Quite simply, it's protagonists, a trio of paranoid suburbanites, aren't all that likable: their pointless lives consist of petty squabbles with family and neighbours, and when a strange family from Eastern Europe moves into their neighbourhood, the persecution of outsiders.Despite very little evidence to support their feelings of distrust, Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks), Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern) and Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun) launch a campaign of intimidation, based purely on the fact that their neighbours are different.
Tom Hanks,Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducoman (spelling?), Corey Feldman, and all the other actors, are at their best.
It's got to be admitted that Tom Hanks hasn't made a bad movie, and though some are better than others, The Burbs is probably one of his best comedies.
Carrie Fisher is his wife Carol, Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun play Mark Rumsfield and Arthur 'Art' Louis Weingardner respectively, and Corey Feldman, the little kid from "Gremlins" plays Richard Butler, the teen-next-door.
Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Rick Ducummon, Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson, Brother Theodore, and Corey Feldman of STAND BY ME are all victims of this wacky and hilarious satire.I highly recommend this film to anyone with a general interest in movies or if you just like to laugh a lot.
Now, don't get me wrong, the whole story is something strait out of a horror movie and the film's plot moves along like one, but the laugh factor is oh so very high, that this comedy is destined to become nothing short of a masterpiece in the genre.
If I ever meet Tom Hanks, I will shake his hand and tell him that my two favorite movies of his were "Joe Versus the Volcano" and "The 'Burbs".
I didn't know who he was when I saw this the first time, and he hasn't been in any really big roles, but he is extremely funny as Art.The story is predictable, the acting is not Academy Award winning, but this movie is everything I expected.
This movie makes fun of them with a select cast headed off by Tom Hanks and capitilizing on one man's paranoia and idiot mistakes.
I like Tom Hanks much better back in the 80's than I do today, and I love him in this movie.
We feel Art's pain when nobody believes him and he has to get the other neighbors help to discover why the Klopex are so secretive.The way that director Joe Dante has the character play make us feel like they are in their own neighborhood.
Corey Feldman's a riot as an air headed teenager who invites all the "dudes" over to watch the antics and eat pizza, Laugh-In's loony little poet Henry Gibson is a shockingly sinister mad scientist, and Wendy Schaal in short shorts would make any movie an uplifting experience.Watch this endearingly funny film and you'll find yourself agreeing with Feldman, who sums it up perfectly in the last line: "I love this neighborhood!".
With "The 'burbs," one can add Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, and Rance Howard - Ron's dad - to the list.)Anyway, the other cool touch was seeing the long-haired heavy-metal-listening kids in the movie.
The 'Burbs isn't one of the greatest movies ever made, but I think movies like this definitely have a place in the world of film because it's fun.
It has an incredibly lame story, good actors (like Hanks, Bruce Dern, and Carrie Fisher) who are wasted, and who look embarassed to be there, and a plot that goes nowhere.
I watched this movie solely because of the fact that it stared Tom Hanks, one of the greatest actors Hollywood has ever seen.
Bruce Dern plays a great role as well as the ex-soldier,there is not one thing i would like to change about this movie , i recently bought the DVD and it will be treat to watch the "uncut" version.
The cast is great, it has beautiful production designs and a fantastic score that is very clever---but it has a bad script.The jokes are there but they aren't funny--after a while it becomes a chore to watch this movie.
I was dozing off during the last half!The only thing that keeps this watchable is the good acting by the cast--especially Tom Hanks (who is always good), Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson and Bruce Dern.
When the strange new neighbors move in next door, Tom Hanks and his neighbor friends like Bruce Dern and Corey Feldman start searching for answers.
These movies are funny, hold sentimental value to the watcher, and are easy to watch over and over again.Now onto precisely why I like The Burbs' soooo much.
Tom Hanks is great in this movie also and some of the stuff he says like "I believe a man's furnace is his own business.", is priceless.
Tom Hanks is great in this movie also and some of the stuff he says like "I believe a man's furnace is his own business.", is priceless.
It's proof enough to me that movies like The Burbs will live on in the minds of millions as people's favorites of all time.
It's proof enough to me that movies like The Burbs will live on in the minds of millions as people's favorites of all time.
This is one of my most watched films of all time.The whole cast is perfect & the characters are so memorable & the neighbourhood is beautiful & full of fun.Ray peterson (hanks) is hilarious as the stressed out neighbour with maybe murderers next door?
Bruce Dern is Fantastic as the paranoid ex soldier Mark Rumsfield who is hilarious & we have the comic genius Rick Ducommun.R.I.P who plays Art wiengartner who is the nosey busy body & we have carrie fisher as carol Peterson & wendy schaal as bonnie Rumsfeld & Corey feel as ricky butler & some great little cameos from the likes of Joe Dante legend DICK MILLER (who i thank Joe dante's films for introducing me to this great man), The Kloepeks are HILARIOUS & May or my not be evil!!!
The film is from the perspective of Ray Peterson, played by Tom Hanks, as he tries to enjoy his time off and deescalate the neighborhood snoops, Mark and Art played by Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun respectively.
Strange happenings and the curiosity of the neighbors soon have Ray Peterson (played by Tom Hanks), Mark Rumsfield (played by Bruce Dern) and Art Weingartner (played by Rick Ducommun) cross the line and start snooping into the Klopek's business and trespass unto their property.Writer Dana Olsen put together a very entertaining story that contains elements of mystery and comedy, and mix them together quite well.
The lead roles are played by Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun, whom all carried the movie quite nicely.
But there is an equally impressive support cast which includes names such as Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman and Henry Gibson.There is a lot of funny situations throughout the movie, and I always find myself well amused and laughing throughout the course of "The 'Burbs".If you haven't already seen "The 'Burbs" then I can warmly and strongly recommend that you take the time to do so, because this is a classic in its own..
Set in an suburban neighborhood in Des Moines, Iowa, this film follows Ray Paterson (played by Tom Hanks), a lazy man in this thirties taking a week off from work to lay around the house and possibly spend time with his wife Carol (played by Carrie Fisher) and his son Dave (played by Corey Danziger).
When a mysterious family of demon worshippers moves next door, Ray's paranoid neighbor Art (played by Rick Ducommun) and his army-retired neighbor across the street Mark Rumsfield (played by Bruce Dern) grow incredibly suspicious them, fearing they might be sadists.Although Tom Hanks is more of a veteran in the non-comedic territory particularly when looking at his work in films like 'Philadelphia', 'Saving Private Ryan', and 'Forrest Gump', he has still demonstrated evidence that he is capable of showing his comedic side (even if his comedic works don't come as memorable).
But throughout the time Tom Hanks, Rick Ducommun, and Bruce Dern come on screen, there are only less than a handful of moments when they are successfully funny.
Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) is on a week-long "staycation" in his house, and he wants to meet his new neighbors, the Klopeks.
Directed by Joe Dante (of Gremlins fame), and featuring some of the biggest names from the 1980's, it's a movie that still is still hilarious from a somewhat gentler political time.Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher play the central family unit during a weekend holiday, representing the ideal American family living somewhere in unknown suburbia.
Ray Peterson (Hanks) is off from work and becomes obsessed with the strange new neighbors, the Klopecks, with a fair amount of goading from his friends (played hilariously by Rick Ducommun and Mock Films Blog alum Bruce Dern).
The characters are hilarious, the story is good, the neighborhood is great, and the comedy is fun.
Surrounded by Carrie Fisher's demanding wife Carol, Bruce Dern's army obsessed ex-lieutenant Mark Rumsfield, Ray's obnoxious best friend Art and Corey Feldman's typically loud mouthed teen Ricky, The 'Burbs succeeds most completely at creating an interesting and oft relatable bunch of figures in an at times downright bonkers story.
Tom Hanks (Ray) delivered one great acting performance he was so funny in this film!
Watching Tom Hanks spying on his neighbors in this film was hilarious and he did very well getting into character.
It certainly seems like the Klopeks are up to no good but by the end of the movie it's largely irrelevant as the big reveal comes and goes with no explanation or real connection to the story.What The 'burbs does have going for it is manic energy between the cast and a lively, inventive, and massively fun score by Jerry Goldsmith.
I think what also makes it feel semi-unique is the great cast of common 80's actors and the stereotype roles they play.Lets be honest the only reason to watch this movie is because of Tom Hanks, Corey Feldman Bruce Dern and Carrie Fisher.
This film also stars Bruce Dern, Rick Ducommun, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman and Henry Gibson.
But what makes such an underrated film like the Burbs so good? |
tt0119488 | L.A. Confidential | An opening montage, narrated by Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito), publisher of "Hush-Hush," a Hollywood sleaze magazine, explains that Mickey Cohen has taken over the organized crime rackets in Los Angeles (left behind by Bugsy Siegel) and that his actions have tarnished the reputation of the LA police department. Cohen, however, is arrested on income tax evasion and sent to prison on MacNeil Island in Washington state, leaving open the rackets he'd expanded for years.The story documents the intertwining paths of three separate Los Angeles police officers: Detective Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) and Sergeant Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce).Officer Bud White:During Christmas, 1952, police officer Wendell "Bud" White (Russell Crowe), while out on a liquor run with his partner, Dick Stensland, checks in on a man he'd sent to San Quentin State Penitentiary and finds him physically abusing his wife. Bud has no tolerance for those who impose violence against women, seeing how his own mother was killed by his drunk and abusive father. To lure the wifebeater outside, Bud yanks the man's lighted Santa sleigh and reindeer decorations from the roof of the house. When the man comes outside to confront White, White beats him senseless and handcuffs him to the porch railing. Bud tells the man he'll be sent back to prison for about 18 months and that he'll be watching him after he's released.Bud and Stensland next go to a liquor store where they buy alcohol for a party at their precinct. Bud meets a beautiful woman in the store named Lynn, who easily recognizes that he is a cop. Leaving the store, Bud notices a young woman, whose face is bruised and bandaged, sitting in the backseat of a car with another unidentified man. When Bud inquires about what happened, he is met by the car's driver, Leland 'Buzz' Meeks, who tries to shine him on. Bud disarms him and inquires further about the injured woman, who tells him herself that she's OK. He returns Meeks' pistol and wallet. When he gets back to his own car, Stensland confirms that Meeks is a former cop.Sgt. Jack Vincennes:At a lavish Hollywood Christmas party, Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), a narcotics detective, is dancing with his date when he is met by Sid Hudgens. Sid has come with a hot tip for Jack: two starlets, Matt Reynolds and Tammy Jordan, have purchased a small quantity of marijuana and have rented a hotel bungalow. Sid promises Vincennes a $50 payment (Jack demands $100 and gets it) for doing the bust, provided that Sid can cover the incident and feature it in Hush-Hush.Sgt. Ed Exley:At a local police precinct, Sgt. Edmund 'Ed' Exley (Guy Pearce) has been assigned as watch commander for the evening. He is interviewed by a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, who cite his late father's own famous reputation as a police officer, suggesting that Exley has a lot to live up to. Exley also talks to his captain, Dudley Smith (James Cromwell), who tells the young officer that unless he's willing to adopt the brutal tactics (planting evidence, interrogative beatings) employed by officers like his father, he'll never be a successful detective in the department. Exley tells him he intends to build his career as an honest cop. Smith also asks Exley if he's willing to be "hated within the department." Exley says he is.Meanwhile, Vincennes busts Matt and Tammy and arrests them in a gaudy show that Sid headlines as the "Movie Premiere Pot Bust" (due to Vincennes directing Sid to take the article picture from such an angle so as to capture a movie theatre premiere going on in the background). While Vincennes is investigating the bungalow, he is intrigued to find a business card for an agency called "Fleur de Lis".Later, at Smith's precinct, Jack brings in Matt and Tammy and has them booked for possession of marijuana. The extra $50 he asked for over and above his usual $50 was a $20 payoff each for the two officers that assisted him and a final $10 for Exley. Exley turns Jack down, telling him to keep the money himself, a reply that perplexes Vincennes.At that moment, three Mexican suspects are brought in; it is believed they assaulted two police officers. The details of the incident quickly become hyperbolic, starting as reports of mild injuries, to both officers being near death in the hospital. Stensland and some of the other other party goers, already heavily intoxicated, rush downstairs to the holding area. Refusing to recognize Exley's authority as watch commander, the scene quickly becomes ugly as the Mexican prisoners are viciously beaten. Exley is locked in the isolation room when he tries to intervene. White tries to pull Stensland off one of the prisoners and calm him down only to get provoked into the attack when insulted by one of them. Vincennes joins in as well when a prisoner falls on him, bloodying his fancy suit. The reporters who'd been interviewing Exley are also present, snapping a photo of the fight.The photo of the jailhouse melee makes the front page of The Los Angeles Times, describing the incident as "Bloody Christmas". The LAPD Chief, District Attorney Ellis Loew and Dudley Smith meet with White, Vincennes and Exley separately. White staunchly refuses to rat on Stensland as the ringleader of the incident and is ordered suspended without pay. Exley, knowing that his own testimony will secure him a promotion to lieutenant and detective level, agrees to appear in court as a surprise witness. Knowing that they'll need the testimony of a third witness, Exley suggests Vincennes. Exley also suggests that if Vincennes is unwilling to testify, that his privilege as "technical advisor" on the popular television show "Badge of Honor" will be revoked. Vincennes agrees and accepts a transfer to the vice department following a temporary suspension. Exley is given his promotions.Within days, the fallout from the scandal blows over: Stensland is officially terminated from the police force as a scapegoat, while several other officers are forced into early retirement. Exley moves up to homicide investigation and is immediately despised by his fellow colleagues, while Vincennes joins the Vice squad. White is taken off suspension when he agrees to aid Smith in a new project, in which they intercept mobsters who intend to move into LA and take over Mickey Cohen's businesses. The suspects are taken to a remote and abandoned motel complex called the Victory Motel and are beaten by White and forced to leave the city. Hudgens reports in Hush-Hush that a string of murders of former Cohen lieutenants by two-man teams armed with Thompson submachine guns may be a power struggle to gain control of the void left by Cohen's imprisonment. In one incident, Cohen's top heroin dealer is murdered in his house and 20 kilograms of product is stolen by the unidentified killers.On his first night in Homicide, shortly after 2:00 AM, Exley gets a call about a murder at the Nite Owl coffee shop, a regular hangout for cops. Exley arrives on the scene and finds the cook shot dead behind the counter, and the cash register emptied, suggesting a robbery. He notices an overturned chair and realizes there were several customers inside. He then notices a blood trail that leads to the men's bathroom. Following this trail, he finds five more bodies piled up in the bathroom, all riddled with shotgun holes.Dudley Smith arrives and assumes command of the investigation, making Exley his second in command. The forensics team quickly reports that there were six, all killed with shotguns. The shooters apparently fired fifteen rounds, which suggests three Remington shotguns with five-shot capacity and three gunmen. One of the dead has already been identified: Stensland.Upon hearing that Stensland has been killed, Bud White rushes to the hospital to look at the body. Crestfallen to see his friend is among the dead, and demands the story from Exley who fills him in. Another of the victims, Susan Lefferts, is seen by White when her mother identifies her. When he sees her body, Bud immediately recognizes Susan as the woman in the car who appeared to be injured the night he and Stensland were purchasing the liquor.Putting aside all other investigations, the senior detectives are assigned to the search and apprehension of the Nite Owl killers. Exley himself will lead the interrogations of the suspects when they are caught. Leads are few but a report of three "negro" males firing shotguns, driving a late 1940s Mercury Coupe, will be followed by all the two-man teams involved.Bud White doesn't think it could be a coincidence that two of the Nite Owl victims - Stensland and Lefferts - encountered each other well before the killings. Acting on his hunches, he strikes out on his own, refusing to be partnered. He returns to the liquor store where he met Lynn, and upon asking the owner, is given the address of a man named Pierce Patchett (David Strathairn), the man sitting next to Lefferts the night he met her and Meeks. Bud talks to Patchett and finds out that the woman he met in the liquor store, Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger), and Lefferts are part of a prostitution ring run by Patchett himself that uses plastic surgery to give his women the appearance of famous movie stars. The prostitution ring is dubbed "Fleur de Lis" and is part of a file Vincennes had seen when he joined Vice, and whose business card he found when he busted Matt Reynolds. Lynn is Patchett's Veronica Lake while Lefferts is Rita Hayworth. However, Patchett refuses to divulge any details about Lefferts' murder and cuts the meeting short.Exley joins Vincennes on a hunch and they turn up the address of a black man who drives the car mentioned in the lead. They track the man and his two friends to their home and find the car and shotguns in a garage. They also find two officers, Michael Breuning and William Carlisle, ahead of them. Vincennes argues briefly with the two other officers about who will arrest the three men; Breuning and Carlisle had gotten there first and Vincennes knows the arrest will get him back in with the narcotics squad. Exley pulls rank and orders them to all proceed together and the three black men, Sugar Ray Collins, Ty Jones, and Lewis Fontaine, are arrested without much incident, although Exley has to deflect Carlisle's shotgun to keep him from shooting one of the suspects.During the questioning of the suspects and using the interrogation room's PA speakers and microphones, Exley demonstrates brilliant tactical skill, tricking the three men into believing they have informed on each other. The three already have criminal records and have spent time in juvenile facilities, which Exley also uses to his advantage. One of them, crying and nearly hysterical, tells Exley that they'd visited the house of another man, Sylvester Fitch, so he could lose his virginity to a woman held captive there. Enraged, Bud White rushes into the room of the next man and, drawing his pistol and emptying every chamber in the cylinder but one, he puts the muzzle in the man's mouth and plays Russian Roulette, demanding Fitch's address, which the man gives up.A team is sent out to Fitch's house and White sneaks in first, finding a young Mexican woman bound naked to a bed and obviously beaten, and possibly raped. Bud finds Fitch watching TV, and shoots him dead, before planting a fired pistol on him. When the victim is driven away in an ambulance, Exley tries to ask her when the three black men left her but White stops him, waving the ambulance away. Bud seems angered that Exley is only concerned about furthering his career, which Exley counters by saying that Stensland "got what he deserved" and White's fate will be the same. White tries to attack Exley but is held back. At that moment a report is issued that the three black men have escaped from the precinct.Exley, talking to a stenographer, gets an address that was given by one of the black men where they had bought drugs. Unable to get Vincennes, Exley takes Carlisle with him to the address and they burst in to find the three suspects there with their narcotics supplier, Roland Navarette. Lewis accidentally knocks a bottle off the table, the trigger-happy Carlisle shoots him. All hell breaks loose as Navarette lethally shoots Carlisle multiple times, until Exley shoots him. Ty Jones attempts to grab a revolver, but Exley shoots him. Ray Collins tries to flee to the elevator, but Exley jams his shotgun in just as the door is about to close and fires, hitting him in the chest.Exley is greeted as a hero back at the station and Smith dubs him "Shotgun Ed." The murder case is seemingly solved, Exley is given the department's highest decoration, the Medal of Valor, for bravery in the line of duty, and earns the respect of the other detectives in the department who previously despised him. Vincennes returns to the narcotics squad and the "Badge of Honor." In the meantime, Patchett breaks ground on an ambitious project, a freeway running from the eastern sections of LA to the beaches of Santa Monica, one he is heavily invested in. To do so, he has blackmailed a councilman into approving the project with some compromising photos showing him cavorting with Lynn.Back on the set of "Badge of Honor", Vincennes meets with Sid Hudgens, who offers him another job: Hudgens is deliberately setting up LA District Attorney Loew in a blackmail scheme by arranging a sexual encounter with Matt Reynolds (arrested by Jack himself at Christmas) both of whom will be busted by Vincennes. Vincennes feels extreme guilt about the job and goes to the hotel early to let the young actor off the hook. Instead, he finds Reynolds dead, someone having slit his throat.Bud White begins a romantic relationship with Lynn and continues his work with Smith, beating mobsters at the Victory. The work has turned White into a burnout and his affair with Lynn has softened his otherwise vicious demeanor. However, White becomes suspicious of many of the details surrounding the Nite Owl murders and talks to the coroner. The files from the case are still in the doctor's lab. Studying a picture of the seating area, White notices a spot of blood on the wall next to one of the tables, like one of the victims died there instead of in the men's bathroom. The doctor notes that that blood stain was Stensland's blood. The food on the table, and a lipstick mark on the coffee cup opposite Stensland's place, indicate to Bud that Stensland had been there with a woman (White remembers Stensland said he was going on a date that night, and concludes that he may have had a girlfriend). He is led to believe that said girlfriend was Susan Lefferts after he learns that only two women were killed: Lefferts and a night shift waitress.White visits the home of Susan Lefferts' distraught mother. As White expects, she identifies Stensland from a photograph as Susan's boyfriend she disapproved of. She also tells White that Stensland had been seen with another man carrying a large bundle into her backyard. When White notices that Mrs. Lefferts has a towel placed at the bottom of a door leading to her back sun room to block a strong unpleasant stench, he checks out the crawlspace under the house and finds a rotted corpse. He finds a wallet in the coat placed on the body. Much to his shock, the body is that of Buzz Meeks, Patchett's former chauffeur. Bud deliberately leaves the body behind for someone else to find and tells Lefferts' mother that the stench is a big rat.Back at the station, Exley talks to the coroner that White had spoken to earlier. Exley follows White's lead to Mrs. Lefferts' home & finds Meeks' remains. He takes it to the morgue, demanding an identity on the body, then goes to Vincennes and asks for his help in investigating further details about the Nite Owl case. Exley convinces Vincennes by sharing the story of how his father was killed by a random mugger, whom was never identified, but whom Exley has always named "Rollo Tomasi" to give him a personality. Vincennes agrees to help Exley if Exley will help him solve Reynold's murder. Vincennes tails White to the Formosa Bar where White catches up with mob enforcer, Johnny Stompanato, Mickey Cohen's former bodyguard, and finds out (after roughly squeezing the man's crotch) that Meeks had come into a large supply of heroin. White concludes that Meeks was murdered for it.Vincennes and Exley next see White at Lynn Bracken's house. Vincennes remembers "Fleur de Lis" & realizes that Lynn is one of Patchett's prostitutes. A call comes in telling them that Meeks' body has been ID'd. Vincennes goes to get the news while Exley pays a call to Bracken. Refusing to answer the lieutenant's questions, she seduces him while Sid Hudgens photographs them both from behind a one-way mirror.Vincennes, going through old records, finds a connection between Dick Stensland, Buzz Meeks and Dudley Smith. He goes to Smith's house to inquire about how Smith signed off on a lot of work that both Stensland and Meeks performed over the past few years. Smith listens long enough to find out if Vincennes had told Exley anything; when Jack says he hadn't informed Ed of the connection between Smith, Meeks and Stensland, Dudley suddenly produces a revolver and shoots Jack in the chest. Before Vincennes dies, he chortles, and says "Rollo Tomasi."Smith announces the next day that the department will suspend all other cases until Jack's killer is found. He talks directly to Exley about the only lead: Jack's last words. Exley manages to keep a straight face as he realizes that Dudley could only know that name if he was the one who shot Vincennes. He lies and says he knows nothing of the name.Dudley meets with Bud White and criticizes him for what he deems a lack of enthusiasm concerning his job. He also tells White that they'll be going to the Victory Motel to interrogate the man he believes last saw Vincennes alive. It turns out to be Sid Hudgens. Dudley asks him a few questions which don't provide much information. However, during the beating administered by White himself, Hudgens talks about how Pierce Patchett uses his women for blackmail. He mentions that he's photographed a cop having sex with Lynn. White becomes enraged, thinking that Hudgens spied on him. He turns Hudgens' chair over and rushes out to the reporter's car. In the trunk, he finds pictures, not of himself with Lynn, but of Lynn with Exley. White becomes further enraged and drives off. Meanwhile, Smith and Breuning suffocate Hudgens over his protests that he was part of a "team" with them.Exley checks with records keeping for arrest warrant books on Buzz Meeks and finds nothing. When he checks the daily log books he finds that Smith had signed off on nearly all of Meeks' and Stensland's work for many years and realizes the connection between them is prominent. White visits Lynn's house, furiously and jealously demanding to know about her tryst with Exley. When she tries to calm him down, he hits her, bruising her face.White finds Exley in the records room at the precinct and attacks him after showing him the photo of he and Lynn together. Exley manages to fight White off and claims that the photo was planted to make White try to kill Exley. The two stop their battle and begin to share details they've uncovered; Meeks, Stensland, Vincennes, Reynolds' murder, the missing heroin are all linked. Exley now realizes that the black men that were charged with the Nite Owl attack were set up: when he and Vincennes showed up, Breuning and Carlisle were already there and had planted the shotguns, and were going to kill the three men so that no questions would be asked if they were caught resisting arrest. In order to piece it all together, the two agree to work as partners, even at the expense of Exley's reputation for solving the Nite Owl murder case, which built his career.They go to Loew's office and demand wiretaps for Smith. Loew refuses and further refuses to divulge any information about Reynolds' murder and dismisses them, stepping into his office bathroom. White shoves the DA's head into the toilet and dangles him out the window. Loew caves and tells him that Reynolds was killed because he was present when he and Smith argued over the assumption of the Cohen drug-dealing rackets. Loew was allowed to live because of his influence and because he promised not to prosecute them. Bud and Ed agree that their next stop is Patchett's house.When they arrive there, they find that they're too late, as Dudley or someone working for him has slit Patchett's wrists and made it look like a suicide. Believing that Lynn had some knowledge of Patchett's plan, they arrange to have her taken to a nearby police station for safety. Exley goes there and talks to her, saying Bud feels great remorse for beating her. White goes to Sid Hudgens' office and finds that Smith has dumped his body there. While there, he receives a call telling him to meet Exley at the Victory Motel.At the Victory, the two find that the calls were planted to get them together in a vulnerable location. They hold up in the same cabin where Sid Hudgens was murdered. Smith's men approach the cabin and White and Exley open fire; a fierce gunfight ensues. They eventually kill all of Smith's men, however they are confronted by Smith himself, who shoots White, forcing him to fall. Smith turns his gun on a cornered Exley, who says "Rollo Tomasi". Smith asks who the man is, Exley tells him it's Smith himself, merely because he's a man who can evade the law. Smith hears approaching police cars and tells Exley to walk out with him, promising to further the younger man's career. He also tells Ed to show his badge. Exley shoots Smith in the back and walks out, holding his badge as Smith instructed.Sitting in one of the same interview rooms he used to interrogate the three black men, Exley explains the intricate connections in the case. The DA and LAPD Chief are incredulous but realize the department's reputation for upholding the law will be threatened. While floating the solution of glorifying Smith with Exley's help, they spot Exley beaming. When the Chief asks him why, he says they'll need more than one hero.In the final scene, Exley is once again presented with the LAPD Medal of Valor. He spots Lynn and walks out with her. In her car is Bud White, bandaged and recovering from his wounds. Lynn says they're going to her hometown of Bisbee, Arizona. Ed and Bud shakes hands and Lynn drives off. | dark, suspenseful, neo noir, murder, boring, mystery, dramatic, violence, flashback, tragedy, revenge | train | imdb | 1997 completely screwed this phenomenal film, in which three brilliant actors gave the performances of their careers.Russell Crowe plays Detective Bud White, a tough L.A. cop who bends the rules in order to bring justice to the city.
