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tt0472043 | Apocalypto | It is the early 16th century, somewhere in the Central American jungle. A tapir runs frantically through the forest before it springs a trip wire trap and is impaled on a swinging branch full of spikes. Young Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) puts the tapir out of its misery and eagerly divides its internal organs between his fellow hunters; Curl Nose (Amilcar Ramírez), Smoke Frog (Israel Contreras), and Cocoa Leaf (Israel Ríos). Blunted (Jonathan Brewer) receives the tapir's testicles as the brunt of a joke since he and his wife have yet to have any children. Jaguar Paw's father, Flint Sky (Morris Birdyellowhead) offers some remedial help, giving Blunted some red leaves that he instructs him to use the next time he and his wife try.They are soon interrupted by a band of refugees passing through the forest, looking downtrodden. One of them, a fisherman (Hiram Soto), addresses Jaguar Paw and explains that their village was attacked and that they are seeking a new beginning. They exchange food before the group moves on, though Jaguar Paw is keen to know more about what happened. His father silences him and they return to their village. Just before they get back, Flint Sky explains to his son that the refugees were infected with fear and that it should not be brought into the village to fester.Jaguar Paw goes to his hut and admires his small son, Turtles Run (Carlos Emilio Báez), before greeting his very pregnant wife, Seven (Dalia Hernández). Blunted returns to his wife, Sky Flower (Iazua Larios), whose mother (María Isabel Díaz) impatiently tells him to hurry and give her grandchildren. Moments after entering their hut, Blunted runs out screaming and holding his privates before seating himself in a water trough. Flint Sky falls to the ground laughing, as the leaves he gave Blunted were meant to cause a burning sensation when rubbed. Blunted yells at him but starts laughing with everyone else. That night, an old storyteller (Espiridion Acosta Cache) tells how man once received gifts from the forest until the forest had nothing left to give. The villagers begin to play music and dance but Jaguar Paw's mind is distracted until Seven brings him back.The following morning, Jaguar Paw wakes early from a dream and notices fire torches quickly approaching the village. Warriors appear, igniting huts and apprehending the villagers. Jaguar Paw takes his wife and son and puts them in a deep cistern to hide. He ties a rope to a nearby rock so that they can climb out again before running back to the village to help, killing a raider along the way. However, the village is soon overrun. Blunted is held down while Sky Flower is forced into a hut where she is presumably raped and killed. Jaguar Paw attempts to free his father but is knocked down by a raider. Middle Eye (Gerardo Taracena), a raider nearly killed by Jaguar Paw, nicknames him 'Almost'. Flint Sky tells his son not to be afraid as Middle Eye props him up and slits his throat. All the surviving captives are tied up and led away, attached to each other on long poles while the children of the village are left with none but the dead for company. As the Holcane hunting party leads the captives into the forest, one of them, Snake Ink (Rodolfo Palacios), notices Jaguar Paw looking towards the cistern as they pass. Snake Ink investigates but does not notice Seven and Turtles Run. He is, however, suspicious of the rope dangling into the hole and cuts it.The fierce-looking leader of the Holcanes, Zero Wolf (Raoul Max Trujillo), reunites with his son Cut Rock (Ricardo Diaz Mendoza) who has suffered a bruising blow to the head, swelling his right eye shut. Zero Wolf cuts lines into his brow to release the pressure of blood, allowing his son to see again. The party meets up with a second raiding group which has caught the band of refugees seen the day before. Jaguar Paw recognizes the fisherman as the two groups are led further into the forest, followed by the children of the two clans. As they cross a raging river, the children are halted by the water. The eldest girl cries out that the children are hers now and she will take care of them. That night as they camp, Zero Wolf gives his son a large dagger which he says has killed many men. It is a symbol of Cut Rock's manhood, proven by the successful raid. Blunted laments and promises to take as many captors with him to Hell if he does not find his Sky Flower there.The next day, while treading a narrow path on a cliff, Cocoa Leaf, severely injured in the village raid, looses his footing and dangles over the edge. Jaguar Paw and the others manage to pull him back onto the path while Middle Eye watches with interest and goads them to regain their footing. He then cuts Cocoa Leaf free of his binds and shoves him over the cliffside. Zero Wolf berates him for losing one of their captives though Middle Eye asserts he was only dead weight. Still, Middle Eye dares not argue further and assures not to repeat his actions before walking beside Jaguar Paw, taunting him and again calling him 'Almost'.As they near civilization, the party crosses through a deforested area and failed maize crops where villagers lay dead, decimated by a plague. A small girl, sick and with sores on her face and hands, approaches the party but, when Snake Ink forcefully pushes her away, suddenly looks towards Jaguar Paw with a blank expression. She then looks at Snake Ink and prophesies their doom, warning of a man who brings blackness of night and a jaguar, is reborn of mud and earth, and who will bring those that will cancel out the sky and 'scratch you out'. She says that this man is among them now. The party moves on as she continues to call to them.They enter a city where workers toil in limestone quarries, covered white by the excess and spreading quick lime over buildings. A worker coughs blood and an old man approaches the captives, drooling and begging for help. He is kicked away by a Holcane and told to die with dignity. The women captives are separated from the men and are sold as slaves. Blunted watches as his mother-in-law is auctioned but rejected due to her age. She is freed to wander and she follows Blunted as far as she can go, touching his arm assuredly before closing her eyes against a pillar, helpless.The men are led through a tunnel where they see pictures on the walls depicting human sacrifices. Women paint their bodies blue as they are led to the top of a step pyramid. The heads of victims are tossed down the steps and collected in baskets at the bottom. Jaguar watches as the first captive (José Suárez) is sacrificed, his heart ripped out and his head severed. The same fate befalls Curl Nose before Jaguar Paw is brought to the sacrificial pedestal. Seemingly accepting his fate, he waits until the high priest (Fernando Hernandez) stops due to a solar eclipse. The priest announces to the clamoring crowd that their god is pleased and begs for the sun to come back. However, the priest and the Mayan leaders are well aware that the eclipse will eventually pass; they use the celestial events to wield power over the public and their enemies. He then instructs Zero Wolf to get rid of the other captives.Jaguar Paw and the others are taken to an old ball court where they are instructed to run the length in pairs towards the forest at the end with a cynical promise of freedom should they make it. Cut Rock runs ahead to the end of the court as a 'finisher' and it becomes clear that the captives are to be used as target practice. Blunted and Smoke Frog are the first to run, but Blunted is speared in the lower back and Smoke Frog is hit with a large stone before being finished by Cut Rock. Next, Jaguar Paw and the fisherman are told to flee. Jaguar Paw's necklace is ripped off by Middle Eye and thrown into the dirt; a dark omen, before he runs. Though they evade most of the projectiles, the fisherman is shot through the head by Snake Ink's arrow and Jaguar Paw is impaled through his side, falling near Blunted. Before Cut Rock can finish him, Blunted lunges and grabs Cut Rock by the leg, buying Jaguar Paw some time. Cut Rock kills Blunted with a single blow to the head but Jaguar Paw breaks off the arrow head in his own body and stabs Cut Rock in the neck. Cut Rock stumbles as Jaguar Paw stands, removes the arrow shaft from his side, and runs into the forest.Zero Wolf runs to his son and coaxes him into eternal sleep. As his son dies in his arms, Zero Wolf takes back his dagger and puts his son's necklace into his belt before running after Jaguar Paw, bent on revenge. The other holcanes follow him. Jaguar Paw runs through a corn crop and falls into a mass open grave filled with the remains of thousands of sacrificial victims. He runs across the decaying bodies into the jungle, where he climbs a tree and hides, blood still dripping from his wound. The holcanes run past beneath him. When they are gone, he turns to see a black jaguar cub growling at him. He hears a louder roar behind him and turns to see the threatening mother jaguar. Meanwhile, the holcanes stop, realizing they have lost Jaguar Paw's trail. One of them notices blood on Middle Eye's shoulder and they backtrack, keeping their eyes to the trees. They soon see Jaguar Paw running through the forest and Speaking Wind (Marco Antonio Argueta) pursues him. As their paths merge in a clearing, Speaking Wind is attacked by the jaguar that was chasing Jaguar Paw. He is viciously mauled to death before the others arrive and kill the jaguar.Drunkards Four (Bernardo Ruiz) dislikes the bad omen associated with killing the jaguar while Snake Ink remembers the strange child's prophecy and remind him it was foretold. Zero Wolf hushes them all, eager to find and kill Jaguar Paw. The chase lasts through the night and into morning. At one point, Drunkards Four approaches a tree where blue paint which Jaguar Paw rubbed onto the tree, but he is bitten in the neck by an asp. Hanging Moss (Ariel Galvan) advises him to blood let for a quicker death. As the holcanes eventually catch up to Jaguar Paw, he is cornered and forced to leap over the edge of a high waterfall. He survives and stands on the riverbank, calling out to the holcanes that this is his forest and his descendants will continue to hunt in it. Impatient, Zero Wolf stabs Snake Ink when he suggests climbing down rather than jumping. Buzzard Hook (Ammel Rodrigo Mendoza) is the first to jump, but dies when he hits his head on a submerged rock. The others are luckier and continue their pursuit.As he flees, Jaguar Paw lands in a muddy sinkhole, but manages to climb out. After he does so, he pauses and decides that he is not afraid and will no longer run. As the holcanes approach, Jaguar Paw, covered in black mud, confronts them and tosses a live wasps' hive at them, instigating the wasps to attack. Jaguar Paw runs towards a stream where he finds a poison arrow frog and collects its venom on a few large thorns. He runs in a circle and hides in the reeds, waiting for the holcanes as thunder rolls overhead.Meanwhile, Seven attempts to escape the cistern by tossing a stalactite to the surface with the rope attached to it. She manages to climb halfway, but the rock dislodges, causing her to fall. Though she is barely hurt, her water breaks from the trauma.As the holcanes pass Jaguar Paw's hiding place, he takes a large leaf and rolls it into a blowgun. He fires his darts at Hanging Moss, already weakened by the wasp stings. As Hanging Moss falls to the ground, his cries attract Middle Eye, who runs back. Middle Eye comes face to face with Jaguar Paw and they run at each other, each eying the bludgeon that Hanging Moss dropped. Middle Eye swings his own as they approach each other and Jaguar Paw barely manages to duck, suffering a mild blow to the head. As he slides under Middle Eye's attack, Jaguar Paw picks up Hanging Moss' bludgeon and rises to strike Middle Eye in the temple. Middle Eye calls him Almost one last time as Jaguar Paw kills him with a blow under the chin. It suddenly begins to rain and Jaguar Paw races to the cistern, knowing that it will soon fill with water. Zero Wolf and the remaining holcanes, Monkey Jaw (Carlos Ramos) and Ten Peccary (Richard Can), see Middle Eye's body and Jaguar Paw racing into the forest. Enraged, Zero Wolf outruns the other two in his pursuit. Jaguar Paw gets to the cistern to find it filling with water and Seven in labor, screaming for him to hurry. An arrow narrowly misses Jaguar Paw and he runs into the jungle as Zero Wolf closes in. Monkey Jaw and Ten Peccary pause by the cistern to see Seven and Turtles Run at the bottom before resuming the chase.Jaguar Paw stops at a specific spot in the forest that he recognizes and turns to face Zero Wolf who shoots an arrow into his shoulder. Though wounded, Jaguar Paw stands, waits, and watches as Zero Wolf charges at him with his dagger drawn. Zero Wolf fails to notice a trip wire and sets off the tapir trap, becoming impaled on its sharp spikes. He dies as Monkey Jaw and Ten Peccary arrive. They chase Jaguar Paw to the beach where he collapses from exhaustion. When they catch up with him, they stop, staring at the sea where a small fleet of Spanish ships is anchored. Soldiers and missionaries are rowing to shore in small boats. Mesmerized, Monkey Jaw and Ten Peccary approach the shoreline while Jaguar Paw races back to the cistern. He finds that Seven has just given birth and pulls his family out of the cistern.Later, when the rain stops, Jaguar Paw carries his newborn son, followed by Seven and Turtles Run. They look back towards the Spanish ships and Seven asks if they should go to them. Jaguar Paw says that they should, instead, go to the forest and seek a new beginning. | suspenseful, cruelty, murder, realism, violence, horror, atmospheric, psychedelic, action, revenge, historical, sadist, prank | train | imdb | Whatever problems you might have with Gibson, from his personal politics to his previous work, there is no denying the determination of his vision, or the sheer sense of daring and imagination in attempting to pull off a project of this size and pitch; taking elements of an already well-documented real life civilisation and abstracting it for the purposes of dramatic tension, to create a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience that genuinely takes us to a world that we've never before experienced on film.In my opinion, it is the very essence of cinema; developing a story and reducing it to the most simple and iconic of images, placing the emphasis on family and a race for survival, and all captured with a skillful combination of design, editing, music, performance, choreography, photography and character.
Admittedly, you could always argue that the narrative is secondary to the atmosphere that Gibson and his crew so skilfully create, and yet, it is no less affecting or exciting as we come to know and respect these characters through the film's rich and amusing opening sequences - filled with a great sense of character and warmth - as well as a fairly pointed visual metaphor in the killing of an animal that will come to prefigure the subsequent actions of the final film.
To counter some of the criticisms levelled against Gibson by historians and scholars alike, it is worth taking into consideration the subtle way in which the director plays with the notions of myths and legends; creating a heightened atmosphere of continual stylisation that stresses the influence of a film like Apocalypse Now (1979) or Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972), with the fevered madness of the jungle giving way to an unforgettable depiction of the Maya civilisation as an infernal hell on earth.The film can also be read as a story-within-a-story construct, in which the film we see becomes an extension of the folktales being told by the tribe's elder as the men sit quietly around the campfire in the scenes directly preceding the carnage.
More fascinating than even that, however, is the notion of the film as a prolonged nightmare; with the scene of the initial massacre beginning immediately after Jaguar Paw awakes from a particularly frightening dream, rife with subtle allusions and a sub-textual foreshadowing to certain themes further developed throughout the rest of the film.For me, this interpretation makes a great deal of sense, with the opening sequences laying the foundation for Jaguar Paw's dream - as we are introduced to the ideas of family, loyalty, honour, death, fear and survival - and all represented by the image of the neighbouring villagers fleeing their homes and moving through the jungle as if escaping some foreboding evil; perhaps a foreshadowing to the plague subtext that will appear later?
Gibson's direction is faultless here; extending on the visual landscape and hyper-real approach to time and presentation that was developed in his previous film, the flawed though no less memorable The Passion of the Christ (2004), and continuing the idea of developing and exploring an entirely believable cinematic netherworld with roots in actual, documented fact.Here, the controversial approach to accuracy and truth should be overlooked; after all, the film isn't attempting documentary realism, as anyone who has experienced the film will know.
And though some have complained that the film's ending involves an historical inaccuracy, I think there was more than enough reason to put it in.There's a strong story that reminded me of other Third World folklore I've read, only better.
I think if Hollywood is up in arms it ought to be because Gibson is making them look inept.But as to this particular subject matter, there's no doubt in my mind that what fascinates most Anglos about the Aztecs and the Maya is the idea of human sacrifice.
I do not think movies get any better than this.I did note that the cynics said this film reflects Gibson' penchant for violence...?
Though I had no interest in the subject, I took a risk and just came back from seeing Mel Gibson's new flick and it is an exciting adventure which engages from the start with touches of humor that allow us to relate to the characters rather than hold them at a distance.The accusation that it portrays the people unfairly has no merit.
One can't help but feel supremely involved with this movie, as the viewer is lead through a vivid culture and world of which I personally believe (although perhaps not historically accurate) produced an accurate image of life and its intricacies.
This film simply more accurately depicts the events that take place during such trying times, and it is this unrelenting quality that I believe the majority of viewers who do not like this movie are maladaptive to.
I wouldn't pin it especially on the Maya.The spoken Mayan language (Yucatec), the actors and the incredible detail is what gives "Apocalypto" its air of authenticity and positively distinguishes it from "Hollywood" cinema in the bad sense, where foreigners still speak in broken English rather than in subtitles.
Against my better judgment I bought a ticket, fully prepared to be duped by Gibson once again.Mel, if you're reading this, all is forgiven."Apocalypto" is one of the most exciting, suspenseful, and original films I've ever seen.
I would be highly surprised if this did well at the box office due to the extreme gore, other language language(Americans don't like subtitles), long running time, and of course the now infamous name of Mel Gibson attached.
And despite having only worked on a few projects involving the Maya, I am well aware of the vast cinematic license used in Apocalypto - as well as the many aspects of Mayan life that the film's creators got right.
Rather, I want to appreciate the film for exactly what it is - an entertaining and heroic story set in ancient Mesoamerica with the usual Mel Gibson attention to atmospheric use of details.
Unlike some of Gibson's recent films, Apocalypto is a fairly straightforward adventure story with a lot of brutal action.
It also hints at subtle but intelligent critique of religious fanaticism, elitism and classism, and displays a great respect (though not exaggerated, worshipful or patronizing) for the living culture it loosely portrays.Acting: A Directing: A Cinematography: A+ Sets: A Costumes: A+ Story: BScript: B Historical Accuracy: C- (but who cares?)Worth seeing for adventure fans, and fans of ancient warfare films.
APOCALYPTO is obviously not historically accurate, anymore than the Myths of Odysseus (Ulysses), or Helen of Troy, or King Arthur are historically accurate.The film is not meant to be taken literally, it is told as a legend, and is a parable for the destruction of a culture from within by greed and blood lust.This is made clear with a quote which comes up before the story begins.I have never liked any of Mel Gibson's other films, but APOCALYPTO is a brilliant film all the way around-- acting, directing, cinematography, costumes, production design, you name it.It's the one film Gibson should have gotten the Oscar for, certainly not the overrated BRAVEHEART..
That is the feel and texture of this movie.Set during the final days of the great Mayan empire, starting out in the vast jungles, we meet a group of villagers who live in a world of tranquil serenity.
But the context of the blood letting is all in the story-- in fact, I'd say this: in my opinion, there is not one drop of gratuitous blood in this whole movie.Also, and bet your bottom dollar on this-- thank God for Mel Gibson and his independent streak!
Secondly, there may indeed be some minor authenticity problems (such as architecture, time-line issues, etc.), but they are not glaring IMO and they certainly don't detract from the story or disrupt belief.The look and feel of the film is brilliant, and it truly makes you believe that this is a different time and place, as opposed to some Hollywood period piece with the flavor-of-the-month "A" list celebrity as the main attraction.
That doesn't mean that the film is simple, but that the film has incredible non-stop action that will tell a story just as much as the sub-titles.And don't believe those idiot "I hate the Jew-hater Mel Gibson" crowd.
Two and a half hours of reading subtitles is about my limit and I'd really like to see Mel Gibson do a movie in English for a change.
The only thing I did not like about the movie was the cinematography, it was amateur at best, a lot of moving shots, and extreme close ups, in some parts of the movie I thought I was watching a student film, but that's only in some shots.
This is the very best of Mel Gibson, on par with Braveheart, but to me, even more impressive given the subject matter and the new ground broken by this film..
You know whats going to happen long before it does, and when it does, it looks good, but it's still not very fulfilling.The hype overstates the violence, which really isn't that graphic nor prolific and what there is fits within the story, nothing is gratuitous, neither does it do anything for the plot.To sum it up, this is a glorified chase movie, unfortunately the chase doesn't begin until over an hour in and even then you know exactly how it will end.If you enjoy cinematography then this is a treat.
To all those historians who gave this movie 1 star because it was all "lies" and "the Spaniards came a hundred years later" and "Mel's confusing the cultures of Mayan and Aztec", go read in the library and don't come out until you have enough facts to satisfy you with.
As it seems, there is a specific group of people who are ideologically unfit to judge Mel's work with fairness
I believe the movie has lots to say but the basic message for me was "Don't be afraid." This message should be targeted right at the heart of Americans who are, according to Michael Morre's "Bowling for Columbine", the Nation with the highest fear factor, leaving far behind every other civilized nation in the "murders per inhabitant ratio" and being ready to follow their "leaders" in whatever bloody war they ask them to fight.
Mel Gibson was most definitely "off the wagon" during the making of his insanely entertaining Mayan epic "Apocalypto." Sometimes you need a slightly crazy director to make a truly engaging action film.Mel Gibson lives in a black and white world where the lines between good and evil are as clear as night and day.
The acting, all amateurs, is surprisingly good and a big plus for the film.Of course, what people come to see is the barbarism and violence that has become the signature of a Gibson production.
Combine that with fantastically paced foot chase scenes and a gritty earthy feel to the set designs, costumes, and makeup and you get a top notch period piece action adventure film.Gibson only vaguely alludes to the greatness of the actual Mayan civilization.
Mel Gibson makes himself a name as a director with movies like Braveheart and Passion, but this one is his best.The Cinematography is beautiful.
At heart, "Apocalypto" is a bombastic adventure film, great on the action, beautiful and grotesque at the same time, occasionally trashy (with a few outlandish moments, such as a hilarious birth scene), but boasting a proud, unique identity.Definitely worth seeing!.
As someone with roots in Southern Mexico, I have always been fascinated by the Mayan culture and was excited when I heard that Mel Gibson was making a film about their demise.
Don't allow yourself to be put off by the subtitles nor the recent comments made by Mel Gibson, nor should you be too put off by the harrowing scenes of gore and violence, as they are in context with the plot and the cultures depicted in the film, for if you do, you will be denying yourself a truly thrilling and utterly enjoyable spectacle of a movie.Stunningly shot, and brilliantly acted my in the most part a cast making their first acting experiences, the film will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, I had read many positive reviews of the film prior to watching, but still watched with an open mind, and was spellbound.Mel Gibson may have his faults, but as a director and storyteller, he excels, I was a massive fan of Braveheart, and for me this movie takes the enjoyment to a new level, a career best, although the film does suggest that it "borrows" from other movies in part, it has the feel of something very unique, certainly a film to watch again and again and will be a welcome addition to my DVD collection..
Despite the bloody scenes and the depiction of the Maya civilization as a rather aggressive and primitive culture, I have to say that one can take better messages out of this movie.For me, it was the strength of LOVE that saves us at the end of the day, the thought that even if we, humans, can be very destructive, there will always be strong people in this world to carry on with hope.
The movie is portraying the ancient world of Mesoamerican people, as well as tracking the end of the ancient civilizations, through the story of Jaguar's Paw - a captured warrior in a rescue to his family.Few things to point out about this movie: -This is action story narrated in good way -Very good music -Very good photography -Wonderful recreation of the ancient life -Not so bloody as described, but not for kids Now few details.Note: Previously, about this movie I wrote "Not historically precise", but now take my words back, since I learned, that both Mayas, Aztecs and Incas were conquered by the Spanish conquistadors.
I could go on and on about it, about how people are saying it's too violent, or it's not historically correct or about Mel Gibson being "nuts" these days, but I'm not, I'm writing this to tell you that it's a great film.
It is centric around one character in particular (i.e. Jaguar Paw) and how he tries his best to survive the brutal incidents that happened on his people.I don't know really if those killings and brutality that I saw in the movie is what the 'Maya' people used to do before their civilization was ended long time ago.
The movie is great and I think that is more than enough and whether this brutality actually occurred or not is really disturbing the greatness of this movie
so I say this: Look into this movie from an artistic eye and forget what people say about its morality because once you do that, you are going to enjoy it as much as I did.Mel Gibson really did a great job on this one
The direction couldn't be more beautiful
It really shows you what you need to see and nothing else
The evolvement of the characters as they grow more hatred and vengeance towards each other can be a hard thing to show and point out.
I am speechless after watching the new Mel Gibson movie Apocalypto.
Im basically just letting you know that if you are looking for something to dream of to look no further.Some PEOPLE think the movie falls short in the story, as in too little happens, well considering THEY recently watched LOTR or "Sin city" that may be an illegal and dumb type of parallel.
If this film does not win the Oscar for best cinematography I will be unhappy.Apocalypto may seem a little superhuman and over-the-top at times, but if you can just sort of ignore that small flaw and enjoy everything else about it, it is hands down one of, if not the best movie of 2006.Mel Gibson is certainly a very disturbed man...but, and I know many will disagree, I am willing to put behind his outbursts, accept his apology, and enjoy his stunning films.10/10..
It's a very well done and thought out film with very good action and suspense.Mel Gibson is a good director, he may be insane in real life but no one can deny that he knows how to make a film(I feel like that episode of South Park right now).
It is easily Mel Gibson's the best work so far and I am sure the film will grow in reputation as the years pass.
Plus I loved the fact that Mel Gibson made this movie to show some of the Mayan history which is not really represented in much of America unless you read books and watch documentaries.
Film Review of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto & Relevance to Sociology.
In the past Mel Gibson has done some entertaining films from his Mad Max and Lethal Weapon franchise to Payback and The Patriot, but as a director he has excelled from films like Braveheart to The Pasion Of The Christ And now Apocalypto and what a great movie it is.In the twilight of the Mayan culture, Jaguar Paw and some of his village natives is captured and taken to the mysterious Mayan city, where he faces a disturbing and untimely end.
In addition to this I felt the casting and acting was spot-on, especially since a lot of the actors were unknown and probably relatively inexperienced.Through a combination of great acting, casting and cinematography, the movie really provides to the viewer, a true sense of the nature of the emotions that Jaguar Paw and his friends are experiencing throughout their ordeal.Maximum credit to Mel Gibson for having the balls to do a film like this.
This was by far, hands down the best movie Mel Gibson has made.
After 'Passion of Christ' I was expecting another masterpiece, but Apocalypto has taken Mel Gibson even further towards one of the best film makers of our time. |
tt0129686 | Hornblower: The Even Chance | The film opens with seventeen-year-old Midshipman Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) coming aboard the HMS Justinian He is greeted by fifteen-year-old Midshipman Archie Kennedy (Jamie Bamber) and is introduced to Lieutenant Eccleston (Robert Bathurst) and Lieutenant Chadd (Roger May) who both welcome him aboard. Eccleston orders that Kennedy take Hornblower to the midshipman corner, and Kennedy does so. However, the midshipman's welcome is not as warm as that of Eccleston, Chadd, and Kennedy. Midshipman Cleveland (Frank Boyce) and Midshipman Hether (Richard Lumsden) are VERY rude to the younger midshipman. However, Midshipman Clayton (Duncan Bell) pays them no mind and asks Hornblower how old he is. Hornblower says he is seventeen, Hether automatically taunts this fact and says he highly doubts he knows the difference between "a hat and a hanging" and Hornblower says he doesn't, but he'll be sure it's the first thing he looks up. Clayton finds this funny, Hornblower excuses himself and suffers a spell of seasickness. Clayton gets him into a hammock and strips of his overcoat, throwing a blanket over Hornblower's weak body. Hornblower begs his pardon, Clayton assures him and tells him to lie quiet until he feels himself again. Hornblower falls asleep after a horrible first day.Hornblower wakes a bit later than expected the next morning, much to Eccleston's notice. Kennedy whispers to Hornblower that "the captain is coming aboard" and Clayton remarks that if ever a man was wrongly named it would most defintely be Captain Keene, due to his frail appearance. Hornblower whispers his gratitude to...Clayton who tells the young Midshipman that he should not mind Hether and Cleveland, that it is only their way and they'll get use to him. At that moment, the whistle blows and Captain Keene (Michael Byrne) is welcomed aboard. He calls Hornblower to his cabin and tells him that he was good friends with his father and asks about his health, Hornblower tells him that he is well enough. Keene laughs at the fact that "a son of a doctor" is surviving in the British navy, he asks Hornblower about his schooling and the only fact that Hornblower can offer is that he was a Grecian (an expert in the Greek language). Keene tells him if he minds his duties and does as he is told that no harm will come to him, he dismisses Hornblower. The same night, the men are settling down for the night with wine and music. Clayton plays his fiddle as Hether tells Horatio about the Indys, and that it is surely the place to be with its "clear blue skies and waters to" Hornblower says he would love to see it, Cleveland says he may if they can get off the Justinina one day. The dreaming and smiles ends abruptly when a shadow appears, a voice scowls "You are in my seat" the figure whom steps out of the shadows is none other than bullying Midshipman Jack Simpson (Dorian Healy). One of the midshipman quickly gets up from his seat at the head of the table, Simpson takes it for him. Simpson asks why nobdoy cheered for his return, Cleveland says that they never thought he would return. Simpson seems slightly offended by this comment. Hether asks Simpson about his comission, Simpson simply tells him it was "refused." Hether says it was probably bad luck, Simpson says it was indeed bad luck and that due to this Lieutenant Jack Simpson is now lowly Midshipman Jack Simpson as he remarks sarcastically that he is at their services. Simpson finally notices Hornblower and asks his name and rank, Hornblower tells him both. Simpson asks what is on his plate, Hornblower says it's only mutton and ale. Simpson helps himself to Hornblower's food and drink, Hornblower says he had no right to do so. Simpson asks him if that is really true, there is a moment of silence. Simpson quietly asks for Kennedy, whom does not respond at first. Simpson shouts his name which finally snaps the young Midshipman out of his comatose-like trance. Simpson asks him if he has told Hornblower the rules, Kennedy shakes his head no and proceeds to do so. Only one rule: Every midshipman is to be sure that all fresh-cut meat and all the warm blankets go to Simpson. Hornblower asks to why they must do that, Kennedy says it's because he is a Senior Midshipman. Hornblower says they are all only midshipman, Simpson begs to differ. Hornblower says that regulations clearly do not say anything about "a senior midshipman" Simpson drives a dagger through the table and says that he "pisses on regulations!" Hornblower is clearly frightened, Simpson is right at his face when he tells him that this clearly a case of Mark Antony rendering unto Ceaser and he will leave Hornblower to decide who Caeser and who is to do the rendering. Clayton dives in to defend his friend and tells Simpson that Hornblower understands his meaning. Simpson backs off Hornblower and turns to Clayton, asking him to play a merry tune on his fiddle. Obviously afraid, Clayton obeys him. Simpson turns to Hornblower and tells him to "cut them a rug" Hornblower is still, Simpson orders again and Hornblower remains mum. By the third warning, Simpson has control of his temper yet again and Hornblower can no longer disobey. He stands to his feet and dances an Irish jig, after all that Simpson can only taunt Hornblower's horrible footing. Simpson turns to a deeply distracted Kennedy, and tells him that he will wake Hornblower every half hour in order to teach him a lesson. As night falls, all is calm and still until Kennedy suddenly has an uncontrollable seizure. Hornblower notices it and is instantly concerned, Simpson orders for Kennedy to shut up. Hornblower says he can't and tells Simpson that he is sick, Simpson could care less he only wants quiet. Hornblower kneels down to the floor and tries to calm Kennedy, Clayton joins him and says that it has started again and he had feared this would happen. Simpson tells Clayton that if Kennedy is unfit then he will take his duties in waking Hornblower, Clayton sorely agrees to the orders. Clayton and Hornblower move Kennedy back into his hammock, Clayton settles Kennedy until he is asleep once more, Clayton tells Kennedy that it was only a bad dream. Hornblower asks what ails him, Clayton turns to Horatio and shrugs "What ails us all." Throughout the night, Hornblower is awaken every half-hour just as Simpson instructed. It is a very sleepless night for the young man.The next morning, Hornblower steps onto a very wet deck and almost slips but thankfully catches himself. Out of nowhere, Seaman Styles (Sean Gilder) climbs down from the watchtower and tells Hornblower that Lieutenant Eccleston wants to see him up at the watchtower, Hornblower asks him if he is sure and Styles say he is. Hornblower begins to climb up to the watchtower, as Styles watches down below with a cheeky grin. Suddenly, Hornblower's foot slips and he is left clinging onto the net absolutely petrified. It really was a trick, Simpson smiles and climbs down from the watchtower. Hornblower begs for his help, Simpson (while a coldhearted scoundrel) decides to help him down. Later in the day, the Midshipmen (save Clayton) are being tutored in ways of directions and equations. Captain Keene checks Simpson's work first, and chuckles as he sarcastically remarks "We must all rejoice. The sources of the Nile have been discovered at last."What Keene can tell from Simpson's illerate scroll is that his ship is somewhere in Africa, Keene walks away from him obviously very dissapointed. Keene fails Cleveland, Hether, and Kennedy but not Hornblower who he describes as alone "amongst these intellectual giants" Keene orders Master Bowles (Colin MacLachlan) to be sure that Simpson pays further attention to his studies, he dismisses the midshipmen and walks away. Simpson watches Hornblower with a very displeasing look. Later that night, all seems calm and still even as Simpson enters the scene. Simpson says to Cleveland, Hether, and Kennedy that it is about time that they show the new Midshipmen the ropes, Simpson is ignored. Simpson there is no other candidate but Hornblower, he orders for Hether and Cleveland to clear off the table. Cleveland tries to protest, Simpson yells that they better do it or they WILL take his place. Hether and Cleveland quickly clean off the table, they force Hornblower onto it and hold him down. Simpson orders for a younger Midshipman to keep quiet, Simpson takes out rope and uses to strike Horatio's hide. Simpson tells Hornblower that he is a bit of dark horse for showing them up in front of Keene, he orders for Cleveland and Hether to turn Hornblower onto his back, they proceed to do so while Kennedy simply tunes the torture out and Clayton watches on helplessly. Simpson presses his body against Hornblower's, telling him that the purpose of this certain inquistion is for him to get to know him a bit better, he tells Hornblower that he knows all the Midshipmen and knows what knaws at their souls every night, he asks Hornblower what his dirty little secret is. He mockingly guesses that he is probably a homosexual ("fancier of other boys,perhaps") he snatches a locket off of Hornblower's neck and chuckles, he then asks if Hornblower's mother makes a living on her back. Hornblower is instantly offended and headbutts Simpson, only to have the older midshipman continously beat his head against the table and his body shoved to the floor. Simpson orders that he gets up, Hether tells Simpson that he has won and orders him to stop. Simpson continues to kick Hornblower repeatedelly, Cleveland pleads for him to stop or he will surely kill him. Simpson finally stops, Cleveland orders for Hornblower to stay down but the determined young man stands to his feet. Simpson punches him and continues to beat on the helpless Hornblower, out of nowhere a pistol is held to Simpson's head. It is Clayton's pistol, Clayton orders for Simpson to "stand off" Simpson nervously states that he has no quarrel with Clayton. Clayton again warns him to "stand off" or he will trim the wall with his brains, Simpson lays off Hornblower. Clayton orders for the Midshipmen to take Hornblower to Doctor Hepplewhite, they quickly proceed to do so. After they leave, Simpson tells Clayton how bold he is with a pistol in hand. Simpson whacks the weapon out of Clayton's hand, Clayton backs away. Simpson tells Clayton that he knows him for the coward that he really is, he tightens a rope around his knuckles. A sure sign that like Hornblower, Clayton suffered some form of abuse that same night.The next morning, Eccleston is searching for Hornblower when he finally finds him. He is obviously angry, he tells Hornblower that he gave him specfic orders before Eccleston can continue his outburst, Hornblower turns to his commander. Eccleston's anger instantly turns to concern when he see's just how brusied Hornblower's face is, Eccleston asks what happened. Hornblower lies and says he just lost his footing and fell down the stairs, Eccleston can clearly tell that it's a lie because all of his face is brusied. Eccleston asks him again, Hornblower is silent. Eccleston orders for him to tell him or he will deal with the situation in a more leninent manner, Hornblower again says that he only fell. Eccleston sighs, obviously given up, he tells Hornblower that he will see if a spell in the gratings can't teach him to tread more carefully. As Eccleston walks away, Simpson shoots Hornblower a most evil glare and walks away. As the rain pours, Hornblower is tied to a net in a crucifixion manner, in a voiceover when he hear him write a letter to his father. He tells him that he is truly happy in the letter. Which is clearly not true.The next day after the skies have cleared, Clayton approaches an emotionless Hornblower and offers him a mug of ale (with just a drop of grog), Hornblower is not responding. Clayton calls out to him, Hornblower can only say "death" Clayton is terribly confused. Hornblower tells Clayton that he was thinking on death, Clayton sighs and asks whose death he was thinking on, Hornblower says he was thinking on his own. Clayton suggests that Hornblower desert, Hornblower says even if he were to do that he would not be free and that would give Simpson victory and THAT would surely be worse than death. Hornblower suggests that somebody should stand against Simpson, Clayton warns that the beating that Simpson gave Hornblower was nothing in comparsion to the other terrible things that he is very well capable of. After finishing off his warning, Eccleston and Simpson approach the two. Eccleston tells them that Simpson is take to a party of men ashore and rendevou with Lieutenant Chalk of the HMS Golilath and he gives Hornblower the order to accompany them, Hornblower agrees. Simpson, Hornblower, and some other crewmembers of the Justinina meet up with Lieutenant Chalk (Oliver Montgomery) who asks whom Hornblower is. Simpson introduces him as Horatio Hornblower, or he is better known as the Midshipman who was seasick at Spithead. Chalk looks a bit relcutant to accept Hornblower after hearing this fact, he tells them that they are to keep watch until they come across their allies. A few hours later, it seems that Hornblower is the only one whom is keeping watch as Simpson is inside The Lamb Inn and having a drink, Hornblower steps inside. Simpson tells Hornblower to give a toast to someone, Hornblower quickly says to raise a glass to the King, Simpson only chuckles. Lieutenant Chalk arrives with one of his lieutenants, he tells them that while they wait for word if they would care to join him in a game of cards to pass the time. Both of the gentleman agree to do so. As the men play the card game Robber, Hornblower begins to swipe the winnings when Simpson tries to stop him but he still proceeds as he folds out his cards, saying that the rest are his. Simpson is confused. Chalk says that Hornblower had five tricks, he reminds Simpson that "the game is Robber. " Simpson is still confused, Hornblower says it is only a simple mathmetical caculation, Simpson mutters "He knows the back of the cards as well as he knows the front." Hornblower hears him and calls the remark out as an insult, Chalk defends Simpson and says Simpson can probably explain. Hornblower tells Chalk that he was accused of cheating at cards and that's a very hard thing to explain, Chalk continues to defend and says that Simpson was simply speaking subconciously and requests that the order another bottle of wine and drink it in the vanity of friendship. Hornblower says he will do, and with the great pleasure, if Simpson apologizes to him and admits that he spoke out of terms. Simpson smirks "Apologize to you? Never the sight of Hell." Hornblower asks Chalk and the fellow Lieutenant if they heard it for themselves, Simpson had just insulted Hornblower again and refused to apologize. Hornblower says that there is only way "that satisfaction can be given" now."A duel? Are you mad?!" Kennedy exclaims, Hornblower is back on the Justinina and has just told Kennedy and Clayton about his plans to challenge Simpson to a duel. Hornblower clearly tells Kennedy that this duel will be the end of it, whether he wins or loses he will be rid of Simpson either way. He notes that he has a pretty even chance of winning. Kennedy argues in saying that Simpson is the best shot in the Navy and that he will Hornblower for sure, Hornblower and Kennedy turn to Clayton who has remained mum. Clayton tells Hornblower that he will act as his second, of course but he must know if Hornblower has "fought a duel before." Kennedy turns to a silent Hornblower, it is pretty obvious that he has not fought in a duel beforehand. The next morning, Clayton stands on deck and takes a drink from his flask as the longboats pull out. Clayton see's a special tool and picks it up, he heads below deck and finds Hornblower bracing himself for the duel. Clayton asks if he is ready, Hornblower nods his head. Clayton sighs and draws a bit closer, he asks Hornblower if there is any way for him to change his mind, Hornblower shakes his head. Clayton sighs once more and asks for Hornblower to hand him his cloak, as Hornblower reaches for the wrapping he is knocked out cold by Clayton. In the woods, a carriage speeds to the sight of the duel. Two people step out of the carriage, Clayton and Kennedy. They approach Simpson, Hether, Cleveland and Doctor Hepplewhite (Simon Markey). Simpson asks where Hornblower is, Clayton tells Simpson that Hornblower has met with an "accident" and won't be able to fight in the duel. Simpson smirks in saying "You mean the little coward has pissed himself?" Clayton ignores the remark and tells them that his duties as Hornblower's second means he will stand proxy, Hepplewhite doesn't understand. Clayton tells him that he will fight in Hornblower's place, he says he won't however if Simpson chooses to remove his accusation against Hornblower, Simpson says he will never do that. Hepplewhite tells Clayton that this is most likely illegal, Clayton says whether it is legal or illegal that it would settle the matter and says that he is here and that Simpson is not afraid of him. Back on the Justinina, Hornblower regains concious and instantly knows what has happened, he races off. Back in the woods, Clayton and Simpson are about ten steps apart from each other and have their pistols in hand. Hepplewhite goes over the rules and asks the gentlemen if they are ready, Simpson and Clayton both say they are. Hepplewhite calls fire and both guns shoot off, Simpson is shot in the shoulder and falls to the ground bleeding. Clayton tells Simpson that he got him, not aware that he has blood coming from his own mouth. Clayton falls to his knees and collapses, blood is spouring from his gut. Moments later, Hornblower is seen racing towards The Lamb Inn through a snow-covered England. He hears shouts coming from inside and steps into the inn, he see's Hether and Cleveland patching up Simpson's shoulder so he is clearly not the one he heard yelling. Hornblower fears the worse. Cleveland points up stairs, Hornblower storms up the stairs and charges into an open room where he see's a bleeding Clayton and a very dismayed Kennedy and Hepplewhite. Hornblower goes to Clayton's bedside and takes his hand, Clayton apologizes for not killing Simpson, all of the sudden there are shouts from outside. Clayton asks what they are shouting about, Hornblower says he doesn't know and orders Kennedy to go outside and find out. Kennedy leaves the room, Hornblower sits on Clayton's bed and asks him the pretty obvious question: "why?" Clayton tells Hornblower that he was right, somebody needed to stand up to Simpson but it couldn't be a boy. Clayton lets out a cough as Hornblower frightfully looks to a sadden Hepplewhite for answers, Clayton continues in saying that Hornblower shamed him and that they could have cowered together and runned forever, Hornblower shakes his head. Clayton tells Hornblower that he actually thought he could beat Simpson, after all he had "an even chance" Hornblower and Clayton smile until Clayton finds himself unable to breathe, he tightens his grip on Hornblower's hand and asks the young Midshipman if it is evening. Within that moment, Clayton dies. An upset Hornblower heads for the exit of the inn when Simpson calls out to him, he remarks that he isn't finished with him and that he will flail Hornblower alive. Hornblower quickly steps outside and tries to gather his thoughts, Kennedy approaches him with a smile and says that he is dead. Hornblower says yes, Kennedy says he wasn't referring to Clayton he was referring to the fact that the French have murdered King Louis and that means only one thing: war is coming. The next morning aboard the Justinina, Cleveland and Hether are playing cards while Hornblower seems too be in deep shock and grief over the recent death of Clayton. Kennedy comes down to the Midshipmen's corner, Hether asks what is happening. Kennedy tells them that half the crew is to remain aboard the Justinina, Cleveland and Hether look dismay. Kennedy says, however, that the other half are to transfer. Hether orders Kennedy to tell who got the transfer, Kennedy says that Keene has reccommended their transferral to the HMS Indefatigable. Hether hits the ceiling (literally), while Cleveland tells Hornblower that it's a frigate and it will mean prize money, Hornblower is unresponsive. Kennedy tells them that Clayton always wanted to sail on a frigate. Later that night, Hornblower goes to Keene and tells him that he wishes to remain aboard the Justinina. Keene says, that while he respects Hornblower's loyalty, this is a terrific opportunity for him and that he will accept it whether he likes it or not, he dismisses Hornblower. The next morning, half of the crew (that includes all midshipmen) head for open waters and spot the goodship Indefatigable, Hornblower can't help but smile for the first time in days. When they reach the ship, there is a speech held by the ship's captain Sir Edward Pellew (Robert Lindsay) that ends with a loud "God save the King!" from all the crew, that includes Hornblower who has finally found himself able to speak since the loss of his friend.Hornblower is sent to Pellew's cabin, Pellew is looking over Hornblower's letter of recommendation and tells him that Simpson has recovered but will remain on board the Justinina with Keene, Pellew asks Hornblower if that upsets him but Hornblower isn't sure how to answer. Pellew hopes that Keene will now be a bit wiser and now will be able to notice just what is going on aboard his ship, Hornblower defends his former Captain's actions. Pellew tells Hornblower that's it's not his job to "damn him nor defend him" Hornblower agrees. Pellew tells Hornblower to remember that while a Captain is aboard his own ship, that nothing is out of his control and he will do well to remember that, Hornblower says he will. Pellew goes on in saying that he doesn't judge a man from actions, but his actions have already cost the Navy two men: one injured and one dead. Hornblower protests in saying that nobody mourns Clayton as much as he does, and that he resents that comment. Pellew fights back with a loud (and probably the famous quote from the series) "Damn your impudence,sir!" Hornblower is silent. Pellew gives Hornblower a comission, telling him to never fight another duel and Hornblower agrees to it. Pellew continues and asks Hornblower if he has the opportunity of meeting the seamen aboard the Justinina, Hornblower says he hasn't but he has met them. Pellew tells him that they are all in his charge due thanks to Simpson's injury. Hornblower calls the seamen in for the role call afterwards, their names are as followed, Stevens, Williams, Oldroyd (Simon Sherlock), Matthews (Paul Copley), Finch (Christopher Barnes), and a white-flake-face Styles (whom we've already seen). Hornblower asks Styles what happened to his face, Finch is about to say something but Matthews nudges him as if he is saying for him to stop. Styles says it is only boils, Hornblower asks if he has done anything about them and Styles say he has. Hornblower wishes to know what he has done, Styles says he puts plaster on them. Oldroyd suddenly begins to laugh, Hornblower tells Styles that he and the others will obey him or they will suffer the consquences of disobedience, Hornblower snaps his head and asks Oldroyd what is so funny and Oldroyd says nothing. Hornblower asks Styles if he understands, Styles says he does. As Hornblower walks away, Styles whacks Finch's hat off his head as punishment for almost telling their secret. Suspecting their is something afoul amongst his new crew, Hornblower steps below deck later in the day to investigate, what he discovers is the seamen gambling and they are using rats as the dice, trying to kill them with everything but their hands. Which means that Styles was bitten and did not have boils like he said. Oldroyd says Styles' final count is five, Styles argues that it was six. Oldroyd protests, Styles says that the sixth rat is dead and waves him in front of Oldroyd's face to prove it. Matthews tries to step in between the argument, which almost leads to a fight between the men until Hornblower finally makes his presence known. Hornblower is solemn in expression as he tells the men that he expected more from the likes of them, Styles says they aren't on duty and Hornblower says that they are gambling which is clearly worse. Hornblower asks them if they know the consquences for gambling: they could be condemned or flogged or possibly worse. Styles gives him a foul stare, Hornblower tells him that if he gets one more look like that then he WILL go to Eccleston. Matthews orders for Styles to quit, Styles looks away from Hornblower. Matthews says to Hornblower that Simpson allowed this to happen, Hornblower tells him that Simpson is no longer in charge of them that he is and he wants to see them all on deck front and center. Styles is about to protest, when Hornblower shouts: "I'VE SAID IT AND I MEAN IT" Styles and the others are silent. Hornblower says he wants them all on deck, Matthews (or Styles) asks Hornblower if he is going to go to Lieutenant Eccleston, Hornblower says no because he will give them one last chance to earn his trust but if they do disobey him again then he will, he asks if he is clear and the men agree that he is. Hornblower tells Styles to replaster his face, for Matthews to get rid of the rats, he seems as he is about to order Oldroyd when he simply tells him that the final count was indeed six. Kennedy suddenly comes below deck and orders for the men to head for quarters, there is battle going on! The drums sound as Eccleston, Chadd, Kennedy, and Hornblower move alongside the cannons. They each call for the cannons to fire, they go off and the French simply fight back by letting off one large cannon which kills a few of the men aboard the Indefatigable, Williams has had his leg severed. Hornblower goes to him and orders for Styles to help move him down below, the two carry Williams off and take him below where they lay him on a table. Hornblower, who is getting cleaned up because of a terrible injury to the eye, orders for Hepplewhite to take care of Williams but Hepplewhite is busy removing a stencil from Chadd's arm. Hornblower tells Hepplewhite that if he doesn't do something now that Williams will surely bleed to death, Chadd is about to protest when Williams begins yelling. Chadd tells Hepplewhite to treat Williams, he can wait and Hepplewhite proceeds to do so. Styles and Hornblower return to deck when they realize that the Indefatigable has already won victory, Kennedy races up to Hornblower and tells him that they carried her by boarding and that he killed at least two men, Kennedy tells Hornblower that he should've been there. Hornblower once again finds his mind thinking on the loss of his dear friend, Clayton. Only a few hours later, do we learn that Hornblower's efforts were useless as see a funeral being held for only one man: Davy Williams. After Williams' body is condemned to sea, Styles thanks Hornblower for at least trying to save his friend's life and Hornblower tells him to tell the others that they are welcome. Styles salutes him and walks away, Hornblower says that a salute is a start. But it will take awhile before the seamen can trust him and he them.Later in the week, the Indefatigable comes across a French convoy. Eccleston, who we learn speaks French, tells them that it is indeed a French ship carrying supplies. After the ship is captured, Eccleston proceeds to tell Pellew that there is another French ship, the Marie Gallante, which needs to be under their command. Pellew orders Hornblower to take his men and take command of the Gallante, Kennedy congraluates Hornblower on his first command ever. Hornblower, Styles, Oldroyd, Finch, Matthews, and Stevens climb aboard The Marie Gallante, all they see is a very drunk crew and the stubborn Captain Forget (Vincent Grass). Forget says that he is already wanted in London and he refuses to return to a place where he will very hang, Hornblower says no matter what Forget says he will be sent back to London and he will be hanged, Hornblower orders Styles to stop drinking. Hornblower tells Oldroyd to take Forget's crew down below, Hornblower asks Matthews if he has been at seas the longest, Matthews proudly says he has served for 13 years. Hornblower appoints him as his first mate and orders for them to set sail, Matthews and Styles are not moving. Hornblower asks them what they are waiting for, those were his orders. Matthews suggests that they should put Forget's crew to work as well, Hornblower smiles and says that was his intention. Hornblower warns Matthews that since they are drunk they might refuse, Matthews assures that they can get them to work drunk or sober. A few days later, Hornblower steps into his cabin and something about his compass causes him to mutter a colorful vocabulary. He dozes off and dreams about a dreadful fate for Pellew, when he wakes up he discovers there's a problem. There is a hole in the ship, Hornblower dives in and tries to seal the hole off with netting. It works, for the time being. However, there's another problem arising. There is way too much rice on the ship, everybody knows in order to the survive that they must call "abandon ship" and Hornblower agrees. Hornblower is the last one into the rowboat as he gathers his compass and maps, every watches with heavy hearts as the Marie Gallante is condemend to the ocean depths.So now it's Hornblower & his men, and Forget & his men all in one rowboat. Forget's men are doing all the work, which displeases the French captain. Forget walks over to Hornblower, trying to get a good look at the compass. Hornblower quickly closes it, Forget argues with him and finally holds Hornblower at gunpoint, demmanding the charts & compass. Hornblower hands him the charts with no problem, but things get really heated when Hornblower deliberately tosses the compass overboard and suggests that Forget "fish for it." Forget slaps Hornblower, Styles whips out his gun and is ready to shoot. Hornblower orders that Styles lowers his gun, and he does. Forget keeps a solemn face "That was a foolish thing to do, boy. I might have killed you." Hornblower smiles as he wipes his lips dry of the blood and responds "And forgo the pleasure of crowing at my discomfort? I think not." Hornblower & his men are now at the mercy of Forget, as they continue on their journey. One day, Finch is serving some water to all of the men when he accidentally trips and angers Forget. Forget's men hold Finch as they are about to execute him, Hornblower and the others take out their pistols and Forget argues for them to put them away and so they do and Finch is released. As night falls, Hornblower is awake when he see's the moon dissapearing behind the clouds and with a smile, he falls back asleep. The next morning, Hornblower's men are confused as to why Hornblower gave Forget charge in the first place as they note they are probably heading for France. Hornblower says they will never find the coastline to begin with, since Hornblower himself wrote the wrong direction on the chart meaning that Forget is sailing further away from his destination instead of closer. Suddenly, Forget and one of his men begin arguing and the man is hit and thrown to the floor. Hornblower grabs the pistol off the man and holds it to Forget, where they debate for awhile until the Indefatigable comes into view in order to aid our young Midshipman and take the Frenchies back to London. When they reach the Indefatigable, we see Forget & his men walk off to the brig as the seamen and Hornblower step aboard and congratulated on a job well-done. Hornblower goes to greet Kennedy, when he is suddenly called upon by Pellew. Moments later, Pellew is congratulating Hornblower on a job well-done. When suddenly, a French frigate named the Papillon is spotted. All hands beat to quarters, pretty soon the Papillon vanishes into the mist. When they spot the remains of one of their own ships, not knowing if there are any surviors: Pellew sends Hornblower and a few of his men to search the waters. Hornblower & his crew hop into a rowboat (deja vu) and row into the midst of the ocean. They find a couple of men, clinging onto their life as know it. They are pulled into the boat, Hornblower gives his coat to keep them warm. As he goes to pull in another survivor, he see's a very familiar tattoo spread across the man's knuckle. Their eyes meet. It is indeed Simpson, alive and well.When they come back aboard, all the officers are called to Pellew's cabin where Simpson fakes a few tears and tells them the "tragic" story of how the Justinina was condemned to the ocean. Hornblower and Kennedy watch each other, aware of just how well Simpson can act. Pellew tells Simpson to not distress himself further and he pulls out his maps, saying that the only way to defeat the Papillon is to overtake it. As Eccleston discusses these plans, Hornblower and Kennedy alike begin to become haunted with the voice of Simpson as it rings in their heads. When the map rolls back up, the two jump, obviously coming out of their trances. Pellew orders for Eccleston to take the officers whom are under his command and attack the Papillon, Simpson insists that he comes along due to the fact that he was aboard and knows the ship well. Pellew asks Eccleston on Simpson's behalf, and Eccleston says they would love to have him on this mission and he insists that he will travel with Hornblower and Kennedy. Kennedy is obviously displeased, as is Hornblower. Simpson only shrugs. Later on, Kennedy goes below deck and see's his hat and as he reaches to grab it he hears a voice behind him. He turns to see Simpson, whom tells him just how much he has missed him. As he is about to advance on Kennedy, Hornblower enters the scene. Simpson tells Hornblower that he and Kennedy were only catching up on old times, Hornblower says that these are new times and he has no hold over them whilst aboard the Indefatigable. Simpson says no, he looks at Kennedy and repeats himself. Hornblower excuses himself and Kennedy and they walk away, Simpson watches them in the shadows. As night falls, everyone is preparing to sneak aboard the Papillon. Eccleston observes his men, to be sure they are well-prepared. Hornblower whispers to Kennedy if he is nervous, there is no answer. As the men pile into the rowboats and head for the Papillon, there seems to be no complication in their plan. Until, Kennedy falls to the ground and is obviously having another one of his fits. Everyone is aware if he keeps yelling then he will disturb everyone aboard the Papillon, Matthews and Oldroyd hold him as Hornblower urges him to be quiet and he is unable. Oldroyd gets his hand over Kennedy's mouth but it does not help in any form, Hornblower finally finds a tool, very similiar to the one that Clayton used on his own head, and he clubs Kennedy ultimately knocking him out. They finally reach the Papillon, all of the men begin to quietly climb up the sides of the ship as Hornblower makes it aboard. He tries to be as quiet as possible, however the silence is shortlived when he trips over a bucket. Two guards hear him, and he shoots them dead. The others come aboard and attack the crew of the Papillon, with all this fighting and shouting they realize the important thing is to set the sails. Eccleston sends Hornblower and some of the seamen up to perform this task. So, Hornblower along with Matthews, Finch, and Oldroyd climb up while Eccleston and the others continue to kill the men of the Papillon. While climbing, Stevens tries to get to the sail himself by jumping onto it but Hornblower protests. Stevens attempts and fails, falling to his death. The others make it to the top, and try to find a way across. Chadd and Eccleston are down below and growing deeply worried as to why Hornblower is frozen and not obeying his orders. Hornblower takes a deep breath and begins to walk along the sail, treating it like a balance beam. It doesn't help that he is deathly afraid of heights, or that he if falls he wouldn't survive. Eccleston smiles as Hornblower finally makes it to the other side and he and Finch begin to work untying the sail. Simpson looks up and realizes that Hornblower is once again doing something he finds displeasurable, being the hero. Simpson refuses to see the PERFECT man make it out of this alive, and he knows the perfect way to be rid of him. He grabs a knife off one of the dead officers and cuts the ropes that are keeping the rowboat still, and watches as the rowboat begins to move away with Kennedy in it! Hornblower finally gets the sail prepared when he see's Kennedy unconcious and inside a moving rowboat, this distracts him long enough for Simpson to lift his pistol and shoot Hornblower square in the brow. Hornblower falls into the water, and we believe him to drown. Simpson goes to Eccleston and tells him that the French have fallen back and that the ship is theirs, Eccleston praises God and tells Simpson to give his regards to Hornblower. Simpson reports that Hornblower fell into the water and is most likely dead, Eccleston seems suscpcious. We see Hornblower drifting closer to the bottom of the ocean, when Finch grabs him and rescues him.The next morning, the Indefatigable is on the watch when Pellew see's that the Papillon is about to find itself in a horrid battle. Aboard the Papillon, Finch is cleaning Hornblower's wound when he says that while he was shot he will make a good recovery. Hornblower asks what happened to Kennedy, Styles and Oldroyd inform him that the rowboat nor Kennedy were found. Terribly distraught, Hornblower goes to see a bloodied Eccleston who tells him that those French will do anything to see victory, obviously referring to Hornblower's gun wound. Hornblower says it wasn't a Frenchie who shot him, it was Simpson. Eccleston warns Hornblower that he just made a serious accusation against another officer, Hornblower swears it's the truth. They can hear the sounds of distance cannons, Eccleston quickly tells Hornblower that he will address the matter when they get back aboard the Indefatigable. Suddenly, another cannon fires and hits the Papillon it sends Hornblower flying into the air and he lands. He's a bit brusied but overall in good condition, Matthews helps him to his feet and Hornbower rushes to see if Eccleston is all right. Apparently he isn't, both Chadd and Eccleston are crushed underneath a fallen pole. Eccleston is so out of it that he mistakes Hornblower for Chadd, Hornblower assures him that it's only him as in Mr.Hornblower, Hornblower yells for a surgeon. Eccleston wants to know if Chadd is all right, Bowles checks Chadd for a pulse and alas there is none. Hornblower tells Eccleston that Chadd is dead, Eccleston with what little strength he has leaves his final command. He tells Hornblower that he is Captain of the Papollion, and tells him to make it back to Indefatigable safely. With those final words, Eccleston dies in peace. Hornblower is upset by this sudden loss, however Simpson is less than sympathetic. He orders for both of the bodies to be condemned and to set the sails, Hornblower says that Eccleston left him in charge and tells Bowles to tell Simpson. Bowles reminds Hornblower that Simpson is senior officer, Hornblower argues since he was left orders by a higher ranking than they must fall out. Hornblower orders Matthews and Styles to take Simpson below, but Simpson protests and yells that he is charge. Hornblower stands his ground, he tells Bowles to be sure that Simpson arrives at the brig without a problem and if he gives anybody ANY trouble, he has his permission to shoot him. Simpson is taken to the brig, just as the Papollion is put under attack. With Hornblower as Captain, he barely manages to save the life of his crew & the ship. They arrive back aboard the Indefatigable, Pellew again congraluates him. He sadly says that judging by everything, that Hornblower is in charge and Eccleston is...Hornblower confirms that Eccleston is indeed dead. Pellew sighs and asks how Hornblower sustained such an awful injury.Seconds later, we are in Pellew's cabin. Simpson accuses Hornblower of telling "a damn lie" he apologizes for using such language. Simpson accuses Hornblower of lying just because he cowarded when he was meant to face off with him, Simpson even says he challenged Hornblower once more but he refused. Pellew warns Simpson to not speak out of terms, he tells Simpson that he gave Hornblower a comission which makes him enabled to take part in any form of a duel. Pellew removes the comission but advises Hornblower against it. Hornblower has made up his mind and make this statement: "I maintain the charge against Mr.Simpson, sir! However, since I cannot prove it other than with my body, I have no choice but to accept his challenge!" The next morning, Hornblower is on land. Along with the seamen, Hepplewhite, and Simpson. Another duel is about to be taken underway. Simpson and Hornblower stand back to back, Simpson tries to distract Hornblower by whispering the terrible reminder of Clayton's death and how he will kill him just as he did him. Hornblower does his best to ignore it, trying not to think on Clayton. Simpson says he will also die just as Kennedy did, this gets to Hornblower but not enough to distract him on the task at hand. Hepplewhite tells the men to take ten steps away from each other, they do so. They face each other and lift their pistols, Hepplewhite goes over the rules and asks them if they understand. They both nod. Hepplewhite is able to count to two, before Simpson fires and shoots Hornblower in the shoulder. Hepplewhite argues with Simpson while the others check on Hornblower, Simpson asks if he killed him. Hornblower grunts and picks himself off the ground, he lunges himself at Simpson and attacks him and steals his pistol away. With two pistols in his hand, Hornblower is shocked when Simpson falls to his knees and begs for Hornblower not to shoot him. A sadden Hornblower, fires into the air which shocks Simpson. Hornblower tells Simpson he isn't worth the powder, he turns to walk away. Simpson takes this as an insult and finds his knife, as he races at Hornblower another gunshot rings into the air. Hornblower turns and see's Simpson is shot in the chest, he dies moments later. Who fired? Surely not Hornblower. The camera scans over to the rocks, we see Bowles and Pellew standing together. Bowles asks Pellew if he may congraluate him on an expectional shot, Pellew says he may. Aboard the Indefatigable, Hornblower thanks Pellew for killing Simpson. Pellew accepts his gratitude and then tells Hornblower his own words of wisdom: "You have fought your duel. That is well. Never fight another. That is better." The film comes to its close as Hornblower and Pellew overlook the men of the Indefatigable and sail for another journey. | violence, action, historical fiction | train | imdb | I Have just finished watching the entire series of Hornblower and must say that few seafaring adventures can beat it.It ranks up there with the original Mutiny on the Bounty,The Sea Hawk and Master And Commander as one of the greatest of its kind.
Ioan Gruffudd is perfectly cast as young Hornblower,a seasick midshipman who tranforms gradually into a courageous leader of men.
Robert Lindsay offers great support as Capt.Edward Pellew,one of the most important characters in the story who guides Hornblower along his journeys.Jamie Bamber,Paul Copley and Sean Gilder are all excellent as Hornblower's loyal shipmates.
The first in the Horatio Hornblower series, this installment is absolutely stunning.
Ioan Gruffudd in particular in the leading role, but all the supporting actors put out great performances as well.The costumes are flawless.
That, combined with the set design and ships, make you feel as though you have gone back in time.I would recommend this miniseries to anyone I know (And I've done much of that already)..
Well-written adventure stories about a handsome young hero going out to save the British navy from many problems.
Ioan Gruffudd is excellent at the character of Hornblower himself!
I am 19 years old, and since I had not read any of the Hornblower books (I expect most people would think this criminal, not to have read the stories of the most beloved naval hero in fiction!) I knew nothing about the story until the first two hour film was shown on TV (October 7th in England.-I hear that the USA will get the Hornblower series in the New Year) There are four Hornblower films, and the first 'The Even Chance' made me want to see the other three right away!
The story is set in the years of the Napoleonic wars, and the first story shows Hornblowers first adventures as midshipman aboard the' Indefatigable'' having to put up with bullying by Simpson another midshipman aboard the ship who takes an instant dislike to the new recuit.
The acting by Ioan Gruffudd as the young, self-concious, shy Horatio Hornblower is superb, and his dark brooding good looks are sure to make him a new heart throb.
So brilliant action sequences, wonderful battle ships, and a stunning cast, all make Hornblower one of the best things to come on TV in years.
Luckily for me (now a huge Hornblower fan) the showing of the second film-which was to be in December- has been put forward to November, because of the huge number of people calling ITV Television station, saying how much they liked it, and demanding for it to be put on early!
The producers on the whole avoided the urge to "modernise" the story, the speech and demeanour of all concerned rang true, this in itself is worthy of note.So, if like me , you were reluctant to see this show as you didn't want your memories of the Peck movie spoilt - do take the opportunity if it comes to your screen again.
If America only knew how good this was,it would be the highest rated Made-For-TV movie series of all time(hard to believe there are more people out there that would rather watch "The Columbo Mysteries" than Horatio Hornblower- that just goes to show the power of major network name-brand advertising.The Hornblower movie series has been television at its finest.
I have seen all 6 of the A&E Horatio Hornblower movies,"The Duchess and the Devil" is my favorite of the 6 films.
So far all 6 movies have been based on the Horatio Hornblower adventure novels written by C.S. Forester(the same author who wrote African Queen).
Each Movie chronicles the on-going adventures of Horatio Hornblower who is a Brittish Lt. in the Brittish Navy during the late 1790's-to early 1800's during the Napoleonic era in Europe.
I sincerly believe that each one of these 6 Films has been good enough to have shown at the movie theaters,if the producers had wanted to.
Unlike other Made-For-TV films,The Hornblower films do not have that Made-For-TV feeling to them,like most television movies have.A common misconception that people who havent seen these movies have is that all 6 of these films go to gether as a mini-series- that is not true.
The Hornblower movies are not a mini-series,all 6 of these films are individual movies about the same charactor- with all the same actors playing the same roles in each film(EXAMPLE:think of the James Bond films-They are not sequels, but they are all about the adventures of James Bond- that same principle applies to the Hornblower movies) I give the entire Horatio Hornblower movie series 5 out of 5 stars.
Its Perfect entertainment- but you cant please everyone, so for those of you dont like epic battleship battles,historic style drama,high stakes adventure, and danger on the high seas,if you dont like stuff like that-there is always Columbo re-run for you to watch..
First of all, a note about the American titles for this mini-series: what's wrong with you people?
Altering (and totally ruining) an existing title is something else.And now to the comment: "Hornblower" is one of the best-made series I have ever seen.
S. Forester was not writing with the screen, either large or small, in mind so I have to say that this series is hands down the best series of films (they're not really a miniseries because they're not really interdependent) ever produced from another media.The series is well paced, the characters well developed and wonderfully cast, the action scenes excellently shot, but to my way of thinking the series best feature is the development and maturation of the character of Hornblower himself..I've always been a fan of 'coming of age' films (my all time favorite A Bronx Tale), but to watch the growing relationships which Hornblower develops with Mathews, Styles, Captain Foster, Taping, and particularly with Captain/Admiral Sir Edward Pellew is truly a joy.Ioan Gruffudd's portrayal produces an honorable man, a character which every guy should secretly want to be and which every woman should want to hook up with.
I remember watching one of these HORNBLOWER productions when it was first broadcast in the late 1990s but wasn`t too taken by it , so when ITV decided to repeat the series the only reason I watched The Even Chance was because there was nothing else on .
Unlike Sean Bean in SHARPE Ioan Gruffudd makes a vulnarable and realistic hero and finds himself at the mercy of the sadistic violent bully Jack Simpson played by Dorian Healy .
This well written , well acted television and I look forward to seeing the rest of the HORNBLOWER series.
Hornblower: The Even Chance is a great entry to the four made for television movies!
Ioan Gruffudd is an excellent choice as Horatio Hornblower!
Then, Simpson(Healy, making for a truly reprehensible antagonist) returns, and his abusive behavior, thus far tolerated by the other low-level(none of the officers know about it) workers, leads to a feud with our titular protagonist.I haven't read the novels, but if this is anything to go by, it's no wonder they were deemed worthy of adapting.
Thoroughly well-acted, filmed compellingly(though you can, at times, tell this was made for television), credible with a richness of detail(many subtle ones), all characters developed well - and with a pace that features many events and people, without rushing ahead to fit it all in.
The main character Horatio is played immaculately by Ioan Gruffudd (I would really like to hear how that is pronounced.) It is hard not to compare it to the movie Master and Commander.
I CAN compare the overall experience of seeing the Hornblower films to, well, everything else I have seen about similar subjects, and it fares well indeed.
And the scope and range of it is far deeper than anything else yet (about the same subject.) OK, now that Hornblower's praises have been sung again, rightfully, I just want to mention a highly under-read series that I hope some of you will pick up on, by the name of Flashman.
I don't really compare Hornblower to Flashman directly, but they are both historical fiction (and I suppose military.) And I have to say, George MacDonald Fraser has given us something special in Flashman, in that his main character has serious and admitted flaws, unlike Horatio.
As far as I know, no movies have been made from that series, but anyone who likes the Hornblower adventures as much as I do might like these too..
It would be easy to believe this was a big-screen theatrical production if not for the periodic commercial fade-outs (which, by the way, were uniformly ignored on the telecast I watched -- is it really that difficult, Ovation?) Oh, and for other American viewers, the reason Kennedy looks so familiar but you can't quite place him is because he buried his natural accent so successfully on Battlestar Galactica.At any rate, I highly recommend this film and now look forward to seeing the others in the series.
If you have read the Hornblower books, you will be disappointed by the movies.
Don't read the books expecting to see the movies themes and stories or vice versa.The theme, character traits and story developments of the C.S. Forester are not present in the movies I have watched.
Excellent adventure starring the perfect leading man, Ioan Gruffudd..
The 1st two episodes of Hornblower introduced us to Horatio Hornblower, played by Ioan Gruffudd.
Ioan Gruffudd is, in my opinion the perfect choice of actor to play Horatio Hornblower.
I have loved the books for many years and was reluctant to watch the 1st episode of Hornblower, fearing that the transition from well loved book, to television screen, would lead to great disappointment.......how wrong could I be?
From his very 1st appearance on screen Ioan Gruffudd IS Hornblower.
There is great support from actors like Robert Lindsay and a myriad of other British character actors.
I would recommend these programmes to anyone who enjoys a well acted adventure, set on the high seas..
As a great fan of the Hornblower series (have read it completely through 3 times), I was somewhat disappointed in A&E's rendition of it.
His characters, plotting, and historical accuracy and detail mark the books as classic reading and are thoroughly enjoyable.I was looking forward to the miniseries with great anticipation.
Hate to disagree with what seems the common praise -- the sets, the actors, the filming are all very well done -- but what's missing is the texture of the STORY!As probably the worst example of this, Forester's chapter "The Even Chance" sets up the characters and situation that bring about the duel wonderfully.
Like all the Hornblower series, this is British television at its best.The story line moves swiftly, the dialogue and acting are superb, and (for the American audience) there are explosions, battles and special effects.
Robert Lindsay (Captain Pellew - best remembered for his role in "Citizen Smith" in the 70s) and Ioan Gruffudd (more recently Sir Lancelot in King Arthur) are a treat to watch.Having recently watched Russell Crowe in Master and Commander, I'd say the Hornblower series has the edge.What are you doing still reading this - go rent it on DVD now!.
The first Hornblower film is based on the books by CS Forester, however it is clear that some of the flavour of the books is hard to replicate on the screen especially on television when frankly to mount naval battles and widescreen sea based shots require a Hollywood style budget.Set in 1793, in The Even Chance, we see a young 17 years old midshipman, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) getting to grips with the navy, he feels the full effect of sea sickness but even worse bullying from senior officer Jack Simpson (Dorian Healy.)Luckily for Hornblower when Britain goes to war with the French he is transferred to another ship led by Captain Pellew (Robert Lindsay.) Under Pellew Hornblower thrives, his crew respects him, he shows bravery, tenacity, cunning and intelligence.However it is not long before Hornblower duels with the sadistic and despicable Simpson.This is a rip roaring adventure but I did find the script and some of the scenes a little cheesy.
With its high end production values, 'Horatio Hornblower: The Duel' never belies its made for TV origins.
Just finished watching the first episode of the Hornblower series and I must say that it is excellent.
The late 1990s and twenty first century is an exciting period for fans of historical epics as the production aspects of the films are perhaps the best ever.
And the scenes filmed in the small seaport on the English coast establish a real sense of place.The story centers around a young midshipman attempting to prove his worth in the Kings Navy while at the same time confronting a malicious fellow officer.
Even though the series is set in the late 1790s, it deals with the timeless issues of honor, courage, loyalty, and duty to which almost anyone can relate.For fans of British history and sea faring adventure, it does not get any better than this.
The story, filming, special effects and especially the acting could not be better.
You will really be drawn into the character of Horatio Hornblower.
Ioan Gruffudd is great in the Hornblower role, but at least some of the supporting actors play not as convincing as he does.
Another commentator wrote:"First of all, a note about the American titles for this mini-series: what's wrong with you people?
I know from my own experience as a Canadian- American living in New Zealand that it takes a while to understand not only the accents, but also the slang words.Regardless, I am looking forward to renting this series, as it has been highly recommended by my sister (American) who LOVED every episode and wish they would show it again on American TV..
As a huge fan of the Hornblower books, I looked forward to these lavish TV adaptations with great anticipation.
Imagine my disappointment to find that none of the merits of the books had been captured, leaving only the cheesiest sort of American-style action-adventure.This first installment is the perfect example.
In the original story, the key duel is a masterful play by the virtuoso whist player Hornblower: he takes a losing hand and at the risk of his life finesses it into "an even chance." This reveals the essence of his character: the ability to make coldly dispassionate decisions even when his personal safety is at stake.
This revelation is not lost on characters in the book, becoming a key stepping stone in Hornblower's advancement in the navy.The TV movie throws all of this away.
Instead of a brilliant tactician, Hornblower is now just another military bonehead, who solves his problems by a combination of physical prowess and ill-deserved good luck.Of course, if the film worked even on that level, it might still be entertaining: a latter-day Captain Blood swashbuckler, perhaps.
See Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for another example or many series.Unfortunately, despite the great costumes; the stunning ships, the good-looking battles and all, the story can be summed up as described above.
Which is a pity, since many of the other episodes of this mini-series have a much better story.
I was so impressed with the story and the cast that I could not wait to do some research on my own and learn more about Horatio Hornblower.
I look forward to watching the rest of the series and am recording them for future enjoyment..
Ioan may have been a minor, perhaps overlooked character as a crewmember aboard the TITANIC; yet he's a true hero named Horatio Hornblower who proves himself endlessly.
SPOILERS Based on the novels of C.S. Forester, the television adaptations of the life of Horatio Hornblower are well loved and well watched.
With superb, albeit far from perfect, set designs, the series thrives due to it's excellent scripting, acting and realism.
In this first encounter with the legendary Hornblower, we are given a perfect introduction to the lives of the man and his shipmates.As a young midshipman, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) is hardly the most likely of heroes.
There, getting used to the sea and free from his tormentor, he begins to flourish into a man of strength and intelligence.The amazing thing about the series in general is the way that Gruffudd's Hornblower meta-morphs from a young boy into an amazing Gentleman.
In this first episode, he is superb as an inept boy who, when given the chance to flourish, succeeds with ease.Gruffudd is also helped by some brilliant casting including Lindsay, Healy, Paul Copley, Sean Gilder and Jamie Bamber.
Whilst not possessing the funding of recent Hollywood blockbuster "Master And Commander" (2003), it might not benefit from the ability to show two ships side by side without even slightly having a green screen effect, but it does manage to capture events on the boat perfectly, and for that it deserves praise.Ultimately for the Hornblower series, all credit should go to Russell Lewis' superb scripting.
Desperate to watch the next episode straight after it's predecessor, audiences fall in love with the nautical adventures and are hooked.As a first episode, the Hornblower series could not have had a better production than "The Even Chance".
Warning, watching this first episode will cause you to spend large quantities of time watching the entire series.
As far as I know there exists no overarching imdb category for the whole of the "Hornblower" series.
Ioan Gruffudd, who has just the right kind of handsome earnestness, makes a very credible lead character.As the series progresses, the Hornblower character assembles a semi-permanent cast of superiors, colleagues and underlings, some of whom become friends, others of whom become rivals or enemies.
If anybody ever wanted to know what life was like for both Officers and "enlisted" men in the British Navy during the age of sail, this is the series to tell the story.
My first exposure to Horatio Hornblower was, of course, the books. |
tt0090213 | Tuff Turf | James Spader is the cool guy named Morgan (A "tough guy" named Morgan?). He's your basic rebel whose father loses his company in Connecticut and somehow logically ends up in an apartment in California.Wait, what? I forget why his dad was bringing his business acumen from Conn. to Cali, but it's not really important to the story and gives the parents several opportunities to tell Morgan to "give dad a break, he's in a really bad spot in his life".Morgan's the underachiever (because he's lazy and uninspired, not because he's a dullard) and he's mad at the world. He befriends another loser, who later went on to become "Iron Man". That's right, Robert Downey Jr in all his DowneyJuniorness is in this movie, playing much the same role as he did in "Back to School".Early on Morgan breaks up a mugging by the latino group while never getting off his bicycle and singing "Bee Bop O Lula" and then he spots Frankie, who's the girlfriend of the gang leader. She's naturally attracted to his bad boy whitebreadedness, as are most chicks who inexplicably date gang leaders. It's kinda like "Westside Story" except Morgan is the only Jet in sight while there are plenty of Sharks around. Frankie is played by the eternally gorgeous Kim Richards, which was the only reason I had to see this movie back then. The situation actually gets pretty dicey for Morgan and at times there doesn't seem to be any way out. He gets the obligatory beatdown and is warned to stay away from Frankie. It doesn't happen though, and hilarity ensues.To see James Spader all blown up like Bill Shatner today just makes me realize the true victim in all of this is me.Anyway, the rumble that we all know is coming happens and the Jet wins! J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets!As a waste of a chilly night in Michigan, I'd say this was as good a way to do it as any. | cult, violence | train | imdb | Interesting film staring James Spader as the young punk rich kid, Matt Clark as his shell shocked father, Robert Downey Jr. as his high school buddy and Kim Richards (Escape To Witch Mountain) as his soon to be girlfriend.
The music was non-stop and the story's tone and shape zips-around, as early on we seemed to move from one joint to another featuring blaring tunes and raving dance moves.Morgan Miller and his family have just moved from Connecticut to Los Angeles, where he encounters and interferes with the local gang led by the psychotic Nick Hauser.
James Spader also gives a sincere performance, which couldn't have been easy with some of these scenes (he is forced to serenade Kim Richards on the piano).
The best scenes, IMO, are the country club montage (Olivia Barash blithely asking the rich girls "You do swallow, right?"), and when Richards and Spader finally hit it off at a club.
This was my all time favorite movie of the 1980's, and having the beautiful Kim Richards in it, and the ever cute James Spader made it worth watching time after time,,When Morgan moved to yet another new school and fell for the leader of the Tuff's girlfriend it was the start of a non stop battle of wills and reputations, it prooves that the good guy does always get the girl and that some things are worth fighting for.
Some people believe this is the movie that ended Kim's career, to me it just never got the recognition it deserved,I just wish Kim would consider making a comeback to prove to everyone she has what it takes to be one of the great actresses of all time, your fans miss you Kim!.
The movie deals with a troublesome youth named Morgan Hiller (James Spader) who moves with his family to Los Angeles from Connecticut.
The gang leader's hot girlfriend, Frankie (Kim Richards) seems to be impressed with this new kid in town.
tuff turf was one of those movies i used to rent over and over again as a kid.Kim Richards always made it especially easy to keep watching.i think it was that amazing hair and raspy voice that hooked me each time.i hadn't seen it for approximately 15 years but recently purchased it on DVD.i was unsure if i would still like it but after watching it again,and remembering vividly every scene,i loved it just as much as i always did.it is still one of my favorite movies of all time.it has all the ingredients a classic 80's movie should have and deserved a lot more recognition and acclaim.would love to see what Kim looks like now.i will have to keep checking in on this site to see if she has any movies on the rise..
James Spader is great in the lead, Kim Richards has a killer body and Robert Downy Jr .
You get to see the formation of some of their respective trademark mannerisms.Overall: strange plot, seems to sit between genres, starts off as a sort of High School rom-com but quickly descends into a rough teen thriller, with two major and totally random music numbers in the first part, both of which are arse-numbingly boring and ludicrous.Having said that - James Spader's singing is nice - he's got a good voice but nothing wow, which is why it's interesting that the filmmakers have included it, but it lends a touch of authenticity to a highly stylized 80s flick.
Her back story is convincing (and so is Spader's).The "baddy" of the piece is suitably threatening - you do feel intimidated by the violence and his gang throughout, and I did hold my breath on a few occasions - in terms of the suspense and fight scenes - two thumbs up.
Morgan Hiller (James Spader) is a new kid in high school.
He makes enemies with the local gang...but the gang leader's girlfriend (Kim Richards) falls for him.The plot is very predictable but this still is lots of fun to watch.
Most of the acting is very good especially by Richards and a then unknown Robert Downey Jr. Spader was a little bit too mannered for the role but he was OK.This is no unsung masterpiece but I think it's a good strong 80s flick.
Anyone interested in seeing what kind of films James Spader started his career with should begin with Tuff Turf.
To make things worse of course, Spader falls in love with the gang leader's girlfriend (Richards), and she has feelings for him, too.
The group invades a country club in an excruciatingly bad scene which culminates with Spader playing the piano for his new love interest while she sits atop the instrument and looks embarrassed.
I only saw this film Recently...although Ive know about it existence since It came out...I was first under the impression before i saw it...that Spaders Character was a tough guy....But I was wrong....His character was one that simply cant stay out of trouble.And Yeah,he takes quite a beating in this film.If there is one real tragedy about this film,its that the Talented and beautiful Kim Richards who gives a wonderful performance here, never went on to better things after this.She is better known as a Child actress which probably explains why her career floundered once she grew upI was quite surprised by the Musicals numbers in this film,since i was simply expecting the standard punk film....But the 80s hairstyles,dress styles,and makeup made me wanna throw up.What were people thinking back then anyway.All in all,a pretty good film...and KIM,Start acting again..we miss ya.
Also, excellent acting by Robert Downey.More importantly, probably the best teen actress ever to hit the big screen - Kim Richards!!!Aside from the great acting, the plot was new for the 80s - not the typical bubble-gum teen movie - but a darker side of teen movies..
this film was different from the looks of kim richards and robert downey to the music it was very fresh for its time.it was serious high camp.
kim richards the star of many disney films gives what seems to be one of her last roles a nice performance as the tough girl unsure of why spaders character is attracted to her.spaders performance was a bit wooden and came across as dull.the second leads added life to the dull moments especially robert downeys energy added to this film made it worth watching.
James Spader got himself a breakout role in Tuff Turf as a preppy kid from Connecticut resettled in a California public high school.
Even though the family has had some financial reverses and aren't living the life Spader has become accustomed to, he still thinks of himself as to the manor born.So when he spots Kim Richards who is the girlfriend of gang leader Paul Montes he decides to move in.
Spader loses a bit of that preppy arrogance and Richards gradually realizes that Montes is a loser in the long run and she likes being treated with a little dignity and respect.Robert Downey, Jr. is in Tuff Turf as well in the sidekick role for Spader.
Many a man who was a boy in the late-70's and/or early-80's would love to see Kim Richards returning to the silver screen, but after playing the female lead in this stinkeroo and some of her subsequent roles, it's hard to blame her for bowing out.The movie stars James Spader(the 1980's answer to David Hemmings) as Morgan Hiller, a kid from Connecticut who's moved to Los Angeles by his parents and immediately has to deal with the school thugs lead by Nick Hauser(Paul Mones)who wreck his bike for kicks.
A REAL Los Angeles gang would've wiped these kids out with a single shot, to say nothing of the Jets & Sharks from "West Side Story." Those who saw a certain episode of "House of Buggin'" know what I'm talking about.Anyway, Morgan falls for the gang-leader's gun moll, Frankie Croyden, played by none other than Kim. Obviously, she thinks he's a wimp and a pushover and wants nothing to do with him, but this is the movies, and in movies men easily get the women they want.
And in movies like this, the bad girl falls for the good boy, which she shouldn't, which p***es off her lover and leads to a huge gang war between the hero, and his new friends.
I was expecting some enjoyable cheese, a la Savage Streets or The New Kids, or vivid SoCal mid 80's atmosphere, like in Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, but instead got an absolutely godawful hodgepodge of Rebel Without A Cause, Romeo and Juliet, and the worst music since Disney's The Country Bears.
Decent performances by Kim Richards and Matt Clark (as Spader's dad) didn't help the meandering story, headache-inducing examination of "violence" and poor/rich class warfare, and confusing main character.
This film was so influential to me back in 1986 that I took my dad'sportable video camera (The kind where you strap the deck overyour shoulder like a bag and has a cord running to the camera),grabbed the neighborhood kids in our street and re-enactedscenes from Tuff turf after we had just finished viewing it for thethird time in a rental day row.Hell, I even stole the soundtrack and dubbed the dialogue into ourversion of the film.The tuff guys, the not-so tuff guy who is misunderstood by hisparents and tuff guys who beat him up every chance they have, asexy lead actress (why Kim Richards did not get an award forlongest, straightest hair is a travesty!) But best of all is the soundtrack!
Time capsule-like showcase of the (laughable) looks, sounds, & attitudes of the 80s features implausible characters & story (especially the last half hour) with zero resolution, painfully slow pacing, & a score that doesn't fit at all..
James Spader and Kim Richards made the film enjoyable each time I watched it!Classic tale of a boy (James Spader) moves to new town and falls for girl (Kim Richards) who happens to be the girlfriend of the local gang leader.
Sure the movie doesn't have the the most imaginative of plots but it's all excitement in a movie which tells us all that some things are worth fighting for.James Spader would go on to have a nice career in film.
It's not as well known as some of the other movies that Robert Downey Jr and James Spader are in, but it's a solid movie that's worth watching.
Robert Downey Jr steals the movie in every scene he is in and provides much needed comic relief.The action is enjoyable and James Spader does an excellent job as the former rich kid, trying to make it in a new school.
A young James Spader plays Morgan, a bad-boy rich kid who moves to L.A. and instantly gets in bad with the locally gang who owns the turf.
But things get worse when Morgan falls in love with the gang leader's girlfriend (the talented and WAY HOT!
The film's got surprisingly good acting and a young Robert Downey Jr. co-stars as Morgan's best friend.
Morgan (Spader) makes enemies with a gang the night before his first day in his new school.
And quite soon there is some magnetism between the gang leader's girl and Morgan...Can't say I was bored watching this movie but I thought it was a little bit too long.
James Spader is the rebel who gets on the wrong side of the Tuffs, the most feared gang in high school, led by Mick, a fantastic ferocious performance by Paul Mones who outdoes Spader in the acting league.
Even though it runs over two hours in running time, time just breezes past in this movie, that saw Robert Downey Junior in one of his first roles, as an out there student/wannabe rocker, who befriends Spader.
The movie opens up with a great soundtrack, as our rebel crusader, Spader, prevents a mugging from the Tuffs, which is how he ends up on the wrong side of them as they happen to attend the same school, that he's just started at.
To make things worse Spader falls for the gang leader's woman, Frankie (Kim Richards in an impressive, dynamic, and very real performance, proving later on that's she's not as tough as she acts out.
Some unexpected surprises arrive in this film too, with Spader and friends (and that includes, Mick's girl) crash a good club posing as members, skimming the huge buffet, smorgasboard, but funny too, is the way they blend in with the other folk, Downey always the comedian.
It is amazing that James Spader's career wasn't ruined by this film, it is nothing short of a miracle, and don't even get me started on his performance it's like he was drunk through the entire thing and just didn't even care but can you really blame him.
Filled with great direction,a wonderful cast and a fantastic soundtrack,Tuff Turf is an entertaining 80's Teen film and a fine guilty pleasure.Set in Los Angeles,Tuff Turf tells the story of Morgan Hiller(James Spader),a rebellious teen who's family has moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start.
To make matters worse Morgan starts falls for Nick's girlfriend Frankie(Kim Richards) which angers Nick and leads to violent confrontations and chaos between Morgan and Nick who want to survive in the Tuff Turf.The 1980s were arguably the golden age of Teen films and there were Teen films that broke down into two categories Teen films that were recognized during the 1980s and became classics years later and Teen films that are obscure and little known but find audiences years later.
At the same time Morgan is a character with great depth and is multi-dimensional because while Morgan is a rebel he's not a criminal or thug but just a very troubled and confused teenager that has to deal with the pressures of growing up,his parents,falling for Frankie as well as trying to battle Nick and his gang.
The Action and fight scenes are well done and memorable with toughness and great pace and truly adds to the film.
TT is a Teen film then it's a gang film as well as an Action film and all of those elements can make the movie confusing at times.
I guess TT was trying to make a Teen film that was different from other Teen films at the time by making a genre mash-up film and throwing in everything but the kitchen sink in this movie and sometimes it succeeds and other times it fails The final 15-20 minutes of Tuff Turf are Action-packed and thrilling and a great ending and fun cap-off to the film.The whole cast is wonderful.
Kim Richards is wonderful and beautiful as Frankie,Morgan's love interest and Nick's girlfriend.
The film also has a great soundtrack with songs from Jack Mack And The Heart Attack(So Tuff,Green Onions,She's Looking Good),Jim Carroll(People Who Died,Voices,It's Too Late),Marianne Faithful(Love Hates),Southside Johnny(Tuff Turf),Lene Lovich(Breakin' The Rules(What Do You Do When Opposites Attract),Dale Gonyea With J.R.
Great soundtrack.In final word,if you love Teen Films,Gang Films or Action films,I suggest you see Tuff Turf,a film that's flawed and far from perfect but is entertaining,fun and is well worth your time.
Not to say that this high-school rebellion/revenge movie isn't watchable, as it is, thanks, in no small part, to good acting, a great soundtrack and a perfectly suitable sense of style.
I rented this film because I'm a fan of Kim Richards, who starred in "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "Return to Witch Mountain."This movie reminded me so much of "West Side Story" because of the gang violence, all the dance numbers, and the events that parallel the story in "West Side Story." You can tell that whoever wrote the screenplay for "Tuff Turf" closely patterned it off of the sequence of events in "West Side Story" and "Romeo and Juliet." A guy meets a girl at a dance, she's part of a gang that doesn't like this guy, and despite being on opposite sides of the tracks, the guy and the girl fall for each other, and obstacles and bad things happen as a result.
I really enjoyed this movie, it had a good love story, and there was a lot of suspense because you really didn't know whether this movie would have a happy ending or a tragic ending.I'm surprised Kim Richards never made anymore movies after this.
And there is absolutely no attempt made to make it seem he is really playing the piano.Spader has never been in anything musical since this, but I will say that his dancing is very good.This is a cross between a rather sweet romantic comedy and one of those films that is unbelievably, mindblowingly idiotic.
Nor did Amazon like my comment that Spader looks as if he is wearing eyeliner during the fight scene at the end.
The fact that Spader has an eye for the stunning girlfriend of Mones, Kim Richards, doesn't help his situation, either, but it's a great set-up for a violent, fast-paced teen flick.After this little gem, Spader starred as one of the screen's greatest miscreants, Eddie Dutra, in Sean Cunningham's incredible "The New Kids" (see my review).
the movie starts off really well..with James Spader(morgan hiller) looking at his best and kim richards looking even better.
(while anybody who is watching the movie would want him to pick up a real gun from a nearby store and shot the bad guy down after what he had done to his father, him , his g/f and his to be father-in-law) kim has a great role, looks FABULOUS and yes she should have gotten more films.
Preppy bad boy Morgan Hiller (an excellent and charismatic performance by James Spader in an early lead role) transfers from an East Coast prep school to a new school in a rough Los Angeles neighborhood.
An incorrigible troublemaker, Morgan runs afoul of vicious gang leader Nick Hauser (a nicely menacing portrayal by Paul Mones) and falls for Nick's foxy girlfriend Frankie (Kim Richards at her most insanely hot and appealing). |
tt0360033 | The Stranger Beside Me | A female voice-over states that she wishes she could envision a time before the killings. The images are of Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy (Billy Campbell), carrying the body of a blonde young woman across the fields up to a barn. Ted clumsily applies lipstick to the woman's face, and those reminiscences are mixed with a police car's sirens stopping him. Ted undresses the young lady and smashes her head, splitting blood onto his own face. Ted, sweaty and nervous, looks petrified, but the police officer insists.A phone rings. Ann Rule (Barbara Hershey) was sleeping, dozed on her couch, until the police pass her to Ted.CUT to Seven Years Earlier.She was attending a busy telephone line which supports women. Ted and Ann work together, and it's clear they get on well. Ted talks to one Sally who cries over her husband having left her. Ted mentions a "long tall Sally" he used to know. Sally doesn't answer when Ted offers to go out with her. Ann calls the police on her behalf, so Sally is taken to hospital. Ann hugs Ted, because he has saved Sally's life. During a break at a diner, Ted shows Ann the kind of detective comics he usually reads. Ann is already a published author, and Ted talks about the girlfriend who dumped him.Kim Manson's body has appeared. Leslie Rule (Meghan Black), Ann's daughter, goes out with a guy, but her mother shoes her some photographs of other teenagers who were attacked and killed. Ann is obsessed with crime, as she investigates and reports true crime stories.A jogger founds a skeleton semi-buried in the woods. Ted and Ann meet at a fund-raising political reunion. Governor Evans (Michael St. John Smith) has given Ted a job as a driver. Ann is surprised to see him dressed as a Republican. Ted introduces Margo (Brenda James) to Ann. Margo says that Ted talks about Ann all the time, and that she is going to get ready to him.Police think that there are already six girls missing, related to that case. Margo wants to see Ted more, who'sreading the newspaper, whose first-page is the news of some missing girls. At the gym, Ted looks at a young teenager. Ted is wearing an arm in a string. Ted tells Katie (Crystal Bublé) to help him charge the battery of his car. Katie finds weird a comment he makes about the areas, when he has just said that he doesn't know anybody in the area. Katie leaves, so Ted has to find another victim - another teenager. He chit-chats with her in a friendly manner, until he hits her on the head. Ted comes back home with a bouquet of flowers and some takeaway dinner to take while dancing and kissing Margo. He reminiscences about the body of the second teenager.Ann is getting nervous and tries to control Leslie, who can't even take the bus on her own to pay a visit to her father. Ted tries to make peace. Ann inquires about a bandaged hand, and Ted says he's cut himself. Ann Rule is also a detective who will help police with the case. Ann is worried that the rape and murders can happen to any girl - and Leslie fits the mold of the girls who interest the killer. Ted promises Ann that nothing bad will ever happen to Leslie.Ann goes to the car park where Ted lured the young girls. Katie has described "Ted", but they think that the name is fake and the male face of the young man is a bit too generic. In any case, Ann doesn't recognise the portrait of Ted Bundy. Detective Payton (Matthew Bennett) and District Attorney Baines (Aaron Douglas) discuss the case with Ann. Ann realises that her friend Ted looks a little like the killer, but the cop doesn't think it possible that the murderer used his real name - that would be stupid.Some other day, Ted introduces his friend Kelly Parker (Suki Kaiser) to Ann at the café. Ann asks Ted about Margo, and he tells her that she was from Utah, so that she came back to her family. Ted mentions that the killer is second-to-Jack-the-Reaper, and asks about the case in return. Ann says that nobody feels threatened by that man. The three of them laugh about Ted - and thousands of men like him - being possible suspects. Ann suggests he goes to the police station to have some tests. Kelly laughs it off ackwardly, they are just two friends goofing around. Ted's hand has healed perfectly well, not even a scar as proof.CUT to Utah, 1975A moustached man possing off as a police officer, Roseland, in street clothes lures a girl to ckeck on her vandalised car. He offers to take her to the police station to report on the crime after showing her his star. He tells Julie Wyatt (Kimberley Warnat) that his wife is about to have a child, and that Julie is one of the names in their list as a baby name. Suddenly, Julie starts getting nervous, as they are not going the right way. He asks her how often her boyfriend tells her that she's beautiful, which makes her frantic, as she hasn't mentioned a boyfriend at all. He tries to handcuff her to the car, but she manages to run awaywhen another car approaches, and the driver (Johnny Sawchuk) stops to help her. Ted Bundy leaves in his car. He takes off his fake moustache, and mutters that the situation is stupid.With the excuse of his car's dead battery, he talks to a ticket girl (Tara Hungerford) at a cinema cabin. As usual with Ted Bundy, he looks friendly, well-kept, and finally takes a young school girl dressed in a school uniform, with her musical instrument by her side. He applies make up with a brush and then hits her in the head. Leslie and Ann wonder about why somebody would do something like that. Meanwhile, Ted tries to compose himself in his car. A police officer (Mark Lukyn) asks him what he's doing there, and he says that he saw a film at the Redwood cinema, but that he took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up there, lost. The cop asks a nervous Ted whether he can look around in his car. Ted gives in, because the opposite would look suspicious, and the cop notices dented tools at the back. The ticket girl can give a clear positive identification of Ted, as several days have gone by.Ted is interrogated. He's shown the pictures of some Utah girls, including Susan Wayne (Sarah Edmondson). They may have something on him: the handcuffs which Julie ran away in. There is a radio broadcaster says that Ted has been arrested. Leslie and Ann amazed at that.Ted phones Ann and tries to convince her that she "knows him, he wouldn't hurt a fly". He reassures her that they are friends, and that when he leaves jail, he'll visit her.Her editor puts some more pressure on Ann because of her biding contract to the publishing house. They want her to exploit her friendship to Ted. Ann admits that she's scared of Ted, but that book may do away with her financial problems. Ann and many other cops search for clues now that they have a suspect. Ann thinks she should have known, but her friend tries to reassure her that there is not way she could have suspected him. Margo also thinks that there were clues: he read the articles about the case, he watch the TV. Margo admits to a female friend that Ted could only have sex with her if he was choking her, or if he tied her up.Ted bails himself out. He phones Ann from a street phone, saying that he's staying with Margo in Seattle. Ann wants to talk with him to know what makes him click. Ted is being followed. Ted hired a private detective who's going to prove that he's innocent. Ann admits to him that she's not convinced of his innocence. He answers her personal questions. They are at a different café, and the young waitress (Mia Lotringer) recognises Ted Bundy's face and asks him for an autograph! Ted expresses his confidence he would be declared non-guilty.However, he's declared guilty of a kidnapping with aggravants. Ann and Kelly talk outside the meeting room in prison. Ann tells him that he'll be accused of seceral murders. There were fibers of the victim's clothes into Ted's car. Ted's face changes but he still insists he's innocent. Ted says that the monster is still out there, that he's only a escapegoat, and that he isn't crazy.Ann starts seeing a therapist (Maureen Thomas) because of her own guilt feelings. A psychiatrist (Roger Haskett) visits Ted to assess whether he's crazy or not. Ann Rule says to her psychologist that she wanted to speak for the victims. Ann misses her writing, but at that moment, she can't cope. Ted wants to represent himself in Colorado.Florida, 1978Six days have gone by since Ted escaped from his Colorado prison. He's grown a beard. He's making himself pass as a young guy whose surname is Kashoggi. He's considered armed and extremely dangerous. Ted notices a young girl and follows her to her dorm room. He is wearing leather gloves and a torchlight. Ted stares at the girl in her nightie and hits her with his torcklight. Another student notices him while he runs down the building stairs. When that girl sees the blood and the body, she screams. Soon afterwards the police siege Ted's car. Another police officer (Shawn Reis) points a gun towards him. Ted ass the cop whether he knows who he is. There is a fight, but Ted is captured again.When Ted goes back to prison, there are plenty of cameras and reporters waiting for him. Ted makes jokes about that possibly being an election year. Ted pleads non-guilty again. Ann visits him. Ted looks satisfied because of the media attention.Judge Harris Carlton presides Ted's judgement. Ted's lawyer asks for more time, and Ted stands up to speak up.Ted's girlfriend describe him as good fun, charismatic, self-assured. He had stopped pursuing the girfriend when she said "yes" to him. Ann tells her that Ted must have started killing peopel long before he met any formal girlfriend. Everybody who knew the kind and "normal" Ted tries to figure it out. Ted was an illegitimate son who grew up with his grandparents, and his granddad was pretty violent towards him. Ted'sgrandmother, while arrenging a bouquet of flowers, remembers a quiet girl back in 1962 who vanished from the face of the earth and whose disappearance has never been explained.Ted himself questions one of his girlfriends. The ex-girfriend had hoped to marry him. Ted had never been violent towards her; all the contrary, he was a warm affectionate man. The jury looks at him with good humour, and Ted kisses her girlfriend before the judge, who tries to prevent things like that. Ted promisesto marry that girl, and he even convinces her of making love with him in the visiting room of jail.Ted says that somebody else committed the crimes and that he finds the crimes gruesome and unspeakable evil.The jury finds Ted guilty, and Judge Carlton sentences him to dead. In a way, the judge recognises Bundy's intelligence, as he says that in other circumstances, he'd have been proud to have a lawyer like him talking infront of the jury. For once, Ted doesn't look proud of himself; his face is forlorn and sad. However, he shrugs his shoulders looking at Ann Rule.Ted is preparing his own appeal to the Supreme Court. He has left his last girlfriend pregnant, and she looks happy and satisfied to support him through the ordeal. Talking to Jay, the prison guard, (Deejay Jackson),he is pretty satisfied with the fact of going to have a baby. He says that it's like becoming immortal.Raiford Prison in Starke, Florida.Ted has decided to become vegetarian, although the jail system doesn't care much for specialy dietary specifications. He talks to Ann, who keeps on visiting him. She asks about his childhood to him. Ted dismisses it: would Ann rather have Ted inventing something sordid going on in his family, like his grandfather raping his mother? Ann keeps on trying to understand, but can't. Ann says that it's clear that Ted has a defect somewhere, but Ted says that he hasn't got any. "I can't tell you the truth because there is no truth to tell." Ted states that he's like any ordinary person, and that he used to be a normal teenager at 14, like Ann herself, 99% of the time, but that he's still judged harshly. Ann wants Ted to admit that he killed all those girls. She also feels a weird need to see Ted behave like a moster. Suddenly, Ted ask Ann whether she can remember "Long tall Sally", the girl he saved. Afterwards, Ted tracked Sally through the health paramedics who had saved her - Sally was not even her real name. She ended up slitting her veins in her bedroom. Ann leaves in anger. Ted says that nothing would have done her any good. When Ann Rules arrives home, she cries.Ted talks to her girlfriend and his daughter already 5 years old at least. Ted tells the mother that she must plead with the relatives of the victims: he will tell them where the bodies of the girls are if they plead with the governor to give Ted a pardon. She is dumbfolded: she can't believe that he knows where those girls are. He says that he can speculate, - so he's not admitting to having done anything yet. She wants to leave with their daughter, but he tries to stop her and insists.Ted has been on death row for nine years. It looks like his last moment is about ot approach. He pleads for three more years: he will say where the girls are buried and will speak about the girls' last moments alive. However, his female lawyer tells him that the relatives and the families of the girls refuse to speak in his behalf, no matter what. Ted can't understand that the families can live without knowing where the girls have been buried. The lawyer suggests him giving out that information without expecting nothing in return.Ann also wonders whether there will be a last-second confession, or even a last-minute pardon. Ann rejects to be interviewed. There's still no confession.24th Januray 1989Ted is in prison. He sends a message to his family saying that he's sorry.Ann talks about Sarah Jane Sweeney (Ginger Broatch /Haili Page), a girl neighbour of young Ted Bundy (Trent Wittal). Sarah Jane was at home on a school day because she was sick. Her mother thought she was on her room sleeping, but she went to the porch and was rocking back and forth in a rocking chair. Ted passes by in his bike, as he is the paper boy of that neighbourhood. Sarah Jane must have been lured by Ted,. When her mother checked on her, she was not in her room and she was never found out alive or dead. Ann Rule thinks Sarah Jane Sweeney must have been Ted's first victim.Ted loses his cool while he walks the green mile. He has to be carried by the prison guards. In a voice over, Ann Rule's voice keeps on wondering about Ted Bundy and Sarah Jane Sweeney. She was 8, he was 14. Ted tries to plead for some more time, but he's tied to the electric chair without more ado. Officially, Ted killed 36 girls and women, but Ann Rule thinks that there has to be some more nobody knows about. She wonders whether Ted was born a monster, or he became a monster.Ann realises that there are no answers to those questions, over images of the ambulance which disposes of Ted's dead body and young Ted luring Sarah Jane away, in a friendly manner.CAPTIONS:The term "serial killer" did not exist before Ted Bundy.
Many of the families of the victims never recovered their daughters' remains. The family of SarahJane Sweeney held a memorial service for her in 1999, 38 years after her disappearance. Ann Rule haswritten 20 national best sellers and has become a leading advocate of the rights of victims' and their survivors. | dark | train | imdb | Somewhat decent but not as good as the book!.
Ann Rules' books including the Stranger Beside Me offers a detailed complex and complicated version of the events around Ted Bundy.
Who would have thought that even a seasoned policewoman turned writer would be sitting next to a serial killer on Tuesdays nights for a Suicide hot line.
There is no wonder that Ted Bundy got away with so much.
He was brilliant and conscious.
He graduated college and was attending law school.
But there was a dark side behind the image of a charming, intelligent political promising young man and that is what Ann Rule tries to bring forth to the public in her book and in her movie.
Sadly, the movie does touch on some bit of his past including the possible connection with a young girl's disappearance and the horrifying crimes against the women in the film.
Not all of the victims were shown but the film can scare anybody from hitchhiking away for sure.
Ann Rule was a lot stronger than the portrayal.
She has three other children which are not at all mentioned.
Barbara Hershey did a favorable job in playing Ann Rule.
The actor, Billy Campbell, played Ted Bundy was absolutely chilling and tragic all at once.
You just cringed with sadness when you heard the judge's remarks about him and if he had only chosen another way to live..
A Gripping Tale of an Uncontrollable Ego. This film is a fictional portrayal of Ann Rule's relationship with serial killer Ted Bundy (played by Billy Campbell).
How true it is or not, I have no idea.
It relies on Rule's point of view, with Rule being portrayed by Barbara Hershey, and some scenes do not even involve her, so at the very least the dialogue is just a bunch of bull.Ted Bundy working with crime writer and ex-cop Ann Rule at a crisis hotline, where they have paramedics tracing the calls and arriving in record time.
Also, Bundy as a Republican fundraiser and personal aide who knows the governor of Washington.
I admit I never knew much about Bundy, but this is more interesting than I had imagined.How Bundy, after being accused of murdering a dozen girls, gets out on bail is beyond me.
He says that after one semester of law school he knows enough to "torpedo" the prosecution, but I have no idea how this can be true.I appreciate the reference to Gary Gilmore and how Norman Mailer is writing a book about him.
Gilmore is a far less-known killer, but treated here as though he is much bigger (which was probably true at the time).
How he then escapes from Colorado and gets to Florida, gets a car, a fake identification and more...
he is truly a criminal mastermind.As I am not well-versed in Ted Bundy's story, and not not say how accurate this film is, I can say it was very well made.
I was engaged, and enthralled by how interesting it was.
And to be able to have both Ann Rule and Bundy's story told simultaneously adds a really good angle, since Bundy's story by itself would be more exploitative than anything..
The fascinating case of Ted Bundy.
RELEASED TO TV IN 2003 and directed by Paul Shapiro, "Ann Rule Presents: The Stranger Beside Me" (aka "The Ted Bundy Story") stars Billy Campbell as the infamous serial killer and Barbara Hershey as the eponymous writer who knew him before and during his murders, as well as during his imprisonments in Colorado and Florida.
The phrase "serial killer" didn't exist before Bundy.
His first suspected victim was when he was a paper boy in Tacoma at the age of 14.
He finally officially confessed to 30 murders in 7 states from 1974 to1978, but later said there were several others and respectable estimates range from 60-100 or more.
He was first locked up in Utah in 1975 for kidnapping and assault, which is shown in the movie.
Bundy subsequently became a suspect in an increasing list of unsolved murders in several states.
Imprisoned in Colorado for homicide, he amazingly enacted two successful escapes and committed further attacks, including three more homicides in Florida, before his ultimate apprehension in 1978.
He received three death sentences in two separate trials for the Florida murders.
Bundy was electrocuted in Starke, Florida, on January 24, 1989.
He was 42 years-old.
What's strange about the Bundy case is that he was a highly educated, charismatic man with Hollywood good looks.
Combined with his likable gift of bullsheet he was able to dupe those closest to him, including Ann Rule, until the evidence against him piled up.
This explains why one Washington woman allowed him to stay with her after he was released from confinement in Utah as a prime suspect, not to mention Kelly Parker's marriage to him while he was in prison in Florida for 11 years.
One of the first murders shown in the movie, the one that occurs in the parking garage, actually took place at a state park.
Yet it successfully shows how the affable killer made himself appear harmless to his victims.
Despite story changes like this, as well as obvious anachronisms, the gist of the movie account is true and the film is compelling.
Campbell uncannily looks like the serial killer and does a potent portrayal.
Moreover the movie inspires you to look up the facts.
It also shows how women in general, and particularly nubile ones, need to be aware when dealing with strangers or dubious people and use their innate intuition, even if the person is thoroughly charming, intelligent and seems harmless.
Ultra-winsome Kimberley Warnat has a small role as one of the young women who kept her wits about her and therefore was able to see the proverbial writing on the wall and escape.This is the only movie based on Bundy's crimes that I've seen.
People say that the 1986 TV movie "The Deliberate Stranger" more closely adheres to the facts, but that one was released almost three years before the murderer's execution.
This one, by contrast, fittingly shows Bundy's just wages.
What a sick fool and what a waste of humanity, both him and his myriad tragic victims, not to mention the dozens of naïve souls he hoodwinked into believing his pathological lies thru his amiable mojo.
THE MOVIE RUNS 88 minutes and was shot in Vancouver & New Westminster, British Columbia.
The script was written by Matthew McDuffie & Matthew Tabak from Ann Rule's book.
ADDITIONAL CAST: Kevin Dunn appears as a Seattle detective and friend of Rule while Brenda James & Suki Kaiser play Bundy's oblivious lovers.
GRADE: B.
Decent TV movie about Ted Bundy.
TV movie about the crimes of Ted Bundy & his friendship with author Ann Rule.
I have not read her book so cannot comment upon this adaptation but I have read about Bundy & would recommend this movie to anybody interested in learning about the serial killer.
The film is gripping, well made and has a good level of acting.
.My only gripe is that the characters don't appear to age despite being spread over a couple of decades..
Kind of confusing because of the mistakes.
This was a well written story, however there were a tremendous amount of scenes out of sync with the film.
For example, the scene is set in 1975 yet everyone is at a juice bar located inside a gym (which didn't become popular until the late 1980's) and everyone was dressed like it was 1990 something.
Then, the 1988 version of Standing On Shaky Ground plays in the background..then Ted, the only person dressed like the 70's midst the large group dressed like skaters from the 1990's, suddenly stands up and walks out into the parking garage where we see cars ranging from 1972 to 1978, exactly 3 years into the future.
The movie is well done however whoever made these mistakes was pretty blind.
I can understand a few errors in the film here and there and I do not expect perfection, but if you have a movie set in the 70's, don't include fashions and music and hair styles from 20 years into the future..
Pretty strong stuff.
Eager former cop turned aspiring crime writer Ann Rule (an excellent performance by Barbara Hershey) documents a brutal series of murders stretching from Utah to Seattle.
Unbeknonst to Ann, the killer is the extremely smart, charming and affable Ted Bundy (a chilling and convincing portrayal by Billy Campbell), a close personal friend who works with her at a local suicide hotline.
Ably directed by Paul Shapiro, with a tight script by Matthew McDuffie and Matthew Tabak, a rattling, shivery score by Joseph Conlan, a reasonably gritty tone, slick cinematography by Ron Orieux, a steady pace, and several fairly nasty murder set pieces, this made-for-TV movie makes for very gripping and harrowing viewing.
Hershey and Campbell both contribute superb work in the lead roles.
The supporting cast are likewise fine and impressive: Kevin Dunn as a hard-nosed detective, Suki Kaiser as Bundy's adoring prison pen pal and eventual wife Kelly Parker, Brenda James as Bundy's chipper, unsuspecting girlfriend Margo, and Meghan Black as Ann's feisty teenage daughter Leslie.
This movie commendably refuses to explain Bundy's severe seething psychosis; instead it just merely states that evil folks like him simply exist and leaves it at that.
A grimly fascinating true crime flick..
Yet another liberty with facts, history.
I watched this film to see how it compared not only with book but with prior television drama THE DELIBERATE STRANGER with Mark Harmon and the 2002 feature film TED BUNDY.Once again, the liberties with facts and history here show that the Harmon film is still the most accurate.First of all, the racquet club scene is a distortion.
In real life, the event portrayed was the Lake Sammamish/Issiqua disappearances and murders of Janice Ott and Denise Naslund that happened on a weekend in July 1974; outdoor state park, not a racquet club in downtown Seattle.Kevin Dunn's character must be a composite, as is the detective who interrogates Bundy in Utah.
In real life, the Seattle investigation was by Detectives Robert Keppel and Roger Dunn and the Utah case was by Detectives Ira Beal, Dennis Couch and Jerry Thompson.In Florida, he did not murder the sorority women with a flashlight but with an oak wood club and he was arrested in a red VW bug, not a station wagon in Pensacola, Fla.The film does a good job of portraying Bundy's appearance alterations over time and the brief portrayal of his working days with Rule.However, outside of the fundraising party (in real life, it is not clear if Rule maintained a close association with Bundy as he began moving up the political ladder and began counting Seattle Times writer Richard Larsen as a friend), she does not touch on his growing relationship with Ross Davis (state GOP chairman) or Ralph Munro, who later became Secretary of State, which is covered in some scope in the Mark Harmon film.This film makes a decent effort to portray the events of the period but, like TED BUNDY (2002) takes its share of liberties with facts and events. |
tt0283509 | No Man's Land | Two wounded soldiers are caught between their lines in no man's land, in a struggle for survival. Ciki is a Bosnian Muslim, and Nino is a Bosnian Serb. The two soldiers confront each other in a trench, where they wait for dark. They trade insults and even find some common ground. Confounding the situation is Cera, a wounded Bosniak soldier who wakes from unconsciousness. A land mine had been buried beneath him by the Bosnian Serbs; should he make any move, it would be fatal.Marchand, a French sergeant of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), gets involved in effort to help the three trapped soldiers, despite initial orders to the contrary by high command. UNPROFOR's mission in Bosnia was to guard the humanitarian aid convoys, to remain neutral and act as a mere bystander.An English reporter arrives on scene, bringing media pressure to bear that moves the United Nations high command to swing in to action to try to save the soldiers.A row between the stressed out and fatigued Ciki and Nino gradually escalates even after being rescued. Eventually, Ciki shoots Nino and is in turn shot by a peacekeeper. After this confrontation, it is found that the mine cannot be defused. The UNPROFOR high command tries to save face: they lie, saying that Cera has been saved and they leave the area, along with the reporters and everyone else. In reality, Cera is left alone and desolate in the trenches, still immobilized by the mine.source:Wiki | comedy, murder, anti war, violence, thought-provoking, satire, tragedy, suspenseful, sentimental | train | imdb | I'm glad the IMDb featured this flick as its movie of the day, it is a great film and one which I think a lot of people passed over because it has...
I saw this early this morning at the a film festival in Gotemburg.The director was there and all.It´s a very frightening anti-war film that has three main characters two of them are Bosnian´s and one of them is a Serb.They are soldiers but also normal men.And war makes hate.This is a very symbolic film I would call a masterpiece.Those three persons together shows what war is:HELL.The director Danis Tanovic himself says that it´s of course about just this war but it´s not like if you see this film in ten years you wont understand it.During their time on no man´s land they are civil to each other but the conflict continues and in the end that´s what is most important.The final scene of the film is superb.A film that will go to film history.Worth to see by everyone.5/5.
No Man's Land involves three soldiers two Bosnians and one Serb trapped in a trench between the two fronts.
I'm really really glad that this No Man's Land won the Academy Award for best foreign language film over that dreadfully over-hyped 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain'.
What makes this film worth more that one watch is that it takes human life at its most vulnerable, that it is about communication or lack of thereof, the excellent use of international cast and different languages adding to the confusion of an understanding the conflict that was truly not understood by anyone..
However, this film is just as sad and emotionally provoking like any other outstanding anti-war movie.
The poor soldier replied 'Of course I am OK, I got shot, and then I was unconscious, and then woke up and found there is a landmine beneath me, and then the whole world is watching me, and then I want to go to toilet, and now I was greeted by rubbish statements from my friend'.I hope this film would make people understand that wars are completely vile and barbaric, and no one would start a war again..
The three major protagonists, two Bosnians and a Serb, are thrown together in a terrible situation, out of which it will be difficult to escape unscathed.In addition to the warring factions, outside influences enter the picture in the form of a TV news reporter, and members of the UN forces in the region.
It's made with uninformed and generally disinterested Western audience in mind and it's as if Tanovic is saying: "Look, I know it's a drag to go out and look for serious material on ethnic groups you've barely heard of, fighting over a godforsaken piece of land you probably can't pick out on the map, so here's a condensed & simplified version that will make you think you now understand what went on in Bosnia during the early 1990s." With his way too broad a brush he attempts many things.
Among them: touching on the seeds of conflict between Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Muslims (who now days prefer to be called Bosniacks and in this movie are referred to as Bosnians), explaining the role of international community through UN's UNPROFOR contingent,conveying the hopelessness and chaos of war, etc, etc..
I didn't exactly expect Tanovic, himself a Muslim and a soldier in the Bosnian Muslim Army during the war, to entirely stay clear of this, but even so, I thought he'd concentrate more on human stories and less on scoring points for his side.
His thinly veiled position seems to be that the international community should have taken the Muslim side in Bosnia by helping them (not only in humanitarian aid, but in arms, too) fight the other two, better equipped sides (Croats were in this civil war as well, though the movie makes no mention of them).
Tanovic again lets his emotions get the better of him and goes way over the top by portraying most of the official foreign element in Bosnia somewhere in the range between incompetent, clueless retards and amoral (bordering on sinister) worms.I mention all this due to the fact that this film is being marketed as another "Catch-22" - supposedly showing all of the absurdity and senslesness of war.
And while it does that in certain part, it is also much more of a soapbox for Tanovic to air his, obviously subjective, views on a conflict he took an active part in."No Man's Land" possesses certain redeemable value but tries to be too many things at the same time, many of which ultimately dilute and diminish its anti-war message.
The movie talks upon three soldiers , one Serbian and two Bosnian who are trapped in a trench amidst the contenders lines during Servia-Bosnia Herzegovina war in 1993 , at the time of the heaviest fighting between the two warring sides .
`No Man's Land' is another excellent movie about the Bosnian war, inclusive an Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001, and highly recommended for any audience.
Having written a script in 1996 called SOLITUDE set in Bosnia in the early 1990s I`ve been interested in seeing how the Balkans conflict is featured in movies and I was really looking forward to seeing NO MANS LAND a multi national production that became the first movie featuring the Balkans conflict to win an Oscar .
There`s also a scene early in the movie that steals directly from PLATOON with a hardened veteran going through a raw recruits kit saying " You don`t need that , dump this ..." so my hopes were built up that this was going to be a compelling piece of cinema but when the movie concentrates on the story proper of having two men ( Or three depending how you look at it ) in a trench it doesn`t really go anywhere , instead it just concentrates on insults like :" You started this war you Serb pig " " No you started this war you Muslim dog " There`s little information on the history of the Bosnian civil war to be gathered from from these exchanges , there`s little drama to these exchanges and to be blunt when watching NO MANS LAND it doesn`t actually feel like you`re experiencing cinema since you could easily adapt this screenplay for the stage with very little modification .
Another thing was I couldn`t believe in the characters as anything more than litery devices , Simon Callow`s caricture as a UN Protection Force officer especially bordered on the offensive with the only performance and role that anyway resembled a real person being the late Katrin Cartlidge as Jane Livingstone , a journalist who seems to be implicitly based on The Guardian`s Maggie O`Kane NO MANS LAND isn`t the worst movie to have used the Balkans conflict as a backdrop , that unwanted accolade must surely go to BEHIND ENEMY LINES but it`s far from being the best either , in my humble opinion PRETTY VILLAGE , PRETTY FLAME is the clear winner.
This Serbo-Croatian film (with English subtitles) was a somewhat interesting story of a couple of soldiers on opposite sides in the Bosnian war who wind up in the same trench (hence, "No Man's Land") and the United Nations officials who try to rescue them.
The film is telling the dramatic story of three soldiers (one Serb and two Bosnians) caught between two front-lines during the Yugoslavian war.
Some UN troop try to free them but their very bureaucratic hierarchy prevents them of doing so and they require the help of a British journalist.The plot is very credible and shows perfectly the absurdity and cruelty of war and the influence of the TV press on the battlefield.But I would not qualify this film as a masterpiece.
This is the merit of `No Man's Land', a movie about a group of Bosnians and Serbs stuck in a no man's land trench under the fire of both armies, a parable of the deadly stalemate that marked this war.
The first is the fact that the movie's main conflict, between the Bosnian Chiki and the Serb Nino, is not entirely convincing (it is even childish sometimes) and therefore is not up to the hatred and grievances that oppose the two nations.
That's why the tragic way this conflict finally unfolds seems a bit out of proportion with the story, as if artificially conceived in order to neutralize some satirical and farcical aspects of the movie that are at odds with the gravity of the war itself.
As a rule, there is no effort to explain the causes of the conflict (good, it's a movie, not a dissertation), but Tanovic's screenplay attributes to the United Nations peacekeeping mission a good deal of responsibility for the absurd continuation of the war, which is nonsense.
It shows the war from it's truthfully side.The movie is made in a typical Bosnian way that always includes comedy.
Tanovic works with symbols, like the very last picture of the movie, where you see this Bosnian soldier lying on a land mine not being able to either move or stay there.
It is still a "No Man's Land".It is a funny way to understand the ironic war in Bosnia.
"No Man's Land" is a satirical representation of the futility of the Bosnian/Serb conflict which uses one incident, a living man in a trench booby-trapped with a land mine, to show how the people involved, from foot soldiers to media to UN peace-keepeers to the chain of command, all fail to succeed when hatreds run deep.
I have to think back to the Civil War in America, where I had cousins fighting on both sides to see the utter ignorance that war is all about.Two soldiers, actually three, but he was thought to be dead, end up in a trench in the middle of the Bosnian-Serbian war.
I'm not sure that was because it was the best choice or because the film touch the current nerve in Hollywood.Basically its the story of three men fighting, literally in the trenches of Bosnia.
First time featue film writer/director/composer Danis Tanovic's No Man's Land is a great example of a war satire, though it is so realistic it shimmers on the edge of reality and fiction to the point where you just sit back in a form of awe.
This causes a conflict with the men having to wait on the UN to get them out, and to help out Djuric's best friend (played with heartbreaking accuracy by Sovagovic) who is on a land mine that will explode if he moves off it.A tad cliched, but when it's a satire, it might need to be a little cliched, especially with a war movie.
Still, Tanovic has created a film that breaks a lot of the boundaries of many war movies and in it has made a remarkable work.
Danis Tanovic's film 'No Man´s Land' is a realistic portrayal of a war scenario, with all its absurdity and uselessness.
However, No Man's Land stands out as a warmovie that is objective, non-judgmental and immensely thought-provoking.The fact that non of the actors are international movie stars heightens therealism and allows the audience to view their plight with more objectivity.(Sometimes, a movie star's off-screen persona can be too distracting.)Ciki (a Bosnian) and Nino (a Serb) get stuck in no man's land together, and we see the futility in pointing fingers when amidst heavy bombing around them,they argue that it is the other who started the war.
No Man's Land offers an excellent metaphor for the situation that leads to war: there is a man in the film who is lying on top of a mine that will destroy everything in the area if his weight is removed.
The best foreign language film that tells truth, through symbolics about war in Bosnia.
No Man's Land is a great, amazing and fascinating black-humor war movie I have ever watched.
It still manages to show the horror of war and the pointlessness of the whole situation.It perfectly shows the involvement of both the Serbians and the Bosnians that are not really caring about the faith of the soldiers trapped in the trench in the middle of no man's land, while all they do in the trench is arguing about who's to blame for starting the war in the first place which takes a lot of pressure and tension with it.
All is shown in a satirical way and basically it just tells the story of the whole war and the parties involved in 98 minutes.Not sure about it deserving of winning the Oscar for best foreign film but still an enjoyable light war drama.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
A story about two soldiers in a trench between enemy lines during the Bosnian war.
No heroes, except perhaps the unfortunate Marchand, who risks death and his career to try to save the three fighters caught between Bosnian and Serbian front lines against overwhelming odds.No Man's Land shows the absurdity of war very skilfully.
A Dynamic Film About War. This movie was made by a Bosnian director and blames the Serbians for starting the war and acting as the aggressors.
This contrast between the characters serves a purpose aside from making Bosnia look good; it gives them things to talk and argue about, contributing to the chemistry and banter they develop throughout the film.This movie doesn't glorify any aspect of the military or warfare.
Excellent in most every way, "No Man's Land" is from Bosnia-Herzegovina and tells the story of the most intense fighting over there between the Bosnians and the Serbians.
An early interchange between the two key soldiers as to which side started the war illuminates, briefly but effectively, the fog that literally, not merely figuratively, engulfs the Balkans.The most brilliant aspect of this fine film is the encapsulation of the wildly changing emotions of the two antagonists who share a desire to survive while trapped in a trench between the opposing forces.
Full credit to Tanovic for presenting us a magnificient story, superb direction and most important, the message the film carries.What war actually is, we the common people who stay away, cannot understand.
This is an excellent movie, one of the best I've seen on the subject of the Bosnian-Serbian war.
No Man's Land is a sad, funny, thought provoking and satirical drama about a complicated situation that develops in a trench during the Serbian/Croatian war over Bosnia in the 90's.
No Man's Land takes a cynical look at the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993; the war between the Serbs and the Croats.Cynical...
The absolute futility of war and colonialism/imperialism is summed up by a repeated line: "I say that it's true because I have a gun and you don't." Not to mention what happens when UNPROFOR gets involved and the media starts covering it.Without a doubt, "Ničija zemlja" (the title in Bosnian) doesn't paint a pretty picture of international affairs: aside from the genocide itself, there was the helplessness of the foreign governments to do anything about it, and the "human interest story" approach that the press took, much like in Rwanda (which one character mentions).
This film is shoot ed in a valley which is a no man's land between Serbian and Bosnian trenches.
But justice did prevail(at least in real life), as this little known anti-war tragi-comedy quietly usurped the honors of 2001's best Foreign language film from the more obvious audience favourite, Amelie.Without condescension or preaching, No Man's Land conveyed clear messages on humanity, the absurdity of war and the tragic repercussions of idealogical differences.
The story is centered around three soldiers, one serb and two bosnians, who get caught up together in a trench in no man's land between the two fighting sides.
To complicate matters, one of the bosnian soldiers is lying on top of a bouncing mine and cannot be moved without it exploding.The movie won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001, in my opinion a great choice.
At times this is a pretty lighthearted story with a lot of short lines and situations that make you laugh, but in the end, the feeling we are left with is still that war is never funny and is always meaningless.I loved the portrayal of the U.N and their inability to really make a difference, overall the acting was good, and the camera and scenery makes this film great to see..
It's about 2 men, a Bosnian and a Serb, finding themselves in a trench in the middle of no man's land during the Bosnian War and have got no real idea why they're angry enough to fight each other.
It shows the media bringing the worlds attention to the war and the inaction of the UN, but it also shows the personal interest involved.In conclusion, if you want a balanced well rounded view of the Bosnian conflict this is the movie for you.
No Man's Land is an extremely social film about the absurdity of war and the lack of humanity that surrounds it.
No Man's Land won the best foreign language film at the 2001 Academy awards.
I advice every one see this post don't skip the film just because it's Serbo-Croatian, No Man's Land is a great, amazing and fascinating black-humor war movie, It talks about two soldiers from different sides (Serbian and Bosnian), and their struggling for each country.What I liked the most is that DANIS TANOVIC, who is Bosnian director, did not refer positively on his homeland, you can see the balance between those two sides.
People who understand this symbolic film, they will see and discover the real picture of suffering and agony in this 4-year war against Bosnia.
People who understand this symbolic film, they will see and discover the real picture of suffering and agony in this 4-year war against Bosnia. |
tt0164212 | Under Suspicion | Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman) is about to give the main speech in an exclusive party in Puerto Rico. He is called to the police station to be questioned about his finding of a raped and murdered young girl the day before. Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman), and the younger Detective Felix Owens (Thomas Jane) question him. Hearst changes his story several times: he was jogging with a neighbour's dog, he found her, the dog found her, he was jogging without the dog, so the police think he has done it.Benezet is pressured by his boss (Miguel Ángel Suárez) to free Hearst so that he can give his speech. However, as there is no conclusive proof, Benezet has to let him go.At the party, a crowd is gossiping, and Chantal Hearst (Monica Bellucci), his wife, has to keep her composure. She will be questioned later, after her husband gives his speech without his wig, to confirm why she and her husband sleep in separate rooms. Little by little, the story each of them tells changes.Hearst first blames Chantal for being jealous. Then, it's discovered he likes cheap very young prostitutes. Hearst says that Chantal and artist Paco Rodríguez (Luis Caballero) are lovers. He's the husband of Chantal's sister María (Jacqueline Duprey). Chantal says that he saw Hearst with her niece Camille (Isabel Algaze) giving her presents and trying to seduce her. Also, she tells that once she saw her husband washing his blood-stained clothes at night.Pressure over Henry increases. Finally, Chantal, the legal owner of the mansion where they live (it was Henry's present), signs a form permitting the police to look for more clear proof. At the dark room, they find the photos of the two murdered girls and many previous snapshots of them. Henry says that it must be Chantal's trap. He doesn't divorce her because she would be entitled to one half of everything and the mansion.Henry gives up. He starts confessing it all. Suddenly, Benezet is interrupted. Another police officer tells him that they have found the real murderer in a car, pestering some other young girl and with the recorded videos kept in his car. Benezet and Owens free Henry.Henry doesn't forgive Chantal for trying to frame him. (At least that's my interpretation of the ending) | mystery, murder | train | imdb | Most of this dialogue-intensive film takes place in an office in a Puerto Rican Police Department with a top detective (Freeman) grilling a wealthy attorney (Hackman) about the rape/murders of young girls.
Featuring outstanding performances by both principals and technical and artistic excellence, the film's story unfolds piecemeal as it scrutinizes the Hackman character with painful deliberation while holding out the "whodunnit" carrot until the very end.
The drama is wonderfully tense and taut, and, best of all, the suspense holds out until near the very end of the film, lingering on afterward for hours in the viewer's mind.Gene Hackman plays Henry Hearst, a successful attorney in San Juan, Puerto Rico who lives an apparently blissful life of luxury--he's got money, respect, a gorgeous house on the coast, and, most of all, a stunningly beautiful young trophy wife, Chantal (Monica Belluci, the voluptuous heir-apparent to Sophia Loren, in one of her first US roles).On the eve of the feast of St. Sebastian, during which Hearst is set to deliver an address at a fundraiser for hurricane relief, he is called in to the police department by his longtime acquaintance Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman) for additional questioning surrounding the death of a young girl.
The situation is only made more revealing when Henry's wife comes into the station.Everyone loves a good thriller so it was a surprise to me how quickly this film with it's heavy-weight cast managed to slip through the UK cinemas almost unnoticed.
Hackman and Freeman are great actors and having them both in the same film was enough of a draw to get me watching.
She is very good looking and I was glad that the film didn't just trade on that, but it didn't (or couldn't) get a great deal out of her.The director manages to add energy and style to what could have been a rather contain piece (like a play).
A film with Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman in the two main roles is a dream come true for anyone who loves the art of acting, and their performances here (especially Hackman's, who after all does have the more showy part) are stunning.
Morgan Freeman,(Captain Victor Beneget),"Edison",'05 is the chief of police and while he is investigating a homicide, he starts to question Henry Hearst and it is from this point in the film when all kinds of situations change and some of these very dark secrets come to light.
This is an intense drama that takes place between Gene Hackman as the suspect, Henry Hearst, and Morgan Freeman as Capt.
Victor B., mostly in the form of an interrogation at a police station in Puerto Rico.However, it has some interesting scenes that take place outside the police station, while the interrogation is on going - showing us what might have happened.Both Hackman and Freeman do excellent work in this film, as expected of these two pros.
Thomas Jane, a good actor, has little to work with in this particular drama, which showcases Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman as the leads.Monica Bellucci plays Chantal, the beautiful young wife of Henry Hearst, however, in my opinion, her acting was only average except for one scene where she is crying.
Mostly she is just delicious eye candy.As the interrogation continues, Henry's story keeps changing as Victor hammers away at him about the rape and murder of two young girls, until secret after secret is uncovered and fully revealed much to Henry's humiliation.Just prior to the ending, Henry goes completely out of character, in my opinion, and when we reach the conclusion to the case, it is somewhat disappointing.
The story also explores the complex relationship between Henry and his attractive young wife Chantal, played nicely by Monica Bellucci.To tell the truth, the whole interrogation procedure is made just magnificently enjoyable by the writer and performance of the actors.
Wow, you get two tremendous lead actors - two of my favorites in Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman - but, unfortunately, you get a very disappointing movie.Almost the whole story, except for flashbacks, in this stage-like movie takes place in a police captain's (Freeman) office as he interrogates the murder suspect (Hackman).
Let me tell you why.Stephen Hopkins directed "Under Suspicion" with very low budget, cause Hackman and Freeman were payed little and they are also executive producers.
Hackman plays a lawyer Henry Hearst, who is called to come to the police station to clear up a few loose ends in his witness report of a murder of young girl.
There his young wife Chantal (Monica Bellucci) waits for him, just like the creme of San Juan's society.As the movie goes on we found out lots of things about Henry Hearst.
Bravo for a well told story by Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane and Monica Bellucci.I give it a 9 of 10..
One has to suspect that any film starring and produced by Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman is going to be good.
This is a terrific psychological crime drama with an excellent story, great acting and powerful directing.Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman) is a prominent and wealthy citizen of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who found the body of a young girl who had been murdered.
Police captain Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman) is a long time friend of Hearst's and asks him to come down to the station answer some questions and tie up some lose ends.
I have always thought that Claude Miller's "garde à vue" was a highly overrated work.Adapted from an English writer,it actually harks back to good old George Simenon psychology and to venerable directors of the fifties (Henri Decoin :"la vérité sur Bébé Donge"(1951) and "non coupable" (1947);Edouard Molinaro:"la morte de Belle "(1960);Jean Delannoy:"Maigret tend un piège" (1957)).In 1981,when Miller's movie was released, French critics hailed it as a miracle,lauding the unity of time of place and of action.They had probably forgotten that William Wyler did that thirty years before ("Detective story",1951).There was actually nothing "modern" in this "huis clos",and to think of a remake is no sacrilege .So Gene Hackman,Morgan Freeman and Monica Belluchi take on the parts of respectively Michel Serrault -who was beginning to do any job going-, Lino Ventura and Romy Schneider,both of whom were to pass away soon after.Even Guy Marchand's infuriating part of a cop-the pain in the neck- has been kept.His American counterpart overracts as much as he did.
Miller's movie took place on New Year's eve and the scenarists found an adequate equivalent with the carnival.The American remake is no masterpiece but the acting is better as far as the two leads are concerned,and the director lightens his story with a frequent use of flashbacks well integrated into the plot;a good idea:Morgan Freeman seems to be in them,and to relive the events with the characters.The female one,although often a walk on,plays a more prominent part:in "garde à vue" ,Romy Schneider appears a few minutes,too bad for the audience.The conclusion has been watered-down,but it does not make it happier for all that..
For those who really, really enjoy the savoring of great acting performances and mystery plots, however, this will be a little gem.For a basic plot summary, "Under Suspicion" opens with police captain Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman) and hard-boiled partner Felix (Thomas Jane) wanting "just a few minutes of time" from esteemed community citizen Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman), who is about to give a toast at a prestigious fundraiser banquet.
I did not see the French film simply because I can't find it but I've seen Under Suspicion more than once and enjoy it every time even though I know how it ends.As a thriller/mystery/crime investigation, Under Suspicion (2000) teases a viewer and more likely would leave a fan of the pure genre disappointed but as a psychological character study which uses the mystery and serial murders investigation as a device to explore the darkest places of human desires and relationships, it is very good.
The story is OK, the acting is good and directing is fine...however, the tone hangs there too long for almost 100 minutes, letting the audiences know that there must be a twist at the end...may be a little bit surprised but definitely not impressed if you have paid almost 100 minutes patience for that.
However, the evidence in 'Under Suspicion' overwhelmingly points to Hearst's guilt, and this is accentuated by his guilty demeanour, with profuse sweating and rolling eyes.This is an intriguing film, expertly acted by Hackman and Freeman, who are ably backed up by Monica Belluci, and Thomas Jane.
When I first came out of Under Suspicion, I thought it was a good script ruined by the wrong director, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a good idea ruined by a bad writer and the wrong director.The plot, adapted from a French movie which was itself based on a book, sounded promising enough; a respected tax attorney is asked to go to a police station to give more details on his discovery of a child's body near his home, and ends up being interrogated as the main suspect in her rape and murder.
With Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman in the leads, I was expecting to find a gem of a film with two powerful performances at its centre, but it was weak and the actors have given far better in far better movies.Stephen Hopkins hates to keep his camera still, and while his excesses are just about bearable in trash like Lost in Space or Predator 2, here they are out of place and oddly disruptive.
Surrounding by a Excellent Cinematography by Peter Levy.A.S.C,A.C.S,shooting enterly on location in San Juan(PORTORICO), the movie grow up between a intense acting by GENE ACKMAN and MORGAN FREEMAN here also like executive producers.A Very interesting screenplay,don't lose it!.
The movie had great acting, which is to be expected from Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman who have both earned the respect of their peers through many years of acting and now film producing.
Police detectives Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman) and Felix Owens (Thomas Jane) investigate Henry for the rape and murder of a young girl.
It's so twisted and tight, with the right score, a good photography, and smooth editing, that by end you get to hate just about every character.Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, Thomas Jane, and Monica Bellucci are just perfect for their role, playing their assigned persona just right and on the edge.It's not for everybody, since its a harsh subject matter and no psychological punches are pulled as Hackman's character is harassed.
And then Gene Hackman's story changes and things get more complicated.Gene gave a great performance, and what can you say about Morgan Freeman ?
So powerful performance out of the two, you will get puzzled whom to like more- is it Freeman with his talking eyes and features or Hackman with the wonderful role of a man who is so into his young charming wife Belluci forbidding him his sexual rights as a husband.
Like i said, the story is amazing, and i think the ending works very well with the "long night drama" that the movie is (in a good way).the movie is truly captivating, visually thrilling, and i just have to repeat, the story and the performances was just great!i really recommended this movie.
This movie has a great story line that kept you on the edge of your seat.The ending was also great.Also this movie had some of the best acting i have seen in a long time and would watch this movie again.I don't like the subject matter but this movie is so well made that it keeps you interested all the way till the end.The look and feel of the picture is well done with a lot of energy you feel like you are there.I love the flash backs when Gene Hackman is telling his story about where he was and what he was doing when these crimes were happening.I was never bored when i was watching this movie great story telling that does not have a dull moment..
Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman), an American attorney living in Puerto Rico, is called in to speak with police detective Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman).
i specially liked the part were gene hackman, tired of his traitorous life decides to confess he was the murderer and it got better when we learn that he is not the actual killer, it was a very powerful scene.script is very good and the story development is great, this starts as a simple formality and it gets into an interrogation chamber.
And the main actors: Gene Hackman does a very sleazy job of playing a very sleazy character, and Morgan Freeman is always good - his worst performance is better than most actors' best.At one stage the Gene Hackman character refers to being unwrapped like an onion, and that is exactly what the movie is: one character unwrapping another to reveal the core of emptiness within.
The Morgan Freeman character just doesn't convey the ends justifies the means person that was portrayed.I thought the evidence was forced to point too much toward one view, without the ambiguity required for us to believe Gene Hackman was innocent.
The movie left you torn between the two main characters, Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman, as the watcher you want to take sides but not at the risk of alienating the other, you end up hoping against all hope that everything will work out and they can go out to McDonalds for a chocolate shake and be friends again.
They were obviously good friends of many years, but it was never explained just left up to the watcher to take for granted, which is confusing why Gene Hackman knew the names of Morgan Freeman's two previous wives but then didn't know why they had split.Another great part about the movie is that it masquerades as a suspense movie, if it was, it still would have been very successful.
This is a good film to watch as an exercise is fine acting by Hackman and Freeman.
Morgan Freeman is the police captain and Gene Hackman is "Under Suspicion".
Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman), a well respected Attorney in Law and one half or Puerto Rico's golden couple (the other half being Monica Bellucci) is brought into police custody under suspicion of the rape and murder of two young girls.
This is not because of some "amazing surprise ending" but because every line of dialog gradually builds a picture of the life and character of the protagonist, and the thrill of seeing it all develop is so much the greater if you do not know where it is (supposedly) going.Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman are their usual brilliant selves, but the study is all about Gene Hackman, his troubles, triumphs, loves and losses, and how he has dealt with them -- for better or worse.Gene Hackman discovers the body of a murdered girl and dutifully reports it to the police.
But the reason we all have to read it in high school to this day is not just because he is a good guy trying to avoid an evil fate, it is the masterful revealing of each little detail through the play that gradually reveals how Oedipus' attempts to avoid the curse have brought him directly into it.There are two parallels with Oedipus Rex. Both stories deal with a crime universally recognized as horrible and perverted, and both are masterfully told to gradually reveal more and more detail about what may or may not have happened.This is why you do not want to know anything about this movie before seeing it, because it is not about knowing whether or not he is guilty, or what troubles he may have in his marriage (who doesn't?), it is about the brilliantly written dialog and interplay between Hackman and Freeman as the suspicion is developed.One final warning.
That's what I asked myself after I got done watching Under Suspicion, a 2000 film that allows Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman a chance to pretend they're doing a stage play on film.
A film staring such great actors as Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman, as well as the gorgeous Monica Belluci cannot be too bad.
The end comes abruptly and it does not explain at all the well acted evolution of Hackman from full self-confidence to complete social and psychological break-down.The film is certainly worth a rental, but it is mostly for the pleasure of seeing again these two great actors..
Terrific, dark, moody psycho-drama with great performances from Freeman and Hackman.The end, although it makes sense, is not obvious and led to some discussion after seeing the film.One of the best films I've seen this year..
This film is simply an overdose in magnificent acting by two of the greatest "veteran" actors of modern times.Hackman and Freeman play each other to a tie.
She has a couple of long scenes with Freeman where he desperately tries to get some life into her character, but she is no help.I didn't think the directing of the movie was bad, on the contrary, I felt it was very good.
Two of the most great actor of America, Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman had some memorable verbal fights in this movie, based mostly upon their great performances.
Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman (especially) display their professionalism in a suspenseful interrogation movie in which Freeman's police captain, Victor Benezet suspects Hackman's successful tax lawyer, Henry Hearst, of having raped and murdered two sub-teen girls.
The acting is very good; Freeman, Hackman, Bellucci, Jane...
UNDER SUSPICION (2000) **1/2 Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Monica Bellucci.
Yes, It has Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman, two of the best character actors in the world going for it, but it takes exceptional actors, and supporting actors, to pull off a one room play on film. |
tt0086491 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | PrologueThe film starts with a driver (Albert Brooks) and his passenger (Dan Aykroyd) driving on a rural two-lane road very late at night, singing along to Creedence Clearwater Revival's cover of "Midnight Special" on a cassette, which then breaks. The pair make a game between themselves about TV theme songs, then the conversation turns to what scares them. They begin to talk about their favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone and how weird and scary some of the episodes were. Out of the blue, the passenger then asks the driver, "Do you want to see something really scary?" The driver reluctantly pulls the car over. His friend turns his head away for a few seconds, then turns around, having pulled off a false mask off his face... becoming a demonic creature. The creature then fatally attacks the driver.The opening scene then cuts to outside the car as the familiar Twilight Zone opening theme music and monologue begin, spoken by narrator Burgess Meredith, a veteran of the original TV series."You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension. A dimension of sound. A dimension of sight. A dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into... The Twilight Zone."First segment ("Time Out")"You're about to meet an angry man: Mr. William Connor, who carries on his shoulder a chip the size of the national debt. This is a sour man, a lonely man, who's tired of waiting for the breaks that come to others, but never to him. Mr. William Connor, whose own blind hatred is about to catapult him into the darkest corner of the Twilight Zone."The only original segment, directed by John Landis. It is loosely based on two original Twilight Zone episodes: "A Quality of Mercy" and "Deaths-Head Revisited". Bill Conner (Vic Morrow) is an outspoken bigot who is bitter after being passed over for a promotion. Drinking in a bar after work with his friends, Bill makes prejudiced remarks and racial slurs towards Jews, blacks and Asians, attracting the attention of a group of black men sitting near them who, of course, strongly resent his racist comments. Bill leaves the bar very angry.When he walks outside, the supernatural element of this story really begins. Bill finds that he is not in the parking lot. Instead, Bill inexplicably finds himself in Vichy France during World War II. He is spotted by a pair of SS officers patrolling the streets, who see him as a Jewish man. After a chase around the city, in which Bill is shot in his left arm by one of the German officers, Bill attempts to hide in an apartment, but the French woman quickly betrays him by shouting a warning to the German soldiers patrolling the streets. Bill climbs out on a ledge of the building, in trying to escape and finds himself trapped. While the two German officers take pot shots at him standing along the narrow ledge, Bill slips falls off the ledge and suddenly lands on soft earth ground.Bill discovers that he has time traveled to the rural South during the 1950s, where the Ku Klux Klan sees him as an African American whom they are about to lynch. Bill is scared and confused and vehemently tries to tell them he's white. After kicking one KKK member against the burning cross and setting him on fire, Bill breaks free and tries to escape (while still hampered by his bullet wound). While trying to escape the Ku Klux Klan members, he dives into a nearby pond and time travels into the Vietnam War, where he is a Vietnamese man nearly blown to bits by U.S. soldiers.(It is clearly implied at this point that by evil or divine intervention, Bill has become the selected nationalities of the people against whom he was always prejudiced.)The grenade thrown by the soldiers blasts him back to Vichy France, where he is captured by the same two Nazi officers chasing him and put into an enclosed railroad freight car, along with other Jewish Holocaust prisoners, with no possibility of redemption or rescue. The final shot shows Bill futilely screaming for help to his friends from the bar that only he can see as the train pulls away, presumably to a concentration camp or death camp.Second segment ("Kick the Can")"It is sometimes said that where there is no hope, there is no life. Case in point: the residents of Sunnyvale Rest Home, where hope is just a memory. But hope just checked into Sunnyvale, disguised as an elderly optimist, who carries his magic in a shiny tin can."The second segment is directed by Steven Spielberg and is a remake of the episode "Kick the Can." Mr. Bloom (Scatman Crothers) is an old man who has just moved into his new home at Sunnyvale Retirement Home. Upon his arrival, he sits around kindly and smiles as he listens to the other elders reminisce about the joys they experienced in their days as youths. Mr. Bloom implies to them just because they're old doesn't mean they cannot enjoy life anymore and that feeling young and active has to do with your attitude not your age. He tells them that later that night, he will wake them and that they can join him in a game of "kick the can". All agree; however, a grumpy man named Leo Conroy who is fairly skeptical in his outlook on life disagrees, saying that now that they are all old they cannot engage in physical activity and play the games they once did as children.That night, Mr. Bloom gathers the rest of the optimistic residents outside and plays a game of kick the can. They are all ultimately transformed back into child versions of themselves. Although they are extremely ecstatic to be young again and engage in the activities they once enjoyed so long ago, they also realize that being young again means you not only experience the good aspects of life again but also the bad. They request to be old again, which Mr. Bloom grants to them. Leo Conroy witnesses one resident that still remains young and says that he wants to go with him before the boy runs off. Conroy realizes that he does not have to stop enjoying life because of his old age.The segment ends with Mr. Bloom leaving Sunnyvale Restirement Home to move into another retirement home in another town (which leaves the audience to presume that he repeats the process eternally), and Conroy is outside Sunnyvale home happily kicking a can around the yard, for he has learned being young at heart is what really matters.Third segment ("It's a Good Life")"Portrait of a woman in transit: Helen Foley, age 27. Occupation: schoolteacher. Up until now, the pattern of her life has been one of unrelenting sameness, waiting for something different to happen. Helen Foley doesn't know it yet, but her waiting has just ended."The third segment is directed by Joe Dante and is a loose remake of the episode "It's a Good Life". Helen Foley (Kathleen Quinlan) is a mild-mannered school teacher who is traveling to her new job across the country. While visiting a rural bar/diner for directions from the owner Walter (Dick Miller), she witnesses a young boy (Jeremy Licht) playing a video game and then being accosted by a group of rowdy drunks for "accidentally" turning off the TV they were watching. Soon after, Helen decides to leave. Not paying attention, she backs into the boy with her car in the parking lot, damaging his bike. Helen offers the boy, Anthony, a ride home.They eventually get to Anthony's house, which is an immense home in the country. When Helen arrives, she meets some people whom Anthony tells her are his family, his Uncle Walt (Kevin McCarthy) and his sister Ethel (Nancy Cartwright). Also included in the family are Anthony's parents. Helen notices that the family seems extremely apprehensive, though she dismisses it. Anthony shows Helen around the house, including his sister's room; Anthony tells Helen that the girl is his "other" sister Sara (Cherie Currie), who got involved in an accident. The camera pans down and the audience view that the girl has no mouth, unbeknownst to Helen.The family have dinner, which, as Helen realizes, is a meal made up of Anthony's favorite foods; mainly fast food, including a burger with peanut butter. During dinner, Ethel shouts at Anthony and her plate smashes on the ground, with no explanation. After satisfying her promise of taking Anthony home, Helen attempts to leave; it is at this point that Helen discovers Anthony possesses unexplained supernatural powers that allow him to do practically anything he desires by wishing whatever he wants, including making cartoon characters appear in real life and making people disappear.Helen asks to leave, but Anthony insists that she see Uncle Walt's "act". Uncle Walt is unsure as to what to do with the top hat that Anthony provides, and reluctantly pulls a white rabbit out of the hat. The family are relieved and applaud, only to see the rabbit become a demonic rabbit-monster before disappearing again. The people finally inform her they aren't his real family and that they were brought to the house under false pretense by Anthony, as she was. They also explain that they cannot leave for Anthony has imprisoned them there in his own fantasy world that he created out of his mind. Helen finds a note on the floor that a family member has left, reading, "Help us! Anthony is a Monster!". The note is shown to be from Ethel after a short investigation, and Anthony, using his mental powers, sends Ethel into the television set where she is killed by a large, frightening, somewhat dragon-like cartoon character.After the "family" has angered Anthony, he instantly makes them and the house disappear, leaving himself and Helen in a limbo-like state surrounded by literal nothingness. Helen promises Anthony that she will be his true friend if he agrees not to abuse his power anymore. Anthony agrees to use his powers for good. He produces Helen's car and he and Helen ride off together to her new home, surrounded by bright meadows filled with flowers.Fourth segment ("Nightmare at 20,000 Feet")"What you're looking at could be the end of a particularly terrifying nightmare. It isn't. It's the beginning. Introducing Mr. John Valentine, air traveller. His destination: the Twilight Zone."The fourth segment is directed by George Miller and is a remake of the episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet". John Valentine (John Lithgow) is a nervous and stressed-out airline passenger on a flight to Los Angeles. The story begins with flight attendants attempting to coax Mr. Valentine from the lavatory as he tries to recover from what seems to be a panic attack. Although not mentioned during the segment, it is most likely that Mr. Valentine is suffering from severe aviatophobia. He is repeatedly assured by the flight attendants that everything is going to be all right, but his nerves and antics disturb the surrounding passengers.As Mr. Valentine takes his seat, he notices a hideous gremlin-like creature on the wing of the plane and begins to spiral into severe panic. He watches as the creature wreaks havoc on the wing, losing more control each time he sees it do something new. Valentine finally snaps, grabs a hand gun from another passenger, an air marshal, shoots out the window (causing a breach in the pressurized cabin), and begins firing at the creature. This only serves to catch the attention of the gremlin, who rushes up to Valentine and promptly destroys the gun. After a tense moment, in which they notice that the plane is landing, the gremlin grabs Valentine's face, then simply scolds him by wagging its finger in a "no, no" manner. The creature leaps into the sky and flies away as the airplane begins to make an emergency landing. As the delerious and incoherent Valentine is wrapped in a straitjacket and carried off in an ambulance, the police, crew, and passengers begin to discuss the incident, writing off Valentine as insane. The aircraft maintenance crew soon arrives however, and everyone gathers to examine the massive amounts of unexplained damage to the plane's engines.Epilogue...Valentine is in an ambulance going to a hospital when the driver (played by Dan Aykroyd, from the opening) starts playing Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Midnight Special". The ambulance driver turns around and says, "Heard you had a big scare up there, huh? Wanna see something really scary?" The film then ends as the scene fades out to a starry night sky along with Rod Serling's opening monologue from the first season of The Twilight Zone."There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone." | psychedelic, philosophical | train | imdb | Directed by Joe Dante who, at that time, was best known for "The Howling" with films such as "Gremlins" still in his future, this is the story of a little boy who hears people's thoughts and has a way of "wishing people away" if he gets angry enough at them.
The star of this story is the art direction and sets as we are transformed into almost cartoon like worlds that are both funny and frightening.The last and best story is the tale of a frightened airline passenger (well played by John Lithgow) who threatens the safety of everyone when he seems to be the only person that sees a creature on the wing of the airplane.
Burgess Meredith, star of 'Time Enough at Last', one of the best known and most beloved of all episodes, is the narrator for this trip into some bizarre places.Unfortunately the movie will always have an enormous stigma attached to it due to the untimely and horrific death of actor Vic Morrow and two child extras during the shooting of Segment 1.
This gets us off to a good start because Landis does understand that with the TV show the payoff was a most important element.Segment 1 sees Morrow playing an unrepentant bigot who gets a major dose of his own intolerance when he's mistaken for a Jew by Nazis, a black by KKK members, and a Vietnamese man by American troops in 'Nam. This is a very dark episode that doesn't end too satisfactorily, but Morrow is excellent, the look of Paris during WWII is nicely realized, the pacing is effective, and there's a great in joke referring back to Landis's "Animal House".Segment 2, Steven Spielberg's remake of "Kick the Can", sees wonderfully genial Scatman Crothers injecting some magic into the lives of senior citizens in an old folks' home.
Bill Mumy, the kid in the original episode, plays a diner patron.Segment 4, directed by George Miller of the "Mad Max" series, is far and away the best, an over the top remake of "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", in which terrified airplane passenger John Lithgow believes he sees a creature busy destroying the planes' engines as it flies through a storm.
It is very hard to think of another film anywhere that had such a great potential as TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE had, only to have a senseless and totally preventable tragedy--the deaths of actor Vic Morrow and two illegally hired Asian child actors--mar the impact.
Aside from that, and some heavy-handed moralizing that even the original show's creator Rod Serling would have had problems with, this is a fairly good tribute to what was perhaps the best TV series in history.The prologue (with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks) and Segment 1 are both originals, written and directed by John Landis.
Landis' penchant for hamfisted dialogue and erratic direction dilute what could have been an effective piece; and the tragedy that occurred on his watch taints not only this segment but much of the rest of the movie.Segment 2, a remake of the 1961 episode "Kick The Can", directed by Steven Spielberg, stars Scatman Crothers as an elderly magician who brings a sense of youth to the residents of a senior citizens home, though over the objections of a veritable old fuddy-duddy (Bill Quinn).
He is still my favorite director, but this is one of his weakest.Segment 3 remakes "It's A Good Life." Under the inventive hands of director Joe Dante (THE HOWLING), this film stars Jeremy Licht as a boy with the power to enslave and terrorize his family when he comes to feel that they hate him.
Dante's use of inventive special effects (courtesy of Rob Bottin) and black comedy enliven this segment, despite some weird overacting from the rest of the segment's cast (including William Schallert and Kevin McCarthy).Segment 4 is a reworking of the famous episode "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet." With George Miller (MAD MAX) at the director's helm, the segment stars John Lithgow as an incredibly anxious passenger with a morbid fear of flight who constantly sees a monstrous gremlin tearing apart at the wings of his plane during a severe storm.
Lithgow, who takes over for William Shatner (who had the role in the TV episode), gives a bravura performance, arguably paving the way for his role in "2010" as an astronaut deftly afraid of heights.Jerry Goldsmith's usual efficient score and some good special effects work help to make TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE not only an above-average tribute to a great TV show, but also a good anthology film that combines fantasy, suspense, and mystery.
After the opening prologue with DAN AKYROYD and ALBERT BROOKS, as bored drivers on a lonely country highway who like to play pranks, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE offers four stories, supposedly in the vein of stories that Rod Serling wrote for the famous TV series.
"Twilight Zone: The Movie" is a mostly entertaining anthology film based on Rod Serling's classic TV series of the 1960s.
(Not to mention firing Steven Spielberg.)And it's sad seeing Vic Morrow in his final role-- I'll always think of him as the sadistic coach in THE BAD NEWS BEARS, which is one of my all-time favorites.All in all, a very uneven movie which improves steadily as it goes along.
The best directed by John Landis is the first, where a bigot (played by Vic Morrow who died during filming by a helicopter crash accident) who becomes pursued of evil Nazis, Ku Klux Klan and American soldiers in Vietnam.
The second segment directed by Steven Spielberg is a silly story about old people living in a retirement house who turn into little boys, thanks a strange visitor (Scatman Crothers).
Despite Dante's direction and how much fun he seems to have with the story, it's still nothing special.The last story, directed by George Miller, is a remake of "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." This is easily the best story in the film, with a powerful performance by John Lithgow as an airplane passenger who is terrified of flying.
Our film begins with a prologue directed by John Landis ("Kentucky Fried Movie", "An American Werewolf in London" and "Animal House") with two buddies (Dan Ackroyd and Albert Brooks) who play TV trivia and do their own scare contest in the car while driving.
The second story is directed by Steven Spielberg is a gentle tale of a wise old magical man (Scatman Crothers) who helps a group of senior citizens to live their youth again, the third tale directed by Joe Dante ("The Howling', "Pirahna" and "Gremlins 1 & 2") is a bizarre story of a teacher (Katherine Quinlan) runs into a strange young boy with special magic powers and meets his stranger family.
Finally the last story directed by George Miller ("Mad Max Trilogy") is about a nervous airplane passenger (John Lithgow) who seeks a creature on the wing of the plane whom is hellbent on destroying the aircraft.Superb anthology of horror, sci-fi and fantasy tales is based on the memorable TV show of the same name is a fantastic one from four great directors.
The stories except the first one are based on classic Twilight Zone episodes while the first tale is an original piece, this is the movie that got me hooked into watching the TV show in the first place.
TWILIGHT ZONE - THE MOVIE (1983) **1/2 Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers, Kathleen Quinlan, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks.
Uneven big-screen transition of Rod Serling's classic tv series showcasing anthologies with a twist of the supernatural: Morrow (who was tragically killed during the filming and causing quite a stir of controversy) plays a bigot who gets his: Crothers is an old coot with magic in a game of "Kick the Can" at an old folks home; Quinlan is a schoolteacher who comes across the path of a young boy with eerie powers; and Lithgow (in the best of the set) is the personification of an airplane phobic who sees a creature on the wing of his plane doing damage in a "Nightmare at 20,000 Ft." The opening bit with cross-country traveling Aykroyd and Brooks is devilishly fun.
I must say the film version was pretty decent and special due to it's big name directors(Miller, Spielberg, Dante, and Landis) and two of the segments were remakes of old episodes "Kick the Can" and "Nightmare at 20,000 feet".
The opening scene starts off leaving the viewer surprised and drawn in as it begins with a nice little prologue with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks as two lonely friends driving the road at night who begin to play a game of flashing lights and name that TV theme songs, only to begin a debate of "Twilight Zone" episodes which ends up in a scary and surprise shock!
He feels the country is overtaken with outsiders, the segment then takes a huge turn and twist in "The Twilight Zone" Connor becomes his own worst enemy as he travels thru time all the way back to Germany and Hitler's war against the Jews, then he's a victim of the Klu Klux Klan ending out as a Vietnam war prisoner.
Good direction here by John Landis even if he overstated it, he showed hate destroys.The second segment probably the one weak one is an old episode remake called "Kick the Can" the old magic man himself directs Spielberg yet the tale is predictable and too fairy tale type.
Good segment from Joe Dante just one year before his "Gremlins" fame.The last and best segment "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is the classic remake of the 1963 episode with William Shattner this time it stars John Lithgow as the frightened passenger riding the red eye flight.
Plus the segment ends neat and nice with the prologue ending with the return of the Aykroyd character and it closes out with the narration of Rod Serling.Really this movie has been watched many times over the years by me and it's special and a timeless classic for any Zone fan.
All of the stories, except the prologue and the first one, are based on real Twilight Zone episodes.So the film starts out with a very nice prologue, by John Landis.
"Twilight Zone:The Movie" is a mixed bag.The prologue inside the car is well done.The different segments,however,mostly are not up to the level of the prologue.Here are my comments about each of the 4 segments of this movie:First segment(3 stars out of 10) A very downbeat story about a bigot sent back in time to Nazi Germany.This story is also too predictable.Sadly,this story was also more downbeat because of when Vic Morrow and two children were killed on the set after a helicopter crashed when this segment was filmed.
Second segment(5 stars out of 10)A remake of the episode where nursing home residents turn into children after playing the game of Kick The Can.Okay,but not as well done as the original.Scatman Crothers was far more effective in the movie, "The Shining", as well as in other roles that he did.
The fact that three of the four segments are actually REMAKES of classic episodes (and are all brilliantly directed, if you ask me) goes a long way towards explaining WHY the movie's so True to its Source- but these are well-thought-out remakes as opposed to just rehashes; and the Landis episode would've made an excellent episode of the original series as well: it, too, is True to the Spirit of the Source.
A shame, because originally Spielberg was planning to direct a far more interesting segment involving a nasty kid being pursued by real monsters on Halloween night.The film definitely picks up a great deal with Joe Dante's segment.
A Twilight Zone movie divided into four chapters directed separately by John Landis, Joe Dante, Steven Spielberg and George Miller - how awesome sounds that?
John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller each direct the film's four respective segments.In the first, "Time Out," the only original story here, a racist (the late Vic Morrow, who died in a horrific accident while filming a sequence along with two young children) is caught in a supernatural time warp that forces him to assume the ethnicities of the people he's denigrated.
In the last (my personal favorite), "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," John Lithgow plays John Valentine, a stressed-out airline passenger who notices that a monster is tearing apart the plane bit by bit but the problem is, nobody believes him.I love the social commentary and bitter irony of the first segment, the second segment is so-so, the third is brilliant and scary and darkly comical, but I love the terror/suspense and performances of the fourth segment.While the movie is flawed and lacks the skillful social and political commentary of its source material, it's fair to say that there's no way it could match Serling's original genius - since by the time the movie was made, Serling had been dead for eight years.
In 1983, they released, "Twilight Zone: The Movie".The movie is split into four segments including a prologue and epilogue filled with horror and suspense.The thing's I liked about the film is that it had some decent scary moments, some good acting from Dan Aykroyd and Kevin McCarthy.
I think it comes pretty close to being a perfectly constructed piece of filmmaking: funny, manic, scary and just exhilarating from start to finish.It is far superior to the original Richard Donner-directed episode that starred William Shatner; I can only assume that people who prefer the original are influenced by a sense of nostalgia.Everybody I know thinks it is BY FAR the best segment!As for the others...The Prologue is okay, kind of fun to see young Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd.
Then comes the rather worthless first segment,directed by John Landis,which isn't even based on a TWILIGHT ZONE episode.
"The Twilight Zone: The Movie" is divided into 4 different segments so you can't really judge the film as a whole, but overall it was quite good.
While this film is hardly classic, it turned out to be decent since there was an horrible accident on set so early in the production.The prologue is directed by John Landis (An American Werewolf in London, Blues Brothers), starring Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd in a car discussing TV show.
Landis, ass.producer George Folsey Jr, the unit producton manager, the special FX man and the helicopter driver were aquitted of manslaughter in 1987.The second segment is directed by Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters, ET) and starring Scatman Crothers, and is the first actual segment that is a remake of a Twilight Zone episode ("Kick the Can").
Somepeople doen't like this segment because it is only loosly based on the 'Zone episode, but that was Dante's point, to try to create something new out of something old.The final segment is by George Miller (Man Max, The Road Warrior), and it stars John Lithgow as a terrified airline passenger who thinks he sees something on the wing of the plane.
It's well done, and I'd like to think that the directors contributed to the film out of respect for Serling, who is conspicuous by his absence here (but admirably voiced by Burgess Meredith - who appeared in the original series in the cautionary tale "Time Enough at Last", self-referentially discussed in the movie's prologue).So an excellent movie to watch, with lots to recommend it - sterling work from all four directors, a cracking title sequence and a great score.
Well-intentioned feature film about the classic series adapted by four noted directors(Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller, and John Landis) who re-tell three episodes from the series('Kick The Can', 'It's A Good Life', & 'Nightmare At 20,000 Feet') along with one original(about a bigot played by Vic Morrow who gets his comeuppance), yet film is a complete bomb; three remakes are totally inferior and pointless(despite one good performance by John Lithgow), the framing story with Dan Aykroyd & Albert Brooks is unfunny and leads nowhere, especially in the crass ending.Worst thing about it is how the original(Ho-Hum) segment proved fatal, resulting in the death of actor Vic Morrow and two children, in a flashback scene that was never used.
Directed by: John Landis (Prologue & 'Time Out'), Steven Spielberg ('Kick the Can'), Joe Dante ('It's a Good Life') and George Miller ('Nightmare at 20,000 Feet' & Epilogue)Written by: John Landis (Prologue & 'Time Out'), George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson and Melissa Mathison ('Kick the Can'), Jerome Bixby and Richard Matheson ('It's a Good Life'), Richard Matheson ('Nightmare at 20,000 Feet') and Robert Garland (based on the series 'Twilight Zone' by Rod Serling)Starring: Vic Morrow as Bill Connor ('Time Out'), Scatman Crothers as Mr. Bloom ('Kick the Can'), Kathleen Quinlan as Helen Foley and Jeremy Licht as Anthony ('It's a Good Life), John Lithgow as John Valentine ('Nightmare at 20,000 Feet') and Dan Aykroyd as Passenger/Ambulance Driver (Prologue & Epilogue respectively)Quite the credits.
Having never seen an episode of the original television series and diving into this feature without any idea of who directed what segment, Twilight Zone: The Movie turned out to be a delightful surprise for me.
Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.If these words set your spine a-tingling, then you're undoubtedly one of the many who have visited that fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man: The Twilight Zone (if, however, you have no idea what I'm talking about, then do yourself a favour and check out the classic Rod Serling TV series immediately).Twilight Zone: The Movie is a collection of four bizarre tales (three of which are from the original TV series) as told by a handful of top fantasy directors: John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller.
Twilight Zone: The Movie the Landis, Spielberg, Dante, Miller film remaking 3 classic Twilight Zone episodes.
This movie remakes a few of the classic 'Twilight Zone' episodes from the original series. |
tt0093437 | The Lost Boys | Brothers Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim) travel with their recently divorced mother, Lucy (Dianne Wiest) to the small beach town of Santa Carla, California to live with her eccentric father (Barnard Hughes). Michael and Sam begin hanging-out at the boardwalk, which is plastered with flyers of missing people, while Lucy gets a job at a video store run by a local bachelor, Max (Edward Herrmann). Michael becomes fascinated by Star (Jami Gertz), a young woman he spots on the boardwalk, though she seems to be in a relationship with the mysterious David (Kiefer Sutherland), the leader of a biker gang. In the local comic book store, Sam meets brothers Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan Frog (Jamison Newlander), a pair of self-proclaimed vampire hunters, who give him horror comics to teach him about the threat they claim has infiltrated the town.
Michael finally talks to Star and is approached by David, who goads him into following them by motorcycle along the beach until they reach a dangerous cliff, which Michael almost goes over. At the gang's hangout, a sunken luxury hotel beneath the cliff, David initiates Michael into the group. Star warns Michael not to drink from an offered bottle, telling him it's blood, but Michael ignores her advice. Later on, David and the others, including Michael, head to a railroad bridge where they hang off the edge over a foggy gorge; one by one they fall, Michael falling after them.
Michael wakes up the next day unaware of how he got there. His eyes are sensitive to sunlight and he develops a sudden thirst for blood, which leads him to impulsively attack Sam. Sam's dog, Nanook, retaliates, and Sam realizes that Michael is turning into a vampire by his brother's semi-transparent reflection. Sam is initially terrified of his brother but Michael convinces him that he is not yet a vampire and that he desperately needs his help. Michael begins to develop supernatural powers and asks Star for help, but has sex with her shortly afterwards. Sam deduces that, since Michael has not killed anyone, he is a half-vampire and his condition can be reversed upon the death of the head vampire. Sam and the Frog brothers test whether Max is the head vampire during a date with Lucy, but Max passes every test and the boys decide to focus on David.
To provoke him into killing, David takes Michael to stalk a group of beach goers, and instigates a feeding frenzy. Horrified, Michael escapes and returns home to Sam. Star arrives, and reveals herself as a half-vampire who is looking to be cured. It emerges that David had intended for Michael to be Star's first kill, sealing her fate as a vampire. The next day, a weakening Michael leads Sam and the Frog brothers to the gang's lair. They impale one of the vampires, Marko (Alex Winter), with a stake, awakening David and the two others, but the boys escape, rescuing Star and Laddie, a half-vampire child and Star's companion.
That evening while Lucy is on a date with Max and the grandfather is out of the house, the teens arm themselves with holy-water-filled water guns, a longbow, and stakes, barricading themselves in the house. When night falls, David's gang attack the house. The Frog brothers and Nanook manage to kill one of the vampires by pushing him into a bathtub filled with garlic and holy water, dissolving him to the bone. Sam is attacked by Dwayne, another vampire, and shoots an arrow through his heart and into the stereo behind him, electrocuting him and causing parts of his body to explode. Michael is then attacked by David, forcing him to use his vampire powers. He manages to overpower David and impales him on a set of antlers. However, Michael, Star and Laddie do not transform back to normal as they had hoped. Lucy then returns home with Max, who is revealed to be the head vampire. He informs the boys that to invite a vampire into one's house renders one powerless, explaining why their earlier assumption had been incorrect. Max's objective had been to get Lucy to be a mother for his lost boys. As Max pulls Lucy to him, preparing to transform her, he is killed when Grandpa crashes his jeep through the wall of the house and impales Max on a wooden fence post, causing him to explode. Michael, Star and Laddie then return to normal.