From this role, Crowe went on to garner three best actor nominations, winning for his role in Gladiator.Guy Pearce, the little known Australian body builder, became the character known as Ed Exley, a straight, uptight detective trying to live up to the legend his father created before him.
Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey are absolutely phenomenal; it is their characters that drive this fascinating story about police corruption in 1950s Los Angeles.
The boldface names jump off the page...Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell and, in his first big-time role, Guy Pearce.
When you look back at it and see that Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey and Guy Pearce actually appeared in the same film back in 97 then you wouldn't have believed it since they have all gone on to better things but before that we had L.A. Confidential which was Crowe's and Pearce's ticket into Hollywood.
In L.A. Confidential's case it had both and a lot more to say the least.I still think that this is Spacey's, Crowe's and Pearce's best film of there career.
No one is going to make a better movie than LA Confidential, the cast is perfect, the direction is superb, the screenplay is amazing, the choice of music, the graphic brutality, the not so fine line between good and evil.When I saw this in the theatres, I came out of the theatre and couldn't say anything because I was awed.
Add to that Dante Spinotti's stunning lighting that rides the fine line between artistic and believable comfortably (as all period camerawork should), Ruth Myers' costume designing and a script by Hanson and The Postman scribe Brian Helgeland (I know, I don't get it either) that pares down Ellroy's mammoth plot about a multiple murder in a local diner involving a policeman with suspicious ties without sacrificing the density of the story or the spiderweb of events involved with it, and you have the best movie of 1997, not to mention the most fascinating detective film ever made since Orson Welles' Touch of Evil.
A truly gripping crime saga exposing the seedy underbelly of the City of Angels, where cops never let the truth get in the way of justice, and everyone knows everyone else's dirty secrets.Criminally overlooked at both the box office and the Academy thanks to the all-conquering and over-achieving Titanic, LA Confidential will far more likely stand the test of time to be thought of as one of the best films of the 90s, and possibly the best cop film ever.After cops give a number of inmates a beating in retaliation for two of their own being put in hospital, the career-minded Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) agrees to testify to what he saw, turning in his fellow officers.
When one of the cops forced out turns up dead as a result of a shooting, Exley, hothead detective Bud White (Russell Crowe) and fame-obsessed Sergeant Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) all work to find the answers.
The two-hour running time is never felt.A superb thriller and the perfect antidote to the rash of mindless action-comedies that frequently come out of Hollywood today, LA Confidential harks back to how film-making used to be all about telling a story.
L.A. Confidential, one of the best pictures of the '90s (in fact, it could have won the 1997 Best Picture Oscar: it's so much better than Titanic), is the definitive proof that there is no such thing as an "unfilmable" book: Curtis Hanson (with the help of co-writer Brian Helgeland) has turned James Ellroy's noir masterpiece (which is 800 pages long) into a 135-minute long modern classic.
And it's in this kind of environment that we first meet the three key players: Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) is an ambitious young man who wants to be as good as his dad and do his job properly, even if that includes turning in his colleagues; Bud White (Russell Crowe) is a disillusioned cop who not only accepts violence as part of the job, but even uses it as often and much as possible in his personal crusade against wife-beating men (as his partner puts it:"You're like Santa Claus with that list, Bud, Except everyone on it's been naughty"); and Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) is the classic "Hollywood Cop", who gets paid by tabloids to bust coke-snorting celebrities.
A. Confidential" even goes as far as poking fun at the sensationalized way films were made in that time period with a hilarious sequence where a cop on a show called, "Badge of Honor," interrupts a women giving him details about some crime, and he says, "Just the facts, ma'am.
The acting is terrific from a slew of great actors including Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Walter Cromwell plays one of the great villains I've ever seen.
But since those two worthy gentleman are beyond reach, this is as good as it will get for the modern cinema.Anticipating the film Crash by several years, LA Confidential is a period piece set in the Eisenhower era Los Angeles and its police department which has a history of corruption more than most.
Like Valentine though he proves in the end to be quite a bit smarter than everyone gives him credit for.The beating of some Mexican prisoners, the massacre of six people at a Hollywood Diner, a call girl service where the girls are made up to look like movie stars, a bisexual actor killed at a sleazy motel, and a whole lot more are all part of an complex story that won one of two Oscars LA Confidential received, for best screenplay adapted from another source.The second Oscar went to Kim Basinger as one of the call girls who is made up like Veronica Lake.
Basinger won for Best Supporting Actress that year.Woven into the story are such real characters as mob boss Mickey Cohen whose arrest for tax evasion sets up a lot of the situations here, his number one enforcer Johnny Stompanato and Lana Turner who would shortly be some of the biggest tabloid fodder ever.Look also for some nice performances from Ron Rifkin as the blackmailed District Attorney and Danny DeVito as a sleazy columnist.Had LA Confidential not come along in the same year as Titanic it might have won a few more Oscars including Best Picture which it lost to Titanic.
L.A. Confidential is a rewatchable movie that should have won Best Picture and Director thanks to its incredible direction, amazing cast, well written screenplay and a shootout scene that will get your heart pumping.
No filler, just straight unadulterated goodness.Extremely strong acting, the movie is phenomenally cast with a young powerhouse triage of Russel Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey.
It's a genre piece for sure - Curtis Hanson is not after originality, he uses every trick in the book and fills his film with genre clichés, but he does it so cleverly that those clichés seem fresh and effective like they haven't been in many years, subverting every expectation the seasoned viewer has, while never actually leaving or deconstructing the genre.As for the cast - not one of the three leads are among my favorites, but all of them are at least partly pre-fame here - Kevin Spacey after his first Oscar but before his second, Russell Crowe before Gladiator, Guy Pearce before Memento - and they all do a terrific job, especially Spacey.
Very few police dramas manage to work a large cast of unique and well-developed characters as well as this one, and it makes for one of the most entertaining, powerful, thrilling movies I've seen in a long time..
Kevin Spacey is the narcotics officer, Russell Crowe the investigating officer, Guy Pierce the new lieutenant, Danny DeVito well-cast as the gossip columnist, and Kim Basinger the hooker whose bosses figure in the crime spree and drug-trafficking.
Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, and Danny DeVito, a terrific cast all in a single movie.
It is a Detective Movie basically with the three main characters, Officer Bud White (Crowe), Sgt. Jack Vincennes (Spacey), and Det. Lt.
Every single aspect of this noir film fits together perfectly, from the wonderful performances, the beautiful cinematography, the magnificent, amazingly complimentary soundtrack, the intriguing web-like storyline, and the expert timing and directing.
Kevin Spacey had an Oscar under his belt but hadn`t appeared in many starring roles , Guy Pearce was known only to NEIGHBOURS fans while Russell Crowe was remembered only for his powerhouse performance in ROMPER STOMPER .
In fact it sounds ridiculous in 2003 but the two best known members of the cast when this was released were Danny DeVito and Kim Basinger The real star of LA CONFIDENTIAL is the script .
Officers Bud White (Russell Crowe), Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) and Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) are the main characters.
White is the type who loves to help damsels in distress, but even he has his weak points; squeaky-clean Exley is the son of a cop, carrying on his father's work; and Vincennes mainly likes his job because of all the places that he gets to visit.Following a murder one day, it's up to the three officers to investigate.
I've seen very little film noir but what I have are predominately modern day attempts (Man Who Wasn't There) and I've yet to really enjoy one, as the cinematography & mood often seem more important than a plot, and that happened here to a degree.The story was really hard work to follow.
There's also a few thought provoking social issues thrown up, one or two excellently done, violent scenes, a great intro and some good all round action but sadly interspersed with a handful of meaningless & dull scenes that make the plot a bit stop-start.I just couldn't ever fully connect with any of the characters to love this film, which I never seem to be able to do with the darkness of Film Noir.A low 7/10.
Meanwhile, the cast does an outstanding job with such modern-day stalwarts as Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Kim Bassinger, Danny DeVito, Guy Pearce, David Strathairn and James Cromwell.
Veronica should have looked this good!The BAD - A sordid feel to this film almost all the way through, from the tabloid mentality-narrative by Danny DeVito through all the various creeps and corrupt cops.
First off, although Kim Basinger adds some depth to her character as the film proceeds, it boggles my mind how she was nominated for a best supporting Oscar, let alone win it.
The body count becomes ridiculously high and this theme has been done much better (see Chinatown) but the end result is a satisfying film.Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito and James Cromwell all add to the enjoyment with their roles.
Don't miss interpret what am i saying, this not a sign of a poor movie, in fact quite the opposite; it is merely a warning that films such as these require our undivided attention, and without it they may seem to be less than they are.L.A. Confidential is a terrific thriller set in the 50's, with very realistic characters and an accurate depiction of the corruption and issues of the period.The cast includes Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Bassinger and Danny Devito, and every one of them delivers a top notch performance, and i have to say Guy Pearce was surprisingly the one that shone the most.Not to be missed 9/10.
This film could have been a disaster, but their terrific screen writing was a testament to a great book.With such a star studded cast which includes Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger, we see some fine performers practicing their craft at the highest level.
In the gambit of releases, it requires one viewing to see where both Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce first found their Hollywood USA footing, but outside of that it only demonstrates one thing Kim Basinger didn't need to put her best foot forward to win an award.Wow. Isn't that opening paragraph grouchy?
"LA Confidential" is a film that boasts truths (i.e. there was a club that had women cut like movie-stars for men), or the dirty cops, but ultimately lacks that punch to make it feel
well, real.
L.A. Confidential is one long dull confusing movie with small sparks that quickly fade and burn out, even a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe cant get past the convoluted script that makes so many twists and turns you will get a headache, the acting is good except for one person and that one person is Kim Basinger who for some unknown reason was given an oscar, I say given because her performance in this movie was not only terrible but it was one of the worst I have ever seen.
"L.A. Confidential" is a poor-man's "Chinatown," complete with all the "homages" and such to the genre...The cast is top-notch and make the film worth seeing once: Guy Pearce, Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger and Kevin Spacey (delivering the best performance in the film).
Acting is sensational from practically every corner, especially from the leads Spacey, Crowe and Pearce.The cinematography is just gorgeous, reflecting the beauty and the beast of L.A. The editing and the pace are quite polished and the dialogue feels very natural, which only compliments an already excellent cast and a direction worthy of nothing but praise.L.A. Confidential offers something for almost everyone, yet it offers everything for fans of the genre, and it does not disappoint in anything it attempts..
The focus of the movie is an exposé of the LAPD, warts and all.The tale – and it is a serpentine one – is about the intertwining paths of three separate police officers who maintain the peace by their own separate actions: Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce), Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), and Wendell "Bud" White (Russell Crowe).
The performances of the leads are all at a high level (Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and others) although Jack Nicholson did win the Oscar for Best Actor.
Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger (who received an Oscar for her role), Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, and Danny DeVito comprise the absolutely top class cast of the film.
Still, the movie has great performances, good direction, but lacks a decent plot, character development and suspense.
I found the plot hard to follow at times and the acting was a bit on the cold side.However, it does have some memorable lines and a few good scenes, and overall it isn't a bad movie.
This is "L.A. Confidential" in a nutshell, one of the best movies of the 90's.Adapted from a novel by James Ellroy, the plot is the kind of masterpiece of stylish complexity that is just too labyrinthine for the big screen, yet Curtis Hanson compresses everything into a neat episodic structure so that by the end of each act, we've progressed in the comprehension of what is going on and the changes it has on the main protagonists.
"L.A. Confidential" focuses on three cops who couldn't have been more different: Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) and Bud White (Russell Crowe).Vincennes is a consultant for a "Dragnet"-like show called "Badge of Honor", which makes him a movie star by proxy.
Performances are second to none and Guy Pierce, Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey bring lots of depth and complexity to these roles as these characters are brought to life.
I must say Kevin Spacey is one of the best actors in Hollywood today I love watching any movie he plays in.
A top-notch dark drama of crime and corruption, "LA Confidential" is one of the most memorable films of the 1990s, thanks to an intelligent and cliche-free script, good direction, and superb acting.
Russell Crowe is excellent as Bud White, the brutish but good-hearted cop, and Guy Pearce gives an utterly convincing and often mesmerizing performance as Edmund Exley, the police officer who starts out as a self-righteous, priggish, ice-cold careerist and then becomes a man of true moral conviction who also has humanity and compassion.
L.A. ConfidentialDIRECTION % Film noir style.ACTING % All the characters are great except for perhaps the female support.EDITING/SPECIAL EFFECTS % Generally good.PLOT % The strongest part of the movie.
The only exciting thing in this movie is when Kim Basinger and Russel Crow are in the movie theater watching Roman Holiday and we get a glimpse of Audrey Hepburn...this movie drags on for WAY too long...I was more interested in seeing how close the actors resembled the Old Hollywood actors...Kim Basinger looked a lot like Veronica Lake...this movie should NOT be in the top 50 list of the best movies of all time.
I have to give it 1 out of 4 stars...Although Kim Basinger was good in this film, she was not in half of the movie which kind of shocks me that the Academy would give her an Oscar because they are usually picky...she deserved it though...
The three main police officers in question are Jack Vincennes(Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects), Bud White(Russell Crowe, Gladiator) and Ed Exley(Guy Pearce, Ravenous).
It stars Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito and David Strathairn.
Tremendous cast with Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe in the lead roles with Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito and David Strathairn in supporting roles.
Especially if you like movies about Organized Crime, Police Corruption & the Good Cop Bad Cop routine.LA Confidential is about three detectives of the corrupt LAPD (Big Surprise).
What follows is a story with several twists and turns to expose who is behind this mysterious crime.The Cast also has a cool as hell, with Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe & Kevin Spacey playing the main detectives. |
tt1337032 | Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day | About one year following the events of the episode "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys", Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay) and Bubbles (Mike Smith) are released from prison. Upon returning to Sunnyvale Trailer Park, Bubbles finds that all of his kittens have been sent to an animal shelter and that he will need to pay thousands of dollars in order to have them released; secondly, Ricky and Julian successfully rob a liquor store, but Julian uses all the money to buy a car and refurbish his trailer into an auto-body shop. Ricky's plan is to pass his Grade 12 exam, which he feels will open doors of opportunity for him.
Jim Lahey (John Dunsworth) is sober and has opened up a posh new trailer park while attempting to demolish Sunnyvale. His only problem is that his new sewer line will have to run through Julian's lot; he tries to convince Julian to move. One sip of beer causes him to revert to heavy drinking. After Randy (Patrick Roach) leaves him and moves out of their trailer and on to Julian's deck, Lahey goes on a liquor-fueled rampage. Meanwhile, the boys experience failure: Julian's auto-body business is failing, Ricky fails his Grade 12 exam, and Bubbles' kittens remain in the animal shelter after a failed attempt to rescue them which results in Tyrone's (Tyrone Parsons) arrest.
Bubbles is told that the kittens will be put down soon unless he can raise the money to have them released. Lahey, drunk again, destroys Ricky's new cannabis growing operation and also demolishes Julian's trailer in an attempt to get Julian to move. However, Lahey's plan backfires as Julian has insured his trailer for $28,000. With nothing left to live for and his dream of operating his new posh trailer park ruined by Julian's refusal to move, Lahey loses his sanity.
The boys decide to rob a bank disguised as security guards making an armored-car transport as a last resort while Julian waits for the insurance check to save Bubbles' kittens. They succeed in obtaining the money from the vault but they are foiled by Lahey showing up at the last minute. Lahey threatens to commit suicide by threatening to jump off the roof of the bank. After Julian prevents this, the real security guards show up. Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles are arrested and sent back to prison after a car chase with the police and security guards, including Sam Losco, Cyrus, Dennis, Terry, Jacob and Phil Collins, Officer George Green, Detective Ted Johnson and Randy. They receive a short two-week sentence due to their arresting officer being drunk but request not to be filmed anymore. Bubbles' kittens are saved through a therapy animal program at the prison where the cats are released and spend time with the inmates. Bubbles secures a date with the animal control worker who saved his kittens, and the boys presumably return to Sunnyvale, with Julian building a new trailer with the insurance money.
Meanwhile, Lahey is drunk in Cuba, having absconded with the stolen money. Even though he is now rich, he is shown to still be miserable, because he has nobody to share his wealth. J-Roc (Jonathan Torrens) is also shown to have finally reached his goal of becoming a famous rapper, as he has a released new record, and is on stage in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd. | comedy, entertaining | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0247745 | Super Troopers | The movie opens with three college aged men heading in a car down the interstate somewhere in Vermont. The kids are smoking heavy amounts of weed and having a discussion about whether or not if you own a beach property if you own the sand and the water. They are then stopped by officers Ramathorn and Rabbit, who demand their license and registration and ask the guys what they were doing. As they're getting ready to file a report, they're suddenly called away and the men are ecstatic to learn that they're getting off. But then a few minutes later, the cops are back and once again demand their license and registration. But the guys weren't pulled over for speeding. Instead they're pulled over for blatant offenses and drug violations. Officers Ramathorn and Rabbit take the guys into custody and they're being monitored on the radio by Officer Farva. Farva asks repeatedly if he's needed out there. Ramathorn and Rabbit assure Farva that they've got this one. A White Mazda Miata then passes by them at a break neck speed ensuing a high speed pursuit. They then radio Officer Foster - who's taken a siesta and gone fly fishing. They then end at a bar when it's revealed that the driver is another officer - Mac, who's trying to convince the college guys that he's a wanted killer, and sure enough they've bought it.The next day the officers are gathered at a local mom and pop shop for a breakfast before heading out on the road. Foster makes small talk with an attractive local cop named Ursula. We are then introduced to the local police, who it turns out, don't like the highway cops very much. Ramathorn and the rookie Rabbit are seen having a chugging contest with full bottles of maple syrup. Ramathorn wins by a mile while Rabbit struggles to keep up. They then get in a fight being provoked by local officer Smy. Captain O'Hagan who runs the Highway Dept. enters to put a stop to the fight.Back at headquarters, O'Hagan is instructing his officers that they're in danger of being cut from the state budget and that they really need to step up their game and start taking things more seriously. Farva pulls a prank on Rabbit involving a bar of soap in the coffee, and their distraction proves the point that O'Hagan was trying to make. Later that day the officers are out on patrol. Foster and Ramathorn decide to play the "cat game" where they see how many times they can casually insert the word "meow" into the conversation.The next day while at the station, they're tipped off to a 1052. They go to the scene which involves a Winnebago and a dead body inside. What they don't know upon investigating is that there's a dead woman inside face down in a pile of pig food, and a live and extremely angry pig is terrorizing the Winnebago. Ramathorn orders Rabbit to get the crime scene tape, but it turns out that the local police have already beat them to it. Ramathorn gets in a shouting match with Chief Grady over jurisdictional grievances. They then get into a huge fight that ends with punches being thrown.Back at the station, O'Hagan is furious at his officers and it seems that they've attracted some negative attention in the press because of the Winnebago fight. But Ramathorn and Foster are seen playing another prank on Rabbit involving shaving cream and a locker. Outside, while washing his car, Rabbit and Farva get into it when Farva talks about John Denver winning the country music award, while the guy who was supposed to win lit the award on fire in front of the whole show. He then sets fire to the tape that Rabbit is listening to. Rabbit talks about the incident that got Farva suspended from road duty when he went haywire on a bus full of unruly school kids.During the weekend, Ramathorn and his girlfriend watch their son in a Little League softball game, and unfortunately the local police have kids on the opposing team. Pranks and hilarity ensue - involving a giant thing of cotton candy that they send to Officer Rando, who seems less than amused and gets into a fight with the guy sitting in the bleachers behind him. While at the game, Foster has another conversation with Ursula and tells her he had a good time at the Winnebago fight. Ursula tells her that he can slug her back, but is instead hit by a foul ball. Officer Foster then goes and heads down to the local station in another attempt to pick up Ursula.While out on patrol, Ramathorn and Rabbit are then tipped off to a semi that skipped weighing in. This time they try the "repeat" game.That gets them into trouble - the driver, whose last name is Galakanokis, is driving for a company named Bunty Soap. He then locks the officers in the trailer and takes off. Several hours pass until the other officers arrive. Turns out Ramathorn and Rabbit got distracted by somebody doing a repeater. Ramathorn wonders what's inside the rows and rows of boxes in the trailer. They pick one up, and a huge brick of marijuana falls out of it.Back at the station, they're showing off the huge haul that they got from the Bunty Soap truck. They're then greeted by Spurberry Mayor Timber who assures O'Hagan that he's doing everything they can to battle with the governor's budget committee over who gets cut and why. Ramathorn then discovers that the Bunty Soap company is a fake company and doesn't exist. And that the driver was using a fake name and license. O'Hagan goes over to the local station where he's battling with Chief Grady over his theory that the Winnebago and the Bunty Soap truck are linked. A smug Grady informs O'Hagan that what they're doing is called "routine police work" and not chasing absurd conspiracy theories.Foster and Ursula finally have their first date. Unfortunately it ends rather poorly when they're locked in the back of Foster's police cruiser and have to have the door taken off. Meanwhile, Ramathorn and Rabbit have picked up two German tourists for driving in a Porsche 100MPH down the interestate. Rabbit begins heavily making out with the incredibly attractive passenger. Ramathorn - who has his son present, tries everything he can to get Rabbit to arrest them. On their second date, Foster places a prank call to the station to get Ursula outside. They then head into the impound lot where they begin making out on the bed of the Winnebago. Ursula jumps on top of Foster and smashes the bed. They then find more bricks of reefer with the same logo on them that they found in the truck. Meanwhile, Mac and Foster attempt to go undercover at the weigh station to get some intel about Bunty Soap but it turns out that neither of them can drive a semi.While filling up for gas and getting a snack, Farva is out watching speeders while Mac is getting hot and heavy looking at a billboard for a local strip club. His radar then catches a speeder going nearly 110 MPH. It turns out Rabbit took the Porsche for a joyride. Officer Farva returns to the station - where O'Hagan has informed the troops about the fact that they got an official government form to inventory their equipment. This incident with Rabbit was bad timing as O'Hagan takes him off the road and puts Farva back on. Neither Foster, Ramathorn, or Mac want Farva to be their partner. Unfortunately he's paired with Ramathorn.Farva's new found freedom back on the road proves to be incredibly short lived however. The next day he's out to lunch with Ramathorn at a local fast food place called Dimpus Burger. He attempts to order a "litre of cola", and the clerk, not knowing what that is, manages to anger the easily-angered Farva who gets in a fight with the clerk. As they sit down, Farva realizes that the cook spit in his burger. But the real offense comes when he pulls off a contest tab on his soda and it pours all over him. He then jumps the counter and proceeds to fight the clerk physically.Farva is arrested and taken to the local police station where he's being berated by the local officers. Grady then dismisses the other officers and tells Farva that he's got a job opening and that Farva would be the ideal candidate. Back at the station, O'Hagan is watching the looping security tapes from Dimpus Burger that clearly show Farva jumping the counter and assaulting the clerk, and is furious at Farva and permanently takes him off the road because it's all over the police banner and making their department look bad. Farva has also been subsequently banned from Dimpus Burger. That night while taking inventory on their equipment, Ramathorn, Mac, Foster, and Rabbit decide to smoke some of the reefer with the German tourist and watch a propaganda video that explains the origin of the monkey character that's on all the bricks of weed that they've accumulated. Farva has been demoted to being O'Hagan's janitor.Meanwhile, Foster and Ursula have their first public date, but since they don't want anyone knowing that they are together they are seen dressed as bikers, although Foster has a different idea of bikers than Ursula does. Ursula tries to tip Foster off to the fact that her boss and colleagues are up to something that could be criminal but doesn't know what that is yet and wants the Highway Dept. to figure it out, because she's tired of working for them under the conditions that they're treating her as a professional.The next day they're trying to figure out how they can get their department in front of the governor, who's in town for a whistle stop visit. The officers start formulating a plan that there's more in the Winnebago and that if they can get it in front of the governor that she'll reconsider her plan to shut down the department. Mac tries his hand at the "bulletproof cup" - an elaborate prank created by O'Hagan to get the rookies naked. But instead they used blanks, and not actual bullets.It's now time for the governor's visit. The troopers put their plan into action. They break into the police impound lot to get the Winnebago and drive it over to city hall where the governor's giving a speech. It's an open bar and Farva proceeds to get as drunk as he possibly can. They were right and Grady leaves the two dumbest officers at the station. They get a call. Outside is a man presumably having sex with a bear. It's actually an elaborate distraction - Rabbit in disguise. As they drive to the place where the governor's speech is held, as they get to the goods, they learn that they've already been had.That night, as they learn the shut down is unavoidable, they proceed to have one last party at the station and get really drunk. In the locker room, they're stunned to learn that Farva has switched sides and has become a local police officer. Furious, they hog tie Farva and take his cruiser out for a joyride, making a stop at Dimpus Burger and a couple of other places, including Grady's house, where a way too drunk O'Hagan wants to throw down fisticuffs with Grady. Ursula calls them on the radio. She is finally able to tip them off to what Grady and her fellow officers have been up to. Foster thinks that Ursula was the one who told Grady about the extra marijuana in the Winnebago but it wasn't.They drive to a remote area where they witness a plane that has just landed. Farva finally manages to free himself to stall them. But a drunk Ramathorn ensures Farva that if he helps them, he could be a hero in all of this. As they're watching the events unfold, Grady goes to meet the pilot of the plane which has Canadian designations and identifiers. Ursula meets up with the troopers and tells O'Hagan that she was the one who gave the troopers all those anonymous tips - about the college kids, the Winnebago, and the Bunty Soap company, that they're all linked to her boss. She's grown incredibly tired of the fact that they constantly put her on the radio and give her no field work. The other local officers are then seen unloading more giant bricks of marijuana from the plane into another semi that bears a striking resemblance to the Bunty Soap truck that they pulled over, and they finally figure out that Grady has been using the Spurberry police department to run protection for a huge drug ring. They then enact a plan to arrest the officers which then leads to a huge drunken brawl between the two departments. But unfortunately with no weapons, they search Farva's cruiser for anything they can for a distraction only to find a blow up doll and a few flare guns. O'Hagan is glad to put the handcuffs on Grady and read his rights.The next day, the troopers are gathered at O'Hagan's house where he is about to read a congratulatory letter from the governor. Unfortunately, despite the good they've done in tearing down police corruption, the governor still plans to shut down the department for good. Several months pass. We see Ramathorn and Foster operating a beer delivery service and are transporting a keg to a college frat party, which is held at the house of the guys that they had picked up going to Canada. They are seen as being rather mean to the former highway patrol men. Ramathorn, tired of their antics, finally pulls off the uniforms that he and Foster were wearing and reveal themselves to be the new local police. Farva, Ursula, Mac, and Rabbit arrive and they have a huge party.The movie ends with a post credits scene that shows the incident that got Farva suspended in the first place by attacking a school bus full of kids. The incident was caught on the surveillance camera on Farva's police cruiser. | cult, comedy, boring, prank | train | imdb | This movie should be an inspiration to both aspiring film-makers and to the big studios -- you don't need a $20 million actor and twenty-five different writers and a ridiculously contrived concept to make a successful comedy.
Not many movies keep on getting better and better as you watch them for the 5th, 6th or 7th time, especially comedies.
After seeing it a few times I rate this movie as high as Fletch and other classic comedies, probably higher.There is so many worthwhile jokes that I think it must have taken quite a while to write - if you don't have a similar sense of humour you would probably think they had written it all in one night which clearly wasn't the case.
There is not a lot to complain about with respect to the acting either - their style suits the movie perfectly.Remember that it is a comedy first and foremost - if you are looking for an clever story you have the wrong genre.
Regardless, there is nothing wrong with the plot and if you appreciate/comprehend the jokes the movie flows just fine.If you are going to watch it, watch it 2 or 3 times..
With an unknown and unproven cast, this film captured a certain sense of zeal within a viewer, certainly making the viewer wish highway patrolmen were this funny and irregular all the time.
Super Troopers LOOKS stupid but came through in the clutch with solid laughs from this comedy team.I'm not going to use some lame rating system like the other guy used but I will say this: IT IS BETTER THAN THOSE MOVIES HE MENTIONED.Super Troopers combines solid physical comedy with surprisingly solid comedy writing.
There are a LOT of jokes and gags here, most of them are fall-on-the-floor funny, and even if you don't get it, the movie will still make you smile.
I think this is the perfect movie to watch on a bad day.
It will cheer you up instantly.The film follows the ridiculously stupid antics of a team of five Vermont State Troopers, Thorny, Farva, Mac, Foster, and Rabbit, none of whom would really qualify for a bronze medal in the special Olympics (as far as police work goes).
These cops' idea of a good time involves playing bizarre, often rude mind games with the speeders they pull over (such as, trying to substitute as many words as possible with the word "meow," and repeating each other's lines), and chugging bottles of maple syrup in the nearby diner.
Once you see the movie for the third time, you will need to pause the movie occasionally in order to let out all your laughter from the last hysterical gag, and prepare yourself for the next one, which will of course, come probably as soon as you hit the play button.
This film really makes me want to see the other Broken Lizard movie, Club Dread, just so I can see these guys in action again.
Please watch it again if it isn't hilarious to you the first time.Super Troopers is proudly rated R for Language, Sexual Content, and Drug Use. Sex: 8/10 Violence: 5/10 Swearing: 10/10 Drugs: 7/10.
There are great performances from all of the characters including the stoners, cops, and troopers.The plot centers around the antics of a bored group of state troopers who play around with the people they pull over, despite the fact they are about to be cut from the state budget.
There are a number of great pranks, in addition to the good repartee between various characters.This is one of my favorite all time movies, and one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
The last good funny movie I watched was Rat.
watch so few comedy's that this is actually good.I don't know if it would be better to watch the second time round, so I'll leave that as a question.3/10Quality: 0/10 Entertainment: 5/10 Replayable: ?/10.
I actually heard one person comment, "When are they getting back to the jokes?" When they did, I found the jokes had the quality of the bad jokes one might make as small talk around the office--certainly not funny enough to hear in a movie.
My brother commented, "This is like Police Academy 8, except that movie would've been a lot funnier."Still cannot believe this was accepted at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival..
The opening scene, in which our comic troupe of troopers stop a car of stoned-out kids, may be a hint on how one needs to view this film to enjoy it..
I remember during the fight sceen where the Highway patrol officers get in a fist fight along the interstate with the local city cops, I knew that sceen was supposed to be funny but I didn't even as much as crack a smile, and I looked around me and no one else was realy laughing at it either.
In fact, to make the obligatory pun, this movie could be called Super Poopers, since that's what this movie basically is and what most of the `jokes' consist of.The slim-to-none plot is about highway patrolmen who like to mess with the people they pull over.
This unknown comedy troupe called Broken Lizard, who has been compared to Kids in the Hall and Monty Python (I can't imagine a bigger insult to those two talented groups) put together a poorly acted & scripted, rather disjointed film without *any* laughs whatsoever that left me wondering how such a film was ever made.
Playing a group of unlikable police officers, the jokes were weak and underwhelming, and made me nostalgic for the days of the "Police Academy" films- even the weakest sequel of those was funnier than this movie was (and don't get me wrong, I did not find the sequels to be funny).
Brian Cox is here and looks like he's having a miserable time here.As for the comedy, does not work.
While most of the review, I think, are pretty much dead on, I need to say something to people who want to analyse this film like they do every other movie.
Do you honestly go into a movie like this thinking that you're going to get classic amazing humor that's innovative and ground-breaking?
This film has its funny moments, hardly comic genius, but by the same token not the least funny comedy ever by any means.The acting is good but without being spectacular, with some gags working & others not (but not as bad as some other films, say like Tomcats).
Hilarious cop comedy in the tradition of the POLICE ACADEMY series follows five nutty state troopers (Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Kevin Heffernan, Jay Chandrasekhar, and Erik Stolhanske) who must try to save their department from being shut down.
Broken Lizard followed up SUPER TROOPERS with the less successful (and less funny) CLUB DREAD in 2004..
This movie didn't give me any laughs and most of the time I was cringing at how bad some of the puns were.To give you an idea at how lame the jokes were without spoiling it, imagine a tough guy riding a little tricycle down a street.
But after the 1st 5 minutes, I noticed that the only thing funny in the movie were the parts they put in the trailer.
The problem for me was that this was meant to be an "outrageous", wild comedy (I think), but the whole thing seemed to be coming from a sort of middle-of-the-road, dull place, never crossing the line into anything surprising or really fresh.
This movie didn't get a single full laugh out of me, and wasted a good chunk of my time, which makes me mad.
I wouldn't have even found this funny at thirteen years old.The plot involves a bumbling Vermont highway police force who happen upon a drug smuggling ring.
You would think that a film about a group of state troopers trying to save their station from closing due to budget cuts would be old hat and cliched, and you probably would be right a small part of the time.
In the case of this movie I think you'd be advised to put your expectations of a cliche filled film away and prepare yourself for a very funny, very off beat film that looks at things in a different way.The joy in this film is that everyone is very real and they handle things in ways that are for the most part not very movie like.
The film was made by the Broken Lizard comedy troop and on screen they act and behave like they have been together for years and it shows.
Their ways of handling situations are not restricted by movie-doms rules so while a good deal of what happens maybe sophomoric, its not stuff you've seen a thousand times, the opening way of handling drugged out speeders for example.
Things don't always work perfectly, the pacing is off in places and some of the jokes fall flat, but if you want a good comedy thats not like a thousand others you've seen watch this flick..
One of the all-time great politically incorrect, totally irreverent comedies, which just about everyone, except probably your Aunt, is going to think is funny.
Just watch it, and you'll laugh all the time.When I saw the rating of it on IMDb, I wondered why it only has a 6.4, cause all the pages of comments were full of stars.
If you don't want to engage in a movie that's fine, but then don't come on the internet and vote it down."Super Troopers" is a hilariously funny movie for those who like comedy, and it easily makes your popcorn-movie-evening one to remember..
A friend of ours recommended this movie, mentioning it after we saw the Dukes of Hazzard and said, well, most of the guys in Super Troopers were in there.
Seen it like 15 times since :)If you're looking for some light comedy with good laughs, this is the one for you.
Funny characters, funny situations.It's a light movie, I recommend it to everyone who want's to enjoy a good laugh without a lot of thinking...
:)Broken Lizard did a good job here, no doubt about that.What I liked the most in this movie, was the acting, the characters, the plots, and everything that made me laugh.
Even though, it might not be obvious how good these guys play their role, after a while (or after you see this movie again), you will notice the funny faces they make.
This is one of those movies that some scenes are so well thought out with the details that you have to watch it a couple times to notice them all.
Since then I have watched it numerous times on Sky Movies.This is one of the funniest films I have ever seen.
Of course Troopers don't really act like this, that is what makes this movie so funny.
The story is good, the one-liners are great and the characters are well developed.Heres to the guys of Broken Lizard as I love to laugh and this movie makes me do just that.(MEOW!!!).
The burger guy, shows everyones normal perspective of cops." Hold the spit" yea right.I can't believe how good of a job Farva does in making the audience hate him.Ursula, the doll that is, was a highlight of the movie for me.
Having a good time not just trying to bust guys chops.I love this group and have seen other work of theirs and their funny with what ever part they play..
A "Police Academy" for the 21st Century ...Unfortunately, this movie is so lame and unfunny, it wouldn't even rate as a poor direct-to-video sequel to "Police Academy." Yes it IS that painful to sit through this very, very bad film.
Using a slew of stale gags for comedy, a downright bad script, and all-around untalented deliveries, the 'Broken Lizard' comedy team offers one unfunny yarn with "Super Troopers." The movie follows a gang of Vermont highway patrolmen, who love pulling pranks on whoever they pull over.
The "jokes" are lame, the plot goes no where, the movie dosen't come together probably, and whats worse its full of a bunch of no-name "actors" who obviously had nothing better to do.2/10.
There are too many better (actually funny)movies out there .
It compares itself to the comedy greats of the past but it is even lower than the badly-written TV sitcoms that have come about since the 1990s.The film consists of 103 minutes of tiresome, forced gags strung together by a hackneyed plot built around these shopworn gags, played poorly (albeit with enthusiasm) by forgettable actors.
I would never in my right mind rent this movie, but I saw it with a couple of friends and not once, throughout the entire thing, did we laugh.
Super Troupers, a slapstick comedy about a dimwitted bunch of highway patrol cops playing silly practical jokes with each other and their motorist victims whilst competing with the local regular police force, falls into none of these categories.