Amongst this carnage and debris, Grandpa casually retrieves a drink from the refrigerator, and declares: "One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stand: all the damn vampires." | comedy, gothic, murder, cult, horror, violence | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0245238 | Lost and Delirious | Mary (Mischa Barton) is a 14-year-old freshman new student at an all-girls boarding school located somewhere in rural Ontario and she is assigned a dorm room with Paulie (Piper Perabo) and Victoria, nicknamed Tori, (Jessica Paré), two seniors. In an effort to get the shy Mary to break out of her shell, Paulie and Tori involve her in their activities, such as running in the morning. When they hear that Mary's mother has recently died, Paulie nicknames her "Mary Brave." On Mary's first day at the school, Pauline turns a quiet afternoon on the campus into a music-blasting dance party and spikes the punch with hard liquor. Another day later, Pauline defends Victoria from a frustrated math teacher who humiliates her when she does not understand basic math.Mary observes the intimacy between her two roommates. Peering out a window at night, she sees them kissing on a roof. Paulie and Tori's relationship is close and Paulie is full of life. Over time, Paulie and Tori become more comfortable showing affection in front of Mary. It progresses from a quick kiss on the lips in front of her to the two sharing a bed and having lesbian sex while Mary is sleeping.When the three are out jogging one day, Paulie comes across a hurt falcon, which she befriends. After reading up on falcons, she trains the animal while keeping it in a makeshift birdhouse on the roof of their dorm building. While she is tending to the falcon, Mary and Tori meet some boys from the nearby boys school. One of them, named Jake, flirts with Tori, asking if she will be attending her brother's 18th birthday party and making it clear that he likes her. When Mary and Tori are alone, Tori expresses disgust at the boy's interest in her, saying, "He liked my tits." When Mary asks if she'll go to the party, Tori says, "And have all those gross guys groping me? No, thanks. I'd rather stay home and do math."Meanwhile, on the sides, Mary spends time with the local groundskeeper Joe Menzies (Graham Greene) whom she volunteers to help him work with landscaping around the campus. Mary confides in Joe about her troubled home life and her lack of parental attention by her father whom has began neglecting her following her mother's death and focus his attention to her stepmother whom treats Mary badly. Joe encourages Mary to live out her frustration and unhappiness through work.One morning, Victoria's sister, Allison (Emily VanCamp), another freshman student, and her friends rush into the room to wake up the older girls. Paulie is lying in Tori's bed, both clearly topless. Horrified silence falls over everyone. Mary pushes Tori's sister out of the room and closes the door. Tori angrily tells Paulie to get out of her bed. Paulie tries to downplay the situation, and Tori tells her she doesn't understand, explaining that her sister will tell her parents about it.When confronted by Allison, Tori tries to extinguish her sister's suspicions by telling her that Paulie has an unrequited crush on her and crawled into her bed. Her sister promises to "fix" the rumors about Tori and not tell their parents anything. As she walks away from this conversation, Victoria collapses into tears.In the school library, Victoria explains to Mary that her conservative family, her parents and her sister, are strongly opposed to homosexuality, and she must stop the relationship with Paulie to prevent their rejection. Mary sympathizes with both of her friends, as she too feels rejected by her father, who does not bother to show up to a father/daughter dance. In the forest at night, Tori and Jake have sex against a tree. Both Mary and Paulie accidentally witness this scene and run back to their room before Tori returns.When Tori returns to the room, Paulie asks her where she's been and Tori says she was with a friend. Paulie lashes out at her by telling her that she saw what Tori and Jake were doing in the woods. In a very poignant moment, Tori tells Paulie that the intimacy that they had shared will never happen again but she (Tori) would always love her, both as a friend and as a lover.At this point onward, Paulie rapidly degenerates into psychotic behavior over Tori's withdrawal from their relationship. She smashes a mirror and hurls a dish cart to the ground and begins to act out in belligerent ways in class and out of it. A rejection letter from the agency that handled Paulie's adoption, which informs her that her birth mother denied a request from Paulie to get in touch, further sends her over the edge.When Paulie is called into the headmistress Fay Vaughn (Jackie Burroughs) office over mouthing off one too many times to a teacher, Paulie refuses to talk to Headmistress Vaughn about her recent behavior or what is bothering her. The headmistress suggests that Paulie is going through a nervous breakdown, but Paulie says that it's not the reason and storms out of the office. Later, when Headmistress Vaughn confronts Paulie on the school's quad, Paulie finally confides in her about her romance with a female student who ended it out of shame (without naming Tori's name). The headmistress is suprisingly very sympathatic with Paulie. She tells Paulie that when she was younger, she suffered a nervous breakdown too when her "girlfriend" abandoned her in a similar situation, but the headmistress got over it and offers emotional support for Paulie. But Paulie refuses to talk anymore and walks off.Meanwhile, Victoria, clearly ashamed at her lesbianisum, creates an fabricated image of her heterosexuality to her friends and her sister by dating Jake Hollander (Luke Kirby) from a nearby all boys' school and avoiding Paulie.One day in the woods, Paulie declares a fencing duel to the death with Jake. Jake is not taking her seriously until he ends up on the ground after being slashed, with Paulie brandishing a sword above him. She demands that he give up Tori. When he refuses, she stabs him in the leg. Mary rushes to stop her and Paulie runs off.Mary runs to Victoria's soccer match, where the headmistress, math teacher and fellow students are congregated. Upon reaching the group, Mary sees Paulie, sobbing from the top of a nearby building while holding her falcon. Whispering: "I rush into the secret house," (a reference to Shakespeare on suicide) Paulie jumps to her death, and as she falls, the injured falcon flies out of the doomed Paulie's hands into the air. The final shot shows the recovered falcon flying away into the bright blue sky background. | dark, depressing, queer | train | imdb | null |
tt1139668 | The Unborn | The movie starts off with Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) jogging during the wintertime in a park. Stopping to take a breath on the running trail, Casey sees a glove on the ground. She picks it up and turns around, seeing a pale little boy with a missing glove. She stares again and the boy becomes a dog with a strange white mask on. The dog goes into the woods and Casey follows it. The dog is nowhere to be found but she does see the mask on the ground. When she tries to pick it up she finds that she has to dig into the ground to get the mask out and in the ground under the mask she sees a clear container containing a still developing baby in it, which opens its eyes.It turns out to just be a dream and we see Casey lounging on a couch talking to her best friend Romy (Meagan Good). Casey wants to know what her dream means, so Romy consults a dream book. Romy says that in a dream a baby is symbolic of change and renewal and if it is a stranger to the dreamer then it is something in the dreamer not yet ready to be born, while the dog in mythology is often portrayed as the messenger of the dead. Romy then asks about the kids, and Casey says they're asleep (Casey is babysitting). However, she hears sounds upstairs above her and then through the baby radio, a child whispering, "Look in the mirror, some people are doorways", so Casey tells Romy that she has to call her back, and makes her way upstairs to check on the kids. Casey sees Matty, about four years old and the older of the two children, standing in front of the crib holding up a small mirror over his little brother telling him to "Keep looking." Casey comes closer to tell him to stop when Matty strikes at her with the mirror and says, "Jumby wants to be born now."The children's parents come home and Casey leaves. Outside the house, Casey finds the same glove from her dream on the sidewalk. When she gets home she says goodnight to her dad and gets ready for bed. After turning out her bathroom lights she hears a knocking coming from her medicine cabinet. She turns the lights back on and opens the medicine cabinet; there is nothing there. In bed, we see a picture of a small girl and a woman, who should be assumed as a younger Casey and her mother (who the audience should assume is dead due to her absence that night). While Casey is asleep, the knocking from the medicine cabinet mirror continues.In the morning, Casey is making breakfast. She is making eggs on a skillet, and when she cracks an egg onto the skillet, a giant insect comes out from the egg. Casey is shocked and surprised and throws the whole thing into the sink. Then, looking outside from the kitchen window, she sees Matty, the boy she babysat the night before, creepily standing on her driveway.We then see Casey outside her college talking to her boyfriend Mark (Cam Gigandet) Romy, and her other friend Lisa (Rachel Brosnahan), explaining what happened during babysitting the night before. Romy explains that its bad luck for a baby to see its reflection before he/she is one year old, which prompts Mark to tell Romy that she is retarded.We then see Casey at a lecture class where the professor asking rhetorical questions about the universe. Meanwhile, Casey hallucinates and sees Born Now on the chalkboard as well as the writing on her notebook saying, Jumby wants to be born now and again sees the insect from that morning on her hand. She freaks out and gets up which causes the professor to ask her if everything is all right. We then see Casey in the shower thinking about her dream about the pale boy and the baby in the woods. Casey and Romy are then in the locker room talking when Romy notices that one of Casey's eyes is weird. Casey and her boyfriend go to the eye doctor and the doctor explains that it is heterochromia, which is when a person has a different eye color on each eye, which can occur if that person has gone through blunt trauma, and the doctor takes some pictures of her eye to make sure it is not melanoma. Walking out from the doctor's, Casey thanks her boyfriend for going with her and tells him that her dad isn't going to be home until the next morning. Then, across the street, Casey sees the same pale boy in her dream looking at her. However, he disappears.We see Casey and boyfriend in bed. Her boyfriend talks about how afraid he is of what the professor was saying about the universe. Casey tells him about visiting her mother for the last time at a mental institution. Casey says the last time she saw her mother it had looked like she had just given up already; to this day, she is still mad at her mother for leaving her and her father.We then see Casey in her bathroom when the knocking happens again. She opens the cabinet to check for what could be making the sound. She leaves the bathroom when she hears more knocking. This time she opens the cabinet and the pale boy from her dream is in there. She is shocked and screams, prompting her boyfriend to come to the bathroom. He checks the cabinet and sees that there's nothing in there. Casey then removes the mirror from the cabinet and puts the mirror in her closet.Casey goes out on a run and sees a commotion outside of the house of the family where she babysat. A neighbor tells her that the baby stopped breathing, as we see a cart carrying the baby out and the mother crying and not believing that her infant is dead. Casey sees Matty on the upper floor staring at her through the window.Back at the eye doctor, he tells Casey that everything looks fine, but asks if she was a twin, as that could explain why her eye colors are different, because in the case of twins, blood often transfers between the two fetuses when the placentas fuse.Casey visits her dad at his office and asks him if she is a twin. He says that she had a twin brother who died while still inside their mother, as one of the umbilical cords suffocated him. Casey asks if that was why her mother killed herself, and her dad says that she was clinically depressed. He tells her that although it was too early in the pregnancy for the two to have names, they did have nicknames, with Casey's brother being Jumby (the name that keeps coming up in Casey's hallucinations).Casey is looking through old photos, finds a film reel, and sees the name Sofi Kozma circled in an article titled Holocaust Survivor Remembers For Those Who Can't. She goes to a nursing home with Romy to visit Sofi Kozma. Casey notices that in Sofi's room there used to be a mirror, but Sofi says she had it removed. Sofi asks Casey if she was a twin, and Casey says she had a twin, and Sofi says she can tell because she also used to be a twin. While handing Sofi the article she found, Casey notices that Sofi is wearing the same red bracelet she had seen on her mother. Casey asks Sofi if she knew her mother, and Sofi replies that she did not. However, when Casey shows her the photograph and points out the boy, Sofi freaks out and tells them to get out.Outside, Romy tries to tell Casey that this is all just a series of coincidences. However, Casey asks her if she believes in ghosts, to which Romy says of course. Casey asks Romy if she thinks if it is possible for someone who hasn't even been born to haunt you.Casey's boyfriend gets a film projector so Casey can play the film she found in her mother's things. The reel is a movie of a hallway that leads to a big door, and when the film ends her boyfriend asks her if it meant anything to her. Casey says yes, and that beyond that door was where her mother hung herself. Casey and her boyfriend go out that night with Romy and Lisa to a rave. While her boyfriend gets them drinks, Casey sees the little boy among the dancers. She goes to the bathroom to put water on her face and throws up in the toilet. In her stall there is a drawing of an eye, she looks through it and insects and blood come pouring out. She runs to the door but it is locked and the insects and blood start coming out from the sinks and fingers come out from the wall. Casey is freaking out and she sees her mother reaching out to her from a bathroom stall.Later that night, Casey is videochatting with Romy and tells her that she saw her mother in the bathroom. To protect herself that night, Casey then takes Romy's advice of putting scissors with the blades open under her pillow to ward off evil spirits. Casey wakes up and sees herself floating up on the ceiling watching herself sleep. The covers are pulled down and Casey sees the pale boy is in bed next to the sleeping Casey, opening her stomach to put himself in.Casey screams and is woken up from the dream by a phone call. It is Sofi Kozma who tells her that she must come back to the nursing home to talk to her. Sofi reveals that she is her grandmother and that the pale boy in the photograph is her brother, and therefore Casey's great-uncle Barto. Barto died in the concentration camp in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Nazi doctor Josef Mengele had an obsession with twins, believing that they would unlock the secrets of genetics. Being twins, Sofi and Barto were used by the Nazis in experiments that blurred the line between science and the occult, performing such experiments as trying to make brown eyes blue. Some of their experiments resulted in blindness while others caused death. Sofi says that her brother died when they injected his eyes, but two days later he "came back." However, Sofi knew that the boy was no longer her brother but a 'dybbuk'. These are spirits that are barred from heaven and therefore roam between worlds, explaining why Matty told Casey that "Some people are doorways" and that since twins are mirror images then they are considered doorways between different worlds.Sofi says she killed the spirit that took over Barto, but it has been trying to get back into this world ever since, and that it had tried to get back through Casey's mother. When Casey's brother died, the spirit turned its gaze on Casey and has been circling her ever since. Casey asks how she could get rid of it and Sofi talks about a Book of Mirrors, which has the rites of exorcism in it and refers Casey to a rabbi, Josef Sendak, who could help her.Casey goes to a library for the Book of Mirrors and brings it to the rabbi. She catches Rabbi Sendak (Gary Oldman) ending a group session and asks him if he can read the book. As the book is written in Hebrew, he can, and explains that it is taken from the Kabbala (Jewish mysticism). Casey tells him that she needs to have an exorcism performed on her, but the rabbi does not believe her and tells her that the spirits aren't real and were used in the middle Ages to explain ailments that people couldn't explain back then. In addition, if he were to perform the exorcism, Casey would have to believe in the religion. However, he sees that Casey is distraught and says that he could do a little research. Casey asks him to keep the book and translate it for her, as her life depends on it.There's a flashback of Sofi giving Casey a necklace with the Star of David and the Hand of Miriam, which could help protect her. She tells Casey to get rid of all the mirrors in her home by breaking them and burning the pieces and burying them. Also she tells Casey to put up wind chimes because they signal when a spirit is present.Romy is driving to Casey's house when she accidentally runs over Matty on his bike. When she gets out of her car to check if he's okay, Matty is standing up as if he hadn't been run over. He tells Romy "He doesn't like you helping her" and that if she keeps helping her, then he will kill her.Arriving at Casey's house, Romy explains what happened and notices that Casey's eyes are getting worse. She asks Casey what's happened to her, as she doesn't go to class anymore, answer her phone calls, etc. Casey says that Sofi, her grandmother, told her everything and that a spirit or demon is after her, so it wasn't safe to be around her anymore. Romy says that she is her best friend and she is not leaving her.Later that night, Casey watches the film reel again, and this time in the movie, she sees the dog with the mask from her dreams in the hallways as well as a child's arm reaching around the big door. She wakes up from the dream and hears the wind chimes, signaling the spirit's presence.At the nursing home, Sofi also wakes up and hears the wind chimes. She prays and tries to turn her bedside lamp on. The lamp is not working, so she uses a flashlight. Also down the hallway the lights do not work and she notices that Eli, the paralyzed man also living in the nursing home, is awake. She makes her way downstairs and then sees Eli's wheelchair turned over. Then she sees Eli a flight below her crawling on all fours. His head turns all the way around and he chases her down flights of stairs. She manages to hide in a closet; behind her is the little boy and she screams.Casey and Romy arrive at the nursing home in the morning and see an ambulance and police. They go in (Eli, back in his wheelchair, stares at her passing by), past the yellow police lines, and see the dead Sofi. Casey cries and leaves the nursing home and an old lady follows them outside to give Casey a letter Sofi left behind in case something happened to her. In the letter, Sofi tells her that it is up to Casey to stop the spirit. Casey's mother lost the battle and gave in. Sofi writes that the spirit feeds on fear and will try to isolate her from her family and friends.Meanwhile, the rabbi is translating the Book of Mirrors in his office. When he tries to turn his desk lamp on he finds that it doesn't work. He uses a flashlight, goes down the stairs and arrives at the temple's room of worship where the altar and pews are. At the altar a dog whose head is completely upside down is growling at him. The rabbi tells the dog to go away from this place, the lights turn on, and the dog is gone.Casey and Romy are videochatting and Romy tells Casey that Casey doesn't even really know if the spirit is after her. Casey says it is and that it's going to hurt everyone that she loves, that it would come get her when she had no strength left, and that's what happened to her mother. Romy hears someone ringing her doorbell and leaves her room to get it although Casey tells her not to. While Romy is gone from her room, Casey notices that the boy is in Romy's mirror so Casey calls Mark and tells him to meet her at Romy's house because something is wrong.At Romy's house, her lights go out as she is going down the stairs. She opens the door. and it's Matty telling her that the doorway is open now. Matty then stabs Romy in the stomach with a knife. Romy tries to run away up the steps and Casey and Mark arrive at Romy's. The front door is locked so they go around through the back. Mark breaks one of the glass panes of the door to get in and they run up the stairs. They find Matty standing over Romy and Mark pulls him away from Romy and is about to attack Matty when Casey tells him to stop because "it's not in him anymore." They look over and see that the demon is now possessing Romy's body.Later at a diner, Casey and her boyfriend are talking. Casey tells him that she 'thinks that the spirit is from this universe'.The next day Rabbi Sendak brings Casey and her boyfriend to a basketball court. There he introduces them to the basketball coach, Arthur Wyndham (Idris Elba), who happens to be an Episcopalian priest. Casey doubts that his religion would be able to help her but the priest says that there are a lot of elements that are universal to different religions and that he could help. Casey accepts their help and asks when they can do the exorcism. They say that they can do it the next evening and that they should do it at a place where Casey has felt a lot of pain.She therefore takes them to her mother's mental institution, which is now abandoned. There Rabbi Sendak explains that they are using 10 people (Sendak, Wyndham, Mark, and 7 others) to help with the exorcism because it is a mystical number in the Jewish religion (fingers, Commandments, God's attributes, etc.). They bring out a strapped gurney for Casey's protection and theirs. The rabbi and priest explain that the rabbi will be reading the rites in Hebrew and the rest of them will be following the priest in English. The rabbi will use a Jewish horn to bring out the spirit and coax it out of Casey.Wyndham videotapes the exorcism and they begin. Sendak blows the horn and they start to read the rites. Then the wind starts to blow around the room and Casey sees flashes from her dreams such as her mother and the insects. People in the circle start getting possessed and dying, and she also sees the boy next to her. Mark gets her out of the gurney and they run out of the room, with Casey picking up a page of the rites before she gets out. The boy possesses Wyndham and he chases them. While hiding, Mark is pulled back from the other side of the wall by the possessed Wyndham and the two fight. Mark manages to knock the priest out and Casey and Mark stand against the wall. Casey tells him they have to get out but he keeps sitting and won't let go of Casey. Casey sees that Mark is possessed and runs to the room where her mother died. Mark finds her there and strangles her, pulling her up against the wall and off the ground. Casey uses the necklace that Sofi gave her to stab Mark in the neck and he drops her. Rabbi Sendak comes and continues reading the rites from the book and Casey joins him. Mark is blasted back and down to the first floor, Casey rushes to his side, and he asks her if they stopped the spirit. Casey says she thinks so and he dies.Again, Casey is on a run on the same trail that she was running at the beginning of the movie, and we hear her asking herself why the spirit decided to become prevalent in her life now. She checks the calendar on her phone, remembers sleeping with Mark, thinks about how she was throwing up in the bathroom of the club, and takes a pregnancy test which turns out to be positive. She goes to the obstetrician and is told that she is having twins. There is a flashback of Matty telling her that Jumby wants to be born now and the movie ends with an ultrasound close-up of the twins in Casey's womb. | revenge, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0273657 | Hornblower: Retribution | At the tribunal in Jamaica, the officers on the Renown are being charged with mutiny.Flashback to the Renown in St. Domingo. The men killed in the skirmish at the fort are being given a proper burial at sea. First Lt. Buckland is now the acting captain. Captain Sawyer is in his cabin, restrained by a straightjacket. He makes odd statements; it's obvious that he is unwell mentally. First Lt. Buckland is anxious to get underway and head for Jamaica.But Horatio proposes that the Renown make another try at attacking the fort. He feels that with surprise on their side, it will be a victory. Horatio thinks that this victory would help the officers of the Renown during the mutiny trial that they are sure to face once they arrive in Jamaica. But Buckland is convinced that they will have nothing to fear in Jamaica, and because Bush doesn't support Horatio's plan, Buckland decides against attacking the fort and continues to plot their course for Jamaica.Flashforward to the trial. Dr. Clive is still strongly supporting Captain Sawyer, even though he agreed that Sawyer was unfit for command during the battle at the fort when the officers took command from Sawyer. He testifies that he agreed to declare Sawyer unfit under duress from Horatio.Flashback to the Renown. Bush, Kennedy and Hornblower discuss Horatio's plan to attack the fort. Bush admits he was wrong not to support him with Buckland. They all agree that they should move forward with the plan and attack the fort.Meanwhile, Gunner Hobbs is talking with Seaman Randall (the man who is always fighting with Styles). Randall and some other men are planning to desert the Renown. He invites Hobbs to join them, but Hobbs is unwilling to desert "his Captain" (Sawyer) to leave him "at the mercy of" the other officers. Hobbs does assist the desertion, though, by clubbing the marine on watch and knocking him out. More marines are attacked by the deserters as they prepare to leave the ship. Randall's last action before climbing off the Renown is to punch Hobbs in the face, knocking him out. He and the rest of the deserters (approx. 2/3 of the Renown's seamen) swim for shore under the cover of darkness. They are seen coming out of the water on a beach of the island where the fort is.Flash forward to Jamaica: Horatio testifies that the reason he and the other officers wanted to press on with the attack was to fulfill their duty to their captain and to the service. Admiral Hammond suggests that Horatio is ambitious. Pellew continues to be fair and shows support for Hornblower.Flashback to the Renown. Matthews is seen rousing the seamen from their sleep. He discovers that many have deserted and quickly informs the rest. Buckland is concerned, now that so many men are found to have deserted, so he agrees to Horatio's plan to attack the fort. He feels that the officers of the Renown will need this victory to save them from hanging for mutiny.Four boats of seamen and marines row to the island from the Renown. It is nearly daybreak. Horatio, Bush, Wellard, and Hobbs are with them. As they begin hiking toward the fort, they discover the deserters, all dead, but they have no idea how that came to happen.Flashforward to Jamaica. Hammond tells Pellew that they will need a "guilty party" on whom to blame the mutiny. (Pellew calls it a scapegoat.) They seem reluctant to ruin Captain Sawyer's career.Flashback to the island. Day is beginning to break. As the attack force makes their way toward the fort, the 3-4 men who remained behind to guard their boats are attacked by natives.On the Renown, Sawyer rambles on and on, taunting Buckland and making him doubt himself while Clive watches and listens. Sawyer tries to convince Buckland to release him, promising to speak on his behalf when they get to Jamaica. Clive tries to get Sawyer to keep quiet. Buckland orders Clive to give Sawyer more laudenum.The rowboats, filled with native men, approach the Renown. Buckland realizes they are freed slaves from the island. The freemen want the Renown to leave, claiming they have no business in this fight.Back at the island, the officers prepare to attack, but Buckland's weakness in command has led to shots being fired from the ship, so the element of surprise is lost for the attack force on the island.The attack on the fort begins. Horatio notices that one of the Spanish soldiers atop the main fort is the same man they'd noticed earlier, on top of the tower. He tells Archie about it. Archie agrees it's the same man, so he, Horatio, Wellard, and Matthews return to a lower position where they had earlier stashed some kegs of gunpowder. They take several kegs of powder and return up the trail toward the fort. They're looking for something along the slope.Matthews notices a grate on the ground which leads to a tunnel below. Wellard is the only one of the group who is small enough to fit through the grate, so the others lower him, head first, into the hole. At the bottom, he hears Spanish soldiers approaching. Horatio warns him to run for safety while he and the others light a fuse to ignite a keg of powder which they have placed over the grate. Just as the Spanish soldiers arrive below the grate, the powder keg explodes, killing them. With the grate removed, Horatio and the others may now climb down into the tunnel, where they make their way toward the fort. A small group of Spanish soldiers are ready to attack them, but they run back the other way to avoid being shot.Meanwhile, Bush, the marines, and the other seamen are being fired upon heavily. It seems to be hopeless. Bush is about to surrender his sword to the Spanish commander when an explosion blows the door of the fort open, right in front of them. It is Horatio and the other men; they exploded more kegs of powder to defend their position. The blast also saves the rest of the attack party (with Mr. Bush) in front of the fort. Horatio and the others quickly join the frontal assault. The Spanish are soon subdued, so they surrender.Bush and Horatio discuss how they can prevent 3 Spanish vessels from escaping the bay. Horatio suggests "hot shots," which are cannon balls heated in a fire until they are red hot; they are then loaded into a cannon and shot. The balls explode like bombs when they hit a ship. (This is a trick the Spanish use against the English.) They manage to disable one vessel's sails. Then the Renown arrives and fires on the three ships.Flash forward to the tribunal in Jamaica. Again, Horatio is being accused of ambition. He insists he was only doing his duty. Later, Hammond tells Pellew that Hornblower seems guilty. Pellew explains that Horatio is very dear to him. Pellew will not rush to judgment; he explains that he will weigh all facts carefully, as will the others.Flashback to the Renown. The Spanish commander surrenders. He informs Buckland that he would like to use the small fleet of three Spanish ships to leave the island with his men and their families. He insists that he knows they are beaten and he hopes Buckland will agree to this limited surrender. Buckland is inclined to go along with the idea, but Horatio informs the Spanish Commander that he will receive an answer within an hour.Horatio explains to Buckland that the Spanish seem too willing to give up their ships and fort so easily -- and too anxious to leave. Archie discovers that the food stores are nearly depleted at the fort. Horatio suggests that the island will soon be under siege from the band of freed slaves. He thinks they should find a way to impose a complete surrender on the Spanish, taking the soldiers prisoner and the three Spanish vessels as prizes of the British navy.Buckland invites the Spanish commander and his wife to dine aboard the Renown. In the mean time, the other officers bring a cannon from the Renown to the top of the cliff overlooking the bay where the Spanish ships are moored. Captain Sawyer is still acting crazy. He gets loose and threatens Horatio with a razor blade. Horatio talks him out of it, speaking of his past glories and how Horatio would not like to see Captain Sawyer's good name and achievements ruined by his present condition and actions. The cannon is successfully placed on the cliff.At dinner with Buckland, the Spanish commander and his wife become concerned that the other officers have not arrived for dinner yet. Buckland tries to stall. Suddenly, they hear the sound of cannon fire. (A ranging shot fired from the cliff overlooking the bay.) The commander and his wife protest. Buckland informs them that they are now the prisoners of the British navy and will have safe passage to Jamaica. Their ships will be safe as British prizes of war. Buckland asks for the commander's sword, signaling that it is now an unconditional surrender.Horatio, Bush and the others watch as the Spanish ships take down their flags. They begin to cheer when suddenly, they come under fire from the rebel forces (former slaves) above them on the cliff. They spike their cannon and fall back in retreat. Buckland watches form the Renown as they run down the slope toward shore and questions the Spanish commander, asking him how long the island/fort had been under siege.Just then, Captain Sawyer can be heard singing "Spanish Ladies" from down below. Buckland is irritated by the captain's behavior. He goes below to attempt to quiet him down. Sawyer taunts him and baits him, making him doubt himself. He wants to convince Buckland that Horatio will outshine him and make him look foolish with the Admiralty. Sawyer even tells Buckland that unless he "strikes first," Horatio will take the Renown from him just as Horatio took the Renown from Sawyer. Dr. Clive enters and Buckland orders him to give Sawyer more laudanum.Flash forward to Jamaica. Pellew is questioning Buckland about his relationship with Horatio. He's trying to learn if Buckland harbors any ill feelings toward Horatio.Flashback to the Renown. The attack party from shore has returned on board. Buckland informs Bush that it will be necessary to destroy the fort before they set sail again; he hints that he wants Horatio to take charge of this mission. Horatio agrees, saying it would be an honor to volunteer. Bush seems suspicious about Buckland's motives. Archie and Bush offer to assist, but Buckland decides to keep Bush and Archie on the Renown. (The implication here is that Sawyer has been successful in making Buckland doubt Horatio.)Flash forward to Jamaica. Pellew asks Buckland if he wanted Horatio to survive this mission. Buckland insists that he does not send men to their death.Flash back to the Renown. Matthews is asking Buckland if he and Styles and some other men may escort Horatio and row him back to the Renown after his mission. Buckland denies the request, saying they are needed on board. Meanwhile, at the fort Horatio discovers that Archie and Bush have disregarded Buckland's orders and have come to help him after all. They fend off attacking rebels while Horatio sets up the powder kegs and charges. The fuse is lit; they run through the underground tunnel and climb up through the grate. Just as they surface, the powder explodes. The men on the Renown watch as the fort is destroyed. Hobbs tells Matthews and Styles, "Now you know what it's like to lose your hero." They tell Hobbs that Horatio will be back.Hobbs tells Buckland, "Your victory is complete." (The implication is that he has completed his mission, and that additionally, he has eliminated Horatio as a barrier to advancement in his naval career.) Buckland tells Matthews it's time to set sail for Jamaica. (He's leaving without Horatio.)Horatio, Bush and Archie jump from the cliff into the sea. They are spotted by Styles and Matthews, who inform Buckland. Buckland has no choice; he must wait for them. Horatio has a hearty reunion with Matthews and Styles on board the Renown. Buckland places Horatio in charge of the three Spanish vessels; he will be "responsible for their safe return." Buckland seems uncomfortable.Bush apologizes to Buckland for disobeying his orders and helping Horatio. Buckland replies that his actions were "true to form." He thinks Bush, Archie, and Horatio are full of themselves, he believes they think he is a fool. Bush replies that "nobody thinks command is easy." Buckland says, "I never expected it to be easy." As Bush walks away, he whispers to himself, "I expected to be fit for it."Horatio is aboard one of the Spanish ships, en route to Jamaica. Matthews is with him. They are having one of their frank conversations. Matthews tells Horatio, "After what happened today, I'd say [Buckland] is a man of no conscience." Horatio tells him that it is difficult commanding a large vessel and being responsible for so many men. They mention Captain Sawyer.Back on the Renown, Sawyer is acting crazy, crawling on the floor. Buckland tells the guard to release him from the straight jacket. Buckland tries to tell Sawyer that he "never wanted any of this." Hobbs tries to help Sawyer. Buckland pours himself a drink.In the brig on the Renown, the former Spanish Commander's wife is flirting with her guard. It's obvious that something is going on.Hobbs takes Sawyer to the hole where he'd fallen, earlier. He asks him what he sees; he's trying to help Sawyer remember what happened. Wellard tells Hobbs to leave him alone. Hobbs tells him to leave Sawyer alone. Sawyer says it wasn't him [Wellard] who pushed the captain. Sawyer is confused and mistakes Wellard for an Admiral he used to know. Hobbs informs Wellard that eventually, Sawyer will remember what happened to him. Hobbs takes Sawyer back to his cabin and puts him to bed. He's still acting crazy.The commander's wife is still flirting with her guard. He unlocks her cell and she gets out. They find a quiet place and he starts to kiss her. She removes a knife from her garter and sticks it into his back. She takes his keys and releases the other wives from the cell. Then she releases the men, who attack the marines standing watch. They take guns from the ship's armory and try a sneak attack on Bush, but he must have heard them coming because he is ready for them and shoots them with his pistol. Bush, Archie, and their men, including Styles, are under full attack on the Renown from the Spanish.On a Spanish vessel, Horatio is roused from his bunk by Matthews, who shows him that the Renown is under siege. He orders all hands on deck. They come alongside the Renown and assist the others in fighting off the Spanish.Wellard sneaks into Sawyer's cabin with a pistol in his hand. He says he can't allow Sawyer to get to Jamaica; he will not allow Sawyer to remember who pushed him. Sawyer taunts Wellard and belittles him, taking the pistol from him. Then, the fighting is heard outside Sawyer's cabin door. Sawyer tells Wellard he remembers who pushed him. Then he hands the pistol back to Wellard. They stand side-by-side to face the enemy. The door bursts open and they are both shot. Sawyer dies instantly. Hobbs enters the cabin.Horatio and the others have retaken control of the ships and the Spanish surrender again. Bush is badly wounded. Styles calls Horatio over to Bush, Dr. Clive begins to work on him.Wellard tells Hobbs how Sawyer told Wellard he was brave. He also tells Hobbs he knew who pushed him. Hobbs puts his ear to Wellard's mouth, then Wellard dies. Horatio comes in at that moment and tells Hobbs that Sawyer died a hero in battle, and that he was a leader of men.Styles and Horatio find Buckland tied up in his cabin. They release him; Horatio informs him that the Renown and other ships have been recovered. Buckland says that he can see that they are recovered, and he can see WHO recovered them. (He's not happy that Horatio has "bested" him again by succeeding where Buckland has failed.)Horatio leaves Buckland and returns to the deck. He and Archie have a little chuckle about "poor Buckland." Horatio notices that Archie is bleeding. He opens Archie's jacket to find his shirt covered in blood from a chest wound. Blood spews from Archie's mouth.In Jamaica, Archie lies in a sickbed, in a cell, recovering from his wounds while Horatio is escorted to the court-martial proceedings. Bush lies recovering in a bed next to Archie. Outside the tribunal, workers are building a gallows.Pellew questions Buckland about his command. He is criticized for losing control of the Renown to the Spanish prisoners. One of the tribunes makes a joke saying Buckland's epitaph will say he was "caught napping." The courthouse erupts into laughter. Pellew does not find it at all amusing. Neither does Capt. Hammond. Pellew begins to say that "thankfully there was at least one officer present who..." He is interrupted by Buckland, who cries that the reason the proceedings are taking place is all is because Captain Sawyer was unfit for command. He endangered the lives of every man on the ship. Pellew stops him and warns him not to "blacken the name of one of Nelson's own." Buckland interrupts again, insisting that Sawyer was unfit for command for ONE REASON: "He didn't fall into that hold, he was pushed... by Lt. Horatio Hornblower!" Buckland implies that Gunner Hobbs will support his claims.Later, out in the street, Styles spits into Hobbs' face and calls him a traitor.Dr. Clive examines Bush. He has a deep sabre gash in his chest. Clive tells him he'll mend. Archie coughs horribly.Hobbs is on the witness stand. Hammond confirms that he is there to corroborate Buckland's story. Hobbs speaks of his loyalty to Sawyer. Hammond asks Hobbs who pushed Sawyer into the hold. Hobbs says, "My captain was a leader of men, and he died in battle. But I'm afraid I cannot tell you who pushed him." (He essentially repeats the same words Horatio said earlier about Captain Sawyer.) A murmur goes through the room as people are surprised Hobbs does not implicate Hornblower.The three members of the tribunal meet privately behind closed doors. Pellew makes a plea to put an end to the proceedings in order to "save the life of a man willing to abandon his own life for others, a man for whom others would gladly give their own lives. We should not try to hang this man, we should promote him." Hammond responds that he would like them to put the question to Horatio and ask him if he pushed Sawyer down the hold. "As a man of honor, he will answer it."Dr. Clive examines Archie. Horatio enters. Dr. Clive offers him his hand, they shake hands. Archie asks Horatio what he will say at the hearing when they ask him if he pushed Sawyer. Horatio tells them he will not give that answer until they ask it.The next morning, Horatio stops to see Archie before going to the tribunal. He is not in his bed. He asks Bush where Archie is, but Bush tells him he's about somewhere.Archie is shown entering the tribunal with the assistance of Dr. Clive. He testifies that he and he alone pushed Sawyer into the hold.Back at the cell, Horatio suddenly realizes what Archie is doing. Bush tells him "it must be done."Archie is removed from the room just as Horatio arrives. Horatio is devastated.Later, Buckland is shown sitting at a table, pouring himself a glass a wine. The glass overflows and wine spills onto the table, but Buckland doesn't seem to notice, he just keeps pouring the wine. Someone knocks on his door and calls to him, but he doesn't respond. He is obviously very troubled by what is taking place.Back in Archie's cell, Dr. Clive checks on his patient. Bush has apparently been released. Horatio asks Archie why. He is choking back tears. Archie explains that he is very ill and doesn't think he'll live long enough to face the gallows. He tells Horatio he is frightened, but Horatio tells him he is the bravest man Horatio knows. Horatio feels badly about the sacrifice Archie makes to save him.Archie: "Poor Horatio. So quick to give, so slow to accept the simplest gift. You have done the same for me, you know, a thousand times."Horatio: "But never at such a dear cost."Archie: "Please take what I offer. Take it and say goodbye."Horatio: "Archie?" [He's really choking back the tears now.] "I am honored to have served with you."Archie: [smiling and choking back tears at the same time] "And I to have known you."Horatio: "Bye."Archie: [smiling] "You see? Better already."Archie gasps, moans, and then dies.Horatio whispers, "My dear friend." He is heartbroken. He remains sitting by Archie's bed. The image fades away and then comes back again. The bed is now empty, but Horatio is still sitting there.Commodore Pellew enters the cell. He gives Horatio a newspaper. A story describes how Sawyer was a hero. There is no mention of Archie. Pellew says Archie was a man of great loyalty who saw his duty and did it. Horatio says he went to his grave without the merit of his good name. Pellew says that he and Horatio will not forget what Archie did. (It is implied that Pellew does not believe that Archie pushed Sawyer down into the hold.)Pellew tells Horatio that one of the Spanish ships captured by the Renown is being renamed the Retribution. He hands Horatio orders that say:The Captain of the Retribution Commander Horatio HornblowerHoratio thinks that Bush, who was second in command, should have received the honor. But Pellew tells him he'd better accept a promotion when it is offered.Pellew: "I wish you a safe voyage, Mr. Hornblower." He and Horatio exchange a very meaningful look, like a father and a son would at a very important moment. Horatio thanks him. | violence, action, historical fiction | train | imdb | null |
tt0049944 | The Werewolf | The movie opens with a scene of a small village in the mountains at night. It is the downtown business district of the small town of Mountaincrest (Big Bear, California), lit by street lights and neon signs. A narrator (an uncredited Fred F. Sears) tells us, "The word lycanthropy is defined as a human being having the power of becoming a wolf, or of having the power of turning another human into a wolf. Some say lycanthropy stems from nothing but myth and superstition. Yet the belief that a human can turn into a wolf has persisted since the Dark Ages to this very day. It is a universal belief. The ancient Romans and Greeks wrote of the phenomenon. There are tales of such happenings in Borneo, Turkey, South America. Everywhere. The American Navajo Indians and other tribes tell stories about wolf-men. The legends have persisted from the beginnings of man's memory of time. Why? Why haven't these tales died? The tales that say wolf-men roam the earth." A man, Duncan Marsh (Steven Rich) approaches Chad's Place, the local bar and watering hole. He hesitates, then enters the establishment. Titles and credits roll.A woman, Min (Marjorie Stapp), a tall blonde feeds a few coins into a jukebox, then returns to her seat at the bar. Marsh pays for his drink, but Hoxie (George Cisar) the bartender is annoyed that it is a large denomination bill, a twenty. Marsh finishes his drink, ignores his change, and slowly walks over to the fireplace and stares at the roaring fire. Marsh slowly walks to the exit but is reminded by Hoxie he has left his change. A tough looking man, Joe Mitchell (an uncredited Charles Horvath) notices Marsh and his slight build and casual way with money and follows him outside. Joe confronts Marsh and demands his money. He pulls Marsh into an alley and beats him up. An old woman, Ma Everett (an uncredited Jean Harvey), passing by hears and sees the commotion and stops to watch. Growls are heard and the feet of the scuffling men are seen. Marsh is victorious in the exchange, but he has changed physically. While we don't see yet, the woman is horrified by the visage and screams. The patrons and bartender are drawn outside by the woman's screams. She explains what happened to Hoxie. Deputy Sheriff Ben Clovey (Harry Lauter) checks on Joe. Hoxie grimaces and says, "His throat." Clovey adds, "Hoxie, only an animal could do that to a man's throat." Clovey sends Hank Durgis (Larry J. Blake) to fetch Doctor Jonas Gilcrist.Marsh runs out into the woods, followed by the now well armed Ben Clovey, Hoxie, and Mack Fanning (James Gavin) who follow his footprints. Shoe prints suddenly turn into wolf paw prints. Hoxie gets cold feet and insists any further investigation is the responsibility of the law. Ben sends Hoxie and Mack back to brief the Sheriff, Jack Haines. The two men depart and Clovey remains. Back at the bar, Chad's Place, the patrons discuss events. Mack looks out the window and sees Sheriff Haines and Clovey walking back into town. They exit the bar and notice Clovey has been injured. Sheriff Jack Haines (Don Megowan) tells the patrons, "I don't want you breathing a word about what happened tonight to anyone. Understand? Nobody." Jack takes Ben to see Dr. Jonas Gilcrist. Amy Standish (Joyce Holden) answers the door. She is the doctor's niece, and leads the men into a room and starts to tend to Ben's arm wounds. She explains that the man killed earlier, Joe, was dead when they brought him. She gets her uncle. Jack asks Ben about what attacked him. Clovey tries to describe the creature, but admits it was dark and he didn't get a good look at the thing. Dr. Jonas Gilcrist (Ken Christy) enters wearing a bathrobe and complaining about the late hour. The doctor wants information and reminds the sheriff that if he wants to marry his niece he better be more forthcoming. Jonas treats Clovey and leaves the bandaging to Amy. Clovey intimates that it may be a werewolf, but Doc Gilcrist isn't buying, "Storybook stuff. The things kids get nightmares about." Sheriff Haines intends to set up roadblocks, "Nothing's getting in or out of town without us knowing." Haines kisses Amy goodnight, and he and his deputy leave.The next morning, Marsh wakes up shivering from the cold in a drainage opening. He is in distress and rubs his bare feet. He sees paw prints in the snow and recognizes something familiar, "I was dreaming! I know I was dreaming!" He tries to convince himself some animal wandered by and left the tracks. He finds his shoes and socks and puts them back on his feet. Outside the Sheriff's Office, a crowd of men gather to complain about the moratorium on hunting in the woods. The Sheriff checks on the roadblocks. Three reporters are curious about the roadblock and admit that a talkative undertaker in Larken gave them enough information to know a story was worth investigating in Mountaincrest. The Sheriff relents and allows them to come to town. Marsh observes the roadblock from a higher elevation then heads back into the woods. He happens upon Amy outside her home getting firewood from the pile. He tells Amy he came looking for the doctor and asks to see him. Amy leads him into the house. Marsh tells Amy and Jonas he doesn't remember his name, "I can't remember who I am, or even what I'm doing in this town." He recalls an automobile accident and seeing two doctors. He asks if a man was killed the night before. When told yes, he asks how and is told it was by an animal. Marsh corrects the doctor and admits he killed Joe. When Amy presents him with a sedative he reacts violently and runs from the house. Amy calls the Sheriff's Office and speaks to Clovey. Jonas and Amy go to the Sheriff's Office and wait for Jack to return. They relay their story to Ben and Jack. Amy tries to dissuade Jack from hunting him down like a criminal because, "He's not a criminal. He's a sick man." Jonas and Amy tell the Sheriff he was in an auto accident and he may have brain damage.A man in a lab coat is performing an experiment on a wolf. His name is Dr. Morgan Chambers (George Lynn) and his colleague, Dr. Emery Forrest (S. John Launer) enters the lab carrying a newspaper. Morgan asks, "You think this is our man?" Emery replies, "The paper says they found an animal's teeth marks on the dead man's throat. Morgan, what have you done?" Morgan, the prototype mad scientist rants about humans destroying themselves with technology. Morgan has a plan to inoculate himself and a few deserving people with his serum and revert to some lower form, but better adapted creature. Morgan knows the side effects of his serum, but is not concerned with Marsh. Morgan tells Emery they must go to Mountaincrest. He casually informs his colleague, "If the police haven't disposed of the man by the time we get there, it may become our task." The doorbell rings and Morgan answers. He is distressed to find Mrs. Helen Marsh (Eleanore Tanin). She is inquiring about her husband. Morgan explains that his injuries were slight and he left soon after treatment. She leaves the office and returns to her car. Her son, Chris (Kim Charney) asks about his father. They get in the car and drive home, hoping Marsh will call. Marsh has taken back to the woods, but he has been followed by a large and angry posse. Drs. Forrest and Chambers encounter the roadblock trying to enter Mountaincrest. They identify themselves and indicate they have information that will help the Sheriff. They are allowed to pass. It is getting late and the Sheriff and posse agree to push on for another half mile. Forrest and Chambers are armed and doing their own search. Marsh hears them approaching and hides in the entrance of an old mine. Forrest spotted him and enters the mine. He finds Marsh. Marsh asks for help, but is told nothing can be done. Marsh transforms into a werewolf. Forrest tries to escape, calling for his partner. Forrest is attacked by the werewolf, but a shot by Morgan's rifle scares him off. The Sheriff and his posse arrive, and Haines is very unhappy the interference flushed Marsh from the mine. Dr. Chambers tells the Sheriff that Marsh was a patient of theirs. That night Clovey tells the Sheriff and Amy that Marsh killed a sheep over at the Sanderson Ranch and ate it. Haines, Amy and Jonas meet to discuss the Sheriff's plan, which is to put out bait and use bear traps to catch Marsh.The next morning the Sheriff oversees the preparation of the traps. He returns to the office to talk to the three reporters. The three lawmen exchange information and now know the identity of the man--Duncan Marsh. Mrs. Marsh and son drive to Mountaincrest. Marsh is still in the woods and takes the bait and is caught by the trap. He is able to free himself but is now seriously injured, and transforms back to human form. Forrest and Chambers meet at the bar. Chambers is concerned that now that Marsh's wife is in town the law may try a capture rather than a kill strategy. Chambers wants Marsh dead. Mrs. Marsh and Chris are staying at the home of Jonas and Amy. Mrs. Marsh confronts the Sheriff and is told the facts. She volunteers to join the search and the Sheriff reluctantly agrees.Haines, Clovey, Amy, Mrs. Marsh and Chris begin the search. Helen Marsh tries to get her husband to surrender. Marsh shows himself and his son rushes up to greet him. Helen joins her husband. Amy renders first aid. The posse has gathered at the bar to get drunk and gloat. Duncan Marsh is now in a jail cell at the Sheriff's Office. He meets with his wife and son and implores his family to leave before he changes again. Amy escorts them from the cell. Chambers asks Forrest to find out what precautions the Sheriff is taking to guard Marsh. Jonas Gilcrist, Amy and the Sheriff speculate on Marsh's condition. He notes, "The thing is, the man who did it to Marsh. What did he have in mind?" Amy adds, "And what kind of a future is he dreaming up for everybody else?" Haines spends the night at the doctor's house.Chambers encounters a very drunk Hank Durgis and persuades him to help him get inside the Sheriff's Office. Forrest knocks Hank out and the two doctors drag their drunk accomplice down to the station. Forrest prepares a sedative of chloroform on a rag for the deputy. When Clovey checks on Hank, the two doctors grab him and administer their sedative. They drag the bodies of both Clovey and Hank back inside the office, then make their way to the cell holding Marsh. Chambers prepares a syringe. They approach the sleeping Marsh, but discover, to their horror and regret, that Marsh isn't sleeping or himself. The werewolf dispatches the two doctors, but not without a lot of screaming, which draws the attention of both the Sheriff and the townsfolk.With two more bodies, the Sheriff is convinced hunting down and killing Marsh is the only solution. He and the posse search the woods. Armed with torches and guns they press on, encouraged by a blood trail to follow. They close in and throw torches at the creature. The fire and gunshots scare the werewolf. The Sheriff and posse decide to leave and return when it's light. The next morning they return in force and begin the pursuit. They spot him heading for the bridge. A Caterpillar Grader is employed to block the bridge. The werewolf climbs over the bridge and up an embankment. He is shot several times and transforms back into human form as he lay dying. We close with a scene on the bridge and an exchange between Haines and Clovey. Clovey exclaims, "You see that? He changed back again. Do you think he'll stay that way this time?" Haines replies, "Yeah, he'll stay. Now he can go home." | murder | train | imdb | Interesting horror film about a man who becomes a werewolf because of science.
No full moon or silver bullets are involved here.This might be the first horror film to have a person becoming a werewolf through scientific means!
The performances are good (especially Steven Ritch as the werewolf), the scenery is beautiful, there are some nice directorial touches and the people talk and act like real people.
Lensed by the same director of the bigger budgeted Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers and meant to be a companion for the lower half of the bill The Werewolf surprised everybody by being a taut face value chiller with more character emphasis than usual for this type of subject.As other reviewers have stated the performances,locale,direction and lighting are much better should be for a story about kooky scientists turning a luckless schmoe into a hirsute mutant but it also has a film noir element that mixes in quite nicely amidst the western pines of Big Bear lake.Unlike some other viewers I didn't have a problem with the make up.
A year later you can see similarities in the design for Michael Landon's beastly side in I Was A Teenage Werewolf.After the late sixties this exhausted it's run on local Chiller theaters and became very hard to find until now.For a reasonable price you can get a gorgeous widescreen DVD transfer of The Werewolf along with other B movie faves The Giant Claw,Zombies Of Mora Tau and Creature With The Atom Brain.The name of the set is Icons Of Horror Sam Katzman.
They could just have gone to the movies any Saturday and seen all manner of mutants but no, these guys take a car crash victim Duncan Marsh (Steven Ritch, taking a break from the westerns he usually appeared in) and inject him with a serum derived from the blood of a radioactive wolf.
(If that sounds familiar it's because the same plot, minus the radiation angle, was used in PRC's 1942 thriller THE MAD MONSTER.) The crash has given Duncan traumatic amnesia and thanks to the serum when he gets angry or frightened he turns into a .
. .well you saw the title.Stopping at a small mountain town, Duncan is tracked there by the scientists who suddenly aren't too anxious to have the world see what they have done (now if they had thought about that 3 reels earlier we wouldn't have had a movie!).
The town doctor wants to save Duncan but the sheriff knows the beast has to be stopped one way or the other before the body count gets any higher.Okay so the end of the movie is pretty much inevitable but director Fred F.
I agree that Columbia needs to release their catalog of Sci-Fi & Horror movies.This film shows that even in the direst circumstances, it is possible to bring out the best in ourselves and each other.
This is quite a good low budget film with a new twist to the werewolf story.
***SPOILERS*** Updating the werewolf story to fit into the post WWII nuclear world "The Werewolf" is a much better movie about that subject then the many werewolf and wolf-man movies made since the movie that started those kinds of horror films "The Wolfman" with Lon Chaney Jr. back in 1941.
An unfortunate individual Duncan Marsh, Steven Ritch, survives a serious car crash and is later taken from the local Mountainquest Hospital where he's being treated for his injuries by two scientists Dr. Emery Forrest & Dr. Morgan Chambers, S.John Launer & George Lynn.
Then within seconds, off camera, Mrash changes into a animal-like monster ripping into the startled and surprised mugger who realized, only too late, that he was starting up with someone or something that was a lot more formidable then just your average mugging victim with Marsh tearing Mitchall's throat out and killing him.
Steven Ritch as Duncan Marsh makes the Werewolf both terrifying and well as sympathetic at the same time and you never for one second have any bad feeling towards him since you know that he couldn't help what he was doing because he was turned into a vicious animal for reasons beyond his control.Don Megowan as Sheriff Haines is also very good as the understanding lawman who also felt that Marsh was not responsible for his actions and needed medical help but at the same time knew that he may very well have to kill him to protect the people of Mountainquest.
The film comes across as pretty effective as it does not try to be supernatural in it's subject matter like it could very well have become, there's no full moons or silver bullets to activate or kill the werewolf in this movie.
"The Werewolf's" very scenic on location black and white photography as well as it very innovative story is one of the many reasons to watch this film..
The relatively mundane title suggests a lack of creativity; in fact, this was a rather unique way of approaching the genre.It's a pretty good way of blending a 1940's "horror" type theme (werewolves) with a 1950's theme (radiation, and the fear of nuclear war and the fallout from it.) Essentially, the werewolf in this is an even more sympathetic figure than usual.
After suffering a minor injury in a car accident, Duncan (Steven Ritch) is experimented on by two doctors who want to find out what would happen if people were exposed to large doses of radiation, so that they can be prepared to deal with (and survive) the aftermath of an atomic war.
What they discover is that the radiation turns Duncan into a bloodthirsty, werewolf-type beast who goes on a killing spree in a small town and in the woods surrounding it.
Never seen this film before and was pleasantly surprised to see this film had some Sci-Fi effects and it involved itself with two doctors who find a man Duncan Marsh, (Steven Ritch) who was in a car accident who has no memory and they inject him with a serum which has some strange effects on his body.
Sears directed this better-than-expected science fiction horror tale that stars Steven Ritch as an auto-accident survivor who is rescued by two scientists who inject him with an experimental serum intended to cure nuclear fallout, but instead has the unfortunate side-effect of turning him into a werewolf, which proceeds to terrorize the local mountain community, with his concerned wife and son in pursuit.Not bad thriller dispenses with supernatural clichés to present a scientific explanation for the werewolf, an innovative touch.
***** COLUMBIA PICTURES needs to 'get off it's ASS and get on the ball with their wonderful 50's SCI-FI/HORROR features and roll into the 21st Century, because NONE of these Cult favorites have EVER been on LASERDISC or DVD: DIARY OF A MADMAN, EARTH VS THE SPIDER, AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, 12 TO THE MOON, THE WEREWOLF, NIGHT THE WORLD EXPLODED, I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF, A STUDY IN TERROR (Sherlock Holmes), TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN, DAY THE WORLD ENDED, IT CONQUERED THE WORLD, THE GAMMA PEOPLE, INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN, SHE-CREATURE, THE GIANT CLAW and (Okay, I really want this one) ....
John Launer, George Lynn) follow Ritch there, knowing full well that they're the ones who put him in his predicament, and try to cover up their actions."The Werewolf" is a well acted, modest production that gets great mileage out of its Big Bear Lake locations, as well as fine atmosphere.
People like Dr. Gilcrist (Ken Christy) and his niece Amy Standish (Joyce Holden) work at convincing the law, represented by Don Megowan as the sheriff and Harry Lauter as his deputy, to please try to take Ritch alive, if possible, knowing that he is a basically good man who cannot control what is happening to him.The werewolf makeup by Clay Campbell is decent, the stock music appropriated serves its purpose, and there is some very crisp black & white photography by Edward Linden.
The Werewolf was released as the bottom half a sci-fi/horror double feature along with Earth Vs the Flying Saucers both helmed by Fred Sears.
Some say he worked himself to death.The Werewolf was a bare bones, low budget production filmed in the mountainous country of Big Bear California.
John Launer) and Morgan Chambers (George Lynn), two scientists, injected him with a special serum containing irradiated wolf's blood when he was suffering from amnesia after being in a car accident.This film, not widely known to fans today, is worthy of note for two reasons: first, it allegedly was the first film to present lycanthropy in a scientific rather than supernatural way (even if the science makes no sense).
There is no full moon, silver bullets, demonic curses or anything of the sort here.Second, we have the gigantic Don Megowan as Sheriff Jack Haines, who horror and sci-fi fans should know as Gill-man in "The Creature Walks Among Us" or perhaps even "The Creation of the Humanoids".
I had purchased the former when it emerged on DVD paired with THE RETURN OF Dracula (1958), but opted to acquire the Sam Katzman-produced THE WEREWOLF – which was released as part of a four-movie collection – from other sources (especially after I had already gotten hold some time ago and in the same way of two other titles from that set).
Anyway, this would be the third lycanthrope movie to be made by Columbia and, even if its reputation within the genre is not exactly assured, I had always been interested in watching it (coming in between the classic Universal stuff and Hammer's sole such foray); in retrospect, the film is somewhat better than I anticipated (much as CRY OF THE WEREWOLF [1944] had been the previous day) with a nice snowy setting and a sympathetic hero (Steven Ritch) in the Larry Talbot vein – though the lead is actually stout sheriff Don Megowan (whom I had just seen recently portraying the Frankenstein monster in the made-for-TV short TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN [1958]).
Now, I suppose, the kindest thing I can say about THE WEREWOLF -- which still retains a chilling degree of atmosphere -- is that it's certainly nowhere near as bad as WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY (despite the superior transformation scene of the latter).Steven Ritch (as Duncan Marsh) brings an even greater depth of sympathy to the role than his better well-known predecessor, Lon Chaney, Jr., but Ritch's make-up, along with his unconvincing transformation from man into beast, recalls (much to the film's detriment) the almost cutesy looking Andreas from RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE.
Not only does he wander around with amnesia; when he feels threatened, he turns into a werewolf.Steven Ritch plays Marsh.
Following a strange accident, a small-town sheriff is forced to believe that the attacks are caused by a stranger passing through town who claims he is a werewolf created in an experiment and try whatever they can to capture the creature before it can do more harm.This one isn't that bad with some solid points about it.
One of the best parts to this one is that fact that it has a really great way of making the werewolf a really interesting creature, where not only does this have a unique way of bringing about the change while creating a more era-appropriate style monster.
This really a good and solid "wolf man" or werewolf film.
It's a bit different than the traditional Wolf Man story created by Universal Pictures (starring Lon Chaney, Jr) which created the template for all werewolf films to come after.
The moon does not have any affect on this wolf man - Duncan Marsh (Steven Ritch).
Marsh is about as mild mannered as Larry Talbot and is just as easy to sympathize with but the two stories are quite different.YES I find this film good and do recommend it to fans of werewolves and wolf men.
I've listed this as my favorite werewolf movie of all times (I've seen a lot them) Takes place in the Big Bear Mountain area in Calif.
Steven Ritch gives a good performance as the poor guy who gets treated by the wrong doctors after having a car accident.
A rather unfriendly encounter with a local quickly establishes that this man – Duncan Marsh – is a werewolf, but he suffers from amnesia and certainly doesn't have the intention to turn the town into a bloodbath.
Since Duncan is a very atypical werewolf, the film naturally also doesn't feature any full moons, silver bullets or supernatural stuff of any kind.
By consequence "The Werewolf" isn't a full-blood horror movie like the contemporary Hammer monster movies that were being released on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, but more of a family drama with a monstrous touch.
Supposedly unreleased on VHS or DVD until now, as part of a compilation, this is a rare werewolf film that almost looks like a Western due to its location.Fred Sears, whose Scifi/horror resume includes Earth vs.
Supposedly unreleased on VHS or DVD until now, as part of a compilation, this is a rare werewolf film that almost looks like a Western due to its location.Fred Sears, whose Scifi/horror resume includes Earth vs.
the Flying Saucers and The Giant Claw, directs a cast that includes cowboy Steven Ritch ("The Lone Ranger", "Broken Arrow", "The Rifleman", and many more), Don Megowan (The Creature Walks Among Us, and lots of Westerns), and "Miss Southern California" of 1949, Joyce Holden.Makeup and transformation were really good.This is one that should be required viewing for wolfman fans..
the Flying Saucers and The Giant Claw, directs a cast that includes cowboy Steven Ritch ("The Lone Ranger", "Broken Arrow", "The Rifleman", and many more), Don Megowan (The Creature Walks Among Us, and lots of Westerns), and "Miss Southern California" of 1949, Joyce Holden.Makeup and transformation were really good.This is one that should be required viewing for wolfman fans..
Duncan Marsh(Steven Ritch)is "poisoned by radiation" leading to his lycanthrope affliction at the hands of corrupt scientists Dr Morgan Chambers(George Lynn) & his assistant Dr. Emery Forrest.
Marsh accidentally kills a man trying to steal from him and this leads to a manhunt with Sheriff Jack Haines(Don Megowan), his deputies, & fellow deer-hunting citizens trying to find the afflicted werewolf in the woodland near the sleepy town they occupy.
They are his voices of reason and humanity in such a difficult search for a man who doesn't wish to harm anyone, but is plagued with a primal animal that is dangerous.Good little werewolf movie, packs a bit of an emotional wallop thanks to Ritch's unfortunate situation and it's effects on his family and the paranoid, afraid community of Mountaincrest.
This film uses dissolves when Ritch turns from human to werewolf and vice versa from the same make-up man behind "The Return of the Vampire.".
Steven Ritch is superb as the tormented Duncan Marsh, nice guy family man turned into a monster by two unscrupulous scientists.
This genuinely interesting and well made black-and-white horror film was a pleasant surprise, given the director and producer previously gave us "The Giant Claw" (good character scenes, ludicrous monster effects) and "Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers" (good special effects by Harryhausen, wooden, clunky and low energy "live" scenes").The "buzz" on this one is supposed to be that this was the first "scientific" werewolf on film, but I recall George Zuckoff starring in a PRC poverty row production called "Mad Monster" which was very similar in story and setting.
When a guy is brought to them after a minor traffic accident, they inject him with some radioactive serum that makes him become a werewolf-like creature.
Steven Ritch plays a very sympathetic Werewolf, much along the lines of Lon Chaney, Jr. in "The Wolfman".
While made on a shoestring budget, this B/W 1950's horror film is an excellent creature feature...one of the best werewolf movies ever made in my opinion.
This film has a very good plot, decent acting, and a memorably sad (read tearful not bad) performance by Steven Rich as the unfortunate lycanthrope.
I wasn't too thrilled with the ending (everyone knows that it takes silver bullets to kill a werewolf!) but otherwise, a really fun movie to watch...especially when the moon is full & a pack of coyotes are howling outside.
The Werewolf with Steven Ritch was one of the best "werewolf" films I have ever seen.
If you are a fan of great werewolf films..not the hokey Wolfman with Lon Chaney..you will love both of these movies..
John Launer) rescue Duncan Marsh (a strong and sympathetic performance by Steven Ritch) from an automobile accident by giving him an experimental serum.
Moreover, the fine acting from a solid cast rates as another substantial plus: Don Megowan as the stalwart, no-nonsense Sheriff Jack Haines, Joyce Holden as caring nurse Amy Standish, Harry Lauter as the brave Deputy Ben Clovey, Ken Christy as the sensible Dr. Jonas Gilchrist, and Eleanore Tanin as Duncan's worried wife Helen Marsh.
The 1956 The Werewolf is not, despite its title, a horror film.
In The Werewolf the main character is a hunted man fairly early on; and the nature of his monstrous transformations is such as to make seeking help from others not a wise course of action.What makes this film so excellent is the wondrous serendipity of old Hollywood: good actors, a decent script and first rate, albeit spartan production values.
Steven Ritch (Duncan Marsh/the werewolf), Don Megowan (Jack Haines), Joyce Holden (Amy Standish), Kim Charney (Helen Marsh), Eleanore Tannin (Chris Marsh), Harry Lauter (Sheriff Clovey), Larry J.
Eschewing the hokey full moon/silver bullets thing, THE WEREWOLF is a neat combination of sci-fi/horror that is nicely augmented with a few film noirish touches.
So it was with "The Werewolf", where a couple of mad atomic scientists inject a man with serum so they can avoid mutating in the upcoming nuclear war. |
tt0450385 | 1408 | The movie opens with a strong rainstorm on a road. We see a car approaching us. The car stops by a local lodge. A man gets out and runs in soaking wet. This man is Mike Enslin (John Cusack). He walks up to the front desk and starts talking to the elderly couple who run the establishment. They tell him how they've been expecting him. It is explained quickly through their conversation that Mike is an author of cheesy horror tour guide books. He travels from place to place, staying at supposedly "haunted" places and then writing summaries of them for his books. As he talks with the couple they try and tell him all about the history of the lodge and how a servant of the house once hanged herself and the female head of the house lost all five of her children to tuberculosis in the bed Mike will be staying in. Mike however, seems totally perfunctory about these stories. He seems to be very apathetic to the history of the place and clearly feels he knows as much as he needs to. He just wants to stay in the room so he can study it once again like he has done so many other times. Later we see Mike in the attic room that is claimed to be haunted but it seems totally mundane and harmless. As time passes Mike walks around and checks the place out. He even breaks out of equipment which he uses to test for the presence of supernatural forces. It is all to no avail though. The room is a regular room and Mike falls asleep.The next morning Mike wakes up and promptly leaves, He heads to a book signing he is scheduled to attend in a small book store. When he arrives he sees a stand setup but no one is there to greet him and there doesn't seem to be anyone there lined up to see him. Mike heads to the counter and tells the man there he is here for his book event. The man at first seems totally oblivious to what Mike is talking about. Mike shows him a pamphlet with his picture on it from the store announcing the event. Then the store guy seems to recall. The clerk at the counter announces the event over the loudspeaker of the store to the sparse number of patrons. However, most seem to show little or no interest. Next, we see Mike talking about his various books at the "event", which is attended by 4 or 5 people. He talks of his various derivative books like "The 10 Scariest Mansions" and "The 10 Scariest Lighthouses". One of the attendees asks him if his experiences have lead him to believe in ghosts. Mike says all this stuff is fantasy and that nothing in all of his travels has ever been out of the ordinary and would lead to believe in such things as much as he might like to. He sarcastically tells one of the people if he really wants to see a ghost he should head to the "Haunted Mansion" in Orlando. As he signs the various horror guide books for the handful in attendance. A young girl walks up to him and places a book before him called "The Long Road Home" that he wrote. Mike is astounded that the girl has a copy of this book. It is clear this is not one of his horror books. The girl says her name is Anna and she tells him how she was genuinely touched and moved by the book and how it seemed too authentic, especially the part about the relationship between the father and son. She asks him if it really happened. Mike says no. However, his expression clearly indicates that is not quite true. He seems flattered by her words, but clearly he doesn't want to linger on this point. When she asks him if he is ever going to write another book like it, Mike says that period is over now.After the book event Mike heads back to his home base in Los Angeles. While there he goes for some surfing down by the beach. As Mike is surfing he surfaces from the water and sees a plane flying over his head. The plane has a message banner attached to it. As Mike tries to read it he gets distracted and fails to see the huge wave that is headed for him. The wave sends Mike reeling and he eventually washes up on the beach chocking water with a guy asking him if he is alright. Later Mike goes to the post office to pick up his mail. We then see him at a local diner opening up his mail. Most of them are advertisements for more "supposedly" haunted locations that the owners want Mike to visit and write about. One of these is a post card that catches Mikes eye. It is a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel in New York. On the back of the postcard is a single warning message: "DON'T ENTER 1408! Mike examines the room number and writes "=13" on the card realizing this is what the sum of the numbers is. "Clever" he comments.Next Mike phones his New York publishing office and speaks to his publisher Sam Farrell (Tony Shalhoub). He tells him he plans on making the Room 1408 of the Dolphin the final location for his newest touring book. Sam tells him it sounds like a really cool possibility, but asks Mike if he really wants to come back to New York after "all that happened". Mike says he is over "that" now, but its clear that Mike is still deeply affected by something that occurred there. Mike then sets out researching newspaper clippings of the incidents that have transpired with the former occupants of the Dolphins infamous room. He finds one article in particular of the first victim of the room. A wealthy businessman who inexplicably jumped from the window of the room while staying there just 1 week after the hotel opened. Mike then calls the hotel itself and tells them he would like to make a reservation. They say fine, but then Mike says he wants room 1408 and they immediately reply that it is unavailable. Mike says he never gave a date. He keeps persisting them in asking when it will be made available, but they keep saying it wont and eventually hang up on him. Mike thinks this is some sort of ploy. He speaks to Farrell again and he tells Mike that physically they cannot prevent Mike from renting the room according to the law. If it is available as a hotel they must rent any available room to him according to official operational New York guidelines. Mike says this is great and tells them to go ahead and make the reservation. Farrell asks Mike if he is sure about this given the rooms incredibly sordid and wicked history. Mike says he isn't concerned and prepares to head for the Dolphin.Next we see Mike arriving at the Dolphin Hotel. It isn't at all the sort of creepy and macabre establishment he expects and that most of the places he visits try to be. It looks like a regular hotel. He enters the lobby and finds it quite busy. He approaches the counter and speaks to the woman there. Mike tells her who he is and that he is here to check into Room 1408. However, as soon as she enters his information on the computer an alert comes up to immediately notify the manager before letting Mike Enslin check in. She tells him to wait a moment. While he is waiting a hotel lobby bellboy walks over and asks Mike is he can take his bag. Mike says no and the worker politely walks on. Shortly thereafter Mike meets the manager of the hotel Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson). Gerald asks Mike if he can please accompany him back to his office and says he needs to discuss the matter of Mike staying in Room 1408. Mike agrees to this and the two head off.Inside Gerald Olin's office, Gerald tries to tell Mike about why he must not stay in Room 1408. He first offers Mike a bottle of some expensive Bourbon on the house as a friendly gesture, which Mike takes. He then goes through the rooms gruesome and hideous history and how dozens of people have killed themselves inside the room in all sorts of shocking manners. However, as he says all this Mike interrupts him and starts continuing what Gerald was saying about the entire grizzly history of the room. Gerald smiles and says "I see you've done your homework well". However, he tells Mike he doesn't know the whole story. That in addition to all the suicides there have been over 20 "natural" deaths in the room of various circumstances like strokes, heart attacks, and people who appeared to have literally appeared to have panicked to death. Mike seems startled by this news but remains largely stoic about all of it. He tells Gerald that by staying in 1408 he will write a nice piece of it in his next book and increase the hotels occupancy by 50%. Gerald tells him the hotel usually runs at 90% capacity and doesnt need Mike to promulgate the hotel in one of his books. Gerald tells Mike that the hotel doesn't seek any kind of attention to 1408. That it only fears the room claiming more victims. He continues that no one has ever stayed in room 1408 and lived and in fact no one has lasted more than an hour. He pulls out of a folder of case files of the rooms myriad of victims and tells Mike that in all 56 people have died in there. Gerald says this isn't about publicity or anything else; he just doesnt want to see anyone else die in there. He offers to let Mike see the folder along with staying in Room 1404 which has the same layout if he will just agree not to stay in 1408. Mike says no. Gerald becomes aggravated and throws Mike the folder and says "Here! Just look at it! Mike examines the folder and peruses the photos of its many unfortunate former occupants as Gerald recounts their stories, in particular one of a man who was found stitching his own body parts together. Mike is clearly perturbed by this, but still insists on going to 1408. When Gerald asks Mike why he is so adamant about staying in Room 1408 despite all the grizzly stories he has told him Mike responds that he has stayed in countless places over the years where slaughters have occurred and he remains unscathed. Gerald finally relents and takes Mike to get the key for 1408. It is a regular old style brass key. Mike asks why and Gerald tells him that no electronic cards will work with the room for some reason. Mike jokes and says "What the phantoms don't like modern innovations? Gerald tells him he never said anything about a phantom or a ghost or any such thing. He leans in towards Mike and says "It's an evil fucking room!We next see Mike and Gerald on the elevator up to the 14th floor. Mike inquires about how the room is maintained being as haunted as it is. Gerald tells him that once a month he and the hotel staff go up to the room in a special visit, to change the bulbs and sheets among other things. He says they always go in groups and the door remains open at all times. He tells Mike they treat the room like its a biological hazard zone. However, he says once they were cleaning up 1408 and a maid wandered into the bathroom and the door of it closed on her. Gerald says the maid was only in there for less than a minute. Mike says "Let me guess she died? Gerald says "No, she went blind! He says she poked her own eyes out from sheer madness laughing as they pulled her out. Mike is clearly distressed by all Gerald has told him but when the elevator stops Mike gets off. Gerald says this is as far as he goes and gives Mike one final warning to please not go to 1408. Mike just continues on and the elevator door closes. Mike moves down the hallway of the 14th floor. At first it seems normal with a maid passing by and a few hotel guests entering rooms. However, something seems eerily unsettling. Mike continues to 1408 and opens the door with the key. Initially he finds the experience totally anti-climactic. The room looks totally banal and mundane. Just like any regular modern hotel room. He walks in and shuts the door.Initially Mike starts to get used to his surroundings. He checks out the room, but there doesn't seem to be anything unusual. It has all the usual amenities of a typical hotel room including a copy of The Bible. Mike lays down on the bed and proceeds to make sardonically mocking comments into a voice recorder he brought with him about how much a joke it is that people speak with such fear of this room. As time passes by Mike gets up goes to the two windows of 1408 to look out. As Mike looks out the window he suddenly hears some weird noise of movement behind him. As Mike turns around he suddenly sees two chocolates laid on his pillow from out of nowhere. He goes into the bathroom and sees the toilet paper has been replaced Mike laughs and thinks this is some ruse by the hotel staff to try and scare him. He says "Lovely! I have the ghost who does turn down service in here. Mike thinks whoever did the changes must still be in the room, but despite looking everywhere he cannot find anyone. A series of bizarre but trivial events starts occurring afterward. Noises, flashes, and other weird happenings seem to be going on, however, nothing that cannot be easily explained. Then the heat in the room starts getting out of control. Mike is convinced this is all the doing of the hotel staff to make him leave the room. Mike calls the hotel operator to complain. He demands they send someone to fix it. The operator agrees. Mike seems surprised with how easily she complies with his demands given the fact he think the hotel staff is trying to antagonize him. After a little bit a mechanic arrives at the door, Mike tries to open the door but it is stuck. After pulling on it with great force it finally opens sending Mike to the floor. He sees the mechanic at the door and tells him to come in and fix the thermostat, but the man refuses saying there is no way he is entering 1408. Mike asks how he is supposed to fix the temperature. The guy tells him he can talk him through it and just has Mike tap on a switch in the box. The cooling comes back on. Mike thanks him, but by the time he turns around to look at him he is already gone and the door closed.Mike goes back to relaxing in the room, just as he drinks Bourbon a little, the clock radio turns on itself, playing "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters, freaking him out. The clock in the room he notices has even begun a countdown from 60 minutes. Initially this doesn't bother Mike much but as the events continue he becomes more and more terrified. Mike hears a high-pitch tingling and becomes deaf temporarily. His hand is crushed by the window, then he went to the bathroom to wash the wounds but suddenly the faucet runs from cool to hot water. Mike tries to close the faucet with a towel but it fails then he kicks the sink, stopping the faucet. Back to the room to put a bandage in a wounded hand, then the clock radio again turns itself on, playing the same song. Mike quickly pulls the radio, disconnecting the cord but its clock still counting down. The telephone rings and Mike picks up. The woman operator he spoke to earlier picks up again. Mike is livid about what has been happening, but the operator is different now, rude and almost mocking, telling Mike to calm down and not speak to her in such a harsh tone of voice. She tells Mike she will put the manager on, but Mike waits and the manager never comes.Mike hangs up the phone and grabs his stuff and then makes a run for the door. However, just as he opens the door, the key breaks. He then tries to unlock the door with the knife and it unlocks, but the door knob breaks, the door is now locked and no matter how many times Mike pulls and bangs on it, it will not open. Mike goes back over to the bed and sees a spectre of an old man (who looks like the same man who was the first one to commit suicide in the room) emerge from the wall the ghostly spectre goes over towards the window and jumps out. Then another female ghostly spectre appears and jumps out of the other window. Mike goes over to the window and looks out. Across the street he can see a man sitting in a building through a window on the other side of the street. Mike tries to signal and scream to the man. The man across the street gets up and takes a look at Mike. Mike keeps signalling to him and sees the man across the street signalling back, but eventually he realizes this person across the street is just mimicking his own actions. Mike cannot understand what is going on. He takes the lamp he has been holding in his hand trying to signal the other man and holds it up to his face. When he does so the man across the street does the same and Mike sees the man across the street is actually him. He then sees a figure with a knife approaching the mirror version of him across the street from behind. Mike turns around and is attacked by the same hideous figure that eventually vanishes. Mike picks up the lamp and tries to throw it out the window towards the ground to try and get the attention of the people and cars he can see passing below, but as he drops it the lamp just vanishes. Mike tries to go back towards the door, but it still wont open. He now looks over at the lampshade of the lamp he just dropped out the window. It still has light coming out of it despite there being no lamp.Mike is now convinced he must be hallucinating. He looks over at the bottle of Bourbon that Gerald gave him and one of the chocolates left on his bed that he ate. He realizes these could've been used to drug him. Suddenly the TV in his room turns on. A old scene from his life comes on the TV. He sees himself playing with his wife Lily Enslin (Mary McCormack) and their daughter Katie (Jasmine Jessica Anthony). As Mike watches this old memory he comes visibly morose and distraught. He puts his hand up to the TV, but the scene vanishes. Mike hears more of the commotion from the next room over he had heard earlier. He hears a baby crying, he knocks on the wall and asks the woman he assumes must be with the baby to help him, but no one responds. Instead the baby's crying gets progressively louder and louder, until it becomes absolutely deafening. Mike falls to the floor and throws a chair at the wall and the noise finally dissipates. Mike now realizes he must escape.He goes back over to the window. All the while Mike has been saying comments into a voice recorder he brought with him to document his stay in 1408. He makes one comment into the voice recorder as he prepares to go out the window that if something were to happen to him he would want anyone who found the recorder to know it was because he slipped and fell and it was an accident. It was not that the room drove him to kill himself. Mike looks the hotel's floor plan of the 14th floor for escape plan. Mike goes out of the window and gets on the ledge. He figures he can make his way across to the window of the next room over. However, as Mike keeps going further and further away he wonders how much further it must be. Mike then looks down the ledge but he cannot see any other windows except room 1408. Mike realizes he cannot go further and makes his way back to the window he came from, but as he tries to go back in the ghost of the woman who jumped before startles him. She then jumps again and as Mike watches her fall she vanishes before hitting the ground.Mike finally goes back to the room and he sees the floor plan has changed, showing the only room 1408 is in the middle of the building. He also sees another scene from his past. This time, part of the room next to him turns into a hospital room and we see Mike consoling his wife Lilly about the current status of their daughters health. He tells her everything will be alright. Sitting next to them in a hospital bed is Katie who can hear what they are saying and is clearly concerned. Next the walls start to bleed. Mike tries to calm himself by saying that this must all be a nightmare, but he wonders why he cannot wake up. He tries to shock himself out of his dream by looking out of the window, as he does the rooms elevation seems to rise dramatically and Mike falls back in sheer fright. Eventually this all culminates in the room becoming like a whirlwind, overwhelming with paranormal activity. When Mike finally recovers from this disorienting event he finds the room around has physically changed appearance. The windows are now covered over in a white preventing him from looking out. The entire room is now bathed in a powerful and ominous white light. The rooms wallpaper has changed to one of white flowers and everything else seems to have been modified in a peculiar way. The temperature has also dropped dramatically.Mike then sees that another one of the sections of the room has become another scene from his past. He sees an old man sitting in a chair in what looks like a mental home. This time Mike walks up to the man and talks to him. The man complains about why he is here. Mike realizes this man is his father. His father smiles and tells Mike that soon Mike will be driven insane like him. Mike now realizes he must try and contact someone on the outside. Previously he had tried his cell phone, but he could not get a signal. Now he tries the wireless connection on his laptop. By some miracle he is able to get through. He manages to get a video signal through to his wife Lilly. Lilly is astounded to see Mike and wants to know why after all this time he has finally contacted her. Mike tells her he cannot explain. What is going on, but she must help him. He begs her to send the police to where he is. He tells her he is in New York at the Dolphin Hotel. Lilly is surprised he is back in New York which is also where she is. She keeps asking Mike why he hasn't been in communication in so long but Mike just tells her to please send the police to where he is. She seems baffled as to why, but Mike begs her to just do it. Suddenly the sprinkler system cuts on and short circuits Mike's laptop breaking their conversation. Mike is furious and doesn't even know if his wife got the message. Mike looks back over at the clock to see it is still ticking down Mike realizes again he must try to escape.He goes over to the room's door. Mike had previously seen a air duct above the room. He hopes he can crawl through the ducts to get out. Mike manages to climb up and get into the ducts. As he begins moving through the air ducts he can see more scenes from his life as he passes the air ducts of the rooms below, including one of his wife tending to his daughter as a baby. Mike keeps trying to go on, but suddenly he finds himself pursued by a grotesque looking old man. The old man starts crawling after Mike and keeps grabbing on to him. Finally Mike kicks the old mans face shattering it. Mike finally falls back down the air duct to Room 1408. He finds the temperature has dropped yet again and the room is now completely covered in snow. Mike walks back over to the floor plan and sees it has now changed. It only shows 1408 and nothing but blackness around it. Mike looks through the keyhole and sees just a wall.Mike tries to burn the various articles in the room to try and keep warm. As he does he witnesses more scenes from his past. He sees a scene of his sick daughter back in the hospital with his wife. They are trying to tell Katie that everything will be alright and that she doesnt have to worry about dying. Mike tries his best to keep her spirits up, but it is obvious he has real doubts and fears. Finally we see Mike and Lilly in their home bereaved and commiserating over their daughters death. Mike is angry at his wife for his feeling that she "Filled Katie's head with fantasies of a heaven, instead of willing her to fight! He clearly has lost all his faith and is consumed with despair. Mike then sees a vision in the wall. It is Gerald Olin back in his office... Gerald begins talking to Mike. Mike is furious at him but Gerald says he gave Mike every chance to pass on staying in 1408. He tells Mike that he should not have been so skeptical and doubtful of paranormal activity and ghosts in his books and appearances all those years. He says there is a reason why people believe in this sort of thing, for the glimmer of hope that there really is something beyond death. Mike tries to reach for Gerald to hit him, but he just finds himself punching a wall.Mike is finally ready to give up when he hears his wife on his laptop again contacting him. He runs over to it and tells her if she sent the police to 1408. His wife says the police are in 1408 and it is empty. Mike now realizes the full power of 1408. The room has now transported him into some kind of separate dimension from the reality he has in. Mike tries to tell his wife he is done for and that he is going to die. His wife says Mike is crazy and that she is going to come down there to him. Mike then pleads with her not to do this, but suddenly he realizes she is not hearing him. Then Mike sees a new window on his laptop open up. This time the video image is of him. The new image of Mike begins talking to his wife telling her to come down to 1408 and please join him. Mike begins screaming to the video of his wife on the laptop but to no avail. She can only hear the words of the impostor on the laptop. After she logs off the false Mike looks directly at the real Mike and smiles and then winks. Mike now realizes its not just his life in peril. He screams in utter rage. The rooms paranormal activity reaches its pinnacle. The entire room starts "coming alive" even the pictures on the wall. One of the pictures, a scene of a ship in a violent storm begins pouring water into the room. Soon the entire room is gone and Mike is trapped underwater, above him though he sees a light being emitted from the surface. As Mike swims towards it he comes up and realizes he is no longer in 1408. He is back on the beach from the beginning of the film. He looks up and sees the plane from earlier flying overhead and this time he can read the message on it, it says to get great life insurance call XXX-1408. Mike eventually finds himself back on the beach from before where he washed up.Mike then comes to in a hospital in LA. He sees his wife Lilly sitting next to him. He asks her if he is in NY, but she tells him he is in LA and that he never went to NY. He explains to his wife that had a vivid dream of going to NY and staying in Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. His wife says she has never heard of it. We then see the two of them in a restaurant and his wife is telling Mike how the dream must've been a metaphor he concocted based on the events of his life. Mike seems composed, but he suddenly sees a waitress who looks exactly like the suicidal ghost from 1408. Mike becomes flustered, but then he looks back over and sees it is not that woman. Mikes wife then suggest he write about the experience. We then see Mike researching the same stories from before of the victims of 1408 but this time they are different and the victims are unrelated and didn't die in 1408. We then see Mike writing about the experience of 1408 on his computer and how it was a hellish dream he built in his mind. Finally Mike brings his completed manuscript of the 1408 story to the post office to mail it to the NY office, but as he gets to the counter he suddenly notices the man at the counter is not the usual guy, It is the bellboy he met earlier at the Dolphin, Mike turns around and sees some guys working on the wall behind him, but they too are workers from the Dolphin hotel. Suddenly they all begin tearing down the walls of the post office and behind them emerges Room 1408. Mike now realizes the nightmare is going to begin again anew.Mike is back in 1408 - is in ruins - but he cannot believe it. He keeps telling himself "I WAS OUT! Mike looks back at the clock. It is still ticking down. Eventually Mikes daughter appears before him. Mike doesnt believe this is the real Katie. She asks him "Don't you love me anymore?" Mike falls to his knees and grabs Katie in his arms. He tells Katie he loves her and they will be together forever. However, suddenly Mike feels Katie go limp. He looks at Katie only to find her slumped dead in his arms. Mike begins to weep uncontrollably and falls to the floor. "You cant take her from me twice" he explains. The clock radio - still intact - turns itself on, playing the same song. The body of his daughter crumbles before him into dust. Mike becomes furious and smashes anything in a room.
Mike watches the last few moments of the hour pass on the clock.When the clock is over, Mike arises back in Room 1408 - back in normal. The clock has reset and has begun ticking back down from 60 minutes. We see Mike sitting at a chair answering a ringing phone. He picks it up and asks "Why don't you just kill me? We then hear the same annoying and rude woman hotel operator from before "because all our guests enjoy free will sir! She tells him "You can either repeat this hour over and over forever or you can take advantage of our express checkout! Mike then looks over to see a noose dangling above the bed. Mike sees himself disappears in a mirror and then he sees the two graves, his daughter's grave and Mike's grave to be burried. Then in a mirror, Mike sees himself hanging through the mirror's image. This doesn't freak him out much. Mike goes back to the desk and picks up a receiver. The operator says, "Are you ready to checkout?" His answer is no and he hangs up the phone. The telephone rings and he answer it. The operator says, "Your wife will be here soon and I will be sure to send her right up. Just remember there is no escape! Mike tells the operator that the room will not have her. He then says that if he is going down then he is going to be sure that Room 1408 joins him. Mike picks up the bottle of Bourbon from before which is now full again and puts a string into it. He lights the string turning it into a Molotov cocktail and then throws it at the wall. The room begins to erupt in flames. Some ways away we see Mikes wife Lilly in a cab near The Dolphin. She asks what is going on at the hotel as something is clearly awry. She jumps out of the cab and runs to the hotel and sees the fire. Guests are storming out of the hotel and into the streets. Lilly runs up to the fireman and begs them to help her husband. Meanwhile we see Mike back in 1408 smiling and laughing knowing he has beat the room even if this means his death. He crawls under a table as the room is engulfed in flames around him. Mike thinks this is it, but then the fireman breaks through the door and pulls him out. Outside the room in the hallway Mike tells them not to go in there because its cursed. They just ignore him figuring he is delirious from the trauma. As the fireman drag him out we see Gerald back in his office saying "Well done Mr. Enslin.".Later Mike awakens again in a hospital to find Lilly again at his side. Mike explains to her what happened and how he knows that all he has written about all these years and dismissed is actually real. His wife seems skeptical and believes Mike may be delusional from the experience of all that happened. Eventually we see Mike and Lilly back together in their home. Mike is going through his old things in boxes. Lilly finds Mike's stuff he brought back with him from the Dolphin Hotel. Lilly says they should just throw it out since it stinks and it brings back bad memories". Mike grabs them and says no telling her that "bad memories are not to be forgotten, they are meant to be lived with". Lilly now realizes Mike is ready to move beyond his daughters death, though she is still doubtful of the 1408 haunting. In the things, Mike finds the recorder he had with him in 1408 that he occasionally used to comment on the events in the room. Mike realizes he had the recorder on longer than he thought. He fast forwards to the end of the tape. Mike hears the part where is talking to his daughter as Lilly listens too. Suddenly they both hear Katie on the tape. Mike and Lilly are both bewildered as they realize 1408 is very real.****************************************************************************************************************
Alternative (Original) endingDirector Mikael Håfström has stated that the ending for 1408 was re-shot because test audiences felt that the original ending was too much of a "downer". The original ending, available on the two-disc collector's edition, sees the back draft engulfing the room as Enslin hides under the table, happy to see the room destroyed as he dies. During Enslin's funeral, Olin approaches Lily and Enslin's agent where he unsuccessfully attempts to give her a box of Enslin's possessions including the tape rresecorder. Before being cut-off Olin claims that the room was successfully destroyed and that it will no longer harm anyone ever again, hence why he claims "Enslin did not die in vain". Going back to his car, Olin listens to the recording in his car, becoming visibly upset when he hears Katie's voice on the tape. He looks in the car mirror and imagines seeing a glimpse of Enslin's burnt corpse in the backseat. Having heard and seen enough, Olin places the tape recorder back in the box and drives off.The film ends at the gutted room, with an apparition of Enslin looking out the window and smoking a cigarette. He hears his daughter calling his name, and disappears as he walks towards the room's door. A sound of a door closing is heard and the screen blacks out. | boring, fantasy, murder, psychological, paranormal, horror, atmospheric, haunting, flashback, insanity, psychedelic, claustrophobic | train | imdb | While doing some research before reviewing 1408, I was shocked to discover that this was the first time since 2004's Riding the Bullet that a film based on a Stephen King story had gotten the big screen treatment.
Based on a short story by the great Stephen King, "1408" is one of the genuine movie sleepers of summer 2007.John Cusack gives a tour-de-force performance as Mike Enslin, a successful writer who specializes in the investigation of paranormal activity with a particular emphasis on hotel rooms that have the reputation for being haunted.
Along with director Mikael Hafstrom, the master craftsmen responsible for the film's phenomenal art direction and sound recording draw us into the strange world they've created where nothing is quite what it appears to be and where we spend most of our time nervously scanning the edges of the frame to see what surprise is next poised to jump out at us.Cusack, who has long been underrated as a performer, gets the chance to really show us his acting chops in this role.
Jackson and Mary McCormack also excel in the small but crucial roles of the wise hotel manager and Enslin's estranged but faithful wife, respectively.For those who can remember a time when fright films had more on their minds than simple blood and gore, "1408" is like a refreshing, restorative tonic on a hot summer day..
In a cruel blow to fans of 1970's soft rock, listening to the Carpenters' hit "We've Only Just Begun" afterward may stimulate nightmares and certainly will never be the same again.John Cusack, a cynical writer who has sunk from producing intimate novels to hack work about haunted inns, is lured to a Manhattan hotel where room 1408 is off limits to visitors, because of its long history of inhospitality.
The evening starts to look like a genuine snooze, when the room's unsettling turn-down service, a chorus from the Carpenters, and a radio that begins an ominous countdown unnerve both Cusack and viewers.Although the "night in a haunted house" routine has been done endlessly since movies began, Hafstrom for the most part effectively plays his audience with an eerie, often jarring, soundtrack, clever cutting, and a minimum of effects.
That is, of course, until he receives an invitation to Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel, a room in which lies his and arguably John Cusack's biggest challenge yet.It soon becomes apparent that 1408 is not your standard horror movie, as what follows, after an enjoyably creepy encounter with hotel manager Gerald Olin (Samuel L Jackson), is essentially 90 minutes of John Cusack in a room.
It is a challenge that Cusack rises to expertly; we all know he's a good actor and a brilliant everyman (I don't remember a film in which I've wanted to see him crash and burn), but 1408 allows him to display his range to great effect as the room confronts him with the physical dangers of the present and the emotional tragedies of his past.
Some of the CGI usage is quite ineffective, and about two-thirds through the movie it feels like it's about to go the wrong way, but it recovers well for the final act, and its haunting ending ensures that you'll remember it long after you leave the theatre.A brilliantly acted, well developed version of King's short story, 1408 is a different type of horror movie, but in all the right ways.
What at first seems to be a normal hotel room, turns into a horrific nightmare and Mike only has one hour to live.There have been many films based on Kings writings.
While it's not the best King adaptation it certainly is one of the better ones and deserves to be called The Shining for 2007.In the era when so called horror films are full of SAWS and HOSTELS, it's refreshing to see some new blood being pumped into the genre.
Tony Shalhoub, of MONK fame is only in one scene and Mr. Jackson shares the screen with Cusack for just about ten minutes...to explain the horrors of the room, then he's gone.Håfström, whose work I'm not too familiar with does an excellent job of bringing King's short story to live with a vivid and creative imagination.
From the icy cold snow to the green walls and even the burnt aftermath of destruction, the film is beautiful no matter what is on the screen.Cusack talking into his recorder acts as his mind trying to grab any sense of reality in this evil room.
I don't remember a lot of what I said for that movie, but I do know that in a world of Saw, Hostel, and other movies that try to be horror but can't make the grade, I felt that Dead Silence was a breath of fresh air.After watching 1408 I know that the REAL breath of fresh air is the amazing almost 1 man performance of John Cusack, as well as the great support work by Samuel L.
Jackson and Mary McCormack.This is a movie that not only made me jump at certain times like Dead Silence did, but it also made me legitimately scream out in fear of a particular scene involving John Cusack on a ledge on the 14th story of a building.
I definitely give this 10 out of 10 because this is without a doubt one of the most frightening (and I mean that in a good way, not in a crappy slit your wrists because Showgirls sucks kind of way) movies to come out in a very long time.So go and see it, enjoy it,and let's hope that maybe Hollywood can give us REAL horror movies instead of the cheap, lame wannabes that have disgraced our movie screens before this film came out..
We get John Cusack's character Mike Enslin driving in the rain, at night and clearly lost an easy, easy set up for a horror film but what follows is him finding the motel he was looking for, staying the night and leaving the next day in some disappointment it is an anticlimax, for the character as well as for us as we have been led down a route of suspecting the film will begin its scares from the very off with a familiar set up before having everything cancelled and having the film cut to some bright, colourful shots of people surfing.But the subject matter and choice of editing is the secret here and it mirrors the idea the director has for the anti-climax.
The pleasantries and the introductions are done in a very urgent and dismissive manner; hotel hot-shot Gerald Olin (Jackson) doesn't build the room up prior to entry in a 'be careful' or a 'it's dangerous' mannerism but goes the whole hog and simply tells Mike it's a death trap and he will not survive, period.The funny thing is that we have no reason to believe anything that initially happens in room 1408 is really all that bad.
With that in mind, it is refreshing to see a literary adaptation from Steven King, largely considered the godfather of the modern horror story, which resists falling prey to such trappings, and instead concentrates on generating more carefully thought out scares, preying on deep seated societal terrors.
Håfström's firm and capable directorial hand keeps things suitably grounded in reality when some of the film's more far-fetched plot points threaten to overwhelm the credibility of the work as a whole (for starters, the question as to why a hotel with such a macabre past would be allowed to continue to operate, let alone have clientele is never addressed, and the ending twist may leave audiences divided as to its effectiveness...).
And while the film does dip rather heavily into conventions of previous similar works (the horrifying events Enslin is subjected to feel almost like a checklist of horror movie plot devices) the element which really makes the film worthwhile and excuses many of the inevitable lapses in logic is the psychological angle, leaving the audience consistently guessing as to whether the paranormal events are actually happening or whether the whole thing is occurring in the protagonist's feverish mind.
While comparisons to earlier King adaptation The Shining among other works are inevitable, and despite the frequent reliance on formula, somehow new frights are extracted from age-old conventions, and with a strong directorial touch and an endlessly engaging lead performance 1408 proves a gruesomely entertaining bright spark in a fading ember of a genre, one which even the most jaded horror fans can appreciate and enjoy.
It's usually a conceit that the filmmaker puts in to have the central character to have a dark past loaded with sadness, but here it works effectively in how gradually it all comes out, and how the fear/acceptance of death is something just as, if not more-so, terrifying than anything else the room has to offer.As I said, not a great film, as sometimes it has that feel of an all-too well-oiled machine by director Mikael Håfström, edging on feeling like there's a checklist somewhere of things to happen in the room to Elsin.
A man named Mike Enslin (John Cusack ,though Keanu Reeves was attached for playing lead role in the movie) writes books evaluating supernatural phenomena in hotels, and other haunted locations , as he specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences .
The screenplay manages to be intelligent , intriguing and thrilling , the good thing about this film is that the director made it on an acceptable budget only having to do a few sets , yet the movie works on many levels but is constantly reconfigured .
Extraordinary performance from John Cusack in his second appearance in a Stephen King film adaptation , the first was Stand by Me. The picture bears certain relation with ¨The Shining¨ both movies were also shot at the same studio - Elstree, in London .
The picture will appeal to Terror buffs and Joan Cusack fans .This is without a doubt a thought-provoking and mysterious film to be liked for terror fans , turning out to be one of the most original horror movies of the last years ..
Rather, it delves deep into a story of a man who simply cannot get out of a room filled with his own subconscious thoughts, ones that he must conquer and ones that he must learn to forget.After spending a night in yet another "haunted" hotel somewhere in the rainy portions of the United States, Mike Enslin gets a postcard from the reclusive Dolphin Hotel in New York City with the words "Don't stay in 1408".
It follows in the great tradition of classics like "The Changeling" and the original "The Haunting", giving us a creepy film that also deeply explores a troubled character and what makes him tick.Cusask stars as Mike Enslin, an author whom has made a career recently out of writing books where he ranks various supposedly-haunted locations around the country for supernatural enthusiasts.
The best way to describe this movie is this- it's not terrifying, but it is pretty darned scary!"1408", while not perfect, is a great haunted-house style film.
Without it we would of had a silent movie, or more likely just had Cusack going more and more mental, and jabbering on to himself more and more as the film progressed.The presence of Samuel L Jackson, albeit a small presence, may help bring in a bigger audience for the film, and the few scenes with him in merit this as they are by far the best the film has to offer.
1408 is a thriller that sets few narrative rules for itself in trying to establish its thrills.The premise established in an introduction that doesn't even try to hide the film's silliness is that a skeptical writer of ghost stories (John Cusack in a role that's miscast on the grounds that it resembles his persona in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" too closely) travels to his latest conquest: not the usual haunted house but, instead, a room within an elegant hotel, that's said to be haunted.
Jackson's character tells Cusack's character incredible stories of how haunted the room and how once a maid stayed in the room too long and slit her wrists, or something like that in a scene that plays off as too melodramatic.
Based on a short story by Stephen King, 1408 delivers in terms of genuine scares, psychological horror, and first-rate special effects.
This was truly one of the best horror films I have seen in a long time - a film which reassures that the horror and thrill legacy has not been entirely reduced to blood and gore.A non-stop scare ride, 1408 is well worth seeing and features rich performances by both Cusak and Jackson,as well as other stars.The film provided the audience with genuine fright, delivered by a colorful script and a terrific story by Stephen King.The graphic effects used retain traditional style while at the same time delivering traditional frights and scares, usually sudden and unexpected, but sometimes anticipated and all the more terrifying.Surprises are abounding, and emotions are evoked throughout.
The movie attracted me because of 2 reasons Samuel Jackson and Stephen King.The story is about an author Mike Enslin (John Cusack) who does not believe in ghosts and as part of his search to see ghost, his work is to go and stay in haunted hotels so that he can write books like "10 nights in haunted hotels".
But once John Cusack is inside the room and the Director Mikael Hafstrom starts using usual gimmick and tricks to scare the audience, the movie falls flat on its face.
Whatever happens is so expected that I did not experience any thrill.John Cusack shows some signs of good acting, but he is not able to rise above the poor scripting.Samuel Jackson was playing the minor insignificant role of Hotel Manager - Not much to write about any department of the movie.If the purpose was to scare the audience with ghost experience, the director fails in scaring audience.
The path he goes thru his sanity to insanity in 60 minutes makes Mike Enslin one of the best performances of his career.The writers seems to be a bunch of people that know a lot about Stephen King's stories because references of his works are in every corner of the room: Cujo, The Shinning, Pat Cemetery, Rose Madder, Misery, and a lot more.
Even both movies setting their main stories in hotel rooms, who watched Derailed would never imagine that he would be the director of such a movie like 1408.Like Identity (2003), another hotel movie also starring John Cusack, 1408 is not just a horror movie, it's something that you will watch and you probably will not like it for the first time, but you'll be impressed, thinking about it for hours and trying to understand what really happened..
One of the things that helped in making this movie so damn scary was the character of Mike Enslin and his role in the film.
The movie is based on a Stephen King short story, which pretty much explains the refined sense of horror.
I never considered John Cusack more than a 'cute' actor, and watching him in a great horror movie like this one left me confused.
I think they understand true spiritual terror better than the Hollywood movie makers.The acting was good, and although there was only two real actors in this movie, John Cusack and Samuel Jackson, they built enough tension to make the whole story work.
I like the screen play, I like the fact that you will many times say "it is over" and it ain't, I love the performance of John Cusack, it is a GREAT Film.Sometimes, only 2 or 3, I felt there was a rush, but we can not make a movie of 4 hours (again!).Bravo to the Director and Screenwritters, they walked out of the book but managed to keep the original chill.I believe that people who will not like it are those who can not separate "Horror Fiction" from "Terror" and "Gore" genre.Great Movie!!!p.s. I never come back to my reviews for a dialogue, this is not a Democracy..
Of note to Jackson fans, in spite of the movie poster, Jackson is a supporting character at best and on film for all of 7 minutes, maybe 8.From the effective buildup we enter at last, the haunted hotel room and the fun begins, and there the fun soon ends.
But then he stays at Room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel, and discovers that paranormal activity is most definitely real!The reason this movie was so good (besides the fact that it's based on a King book)is that the acting was simply remarkable on John Cusack's behalf, and most of the other actors as well.
And though Sam Jackson's role in 1408 is so short that it would be considered an insult to his fans in any other film, for his role a little bit goes a long way, and he makes the most of his turn as the mysterious Mr. Olin...who has an agenda all his own in getting Mike Enslin into what has to be the most evil and most haunted room in the world.
It's scenario(based on one of the short stories of allegedly best horror writer-Stephen King) is good enough to make you sit and watch for 90 minutes.
In some way, John Cusack manages to cast always in over the average films, and the most curious detail is that the movies are from many different types, but he plays always the same type of character.
Jackson), warns, "It's an f'n evil room." It's Stephen King territory all right: Famous debunking-ghost-stories writer Mike Enslin (John Cusack, having inn problems as he did in Identity) visits the room, after hammering the management to let him in, to write about it as another in a line of fictional horror homes. |
tt0101329 | An American Tail: Fievel Goes West | Several years after living in New York City, the impoverished Mousekewitz family discovers that conditions are not as ideal as they had hoped, as they find themselves still struggling against the attacks of mouse-hungry cats. Fievel spends his days thinking about the Wild West dog-sheriff Wylie Burp, while his older sister, Tanya, dreams of becoming a singer. Meanwhile, Tiger's girlfriend, Miss Kitty, leaves him to find a new life out west, remarking that perhaps she is looking for "a cat that's more like a dog."
Soon after, Cat R. Waul forces the mice into the sewers, including the Mousekewitzes, and entices them into moving yet again to a better life out west. Tiger chases the train, trying to catch up with his friends, but is thrown off course by a pack of angry dogs. While on the train, Fievel wanders into the livestock car, where he overhears the cats revealing their plot to turn them into "mouse burgers." After being discovered, he is thrown from the train by Cat R.'s hench-spider, T.R. Chula, landing him in the middle of the desert. His family is devastated once again over his loss and arrive in Green River, Utah with heavy hearts.
Upon arrival at Green River, Chula blocks up the water tower, drying up the river. Cat R. approaches the mice and proposes to build a new saloon together, although intending to trick the mice into doing the bulk of the work and then eat them afterwards. Meanwhile, Fievel is wandering aimlessly through the desert, as is Tiger, who has found his way out west as well, and they pass each other. However, they each figure that the other is a mirage and continue on their separate ways. Tiger is captured by mouse Indians and hailed as a god. Fievel is picked up by a hawk, dropped over the mouse Indian village and reunites with Tiger. Tiger chooses to stay in while Fievel catches a passing tumbleweed, which takes him to Green River. As soon as he makes his arrival, he quickly reunites with his family but is unable to convince them of Cat R.'s plans to kill them. However, Cat R. hears Tanya singing and is enchanted by her voice.
He sends Tanya to Miss Kitty, who is now a saloon-girl cat, and she reveals that she came at Cat R.'s request. He tells Miss Kitty to put her on stage. With a little encouragement from Miss Kitty, she pulls off a performance for the cats. Meanwhile, Fievel is chased by Chula and briefly taken prisoner, but flees.
While walking out of town, Fievel stops to talk with an elderly bloodhound sleeping outside the jail, discovering that he is actually Wylie Burp. Fievel convinces him to help and train Tiger as a lawman and as a dog. Tiger is reluctant at first, but relents at the suggestion that a new persona might win back Miss Kitty. They go back to Green River to fight the cats, who attempt to kill the mice at sunset during the opening of Cat R.'s saloon using a giant mouse trap. Tiger, Wylie and Fievel intervene and battle the cats. When Chula threatens to kill Miss Kitty, however, Tiger rescues her and uses a pitchfork and Chula's web as a lasso with him trapped on it to hurtle Cat R. and his men out of town by having them piled on part of the trap, which the heroes use as a catapult. The cats fly into the air and land into a mailbag. The train picks it up and leaves.
Enchanted by his new personality, Miss Kitty and Tiger are reunited. Tanya becomes a famous singer and the water tower flows with 9000 gallons of water again, making Green River bloom with thousands of flowers. Fievel finds Wylie away from the party who hands him his sheriff badge. Fievel is unsure about taking it, but realizes that his journey is not over. | comedy | train | wikipedia | Fievel Goes West may not have as many touching moments as the original, but that's because it's more of a fast-paced western comedy rather than a heartwarming, sometimes tragic tale (tail?) as An American Tail was.
The film as a whole is a gem, but the one thing truly, wonderfully beautiful thing about Fievel Goes West is James Horner's immortal soundtrack.
The songs are just as good as An American Tail, which is saying a lot; besides, you have a brutally edited reprise of "Somewhere Out There" from the first film, sung by Tanya.
In Fievel Goes West, our title protagonist is lost on the way to Green River, where he will supposedly find a new lease on life with his family and lots of other hopeful mice.
Don Bluth might not have had a hand in this, but Fievel Goes West lives up to Bluth's classic story of a little mouse called Fievel.Animation-9/10; Story-7/10; Plot-7/10; Comedy-8.5/10 = Overall-8/10.
I enjoyed the original "American Tail" movie because of its appeal towards adults as well as children (it uses mice and cats as a metaphor for the Jews and Germans during WWII, with immigrants fleeing to the US).
However the dark edge of the movie was a bit too much for me and I felt as a children's tale it was probably a bit too scary.Don Bluth returned in '91 to film the sequel to his last hit, this one a satire of the westerns.
Wall (voiced by John Cleese).Along the way a spider (voiced by Jon Lovitz) tries to kill Fievel and he falls off the train, into the desert, where he pines for his feline friend from the first film (voiced by Dom DeLuise).Eventually Fievel finds his way out of the desert and finds a dog-sheriff (voiced by Jimmy Stewart) who decides to help train him so that he can fight off Cat R.
The voice talents are far more impressive and I love Jimmy Stewart and John Cleese in this movie - talk about great casting!
As a nice little family adventure film it's pretty entertaining and in terms of animation it represents everything Don Bluth is known for..
Not content with Dom DeLuise as the loveable cat Tiger, they add to that cast for the sequel the likes of John Cleese, Amy Irving, Jon Lovitz and none other than the great James Stewart himself playing the sheriff of a one-horse western town.
What we have hear is one of those funny, heartwarming treasures that will light up a child's face when he or she sees it.In An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Fievel Mousekewitz and his family are tricked into leaving the big city in the hopes of finding freedom "way out west".
Waul and his gang of villainous cats.This well animated sequel to An American Tail is one that will bring a smile to anyones face.
I wasn't a huge fan of the original 'An American Tail', but with my curiosity for animated films, I took a look at the sequel, the film I'm reviewing now.All the voice actors are back, the music, the animation looks pretty damn similar too, but one thing is gone, the director.
As someone who finds Simon Wells' films to be enjoyable but not top notch (especially in the writing department), this is exactly what we get here.Many people will complain that there are very few plot similarities to the original, this is true, the film's plot is nothing like the original, which I thought was a good thing in my opinion.The characters I found to be much more memorable compared to the original, including the villain, played by John Cleese.
Feivel the mouse continues to have a lack of a real character but I still thought he was an improvement to the original, possibly because of his maturing voice actor.The film does not contain nearly the same dark elements as the original, but in my opinion, is more funnier and more fun.
The songs are either catchy or not at all, the films signature song 'Dreams to Dream', is as good or possibly better as the original's 'Somewhere out there'.
The score by James Horner is a treat, just like the original.All real complaints come from the writing, there are small plot holes, a pointless subplot revolving around Feival's sister Tanya, and sometimes the plot seems a little too convenient.Kids will probably like the film, fans of the original may or may not, I personally rate it lower than the original, but by not too much..
This episodic sequel to "An American Tail" is worth seeing if for nothing more than to hear James Stewart's voice as Sheriff Wylie Burp.
Sure, the original was sentimental and predictable, but it had the classic song "Somewhere Out There" written by James Horner, and also a much better, straight-forward story.
Note: I also liked the main character of Fievel better as an immigrant from the first movie..
The animation on this film is really great, and the songs are even better than in the first American Tail movie.
So I'd recommend you watch this, because this is one of the very few non-Disney animated films that turned out well, and had great music.My rating: *** out of ****.
The American Tail story takes on a classic western feel as Fievel and his family journey into the heart of the west.
The real quality comes from John Cleese as the slimy conniving cat, and the late great James Stewart as Wylie Burp, the reserved town sheriff in the form of a bedraggled dog.
It's got many good things from the original, like the return of the oh-so-adorable Phil Glasser returns as Fievel!
The film paved the way for DreamWorks Animation, and films like Shrek, The Prince of Egypt - one of my all-time favorite animated movies - , The Road to El Dorado, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon.
I could take or leave the cat Tiger played by Dom DeLuise(Robin Hood: Men in Tights ,The Twelve Chairs )His character never did much for me and the subplot with the Indians felt unnecessary.The animation is very good as I said before bringing the old west perfectly to life while also having some good slapstick.All in all a very good family film that both you and your children should see,well made and fun.
And is one of the reasons I fell in love with film making itself.This movie can be shared amongst generations to come, for it does not fall short of the American Dream, and what it takes to obtain it!
Let me just start by saying I absolutely love "An American Tail", and still consider it one of Don Bluth's better movies.
Also it is one of the better animated sequels out there, and considering how disappointing some of them have been that is saying a lot.My only real problems with the film are that the plot is a little too episodic, and that the film is too short, if anything it could've done with being 5-10 minutes longer.
Back to the sequel, Cathy Cavadini does a great job both voicing and singing Tanya, and Linda Ronstadt completely blew me away with her rendition of "Dreams to Dream".What made the movie though was the voice acting.
But the biggest surprise was Jimmy Stewart as Wylie Burp, Stewart was a great actor, evident in films like "Vertigo", "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Rear Window", all classics in my opinion, and he proves once more how talented he was voicing a smaller but wholly relevant character and making the most of witty and sardonic lines.
Overall, while not quite as good as the beautiful original, it is a sequel worth watching and was much better than I thought it would be.
Review of An American Tale (Gone Western): I didn't like the first and original film based on the same characters.
Maybe adults will find it cute, but I didn't like it at all, and I was in my early teens when I saw it.Review of An American Tale: I could never get into this film as a child, and I had trouble relating to the characters.
This film has some great dialogue and has its moments but suffers from things any 80s-90s animated sequel suffers from.
What an awesome animated films that kids and adults can enjoy I would have to say this on par with the original the animation is great the characters are likeable and the story might not be the best but its enjoyable the music is amazing way out west dreams to dreams and the girl you left behind and James Horner's epic score this movie isn't strictly made for kids it has a lot of western tributes that make the film feel like nostalgia.
Fievel Cheers Up. Let me get this out of the way - I hate An American Tail (the original) - I think it is a gloomy, morose and overly sentimental piece of tripe.
Fievel Goes West on the other hand is a much lighter affair, with more cheer and one or two really lovable characters the kids will want to watch and adults won't want to smear the screen with chocolate because of.
In short, if the kids have been good then let them watch Fievel Goes West (if they've been naughty then you could always punish them by making them watch An American Tail).
When I was a kid I used to like the original first American Tail film, but then they started making straight-to-video sequels.
Young Fievel Mousekevitz the mouse gets lost again (for a little while) and then decides to try and get rid of all the cats from the West part of America, where the story left off.
The only parts I can remember of this film were the parts with Tiger the cat and John Cleese as the voice of the villain.
I have a very hard time really pining down a solid plot for the first movie to begin with, since it's just a series of a scenes featuring Fievel just barely missing chances to re-unite with his family.
In the second movie, he has a more pointed mission: to successfully warn/protect the mice from yet another self-appointed "sophisticate".The original movie was good and gave kids a glimpse into an important part of our history (immigration) but the theme was too slow and depressing to carry the full weight of two movies.The second movie, in addition to snappy animation and clever gags, brought on another 19th century mind-set, the prospect of the west and a future of not only being in America, but being a PART of America itself.Overall, despite this movie's differences from the original, it is still charming and a great deal higher in quality than other sequels.And let's be honest, what little boy doesn't dream about fighting alongside his hero?.
Its good music, brilliant artwork, and fun references make American Tail: Fieval goes west something worthwhile to enjoy no matter your age.
It's not as sentimental as the first, nor is the music as good (on my personal scale, it's a 3/10), but the fact that there are more characters that are present for the whole movie, I feel that it is far more engaging for an audience of all ages.
Something I felt was lacking in the first.The character animation and voice syncing is far better in the first and the lack of painted background in this one just make it feel on the low quality side, but the presence of shadow and malleability of characters in this one make it a completely different movie.The story is fast-paced and the humor is timed very well.
The music is very good, especially the "Way out west" song.
An American Tail 2: Fievel goes west: This is another fantastic animated movie, this one was made in 1991, 5 years after the original and the first an american tail movie.
I give an american tail 2: Fievel goes west a good score 9 out 10..
I absolutely loved the original film, and I was glad when this movie came out.
His voice in the original was like a cute innocent little kid.
All in all, a great sequel that's worth watching again and again like the original.
This movie is truly a work of art, it is the best animated film ever released although the first one was virtually perfect, this one's even better.
This sequel to the 1986 film 'An American Tail' sees the Mousekewitz family,now living in America, still struggling against the cats, who are led by the evil Cat R Waul (John Cleese).
There to hopefully help him are not only his old pal Tiger (Dom DeLuise again reprising his delightful role), but also the legendary dog sheriff Wylie Burp (voiced by the late great JamesStewart in what I believe to be his last-ever role in a feature film) -- that is, if Fievel can get the latter to overcome a little problem he has!Is this a good movie?
As in the first An American Tail, Fievel Goes West is an utterly charming animated film that will appeal to both children and those reliving their childhoods.
The west is just as wild as those novels make it out to be and young Fievel finds that his cat friend Tiger who sounds a lot like Dom DeLuise has gone west also.But not all cats are good, especially to the mouse community.
I'm completely biased because when i was little I spent this whole summer where all I had to watch was "Fievel Goes West" or the three Indiana Jones movies.
I know I sound crazy, but this is an awesome movie with great songs and adorable characters!!!.
In this second part The Mousewith Family has already succeeded in establishing his new home in New York, after the occurred events in the first film, but the problem is that the dad is not very satisfied with the quality of life they have there, and later to escape a dangerous hunting by cats, they come floating through a tin of sardines to the sewer where they to buy some tickets to live in the west where supposedly cats and mice live together in harmony.Inside the train, Fievel hears some cat's voices in the other wagon and he goes to investigate.Inside, he found that when they reach their destination cats become all mice in mouse hamburgers.Then he decides to save his family and others from certain death.I have seen all the films from An American tail and they are all very interesting and fun but this is my favorite of all.
I love the song: dream to dream singed by Tanya, powerful and beauty at the same time.the one thing that i don't liked from this second part was the little change was that the design of the characters and the final battle was a little short, but all the other things are awesome.In conclusion, I would like to comment that after seeing so many times the four films from An American Tale Have helped me to create my own version, as I already have 30 minutes he he he and the truth is quite interesting and fun.bye.
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is probably one of the best Animated Children films of the 90`s.
All in all, its still a great film to watch on a boring weekend afternoonThe Lion King is one of the highest grossing movies of all time, but it`s not as good as any of the American Tail movies except for the direct to video sequel..
Families will likely enjoy this movie more because of its humor, more vibrant animation, and catchy songs.
It beats out many other animation sequels and even some films Don Bluth himself actually contributed to, so it makes a nice alternative for those who want to start a Bluth collection but are afraid of having to ask for the worst of his movies.
WAY OUT WEST WHAT A GREAT SEQUEL (Not just for Kids).
Out of movie sequels and generally in sequels especially to Don Bluth's films like the god awful atrocious Secret of Nimh 2 to the mediocre Bartok the magnificent and then All dogs go to heaven 2 but unlike any of these sequels Fievel goes West succeeds and is about as good as the original American Tail of course when this movie was released in December 1991 it was released with Disney's Beauty and the Beast so yeah we kinda of know what happened there.
But anyway the movie has a lot of excitement for Kids and Adults in this feature because in the first film they used the 19th century Tsar Russia against the Jews and in the sequel its the mice against Cat R Waul played by John Cleese but it goes away from its Jewish counterpart I mean the place they are given hope but is mainly to trick them into labour and then execution but other than that the story might not be the strongest but the characters are funny and likeable especially Tiger played by Dom Deluise.
But what else is there to say the music from James Horner and the three songs in this movie are upbeat epic and fun.
So parents if you want to watch something that you will enjoy with your kids that is not the Emoji movie or nut job or minions then this is definitely worth it and trust me this one of the best animated sequels out there and I wish there would be more Western animated films you will enjoy it..
Still it's nice to see it is possible to make a sequel to a Don Bluth movie without completely screwing the original over.
Growing up, I must have seen An American Tail and feivel Goes West a million times.
In short, this movie doesn't feel like the original hardly at all.
Its characters are (mostly) okay, the plot is relatively original by American Tail standards. |
tt3072482 | Hardcore Henry | Note: this entire, experimental film takes place from the first-person POV (point-of-view) of Henry.The film starts with a memory from Henry's childhood. Three bullies stand before him, and one of them is holding a toy of Henry's. The bully hurls the toy against the wall and smashes it. A man, Henry's father (Tim Roth), looks at him and says "You...little...pussy..."The adult Henry wakes up in a facility. A woman named Estelle (Haley Bennett) brings him up from a water tank. Henry sees he's missing his left forearm and his left leg below the knee. Estelle replaces them with robotic limbs. Henry is unable to speak because his voice box hasn't been installed yet, and he has no memory of how he got to where he is. Estelle claims that she is Henry's wife.Estelle brings Henry into a room with two other scientists, Robbie (Will Stewart) and Timothy (Ilya Naishuller). They prepare to install Henry's voice until a team of mercenaries led by Akan (Danila Kozlovsky) storm in. They blow the door open, crushing Robbie. Akan asks Timothy to explain Henry's arrival at the facility. Timothy says that Henry's limbs were shot off and his skull was fractured badly until now. Akan then uses telekinetic powers to levitate Timothy and stab him to death. He plans to create an army of soldiers similar to Henry. Estelle plays a loud sound to hold the mercs off and give her and Henry a chance to run. She leads him to an escape pod for the two of them. They are ejected from the facility, which happens to be up in the sky. The pod lands on a bridge.After Henry pulls Estelle out of the pod, another team of mercs led by Yuri (Oleg Poddubnyy) arrive. Estelle tells Henry to engage them. Henry punches Yuri and gets a few good hits, but the mercs take him down, and Yuri pushes Henry off the bridge. He lands on a car and then runs into a freight container. There, he finds a car and turns it on, letting it roll out to hit the mercs. He fights the mercs until a van runs through and plows through the villains. The driver is a man named Jimmy (Sharlto Copley). He kills two other mercs and tells Henry to follow him, knowing who he is.As they drive, Jimmy tells Henry to open the glove box, where he finds a charger for his body. They are stopped by two cops, who turn out to be dirty crooks working for Akan. They shoot Jimmy in the head, forcing Henry to run through the subway for safety. The cops find him there, but Henry fights them and shoots one of them to death. Henry runs back out into the streets and onto a bus. There, he finds Jimmy (actually a clone) dressed like a homeless man. He rips a tracking device out of Henry's arm and then tells him to find a man named Slick Dimitry (Andrei Dementiev) and take his booster pad from his chest, and then to meet up with Jimmy after the task is complete. Jimmy then looks out the window and sees a man in a metal suit. He sticks his head out to make fun of him until the man wields a flamethrower. Homeless Jimmy gets burnt alive, and Henry must run again.Henry finds the building where Dimitry is located. He climbs the building and enters through a window. He kills the goons he comes across before making it into Dimitry's room. Dimitry is motionless. On his monitor, Estelle appears to tell Henry that Akan has begun with his plan and is preparing his army. Dimitry then springs up and attacks Henry. Henry chases Dimitry through the building and then through the city. Dimitry stumbles, giving Henry a chance to beat him. Dimitry then says he has something to say regarding Jimmy, but his head is blown off before he can say anything else. Henry evades the mercs.Henry arrives at the location Jimmy told him to find him, which is a brothel. Henry meets Cokehead Jimmy laying with five women. Jimmy tries to put the booster pad into Henry's chest, but he's in a bad condition to do so. He leaves Henry with the women, who comment on Henry being cute and then start playing with him. He starts seeing memories of himself and Estelle getting intimate. A more shaped-up Jimmy shows up and installs the booster pad. More villainous mercs show up. Henry shoots through them before reaching a room where Akan is sitting. He kills a man by flinging a silver plate into his head. Akan escapes, and Henry kills more mercs. He and Jimmy run into two dominatrix assassins, Katya (Darya Charusha) and Olga (Svetlana Ostinova), who also have a bone to pick with Akan. Jimmy then orders Henry to hop on a motorcycle and chase after one of Akan's vans.Henry rides the motorcycle and shoots more mercs on the van, while also hurling some grenades their way. He gets to the main van and slices two more goons before he finds Estelle. They embrace, but Akan rears his ugly head and blows a hole into the van to make his entrance. He uses his powers to knock Henry out.Henry awakens in the woods surrounded by more mercs. They get quickly killed off by Hippie Jimmy. Henry follows him and another woman until they get killed by an explosion. Henry faces MORE MERCS, including a few riding a tank through the woods. He slices his way through them before killing some mercs in a chopper.Henry arrives at the apartment building where Jimmy's laboratory is located. First he comes across some dirty cops attempting to rape a woman. Henry shoots two of the cops before squeezing the last one's crotch like a grape and then shoving a shotgun barrel down his throat. Henry enters Jimmy's lab and sees a video of Jimmy working with Akan to create his cyborg army from the remains of deceased men. When the experiment went wrong, Akan crippled Jimmy by shattering his spine. The original Jimmy rolls in and shows off his clones to Henry through a rehearsed dance routine. Punk Jimmy then accuses Henry of being a traitor because he is involuntarily broadcasting his whereabouts to Akan. Original Jimmy decides to trust Henry and make sure that Akan doesn't get anywhere near the lab.Three of the clones (Punk, Camouflage, and Colonel) lead Henry outside to face the onslaught of mercs heading toward the building. Henry and Camouflage snipe some of the mercs down below while Punk gets some kills from the ground before getting blown up. Camouflage leaves Henry to join the Colonel as he drops himself down with a grenade. Henry and Colonel shoot and blow up some mercs. Yuri and his mercs arrive, but Colonel kills them by blowing up the ceiling and bringing it down on them. Jimmy has been hit with a shard in his jugular. Knowing he's dying, he tells Henry that he had seen him originally before he had woken up and noticed a memory block in his head and had it left in there, but he knows that some of his memories are returning. Before dying, he says it's good to have had Henry as a friend, and asks him to make sure he looks into Akan's eyes as he kills him.Henry makes it to Akan's facility for the final showdown. Akan has his cyborgs ready to go. He reveals to Henry that all of them woke up the same way Henry did, with Estelle claiming to be their wife and acting as though she loved them, including Henry. Akan unleashes the cyborgs upon Henry. He proceeds to kill them in every which way imaginable (shooting, stabbing, slashing, grenades, heads blown off, sliced off, eyes gouged out, etc.) Henry makes it to the roof to face Akan, but he is taken down by Akan's powers, and even harder when Estelle shows up, clearly on Akan's side. Akan taunts Henry as he's down and knocks him to the side, where he faces some glass and we get a vague look at Henry's face, which is similar to that of his father's.We see the childhood flashback again. Henry's father says his own father used to call him a pussy, and he feels he proved him right by killing the wrong people, but he vows to call Henry by his own name and tells him to fight back. In the present, Henry grabs two adrenaline needles and continues killing the rest of the cyborgs. He ties barbed wire around his hand and manages to get close enough to Akan to hurt him. He splits Akan's hand apart painfully. Akan uses his powers to lift Henry up, but Henry gets close again and pulls out his own eye stalk to wrap it around Akan's head and sever the top half off.Henry boards the chopper and shows off Akan's head to Estelle. She furiously shoots at Henry until he holds his hand up, causing the bullet to ricochet and strike her. Estelle stumbles out of the chopper and hangs on. She pleads with Henry to listen to his heart. Apparently, his heart told him to close the door on her fingers and let her plummet to the ground below. | comedy, avant garde, suspenseful, murder, violence, flashback, good versus evil, absurd, psychedelic, revenge, sadist | train | imdb | I am not a major fan of FPS games, but having the entire movie filmed with Go Pro's, along with the great action made this a very fun and enjoyable movie.
The acting, while little of it, was passable and did not really strike me as "bad." If you are a person who can't stand something like the Bourne movies for their shaky cam, do not see this.
If you love action movies and really want to admire great fight scenes and plenty of mayhem, go see this.And for those saying the idea is not original, yes, movies shot in first person are not original.
The whole movie is a blast!!Ilya Naishuller is a young director who had a very cool idea to shoot an action film from a first-person perspective using a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera.
You likely won't get dizzy watching a 90-minute action film from an FP perspective.
This movie is INSANELY awesome!!!If I could rate it a 20, I would, just from the shear story telling, character investment and novel first-person POV, not to mention all the video game tropes, puns, and long shots!!At least 90% of the movie are long shots, that's how well it was directed!It contains a LOT of elements from Counter Strike, Modern Warfare, Half- Life 2, Portal and Mirrors Edge, so if you like those games, you should absolutely love this movie!It has a LOT of gore in it, so I wouldn't recommend it to the squeamish, but if you're a high-octane true-blooded alpha male like myself, you should absolutely love it!.
'Hardcore Henry (2016)' is an interesting experiment, an action film told entirely from the first-person perspective.
The video-game feel - which is bolstered by several clichés, such as a silent protagonist and 'tutorial' moments -can lead to some frustration as it just seems like you're watching someone else play when you'd rather take the controls yourself.
There's firepower, there's parkour, there's sex, blood, drugs, and rock n' roll, HARDCORE HENRY is brutal through and through and you can't get enough.It's a Russian film featuring familiar faces like Sharlto Copley, Tim Roth, and the beautiful rising star, Haley Bennett.
Ilya did give us that Biting Elbows' viral POV music video, and so take that and turn up the amp to 11, and you get HARDCORE HENRY.I had my doubts at first, I mean the trailer looked awesome, an entire movie done POV-stye, who wouldn't want to watch that out of plain curiosity!
But my concern was that the film would feel like you're just watching a GoPro video instead of something that's cinematic, another concern was that if a few minutes of the first "Cloverfield" already had my head go dizzy, what would 96 minutes of "Hardcore Henry" do to me?!
I read a critic somewhere said that HARDCORE HENRY reminds him much of "The Raid," and ya know what, he's on point there, our protagonist in this film constantly battling so many villains, all at once, scene after scene, halfway through you start to wonder how and from where on earth do these villains keep on coming, they constantly pop out of nowhere, but then again, that goes towards the fact that most first person shooter video games out there are done in this exact manner where you keep finding yourself having to fight and shoot your way out, non-stop.Is this the future of cinema, is this as virtual reality as it gets for us without our having to wear those big oculus rift gears?
To me, the film looks more like a video game, because Henry is moves so fast and is so good at killing.
I didn't go watch because of the plot, I went, like many others, just for the experience of a 90 minutes of a first person action film.
at first i only watched the movie because i was curious how a Point of view film would turn out so good..
I've been following Ilya Naishullers work as the frontman of Biting Elbows for quite some time now and I was really impressed with those first person shooter style music videos he made with GoPro cameras for two songs of the band.
And, to be honest, the video quality will be better than that of a trash camera strapped to a guy's head who runs around beating people up.In conclusion, I am happier sitting in the theater lobby then watching this movie..
Yet, if you are a film lover, one who loves to see filmmakers push the art to new territory, you should definitely put this fairly high on your to-watch list.Hardcore Henry is an action film that is presented entirely from a 1st person perspective.
If you have played FPS (first person shooter) video games, it will be similar; if you have not, you will watch the movie through the protagonist's eyes and will only see their hands and feet in some scenes.
So this experiment is a large step back from state of the art.The idea of this movie was to make the viewer truly feel like they were in the scene.
If one envisions any number of crude FPS games and how they don't really "feel" like you are the protagonist, this movie fails in exactly the same way.
The movie really is almost exactly like a FPS video game only lots more repetitive, believe it or not.
This is that experience, but in R-rated action/comedy movie form.It's a movie that feels just like a video game - and I mean that in a good way.
Video games, by their nature, immerse you into the experience in a way that movies usually can't, but as a movie that feels like a video game, this movie immerses you within its action like no other.Best actor: Sharlto Copley in this movie plays the funniest, most entertaining, and also most weird & unique character I've seen in any movie in quite some time.
If you can handle playing a video game, you should be able to watch this, no problem.Anyway, watch this movie if you want to have a good time.
Director Ilya Naishuller dominates truly professional camera-work and especially video game players (FirstPersonShooter) are feeling very comfortable watching this.Hardcore offers also humor, and yes, it is a bit hard humor, but it worked for me just fine.
As one of the first films told entirely from first-person perspective, we experience Henry's mysteriously bad and villain-filled day through his eyes.
Unfortunately, with great movies like Dredd and The Raid covering this area, all that's left with Henry is that first-person POV, and eventually you wonder if that gimmick becomes more of a hindrance than an asset, confusing otherwise interesting action through a hectic lack of focus.
Just because your movie looks and feels like a first-person shooter doesn't mean it should have the brain of a pre-teen gamer.
And I can see everyone looking retrospective and say why they did not do movies like this back in the day.I give it 17 for action, 10 for shooting style (pun not intended), 9 for acting and 7 for plot, so in my book that evens out at perfect 10/10..
it was more like watching a lets play video of someone playing a first person game only more boring & pointless.
I don't write reviews or have much of an opinion on anything but this film was that bad I thought I should warn people, I couldn't even watch it all the way through, after 20 minutes of watching I had to skip through it because it was so stupid, boring, pointless, horrible & it wasn't funny or fun not even slightly & there is nothing new about the headache inducing Blair witch shaky camera view.
Bottom line, stop trying to make movies based on video-game experience - it'll never work...
movie experience is an omniscient one, but always without any decision making power.I could go on about the lack of story, poor acting (other than Sharlto Copley, he was great), shaky camera movement (something that was removed from video-games for a very good reason) in order for you to not understand what's going on and add that "cheep" adrenaline feeling to it...But what really bugged me the most is how they wasted a perfectly good and brilliant Tim Roth...Bottom line, this feels like watching your brother play Quake or any other FPS for 2 hours - it's just boring and not the same thing as playing it yourself...A by-standard in the first person.
Half the shots look like a bad video game replay where the person is looking at the ground and you can't see what the hell is going on.
I think I am going to make a movie about me playing a realistic video game with a GOPRO camera attached to my head!
Its target audience is not nearly as broad as most movies tend to be but I feel that that is to its credit; Hardcore Henry embraces the first person shooter genre completely and doesn't look back!
I can't remember the last time I was so entertained for the duration of a feature film.Hardcore Henry is the very essence of explosive slasher craziness, and will literally let you experience it through the protagonist's eyes.
I wasn't too excited about it being filmed like a video game, by this I mean the dialogue scenes.
The villain was mediocre at best and was of little interest.Due to my lack of being able to stay awake I cannot comment on the plot as I don't remember it at all; however it obviously wasn't gripping enough to keep me awake.As I said earlier, it was an interesting concept, well created and I imagine if FPS video games are your passion then you would appreciate this movie more than I did.
The non-stop action, and bloody shootouts never look real, like we're really just watching a boring video game.
At no time does this ever feel cinematic or *big*, nothing makes this feel like it should be seen on the big screen, rather than a computer monitor.After a while, I found myself looking at the dwindling audience more than I watched the movie.
So unless you are keen gamer, who enjoys POV action, with lots of shooting and like no real plot, give this movie a miss.Its gets a rating of 3 based on the stunts and gory being very good.
Other than the fact that the plot is as unsubstantial as an action movie plot can get, the characters' motivations are incredibly under-looked and after a good opening you are just left with a less and less interesting movie.I think the focus was just too much on the gimmick and the filmmakers lost the story on the way, ending up with a film that manages to impress for sure, but does not leave the viewer with any satisfaction.
if you have ever played a fps with bad physics and choppy graphics you know what i mean.While watching this you will experience extended periods of headache because of the badly done First Person View camera, and if you sit through it all you will quickly realize this is 1.5h of your life you will never get back.
i think this movie had a very good potentials to be a great action film , as far as i know the idea of a fully fps is original, as for the story its not that big of a story...but its just an action movie so i don't really mind it, the only thing i hated about it is the extremely amateur and lazy cgi work they did, and over use of cuts, there are also some scenes where they just threw whatever (minigun scene) where made me question weather they were serous about their work.
This movie is entirely shot in POV and about the closest thing to a live action game I ever saw.
The whole film is poorly paced, when there's no action it is boring, some of the other action scenes are filled with jump cuts with bad editing, and the characters weren't good in the movie.
If like me you are sick of watching shaky camera work then avoid this movie by all means.
Filmed for its entire duration on a first person point of view, its loaded with frenetic action (running, parkour, fighting, shoot outs, loads of guns, etc...) almost restlessly, but lacks character development.It flows just like a video game, but even video games have better stories.The idea is original, but the constant camera point of view with so many jumps and bumps and shakes and movement becomes sickening really fast.
Pretty much all done as if your are the person in the film, The entire movie is shot with a helmet cam so it is like your actually there.
There definitely is effort put into story-boarding scenes and filming and editing movie shot in such specific way, but there is also big waste of time creating concept that does not work and leaves you with nothing more then a headache.Characters are bad clichés with bad acting for which you don't care since there is not emotional involvement due to poor story.
On top of that, I was also worried that the first-person action sequences would be the movie's only redeeming quality, meaning that the plot would be almost non-existent and the movie would look like a video game.So to summarize, Hardcore Henry had the potential to either become a ground-breaking film that sets a new bar for great action sequences (kind of like Crank and Cloverfield had a baby !), or be a terrible stomach-churning video game B-movie, as if Uwe Boll directed The Bourne Supremacy!
While I admit that I didn't feel sick at the end of the movie (which is an achievement in itself!), Hardcore Henry definitively suffers from its ridiculous story and dialogs, over-the-top action and cardboard cutout characters who seem to come straight from an 80's video game.
All in all, it felt like I was watching a 90-minute cutscene, which is why I think this film will only appeal to hardcore FPS gamers who just want to see a transposition of their favorite game on the big screen.
Henry isn't alike any human being, he's powerful, fast and it's further convinced to be the hero when mysterious figures (in the many different forms played by the great Shalto Copley) convinces him to find his source and find his wife.What makes this movie a solid roller-coaster ride is it's kinetic energy in action, over the top violence and brutality.
I'm also not a big fan of the way they were filmed.Watching "Hardcore Henry" is like watching a video game you can't play, which is a bit frustrating.
Helping Henry to escape Akan's clutches are the multiple avatars of disabled genius Jimmy (Sharlto Copley).The first person point of view of Hardcore Henry is an undeniably skillful technological feat, the experience made all the more impressive thanks to the incredible derring-do of its lead character, who possesses some serious parkour skills (and nerves of steel), and the efforts of countless stunt guys, whose work is enhanced by some very convincing special effects.I'm guessing that writer/director Ilya Naishuller felt that his film's first person gimmick, unrelenting pace and jaw dropping stunts would be more than enough to keep his audience happy, because he certainly didn't try very hard with the story, with what little plot there is told in a muddled fashion that really isn't worth the effort to unravel.
Without a decent narrative to tie all of the action scenes together, Hardcore Henry eventually proves rather wearisome, despite its escalating 'How the hell did they do that?' mayhem and ultra-violence.The format worked so much better in Naishuller's music video 'Biting Elbows: Bad Motherf***er', where a strong story wasn't a requirement..
It is ironic, because the film is plot less, and the action doesn't really look good either.The gimmick of this film is for the audience to feel like they are in the shoes of the main character.
I suggest you don't watch this film because the only selling point is the new POV shooting style, which alone is not enough to make a good movie..
It was the best video game I never played.going into it, I was very unsure about this new concept of making a movie that looks and feels like a first person shooter, which was exactly what happen.
I thought I would end up disliking the movie because the trailer made it seem like something I would love to play not just watch.But Hardcore Henry was extremely enjoyable.
It was a basic action movie story which allowed the filmmakers to revolutionize the film going experience.
From there, Naishuller felt like creating Hardcore Henry as a love letter to music, film, and video games, mixed with campy elements to prove how he can be a serious filmmaker.
But really, after judging the way Hardcore Henry flaunts action merely for the sake of it, these video game movies, and first-shooter games in general, are hurting our sense of morality and art.
Frantz is a quiet movie with a nice story line and Hardcore Henry was a complete waste of my time and money.
If you choose to see it, just go because you want a fast paced action thriller that feels like a video game.
More than that I believe Hardcore Henry is a mix of very good and very bad scenes, all dedicated to the action genre.The whole movie is stupid, stupid storyline and unrealistic character and character decisions.
After all, the whole film is from the first-person Point of View (POV), so anyone wearing the VR headset would feel almost as if they were experiencing the movie from the main character's perspective.
Hopefully, future filmmakers can take the lessons from this film and create better movies that could use the format to its best advantage.Up until now, the only time you'd see something in a first-person POV is in a video game. |
tt0844760 | Starship Troopers 3: Marauder | In the past eleven years of "The Second Bug War", the Mobile Infantry has improved their weapons and tactics. However, as they adapt, so do the Bugs, and many new Arachnid variants have developed. The United Citizen Federation now finds itself engaged in trench warfare on the frontier planets. The Federation puts a positive spin on this in the media while using its judicial and military authority to suppress peace protesters and religious fanatics as seditionists.
Colonel Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) is stationed on the agrarian planet Roku San when the popular Sky Marshal (and singer) Omar Anoke (Stephen Hogan) pays a visit. Off-duty, Rico's old friend General Dix Hauser (Boris Kodjoe) gets into a bar fight with farmers protesting against the war. During the fight, Rico stops Dix from shooting one of the farmers. Dix tries to have Rico arrested, but the base defences suddenly fail due to an alien attack. Rico knocks Dix to the floor and leaves to help fight the Arachnids. When Roku San falls, Rico is blamed by the Federal Media and set for execution for insubordination and striking a superior officer. However Dix has Rico's execution faked, so that Rico can lead a rescue mission.
On their way back to Sanctuary, the Fleet's secret HQ, Captain Lola Beck (Jolene Blalock) is marooned on a classified planet, OM-1, with Sky Marshal Anoke. Admiral Enolo Phid (Amanda Donohoe) suppresses this information. Dix finds out thanks to an officer who thinks this is wrong and recruits Rico to rescue the Sky Marshal and Lola, the latter being one of the few in possession of the coordinates to Sanctuary, which would cripple the military if the Arachnids learned of its location. An apparent earthquake causes Dr. Wiggs (Danny Keogh) to fall into a crevasse, while the Sky Marshal views a giant eye staring back at him from below. Cynical cook Jingo Ryan (Jon Falkow) is next to die after he takes shelter within a cluster of supposed rock outcroppings, which are actually Arachnid limbs which pull him below. Engineer Bull Brittles (Stelio Savante) asks the very religious flight attendant, Holly Little (Marnette Patterson), to marry him, but dies shortly after.
On Earth, General Hauser confronts Admiral Phid about why she is abandoning the Sky Marshal, only to be arrested. Later, Phid reveals to him that Sky Marshal Anoke is responsible for the downfall of Roku San, having been in communication with the "Brain of Brains", also known as "Behemecoatyl", through the original brain bug captured in Starship Troopers, as he has psychic powers. The Sky Marshal adopted their religion, hoping he could save humanity from the bugs if he could make peace with them. It is revealed that he turned off the electric barrier surrounding the base on Roku San to show his willingness to make peace between the two species. The Federation now believes the Brain Bug allowed itself to be captured in the first place on Planet P in order to pass on intelligence from inside The Federation. The Federation makes the decision to kill and dissect the captured brain but it overhears them and unleashes a telepathic scream, killing a few soldiers by exploding their skulls before Hauser kills it. It is revealed that Admiral Phid ignored the distress calls of those abandoned on OM-1 so she could become the new Sky Marshal; however, she failed to take into account that Lola, who is one of the few pilots of the Federation that know the location of Sanctuary, was with Anoke.
Back on OM-1, the stranded make contact with The Brain of Brains, who communicates with them through the corpses of their fallen comrades and soon kills Anoke for his knowledge; Lola and Holly, the last two left alive, begin to pray that they will be saved.
Rico leads the Marauders, an elite team of troopers composed of his command staff from Roku San, on a rescue mission, using the Federation's new battle-suits. They defeat the Arachnid warriors on OM-1, suffer no casualties, and rescue the two survivors. OM-1 is revealed to be the home of the Bug Hive, the Arachnids' ruling body, and Fleet destroys it from orbit with a planet-destroying "Q Bomb".
Rico is apparently cleared of charges and subsequently awarded a promotion to the rank of General, and given permanent command of the Marauder program. Anoke is reported to have died in a terrorist attack (staged by the government earlier to explain his disappearance) and given a hero's funeral. Dix and Lola are married, Admiral Phid is appointed the new Sky Marshal with Dix as her second-in command, and Holly becomes a Federal chaplain. Dozens of peace protesters are hanged in connection to the purported terrorist attack. The new Sky Marshal Phid, impressed with the way that Sky Marshal Anoke was rendered servile by the Arachnids' religion, decides the Federation should adopt a religion, and a Christian-esque religion is embraced by the Federation. | violence, revenge, satire, romantic, melodrama | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0116483 | Happy Gilmore | At the beginning of the movie Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) talks about his life. His mom moved to Egypt because of his father's obsession for hockey. Shortly after that, his father was killed by a hockey puck to the head. Then Happy was forced to move in with his grandmother (Frances Bay). Happy Gilmore had many jobs like janitor, gas station attendant, security guard, plumber and a construction worker. The construction job didn't work out well because he shot his giant boss, Mr. Larsen (Richard Kiel) in the head with a nail gun which got Happy beaten up very badly.Happy Gilmore has hockey tryouts and doesn't make the team so he gets in a fist fight with the coach of the team. When Happy gets home, his girlfriend leaves him because she says he is a loser. The next morning Happy goes to his Grandma's house because the IRS is going to take her home and everything in it. Happy is angry so he throws the IRS agent (Robert Smigel) through the front door. He is told to get the house back, they need to come up with $270,000. Happy wants to watch the hockey game at his grandma's house so he goes outside to tell the moving guys to get back to work. The 2 guys try out golf clubs and then challenge Happy to see if he can outdrive one of them. If he does then they will get back to work. Happy hits the ball over 400 yards and breaks a window of a house. Then the men ask him do it again for $20. He does it and hits a man in the head. Then they offer him double or nothing and he does and this time hits woman in the head and she falls off a roof. That is when he notices his ability to drive a golf ball. Happy then brings his grandma to the nursing home where she will live.The next day Happy goes to the driving range to hustle people and earn some money. He outdrives everyone there. A former club pro with a fake hand, Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers) introduces himself near the batting cages and tells him to enter the Waterbury Open. Happy refuses but Chubbs tells him he can make money. Happy thinks of grandma so he decides to enter the Waterbury Open.The day of the Waterbury Open, Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) is introduced to everyone there. He is the top pro golfer and the money leader. The winner of the Waterbury Open gets to join the Pro Tour. Happy Gilmore wins the Waterbury Open. Chubbs offers Happy six months of training to get better at putting but he refuses. Happy needs the money within a certain amount of time and can't afford to miss the oppurtunity to win money on the tour. Happy meets Virginia (Julie Bowen) who is a journalist for the tour. Happy Gilmore attends a tour party and is told by Shooter to meet him at the 9th green at nine. Happy goes and the sprinklers go off so now he wants to beat up Shooter. Happy goes to visit grandma at the nursing home and she pretends to like it there even though she hates it. The orderly (Ben Stiller) threatens her and says if she tells Happy that they abuse people then she will be killed.The AT&T Open is the first event of the tour and Happy Gilmore doesn't do very well. Happy Gilmore and Virginia go on a date to ice skate and she kisses Happy. Later in the tour Happy is paired with Bob Barker in a tournament. Bob Barker is mad at Happy for doing bad in the tournament because a man is annoying Happy. Happy gets in a fistfight with Bob and loses. Chubbs takes Happy to a miniature golf course to play a game. Happy does good so Chubbs gives him a putter that looks like a hockey stick as a gift. Happy tells Chubbs that he has a gift for him and opens up a wooden box. The box contains the alligator that bit of Chubbs hand. Chubbs is so frightened, he accidentally falls out of the window and dies.Shooter McGavin buys the house at the auction and says he will piss on the ashes after he burns it down. Happy is threatened so he must now win the tour. The final event of the year is the Tour Championship which can get Happy enough money to get his grandma' house back. Shooter is intimidated by Happy so he hires people to distract Happy Gilmore during the championship. The match is close the whole way. A crazy fan, ordered by Shooter, runs Happy over with a car, but Happy is still okay. After the crazy man, ran over Happy, he drives into a tower which falls onto the green blocking Happy's chance for a birdie to win the tour. The judges say that he must play it as it is. Happy remembers the amazing putt he made at the miniature golf course and it is similar here. Happy hits the ball of the car and it goes through pipes and amazingly lands in the hole. Happy wins the tour championship and gets the gold jacket. Shooter steals the jacket and runs away with it but Mr. Larsen catches him and beats him up.Happy, Virginia, Grandma and the homeless man who was Happy's caddy all go back to grandma's house.THE END | cult, comedy, humor | train | imdb | "Happy" is a hot-tempered hockey player who can hit a golf ball 400 yards so he tries his hand on the PGA tour to help raise money for his grandmother.
I just shake my head even writing that last sentence, it sounds so stupid....but this is a stupid movie with an incredibly stupid story but is hilarious, for the most part.Anyone who is a golfer would appreciate this movie more than others, because Sandler says and does things we'd all like to do on the links at times but, thankfully, don't.
"Happy Gilmore" is the Adam Sandler movie to see.
He delivers what you expect and in HAPPY GILMORE he came up undeniably with his best film!As the wannabe hockey great in dire need of an anger-management course, Sandler discovers by chance his prodigious golfing talents - but using a hockey stick!
In a performance best decribed as R-rated Jerry Lewis, Sandler is a hoot as he takes on Bob Barker, the establishment and Shooter McGavin - golfing's hissable "Mr Smarm" (An Oscar-worthy turn from Christopher McDonald)Carl Weathers turns in a blinder as Sandler's newly come-by coach with an unfortunate earlier run-in with a hungry croc!
Adam Sandler has a very funny movie here that works like no other since Caddyshack.
In what is Adam Sandlers best work to date, the hopeless hockey failure Happy Gilmore must join the Professional Golfers Tour to help his Grandmother with her finances.
I have seen the film probably over 50 times but each time I laugh as if it were my first time viewing it.From Carl Weathers and his wooden hand, to Happy teaming up with Bob Barker, this movie keep you laughing the whole way through.
A bitter rivalry and a race-against-time ensue, as Happy tries to earn back his grandma's house, and beat Shooter.Happy Gilmore is a movie that I truly adore, and will always cherish.
One of the funniest comic bits in any Adam Sandler movie is the sequence in which Happy gets into a fistfight with Bob Barker, the host of "The Price is Right." For some reason, Bob fails to notice the heckler who's most frequently uttered word never fails to affect Happy's game for the worst.
Another hilarious thing about this movie is how many of the characters in the movie manage to play their parts and keep a straight face, even when Happy is assaulting innocent people for the smallest reasons, and cussing out the golf ball when it won't go "home." Happy is one of a group of quirky characters in the film, but much of the humor comes from the reactions of the serious characters, and/or the extras when Happy does something stupid.
Happy Gilmore is Adam Sandler's only standout performance in a long list of half-assed, unfunny comedies.
The anger he has is advantageous here, but a big problem when it comes to putting - and an even bigger problem when it comes to dealing with smug competitors like Shooter McGavin (superbly played by Christopher McDonald).Happy Gilmore thus follows Sandler on the golf-court, where 90% of the film takes place.
On top of that device, you have such gems like Adam Sandler beating up old man Bob Barker on the green, Adam Sandler screaming at a golf ball asking it "Are you too good for your home?", and Christopher McDonald in one of the most hilarious and subtlety comedic performances of the 1990s.So Happy Gilmore is the Godfather of all Sandler films, as well as the only truly good one.
However soon it becomes about more than money as pro Shooter McGavin tries to show him up.Those watching an Adam Sandler comedy usually are prepared for the type of humour that they are about to experience.
Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore are both the two movies Adam Sandler started out with.
Adam Sandler starred in many fine films, but Happy Gilmore is one of his more underrated ones, and often, looks overlooked.
I like, in this movie, how the character, Gilmore, uses a hockey stick to play golf, and it basically gets hilarious from there.
Making $41.20 million dollars, Happy Gilmore is another one of Adam Sandler's best movies.
It lacks a good story and has all of the trademarks of a standard Sandler movie, but it hits several areas of comedy that can please a lot of people with different comedic tastes.The storyline is structured much like Billy Madison with Sandler starting off as a burnout and going through some trials to achieve a goal and beat a villain that comes up partway through.
The plot is pretty weak in its gradual development with Shooter McGavin, and the movie might have been better off without any plot, but even in comedies, there has to be some kind of plot.None of the characters, like the storyline, have a whole lot of depth.
There are also a lot of small but memorable characters that Happy plays golf with or around, such as Bob Barker, his two caddy's, the obnoxious fan at the celebrity tournament, Mr. Larson, and the guy that talks about the golf ball's energy.As I said before, the comedy reaches several regions, though it maintains a constant goofy and blatant feel.
Happy Gilmore is the main character, played by Adam Sandler.
However, if you want to have 92 minutes of non-stop laughter, with hilarious line after hilarious line, you must stop what you are doing and watch "Happy Gilmore." There are endless scenes and lines of the movie that will make you literally "Laugh out Loud." For anyone who hasn't seen this movie yet-considering it came out in 1996, I don't know what you are waiting for.
Personally, I think that if Happy Gilmore could've wrote the movie he would've made himself the most successful hockey player instead of a great golfer.
The comedy "Happy Gilmore" takes arguably one of the funniest and loudest actors in history, Adam Sandler, and throws him into the calm, peaceful and serene game of golf.
Approximately 90 percent of the movie is seen on the golf course, and it is here that the great personality of Happy Gilmore is portrayed.
He would constantly scream at his clubs and the small white golf ball various things such as, "Are you too good for your home?" This is extremely atypical behavior to see from anyone on the golf course but this is what contributes to the eccentricity of the movie.Happy plays the role of an underdog but not a typical underdog like in the movie "The Replacements" or "Remember the Titans." His role as an underdog is quite odd and eccentric and because of that so many people root for him to win.
Christopher McDonalds ability to play the role of Shooter McGavin greatly enhances the movie as a whole, as well as his conflicting battle with Adam Sandler..
What's Really Funny Is Adam Sandler Is An Awful Golf & Hockey Player "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha".
Happy Gilmore is a very funny movie with some terrific actors and I guarantee that you will at least get a few laughs.7/10.
I have to say that i have seen many Adam Sandler films before this one, but i have to say this is one of his best.The film is funny through-out, with characters you like to hate, such as Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin.All in all i have to say this is a great film, and i gave it a deserved 8 out of 10.I know it is now 6-7 years old but i saw it and still found it funny..
Adam Sandler is just perfect in the role as Happy Gilmore and you will laugh from beginning to end.
Like many of his earlier films, "Happy" is one of Sandler's angry roles, where the physical comedy reigns supreme.
The scene where he is learning to putt and takes his frustration out on a mini-golf robotic clown head pretty much sums it all up.There are a few humorous nuggets from this film that have a high place in the list of top Adam Sandler comedy lines/moments, like the fight with Bob Barker accompanied by the timeless "the price is wrong, bitch." Other than those few great lines and funny scenes, there isn't a whole lot to love about "Happy Gilmore," but it acknowledges that and doesn't waste your time at just 90 minutes long..
Happy Gilmore(Adam Sandler) would be playing pro-hockey, since he couldn't skate, his swing was the strong point of it all.
HAPPY GILMORE is one of Adam Sandler's better movies.
The polarizing attitudes of the two really sell this and make it a fun movie.For me, the only downfall of this movie is that we are supposed to believe that all it takes to be a golf pro is the ability to hit the ball really hard...I know, I know, that's what makes the movie comedic, but you can still have a comedy that exists in the real world (it's my opinion).A fantastic film and it's Sandler at absolute best will definitely watch again..
Maybe I just need to watch more of his movies to get into him more.But I say this because so far, from what I've seen, Happy Gilmore is the only Adam Sandler movie that I enjoy.
But that's not saying much considering I've only seen this and 4 others of his.Overall, Happy Gilmore is a fun comedy with Adam Sandler.
And she's way more mature than her old man is.It's not just the character of Happy Gilmore that's memorable here, but also Shooter McGavin, and Christopher McDonald deserves credit for making the entitled jackass a solid villain.
Since it's about golf, that makes it a comedy."He also complained that it was more of a product placement for Subway sandwiches than a golfing movie.It's kind of ironic,in this case, that it has a 7/10 on IMDB and may arguably be known as Adam Sandler's best work.
The problem is his temper gets in the way.Any one who has seen an Adam Sandler movie can know what to expect: Stupid humor is the main thing.
Most people say Adam Sandler was only good in the 90s but I disagree even though I do think his older movies are better than the newer ones.
This movie has great slapstick, funny one liners, pretty good music, and some fine performances but Adam Sandler is the best thing about this movie.
Review: 'Happy Gilmore' 'Happy Gilmore' starring Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald is a film about a rejected hockey player who tries his hand at golf to save his grandmother's house from being repossessed.
As I said Adam Sandler puts in his usual crude, juvenile performance but this time it actually works especially in comparison to his other recent films like 'Jack and Jill' and 'Grown Ups'.
Adam Sandler has plenty of experience playing characters like 'Happy' because in all of his films that I have seen he plays the same character.
I would like to see Adam Sandler try his hand at serious acting or going back to his roots to films like 'The Water Boy' or 'Happy Gilmore' because films like 'Jack and Jill' aren't working.
Adam Sandler, whether you love him or hate him, he still makes movies and this one is arguably his best.
He crossed the blue-blooded traditions of golf with the rabid, blue-collared style of hockey, and brings about a comedy that is still loved to this day.Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) is a failed hockey player who has a sweet heart but a short temper.
With a few strokes of luck, Happy gets an opportunity to get his grandmother's house back by joining the golf tour, With the support of tour coordinator Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen) and legendary golf pro Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers) but he's got a rival in Shooter McGavin (Christopher MacDonald) the leading money winner who has never won a gold jacket, as well as a lifelong enemy in Price is Right gameshow host, Bob Barker.
Other movies had obvious product placement in them too (GMC trucks in Lethal Weapon 2, Pepsi in Home Alone, McDonalds in Big Daddy) But here it's overdone.At any rate, it's a comedy that's achieved a cult status and it's possibly the best film Adam Sandler's ever done.
This is an absolutely no brain movie of course, with a plot as daft as it sounds - a failed/angry ice-hockey player takes up golf to earn money to save his granny's house from being repossessed - and of course he becomes a cause célèbre to the golfing curates.Sandler has and always will be an acquired comedy taste, making this very much one for his fans only.
I laughed a lot, but you see I'm a Sandler fan (though there are some films of his I positively hate), it cheered me up and sometimes that's all I want from one of his movies.
(Christopher plays his role memorably and mercilessly well.) For some reason, I had been avoiding Adam Sandler movies like the plague, since most of his humor is usually childish, infantile, dumb, silly, etc.
1996's Happy Gilmore is often regarded as one of Adam Sandler's best comedy, a film with a solid fanbase.
The most noticeable thing about the film's direction is its exaggerated sound effects when Happy hits a golf ball or when someone gets hit.Happy Gilmore has a standard sports movie storyline which in the perfectly acceptable for a comedy; it gets the job done even its story is predictable.
The movie starts out as Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) getting cut from the Boston Bruins.
If I was any person looking to watch a comedy or a movie based on golf that has a feel good story at the end, then I would highly recommend seeing Happy Gilmore.
I would give Happy Gilmore a rating of 4 out of 5 stars because of the pure comedic value that Adam Sandler and Christopher McDonald bring to the movie.
I would argue that Happy Gilmore, wasn't just funny, but it helped jump start Adam Sandler's career, because think of all the movies he made after Happy Gilmore..
Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) is desperate to be a professional hockey player but he's horrible at skating and can't handle the puck.
I know after watching this movie it made me want to golf more, it especially made me want to try out his unique swing and see if I could actually hit a ball like that, which I didn't.Adam Sandler uses his unique, SNL type comedy to drive this movie.
It is a great story which takes some "kid" who just wants to play hockey, and ends up being a phenomenal golfer.It has been a few years now since this film was released but, I know plenty of guy's, and ladies who started golfing after watching this movie.
I had to write this review just to say that the fight scene between Happy Gilmore and Bob Barker is the funniest thing you will ever see on a Adam Sandler movie bar none.
Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) has to raise a lot of money to save his Grandmother's house.
However since I have not seen it, Happy Gilmore is still going to be one of my favorite golf comedy movies.PLOT SPOILERS The plot is really simple.
So Shooter decides to get Happy to play him for the championships.This has to be Adam Sandler's best movie that he made.
"Happy Gilmore" is like the word "wiener" in the sense that no matter how many times I'm exposed to it is still makes me smile, giggle, chuckle, or roll over crying.Adam Sandler has a unique comic style.
This movie is for any one who likes Adam Sandler, or comedy movies..
I am a big Adam Sandler fan and this movie made me laugh every time I watch it.
I don't think any one could have done a better Happy Gilmore than Adam Sandler, he is a genius.Then you have Christopher McDonald who played Shooter, he helped put the movie together.
Happy Gilmore without a shadow of a doubt is my favourite comedy of all time, Adam Sandler is brilliant as the frustrated hockey player who shows no restrain on the golf course.
Happy Gilmoure, a film directed by Dennis Dugan, was starred by Adam Sandler and Christopher McDonald in the most important roles.
Until the point in the film where Happy begins playing golf, most of the laughs come from his misfotune,but Gilmore himself seem to be violent in scenes where it doesn`t seem nesesary.
Anyways see this movie for a good laugh even if you hate Adam Sandler.:).
***Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, and Carl Weathers.A Hockey wannabe (and he isn't too good) finds a new sports talent, playing Golf.
"Happy Gilmore" is on of the funniest movies of all time.
I am a huge fan of Adam Sandler and Happy Gilmore was a movie I least wanted to see but I saw it and loved.
If you want to see a funny movie you must see Happy Gilmore..
Adam Sandler plays Happy Gilmore a doofus hockey player finds that he can smash a golf ball 400 yards and joins the PGA tour.
Tin Cup was made in the same year as this movie, but the jokes and having Bob Barker in Happy Gilmore worked for the film.
If you like Adam Sandler, you'll love this film..
Although some of the scenes are silly, for the most part I busted a gut watching, from the beginning home movies, to the fight between Gilmore and Bob Barker.I guess if you don't like Adam Sandler, you'll probably find this movie silly, but I gave it 8 of 10..
I like "Happy Gilmore" and "the Wedding Singer" more than any other Sandler movies.
The film "Happy Gilmore" starring Adam Sandler (one of my favorite actors) was definitely an "A+" in my opinion.
There's no way you could watch an Adam Sandler film (specifically this one) and not laugh and have a good time. |
tt0483607 | Doomsday | It's 2008 and the Reaper virus has spread throughout Scotland, resulting in the country being walled off by the British government. A Scottish woman brings her young daughter, who has an injured eye, to soldiers for rescue. The mother convinces the soldier to airlift her daughter to safety. She then hands the girl a letter. Years later and it seems the contained population is dying out. Another decade later and the virus reappears; this time in London. Prime Minister John Hatcher (Alexander Siddig) and his puppeteer, Michael Canaris (David O'Hara), share news with domestic security cheif, Captain Bill Nelson (Bob Hoskins), of survivours in Scotland, believing there to be a cure. They ask him to send in a team into the walled-off area to find medical researcher, Dr. Kane (Malcolm McDowell), who was last known to be working on a cure in Scotland. Nelson chooses Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra), who was the little girl from the beginning of the movie. She has had her lost eye replaced with a cybernetic one and leads the team.To the north of the wall, whilst investigating Kane's location, Sinclair's team are ambushed by plague survivours. Some of the team are killed, Sinclair and Dr. Talbot (Sean Pertwee) are captured whilst Sergeant Norton (Adrian Lester) and Dr. Stirling (Darren Morfitt) escape. Sinclair is left in a cell and subjected to torture by the leader of the survivours, Sol (Craig Conway) and his 'assistant', Viper (Lee-Anne Liebenberg). Dr. Talbot is barbecued alive before the entire survivour population and then eaten. During this ritual, Sinclair escapes from her cell and comes across Kane's daughter, Cally (MyAnna Buring) who is also imprisoned. Freed by Sinclair, Cally takes her to a nearby waiting train which is being manned by her friend Joshua, (Martin Compston). Norton and Stirling meet up with them as the train begins moving also being chased by Sol and the survivours. The train takes them to the mountains where they take a shortcut through a hidden military facility to the castle where Kane dwells. The team are surrounded by Kane's medieval soldiers. Joshua is killed and everyone else surrender to the soldiers. Sinclair is told by Kane that the survivours are naturally immune to the virus and that Sol is his son who he has been warring with. She also discovers that there is no cure for the virus. Sinclair defeats Kane's executioner, Telamon (Hennie Bosman), and escapes the castle with help from the team. They retreat to the facility where they find a Bentley in storage. They decide to use it in an escape but Norton is killed in the process.In London, political leaders plan to cut off the 'hot spots' where the virus is spreading. Canaris convinces Hatcher to let the infected population dwindle before sharing any cure Sinclair's team may bring back so the population is easier to control. Although the government leaders are isolated, an infected man infiltrates the building and infects Hatcher. Knowing he has the virus, Hatcher commits suicide and Canaris takes over his position as Prime Minister.In Scotland, Sinclair, Cally and Stirling run into Sol's men on the highway and lead them into a car chase. Sol attempts to hijack the Bentley, but while he is on the roof, Sinclair plows the car through a roadblocked bus, decapitating him. Using a GPS cell phone also taken from the facility, Sinclair summons a government gunship and hands over the cure to Canaris: the immune survivor Cally from whose blood a vaccine can be replicated. Canaris, who arrives with the gunship, shares his plan with Sinclair to withhold the cure for political reasons and invites her back to London. Sinclair chooses to stay and goes to find her old home located at the address on the envelope her mother had left her. Nelson, having been given the envelope by Sinclair before she left on the mission, finds her there. Sinclair provides Nelson a video of her conversation with Canaris, which she recorded with her cybernetic eye. Nelson takes the recording back to London and airs it publicly, exposing Canaris' plan to hold back the cure. Sinclair returns to the location where she and her team were first attacked by the cannibalistic tribe and, presenting them with Sol's severed head, is cheered as their new leader. | boring, murder, violence, cult, psychedelic, entertaining, sadist, sci-fi | train | imdb | Writer and Director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent) an obvious student of genre movies, has managed to smoothly craft together a cinematic Frankenstein's monster of sci-fi action clichés.
I have to admit, it was somewhat surreal watching such a film on the big screen, particularly the extended Sol/feast scene, which gets pretty nutty.Rhona Mitra plays the team leader of the squad sent into the hot zone.
A totally deranged, over-the-top splatfest with hideous viral deaths galore, some of the best post-holocaust punk makeup and chase scenes since Road Warrior, brilliant use of 1980's dance music (Adam and the Ants, Frankie Goes to Hollywood--the placement of Siouxie and the Banshees' "Spellbound" and a Fine Young Cannibals track at the punk barbecue is simply inspired), a coliseum battle-to-the-death, a bizarre interlude in a Scottish fiefdom that feels as if the movie took a fast detour into the Shire, and the coolest star turn by a UK car since Harry Potter's posse made one fly.
It's not great art, but trust me, if you enjoyed Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Planet Terror, Escape from New York/L.A., and/or any recent zombie movie, you can't miss this one..
He's also the director of The Descent (2005), an incredible thriller with great tastes of horror with an outstanding grand finale.Of course that Doomsday is not so refined like his previous movie, but while the The Descent is all about technical perfection, Neil Marshall seems like just having fun here, and that's what makes this movie so enjoyable, because it's thrilling without being intelligent, it's funny without being crappy, it's frightening without being predictable and also predictable without being unpleasant.
Right to the point: Neil Marshall is not afraid to dare and play with clichés in action movies over the decades.Doomsday has some resemblances to his previous movie: it's all surrounded by a female character; the main character has to deal with "things" that somehow survived in a stark place and the characters has to deal with extreme conditions.The main character is performed by Rhona Mitra, an actress who is gradually gaining prominence and more interesting major roles mainly in action movies.
The movie is all about her, and Rhona Mitra was a good choice for the role because she has all the qualities and flaws that fits perfectly to the character.If you like action movies but it's not worried to dare something a little different from what is being produced in the last few years, this is an excellent choice.
One thing about a deadly virus it always gives people bad dress sense.Marshall has made his own bed here and must take responsibility for a lack of imagination, I believe he has stated he wanted this one to be "for the fans", so they could "guess the films he was homaging", but it can't take away from the fact that he has single handedly stolen ideas from Mad Max, Escape from New York, 28 days later, Ivanhoe, Gladiator, Indiana Jones and a host of other genre films.
From my comments you might think I hated this film....I didn't, I don't know why but somehow against my better judgement, I actually enjoyed it, its escapism and fantasy on another level, its not great by any means but if you want a mindless entertainment for a couple of hours, this one fit's the bill.
Marshall makes no excuses for paying homage to his heroes George Miller and John Carpenter (hell, he even named two characters in this movie after them).Like "Escape From New York" and "Mad Max", "Doomsday" demands a lot of suspension of disbelief to be enjoyable.
Marshall's love for the project is somehow transmitted to the viewer and actually gives you a very pleasant feeling.If you're able and willing to turn off your brain, "Doomsday" can be a very entertaining, old-fashioned action movie.
It is basically a mix of the Mad Max films in Scotland but also throw in some scenes from 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, LOTR and Braveheart.If you can imagine that then you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect - no, I didn't think you could.It does just massively rip off all the above but as I said, I'm not claiming its good, just a lot of fun.Added bonus is the great music choices which just add to the fun - "Good Tning" by FYC when the main lunatic introduces himself to the crowd and "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood for the big car chase.Not gonna win an Oscar but a hell of a ride..
At this point I have already been a fan of writer/director Neil Marshall, as I have already seen Dog Soldiers and The Descent and are among my favorite modern horror films.
With evidence of survivors inside the quarantine zone, the authorities realise that some form of cure must have been found and dispatch a military unit led by Major Eden Sinclair, to retrieve it.I can totally understand the bad reviews for this film and why generally it was not that well received but I think a lot of professional critics forgot that all Neil Marshall was doing was what plenty of Hollywood blockbusters have been doing for quite some time eschewing logic in favour of pace, action and spectacle.
Hoskins, Lester, O'Hara, Pertwee, McDowell and others all do what is required of them good enough but not great.Doomsday is a strange film, which wears the reasons for its relative failure all over its running time.
I usually avoid blood and guts type films like the plague, but Doomsday is a movie that makes the effort not to take its self too seriously!
So when I heard that Neil Marshall, the director of the great Dog Soldiers, was making an end-of-the-world movie, my sadistic little heart leapt for joy.
Neil Marshall, the multi-talented British director who previously made the gory but nevertheless tasteful "Dog Soldiers" and "The Descent", surprises and primarily pleases his fan-base audiences with this mega-outrageous, campy and tasteless SciFi-horror-action hybrid that is simply destined to become a cult classic within the next couple of years already.
The two main inspirations for the film are obviously "Mad Max" and "Escape from N.Y.", but talking in terms of absurd plot twists, OTT set pieces and flamboyant costume designs, uncompromising gore, deliberately bad acting performances and insane character drawings, "Doomsday" is actually far more reminiscent to the (mainly Italian) rip-off industry of that time.
It blatantly rips off the plot from Escape from New York (a character is even named Carpenter in apparent homage), the set-up will be compared to 28 Days Later (though any "massive viral outbreak in Britain" plot will get that now), steals a lot of design and atmosphere from Mad Max and still manages to throw in some medieval nonsense in there as well.Fight scenes were of the terrible, overly-fast, shaky-cam, quick-cut style making them a jumbled mess and none of the effects really felt that impressive.
Almost none of the plot has any semblance of sense with almost every action occurring for little to no reason and characters being encountered so randomly that the writing doesn't feel quite good enough to even be considered lazy.In all I really enjoyed most of the films this is derived from.
The film begins as a semi-serious, semi-playful riff on "Escape from New York" (most of the UK becomes a walled-in quarantine zone...) and "28 Days Later" (...containing a population stricken by plague), as bureaucrats enlist Eden Sinclair (Kate Beckinsa...er, Rhona Mitra), a cop with a traumatic past (and one false eye) to lead a group of cops into a London given over to anarchy and ostentatiously-pierced scumbags to find a cure.What's most stunning--and disheartening--about "Doomsday" is how it never feels like Marshall's own vision at work.
You'll laugh, and laugh some more, as Sinclair and her team are captured by the savages living in the seemingly abandoned cities, who put on wild musical numbers to Fine Young Cannibals music (ho-ho) and look like rejects from Miller's iconic movies.But even some of this stuff, with its frenetic action and pace- and Marshall's editing, which I'm not sure is done via pressure from the studios or just trying to one-up Paul WS Anderson- and the sheer magnitude of crazy sci-fi atmosphere, comes off like it's out of a fever dream that Marshall had after a night of binging on 80s genre flicks.
It goes without saying that by the time our sort-of hero meets the medieval (like Middle Age England) hold-up of Malcolm McDowell's Kane, we just give up thinking that it's entertaining aside from the 'so-stupid-it's-beautiful' sense.But if there's any sin that Marshall does commit with his action and other sequences, more often than not (and I say more often than not as there is a car chase Ala Road Warrior climax that ranks with some of the most uproariously delirious footage I've seen in a while), is that he doesn't craft them for maximum impact.
With the excluding factor of the blood-lust, including lots of limbs and heads dismembered, the blood that there is in buckets, it's shot and edited at times that you can't even really see what the hell is going on, as though if you blink you'll miss most of a fight scene or beheading.Combining this with enough illogical steps to fill a small canyon, and some lackluster star power (David O'Hara, who was great as the deadpan Fitzy in the Departed, is a cold fish as a power-hungry tyrant in a business suit), and cinematography that comes straight out of glossy car commercials, Doomsday is a disappointment, with the only encouragement being that now that this is out of his system maybe he can make another fantastic film next go-around..
Firstly, I could weep - Neil Marshall was meant to be the great hope - a new voice creating film that was tense, memorable, and palpably free of conventions.Secondly, nothing against a good homage film - if you grew up enjoying Mad Max and Robin Hood (Or whatever) then fine make a film that is a homage to it; but please, make it well.Doomsday has a pretty redundant plot.
It's way too much in the "eat the human" theme for those expecting a Mad Max type film but probably too so-so for hardcore horror fans - it just slides between too many chairs to really work.Plus it is just off-pace, we jump from one action scene to the next but the camera never creates a storyline, it just cuts, short cuts, etc; The actors all try to muddle their way through but most of the time look and feel like computer game dolls.Given the pedigree this is way below par, and is a crude offering - and I don't mean that in any positive sense.
I just came back from the theater because I got to watch the special screening of it, and it was a really good movie, if you're into blood, car chases, action, and comedy, you so definitely go and watch Doomsday.
So it's up to Snake Plisken....oh wait, wrong movie (but in my defense this IS pretty much "Escape from New York" with a female hero, so it's an easy mistake to make) Anyways, Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) goes behind the wall with an elite team to find this cure amidst the apocalyptic wasteland within 48 hours.Not content to just ape "Escape from New York", the movie also throws a bit of "Mad Max", "Aliens", "the Warriors" and a few others into the mix.
Don't get me wrong, it IS a huge letdown when you view it in terms of Neil Marshall's other films (Both Dog Soldiers and The Descent are top of the line entertainment), this one comes up lacking, but at the same time the movie isn't totally without merit.
terrible terrible movie....im a huge neil marshall fan....the descent i think is just a truly incredible film....and im also a massive dog soldiers fan so i went into this film with extremely high hopes however i don't think I've ever been so let down by a film....it was just bits and pieces of other films poorly coppied and pierced together...i just didn't see the point of either whilst watching it was so distracting to be noticing the films Marshall was taking bits from...noticing all the references to Mad Max and the bits taken from 28 days later....i just think it was generally a poor film....the script was just dull and kinda pointless....it had so many plot holes i lost count....the acting was dreadful....especially malcolm mcdowall who just came over sounding all weird nothing else...just generally a poor poor film....for all those out-there who want to watch a good neil Marshall movie go and watch the descent i promise you will not be disappointed....but avoid this movie at all cost.