This small film is hilarious and single handedly put the Broken Lizard comedy troupe on the map and rightfully so as the film is highly quotable, extremely re-watchable and the comic timing of everyone involved is simply remarkable.
`Super Troopers' has a wacky cartoon-like quality that turns what might have been just a typical, lame-brained police comedy into an infectious little romp.
One of them was: "That's disgusting -- but funny."That could pretty much be my review of (most of) this movie, which manages to be both in-your-face outrageous _and_ subtle, or at least sly, and you never know which is next, so it's a lot of fun to watch.
No, it's not for kids; I'd even feel awkward watching it with some adults, but if you're alone or with people who can enjoy raunchy humor, this is very amusing.I agree with whoever said the cops in this movie seem more real than a lot of movie cops; these guys seem like just regular guys who happen to be cops, and I enjoyed their story more because of that.
I kept getting the feeling I really was seeing a little snippet taken from the actual lives of some cops somewhere...not that any given set of them would ever do everything in this movie, but somewhere, sometime, I'll bet most of these things really have happened, or at least something along these lines.
If you're one of those people who actually care for the hundred or so teen comedies that have been made in the past half-dozen years you might like to try a more mature version of the same thing, without the sour aftertaste, and with as much genuine humour as the rest of them combined.Take the gross-out scene earlier on.
you will want to quote the movie all the time as there are some really memorable scenes.
'Super Troopers' has taken the 'Police Academy'-films and changed it into something funny.
One of the differences is that the State Troopers in this movie want to be funny, things are not simply happening to them.
Of course the movie goes over the top at some points, especially with the Farva-character, but it is not distracting because almost every comedy these days has a character like his.This may not be a great movie, but is an entertaining from start to finish.
This movie rules and I would recommend it to anyone who like cursing, and loves a lot of funny stuff.
This movie rules and I would recommend it to anyone who like cursing, and loves a lot of funny stuff.
This thingness movie rules and I would recommend it to anyone who like cursing, and loves a lot of funny stuff.
This thingness movie rules and I would recommend it to anyone who like cursing, and loves a lot of funny stuff.
This movie is so original and It is great to watch 300 times and it has lots of quotes to use.
This movie is so original and It is great to watch 300 times and it has lots of quotes to use.
This movie is so original and It is great to watch 300 times and it has lots of quotes to use.
This movie is so original and It is great to watch 300 times and it has lots of quotes to use.
There's too many little funny things in it to mention, you have to watch it a few times to catch them all, and if your like me you'll want to.
i strongly recommend this movie for a good laugh.MEOW!.
Kind of funny when I saw it the first time as Police Academy.
Just like if I see a good comedy with a few truly awful gags, I'm not going to give it a bad review.So I am definitely suggesting you check out "Super Troopers" on video.
Though it is fairly light on plot and there are things people could say detract from the movie, I say it's just a fun comedy, it's not meant to be Dr. Zhivago.
Hopefully we have a new comedy writing group picking up on some good movies, since SNL hasn't been trustworthy in years in the feature film category..
The thing that gets me is that I like stupid humor, but this movie just doesn't even have THAT.
Gosh, I think I chuckled (not all-out laugh, mind you) maybe three times during the entire movie.
Everything was horribly predictable.I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, not even people I don't like.
If you haven't seen Police Academy 7, this movie will seem funny and original..
Super Troopers redefined the definition of bad film making.
Super Troopers was a great movie is was funny, wild, and crazy all packed into one movie.
All the actors that played roles were actually a good fit for the movie it was hilarious.
I like that they made a second one but nothing gets better than the original they are both really good comedy movies but the original is always the way to go.. |
tt0118647 | The Assignment | The film opens to the sounds of a couple having sex. Afterwards, Carlos the Jackal (Aidan Quinn) kills a spider in its web with his cigarette and evicts the woman(Lucie Laurier) from his room because he claims he has work to do. He is seen donning a disguise, and he walks to a cafe where CIA agent Jack Shaw (Donald Sutherland) is sitting at a table outdoors. He recognizes Shaw and asks for a light. Shaw does not recognize Carlos, because of his disguise, but he turns to watch Carlos enter the cafe. He watches as Carlos detonates a grenade, killing dozens of people.The film shows an event of attacking the OPEC meeting by the Jackal and his fellows in 1975.In the present day, Carlos is apprehended in an open air market and brutally interrogated by a Mossad commander named Amos (Ben Kingsley). Carlos claims to actually be a US Naval officer named Annibal Ramirez whose identification was lost in the chaos of his arrest. Amos confirms his identity and lets him go, stunned that Ramirez looks exactly like Carlos. Back at home, Ramirez is visited by Shaw who tries to recruit him to play Carlos' double. Ramirez is so embittered by his rough treatment in Amos' hands, that he insists he will sue and flatly rejects the idea of portraying Carlos. Shaw persists, wooing Ramirez on several occasions. He finally convinces Ramirez by showing him a child in a hospital who he claims is a victim of one of Carlos' bombings.Amos and Shaw train Ramirez at a remote location. Much of his training is devoted to situational awareness and internalizing details of Carlos' life. His training concludes with one of Carlos' ex-mistresses training Ramirez in how to make love like Carlos. The plan to catch Carlos revolves around convincing the KGB, which supports much of his terrorism, that he has begun to work with the CIA. The team lures one of Carlos' girlfriends to Libya, where Ramirez meets up with her, successfully posing as Carlos, even during their lovemaking. The girlfriend has become an informant for the French, however. Several French agents arrive at their apartment, and Ramirez is forced to kill them to survive. He is horrified at having to kill allies in his undercover operation.Carlos sends an assassin to kill the girlfriend in France, ordering him to leave Europe through London. The assassin happens to be in Heathrow airport at the same time as Ramirez, and he quickly realizes he is an impostor after Ramirez doesn't recognize him. The assassin forces Ramirez into a bathroom and a struggle ensues. Amos rushes in and manages to kill the assassin before being fatally shot. After Amos' death, the CIA shuts down the mission and Ramirez returns home.Back with his wife, he makes love to her as Carlos would, and she is disturbed by the change in his personality. The next day, at his son's little league game, he gets into a confrontation with another father and nearly kills him. Shaw bails him out of jail, and both men are clearly suffering deeply by not being able to finish their mission and kill Carlos.They head to East Berlin and conspicuously meet with each other. The KGB sees Ramirez meeting with Shaw and assumes Carlos has turned on them. They raid his hotel, but as they try to arrest them, he escapes. Shaw and Ramirez are waiting outside the hotel for him, and Ramirez fights Carlos on the bank of a river. It's impossible to tell which is the real Carlos during the struggle. As one of the men is being held under water by the other, Shaw comes upon them and shoots the man above the water several times. He realizes that he has shot Ramirez, and Carlos swims away. Ramirez presses Shaw to leave him and chase Carlos, but Shaw insists that their plan has worked and Carlos is a marked man by the KGB. One way or another, Shaw points out that Carlos' days as a terrorist are over.The deaths of Ramirez and his family are staged by Shaw, and in the final scene, the family are safely cavorting on a beach. Ramirez moves to kill a spider in its web with his cigarette, but appears to change his mind. | revenge, murder, violence | train | imdb | "The Assignment" received barely any attention upon it's release and not surprisingly flopped at the box-office, but when history will be written this movie will most surely receive some long lost praise.Thank God I'm surrounded by friends who knows what's good for me.
This was about 3 years ago and the movie is still one of my proudest belongings in my DVD collection, despite a cover design that echoes a low budget stinker with Casper Van Dien."The Assignment" is expertly directed, delivering some really intense moments that will hold you on the edge of your seat throughout the movie, on top of that it boasts an at times brilliant story that you know will be riddled with unexpected twists and turns.
It stars Aidan Quinn in one of his best performances, and serves him with great support by Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley who are both in great form.Something like 40 out of 42 user comments like this movie, most of them can't seem to praise it enough.
It's intelligently made and brilliantly filmed, and is one of the few thrillers that creates complex, interesting characters and makes the movie about them, not the action.
It has action, but not this bullet-flying, good guys - bad guys, van damme - stallone action, but quick, realistic and nervous action, it has a plot, cause till the very end of the movie you don't know how this is gonna end, it has characters, aidan quinn, donald sutherland and ben kingsley are just perfect, and it has suspense, this movie just won't let you go away before you've seen the end of it.Though there are only a few characters, I didn't find it difficult to keep my attention the the story, and as for the story, it's basic (not too tom clancy-difficult, but simple and raw) and realistic.If you're in for a movie with a good story, some action and great acting, watch this and I promise, you won't go away till you've seen the end of it.
It's a perfect set-up for a franchise, (sorry to sound like an executive at some lumbering movie studio) because I'd be completely interested to see the next adventures of these well rounded characters - and the actors that play them.
Determined to nail a feared global terrorist who is known as "Carlos the Jackal", Jack Shaw (Donald Sutherland, "Without Limits", "Space Cowboys"), a CIA operative and his Israeli counterpart, Amos (Ben Kingsley, "Gandhi", "Sexy Beast") get a noble Naval officer, Annibal Ramirez (Aidan Quinn, "Music of the Heart"), to become Carlos and use him in a daring plot to get the KGB to kill the real Carlos, because he took an offer from the CIA.
Sutherland and Kingsley are both good here, but the movie really belongs to Quinn here, who embodies himself here (in a dual role).
If you liked the Richard Chamberlain version of the Bourne Identity then you will like this too...Aiden Quinn does this one brilliantly, you can't help but wonder if he is really out there...I reckon he and the other main cast members probably had nightmares for weeks after doing this movie as it's so intense.
"The Assignment" had the essential plot of "The Bourne Identity" (the book by Robert Ludlum, not the movie starring Matt Damon) and the themes "Face/Off" only touched on.THE PROS:THE SCRIPT--this movie was co-written by a former agent with the Israeli Mossad (Israel's version of the CIA), so "The Assignment" had an aura of realism that most Hollywood thrillers lack.
There's a dazzling sustained steadicam shot, then a scene of such brutal terrorism it's easy to see why CIA agent Jack Shaw becomes bent on destroying Carlos the Jackal.THE TRAINING SCENES--I've seen tons of action movies.
But even if the action scenes sucked (which they don't) they would still be gripping because of the engrossing story.THE THEMES--the themes made this, already a good movie, a great one.
He was so cool and badass, I wanted to see more!THE SEXUAL CONTENT--actually I thought this was a good thing, because that damnable PG-13 rating makes it seem like people in movies don't have sex.
This movie however, centers on the C.I.A.'s world manhunt for the infamous 'Carlos, the Jackel.' The film is called " The Assignment " and tells the story Lt. Cmdr.
Recruited by Jack Shaw (Donald Sutherland) of the C.I.A. and Amos (Ben Kingsley), a special agent from the Israeli Mosad, Ramirez is secretly trained to look, pose, infiltrate the elusive organization and to thereafter discredit the real Jackel working for the Russians.
However it is a much better film than it's big budget brother with better story and a more compelling sense of tension (and you don't have to put up with Richard Gere's wandering Irish accent).Aidan Quinn is good in twin roles of Carlos and Ramirez, in particular portraying the way Ramirez changes during his training.
Sutherland is as good as always - but in some scenes still has an element of hamminess about him, Kingsley is good but underused.The story is more believable than The Jackal (if you can get past the fact that Carlos has an exact double!) with plot to get Carlos being more intelligence and espionage based than the gunplay solution of The Jackal.
There are only a few action scenes in the film but again are all tense, the scenes of terrorist attack are frightening but tend to linger of shots of extras with bad blood makeup (some horrors are more terrible if left to the viewers' imagination).Overall, a tight little thriller that makes up in plot and acting what it lacks in star-power and budget..
The film has a great cast, starring Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley.Naval Officer Quinn is a reluctantly recruited by Sutherland after a chance meeting with Kingsley who believes Quinn to be the famous terrorist Carlos the Jackal.
He even has to learn how to make love to a woman the way Carlos would.The film has some great action scenes with Quinn eluding allies because they believe he is Carlos and in his final mission when he is to kill the jackal.
Once I knew that Donald Sutherland, (Jack Shaw/Henry Fields) was appearing in this film it instantly told me this was going to be a good picture to view.
In this picture, Jack Shaw did his very best to be a good guy and a bad guy while he was training a Naval Office to become a spy who had to change his entire identity and become a different person over night.
This movie is about Carlos "The Jackal" (Quinn), an international terrorist who, by CIA agent Henry Fields's (Sutherland) description, appears to maim women and children for the heck of it.
At least that's what he says to guilt US Naval Officer Annibal Ramirez (Quinn again) into taking on the assignment of posing as Carlos and setting him up as a traitor in the eyes of the KGB.
He is borne of order and Carlos is borne of chaos.The movie isn't all shoot-gun-jump-around action, and that's a good thing.
In its first half, Ramirez undergoes training to act and think like Carlos, and that's actually where the movie achieves its distinction from other run-of-the-mill action flicks.
It's a little contrived but Quinn gives a riveting performance as a Carlos-wannabe.Another thing I liked about this movie was that it didn't utilize the much overdone plot point in evil twin movies - you know, the one in which the evil twin insinuates himself into the good twin's family.
Ramirez's family does come into the picture, but instead they highlight how his new character wrecks havoc on his family life.Good chuckle humor is injected into this movie, often coming the acerbic duo of Sutherland and Kingsley.
This is the classic case of an excellent film being looked over by the American public simply due to the fact it didn't have Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwarzenneger as the lead man - Adrian Quinn does a better dual performance, thats right you heard it dual performance in this film than either of those have ever pulled off in their careers!
In this adaptation, a US Naval officer (Adrian Quinn) is on leave in Israel when he is apprehended by Mossad (Isreal's crack intelligence / counter-terrorism agency) and took in for questioning due to the fact he looks EXACTLY like the jackal (this is the one extremely cheesey part of the film, but trust me it doesn't detract from the great value of this film).
When it is discovered Mr. Ramirez is not the Jackal, however, he is recruited by a hardened CIA agent by the name of Jack Shaw (Donald Sutherland, who does his usual grizzled mysterious government authority figure routine but in a stupendous manner) who has spent his life hunting the Jackal, and the series of events which follow will captivate anyone who watches this film - it is chock full of great acting, without all the usual action film cliches and one-liners, and a great plot which will surprise anyone.
The Assignment is better than anyone renting it could ever expect, its a pity the film did fairly poorly in the box office, otherwise we might see a sequel to this stupendous espionage thriller.
The only problem was that it was on a small screen at one of my local cinema's.That didn't stop the enjoyment of seeing a simply great movie, with a top notch cast in Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland, and Ben Kingsley.
If you like some good, fast entertainment with an air for authentic action scenes, not the Hollywood (looks great, but is totally ridiculous) kind, you're in for a special treat.
While "The Jackal" [remake of the excellent "Day of the Jackal"] has better esthetics [and a boatload budget], this film nails the actual persona of "Carlos" down...Quinn excels as the Naval officer enlisted to impersonate the wiley Jackal to draw him out of hiding and, at the hands of Kingsley and Sutherland, turns himself inside out to do so.
Add a crazed agent(Donald Sutherland) who is looking for the worlds most notorious terrorist and add a Ben Kingsley and you have "The Assignment".
The opening sequence telegraphed to me that this was no ordinary action-thriller.When Carlos the 'jackal',bombs a Parisian cafe by nonchalantly walking in past Jack Shaw, a top C.I.A operative we are sucked into the ensuing maelstrom,of the explosion and its aftermath.Annibal Ramirez, a U.S. naval officer,is picked up in Israel by the Mossad.However the Mossad are convinced they have the 'Jackal'.But things are not what they seem.
Aidan Quinn, the Irish actor,plays a brilliant double role here with an equally strong supportive cast in Donald Sutherland as Shaw the C.I.A. man and Ben Kingsley as a Mossad officer.
Not only does Duguay the director portray Quinn as transforming his character but includes the negative traits Quinn picks up from his 'Assignment'.I highly recommend this movie to any espionage or thriller fans.You will not be disappointed.
Two great actors (Ben Kingsley, Donald Sutherland) and one really good one (Aidan Quinn) give superb performances in this tight as a string thriller involving spies, lies, and the one and only CARLOS.CIA man Jack Shaw (Sutherland) masterminds a plot to get Carlos, once and for all, when he stumbles upon Annabel Ramirez (Quinn) a Navy officer and a dead ringer for the Jackal.Absolutely non-stop action and suspense, this thriller never telegraphs its punches, twisting and turning over and over.Highest recommendation..
Aidan Quinn stars with Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley in "The Assignment," a 1997 film directed by Christian Duguay.
There are a few things he and his trainers hadn't counted on...one is that as time goes by, Annibal finds it harder and harder to escape Carlos' identity and reclaim himself.Really good movie, very suspenseful and exciting, with a wonderful performance by Aidan Quinn as both Carlos and Annibal.
Some excellent effects, locations, and car chases.Quinn I seem to remember came to fame in a film about AIDS, "An Early Frost," and I also recall that Tina Sinatra was blown away by his bone structure and wanted him to play her dad in "Sinatra" The Music Was Just the Beginning." Movie stardom never really hit him, but he has had a prolific career playing a variety of roles, and is now a regular on "Elementary." In "The Assignment," he again reminds us of his excellence and versatility as an actor.
Donald Sutherland does a great job as Annibal's handler, Shaw, who wants Carlos not only for the CIA's reasons but also because in France, Carlos slipped by him at a restaurant and bombed it.Ben Kingsley, another fantastic actor, hands in his usual well thought-out performance as a Mossad agent.
Brilliant combination of Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland (always like his films)and Ben Kingsley.
None of them manage to pull off what they are meant to portray and the most enjoyable aspect were some of the nude scenes which should be a (brief) feast for the eye for both sexes alike.Sutherland's voice is great as always but the movie does not manage to put the viewer in touch with the real Carlos.Most disappointing is the yawning predictability (no surprises) of what is meant to be a spy thriller..
This amazing film was released the same year as the vastly inferior 1997 film "The Jackal", starring Bruce Willis, which was also about Carlos the Jackal - I think it was lost in the shuffle because of this.To start with, the ensemble is stellar, Adrian Quinn is perfectly cast in the dual lead as Carlos the Jackal and his Doppelganger, Annibal Ramirez.Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley also star as CIA and Mossad agents, respectively.
They must train and basically brainwash Ramirez into becoming Carlos the Jackal in order to catch him and this process becomes a fascinating subplot.Ramirez is conflicted with his role and his antagonism toward both Sutherland and Kingsley's characters makes for some great dialogue.
Terrorist Carlos the Jackal (Aidan Quinn) blows up a cafe and CIA agent Jack Shaw (Donald Sutherland) barely survives.
Shaw sees potential in using the doppelganger to trick the KGB who is supporting the real Carlos.This is part spy thriller, part action, part character study, and partly interesting.
Only this time it is the actual terrorist who is the center of attraction.A movie which tries hard to weave the elements of fact and fiction together but fails to do so convincingly.The story revolves around the life of a Naval Officer from the U.S. who as luck would have it, looks strikingly similar to The Jackal.With this the story moves on as various international intelligence agencies indulge in a game of cat and mouse to do their bit.With slightly type-cast acting and characterisation , not to mention the fantastically sketched out plot the movie somehow doesn't dissolve in the tummy.On the whole the movie has many bright spots in terms of the story and technical aspects but fails to come across as a superb thriller due to hastened plot progression and disproportionate reel allocation to relatively less important and insignificant features of the storyline..
Worse than Die Hard 3, about the same as The Bourne Identity.Who should see this film:-- action movie buffs, on a rainy day with nothing better to do-- Ben Kingsley fans (but see Death and the Maiden first)I'll give The Assignment an OK, nothing special 6 out of 10..
***SPOILERS*** A bit overcomplicated and confusing spy thriller involving US Navy Lt. Commander Cuban born Annibal Ramirez, Adian Quinn, who's recruited with a little bit of arm twisting by the CIA and Israeli Mossad to play the part of Carlos the Jackel in that Annibal is the spitting image of the notorious assassin.
Annibal Ramirez (Aidan Quinn) looks like the man in the photo.
and Jack Shaw, C.I.A (Donald Sutherland) wants him to set a trap.Ramirez becomes Carlos with the help of Shaw and Mossad agent Amos (Ben Kingsley).
This film is one of the better action thrillers as it is not a "star vehicle," but a great group of actors who create a believable story.And, I may add, gives us pause at the end..
It is well acted by Quinn in the dual role of hero and terrorist, Sutherland as a CIA agent, and Kingsley as an Israeli terrorism expert.
THE ASSIGNMENT (1997) **1/2Starring: Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland, Ben Kingsley, Céline Bonnier, and Claudia Ferri Director: Christian Duguay Running time:115 minutes Rated R (for violence, language, sexuality & nudity) By Blake French: Christian Duguay's suspense thriller, "The Assignment," covers some very serious material--but at the same time offers one of the most stubbornly silly plots I have ever encountered in a mainstream film.
The film stars Aidan Quinn in a juicy dual role, playing a United States Naval Officer named Annibal Ramirez, and the antagonist, the mysterious and notorious but impossible to catch terrorist named Carlos.
It is rare that a second or third tier actor, such as Quinn, is given an important starring role like this that carries a film.
Donald Sutherland is great as the morally ambiguous, somewhat creepy at times, agent that recruits Quinn.