The movie jumps randomly from 28 Days Later to Aliens to King Arthur to Gladiator to Mad Max 2 and finally to Escape from New York.
You really want to watch Mad Max, Escape from New York, Resident Evil, 28 Days Later, and just for kicks, let's throw in King Arthur and some 80's big hair bands in the mix.
This is just a shockingly bad movie, especially coming from the director of "Dog Soldiers." Think of "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," "The Road Warrior," "Escape from New York," "Land of the Dead," and "28 Weeks Later": "Doomsday" steals scenes and iconography from all of them.
I think it's safe to say this is the first time a film has ever transitioned from "Outbreak" to "28 Days Later" to "Children of Men" to "Escape From New York" to "Lord of the Rings" to "Gladiator" before finally settling into "Mad Max" for the big finish.
How am I expected to enjoy my time, if the movie is a very poor blend of many films past, with nothing new?
I HAVE watched those past great films, even if only action-packed they might have appeared to be, enjoyed them very much, thank you, and they, in the end, catapulted themselves into the cult classics that we love so much, best examples of their genre which are to be viewed over and over, anyway.This film, however, has absolutely nothing new or meaningful to add to the mix.
I mean that because this movie just wastes my time with details that just don't fit together, looks like a poor collage, and rips of many good films of the genre.My suggestion to you is, if you want to empty your mind, have some fun and pass some time, at least do it with a film, action or not, which deserves your dough, and doesn't cheat you this cheaply!
How can you pay homage to such great movies like Madmax, Aliens, 28 Days Later, Escape from New York and even..........yes even Salute The Jugger by making this crap.Mr Marshall......There is paying homage....
This film is unacceptable.I'm not going to get into the blatant rips this movie makes from Escape from New York, Aliens, Mad Max 2, 28 Days Later et al.
No, a film could only be this bad if everyone involved made a pact to create the very very worst Z-grade action-gore post- apocalyptic sci-fi movie ever made.
But the team gets more than it bargained for when it enters the famed "hot zone" of Glascow - namely an out-of-control society where any semblance of morality and law-and-order has long since broken down, the inhabitants have turned into insatiable cannibals, and one sector of the population at least - in an act of supreme screen writing idiocy - has donned Medieval attire and retreated to a castle deep in the nation's interior to begin the process of building their world anew amidst jousting tournaments and fight-to-the-death gladiatorial contests.Written and directed by Neil Marshall, the appropriately titled "Doomsday" comes replete with stilted dialogue, wooden acting, laughable action sequences, a corny hail-to-Dorothy-the-wicked-witch-is-dead conclusion, and the kind of grunge-chic that has become the standard-issue look for any and all post-apocalyptic tales since the "Mad Max" movies of the 1980s.
It would take up too much time to name every movie homaged by Marshall, but primarily we can call it a blend of Escape From New York & the Mad Max movies, with any killer plague movie thrown into the mix too.Doomsday has many problems.
OK....maybe not never - I have seen some movies that I have stopped before they finished - but only a couple, and they were REALLY bad.I am a fan of sci-fi, action and all that sort of stuff, and love getting the adrenalin flowing by watching a good action scene, but my pulse can't have reached more than about 30 during the entire course of the film.I ended up channel-hopping to normal TV during the last hour, and when I found nothing else on, I watched the last 45 minutes of the film in double speed, as I didn't want to just turn it off, in case it got better, but wanted to waste as little of my life on it as possible, in case it didn't.It tried to be lots of things, but failed in all of them.
Those THREE points are in no way remotely similar to the way they are used in the previous movies.Neil Marshall's DOOMSDAY is an entertaining gore riddled science fiction ACTION film.
Dog Soldiers was amazing the Descent was also fantastic but i knew that Neil MArshall would come acropper at some point and sadly this is it.The Trailer looked pretty good the film is just a mess from the basic write ups and the trailer you think this is gonna be Mad Max meets Escape from New York which seemed OK but what do we get? |
tt0101420 | Begotten | The story opens with a robed, profusely bleeding "God" disemboweling itself, with the act ultimately ending in its death. A woman, Mother Earth, emerges from its remains, brings the dead body to arousal, and inseminates herself with its semen. Becoming pregnant, she wanders off into a vast and barren landscape. The pregnancy manifests in a fully grown convulsing man whom she leaves to his own devices.
The "Son of Earth" meets a group of faceless nomads who seize him with what is either a very long umbilical cord or a rope. The Son of Earth vomits organic pieces, and the nomads excitedly accept these as gifts. The nomads finally bring the man to a fire and burn him. "Mother Earth" encounters the resurrected man and comforts him. She seizes the man with a similar umbilical cord. The nomads appear and proceed to rape her. Son of Earth is left to mourn over the lifeless body.
A group of characters appear and carry Mother Earth to another place, where they dismember her, later returning for Son of Earth. After he, too, is dismembered, the group buries the remains, planting the parts into the crust of the earth. The burial site becomes lush with flowers. Grainy photographs of God Killing Himself are shown. In a final scene, "Mother Earth" and "Son of Earth" are seen again in a flashback, this time wandering through a forest. | avant garde, psychedelic, cult, cruelty, violence | train | wikipedia | It's a movie that most people don't understand, and if you read through these comments you'll find a lot of people whose lack of ability to figure this film out results in them shrieking about 'pretentiousness' with the fervor of a gibbon rattling the bars of its cage at feeding time.
Don't watch this film while, or soon after, eating.Having said that, Begotten will stick with you for the rest of your life, like it or not.
Based on the nihilistic philosophy that life is nothing more than man spasming above ground (to paraphrase the title sequence/introduction), this will more than likely contain the most intense and grisly imagery you'll ever see in a film.There is no dialogue, only image after image describing the cycle of life.
After a slew of violent scenes depicting the rape of Nature and destruction of Man, these humanoids proceed to pound the remains of the corpses back into the ground, and the cycle of life begins anew.I actually rented this from Blockbuster one night, based on the cover art and hype content, but this is definitely not a Blockbuster-type film.
This is intense imagery based on a dark subject.I give this movie some high marks for the filmwork and audio, but I don't think I'll be watching it too often, if again.
When you make a film like Begotten you know it will divide people - one man's trash is another man's art.
I don't think Begotten is trash and I'm not sure if it's art but I do know that it haunted me long after I saw it.This is completely unlike any film you'll ever see.
It's like watching a vague memory or a disjointed nightmare play out on film.On the downside, at only 68 minutes, it's still way too long.
I still don't know, it's more like opening up a window onto a world that exists elsewhere and just watching things happen.
The first 3 or 4 minutes of Begotten were very promising; the graininess of the film, the obscurity of the scene in front of me, the silence, all made me feel like I was peering in on something forbidden, mysterious.
Half the time I was watching something purely abstract and non-representational, and the other half, what felt like old stock footage that someone had pieced together because they thought it looked neat, even though they had no context for what it was being shown.
Mercifully, the film did eventually end, with what felt like it was supposed to be a "see, there's the point of all this" series of images, but in order to reveal the point, there needs to be a question posed in the first place, and that wasn't there.
You can tell that everyone involved in the making of this movie truly love the art of what they do and understand what can be captured in cinema form.If you're looking to be "entertained" then the movie isn't for you.
Either way, it's been truly disturbing.The main question is why are such movies/installations treated like art.
"Shadow of the Vampire" wasn't great by any means - and vastly overrated, but "Begotten" makes that film look like a piece of classic cinema.
Begotten features grainy black and white on what seems to be a square format with minimal noise and art film style features.
I have watched many many movies, films and shows throughout my years and I have to say that this garbage was absolutely the worse project ever witnessed.
When the movie ended, my reaction was not of horror, or repulsion, or awe, but of amazement, as I wondered "THAT was IT?".The reason why people think that this crap being passed great art is the work of a genius is the presentation of the credits.
and i challenge anyone to be bold enough to say that this movie would be rated anything above a 1 by the majority of the people who watch and love film, mind you, i am not praising Honey I have shrunk the Kids or Brain Dead like movies, but to call this a masterpiece just because we love thinking ¨wow, i sound like a proper critic who likes Cinema d'Essai...¨is just plain wrong.
one of the comments says ¨you probably have to read the synopsis to understand......¨ and i think this sums it up, its painful to watch (actually painful as your eyes will start to ache within 5 minutes of trying to make out the picture), its trying to portray some sort of myth (which looks more like the director had a bad trip on LSD and recorded it), the sound....
I, like many moviegoers, am a voyeur to the darkside of the universe, and I wish more quality, vivid films of despair were made, but this "Begotten" is a piece of fecal matter produced by my worst enemy here in Hades.
As I am a hardcore Eraserhead fan, the "what, you can't watch a wierd black and white movie with little-to-no dialogue?" defense does not apply.
I simply can't watch TERRIBLE weird black and white movies with little-to-no dialogue.This movie is what happens when you give an angsty goth-child with no talent and nothing to say a camera and budget, and let him/her put as much meaninglessly offensive imagery on screen as possible.
This did not deserve the 20 minutes I gave it.If you're an Eraserhead fan, do NOT let simple-minded comparisons to said film con you into renting this piece of amateur trash.
It begins with God killing himself through disembowelment, which somehow causes Mother Earth to be born, and then a few minutes later she gives birth to a fully formed Son of God, who's really nothing more than a shaking skeleton with some skin on him, and then they're beset by faceless cannibals, and then things get weird.If you do watch Begotten, be sure to cleanse yourself with some wholesome Yo Gabba Gabba afterward..
I went to film school and I am still so sick and tired of every pretentious student who fancies him or herself an "artiste" with something "important to say to the world" shooting a bunch of awful, grainy, gritty, black and white footage that's disjointed and poorly spliced together, apparently on a super-8mm camera, and pretentiously declaring it to be an experimental masterpiece.
This film is one of the most boring and infuriatingly self-important pieces of crap I have ever seen -- and again I went to film school!Maybe this could have been a decent 4 or 5 minute Nine Inch Nails Video, but for what seems like two hours it's just awful.
'Begotten' frequently gets compared to 'Eraserhead' and 'Tetsuo', two movies I have a lot of time for.
I cannot think of another film in recent years which has disturbed me as much as Begotten, especially since I am unsure if what I was disturbed by was actually what was portrayed on screen.
I know that some cinema fanatics are into them, but even so, Begotten is boring as hell.The plot doesn't make much sense, and had I not read a description online, I would've had no idea what this film is about.
The story supposedly goes like this: God commits suicide by disemboweling himself, "Mother Earth" manages to impregnate herself using his corpse, and she gives birth to a son who ends up getting attacked (and maybe killed) by a tribe of cannibals.There's no dialogue at all and cinematography over the course of the film ranges from semi-decent to to unwatchable.
In some scenes I couldn't even figure out what I was being shown.Lastly, the reason I watched this film in the first place was that I suspected it would be disturbing.
I must admit, I enjoyed moments of this film, but all in all I must say, this is a pretentious work that gives art cinema a bad name.
I was told by a friend that the movie 'Begotten' was one of the best inspirational and shocking films that she had ever seen.
So she explained a few details about the movie and I set up a special night for viewing the film.The only thing I knew about the movie is that is was silent, filmed in black and white and had three main characters- with that information I started the movie that my friend called a 'cult classic'.Over an hour later the movie was over and I have no idea what the heck I watched.
It was one of those movies you keep watching hoping you will find out what is going on later in the film.
That was not the case in this 'so-called' film.Most of the time I could not tell what in the world was going on in a scene.
I wanted a surreal movie that had a bit of a horror edge.As a fan of all things weird, I wanted to watch this immediately.
It doesn't help that the grainy quality limits what you can see on the screen, but that's part of the maker's image.If you want a surreal black and white nightmare movie like Eraserhead, this is not too similar.
The film is a 76 minute ultra slow, questionably effective, irritating experience that tries to present an intriguing philosophy about the creation of the Earth and human nature.It opens with god presented as a chair-bound psychopathic man who tears open his stomach using a knife.
I'd like to think that I have a very open mind and that I can enjoy original art on many levels.The opening scene, while a tad gruesome, boded well for the rest of the film.
I was looking forward to seeing it, with dark, grainy images, an intellectual plot and being amateur/independent, but Begotten has pretentious art student film written all over it.Yeah, its grainy and dark, but it seems this effect is more an excuse to not worry about the realism than for anything eerie.
Poking a razor with chocolate sauce on it into a pillow placed on your stomach, or badly overacting and dancing around in cheap costumes is not any more profound when the shot is grainy and dark.I liked the slow pace of the opening scene until I realized that is wasn't going to pick up.
I watched this film under the guise of being told that I would "absolutely love it!" WRONG.I somehow managed to struggle to remain interested through what turned out to be the longest 78 minutes of my entire life.
I saw the film nearly a year ago,but I hardly remember how I came across that pretentious experimental work.I had seen some scenes from the film,but couldn't find the guts to watch the whole of it.Unless I got stoned one day...
Probably everyone heard from a stoner that "you look at things from different perspectives when you are high." Well,the decision was made and I watched the entire film.Do I regret?
I do like experimenting,but I also prefer that if it doesn't work, it should be abandoned.Not to be demonstrated as an"art-house" cinema.The guys experimented with distorted,black and white images with scary background noises.Putting aside the philosophical storyline (by the way,it is also pretentious), the cinematography simply doesn't serve any purpose.Do not waste your time!.
Begotten is filmed in stark black and white, with such a high contrast that you often cannot tell exactly what's going on.
Good God, what is humanity coming to when we start making movies like this one?Bearing a strong resemblance to German holocaust footage, this extremely violent and psychologically disturbing silent film is without a doubt the most evil thing ever to be released on video.
I don't want to say a whole lot more about it, just that I saw it almost a month ago and I still haven't fully recovered...I don't think I'm ever going to forget the scene at the beginning where the God cuts himself open with a razor and then starts pulling himself apart with his hands.
Obviously this doesn't make any sense at all, and that's exactly what Begotten is.Don't get me wrong the concept of this film sounds great, God killing himself; mother earth-giving birth to the land, Son of Earth being tortured and whatever.
I appreciate films that make the audience think, but quite honestly if it wasn't for the closing credits saying God Killing Himself played by some guy, Mother Earthy played by some girl I met on the street, Son of Earth played by my friend Bob, I can assure you I might have thought this film was a complete waste of time and pointless.
If intellectualism was the director's intent, then I'm sorry because there is no point to this silly story.If anything this is like a stylish black and white mess of a violent soft-core porn film.
Great way of conserving energy!I admire first time filmmakers for trying to make films in black and white, well its actually grayscale but Begotten is literally black and white.
I'm not one to call a film pretentious, but "Begotten" seems to have little meaning.
At the end of the film a cast of 'characters' informs us that those at the beginning were God killing Himself, Mother Earth, and Son Of Earth - Flesh On Bone
if that helps.In addition to this challenging content, another point of contention is the grainy, 'Erasrerhead'-esque black-and-white cinematography which makes the images at times so distorted that it's difficult to discern any clear outlines, which can be frustrating when you're trying to not miss anything in an attempt to fathom the impenetrable narrative!
The movie is like burroughs naked lunch,each time you read it its a different story.
I would like everyone to see this movie(most of them i know how started watching it went out of the cinema after 10 minutes) Its a important movie,its about you and me and our history..
Just watching the first scenes i said: "what...?" it's like being in a weird crazy nightmare, but if you look deep inside all the movie you will discover the meaning of all (of course you need your neurons at the top of it's power).
I will watch Begotten the next week with my friends, I hope they won't die because for normal people it's so hard to understand the meanings of this movie, some scenes could be dangerous for their minds, so dangerous that they could kill themselves or be mad for the rest of their lives..
....for Merhige having made Suspect Zero, I would say that this guy should be put in a room, a very soft one, not within sniffing distance of a camera.However, Suspect Zero is an all-time favorite of mine, in spite of its apparent commercial failure.As per some other reviewer, were it not for the final credits, and of course having done some homework on it, I would've had no way of knowing who the two initial characters were.Although, and it could've been my eyes playing tricks, but "God" look liked here was wearing a garment (T-shirt) of the Turin Shroud???
Going into BEGOTTEN, you have to open your mind and imagination and experience this film.
if your disgusted, horrified or even bored then at least your reacting, and i think that your reacting to life and the idea of life created.begotten is not pretentious, but it is a film that requires you to bring no assumptions and expectations to its viewing.
I may sound like I'm picking on this film quite a bit, so I'll lay out some of the reasons I gave this oddity such a high rating: -the visuals are pretty damn beautiful despite their gritty feel, and whenever they aren't beautiful it's due to some of the film's intentionally disturbing imagery -in terms of a horror film, "Begotten" may be unusual but it's still extremely effective, filled with the creepiest visuals imaginable and an atmosphere so dark and strange that it almost flawlessly replicates the weirdest of my nightmares.
-it's a successfully otherworldly experience, and that's one of the best and most important things I think that film can do -the scenes that are intriguing are almost endlessly watchable and have gained an impressively iconic status among horror fans in the modern day.Thanks to these several key qualities I can enthusiastically recommend "Begotten" to bug fans of artistic, surreal, scary, and disturbing cinema.
In a lot of reviews you will likely hear people say this film peaked in the first ten minutes or so.
Begotten was filmed in very grainy/ blurry way that for the majority of its length it is very hard to tell what you are looking at exactly.
Some are going to think it's a masterpiece of visuals and give you ten paragraphs of what the film is trying to "say." Others will be puking their guts out within the first few minutes and won't be able to give you a decent idea of what was to follow.
At the end of the movie I was left confused , asking myself whether it was an visually abstract original , unique film or a piece of art overdrawn with one or two moments of shock value repeated over and over.
The crickets where annoying too, I hate crickets...Yall need to check some Japanese horror/gore films (start with TAAKASHI MIKE) out, they are equally visually disturbing but actually are color and have a plot you can understand and isn't all mother earth religious bull.I think this black and white movie would've been a lot more watchable if they did what they did WAYYY back, and put words on a black screen in the middle of the scenes portraying what they where doing.
So I really laughed when I watched this pretentious movie and especially when I read the titles in the end of film: "God Killing Himself", "Mother Earth" and so on.
more like the kind of movie that you can't stop watching because of the horrifically fascinating things happening on screen.
`Begotten' makes `Eraserhead' look like a Disney flick.. |
tt0478813 | Klopka | === Intro ===
The film opens with Mladen Pavlović (Nebojša Glogovac), sporting bumps and bruises on his face, nervously smoking a cigarette while talking to unrevealed individual(s). Among other things, he says that he is trying to "do this one thing right, after a series of wrongs that never should have happened".
The movie occasionally returns to the scene of Mladen talking to the unseen individual(s) and discussing different details following key plot points or displaying inner torment over the unfolding story.
=== Story ===
Mladen is a young professional residing in Belgrade where he works as construction engineer in a decrepit state-owned company that's undergoing the process of privatization. He drives a beat-up Renault 4 and rents an apartment with his wife Marija (Nataša Ninković) who teaches English in a primary school. Together they're raising their only child—an 8-year-old boy named Nemanja (Marko Djurovic). Despite their limited means, they're still managing to make ends meet and provide for their son. They arrange and lead a fairly normal and happy family life—cheering Nemanja on at swim meets and taking him to the local playground where Mladen becomes acquainted with their blonde neighbour (Anica Dobra) who also brings her daughter to play there.
However, everything drastically changes one day when Nemanja is rushed to the hospital following a collapse at gym class in school. After undergoing emergency reanimation, he is diagnosed with a heart muscle condition that requires immediate surgery since the next inflammation that could come at any time might be fatal. They are further informed by Dr. Lukić (Bogdan Diklić), that the procedure is only performed at a clinic in Berlin, Germany, costs €26,000 and is not covered by domestic health insurance plans.
Faced with this shocking development and the knowledge that they have nowhere near the money that is required for the surgery, Mladen and Marija look into different ways of coming up with the funds. Mladen applies for a bank loan, but gets flatly rejected due to not owning property and being employed at a bankrupt company. Marija submits an ad in the paper, asking for charitable donations for their son's surgery. When informed about it, Mladen confronts her on the issue as he is vehemently opposed to what she did. However, suspecting misplaced ego might be the source of his ire, she simply states that it's not beneath her pride to ask for a handout in this situation. Although they quickly make up, it is obvious that the situation is starting to put a lot of strain on their marriage.
Soon, the family gets a call from a man who claims to be interested in helping Nemanja after seeing the ad, but is not willing to discuss the details over the phone so the meeting with Mladen is arranged the next day at a bar in Belgrade's Hotel Moskva. At the meeting, the dapper, a well-spoken middle-aged man (played by Miki Manojlović) says he's willing to pay €30,000, explaining that that should cover Nemanja's surgery and three plane tickets to Germany. Furthermore, he says that all he wants in return is for Mladen to murder someone, seeing him as the perfect candidate to carry out the crime, because he does not have any prior record and because he is an honest, hard-working man whom no one will suspect. Counting on Mladen's dismayed initial reaction, the man tells him to think it over and says he'll contact him in two days.
Coming back home, Marija is eager to hear how the meeting went, however Mladen doesn't mention the shocking offer he received, simply dismissing the man he met with as "some nutcase". Although very much tempted, at this stage Mladen hopes that he never gets a call from him again, and in search of money even looks up an old colleague from his university days (Vojin Ćetković). The friend quickly rejects Mladen, telling him he's doesn't have the money right now.
Two days later, as he announced, the mysterious man calls from a moving car, inquiring about the decision. A torn Mladen tells him unconvincingly that it's a no-go. Sensing doubts in Mladen's voice, the man tells him to give it more thought and informs him that everything needed to carry out the murder will be in a plastic bag placed in an electrical closet underneath Branko's Bridge, and tells him to pick it up at 7am the next morning. Lying in bed that night, tormented, Mladen attempts to get some input and advice from Marija by saying he's got something important to tell her while looking ready to finally clue her in on what's going on. However, following his long-winded introduction, she decisively interrupts him, thinking he's about to go into a whiny tale of what's bothering him in general. She further tells him to concentrate on Nemanja rather than on himself.
That morning, Mladen shows up at the bridge and finds the plastic bag containing a loaded hand-gun, a letter with instructions and a message that promises a cash advance will be in his building mail box the next day. The letter also gives Mladen a contact name Miloš Ilić along with a PO box number. While Mladen is reading the letter in his Renault, a white BMW is seen leaving the scene.
A day later, Mladen takes Nemanja to school who's bothered by the fact that all the kids in his class saw the ad. On the way back Mladen finds €3,000 cash in his mail slot along with the intended victim's photo ID and address. The target is Petar Ivković, the owner of Mopex Trading Company. Using the instructions he's been provided about Ivković's habits, Mladen scopes out his apartment and watches him enter his Toyota Land Cruiser 100 series SUV to go to work in the morning. Along with a well dressed man, Mladen also spots a blonde woman and a little girl running to embrace Ivković - obviously his wife and daughter. Upon having a closer look, Mladen realizes that it is the blonde woman from the playground. While the little girl is the one that Nemanja plays and goes to school with. Deeply conflicted, Mladen goes to work where he takes out his frustration on the office equipment.
Soon, Nemanja has another heart episode and is rushed to the hospital once again, but this time the doctor wants him to stay for observation, repeating that the surgery needs to be done as soon as possible. The new development puts even more strain on Mladen and Marija, as they ponder their future course of action while taking turns being with Nemanja at the hospital during the day. Both realize that something needs to be done fast. Mladen is mulling over the preparations for the murder, none of which can be discussed with her, while Marija is growing impatient with what looks to her like his lack of action and answers.
Finally, late one night while Marija is at the hospital watching over Nemanja, Mladen drinks a glass of water, prepares the hand- gun, and goes out into the night. At the same time while he is waiting in front of Ivković's apartment, Nemanja gets another attack and a horrified Marija calls the nurse for help. Meanwhile, Ivković's SUV pulls up, he exits, Mladen approaches and following a short verbal exchange fires a succession of bullets at Ivković, killing him instantly. Simultaneously, Nemanja is fighting for his life as his pulse drops, but the doctors somehow manage to stabilize his condition. After the murder, a distraught Mladen is back home where he hides the gun and compulsively washes his clothes clean of powder residue. Emotionally drained, Marija also arrives home and gets very angry to see Mladen after the rough night she endured. Perplexed and completely disconnected from each other, they're barely on speaking terms. She finally implores him to say and do something in order to start dealing with this situation, but distracted and overwrought with guilt over what he did, he just tells her to move away from him. From that night they start sleeping in separate beds.
During Petar's funeral, Mladen watches the procession from a distance and sees the man who hired him giving condolences to Petar's widow Jelena. Petar's brother (played by Vuk Kostić) gives an emotional and impassioned speech vowing to find the killers and get revenge.
Mladen next wants to collect the rest of the money agreed upon after the murder, but has troubles reaching the man that had promised it to him. He also sends a letter to the contact PO box, but finds out that it doesn't even exist. Mladen realizes he was used by the man, about whom he only knows one thing: that he knew the late Ivković. To that end, Mladen starts following Ivković's widow, hoping to get some leads. However, he only finds her collapsing on a park bench while taking her daughter out to play. Mladen takes her to the hospital, and, after coming to, she tells him that she took a little more sedatives than usual and that she didn't want to kill herself despite the fact that even the doctors don't believe her. She finds comfort in talking to someone who is not from her late husband's "business" milieu. She tells him she is aware that she's receiving phony condolences from many of her late husband's friends and is convinced the murderer came from there. She also lets on that she knows her husband to have been involved in all kinds of dodgy stuff by saying that all of them knew his one side, but adds that he was the love of her life and was wonderful to her and her two daughters. Deeply conflicted and torn, Mladen is visibly troubled with the fact that he's listening and comforting the woman whose husband he just killed. While she's thanking him for all he's done for her, his conscience can't take it anymore and he excuses himself and quickly leaves.
Mladen's descent continues. Tormented by guilt and crushed by the fact he can't collect the rest of the money, he stumbles around the city drunk and gets into a fight with some arrogant youngsters, smashing the windshield of their Mercedes with a large rock. After getting beaten, he is taken to a police-station where he spends the night in custody. The next day, when questioned about the incident with the youngsters, he suddenly admits to killing Petar Ivković and tells the inspector (Milorad Mandić) every single detail of how it went down. The Inspector, however, claims to not believe a word of it and sends Mladen home while admonishing him for "wasting valuable police time on nonsense".
Mladen comes home where Marija has had just about enough of his mysterious and days-long disappearances, which she sees as his failure to deal with the situation properly and even abandonment of his family. She confronts him verbally for withdrawing inwards, calling him a "good-for-nothing weakling". In the middle of her rant, he can't take it any longer and slaps her across the face.
Later, Mladen gets a call from the man who hired him, who threatens that he will kill him and Nemanja if he keeps talking about his deed. After hearing a gypsy speaking on the other end of the phone, Mladen realizes where his antagonist is and rushes into his car and starts following the man's silver BMW. After following the man to his home, a massive compound on the outskirts of Belgrade, Mladen realizes what needs to be done. He returns to his small apartment and takes his hand-gun, loads it and heads to the compound. Mladen creeps inside and deliberately activates the BMW's security system. When the man comes outside to see why it is chirping, Mladen appears, pointing a pistol at him and asking for his money. The man confesses that he is indebted to over €500,000 and begs of Mladen to kill him, claiming that he would rather get shot in the forehead than chopped to pieces by the thugs that he is indebted to. Mladen leaves him and sits by the swimming-pool, where he gets a call from his wife, who says that somebody put € 30,000 in their bank account.
Afterwards, Mladen goes to Petar's wife and tells her that he killed her husband (this is revealed to be the scene from the beginning of the film in which he is seen speaking to an unidentified individual). He offers her the opportunity to kill him with the same gun he used to kill Petar. She declines and instructs him to leave, which Mladen does, leaving the gun behind on the table. As he leaves he sees Petar's brother approach the home with Petar's daughter, who waves to Mladen. Mladen waves back and gets in his car and stops at a red light, remaining still even once the light turns green (anticipating that Petar's widow will inform Petar's brother of the story, and that Petar's brother will make good on his vow to avenge Petar's death). Eventually a black SUV pulls up and shoots Mladen in his car (the shooter presumed to be Petar's brother). Whether Mladen is dead or just injured is left ambiguous as the film ends. | murder, atmospheric, sentimental | train | wikipedia | The story was thoughtful without being pretentious, the acting was superb, and the little nods to Serbian society (and how that reflects on the rest of us as well) were thought-provoking without being in your face.
A jewel of a film: the kind that comes perhaps once a year.
Every serious moviegoer enters each theater with the hope that this film will be that little gem that one can expect at most once a year (and some years it doesn't happen at all).
It asks the question, "what is a good man"?
The film also introduces an interesting tension around traditional gender roles -- the husband/father expected to be the provider -- even while portraying seemingly modern women.
The resulting violence that occurs is at once completely believable and yet shocking; seemingly ancillary to the main plot is one scene of senseless violence against a street child that is quite breath-taking.
There is a great symmetry to this movie, centering around a particular street corner on which that child hustles as a window-washer.
Overall this film is masterfully crafted and acted with complex layers and much to reflect upon.
Although the movie is a bit slow, it attracts like a magnet, so you can not keep an eye out of it.
Sunspense and thriller is present all the time.It raises many questions: "What would I do if I were him", "What is the limit of my love to my child"...
Great psychological dilemma, makes you think all the time.
It is true European movie, with some American influence, but only on a good way.
If you like, at least for a moment, to escape from Hollywood crap, I recommend this movie 100%..
Without question the most riveting film I have EVER seen.
The director has perfect pitch: the story, direction, acting, photography, music are truly perfect.
In many ways it reminds me of last year's "The Lives of Others." If you liked that movie, this one should definitely be on your must-see list.The audience was stunned at the end of the film and after a flurry of applause, sat silently throughout the end credits..
If you are looking for a date movie then it is not a good choice but if you are looking something with a serious, really appealing with true to life events and a strong grip on audience throughout the movie, then simply go for it.
The story, acting, direction and movement of the movie was superb.
A family of three learns that its kid is suffering from a heart problem that is gradually getting worse.
As the film starts the three lead characters get introduced - mother, father and not to forget, the kid.
It's unnecessary to say that there is a level of stress in the relationship as both parents face the fact that they do not have the money to save their kid.
And it is this stress and the way it is portrayed that makes this film so strong.
As the film rolls on and the effects get worse and worse the portraying of it stays true and all the characters are believable.As it moves to the point where action is taken it is clear why it is done and also clear where it will end, but this level of predictability isn't bad for it only answers a question that could have been answered even before the film started.As it moves towards its end it is clear that it will linger on the mind for some time after the ending credits roll by - the effects used are strong like that.9 out of 10 disturbing ways of solving a problem.
great film from Serbia.
just watched "the trap" or "klopka" which is the Serbian title for this film & i hope that it is eligible for next year's academy award for foreign language category.
i was riveted from beginning to end by the story which really makes you think of the value of human life & what we are all worth in this world.
at one point a character even mentions 911 & the way in which the u.s. government placed different monetary values on people depending on how much money the made when they were alive & working.
the acting is superb throughout from the mother & father to the kid who is the main character of the story.
this is definitely a movie for people who like to think & feel real human emotion; and not for anyone looking for car chases & mindless entertainment.
A 30 something couple finds out that their young son is suffering from a heart condition, and the only place that they can bring him for the surgery that can save his life is in Germany.
This is European film making at it's best.
But, like everything else in this film, it is as it must be.
But the worst thing of all is that it could happen to any one of the tens of millions of equally vulnerable citizens of the great Uninsured States of America just as easily as in a Second World backwater like Serbia.
The movie is very heavy,but also the very truth.Couple with ordinary jobs need money for the surgery,but in the land of transition that is a lot of money.What would You do if you was in that situation?
Humanity in us told us that we should do anything for lives of our families!The pain of life when we are in problems,the way of thinking when you end up in the corner without way out!!!
I would recommend this movie to all people,so they can see how life can change in a part of a second!One second you are very happy,next one you rushing for money to stop the misery.Now a days that is a awfully truth in the countries on "The Balkan" (Serbia,Montenegro,Bosnia,Croatia,Macedonia)!!.
Another exhibition, that you don't need big bucks or have to shoot your movie in another country, if yours isn't financially wealthy ...
Klopka (The Trap as it is called internationally) is a fine example of good Serbian cinema.If the definition of "film noir" is indeed "low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical characters" (as indicated in an urban dictionary), than this hits the mark!
(maybe the cynical part isn't exactly on the spot or let's say Bogart-like, but other than that, you got yourself a winner here).
The good thing about this description is, that this should be enough for you to judge, if you want to see the movie or not!
Today, when its a time of silly Serbian movies, there is a little hope that you will see a Serbian movie and say that this movie you CAN compare with other American movies.It doesn't have to be good or bad.
I saw Klopka on Fest.I was expecting a good movie.Finally good Serbian movie!I got it.Cast is very promising:Nebojsa Glogovac(who is very good in this movie),Natasa Ninkovic(also very good in this movie),Anica Dobra(good)and Miki Manojlovic.Directing is not bad by director of Apsolutnih Sto(Absolute Hundred)Srdan Golubovic but he does some mistakes in it.Vuk Kostic disappointed a little bit but he is OK.Kids are just fantastic!There are some jokes which are not created for this movie(when Mladen is in the bank)and some excellent solutions(when a girl gives Mladen headphone to listen the music).Movie is little bit slow and without charisma but, what can I say: It is a serious Serbian movie..
Has a good premise but unfortunately doesn't deliver.Some viewers have undoubtedly loved this however I simply stopped caring half way through.
This is the best Serbian drama-thriller movie ever made.
"The Trap" is full of tense and stress scenes because Mladen (Glogovac) and Marija (Natasa) do not have money for the heart operation of their son.
It describes a real life situation because every month in Serbia there is a kid who needs urgent operation and his parents do not have the necessary money.
Nebojsa Glogovac, who was the most talented and best actor of his generation in Serbia, played the role of his life in "The Trap"(Klopka)..
I guess than, that people from Eastern Europe and Soviet Union don't need this description of "what's going on during post-communism"...For me "Klopka" represents great acted documentary, rather than piece of art...Belgrade is like any other capitol (with over 1,000,000 people) in this world, so the mentality is pretty much the same.
all in all, big concrete jungle, and since heart pumps blood, the things are pretty much the same in the rest of the country...In this movie we see an "average" (or if I can call it "middle class") family struggling from day to day, or how we like to call it "surviving till tomorrow".
Life is almost exactly the same in every other Serbian family.
So each day brings new problems, but this day a big problem knocked on you door and said "Your kid has heart problem, it's serious, he can die any time soon...
he's going to need a heart surgery".
Surgery usually costs a lot, but in this country, it can't be done, and you haven't earn that much money in the past 5-10 years...
It's all about life value/price, love for your family, love for your child, depression, anger, betrayal, sadness, and everyday transitional life.
I had watched the movie yesterday evening and I still clearly remember the father's face and his misery.
He has done excellent acting.The movie feels very realistic.
Life can present tough challenges that do not have a method to solve.And there are moments where the situation overwhelms you and there are moments when the protagonists are composed in spite of the challenges.The movie honestly captures both kinds of moments.The movie has excellent emotional content.
The director has shown mastery at presenting tension.There are silent shots which convey so much about the situation.The plot is not a filmy unreal plot - there are aspects that add and take away some of the perfect Hollywood style smartness and instead presents the weaknesses that real life harbors.The man who sets the trap is himself weak as the story reveals.The wife has acted well - very convincing.
The wife is in a story thread, unaware of the thread her husband is trapped in and this dichotomy is presented well and the credit goes to the wife's acting.The husband is the one who won my heart.
Sometimes you like a movie because you like the main protagonist in the movie - this protagonist is one such.The way the story line is structured reminded me of Hawaii,Oslo where just a little portion of the story happens in the current where as most of the story happens in a flashback.The only thing that was not convincing to me was the way the husband takes up the task with very inadequate payment..
Klopka is a suffocating film, so dense in moral righteousness, it defies criticism.
It is a lot like the post-Milosevic Serbia (morose, self-pitying and self-important) but not for the reasons its makers would like us to think.
The story is presented as a mirror to modern Serbia, but it is very unoriginal, sharing a similar structure with numerous European films: A decent, if somewhat hapless, man agrees to kill a stranger to earn the money that will pay for the operation to save his only child's life.
As the vacuous, soulless Milos, he is the only character that can be considered unique to modern Serbia.Srdan Golubovic is a promising director.
(Nebosja Glogovac as Mladen wears a couple of tattered gray tops throughout the film.
Much is made of his 30-year old Renault.) If you don't know any better, you'd come out of cinema thinking that this could happen only in Serbia and society is to blame.
Because one scene in the film is so fraught with genuine suspense, it leaves the viewer wondering what a better film Klopka would have been if the filmmakers left some of their melancholy at home before coming to the set..
A little of everything the director likes.
I really don't believe that this film is good just because it looks like it's from USA.
That is not good for the film.
Late in "Klopka", Mladen(Nebojsa Glogovac) learns from his wife that the unconscious woman whose life he saved by rushing her to the emergency room, gave the name Jelena(Anica Dobra) over the phone.
This anonymity comes as a shock to the viewer since the recently widowed mother of a young girl seemingly conveyed an impression of friendliness towards Mladen, just like the day they first met outside their children's school.
In retrospect, though, after learning exactly how disparate the two families are class-wise in the newly democratized Serbia, Jelena's niceness gains an opaqueness, an edge.
Men like Jelena's husband stopped driving inferior cars after privatization became Serbian law in 2001, setting up a situation of class warfare that "Klopka" dramatizes with great complexity, almost as an afterthought.Due to rising medical costs, Mladen finds himself in the absurd position of accepting a contract killing job, when a man named Kosta(Miki Manojilovic) responds to the newspaper ad for Nemanja's condition which Marija(Natasa Ninkovic) placed over her husband's steady protestations.
More than a contract killer, the father acts as his son's vigilante, in which Ivkovich's assassination outside his home bears an unmistakable subtext of working class retribution against the elitist mindset of the nouveau rich that had given Isidora the agency to treat Mladen's son like a nothing without apology.
This subtext of vigilantism becomes more readily apparent in later scenes where both husband and wife vent their frustrations against the new Serbia, where a picture frame, Marija learns, is worth more than a child's life.
Clearly, "Klonka" implicitly endorses a return to socialism, as the film itself is a rally cry against the consumer culture of a democratic government which values things over people.
The disdainful manner in which Ivkovich(Dejan Cukic) approaches Mladen becomes the film's main motif.
Although Mladen aims a gun at Ivkovich's chest, the proletarian man isn't taken seriously(just like the cops who don't believe his confession, nor Kosta who asks for a cup of coffee at gunpoint).
In the film's most intriguing scene, what are we to make of Mladen's expression after Jelena tells him, "That money isn't much for me, and it would solve everything for you," when she offers to pay for Nemanja's operation.
While the snowball is the inevitable cause of Mladen's death, the child redeems herself during a pointed scene at the hospital, in which the egalitarian ways of socialism makes a brief comeback, when the bourgeoisie girl shares her earphone with the proletarian man, as they sit side-by-side in the hospital waiting room.
That small gesture is the heart of "Klopka", in a film that quietly endorses anarchy..
What would you do to save the life of your child?.
A cornered father with no ability to finance an expensive heart surgery for his dying son commits an unspeakable sin to save his son's life.
While people show solidarity and always try to help even when they don't have money, often this help comes too late.
This is why the proposition the father gets and the whole story became more believable for me.
After all, what's the value of the life of a "bad" man compared to the one of your innocent child.
Ultimately, all parties have different ideas about the value of the lives of Peter or Nemanja, but we are left with the taste of sacrifice, atonement and the fact that some problems simply have no good solution..
I am into indie films as mainstream ones.Don't get me too wrong.That said , Klopka surely is in indie low budget picture.
Does it affect the overall impression and judgement of whether a film is good or bad?
For example if one takes a certain story , a particular script , will the film be better if you put in a good cinematography , and worse if you put in a -not so good- cinematography.
Each scene is filmed with a camera.
They did shoot the film , you can watch it.
Its just that throughout the whole thing , you are thinking its your buddy filming with his home-camera.
Two , even if this film had great mainstream photography like a Nolan's film or an Alfonso Cuaron's one , the story isn't good itself.Like i mentioned , its Denzel Washington's "John Q" (2002) that is 5 years earlier ...
its the same story , just with a worse photography , and switch the famous actors for unknown Serbian ones.
Desperate father has a sick son with a defective heart - goes bad to get the money for the operation.It has some weak improbable points too.
-----------------------------------------------------End of SPOILERS!I read good comments over here , and someone did a comparison of this film to the German " The lives of others" .
So me , having firm respect for the lives of others , was convinced to see this with an open mind but slightly high expectations , because believe it or not , i am into foreign gems , Korean cinema , french , Italian , Belgian whatever...Well i saw this thing and this is the review.
Nothing special , i give it a 5/10 because of the bad photography and strongly because its a story that was made better in a film five years earlier.To be fair , the actors were alright.
Serious Movie for Adults / good view Serbia.
A father has a sick child who needs an operation he cannot afford---someone offers him the money needed if he commits a murder.This was a serious film for adults...5 stars.
Another couple stars.Some flaws: I found the kid somewhat obnoxious.Also found it a little hard to believe that the Father would go to the funeral of the murdered man...he had to be consumed with guilt and more than that fearful.
However the man who arranged the murder was totally believable.In addition you get a look at various struggles in post Yugoslav Serbia --without it being too heavy handed. |
tt0324127 | Suspect Zero | Harold Speck, a traveling salesman, is approached by a man in a diner who asks him an uncomfortable question. After leaving the diner, Harold is found dead with his eyelids cut off and clutching a symbol which appears to be a circle with a line through it. The murder is investigated by FBI Agent, Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart), who was recently suspended for beating a suspected serial killer, Raymond Starkey. Mackelway receives a series of taunting faxes from someone who may be Speck's killer. Meanwhile, kids go missing and we catch glimpses of a big truck. As the investigation proceeds, Mackelway and his partner, Fran Kulok (Carrie-Anne Moss), become aware of the possible existence of "Suspect Zero", a "super serial killer" responsible for hundreds of deaths who leaves no evidence behind to link his crimes together.
Another body is found in the trunk of a car, also with his eyelids removed and cut with the crossed-circle mark. The ownership of the car is traced to a halfway house where a room was occupied by a Benjamin O'Ryan. The agents discover that the room is filled with obsessive-compulsive sketches of the crossed-circle design, a Bible which contains sketches of missing persons, and a book on ritual. Questioning the other occupants of the halfway house, Mackelway is told by one of them the design represents a zero, not a circle. Information sent by the killer to Mackelway leads him to O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley), who believes himself to be a former member of the FBI. The agents must decide if O'Ryan is the key to catching Suspect Zero, or if he is Suspect Zero himself.
Outside a bar, O'Ryan kills a man who attempts to kidnap and rape a young girl. When Mackelway and Kulok arrive, they find that the body belongs to Starkey, who had been released from prison. Evidence uncovered reveals that O'Ryan was part of Project Icarus, a secret government project attempting to cultivate telepathic abilities in individuals (remote viewing) for military purposes. The experiments gave O'Ryan the ability to see the actions of serial killers. These disturbing visions constantly torment O'Ryan and drive him to hunt down the killers. O'Ryan demonstrates that Mackelway shares his abilities to some degree. Neither Kulok or Mackelway's boss are convinced by his theories that O'Ryan is chasing the killer rather than being the killer.
Suspect Zero is revealed to be a man who drives cross-country in a refrigerated truck. He targets children, whom he abducts and transports to his ranch to be killed. Mackelway pieces together evidence linking these crimes by recognizing that victims had signs of freezer burns while being transported. Mackelway chases one truck driver to a carnival, only to find that the child he saw in his vision as "captured" is free. O'Ryan suddenly appears and captures Mackelway. After refusing to be frightened, O'Ryan spares Mackelway. Eventually, the two men track Suspect Zero to his ranch and find numerous shallow graves. Chasing him, both vehicles crash off the road. Kulok manages to free a child in the truck while Mackelway kills Suspect Zero. O'Ryan then tries to convince Mackelway to end his suffering by killing him. When Mackelway refuses, O'Ryan pretends to attack him, prompting Kulok to shoot him to defend her partner. | paranormal, violence, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | Suspect Zero, a new mystery/horror/thriller/detective-FBI film, tries to make a lot of twists and turns in telling a story that is perhaps all-too-simple at the core.
While the acting is fair by the leads (Kingsley, as a man who may or may not be the suspect, plays a tortured soul better than anyone I can think of; Eckhardt and Moss are credible if maybe mis-matched), the script is something of a turn-off.
It's the kind of film that misses the mark of great, twisted, FBI-serial killer murder mysteries, and I would not seek it out to rent, but it didn't leave too sour of a taste in my mouth, and I didn't want to walk out of it midway either.
A lot of producers thought the script wasn't good enough to be a motion picture, but they liked the idea, or premise, of the film.
The only reason I went to see the movie, was because of the brilliant Sir Ben Kingsley (no matter how bad a movie he is in, he gives a good performance).
However, at the end the film (the last five minutes), the movie achieves great power during the confrontation between Eckhart's ambitious F.B.I. agent, and Kingsley's haunted serial killer.
In conclusion, Suspect Zero is about average and somehow manages to spend most of the movie above the level of below average (thanks in part to Ben Kingsley), but I think people should wait for video for this one, and judging by the film critic's reviews of this movie, that won't be a long time at all.
Mackelway is demoted and transferred to Albuquerque, where he is assigned to a a similar case involving yet, another serial killer and meets an old partner Fran Kulok (Carrie-Anne Moss).
What Mackelway soon discovers is that all the clues of his prime suspect, Benjamin O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley) for these new grisly killings, may be the key to solving a series of other unsolved murders.
The cinematography and atmosphere are really excellent, the cast with Ben Kinsley, Carrie-Anne Moss and Aaron Eckhart is very above average, but unfortunately the screenplay does not work well.
SUSPECT ZERO (2004) ** Ben Kingsley, Aaron Eckhart, Carrie-Anne Moss, Harry J.
Elias Merhige)'Se7en' 'Silence of the Lambs' = 'Zero'Trying to make a serial killer film, a sub genre that appears to have overtaken the unstoppable killing machine teen slasher (think Jason or Freddy) that took horror films to another level, must be like attempting to build a snowman in July: not much fun and pointless since it's damn near impossible to perfect an impossibility.Take the case of this unique perspective to a 15 minutes-of-fame and ticking category : a serial killer killing serial killers!
Anyway the premise of the latest style over substance take on it is having a disgraced FBI profiler named Mackelway (Eckhart) being reassigned to the desert of New Mexico when he finds the dullness only adding to his current state of blinding migraines (he chomps on aspirin like Chiclets) until a ghastly murder is found at the border literally with some follow up faxes sent directly to him.
It seems a former specialty agent, O'Ryan (Sir Ben acting up a storm), who was assigned to a shadowy sect project entitled Icarus (read: getting too close to the sun; burning foreshadowing of things to come) where highly intelligent applicants were able to 'see' the minds of serial killers at work and transcribing their thoughts into para psychological scribblings in charcoal pencil that would lead them to their quarry.
To complicate matters his former partner and ex-lover Agent Kulok (Moss) has been called in to help him and his new prickly boss Charelton (Lennix also late of the 'Matrix' flicks) crack the case wide open.I admit it seems a tad outrageous that someone could psychically forecast an upcoming crime however it is set in fiction and there was a cool 'X-Files' episode 'Unruhe' that had a similar story but it involved Polaroids instead of sketchings.
Eckhart seems wasted of his talent in a somewhat muted turn he should be more tortured if that is what his character is implied to be and Moss is undeniably sleepwalking her way through the film no thanks to bad lighting making one of the screen's most lovely women look downright homely.
Lucky us, there's actually something out there to watch other than "Saw" and "Malevolence."
or the 30,000 PG-13 horror films that have been forced upon us
Anyway
Do you remember when "Saw" was being advertised as the best movie of its kind since "Se7en?" Remember it being strongly compared to that or "Silence of the Lambs?" I remember those advertisements.
Better than a lot of the horror/thriller movies that Hollywood has barfed upon us lately.--The atmosphere.--The cinematography.--The story is really quite good, and decently originalfor once.Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:--I'm saying music here, but I didn't really notice it.--The violence and gore are pretty good.
Even though there is little actual gore aside from people with their eyelids removed, it's still pretty good.The Bad:--The beginning of the movie is a little hard to watch for someone like me who's seen more than his share of awful Hollyood drivel dumped on viewers and called "horror." Early on, there are moments of, "oh god, this is gonna suck.
An FBI agent with a troubled past, haven't seen that before *cough*Hannibal*cough*." But worry not, stick with it and the movie takes right off and doesn't let down.The Ugly:--Seemed to me that since there were so damn many PG-13 horror/thriller films when this was released, it was completely destroyed in the box office by them.
Which is extremely sad, this movie had balls and took chances, and was ignored for far weaker films or much cheaper crap like "Saw."Memorable Scene:--When you actually realize the extent of evil that the heroes are hunting.Acting: 8/10 Story: 9/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Character Development: 9/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 8/10 Nudity/Sexuality: 1/10 (one rape scene) Violence/Gore: 7/10 Music: 6/10 Direction: 8/10Cheesiness: 2/10 Crappiness: 0/10Overall: 8/10This one's worth the time and money, definitely.
Perhaps that says more about me than her.My only complaint I guess is that the movie was short, I could have watched it twist and turn and unfold more and more, and the previous comment about leaving loose ends is true.That being said the movie is a great watch, a few more jump out of your seat moments wouldn't go amiss, but worth watching just for Kingsley's performance alone..
So, how to describe a movie such as this ?I guess the only other movie I can compare it to would be "Hearts In Atlantis", since both movies are roughly about the same thing: the government using psychics for "remote viewing" purposes and one of the people they're using gets away.The twist with "Suspect Zero", though, is that THIS remote viewer turns into a vigilante and goes hunting down serial killers.
There really is no other way to explain how this actor who played Gandhi chose this strange serial killer film.The script is the work of Billy Ray who's coming off the critical success of Shattered Glass.
Ben Kingsley might have fit the role of a dark frightful serial killer, at least so it seemed in the first five minutes of the movie.
Aaron Eckhart is terrible as agent Thomas Mackelway on the hunt for a serial killer and Carrie-Anne Moss as another agent is wasted in this uneven film.
This movie is about chaos and order - and how the detective and Ben Kingsley can't handle the chaos - thus the detective gets headaches, and thus they have a hard time detecting a trail for finding the killer.One awesome symbol of order and chaos is the map(order) which keeps building up with the little slips of paper (chaos).
You might suspect going in to this film that it's just your standard cop on the trail of a killer movie....and you'd be right.
The only compelling character is O'Ryan (played well by Ben Kingsley, the only decent actor in the movie), with "Suspect Zero" making only a VERY brief entrance into the film.
However, there's absolutely no resolution to the story and Suspect Zero is a huge let-down after being built up to be such an accomplished serial killer.Not horrible, but definitely FAR from good....
Maybe we all have the ability, same as walking or talking, but we have been over-socialized and under-transcendentalised.Aaron Ekhart and Carrie-Ann Moss were just OK as two FBI agents/love interests working together, once again, after experiencing problems in another field office.
Ben Kingsley (Sir) gives the standard brilliant performance in his role, Eckhart is surprisingly good, as is Moss in a supporting role (her first in which I didn't think "trinity" every time I saw her).
Plot twists are great fun, but what ever happened to the simple pleasure of a "good guy trying to track down and stop the bad guy" thriller?That is what Suspect Zero is.
On the other hand, what IS there is a very solid serial-killer movie with strong acting based on a neat premise (particularly if you have read about the various RV projects that were done by the military).There is nothing here that is going to make this a genre classic, but it holds its own nicely with things like Along Came a Spider, Blood Work, and various other 'solid but not great' performers.Grade - B-.
I saw the movie a couple weekends ago and I think nothing is more disappointing than the horrible representation of New Mexico and Albuquerque, except maybe the plot, acting and complete lack of style.Stylistically, the combination of serial killers and remote viewing should have been cool.
The characters were not only half-baked (development wise) but then the cast decided to mail in their performances.Shoddy editing leave the time table difficult to follow and when you couple that with how badly it reconciles with New Mexico geography and the image of the state, the whole thing just falls apart.Here are some examples: >>>STARBUCKS There's a scene at the start of the film where Mackelway is trying to make coffee at the Albuquerque Field Office of the FBI.
(Sir) Ben Kingsley is Benjamin O'Ryan, a fall-out from the Icarus Project, a psychological experiment conducted by the Bureau in order to uncover the whereabouts of serial killers, utilising 'remote viewing' (visions) and a hefty amount of pencil lead.
When O'Ryan starts maniacally bumping off portly middle-aged Republicans, the three lives of these characters intertwine, as Mackelway begins to receive mysterious documents from O'Ryan that seem to suggest both men are hunting for the eponymous murderer, while Carrie-Ann, God love her, does her best to prove she's not just Neo's bit of crumpet by alternately seducing and verbally battering Mackelway.All this is in fact a clever ploy by the film-makers (and seeing as the script has been mooching around since '97, they've had a lot of time to perfect their vision) for a truly hallucinogenic guide on How Not To Make A Movie.
It's not a good thing to continually check your watch throughout an alleged 'thriller.'I gave the movie 2 stars - one for the art direction and one because there was an interesting story in there somewhere.
Enjoyed this different type of tale concerning a serial killer and an FBI Agent, Tom Mackelway,( Aaron Eckhart) who is assigned to the case and is transferred from Dallas, Texas to New Mexico.
Benjamin O'Ryan, (Ben Kingsley) tries to lead Tom Mackelway in different directions by making drawings of Zero's and pictures which confuse Tom and his partner Fran.
I thought the movie had all the makings of a great thriller - suspense, twist, good acting, uncertainty,bit of romance,and scare factor.
Suspect Zero is the story of Dallas FBI agent Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) who after roughing up a serial killer during an arrest is assigned a new position in Albuquerque, NM.
If it weren't for the makeup effects, I'd swear that was Ben Kingsley, and Aaron Eckhart.The only thing separating this movie from Seven, Insomnia, and a whole host of other films, is the fact that the other films actually had a shred of originality in them.I write my own review blog, for REAL people.
Ben Kingsley didn't really carry the movie either and he isn't even in the film that much.
The idea is remotely :) original, but it could have been used to produce a better, more intelligent plot.Pros: Ben Kingsley, the way the movie was shot, the idea of the movie, the sound.Cons: The murders that are only suggested to keep the rating low enough for TV, unconvincing super killer, Carrie-Anne Moss in a dumb, secondary role.
The limitations are, I think, the characters are not well enough defined (though, why bother, it's a serial killer movie, we already know all the characters) and also, there are some minor editing problems.Bottom line, they took a weak story, and filmed it very well.
Ben Kingsley as "O'Ryan" seemed early in the film as though he might bring off a good performance, but after the first 20 minutes or so he seemed lost in the humdrummery (I just made up that word) of the rest of the cast.
Suspect Zero, is the story of a man who was trained by the government to track down serial killers using remote viewing.
One thing, Carrie Anne-Moss was sadly very annoying in this film and sadly so stereotyped by The Matrix I could imagine how impossible it must be to stay in character after that, maybe if she did movies that weren't dark, something to contrast the movies she is stereotyped by she could break the mold, kind of like Bruce Willis did by going from Die Hard to 5th Element to The Whole 9 and 10 Yards.
Well, that is a premise that in retrospect makes this film almost enjoyable to watch.All of the characters in this grisly mess of a film have a tainted background: Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) is an FBI agent with a history of suspension for six months who reports to Albuquerque to help find a serial killer.
As for Carrie-Ann moss, well i knew that such a good film as the Matrix will over shadow her as an actress, no matter the role she plays all we see is trinity (without the tight leather pants) on the other hand Ben Kingsley delivered as usual showing his might as a Hollywood veteran although the role of Itzak stern will always be his most remembered in schindler's list all together i'll give this movie 4 for good concept but bad delivery..
The 'Suspect Zero' for whom the movie was named, was just a blurry blimp on the radar and the two protagonists, Aaron Eckhardt and Ben Kingsley ended up being the tormented good guys, so the ending was pretty anti-climactic.
The FBI agents wanted to be Moulder and Scully from the X-Files, but with sordid pasts chasing a serial killer reminiscent of Kevin Spacy's character in Seven.Parts of the movie were just strung together without a lot to help keep it together.
Ben Kingsley in particular seemed a bit too keen to embrace his character and ended up convincing that he is not a very versatile actor.Verdict: If you need a thrill, you might be better off riding a tricycle on a carpeted floor than watching this film..
Demoted for not following police procedure, aspirin-popping FBI agent Aaron Eckhart (as Thomas "Tom" Mackelway) has his hands full with the opening murder committed by creepy Ben Kingsley (as Benjamin O'Ryan).
Elias Merhige ~ Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Anne Moss, Harry Lennix.
Ben Kingsley is convincing as one of a select group of FBI agents trained to psychically track down and kill serial killers before they strike again; though it sounds ridiculous, Merhige lends this fresh take on a tired genre credibility, and creates a tense mood mostly through implication (the empty torture chamber of the title character gives us free reign to imagine what awful things occurred inside it).
SUSPECT ZERO (2 outta 5 stars) Intriguing movie about a serial killer (Ben Kingsley) who is stalking OTHER serial killers starts out well...
Supporting him is Carrie-Anne Moss, delivering another icy cold turn as a supposedly sympathetic FBI agent, and Ben Kingsley, whose acting varies as the film progresses.
Directed by E Elias Merhige who made the intriguing Shadow of the Vampire comes another film with an intriguing premise.Aaron Eckhart plays a FBI agent Tom Mackelway who seems to have been downgraded after being suspended.
Mackleway seems to have some sort of empathy and vision regarding what seems to be random acts of murder but some of the clues point towards an ex FBI agent O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley) who might be a suspect or can see in the mind of a super serial killer and wants to assist Mackleway in catching him.The film starts promisingly enough but it quickly became muddled and confusing.
The muddle lets the film down, Eckhart and Kingsley are fine, Carrie-Anne Moss is wasted..
"Suspect Zero", starring Ben Kingsley, Carrie Ann Moss, and Aaron Eckhart is the tale of two FBI agents (Moss and Eckhart) trailing a serial killer (Kingsley) who happens to be killing serial killers(other people).
Warning sign number two , the more writers who worked on a movie script the worse it becomes so the signs aren't good The film starts with Ben Kingsley abducting someone .
I don't know that I've ever seen anything quite like this film, and for the most part that's a good thing.
Suspect Zero follows FBI Agent Tom Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) who is chasing a serial killer named Benjamin O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley).
The whole plot is filled with secrets and twists that by the end you're not really sure what to think.Ben Kingsley is, as always, excellent in this film.
Nevertheless it's a different kind of film that breathes new life into the serial killer versus FBI agent plot line. |
tt3447364 | Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! | Synopsis as provided by Srijana Mitra Das in the Times of India (4 April 2015):It's 1942 and Calcutta is ruled by the British Raj. Its underworld is ruled by Chinese gangsters smuggling opium from Shanghai. A vicious fight breaks out within one such gang at the Calcutta docks where gangster Yun Gong brutally blinds one rival and is then thought to be killed.Meanwhile, bright student Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant) is approached by Ajit Banerjee for help in finding his missing father Bhuvan babu. Initially, Byomkesh refuses and even suggests Bhuvan may be mixed up in dodgy business, at which Ajit angrily slaps him. The same day, Byomkesh's girlfriend Leela tells him she's marrying a well-placed chemistry student instead of him.Byomkesh seeks out Ajit and agrees to take his case. He visits Bhuvan's lodging home and meets Dr. Guha and Kanai Dao who legally sells opium. He also finds Bhuvan's beloved paan box is still in his room, hidden by his roommate who's oddly addicted to the paan masala. Byomkesh is convinced Bhuvan has been killed as his box and money are still in his room.Byomkesh visits the Sikdar chemical factory, now shut down, where Bhuvan used to work. There he sees film star Angoori taking a swim. She's amused by him and offers him a ride home. In the car, when he asks if she knows of Bhuvan, she pulls her handbag nervously to herself. In her studio, as she shoots, Byomkesh opens the bag and finds letters from cut-out newspapers, blackmailing the factory owner Sikdar babu, a friend of Angoori's.He's convinced Sikdar has killed Bhuvan when the latter tried to blackmail him. Byomkesh goes back to the factory with Dr. Guha and they pretend to the watchmen that they've come to fix a mouse problem. Poking around in the factory, they find Bhuvan's slashed, decomposed body stuffed into a machine.Sikdar is brought in by police commissioner Wilkie for questioning - but just then, Byomkesh discovers he's wrong and Sikdar is being framed as the newspapers only reach the lodging house at 8:30 AM every day while the blackmail letters were stamped at 7:30 AM at the post office, showing a false detail. Dr. Guha vanishes but sends Byomkesh a note, admitting he was blackmailing Sikdar, not Bhuvan babu.Sikdar is freed and Byomkesh follows him home but is detained by Angoori who tries to kiss him. He gently rebuffs her but when he goes to meet Sikdar, the latter is suddenly poisoned and dies. Suspicion falls on his rebellious nephew Sukumar who has opened a rival political party and is militant about India's freedom from the British. Sukumar's sister Satyawati pleads with Byomkesh to help her brother, who's driven off earlier in a cab used by Byomkesh.Byomkesh finds the Sardarji cabbie Sukumar drove off with, reaching a Japanese dentist Dr. Watnabe's clinic where the secretary says Watanabe is at the temple. Byomkesh and Ajit go to the temple, pretending they have a link with Sukumar's political party, but Watanabe is suspicious. Another member of Sukumar's party recognizes them and follows them at Watanabe's orders. Byomkesh and Ajit change their costumes and then follow the student back to the dentist's - where they find the secretary and student brutally murdered with a shadowy character escaping in a car.Byomkesh takes a paper out from the student's pocket - it's a map of Calcutta's river route. They return to the lodgers' house where Byomkesh feels low. He tries some of Bhuvan babu's paan masala and finds it is laced with heroin. Making a wall-painting of the entire crime, Byomkesh has the heroin presence confirmed by Leela's chemist husband who says this heroin is very hard to trace and made from opium - which Dao, who admits he's an undercover cop, tells Byomkesh has practically vanished from the city.Byomkesh finds there are two plots together here. The first is the Chinese gang warfare over opium, turned into untraceable heroin by Bhuvan babu's secret formula. The second is of Sukumar's political party being told by the Japanese army that they will land in Calcutta via its river routes and liberate the city from the British.The link between the two deadly plots is the mysterious Yun Gong.Meanwhile, Dr. Guha returns to the lodging house and tells Byomkesh he's a nationalist fighting for India's freedom. He offers Byomkesh a role to play in the struggle and says other peoples' murders are the price for this. Byomkesh asks Dao to take him to the Chinese gang which tells him about the deadly Gong. Byomkesh divulges all the facts to commissioner Wilkie and asks him to sound all the air raid sirens of Calcutta at 4 AM on Basant Panchami. He is convinced the Japanese will attack Calcutta through its river routes then and Gong will help them, so that they let him control the hugely rich opium trade.Byomkesh sends Dr. Guha a letter inviting him to the lodging house. Dr. Guha, Sukumar, Watanabe and Satyawati come there, as does Angoori who's told Byomkesh she's loved Gong from their days together in Rangoon and has been trying to mislead Byomkesh on Gong's orders. She hasn't seen him recently though and doesn't recognize him - not even when Byomkesh reveals Dr. Guha is actually the dreaded Gong.Angoori tries to stop Gong from helping the Japanese conquer Calcutta but he brutally murders her. The Chinese gang hidden by Byomkesh in the lodging house then attacks and takes away Gong who gets distracted by the air sirens going off. Byomkesh tells the Japanese doctor their game is up and the British army will crush their forces if they try to attack. He gives up.Byomkesh then tells Satywati he wants to marry her as the price for proving Sukumar's innocence. Meanwhile, Gong manages to kill the entire Chinese gang and escapes - promising Byomkesh revenge. | violence, murder, romantic | train | imdb | "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!" stars Sushant Singh Rajput, Neeraj Kabi, Anand Tiwari, Swastika Mukherjee, Meiyang Chang, and Divya Menon in major roles.
Banerjee seems to have a penchant for making dark films like "Shanghai" and "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!".
It's never a cinch to recreate a certain epoch in history and the fact that Banerjee and team meticulously reconstructed the 1940s Calcutta not only speak volumes about their commitment but actually help orchestrate an enchanting mise-en-scène that adds great detail to a sprawling period piece like "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!" Add to this a thick plot, actors who can act with conviction, some brilliantly crafted dialogue, thrash metal music, Leone's signature camera movements, Welles' characteristic use of shadows and silhouettes, and shades of Tarantino-esque violence.
Sublime his way with words, sharp his mind and snazzy his attire, Sushant Singh Rajput dazzles as the Indian counterpart of the well known mastermind.Revitalizing the ingenuously crafted characters of Bandopadhyay, laughs gelled up here and there, Dibakar Bannerjee creates a thriller turning out in no more than 15 to 20 minutes to be a very intriguing flick as Bakshy Babu untangles the mystery by joining the pieces from the fragments of hints scattered across the locale.What's so different about the movie is that it takes the road less traveled by.
Its a moody period film, that works hugely as a suspense-thriller!'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' Synopsis: In a contemporary interpretation of war torn Calcutta during the 1940's, the film follows the first adventure of Byomkesh (Sushant Singh Rajput), fresh out of college, as he pits himself against an evil genius who is out to destroy the world.
Went to the first show and was so happy that the movie is just what i was expecting - A good mystery detective flick with little bit comedy, little bit action and lots of thrill and awesome scenes.
Detective Byomkesh Bakshi (or as Yashraj Films has forcefully inserted it self in the title with BakshY) does a lot of things right, it hired an excellent director- Dibakar Banerjee and spent a lot of time, effort and money in building the DBB's 1943 Calcutta.
DBB's Bakshy is more relatable to the common man but isn't as cultured as you'd expect Byomkesh to be.Now on to the main gripe, the plot, the plot is BAD and it's the worst kind of bad, it's promising and engaging, though I had some minor grievances but the first half of the film was great, and then it turns into a hot mess.
Still better than an average Hindi movie for example it has almost no action scenes, your protagonist can't swing a punch to save his life showcasing he is a thinker not a fighter and the direction is great too showing some brilliance of Byomkesh but the plot of the film itself is ludicrous.
Don't Spend your Money On this, Waste of Time and Intelligence, I generally have high hopes from YashRaj Movie, But so far this movie is utter disappointment, A Noir, Nicely Packeaged, and Highly Publicized, lacks Everything, Poor Starting, Worst Story Ever, and Highly Publicized Climax is also very Poor, Negative Lead was Kept Under Wrapped, and Was Highly Publicized however it is very disappointing, and Story from Start to End just Sucks, There is nothing in this movie that you can tolerate for 2.30 Hours, Even Construction of Plot is so poor, that In between only You loose Interest, Cinematography is equally Poor, Sets are as per Yashraj Standard, but thats it, Don't watch this Movie, its just 2.30 Hours of Complete Non Sense, with No Acting, No Story Line, No Music, and Worst Climax,.
The story of a detective called Byomkesh Bakshi in the time of war- ridden Calcutta, solving a murder mystery that might lead to the truth.
Dibaker Banerjee, the man behind classics like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Love Sex Aur Dokha and Shanghai, goes back to old charm of probably the most famous detective character Byomkesh Bakshi but disappoints big time.
The film stars Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari and Swastika Mukherjee in principal roles.Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
Byomkesh Bakshi,the celebrated fictional character and brainchild of Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay is not really a detective you usually come across in movies and more of a 'Satyanveshi',as the novel says,one among us but a second faster when it comes to working out the brains.Dibakar Banerjee's Detective Byomkesh Bakshi has Byomkesh Babu in his early phase as a budding detective trying to clear the air of mystery around the sudden disappearance of a chemist.Set in the dark,bloody and frenzied era of early 1940s Calcutta,Detective Byomkesh Bakshi is a contemporary interpretation of an excerpt from the classic novel which manages to recreate those violent times filled with shadows,mystery and suspense brilliantly with breath-taking detail in each and every frame.The trams,the dressing,the buildings,the sign boards and all that comes into the frame has been reproduced brilliantly and Vandana Kataria,the one who helmed the art direction department deserves a standing ovation for such perfection in the whole setting along with cinematographer Nikos Andritsakis who has managed to capture the essence and beauty of the period so enchantingly on screen.Dibakar's dexterity in narration was evident through films like Khosla Ka Ghosla,Love Sex Aur Dhoka,Oye Lucky Lucky Oye!
etc and here too he manages to hold the suspense quiet firmly till the end,keeping the audience glued to the screens,making them a part of the investigation along with Bakshi.The attack of the Japanese army,the drug wars between the Chineese gangs,the revolts for freedom all manages to be a part of the screenplay written by Dibakar himself and Urmi Juvekar,the end result being an intriguing investigative thriller set in and around the dark aura of the second world war that had an enormous impact on the social and political life of Calcutta.The violent scenes had a Tarantino-ish feel with the climax scene reminding of sequence from Kill Bill.The movie moves an a slow pace which may be unsuitable for some,but in my opinion the slow pace had a beauty of its own,providing the narration a realistic feel.The second half of the movie wasn't smooth in comparison with the first and the revelation of the villain could have been dealt better so as to get more impact on screen considering the excellent buildup that was generated.The open climax gives hint of chances for a sequel which would mean the development of a popular franchise on the lines of Hollywood films,solely dependent on the box office performance of this movie.Music and Score by a bunch of artists,the likes of Sneha Khanwalkar,Peter Cat Recording Co. and Madboy/Mink played a major role in giving liveliness to the narration and was utilized really well to convey the tension,excitement and mystery arising in the sequences.Coming to the performances,Sushant Singh Rajput did his part really well and managed to give justice to the character with proper mannerisms and body language that the character demanded.Anand Tiwari reminded of Dr.Watson from the Sherlock series and gave good support to the title character.Neeraj Kabi was really impressive as Dr.Anukul Guha.Swastika Mukherjee,Meiyang Chang etc were OK.Overall,Detective Byomkesh Bakshi is a well-narrated crime thriller with negligible flaws,worth a watch for all those with a taste for investigative thrillers.Verdict::With Detective Byomkesh Bakshi,Dibakar Banerjee provides a cinematic life to the popular character Byomkesh Bakshi,recreating the dark era of 1940s masterfully and has succeeded in producing an intriguing crime thriller with originality in narration.
Lucky Oye!', 'Love Sex aur Dhokha') takes us back in time, all with detailed set pieces, costumes and the victorian elegance of Calcutta, to the origins of 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' who will soon deduce that the case of the missing person is actually a convoluted sub-plot of a grand scheme that will affect global domination and drug control.
Directed by Dibakar Banerjee is an impeccably crafted noir thriller which is based on the characters created by Saradindu Bandyopadhayay in his enduring literary series.The movie is set in Calcutta of the 1940's.
a Dark detective thriller with the story building up at a rather slow but perfect pace.It makes you keep guessing till the end, with amazing detailing in each scene , if u want to relax and chill out in the theater you might not this movie.Each and every scene is so beautiful.
There are so many things going on in parallel , too much of attention is required , else you might miss it.Sushant is a surprise package here , his transition from a not so confident detective(truth seeker) to a the confident Byomkesh Bakshi by the end of the movie is amazing.
You will be in awe with the way he has crafted this character along with the focus he has put into the minutest of details- the city, Sushant's look, the background score etc.As far I am concerned, I liked the pace of the film and the ending too.
The wait for a decent sleuth drama from Bollywood is over as Dibakar Banerjee is here with his latest movie- Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (yes it is a "bakshi" with a y)..
The biggest problem a period film has to face is of recreating the era in which story is based, but Byomkesh Bakshy does manage to get good on that front as Calcutta of 1942 created by movie is quite close to how it must have been.Apart from pacing the problem with the movie is its on-off track.
Dibakar Banerjee has already proved his talent with his previous body of work and Detective Byomkesh Bakshi takes that a notch higher.With fine performances by the supporting cast, tight script and an exceptional background score Byomkesh is definitely the India's answer to Sherlock Holmes, and the best past is that it is in no way a rip off or copy of the Sherlock movies of TV series.If there is one genre with which Bollywood has struggled the most then it has to be a good detective movie but Detective Byomkesh Bakshi does manage to get it done for Bollywood to quiet an extent.
The movie is very interesting and with nice detective skills and terrific mysteries.The story is good and very interesting.The story is about a man who hires a detective to solve the mystery behind his missing father.The direction was good.The screenplay was awesome.The editing was a little slow.The songs and dialouges were OK.The acting was good and awesome from sushant singh Rajput,the way he acted like a detective was brilliant.More movies like this should be made more from Bollywood.Overall if you like a dective and suspense thriller you will enjoy and like this one.But I have loved the detective skills like when he said when someone looks somewhere he must be hiding something there only.
The Film is based on Iconic Character created by Shardindu Bandyopadhyay in 1932.The movie revolves around a Detective who needs to find out his clients father and the story is set in Pre Independence Calcutta during World War-2.Byomkesh is a North Indian Bengali fresh out of College agrees to Investigate the disappearance of Bhavan , a Chemist.
Byomkesh links the case to large conspiracy which is thread to all of Calcutta.The Screenplay of the movie is written very beautifully by Director Himself Dibakar Banerjee and the Co-writer Urmi Juvekar, the script is very compact.Its a delicious dark story and requires patience to watch we have to indulge Director Dibakar Banerjee as He Indulges himself the opening sequence stuns you and then the story telling goes static.The Lush Camera work by Nikos Andritsakis is appreciable and the sound track by Sneha Khandwalkar, the sound design by Allwin Rego and Sanjay Mourya & Art Direction by Sachin Bhoir everything is done amazingly and most of all beautifully detailed production design by Vandana Kataria even the stains of the wall of the boarding house where much of the action takes place are artful , each frame has been crafted amazingly.After Interval the pace picks up and the film climax is in bang.
I also enjoyed Swastika Mukherjee as the sexy and mysterious actress Angoori Devi.If I would have to choose to watch one in between Fast and Furious and Detective Byomkesh Bakshi which was released on the same day then I will choose 2nd one as its an Amazing Indian Detective movie and the credit goes to Dibakar Banerjee and team.If I would have to rate it out of 5 then I will give it 4..
And then the mystery of a missing father begins with a sex and political angle thrown in to add some extra spice to the big case taken up by the known Detective.Having said that, the overall pace and excitement level in the narration remains extremely low and it goes into an even more dull phase post intermission when many dark secrets get slowly revealed heading towards a quite over the top and hamming climax (clearly inspired from the west), not expected from the director like Dibakar Bannerjee.
Putting it straight, in the final hour, he takes the movie into a completely different phase with few boringly long sequences, un-required action, exaggerated expressions and an open climax minus any thrilling moments making no impact whatsoever on the common man willing to see an exciting ending expected from a murder mystery.In fact it's quite shocking to see such a slow paced, uninspiring detective movie without any enjoyable high points from the director of entertaining films such as LSD, OYE LUCKY!
But if only Dibakar had made it entertaining enough for the end user instead of getting lost in his own creation, the film would have provided a great viewing experience to all Byomkesh Bakshi die-hard fans for sure.Coming to its weakest point dealing with performances, though Sushant Singh Rajput tries hard and his level best to portray the iconic role, he simply couldn't deliver due to the badly written character largely deviating from the original persona of the detective as known to the (Hindi) viewers who still remember Byomkesh as Rajit Kapoor with his innocent sweet smile dressed in a simple white attire.
is a mystery crime thriller by Dibakar Banerjee with Sushant Singh Rajput,Anand Tiwari and Swastika Mukherjee.Direction is good with superb story and screenplay.Story starts with Calcutta in 1942,Ajit(Anand Tiwari) hired Byomkesh Bakshy(Sushant Singh Rajput) to find his father who is missing for more than two months.After some investigation Byomkesh finds that Ajit's father has been killed.He also finds that there is connection between murder and one political leader,Chinese drug smuggler and Japanese army.So how he solves this mystery is all in the movie.Performance of all characters are good and that makes the movie worth watching.Story is interesting and holds you till the suspense comes out and after that too.Overall,this a kind of mystery that even you would love solve.Go for this.Recommended!!.
is the indigenous version of Sherlock Holmes which has the potential of becoming a strong franchise.Evoking nostalgia with respect to the Doordarshan serial in the same name, this flick ticks off with the Byomkesh(Sushant Rajput) fresh out of college , being approached by a classmate(Anand Tiwari) for finding his missing father.This leads him to a lodge managed by Dr Guha(Neeraj Kabi) where he encounters an array of interesting yet suspicious characters.As the case progresses, Byomkesh discovers that it is not a mere murder case, but something more deadly in gigantic proportions - a nexus of drug lords running the opium trade, undercover cops and diabolic freedom fighters who want to free Calcutta from the British rule.Dibakar Banerjee effectively builds mystery and intrigue against the backdrop of war-torn Calcutta(Kolkata) in the pre-independence era,somewhere in the 1940's,with the protagonist solving a murder case where each character turns out to be a suspect.Brimming with artistic delight, Byomkesh Bakshy!
Each corner has a detail, thanks to the awesome set designs(Vandana Kataria) and Banerjee's expertise is marked by the nuances of the lifestyle of the bygone era which makes for an easy slip into the elegance of the quaint Calcutta.His execution is sinusoidal, there are stray moments of excitement,contrived conversations and joyful escapades.And yes, it is not easy to gulp.With blood-soaked bodies, decayed corpses, Banerjee makes it awkward and believable.A moody background score with heavy influence of rock music(Alwyn Rego) sets the pitch for this delicious thriller.With a lazy pace, the mystery unfolds in the dark and smoky lanes of Calcutta interestingly and Sushant Singh Rajput does a brilliant job in fleshing out the titular character.The dhoti-clad sleuth is vulnerable, has a fragile ego and yet very sharp and analytical.Its a challenging role to play, and Sushant makes the character evolve as the tangled case progresses almost in a slow-motion manner.The only drawback I could detect was in its overdone climax and unnecessary bloodshed,the hint for a sequel notwithstanding.
And of course, the way this new Indian Hero has been pitched and filmed by Dibakar Banerjee and team, audience is definitely expecting a prequel portraying the early life of this Truth seeker!!Though some of the viewers might find it predictable, but even to them, the way film has been weaved around the plot, will appeal appealingly!Many thanks to Dibakar Banerjee, for making us live the mystery and thrill and of course to the first hand creator – Shardindu Bandopadhyay, for giving us our very own 'desi' Sherlock Holmes!PS : A common movie fan.
This movies is like a time machine, sit back and relax, Welcome to Calcutta,yes i am right it is Calcutta not kolkata, and here lives our Own Sherlock Holmes called "Detective Byomkesh bakshi".
Dibakar Banerjee's fantastic direction, Sushant's quirky and smart performance, the magical recreation of the Calcutta of 40s with the gripping soundtrack and very impressive supporting star cast makes it a worth watch.Calcutta 1940s, a shrewd harmless looking fellow Ajit Banerjee seeks help of Byomkesh Bakshy, a low key self designed detective, to help him find his missing father.
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy - Dibakar Banerjee has done a thing which may or may not be good for this movie . |
tt0335266 | Lost in Translation | Bob, a 55 year old, looking bored, oblivious, is a still famous actor who comes to Tokyo to shoot a commercial for $2 million. As soon he arrives and is greeted by a bunch of smiling overly friendly Japanese crew, he gets a fax from his wife Lydia, 45 years old, reminding him that he forgot his son's birthday. The next morning, he spots Charlotte, 25 years old, in the elevator full of expressionless Japanese people. Bob, feeling totally oblivious, shoots a whiskey commercial.Charlotte is accompanying her husband John, who is 30 years old and a constantly busy photographer, who doesn't pay much attention to her. He goes to Tokyo to shoot for a few days. She feels sad, lost and alone in a luxurious hotel.After a few days, Bob and Charlotte have a pleasant short conversation in a hotel bar. For the next few days they briefly meet, whether accidentally or on purpose. Their sympathy for one another grows.Charlotte invites Bob to join her and friends for a party. They all have a great time together. Their understanding of each other's feelings deepens. Charlotte reveals to him her fear of not knowing what to do with her life, he tells her about the scary and troubling parts of his marriage. After going back to his room, Bob tries to share his emotions about the party with his wife over phone, but she remains cold and talks about her daily routine.The next day, Charlotte travels to Kyoto and Bob appears as a guest in a popular but meaningless Japanese show. Still desperate about his appearance in that show, he finds himself again in the hotel bar. Charlotte is not there. The singer from a hotel approaches him and the two have a brief affair. Charlotte is disappointed about the affair the next day. They spend a terrible lunch together.The last evening he admits that he wishes to stay in Tokyo with her. They both know their wish is just a romantic fantasy. They stay without words, holding each other's hand, and kiss gently goodbye.Before he leaves the next morning, he calls to see her again. They say bye without a kiss, both embarrassed, not knowing exactly how to react. She walks away. On the way to the airport, he spots her from the car. He rushes toward her. They embrace warmly. He whispers to her. They kiss gently but passionately and say goodbye. He observes the city from the car, feeling happy. | boring, depressing, realism, atmospheric, satire, romantic, entertaining | train | imdb | That doesn't mean its the best movie ever made, in fact, I can name many that are technically better than this film, like the one I named before.
Both are great films, both are rated R in the U.S., but only one of them can carry along its story without brutal murders.So what can I say about Lost In Translation that hasn't been said a million times already?
Death in Vegas' spellbinding song "Girls" perfectly sets the tone for Sofia Coppola's second feature film, the bittersweet, intelligent, mature and absolutely wonderful Lost in Translation.
The basic story follows Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a washed-up, depressed actor and an emotionally confused newlywed respectively, as they accidentally meet on Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo.
It's very touching to watch, in a refreshingly non-sappy way.The film isn't all mid-life-crisis slit-your-wrists drama, though - it is also hilarious at many points, mainly thanks to Bill Murray, who turns deadpan exasperation into an artform in a role specifically written for him.
Then again, maybe Sofia Coppola just wanted to hear Bill's awesome singing voice (he's actually really good!).Overall the film is just perfect.
We'd like to find someone to empathize with, embrace on a frequent basis, and know that somebody cares about us and our wayward ways and to reciprocate such feelings.With this, Sofia Coppola writes and directs a film about that search for human connection and what it can exactly amount to.
We are immediately introduced to Bob Harris (Bill Murray), an older American movie star who travels to Tokyo to film an advertisement for Suntory whiskey.
Coppola sits back and watches with a keen eye and a sense of mannered restraint how Bob and Charlotte get close over the course of their visit in Tokyo.Coppola's interest lies in Bob and Charlotte's situation moreso than the progression of their relationship, which is a difficult thing to pull off in film without working with more of an impressionistic style.
The translation lost is within the characters here, and that's sometimes scarier than not speaking the same language of the community.The only issue that arises from this is that we get the impression that Coppola either doesn't understand Japanese culture or simply doesn't want to, what with the abundance of cheap stereotypes and archetypal Japanese characters played for nothing but laughs here.
It reminds me of when a really artsy film wants to try and pander and connect with the audience when it thinks it has lot them, and, as shown here amidst others, the action has the opposite effect.However, Murray and Johansson craft wonderful, low-key chemistry here.
The lack of human connection and the feelings of hopelessness, regardless of short-term or long-term, are debilitating to a person, and this film goes on to show to reiterate my idea about life: if we didn't have at least one of these things - a passion, a good relationship with family, or close friends and people to connect with - we would jump out a window.Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanna Ribisi, and Anna Faris.
Filmed in Tokyo, with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, one of the better movies I've seen in a while..
For anyone who wants a synopsis of this movie, the critics Ebert and Berardinelli have excellent, complete reviews of 'Lost in Translation', and they both give it their highest ratings.
Scarlett Johansson plays Charlotte, the young wife virtually abandoned in the city to do her own thing as her photographer husband (Ribisi) goes to various locations for shoots.What I liked most was the realistic feel.
Many of the negative comments about this movie relate to an impression that it is 'boring.' I'll put on my 'maturity hat' and state that anyone who thinks 'Lost In Translation' is boring simply was not able, at least while they watched it, appreciate the inner beauty of this movie.The scene that made the whole story come together for me was when they were in one of their hotel rooms (doesn't matter which), overhead shot, they were in bed talking, fully clothed, he is on his back staring at the ceiling, she is on her side, eyes probably closed, the tips of her feet barely touching the side of his leg, and he moves his hand and puts it on her feet.
I went through an array of emotions and expressions watching this film; most of them centred around how bizarre I thought it was, yet it was like a good book I simply couldn't put down even if the film itself lived up to its title at times.This is by far the best work Bill Murray has done, and it will be a pleasant surprise for many to see him find a new (to me, anyway) side to his ability as an actor.
In an age where Hollywood is trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to scare and shock us with something new at every turn, Sofia Coppola takes what should be the premise for a typical chick flick and turns it into something that anyone who has ever experienced an emotion of any description can watch and appreciate.A brilliant film in any language..
That is how I perceive lost in Translation, a cold, time stopping, gut wrenching moment in time where it is just between you and the water.But Lost In Translation itself wasn't cold or gut wrenching, it was an experience like no other in cinema, the movie hardly seems to move along; as if stopped in time and allows the 2 main characters to flow freely in this strange, unknown even daunting environment which is Tokyo.What makes this film work so well?
Charlotte and Bob are both complete strangers in Tokyo, thats what makes the relationship with them work so well, the essence of surprise when not knowing another individual makes the movie that much more better to watch, from one scene to the next rather than learning about Bob or Charlotte we view them learning about one another from their perspectives.By the end of the film both performances from Johansson and Murray were equaled and satisfying, both showing the glory this film set out to have, and to that, hats off to Sofia Coppola for making such a wonderful film that was driven by effortless timing and character driven emotion..
I was expecting a great film considering it's 8.0 ranking here at imdb, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how one person would think this movie is in any way good, let alone fifteen thousand.
Can I believe that a faded Hollywood star who is being paid 2 million dollars for a commercial would come to Tokyo absolutely alone, without even an aide of any kind?And most of all, can I call a film that does nothing more than follow these two hapless and uninteresting people around for several days without a trace of drama or art profound?I think not.
There is no such thing as a tired joke in this movie, some jokes are methodically inserted every 15 minutes.Actually, it's really worthwhile to watch Sofia Coppola deftly direct the profoundly subtle relationship between a 21-year-old yale philosophy major and a washed-up 55-year-old actor.
There's really no story to speak of -- only paper-thin basic with inanely banterous dialogue.There may be a merit in cinematography that raise the artistic value of this movie, but because the story is non-existent and the characters utterly unsympathetic & boring to watch, cinematography -- stationary in some scenes and moving in others -- somehow negate the enjoyability of the movie by focusing on the ludicrous aspect of tedium as if Sofia could bring back the element of silence inspired by silent films of the early 20th century.Lost in Translation (er, Sofia) abuse the silence element as the expression of meaning when it really add *nothing* of substance to the aesthetics of the movie, artistic or otherwise.
Sofia is being altruistic to the detriment of the audience when it comes to the vanity of the characters as portrayed Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson which generated zero empathy that makes the movie even less interesting to watch in a continuous manner without becoming fidgety or letting out relaxing yawn.
There's nothing of interest what happen to the main characters and why should the audience give a care.Sofia made the blunders in filming and keeping the scenes from the fate of being tossed into the cutting room trash bin that are particularly unintentionally humorous in being unabashedly pretentious or idiotically embarrassing.
Bill's acting is nothing special save comedy and Scarlett is moderately competent but technically bad in dramatic acting (which makes it a safe bet she'll never be nominated for Best Actress Oscar in her lifetime, UK's BAFTA Best Actress award clinch for subpar, vacant, minimalist acting style partially blamed on Sofia's tepid, fumbling directional style & a future hard-*** director demanding spectacular acting notwithstanding).Frankly, I do not know how Lost in Translation screenplay appealed to Scarlett and Bill Murray.
What a fraud.Now back to the multitude of clichés that are used throughout the movie, particularly to depict the Japanese, cultural and everyday Japan, but also show-business relationships, what happens after 20 years of marriage, expatriates, the shallow side of young and successful Americans, etc.
This movie plays like "American Beauty", if you took that film and sucked it dry of everything funny, weird or erotic.
The ending product is exactly what people must expect from someone like her.Tokyo Japan is an illustrious, breathtaking world class city with its very own character.
I only pitied Charlotte's husband, who actually had a direction in life and true passion, yet got married too soon; and Japanese people from around the world for being mocked in a film that gained subsequent accolades.The movie's concept is a great idea, but when you stick the main characters in a real city and treat it like Alientown, it doesn't work, and even seems borderline racist.
- Gee, aren't the Japanese quirky and strange - Gee, isn't it difficult when I am in another country and I can't speak the language - Gee, isn't it strange that I feel alienated when I am in another country and make no effort to genuinely appreciate the culture or people - Gee, even shallow people can 'connect' when they meet other shallow people and decide to have a good whinge.The most insulting part of this whole mess is that it is currently rated, on this website, as the 175th best movie of all time.I weep for humanity..
Finding time to see only a few movies a year, I made a point to see Lost in Translation.
People who liked Lost In Translation must be chronically depressed for this movie to be such a highlight in their lives.
No, you stupid twit, not if you are going to hang around your hotel room all day in one of the most exciting cities in the entire world!Yes, this film has enough dichotomies to satisfy the art-house crowd, but the director only sets them up for display; she doesn't do anything with them.If you do see this movie on a date, sit in the back cuz you are going to get a lot of make-out time.
I would like to be moved by a film to cry, laugh, ponder, or cringe; I did none of these except wonder why this movie was made in the first place.
[And also has Scarlet Johansson, pouting in a very similar way.] And go watch Virgin Suicides for a better example of film making by Sofia.It would be wrong to say that this movie is awful, but it comes pretty close..
I would like my few hours back, because I could probably have an experience more worthwhile than Bill Murray's character had in this film in that time..
In fact, Faris should not be in this picture, but apparently Sofia Coppola felt we needed a little bit of her personal problems (shown in an extremely literal manner) on the screen.To sum it up, this one could've been a Cult Classic, one of the great off-beat Romance Films in Cinema History.
After about the 10th shot of Bill Murray looking bemused at a Japanese speaker I felt angry more than amused, I thought we'd left that ignorant brand of comedy back in the dark ages of cinema where it belongs.Ultimately, I left the cinema feeling that in the hands of a more accomplished writer/director this film *may* have worked but as it stands it couldn't be any wider of the mark..
He's made some real clinkers (Zissou, Where the Buffalo Roam, Quick Change, Charlie's Angels, Get Smart), but he seems to float above them, a cynical, comical everyman that nobody hates.If his "Lost in Translation" character had been played by anyone else—say, Kurt Russell or Michael Keaton or Jeff Bridges (they're all about the same age, and all have comic/dramatic range)-- I suspect critics would have treated "Lost in T" the way they treated, say, "3000 Miles to Graceland" or "Jack Frost" or "Nadine." In other words, they would have had the courage to say, This film is atrocious.The moral: If you've got a dull, callow screenplay and a name like Coppola that'll get you funding, hire Bill Murray.
Bob Harris Bill Murray's character in the movie is so shallow and uninterested in everyone and everything from talking to his family to pretty much all the Japanese people, to even the admiring Americans in the bar.
Then we have Scarlett Johansson's character, Charlotte who is just as bored and lonely as Bob, but is at least a little more likable, she is shot in her underwear throughout the movie, a cheap way to keep people interested in a otherwise borefest of a movie, she stares hopelessly out the window.
It's odd how some movies are so much better the second time around.This is a very, very low key film about loneliness and about being in a culture that is totally foreign to you where few people speak your language.
The former because you really get the feel of what it is like to be a non-Japanese speaking person in that country and what the customs of the people are in Japan, at least to some degree....and it's interesting.Murray is the star of the story and any plaudits he's received for his performance are well- deserved.
The only credit it deserves is as a nice first film done at a freshman level, with a note by the teacher saying there are some promising things in this movie to work with, but it has a long way to go before it should ever be nominated for any award much less an Oscar..
It's only saving graces are its perspective of Americans viewing Japanese culture and Ana Faris's acting, albeit her character was nerve-racking.The exposition of setting up each main character worked well, but bringing the two together was executed in far too convenient a manner, nor was the chemistry quite right.As with movies such as "A Thin Red Line," only one scene came across as viable and intellectually stimulating - the scene discussing life, marriage, and future.BAFTA awarding Murray and Johansson, and the Academy nominating the former, just seems purely inane, for neither actor's role carried much challenge or deep performance.
The only thing more ludicrous would be if she were to win the award for this pretensiously underwritten time-waster.This should have been called Bored in Japan -- just a tad more interesting than watching your Uncle Mike's vacation movies -- and even then, only if your Uncle Mike were not played by the ever-amazing Bill Murray.
sure, its artsy and pretentious, but it doesn't really prove anything except that the writer is uncreative, both in her subject matter (a vacation to Tokyo) and the way she spends her time (inane nothingness, rather than productivity).Much like Was Anderson, this film seems to revel in wasting Bill Murray.
So all-ready from the get-go this movie has a lot of great things going for it."Lost in Translation" would however not be what it is if it had not been for the very keen eye of Sofia Coppala.
Next time Ms Copolla directs a movie, I hope she will at least be more respectful to the culture her movie plays in and she will at least perform a tiny bit of research before packing and moving over there to tape meaningless scenes totally disconnected from reality.The funny (or sad) thing is that I've been to a lot of the place they've taped and have also stayed at the Park Hyatt hotel once but unlike Mr Murray and Ms Coppola, I didn't fill my days by drinking at the bar and staring aimlessly out the window like I've just been lobotomized.
I, along with those who didn't like the film, found the movie boring.
All the Japanese actors in the film do not have much prior acting experience I believe, but they fit in excellently.Now I must finish my comment mentioning Sofia Coppola's name, because she is the true person behind this movie.
So I'll try my best to translate the feelings the movie provokes from you...The acting was actually some of the best acting I've seen in a film, ever.
The strangest thing is that I didn't want the film to end, kind of like how the characters felt in the movie.
I mean all these movies show relationships in America, while sucking in all these American clichés, but the setting of Japan completes the film.
Wait, isn't that the same feeling the characters in the movie were pressured to?I could go on and on and on about how profound the film really is, but I'm going to make this straight and to the point: see it if you can understand the use of subtly and realize it's not going to be like anything you've seen before. |
tt0479651 | Dasavatharam | <<<<contains spoiler>>>>>The story has the underlying themes of Chaos theory and chain of events. It begins with the 12th century with a conflict between the worshipers of two Gods namely Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. The king being a Lord Shiva devotee decides to sink the Vishnu idol which is opposed by Rangarajan(kamal), a vishnu devotee. So the king ties rangarajan with the idol and drowns them in the sea.The story propels forward to the current century, where a very harmful bio-chemical weapon is invented in the United States for defense purposes. However, following a hazardous leak, Govindarajan (the protagonist, played again by Kamal), decides to prevent it from being used. There are people who are not happy with this decision, and decide to stop him by hiring an Ex-CIA assassin Christian Fletcher (Again, Kamal). The Virus somehow lands in a cargo shipment that is on its way to Chennai, India. Govindrajan and Fletcher race to the other end of the world, in a bid to conquer this vial. The rest of the movie is a cat and mouse game, into which many other characters (most played by Kamal himself, in keeping with the theme of the movie), are drawn.The movie reaches a dramatic conclusion when the protagonist Govindarajan fails to stop the leakage of the virus (Fletcher consumes it and hence causes it to decay his body and spread onto the beach shore). This act would have destroyed a million lives, except that it is already established that the virus can be neutralized by pouring down tons and tons of NaCl.The chaos theory takes control again, with Tsunami rocking the seashores of Chennai, one that brings with it tons of NaCl, courtesy the salty sea water. This miracle is linked to the incidents that occurred back in the 12th century (the god sunk in the sea centuries ago,although killing thousands saves the lives of millions in the form of Tsunami) conferring that everything happens for a reason and god exists.The ten roles Kamala Hasan plays in the movie are The hero/Scientist, Villan Ex-CIA assassin ,an old lady, the vishnu devotee,intellegence officer(indian), a muslim, a scheduled caste leader,a japanese martial arts guy, a punjabi pop singer and George Bush. | murder | train | imdb | Himesh should not have been the composer, instead AR Rehman would have been good.Kamal's hard work and perseverance is evident throughout the movie and that works good for the movie.KS Ravikumar has been roped in just to add the commercial elements to keep the investments safe and he does it quite good.Not a regular Kamal film as its commercial like a Rajini movie, though reiterates the fact why he is called the "Best in Indian Cinema".This multi-faceted effort will be remembered in Indian cinema a long way.
The movie is a racy thriller which has very right mixture of action and comedy and is splendid because of kamal's acting, makeups(one or two makeups are not very pleasing though),crazy's sensible and witty dialogues,special effects and all.I want to remind people that like any other film Dasavatharam is also a 'film' which is intend to satisfy all type of movie lovers.
The plot may appear simple but the way it is portrayed in a thrilling way throughout without any flaws, introducing each role at appropriate time with most of them strongly connected to the main story(though i feel one or two characters not very needed to the film,we can give it up as they don't deviate you from the plot)is really superb.Hello movie goers, don't even think to miss this movie.
It is worth the money you pay for.If you want to experience the full thrill of the movie, don't read any summaries/synopsis nor read about the Ten Characters of Mr. Kamal in the film.
If you've read about those different characters before watching the movie, You've already missed a great part of the thrill.Some characters of him, (I'm not mentioning since it has to be experienced) are SO PERFECT that you'll take time to convince your mind that it's Mr. Kamal itself.Now into the movie.
the creative genius of kamal haasan has been unleashed to an audience who have witnessed thousand odd duets,thousand odd cheap fights and few good movies as well.music was good and the make up was not upto the standard that kamals earlier films had set.perhaps he felt the pressure of the time this project took.ravi varman deserves mention.asin was irritating at times and of the ten three to four roles was not enjoyed.and like this the film may contain many flaws if not less but kamal stands as tall as kalifulla khan does before these flaws.dasaavatharam may or may not be a commercial success but it is time for the world to stand up and congratulate this artist..
Kamal Haasan also plays the role of Krishnaveni Patti, the grandmother and Shingen Narahashi, a martial expert.The film moves at such a brisk pace that one forgets the many loopholes and enjoys the grandeur and spectacle of the movie.
Dasavatharam - I was expecting it to be a great movie, not only because Kamal was acting in it, but he was also the story writer, screenplay, and dialogues.
The scene in which George Bush is shown as a dumb president was hilarious but it didn't evoke a laughter into many audience because people didn't understand it.Kamal Haasan has tried to cater to all the audiences but I feel that it is a movie for the urban audience.The second half makes u feel close to Michale Madana Kama Rajan because of the comedy.Asin is totally irritating in the movie and at any point if Kamal Haasan had killed her,the audience wouldn't have felt for her.I need to watch it again to fully understand the connection between 12th century and the 21st century happenings.I couldn't hear certain dialogs because of the first day first show atmosphere.
this is just an entertainer...which was taken with lots of effort.in future Indian cinema must move to worthy entertainers like this movie rather than trying to provide just songs and fight.kamal haasan performed well...but this is not among his best performances.kamal haasan as balram naidu-extremely funnythe character as dhalith leader was heroic and kalifullah kahn was an adorable character!the graphics was nopt upto the mark in few scenses...but a great effort in producing all the characters into single screen with such perfection.overall- entertainment guaranteed.
Initially I was disappointed that Devi Sri did d job instead of H.Jeyaraj or ARR, but then d young man came up with a splendid piece of work, especially d background score for Balaram, Avtar, Shingen n d Beagle 2 lab, apart from d fight scenes.3.Direction was just average, probably Kamal ghost directed d movie.
Some of d faces look disproportionate, as of Shingen n Bush, which looked 2 big.7.Acting, I don't hv 2 comment,was excellent 4 Kamal.He had 2 learn so many accents like d typical American,Japanese,Thirunelveli ones in a short time period,n on top of that assigning an individual voice 4 each character.Kudos 2 Asin 4 dropping her glamor girl image n trying something new.Both Kothai Radha n Aandal were exceptional.One should not blame her 4 that nuisance role as that were d requirements of d script.Napolean was good 2.In sort, I would like to say that no one else other than Kamal can produce a movie like Dasavatharam in the near foreseeable future.It will b interesting 2 c how future multiple role movies like Kanthasamy fare in d box office.One cannot compare Sivaji with Dasavatharam.
I watched better makeup(Star Wars(1977),Lord of the Rings(2001),Monster(2003),...many more).But still I would rate this movie no less than a full 8/10, only because of a talented KH's truly pure and great intention in making this movie.KH is truly up there with the world's best actors, script-writers and directors....And yes, Kamal Haasan truly came very near to enacting a role every hot-blooded guy dreams of playing - a ruthless Schwarzenegger-style bad Terminator (as in Part One).I also recommend viewers to watch 'The Da Vinci Code(2006)' and Swades(2004)..
When you have special effects the likes of which have never been seen in an India movie, characters that have been given flesh and blood by none other than Kamal Hassan, who really cares if the plot is not the most amazing piece of literature that you have ever witnessed?
Instead get lost in the special effects and the maddening race of characters on the screen that interact and run and fight and argue, and let it strike you every now and then, that each of these characters is none other than Kamal Hassan himself.Watch the breathtaking 12th century sets, the Tsunami scene that captures the essence of the disaster, the spoof on George Bush ( One particular line has an aide telling him that a biological weapon has gone haywire and can only be stopped with common salt, to which Bush replies, why cant we just use Nuclear weapons?), the awesomeness of the villain, and some of the most brilliant acting/voice modulating that Kamal has done ever.Watch the movie, if you like Kamal.
10 character,numerous issues,only Kamal could have written a complex script like this.The way that Japanese character was the first one who recognizes that it is Tsunami(Japan frequently gets Tsunami) shows that lot of thought has been made into the making of each character and not like they are just introduced for the sake of it.Fantabulous.I thoroughly enjoyed the American President's scenes where his lack of general knowledge is made mockery of.I liked the slang used by Kamal for different character..I also liked Kalifullah Khan character contrary to many.The technicians who have worked on the movie have also done a commendable job.The first 20 minutes of the movie were breathtaking.I hope Kamal'S Dasa is liked by the Hindi Audience as well.
While the protagonist of the story is aided in bits and pieces by many small characters (also played by Kamal Hassan!) we may not rule out a possibility of such occurrences changing the outcome of the future due to the illustrated physics used in the movie - Chaos theory.I had once missed a bus and chose to travel by alternate means.
Showing such a tragic incident as a positive point even though it took thousand's life, is not a layman's height of thinking.Engaging 10 kamal characters in a 70mm screen is not very simple SCREENPLAY job, professionals will know how much of hard work and the depth of knowledge kamal has put in.About the 10 characters, it is not the make-up, but its the body language, dialogue delivery etc etc what he shows onto each individual character is immense and he lived the role (the Balram Naidu and the Poovaragan character can challenge any actor in the world to match it).............
U'll compromise all the negatives for the best effort of kamal (10 characters, story concept, screenplay and dialogs)Mr.Director - We have so many talented music directors in Tamil Film Industry, why not use them.
I went to see this movie with great expectations.But at the end of the show i came out of the theater with my mind filled up with the thoughts and concepts of a terrible movie.I could not believe that,kamal,a favourite star of millions {including me}wrote this sucking story.In my own words i would describe this movie as a terrible one with absolutely brilliant acting.Kamalhassan was truly superb and all his ten characters were really cool.But what spoiled the movie was its story.There were many situations where i felt fletcher had more skills than spider-man .Anyone will feel that in the closing stages of the movie.There were also many other scenes which ,i felt,ruined the whole movie.
1 - First of all i felt that there was no need of the first story of Rangaraja nambi.He {govind ramasaamy} could have directly narrated the story.But then i got the reason.Anyway kamal wanted to star in ten different roles.So he just created the character without even thinking about its harmful effects on the movie.2 - Fletcher the spider-man -This is the second part where i felt the movie was literally turning into a super"villain" movie.In the climax scenes ,the way he jumps from floor to floor and the building under construction ,was amazing.3 - Mallika sherawat's role was truly idiotic.A song ,a dance and a few scenes with kamal .thats it.
.The singer was shot in the throat ,he survived it for almost a day and even his cancer was cured .That was absolutely rubbish.But i thanked kamal for giving that idea.I was happy that the doctors got a new idea to cure cancer.All they have to do is to shoot the patients in the neck and then perform a surgery and the cancer is cured5 - The next part is very ridiculous .I don't know what grudge does kamal hold against American president Bush.There is a scene ,where Bush is told about NaCl.And Bush doesn't know what is NaCl.He asks his secretary about it and he is told that NaCl means sodium chloride.6 - After the terrible incident of tsunami ,in the final scene,i don't think that bush will commit such a foolish mistake.The way he walks to the mic to deliver the speech.....my god.Was it actually a fashion show???.The way he got up from his chair...that was moreover like a Rajnikanth style.He walked in a style of fashion contestantsThose who described this movie as amazing,great,brilliant,superb..etc ,i would kindly request them to read this and correct their comments about this movie which is,as i said earlier,a terrible one with good acting..
The story-line was very weak - basically a chase movie that shamelessly uses the tsunami to get some oohs and aahs - the entire audience in the theater I saw this movie at was silent at the tsunami scene - people were uncomfortable not knowing what they were supposed to feel.I think Kamal came up with the idea of 10 roles and then found a story.
If you think about it later, you'll be able to appreciate the hard work that should have gone into making this !While chaos theory is the pivot of this story, somehow, the characters played by kamal, feel kinda alien, in that, makeup was mostly masks ( except the balram naidu character, which was excellent, in that, we feel its kamal with some makeup ).Mask makeup gives you the feel that it ain't kamal and so, you may not be able to appreciate it fully, which was disappointing, having seen the amount of time and effort gone into each role's makeup....
I have never seen such dedication and such intelligence in a film.......Dasavatharam.......I think every member of the crew were in their dasavatharam.....................Starting from the story unfolding with Rangaraja Nambi in the Chidambaram Temple till the breathtaking climax at the beach, the fantastic screenplay of Kamal brings in magnificience.The Chaos Theory Link is a novel idea..............My marks for the main crew: Out of 10K.S.Ravikumar - 8 (for taking up a mega project)Kamal Hassan - Infinity(I don't know how much to award as I feel any mark would be less for him) Ravi Varman-9 (for taking each scene for every Kamal,for not taking up any other project in the 2-year gap).
Like many other Indians around the world,I have been anticipating the release of Dasavatharam for almost two years.When it was finally released,I was really impressed with the outcome.Dasavatharam was postponed numerous times but the outcome is fantastic.Biotechnology,Hinduism and Chaos Theory were all combined to produce this blockbuster.Dasavatharam has impressed in all aspects."Universal Hero"Kamal Hassan portrayed the 10 different roles with sheer authenticity.From the 12th century Brahmin to the trigger happy Christian Fletcher,the roles were performed very well.Ravi Varman has continued the good job which he had done in Anniyan and Vettaiyadu Vilayadu while Himesh Reshammiya,who made his debut in Kollywood has done a satisfactory job in providing the soundtrack.Although the movie is quite dragging like many other Kamal movies,notably Hey Ram and Mumbai Xpress,it still contained the essential elements of a perfect film.The music could be better if AR Rahman or Harris Jeyaraj or even Yuvan Shankar Raja were roped in.Other than that,there is no other flaws in Dasavatharam.A masterpiece from Kamal.Hats Off!!.
The best movie i saw by far in Indian cinema.The actor has not only performed ten roles the script is awesome he is lived has all characters.From 12th century to the present day the script has all.The action sequences,comedy all are realistic,something new in tamil or any Indian language.we can the hard work put by the great actor.
Well, Watched it once, Good effort, nice performance, needs-improvement in special effects, poor music (except for the first song, but even that song, I saw in youtube that it was used in a Malayalam movie called Sainyam - don't know who was the music director of that Malayalam movie).It is probably one of the best hyper-linked movies in tamil (or may be the first one in Tamil).But at the same time, you must see the following Hollywood movies -- probably the screenplay(and some characters) got the inspiration from these movies !
I really really appreciate the effort...but this movie is farrrr from being a perfect "10".Script is pathetic.Its a mess.The first few minutes were OK and i wish they continued the movie as a period flick and forget about all the 10 avatars.So many avatars are pushed into the movie which are totally useless to the script or events of the movie.I must say i got fooled by the promos and hypes.Kamal Hassan was able to salvage the movie a little bit.Prosthetic makeups are a joke.I couldn't take the characters seriously.I couldn't find it funny.I feel so bad for the actor.He needs a good Team.He should stop working with whoever he worked with in this movie.Direction awful.CGI makes me want to take my eyes out and eat it.I've seen better in video games..
I saw Dasavatharam amidst a lot of hype and positive reviews and to tell the truth,i was sorely disappointed.Admittedly,the first few minutes were awesome.It should have set the pace for a gr8 movie,but unfortunately poor screenplay,unnecessary character addition (apparently to set a record) and poor CGI(considering the huge budget of the film) lets the film down.Action scenes were mostly good especially the last fight.But,it should still be a treat for the Kamal Hassan who has portrayed some of the characters such as Christian Fletcher,Rangarajan Nambi were brilliant.But some of the characters such as Kalifullah Khan and Krishnaveni seemed unnecessary.Its mainly due to the poor script where the interlude (so to speak) was poorly scripted.Also, the connection of the 12th century scenes with the 21st century left much to be desired.The music was bearable,to say the least.I wonder whether the decision to make Himesh Reshamiyya the Music Director instead of A.R.Rahman was a tad too hasty.Asin's 21st century character seemed a bit too zealous and dumb.(Maybe because of overacting or the screenplay).Also there are obvious flaws in the direction where in the latter parts the background characters are caught doing silly things.The director surely needs to pay attention to the details.In short,u'll probably enjoy if u r a kamal hassan fan or don't mind the poor script and graphics..
I saw this movie as I like Kamal Hassan, this movie got good story but the thing is I don't understand why did he acted for 12 or watever number of roles he did.
I guess instead of wasting money on action stunts he would have hired some real professional makeup man.I liked how it relates all the characters together with good story line.Overall because of the story and Kamal Hassan, I guess this movie will work.Can watch once...
Kamal's hard work and commitment are evident in his accent, body language and even the eye movements that fit to a T in all his roles but I would like to keep some facts under wraps for you (who are yet to watch it) to enjoy the movie.
The tsunami climax scene which alone cost Rs. 3.5-4 crores for that one scene was an amazing scene which showed how it came.Kamal Haasan proves why he is India's best actor - no one would have the guts to take on a movie like this and pull it off as well as he did.Asin in her role as the Brahmin girl who is overly possessive about the idol can sometimes be irritating because of over acting but she does play a role in adding to the comic effect in the movie. |
tt0150377 | Double Jeopardy | Libby Parsons seems to have it all. Her husband, Nick, is devoted to her and their four-year-old son Matty. The family live in a beautiful home on the Pacific Northwest waterfront. When Nick scores yet another business triumph, he buys a yacht to celebrate. Leaving Matty with their friend Angie, who is a teacher at Matty's preschool, the couple set sail for a romantic weekend. But Libby drinks too much wine and passes out. When she wakes, she is covered in blood and Nick is gone. Dizzy and disoriented, she follows a trail of blood to the upper deck. Nick is not there but Libby sees a knife and picks it up. The lights of a Coast Guard boat flash and a voice orders Libby to drop the knife. A mayday was received from the Parsons' yacht. Libby is taken into custody but Nick has seemingly vanished. Tests reveal that the blood found on the yacht was the same type as Nick's. It is presumed that the couple had an argument and Libby attacked Nick. He managed to send a mayday alert before falling or being pushed overboard.Despite the fact that no body is found, Libby is charged with murder. No one believes her story, not even the sheriff who is a family friend. Frantic over what will happen to Matty if she is found guilty, Libby signs over custody to Angie. Nick had a large life insurance policy -- which police believe was the motive for his murder -- and Libby has the money put in Matty's name.The trial is swift and a jury finds Libby guilty. She is taken to a women's prison several hours away. At first Angie regularly brings Matty to visit. When they stop coming, Libby telephones Angie but the number is disconnected. She is inconsolable until a fellow prisoner tells her to use her brain. It is not that easy to disappear and Angie must have left a forwarding address with someone. Libby calls the preschool pretending to be Angie and says she hasn't received her final paycheck. She asks to confirm the forwarding address and phone number, and surprisingly the secretary provides the information. Angie and Matty are in San Francisco.Angie answers the phone and Libby angrily confronts her. Obviously startled that Libby has managed to track her down, Angie stammers that she was intending to bring Matty for a visit. Libby spends a few minutes talking to her son. Suddenly Nick, alive and well, enters the room. Matty shouts "Daddy!" while Angie tries to shush him. Nick yanks the phone away and hangs up, but Libby hears enough to realize what has happened. Nick and Angie were having an affair and he staged his own murder so he could disappear, setting Libby up to take the blame.Libby contacts her lawyer, the sheriff, and the insurance company but no one believes her. The San Francisco phone number is at first endlessly busy and then no longer in service. There is nothing else Libby can do and she resigns herself to never seeing her son again.A fellow prisoner, who was once a lawyer, comes to her aid. Libby cannot be tried twice for the same crime. It is called double jeopardy. Once she is paroled, Libby can track Nick down, kill him, and get away with it. Libby's hatred of Nick fuels her and she begins exercising to strengthen her body. After a few years, she is eligible for parole. Her friend warns her that in order to be released, she must admit to killing Nick and show great remorse to the parole board. It works and Libby is sent to a halfway house for three years.Upon arrival, she is apprised of the rules by the home's director, an embittered man named Travis. Curfew, finding employment, not associating with criminals, no drugs or alcohol. Any violation of these rules and she will be returned to prison to serve out her sentence. But Libby's only goal is to find Nick and she has no intention of waiting three years.Instead of looking for a job, she goes to the preschool that once employed Angie. While on the ferry she catches a glimpse of her former home. The school's director is sympathetic but refuses to tell her where Angie is now living. She reminds Libby that Matty has been with Angie for several years now and there is no need to disrupt his life. That night, Libby returns to the preschool and breaks in, triggering a silent alarm. The police arrive as she locates Angie's file and writes down her current address, which is in Texas. She runs down the beach but is caught and taken to the local jail. Travis arrives the next morning to escort her back to prison. He is disgusted that she deliberately violated parole. The scrap of paper with Angie's address is in his possession.He drives them onto the ferry and handcuffs Libby's wrist to the outside door handle. When he goes topside for a cup of coffee, to which he adds whiskey from a flask, Libby seizes her chance. Travis left the keys in the car and Libby manages to start it. Then she inches it back and forth, trying to smash the handcuffs against a post. The car in front of her is bumped and rolls into the ocean. Travis realizes what is going on and races to the lower level. Libby manages to lock the door. With Travis hanging on, the car goes overboard.An alarm is sounded and life preservers are tossed. Underwater, Travis unlocks Libby's handcuffs and she grabs his gun. He tries to retrieve it and she hits him on the head before swimming away. His wound requires stitches. When he tells his boss what happened, he is reprimanded for letting a prisoner escape with his gun. A blood sample is taken which Travis knows will reveal that he was drinking. Having the address to where Libby is likely headed, he sets off after her.Libby hitches rides until she arrives at her mother's farm. After borrowing money, she purchases an old green truck and drives to Texas. She has no trouble finding Nick's address but he and Angie are not there. Another family owns the house. As a despondent Libby turns to leave, an old lady working in the yard next door tells her what happened to Nick and Angie, who she knew by different names. Several years earlier there was a gas explosion in the kitchen and Angie was killed. Nick and Matty -- who was obviously allowed to keep his real name -- moved away but the old lady doesn't know where.Libby goes to the public library and finds a newspaper account of the fire on microfiche. Apparently it was accidental, although Libby thinks that Nick murdered Angie because she was a threat. In the newspaper picture of Angie taken at her home, Libby sees a Kandinsky painting in the background. Nick had a collection of these rare paintings and that might be a way to trace him. She drives to an art gallery and poses as a Kandinsky collector. The employee looks on the internet and finds a painting recently sold by a Jonathan Devereaux of New Orleans. Libby feels sure this is really Nick. Then Travis enters the gallery. He was given a description of her truck by the elderly neighbor. While the employee excuses himself and goes to see what Travis wants, Libby finds Jonathan's address. She tries to close out the website but Travis is heading in her direction. She runs out the back door and escapes, smashing into Travis's car that he used to block her vehicle. He gives chase on foot, but she eludes him. Later, she ditches the truck and gets on a plane to New Orleans. She doesn't know that the website at the gallery did not close out and Travis knows where she is headed.Jonathan Devereaux is a well-respected hotel owner in New Orleans. Libby inquires for him at the desk but he is not there. When she asks about Matty, the receptionist becomes wary and refuses to provide any information. Overhearing an elderly guest give her name, Libby uses it to purchase a designer evening gown from the hotel shop. She intends to be at the Bachelor's Auction that night to confront Jonathan.Travis arrives in New Orleans and checks in with the local police. They aren't much interested but agree to issue a be-on-the-lookout alert for Libby, complete with photo. Since it is Mardi Gras, the crowds are heavy and finding her won't be easy.Libby attends the auction and bids on Jonathan. He is startled to hear her voice but cannot find her in the crowd. Another woman bids on him too but Libby wins. She walks up to her husband and calls him Nick. He is eager to find out what she wants before she exposes him. When she asks why he did all that to her, he said he had been on the verge of bankruptcy and thought if he faked his death, the life insurance money would take care of her and Matty. He never dreamed she would be found guilty and swore the affair with Angie had started later on. Libby asks if he murdered Angie to keep her quiet and he denies it. Libby agrees to leave him alone if he will give her Matty. Jonathan says he is away at school. Libby says she will call the next day and he had better have the boy there. Just then two of Jonathan's friends come up and ask who Libby is. She says she is Jonathan's wife and is in town to pick up their son. They are visibly startled to hear that the city's most eligible bachelor is really married.Later that evening, Travis arrives at the hotel. Jonathan swears he has no idea who this crazy woman is, pretending to be his wife. Travis warns him that she has a gun. Secretly he is not impressed with Jonathan and wonders if Libby's story could possibly be true.Now in jeans and a tee-shirt, Libby is recognized by the owner of the diner where she is eating. He warns her to watch out for the police, who frequently patrol that area. Since it is pouring rain, he loans her an umbrella. Libby disappears into the crowds but not fast enough. Travis, who is riding in a patrol car, spots her. He gives chase and grabs the wrong woman. Once again Libby escapes.The next day, Libby orders Jonathan to bring Matty to a nearby cemetery. It is a public place in case Jonathan tries anything. A funeral is taking place when they meet. Libby asks where Matty is and Jonathan points to a young boy some distance off. He says Matty is shy about seeing her again. Libby starts toward the boy and he runs away. She calls his name and chases him. Suddenly Jonathan steps out from behind a mausoleum and hits Libby on the head. He drags her into the mausoleum and puts her inside a coffin. The boy is waiting outside and Jonathan hands him some money. Obviously he is not Matty. Satisfied that his wife will trouble him no longer, Jonathan returns to his hotel.Travis pays him another visit and once again Jonathan insists that he knows nothing about a woman named Libby Parsons. Although he is now very suspicious, Travis has no choice but to leave.Libby awakes inside the coffin and screams when she sees a mummified body lying next to her. But there is no one to hear. The funeral is over and the cemetery is deserted. She remembers the gun and shoots the lock. By pushing on the lid with her feet, she manages to free herself. But she is still locked inside the mausoleum. She escapes by throwing a vase of dead flowers through the stained glass window. On her way back to the hotel, she comes face to face with Travis. Realizing that she can't get away this time, she bursts into tears and he embraces her.Jonathan is less than welcoming when Travis returns to his office. But the game is up. Travis asked the Department of Motor Vehicles in the state of Washington to fax him copies of all drivers' licenses issued to a Nicholas Parsons. The third one was a picture of the man now known as Jonathan Devereaux. Jonathan tries to bluff and says it isn't a crime to change one's name. But there is the matter of insurance fraud. Travis pretends to call the police, then reconsiders and asks for one million dollars to keep quiet. Jonathan doesn't have that kind of money on hand but offers Travis several hundred thousand in cash. Suddenly Libby bursts into the room, gun drawn. Jonathan reminds her that Louisiana is a death penalty state. Libby is happy to fill him in on what double jeopardy means. But all she wants is Matty. Jonathan says he is at St. Alban's school in Georgia. Then Jonathan draws his own gun. A brief scuffle ensures. Travis is wounded but Jonathan/Nick is killed by Libby.As Travis is treated by paramedics, the police chief says that Mrs. Parsons has inherited herself a hotel. Libby doesn't want it and prepares to take off. But Travis stops her. She is still wanted by the police and must return to prison. But he will testify on her behalf. Since he had secretly recorded the conversation with Jonathan on his cell phone, which positively identified Jonathan as Nick Parsons, the charges against Libby are dropped.Some days later, Libby and Travis drive to St. Alban's school. Travis was fired from his job at the halfway house because of drinking while escorting a prisoner. It is unclear if he and Libby are romantically involved. Matty is waiting for her and they are at last reunited. His father and Angie had told him his mother was dead. | revenge, neo noir, murder, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt1079444 | Dead Like Me: Life After Death | In Seattle, Washington, a crew of Reapers, who live and work among the living and whose job is to gather souls of people who are about to die, find themselves confronted by change, as their habitual meeting place, the Der Waffle Haus restaurant, burns down on the same day that their boss and head reaper, Rube, disappears (having "gotten his lights").The team soon meets their new boss, Cameron Kane (Henry Ian Cusick), a slick businessman who died falling from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. He outfits them with color-coordinated smartphones and treats them to luxurious accommodations, teaching them all that, as Roxy (Jasmine Guy), a local police officer, puts it later, "nothing we do here matters." This tutelage leads the Reapers to perform such misdeeds as Roxy saving those they were to Reap, or Mason (Callum Blue) abusing immortality for financial gain, or Daisy (Sarah Wyler) letting a soul wander, instead of showing him "his lights", and otherwise selfishly focusing on their wants.Georgia "George" Lass (Ellen Muth), the cynical and humble narrator, is fired from her office job at Happy Time Temp Agency when, after she loudly chews out an incompetent employee named Amy for delivering a report late, the employee quits and sues the company for harassment.Meanwhile, George's bitter and highly neurotic divorced mother, Joy (Cynthia Stevenson), who never got over George's accident five years earlier when she was "killed" by a flying toilet seat, struggles to make it in the world as a writer and grievance counselor to parents who lost their children in violent deaths. George's younger sister Reggie (Britt McKillip) is a rather socially awkward and insecure 16-year-old attending high school but secretly is dating a popular school athlete named Hudson (Jordan Hudyma), who appears to be even more in love with Reggie than his "real" girlfriend--but, due to boundaries in high school social cliques, they only see each other in secret. After Hudson ends up hospitalized following a severe car accident, Reggie runs into George (appearing as her alter-life Millie Hagan) multiple times.George ends up admitting her identity to her sister Reggie. Despite Reggie casually believing herself mad and refusing to believe what's going on, George finds herself reminiscing with Reggie, helping her prepare for the death of her boyfriend Hudson. During this time, George and Reggie begin to bond and be the sisters they weren't when George was alive. Later, Reggie asks to move in with George, even though she's dead. This appears to cause friction between Reggie and Joy, as the latter believes George is dead and gone (which is only half right). After George reaps Hudson, who passes on, Reggie attempts to kill herself by getting behind the wheel of George's red 1967 Mustang car (which she had acquired from a dead person in the series years earlier) and driving at a reckless speed. After George stops her, she realizes she can no longer see her sister anymore. Accepting that, Reggie visits George's grave one more time, before urging Joy to move on. Joy suggests that they go on a vacation.Meanwhile, George's fellow Reapers confront Kane and, learning he withheld 'reaps' and deliberately tempted them to let the "pebbles" of their misdeeds cause "waves" of evil elsewhere, find themselves trying to figure out how exactly a fellow Reaper can be killed as they shoot, drown, and finally dismember and cremate Kane, whose ashes are then shot into orbit along with those of Murray, the cat belonging to George's highly crazy boss Delores. At the launch, Delores arrives and tells George that the employee who had sued her for harassment had done so at several of her previous jobs, and George is reinstated, now with a promotion to a corner office.As Mason, Roxy, and Daisy walk away from the launch, wondering who their new boss is, the movie closes with George outside her former mother and sister's row house, watching from a safe distance as they pack up their car and drive off. After they have gone, George finds herself suddenly showered with Post-Its magically falling from the sky, like the Post-Its their former leader Rube used to deliver their Reaps. Realizing she's been selected by the powers-that-be as the group's new leader, she says "I am so fucked!" | comedy, psychedelic | train | imdb | Wynter just devours the scenery playing Daisy as a vapid, talentless idiot.It's nice that talented original cast members Ellen Muth, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, et al, got work, but they deserved a better vehicle than this shoddy, mawkish mess.
While it was nice to see the return of the show, this reeked of Straight to DVD production value.The excessive use of slow-mo and transitional effects were annoying to me, the original series just had a more polished feel to it.The story line was OK, while it was good they tied up the absence of Rube.
Daisy Adair (Sarah Wynter...played by Laura Harris on the TV series) was "good" but again, like Cameron/Rube, you cant replace the original & in this case they literally tried to.
Roxy (Jasmine Guy) was in fine form & showed even more attitude than she did on many episodes of the show...which is great, since we are to believe she has this ass kicking attitude, which only was shown a handful of times in the series, here it was in almost every scene (except where she meets the Police commissioner & oddly turns Daisy like for a minute).
Any DLM fan has to see it, if for no reason than to go down memory lane & keep up to tabs if there is a resurrection of the show (lets hope).Hopefully the execs at MGM are taking notice of the great reviews its getting everywhere & bring the show back.........with Rube & the original Daisy..
I was hoping they would use the opportunity to expand on the "Reaper Society" and I kind of thought that was where the plot was heading but somehow failed to push through.The focus of the film is on Georgia and Reggie and unfortunately characters like Mason, Roxy, and Daisy become less significant than they should be in this film.
First of all, regardless what you think of the movie, if you haven't yet gotten both seasons of the series on DVD, by all means, get your copies of those as soon as possible & watch them!Is change good or bad?
Having so stated, I generally prefer the familiar which means that I generally abhor change.In the broadcast versions of Dead Like Me, we lost Betty Rhomer (Rebecca Gayheart) after 5 episodes, & though I didn't then share with her fans profound enthusiasm for her character or performance, I had grown accustomed to her, & I was deeply disappointed.My initial reaction to the appearance of Daisy Adair (Laura Harris) was, "OMG, they've gone "replacement blonde" in an effort to boost ratings, using the 'sex sells' model in a show not only that isn't about sex, but also that doesn't have a significant sexual component." I thought at first that the show was ruined, but I kept watching; what I quickly discovered is that Harris is a most excellent actress & that the writers understood how to integrate Daisy into the DLM story.That Harris is very easy on the eyes turned out to be a bonus a perfect dessert to follow the substantial main course.
In that case, every aspect of the change was surprisingly good.That isn't to discount Gayheart, who is in every sense a fine actress, but to recognize that Harris earned her fans after Gayheart had already set the bar awfully high.As the story unfolded, I was pleasantly amazed to discover the actors & writers taking the DLM experience to a level even higher than where the show began; then, in a flash, the de-orbiting toilet seat of fortune snuffed-out my favorite show.Some time later, I was elated to discover there was being made a DLM movie & I looked forward to its theatrical release: all we DLM fans & I would be vindicated when the box office numbers were tallied.
Kudos to the team that edited the SciFi versions: they seamlessly replaced the "foul language," so that the censorship wasn't obvious.Without spoilers: my overall impression of Dead Like Me: Life After Death is that, like the series, it is too short; by that, I mean that it left me wanting much, much more!
In reality, there's an awful lot of development that happens through the series that doesn't readily translate through the movie format, & that requires compromises.The makers of Dead Like Me: Life After Death brilliantly incorporated storyboards to aid in the transition between scenes & to bring the uninitiated up to speed without boring longtime fans of the series.However, even these conceits left a lot to be condensed into its 87-minute runtime, & that means among the reapers that the roles of Daisy Adair (Sarah Wynter), Roxy Harvey (Jasmine Guy) & Mason (Callum Blue) are minimized & stereotyped.Some purists will take issues with the scripting as it relates to character development within the movie.
In the end, I think the directors & editors did the best that could reasonably be expected from a comparatively short feature movie format.I urge the readers of this review to obtain for themselves a copy of the DLM direct-to-DVD movie Dead Like Me: Life After Death; even though it is set 5 years after the George's death, it works in several different ways: 1) It is a passably good introduction of the DLM series to the uninitiated; or, alternatively, 2) It is a passably good ending to the DLM story: if it goes no further, DLM fans won't feel completely cheated; or, alternatively, 3) It is an EXCELLENT bridge between the DLM series & future DLM productions.Given the diversity of missions & objectives defined by the DLM fanbase, & Given the budgetary constraints & political battles that threatened to kill the project before it got the green light, plus the myriad hurdles that threatened its survival during production, & Given the post-production, mastering, manufacturing & distribution problems that cropped up, that this movie ever got distributed is barely less than a miracle, & those factors must be considered in any reasonable review of this movie.I got mine through Amazon.com; if you haven't ordered your copy yet, order it today!
However, the quality of dialog, special effects, and visual design are all very good.Surely, this film won't be as enjoyable to individuals who are not familiar with the series, as they won't perceive the subtle character differences, and certainly won't understand why the reaper team is so frustrated with the new team leader of Cameron Kane.
The part where (as Daisy) she forgets her lines on-stage in the film and begins acting like a lunatic because she clearly wasn't prepared for the show is to me a perfect metaphor for how badly Wynter played this character.
Callam Blue is great, but he should get back over to Secret Diary of Call Girl and forget Dead Like Me. I was the biggest fan of the show and so sad when it went off the air, but if this is the way they are going to try and bring it back then send in the reapers..
The direct-to-DVD feature "Dead Like Me: Life After Death" opens with a well-done, but redundant re-cap of the show's premise already captured so well in creator Bryan Fuller's movie-quality Pilot for those unfamiliar with the series.
But then again, if you're unfamiliar with the show you wouldn't be interested in this movie.Stunned at the unexpected loss of former team leader Rube (Mandy Patinkin contractually unable to be in the film), workman-like grim reapers Georgia Lass (Ellen Muth), Roxy (Jasmin Guy), Mason (Calum Blue) and Daisy Adair (Sarah Wynter replacing "24" sister Laura Harris who was hopefully off making the far better horror/comedy "Severance") are whisked off to a new life managed by unsavory new boss Cameron (Henry Ian Cusik, "Lost").
The first of which causes George to miss a reap which traps a teenage boy in a coma and brings George face to face with the boy's secret girlfriend: her sister, Reggie (Britt McKillip all grown up now).Series episodes were structured like a wheel, centered around a theme with every character branching off as a sprocket to illustrate a different element of that theme (a la Sex and the City).
I can see teenage girls crying and screaming at each other anywhere, but I can't see a bizarre Rube Goldberg series of events set in motion by a Graveling that leads to someone's death anywhere but "Dead Like Me".Speaking of the Gravelings, a certain surprise revelation regarding George and the Gravelings at the end of the 2nd season is disappointingly not addressed at all in "Life".
From Mandy Patinkin's rock solid performance to Stewart Copeland's whimsical music to Laura Harris portraying a ditz like Daisy Adair with a perfect (and rare) steely-eyed determination that everything she says is right – there are more things that I can count, big and small, from the show that are missing from this production.Maybe the most dispiriting thing about "Life" is how unnecessary it feels.
Along with that, there are a few changes in the way the original characters act as if whoever wrote the movie didn't participate in the series and didn't have a good grasp as to what it was all about.
Further more whoever thought it was a good idea to have a 'Dead Like Me' movie with a shitty, over-acting, clearly confused replacement for the actress who originally played Daisy(Laura Harris), needs to get eaten by a shark pronto!
Sarah Wynter Can't act for the life of her, or she clearly didn't care to watch season 2 of 'Dead Like Me' because she would see Daisy like many of the characters is suppose to be played with ease not theatre acting no matter if that's in the movies story.
Personally I wouldn't have a 'Dead Like Me' movie if I couldn't get the original Daisy, but what the hey.Now the plot of the movie is the typical plot you'd do for any half-ass-ed sequel or straight to DVD release, but the plot isn't the problem here even if its based on not being able to bring back one of the original actors(Mandy Patinkin: Rube).
Now the movie has its moments of good touching moments but they get killed quickly with elongated dialogue that's completely toothless, it would have been properly done if it those moments were based on short meaningful sentences that get straight to the point, not chances for over done acting with fuller dialogue.This is not by any means the 'Dead Like Me' movie and send off we've all been waiting for, and for true fans I'd appreciate the original way it ended even if it didn't give us much closure, because it was cancelled before it could have a last episode, but the way ti episode made sense as it didn't cross pounds the plot of 'Dead Like Me' could never go..
The two major character changes were the loss of Mandy Patinkin's Rube and Sarah Wynter stepping into a role originally played by Laura Harris.
Sadly, I can't rate this as highly as I did the series.I saw the 1st Season, and possibly 1 episode of Season 2.My first gripe with it is that they've removed Rube entirely, and replaced Daisy with a new actress.Although Daisy's replacement does a fairly good job, she didn't really come across as the same character as the Daisy from the series.The movie lacks most of the wit that made the series so good.Mason's lines don't even get close to the humour and ridiculous drug-abuse we saw in the series - and overall the writing didn't have as much kick to it as the series did in my opinion, especially considering most of the original characters play very small parts in the film.The story however is quite good.
Unlike Dead Like Me: Life After Death, it was a TV movie (when networks still produced them) with commercial breaks, and more than anything, it was a reunion of as many of the original cast members as they could find (and were still living) without there being much of a plot.
If you were a fan of "Dead Like Me" the series, I warn you to not watch this crap-fest of a movie.
Laura Harris didn't show in the movie,this kind of let me down,like her very much,Sarah Wynter(Daisy) acted a little wired....
The original Dead Like Me is one of my favorite TV series so I was definitely looking forward to this direct-to-video movie.
Sarah Wynter, who replaces Harris, is bitchy and slutty to excess, which makes Daisy more jaded than self-centered.The story is about George Lass resolving things with her family, as well as with a new handler who has replaced Rube and doesn't care if the reapers do their work or not.
Short on Happy, Long on Sad. The original series was a delicate balance between funny and serious, with the reapers mostly playing it for laughs and the story line about George's family generally downbeat.Patinkin's Rube Sofer character guided George, and the story, along the line between these worlds.
The movie feels a bit different from the series but I was most struck by the hole left through the loss of Rube, Der Waffle House, and the changing of the actress who played Daisy.
I wouldn't want to be dead like George Lass because the reapers don't have such a great life if you think about it.
That the show was lacking in some critical areas, lack of Rube being the biggest short falling; the new Daisy another.That said, I liked the movie overall, I miss the show terribly, and watch old epis every chance I get.
The wry take on the irony of everyday life, things we take for granted, death just another one of those things, the interaction,humour and frailty portrayed by the cast had me completely hooked.I think I made the mistake of watching the Two Seasons back-to-back on DVD and then expected the film to be a finale giving closure to all those who were left in the wilderness when 'The Suits' decided to cancel the show.Well, this is obviously what the suits decided it could have been', but to quote Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park; "Yeah, but your scientists (Suits) were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should".Okay, let the ranting begin, apologies, I will go off at Tangents but seriously if you spent time watching the series and followed 'The Rules', this film decides that the most fundamental rule set out in the Pilot episode doesn't matter!
Despite being the main character, I'm left with a feeling that George's only purpose in this story was to play the supporting role for her sister.Reggie's character has changed significantly from the original series.
If it's closure from the series that you seek in this film, then it is at least granted to Reggie's character with moderate success.Overall, Dead Like Me: Life After Death comes across as a disjointed set of events and ideas, lacking cohesion, direction and purpose.
I just can't.The film was great, despite some reviews i have read who obviously watched the film with extremely high hopes, expecting nothing to have changed at all and to pick up exactly where the TV show left off answering some of the all important questions the fan base has been itching to answer ever since the series was laid to rest, which i admit would have been good BUT impossible...Such examples of unanswered questions are: "how can George do *THIS*?", "why did *THAT* happen?", "will *XX* ever get with *XY*?".
also the original fan base would either be annoyed at these questions (which we have been bugging ourselves with for what seems like millennia) being rushed and not really answered, or we would have closure (of sorts) and there are no active plot lines to continue the series with.In my personal opinion the plot and new character (Cameron) were fine additions to a fantastic show!Now where it unfortunately loses these 2 points are: Daisy...
While it's true that Dead Like Me: Life After Death would have been much better with Mandy Patinkin, it was his choice not to participate, so I don't get why so many reviewers feel the movie was poor because he wasn't involved.
I was a little bit confused at the lack of any reference to the ending of the original series, where it had been made clear in the final scene that Reggie had "seen" George walking away from her grave site, so the revelation to Reggie in the movie that the strange blonde following her around was really her sister seemed a little oddly played and somewhat out of touch with the series.I missed the Waffle House, and yes, I missed Rube and the original Daisy, but the actors and crew worked with what they had, and Millie was her wonderful old self.
Despite this, the two characters had a lot of great scenes together and I was enjoying this new plot line.Just when I thought everything Rube taught these reapers was in vain, Roxy starts to see for herself what happens when you mess with Death's plan.
When news came that there was going to be a movie to resolve the story I was, like most fans, a little bit tickled that they would bring back to life (even for just a few moments) something that struck a chord with so many.There are many problems with the film that I am sad to say shouldn't have been made at all.
It even ruins the dynamic between her and Mason, you can tell he no longer pines for her the way he did in the series.so the movies hinges on some resolution between George and her Sister as well as the rest of the reapers having their field day and trying to get away with things they never would have been able to with Rube around.
HUH!Quite simply, this movie should never have been attempted, too much time had passed since the series ended, the actors and the characters had changed too much in that space we "did not see". |
tt0066476 | The Touch of Satan | Jodie Lee Thompson (Michael Berry) is taking a trip to San Francisco from Austin, TX. Stopping at a small town for some supplies, the gas station attendant informs Jodie that there's a killer on the loose, and that a local farmer was recently murdered.Jodie drives off, and eventually takes a detour through an area where some trees and a small pond are. While having some food, he is surprised to meet a young woman. She tells him that her name is Melissa Strickland (Emby Mellay). Melissa eventually invites Jodie back to her family's walnut farm, where he meets her parents Luther (Lee Amber) and Molly (Yvonne Winslow).After dinner, Jodie prepares to go to sleep, when he is shocked when a wrinkled old woman with white hair and a badly scarred face appears in his room for a few moments. Jodie tells Melissa, who claims that he saw her Great-Grandmother, Lucinda. When Jodie inquires about her face, she explains that Lucinda was badly-burned as a young girl.The next day, Jodie and Melissa go into town for some supplies. Going into one store, Jodie is surprised that alot of people are going out of their way to avoid Melissa. Melissa explains that this is because the townspeople say that she is a witch. Jodie finds this laughable and hard to believe.On the drive back to the farm, Melissa offers to show Jodie where she does her witchcraft out of. Going to a small shed, the two talk over what Melissa's witch powers are, when Luther comes by. He doesn't give much information, but Melissa suspects that Lucinda has gotten out of the house again. Feeling something is wrong, Melissa asks Jodie to take her back to the house.The two arrive in time to see Lucinda having killed a Sheriff's deputy, with Luther and Molly trying to restrain her. Melissa manages to calm Lucinda, and has Molly take her inside. Luther shocks Jodie when he takes the keys from his car, and puts Jodie in the barn, handcuffing him to a pipe.As he is in the barn, Jodie's thoughts return to the gas station attendant who claimed that there was a killer in the area who had killed a farmer recently, and Jodie now feels that Lucinda is the killer.Melissa comes into the barn to talk to Jodie, who insists that they should have turned Lucinda into the police some time ago. Melissa claims she can't do that, and she has to take care of the family, claiming they are cursed. Jodie refuses to believe this as well.Later on that evening, Jodie is allowed dinner and goes to his room in the house. Melissa goes to the shed, and through her powers, coaxes Jodie to dream a certain dream:In it, Melissa is a young woman, in the 19th century. She is seated with her sister Lucinda and their parents reading a Bible, when some townspeople come carrying torches, and chanting 'burn the witch!'The father goes out to see the villagers who claim that a plague has struck their village, but left the Strickland family without any problems. The villagers then say that this is due to Lucinda being a witch, and soon after drag her from the house and burn her on a pyre.Melissa pleads for anyone to help her, when a strange wind is heard, and a voice asks Melissa if she will accept the Devil in exchange for the saving of her sister. Melissa agrees, and is able to put out the fire. She then lays curses upon the villagers who run off.Melissa is then seen untying her sister who has been badly burned.Jodie then goes to the shed where he finds Melissa. Through discussion, Melissa explains that she sold her soul to the Devil in exchange for saving her sister's life. This resulted in her staying youthful-looking for 127 years, but due to the deal, Lucinda aged and goes through her violent attacks.Even with everything he is told, Jodie still claims that he can't believe it all, but does love Melissa. Suddenly, Lucinda appears at the door, intending to kill Jodie. Melissa then causes her sister to catch fire, and she and Jodie escape from the shed before it burns to the ground.The next day, Jodie is given the chance to leave. He promises Luther he will not tell what he saw, but still refuses to believe what Melissa said was true.Jodie drives off a ways, but then has second thoughts, and turns back. Heading back to the pond and forested area, he finds Melissa waiting there. Jodie tells her that he still loves her, even if the Devil is inside her soul. They then make love, and Melissa tells Jodie that his love has set her free.However, this comes with a price: having freed Melissa, she has now begun to age to what she really is, and will now die. Jodie then calls upon the Devil, and gives his soul for Melissa, returning her to her youthful form, and now sharing in the curse that has fallen over the Strickland family. | murder | train | imdb | null |
tt0037101 | Murder, My Sweet | Marlowe is in a police station, a bandage over his eyes. He explains what happened in a flashback.Moose Malloy comes in to Marlowe's office. He's just got out of prison and wants Marlowe to find his ex-girlfriend, who he's not seen in eight years. Malloy takes him to a place called Florian's, where his ex used to work. They go into the bar. The bar goes quiet as they walk in. The boss comes over and warns them that he wants no trouble. Malloy walks over to a girl in the bar but the boss warns him not to bother the customers. The man throws the boss across the room. Marlowe tries to intervene, but Moose doesn't remember him. The take a couple of bottles from the bar and leave. Malloy tells Marlowe that they were to be married. Her name was Velma Valento.Marlowe traces the wife of the previous owner of Florian's. She appears to be very drunk. She gives him a file of clippings but tries to hide a picture of Valento. Marlowe takes it. Mrs. Florian tells him she's never heard of Moose Malloy and demands that he leave. He does, but then watches her through the window as she makes a phone call, apparently not as drunk as she seemed.Marlowe returns to his office to find Lindsay Marriott waiting in his office. He hires Marlowe to accompany him to a rendezvous to make a business transaction, exchanging a jade necklace for cash. Arriving at the spot, Marlowe gets out to look around. Gun drawn, he walks some distance into the bushes. Finding nothing but a deer, he returns to the car, where he is coldcocked by a blackjack.When he awakens, a woman asks if he is all right, then, apparently recognizing him, runs. Marriott has been killed and dumped in the back seat.Cut to a police station where Marlowe is being interrogated about the murder. They argue and then Marlowe is released, but tell Marlowe they think Jules Amthor is mixed up in this.This time, returning to his office, a woman is waiting. She tells him her name is Miss Allison, but he grabs her purse and finds she is actually Ann Grayle. She tries to storm out but he's locked the door. She tells him the jade belonged to her father.They go to visit her father in a palatial mansion. His wife, a stunning blonde, is also there. He explains that the necklace had been taken from his wife at gunpoint, and retires. Mrs. Gayle tells Marlowe that Marriot had been assigned to buy it back. As they talk, Amthor is shown in. They arrange an interview.Cut to Marlowe's home. Mrs. Grayle walks in behind a laundry boy and gives him a retainer. They go to a nightclub. Miss Grayle is there and talks to Marlowe privately. She offers him more money to make him go away. Moose is there too. He asks Marlowe to come and meet someone, and Miss Grayle disappears before he can make excuses. Moose takes him to a highrise and takes his gun. The person he is meeting turns out to be Amthor. He claims to be a psychic healer that the police are after. Marlowe accuses him of blackmailing women. Amthor thinks Marlowe has the necklace, which he wants. Moose causes a ruckus, wanting Marlowe to tell him where Velma is. They fight and Marlowe is kncked out and drugged, causing hallucinations.He wakes up on a cot. After shaking off the effects of the drug, he escapes, and confronts a doctor, who tells him he's been out for three days. Moose finds him and gets him a cab. Marlowe goes to see Ann. She asks him what happened, and he remembers that she was the girl at the rendezvous.The police come in and Marlowe gives them the story.Marlowe and Ann go back to the mansion and talk to her father. The police have been there, interested in his beach house. Mr. Grayle asks Marlowe to drop the case for money. Marlowe agrees, but tells Ann he's going to the beach house anyway.At the beach house, they find Mrs. Grayle. Ann, angry, leaves to tell her father. Marlowe accuses Mrs. Grayle of having Amthor shake him down for the necklace. She tells him Amthor is blackmailing her after she went to him for treatment. She was supposed to give him the jade, but it was stolen before she could give it to him. She thinks it was Marriot. She asks him to help her kill Amthor to stop him from blackmailing her further, and Marlowe agrees. They plan to lure Amthor to the beach house where Mrs. Gayle will shoot him.Marlowe goes to Amthor's place to set up the plot, but finds Amthor dead with his neck snapped, obviously by Moose. He returns to the office, where Moose finds him. Marlowe tells him the picture was a fake, but that he can take Moose to her. They agree to meet the next day.Marlowe takes him to the beach house and tells him to wait outside for a signal. He goes in to meet Mrs. Gayle, who still thinks the original plan is in place. She gives Marlowe the jade necklace, which she has had all along. She had told Marriot it had been stolen to throw them off the trail. Marlowe accuses her of killing Marriot, and tells her that Moose is waiting outside. She is actually Velma Valento. She had been supporting Marriott, Amthor, and Mrs. Florian with her blackmail money, but Moose's return had fouled the plan, and they were attempting to get rid of Marlowe before he could discover the plot.Mrs. Gayle pulls a gun on him. Ann and her father show up. Mrs. Gayle tells Mr. Gayle to take the gun. He does, but then shoots her. Moose hears the shot and comes upstairs, to see Velma's dead body. He attacks Mr. Gayle. Marlowe dives for Grayle's gun just as he fires, is blinded by the powder, and blacks out.Cut to the police station. Marlowe is wearing a bandage over his eyes. They explain that Gayle and Moose killed each other struggling for the gun. An officer leads him to a cab and he talks about Ann the whole way, without realizing that Ann was there all along. She gets in the cab with him and he realizes it's her. The end. | cult, mystery, murder, atmospheric, flashback | train | imdb | The really big draw in MURDER is Dick Powell, not just delivering a career-changing performance (and being the first actor to play Marlowe) but also giving the best interpretation of Marlowe on film- and that includes Bogart's fine outing in Hawks' THE BIG SLEEP(1946), Robert Mitchum's two disappointing films, and Elliot Gould's daring 1973 performance in Altman's THE LONG GOODBYE.
In addition, MURDER, MY SWEET presents the polished villainy of Otto Kruger, slithering around Powell with his characteristic reptilian menace; Anne Shirley as a spunky good girl who brightens the gloom somewhat; and, on the femme fatale side, the high voltage glare of Claire Trevor, laminated in heavy make-up like a pricey, megawatt doxy.
'Murder, My Sweet' tones down some of the racial and sexual aspects of the original story (which are included in the 1970s remake), and I'm might be mistaken (it's been a while since I read it), but the Anne Shirley character appears to have been created as a potential love interest for Dick Powell.
One might think that this would mean that the movie was off to a bad start, especially since the chief reason for the title change was that the actor who was cast in the hard-boiled lead, Dick Powell, was best known as a singer.
Harry Wild's photography is brilliant, and while he and director Dmytryk often go for flashy, arty effects, they're always appropriate, and seem at all times the way detective Philip Marlow, who narrates the story, would want it to be told, as he's a rather glib fellow with an offbeat sense of humor.
The dialogue, much of it lifted from Chandler's novel, is excellent and at times quite funny, though some of the author's best lines (such as his description of Moose Malloy as at at one point being "about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food") are absent.The plot, concerning the attempt of the aforementioned, hulking giant, Moose Malloy, to find his old girl-friend, having just served a stretch in prison, is convoluted and hard to follow.
Chandler was not a great one for plots, as one reads his books primarily for the writing, not the stories, and Dmytryk and his associates wisely follow this aesthetic, emphasizing odd bits of business, visual and verbal, often taking the movie in strange directions, making what one normally thinks of secondary aspects of a film the main event.
Here was Dick Powell, no make up, a five o'clock shadow, and a voice down an octave and very cynical and jaded as Philip Marlowe.Raymond Chandler's private detective has been hired by two people, Gargantuan Mike Mazurki to find his missing girl friend and lovely Claire Trevor to locate a stolen jade necklace.
But the spirit of Chandler's novel comes through.I'm not sure Dick Powell is the best Philip Marlowe ever on the big and small screen.
Produced by the legendary RKO during the golden age of American film noir, Murder, My Sweet remains to this day one of the best adaptations of the adventures of Philip Marlowe.The mythical antihero Raymond Chandler had a slew of excellent adaptations to the big screen including The Big Sleep by Howard Hawks and The Private by Robert Altman.
The private detective Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is hired by the violent and stupid Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to seek out his former girlfriend Velma Valento.
The dialogue is tough and quotable and is delivered by a collection of actors giving good performances, headed up by Dick Powell, doing his best to make us think of him first when we think of this story and the character of Marlowe..
There were many attempts to recreate on the screen Raymond Chandler's immortal character, Philip Marlowe, and probably the first serious effort was in 1944, with Edward Dmytryk directing
The film was called "Farewell My Lovely" in Britain and "Murder, My Sweet" in the United States
The plot, as always with this genre, mattered far less than the characters and the action: it was sparked when Marlowe was hired to find an ex-convict's girl friend
This Marlowe was played by Dick Powell
He made a daring, successful effort to drop his all-singing, all-dancing image, and he was tough enough; but he was a little too charming, a shade too superficial, to suggest the depths and the strengths of the real Marlowe
Humphrey Bogart was the man to do this above all others
And he did it superb1y in Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" in 1946
"Murder My Sweet" is a complex thriller which seemed at the time to demonstrate all manner of strikingly new techniques in a film noir mood, and certainly marked an astonishing transformation in its star...
Offered as a paragon of the noir, Murder, My Sweet was my second of the genre, and first to introduce me to both the private eye and the femme fatale.Hired by the appropriately named Moose Malloy, private eye Philip Marlowe is tasked with finding his former lover Velma.
Based on the novel Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler, Edward Dmytryk's film adaptation Murder, My Sweet is one of the essential works in the genre of film noir.
The film stars one of Chandler's most famous characters: private detective Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) has been arrested and explains his story to the police in a flashback.
Can anybody be trusted, when everyone from the family's daughter Ann (Anne Shirley) to a self- proclaimed psychic named Amthor (Otto Kruger) seems to be reaching for their own personal goals?Describing Murder, My Sweet is like listing the characteristics of film noir in general: shadowy and starkly contrasted black & white cinematography, morally ambiguous characters, snappy dialogue...
The arguably confusing plot is full of twists and turns that further underscore the unpredictable nature of the world the film is set in – it can be said that the mood is equally important to the plot.Dick Powell plays the lead role quite lightly and doesn't come across as tough as some other noir detectives.
Of the supporting actors the most memorable ones are the menacing Mike Mazurki as the easily angered (if slightly cartoonish) "Moose" Malloy and Ralf Harolde as the calm Dr. Sonderborg whose indifferent attitude during the drug sequence makes the scene all the more devoid of hope.Even though film noir hasn't become one of my favourite types of cinema, Murder My Sweet is a rather enjoyable crime story on its own right.
Well well, here we have a noir film that really has to be one of the most divisive in the genre, it would seem that some feel it's closer in texture to what Raymond Chandler wrote, and that the portrayal of Phillip Marlowe by Dick Powell is spot on in its execution.Many others disagree completely though...Now since I haven't read any of the novels Chandler wrote I have no frame of reference there, but having watched The Big Sleep this past week I feel the push me pull you polar opposite feelings this film creates.Phillip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is a gruff wise cracking private eye, he is hired by ex convict Moose Malloy (a splendid Mike Mazurki) to find former girlfriend Velma who has been missing for 6 years, this sends him spiralling into a web of deceit, blackmail, theft, murder, in short all the great ingredients for classic noir.
Powell does good enough, but the wisecracks to me became more of a hindrance than an enjoyment, I felt in short that I was being lifted out of the dark when I actually wanted to stay cloaked in mud.The film is still an incredible watch, the photography from Harry Wild is lush, and the core essence of the story is bang on the money, while I should mention the cracking performances of the supporting cast as Claire Trevor and Otto Kruger join in the mystery to help raise the film to a higher standard.
In actual fact I'd seen this before the likes of 42nd Street, so it was more of shock to see Marlowe singing and dancing in those bits of Warner fluff - as Marlowe, Powell is a convincing, world-weary detective, and this story (aka 'Murder, My Sweet') has particular strengths, particularly the scene with the cupid's statue, and the hallucinations..
Watchable film noir with Dick Powell slightly improbably taking on the evergreen Philip Marlowe character in a typically convoluted Raymond Chandler plot-line, directed with pace and occasional imagination by Edward Dymytryk.To be truthful I'm still trying to reassemble the jigsaw puzzle storyline and characters together in my head, but it's probably better just to absorb the dialogue and played out situations instead.
Even the fact when Marlow, and later Moose, find out just who this Valma is was so anticlimactic that if you didn't really concentrate hard enough to what was happening it would have completely eluded you."Murder my Sweet" is nowhere as good and as interesting as it's remake some thirty years later as the movie "Farewell my Lovely" with Robert Mitchum in the same role of hard boiled private eye Philip Marlow..
Have seen this film many times over the years and always enjoy watching Dick Powell playing the role as Philip Marlowe a private investigator who is a rough and tough guy who has a very warm heart for all kinds of women.
This landmark film is arguably the quintessential film noir.Los Angeles is the setting for this fantastic tale of stolen jade, marital misconduct, a search for a lost love and of course....murder!Raymond Chandler's world weary Private Eye Philip Marlowe was first brought to the screen in this adaptation of his novel "Farwell, My Lovely".
Not quite up to the level of the `The Big Sleep', another Raymond Chandler story featuring the character of detective Philip Marlowe that was released as a movie at approximately the same time, `Murder My Sweet' is, nonetheless, a very creditable example of the 1940s film noir genre.
Although Dick Powell is no substitute for Humphrey Bogart, who played the same character in `The Big Sleep', he does a good job of portraying the Chandler's gritty Los Angeles private detective.
Philip Marlowe might now always be associated with Humphrey Bogart but this first adaptation of Farewell my Lovely, directed by Edward Dmytryk and a suitably film noir lighting by Harry J Wild who created a dangerous shadowy world.Dick Powell plays the hard boiled tough talking private eye Philip Marlowe hired by a recently released ex-convict Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend Velma.
A film adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel "Farwell, My Lovely", "Murder, My Sweet" is a great example of noir, with dramatic lighting, many night scenes, and a number of tough characters.
A few years after this role, Ms. Trevor will win an Oscar for her work in "Key Largo" in a very different role.Chandler's Marlowe is quick with the wisecracks and the similes ("She had a face like a Sunday school picnic.") I leave it up to the viewer to decide if Powell fully embodies the tough guy, but I think he does surprisingly well.
The design of the drug trip/withdrawal scene in the clinic had to be believable for it to work and it is certainly a striking feature, but my most memorable single image in the film would be the perfect match cut when Marlowe holds Marriott's driving licence in his hand and then it cuts to the same card in the hands of a detective.And before I forget, Mike Mazurki was simply awesome in his role as the soft-hearted toughie Moose Malloy.
Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is a private investigator who, at the start of the film, is hired by the hulking Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to track down his old girlfriend who he has lost touch with during his stint in jail.
I could just about keep up with this one, but I'm still lost on The Big Sleep, although it doesn't ruin what I believe is one of the best of the film noirs.Dick Powell, most recognisable from musicals and comedies such as the Gold Diggers films and 42nd Street, seems an odd choice to play the deadbeat Marlowe.
The hard-boiled writings of Raymond Chandler helped to define the film-noir movement during the 1940s, particularly the novels that featured unsentimental private-eye Philip Marlowe.
In fact, in order to prevent American audiences from expecting a romantic wartime musical, the film's title was changed from "Farewell My Lovely," the name of Chandler's source novel.Dick Powell may not be Humphrey Bogart, but he brings a wonderful comic swagger to the role of Marlowe.
Good looking film version of Raymond Chandler's "Farewell, My Lovely", with Dick Powell taking a great career turn as private detective Philip Marlow.
******* Murder, My Sweet (12/9/44) Edward Dmytryk ~ Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger.
Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is hired by big, violent ex-con Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to track down a woman he loved before being sent to prison.
Edward Dmytryk's Murder, My Sweet, adapted from Raymond Chandler's classic Farwell, My Lovely, is clear from the first viewing that anyone with a remote interest in the style and approach of the "film noir" should see it, particularly if one has a fondness for the couple of dozen private-eye films made from the era.
And when the film gets relatively dramatic, he finds the right pitches and reactions with the story (it's one of the more amusing aspects in all of film-noir with his chemistry not with the women, but with the actor playing Moose Malloy).Mystery stories may come and go with time, but the work of Chandler outlasts many stories without a grounded sense of humor, believable and likely characters, and twists to keep people on their seats.
It has all of the elements of the genre; dark shadows, night scenes, plenty of cigarette smoke, mist, crisp black and white photography together with murder and mystery.Private eye Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is approached one night by the aptly named Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) who has just been released from prison and wants Marlowe to find his former girlfriend Velma.
This film from 1944 was released as "Farewell, My Lovely" in the United Kingdom, but in America it is known as "Murder, My Sweet", apparently because Dick Powell had previously been better known as the star of light-hearted musicals and the studio wanted to ensure that audiences knew they would be seeing a crime drama, not a comedy.
Edward Dmytryk directed this first adaptation of author Raymond Chandler's classic private detective character Philip Marlowe(soon to be made even more famous by Humphrey Bogart in the Howard Hawks directed "The Big Sleep").
At the heart of the story is an expensive jade necklace that's missing.Based on the Raymond Chandler novel "Farewell, My Lovely", this film is like many 1940's detective stories, in that the plot is confusing, convoluted, and hard to follow.
Both actors, in their own ways, portray what a 1940's private detective might be like."Murder, My Sweet" will appeal to fans of Dick Powell and to fans of noir detective films of that era.
Starting the title with Murder emphasised that this wasn't a musical...Producer Val Lewton forever struggling with low budgets resorted to lighting and sound as cheap and effective ways to advance the plot line - used to good effect in a number of noirs...Writer Raymond Chandler saw Philip Marlowe as a Bogart type tough guy.
Adaptation of Raymond Chandler's enduring mystery novel "Farewell, My Lovely" (filmed previously, so to speak, as "The Falcon Takes Over" in 1942) is mostly a set-bound noir, with Dick Powell looking a tad fit and clean as "grubby" Los Angeles detective Philip Marlowe tying in the disappearance of some jewels to a missing lounge singer.
What did audiences think when Dick Powell was cast as Philip Marlowe in this great film?
Dick Powell is seen as the famous detective Philip Marlowe, a character created by Raymond Chandler.In this movie he's hired by the big man Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to find his old girlfriend Velma he lost track of while doing time in prison.That's not an easy task, Marlowe soon notices.Edward Dmytryk's Murder, My Sweet (1944) is a Film-Noir treat.Dick Powell does very good job in the lead.Some people may say he's no Bogie but the truth is he's not.He gives his own kind of portrayal of the character and it works.The femme fatale Mrs.Helen Grayle is played by Claire Trevor and she's wonderful.And so is Anne Shirley, in her last performance before her early retirement.She does the role of Ann Grayle.Her father is played by Miles Mander.Otto Kruger plays Jules Amthor.The movie looks good from the beginning till the end.It's great how they blacken the screen when our protagonist goes senseless.Murder, My Sweet is another great Marlowe mystery..
The screenplay by John Paxton is particularly effective because it succeeds in bringing a level of clarity to the story's rather complicated plot at the same time as accurately capturing the style of hardboiled dialogue which is such a strong feature of Chandler's work.Dick Powell who plays the part of private detective Philip Marlowe, had previously been known for his roles in comedies and musicals and so "Murder, My Sweet" represented a new departure for him.
Basically private eye Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell, famous in musicals) is hired by recently released petty crook Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to find Velma Valento, his former girlfriend not seen for six years.
Powell makes just as good presence as Bogart did playing the role of Philip Marlowe, I may not have caught up with everything going on, but it is a good black and white classic film noir.
The story is told in flashbacks and revolves around detective Philip Marlowe (played by Dick Powell), who, of course, is the iconic creation of Raymond Chandler.
But two out of three ain't bad, especially since the murderer's identity in "The Big Sleep" was entirely bypassed by the time that film ended; even Raymond Chandler didn't know who did it, and he wrote the book.Here's a thought - how great would it have been if Mike Mazurki, Claire Trevor, Otto Kruger, Anne Shirley, heck, even Dick Powell were still around to do "Sin City"? |
tt1046947 | Last Chance Harvey | Divorced American Harvey Shine writes jingles for television commercials, a job not in keeping with his dream of being a jazz pianist and composer. His position at work is tenuous as he departs for London to attend his daughter Susan's wedding. Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport, he encounters Kate Walker, a single Londoner who works collecting statistics from passengers as they pass through the terminals. Tired and anxious to get to his hotel, Harvey brusquely dismisses her when she approaches him with the survey.
Arriving at his hotel Harvey discovers that he is the only wedding guest booked in there. He is hurt to discover that has his ex-wife Jean has rented a house to accommodate everyone who is attending from the States, except him. At the dinner on the night preceding the wedding, it becomes increasingly clear Harvey is now an outsider to his daughter's life and is being excluded from the clan around his ex-wife's new husband Brian. Their politeness towards him is insincere and makes him feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. Susan tells Harvey that as her step-father Brian has been more of a father to her in the last few years than he has, she is going to ask him to give her way at her wedding. Clearly upset, but accepting of her decision Harvey lies and tells Susan that he will be attending the ceremony but not the reception because he has to urgently return to the States.
Meanwhile, Kate is on a blind date that is not going well. After taking a phone call from her neurotic mother Maggie, she returns to the table to discover that her date has bumped into friends at the bar and invited them to join them. Feeling socially awkward and excluded from the group she eventually goes home.
The following morning Harvey attends the wedding and then leaves immediately for the airport, having been excluded again and seated at the back of the church instead of the front in his true place next to his daughter. Owing to the heavy London traffic he is delayed and misses his flight back to the States. When he calls his boss to advise him he will be returning later than planned he is fired. Needing to drown his sorrows, Harvey goes to an airport bar and sees Kate who is there having a solitary lunch. Recognizing her from the day before, he apologizes for his rude behavior. She initially resists the attention he is paying her but soon they're both glad to finally have an honest, genuine conversation with someone.
Harvey, feeling lonely and not wanting to stay in an hotel by the airport, follows Kate and joins her on the train to Paddington station. He asks if he can walk her to her writing class on the South Bank. She accepts his offer and is pleased when he offers to wait for her and meet her afterwards. As they stroll along the South Bank River Thames, Harvey mentions he is missing Susan's wedding reception, and Kate urges him to go. He finally relents, but only if she will accompany him. Kate insists that she is not properly dressed for such an occasion, so Harvey buys her a dress and the two head to the Grosvenor House Hotel, where they are welcomed by Susan and squeezed in at two places on the children's table. When 'the-father-of-the-bride' is called upon to make a toast, Brian rises and begins to speak but Harvey interrupts claiming his right as her biological father. He then delivers a touching, eloquent speech that redeems him with his daughter and endears him to Kate.
Following the bride and groom's first wedding dance, the groom calls Harvey up to dance with his daughter. He happily does so, and then all the guests join them on the dance floor. Harvey is enjoying himself on the dance floor and Kate is left at the children's table, finding herself again in the same position as on the blind date. She starts to feel socially awkward and out of place, alone in the room full of strangers. Harvey is dancing and appears to have forgotten Kate. She bears her feelings as long as she can and eventually quietly leaves. Soon after Harvey returns to the table to find her gone.
Harvey, now looking for Kate, goes into the corridor and seeing her waiting for the elevator, he disappears into a side room where there is a piano and begins to softly play one of his own jazz compositions. She hears the music and follows it, finding Harvey smiling and waiting for her. He asks her to stay and return to the reception so he can dance her socks off. She agrees and they have a great time together.
Following the reception, Harvey and Kate walk and talk through London until dawn. Upon parting they exchange a single, gentle kiss and agree to meet at noon later that day. Back at his hotel, Harvey experiences serious heart palpitations having had to use the stairs as both lifts are out of order. He is taken to hospital. Forced to stay over night for treatment he misses the appointment with Kate, who turned up as agreed and waited for him. Upon being discharged the next day Harvey receives a call from his boss who has discovered that he needs Harvey to continue handling the account at work. He urges Harvey to return to as soon as possible. Harvey quits his job, deciding he prefers to remain in London and explore the possibility of a relationship with Kate. He tracks down Kate's work number and calls her to explain but she refuses to take the call. He goes looking for her at the airport and eventually tracks her down at her writing class. He explains why he missed their rendezvous and tells her that he wants to stay in London and begin a relationship with her. Overcautious about romance because of so much past emotional pain, Kate resists, but finally agrees to give things a chance to his suggestion that they see what the future might bring.
As they slowly stroll away along the South Bank, Harvey invites Kate to ask him the questions she would have asked him at the airport terminal, and this time, he happily answers, telling her his place of residence "...is in transition." | romantic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0042367 | Cyrano de Bergerac | In a Paris theater in 1640, a play begins before a fairly full house. After a few painfully dull lines are delivered by principal actor Montfleury (Arthur Blake), a boisterous heckler in a box disrupts the proceedings. The heckler is Cyrano de Bergerac (José Ferrer), poet and supreme swordsman, who says he cannot endure the actor's bombastic style. He gives Montfleury a slow count of three to disappear before coming at him, and the actor runs away. Eventually Cyrano confronts the playwright and theater manager, insisting that the play be closed. When the manager complains that he can't afford to refund money to the audience, Cyrano throws him a bag of gold coins.Watching from another box in the theater are Cyrano's distant cousin, the beautiful Roxane (Mala Powers), with her attendant (Virginia Farmer); the Comte de Guiche (Ralph Clanton), who is Roxane's suitor; and the Vicomte de Valvert (Albert Cavens), an arrogant aristocrat who is so annoyed he insults Cyrano with snide but clichéd comments about his enormous nose. This can only lead to a duel.Cyrano first mocks the vicomte's lack of wit, improvising numerous inventive ways in which Valvert might have phrased references to the giant nose, much to the amusement of the audience. Cyrano then announces he will compose a poem and recite it during the duel, which he does -- thus showing off simultaneously his skills as poet and swordsman. With the last line, he stabs his opponent, and the audience leaves.Cyrano's friend Le Bret (Morris Carnovsky), captain of the Gascony guards, warns him he has made powerful enemies, but Cyrano is unconcerned.When Le Bret presses him as to why he hates Montfleury, Cyrano admits that he became jealous when he saw the actor making advances towards Roxane. He confesses that he is in love with her, but harbors no hope of being loved in return because of his deformity, his huge nose. Le Bret suggests they go out to eat, but Cyrano says he has no money left, as all he had was in the bag he threw at the theater manager -- a costly grand gesture that he does not regret.A beautiful fruit seller (Elena Verdugo) overhears Cyrano, offers him food and wine from a buffet prepared for the theater patrons, and mentions her admiration for his poetry and bravery. But he refuses charity food, accepting only a grape, a sip of water and half a macaroon. This is his way of acknowledging her regard while emphasizing his disdain for money.Le Bret points out to Cyrano that the girl's admiration indicates he has real possibilities of being loved despite his nose. He also tells him that Roxane watched his duel with an excited fascination that surely was encouraging.Roxane's servant reenters to arrange a meeting between Roxane and Cyrano the next morning after church. Cyrano, becoming bold, says he will wait at the pastry shop run by his friend Ragueneau (Lloyd Corrigan).At this point, pastry chef and fellow poet Ragueneau approaches Cyrano for help. Ragueneau has been warned that De Guiche, whom Ragueneau has mocked in published poetry, has hired a hundred ruffians to give him a beating that night, and he asks to sleep at Cyrano's. Cyrano scoffs at the threat, promising Ragueneau he will escort him safely home. The mob of ruffians appears as Cyrano walks with Ragueneau on a dark and deserted street and Cyrano alone routs them, wounding many and killing eight.The next day at the pastry shop, before he can tell Roxane of his feelings, she informs him that she has fallen in love with a handsome guardsman, Christian de Neuvillette (William Prince). She has never even spoken to Christian, but wants Cyrano to protect him. Cyrano hides his devastation and promises to help.At a gathering of the regiment, rookie recruit Christian de Neuvillette is being made fun of by the others. Christian asks the captain how he can establish himself, and the captain answers he must not accept mocking and must somehow demonstrate his valor. Christian is also advised never to mention the word nose or anything related to noses when Cyrano is present, or face the consequences. Moments later, Cyrano arrives to tell about his routing of the hundred ruffians hired to beat up Ragueneau. Christian, from the sidelines, interrupts the telling by adding the word nose whenever he can work it into the story, as in "It was so dark you couldn't see . . . BEYOND YOUR NOSE."At the first such interruption, Cyrano stops and menacingly asks who that new face might be, and he is told the young man's name is Christian de Neuvillette. Cyrano reins in his increasing anger through repeated interruptions, finally ordering everyone in the regiment out while he talks to Christian.Cyrano reveals that he knows that Christian is in love with Roxane, that he is Roxane's cousin, and that he talks to her often, whereupon Christian profusely apologizes for his recent insults. Cyrano decides to help in Christian's wooing of Roxane after Christian admits that while he is not shy or tongue-tied when talking to men, he becomes hopelessly inept when he tries to talk to Roxane. Cyrano knows words of love and starts to coach Christian systematically.Meantime, De Guiche consults his uncle, Cardinal Richelieu (Edgar Barrier), as to how to punish Cyrano for duels and fighting, which had been forbidden by Richelieu. The cardinal tells him that when a man is as talented as Cyrano with both words and sword, exceptions should be made so his talents can serve the state. De Guiche accepts the advice.Cyrano composes love letters to Roxane, which are sent and read as though they were from Christian. She finds them irresistible. Christian talks to Roxane using memorized and practiced phrases supplied by Cyrano, and she falls ever more deeply in love. Cyrano continues his own visits to Roxane, during which they talk mostly about her love for Christian. De Guiche, meantime, has not given up his suit for Roxane's hand, and is much annoyed at meeting Cyrano at Roxane's, although he follows Richelieu's advice and makes no trouble.Later, Christian decides he wants no more help and tries to speak to Roxane on his own, in her garden. Roxane rebuffs him in short order and reenters her house. Cyrano, who had been watching from behind some bushes, comes to his rescue, whispering words to him that Christian speaks loudly to her from beneath her window. When she admires his newly found words but is puzzled by how hesitantly he speaks, Cyrano takes over completely, able to pull off the deceit because of the darkness and because he is beneath the balcony. At the point that Roxane is totally won over by Cyrano's eloquence, a friar (Francis Pierlot) arrives bearing a letter from De Guiche for Roxane. De Guiche insists on marrying her that night, as his regiment is ordered to join the siege at Arras and must leave the next morning. He will be arriving soon after the friar.Roxane reads the sealed letter aloud but changes its content, telling the friar he is sent to immediately perform a rite marrying her to Christian, and as this is somewhat irregular, one hundred and twenty gold coins will be given to his monastery.Cyrano stays in the garden to delay De Guiche until the marriage ceremony is over. Cyrano intercepts de Guiche as he arrives and pretends, in a long conversation with detailed technical explanations, that he has just fallen from the moon. Furious at finding Roxane married, De Guiche, who is Christian's commander, orders him to join his unit immediately for the siege against the Spanish armies. Roxane begs Cyrano to get Christian to write her a letter every day, and he promises.The siege becomes complicated, as the besieging French are in turn encircled by Spaniards. It is Cyrano who writes letters to the fair Roxane, but in Christian's name. De Guiche's heroism in battle wins the admiration of Cyrano, who had previously despised him, so the enmity between these two evolves into respect. To send the letters every day, Cyrano must risk his life to cross the no-man's-land between the opposing armies.Learning that a convoy will carry food and supplies through the battle zone to the besieged French forces, Roxane in disguise stows away on a wagon and thus arrives to visit her husband in the camp. They embrace joyfully, and she thanks him profusely for the daily letters that she has received from him, telling him that she is now more than ever in love with the great soul she knows from the words he writes.Christian did not know about the letters, so he realizes she has fallen in love with Cyrano's words. He pretends to be concerned about what might happen if he were to become seriously wounded in the upcoming battle -- crippled, perhaps; disfigured, maybe. What if he were to become ugly? She radiantly proclaims none of that would make any difference.Christian leaves Roxane for a moment and goes to talk with Cyrano, reporting Roxane's proclamations of love despite ugliness or physical disfigurement. He gets his rival to promise to tell Roxane the truth about the words and letters, and let her decide between them.Before the opportunity arises, an attack begins, a major battle ensues, Christian volunteers for a dangerous mission and is brought back fatally wounded. Cyrano deceives Roxane, so Roxane tells Christian that she knows everything, and as he dies in her arms, Christian thinks he is the chosen one. Roxane finds a last unsent letter in his pocket and decides to carry it forever in a locket near her heart.Fourteen years pass. Roxane has entered a life of seclusion in a convent. Cyrano visits her once a week, at three o'clock on Saturdays, telling her news about the world outside and the gossip of the court, but never mentioning his feelings. De Guiche, who has also continued to visit her, has overheard a courtier plotting against Cyrano because he has continued to write satirical articles mocking the nobility. He warns Roxane that Cyrano's life may be in danger.One night, Cyrano is lured into an ambush and run down by a speeding wagon. Near death, acting against the doctor's orders, he hides his injuries and goes the next afternoon to keep his weekly appointment with Roxane.As he is received into the courtyard, he banters with Sister Marthe (Virginia Christine). When he gives her permission to pray for him, she says she did not wait for his permission.He is injured and weak, stumbling a bit, but he refuses all help, and just sits to visit, first making a few jokes about trivial events at court. He asks Roxane to let him read Christian's last letter, and she hands it to him, apologizing that it is wrinkled and faded and blurred with a few tears. He pretends to read, but he actually recites the letter from memory, as it is a farewell to her from someone who might be dying shortly.Listening to his voice and words, she first feels a special thrill at how eloquently he reads, but then recognizes the voice as the one she heard from her balcony many years before. As she turns to look, Roxane realizes that he is reciting from memory a letter that supposedly he has never seen before. It dawns on her it was Cyrano all the time: all the letters, all the words. She says, "It was you!"But it is too late. Cyrano slips into delirium and gets up with a last bit of energy. Refusing to die sitting down, he takes his sword in hand for the upcoming battle against Death, challenging Death with his final words, which sum up his life: "my white plume."Cyrano falls dead, and Roxane is left to mourn the death of a great love for the second time. | romantic, action | train | imdb | Jose Ferrer first performed "Cyrano de Bergerac" on Broadway in 1946, where it achieved a very successful run (for a revival).
This was in 1950, in a Stanley Kramer-produced film for which Ferrer won the Best Actor Oscar, beating out such actors as James Stewart in "Harvey", William Holden in "Sunset Blvd.", and Spencer Tracy in the original "Father of the Bride".Until the 1990 Gerard Depardieu Technicolor spectacular in French, Ferrer's version of "Cyrano" was considered the one to see.
Cowardly studio executives who were afraid that a film in blank verse would fail at the box office refused to give this film the kind of budget that Laurence Olivier had enjoyed in his 1940's Shakespeare films, or the kind of budget that was used in films like the 1936 M-G-M version of "Romeo and Juliet" and the 1935 "A Midsummer Night's Dream".And so, this "Cyrano" looks more like a cheap B-movie than a worthy film version of a classic play.
José Ferrer, an often maligned actor accused of hamminess and overemphasis, gives the performance of his life as Cyrano.
Unlike Depardieu, who speaks the beautiful French verse as rapidly as if he were firing a machine gun (as do the others in the French film), Ferrer allows us to appreciate the rich poetry in Brian Hooker's translation, long considered the greatest verse translation of a play into English.
Depardieu's supporting cast was excellent, but here Mala Powers is disappointingly ordinary and one-note, though beautiful, as Roxane, and William Prince is quite good as Christian, but Ralph Clanton as De Guiche is rather cartoonish, an ordinary hissable villain until the last half-hour or so.
Michael Gordon's direction is excellent, and the duel at the theatre, while not allowed to roam all over the location, as in Depardieu's version, is well done and more faithful in staging to author Edmond Rostand's intentions.This "Cyrano", however, definitely should not be allowed to fade away in obscurity, relegated to late-night TV, where it is now often mutilated for commercial breaks.
"Cyrano de Bergerac" is based on the play by Edmond Rostand about a swordsman and poet with a long nose who helps another man to win the woman he loves.
The film's story is an abridged version of the play based on the famous English translation from Brian Hooker.José Ferrer is excellent in the title role as Cyrano de Bergerac.
"Cyrano de Bergerac" is a solid adaptation of Rostand's play best known for a striking performance from José Ferrer..
I saw it three times in 1950, and watch at least twice a year since I bought the video.Jose Ferrer covers all the possible emotions an actor can in his role.
This is the best job of acting that I have ever witnessed in the thousands of movies I have seen.I must confess that although I give the supporting cast a B+ , I would have chosen different actors for most of the roles, including Roxanne.
(Perhaps, at the time, the producers didn't know what a classic they were creating and, therefore, didn't give as much thought to the casting as they might have otherwise.)It is a shame that Ferrer never again approached the level of excellence he displayed in Cyrano.
But this does not detract from the honor I pay this actor who gave a 15 year-old boy an example to follow: a REAL man.The best scene in the film is when Cyrano is dying in the court-yard at the nunnery, and the best line in the film is when Cyrano challenges Death with his final words which sum up his life, `
and that is,
my
white
plume.'.
Back years ago in high school studying Cyrano de Bergerac, with a textbook having pictures from this film, one of the other students asked simply why didn't he just get a nose job?
Jose Ferrer puts everyone else in the cast to shame with his performance of Cyrano.To be sure Cyrano de Bergerac is a one man play.
He's a swashbuckler to be sure, but you certainly couldn't cast any of the normal movie swashbucklers in that part.I don't know if the MTV generation will feel like my classmate of years ago, but if they turn away from music videos and watch this, they will be treated to a once in a lifetime acting performance..
But when an "oeuvre d'art" deserves it, why not?In this film all is fine tuned, well gauged, perfectly synchronized.I shall in particular emphasize the unforgettable José Ferrer's play of Cyrano's fathomless sorrow.If Hollywood could remember that there was a long time ago, in a far away galaxy, that thing named "The American Cinema"....
I suppose the character of Cyrano appeals to me so because he is a man of substance, not image (unlike so many contemporary heroes).`True.I carry my adornments only on my soul, decked with deeds instead of ribbons, mantled in my good name and crowned with the white plume of freedom!'Wow, what a line!There will never again be another Cyrano, as there will never be another actor capable of playing him so well as Jose Ferrer..
Michael Gordon directed the screen version that became a favorite of people who were delighted to make concessions to a man that was far from being endowed with any physical attributes.The enjoyment of the picture is due to the amazing tour de force by that wonderful actor, Jose Ferrer, a man whose friendship we cherished because he enriched our life with his honesty, frankness and charisma.
Mr. Ferrer's contribution to the stage and screen can be best sampled as we watch him become Cyrano, a man in love with his cousin Roxanne, whose great fear is the possible rejection of the beautiful young woman in favor of the handsome, and younger, Christian.This beloved theater play by Edmond Rostand had been translated by Brian Hooker, in what became the most familiar way American audiences met the illustrious French author.
The screen play by Carl Foreman clarifies the text in ways that the movie going public of that era could relate to this man whose wit and charm outweighed his appearance, which was dominated by a big nose that rendered him an unattractive man.
Morris Carnovsky, another great stage actor, appears as Le Bret and Ralph Clanton makes his contribution with his take of Guiche."Cyrano de Bergerac" is recommended to movie fans of all ages to watch the magnificent Jose Ferrer at his best..
Exceptional performance from Oscar winner Ferrer says it all in this adaptation of the famous Rostand classic love story.
In one of the greatest characters in dramatic literature, Cyrano is the poet with the long nose who writes tender love letters to a beautiful lady for his friend.
The english translation is great, sometimes word-for-word with the French but other times getting the spirit of it just right--as when Christian is making nose jokes at Cyrano.
But, as others have rightly pointed out, the production values are poor (to say the least), and the problem is only exacerbated by the poor quality of most video tapes currently available.But don't be scared, go rent this, the French version, and for fun, Steve Martin's Roxanne, and have a great time with this classic story.
Having posted a comment on the Depardieu version of this some time ago I finally found a (albeit less than technically perfect) DVD in France with French subtitles of the earlier version in which Puerto Rican-born Jose Ferrer tries on the role for size.
This leaves us with a movie that stands or falls on its central performance and on balance it not only stands but towers; Ferrer was born to play this role and so good is he that one can close one's eyes and bask in that magnificent timbre, as good in its way as that of Richard Burton or Orson Welles.
It IS, it has to be said, a one-role play and although both Mala Powers (Roxanne) and William Prince (Christian) went on to enjoy long careers they never appeared in anything half as memorable as this (a similar fate seems, it's still too soon to tell, to have befallen Depardieu's Roxanne, Ann Brochet and Christian, Vincent Perez).
See Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac, and George C Scott in Patton.I mostly watch just the long opening scene of Cyrano, which has two sensational pieces.
I don't know what actor played Ferrer's fencing opponent in this scene, but he was good at swordplay.
An excellent film with Jose Ferrer's finest performance.
Being a big fan of the Gerard Depardieu version, I was all for seeing this film from 1950 with Jose Ferrer.
Jose Ferrer became probably the most UN-deserved recipient of an Oscar in film history when he was presented with an Academy Award for 'best actor' in this drab filming of Edmond Rostand's wonderful play, 'Cyrano de Bergerac'.Ferrer's bombastically loud voice and tediously self-conscious acting destroys this little undertaking as soon as it gets started.
Mala Powers plays Roxanne with a bit more subtlety, but she fails to impress in any way.There are some rather clueless people out there who feel that Ferrer's performance was "brilliant".
Many, many years after I'd first seen the classic B&W film on television, I had the honor of working with the then much older Ferrer on the set of the TV series, "The Love Boat," the veritable graveyard of old and forgotten actors.
Cyrano de Bergerac (José Ferrer, in an award winning role) happens to be the finest swordsman in France, however, although courageous enough to challenge an army, his shy nature, reluctantly prevents him from voicing his Love for Roxane (Mala Powers) the woman he loves.
Enjoyed this great 1950 performance by Jose Ferrer who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for this role and he sure put his heart and soul into his role.
Cyrano De Bergerac was a very smart man with great talent in fighting with a sword, a poet, actor and a man who desperately need a woman to love and marry.
I think about all the classical music and plays that gave such meaning to people in the past and this movie shows us why it is so loved.
Saw this in a high school English class, remembered that mostly everybody enjoyed the movie, based on the novel about a charismatic swordsman-poet, who helps another guy woo the woman he loves.It's full of humor, drama, and tearful moments - a somewhat entertaining movie back in the day and definitely a classic and well-acted take to the novel.Grade B.
I haven't read Edmond Rostand's original novel - apparently a fictionalized account of Cyrano de Bergerac's life - but Michael Gordon's* screen adaptation is a fine romp.
And damned if Mala Powers isn't a babe!The only other adaptation that I've seen is 1987's "Roxanne", starring Steve Martin as a long-nosed fire chief wooing a young student.
Jose Ferrer won an Oscar as Best Actor for this, probably because the Hollywood of the day noticed he was doing a lot of 'acting' and because the film was based on a 'classic', and a French one at that, it must be a prestigious production.
Of course, Ferrer was flavour of the month, (he was already carving out something of a career for himself on Broadway), and while he was not a bad actor he was never a great one.The movie is a dumbing down of Edmond Rostand's original, made light enough for a commercial audience and it's not unenjoyable in a banal sort of way, but it doesn't shake you up and has none of the pleasures that Steve Martin afforded us in Fred Schepisi's wonderful modern version "Roxanne".
Michael Gordon's "Cyrano de Bergerac" was a pleasant experience as long as it was carried by the flamboyant eloquence and thunderous voice of actor Jose Ferrer, which means a good portion of the film.
But Edmond Rostand's iconic play isn't just the tale of a poet and a fighter, it is also an iconic romance, the story of a magnificent love triangle, where the looks of a man, and the wits of another create the perfect suitor for the heart of Roxane who's not a bland heroine either.But Jose Ferrer, who won the Oscar for that role (and it was the only nomination) was good, too good, so good he made any role thankless.
Young but witless Christian (William Prince) and the beautiful Roxane (Mala Powers) are unfortunately no match for Ferrer who owns the show whenever he appears.
And reality joined fiction at the Oscar ceremony.Ferrer wasn't even present at the ceremony but his voice was enough, you could tell it was Cyrano winning, and it's only fair that the other iconic performance of Cyrano de Bergerac, by Gérard Depardieu, won a similar award.
Ferrer does a magnificent job but even his performance can't make up for the rather, bland theatrical look, more apparent at the beginning, but the blurry black and white cinematography gives it the look of the TV movies we watched in little side.The sword fights choreographs are actually very convincing and you could really hear the crossing of irons, but there are moments though that betrayed some low budget aspect and it doesn't really help to enhance the enjoyment of the story.
Film industry should go back and see..go back to school..back to basics..This movie is a cornerstone..a piece of art..In all aspects..Thank you Jose Ferrer..You will always be remembered and honored..!!!!.
The charismatic swordsman-poet (Jose Ferrer) helps another woo the woman he loves (Mala Powers) in this straightforward version of the play.So, this is a "straightforward" version of the play.
Made on a skimpy budget with largely second-rate actors, this movie very seldom rises to the magnificence of one of the truly great masterpieces of French theater.Except when José Ferrer is playing Cyrano.
Had the adaptation of the play been better, i.e., had Cyrano been given more of his lines and in a better translation, I'm sure that Ferrer would have shone even more.
Much cut from the play, but dialogue not rewritten.This is a very good movie but for me it pales compared to the version with Depardieu.He has a way with the character that no one can touch..
Th original play, a fictionalized biography of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmund Rostand, from which the film was drawn, is one of the chief ornaments of the nineteenth century's literature.
He is in love with his cousin Roxane, the most beautiful woman at the French court; but he consents to write love letters to her for his handsome, courageous but ungifted friend, perhaps to prove to himself that his creative talents might have won the love of the world's fairest ornament, so long as she did not know he were the unattractive source of such beautiful utterance.When the beautiful young man is killed in the wars, during which Cyrano becomes a popular hero, he continues the deception.
Only at the tale end of the play, when it is too late, does the truth dawn on Roxane.In 1947 Jose Ferrer was appearing on Broadway in Cyrano de Bergerac.
But it is the central role that makes this play and film, and in the capable hands of Ferrer it was done well.
Two years before Laurence Olivier won an "Oscar" as best actor for his HAMLET - really the first time a classic play role got the honor from the Academy.
In 1950 the Academy gave the best actor "Oscar" to Ferrer, for the second classic play role on film, as well as the first Puerto Rican actor so honored..
A great performance by Jose Ferrer highlighted by his receiving of the Academy Award for best actor of 1950 in this film based on the Edmund Rostand novel.A story of tragic love, Mala Powers played Roxane, the girl who admits at film's end that she has lost 2 loves.Set in the 1600's, the film tells the tragic tale of Cyrano, a poet playwright, philosopher, and swordsman who loves Roxane but feels rejection because of the size of his nose.When she professes love for Christian, he guides him through the words in expressing his love for the lady.There is politics in this film.
Most people will recognise the Gérard Depardieu version better, or even the Steve Martin comedy Roxanne that it is based on, but this was the first film adaptation of the play by Edmond Rostand, and I wanted to see if the leading actor deserved the accolades he got, directed by Michael Gordon (Pillow Talk).
Basically in the 17th century, the year 1640, in Paris, France, the charismatic Cyrano de Bergerac (Oscar and Golden Globe winning José Ferrer) is a talented poet and supremely skilled swordsman, but he is ridiculed and preventing himself from expressing his feelings, because of his large nose.
Cyrano is hopelessly in love with his beautiful cousin Roxane (Golden Globe nominated Mala Powers), but is sure that will reject him for his oversized hooter, meanwhile she confesses to him that she has fallen for handsome guardsman Christian de Neuvillette (William Prince).
Ferrer, who had played the part on Broadway, certainly gives a dignified and moving performance, I can see why he won the Oscar, and there is good support from Prince and Powers, the politics and stuff isn't really worth mentioning, there are some engaging fight sequences, but it is definitely all about the love story, you feel sympathy for the hero with the big conk, an interesting period romantic drama.
Production Designer Rudolph Stenard Starring Jose Ferrer, Mala Powers, William Prince.
The play is wonderful, the Film magic and Mr. Jose Ferrer is superb.
Cyrano (Jose Ferrer) looks okay except that he has this long, pointed Pinocchio nose which "marches on before me by a quarter of an hour." He is desperately in love with his distant cousin Roxanne (Mala Powers) but believes she could never love such an ugly person. |
tt1645080 | The Art of Getting By | George (Freddie Highmore) is a loner high school student with a penchant for drawing and skipping class. He has a nihilistic view of the world which is why he never does homework and skips school frequently. His academic delinquency puts him on academic probation. One day while on the school roof he encounters another classmate, Sally (Emma Roberts), smoking. When a teacher appears, George pulls out a cigarette and takes the fall for Sally. The two become friends. On career day, George meets a young artist, Dustin, and finds him inspiring. He brings Sally with him to visit Dustin at his studio in Brooklyn and it becomes apparent that Dustin finds Sally attractive. Sally invites George to a New Year's Eve party. At the party, she dances with an ex-boyfriend and George gets drunk, goes outside, throws up, and falls asleep in an alley. Sally finds him there and takes him to her place, putting him to bed on a pull-out next to her bed. They grow close and George gets more involved in school.
On Valentine's Day, the two go out to dinner and Sally starts asking questions what he thinks of her. George is evasive, and she asks him if he'll have sex with her. George freezes. Sally backtracks and claims she was kidding. He remains withdrawn and begs off early. He refuses to take Sally's calls and avoids her. One day Sally runs into Dustin in the street and after a while the two of them start a relationship. George who is troubled by this stops doing homework and is again sent to the principal's office. The principal gives George two choices: he can be expelled, or he can make up all of the homework he has missed all year. George is confronted by his mother and stepfather at home, and he responds by telling his mother that his stepfather has been lying about work. The stepfather attacks him and George knocks him down before taking off. He goes to Sally's place and, in the hallway, he kisses her. Sally kisses back but breaks away. Dustin is there in her apartment. Angry and hurt, George leaves.
The next morning, George finds his mother in the park. She tells him she's divorcing George's stepfather. George consoles her and begins to rethink his situation with Sally. At school he decides to make up his assignments and collects them. His art teacher tells him he wants only one project, but that it must be honest and real. George works on his assignments and takes his final exams. Sally continues seeing Dustin. One day George gets a message from Sally. They meet in a bar and Sally tells him she's going backpacking with Dustin through Europe and skipping graduation. George tells her he loves her and they go back to her apartment, where they kiss. Sally tells him that she loves him too and promises they'll be together one day. George turns in all his assignments and the principal tells him he'll know he's passed if his name is called at graduation. George's art teacher applauds him on his project. George sits at the graduation ceremony with Sally's friends with his mother in the audience. Sally is at the airport with Dustin. George's name is called and his mother applauds. Afterwards George is in the art classroom looking at his art project. It is a portrait of Sally. Sally walks in and joins him looking at the painting as the film closes. | depressing, philosophical | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0311429 | The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | In an alternate 1899, several high profile crimes occur in various nations throughout Europe, each allegedly carried out by nationals of other countries, leading Europe to the brink of war. An emissary of the British government, Sanderson Reed (Tom Goodman-Hill), arrives in a gentlemens club in Kenya, hoping to recruit the legendary, but now aged, hunter and adventurer Allan Quatermain(Sean Connery) to investigate the situation. However, Reed finds that Quatermain's sense of patriotism has declined over the years, and he refuses to offer his services. Suddenly, a group of armoured men armed with machine guns appear, and begin killing the club members. Quatermain defeats the attackers single-handed, giving chase to finish the last one, thereby surviving the club's destruction by a bomb planted by the men. Quatermain reluctantly agrees to return to England, deciding that a full scale war between the nations of Europe will quickly spread to Africa.Some time later, Quatermain arrives in London and meets the mysterious 'M'(Richard Roxburgh), who explains his plan to assemble a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to combat the threat of The Fantom, who is the true mastermind of the current crisis, and ensure world peace, by stopping him from destroying Venice. In short order, Quartermain meets Captain Nemo(Naseeruddin Shah), the invisible gentleman thief Rodney Skinner(Tony Curran), and Mrs. Mina Harker(Peta Wilson), whom 'M' introduces as a well-regarded chemical scientist. Skinner had stolen an invisibility formula from its creator and is now helping the government in return for an antidote.'M' sends the group to meet up with the mysterious Dorian Gray(Stuart Townsend), whom they hope to convince to be another member of the League, but he refuses to join. While talking to Gray, Quatermain points out that a painting is obviously missing from a wall. Suddenly, the 'Fantom' and his men arrive, and the whole room erupts in a blazing gunfight, but one henchman reveals himself to be a friend of the group. During the fight, Dorian Gray's physical invulnerability is revealed, and The Fantom escapes. The fight ends with Mina being held with a knife at her throat. Mina's eyes suddenly turn red and she rips the throat from her assailant and feeds voraciously from his neck. Mina then explains her background, regarding her encounter with Dracula and her resultant powers. It is revealed the friendly 'henchman' is an American, Secret Service Agent Tom Sawyer(Shane West), whom a mildly impressed Quartermain allows to join them. The previously reluctant Dorian changes his mind and agrees to join the League. The League then takes Nemo's submarine, the Nautilus, to France to round up the Leagues last recruit.In Paris, Quartermain and Sawyer capture Mr. Hyde(Jason Flemyng) who quickly reverts to the meek and haunted Dr. Jekyll. He is happy to help when he learns that the Queen will allow his return to London if he does so. With the team complete, the Nautilus sets off for Venice. The group worry there is a traitor in their midst when flash powder is found in the wheel room of the Nautilus, and a vial of Jekylls serum is determined to be missing. Naturally, all think that the invisible thief, Skinner, is the culprit, but nothing can be done about it since Skinner is nowhere to be found.The Nautilus sails up the narrow canals of Venice, stopping under a bridge where it can go no further. A series of bombs has been planted under the city; they start to detonate and begin toppling buildings in a domino effect, one explosion after another. The team decides that knocking one of the buildings out of the sequence is the only way to stop the chain of explosions. Nemo has a missile that can be fired from the Nautilus at the building in question, but only if a beacon can be set in place. Since Nemo can track his "automobile," allowing it to serve as the beacon, the League piles in, with Sawyer at the wheel, and go racing along the streets of Venice.Along the way, Gray and Mina jump out separately to fight groups of henchmen. Quatermain also jumps from the vehicle to give chase to the 'Fantom' on foot. The two fight in a graveyard, where the 'Fantom' loses his mask. Before he makes his escape, the 'Fantom' is revealed to be none other than the mysterious 'M'. At the same time, Sawyer crashes the car into the target building, while firing a flare, which signals Nemo to launch his missile. The building is destroyed, the chain of explosions stops, and Venice is saved. Meanwhile, back at the Nautilus, the first mate Ishmael is met by Gray and blames Skinner for their troubles, but is proven wrong when Gray shoots him.The League regroups at the Nautilus, where Quatermain reveals that "M" is behind the whole thing. The dying Ishmael appears, denouncing Gray as the traitor. A small submersible vessel suddenly breaks from the Nautilus: it is Gray, making his escape with a smile and a wave to the assembled team. Nemo sets the Nautilus in pursuit, but along the way, a record is found and played on a gramophone. The voice of 'M' floods the room, as he reveals the scope of his plans. Everything leading up to this moment was a ruse so that 'M' could steal physical elements from each of the League members, so as to construct an army of super-powered soldiers; Captain Nemo's science, Jekyll's formula, Mina's blood, and a sample of Skinner's invisible skin. He also explains that he needed Quatermain only to capture Mr. Hyde. 'M' seeks to profit by starting a world war and selling armaments and weapons based on the powers of the League to the combatant countries. He blackmailed Gray into helping him by stealing his enchanted portrait, the missing picture from his home. As the record is played, it's second unheard signal sets off three bombs in the ship, but Mr. Hyde is able to stop the ship from sinking, earning the congratulations of Dr. Jekyll. Following a signal from Skinner, the Nautilus follows to the Asiatic Arctic and the League travel across the frozen wastes to a cave overlooking an industrial fortress. Skinner approaches (he had fled when he learned of their suspicions of him), and tells them that 'M' has a number of scientists and their families held as hostages and slaves in his munitions factory. The workers are constructing Nautiloi (copies of the Nautilus), while the scientists are working on an army of Hyde-like brutes, invisible spies, and vampire assassins.Splitting up, the League infiltrates the factory. Nemo and Hyde attempt to free the scientists and their families, while Sawyer and Quatermain go after 'M'. Mina goes in search of Gray, while Skinner sets off to plant some explosives. Nemo and Hyde run into the second-in-command, Dante, who drinks a very large dose of Jekyll's formula and transforms into a huge, hulking monster to combat Hyde. Mina has her showdown with Gray, which leads nowhere (as they are both immortal) until she confronts him with his enchanted portrait, causing him to decay before her eyes. Quatermain confronts 'M' in his lair and reveals his deduction that 'M' is none other than the supposedly dead Professor James Moriarty (nemesis of Sherlock Holmes). As Hyde is battling Dante, the explosives go off and Dante is crushed to death by falling debris. Quatermain, while holding Moriarty at gunpoint, sees in a reflection that an invisible man (Sanderson Reed), has Sawyer held at knife point behind him. He turns and shoots the invisible villain, only to be stabbed in the back by Moriarty, who makes another escape, fleeing across the ice. Quatermain is mortally wounded; Sawyer is forced to use the marksmanship skills that Quatermain had taught him. He shoots Moriarty before he can leave in his stolen submersible vessel. Moriarty's case, containing the secrets that Gray had stolen from the League, falls into the ocean, and Moriarty dies on the spot. Quartermain also dies soon after.The group assembles in Africa to bury Quatermain. As the group sadly departs, a tribal witch doctor takes handfuls of dirt from Quatermain's grave and begins a ritual chant. We are reminded of a witch doctor's pronouncement, recounted by Quatermain at the beginning of the movie, that "Africa would not let [Quatermain] die." The earth shakes violently, making the rifle that Sawyer had left on the grave shake. Lightning strikes Quatermain's grave right before the screen cuts to black. | gothic, murder, paranormal, cult, alternate reality, violence, sci-fi | train | imdb | It seems to be divided between people who don't like the movie because it's not enough like the original graphic novel and people who don't like it because they've never heard of half of the characters that are members of the League.
Having been critically panned by both film critics and fans of the original comic book version, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (which is hardly a league of "Gentlemen" considering the presence of a female character) was absolute rubbish.
However, despite the flagrant misuse of characters established in classic Literature (Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Invisible Man, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and especially The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) there is an essentially a massively fun film to be found, made all the more enjoyable if you disengage your brain and just don't question the ridiculous goings on of the alternate Victorian universe the film is set in.So in conclusion, if a night of brainless action adventure fun is what you'r after, then the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is sufficiently enjoyable material..
(League is based on a comic book series that I have not read, nor if I had would not use as a comparison.) Our team of intrepid super heroes consists of Alan Quartermain (Sean Connery), Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), a now vampiress Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), The Invisible Man (Tony Curran), Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend), Tom Sawyer (Shane West) and Dr Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (Jason Flyming).
So, if you enjoy reading and would like to look at this movie with a better view, read: The Allan Quartermain books, the Sherlock Holmes books, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, A Picture of Dorian Grey, Dracula, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, and The Invisible Man..
And you do not need to have read all of these books to understand the movie, but there is a bit of a lack of character developement that you may find, but my friends who hadn't done the reading also enjoyed the movie.It has great visual effects, some really good action sequences, and a really nice looking car.
Allan is teamed up with Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), Tom Sawyer (Shane West), Dorian Grey (Stuart Townsend), Dr. Jekyll (and Mr. Hyde; Jason Flemyng), and Rodney Skinner known as "The Invisible Man" (Tony Curran).This movie features a team of famous characters of literature that suit this period.
The movie had an interesting story line, good graphics, excellent fight scenes, and an awesome twist.
In fact, my only complaint is that a little too much screen time was devoted to Quatermain (Sean Connery) at the expense of the other characters--a pity, as each one of them (with the possible exception of Sawyer) truly is extraordinary and very much worth exploring in-depth.Overall, I found this film cool, quirky, and utterly enjoyable..
Bravo to the filmmakers for not spending 3/4 of the film explaining back history on these characters (NOTE If you are having trouble with this concept...read a book!) This film was ten times the movie that the overhyped Matrix Reloaded and the god awful Hulk was....oh and by the way; Mister Hyde was a much better Hulk than the Hulk was as well.
The awful truth is that almost no one reads these days, well at least not beyond Maxim´s hottest girls of the year.This film based (although not completely) on the graphic novel (a nice way to call a more sophisticated form of comic) by Alan Moore and Kevin O Neal is great.
Of course, if you have the culture to know what all these Victorian winks mean.Sthephen "blade" Norrington, brings us this fantastic extrvanganza, for the likes of some and the hatred of others, but as I say, if the people who come here trashing this film are the same who came out loving Xmen2...then why bother listening to them.Well the first Blade was a major success but in the end it became just a cult classic, this one has the same fate...by the time it gets to DVD it will become one of the most expensive cult movies of the year.
But I would like to think that the people who buy it, are the intelligent cult people who can recognize something good when it is in front of them.Now, not all of it is joy and roses, there are certain changes that did not help either the plot nor the development of characters...I´m aware that if Norrington would have stick up to the original comic plot, he wold have ended up with a R rating, so they lowered down some things, added up some action and even included characters and situations not seen in the book.
I'm sick of critics bashing something just because they seem to be the only ones that don't "get it." I doubt they've even read the original story it's based on.As for the comic book fans, despite all the differences, there's actually quite a few things they stayed true to..
Gentlemen in the movie they are, Gentlemen in the graphic novel they are not.On other grounds, this movie still does a lot to impress with fairly good special effects, action and settings.
Though I haven't read the graphic novel on which the film is based, I have read that both the graphic novel and the movie take place in a reality alternate from both out history and our literary canons; which means that even though Stoker never wrote Mina as turning into a vampire, it's okay for LXG to take the license to do so.
A bunch of fictional characters (Mina Harker, Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray, Tom Sawyer) are called together in 1899 to combat a madman who threatens to take over the world.The plot is silly and full of huge holes (Mina Harker was NOT a vampire; Tom Sawyer working for the U.S. government?; Mr. Hyde looks like a cousin to the Hulk; Dorian Gray is an immortal?) but the movie itself looks great, there are plenty of incredible special effects (and, surprisingly, some bad ones) and it moves so quickly that you really don't have time to stop and think about it.
There's a fight or action scene every 5 or 10 minutes or so--you won't be bored.All the acting is pretty good--Connery is excellent (as always) as Quatermain and Peta Wilson makes a very sexy vampire.
The only bad acting comes surprisingly from two good actors--Stuart Townsend is very dull as Dorian Grey and Shane West is way out of his league as Tom Sawyer.
These characters have a well defined existence in the root of many of our classic novels and such.Each of them at-odds with own demons, yet working together for a common good.I recommend this to any body who has imagination and who doesn't "literally" take a movies premise word for word from its original reference..
A Indiana Jones setting for adventure, six great characters from classic fiction, and a good story.Somehow, these elements were lost in the presentation.
You will see a huge difference, however, in the quality of the Connery Bond movies and LXE.The other characters were fun at times, but they either ended up underused, poorly portrayed or just odd.Wilson's Harker character was very confusing.
Not as good as Pirates, but still a fun movie, but I never read the books, or comics, but I think people seem to be taking that too seriously.
It didn't bother me that Tom Sawyer was a character in this movie, this was the sort of movie where a little 'goofiness' like that fits right in anyways.I didn't read the graphic novel, but if I had I might have been disappointed at the failure of the movie to really live up to the promise of its source material (judging by how many reviewers here talk about it.).
I however do enjoy watching movies with cool special effects, as well as the more serious and artistic films.
League is a fun movie to watch, it's not going to be nominated for Best Picture or anything like that, but if your looking to escape reality and experience a quite stunning fantasy world with some pretty cool characters then you might rent it.
I've seen better performances by Sean Connery, but I can't say that this one was bad.In summary: Good action movie, just don't get your expectations too high.
the characters were well cast, the movie flowed along at an interesting pace, i didn't know what was going to happen next, and the fight scenes were fun to watch.its a popcorn movie, and to that end i enjoyed it, the mr hyde character was much better done than the lame cgi hulk, sure some parts could have been done better but this isnt an art film its a movie and it does what its supposed to do..
Based on the graphic novel of the same name (as noted in the credits), it's no surprise at all to see the movie using similar lighting, colours and action that one would expect to find in a comic book.
25 August 2003 League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:Sean Connery is one of the all time greats and I have been a fan of his since the 1950's.
In Venice there's a worldwide congress , the leaders are threaten and a motley group of literature heroes are called to avoid it ; thus , there appear : Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery) of the book , King Solomon's Mines (H.R.Haggard) ; Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde (Jason Fleming) of Robert Louis Stevenson ; captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Sha) of 20.000 leagues of underwater journey by Jules Verne ; Mina Harker (Peta Wilson) of Dracula by Bram Stoker ; Dorian Gray (Stuart Towsend) by Oscar Wilde , Tom Sawyer (Shane West) of Mark Twain and even a Ismael (Terry O'Neill) of Moby Dick (Herman Melville) and Dr.Moriarty of Sherlock Holmes' books by Arthur Conan Doyle .The film is based on a comic by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill where are the same personages but has been added Tom Sawyer for being an American production although it has been also produced by Sean Connery who has got the greatest role .
When I want plot, I'll look elsewhere, but sometimes mindless entertainment beckons, and when it does, nothing satisfies like a fun action movie.
Backgrounds on several characters are missing which would have been helpful to connect better with certain individuals but with most being famous literary characters, the film makers probably figure the audience knows who they are already.The cast that makes of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a mixed bag at best.
Speaking of Dorian, Stuart Townsend is moderate as the character though most of the problems with him involve the background of the character rather then the acting.Overall, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a good film but is really more for fans of the comic book mini-series or those who seriously know their literary figures.
I have read most of the source material (the comic series and about half of the original novels), and I thought this movie did the characters justice.
In general, though, I thought this movie was great fun, and I find myself wondering as I read through these loathsome and unforgiving reviews, just what it was that these critics were expecting..
Thoroughtly enjoyable and rather classy action/sci-fi/costume flick featuring many well-known characters borrowed from classic novels; Tom Sawyer, Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, the Invisible Man, Jekyll/Hyde, and Dorian Gray, and Mina Harker (from "Dracula"), with sidelights on a few others, all set in an alternate-reality Late Victorian milieu.
Allan is persuaded out of retirement in Africa to head up a team of 'extraordinary gentlemen' (yes, I know about Mina, but if she weren't a lady, she certainly couldn't be a gentleman)to stop a super-villain who is planning to start a World War.James Robinson's screenplay successfully walks a line between the characters' literary antecedents and their later comic-book incarnations; the result is reminiscent of the the TV show "The Avengers" in its wit and style.
OK it may be slightly silly to see a 72 year old man getting into fist fights and generally running around like Connery did in films like From Russia With Love, but to me thats all part of the fun, and I would much prefer to see Sean do films like this than the likes of Finding Forrester or Rising Sun. Also the rest of the cast are great too, especially Peta Wilson who is absolutely stunning.
I have seen this film on DVD twice in the past day and conclude that -the story line (historical context) lacks credibility (eg Captain Nemo's guided missiles); - the acting is great, Sean Connery in particular; - the fx are superb (such as the black and white views of 1899 London; - the fight scenes are well choreographed and exciting; - the sets and costume are excellent.
Well, a film that includes science fiction/horror literary characters such as Dorian Gray, Jekyll/Hyde, the Invisible Man etc., is clearly a work of true fantasy.
Sean Connery's wit and sarcasm made the movie fun to watch and the action scenes were excellent.
What is really great about this film is the way a group of classic characters from 19th century literature are brought together to become a league of one and save the world.
Overall "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is a very good movie with a twist in the middle and a typical superhero plot of saving the planet from world domination.
The roster reads: Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery), expert hunter/adventurer; invisible thief Rodney Skinner (Tony Curran); inventor Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah); vampire Mina Harker (Peta Wilson); unstable Dr. Jekyll/Mr.Hyde (Jason Flemyng); immortal Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend); American Secret Service Agent Tom Sawyer (Shane West).
this movie is great for action,explosions,shootings,killings,and special effects but as far as literary concerns.its total nonsense since the characters in the movie come from classic stories and books(and different time lines) you cant take the movie seriously,so just sit back and enjoy 2 hours of mindless fun..
The movie is breezily paced and the screenplay has a fun time tossing around a lot of "in" jokes for those in the audience familiar with the literary backgrounds of these various characters.Sean Connery leads the cast as Allan Quartermain, an aging adventurer contentedly wiling away his golden years in Africa, until he is called back into the queen's service at this critical juncture in the empire's - and the world's - history.
It had everything you would expect from a good comics adaptation: Interesting characters, great locations, flashy action scenes, one-liners and cool villains to boot(the identity of the true villains turns out only late in the movie, so I won't spoil the fun for you).In fact, the film shared a lot with this year's - at least for me - somewhat overrated X-Men United: Character relationships (the Dr. Jeckyl/Mr. Hyde-character undergoes the same emotional turmoil as Nightcrawler did), the Nautilus standing in as a victorian/aquatic version of the X-Jet and the finale, with the heroes subverting the villain's fortress - each contributing his/her special skills - recalled the ending of that film.
Because The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen is not that bad of a movie at all it is pretty interesting, fun, clever entertainment.
I mean come on let's give this movie more credit.I really enjoy the plot of the film as it centers around a mystery man who calls himself M (Richard Roxburgh) as he hires Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery) to lead a team against a ruthless madman.
This team League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), Rodney Skinner (Tony Curran), Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend), Tom Sawyer (Shane West), and Dr.Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde (Jason Flemyng).
The Writers did pretty well with playing the viewers they did a smart job with the plot twists that you have to watch to get otherwise it's no fun also the music in the film really matches the story and there is some good characters in this film along with a humor or two in the filmIt's not often we see characters from different series of books join forces so it made the movie interesting enough to me to watch it and I actually like it no it's not best movie in the world but it is not as bad as many say, once you just give it a chance you might be surprise that you did give it the chance because it is actuality an entertainment full, fun action and clever film it just needs a little appreciationI give The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen an 8 out of 10.
The part fit Sean to a tee!Secondly, there are some great characters within the film - the dashing Captain Nemo, the lovely Mina Harker, the handsome Dorian Gray, the creepy Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde, the adventurous Tom Sawyer and the sinister Rodney Skinner (who had to replace the "real" invisible due to copyrights but still worked well in this film).
It's action-packed, a fun adventure and an over all great fantasy film that has a pretty nice story to it.Yes this movie is good!
With decent action performances from interesting characters, good special effects, and an intriguing story, The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen was much more fun than I expected and much more fanciful.
The "hip" title of LXG (which has the stink of a marketing department all over it) is definitely more appropriate than the title League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the comics upon which this movie (I hesitate to call this a film) was supposedly based.
That's why Connery comes off so well in this movie, he seems like one who has enjoyed being down and dirty for a few too many years.If everything in "League" could have been as good as Connery this would have been one for the year-end "Top Ten" lists. |
tt2366608 | Lost River | A young boy runs out of a house into the tall grass outside. We see a slow montage of a crumbling city and a young family as a 1920's ditty plays. Two brothers play together. A house burns slowly.The older brother, Bones (Iain De Caestecker) says goodbye to a neighbour who is escaping the decaying city. "Get out of here while you can," the neighbour advises.Bones scours empty buildings for copper to strip. An angry man, Bully (Matt Smith), drives through the neighbourhood shouting warnings through a loudspeaker to stay away from his copper. He is waiting for Bones when he emerges from a building. Bones drops his bag of copper and runs away.The mother, Billy (Christina Hendricks) visits a bank manager. She is 3 months behind on her mortgage payments. The bank manager, Dave (Ben Mendelsohn) says he is hard of hearing. She says she isn't interested in a buyout from the bank and that she wants to stay in the house as it was her grandmother's. He discovers she is not working and says she needs to think about what she is willing to do, and then comments that she is a beautiful lady. He gives her a business card on her way out, and says there is a job for her there.A taxi driver returns her home, and Bones asks her if they're behind on mortgage payments. She lies and says they're fine.Bones stares across the street at the pink neon light in his neighbour's window. The girl in the house, Rat (Saoirse Ronan) sings a sad song in her bedroom while her grandmother watches TV downstairs.The next morning a wrecking crew starts tearing down the house across the road. They spraypaint a big red "D" on the side of Bones's house. His mother admits that they are behind on payments.Later that day Bully spots Bones stripping houses again. He calls after him, angrily. Bones runs awya and stumbles across a road that leads down into a dam.Billy calls Dave and says she will take him up on an offer of a job.The scrapyard refuses to buy copper from Bones as Bully is after him. He tells him a story of a young Chinese boy who Bones had caught. Bones cut his lips off with a pair of scissors, he is told.Later that evening Rat asks to come over to watch Bones's TV. She tells him there is a town at the bottom of the reservoir, which is why there is a road leading into it. She says they flooded a number of towns when they dammed the river, which is why the town they're in is called Lost River. She says her grandmother used to live there and she hasn't been the same ever since because an evil spell was cast on Lost River as soon as the last town was drowned.A taxi driver takes Billy to work. The taxi driver is friendly and helpful. They arrive and Billy walks through a gaping demon mouth into a theatre of gory stage productions. Audience members are covered in fake blood as a woman, Cat (Eva Mendes), is stabbed on stage. She is dragged away and winks at the audience in a final glimpse of her face.Billy goes back stage and Cat asks her what her act is.Rat arrives back home, and finds her grandmother all dressed up looking at old video reels, presumably of herself when she was at her wedding years ago. Rat goes to sleep with her pet rat.The next day Bones goes out on the dam in a dingy to see what he can see of the drowned town. He sees a big dinosaur head under water. Later that evening he watches an old reel explaining why the towns were flooded. It mentions a prehistoric theme park in the old town. It advises not to worry about losing a home, because "a family makes a home!" it exclaims. Rat's grandmother continues to watch old movies. We are told that the movies are of her and her husband, who died during the construction of the dam. Grandmother hasn't spoken ever since.Billy arrives back at work. She sits at a table with Dave. Dave says that it is something he does every time he goes to a town that is imploding: he sets up one of his grotesque theatre clubs. He has Cat show Billy around after her act. They go downstairs through a purple corridor to the room with the "shells". They are plastic mummy chambers. "All you have to do is be in there," Cat says. "They just wanna be able to let out their frustrations and not worry about hurting anyone." Cat says that is the door is locked, it is not dangerous. Cat reveals that she receives a commission through convincing Billy to be in the shells.Rat does her grandmother's make-up, then goes out with Bones, leaving his younger brother with Billy who has to take him to work. Bones and Rat wander through the empty city and talk.At the club, Billy performs. She sits in front of a mirror on stage and slices off the skin on her face. She peels off her skin to reveal a bloody mask of muscles. It is fake, but realistic. The audience gasps in delight.We see a young man whose lips are scarred and look like they have been cut off walk into a petrol station convenience store. He is Bully's henchman. In order to distract Bully from finding Bones, Rat takes up Bully on an offer for a ride home. At her porch door, Bully kills her pet rat and reveals he knows she is friends with Bones.Back at the club, Dave berates Billy for bringing her son to work. He saunters up to the stage and sings a song. He drives Billy home and comes on to Billy. He suggests she work in the shells to make money. He whispers salaciously to Billy. Bones comes home and gives Billy an excuse to leave.We see the taxi driver in a restaurant smiling and laughing with friends. Bones works on his car. Billy takes the bus.In the evening Bones drives to the club with Billy's purse. He is horrified at the stage shows, and even more disturbed when he goes downstairs to the shells. He stares at one shell but cannot see it clearly. Cat says that Billy is upstairs getting ready for a show. She leaves Billy's purse in front of the shell after Bones leaves. Billy is stuck inside the claustrophobic shell. She opens the shell gasping, a siren is wailing and a voice says, "Danger, please lock shell."Bones goes back home. He tells Rat he is going to break the spell on their town. He drives to the reservoir, and is followed by Bully. Bones paddles out to the middle of the dam. Bones's lipless henchman sets fire to Rat's grandmother's house while she sits catatonic in front of the TV. Bones goes diving in the dark to retrieve a dinosaur head and switch on the street lights leading into the reservoir.At the club, a voice says, "Client is ready, please lock shell". Billy returns to the shell with her purse and locks it. Dave enters the room and performs a creepy sexual dance in front of Billy.Bones returns back to his car and finds it alight.Dave says, "I know you want this dick. You can have this dick." He proceeds open and lock the shell with a remote buzzer to Billy's horror. She flicks open her switchblade.Bones throws the dinosaur head through Bully's speeding car and he crashes.Rat tries to save her grandmother from the burning house, but she doesn't respond.Bully's head is underwater, as someone drowns him.Billy rushes out of the club. She has stabbed Dave in the head. Dave looks around the room, dazed.Bones returns home and hugs Rat. She asks him if he did it and he replies yes. Billy arrives home too, and comforts the children. The friendly cab driver drives them all away from Rat's burning house, and their empty neighbourhood. The dinosaur head is tied to the roof of the cab.A slow-motion inferno rages through a house as a wistful song plays. | psychedelic, neo noir, sadist | train | imdb | null |
tt0083806 | Deathtrap | Sidney Bruhl (Caine) is a playwright who is most famous for his mystery thriller "The Murder Game." Following the debut of the latest of a series of flops, he returns to his home in East Hampton and to his wife Myra (Cannon). He tells her that he's received a play called "Deathtrap" from a former student from a playwriting seminar. The play is ready for production and Sidney jokingly suggests that he murder the student and steal the play, a joke that becomes more serious when he learns, after calling the student, that no one else has read the play and no one else has a copy. Sidney invites the student up to Long Island.
The student, Clifford Anderson (Reeve), arrives shortly thereafter. Myra, who has a heart condition, becomes more and more agitated as the evening progresses, trying desperately to convince Sidney to work with Clifford on "Deathtrap" and share the revenue. Instead, Sidney attacks Clifford, strangling him with a chain. He forces Myra to help him drag Clifford into the yard to bury him.
Following the burial, the Bruhls get a visit from psychic Helga ten Dorp (Worth), who's staying with the Bruhls' neighbors. Helga wanders around the living room and study, sensing pain and death in various spots and associated with various prop weapons and handcuffs Sidney has displayed on the wall. She warns Sidney about a man in boots who will attack him. As she prepares for bed, Myra continues to be horrified, only slowly coming to see something of glamour in Sidney's act. Suddenly, Clifford bursts through the bedroom window and beats Sidney with a log. Myra flees and Clifford chases after her until her heart gives out; she collapses and dies. Sidney calmly descends the stairs, uninjured, and sidles unperturbed to Clifford's side. The men exchange a few words before their feelings emerge. They kiss, deeply and passionately. Their plan is a success: Myra is out of the way.
Immediately after Myra's funeral, Clifford moves in as Sidney's "secretary." Clifford works on a play which he says is about a welfare office but Sidney is suffering from writer's block. Sidney's lawyer Porter (Jones) comes over to settle some of Myra's affairs and notices Clifford is acting oddly about his manuscript pages. Sidney sends Clifford off on a pretext errand and breaks into his desk to read the manuscript. He is horrified to discover that Clifford is writing the true story of Myra's murder as a play called "Deathtrap." When confronted, Clifford offers to share the work and the credit. Sidney demurs: he wants to be remembered as the man who wrote "The Murder Game," not as "the faggot who knocked off his wife." When Clifford insists he'll write the play without him, Sidney reluctantly capitulates.
A few days later, Helga stops by again, ostensibly to borrow some candles in case the power goes out in a storm that's blowing in. She meets Clifford and, when Sidney returns from a dinner party a few minutes later, warns him that Clifford is the man in boots. Sidney assures her that he'll be sending Clifford away, and Helga leaves.
Sidney asks Clifford to help him act out some possible bits of business for the play, first by resisting a frontal assault, then by demonstrating how he might wield an axe. Finally, Sidney produces a gun he's secreted for this moment, trains it on Clifford and tearfully explains to him that he cannot allow completion of "Deathtrap" and can only stop him with a bullet. Sidney bids Clifford good-bye and pulls the trigger.
The gun doesn't go off, though, because Clifford has taken the bullets to load a different gun that he has at the ready. Now in control again, Clifford grabs wrist and leg manacles from the prop wall and has Sidney chain himself to a chair. Clifford tells him that he's going to leave soon but, just before, will unlock one of Sidney's cuffs to allow time for his escape. Clifford will complete "Deathtrap" and, if anyone asks, deny that it's inspired by Sidney's story. After Clifford exits to pack, Sidney slips out of the trick cuffs (once the property of Harry Houdini) and grabs a crossbow off the weapon wall. He stalks Clifford and fells him with a single shot.
There's a body to dispose of now, but the storm hits with full force, knocking out the power. Before Sidney can find a match to light a candle, a fleeting figure scurries through the living room in a flash of lightning. It's Helga, fully aware that she's in mortal danger. Sidney finds a knife, Helga grabs a gun. Clifford regains consciousness and trips Helga. The gun goes flying and a struggle for it ensues that...
...cuts to the same struggle played live by actors before a full house, where "Clifford" stabs "Sidney" and both die, leaving "Helga" victorious. The opening night audience erupts in thunderous applause, and at the back of the house stands Helga ten Dorp, now the author of a hit Broadway play called "Deathtrap." | paranormal, psychedelic, horror, murder | train | imdb | It is an appropriate image: originally written for the stage by Ira Levin, who authored such memorable works as ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE STEPFORD WIVES, the play was one of Broadway's most famous twisters, and under Sidney Lumet's direction it translates to the screen extremely well.DEATHTRAP is one of those films that it is very difficult to discuss, for to do so in any detail gives away the very plot for which it is famous.
But the opening premise is extremely clever: Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine) is the famous author of mystery plays, but these days he seems to have lost his touch.
And when Clifford visits to discuss the play, events suddenly begin to twist in the most unexpected manner possible.Like Anthony Shaffer's equally twisty SLEUTH, DEATHTRAP is really a story more at home on the stage than the screen--to reach full power it needs the immediacy that a live performance offers.
Michael Caine gives a truly brilliant performance, Dyan Cannon is funny and endearing as Sidney's relentlessly anxious wife, and Christopher Reeve gives what might be the single finest performance in his regrettably short acting career.
The comparison to Sleuth, the earlier stage-play-turned-film, is obvious and upon my first viewing I too thought Sleuth was better, but Deathtrap has, at least for me, many more repeat viewings in it than Sleuth.I purchased Deathrap in the bargain bin at Wal-Mart, figuring that it had Caine and the underrated Reeve and was worth the 6 bucks.
And it's totally worth repeat viewings.Though Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine turned in bravado performances in Sleuth, I was doubly impressed with Christopher Reeve as Clifford Anderson.
I've always felt Reeve was a type-cast actor who didn't get much of a chance to shine outside of the Superman films and a few other flawed but entertaining films like Somewhere in Time, but this film shows that his potential was truly tapped and put to use, thank goodness.I absolutely relished Michael Caine's performance.
And that's precisely what happens in DEATHTRAP, based on a chilling play by Ira Levin ("Rosemary's Baby").And in it, MICHAEL CAINE and CHRISTOPHER REEVE get to do the kind of stunt that Caine and Laurence Olivier pulled off in SLEUTH--with just about as much skill and as many puzzles as ever existed in that extraordinarily clever play.But because it's meant to scare you, surprise you, and keep you guessing as to the outcome, it's difficult to write a review about the plot.
When a young aspiring writer CHRISTOPHER REEVE sends him the manuscript of his play, Caine realizes that passing it off as his own would solve all his problems and get his reputation back.From that point on, it's a matter of fun and games for the audience as Ira Levin's story unwinds, managing to trump Agatha Christie for the number of twists.Caine and Reeve play off each other brilliantly, each bringing a certain dynamic tension to the tale as well as some humorous touches that come from a script that laces drama with humor.Summing up: Well worth seeing--but not everyone is pleased with the ending..
Written expertly by the likes of Ira Levin and depicted with the best performance of Christopher Reeve's career and one of Caine's very best, this is simply excellent.
Opened up in surprisingly simple and innovative ways, director Sidney Lumet wisely tags any "new" material onto the beginning and end of the film and leaves Levin's wickedly twisty center alone.The film's last scene is a major Hollywood departure from the boards, and slightly undermines one of Levin's plot points from earlier in the film [Helga (about a dagger): "Will be used by another woman BECAUSE of play."].
He gets the best line of Deathtrap, which he executes perfectly: "What is your definition of success, being gang-banged in a state penitentiary?" Christopher Reeve, on the other hand, juggles comedy and drama in a surprisingly strong performance playing the ambitious (and psychopathic) young playwright.
I've seen quite a few of Ira Levin's adaptations - 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'The Stepford Wives' - and liked both them, but this just didn't appeal to me.When I read the plot outline - an award winning playwright (Michael Caine) decides to murder one of his former pupils (Christopher Reeve) and steel his script for his own success - I was excited.
I like thrillers, Michael Caine's a good actor, Sidney Lumet's a good director and Ira Levin's work is generally good.I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but all I'd say is there are LOADS of twists and turns.
Though I have to give Lumet credit for the very amusing ending which did make me laugh out loud.The main cast - Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon and Irene Worth - were all brilliant in their roles.
Not sure if Cannon's character was meant to be annoyingly funny but Dyan managed to annoy and amuse - at the same time.Anyone reading this - I don't want you to be put-off watching this because of my views - give it a chance, you may like it, you may not.
"Deathtrap" seems to try to send up every Agatha Christie - type concoction there's ever been, throwing in more twists than a Chubby Checker revival show, but seems to forget that Peter Schaffer's "Sleuth" got there before it a decade earlier.Caine's in on this of course, he now playing the Olivier role as the ageing dominating schemer of the two, with Reeve as the initially submissive but later resistant junior partner in the former's nefarious, ingenious if somewhat far-fetched plan to bump off ailing wife Dyan Cannon (who couldn't look healthier, as a matter of fact) and get his hands on her massive fortune.The initial twist is well staged and does come as a big surprise but subsequent events fail to repeat the trick and the insertion of the ludicrous Scandanavian medium Helga Ten Dorp (there must be an in-joke anagram in her name I've not yet deciphered) to sweep up the pieces with her thick-as-Nordic-snow accent takes it just too far over the top.For all that, it's directed at pace with no let up on the camp factor from the normally straight-arrow Sydney Lumet and features a slightly awkward full-on kiss between the leads with a complete lack of conviction on either side.
The mystery has some glaring flaws which do detract somewhat, and I was not wholly satisfied with the ending, but watching Caine and Reeve under Lumet's direction with Levin's elevated verbiage was enough to ensnare my interest and keep it captive the entire length of the film..
This one is not quite fun, nor is it as ingenious or beautifully written as "Sleuth." The source of "Deathtrap" is a fabulously successful Broadway play, and why it didn't quite transfer to film is something to argue about.
The trick to creating a good, solid mystery story is as much a matter of timing as its about plot contrivances, colorful characters or surprising twists.
Indeed, good thrillers should get better on repeated viewings as we anticipate the double and triple crosses.Sidney Lumet's comedy-thriller DEATHTRAP, as derived from Ira Levin's hit Broadway play, is a great example.
Rather than going backward -- a murder and then an investigation to explain why everything happened -- DEATHTRAP leads us through the crime(s) step by step, leaving ample room for the unexpected; as the ads advise it is less a "whodunit" than a "who'lldoit." DEATHTRAP is often compared (unfavorably, oddly enough) to the play and movie versions of SLEUTH, though in reality it has much more in common with SCREAM, the self-mocking essay on teeny-bopper horror flicks.
That leaves three main characters to be the killer(s) and/or the victim(s): It is a testament to Michael Caine's abilities that as Sidney Bruhl, a down-on-his-luck author of mystery plays, he creates a character who we intrinsically like and trust, even as we recognize immediately that almost everything he says is a lie.
The third angle of this unexpected triangle is a fledgling playwright named Clifford Anderson played by Christopher Reeve in such a way that we never quite get a handle on just who his character is: enthusiastic preppie wannabe writer, semi-innocent victim or cunningly charming sociopath.
And even after the final twist (an improvement over the play's finale), it may not be quite clear just who has manipulated who to do what.Lumet is by no means a master of comedy, so he lets his able cast have free reign to flesh out the characters and they all give sharp, theatrical, yet subtle work, with Reeve being particularly noteworthy.
Okay,it recalls "Sleuth" (1972).Okay ,it borrows the first part from Clouzot's 'Les Diaboliques" .But forget "sleuth"and "Diaboliques" and you can enjoy this armchair thriller:after all,Sidney Lumet has always been fond of these stories which take place in an enclosed space,and from the very start of his career,"twelve angry man" ,but also "the hill" "murder on the orient express" and his towering achievement "dog day afternoon".And anyway it's based on a play by Ira Levin ("the Stepford wives" and of course the brilliant "Rosemary's baby") Besides,in his preface to Agatha Christie's plays ,Levin mentions Anthony Shaffer .And Michael Caine's presence makes us think of Mankiewicz's celebrated movie.The main difference with "sleuth" lies in the fact that almost any social comment has disappeared:it's detective story for the sake of detective story.The actors overplay and their lines are a bit tongue-in-cheek (speaking of Reeve's character,Caine mumbles :"don't you think HE's one of them?)Actually,it's grand guignol,Punch and Judy all over the place and if you like the genre,you will not be disappointed.
Reeve particularly proves he was much more than Superman.The ending , on a stage ,is another nod to "sleuth" :the whole movie looks like a filmed stage production,but where's the problem?So did "twelve angry men".When Lumet comes back to "true" cinema,is he so convincing with the likes of "the firm"?People who enjoy a murder mystery peppered with humor should see this..
Time will tell.Clever dialog and numerous twists and turns in the plot keep this movie entertaining from beginning to end.
However, after Michael played the older man in Deathtrap--a film in which an older man invites a younger man to his house for a drink-there was no need to remake Sleuth at all!
Michael Caine, Dyan Cannon, and Christopher Reeve give incredible performances, each combining the necessary talents to perform in a play and a film.
In Deathtrap, the older character doesn't have to be posh and blueblood; he has an entirely different reason for his behavior, one that makes sense and that Michael Caine plays convincingly.
I saw this when it first came out in the theater, and it was so much fun, with so many plot twists and double-crosses--some you can see coming and some not.I've recently seen it on Turner Classic Movies a couple of times, and it is still entertaining as far as the performances, even if you know what is coming.
Sidney's analysis is that it is excellent, a sure fire hit, and then he starts to do and say little things that make the audience - and Myra - think that maybe Sidney is contemplating stealing the play, and doing away with the student who sent it in order to score a success for himself after a long stretch of flops.
Past that point I'll let you watch and see what happens.Now the student turns out to be played by Christopher Reeve, and given his devastating injury 13 years later that eventually took his life, seeing him walking around so young so healthy and never showing even a glimpse of his Superman persona - the only role he was really known for at the time - is worth the price of admission.
The benefits of discs include being able to fast forward to get beyond those things which you don't like.I never saw a staged version of "Deathtrap", so having these folks in the roles sets a great impression of their careers at the time.
Dyan Cannon is miscast as his wife (she's too smart and clever herself to be passed off as a ditz) and Christopher Reeve (in the middle portion of the film) seems extremely uncomfortable in the role of the better writer.
Michael Caine has received kind of a reputation for taking any role in any movie no matter what the quality or lack of same but he does a good turn in playing Sidney.
The film is based on a play by Ira Levin (who previously wrote Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives) and focuses on Sidney Bruhl; a playwright whose best days are behind him.
Deathtrap is a guaranteed commercial success, and Sidney soon begins hatching a plot of his own; which involves inviting round the amateur scribe, killing him, and then passing Deathtrap off as his own work.Despite all of its clever twists and turns; Deathtrap falls down on one primary element, and that's the characters.
This plan leads to a series of nervous conversations and startling acts all under the watchful eye of a nosy and purportedly psychic neighbor (Worth.) This is a difficult film to review without giving away certain information that will spoil the story for a first-time viewer.
He has a copy of a play called Deathtrap written by his student Clifford Anderson (Christopher Reeve).
New York playwright Michael Caine (as Sidney Bruhl) is 46-years-old and fading fast; as the film opens, Mr. Caine's latest play flops on Broadway.
There, Caine and Ms. Cannon discuss a new play called "Deathtrap", written by hunky young Christopher Reeve (as Clifford "Cliff" Anderson), one of Caine's former students.
The couple believe Mr. Reeve's "Deathtrap" is the hit needed to revive Caine's career."The Trap Is Set
For A Wickedly Funny Who'll-Do-It." Directed by Sidney Lumet, Ira Levin's long-running Broadway hit doesn't stray too far from its stage origin.
"Deathtrap" is a fun film to watch again; the performances are dead on - but, in hindsight, the greeting Reeve gives Caine at the East Hampton train station should have been simplified to a smiling "Hello." The location isn't really East Hampton, but the windmill and pond look similar.
But, the play was so good, "even a gifted director couldn't ruin it." And, Mr. Lumet doesn't disappoint.******** Deathtrap (3/19/82) Sidney Lumet ~ Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon, Irene Worth.
Playwright Sidney Bruhl (a wonderfully over-the-top Michael Caine) would kill for a hit play.
Weave into this Bruhl's overly hysterical wife (superbly played by Cannon) and a German psychic (a very funny Irene Worth) and you've got yourself a wonderfully funny suspense flick.While not up to "Sleuth" standards, "Deathtrap" is none the less a very capable, twist filled comical suspense ride based on a terrific play by Ira Levin.
The performers are obviously having a field day with the material, with Caine in particular delivering top notch lines with gusto.The film loses a bit of steam midway through and the ending is a lot less satisfying than the hilarious one in the original play but overall "Deathtrap" is solid, well acted and suspenseful fun..
Most noted for its on screen kiss between Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve (which was unfortunately cut from the televised version I saw), this movie has a great deal more to recommend it.Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine) is a very unhappy man.
I think it showcases what a fine actor he really was, before the unfortunate riding accident cut him short.Here Reeve plays Cliff Anderson, a young writer who had attended a mystery writing seminar put on by the famous playwright Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine).
Very uneven with mediocre performances by Reeves, miscasting of Dyan Cannon,and even Caine, although good, couldn't carry this feeble performance.(Spoilers) Inexplicably, they change the two genuinely scary parts of the movie: the reappearance of "Clifford" both from the first "attempt" and the second attempt at murder.
Even Dyan Cannon - who I normally don't care for - is perfectly cast in a role that exploits her annoyance value as an actress.I'm not sure that comparisons of "Deathtrap" with "Sleuth" - another brilliant stage-to-screen adaptation featuring Michael Caine - are valid, or even fair.
Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, and Dyan Cannon who really likes to scream a lot team up to form the clever twists and the bitingly sarcastic humor.While not really a laugh-out-loud comedy, DEATHTRAP does manage to choke up some black humorous laughs.
FULL OF SPOILERS.This is a pretty fast and enjoyable crime thriller based on Ira Levin's play about two gay playwrights (Caine and Reeve) that plot the murder of one's rich wife (Cannon) to get the property and the insurance.
It will boost the revenues and his own Warhol quotient.Michael Caine is Sidney Bruhl, the megabucks-making playwright whose last four productions bombed and who would like nothing more than to quietly get back to working on a new play, perhaps with Reeve's input, that would redeem his reputation.
Playwright Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine) has had a series of flop plays after a huge hit.
Deathtrap is one of those films, by proxy of its stage play roots (both based upon and being a satire of), that not only gets better by the halfway point, it becomes something even more incredible when it focuses on two characters we wouldn't think would be like this together.
Dyan Cannon, too, is quite good, though somewhat overshadowed by her two male co-stars.Deathtrap might be too clever or not clever by half, but I couldn't see that the first time watching the film.
OK, so i like to think myself a somewhat intelligent viewer (who cannot spell)however the end of this movie confused me.It is obvious that the Helga took the idea of deathtrap and made it a successful play, but what happened to Sydney and Clifford?
Everybody is on their toes in this, sort of the murderous "Noises Off!", another comical play about the theater which would later be a movie starring none other than Michael Caine.. |
tt0236348 | Josie and the Pussycats | Wyatt Frame (Alan Cumming) is an executive with record label MegaRecords. The label, headed by the trend-conscious and scheming Fiona (Parker Posey), manufactures faddish pop bands for consumption by the teenage market. Conspiring with the United States government, they add subliminal messages under the music to brainwash teens into buying their records and other consumer products, creating "a new trend every week". The Government's plan is to build a robust economy from the "wads of cash" teenagers supposedly earn from babysitting and minimum wage jobs. When a member of Wyatt's wildly successful boy band, Du Jour, uncovers one such message and asks Wyatt about it aboard their private jet, Wyatt and the pilot (Harry Elfont) parachute out of the plane, leaving it to crash and kill the band members.
Wyatt lands just outside the town of Riverdale and meets an unappreciated rock band, the Pussycats: vocalist/guitarist Josie McCoy (Rachael Leigh Cook), drummer Melody Valentine (Tara Reid), and bassist/backup vocalist Valerie Brown (Rosario Dawson). Because they are struggling financially, the Pussycats accept Wyatt's lucrative record deal despite its implausibility. They are flown to New York City where they are renamed "Josie and the Pussycats", much to the girls' discomfort. All goes well and their first single climbs rapidly to the top of the charts, but Valerie grows increasingly frustrated that all media attention is focused on Josie rather than the band as a whole. Melody, too simple to notice the undue attention Josie receives, uses her uncanny behavioral perception and becomes suspicious of Fiona and Wyatt.
Before Valerie and Melody's suspicions can reveal the conspiracy, Fiona orders Wyatt to kill them. He sends them without Josie to a fake television appearance on the MTV show Total Request Live, where a Carson Daly impersonator and the real Carson Daly assault them with baseball bats. The girls survive due to their attackers' incompetence. Meanwhile, Wyatt prevents Josie from attending a gig by Alan M (Gabriel Mann), Josie's love interest, by telling her it was canceled. Instead, Josie listens to a remix of their latest single. The remix contains a subliminal message track designed to brainwash her into desiring a solo career, and into seeing Valerie and Melody are impediments to that goal. After an argument with her band mates, Josie realizes that the recording caused the fight. Her suspicions are confirmed when she uses a mixing board to make the subliminal track audible, but she is caught by Fiona.
MegaRecords have organized a giant pay-per-view concert, whereby they plan to unleash their biggest subliminal message yet. They force Josie to perform solo on stage by holding Melody and Valerie hostage. The badly injured members of Du Jour—who survived by grounding their plane, but landed in the middle of a Metallica concert where they were severely beaten by Metallica fans—appear just in time to stop Wyatt and Fiona from launching the message. In the resulting fight, Josie destroys the machine used to generate the messages. The new subliminal message is revealed not to promote the band, the label, or a corporate sponsor, but to make Fiona universally popular. Fiona suffers a breakdown and reveals that she had been a social outcast in high school. Wyatt reveals that his appearance is a disguise—that he went to the same high school as Fiona, but was a persecuted and unpopular albino. Fiona and Wyatt immediately fall in love. The government agents colluding with Fiona arrive, but because the conspiracy is exposed, they arrest Fiona and Wyatt as scapegoats to cover-up the government's involvement in the failed scheme.
Josie, Valerie, and Melody perform the concert together, and for the first time their fans are able to judge the band on its merits, free of subliminal persuasion. Alan M arrives and confesses his love for Josie on stage, and she returns his feelings. The audience roars their approval as the film comes to a close. | brainwashing, cute, satire | train | wikipedia | Since this movie was made we have witnessed the fall out of bands like Back street boys the breakdown of pop-stars like Brittany Spears and a slew of young actors & actresses separated from family & friends whose entire personalities have been written and designed by stylists and are seen battling like some weird "Fashionista" roman gladiators under the tutelage of sycophants and managers.Media/pop culture, with its out of control emphasis on looks and weight over talent and personality, have resulted in actual government legislation regarding model weights and rampant anorexia amongst young starlets.
It is a purely fun film with a rocking soundtrack.Viewers who would most appreciate this would be the ones who have at least a vague memory of the television cartoon series because there are a lot of jokes and references that might go over one's head otherwise--not to say that kids wouldn't enjoy it as well, because they will.There's a lot going on in this film.
And all the performances are first rate--from the cameo performances by Breckin Myer and Seth Green as members of the Boy Band "Dujour", to leads Rachel Leigh Cook and Tara Reid as Josie and Melody, to the supporting players, particularly Alan Cumming and Parker Posey as the record executives.
I never saw the original cartoon but decided to pick up 2001's "Josey and the Pussycats" because Tara Reid's such a cutie and it looked like some fun entertainment.Yes, it's fun and the girls are attractive (also featuring Rachael Leigh Cook & Rosario Dawson) but, surprisingly, "Josey and the Pussycats" shoots for something deeper.
Humorous at certain points and worth watching if your a teenage girl, or especially if you like all the conspiracy theory stuff =)Is meaningful in that it puts emphasis on importance of certain things in our lives, leaves you wanting to download the track and has a light hearted attempt at portraying messages to young people without the boring political side.Josie and the Pussycats is lively and funny at points.
When Du Jour, a top boy band go missing after an "unfortunate" plane accident, manager Wyatt Frame decides that the time is ripe for him to go and find "the next big thing" to sell to the teen market.
However Josie starts to notice something strange about all of this and is soon asking more questions than the label would like her to.I hope my description above gives you an idea of the silly sense of humour that runs throughout this film because, although it could have been a sharp satire, it isn't quite as insightful as it could have been.
I can understand why many were put off it and it doesn't break any new ground but it is still pretty enjoyable and it was nice to see a teen movie actually try to do more than just pander to its audience (well, not much anyway).The actors involved give some clue that the material is up to something despite the weaknesses Parker Posey doesn't just turn out for every teen comedy that is around you know!
Biggest surprise was that I liked Missy Pyle normally she is terrible but here she works.Overall this is a strange mix of pop satire and teen movie.
In less capable hands, some of the gags would have fallen flat...but they got me smiling, and even laughing.The soundtrack utterly rocks...the last teen movie I can think of with a soundtrack that was so well matched to the visuals was "Clueless." Songs that could have been just filler really added to the overall energy and appeal of the film.
What's most amazing is that Josie & the Pussycats is a movie with something to say, yet it got its message across in a witty and entertaining way while avoiding being too preachy.I can honestly say Josie & The Pussycats is one of the best TV-to-Film adaptations I've ever seen--very enjoyable for fans of the old series, but remaining accessible for those who weren't..
I think the title of the movie should've been "Josie and the Pussycats on Helium" because of the dumb writing on this thing.
The original cartoon series had more depth and wit than this tired, bloated, unwatchable film.Rachael Leigh Cook is okay, but both Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid are one-dimensional airhead stereotypes.
(And anybody who thinks that Tara Reid can "really" play drums after watching this is out of their mind.) The big problem -- the story wants to be a tale about being true to yourself and independent, while the movie is the most shameless shill for corporate America in the history of film.
i had heard only bad things about it, but since "the mummy returns" was sold out, and i was still in the mood for mindless fun, i got a ticket to see "josie and the pussycats." it started off great, and i enjoyed dujour, the spoof of boy groups.
good point.i just wish for tara reid to stop acting and for rachel leigh cook to *start* acting, cos it seems that she keeps playing the same incredibly bland and supposedly smart characters.feh.two stars out of ten..
Overall the one thing this movie is worth watching for is the up-and-coming Rachael Leigh Cook, who delivers yet another outstanding performance.So, if you are not a true Rachael fan - don't bother with this one..
Watch this now and you think - "how did they know?" - the tongue in cheek parody of the music industry and teen marketing is amusingly encapsulated in a film with good rock tunes and a stereotypical fun, teen storyline.
It's not overly good.In fact, it's kind of like the Spice Girls Movie...only about a thousand times better...which makes it about as good as your standard direct-to-video sci-fi film.Only with Rachael Leigh Cook which, if you were like me, you were absolutely in love with her and, as a result, you watched it a heck of a lot more than you would even the best direct-to-video Sci-Fi film.So you have a plot about subliminal messaging that would fit better in a '60s era Bond film than a movie like this...except, today the plot and the movie work a heck of a lot better than they did in 2001 when it first came out.In fact, when it was released it really deserved a 4/10 tops and that was really only "I'm in Love with Rachael Leigh Cook" points.Now, in 2017 it actually deserves a 7/10 it is a much better and more relevant movie today than when it was first released.Unfortunately that's not saying anything about the quality of Josie and the Pussycats, it's still really just a better version of the Spice Girls Movie...It's really just saying a heck of a lot about the movies of this current era in Hollywood that even changes the relevance of the film.So, there you have it.
Josie and the Pussycats (2001) Rachel Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Alan Cumming, Parker Posey, Gabriel Mann, Paulo Costanzo, Missi Pyle, Tom Butler, Alex Martin, D: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont.
The disappointing box office receipts show what a bad marketing decision that was.Almost as revolting were the RELENTLESS product placements (i.e. commercials).Some dumb choices by insulated people screwed up a potentially fun movie.
Based on comic-book characters first introduced in the "Archies" series, Josie, Val and Melody are three rockin' small town girls who want to taste big-time success on the pop charts; enter nefarious--and overly ridiculous--talent scout Alan Cumming (in a poor performance) and soon the Pussycats are on their way.
Satire on the current craze for teen-oriented pop music, "Josie and The Pussycats" is alive and immediate, with trendy jokes and surroundings, friendly gals and intentionally funny product placements.
The second was that I liked how the script poked fun at marketing by excessively promoting products and showing how record companies and the government are trying to control teenagers (and pre-teens?) by placing subliminal messages in pop music that tells the kids to go out and buy the latest fad.
Perhaps since "Hard's Day Night" making fun of the industry is now part of pop music and rock movies: make the kids laugh and feel they're putting a finger up to the companies that want them to buy their products while they're buying the products.
There are exactly two good scenes in this film that satirize the capitalist notion of the modern pop music industry, and the gullibility of teenagers with too much disposable incomes.
The only silly movie I can think of that had good character development was Austin Powers- where it showed Dr. Evil's childhood and background and gave you a sense of why he was evil.
One of Tara Reid's better movies, with some early Rosario Dawson and "She's All That" herself, Rachel Leigh Cook, both of whom I always like.I've been a big fan of this movie since it was first released.
Unfortunately, Josie and the Pussycats - the movie suffers from the lack of an important element in a movie - a decent story.Writers/directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan had hoped to make a satire poking fun at the pop music industry, trend-conscious teens and commercialization of America but the result was a movie that seemed pieced together by paper cut-outs of advertisements and Starbucks coffee cup holders.
I never saw the original cartoon or read the comics on which it was based, but "Josie and the Pussycats" (2001) is fun and the three protagonists are attractive & enthusiastic (Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid & Rosario Dawson).
This film is about The Pussycats, who dream of fame, and who get mixed up in the evil schemes of Wyatt Frame, and his boss Fiona.I think that this film is very clever and brave in the way that it looked at the branding in pop music, though, I don't think this movie could endorse any more products if it'd tried, which annoyed me a little.
I also thought that parts of the storyline were unimportant, and could've been forgotten about, especially a lot of the backstage ending.But I really liked the cast, and thought that Tara Reid was hilarious and amazing, as was Missi Pyle.If you love music, then I think that this movie is definitely for you, as there are a lot of awesome songs throughout the course..
Under the silly is a wacky sense of humor that pokes fun at trends, pop music and culture, conspiracy theories, the original comic book, the movie itself, and everything else within reach.
The Pussycats (Cook, Dawson and Reid) are portrayed well and the fun that the had making this movie together shines through.
I would really like to see another Josie and the Pussycats movie, i would recommend this movie to anyone with a good sense of humor..
One of the most staggeringly bad elements of movie marketing over the last year was the promotion behind the summer film "Josie and the Pussycats".
Perhaps if you are sitting in the theatre waiting for someone's pants to come down you lose the ability to see humor.Josie and the Pussycats stars Rachel Leigh Cook (AntiTrust, She's All That), Tara Reid (American Pie), and Rosario Dawson (He Got Game) as the three band members reprising the 60's/70's comic book of the same name.
The film also stars Alan Cumming as the evil record producer, Parker Posey as the evil (and insane) record executive, and Seth Green as Travis, member of Boy Band DuJour.The movie falls into a strange place in current film genres.
Josie and the Pussycats isn't likely to hold up well over time, so it's best to see the movie while the references are still fresh and highly amusing.
"Josie and the Pussycats" was directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, who directed that awful teen comedy "Can't Hardly Wait." It's not surprising that they struck out again with this virtually unwatchable pop culture satire/nauseating teen-bopper flick.It's starts off with a bang, spoofing the whole "boy band" craze with Seth Green, Donald Faison and Breckin Meyer (who are all recycled cast members from "Can't Hardly Wait") all part of a group called DeJour.
Reid, in fact, struck me as miscast; she is several years older than her co-stars Rachael Leigh Cook and Rosario Dawson, and I felt that the film would have worked better with a younger Melody, playing her as a naively innocent teenager as opposed to the more worldly twenty-something Josie and Valerie.
Several other characters from the cartoon, such as the Pussycats' laid- back upper-class manager Alexander, his obnoxious sister Alexandra and Josie's boyfriend Alan are imported into the film, but they all play minor supporting roles and it is clear that they are only there because fans of the original would have been disappointed had they been omitted.
It features the musical features with the super-girls action moments, and the typical American humor we love.Rachael Leigh Cook shines through the movie with her perkiness, beauty and comedic skills.
Tara Reid just needs to look hot.The cast is very good but I think that the plot is what saves this movie from being labeled as "another teen movie"..
It's something of a traditional "rock" movie (will The Pussycats make it to the big concert on time, and in one piece?), it is a perky little film about the importance of friendship, it's a spoof, and its is a rather clever indictment of media manipulation and product placement.
Rachel Leigh Cook gives an endearing performance as Josie McCoy; Tara Reid gives a great performance as the ditsy but sweet drummer Melody, and Rosario Dawson is quite solid, although the script doesn't give her too much to work with.
On a serious level, the film is beautifully post-modern, as can be seen in Allan Cumming's frequent breaching of the fourth wall, and in the rather brilliant line from Missi Pyle's character, Alexandra, who comments that she is in the movie because she's in the comic book.
If YES, see this movie.The BAD - Here's why it's not a 10/10 in my books: 1) goes a little overboard at the end 2) Josie's love interest is not as well developed as it could have been - but not terrible, just not as good as it could and should have been.
So, if you're looking for a movie that will confuse you to the point where you feel like you're looking at a Picasso painting, and you do end up with a lot of colors and good music in your head, then check it out.
If you're a fan of the comic book, a struggling musician in need of some cheer, or you just want a light-hearted film full of laughs, than this is the movie for you.Jerkin'!.
This film is ok but it's not fantastic.The beginning is totally imitating the backstreet boys which is so not funny.There is no story line and you feel like falling asleep half way through.The only good thing about this film is that Tara Reid comes across as a great blonde bimbo..
Josie and the Pussycats is a fun, sassy teen movie, which even though is not bad, it's really quite forgettable.
Rachael Leigh Cook-Josie, (In particular.) Tara Reid-Melody and Rosario Dawson-Valerie do quite good here playing The Pussycats but I think I would of enjoyed the movie a little bit more, if different actress' were playing the parts of Melody (Especially.) and Valerie.
The soundtrack to Josie and the Pussycats is good too, maybe even a little better than the movie itself.
"Josie and the Pussycats" is meant to be a satire on today's popular culture, wondering if teen trends are all due to subliminal messages in pop music.
It brings to mind the old adage, "Just because you pour syrup on something (used in place of a certain four-letter word), doesn't make it a pancake." One film that falls into this category is "Josie and the Pussycats." The paper-thin excuse for a story, which wastes the talents of Tara Reid, Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson and Parker Posey, among others, consists merely of a weak "parody" of the outright poisoning of the music industry by the teen-pop craze, which is deflating faster than a whoopee cushion beneath Barry White's backside.
The characters in the movie are cartoon-like in how they act, but not how they look, which is as it's supposed to be.
The Carson daily cameo is pretty funny, primarily because of the little jokes made between him and tara reid (movie was made while they were engaged), and then watching it knowing that whole thing is over.
Josie and the Pussycats (Rachel Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson) are hired by a big Record Label to become a great success.
Evil record label Wyatt Frame (Alan Cumming) and Fiona (Parker Posey) are putting subliminal commercial messages in with the music of boy band DuJour.
He quickly signs Josie and the Pussycats (Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid) to replace the lost boy band.The three girls have great chemistry.
The director's decided that they needed fun girls to fill the cast and they did superbly with Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson.
The costumes and sets are good, the music is great and it makes Josie & The Pussycats jump from the small screen (or the comic book depending on how old school you are) to the big screen in a most enjoyable leap..
I loved this movie.I thought it was hilarious.It's a movie poking fun at the music industry but in a funny way.The characters are hilarious.I thought the boy band in it was the best part!
Unfortunately, while those good bits of dry humor are still there, the overall story of the movie gets worse and worse to the point, until the very end where I feel like I'm watching an episode on "Nickelodeon" or something..
What it might cost you may be a price you don't want to pay.This movie, based on the Archie Comics and the 1970s cartoon series, updates Josie and the music of her all-girl group, The Pussycats. |
tt0303970 | The Era of Vampires | Prologue. In 17th century rural China during the Ching dynasty, when
a dead body isn't resting in peace, chemical and physical changes can
build up, allowing it to leave the grave in the form of a zombie, feeding
on the flesh of humans. Over time, the zombie will turn into a vampire. If
you are bitten or scratched by a zombie, you can recover. But if you are
bitten or scratched by a vampire, you will become a vampire. Only a
handful of skilled warriors dared to challenge these mystical demons of
the night. This is their story.Master Mao Shan [Ji Chun Hua] and his disciples are out hunting zombies and
vampires when they come upon the disturbed grave of a general. Master Shan jumps into the grave to see whether the general's body is still there and
to destroy it if it is. No such luck. The general has turned into an
immensely powerful vampire with the ability to suck the life and blood
from a human without even having to bite him. As the priests fight the
vampire, their torches suddenly ignite the methane gas around them,
sending the whole area up in flames.Three months later. Master Shan is still missing. Guided by their
vampire-detecting compass, four of his disciples -- Wind [Lam Suet], Thunder Ken Chang], Rain [Michael Chow], and Lightning [Chan Kwok Kwan] -- are searching the night for vampires when they come
across the Jiang estate. They notice wedding caterers going inside the
gates. Master Jiang's son is getting married. Wind, Thunder, Rain, and
Lightning follow the wedding caterers inside. Once inside, they are
mistaken by the butler for hired labor and put to work, right after being
renamed Kung (Wind), Hei (Thunder), Fat (Rain), and Choi (Lightning).
Young Master Jiang [Wang Zhen Lin] has been married six times. Each time, his wife
has died shortly after the wedding. The morning after this marriage to
Sasa [Anya], however, it is Young Jiang who is dead, bitten by a cobra. Master
Jiang [Yu Rong Guang] asks the four "workers" to remain in his employ and to find and
destroy the snake that bit his son. Thunder is most eager to remain. He's
seen and fallen in love with Sasa.Rumor has it that the Jiangs are fabulously wealthy and have much
gold hidden away somewhere in their house. In fact, even as the wedding
was underway, hired robbers were on their way to the Jiang's house,
planning to break in and make off with the gold. As they rode their horses
through the forest to the Jiang house, however, they were attacked by a
vampire. Of the half dozen robbers, only one managed to escape. Dragon
Tang [Horace Lee Wai Shing] isn't very happy to see him come back empty handed, for it was he who
hired the robbers and he who arranged for his sister Sasa's marriage to
Young Jiang. Dragon needs the money to pay off his gambling debts. He's
even more unhappy when he hears about the vampire.
Now that Sasa is a widow, she wishes to leave the Jiang house. There
are many strange things happening there, so she writes to her brother and
asks that he please get her out of there. When Jiang learns of Sasa's
desire to leave, he assumes she is lonely. You won't be lonely, he
explains and shows her how he has preserved her husband in wax. In fact,
all the Jiang ancestors have been preserved in wax. And so will you be
preserved in wax when you die, Jiang assures her. Sasa swoons.The vampire-detecting compass keeps reading that there are vampires
in the area, but so far Wind, Thunder, Rain and Lightning have been unable
to find them...until they make their way into the family crypt and find
dozens of Jiangs, all perfectly preserved in wax. Could one of these be
the vampire, wonders Thunder? While leaning on the wall, Rain suddenly
presses a lever that opens a chest filled with gold. They have stumbled on
the Jiang fortune.Meanwhile, the butler has sold out to Dragon Tang, giving him
information about the Jiang household, the gold, and the waxed ancestors
as well as the fact that it was Jiang himself who made up the story about
there being vampires around. The butler suggests that Dragon hire the
Zombie Wrangler to wake up the waxed ancestors. While all these dead
ancestors are hopping around, keeping Jiang busy trying to round them up
again, Dragon can simply walk in unnoticed and make off with the gold.
After meeting the Zombie Wrangler [Chan Koon Tai] and his chiang shih, Dragon goes along
with the plan.Jiang is angry with the four disciples for sneaking a peek at Sasa
while she was bathing, and he does a bit of fighting with them until he
realizes that these guys are too well-trained in the martial arts to be
simple servants. Now the truth comes out. They admit that they are vampire
hunters. Jiang scoffs at the idea of vampires in his area and informs them
that it was he who made up the whole story about vampires in order to keep
the robbers from his door. If they are really vampire hunters and if they
can help him eliminate the problems that shadow his family, Jiang says
that he will adopt one of them as his godson and heir to the fortune as
well as allow him to marry Sasa. Thunder immediately offers himself. Jiang
laughs.True to his word, the Zombie Wrangler awakens all the dead Jiangs.
Jiang thinks that the vampire hunters have awakened his family in order to
create a diversion while they steal his gold. But it's not the corpses he
should be worried about...it's the powerful vampire who has suddenly shown
up. Thunder grabs Sasa, and the two attempt to flee on horseback, hoping
to outrun the vampire. Unfortunately, they take a wrong turn and end up at
the vampire's grave. Just as the vampire is about to suck out Thunder's
blood, Thunder is hit by water. (Vampires can't see you if you're wet.)
Thunder looks up to see Master Shan. Thunder places Sasa in a pool of
water, then he and Master Shan jump into a well. Unfortunately, there is
no water in the well. Just then, it starts to rain.Meanwhile, Jiang is sitting in the family crypt when he hears Dragon
and the butler come in. They are looking for the gold, but Jiang is not
about to let them get it. As Jiang and Dragon fight, the butler scoops up
the gold, but he is bitten by a gold snake. The vampire shows up and kills
Dragon and Jiang. Master Shan and Thunder take Sasa to shelter. While she
sleeps, Thunder tells Master Shan that he has just married Sasa. Shan
tells Thunder how he's been following the vampire for the past several
months. Suddenly, they smell smoke. It's coming from a wound on Sasa's
leg. Master Shan concludes that Sasa has been wounded by the vampire and
will turn into one herself within the next seven days unless she is
treated with coffinwood.Meanwhile, back at the Jiang house, the servant girl Ling [Zou Na] stumbles
into the family crypt and comes face to face with the vampire. Lightning
protects Ling (he's become sweet on her) as Wind and Rain fight the
vampire. Just then, Master Shan and Thunder show up. Master Shan notices
that the Jiang zombies have been feeding and will soon turn into vampires
unless they are destroyed by exposing them to sunlight.
Thunder and Sasa see the vampire and run out into the night where
they meet up with Master Shan et al. Shan says that the vampire knows
they're looking for him. Thunder orders Sasa to find a safe place in town
to hide, then they all go off in search of the vampire. They go to the
Jiang crypt. Lightning makes the mistake of touching the gold, which is a
trap. A net drops over them. Jiang and Dragon then appear, obviously dead.
Jiang tells Dragon that he can have all the gold if he'll kill the vampire
hunters. As they fight, the vampire shows up. Master Shan says that the
vampire has been feeding on Jiang and Dragon and is now superpowerful.
After a long, hard battle, Master Shan blows up the vampire with
explosives. Unfortunately, Shan gets blown up, too.Epilogue: Now that the vampire is destroyed, it is time for Wind,
Thunder, Rain, and Lightning to go their own ways. Thunder and Sasa are
returning to her village. Lightning and Ling are going to move into the
Jiang house, now that it's empty. Wind and Rain will be staying with
Lightning just until they get jobs of their own. [Original synopsis by bj_kuehl] | paranormal | train | imdb | To me, Tsui Hark constructed a BRILLIANT homage to the "hopping corpse," and "demon" movies of the 1980's and early 1990's while adding some great kung-fu sequences.
Hong Kong humor is usually quite different than American humor...I'm sure a lot of people missed when RAIN, CLOUD, THUNDER, and LIGHTNING (ridiculously stereotypical "hero" names) were renamed "Kung," "Hei," "Fat," and "Choi." Put those four words together and it says "Happy New Year" in Cantonese.
It's time people set CROUCHING TIGER up on its own shelf and stop comparing it to movies it bears no similarities to.
Wanna miss the fun of VAMPIRE HUNTERS entirely by refusing to watch it as its own film?
Awesome if you like the Hong Kong 'hopping vampire' genre..
I also really like the Hopping zombie/ghost/vampire sub-genre of HK 'horror'.
Now, in case you aren't familiar with these- they feature 'vampires' and 'zombies' that return from the grave (Usually due to some sort of improper burial) and hop about (Or in the case in Vampire Hunters- fly about).
The seminal film in this genre is the mid-eighties comedy/horror masterpiece 'Mr. Vampire'.Now, Tsui Hark's 'Vampire Hunters' plays alot like a much more serious version of Mr. Vampire- basically, the comedic elements usually found in these films are almost non existant in 'Vampire Hunters'.
This alone makes it one of the only HK vampire films to play like 'action horror' instead of 'horror comedy'.Now, this distinction alone makes Vampire Hunters worth a look.
So ask yourself: Do you want just a good, action packed film?
Well if you just want great action, there's like, A THOUSAND good action films out there, ok?
CHINESE VAMPIRES versus TAOIST WARRIOR PRIESTS???Well, check out Tsui Hark's 'Vampire Hunters'.
So- if you're a 'norm' who thought Erin Brokavich or maybe the Ocean's 11 remake was good, well stay FAR AWAY from Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters, it's not for you, you won't get it, understand it's appeal or be able to appreciate it.If you're the kind of person who likes the idea of a Mr. Vampire/Chinese Ghost Story double bill, well, strap yourself in- cause Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters will satisfy your desire to escape from reality for an hour and a half or so..
I think Vampire Hunters is a pretty good movie.
Although it isn't breaking new ground, for most american viewers it will seem a little odd that the vampires in the movie are more corpse like than you expect to see, but in most if not all accounts of vampirism in the middle ages and earlier periods vampires were refered to as animated corpses, not strikingly beautiful creatures with tragic stories.
So if you're looking to see a decent horror movie will "realistic" vampires, this would be worth seeing.
A group of martial artists / vampire hunters find themselves employed by a very rich - and very insane - old man who has kept everyone of his relatives preserved in wax and not buried.
I don't think I've seen any other HK vampire movie that actually tried to be serious instead of an action / comedy.
I would have expected a better action movie from Tsui Hark, but what am I gonna do?
The special effects aren't all that good, but I've never been one to care about bad special effects.'Vampire Hunters' is a decent action movie, but really only for anyone interesting in Hong Kong vampire / action movies - 5/10.
Perhaps it's having Tsui Hark's name attached to it, thus giving people the wrong idea about the film as they go into it.
While I don't think it's the best film ever made by any stretch of the imagination, Vampire Hunters does serve it's purpose.
The one thing you can say about this film is that it's definitely not slow moving!While it does suffer from the lack of in depth characterization that seems to be the downfall of many martial arts films, in general I found the acting to be up to par -provided you watch the film subtitled as opposed to dubbed.
The wooden voice acting of the English translators is highly reminiscent of the hilarious goofy bad dubbing of 70s martial arts flicks, and really detracts from the genuine scariness of the vampire scenes.
STOP CUTTING HONG KONG FILMS!However, I must admit that even if the missing footage was put back in, the movie wouldn't be that much better.
The vampire villain looks unbelievably cheesy - in fact, despite the expensive use of CGI for a few effects, the movie looks like it was made on a tight budget.
When four hunters of the undeadThunder, Wind, Rain and Lightningare separated from their master during a battle with a King Vampire, they continue their hunt for the bloodsucker, using a magical Taoist compass to lead the way.
Master Jiang informs Sasa that she need never be parted from her husband, because the family tradition is to preserve dead relatives with wax and store them in vaults below the house; she can visit him anytime she likes!!
With Master Jiang busy rounding up the zombies, he hopes to search the place for the hidden loot.Unfortunately, for everyone involved, the King Vampire shows up at the end to cause additional mayhem and chaos and it is up to the four heroes to save the day.Whilst this is no classic of the genrethe plot is far too messyit does contain many elements which will prove to be of fun to fans of 80s Hong Kong vampire movies: the martial arts are of a reasonable standard, with some impressive swordplay and a bit of nifty wire-work, there is some fairly cheesy gore, and the reanimated bodies do the old hopping routine we all know and love.
Best of all is the King Vampire, who has supernatural powers that enable him to suck blood at a distance and fire flames from his mouth.My main gripe with this film is that everything is just too dark.
I can ignore some dodgy CGI and iffy make-up effects, but I'd like to be able to see what the hell is going on.Despite the advances in film technology, Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters remains an average production that does nothing to improve on the films that it emulates.
It's obvious that the person with the negative view either expects a 'kung fu' film and didn't get it, or more likely never saw MR VAMPIRE...In order to enjoy this film I should think a little background on both Chinese mysticism and Hopping Zombie films are in order.
In the 17th century China, a group of warriors attempting to find the vampire that abducted their master find themselves caught in a feud with their new hosts whose enemy raised an army of vampires to destroy them and must fight them together in order to save themselves.This here was quite the fun if slightly flawed effort.
Like the vast majority of Hong Kong vampire efforts, the fact that there's such an endless array of high-quality martial arts scenes in here is the biggest attribute to this one, keeping the film charging along at a frantic pace for the majority of the film.
The opening assault on the main vampires' grave, which includes plenty of the usual aerial martial arts-based acrobatics as they lure the creature out of the tomb and combat it while it drains their life-force and brings about the explosive final part of the confrontation where they steal away the body into the forest gives this a fantastic opening, a later encounter where the looters find the creatures out in the woods and get torn to pieces is another gruesome highlight and the hand-to- hand fighting in the dojo where he finds that his opponents are the reanimated creatures is a lot of fun and gives this a great deal of action to run throughout here.
Other great battles come from the resurrected vampires' attack on the small village as their hopping through the streets causes a great deal of destruction, and the fine follow-up confrontation in the woods is a lot of fun with the atmospheric location and raging thunderstorm providing plenty of set-up for the masterful hand-to-hand combat within and giving this all a great deal to like about it and sets up the ending confrontation with the master controller at his temple which is a wholly spectacular fight generating plenty of stand-out wire-fu tactics to bring about a fantastic and engaging sense of energy within the scene while utilizing plenty of inventive and unique tactics to combat the creature.
Still, there's more than enough straightforward horror elements to work here, mainly centering around the rotting zombie-like look of the vampires filled with demonic visages and even maggots falling off their faces which makes for a rather fun and chilling-looking villain that really makes this appropriate which lets the scenes of them hopping around the villages casting plenty of shadows makes for some really suspenseful moments.
The only real thing that holds this back is the fact that there's just not a whole lot of coherence in the story about what's going on, as there's just not a great deal of logic in why they're coming out or why they're targeting the family and as a result it makes the first half seem somewhat slow and uncoordinated.
Take the typical wuxia martial arts film and add a horror element in the form of vampires.
The inborn grace and elegance of vampires seems like an excellent fit for wuxia.Unfortunately we end up getting very little of that.
It's more of a force of nature, an unstoppable monster that rips into pieces everything standing in its way, visually more of a zombie lord than an aristocratic vampire.
Fantastic horror villain, even if it means that the fights are not as grandeur as they would have otherwise been.What really fails this movie is the lackadaisical nature of the script.
Making this a film that's fine to check out if you're really into wuxia or you want to see a radically different take on vampires.
If Vincent Price could do kung fu, that is.Wellson Chin may have directed the film, but as with any Tsui Hark movie, if he's on it, then it means he's the de facto director.
This is likewise, though his usual flourishes of the imagination show through, as in a scene where a necromancer scales a wall using only two small dirks, the overall tone of the film seems to be a showcase of excess, right down to the "predator"-style shots taken from the vampire POVs. A toss-up of hits and misses is what this film is, and it's all the more encumbered by Tsui's (ironically) trademark fast pacing that causes him to subvert the all-important "visual-aural-verbal" rule of screenwriting.
I felt that this movie could have been better if i had focus more on the scares, however this is much of a neutral film, which is not that scary, nor frightening.The people focus are not that much, and the scare effects could have been better, but seeing that the film director is Hark Tsui, his films are usually made more for plot rather than characters.Somehow, i keep remembering the name of this film back in my mind, because it gives me the creeps sometimes when trying to remember it.However if you don't understand Asian (chinese) horror creatures, then its not really worth watching it.-Alright film to watch / can be creepy-.
Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters.
I do like some of the classic Asian horror movies but combining it with martial arts and over the top action has never greatly appealed to me.
There's non stop action throughout and the zombie/vampire make ups are pretty good, they reminded me of the maggot invested walking dead from bygone Italian horror cinema.
Failed attempt at arthouse-ifying the classic Chinese vampire horror-comedy genre.
At the onset, I didn't know whether this movie was in English or Chinese and whether it was a U.S. production or a Hong Kong one.
In selecting language, I opted for Cantonese and the words seemed to match the mouths so I guess it is a Hong Kong production.As the movie progressed, I realized what veteran Hong Kong director/writer/producer/actor Tsui Hark (who writes and produces here) was trying to do with Vampire Hunters.
Most likely, he wanted to break into the western market by introducing one of the Hong Kong movie industry's most beloved genres - the campy vampire horror comedies, just as how Ang Lee brought the classic kung-fu movie to the West with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.Ultimately, Hark fails in his attempt to arthouse-isfy his movie, and Hunters doesn't even come close to the opulence of Crouching Tiger.
It runs like a drama, but throws in gratuitous scare scenes that aren't scary, and tries to instill humor that isn't humorous.
The special effects, while certainly more ample and advanced than the vampire movies of old, are largely overdone and blatantly unrealistic.
PLEASE DO NOT SEE THIS FILMSeriously, the most pointless piece of crap I have ever seen, the story didn't make much sense, the effects were D-grade, they were that bad and the fighting has nothing on a B-grade Hong Kong action flick.
I must say if your even thinking about watching this movie, your already doing the bad thing.
How can you take something so pure as kung-fu, Chinese Vampires and gore and make it so wrong...The film starts out ok enough but then just gets worse and worse.I can safely say there wasnt anything really redeeming in this film..
usually in bad movies there is at least one scene where you say to yourself..
And "Era of Vampire" reminded me a lot of Hark's last film, "Time and Tide".
The two films had nothing in common in terms of plot, but both movies tried to cover up their weak scripts with frenetic action sequences, cacaphonic noise, and Baz-Luhrmannesque editing.
The film starts off interestingly enough, diving right into an action sequence involving the first of many appearances of the monster, in this case it is a vampire/zombie.
But in fact, the action from the first sequence was not only as thrilling as the rest that followed, but it was also far superior to the anti-climactic final showdown.Director, Wellson Chin, also does a good job of putting over the human characters after the initial opening battle.
But unlike action films from Hollywood, this film's final showdown is a huge, anti-climactic letdown.Where most films save their best for last, "The Era of Vampire" gave it all away in the first 15 minutes.
This Film truly is awful, i bought it expecting a good HongKong Zombie-Vampire flick!
the zombies don't even bite the neck from what i saw, i managed half hour & that was painful enough, really 1 of the worst vampire genre movies, & possibly the worst film i own.
But the action scenes are pretty good.
And while this is among my least favorite Tsui Hark films, that's more a statement of how much I enjoy his movies than an indictment of this one.
I've seen bad HK vampire movies before and I have to say this is probably one of the worst.
And sometimes new characters would just pop out and try unsuccessfully to integrate into the movie.The master vampire was not scary at all.
Otherwise, you'll end up like me and spending 5 hard earned dollars on renting such a piece of crap as "Vampire Hunters" just cuz it looked totally awesome in the screenshots found on the back of the box.
I feel almost ripped off, so much in fact, I want to take it back to BlockBuster Video and ask for my money back for wasting my time, energy, and money."Hunters" was like a mix of "Iron Monkey", with it's crap comedy elements, crazy unrealistic fight (and flight) sequences, and medieval Asian setting, and "Blade", for it's vampire/zombie hunting story, and a bit of "House of 1000 Corpses", being kind of a throw-back to classic horror cinema (in "Hunters" case, horror/kung-fu), and having so much cut out of the final release that most of it doesn't entirely make sense.
"Vampire Hunters" is all this, plus underdeveloped characters, god awful dialogue, poor poor poor dubbing (even in the its original language!), sh*t for make-up, and an obviously low budget.
Not that there's anything wrong with low budget films, but when trying to make a movie about high flying warriors fighting off decaying, flying zombies and vampires, you're gonna need a little more money than what these guys did with "Hunters".Everyone commenting on this flick so far is complaining about the look of the demons/vampires, but I have much respect for the way the creators of this film portrayed them as creatures who actually looked like they had died and come back to life.
The demons in "Hunters" look like they were actually pulled out from six feet under, and tied up with strings like puppets to move around."Vampire Hunters" was edited SOOOOO bad, and in the end, that's what makes "Hunters" so f*cking awful.
This love element is what makes "Hunter" totally over the top, even if it doesn't have that much of an impact on the film as a whole.
Maybe it's a Chinese thing, but the dead becoming zombies becoming vampires?
Vampires that suck blood like a Hoover?
If you want to make a martial arts movie, than don't try to be a spooky picture at the same time.
TSUI HARK'S VAMPIRE HUNTERS is very much a film of the 2000s, an update of the classic MR VAMPIRE genre of filmmaking but updated to the new millennium with slick visuals, heaps of dry ice, and some basic computer effects to depict the movement of the undead.
The CGI used does not even begin to redeem this detestable smack-fest of sugar-coated zombies/vampires/whatevers, the main monster looks like something an 8 year old put together for the front porch on Halloween, and the four main characters are totally indistinguishable from one another. |
tt0270991 | Hollywood Vampyr | Vista del Mar College, Los Angeles: Young Goth girls are committing ritual suicide. The last two were
daughters of one of the professors at the college. One of his colleague,
Professor Fulton [Muse Watson], sees the Goth movement as a deadly cult phase that kills
innocent kids. Fulton's student Tom Weidder [Jeff Marchelletta] doesn't agree. In his opinion,
Goths are simply "disenfranchised." Tom is friends with several Goths,
e.g. Fatal [Nora Zimmett] (an art student who has just discovered that she's pregnant
with the baby of coven-owner Anubus), Fatal's brother Blood [Trevor Goddard] (who runs a
"Children of the Night" website to recruit new members), and Anubus [Mark Irvingsen]
himself (Fatal's lover, a business administration student who opened a
vampire coven (The Black Rose) to cash in on the lifestyle and the
profits).Blood, an employee of Anubus, has amassed such a following that he
decides to start his own coven. His goal is to become King of the vampires
and start a new religion based on the idea that female vampires, when they
are no longer useful to the coven, should be willing to kill themselves in
order to fertilize the ground with their seed and spawn a dominant order
of male vampires with Blood as their holy father. Their reward is to be
granted immortality.Neither Tom nor Fatal can go along with Blood's goals. Tom is having
personal problems in that his mother is dying of cancer and Prof Fulton
has kicked him out of the program because of his bad attendance. In a fit
of rationality, Tom calls Fatal's child "another martyr for the cause." In
a fit of conscience, Fatal aborts the baby and comes down with a massive
case of infection, requiring her to be hospitalized for over a week. She
tells Blood that it was Tom who helped her come to the decision to kill
her baby. While Fatal is in the hospital receiving therapy, Blood pays Tom a
visit. Blood apparently believes that Tom is not lying when he denies any
knowledge of Fatal's decision, so Blood offers Tom a job in his
soon-to-be-opened coven "Syn City." Tom tells himself that he's going to
use this opportunity to investigate the thoughts and philosophies of the
Goths.Meanwhile, Blood vows to avenge the death of Fatal's child by ruining
Anubus. First is to steal Anubus's coven members. Then Blood torches
Anubus's club, which results only in the authorities suspecting Anubus as
torching his own club for the insurance money. Third, Anubus is arrested
on a "tip" that he was involved in grand theft auto. All this publicity is also playing havoc with Fatal's readjustment
after being released from the hospital. She returns to her dorm to find
her door spray-painted with words such as "Die" and "Bitch." She has to
hock her car to get the bail money for Anubus's release. Tom has taken on
the dress and attitudes of Blood's following and no longer wants to be
Fatal's friend. Fatal is tempted to try coke again, but resists and washes
it down the sink.Syn City -- Blood's Opening Night: It doesn't go well for Blood. He's raided by the police who tell him
that they're shutting down his club. Anubus attends the opening. Blood
shoots Anubus and then turns the gun on himself. Next scene, Tom is back
to normal, typing on his computer, and he even hangs his crucifix back on
the wall. On the other hand, Fatal returns to the club in full
vampire/goth dress. The moral? Up to you. [Original synopsis by bj_kuehl] | cult, gothic | train | imdb | A dark gothic story with a strong positive message. I saw this film at the Modesto Film Festival, I felt it was one of the best that screened. The cast was amazing. Trevor Goddard played a great villain and it was cool to see Muse Watson not play a villain. It was nominated for six awards, but only won one - Nora Zimmett for Best Actress. I think it should have won more, like for Best Feature &/or Best Actor. There was a Q & A session after with the writer and some cast members. It got great feedback from the audience. It is a dark themed story about Hollywood's real gothic subculture but has a very positive message. It's a learning arch and journey for the two leads Fatal (Nora Zimmett) and Tom (Jeff Marchelletta) as they search to find themselves. They struggle with acceptance, lifestyle, religious faith, drugs and their '"families." After a bumpy ride, cult suicides and murders Fatal & Tom both come out survivors and learn they can be their own unique selves to belong.. not as bad as i expected. Well, saw this at the video store, read the back of the box, saw the Brain Damage logo, and thought "wow, a cheesy movie! must see!" I was surprised. The movie was actually fairly decent. The acting wasn't bad, a bit over-acted, but, that is how the club goths tend to act anyway, over dramatic. Not one I would buy to put in my collection, but definitely worth a watch.. Best inside look at the scene. Trevor Godard is phenomenal at he portrays the bad guy in this inside look at the GOTH scene. The acting from all actors is true to form. The story is a nice mix of the ups and downs, in a very dramatic style, of the actors characters. You believe them. A must see!. NINTH GRADE ART PROJECT. This is what happens when ninth graders write and produce a film. First off there is a difference between Goth and Vampire. The movie merges the two to the dismay of both Goths and Vampires and combines them into some cult religion which requires women to perform a ritualistic suicide. Trevor Goddard who played Blood, the evil Goth/Vampyr actually passed out during the making of the film when he saw fake blood. He is a cult leader who has a web site that reads like a bad Charlie Manson come on. "You are not alone. You are misunderstood, We are your family." Blood is the head of a cult called the Black Rose. Fatal (Nora Zimmett) is a girl in the cult who is pregnant and also does blow and smoke pot. Good thing she is off the heroin. There is Anubus (Mark Irvingsen) a club owner and associate of Blood. He is also a business student. Tom Weidder (Jeff Marchelletta) plays a gay student who helps Fatal and walks around with a goatee painted on his chin. Professor Fulton is the class instructor whose real name, Muse Watson sounds like one of the characters.This is perhaps the "Reefer Madness" of Goth films. It is idiotic. Unfortunately it lacks the camp value to be entertaining unless you're a real Goth.
Trevor Goddard fans will want to avoid this one, it is unbelievably bad. Even the phrase "Based on a Series of true Events" should tell you something about the film. |
tt0349903 | Ocean's Twelve | At the beginning of Ocean's Twelve, the eleven members of Ocean's Eleven are living their lives separately off the fortunes of their Vegas casino heist in the first film. Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the owner of the three casinos, confronts each member of the team in turn, demanding the team return his money, with interest. Benedict gives the team two weeks to come up with the money, which amounts to the original $160 million plus $38 million interest for a total of $198 million. The Ocean's Eleven members don't have enough and are short $97 million which they must get in 14 days or they are "dead men."Danny and the team decide to stage another heist to pay off the debt. Being too "hot" to work in the United States, they pick a European target: the world's oldest stock certificate, which was issued by the Dutch East India Company in 1602, worth around 2.5 million euros, and is kept in Amsterdam. The certificate is enough to extend their deadline. The group manages to breach the security around the certificate, in part by physically lifting the building to achieve line-of-sight. But a rival thief, the "Night Fox" (Vincent Cassel), beats them to the document and leaves a message for them.The Night Fox is a notorious European thief who was trained by the legendary retired thief Gaspar LeMarque (Albert Finney), and believes himself to be the world's greatest thief. As it turns out, he is the one who revealed the identities of the Eleven to Benedict. The Fox is incensed that his mentor, LeMarque, failed to correct a businessman who claimed that Danny was the best thief in the world after hearing of the elaborate complexities of the Ocean's Eleven 'Bellagio job'. The Fox breaks "rule number one" (revealing another thief's identity) in order to lure the team to Europe, where he can propose a challenge, since going after the same object is the only way to tell who is the best thief. Both Danny's group and the Night Fox will attempt to steal the famous Coronation Egg within a week; the first to succeed will be declared the better thief. If Danny's team wins, the Fox will pay off the team's debt to Benedict. With no other options, Danny accepts the challenge.Meanwhile, a Europol detective, Agent Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones), with a romantic link to Rusty, hears of the increased theft activity in Amsterdam. She forges her superior's signature on a request form in order to procure enough resources to track down the group. In the first attempt, most of the group are captured; the second, involving a very reluctant Tess (Julia Roberts) masquerading as the famous actress Julia Roberts, ends the same way, partially due to unintended interference from movie star Bruce Willis (as himself). A U.S. official, actually Linus's mother in disguise, manages their extradition.Danny and Tess meet The Night Fox at Lake Como in Italy. At his home, the Night Fox delights in explaining how he was able to steal the egg by climbing to the roof of the Museum at dark without being detected by Danny's Recon squad. He passed through the laser grid, dances his way and avoids triggering the alarm. Danny then reveals the truth: the contest was over before it began, and the egg that the Fox stole was the fake. Danny and associate Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) had previously visited LeMarque and learned the location of the real egg which was transported in a duffel bag instead of the armored car. LeMarque also warned Danny and Rusty to assume that the Night Fox would always have them under surveillance. Hearing this, the Fox is crestfallen, and Danny gets the money that the Night Fox had given to LeMarque to hold in confidence when the competition was first proposed.It is not until the end that the viewers realize that LeMarque was actually the mastermind behind the entire operation. By deliberately making the Night Fox feel inferior to Ocean's group, he manipulates the Night Fox into entering the competition. This is "the solution to all our problems" that he alludes to in the meeting with Daniel and Rusty. The Night Fox is the mark, and Danny's team is essentially a pawn of LeMarque. Their task is to simply acquire the egg, and then get caught. This convinces the Night Fox that he has won, although the contest is just misdirection. Another goal of LeMarque is to be reunited with his daughter, Agent Lahiri, who had thought her father had died over a decade previously.The result of the entire adventure is that Danny's group is now in the clear with Terry Benedict, the extraordinarily talented Night Fox is disgraced (both in fortune and in reputation), and LeMarque is reunited both with his daughter and with the Fabergé egg he had stolen years earlier (his wife made him put it back). This illustrates the artistry of LeMarque, and why he is regarded so highly amongst those who perform the long con. This is the reason LeMarque is so apologetic to Danny and Rusty, and he claims "I'm still getting the better of you" at the end of their meeting. Reuben then meets with Benedict to pay him honestly and in full. During their conversation the camera zooms in on the Night Fox in the background disguised as one of Terry Benedict's gardeners, implying that the Night Fox plans to rob Terry Benedict in order to prove himself once again and to get his money back.Isabel Lahiri joins Ocean's group in a get-together afterward. She and Rusty are together again. | revenge, entertaining | train | imdb | And these films do indeed have A lot of Hollywood star power in them; Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherina Zeta Jones, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle...
Unfortunately, the audience may not gain the same pleasure as the actors did....If you were like me, absolutely blown away by the chic and jazzy first film, then Ocean's 12 will be a disappointment.
After reasonably goofy short scenes between Pitt/Zeta-Jones and Clooney/Roberts, the film spends several minutes watching Andy Garcia waltz from scene to scene, telling each individual member of Danny Ocean's original eleven that he wants his money back.
I won't give it away, because I know most of you will be foolish enough to throw down the money to see this movie anyway.What I will say is that it makes most of the 2 hours you have sat through already completely irrelevant.I was excited to see this film, after absolutely adoring Ocean's 11.
I left the theater feeling like I had been the victim of a truly great con pulled by the cast and crew of this movie in tricking me into thinking that this movie would actually be worth watching.
At times it could be a little frustrating and leave you wondering why they even showed the last ten minutes of the movie.By far the strong suit of the film was the cast and their generally above par performances.
The latest in a long line of tepid Hollywood sequels; the cast may have had fun making this film but that doesn't mean the audience will as it drags on for over two hours with endless story lulls, self-conscious humor, and banal dialogue.
There's the constant music, the people with the general European accents (well, villains), and every other caper movie cliché in the books.Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his eleven/twelve compadres are forced to pay back the money that they stole from Terry Benedict's (Andy Garcia) casinos three years earlier.
They are pursued by a clever and gorgeous Inspector , Catherine Zeta Jones , Brad Pitt's sweetheart .This thrilling as well as hilarious hold-up film displays a twisted caper from the beginning to ending , comedy , turns , along with limited action of varied manner .
I feel like the actors in this movie got together, realized they could do whatever they wanted and people would still come see it, and made a travesty of the first movie.The heist is these actors taking a good movie, Ocean's 11, and using a sequel to steal about $7.50 per person in theaters.
It begins with Terry Benedict(Garcia), the villain from the first one, going around acting cool while letting the Ocean's Eleven know that they had two weeks in which to return his money with interest or he would have them killed.
the cast did a great job and Catherine Zeta-Jones is probably the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in film...something about her just takes my breath away..
I actually watched it in Rome, one of the locations used in the film, and not a single ancient ruin appeared (apart from George Clooney ;->); indeed, the opening scene of a line of cars all sounding their horns was familiar enough to send a laugh around the Roman audience.There were one or two plot oddities that'll probably show up in the IMDb goofs section (Arsenal FC going from Amsterdam to Barcelona?!
Besides all these, a completely unexpected and ridiculous script is a must.This movie has it all!I would like to remark the performance of Catherine Zeta Jones, it's so horrible that now i can't watch any of her previous movies without laughing.and Julia Robert as ....
George Clooney didn't have any charisma this time around as Danny 'smooth operator' Ocean , Andy Garcia wasn't quite mean enough, I can't figure out why Bernie Mac was in the film and as already mentioned I felt that there was more potential romantic / sexual potential in Zeta-Jones' character.
Its extremely painful to sit through - the best performance is by Matt Damon in one particular scene which is the highest point the movie ever reaches -I hope they make an Oceans 13 and really think of a nice story this time around as a sort of apology for their bad behavior this time - or bring out an apology to all the fans they conned!.
a comedic heist film with the best cast ever.This movie lives up to the star power shown in Ocean's Eleven, but it has a different twist of humour.
a feel-good film.What I highly enjoy about the Ocean's Trilogy is being able to watch a film that brings together great talent, some of the biggest names of my own generation, and watching them in a comedic heist film that deserves some popcorn and laughs.This movie is highly underrated, not because of how great the storyline is, but because of how great the entire package is.Enjoy it for what it is..
The cast is obnoxiously self-aware in the first film Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) walked the line between "cool" and "fool" and in "Ocean's Twelve" he comes across as an utterly annoying, wannabe hipster.
In fact, the first fifteen minutes of the film really just exists to give Garcia a role in the movie except for a brief appearance at the end, it's the only screen time he really gathers.The new additions seem tacky and unnecessary likewise the cameos are contrived, and the self-referential Julia Roberts-playing-Tess-playing-Julia-Roberts scene must have looked a lot better on paper.Soderbergh's direction is harder and laced with grit the hand-cam shots and filtered bleak cinematography really give the film an abysmal edge that hinders it.
The original was vibrant, colorful and alive "Twelve" is dead from the start.Not a terrible motion picture by any standard, but then again I'd hardly feel compelled to label this "entertainment." It's a sporadically amusing, mostly grueling sequel that never really rings true it's like an exclusive in-joke for the cast and crew, and the audience's involvement was obviously of secondary importance during filming..
The real problem with this is, a scene which Tess Ocean dresses up in different clothes and looks like she is pregnant, to disguise as "Julia Roberts" within the movie.
The only reason I didn't give it ten stars is because it does kinda miss a surprising twist in the end, but this ending is well done to.I recommend this movie to everyone because it's a great sequel to the first one and and I would love to see an Oceans Thirteen.
Could they repeat the success, or would it be a prime example of lightning never striking twice.Ocean's Twelve picks up a few years after events of the last film, with all the band of thieves scattered, and still trying to outrun Casino owner, victim of their heist, Tess's ex, and all round nasty piece of work, Terry Benedict.
To complicate matters there is the small detail of Rusty's (Pitt) recent ex-girlfriend, Isable (Zeta Jones), an Interpol agent tracking down them, and the mysterious thief The Nightfox, who has a small matter of honor to work out.The film takes around 20 minutes to really get started, and that first 20 minutes will alienate a lot of people who just want to chew popcorn and be excited.
The main story is weak, and there are too many subplots which are totally unnecessary, distracting and very annoying.It looked like the different actors of the original Ocean's 11 cut some sort of a deal with the Producers and Director whereby they were all given more screen time - there in lies the first big flaw.
Although her various successful and magical red-handed arrests of the various team members of Daniel Ocean appeared too cheesy at times.Julia Roberts looks tired and old in most scenes; I don't understand why she couldn't have been made more presentable using make-up etc..My recommendation is to wait for the DVD which should be out in a month or two..
I found this movie to be sleek sheik and entertaining.I found the camera techniques to be very new and neat.the cast was great and they have a chemistry with each other that is truly rare.They leave you hanging right up till the end and then you're surprised to see how it plays out.Katherine Zeta Jones joins the all star cast as a female top cop and the love interest of Rusty(Brad Pitt),who not so coincidentally chose Amsterdam to pull the job to try to raise almost 20 million to save their lives after they are tracked down by Benedict( Andy Garcias character),who wants his money back with interest.There were a few scenes that the movie could have did without.One of those being the predictable scene where they dress Julia Roberts up as,well,Julia Roberts.You just know someones going to say that she doesn't even look like her(which they do)and that they're going to run into someone that knows the "real" Julia,which they do.Bruce Willis was funny though and kind of saved the scene.Also the movie could've done without the confusing showing the ending and then flashing back to what happened part.It made it hard to tell what happened when.However,This movie proves to be very entertaining from start to finish and worth the rental fee.I probably wont buy it but by the same token,I'm likely to rent it again just to see parts i missed..
This may be number two in what is another franchise but Steven Soderbergh's love of movies and the movie-making process is evident in every fabulous looking frame, (this is probably the best-looking movie you'll see all year), and if the extremely daft plot, (there are daft heist movies and then there is "Ocean's 12"), could be scribbled on the back of a postage stamp this is also the most sheerly enjoyable film I have seen in a very long time.As for that daft plot, it exists only as an excuse to do a follow-up to the hugely successful "Ocean's 11".
It's complicated, at times it's basically non-existent and this movie, more than the last one, often feels like a bunch of pals goofing around in front of the camera; (remember the very first "Ocean's 11" with the Rat Pack?
Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones works wonders the the film's only misbegotten character, Pitt's love interest who happens to be the female detective on everybody's tail.
Daniel Ocean and "Rusty" Ryan, played by George Clooney and Brad Pitt, both good-looking and talented actors, are just complete geniuses.
I have lost count of the times I've watched Ocean's Twelve on DVD - it is pure, engaging entertainment, a 2000's version of a 60's movie.
Although Julia Roberts plays the role of Ocean's wife Tess, she also is uncredited--the credits actually state, "and introducing Tess as Julia Roberts." Julia's probably hoping people will think it wasn't her, especially since she wore no makeup (evidently to make her role as a housewife more believable.) IMDb won't let me give a lower rating than 1 star, but a one half star each for Catherine Zeta-Jones' and George Clooney's looks does add up to 1 star total..
If you enjoy 'I know what happened, but how did it happen?' movies then this is worth watching and if you're a fan of Catherine Zeta-Jones you'll love this movie as she's absolutely beautiful in it, but if you're expecting Andy Garcia to play a prominent role (his Bad Guy in the original was great) you'll be disappointed; if you're expecting a high-tech crime movie with believable techy stuff you'll be very disappointed; if you're expecting a visually great movie (which is a fair expectation considering the Rome/Amsterdam setting) you'll be disappointed.The under-use of Andy Garcia's character makes me believe that he'll be the main Bad Guy again if significant box intake results in another movie - but don't bank on it.2.5 / 5..
This is a totally original movie that will entertain you, go watch it, just don't expect to watch something like Ocean's 11..
With actors such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, and Matt Damon, How can the movie be bad.
Reuniting the cast from the original remake, "Ocean's Eleven" (2001), this one finds Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his band of thieves running to Europe to pull of heists to pay off Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the hotelier they ripped off in the first film.Trouble is if Terry didn't intimidate them the first time, why would they really get worried this time around?
Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vincent Cassel.The last two are new this time.
So many people were disappointed to learn that Ocean's Twelve was not yet another heist movie.This film had to be a sequel.
However, it would have been unreasonable for all eleven original characters to share an equal share of the spotlight and still turn out as well.In the end, Ocean's Twelve is not a mere heist film but an Intelligent Comedy that may need to be watched more than once to appreciate some of the subtleties in the dialog.
Damon cuts his way into the screen time with a nice line of joking about "coming up" but Roberts and Jones are really pushed to the edges of the film even if they do have some things to contribute.
OCEAN'S TWELVE (2004) **1/2 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Vincent Cassel, Don Cheadle, Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Eddie Jemison, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Shaobo Qin, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Izzard, Jeroen Krabbe, Albert Finney, Topher Grace, Cherry Jones (Unbilled cameo as himself Bruce Willis) (Dir: Steven Soderbergh) The Con is On (the Audience) Sequels and remakes are let's face it kissin' cousins that at times result in cinematic inbred retardation.
With a window of two weeks the gang are back together for one final job in Europe.Returning are retro cool Rusty Ryan (Pitt), eager to be his own criminal Linus Caldwell (Damon), bloke safecracker Basher Tarr (Cheadle), street smart Frank Catton (Mac), knuckle-head Malloy brothers Turk and Virgil (Caan and Affleck, respectively), seasoned pros Reuben Tishkoff and Saul Bloom (Gould and Reiner, respectively ), techie geek Livingston Dell (Jamieson) and Chinese acrobat 'greaseman' Yen (Qin) who more or less have gone to less-distinguished yet 'legit' lives since their big score.Also on hand is long-suffering Tess (Roberts), now Danny's re-married wife who pines for domestic niceties and police detective Isabel Lahiri (Zeta-Jones) ex-gal pal of Rusty who is hot on the trail of her boyfriend.This over-thought and undercooked crime spree is convoluted and a tad too sure of itself even as it asks the ridiculous notion of the group to simply screw things up and let the domino effect fall where it may is what is truly at fault in George Nolfi's screenplay and the addition of master thief Eurotrash Francois Toulor Cassel) to gum up the works slams the brakes on the trip to Coolsville the film so arduously attempts to rekindle the far superior remake it subsists off like some cinematic vulture on carrion.What is to like are the sprinkles of humorous dialogue between the chemistry, baby, chemistry of this unlikely gathering of men on the take for the easy life with no strings attached and the bonhomie, although stilted since many of the ensemble is stretched out like so many potholes, retains a few moments of relaxed anxiety.What I truly tired of was the addition of Mr. Willis' unwelcome 'cameo' that is the definition of star-tripping smugness that clearly grinds things to a halt by the film's troubled third act ; 'nuff said.Soderbergh's camera is all knowing angles and scattershot editing is his trademark and at least attempts to keep the plottings such as they are lively.
Well, for some reason, that just didn't sit well with Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) who not only lost the casino's money a job for which he was responsible - but also his girlfriend Tess (Julia Roberts) to the mastermind behind the group, Danny Ocean (George Clooney).
Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven came out that same year, a smooth caper film with hip actors such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon stealing a cool $150 million from casino owner Andy Garcia.
George Cloony, Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle...'Ocean's 11' was a fun, lightweight caper film.
This is such arrogant, self-important claptrap, that it happily demolishes everything in sight with a brainless, relentless absurdity, which, when the dust finally settles, leaves you with the feeling that someone has, quite sincerely, just robbed you of time and money, and stuck their middle finger in your face for two hours.I give this movie two out of ten, because I love Brad Pitt, who plays this entire film with a bored, I can't be bothered with life swagger, and does seem rather fed up; Catherine Zeta-Jones, who is usually good fun, and sometimes quite a good actress, and the marvellous Vincent Cassell, star of "La Haine", and "Black Swan", who gets a chance to strut his stuff here with some cool acrobatics, but little else.
And I liked that they changed the central character (Brad Pitt instead of Clooney this time) for this movie!Vincent Cassel was also great, although he (or better his character) must feel cheated.
Ocean's 11 was a very entertaining heist film and while the sequel is good its not as good.
The all star ensemble cast makes it worth seeing though including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, the late Bernie Mac and Julia Roberts are still great in their roles not matter how big or small their part is in the movie.
I just love Steven Soderbergh films, despite the fact I've only seen three of his movies. |
tt1259521 | The Cabin in the Woods | The movie opens with a pair of middle-aged men walking through some kind of facility discussing mundane details about marriage and potential children, while a younger woman in a lab coat is trying to inform them about an incident at the Stockholm facility. The two men are not particularly concerned about what she is telling them. They mention that the facility in Japan will get the job done, and that their U.S. facility usually comes in second place. As they board a golf cart and drive off, the younger of the two men invites the older one to come over to his house for the upcoming weekend.The scene shifts to a room in a college town where Dana (Kristen Connolly) and Jules (Anna Hutchison) are talking about school. Apparently, Dana had an affair with one of her professors and it ended badly. Jules's boyfriend Curt (Chris Hemsworth) walks in and throws a football at the girls. It flies out the window and Curt's friend Holden (Jesse Williams), a fix-up for Dana, catches it down below. The guys are there to pick up the girls for a long weekend at a lakeside cabin that Curt's cousin owns. Dana finishes packing and they all go downstairs to pack up the RV. They are about to leave when their friend Marty pulls up in his car smoking pot from a huge bong that converts into a travel mug.We cut back to video screens in the previously seen facility where the two middle-aged men, Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford), are watching all of this happen. Apparently, they have been drugging the kids through various means (hair dye for Jules, Marty's stash, etc.) but they don't say why.The group is close to the cabin when they stop for gas and directions. The attendant, Mordecai (Tim DeZarn), is old, unfriendly, and more than a little bit crazy. He tells them that they will have no problem getting to the cabin, it's the getting back they should be worried about. The kids laugh at him, he becomes sarcastic and aggressive, and there's almost a fight when he refers to Jules as a whore. Instead, everyone gets back into the RV and they drive away. They have to go through a u-shaped tunnel in the mountain to get to the cabin. As they pass through it, a bird tries to fly across the ravine and hits an invisible shield. It electrocutes the bird and it falls, presumably, to its death.Meanwhile, back at the facility, the phone rings and Hadley answers. It's Mordecai. He reports that the college kids are on their way to the cabin and tells them how the reveler almost messed it up for them and they should be careful. Then he gets mad because Hadley has put him on speakerphone; he hangs up while Hadley and Sitterson laugh.They arrive at the cabin and unpack. It's obvious that they are still being watched by cameras set up by the facility people. Holden is in his bedroom putting on his bathing suit when he notices an awful painting on the wall. He takes it down and underneath it there's a window into the next room where Dana is staying. She starts to take off her clothes, unaware that the mirror in her room is revealing everything to Holden in the next room. Holden runs into Dana's room and tells her what's going on and they switch rooms. Now Dana can see Holden and she definitely likes what she sees.All the people at the facility have gathered to place bets on what fate the people in the cabin will choose. Hadley really wants it to be the merman. A new agent called Truman (Brian White) is shocked by the way he sees the others behaving. A more seasoned agent, Lin (Amy Acker), tells him that she understands how he feels, but he shouldn't judge the others for their seemingly flippant behavior. Truman, however, continues to question Hadley and Sitterson about the proceedings; Truman thinks it's unfair, although they all seem to understand that what is going on is of the utmost importance.At the cabin, everyone goes into the living room and starts drinking. Marty continues to smoke the pot he brought. They're all getting pretty tanked and start to play Truth or Dare. Jules is dared to make out with a wolf head mounted on the wall. Then it's Dana's turn. She has just chosen dare when the door to the basement flies open, startling them all. They dare her to go down into the basement. She does and the rest of them follow. There is a ton of really strange stuff down there. Dana picks up a diary. Curt chooses a puzzle ball and tries to open it. Jules likes a wedding dress and starts to put on the necklace that goes with it. Marty is looking at a conch shell and Holden is mesmerized by a child's jewelry box that opens to reveal a dancing ballerina when, all of a sudden......the people at the facility are quiet and on the edge of their seats......Dana says "Hey guys! Listen to this." Everyone else puts down what they were looking at and walks over to her. The diary belonged to a young girl who was brutally beaten by her father. There is something about how they will all return once someone reads some Latin words at the end of the diary. Marty says they shouldn't read it. He hears a voice tell Dana to read it. No one else seems to hear it. Against the advice of Marty, Dana reads the Latin and somewhere outside, the family from the diary returns from their graves all zombie-fied.At the facility, it turns out that maintenance and the new intern have won the pool with their selection of Redneck Zombies. Hadley is really bummed he won't get to see a merman.At the cabin, the kids go back to the living room. Jules and Curt are acting out of character. Jules is dancing very suggestively in front of the fire, Curt is being aggressive and insulting about his girlfriend. Marty notices this but his concerns are brushed off by the others. Curt and Jules decide to go for a walk. Thanks to some pheromone fog, they start to have sex in the woods but they are stopped by the zombies. Jules is stabbed in the hand but Curt saves her. He is stabbed in the shoulder but survives. Jules is recaptured and beheaded while Curt watches. He gets away and runs back to the cabin.As Jules dies, Hadley and Sitterson recite what seems to be a prayer. Hadley pulls a lever and blood runs into a grooved stone tablet that contains the outline of a female figure: the whore. The ground starts to shake.Marty hears a voice in his head and goes outside to see Curt running towards him, fighting off a zombie. They both run inside and lock the door. Curt tells everyone that Jules is dead. They decide to barricade the house and stick together. Courtesy of the facility, a voice tells them to split up but only Marty consciously hears it. He begs the others not to split up but no one listens and Dana, Holden and Marty each go into their own rooms. The doors promptly lock behind them.No one at the facility can figure out why their tricks aren't working on Marty. He's not following the plan and he can hear the voices. They're worried he's going to ruin everything. In Marty's room, he gets startled and breaks a lamp. He picks it up and finds a camera. This is proving everything he's been saying about this place. He's about to investigate further when a zombie comes through the window and pulls him outside. They struggle. Marty is stabbed in the back and dragged out of sight. Bad noises follow. Poor Marty.People at the facility are relieved that Marty won't be ruining their plan. However, they're still investigating to see why their drugs didn't work on him. They determine that when they were lacing his pot with their drugs, they missed one of his stashes and what he was smoking was making him immune to their tricks. Blood runs into the outline of the reveler. The ground shakes.A zombie tries to break through Dana's window. Hearing this in the next room, Holden breaks the glass between their rooms and pulls her into his. They find a door in the floor that leads to another room in the basement. It appears that this is the room where the father beat and tortured the girl from the diary. They try to find a way out but the door won't open. Just then, one of the zombies finds them and stabs Holden in the back. Dana stabs the zombie repeatedly just as Curt opens the door from the other side.The three of them get in the RV. The door closes and a bloody hand print is seen on the outside of it.As they head toward the tunnel, Hadley realizes that the demolition crew never set off the explosion that causes the tunnel to cave in and block their exit. As the trio frantically tries to get away, Hadley and Sitterson are just as frantically trying to correct this oversight.The RV makes it halfway through the tunnel when it starts to cave in. They reverse back the way they came and make it out just in time. Curt has a dirt bike in the back of the RV and he decides to jump the ravine and go get help. Like the bird, he hits the invisible barrier and dies. (Blood runs into the outline of the jock.)Dana and Holden see what happened to Curt and realize that Marty was right all along. They head back towards the cabin trying to figure a way out. Holden is stabbed through the head (blood fills the outline of the scholar) and the RV crashes into the lake. Turns out there was a zombie in the RV. Dana fights off the zombie, gets out through the overhead hatch, and swims to the surface. She makes it onto the pier when the zombie comes up from the water and starts beating the crap out of her.Back at the facility, they are celebrating a successful night. Evidently, the "virgin" doesn't have to die for the plan to be successful. This is extremely important since all of the other sites (Japan, Germany, etc.) have failed to complete the ritual. They open a bottle of champagne and start drinking. The red phone rings. Hadley answers. A tense conversation follows. Apparently, the rules weren't followed. One of the others is still alive. If Dana dies first, they will lose.Dana is still getting the crap kicked out of her by the zombie dad. Marty comes out of nowhere and beats the zombie with his giant bong until he falls into the water. He grabs Dana and they run into the woods. The zombies are after them. He jumps into one of the graves the zombies came out of and starts digging. Dana can't figure out what's going on. Suddenly, Marty opens a door and they fall into a room right before the zombies grab them.Marty tells Dana that this was all set up. He's discovered an access panel and started playing with the wires inside; this is why the tunnel never exploded when it was supposed to. Marty shows Dana an elevator and deduces that someone sent the zombies to attack them. She's not sure about getting in the elevator, but they don't have any other options. Through the glass window of their elevator, Dana and Marty can see many other elevators that contain supernatural creatures connected to the strange items in the basement of the cabin. The Sugar Plum Fairy, the Puzzle Ball, the doll faces, the killer bride, etc.. Dana recognizes the connection and deduces that the group "chose" the means of their own deaths, meaning the zombies.Meanwhile, the observers are in an uproar because Dana and Marty have penetrated their facility. They make plans to kill Marty in order to preserve the intended order of sacrificial deaths. Pinpointing the elevator number, an armed guard is sent to them and instructed to kill both of them, Marty first, but he fails when a zombie corpse in the elevator distracts him. Dana and Marty kill him and move out into the hallway. A female voice speaks to them over a PA system, sympathizing with them for their predicament, but insisting that Dana and Marty must die. More armed guards show up and start firing on them, and they run into what looks like a control room and hide. Dana realizes that there is a control panel that monitors access to the elevators containing the monsters. As they are being attacked by soldiers with machine guns and other artillery, they randomly start to push buttons; Dana finds a large one that says "PURGE SYSTEM," and suddenly alarms start going off all over the facility. The guards all pause in terror, then all of the elevators open while monster after monster emerges. The soldiers are massacred and the monsters get into all areas of the facility, slaughtering the workers. Marty and Dana are cornered by monsters, but they climb through a hole where one of the walls was smashed in during the carnage.In the facility's control room, Hadley, Lin, and Truman are killed by monsters. Hadley finally gets to see his merman right before it kills him. Sitterson manages to activate an escape hatch and emerges into a stone hallway, but he is fatally stabbed by Dana; this is where Dana and Marty have ended up as well. Before Sitterson dies, he tells Dana, "Kill him." Dana is afraid to go on, but Marty gives her a gun he took from a dead guard.Marty and Dana end up in the room with all the character outlines. Dana realizes that there are five stone tablets, one for each of them--Dana, Marty, Holden, Curt, and Jules. Everything that's happened to them has been part of a ritual sacrifice. The Director (Sigourney Weaver) appears; they recognize her voice as the one that spoke to them over the PA system. She explains about the facility and their purpose. She says the ritual is older than anything known to man; even she and her peers aren't sure of everything, but the ritual is conducted worldwide in order to appease "the Dark Gods" who once ruled the Earth. She says the monsters they've seen are nothing compared to them, and both Dana and Marty realize they are standing over a pit that leads to where the old Gods are sleeping.The Director explains that the ritual is meant to keep them dormant, and must follow specific rules. There are five sacrificial victims. The whore (Jules) dies first, and after that, four more archetypes: the scholar, the athlete, the fool (a.k.a the reveler), and the virgin. The order of their deaths doesn't matter as long as the whore is first to die and the virgin is the last one alive. The Director says it is up to the Gods whether the virgin (Dana) lives.If the sacrifice is not completed, the old Gods will come to the surface and destroy mankind. The Director says Marty must die to save the world. Marty says that if a bloodthirsty ritual is required to save mankind, then maybe mankind isn't worth saving. Marty is hurt when Dana raises the gun to kill him; she is conflicted, but she doesn't want the world to end. Without warning, Dana is attacked by a werewolf, which proceeds to viciously maul her. When she drops the gun, Marty picks it up and fires on the werewolf, and it runs off, wounded. The Director tries to kill Marty, but the zombie girl from the diary appears and kills the Director instead. Marty kicks them both into the pit with the Gods. Dana and Marty make up and smoke a joint while they contemplate the end of the world. The ground shakes and starts to crack open.The cabin in the woods starts shaking. A giant hand comes crashing up through it and slams down on the ground in front of it as the first of the old Gods reaches the surface. | dark, comedy, murder, stupid, paranormal, violence, horror, plot twist, flashback, clever, psychedelic, satire, suspenseful, entertaining | train | imdb | null |
tt1080012 | Faintheart | As the camera pans through a wood, subtitles suggest we're in Mercia, and its the 11th Century.
A line of viking warriors advances towards their foe, the Normans. Just as they stop to set a shield wall, Richard's (Eddie Marsan) mobile phone rings. His (ex) wife (Jessica Hynes) wants to know where he is. He should be at her dad's funeral.
To general derision, Richard runs across the battlefield, telling the narrator Geoff (Tim Healy) to 'start without me'. Minutes later, he's driving his battered old Volvo across town, as the remaining warriors do battle, giving a sorry display to the handful of specators. The lead Norman is not impressed and tells Geoff he's on his own if he can't do better.
Richard runs into the crematorium, still in full battle dress and sits beside his son Martin (Joseph Hamilton), wife and mother-in-law Barbara (Anne Reid). They are not impressed. As they leave the funeral, Cath cannot believe he'd either miss the funeral or not dress appropriately. Later, Richard is collecting his things from their house. Cath has thrown him out. He makes a half-baked attempt to say sorry only to have the door shut in his face.
The opening title sequence rolls, as Richard plays a home video of his and Cath's wedding, and various battles they did 'in the old days'. They had a viking themed wedding, a banquet, where Barbara and late husband look very awkward, they fought many a battle, circle of treachery, public events et al.
Julian, lying on the lower bunk in his bedroom, in the house he shares with his mum (Sandra Voe), waxes lyrically about love and life. Richard, in the upper bunk agrees. Julian's mum opens the door and tells him his battle dress is washed and hung up.The next morning, Richard arrives at his house to pick Martin up for school. Cath, dressed for work, is unimpressed at Richard's lame attempt to ask her out for a drink. "You really don't get this separation thing". Richard and Martin drive off, Martin looking downcast. They arrive at school, Martin walks up the drive, and Richard drives on to work.
In school, Martin is accosted by his bullies, but the PE teacher intervenes and sends them on their way. In class Emily (Chloe Hesar) is giving her talk on witches, which Martin finds impressive.
At the DIY store, Richard is trying to train his troups. His self-important supervisor is not impressed and sends him off to clean out a display toilet that some joker has used. As his shift ends, Richard looks at the picture of the Cern Abbus giant, with Cath pointing at the erection. He has an idea and drives over to the anonymous looking office block where Cath is sat in a management meeting, bored, drawing a unicorn.
The meeting chair looks out of the window to see Richard paint the CA giant on the grass, with a speech bubble asking her out. Cornered, she agrees. Richard is chased off the premises.
Julian has had an average day at his shop, arguing with customers on obscure points of the Star Trek canon, and seems to have set himself up with a date too, online. At the evening campfire, Richard wonders how to go about this date with Cath. Collin (Richard Ridings) suggests going back to the original spark that started it off. Richard feels inspired! They met at a local pub (still there), when a local band, long since disbanded, was playing.
Back at school, Martin has drawn a dragon for Emily, to impress her. Again, the bullies take a different view, and the PE teacher tries to give him a pep talk about surefire ways to get a date.Julian is closing up for the day, trying to get rid of the last small kid. He's horrified to discover 'Kim', his hot date, and the small kid (Matthew Leighton) are the same person. He ends, hours later, up pleading with the kid to 'go home', only to have Kim's frantic mum snatch him away, and himself arrested by the police.
Richard really thinks he's cracked the date, with a carefully staged 'private party' at the pub, two dressed up mates, a dummy with beer mats in its mouth, and 80s new romantic music on the CD. Cath doesn't agree, and tells him she's met someone else.
Martin's attempted romantic script withers on the spot as Emily fails to fall for it. Instead, he ends up in the school play.Feeling at the bottom of lousy, Julian is convinced he'll never meet anyone. Richard thinks otherwise, but is really more concerned about who his rival for Cath's affections is. Persuading Julian to help, he tries to covertly watch his house and identify the opposition. This works perfectly until Cath opens the car door. She explains to Richard that she's moved on. She used to enjoy it, but being turned into a camp follower killed the fun, and her new boyfried at least takes her places she wants to go.
Richard is horrified at this, as the truth starts to dawn on his world. Hitting the canned lager and drinking horn, he builds the dutch courage up to challenge his rival to a dual on the front lawn.Days later, the viking troupe is doing a display to Martin's class. Making the mistake of picking him in front of his class, Richard dresses him up and gets him to fight with quarterstaff. Winding his dad, Martin runs off, throwing his kit. Richard chases him and ends up vandalising the PE teacher's car as Martin's rejection of him becomes too much. He is humiliated in front of everyone but realises that he is the one who has to change.Julian, feeling very jumpy after his date, panics when Kim's mum, Maggie (Bronagh Gallagher) walks into the shop. After a tirade about stupidity and over-priced fan memorabilia, Julian plucks up the courage to ask her out, to which she agrees. | home movie | train | imdb | null |
tt0090837 | Chopping Mall | Park Plaza Mall has just installed a state-of-the-art security system, which includes security shutters across all exits, and three high-tech security robots, programmed to disable (using tasers and tranquilliser guns) and apprehend would-be thieves.
Four couples (Married pair Rick and Linda, Greg and Suzie, Mike and Leslie, and Ferdy and Allison) decide to have a party in one of the furniture stores where three of them work. They all stay after hours at the mall, drinking, partying, and eventually three of the couples have sex in the furniture store beds, while the fourth couple, Alison and Ferdy, who were introduced by Greg and Suzie, watch old science fiction films on TV.Outside, a lightning storm strikes the mall several times and damages the computer controlling the security robots, which kill their technicians and a janitor, before going on regular patrol in the now empty mall. Two of the teens (Mike and Leslie) leave the furniture store to buy cigarettes, and are subsequently killed by the robots - now the "killbots" of the movies original title. The surviving teens witness the killbots kill Leslie, and the men and women are forced to separate, the men into the mall and the women into the air ducts, when the killbots begin their attack.The men break into a sporting goods store ("Peckinpah's") to arm themselves with guns, whilst the girls take gas and flares from an automotive store after Suzie has a panic attack and leaves the air ducts to help Greg, with Allison and Linda following her, not wanting to leave her in the mall alone.Utilizing a propane tank, Rick, Greg, and Ferdy blow-up and appear to destroy one of the killbots (Though it later recovers). Rick, Greg and Ferdy then rig the mall elevator with a booby trap. A second killbot ambushes the women while the men finish rigging the elevator, and Suzie's screams alert the men that the women are in trouble. They rush to help, but are too late. Suzie is killed as the killbot utilizes its laser, setting fire to her gas can and setting her aflame, while Greg watches in horror. He tries unsuccessfully to shoot the killbot, before Rick drags him away.The teens, now regrouped, are able to destroy a killbot by luring it into the booby-trapped elevator. They then hide out in the restaurant where Allison works. Greg confronts Allison and Linda about leaving the air ducts, which led to Suzie's death. Greg also exhibits signs that he's beginning to crack. The girls try to explain, but Greg has difficulty accepting their explanation, going so far as to pull his gun on Ferdy when he intercedes on Allison and Linda's behalf. Rick manages to calm him down, and Ferdy suggests destroying the main control centre for the killbots, thinking that it will shut them down. Greg and the others support the idea. They begin to make their way to level 3 of the mall where the killbots' control centre is located.Greg, continuing to behave recklessly over Suzie, and despite the others trying to get him under control, gets too far ahead of them and is killed when one of the remaining killbots ambushes him and throws him over the balcony, where he falls to his death three floors below. While on the run, the remaining teens see the killbot that was believed to be destroyed and realize there are still two left to deal with. The final four, Allison, Ferdy, Rick, and Linda take refuge in a department store as the remaining two killbots work to gain access.Hearing one of the killbots gain entrance in the store's lower level, The group sets up store dummies and mirrors in an attempt to confuse the killbot waiting outside the upper-level door, then open it up. The plan works, and when the killbot starts firing at the dummies, one of its lasers reflects back off of a mirror, hitting the killbot and setting it firing blindly. Linda is killed when one of the lasers hits her, and Rick, enraged, drives a store golfcart into the killbot, firing wildly. He is electrocuted by a bolt of electricity, but his actions finally destroy the second killbot completely.Their deaths leave Alison and Ferdy as the only two survivors to search for the control centre in the storage areas of the mall. The third and final killbot corners Alison who is rescued when Ferdy shoots it point blank, damaging its laser, and setting himself up as a target instead - the killbot strikes and appears to kill him as Alison escapes.
Alison falls to the lower mall injuring her leg, and sets another trap for the killbot in a paint store, by mixing paint and chemicals from the shelves. She goads the killbot into the store where it becomes stuck - its tracks unable to find traction on the spilled paint and thinners - and throws the flare into the store where the volatile chemicals explode, destroying the final killbot. As she leaves the store, she hears Ferdy call her from the upper mall, revealing that he was still alive. The film ends with Alison and Ferdy together as the mall is now at daytime, showing that Alison and Ferdy survived the night massacre.After the credits roll, a killbot shows and says "Thank you, have a nice day" as then it cuts to black | violence, murder | train | imdb | null |
tt0051433 | The Bravados | Jim Douglas (Gregory Peck) is a rancher who has been pursuing the four outlaws who he believes murdered his wife six months earlier. He rides into the town of Rio Arriba, where four men, Alfonso Parral (Lee Van Cleef), Bill Zachary (Stephen Boyd), Ed Taylor (Albert Salmi) and Lujan (Henry Silva), fitting the description of the men he seeks, are in jail awaiting execution. The town has issued instructions to only allow the hangman Simms (Joe DeRita) to enter the jail, so Douglas is taken to Sheriff Eloy Sanchez's (Herbert Rudley) office to state his business. The town has never had an execution before, so they have brought in a man from another town for do the job. The sheriff allows Douglas into the jail to see the men. They claim they had never seen him before, but he isn't persuaded.In town Douglas sees Josefa Velarde (Joan Collins), who he had met five years previously while in New Orleans. When Douglas originally met her, Josefa had been husband hunting. Since then, she has been looking after her father's ranch after his death. Douglas reveals to her that he has a daughter (Maria Garcia Fletcher). Other inhabitants of the town include businessman Gus Steimmetz, his daughter Emma (Kathleen Gallant) and her fiancé Tom (Barry Coe).Simms, the executioner, arrives the same day. He drinks with Douglas but is generally unfriendly. The sheriff invites Simms to see the men he is to hang, but Simms chooses to wait until the town's residents are at church for a pre-execution mass.While pretending to evaluate the men he is to hang, Simms stabs the sheriff in the back. The sheriff shoots and kills Simms in the struggle, but the inmates strangle the sheriff until he is unconscious.The four take his keys and escape, taking Emma as a hostage. The wounded sheriff interrupts the church service and tells the townspeople that the prisoners have escaped. The townspeople form a posse to ride out immediately and enlist Douglas to help them track down the outlaws, but Douglas is in no hurry and waits until morning. The posse pauses at a mountain pass and then they decide to leave Parral behind to prevent anyone from following them through the pass. Douglas catches up with the posse the next day at the pass, where they are held up trying to dislodge the outlaw.Douglas corners the outlaw Parral and shows him a picture of his wife in the cover of his pocket watch. Parral says he's never seen her before. Douglas accuses him of being one of the four who killed his wife. Parral denies it, pleading for his life, but Douglas kills him. Douglas follows the outlaws and next tracks down Taylor. He lassos Taylor by the feet and hangs him upside-down from a tree, leaving him to die. The two remaining men reach the house of John Butler (Gene Evans), a prospector and Douglas's neighbor. Zachary kills Butler and Lujan steals the sack of coins that Butler tried to run off with. Zachary attacks Emma, but Lujan sees someone approaching in the distance and tells Zachary they must leave, and after Zachary rapes Emma they leave. Josefa and Douglas arrive at Butler's cabin from different directions where Douglas identifies Butler's body. The posse arrives and finds an injured Emma in Butler's cabin. Douglas tells the posse to ride on while he goes back to his ranch to get fresh horses.When Douglas arrives at his home he finds that the fugitives have taken his last horses. Leaving Josefa with his daughter, he rejoins the posse. When they arrive at the Mexican border, the other members of the posse refuse to cross the border and Douglas goes on alone. He finds Zachary in a bar and shows him the photo of his wife. Zachary says he has never seen the woman before and asks what Douglas wants. Douglas insists that Zachary is one of the four who killed his wife, and Zachary pulls his weapon in self-defense, but Douglas kills him first.Douglas see Lujan run away. Lujan greets his wife and learns that his son is ill. Douglas tracks Lujan to his home and arrives to find him fetching water. Lujan's wife, seeing that Douglas intends to harm her husband, knocks him out with a clay pot. Regaining consciousness, Lujan holds Douglas at the point of his own gun. Douglas shows Lujan the photo of his wife. Like the other three, Lujan says he has never seen the woman before. Douglas asks why Lujan is riding one of Douglas' horses, and Lujan says that he and his companions rode past the Douglas ranch on their way from the border. Pointing to the sack, Douglas states that the men who killed his wife stole the sack containing the family's life savings. When Lujan tells Douglas that he took the bag from Butler's dead hand, Douglas realizes that Butler killed his wife.Douglas realizes that he has been pursuing men who had nothing to do with his wife's death. He remembers that he showed each of them a picture of his wife, and all of them denied ever having seen her. Douglas sees that he is no better than the men he has been pursuing, having murdered them in cold blood. He returns to the town where the hanging was to take place and goes to the church to beg forgiveness from the pastor. The priest (Andrew Duggan) says that Douglas did what he felt was right and to his credit, does not take refuge in the fact that they were outlaws anyway. Josefa then arrives with Douglas' daughter, and as they exit the church together, the sheriff and the townspeople celebrate Douglas' success at tracking down and killing the men. | revenge | train | imdb | null |
tt0067229 | I Drink Your Blood | The film opens on a bizarre Satanic ritual being conducted by a long-haired hippie type named Horace Bones. Nude and freaked out on LSD, Horace and his small group of cohorts are oblivious to the fact that they're being watched by Sylvia, a young girl observing them from the trees. One of the hippies is pregnant and is not taking part in the ritual; she sees Sylvia and drags her into the clearing, where Horace freaks out over the fact that their ritual has been observed. A more recent member of the group, Andy, admits that he met Sylvia in town and invited her along, prompting Horace to violently hit him. Sylvia becomes frightened and runs away, but two other members of the group chase after her and catch her in the woods, where they brutalize her.The next morning, Sylvia emerges from the woods beaten and apparently raped. She is found by Mildred, the woman who runs the small town's bakery. With Mildred is Pete, Sylvia's younger brother who appears to be about 12 or 13. Together, they take Sylvia back home to where she lives with Pete and their grandfather, Banner. Mildred is sure her boyfriend will know who victimized Sylvia--with the town deserted, the only other people in the area are the construction crew working on a dam near the town. Mildred drives to the dam and informs her boyfriend, who works at the site. He tells her he will look into it.Meanwhile, Horace and his group have discovered that their van is now broken down and useless. They abandon it in the woods and walk to the town on foot. The first thing they see is the bakery, and Mildred sells them meat pies, throwing in a few extra things as a kindness for them. Horace tells them that he and his friends are rock musicians stranded there, and he asks where they can seek shelter. Mildred explains that Valley Hills only has a few residents, most of them long gone. Only she and a few others remain, awaiting the demolition of the town in the near future. Upon hearing this, Horace and the others move into one of the abandoned houses, smashing things and hunting the many rats inside of it for food.Pete follows them to the house and witnesses their bizarre behavior. When he returns home, Sylvia has come out of her shock and informed Banner about what happened to her. Pete overhears and reveals that he knows where the hippies are staying. Banner takes a shotgun and sets out for revenge. When Banner encounters the hippies at the house, they disarm him and brutalize him, forcing LSD into his mouth. Pete, who has followed Banner, overhears the incident from outside. Horace apparently wants to kill Banner, as well as Pete, but a female member named Sue-Lin convinces Horace to let them go, fearing intervention by the police.Banner is tripping when he gets home, and Pete is distressed. Sylvia explains that the hippies dosed him with LSD, and Pete becomes angry. Taking the shotgun, he goes outside the house, but the first thing he encounters is a wild dog that is apparently rabid. Pete kills it and returns later with some of his father's equipment. Using a syringe, he takes infected blood from the dog. The next day, he injects the rabid blood into the meat pies in Mildred's bakery, as a means of getting back at the hippies. Just as Pete planned, the hippies return to the bakery and purchase the meat pies.Back at their house, Horace and the others eat the meat pies. Andy is the only one who does not partake--he is uneasy about the violence he has witnessed and he wants to disassociate himself from the group, leaving the house. The others begin to show signs of being sick, and eventually they lapse into animalistic behavior. Rollo, a member of the group, takes a dagger and stabs another group member named Roger to death with it. In a feral rage, he rushes out into the yard and finds an axe, returning to chop off Roger's leg with it. Horace also turns violent, grabbing a sword and threatening other members of the group with it.A female hippie named Molly becomes terrified and rushes off into the night. Construction workers sent there by Mildred's boyfriend find Molly and take her with them. Molly uses her sex appeal to insinuate herself into their group, and she spends the rest of the night having sex with all of them. Finally, Molly begins to freak out, biting one of the men. Two other construction workers are killed when they venture into the house of the hippies and encounter a now-crazed Horace, who hangs one of them and guts the other.Banner discovers what is going on when Horace attacks Mildred's car and leaves bloody handprints behind. Andy returns to the Banner house and hides out in their barn; after making peace with Sylvia, they are discovered in the barn by Andy, who admits what he's done. Andy explains that he didn't eat the pies, so he is not infected. Banner has informed others about the potential rabies epidemic, and the next day they are joined by Dr. Oakes. Banner, Oakes, and Mildred's boyfriend all discover that the entire construction crew are now rabid maniacs; the entire town is engulfed by them and the hippies, all of them homicidally crazy and prone to mindless acts of violence. Even two seemingly gentle hippie girls, one of them pregnant, happen upon a woman's home. When she takes them in, they wind up cutting off her hand with an electric carving knife. Oakes and the others discover that water terrifies the rabids, and they are nearly killed by a large group of them before they reach a water-filled quarry, which frightens them off.Andy helps Sylvia and Pete escape after they discover Banner dead in the barn, impaled by a pitchfork. While running through the woods, they happen upon the pregnant hippie, who impales herself on a wooden stake after she learns she has rabies. When they emerge from the woods, they discover Rollo and Horace lurking near the bakery; fortunately they become interested in each other, allowing the normals to escape. Rollo and Horace clash, each of them armed, until Rollo impales Horace with a sword. Andy, Sylvia and Pete discover Mildred barricaded inside the bakery, but she is too afraid to let them inside. When she finally manages to undo the barricade, Andy has been beheaded by a machete-wielding madman. Sylvia and Pete retreat with her to the basement of the bakery, but unfortunately they cannot lock the basement door. A rabid gets inside, and Mildred shoots him in the head. They rush out of the bakery and try to drive away in Mildred's car, but it won't start; the crowd of brawling rabids converge on them and overturn the car. Just then, Oakes arrives with a slew of policemen and medics, and soon all of the rabids have been shot dead. Mildred, Sylvia, and Pete all emerge from the car, shaken but otherwise unharmed. | violence, cult, revenge, sadist | train | imdb | The acting wasn't too good either, but it's obviously on a low budget, so I can forgive that.The plot is that a group of Satan worshiping hippies come to a small town to wreak havoc on the local population.
What self respecting exploitation and horror fan is going to resist *that* title?When a sadistic, Satan worshipping, hippie gang starts raising hell in a remote and tiny rural community, a local kid fights back by feeding them meat pies infected with blood he'd obtained from a rabid dog.The result is an outrageous, wonderfully gory, trashy hippie horror hoot, directed for maximum shock value by David E.
Along the way, we get to see hands and feet chopped off, a pitchfork through the neck, a hanging, a stomach stabbing, self immolation, a gang member running around brandishing an axe, another one stabbed over and over again, and of course lots of foaming at the mouth.Say what you will about "I Drink Your Blood", but one thing it's not is boring.
The influence of "Night of the Living Dead" is undeniable, but the truly wild 'n' crazy approach of "I Drink Your Blood" is all its own, and the story comes complete with the subtext of concerns of small town America over the whole hippie movement.
All you need to know: satanic hippies- a winning contradiction of course- find an abandoned house, beat up grandpa (who looks very oddly enough like Luis Bunuel), and the grandson gets angry enough to shoot a rabies infected dog, draw out its blood with a syringe, inject the blood into MEAT PIES (yes, meat pies, what kind of meat is meant as an eternal mystery), and the Charles Manson wannabes eat em up.
Yet it is, living up to its hype, a very violent movie, however without a single socially redeeming statement in the process.But unlike some other ultra-violent horror fests of the period (Last House on the Left immediately comes to mind), I Drink Your Blood isn't really out for loftier goals than to shock, and Durston's most significant achievement, if nothing else, is to make all of this bad crap really, hysterically funny, if only in big bursts amid scenes that are also, predictably, dull.
It might even make for a decent do-it-yourself Mystery Science Theater night, as the ultra-violent rabies-infected LSD-satanic-hippie movie was sort of left in the dust during the show's run..
The kid comes up with a brilliant idea for revenge by contaminating some meat pies with rabies-infected blood taken from a dead dog he had shot earlier, and feeding them to the unsuspecting hippies.
A group of satanic hippies called the Sons and Daughters of Sadus after performing some black magic rituals decide to hole up in a small town.It isn't long before residents take notice of the group and their deviant behavior.After hippies beat and humiliate his grandpa a young boy Pete decides to get revenge on the group the best way that he knows by feeding them rabies injected meat pies."Satan was an acid head".Definitely."I Drink Your Blood" by David Durston is one hell of an exploitation classic.The film is filled with cheap gore and crazy scenes of carnage.The script is wonderfully weird and the characters are colorful and gleefully off-beat.So if you are into rabid hippies and construction workers and "Night of the Living Dead" bloody rip-offs "I Drink Your Blood" will certainly leave you speechless.8 hydrophobic killers out of 10..
When a young boy injects a bunch of meat pies with blood from a rabid dog as payback for tormenting his grandfather, the hippies go insane and embark on a gory killing spree in which the entire town in at their mercy.This is quite a shocking and bizarre little film.
This film may seem dated to some, but I think part of it's charm is it's bizarre sense of nostalgia and old-fashioned humor.The film itself is kind of like a cross between NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, but if you're looking for a good shocker full of surprises and gory violence, this is a must-see.
Horror with a small budget, a smaller cast, often humorous dialog, but let me tell you, that on this day, there is evil in the air, and it's awfully humid.A gang of Satan-worshiping hippies, with bad intentions, ends up in a nearly-abandoned town, after their van breaks down.
Evil has just got a double-dose of madness, and it's feeling real bad, and that can only mean bad news for the unsuspecting "town" .Contrary to what I had heard, I Drink Your Blood is not exactly a Lucio Fulci blood bath, or even what I would consider a gore film, in fact, I see no reason why they couldn't have squeezed in an R rating.
By now, what horror-film fan worth his Judith O'Dea Fan Club membership card has not heard of the movie in which a band of hippies dose Grandpa with LSD, and grandson Petey gives them rabies-infected meat pies in revenge?
By sheer chance, a rabid dog turns up and the grandson shoots it; shortly before taking his revenge on the Satanists by feeding them meat pies injected with rabies...The first half of the film is something like your usual trippy seventies exploitation fare, and the second half more closely resembles a zombie flick as the gang develop rabies and go round killing/infecting everything in their path.
While the gore is nasty and somewhat realistic, it also has a great comic edge to it; and this keeps up with the fun style of the film, and unless you've got a serious lack of a sense of humour; I Drink Your Blood will mostly likely provide laughs for most viewers.
Grandpa makes his way home and uses kitchen table wear to constitute a set of horns because he thinks he's the devil.The next day, his grandson decides to get back at the group when he serves them meat pies laced with the blood of a rabid dog.
Very probably inspired by the then-recent Manson murders, the film deals with a pack of itinerant hippies who descend on a small town, terrorize the locals, go berserk when a kid infects them with rabies (they literally froth at the mouth)....
And you have to like any film that features:(1) a multi-cultural band of hippies called SADOS (Sons and Daughters of Satan), which includes (a) an old Asian woman with Tarot cards and (b) a crazed, pistol-waving Native American who says things like "Remember, children, that Satan was an acidhead."(2) an unusually cheesy score ("ooooWEEEEoooo") that sounds like something off one of those Halloween records they sell to kids.(3) Lynn Lowry (who's not in the credits!), future star of David Cronenberg's "Shivers," who whacks off another woman's hand with an electric knife.(4) Lots of fake-Satanic rituals performed by the aforementioned band of hippies.
Made for next-to-nothing and saying more than most, this little exploitation flick just may be the perfect example of "so bad, it's good."The film is centered on a cabal of Satanic hippies who descend on a small town in upstate New York.
The remainder of I DRINK YOUR BLOOD is a pretty suspenseful adventure, as the now rabid hippies go on a gruesome, psychotic rampage and infect a group of construction workers in the process!
It concerns a group of wannabe Manson hippies who perform the satanic rituals of blood drinking and cutting chicken's throats.
The man's grandson decides to exact revenge on these hippies by feeding them meat pies the next morning that were injected with the blood of a rabid dog.
They attack a local girl so her brother decides to get revenge by feeding them meat pies injected with the blood of a rabid dog, this is where the fun begins.
One little boy isn't going to stand for it though, and infects a batch of meat pies with rabid dog's blood (I thought hippies were vegetarians.) This revenge backfires though, and soon, the cult-and the rest of the town-turn into insane, foaming at the mouth killers."I Drink Your Blood" is a blast of 70's horror/exploitation cheese.
The acting (with an exception to Bhaskar and George Patterson, who relish there roles) is, to put it mildly, poor, the gore is laughable in it's badness (supposidly, a severed head looks like paper machete), and the plot goes beyond ludicrous (watch out for that hose!) Yet in spite of this, it's a real blast, with some great lines ("Satan was an acid head"), a lack of seriousness (there is no way in hell director David Durston meant for any of this to be taken too seriously), and a generally sleazy atmosphere that you can find only in these kind of moviesSo come one and all, watch, and together, we'll freak out!.
The hippies, with the combination of acid and rabies in their blood stream, all freak out and attack each other and the townspeople...the nympho freak has sex with a group of construction workers and they become the core problem...ANYWAY, as gruesome and unpleasant as it sounds, it's actually a funny film, though I'm not sure if it was meant to be a black comedy.
This film has it all: Rabid hippies, impaled pregnant women, severed limbs, cannibalism, animal torture, rape, sex, and drug use...all done in such a clever tongue-in-cheek manor that you can't help but LOVE this movie and, like a train wreck or car accident you will not be able to take your eyes off of it no matter how repugnant the subject matter may be...not for the squeamish but a MUST for all gore-hounds!.
Drink from his cup, pledge yourselves, and together we'll all freak out!" You would think any movie beginning with that kind of great dialogue -- spoken with an Indian accent, no less -- would be a magically awesome experience.But "I Drink Your Blood," a ridiculous film about Satan-worshipping hippies who get infected with rabies, pretty much just goes downhill from there.
The girl's young brother rescues the old man, and exacts revenge by infected a tray of mince pies with rabies (!), only for the remaining occupants of the town to one by one become infected by the disease and begin a rabid, frothy-mouthed killing spree.I thought I'd seen it all when I struggled through s**t-fest Island Of Death, but I Drink Your Blood is another example of how the genius of Grindhouse flashed an exploitative and lie-filled title in my face, only for me to giddily clap my hands in excitement only to be exposed to the cinematic equivalent to an anal raping.
I Drink Your Blood (1970)** (out of 4)A group of Satan worshipers led by Horace Bones (Bhaskar) invade a small town where they decide to stay a few days and drop acid.
There's also some campy moments dealing with the hippies on acid and some of the dialogue about LSD is rather laughable in its own way.Bhaskar makes for a good lead considering what the film needed.
Eventually, a young boy decides to avenge himself upon the group in a rather vicious manner (feeding them meat pies from his family's bakery infected with the blood of a rabid dog!) and, unwittingly, unleashes an epidemic of madness and murder.The violence (coupled with the foaming-at-the-mouth make-up) is so unconvincing as to be laughable and, for added queasiness, there's a completely gratuitous scene involving a boa!
I DRINK YOUR BLOOD was badly censored for the best part of three decades, not only by the MPAA and BBFC, but also the distributors.The DVD from Grindhouse restores the movie to it's original director's cut, and is all the better for it.It's a marvelous low budget horror that ranks alongside the likes of THE HILLS HAVE EYES, THE Texas CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and DERANGED as one of the most thought-provoking and eerily entertaining terror flicks of it's decade.The DVD is superb - director's commentary; on-screen cast interviews; deleted scenes; trailers; 2 versions of the main feature; a mammoth stills/posters gallery; some great Easter eggs, and more!The film itself is scary, original, gory and, yes, unintentionally funny in places.
The story concerns a group of satanic hippies who are given rabies infected pies then go on a killing spree in an almost deserted little town.
The boy gets his revenge in a BIG way when he extracts rabies infected blood from a mad dog he killed that night, spikes some meat pies with it at the local bakery, and with a big smile on his face generously gives them to the hippies whom of course suspect nothing.
This is fun, trashy, sleazy, gritty, gory, exploitation goodness - and I love this sort of thing...A group of Satanic hippies invade a small town where they rape a local girl.
Their Satanic, wanderin' ways bring them to a little town on the verge of being completely abandoned; when they begin to terrorize the locals, a little kid gets revenge on them by injecting meat pies with the blood of a rabid dog and feeding them to the hippies, who then go on a homicidal rampage.
He shoots a rabid dog and mixes its blood into the meat-pies that the cult members are to eat - at which point the satanic hippies get infected with rabies and, one by another, flip out to go on a homicidal rampage...This plot outline may sound utterly idiotic, but it is also the base for an extremely entertaining, hilarious and ultra-bloody trash flick that no fan of 70s exploitation cinema should miss.
Undoubtedly inspired by the Charles Manson killings, "I Drink Your Blood" introduces a group of drug-addicted hippies who call themselves the Sons and Daughters of Satan and throw devil-worshiping orgy parties in the woods during the middle of the night.
I Drink Your Blood is a cult horror flick that was pretty original for its time and most famous for being the first picture to receive an X rating for violence.
There is a nod to Romero's Night Of The Living Dead, but I Drink Your Blood kicks it up a notch and is a great and totally outrageous film that horror and exploitation fans should enjoy.
Well, the movie is about a Satanic cult, led by Horace Bones (Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury) who terrorize a small town and a little kid tries to defeat them by making them rabid.
There's also a love story that blossoms in the midst of the carnage, which centers around a young girl who continues to encourage the ardor of her cult-dissenter beau, despite the fact that at the beginning of the film he takes her into the woods to watch one of the sect's sacrificial rituals, which leads to her being brutally raped and beaten by his fellow hippie Satanists.You may have seen movies of this caliber before, but I'm fairly certain that you have never seen anything quite like I Drink Your Blood.
The story is about a group of Satanic hippies who wreak havoc on a small town, a metaphor for the culture clash at the time of the film's release but also a perfect recipe for a "Night of the Living Dead" homage: the zombies are going to get you sooner or later.This is by no means a great film...
Worse might have happened but his grandson, Pete, comes along just in time.Nobody knows what to do about the hippies and, of course, nobody thinks about calling local law enforcement because nobody will buy tickets for a twenty minute long feature film.Pete shoots a rabid dog and then makes his decision.
With Satan-worshiping hippies being fed rabies in meat pies by a boy getting revenge on their attacking his grandpa and teenage sister, what's not to like?
His grandson exacts revenge by shooting a rabid dog and injecting the infected blood into meat pies he sells to the hippies.
After his grandfather is assaulted by a group of Satan-worshipping hippies, a young boy laces their meat pies with rabid dog's blood and inadvertently turns them into crazed, ax-wielding zombies.A nice addition to the zombie genre, this early 70's trash pic plays the whole thing (thankfully) straight despite its somewhat campy premise and has a few surprising death scenes.
Acting, as to be expected from a film called I Drink Your Blood, is rather subpar though not as howlingly bad as it could be.Well done for what it is and highly recommended to fans of 70's horror and fans of the zombie genre.