I agree with most peoples comments that this is a good all round action movie with a well told story and good acting.This film deserves 100% for cinematography for its opening sequence.
SPOILERS.Aidan Quinn is an upright naval officer recruited by CIA man Donald Sutherland and ex-Mossad agent Ben Kingsley to pose as Carlos (the Jackal) because, after all, Quinn is an exact duplicate of Carlos.
The general idea is to train Quinn the naval officer to think and act like Carlos the jackal.
The plot is not original (in fact, I saw other two movies about the terrorist called "The Jackal, which are very good, too).
Maybe, the most interesting character is played by Donald Sutherland: he plays the part of the CIA agent who trains and tells the protagonist to kill the Jackal even by blackmailing him.
All those who like realistic action movies and thrillers will surely enjoy "The assignment". |
tt2918386 | Funny Show Part Two: The Video - Movie | "Funny Show" is a kind of "Dark Parody" became known in America by "Weird Al" Yankovic and Sacha Baron Cohen and in Greece from Leonard Thimo and his team. A kind of comedy with dancers, singers, street artists and reporters which satirizes the current events of their countries. "Funny Show" based on all these things that we could say that anyone who has it can not evaluate them properly.<<Funny Show :The Video-Movie (2012)>> is the most recent Video Movie of Alien Pictures Studio. Three months of filming and endless hours in the editing, the ultimate show of the summer is the biggest event of the year! A video movie duration of two and a half hours and twenty minutes is perhaps more annoying than even Leonard Thimo by himself.Sections:"Yellow Balloon's Journey to Life" is a short video documentary shot on "Funny Show" with purpose of showing you that the meaning of life is... the laughter, the joy, the happiness & satire."The Complete Works of George" is the first broadcast satirical show presented by upcoming talent Jordy Smith Manarakis (Leonard Thimo) with poems and rhymes that will attract all audiences with amazing sound and special effects and the appropriate style of an artist who hopes to become a great star someday."Captain Jokes Parrot" is Back!!! Leonard Thimo returns as Captain Jokes Parrot, the useless nervous presenter of his own broadcast satricial show in "Funny Show", the pirate who failed to become a true sea captain. So he decided to become a TV producer and entertained everyone with his achievements. Here he's trying to say poems and rhymes because he's jealous and dislikes Jordy Smith Manarakis glory and famus appropriate style. Furthermore, he tells us stories from his past and he mentioned once to his pirate grandfather, "Captain Laughs Parrot". His broadcast show is divided into three parts joined with a Intermezzo "Skopeta" written and performed by 542 M.K.T.E. Soldiers, a Dance Break "The Dancing destroys the Artist!" danced by Leo the Artist and a Musical Interlude by Jimmakos -7-."Drink Milk" with Jim Fucking-Spree (Leonard Thimo). A Reality Show, "Drink Milk" with the ultimate presenter that does it like his black mess face (!!!) The reality show with a prestigious guest, Adonis Georgiadis a Greek Politician (Leonard Thimo) confesses everything about his political career, about his new book and his personal life with his beloved Eugenia Manolidou like being in the Greek version of The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the Reality Show also presented the trailer of the new film "Mr. Mitsos" starring, producer and director Jim Fucking-Spree. Furthermore, he tells us the breaking news about the Trillion Sheikh (Leonard Thimo) speak for the Economy in Greece with his assistant reporter Bob Vermoutsos (Leonard Thimo), the goofy moron who constantly confuses the names of the guests and called the presenter as Nikos whenever calls him.The sexy "chatterer-blonde" Butter-Shut Up (Leonard Thimo) has its own sitcom show "Oops Blond Moment" in "Drink Milk" which deals with jokes about blondes. A Tribute to "Leo the Artist" and a special appearance by Greek singer Paola (Leonard Thimo) with lots of laughter, amazing sound and special effects that break bones!!"Learning English" with Dr. Kalimeris Mikropoulous (Leonard Thimo) A professor of Linguistics and Language Proficiency who lost the Nobel Prize because he collaborated with Leonard Thimo in the show by learning English language in audience that doesn't ever loved him or his superb accent."The Game of Luck" A Game TV-Show which led to a catastrophic but profitable moment in the career of showman Bill Sotiriou (Leonard Thimo) who became a perfect news presenter after the events of the Cretan vendetta among Paul Pitoulakakis (Leonard Thimo's voice) and Taqis Polasimiakakis (Leonard Thimo). A hilarious moment in the career of the artist who managed to revive a game TV-show in the style of "Wheel of Fortune"."Fu Man Xu: The Story of An Immigrant" Fu Man Xu (Leonard Thimo) and Lu Man Xu (Leonard Thimo) are immigrants who came to Greece for a better life tells the story of their life in audience of "Funny Show" in order to respect refugees and immigrants who are away from their country. A glorious antiracism message of any refugee origin in a humorous style."Hooligans Story" by Leo. A short video movie about thugs and hooligans in Heraklion Crete
because The Comedy is fine but The Violence is everywhere around us. An antiracism message closing the "Funny Show" gloriously leaving us with a bittersweet taste. | satire | train | imdb | Creative and Delicious fantastic show!!!. Amazing performances by Leonardo Thimo(including Captain Jokes Parrot and Jordy Smith Manarakis). Independent and fun as it should be!!Creative and Delicious fantastic show!!! Guaranteed that it is the work and style of Leonard Thimo. Amazing selection of music and a Video-Movie that is worth a thousand words!! Leonard Thimo (The Most Annoying Greek Youtube Star of 2012)verified that the title which given to him didn't go pointless in the recycling bin. A work of art in the comic style of Andy Kaufman and Jim Carrey. An Independent Masterpiece! |
tt0047577 | This Island Earth | Dr. Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) gives an interview to a handful of reporters, just before he boards his Lockheed T-33A jet fighter at Andrews AFB, just outside Washington, DC. He was in Washington for a conference on atomic energy, and he offers tantalizing details of his area of research: electronics, and alchemy. (Though he can't say so out loud, he's working on transforming lead into uranium.) Then he boards his plane and takes off.His route takes him across country, including the Grand Canyon and the Sierra Nevada range, until he makes final approach at the airfield of the Ryberg Electronics Company, his employers, just outside Van Nuys, California. He chats briefly with his research assistant, Joe Wilson (Robert Nichols), before he buzzes the control tower and makes a steep climb. Then--whether because he was being too much of a showboater or for other, non-obvious reason, his plane flames out. Without power, he will certainly crash--but then he hears a high-pitched howl, and his cockpit turns bright green. (Joe Wilson watches as Cal's plane also turns green.) Then, despite the engines being powered down, the landing gear lowers, and the plane makes a picture-perfect landing. Any landing's a good landing, as long as you can walk away from it, and Cal knows he's had a good landing--which does not change the fact that it was clearly impossible.The two men forget about the landing as they concentrate on their research. Their next experiment reveals no change, and they burn out one of their huge condensers. Then Joe tells Cal that he ordered two replacement condensers, and their regular supplier sent them several small beads instead. The remarkable thing about them is that each of them could take a load of 30,000 volts before abruptly disintegrating. Cal calls the supplier to find out about the beads--and hears that they haven't had an order from Cal's company for six weeks! Joe definitely placed it, but the supplier never got it. He also reveals that the beads came from an "Electronic Section, Unit 16." Joe assumed that was part of their supplier, but that is obviously not the case.Next day, "Unit 16" sends them a strange-looking parts catalog. It leads with a selection of bead condensers, like the ones they received, then with several versions of a device called an "interociter," and finally with a complete line of parts for this device. Cal suggests ordering every part listed, using the same channel through which they tried to order the condensers. Obviously "Unit 16," whoever they are, intercepted the condenser order, so they'll get this one.Cal is right. The parts arrive, more than 2,000 of them, in several wooden crates, with each part cross-indexed to the part it joins onto. Using the supplied documentation as a crude schematic, Cal and Joe assemble the interociter--a metal cabinet with an inverted-triangular screen on top. When they plug it in, nothing happens at first--until a voice (Jeff Morrow) advises them to "clear the screen" and tells them how. When they do, the owner of the voice appears: Exeter, a man with an obvious case of acromegaly, which has given him a head like that of a Chinese god--with extra room for more brains--and covered with white, stringy hair. Exeter tells them they have passed an aptitude test, and that Cal Meacham must prepare to "join our team." A plane will land, wait five minutes, then take off again. Before breaking off the conversation, Exeter orders Cal to set the catalog on a worktable, and stand back. Whereupon three bright red rays shoot out from the corners of the screen and incinerate the catalog. After this, the interociter blows up, catches fire, and burns, leaving a pile of slag a fraction of its original size.Cal agrees to board the flight, over Joe's strenuous objections. On the appointed day, pea-soup fog reigns--but the promised aircraft, a Douglas DC-3 Dakota, lands anyway. The twin-engined turboprop has its cockpit windows painted over, and no side windows. Inside, the cockpit incorporates another interociter. Exeter's voice sounds again, advising him to sit in the single seat, recline, and relax. He does, and the plane takes off for parts unknown.When he lands, Dr. Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue) greets him. He remembers her from a conference and a midnight swim, but she insists that he is mistaken. Nevertheless, she drives him to the hilltop house on the compound. There she introduces him to Dr. Steve Carlson (Russel Johnson) and Dr. Adolf Engelborg (Karl Ludwig Lindt), two other famous scientists at "The Club." Then Exeter comes out to greet them and calls them into his office. There Exeter tells Cal that he represents a group of scientists hoping to dazzle the world with high technological achievement and thus put an end to war. Naturally his office has an interociter, through which Exeter shows Cal a laboratory outfitted just for him. But in the middle of this virtual tour, the screen gives an obvious signal of an incoming call. Exeter must take this call alone, so he ushers Cal and Ruth out.The call is from The Monitor (Douglas Spencer), who in this scene appears only as Exeter's superior officer. The Monitor is displeased: Exeter is not moving fast enough. Exeter protests that "certain methods" that "The Council" told him to use were not practical. The Monitor will hear of no complaint, and instructs Exeter to get cracking on "Plan A," whatever that is.In the next scene, Exeter and Braack host a formal dinner for all the members of The Club: Cal, Ruth, Steve, Enjgelborg, Dr. Hu Ling Tang (Spencer Chan), Dr. Marie Pitchener (Lizalotta Valesca), and a Dr. Borfield (Manuel Paris). Here, Engelborg excuses himself, saying (in German) that Mozart is not to his taste, and bidding them good evening. (The house' sound system is playing Mozart's "A Little Night Music" in the background.) Cal turns to Exeter and asks him what he thinks of Mozart. And Exeter makes a major mistake. "I don't know the gent..." he begins. Then, catching himself, he says, "Ah. My mind must have been wandering. Your composer, of course."Cal, shocked, follows up: "'Our' composer? He belongs to the world!""Yes, indeed," says Exeter--lamely. And Cal does not miss that. So he announces that he will take some fresh air himself, and invites (or rather, almost orders) Ruth and Steve to join him. Exeter grants permission, but Braack is instantly suspicious.Outside, Cal notes to Ruth and Steve the lack of representation of any scientific discipline except for nuclear physics. Then he leads them downstairs and to his assigned laboratory. There he takes a thick lead plate and places it in front of his assigned interociter. Assured (as he thinks) of privacy, he demands that Ruth and Steve tell him what's happening. Ruth confesses, first of all, that she *did* take a midnight swim with him in Vermont, but needed to know that she could trust him. Then they tell him the reason for their concern: Exeter has been known to place some of their colleagues (except Ruth, Steve, and Adolf) under a "sun lamp" that does a noninvasive leukotomy on the subject, making him robot-like.Exeter and Braack (Lance Fuller) debate the use of the "Transformer," their name for the "sun lamp." Braack has a typical "police mentality," which Exeter does not share. But Exeter tries to tune the interociter to spy on Cal, Ruth, and Steve. The lead plate is no protection, but a tabby cat named Neutron (Orangey) gets into the beams and yowls at the three, alerting them that they are not so private after all. Exeter and Braack give up; they will learn nothing more.The next morning, Exeter and Cal have a conversation that starts out friendly and colleagual enough, but then turns threatening as Exeter sets up a demonstration of what an interociter can do--cut a neat hole in that lead plate! His message is plain: don't talk to his colleagues except through "channels." But Cal is not inclined to obey. Using Neutron the Cat as an indicator, the three have one last chat, in which they share what they know: sketches of the interociter (annotated with Steve's best guess at what its controls do), sketches of Exeter and Braack, and a sketch of a hillside, two miles south of the compound, that looks hollowed out and covered with canvas. Then they leave the laboratory and the house, never to return.In Exeter's office, Exeter and Braack take one more call from The Monitor: Plan A is out, and Plan B is in effect. An emergency plan. It means full evac, and destroying the house and everyone in it, except for Cal and Ruth, who might prove useful. So that as the three try to escape, Braack uses the interociter to fire neutrino beams at the car. Steve tells Cal and Ruth to get out of the car, and then tries to draw the fire of the interociter. Tragically, he is killed, as is Adolf Engelborg, who tries to talk to Cal and Ruth, except that he speaks only German, which they don't speak. Cal and Ruth continue on foot to the airstrip, where they get into a single-engine plane (a 1949 Aeronca 11 Chief) that Exeter has always kept for the amusement of the staff.But as the Chief takes off, something else takes off: a saucer-shaped hovering craft, which fires a ray that destroys the house. The ship then hovers over the Chief, bathes them in green light, and somehow pulls them up and into a holding bay. (Whether it does this by drawing them in with focused energy like the "tractor beam" of Star Trek fame, or merely by taking over the Aeronca's controls, is not clear.)Exeter, of course, commands that vessel, which has a crew of beings that look like him: oversized brain pans, white hair, and all. (And Braack is his master-at-arms, in charge of security.) Cal strongly protests the "mass murder" of Steve, Adolf, and the others in the destroyed house. Exeter protests that he could have done nothing else, and asks them to accept that they are to fly to another world: Metaluna, Exeter's homeworld.The journey is an eventful one. It means passing through a "thermal barrier," then going through a "conversion" process so they could live in an atmosphere with a pressure comparable to Earth's deep sea, and finally running a gauntlet of attack from another space power, named Zahgon, which has been at war with Metaluna--and is about to deal the coup-de-grâce. They make it through, destroying several guided meteors as they pass, and then pass through the "ionization layer," then to the now-barren surface of Metaluna, and then down a hole into a vast cavern to which the Metalunans have had to retreat. The ship docks with a tall pylon, and Exeter gives orders for all to be made ready for Cal and Ruth to keep working. Cal now knows why Exeter's project was so urgent: Metaluna needs uranium, and a lot of it, and fast, or else they'll lose their last shield.Exeter takes Cal and Ruth for a ride, past destroyed universities and recreation centers, to the center of government--a single building, surrounded by rubble. There sits the Monitor, on a bench-style two-handed interociter from which he is desperately trying to keep the ionization layer active. The Monitor then announces that the relative handful of Metalunans left will fly to Earth for refuge! Cal does not like that one bit, and argues with the Monitor over whether he, as a mere human, ought to bow before a Metalunan. The Monitor then orders Cal and Ruth to be sent to a "thought transference chamber."At the last instant, Ruth and Cal refuse to enter. But when they try to run away, a Mutant (Regis Parton)--a walking insect with an oversized, convoluted brain--bars their way. Exeter admits that the Mutants are selectively bred slaves. Exeter begs them to cooperate. Instead, Cal decks Exeter, only to face the Mutant. But a Zahgon meteor bomb strikes the building they are in, brings down a pile of rubble on top of the Mutant, and opens the way for them to escape.The problem: they could get to the spacecraft, but could never fly it off Metaluna. Ruth would rather die right then and not put it off. But Exeter, who has crawled out of the now-destroyed building, begs them to let him help them get off Metaluna. (The Monitor, meanwhile, has been killed, and his interociter/throne totally wrecked.)Exeter drives them to the ship, only to find another Mutant (Regis Parton, playing another part) guarding it. Exeter orders the Mutant to stand aside. But while Cal and Ruth can pass it, the Mutant abruptly turns on Exeter and injures him badly with the pincers that he has for hands. Cal grabs a fire extinguisher from the Aeronca Chief's cockpit, clouts the Mutant over the head with it, and helps Exeter aboard. Exeter, using one bench-style interociter, warms the ship up--but no one notices the Mutant climbing aboard just as the hatch battens down.Exeter succeeds in piloting the ship out of the cavern, through the hole, and into space. He notes as they go that the ionization layer is now gone, and the ship barely has enough power to get them off. Sure enough, the Zahgon fleet send two guided meteors after them; Exeter fires at both, but can destroy only one and must evade the other. But the Zahgon fleet pay them no more attention, and instead rain hundreds of guided meteors on Metaluna, making it so hot that it ignites and turns into a tiny star!Exeter then asks Cal and Ruth to take the "conversion" treatment in reverse, as Exeter also will. They do, but then the Mutant blunders in, his compound eyes on Ruth. And because Ruth's treatment is the first to finish, she finds herself having to run from the Mutant before she is fully recovered. Fortunately, before the Mutant can do more than grab hold of her (and then have to let her go just as quickly), the differential pressures catch up to him, and he falls to the deck and disintegrates.Exeter's ship limps back to Earth. (The film does not mention the thermal barrier again; this might or might not mean that the Zahgonians threw it up when the war started and have now taken it down.) Exeter charts a course for the Pacific coast, where Exeter will drop Cal and Ruth in their Aeronca Chief into the air. Exeter will not try to land. He says he will explore the galaxy for another Metaluna. Cal knows that story is bogus: the ship is almost drained of power, and Exeter could never make another world even if he could find it. He and Ruth beg Exeter to come with them, but he refuses, saying that his wounds are fatal. So he drops the two off, in the Aeronca Chief, over the California coast (and specifically over Palos Verdes, near Van Nuys Airport and Catalina Island). Cal and Ruth hold each other, and tell each other how glad they are to be home, and that they have a home to come back to--which Exeter does not. Exeter, meanwhile, steers out to sea, flying fast enough to start to burn up. He passes rapidly over Catalina Island and finally passes out at his interociter console. His ship ditches into the deep sea in a ball of flame. | cult | train | imdb | Where is the fun in these stereotypical, shoot-em-up extravaganzas?"This Island Earth"("TIE") with (for its time, remember)jaw-dropping visuals, big, truly alien world realizations and theme of inter-solar system war, hasn't been matched since its debut almost fifty years ago!
For a plot that catapults you half way around the universe with one beautifully realized set after another and an epic-sized stage on which to play out its themes, perhaps only "Forbidden Planet" ever matched up.The sounds, the visuals and the story line of "TIE" weren't intended to chastise you as a stupid earthling, but instead, have long served to take the willing on an adventure ride that all too few space movies have chosen to create.
This is a great treat from a wonderful era of Sci-Fi. Those who complain of the hardware aspects have no romance - an Earth scientist receives an unsolicited manual and roomful of parts to build a futuristic two-way TV, but the parts are a marvel and the pages of the manual aren't paper, but some manner of flexible metal.
The alien as our "friend" was later used in many settings, including one of the best of the "Twilight Zone" episodes, "To Serve Man."I was young when I first saw this in a movie theater, but even then I found the home planet, Metaluma, very striking and its fate frightening.
Almost everyone appreciates color more than black and white, and for a "Kid's" Science Fiction movie to be in color, it made This Island Earth all the more special.Of course, the special effects, acting, and other aspects of this movie don't match up to today's standards.
He, Jack Pierce, and other makeup masters of the past, created the foundation for today's highly imaginative work.Just think, future generations probably will give negative reviews of Stars Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T. and many of the other groundbreaking movies of our time.
They will probably laugh at the "poor" quality of the special effects, or the stilted dialogue and acting just as some of the younger audience does today.I agree with other writers that point out how much people miss by not watching a black and white, or even just not watching an older movie.
The 1955 sci-fi film, "This Island Earth" was spoofed in the film,"MST 3000: The Movie"; but in actuality the film got good reviews from Leonard Maltin, The Motion Picture Guide, not to mention Bill Warren's monumental opus, "Keep Watching The Skies!".
Jones story the film is based upon; however, the Neutrino Ray was demonstrated by Exeter to Dr. Cal Meacham on occasion); Meacham pulled the plug on one of them in his lab, causing it to self-destruct; leading one to wonder if that device were so advanced, then why didn't it have a backup internal power source and safety feature to prevent that sort of sabotage?
Guess I'll have to watch MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE to find out what is so bad about THIS ISLAND EARTH.
My issue with the film is not the message which I think is very good, or the special effects which really do bear up under time (my 17 year old son commented on the good quality of the effects, much to my surprise), but with the unevenness of the story line.
"This Island Earth" is an entertaining sci-fi from the 50's, with a story of aliens that need help from the Earthling scientists in their war against another planet.
With the brilliant performances of Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason, and leading lady Faith Domergue, this is a natural epic tale of the unparalleled interaction of aliens and humans.You don't like science fiction, you say?
Here we have a mysterious robot-controlled aircraft's flight, mail from aliens, the building of an Inter-Rossiter communication device, tall-domed aliens (exhibiting a variety of ethical characters), interstellar flight, a war on a planet called Metalluna, flaming comet-missiles, a competent alien mutant creature, an intelligent cat named Neutron, romance, news conferences, good and bad advice and more.