I Drink Your Blood starts late one night in some woods just outside the small American town of Valley Hills where the self proclaimed first born son of Satan Horace Bones (Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury as Bhaskar) & his gang of hippie Satanists are holding a ritual as a local girl named Sylvia Banner (Iris Brooks) looks on, she is discovered, caught & beaten up.
Pete is upset at the treatment of his Grandfather & as luck would have it a dog with rabies turns up which Pete shoots dead, extracts some of it's blood & infects some meat pies in the local bakery which the hippies buy the next day.
The acting is also pretty good although I have a problem with Mills as Pete the young boy, he is very annoying as most leading children are in horror films.I Drink Your Blood was an unexpected surprise for me, it has the gore & exploitation elements that I was hoping for but it has a definite polish & exceeded my admittedly low expectation's.
I personally think I Drink Your Blood is an absolute must for exploitation fans & most horror fans will probably also enjoy it on some level, well worth a watch for those with the tolerance for these type's of films..
Well, if you're Pete, you kill a rabies infected dog and inject the blood into meat pies, which infects the gang and makes them go crazy. |
tt1438173 | Bait | The movie opens with a hungover Josh being woken up by Rory. Rory tells Josh he shouldn't have proposed to his sister, Tina. Rory gives Josh his grandmother's hangover drink. Rory says Tina is at the beach, and that she has something for him. Josh sees Tina bending down and picking something up. She turns around and shows him a seahorse. An old man is shown swimming, and Rory who is on his lifeguard board is also shown. A shark is then shown, Josh then a lifeguard on the watch tower sees the old man get eaten by a shark but Rory can't here this. Josh runs to a jet ski and goes to get him, but as he tells Rory; a shark bursts through his board and sends him flying into the water. Josh goes to grab Rory and tries to get him up onto the jet ski, but the shark pulls him under and Rory is devoured. You see Rory's body floating in the water which is then pulled away. You then see Tina sitting on the beach in shock.A year later, Josh is watching TV alone at his house. On TV, it states a shark migration is on. Josh gets up and goes to make coffee; he turns and sees a newspaper article about Rory's death. He then leaves the house, walks to the supermarket he works at. When he gets to the Supermarket, we see 2 people in a car (Doyle and Kirby) discussing a robbery. They drive into the parking lot where Kyle and Heather stop. Heather asks why they stopped there. Kyle grabs her phone, types something , shows her and she says he's bad. Kyle grabs her dog and puts him in the back seat as they start making out. We next see Jaime, who begins to shoplift; she gets chased by a security guard but she hides in the delivery room where she meets her boyfriend Ryan. Ryan says happy anniversary and gives her an iPod which has a playlist. Jaime pulls out sun glasses and gives them to him. Ryan knows she stole them, he tells her to put them back and Ryans boss Pessup walks in with the security guard. Pessup tells her he has called the police and fires Ryan.We next see Josh and Naomi stacking shelves. Josh turns his head and sees Tina with her new boyfriend Steven. As she's about to engage in a conversation with him Steven walks in and tells Josh to go clean himself up. Steven meets the cop he called who is really Jaime's dad Todd. Jaime sees him and says "Oh Shit". We see Heather and Kyle making out and then his seat falls back. Then we see Doyle and Kirby making an agreement about what happens after the robbery. Doyle gets out of the car and Todd sees him putting a gun in the back of his pants. Todd grabs his gun and follows him into the store. Doyle makes his way to Steven who he forces to open a safe but it is empty. Doyle asks where the money is as they walk down towards the cash registers he is stopped by Todd. Kirby the holds a gun to a woman's head and tells him to put the guns down. Ryan walks over to the car that Jaime is in; as he lets her out he says her dad is right. Jaime goes back into the supermarket to get his job back. Ryan walks back to his van where he sees Kyle who is putting his top back on. They clearly know each other. Ryan gets into his van where his battery then goes flat and he can't leave.We next see Josh washing his hands, he hears a gunshot. Josh runs and sees that Kirby has shot someone in the head. Kirby then grabs Tina and as he is about to shoot her a Tsunami happens. The supermarket and car park gets flooded. Kyle, Heather and Ryan are trapped in the car park. Everyone is dead. Only Tina, Josh, Doyle, Kyle, Heather, Ryan, Steven, Jaime, Pessup, Kirby, Todd, Naomi and Neil (Nicholas McCallum) are alive. They try to find a way out when Neil is killed by a 12 foot great white shark, everyone starts panicking. We see Kyle and Heather, who are in their car as they see another great white shark. The wires start to spark and if it hit the water it will kill everyone. Steven goes to turn the electricity off when he drowns. The shark in the car park swims around, smashes the window and the car starts filling up with water. Kyle goes through the sun roof and asks Ryan for help. Ryan tells Kyle he will distract the shark so they can swim to his van, which is upside down; Kyle agrees. Ryan cuts off a hand from a dead woman, puts it into the water so Kyle and Heather swim to his van. Just as Kyle is about to get attacked, he lets go of the dog and saves himself. We return to the supermarket they are trying to get out through the vent. Pessup volunteers, as he gets his head through the vent a large group of crabs come out. The crabs alert the shark which jumps out of the water and bites him in half. Kirby gets knocked into the water and Doyle feeds Stevens other half to the shark so he can save Kirby. Back in the car park, Heather is angry with Kyle for killing her dog. Ryan attempts to climb over to the van using the pipes but falls in. Kyle pulls him up onto the van but is knocked into the water, The shark attacks and kills Kyle.Back in the supermarket, they grab hooks and meat to catch the shark. Josh apologies to Tina because he blames himself for what happened to Rory. As they attempt to catch the shark with the meat, it is realized the shark only wants live bait. So Kirby grabs the hook, puts it through Naomi's shirt and puts her in the water. Doyle doesnt like this, so he stabs him, saves Naomi and uses Kirby as the bait. This move helps them catch the shark. On the way out Jaime hears Ryan banging on the pipes and find Heathers dog is alive. Jaime and Josh go to get them but then they are chased by the second shark. They get on top of Todd's car; Josh grabs Todd's Taser and shotgun. Josh jumps into the water and kills the shark with the shotgun. They get back to the store but as they are about to leave, a tremor happens. The tremor causes the shark to get loose. Josh kills this shark with the Taser. Josh, Ryan, Todd, Jaime, Tina, Heather, Heather's dog, Doyle and Naomi are the survivors. They leave the store, go onto the street and see that the tsunami caused extremely severe damage.The camera follows a bird out to sea where a shark jumps up at the camera. | violence | train | imdb | null |
tt1139797 | Låt den rätte komma in | Twelve year old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is so wimpy that he's constantly picked on by the other boys at his school, especially Conny (Patrik Rydmark) and his two friends, Martin (Mikael Erhardsson) and Andreas (Johan Sömnes). Out of fear, Oskar never fights back. In the evenings, however, he sits in the courtyard rehearsing knife attacks on his tormentors. One evening, Oskar notices a new girl about his age and her father moving into into #15, the apartment next door to his. Oddly, the first thing they do is to cover the windows with cardboard. What Oskar doesn't know is that Håkan(Per Ragnar) is not Eli (Lina Leandersson)'s father... he is her renfield... and Eli is a vampire. It is Håkan's job to bring Eli fresh blood, which he gets by killing other humans. First he anesthetizes them with halothane, then he strings them up by the feet, slits their necks, and catches the blood in a jug, leaving the bodies to be discovered the next day. Unfortunately for Eli, Håkan is having problems securing blood for her. On his first kill after moving into the new apartment, he either lost or forgot the jug filled with blood. Consequently, Eli is beginning to get hungry.One evening, as Oskar is in the courtyard stabbing a tree in lieu of his tormentors, he notices Eli watching him. She's not very friendly, as she tells him right off that she can't be friends with him. The next evening, they run into each other again in the courtyard. Oskar notices that Eli is not wearing a coat even though it's the dead of winter in Stockholm. What's more, she's not even cold. And she smells bad. Still, Oskar shares with her his Rubik's cube and shows her how to work it. After Oskar has gone inside, Eli goes hunting. She waits in the shadows under a bridge. When two neighborhood friends, Jocke (Mikael Rahm) and Lacke (Peter Carlberg), part company, and Jocko walks under the bridge, Eli calls out, "Help me!" Thinking that the little girl has fallen, Jocko picks her up. Suddenly, Eli latches onto him and bites his neck. Gösta (Karl-Robert Lindgren), a friend of the two men, sees everything from his apartment window. By the time he is able to stumble into the Sun Palace Cafe and get help, however, Jocko's body is gone (Håkan has already covered up the killing by tossing the body into a pond), but they do find Jocko's blood in the snow. The next morning, Oskar finds that Eli has solved the Rubik's cube and left it in the courtyard. When they meet there later in the day, Eli is a bit more friendly, taking the time to explain to Oskar how she went about solving the puzzle. She also smells better, but it's odd that she cannot remember her birth date when Oskar asks. Since Eli doesn't know her birth date, she doesn't celebrate her birthdays and gets no presents, so Oskar offers her the Rubik's cube.The next day at school, Oskar stays after class to copy the symbols for Morse code from the encyclopedia. On his way home, he is confronted by Conny and his two friends. When Conny orders Oskar to show him what he copied from the encyclopedia and Oskar refuses, Martin grabs Oskar and Andreas begins to whip his legs with a stick. As an added measure, Martin slaps the stick against Oskar's cheek, gashing it. Oskar later tells his mother that he fell during recess. But when Eli asks what happened, he tells her the truth. Eli tells him that he must start to fight back. If so, they will stop tormenting him. If they don't stop, Eli promises to help him. Oskar shares with Eli the Morse code that he copied from the encyclopedia. That night, they practice tapping on the wall that separates their apartments. The next day at school, Oskar signs up for the weight-lifting program. Later, he takes Eli to a candy store and offers her a piece. At first, she refuses; then she tries one. Oskar finds her heaving on the sidewalk around the corner. He hugs her. Eli asks him whether or not he would still like her if she wasn't a girl. "I guess so," Oskar replies, not quite understanding what Eli is asking.As the friendship between Oskar and Eli deepens, Håkan starts feeling a bit jealous. He tries again to obtain blood for Eli. This time he preys on a student alone in the weight-lifting room, but he is interrupted when Matte (Christoffer Bohlin)'s friends come to pick him up. Knowing that he is trapped and about to be discovered, Håkan pours acid on his face so that he can't be identified. When Eli learns that Håkan has been taken to a hospital, she shows up asking for her father. The desk clerk tells her that Håkan is on Level 7, so she climbs up the outside of the building until she gets to his window. Håkan lets her in and offers her his neck. After Eli drinks his blood, Håkan falls to his death. Eli returns to the apartment building and taps on Oskar's bedroom window, asking to be let in. Oskar is almost asleep but he tells her to come in. Eli crawls into bed with him, and Oskar notices that she doesn't have any clothes on. He asks her whether she'd like to go steady with him, and Eli replies "I'm not a girl." That doesn't seem to bother Oskar, so they decide to go steady. The next morning, Eli returns to her own apartment, but she leaves a note for Oskar that reads, "To flee is life; To linger is death. Your Eli."One afternoon on a school outing to a local pond for some ice skating, Conny, Martin, and Andreas again confront Oskar with a warning that they are going to push him into an ice hole. This time, however, Oskar stands up for himself and takes a swipe at Conny's head with a stick, causing his ear to bleed. At the same time, two younger students gone off to pee behind some trees notice a body frozen in the ice. The police are called, and the body is cut free. Later that afternoon, after school is out, Oskar brings Eli to a basement room at the school. When Eli asks why they're there, Oskar pulls out a knife and cuts his palm, offering to mix bloods with her. Watching Oskar's blood drip on the floor, Eli can no longer stand the hunger that she's experiencing now that Hakan is not providing her with blood. She falls to the floor and begins to lap up Oskar's blood.The body stuck in the ice is identified as that of Jocko's. Jocko's drinking buddy, Lacke (Peter Carlberg) and his girlfriend Virginia (Ika Nord), try to convince Gösta to tell the police what he saw the night that Jocko was murdered. During the discussion, however, Lacke defends his closeness with Jocko by pointing out that Virginia is "cold", Consequently, Virginia storms off. Lacke follows her to the subway where Eli jumps on her. Fortunately, Lacke is able to kick Eli off before she kills Virginia. Unfortunately for Virginia, Lacke's save only means that Virginia is doomed to become a vampire. She notices the change the next morning when she opens the blinds and quickly closes them again. That evening, she visits Gösta's apartment looking for Lacke, but she is viciously attacked by Gösta's cats. Later, in the hospital, Virginia realizes that she's been infected with something and decides that she doesn't want to live. She asks the doctor to open the blinds to her room. Immediately, she is consumed in flames.A wimp he might be but Oskar is not a dummy. He has figured out that Eli is a vampire and confronts her. Knocking on the door ot her apartment, he is let in to see that there is no furniture and that Eli smells bad again. When Eli comes to his apartment and asks to be invited in, he stalls, asking her what would happen if he didn't invite her in. Eli steps inside and begins to bleed from various places on her body. Oskar relents and invites her in. Eli explains that she drinks blood because she has to. Apparently, Oskar understands, as he allows Eli to shower and put on one of his mother's dresses. As Eli dresses, Oskar peeks in the door and notices that Eli has a horizontal scar across her public area and no evidence of a vaginal slit. [NOTE: In the novel, Eli was born male and castrated at age 12 by the vampire that turned him.] When Oskar's mom comes home, Eli immediately scampers across the window from Oskar's apartment to hers, even though it's two stories up.The next morning, Oskar finds a note from Eli asking him whether he wants to meet her that evening. Lacke has somehow traced Eli to her apartment. He breaks in and finds her asleep in the bathtub. Because he can't see in the dark, he rips open the cardboard covering the windows. Oskar, who was in the apartment waiting for Eli to wake up, screams "NO!" giving Eli sufficient time to jump on Lacke and drink his blood. After feeding, Eli thanks Oskar, but informs him that she must go away. That night, Oskar looks out the window to see Eli moving.The next day, Oskar gets a call from Martin, asking whether or not he's going to be at swimming practice that afternoon. Martin also tells Oskar that he thinks Oskar was right to stand up to Conny. That afternoon, while Oskar is in the pool, someone starts a fire in the trashbin out back, forcing the attendant to leave the pool area unattended. As Martin distracts Oskar, Conny, Andreas, and Conny's big brother Jimmy (Rasmus Luthander) enter the pool area. Jimmy orders everyone else out of the pool. When they are alone with Oskar, Jimmy gives Oskar an ultimatum... either stay under water for three minutes or have one of his eyes poked out... Oskar's eye for Conny's ear. Then Jimmy grabs Oskar's hair and pushes him under. A minute passes. Suddenly, feet can be seen skimming on the surface of the water, followed by Jimmy's severed head, and then Jimmy's severed arm. An almost drowned Oskar is pulled from the water by Eli, who has just slaughtered three of Oskar's tormentors, leaving the fourth sobbing on the side of the pool.Epilogue: Oskar sits on a train. Snow is falling outside. A large basket sits in front of him. From inside the basket comes a rapping. Oskar raps back in Morse Code, "P-U-S-S", Swedish for "kiss". [Full synopsis by BJ Kuehl] | dark, boring, cruelty, murder, gothic, suspenseful, violence, cult, horror, atmospheric, romantic, revenge, sentimental | train | imdb | In this Swedish film, adapted from John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestselling book, director Tomas Alfredson dares to mix pleasure and pain in a way that is both horrifying and tender."Let the Right One In" has a storyline which, although it reveals some secrets early on, is best left as a surprise.
But there is a deep dark secret to be discovered here and when it's revealed the audience is both repulsed and curiously fascinated at the same time, in a similar fashion as when yellow crime scene tape brings us closer rather than warning us away.The supporting cast is completely beholden to the narrative as it revolves around the adorable young couple, whose performances rival the best I've ever seen for actors of that age.
Leandersson matches him scene by scene, line by line, and the result literally gave me chills.Production values are stellar, with all technical aspects -- lighting, original music by Johan Soderqvist, and Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography -- combining in perfect synchronization to produce a Hitchockian tale that somehow brings love and light into what could have been the darkest drama imaginable."Let the Right One In" was the overwhelming choice for Best Narrative Feature after its North American Premiere here at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.
Tomas Alfredson's "Let The Right One In" is an original, dark, twisted and gory horror fantasy, one of those special films that are hard to classify.
Not merely an exercise in style, his film is a brilliant piece of amoral storytelling, and even if some characters' actions defy any logic or common sense (I don't wanna spoil any moment here, but you'll know what I mean when the first revenge moment of the story happens), they seem to be there just to remind you that this is just a fantasy tale (but not for the little ones!).
Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a 12 year-old bullied boy that befriends and develops an innocent crush on his new neighbor, Eli (Lina Leandersson), who happens to be a vampire.
What comes next is a twisted tale of revenge and pubescent love, made with visual flair (the swimming pool scene is already classic), creative directing and impressive performances by the young pair of protagonists.Hollywood, of course, didn't waste time and already announced an upcoming remake for those who are too lazy to read subtitles.
Most likely, the remake will turn out to be PG-13 in order to make more money, and be filled with moral values so the prudish parents will let their kids watch the movie (don't they know "The Little Vampire" was made years ago?).
(a Swedish director vs a Hollywood one, come on...) If Twilight is no more than an idol gallery under the skin of vampire horror, Let the Right one in is such a film that completely redefines people's perception on traditional vampire horrors.There aren't many gory scenes or special visual impacts, unlike Twilight being fraught with computer generated scenes.
And that is truly written to the core plot.The last scene at swimming pool is totally mesmerizing and mind-blowing.By the way, if Sweden submits this movie to be in competition with other nominees around the world for Oscar foreign-language film category this year, this masterpiece should win or at least be short-listed for the final fives.10 out of 10.
I saw several movies at the Seattle International Film Festival this year, and Let the Right One In was by far my favorite of the bunch.
At it's worst "Let the Right One In" is far too subtle and slow and nothing like typical horror movies, (if it should be considered one.) At its best its one of the better films we've seen in the last decade.
Only when the vampire theme is satirized e.g. in the recent (2012) Abraham Lincoln outings, can viewers get their money's worth, perhaps, and a few laughs.Generally, the pacing of this One is slow to the point of soporific; the acting, for the most part, has all the life of, well, dead people, I'd say; there are annoying plot holes; the final scene between the victim and the bullies is outrageously, unbelievably bizarre; and the aftermath, which features only the - now triumphant - victim, is truly ludicrous.
Unfortunately, it explicitly advocates inhuman violence as a viable solution for personal problems; implicitly, it suggests the dissolution of the difference between right and wrong is morally acceptable; it distorts the concept of true love between humans; and, worst of all, it explicitly suggests pre-teens rarely, if ever, need adult advice.So this One certainly isn't a horror movie - it's just a horror of a movie....But, as I said, I'm not anti-horror or anti-terror in movies per se.
A Nutshell Review: Let The Right One In. The cinematic vampires I've seen to date in cinemas recently have usually been the ramped up sexy versions, where it's either black leather on lithe female frames, or dreamy hunks to whom teenage girls would sacrifice their necks to in order to live with their lover boy forever.While the release of Twilight had made a lot of noise in the commercial theatres last year and raking in an obscene amount of money sending fan-girls into a frenzy, one vampire movie has been making its rounds very successfully in the film festival circuit, and the accolades garnered thus far have been nothing less than stellar.
Come next week, you too will know why, as Let The Right One In (LTROI) gets its deserved commercial release here.LTROI is pared down to the very basics, and that in itself is a refreshing take thanks to John Ajvide Lindqvist's story and Tomas Alfredson's assured direction, both confident that there's absolutely no need for artificial spices to spruce up the film.
But like best friends, such are secrets between themselves, and nothing in the world is going to change that.It's kinda terrifying knowing that the Oskar in a way condones the killings that Eli commits, and the direction here to show that is unflinching.
Yes LTROI is less showy, but miles more effective in its storytelling craft and technique.For a genuinely satisfying vampire movie, Let The Right One In nails it and deserves being Highly Recommended.P.S. Hollywood now wants to remake this.
Yet this movie seems to have clicked with its audience, and it's not hard to understand why: Eli, the 12 year old vampire is a highly engaging character, with a wisdom that belies her tender age.
I feel that from the beginning to end, somewhere on the way, Eli & Oscar have grown up and now they'll try to manage on their own (just my opinion).All scenes are carefully directed so everything looks perfect, with minimum of computer staff, which makes it even better.
Director Tomas Alfredson uses different angles, slow movements of the camera so the scenes like the hospital one or at the swimming pool are memorable and they will stick with you long after watching this movie.
Let the right one in, critically acclaimed, is a Swedish Indie-like coming of age story with a vampire thread thrown in for good measure.
During its runtime, which felt like it was going for a new world record, we see the excruciatingly slow developing relationship between Oscar, a 12 year old bullied schoolboy and Eli, a much older Vampire who very convincingly passes as a 12 year old herself.Though the premise is original, which at least should entertain a shade of interest, the whole movie is set up to be more of a painting than an actual film.
Let the Right One In is a most unique film about early adolescent puppy love between a sweet and oft bullied boy and his new neighbor, a 100-plus year old vampire that has occupied a 12 year old girl's body.
The direction is tasteful, the acting is good (as far as I can tell, speaking not one word Swedish) and the movie is certainly one of a kind.Still, personally I didn't enjoy "Låt den rätte komma in" too much and had to fight my way through it.
As a drama "Låt den rätte komma in" is okay, but the horror elements are just a bit out of place.A lot of people will love the movie for exactly the same reasons that I was pretty much bored throughout the entire 120 minutes running time.
In a lot of vampire movies there is often a servant to the vampire, its never explained how this comes to pass, usually its just an accepted vamp thing, this is especially true of older vamp flicksthis movie is an depth discourse on how a vampire and human can end up with such a bond.the human must have a dark side, must be capable of killing, cannot be a whiner, probably is dysfunctional in his/her family tiesThis is the kind of person a vampire would be drawn to, and this is what the movie does oh so wellthe people who did the 'remake' to this, did not even understand the purpose to the original movie, they completely discard the key characteristics of the boyDo yourself a favor, watch this and understand what you are watching, and ignore the Hollywood trip that was done as a remake.
"Låt den rätte komma in" has overwhelming cinematography (probably the strongest I've seen this year...), extraordinary acting (not only considering the age of both protagonists it's outstanding) and a wonderfully dark love-story with horror elements.
After all it's a very human story about two outsiders that find and accept each other despite all differences.As far as I can see it doesn't happen often these days, that a film is told in such a fine and sensitive manner like this work by director Tomas Alfredson.
It is hard to find a good and original horror film let alone in the vampire genre.
I had seen the film Twilight and 30 Days of Night, but neither one captured the mystery, Gothic romance, nor the chilling horror of the vampire genre.
And tonight I saw Let The Right One In a film that follows all the vampire rules and breaks away from the campy and clichés of casting beautiful people, pumping corn syrup and sex simultaneously.
Let The Right One In (a reference to the myth that a vampire cannot enter a mortal's home without being invited) tells the story of Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), a 12 year old boy who is horribly bullied at school and alienated by his divorced parents.
Let the Right One In is the missing answer to the film Twilight and I highly recommend to those who are fan of horror, film, and the vampire genre..
Effective in the simplest ways, never beats you over the head with the vampire idea, yet goes where so many blood-sucker movies haven't - I saw interesting, simple questions raised in the vampire-mythos that no one else has touched upon - along with stylish nods to many old fairy-tales and fantasy stories.Great tension, pacing, cinematography and incredible actors give a compelling story everything they need to and more.
Now if I can like this movie, without being a fan of either vampires or drab interpersonal dramas, those of you who are will definitely love it to pieces.LETROI reveals most of the problems that plague modern horror by excelling in those respective departments.
The rich possibilities of teenage vampire romance are illustrated by two new movies, Twilight and Let the Right One In. Different as they are, they satisfy similar adolescent fantasies.
''let the right one in'' doesn't disappoint us in any way but it still has had its own problems.After reading the reviews and noticing the high ratings, I thought this was going to one of those phenomenal movies that explore the emotion of fear itself while letting it overlap with greed, revenge, sexuality or love.
A young Swedish boy with confidence issues falls in love with a mysterious girl who lives next door.This is a vampire movie for people who want to see a little something different.
There is no real love story and it is not comparable with any other vampire movie I have ever seen, since they are either with action or completely weird like twilight.
The new Swedish horror-drama "Let the Right One In" is squarely one of the best foreign-language films I've ever seen.
It's a horror film, a revenge movie, a school drama, and a love story.
At the end of the day, "Let the Right One In" is a beautiful and horrifying tale on the pains of adolescence, expertly presented by filmmakers dedicated to their film and carried out by two young leads who know the hard truths about their youth.10/10.
Few are the movies that left me trembling...and incapable of expressing the hundreds of different feelings i felt after watching Tomas Alfredson's "Let the right one come in".
Even if you knew at least it would help if it was filmed well, but B movies surprised me more than that.I read the excellent reviews before watching the movie and I was expecting something really good, coming from Europe I thought finally there was a horror movie that would make me hold on my glass and stare at the screen but my dog slept through it and I should have done the same..
A rash of murders in a small Swedish town has a young kid convinced his new friend is the one responsible, and upon learning of his nature as a vampire, tries to help him control his bloodlust before he murders again.This is actually a massively overrated entry, since not a whole lot at all really happens and it's more of a drama than a horror film, which I'm not personally interested in watching.
Blood seems to be the common denominator – and for an introverted boy like Oskar, who is fascinated by gruesome stories, it doesn't take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire.
Alfredson creates a world much like our own, same rules and same emotions, you just have to worry a bit more about who you let into your house.But don't think of this as a vampire story; it is so much more than that.
But at least you can't say I didn't warn you.But both films are transcendent in their beauty, in their craftsmanship, in the brilliance of their young actors, and in their vision of how young love can endure and overcome all obstacles...at least in the movies.Personally, I think that "Let The Right One In" is the better film, and that Tomas Alfredson is potentially a greater talent in the world of film than Danny Boyle.
Gory thrillers are basically all that Scandinavian movies are famous for worldwide and Tomas Alfredson doesn't want to share away from this with his vampire flick Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in).
However, he's quite a singularity with this in the cast of Let the Right One In. One could pick on the fact that the child actors don't feel genuine, the director has a way too austere approach to an unbelievable story, or that there isn't any suspense at all, but eventually, all boils down to the mixture of horror, drama, romance, and coming-of-age story that just doesn't work.
"Let the Right One In" is a Swedish romantic vampire horror about love,despair and loneliness.It's based on the best-selling novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist,which I bought today to read.When a strange girl moves in next door,introverted boy Oskar may actually find that elusive friendship.Eli(Lina Leandersson)and Oskar's relationship exists only at night,under the untarnished luster of the moon and a bracing wintry wind.The nightly rendezvous disclose an indefinable connection between the two protagonists as they sit in silence on a barren playground configuring a Rubik's Cube.The girl is an ageless vampire and she needs fresh human blood to survive.When townspeople turn up murdered,the trail seems to follow a mysterious man back to Eli's apartment.Very intimate and exquisitely tragic love story,which lacks sexuality.The sound design is especially remarkable as is marvelous acting.Watch original "Let the Right One In" before American remake destroys it.9 out of 10..
I just saw "Let the right one in" and I know that its actually not the best way to write down your feelings right away...BUT...that movie was so beautiful, so intense, so overwhelming but still so minimalistic that its very hard to describe it as something else than a masterpiece.
The only qualm I could think of was that, once or twice, the music was a little intrusive on the quiet beauty of the scenes, but this is a very minor complaint.After TDK, 'Let The Right One In' was the best movie I saw this year, and I cannot wait until the DVD release so I can watch it again.
Mostly I think this is a mesmerizing tale of boy (Oskar) meets Nosferatu (Eli) and falls under the spell of it's vampiric charms.What I liked about this movie is that it intentionally did not do the "trying to scare you" bit - you know, the quick cuts and the loud music that makes you jump out of your seat.
Good film about an overlooked and bullied boy who finds love and vengeance through Eli , a beautiful but peculiar girl in her early adolescence who results out to be a vampire , it was well directed by Tomas Alfredson and remade by Matt Reeeves (US version , 2010) .
The film will like to vampire movies fans .
*Captures the 80's in Sweden in a way I have never seen before, also the darkness in the movie (winter) gives it a slow, depressing and beautiful look.*The photo is really good, some of the "scare scenes" are done with just creepy music and a camera 10-15 yards away standing still.
Would say that "Let the right one in" is one of the best thriller/drama/horror movies out there, ever. |
tt1258972 | The Man with the Iron Fists | In nineteenth century China, Jungle Village is home to several warring clans. The village blacksmith creates deadly weapons for the clans, intending to use his payments to purchase the freedom of his lover Lady Silk, and leave the village. The region's governor tasks the Lion Clan's leader Gold Lion with protecting a large shipment of gold that must pass through the village. Gold is betrayed by his lieutenants Silver Lion and Bronze Lion, who plan to steal the gold. They use the chaos ensuing from a fight with the Hyena Clan to allow their co-conspirator Poison Dagger—the governor's aide—to assassinate Gold, after which Silver becomes the Lions' leader. Gold's son Zen-Yi learns of his father's murder and sets off to the village to seek revenge.
The Emperor's undercover emissary Jack Knife arrives in the village to monitor the gold and takes up residence in the Pink Blossom, a brothel run by Madam Blossom, Lady Silk's madame. Silver sends members of the Rodent clan to kill Zen-Yi before he can reach the village, but Zen-Yi kills them. The mercenary Brass Body arrives in the village and meets with Silver; he is sent to kill Zen-Yi. The blacksmith meets with Silk in the brothel and delivers the final payment needed to free her. After arriving in the village, Zen-Yi and his men are confronted by Brass and find that they cannot physically harm him because his skin turns to metal on impact. Brass beats Zen-Yi and destroys his blade-laden armor. Zen-Yi's last surviving man sacrifices himself to pull a canopy support beam loose, burying Brass under heavy stone. The blacksmith is watching the fight; he rescues Zen-Yi and helps him recover as penance for crafting the weapon that killed Zen-Yi's father.
Meanwhile, the gold shipment arrives in the village, accompanied by two skilled warriors, the Geminis. The Lions soon confront the Geminis and their men, and in the ensuing fight, Poison Dagger assassinates the Geminis and the Lions capture the gold. Jack later arrives to investigate the incident and learns that the Geminis were poisoned with mercury-tipped weapons, leading him to the blacksmith. The Lions' theft prompts the governor to send his Jackal troops to recover the shipment or destroy the village. Zen-Yi asks the blacksmith to craft him a new suit of weaponized armor. The Lions suspect that the blacksmith is helping Zen-Yi and have him tortured for information. The blacksmith refuses to talk, and Brass cuts off his forearms. Jack, who had been following the blacksmith, saves him from bleeding to death. While the blacksmith recovers, he tells Jack of his past as an emancipated American slave who accidentally killed a white man who refused to let him go. He fled America by boat and went to China, where monks trained him to use his body's energy to perform superhuman feats. Jack with the aid of the blacksmith crafts his greatest weapon: a pair of iron forearms that he can animate using this energy.
Zen-Yi recovers and joins Jack and the blacksmith. Meanwhile, Blossom offers to let Silver hide the gold in a secret tomb beneath the brothel in return for payment. The gold is stored in a coffin which is raised up to the rafters. That night, Blossom has her girls serve the Lions, and Silk serves Brass. At Blossom's signal, the girls use weapons hidden in their mouths to poison many of the Lions, and they join with Blossom as the Black Widows. When Silk tries to poison Brass, his skin protects him, and he beats and almost kills her. Zen-Yi, Jack, and the blacksmith arrive and join with the Black Widows to fight the remaining Lions while Blossom and Bronze fight and kill each other. While fighting Jack, Poison Dagger is crushed between large moving gears. Silver and Zen-Yi fight in the tomb; Zen-Yi cuts the coffin free, and it crushes Silver. The blacksmith finds Silk, who dies in his arms. He confronts Brass, and his iron fists prove capable of inflicting damage on Brass' seemingly invincible body. While Brass is in metal form, a powerful punch from the blacksmith shatters him to pieces. Jack runs outside in time to stop the Jackals from decimating the building with a Gatling gun.
Ultimately, Jack leaves the village to accompany the gold, and Zen-Yi tells the blacksmith that he has gained a brother. With the clans destroyed and the village safe, the blacksmith vows to keep it that way and destroys the sign pointing to his weapon shop. During the credits, Zen-Yi's pregnant fiancee is kidnapped by a bird clan, prompting Zen-Yi to seek the blacksmith's aid. | murder, violence, historical fiction, flashback, psychedelic, action, revenge | train | wikipedia | The music cues are embarrassingly overdone...any time the film wants you to feel an emotion, the sappiest orchestral music instantly kicks in, to the beat of a hip hop song.I think it's possible that RZA could make a good film someday, but this certainly isn't it..
Juvenile Kung-Fu. The film had potential with a decent storyline and all-star cast, but fails to pull in the viewer to care about the characters or outcome of the story.The movie far too often goes for cheap,juvenile sexual exploitation.The target audience for the movie seems geared towards males 16-24 and no one else.I've also noticed that the more people see the film the ratings here on IMDb decline.RZA also has very little acting skills and it was a major reason why the movie falls flat.
Produced (not directed or written) by Quentin Tarantino (so you know it's going to be bad) "The Man with the Iron Fists", Wu Tang Clan member RZA's first try behind the camera, doesn't disappoint as far as "bad" movies go.
RZA, starring alongside an obese Russell Crowe and Cung Le (which should tell you all you need to know) in this rather poor grindhouse homage to old Kung Fu movies, narrates the simplistic story of a black blacksmith (RZA) who must protect his village from a deadly band of assassins.
Now, RZA does use some stylized camera techniques that obtain a semblance of that cool-factor he is looking for, but yet again, problems arise when he uses them in excess.RZA is no actor: Maybe the least important aspect of a grindhouse film like this is the acting, although there is something to be said for a self controlled actor who knows how to overact.
In the case of "The Man with the Iron Fists"
um
well
the soundtrack is good (although, at times ridiculously misused) but this is to be expected since music is what RZA does (NOT DIRECTING).
"I always take a gun to a knife fight..." I provided this rating based on the fact that I would not see this movie a second time, would not recommend it to a friend, and did not take anything away from it other than the thought that Quentin Tarantino must have been high when he agreed to lend his name out for it.I saw this movie because of my love for martial arts flicks, and I usually give all of them a chance.
I'm not sure if it was because I was blown away by RZA's acting or because I was too busy trying to figure out why Russell Crowe was in the movie at all.The set and costume design were the only things I thought were good about the movie.
Judging from the trailer, you can tell it's going to be a dope kung fu movie but you also see that RZA is playing the main character.
The acting was okay, but I think the best job goes to Lucy Lui and Russell Crowe because they gave the best performances.THE BAD - I don't know about RZA playing the main character.
I named those black actors because it seemed like the Filmmakers were going for an urban feel, but RZA's strong east coast accent was very distracting at times but I don't think that was a huge flaw, it's just a matter of taste and that's what the director wanted so I can respect that.
Some of the dialogue was cheesy and even certain points in the movie, you kind of whisper to yourself "Really?!" But knowing Quentin and RZA they both are Kung Fu lovers so I looked over the cheesy moments because I knew they were just paying homage to all of the Kung Fu movies that they grew up watching.
Lots of blood, decapitation, fun martial arts, subliminal dirty jokes, sarcastic humor, special effects, and a unique, urban take on the classic Kung Fu films we've learn to love over the years.
THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS.I really liked it.The movie was made by Rza, who is a member of the band Wu Tang Clan.
The 5.5 rate on IMDb is baffling, so i have to take some time and make a review.I guess most people who criticize the film have, like, no knowledge of the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA and old school Asian movies and, therefore, were expecting a movie totally different and were shocked.This movie is a tribute to all the old school kung fu flicks that the Wu-Tang watched as they built their albums, especially the 36 chambers.
This movie brings all the possible clichés you could find in those films, all seen under the street culture angle.I give this movie, like, an 8 for being original and true to its colors, a movie based on the passion & respect that RZA has for 1970-1980s kung fu flicks.
The entire film just felt like it lacked a director.The movie begins with an hour long introduction of the plot which has nothing to do with the character it is named after.
it had every cliché in the book not once do you feel for any of the characters...the whole film is just one big ego trip for RZA which fails in every departmentit is not a fun movie like the director deluded himself is...it's not cool either as you haven't got a clue what is going on!..let alone understand half the actors..don't waste your time on this garbage, and god forbid RZA ever gets the chance to do another film....AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
I though Russel Crowe did a pretty good job with what he was given, and RZA did okay as actor and I really like when he narrated.
It's kind of messy, like Punk Rock, or Tarantino film (why else would he attach his name to it?), but the Rza does a BANG-UP job directing this movie.
Before I entered the theater to watch Rza's movie "The Man with the Iron Fists", I had a couple of expectations for it.
Most of the acting was actually pretty good and had some big name actors like Lucy Lu and Russell Crowe.
I had a little problem caring for the main plot but, each characters stories were interesting to say the least.The thing that made this movie even better was the soundtrack.
Most of the acting was great and only a few actors were noticeably bad.Now I know what most people are wondering about is the action and violence in the movie.
There is plenty of blood to enjoy and I think they did a great job.I got a lot of joy out this film and that is good for being Rza's first main stream movie.
It had cool characters, badass action scenes, lots of martial arts fighting and a storyline that kept me entertained from start to finish.But, to be fair, the film is not without its flaws.
You see that the movie is practically written, directed, produced (Al-bed Eli Roth) by a rookie film director (and rap/hip-hop legend) RZA.
I can not help but wonder, who the hell let RZA direct, act, or write the script for this movie?!I guess this sums up, what my review...Russel is good, not at his best, but script does not allow him to be great.
The rest of the cast aren't what you would call God awful, they just seem a little wooden at times but that doesn't really hurt the film very much.Overall, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST to me was better than I expected and despite its flaws it manages to entertain although I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is a bit of an uptight film critic or perhaps to someone who is a die hard fan of the Shaw brothers style kung fu movies with high standards.
RZA can't act (even Bautista did a better job of his role) can't write a script and can't direct, yet he took on all of these jobs and more.I am disappointed that a movie with a clearly large budget, a desire to recreate, or at least update the genre, came out so appallingly bad.
Everyone went in expecting to see Kill Bill for some reason, because it was produced by Tarantino.At any rate, the film has quite a nice plot, reminiscent of the movies it tries to pay homage to.
Later on, the story starts involving another warrior clan that is protecting the gold (Geminis), a crime syndicate (Wolves), a mercenary army (Jackals), a blacksmith (RZA) that just wants to leave with his beloved woman, a whore house where said woman works (The Blossom House), a mysterious assassin (Poison Dagger), a mysterious cowboy (Jack Knife, played by Russel Crowe) and the son of the murdered Lions clan leader (Zen Yi or X-Blade).The film contains several fight scenes and violent acts and if you are an action fan, you are gonna enjoy this.
I especially enjoyed the obese Russel Crowe in the role of Jack Knife.Overall, it's a good watch if you don't go in expecting to see the masterpiece of the year in Kung Fu movies, or a parody along the lines of Black Dynamite.
it looks so cheap , even though i bet the budget was in tens of millions ,, i mean even the fight scenes were so old ,, and to be fair there were a couple of scenes like in the end for instance were it got a bit of real action/thrill but other than that the script was all over the place ,, i mean the plot was clear but to reach the ending it was torture.The cast was good, A listers ,, but Russell Crowe's scenes at the beginning got a bit weird and so over and unnecessarily ...
hell not even SY-FY TV!If you like martial arts/kung fu movies then I would recommend any of these alternative, way better films.'Reign of Assassins' [2012] 'Shaolin' [2011] 'True Legend' [2010] 'Bodyguards & Assassins' [2009] 'Ip Man' [2008] & of course 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' [2000] even 'Swordsmen' [2011] is a better film and that sucked.
As much as I like seeing martial arts movies from Asia, it's refreshing to not have to read subtitles.I find it amusing that some of the reviewers are trying to put some intellectual critique on it instead of just enjoying the blood, guts, and action.
Sure, some parts could have been better, but for RZA's first film that he wrote and directed, it is so much fun to watch.Is it wrong that I was the only one laughing when people were getting killed?
If you can watch a film like the "Five Deadly Venoms" and overlook the fact that its never explained why the Poison Clan members became bad guys, or why the last student(who was taught all the styles, but never mastered one) needed to seek the help of one the members of the Poison Clan to beat the others, you can overlook some of the story structure "problems" in The Man With the Iron Fists.
Lucy Liu looks like she wants to murder her agent (or Quentin Tarantino) for making her do this movie.
Anyone who has given this film less than 10/10 needs a Buddha palm to their triple burner.Do yourself a favor, and see this checklist before you buy this film and then come on here wailing about how you've been robbed of your money: WATCH THIS FILM IF YOU: 1) Actually KNOW and LIKE who the RZA is, and enjoy the WU-TANG beats and the content of the lyrics.2) Are a FAN of the OLDSCHOOL kung fu films, and ENJOY the cheesy parts 3) Have an interest in Buddhist philosophies combined with martial arts 4) Enjoy gratuitous violence and fast paced, energetic fight scenes 5) Have an actual sense of HUMOUR.DO NOT WATCH THIS IS YOU: 1) Are a miserable ****hole with no relation to any of the above points..
Like others I was really looking forward to it - an action film called "The Man With the Iron Fists", with Tarantino's name attached (however tenuously) and Russell Crowe starring - how could it fail?
Maybe in foreigners' eyes, every Chinese looks like same, but in our eyes, only some people can act KongFu movie.Actors' hair style are worse than actors。I want to know what's the name of Mc Jin's hair cut,a huge d i c k?
I think he did what he set out to do.There aren't many martial arts films like this that get cinematic airtime anymore and it was good to go to a theater and see this type of movie.
I don't know if RZA is suppose to be the main character in this, cause he doesn't have much action scenes and he is hardly in the movie.
Rick Yune best remembered from The Fast and The Furious(2001) and Die Another Day(2002), has some pretty good action scenes as well.Now did I like this movie, I was entertained, but was it great, no but I don't think it was meant to be a great film, but an entertaining one.
i don't even or like Eli Roth he is not that good director or screenplay well this movie was screenplay buy Eli Roth director that i Wish he could never been involved in movie i don't trust Eli Roth and his terrible as movies.Rza was Director and cast himself in movie i thought it was brilliant film he made with good characters making new age 70's 80's Bruce lee mixed with Quentin Tarantino film with Warriors,Ninjas,Assassins i like that idea for movie what people saying it's bad movie what do they expect this movie to be ?
movie had well shot, well Gore silly staff in it, Perfect CGI the fights were very good but i don't get it these modern day movies they jump very high that's what i find very bad it looks dumb when these fighters or ninjas jumping high i know people Had trouble and pain to watch this movie for me i had no problem i knew who is RZA was he's hip hop music and some of his movies were great, showdown between Dave and Rza was awesome great idea, rick yune kicked a lot of asses cutting ninjas up Russell crowe had funny and awesome character who made Me laugh with his jokes i had no problem Lucy lu did some of kung flu i have watched this movie in theater like 3 years ago it amazed me a lot 10.10 non stop action,gore fast placed that's how i like it but there's thing i really hate Eli Roth was worst director of all time i wish rza never got him in involved in this flick.
everyone check out this movie if you like gore,Rza music,Kung flu,fast placed with mixed of Kill bill,Enter the dragon style, Revenge of ninja.
This is by far one of the worst movies of all time, It actually pushed me to go to IMDb, make an account so that I could just rate it and review it.Too much blood, very bad acting and even worse directing.The story line was like it was made by a 90 years old Chinese man high on tequila after watching fight club or a re-run of mortal combat annihilation.but the what amazes me the most is how some big name stars agreed to be seen in such a lousy picture?
terrible goes for: the plot, the script, the acting, the music in connection to the film, absolutely the directing.I can't say anything good about this movie.
(Which is most likely the reason Tarantino backed the movie) I didn't even know who RZA was before this.
sure, martial arts and memories about so many films and Rusell Crow and Lucy Liu ( and the mind to the scenes from Kill Bill ) and influences of western and a mythology in balance between Chinese fairy tales and stories about modern heroes.
I tried to watch this horrible amateur film only because Russell Crowe was mentioned and Tarantino but it was so bad i walked out of it after 30 minutes and got a refund for another movie.I actually love Martial Arts movies, Chinese films and action, and I don't mind RZA but the story and acting was like a really really bad porn/b rated low budget film.
It was just laughable until you realize the entire movie is just like watching a beginner film student wasting good time with a stupid script, childish language, and horrible acting.
RZA was competing with Tom Hardy for the award for most inscrutable dialogue in a motion pictureThe music was pretty good, but seemed really out of place.It felt like RZA sincerely wanted this to be decent action movie, but then Tarantino decided to punk him and edited it into a B-grade flick post-production.I can only assume Russell clobbered someone with a phone again and was blackmailed into starring in this.Lucy Liu desperately tries to recapture the time when she was the go-to Asian-American actress.Rick Yune is as bad as he's ever been.
It's like he and John Choi are the the best Hollywood has to offer.Then there were the few HK/Chinese actors who think this will help them break into Hollywood.I seriously wouldn't have mind everything wrong with the film (which is basically everything) if they at least bothered to hire a decent action choreographer.I fully expect Tarantino to pretend he was going for a deliberately cheesy movie to hide how bad it was..
This whole thing is so pathetic that it seems like RZA must have had a hand in it because the movie is about as bad as his rapping.
Sometimes it is good to watch a movie like this and just have a laugh or two during the Dramatic scenes.
Head on Kung Fu. The Man with the Iron Fists is a martial arts homage co-written and directed by RZA. |
tt0441821 | SideFX | NOTE: Read SideFX as Side Effects, and the moral of this movie will fall
into focus.There's a new drug called AYCE on the University campus in Dallas, and
party animal Matt [Todd Swift] can't wait to slip it into his friends' drinks at his super
Halloween bash next Friday. Tuesday [Amanda Phillips], the girl with whom Matt is staying,
doesn't want the party to be held at her house, so Matt is going to hold it at
a secret location. If you want to go, you'll need to call him the morning of
the party to find out where.Like all good friends looking out for another friend's reputation, Erin [Christie Courville]
and Andy [Ryan Fraley] suggest to Matt that they try some AYCE ahead of time, just in case it
isn't all that great and Matt winds up looking like an idiot. So, that night
they do some, and when Tuesday isn't looking, Matt slips some AYCE into her
milk, too. The AYCE seems to make Erin super horny, so on the way home, she makes
Andy stop the car. While they're kissing, Andy hears a noise outside the car,
gets out to look around, and is attacked. [He is found later, his throat torn
open. Police say that Andy was attacked by dogs. The news media suggest it
might be a blood cult killing.] The AYCE gives Tuesday bad dreams. She awakens during the night,
rushes to the bathroom, throws up what looks like blood, and calls her friend
Shay [Amber Heard] to take her to the emergency room, where she throws up again. The doctor
suspects drugs, maybe ecstasy or acid, and has the vomitus analyzed to see if
it's really blood.The next day, Matt takes a call from Tuesday's friend Monica [Marta McGonagle]. Erin has
been taken to the hospital having some sort of nervous breakdown. Matt,
Tuesday, and Shay pay her a visit, but when Erin sees Tuesday, she begins
screaming until the doctor gives her something to knock her out.
Later that evening, as Tuesday is studying in the library, she notices an
old man watching her. A bit later, she sees him in the street, freaks out, and
starts to run. He follows her, catches up, and grabs her. He promises not to
hurt her if she'll just tell him where the AYCE is. She kicks him strategically
and gets away.The next morning, Tuesday wakes up to a telephone call from the doctor's
office. Her lab tests have come back. It WAS blood that she was throwing up,
only it wasn't her blood. She hears a noise outside the front door and opens it
to find a note taped to the door. It says: "It makes you drink blood. Destroy
it all before it's too late!! Meet me at Sunset Park." Suddenly, the old man is
standing on her front porch. Tuesday slams the door in his face, but now it's
all beginning to make sense. Tuesday wonders whether the blood she threw up
might have been from killing someone and drinking his/her blood and that it's
the AYCE that made her do it. That evening, Tuesday and Shay go to Sunset Park to look for the old man.
Turns out his name is Carson Wilson [Chad Allen Black]. As a chemistry student at Berkeley in the
1960s, he re-invented AYCE...actually, RE-invented because the drug has been around since
the Middle Ages and is the basis for the vampire legends in Romania and
Bulgaria. AYCE is fermented from a rare, fungus-infected yeast and results in
the ultimate high. It affects people in different ways. In some people, it
makes them crave blood. Vlad Tepes was a notorious abuser of AYCE, he says. The church
stamped it out, or so they thought.Suddenly, Tuesday remembers that tonight is Matt's Halloween party where
he intends to get everyone high on AYCE. The party is being held in an
abandoned farmhouse. Tuesday and Shay race over. Tuesday tries to get Matt
and his friends to listen to her, but they don't believe that AYCE is going to
make everyone turn into vampires, until Monica kills Kendall by biting his neck
and drinking his blood. They tie up Monica and intend to keep her that way for
the next 12 hours, until the drug wears off. But the drug is already starting
to affect others. One by one, they all become either vampires or victims. A
virtual bloodbath ensues.Epilogue: Another party, another time. Some guy is spiking drinks with AYCE as
others are discussing how that Tuesday girl hacked everyone up with an ax.
Tuesday, who is now confined to a padded cell, babbles over and over, "It
wasn't me! It was the drug! It wasn't me! It was the drug!!" [Original synopsis
by bj_kuehl] | pornographic, violence, murder | train | imdb | A good variation on zombie movies..
A good way to describe the plot of Side FX is to say it's a variation of a zombie movie.
A new drug that's supposed to be 10 time better than ecstasy has a little side effect.
It makes the user lose their normal state of mind and crave blood.
By craving blood, I mean bite chunks out of other people's neck, arms, whatever, as a means of getting it, like the zombie films.
The difference is that they can be killed just like you could kill a normal human being, but if you wait long enough the drug wears off.
It's a nice variation on the living dead theme.
This film was very well done for an Independent film company on a low budget.
The special effects were good.
The acting was OK and in the case of the main character "Tuesday" played by Amanda Phillips I thought it was pretty good.
The special effects were effective.
The music was good.
All around I found it a very enjoyable movie.
The second half of the movie definitely has the most action but there's plenty of blood throughout the film to keep the viewer on edge.
It's a real blood bath.
For horror fans, it's worth a viewing..
Not Good.
Somewhere in this junk there is a good concept for a horror movie.
A group of teens take a new drug that gives them an overpowering thirst for blood.
A good script with a decent budget could spin this into something really frightening and effective.Sadly, this is not that film.
Among the myriad of problems encountered are: Terrible acting by most of the cast, including the lead "actress"; poor lighting in many, many scenes that leaves you unable to see what is going on (was this lit by candlelight?); badly mixed sound that renders a lot of the dialogue inaudible and occasionally provides a loud squawk of sound effects that grates on the nerves rather than shocking; and a poorly written script that meanders around, taking a break for a couple scenes of stupid teens doing stupid things and getting attacked by their stupid friends.The final party scene is so badly shot that it is impossible to tell what the hell is transpiring.
I'm guessing that it had to be shot in this slipshod manner because of budget constraints that show that only about eight people are at this "major" rave.
The same nonsense happened in the even worse movie House of the Dead.
Note to editor: no one is being fooled.
It reeks of low budget badness.The director seems competent, adding an occasional touch that works, but it's hard to tell if he really is any good with all the other problems.
Avoid..
A Good Try. Once again at the local Block Buster's previously viewed section.
I saw this film.
It sounded like a clever vampire story so I gave it a shot.
What's there to lose right?
($7.99) thats what.
The movies story was alright.
The actor's and crew really seemed to try on this one.
The movies story wasn't too bad.
I think most of the problem came from the budget.
The effect's weren't very good but again budget!
It looked like everyone's first film and for that I think they did a good job.
It was very far from scary but had some nudity.
The acting was far from great but again I think it was a lot of people's first film.
The only thing that made this movie anything was one actress.
She played the lead.
She made the movie the best it could be.
Her acting was easily the best in the film.
Her level of hottness and acting forced me to give this film a 5.
If you are bored and in the mood for something a little different then check this one out.
All and all I think they did a good job with what they had.
Plus there's a hotty in it..
Bad student flick.
As a film student attempt, it was OK, but as a movie, it sucked big time.
The basic plot is that a drug that can be traced back to medieval times makes some of the people taking it to want to drink blood.
So it's like a vampirism inducing drug without the super powers, teeth and fear of sun and garlic.
Where does that leave you?
To lots of bad actors with blood pills.The lead was OK, the rest were just awful and so was the quality of the film itself, starting from sound, editing, camera movements, etc and ending with the dialogue and basic script.
The major flaw of the movie, though, is that it's not scary.
Some people found it amusing, I guess if one would be watching it together with intoxicated friends one could find it so :).
i laughed all the way through this movie.
to summarize: i've seen better student films.
terrible sound editing & dubbing (can we say 'onboard mic'?).
cheesy editing, dialog, effects.
shallow characters, major plot holes, continuity issues.
bad compression flaws.
was this shot w/ mini-dv?
on the pro - the lead actress is pretty good.
despite the horrendous quality of the movie, her skills come across pretty strongly.
also - the 4 of us that watched it together laughed all the way through it.
so as a comedy, i'd rate it an 11.
and if you're looking for the mandatory gratuitous breasts shots & random lesbian moments (ie female objectification) of your classic senseless horror flick, this is the film for you..
Ecstasy drug, but no ecstasy to be found.
This is an okay movie if you find yourself in awe of the local high school drama productions.
Otherwise this movie is one you probably want to give a pass.
Despite the promise of an ecstasy type drug (Ace), there's very little nudity or sex.
Which is one of the plot holes of the movie: the drug seems to give about 30 seconds of sexual bliss, and then people start drinking other people's blood.
So you have 30 seconds of great sex and then start killing people: who would take this drug?
There's a toss away line about how the drug affects different people differently, but still, it hardly seems worth it.The only decent sex-type scene is with Amanda Phillips solo.
She manages to be more erotic with her clothes on (although how erotic can the drug be if you keep your clothes on after taking it?), then the other actresses who go topless.
However, she doesn't seem to be hopelessly addicted.
Phillips has some talent throughout, doing an amusing Renfield impersonation at some points, and conveying the paranoia of the drug in others.
Hopefully she'll move on to bigger and better things.The other actors are execrable.
Todd Swift is the worst example, coming across as a poor man's Jake Busey.
His character Matt has no redeeming social value whatsoever: moving in with his "friend" Tuesday (how that comes about is never explained), slipping her a drug, leaving her with the tab for delivery pizza, and casually blowing off the deaths of two of his friends.
However, nobody else is any better, Ms. Phillips excepted.
Swift just gets more screen time.Plot holes abound.
Tuesday apparently kills two of her friends, somehow tracking them several miles as they're driving in a car and passing over hundreds of other potential prey.
As noted, the sex drug only seems to cause ecstasy for about 30 seconds.
The zombie- victims go from bouts of insanity to perfect lucidity.
Some of the zombie-vampires wear masks, which prevent them from actually biting people.The movie also provides a near-perfect example of Chekhov's smoking gun maxim: the guys find a functional gun in an abandoned house for no particular reason, and you know they're going to end up using it later.And despite their relatively short run time, the movie is hopelessly padded with scenes of people walking...
and walking...
and walking...
and staring off into the dark trying to see something.
And then more walking.Production values are non-existent, and the flashback historical sequences seem to have been mounted by dropouts from the local SCA group.Really not much to recommend for this one other then Scene 6, but you can watch for the unintentional camp value..
Dracula Film ?.
This film starts off telling the audience about drug percentages in this country and explains about some university people who created a drug that makes people do way out things.
The effects of this drug seem to stimulate the desire for red hot sex which leads to getting thirsty and not for a glass of water, but for something more colorful.
In the first scene of the film you see a guy putting a few drops of liquid into a young blonde's cocktail glass and not too long after she takes off her bra and he and she do their thing together.
Gals and guys get over heated through out the picture and there is a very stupid explanation as to why this is all happening, it is a date rape drunk that makes you want to do many more things than make love.
If this type of film interests you, you had better view a good Christopher Lee film about Vampires, you will enjoy the film and certainly not this ONE !.
Another dog attack..
A drug makes people black out and crave blood.
Matt (Todd Swift) is planing a party where he plans to distribute the drug.The film was low budget so the party was no rave.
The limit budget made the party small with no decent music whereas a larger budget would of had 100 people in costume, Billy Idol or NIN playing and tons of people attacking each other.
Instead it was a whimper.
The background information could have been presented a bit more interesting.This was Amber Heard's first major motion picture for the large screen long before Johnny Depp used her as a punching bag.Guide: F-word, sex, nudity.
Available on a multi-pack if you don't want any extras other than other bad films. |
tt0033553 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | In London, in 1887, prominent physician Henry Jekyll incurs the ire of his older colleagues because of his experiments and views on the possibility of separating the good and evil aspects of man's nature. Hanry is deeply in love with Beatrix Emery, the daughter of Sir Charles Emery, who likes Henry, but is concerned over his radical ideas and open display of affection for Bea. Henry throws himself into his work and has enough success experimenting with rabbits and guinea pigs to make him confident that the serun he has developed will work for humans. Hoping to try the serum out on Sam Higgins, a man who went mad after being in a gas works explosion, Henry rushes to the hospital but discovers that Higgins has just died. Henry then decides to take the serum himself and is briefly transformed, in both thought and countenance, into an evil alter ego. After taking an antidote to turn himself back to normal, Henry tells his butler, Poole, that strange voice he heard was a "Mr. Hyde".Just then, Sir Charles, accompanied by Bea, comes for a visit and announces that he will be taking Bea to the Continent to give Henry time to consider his position. Despite his loneliness during Bea's absence, Henry refrains from further experimentation until he gets a letter from Bea explaining that their trip is being extended because of Sir Charles' health. After taking another dose of the serum, Henry again turns into Hyde and goes to a music hall, where hees a baramid Ivy Peterson, an beautiful, sensual young woman whom he rescued from an attacker some weeks before. When summoned to Hyde's table, Ivy does not recognize him as Henry, but becomes frightened and screams, causing a brawl to erupt among the customers. Hyde later secretly asks the proprietor to fire Ivy and, despite her reluctance, insists on taking her home in a carriage, where he forces himself on her.Some time later, Bea is concerned that Henry has not written to her in weeks, but hides her worries from her father, who decides that she and Henry may marry, after all.Meanwhile, Ivy, who has been set up in a flat by Hyde, lives in constant fear of him. Her friend Marcia is shocked when she accidentally sees welts on Ivy's back, and when Hyde suddenly comes to the flat, he behaves particularly cruelly toward Ivy. Soon Henry learns that Bea has just returned and determines never to take the serum again. He then sends an anonymous gift of fifty pounds to Ivy and melts down the key to the street entrance of his laboratory, which "Hyde" has been using. That afternoon, Henry meets Bea at a museum and is overjoyed that Sir Charles now agrees to their imminent marriage. When Henry returns home, Ivy is waiting in his patient's room because Marcia and her boyfriend had recommended him. Ivy recognizes Henry as the man who was once kind to her, but momentarily has an uneasy feeling about him. When she shows him her scars and he realizes what Hyde has done to her, Henry is ashamed and soothingly promises her that she will never see Hyde again.That night, as Henry happily strolls across the park toward Bea's house, he suddenly turns into Hyde, without having taken the serum. He then goes to Ivy's flat and finds her celebrating her freedom from him. He repeats words that she had spoken to Henry, she becomes hysterical with fright and screams, but he strangles her to death before the neighbors can summon the police. He then rushes to the outher door of the laboratory but realizes that the key was destroyed. Poole will not admit him through the front door, so, in desperation Hyde goes to Dr. John Lanyon, Henry's good friend. After demanding the medications that work as an antidote, Hyde transforms back into Henry, to John's shock and horror. Henry reveals everything to John, then goes to Bea to break their engagement. She refueses to accept that they cannot be married, and he leaves, then returns as Hyde. She faints, but her initial scream has roused Sir Charles, whom Hyde then beats to death with his walking stick. Now desperate, Hyde pushes past Poole at Henry's front door and goes to the laboratory to take more antidote. As Sir Charles's body is examined by the police, John sees Henry's cane and realizes what must have happened. He then takes the police to Henry's house where they break down the door of the laboratory just after Hyde has taken the antidote and turned back into Henry. Henry says that Hyde was there but left, but in his anxiety under John accusations that he, indeed, is Sir Charles's murderer, Henry quickly transforms back into Hyde. While attempting to fight off the police and flee, he is mortally wounded, and as he dies, his demeanor changes back into Henry. | gothic, murder, violence, good versus evil, insanity, romantic, suspenseful, sadist | train | imdb | HYDE back in the '30s and always assumed that because of this his performance was superior to Spencer Tracy's.But having just seen the Tracy-Bergman-Turner version, my opinion has changed.
All of the performances are first rate except for an uncertain Lana Turner who has a pallid role and can do little with it.The only flaws are the film's length--it takes too long to tell the tale with its long-winded speeches--and the leisurely pace under Victor Fleming's direction makes the horror more muted than it need be..
Time has been good to this film and we can see the differences in interpretation.The Jekyll character that Tracy creates is a soft spoken guy, a lot like Father Flannagan.
Retrospectives now are kinder to him and his method of interpretation.Stepping into the female roles played by Rose Hobart and Miriam Hopkins in the March version are Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman.
As befits the director who made "Wizard of Oz," "Red Dust," and "Gone with the Wind," Victor Fleming turns the story into a thinking man's horror film, and succeeds brilliantly.As to the cast, Spencer Tracy, like Frederick March, was effectively cast against type for the part, and delivers a good, understated performance.
He scared me to death when he vaulted over a railing and down a couple fo flights of stairs.This is more of a thriller than a horror movie and done long before it became fashionable to throw tons of money and big-name performers at horror classics in order to produce blockbusters that were once just silly.This supposedly cleaned-up version has Hyde asking Ingrid Bergman if she likes him because he's a little bit Jeckyll or Jeckyll because he's a little bit Hyde.So many people are fussing that this movie turns the prostitute into a bar maid.
It's not the version to watch if you are looking for excitement or horror, but as a more psychological approach it mostly works.Spencer Tracy plays the dual leading role, and does pretty well at creating two distinct personalities - the transformation uses only minimal special effects, and relies on Tracy to make the characters convincing.
Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner in this boisterous, not-so-subtle Freudian-laden adaptation of Robert Lewis Stevenson's tale of the good and bad in all of us.
MGM did a stellar job of producing a high quality Horror film, putting together director Victor Fleming (of "Gone with the Wind" fame) and stars Lana Turner, Ingrid Bergman, and Spencer Tracy.
Like 2000's "The 6th Sense," 1941's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" actually respected the horror material enough to demonstrate the heights to which a major studio could take the genre.The film takes us to darker places than we dare imagined existed at good ol' MGM, home of the happy-go-lucky family musical.
An adaptation of "Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" wasn't particularly necessary after the 1931 version, but just as the Fredric March version brought new elements over the 1920 silent classic with John Barrymore, there could have been something fresh to make out of the 'old' material.
During the transformation scene, a hallucination shows Jekyll whipping two horses whose faces are slowly transposed to the two women: Lana Turner who plays Beatrix, the eye-candy society lady and Ingrid Bergman who plays hell-for-soul prostitute Ivy Pearson.
We see love more than lust.And it doesn't get better with Hyde, the 1931 one had the face of a prehistoric man, incarnating our hidden impulses, Hyde here is evil all right but the very point of Hyde is to be more than a villain, here he looks like some bum escaped from an asylum, a rabid dog ready to bite out of despair, but not like some individual driven by something repressed for years.Maybe it's Lana Turner as Beatrix who failed to inspire Tracy (too voluptuous and sweet) but in the 1931 film, you could feel the sexual tension between Rose Hobart and March, and a similar tension between Jekyll and Ivy (played by Myriam Hopkins).I guess, the code is to be blamed, because while it does expose battle between the forces of good and evil in human soul, the line that Jekyll has to cross is never drawn in clear terms.
And she was so good that according to Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy wanted Bergman to play the dual role and I thought that was an interest twist on the story, how about the duplicity of women as well as men.
With modern special-effects, better sounds and cameras, it would have made this - and other horror films - scarier.Still, they did a decent job here in regard to Dr. Jekyll's transformation into Hyde, but the movie needs more suspense and horror, and a tighter script if it's going to be about two hours long.
He eschewed the make-up that March (and in the silent film, John Barrymore) used for the evil Hyde, and used a combination of facial contortions and lighting to change his appearance from the good doctor to his evil counterpart.One would like to say that it works.
Turner did nicely in the role, although Bergman's part was more interesting.The supporting parts are equally good, with Donald Crisp as the doomed father of Turner, Aubrey Smith as the righteous Bishop Manners (who is thrown momentarily by a noisy Barton MacLane in his congregation, jeering at the Bishop's homilies about Christian goodness), and MacLane himself in the brief sequence as the insane man with no compunction about doing evil.I like Tracy's version - on most points it is better acted than the 1931 version.
Robert Louis Stevenson's novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", first adapted as a play in the 1900s and filmed as a silent in 1920, is ironed out here for upper-crust audiences of 1941--this is no horror movie.
Perhaps Fredric March's Oscar-winning turn as Dr. Jekyll in the 1932 version helped to shape the vision and performances, as Spencer Tracy's portrayal of the mad scientist of gas-lit London is played strictly for prestige.
Spencer Tracy takes on the title roles in this version with Ingrid Bergman playing the tragic bar-maid (not prostitute) Ivy Peterson and both are great in their roles.
Dr Jekyll (Tracy) is a successful high society doctor who is engaged to Beatrix Emery (the very young and very beautiful Lana Turner) whose father Sir Charles (Donald Crisp) is skeptical of Jekyll's trying to prove that man's soul has two sides...one good and one evil and thus places doubts on his daughter's future happiness.
Spencer Tracy does quite well with the role, as do Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman as his love interests Beatrix Emery and Ivy Peterson, respectively.
The makeup on Hyde is practically non-existent (it's hard to believe that people cannot easily recognize this Jekyll when he's Hyde!), and while Tracy's performance is better when he's Hyde and he pulls it off, he is no match for Fredric March's Oscar-winning turn as the sadistic madman.The scenes between Hyde and Ivy feel too long and stretched out.
The original novella is rightly recognized as a classic but this particular adaptation is considered inferior to the 1931 version starring Fredric March.In the movie, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Spencer Tracy) believes that man's evil side can be controlled through medicine so he conducts experiments to that end.
Yes, you could argue that the acting occasionally goes rolling-eyes over the top but the story is of course based on lurid Victorian melodrama, a penny dreadful tale if you will and if that meant that the acting was sometimes played as if it was aimed at the back of the hall, then I think it was justified.Spencer Tracy is the lucky man to have the young Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman, both very early in their Hollywood careers, as his love / hate interest I guess you'd have to say and while the age gap between him and them is out-sized, I still felt he played well with each of them.
Interesting that Bergman chose the "floozy" bar-maid part (actually a prostitute in the previous 1931 film version) as opposed to Turner's society girl role and it's interesting to conjecture a role swap between them but I think it works fine as it is.The story itself owes more to subsequent adaptations than to the Louis Stevenson original novel, but the addition of the sexual edge to Hyde's character adds further tension to the drama.
Spencer Tracy's split-personality performance here is somewhat uneven, what I mean by that is that while he was fine as the good hearted Dr Jekyll, despite the impressive and scary transformation montage I for one found him too restrained as Mr Hyde.
It's one of the few moments in the film that I found deft: when Tracy comes back to Turner, he has changed from Jekyll to Hyde, which works well with the low camera shot at his feet.
The story is the same, as educated and civilized Henry Jekyll, obsessed with the dual nature of man, experiments with a serum to control the evil side in all of us, but instead it backfires, as it overtakes him instead, turning him into Mr. Hyde, who proceeds to cause havoc, terrorizing barmaid Ivy Peterson(played by Ingrid Bergman) who still finds herself transfixed by him, though he treats her horribly.
Lana Turner plays his fiancée, Donald Crisp her father.Ineffective version lacks the impact of the first; though made with more polish, this film otherwise fails to match the original in every way, and remains a needless and forgettable adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel..
There are two love interests - Dr Jekyll's fiancée, Beatrix (Lana Turner) and Mr Hyde's obsession, Ivy (Ingrid Bergman).
The performance of Ingrid Bergman is the highlight of this version of the Jekyll and Hyde story.
Spencer Tracy as the two title characters admirably insisted on eschewing the extreme makeup applied to Fredric March in the Mamoulian version, but there is still enough of it on his face to make it clear that there is more to Hyde than mere acting.
Although Victor Fleming's adaptation of the classic Gothic tale of Jekyll and Hyde features a well-cast Spencer Tracy, gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, an intriguing music score and visual effects, and certainly looks good, it also suffers from a great many flaws and the worst of these is a significant lack of energy.
Not even close.Spencer Tracy is widely considered one of the greatest actors who ever lived and looking at his performance in this retelling of the classic story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one can see that this podium is well-deserved.
How MAD and SICK he could look when playing the always-conniving Mr. Hyde and then all of a sudden revert back into the kindly, harmless-looking Dr. Jekyll.But while Spencer Tracy is brilliant, the rest of the movie, including Victor Fleming's directing, is not quite on par.
Also, the movie boasts many scenes of Tracy changing from Jekyll to Hyde and back and uses a clever use of fading, sort of like the Wolf man, and this is interesting the first time.
With an interval of approximately ten years each time, classic horror cinema brought forward no less than 3 essential versions of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".
Tracy gets a workout with the duel roles of Jekyll and Hyde, probably knowing he could not out do Fredric March's Oscar-winning portrayal of the tormented doctor ten years earlier.Lana Turner is lovely as the doctor's love interest Beatrix Emery.
Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner are both good and well cast as the leading ladies and they still put some life into the movie its story and characters.I know I probably sound very negative about this movie but that's just because the '31, of which this movie is an obvious remake, is so much inferior.
Spencer Tracy, one of Hollywood's most over-rated actors, can't hold a candle to Fredric March's early academy award winning turn as the good Dr. Jekyll and the very bad Mr. Hyde.
Exactly 10 years after the release of Rouben Mamoulian's 1931 version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (starring Frederich March), MGM studios decided to make a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel.
In order to make his adaptation the definitive version of the novel, Fleming had the most successful actors of the time at his hand: Lana Turner, Ingrid Bergman and finally, Spencer Tracy in the dual role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.Set in the 18th century, the film tales the story of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Tracy), a young and successful physician, who has developed a theory to separate the two sides of the human soul, the "good side" from the "evil side", in an attempt to free mankind of the constant temptation of the dark side.
However, the scientific community and even his friends think he is being too ambitious, so Jekyll decides to test his theories and experiments himself, awaking his inner dark side, the sadistic Mr. Hyde, a cruel and vile man, who is decided to cause pain in Jekyll's life focusing on the two women he loves the most: his fianceé Beatrix Emery (Lana Turner) and a woman he once helped, Ivy Peterson (Ingrid Bergman).While it was intended as new adaptation, writer John Lee Mahin based a lot of his screenplay in the 1931 version (in turn based on a play), making the film an exact remake of Rouben Mamoulian's film, albeit with certain differences.
Lana Turner is less fortunate, but she delivers an effective performance as Jekyll's beloved Beatrix.This film has been very harshly criticized, specially as it compares unfavorably with Mamoulian's previous version, but Fleming's film is not really as bad as that may make one believe.
Victor Fleming's take on the story is a classy period piece that will definitely be pleasant for fans of 40s films, specially for fans of Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman.
Not As Good As The March Version, But A Fine Film In It's Own Way. I watched the 1941 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with Spencer Tracy after viewing the 1932 Pre-Code Fredric March version first, so my opinion of this film was always going to be dented a little in comparison to the earlier work.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) ** 1/2 (out of 4) As I write this I've seen 56 and of the 78 movies that Spencer Tracy did in his career and I've always said that this here was his worst performance.
With such a large studio as MGM, a hot director like Victor Fleming and a cast that includes Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner and countless great character actors, there's really no excuse for the film turning out the way it did but when you've got an aggravated star refusing to wear make-up then you know you're in trouble.
Nominated for three Oscars, this film contains an all-star cast: Spencer Tracy (Boys Town, Captains Courageous), Ingrid Bergman (Murder on the Orient Express, Anastasia, Gaslight), the 20-year-old Lana Turner (Peyton Place), and Donald Crisp (How Green Was My Valley).Losing the subject upon which he was to test his formula, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Tracey) decides to try it upon himself.
I thought Tracy was superior as Jekyll, while March probably portrayed a more overtly evil Hyde - and I'm referring to his performance rather than merely the heavy makeup in the earlier version, which was mercifully absent in this one.
Ingrid Bergman was good as the barmaid Ivy, whom Hyde becomes obsessed with, but she didn't match up to Miriam Hopkins' portrayal of the character, and Lana Turner seemed to me to be far less central to the story as Jekyll's fiancé Beatrix than Rose Hobart was in that role, although I'd give a slight edge to Turner's acting over Hobart's rather dry performance.
Yes the 1941 Mr. Hyde is scary.*The versions: 1920 with Barrymore and 1931 March has Mr. Hyde looking more like a monster than the 1941 with Tracy for a comparison.* Over all this is a great film for a late night horror - worth watching if you enjoy classic horror.9.5/10.
And while both Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman turn in very good performances, it is Spencer Tracy who really makes this film so successful.
Less a horror movie than a lavish excursion into an elegant costume drama MGM-style, this version of Robert Louis Stevenson's novella still manages to hold itself well due to the presences of the three leads, Spencer Tracy, and two rising female stars Ingrid Bergman, and a very young Lana Turner.The story behind DOCTOR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE is that Spencer Tracy wasn't one of the actors to be considered for the role, but because he knew that his looks were too masculine to be taken for a matinée idol, he tackled the dual role in his own way, but on viewing his own performance it seems he overacted whenever he was on screen as Mr. Hyde, and the makeup didn't exactly help.
MGM spared no expense for this lavish production of the oft-told Jekyll & Hyde story (it had been filmed with the excellent Frederic March in the lead role(s) in 1931) with Spencer Tracy (uncharacteristically) taking the honors of portraying the memorable scientist experimenting with the notion of separating good and evil so that man could be free from the ill effects of the latter.
Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1941): Starring Spencer Tracey, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner, Donald Crisp, Ian Hunter, C.
The story line in this film slightly varies the characters and situations, and that's probably the case with all of the movie adaptations, of which there seems to be quite a few.I don't know if Spencer Tracy would have been the best choice for Jekyll/Hyde, he doesn't seem to have the demeanor or countenance for a film bordering on horror.
Tracy scares as Hyde and, at the same time, can be lovely as Jekyll.Ingrid Bergman is gorgeous. |
tt0138703 | Phantasm IV: Oblivion | The film opens where its predecessor left off. Mike flees from Boulton mortuary in the hearse, while Reggie is trapped inside by The Tall Man's spheres. However, The Tall Man decides to let Reggie go for the moment.Mike's spherical brother Jody persuades a reluctant Reggie to go looking for Mike. On the way, Reggie runs into a police car which pulls him over. He is attacked by the policeman, who turns out to be a mysterious psychopathic demon, but manages to escape after blowing up the police car and destroying the body.The next morning, Reggie meets a woman called Jennifer, whom he rescues from her overturned car and takes her to the next town, which is also abandoned. They stay the night at an abandoned motel and Reggie tells her the story of The Tall Man. Jennifer doesn't believe him and also rejects his advances. Having dreamed of Mike, Reggie wakes up and unbuttons Jennifer's nightshirt, discovering two spheres sticking in her breasts. As they fly out and attack him, he smashes one with a sledgehammer but is pinned to the wall by the other. In desperation he strikes his tuning fork and the sphere explodes. Jennifer grabs his leg but he smashes her with the hammer and leaves.Mike, trying to uncover the mysteries of The Tall Man and to escape the transformation, drives through abandoned towns and remembers the last days before The Tall Man's arrival. The Tall Man appears in the back of the hearse and takes control of the car before he disappears into the coffin.Mike drives the hearse into Death Valley. Mike intends to force The Tall Man to a confrontation and writes his testament. He finds himself at a 19th Century colonial-style house with an earlier model of the gate inside. Mike meets a man resembling The Tall Man, who however welcomes him cordially and introduces himself as Jebediah Morningside. Jebediah wants to speak with Mike, who, however, is frightened and again escapes through the gate. Jebediah's wife (who resembles the Fortuneteller from the first Phantasm movie), appears and tells him to let Mike go.Back in Death Valley, Mike realizes that he can move rocks by the power of his mind. Jody appears. Mike is distrustful and accuses his brother of having abandoned him. Jody defends his behavior and disappears. Mike works on his car, using parts to build a makeshift sphere. Hoping that he might stop Jebedaiah from becoming the evil Tall Man, he again goes through a gate, but finds himself in the deserted city of Los Angeles and escapes The Tall Man only with Jody's help.Meanwhile, Reggie arrives at Death Valley and fights off a group of zombie dwarfs when Mike and Jody appear through a gate. Mike embraces Reggie and tells him not to trust Jody. Reggie passes Mike the tuning fork, as the two brothers pass through the gate, appearing in Jebediah's house. Invisible to the old man, they witness how he perfects his craft and approaches the inter-dimensional gate. Mike tries to stab him before he can pass through but misses him, as they are in another dimension. Jebedaiah vanishes and moments later is replaced by the evil Tall Man who emerges in his place, having taken his form and using his human appearance as a disguise.Mike escapes through the gate, finding himself in a cemetery. He is attacked and overpowered by his brother and awakes on mortuary slab. Jody holds him as The Tall Man begins operating. A panicking Mike strikes the tuning fork, thus immobilizing his opponents. Mike then kills Jody with a sphere but The Tall Man revives and telekinetically takes the fork from Mike. Again, Mike escapes through the gate back to Death Valley, pursued by The Tall Man. Reggie tries to shoot The Tall Man but is overpowered. Mike summons the sphere he built. The Tall Man is impaled in the neck but he is unharmed and he pulls out the sphere and crushes it with his right hand, amused.At that moment, Mike activates the hearse's motor, which turns out to be the true weapon against the Tall Man (a strange inter-dimensional bomb). A distracted Tall Man is vanquished after the explosion consumes both him and the car. However, a new Tall Man immediately comes through the gate, revealing that the Tall Man is but one of many. He resumes the surgery started by the last Tall Man he removes the golden sphere from Mike's head and disappears again through the gate. As Mike is close to death, Reggie arms himself with his 4-barrelled shotgun and enters the gate, determined to overcome The Tall Man.As Mike lies dying on the desert floor near the gateway, he has a childhood memory, climbing into Reggie's ice cream truck with him and driving off into the night. | good versus evil, flashback | train | imdb | These serve as really interesting backdrops for Mike, Reggie, Jody and the Tall Man (all the original actors returned, too).
The film actually ends with a flashback- a poignant and subtle scene that is unlike the endings of the other three movies, leaving the series with what could be a perfect close.
There must have been a ton of stuff on the cutting room floor, or someone found a great actor to play Mike from 1979, because a lot of this one bounces back to the first one as they try to tie all of this together.I understand, unlike 'Star Wars', the complete story was not written out ahead of time, it was made up as it went as it went along.
First off, let me say that Angus Scrimm is a National Treasure and any Phantasm movie is worth watching just for his performance.The first two Phantasms were excellent, pure works of imagination that are unlike any other horror series.
As for part 3, I've only seen part of it on Sci-Fi and as its not available yet on DVD, I don't remember it too well but presumably OblIVion takes over where that one left off...Mike is heading off into the wastelands and Reggie is pinned to the ceiling by a bunch of silver spheres.The story has Mike once again trying to stop the Tall Man and Reggie trying to catch up with him.
This time we jump through space, time and dimension to find the Tall Man's origins and get a glimpse of the future he has in store for the earth.This is a fairly good installment but it seems like there's more story then fits into the ninety-minute format.
It lives the same world, but isn't distracted by pop culture phenomena of the time the way 2 & 3 seemed to be influenced/commentating on 'Evil Dead' and 'Home Alone'.As much as I like seeing the Tall Man, Reggie and Mike back in action, Jody still seems forced into the series.
Just watched this series of movies for the first time, and was very disappointed at the ending of Oblivion, there was so much promise in the story and characters, even tho it was getting pretty silly.
The film uses deleted footage from the original Phantasm movie to further enhance the storyline and it works.After fleeing the mausoleum in the end of Phantasm III, Mike goes on a quest to try to escape his transformation, while Reggie tries to save him from The Tall Man.
Like so many great mythological stories about quest, heros and villains, the characters of Mike, Reggie and The Tall Man are truly genuine.
I admit this isn't the most well-made film and the loose ends, unexplained occurrences, and inconsistencies are enough to make one lose faith in the series, yet after the beautiful beginning cinematography done in panoramic view, where the Tall Man stalks the halls of the cemetary, the scene where Reggie is attacked by a mutant police officer, another scene where Reggie survives not one but two of the balls, and the most surprising scene of all, when Michael, after going through a dimensional gateway, encounters what appears to be the Tall Man's "good" alter-ego!
I think a lot of people didn't 'get it' because they were expecting a bunch of gore and action, and a very simplistic plot (like most horror movies today).
It's rare that the same creative team are still around 4 films into a series, and even rarer that a 4th film has anything new to add, so this makes a refreshing change.The tone is a little uneven, with Coscarelli seeming torn between delivering the slapstick gore and laughs of the previous 2 sequels and going for the darker more surreal approach of the first movie, so a lot of Reggie's scenes seem like they could have been pasted in from a different movie.
Speaking of which large chunks are made up of deleted scenes from "Phantasm", which, while suggesting money problems during development, actually works very well in bookending the events so far.It also goes some way to filling in the gaps, giving the Tall Man a proper origin story and answering a few questions while still leaving enough up in the air to justify the 5th film which is apparently in production currently.That said, even if a 5th film never materialises, this makes a nicely apocalyptic ending to a series that has actually come to life in it's sequels.
There are very few characters in this one b\c it focuses on The Tall Man's relationship with Mike (yet, of course, like the others not explaining all we need to know!).
This film was a bit more sophisticated than the previous sequels while not compromising any of the traditional fun, scares, gore or witty one-liners we come to expect from Phantasm.
The fact that Coscarelli had shot lots of unused footage for his first film enables him to incorporate it here, and it is fascinating to see our actors at different ages throughout.It may not be altogether satisfying for some of its viewers, but it's still more interesting than most output in the genre, in the way that it gets its audience thinking and leaves events open to interpretation.Seven out of 10..
As the Tall Man's history unfolds in a series of scene's from the original Phantasm, a majority of these scene's were cut from the original release of Phantasm and are being scene for the first time, other scene's are just scene's created specifically for this film.
Phantasm 4 Oblivion is a great film for you fellow Phantasm lovers out there.All the classic characters return.The tall man,Angus Scrimm's character is even fleshed out more,giving you a possible explanation on how he became the sinister grave-robbing mortician who can pass thru different dimensions.It has a surreal quality to it ,almost like being in a dream.For a Phantasm freak such as myself,I highly recommend it..
Did I mention pointless?These movies have, at the very most, two things going for them: Angus Scrimm's performance as The Tall Man, which is far, far better than this drivel deserves, and the memorable weapon of the flying silver ball.Other than that, they're a mess.
The best part of this entry though which completely saves it is the long showdown between Mike and The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), yet most of the story surrounding Reg is almost old hat.
Mentioning this a certain female character in the film does seem to have no real use, coming in for 30 mins then being killed off.In all this is a worthwhile movie to check out if your a fan of the Phantasm series.
On the last movie, one of the silver spheres attacked the Tall Man was Mike's brother Jody.
I liked the part when the ball was used to take out the minions of the Tall Man. When Reggie left in the Ice Cream truck, the question remains, "Is it over?" The movie puts the "I" in Intensity, out of all the other horror movies, Phantasm is tops!
While Reggie deals with demon cops and a sexy lady (Heidi Maranhout), Mike travels through multiple portals and discovers how The Tall Man came to this dimension and if his brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) is really what he seems to be.Phantasm IV is the most recent entry in the series to date but thank god it is not the last as there will be one more film on the way.
I consider Phantasm IV to be a little better than the disappointing (but still good) third entry of the series, but my issue with this one is that even though you are entertained throughout and your eyes will probably be glued to the screen, nothing really happens when you think about it.
Like Phantasm III, Bill Thornbury is just kind of there but unlike Phantasm III he actually has importance in this one.The Breakdown:PROS: Captivating story, Great score, Likable characters, Dosen't contain many continuity errors unlike it's predecessor, Attractive women (Heidi Maranhout), Very surreal, And who wouldn't like to see a bald and middle-aged ex-ice cream vendor dressed in his old uniform shooting demon midgets with a quad barrel shot-gun?CONS: The ending will really annoy you for a really long time, Though the film contains many of silver spheres, there arn't any real drilling's:(, and you occasionally have no idea what is going on.OVERALL: It isn't as good as "Phantasm" or "Phantasm II", but "Phantasm IV: Oblivion" is yet another satisfying entry to this amazing fantasy/horror series.
The original Phantasm is such a landmark cult film because it truly bent the limits of the horror movie genre.
We get a peek into the origin of the Tall Man (with some fantastic acting on the part of Angus Scrimm who finally gets to read more lines than "BOYYYYYY!"), and we learn the significance of the dimensional portal introduced in the first movie.But don't look for everything to be answered straightaway & tied up with a pretty bow, Hollywood style.
The story arc is tied together instead by imagery which, beginning with a "feel-good" onslaught of just what diehard Phantasm phans have come for, goes steps further, encouraging the viewer to learn the imagery language to begin to answer some longstanding questions: who or what is the Tall Man?
Actually, it's not THAT bad.While the film lacks the brilliant invention of the first two, the back story that Coscarelli has created is intriguing and while he could have delved a bit deeper into it, if you don't go in expecting too much; Phantasm 4 will not disappoint fans of the series.
All the usual Phantasm staples are present in this film, from The Tall Man himself to the creepy little dwarfs, all the way to the very cool shiny metal balls that fly around and stick in people's heads.
Phantasm IV is the worst of the Phantasm series.The movie only has 6 characters Reggie, Mike, Jody, TallMan, Jen, and a Demon Cop.That's it.The movie has no plot, action and doesn't fit in well with the Phantasm series.Some people say Phantasm 3 is the worst in the series, it's not.Phantasm 3 is a good movie.Way better than Phantasm 4 will ever be.Not worth the money..
Coscarelli has saved himself from the rather dull "Phantasm III." It is obvious there's no budget and the story is barely there, but the Tall Man (Scrimm, in his best performance ever) is just such an interesting character.
This movie is pretty much just a reunion of old friends for fans of the original (or any) "Phantasm." The ending puts the series in a deadlock, but "Phantasm 1999" (written by Roger Avery) is trying to get off the ground.
Picking up where the previous film ended, story has Reggie pursuing the Tall Man(Angus Scrimm), who has taken Mike for his own purposes, but is once again accompanied by Jody, still trying to tell the secrets of the Tall man's origins(he was a kindly inventor named Jebediah Morningside who enters a space/time tunnel and returns from the trip transformed into the evil Tall Man), before it is too late...Much better than III, though can't approach the first film, from which it uses much unused footage to further explain and enhance its present plot that has the gang going back and forth in time to avert the enslavement of humanity.
(Both seem more or less true).The great thing is that this time we are treated to a story, and not just a gross-out violent scene with the Tall Man, as has happened in the other 3 films.The only thing missing from our disjointed tale of silver spheres is the true origin of the Tall Man himself...we now know that he replaced Mr. Morningside, but what after that...?I understand that the team is producing one more picture...hopefully it will answer my question.BTW, I called it interesting because it's the only Phantasm segment that I didn't leave the room for a john break while it was playing...I needed to know what happened next....
It doesn't help that they keep adding stuff, such as time traveling and Jedi powers, which only all adds up to the confusion of the story.The series has been much liked for it's mixture of horror and comedy but I just think neither of those two elements ever work out strong enough, in neither of the 4 movies actually.
Other than that, good shooting location, nice end credits song (Reggie Bannister does an almost-heavy-metalish cover of the Phantasm theme), and my favourite part was the motel scene where the blonde had spheres in her...well, you know where I'm going with this..
A quote from IMDb trivia for "Phantasm III": "Don Coscarelli reportedly admitted during filming that he had run out of ideas after finishing the script for this sequel and had no clue which direction would the story take in case there was a fourth Phantasm movie.
This fourth film in the series at least had the Tall Man looking for someone instead of the same story of Reggie and Mike looking for him.
Seeing as how parts two through four take place as one continuous story, I couldn't help but think that had the three sequels been edited together as one movie then perhaps the series would have worked better.
Well, I just finished watching all four films this week.It's been like seven years since I took the time to watch these all the way through one after another.My opinion hasn't changed.The first film is a masterpiece and the second one was a cool follow up even if all the answers to the questions the first Phantasm posed weren't satisfied.The third installment added even more questions but at least answered some of the questions the first one.It seems the pattern of this series is to throw out more mysteries than answers with each installment.This tactic worked with the first three films but with the fourth one it got redundant.I have deliberately stayed very vague with my review to avoid any spoilers.Phantasm IV is not a stand-a-lone film.There is just too much mythology built up into the franchise for a newcomer to this to get any kind of enjoyment.Thinking this through, I think this is why I found this installment such a disappointment.I expected the film to wrap up all the loose ends from the previous films and that wasn't done.I would hope that if there is going to be a final installment that we should be given answers to such questions as: What is the purpose of this army being built up from the dead?
It does give some background on the Tall Man. If you have never seen a Phantasm movie before, forget it.
I do not think there will be a sequel though, cause at the end of 4 they go back in time and miss the key event that starts the whole movie series, Thus it never happened..
Thin plot, hardly any action, millions of questions left unanswered, a VERY disappointing movie to a series that was, before this one, terrific!Sure, let's just let the Tall Man release Reggie at the very beginning of the movie so the demons can pick on him some more...Thank God they did let him go, because he's the only one who breathed a little life into an otherwise extremely dull movie.
Instead of Reggie & Mike seeking out the Tall Man in some mausoleum in some ghost town, this story takes place in a desert, and there is a lot of time traveling and sudden point-of-view shifts.
What's the problem, this is the best way to end the series if part five never comes - Reg aimlessly fighting for his friend's life, Mike Helpless to prevent his fate and the Tall Man appearing to be the Evil victor, but we know the good guys will win, don't we?
Mike, after the events in "Part III", finds himself in a strange limbo of dimensions in the Tall Man's world, trying to save his own life and stop the evil villain.Being a big fan of the "Phantasm" series, I really, really tried to like this movie as best as I could, but I had a little trouble with it at times.
Michael Baldwin is featured much more in this sequel, and holds up well, as does Reggie Bannister as his long-time friend and co-fighter against The Tall Man. Angus Scrimm is just as scary here as he was in the original "Phantasm".
The conclusion to the movie is open-ended for a sequel (as are all the endings in these films), but we're still awaiting another installment to try and help answer a few questions and possibly bring a close to this utterly bizarre gem of a movie series.Overall, "Phantasm IV: Oblivion" is an installment that most "phans" won't be too disappointed with.
The core of the movie is the mental confrontation between the two characters and that explains why there's a lack of action sequences in comparison to the two previous chapters and lots of dream-like scenes.But Don Coscarelli didn't forget the numerous fans of Reggie Bannister (a.k.a the god of the zombie killers), who is better than ever as the tired and angry ice cream man who desperately try to have a good time with a sex-bomb , and gave him a few memorable action scenes in which he can use his now famous super-gun against the army of the dead.An asset of PHANTASM : OBLIVION is to really bring an evolution of the characters and the story.
We just focus on Reggie, Mike and Jody battling the spheres, jawa creatures and the Tall man, everything fans of this series want.
Reggie's basically here to provide the action while Michael confronts the Tall Man. I read somewhere there wasn't a lot of money to make this film and you can tell.
The movie picks up where the third installment left off with Mike (Michael Baldwin) captured by the Tall Man in a hearse and Reggie left hanging, trapped by the ever present silver spheres. |
tt0047898 | Bride of the Monster | We open in the woods after dark during an intense storm and see the old Willows property out on Lake Marsh, roll credits. Wandering around out in this foul weather are Mac (Bud Osborne) and Jake (John Warren). A bolt of lightning strikes a tree bough and it falls off. They decide to make for the Willows place as a refuge from the storm. They think it is deserted. They knock on the door when they see signs it may not be vacant. Dr. Eric Vornoff (Bela Lugosi) answers the door and refuses them entry. When it appears that Mac and Jake may use their guns, Lobo (Tor Johnson) appears and the two think Tor is the "Monster of Lake Marsh" and quickly depart. Vornoff returns to his lab via the entrance behind the fireplace. He slips into his lab coat and proceeds with an electrical experiment. He peers into a window and a large octopus appears. Mac and Jake have made it to the lake shore. Mac falls into the lake and is attacked by the octopus. Jakes returns to help his friend. He tries to pull him out, but failing that, he uses his rifle to put a couple of bullets into the thing. Lobo appears and grabs Jake. He takes him back to the house and prepares him for one of Vornoff's experiments. When Jake wakes he's in the lab, strapped to a gurney with some electrical device on his head. Lobo moves some equipment over him. Vornoff explains to Jake that Lobo is mute. He can hear his pleas for help, but he cannot speak. Vornoff fires up his equipment while Jake struggles. Vornoff tells him, "you will be soon as big as a giant...with the strength of twenty men...or like all the others, dead!" Jake screams and dies in an instant. Vornoff examines him, but only confirms his worst fear."Monster Strikes Again!" screams the Daily Chronicle headline, and the Daily Globe shouts "Monster Takes Two!" At the police station, officer Kelton (Paul Marco) is questioning a drunk (Ben Frommer). The drunk is being very uncooperative. Two police offers drag him downstairs for booking. During the confusion, the newsboy (William Benedict) arrives and tries to go into the Captain's office with his newpapers, but is stopped by Kelton. Kelton starts to read one of the papers, but hears Captain Robbins entering his office from the hallway. Captain Robbins (Harvey B. Dunn) is sitting at his desk petting a bird. He tells Kelton to send Lt. Craig in to see him. Robbins peruses the newspaper headlines. While waiting for Craig to arrive he gives his bird a drink of water. Lt. Dick Craig (Tony McCoy) arrives, sits down and they discuss the Lake Marsh disappearances, twelve in the last three months. They examine the recovered remains of Jake and Mac, a gun and coat. Janet Lawton (Loretta King) bursts into Robbins' office with Kelton making a valiant effort to deep her out, but failing. We learn that Janet and Dick are engaged. They discuss her newspaper story. When she gets no new information, she tells them she intends to drive out to Lake Marsh and do a little of her own investigating. She drives back to the newspaper office.Janet makes her way to the file room and talks to Tilly (Ann Wilner) about the old Willows place out on Lake Marsh. She finds what she is looking for in the files. On her way out she bumps into Margie (Dolores Fuller) who warns her that the boss is looking for her. The police called the papers owner and told them they want a stop to the monster stories because of public panic. Janet gets back in her car and heads for home.Captain Robbins is meeting with Professor Strowski (George Becwar). Lt. Craig enters Robbins' office and is introduced to the professor. Strowski offers his assistance in the investigation. After he departs, Robbins warns Craig that Strowski should be watched. Janet departs for Lake Marsh as the weather starts to change. In a rainstorm near the Willows place, she blows a tire and crashes her car. Dazed, she exits her car and notices a snake in a nearby tree and faints. Lobo arrives at the scene of the accident, and picks her up and takes her back to the house. Janet is asleep on a couch and wakes to the sight of Vornoff. Vornoff hypnotizes her into a dream state. Martin (Don Nagel) and Lt. Craig are driving in their police car and stop. They decide to take the road to the Willows house. Strowski was supposed to meet Craig at 10:00 a.m., but failed to show for the appointment. They drive a short distance and stop when Lt. Craig spots Janet's car, but no trace of her. They head back to a coffee shop to see if she stopped there. Strowski arrives on the same road just after Craig and Martin leave. He starts walking through the woods. Martin and Craig arrive at the Café and call police headquarters. Craig is told to find Strowski. Janet is not at home or at work, and no one has seen her.Back at the Willows place, Vornoff and Lobo are coming into the lab with Janet's breakfast. When Janet sees Lobo she recoils in fear. Vornoff tells her, "don't be afraid of Lobo, he's as gentle as a kitten." Lobo is dismissed, but lingers to stare at Janet. When he fails to comply, Vornoff whips him. Vornoff returns to talk to Janet. He introduces himself, and tells her she had an automobile accident. She concludes she is at the old Willows place based on her research. Strowski finds the house and approaches while Vornoff hypnotizes Janet. He then directs Lobo "to take the girl to my quarters." Strowski enters the house quietly, looks around then enters the living room. He places his briefcase on the mantle and is greeted by Vornoff. Strowski is there to convince Vornoff to return to their country to continue his research. Vornoff, having been exiled twenty years earlier, is in no mood to return or to share his research--the creation of a master race. When Vornoff informs Strowski he has no intention of returning, Strowski pulls a gun and tells him that their government ordered his return. Lobo easily disarms Strowski and takes him down to the lab and throws him to the octopus.Martin and Craig, driving along the road to the Willows place, discover the abandoned rental car Strowski was driving. Martin and Craig split up, Craig walking to the Willows place. He takes the same path Strowski took earlier and falls into some quicksand. He shoots at some alligators and manages to escape the quicksand.Captain Robbins goes to the newspaper office to talk to Tillie. She was the last person known to have spoken to Janet. She informs him that Janet came in around 2:00 p.m. and left about 3:30 p.m. She was researching the file on the sale of the old Willows place. Robbins calls police headquarters and asks for all information on Dr. Eric Vornoff.At the lab, Vornoff summons Janet, now dressed in a wedding gown (!?) He directs her over to the examining table. Outside Lt. Craig enters the house, looks around, then enters the living room and finds Strowskis hat. Vornoff commands Lobo to strap her to the table. When he hesitates, Vornoff whips him. Back in the living room, Craig discovers Strowski's glasses and the file Strowski was carrying on Vornoff. When he places the folder down on the fireplace mantle, it activates the doorway to the lab. He pulls his gun, and makes his way to the lab. Vornoff orders Lobo to get the equipment ready. Lobo has developed a strong attraction to Janet and does not want her harmed. Vornoff continues preparation to turn Janet into the "Bride of the Atom". Lt. Craig enters the lab and orders Vornoff to release her. Lobo quietly enters behind Craig and knocks him out.Robbins, Kelton and two police officers meet Martin on the road to the Willows place. They walk to the house. Vornoff has Craig chained to the lab wall and tells him Janet is the subject of his research. Vornoff switches on the equipment, and Lobo realizing Janet will be Vornoff's next victim, turns on his master and attacks. Vornoff shoots him with Craig's service revolver, but the bullets have little effect. Vornoff is knocked to the floor. Lobo releases Janet from the table. As Janet is trying to release Craig's shackles, Lobo carries Vornoff to the table and straps him down. Lobo fires up the equipment and Craig, now loose, tries to intervene. But the stronger Lobo easily knocks him out. Lobo returns to the equipment and Vornoff ends up the subject of his own experiment--successful this time.Robbins and Martin enter the house, look around, enter the living room, and find the same clues as Craig. Vornoff, now an atomic superman, attacks Lobo who falls against some electrical equipment and is electrocuted. It starts a fire. Vornoff now mutated, grabs Janet and leaves the lab. Craig awakens and follows the pair out of the burning building. Robbins and Martin see the smoke, and also escape the building. Kelton sees Vornoff some distance away carrying Janet, with Lt. Craig in hot pursuit. The house is now fully engulfed in flames. Vornoff puts Janet down to make his escape easier. The police fire at him, but the bullets have no effect. Lt. Craig rolls a boulder onto him, which knocks Vornoff into the lake where he is attacked by his own atomic mutation, the octopus. Craig returns to Janet, who is ok and still wearing her wedding dress. Vornoff and his octopus are struck by a bolt of lightning which results in an atomic explosion. We close with Captain Robbins, joining Janet and Lt. Craig. Robbins opines, "he tampered in God's domain." | cult | train | imdb | You can see the movie the way Ed Wood intended it.The lighting is competent; the camera work is competent.But what elevates BOTM to film nirvana is Bela Lugosi's performance as Dr. Eric Vornoff (sp?).
If you look past the cheesy octopus (no worse than the hysterical devil bat), the cheap sets and the lame acting (better than Scared to Death!), if you suspend a little disbelief and realize this movie was made for a song -- then actually it is pretty darned good.
Sure, it's cheap, the acting is horrible, the sets wobble if sneezed upon and the special effects consist of stock footage and a rubber octopus, but "Bride of the Monster" is much, MUCH better than "Plan 9 From Outer Space." Mad scientist Vornoff (a sickly Bela Lugosi) has apparently set up shop in the Florida Everglades, kidnapping anyone unwise enough to wander too close to his house (and his pet octopus) and conducting sinister experiments upon them.
In "Bride of the Monster," Edward Wood shows himself to be a typically competent director doing a typical low-rent horror film.
It turns out very early in the movie we're shown that a Dr. Eric Vornoff, Bela Lugosi, with the help of his hulking assistant Lobo, Tor Johnson, have been kidnapping people in the woods around Lake Marsh and using them in experiments.
With what seems like the whole movie set goes up in a nuclear explosion with Captain Robbins, who was in charge of the police , ends the film by saying what has now become folk lore in movie history: "He Tampered in God's Domain"."Bride of the Monster" was Bela Lugosi's last staring role and Bela gave it all that he had with the Mad Scientist bit which has to rank right up there with the best films that he made over his long movie career including "Dracula" and "Son of Frankenstein" as well as "Ninotchka".
Strowski was as good as anything that you would hear in an Academy Award winning film or top flight Shakesperaean production.Tor Johnson was also very effective as Lobo, even though he never uttered a word in the movie, by showing pain and affection for Janet who he tried to save from Dr. Vornoff's evil clutches and both Tony McCoy and Loretta King did have chemistry in the scenes that they were in together.
The worst thing that could happen while watching this stuff is that you get bored but with Wood, and especially this film, boredom isn't a possibility since there's countless insane moments happening throughout the 69-minute running time.
The film moves by very quickly and while I do enjoy the movie because it's bad, I will go out on the limb and say Lugosi gives his best performance in his later day roles..
only the cheap bad films are really funny, because the filmmakers wanted to make their films so desperately, they way-over-reached beyond their abilities and available resources.boring films are just, well, boring - if you don't leave quickly enough, you fall asleep.tasteless films actually have their defenders; but the fact remains that they are masturbatory aids for very sick people.ed wood made bad films of every description - tasteless soft-core porn; slow-as-mud ghost-movies; and some of the funniest bottom -of-the-bucket cheap movies ever made.although the most famous of these is 'plan 9 from outer space', i should warn the reader that 'plan 9' gets awfully slow way too often to be tolerable for more than one viewing.but for 'bride of the monster', the editing leaps forward and nearly becomes professional.
'bride' is the best paced and most compact of the ed wood films, despite the fact that more happens in it than in any other wood film.because of this better pacing, the faults in the usual wood show of lack of any skill or talent whatsoever are given a real chance to shine forth as accidental jokes, unintended innuendos, gaffes, goofs, and gobs of gooey rubber stuff, like the least scary octopus in Hollywood history that Bela Lugosi wrestles with just before he vaporizes into a nuclear explosion, while being watched by the heroes standing only a few feet away - one of the least damaging nuclear blasts in history, fiction or fact.and the dialog - the speech from Bela Lugosi, over-acting as only a true monster could, about having no home but the 'living hell' of an American swamp only a few miles outside of los angeles, is a truly magnificent bit of nonsense poetry that only a true ego-maniacal paranoid schizophrenic could have written - bravo ed wood.but what really makes this film, as with all ed wood films that one might find entertaining in any way, is the earnestness with which wood makes this film.
and this heroism shows forth in 'bride of the monster' more than in any other film.this is a movie, dammit - no matter how unintentionally funny or just plain bad - it deserves respect as the nearest thing to the holy grail a film-maker like wood could get..
Bride of the Monster does have things wrong, the sets are wobbly, the special effects especially the octopus are fake, the story does drag at times and Loretta King displays no kind of acting talent whatsoever.
Okay, I will start off by saying that this is an Ed Wood, Jr. film, so of course it's going to have cheap sets, grade z actors (except for the wonderful Bela Lugosi) and ridiculous dialog.
With that being said, this little horror movie is actually better than it should be.Bela Lugosi plays the mad doctor Dr. Vornoff who has been banished from his home country because of his bizarre experiments using atomic energy.
Let's just say the menacing Lobo is a few french fries short of a Happy Meal.Dr. Vornoff is hiding out in an abandoned old house in the woods complete with the mad scientist laboratory and a pond outside complete with a giant rubber octopus.The movie would be a total mess except for Bela Lugosi.
Making it all the funnier is that his actors are so clueless to his incompetence, or so captivated by his imagination, that they deliver a stupefyingly earnest performance.The plot of Bride Of The Monster is as ridiculous as anything else to have been written by Ed Wood, but in a sort of charming way, it works.
The documentary Flying Saucers Over Hollywood explains in some segments that Wood's best-known work, Plan 9 From Outer Space, is widely watched because in addition to the reputation it has as a completely insane film, it also has a smattering of legitimately effective scenes or shots.
Scenes like Bela Lugosi's "I have no home" speech, or Loretta King's quick chat with the file clerk, demonstrate a knack for composition and spacing that would have served Wood quite well if he had been able to reign in his apparent belief in shooting everything in one take, even if that take shows the set wobbling.
Another quote about Plan 9 that definitely applies here is that no matter what time you watch Bride Of The Monster at, it always feels as if you are sitting in front of your television at four in the morning.Lugosi plays a mad scientist named Eric Vornoff, who is attempting to create a super-strength zombie through the use of a table, some straps, a powerful lamp, and some kind of electric play-toy.
Contrary to the impression given by Tim Burton's biopic, Tony McCoy is not that bad an actor, although you will not be surprised to learn he only ever acted in one film and a TV episode after Bride Of The Monster.
The second monster is played by the one and only Tor Johnson, as a character called Lobo who is the sidekick of Bela Lugosi's Dr. Eric Vornoff.
In general, the acting is not as bad as is typical for a Wood film; although Dolores Fuller is, as usual, gloriously rubbish in her small role as the secretary – her short conversation with Loretta King is truly a non-acting master-class.It goes without saying that Bride of the Monster is not a film for everyone.
BRIDE OF THE MONSTER features a dilapidated old house, wherein abides Dr. Eric Vornoff (Bela Lugosi), and his hideous henchman, Lobo (Tor Johnson- PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS), who lumbers around barefoot, mouth wide open, like a carp awaiting a meal.
Both written and directed by Wood "Bride of the Monster" presents us with poor, ill, elderly Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist who plans to create an army of atomic super-humans based upon his somewhat successful zombie-like prototype (Tor Johnson) so he can rule the world.
Lugosi especially as he mumbles his ridiculously tedious dialogue, Johnson comes off less frightening than what was obviously intended, everyone else float around somewhere between overly over the top and too low-key to be even remotely worthy of mentioning.Far from being ironically enjoyable this movie is nothing more than an awfully depressing experience mixed with extremely tiny bits and pieces where there's a swift glimpse of whatever bizarre vision Wood originally had.
Bride of the Monster might be Wood's best film.We have the great Bela Lugosi as Dr. Eric Vornoff - a mad scientist out to create atomic creatures...
and he echos his hand gesture from White Zombie (a nod in that direction).We also have Tor Johnson as Lobo - Lobo is very much like Johnson's character's from Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) and The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961).Bride of the Monster really is worth watching if you are into the classic sci-fi horror and like a good B Horror film.7/10.
The house is owned by Dr. Eric Vornoff (Bela Lugosi) who is conducting experiments to turn people into super-beings through the use of atomic power.With Tor Johnson as Lobo and directed by the eccentric Ed Wood, this film is a pure winner if you like B-movie cheese.
That isn't to say it's particularly good the acting ranges from amateurish to hammy, the sets wobble, the monster doesn't work (which means its 'victims' have to grab hold of its tentacles and thrash them around a bit), continuity is non-existent, editing looks as if its been spliced using a pair of blunt scissors and a pot of evo-stik, and the story makes no sense at all but it's no worse than many other cheap monster flicks from the same era.Bela Lugosi, raddled by his addictions and close to death, looks old and ill here, but still manages to give a fairly sprightly performance, while Tor Johnson had the kind of looks that were made for horror films.
Bela Lugosi plays Eric Vornoff, an exiled doctor who conducts atomic experiments at his decrepit swampland mansion, aided by the hulking Lobo (Tor Johnson).
Living like an animal!"One of screen icon Bela Lugosis' final completed roles is as the mad scientist Dr. Eric Vornoff, in this, one of the notorious efforts for schlock creator Edward D.
Some silly dialog and a comatose killer octopus tend to brand this another goofy Ed Wood film, but it's really not as awful as some other stuff he did; it almost manages a cohesive story line.Bela Lagosi, playing a mad doctor with a vendetta and a pet octopus, is conducting experiments to create an army of invincible monsters.
Wood regular Tor Johnson is a giant mutant flunky for Dr. Bela that makes growling noises.Legends abound about the octopus used in the film.
An attractive reporter, sensing a story (hey, who wouldn't?) goes to investigate and discovers Lobo (Tor Johnson, Super Swedish Angel!) and Dr. Eric Vornoff (the already mentioned Bela Lugosi) inside the laboratory inside the house (complete with paper stone walls that shake when hit!) Dr. Vornoff has a nasty plan of turning people into atomic supermen, and has created a rubber octopus on the side, which leads to the most memorable scene in the movie when Lugosi (or his double) is chased by the police into the water and is attacked by the lifeless creature.
Bride Of The Monster was Bela Lugosi's last completed film and was done for that legendary director of bad movies, Ed Wood, Jr. At least Lugosi didn't live to see Plan Nine From Outer Space, he was spared that humiliation.Once again Bela is a mad scientist who has a scheme to create a race of atomic supermen and he's got a great old prototype in Tor Johnson formerly the Swedish Angel of pro wrestling fame.
The purpose of these odd experiments seems to be the creation of an "atomic" man, through which Bella can rule the world...but his subjects keep dying off, and eventually intrepid reporter Loretta King goes stomping out to Bella's house to see just what's up--and pretty soon she too is writhing on the table with that metal salad bowl thing on her head.THE BRIDE OF THE MONSTER doesn't really have the sublime ineptitude that makes PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE so much fun, but it has more than enough unintentional hilarity to keep you tuned in.
At least, not as bad as some of Wood's other movies, which goes without saying that he's not undeserved of the title of "Worst Director of All Time." His main body of work seen by people are of a kind that is of a by-gone era, of the B science fiction movie where effects were menial and acting was taken by actors who probably didn't even bother with classes (take Tor Johnson as best example of that).
But even at its best, which is saying a bit much, Bride of the Monster is a sci-fi flick that has some decent craftsmanship going, a cooky Bela Lugosi performance, and of course Tor Johnson as Lobo.It's hard actually to even describe the story, as sometimes the dialog meanders a bit into what's really going on.
And some of the looks on the faces (oh those close-ups of Lugosi's eyes) and body language especially by Johnson are too campy to miss, plus that 'octopus' which ranges from stock footage to, uh, not working.But if there is anything going for Bride of the Monster, it's that it's actually a sort of good-bad movie, where the ineptitude is almost charming in its stilted, under-budgeted way, and that main speech that was quoted in Ed Wood "Home, I have no home" is actually quite cool in its B-movie sort of way.
While not the worst movie Ed Wood made, it certainly ranks as a rotten B movie by anyone else's standards, and consists of bad actors mouthing bad dialogue in front of cardboard sets.The film is saved by top man Bela Lugosi, whose gravitas and screen magnetism mean the rest of the cast and plot just revolve around him like a mini solar system.
It's hard to tell whether Lugosi is playing his role straight or making fun of it--he's that bad, but Miss King is even worse.Complete with less than frightening special effects, it doesn't rank high on the fright meter.Summing up: Recommended only for Ed Wood fans who are curious enough to want to see all his works..
The actual films begins excellently, with two lost people being killed by a octopus in the Florida swamplands (more hilarious than a dozen comedy's) but rather slows down in the middle stretch, but keeps you entertained with offices that never change over a five day period and one office that has not one thing move over twenty-four hours, some great no-performances from Tony McCoy (the producers son), Tor Johnson (an ex-wrestle) and poor old Béla Lugosi, the original Count Dracula who, sadly, had become a drug addict and had sunk so low to appear in Ed Wood's movies.
Ulmer and his no budget masterpieces 'Detour' (1945) and 'The Man From Planet X' (1951), as well as 'Beyond the Time Barrier' (1960), which was filmed in a shopping mall years before 'Logan's Run' (1976) was.Finally, we can say that the movie is enjoyable for its Ed Wood oddness and the on screen presence of Bela Lugosi, who carries the film despite looking too thin and age ravaged.
Before watching "Bride of the Monster", one should know that it's an Ed Wood movie and thus pretty silly.
So no monsters get married, but we do have Bela Legosi in his declining years as a sad little mad scientist, with Tor Johnson as his assistant Lobo, whom he commands around, and occasionally whips unconvincingly.The plot is devoid of any value, and the "special" effects are just as bad as "Plan 9." The octopus is especially good, along with the evil atomic-powered character who wears platform shoes to give the appearance of additional height.So incredibly bad you have to laugh.
But if you like Ed Wood or goofy movies, I definitely would recommend this one, it's not as silly as some of his other films but you'll get a great kick out of people "wrestling" with the octopus.
He also comes across as the perfect Mad scientist.Although the sets are poorly made, it certainly gives off a very eerie setting.Despite having no lines Tor Johnson delivers a wonderful portrayal as the "Atomic-Superman" Lobo."Bride of The Monster" is definetely one of Wood's signature films, and is definetely worth a watch..
Bela Lugosi (Dr. Eric Vornoff), Tor Johnson (Lobo), Tony McCoy (Lieutenant Dick Craig), Loretta King (Janet Lawton), Harvey Dunn (Captain Robbins), George Becwar (Professor Strowski), Paul Marco (Keiton), Don Nagel (Martin), Bud Osborne (Mac), John Warren (Jake), Ann Wilner (Tillic), Ben Frommer (drunk), William Benedict (newsboy), Delores Fuller (Margie), Ed Parker, Conrad Brooks.Director: EDWARD D.
This was the first movie I've ever seen of his and I had a fun time laughing at the sheer loopiness of it all.Wood's idol, Bela Lugosi, plays an exiled Soviet scientist called Dr. Eric Vornoff, hiding out in an ramshackle house in the middle of a swamp.
Ed Wood really made terrible movies ( like the incredibly boring Glen or Glenda ) but Bride of the Monster really isn't that bad. |
tt0162137 | The 7th Guest | The game begins with a flashback to 1935 in the town of Harley-on-the-Hudson. A drifter named Henry Stauf kills a woman to steal her purse, beginning a series of deplorable acts. One night, he has a vision of a beautiful doll, and the next day begins carving it. He is able to trade the doll for food and drinks & a place to stay. Stauf begins to have other visions of dolls and toys, and crafts and sell these as well. Stauf becomes a successful toymaker, and uses his fortune to build a mansion at the edge of town, following yet another vision he had. At the same time, several children possessing Stauf's toys come down with a mysterious illness and later die. Stauf disappears into his mansion and was not seen again.
In the game's present, the narrator (the player's character) named "Ego" awakens in the Stauf mansion. The mansion is deserted, but as Ego explores it, he has ghostly visions of events in the past. These visions all take place on a night sometime after the deaths of the children, where six guests were invited to the Stauf mansion: Martine Burden, a former singer; Edward and Elinor Knox, a dissatisfied middle-aged couple; Julia Heine, a bank worker who reminisces of her youth; Brian Dutton, a fellow shop owner; and Hamilton Temple, a stage magician. The six arrived but found no sign of Stauf or anyone else, but do discover a number of puzzles set up that give them various instructions. They came to learn that Stauf wanted them to bring him the seventh, uninvited guest, a young boy named Tad that had entered the house in a dare from his friends; the one that did so would be rewarded with their greatest desire. The guests debated on what to do, and while Elinor and Hamilton feel they must find Tad and help him escape to avoid whatever evil plan Stauf had, the others searched for Tad in earnest to claim their reward from Stauf. The evening became bloody as the guests begin to turn on themselves and kill one another or become trapped in machinations set up by Stauf. Julia was the last guest left alive, and had discovered Tad, and dragged the boy to the attic where Stauf waited for them; Stauf had by this point become a horrific creature, having made a pact with the evil force that helped him to make the toys and caused the illness in the children. Stauf needed Tad's soul to complete the pact. Julia turned over Tad and demands her reward, but Stauf dissolved her with his own bile, and then lashed out at Tad with a long, prehensile tongue to prevent him from escaping.
At this point, Ego realizes that he is the spirit of Tad, witnessing the events from that night over and over but previously unable to help and forgetting what happened on each loop; the house has been a type of purgatory for him. Ego finds he can now intervene in the events, and helps Tad to escape. Stauf is unable to recapture the child, and the evil entity consumes Stauf for failing to complete the pact. Tad thanks Ego for his help, and then a sphere of light appears, which Ego steps into, ending the game. | insanity, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0446051 | Third Man Out | At the home of John Rutka and Eddie Santin, Rutka is apparently shot by an unknown assailant.The next day, private eye Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) arrives at the Albany Medical Center to meet with a client. While there, he sees his life partner, lobbyist and aide Tim Callahan (Sebastian Spence), who is escorting his boss, a prominent New York state senator who is there for a photo op with the comatose Catholic Bishop McFee whose diocese consists of, among others, St. Michael's Catholic Church. Strachey is approached by Santin, who reveals that the client that approached him is none other than Rutka, who Strachey despises for his activities outing prominent local closeted homophobes. Despite attempts by Rutka and Santin to convince Strachey to help find out who shot John, Donald declines the assignment. That night, a man determinedly barges into Rutka's hospital room unauthorized, only to find that Rutka has already checked out.Rutka visits Strachey's home with again a request to hire him, but he remains unmoved, until Rutka offers him a $5,000 retainer. Strachey reluctantly accepts the job, mostly because of recent money troubles stemming from a home renovation bearing on his mind. Tim, who has an even stronger distaste for Rutka's tactics, objects at first, but also agrees that they can't afford to pick and choose their clients in their current financial situation.The next morning, Rutka shows Strachey his attic, where he keeps his various files on both his past and prospective outing targets. One of them is Bruno Slinger, a prominent state politician who has voted against gay rights in the past, on whom Rutka has a file which includes photographic evidence of his sexual involvement with men. Suddenly, a fire breaks out at Ruka's house, which Strachey puts out and then investigates. As the case progresses, Strachey becomes convinced that Rutka and Santin are staging the various criminal incidents themselves, thanks in part to the assertion by Detective Sean "Bub" Bailey that Rutka has a long history of deception. Finally, Strachey decides that he can no longer continue with the case and informs Rutka that he will return the unused portion of the retainer.The next morning, a news program reports that Rutka was killed hours after Strachey severed ties with him and the investigation. Santin calls them, expression indignation that Strachey refused to believe that the death threats against Rutka were genuine. Strachey expresses remorse, and then goes back with Santin to the attic to retrieve all of Rutka's files for safekeeping. With John officially dead, Strachey's search for Rutka's would-be assassin is now a murder investigation. He asks Santin who the next target might have been, but Santin only knows that it might have been one of three peopleSlinger, local children's show host Ronnie Linklater, and a mysterious third possibility identified only in Rutka's records as "Ultimate Hypocritical Asshole". Donald finds a plastic mud flap, torn off of an unidentified person's car. Later, he comes across initials for three persons who received substantial payments from RutkaN.Z., H.G., and D.R.Through local sex worker Dik Steel, he obtains the identity of the first - Nathan Zenck, who runs a fancy hoteland spies on his guests' sexual rendezvous through hidden video cameras. Strachey confronts Zenck, who mentions that Bruno Slinger is sexually connected to Ronnie Linklater and reveals that the second initials are undoubtedly those of Howie Glade, who owns a lower quality motel. The third initials remain unknown, but after interrogating Glade, Strachey finds out that Linklater was previously involved in sexual liaisons every Wednesday night with an unknown man (not Slinger) who was injured and possibly killed by a fallen ceiling mirror weeks ago; Glade was unable to find out the man's identity, but manages to get the license plates to his car. Strachey manages to trace the plates to a used car dealer named Art Murphy, who refuses to cooperate with the investigation, threatening to bludgeon Donald until he retreats.At the gay couple's home, Tim is attacked by the same man who visited Rutka's hospital room earlier. Strachey arrives in time to drive him away, but Timmy is hospitalized. Timmy recovers, but the experience shakes Donald enough to consider abandoning the case, until Timmy, who has had a change of heart about Rutka, convinces him to press on.Next, Strachey interviews Linklater in his studio dressing room, but the kids show host denies that either he or Slinger had any involvement in Rutka's death, and refuses to reveal the identity of the man the motel mirror fell on. However, after Donald's talk with Ronnie, he gets the impression the man survived the accident. As Strachey leaves the studio, the man who attacked Tim ambushes Donald, knocking him unconscious. When he wakes, he is greeted by the man's bossSlinger, who also denies involvement in Rutka's murder and demands that he hands over the file Rutka had on Bruno. Slinger allows Strachey to leave unharmed, but the P.I. can't get any answers from the Congressman, who says that Ronnie never told him the identify of the man injured in the motel fall. Strachey gets a slight lead from the exchange, learning that Linklater and Rutka were both involved in St. Michaels' choir.Back at the hospital, Tim is ready to be discharged, but the couple come across Art Murphy and his wife, visiting Bishop McFee. At Strachey's behest, Tim finds out that McFee is Murphy's brother-in-law and that he was the man that drove the car every Wednesdayand was sexually involved with Linklater, explaining the true nature of the accident that had put McFee into a coma until now. Tim then uses his connections in the seminary to ask St. Michael's local priest, Father Morgan, who would have been the parish priest when John Rutka was in the church choir. Morgan excuses himself, heading out the back way, but the authorities are there waiting for him. Strachey, who had been holding onto the car flap, identifies it as part of the car McFee drove on Wednesdays, and now driven by Morgan. Morgan is arrested, not only for his part in covering up McFee's history of sex crimes, but also for the apparent murder of John Rutka. Scandal hits Morgan, McFee and the entire parish.A few days later on Saturday, Strachey, Tim, Eddie, John's sister Ann (Sean Young), and other friends are attending John Rutka's funeral. Eddie graciously offers Donald the remaining fee for his work in solving Rutka's murder and gives the couple a business card to send the bill to. Strachey looks at the name and figures out the last of the trio of mysterious initials - David Resuto, the Rutka family lawyer. Strachey immediately grills Ann as to why Resuto would be getting $14,000, the largest of the payments made out to anyone in Rutka's financial ledger. Ann reluctantly explains that the payments were for a life insurance policyand the beneficiary is Eddie.The private eye, suspicious of the payments after being told earlier that Santin was removed from Rutka's will, follows him to the airport and catches up to him. As he confronts Eddie, he is shocked to see a very alive John Rutka standing next to him. John explains his elaborate plan to fake his death, frame Father Morgan for a fake murder, expose McFee as a pedophile (as well as The Ultimate Hypocritical Asshole), and use the insurance money to start up a network of cheap drugs for AIDS patients in Mexico. He knew that the controversy of outing has faded as acceptance of people based on sexual orientation is rising. Rutka reveals that Eddie initially believed his lover was dead, and that John was the one who planted the mud flap where Strachey could find it. Donald is outraged at the deception, until Rutka reveals that he too was a victim of McFee's molestation, starting when John was only 9. Donald protests that regardless of the sex abuse cover-up, Morgan will go to prison for a murder that he did not commit. Rutka agrees that Strachey can tell the authorities that he saw him still alive, and exonerate him for that part of his sentence. Donald wavers from his determination to turn Rutka in for his crimes, but before he allows the couple to leave the country, he follows-up on a throwaway comment Rutka made earlier. Rutka reveals that he had a file on Strachey, a former Sergeant in the U.S. military, who had to leave the service with an honorable discharge when his sexual orientation was revealedat the expense of the lieutenant he was caught in bed with, who received a much more severe punishment as the scapegoat of the two.Rutka is allowed to leave the country. Donald and Timmy realize how much insight on the complexities of lifeand peoplethis experience has given them, and they conclude that life is not as black and white as both of them previously thought. This doesn't stop them from toasting their new perspectiveand their now finished fireplaceby performing the one act of absolute good they are still sure ofthe destruction of Rutka's file on Strachey. | neo noir, murder | train | imdb | Masterful gay detective movie with a good ending.
I'm used to seeing under-achieving gay movies, with laughable acting, unbelievable writing and downright bad directing.
It was a good match.Thank you and congratulations to Chad Alan, Sebastian Spence, Ron Oliver, and Mark Saltzman..
This is one of the most satisfying "gay" films I've seen since "Beautiful Thing," and one of the best mystery-married pairings since John and Sherlock, or should I say Nick and Nora.
It's the story of Donald Strachey, tough guy P.I. with a shady past and a sweet tooth for guy pal Sebastian Spence.
It's a good story, not a great one, with a sultry jazz score and topical references to such controversial subjects as celebrity outing and pedophiliac priests.
What makes it work is the unconventional casting of Chad Allen (who is gay himself, but doesn't look it--although one character dubs him "Nancy-boy Drew") as Strachey, who just happens to be very happily married to Timothy (played by Sebastian Spence, who is apparently straight, and maybe that's why his character overdoes the nelly a bit).
Allen, as Strachey, is developing very nicely as an actor, and he's more interesting looking now than he ever was as a child.
Apart from the rather pedestrian direction (by Ron Oliver) and a couple of too obvious twists in the plot, "Third Man" is entertaining throughout..
Chad Allen is perfectly cast as Donald Strachey, a slightly haggard and totally "out" gay PI who lives with his Brooks Brothers hubby, Timmy (played by Sebastian Spence).
Set in Albany, New York, of all places, Strachey investigates the attempted murder of gay activist John Rutka (Jack Wetherall), who has made enemies by "outing" still-in-the-closet VIPs.The film's final ten minutes transform what had been a mildly interesting story into a blockbuster whodunit that even Agatha Christie would be proud of.
This is the kind of film you have to stay with, to appreciate its significance.Apart from the great story, "Third Man Out" exudes a classy, cosmo-chic style, reminiscent of 1940's crime noir, by way of the sultry jazz sounds of "In Heat, In Love" and "Martinis By Moonlight".
And some of the dialogue sparkles: "You know, I'm starting to wonder if maybe life isn't always so black and white, in Kansas maybe, but not here in Emerald City".Despite a slightly tangled plot, "Third Man Out" is a terrific film that can be enjoyed by viewers, gay or straight, who revel in stylistic murder mysteries..
Great Gay-Themed Film Noir.
This very watchable and super enjoyable gay themed detective film shows how much one can do on a more limited budget when a cast and crew have talent and vision.
The story follows the investigation of an attempted murder and subsequent events by gay private detective Donald Strachey, played with perfection by a very sexy, very hot Chad Allen.
Part of the reason for Chad Allen's superb performance is his natural ease and great comfort with himself and his character.
The film follows his character through a series of events filled with lots of twists and surprises that will satisfy any mystery/private detective connossuer.
The mystery is revealed with great care and would make any mystery writer proud and the relationship storyline with Chad Allen and Sebastian Spence is treated with great respect, ease and much humor.
It's great to see Jack Wetherall, from Queer As Folk, in a pivotal role in this film and he does a fantastic job here as the character much of the story revolves around.
Third Man Out is the first in a series of films about the investigations of Donald Strachey - and that's great news.
It's a credit to Chad Allen, Ron Oliver, and a very talented cast and crew who've already made this series a big success!.
The gay private eye thriller Third Man Out is, hopefully, the first of a new film genre that I'll dub "Queer-Noir".
Third Man's plot may be a bit serpentine and it's dialogue stretched at the corners to cover maximum political ground, but Chad Allen's nuanced and sexily hard-boiled performance easily compensates for these shortcomings.
As Private Eye Donald Strachey, Allen comes off as Spenser crossed with Columbo with a dash of Brian Kinney tossed into this enticing mix.Though Ron Oliver's direction isn't flashy, it's very appropriate for a noir flick set in Albany.
Like Richard Stevenson's books--on the pages of which Donald Strachey was conceived--this film is about character and concept and the tension between these two dramatic elements.
A perfect synthesis of these two influences, Third Man Out gives us a detective who shares waltzes and moonlight martinis with his hubby, drives a banged up Toyota Tercel and can lay bad guys flat with an unsparing right hook.Third Man's production values are outstanding for a cable film.
network, as so many well intentioned films go astray when they aim for glitzy settings and end up with cheap Canadian photocopies.The only flaws worth citing were: a couple of actor Sebastian Spence's scenes (during which he portrays Donald Strachey's husband as a cross between C3PO and Uncle Arthur from Bewitched) and a heavy-handed score (with good feature songs that are sandbagged by some very obtrusive "tension and suspense" instrumentals).What most delighted me about Third Man was the thrill of watching a genuine and polished noir flick which was, in every respect, thoroughly but naturally queer.
It's a well executed, enjoyable film about a hard-boiled detective who wears bad ties and breaks out in a blushing grin when his boyfriend kisses him on the cheek..
I just saw this video, and was impressed heaps with the story, a good detective vid, and the actors, for the most part.
I kept thinking, that if we could accept a good mystery/detective show, with a lead that was gay, Chad could carry it off.
Ron Oliver is to be commended for bringing this first story from the Donald Strachey Mysteries by Richard Stevenson (screenplay by Mark Saltzman) to the screen.
This first story is so well written, directed, acted and filmed that it can only give us hope that the other novels in the Donald Strachey series will be forthcoming.The story is a modern detective story that takes place in Albany, New York and is complete with realistic characters, a fine plot well paced, and a number of twists and turns that keep the audience not only entertained but glued to the screen.
The difference, here, is that the detective Strachey (Chad Allen in an impressive performance) happens to be a gay man, well adjusted, living with his wholesome and tender partner Timmy (Sebastian Spence).
The action involves a gay activist John Rutka (Jack Wetherall) with a penchant for outing political figures whose agenda is not friendly to the community.
The plots thickens and surprises are everywhere just as good detective mysteries should have.
But along the way the film takes the time to make some cogent statements about the clergy and politicians and other significant matters that raises this movie to a fine level of social consciousness.The cast is excellent and the love scenes are beautifully presented.
The film includes a superb featurette with Ron Oliver discussing how the film made it to the screen and includes for once some healthy conversation from openly gay actors who are enlightened about their roles.
Though obviously a 'gay film', the story and production are so strong that any audience will find this a fine mystery!
The plot has as many twists as an Agatha mystery novel, constantly keeping you guessing, and pulling the rug out from under you when you think you have finally figured it all out.
The protagonist, Chad Allen as private eye Donald Strachey is neither tough nor particularly intelligent, though his body ripples.
Based on the novel by Richard Stevenson, "Third Man Out" presents a flawed but interesting mystery.
Where gays have often been presented as flat characters in mysteries, and only as either victims or villains, "Third Man Out" attempts to show a broader picture of being gay while also revealing the seedy underside of the "normal" heterosexual community.
There are some weak points in the plot as the film attempts to hide from the viewer who is responsible for the threats, and a few minor characters don't seem invested in the movie.
However, I think Chad Allen and Jack Wetherall portray their characters well, and make the movie a worthwhile viewing experience..
Chad Allen has charm and chops to spare, and Spence is endearing but for the most part they are horribly hindered by an unimaginative and hackneyed script and a host of wooden performances.Big shame...Here's hoping if Joseph Hansen's Brandstetter series ever reaches the screen (small or large), it'll be better than this..
The lead actor is gay, and he and his lover do a great job as showing gay men, as everyday normal people.
Which would be worse if you're a gay detective based in Albany, New York...slugged in the kisser by an irate blonde who doesn't care for the photos you took of her husband or being called "Nancy-boy Drew" by the corrupt and catty manager of a hotel who secretly films the doings of some of the guests?
Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) doesn't much care for either, but this is nothing compared to what he is about to get involved in.
From Rutka's files, Strachey identifies Ronnie Linklater, the host and star of a hugely popular children's television show who enjoys using his hand-puppets in unusual ways; Bruno Slinger, a powerful, anti-gay Congressman who thinks B&D without a little pain for his partner is for sissies; and a person Rutka identified only as "the ultimate hypocrite." From there, Strachey doggedly goes through piles of Rutka's documents, financial records and computer files.
Third Man Out is the first of what may be a series of Canadian cable movies featuring Chad Allen as Donald Strachey.
It seemed to me that with Third Man Out, director and writer Ron Oliver was still in the process of finding the right balance between message and mystery.
Oliver and Allen deal with a lot of issues here, some head on, some in passing, everything from hypocrisy, AIDs and the costs of AIDs medicine, the ethics of outing, gay relationships and on and on.
For readers, the Donald Strachey mysteries by Richard Stevenson, all eight of them, are worth buying.
How this gay detective "made for TV" film ever came into existence is the REAL mystery here.
Chad Allen as the lead is probably the best actor in this piece, which frankly says a lot.
Overall, the high production values (once again, think "Murder She Wrote") and overall polish make it palatable for someone who is into gay-themed movies and wants to kill some time with a little brain-candy..
Third Man Out is the first of four films and thirteen novels that tell the story of Donald Strachey, a gay private investigator, living in upstate New York.
The first film is actually the fourth novel in the series by Richard Lipez, and shows Strachey is an impossible situation.
The Detective is hired by John Rutka (Jack Wetherall) a gay extremist, who runs a website that is actually devoted to outing celebrities.
Strachey loaths the man and doesn't believe his story, but reluctantly agrees to protect him for a large payday.
I have no problem with a gay detective working within the gay community, in fact, I think it's a great twist in the classic mystery genre.
That being said, the movie features a gay actor, on a gay network, married to a man.
Third Man Out features a great twist in a classic who-done-it story, the acting is solid, the writing is terrific, and once it gets going, it's a very compelling story.
Chad Allen made his debut as Donald Strachey, openly gay detective based in Albany, New York in Third Man Out. Allen is hired by Jack Weatherell noted gay blogger whose specialty is outing closeted gays, especially those in conservative clothing.
But in 2005 Allen as Strachey is still coming to grips with his feelings on the subject as is his partner Sebastian Spence.Later on murder does occur and Allen zeroes in on three really good suspects, a Republican Congressman, a closeted gay children's show host and none other than Roman Catholic Bishop of the Albany diocese.
I do like Allen in this role very much and I wish I had seen this film first as it sets up characters and situations in the two succeeding Strachey films I saw before Third Man Out. Allen is completely in the pulp fiction tradition of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe.
A young man who loses his job in this film because of what Allen does in his former boss's office in his search for the truth is later hired and becomes his secretary/receptionist.
The love is strong because he takes a pass on Matthew Rush, gay male porn star who plays one in this film and in which we get to see exactly what Strachey passes on.
Married or unmarried fidelity as the case may be is NOT in the Spillane, Chandler or Hammett tradition.Third Man Out is a well made film, shot in Toronto and Vancouver, which don't look a bit like Albany and has a real novel twist at the end..
Yes, the characters at time seem overly sweet, but that's against the sarcasm and one-upmanship we come to accept as normal in gay society.
Presented with a case he's torn between doing the right thing, either refusing to work for a gay man who he finds fanatical and who tends to ruin lives - or put himself and his lover in danger by pursuing "the bad guys"Dashiell Hammett has been dead for years, there'll be no more Nick Charles stories, but Richard Stevenson's Donald Strachey is a refreshing twist especially considering Strachey and his partner aren't some tedious twinky 20-somethings, and the film was done as a homage to Film Noir and has some nice romantic touches.
What better and more normal casting than to have an openly gay man play an openly gay character.
With a terrific actor like Chad Allen, the story and direction has a natural flow to it.
This I tribute to not only a wonderful scenario by Mark Saltzman, adapted from the gay detective series written by Richard Stevenson, but an excellent supporting cast backing up Allen's natural and genuine performance.Sebastian Spence plays his other half.
In supporting roles there is Jack Wetherall, from QAF, playing a ruthless gay outer in the political fields.
Handsome well built Woody Jeffreys plays his lover and worth watching; the delightful Sean Young in a very small role; David Palffy as a not so nice guy, out to settle the score with Allen; Daryl Shuttleworth, as a cop who works with Allen eventually in finding the answers to a murder; Nelson Wong in a small role as a hotel clerk who eventually becomes part of the Starchey team in latter films; Rob deLeeuw in a small role as a puppeteer with a dark past and finally the one and only porn star, Matthew Rush, playing, guess what?
This film is about a gay detective who is hired to investigate the death of a gay activist.I can hardly believe that "Third Man Out" is a made for TV film.
It is rare to see a mystery film with a great plot.
It is also refreshing to see Donald Strachey and Timmy Callahan as wholesome characters.
QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN) and Sebastian Spence (the Sci-Fi Channel series FIRST WAVE).Allen stars as Stevenson hero Donald Strachey, an openly gay P.I. with the hard-boiled, streetwise demeanor you'd expect from any gumshoe worth his weight in pictures of cheating spouses, and whose main soft spot is his love for husband Timmy (Spence), who works as the chief aide for a Senator.
THIRD MAN finds Strachey involved with the case of a muck-raking gay journalist named John Rutka (Jack Wetherall - "Uncle Vic" from the series QUEER AS FOLK), whose specialty is outing prominent figures in politics and entertainment whose actions and beliefs are detrimental to the gay community.
The only problem is that the reliance on this aspect gets a little heavy-handed at times, even preachy (Wetherall has his work cut out for him, making Rutka's speeches about outing hypocritical power players sound justified without careening into crazed zealotry, but he manages well.) What keeps the movie entertaining is the banter and the obviously loving relationship between Don and Timmy, (whose portrayal as kind of a gay "Nick and Nora Charles" is 100% intentional.) None of the "mystery" would even be very engaging if they didn't work, and the two actors are great together, making me want to see more from them.
(Fortunately, there's another movie and many more books to film as well.)The supporting cast besides Wetherall aren't bad, and Sean Young appears in a cameo where she's not exactly wasted, but one wished her role had been much larger.
The target audience for this movie becomes more than apparent by the casting of Falcon porn-god Matthew Rush as a C.I. of Strachey's.
- a snag that hamstrings many North American productions, but definitely more of those films of the lower-budget variety.Director Ron Oliver still plays it smart by concentrating on the more 'noir-ish' aspects of the drama, and the appealing chemistry of the cutest gay couple in crime-solving.
A gay detective story ..
I didn't know that the time has come for a gay take on a detective story that has been a traditional straight domain.
My likes: the normalcy of the gay setting; the way the plot twists are paced so that you never expect the final turn (this being a book adaptation); Allen performing like a seasoned PI who has been there and done that but with a hint of a checkered past that hopefully will surface in the next installment (there are plans for a series). |
tt0084649 | The Secret of NIMH | Mrs. Brisby (Frisby in the original book) is a very shy, timid, and lonely mouse widow whose family is threatened by a premature warm spell, prompting the farmer to start his mowing early, endangering the cinder block she and her family call home. Normally she would simply pack up their things and move to a new spot in the field, but her younger son Timothy is too ill to be moved, forcing her to seek another alternative before it's too late. With the push of her local confidante, the Shrew, and the aid of a clumsy, love lorn crow named Jeremy, she goes to see the Great Owl, who, upon learning that she is the widow of a mouse named Jonathan Brisby, advises her to seek the aid of the mysterious rats who live in the rosebush outside the farmer's house. There, Mrs. Brisby learns of her deceased husband's past, and the secret of these rats, the Rats of NIMH, who agree to move her home before they abandon their underground colony for Thorn Valley, but Mrs. Brisby herself is endangered by the evil machinations of Jenner, a power hungry rat who seeks to overthrow the rats' leader Nicodemus so as to keep the rats in their underground colony, and will go so far as to endanger Mrs. Brisby's children to achieve his goals. Only Justin, the rats' gallant, Errol Flynn like captain of the guard, stands between Jenner and Mrs. Brisby, who must call upon the same courage her husband had if she is to save her family.=====================================================Mrs Brisby is a widowed mouse who lives on a farm owned by a man named Fitzgibbons. She and her 4 children, Martin, Theresa, Cynthia and Timmy live in a cinderblock in one of Fitzgibbons' fields. Every year, before Fitzgibbons plows the field to plant his crops, the family moves to their summer home to avoid the tractor. Nearby is another mouse, Dr Ages, who is the family doctor. Brisby visits Ages to get a remedy for Timmy, who has come down with pneumonia, potentially delaying the summer move.Fitzgibbons decides one day to begin plowing the field early. Brisby desperately tries to disable the farmer's tractor and freezes while climbing up the mechanism. Auntie Shrew intervenes and pulls out the tractor's gas line, halting the machine. While Mrs Brisby sobs over her predicament, Auntie tells her to be braver for her family's sake and suggests she visit the Great Owl, the wisest creature in the forest. Brisby is hesitant, since owls eat mice, but she goes.With the help of a new found friend, Jeremy, a crow hoping to meet Miss Right, she meets with the fearsome owl, who merely tells her that she must move her family. Brisby explains the complication with her son Timmy and the owl tells her he has no solution. As he leaves, he learns her last name and becomes more helpful because her husband, Jonathan, was well known throughout the woods. The Owl tells Mrs Brisby to go to the colony of rats that live in the farmer's rose bush and ask them for help. He specifically tells her to have the rats move her house to "the lee of the stone", the protected side of a large rock in the field that Fitzgibbons avoids when plowing.Mrs Brisby sneaks into the rose bush and finds that the rats have built a very modern colony that makes use of electricity that they pilfer from Fitzgibbons. She also meets Dr Ages, who is astonished that she had met with the Great Owl and lived. They are discovered by the rats' captain of the guard, Justin, who takes them to the rats' Senate room. As they enter, a charismatic rat, Jenner, is speaking to the council about the plan of the rats' leader, Nicodemus, who wants to abandon the rose bush and move to a location called Thorn Valley, where they'll found a new colony based on their own labors, rather than stealing supplies from the farmer. Jenner is opposed to the idea and even suggest that they wage war against any humans who attempt to drive them out. Justin and Ages make Mrs Brisby's case to the council, who agree to the request because she is Jonathan Brisby's wife. In a sinister private meeting with his associate, Sullivan, Jenner plots to have Nicodemus killed during the operation and make it look accidental.Justin takes Brisby to meet with Nicodemus. A very old and wise leader, he tells Mrs Brisby the rats' history: they were all lab animals imprisoned in NIMH, the National Institutes of Mental Health. Injected with experimental compounds, the rats developed intelligent brains and were able to escape their cages, along with several mice including Jonathan and Mr Ages. When they were trapped by a vent grating, Jonathan was small enough to crawl through and open the grate. The rats subsequently owed Jonathan their lives and he continued to work with them while they built their colony. Some months prior to Mrs Brisby's visit to the rose bush, Jonathan had been killed by Fitzgibbons' ornery and fearsome cat, Dragon, whom the rats had been trying to drug. Nicodemus gives Brisby a large red amulet and tells her that it has great supernatural powers when someone shows true courage of the heart. Nicodemus says that the rats will be happy to repay their life debt to Jonathan's family and will move her home.For the operation to succeed, Dragon will have to be drugged. Mrs Brisby, feeling she should participate, volunteers to spike Dragon's feeding dish. The only way into Fitzgibbons' kitchen is through a small hole under a sideboard, a hole too small for any rat. The plan goes well until Brisby runs back and is trapped by Fitzgibbons' son. Justin leaves her, having to supervise the operation, promising to come back for her. While she's trapped in a bird cage, Brisby overhears Fitzgibbons on the phone with NIMH, who want to come to his farm and capture the rats. Brisby realizes the situation is now more desperate and escapes the bird cage by knocking out it's small water cup.At the site of the Brisby home, the rats have constructed an elaborate system of ropes and blocks and tackles to lift the cinderblock. While the block is being swung towards the stone, Jenner cuts the anchoring lines with his sword and the block falls, narrowly missing Nicodemus, however, the heavy gears and rope fall on him, killing him. Jenner declares the operation a failure and suggests they leave when Mrs Brisby arrives. Justin tells her that her family is alive but Nicodemus is dead. She suddenly remembers that NIMH will be at the farm tomorrow and tells the rats they must leave tonight. Jenner refuses to believe her and tells the rats that he will take over leadership of the colony. When Mrs Brisby insists she's telling the truth, Jenner strikes her and notices that she's wearing the amulet. Attempting to seize it from her, Justin intervenes and fights with Jenner until he wounds him. Jenner admits that he'd caused the accident that killed Nicodemus, saying that the plan to move the colony would fail. As he moves in to kill Justin, Sullivan kills Jenner with a thrown dagger and succumbs to his own wound, inflicted by Jenner himself.Moments later, Mrs Brisby sees that her house has begun to sink into the mud, taking her children with it. A futile attempt to rig a new roping system fails and Brisby herself vainly pulls at the remaining ropes as the house sinks under the surface. Justin rescues her, holding her back. As she looks on in horror, the amulet suddenly arises from the mud, brightly glowing, and places itself around her neck. Using the power that Nicodemus spoke of, she raises the house from the mud and moves it to the lee side of the stone. Brisby's children are safe and she faints from exhaustion.The next morning, with Timmy on the mend from his pneumonia and the rose bush being inspected by NIMH, Jeremy arrives with mounds of string that he'd been collecting to build a love nest and finds the Brisby home already moved and even camouflaged by the natural vegetation. He asks Brisby for the amulet, however, she'd given it to Justin before they'd left the rose bush. While he laments that he wasn't able to help move the house, a female crow suddenly flies into him. The two become immediately infatuated. While Brisby's daughter wraps her mother's hands which were burned by the amulet, Auntie Shrew arrives for a visit, bringing groans from Martin. | fantasy, murder, allegory, cult, violence, atmospheric, good versus evil, psychedelic | train | imdb | null |
tt0064665 | Midnight Cowboy | As the film opens, Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a young Texan working as a dishwasher, dresses in new cowboy clothing, packs a suitcase, and quits his job. He heads to New York City hoping to succeed as a male prostitute for women. Initially unsuccessful, he succeeds in bedding a well-to-do middle-aged New Yorker (Sylvia Miles), but Joe ends up giving her money.Joe then meets Enrico Salvatore "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a street con man with a limp who takes $20 from Joe by offering to introduce him to a known pimp, who turns out to be a Bible thumper (John McGiver). Joe flees the encounter in pursuit of Ratso. Joe spends his days wandering the city and sitting in his hotel room. Soon broke, he is locked out of his hotel room and most of his belongings are impounded.Joe tries to make money by agreeing to receive oral sex from a young man (Bob Balaban) in a movie theater. When Joe learns that he has no money, Joe threatens him and asks for his watch, but eventually lets him go. The following day, Joe spots Ratso and angrily shakes him down. Ratso offers to share the apartment in which he is squatting in a condemned building. Joe accepts reluctantly, and they begin a "business relationship" as hustlers. As they develop a bond, Ratso's health, which has never been good, grows steadily worse.Joe's story is told through flashbacks throughout the film. His grandmother raises him after his mother abandons him, though his grandmother frequently neglects him as well. He also has a tragic relationship with Annie, a local girl. Ratso's back story comes through stories he tells Joe. His father was an illiterate Italian immigrant shoe-shiner, who worked in a subway station. He developed a bad back, and "coughed his lungs out from breathin' in that wax all day". Ratso learned shining from his father but won't stoop so low as to do so. He dreams of moving one day to Miami.An unusual couple approach Joe and Ratso in a diner and hand Joe a flyer, inviting him to a party. They enter a Warhol-esque party scene (with Warhol superstars in cameos). Joe smokes a joint, thinking it's a normal cigarette and, after taking a pill someone offered, begins to hallucinate. He leaves the party with a socialite (Brenda Vaccaro), who agrees to pay $20 for spending the night with him, but Joe cannot perform. They play Scribbage together, and Joe shows his limited academic prowess. She teasingly suggests that Joe may be gay, and he is suddenly able to perform.In the morning, the socialite sets up her friend as Joe's next customer, and it appears that his career is on its way. When Joe returns home, Ratso is bedridden and feverish. Ratso refuses medical help (because he has no money or health insurance) and begs Joe to put him on a bus to Florida. Desperate, Joe picks up a man in an amusement arcade (Barnard Hughes), and when things go wrong, robs the man when he tries to pay with a religious medallion instead of cash. With the cash he steals, Joe buys two bus tickets.On the journey, Ratso's frail physical condition further deteriorates. At a rest stop, Joe buys new clothing for Ratso and himself, discarding his cowboy outfit. As they near Miami, Joe talks of getting a regular job, only to realize Ratso has died. The driver tells Joe there is nothing else to do, but continue on to Miami. The film closes with Joe, alone and afraid, seated with his arm around his dead friend. | tragedy, psychedelic, humor, realism, flashback | train | imdb | Somehow, this mismatched pair manage to survive each other which in turn helps both of them cope with a gritty, sometimes brutal, urban America, en route to a poignant ending.Both funny and depressing, our "Midnight Cowboy" rides head-on into the vortex of cyclonic cultural change, and thus confirms to 1969 viewers that they, themselves, have been swept away from the 1950's age of innocence, and dropped, Dorothy and Toto like, into the 1960's Age of Aquarius.The film's direction is masterful; the casting is perfect; the acting is top notch; the script is crisp and cogent; the cinematography is engaging; and the music enhances all of the above.
I've seen many ideas (including the rapid-fire editing, the handling of the voice-over flashbacks, the drug/trip sequences and the cartoonish face slipped in during a murder scene to convey angst and terror) stolen by other filmmakers.The relationship between Joe and Ratso is handled in such a way as to be viewed as an unusually strong friendship OR having it's homosexual underpinnings.
I think the director handled this in a subtle way not to cop out to the censorship of the times, but rather to concentrate his energies on the importance of a strong human connection in life, whether it be sexual or not.MIDNIGHT COWBOY is a brave, moving film of magnitude, influence and importance that has lost absolutely none of it's impact over the years, so if you haven't seen it, you're really missing out on a true American classic.
Directed by John Schlesinger and written by Waldo Salt, the movie seems to be a product of its time, the late 1960's when American films were especially expressionistic, but it still casts a spell because the story comes down to themes of loneliness and bonding that resonate no matter what period.
As Rizzo, Dustin Hoffman successfully upends his clean, post-college image from "The Graduate" and immerses himself in the personal degradation and glimmering hope that act as an oddly compatible counterpoint to Joe. The honesty of their portrayals is complemented by Schlesinger's film treatment which vividly captures the squalor of the Times Square district at the time.
The other performances are merely incidental to the journeys of the main characters, including Brenda Vaccaro as the woman Joe meets at the party, Sylvia Miles as a blowsy matron, John McGiver as a religious zealot and Barnard Hughes as a lonely out-of-towner.The two-disc 2006 DVD package contains a pristine print transfer of the 1994 restoration and informative commentary from producer Jerome Hellman since unfortunately neither Schlesinger nor Salt are still living.
There are three terrific featurettes on the second disc - a look-back documentary, "After Midnight: Reflections on a Classic 35 Years Later", which features comments from Hellman, Hoffman, Voight and others, as well as clips and related archive footage such as Voight's screen test; "Controversy and Acclaim", which examines the genesis of the movie's initial 'X' rating and public response to the film; and a tribute to the director, "Celebrating Schlesinger"..
Everything about this film is brilliant, from the poignant performances from Voight and Hoffman (even though I know this movie well, I still find myself welling up every time Voight flashes one of his innocently pained looks, or Hoffman coughs in his sickly and ominous way) to the stunning cinematography and superbly edited dream sequences.
Dustin Hoffman, as Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, gives one of his best - it's a bit funny at times (he sounds like a cartoon character when he speaks - maybe because of the Lenny/"Simpsons" connection), but Hoffman is entirely convincing.
Just about the only scene I felt was a bit too long and unnecessary was the drug party - it makes the film seem extremely outdated (similar to the drug odysseys in "Easy Rider") and really harms its flow because it's not needed.Other than that, "Midnight Cowboy" is an almost flawless motion picture.
It does have its flaws (flashbacks are a bit tacky and never used as well as they could have been, for instance) and some of the scenes are a bit uneasy (such as the gay movie theater sequence) but if you can handle its content "Midnight Cowboy" is a truly great motion picture, an uncompromising examination of life on the streets in the late '60s/early '70s.
The main character is Joe Buck, a 'cowboy' from Texas who moves to New York to become a male prostitute.
What makes the film interesting is the two characters are so different.I felt the film didn't really develop the relationship between Buck and Enrico Rizzo for the audience to have any real emotional connection, although the ending is certainly quite sad and tragic.
The theme of homo-sexuality in general is more than touched upon in their conversation, and later in Joe Buck's encounter with a lonely old man, but it has little to do with the main story.Certainly from a technical point of view one of the finest films of the decade (it has more of a 70s feel to it than a 60s feel) and revolutionary for its time touching on subjects few other films dared to do.
The naive Joe Buck (Jon Voight) quits his job of dishwasher and travels from a small town in Texas to New York expecting to make money as a hustler.
For Joe who has no religion and no money, the salvation will come from the most precious thing that could have enriched his life : a friendship.And this is where "Midnight Cowboy" emerges from the dirt and becomes one of the most classic and poignant friendship stories, between two men whose backs are put in the wall by a cynical society.
The characters Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman play become metaphorically decimated by New York City's cavalier imperviousness..
The film narrates how a young hustler cowboy called Joe Buck (John Voight) is going to New York seeking himself his life .
The movie about Joe Buck (Jon Voight) coming from Texas to New York City to become a hustler is sometimes a little disturbing.
Then Ratso gets sick and Joe has to try to make some money.The movie was probably rated X for the main subject but on the way we see some strange things.
Voight, who is oblivious to the culture of the East with his cowboy attire in full swing while in the streets of NYC, and Hoffman who actually fits the name Ratso as I felt he resembled something of a human rat.Overall, Midnight Cowboy is a fantastic movie.
The film stars a young Jon Voight as a guy from the pig farms of Texas who moves to New York and becomes a man-whore.
Just kidding.Seeking greener pastures in the form of hustling in New York City, Jon Voight is young optimist Cowboy (almost Forest Gump-like) Joe Buck from Texas.
Given his pure heart, he takes pity on one of these thugs, Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) and later moves in with him in his wreck of apartment and the two literally struggle to survive.While Midnight Comedy is labeled as a drama, it is best described as either a tragic comedy or a comedic tragedy in my opinion.
It has since been labeled as one of the greatest American movies of all time.The plot of the film deals with Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a young Texan who works as a dishwasher.
Loner cowboy Joe Buck (Jon Voight) leaves his Texas town for New York, where he meets the sickly Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman).
Even if this is his only option in life, it works out for his and Ratso's relationship.Dustin Hoffman was clearly a great actor in "The Graduate", and "Midnight Cowboy" reaffirms that.
Yes, "Ratso" is a character you'll never forget, and "Joe Buck" (Voight) is one you want to forget, but the story is so sordid, it overwhelms the fine acting.This movie isn't "art," and it isn't worthy of its many awards; it only pushed the envelope big-time in 1969 and that's why it is so fondly remembered in the hearts of film people and critics.
It was unheard of that a movie would feature such things in a movie, but as Bob Dylan likes to sing, "times are a-changing." The love interests are between our two main characters, a Texas cowboy named Joe Buck and a New York City outcast named Ratso.
From their mutual thoughts on living in Florida to their hustling deals, the chemistry here is something special.The film relies upon the dynamite performances of Hoffman and Voight to succeed, but there is the tidy direction of John Schlesinger who helped changed the face of cinema with his controversial art.
John McGiver deserves a mention.On the whole, 'Midnight Cowboy', Winner of Best Picture Oscar, as well, is amongst the FINEST Films of it's time..
Hoffman and Voight are astounding in their performances, but it's the mean streets of New York City that's the real star of the film.
But what lies underneath is a beautiful tale of an unlikely friendship.Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, an ambitious young Texan who decides to quit his menial job as a dishwasher to pursue fortune in New York City.
All is not lost for Joe however as he finds companionship and a home in the form of a seedy conman named Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo who is played by Dustin Hoffman.The movie details Buck's odyssey from Texas to New York and we as the audience are with him every step of the way.
Joe Buck (Jon Voight) is living in Texas and is unhappy with his job and decides to up and leave and head to New York City.
Then Joe bumps into Ratso (Dustin Hoffman) - a lowlife street hustler who Joe initially takes a disliking to due to the fact that Ratso cons money out of Joe. However, when the two men realise that they both share a common goal of hustling for money, the two men set to work hustling as many people as possible with mixed results.....Midnight Cowboy is a truly wonderful film which is a human drama with a real emotional core.
The images in the Movie are just as important as the People that are placed in them.Unforgettable Street Scenes and the eroding, yet sometimes beautifully decadent Landscape of New York, before the antiseptic Renaissance, make this a Time Capsule that proves to be quite the Postcard from Hell.There are a number of Artistic flourishes mostly used in Dream Sequences and Flashbacks, but also in a Drug induced Warhol type party.
Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman(Two outstanding performances, especially Hoffman) play Joe Buck & Rico "Ratzo" Rizo, two down on their luck hustlers who form a most unlikely friendship as the try to survive on the streets of New York, but dream of saving enough money to get to Florida.That the film gets the viewer to care about two(normally) unsavory characters as these is testament to the brilliance of the script and direction, but also the acting.
Dustin Hoffman plays Rico as the seen-it-all, knows-the-ropes street veteran who nonetheless is very small time, and haunted by his past, and afflicted with a limp, and is still not well...Some touches(like the psychedelic party) haven't aged well, but film is otherwise mesmerizing, and leads to a devastating end, punctuated by a powerful score and "Everybody's Talking" .Won Academy Awards for best picture and director(but not best actor!).
The film's charm comes from the two main characters Joe Buck and "Ratzo" Rizzo (portrayed by Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman respectively).
A naive male prostitute and a low-down thief try to make it through New York City life.This movie is quite raw for something filmed in 1969.
Symbolic of the "end of innocence" in American films, since it was the only X-rated film to win a Best Picture Oscar.JON VOIGT is the male hustler who comes to the big city expecting to find women an easy way to make money when they fight over his body, but soon finds the city is a cold place with no welcome mat for his ilk.
Buck is haunted by his past while Rizzo dreams of living in Florida.Jon Voight is great and Dustin Hoffman makes one of the greatest character of all cinema.
I wish such original work were still attempted today.Voight (as Joe Buck) and Hoffman (as Rizzo) rightly received Oscar Nominations for outstanding performances in their lead roles, while Schlesinger, Hellman and Salt scooped Oscars for direction, production and screenplay.Here, writer and director have decided to take a good, long look at the underbelly of American urban-life, the gritty realities of surviving in a tough city, and the flawed nature of the characters that inhabit it.
This proves how good and powerful this movie is, and how it shocked the late-1960's society.'Midnight Cowboy' tells the story of Joe Buck (John Voight), a Texas greenhorn that, bored with his life in the countryside, decides to move to New York and work as a hustler.
Of course Voight was also incredible, doing a naive but at the same time wild interpretation, which is perfect for the character, but Hoffman did what is probably one of the best performances by a male actor in movie's history.
The characters couldn't get regular jobs because it would destroy their dreams, even though the inhumanity of the city was doing that anyway.The plot is that Joe Buck (Voigt), a young man from Texas, decides to move to New York to become a male gigolo for the rich widows and wives in Manhattan.
I can watch this movie time and time again and I never get bored with it.Dustin Hoffman plays a great role as Ratso a small time con man who comes across a Texan by the name of Joe Buck played by Jon Voight.
Schlesinger toys with reality in "Midnight Cowboy," overlaying dream and memory imagery intermingled to the point that no one can rely on the conscious direction of Joe Buck, the film's central character.
First and last "X" rated film to win Best Picture (although an R by today's standards for its rather risque themes of the times) and Oscar winner for director John Schlesinger and Best Screenplay Adaptation by Waldo Salt based on James Leo Herlihy's novel about would-be Texan cowboy/hustler Joe Buck (Voight in a winningly naive Oscar nominated perf) comes to the big Apple to make his stand as a first-class gigolo and meets scuzz bag Ratso Rizzo (memorable Hoffman), a filthy cripple out to scam anyone for a few measly dollars.
Jon Voight is very good as Joe Buck, a young little Texan who goes to New-York with big plans not realizing that life is not as sweet and easy as it quite seems.
John Schlesinger's 'Midnight Cowboy' is perhaps most notable for being the only X-rated film in Academy history to receive the Oscar for Best Picture.
This is one reason why you should never trust your own instincts on such manners a remarkable combination of stellar acting, ambitious directing and a memorable soundtrack ("Everybody's talking' at me, I don't hear a word they're sayin'") make this film one of the finest explorations of life, naivety and friendship ever released.Young Joe Buck (then-newcomer Jon Voight), dressed proudly as a rodeo cowboy, travels from Texas to New York to seek a new life as a hustler, a male prostitute.
John Schlesinger's Oscar winning film is a romanticized country mouse-city rat tale set in a gritty NYC and it benefits greatly from the performances of Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.
Miles, Voight and Hoffman earned well-deserved Oscar nods, but the film itself is uneven and episodic, and much of what happens to Ratso and Joe Buck feels arbitrary and unlikely; the psychedelic party is an attempt to seem contemporary while telling a basically old fashioned story.
Today the sexual subject matter of this film wouldn't get a passing wink, male prostitution's been done quite a bit on the big and small screen.Through a series of flashbacks we see what's created the character of Joe Buck that Jon Voight plays, living with a rather loose aunt played by Ruth White and finding his true love in Jennifer Salt to be not so true.
The unlikely pair develop a great friendship and some of my favorite parts of the movie are the scenes where the 2 of them are walking the busy streets of New York City together, with Joe Buck and his cowboy hat towering about a foot over Ratso.
Joe Buck goes to the big city of New York for the very first time in his life.
Besides drawing a vivid portrait of New York City low life, the film gave a young Dustin Hoffman one of his signature roles in seedy con artist Ratso Rizzo, the only companion to cowboy Joe Buck (Jon Voight) during his first, hard winter in the Big Apple.
"Midnight Cowboy" is the story of a young naive Texas boy (Joe Buck) played by Jon Voight who believes that there is more to life than the abuse and hardship he has experience thus far and seeks to find his fortune and fame in the "Big Apple" by utilizing his god given talents.
The lifestyle of being a male hustler is a dirty, gritty, and ugly life and it's sad that people have degraded themselves like the character of Joe in this film does.
Not unlike a lot of other screen classics but more than many of them, "Midnight Cowboy" is a movie I enjoy thinking about more than I do actually watching.Like say Nilsson's "Everybody's Talking'" comes on the radio, and I get a picture in my head of that clueless Stetson-wearing greenhorn Joe Buck (Jon Voight) chewing gum as he walks through a sea of New Yorkers, blissfully ignorant of all that lies ahead.
The heart of Midnight Cowboy is the friendship between the two main characters, Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman).
At the start of the film, Joe is naive young man who dreams of earning a living as a hustle in New York City in the late 1960s. |
tt0924129 | Crossing Over | (Note: There are several stories interwoven throughout the movie. For simplicity, they are separated out in this description, each with its own paragraph.)
After immigrant Mireya Sanchez is deported, ICE / Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Max Brogan takes care of her little son and brings him to the boy's grandparents in Mexico. Later the woman is found dead near the border. Brogan returns to the grandparents to tell them the bad news.
Taslima Jahangir, a 15-year-old girl from Bangladesh, presents a paper at school promoting that people should try to understand the 9/11 hijackers. The school principal reports this to authorities. FBI agents raid the home and ransack the girl's room, reading her diaries and a school assignment on the ethics of suicide; they criticize her room as "too austere" and note that she has an account on an Islamic website. The profiler says this makes her look like a would-be suicide bomber. Taslima is not charged for this, but it turns out that she stays in the United States illegally. She was born in Bangladesh and brought to the United States at age three. Taslima's continued presence jeopardizes her chances and puts at risk her two younger siblings, who are US citizens because they were born in the country. Denise Frankel, the immigration defense attorney, suggests that instead of the whole family's being deported, Taslima can leave for Bangladesh with her mother while the rest of the family stays in the U.S.
Cole Frankel, an immigration examiner/officer, gets into a car accident with Claire Shepard, an aspiring actress from Australia. Realizing that she is in the country illegally, Cole makes an arrangement with Claire whereby she will have unlimited sex with him for three months in exchange for a green card. When Cole eventually says he wants to leave his wife for Claire, she makes it clear that she holds him in contempt and is only sleeping with him for the green card. In a moment of clarity, Cole exempts Claire from completing the three months and arranges for her to get her green card in the mail. Special Agents from the ICE / Office of Inspector General eventually confront Claire about the suspiciousness in her immigration paperwork, and she admits to the sexual arrangement she had with Cole and leaves the country "voluntarily". Cole is arrested by ICE/OIG for corruption. His wife Denise Frankel adopts a little girl from Nigeria, who has already been in the detention center for 23 months.
Brogan has a colleague, Hamid Baraheri. His family disapproves of his sister's having sex with Javier Pedroza, a married man. Encouraged by his father, Farid Baraheri (Hamid's brother) plans to scare the couple, but things get out of hand: he shoots both of them, and goes to Hamid, who helps him hide the evidence. Brogan slowly suspects Hamid's involvement as the film progresses.
Javier Pedroza worked in a copy shop and made extra money by providing counterfeit immigration papers. Claire had previously paid him for false papers before she had made her arrangement with Cole. But when Javier was killed, the authorities discovered her documents among his belongings, leading the immigration team to examine Claire's case more closely.
South Korean teenager Yong Kim is about to be naturalized with the rest of his family, but he has started to hang out with a bad crowd and ultimately participates in a convenience store robbery to "pop his cherry" with his gang. Hamid happens to be at the same convenience store and kills the other robbers but (due to his own guilt over his involvement in his sister's death) lets Yong Kim go free.
Gavin Kossef, Claire's boyfriend and an atheist Jewish musician from the United Kingdom, pretends to be a religious Jew in order to get a job at a Jewish school, which allows him to stay in the U.S. When reporting to an immigration office, the immigration examiner/officer makes him demonstrate his familiarity with the Jewish religion in front of a rabbi visiting for other purposes – Kossef chants poorly but the rabbi gives his approval. After the test, in private, the rabbi requires Kossef to bring his "wonderful" voice to temple and to take lessons from him to eliminate the deficiencies in his knowledge.
Brogan investigates Hamid's sister and sister's boyfriend's murders. He finds proof of Farid's guilt in the murders and Hamid's guilt in the cover-up. Disgusted by Hamid's and Farid's actions he turns the evidence over to the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD arrests Farid for two counts of murder and Hamid as an accessory to two murders after the fact. | murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | Writer-director Wayne Kramer examines the issues behind the illegal immigrant problem in USA who are either trying to lay low in avoiding the law, or trying their best to gain legal residency with each experiencing different challenges that lie ahead in their quest.And it's quite ambitious for Kramer to try and pull off no less than seven parallel threads in the film, which to a certain extent I felt was largely successful, despite some being almost peripheral if not for the presence of a recognized star.
Anchored by Harrison Ford as Max Brogan, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, the film weaves in and out of the different threads without feeling too forced, or the need for some compulsory and carefully designed moments to link the stories up intricately.
There's an illegal Mexican woman (a very short role by Alice Braga) who begs Ford's Max to look after her young son in the care of unfriendly relatives, a Jewish musician (Jim Sturgess) who's waiting to qualify for residency and willing to do just anything to get there, his Australian girlfriend (Alice Eve) and Hollywood actress wannabe who had granted 2 months worth of on-demand sexual favours to an Immigration official (Ray Liotta) in exchange for a green card, whose wife (Ashley Judd) wants to adopt a child placed in a detention centre, who meets an Iranian girl (Summer Bishil whose essay failed to condemn the terrorists of 9/11 and gotten her and her family into hot soup.
And since the law is fixed (and sometimes perverse by those who interpret it), and justice blind, I suppose there are times we may be compelled to lend a hand to a stranger out of nothing but on humanitarian grounds, in doing what's right and decent for a fellow human being.Crossing Over presents many of such situations and while it may be a mixed bag in its narrative, it certainly pushes the right buttons with its star-studded ensemble cast in making the audience think about, empathize with, and examine if the issues presented could have existed in the local context, with similar challenges in the treatment of those who are illegal immigrants..
At the end of the day Taslima's possible terrorist sympathies are left ambiguous, neither confirmed or disproved, and that is why I think a lot of less intelligent viewers jump to the same conclusion that the fictional official does by filling in the blanks that they desire to see because they do not wish to have a dialog about a difficult subject.The only disappointing part of the movie for me was the Harrison Ford storyline.
Unlike Crash, another recent disparate-people-dealing-with-a-sociological-issue movie, Crossing Over is poignant, stirring, and rousing, capturing what must be the wrenching experience of being an immigrant, legal or otherwise, in the United States.
Although the movie can be very difficult to watch at times, owing to its subject matter, it's a tough-minded look at the often-tragic issue of immigration.Ford plays Max Brogan, an INS agent stationed in Los Angeles, who decides to help an illegal textile worker (Alice Braga) by making sure that the woman's son is taken to his grandmother (the woman's mother) in Mexico when the woman is detained.
In a parallel storyline, a young Korean youth, days before his family's naturalization ceremony, makes a decision that could have terrible consequences.All of these story lines are intricately intertwined, but here's where the movie differs from Crash: the interactions of the various characters never feel forced or insincere, and the characters themselves are not simple good people doing bad things or bad people doing good things.The acting is uniformly grand.
CROSSING OVER, as written and directed by Wayne Kramer, forces us to learn just how treacherous the matter of immigration is on every level - from the border incidents, to document fraud, to worksite enforcement/raiding, to the concept of asylum, to naturalization, the green card process, the problematic office of counter terrorism, and finally to the basic cultural clashes that pit compassionate law officers against red neck raider type officers.
first things first; to me it seems that this movie only attempts to cash in on the success that "crash" has had 2-3 years back.on the surface the feature has some good performances(the boring professional sort if you ask me) and 1 good scene( Cliff Curtis -the supermarket) but everything else is a cliché, and of the worst kind; trying hard to please the American viewer as in how he would LIKE to FEEL(in general) but not how the reality IS; this aspect would be OK but as part in the "fiction" category, and not as advertised - "realistic" drama"...
"Crossing Over" is an exploitative, cliché-filled, wannabe "topical" movie that's basically lifted from "Crash" (with elements of "Babel" and "Grand Canyon", two MUCH better movies, thrown in.) It manages to combine the horribly aged faces of Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd (all of whom clearly had boat payments to make) with the usually fine Cliff Curtis and a supporting cast of "who-dats".
We can change the laws by voting for politicians who can make a difference.I just think this sappy movie turns a blind eye on the consequences for allowing illegal immigrants to live and work here, and focuses entirely on the consequences for them getting caught by the authorities.
The moment I heard that girl defend the 9/11 terrorists, I couldn't take this f****ng movie serious, nobody in their right minds can defend somebody that kills knowingly 3,000 innocent civilians, you may defend them driving in a plane in the pentagon to make their voice heard-but an EMPTY plane-not full of innocent passengers-an empty plane in an empty twin towers in middle the night-no there's no justification to target civilians even to get your f****ng voice heard, if you'd pay me a million dollars I wouldn't let my kid play that ugly part, I can't believe Harrison Ford would act in this, this writer can probably understand blowing up a school full of innocent children in Serbia (or wherever that happened)so voices be heard, I pray to god that this doesn't portray the mindset of the average Muslim in the US otherwise we're deeply in trouble!!!
Also, how can you compare this to "CRASH" which is a gem and doesn't try to get your solidarity with people doing thing the illegal way, crossed over borders illegally, how painful it is, and this movie shows just how painful it can be, I have no place in my heart for THIS PAIN!
It is not a good augury to examine the tortuous road the film Crossing Over followed until its release.Originally made as a 2 and a half hour movie, Crossing Over was kept "in the shelves" for almost 2 years, while director and screenwriter Wayne Kramer was fighting to preserve his vision; he eventually had to bow himself and accept to edit it into a 113 minutes movie in order to avoid a straight-to-DVD release.And even like that, it only enjoyed a ride on art-house cinemas and film festivals, where it did not receive a very good answer before being exported to the rest of the world, where it was released in cinemas on some countries and straight-to-DVD on other ones (like mine).Unfortunately, the bad augury is justified...Crossing Over is a mediocre and tedious movie.I must be alone on this, but I liked the film Crash (2004) very much; I understand why its message and its characters upset to some people, but I liked the performances, the tone and the ingenious way in which co-screenwriters Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco took the structure of "intercconected stories" to bring it a fresh and dynamic twist.I mentioned all that because Crossing Over is basically Crash, but without that energy and dynamism.Its didactic intention is irritating and all the characters are a living cliché.Maybe, Kramer should have left his movie untouchable, instead of submitting himself to the whims from a distributor.I do not know if Crossing Over would have been better with 40 additional minutes, but I consider Kramer to be a great director who made very solid work in the past and, because of that, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.The screenplay from this film has many important fails, since there are too many trembling and instructive conversations; sudden changes of attitude; stupid reactions; too many improbable coincidences; and finally, the narrative structure is badly distributed.Nevertheless, I cannot deny the performances from this film are very solid.Summer Bishil and Jacquline Obradors are perfect on their roles; Harrison Ford brings his best performance in many years; Ray Liotta brings good intensity to his role; and Ashley Judd is also credible.However, Crossing Over is a boring and uninteresting movie, which I would put on the same level of a melodramatic soap-opera.Nonetheless, I keep having faith on Kramer's future projects, since his previous work warrants a second chance..
Falling somewhere on the quality scale between the profound "Grand Canyon" on the one end and the dreadful "Crash" on the other, "Crossing Over" relates a half dozen or so interlocking tales centered around the issue of immigration.Harrison Ford is a compassionate INS agent who goes beyond the call of duty to help an undocumented single mother and her young son; Ashley Judd is an immigration defense attorney who wants to adopt a young African girl who's already spent 23 months in a detention center, the victim of a mountain of bureaucratic red tape; and Melody Khazae is a Muslim high school student whose seeming sympathy for the jihadist cause may make it impossible for her to remain in the country.
Alice Eve plays a wannabe actress from Australia who is willing to sell her body to Ray Liotta for a ticket to this country, while Jim Sturgess attempts to turn his con man role into a good guy because he can sing and smirk.Harrison Ford plays the agent with a heart, who takes much grief from his hardened co-agents as he attempts to save the world, one illegal at a time.
Now we get "Crossing Over" which just feels like Cramer watched Crash, Babel, and Traffic too many times in one afternoon and decided to try and make a film similar to those award-winning (and far superior) films, but ended up with an overly melodramatic film with boring stories.That's the initial feeling of this poorly constructed portrait of immigration life.
Much like Crash Crossing over is a collected of different characters and their stories about trying to get to America and the hassles of dealing with the officers and papers.
I couldn't get past the first 30 or 45 minutes of this movie.Between the constant "F-bombs" and the sleaze that Ray Liotta played it just disgusted me.I love Harrison Ford and I guess I just expected it to be a better movie.I also know that it wasn't his fault it turned out the way it did.The producer, the director, the script writer and maybe even the film editor are the biggest blame.It is dumb that these reviews have to be a minimum of 10 lines.
This is usually the problem with those movies that try to tell a story through the lives of multiple individuals.But the thing is, the film kind of just ended abruptly with still a lot to vouch for, a lot more details left unsaid, untouched.The film, like many others of its genre started off strong and showed heaps of potential on various occasions which just as quickly dissipated by the next scene.It was entertaining with the uniqueness of putting forward a fresh new idea to the audience which ended dismally as a gooey mess that didn't quite make itself out into anything.
Sure in the real life, the connections between all the characters and ethnicity would never happen, but the movie illustrates brilliantly why people want to cross border, how far they are ready to make it and how abusive the law is : At the end, i understand that borders come from State and that State turns against people : so it's like an human creation rebelling against its creators : humanity exists today because ancestors moved freely, humans don't give birth to papers but babies and deny this right of free travel is a crime against humanity : every human should have the right to live where he wants and migrant workers are not criminals !
It feels like a list.The interfacing connections are linked with two Immigration officers, played by Harrison Ford and Cliff Curtis; an adjudicator (Ray Liotta), and an immigration defence attorney (Ashley Judd).
The stories include a Mexican lady isolated from her kid in an attack; an Iranian family, entrenched, which is going to be naturalised; a Muslim youngster who draws in a FBI examination by perusing a blunt (yet honest to goodness) paper around 9/11 in class; a Korean adolescent (Justin Chon) who is being compelled to join a Korean posse; an Australian would-be performer; a sceptic Jew from Great Britain who acts like an educator whose nearness is required in a Hebrew school, and somewhat Nigerian vagrant who has been stranded in a holding focus and will be sent back to Africa and threat.
Some stories are more entertaining than others, but that was the same way with Crash.Harrison Ford is naturally the 'stand-out character' who the film is sold on and, as always, he plays his part of gruff immigration police officer to perfection.
also in the picture we have Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd, both who were very good, as our story progresses we see many different characters throughout the movie,, some get caught trying to cross over the border, and some make it,, Ray Liotta's character a bit shady he makes a deal with one of the pretty girls he busted, in order for her to get a green card,, she has to keep having sex with him.
It was all about the happenings in immigration offices, and followed several story lines, such as a girl who was the daughter of Bangladesh immigrants who presented a report in class on how you should look at the 9/11 terrorists as "human" and their motivations, and she wound up in trouble with the FBI;a social worker working with kids of prisoners;a crooked immigration worker who agrees to have sex with an Australian actress for two months so she can get her green card;an officer investigating crimes in Mexico;and a guy studying to be a rabbi.Overall, this wasn't too bad.
Like Haggis' film, Wayne Kramer's Crossing Over aims to present a wide image of the subject, and succeeds easily better than the heavy-handed Crash.The film features an ensemble cast with numerous characters whose lives intertwine with each other in various ways.
One of the most dramatic scenes deals with a South Korean teenager Yong (Justin Chon) who is being pressured into participating in a dangerous robbery by an Asian gang.As the story lines unwind, it becomes clear that illegal immigration to America is more diverse than it often seems; people from wealthy Western countries can also run into troubles while trying to obtain licenses or to become naturalized citizens.
While it is understandable that it is difficult to squeeze so many characters and story lines into a movie this short, I feel they really should have given at least a big-name actor like Harrison Ford a meatier role to play.The plot lines stay mostly down to earth, which emphasizes the realism of the characters.
It's also sort of an exploration of human nature, between those who are caring and empathetic to those in desperate circumstances, such as Harrison Ford's immigration officer and those who exploit them, such as sleazy Green Card Approval Officer Ray Liotta.The director's crazy, frenetic style has not completely gone away, and this sort of multi character plot line might not have been the best outlet for his approach to film, but this does not emerge as a failure.
The interconnected characters and plots will leave you to ask questions about the meaning of liberty and what America used to stand for.The movie depends on its all stellar cast led by Harrison Ford in his most unusual role ever, none of his typical saving-his-family from terrorists, in fact, his character in CROSSING OVER is a loner who wonders whether his job as ICE agent is the right thing to do, he's haunted by the implications and the impact of what he does for a living on those who just want to come here for a better life and angered by those who take advantage of the freedom bestowed upon them.
After 9/11 happened, the rules of the game have changed and Ford, in a way, is like that aching voice bugging us to rethink whether enforcing homeland security at the expense of a few good immigrants can be justified.All the rest of the supporting actors are outstanding in their performances, Jim Sturgess plays a guy who sticks to his principles to get a green card while his girlfriend is willing to sell her body for it.
CROSSING OVER (2009) **1/2 Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Jim Sturgess, Cliff Curtis, Summer Bishil, Alice Braga , Alice Eve. A mix of "Babel" and "Crash" in the culture clash study of immigration in the US with a decent ensemble with some nice work by Ford as an aging fed who tries to find the humanity in his soul-crushing work; Curtis as his partner who has a memorable speech in a convenience store hold-up; and especially Bishil as an opinionated student whose speech at school land her in hot water.
The intersecting tale of various immigrants (both legal and illegal) in and around Los Angeles is another attempt at a Crash like film about the worries of the world, in this case the plight of those coming here for a better life.
Anyone who has seen the movie,Crash will likely appreciate this film that is a multi-stranded and a heavy handed film that explores the issues surrounding immigration and US citizenship with the involvement of many characters.Unfortunately unlike the said film,Crossing Over lacks subtlety since many of the events seemed contrived and superficial.But nevertheless,we are treated with great performances particularly that of Harrison Ford.Also,it remains a thought-provoking film.. |
tt4302938 | Kubo and the Two Strings | A woman (voice of Charlize Theron) is riding in a boat through the ocean on a stormy night with her baby boy resting on her back. A huge wave rises, but the woman strums her shamisen and makes the water part to let her pass. Moments later, the wave returns and crashes down on her from behind. The woman hits her head on the rocks underwater and washes up on the shore. She crawls over to her crying child, who only has one eye.Years later, the boy, Kubo (voice of Art Parkinson), takes care of his mother, who is very sick. They live in a cave by the edge of a cliff by a Japanese village. Kubo's eye was taken by his grandfather when he was a baby.Kubo heads into the village with several origami figures he created. The villagers gather around Kubo as he begins to tell a story, bringing his characters to life when he strums his shamisen. The story tells of a samurai named Hanzo who was very heroic and battled countless enemies, vanquishing all of them. Hanzo possessed three elements to a powerful armor - his sword, breastplate, and helmet. As the story draws near an end, Hanzo is set to battle his nemesis, The Moon King, but, before Kubo can finish his story, the sun starts to set and Kubo leaves, disappointing the villagers.When Kubo returns home, his mother tells a story of his father, who happened to be Hanzo. Her father, The Moon King, and her evil sisters wanted to kill Hanzo, but the mother wouldn't allow it, and The Moon King would later take Kubo's eye. Later at night, Kubo's mother talks in her sleep, causing Kubo's papers to come to life. Kubo wakes his mother, and she asks him what happened to his eye.Kubo joins the villagers in honoring the spirits of their loved ones with lanterns. One man, Hosato (voice of George Takei), is honoring the spirit of his mother while explaining the purpose to his own daughter. Kubo tries to honor his father and waits for him to bring him some form of guidance. When Kubo doesn't get an immediate response, he becomes upset and crumples the paper lantern. However, while all this is happening, Kubo has lost track of time and the sun has set without him being back in his cave. Moments later, a cloud of darkness forms around the area. Kubo's aunts, The Sisters (voice of Rooney Mara), emerge and try to get Kubo. Kubo runs to warn the villagers, but The Sisters start attacking. Kubo's mother runs in to save her son. She uses her magic to give him wings to get him out of there. As he starts to go he reaches out but only snatches a strand of her hair before he is gone. She then battles her sisters and disappears in a powerful blast of energy.Kubo awakens to find Monkey (also Charlize Theron) standing over him, saying that his village is destroyed and that he needs to go with her. Monkey brings Kubo inside a whale carcass for shelter. Kubo learns that Monkey was brought to life from a wooden charm that Kubo kept with him. His mother used the last of her magic to bring Monkey to life. She is there to protect Kubo and help him find his father's armor to defeat his grandfather and aunts. When Kubo shows her the hair from his mother, Monkey weaves it into a bracelet for Kubo as a memory of his mother.Kubo and Monkey head off on their quest. He pesters her by making origami birds and mosquitoes sting her. Kubo is then taken into a cave by a mysterious figure. Monkey thinks the creature is trying to harm Kubo, but she learns quickly that this is not the case. They meet Beetle (voice of Matthew McConaughey), a samurai with little memory is his past, only remembering that he trained under Hanzo and was cursed with the form of a beetle. When he learns Kubo is Hanzo's son, he decides to join Kubo and Monkey in finding Hanzo's armor.The first thing Kubo must find is Hanzo's sword. They are guided by one of Kubo's origami figures that represents Hanzo. The three come by another cave that looks like a skull. Inside, they see a sword stuck inside a floating skeletal hand. Beetle pulls the sword out, but this brings to life a massive skeleton monster. Monkey takes the sword and swings it at the monster, but it shatters, proving that this is not the sword they need. They see that the monster has numerous swords sticking in its skull. As they try to avoid the monster, they pull out all the swords and try to fight, but they all shatter. Kubo finally pulls out the right sword, causing the monster to fall apart.Kubo creates a ship from many leaves. The three set sail to find the next piece of armor. On the ocean, Beetle shows Kubo how to use a bow and arrow. They use this skill to catch fish with a rope attached to the bow. Monkey uses the sword to cut the fish up.The Hanzo figure points out that the breastplate is underwater, surrounded by many eyes. Kubo and Beetle head underwater to find the breastplate. Kubo finds it and puts it on, but the creature with many eyes puts Kubo in a trance and tries to consume him. Beetle pierces the eyes as he swims to save Kubo. Meanwhile, one of The Sisters finds the ship and begins to fight Monkey. The Sister calls Kubo's mother a traitor for falling in love with Hanzo and that killing Monkey would bring her no honor. Monkey fights back and defeats The Sister with another powerful magic blast. Beetle then resurfaces with Kubo, who is unconscious. Monkey cradles Kubo and begs for him to wake up. As he does, Kubo realizes that Monkey is really his mother in a new form.The heroes find a place to rest. Monkey tells Kubo the story of how she was sent by her father to kill Hanzo with her sisters, but she and Hanzo fell in love, instead, angering The Moon King, who is said to be incapable of seeing humanity. Kubo then goes to sleep. Beetle sees that Monkey is wounded from the fight with her sister, and she knows she doesn't have much time left, with only a little bit of magic keeping her alive.Kubo dreams that he meets The Moon King (voice of Ralph Fiennes), who is apparently blind. He tells Kubo he will find the helmet at his father's fortress.The heroes continue their quest. They come to Hanzo's fortress, but they are found by the other Sister. Monkey fights her and is mortally wounded. As she lays dying, The Sister reveals that Beetle is really Hanzo. He looks at Monkey and tells her the same words that caused her to fall in love with him - "You are my quest." Beetle vows to protect Kubo, but The Sister impales him with a sword. As she raises the sword to deliver the fatal blow to Monkey, Kubo grabs the shamisen and strums it, breaking 2 of the 3 strings and sets of a huge blast that eliminates The Sister.When the dust has settled, Kubo sees that his parents are now truly gone. The crushed Hanzo oragami points to a paper. When Kubo looks at he, he realizes the helmet is back in his old village. He picks up the word and the string from the broken bow of his father and adds it as another bracelet along with his mothers hair as a memory of him. Then he strums his shamisen, breaking the last string to make wings and flies back to his village.Back in the village, where the townspeople are hiding in fear from The Moon King. Kubo dons his father's completed armor and comes face to face with his grandfather. The Moon King offers Kubo a chance to join him in the heavens and to abandon humanity. Kubo refuses, so The Moon King takes the form of a gigantic creature that tries to kill Kubo. The boy uses his sword to cut into the beast but Kubo is knock into the forest. As he gets up an starts to grab his sword, he stops and looks between the string-less shamisen and the two bracelets on his wrist. Coming to a decision, he uses the bracelets from his mother and father to restring the shamisen. Finally, he pulls out one of his own hairs to make the third and final string. As the Moon King comes to finish him, with the villagers looking from behind the trees, Kubo uses his shamisen with magic powerful enough to summon the spirit memories of the villagers' loved ones. Together, their force is strong enough to hold The Moon King back. The spirits overwhelm The Moon King and leave him without memory of how he got there or who he is. Kubo and the villagers tell his grandfather that he is a kind man beloved by all the people in town, and that his grandson is a hero.Kubo once again joins the villagers in honoring loved ones. He sets lanterns for his parents and tells them his own story. The spirits rise from the lanterns and Kubo is standing alongside both his parents. | storytelling | train | imdb | null |
tt1282140 | Easy A | The film opens with Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) talking into a web cam about how her little white lie ballooned into an uncontrollable monster. She says she will explain her side, the true side of what occurred. She says that she was a nobody that no one noticed outside her best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka). Rhiannon wants to go camping with Olive but Olive lies and says she is going on a date. In reality, she just hangs around the house all weekend singing "Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield.The following Monday, pressed by Rhiannon, Olive lies about losing her virginity to a college guy. Marianne (Amanda Bynes), an overly enthusiastic Christian, overhears her telling the lie and soon it spreads like wildfire.The school has a conservative teen church group run by Marianne who decides that Olive will be their next project. The group's harassment disguised as concern comes to head at an English class run by Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church). The class happens to be reading The Scarlet Letter, a novel about adultery and shame. When one of the girls from the church group makes a side comment at Olive, Olive shoots back one of her own. This gets her sent to the principal's office and Olive is given detention. It is there she sees her classmate Brandon (Dan Byrd) walking out of the office with a bloodied nose.Later at home, Olive is with her parents and her adopted brother. Her mother Rosemary (Patricia Clarkson) and father Dill (Stanley Tucci) are very liberal and supportive of their daughter and her choices. Brandon comes over later and propositions Olive; she'll pretend to sleep with him and make him appear straight, when in reality everyone knows he's gay. She agrees and they pretend to have sex at a public party. Afterwards she bumps into an old crush Todd (Penn Badgley), whom she almost kissed years ago but instead lied about it when he said he wasn't ready.Now after apparently sleeping with two guys and the harassment starting to get to her, Olive decides to go with the flow. She begins to wear more provocative clothing and stitches a red 'A' to everything she wears. Boys begin to give her gift cards and money to say they've done sexual things with her to increase their own popularity, which only increases her rep.However, things begin to go downhill quickly. Rhiannon, partly jealous of the attention Olive is getting, joins the church group protesting her. Olive is able to reconcile with Marianne but it is destroyed when Marianne's boyfriend Micah (Cam Gigandet) gets an STD and says Olive gave it to him.Olive sees Mrs. Griffith (Lisa Kudrow) who is crying and confesses that she is the one who slept with Micah. Olive promises to take the blame to save Mrs. Griffith's job and marriage.Olive becomes disillusioned with the fact that though everyone thinks she is sleeping around, no one will take the chance to actually date her. This changes when Anson (Jake Sandvig) comes up to her and asks her out. The date goes sour when Olive sees' Rhiannon at the restaurant and remembers that she has a crush on Anson. Olive tries to recover and Anson attempts to pay her off, so she asks what they'll say happened but Anson thinks he will actually get sex and tries to force himself on her. She resists and he drives off. Todd, who works at the restaurant, sees her and offers to drive her home.Todd tells her that he doesn't believe the rumor mill and thinks she's actually great. He remembers how cool she was about not kissing him years ago and wishes she actually was his first kiss (her friend Rhiannon was and he says she was terrible). Olive is touched but says she can't be with him until she sorts out her life.Olive proceeds to go to the boys that propositioned her and tells them to fess up but most deny it, or in the case of Brandon who comes out to his parents, leave town altogether. When she goes to Mrs. Griffith to make her come clean, she refuses to and uses her authority as an adult to make it clear Olive won't be believed over her. Olive runs to Mr. Griffith and tells the truth but immediately regrets how she did it, realizing she just ruined a marriage.To get everything finally in the open, she does a song and dance number at a pep rally and pretends that she will be doing a sex show via web cam with Todd. In actuality (as the whole movie has been an extended flashback) she confesses what she has done. She also makes up with Rhiannon, apologizing for lying. When she is finishing up, Todd comes by riding a lawnmower and tells her to come out. She closes her web cam confession saying she really likes Todd and maybe she will lose her virginity to him in the future but at the end of the day it is no one's business but her own. She leaves the house to kiss him and they ride off from the neighborhood on the lawnmower (a joke Olive made earlier on in the piece where she says "Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80's movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey"). | comedy, psychedelic, satire, entertaining | train | imdb | null |
tt0292644 | The Rules of Attraction | The film takes place at the fictional Camden College, a liberal arts school in northeastern New Hampshire and it set in the late 1980s. The opening sequence introduces the three main characters - Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon), Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder), and Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), in turn. They are three college students at an "End of the World" party, and although they don't interact at the party, they share a certain apathetic perspective.Lauren is at the crowded dorm party trying to lose her virginity. She wants to go to bed with Victor, her stylish dreamdate, but is settling for Raymond, the handsome film student who can't keep his eyes off other girls' breasts long enough to get her into bed. They finally go upstairs, passing Sean along the way. Sean watches with them leave with the dark look that only a spurned lover can generate, tearing up what appear to be love letters as they go.Upstairs, Lauren takes Raymond into a friend's room rather than her own and feeds him a joint, then passes out on the bed before they can go further. She wakes up getting fucked from behind, but doesn't seem particularly upset about it. Then she realizes that Joel is filming the whole episode on his vid camera and her sex partner is a 'Townie' from the party. She's still not too upset, sort of resigned. Then the door to the room bursts open and two other guys stumble in looking for a place to stash their keg of beer, Joel complains about his 'light', the Townie starts to climax and then pukes at the same time all over Lauren's back. Suddenly the film goes into rewind.(Note: If you're totally turned off at this point, stop reading. If you're only fairly disgusted, but intrigued, this opening scene sets the tone for the whole film.)We "rewind" downstairs to the party where we meet Paul, a very pretty and confident young guy who's obviously at least bisexual from first glance. He's chatting up with some other guys and has a vibe going with one of them. He suggests the two of them retire upstairs for some dope, but when they get up to the other guy's room and Paul puts the moves on, the other guy chickens out, punches Paul a few times and throws him out of his room while loudly defending his heterosexuality. Paul lies humiliated on the hall floor and has a cigarette, mentioning in voice over that his date of moments before came out of the closet a year later and became a huge queen while slagging Paul's virility.Rewind downstairs again to meet Lara (Jessica Biel), Lauren's roommate and the resident "dumb-blonde" sex queen party-girl who seems to live for getting messed up and then laid.We learn in voice-over that she does the entire football team the next year, but years later is a Senator's wife with four kids.Finally we meet Sean, who's sporting evidence of a recent beating, though it's impossible to tell if he was the winner. He looks like he didn't come off too bad at least. He does his own voice-over, a recurring trend. He complains that he rarely feels any true emotions himself (classic sociopath symptom), but enjoys vibing off other peoples' as an 'emotional vampire'. He can project a dark intensity and focus that women find very intriguing.Sean finishes ripping up the letters and notices a pretty young blonde girl (Kate Bosworth) across the room.He catches her eye and holds her attention as he walks across the room to her, noting the sexual promise of her lips. The blonde thinks she recognizes him and in fact Sean thinks he fucked her the first week of school, several months ago, but he introduces himself as 'Peter the first-year'. He says it with the tone of one both utterly confident in his lie, and utterly amused at his own blatant audacity. The blonde is hooked and she introduces herself as Kelly. Sean and Kelly go upstairs and hit the sack. Kelly's turned on and completely drunk but Sean's having trouble maintaining interest - something's missing. He finally realizes this is the first time in ages he's had sex while not drunk.End Credits. Rewind WAY back to near the beginning of first term at the college months earlier.Lauren walks through campus, Sean wakes up under a tree surrounded by beer cans.Sean goes up to his campus mailbox and picks up a love letter. It obviously is one of a series of anonymous love-notes, and Sean's really getting off on them. Not the idea of love, or loving someone, but that someone loves HIM.Then he goes to see his drug connection, a distributor in the local town. This guy Rupert may be small college town, but he's a serious drug dealer who sniffs too much of his own product and hates a debtor, while Sean still owes from last year. However, Sean manages to bs his way out of a beating and into an advance on some coke to deal on campus.Sean goes to the campus canteen for some food but it doesn't meet his approval, so he scowls at the girl serving him and dumps the whole tray in the garbage.We catch up on Lara and Lauren, new roommates, and learn that Lauren is definitely a virgin and saving herself for Victor Johnson, her former boyfriend, currently attending college in Europe. Lauren has a book full of venereal disease photos to help distract herself from her raging hormones and deny temptation.The Start of the World night party, a wickerman rip-off in some field near the college. Paul goes vamping up to Mitchell (Thomas Ian Nicholas) (the same guy who will beat up Paul later), a fairly straight guy who obviously had at least a one night stand with Paul and now wants to sweep it under the rug. He practically runs away from Paul and into the arms of Candice (Clare Kramer), a fellow student who's looking for some action and isn't shy about it. She invites Paul along for a threesome and Mitchell almost has a heart attack, but Paul bows out, much to Mitchell's relief. Paul wants Mitch to himself or not at all.Sean sits in Marc's (Fred Savage in a hilarious and unrecognizable cameo) room, trying to collect some drug money he's owed. Unfortunately for Sean, Marc's too distracted with lying on his bed naked, shooting smack between his toes and smoking up while playing the clarinet. Badly.Sean shows up at the party looking for some beer and distracton from his troubles and catches Paul's eye. Paul invites him out for Mexican the next night, only getting Sean's attention by offering to pay. Sean agrees but is too uninterested in the whole conversation to catch that Paul's hoping for a hookup.The next morning, Saturday, Lauren wakes up studiously early and gets properly ready for her morning philosophy class, arriving at the class room early. Sean wakes late, smokes a joint, hits the crapper, puts on dark sunglasses and stumbles over towards class.Lauren finds the young Professor Lawson (Eric Stoltz) sleeping off a drunk in his office behind the class and delightedly sneaks a couple pulls on the joint still smoldering on his desk before leaving. She runs into Sean in the hallway outside class and tells him it's cancelled, where his rough uncaring confidence catches her fancy, and her obvious attraction catches his attention. Lauren wanders away leaving Sean wondering if she's his mystery pen-pal.That night... ANOTHER PARTY. Actually, the Saturday night pre-party party. Lauren decides enough is enough, she's going to get rid of her pesky virginity and Sean's the man. Unfortunately, Sean doesn't show right away.Meanwhile, Paul is increasingly infatuated with the idea of getting together with Sean, convincing himself that the feeling must be somewhat mutual. He's getting ready for their 'date' when some of Paul's more flagrantly gay friends burst in and shanghai Paul into helping take another od'ing friend of theirs to the hospital. Everyone's freaking out on the ride to the hospital except for Paul, who's much more worldly than the others and convinced their friend is just passed out.He's right. When they get to the hospital a jaded doctor who's sick of having drunken students stumble into his Emerg takes one look and starts calmly pretending that the guy's dead, just to freak the others out. However, the guy wakes up and his gay friends drag him back out to the car, much to Paul's annoyance and disgust at their naivete.At the party, Sean finally arrives just in time to run into Paul, who apologizes for missing their dinner date. Sean has no clue what he's talking about, but agrees to go up to Paul's room on an offer of some dope to smoke. Lara and Lauren see them go, but don't believe Sean could possibly be leaving to sleep with Paul.Lauren leaves the party with Prof. Lawson for lack of her first choice and goes back to his office, where she's nervous and uncomfortable. Lawson sleazily insinuates that he can't sleep with her for fear of his tenure but he hears much of her oral skills. Lauren obliges without protest, although it's obviously her first time.In Paul's room, Sean smokes up and watches porn while ignoring his host, while Paul fantasizes about making out with Sean. The next morning they're still there, interrupted by a phone call from Paul's mother. Sean leaves, 'borrowing' a number of Paul's cds at the same time, while Paul agrees to meet his mom and some family friends for dinner.Sean picks up another love note at his mail box - this one just says 'Tonight's the night'. He's more convinced then ever that Lauren his secret admirer.Paul meets his mother (Faye Dunaway) at an upscale hotel in town for dinner, where his childhood friend Richard "Dick" Jared (Russell Sams) bursts into the hotel room where Paul's staying. Dick is strikingly handsome, wildly gay, just plain wild, and obviously had a thing with Paul when they were younger. One thing Paul looks upon fondly with nostalgia but would like to leave behind. Dick swigs straight from a bottle of bourbon and tries to seduce Paul until their respective mothers burst in.Paul's mother and Dick's mother (Swoosie Kurtz) are surprised, slightly tipsy themselves, but also clueless. These women are rich, oblivious, shallow, and utterly unable to deal with their children. Luckily for Paul's mother he's reasonably responsible, at least with his own life. Dick's mother is getting dragged along behind a wild stallion. The older women leave the boys to get ready for dinner, the boys go wild for 15 minutes.Paul phones the dorm to speak to Sean, who's completely indifferent and eventually hangs up on him. Paul finally allows himself to believe that any mutual attraction was only in his mind.Back at the hotel restaurant, Dick lounges gorgeously and sucks back drinks while disrupting any attempt at conversation, until finally he storms off in a pretend huff when he gets bored. The mothers deal with this by discussing their respective car colors. Paul orders his mother another drink when she can't make up her mind without someone else's help.The next party - Dress to Get Fucked. People run around in various simple erotic costumes and states of undress. Lauren has definitely decided to give herself to Sean, much to her friend Lara's secret jealous rivalry. Sean is at the party, wearing his usual sweater and chinos, eating 'shrooms, looking for Lauren and looking for sex, but she's not there. However, Lara is in a baby-doll, looking to bag Sean before Lauren can.Next thing Sean knows, he and Lara are on her bed going at it. Lara's enjoying things and oblivious, while Sean completely wasted on 'shrooms. He can only enjoy himself by covering Lara's face with his hand so he can't see her, and imagining Lauren in her place. After he cums Sean falls off the bed, then vows not to do 'shrooms again. At least not while looking to get laid.In a dorm bathroom, an unknown girl prepares to commit suicide. She climbs in a tub of warm water and slits her wrists, doing it right. There's pain, then eventually she drifts off, sifting through her memories as she does so. It becomes clear that THIS is Sean's secret admirer. She's the girl from the canteen who saw him every day at meal time, watched from afar at every party, never approached him, and was never noticed at all. Then she saw him leave the party with Lara.Lauren returns to her room, while Sean's pulling up his pants. Sean tries to recover by claiming 'I only slept with her (Lara) because I love you'. Lauren staggers out and into the bathroom, where she discovers the suicide.The next morning an ambulance takes away the body and Sean tries to make up with Lauren, even though they never really had a relationship at all as far as she's concerned. No one knows about the love notes and their true author of course. Lauren blows him off.After failing to make a dent in Lauren's refusal, in frustration Sean tries to hang himself in his room, though he's obviously not really trying and just pulls the hook out of the ceiling. Then he downs all the aspirin and Nyquil he has in his bedside table, but just wakes up the next morning having puked all over himself and wet the bed. This snaps him out of the funk and he then manages to lure Lauren to his room in a moment of her weakness and potential forgiveness, just so he can fake a suicidal slit-throat in front of her, then yell Surprise!. She's non-plussed and decides Sean's a bit psycho and she definitely wants nothing to do with him.Sean gets no more love notes.Lauren's ex-boyfriend Victor (remember him?) (Kip Pardue)... returns from Europe and regales Sean and Mitchell at a diner with a two-minute montage of his travels, mostly involving taking assorted drugs in different cities, seducing attractive women, and masturbating in their presence in lieu of sex. Oh, and he almost had a threesome with a couple of terrorist swingers who subsequently bomb a tourist attraction.Victor and Mitch want some cocaine from Sean, but he says he needs to go meet his connection to get it. Victor doesn't trust Sean (he's no idiot) and after paying the $300 tag insists that Mitchell go along to ensure that Sean doesn't just pocket the cash. Sean insists on taking Mitchell's new Mercedes and driving, and Mitchell agees (he's an idiot).They get to Rupert's house (remember him?) (Clifton Collins, Jr.) and head inside, much to Mitchell's consternation (he's a lite-weight), where the drug dealer's having a little get-together with some very large bouncer-type friends. Rupert's in the kitchen sawing up bricks of marijuana with an electric knife. He isn't too impressed with the $300 since Sean owes him $3k, and Rupert's enforcer picks up a baseball bat to do some damage until Sean points at Mitch and says those immortal words: "He's got it."Rupert's so coked up he actually believes this, and all his heavy friends are converging on the kitchen for a bruising, while Mitchell freaks and denies everything. Much to everyone's surprise, Sean then relents and admits that Mitch doesn't have any money, then quickly jumps Rupert and manages to grab the knife in the scuffle. Mitchell and Sean escape out the back door before Rupert can shoot them, Mitchell squealing like a little girl. Sean also drives back to the university because he kept the car keys.The entire thrill ride has been a high for Sean and he's stoked and laughing his head off, while Mitchel is traumatized and practically wetting himself. Sean leaves Mitch cowering in his car with the coke Sean promised, which was in his jacket all along.Lauren hears that Victor is back and perks up, prettying herself for a trip his room with Lara's help while staring at Victor's picture. She leaves to finally take care of business.Sean catches up with her along the way and confronts Lauren again, trying to pry some caring from her by revealing that he attempted suicide for real before he faked it. Sean also confronts her with the love notes and how he's knows how she feels about him, but Lauren's just confused and of course denies having any idea what he's talking about. She also makes it clear that she's now convinced that no one can ever know anyone.Lauren stalks off through the snow to meet Victor, while Sean is left standing frustrated and bereft, unsure whether she's telling the truth or not.At Victor's dorm, Lauren walks in fluffing her hair and laughing to herself at Sean's bizarre behavior, knocks on Victor's door, and gives him a big kiss immediately upon opening. Victor is startled and doesn't recognize her, while Lauren doesn't really listen to what he's saying and breezily forgives him for not calling her to say he was back from Europe. Victor starts to pretend that he completely remembers Lauren, then realizes that no, he actually has no idea who this girl is. Victor's door glides open further to reveal a blonde in lingerie bouncing on his bed, who gestures at Lauren to come in. Victor asserts his complete ignorance as to who Lauren is and she stumblingly apologizes for the mistake and staggers away in apparent confusion.(We are left in confusion - Victor comes off as innocent and Lauren guilty in their encounter, so was he really an old boyfriend and he's completely forgotten her (believable for Victor)? Or did Lauren just fantasize their whole relationship in her months of fetishizing the idea of giving herself to him? Who knows?)Sean goes to his mail box, seemingly hoping for another letter but not really expecting one and meets up with Rupert and his enforcer waiting to administer a beating. Sean almost gets away but fails, receiving his lumps.Christmas time, the End of the World party, the ending where we came in at the beginning. Sean stands in the hall holding his letters and his aches, while all our other players occupy their starting places. He tears up the letters, but instead of eyeing the blonde, turns around and walks out of the party. We flash to outside the dorm house and out walks Lauren, to discover Paul sitting on the porch. One provides smokes, the other a light, and they start walking across the dark campus.(At this point you have no idea whether after Sean walked out the events from the opening sequence actually happened or not.)Paul asks Lauren about the letters and she once again denies knowledge. Paul just shrugs. They come across the parking lot, where Sean has been sitting in the darkness on his old motorcycle, watching them walk across the campus. He roars off through the slush and snow as they watch.Sean roars down the highway, musing only about what waits moments down the road. Depending on how much you sympathize with him, he is either in denial of his pain, or this is further evidence of his sociopathy and how little any of the previous events actually affected him. | pornographic, cult, violence, flashback, satire, romantic, entertaining, queer | train | imdb | Too many people like their movies to wrap everything up at the end and have everything explained to them and for Lassie to save the day.
On the other hand if you like a movie to challenge you then I am sure you will find ROA superb.Based on the book of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis it is probably THE best book to film adaptation I have ever seen.
When I read Ebert's review his main criticism's centred on the characters but personally I found myself throughout the movie saying for almost all characters `I know someone like that'.Go see it, but be prepared to feel nothing.
I read the novel 4 years ago as a Freshman in college after being blown away by 'American Psycho' and wanted to make 'Rules' into a film myself thinking no one would ever try.
People who say this movie is just a typical teen movie need to look a little closer at what is really going on: every sex scene in this film is shot to make sex as unapealing as possible, in fact, the only time i was less turned on by sex scenes was watching "A Clockwork Orange", it shows sex as being something that when you make it a big deal in your life, it will consume you and draw out any humanity you may have.
People who were like me that haven't seen this film yet, people who think "It's just going to be another waste of time" should see this film, and i have a feeling that if you really pay attention, you will see this disturbing masterpiece for what it really is..
This movie is fast, it's hot and, like Pulp Fiction in its time, a totally new way to tell a story.
But if you want to see me try, read on.The younger brother of Patrick Bateman (yes, the American Psycho), Sean Batemen (James Van Der Beek) attends Camden College where he deals drugs and sleeps with a new woman every night.
And with James Van Der Beek and Jessica Biel coming from successful television shows with squeaky clean images, it's no surprise this film caused quite a stir.
Yet the performance of the film comes from Ian Somerhalder, who helps provide the film's most outrageously funny scene (you'll know when you see it).'The Rules of Attraction' doesn't follow a set path.
Without so much satire from that film, Rules reaches an absurdity at times that makes you think back to your college days and the craziness and emotional stupidity you remember seeing from those surrounding you.I give Avary a lot of credit for his sense of detail too.
Clifton Collins Jr. is menacingly funny as a drug supplier, Eric Stoltz creepily spot-on in a small role, Faye Dunnaway hamming it up in the aforementioned hotel dining scene, and Fred Savage in a gem of a cameo.Even when you think the gimmicks are through, and we have linear storyline normality, we are treated to a fast-paced recap of Kip Pardue's character's trip to Europe.
Either way, The Rules of Attraction allows for the hope that we will see more Ellis-based films.
I was thrilled during the addition of Mini-Glamorama, and just to keep everyone on the right track, Sean Bateman is not the "college version" of the American Psycho narrator; if he was, his name would've been Patrick Bateman, Christian Bale's character in the movie.
Based on Bret Easton Ellis'often-overlooked second novel,The Rules of Attraction is written and directed by Roger Avary(pulp fiction, killing zoe.
I was expecting just a normal film about rich kids on drugs but i got a piece of art blended in with college life.
James Van Der Beek(Varsity blues, standing still) plays a campus drug dealer Sean Bateman( brother of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho)who falls for the innocent virgin Lauren Hynde(Shannyn Sossamon)who is still in love with her ex Victor(Kip Pardue) who is on a trip across Europe getting high every night.
Of course nothing turns out how its supposed to be which is the best part about this movie, it's not predictable nor a stupid little teen flick.This movie is a serious film for anyone who wants to watch real actors and actresses playing their parts.
Avary even has the time to fit in special effects of playing scenes backwards and putting in split screens to see the actors and actresses emotions at the same time.A great movie!.
I thought, as I watched, how cleverly Avary brought the film up-to-date and still kept the basic flavor of the novel's plot and kept true to the central characters.
You will leave this movie not knowing how to think, except that you hate each and every character (except the girl who sent Van Der Beek love letters).
If your looking to waste 2 hours of your life, then go ahead and watch this horrible film.
The problem is when she tries to show this aspect of her character she falls flat on her face, be it the contrived crying scene after having sex with Sean or the awkward, parading around the room half-naked scene when she's ruining her roommates infatuation with Victor.All in all I'd give this film 2 out of 5 stars.
I suppose 12 year old teenage boys might think this film reveals what "cool" people are actually like, but any adult should be able to see that in real life one rarely encounters such demented assholes and a whole town full of them is just a childish fantasy.
Both the author and director of this junk are way overpaid, over-hyped, and over convinced of their own brilliance which the discerning viewer will find no evidence of here.I've seen half hour TV cartoons that contain more believable and developed characters, that resonate more deeply with our shared human condition than anything in this film.Technically the acting isn't bad, the photography is good and the sound is horrible - indecipherable mumbled dialog that even the highest volume on my TV couldn't rescue, then cut to blasting loud music.
The world were the bad guys get their justs, the hero gets the heroine (or vice versa), and the film ends with a happy note, you get up leave the theater feeling good again.
Now one Hollywood director is doing what he can and put into his movies, only because he can, and Roger Avary shows that in his latest film THE RULES OF ATTRACTION.Unlike the recent slew of "teen comedies" or college films, where there is the hero, the sex obsessed friend, the cute high achiever girl, the crusty old dean or teacher, etc.
This is what the real world is like, and director Roger Avary and writer Bret Easton Ellis do a excellent job showing it.
The story (which I described above) is pretty much the characters that you can't sympathize with, but instead you really know people like that.
It does tell those now and those in years to come what the college life was really like in the early 21st century.People and film critics usually scoff and critizie films that actually describe today's society, like FIGHT CLUB and AMERICAN PSYCHO (also written by Ellis).
Unfortunately, while movies like American Beauty and Mulholland Drive and Requiem for a Dream were inventive, insightful and, each in their own particular way, honest, Rules of Attraction is none of those things.
In this case, however, the premise and characters are so devoid of any meaning, the editing and dialog so contrived, that it would be akin to rating the performance of a serial killer putting a few random pieces into a jigsaw puzzle: In the end you don't really get a clear picture of anything, and they're not people you'd want to spend time with anyway..
This is an awful movie and I feel like I wasted 110 minutes of my life for watching it.
The movie tried to feed off of the popularity of American Psycho (which was their first mistake, because although it was good, it could not fuel a sequel with completely different characters).
I actually registered with IMDb just so I could warn other people never to waste their time seeing the worst movie ever.
In addition to the awful acting, the movie has idiotic dialog, unbelievable settings and supporting characters, and silly and tired cinematographic tricks (running the film backwards, ooh).
The whole time you're watching this "gritty," "edgy" movie, you just can't get over the fact that Dawson looks like an idiot when he tries to sneer and look evil and that the sunny, sitcom-style lighting doesn't do much to help you feel like you are watching some depraved plot unfold (and the lighting isn't played up enough to make it an ironic contrast to the subject matter, it's just obviously somebody's poor judgment).
And ok, Paul was funny, sortof...Now, I went into this knowing absolutely nothing about this movie, the writer, nothing; they could have at least made more of the idea that Sean was American Psycho's brother...
The rest of these spoiled rich kids just bored me.I can hear you now - you're right, I haven't read the book, but from other reviews I think I'm glad I wasn't able to be even more disappointed by the movie.
No one laughed during the whole movie and anyone that thinks this is a comedy of sorts, is not thinking like a normal human being.That being said, the performances were very good, as was the lighting.
Rape, gay sex, drugs, all included in a short period of time to make Rules of Attraction the most unrealistic disgusting movie ever..
The main character of the movie, James Van Der Beek, we know nothing about except that he is in school, uses and sells drugs, and is a pretentious prick.
They think watching kids in college is cool no matter how they are acting or morally devoid their characters.
Yes, the movie has a lot of topless girls; yes, it seems that all the characters in the film do some kind of drug and yes they seem to be in college...but from what I noticed they were more preoccupied about getting wasted and have sex than anything else.
I have read other comments on this film, and it seems that only those who watch movies for the technical artistry of the film liked it.
One of the most interesting things about it was that my whole view of the movie changed after I had seen it and I saw on IMDb it was based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis.
Everything weird about this movie suddenly made way more sense when you know it's written by the same guy who wrote Less Than Zero and American Psycho.
Extensively.While I'm giving a score of 3 simply because so many of the characters are well-acted and look good with no clothes on, other than those two things, there's really nothing to recommend this film.
If I weren't an optimist who sincerely believed the movie would get better and worthwhile, I would have walked out.The technique of running parts of the film backwards wasn't novel or inventive, it was done for such long stretches that it became trite and annoying.
If you happened to catch the Sundance Channel's "Anatomy of A Scene," or even a preview for "the Rules of Attraction," you may think the film is a slightly quirky, somewhat humorous, college tale with a few clever filmic tricks thrown in for fun.
It's obvious that this college party-hardy film was conceived out of the minds of two horny testosterone filled men named Roger Avary and Bret Easton Ellis (the man responsible for writing the novel).
Half the time the characters are drunk, high or just being stupid so I really didn't get a good sense of who these people are.
Based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name, 'The Rules of Attraction' follows the lives of a handful of well-to-do college students over the course of one (presumably typical) semester.
_The Rules of Attraction_, although a brilliant satire and overall good film, suffers from this same curse.Roger Avary (the director) constantly refers to this as a "college film," stating the he remembers feeling this way "back then." No offense, Mr. Avary, but this is as much of a college film as _American Psycho_ was feminist literature.
Maybe I missed something in this "film", but I have to say it is perhaps one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
I'd read the book over a year before the movie came out, and still have fond memories of its humor, drama, and apathetic characters (in my opinion, it's Ellis's best work).
He whittles the focus down to four main characters--Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossaman), Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder), and Victor Ward (Kip Pardue)--whose lives intersect in a fractured love triangle.
Avary's direction is fantastic and the performances are very good, but film making is story telling and The Rules of Attraction didn't say much of anything at all..
Instead, this movie features one of the most unlikable casts of overrated actors dragging down any interest in this film.I'm sorry if I may have given away too much about 'The Rules of Attraction' but unfortunately, the past paragraph is the main substance of the picture..
There is a certain type of film, when asked if a movie is good or bad, i like to call wasted film.
Here, however, all the use of supposedly disturbing images and subject matter feels terribly tame (example, the childish sex-scenes that seem as erotic as an episode of HAPPY DAYS) and it's attempts to shock come across as much more adolescent than anything.There is where i found THE RULES OF ATTRACTION to really start to break down, as the whole thing felt so terribly immature that i questioned the age of the filmmakers.
Being in college now, i compare this film to my own world and feel as if the script was written by an angry spoiled thirteen year old who had no real idea what college or even adulthood was really like.I could blame it all on the source, the novel by Brett Easton Ellis, as the reviews of his work, as well as my own experience with his writting (cut short by my lack of interest in his shallow prose and story) seem to point to the same complaints i have.
But, i'm sure there are plenty of people just like Roger Avery--swarmy, smug, self-inflating "artists" so obsessed with complaining about the so-called "Hollywood System" and showing what they learned in film-school than to actually make an intelligent, entertaining work.
Writer/director Roger Avary takes his cues from Bret Easton Ellis's novel "The Rules of Attraction".
**** The Rules of Attraction (2002) Roger Avary ~ James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder.
Bret Easton Ellis' novel "American Psycho" is one of very few texts there you feel sick reading, just like you there watching something really gory on the movies.
The scene with the boys and their mothers at the posh restaurant is fantastic, although very obscene.Good work by director Roger Avary and especially by James Van Der Beek as Sean Bateman.
In fact, I'll go as far as to say the acting was great; James Van der beak put in a superb turn as Seam Bateman, Shannon Sossamon, although not a perfect adaptation of the Lauren character (she was much more unlikable in the novel) was as charming and as magnetic as ever and Ian Somerhalder as Paul, has never looked so comfortable in a role, the guy was great.
You'd think so, but unfortunately, it doesn't work as well this time round.Following an impressive opening of voice-overs feeding off an amusing script, with each character being singled out as the one's we're meant to root for through the excess of the voice-overs and some interesting use of slow motion footage played in reverse to show what other people are doing simultaneously, 'The Rules of Attraction' starts its very steady and very sophisticated fall into nothingness.Despite the slightly uncanny resemblances to 'Donnie Darko' during this opening, 'The Rules of Attraction' falls away into an orgy of very basic and very primitive scenes and content that has only really been seen exploited in brainless, American teen films of the past ten years.
It uses the same content over and over again to try to create so many different things: Love, drama, tragedy, romance but ultimately, these things are never really in the picture and you never get a sense they will ever be with the rather bland, bored expressions the characters have on their faces.The comparisons with American Psycho are always going to crop up, mainly due to the fact Patrick Bateman's brother stars in this film.
I am a huge Ellis-Fan since I first read the novel, and I really have not seen a proper film-adaption of a book that I liked before, so I was very sceptical about this movie as well.
But when you watch it over and over again you'll find like live person inside every and each move in the movie.
First of all, full disclosure, I went to a college very much like the one depicted in this movie, and every character was a grim reminder of what those years - and those people - were like.
The fact one of the characters starts to lose his erection during sex - when have you ever seen that in a American movie?
My advice to anyone watching THE RULES OF ATTRACTION for the first time is think of movies like HAPPINESS and YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, and remember the original novel was written by the man who wrote AMERICAN PSYCHO.
Based on the novel by Brett Easton Ellis, Rules of Attraction is about a group of kids in college who spend all there time doing drugs and having sex.
Rules Of Attraction is a movie about a bunch of different college students dealing with sex, drugs and relationships. |
tt0477071 | Premonition | Prologue. The film opens with a recollection of the day when Jim Hanson (Julian McMahon) and his wife Linda (Sandra Bullock) acquired their home. Sepia colors and their 1965 Ford Mustang set the tone and the time... (a flash of white light breaks the reverie).Day 1. A church bell is sounding as Linda awakes. She takes her daughters Bridgette (Courtney Taylor Burness) and Megan (Shyann McClure) to school, performs a few chores around the house, and puts some stickers on the sliding glass patio door. After she phone chats - "I can't believe it's Thursday already" - with her best friend Annie (Nia Long), she notices that there's a message on the answering machine. It's from Jim's cell phone. In the message Jim tells her that he meant what he said "in front of the girls the other night." The message cuts off with "That you?" as he switches to answer an incoming call. The message leaves Linda looking mystified.Later she has resumed her chores when the doorbell rings. It's Sheriff Reilly (Marc Macaulay). He tells a stunned Linda that Jim died in a car accident "yesterday". As shock rings in her ears, he explains that Jim died instantly, hit by a jackknifed truck at mile marker 220. She declines the sheriff's offer of help - she's going to tough it out - and looks up as a flock of crows takes wing. She turns back into the house bewildered, tears streaming down her stony face. In the kitchen she looks at the clock. It's 2:20 in the afternoon.When she picks up the kids, she drives as in a dream. "What's wrong, Mommy?" She can't respond. When they get home she tells her daughters that their daddy is not okay and leaves it implied that he's never coming home. She takes them in her arms and they begin to grieve. In the late afternoon Linda's mother Joanne (Kate Nelligan) is there. As Joanne helps the kids with a picture puzzle, Linda leaves a nondescript message on Annie's answering machine. Later, after Joanne puts the kids to bed, a not very consoling mother talks to her daughter of funeral arrangements and insurance policies. Linda doesn't want to hear any of it. Her mother's departure for bed leaves Linda staring blankly at her wedding photo, recalling her wedding day. She curls up on the sofa fully clothed and, clutching the picture, falls asleep.Day 2 - Monday. Linda wakes slowly wearing a nightgown in her own sun drenched bedroom. She looks for her mother but the guest room is empty. She wanders downstairs. She hears a television. She sees Jim's briefcase and then his coat. Then she sees Jim drinking coffee, alive, at the breakfast bar. "Jim?" she tentatively asks as to a ghost. "What's wrong?" he responds. She stammers, "I don't know... I just had the strangest... It's nothing, nothing." She acts like she's sleepwalking. She looks at her daughters as though they are strangers.When she drops the girls off at school and has to prompt them to take their lunches, she stops short - it's a reprise of her horrible dream! She stuffs her knuckles against her pursed lips out of distress. Her eyes soundlessly ask, "What's wrong with me?" Back in her kitchen she stares at the clock. It reads 8:55. She tentatively presses the answering machine button fearing what will happen. The machine replies, "You have no messages." She looks relieved but even more perplexed.Driving downtown she runs a red light and nearly T-bones a car. A siren wails from the street behind. It's Sheriff Reilly. He clearly doesn't recognize her. She escapes with a warning: "We don't want anyone getting hurt now, do we?" She meets Annie for grocery shopping. While they load their groceries in the parking lot Linda asks, "...did I leave you a message?" Annie's negative response reinforces Linda's growing conviction that it was all just a bad dream. Linda rebags a bottle of red wine that had slipped out.Back in the neighborhood, Linda takes a run and a shower, and then starts her chores. In the laundry room she sees her daughter's sweater atop the basket of clothes and is stuck with a strong sense of deja vu - another dream reprise - but she dismisses it. Later, while hanging laundry in the back yard, she stumbles and, breaking her fall, plants one hand directly on a dead crow that is lying in the grass. With her palm covered in blood she rushes through the patio door and into the house leaving a bloody smear across the door (which does not have any stickers on it). She vigorously scrubs her hands, dons gloves, and disposes of both crow and gloves in a trashcan.That night at dinner a mute Linda can't bring herself to small talk. She later stares at her sleeping husband as she privately reflects on the events of her day. After a long pause she turns away and closes her eyes. She's wearing a long sleeved pink polo shirt.Day 3. When Linda awakes it's morning, she's alone, and she's wearing one of Jim's shirts. She rises with a start and calls out for him, fingering the too-large cuffs of her borrowed sleepwear. On the bedside table is the bottle of red wine. She finds the bedroom mirror inexplicably covered by a bedspread, and in the bathroom she finds an open pill container - "Lithium?" - in the sink. She's puzzled but only when she goes downstairs and finds her living room full of somber people wearing black does she realize that she's back in her nightmare.Joanne and Annie try to humor her as she insists that "Something is really, really wrong." She's over her shock and into denial. Through clenched teeth she proclaims, "He's not dead!" as she heads for her daughters in the back yard. Passing through the patio door (which is adorned by stickers) her youngest spots her and leaps into her arms. The two of them go out to Bridgette, who is facing away from them on a swing.When Linda stokes Bridgette's hair, her oldest daughter turns to look at her. Bridgette's face has been horribly cut! Looking like centipedes, half a dozen sutures crawl across her face. Linda cries, "Oh my god, baby. Baby, what happened to your face?" The two girls deny that there's anything wrong. "She's perfect, like a beautiful princess," insists Megan. Linda can't fathom what this means so she simply clutches her daughters and holds them close repeatedly chanting, "Everything's going to be all right," more to calm herself than her daughters. As she holds them Megan asks what it was like when Daddy died. Linda answers truthfully that she doesn't know because she wasn't there to which Megan responds, "So how do you know he died then?" Linda just stares reflectively.Later, in front of the church before the funeral, Linda offers the possibility that a mistake has been made and insists that the funeral director, Dorothy Quinn (Irene Ziegler), open the casket. Every attempt to quiet her is met by increased insistence. Voices get strained and Linda gets increasingly agitated. In their haste to end this macabre confrontation, the two pallbearers pulling the casket from the hearse get tangled feet and drop the casket at an angle. The lid cracks open and, to the anguished shrieks of all who witness it, Jim's severed head rolls out into the street.At the graveside service Linda sees a blond haired woman (Amber Valletta) watching from a distance and leaves in mid-eulogy to confront her. She asks the woman how she knew Jim. The woman replies that since their talk yesterday... Linda interrupts, "We talked?" Nearly as distressed as Linda plainly is, the woman flees without revealing any further details.Back home, Linda nervously plays with the pill container as she tries to make sense of her experiences. She reads the container's label: "Dr. Norman Roth". She checks the yellow pages. The page that should list Dr. Roth has been torn out. She pauses as though tying to recall, then looks in the trash basket beside her desk and finds the crumpled page. She phones Roth's office but it's closed.That evening Sheriff Reilly and three other men drop by. One of them introduces himself. "I'm Dr. Roth, remember?" She doesn't remember. Why is he there? She's tentative, confused. As Annie takes the girls upstairs Linda begins to protest but her mother confronts her and pleads, "Honey, what else could we do? Just tell us what happened to Bridgette's face." Linda slaps away Dr. Roth's offered hand. As the kids scream, their mother is restrained by Roth's two assistants and is led outside to a waiting ambulance. Her mother has had her committed.The scene changes to the admitting section of a mental hospital. Linda is in restraints. She can hear Dr. Roth and Sheriff Reilly talking. Reilly briefs Roth about her husband's death on Wednesday and that he informed her on Thursday. "That's strange," Roth says, "She showed up in my office on Tuesday claiming he was already dead, or going to be." He questions whether it was an accident. As the segment ends, Linda is restrained on a gurney. Her arms are riddled with needle marks. Dr. Roth enters and, despite her pleas, gives her another injection. She passes out.Day 4 - Tuesday. When Linda wakes she's back in her bedroom wearing the pink polo shirt. As a church bell tolls she looks around in bewilderment. She checks her arms - no needle marks. She hears the shower running. It's Jim! He's alive again. She steps into the shower and wraps her arms around him. "What is it, honey? Tell me what's going on," he asks. She doesn't know how to explain. As she clings to him, he's strangely detached. She wants him to stay. He has to go to work.Linda takes her daughters to school. Bridgette's face is fine - no cuts. Arriving back home, she checks the trashcan. The crow is there. She needs to get some answers from Dr. Roth and searches the house for the pill container bearing his name. It's nowhere to be found. She checks the waste basket for the crumpled yellow pages listing. It's not there! She checks the phone book and finds the page intact in the book. Rather than write down the address she tears out the page and heads for Roth's office.When she asks, Dr. Roth says that he doesn't know her. In his office she tells him about her bizarre dreams. She sounds rational but her story of her alive husband's alternating death and resurrection is incredible. Roth questions her sanity. He prescribes lithium with the comment that it seems odd that the drug would already be part of her story. She then visits Jim at work and begs him to take time off, grab the girls, and go someplace, but he turns her down. They are interrupted when a blond haired woman pokes her head into Jim's office. Linda immediately recognizes her as the woman she confronted at Jim's funeral. As her husband and the mystery woman, Claire Francis, exit, Linda senses a bit of the cat that swallowed the canary from both of them and watches the two walk away with a look of pained loss on her face. She suspects an affair.Home again, Linda opens Dr. Roth's lithium container over the bathroom sink and absent mindedly taps out its entire contents into her left hand. Haunted, her stupor is broken when she drops pills and all into the sink. She notices that it's beginning to rain. She shouts to her girls out front to help get the laundry off the clothesline in the back yard. The girls cut through the house, Bridgette in the lead, when Linda, rushing down the stairs, realizes too late that without stickers to make it more visible, Bridgette doesn't see that the patio door is closed. Linda screems. Bridgette crashes through the glass cutting her face horribly. Linda takes her to the emergency room and is shortly joined there by Jim.That night they're all back home. The girls are in bed. Bridgette's face is criss crossed by sutures. Linda covers the mirrors with whatever cloths are handy - "We are going to forget about mirrors for a while" - and instructs her daughters that there is to be no talk of scars. She tells them that, no matter what anyone may say, Bridgette is beautiful. "Like a princess?" Bridgette asks. "Yeah. Like a princess," Linda replies. Outside, Jim is cleaning up the broken glass. He blames Linda for the accident - "I thought you were going to put up stickers" - and tells her that he's asked her mother to come by to give her a break. In their bedroom later, Linda fishes Dr. Roth's yellow pages listing from her back pocket, balls it up, and tosses it into the trash basket beside the desk. The sight of the balled up piece of yellow paper in the trash brings her epiphany. "God!" she gasps as she's struck by a flash of realization. She's not delusional! Her crazy dreams are really a premonition. She rushes downstairs, tears a large sheet of paper from an easel, and begins her day chart.Sunday: /
Monday: JIM ALIVE AGAIN /
Tuesday: CUTS, MEET DR. ROTH, JIM ALIVE /
Wednesday: JIM DIES!!! /
Thursday: FIND OUT JIM DIED /
Friday: /
Saturday: Funeral, LITHIUM??, COMMITTED BY ROTHAt the bottom Linda writes Claire Frances but doesn't know where to put her. She hides her day chart when Jim comes downstairs. She once again begs her husband not to go on his trip but settles for his promise that if tomorrow is Wednesday - crazy as that sounds - he will wake her up before he leaves.Day 5. Linda wakes up on the sofa. She's clutching her wedding photo. It's Friday. She's sure of that. Also, she has figured out where Claire fits in. She retrieves her day chart and adds CLAIRE to Tuesday.She drives out to Claire's house and questions her about her affair with Jim, then returns home and muses to Annie whether the accident was not ultimately for the best since Jim was about to break up the family anyway. She then goes to the insurance agent where she learns that Jim had tripled his death benefit on Wednesday morning, just before the accident. She visits a lakeside, new home development and she stops by the funeral home and makes the funeral arrangements.That night Linda is sitting in bed drinking red wine. She's wearing one of Jim's shirts. Her mother peeks in and Linda asks, "If I let Jim die, is that the same thing as killing him?"Day 6 - Sunday. Through some sort of miracle, when Linda wakes "It's Sunday." "All day long," Jim confirms it. It's the Sunday before her first premonition. She has a plan to save him and the family. She suggests to Jim that he spend the day with the girls. He readily agrees.Linda drives to her church to seek guidance from Father Kennedy (Jude Ciccolella). "It's been a long time" is his greeting. She begins her story. "I'm scared, Father." The scene briefly shifts to Jim and the girls at a lake park, then returns to the church as Kennedy expresses his ambivalence by telling Linda about various premonitions, valid and invalid, through history. He proceeds to tell her that people who have lost their beliefs can suffer "the dangers of the faithless." Linda feels empty. She feels cursed. Father Kennedy says, "Every day we're alive can be a miracle, Linda." He prompts her to fight for what's important in her life. She responds that she doesn't know what to fight for.Her despair compels her to drive out to mile marker 220, the scene of Jim's impending accident. As she is lost in recollections of all that will happen in the coming week, she wanders out into the road and is nearly hit by a car.When Jim and the girls return home, Linda is already there. She's filled with foreboding. As the girls kiss their father on their way to bed, Linda uses the guilt that she knows Jim must feel to reinforce his sense of family obligation. "You do love them, don't you?" she asks. "Then tell them." When Jim tells his daughters that he loves them more than anything, Megan asks, "Mom, too?" With his wife looking on, heartbroken, Jim still can't be direct and he merely replies, "I do love your mom." But then he relents and looking directly at Linda says, "I love her very much." It's all too heartrending for Linda and she flees to the back yard.Outside, a storm is building. Jim calls for Linda and then goes out to her. As thunder intensifies, Linda challenges her husband to look at their marriage as more than just a house, a mortgage, and two kids. Just then, as a hard rain begins, a bolt of lightning strikes the utility pole at the back of the property killing the power and also killing a roosting crow. The dead crow drops into the grass.Back in their now candle-lit house Jim and Linda are in the bedroom. She faces him but he can't look at her. Then she performs a small act of supplication: she removes his shoes for him, and the evil spell is broken. They gaze into each others eyes. Jim caresses his wife. They kiss tenderly as the scene blends into one in which they are lying under covers, naked, facing each other, Linda's arm across Jim's chest. He asks, "What?" saying that she looks like she wants to say something. She hesitates, then tells him, "I had a dream you're going to die."Day 7 - Wednesday. Linda wakes alone and wearing the pink polo shirt once again. She immediately calls Annie. When Annie confirms that the day is Wednesday, Linda swings into action - Jim did not wake her as he had promised. She finds his note: "Took the girls to school. Be back tomorrow." She tries his cell phone but Jim is with the girls. She drives past the school but Jim is not there. He's with his insurance agent.Turning onto the highway, Jim receives Claire's call. She's in the hotel room ready and eager for him. But Jim has changed his mind. He tells Claire that he can't do this. When she asks what he can't do he simply says, "Us." He hangs up on her. Behind him Linda is just turning onto the same highway. She's trying to reach him on her cell phone. Meanwhile Jim phones home. He leaves a message on the answering machine telling Linda that he meant what he said "in front of the girls the other night." Just then Linda's call reaches him. He sees her name on his phone's display and says, "That you?" as he switches to answer her call.The first thing Linda hears Jim say is that he loves her. Relief floods through her. He's not going to die. Everything is going to be all right. Jim says that he needs to tell her something but Linda tells him that she already knows all about Claire. Jim responds by saying that he thought he knew what he wanted but that what he wants now is to make things better between them no matter what it takes. Linda is beaming with happiness and tells him that she's coming up behind him. Jim pulls his car to the side of the road to wait for her.Linda nears his car and sees the spot where Jim has pulled over. "Oh, no," she whimpers. It's mile marker 220! She stops. Still on the phone with him she asks Jim to turn the car around. When he does so and enters the opposite lane, he cuts off a car that had been coming over the hill. Horn blares. Jim slams on the brakes. His car stalls. He's stuck in the middle of the road facing downhill, facing Linda.Linda gets out of her car. "Are you okay?" she asks over the phone. As she runs toward Jim's car she sees an oncoming tanker truck bearing down on them from the opposite direction. She shouts over the phone, "Jim, get out of the car!" It's too late. The tanker is jackknifing, brakes locked up, cutting across the road like a scythe cutting through tall grass, sliding sideways downhill towards them. The tanker trailer strikes Jim's car slicing it's roof, crushing it down to the hood line. The tanker explodes engulfing the car in flames.Epilogue. Linda wakes up in her house. She and her daughters are moving that morning. Showing the passage of several months, Bridgette's face is nearly healed. As a church bell sounds, Father Kennedy's words come back to Linda. "It's never too late to realize what's important in your life, to fight for it." She enters a reverie, recalling the moments of pure love she's experienced. "Every day we're alive can be a miracle." Linda rises from her bed to face the future. She is visibly pregnant.Interpretation. The prevalent interpretation is that Jim actually dies on Wednesday near the end of the film, that we are never shown the end of Linda's week, and that the depiction skips forward in time half a year to a pregnant Linda moving out of the house. Day 1 is Linda's premonition of Thursday which actually occurs in a dream while she sleeps Sunday night-Monday morning. Since, in the dream, Bridgette's face is okay and Jim has died the previous day without her knowledge, this premonition is highly flawed but it serves as her "wake up call". Day 2 is Monday and is real. Day 3 is her premonition of Saturday which is actually dreamed Monday night-Tuesday morning. Day 4 is Tuesday and is real. Day 5 is her premonition of Friday which is actually dreamed Tuesday night-Wednesday morning. Day 6 appears to be a flashback to the previous Sunday. However, given the lack of context for such a lengthy recollection and also given the impossibility that Linda knew on Sunday the details of dreams that she would have only later, Sunday must be interpreted either as magical reality or as a continuation of her Tuesday night-Wednesday morning dreaming that is partly based on the actual events of the previous Sunday, but that includes a large dose of revisionist, wishful thinking. Day 7 is Wednesday and is real. The events of Jim's death are very different from her premonition - she is there!There is an alternative interpretation that is quite attractive. As noted above, the prevalent interpretation is this: Thursday (dream) - Monday (real) - Saturday (dream) - Tuesday (real) - Friday (dream) - Sunday (?) - Wednesday (real). The attractive alternative is this: Thursday (dream) - Monday (dream) - Saturday (dream) - Tuesday (dream) - Friday (dream) - Sunday (real) - Wednesday (real). This alternative is equally plausible and has the additional attribute that Sunday is real rather than being either magical reality or wishful thinking. On the other hand, the alternative suffers from the fact that, if it portrays what actually happened to Linda, then we are left guessing what actually happens on Monday and Tuesday. | melodrama, alternate reality, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0082869 | Outland | Set in the distant future, Federal Marshal William T. O'Niel (Sean Connery), is assigned to a one-year tour of duty at Con Am 27, a titanium ore mining outpost on Jupiter's third moon Io (pronounced "eye-oh"), a volcanic moon about 2,275 miles in diameter and located 275,000 miles from Jupiter's gas surface. Conditions on Io are difficult - gravity is 1/6th that of Earth with no breathable atmosphere, atmospheric work-suits are cumbersome, and miners carry around their own air supply whilst working. Shifts are long but significant bonuses are paid as incentives to boost production. Explaining in an opening disclaimer, Con Am 27 is franchised to Con-Amalgamate by the League of Industrial Nations located on Earth. The colony's population is 2,144 men and women (1,250 labor, 714 support personnel, and 180 administration and maintenance crew). It is policed by a forced called Administrative Level 4 and above.Mark Sheppard (Peter Boyle), the head of the mining colony, boasts that since he took over the running of Io productivity has broken all previous records.The film begins with a miner named Tarlow (John Ratzenberger) suffering an attack of the DT's who rips open his work-suit which then decompresses resulting in his death. Shortly thereafter another miner Cane (Eugene Lipinski) enters a lift to the mine without wearing his work-suit, and likewise dies from decompression.With the assistance of Dr. Lazarus (Frances Sternhagen), O'Niel starts an investigation into these deaths. However, before he can complete his investigation there is a further incident, this time involving a worker Sagan (Steven Berkoff) threatening to kill a prostitute with a knife. At the scene of this incident O'Niel attempts to calm the man and enter the room by the main door, whilst Montone, O'Niel's sergeant (James B. Sikking), enters the room via the air duct. Montone shoots Sagan dead before O'Niel can talk with him.O'Niel takes a sample of blood from the dead Sagan in the morgue and has Lazarus examine it in her lab. It is here where they both discover the one thing all the deaths have in common that all of the miners had a lethal amphetamine-type drug, called "polydichloric euthimal" in their bloodstream. The drug allows the miners to work continuously for days at a time until they become "burned out" and turn psychotic. O'Niel uncovers a drug ring to distribute these drugs to the miners, run by Sheppard and effectively sanctioned by Montone.O'Niel confronts Sheppard, but the administrator smugly informs him that nobody else wants the drug shipments stopped; production is up, the workers are happy, the corporate owners (Consolidated Amalgamated) are also happy, therefore Sheppard is happy. O'Niel vows to expose the entire scheme.Meanwhile, O'Niel's wife (Kika Markham), frustrated that he considers justice more important than his family, leaves him a message pleading with him to return with her to Earth.By the use of surveillance cameras, O'Niel pursues and captures one of Sheppard's drug dealers and places him in isolation. However, before he can be questioned by O'Niel the dealer is killed. Montone is then found garroted in his quarters. O'Niel does however manage to obtain, and destroy, the latest consignment of drugs which has been hidden in a food shipment recently arrived from the Jupiter Space Station. When Sheppard is informed of this, he contacts his company rep aboard the orbiting space station about 70 hours away from Io and informs him of the situation and summons two professional hitmen to kill O'Niel, but his message is monitored by O'Niel. Sheppard also tells his unseen contact that he has an "inside man" also ready to kill O'Niel if need be. The company rep warns Sheppard that if his men fail to kill O'Niel, the next assassins the company sends will be coming after Sheppard.At this point, the film evolves into a 'High Noon' situation as O'Niel waits during the 70 hours it takes from the shuttle to travel from the space station to arrive at Con Am 27. The fact that the shuttle is bearing professional assassins is spread around the facility, and O'Niel's attempts to defend himself by organising resistance fall on deaf ears as no-one is prepared to risk their lives to help him. Aware that he may not survive, O'Niel last's act is to send a message to his wife and son (who left him early in the film) that he will join them on their trip home to Earth.The shuttle arrives about 42 minutes early. Over the surveillance cameras, O'Niel sees the two assassins, armed with high-tech rapid firing shotguns, separate from the rest of the miners and go hunting for O'Niel. With the sole assistance of Dr. Lazarus, O'Niel engages in a desperate kill-or-be-killed chase through the colony before dispatching the assassins. After being wounded in an ambush by one of the assassins. O'Niel dons a space suit and goes out and kills one of the assassins when Dr. Lazarus traps him in an umbilicus corridor and O'Niel depressurizes it to kill the assassin.O'Niel dispatches the next assassin who enters the colony's greenhouse and tricks him into shooting at a falling object outside the glass where the greenhouse depressurizes after one of its windows is shot out and the assassin is swept out by the vacuum to his death.But while still outside, O'Niel comes face-to-face with the last assassin: his very own Deputy Ballard (Clarke Peters), armed with a shotgun, who follows him out and attempts to kill him. O'Niel runs where he turns the tables on his traitorous deputy and engages in hand-to-hand combat after he disarms him. O'Niel pulls out an oxygen tube to the assassin's spacesuit and the deputy too dies from depressurization.Afterwords, a wounded and exhausted O'Niel confronts Sheppard in the outpost's bar where all the other colony employees have gathered and punches him out. Arrest warrants are issued for all those involved in the drug smuggling operation, including Sheppard. After this, O'Niel's tour of duty is complete and he retires, accompanying his family back on Earth. | cult, atmospheric, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0277027 | I Am Sam | Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a mentally challenged man with a mind of a child, is living in Los Angeles and is single-handedly raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning), whom he fathered from a homeless woman who wanted nothing to do with Lucy and left him the day of her birth. Although Sam provides a loving and caring environment for the 7-year-old Lucy, she soon surpasses her father's mental capacity. Questions arise about Sams ability to care for Lucy and a custody case is brought to court.Sam is a man with a mental age of 7 who is well adjusted and has a great support system consisting of four similarly developmentally disabled men. His neighbor Annie (Dianne Wiest), a piano-player and agoraphobe, befriends Sam and takes care of Lucy when Sam can't.Sam works at Starbucks bussing tables. Sam is popular with the customers, whom he addresses by name and favorite coffee. His job gets difficult when Lucy starts grabbing objects, making a woman spill iced coffee down her shirt. In a humorous, but innocent exchange, Sam tries to remove an ice cube from the startled woman's cleavage. Sam then brings Lucy to his neighbor and baby Lucy croons, "Annie!" Sam says, "Her first word was Annie." Flustered but flattered, she retorts, "And people worry you aren't smart," and agrees to function as Lucy's babysitter.Lucy is as precocious as Sam is backwards. Sam loves reading Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss to her, but when she starts reading "real hard" books like Stellaluna, she balks at reading the word "different" because she doesn't want to be smarter than her dad. She knows he's different, "not like other dads", but that's all right with her because he is loving, taking her to the park and to International House of Pancakes (every Wednesday, because "Wednesday is IHOP night").When they decide to go to Big Boy for a change, Sam causes a disturbance because he cannot get the kind of French pancakes he is accustomed to. At the school Halloween party, he dresses as Paul McCartney but embarrasses his daughter by drawing undue attention. Other kids tease her, calling her dad a "retard". She tells one boy that she is adopted. This causes a crisis at her birthday party, which results in an unexpected visit from a social worker who takes Lucy away. A judge allows him only two supervised, 2-hour visits per week.Sam's friends recommend that he hire Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer), a lawyer. He shows up at her office and starts spelling out his situation while she juggles coffee orders to her assistant, Patricia. Socially, Sam is rather high-functioningmore together in many ways than his high-class, respected lawyer whose marriage is falling apart and whose son hates her.Sam surprises Rita at a party. Stunned, she announces that she's taking his case pro bono, because others see her as cold and heartless.Rita begrudgingly works with Sam to help him keep his parental rights, but chaos arises when Lucy convinces Sam to help her run away from the foster home she is being kept in during the trial. Over the course of the trial, Sam gets a new job at Pizza Hut and Annie leaves her apartment for the first time in years. Sam also helps Rita with her family problems, and helps her to realize how much her son really means to her. Sam also convinces her to leave her husband, because Rita told him that he cheated on her.During the trial, however, Sam breaks down, after being convinced that he is not capable of taking care of Lucy.Meanwhile, Lucy is placed with a foster family who plan to adopt her. Lucy often runs away from her foster parents in the middle of the night to go see Sam, who moved into a larger apartment closer to her.In the end, the foster family who planned on adopting Lucy lets Sam have custody of her. Sam says that Lucy still needs a mother and asks if the foster mother would like to help raise Lucy. The movie ends with Lucy's soccer game where Sam is the referee. In attendance are Lucy's former foster family, the newly divorced Rita and her son with whom Rita has renewed her relationship, along with Annie and Sam's other friends. | psychological, thought-provoking, feel-good, psychedelic, romantic, sentimental | train | imdb | Penn is highly under rated in the world that is movies, as he shows with this Oscar potential performance.The young actress who plays his daughter is amazingly mature in her acting, whilst always managing to capture the innocence of her youthfullness.
I watched it with my 13 year old daughter and it alternately made us cry, got us angry and caused us to laugh uncontrollably.Sam is loved and respected by those who know him (Starbuck's patrons, IHOP Waitress, friends), taunted by those who have no regard for anyone different (Lucy's arrogant classmate and his equally arrogant father) and generally misunderstood by everyone else.I especially liked the irony of the lawyer, who is an emotional train wreck, yet because she's an adult intellecutally, no one questions her ability as a parent.
Government officials question his ability to raise his daughter, and I Am Sam becomes the tale of Sam's legal battle to retain custody of Lucy, aided by high profile lawyer Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer).I Am Sam will likely make you say, "Wow!" afterward because it is a masterpiece on every artistic and technical level.All of the major cast members give one of the best performances of their careers, and many of these actors have had a number of artistic triumphs on their résumés.
Wiest, Richard Schiff, Laura Dern and others also turn in very complex performances that convey characters with deep, multifaceted histories, despite their relatively little screen time.Nelson approaches the film with a number of unusual artistic and technical angles that all work wonderfully.
Sean Penn as a devoted father (Sam) who despite mental challenges, fights for the right to raise his child is convincing in a complete departure from his usual "bad guy" characters.
Michelle Pfeiffer plays his reluctant "pro bono" elite lawyer, who eventually puts 110% into this case.The love between Sam and his 7 year old daughter is evident in many sweet scenes (got Kleenex?), best described by a reclusive neighbor (wonderfully played by Dianne Wiest), who overcomes her hermit-like condition long enough to testify in Sam's behalf.
I Am Sam is one of, if not the best, motion picture of all time.I Am Sam is about a retarded man named Sam (Sean Penn) who has a mental capacity of a 7-year old.
Dakota Fanning's premiere role is by far her greatest ever, and at only six years old opened the eyes of actresses who've been in the business for years and basically screamed into their faces "This is how acting is done." And Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a phenomenal, incredibly realistic performance that will absolutely take your breath away.As the film progresses, you will find yourself laughing one minute, crying the next (you WILL cry no matter how mature or old you are, so make sure you have tissues), the next moment tapping your foot along to the familiar Beatles tunes found throughout the movie (even though they're covers) and the next moment simply staring at the screen not believing your eyes and ears at how emotionally powerful a film can be.And after watching, you won't want to ever give the DVD back to Blockbuster.
This movie is utterly beautiful, so feel it deeply and follow to the end of the story about Sam struggling for the right to return his daughter Lucy Diamond home.
In fact, I thought the only performance that was better than Penn's came not from Michelle Pfeiffer (who disappointed me a bit, actually) but rather from little Dakota Fanning as Sam's daughter Lucy.
Pfeiffer, on the other hand, (as Sam's lawyer Rita Harrison) just didn't carry the role off that well, and even the courtroom scenes to me lacked the tension one would have expected from such an emotionally-laden issue.The movie weakens in the last little bit, going for the sappy (and highly unrealistic) ending - unrealistic particularly in the way Lucy's foster mother (Laura Dern) ends up handling the situation.Having said that, I still enjoyed this movie very much.
Ending feels a bit rushed, but that would be the only criticism.Sean Penn gives a superb performance as the mentally challenged Sam. Deserved his Oscar nomination and very unlucky to miss out in the end (went to Denzel Washington for Training Day).
In the film, Sam Dawson (Sean Penn) is a mentally challenged single father who's left by, as what it seems, a one night stand homeless woman to raise his daughter Lucy(Dakota Fanning).
He's a sweet, good-natured, and loving father to Lucy that is equally attached to him.Unfortunately, a sordid twist of fate takes place in their paradise, at Lucy's 7th birthday a social worker believes that Sam, having the mental capacity of a 7-year-old, can't raise his child that is outgrowing him.
Lucy is taken to a foster care temporarily as her father, along with the help of his mentally challenged friends, tries to find a high-profile attorney that can help him get his child back.After multiple attempts, Sam manages to appoint an attorney (Michelle Pfeiffer) who only takes the job at first as a dare.
Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a successful busy lawyer that comes home to a cheating man and a son who hates her, through the movie Sam and Rita develop a friendly relationship which is an eye-opening for Rita to value her family and be more involved in her son's life.
Sam goes through a legal battle to retain custody of Lucy, aided by his mentally challenged friends, his agoraphobic neighbor Annie Cassell (Diana Wiest), and his high profile determined lawyer (Michelle Pfeiffer).The film is enriched with major cast members that in turn give out one of their best performances in their career life.
Least but not last, the amazing Dakota Fanning did a remarkable role on the set, and by far one of her best performances as a child.The movie is Beatles-themed as we first understand Sam's character as an impressive Beatles-knowledgeable person despite being retarded.
The film is sweeping in its beauty, director Jessie Nelson did a great job in portraying her idea of "I Am Sam" into an absolutely wonderful movie especially after a 7 years of film directing drought.
I wanted to like this movie- ( I have a brother who is mentally handicapped) but after watching it I felt it had tried to hard to manipulate my emotions in such an obvious way.
First, Sam (Sean Penn) is surrounded by his inner circle of friends who are also mentally handicapped and who come across much more believable, probably because they are in real life.
So Sean Penn's character 'Sam' stands out against his group of friends like a fish out of water, trying to get in every speech and facial nuance that says 'hello I'm retarded'.
Michelle Pheiffer over-acts, first as her 'I am a beautiful female lawyer who has what it takes to win a case' to the understanding sensitive pro-bono attorney who makes Sam's case (to regain custody of Lucy) her exclusive campaign, all the while having to constantly push her hair out of her face in order to impart the facts of family court to Sam.By the end of the film, Sam seems to have gotten smarter, his verbal skills are quicker and it seems his thinking is faster.
Sam manages to get pro-bono support from the efficient and rushed Rita Harrison and starts a challenging process to try and get Lucy back.It is good that Hollywood is able to put issues and ideas up on the screen like this but it is the way that it delivers these things that generally kills them.
This amazing movie shows a very well obtained combination of excellent acting (specially Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning), a powerful and deep script and the excellent choice of a music to make you feel totally the beauty of this film, a piece of art.
Thumbs up for Jessie Nelson!.About the Movie: This touching story is about Sam (Sean Penn) a man mentally retarded who works at Starbucks, has some particular friends (also with mental problems), but very close and is a fan of the Beatles, and who has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandoned him and his daughter too.
Sean Penn plays Sam, a mentally challenged man that instantly becomes a single parent, when the mother immediately abandons them when they leave the hospital.
never really explained) and Michelle Pfeiffer plays the cliched overworked, no-time-for-her-family, badly-needs-to-learn-what's-important-in-life-from-a-retarded-person career woman lawyer who is shamed into defending Penn's character in court when he is threatened with having his daughter taken away from him.
More "hows" were generated than answers.The best thing to come out of this movie was Dakota Fanning (Lucy, Sam's daughter).
But, it makes a statement so one-sided and irresponsible that you cannot help but feel like you have just eaten a huge meal of empty calories by the time it is done.The basic premise behind the film is that love is all that one needs in order to raise a child.
It does so by showing Sean Penn's character -- a mentally handicapped man -- trying to raise his daughter on his own and having various officials coming down on him to "take his daughter away from him".
In fact, that is still an over-exaggeration because Haley's mental age would still have been more than that of the character of Sam. Because we see Sean Penn physically as an adult, we don't question his abilities and we are more likely to feel sorry for him.
How the users seem to be more impressed and taken aback by the lead performances to completely oversee the glaring faults staring them right in the face is beyond me.Those who have praised this film do so by crediting Sean Penn's performance as the autistic father, Sam, of a young child, Lucy.
But it does not outweigh, in any way, shape or form, the awkward direction and choreography that's so shamefully profound I am astounded it's never fully come to light in other user's reviews, or, more disturbingly, is actually loved by them.Half the time, I found myself watching a documentary trying to emulate the warmheartedness of everyday people and their selfless actions, which then hap-hazardly shifts towards the actual drama between Sam and his daughter Lucy relevant to the actual storyline, and this laughable disequilibrium unfortunately carries on throughout the film; running in parallel to what is otherwise a class act by Sean Penn.
So essentially, what is left as the final product is, well, just a shamefully abhorrent mess.Backing performances are weak, and though Michelle Pfeiffer's character begins pretty solid (as they do in these types of films), her development throughout the film poorly progresses to the end goal of self-realization (aided by Penn's Sam Dawson.) Some scenes were pointlessly dumped in throughout the running time (which I won't mention here, I'm sure you can figure it out once you watch the film, if you haven't already done so,) and I'm intrigued as to what scenes the editors decided to scrap altogether.And it doesn't stop there.
Those who also credited the director for his "artistic attempts" ought to also invest their time in watching much better directed films of the same category that would make Nelson's 'artistry' look like an amateurish high school project.One out of 10 may appear too harsh and cold to many of you reading this, but there are seldom any good points I can make about this mentally exhausting and emotionally torturous movie that has the exact opposite effect on me as that of which it was intending to create, and Sean Penn's leading role is not enough to uphold and take lift to a diabolical drama anchored down by a mass array of film making faults..
Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Dakota Fanning all do a fantastic job at portraying their respective characters.
But Jessie Nelson's "I Am Sam" approach the Beatles like a real Gospel of life.This well-meaning drama is about the group's number-one fan: Sam, a Starbucks Coffee employee with the mind of a 7-year old child fighting for the custody of his daughter of the same age, needless to say that we're supposed to root for him.
The performance of Sean Penn has been deemed as 'full retard' by "Tropic Thunder" and you can tell it's the kind of one-note approach that doesn't work in movies, especially since he's not always in the same level of smartness, he's capable of detecting hidden messages beneath the Beatles songs, but sometimes, he can't even handle a client in his Starbucks shop.
My only objection to the movie is that she wasn't listed more prominently in the credits.Sean Penn delivers a strong performance, but what makes it so interesting is seeing him and Dakota on the screen at the same time interacting, not just cuts back and forth between them.
Yes, Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning did an excellent job, but it wasn't enough to save the movie.
Other departments just fared well and is acting too is good.It's over sentimentality has made this just an average flick which could have otherwise been a must watch for the way Sam was portrayed by Sean Penn.
I would not argue about the law, i.e. whether it was right or not when the Sam's daughter was taken away from him, I'd rather talk about the extraordinary acting of Sean Penn supported by Michelle Pfeiffer, he was simply the best.
Sean Penn, Dakota Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer really manage to break my heart and sew it up again in this movie.
Uneven film that is a must-see for Sean Penn's Oscar-nominated performance as a mentally retarded man who has the capabilities of a seven-year-old mentally.
Penn's friends, played by real-life mentally challenged men, add good turns and make the film more convincing.
The best part i liked in the movie was, when Lucy starts seeing her father in night and Sam bring here back.
In my opinion it represents entirely what a film such as this should represent.Yes it is a David versus Goliath story that has people gasping in awe from the side-stand, but to me this film opened up to become a fantastical display of directing, acting and script that drew me in and had me rooting for Sam (played to perfection by Penn) from the very start until it came to the, albeit rather expected, dramatic ending.Some people may think that from the sound of the description the film will be just like rain man and well you are, my dear friends, epically wrong.
That is all.The remarkable acting by all the cast in this spectacular film just shows how it should be done, it isn't wooden, it is robust, Penn, Fanning and Pfieffer showed great on screen chemistry that gave me the feeling of actual life, Pfieffer's character showing empathy, Fanning as the loving daughter and Penn as the adoring father that attempts the impossible to make his daughter, and himself, happy.The camera work was (and again my opinion) totally key to the feel of this film, the constant shifting and changing as though you were yourself in the mind of Sam; confused and at some points distracted.
I Am Sam is one of those movies that we assume will be just like every other Hollywood outing, but until you open the box, put the DVD into your player, and experience the music, the visuals, as well as the phenomenal acting; you will never quite understand why I Am Sam carried above the Hollywood standard.On the apparent level, I Am Sam works because of Sean Penn.
Penn gives an extraordinary performance as a mentally challenged single parent to his 7 year old daughter (sweet and smartly played by newcomer Fanning) and enlists Type A attorney Pfeiffer (excellent as well) to help him keep her from being taken away from him.
A mentally retarded man, Sam, fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter, and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.This film reached my expectations but it didn't overcame it.
This film is not very good but it's good without getting bad but this is a great film all about loving people.The acting by Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer were exceptionally great, while others like Dakota Fanning and Loretta Devine were okay.The cinematography was good.
Wheel after seeing the best movie of the world for 5 times and appreciating the brilliant performance of Sean Penn and all characters, i was think to myself of what is the real objective of the director Jessie Nelson.I think that behind the issue of the movie about the story of Sam trying to achieve Lucy's custody, the true goal of the film is to open our eyes about what is the most important things in our lives.It's clear in the movie that all the institutions that we created to rule our lives just fail when our deep emotions begin to show.Indeed, i think the question that appears on the movie is: What is really important to us?Reason or emotion?Is because of this and a lot of things that i consider this movie all perfect and that everyone in the world should watch it too.This movie added a lot in my life and showed me that all that we have to have in mind is to live well, happily and lovely..
He did an outstanding job in this movie playing Sam, a man with a mental handicap trying to win custody of his daughter, Lucy.The feeling I was left with after watching this movie was powerful.
I am Sam, put on in feature Sean Penn, Michelle pfeiffer and Dakota Fanning making a very good movie with a good French version too and show up the truth of how handicaped poeple live.I think you get to see it and for my own I have appreciated it very much.
What makes this a great film is the story and Sean Penn's and Michelle Pffiefers performances. |
tt0082970 | Ragtime | The film begins with a newsreel montage, depicting celebrities of the turn of the 20th century such as Harry Houdini, Theodore Roosevelt and the architect Stanford White (Norman Mailer), as well as life in New York City. The newsreel is accompanied by ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Howard E. Rollins, Jr.). The millionaire industrialist Harry Kendall Thaw (Robert Joy), makes a scene when White's latest creation, a nude statue on the roof of Madison Square Garden, is unveiled. The model for the statue is Evelyn Nesbit (Elizabeth McGovern), a former chorus girl who is now Thaw's wife. Thaw becomes convinced White has corrupted Evelyn and humiliated him, and publicly shoots White, killing him.
Meanwhile, an unnamed upper class family resides in a comfortable suburban home in New Rochelle. The family's Father (James Olson) owns a factory, where his wife's Younger Brother (Brad Dourif) is employed as a fireworks maker. Their passive, sheltered existence is disturbed when an abandoned African American baby is found in their garden. The child's mother, an unmarried washerwoman named Sarah (Debbie Allen), is discovered and brought to their home. When she learns that the police intend to charge Sarah with child abandonment and attempted murder, Mother (Mary Steenburgen) intervenes and takes Sarah and her child into the home, despite Father's objections. Some time later, Coalhouse Walker arrives at the house in search of Sarah, driving a new model T Ford and acting in a brash manner unlike the subservient attitude expected of the African American community at the time. Realizing that he is the baby's father, he announces to a skeptical Father that he intends to marry Sarah.
Younger Brother witnesses White's murder and becomes obsessed with Evelyn, leaving home for long periods of time to follow her throughout the city. Thaw's lawyer, Delphin (Pat O'Brien), bribes Evelyn with a million-dollar divorce settlement (which she accepts) to keep silent about Thaw's mental instability at his trial and to testify that White had abused her. Passing through the tenements of the Lower East Side, Evelyn encounters a street artist known as Tateh (Mandy Patinkin) and sees him throw his wife (Fran Drescher) out of their home after learning of her infidelity. He takes their daughter and leaves New York, taking with him the flip book he has invented, which he begins to sell successfully. Evelyn, who has become fond of the little girl, is troubled by their disappearance, but distracted when Younger Brother declares his love to her. She begins an affair with him as she begins to plan her return to the stage. He assumes that they will eventually marry and plans to introduce her to his family. However, after Thaw is found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity, his lawyers interrupt one of Evelyn's trysts with Younger Brother and inform her that Thaw will be suing her for divorce on the grounds of infidelity, offering her a much smaller divorce settlement, which she takes. The affair ends shortly thereafter, leaving Younger Brother alone and adrift.
In New Rochelle Coalhouse is targeted by a crew of bigoted volunteer firemen, led by fire chief Willie Conklin (Kenneth McMillan), who refuse to allow his automobile to pass by their firehouse. He leaves to find a policeman (Jeff Daniels), and returns to find his car's front seat soiled with horse manure. His protests end with the racist policeman placing him under arrest for parking his car illegally. Conklin is not arrested. After Father arranges for Coalhouse's release, they discover his car has been vandalized further. Coalhouse pursues legal action, but can find no lawyer willing to represent him. Father, who believes Coalhouse has no legal recourse open to him due to his race, and Younger Brother, who supports Coalhouse, have a confrontation in front of Sarah, who is informed by an infuriated Father that it is up to her to get Coalhouse to see sense. She sneaks out of the house to attend a presidential rally, where she attempts to tell President Roosevelt about Coalhouse's case but is pushed back and beaten by guards. She is severely injured, and soon after dies from her wounds.
After Sarah's funeral, Coalhouse and a group of supporters ambush the volunteer firemen, killing several of them. He sends a letter to the police and newspapers threatening to attack other firehouses, demanding that his car be restored and that Conklin be turned over to him for justice. Father is disgusted at Coalhouse's violence, but Younger Brother tracks him down and joins his gang, bringing with him his knowledge of explosives.
Ostracized by their own white community and hounded by reporters for their involvement in a black man's issues, Father and Mother leave New Rochelle for Atlantic City, where they encounter Tateh, who is now a film director working on a photoplay with Evelyn Nesbitt. Mother is attracted to him, and she and Father quarrel. Meanwhile, Coalhouse and his gang force their way into the Pierpont Morgan Library, holding the priceless collection hostage in exchange for Conklin and the car. The building is soon surrounded by police and National Guard units. Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo (James Cagney) arrives to take command of the siege. He sends men to retrieve Walker's child to use a bargaining chip, but Mother refuses to give him up. This angers Father, who demands she turn the child over, and he returns to New York alone to assist Waldo. In his absence Mother checks out of their hotel.
Noted black attorney Booker T. Washington (Moses Gunn) is called in as a mediator but fails to persuade Walker to surrender, as does Father in a meeting at the library. Conklin, who has fled, is captured by the police, and forced to phone Coalhouse and apologize. Commissioner Waldo is disgusted by Conklin and his racist attitude, who he calls "a piece of slime," yet cannot submit to terrorist demands. Coalhouse ultimately agrees to surrender if Waldo will permit his supporters to safely depart in his restored car. Waldo agrees after Father volunteers to stay inside the library as a hostage. Coalhouse's supporters escape in the car, and he drives Father out the library. He prays, seeming ready to blow himself up, but instead surrenders to the police. As he steps out of the building with his hands raised, Waldo orders a sniper to shoot him. Coalhouse stumbles a short distance and falls dead.
The film ends with another newsreel montage: Evelyn dances in vaudeville, and Harry Thaw is released from an asylum. Harry Houdini escapes from a straight jacket while dangling several stories above the ground, while below him, the newspapers announce that war has been declared (presumably the start of World War I). Younger Brother returns to his job as a fireworks maker. In the final shot, Father watches from the house in New Rochelle as Mother departs with Tateh and Coalhouse's son. | tragedy, insanity, historical, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0052561 | Anatomy of a Murder | In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, small-town lawyer Paul Biegler (Stewart), a former district attorney who lost his re-election bid, spends most of his time fishing, playing the piano, and hanging out with his alcoholic friend and colleague Parnell McCarthy (O'Connell) and sardonic secretary Maida Rutledge (Arden).
One day, Biegler is contacted by Laura Manion (Remick), the wife of US Army Lieutenant Frederick "Manny" Manion (Gazzara), who has been arrested for the first-degree murder of innkeeper Bernard "Barney" Quill. Manion does not deny the murder, but claims that Quill raped his wife. Even with such a motivation, getting Manion cleared of murder would be difficult, but Manion claims to have no memory of the event, suggesting that he may be eligible for a defense of irresistible impulse—a version of a temporary insanity defense. Biegler's folksy speech and laid-back demeanor hide a sharp legal mind and a propensity for courtroom theatrics that has the judge busy keeping things under control. However, the case for the defense does not go well, especially since the local district attorney (Brooks West) is assisted by high-powered prosecutor Claude Dancer (Scott) from the Attorney General's office.
Furthermore, the prosecution tries at every instance to block any mention of Manion's motive for killing Quill. Biegler eventually manages to get Laura Manion's rape into the record and Judge Weaver (Joseph N. Welch) agrees to allow the matter to be part of the deliberations. However, during cross-examination, Dancer insinuates that Laura openly flirted with other men, including the man she claimed raped her. Psychiatrists give conflicting testimony to Manion's state of mind at the time that he killed Quill. Dancer says that Manion may have suspected Laura of cheating on him because he asked his wife, a Catholic, to swear on a rosary that Quill raped her. This raises doubt as to whether the act was nonconsensual.
Quill's estate is to be inherited by Mary Pilant (Kathryn Grant), whom Dancer accuses of being Quill's mistress. McCarthy learns that she is in fact Quill's daughter, a fact she is anxious to keep secret since she was born out of wedlock. Biegler, who is losing the case, tries to persuade Pilant that Al Paquette, (Murray Hamilton) the bartender who witnessed the murder, may know that Quill admitted to raping Laura, but Paquette is covering this up, either because he loves Pilant or out of loyalty to Quill. Through Pilant, Biegler tries to persuade Paquette to testify for the defense, but Paquette refuses.
During the trial, Laura claims that Quill tore off her panties while raping her; these panties were not found in the crime scene, where she alleges the rape took place. Pilant, unaware of any details of the case, voluntarily returns to the courtroom to testify that she found the panties in the inn's laundry room. Biegler suggests Quill may have dropped the panties down the laundry chute, located next to his room, to avoid suspicion. Dancer tries to establish that Pilant's answers are founded on her jealousy. When Dancer asserts forcibly that Quill was Pilant's lover and that Pilant lied to cover this fact, Pilant shocks everyone by stating that Quill was her father. Manion is found "not guilty by reason of insanity". After the trial, Biegler decides to open a new practice, with a newly sober McCarthy as his partner.
The next day, Biegler and McCarthy travel to the Manions' trailer park home to get Manion's signature on a promissory note which they hope will suffice as collateral for a desperately needed loan. It turns out the Manions have vacated the trailer park, however, with the trailer park superintendent commenting that Laura Manion had been crying. Manion left a note for Biegler, indicating that his flight was "an irresistible impulse"—the same terminology Biegler used during the trial. Biegler states that Mary Pilant has retained him to execute Quill's estate. McCarthy says that working for her will be "poetic justice". | murder | train | wikipedia | Welch turns in a very good and a very believable performance.With the collision of those elements, a great script and a great cast, adding Otto Preminger as director, an overseer who knew exactly what to do with it all, you then have a very fine film.More than any other movie or play, including modern day presentations like the television series Law & Order, this 1959 movie, Anatomy of a Murder, even though it is now 46 years old, is by far the most realistic and technically accurate courtroom drama ever produced.
Anatomy of a Murder captures all of these and more.I've read the criticism that Lee Remick was not believable, that as an actress she failed at nailing the portrayal of how a true rape victim would appear and behave, and that her character, Laura Manion, just didn't seem to have the proper affect nor strike the right emotional chord of a woman who had been raped.
I would have been quite happy to have spent much more time in lawyer Biegler's house and study, with its books, old furniture and broken typewriter, but alas this is a murder case so one has to get down to businss.The question of whether the defendant, an army officer, was temporarily insane, is in fact insane, or is merely putting on a good show, is never fully resolved.
The supporting cast is strong, creating a human backdrop for the senior players, keeping the story in the real world, effectively preventing this from becoming an exercise in legal theory.This film is noteworthy for a myriad of reasons, but most specifically because it addresses the still controversial issue of acquaintance rape, and presents us with a victim of questionable morals.
The point of all this historical information is that along with a hard hitting realistic style by director Otto Premenger, great score by Duke Ellington, plus top notch true to life performances by the excellent cast (Jimmy Stewart, Ben Gazara, Lee Remick, George C.
In the process it raises certain ethical issues re attorney behavior and the lengths to which an attorney might go to win a case.Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is a small-town lawyer who has recently lost a re-election for the position of District Attorney and who is down on his luck--when a headline-making case involving assault, alleged rape, and murder drops into his lap.
The two square off in a constantly shifting battle for the jury, a battle that often consists of underhanded tactics on both sides.The performances are impressive, with James Stewart ideally cast as the attorney for the defense, Ben Gazzara as his unsavory client, and a truly brilliant Lee Remick as the sexy and disreputable wife who screams rape where just possibly none occurred; O'Connell, Arden, and Scott also offer superior performances.
The script is sharp, cool, and meticulous, the direction and cinematography both effective and completely unobtrusive, and the famous jazz score adds quite a bit to the film as a whole.Although we can't help rooting for Stewart, as the film progresses it seems more and more likely that Remick is lying through her teeth and Gazzara is as guilty as sin--but the film balances its elements in such a way as to achieve a disturbing ambiguity that continues right through to the end.
It avoids the labored dramatics and contrived resolutions in which so many movies of the genre indulge, and it also declines to shy away from pointing out the more ill-conceived features of the legal system.From his first scene, James Stewart pulls the viewer right into the world of lawyer Paul Biegler.
Released on the heels of several other courtroom drama classics such as "Twelve Angry Men" and "Witness For The Prosecution", "Anatomy Of A Murder" tells the story of a small town Michigan lawyer (Stewart) who takes on the case of an army officer who is standing trial for murdering a man who he believes had raped his wife.
One day, he is called by a young woman (Lee Remick) to defend the case of her husband, an army lieutenant (Ben Gazzara), who is accused of murdering the rapist of his beautiful seductive wife.
Welch got most famous in real life, because he stood up against communist witch hunter senator McCarthy during the Army hearings and told him on live television, "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"Duke Ellington provided the score and also makes a brief appearance behind the piano in a nightly bar scene.This is as good as it gets, extremely well written, superbly acted, directed, scored, every minute of it is supremely entertaining.
All of this somehow made the characters seem very real as opposed to caricatures as these type of characters are in most films.When you see a court room drama revolving around a murder defense, you rarely expect humor or quirkiness but that is what made this movie special for me.
Biegler comes upon the case of Lt. Manion (Ben Gazzara), accused of murdering the man that raped his wife (Lee Remick), and Biegler, hesitant at first, decides to take it, defending Manion with an insanity plea.
Halfway through the movie, the script seems to forget that Stewart and Remick had such good chemistry and removes from our sight any juicy scenes with the two of them.The trial part of the movie is entertaining enough, even though it falls into the cliché of overly loud laughter from the court audience whenever the judge or attorney makes a joke, but it still left me longing for more.
The only similar movies that come close are To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) and Witness For The Prosecution (1957) and though while these have other great qualities neither matches Anatomy of a Murder for sheer courtroom realism and tension.
Otto Preminger directed this film which stars Jimmy Stewart as a small-town lawyer who takes on the case of Army Lt. Frederick Biegler(played by Ben Gazzara) who is accused of murdering a bartender named Barney Quill, whom he believed raped his wife Laura(played by Lee Remick) a woman who proves to be of disputed character, which makes her account of the attack questionable.
Reasonably interesting film has a good cast, though goes on too long, and its provocative nature(quite daring for its time) seems overly obvious now, but doesn't ruin this courtroom drama otherwise..
There's a lot of resentment against Scott in that maybe the locals don't like the inference their own prosecutor isn't up to the job.Anatomy of a Murder gets James Stewart into a courtroom for the only time in his film career though he did play lawyers in other films.
Stewart was named Best Actor for 1959 by the New York Film Critics though.Besides all those previously mentioned, kudos should go to Lee Remick as Gazzara's slatternly wife and Kathryn Crosby as the deceased's roadhouse manager who provides some key last minute evidence at the trial.Anatomy of a Murder is one of the best courtroom dramas ever put on film, catch it by all means..
Today, this would be like a Disney movie.It's a courtroom drama film that lasts almost three hours, but in its day did such a good job of entertaining and shocking people that time was not a problem.
You can nitpick this film to death with all the legal proceedings that would never be allowed, but are in here for dramatic reasons, but you can do that for almost any movie.One other reason this film gets rated so highly by Left Wing critics is that the man who played the judge in the film was Joseph Welch, who was the actual judge who asked Sen. Joseph McCarthy if "he had no shame," making him instantly a hero to all Hollywood Liberals and film critics forever, all of whom hate McCarthy and his anti-Communism stance.Believability and bias aside, it's still an entertaining film, especially for one so talky, and is recommended for people who love courtroom dramas and don't care how long it goes on, and appreciate acting at its best..
I would have preferred less courtroom bantering for a more satisfactory conclusion.I realize this was based on a true story, but I still think they could have adapted a better Hollywood ending to reward viewers for hanging through a LONG 2 1/2 hour movie.If I had to do over, I wouldn't have invested the time..
Indeed it's the inside look at the strategies of a defense and prosecuting attorney that gives the film its real strength, because we are never quite sure about the outcome of the trial.ANATOMY OF A MURDER is directed in stark, cold, clinical fashion by Otto Preminger with a jazz score background punctuating the sleazier aspects of the story.
Though it's dated now, this courtroom drama still has the capacity to tease the armchair sleuths and keep the casual viewer guessing not only to the verdict that will decide whether Army Officer Ben Gazzara will be convicted of murdering a bartender accused of raping his wife (Remick), but equally, whether her allegations have the substance to justify her jealous and possessive husband's extreme actions.Jimmy Stewart is thrust into the furnace as the small town counsel who finds himself unwittingly defending the indefensible when it's revealed that Remick is a flirtatious woman prone to provocative behaviour amid the stench of cheap liquor in seedy bars with anonymous strangers.
Stewart steers the boat well, guiding his troupe of cinema newcomers (who later gain distinction in their own right) that includes Gazzara, Remick, George C.Scott as the special adviser brought in to beef up the prosecution, while veterans Arthur O'Connell, Eve Arden and Murray Hamilton offer reliable support.Preminger's picture takes a very clinical view of proceedings, and in particular, the letter of the law which is often painstakingly explained in layman by the characters, so much so, that pacing is sometimes a distinct challenge.
Renowned film-noir director Otto Preminger tackles courtroom dramas in "Anatomy of a Murder." Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is a lawyer who mostly just wants to fish and play jazz.
Anatomy of a Murder-****-A Masterpiece- Directed by: Otto Preminger, Written by: Wendell Mayes, Robert Traver (Novel), Starring: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell, Eve Arden, Kathryn Grant, George C.
Scott, Orson Bean, Murray Hamilton.Otto Preminger's challenging and provocative courtroom drama stars Stewart as a defense lawyer defending a man (Gazzara) who murdered another man after his wife accused the victim of raping her.
Scott and Gazzara are also great in early efforts, but it is real life judge Welch who gives the film the authenticity and credibility it desires.Preminger's storytelling is long, but thought-provoking and fascinating, with more insight into the murder trial than most courtroom dramas boast.
The movie's happens in a small city during the late 1950's, where a lieutenant kills a man for raping his wife and asks James Stewart in the role of Paul Beigler, a lawyer, to defend him.At first I didn't understand what was going on and that was for 10-15 mins maybe and then it became really interesting.
Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder features a cast of some big stars (Jimmy Stewart, George C.
But unlike L&O, where any characterization is pretty much one-dimensional, Anatomy of a Murder is chock-full of development on the personalities, even for characters that appear on the witness stand for no more than five minutes.Preminger also has the daring to add some touches of comedy, or at least some (for the time) risqué humor and language that rises it not simply above other more standard pictures, but into a realm of truth that reflects what it's like to be in a court-room for a case such as this (i.e. when the judge addresses the courtroom about the use of the word "panties", he's also addressing the audience- don't giggle, it's a serious word...
The book and the movie really revolve around his working of a court case (the defendant murdered the man who raped his wife) and is not your typical "Law and Order" plot but rather a good look at how an attorney builds a case.
The prosecution ignores the rape and makes it a case of jealousy while Biegler finds out with the help of his alcoholic colleague (Arthur O'Connell) precedents of temporary insanity, he's still got to prove that it was Manion's state at the time of murder.All the irony of the film is that while we follow Biegler trying to convince the jury that Laura was raped and Manion avenged her, their attitudes push our minds into opposite intuititions.
Another interpretation that has to be mentioned is Ben Gazzara's who played as Lt. Frederick Manion and he was really good at it.Finally I have to say that "Anatomy of a Murder" is a great movie to watch because it has plenty of scenes in which you can not expect what will come up and how this will change the whole plot of the movie.
(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.)Otto Preminger, who produced and directed this fine courtroom drama starring James Stewart, Lee Remick, George C.
I was drawn to the movie by the wonderful cast; the great Jimmy Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara Eve Arden, of whom we don't see enough, and the great character actors Arthur O'Cpnnell and Murray Hamilton.
Or watch a slightly aging Jimmy Stewart as a down on his luck lawyer confront a new America, a modern age where girdles are being replaced with panties, much to the scandal of this quaint little Midwest city.Or catch the rather brilliant, slightly too taut, pitch perfect performances by three side characters, all of which are exaggerated into believable caricatures for good reason: Lee Remick as the modern liberated woman, Ben Gazzara as the last of that kind of WWII soldier used so often in film noirs (he served in Korea), and Arthur O'Connell as a throwback even earlier, the man saddled with a drinking problem, the original drug of addiction.
Jimmy Stewart plays Paul Biegler, a lawyer hired to defend Lt. Fred Manion (Ben Gazzara), charged with murdering a man who allegedly raped his wife Laura (Lee Remick).
This is one of those films to pop in when you have guests under age 35 in the house.What is so different from most courtroom dramas is the lack of empathy between lawyer Stewart and defendant Gazzara, and it's meant to be that way.After meeting the Army officer, and his loose wife Remick, the viewer will be rooting for the prosecution, and hoping Stewart drops this loser and gets back to fishing, but when Scott appears on the scene, the scales of justice for the watcher begin to shift back to the defense, not because we believe Gazzara is innocent, but because we want to see the Hot Dog Scott slip on a banana peel.
(Characters routinely take country detours with their dialogue.) Despite the lack of mystery in who killed who, "Anatomy" is one of cinema's greatest trial films.Everyone agrees that Army Lt. Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara) shot and killed a barman because he believed the latter had raped and assaulted his flirtatious wife, Laura (Lee Remick).
The Late James(Jimmy) Stewart puts on a powerful performance in what I think is his best film to date.The director of the film, Otto Preminger, is in complete control of all the aspects of the film from the introduction of the main characters in the film and the eventual courtroom drama.Small-town lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a former district attorney, lands a case that involves the defense of US Army Lieutenant Manny Manion, who killed Quill, the alleged rapist of his wife Laura.Even with such a motivation, it would be difficult to get Manion cleared of murder, so Biegler pushes him into a position where he claims to have no memory of the event, thus giving them a chance of winning his freedom with a defense of irresistible impulse — a version of a temporary insanity defense.As he sets about preparing his case, Biegler catches Laura Manion flirting with other army officers during a roadhouse party.
Stewart, the shrewd folksy lawyer for the cucumber-cool defendant, Ben Garzarra, Scott as the "big-time" co-prosecutor from Lansing, Lee Remick as provocative sex symbol and rape victim, Eve Arden as the wise-cracking secretary all handle their parts with aplomb, and the score by Duke Ellington, who makes a cameo appearance, is also wonderful.
Now this is a classic courtroom dramas unlike the modern battles where there are professional law firms, team of lawyers ,big money involved, repeated rehearsal of the witness and the panache.The story is about a lawyer Paul Biegler played by James Stewart who on recommendation of his mentor and friend takes the case of an army man who has been convicted of killing a bar owner on the context of bar owner having raped his wife.
To see Stewart in action here will tell you why he won that Oscar and was nominated for four more.This is probably the best courtroom action you will ever see with Ben Gazzara on trial for murder after his wife (Lee Remick) was supposedly raped.
Don't think it's pretty.Director Otto Preminger and this ensemble were never better.********** Anatomy of a Murder (7/1/59) Otto Preminger ~ James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell.
To me Stewart & Scott both seem to work very hard acting like lawyers in this film.
This is one of the best courtroom dramas ever filmed, and one of Jimmy Stewart's best performances, including some jazz piano work with Duke Ellington's band.
Anatomy of a Murder can be considered very good even among today's standards.Jimmy Stewart plays one of his best roles in this movie, and probably the best that I've seen so far. |
tt0104511 | Innocent Blood | The camera pans along the nighttime skyline of Pittsburgh, as a romantic song plays in the background. Then along a common street to a low-rise walk-up apartment building beside a notary office, and into the apartment of a beautiful but lonely young woman named Marie (Anne Parillaud). Marie stands naked, looking out her window; her apartment lit by dozens of candles. In a voiceover, Marie says she is 'eternally alone' and lives for comfort of the senses; food and sex. But she's very picky about what she eats, which caused her last lover to leave. As Marie reads over several newspaper articles about organized crime in the city, including a rising mob boss named Sal 'the Shark' Macelli, her voiceover continues, saying she hasn't been able to obtain food in six days. She's sad and starved, and needs to treat herself. Continuing to read the article she says that she's thought about going Italian, and we see her smile to herself in a mirror, and blow out some candles.A fancy car drives up to a corner Italian restaurant named the Oyster House. A man named Gilly gets out of the car near where several men stand, and greets one before walking into the restaurant, where he goes to a small table occupied by Tony (Chazz Palminteri) and Joe Gennaro (Anthony LaPaglia). Tony takes the two downstairs; Joe discreetly telling Gilly that the place is bugged. They pass through the kitchen and a heavy door where Sal Macelli (Robert Loggia) sits with a group of his enforcers.Gilly acts in awe of Macelli, who merely sits and sips coffee as his men make Gilly sit beside him. One brings over a toaster oven and takes it out of its box. Macelli makes small talk and a joke about toaster ovens, before quickly getting to the point: he accuses Gilly of short-ending him on an acquisition. He bashes Gilly with the toaster oven, knocking him off his chair. He busts the toaster oven over Gilly's head, making it clear that Gilly is here to be killed.Joe pleads for discretion, saying that someone might have seen Gilly entering the restaurant. Macelli roars that if Joe wants a discreet killing, he has to do it himself. He tells Ray (Kim Coates) to hand his gun to Joe, and demands that Joe carry out the execution.Gilly starts to plead and grovel with Macelli for his life, which disgusts the mob boss. He shoots Gilly dead himself, and then grabs Joe by his lapels, growling that he had better shoot someone the next time he's told to. Macelli is shown to be aggressive and bullying even with his closest allies.Tony and Joe are leaving the restaurant. Joe complains to Tony that Macelli has a disturbing love of killing and violence, something Tony warns him not to speak too freely; they're merely soldiers in a war. He gives Joe a gun, warning him that despite his being brought in to steal, one day he will likely be ordered to carry out a hit and will have no choice but to do it.Suddenly, Joe looks at a white van with dark windows parked on the curb slightly down. Starting to yell, he breaks the windows with the butt of the gun, yelling and gesticulating for the occupants-- police doing surveillance-- to get lost. Macelli's men all applaud and cheer Joe's moxie, but Tony just pulls him away and sternly warns him not to do that again, before telling him to go home and get his head straight.Not watching where he's going, Joe accidentally bumps into Marie, who walks down the street; a shopping bag in her hand. Marie's shoe accidentally falls off and Joe helps her with it. Marie looks at Joe with a curious expression; in her thoughts, she finds him 'promising' but his eyes are sad. Marie's voiceover says that her first 'rule' is never to play with the food. She shakes her head no after Joe offers to buy her a cup of coffee so she can warm up outside of the cold, and she walks away.As Marie crosses the street, she passes in front of Tony's car, which is just pulling out of his parking spot. Tony's windshield wipers are still brushing excess snow away from his windshield, so he doesn't immediately see Marie and has to stop short, honking his horn impatiently. Marie gets annoyed and she knocks the hood of his car with one of her shopping bags. Tony jumps out and menacingly warns Marie not to touch his car. Marie thinks to herself that Tony is 'perfect.' Turning meek and timid, Marie apologizes, pleading for Tony not to hurt her. She then makes a curiously flirtatious remark about Tony's reflexes in not hitting her with the car. Tony smiles and offers Marie a lift, and she smiles back.As Tony drives, Marie pops one of his Frank Sinatra CD's into the car's stereo and says there's a park nearby with an excellent view of the city, and she invites him to see it. Tony drives to the park and pulls up at a spot overlooking the city's panoramic view. Marie smiles shyly but flirtatiously as she doffs her coat, revealing her sexy red dress. She climbs onto Tony's lap, accepting his kisses as she starts to unbutton his shirt. She starts to kiss his neck, when suddenly he recoils in pain, indignantly shouting at her. But Marie's eyes quickly turn blood red and she opens her mouth to give a very animalistic growl, tearing into Tony's neck like a monster. When she's done, she peers at her blood-smeared reflection in the rear-view mirror, before pulling it off the car's roof in disgust and smashing it.Marie is a vampire; a vampire with a conscience. She must kill humans to live. But she only preys on criminals; preferably mean-tempered ones who enjoy hurting people. She passed on Joe Gennaro because she could see the good in his eyes. Tony, on the other hand, she could see the sadism in his look; hear his quick temper in his voice. Her first rule, never to play with her food, ensured she never had time to develop any feeling for potential prey. Marie's second rule is to always finish the food; she must be sure to kill them. This eliminates all signs of the feed marks she inflicts, and cleanly disconnects the central nervous system. Marie accomplishes this by using a shotgun on her prey at close range after she's done feeding.Police are investigating Tony's murder the next morning, and it's seen that Joe Gennaro is in fact with the Pittsburgh police department, working deep undercover infiltrating Sal Macelli's crime ring in order to bring it down. As Joe looks into the van, the coroner is spooked. Tony was killed with a clean shotgun hit, but the body shows a clear sign of very significant blood loss beyond what the shotgun damage should inflict. But this is the least of Joe's worries as a federal district attorney, Sinclair (Angela Bassett) berates Joe for showing up at the investigation; any of the force could be in Macelli's pocket. The officers working surveillance are also furious at Joe over 'the stunt with the van,' although Joe defends himself because the van was too close without any discretion. But Sinclair doesn't want to listen to anything Joe says; she feels he's become a danger to the investigation and to himself. Joe argues hotly that he's been undercover as part of Macelli's organization for three years, eating, drinking and stealing with them, and soon he'll be asked to make a hit, which is when it will be time to nail him. But then, press start to rush in from all sides, and Sinclair gives Joe a friendly hug as she turns and gives a big smile for the cameras.By evening, all of Pittsburgh has seen the articles both on Tony's murder and the photo of Joe with Sinclair; including Marie and Macelli. Exiting the Oyster House with a group of his men, and his attorney, Manny Bergman (Don Rickles), Macelli is taking the news exactly the way he'd be expected to-- wanting Joe killed, while Manny tries to talk him into 'making proper arrangements' because Sinclair will soon use the Rico act to freeze all of Macelli's assets.Macelli finds Lenny (David Proval), one of his men, talking to Marie, who's come by to feed on another of the gangsters. When Macelli has Jacko (Tony Sirico), one of his men, chase off a nosy photographer, Marie tells Macelli off in a way that can get people killed. But although he puts Marie in her place, Macelli's impressed by her moxie and offers her a ride. Marie knew she should have walked away from Macelli, but she found him annoying; enough to make an example of him. She gets into his limo, going into her act as Macelli breaks the ice with her. Marie notes they're being followed, and Macelli tells Lenny, who's driving the limo, to lose anyone tailing them and take him and Marie to 'the hideaway.'Macelli's hideaway is right beside a church. He tells Lenny he'll be with Marie for an hour, and to stand guard. He brings Marie into the hideaway, and she smiles flirtatiously as she looks the place over. But when Macelli takes out a container with take-out supper from the Oyster House, Marie recoils from the strong odor of garlic used in preparing the food, saying it isn't for her. Marie runs into the bathroom, pushing up the window, breathing in the fresh air; knowing she made a mistake targetting Macelli. In the meanwhile, Macelli is wondering what's going on with Marie and goes into the bathroom after her, starting to come on to her. Marie is nauseated by the garlic on his breath, and the lights of the bathroom are hurting her sensitive eyes. Macelli starts to get aggressive in kissing her and starting to undress her. Marie responds to the passion, undoing his tie and shirt collar. Marie then strikes, tearing into Macelli's neck and starting to feed.But Marie is unprepared for the crafty mob boss' resourcefulness. As she tears into his neck, he pulls a handgun strapped to his ankle and fires a shot into the ceiling. Lenny, sitting in the limo, hears the sound. Macelli fires a shot into Marie's stomach before collapsing. Lenny hurries to the hideaway door, trying to get in. Marie presses a towel to her wound and again happens to catch sight of her blood-smeared reflection in a mirror, breaking it in disgust. Lenny happens to look in through the raised window and sees Macelli laying in the bathtub, seemingly dead. He sees Marie, her face smeared with blood, and cries out in alarm. Hurrying back to the door, he shoots the lock and kicks the door in. He hurries to the bathroom, finding Macelli still in the bathtub, and Marie gone, having hurried out to make her escape.Joe is in protective custody, watching an old horror TV show with officer Dave Flinton (Leo Burmester), who's helping watch over him. Joe knows that because of how deep undercover he's been, many of his fellow officers don't look kindly on him, seeing him as half cop, half crook. But another curve ball is headed his way as fellow officer Morales (Luis Guzmán) comes by with pizza delivery; a phone call informs Flinton that Macelli's taken a hit on the north side; apparently Joe made him look so bad in front of his men, that one of them took him out in a macabre form of poetic justice. Joe is still upset, because the undercover work was the case that was going to make his career.Joe drives to the hideaway where preliminary investigation is underway. He looks through the broken bathroom window, dismayed as he watches the coroner tending to Macelli's body. But immediately Joe notices things amiss; Macelli suffered a cut carotid artery, meaning there should be far more blood than he sees, and he's sure the coroner found something under Macelli's fingernails; Joe suspects the perp was a female and that Macelli's fingernails have traces of makeup underneath. The coroner glances at a thermometer placed in Macelli's midsection and makes a puzzled sound; Macelli's body temperature is going up, not down as is standard for a corpse. Lenny and Manny are outside the church as well, and a fight nearly breaks out as Joe passes by them.Joe climbs the fire escape onto the roof of the hideaway building. Looking around with a flashlight, he finds blood on the chimney-- and a woman's black pump laying in the blood-spattered snow atop the roof. As he picks it up and starts to examine it, he hears a rustle from the other side of the chimney. Marie comes into view, her eyes red and her face still smeared with blood, and she gives a vampiric growl, scaring Joe out of his wits. He dives to the floor as she runs past and leaps off the roof, escaping.Joe enters the church and looks around. Feeling uneasy, he draws his gun. Suddenly he feels something moving past him and hears Marie growling, although he doesn't see her. Suddenly the church's fire escape doors burst open and a growling sound comes from there, before the doors slam back shut in the sudden gust of wind.Marie runs along the outside of the church. She climbs up an exterior heating pipe, breaking a window on the second floor and entering through it. Joe sees a tethered German Shepherd dog barking loudly and acting very agitated, and quickly unties its leash, setting it loose.In a shower room in the church, Marie lets the hot shower water wash all the blood off her body, without bothering to undress. She stands under the shower, letting the water continue to pour down on her, while outside, the dog leads Joe to the pipe Marie climbed up. Joe looks up and sees the window Marie broke. Someone puts a hand on Joe's shoulder and he whirls, gun drawn-- it's just the dog's owner, come looking for him.Joe climbs the pipe and enters the shower room. Marie is gone, but he sees that she left the shower faucet she used, running-- and he sees her wet footprints leading to and through a closed door. He follows Marie's trail to a thrift shop, finding its lock broken. As he looks around, the camera pans up to show Marie hanging from a fixture on the ceiling, above and now behind him. She's changed into some clothes taken from the shop, leaving her bloody dress on the floor. Marie hangs from the fixture by one hand, watching Joe closely as he bends down and looks at her discarded dress. Finally she drops down to the floor, swipes a jacket from the racks and is out the door before Joe can spot her, although he heard the sounds and sweeps the area with his gun.But as he steps back outside the thrift shop, Marie suddenly grabs him from behind and throws him a dozen yards onto the ground; grabbing away his gun and throwing it through the church window. Her eyes flash a bestial green and her voice is harshly distorted as she warns him to stay away from her, or she'll kill him. Joe is left dazed on the ground, gazing up at the sky in disbelief.Macelli's body is being brought into the morgue. But as the pathologist plugs in a tool to start an autopsy, he suddenly finds Macelli sitting up and looking right at him. Downstairs, the county coroner is telling a massed crowd of repoters that the press will know the details on Macelli's death soon as he knows-- but everyone is about to find the results out first hand, as they all see Macelli running through the morgue atrium with the pathologist following behind. Macelli escapes into an elevator, wanders right past the front desk security guard who's busy watching a "gorilla chases pretty girl" horror movie, and then steals a car from right under the noses of two bumbling fools who are looking in its trunk; driving it off into the night streets.Marie is perched high up on the steeple of the church cathedral, watching Joe approach his car. A press member tells him that Macelli was spotted crashing a car into a gas station in Shadyside. Joe gets into his car, and pauses to take the shoe Marie dropped on the rooftop out of an inside coat pocket, looking at it thoughtfully. He puts it on his dashboard and sits idle for a few seconds, until Marie leaps down from the steeple right onto the hood of his car, heavily denting it and smashing all the windows. She grabs Joe and hauls him out of the car, and climbs in herself, using her recovered shoe to smash out the windshield. When Joe leaps in front of her, she hits the gas to scoop him onto the hood, then stops and hits the gas again so he falls into the car. She intends to go after Macelli herself.Manny arrives at his house and is greeted by his wife, Fran (Elaine Kagan). As she helps him out of his coat and scarf, we hear the sound of breaking glasses. Manny goes into his living room, he sees Macelli raiding the wet bar there. Macelli's skin is pasty white as he rummages through the bar, looking for something to drink. He's stricken by extreme thirst, but none of the booze there is working to sate it. As Manny tries to calm him down, Macelli suddenly remarks that Manny smells good, before rambling about how he'd woken up in the morgue after an attempt on his life. Then he smells something and staggers into the kitchen, where Fran had warmed up some food, which Macelli starts tearing into greedily. He insists he's fine despite Manny wanting to call a doctor; just with a sudden insatiable appetite of some sort.Marie struggles to drive toward Shadyside, the bright headlights of the cars in the opposite-direction lane hurting her eyes. Meanwhile, Joe rambles about all the trouble she's in; Joe is positive that Marie is responsible for the hit on Tony Sliva as well as the attack on Macelli. Marie finally pulls over and asks Joe to drive, because she's having too much trouble concentrating against the incoming headlights. They swap seats and Joe continues interrogating Marie, finally confronting her on his knowing that she's in pursuit of Macelli, but why she didn't make sure he was dead the first time. Marie finally loses patience and snaps back that she screwed up-- using her vampire voice. Her eyes flash green as she does this. Joe sits back in shock, asking, "What in hell are you?"They pull into the gas station and are met by Morales and Flinton. The two still don't fully trust him, especially when he starts telling them that Marie killed Tony and attacked Macelli-- they look into the car and are not at all believing when they see the slim, demure-looking woman there smiling innocently at them. Flinton puts Joe in his car, warning that he'll cuff him if he acts up again. He then joins Morales in talking to Marie, who does a perfect job of playing innocent and the officers' own belief that Joe is starting to lose it. But in the meantime, Joe happens to glance across the street and sees a flower shop, and gets an idea. He grabs Flinton's walkie and asks for the street address of Manny Bergman. He then asks a gas station employee for directions. Marie spots him and asks Flinton and Morales if she can use the bathroom, which they gladly agree to.Macelli is in Manny's kitchen, heating a piece of meat over the gas stove while eating it. Manny sits at the table with Lenny and Jacko, watching warily. Suddenly Macelli drops his meat and sniffs, saying that Joe Gennaro is nearby. He punches out a window in the kitchen and jumps through it, despite the other three trying to hold him back.Back at the gas station, Flinton finds that Joe gave them the slip. Checking the womens' bathroom, Morales finds Marie has done the same.Macelli finds Joe and ambushes him from behind, clamping one hand around his throat and lifting him up in the air, choking him as Manny tries to plead for Macelli to let Lenny and Jacko handle things. Macelli pays no attention as he chokes Joe, a gleeful look on his face. Finally in desperation, Manny grabs a shovel and whacks Macelli on the back of the head, making him drop Joe but otherwise leaving him unharmed. He acts confused enough for Manny to lead him back into the house while Lenny and Jacko tend to Joe. They find him unarmed but also find a pair of handcuffs on his belt, which they use to cuff him.Manny takes Macelli inside, explaining that he's safe in the house because he's been pronounced dead, meaning even a search warrant can't be served in search of him. But Macelli is more occupied on noting that, despite how hard Manny hit him, his head isn't bleeding at all. Macelli suddenly begins to walk toward Manny, and tears into his neck, his eyes flashing red. Marie's failure to 'finish the food' has made Macelli into a vampire.Fran finds Macelli sitting on the basement floor, his face covered in blood, and Manny in Macelli's lap, seemingly dead, although Macelli is sure he's not; he's begun to figure out some of what's happened to him. Macelli gets up to feed on Fran, but she stabs him with a knife and runs. Macelli pulls the knife out of his chest, seeing he isn't hurt, although he notes that all his clothes are saturated with blood.Lenny and Jacko are carrying Joe away. Marie watches from a tree as they dump Joe into the trunk of Macelli's limo. All at once, Fran rushes out of the house, screaming for help; at the same time, Flinton is approaching in his car, and Macelli steps outside, changed into a new suit. Lenny and Jacko hurry Macelli into his limo and speed off, while Fran runs to Flinton, begging for help with Manny. Marie jumps down to Flinton's car, throws the police light away, and drives off in pursuit of Macelli.Macelli, Jacko and Lenny arrive at a dock, where Macelli plans a horrible death for Joe; to slowly crush him to pulp in the crusher of a sanitation truck, starting with his feet. Marie arrives on the scene just in time, racing her car straight toward the three. Macelli and Jacko fire at her, but she plows into both of them, jumping out of the car and breaking Jacko's neck. Macelli recognizes Marie's face and flees in his limo. Marie takes off in pursuit, pausing just long enough for Joe to jump in through the open passenger window. In the car they quickly fall into another argument. Marie knows how dangerous Macelli is, especially now, after having fed on a human for the first time. Joe, meanwhile, is beginning to understand the truth about what Marie really is-- something he doesn't see as much better than Macelli.Macelli sees Marie in pursuit of him, and the two cars weave their way through the highway traffic as the chase continues. But a bigger problem has just arisen-- dawn is starting to break. Marie sharply swerves to get to an exit and races toward a roadside motel as Macelli, laughing in triumph, drives into the Liberty tunnel.Emerging from the tunnel, Macelli is faced with the rising sun and his skin begins to smolder painfully. He manages to make it to one of his meat packing warehouses and makes his way to a freezer, telling the on-duty employee to leave him in there with the lights off. Macelli crawls onto a meat tray and puts his head on a piece of rump roast, drifting to sleep.The owner of the "Amore" roadside motel leers in amusement as Marie and Joe come inside to check in; Marie hasn't yet uncuffed Joe. She only does so after she's satisfied that they have an agreement on staying for the day. She tells the motel owner that they're staying until sunset; 7:17 pm.D.A. Sinclair is arriving at Manny's home as she's briefed on the incident with him. Flinton says that Fran insists she saw Macelli as Manny's attacker, and that she saw Joe being loaded into Macelli's limo. As Manny is being loaded into an ambulance, Sinclair tells him she knows Macelli is responsible, and asks if she can count on him to press charges. Manny just half-opens his eyes and looks at Sinclair for a few seconds before closing his eyes again.At the motel, Marie has finished showering and washing her hair, and she's turning out the lamps for sleep; using only candles. Joe sits on the sofa, smoking a cigarette, unashamed to admit he's too afraid of being attacked in his sleep, to get any rest, although he proves willing not to pull away the heavy quilt Marie has placed over the window to keep the sun out of the room. She sits on the sofa and there are a few moments of tension; Marie is starting to like Joe, and she thinks he's starting to feel the same, but he's still revulsed by what he's learned of her existence. Finally she gets into bed and lays down to sleep.Manny is in the hospital; a nurse in his room. The electronic monitor for his heart rate and pulse suddenly flatlines, and the nurse turns at the sound of its alarm. But suddenly the monitor's flatline reverses into a reading for heart rate and pulse again, and the nurse thinks it's just a temporary glitch, and goes about her business. Manny's eyes open to reveal they're bright red. Unseen by the nurse, he pulls the tubes and electrodes off his arm and chest, and starts to get out of bed. He approaches the nurse, intent on feeding on her. Still unaware of what's happening behind her, the nurse opens the shades to let in the sun. A second later, both Manny and the nurse are screaming; she in terror and fright, he in agony as the sunlight begins destroying him. Doctors rush in, and can only watch in horror as Manny burns to ash. Fran faints as she sees her husband's horrible fate.Joe has finally fallen asleep in the motel, although he sleeps lightly and jolts awake as Marie's bed creaks. He tiptoes to the bathroom and peeks under his shirt, relieved to see no bite marks on his neck. He comes back out and watches Marie sleep. He's starting to come to terms with his attraction to her, very slowly reaching a hand out to touch her hair. The touch awakens Marie quickly, and her look turns soft and compassionate as she understands the look in Joe's eyes. She stretches a hand out to him, and Joe's caution returns. As he starts returning to the sofa, Marie throws a pillow at him. He catches it and throws it back; she likewise catches it and puts it back beside her. Joe wants to set out after Macelli, believing they can catch him while he sleeps, but Marie warns him that he'll only sleep while undisturbed; he can snap awake as quickly and fully as she just did, and move just as fast; demonstrating her speed by moving from the bed to behind Joe in the snap of her fingers. Turning playful again, she pushes him down on the bed and leans close over him. She starts leaning in to kiss him, and he almost relents but suddenly rolls over on top of her, Marie not resisting. Again they almost kiss, and again Joe shies away at the last second, sitting up on the edge of the bed, only semi responsive as Marie starts coming on to him. Marie hands the handcuffs to Joe and prostrates herself on the bed, her wrists behind her back, inviting Joe to cuff her. After a second he does, and then he undresses and climbs into bed with her. They start making love, Joe finally losing the rest of his fears as both of them become passionate. Marie easily busts the handcuffs apart and takes Joe in her arms. As they climax, Marie's eyes start changing color, between pale blue, green, yellow and red.Frank and Ray meet Lenny at the meat packing plant, outside the freezer. Macelli had called Lenny and had him send for the others. Lenny is deeply worried, telling the others to just 'look at' Macelli, and maybe they'll agree it's time to pass the torch to a new boss. Entering the freezer, they find Macelli lounging on the metal tray. He tells them he feels better than he ever has, before revealing he overheard what Lenny said to Frank and Ray. Lenny balks at approaching Macelli, and for good reason; Macelli grabs him and feeds on him, before ordering the frightened Ray and Frank to stow Lenny in the trunk of Macelli's limo, and to bring him some clean clothes.It's sunset, and Marie and Joe leave the hotel to set off after Macelli. Their relationship has taken a significant upturn as they get into the car.Macelli's limo pulls up in front of the 'Melody Lounge' strip joint. Macelli opens the trunk of the limo, and Frank and Ray are astounded to find Lenny quite alive, if a bit dazed and confused. They go inside, and Macelli takes the others to a private office upstairs. Lenny starts looking at Frank and Ray thirstily as Macelli explains that they're now in charge of town; no other rival crime family will be able to touch them. Frank and Ray are quickly 'initiated' by Macelli and Lenny into the 'new family.'Marie and Joe pass by the Oyster House, finding only two men standing outside. Joe knows this means Macelli isn't there.Tommy and Vinnie, two more of Macelli's men, arrive at the strip club, where Macelli has them initiated at the teeth of Frank and Ray.Marie and Joe don't find Macelli at Bloomfield. Joe says the next place to check is the Melody Lounge.Flinton and Morales are also arriving at the Lounge. One of the dancers is an informant, softly saying into Morales' ear that Macelli is there, and upstairs. But the Lounge owner recognizes the two officers and quickly calls upstairs to alert Macelli.Flinton and Morales storm into the office, guns drawn and ready, and find Macelli's men sitting casually on sofas and chairs, unworried and unfazed; faces smeared in blood. Macelli drops down from the ceiling, easily disarming the two cops of their guns.Marie and Joe arrive at the lounge, finding it closed. But neither locked doors nor a bat-wielding lounge owner can stop Marie any more than an insect could. Marie foils an ambush by Ray, throwing him downstairs where he lands on top of Joe. Ray's eyes glow as he tells Joe he's going to devour him. Joe sneaks his gun out of his waistband and blows Ray's head off.Marie finds Flinton on the floor, dead, and Morales tied to a chair, 'for dessert later.' Tommy and Vinnie are waiting in ambush. There is a tension filled standoff until Joe arrives, distracting Tommy and Vinnie so Marie can break their necks. Joe tells Morales to call for backup and warn them exactly what they're up against.Macelli, Frank and Lenny are on the roof of the lounge, plotting conquest. Marie finds her way up there, proving a crack shot with a revolver, putting a bullet through Frank and Lenny's foreheads right into their brains. But as she pulls the trigger again to finish Macelli, there's an empty click; the gun is empty. As Macelli advances on her, she discreetly pulls out the door knob and then tries to stab him with the connecting rod. He grabs her wrist and they grapple before Macelli pulls his gun and shoots her three times in the stomach. Joe arrives on the roof top and shoots Macelli in the chest twice. Macelli leaps off the roof, taunting Joe to try and follow him that way. A second later and Macelli is sandwiched in a collision between a taxicab and a bus in the middle of the street.Hurrying downstairs in pursuit, Joe finds Flinton has awakened as a vampire, and is forced to shoot him in the head.Marie and Joe arrive downstairs, finding Macelli smugly challenging them. Joe looks down and notices the crash has caused both the bus and taxicab to leak gasoline onto the ground. Grabbing a cigarette lighter, He ignites it and throws it down, igniting the gasoline.As much as he's learned about his new powers, Macelli overestimates them, thinking he's invincible. He makes no move to avoid the approaching fire. The taxicab and bus explode, engulfing him in flames. Even immolated in fire, Macelli thinks he can't be beaten, striding boldly toward Joe and Marie, telling them he is 'the light.' Joe raises his gun and fires, putting a bullet into his brain.Dawn has again started to arrive; the first hints of red appearing in the sky. To Joe's horror, Marie turns and starts walking straight toward the sunrise to kill herself. He runs after her, and she listens, stunned, as Joe tells her he loves her. He takes her by the shoulder and gently leads her to a hotel. Even knowing that she has to kill, he now understands the code she lives by. As he rings for the hotel desk clerk, Marie thinks to herself that Joe makes her feel alive. He looks over his shoulder at her, and she smiles. | comedy, revenge, cult, murder, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt0047149 | Killers from Space | We open with a dawn view of a government installation in the desert. A narrator (Mark Scott) tells us, "Soledad Flats, Nevada. The time is 6:15 a.m. The climax of arduous planning. Operation A-bomb test underway." Detonation is two minutes away and troops are stationed in trenches to witness the test. A jet is aloft carrying sensitive instruments and Dr. Doug Martin (Peter Graves). He is ready to record the levels of radioactivity from the closest possible vantage point. Observers on the ground, settle in their wooden chairs, and we see the flash and the growing mushroom cloud from a high angle above. While the cloud increases in size the title of the movie is shown. The plane circles the cloud as Dr. Martin records data on radioactivity. The pilot, call sign Tar Baby 2 (Ben Welden) radios in altitude and speed while Dr. Martin reads radiation levels to the ground. The pilot moves in closer and spots a flashing light on the ground. The pilot loses control of the aircraft. Repeated calls to the jet go unanswered. A search is launched and wreckage is immediately discovered.Col. Banks (James Seay) calls Dr. Kruger to ask that he join him in his office. Banks is meeting with Ellen Martin (Barbara Bestar). Banks tells Mrs. Martin that wreckage was discovered, and the body of the pilot, but not of her husband. Dr. Kurt Kruger (Frank Gerstle) enters the office and comforts the widow. Sometime later, Dr. Martin wanders back to the base guard gate, still wearing his flight suit. He is brought to the base hospital and examined by Dr./Maj. Clift (Shepard Menken). Clift pronounces Martin fit and asks him to recount his movements after the crash. Martin, now sporting an "L" shaped scar on his chest that measures about four inches by four inches, remembers nothing between the crash and his arrival at the base gate. The doctor asks about the scar, and Martin explains he must have gotten it in the crash. Dr. Clift refutes that story by explaining, "No this was surgery. Very skillful incision."Mr. Briggs (Steve Pendleton) is from the FBI. He joins Col. Banks and Maj. Clift to discuss Dr. Martin. Banks just finished questioning Dr. Martin. Briggs is concerned about security and wants all the missing time to be accounted, and adds, "Did you ever stop to think that perhaps this Dr. Martin isn't really THE Dr. Martin?" Sometime later Briggs was able to confirm that Dr. Martin was the same and informed Col. Banks. Banks and Cliff called Ellen in to brief her on her husband, and why he was still being held in the base hospital. They inform her he is to be released into her custody.Doug Martin sleeps fitfully at home. He wakes and sees a pair of eyeballs stare at him from the window. It wakes his wife. Doug gets up and phones the duty desk at the base. He speaks to Sgt. Bandero (Burt Wenland). He asks about the next planned test and is upset when he is told, "Sorry sir, regulations. I can't give out information to anyone. No sir, it won't do any good to come down." Doug argues with his wife, but decides to stay home. He goes out to get the newspaper and is shocked to read the headline, "Another Atom Bomb Exploded: 6 a.m. Blast Visible for 300 Miles." Doug confronts Col. Banks and Dr. Kruger. He demands to know why he wasn't briefed and is told he is still sick and a security risk. He is given a choice; Go home or be confined to the base hospital. He storms out of the room and enters his office where he is greeted by his secretary, Miss Vincent (Ruth Bennett). He gives her the rest of the day off and waits until after 6:00 p.m. He fills his pipe, but when the phone rings he ignores it. Dr. Kruger locks up his office vault and departs. He checks Dr. Martin's office, and finds it empty. Doug heard his colleague and hid behind the door. Doug steals into Kruger's office, unlocks the vault and enters. He reviews some files, then exits Kruger's office, leaving the vault door wide open. A guard (Robert Roark) on rounds discovers the security breach and contacts the main gate. Sgt. Powers (Ron Gans as Ron Kennedy) confirms Dr. Kruger checked out and had left the base about twenty minutes before the call. Dr. Martin signs out at the gate as the guard is taking the call.Briggs meets Dr. Kruger at his home. He asks that Kruger return to the base. They drive separately. Now in his office, Kruger confirms for Briggs that the papers in his vault are in order. Briggs asks about why he left the vault open, but is assured by Kruger that it was secured for the evening. Briggs asks who has the combination. The answer is only three - Kruger, Banks, and Dr. Martin. Briggs notes that Dr. Martin signed out twenty minutes after Kruger left. The final clue is tobacco on the floor of the vault, which matches a brand Doug has in his office and at home.A police dispatcher (an uncredited Roy Engel) puts out an A.P.B. (all points bulletin) on Dr. Martin's car. Dr. Martin drives out to a deserted canyon (Soledad Flats) and leaves a paper message at a rock. Before he can hide it behind a rock, Briggs is there to intercept it. Doug is confronted by Briggs, slugs the FBI man, and escapes in his car. Doug stops at a gas station to fill his car. The attendant has the police band playing in his office. Doug calls home but no one answers. He hears the APB and drives off. The attendant (Lester Dorr) calls the police to report Dr. Martin. Briggs wakes and walks to his car. He answers a radio call and is told of Martin's sighting. Doug gets into an accident, distracted by the hallucination of the eyeballs. He wakes in a hospital bed mumbling, "There here. There here. They're going to destroy us." Hovering over his bed are Dr. Clift, Briggs, Kruger, and Col. Banks. The doctor gives him an injection of truth serum. Under its influence, his interrogation is recorded. The first question they ask involves the examination of the contents of Kruger's vault. Doug explains he was gathering and delivering information to a drop location at Soledad Flats. Doug starts his story at the point he was in the jet gathering information around the atomic cloud.Doug recounts that after the crash he woke on a table surrounded by pop-eyed men wearing black hooded shirts. His heart was on his chest, beating outside his body. When he got up from the table the "L" shaped scar was fresh and he was escorted through a cave system to confront Denab (John Frederick as John Merrick). Denab explains that he is a scientist from a planet unknown to humans. Doug tries to run, but Denab activates a ray that immobilizes Doug. Denab goes on to explain that they are accumulating the energy released by atomic explosions, then hands Doug the information gathered on the most recent test. Denab reminds Doug that he did not survive the crash and that they revived him because, "We had an important need of your services." Denab explains that their sun is beginning to fail and they moved to planets closer to the dying star. Their next move will have to be to Earth, all one billion aliens. The invasion is already being staged. Doug manages to escape into the cave system, but doesn't really know how to get out. During his wandering he encounters giant spiders, lizards, and insects. He learns that they are being bred to devour all life on earth to make way for the alien invasion. Doug guesses the aliens are tapping power from a local power station to keep the energy they've already captured safe. He surmises that an overload would destroy the facility. The Tala (also John Frederick as John Merrick) hypnotizes Doug to remember nothing and to obtain information on the upcoming tests. Doug finishes his story. Of course, no one believes him. The doctor gives him a sedative.Dr. Kruger drives out to Soledad Flats where Doug was going to make his drop and is met by Briggs who was already there looking around. At the hospital, Ellen comes to see her husband. Doug gets up and tries to leave, but is put back to bed. Doug asks for a pencil, paper and a slide rule. Kruger is called and soon arrives in Doug's room. Doug feverously works on formulae and calculations. Doug calculates that he only needs eight to ten seconds of power cut to accomplish his goal of stopping the aliens. Doug escapes the base hospital and drives off to the power generating station. Kruger and Ellen follow in another car. Doug arrives at the power station and is confronted by the guard. The guard warns a worker, who calls another worker (an uncredited Coleman Francis) to warn him of the intruder. The two workers begin a search of the plant for Doug. Banks, Briggs, Kruger and Ellen arrive at the power station and search for Doug. Doug manages to gain access to the control room and orders the operator (Jack Daly) to cut power. The guard refuses and tries to back his objection with a gun, but is quickly disarmed by Doug. With gun in hand, Doug forces the operator to cut power. When the master switch is pulled, Doug counts to eight. A tremendous explosion takes place at Soledad Flats. We close with a giant mushroom cloud seen through a window. The credits roll over the image of the expanding cloud. | brainwashing | train | imdb | I don't know why, but the scifi and horror films of this cheap, primitive, paranoid era were more fun than those made nowadays.Besides its innate aesthetic value, this film is notable for an early featured role for the great Peter Graves, who died about a month prior to me writing this review.
Mr. Graves' performance here is certainly not Oscar-worthy, but if one imagines the circumstances under which this film was undoubtedly made, he acquits himself well.Another noteworthy thing: this film features a storyline in which alien space travelers abduct a USAF pilot and perform mysterious and creepy surgery on him, leaving him with a strange scar and the gap in his memory that ufologists call 'missing time.' Missing time and secret alien medical procedures have become a cliché of modern UFO mythology, but this is the earliest film I have seen to feature these concepts.The aliens are bug-eyed creatures who dress in outfits of uncanny similarity to the costume worn by 1930's newspaper comic strip hero 'The Phantom.' Their base of operations is a typical low-budget movie cave of the type favored by the villains in Republic chapter-plays, and their equipment looks mostly like various disemboweled floor-model radios and old DuMont TV sets.
Before Seventh Heaven, before Mission Impossible, before even Fury, Peter Graves spent a lot of his time doing science fiction films, some of the best and some of the worst.
I won't say more, but it involves a scheme of creating monsters who will destroy mankind and then the aliens will destroy the monsters without spilling too much human blood.The miracle here is that Peter Graves as an actor had a career after some of the films he appeared in back in his salad days.
Even the length of the film, the whole 70 minutes, feels too long to watch, when no-one actually can act, the plot is terrible and the special effects are bad, even for the 50's standards.Now, there are some elements in the film, that caused me to laugh, but that was just because of the lack of quality, or just the sheer stupidity of things coming out from the mouths of the actors.Let's tackle the plot: A-bomb, the great and glorious days of the atom.
But he's acting somewhat strangely and there is a huge scar on his chest.Soon it's discovered that he was hypnotized and open heart operated by the aliens with huge, bulging and quite motionless, yet sometimes in different way looking eyes.
Part of the "problem" from that perspective is that Peter Graves is pretty good in the lead, and the special effects aren't as horrific as the Ed Wood movies.
When Doug awakens he decides he has to save planet Earth from those evil aliens.Again, not a great film but fun if you like the older Sci-Fi Horror B-films!
Only a shot of good old commie confessor will do the trick.This one has it all, if 'all' means aliens with ping-pong ball eyes and weird eyebrows, giant insects and snakes, and about as much exposition from a bad guy as you can get in a film.
Just as well, as the aliens disappear for the rest of the film (but there's still plenty of action).Although the make up on the bad guys is hilarious, I didn't particularly see this is a 'bad' movie, just a nice time capsule before the horrors of Chernobyl sullied the good name of nuclear technology.
No, not me (although I'm sure it would apply to me) that's Peter Graves explaining his dilemma in this Cold War relic, Killers from Space (based in no way on Hemingway's novel).Peter Graves is a scientist who, during an atomic experiment, crashes in his plane and (presumably) dies.
And the film ends in a generating plant, with Peter Graves being chased around in his underwear by what looks like Coleman Francis (Don't ask.)In short, if MST3K had made just ONE more episode, this would've been it.
Well, It Seems That Anyone That Knows About This Movie Bought The 50 Movie Pack That I Own: "Sci-Fi Classics" by Mill Creek Entertainment, Or They Watched It OnlineThe Plot Couldn't Be More Cliché, The Beginning Is Shameless Stock Footage (Of Airplanes) From Another Films, Then The Protagonist (Peter Graves) Crashes He's Airplane and Survives, Later He Discovers That He It's Alive Because Of Aliens and Those Aliens Want To Take Over The World And He Has To Stop Them.Same B-Movie StuffBut Actually when I Saw it I Thought it Was A Little Funny Movie, I'm Not Saying That This is An Excellent Movie But It is Entertainment (In a B-Movie Way).It is an Underground Super low budget sci-fi movie from the 50's, but isn't that great?
This is quite plausible and keeps up the film's suspense.Peter Graves is a very convincing actor so whether he's playing a sergeant in an Oscar winning movie about a POW camp (Stalag 17), or running around in a sci-fi flick, he's still very good and lends credibility to whatever vehicle he's in.While the movie's plot and ending are predictable, Killers from Space is fast paced escapism.
Martin (as you would expect) so he goes out himself (in his pyamas) to shut off the power to their secret underground settlement (sounds pretty lame, huh?).The aliens are pretty cool but there are way better comparable movies from that time than this one, so skip it!
Sure, even for B science fiction films it is cheap, but the story really isn't that bad and Graves does a workmanlike job acting.
So it's a toss up.Peter Graves stars in one of his, well, his performances (Any modifying adjective there would be a waste of typing) as a guy who learns of the Killers, whose big eyes bely their from space heritage.
"The Thing From Outer Space" admonshed viewers to 'keep watching the skies', a clear reference to airborne soviet attack and commie treachery in general"Killers From Space", in addition to priceless scenes of generating plant interiors - check out the Bailey Boards and massive U-shaped steam ducts which join High and Low Pressure Turbines - clearly portrays the relentless expansionist proclivities of 'progressives'.Peter Graves plays an 'Everyman' character who realizes the reds are poised to seize America and kill her citizens.The aliens from the dying planet - communism is all about death and their third-world police state toilet-nations are always in a dying state - clearly represent commies who in real life subvert, invade, and loot other nations to prop up their own failed marxist gulags.The aliens plan to kill Americans by means of bloated, freak-like reptiles and insects, a clear reference to the insectoid, reptile-brained subversives who infested New York City, Hollywood, Washington DC, and other power centers during the 50s.The aliens' underground breeding of insects and reptiles is itself a metaphor which emphasizes, in addition overt soviet attacks, lovers of liberty must remain watchful for red subversives who dwell in 'under-the-rocks' enclaves of academia, 'policy institutes', and 'organizing' groups.Isn't it fitting that in the film, gutless aliens outsource killings to insects and reptiles, just as in life the soviets outsourced killings to local 'progressives' in the Congo, Cuba, and American campuses?Isn't it fitting that in the film, as in life, marauding reptiles and insects crawl from beneath rocks to attack citizens?
Isn't it interesting the aliens, as with modern day reds, plan to kill the citizens and take the planet as a spoil for themselves, and will make phony promises to anyone stupid enough to help them in their malevolent quest?How very original of them, eh?Isn't it interesting that Peter Graves' 'Everyman' is at first denounced, then pursued as a raving lunatic for even speaking of communist conspiracies, yet after he demolishes them by elegantly simple means, he's hailed as a hero?Aren't the patterns and parallels are plain to see?Isn't that why "Killers From Space" should be required viewing for all who wish to see the true death-dealing nature of inter-generational 'progressives'?
If Peter Graves' character, nuclear physicist Doug Martin, seems disoriented and confused throughout the 1954 sci-fi shlocker "Killers From Space," I suppose he has a good excuse.
Killed in a plane crash while taking readings after an A-bomb test, Martin is brought back to life by bug-eyed aliens from the planet Astron Delta and forced by them into performing an impossible mission (whether he decides to accept it or not!): stealing the plans for the next A test.
Yes, the film is shlocky, but I didn't laff at it once, and really enjoyed seeing Graves and that giant grasshopper; in retrospect, a warm-up for 1957's "Beginning of the End." Fans of '50s sci-fi should probably give "Killers" a bonus star.
Yes, this is your typical science-fiction Z-movie from the '50's, with all the usual and typical genre defining elements present in it.Lots of use of army stock footage, weird looking aliens, absurd special effects, a non-existing/no sense making story, giants insects and of course an alien plot to take over the world.
They're obviously an advanced and smart species but yet the best they can come up with to take over the Earth is with the use of giant tarantulas, lizards, crickets and other friendly looking animals.Those animals really form the weirdest part of the movie, in which our 'hero' runs through some underground tunnels and runs into those large looking animals, that too obviously look like ultra-enlarged footage, with some hilariously bad 'monster' sounds put over it.
You know, it's the sort of movie for which they used small plastic miniatures for the planes and archive footage for the action sequences.Peter Graves, in a role before his "Mission:Impossible" series fame, holds up pretty well in his role, despite having to deliver some horrible cheesy and laughable dialog.
This early low budget Peter Graves film showcases extremely low budget special effects, generally poor acting, a painful undramatic soundtrack and pedestrian directing from Billy Wilder's brother W.
Lee Wilder showed a few glimmers of hope early in his career, but once he started making low budget sci-fi films, his apparent talent vacated the premises.The film begins with Graves flying around in circles in a toy plane over a nuclear test site.
Graves shows up unharmed and starts telling crazy stories about aliens with apparently vestigial (they do not move) golf-ball sized protruding eyes and black tights who want to use him as a spy to time their attempt to harness the energy of the next nuclear test to fuel the conquest of the earth.
hearing the Air Force use the call sign "Tar Baby" brought a cringe.I'm sure Peter Graves would like to forget this one, and the resulting parody, Don't Ask, Don't Tell.It was an interesting little tale of alien abduction and attempts to take over our planet.Do not expect great acting, but it is a glimpse of the past and the thoughts of people in that era.
I am no longer enthralled at a protagonist resurrected from the dead by space aliens who came to earth over the "electron bridge" and who pursue him with disembodied eyes and then stick him in a cave with fire engine-sized insects that never quite notice him.What I do still appreciate about the move is its brisk paceit packs a lot of action (or at least plot) into 71 minutes, and the actors treat the material with deadly seriousness.
First he's killed in a plane crash and then he comes to half-naked and vulnerable in the hands of egg-eyed creatures from outer space who plan to invade earth--because their own world is dying, so they say, but I suspect they're just really in search of a beautician with a really good set of eyebrow tweezers.
There is not a single bit of acting that isn't wooden, not a single display of real emotion, not a single line of dialogue that shows anything approaching wit or intelligence, and not a single scene that develops any tension.There is not a single special effect shot that is done convincingly, whether it's the toy airplane against stock footage of a nuclear test, or the endless series of forced-perspective shots of lizards and beetles made to look like giants.
Aliens wearing ping-pong balls for eyes and candy-cane striped cummerbunds inhabit Earth's underground and all they need now is one bad actor (Peter Graves) to provide necessary energy information.Director Lee Wilder's second take on atomic science fiction succeeding 'Phantom from Space' the year before isn't too bad.
Graves almost ruins the film with his atrocious acting, but the rest of the cast keeps things alive, including some cool eerie space music by Bill Lava.Fun B-movie with the usual doses of unintentional humor: Graves' acting is typically grave, the base doctor explains good health practices while he puffs on a cigarette, and the aliens look like Sleestak rejects from 'Land of the Lost'..
Wow. Atomic scientist/pilot Doug Martin is missing after his plane crashes on an reconnaissance mission after a nuclear test.
Aliens take control of the mind of a scientist and use him to steal military secrets as part of a nefarious plan to take over the world.This very cheap science fiction movie was directed by W.
Killers from Space (1954) 1/2 (out of 4) Peter Graves plays a scientist overlooking atomic tests when he is killed.
The film has some very bad special effects including a sequence where Graves keeps running into giant insects and lizards that the aliens have created.
It is one of countless Z-grade horror/science-fiction flicks from the days of yesteryear and is just as unbearably bad as say "Creature from the Haunted Sea," "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and "The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues."I am giving this film a half-star (2 out of 10 on the IMDb scale) simply because there is a saving grace, which I mentioned at the beginning of my uncharacteristically terse review.
Killers from Space has to be one of the dullest sci fi movies around.The only thing and i do mean the only thing good about this film is the bulging eyes on the aliens.The plot is dull,the action is limited and peter graves even looked bored.As for the leading lady barbara bestar,she looked like she should be working in a cafeteria serving hot lunches for little brats.She,s very ordinary.Graves was much better in "It conquered the World" This is a real sleeper..
I recently watched Killers From Space for the first time and I rather enjoyed it, despite reading a lot of bad reviews about it.A nuclear scientist is killed in a plane crash but is revived and then kidnapped by aliens from the planet Astron Delta with ping-pong-ball eyes wearing jogging suits and mittens, who want to take over the world.
Not surprisingly, when he tells his story to others, no one believes him so he goes to the local power station to cut the electricity for 10 seconds and this blows up the aliens and giant creatures and kills them.The best thing about this movie are those aliens' eyes which are ping-pong balls.
Killers from Space starts as scientist Dr. Doug Martin (Peter Graves) is monitoring the aftermath of an atomic bomb test detonation at Soledad Flats in Nevada from a military jet, Dr. Martin sees a strange flashing light which when approached causes the jet to crash.
The acting is suitably rubbish & a fair amount of the cast actually smoke on screen.Killers from Space is a bit pants really, there's no scares or decent sci-fi in it, the aliens are ridiculous & despite being a public domain film so you can download it for free it's just not worth the time or effort..
Not the least of which is Peter Graves amateurish overacting as a not to be believed back from the dead test pilot who knows that the aliens with the big eyes are here to conquer earth !!!
A stock footage festival for the most part interrupted by bad acting filler this is never the less a fun film to watch because of how bad it is , and to see how Peter Graves had evolved from such humble beginnings was interesting as well .His brother James Arness also starting in horror-sci-fi genre as the title character in '' The Thing from another world '' , that film however is a classic albeit Arness had a less than starring role like Graves .Just some more useless info !!
It appears that Peter Graves had better accept this mission, or all of Earth will fall prey to hordes of giant insects and reptiles before becoming populated by an entire race of Marty Feldman's."Killers From Space" is a dubiously entertaining film.
KILLERS FROM SPACE is a typically cheap and cheerful science fiction B-movie of the 1950s, notable for featuring MISSION IMPOSSIBLE actor Peter Graves in an early role.
It's best known as the movie that features a bunch of goofy aliens hanging around in a cavern who possess these crazy ping-pong ball eyes which look absolutely ridiculous, so it was a hoot for me every time they appear on screen.
The film's plot is lightweight and everything's rather cheap and silly, but Graves certainly seems commited to his performance which helps things a bit, and you have to love those aliens.
KILLERS FROM SPACE is a good example: cheesy script, an all-white cast, bargain-basement acting, static camera work, gobs of stock footage, riotous-looking aliens, and Atomic Age paranoia that now seems quaint.The plot: Dr. Douglas P.
It's never explained how his body stayed intact in a crash that reduced his pilot to ashes.Item: when the alien scientist hands Dr. Martin a set of calculations (on what looks like a sheet of tinfoil), they are written in Earth numbers.To his credit, Peter Graves remained stoic throughout this turgid 71-minute exercise.
The remaining eighty minutes or so owe something to "Plan Nine From Outer Space." A scientist, Peter Graves, manages to survive a calamitous airplane crash after an atomic bomb test.
Did they learn it from watching other cheap movies about aliens from space? |
tt0087759 | Murderock - Uccide a passo di danza | At the Arts for the Living Center in New York, Candice Norman (Olga Karlatos) oversees the latest dance routine choreographed by Margie (Geretta Marie Fields). Candice tells Margie that the act needs even "more perfection" in preparation for a visit from three talent agents. The academy director Dick Gibson (Claudio Cassinelli) meets with TV producers Bob Steiner and John Morris, who watch a video of the dance, and Candice learns that the men will only select three dancers for an upcoming TV show. That evening after the dance class is over, one of the dancers, Susan, is murdered in the locker room by an unseen person who chloroforms then stabs her in the heart with a long hairpin needle. NYPD Lieutenant Borges (Cosimo Cinieri) arrives on the scene to investigate. Also with Lt. Borges is the police profiler and psychotherapy professor Dr. Davis (Giuseppe Mannajuolo). With Candice nowhere to be found, suspicion begins to focus not only on her but on the victim's boyfriend Willy Stark (Christian Borromeo), as well as Dick Gibson.
Candice arrives back at her apartment, where she finds Dick waiting. He wants to talk about the potential relationships between the students, and tries to convince Candice that there is nothing going on between him and any of the other students. While he is there, the DJ from the studio, Bob, phones Candice and updates her on the murder at the academy.
The next day, the routine at the campus continues as normal, causing Dick a great deal of upset, since nobody seems to care about Susan's death. At a nearby coffee shop, Lt. Borges talks to Dick about a possible rivalry between the dancers. That evening at a local nightclub, another student from the academy, Janice, dances alone for an audience and then walks home to her apartment. As with Candice the previous night, she finds Dick waiting and wanting to talk. In her bedroom, Janice finds a photograph of Dick and Susan, but when she calls out to him, he is gone. Janice finds her pet canary dead with a hairpin needle through its body. Panicked, she runs to the front door, where she is attacked and killed by the unseen assailant who thrusts a hairpin needle into her heart.
Candice begins having nightmares of being attacked by a handsome young man (Ray Lovelock) wielding a long, ornamental needle identical to the one used in the killings. Candice becomes more obsessed with the dream assailant when she sees an advertising billboard which features him prominently. Unable to shake the feeling that they are in some way predetermined to meet, Candice tracks down the man in the poster to the seedy Fulton Hotel, and bribes the desk clerk for the key to "Mr. Robinson's" room. She explores the room, but is shocked when the handsome model returns suddenly. The man introduces himself as George Webb who, to Candice's repulsion, is a drunken and disheveled wreck. With what seems like disappointment mingled with terror, Candice flees from the room, leaving her purse and ID behind.
Meanwhile, Lt. Borges records a phone call to the police station from a person claiming be the killer. When a voice analyst identifies it as Bart, one of the dancers, Borges arrests him. Bart confesses to the phone calls as well as to killing Susan because she was crazy, and Janice because she was Hispanic. Borges, however, states his belief that Bart is not the killer, but a pathological liar.
George goes to the academy to return Candice's purse where another dancer, Gloria, recognizes him from a modeling show they appeared in years earlier. Dick sees George and Candice on a security monitor and calls Borges saying that George must be the killer. Over lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, the relationship between Candice and George becomes closer when she confides in him about an incident years earlier, when a man on a motorcycle ran her over in a hit-and-run putting an end to her dancing career and forcing her to teach. Back at Candice's apartment, she gets a phone call from Phil (Lucio Fulci), a local talent agent, who has made a background check for her on George and informs her that he once had an affair with a young girl who later died. At the studio, Candice is attacked by Margie, using the killer's M.O., but she is subdued by Dick, who turns Margie over to the police.
A few days later, Jill, another dancer, baby-sits for the wheelchair-bound Molly, who takes pictures of her. When Jill answers a knock on the front door, the killer forces his way into the apartment and stabs her with the hairpin. Molly frantically snaps away, but does not get a clear view of the killer's face. The police arrest Dick when he's found running away, claiming that he only arrived after the attack to find Jill dead. The following night, the killer attacks and kills Gloria in the locker room in the same manner.
At George's hotel room, Candice lets herself in and finds a hairpin and bottle of chloroform in his drawer. Candice rushes out to her car and drives away. George arrives and seeing what Candice found, tries to call her at her apartment, but she is not home. At the police station, Candice tells Borges of her discovery and that George is the killer and names the hotel where he is staying. Candice then goes over to the academy which has been closed down for the night, and finds Gloria dead in the locker room. She calls Borges and tells him to meet her at the academy.
Candice runs to the manager's room and finds George there. He turns on the music and a video showing all the dancers who have been killed. George walks in with the hairpin murder weapon and asks Candice why she planted this evidence in his hotel room, thus connecting him to the murders. Candice then reveals that she has known from the very start that it was he, George, who was the hit-and-run motorcycle rider who ran her over, ruining her career, her future and her life. She tells him that she killed the young dancers out of jealousy of their talent, their beauty and their rising careers, all the while planning to frame him for the killings as her final act of revenge against him. She grabs George's pin-holding hand and intentionally impales herself on it. Just as she falls to the floor, breathing her last, Lt. Borges and Dr. Davis arrive on the scene but, before George can begin to explain, they reveal that they already know he is not the killer. When they saw the photo slide Molly took of the killer's jacket, they noticed that the buttons on the jacket were on the left side, indicating that it belonged to and was being worn by a woman. In addition, Candice told them details about the lion's head hairpin needle used in the killings, information that, since it had never been made public, only the killer could know. George leaves with Lt. Borges as the police seal off and investigate the scene. | cult, horror, murder, violence, revenge | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0033712 | Here Comes Mr. Jordan | On 11th May 1941, Boxer and amateur pilot Joe Pendleton (Robert Montgomery), affectionately known as "the Flying Pug", flies his small aircraft to his next fight in New York City, but crashes when a control cable severs. His soul is "rescued" by 7013 (Edward Everett Horton), an officious angel who assumed that Joe could not have survived. Joe's manager, Max "Pop" Corkle (James Gleason), has his body cremated. In the afterlife, the records show his death was a mistake; he was supposed to live for 50 more years. The angel's superior, Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains), confirms this, but since there is no more body, Joe will have to take over a newly dead corpse. Mr. Jordan explains that a body is just something that is worn, like an overcoat; inside, Joe will still be himself. Joe insists that it be someone in good physical shape, because he wants to continue his boxing career. Joe keeps saying the body they find "has to be in the pink".
After Joe turns down several "candidates", Mr. Jordan takes him to see the body of a crooked, extremely wealthy banker and investor named Bruce Farnsworth, who has just been drugged and drowned in a bathtub by his wife Julia (Rita Johnson) and his secretary, Tony Abbott (John Emery). Joe is reluctant to take over a life so unlike his previous one, but when he sees the murderous pair mockingly berating Miss Logan (Evelyn Keyes), the daughter of a financier who was sold worthless bonds by Farnsworth's bank, he changes his mind and agrees to take over Farnsworth's body.
As Farnsworth, Joe repays all the investors, including Miss Logan's father. He sends for Corkle and convinces him that he is Joe (by playing his saxophone just as badly as he did in his previous incarnation). With Farnsworth's money to smooth the way, Corkle trains him and arranges a bout with the current heavyweight champion, but Mr. Jordan returns to warn Joe that, while he is destined to be the champion, it cannot happen that way. Joe has just enough time to tell Miss Logan, with whom he's fallen in love, that if a stranger (especially if he is a boxer) approaches her, to give him a chance. Then he is shot by his secretary. The body is hidden, and Joe returns to a ghostly existence.
Accompanied by Mr. Jordan, Joe finds that his replacement in the prizefight with the champ is a clean-cut, honest fighter named Murdoch, whom Joe knows and respects. Finding that he has forgotten his lucky saxophone, Joe runs back to the Farnsworth mansion to find that everyone believes Farnsworth has "disappeared." Corkle has hired a private investigator to find him. Corkle explains about Joe, Mr. Jordan and the body-switching, but of course the police detective (Donald MacBride) thinks he is a nut. Joe manages to mentally nudge Corkle into turning on the radio to the fight and hears that Murdoch has collapsed without even being touched. Mr. Jordan reveals that the boxer was shot by gamblers because he refused to throw the fight. Joe takes over Murdoch's body and wins the title. Back at the mansion, Corkle hears one of the radio announcers mention a saxophone hanging by the ringside and realizes Joe has assumed Murdoch's body.
Corkle races down to the dressing room. There, Joe passes along information from Mr. Jordan that Farnsworth's body is in a refrigerator in the basement of the mansion. Corkle tells the detective, who promptly has Mrs. Farnsworth and the secretary arrested. As Murdoch, Joe fires his old, crooked manager and hires Corkle. Mr. Jordan reveals to Joe that this is his destiny; he can be Murdoch and live his life.
Healing the gunshot wound and at the same time removing Joe's memory of his past life, Mr. Jordan hangs around for a bit longer until Miss Logan arrives. She wanted to see Corkle, but runs into Murdoch instead. The pair feel they have met before. The two go off together, while Mr. Jordan smiles and says "So long, champ." | murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0954947 | The Killer Inside Me | In 1952, Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) is a pillar of the community in his small west Texas town — patient, dependable, and well-liked. However, he is a sociopath with violent sexual tastes. As a teenager, Lou was caught raping a five-year-old girl by his adopted brother Mike, who pleaded guilty to the crime and served prison time to protect Lou. After being released, Mike was hired by the construction firm of Chester Conway (Ned Beatty). Mike died on the job after slipping and falling off a beam. Lou believes that Conway planned the accident.
At the request of Sheriff Bob Maples (Tom Bower), Lou visits Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba), a prostitute who is having an affair with Conway's son, Elmer (Jay R. Ferguson). When Joyce objects to Lou's treatment of her, he violently beats her until her buttocks are bruised. Joyce enjoys pain, and she and Lou begin a passionate love affair. Joyce suggests that Lou would never leave town with her, but they devise a plot to extort $10,000 from the Conways. Sheriff Maples and Chester Conway ask Lou to oversee the pay-off. Lou has another plan: he brutally beats Joyce until he thinks that she is dead (she is not), and when Elmer arrives, Lou shoots and kills him. He then plants the gun on Joyce, hoping to make the scene look like the two have killed each other. Joyce survives the ordeal. Then Conway announces his intention to see her executed for killing Elmer.
Lou's reputation begins to falter: his girlfriend and fiancee Amy (Kate Hudson) doubts him as infidel, and the county district attorney Howard Hendricks (Simon Baker), who has arrived in town to investigate the murders, suspects that Lou could be the killer. Lou accompanies Sheriff Maples and Conway in taking Joyce to the hospital in Fort Worth; Conway wants her alive so he can interrogate her. Lou waits in a hotel room while the surgery takes place. Maples tells him that Joyce died on the operating table. Lou and Maples return to west Texas.
Back at his home, Lou discovers explicit photographs of a woman inside a Bible. The woman was Helene, a housekeeper and babysitter of his youth who bears a resemblance to Joyce. Lou recalls that Helene introduced him to sadomasochism, urging him to strike her. Lou burns the photos.
Hendricks arrests Johnnie Pappas (Liam Aiken), a local youth whom Lou had previously befriended as a suspect in the murders of Elmer and Joyce. He was found with one of the $20 bills that Elmer was supposed to give to Joyce in the pay-off; Conway had the bills marked in order to blackmail Joyce if she didn't leave town. Because Lou is close to Johnnie, Hendricks asks Lou to persuade him to confess, but it was Lou himself who had given Johnnie the marked $20 bill as a tip. In the prison cell Lou confesses to Johnnie that he was the one responsible. When they are out of sight, Lou hangs Johnnie and makes it appear as a suicide.