Handsome Rex Reason, who lacks classical accent ability, plays scientist Cal Meacham, opposite Faith Domergue, a fair actress who does well as Ruth, his long-lost love, or is she.
The film is stolen by Jeff Morrow as Exeter, also star of "Kronos"; Douglas Spencer is a bit disappointing as The Monitor, as is Lance Fuller as an evil Metallunan; the special effects such as rays that explode cars and the aforementioned comets are interesting for their time.
Spectacular Sci-Fi. This is beautiful science fiction thriller of two Earth scientists (Faith Domegue and Rex Reason) tricked into helping a war-torn planet by a bizarrely high-foreheaded white-haired alien (Jeff Morrow) and his crew.
However, "This Island Earth," one of the best sci-fi flicks of the fifties (right up there with "War of the Worlds," "When Worlds Collide," "The Day The Earth Stood Still," and "Forbidden Planet") creates a very credible alternative reality as a context for a literate plot line.
No, "This Island Earth" does not have the Oscar Winning effects of "The War of the Worlds", the snappy overlapping dialogue of "The Thing From Another World", the abundant richness of ideas in "Forbidden Planet", nor the spine chilling suspense of "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers"; but what it does have is an irresistable charm, the result - I suspect - of having a peculiar combination of outstanding qualities coexisting alongside much inferior ones.
No, "This Island Earth" does not have the Oscar Winning effects of "The War of the Worlds", the snappy overlapping dialogue of "The Thing From Another World", the abundant richness of ideas in "Forbidden Planet", nor the spine chilling suspense of "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers"; but what it does have is an irresistable charm, the result - I suspect - of having a peculiar combination of outstanding qualities coexisting alongside much inferior ones.
The plot, although considered humorous by some, involves the enlistment of earth scientists to help inhabitants of Metaluna build an "interocitor" to aid them in combatting the evil forces attempting to destroy their home planet.
With a supporting cast like Faith Domergue and Jeff Morrow, both veterans of genre, this movie is well worth your time..
Two scientific , Rex Reason Faith Domergue , are deceived , menaced , abducted and transported from earth to a weird and ruined planet where occurs explosion and destruction.As our heroes are theatened by unknown forces .Acceptable Scifi movie has thrills , intricate gadgetry , emotion , FX ahead of their time and super mutant monsters .This classic and rare Sci-Fi is considered to be the first serious film about interplanetary escapades .It contains primitive special effects and abundant matte painting .
Starred by little known actors as Rex Reason as a nuclear scientist , Jeff Morrow as the rare alien , and the beautiful Faith Domergue as a nuclear fission expert who screams lustily .
He was a prolific craftsman who made all kinds of genres as drama , gangster movie , Film Noir , adventure , such as : Tarzan ,Jungle patrol , The king of the roaring 20s the story of Arnold Rothstein , Love nest , Great Dan Patch and , of course , Science Fiction with this vintage film of the fifties titled This island earth.
This Island Earth is one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1950's.The cast includes Jeff Morrow as the alien, Exeter and Faith Domergue is the only female in this movie.
I'd recommend This Island Earth to anyone who has an open mind and appreciates fine work, done with care and attention to detail.I think MST3K used this film for their own stab at cinematic greatness precisely because it's a good film that would (theoretically) draw crowds of the uninitiated into the theater, while it's so obviously from the 1950s that it puts today's sci-fi moviegoers in a mood for nostalgia and good fun.
In some ways that might have helped the plot along, but you cant have everything.We all know the plot by now, humanoids from another planet are gathering the finest minds from earths science community together and giving them access to advanced technology in the hope that they will come up with a power source that will help the aliens win a war to save their homeworld.
I'm not going into that room!"Exeter played by Jeff Morrow is of course a great character and is really entertaining to watch...he has a cheeky face and honestly looks a LOT like Robin Williams..
Less happy as a device are the 'neutrino rays', via which the Metalunans perform most of their more impressive activities, such as saving Meacham's plane at the start or menacing escaping cars, the zap-bang operation of which sometimes brings events to closer to B-movie level.This Island Earth is divided into two halves.
(A similar sense of awe attends the viewing of the underground workings in Forbidden Planet.) Visually impressive for its time, This Island Earth received an Academy Award for its technical effects, the look of the production, once the plot reaches Metaluna - a doomed, hollowed out planet, battered by meteorites, its iconic figure of the mutant menacing and mute in attendance, is still memorable.
Anyway, the film may not be as cerebral as FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) or as philosophical as THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957), but it's certainly more ambitious (and intelligent) than your average sci-fi flick though, ultimately, emerging to be more interesting than entertaining (chiefly due to its surplus of technical chat).Jeff Morrow is an unusually benign presence among the typically superior (with elongated foreheads to show for it!) and tyrannical aliens intent on colonizing the Earth because their own planet, Metaluna (literally meaning 'half-moon'), is dying.
One doesn't really mind the charmingly dated special effects (which culminate in the destruction of Metaluna), or the fact that the planet's surface is depicted largely through matte paintings.By the way, an essay I often read as a kid (found in an old movie-magazine of my father's) had named THIS ISLAND EARTH one of the top 3 efforts from Hollywood's Golden Age of Sci-Fi movies along with 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954) and FORBIDDEN PLANET!.
This film comes nearly ten years after America ended World War II with an atomic attack on Japan, nuclear reactors had been commissioned and were no longer seen solely as a weapon of mass destruction, the nuclear age was prominent and very much a reality.Yes the film is far fetched fantasy, and it tries too hard to encompass a myriad of plot strands, something which to the younger viewers is likely to fly right over their heads.
Newman directed this science fiction yarn that stars Rex Reason as Dr. Cal Meachum, who is enlisted by aliens from the planet Metaluna(after being tested first) to help them save their dying planet.
The plot has aliens with over-sized foreheads taking Drs. Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) and Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue) to their planet to help with some things.
It has the sort of look that one would typically associate with a '50s sci-fi flick: he always wears a gray flannel suit, while she always wears a fluffy dress.Probably the main (if not only) reason that anyone in the 21st century would know about it is because the "MST3K" movie showed it, with Mike, Servo and Crow making their usual kinds of comments.
The story, while it has some interesting elements, does very little after Dr. Cal Meacham arrives to the mysterious conclave of scientists lead by mysterious Exeter (Jeff Morrow) The movie has a promise of something greater, but it just fails to deliver it.
I've seen every sci-fi movie of that decade, and this one certainly has to rate in the top five...and I'd rate it even higher than that.Whether you gauge it based on storyline, plot twists, adventure, quality of special effects (for the time), or the sheer effort that must have gone into it, this is certainly one of the best of its genre for the era when it was released...MST3K snark notwithstanding.If you haven't seen it, skip the Mystery Science Theatre version, make a big bowl of popcorn, pretend you're at the 50's drive-in with Betty Lou, and see the original all the way through for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Apart from including some fine special effects of the times, "This Island Earth" has a good story and a good performance from Jeff Morrow.
However, if seeing the film for the first time today, a lot of the impact may be lost as everything about the movie has been stolen or taken and put in other sci-fi productions of the last 60 years.
I haven't watched many of them, but while the FX of this are arguably only decent(with that said, that suit ain't bad), the designs of gizmos are reasonably interesting, and this certainly does deliver all you could hope for in one of these; campy alien beings, a nicely done foreign planet, cool labs and spacecraft, some pseudo-science(portions of which are rather questionable now that we know more...!) and, well, *fun*, with crap blowing up and being/catching on fire.
Newman's extremely enjoyable si-fi film, "This Island Earth" (1955) is one of the much more intelligent science fiction movies that were churned out during the nineteen fifties.
Twists and turns aside, Exeter is one in a race of large headed aliens called Metalunans and Meachum and Dr. Adams who were called to save Metaluna, now have to save their own planet.I'm going to go back to the first 40 minutes of this movie.
In modern times, however, it seems rather silly and preachy, and makes a fantastic candidate for "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" (this is the film featured in "MST3K: The Movie").Nuclear scientist Dr. Cal Meachem (Rex Reason) is contacted by a strange man named Exeter (Jeff Morrow), who has assembled scientists from across the world to aid him, including Dr. Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue).
When they try to leave the compound they are collected by a spaceship and transported to a distant planet which will die unless a new energy source can be discovered.I have seen this film a few years ago but a viewing of the Mystery Science Theatre movie reminded me to write a review.
I would have welcomed the film looking more into the idea of the scientists being put at risk by the working `man' but this doesn't do it.The set designs and aliens are imaginative and well put together (despite being back drops and men in suits), and they do well to portray another planet.
That said-- post Star Wars, Post ALIEN and everything else, 'Island Earth' is a stilted pulp Sci-Fi movie that was unknowingly CREATED just for Mystery Science Theatre.Yet still, the main reasons I still put the disc in from time to time: One--The Interocitor.
The special effects and sets get better and better as the film shifts from the mansion to the planet on a trip aboard the alien saucer with Domergue, Morrow, and Reason.
THIS ISLAND EARTH is without question one of the best science-fiction movies from this era.
Perhaps the best thing about "This Island Earth" is that "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" came out of it.
Nuclear scientist Dr. Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) joins a group of fellow atomic brainiacs at a centre run by the enigmatic Exeter (Jeff Morrow), who turns out to be an alien from the planet Metaluna.
Exeter and his cohorts are looking for a way to synthesise uranium so that they can protect their home planet from attack by Zagons, but the large foreheaded aliens also have a back up plan: to make Earth their home and become the master race.The image of a Metalunan Mutant menacing Dr. Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue) is one that has stayed with me since a child, when I collected bubble gum cards featuring scenes from old sci-fi and horror films.
Sadly, the film that this unforgettable image came from, This Island Earth, isn't all that great: the first half is incredibly talky and quite uneventful, and the second half is totally pointless, with our hero and heroine visiting Metaluna for ten minutes or so before leaving, having done absolutely nothing!The special effects are also rather disappointing: there's nothing here that Flash Gordon didn't do twenty years earlier, with some iffy matte paintings, dodgy model work, silly communication devices (a triangular screen-really?), and an unconvincing rubbery mutant.
The fifties gave us so many genuinely great sci-fi films-Forbidden Planet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Incredible Shrinking Man, to name a few-but This Island Earth isn't one of them..
But in some sense it actually gives right back to the audience where it had great intentions and you consider what this movie was up against at the time with terrific movies such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing From Another Planet, and War of the Worlds, this in itself is a small little gem.Dr. Cal Meacham, a noted scientist, receives an unusual substitute for electronic condensers that he ordered.
It is then that Cal and Ruth learn that Exeter and his band are aliens from the planet Metaluna, come to Earth seeking scientists to help them defend their planet in the war against the evil Zagons.Over all this is a fun sci fi film that delivers in the cheesy good times.
I would recommend it for those who are fans of the 1950's era sci fi movies, they are good fun and always a pleasure to watch, for those who don't like them that much, I'd say steer clear then of This Island Earth.6/10.
The print was brand new; the colors were vivid; the special effects were as good or better than any science fiction film done before.
And this is true for almost all of the science fiction films made in this era - they were made ONLY to be seen on MOVIE SCREENS.
Watch it for great special effects for the time, an interesting story AND aliens who are neither good nor evil--just like us humans!. |
tt0100436 | Pump Up the Volume | Mark Hunter (Christian Slater) is an intelligent but shy teenager who has just moved to Arizona from the East Coast. Mark has inner demons he has a hard time dealing with. Mark's father, Brian Hunter (Scott Paulin), who runs the school district, and his mother, Marla Hunter (Mimi Kennedy), try to help him but only push him away.His parents give him a short-wave radio so he can talk to his pals back east, but instead he sets up shop as angry pirate deejay Hard Harry. His broadcasts consist of music, obscenity, cynical observations, reading letters, and call-ins. His listeners include students of Hubert Humphrey high school, and a teacher, Ms. Emerson (Ellen Greene).The school is run by corrupt principal Loretta Creswood (Annie Ross), who weeds out underachieving kids to keep the school's SAT scores high as false testimony to her competence. By exposing hard truths, Harry becomes a reluctant hero to all the students in the school.Nora Diniro (Samantha Mathis), whose letters to Harry's show have been read on the air many times, learns his real identity but keeps his secret. Harry and Nora awkwardly form a tentative relationship.Caller Malcolm Kaiser (Anthony Lucero) wants to commit suicide and Harry does little to talk him out of it. When Malcolm actually kills himself, Harry feels bad that he didn't do anything to help him. He talks openly to his audience about being a teenager and suicidal feelings.Due to Malcolm's death and Harry-inspired chaos breaking out at the school, the FCC is called in to shut down the station. As they get closer to discovering his location, Harry loads his transmitter into a vehicle and continues to broadcast on the move.Harry's dad finally learns from Ms. Emerson about Miss Creswood's shady actions, and suspends her.When the FCC rolls up to arrest Harry and take him away, he tells his listeners not to give up, to live, and to "talk hard". Inspired by his example to tell the truth no matter how ugly it is, some students start their own pirate radio stations.(some info from summary by Denise P. Meyer and comment by jeffman52001) | cult, philosophical | train | imdb | I loved this filmWhen I was 17 I first saw the second half of this movie on TV, the next day I scoured my local video shops to buy the film so that I could watch the first half.I know that sounds a little sad but I really felt that at the time this film was spot on.
This film had the emotions just about right.I now see its faults but I still feel that it is an excellent movie to its targeted age group, everyone who ever wanted to "rise up in the cafeteria and stab them (teachers) with your plastic fork".I could fill this review with quotes, the speech on why teen suicide is a bad idea is up there with the "Am I funny?" scene in goodfella's.
In my humble opinion this film is at the top of the teen-flick chart alongside Heathers.Samantha Mathis makes an intriguing leading lady, she really gets her character spot on.
Aside from a couple of things that make it dated (I'm referring mainly to the opening credit sequence and the way some of the characters dress...mulletts WERE acceptable back then), the message remains the same and I think that's what has made this movie stand the test of time.
I fell in love with it there and then and over the years I've owned 5 separate copies.Not just because of the unbelievably brilliant soundtrack, not just because of the real and relate-able characters, not just because of the engaging and original plot, but because I still feel now, what I first felt when I saw the film.
Sometimes everyone feels that they're alone and it takes another voice, one coming from a someone you might not even ever have met reminding you that everyone feels that crushing loneliness and only you can change that.Even now that I'm nearing my mid-twenties and every time I watch this film I want to 'Rise up in the cafeteria' and 'stab my teachers with a plastic fork.' Being a teenager sucks, its probably the most free time of your life, but everything from parents, to homework, to hormones prevents most from truly enjoying the experience.I want every teenager to watch this film, I want every person who looks back on their teen years with regret to watch this film, I want every person who's forgotten what its like to be a teenager to watch this film.
Slater gained much respect from me for his terrific performance is Hard Harry, a new kid at a school where the staff don't seem to care about the students, Harry runs a pirate radio station as an anonymous student at the high school, and shares his feelings about the school, he gains a large following of students who feel the same way he does, but then trouble starts.
While the film clearly made the latter out to be the "bad guy," a mature person might look beyond the pointed message and see the important issues on both sides --> Does media come from culture and speak truth, having the responsibility to honestly represent "reality," or does media influence culture and thus should it responsibly rise above mediocrity, challenging people to something higher in life?
Upon viewing the film for the first time as a ten-years-old kid back when it was released in cinemas, I remember feeling profoundly moved by the main lead and the events his character sets in motion.
This genuine masterpiece doesn't only teach us about leadership and the ability of one individual to make a difference in the world; it is also a triumph of the human spirit in general and of the youth over decadent grown-up ideas specifically.The story presents us Mark Hunter (a then young and extremely talented Christian Slater), a teenage high school student that moves with his parents from the big city to the suburbs, when his father gets a new job as an educational consultant for a middle-America region.
Also look out for a very very young Seth Green (Austin Powers, Without a Paddle) as one of the students that helps spread Harry's tapes across the school.On a personal note, I have to say that I hold credit to this movie for a lot of who I am in my grown-up life.
I've seen Pump a few times but recently got the DVD and showed it to an 18 year old last night...the film has great resonances for me of the 60s generation and it still has power for the youth of today...amazingly, since they mainly seem motivated by IT, gadgets and money.All the performances were first rate and this film also introduces Leonard Cohen to a new generation.
I'm sure schools today are worse then Hubert Humphrey high portrayed in the film...this was before Columbine...but you can see the fertile ground for the violence to follow.This is one of my all time favorite 'teen flicks' and I recommend it to all who want to see social and political relevance in movies..
I hope there are more good movie roles to come for both of them.Lastly, I think the DVD release could really use some special features, like audio commentary by the director, Slater and Mathis.
And in doing so he goes from a quite, shy, confused out of place teenager to a strong bold lay it all on the line young adult.Slater has a reserved place in my retro nostalgic memories and I salute him and Mathis for the performance that will forever remind me how awesome young love was and the hope I have that all will experience it in whatever form at at whatever age.
Obviously, the movie deals with many things - namely free speech - but it's mainly great to see someone pushing the limits, especially in an era of media concentration.Anyway, "Pump Up the Volume" is a movie that you're sure to like.
My stepmother, a true member of the why bother generation of the 80s decided that now that I was entering High School, it was time for me to watch the movies that really counted way back when.
His show became pop among the students in his high school because he spoke up the pain and suffer to be a teen, the rage and untrust against the adults, and the very truth no one want talk about:we are not made perfect, living a perfect life is boring.Day by day, the teachers and Miss principle got more angry about the Harry guy, while Harry and his listeners went farer.
With Christian Slater perfect as an angry DJ by night and a shy kid by day, the movie runs on passion and a great soundtrack (with songs ranging from Everybody Knows to Dad I'm in Jail), and you totally believe every unlikely second, as kids consistently outwit remarkably stupid and cartoonish adults and start a movement to ...It's unclear what the agenda is, beyond free speech and being true to yourself, but it doesn't really matter.
For one, the insight of Hard Harry is often times hilarious, and the music he played on his pirate radio station literally foreshadows the ends of the hair metal days and the beginning of grunge.
I thought the movie ended on an inconclusive but appropriate note, and without being too over the top.If there was one thing I would have liked to have seen added to this film, it would have been more in the beginning about Christian Slater's character building the radio station.
This movie was perfect for the 90's.While I have issues with some of the sub-plots and 2D characters, I felt it successfully illustrated the problems teenagers have, while allowing newer concepts that would have never made it to a Hollywood screen marketed towards teens during the 80's (homosexuality, and a more seriously portrayed "alternative" character) to be properly addressed.
Oddly enough I became less closed minded about gender issues and became goth several years after first seeing this movie.I've seen most of Slaters films, and several of Mathis.
Slater's role in this movie was excellent, and certainly one of his best.I also appreciated the way they presented the voice that freedom of speech can take.
I happen to like the movie a lot, but I can see how some might find it silly or stereotypical in places, or just not their cup of tea.To me, though, this film does a great job of touching on a lot of issues in its 95 minutes.
This movie was one of the few that didn't engage in the ritual glorification of high school life, nor the woe-is-me theme, but acknowledged high school as a discreet period that comes to an end, and shows an almost moby-dick like obsession with Hard Harry.On the other hand, after watching it again, many of the adult characters had their "cardboard moments" whose acting (or lack of acting) slightly stretched the limits of believability.The only other drawback was that some people take it just a little too seriously-- ironic because that was always what Christian Slater's character was trying to avoid...All in all, a good film I was happy to see again after so many years-- but i place it behind Heathers.-Dean.
The cast is great, with Christian Slater as Hard Harry/Mark Hunter(one more reason to see this film)and Samantha Mathis as Nora Dinero, the girl that finds out Hard Harry's true idenity.
Moyle gets an electrifying performance from Christian Slater (arguably his best ever) and a young Samantha Mathis is perfect as his semi-goth love interest.
The high school is a teenage version of Stepford and Mark's radio program begins to agitate the students who in turn assert their individuality, abet collectively.Moyle's film is honest in that it does not provide easy answers so much as offering challenges to his target audience.
Christian Slater does well with a good script in this smart teen-movie.
I call it a movie and not a film because there are certain liberties taken, and it never tries to pass itself off as something it isn't, it's good entertainment with a point about free-speech to boot.Slater plays a nerd, he broadcasts a pirate radio show from home, unbeknown to his family and school, and everyone else who takes offence when listening (namley adults/authority figures who don't "get it").
It takes off when he starts getting noticed, then things spiral out of control.Not a bad drama, it has an excellent soundtrack, likable characters, and look out for a scene in the library where Slater picks up the book "How to talk dirty and influence people", this is Lenny Bruce's autobiography, and is a must for all culture junkies/comedy fans; Bruce essentially died for opening his mouth, he was hounded by police and the Government because he dared to use swear words in his live act: think about this next time you swear in public and be thankful Lenny died so we can say what we please.Pump Up The Volume was one from my teenage years, but its still worth a watch..
I think Pump Up The Volume was perhaps the complete antithesis of fun teen movies like a lot of the John Hughes comedies that came out in the 80's.
The story centers around his duo-life as a high school student and the pirate radio DJ, Happy Harry Hard-On. As the popularity of his show increases, so do the consequences and results of his well-intentioned efforts to expose the hypocrisy within his school, which shakes up his community.This was the character Christian Slater was born to play.