Johnnie's death only makes the town more suspicious of Lou. Journalist and union organizer Joe Rothman (Elias Koteas), who had previously suggested that Conway had Lou's foster brother Mike killed, implies that he knows that Lou killed Elmer and Joyce. Lou coaxes Amy to elope with him as he proposes to her. Due to Lou's violent nature, she acquiesces to his desire to spank her. An alcoholic bum (Brent Briscoe) whom Lou had previously burnt with a cigar has been trailing Lou, and knows that he was responsible for the murders of Elmer and Joyce. He expects $5,000 to keep quiet with Lou agreeing. Upon the day, on which Lou and Amy had planned to elope; Lou beats Amy to death, and when the bum witnesses her body, he runs for help. Lou chases the bum, shouting that he has murdered Amy. Another deputy, Jeff Plummer (Matthew Maher) opens fire on the bum, and shoots him dead.
The next morning, Plummer informs Lou of Maples suicide, convinced of Lou's guilt and heartbroken over his crimes. Hendricks and Plummer try to get a confession from Lou, who cockily refuses. They have a letter that Amy intended to give to him before they eloped, in which Amy begs him to come clean. Lou is arrested, and after a week in prison is sent to an insane asylum. While he is there, he suffers hallucinations of Amy and Helene. After a few weeks, a slick lawyer named Billy Boy Walker (Bill Pullman) has him released and drives him home. Walker has been hired by Joe Rothman to protect the union man. Lou tells Walker his whole story and concludes that he doesn't want anyone else to die.
Lost in his violent fantasies, Lou douses his home in gasoline and alcohol, arms himself with a knife, and sits waiting in his study for a retribution to arrive. As police vehicles and armed policemen arrive, Lou sees a car pull up with Hendricks, Conway, Plummer and the still-alive Joyce. As Joyce tells Lou that she refused to cooperate with the authorities, Lou tells her he loves her, and stabs her. Plummer opens fire, hitting both Joyce and Lou and igniting the gasoline in the house. Outside, the approaching policemen see the house explode in a huge fireball, which it appears Lou has ignited to kill himself. | mystery, neo noir, cruelty, murder, violence, flashback, revenge, sadist | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0092857 | Death Wish 4: The Crackdown | A woman is walking to her car in the parking garage. She gets in and has trouble starting her car. Three thugs appear, break into her car, force her out, and begin to rape her when Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) appears out of nowhere. He shoots the first two thugs, but wounds the third. He follows the third mugger as he attempts to escape the parking garage, but Kersey quickly blocks the exit. The third mugger pleads for his life, but Paul shoots him dead. He rolls the criminal over with his foot, and reveals the criminal to be himself. It is then revealed that the whole assault was a dream as Paul wakes up in a cold sweat.The next morning, a young woman enters Paul's architectural design office in Los Angeles, and it is revealed to be Erica (Dana Barron). Paul is dating her mother Karen Sheldon (Kay Lenz). Erica goes out later that evening with her boyfriend Randy Viscovich (Jesse Dobson) to the arcade to meet up with Jojo and his buddy. Jojo offers Erica crack, and she dies from an overdose. The next night (without any explanation), Paul follows Randy to the arcade where Randy confronts Jojo and threatens to go to the police and tell them everything. Jojo kills Randy to prevent this. Kersey shoots JoJo, who falls onto the electrified roof of the bumper-car ride.Paul arrives back at his house where he receives a note and a phone call from publisher Nathan White (John P. Ryan), who tells him that he knows about the death of JoJo. Nathan explains to Kersey that after Nathan's wife died, his daughter became his whole life. Then she became addicted to drugs, and died of an overdose. Nathan wants to hire Kersey to wipe out the drug trade in L.A. and in particular to target Ed Zacharias (Perry Lopez) and Jack Romero (Mike Moroff), rival drug kingpins who are the city's two main drug suppliers. Kersey asks for a few days to think about it, and after a few days, he accepts Nathan's offer. Nathan supplies Kersey with weapons and information so Kersey can go after Zacharias and Romero. All the while, two L.A. detectives, Reiner (George Dickerson) and Phil Nozaki (Soon-Tek Oh), are on Paul's trail of destruction.Paul infiltrates Zacharias's mansion where Ed Zacharias is throwing an elaborate birthday party. As Paul Kersey bugs Zacharias's phone, he unwittingly witnesses Zacharias murder one of his colleagues, Vincent, due to betrayal. Zacharias captures Paul, and tells him to help take Vincent's body out in order for his silence. Another of Zacharias's gang's members offers to help, and they take the body out and hide it in the trunk of the car. Knowing that he is to be killed, Paul kills the hired hitman in self defense and walks away from the crime scene. Paul kills three more men in an Italian restaurant, kills a drug dealer disguised as a video store owner and two of his assistants, as well as Romero's top hitman, Frank Bauggs (David Wolos-Fonteno). All the while Zacharias and the Romero brothers begin to suspect each other's involvement.Eight more of Zacharias's men are killed at the fisherman's wharf by Kersey. Zacharias is informed by Nozaki, revealed to be corrupt, to kill whoever is setting him up. Nozaki tracks Kersey at work and tries to get information out of him. Nozaki attempts to kill Kersey, but Kersey shoots him dead. Detective Reiner learns about Nozaki's death (not knowing about his corruption) and swears vengeance on the vigilante Kersey.In an act of retribution, Zacharias calls Jack and wants to talk to him. They arrange a meeting place at the oil fields. Kersey is already there and fires his rifle. Zacharias thinks that it is Jack's crew who is doing it and opens fire. They kill each other as Kersey kills Tony and Zacharias.Nathan calls, congratulating Kersey on a job well done, and asks to meet with him tonight. Kersey arrives at the meeting place, but Nathan sends his limo driver instead. Kersey hops in the limo, and realizes he's been set-up after the limo driver jumps in White's car. Kersey shoots the back window with the PP and makes it out before the limo explodes. Kersey forces his way into Nathan's house demanding to see Nathan. An old man living there claims to be the real Nathan White, having returned from a three-month vacation. Kersey drives back to his apartment, only to be pulled over and arrested by two cops. On the way to the downtown police station, Paul immediately recognizes them as impostors. He flips over the car, killing one, and knocking the other unconscious.Back at his apartment, Paul Kersey comes face-to-face with Reiner. Kersey tries to inform Reiner about his partner's corruption, but Reiner does not buy his story. The impostor Nathan White (his true name isn't revealed) is mad that Kersey is still alive, and uses Karen to lure him into a trap. He leaves a message, but hangs up before Kersey is given time to answer. To get away from Reiner, Kersey pretends to speak to him and knocks Reiner out cold. He pulls a rifle with a grenade launcher from his gun rack.Kersey arrives with car at the meeting place. The car rolls forward as White orders his men to open fire. They spray the car with bullet holes before realizing Paul's not in the car. Kersey fires a grenade, killing three as the car explodes. He also shoots Jesse's car, with Jesse inside, as he makes his escape. Kersey follows them into the roller rink where he kills six more thugs.White escapes through the back door as Kersey follows. Karen escapes his grasp, but is shot in the back while attempting to run. Realizing White is now out of bullets and distraught by Karen's death, Kersey fires a grenade that finishes him off. Reiner arrives and orders him to surrender, threatening to shoot as Kersey walks away. Kersey replies: "Do whatever you have to." Reiner lets him go. | cult, revenge, murder, violence | train | imdb | I am a huge fan of Charles Bronson I have been watching his movies since I was a kid and Death Wish series are my favorite film series.
The movie has tons of action and explosions Paul (Charles Bronson) uses a M16 with M203 grenade launcher to go after Nathan White (John Ryan) and his men at the roller rink.
The movie has a beautiful score that I love from John Bisharat, Paul McCallum and Valentine McCallum.Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is an American 1987 action crime film, and the fourth installment in the Death Wish film series.
Death wish fans will still be content here, especially when Charlie brings out the big guns, reprising his role, as Mr Vigilante Paul Kersey, one of his greatest acting performances, ever..
Also, couldn't help but ponder from reading Puzo's book and seeing the movies: Who lost more close friends, family, etc., to murder, Don Corleone, or mild-mannered architect/conscientious objector, Paul Kersey?The original gave a plausible reason for Paul's ability with guns, although he had eschewed them following his gun collector/father's death in a hunting accident.But as these series installments proceeded, and you look at them anew now, there are other fascinations: Charlie performed these roles beginning in his 50's to a period where he had been eligibile for early social security payments for over a decade.Further, he rotated between both coasts, having no trouble becoming ensconced comfortably every time, with successful business activity, a host of friends (many of whom met their demise), and a dual schedule which would keep either a full-time businessman or a full-time mob button man busy at his singular profession -- but Paul handled both with little detraction from either by the other.And his affinity for hand guns (and undoubtedly rifles) as previously explained aside -- Paul also seems to have had the ability to acquire capabilities with regard a wide variety of heavy weaponry and ordnance exceeding a level reached by, say, even General Patton.
In Charles Bronson's fourth outing as vigilante killer Paul Kersey in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, he's hired by mysterious millionaire John P.
You would definitely think that Bronson did this full time instead of just a sideline with his real job being an architect.But let's just say the wool is truly pulled over his eyes in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown in a way I certainly couldn't believe.
Sequel to successful crime thriller that created the Vigilante genre with Bronson as the main star as architect Paul Kersey turned the one-man vigilante when his family is attacked by furious band formed by some ominous punks , as his wife is murdered and daughter reduced to living vegetable ; he then stalks the slums of N.Y. and searching crooks , hoodlums , muggers , pimps making the neighborhood safer and bumping off delinquents and street scum .
Paul takes on the members of a vicious Los Angeles drug cartel led by Ed Zacharias (Perry Lopez) to stop the flow of crack after his girlfriend's daughter (Dana Barron , though Kay Lenz is only 13 years older than Dana) dies from an overdose.
Both of whom worked together nine times , this sequel was the only 'Death Wish' movie of the five film series that they made together .
And I actually went back to watch that scene three times just for the sheer laughs of how bad it was.Of course Paul Kersey lost more people that he loved and cared about in this movie.
In good old "Death Wish" tradition, you shouldn't look for logic or plausibility in script but merely enjoy the spectacular action sequences and the giant bad-guys body count!
The fourth installment to the death wish series, 'The Crackdown' was just a tired Charles Bronson (whom I greatly admire) trying to put his Paul Kersey game face back on and blow away some more scum.
Death Wish 4 (1987) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is now living with a new woman and her teenage daughter.
Obviously Cannon wanted to use the popular DEATH WISH title but at the same time I think the film works better on its own and not being connected.Bronson turns in a rather energetic performance as he certainly has no problem playing the tough guy.
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, is a surprisingly entertaining entry in the series, Despite not being Directed by Michael Winner who directed the first 3 movies, Of all of the Films in the Series this one is one of the best however it seem's to have one of the Lowest Critical Ratings (the lowest Being Death Wish 5) Which i really don't understand because i really Found this one Entertaining, but I think i know where the critical Lambasting came from, when the Film came out, it was 1987 during that time It seemed that Drugs particularly cocaine were advertised as a major problem in Society (Without a doubt Drugs are a Major problem, but they are not the only problem in society)and During this time both TV And Film were Advertising this and I think people were tired of hearing about it, and Death Wish 4 is no Exception regarding making Anti-Drug Statements , However the Drug Statement Is not the Only thing that Critics had with it, it was also the Fact that this was 4th film in the series and I guess they Just Got tired of the series (Oh, But No one Gets tired of the James Bond Or Godzilla Series!) Personally I'm all for Sequel's As long as they are entertaining and add some things that are new, and Death Wish 4 Does that.The Plot Once again involves Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson)Now Living with a Girlfriend (Kay Lenz)in L.A,everything Seems to Be going Good for them until Kersey's Girlfriend's Daughter Dies From a Cocaine Overdose, Kersey Goes out to find the Pusher who sold her the Drugs and Kills him, however the next day Kersey gets a mysterious phone call from someone Claiming to know who Kersey is, and telling him to meet the caller at a specified address, he goes to the address and meets a Reporter who's Daughter also died from a Cocaine overdose, and with Kersey's Help wants revenge on the entire drug underworld.
Kersey Accepts the offer and goes on the Hunt to Destroy the entire Drug underworld.Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, Is a welcoming Change to the Series, instead of having Kersey just killing Muggers and Rapists, we have him taking on an entire Drug Underworld in a reasonably Clever way, by setting up Rival Drug mobs against each other, the paranoia and Confusion between both the Drug Mobs is exciting and somewhat funny to watch, and the action this time is a little Lighter than the 3rd film but thats balanced out with Clever Set Pieces, Suspenseful Moments and Funny One Liners delivered from both Bronson and the Supporting Cast, but the action is still enjoyable despite it being a little toned down, and Bronson definitely seemed to be having more fun in this one than in the 3rd film, and another thing is there is not one rape scene in the entire film, well except in the opening scene there is an rape attempt but nothing graphic or as Shocking like the previous films (Thank God) If there's anything bad about the film it's very minor, The film isn't exactly original but things like Originality Don't Matter as long as they are not Blatantly Copied and in Death Wish 4 as far as i know it's certainly not, I did miss Jimmy Page's Score however, and the ending seemed Like a repeat of the 3rd film only not as good, but its not Unsatisfying.
The Death Wish films strongly follow a formula that was set by the first film: Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson), an easygoing architect either in New York City or Los Angeles, at some point with a female significant other and usually some kind of daughter figure, experiences violence towards his loved ones by anarchic gangs.
(By the way, Thompson was new to the Death Wish series, but he had directed Bronson six times previously, beginning with St. Ives (1976), then in The White Buffalo (1977), Caboblanco (1980), 10 to Midnight (1983), The Evil That Men Do (1984), and Murphy's Law (1986).
Thompson continues to play with our expectations in many ways, including a fairly shocking occurrence near the end of the film (after a very fun scene in a roller disco).In addition to the clever meta-level stuff, the set-up of the film results in it basically being a series of action vigilante/hit-man set pieces.
The blood-lust of the right-wing in America plays itself out in a constant stream of flowing blood as the "evil" drug lords are murdered.Sure, his girlfriend's (Kay Lenz) daughter (Dana Barron) dies from a drug overdose, but both are such a small part of the story that it appears they were tacked on to give Kersey some justification for revenge, rather than just a penchant for killing.I plan to immerse myself in this series this weekend to vicariously expunge my blood-lust for the evildoers in Washington..
The original Death Wish was hardly a film longing for a sequel, as it's hardly believable that one man could face such bad luck not twice, but a total of 5 times.
Perhaps it may have faired better as a standalone film rather than a sequel (the same goes for all the other Death Wish sequels) but as it is, it's fun to watch and is certainly better than that trash which shall remain unnamed starring Robert Ginty.Death Wish 4 makes no attempt to hide what it is at heart, which is a cheesy vigilante actioner with a thin plot that's just basically an excuse for more scum to kill and it does it's job at that just fine, with most things being well handled and the pace never slowing down.
Much of the movie is entirely predictable but that's okay, including a twist in the third quarter which I'm sure everybody will see coming.Overall, Death Wish 4 may be a bad movie on paper but as far as cheesy vigilante actioners go, it works and is certainly one of the better ones out there.
Mr. Kersey, pretty much accepting vigilantism as a way of life at this point tries to find the source of the drugs and neutralize it and the movie follows that plot, and you also have the obligatory useless asshole cops who get on Paul's case about his past, etc.
one can usually rely on charles bronson to give a deadpan performance as the iconic vigilante paul kersey now synonymous with the death wish series that rocketed him to stardom in the late seventies up to the eighties.
In this forth installment of the "Death Wish" movies Paul Kersey not only takes out the local street hoods but has him using and manipulating the top organize crime gangs, that are dealing in illegal narcotics in L.A. Kersey get them kill each other off without them ever knowing about it!
After offing JoJo at the start of the film "Death Wish 4" it seemed that Paul Kersey was ready to go back to his peaceful and serene life as an architect and living with Karen, after burying and mourning her daughter Erica.
As the 'Death Wish' series went on, the movies became more of an excuse to watch Charles Bronson shoot some bad guys.
The blood-lust of the right-wing in America plays itself out in a constant stream of flowing blood as the "evil" drug lords are murdered.Sure, his girlfriend's (Kay Lenz) daughter (Dana Barron) dies from a drug overdose, but both are such a small part of the story that it appears they were tacked on to give Kersey some justification for revenge, rather than just a penchant for killing.I play to immerse myself in this series this weekend to vicariously expunge my blood-lust for the evildoers in Washington.As a bit of trivia, last year's Death Sentence is also based upon Brian Garfield's novel that spawned this series..
The action is awesome in this entry & is very well directed by J.lee Thompson who only did this one death wish film but has done loads of other movies with Bronson before & after so they work very well together.
Even if They are Innumerable, Armed to the Teeth, and have Crooked Cops and Politicians Backing Them up.In the Pulp, Comic Book, "Super Hero" World of the "Death Wish" Series, Villains are Inept, Extremely Vulnerable, Shooting Gallery Types who don't know How to Duck, and now that Paul Kersey has moved from Simple Hand Gun to Grenade Launcher (stored behind the refrigerator, just in case) let the Mayhem Continue Exponentially.There are a lot of Characters and believe it or not, Character Twists in this rather Sprawling Display from Director J.
Once again, Charles Bronson plays architect-turned-vigilante Paul Kersey in this fourth film in the 'Death Wish' franchise.
The plot is arguably a bit too intricate for its own good with a twist in the final third that does not necessarily add a lot to the film, though it does tie in well with the idea of Kersey being used as a pawn to dirty work that could not otherwise be done (an angle sort of explored in 'Death Wish 3' with Ed Lauter's corrupt cop).
Which is a fantastic thing.We follow Paul Kersey (once again played by the one and only Charles Bronson) as he sets out to avenge the death of his girlfriend's daughter, who died of a drug overdose.
Like the 3rd film in the series, this 4th film has Paul Kersey (Bronson) kicking the bad-guy's.
Starting from Death Wish III forward - the film saga turns into simply shoot-them-up action without the great stories like the first two flicks in the series.5/10.
Generally speaking, I am a fan of the "Death Wish" series with one of my personal favorite actors, the great late Charles Bronson, in his most famous role as architect-turned-vigilante Paul Kersey.
Not a good idea for the distributors of 'those damn drugs' to mess with Paul Kersey's family'..."Death Wish 4: The Crackdown" is ridiculous and absolutely predictable in its plot, even in comparison to the silly, but enjoyable third part of the series.
Charles Bronson (Apple proof of when social security screws you over.) stars once again as Paul Kersey the vigilante who this time is paid to wipe out two drug dealing families, (and soon to be three in a lame twist.)Taken as a whole Death Wish 4 is just utterly bad, the actionscenes are all poorly mounted, the dialog is unintentionally hilarious and what's more the movie doesn't even have a plot, it's just Charles Bronson killing dumbasses who are dumb enough to get wiped out.
After all Winner and Bronson are THE guys who created "Death Wish" movie series.The acting and directing are clearly worse than in the previous parts.
Charles Bronson returns again as vigilante Paul Kersey, this time back in L.A., and after the drug dealers responsible for the overdose death of his girlfriend's daughter.
The story is the same as in all the 'Death Wish' films, as Bronson's character becomes close-victim of some reckless bad-guys' murder, and decides to take matters into his own hands by showing up everywhere, and killing everyone.
Charles Bronson stars as Paul Kersey the vigilante who loses another loved one and goes on yet another rampage this time targeting drug dealers in this sub-par sequel.
Case in point is "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown." Charles Bronson returns as mild-mannered vigilante Paul Kersey, only this time he's taking on a powerful drug cartel, his girlfriend's daughter having died of a crack overdose.
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is set in Los Angeles where architect & ex vigilante Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) has been happily living with his girlfriend Karen Sheldon (Kay Lenz) & her teenage daughter Erica (Dana Barron).
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is more of a straight laced thriller in the style of the often imitated Yojimbo (1961) in which Bronson plays two rival drug gangs off against each other in order that they will literally wipe each other out but with a few Death Wish style touches like rape, dirty cops & yet another person close to Kersey getting killed.
Death Wish 3 had everyone know who everyone else was & Bronson was the face of vigilantism but here he stays in the shadows & the two drug gangs don't know who he is which makes for a more plausible if not entirely realistic film too.
OK,by now the series is getting tiresome.Paul Kersey is back,now living happily in Los Angelos.but not for long.Soon Kersey is pulled into action again against 2 rival drug cartels who are responsible for the deaths of many children as a result of their drugs.You see,Kersey's girlfriend has a teenage daughter,who just happens to overdose on cocaine,sold to her by one of the pushers that works for one of the gangs.so Keresey sets out for revenge.there is a bit of a plot twist,which you might not see coming if you haven't seen the movie.however,overall,the movie is much inferior to any of its predecessors.it's seems slow and long,and contains scenes that stop the flow.not really that good of an effort.It's not Bronson's fault.he fits well in to the action hero mould and is credible,but the story lets him down.the most i can muster for this movie is 5/10.
Now this is what an '80s Cannon film is all about!The action is leaner here unlike the all out balls-to-the-wall assault that was DEATH WISH 3; this time Bronson works alone, going after and killing the baddies one by one in various amusing ways.
Charles Bronson returns as vigilante Paul Kersey in Death Wish 4, an entry which marks the arrival of a new director to the series.
This being a Death Wish movie things are destined to work out badly for Kersey and, true to form, Erica dies when she takes a "bad batch" of crack cocaine. |
tt0049370 | It Conquered the World | After the credits we open in a laboratory/control room for launching and monitoring satellites. Ellen Peters (Karen Kadler) announces that an unidentified object has been spotted. Her colleague, Pete Shelton (Charles B. Griffith) states that all aircraft should have been out of the area twenty minutes ago. The project manager, Dr. Paul Nelson (Peter Graves) notes that a commercial airliner is just off course. They are three minutes from launch. In Washington, D.C., Secretary Platt (Marshall Bradford) is meeting with Dr. Tom Anderson (Lee Van Cleef) when General Carpenter (David McMahon) enters the office. Anderson is there to beg Platt to call off the satellite project. When Anderson asks about the first satellite launched, he is told it exploded in orbit. Anderson tells them why, "It was a warning. I anticipated that three years before it was launched." He informs them that, "Alien intelligence watches us constantly." Much to his annoyance, Anderson is told the satellite has already been launched.At the Anderson home, Tom and his wife Claire (Beverly Garland) are entertaining Dr. Paul Nelson and his wife, Joan (Sally Fraser). They are just finishing dinner. Nelson reports that the satellite has been in orbit for three months and all is well. Joan voices her annoyance that the men are always talking shop. Claire's concern is more directed at her husband and what she feels are his delusions. The girls work on the dishes while the boys examine Anderson's new radio. He tunes in a station and tells Nelson that the sound is the planet Venus. Within the hum and static he tells Nelson to listen to the voice. At that moment, the phone rings. It is for Nelson; the project is calling to tell him the satellite left its orbit and flew out into space. The Nelsons hastily excuse themselves and drive to the nearby installation. The military lead, General Pattick (Russ Bender) arrives first. Pvt. Manuel Ortiz (Jonathan Haze) and Sgt. Neil (Dick Miller) clear him through the gate.The Andersons are in the living room. Claire is upset that her husband made a fool of himself in front of the Nelsons. The Nelsons arrive at the Installation and are cleared through. When Nelson enters the lab he's told by Pete Shelton that "its back". Pete, Ellen and Dr. Nelson exit the lab. Nelson tells them to get the reports to Washington before morning and that they'll bring the satellite down for a full examination. Nelson and his wife then drive home. It is early in the morning and Anderson gets out of bed and tunes in the radio set up in the living room. He's talking to something on board the satellite. Claire comes out to ask him back to bed. He tells her the creature from Venus is on board and will be coming to Earth to save us. Claire is exasperated; She is convinced her husband is crazy.The next day the team brings the satellite back, but something goes wrong. Instead of the designated landing area, it crash lands ten miles south of the Anderson home, at a location near a cave and hot springs. When Anderson tells his wife, "he's alive, he survived the crash." She responds, "Tom, youre a sick man." She tells him she's going into town and hopes he's better when she returns. The Venusian creature exits the satellite. It looks like a giant squash or pickle with horns and claws on long arms. Almost immediately electricity all over the world fails. The Nelson car stops on the road. At the installation the power is off and the phones are dead. Ellen Peters notes how quiet it is. Floyd Mason (Paul Harbor), her colleague, reminds her that it is always quiet in the mountains. Floyd tells the general that the satellite is down; the signals were coming through before the power failure. The Nelsons note the time as 3:03 p.m. when all the clocks stopped. They decide to walk up to the Anderson home to call a garage. Anderson is reading off names to his Venusian master. Eight people are on the list for mind control devices. The creature expels bat like flying objects that will home in on their prey. In town people are beginning to panic. The crowd asks Haskell (Thomas E. Jackson) the newspaper editor what's happening in the rest of the world. Haskell tells them he doesn't know; the wire service broke down. A woman asks Sheriff Shallert (Taggart Casey) what she can do about her husband's iron lung machine. Anderson comes into town to collect his wife and is attacked on the street by a man. The sheriff breaks up the fight. Nelson and Joan are closer to the Anderson home; they stop to rest. They notice one of the bat-like creatures flying. Nelson throws a rock at it, but it misses. The Andersons drive home. He has the only working vehicle on earth. He tells her that electricity and combustion engines have been disabled. Even the water won't work. Claire is incredulous; she turns on the hose on their house and nearly hits her husband with the stream. He tells her, "That works because it belongs to me."As the Sheriff is pushing cars off the road in town the bat-creature stings him leaving an electrical device imbedded in his neck. Like a bee, once it has stung its target it dies. The victim immediately disposes of the dead creature. The Nelsons arrive at the Anderson home and are greeted on the steps. They are invited in for a drink.With all vehicles dead, General Pattick walks to headquarters. Along the way he encounters one of the bat-creatures. It stings him, and like the Sheriff he disposes of the dead creature. And like the Sheriff, he is now under the control of the Venusian.Anderson tells Nelson the story so far, but Nelson doesn't believe him. Nelson does ask why Anderson isn't fighting it. Anderson says that his friend is here on earth to rescue mankind not to conquer. Nelson and his wife get into the Anderson car while Anderson calls the Venusian to tell him to trace the energy from the car to locate and possess Dr. Paul Nelson and his wife, Joan. The Andersons drive the Nelsons home.At the installation, General Pattick tells the technicians that, "Were in the midst of a Communist Uprising, they've sabotaged every power source in the area." He orders the staff to remain at the installation. The city of Beachwood is evacuated. Nelson takes his bike to the installation, but no sooner does he leave but a bat creature stings his wife, Joan. As he is biking through town he notices the Sheriff order Haskell out of town. When the newspaper editor refuses he is shot dead by the Sheriff. Nelson demands an explanation. When the Sheriff tells Nelson he is going to place him under protective custody, Nelson slugs him. The Sheriff cold cocks him with his gun, but before he can kill him gets a message from the Venusian to stop. He tells Nelson, "you're to be one of us...Get up, you're free." Nelson gets back on his bike and leaves.Anderson tells his wife about the control devices--the bat-like creatures. They plant a radiological device in the subject's neck. He tells her that once infected they are subjects of the benefactor and lose all emotions. Claire is horrified by such a condition.Nelson arrives on his bicycle to find the installation closed. General Pattick is there to greet him. He tells Nelson that the staff was relocated to a nearby air base and that he and his wife should join them. He offers him a ride in the jeep and they put his bike in back. Nelson notices the jeep is running and suspects something. He invents a diversion, and hits the general on the back of the neck with his gun. He tosses the general out and commandeers the jeep. He drives to see Anderson and confronts him in his home. He calls him a murderer. Anderson tells him about the Venusian and the part he played. Anderson tries to convince Nelson about the benefit the alien proposes, but Nelson isn't buying any of it. Nelson leaves after calling Anderson a traitor. Claire tells her husband that he barely avoided being killed. Nelson had a gun. She chides him, "you just had an undeserved stay of execution." He contacts the alien, but it refuses to meet with him. No sooner has Nelson's lack of control been reported, but his commandeered jeep stops running. Fortunately he has his bike in back and peddles home. It is dusk when he arrives, but he doesn't notice the lights are on, both outside and inside the house. His wife greets him. She has a control device and throws it at him, then leaves the house for a walk. Nelson fights it off and manages to kill the thing. As soon as the control device is killed Anderson calls Nelson and invites him back over to his house to talk. Nelson tells him he has something to do first. His wife comes home and he pretends to be controlled. She tells him they will be controlled for the rest of their lives. At this, he shoots and kills Joan.After his phone call, the alien tells Anderson to kill Nelson. Claire interrogates her husband about the Venusian. She tries her best to dissuade him from his grim task. He tells her the Venusian is established at Elephant Hot Spring cave because he needs a climate like Venus. He also tells her that Joan has been controlled. Two of the remaining devices have been used. The original targets were the mayor and his wife, but they were killed in the evacuation. Anderson won't tell his wife, but they were used on Pete and Floyd at the installation.At the installation, Ellen wakes up and notices all the equipment functioning. She goes to make coffee and finds the two dead control devices. Floyd kills Ellen while Pete looks on, unemotional. Nelson arrives at the Anderson home in Joan's station wagon. Claire makes her final appeal to her husband, but to no avail. He leaves the house to meet Nelson outside. Furious, she contacts the alien on the radio and threatens it, "Do you hear that, I'm going to kill you." She grabs the rifle that Anderson placed on top of the radio and leaves the house through the garage. As Nelson and her husband walk up the stairs into the house she steals Joan's station wagon and departs armed and ready for a confrontation with the Venusian. She drives full speed to the cave.Nelson informs Anderson that his wife is dead. "I killed her...not my wife, she wasn't my wife; She was a product of your work." He threatens Anderson, but wants information first. While Nelson interrogates Anderson, Claire arrives at the cave and enters looking for her quarry. As Anderson goes to retrieve his rifle he notices it is missing. Claire finds and confronts the Venusian, "you're ugly, horrible...go on try your intellect on me...you think you're going to make a slave of the world...I'll see you in hell first." She fires round after round with no effect. It kills her while her husband hears it on the radio at home. That changes things for Anderson. He tells Nelson that he'll take him to the installation, that Pete and Floyd are controlled. He will go to the cave and kill the creature.Pvt. Ortiz, while out foraging for food, finds Joan's station wagon just outside the cave and hears Claire's screams. He enters the cave and fires at the creature, but manages to escape and return to his unit to report. Nelson enters the installation grounds and finds Ellen's body outside. He enters an office and shoots Pete, Floyd and General Pattick. He only manages to wound Pattick, but steals his working jeep. Anderson, in his own car, encounters the Sheriff blocking and guarding the road to the cave. He fires at Anderson, but Anderson circles around on foot and attacks him with a portable welding torch. The military detachment enters the cave. Gen. Pattick jumps into another jeep and heads for the cave. Nelson's jeep stops, he gets out and starts walking, but hears the general's jeep approaching and ambushes it. He shoots and kills the general and drives the jeep to the cave. The military unit opens fire on the Venusian, but it has little effect other than drawing it outside. Even a bazooka blast has no effect. Anderson pulls up in the commandeered police car and orders a cease fire. He lights up the torch and attacks the Venusian. It attacks and kills Anderson. They both die in a heap. Nelson pulls up in the jeep and gives his, "he learned almost too late that man is a feeling creature..." speech as we see the earth in space. | cult | train | imdb | A lot of people slam Roger Corman and try and act like every movie he made was worthless schlock, but while he definitely did make a few stinkers in his long career, the truth is that he was involved with more good than bad movies, either as a director or a producer.
Graves later became immortal on TV as Mr. Phelps in 'Mission: Impossible', and Van Cleef became a Western icon via his work in movies such as 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' and 'Death Rides A Horse'.
He plays a soldier, as does Jonathan Haze (Seymour in 'Little Shop Of Horrors) 'It Conquered The World' isn't up to the standards of such 1950s SF classics as 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' or 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers', but it's lots of fun, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys b-grade movies from this period..
Naturally the creature wants to possess and conquer...Infamous Roger Corman movie which has one of the silliest aliens ever filmed.
But the acting is actually good (Peter Graves and Beverly Garland especially) and I DO find the alien at the end just...unbelievable.
In spite of the ridiculous, cucumber alien monster (which is fortunatedly kept off-screen through most of the film) this is actually an intelligent science-fiction thriller that's very much in an OUTER LIMITS vein.Misanthropic scientist Lee Van Cleef makes contact with a being from Venus who promises to save mankind from his own self-destruction.
It conquered the world is one of my favorite sci fi movies of the 50,s.OK,so the monster is a little ridiculous looking but that just adds to the fun.Beverly Garland is terrific as lee van cleefs aggravated wife and she gives some great screams in her moment of terror.It,s eerie to see people you once trusted turn against you,not of their own volition of course.This movie has good murder scenes,people getting shot down and a great strangling scene,not to mention the monsters way of finishing off his victims.Try to catch this film.It,s corny but habit forming..
Well, I'll see you in hell first!" Fans of the Sergio Leone "Fistfull of Dollars" flicks should enjoy seeing Lee Van Cleef as a scientist who's betrayed the planet earth by helping the monster come to this planet and take over the show.
A well meaning scientist guides an alien monster to Earth from Venus, so that he can rid mankind of feelings and emotions -- but only death and sorrow results.Yes, this is a terrible movie by any real standards.
Once you see the monster (or cucumber, or whatever it is) that allegedly "conquers the world", you will instantly know this is not a film to be taken seriously.But, of course, that is sort of the point.
What adjective is best to use when describing a film where Peter Graves fights what looks like the Good Humor alien while also shooting its bat-like minions, ending with a speech about man's nature as being "feeling"?
The male leads, Peter Graves and Lee Van Cleef, perform admirably, but it is Beverly Garland of My Three Sons who steals the show as Van Cleef's ever-suffering wife ("I won't love a monster, I won't!") And, of course, there's always the regular Corman cast of stock players, including the cute Sally Fraser, who unfortunately is shot (by her husband, no less - good gravy, this whole film is rather sexist!
This is a nifty little piece of Body-Snatchers style Cold War paranoia about free will and the fear of ideological slavery, with Lee Van Cleef wound *really* tight as the Brilliant Scientist On The Edge, a never-better performance by Peter Graves as his Heroic and Visionary Colleague, and Beverly Garland at her all-time coolest - 50's sweater and all - as the rifle-toting wife who storms into Zontar's cave to settle the hash of the beastie who stole her man.
Yep, that's how ridiculous the monster looked, and the mysterious "It" doesn't look any good on screen either.'It Conquered the World' is typical Corman's cheese fest at its finest, and great example how great of an actors Beverly Garland, Lee Van Cleef and Peter Graves actually were - they had to be in the top of their game to play through that pile of cheese with such a serious faces without looking ridiculous.
The film has nice interesting premise - a disillusioned and naive scientist Tom Anderson (Van Cleef) helps an alien from Venus arrive to Earth and gain control.
Scientist's wife (Beverly Garland) and his best friend (Peter Graves) are trying to talk sense into the mad scientist, while 'It' slowly gains more control over humans, until the fiend (who looks more like ice cream cone) is taken out heroic actions in real Corman's style.
The film is still highly entertaining, and Beverly Garland's powerful performance (did I really just said something like that about Corman's movie) has a lot to do with that.
Peter Graves' Dr. Nelson's final overblown monologue about human nature over the montage of dead bodies dramatically over serious but somewhat eerie ending to this campy monster film.Another fun exploitation flick, but with little bit substance (not well developed script, but rather on idea bases) under the covers of (extremely) cheap special effects and cheesy dialogues.
And the always hot Beverly Garland as Van Cleef's wife.The monster, embarassingly bad by Paul Blaisdell, probably might scare my three year old grandson, but, that might even be a stretch.Ronald Stein interlaces his excellent score with the events to heighten the excitement.You can poke fun at the show's smaller production values, the monster, the paranoid atmosphere of the fifties, but, this is excellent entertainment..
It's a 1950s budget science fiction & horror film that I'm sure many teenagers and 20-somethings enjoyed at the old drive-in pictures shows during it's release.These are cucumber-looking creatures are from planet Venus - and there aren't many of them left.
It is up to Dr. Paul Nelson (Graves) to help put an end to the destruction and deaths.If you don't take this film seriously and just watch it for the fun of it then you might enjoy this Roger Corman feature.6/10.
I think some Academy Awards should have been given out for this one, to Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef, Beverly Garland, Sally Fraser and the rest for managing to keep straight faces through out the 71 minute running time of this Roger Corman camp classic.There are nine of these vegetable Daleks from Venus left on that planet and they've been keeping up communications with earth scientist Lee Van Cleef.
And he's earmarked eight control devices for some selected key people, one of them being Van Cleef's scientific colleague, Peter Graves.It was acting of the highest caliber for this group of players to feign fear at this ridiculous looking monster.
His best friend (Peter Graves)is a rocket scientist that unknowingly provided the invader from Venus a way to arrive on earth.The movie of course poses a frightening event in an innocent time.
While it's not as good as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It Conquered the World posits a similar effort---this time coming from Venus---to enslave humanity.
Beverly Garland delivers the performance of the film, playing the wife of alien enabler Lee Van Cleef.
Good Sci-Fi story, great acting (for a Roger Corman film, standouts include veteran Western actor Lee Van Kleef, Corman staple Beverly Garland, & Peter "You ever seen a grown man naked?" Graves) great message, some suspense, but a pitiful "monster".One man on Earth becomes the contact with a Venusian traveler who seeks to control Earth and all her inhabitants.
In spite of the supposedly super-intelligent and ultra-menacing alien monster looking like a laughable and oversized vegetable with an angry face drawn on it, there are still several good reasons to watch this early low-budgeted Sci-Fi gem directed and produced by Roger Corman.
There are good roles and solid performances for Peter Graves, Beverly Garland, Corman's pal Dick Miller and – most of all – an exceptionally rare civilized role for Lee Van Cleef!
He believes that humanity should get enslaved by this super-intelligent creature and benefit from its wisdom and telekinetic powers, but his best friend Paul Nelson and own wife Claire desperately attempt to convince Tom that people should remain in control of their own emotions.
Of course I understand that Roger Corman absolutely wanted to have a monster physically present in his film, in order to lure more people to the cinema, but in case the monster would have remained off-screen and hidden in its cave, the film might have been regarded as highly as contemporary classics like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or "The Thing from Another World"..
This movie stars a young Peter Graves as the good guy and Lee Van Cleef as the bad guy and if you are a fan of either then you should see it just for that- I think the monster is so dumb looking that it is worth it just for that- But nonetheless, it is a good Roger Corman film in which others may beg to differ with my opinion.
Otherwise, avoid this putrid pile of pistol packing paranoid pontification.I especially love the scene of the base general just casually taking a walk in the woods near the base(as if the base commander would have the time go on a simple hike while the base was under lockdown).Also the woman scientist being treated so subserviently by her fellow male colleagues(hon, I know you have three phds, but could you just go and make the coffee).And Peter Graves final speech smacks so much of Mccarthy era propaganda, its not even funny.He warns us to be ever vigilant to guard against those outsiders who would try to control us, and change our way of thinking...
Let's see, it's a Roger Corman movie, it has Peter Graves who at the time was a b-movie magnet, and a monster that looks like corn-on-the-cob with fangs.
Dr. Tom Anderson (Lee Van Cleef) asks his friend Dr. Paul Nelson (Peter Graves) to listen to a strange humming sound, a signal from Venus.
In this movie we have Lee Van Cleef (Few dollars More) inviting a creature from the Planet Venus to colonized the Earth.
For an early Cormon film, this movie is extremely interesting and fun to watch and despite it's poor visual monster and flying bat-like helpers, it does it's best to hold the audience.
Today, I recommend it to anyone who likes early Lee Van Cleef or Peter Graves movies.
Like THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, we have a scientist sought out to help the alien (here manipulated) and at the end we get an impassioned speech from an Earthman about the value of what makes us human..kind of an interesting contrast to Klaatu's speech in The DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL..in many ways IT CONQUERED THE WORLD is the opposite side of the coin and I would say Corman's effort here is in actuality slightly underrated..
Roger Corman directed this cult classic that stars Lee Van Cleef(!) as Dr. Tom Anderson, a disgruntled scientist who aids a creature from Venus in its plans to conquer the world.
It uses bat-like creatures to brainwash and control the population to minimize resistance, but Dr. Paul Nelson(played by Peter Graves) successfully overcomes the creatures, and leads the authorities to the cave where it is hidden, though Tom's wife(played by Beverly Garland) gets there first, since she plans to shoot it dead.
Gordon's BEGINNING OF THE END [1957]), Beverly Garland (though saddled with a one-note character) and Lee Van Cleef (too young to play an eccentric scientist in exile but this actually adds to the film's quirkiness).
The 'invasion' takes the form of widespread power failure a' la THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) and eventually an emotion-drained personality (after being pricked in the neck by a bat-like control device – perhaps a nod to INVADERS FROM MARS [1953]): as with many films of its ilk, the villain here is really Communism and, in fact, Graves brands Van Cleef a traitor for having led the alien to our planet in the misguided belief that it would solve mankind's problems!
However, the film – running a brisk 68 minutes – balances its cautionary messages with action, movement (scenes depicting military maneuvers and the panic-stricken townsfolk) and even poignancy (Graves is forced to kill his wife after she has been 'taken over'); that said, we still have to contend with Van Cleef's 'climactic' tussling with the ultra-fake alien and the wacky combo of Dick Miller and Jonathan Haze (made to look and sound Hispanic) leading the soldiers!.
The biggest difference between the plot of It Conquered the World and other similar movies is that one character, Dr. Tom Anderson (Lee Van Cleef), is in communication with the alien and willingly tries to help him.
You don't expect (at least I don't expect) to see names like Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef, Beverly Garland, and Dick Miller in the same low budget Roger Corman film.
What I wrote for that film applies here too "Too often, low-budget sci-fi films from this period look ridiculous because of the desire for elaborate special effects (i.e. monster and aliens) that outstripped the funding it would require." In the end, while you can certainly find better sci-fi from the 1950s than It Conquered the World, you can just as easily find much worse.
And it is actually quite good.The story of an alien intelligence that takes advantage of a disillusioned scientist to plot a takeover of Earth, It Conquered the World is incredibly ambitious.
A giant crawling turnip from Venus smooth-talks American scientist Dr. Tom Anderson (Lee Van Cleef) into organising a trip to Earth, whereupon the creature promises to save mankind from itself by eradicating human emotions.
Thankfully, Dr. Paul Nelson (Peter Graves) isn't convinced by Anderson's good intentions and refuses to co-operate.A cold-war-era sci-fi quickie from director Roger Corman, It Conquered The World is in the same vein as Invaders From Mars and Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, a thinly veiled warning for all of us in the West to keep an eye out for 'reds under the beds', those who might have been indoctrinated by Communism.
While the idea isn't a new one, and the film's low budget doesn't allow for any fancy special effects or a decent creature (the Venusian is one of the goofiest looking monsters imaginable), Corman's assured direction ensures an entertaining movie nonetheless, the film's success helped by strong performances throughout (with a special nod for Beverly Garland as Anderson's wife Claire) and some unexpectedly strong violence (a cold-blooded shooting, a man burnt alive, and death for all of the women!)..
Roger Corman's alien invasion movie somehow works on a nothing budget.
Intense performances from the three leads, Lee Van Cleef ("We're all in a state of high hilarity."), Peter Graves, and Beverly Garland ("I hate your living guts!"), help make this one of the more enjoyable low-budget Masterworks to come out of the 1950s.
Hey, it's Roger Corman so you know you're in for a good time if not for cinematic genius.All the actors/characters in the movie are great in a campy kind of way.
Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef and Beverly Garland (is she cute or what?) take a limited opportunity and work hard to get the best out of it.
This 1956 "Roger Corman" cheese flick is about an alien from Venus trying to take control of people with by little bat-like pizza puppets.
Those attacked by the bat like creatures from the alien's butt are basically body snatched as their minds are now controlled by the aliens, killing anybody who doesn't follow immediate orders to head to a camp for the ultimate conquest.Cult favorites such as Peter Graves, Beverly Garland and Lee Van Cleef headline the cast here, although the credits determine that an unbilled Paul Blaisdell was asked to wear the rubber carrot costume and flail the lobster claw arms.
Dated sci-fi monster film from Roger Corman..
There are also some flying bat like alien monsters that look like they are being flown into shot on fishing rods, the props were then reused in Roger Corman's next film The Undead (1957).Filmed in just five days in California it was released by AIP in 1956 on a double bill with The She-Creature (1956), the cast are pretty poor here although it's odd seeing the late great Lee Van Cleef in this.It Conquered the World is not a bad attempt at a sci-fi film with meaning but does fall way short thanks to a talky script & a goofy monster, however there's enough fun & good intention here to make It Conquered the World an enjoyable way to waste on hour.
One of Corman's best 50's Sci-Fi Films Blaisdell's monster is great!.
His others film are "The Beast With A Million Eyes" '55, "Day The World Ended" '55, "The She-Creature" '56, "Voodoo Woman" '56, "Invasion Of The Saucer Men" '57 & "It The Terror From Beyond Space" '58 in that he just made the alien monster suit he doesn't play the monster too like in the others.
This is a Sci-Fi-Thriller about a scientist Tom Anderson played by Lee Van Cleef that is in contact with a Creature from Venus he thinks is coming to save mankind.
It Conquered the World is one of the best so-bad-its-good movies of the 1950's and is one of Roger Corman's best movies.The best thing about this is the carrot like monster from Venus that is controlled by Lee Van Cleef, long before his spaghetti westerns.
This 'carrot' sends small creatures called bat mites to take over peoples' minds and threaten the world.The other main cast in this movie are 50's sci-fi regulars Peter Graves and Beverley Garland, who plays Van Cleef's wife and gets killed by the monster at the end, which itself gets killed by soldiers.I enjoyed this movie a lot and is a must for 1950's sci-fi fans. |
tt0452623 | Gone Baby Gone | Boston P.I. Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his partner/girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) witness a televised plea by a woman named Helene McCready (Amy Ryan) for the return of her missing daughter Amanda, who was abducted with her favorite doll "Mirabelle". Patrick and Angie are then hired by the child's aunt Beatrice (Amy Madigan) to find Amanda. Using his connections in the Boston crime underground, Patrick discovers that Helene and her boyfriend "Skinny Ray" (Sean Malone) were drug mules for a local Haitian drug lord named Cheese (Edi Gathegi) and had recently stolen over $130,000 from him. After tracking down Ray and discovering he has been murdered by Cheese's men, Patrick and Angie join police detectives Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and Nick Poole (John Ashton) in investigating the case. Patrick meets with Cheese and tries to negotiate the return of Cheese's stolen money for Amanda, but Cheese initially denies his involvement in the girl's disappearance. Police Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) later reads Patrick a telephone transcript of the drug lord calling into the station to set up an exchange for Amanda. The exchange at a nearby quarry in Quincy is botched after a gunfight breaks out, killing Cheese and his men. It is believed that Amanda fell in the quarry and drowned in the confusion; her doll is retrieved from the water and returned to Helene. Doyle, whose own daughter was killed years before, takes responsibility for the death and goes into early retirement following public outcry over the mishap.
Two months later, a seven-year-old boy is abducted in Everett and Patrick receives information that the boy was taken by a known child molester. After entering the suspect's house and finding evidence of the abducted boy, Patrick returns with Remy and Nick late at night to rescue him. A shootout ensues with the residents and Nick is lethally wounded. Patrick enters the house and finds the boy's dead body; he then shoots the surrendering child molester in the back of the head in a fit of rage. Trying to alleviate Patrick's guilt, Remy confides that he once planted evidence on someone with the help of "Skinny Ray" — whom he had initially told Patrick he didn't know. After Nick's funeral, Patrick speaks to a police officer, who tells him that Remy had been asking about the drug lord's stolen money before the drug lord knew it was missing. Patrick then questions Beatrice's husband Lionel (Titus Welliver) in a bar and pieces together that Lionel and Remy had conspired to stage a fake kidnapping in order to take the drug money for themselves and to teach Amanda's neglectful mother Helene a lesson. At that point, Remy (trying to cover for his earlier mistake) enters the bar wearing a latex mask and holding a shotgun, staging a robbery to interrupt the conversation. Patrick realizes Remy plans to kill him and Lionel to keep them quiet, but the bartender shoots Remy twice in the back. Remy flees and is pursued by Patrick to the rooftop of a nearby building, where he succumbs to his wounds.
Patrick is questioned by the police about Remy's death and learns that the police never had a phone transcript like the one that Doyle had read to him prior to the botched exchange. The police dismiss his claims of Remy's corruption as conspiracy theory and Patrick does not press the issue further. Patrick and Angie drive to Doyle's home, where Patrick finds Amanda alive and well living with Doyle and his wife. Doyle was part of the phony kidnapping all along and helped set up the fake exchange to frame Cheese and throw Patrick off the scent. Patrick threatens to call the authorities, but Doyle attempts to convince him that Amanda is better off living with them than with her neglectful mother, and that is reason enough not to get involved. Patrick leaves and discusses the choices with Angie, who says she will leave him if he calls the police, since she also believes Amanda is much better off with the Doyles. However, Patrick believes Amanda's mother can change and she shouldn't be denied her child, so he calls the police; Doyle and Lionel are arrested, Amanda is returned to her mother amidst heavy publicity, and Patrick and Angie break up.
Patrick later visits Amanda as Helene is about to leave on a date with someone she met during the publicity over her daughter's disappearance. Helene informs Patrick that Beatrice has been forbidden to visit and is upset about her husband's arrest. Helene has no babysitter for Amanda and when asked, she tells Patrick that Helene's friend, Dottie (Jill Quigg) will watch her, even though she has yet to ask Dottie herself. Patrick volunteers to watch Amanda, who is holding her old doll and watching television. Patrick asks Amanda about Mirabelle, only to hear Amanda inform him that her doll's name is "Annabelle" — implying that Helene did not even know the name of her daughter's favorite toy. | mystery, neo noir, murder, violence, flashback, tragedy, plot twist | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0063729 | Twisted Nerve | The film opens with Martin playing catch with his younger brother Pete, who has learning difficulties and lives in a segregated school in London. Martin is the only remaining figure in Pete's family life; their father died years ago and their mother has a new life with a new husband. Martin expresses concern for his brother's well-being to the school's physician, who is comfortable with Pete's progress.
After the title sequence, Martin is shown in a toy store, gazing at Susan, who purchases a toy. As she leaves, Martin follows after having pocketed a toy duck. Two store detectives ask them to return to the manager's office. The detectives assert that Martin and Susan were working together to allow Martin to steal a toy. Susan assures them she has never met Martin. The manager asks Susan for her address and Martin appears to make a mental note when she offers it. When questioned by the manager, Martin turns soft, presents himself as mentally challenged and calls himself "Georgie". Sympathetic to him, Susan pays for the toy. Certain that this was a misunderstanding, the manager lets them leave.
Martin returns home and finds his parents arguing in the parlor, over his lack of interest in life. There is allusion to some perverse behaviour he has exhibited, though this is not elaborated upon. In his room, now behaving as "Georgie", he rocks in a rocking chair while smiling meekly in the mirror and caressing a stuffed animal. The camera pans down to reveal that the rocking motion of the chair is smashing a photo of his stepfather.
The next day, Martin goes to Susan's house and waits for her to return. She arrives with a young Indian man named Shashee. He drops off Susan, who thanks him and she goes to the library, where she keeps an after-school job. Martin approaches Susan who immediately recognises him as "Georgie". He tells her that he followed her and pays her back for the toy. Before he leaves, Martin, as Georgie, gets Susan to lend him a book about animals.
Martin has a heated conversation with his stepfather, who insists he travel to Australia. Martin refuses and returns to his room. Martin stares in the mirror, bare-chested, and careeses himself. He removes the rest of his clothes as the camera reveals a stack of bodybuilding magazines on his dresser. He then smashes the mirror in apparent frustration or anger.
Martin sets in motion a plan to leave home, pretend to go to France and then go on to live with Susan. Martin leaves his family and shows up late at Susan's mother's house, where she rents rooms. Presenting himself as Georgie, he gains sympathy both from Susan and her mother and they let him stay.
The plot unravels with Martin's duplicitous nature clashing against his desires to win Susan's heart. He wants her to accept him as a lover, but cannot reveal that he is in fact Martin, as he is worried she will shun him. Meanwhile, Martin uses his new-found identity to his advantage to seek out revenge on his stepfather, who believes he is in France. This series of decisions leads Martin down the path of self-destruction.
One night, Martin sneaks out of Susan's house after stealing a pair of scissors and stabs his stepfather to death in the garage of his home after his stepfather comes home from a dinner party. The police investigate the next day and focus their attention to finding Martin for questioning.
A few days later, Martin invites himself to tag along with Susan who is going for a swim at a country lake where Martin attempts to kiss her until she refuses his advances, making her uncomfortable and suspicious about him. At home a little later, Susan searches Martin's room while cleaning it and discovers several books hidden in Martin's drawer that a simpleton person like him would not read or understand as well as book titled "Knowing Yourself from Your Signature" which the signatures in the blank pages list 'Martin Durney'.
At this point, Susan begins investigating Martin, first by talking with his mother, and realizes that Martin and Georgie are one and the same after seeing a photograph of Martin at the house. Next, Susan visits Shashee at a hospital where he works as a resident to question him about split personalities and suspects that Martin may be not mentally challenged but a narcissistic sociopath.
At Susan's house, Martin begins losing mental control over himself as he rightly suspects that Susan may know who he really is. When Susan's neglected and unsuspecting mother attempts to sexually arouse Martin, he kills her by hacking her apart with a hatchet in the backyard wood shed (off-camera).
When Susan arrives home, Martin holds her captive in his room after finally revealing his true persona. He forces Susan to undress so he can sexually fondle her, while Susan's mother's body is found in the woodshed by Gerry Henderson, one of the "paying guests", who calls the police just at the time that Shashee learns the truth about Martin and also calls the police from the hospital and races to the house to rescue Susan.
The police arrive at Susan's house where they finally subdue and arrest Martin just when he appears that he is going to kill her. They burst into Susan's room as three shots are heard, but Martin had fired at his reflection in the mirror. As Martin is taken away he claims that he is Georgie and had killed Martin. Susan is unharmed but badly shaken. The final shot shows Martin, now confined in a cell at a local mental hospital, ranting over his lost love Susan. | violence | train | wikipedia | In 1960, two respected British directors debuted shocking psychosexual thrillers, to mixed critical and commercial receptions: Alfred Hitchcock with 'Psycho,' and Michael Powell with 'Peeping Tom.' Both films were shocking in their time, and their influence on low-budget 1960s horror can't be overstated.
The film introduces us to Martin Durnley (Hywel Bennett), the younger brother of a man suffering from "mongolism," the condition now known as Down Syndrome.
Martin pretends to be mentally-challenged in order to get into bed with the virginal Susan (Disney favourite Hayley Mills, later the director's much-younger wife), only to instead capture the attentions of Susan's lonely mother (Billie Whitelaw) – did I mention this film was rather twisted?Though the film treats its absurd, gloriously un-PC narrative with the utmost seriousness, it is nevertheless startlingly effective at capturing the main character's psychoses.
'Twisted Nerve' also features a maddeningly catchy musical theme, memorably recycled in Tarantino's 'Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2004),' composed by Bernard Hermann, who by this time was estranged from Hitchcock on account of his rejected score for 'Torn Curtain (1967).' Nevertheless, it's clear that Alfred Hitchcock himself both saw and enjoyed 'Twisted Nerve,' as he cast both Barry Foster and Billie Whitelaw in his own back-to-basics British shocker 'Frenzy (1972).' Due to controversy surrounding its depiction of Down Syndrome, the film opens with a spoken announcement that attempts to shirk responsibility for its political incorrectness, but without much luck.
His illness is "triggered" when he leaves his troubled home (a rich demanding father and infantilizing mother) to live as a border in the home of a college student (Haley Mills) and her mother (Billie Whitelaw).The film works especially well when his sexuality is aroused by both Haley Mills and Billie Whitelaw, with disastrous results.The movie takes its time to unfold.
Hywell Bennet is most effective as the young man who tries to break from his mother and Hayley Mills surprisingly good playing against type.
He adopts the persona of Georgie – a boy with the mental age of a child – in order to dupe his way into the boarding house of a girl he is obsessed with and to enact his deadly scheme.There's a pretty good cast in this one.
It was unsurprisingly and tediously stolen by Quentin 'I've seen lots of films and I want you to know about it' Tarantino for Kill Bill Vol.1.I guess you would have to classify Twisted Nerve as a cult movie.
Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett who scored big in The Family Way, she as the eager bride and him as the groom with nervous performance problems, made several films after that together.
You never know when Bennett is going to finally lose it, but when he does you are fearful of this man/child.Nothing like The Family Way, but still a good film..
Screenplay/writer Leo Marks wouldn't be wet behind the ears to controversy, due to the fact he wrote the story for chillingly sleazy 1960 'Peeping Tom' that saw director Michael Powell's work getting heavily cut.Martin Darnley is a coldly smart, but considerably nurtured and lonely young lad of a wealthy family that sees his mother smother him, while his domineering step-father wants to get rid of him and his mongoloid brother hospitalized.
Under certain circumstances and made-up stories he finds himself staying at a lodging house owned by Susan and her mother Joan.Where it goes on to spark the interest and really builds around is the dark and unnerving psychological interplay of Martin (with a magnificently conniving and edgy performance by Hywel Bennett) manipulating and preying on the goodwill of others to adapt and form his new identity for ones own gain.
Martin/Georgie is a mommy obsessed psychopath with a mental age of an infant.Georgie dupes his way into beautiful Hayley Mills' residence and the sinister things begin to happen..."Twisted Nerve" is a psychological thriller strongly influenced by Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho".The camera-work is outstanding as is the acting.There are only two murders shown in the film,so fans of horror will be disappointed.The soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann of "Psycho" fame is truly memorable as is the whistling theme later used by Tarantino in "Kill Bill Vol 1".The characters are well-written and there is strong emphasis on oedipal complex.8 out of 10..
Twisted Nerve doesn't seem to have a great reputation, and while the film (like its lead character) certainly does have some problems, I enjoyed this one in spite of them.
Hayley Mills delivers the typical young British female lead, while Billie Whitelaw is the real standout for me as the young girl's mother.
I can see why this film is not often hailed as a classic; but if you're looking for an interesting watch and don't care about some silly ideas, Twisted Nerve comes recommended..
I felt a little sorry for esteemed British actress Billie Whitelaw here (forced to come onto pasty-faced man-child Hywel Bennett as if he were a simpleton stud).
Brighter aspects are a good performance by Hayley Mills as the pretty librarian who is befriended by Bennett; a weird, wonderful score by Bernard Herrmann; as well as some fancy camera tricks and editing.
This is a shame given that this is a well and truly crafted thriller with great performances that does echo tension with the actions of the lead character.The biggest strength relies on Martin who has an alter ego who pretends to be a simpleton, just so he can con his way into a woman's affections.
Despite living a lift of wealth and good looks, his mind is anything but stable, with an overbearing mother and a down syndrome brother who is put away for just being handicapped and is more or less forgotten about, apart from by Martin, a deep hatred for his stepfather, his mind begins to shatter like a broken mirror which sends him into a spiral.
It is often difficult to pull this kind of thing of convincingly, but here it is done right and slowly builds throughout the movie.Okay this isn't a perfect movie and does have some lower points, like there is just way too much time focused on Martin's descent into madness, instead of moving along at a quicker pace, it seems that other elements of the film suffers in a way, and also the message at the beginning of the movie just contradicted the events of what happens, is also just silly.
But asides from this is a really good movie with camera styles and technique that echoes Hitchcock, along with well written main characters, something that's rare these days, does make this viewing a treat.The casting like I already said is excellent Hywel Bennett who plays Martin was the clear standout, his performance was chilly and captivating, his pleasant features and broad range are both hypnotic and terrifying.
Billie Whitelaw gives a great sympathetic turn as the owner and Susan's mother, she felt very tragic as a woman whose just wants to be loved.All in all "Twisted Nerve" is a very complex thriller that may be slow burning at times, but well worth a watch..
The acting on the whole is pretty good, although Hywel Bennett does not instill the character of Martin with any particular depth, and Hayley Mills looks very pretty as Susan and fulfils the role very well although she isn't given very much to do.
Much more interesting is Billie Whitelaw as Susan's mother, who makes a real impact with her appearance.Sadly the film itself can't claim to grab the attention.
Watching a movie made before this time is often the cure, one that excites the mind in unexpected ways.1968's Twisted Nerve pushes all the wrong buttons, with an unapologetically blunt commentary on hot-button topics such as racism, homosexuality, classism, colonialism, sexual perversion and psychotic behavior.
Perhaps if the PC police were told this film was Sci-Fi horror, TN would have found a wider audience instead of remaining a cult gem cherished by few.Full of visual references to Hitchcock and an unforgettable score by Bernard Herrmann, Twisted Nerve watches like one of Hitch's bastard children, a nasty oddity the Master must have been proud to have inspired..
Like that movie, it tries to explain psychopathic behavior with half-baked genetic theories and it managed to offend the families of mongoloids everywhere by implying that their normal siblings were prone to become serial killers.There are really two main problems with this movie: it's too sleazy for Haley Mills fans and it's not nearly sleazy enough for horror movie fans.
The climax is fairly well managed, but it can't really save the film.Twisted Nerve was controversial in it's day because it supposedly linked criminal behaviour with mongolism, but it's more annoying that most of the aspects of Bennett's character are briefly presented and than unexplored and discarded, for instance his sexuality.
At least most of the cast ,who are generally little to do except sit and talk, are good, but you know things are bad when Bernard Herrmann's score is mediocre, except for the main theme which was also used in Kill Bill.This would actually have worked better if it had lost half an hour- the almost two hour running time is certainly not justified!
Having now seen it, I ask "what film did he watch?" The Twisted Nerve I just watched is a surprisingly good, well made thriller that does not deserve it's critical drubbing or audience ignorance (It is also not a Splatter" movie as the review states).
This movie had one of the best whistle in any movie I've seen.The story is about psychosis, Hayley Mills plays Susan Harper, a young student who tries to help a rich, emotionally ill and sinister young man, Martin Durnley (Hywel Bennett).
Martin, again acting like a young child, is taken in by Susan's mother, Joan Harper (Billie Whitelaw), who runs a boarding house.Do you that scene from Kill Bill where Elle Driver is walking down the corridor in the hospital and she starts whistling that awesome but menacing whistle, yeah do you know that first came from?
yep this movie and that's the only reason I checked it out because of that, after seeing the movie I can say that this a pretty damn good horror movie and the most overlooked horror movie I've seen.Hayley Mills as the main psychopath of the movie dose a brilliant and a menacing little creep that got under my skin, because Martin or George (The main character psychopath) acts like a man child as he acts like he hasn't grown up yet and everyone treats him like a child, but really his a pure psycho and that pretty much explains why he acts like a little kid just to act innocent and fool everyone.
Now when I think about it it's kind of nerving that this guy acts like this and that just add to unsettling nature of are main killer and Hayley Mills did a outstanding performance playing this character.The director of the movie Roy Boulting which this is my first movie that he directed that I've seen and Roy Boulting did great behind the camera filming the unsettling and the uncomfortable scene where Martin was in and the director really set the scene very well.
Some of the other characters in the movie I didn't really care about to be honest, I only cared about Martin the killer because well he's so messed up that makes him more interesting.Overall Twisted Nerve is a good overlooked horror movie that at times felt like a Alfred Hitchcock film at times..
However, outside of this little red herring, a fairly good story and performances can be found underneath.The story revolves around a troubled rich young man named Martin Durnley (Bennett).
Martin plays along with this for awhile, but then winds up at a boardinghouse, run by Susan and her mother, Joan (Billie Whitelaw, who won a British Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress).
The film ends, and Bernard Herrmann's "Psycho-esque" score plays in the background."Twisted Nerve" is a very good psychological drama, but because it is not politically correct (none of the characters ever use the term "mentally challenged" or even "Down's Syndrome." They simply opt for words like "mongol" and "mentally backward" to describe these people), it may not be liked by some audiences.
However, these obstacles aside, what the viewer has is a fairly good drama, with especially excellent performances by Hywel Bennett and Billie Whitelaw.The film was doomed upon its release, because, controversy aside, it was marketed as an axe-killer slasher flick.
We all tend to have our own preferences when it comes to actors, but I don't think anyone could've chosen the leads better - Bennett's innocent looks serve nothing but to further add to the disturbing nature of the character he's portraying - the terror of Martin is that he could be anyone, the guy at school who's taken a liking into you, your next door neighbour, a cashier at the local shop - he's likable and cute and there's no way of telling his true intentions until it's too late.
Laced with the perfect amount of nerve-wrecking music and unfolding the plot slowly and meticulously all the way up to the boiling point, I think anyone who fancies themselves a good thriller shouldn't miss on this one, especially with all the wonderful work that has been put into the character and plot development..
There's more controversial stuff going on as well, like the suggestive sexual tension between a mature woman (Billie Whitelaw is a stupendous role) and the allegedly mentally handicapped boy, a demented showcasing of motherly love and even the dubious sexual preference of Martin's character itself.
Repulsion deals with "does harm to others" while Black Swan deals with "does harm to self".Hywel Bennett is very good here as the troubled soul & Hayley Mills comes across as a full blown young adult (with boobs).
Best known today as the film featuring the eerily whistled tune that Tarantino borrowed for KILL BILL (thank you, Bernard Herrmann!), Twisted Nerve is an engaging portrait of a psychopath that turns out to be every bit the film that PSYCHO is.
Good period film, excellent acting from Hywell Bennett - his best ever?.
Late '60s British psychological thriller Twisted Nerve makes a rather insensitive connection between mongolism (Down's Syndrome) and psychopathic tendencies, which may be upsetting for some viewers (the film ran into trouble on its original release for just that reason); however, political incorrectness aside, this is a very entertaining movie—a deftly directed, well acted study of a dangerous character who is completely unable to understand, feel or function like a normal human being.A young Hywel Bennett plays 22-year-old Martin Durnley, brother to a mongol, whom he regularly visits at a care home.
Stopping off at a store on the way home, Martin spies lovely librarian Susan (Hayley Mills) in the toy department, and employs a rather unorthodox strategy to make her acquaintance: he involves her in a case of shoplifting, subsequently pretending to be mentally retarded to excuse his actions.
Calling himself Georgie, he proceeds to concoct an elaborate ruse to worm his way into Susan's life, eventually taking up residency in the guest house she shares with her mother Joan (Billie Whitelaw), and lodgers Shashie Kadir (Salmaan Peerzada) and Gerry Henderson (Barry Foster).As well as providing an excuse to get close to Susan, Martin's deception enables him to be rid of his domineering and disapproving stepfather Henry (Frank Finlay): one night, when 'Georgie' is supposedly tucked up in bed, Martin sneaks out of the guest house and murders Henry, returning back before anyone can notice his absence; however, there's no such thing as the perfect crime, and circumstances lead Susan to suspect that Georgie isn't quite the innocent simpleton he seems to be, putting herself (and her mother) in mortal danger.Although it is Mills who is arguably the 'star' of Twisted Nerve, it is Bennett who impresses the most, putting in a thoroughly chilling and utterly convincing performance throughout, both as Machiavellian Martin and gormless Georgie (the ease with which he switches between personas is superb).
The two biggest assets of "Twisted Nerve" are Bernard Herrmann's sensational score (right up there with his work for Hitchcock), and Hywel Bennett's masterfully measured performance as a man who puts on an innocent, childlike, slightly "backwards" interior but is actually a cold, cunning, calculating psychopath.
Hayley Mills is a doll and also puts in a strong performance, but a sinfully sexy Billie Whitelaw (cast as her mother, even though she is just 14 years older) pretty much steals her thunder!
Hywel Bennett plays a young man named Martin who falls for Haley Mills.
Twisted Nerve, something of a linking film between Michael Powell's Peeping Tom and Hitchcock's Frenzy, has floated about like a sick ghost for so long it's somehow managed to permeate the most seemingly unconnected crannies of pop culture.Singing tea cosy Badly Drawn Boy aka Damon Gough named his record label after the film, and more recently, its main theme, a haunting melody penned by legendary Hitchcock scorer Bernard Herrmann, was half-inched by Hollywood's pet magpie for his Kill Bill, Vol 1.
Penned by celebrated Peeping Tom scribe Leo Marks, Twisted Nerve, a fairly typical late-1960s psycho-thriller in The Collector mould, stars Hywel Bennett as Martin Durnley, a rich but damaged Oxford University drop-out with a mutual hatred of his banker stepfather, played by Frank Finlay.
Both films feature quiet, isolated psychopaths who hate their fathers; both Peeping Tom's Mark and Twisted Nerve's Martin end up at a boarding house, encountering young girls with absent fathers who live with their mothers.
In fact, the real winner of Twisted Nerve was undoubtedly the Master himself, poaching both Whitelaw and Foster (who practically reprises his role) for 1972's Frenzy, an infinitely more accomplished, tauter psycho-killer thriller.That said, Bennett is excellent as the gleefully deranged Martin, while Whitelaw even won a 1969 BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. |
tt0072198 | The Spikes Gang | Harry Spikes (Lee Marvin) is an aging bank robber of the fading "Old West." Injured and near death, he is found and mended back to health by three impressionable youths who are lifelong friends -- Wil (Gary Grimes), Tod (Charles Martin Smith), and Les (Ron Howard). They refuse any payment from Spikes for their efforts, and when he's healed he leaves saying he won't forget their kindness. Later, after enduring a beating from his father, and encouraged by Spikes's reminiscences of the 'good life', Wil decides to run away from home seeking excitement and easy living, and the other 2 boys decide to follow.
The three boys eventually make it to a Texas town, hungry and despondent, and in a moment of inspiration attempt to rob a bank. In the process Tod accidentally kills a man, and Les drops all the money, but they manage to escape and cross the Rio Grande into Mexico. Arriving in the Mexican town of Piedras Negras penniless and unable to find any work, Wil pawns his grandfathers antique watch for $10, enough to buy them a meal. That night, they attempt to steal the watch back, but stumble right into the sheriffs office, and land in jail.
After suffering in jail for 8 weeks, they happen to glance out the window and see Spikes and call him over. Good to his word, Spikes bribes the jailer, buys them baths, food and drink before saying his goodbye. He also tells them the man they killed was a state senator, and they now each have a bounty of $1500 on them, dead or alive. The boys stay in Mexico and attempt to go 'straight' working a succession of menial jobs, before again coming across Spikes who offers to take them into his 'gang'.
They plan a bank robbery back in the US, with Spikes first testing their mettle on a dry run in the Mexican bank. Crossing the border they camp out outside the town and are come upon by an old man who has deduced their plan and wants into the gang. When Spikes tells him no, he attempts to badger the boys into a gunfight to prove his worth, and Wil accidentally shoots him dead. Everything begins to take a turn for the worse: the bank robbery is a colossal failure, Tod is shot in the back, and they have a shootout with the Posse. Momentarily safe, Spikes knows Tod is dying and encourages the others to abandon him and look out for themselves. Wil and Les refuse and Spikes leaves them, saying "Good luck." Attempting to find a doctor, Wil attracts another Posse, who descend on them as they finish burying Tod.
After riding back to Mexico, Wil leaves Les as he wants to deliver a final letter to Tod's family, saying he will meetup with Les in the 'Big Church' back in the Mexican town of Piedras Negras in exactly two weeks. Arriving back from the journey, Wil enters the church and encounters a man who says Les sent him, and that he's been sorely wounded, shot four times by 2 men, bounty hunters by the name of Morton and Spikes. Killing Morton outside the infirmary, Wil attempts to leave with Les only to have him die in his arms.
He heads to the Hotel to confront Spikes, and appears to surprise him in his hotel room with his gun still hanging on the bed post. Spikes tells him he met with the Governor of Texas himself, who promised him a pardon for all his crimes if he brings in the boys. He then says he respects Wil, and wishes it didn't have to be the way it is, saying he didn't mean to kill Les, but he drew on him and had no choice. Wil demands he stand up so he can kill him 'fair', but Spikes throws his hat at him and pulls a hidden gun, shooting him in the chest. However, Wil manages to get off a succession of shots and kill Spikes, before stumbling out of the hotel and to the train station. Wil imagines boarding the train and returning home to embrace his father, before he collapses dead.
The film ends with a montage of the boys in the 'good old days', when they first set out on the adventure saying 'C'mon, Let's go get lucky!' | murder | train | wikipedia | Good and unknown western shot in Almeria , Spain , with a great cast by young man actors and a sensational Lee Marvin.
After escape home , three young man friends (Gary Grimes , Charles Martin Smith , Ron Howard) form a strong alliance , a dynamic trio combining raw untamed youth .
Later on , they meet an old man named Spikes (Lee Marvin) with the experience only a master gunfighter can offer .
As three boys wanted to be like their hero and they got their wish .
Then , the lawmen form a posse and engage to hunt down the gang.This exciting film packs Western action , rider-pursuits , thrills, emotion , shootouts and results to be quite entertaining .
The young players who wear extremely low holsters are phenomenal , they will have too much successes in their future , especially Ron Howard (American Graffiti) with a successful career as a nice director (Beautiful mind , Cinderella man , Da Vinci Code) , Charles Martin Smith as a prestigious secondary (Starman, Untouchables) , and Gary Grimes (Summer of 42, Class of 44) as a Western starring in similar role as a naive cowboy (Cahill US Marshal , CulpepperCattle) , though he is nowadays retreated .
And , of course , the great Lee Marvin , he gives a terrific acting as a tough gunslinger .
The movie will appeal to Lee Marvin fans and twilight Western enthusiasts..
I happened to catch this film on a late night showing on a classic movie channel.
I have seen other comments on it that refer to the movie as "under-rated", and I couldn't agree more!Lee Marvin does a fantastic job portraying bank robber Harry Spikes who meets and befriends three teen aged boys who gradually come to admire Spikes and his lifestyle.
After Spikes leaves the boys, circumstances lead them to run away together and begin what they thought would be the adventure of thier lives.
They soon find that adventure, life, and Harry Spikes are not all they seemed to be!
Ron Howard, Gary Grimes and Charlie Martin Smith play thier parts perfectly.
This is probably Richard Fleischer's last good movie;it's considered polite to say that all he did after "solyent green" is worthless.Richard Fleischer made lots and lots of great movies from " follow me quietly" to " the narrow margin" ,from "20,0000 leagues under the sea" to "The Vikings "and from "Barabbas" to "the Boston strangler" to the stunning (and perhaps his masterpiece) "10 Rillington Place" After "Solyent green" which featured the extremely moving scene of the death of Edward G.Robinson (who eventually died some months after),only "Spikes gang" shows something of the unqualified brilliance that accompanies Fleischer in his career through "Solyent green" .It is a western which has nothing to do with the epics of Ford,Daves or Walsh or Mann.It has also (fortunately) nothing to do with Peckinpah.Filmed in Spain,its spirit is actually close to that of Arthur Penn,particularly "Bonnie and Clyde".When Grimes is daydreaming and sees his father tell him :"you're no longer my son;you're dead" ,it recalls that scene when Bonnie meets her mom for a picnic and the old lady says "you're already dead ,Bonnie Parker" .The three lads are in search of a father ,which is very Pennesque ,notably in "the left handed gun" .even in a non-western film such as "the miracle worker" Ann Sullivan was Helen Keller's second mom.
Grimes' father was a religious man ,perhaps not far from being a fanatic (his part is too underwritten).Remember that scene in the bank where the ticking of the clock merges into the memories of the whip coming down .Lee Marvin is their new father and I go as far as to write that Grimes is some kind of father to his two mates too when he is absent.The three lads are amateurs and cannot free them of the concept of right and wrong ,coming from a religion which does not give any answer;when they're eating hosts and drinking sacred wine,one of the youngest speaks of blasphemy but their leader tells them so "Christ would give them to us if He were here" .Lee Marvin's character is extremely interesting.Lee Marvin never overplays and the discovery that he was once married to an educated wife ,a teacher who spoke several languages and played the piano comes aside as a shock.This memory is necessary ;without it,the ending would not make any sense.An inferior director would have made "men" of the three teenagers ;but they can't :their dreams ,their remorse,the letter one of them sends to his mom,the trust they put in Marvin,all indicates that when they die they will still be big children.Like this?try this....."Run for cover" Nicholas Ray 1955.
I saw this movie about two years ago while I was up studying at around 4:00 A.M. Lee Marvin plays an outlaw that takes three runaway teens under his wing.
The movie takes on a surprising twist towards the end.
Three miscreant youths, Gary Grimes, Ron Howard, and Charles Martin Smith find a wounded Lee Marvin on the road and take him to the barn of Gary Grimes father's farm.
That doesn't sit well with Grimes' father who has lied to a posse about Marvin not being around.
Grimes runs away then and there and the other two join him.Like a lot of youth back then, when I was young, when this picture was made and today; these kids are bored.
Life was hard on those homestead farms, Grimes' father is a hard man, he had to be.
They take up bank robbing like their new hero Lee Marvin and make a botch of it.
Fleeing to Mexico, they meet up again with Marvin who takes them under his wing now, to show them how to do it right.The rest of the movie is the unfolding of their disillusionment.
Lee Marvin does not turn out to be the hero they had in mind.
Lee Marvin strikes the right note in a difficult part.
In some ways at first he appears to the kids to be just like his character in Monte Walsh, a rugged individualist who lives by his own code.
Marvin is not like Liberty Valance in this film, a sadistic bully.
But he does what he has to in order to survive as an outlaw.The kids fail their apprenticeships, but they and Marvin give the audience some great entertainment..
Imagine, a movie that gives a lesson right from the bible, 'Those that live by the sword shall die by the sword'.
After doing some of the dumbest things imaginable for young boys and doing it badly you would thinkthey were smart enough to realize they weren't cut out for being out on their own.
Anyhow, the movie was well done, gave you a real feel for what it musthave been like living in the 'Old West'.
Lee Marvin plays himself and does it superbly..
The Spikes Gang is a very good western that shows what probably happened to a good many youngsters who struck out on their own in the expanding west.
It is one of three westerns that Gary Grimes starred in that gave a darker and truer view of life in the old west for teenager.
The others are The Culpepper Cattle Co., 1972 and Cahill, U.S. Marshall, 1973.Lee Marvin plays a wounded bank robber, (Spikes) on the run from a posse, whom three teens find (Grimes, Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith) and nurse back to health.
The three youths, small community and under the heavy hand of discipline, become enthralled with Spikes and soon strike out on their own soon after he departs.After a series of misadventures, the youngsters meet up with Spikes again, who, against his better judgment, takes them under his wing.The Spikes Gang is a fast paced movie and seems to play upon the anonymity of three teenagers, ill-prepared for a brutal and unforgiving way of life.
The one drawback to the pace is that it does not give a good sense for the passage of time, but is effective in emphasizing the few sparks in mundane lives.As part of the Grimes Western trilogy, one can get a good look at an overly romanticized part of history..
I'm a bank robber boys..
The Spikes Gang is directed by Richard Fleischer and adapted to screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. from the novel The Bank Robber written by Giles Tippette.
It stars Lee Marvin, Gary Grimes, Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith.
Happening upon an injured man, three boys nurse him back to health and learn that he is bank robber Harry Spikes (Marvin).
Enchanted by his tales and way of life, the boys decide to form their own gang and eventually linking up with Spikes who then teaches them the tricks of his trade.
However, the outlaw life is not as romantic as the boys first envisaged...
The Spikes Gang is ripe with a foreboding atmosphere about the innocence of youth corrupted by stretching too far for romanticism.
The boys home life out there on the frontier is painted as sad, even grim, with bad or absent parents featuring strongly, it's not hard to buy into the fact these impressionable young men in waiting yearn for adventure.
Hooking up with Spikes seems the cool thing to do, he becomes a surrogate father and he at least gives them skills to survive a basic outlaw way of life.
Well what we do know is that it builds gently, with Fleischer adroitly forming his characters and garnering superb performances from his cast (one of Marvin's best turns actually) in the process.
Once the finale plays its hand, it's of such sadness to leave an indelible impression that anyone of sound heart will find hard to shake from the memory bank.
Judged harshly by the jaded critics of the time and mostly ignored at the box office, The Spikes Gang may just be one of the most under valued Westerns of the 70s.
A gem of a movie.Very realistic and exciting.A good combination of an established actor (Marvin) combined with up & coming actors (Grimes,Smith & Howard).It portrays the american west in a realistic manner (like most westerns from the late 60's & early 70's).
Lee Marvin has played the role of crusty gunslinger many times, and he does not disappoint here.
The story of three farm boys throwing in with the wily bank robber is both believable and different.
The film is never dull, with Marvin spewing forth quotable lines throughout.
"The Spikes Gang" is one of those movies that far exceeds expectations, is worth seeking out, and not easily forgotten.
From a time when the western was trying to appeal to a younger audience by making movies that featured boy protagonists rather than men, ("The Culpepper Cattle Company", "The Cowboys" and here, "The Spikes Gang").
This time the boys are Gary Grimes, who wisely gave up acting, Charlie Martin Smith and someone called Ron Howard who appeared in a popular tv series and I believe went into directing.They're runaways from home who prove to be pretty useless at everything they turn their hand to until outlaw Lee Marvin takes them under his wing, at which point they become pretty good at killing.
It's a typically amoral tale where even killing is played largely for laughs, at least at the beginning before it turns tragic along the lines of "Bonnie and Clyde", though this is never in that class and while it may not be the best thing Richard Fleischer, or for that matter Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr, ever did it is still an unusally grim tale which might account for why it's now almost totally forgotten when others of its ilk are more fondly remembered..
So-so western with the great Lee Marvin.
A wily old bank robber takes three boys under his wing in this decent, at times entertaining, yet, ultimately, unremarkable tale of life on the lam in the Old West.
Lee Marvin plays the titular Harry Spikes, a wise, cold-hearted, yet, generous when he wants to be, veteran of the art of the unauthorized withdrawal.
The boys - Gary Grimes, Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith - are fair to good.
Lee wasn't Marvin at this.
I ran this film in my cinema as a double feature with a western called BILLY TWO HATS.
Anyway, THE SPIKES GANG is a rustic teenage crime drama from the B grade school of drive in movie-making that saw Bonnie and Clyde...Bloody Mama...
A Good Movie.
The Spikes Gang was made back in the days when Ron Howard was your prototypical golly gee whiz teenager, just a number of months after American Graffiti, and in the same year which Howard's TV sitcom Happy Days premiered.
Or, on the other hand, maybe it's for the best that he didn't, since he actually did go on to have a remarkable career behind the camera.The point being is that there is a bit of a surprise here, a difference between this and other Ron Howard acting vehicles, because here Ron Howard actually plays slightly against type, not entirely the innocent lad we usually see.
This story has an edge, a serious steely edge, sometimes subtle, sometimes not, but definitely always there, and Les (Ron Howard's character) and his two buddies learn some things about life the hard way, harder in fact than one might have expected in a Ron Howard movie in those days.
He knew what he was doing, and he did it well.Lee Marvin is very good in this movie, as he usually was in most all of his performances.
Ron Howard learning hard truths about life from Lee Marvin.
Ron Howard learning hard truths about life from John Wayne.
I recommend The Spikes Gang..
good movie with real morals.
Instead of leaving the movie thinking "I could do that, I just won't make those mistakes," the way other gangsta flicks make people feel, you leave thinking "maybe this isn't at all what I thought or want.".
A little more background and foundation on the character of the young ones would have made this a much better flick, otherwise it was a good watch..
THE SPIKES GANG is a moralistic, low budget western and something of a vehicle for the great Lee Marvin, playing his usual drunken, ne'er-do-well character.
The western is also a showcase for a number of youthful stars including Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith, moving on from their work on American GRAFFITI.
The story sees bank robber Marvin taking the youths under his wing as part of his gang, but of course the story gets complicated after that.This film is one of the less well-known works of director Richard Fleischer but at times it's just as interesting as something like TORA!
Marvin is great value and the young actors do well, and the narrative structure which begins with idealism and ends with pessimism is handled adroitly.
Here's something you wouldn't expect but it's true for the moment, Charles Martin Smith has four more acting credits to his name here on IMDb than his contemporary Ron Howard.
You'd think the three farm boys would eventually come around to the error of their ways, and they did actually, but in one of those 'careful what you wish for' sort of ways.
At least one of them should have been wary enough to figure Spikes (Lee Marvin) would turn on them after he told them about killing his wife.
OK, in a convoluted way he made it sound like she had it coming, but that would have been a hint that once there was a bounty on their heads, all bets of friendship would be off the table.I wonder if it was inadvertent or intentional, but at one point Spikes tells Will (Gary Grimes), Les (Howard) and Tod (Smith) that the citizens of Uvalde "ain't expectin' a wild bunch like us".
Either way it was kind of a neat tribute to the 1969 film.One thing I noticed here is something I never had before, and it's probably due to Lee Marvin's look as the outlaw Spikes.
As she lays there dying she asks, "Why have you done this to me?" He answers while slithering off, "Look, bitch, you knew I was a snake." "The Spikes Gang" begins with three teenage boys finding outlaw Lee Marvin (Spikes) wounded and dying on the ground, and they hide him in the back of the barn where they can nurse him back to health.
Instead of killing them, he thanks them kindly and departs- but maybe his poison seed has been planted because soon the boys abandon their home and set off on the road and an eventual life of crime.That's the story, and much of it works, but just as much fails.
There is a pervading heavy-handed morality lesson at work here, and it takes the joy out of what could have been a great film.
The three boys- desperate, penniless, and starving for food- finally decide to rob a bank.
In the next scene they're penniless again begging for food.Hold the phone, but isn't movie crime supposed to be FUN?
Naw, we know the boys are Hellbound and therefore incapable of joy.The joy comes from Lee Marvin.
Marvin plays Spikes as a human being, the product of his environment.
he is as he says, "just a man trying to survive." (As a side note I must nominate this film for "Worst Blood In A Motion Picture" category.
One character uses his hand to clot a wound but looks more like he's squeezing a tomato through his fingers.)By the time the film comes to its' drawn-out finale (the movie's at least twenty minutes too long) I had given up hope for a happy ending, given up hope for a satisfying ending...
Guilt-ridden, morally tortured, spiritually defeated cowboys rarely appear in good Westerns.There's a reason.GRADE: C+ |
tt0066549 | Waterloo | The film opens on Château de Fontainebleau in 1814. Paris is besieged by the Austrians and her allies. Napoleon Bonaparte (Steiger) is urged by his marshals to abdicate but he refuses, defiant. Upon hearing the surrender of his last army under Auguste Marmont he realises that finally all is lost and accepts the abdication pleas of his marshallate. He is banished to Elba, an island in the Mediterranean with a small army of 1,000. Ney (O'Herlihy) calls it an honourable exile.After a tearful farewell to the Old Guard, he is carted away. 10 months later he escapes from Elba and sails back to France. Michel Ney, now under the allegiance of the restored Bourbon king (Welles) is asked to capture him at Grenoble. Ney agrees, eager to earn the respect of the court, who just the day before insulted his "low birth" wife by addressing her as "Madame" despite her title. He declares he'll bring Napoleon back to Paris "in an iron cage", which Louis XVIII says to himself is an exaggerated expression and an overreaction, typical for a militarist.The two men meet on the road from Grenoble. Napoleon, sensing the mood of Ney's troops, goes forward unarmed and asks them if they really want to fire at him.Instead they greet him with cries of "Vive l'Empereur!". Ney is instantly swayed and marches with him and his former soldiers. They return to Paris to a warm welcome by the people. King Louis has fled and the Hundred Days has begun.Napoleon appoints Louis' former Minister of War, Marshal Soult Chief of Staff and he corresponds to the families of the deceased during the war and plans a campaign for the defence of France. He realises he will be attacked but genuinely offers peace to his enemies, who, once more, ignore his communiques and declare war.Prussia and the United Kingdom's forces manoeuvre to counter Napoleon's expected thrust. The armies are not well coordinated and separate, much to the joy of Napoleon, who prepares to place his army between them and defeat one followed by the other.Attention is now drawn to Wellington (Plummer), who attends the Duchess of Richmond's ball, where Picton and other generals are present. One of his soldiers is engaged to her daughter, and the Duchess begs they keep him away from the battlefield so her daughter won't "wear black before she wears white". The young officer declares he will bring back a cuirassier's helmet. Picton overhears and points out that if he ever meets a cuirassier, he'll be lucky to escape with his life, never mind a helmet.The ball is interrupted by General Müffling (John Savident), who announces that Napoleon has crossed the Belgian border at Charleroi, much to Wellington's displeasure. He realises that Napoleon has got between himself and Blücher's Prussians and is on the road to Brussels. Hastily looking at his map, he decides that they will meet at Waterloo.The soldiers are now on their way to Waterloo. Attention then turns to Marschall Blücher (Sergo Zaqariadze) who is seventy-two years of age and yet commands the Prussian army and re-buffs advice by General Gneisenau to retreat. Wellington has done so, but Ney returns to Napoleon to deliver his report on the engagement, which angers Napoleon, who had expected Ney to pursue Wellington, who is now free to choose his own battlefield. Wellington arrives at Waterloo, and asks Blücher to join him in the battle but Müffling wants a new horse to reach him. Wellington is not amused. Before this, an Irish soldier plunders a pig for food. Looting is a capital offence in the British Army, but when Wellington catches him the looter claims the pig got lost and he was trying to find her relatives. Instead of punishing him, Wellington orders the soldier to be promoted to corporal, for he "knows how to defend a helpless position". Wellington then tells de Lancey:I do not know what they'll do to the enemy, but by God, they frighten me!Napoleon is in pain because of trouble with his stomach but when he is asked whether he wants the doctor, he refuses and following a few minutes, he orders his generals out of his outpost after going through tactics. A storm is raging outside with heavy rain pouring down.The day of the battle dawns bright and dry and Napoleon invites his generals to breakfast. They hear the ringing of the local church bell and are initially surprised, until de la Bedoyère mentions that the pastor intends to go ahead with the sermon, despite the looming battle.Napoleon is in a happy mood compared to the night before but now the commander of artillery brings bad news. The rains of the previous night have made it impossible to manoeuvre the French guns. The battle must be delayed until the ground dries. Napoleon, who agrees with Ney that they had fought with muddy boots previously, alone among his generals realises that each delay brings the Prussians closer. He is annoyed and leaves his breakfast to look at the battlefield.The armies move into position opposite each other. Both commanders take turns to ride amongst their troops. Ponsonby and Wellington both marvel at the precision of the French formations, while Wellington refuses permission to an artillery officer to fire long range shot at Napoleon himself. "Leaders of armies have better things to do than fire at each other!"The battle starts shortly after 11.30am with cannon fire from the French. Napoleon then sends a diversionary infantry attack against Wellington's right flank, the Chateau of Hougoumont with the view to stretch the Allied line and to "see the quality of this English aristocrat [Wellington]". Wellington ignores this attack and keeps his line firm.Napoleon sends the corps of d'Erlon up the ridge where Wellington's men are sheltering from the French guns. As they crest the rise they are locked in fierce fighting but are repulsed by British cavalry. Picton's troops plug a gap in the line, but a French musket ball strikes him in the head through his hat, killing him. Meanwhile, Ponsonby's cavalry brigade, including the renowned Scots Greys, have chased the French all the way back to their lines but have become disorganised and their horses blown. Wellington sounds the recall signal, but it is either not heard or is ignored. Napoleon sends his Polish lancers to attack them and Ponsonby is killed after his horse gets stuck in mud.As the battle proceeds, Wellington reorganises his lines, moving them a few yards further back, so they are out of the reach of the French artillery. While Napoleon has taken a short leave from the field, again stricken with stomach pain, Ney sees the movement and believes the British are retreating, and orders the French cavalry to advance on them. The allied units form infantry squares to repel the massed cavalry attacks. A soldier by the name of Tomlinson (Oleg Vidov) wanders from his square and shouts out, "we've never seen each other! How can we kill one another?". He is later seen dead. Richard Hay rallies the faltering squares, urging his men to "think of England" before he is struck by a musket ball and killed, much to the upset of Wellington, a good friend.Napoleon returns and angrily rebukes his marshals for allowing Ney to attack without infantry support. The attacks are repulsed and the French have no fresh troops left, yet Napoleon can see that the cavalry attacks have weakened the Allied line. He determines that the farmhouse of La Haye Sainte is the key to the battlefield and orders its capture. After fierce fighting, a French flag flies above it and Napoleon asks Soult to write a letter to Paris that the battle and the war have been won.Napoleon now sends forward the Imperial Guard to smash the failing allied line. He begins leading the men from the front of the formation himself, but his marshals insist he fall back. Wellington is desperate. He asks for "night... or Blücher!". Wellington orders the forces on his left flank - "every brigade, every battalion" - to abandon their position, to reinforce his center and "put every gun to them".At the same time, the French spot Blücher's Prussian army as they emerge onto the battlefield from the woods, with Blücher warning his men that he will shoot any man he sees with pity for the French. A frustrated Napoleon remarks, "I made one mistake in my life, I should have burnt Berlin".As the French continue their advance over the hill, they realize too late that Maitland's Guards Division is on the reverse of the slope, lying down unseen in the grass, waiting for the French. Wellington calls out to him: "Now, Maitland! Now is your time!". The Guards stand up and at point-blank range fire volley after volley at the French column. The Imperial Guard withdraws, defeated, amid great consternation. Napoleon and Ney attempt to rally the broken army, but to no avail. French morale collapses and a general retreat begins, as Wellington gives the signal for a general advance.The Imperial Guard forms squares in an attempt to ward off the advancing allied forces. Meanwhile, the French retreat has quickly deteriorated into a rout, and Napoleon's marshals physically force the Emperor himself to withdraw from the battlefield.To save their lives, under a flag of truce, a British officer offers surrender terms to Pierre Cambronne (Yevgeny Samoilov), who replies with the famous "mot de Cambronne". In a rare departure from real-life events, the British cavalry move aside to reveal a line of artillery, and proceed to blast the obstinate French square, killing most in it. In reality, as the battle had been won, Blücher and Wellington met to signal the defeat of Napoleon, which is not seen in the film.Wellington is not cheered by his victory. As he surveys the desolate battlefield, which has already attracted looters, he laments, in voice over, that "next to a battle lost, the saddest thing is a battle won".Meanwhile, Napoleon, surrounded by Ney, de la Bedoyère and his marshals, is seen leaving the battlefield in his coach, knowing that this time his days as Emperor really have ended. | historical | train | imdb | null |
tt0302674 | Gerry | We are driving a flat, winding, dry and isolated road through desert brush. Everything is quiet. Two young men in a car say nothing to each other. They arrive at a marked "wilderness" trail and head off without anything but the clothes on their back and an extra shirt. With energy and boundlessness they go and go and go. They mention the "thing" that they're apparently going to and how it should be there somewhere. They have no map. The landscape changes, they run, they smoke cigarettes and finally they decide they don't really want to go to this "thing" and they turn around. The shots are very long and tedious. We realize they're lost. The brush disappears and it is mountains, then it is rocks, then it is desert. Then it is night and they sit by a fire. The next day goes on and on and it is unclear how many days are now passing, though the landscape still keeps changing: a lunar surface, and crags of jagged rocks. Their clothes and faces dirty, their clipped exchanges almost indecipherable. They separate and then find each other again, Gerry stuck at the top of a huge rock formation. They discuss him jumping down and the other Gerry makes him a "dirt mattress", which is successful and they keep going. Finally flat white salt is all that's beneath them. They are both barely moving, shuffling their feet like broken-down machines. Gerry, who was falling behind, drops to his knees and lays down. Gerry stops and walks back to him, lying on the ground beside him. After a while, Gerry says that he's leaving and slowly, painfully, reaches over to Gerry as if to find comfort in holding his hand as he draws his last breath. Gerry shakes him off and, his movements stilting and awkward, he rolls on top of him, struggling, not with a hug but with a fraughtful busrt of energy to strangle him. He then lays still. After a while he gets up and walks in another direction, leaving dead Gerry, seeing moving forms on the horizon. We see the vast unbearable landscape move by quickly, no longer within it we are safely on the outside now, in a car. Gerry is sunburnt and dead-eyed, he turns to look at the young boy sitting in the backseat with him, looking out the window. | mystery, psychedelic, avant garde, atmospheric, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0240772 | Ocean's Eleven | Daniel Ocean (George Clooney), a convicted thief, is being questioned by a parole board about his coming release from prison. He claims a reason for his crime was that his wife, Tess Ocean (Julia Roberts), left him, and when asked what he would do if released from prison, there is no answer.Ocean is paroled from his New Jersey prison harboring dreams of revenge on Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the man who stole his ex-wife. Benedict owns three Las Vegas casino-hotels: the Bellagio, the Mirage, and the MGM Grand. All three casinos share one vault, and Ocean plans to assemble a crew to take advantage of this.His first recruit is old friend and blackjack dealer Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), in Atlantic City. Next, he's off to Hollywood (breaking the terms of his parole, which require him to stay in New Jersey) to reunite with his right-hand man Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt). Rusty is skeptical of Danny's plan but pledges his support and his valuable insight. Together he and Danny go over exactly who they will need in their crew and who they will get to finance the operation. The financier turns out to be the flamboyantly wealthy Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould). Reuben is not interested at first; he says the scheme is unlikely to succeed because of the outrageously tight security around casino vaults. He changes his mind when he learns the target is Benedict, an old enemy of his.Rusty questions Danny's reasons for the heist, not knowing that Danny's real aim is to take down the man who stole his wife. Danny gives Rusty a contrived and humorous speech to digress from the topic, his secret intact.With Reuben's financial backing secured, we are introduced to the rest of "Ocean's 11." Blackjack dealer Frank Catton gets a transfer to one of Benedict's casinos in Las Vegas to serve as an inside man. The Malloy brothers, Turk (Scott Caan) and Virgil (Casey Affleck), are a humorous pair of car enthusiasts from Utah. In charge of the electronics is the anxious and jumpy Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison). Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle) is Danny and Rusty's top choice for a demolitions man, but his other project and subsequent arrest require Rusty to rescue him from the cops, which he does by impersonating an arrogant ATF agent.In San Diego they find their "grease man" in Yen (Shaobo Qin), a circus acrobat. Then they guilt old-timer Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner) out of retirement in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bloom's role is to sneak explosives into the vault by posing as a crooked international arms dealer who needs a safe place to stash some "precious stones." With 10 people already committed, Danny goes to Chicago to recruit the young but highly skilled pickpocket Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), son of the infamous thief Bobby Caldwell. Danny is successful in wooing Linus, and "Ocean's 11" travels to Las Vegas to organize their scheme at Reuben's house. Linus still appears reluctant until Reuben abruptly tells him to "get in the god damn house" with everybody else. Every detail of the plan is laid out for the gang, with the exception of Danny's true motive. Danny believes they can grab over $150 million from Benedict's casinos on the night of a big boxing match.The team makes camp at the Bellagio and prepares to carry out the theft. They build an exact replica of the vault in a warehouse and Linus is assigned to shadowing Terry Benedict, much to his chagrin. Linus is excited to be included in the group but upset that, with all his skills, he is given little responsibility. During his surveillance of Benedict, he unknowingly reveals Danny's secret to Rusty when he shows Rusty Terry's gorgeous girlfriend, Tess.Rusty confronts Danny at the warehouse, where Danny admits that Terry and Tess are dating and his intention is to win her back. Rusty is understandably upset and threatens to abandon the project, but Danny assures him the rest of the crew is not in jeopardy of losing their fair share of the score. At this point we see that Tess and Terry's relationship is a little bit awkward and not very close.Danny confronts Tess in a restaurant and admits to her the reason he is in Las Vegas, which makes her angry. But through this hostile interaction we can see that Tess and Danny are far closer than Tess and Terry could ever be. Danny and Tess have a brief conversation before Terry shows up to join Tess for dinner, oblivious to Danny's intentions toward either his money or his girlfriend.A disgruntled Linus ignores Terry now and starts following Danny to see what he is hiding, at Rusty's request. Furthering Linus' frustration, when the crew takes a detour in California, he screws up and is responsible for the team nearly getting busted. Back at the hotel, the team is worried because Danny has been "red-flagged" and will now be watched wherever he goes in the hotel. With his anger and embarrassment boiling over, Linus reveals to everyone that Danny is after Tess and that is the reason he was caught, and Rusty confesses to Danny that he told Linus to watch him. With Danny now unable to take a step without being seen, he is a liability and Rusty kicks him off the team. The responsibility of "triggering the vault" is given to Linus, a show of respect he had been dying for, but now that the task is actually conferred upon him, he is nervous. As we find out later, the whole situation was created by Rusty and Danny to give Linus the opportunity to play a key role.To get close to the vault -- and also to keep Terry distracted -- Linus poses as an agent of the Nevada Gaming Commission who comes to Terry with evidence that the Bellagio is illegally employing a convicted criminal as a dealer. The criminal turns out to be inside man Frank Catton, who drags out the interview by accusing "agent" Linus of racism. Terry is so eager to get back to work after this meeting that when, on the way out, Linus claims to have left something behind in the conference room, Terry leaves Linus to show himself out -- which of course he doesn't. Meanwhile, Danny, hanging around the casino floor, pisses off the thugs Terry has assigned to watch him and they drag him off to a back room to be taught a lesson. The "teacher" is an even bigger thug with whom Danny has arranged a trick: the thug throws himself around the room and makes a lot of noise to convince the guys guarding the door that he's beating Danny up, while Danny exits through the ductwork to surprise Linus in an elevator on the way to the vault.Fight Night has arrived and, with everything going according to plan, the team prepares to make the robbery. In their replica of the vault they recorded nothing happening. While Rusty, Saul, Turk, and Virgil distract the vault monitors in the security headquarters, Livingston taps into their computer systems so that all they see from then on is a peaceful vault with nothing happening, although it is not the real vault--just the replica.With everybody doing their part, Basher cuts power across the city by triggering a "pinch" -- a bomblike device that fries circuitry with a huge electromagnetic pulse. Danny and Linus break into the vault, with help from Yen waiting inside, all unseen by the video cameras. Rusty calls Terry to reveal that he is being robbed. Incredulous, Terry goes to his security center to find that nothing is happening, until the monitors switch and show the three men in the vault packing all the money into black duffel bags marked with X's. In reality, the bags are filled with fliers, not money, per the plan. (*It is to be assumed these fliers and bags were brought into the vault by the team. However, it is easy to tell that they in fact bring nothing with them into the vault. This loophole is admitted to by the director in the DVD's Special Features*).The robbers rig the "money" with explosives and split it into two parts. They threaten to blow up all the money unless Benedict lets them get away with half of it. Upon hearing this, Benedict calls 911 and asks for a S.W.A.T. team, but the team that responds, unbeknownst to Benedict, is the rest of Ocean's crew. (Livingston has hacked their phones and intercepts the 911 call.) Benedict complies with Rusty's demands knowing that the S.W.A.T. team is on the way. With half the "money" in the vault and half the "money" being driven away in a van, Benedict accepts his loss and focuses on catching the culprits by allowing the S.W.A.T. team to enter the vault under cover of darkness. In the dark, the crew stages a confrontation while they are actually loading the real money into bags. During this confrontation, the "money" explodes and Benedict thinks he has lost everything, because the van in which the other half of the money was taken away has also blown up. He comes down to the vault and talks with the S.W.A.T. team on their way out. Here he discovers that both bundles of exploding money were actually just fliers advertising prostitutes. The van was a remote-controlled decoy. He realizes that somebody made a duplicate of his vault, and that he just watched the S.W.A.T. team walk out with ALL of the money.Terry goes to confront Danny, rightly assuming that he is somehow responsible. Danny slips back into the room where he's supposedly receiving a beating just in time to meet Terry. While never admitting anything, Danny tells Terry that he can get the money back if he's willing to give up Tess, who is watching the scene on closed circuit TV in her hotel room. Terry agrees and Tess is furious. Frustrated beyond belief, Terry gives Danny to the police and he is arrested for violating his parole. Tess finds Danny before the police take him away, and she comes back to him, just as he planned. Everyone in the crew (minus Ocean), $15 million richer, watches the fountain show in front of the Bellagio to the music of Claire de Lune.Three to six months later, Tess and Danny are reunited outside of the same New Jersey prison from which Danny was released at the beginning of the movie. Rusty drives them off, everyone victorious in every aspect, with Benedict's two thugs in undercover pursuit. | comedy, boring, mystery, flashback, feel-good, psychedelic, humor, action, plot twist, entertaining | train | imdb | It's great to see actors like Pitt and Clooney and Damon come together in a movie and interact so well, without having to be the pretty boys or bad-ass heroes of the movie..
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Shaobo Qin, Miguel Perez, and Livingston Dell make up "Ocean's Eleven," a 2001 film directed by Steven Soderbergh.
I suspect that this version has more emphasis on plot and the older one has more emphasis on the pack.The mastermind of a plot to rob Las Vegas' Bellaggio Hotel vault of $160 million is Danny Ocean, a very recent ex-con who had lots of time on his hands in prison to plan it.
The cast includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon from the A-list, as well as such established veterans as Andy Garcia, Elliot Gould and Carl Reiner in there playing along with them.
In this film, recently paroled Daniel Ocean (Clooney) has decided to mastermind the robbing of not one but three major Las Vegas casinos all owned by the nefarious Terry Benedict (Garcia).
Be that as it may, the director does a fine job exploiting the Vegas setting, taking us right into the heart of casino operations.A film like `Ocean's Eleven' stands or falls on the charisma of its stars, the intricacy of its plotting and the plausibility of its actions.
What a tasty prospect for a film: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts and for the young at heart amongst us, Joshua Jackson of 'Dawson's Creek' fame in a cameo role -all directed by the Oscar winning Steven Soderbergh!George Clooney plays Danny Ocean who soon after being released from prison, puts together a team of eleven to undertake a robbery of the three biggest casinos in Las Vegas in an attempt to bring in a reward of $150 million.
What soon becomes clear is that it's not the money which will give Danny the ultimate satisfaction, but the opportunity to get revenge on the owner of the three casinos he is robbing -Benedict (Andy Garcia) who just happens to be the new beau of Danny's ex, Tess (Julia Roberts).Some of the gang of eleven are more memorable than others -especially the Chinese acrobat, the explosives expert with a dodgy cockney accent and the medallion wearing Reuben -aka Monica Gellar's dad!
The cast are brilliant at acting cool -even if all Brad Pitt is doing is snacking on the screen (he does this a lot!), you are still transfixed by him because he looks so good on screen.What makes the story so intriguing is the fact that Danny's mission seems so impossible: security in the casinos is paramount and the route to the reward is littered with obstacles.
However, this time around with a brand new script and an immensely prosperous cast and crew we have ended up with a film ten times better than the original.In the case of this adaption we are safe in the knowledge that the actors at least wanted to be there and that they all had fun making it.
The film is loaded with celebrities such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, and Matt Damon.
Steven Soderbergh did a fabulous job directing this movie and having all the characters to connect to Danny Oceans group of 11.
Andy Garcia did a fabulous job playing Terry Benedict, the owner of the Casino's where Ocean (Clooney) plans to rob.
Each one of the eleven characters had its own story behind them and it is seen when Rusty Ryan (Pitt) and Danny Ocean (Clooney) first go to recruit them to plan this heist.
Retaining a good cast, Soderbergh has modified this movie to fit with the times, and he has helped create a very slick and stylish thriller.Danny Ocean, wants to pull off the crime of the century, by ripping off three Casino's at the same time, while at the same time settling a score or two with the casino's owner.
The plot of course has ex-con Danny Ocean (George Clooney) getting eleven people to help him pull off a heist in Las Vegas.
Really cool performances from Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Elliott Gould, Carl Reiner, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Bernie Mac, and everyone else, make this one neat movie.
Directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh and starring (deep breath here...) George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Matt Damon, this movie was sure to make Roadshow Entertainment a bucketload of money on the premise alone.
It has done so, and while it may not be the world's most original and inspiring movie, it is a solid piece of entertainment, pleasing critics and audiences alike.Clooney is the title character, Daniel Ocean, a compulsive thief who has just been released from prison.
It deals with Danny Ocean (George Clooney , though Bruce Willis was originally cast as Danny but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts) and his eleven accomplices (Brad Pitt , Casey Affleck , Elliott Gould , Matt Damon , Bernie Mac , Don Cheadle , Scott Caan , the veteran director Carl Reiner, and Shaobo Qin made his debut , he was rehearsing with the Peking Acrobats when he was spotted and asked to audition for the role of Yen) plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously , their target?
Touching ending as the scene of everyone standing around watching the Bellagio fountain and leaving was somewhat improvised, Steven Soderbergh wanted Rusty, Brad Pitt, to leave first , the other actors were told to line up and depart in whatever order felt natural.Atmospheric musical score by saga ordinary , David Holmes .
And the plot wasn't that exciting the first time round- why on earth we needed to remake this film, let alone make a sequel is beyond me.Julia Roberts leaves me cold on a normal day, but surrounded by such a haplessly dull cast made her performance seem even less impressive- it's no great loss to the film industry that I didn't like this film as every single other person on earth loved it- but then again, Brad Pitt's a relative God to a lot of people for no good reason anyway....
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his gang map out the casino and find a way to get down into the vault without anyone knowing what is going on until Rusty (Brad Pitt) calls the owner of the casino, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) to state the terms.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner, Don Cheadle, and Matt Damon all do a great job.
The runtime is a little overlong and there are a few plot holes.Pros: Smart and intelligent story, good mix of humor, great acting, likeable characters, fast pacing, and a light yet exciting tone.Cons: Julia Roberts and her bad acting, an overlong runtime, and some plot holes.Overall Rating: 8.3P.S. This film surprised me a lot.
To the blackjack dealer with attitude (Bernie Mac-man) Clooney's Danny Ocean was one of the funnest characters he has had along with other good supporting guys (Matt Damon, Elliot Gould, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner) they all were top drawer in this hip-heist film.
What really threw this movie up in the sky was it's outstanding cast, I mean "Oh Man!" tons of great of actors (and actress, Julia Roberts) from all over the place.
The plan, along with ten other experts he has roped in, is to rob the main vault at Las Vegas that houses the takings from the three main casinos.The original Ocean's 11 released in 1960 is an OK film, more watchable for the Vegas setting and the irrepressible cast of Rat Packers than for any purpose or structure.
But really it's a stretch to put George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon (all excellent here) on the same pedal stool as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin!The most striking thing about this remake is that the whole cast seem to be enjoying themselves, mainly because they are not being asked to over exert their performances from their very astute director, they really are just asked to turn up and enjoy each other's company, the result is one of the coolest pictures to have been made in the modern age.The film is purely out there to entertain, it has geniality pouring out from every frame, this is a character based heist caper full of laughs and derring do shenanigans, even Don Cheadle's ill advised (and pointless character arc) cockney accent manages to create smiles instead of being an on going hindrance.
All the cast (too many to mention) are great, from Andy Garcia's suave and mean boss, Terry Benedict, to Julia Roberts' (walking like a goddess) Tess Ocean, all things in the film deliver a feel good movie that when all put together, and all things considered, is a film made by lovers of the medium for, well yes, lovers of the medium itself!
Once you see his smug face, you can definitely be sure that whatever you buy that he's selling is gonna be the truest of fake.Now add some serious cast, including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts (still in her prime), a convoluted heist plot, and enough reason to dislike the bad guy - and you'll be literally waiting for our A-Team to succeed and cheering when it does.
All shiny and sparkling, with enough fun little twists and moments of humor, with Clooney and Pitt exchanging impeccable smiles and snappy one-liners, with a sleek kingpin of an antagonist and his dumb nitwit minions - and of course with the charm of Las Vegas and its vibe of easy money and endless entertainment - Ocean's Eleven makes you feel like a spectator at a very expensive and exclusive show.But that era is over, and even the general audience is into trying to dig a film's surface, not necessarily deep but enough to expect a second layer to show itself.
Superb.It is a multi star cast film which features George clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and others the movie I must say was a masterpiece and well made and the acting makes this film even strong!!!It was very exciting and I hadn't bored in this movie in the first half I felt this movie is not good but the climax had changed my mind and also blown it!!!Overall the film was awesome and other movies should be made like this."A HEIST MASTERPIECE".
Or, for that matter, "Ocean's Eleven", a caper film which- like all caper films- preaches the message that "Greed is Good" and which- like an increasing number of modern examples of the genre- adds a further message to the effect that "Crime does Pay".Here Clooney stars as Danny Ocean, a career criminal who comes up with a plan to rob a vast sum of money the vaults of three Las Vegas casinos, the Bellagio, the Mirage and the MGM Grand.
Although the film was made with an ensemble cast, however, the film-makers managed to attract a surprisingly large number of big-name stars, including not only those two great male sex-symbols Gorgeous George and Beau Brad but also the likes of Julia Roberts, Elliott Gould, Andy Garcia and Don Cheadle."Ocean's Eleven" is a slick, glossy piece of popular entertainment- a sort of superior popcorn movie; I enjoyed it more than the rather dull sequel "Ocean's Twelve".
Steven Soderbergh's remake of 'Ocean's Eleven' is an action filled heist film about a criminal, Danny Ocean (George Clooney), who was just released from jail and close friend, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), who gather nine other men and plan to rob 150 million dollars from three different Las Vegas casinos.
It is full of a great cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts and many more.
It's this aspect and this fun approach to 'Ocean's Eleven (2001)' that makes watching the film so entertaining, like an untaxing puzzle to be unravelled as it goes along, and its easy-going attitude makes for a laid-back watch with some twists to keep you on your toes and great character writing to keep a smile on your face.
Needing a team of skilled accomplices to carry out his highly ambitious mission, he enlists the help of an old friend and puts together a team of 11 accomplices, all of whom must work together to carry out the heist successfully.Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the film doesn't waste much time in setting up its premise and keeps adding new characters without slowing down the plot.
Music also carries a groovy element although it isn't anything memorable.Coming to the performances, Ocean's Eleven features a charismatic ensemble in George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck & others, with both Clooney & Pitt impressing the most.
Bringing his charming screen persona into play, Pitt delivers a show-stealing performance but Clooney isn't far behind plus the chemistry between these two is one of the film's main highlights.On an overall scale, Ocean's Eleven is an enjoyable, entertaining & sufficiently satisfying delight that promises lots of fun throughout its 117 minutes runtime and, for the most part, successfully delivers it.
The movie stars Danny Ocean (George Clooney) who is fresh out of prison and looks for a new job.
Their partners in crime include Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Casey Affleck, Matt Damon and Scott Caan.Intrestingly, the movie is shot in the three casinos, The MGM Grand, Bellagio,and The Mirage.This movie is less about suspense and more about the style and the confidence in which the simple, yet elegant, plan was executed.Steven Soderbergh has directed it intelligently where everything moves smoothly,the entire cast plays it cool and easy.The dialogue delivery is excellent throughout the movie.The movie will not involve and shake you much.
the cast in this movie contains household names such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia, Eddie Jemison, Matt Damon, and many others.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon made it easy for me to keep my eyes on the screen (I would love any movie that had those three in it, no matter what the plot was).
Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, what a cast all directed perfectly by steven soderbergh.
Only minus in this movie is Julia Roberts acting, because she didnt do really good job on it.I dont know how mtv award for best on screen duo went to Vin Diesel and Paul Walker next to Oceans Eleven and amazing cast.
A terrific cast and crew is shrunken with a great screenplay, excellent script and story line, mysterious characters, great laughs.A perfect combination of actors, and an actress, in a movie that has been done, but never seen before.Two hours of heaven.
PLOT: A+ ACTING: A+ ACTION: A+ OVERALL: A+I had been following the development of this film since day one: director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich) and George Clooney teaming up post-Out Of Sight for a remake of an old Rat Pack flick called Ocean's Eleven.
This is one of the best films I've ever seen and I don't think I'm the only one who will end up saying that.The story deals with Danny Ocean (George Clooney), a con-man just out of doing a stretch in a New Jersey prison.
Ocean's ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), is currently the girlfriend Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the man who owns all three of the targeted casinos.With such a cast of all-stars, it was worth the price of admission alone.
Led by the charismatic Brad Pitt and George Clooney Ocean's 11 has an eclectic cast who are having a great time in Vegas and it can be seen on the screen.
With an amazing star cast featuring George Clooney, Brad PItt and Julia Roberts this picture is an actors walhalla.
Wasn't it EXCITING to see so many NOTABLES all at once!" "Watching this film was so much more fun than watching TV." "Well, maybe a little more fun."First we have the MOVIE STARS: George Clooney, Brad Pitt AND Julia Roberts.
None in particular, except perhaps the fact that the casino's owner, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), is dating Tess Ocean (Julia Roberts), who just happens to be team-leader Danny's (George Clooney) ex-wife.
Just think of the 2001 Ocean's Eleven as an ordinary action comedy, and you'll still have a great time.The screenplay has a vital role in this movie's success: the plot is expertly constructed, so that it will be captivating but not too complex, and Steven Soderbergh brings it to the screen with brilliance and elegance.But what really makes this film special is the cast: every single actor is absolutely comfortable with the various roles, and even though the focus is on some people (Clooney, Garcia, Roberts, plus Brad Pitt and Matt Damon), the other members of the ensemble (including Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould) have their chance to shine too.
Great Fun. OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001) **** Ultraslick feature that follows the story of a simultaneous three-hit heist in Las Vegas' most popular casinos that are run by owner Terry Benedict.
George Clooney makes an appealing comedic turn as Ocean; Brad Pitt is great as the know-how guy who eventually takes over the heist; Matt Damon and Julia Roberts are equally fine support to the film.
By assembling a dream team of today's hottest actors including George Clooney( reprising the role once played by Frank Sinatra), Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia, the movie has fantastic written all over it.
The plot of the film is to pull off robbing three of Las Vegas's biggest casinos on fight night, but what gives the film depth is the charm of George Clooney playing Danny Ocean.
The straightest arrow of the cast, casino owner Terrry Benedict (Garcia) is made to be the film most dis-likable character.The story is about Danny Ocean (Clooney), who is just released from prison. |
tt0431197 | The Kingdom | The opening scene of the movie explains how oil drilling has transformed the Middle East and abroad in a timeline sequence. It portrays the conflicts that have risen since the late 1940's for the rightful ownership of the Oil Industry. This includes the United States's involvement in Iraq and al-Qaeda's growing network of terrorism. Eventually, it explains the 9/11 terrorism attacks and how 80% of the hijackers were Saudis. This raises serious questions on the relationship between Saudi and the United States. The plot begins with the current struggle of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom's efforts to stand control of their country against terrorist extremists.During a game of softball played by American citizens in their oil company's housing compound, terrorists set off a bomb, killing many Americans, as well as Saudi State Police. The terrorists impersonated Saudi State Police members and while one team hijacked a car and started shooting residents of the area, another runs out onto the baseball diamond, pretending to aid the Americans, but then reveals that he is a suicide bomber and blows himself up, along with everyone near him. Sergeant Haytham of the Saudi State Police, disables the stolen SSP vehicle and kills the occupants. The FBI's Legal Attache in Saudi Arabia, Special Agent Francis Manner, calls up his colleague Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) to tell him about the attack. Shortly after this a second bomb explodes in the compound killing more people, including Manner.Back in the U.S., Fleury briefs his FBI team on the happenings in the Kingdom, and Special Agent Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner), a forensic examiner, breaks down in tears upon hearing of Francis's death. Fleury whispers something into her ear which causes her to control her emotions. While the higher-ups deny them permission to visit, Fleury blackmails the Saudi ambassador into letting them use a Saudi plane to get into the country in order to conduct an investigation. Fleury and his team of Mayes, Leavitt (Jason Bateman), an intelligence analyst and Special Agent Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper), a bomb technician, go to Saudi Arabia, where they are met by Colonel Faris al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom), the commander of the Saudi State Police force tasked with policing the compound. The Americans come to find that al-Ghazi is not in charge of the investigation, whose duties have been relegated to General Al Abdulmalik (Mahmoud Said) of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, who does not give them permission to investigate, rather they are to observe the investigation.When the FBI team is invited to Prince Ahmed bin Khaled's (Omar Berdouni) palace for a dinner, Mayes is excluded because of her gender, Fleury takes the opportunity to convince the Prince that Colonel al-Ghazi is a natural detective, and should be allowed to lead the investigation. With this new change in leadership, the Americans are allowed a hands on approach to the crime scene and discover that the second bomb was set off in an Ambulance, and the bombs used marbles as projectiles. This revelation leads them to discover that the brother of one of the terrorists had access to ambulances and State Police uniforms, and the Police raid the house, managing to kill a few heavily armed men. The Americans are then told that they have to go home, by their Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Damon Schmidt (Jeremy Piven). However Fleury and al-Ghazi both believed that the teenagers that they had just killed were just amateur fighters, and were not the real planners behind the attacks.On their way to the airport, Fleury notices a youth watching their convoy from an overpass, and then sees that the last SUV of their convoy has stopped far behind them, he then notices a speeding car coming towards them and grabs the wheel from Sergeant Haytham (Ali Suliman) which allows them to partially evade the collision that occurs when the speeding car runs into the first SUV of their convoy, setting off a trunk full of bombs. Their SUV, the third one in their convoy, hits the first SUV killing the men inside. The fourth SUV finally drives up and the men inside pull out Leavitt, throw him into the back and drive away while a second car drives by to shoot the surviving Americans. Fleury manages to wound one attacker, and al-Ghazi commandeers a civilian vehicle to chase the fourth SUV and the other car into the dangerous Suweidi neighborhood of Riyadh. As they pull up, a gunman launches a rocket at them and a firefight starts. Inside the complex, Leavitt is tied up and gagged while his attackers prepare to tape a video of his beheading.After having killed their attackers, al-Ghazi decides that three of them must enter and find Leavitt and two must stay behind and cover the entrance. While Sykes and Haytham watch the entrance, al-Ghazi, Fleury and Mayes enter the building, following a blood trail and manage to finish off many other gunmen inside. Mayes, separate from the other two, scares a little girl in an apartment, and she enters to find a family with little children, their mother and grandfather. She yells at them to stay put and goes across the hall to another apartment to find Leavitt and his attackers. She kills the remaining insurgents, and al-Ghazi and the team start to leave. However, Mayes feels unsettled about the little girl, and walks in to give the girl a lollipop. In return the girl gives her a marble, matching the ones pieced together earlier from the bomb scene. Fleury then realises that there is a trail of blood leading to the back of the apartment, and al-Ghazi sees the grandfather, suspects something and asks to help him up in order to inspect his hand. When the old man gives him his hand, al-Ghazi sees that the man is missing the fingers that are missing in the terrorist group's many videos and confirms his idea that the grandfather is the terrorist leader. Abu Hamza's teenage grandson walks out of the bedroom and manages to shoot al-Ghazi in the neck twice with a pistol before it jams, prompting Fleury to kill him. Abu Hamza then feebly pulls out an assault rifle and Haytham puts three shots in his chest. As Abu Hamza dies, his younger grandson hugs him and Abu Hamza whispers something into his ear to calm the child down. Al-Ghazi dies in Fleury's arms.At Al-Ghazi's house, Fleury and Haytham meet his family. Fleury tells his son that al-Ghazi was his good friend, mirroring a similar scene earlier in the movie where he comforted Special Agent Manner's son. The Americans return home, and Leavitt has one final question for Fleury: what did he whisper to Mayes to calm her down? The scene cuts to Abu Hamza's daughter asking her son what his grandfather whispered to him as he was dying. Fleury recalls saying "We're gonna kill them all," while the grandson tells his mother, "Don't fear them, my child. We are going to kill them all...." implying that this is a never-ending, vicious cycle. | revenge, action, boring, violence, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt1821480 | Kahaani | A poison-gas attack on a Kolkata Metro Rail compartment kills the passengers on board. Two years later Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan), a pregnant software engineer, arrives in Kolkata from London during the Durga Puja festivities in search of her missing husband, Arnab Bagchi. A police officer, Satyoki "Rana" Sinha (Parambrata Chatterjee), offers to help. Although Vidya claims that Arnab went to Kolkata on an assignment for the National Data Center (NDC), initial investigations suggest that no such person was employed by the NDC.
Agnes D'Mello, the NDC's head of human resources, suggests to Vidya that her husband resembled former employee Milan Damji (Indraneil Sengupta), whose file is probably kept in the old NDC office. Before Agnes can provide any further help she is killed by Bob Biswas (Saswata Chatterjee), an assassin working undercover as a life insurance agent. Vidya and Rana break into the NDC office and find Damji's file, barely escaping an encounter with Bob, who is searching for the same information. Meanwhile, the attempts to obtain Damji's records have attracted the attention of two Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials in Delhi—the chief Bhaskaran K. (Dhritiman Chatterjee) and his deputy Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Khan arrives in Kolkata and reveals that Damji was a rogue IB agent responsible for the poison-gas attack. In spite of Khan's warnings, Vidya continues her search, fearing that Arnab's resemblance to Damji may have led him into trouble.
The address on Damji's record leads Vidya and Rana to a dilapidated flat. An errand boy from the neighbourhood tea stall identifies R. Sridhar (Shantilal Mukherjee), an NDC officer, as a frequent visitor to Damji's flat. Bob attempts to kill Vidya, but fails, and is run over by a car during a chase. Examination of Bob's mobile phone leads Vidya and Rana to an IP address sending instructions to kill her. They break into Sridhar's office to verify his IP address, but he is alerted electronically and returns to his office. Vidya accidentally shoots Sridhar dead during a scuffle, which upsets Khan, who had wanted him alive.
Sridhar's computer data reveals a code, which when deciphered reveals Bhaskaran's phone number. Vidya calls Bhaskaran to tell him that she has retrieved sensitive documents from Sridhar's office. She asks Bhaskaran to help find her husband in exchange for the documents, but Bhaskaran tells her to contact the local police. Vidya soon gets a call from an unknown number however, warning her that she should hand over the documents to the caller if she wishes to see her husband alive. Khan thinks the caller is Milan Damji.
Vidya goes to meet Damji, followed by Rana and Khan. Damji cuts the meeting short when Vidya expresses her doubt that he will be able to return her husband in exchange for the sensitive file, and he attempts to leave. Vidya tries to stop him, and in the ensuing struggle Damji draws a gun on her. Vidya disarms him using the prosthetic belly she has been using to fake her pregnancy and promptly stabbing him in the neck with her hair stick, before shooting him with his own gun. She flees into the crowd before the police arrive, leaving a thank you note for Rana and a pen drive containing data from Sridhar's computer, which leads to Bhaskaran's arrest. Rana concludes that no Vidya or Arnab Bagchi ever existed, and that Vidya had been using the police and the IB to achieve her own ends.
Vidya is revealed to be the widow of Arup Basu (Abir Chatterjee), an IB officer and Damji's colleague, who was killed in the poison-gas attack, which also caused Vidya to immediately fall unconscious upon seeing her husband's corpse and suffer a miscarriage. In her mission to avenge his and their unborn child's death, Vidya was helped by retired IB officer Pratap Bajpayee (Darshan Jariwala), who suspected the involvement of a top IB official. | plot twist | train | wikipedia | For Kahaani is a ride so thrilling, your mind would be tripping with a million possibilities, even as your tongue invariably ends up either tied, or hanging in the air with anticipation.Kahaani is essentially the story of a heavily pregnant London based Tamil woman's search for her missing Bengali husband in Kolkata, underplayed exuberantly by Vidya Balan.
The supporting cast comprises a helpful cop Parambrata, a selfish detective - Siddiqui, an eccentric life insurance agent - Saswata, and a bhadralok Police officer - Khwaraj, and last but not the least, of a 300+ year old city - Kolkata seeped in the throes of celebrating the mother of all festivals - Durga Puja.The film unfolds like the pages of a gripping novel by Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes and is shot like that of an Alfred Hitchcock or a Satyajit Ray. Using real people, places, and situations to underline the nuances of the story is a task that's handled brilliantly by director Sujoy Ghosh (also the co writer) whose recent claim to shame - an abysmal Aladdin, or a horrendous Home Delivery shall soon be forgotten just as Madhur Bhandarkar's debut dud was.In addition to the sterling performances and the plot is the terrific technical support.
Be it Amitabh Bacchan's rendition of Tagore's 'Ekla Chalo Re', the background songs (mostly of RD Burman), playing innocently as the characters travel the length and breadth of the city, the costumes by Sabyasachi, the 'just right and yet dramatic' background score, the non-condescending cinematography that captures the city as if it were a character, and the supreme screenplay with a spattering of real Bengali, act as just the right spices to turn this into a delicious dish, that's both exotic as well as commonplace.Watch this film to experience something so satiating, you would surely ask for more (a rare for a thriller!).
I liked that fact that story did not pushed a possible romantic element neither unneeded songs between characters and kept it straight and focused.Story of Girl (Vidya) looking for her missing husband, is just the start.
Even with new actors, jumping in with their cameo every now and then, each has done full justice to their role.The story has been wisely written binding intelligent writing along with actual Kolkata.Verdict-- If you have been awaiting for a Good Bollywood Flick, with original narration and quality acting, the movie worth's every penny.
Kahaani directed by Sujoy Ghosh is one of the most finest,efficient thrillers I have witnessed in recent times.The first half may be a bit stretched but still its good but it is the second half that keeps you engaged thoroughly and the climax is superb.Story:- Vidya Bagchi(Vidya Balan) playing the helpless , who has arrived from London to Kolkata in search of her missing husband Arnab.
When it seems like her husband's disappearance might be inexplicably linked to a most-wanted terrorist, Vidya pokes her nose around in dangerous places, angering the Intelligence Bureau that is trying desperately to keep some secrets hidden.Sujoy Ghosh,who directed the disastrous Aladin in 2009, is excellent this time.Although there are many sequences in Kahaani which work,but since mentioning them would spoil the fun.The screenplay is taut and brave.The dialogs are very good.The editors could have trimmed the movie,to make it more sharper.The cinematography by Setu is stunning.The locales of Kolkata are a treat to the eye.The music is very good."Ami Shotti Bolchi" sung by Usha Uthup and "Ekla Cholo Re" sung by Amitabh Bachchan stand out.Performances:- Vidya Balan rocks in Kahaani.She is an actor to watch out for.She is amazing.Parambrata Chatterjee as Rana is sweet.Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Khan,the Intelligence Bureau officer is superb.Saswata Chatterjee is good too.Special mention of the two boys,one in the Mona Lisa hotel and the other as the tea vendor are cute.Amitabh Bachchan's narration at the culmination is fine.I am giving nine out of ten for Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani.It is not only to be watched for fans of Vidya Balan but it is also for those who are not.Its your loss,if you miss it..
First and foremost I would like to clear out one thing about me.I am a Bengali but in spite of the fact that I got a mesmerizing view of the Bengali culture and the city of joy-Kolkata (which I haven't visited for ages), this review is not biased.Ever wished you watched a movie that left you completely spellbound?
She is charming in the way she talks with the kids and playful in the bus-ride with officer Rana.Then the subtlety with which Rana emotes the love he feels for Vidya and the hesitation while picking locks to find out evidences.The brash hard talk act by officer Khan and then the evil menacing act by Bob Biswaas.Brilliant!!Moreover Sujoy Ghosh(the director) uses Vidya's pregnancy cleverly- every time she trips or even sweats too hard, you become afraid.The story totally grips you and leaves you at a dramatic high.And what can I say about the climax.Tremendous shock value!There have been very few times when I have experienced such pin-drop silence in the theater.Take a bow Sujoy..You have given Bollywood a gem of a thriller.For those fed up with the dark and gritty underbelly of Mumbai and the bylanes of old Delhi in recent movies, there are splendid sights of Kolkata and the iconic Durga Puja.It's a treat to watch the Howrah bridge,Hoogly river and the Victoria Memorial.Regarding music.Its great.The movie starts on a good note with "Ami Shotti Bolchi" and Amitabh Bachhan's rendition of Tagore's famous song "Jodi tor dak shune" elevates the mood to a completely different level.The director keeps the narrative clutter-free, sans any songs or side-track.Kahaani shows that when everything falls in place for a film — story, writing, acting, editing, cinematography, etc — things can't go wrong.
Now this is some movie..Brilliant script followed with top notch direction,editing, cinematography and performances..Engaging suspense thriller..There seems only one ACTRESS in Bollywood at present..She was just too excellent..But the script was the show stealer..One of the best ever climax I've watched in Bollywood..Will blow away your minds..After watching the movie one will definitely doubt whether this is the same director who has given duds like 'Home Delivery' & 'Aladdin'.
While Vidya accepts herself as "Bidya"in the City of Joy, gifts a chocolate to the kid in the lodge and breaks the lock of National Data Centre; the contract killer Bob Biswas (Saswata Chatterjee) playfully murders people and Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) smokes out his dedication towards his work besides a mouthful of white air.
from Bollywood which generally has no place for women centered films, here comes the most amazing powerful suspense packed thriller, starring non other than the charismatic Vidya Balan, the movie is a milestone and a rare treat from Bollywood, definitely a must watch.
What works for "Kahaani" is its atypical narration arising from a well written story, first class cinematography in tandem with good soundtrack, and the performance of a leading actress whose very mention signals the changing face of Indian cinema.Arriving from London, a heavily pregnant Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) heads straight to the Kalighat police station in Kolkata to enquire about her missing husband.
Wrestling with this possibility, Vidya finds herself digging into a high profile federal cover-up, even as an assassin trails her every move.Co-written by director Sujoy Ghosh, "Kahaani" is a well crafted thriller that is simply too good by Bollywood standards, current or past.
Saying anything more about the script, would be highly unjustified, however, all the characters, be it minor or major, deserve applause for their wonderful performances , that lets you believe, that this could indeed and would happen to anyone in such a scenario.The most important character being essayed in the movie is the City of Joy - Kolkata , and even if the movie in the entire duration portrays it as a festive city, it starts getting on your nerves , never letting you realize what is really scary about it.Vidya Balan as Vidya Bagchi..
Kahaani does none of this, but it enthralls you, with completely logical consequences of events , and making you wonder, why you never thought of it in the entire movie.A must watch for the international viewers who only treat Indian Films as melodramatic or over the top.
Kahaani is a great movie with some good acting, awesome screenplay along with a strong script And some mind blowing Twist..
Kahaani is a 2012 Hindi Feature Film directed and co-written by Indian movie maker Sujoy Ghosh.
Kahaani depicts the fascinating tale of a London-based IT Professional, Vidya Venkatesan-Bagchi (masterfully portrayed by Vidya Balan), in desperate pursuit of her spouse who has gone missing in the bewitching city of Calcutta (now Kolkata).
with all new characters other than vidya balan it was a movie seem like everybody did good acting.
'Kahaani' is a story of a girl-Vidya Bagchi-who travels from London to Kolkata to investigate about his missing husband-Arnab Bagchi-who had come here two years back for work and since then is reportedly missing.The movie opens up in the metro station of Kolkata and from there it turns out to be a ride.And what a ride it is!Vidya Balan-a national award winning actress-has proved again that she is a flawless actor when it comes to pulling off a difficult and risky role.She makes the movie realistic with her top class acting and brilliant timing.She scares you,thrills you,makes you cry and makes you laugh,what else would one want?
She carries the movie on her shoulders and never lets it fall during the quest.The other characters of the movie also do absolute justice to their roles and keep your eyeballs occupied throughout the quest.The suaveness of Kolkata resides in the characters which sometimes hits your emotional spot too.The police officer by the name 'Rana' in the movie has done a pretty descent job and is a good watch.The movie is fast paced and smart.It's an intelligent flick when it comes to suspense and the clues that lead Vidya's quest.Quality direction,exuberant characters,thrilling screenplay make the movie a worth worth watch.It's one of the very few Indian thrillers that strike your gut with some of it's jaw dropping scenes.It's thrilling,fast and has an effulgent suspense in the end.You shouldn't shouldn't miss it if you're a fan of the genre.9/10.Must watch!.
Kahaani is a story of a pregnant woman from London in search of her missing husband in Kolkata, India.
The only other film we have seen Vidya Balan in was Parineeta, which we thought was one of the best Indian movies we've seen (out of several hundred).
Vidya Balan delivers another stellar performance after 'The Dirty Picture' and possibly the best performance of her career so far.The roles of other characters of the movie are equally worthy and the down to earth look and casting makes the movie that much enjoyable to watch.I must say, if you want to see a good suspense thriller, with a difference, go watch this movie :).
It has everything, a powerful (and believable) script, very convincing performances, decent cinematography and a good complementary background score.It is apt to say that Vidya Balan is the hero and Kolkota city is the heroine of this movie.
You will just fall in love with the colors and shades of the city and the magnification cultural diversity it portrays!Vidya is back with another award worthy performance, good to have a true actress in Bollywood getting roles worth her salt.Parambrata Chatterjee is quite convincing, a young, compassionate, good hearted cop who is not yet corrupted by webs of materialistic world.Nawazuddin Siddiqui delivers a powerful performance of a no nonsense intelligence agent.
The last movie i watched was Khichdi-The Movie in 2010.Since then,i haven't even watched a trailer of an Indian movie.All these new actresses,they don't even deserve to be called an Actress.I don't know what people see in them.Maybe people go for faces but not the acting.I,myself judge an actor by his acting.No matter how ugly he is,if he's a perfect actor,it works for me.I heard about Kahaani from a lot of people.I was impressed by it's trailer as well.But i didn't knew what awaits me is far more better than the trailer.From the opening sequence to the very end,you won't even blink your eye.Every scene has something new to offer.The location,the intensity of the music.Everything will keep you on the edge of your seat.But the best thing about this movie is VIDYA BALAN.What a brilliant performer she is.Her expressions,dialogue delivery,the way of talking,every thing is worth praising.If Bollywood is alive these days,it's only because of her.No Khan is match for her excellent acting.It's surprising how people can like crap movies like Housefull 2,Ek Tha Tiger but not this one.This is not your typical-dancing-Bollywood-love-story.So if you're looking for a totally addicting,engaging,well-written movie,then i would recommend KAHAANI without wasting a single second !.
The Movie Starts With An Incident , Which Takes Place In kolkata Metro and Kills enormous Amount of people, And the Movie revolves around Vidya Balan's Search for her husband and to find out what is the connection between that incident and vidya balan's missing husband.The Movie Has Everything, Suspense, great Work, Good Acting, Amazing Screenplay and Vidya Balan Has Done a Stupendous Job.*CLaps*Attractive Piece of Direction and catchy Dialogues Made The experience Even More Beautiful...
Vidya Balan who once again effortlessly carries a movie on her shoulders plays the role of Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant London-based wife searching for her missing husband in Kolkata.
Other few small characters also catch the eye - an adorable little kid who lives near Vidya's guest house and becomes a very good friend, to the sinister contract killer who greets his victims with a warm smile before drilling few bullets into them.The backdrop of hustling-bustling Kolkata, 'The City of Joy', set in the time of their biggest festival, Durga Puja, certainly plays an important role in telling the story.
Dark And Thrilling with twists all around, along with yet another masterful performance from Vidya Balan as the leading actress and the vocal point of the movie having the movie revolve around her character and good supporting acting from the rest of the cast(Specially Sasawata Chatterjee and Parambrata Chatterjee), a gripping story with many twists and turns along with great work from Director and Screenwriter Sujoy Ghosh, Kahaani is one of the rare ''thrillers' in bollywood and definitely one of the best(if not the best) which has the excellent story, superb acting and great direction which will keep the audience glued to the movie.The Story is about a pregnant woman named Vidya(Vidya Balan) arriving at Kolkata from London to find her husband who has been missing for quite a time, and how she discovers clues that lead closer to trying to find her husband after not getting any answers about him, with help from Rana(Parambrata),but her secrets and the case's secrets are revealed as the story moves along.The Acting By Vidya Balan is yet again Masterful and she again proves that she is the best actress in Bollywood Right now with a perfect portrayel of a complicated character and she makes it look so easy with her great acting skills!
He Also has written the screenplay for this movie which is great and gripping with its turn of twists, and has written one of the better stories which he has utilized brilliantly through his direction.The Cinematography is also quite good as the cinematographer does a convincing job in showing the beautiful city of Kolkata excellently.
Good story .Excellent acting .After a long time i liked some Hindi movie.Can't judge anything up to the last scene .Must watch for everybody who loves Hindi cinema.Small budget movie.
Yes this is one of those movies that lingers on in your head even after you leave the movie theater.The star cast right from Vidya Balan(as Vidya Bagchi),ParambrataChattopadhyay(as police offer Satyoki Sinha/Rana),Nawazuddin Siddiqui(as second-in command Intelligence Beaureu),Saswata Chatterjee(as a hired assassin),Kharaj Mukherjee as a kind cop to the manager of Mona Lisa hotel and lastly the two kids who interact with Vidya is simply amazing.There are several high points in the film.Vidya as the portrayal of the pregnant woman delivers a range of emotions.She is at times tough and firm on finding her missing husband.At times, she is vulnerable,frustrated because of the missing clues.
Yes this is one of those movies that lingers on in your head even after you leave the movie theater.The star cast right from Vidya Balan(as Vidya Bagchi),ParambrataChattopadhyay(as police offer Satyoki Sinha/Rana),Nawazuddin Siddiqui(as second-in command Intelligence Beaureu),Saswata Chatterjee(as a hired assassin),Kharaj Mukherjee as a kind cop to the manager of Mona Lisa hotel and lastly the two kids who interact with Vidya is simply amazing.There are several high points in the film.Vidya as the portrayal of the pregnant woman delivers a range of emotions.She is at times tough and firm on finding her missing husband.At times, she is vulnerable,frustrated because of the missing clues.
She had first come up with No One Killed Jessica, which did really well along with The Dirty Picture, which shook the Indian cinema with her superb acting, and now comes Kahaani- a film about a pregnant woman who comes from London to Kolkata to find her missing husband.The storyline is quite an interesting one, and the star cast is amazing too!
The story is of one pregnant Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) who comes to Kolkata from London in search of her husband who was in India on an assignment but suddenly went missing.
Three things are outstanding, the direction by Sujoy Ghosh, The acting by Vidya Balan and the story.
with superb performance of Miss Vidya Balan as a pregnant women loitering alone in busy streets of Calcutta, and with a phenomenally surprising ending, this movie definitely proves to be a great watch.
Last but not the least Vidya has made her entry in 2012 with another good movie and so has been the journey of Bollywood movies this year.Story line- Pregnant women - searching her missing husband - police - suspense - Kolkata - informants - climax . |
tt0101004 | Zandalee | Zandalee Martin is a young boutique store owner living in New Orleans who is sexually frustrated and feeling unfulfilled with her marriage to Thierry Martin, and eventually gets tangled in a passionate, sensual and torrid adulterous affair with her husband's mysterious and free spirited old friend Johnny Collins. Zandalee and Thierry's marriage has hit a snag and seems to be eroding due to his lack of passion. Zan needs to explore, while Thierry wants to withdraw, and has become more and more distant and impotent in their relationship. He used to be a poet, but now has taken over the family’s communications business after the death of his father. As time goes on, Thierry has to sell the business and become basically a (vice president) figurehead. He is emotionally adrift as his dreams give way to disillusionment.
Johnny, an artist painter by trade, has been working for Thierry's business to help support his paintings. His only religion is self-gratification. Johnny also sells and mules cocaine for a local drug dealer as another source of income for himself.
Having not seen each other in a while, the two run into each other at a bachelor's party. After the party, Thierry brings Johnny home to meet Zandalee and his grandmother Tatta (Viveca Lindfors). While talking about old times, Johnny offers to paint a portrait of Thierry at their home.
Later, in another scene, after finishing the painting, Johnny shows it to Thierry, Zandalee and Tatta. While they go off to other rooms and sensing Zandalee's frustration and vulnerability, Johnny makes a pass at her. Johnny continues to pursue Zandalee and when they run into each other during a rain storm, he takes advantage and moves in by seducing her, first in his loft in an angry passionate scene, (interestingly, Zan's wedding ring is on the table next to the bed) which is followed by him erotically finger painting her. Their sexual liaisons continue to occur in various places including her laundry room a top a washing machine while Thierry and guests are having dinner. Thierry soon suspects the two are having an affair.
As the affair intensifies, Johnny meets Zandalee in a church and asks her to leave her husband. However, Zandalee feels that she must never abandon her true love Thierry, and quickly ends her affair with Johnny after he forces himself on her in the confessional. She and Thierry re-commit themselves to each other, but Johnny, now obsessed with her, will not be brushed off that easily. He tracks them to their vacation spot in the Bayou. All of this puts the three on a destructive collision course with a tragic sequence of events.
When Thierry figures out that Johnny has indeed been having an affair with Zandalee, he becomes drunk and confrontational (he pulls a gun out) leading to him becoming reckless when he takes Zan and Johnny for a speedboat ride on the Bayou, which ends when he falls off the boat and drowns, refusing to be saved by either Zan or Johnny who dive into the water to save him. Both Zandalee and Johnny become distraught by Thierry's death and begin to isolate themselves with Zan jogging for long periods and Johnny trying to work on his paintings, but becoming more self-destructive. In one scene, Johnny, in a rage rips up some of his paintings and pours black paint all over himself. He also consumes some of the cocaine he is supposed to sell, which gets him in trouble with his supplier.
When Johnny meets with Zandalee with the hopes to restart their romance and have a possible future together now that Thierry is out of the picture, she remains emotionally distant and instead goes for a walk along the Old Quarter with Johnny following her. But in the final scene, when Johnny's drug supplier attempts to kill him in a drive-by shooting outside the church that Zandalee frequents, she sees what is about to happen and shields Johnny, getting fatally shot in the process. The drug dealer flees from the scene of the crime (saying "you've got to make accounts payable man"), leaving behind Johnny, now alone, as he cradles and holds Zandalee's dead body. The movie ends with him walking in front of the church with the lifeless Zandalee in his arms. | tragedy, romantic, murder | train | wikipedia | Gratuitous nudity livens up dull melodrama.
Nicholas Cage is mis-cast as an irrestistable sex-god/brooding artist who comes to stay with an old friend (Judge Reinhold) and proceeds to VERY unsubtley seduce his wife, Zandalee (Twin Peaks' Erika Anderson).
Despite his lank, greasy (thinning) hair, scraggy goaty, boorish manner and an unfortunate fondness for spouting pretentious philosophy, rather than find him hilarious she is inexplicably drawn to him.The only thing that keeps the interest from flagging throughout this film are the strong sex scenes and the gratuitous nudity involving the stunning Anderson, which begins, promisingly enough, before the opening credits have even finished and is sprinkled generously throughout the film.
On the downside, you also have to see Judge Reinhold's butt - not such a pretty sight - but sometimes sacrifices have to be made..
Lots of heavy breathing and local color....
This is a great-looking film, filmed in rich colors and beautiful New Orleans locations.
But dramatically it doesn't fare so well; it's mostly a monotonous series of heavy-breathing sequences, interrupted by dialogue passages that seem to exist only because a film can't be made ONLY with sex scenes.
We also get lots of gratuitous nudity from the statuesque Erika Anderson, who's married to Judge Reinhold (fairly good, but not good enough to be taken absolutely seriously as a dramatic actor yet) and pursued by Nicolas Cage (in a smug performance he would probably like to forget today).
Overall, not a horrible film, but not outstanding, either.
beautifully shot, poorly cut.
The movie is not as bad as the overall rating shows.
I presume too many people saw it on account of Nicholas Cage and got disappointed.
The problem is that the drama does not develop in one direction.
It ended as a banal story about adultery culminating in a theatrical suicide and an unconvincing tragedy.
Cage (Johnny), the outsider, turned up to be the guiltiest of all.
Yet, until the middle the movie had developed around Anderson (Zandalee) and at some point it looked as if the victim of the drama would be exactly Cage who fell desperately in love with beautiful Anderson while she was using him to overcome her frustrations with husband Thierry.
That seemed to be the purpose of the two supporting characters: Tatta and the gay shop-attendant who were pushing her into adultery, so as to save her marriage.
At some point, either when shooting or when cutting, the concept changed and the triangle lost everything even remotely intriguing..
Let Zandalee whet your whistle for a night.
If you like nudity, I mean if you really, really, like nudity, this is one of the more frank nudist films I've seen.
Some of it's nudity is naughty, for all you bird smugglers out there.
Popular to belief, this is a bad film.
It isn't.
It's one of these arty, more unnoticed films, especially on Cage's resume.
I've seen this film a lot.
If you look past the nudity and appreciative helpings of sex, there is a story, but it's through this three characters in this love triangle, where for one, jealously goes beyond it's limit, another one, sadly in it's finale is a victim of circumstance I guess, while Cage, the other, in the end, is really the loser.
He brings another crazy offbeat character that's mystifying in the form of a sleazy nude artist/university dropout/womanizer/part time magician, Johnny Collins.
He's now back in the bayou working for his new boss, old school friend/gifted poet Reinhold, particularly good here, who speaks a southern accent, the way he delivers his poetry, he's just great.
And so is his wife, Zandalee (Erika Anderson) not acting wise, just beautiful scenery.
She doesn't even try to act, which must of been a worry.
Joe Pantoliano, who almost trademarks character acting, is great as a cross dresser who works with Zandalee in her boutique.
Soon Cage is getting in Anderson's pants, and it's almost as though Reinhold cracked onto this from the start, but you aren't sure, where he makes soft insinuations here and there, some through poetry.
That's what I like about it, an incertitude, a scariness too, as what will Reinhold end up doing.
Reinhold's a very tortured man of past, who gave the poetry up, as well as his performance in the bedroom, which is why Zandalee is drifting away from him and satisfying her sexual yearning from Cage in some pretty raunchy scenes.
The prolonged last act of the film was interesting as that speedboat ride took a more than dangerous turn, but a real tragic one, evolved in the last breathing moments of the film, that was unforeseen, and truly climactic.
For sex lovers, this one's sure not to disappoint, but there is more to this film than that, and that's not just in it's story.
This is another of Cage's best performances among many.
His name defines acting in it's true purpose, to take that character all the way, not be inhibited, something Nick definitely, isn't, in or off camera..
Late Night Lock The Bedroom Door Flick.
Zandalee is the kind of movie that a teenage boy would watch late at night on HBO...only after locking his bedroom door.
New Orleans is very pretty, and there's some decent sex scenes, but other than that there's nothing more here that hasn't been done better somewhere else.
It's way too hot in New Orleans!.
There is a reason this went straight to video- the story is smarmy, Nick Cage plays Johnny in a sleazy way- sex in churches, and other scenes that border on tasteless(like the scene in the laundry room) taint this movie.
Judge Reinhold as the cuckold is okay- but the movie itself with its themes of degradation and revenge are not well done.
But it is a good film for trivia contests- because so few people saw it..
"Not the best .
"Not the best .
Reviewer: A viewer from edison, nj USA For those of us who cherish the steamy city of New Orleans, Zandalee captures the steaminess while transcending its shortcomings.Rehinhold could have made more of an effort to exhibit a more tragic figure - and could have made an attempt at maintaining ANY accent.
Cage is satan personified.
More than a bit melodramatic in many scenes, good cameo appearances by Marissa Tomei, Joe Pantoliano (pricesless cross-dresser!) and Steve Buscemi (playing Steve Buscemi) add to the memorable scenes and memorable/quotable dialogue: ("I'm your reality check" "Its a heartifact" "A little decorum!".Its worth the 3 bucks to rent of the $15 to buy it.
Nice steamy, sexy movie.
Not the greatest .
Not good but ....
I don't understand why this film accumulates so scarcely votes.
Come on!
Nick Cage did a good job; Erika Anderson is beautiful and stimulating (she didn't need another skill, or she did??).
In my opinion, the story, the plot, could be a better fortune in the hands of an European director, like Chabrol or Goddard.
But "Zandalee" it is not so bad or dull to don't be advised to the spectators.
6 points..
nudity fails to heat up lifeless movie.
In New Orleans, Zandalee (Erika Anderson) is married to poet-at-heart Thierry Martin (Judge Reinhold).
He's struggling to keep afloat his father's business.
Their marriage is in trouble.
Childhood friend Johnny Collins (Nicolas Cage) comes back into his life after a bachelor party.
Zandalee starts an affair with the wild painter Johnny.This is a lifeless movie.
The stone-faced Erika Anderson lacks any kind of acting charisma.
She was probably much better as a model.
Her main contribution to the movie is nudity.
Director Sam Pillsbury tries to inject nudity to spice up this tired melodrama.
It doesn't work.
The dialog is clunky as heck.
The pace is as slow as molasses.
This is sexploitation B-movie with a lot of great actors and Erika..
An enjoyably ripe and overheated erotic melodrama.
Bored and unhappy young babe Zandalee (a winningly sultry and vibrant performance by luscious brunette knockout Erika Anderson) feels trapped in a stale and loveless marriage to failed poet and decent, yet dull businessman Thierry Martin (a solid and credible portrayal by Judge Reinhold).
Zandalee has a torrid adulterous fling with sleazy and arrogant artist Johnny Collins (deliciously played to the slimy hilt by Nicolas Cage).
Can the relationship between Thierry and Zandalee be salvaged?
Or is everything going to fall apart and go to seed?
Director Sam Pillsbury and screenwriter Mari Kornhauser lay on the tawdry soap opera-style histrionics something thick while attempting to tell a wannabe serious and insightful story about desire run amok and its potentially dangerous consequences; the plot goes gloriously off the rails in the laughably histrionic last third.
The dialogue is likewise hilariously silly and vulgar (sample line: "I wanna shake you naked and eat you alive").
Better still, this flick certainly delivers plenty of tasty female nudity (the gorgeously statuesque Anderson looks smoking hot in the buff) and sizzling semi-pornographic soft-core sex scenes (Johnny and Zandalee doing the dirty deed in a church confessional booth rates as a definite steamy highlight).
The tart'n'tangy New Orleans setting adds extra spice to the already steamy proceedings.
With his long, scruffy black hair, greasy mustache, foul mouth, and coarse manners, Cage's Johnny is an absolute hoot as the single most grossly unappealing "romantic" lead to ever ooze his way onto celluloid.
The cast deserve props for acting with admirable sincerity: Anderson, Cage and Reinhold all do respectable work with their parts, with fine support from Joe Pantoliano as Zandalee's merry flamboyant homosexual friend Gerri, Viveca Lindfors as Theirry's wise, perceptive mother Tatta, Aaron Neville as friendly bartender Jack, and Steve Buscemi as a funny, blithely shameless thief.
Walt Lloyd's sharp and gleaming cinematography gives the picture an attractive glossy look.
The flavorsome, harmonic score by Pray for Rain likewise hits the spot.
A delightfully campy and seamy riot..
Embarrassing to watch, but you can't look away.
This is the first of many Nick Cage (or is it Nic Cage?) movie reviews.
I'm trying to make a bit of a formula so we have a good standard.
I think it'll go something like this:Opening Rant: We start off with an early-90s gem that looks made for TV, but has far too much nudity to play on the Super Station.
Director Sam Pilsbury appears to be banished to TV movies after this, although he did direct the critically acclaimed Free Willy III.
For whatever reason Zandalee only played in Hong Kong and Italy, which would explain the Chinese menus on the DVD from Netflix.The Plot: Zandalee is married to a former-poet-now-exec who has no attraction to her whatsoever.
Enter Nick Cage, long haired, cocaine addicted painter who sweeps Zandalee off her feet...
in the other room...
while her husband is entertaining guests.
She falls for him, he falls for her, husband is unhappy, everybody's dead by the end except Nick Cage, who is very very sad.Favorite Nick Cage Line: "I wanna shake you naked and eat you alive."Favorite Nick Cage Moment: Nick Cage is very upset, strips down to booty shorts, and rubs paint all over his body while screaming.
Alternate: Nick Cage shoveling a mountain of cocaine into his lover's vagina as though the cops are at the door and he's gotta hide the stuff.My Impression: Frankly, it was embarrassing to watch.
Everybody was trying so hard to act, and obviously had no idea what they were doing.
The filming was awkward, the bar scenes were quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and the ADR and sound mixing were typical TV terrible.That wasn't so bad, was it?
Far easier to read than Zandalee was to watch..
Sensual and almost erotic thriller of the heart.
Recap: Zandalee is a young woman that feels more and more trapped in her marriage with Thierry.
Thierry himself is struggling with the death of his father the previous year and has lost his way.
He has submerged himself in work, laid of his writing, and Zandalee desperately misses the attraction between them.
Into this enters Johnny, and old friend of Thierry's who once were artists in exile together.
But Johnny has kept on painting, and just have a day job for the rent.
He takes the day as it comes and leaves tomorrow to its destiny.
There is an instant raw attraction between Zandalee and Johnny, and they enter into an affair.
But Zandalee struggles with her lust to be desired and her conscience and love for her husband.
But none of them, not Zandalee, not Johnny and not Thierry can stop the relationships between them to spin totally out of control.Comments: It is set as a thriller.
But maybe more a thriller of heart than a normal thriller where it's about life and death, and threat of violence.
Not that a thriller of heart can't take on fatal proportions, but the threat comes from a different angle.
And it is not really until the second half in Zandalee until the thriller emerges, and even though the foundation for it is laid in the first half, I can't really describe the genre as a thriller then.
Much more of a romantic drama than anything else, but with the underlying currents of other genres.
The developing thriller is there, but it also has more than a little tint of a sensual erotic kind.
Because that is what it is all about, what drives the characters and therefore the entire story.
Desire.
The need to have, and the need to be.In my opinion it is quite good, definitely a lot better than its current (4.1) rating anyway.
It takes its time but it grows a good feeling of suspense, and it handles the erotic part very well, with taste.
It is always an integral part of the story, needed to be there to give the story it's needed weight, and I never felt it was an excuse to show a naked breast or anything like that.
But unfortunately the climax of the story comes well before the end, and the end itself feels kind of flat, even if in its own way kind of dramatic.The cast is impressive, spearheaded by known actors like Nicholas Cage and Judge Reinhold.
But the show is almost completely stolen by Erika Anderson.
Beautiful and very adept at acting out the sometimes subtle feelings of desire, she excels were both Cage and Reinhold sometimes goes a bot overboard and become a little rough.
Her career afterward is too thin for the talent she shows in Zandalee, I can only hope it is because of her own choices.
Also two personal favorites appear in small roles that give some extra edge to the movie, it is Steve Buscemi and Joe Pantoliano.When you're in the right mood this is a very good movie, it could have used another end to get the credit it really deserves.7/10 |
tt0352994 | Walk on Water | Eyal is an agent in Mossad, the Israeli security service. He is a hitman who targets enemies of Israel. His wife has recently committed suicide, and the agency decides that he needs to take on a less challenging assignment: to find an aging Nazi war criminal and get him "before God does".
In order to track down the old man, Eyal poses as a tour guide and befriends the Nazi's adult grandchildren, Axel and Pia. Pia lives on a kibbutz, an Israeli commune. Her brother Axel visits her in order to convince Pia to return to Germany for their father's seventieth birthday. It is later revealed that Pia's estrangement with her parents began when she discovered that they were hiding her grandfather. She shares this information with Axel.
Although he has a job to perform, Eyal truly befriends Axel and Pia. Axel and Pia are decent people who demonstrate that most Germans have gotten beyond the hatred that led to the Holocaust. They spend time together and Eyal enjoys himself, even if he would not openly admit so. His friendship with Axel allows him to display some humanity, letting down his tough-guy machismo. Eyal and Axel even take a mud bath by the Dead Sea, showering off together in the nude afterward.
When the three are at dinner one night in a Tel Aviv restaurant, Axel speaks privately to the Palestinian waiter, Rafik, and finds out where the best club in town is. Later that evening, Axel, Pia, and Eyal arrive at the club. Eyal is shocked to discover that it is a gay club. He sees Axel dancing with Rafik and is taken aback.
Eyal is initially disgusted and disappointed to discover that Axel is gay. He asks to be removed from the assignment, not attempting to hide his homophobia as the reason. His boss, Menachem, insists that Eyal finish the mission. Eyal visits Germany and comes to realize that Axel's orientation is unimportant. During the visit, Axel runs into a group of friends, drag queens, coming off the U-bahn. A group of skinheads attack them and Eyal defends the queens. In doing so, he reveals that he is fluent in German. He tells Axel that his parents were German, leaving out that most of the Jews in his mother's region of Germany had been killed by Axel's grandfather. Later during the visit, Eyal runs into Menachem, whose family was also killed by the grandfather's Nazi activities.
Axel invites Eyal to his father's birthday party. The guests are uncomfortable about Eyal's nationality and religion, but still polite. After the cake is brought out, Axel's parents surprise the guests by bringing out Axel's aged grandfather. Axel angrily confronts his mother and goes to Eyal's room, only to find a folder full of information on Axel's family. Meanwhile, Eyal meets with Menachem and tells him that they can easily take the grandfather and bring him to Israel to be tried for his war crimes. Menachem reveals that they are the only two on this mission, and the aim is to kill the grandfather. Eyal is clearly conflicted, but takes the case of poisons that Menachem gives him.
Eyal arrives at Axel's house and enters the grandfather's room, unbeknownst to all but Axel. Axel sneaks up behind Eyal and watches as he fills a syringe with poison, doing nothing to intervene. Ultimately, though, Eyal is unable to fulfill the task. He leaves, and Axel tenderly caresses his grandfather's face before turning off his oxygen tank, killing him. He goes to Eyal's room, where Eyal tells him that the suicide note his wife wrote told him that he kills everything that comes near him. Eyal says that he doesn't want to kill anymore and breaks down in Axel's arms.
The story jumps ahead 2 years. Eyal and Pia are married with a child named Tom and living on the Kibbutz. Eyal and Axel remain good friends. | queer, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | "Walk on Water" piles layers of personal, family, religious, cultural, historical, employment, geopolitical, sexual, geographical, guilt and responsibility issues on two men -- and still makes it work as the gripping story of two individuals whose lives affect each other.I saw an interview with director Eytan Fox where he said he wanted to imagine the two most opposite men possible and make them deal with each other.
With writer Gal Uchovsky, he focuses on two men who are almost philosophical constructs of dissimilarity yet they come across as real people whose actions and reactions are unpredictable.The central character Eyal is the quintessential sabra (Israeli-born native), a craggy, macho Mossad agent unable to discuss his feelings about his ravaged marriage, a child of a Holocaust survivor, fatigued with terrorist attacks and revenge, but in the opening moments efficiently murders a Hamas leader.He is sent by his mentor/father figure on a rogue mission that annoys him in every possible way -- going undercover to gain the confidence of a young German fully integrated into the EU whose every opinion, action, lifestyle and family background he despises, a continental take on "Donnie Brasco." They personify Faulkner's dictum that "The past is never dead.
It's never even past." as each man learns that the measure of a man is not just what he does today and did yesterday, but the genetics and heritage that make up his identity and does influence his choices -- choices that we hold our breaths to see played out.Lior Ashkenazi captures the screen projecting the relaxed casualness of male camaraderie comfortable from years in the military and then his reactions as he gradually realizes he's been thrust into more complex situations.Though the situations get a bit too artfully complicated when their somewhat picaresque adventures range from the German's kibbutznik sister to Palestinians to skinheads and a somewhat unnecessary though emotionally satisfying coda, the dialog does refrain from a couple of the most obvious ironies as each man gradually reveals their true nature to each other.Hearing "Achtung!" amidst Israeli folk dancing is among the unusual juxtapositions in a movie where the characters can only communicate across the divides in English, amidst the three languages they speak among themselves.
This is more than slightly perplexing since this film is not only shot, mainly, in Israel but also because it deals with a topic that is highly charged and controversial among Israelis, namely, the collaboration with modern day Germany, in light of the not so distant past of the Holocaust.Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi in a terrific performance) is a Mossad agent, returning from Turkey after an efficient and clean assassination of a Terrorist only to find that during his absence his wife, Iris, committed suicide.
Axel, the German tourists who starts as Eyal's nemesis (not only because of his origin but also due to his gay tendencies and his merry and merciful personality), ends up as the one who turns Eyal's life around.The relationship with modern day Germany is still a touchy subject in Israel and will probably remain so for many decades to come.
This movie deals with the dealing of both Israelis and Germans with their past and with each other by the impossible friendship between Eyal and Axel.The Latin credits, as I said before, are the prophecy for the filmmakers' intention for foreign viewing.
It begins with the almost apologetic mentioning that Eyal's assassination "victim" is a terrorist , continues with the too PC and not very plot-essential coexistence with the Israeli-Arab population and the atmosphere of the gay night life.Moreover, the film conveniently deals with another controversial subject, Palestinian Terror, in a manner that is easier for the European "creative stomach" to digest.
I loved everything about this film, from the script to the acting and to the excellent photography (which, I have to admit, is rare in Israelie movies, at least until the last few years).Although I do understand that Israelies and Germans are more likely to connect to this film, I recommend it to everybody.
The storyline, set in modern-day Turkey, Israel and Germany, is intriguing though I found the final scene unnecessary until the producer explained that it was added to give Israeli audiences a sense of hope for the future.The representation of German culture was quite accurate: young Germans cannot identify with their grandparents' experiences during the second world war.What started out as a very promising film became a bit too stereotyped in the end: while there has be a rise in neo-Naziism in Germany, attacks in the subway are rare (especially in cosmopolitan cities like Berlin); having a German grandfather who lived in exile in Argentina is also fairly atypical - more realistic would have been a grandfather who could not understand/identify with the youth or who completely agreed with the youth and struggled with his own past.The use of language throughout the film is very realistic and the English text is direct and simplistic.
Of these, it really examines Israeli-German relations and homosexual relationships in most detail and leaves a lot of open questions on the other issues.If you're thinking at this point that the film sounds like it might be a bit too heavy, think again.
In order to trace him, Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) takes a job as a tourist guide for the grandson of war criminal - sociable, open, friendly young German, Axel.
This beautiful film refuses to go there, but instead mixes the young people of Germany and Israel in a manner that finally enlightens us as to the process of letting go, of forgiveness in order to move ahead with living.Eyal (the dashingly handsome and sensitive actor Lior Ashkenazi) works for the Israeli group headed by Menachem (Gideon Shemer) whose life's work it is to track down and kill all remaining Nazi perpetrators of the concentration camps.
Eyal is a damaged man, his wife has committed suicide partially because of his job as hired assassin of anti-Israeli people, and he has finally grown weary of Menachem's obsession to exterminate all living Nazis.
Yet he is assigned one more 'victim', an old man who is the grandfather of two German young people - Pia (Caroline Peters) who happily lives in an Israeli kibbutz and her brother Axel (Knut Berger) who has come to Israel to plead with his sister to return to Berlin to her estranged parents for her father's birthday.
Eyal poses as a travel guide to take the Nazi's grandson, Axel Himmelman (Knut Berger), on a tour of Israel while visiting his sister, Pia (Caroline Peters), who has renounced her family and lives in on an Israeli kibbutz, communal farm.
The film starts in Istanbul, Turkey, to Israel - Tel Aviv, Sea of Galilee ("Walk on Water," indeed), to Berlin, Germany - it's almost a travelogue, multi-lingual in Turkish, Hebrew, English and German.
It has a strong central cast: Lior Ashkenazi who inhabited the lead role of Eyal with dual lightness and intensity (not forgetting hints of grieving numbness), Caroline Peters as Pia and Knut Berger as Axel - complementing each other as the Himmelman sister and brother (including a delightful cabaret duo performance), and Gideon Shemer in the supporting role of the quiet yet firm Menachem, Eyal's only surviving family friend and 'mentor.' Possible recent related films: the German film "Downfall" (2004) with powerful actor Bruno Ganz in the lead with a 'humanized' approach to the infamous leader; the documentary "Paper Clips" (2004) that involved a group of school children's moving approach to understanding the historical events - both I've yet to see.
I had heard very little about WALK ON WATER when I happened to catch the previews, and the story piqued my interest immediately.Eyal, (the sullen but ruggedly handsome Lior Ashkenazi), a Mossad operative, has just completed yet another successful mission - the assassination of a well-known Hamas leader.
Instead, he has a "special" assignment for his favorite agent: to get closely involved with the German granddaughter and grandson of a Nazi war criminal who has been secreted away by his family in an undisclosed location.Rather than submit to a psychiatric evaluation, Eyal reluctantly complies and serves as the tour guide to the outgoing and sweet-natured Axel Himmelman (Knut Berger), who has come to visit his sister Pia (Caroline Peters) at the kibbutz where she lives and works.At first, the mix is anything but an easy one; the swarthy, sullen Israeli and the humanistic blond Germans.
To say that the encounter is life-changing is an understatement, as an invitation to a birthday party for Axel's dad uncovers secrets and lies, and shatters the fragile facades built from a gossamer web of betrayal and denial, not only for the Himmelman family as a whole, but for Eyal himself, who finally achieves a soul-cleansing catharsis from the most unlikely of places and the most unusual of friends.Questioning the most difficult conventions of nationality, ideology, sexuality and spirituality is something that most films, mainstream or otherwise, can find it tough to do when just tackling a couple of these issues.
The subject matter is as intricately layered as the use of the four different languages spoken in the movie, (Hebrew, English, German and a bit of Arabic), as is the choice of music (American and Israeli folk and pop leaven the surprisingly engaging soundtrack), and all of it is as involving and enlightening as you could hope for from an intelligent and ultimately uplifting film experience such as this.I look forward to seeing more of the work of both Mr. Fox and Mr. Ashkenazi with great anticipation..
Eventually the former agent does meet his lover's sister, falls in love with her, and they begin a family together.As a several times viewer of this movie, I've never found much indication that the gay, real-life "near-ending" described by Fox ever made it into this film of his.
And, when all is said and done, the film does conclude with the two of them back in that Sea of Galilee beach scene, and Eyal's closing it all out with his (what I'll call) "Ode to Axel." Lastly though, it does have to be acknowledged that movies with too much of a gay theme are, obviously, hard sells anywhere: US, Europe and Israel, no doubt.
The Mossad agent Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) assassinates a Hamas leader at the start of the film returning home to find his wife has committed suicide.
His boss Menachem gives him a safer temporary job of pretending to be a tour guide for the grandchildren of a Nazi war criminal, Alfred Himmelman, with the idea that the tourists will lead him to their grandfather.This German brother and sister with their own issues open up the eyes of Eyal to his own prejudices; he is challenged by Axel Himmelmans (Knut Berger) sexuality.
He is also challenged by Axel's sister Pia (Carolina Peters), a German lass who lives and works on a kibbutz in Israel.I saw this film on television.
As a result, the characters come across as very real and it makes the story believable.The director, Eytan Fox, worked with the writer Gal Uchovsky to create two men so diametrically different, it's impossible to think that they could be friends.There are some very powerful scenes, particularly the one in Axel's home.
The explanation is that the two central characters - a young German man whose grandfather was a Nazi and a little older Israeli who is an accomplished Mossad agent - only have English as a common language and spend much of the film together, first in Israel and then in Germany.
The good-looking leads are Knut Berger as Axel and Lior Ashkenazi as Eyal who go on a journey as much emotional and political as geographic.Director Eytan Fox and writer Gal Uchovsky - a gay couple - have produced a work that raises so many complex issues about relationships - between straight and gay men, between Jews and Arabs, between Israelis and Germans - and so many moral issues - including suicide bombing, state assassination and private justice - that one has to forgive them for a number of implausibilities in the plot (that I could only discuss by spoiling your viewing).Although I am not Jewish, I have visited Israel (including all the locations featured in the film) and I saw the movie in a synagogue in North London with close Jewish friends.
The new propose of famous director from Israel, Eytan Fox, who directs the hard "Yossi & Jagger" comes with a new, if is same of hard, work about the power of forgive and forget, which both are so difficult to any human been.At the first look likes a famous Hollywood thriller, "Walk On Water" the makes us find its real purpose about a film that finds to be the encounter of two cultures, among other things.
Eytan Fox made a movie with well defined characters, which one have a purpose which impact in the lead (Famous Isareli actor Lior Ashkenazi): Axel, who is homosexual and redefines the moral concept of Eyal, Pia who don't love the way in which her family manages the things, and finally the father of Eyal, who manages much of certain concepts of Eyal.
A ambiguous poem about social and personal values, about the significance of gestures and words, about the image of the other who makes our interior universe a deep cage.Every ghost of recent history are parts of a conversation beyond the words.Every symbol of a young society (kibutz, Mossad, hate and fear against Arabs, the German like testimony of Shoah, the tradition versus life, the wait of sense for facts, crimes and errors, the special relation with God and the shadow of Moses, the image of gay in a traditional system and the failure of a way to see the life) are pieces of this fascinating film, a film about love and hope, fight against past and values of present.