Christian Slater plays a shy yet disgruntled teenager who runs a pirate radio station which he uses to complain about his corruptly run high school in this captivating comedy from 'Empire Records' director Allan Moyle.
Things take a dark turn when a troubled teenage listener commits suicide, and the authorities become eager to shut down his illegal broadcasts.Smart and appealing film has a fine performance from Christian Slater, that really speaks to the hearts and minds of teenagers, and still rings true.
It has the same message, but this time Slater's character is the voice of reason who the audience can side with, instead of an agent of destruction...Many of the same themes are touched upon in the two films; how hard it is to be an adolescent when you feel like you're being disenfranchised, and the sense of feeling shepherded into the uniform lines of conformity that produce the obedient workers of the future.
Either way, we are listening, and the power of speech plays on in the movie, Pump Up The Volume.And Pink Floyd said it best, "For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals.
'Cause I also remember barely talking to my parents for weeks after I saw it.Today I still remember it as the ultimate teen flick, perfectly describing teenage frustration and depression like only The Breakfast Club had done before it.Christian Slater does his best role ever as the introvert Mark Hunter.
This movie tries to shout the desperation of a whole class of people who just do not want to follow community standards, who do not want to follow community standards, who want to be themselves regardless of all standards.It is, in my opinion, not a teen movie, because the subject of the movie is not so much the so-called "high school hierarchy" among teens that has been described at length in most of the "teen movies" but much more movie about the relationship between the youngs/teens and their environment (family, schools, university, etc) that try to restrain these youngs, regardless of their academics, in their life, behavior, relationship ; forcing on them their own beliefs - religious, behavioral - without giving any thought on evolution of society, desperately wanting to reproduce a way of living instead of exploring new ideas and new thoughts.and Pump up the VOlume does a very good job at depicting all this, serving by a great Slater and a good Mathis.
the best movie i have ever seen, anyone who can not relate is just to old to understand or remember what it was like to be a teen.
This is a great flick about high school angst finding its outlet in a pirate radio personality, Happy Harry Hard on.
It certainly was in my teen years.Allan Moyles' outstanding script combined with exceptional acting from Slater and Mathis beautifully portrays the real anxiety and fears of trying to live up to everyone's expectations through your teenage years.The dialogue, music and Arizona back drops truly touches deep into your soul, forcing you to question the continual pressures that succumb the youth of today.If you're aged 14 - 18 then rent this film asap as I promise it will change your life for ever.
The speeches Slater gives at some parts of the movie are just great and it really wants to make you get your own pirate radio station.
One of the best films's of its type, Pump up the Volume shows that we are all alone, yet we all have a voice to be speak out with.I love the film, and I think I get the message: Be your self, not a stereotype.TALK HARD!.
Hard-on Harry, Slater's angry-young-man DJ, is one of the great teen characters in film history.
One think i've learned from this movie is that you can often identify with a movie or song even if your brain doesn't completely agree.For one this is the only movie i 've ever felt i had to share my thoughts with perfect strangers on the web.I won't even try to summarize it as this is what everyone seems to be doing.Anyway i first saw it as a teenager and of course it was love at first sight.I won't try to convince anyone else,talking about Slater or the story,which has many faults.But this exactly what amazes even myself.I've watched since hundreds of movies,enough for me to be able to say that i can't be satisfied any more by a couple of good perfomances and a very good soundtrack,even with today's standards.But for some reason i still love this movie.So most of the characters(especially the adults)are 2-dimensional,there are too many sub-plots,some of which don't work and generally speaking this movie could have been much bolder but for some ****ing reason this movie makes much more sense to me than othes,which i might have found to be more complete.So be it!.
I usually don't watch teenage flicks but when i saw this one i changed my mind.The plot is very new nothing you ever watched before and the actors are doing an excellent job and another great thing is the music which is always playing in the background.If you ask me this film is much better then the blockbusters like " American pie ".So please watch this one not some chumpy new s***..
I saw the film two weeks ago for the first time, first just because of Christian Slater, but I really LOVE it!!!
Christian Slater provides us with an excellent role as Happy Hard Harry and this film is a must see for everyone..
Already a cult classic, Pump Up the Volume is a great film about a shy teenager in a new town who comes alive at night to broadcast music he loves (which is totally new to the area) and DJ on a shortwave radio.
The movie contains Christian Slater's best performance to date as a shy teen who comes alive at night as a the anonymous host of a one-man illegal radio station, harassing the corrupt officials of his high school.
"Pump Up the Volume" is an ignoble and obvious fabrication which tells of a bookish new student (Slater) at an Arizona high school who is tongue-tied on campus by day but articulate by night while operating a pirate radio station from his basement under the pseudonym "Hard Harry".
Great Christian Slater movie on teen rebellion.
With a performance like Slater's and one of the best soundtracks of all time, it is an endlessly enjoyable high school farce that you'll be quoting for years. |
tt0949731 | The Happening | The film opens in New York. People start to get confused in Central Park, repeating their words, standing still and sometimes walking backwards (Scott Troost). We hear a few screams. A woman (Alison Folland) reading on a bench takes her silver chopstick-style hair pin out of her hair and stabs herself in the neck with it. Meanwhile on a building site, workers (Curtis McClarin, Michael Den Dekker) on the ground are chatting when all of a sudden a body falls. Panicked, thinking the worker just fell off the roof by mistake, they rush over to his broken body. While they looked over the body, another thud, another worker. They look at him (Cornell Womack) confused; one is possible, two is unlikely, and when the third falls, it seems impossible. Then yet another and another, crashing to earth. When they look up they see many running off the edge, apparently by their own will, looking completely calm, and sure of their actions.In the next shot, we see a science teacher named Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), talking about the event science can not explain about thousands of disappearing bees, no bodies left, no trace. A student offers the opinion that this is a natural event that we will never fully understand. Several students (Sophie Burke, Alex Van Kooy, Charlie Saxton) start to speculate on the phenomenon that is the disappearing bees, when Elliot is suddenly called out of class to a staff meeting warning about an apparent "terrorist attack" in New York in which terrorists have apparently released some kind of gas in Central Park, and advising that school is cancelled. As they leave, Elliot confesses to his friend Julian (John Leguizamo), a math teacher, that he and his wife are having some problems.Elliot and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) flee Philadelphia on a train, with Julian, and his daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez). On the train people start to get reports by cellphone that the attacks have been reported at their destination, and in many other places. Alma is getting repeated and insistant calls on her phone from someone called Joey (M. Night Shyamalan's voice), and she lies to Elliot about it.The movie moves on to show Rittenhouse Park in Philadelphia, where a woman (Jann Ellis) walks her dog and a breeze begins to blow. A traffic cop (Don Castro) walking through a traffic jam stops and comments to a taxi driver called Sal (Bill Chemerka) about the chilly weather. Suddenly everyone stops in their tracks, and the dog runs across the road after his leash drops to the ground, leading us back to the cop who is now standing still in front of the cab. A gunshot rings out and he drops to the ground. As blood spurts from a bullet wound on his forehead, the taxi driver gets out, walks over to the dead cop, picks up the gun from beside the body and shoots himself in the forehead as well. A woman in high heels steps off the sidewalk, picks up the gun again and we hear another gunshot.The train ends up leaving Elliott, Alma, Julian, Jess, and all the other passengers in a small rural town, as the conductors have lost radio contact with everyone else. At a diner they see a newscast that suggests the suicides are not caused by a terrorist attack, but by a natural phenomena. A reporter says that the toxin switches off the part of the brain that keeps us from harming ourselves.Julian has by now lost phone contact with his wife (who was visiting Princeton) and starts to panic as some lady shows Elliot a youtube type video she was sent on her iphone, showing a man walk into a lion's den at a zoo, and taunting the lions with his hands to try to get them to attack him (there's a graphic shot of him staggering with both his arms eaten off). Julian finds a lift with some people heading to Princeton; he leaves Jess with Elliot and Alma. When he gets there Princeton is also infected, and there are dozens of people hanging from trees over the road. The driver of the car crashes deliberately into a tree at high speed and Julian slashes his wrists with broken windscreen glass and dies (this is the one time you don't see anything graphic - the camera cuts away and we see less than the scene in the red band trailer; where you can see Julian bleeding from the wrists).Meanwhile Elliot and Alma decide, along with everybody else, to flee for the state line with Jess, as the attacks seem only to be affecting the northeast US. A nice couple who run a plant nursery offer to take them in their car. The man suggests to Elliot and Alma that the toxin is produced by plants. He explains the way plants can communicate with other plants, and the way they can release chemicals to get rid of specific pests.While trying to reach the state line they see bodies ahead in the road. Turning back they meet many other cars, all converging on a country road junction; all report bodies back the way they have come. Organized by an army private they abandon the cars and strike out on foot, heading for a small remote housing development one man who happens to be a realtor (Joel de la Fuente) knows about. It's new and small and not on any maps except local ones, so they hope it will be safe from the terrorists since it appears they are focusing on large cities and roads.From the junction one group leaves immediately, but most take a minute to get things from their cars, so walking across the fields they are in two groups. The smaller group (10-12 people), with Elliot, Alma and Jess, is in front. The larger (20-25 people), including the soldier and the plant couple, is behind them by 3 or 4 minutes. This larger group gets infected, and the soldier become delusional (shouting something about how he is a soldier and his gun is his friend, and he will not leave it). Then Elliot's group hears the gunshots as one by one they (presumably) use the soldier's gun to kill themselves. Elliot starts to believe that it is indeed the plants, and that the toxin is triggered by large groups of people. He yells at everyone to split up into smaller groups, and the group peels off into three smaller groups, all running away in different directions.Alma tells Elliot that if they are going to die, she wants to tell him something. One night, when she had told Elliot she was working late, she actually went out for tiramisu with Joey from work; but that's all that happened.After walking for a bit, Elliot counters with the fact that he finds the girl who works at the local pharmacy very attractive, and sometimes he buys cough syrup from her even when he doesn't have a cough: he later confesses he made this up.Elliot, Alma, Jess, and two teenagers find a showhome for the new development. There is some comic relief as Elliot talks to a plant he sees blowing inside, and introduces himself, saying he is giving good vibes so it won't harm him. It turns out the plant is plastic, but he keeps talking for a little just in case - feeling like an idiot. As they leave they look back, and see two small groups of people arrive at the showhome, forming one larger group (12-15 people approx). That many people trigger the toxin, and they stand around confused, except for one man who starts up a large commercial lawnmower, then lies in the grass in front of it as it rips him apart. (We assumed the camera would cut away, but it doesn't! As previously stated, this movie is extremely graphic!)Our five people all end up on the front porch of a boarded-up house, asking for food, while Jess plays on a rope swing suspended from a tree branch (the swing and the tree seemed very chilling and climactic, but nothing actually happened). The inhabitants of the house refuse to offer food or shelter, and the two teenagers start to get very aggressive, kicking at the door and shouting at the people inside. The inhabitants shoot the two teenagers dead: one through the chest and the second through the head. Elliot is horrified.Elliot, Alma and Jess move on till they find an old house with no power, which they think is abandoned. A spooky old lady (Betty Buckley) lives there, who chooses to remain out of contact with the whole world. She doesn't want to know about the event in the outside world; however, she gives them supper and a bed for the night.We (the audience) see a newscast discussing the toxin (our protagonists don't, as the house has no TV). A scientist is suggesting that judging from the severity and number of the attacks, and assuming some similarities to other kinds of natural toxins like ocean algae, the attacks will peak at 9am the next day, and very quickly fall away to nothing following that (there's a graph that shows a drastic tail-off of toxin activity).In the morning when Elliot wakes up the old lady tells him that he, Alma and Jess have to leave (she seems completely bonkers). She then goes outside into the garden, pauses, and starts walking backwards; the toxin has affected her. As Elliott cowers inside the house the old lady walks around the porch and headbutts the walls, and eventually the window, leaving glass splinters in her face and eye, and also letting in the wind (and the toxin).Elliot runs through the house trying to find Alma and Jess. He can hear them, but can't locate them. He thinks he hears them in the cellar, but when he goes in he is alone. Alma and Jess are actually outside in an old stone spring house (a remnant from the pre-Civil War Underground Railway). A speaking tube between the spring house and the cellar has transmitted their voices as clearly as if they were right next to Elliott; and Elliott can talk to them through this. He explains that the toxin now seems to be set off by even one person alone.Elliot decides that if he is going to die he doesn't want to die alone. They all leave their safe hiding places and walk into the middle of the garden and hold hands. The wind blows. Nothing happens. IT had ended.Three months later and they are all living back in Philly (which looks business as usual; while the streets are fairly empty, there are cars driving around, and people walking on the sidewalks). Jess is off to school by bus. Alma is doing a pregnancy test; it's positive, and Elliot hugs her and looks delighted. On the TV is a scientist warning that the event was like a red tide; the first sign that the planet is rejecting humans as pests. The host says that if that were true it would be happening in other places.Cut to the gardens at the Jardins du Louvre in Paris, France. Two guys (Stéphane Debac & Cyrille Thouvenin) are walking discussing plans for after work that evening. Cue distant scream; one guy starts to repeat his words about a bike, everyone stands still; other guy says (in French) "Oh my God".End credits. | romantic, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt3152624 | Trainwreck | In the opening scene, Gordon (Colin Quinn) tells his two daughters, Amy and Kim, that he and their mother are divorcing because monogamy isn't realistic.In the present day, the adult Amy (Amy Schumer) is hooking up with a random guy. She asks him to go down on her, which he does - and after which Amy immediately pretends to fall asleep. We see a montage of her life - getting drunk, getting stoned, partying, and with lots of guys - even though she's sort of already dating Steven (John Cena). She wakes up one morning in Staten Island and has to take the ferry back to New York in full "walk of shame" mode.Amy gets back to her life - she works at S'nuff, a snarky men's magazine. After telling her co-worker Nikki (Vanessa Bayer) about last night, she goes into a work meeting where her boss Dianna (Tilda Swinton) asks for pitches for new articles. One of her co-workers pitches an article about a sports doctor, Aaron Conners (Bill Hader). Amy makes fun of the idea, saying sports are stupid, and she thinks anyone who cares about them is a lesser person. Dianna thinks that Amy's take on the article will be the most interesting and assigns the article to her, despite the fact that she doesn't even want it.Amy goes to her father's house to help her sister Kim (Brie Larson) pack the place up. Apparently, Gordon has multiple sclerosis and has just been moved into an assisted living home. Kim is married to Tom (Mike Birbiglia) and has a stepson, the dorky Allister, who annoys Amy like crazy (she's not good with kids). Kim resents their dad because he slept around, was a drunk, and wasn't a good father... plus he cheated on their mom for no clear reason. She thinks they can't afford the nice assisted living place they've put him in, but Amy wants to make it work. Amy later visits Gordon in the home, and he's upset when she tells him Kim threw away a lot of his Mets memorabilia. He's a total curmudgeon.Amy goes to meet Aaron to set up their interview schedules and meets his best friend, LeBron James. LeBron is insistent on watching Downton Abbey and also getting his parking validated. That night, Amy goes on a date with Steven. He's upset that she's drunk, and their loud conversation gets him into a fight with the other moviegoers. Amy goes outside to smoke a joint, and when she comes back, Steven asks her who all the guys on her phone are. They go outside where Amy admits she sleeps with other guys. Steven is hurt, since he thought they were exclusive. He wants to have a family with her and make her his "CrossFit queen". All Amy can say is that she's too stoned and asks if she can leave. Steven tells her she's not a nice person and leaves, crushed.The next morning, Amy gets brunch with Kim, and after Kim doesn't have a mimosa, she realizes she's pregnant. They go to Gordon to tell him, and he's thrilled to have finally a grandchild - which makes Kim angry, since she says Allister is his grandchild. Gordon says Allister isn't really his grandchild, and after he and Amy make fun of the kid together, Kim leaves, furious. She says Amy always takes Gordon's side.Amy is interviewing Aaron at his sports facility. She's testing out a treadmill body-imaging suit, running when she gets a text from Kim saying she wants to move Gordon to a cheaper facility. Amy asks to slow down the treadmill and starts to have a full panic attack. Aaron coaches her breathing and calms her down, and suggests they get food. They bond over dinner - he compliments her writing, she learns about his family. And after some drinks they get in a cab to leave. Aaron tells the driver two stops, but Amy corrects him: one stop. Aaron's eyes widen. They go to his place and sleep together, and Amy breaks her rule by staying the night.The next day, Amy tells Nikki about what happened, and Aaron calls to ask if they can see each other again. Amy panics and tells him they'll talk about it at the interview. She and Nikki decide she has to end it. Meanwhile, LeBron is excited for Aaron; he hasn't dated anyone in six years. Amy goes to watch Aaron perform surgery (she pukes while watching) to Uptown Girl, his favorite song, and afterwards tries to politely break things off, but he won't let her. He thinks they like each other and should date (she's dumbfounded) and then Amy gets a phone call that her dad had a fall. Aaron drives her to the home where Aaron stitches up her dad's cut and impresses him with his sports knowledge.Aaron and Amy begin dating and fall for each other. Both of them are nervous. Amy is worried she's going to screw it up, but Kim tells her she's just finally doing what everyone else does. LeBron coaches Aaron over basketball. He wipes the floor with Aaron until Aaron scores a lucky shot. Amy goes with Aaron to a charity slam dunk contest LeBron is hosting. There are guys doing crazy trampoline dunks, and the Knick City Dancers perform. Amy makes fun of them for being like strippers. LeBron confronts Amy and asks her what her intentions are with Aaron. Confused, she assures him they're fine. Later, Amy goes to see Gordon, and hedisapproves of her relationship with Aaron. She's upset, wondering why he can't support her, and he says he knows she's just like him. She can't have a stable relationship. Amy leaves angry, not talking to her dad for a while.Aaron goes with Amy to Kim's baby shower. Tom makes a comment to Aaron about how Amy sleeps around that unnerves him. Meanwhile, Amy can't stand the ridiculous hoighty-toighty women at the shower and deliberately grosses them out with tales of her sexcapades. A couple days later, Kim calls her - Amy starts to apologize for the shower when Kim tells her Gordon has died. He was hoarding his meds. At the funeral, Amy gives a speech (she knows Gordon offended everyone). She says: "raise your hand if my dad ever offended you", but then says she loved him more than anything; "raise your hand if he was also one of your favorite people". After the funeral, she and Kim get into a big fight, Amy says Kim didn't even like Gordon anyway. Aaron tells her he loves her, but Amy can't believe he would pick today of all days to say that. Meanwhile, at work, Dianna tells Amy they're cutting the Aaron story because it was boring.Aaron is receiving a prestigious award at a Luncheon and brings Amy. She drinks too much and leaves to take a phone call from Dianna during his speech. He finds her smoking pot outside and is upset. They continue arguing at her apartment, and Aaron thinks they shouldn't go to bed angry - so Amy lets him have it, keeping him awake all night ranting and raving even though the next day is Aaron's big surgery on Amar'e Stoudemire. Aaron shows up completely out of it, and Amar'e panics and cancels the surgery. Aaron goes home and tells Amy that they need to take a break. Hurt, Amy reacts by telling him that they can just break up because the article was canceled anyway. He tells her "you win", and leaves.Amy returns to her "trainwreck" ways and goes out drinking at a bar with her co-workers, including the intern Donald (Ezra Miller). He invites her back to his place, and their bizarre sexual encounter is interrupted when his mom enters, screaming "he's 16!" After nearly committing statutory rape, Dianna fires Amy, but does tell her she was wrong about the article and thinks it's quite good.Aaron is moping all day in his apartment until LeBron calls telling him he's been hurt. Aaron rushes over to find an intervention for him consisting of LeBron, Matthew Broderick, Chris Evert, and Marv Albert. They tell him he's always been afraid of opening up and needs to make things right with Amy, but Aaron insists Amy and he are over.Amy goes to Kim to mend fences after their fight. After she tells Kim everything that's happened, Kim tells her maybe it's time to change. Amy clears out all the booze from her apartment and goes and pitches her Aaron story at Vanity Fair, who end up publishing it. She sends the article to Aaron and he smiles. He successfully performs the surgery on Amar'e and attends Amar'e's first game post-op. After the game, Aaron is called to the court - where the Knicks City dancers perform with Amy front and center. She hilariously knows about 80 percent of the moves and can't quite do them exactly the same as the dancers. Included in the songs is "Uptown Girl". For the grand finale, the slam dunk guys come back, and Amy races and jumps off the trampoline to make a dunk... and immediately face plants. Aaron rushes over to see if she's okay, and she tells him she was trying to show him that she can work hard and try, and she wants to make it work. She finally tells him she loves him, and they kiss, which is shown all over the jumbotron. | romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0120586 | American History X | In the opening scene, we see waves crashing over a beach which eventually changes to a car driving by various stores. We next see a young teen boy Danny (Edward Furlong) trying to sleep but can't due to his older brother Derek (Edward Norton) and his girlfriend Stacey (Fairuza Balk) having loud sex in the next bedroom. A car drives by with three black men inside. The car stops outside Danny and Derek's house. It then shows Derek is caressing Stacy's naked body, Danny is then slowing turning in his sleep. The three black men slowly get out of their car. One goes over to Derek's truck and the other by his house. The one black man then smashes Derek's truck window awaking Danny. Derek and Stacey are then seen in yet another sexual position, her moaning becoming faster. Danny slowly gets up and peers out from his bedroom window. He sees the man that broke Derek's truck window inside looking around. This startles Danny so he runs into his brother's room to find Stacey riding Derek in the cowgirl position. Danny tells Derek what he witnessed but this startles Stacey and Derek. Derek asks Danny how long the man has been there and if he is strapped, Danny says that he doesn't know. Derek takes a pistol out of a nightstand drawer. He then goes down to the middle of the stairs with Danny following him. Derek tells Danny to stay put. Derek then goes to the door and peers out of the peephole. He then kicks the door in and shoots the one black man twice. The man falls down. The other black man makes a run for it but Derek fires three shots from his gun hitting the man with two of them. The other is uninjured and takes off in Derek's truck. Derek fires multiple shots at the truck breaking the back window. Danny looks down and sees the black man injured from the gunshot wounds. Derek then stars to angrily walk toward him, his arm raised as if to gun whip him.In present time, we see Danny is now sitting in the principal's office, waiting to be summoned. As we move into the office, we hear and see Danny's history teacher, Mr. Murray (Elliot Gould), explaining to the principal, Dr. Robert Sweeney (Avery Brooks), that Danny wrote a book report on Mein Kampf, Hitler's autobiography that details his anti-Semitic beliefs. Murray tells Dr. Sweeney that he is offended by Danny's gesture and he wants to see him punished. Instead, Sweeney asks Murray to leave and asks Danny to step in. With an American flag toothpick hanging from his mouth, Danny steps into the office and sits down. Dr. Sweeney begins yelling at Danny, telling him that writing what he did is offensive and he only did it because his brother influenced him in that way. Danny argues of course but in the end Sweeney wins and tells him that he is now his new history teacher. The class is called "American History X" and the next assignment is due tomorrow morning; a paper on his brother, Derek (Edward Norton), who is currently incarcerated. The next scene opens in the school bathroom with three black boys beating up a white boy for telling the teacher that one of them cheated. Suddenly, Danny appears out of one of the stalls and demands that they stop. One boy, Henry, argues with him but Danny simply blows the smoke from his cigarette into his face. The boys leave, Danny helps the white kid from the ground and tells him that he needs to learn to stand up for himself and they leave. Soon we see Danny walking home from school through a park where some black men are playing basketball; one is Henry. We hear Danny begin to narrate the scene and we learn that before Derek went to jail the white kids in the neighborhood didn't have to be afraid of the black kids because Derek made the area safe.The next scenes are flashbacks explaining Derek's journey from a suburban white kid to a vengeance-seeking white supremacist. When Danny and Derek were younger, a black drug dealer shot their father, an LA firefighter, while he was doing his job. Soon after that, a middle-aged white supremacist, Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach), sought out Derek, hoping to begin a new movement throughout the suburban white youth culture. Cameron convinced Derek that what happened to his father was an act of racism by the black man and it wasn't right and he, or any other white kid, shouldn't be scared. Derek, a natural leader and brilliant orator, began rounding up scared suburban white kids for his new gang and telling them that there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. This new craze became so popular among the kids of Venice Beach that Derek soon became an icon. His legacy started then and continued even throughout the time he spent in jail. The night Derek was arrested, three young Black men were trying to break into his car. Danny hears them and informs his brother. Derek rushed downstairs, gun in hand, and opened the door and began shooting the men. Killing two of the three, Derek then demanded the last man to put his upper teeth on the curb and not move. He then ruthlessly kills him by stomping on the back of his head. Almost immediately after, the police arrive and take Derek away, who submits to them without a fight. As he's handcuffed, Danny sees that Derek has a very telling smile on his face. Later, while Danny attempts to type Sweeney's assignment, he reflects on the fact that if he'd been called into court to testify against his brother, his brother would have been convicted of first degree murder and drawn a much harsher sentence.In jail, Derek tries to find a group of people to hang out with as protection from the Hispanic and black prisoners. Not too long after arriving, he finds a group of white supremacists that accept him. As time went by, Derek noticed and starts to realize the compromises men made to stay ahead in the jail - because the supremacists were a minority, they paid a non-white gang to keep them safe. When he learned that a fellow white supremacist was doing favors for a Mexican man, he became enraged and stopped interacting with the group. Later, Derek was assigned laundry duty with a black inmate named Lamont. Lamont was friendly toward Derek, but Derek was not friendly back, at first. Soon Lamont and Derek began to befriend each other and became good acquaintances. Angered that Derek had befriended a black inmate and seemed to be abandoning them, the gang attacks him in the shower, one of them raping him. The day this happened, Dr. Sweeney, who was also Derek's teacher, came to visit him. As soon as he arrived, Derek broke down in tears and told Sweeney that he wanted out and that he wanted to take everything back and move as far away as possible so he wouldn't hurt his family anymore. Dr. Sweeney told Derek that it wasn't enough; Danny was headed down the same path and he must do whatever was necessary for Danny to not end up like him. Derek agreed and told him that he was ready to do anything for his brother once he was out.After about three years, Derek is released from prison and returns home to find that Danny has become a white supremacist as well. He also learns that what was once a small following has turned into a considerably large one due to Cameron's influence and Derek's legend. That night, Danny and Derek both go to a party that Cameron is throwing for Derek's homecoming. Once there, he finds his old girlfriend, Stacey (Fairuza Balk), and asks her to move far away with him. He tells her that he doesn't want any of this anymore, he's done with white supremacy. Following that, she asks him if he's crazy and runs off in anger. Derek looks for Danny and finally finds him in Cameron's office. Derek tells Danny to leave and that there is a girl outside waiting for him. After Danny leaves, Derek confronts Cameron and tells him that he's done with the whole white supremacist thing and he knows Cameron's game - Cameron had once rolled over on a couple of his own men and let them go to jail. Cameron is infuriated and they start to argue. The argument ends when Derek punches Cameron in the face and then kicks him again while he's down. Derek leaves and calls for Danny to come with him. On his way out, Seth Ryan (Ethan Suplee), a friend of Derek's before he went to jail, starts yelling at him and demanding an answer as to what happened to Cameron. Derek is befuddled and keeps yelling for Danny but then Seth pulls out a gun and points it at Derek. Stacey begins to yell from the side, "Shoot him! Shoot him!" and Seth continues to get closer and closer. Just as Seth is about to do it, Derek grabs the gun and points it up then pushes him and tells him to step away. Derek calls Danny and starts to run away, gun in hand.Danny soon catches up to him and Derek begins to explain his life in prison & his change in attitude. Even though Danny is frustrated with Derek, because he's giving up the only thing he thinks brings the white kids hope against the non-white race, he understands and forgives him and they walk home. When they arrive, Danny begins working on his paper and Derek enters the room. They both look at each other and move toward the wall that is covered in white supremacist propaganda; they take everything down. When they're done, Danny returns to the computer to write his paper and Derek gets into the shower. The following morning, at sunrise, Danny is narrator, telling us the end to his story. He says that he's never watched the sunrise before and he hopes that this paper is what he, Dr. Sweeney, is looking for. Derek gets ready for his meeting with his probation officer and soon they leave together. Derek walks Danny to school before his meeting, and on their way they stop at a Café. There, they meet up with Dr. Sweeney and Captain Rasmussen. They tell Derek that Cameron and Seth were found last night after being jumped and they are now in the hospital. Dr. Sweeney and Rasmussen both ask Derek if he knows anything about it and he swears he doesn't. Derek tells them that he has somewhere to go and that he's going to walk Danny to school before he goes. They set off on their way. As Derek is dropping him off, he staggers over words and finally says "I'll see you at home." Danny departs for the front doors and Derek heads down the street. While he's walking, the audience can sense the fear in Derek. At the same time, Danny enters the bathroom just before class starts. What Danny doesn't know is that Henry is in the bathroom as well. He raises a gun and shoots Danny a number of times as blood spatters against the bathroom stall, he falls to the ground lifeless.Next we see Derek is in the bathroom with Danny. He sits with him and holds his body close to his, extremely distraught. The only things we can hear between sobs are the remarks Derek is making to himself about what he's done. Immediately after, Danny's voice takes over as narrator and we hear the closing statement of the paper he's written about his brother:"So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned - my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.' " We see an image of Venice Beach as waves crash over the sunset, then the credits start to roll. | suspenseful, murder, dramatic, cult, violence, thought-provoking, flashback, clever, tragedy, brainwashing, revenge, sentimental | train | imdb | I also agree with the point in the movie that proves that people can change for the better and straighten things out in their head to do the right things in life.
The movie does not give a hopeful message but instead shows the dangers and pain you're causing to yourself and your close environment when you're thinking as a white supremacist.As an anti Neo-Nazi movie this movie works really powerful.
I think that its a really good and important thing that this movie is often shown in classrooms.Edward Norton is truly fantastic in his role.
Furlong and Norton are both acting well together in their scene's are highly believable as two brothers.Also surprising good was the musical score by Anne Dudley who had already won an Oscar for "The Full Monty", the year before.This was a movie that surprisingly impressed me.
I knew that racism was horrible, but I found through this film that it does not come without a terrible price..the loss of love, friends, family...and the realization that everything that you believed to be true isnt always the way things are.
I honestly don't think I have ever seen a better movie than American History X in my entire life!
It answers many questions I have long awaited an answer to such as what could possibly make someone act as Derek did in this movie, yet left open-ended many others that people such as myself may have.
I was stunned walking out of the theater after seeing American History X, and I don't think I will ever have the benefit of seeing another movie as good as this one as long as I live.
I believe that this movie was a whole lot more than just a ground-breaking, controversial drama; it was a portrayal of exactly how much damage can be done to a family and a nation simply because of the hate for a person or people of a different color, for almost no reason at all.
IT can be simplistic at times, but the messages are powerful in this great Ed Norton film.
Meanwhile Derek leaves prison a reformed man with only the desire to repair the damage he once did to his family with his beliefs and his hate.I was looking forward to see this film as I missed it at the cinema and am a firm believer that Edward Norton is one of the most talented actors of his generation and is always worth seeing (even if some of his films have given less than he deserves).
Having seen the pompous fool interviewed several times, I find it quite self assuring that I don't agree with his opinions of it!The plot is a mix of flashback into Derek's hate filled past (told in b&w) and the present (colour) where he is desperate to save his brother and family from suffering anymore from his `sins'.
One particular weakness which I felt was a little hamfisted was Derek's `road to Damascus' experience in prison it was OK but was far too easy given the character we had just seen brutally kill several black men.The other main selling point the film has is a performance by Norton that simply ensures he steals nearly every scene he is in.
The direction by Tony Kaye with his mixture of black & white history contrasting with colourful reality is magic to absorb and shows this film up to be what it is a true American Classic, ironically by a British director.
Without wanting to spoil the film Derek encounters change in the prison, he meets a black man whom he works with and faces his own demons inside, I will leave it there for those who want to be moved by his transformation.
Kaye's use of black & white creates an atmospheric drama that builds tension and has you feeling like a stung out piece of drum leather by mid movie.
I love the way that Kaye subtly uses quotes and intellectualises the Nazi Stance, only to watch it being broken down by the same man (Derek / Norton).
To sum up American History X is a powerful intelligent drama, which provides plenty of discussion after the movie.
Its main character is Derek (Edward Norton), a neo-Nazi skinhead who is released from jail to find his younger brother (Edward Furlong) descending down the same corrupt path as he once walked.In jail Derek learns a few things about life, and racism, or more appropriately, himself, and after becoming a free man again takes it upon himself to set his brother on the straight and narrow path."American History X" is not a pleasant motion picture.
Director Tony Kaye disowned the film after Norton (allegedly) re-edited footage to give himself more screen time.
They later wrote a song, called "NLC," bashing the company.Despite the hard-edged controversy it's still a very good film, above all else extremely well-acted and featuring a gripping storyline even if the direction isn't always up to par.Edward Norton is simply superb in his role, showing extremely raw talent a mere two years after his film debut (in the Richard Gere thriller "A Primal Fear").
Norton careens between the role of a raging, vicious supremacist and a kindler, gentler version of the same character; a metamorphosis so convincing it's hard to believe it's just one actor.The rest of the cast is good as well Furlong gives the best performance of his career and Beverly D'Angelo and Stacy Keach have strong supporting roles.
The black-and-white photography isn't on the same level, visually, as "Raging Bull" or "Schindler's List." The preaching is a bit heavy-handed at times.But it still manages to convey an important lesson and boasts great acting complimented by an (overall) impressive, gut-wrenching screenplay.
The movie made me realize how much the public attitude toward race has changed since the late 1960s, when optimistic films like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" confronted racism by creating immensely likable African-American characters and ignoring any other social and cultural tensions that might pose a barrier to interracial relationships.
That isn't exactly the most inspiring message about race relations.My main reason for wanting to watch this movie in the first place was to understand better how an extremist hatemonger could change.
Outstanding film with a sensational performance by Edward Norton as fanatic Nazi.
It happens in Venice , California and deals with a young man , a skinhead and leader of a violent white supremacist gang named Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) previously seduced into the fascist bunch by Alexander (Stacy Keach) .
As his only thought is to steer his brother away from that same violent past and being helped by a reformist headmaster (Avery Brooks).Intense and thought-provoking drama with powerful performances and slick direction , being developed by means of flashbacks filmed in black and white and color .
Edward Norton sounds and looks more like the president of the Yale Republican Club than a white supremacist skinhead - the movies truly fatal flaw considering he's the linchpin of the whole thing.
The story, the underlying message and personal transformation of Norton's character should be considered the pillars of this film.
Unfortunately, the most impressive thing about the movie was the way Norton changed his body for the role.
My 9/10 rating is because "American History X" is very well done in every way, except that it seems that when Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) started spouting out the anti-Semitic diatribe, they should have asked him what became of his humanity.
A white supremacist Derek (Edward Norton) is sent to jail for brutally killing two black men who try to steal his car.
The only bad acting was by Avery Brooks--but he's not really a main character so it doesn't really hurt the film.Some of the sequences in here were very difficult to watch (the attack on the store, the prison sequences and the finale) but they're meant to be that way.
It stars Edward Norton and Edward Furlong, and co-stars Fairuza Balk, Stacy Keach, Elliott Gould, Avery Brooks, Ethan Suplee and Beverly D'Angelo.In a shocking opening scene, teen Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) races to tell his older brother, neo-Nazi Derek (Edward Norton), about the young blacks breaking into his car in front of the house, whereupon Derek gets his gun and with no forethought shoots the youths in their tracks.
The acting is great all around, and Edward Norton gives one of the best performances of all time.
Edward Norton does an excellent job as Derek Vinyard, a venomous, hateful leader of a local gang of skinheads.The movie takes a singular look at a young man who is entrenched in the White Supremist movement, then how he emerged from that life, and even how he started down that path to begin with.
But the movie also shows the interaction between the Whites and Blacks in the 'hoods of L.A. There was by no means an angelic depiction of the African-Americans in this film.
A few of the blacks shown were thugs who in part helped shape the views that Derek and his brother Danny (Edward Furlong) held as White Supremists, but there were also a couple of key African-American characters that helped to reshape the views of Derek and Danny."American History X" made sure to do it right and make it true to life.
This was no "Mississippi Burning" or "Rosewood" detailing events of the past, rather this was a movie showing the present, the good and bad in both parties, and the different ways people can be reformed..
If you want to be obnoxious and confrontational to the white folks, and go around shooting them through the head for no good reason, that is understandable because they are all probably horrid racists and deserve it.This film should be burned along with the small-minded chumps that made it..
I really appreciated how those associated with this excellent film refused to pull any punches in showing the life of a young skin-head so ably portrayed by Edward Norton.
This is the story of a neo-Nazi named Derek who repents and gets out of prison just in time to save his kid brother Danny, who is going down the same skinhead path.
Much of the greatest pieces of art in the history if cinema rated lower than this, which tells me the moral message pulled on heart strings.It deserved a 6, why can't people be objective?Americans obviously have a more sensitive approach to race relations but there is a big world outside of the USA and we for the most part have come a long way.The transition from an evil ideology seems to have happened simply after watching a fellow NeoNazi do business with other races in prison, this quickly followed by a rape caused a humbling of the protagonist.
Edward Norton, one of the world's most versatile film actors, gives another staggering performance, as does Edward Furlong as his younger brother.
If your going to make a movie about black / white neo racism you need to come up with something better than this.
Controversial subjects usually make for interesting movies, and American History X courts controversy in so many ways by examining neo-Nazis, racism, prison violence, and school violence all in the same movie.
So American History X is a very interesting film, but it is executed so haphazardly that it becomes hard to enjoy, and it loses most of its potential and some of its power in the process.The film examines the life and crimes of Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) through the eyes of his younger brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), both whom are "involved" in the neo-nazi movement.
Further questioning and thought is provoked by the movie's ending, which is both beautiful and shocking in such an odd way that it almost makes the whole film worthwhile.It is obvious that this film is unashamed to say what it wants to say.
'American History X' is a decent but flawed drama about Derek, a former neo-Nazi who, after serving time in prison for the murder of a black man, reforms himself and tries to prevent his younger brother, Danny, from following in his footsteps.
The film cuts back and forth between the past and present, showing us what Derek used to be like and the path that his younger brother is at risk of going down.It's a solid drama and an interesting enough watch, but with an average rating of 8.5 it's also massively overrated.
I do think, however, that they could have selected a better actor to play the younger brother, Danny, but that is a nit pick, the actor in the film did fine but I just think someone could have given a more compelling dramatic performance.Overall, what I loved most about the film was the fact that it shows racism for what it is, something that is taught, how naïve people can be led to believe anything if their circumstances call for it.
Edward Norton's compelling and powerful performance of a highly misguided neo-nazi convict is a gripping and highly convincing one, and alongside Edward Furlong, this is an unmissable but hauntingly true interpretation by Tony Kaye that really brings home a message that's stuck with me forever.Whether it was just a cleverly written script, a good director or an excellent cast, I'll never know but what ever it is, it works and it works very well.Both Edward's reflect their prime ability to act with their portrayal of a fractured background and how it's influenced their behaviours and attitudes.
While his prison scenes should have been the most powerful part of the movie, they just felt like a waste of time (and using B&W for the past is such an embarrassingly Hollywood device).Secondly, the script is just terrible.
When I first came across the movie American History X it was while I was looking through Edward Nortons films on his profile.
The flashback scenes are in black and white to firstly make it clear when the time period is and arguably also to show the darkness that was consuming Edward Nortons character when following the neo-nazi way of life that he did for so long.
Edward Norton himself also adds to this effect and his performance makes it seem like he is playing two separate characters.
His brother in the movie 'Danny' is played by Edward Furlong who gives a very gripping performance as we see his character change his ways completely in front of our eyes.
The slow motion shots of dripping water in the shower, made you really feel the exhaustion and fatigue felt by the characters.Overall, the general reason as to why 'American History X' is the purpose of film, is due to the fact that it exposes its audience to confronting aspects of our world.
this is a movie that shows you both sides, it makes you think and changes the way you look at life and judge others.
As a conclusion, I am shocked to see that Americans consider this movie as controversial and a good thinking about their racial issues..
Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) returns from prison to discover that his younger brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), has been following in his footsteps, living the neo-Nazi life of racism and violence that landed Derek in prison.
Dealing bravely with issues of supremacy and racism, American History X goes where few films ever attempt to go, and it does it perfectly.Edward Norton gives his strongest dramatic performance, playing a very believable, supremacist older brother reformed by experiences in prison.
Edward Furlong plays an equally realistic, impressionable younger brother.If you can see past the swearing and violence, which is SUPPOSED to leave you feeling dirty, then you can see the real message of this fantastic film.
I love how you watch the 2 main characters evolve into the people they become at the end of the movie.
The story of how Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) tries to get his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) out of the neo-Nazi life is multi-layered, intelligent and emotional.
Not only is the story great, the performances in the movie are phenomenal, especially Edward Norton.
Unflinchingly brutally frank look at racism in America wnd the skinhead/neo-Nazis in particular led by a fireball, Oscar nominated performance by Norton as the eldest son of a family whose hatred beliefs turn inside out after a prison stint, and a chance to redeem himself by saving his younger, impressionable brother (Furlong) with only tragedy looming on the horizon.
American History X is an excellent movie on the effects of hate and what hate feels like.
This Film Is All About Edward Norton's Performance.
He's great, but the movie is a bit of a hot mess.Norton plays a skinhead who goes to prison for a vile crime and comes out a reformed man, determined to see that his little brother (Edward Furlong) doesn't go down the same path he did.
It is hard to believe that within a couple of hours, Edward Norton could turn from a skinhead killer into a noble big brother to Edward Furlong who also showed his abilities in this movie.
First off the most obvious thing about this movie that makes it so great is the acting, and I don't mean just Edward Norton I mean the entire cast.
The cast of this movie is really great and make it so believable.That said obviously Edward Norton is the heart of this film.
Because of this movie I love Edward Norton as an actor he truly has a very strong talent for acting and he has all of his strengths on show in this heartbreaking truthful tale of racism and skinheads.First off this film is very dark, sad, and disturbing.
There is Edward Norton's versatile performance and some good looking Cinematography and it is all in support of a sociological/psychological problem that is forever haunting the American Dream.It is a confusing and only slightly believable, if powerful, story of racism and hatred.
Edward Norton is a brilliant actor..and i believe that this is his best performance. |
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