This issue is certainly serious and interesting enough, and it hasn't been discussed in many other films.However, Walk on Water insists on dealing also with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, homophobia, and marriage problems.
This is just too much and none of the subjects receive proper treatment.Further, the plot through much of the film is just unreasonable, with one story hole following another.The characters are ridiculously stereotyped, and firstly the tough, racist, homophobic macho Mossad man, confronted with an easy going openly gay German and Palestinian.
Knowing how miserable the lives of gay Palestinians are, one should bear in mind that these characters are in no way representative.Yet, the movie was still worth watching for me, for the fresh, though inadequate point of view on German-Jewish relations.
After Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi), a Mossad agent, finds out his wife has committed suicide, he gets a rather secretive mission on a soft target as he must hunt down an old Nazi war criminal, directly related to the WW2 persecution of his (surviving) mother and boss Menachem (Gideon Shemer).
He starts off by posing as a tour guide for one of the grandchildren Axel (Knut Berger), leading him to Axel's sister Pia (Caroline Peters; her real grandfather was in the SS) and at the end to the family in Berlin.Walk on Water tries to mirror the past of Israel and Germany by letting two opposing characters mirror their differences.
Eyal is macho, a hit man and hates Palestinians and Germans; Axel is gay (also in real life, by the way), a pacifist, and shows great understanding for Palestinians.
Fox, an openly gay Israeli director, has directed a film about the subjects he is most familiar with: the problems of gay people, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the unhealed wounds between Jews and Germans.Based on an actual incident related to the director by his therapist, Walk on Water begins when Mossad agent Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) efficiently carries out an assassination of a Hamas leader in broad daylight in front of hundreds of people including the leader's wife and young son.
Eyal accepts the temporary job of pretending to be a tour guide for the grandchildren of a Nazi war criminal, Alfred Himmelman, in hopes that they will lead him to their grandfather.He meets young Axel Himmelman (Knut Berger) an open, liberal-minded German who has come to visit his sister Pia (Carolina Peters) who lives and works on a kibbutz in Israel and refuses to have anything to do with her parents.
The ending of "Walk on Water" is telegraphed soon after the beginning when Israeli Mossad agent Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) poses as a tour guide to befriend a young German brother and sister (Knut Berger and Caroline Peters) in hopes they will lead him to their elderly grandfather, a Nazi war criminal.
The movie was saved from being ruined by the ending, however, by Eyal's account of the dream he had, in which he and Axel finally walked on water.
An unusual spy thriller from Israel, Walk on Water's first scene follows Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi, a fine and handsome actor, somewhat reminiscent of Clive Owen, and who played a quite different character in the comedy Late Marriage), a tough-minded Mossad agent, as he coolly kills a Hamas operative in Istanbul in front of his family.
"Walk on Water" is an Israeli movie that depicts a friendship between a hyper-macho Israeli Mossad agent and the homosexual grandson of a very powerful Nazi war criminal.Sounds pretty deep, no?
This is a gripping and fascinating Israeli film from director Eytan Fox about a cold-blooded Mossad assassin, Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi), and his total transformation.
Some serious generation gaps growing in the German family here...It's when the film gets caught up in the plot, that I disagree with others here...this does sort of feel like a Hollywood movie, in a weird way.
Although not fully explained, I could somehow get past Axel killing his grandfather but it did bug me that it ended up being such a happy ending, especially with Eyal marrying Pia. I still really liked the movie but would've preferred the ending to have been a little longer with a bit more explanation.Also I didn't really get how Axel being gay had anything to do with the overall story? |
tt1181791 | Black Death | Black Death begins with a voiceover from Wolfstan (John Lynch), a soldier in the employ of the Church in 13th Century England. As an enforcer of the Church's will, Wolfstan is one of a group who roots out and hunts down all traces of infidelity and sacrileges against God. The opening voiceover talks about the bubonic plague decimating life across England. Many people believe the plague is a divine punishment sent by God to scourge the unfaithful, but Wolfstan questions what amount of sin would warrant a punishment as cruel and merciless as the plague. He believes the plague is the result of people in league with the Devil, and he and his fellow soldiers must hunt down and destroy those devil worshipers responsible for the plague.Osmund (Eddie Redmayne) is a young novice monk going into a nearby town on an errand. He stops to see Averill (Kimberley Nixon), a beautiful young woman who is in love with him. Osmund convinces Averill to leave town because of the plague's spread. He wants her to run and hide in a forest. Averill begs Osmund to go with her, and tells him that she will wait one hour each day, at dawn, by a particular landmark in the forest, for one week. After that she will know he is not coming.Osmund is torn between his love for Averill and his vows to God. Back at his monastery, he falls to his knees and prays fervently for a sign that will help him choose.A day later, a troop of Church soldiers arrives at the monastery. The soldiers are led by Ulrich (Sean Bean), an aide to the local bishop. Ulrich and his men, including Wolfstan, are on their way to a remote village at the edge of a large marsh, to investigate stories that it is free of the plague. Ulrich is at the monastery to conscript one of the monks as a guide to lead the soldiers through the marsh to the village. Osmund, having grown up in the area, sees this as the sign he prayed for, as the expedition must pass through the forest where he sent Averill into hiding. He eagerly volunteers to guide the soldiers.Along the way, in the woods, the soldiers pass by a group of villagers preparing to burn alive a woman suspected of witchcraft (Marianne Graffam). Ulrich interferes and unties the woman, leading her away only to cut her throat with a dagger. He tells Osmund that as soon as the soldiers left, the villagers would have promptly seized the woman again and carried on with the execution. The woman was as good as dead when they encountered her, and all Ulrich could hope to do was make her death painless and quick.They are passing through the forest where Averill is in hiding and make camp. At dawn, Osmund hurries to the landmark where Averill told him to meet her. He finds only her scarf and a group of bandits. Osmund makes it back to the camp, but the brigands track him there and attack the soldiers. The soldiers slay most of the brigands, but a few manage to escape -- with the soldiers' horses, forcing them to go the rest of the way on foot.They arrive at the village and are greeted by Hob (Tim McInnerny), who welcomes them when they say are travelers seeking shelter for the night. Osmund, who is wounded, receives treatment from the town herbalist, Langiva (Carice Van Houten). They are all invited to dine with the villagers in the evening. But slowly signs start to come out that things are not as they appear in the quiet, peaceful village. Langiva saw right through Ulrich's story, as she tells Osmund. Seeing a look about him, she trusts him with knowing that she harbors a resentment toward the pious and holy, as they killed her husband. Shortly before dinner, she brings him to a field where a number of scarecrow-like effigies are on stakes -- but Langiva tells Osmund that they are in fact the remains of the last Church party that sought to kill them for perceived heresies and sacrileges. Then she reaches into what appears to be a shallow grave... and pulls out Averill.Ulrich has found an idol that, to him, is proof that the village is without God -- and for that, they must all pay.But it is Ulrich and all the others who about to be betrayed. Their food and drink, at the dinner, was drugged. They all come to at dawn, bound in a deep trough filled to their waists with water. All the village is gathered around, and Langiva is to preside over THEIR trials. The village has become strong in its sense of community and having all renounced God. Now they intend to do the same with the soldiers, all of whom are defiant and ready even to wrestle each other over the 'right' to die first in God's name. The village chooses Frith (Thorsten Querner) to be first. They bind him to a cross, ready to kill him slowly and painfully unless he renounces his faith. But Frith's profession in the Church is a torturer; he inflicts torture on perceived heretics, witches, and those accused of being ungodly. He proves that there is nothing they can teach him about pain, and finally they simply disembowel him. The next soldier chosen, his morale broken, renounces his faith and God before the village, whereon Langiva says that three villagers will escort him to the outskirts and let him go free-- a lie, as he is hanged like a common criminal from the trees just outside the village.Langiva directs Osmund to go into a particular nearby house. She still sees him as a potential convert to the village's independent, atheistic way of life. Osmund finds Averill inside. She is in a deep, deep stupor, barely coherent, but she is alive. Still, to Osmund, it appears very much that her mind is gone; he believes Langiva has used dark witchcraft to make Averill into a zombie. Grieving and desperate to see Averill spared any pain and suffering, he takes a knife and grants her release through death, carrying her body out back to the village square.Langiva, angered by Ulrich's continued defiance, has him bound between two powerful draft horses to be drawn and quartered. Hob, instead of letting Ulrich be torn apart, has the horses pull enough to stretch Ulrich like he is on a rack, torturing him. Ulrich appears to break and begs that Osmund be allowed to administer last rites. As the young monk begins to do so, he removes Ulrich's outer garment.Ulrich's body is covered with large, bleeding sores. He has contracted the bubonic plague, and has now brought it to the village as his instrument of dark justice for its ungodliness. The villagers begin to scatter, spooking the horses, who tear Ulrich apart. The remaining soldiers manage to grab a dropped knife, cut themselves free, and overpower the remaining villagers. Hob is captured alive and most of those who remained are killed. Of the soldiers, only Wolfstan survives.Osmund runs after Langiva and accuses her of killing Averill. Langiva answers that she has no powers, no sorcery; she is merely an extremely skillful herbalist who used some 'parlor' tricks with her mastery of herbs and her ability with verbal persuasion, to give the villagers confidence and independence. She is not a witch, merely a good leader. She insists she did not kill Averill; she had found her alive in the forest and merely kept her drugged as part of the plan to convert Osmund. As she walks away, Osmund begs Langiva to bring Averill back, but she coldly tells him she has no power to do so; she scornfully suggests he pray to God and ask Him instead.Wolfstan places Hob in a restraint device hooked up to the wagon they brought. He is bringing Hob back to the Church to be put on trial as the village necromancer. But, as he explains in a voiceover, he knew that Hob was not guilty of witchcraft or any form of demonic consort. The village remained free of the bubonic plague not through witchcraft or necromancy, but merely by its remoteness from the rest of civilzation. Once Ulrich was found to have brought the plague to the village, any of the villagers who didn't die in battle with the soldiers were quickly wiped out by the illness.Wolfstan brings Osmund safely back to the monastery en route to the Church. Although he prays for Osmund to have a long, peaceful life, a series of voiceovers provided by Wolfstan show that Osmund's life became anything but peaceful. Wolfstan explains that he never saw Osmund again, but heard the terrible stories:Averill's death left Osmund nearly mad with grief. Desire for vengeance on Langiva turned his heart stone cold, and he took up the sword as an inquisitioner for the Church, leading merciless crusades against perceived witches. He saw Langiva's face in every woman who was tortured and killed at his command. He is shown delivering a terrified young woman to a dungeon, where she is brutally tortured; he watches impassively as her toes are crushed with metal pliers, and orders her to be killed when she still does not confess to heresy and witchcraft.Wolfstan's closing voiceover offers a prayer that Osmund somehow found peace in his work, as Osmund is seen presiding over a dark execution where a young woman suspected of witchcraft is dragged in terror from the village fields as she is working there, and burned alive. Fade to black. | violence, gothic, revenge, cruelty, sadist | train | imdb | null |
tt0114814 | The Usual Suspects | On the deck of a ship in San Pedro, California, a figure identified as Keyser speaks with an injured man called Keaton. The two talk briefly, then Keyser appears to shoot Keaton before setting the ship ablaze.The next day, FBI Agent Jack Baer (Giancarlo Esposito) and U.S. Customs special agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) arrive in San Pedro separately to investigate what happened on the boat. 27 people have been killed in the fire. There appear to be only two survivors: a crippled man named Roger 'Verbal' Kint (Kevin Spacey) and a hospitalized Hungarian criminal and crewman. Baer interrogates the Hungarian, who claims that Keyser Söze, a Turkish criminal mastermind with a nearly mythical reputation, was in the harbor "killing many men." The Hungarian begins to describe Söze while a translator interprets and a police sketch artist draws a rendering of Söze's face.Meanwhile, Verbal Kint tells the authorities everything he knows in exchange for immunity. After making his statement to the district attorney, Kint is placed in a police station office where Kujan requests to hear the story again, from the beginning......Verbal's tale starts six weeks earlier in New York City, when an armored truck containing spare gun parts is hijacked in Queens. The driver of the stolen truck was grabbed from behind and never saw the person or persons who acosted him, but the unknown hijacker spoke to him. Subsequently, the NYPD round up five different criminals: Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) is a corrupt former police officer who has apparently given up his life of crime, and is arrested while eating dinner at a fancy restaurant; Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin) is a crack shot with a temper and a wild streak, arrested in the middle of the night; Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro) is McManus's hispanic partner who speaks in mangled English, and is nabbed on a street corner; Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollak) is a hijacker who forms an instant rivalry with McManus, and is picked up while working on a car in his garage; and Verbal himself, who is a con artist that suffers from cerebral palsy. The five men are brought together for a lineup, and are told to say the phrase, "Give me the keys, you fucking cocksucker." They all manage to butcher the phrase. Later, while sitting in a holding cell, McManus convinces the others to join forces to commit a robbery targeting New York's Finest Taxi service, a group of corrupt NYPD police officers who escort smugglers to their destinations around the city. Their attack on one smuggler goes off without a hitch, with farther reaching consequences as numerous other officers are indicted on corruption charges.With their loot, the quintet travels to California to sell it to McManus's fence, Redfoot (Peter Greene). Redfoot talks them into another job: robbing a purported jewel smuggler. Instead of jewels or money, as they were told he was carrying, the smuggler had heroin. An angry confrontation between the thieves and Redfoot reveals that the job came from a lawyer named Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite). They later meet with Kobayashi, who claims to work for Keyser Söze and blackmails them into destroying the cargo of a ship coming to San Pedro harbor.In the present, Verbal Kint tells Kujan the story of Keyser Söze as he apparently heard it. Verbal's flashback reveals Söze's family being harassed by a rival Hungarian gang in Turkey. Söze goes on a murderous vendetta against all those who were involved. Afterwards, he apparently disappears; thereafter, he rarely conducts business without an alias and maintains anonymity between himself and anyone working for him. With time, Söze's story takes on mythic stature, with most people either doubting his existence or disbelieving it entirely.Back in the present, Kint continues to tell his version of what happened then. His flashback resumes to reveal Fenster's attempt to run away, but he is tracked and killed (off-camera) by Kobayashi. The remaining four thieves kidnap Kobayashi, believing Söze to be a cover for his activities and intending to kill him if he does not leave them alone. Before McManus can execute him, Kobayashi reveals that lawyer Edie Finneran (Suzy Amis), Keaton's girlfriend, is in his office. Kobayashi also says that he has the will, the information, and the means to injure or kill the remaining four criminals' relatives if they do not go through with the arrangement.On the night of the cocaine deal, the sellers--a group of Argentine mobsters--are on the dock, as are the buyers--a group of Hungarian mobsters. Keaton tells Verbal to stay back, and to take the money to Edie if the plan goes awry so she can pursue Kobayashi "her way;" Verbal reluctantly agrees to do so. He watches the boat from a distance, in hiding, as Keaton, McManus and Hockney attack the men at the pier in a huge gunfight.During the battle, Hockney is killed as Keaton and McManus discover separately that there is no cocaine on the boat. Meanwhile, Hungarians, yet untouched by the thieves, are being picked off by an unseen killer, and a closely-guarded Hispanic passenger is killed by an unseen assailant. McManus is killed with a knife to the back of his neck, and Keaton, turning away to leave, is shot in the back. A figure in a dark coat appears, presumably Keyser Söze, and lights a cigarette with a gold lighter. He appears to speak briefly with Keaton before apparently shooting him (the scene which began the film in medias res).In the present, with Verbal's story finished, Kujan reveals what he has deduced, with the aide of Baer: The boat hijacking was not about cocaine, but rather to ensure that one man aboard the ship--the Hispanic passenger held captive, one of the few individuals alive who could positively identify Söze--is killed. After Söze presumably killed the man, he eliminated everyone else on the ship and set it ablaze; Kujan reveals that Edie has also been killed. Kujan has concluded that Keaton was Keyser Söze. Verbal admits that the whole affair, from the beginning, was Keaton's idea. His bail having been posted, Verbal departs with his immunity.Verbal retrieves his personal effects from the property officer as Kujan, relaxing in the office he used for the interrogation, notices that details and names from Verbal's story are words appearing on various objects around the room. 'Redfoot' is the name on a wanted poster, for example, and 'Kobayashi' is written on the bottom of a coffee cup that Verbal handled earlier. Quickly putting the pieces together, Kujan realizes that Verbal made up practically the entire story as he talked. He runs outside just as a fax arrives with the police artist's impression of Keyser Söze's face.... which resembles Verbal Kint.As he leaves the police station, Verbal's distinctive limp gradually disappears and he shakes out his palsied hand. He steps into a waiting car driven by "Mr. Kobayashi," departing just as Kujan comes outside to see too late that Kint is gone. Verbal Kint is Keyser Söze, so how much of his narration was truthful is open to interpretation. | dark, boring, neo noir, murder, suspenseful, mystery, cult, violence, plot twist, flashback, clever, action, revenge, entertaining, storytelling | train | imdb | It's a modestly-budgeted piece by a fresh director (who later went on to do the X-Men movies, a FAR departure).A great, gritty script, beautifully-acted characters, and what many have called the greatest movie ending of all time, are some of the shining qualities that make the Usual Suspects an object worthy of praise above its humble-looking shell.The casting is very unusual but somehow fits perfectly.
With a little help from his accomplice Christopher McQuarrie, he signed an unparalleled gem in the landscape of the American thriller, even the whole cinema.The average viewer who watches "the Usual Suspects" for the first time might think that the whole crew concocted him a meandering story with as a leading thread, Spacey's convoluted story.
To watch "the Usual Suspects" is like gathering the pieces of an intriguing puzzle, a little like any other suspenseful movie but in the case of Singer's flick, one will never really be able to completely end it.
Be warned, if you stop concentrating for a moment then the remaining running time of the movie will be spent trying to figure out how what you missed has lead to what you are now watching.It concerns the story of five felons brought in by the police for a line-up and how those same felons reluctantly end up working for the mysterious and ghost-like Keyser Soze: a legend among the criminal fraternity, a man who no-one has seen and lived, a man so dangerous that he is thought to be the devil himself.you get the idea.
That's not to say it doesn't work, far from it, but it does leave you reeling from the sheer amount of information and names thrown at you from the offset.Gabriel Byrne is good, but not flawless, as the tortured Dean Keaton who is torn between his career as a criminal and his forlorn attempt at trying to go straight, but his relationship with uptown lawyer Edie Finneran (Suzy Amis) is badly explored and I never felt it gave motive enough for his actions throughout the movie.
Sadly, Singer has somewhat sold out by doing the X-Men movies, but I guess trying to make films like this would be too taxing.
His name is Roger Kint (Kevin Spacey is perfect) also known as 'Verbal.' From the mouth of this innocent storytelling, con-artist comes the fantastic tale of how he and his fellow criminals, Stephen Baldwin, is Michael McManus, Benicio Del Toro is Fred Fenster and Kevin Pollak as Todd Hockney were originally assembled and then set-up.
From CASABLANCA to PULP FICTION, and even a version of a line (intentionally or otherwise) from BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID.Many people oppose watching a film with a twist a second time.
(Two of those five times I thought, 'well, I'll just watch about half-an-hour,' but ended up watching the entire film because it is so entertaining.) I'm not exactly a noir fan, so it is assured that this particular crime film appeals to a wider audience.THE USUAL SUSPECTS has a skilled director, an engrossing screenplay, and ten praiseworthy performances.
I was excited 'The Usual Suspects' is a mystery film about what cargo was on board the ship when it was destroyed and the events leading up to it as we are told from the only known survivor of that accident.Around 45-50 minutes into the movie, I was starting to find myself a bit tired and thought the movie may perhaps have dragged along just a bit.
The characters began to get a little more entertaining, the pacing certainly began to pick up, the dialogue was getting more interesting and overall, I was more excited.Then comes the amazing final twenty minutes with the plot twist and the story finally closing in perfectly, making the story more understandable.
Boasting petty criminal characters conceived so brilliantly they achieve near-mythological status, The Usual Suspects is known for riveting suspense and action, an intriguing plot line and a jaw- dropping twist at the end.
It also features some of the most memorable lines of the 1990s: "How do you shoot the devil in the back--what if you miss?" The characters, Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollak), Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) and Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite) have real character details and cues.The film is set in the aftermath of a ship fire that totally burns the cargo and crew.
I tried to like this movie, but after being introduced to about 300 characters who all look and act alike (their names even rhyme, for God's sake!), and when the plot demands that we memorize all sorts of details about each one of them to follow the story, that when it stops being fun.
I felt like I was working overtime just to keep up with this mess.When the ending is finally sprung, and I thought about it in the context of the rest of the movie, it should have all made sense, justifying the over-complicated story, but it didn't.
Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio, Spacey....the list of appearances goes on and on and only sets the bar higher far any movie with a comparable storyline and cast.Christopher McQuarrie's inspirationally written script, is one of the finest of the the cinema era.
Spacey was good Byrne was good and the ending was clever, but if you take a long hard look at the whole film, you will see average movie making.
Don't get me wrong it was a very good film and I am glad I finally got the chance to see it but with critics going on and on about it, they kind of kill the magic of the movie.
A film can start of slow but the ending is the most important thing in the whole thing and I am glad to say that this ending was nothing short of a slap in the face.THE USUAL SUSPECTS - 8.1 OUT 10 THE GREATEST TRICK THAT THE DEVIL EVER PULLED WAS CONVINCING THE WORLD THAT HE DOESN'T EXHIST AND JUST LIKE THAT.....
After watching "SUSPECTS" four times making every effort to employ my most discerning eye, I am convinced the true genius of the movie hinges on this particular point!
One of only two survivors of a ship explosion (Kevin Spacey) tells a story to the police detective (Chazz Palminteri) in charge of the case about how five career criminals - the "usual suspects" - met in a lineup and wound up working for the man whose very name strikes terror into the hearts of men - Keyser Soze.As a result, two names were on everybody's lips for some months to come: Kevin Spacey and Keyser Soze.With a crackerjack script by Christopher Quarrie, great direction by Bryan Singer and terrific performances, The Usual Suspects couldn't miss.
I just saw it again, and it's as good as ever.Its other stars are the handsome Gabriel Byrne as Keaton, a bad cop who at one point faked his death to avoid criminal charges; and Stephen Baldwin, Benicio del Toro, still a distance from stardom, Kevin Pollak, and Giancarlo Esposito as Kobayashi, Keyser Soze's persuasive assistant.As a scared, not very bright gimpy man, Kevin Spacey is a knockout and well-deserving of his Oscar, his Golden Globe, his SAG Award, his New York Film Critics Award and all his other honors.
But two hours later, I just could not understand why this nonsense got so much higher votes and evaluation than "L.A. Confidential".I'm saying this, not because of the labels people usually will put on this movie: confusing, twisted and so on.
I first viewed The Usual Suspects a decade ago, lulled into the cinema by a plethora of pretentious critics and knowing smart alecs who claimed this was the most intelligent piece of film making in a generation.
They are probably laughing themselves senseless at the army of critics who hail this as great film making and the sheep like audience who teemed into movie theatres at their behest..
Suspense, tension and psychological terror might be the exact words to describe this masterpiece, tangled story with several important characters whom cannot be ignored, with the masterly performance of Kevin Spacey who totally deserved the Oscar for best actor.
You must stay hooked up to the screen because this film has in my opinion the best movie ending of all time.
Told by Spacey with a series of flashbacks, the audience must pay close attention to the complicated storyline.Spacey is at the top of his game as Roger and he is joined by Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toronto, and Chazz Palminteri as assorted criminals, all with colorful histories of their own.The Usual Suspects is impossible to describe in a review without giving too much away.
I really cannot believe that this movie has its fair share of bad reviews and people who do not know what actually happened and what parts were true and what parts were lies.The truth, Verbal did recruit the others for the hit on the boat, he did manipulate, trap, and deceive them into thinking they were going to hit a big drug deal.
Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri and Stephen Baldwin make up a good foursome for this story and are interesting to watch play their parts.This is more of what I would call an "intriging" rather than a "satisfying" movie.
This guy is spoken of like he was Satan himself and of course the police want him big time also.I can't say much more because the plotting of The Usual Suspects is so intricate and filled with unexpected twists that to spoil this film would be a crime itself.
Just about everyone agrees that the surprise ending to "The Usual Suspects" is very satisfying, as is Kevin Spacey's performance as the pathetic yet strangely-likeable Verbal Kint.
Naturally, there's only a given amount of depth that can be accomplished in an hour and a half, but "The Usual Suspects" still barely reaches that.So while I would recommend this film for Spacey and the ending, I don't think its worth waiting around for 80+ minutes of ho-hum "gritty crime drama" to get to all the scenes where he really shines and where the script isn't so dull..
spacey plays more or less the same character he played in seven, and no one else here is exceptionaloverall this is still a good quality movie, but i would not regard it as a classic.one movie deserving of that accolade that was around shortly before this one, and a film that suspects borrows from rather massively (as did many movies made around that time) is pulp fiction.
Without question it is an entertaining, surprising, and well-acted film, but I can't see why it gets quite such high ratings on here.Kevin Spacey does a fine job of playing the part of Verbal, and Gabriel Byrne is okay too, but otherwise there were no outstanding performances.
Could anyone please tell me what is so GOOD about this movie???What makes this one of the best in history???Really,I wasn't impressed by the acting..only kevin spacey a little,but he doesn't deserve the Oscar!!!.Then,what so COOL about the story?it was obvious!I just can not figure out how a film like this beats so many other magnificent movies that are rated much lower???So,the acting wasn't fascinating.The plot was only ordinary,if not worse.The directing doesn't bring anything special...it's obvious why this wasn't even nominated fot best picture!!If it was as good as everyone thinks,it would had been much more appreciated by the professionists...This is only one of the many movies that tell one of those stories(which are all alike)but that got lucky and got some good votes.If you enjoy ordinary,not so good movies,watch this USUAL movie.
I just honestly felt that those who came up with the story were trying too hard to keep the viewers off balance, with no idea what was coming next, and to do that they came up with a plot that really just didn't flow all that well.As far as I could see, the greatest strength of the movie came in the last 10 minutes, when the ongoing mystery about the truth about Keyser Soze was finally revealed.
McQuarrie got the name Keyser Söze from the name of his former supervisor Keyser Sume, and the last name Söze is Turkish which is translated as "talk too much."The Interrogation scene was first shot and it ran for 6 days, and the rest of the movie was put together next and editing was the grand touch that made this mystery thriller that good a movie to see.The movie plot is about the interrogation of a small time con man named Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), who is a one of the only two survivors of a heist gone wrong that resulted to a fire on a ship.
As the story goes on and gets complex the interrogator connects the dots and explains the story better to Kint, only to get the shocker of his life when he releases Kint believing he was used by the other four.Done with a 6 million dollar production budget, the movie recouped its production cost and more; the well crafted screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie gained him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Kevin Spacey won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the criminal Keyser Söze.The Usual suspect is a fine film, well developed to push the imaginations of the viewer, the unexpected ending is the cream on the top of this delicious masterpiece and one thing is sure, you will be asking for seconds after you are done seeing it the first time.
It was just such a good story with, as far as my standards go, the best plot twist I have seen so far in film.
I don't think anyone could have played Verbal better than Kevin Spacey, he just dominates this film to the point that at the end I actually clapped for him...and I was watching this home alone at 2am.
One of the best crime/thrillers out there,The Usual Suspects has one of the best plot twist endings ever for a movie.Five criminals are lined up and really have nothing in common.The film is told using flashback and narration as it tells the story of Roger "Verbal" Kint (two time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey who won his first Oscar for this film-Best Supporting Actor)who is a small time con-man being interrogated by U.S Customs Agent Dave Kujan(Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri) over an incident that takes place near a shipping yard in Los Angeles.The film has a great ensemble cast to it with the likes of ,Stephen Baldwin,future Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro,Kevin Pollak,Gabriel Byrne and Academy Award nominee Pete Postlethwaite.It also won the Best Original Screenplay(Christopher McQuarrie) and was directed by Bryan Singer(X-Men)Bravo to all those involved in a spectacular crime classic like The Usual Suspects!.
It's just a really complicated story and everybody that was watching the movie with me eventually got bored and left so I had to stop it after 45 minutes of wasted time.
All this is seen in flashback, at the San Pedro Police Station, with Special US Customs Agent Dave Kujan, Chazz Palmintri, interviewing Roger Verbal (Kevin Spacey),the only survivor of this holocaust, for what seems like the time you would have sat through an old movie triple-feature with cartoons newsreels and coming attractions added on.
At the end of the film, I felt manipulated and angry for wasting my time on such an empty movie..
The first and best reason to remember The Usual Suspects is one single line, spoken by low-level crook Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey): "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist".
This movie has a good cast, an okay plot line, but the ending is so predictable.
There is no doubt that this is an entertaining movie with a very good and well-disguised plot twist at the end.
I mean come on, I guessed every little bit of it after about 30 minutes and the only suspense left was whether they'd really keep it that obvious......Yupp, they didIf you want to see a surprise ending, folks, go see any David Fincher movie (make it Se7en and you won't even think that Kevin Spacey is that good in this one!).I havn't seen the Sixth Sense with it's famed ending yet, but you bet I hope its better....And right, there is actually one good scene that manages to save it slightly: Verbal Kint saying: The best trick the devil ever pulled of was to make people think he doesn't exist...
This movie has the greatest plot twist ever.I'm not gonna risk and spoil it for you if you haven't watched the picture yet but be sure to do so immediately.Great actors who deliver great performances and the biggest question of them all-Who is Kaiser Soze?What a movie!Edge of you seat stuff.The building tension explodes in the end.The 1st time you view the film you may be confused a lot but it's normal.Just pay close attention to all the details on the 2nd viewing.Don't know what to say that hasn't already been said great movie,simply great.Brian Singer is a God for coming up with such a unique story and directing it as the professional that he is..
The problems with movies like "The usual Suspects" is that they are taken too seriously.
This was not so...the film had its moments, but without giving anything away, it was all too fantastic (the villain).The acting is pretty well done, Kevin Spacey was convincing (like always) and the other supporting cast members were also good.
This movie is a good first watch, after that it seems like every other action/thriller with a twist ending but not as thrilling or action packed or dramatic or envoking or .... |
tt0101761 | The Doors | California, 1968. In a dark recording studio, Jim Morrison, lead singer for the rock band, The Doors, drinks whiskey while recording spoken-word versions of his poetry. The engineer (a cameo appearance by Doors drummer, John Densmore) plays a pre-recorded music track and Jim begins to recite his work "An American Prayer".In a flashback to 1949, a young Jim and his family are seen driving across the Southwestern United States in New Mexico. They pass the scene of a car accident involving two families; one family are American Indians. An old Indian man lies dying on the side of the road. Jim watches until his family has driven out of sight.The film then jumps to 1965. Jim is seen hitchhiking to California and is picked up by a motorist. In Los Angeles Jim attends UCLA's film school. His student film, an artistic and surreal collection of haunting images, is heavily criticized by both his classmates and his professor (a cameo by director Oliver Stone). His future band mate, Ray Manzarek, tells Jim that his movie is commendable, despite the criticism. When the professor asks Jim to defend the film, Jim says simply "I quit."Jim takes up residence in Venice Beach and meets Pamela Courson, his future wife. The two spend a romantic evening on a rooftop and they have sex. Jim later meets Manzarek on the beach, interrupting him while he meditates. Jim shows Ray poetry he has written that he believes can be recorded as a song ("Moonlight Drive"). Ray is astounded and the two set out to form a band, the name being inspired by Aldous Huxley's memoirs, The Doors of Perception. They recruit John Densmore as their drummer and Robby Krieger on guitar. Their first rehearsals are held in Ray's apartment, where they perform "Break on Through". Robby plays a song he'd been working on which becomes "Light My Fire". The band finds themselves on LA's famous Sunset Strip, performing as an opening act in one of the Strip's many clubs. The band is approached by a talent agent who wants to sign them. The same man later tries to talk to Jim alone, thinking he could be signed without his band mates. Jim is indifferent.One year later. The band bonds further while on a trip to Death Valley to try peyote. Everyone experiences different hallucinatory visions while the film's soundtrack plays the strains of "The End." The scene changes to another performance by the band where Jim is singing the Oedipal interlude of the song, which offends the club owner who throws them out. Outside, they are approached again by a talent agent. They are given a chance to record an album in six days. The band agrees.Having achieved some measure of success, the band is asked to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show where they'll perform "Light My Fire." Before the performance, Sullivan's producer, asks the band to alter the song slightly, changing "Girl we couldn't get much higher", a potential reference to doing drugs. Jim is reluctant but agrees. During the performance, however, Jim does not comply (clearly defiant to sing the song as it is), drawing the anger of the producer, who angrily says the band will never perform on the show again.Another year later in New York City, at a party thrown by Andy Warhol at The Factory, Jim meets Nico, sometimes singer with the Velvet Underground, and Warhol himself. Warhol gives Jim a telephone that he claims can be used to speak with God. Later, at their hotel, Jim cavorts in the elevator with Nico, while Pamela staggers around in a drug-induced funk.The band is later interviewed by the press - one of the reporters is Patricia Kennealy. Jim speaks cryptically about his parents (saying they died in an automobile accident years before) and about life in excess and using drugs. Jim later has sex with Kennealy but is mostly unable to perform. She entices him with cocaine and consumption of his own blood which drives him into an animalistic frenzy. Jim later is unable to perform sexually with Courson. Jim asks Pamela if she'll die for him and dangles himself out the window. Pamela becomes nearly hysterical and manages to get Jim back in the room where he is able to finish sex with her.December 9, 1967. Backstage at a concert in New Haven, Connecticut, Jim has a feverish encounter with Kennealy, who reveals that she knows Jim's parents are still alive and that she talked to his father on the phone. Jim tries to convince her that they are at least figuratively dead, but she still tells him never to lie to her again. A policeman appears, asking who they are. Kennealy tries to explain who Jim is, however the cop becomes hostile when Jim resists arrest and sprays the singer in the eyes with mace. The rest of the band comes to his aid, Manzarek tells Kennealy to leave Jim alone. During their performance that night, Jim suddenly stops singing and recounts the incident to the crowd while mocking the police. A police captain walks on stage and arrests Jim, stating that his language as broken state obscenity laws. Jim is arrested on-stage by the cops whom provided security for him, and are now roughing him up as the crowd goes wild with rage. A near-riot is averted when other policemen arrive on the scene to disburse the crowd.Another year later. Jim and Pamela throw a Thanksgiving 1968 dinner party for their friends. Right before the party, Jim had convinced Pamela to take a tab of LSD and she spends the rest of the day in a largely depressed state. One of the guests is Patricia Kennealy, a name that Pamela recognizes immediately. She confronts both Jim and Patricia about their sexual relationship and becomes furious with Jim, throwing food at him in front of their guests. Jim stomps on the duck Pamela had been roasting and demands she kill him with a kitchen knife.A montage follows where Jim and Pamela have a furious fight and Jim locks Pamela in a closet and sets the door on fire. In a Celtic hand-fasting ceremony (the high priestess is played by the real Kennealy) Jim marries Patricia. Jim is also seen partying heavily and getting into a car accident when he runs into a police car.Jim is later in the studio trying to record "Touch Me" for the Soft Parade album. Their producer, Paul Rothschild, tells Jim that his life of excess is affecting his performance and that Janis Joplin suffered the same fate and died of alcoholism. On a small television in the studio, Jim sees a commercial for a car that features a pop version of "Light My Fire." The band tells him that they decided to sell the song to the auto company during a time when Jim was in minimal contact with them. Jim becomes infuriated and hurls the TV across the room, nearly hitting Ray, and then cheerfully apologizing. Later, while Pamela performs oral sex on Jim as he sings the title track for the album, everyone in the control booth leaves quietly, unimpressed with Jim's still lackluster performance.March 1, 1969. Backstage in Miami, where the band is due to perform, the band awaits the arrival of their front man. Densmore looks out on the crowd and hears a reporter recording a story about what he believes is the end of the band itself, criticizing the Soft Parade album. The band is told that Rothschild is bringing Jim to the venue. When he arrives his band mates are angry with him. Jim gives Robby a tab of LSD and they go onstage. Not long into the show, Jim sees a vision of a bonfire and a young American Indian girl and the old man he'd seen dying in the road years before. Jim stops singing and tells the crowd that they're slaves. The band stops playing, clearly annoyed and angry with Jim's attitude. The audience, already agitated at Jim's tardiness, begins to yell back at him. Jim yells mostly nonsensical gibberish and tells them he'll expose himself. When he unzips his pants, the police present at the venue, try to arrest him but he evades them and runs into the crowd, singing "Dead Cat, Dead Rats" and launching into "Break on Through."The incident is a low point for the band, resulting in resentment from the other band members and Jim's trial the following year for indecent exposure. At his August 1970 trial, Jim is found not guilty for lurid behavior, but convicted of indecent exposure and using profanity and is sentenced to eight months in prison. Yet, Jim is allowed to remain free on bail while the verdict is being appealed.When the last of his appeals for his 1970 indecent exposure conviction is denied, Jim and Pamela decide to flee to Paris, France where Jim can relax and focus his creative writing energy. After the Doors make a comeback with their early 1971 album, 'L.A. Woman', Jim decides to quit the band and focus on his poetry. At a birthday party for Ray's young daughter, Jim talks with the rest of the band who play "Riders on the Storm" for him. Jim comments that it "sounds pretty good for four guys who were barely talking to each other" the day they recorded it. Jim gives everyone a small printed version of "An American Prayer" and the band, despite having hardly spoken, say their goodbyes, Densmore even tells Jim him he'll actually miss him.On July 3, 1971, Pamela finds Jim Morrison dead in a bathtub in their apartment in Paris. The final scenes of the film are of graves of other poets, composers, writers & performers all buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. A rock version of Remo Giazotto's "Adagio in G minor" plays in the background with a voice over by Morrison. The camera finally moves toward Morrison's own grave, showing the graffiti that covers other gravestones nearby, finally settling on his marker. Just before the credits, the screen whites out and text appears saying "Jim Morrison is said to have died of heart failure. He was 27. Pam joined him three years later from a heroin overdose in August 1974, and she was also age 27 when she died."During the credits, the band is shown recording the song "L.A. Woman" in the studio. | insanity, cult, psychedelic, flashback | train | imdb | For 140 minutes we follow Doors singer Jim Morrison from his days as an aspiring film student at UCLA to his death in Paris in 1970 at the age of 27.
Writer-director Oliver Stone based the story of the film on some 150 transcripts detailing the life and character of Morrison.
The only performance among the supporting cast worthy of praise is that of quirky character actor Crispin Glover in a cameo as Andy Warhol, a scene that is absolutely spellbinding.Some may criticize The Doors for glamorizing a life of excess; this film gives younger viewers the idea that drugs and promiscuous sex are fun, critics may charge.
My only significant criticism of the film is that the title is certainly a misnomer; this could have easily been titled "The Jim Morrison Story" as there is not a single scene on screen without the eccentric singer while the remaining members of the band are relegated to obscurity.
Val Kilmer delivers a powerful performance in which he almost seems to be channeling the energy of Jim Morrison, and though I've seen many of Meg Ryan's films this is the only one I can recollect where she does such a good job that she makes you really forget about her and focus on the character.
Through using The Doors actual music (what was missing from the recent Sylvia, the art of the subject itself - her poetry) to help tell its story and colour its scenes, and filmic techniques to create the drug-induced world vision of Jim Morrison, Stone really takes you into the world of his movie, and the world of the sixties.This movie made me appreciate what an exciting experience The Doors were, and has actually cultivated love in me for their music.
This, however, is but three minutes in the movie and has no effect on it as a whole.Oliver Stone has an amusing cameo: a young film student, Jim Morrison, shows his short film to his class, who are uncouth and disparaging about it, after which camera pans to reveal Oliver Stone standing at the lecturn, (obviously, playing the film professor), who says: "Why don't we ask the author what he thinks?".
We get some insights into Jim's early years, and we get to hear some of that great music, like "Riders On The Storm", and "Light My Fire".The film's second half is less interesting.
It was the first of many films that Stone created in the 90's using an almost dream like quality to evoke the feeling of the turbulent times.Although this picture is not a 100% accurate account of who or what Jim Morrison was it is still very engaging and enjoyable.
He is shown in Oliver Stone's The Doors as a shy, though often obnoxious and crude, persona who self describes himself in one scene: "I think of myself as a sensitive, intelligent human being, but with the soul of a clown that forces me to blow it at the most crucial of moments." He may have blown it in the end, but it makes for a fascinating story.As being a Doors fan, the music and words are the best character of the movie- the songs represent feelings and emotions, desires and hatreds, and other facets of life in the late 60's, are indispensable gems of rock and blues.
The result is that some scenes are very surreal and after a while you may think that Oliver Stone himself took some acid before shooting them.The negative side of the film, which have made many people upset, is the way Jim Morrison is presented.
Other things could never happen or are just simply wrong; the Andy Warhole-party where Jim is abandoned by the rest of the band (something that true friends would never do to one another), Jim's student project (his movie didn't look like that at all), Jim's red mustang (Jim had a blue mustang which he actually called "the blue lady").Oliver Stone focuses the movie on the wrong things.
Another strange thing is that Oliver Stone has said that he loved Jim and wanted the movie to be a sort of homage to him!?
But the Sixties, the L.A. rock scene back then, and especially Morrison's life, were just like that, so it is oh so fitting!I adore the fact that it was Oliver Stone's labour of love (one of thankfully many) and that the surviving members of the band basically had full input.
Very insightful movie and excellent performance by Val. Val Kilmer did a great job portraying Jim Morrison.
He brings you into the spiraling life of Jim Morrison and back to the days of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.Throughout the movie you see what made Jim Morrison tick, and get to hear some great music along the way.
Val Kilmer does an incredible job playing Jim Morrison, and Meg Ryan is equally good as his girlfriend Pamela.
At some points in this movie you tend to forget that you're not really looking at Jim Morrison, that you're actually watching Val Kilmer in the role of Jim. Val should have received numerous awards for this role, he really knows how to play one f---ed up individual, the late great Jim Morrison..
On the other hand, the film is loaded with great performances from Kyle MacLachlan, Kevin Dillon, Frank Whaley, and, my personal favorite cameo...Crispin Glover as Andy Warhol.My only major issue with the film are the liberties Oliver Stone took with the details of Morrison's life.
Those who watch this film need to understand that Stone exaggerated a good deal in this movie, tweaked history, and seemed to focus on Morrison's drunken antics rather than the tortured artist or his underlying intelligence (the man was tested at genius level IQ of 149 in grade school).
Such is the case with "The Doors", a movie that any real Doors fan knows is only a caricature of the band's front-man, Jim Morrison.Stone took the most sensational moments in Morrison's life and focused on it entirely, the end result being that he captured only a mere sliver of Morrison's true life and personality.
Nice going, Oliver.On the positive side the movie looks incredibly good, (most likely due to cinematographer Robert Richardson rather than Stone himself), and the viewer does come away with a feel for Morrison's charisma, stage presence, and mystical inclinations.
If Stone had made Morrison into a more well-rounded character than this could have been a great film.What cannot be criticized about the film is Val Kilmer's electrifying performance.
Kevin Dillon, Kyle MacLachlan, and Frank Whaley do the best they can with limited screen time as the remaining members of The Doors.Stone's films have always been uneven when it comes to visual styles.
He did it with Nixon, he'll most likely do it with his upcoming Alexander the Great movie, and he most certainly did it with "The Doors."First and foremost, Jim Morrison was a well-educated, intelligent, and very funny person who got along very well with almost everyone he encountered in his 27 short years of life (if he is in fact dead).
Ray Manzarek, the real Doors keyboardist, said Oliver Stone twisted Morrison's image around, making it appear as though Morrison was a constantly drugged-out, crazy rock-n-roll jerk who loved two things: drugs and loose women.
Finally, he was one hell of a good singer who, although he may not have had the best voice in music history, definitely had the greatest, most blood-curdling screams and rough, awesome voices.In conclusion, Oliver Stone should have never made such a ridiculously terrible movie about my favorite band, and one of the best bands ever, The Doors..
I cannot put into words just how appalling this film is from the point of view of a lifelong Jim Morrison/Doors fan.Firstly, after seeing the movie in full (I walked out of the cinema the first time I went to see it), I amazed as to how Ray M and John D had gotten involved in the movie when they themselves could see how fictional it was.
I never felt for a second I was in the 60's, terrible wigs/false beards, the wardrobe was consistently poor, the script was dire, terrible casting (in particular Kevin Dillon, Meg Ryan, Val Kilmer and what the hell was Billy Idol there for?) and the overall feel of the movie was all wrong.However, Stone did pull some nice shots off from a cinematography point of view and there were some good choices of location.
He was only ever going to film Jim as The Lizard King but he didn't even get that bit right; Doors fans should know what I mean by that.I hate this movie passionatly and could tolerate it if I thought it would help gain new fans of the music but I don't think it does.If you want the real Jim Morrison/Doors then your best bet is to go read a book like Angels Dance and Angels Die or No-One Here Gets Out Alive (as flawed as that is).Jim had a sense of humour but I bet it would be sorely tested by this pretentious, self serviant piece of fiction that dares to claim it is a rock documentary.
Oliver Stone is impeccably true to the music and the look - the musical instruments are perfect and authentic, from Ray Manzarek's Vox Organ to Robby Krieger's Gibson guitar.Val Kilmer does an excellent job as Jim, as do the rest of the actors playing the Doors.
The focus is more on the mythology on the band and on Jim himself, the Lizard King.As a Doors' fan, I appreciated the film on many levels, and felt it really got the story right.
Kilmer plays frontman of the famous 60's rock band The Doors, Jim Morrison.
This may have been the role Kilmer was born to play.At first I was worried I wouldn't like this film by the end because of the character of Jim Morrison.
I watched the movie knowing about how Oliver Stone skewed the facts and changed some things around, so instead of expecting a 100% factual biography on Jim Morrison, I watched it expecting an entertaining film with great music...That's what I got.Even though the film isn't completely factual, it conveyed really well what the rock and roll was like for most rock stars.
Oliver Stone didn't really do wonders with Jim Morrison's story, but his direction style was really good with this movie.
Everybody in the movie does a really good job in their roles, and it was really cool to watch.So if you want a 100% factual Jim Morrison biography, read a book.
a great achievement for oliver stone too, meg Ryan could have been replaced for the better though....i also did not quite understand two things- why were all the other doors shown so smaller against Morrison, and where was the serene emotion seen in Morrison's eyes when he used to perform as seen in many of his live acts?
Oliver Stone's biography of Jim Morrison(it says Doors but it's about Morrison)is very well done.The music of The Doors is sublime and most of their greatest songs are woven into this movie.Highlight to me is the performance of "The End",their best song(also the best psychedelic song ever written).The intensity of the song and the acting performance of Val Kilmer makes this scene brilliant.
Other highlights are the scene in "The Factory" of Andy Warhol,with even better music of The Velvet Underground in the background and the stage brawls with the cops(GO JIM GO).Stone shows us that America wasn't ready for The Doors at that time in history and probably still aren't,considering the popularity of the religious and highly old fashioned psycho George W.
Val Kilmer (Jim Morrison), Meg Ryan (Pamela Courson), Kyle McLachlan (Ray Manzarek), Kevin Dillon (John Densmore), Frank Whaley (Robby Krieger), and Kathleen Quinlan (Patricia Keneally) look like dead-on copies of the real thing.
Although I'd still recommend one of the many documentaries (some made by the Doors themselves) if you want the real Jim Morrison story, this movie does a pretty good job of telling the tale.
Stone has taken the music of The Doors and made this film as a homage to one of the great rock performers.
It seems to dwell on the most negative aspects of Morrison's life and personality, and that doesn't help to paint him in a positive light.The positives: Val Kilmer was great (the acting was pretty good), Stone's experimentation with camera techniques (like the peyote scene), and of course the music.
Central cast [Meg Ryan, Frank Whaley, Kyle MacLaclan, Kevin Dillon as Jim's wife and the rest of the Doors] is perfect, as are the odd compilation of supporting players: Mimi Rogers, Kathleen Quinlan, the always-whacked-out Crispin Glover as Andy Warhol, and bit parts by Michael Madsen, Jennifer Rubin, Will Jordan, Paul Williams, etc.The only flaw I can see [from Stone] is the ending [featuring real-life Doors drummer John Densmore], which makes it seem as if Morrison is still alive...As if.
So, with no emotion and no character development, what we have is the outline of what happened with The Doors, and a lot of Val Kilmer imitating Jim Morrison's singing.Everything about this was not all bad.
Like it says here, on the silvery special two-disc DVD set, "Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer), one of the most sensual and exciting figures in the history of rock and roll, explodes on the screen in 'The Doors', the electrifying movie about a time called the sixties and a legendary outlaw who rocked America's consciousness - forever.
If only it were more insightful
******* The Doors (2/23/91) Oliver Stone ~ Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley.
It is a surprise though, how poorly the movie's message seems to have been accepted.What Oliver Stone has done here, is not an accurate portrayal of Jim Morrison or the Doors.
In an early scene of Oliver Stone's typically overwrought tribute to one of the 6o's more typically overwrought bands, young rock messiah Jim Morrison makes an uninvited visit (over the balcony) to the Venice Beach pad of his girlfriend Pamela Courson, who says, "don't you believe in doors?" Morrison's reply, "they're a waste of time", not only provides the one moment of (unintended) wit in the entire film, but sounds an ominous warning to what follows: another jarring one-note melodrama from a director clearly too preoccupied with his own bogus sense of cinematic 'style'.
It's 1965 L.A. Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer), UCLA film student, meets Pam Courson (Meg Ryan).
Oliver Stone has made Jim Morrison look like some kind of a monster, and made it seem like he and the rest of the band never got along.
The film focuses on charismatic singer Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer) who falls into alcoholism and drug-addiction.
I prefer their more artistic songs like "Riders on the Storm" and "The End" as opposed to their 'hits,' but who can deny the catchiness of "Light My Fire" or the goofy charm of "People are Strange"?The film focuses on Jim Morrison and leaves the viewer with the impression that he was a miserable artistic-genius type who had no sense of moderation; he sought to escape his personal struggle through loose sex, substance misuse and rock 'n' roll.
The image this leaves you with is that Jim Morrison is no fun to be around, even in death.So "The Doors" is pretty much the ultimate story of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.
They properly point out that Stone's film only shows Jim's 'wild & crazy' side, emphasizing that the events depicted in the picture, while sometimes true, aren't "all that happened." They unanimously describe Morrison as genuine, innocent, shy, loving and gallant, an amazing person who made those around him feel important, as if he was their best friend.
Val Kilmer is not Morrison but still in some parts of the film he really look like Jim. My favorite film of Oliver Stone and my favorite rock film.Finally well i'm very exciting because in less than 4 hours i'm going to see Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger as the Riders on the Storm here in Mexico City so maybe is going to be the best concert in my life.DVD: it's amazing, the cover is just great and the bonus disc whit delete scenes and some documentary's is great..
This movie believes The Doors were Jim Morrison and a group of half-assed sidekick men and to hell with the fact that some of the better tunes were written by other band members or the overall (organ based) sound had little to do with Jim Boy.Rock and roll cannot be encapsulated in two hours.
He was a living legend that refused to abide by the rules society placed on him.And thirdly: Some sequences in the movie will strike you as awkward if you're not familiar with the Doors, but fans will recognise them, and appreciate the effort put into this film.At this point I have to say that Val Kilmer's portrayal of Jim was scary in it's accuracy.
) didn't like Oliver Stone's 'Doors' film, but I appreciated it, and it's one of the many movies I own.
All in all Stone did an excellent job in bringing to screen the ultimate rock lifestyle.To sum it up, see this film if you are into The Doors music, great performances, and an interesting look into the life of a stereotypical rock star legend...
If anyone did not know anything about Jim Morrison and his rise to fame as a great Rock "N" Roll performer, Director Oliver Stone gave one fantastic biography in this film.
I found Oliver Stone's film The Doors to be an effective and genuine glimpse into the life of Jim Morrison and the music that The Doors created.
The Doors were much more than just Jim Morrison and that's what the film lacks in characters and plot.
Oliver Stone) recounts the life of the lead singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison. |
tt1616195 | J. Edgar | The film opens with Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) in his office during his later years. He asks that a writer (Ed Westwick) be let in, so that he may tell the story of the origin of the FBI for the sake of the public. Hoover explains that the story begins in 1919, when A. Mitchell Palmer was Attorney General and Hoover's boss at the Justice Department. Palmer suffers an assassination attempt, but is unharmed when the bomb explodes earlier than intended. Hoover recalls that the police handling of the crime scene was primitive, and that it was that night that he recognized the importance of criminal science. Later, Hoover visits his mother (Judi Dench), and tells her that Palmer has put him in charge of a new anti-radical division, and that he has already begun compiling a list of suspected radicals. He leaves to meet Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts), who has just started as a secretary at the Justice Department. Hoover takes Gandy to the Library of Congress, and shows her the card catalog system he devised. He muses about how easy it would be to solve crimes if every citizen were as easily identifiable as the books in the library. When Hoover attempts to kiss her, she recoils. Hoover gets down on his knees and asks her to marry him citing her organization and education, but is once again denied. However, Gandy agrees to become his personal secretary.Despite his close monitoring of suspected foreign radicals, Hoover finds that the the Department of Labor refuses to deport anyone without clear evidence of a crime; however, Anthony Caminetti (Jack Axelrod) the commissioner general of immigration dislikes the prominent anarchist Emma Goldman (Jessica Hecht). Hoover arranges to discredit her marriage and make her eligible for deportation, setting a precedent of deportation for radical conspiracy. After several Justice Department raids of suspected radical groups, many leading to deportation, Palmer loses his job as Attorney General. Under a subsequent Attorney General, Harlan F. Stone (Ken Howard), Hoover is made director of the Justice Department's Bureau of Investigation. He is introduced to Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), a recently graduated lawyer, and takes his business card. Later, while reviewing job applications with Helen Gandy, Hoover asks if Clyde had applied. Gandy says he had, and Hoover interviews and hires Clyde.The Bureau pursues a string of gangster and bank robbery crimes across the Midwest, including the high profile John Dillinger, with general success. When the Lindbergh kidnapping captures national attention, President Roosevelt asks the Bureau to investigate. Hoover employs several novel techniques, including the monitoring of registration numbers on ransom bills, and expert analysis of the kidnapper's handwriting. The birth of the FBI Crime Lab is seen as a product of Hoover's determination to analyze the homemade wooden ladder left at the crime scene. When the monitored bills begin showing up in New York City, the investigators find a filling station attendant who wrote down the license plate number of the man who gave him the bill. This leads to the arrest, and eventual conviction, of Bruno Hauptmann for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh child.After going to a Shirley Temple movie with Hoover's mother, Hoover and Clyde decide to go out to a club. When a girl asks Hoover if he ever wishes he had someone to keep him warm at night, he responds that he has dedicated his life to the Bureau. Another girl asks Hoover to dance and he becomes agitated, saying that he and Clyde must leave, as they have a lot of work to do in the morning. When he gets home he shares his dislike of dancing with girls with his mother, and she tells him she would rather have a dead son than a "daffodil" for a son. She then insists on teaching him to dance, and they dance in her bedroom. Soon after, Hoover and Clyde go on a vacation to the racetrack. That evening Hoover claims to be considering marriage to a girl he has been seeing in New York City, this provokes outrage from Clyde, and the two fight on the floor, culminating in a kiss. Hoover demands that it must never happen again.Years later, Hoover feels his strength begin to decline. He requires daily visits by a doctor, and Clyde suffers a stroke which leaves him in a severely weakened state. An attempt by Hoover to blackmail Martin Luther King, Jr. into declining his Nobel Peace Prize proves ineffective, and Martin Luther King, Jr. accepts the prize. When Clyde appeals to Hoover to retire, Hoover refuses, claiming that Richard Nixon is going to destroy the Bureau he has created. Clyde then accuses Hoover of exaggerating his involvement in many of the Bureau's actions. Upon Hoover's death, Helen Gandy is seen destroying stacks of files, assumed to be Hoover's rumored "personal and confidential" files. | avant garde, neo noir, historical, flashback | train | imdb | Hoover was such a complex man, and his career was so long, with so many chapters, that his story is probably better suited to a 4-to 6 hour HBO mini-series, where more of the details of his life, that this film with its short running time can only hint at, can be more completely told.Dustin Lance Black, who wrote this film's screenplay (as well as that of Milk), is walking a very fine line here regarding Hoover's complex personality; it seems that he had a much more intricate story he wanted to tell, were it not for the confines of the feature film format.
Here, broad brush strokes take the place of long chapters on Hoover's involvement with the Red Scares of the '20's and '50's, political blackmail, gambling, organized crime, and of course, homosexuality.But if it had been made as a mini-series, it probably wouldn't have attracted Eastwood and DiCaprio, and consequently wouldn't have the high profile that this film does.
The story jumps back in forth in time, and the closer the events of the film are to the end of Hoover's life, the more color Eastwood imbues into the scenes; the earliest moments in the time line are shown in a color scheme barely above monochrome.
It's a subtle effect, but it helps the viewer keep track of where the scenes exist in Hoover's life.That long time line necessitates that DiCaprio must be seen in various makeup schemes to convey the age of his character at any point in the story.
His makeup is uniformly good; but the two other principal actors in the film, Armie Hammer as Hoover's longtime companion Clyde Tolson, and Naomi Watts as Hoover's secretary Helen Gandy, don't fare so well as their characters age.
Gandy and a poignant though ambiguous depiction of his relationship with his devoted friend Clyde Tolson.This fast-paced and dialog-driven drama is notable for its austere atmosphere which is reinforced by the prominent use of light and Clint Eastwood's tangible score, and the reverent acting performances by English actress Naomi Watts, English actress Judi Dench, American actor Armie Hammer and especially Leonardo DiCaprio, who delivers a variable and emphatic acting performance in an atypical role where he is transformed by the make-up.
Close-ups of characters make them appear to be covered with flour and worst of all is when the camera tracks into a dark room and auto-adjusts to the new light...much like a home-video camera.I never imagined I would see a Clint Eastwood film where I would look at my watch impatiently before the first hour was even up, but alas the day has come.
A psychotic, paranoid schizophrenic, as I see it, head of the most powerful Federal Bureau Of Investigation, corrupted by his own power and his obsession with secrecy is a character worthy of Peter Lorre but in this new outing of the prolific Clint Eastwood, J Edgar Hoover is Leonardo DiCaprio!
Watching this biopic is an easy way to be informed and be entertained at the same time.Screenwriters and directors characterize Hoover's unusual personality, complex sexuality and close relationship to his mother (Judy Dench) and his lover Clyde Tolson.
A movie about one of the most renowned personalities of America's 20th century directed by one of its most respected directors made it one very highly on my 'to see' list.The film does not waste much time in giving us a sight of what a powerful even notorious personality the homonymous character is, including his very strong anti-communist sentiments.
Even towards the end of the film where our main character has grown much older (frail physically but not emotionally), his ways have not been altered in any way and one could even presume that his megalomania and paranoia are grown even more.Despite the aspects of Edgar's character the audience might not come to like, Clint Eastwood does a superb job in making sure that Hoover's gifts are also highlighted which include: impressive energy levels, vigorous memory, capacity to detect patterns and an ability to receiver, process, comprehend & communicate information extremely effectively.Though not a dark film, this biopic has dark undertones suited perhaps to the personality it portrays.
I'm not overly concerned that Eastwood doesn't resolve the Hoover/Tolson sexual relationship beyond one laughable, semi-violent cross between FATAL ATTRACTION's "I won't be ignored" speech and the initial coupling in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (anyone married for more than a decade knows that sex alone is not necessarily the core of a relationship), but making poor Dame Judi Dench turn in another ten minute performance, this time as a gorgon of a repressive mother (there won't be another Oscar in this cameo) is too much a dated straight man's lame justification for Hoover's sexual identity and insulting not only to Hoover and his mother but any gays in or out of the audience.Scenically, Eastwood makes his imagined history look good while never giving Hoover the credit he actually deserves for reorganizing the FBI and countering the Depression Era crime wave (just because he claimed more credit than he deserved didn't mean he didn't deserve a lot!), but Leonardo DiCaprio is buried under so many layers of makeup to try and make him resemble a young Hoover (and even more WORSE makeup in his older scenes) that I'd have thought it was Matt Damon if I hadn't seen the posters.Over all, a very bad movie-bio of a remarkably bad man - made to look SO bad by a film maker out of his historical depth, that an audience who knows ANY of the history being portrayed runs the real danger of finding excuses for the inexcusable because the filmmaker is so over the top in his advocacy.
Like a totally different character.) And the whole back and forth in time thing failed in part because it wasn't always clear in the darkness of the film which Edgar we were looking at (young or old).In short, it took me more than one try to make it through this movie which was a dark, dry, unenlightened muddle.
I hope this is was one of those movies that Clint Eastwood makes just to pay for his "Great" movies like "Gran Torino," or "Million Dollar Baby," because if not, he is going in a horrible direction.J. Edgar Hoover lived an extraordinary life and wielded power, and secrets very few have ever held.
How could I possibly have imagined that in this Clint Eastwood film about J Edgar Hoover the driving force is the love Story between Edgar and his life long assistant.
As a matter of fact, the manner in which this was filmed constitutes, to me, the biggest indication of Eastwood's opinion one way or the other - Hoover was a dark man with some even darker secrets.J.Edgar's homosexuality as well as his proclivity for cross-dressing are only suggested and are handled with the utmost sensitivity.
He tries clumsily to get a romance going, but settles for her just being the woman who kept the secrets for the man who held all the nation's secrets.Director Clint Eastwood who will make fewer and fewer appearances in front of the camera at his age gets some great performances from his cast in a story that takes up the middle of the American 20th Century.
J.Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) ran the Federal Bureau of Investigation for almost fifty years presiding over the modernization of federal crime fighting in the United States in many cases for the better.This unelected civil servant also overstepped his bounds extorting presidents and congressmen for greater funding and special powers with damaging files he held over their heads whilst maintaining a personal life well outside what was socially acceptable in his time.Hoover created a public persona for professional benefit to consolidate greater power which he would continually abuse.
But he seldom looks convincing portraying Hoover at any age in the man's life in this production.The plot-points featuring Hoover's transvestism and closeted romance with longtime companion Clyde Tolson is hardly something you might trust a director like Clint Eastwood to portray believably.
In fact, I already almost forgot most of the film characters, although some of them offers an effective performance.Moreover, from an historic point of view, the story seems irrelevant for non-USA people.It was so boring that I almost fell sleep (first time in years this happens to me in a cinema).I loved some of the previous Eastwood films, but this one was as boring as a movie can get :-(..
A good part of the film is taken up by Hoover's relationship with Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), a man with little qualifications who was appointed as his second in command at the bureau.
A beautiful film directed by Clint Eastwood, yet many will feel uncomfortable seeing a hate figure like J.Edgar Hoover portrayed so favourably..
Amateur history buffs will find joy in discovering the many historical milestones that Eastwood had peppered in the film, thanks to Dustin Lance Black's story that captures key events that J Edgar Hoover and his agency had inevitably had a role to play in, as we follow how they struggle from their relatively humble origins to become one of the best funded in country, sowing the seeds as one of the few professionally run, reputed investigation agencies in the world.
And at times you'd just wonder if Hoover was actually the right man for the job, willing to bend the rules, and seek out advantages that may not always be legal or morally right, such as the much suspected and speculative theory of him compiling naughty dossiers on prominent people so as to bring about personal advantages and one upmanship against any leader who has the potential of disagreeing with his views.Then there's also the ensemble of historical characters making their way to this film, such as the Charles Lindbergh (Josh Lucas) whose kidnapped son became the catalyst Hoover needed to consolidate and expand his range of powers, Jeffrey Donovan as Robert Kennedy, the presidents of Dwight Eisenhower (Gunner Wright), Franklin Roosevelt (David A.
In some ways the costuming and make up departments of the film were unjustifiably robbed of at least some Oscar nominations from this year's awards season, since they did an incredible job in making everyone look their very best like the characters, and coming up with a range of looks for the key figures in the film as we follow them through the most parts of their lives.And as if the engaging story that's focused on the more operational functions of the FBI and J Edgar's influence in leading the Bureau to operate the way he wants it to be run, coupled with getting credited for bringing cutting edge forensic science and technology of the time to the Bureau, some which are taken for granted in investigations of today, Eastwood balances the film with insights into Hoover's personal life and even sexual orientation which had always been the subject of speculation.
A fair bit gets put into examining Hoover's relationships with his close inner circle of trusted associates, such as Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) his confidential secretary and Clyde Tolson (Arnie Hammer) who eventually became his closest ally in the Bureau's fight against crime and his rumoured lover, that it pokes some serious holes into the gung ho persona of a crimebuster, and showed the more vulnerable side of the man.These will include the innuendos spouted when in the privacy of his companion Tolson, as well as the much talked about necessity (or otherwise) in having to show J Edgar in drag, which I felt had tested the spectrum of Leonardo DiCaprio's acting skills and his recent snub at being nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars is keenly felt.
And credit has to go to the star for taking up challenging roles in his choice of films to date, here having to portray a man who has dedicated his life to the building of an agency, to (at least to him) the fervent domestic defense of his country against external threats in whatever form they may ta1ke, and yet having to repress his innermost feelings and desires because it's the right thing to do, and not go against his much adored mom, nor want to stain the reputation of his office at a time where skeletons were still best kept in the closet.But while credit has to go to DiCaprio, I felt that Arnie Hammer also did an equivalent of a job as Tolson, having to be the counterfoil to the more volatile J Edgar, and also being a witness to a series of historical events that will come back to haunt the growingly inconsistent FBI head honcho.
Naomi Watts had an important character role to play, but was ultimately shelved from anything more interesting once her character ditched the early opportunity to be married, only to be so to her job, and the painstaking moments both she and Edgar share even when she disagrees with the methods her boss employs.Clint Eastwood may be getting along in years, yet possesses so much energy to helm films, to direct and produce, as well as to come up with the score for his movies' soundtracks, that it's really quite remarkable that he would be able to sustain working with a group out there to make the best possible out of their little film.
23 years after Bird, director Clint Eastwood went back to the biopic genre focusing his attention on a certainly fascinating person, who is rounded by a diffuse cloud of urban legends which should be dissipated: John Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), director of the F.B.I. from 1924 to 1972 (in fact, it could be said that he was its founder, because the "Investigation Bureau" was a minor branch of the Justice Department back in that time), who is more famous because of his legendary paranoia and rumored homosexuality than because of his genuine achievements.
Edgar Hoover (DiCaprio) as a person and his often tragic journey through life with his colleague, friend and possible love interest, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer).
Every precise detail about him has been researched, with his character traits and obsessions coming out with extreme subtlety whenever DiCaprio is on screen.Eastwood is balancing a biopic, a love story and a brief overview of Hoover's FBI department over a 50 year period.
Leonardo DiCaprio boasts one of his best performances, the film is very well made and despite the balancing act the it has to maintain, Eastwood does a good job of rounding everything up for a fitting ending.
The script by Dustin Black also takes some educated guesses about Hoover's private life, what there was of it - his relationship with Tolson (Armie Hammer), his mother (Judi Dench), and his secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts.The film switches back and forth in time, juxtaposing the young, ambitious J.
The movie also covers the deportation of anarchist Emma Goldman, Hoover's work against Communism, and his efforts during the gangster wars.The production values are excellent, showing the U.S. in the '30s, the clothing of the era, and the depiction of gangsters in film, with scenes from "Public Enemy." All in all, a very absorbing and ultimately sad story, with some marvelous performances from the chameleon-like Naomi Watts and Judi Dench.
The decision to have J Edgar Hoover telling the story of his life to a biographer (my God, can it all be a bit more obvious please!?), but most crucially, the decision to have Di Caprio & Co acting with (not very good) prosthetics for half of the film thus forcing the audience to get constantly distracted by the bad hair lines, the dodgy fake wrinkles and the rubbery feel on people's faces.
Eastwood, more content now to be behind the camera than in front of it, gets a great performance out of DiCaprio, as well as solid turns by Naomi Watts (as Hoover's long-time secretary Helen Gundy), Dame Judi Dench (as his mother Annie), and Jessica Hecht as the notorious subversive Emma Goldman, most of them unrecognizable, including DiCaprio, under all the prosthetics and make-up, but still able to deliver the goods.As a director, Eastwood proved long ago, going all the way back to his directing debut PLAY MISTY FOR ME in 1971, that he was more than just Dirty Harry or the Man With No Name, that he was a director of offbeat and extremely challenging projects, whether or not he was also on the other side of the camera as an actor.
Edgar Hoover.While the energy of one of history's great ages is mitigated by a measured biography of the 20th century titan, the makeup is divertingly interesting as when it makes the beautiful Naomi Watts (playing Hoover's life-long secretary, Helen Gandy) look dowdy.Director Clint Eastwood makes up for the screenplay's softening the drama of world events by inter-cutting among the 20th-century's Hoover epochs with that makeup to help the transitions.
The parallel editing results in the newest era being dramatically no more interesting than the last.Not that the first 75 years of the 29th century lacked drama; it's just that this treatment dwells on the putative gay relationship between Hoover and his handsome assistant, Clyde Tolson (Arnie Hammer), and too little on Robert Kennedy as his Attorney general boss and Martin Luther King as a target, for just a few examples of the rich historical context.The humanization of Hoover is the film's strength, but given the lack of evidence to support him as gay, the time spent with him and his assistant is a loss of opportunity for his many contradictions, least of which are the lives he crushed and the laws he broke to break the back of radicalism.Eastwood and DiCaprio are two of my favorite film artists today, but when they develop a film in which I enjoy a second-rate imitation of Richard Nixon, then the two-hour seventeen minute film is too long on Hoover's intimate life.
The story evolves around the life of Edgar Hoover(Leonardo Dicaprio), who was the founder of the FBI. |
tt0373883 | Halloween | Unrated Cut
Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch), a ten-year-old boy living in Haddonfield, IL, is bullied at school and his family life is little better. His mother, Deborah (Sheri Moon Zombie) dances at the local strip club and constantly fights with her boyfriend, Ronnie (William Forsythe). Full of rage, Michael hides behind a Halloween clown mask and tortures and kills pets. He shows tenderness only to his infant sister. After Michael has an encounter with a bully at school on Halloween, Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) presents to Deborah evidence of Michael's abuse of animals and informs her that her son displays warning signs of sociopathology. Michael runs from school, follows the bully into the woods and beats him to death with a branch. That night, Judith refuses to take Michael trick or treating so she can stay home to have sex with her boyfriend when Deborah goes to work. Left to his own devices, Michael savagely kills Ronnie, Judith (Hanna R. Hall), and her boyfriend. After he is done, he tenderly cradles his infant sister in his arms.Michael is convicted of first degree murder and incarcerated in the Smith's Grove mental hospital under the care of Dr. Loomis. Deborah visits him weekly. Michael claims not to remember the killings and begs to go home. After several months of fruitless treatment, Michael snaps and kills a nurse (Sybil Danning). Distraught, Deborah commits suicide. Michael grows into a hulking adult male and remains locked in the sanitarium for the next fifteen years, speaking to no one and spending the time making masks. Dr. Loomis gives up on treating him and instead writes a best-selling book describing him as irredeemable evil.On October 30th Michael (Taylor Mane) is sitting in his cell making masks. Two orderlies at the asylum, who happen to be cousins, are on duty and are taking advantage of a new female inmate. They decide to have some fun in Michael's room, Michael is making a mask, once he finishes he slaughters the two guards and takes the keys, then escapes into the night. At a truck stop, he kills a driver (Ken Foree) in the bathroom and steals his overalls. By the next morning -- Halloween -- he has returned to his family home in Haddonfield, which has remained abandoned since his mother's suicide. There he retrieves the butcher knife he used to kill Ronnie and one of the masks he wore that night, which he had hidden beneath the floorboards.Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) is a good-girl student and daughter in Haddonfield. Her father is a real estate agent trying to sell the old Myers home, which local legend has is haunted. As a favor for him, Laurie drops some paperwork off at the Myers house. Michael sees her and is intrigued. He follows her to high school and watches her. Laurie's more outgoing friends Lynda and Annie (Kristina Klebe and Danielle Harris) are more sexually active than the boyfriend-less and frustrated Laurie, who spends her Halloweens babysitting ten-year-old Tommy (Skyler Gisondo). Annie persuades Laurie to babysit her own charge on Halloween night, Lindsey, so she and her boyfriend can fool around instead.Lynda, meanwhile, goes to the old Myers house with her boyfriend to party. After they have sex, Michael kills them. He then proceeds to the Strode house, and as soon as Laurie leaves for her babysitting assignment, he kills her parents. After Annie drops Lindsey off with Laurie and Tommy, she and her boyfriend begin to have sex at Lindsey's house. Michael enters and kills the boyfriend but leaves Annie alive after brutalizing her. A few hours later, Laurie walks Lindsey home and finds Annie naked and trembling and her boyfriend's corpse hanging from the ceiling. Laurie sends Lindsey back to Tommy's and then calls the police. Michael attacks Laurie but she manages to escape back to Tommy's as well. Michael follows her, kills the police who have arrived and abducts Laurie.Dr. Loomis has been informed of Michael's escape. After buying two high-powered handguns, he travels to Haddonfield and pleads with Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) to believe that Michael Myers has returned. Only after his call to the Strodes goes unanswered does Brackett fear the worst. He reveals to Loomis that Laurie Strode is Michael's sister, adopted by the Strodes after Deborah committed suicide. Loomis realizes Michael senses this truth but doesn't know what Michael will do about it.Loomis and Brackett go to Lindsey's house. There Brackett finds the sobbing Annie, who is his daughter. Meanwhile, Loomis goes to the Myers house. Michael has taken Laurie there. Michael gives Laurie a photograph of them as children and drops his knife. Laurie stabs him and escapes into the backyard. Michael pursues her and corners her in the empty swimming pool. As he advances into the pool to retrieve her, Loomis appears and pleads with him to stop repeatedly, after this fails he shoots Michael in the back several times. Loomis and Laurie try to escape, but Michael rips Laurie from the car before they can. Loomis pleads with Michael to stop and tells him to give Laurie to him, Finally Michael gives in and releases Laurie to Loomis. As Dr. Loomis and Laurie walk away Michael drops the knife and the police that have arrived on the scene led by sheriff Brackett, open fire on Michael repeatedly until he falls. Loomis pleads with them to stop as Laurie cries. The scene fades black as it replays the sounds of a taped session between Michael and Dr. Loomis.* * * * * * * * * * (THEATRICAL VERSION)* * * * * * * *Ten-year-old Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch) is tormented by his family, and school bullies, as well as showing an interest in masks and killing animals. It is Halloween and he has an incident with a bully at school. His mother is called in for a discussion of Michael with the school's psychiatrist. Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) presents to Deborah (Sheri Moon Zombie) a dead cat and photos of dead animals as evidence of Michael's abuse of animals. He informs her that it represents warning signs of displaced hostility and aggression. Loomis wants to evaluate Michael further in order to make an accurate assessment.However, Michael runs from the school, follows the bully into the woods and beats him to death with a large tree branch. That Halloween night, Michael is home getting ready to go trick or treating, but is bullied by his mother's boyfriend (William Forsythe). Afterwards, he goes and kills his pet rat. His mother works as a stripper and is getting ready to go to work. She and her abusive boyfriend have a loud and violent argument and Michael's frightened baby sister cries. Michael's mom lets him know she cares for him and tells his older sister to take him trick or treating as she goes off the work. Michael's sister wants to have sex with her boyfriend instead and tells Michael to go by himself and that he's too old anyway. Michael comes back home and eats some crummy candy that he got thinking of his next move. Michael ends up slicing his mother's boyfriend's throat by taping him down and gagging him. His sister Judith (Hanna R. Hall), and her boyfriend are going at each other upstairs. The boyfriend being its Halloween wants to do it in a William Shatner mask. Michael ends up killing the boyfriend and taking his mask. He wears the mask when he kills his older sister in a violent knifing.Michael is convicted of first degree murder and taken to Smith's Grove Sanitarium, where he is placed under the supervision of Dr. Loomis. For the first eleven months, Michael cooperates with Dr. Loomis, claiming no memory of killing anyone. His mother Deborah visits him regularly, where he shows her the masks he has been creating. Upon some advice from an orderly, Michael closes himself off, and does not speak to anyone. After an incident where Michael attacks and kills a nurse (Sybil Danning), Deborah Myers, unable to cope with all the tragedy, takes her own life; her infant daughter is put up for adoption.For the next fifteen years, Michael (now played Tyler Mane as an adult) continues making his masks and not speaking to anyone. Dr. Loomis' experience with Michael allows him to write a book, and give seminars on what he deems as the look of a true psychopath. On the eve of Halloween, Michael is to be transferred to a more maximum security prison. While there he kills two asylum guards, and takes the keys from them and escapes. Later that night, Michael kills a trucker and steals the man's overalls. He returns to his home in Haddonfield where he finds the knife he killed his sister and mother's boyfriend with, and the mask he stole from his sister's boyfriend.The story shifts to Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton), and her friends Annie Brackett (Danielle Harris) and Lynda Van Der Klok (Kristina Klebe) on Halloween. Throughout the day, Laurie witnesses Michael watching her from a distance. Dr. Loomis comes to Haddonfield looking for Michael, picking up a .357 Magnum handgun in the process. He teams up with Sheriff Brackett, Annie's father, (Brad Dourif) in an effort to locate Michael before he can kill anyone else. That evening, Lynda and her boyfriend Bob (Nick Menell) travel to the abandoned Myers' home, a regular occurrence for them, so they can have sex. Michael kills the two of them, and then walks to the Wallace home, where Annie is babysitting Lindsey Wallace (Jenny Gregg Stewart). Annie convinces Laurie, who is already babysitting Tommy Doyle (Skyler Gisondo), to watch Lindsey, so that she and her boyfriend Paul (Max Van Ville) can be alone. Annie and Paul return to the Wallace residence, where Michael is waiting. Michael kills Paul, and stabs Annie repeatedly. Sheriff Brackett informs Dr. Loomis that Michael's baby sister is Laurie Strode. Laurie calls the police, and Dr. Loomis and Sheriff Brackett head to the Wallace residence to find the girls. Michael kidnaps Laurie and takes her back to the Myers' home where he tries to show her that he is her older brother. Laurie fights back, injuring Michael, but he corners her in an empty, in-ground pool. Loomis arrives and shoots Michael before he can kill Laurie. Before Loomis can drive away, Michael grabs Laurie again, dragging her back to the house. Loomis gains Michael's attention, and convinces him to release Laurie. He then strangles Loomis as Laurie tries to hide in the Myers home. Michael follows and soon corners her upstairs. After a brief struggle, the two fall off of a balcony. When Laurie regains consciousness, she finds Loomis' gun on the ground near her and crawls to her seemingly unconcious brother. He grabs her arm right before she shoots him right in the face. Exhausted, injured, and covered in blood, Laurie screams as the police arrive. Before you watch this, consider the MPAA rating. It's right. | murder, realism, violence, horror, insanity, humor, tragedy, sadist, home movie | train | imdb | Zombie tries to go back to the character's origin and reinvent him - it's a recent trend in Hollywood ("Batman Begins," "Casino Royale," the upcoming "Incredible Hulk," etc.), so it's not quite surprising that Hollywood greenlit the project and it got the push it received.But the problem that arises while doing this with "Halloween" is that it comes into conflict with the concept of Michael being purely evil.
Zombie cast his wife in the role of Michael's mother, and she can't act at all.Donald Pleasence got stuck with the most unfortunate lines from the original film, but we were willing to forgive bad dialogue because of how well-made the film was otherwise.
The whole Loomis character should have been dropped from the remake if all Zombie wanted to do with him was use him as a deus ex machina, by the way.Overall, this feels like a redneck version of "Halloween," which is going to offend some people, but I can't think of any better way to describe it.
I have nothing against it, and I think it may work with some films - I can imagine him making a good re-do of "Natural Born Killers" (although I hope it never, never happens!).However, when you're remaking an iconic, legendary, incredibly influential horror film - don't cheapen it by "reimagining" it with horror movie clichés and shock-value material.
The very worst aspect of this remake is that it simply isn't scary at all - it's a typical slasher flick, a homicidal-man-on-a-rampage flick, which ironically is exactly what Zombie said he wanted to avoid.The first film was eerie, spooky, and unnerving because Michael's motivations were cloudy and we weren't sure whether Laurie was right or wrong when she said he was the boogeyman.
We only knew one thing: he wasn't entirely human.But ever since that original movie, the filmmakers have attempted to keep expanding upon Michael's history: the second film developed a motivation for his killings (Laurie was his sister), the fourth offered more clues at his background, and now we come full circle with a complete remake of the original film.Michael's true demonic core - the natural horror element of the series - is stripped bare and all that is left is a disturbed, abnormally tall redneck with greasy hair who hasn't showered in years wearing a silly mask going around killing people because he had an abusive family life as a child.
While it certainly surpasses Carpenter's version in both content and intensity, Zombie practices some restraint in how much violence is shown, leaving much of the horror to sound effects and imagination.I honestly don't understand why people are so hard on this movie.
I'm not a big fan of the recent trend of remaking all the classic horror films of the '70s and '80s, but I decided to go see the new "Halloween" anyway, if for no other reason than I'd never seen any of the original films in a theater.
(That, and I figured they couldn't do much worse than the god-awful "Halloween: Resurrection", the most recent entry before this remake.) IMHO the original "Halloween" is one of the greatest horror films ever, and certainly the best "slasher" movie (unless you count Hitchcock's "Psycho", but that's another topic.) I really expected to be let down, even though I haven't seen any of Rob Zombie's other movies.For the first five minutes, I thought, "Great, they took this classic American slasher flick and turned it into a white trash festival." But once Michael started talking (which he never does in the original film) something clicked, and I was hooked.
The new film takes the Michael Meyers "mythos" (if you will) and fleshes it out, giving the audience a frightening insight to the true horror that exists all around us before eviscerating us with the shocks and gore we really paid to see.The movie loses some of its momentum when it jumps to the present day, when too often it reverts back to simply restaging some of the trend-setting scenes from its predecessor - Laurie staring out the window at school and seeing the weirdo in the coveralls and the white mask staring at her, only to vanish seconds later.
The movie gives less focus to Lori Strode and much more focus on Michael and his progressions from 10 to 30.Zombie makes the smart call of not completely taking his own new plot line, but also not creating an exact carbon copy, leaving in specific scenes and details but still skipping over some of the more memorable ones.
Reading the other reviews, it really makes me realize how many posers exist in this sad little world of ours.As I begin with this pixelated comment/review, please give us a moment of silence to mourn the loss of intelligence in this world.If you are indeed a true Halloween or even Friday the 13th fan, you may enjoy this film, it goes beyond regular slashing and screaming and blood and guts everywhere, it goes beyond stupidity.Rob Zombie, obviously has not had the best of luck with the film industry, but this may be the film he needed to kick-start his directing career.Pleasantly mixing Slasher, Horror, a bit of gore and an in-depth look at Michael, I can appreciate this movie, and be proud to say that I enjoyed it.As funnygy had stated, Halloween (2007) could, and will never replace the original Halloween, but it is indeed a wonderful, enjoyable remake.The thing I enjoyed most, is it actually gives you a small yet slightly disturbing glimpse into the mind of Michael.My thoughts exactly, I highly recommend it IF you are a true Halloween fan.If you dislike this movie, it's your choice..but do not insult something that is simply different, or more in-depth..
Like many of the horror fans out there I went through my phase of being angry and disgusted that they would remake Halloween and especially that Rob Zombie would be the director to do it.
I am a fan of Rob Zombie and as it got nearer to the release date I came to believe that I would probably enjoy the movie, although I figured it still wouldn't compare to the original.
This isn't to say that he is a bad filmmaker, he just seems to be out of his element with this movie.Although I thought the back story was decent and entertaining enough, I still tend to find Michael Myers a more interesting character with less back story and more mystery like in the original.I appreciate the effort put into the movie and I have given it a rating of 5 because I still think it was probably better than what they would have made with a different writer and director, but this movie just didn't work for me.Luckily I got to see this at a drive-in theater along with the original Halloween and Grindhouse, so the night was still pretty great..
Writer/director Rob Zombie does an okay job of making the movie but the lack of originality, real scares, suspense, and character development are what weigh it down the most.
Overall Halloween is a flawed horror thriller with bloody deaths, some scares, suspense, and decent performances by the cast but the movie could've been a lot better because it ended up being a disappointment..
There is absolutely no sense of mood or atmosphere that made the original so wonderful; no suspense, no surprises, no likable characters (the worst being Laurie, Linda and Annie...these 3 belong in a biker chick film, not a Halloween film), no clever use of foreshadowing or music, just an overlong waste of everyone's precious time.
HALLOWEEN 2007 is a slap in the face to any true fan of the series, or horror films in general, and Rob Zombie should feel complete and utter shame..
Worse still, his obvious weaknesses in writing dialog and making his actors play naturally become apparent in a story as dependent on suspense and likable characters as this one.The whole idea of making this movie part prequel, part remake of the original is stupid.
It has just been a bad idea all along and the outcome isn't even good enough to be a throwaway, by-the-numbers slasher-flick, let alone a remake of the mighty "Halloween".Rob Zombie is to blame most of all.
Add to that more than a few obvious continuity errors and some scenes that are downright laughable (for instance, when young Michael tapes his sleeping stepfather to a chair and the guy doesn't even wake up) and you got yourself one of the messiest horror movies of the year.I like Rob Zombie for his passion about horror movies, but let's face it: the guy isn't a good director.
After the insight and the institution days (which in my opinion, brilliantly tie some knots that Halloween fans should be pleased with) the movie cuts right to the chase, having an aura of the original and a fresh new feel at the same time.
As for the style of the film, I personally like Zombie's directing style, I think its unique and very much his and I was happy that he wasn't trying to copy Carpenter like so many other past directors have tried to with the Halloween Sequels.
But he was not just remaking it, Rob Zombie also made a back story for about a good 40 minutes and explained more about how Michael went wrong.
Rob Zombie either has no understanding at all of the Michael Myers character, or he just doesn't care and wanted to cash in on all the dumb little mall rats who will flock to this movie and say "d00d I totalie identifi wit Michael Myerzzzz..
This destroys the ideas of hatred and hopelessness that were so important to the Myers/Loomis relationship in the original.Honestly, I thought that of all people, a person like Rob Zombie who was always professed an undying love of horror movies would have understood that it was these ideas that made the 1978 Halloween work so well.
Our hero Michael is supposed to be an immortal killing machine, an urban legend, punishing teens who do wrong, but instead looks like a member of Slipknot that got lost and wandered into the wrong music video.Thanks Rob, for getting rid of that annoying "suspense" and "implied violence" and "shadowing" that the original was so full of.We get it.
Hollywood, please get Michael Bay to do the remakes of Nightmare on Elm St, Friday the 13th, Evil Dead and Poltergeist so that old fans like me will know it's not worth wasting the time to watch...I honestly wish I'd been getting a root canal instead of watching the Halloween remake.
While I acknowledge John Carpenter's classic original as a good and important horror film, I never thought it was "excellent", and that was partly why I didn't mind checking out Rob Zombie's variation.
The best thing about having seen it was that I have been running Carpenter's classic over in my mind, and it now fares stronger than ever in comparison.HALLOWEEN 2007 can be summarized as two halves: the first tries to cover all-new territory by showing us the dysfunctional family life of adolescent Michael Myers, and how he deteriorates into becoming a deranged killer; he's got a stripper for a mother (Sheri Moon Zombie) and an abusive bum for a father figure.
But it was a sin to have the patented "Halloween Theme" (plus other standard cues) and "Mr. Sandman" strewn about, as if to remind us that this was supposed to be like the other movies.The first half where we follow Michael's predictable path to becoming a full-fledged madman is the more interesting one, and at least Zombie attempted to try something different; yet at the same time, with so much back story of Michael's upbringing and the various clues as to why he became a demented slasher, doesn't that give us too much information and take away the mystery we've come to associate with this "Boogeyman"?
Look, parents let their kids wander up and down the streets alone on Halloween to get candy from strangers!) I enjoyed Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis, as he's more restrained than usual and seems more like a clone of Donald Pleasance (who played Loomis in most of the original movies), which is good.
I was not at all happy when I heard there was going to be a remake.Zombie's "House of 1,000 Corpses" was kind of decent, and I loved "The Devil's Rejects," so I was looking for a remake that butchered the original but was at least interesting to watch, which is more or less what I got.In RZ fashion, it was intense at times, and beneath the un-needed profanity, blood, and nudity there was a captivating story, but there was ZERO SUSPENSE, and ABSOLUTELY NO REAL SCARES.
But after watching Halloween I figured out that zombies are brain-dead and you didn't need any brains to watch because it's all blood, gore & violence so that's why Rob's second name is Zombie and it doe's suit his personality.Overall it was a good & entertaining movie that didn't had a single boring or useless scene but had a very unexpected ending that makes you ask yourself "Is that it?" If I haven't seen the original then I would have given it a 10 out of 10 but since it's really similar so I'm giving it a 9 out of 10.
Rob Zombie's take on the memorable horror film tries to distinguish itself from the standard slasher genre by exploring the killer's origins but is only interesting for about ten minutes; it fails to ever really get inside the mind of the main character (or anyone else's for that matter) and inevitably turns into a sleazy, senseless barrage of gore propelled by unappealing characters and stupid dialogue.
If you've seen the original Halloween and are looking to Rob Zombie's movie as a prequel, you're wrong.
I wish they would make some original movies instead of constantly remaking(Badly!)classic films like this one.How many times do we have to pay to watch old movies remade and not even remade well just to fill cinema seats with people hoping to see upgraded versions of there favourite films.i was looking forward to seeing this film and was gutted to have to sit through utter garbage!Don't touch a tried and tested formula by giving pointless background info to a slasher.Michael Myers an escaped serial killer who's nuts that's it!
That was a big mistake on my part because it's one of the worst horror movies I have ever seen, and a disgrace to the original.Everybody knows the story of Halloween.
While I'll give Rob Zombie some credit for "re-imagining" the popular 1978 horror classic (he spends half the film on Michael Myers' childhood and lock-up time) instead of merely remaking it, the end result is unfortunately an incohesive mess.
I suppose movies these days are too controlled by producers who think the entire film-going community wants Saw-like shocking gore and not a decent script, meaningful characters and modern icons of horror.
Rob Zombie's Halloween is not a remake as much as it is a 'revision' of a classic horror movie.
After seeing this remake, I started to appreciate the original version a little bit more, since Rob Zombie turned the story and its characters into a vulgar mess.The original film mostly focuses on the life of Laurie Strode going on about her business and interacting with her friends for the most part, while we see the mysterious Michael Myers stalking her, appearing from out of nowhere, and we never really get to know why (without taking the sequels into account).
In this remake, Rob Zombie attempts to explore little Michael Myers' psychology, giving our villain a soul and establishing the roots of his evilness, taking away all the mystery and darkness surrounding the character.
The audience doesn't want to be spoon fed and I think it's clear that one of the main reasons why the original villain was scary, it's because Michael Myers remained as an enigmatic character from the beginning until the end.
This overexposure of Michael's early years lasts about 40 minutes, which gets tedious, it makes the villain more pitiful than frightening and in the end, they don't really manage to establish a point about his insanity all that well either.Rob Zombie seems to borrow things from previous film, "House of 1000 Corpses", since the characters in this remake are swearing most of the times and while I have nothing against swearing, I think it gets artificial and silly when we hear the characters yelling and saying the f-word every five seconds.
Now change the story--make the child older, put a family in the town of Haddonfield where they were complete misfits, give us a left wing explanation of how to create a psychopath, develop no characters, make me indifferent to the towns plight, change the film into a slasher movie but add a new dimension--pure sadism and you still haven't got a complete picture of why this film fails.I don't want an explanation of why Michael Myers is evil, it only hurts the horror dimension of this genre.
is a total stinking pile and had I instead used that ten dollar bill to wipe my own rear end it would have definitely served a higher purpose.This is coming from someone who saw the original in the theater at the time of release in 1978, someone who gets it, like I thought was the case with Rob Zombie.Not only did the derivative, lackluster plot changes leave a stain on Carpenter's masterpiece but Zombie desperately needs to stop putting the same old tired troop of actors in every single movie he makes by way of gratuitous cameos and grossly blind miscasting.
Cons: Acting, Dialogue, Back story, completely losing every aspect of the 78 film that made it a classic of the genre and ROB ZOMBIE's "direction" Bottom Line: Don't waste your time, buy the original on DVD..
The story is slow, the acting is bad and i feel that the original Halloween is much better.I really did think Zombie would make this movie AMAZING. |
tt0346491 | Alexander | The film is based on the life of Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, who conquered Asia Minor, Egypt, Persia, and North West India. Shown are some of the key moments of Alexander's youth, his invasion of the mighty Persian Empire and his death. It also outlines his early life, including his difficult relationship with his father Philip II of Macedonia, his strained feeling towards his mother Olympias, the unification of the Greek city-states and the two Kingdoms (Macedonia and Epirus) under the Hellenic League, and the conquest of the Persian Empire in 331 BC. It also details his plans to reform his empire and the attempts he made to reach the end of the then known world.
The story begins 40 years after 323 BC, around 283 BC, with Ptolemy I Soter, who narrates throughout the film. We see Alexander's daily life and the strained relationship between his parents. Alexander grows up with his mother Olympias and his tutor Aristotle, where he finds interest in love, honour, music, exploration, poetry and military combat. His relationship with his father is destroyed when Philip marries Attalus's niece, Eurydice.
After Philip is assassinated, Alexander becomes King of Macedonia. Ptolemy mentions Alexander's punitive campaign in which he razes Thebes and burns Persepolis, then gives an overview of Alexander's west-Persian campaign, including his declaration as the son of Zeus by the Oracle of Amun at Siwa Oasis, his great battle against the Persian Emperor Darius III in the Battle of Gaugamela and his eight-year campaign across Asia.
Also shown are Alexander's private relationships with his childhood friend Hephaistion and later his wife Roxana. Hephaistion compares Alexander to Achilles, to which Alexander replies that, if he is Achilles, Hephaistion must be his Patroclus (Achilles' best friend and lover). When Hephaistion mentions that Patroclus died first, Alexander pledges that, if Hephaistion should die first, he will follow him into the afterlife. Hephaistion shows extensive jealousy when he sees Alexander with Roxana and deep sadness when he marries her, going so far as to attempt to keep her away from him after Alexander murders Cleitus the Black in India.
After initial objection from his soldiers, Alexander convinces them to join him into his final and bloodiest battle, the Battle of Hydaspes. He is severely injured with an arrow but survives and is celebrated. Later on, Hephaistion succumbs to an unknown illness either by chance or perhaps poison, speculated in the movie to be Typhus carried with him from India. Alexander, full of grief and anger, distances himself from his wife, despite her pregnancy, believing that she has killed Hephaistion. He dies less than three months after Hephaistion, in the same manner, keeping his promise that he would follow him. On his deathbed, Bagoas grieves as Alexander's generals begin to split up his kingdom and fight over the ownership of his body.
The story then returns to 283 BC, where Ptolemy admits to his scribe that he, along with all the other officers, had indeed poisoned Alexander just to spare themselves from any future conquests or consequences. However, he has it recorded that Alexander died due to illness compounding his overall weakened condition. He then goes on to end his memoirs with praise to Alexander.
The story then ends with the note that Ptolemy's memoirs of Alexander were eventually burned, lost forever with the Library of Alexandria. | boring, murder, violence, flashback, psychedelic, action, philosophical, melodrama, tragedy, revenge, historical, queer | train | wikipedia | In this film, we see a relationship that is hard for most people today to understand, namely a passionate love relationship between two men in which sex is not very important and possibly even absent.Aristotle essentially explained the whole film near the beginning when he told the young couple something like the following, as best I can remember it, "When two men lie together in lust, it is over indulgence.
Every time the momentum picks up a little and we finally get into it a bit, we are suddenly thrown back into yet another agonizing scene between Alexander and his mother, or his father, that stops the film dead in its tracks because of the ridiculous dialogue and over-the-top acting.Not to mention the weird accents, Colin Farrell who is wholly miscast because he doesn't have the charisma of a world-class leader (nor the voice - in his pre-battle pep talk speeches he squeaks like a mouse on speed), the wishy-washy approach to his bisexuality (if you want to make the point, then just make it, for Pete's sake), the flat characters of his friends and generals that one cannot tell apart, Val Kilmer chewing up the scenery, and the rather poor aerial shots of the big battle.
In a long shot, Oliver Stone chose to create a historically accurate film around the life of a man, both fact and fiction, who created the gateway for humanity's future path.
This is a brilliant film, which was portrayed correctly, from a personable point of view, to create the character of Alexander in the manner in which he lived; uninhibited by other influences save those whom he loved and knew were trustworthy.
The film is a biopic of Alexander (played by Colin Farrell) and his campaigns but I'm befuddled how Stone does not go into depth the effect the man had made in history.
You'd have thought given the amount of ancient source material which is still extant, dodgy or not, on Alexander's life that Stone could have cobbled together a story from the various accounts without resorting to simply making bits up (i.e Alexander being shot in battle with Porus), pointlessly attributing speeches from one character to another (i.e Darius's daughter giving a reply to Alexander which is actually that of Porus), having set designs which were simply ludicrous (i.e Olympias having the Ram on a tree thingy from Ur in her room)...I could go on, and on, and on...This film was simply awful on every level, the battle of Gaugamela just looked like a complete shambles, why did the Macedonians (Including non-Irish actors) put on Irish accents?
Viewers who expect an epic display of world conquest will be extremely disappointed in Oliver Stone's Alexander, which includes exactly two fairly brief battle sequences in its three hour running time.
The film is not about conquest; it is an attempt to create a character study of one of history's most self-contradictory and enigmatic figures.The emphasis, however, should be on the word "attempt." Alexander fails in three basic ways: in its cast, in its refusal to meet certain character issues head-on, and in a directorial decision that easily ranks among the most serious misfires in recent memory.Alexander the Great was a charismatic, self-contradictory, and enigmatic leader who led and inspired the largest army the world had seen up to that point.
The role, however, is considerably revised, and while Rosario Dawson gives it all she has the part plays like something out of bondage skin flick.During the film's theatrical release some audiences complained that Alexander was portrayed as a homosexual.
The resulting relationships read like something off a television soap opera that has been canceled halfway into the first season.For the sexually insecure, there is a DVD issue that deletes some eight minutes of this footage; although I went with the unedited version, and although the scenes in question are very badly done, I cannot imagine the deletion of these largely cringe-inducing scenes improves the film to any significant degreelargely because virtually everything about the film is no less awkward.The script is at best mediocre and the story line so incoherent that Anthony Hopkins is required to provide constant narrationsomething that has the effect of telling us what happened rather than allowing us to see it happen.
But by far the greatest failing of the script and story line is Oliver Stone's decision to present a chunk of the story, such as it is, out of sequence.In essence, the first half hour of the film establishes the tri-fold conflict between King Philip, Queen Olympias, and the young Alexander and runs up to a major confrontation.
The third was to give the film a chance, having been influenced by almost unanimous bad or indifferent reviews before seeing it.As a film and man of history, Alexander would have been better served by linear story-telling as opposed to retrospectives of his youth through the narrative of his veteran general, Ptolemy (sorry, Anthony Hopkins).
With a cast like it has, a budget ample enough for three good films, and a legend-centered plot sure to pique the viewer's interest well before the movie is even seen, it delivers a seriously despicable, laughable fiasco.Of course it's set in ancient Greece.
So far no good.As for Alexander's supposedly legendary tactical genius and indomitable character, here instead the viewer gets to watch the boy from Dublin with painfully obvious bleached streaks in his hair and freshly tinted eyebrows look at Jared Leto countless times with a facial expression that's half "Mommy can I have another cookie?" and half irritable bowel syndrome.
After watching this film, I came to realize that if the real Alexander the Great looked anywhere near as weird as Colin Farrell with a giant blonde wig, that was probably the distraction he used to stay alive in so many battles.
As a matter of fact, the only convincing character was Angelina Jolie as Alexander's mother, and she is probably younger than her on-screen son, Colin Farrell!
I guess I should give Oliver Stone some props for sticking with historical fact and giving Alexander a "feminine male friend" but I admit, my 21st century American bias made it difficult to accept that a man who led thousands of brave soldiers also enjoyed having his nails manicured by transvestites.
(Michael Wood's excellent TV series/DVD/book "In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great" is a much better use of your time, and much more engaging.) The Irish accents are invasive, and in the case of some (e.g. Val Kilmer) truly risible.
(It would have been a very low budget porn film to use such poor wigs...)The film's historical accuracy is better than Stone's version of the Kennedy story, but it completely misses in its attempt to capture the true sense of scale and ambition in Alexander's quests.
Stone uses Plutarch's theme throughout his film, don't be fooled by his placing the tale in the mouth of Ptolemy, Ptolemy was used as his main source by Arrian who wrote an altogether more honest and accurate account of Alexander's life and comes to quite different conclusions than Plutarch which while still dubious in their own right are demonstrably more trustworthy than a self-admitted propagandist.So why use Plutarch when you know he's intentionally historically misleading?
Because it's more sexy.From him comes the portrayal of Olympias as having snakes in her bed (though not mucking about with them all the time), from him come the most lurid accounts of Alexander's excesses in sexuality, drinking, demagoguery and what have you...they have to be there so Plutarch can ultimately use them to kill him, it's Plutarch who puts Alexander's death down to drinking, a tendentious lesson in how ignoring the Greek virtue of self control will bring even the 'Great' to a sticky end.Here endeth the history lesson.As to the film itself my complaints would largely be repeating what's already been said...very silly and inappropriate accents, the structure of the film is a mess, manipulative historical inaccuracies which would have made even Plutarch blush, are they Greek or Macedonian?
Misrepresentation of the Achaemenid Persians while completely ignoring Alexander's massacres of civilians, terrible and confusing battles which give no hint at his tactical brilliance (looking mad/daft and shouting a lot does not a great commander make), he gets an arrow in the chest at completely the wrong time and place, awful hammy script making for unintentional comedic moments.....and much, much more....takes a breath...So in conclusion, this film is largely based on the least trustworthy account of Alexander's life which is then messed about with a bit more by Stone, often for no discernibly good reason, then chopped up into a pointlessly confusing, often laughable shambles.Avoid..
I think the reason Hollywood is so dumbed down now is when someone tries to do something different on a big scale like Alexander, HEAVEN'S GATE, REDS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN America, THE RIGHT STUFF or films like that is that the American critics who are always complaining about dumb audiences and filmmakers can't get them and tear them a new *beep*hole killing them off at the box-office.
Pretty much boring movie is Alexander.Not at all gripping is the story.Based on a true story this should be at least something courageous portraying one of the greatest conquerers of the world.But rather than being courageous this was quite frail.Collin Ferrel never looked Alexander.His acting is terrible in this movie.Rather than inspiring,Alexander(Collin Ferrel) hardly looked a shadow of himself.Angelina Jolie never looked the mother of Alexander.Van Kilmer also fails to deliver,looking very much shabby & over-pretentious.Rest of the casting is OK.Some fight scenes are good though specially the epic battle with Persians.The fighting was quite captivating.In this movie the effort should have been more on Alexander's battle campaigns but this was more of a drama movie.Never at all you enjoy this film,truly if real Alexander would have seen this he would have been ashamed..
As a result, Stone essentially neglects to tell the story of how Alexander came to be such an all-conquering warrior, and gives the illusion that his conquests were made simply by turning up.One of the main issues with the film is that the central characters - despite their lengthy screen time and the numerous incidents each is embroiled in - are never stripped bare for the viewer for long enough for them to be more than two dimensional.
She has been given the direction to use some sort of anachronistic "Transylvanian" accent that would do better in a Hammer Dracula movie than in this piece.Val Kilmer looks as if he wants to leave the film as soon as possible and the only real genuine emotion I felt during the film was pity for him.The blonde wigged Colin Farrell is far worse.
I have heard pretty much nothing but bad things about Alexander, so I pretty much stayed away from it, but I noticed that it was sitting in my mom's movie collection and I just wanted to watch something new.
Trust me, Alexander is just a bad movie and is an insult to one of the greatest warriors of our time.Based on the story of Alexander the Great, we see him grow as a boy who isn't accepted by his father, is admired by his mother, and is slowly learning the power of being a king, being a strong warrior.
His father is murdered leaving him the throne and going into battle to conquer lands, own whoever he wants, make decisions that will effect his country, having to figure out who are his true friends, questioning his sexuality, discovering the true difficulty of being a good king to his people.I seriously had the neuce around my neck by the end of this film, I just couldn't believe how long it was, I don't mind long movies at all if they are worth your time and are very well put together but Alexander is just a mess.
Stone and his writers are more interested in Alex spouting platitudes about respecting the Persians ancient culture rather than his belief in the superiority of Greece over the barbarians.Alexander's wife Roxanne, when she is not required to do full frontals, contributes very little to the film apart from a few pouty looks.
If there have been five films in my life that left the most indelible impression on me, holding me immobilized on my chair watching until the last credit has disappeared while everybody else is already leaving, talking to myself while going home, three of them were connected to Oliver Stone one way or another (Midnight Express being the first).
Undefeated yet mortal, great yet flawed, larger-than-life yet human, Alexander has left a mark in the histories of so many peoples for a reason, and yet, the film has no more chances to be understood by his viewers than the king himself from his soldiers and childhood friends.
Having names such Oliver Stone, Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, Val Kilmer, Angelina Jolie, Christopher Plummer and Rosario Dawson in the cast; a great theme; and a huge budget, I could never expect that "Alexander" could be a boring movie.
There is also the cumbersome length, pedestrian pace and Oliver Stone's direction which is rather pretentious(a term I try to avoid like the plague but the term applies when talking about the direction here).In conclusion, it may have great spectacle but there are too many poor assets that made Alexander in all honesty a chore to watch.
When director Oliver Stone announced that he would be making a huge budget film on the life of Alexander the Great, audiences, understandably, had high hopes.
Hollywood star power and tons of money can't save this overwrought, melodramatic story of the life and times of Alexander The Great (Colin Farrell), the Greek warrior who conquered lands in times B.C.The single biggest problem here is the script, and in particular the plot structure.
But whatever the cause, the screen story's convoluted plot is a huge barrier to understanding Alexander and the people in his life.In addition, the script's dialogue contains too much exposition, mostly from Old Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins) who, via numerous monologues, lectures us about Greek history.
"Alexander" is no exception; it muddles along for nearly three hours, and covers most of one man's lifetime as he conquers lands from the Mediterranean to the Far East.Maybe Oliver Stone would have been better advised to confine his saga to a smaller, more restricted story, one wherein viewers can get to know the protagonist and his inspirations and challenges.
Stone's Alexander actually screams like a girl and throws a tantrum at least twice in the movie.As for the battle choreography, it is probably the worst of a major film in the past ten years at the very least.
The Battle of Gaugamela, one of the greatest victories in the history of the world, that left the army of Darius, King of Kings, completely annihilated and his empire open for free reign, is depicted by Stone to be remarkably slow-paced and anti-climactic.In short, it is inconceivable that the producers deemed this film worthy of investment, and it is a sacrilege to the great man and a stain on his memory that this travesty of a film was ever made..
Just as Emmerich failed with the enduring legend of Achilles and the Trojan war, Stone fails miserably with Alexander.In the 60s, in the era of Spartacus and Lawrence of Arabia, audiences knew what they wanted and expected from a historical film--good history, a sympathetic hero (and hopefully heroine), lots of action.
This is a movie I really looked forward to seeing but it turned out to be a great disappointment and I switched it off with half an hour to go.Although the action scenes were brilliantly executed and presented, I found the many flash-backs to Alexander's childhood were extremely boring and that they made the story hard to follow.I looked forward to action on a grand scale and that part didn't disappoint me.
I don't need to know about Alexander's sex life, a movie about a man like this should be about his achievements, not about who he had sex with!
Historic , big-budgeted , mammoth rendition and breathtaking epic movie with stunning battle scenes but overlong and a little boring pacing ; this one is professionally directed by Oliver Stone (2003) .
You don't have to like it, but respect it as being different.Oliver Stone clearly loves and wishes to cherish the memory of Alexander, as does everyone working on the film.
It's different than how I ever thought of Alexander and his life, but I accept Oliver Stone's take on it, because it's his movie.
I don't know how many people will go see it twice, but I really believe that if everyone who didn't like it saw it a second time (as a biography or an art film, mind you), then you will see an excellent movie..
It appears that the film attempts to make up for this with battle scenes that drag on forever and really aren't that interesting; the time would be better spent giving the viewer a more informative picture of who Alexander really was.
It was nothing short of incredible.Oliver Stone, who directed and wrote the script for the film, did a superb job recreating the life of Alexander the Great.
Instead, Oliver Stone focuses on Alexander's sexuality and on his insane, snake-handling mother, played by Angelina Jolie, with what sounds like a Transylvanian accent.Colin Farrel is spectacularly miscast as Alexander.
Like all Oliver Stone movies, Alexander was long, but it was definitely worth seeing.
Oliver Stone's attempt to give a realistic rendering of Alexander the Great's life necessitated a realistic rendering of his times as well, and the fact is, things were different then.
I found it badly acted (Colin Farell, Angelina Jolie), badly casted (again Colin Farell is terrible as Alexander), badly filmed (with horrible sceneries) and way too long with too many bad conversations.It doesn't happen very often that i walk out on a movie but on this one i almost did. |
tt1234541 | The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations | Sam Reide (Chris Carmack) witnesses a woman being killed, then wakes up in an ice-filled bathtub, his vitals being monitored by his sister Jenna (Rachel Miner). Sam can travel back to any time and location during his lifetime (occupying the body of that time in his life), needing only to concentrate on where and when he wishes to arrive. He has helped the local police capture criminals under the guise of being a psychic. Sam pays his sister Jenna's rent and buys her groceries, and that she rarely leaves the apartment and lives in squalor.
Later that night, Elizabeth (Sarah Habel), the sister of Sam's murdered girlfriend Rebecca (Mia Serafino), arrives at Sam's apartment. She believes that the man about to be executed for her sister's murder, Lonnie Flennons (Richard Wilkinson), is innocent, and she offers to pay Sam to find the real murderer. Sam turns her down, but goes to speak with the man who tutored him on time travel, Goldburg (Kevin Yon), who reminds him of the cardinal rules: he's not to alter his own personal past, nor travel in time with his body left unsupervised. When Sam was 15, a house fire claimed Jenna's life, but Sam altered time so that Jenna survives. However, Sam's interference with events resulted in the fire killing his parents instead. After Goldburg's departure, their bartender Vicki (Melissa Jones) seductively offers Sam a seductively-named cocktail; he and Vicki have sex, but upon seeing Rebecca's photo, he cannot continue.
Sam changes his mind and agrees to help Elizabeth out. He tries to help Lonnie without time-traveling, but Lonnie refuses the help, believing Sam to be the culprit. Frustrated, Sam travels back to June 1998. He first runs into a drunk Elizabeth, and tells her to stay in her locked car. He goes into Rebecca's bedroom to find her already dead; meanwhile, Elizabeth is attacked in her car from behind and killed. Sam returns to the present, to learn he no longer owns a car, is renting his couch to a roommate named Paco (Ulysses Hernandez), and no longer works for the police. Instead, he is an obsessed former suspect for Rebecca's murder who has repeatedly asked for the case file. He goes to see Lonnie, who in this present is a wheelchair-bound lawyer. He tells Sam he had driven by, saw Elizabeth and Sam talking, and did not stop. Sam visits Goldburg, who suggests he go back to the scene of the third murder and this time only observe. Sam also visits Jenna, who is significantly better off and living more cleanly; she refuses to help him.
Sam travels back to September 2000 and witnesses the third victim, Anita Barnes (Chantel Giacalone), being attacked, only to learn it is her boyfriend attempting to cater to her rape fetish. He is discovered and her boyfriend's punch sends him back to the present, where now Sam is renting a couch from Paco, who is about to evict him for non-payment. Goldburg is missing, and Lonnie is now the third victim, while Anita remains alive, pepper-spraying Sam in the face after he approaches her in the street. At her apartment, Jenna tells Sam that Goldburg was about to implicate him in the murders, and furthermore tells him she fears a future Sam is the murderer. Sam complains he is now "too stupid" to fix things; Jenna pinky-swears him to not time-travel anymore. Drunk at the bar, Sam propositions Vicki, who is engaged in this timeline. After Sam leaves, the killer shows up and murders Vicki; her body is found by the police near a car body plant. As Sam left his bar receipt behind, he is hauled in by the police. Jenna extricates him; the police put a tail on him as he leaves. As he leaves, he takes Det. Glenn's (Lynch Travis) evidence notebook, which he uses to look at the scene of the crime and travel back to September 2004, before the bodies were found by the police.
He returns to the present to find himself on Jenna's couch as she leaves for work, reminding him to clean up after himself and have dinner ready for her return; their positions now effectively reversed from the beginning of the film. Sam returns to the auto plant, where the police lie in wait to arrest him. Sam convinces Det. Glenn to release him by telling him how his wife (Andrea Foster) mistook Glenn for M.C. Hammer on their first meeting. Returning home, Sam accidentally inhales some burundanga flowers, sent from Goldburg's greenhouse, and can barely haul himself into the bathtub, before time-traveling back to the abandoned auto plant, where he finds a severely injured Goldburg. Running for help, Sam is felled by a foothold trap.
The killer approaches the trapped Sam, removing his mask as he does so, to reveal that the killer is actually Sam's sister Jenna, who can also time travel. She has an incestuous love for her brother, having killed the women, either because she perceived them as rivals for Sam's affections, or because they were new witnesses, introduced by Sam's rescue attempts. Sam travels back in time to the day of the fire that killed his parents; instead of saving Jenna (Catherine Towne), he traps her in her burning room. He awakes in a new timeline where he has married Elizabeth (not Rebecca), and he, Elizabeth and their daughter Jenna (named after his now-dead sister) (Alexis Sturr) are pulling up to a family barbecue, where he is greeted by his parents and a perfectly healthy Goldburg.
The film closes as Sam's daughter Jenna puts her fashion doll on the grill and smiles as it begins to melt. | murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0071275 | Cani arrabbiati | Four ruthless criminals wait outside the gates of a pharmaceutical company to steal the pay wages from an armored truck which will arrive at the gated complex. Upon the truck's arrival, the heavily armed thieves hold up the truck, killing a number of people in the process. But during the getaway, the thieves car is riddled with bullets from the company's security guards which kill the getaway driver, and damage the car so that it's leaking fuel. The clean-cut, cunning leader of the group, known only as Doc (Maurice Poli), and his two vicious and scruffy cohorts, the knife-wielding Blade (Aldo Caponi) and the hulking seven-foot tall Thirty-Two (Luigi Montefiori) are overjoyed at the stolen cash they now have. But when their car stalls in a downtown part of Rome, they are forced to flee on foot into an underground car park, persuaded by the police. The criminals grab two women as hostages, and when Blade accidentally kills one, the police, seeing the other female hostage Maria (Lea Lander) in danger, back away, allowing the criminals to steal her car and make an escape from the car park.Back on the street, Doc knows that its only a matter of time before a description of their new getaway car will reach the authorities, which will make it impossible for them to get out of the city. But the situation is resolved when they stop at a red traffic light, they hijack the car in front of them. The middle-aged driver of the other car, Riccardo (Riccardo Cucciolla) protests that he has to get his young child, a small, deathly-pail little boy wrapped up in a blanket, to the hospital. But the criminals, plus their female hostage Maria, force Riccardo to drive them out of the city.Once outside the city, Doc forces Riccardo to drive onto a local tollway to Naples which will lead them to their hideout outside that city. But aware that the police will be surveying the toll road for them, Doc forces Riccardo to turn around and exit the toll road, in which they decide to take a few secondary, but slower, roads to get to their hideout.During most the long road journey, Maria cannot stop herself from shaking and quaking with fear, which annoys Blade and Thirty-Two. Riccardo on the other hand, despite being somewhat unnerved and intimidated, takes what's happening to him very calmly. Doc, the most civilized of the criminals, is barely able to keep Blade and Thirty-Two in line who are both frequently fondling Maria who continues to tremble constantly. At a traffic construction site, Doc forces the group to roll their windows up, which attracts some attention for in the middle of a hot summer day, makes some of the motorists in front and behind them to question. But Doc has them roll their windows back down when it makes is look they might be made, and the group continues on.A little later, Maria ask Doc to pull the car over so she can relive herself. But she takes the opportunity to try to escape. She is perused by Blade and Thirty-Two, who chase to a farmhouse, which is unoccupied. Once Maria is re-captured, Blade and Thirty-Two torture the woman, both physically and mentally. Since she used the fact that she has to relive herself as a excuse to try to escape, they force her to urinate in front of them for punishment.Back on a main highway, Riccardo asks Doc if can pull into a rest stop for food and supplies, with Thirty-Two accompanying him, Riccardo buys some sandwiches, soda pop, while Thirty-Two buys a bottle of scotch. When a random woman at the rest area recognizes Riccardo, he manages to shake her off by saying that he's going on a picnic in the countryside with some friends.Back on the road, Thirty-Two becomes very intoxicated from the bottle of liquor he bought, and his actions begin to draw attention to the car from the other motorists. Doc and Blade try to control him, but he gets more and more out of control, and he attempts to rape Maria. Rather than risk attracting the attention of the highway police, Doc suddenly shoots Thirty-Two in the neck. Blade is completely shaken by this, but understands that Doc had no other choice. Thirty-Two does not die, but is completely helpless and immobile. Blade tries to help his friend by banding the bullet wound, but Doc knows that Thirty-Two is as good as dead.Soon after this incident, Riccardo tells them that they need to stop to get gas. However, when they finally reach a rural Esso filling station, the elderly attendant (Francesco Ferrini) tells them that he's on his hour break and won't help them for at least another 20 minutes. Doc, in a hurry to complete their journey, attempts to threaten the old man, who instead pulls a gun on Doc telling them that he was robbed the previous year and cannot be intimidated. Thinking quickly, Blade forces Maria to smooth things over by pleading with the attendant to come out and fill their car so they can get the comatose little boy to a hospital. The old man quickly relents and comes out to fill the car. But soon, another complication arises with the arrival of an overly cheerful young woman (Eriak Dario) who shows up at the station claiming that her car has broken down a kilometer away and needs assistance. Seeing the group, she pressures Doc to give her a ride to the next town where she is heading. When the woman opens the side door to the car, Thirty-Two's hand, covered with his own blood, slumps into view, the woman fails to see this, but the attendant does. Rather than risk a scene, Doc allows the woman to come along with them, and they drive off, with none of them knowing that the attendant saw the near-death Thirty-Two. The old man returns to his office with a shrug.The presence of this female hitchhiker is clearly annoying to Doc and everybody else since she cannot stop talking or ranting about how hot the day is and of the countryside. Ironically enough, the woman is also named Maria. But Maria the hitchhiker is a little too vivacious and outgoing, and her manner clearly has a grating effect on both the criminals and hostages. Maria the hitchhiker is completely oblivious to her situation and when she inadvertently removes the blanket covering Thirty-Two's neck, she notices the bullet wound. Blade kills the annoying hitchhiker by stabbing her in the neck with his signature knife. Doc forces Riccardo to pull over so they can dispose of the body. As the hitchhiker's body is thrown unceremoniously off a cliff, Riccardo helps Blade carry the still breathing Thirty-Two down the bottom of the cliff where Blade shoots his mortally wounded friend in the head to put him out of his misery.The group finally reaches their destination: a ruined villa just south of Naples where Doc has stashed a back-up car, carrying the appropriate papers that will enable him and Blade to leave the country. Riccardo and Maria are elated, but Doc reveals that he has no intention of letting them go for the hostages must be killed to secure their escape. Riccardo persuades Doc to let the little boy, who has been in a sedative-induced sleep for the whole duration, live. But Doc refuses and orders Riccardo to remove the little boy from the car. However, as Riccardo does so, he pulls out a gun hidden all this time in the child's blanket and shoots and kills both Doc and Blade, who fires off his machine gun fatally injuring Maria before expiring. With the tires of the car flat from the bullet hits, Riccardo moves the child to Doc's getaway car, and promptly steals the stolen money still clutched in Blade's fingers, and drives off.At a nearby rest stop, Riccardo, now alone, pulls over to make a telephone call. When a woman on the other end picks up, the film's big twist is when Riccardo says: "It's me again. I have something important to tell you. Yes, it's about your son. Yes, he's right here with me. Now, if you ever want to see him again... alive... it will cost you 30 million lire." Riccardo tells the sobbing boy's mother that he will call back to give her further instructions, and then hangs up. Riccardo casualty strolls back to his car, cheerily greeting a passing stranger on along the way. Upon opening the truck, the kidnapped child is shown, lying completely immobile as he has throughout the film. Riccardo gives the boy another shot of drugs to keep him sedated, closes the car truck, and drives away. | insanity, suspenseful, dark, murder, violence | train | imdb | The master of Italian Horror, Mario Bava, makes a heist film that is equal parts violent, ironic and vulgar, most of which takes place in the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small car.
Rabid Dogs is a heist film from director Mario Bava (Black Sabbath, Hatchet For The Honeymoon, Diabolik).
It tells the story of a dangerous gang of criminals - Doc, Blade and Thirtytwo, who hijack a car in the aftermath of a heist to find themselves with three hostages: a woman, a child, and an innocent man.
It's truly a roller-coaster of a thriller- a pulpy little crime tale that deserves the attention of modern crime/horror audiences and critical acclaim.The film exhibits Bava's skill for cinema aesthetics, with its stylized editing and artifice.
These postmodern touches place Bava firmly ahead of his time- as if further proof was needed after his horror masterpieces Black Sabbath, The Mask Of The Demon and Bay Of Blood.Until recently, Rabid Dogs was thought to be a 'lost film', likely to have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
"Rabid Dogs" is a masterpiece of tension and suspense of Mario Bava.
This is the first time that I have seen "Rabid Dogs" and the dialogs and situations are still very impressive; imagine thirty-five years ago the impact of this movie.
This is Mario Bava doing a Reservoir Dogs type of film and doing extremely well.
Cani Arrabiati/Rabid Dogs is a terrific crime drama from the usually horror film-minded Mario Bava.
It would be one of the last films Mario Bava would direct(the next two would be Shock(1977), and a made for TV movie) before his death at age 66 in 1980..
Out of all Horror directors, Bava is arguably the one responsible for the most masterpieces - the man simply directed so many ingenious films that it is hard to pick out favorites.
"Black Sunday" (1960), but there are various other flawless masterpieces in this brilliant man's repertoire that no Horror fan, no, no lover of film in general, could possibly consider missing, such as "Blood And Black Lace", "Kill Baby...
Bava obviously was in for something different with "Cani Arrabbiati" aka "Rabid Dogs" of 1974, and the outcome was an incomparably breathtaking mixture of stunning Crime/Heist flick and sadistic thriller.
Due to the producer's bankruptcy, the completed film was withheld by courts until it was finally released in the late 90s, years after Bava's death.After a robbery, three criminals, their leader being a cold thinker called The Doctor (Maurice Poli), the other two sadistic psychopaths named Thirtytwo (none other than exploitation-cult-actor Greorge Eastman) and Balde (Don Backy), brutally murder a woman and take another woman hostage, in order to escape from the police.
Riccardo Cucciolla is excellent in the lead (if one can call it that, as the film is mainly set in a car, and all the characters have almost equal screen time).
This masterpiece was lost for many years, and while it is unfortunate that it never got released in Mario Bava's lifetime, it is more than great that it is available now.
It is ironic that Mario Bava, master of Italian fantasy, should make a gritty, realistic thriller as his last film.
Rabid Dogs represents the only directorial teaming of the great Mario Bava and his son Lamberto, and it also represents a huge diamond in both directors' filmography.
Rabid Dogs, however, is a crime come exploitation flick, and even though this sort of film isn't either man's forte; it's still hands down one of the best movies of its kind.
The plot follows three criminals who, after botching a robbery, kidnap a woman, a man and his sick child hostage in the man's car, where they instruct him to drive them to safety.
However, it's not going to be a smooth ride as tensions heat up between the guilty and innocent inside the car.The way that the characters are set up is masterful, and it's thanks to this that the film works so well.
The vast majority of this movie is set inside a car, and Bava makes best use of his claustrophobic location and uses it well in order to rack up the tension.
While Mario Bava is responsible for some of Italy's best horror films, it has to be said that a lot of them aren't all that 'nasty' - but here there is an exception.
Even though the film doesn't have a lot of variation between its scenes, Bava manages to keep it interesting through the relentless pace and the intelligent dialogue between the lead characters.
Bava' s masterpiece, Rabid dogs (english title) is a concentrate of tension and violence: the starting is nervous, the remain is claustrophobic.
Rabid Dogs (1974) **** (out of 4) A father (Riccardo Cucciolla) is rushing his young son to the hospital because he is near death but before getting there three criminals and their female hostage kidnap them and force them to drive them away from the police.
If anyone sees this ending coming then they're a lot better than I am.Kidnapped (2002/1974) ** (out of 4) This is the re-edited, American version of Mario Bava's 1974 masterpiece Rabid Dogs, which has been tinkered with to the point where it's really not the same film.
Producer Alfredo Leone, who had previously worked with Mario Bava, bought the American rights to Rabid Dogs but he wasn't too happy with the edit that had been done in the 1990's so he hired Mario's son, Lamberto, to shoot new scenes, re-edited other scenes and then added an entire new score.
Because Rabid Dogs has the pacing of a lot of Mario's films while Kidnapped doesn't.
Although his best-known work lies within the horror and giallo genre (leading to the nickname 'maestro of the macabre'), one of Mario Bava's finest works, Rabid Dogs, rests firmly in the poliziotteschi, or Eurocrime, sub-genre.
Shelved for decades after the death of the film's main investor, it resurfaced in 1998 and was eventually re- edited and re-scored by Bava's son Lamberto (director of the sub- standard Demons (1985) and Demons 2 (1986)), and re-titled as the vastly inferior version Kidnapped.
Bava's original vision remains the best, and it's a shame he didn't get to dabble more in the genre before his retirement, as Rabid Dogs is a thrilling exercise in tension.Starting with a robbery of an armoured truck that leads to the fatal stabbing of one innocent, three criminals escape by car after one of their own is shot dead by police.
Riccardo also has his ailing infant son with him and the gang caught him on his way to take the child to the hospital.Some of Bava's familiar touches are here, such as the black gloves and the stylistic flair, but Rabid Dogs has more in common with Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971) that any of his own work.
Although the climactic twist seems a little contrived, I didn't see it coming, and Rabid Dogs is certainly one of Bava's best, and most under-appreciated, works.
Following a bungled robbery, three violent criminals take a young woman, a middle-aged man, and a child hostage and force them to drive them outside Rome to help them make a clean getaway.According to Bava's son Lamberto, Mario apparently considered the film his most important work, presumably because it showed he could "compete" with the other police thrillers out there.
Thirteen years later, after directing more classics («The Three Faces of Fear», «The Whip and the Body», «Diabolik») and cult movies («Hercules at the Center of the Earth», «The Girl Who Knew Too Much», «Terror in Space») and contributing to the emergence of the "giallo" genre («6 Women for the Murderer», «The Red Sign of Madness», «5 Dolls for an August Moon») that influenced the careers of his son Lamberto, Dario Argento and Quentin Tarantino, Bava went into decline and in 1973 set out to win again his place with this motion picture in which he would demonstrate that he was able to adjust to the times and make an effective police film, following the scheme of a road movie, according to the story "Man and Boy" by Michael J.
As it has been written, it is a true journey to hell: a tense, cruel, violent, disturbing, repellent, virulent story of a brutal robbery in which the savage assailants take for hostages a man with a car, his sick son who needs urgent medical attention and a woman who went shopping.
The number of dead and the humiliation of the hostages increase as the films advances guided by the firm hand of Bava, who introduces humor in the midst of the terror (in the character played by Maria Fabbri, for example), until he leads us to a surprise ending.
As directed by Mario Bava, the film is a visually stunning and uncomfortably claustrophobic tale of three criminals who commit an early-morning robbery and take three hostages (a female pedestrian, and the father of a sick child) and embark on a road trip wrought with sleaze and violence.
While most renowned for his period horror films, Bava brings his own sense of visual flair to the proceedings (note how he films the deserted "farm" like a Gothic castle), contrasting panoramic shots of open, seemingly empty highways and countrysides with invasive, cramped close-ups of the criminals and hostages (in a way, we begin to also feel like captives in a hot car).
Bava is surprisingly fearless in his portrayal of amorality, but the script actually develops both victim and victimized beyond the usual genre predictability--by the time we reach the film's closing twist, "Rabid Dogs" has made a stinging indictment against the greed and violence of the modern world, wrapped up in an unapologetically nihilistic package.
Mario Bava's Cani Arrabbiati/Rabid Dogs(1974), follows on the heals of A Bay of Blood(1971), Baron Blood(1972), and Lisa and The Devil(1972) which at the time of their release was not well received.
What makes Rabid Dogs(1974) fascinating is the presence of claustrophobia felt not only by the characters, but also by the viewer (this is due to film taking place in a car).This late Bava film proved that he was a talented film-maker who could excel in any genre.
Many scenes in this feature film are so well done that I would have to consider Mario Bava a great Italian artist of the late 20th Century.
For many years Rabid Dogs was Mario Bava's lost movie.
Like those other celebrated films I mentioned, Rabid Dogs is a very well made movie, with a tight script, good performances, a nice score and, despite the fact the story almost exclusively takes place in a car, solid cinematography.
The focus of the film is entirely on these characters.Mario Bava is rightly respected as one of the most significant Italian genre directors.
Having seen Kidnapped before Rabid Dogs and only once, I can't say definitively how the re-edits compare, but there did appear to be a few unnecessary changes and over-all the movie certainly appeared to move along at a little more sluggish pace.
Overall, I would definitely have to recommend the Rabid Dogs version, but if you get the chance check out Kidnapped too as a point of comparison.This is one of Mario Bava's best and least typical films.
Four criminals rob the weekend payroll of a pharmaceutical company.After one is killed by the police,the others ditch the getaway car.They steal another belonging to everyman Riccardo.They take him,his young sick baby and a woman off the street named Maria hostage and head for the open road."Rabid Dogs" is easily the darkest and most cynical film of a talented horror director Mario Bava.It concentrates on the character dynamics and the growing suspense on what will happen to unfortunate hostages.The violence and abuse is mean-spirited and the ugliness oozes from the screen.The scene,where two thugs force Maria to urinate is unforgettable in its grim nastiness.There are a lot of twists and turns in a surprisingly straightforward story.Overall,I'd highly recommend "Rabid Dogs" to fans of Mario Bava and exploitation movies.9 out of 10..
Mario Bava, my personal favorite director of all time and generally speaking one of the best in the field of horror and cult cinema ever, surprises his foes and even more so his friends with this hugely atypical and shockingly nihilistic accomplishment in directing.
Who knows, maybe Bava really needed a break from the horror genre after this painful experience, and what better way is there to get rid of all your stress than by making a hard-boiled, outrageously violent, cruel and relentless thriller/action film?
Whatever his intentions were (if any, because maybe I'm just speculating about nothing), Mario Bava's "Rabid Dogs" is one of the best films of its kind, and that is saying a lot because the early 70's Italian crime film industry was mostly ruled by other prominent directors, like Umberto Lenzi ("Almost Human", "Rome Armed to the Teeth") and Fernando Di Leo ("Manhunt", "Milano Calibre .9").
But "Rabid Dogs" benefices from one major advantage the others didn't have, namely
Mario Bava in the director's seat!
Very few directors can deliver a movie that takes place inside a car for 90% and doesn't get boring and even less filmmakers can take on a script packed with vulgarity & violence without ever losing sight of stylish photography and tension building.
"Rabid Dogs" is a heist/crime masterpiece with a nearly unequaled dark & disturbing atmosphere, extreme characters and a handful of stone-cold shock sequences.
He wrote and starred in numerous of the smuttiest horror movies ever made, including "Antropophagus", "Absurd" and "Erotic Nights of the Living Dead".I don't daresay how important "Rabid Dogs" was or how much it influenced other filmmakers, because the film only got re-discovered and completed not that long ago.
Bava is regarded as one of the masters of Italian cinema, particularly when it comes to horror films.
"Rabid Dogs" is without a doubt, the best Bava film I've seen.
One goof was the thief's comment about getting "the chair." You can't get the chair in Italy, only in more uncivilized countries.Like "Reservoir Dogs," this film is all about what happens after the robbery; and, like "The Sugarland Express," almost all of the action takes place inside of a car - well, three actually.
Also director Mario Bava is usually a master at creating atmospheric movies and having some incredible camera shots.
Italian director Mario Bava conducts a serious study of three psychopathic criminals beyond cure in 'Mad Dogs'..
Italian director Mario Bava's cult classic 'Cani Arrabbiati' is a study of criminal minds in closed spaces.
The Mario Bava film "Rabid Dogs" apparently was shelved because the project ran out of money.
RABID DOGS (Mario Bava, 1974) ***1/2.
I can only imagine how wary Bava (a master of it though he was) may have become of the horror genre he had been stuck in since 1957's I VAMPIRI and how much he was looking forward for a change of pace
but fate would deal him an even bigger blow than his recent disappointment with his beloved LISA AND THE DEVIL (1973; that was only officially released in a reworked travesty entitled THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM in 1975!) when one of the producers of RABID DOGS died suddenly and the raw footage was impounded by creditors
until leading lady Lea Lander secured rights to the film well over 20 years after its shooting and long after its creator had left this mortal coil!
Even so, the version of the film that is presented on the Anchor Bay DVD represents the pinnacle of the "Eurocrime" subgenre of Italian film-making that lasted until 1980 (the year of Mario Bava's demise) and was a direct result of the 1968 political uprisings that occurred all over Europe.The premise, as denoted by the retitling to KIDNAPPED, deals with just such an incident following a bloody payroll robbery in broad daylight
but, thanks to one of the greatest twist endings in film history, we realize that there are multiple crimes of this sort going on throughout the film.
The trio of robbers are portrayed by Maurice Poli (as the "Doctor", the most level-headed of the bunch but not averse to sudden burst of violence), Aldo Caponi (as the impulsively knife-wielding "Blade") and Luigi Montefiori (as the lecherous "Thirtytwo"), while their victims are played by Riccardo Cucciolla (as the meek but determined "father" forced to act as their driver), Lea Lander (as a passer-by taken hostage by the bandits to facilitate their getaway), Marisa Fabbri (as a belated and motor-mouthed hitchhiker) and an unidentified child actor (as Cucciolla's sickly "offspring").Interestingly, Lander and Poli were both Bava alumni – from BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964) and FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON (1970) respectively; Caponi was more famous as "Don Backy", a popular singer-songwriter best-known for his award-winning song, "L'Immensita'" but he had also featured in the film which had given birth to the subgenre itself, Carlo Lizzani's THE VIOLENT FOUR (1968).
The confined set (90% of Rabid Dogs takes place inside a car) adds immensely to the psychological tension and physical threat these three desperate men represent.
RABID DOGS is an Italian thriller of the 1970s, directed by master of horror Mario Bava, and perhaps better known for the unfortunate production wranglings surrounding it than for being a top thriller in its own right.
The movie's producer died, money dried up, and RABID DOGS never saw the light of day until after the director died in 1990.
And it had to have been even more so as it was filmed, as there's real background zooming past behind the actors, so the camera was inside the car.Also, this is a movie where you notice the acting so much more than in other Bava work.
I know that I'm a big Eastman fan, but he's great in this film, a gigantic man child devoted to the id, barely restrained by the adult in the car, Doc.Following this film, Bava would only work on one more film, 1977's Shock. |
tt0098482 | To Die For | Real estate agent Kate Wooten [Sydney Walsh] and her boyfriend Marty Planting [Scott Jacoby] attend a party on a yacht, but Kate ends up in the arms of a mysterious stranger who disappears before she can find out who he is. He turns out to be Vlad Tepish [Brendan Hughes] who just happens to be in the market for a castle. Kate sells him one, and he hires Kate's roommate Celia "CiCi" Kett [Amanda Wyss] as a secretary (as well as a meal) and sets up housekeeping. Vlad's nemesis Tom [Steve Bond] shows up, vowing to get even with Vlad for taking his girlfriend 100 years ago. Tom intends to take Kate from Vlad.One night Kate gets a dress, a necklace, and an invitation to a 'soiree' at the Tepish castle. Many yuppies are there including Marty who makes off with a book about Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia, Dracula. When CiCi sees Vlad kissing Kate, she becomes jealous and attempts to drive Kate away. Vlad drives CiCi away instead, and CiCi gets her face ripped away by Tom. While Marty and friend Mike Dunn [Micah Grant] sneak into the hospital to stake CiCi, Kate confronts Vlad. Instead, they make love and Vlad bites her and makes her drink from him. Tom intrudes, he and Vlad fight, and Vlad impales Tom on the bedpost. As Mike, Marty, Kate, and police watch, Vlad throws open the front door to the sun and is burnt up. His last words: "Lock up when you go." | murder | train | imdb | "Don't forget to lock-up when you leave".
The above line, one of the last in the movie, is just so poignant it pretty much sums up the film.
Colossally underrated vampire flick that is long on style and quite touching romantically.
It should never have worked so well.Well up there with FRIGHT NIGHT, THE LOST BOYS and NEAR DARK, how such a low-budget movie with a mega-young brit actor, towering barely 5'7" in built-up shoes, standing in as Vlad the Impaler, could work so well, is staggering.
It is I suspect a combination of the avant-garde script, outstanding (at times) cinematography and charismatic performance from pretty Sydney Walsh that does it.
The brilliance of this film is set right from the opening scenes, whose significance becomes crystal clear later on.
Miss Walsh, so reminiscent of a very young Sigourney Weaver here, hits exactly the right note as feisty real estate rep Kate Wooten, who is swept off her feet by cashed-up young client Vlad Tsepsh who for his part, responds to her charms with a rare reluctance.
Just so much to pull out of this wonderful film.
The antagonism between Vlad and his brother, the sparkling repartee between Kate and Vlad and the retro ending just so unusual in vampire films.
Equally as good as a love story as a horror film.
It works a treat on both scores!
One cannot pass over the excellent soundtrack either, most notably Rod Stewart's great contribution during the on-board boat party at the very beginning of the film, when Kate is mesmerised by Vlad's intrusion into her life.Interestingly, Brendan Hughes resurrected the exact same characterisation in HOWLING VI: THE FREAKS which left for dead the previous four sequels!.
A very pleasant surprise!.
When I found this film in my local videostore I expected it to be another cheesy American vampire film in the same vein of "The Lost Boys"(1987).To my surprise "To Die for" is a really good movie.It's a little bit corny at times,but still there are enough stylish set-pieces and surprises to satisfy vampire enthusiasts.This is a perfect mix of romance and horror and it's surprisingly gory at times.Highly recommended..
Bendan Hughes is 'To Die For'.
What a gem of a movie, so good that they made a sequel.The film starts off really good with a nasty monster who eats a few people and a party where the 2 main characters first set eyes on each other.Bendan Hughes plays the eccentric Vlad, a bit of an inkling there to who this character is, who has moved into town and uses the services of a particular real estate agent to find him a house.Hell, we've all seen vampire movies, we know the format.The movie is watchable, but the actors' performances are very wooden and they seem as they don't want to be in this film, but may be that's just all part of the decadent ambiance.Didn't like the ending, but there is a sequel, must track it down.When I watched the film I thought Brendan Hughes didn't really fit the part.
Later on, I couldn't stop thinking about him, he sort of exudes an eerie sensuality, so maybe he was right for the part.BRENDAN HUGHES Last seen in 'Hitler - the rise of evil' as Lt. Guffman.Where is he now?.
I would have loved to put a stake in this one!.
To Die For (1989) was just another d.t.v. feature that made an appearance on cable ad nasuem during the early nineties.
The only thing notable about this feature was the last movie Duane Jones appeared in.
Other than that there's no reason to watch this vampire flick unless you like pseudo chick flicks masquerading as a horror film.
A tired vampire longs for love and searches the back streets of L.A. looking for it.
Will he succeed or will Vlad just strike out again like he has for the last century?This movie must have been big because a couple of sequels soon followed.
They're so bad they make this one look like a classic.
I know this is a movie about vampires but the film makers could have used to lighting.Not recommended by me because I didn't like it.'nuff said?.
A Wonderful Vampire movie..
This is a very underrated vampire movie.
I think it was one of the best vampire films ever made.
It has a great cast (Brendan Hughes is just so sexy), good acting, a traditional, but different story, it has everything.
The only thing I did not like about this movie was that SOME, not all, of the death scenes are cheesy.
This movie was very romantic and when you watch it, you feel hypnotized.
I strongly recommend this movie to everyone!.
A MUST-SEE FOR FANS OF ROMANTIC VAMPIRE THRILLERS.
To Die For has it all.This film has a great cast.
Lots and lots of romance and terror.
Not too gory but still enough to appeal to horror fans.
There are a lot more vampire love stories.
If you are a fan of vampire love stories I strongly recommend this film-10/10..
I love the film......
So pure so simple not spoiled by special effects.
One of the best Dracula movies I've seen...and I have seen most of them.The never ending battle between good and evil continues as history's most notorious bloodsucker turns up in modern day Los Angeles in director Deran Sarafian's updating of Bram Stoker's timeless tale of terror.
He may have a new look and a new life, but when Vlad Tepish arrives on Los Angeles in search of his one true love, an old nemesis vows to put an end to his horrific reign of terror once and for all.
With love and death on a collision course that could signal the end of history's greatest villain, the stage is set for a battle that will pit the eternal devotion of a monster against the determination of the man sworn to destroy him..
Don't waste your time or money..
Having read another review, I thought this movie would actually be good.
I do enjoy the "B" movies, but this couldn't even be classed as such.
The photography is probably the only half-way decent thing in the movie.
But the editing left much to be desired.
It was very choppy and staccato.
Whoever chose the music and sound did a terrible job.
The music was awful, specially anything atmospheric or scene setting.
If the acting had been better, they could have pulled the movie off.
Unfortunately, I've seen better acting in porn flicks.
If you want to see a "B" vampire movie, check out 'Blood Ties'.
You'll be much more entertained..
One of the Best Dracula films ever made!!.
Firstly, I have seen most vampire movies, but not long a go I discovered this!
I thought Bram Stoker's Dracula starring Gary Oldman was fantastic, dark and sensual...but this just gave me goosebumps all over.
I now own this on DVD.
And now I can't seem to get enough of it, watched it a few times now...Brendan Hughes as Vlad is...DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!!Love this movie to bits.
I think this film is very underrated completely; it has all what you would wish got in a vampire horror film i.e. Blood, gore, violence, romantic scenes..it takes my breath away every time i watch this.
So I recommend this to anyone who love a true vampire film.
It's definitely got a good vote from me!.
Another great Dracula film.
This a Dracula sequel.
And like most Dracula sequels it is an awesome movie.
5.2 is underrating it.
This is a true horror classic.
This one horror movie that is a must see.
It has a great story line.
It has great acting.
It has great special effects.
Nosferatu (1922) is better.
Dracula (March 1931) is also better.
Dracula (1979) is better.
Dracula (1979) is better.
Dracula's daughter (1936) is also better.
Son of Dracula (1943) is also better.
House of Frankenstein is also better.
House of Dracula is also better.
Horror of Dracula is also better.
The brides of Dracula is also better.
Dracula the prince of darkness is also better.
But still this a great horror movie.
This is one of the better Dracula movies.
Modern vampire movie has its moments..
Vlad Tepish (Hughes) is a centuries old vampire who falls in love with a real estate agent, the pretty Kate (Walsh).
Another vampire named Tom (Steve Bond) is around as the monkey on Vlad's back reminding him he killed his love interest 100 years before.
Vlad goes around sucking blood and killing most of the people around Kate including her best friend C.C.
(Wyss) who he turns into a vampire as well.
Tom has plans of avenging his lost love by killing Kate the one Vlad loves.
C.C.'s fiancé Martin (Jacoby) learns that C.C. Has been killed and goes to the morgue to drive a stake through her heart so she can't return.
Martin convinces Kate of Vlad's true origin and they plan to end his vampire life.
This modern vampire story breathes life into the vampire theme and turns out to be entertaining.
The characters are allowed to develop and the plot is thought out and carried off well.
The movies biggest sin is the fact that all though entertaining, it's not very scary in a traditional sense.
Outside of one well-timed jolt in the morgue scene, the movie lacks true scares.
John Buechler's makeup and effects are interesting and at times and have a frightful look to them.
"Night of the Living Dead" star Duane Jones has what amounts to a cameo in this, his last film.
The good production value and serious approach by the film makers makes this at least an entertaining Vampire film..
"I didn't know there were any Romanians in Vietnam.".
~Spoiler~ I noticed that To Die For and To Die For 2 were on sale at my local video store.
So I came home and researched them and found some reviewers comparing the original to classics like Near Dark and Fright Night.
Based on that shining recommendation I decided to pick them both up.
If they suck, I'm out four dollars.
Well, it looks like I'm out four dollars.
I can't speak for its sequel yet, but To Die For is bad.
It plays out like a cheesy soap opera.
Very cheesy.
It even has that soap opera look (just watch the opening "party" scene).
I hate that.
To Die For is another film in which Dracula has moved to modern day America and finds his long lost love.
Snooze.
Seen it a thousand times, and a thousand times better.
The cast is terrible too, and I even like a few of them in other projects.
Amanda Wyss from Nightmare on Elm Street is particularly bad and Brendan Hughes, who I liked in The Howling VI , is pretty flat as well.
Why Duane Jones (he of Night of the Living Dead fame) even has a cameo in this film is beyond me.
John Carl Buechler's effects ,while decent, are very out of place in this boring romance.
I would suggest never watching this..
Very interesting movie for Vampire buffs !!.
Small SPOILERS alert !!!Good movie...VERY good movie.
And I'm surprised to say that myself, because I'm not a big fan of vampires and the sound of the director's name Deran Serafian usually means bad news.
Most of his films are below average action movies like Death Warrant and Gunmen.
This was one of his first films and maybe he should have continued making horror movies instead of action.
This movie really fascinated me.
Good accomplishment, seeing no famous actors or big budget was involved.
It really is the story that keeps you focused.
Especially fans of the original Dracula myth will be satisfied.
Sarafian lights up another aspect of the famous Bram Stoker story and remains rather loyal and true to the truth.
It explains the life of the Roemenian Count Dracula and how he scared the Turkish army away by spearing dead corpses in front of his castle.
Of course, that's where the reality and the "based on a true story" stops.
The blood drinking and stuff all was invented by Bram Stoker.In this movie, the count ( Vlad Teppish) emigrates to the USA and seduces tons of woman.
And they're all pretty girls, I'll give him that.
Overall, good acting by unknown faces, enough blood and gore to satisfy the more morbid horror fans and an interesting storyline.
This film is really unknown and it was hidden on the darkest shelf at my local videostore.
But it certainly is worth cleaning up the dust on the cover and put it in the VCR.
Heck, it's a lot better than the famous Nicole Kidman movie with the same title.
These two films have nothing else in common, but I blame that movie for stealing the attention away from this nice little picture.
Check it out...my humble opinion on To Die For = 8.5/10 |
tt0384766 | Rome | Rome Opening Credits Intro.Seven years have passed and at the Aventine Collegium Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) deals with restless Romans who are amassing at his gates demanding more rations because they are starving as a result of a dire shortage of grain. As Gaia (Zuleikha Robinson) watches from his balcony eating an apple, Pullo delivers an impassioned speech telling the masses to go home and wait for the next days ration. In the interim, Titus Pullo meets with Octavian (Simon Woods) to update him about the grain shortage and asks for more grain. Octavian tells Titus Pullo that he has only the grain left to feed his military and they have to eat, too. Agrippa (Allen Leech) advises Octavian to send part of the troops to Africa this freeing up extra grain for the people that would give them an extra month's worth of rations. Octavian agrees with the short-term solution, but realizes that something else must be done to feed the masses. Before parting, Octavian asks Titus Pullo what the people are saying about him and the situation. Choosing his words carefully, Titus Pullo advises that the people are blaming Octavian and not Marc Antony. Titus Pullo points out Marc Anthony's popularity with the people. Octavian describes himself as "cold and harsh." Titus Pullo says, he wouldn't say that, but offers that Octavian isn't exactly known to be "affectionate" and after all Marc Antony "loves the people.Cut to Egypt, where Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) seemingly awakens in bed next to Niobe (Indira Varma) where they share and affectionate moment which ends in a nightmare scenario. Vorenus awakens in real life next to a bald, and naked Egyptian prostitute who as she places a black, braided wig on her head complains about Vorenus' evil dreams and that he should pay more money. Vorenus tells her to be quiet as he splashes water on his face and dresses for duty in legionary gear. Vorenus enters the palace of Cleopatra (Lindsey Marshal) and encounters Posca (Nicholas Woodeson) who wears eyeliner and Egyptian apparel while lounging in an office filled to the rafters with various scrolls. Vorenus asks what's going on and Posca tells him that Mark Antony (James Purefoy) and Cleopatra are receiving Bibulus (Jack Ellis), who Octavian has sent to barter with Mark Antony to get new shipments sent from Egypt. Vorenus asks why he is not with Mark Antony and Posca answers that he chooses to get out of sight when Cleopatra shrieks at him. Vorenus heads to the room where Mark Antony is negotiating with Bibulus while also giving Cleopatra a lesson in archery amid luxurious cushions. Antony has altered in that he wears Egyptian attire and jewelry plus various tattoos and kohl around his eyes . Cleopatra wears a revealing metal brassiere and skirt with two slits up the front revealing her bare thighs. Cleopatra has lesson includes a slave dressed as a dear who crawls on all fours as Antony directs him to sip from a bowl of water on the floor. During the grain negotiation, Cleopatra misses her target and with every miss, the slave dressed as a deer cowers in fear and yelps aloud.During the negotiation, Mark Antony and Cleopatra continually increase their demands in exchange for grain, eventually driving away Octavian's negotiator when Cleopatra also asks for Spain which proves to be a deal breaker. As the talks break down Cleopatra finally hits her deer target and the slave his shown on the floor pierced by her arrow and bleeding profusely from the neck. Vorenus orders the other servants to remove the body. As Bibulus exits, he asks Vorenus what has happened to Antony and Vorenus gives Bibulus the brush off.
Antony hopes to push Octavian into declaring war, which Antony believes he can win due to his support among the Roman people.Realizing the tight spot he's in Octavian sends for Atia of the Julli (Polly Walker), who preparing for the opera and Octavia (Kerry Condon), who now has a young daughter by Mark Antony named Antonia, to join him at a luxurious dinner. As a last resort to sway public sentiment to his side, Octavian tells Octavia and Atia he needs their assistance to mediate a grain settlement with Antony. Atia tells Octavian that she has no desire to go on a long sea voyage and that neither she nor Octavia are "hungry" and basically what's in it for them? Octavian counters with, "What do you want?" Atia asks for a Villa in Capri and turns to Octavia asking her of she also desires a new villa. Octavia cannot make up her mid so at Atia's suggestion, Octavia tells Octavian she will settle for cash. Octavian agrees and sends Atia and Octavia to Alexandria, knowing that Antony will reject his lover and lawful wife respectively. During a post-coitus moment of pillow talk, Livia Drusilla (Alice Henley), Octavian's new wife, asks Octavian about Atia and Octavia sailing off to Egypt for the mediation. Livia figures out Octavian's strategy out loud. Octavian refuses to discuss it with her, rolls over and ends the evening by saying, "Good night, dear."Atia and Octavia are seen on a Roman vessel down below. Octavia suffers from sea sickness and Atia asks Octavia if she's changed very much since Antony last saw her. Octavia says now and gets even sicker upon hearing a slave vomit within earshot. Atia looks out of the window as a shipman announces land. Atia and Octavia disembark for the Egyptian capital for an audience with Mark Antony who ends up in a a violent tussle with Cleopatra after Mark Antony first insults her by referring to her as "like a queen" and then further refuses to agree to kill Atia and Octavia or arrange for a sea disaster while the two sail back to Rome. Cleopatra's position is that if Mark Antony no longer loves Atia, killing her should not be an issue. Carried by slaves, Atia and Octavia arrive at the front door of Cleopatra's palace. It is sweltering hot. Atia says, Egypt is strange. Octavia marvels at the sheer size of the palace. They wait. There is no one to either greet them or receive them and the women complain that no one brings them water. Meanwhile the violent argument between Cleopatra and Mark Antony has turned into a rambunctious sexual interlude. Antony then calls for Vorenus to handle a "delicate matter."In the meantime, Jocasta (Camilla Rutherford), who's garbed in Egyptian attire per Cleopatra, sneaks out of the palace to talk with her old friend, Octavia and Atia. Atia and Octavia marvel at Jocasta's Egyptian appearance. Jocasta says she must wear her hair in the Egptian or face the wrath of Cleopatra who despises Roman styles. Jocasta compliments Octavia's hairstyle and asks Octavia if that's how Roman women are wearing it now. Posca furtively comes out of the palace a few minutes later to retrieve Jocasta fearing that harm will come to both of them if Cleopatra discovers them talking to Atia and Octavia, and whisks her back into the palace. Cut to Cleopatra's two children by Antony tumbling out of a palace hallway to greet their father who is tired and falls asleep before they go. Cleopatra looks at Anthony in wonder.Ultimately, Octavian is proven correct: Antony refuses to see Atia and Octavia (owing to the fact he was in the middle of having sex with Cleopatra) and with Vorenus' assistance sends them packing back to Rome. Atia, who at first is happy to see that Vorenus has not "gone native" sees him as an ally to no avail, takes the rejection very hard and attempts to storm the palace while calling out Antony's name. Vorenus intervenes. Atia tells Vorenus that he would not manhandle them, but Vorenus points to Cleopatra's Nubian guards who step forward in a show of force to dispatch them forthwith. A distraught Atia turns leave and head back to the ship without being carried. Before also parting on foot, Octavia tells Vorenus to deliver a message to her husband, Antony that he is a "Coward" and scum.Caesarion (Max Baldry) commands Vorenus to play ball with him after her bullies a servant away by hitting him with the ball. Vorenus agrees while hitting Caesarion with the ball striking him in the shoulder. Caesarion winces in pain but continues to play while asking Vorenus for information about his father. Vorenus tells Caesarion ambiguous stories about Caesarion's father (the boy believes his father to be Julius Caesar though Vorenus is speaking of Titus Pullo).Again--Vorenus chooses to stay in Alexandria with Antony, but before Posca departs the ship bound for Rome (Vorenus catches Posca and Jocasta in the act of packing to flee Egypt but plays along with their fiction of taking a walk to see the ships at port), Vorenus tells Posca that if he sees Titus Pullo to tell them Vorenus asks him to kiss his children for him and next advises Posa to make haste for the wind is picking up and the ships shall sail with the winds thus, jeopardizing his and Jocasta's chance "to see the ships" before they set sail. Posca and Jocasta are next seen surreptitiously leaving the palace, making their way through the crowds to the seaport.
In truth, Posca secretly leaves Antony's service, stowing away with Jocasta on the ship carrying Atia and Octavia so that they can defect back to Octavian. Antony wakes up from his nap and runs into Vorenus while searching for Posca, who he cannot find. Vorenus tells Antony (dressed in yet another Egyptian garment) he doesn't know where Posca is, but delivers the message from Octavia to Antony. Vorenus tells Antony that he is not a coward as Octavia suggests, but that he recognizes his symptoms of having a sickness of the soul. Antony looks at Vorenus for a prolonged moment and walks away after sighing.Octavian greets Atia upon her return to Rome. Atia in turn, slaps Octavian, and says to hell with the villa she wants Antony dead. Posca also delivers to Antony the last will and testament of Antony and Cleopatra. Octavian uses this as evidence that Antony has gone mad due to the bewitchery of the sorceress Cleopatra, blackens his eyes like a prostitute, worships idols and has become a threat to the state, spreading such news to the public via the Newsreader (Ian McNeice) and gaining the Senate's support in a war against Antony.Octavian summons Titus Pullo for a personal audience in the Senate house and requests that Pullo come with him to Egypt, hoping that Pullo could reason with Vorenus and mediate for Antony. Pullo expresses his doubts, but agrees to escort Octavian.At the Aventine Collegium, where Pullo is rationing out grain to increasingly restless Romans, Pullo makes final arrangements with his men and Vorenus' children, and leaves Mascius in charge. However, the night before Pullo leaves, he is attacked by Memmio, who Pullo had imprisoned in a small cage since his defeat in the gang wars to serve as a warning to the ranks of his men about betrayal. Memmio knocks Pullo unconscious and moves in to kill him with a knife. Gaia intervenes and kills Memmio, but she is severely wounded. As Gaia is being treated, she says she is not a good woman, that she is troubled by "Nemesis." Pullo asks why she is troubled by Nemisis and Gaia then confesses to Pullo that Eirene was a good woman and that because she wanted Pullo for herself, she killed Eirene and their unborn child by spiking Eirene's tea with poison. Pullo, seething with anger, chokes her to death, then carries her corpse through a crowd of shocked onlookers, who watch Pullo as he dumps her body unceremoniously into a muddy pool, which ensures that Gaia is doomed to never enter the netherworld and her spirit will wander aimlessly in limbo because she has not received proper funeral rites. | romantic, intrigue, murder, historical fiction | train | imdb | I've been a Roman history buff ever since my own high school triumvirate of Caesar, Cicero and Virgil, and I say that this historical fiction is both exciting AND quite accurate with the important stuff.So far, every player has been terrific, in particular Ciarán Hinds as Caesar and Max Pirkis as Octavian.
Rome makes the parallel stories of the Optimates and Centurian, now Prefect, Vorenus and Legionnaire Pullo a perfect vehicle for comparing the travails of different classes their love lives, social lives, how they treated the servants, how they practiced their faiths, how they fought.
Seen from these different perspectives (which we did not get with I Claudius), we get a three-dimensional view and, for me, the closest to feeling like one is actually there of any historical fiction ever produced.And look at the production values.
HBO's "Rome" is perhaps one of the best historical TV shows there ever was and one of the best HBO has ever produced.Set during the first century B.C., this TV show tells the tale of two Romans serving in the army, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pollo.
This TV show is mostly fictional, but it incorporates historical characters like Caesar, Pompey, Cato, Mark Anthony, and Atia, the most of Octavian, soon to become Rome's first emperor, Augustus.
I've read some stupid comments here that somehow the series is less than authentic because these Romans speak English - and most absurd - that the actors are all too old because the average male died in his 40's.
After seeing the first episode, the show promises to be an excellent production showing the civilization and intrigue of the Rome of Julius Caesar.
The filmmakers felt that ancient Rome would have been more like Bombay, India, and I tend to agree with them.The series shows life as it was in those days.
I got my start with the network back in 1990 with a sitcom called Dream On. From there, I have followed the yellow brick road through Sex and the City, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Band of Brothers, From the Earth to the Moon and Deadwood (not to mention hours and hours of boxing, documentary specials and tons of movies).HBO now presents a miniseries about the Roman Empire, appropriately called "Rome".
For the most part the series is divided into 3 parts :1) Julius Caesar's rise to unanimous political power.2) The exploits (in the field and at home) of a Roman officer, Luscious Vorenus, and one of the soldiers under his command (whom becomes his friend), Titus Pollo.3) The various political and social interactions and manipulations of Caesars relatives, namely Atia and her two offspring, Octavian and Octavia.4) Post Caesarian Rome.
Such standouts would include : Indira Varma (of Kama Sutra fame) who plays Luscious' wife Niobe, Kerry Condon (whom I first saw in Jet Li's Danny the Dog) as Atti's daughter Octavia, Kenneth Cranham (Jimmy from Layer Cake) as Pompey, Kevin McKidd (from Trainspotting and Dog Soldiers) as Luscious, Polly Walker as Atia and Ray Stevenson as Titus.To add to the authenticity, the series was shot at Cinecitta Studios in Rome.
All of the intrigue that was Rome is presented well, considering that no one involved lived during that time that could give accurate details on Roman life.
I was surprised to read some of the negative reviews on this forum.Political intrigue, great acting, sex, violence (the hand to hand type not the I'll shoot ya from a mile away kind), booze, gambling, prostitution, HOT HOT women, macho guys, murder, what's there not to like?!
Obviously they have their history consultants, they are using the names of real people of Rome who lived 50 BC or there abouts and of course most is fictionalized to entertain us, so the plots are thick.
Not quite yet.Aside from the sets and set decoration, which is superb (first time a Roman insula or apartment building is accurately shown on film to the best of my knowledge), what this series does is give us a sense of the possible motivations behind the historical facts.
I'm so glad I did; believe the hype, ROME is the ultimate in costume drama.The series only lasted for two seasons before cancellation, but every episode is a winner.
The ending of season two, with Antony descending into madness, is chilling and moving in equal measure.It took a good few years, but I'm pleased to report that TV producers are finally capitalising on ROME's success and beginning to make similar products as they realise a market for adult-focused historical drama.
While waiting for the new season of Game of Thrones to return, my husband and I started watching Rome on demand to stave off our epic genre addiction and we Love it!
Rome the Series has it all, a literate script, a superb cast, fantastic production values, unbelievable special effects, makeup and stunt-work, brilliant directing by ALL directors involved, excellent pacing and a terrific music score throughout.
Standouts in a perfect cast are: Kevin McKidd & Ray Stevenson as Vorenus & Pullo; James Purefoy aptly schizophrenic as Marc Antony; Ciaran Hinds properly regal as Julius Caesar; Polly Walker schemingly wicked as Atia; Max Pirkis & Simon Woods as the younger and older Octavian; Lyndsey Marshal voluptuous and cunning as Cleopatra and Kenneth Cranham wonderfully sympathetic as Pompey Magnus.
After the excreable "Empire", which I think might have killed this whole genre for the next 5 years, Rome arrived to save the day.From the eerie whimsical new ageish opening music and the credits with animated little graffiti to the characters, I knew from the 1st I was hoping to really really like this.One of my degrees was in Ancient History and I just love the reality of the times coming to life on the screen.
It shows us how the happenings between high officials like Caesar and Pompey affect everyone and not just those in power.Many people have objected to the graphic use of sex and violence and I thought I would probably count myself in the same group before I watched the first episode.
While many TV shows do use the sex factor to draw people in, this series only shows it when it speaks to characters and how they live and need.For anyone who wants to be captivated not only by excellent scenery, but by wonderful characters, excellent dialogue, political intrigue, and a world filled with diversity, I would highly recommend checking this one out..
Rome's Empire and history were not created over a couple of years and two seasons are definitely not enough to portray the story, but this is probably the best we're going to have, audio-video, for a very long time.
However the movie is sometimes inaccurate as it makes it look as though Julius Caesar immediately chased Pompeii when he actually spent ten years in Rome before setting out.Rome is a feast to the eye, at least in the Blu-ray version.
Every single actor in this show delivers an amazing acting in ever scene, makes it completely believable, the plot is very intriguing, intelligent, the dialogue is clever and precise in every shot, the music definitely adds an emotion in each scene, everything is so believable you can almost smell how Rome smelled back then.Special mention to Ciaran Hinds (Caesar), Polly Walker (Attia), Lindsay Duncan (Servilia), James Purefoy (Mark Antony) and Kevin McKidd (Vorenus) for an amazing acting, they brought the show alive and with their complicated personalities, I felt sympathy for each one of them.So, if you like history, are not afraid to see a little sex and decapitation every now and then (nobody said the show was pretty anyway), and are up to admire a real piece of art that was on TV and that no show nowadays even compare to this one (ok maybe Game of Thrones), watch it..
This time is no different.'Rome' depicts the historic story of the late roman republic, following the time-lines of events such as Gaius Julias Ceaser's grasp of power from Pompey Magnus, his assassination and the young Augustus (Octavian) Ceaser's own continuous battle to secure the beginnings of the Roman Empire from threat of the dying Roman Republic and Brutus in particular.
Now that I just finished watching the first season of "Rome", I can say in all honesty: This is the best dramatic TV show I have seen in years.The series focuses on the events leading to Julius Ceasar's rise to power and finishes gloriously with his death through the hands of conspirators.
This series makes you feel like you're really walking the streets of Rome two thousand years ago, replete with graffiti and p***pots, populated by whores (of both sexes), murderous shylocks and pious pagans.
Such realism seems to have offended some of the reviewers here, but the world then, as now, was a filthy, pestilential place where the main pastimes involved sex, booze and blood in copious amounts, and if you insist that all of human history be sanitized for your Sunday School class, you won't gain a thing from this excellent production.Objections to the characters' use of British rather than Italian accents are ridiculously misguided, especially considering that Italian did not even exist as a language until about a thousand years after this series takes place, and I fail to see how trying to replicate authentic Latin accents would serve any dramatic purpose.
I think this new production of "Rome" is at least as good as the great BBC series "I Claudius." But this isn't just a Tacitus/Graves book on screen...it's a fully drawn picture of Roman history and society with real, living characters everyone can identify with, not just a bunch of perverted, murderous Julio-Claudian aristocrats.What this production offers, uniquely, is the taste and smell of a distant culture which yet is so similar to ours...in fact, Rome is our parent.I love ancient Rome, and thank all the gods I lived long enough to see this great series..
Against the exciting background of Caeaser's conquest of Gaul and transformation of the Roman Republic, the made for HBO TV movie Rome tracks the historical account through the adventures of Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd)and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) legionnaires in Caeasar's Leg XIII.
As for who fathered Cleopatra's child, well who knows, she was desperate to have Caesar and Rome believe he had got her pregnant, making sure she was already pregnant before seducing him is one way to make that occur.Best drama series ever made.
Something not seen until recently in historical dramas (like "The White Queen" and "Black Sails" and "Reign").Best "buddy" series ever made.
I am writing this after having completed the viewing of the second season, and my rating would be 8.5 for the first season and 7 for the second.On the good side I would mention the effort made on reconstructing the life and landscape of ancient Rome, even if some limits of the budget may be seen especially in the dimensions of the set.
I also liked the script which makes of many of the historic characters real people, does seldom fall into rhetoric, does not hesitate to take distance from some of the classical approaches in literature and theater, and succeeds to stay credible and interesting for most of the time.
All looks like a god soap opera set in ancient times, and I am using this term in a very positive way, because good soap operas catch the attention and make the viewers care about the fate of the heroes.On the bad side I would mention the repeated use of modern day slang, which breaks the convention and hurts credibility.
However, right at the moment I'm caught up in the struggles of one character, the vibe is instantly killed when the narrative changes to another scene.Overall, if you like a bit of history, a lot of sex without the courting part of romance, and gratuitous violence, this is the TV show for you.
An interesting thought and good then for this series to examine what Ancient Rome was like for such a person.
Titus Pullo , Vorenus come to live and we can , for the first time, see Rome as a living city filled with vibrant life not only as a computer generated picture.
It depicts one of the most interesting times in roman history, the end of the republic and the rise of Caesar, making it come to life by mixing historic figures we all have read about and their actions, with scenes from everyday life in ancient Rome.
Through the extensive set and costumes, a good cast and well developed characters, one gets a deep insight into life at that period and it makes that show not only fun to watch and highly entertaining, but also provides an incentive to go back to those history books and figure out the backgrounds to those events.
A continuing theme throughout this lengthy series is the friendship between two soldiers, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, played by Kevin McKidd (of Grays Anatomy) and Ray Stevenson.Julius Caesar is played by Ciaran Hinds.
This is the most accurate depiction of what life in real Rome must have been like, with all of its misery and glory, sex and violence, humanity and barbarity (oh, the irony).If this does not appeal to you, or disturb you, on some level, I seriously suggest checking your pulse.Another reviewer incorrectly mentioned that this is a "A Geriatric Drama - in 50BC"..
All I'll say is that the truth is likely far more shocking than imagined here and by creating a world that is both exotic and identifiable, the show's creators have given us a version of Ancient Rome that feels infinitely more real than any that has preceded it.The BBC and HBO should be applauded because 'Rome' is truly an ambitious work of art that should be cherished for all time..
Action, suspense, drama, superb action, fantastic sets, authentic looking costumes, you really cannot ask for more, and it's truly amazing this kind of quality of kept up over two seasons (unfortunately cut short due to the high production costs).Rome will truly have you begging for more, as I was, after watching the first season in about two days, and then finally obtaining the second season and watching it in a few sittings.
It's an epic tale of so many different epic tales (season one really gets you involved with the emperors and the republic and the assassination of Caesar).If you are at all into the history of Rome, you will truly appreciate this series, and even if you're not, I promise you you'll enjoy it as well.
In fact it was a fascinating look into Roman life, so accurate in feel that I felt that I was living in Rome.
Even though they are historical characters, they are mentioned in one of Caesar's works, its fun to see a plot line built around 2 insignificant people in terms of Roman history.
A realistic portrayal of Rome starting in 42BC & going forward, including the politics of the day and an in-depth Look at what the life of the wealthy Romans at that time was like.
This is probably the most accurate and well acted series about the ancient Roman times, ever.
As I reviewed the information about these TV series I didn't read anything new that wasn't made and told before, however after watching the first episode I was astonished, I remembered what I read about that age a long time ago and realized that at last someone had the guts to show it on screen i.e. the way the Romans treat slaves and the fact that people back then had sex with almost everything that moved.
I don't remember the historical story about Ceaser after watching and reading so many versions about his life, and I believe that even these series will be an insult to historians, but unlike what was made before, here we don't see the presence of our age..
Rome is shown in the UK on BBC on Wednesday nights I like the series very true to life, especially the two roman soldiers who work for Cesar it is a bit bloody and violent but it is worth watching to see what Rome got up to back then.
I immediately started watching it with my wife, who loves a lot of the same HBO original series as I do (Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Blood, Game of Thrones, etc).
The show constantly reminds you that you are not watching actual ancient Rome, but a bunch of British actors acting like one-dimensional, uptight jerks.
I believe that HBO had done a horrible advertising job, i never even heard of the show till i was cruising around IMDb. But enough with that.*Acting* Some of the greatest acting i have ever seen, after seeing all 22 episodes one cannot help but to fall in love with all the actors in the story, they all portray their roles very well, i disliked no character in the entire series.*Costume/Setting* Absolutely fabulous costume design, makeup, and settings.
The production costs must have been extremely high, one cannot help but feel as though they are watching a movie filmed from the times of Ancient Rome.
Rome stomps out the competition, shows like Smallville (which i adore) compare nothing to the acting talent, and mere pleasure gained from watching this series.
I do not have HBO and so I was lent series one of Rome by a great friend of mine at work.
Political and social corruption, violence and bloodshed, love and betrayal meets the roman soldiers and citizens Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo as they return to Rome after years of war.
It simply feels like the genuine article with believable characters and an engrossing story.All credits to the actors, writers and not to mention the director for making a true masterpiece, and I hope this wont be the last we see of this, nor other historical series.
It is historically accurate enough to take the series as almost educational view into the Roman history. |
tt0069371 | They Only Kill Their Masters | The dead body of thirty-nine year old Jenny Campbell (Lee Pulford) is in the surf on the beach outside her isolated house in the ocean-front community of Eden Landing, California. By the wounds, it looks as if her Doberman, who is snarling as he hovers over her body, mauled her to death, specifically by going for her throat.This death is the biggest case for Eden Landing police chief, forty year old Abel Marsh (James Garner) upon his return from a week-long vacation in Los Angeles, where, rumor has it, he went "to get some" as the running gag is that there are no good looking available women in Eden Landing. Most of the time, Abel only has to worry about his department doing whatever little actual police work they have on no budget, which forces them all to use the two police cruisers on a rotating basis for their collective personal business. Meanwhile, their regional county sheriff, Captain Daniel Streeter (Harry Guardino), seemingly gets whatever he wants. Abel's first order of business on this case is to serve the notice to put down the Doberman, who is currently being housed at the professional compound of Abel's casual friend, veterinarian Dr. Warren G. Watkins (Hal Holbrook), this task which Abel is not looking forward to if only because he doesn't like dogs. At the vet's office, he meets Warren's beautiful new nurse, thirty year old Kate Bingham (Katharine Ross), from who he learns that the dog, named Murphy (Hans), is very well trained, but that there are documented cases of Dobermans killing their masters in such a manner. Warren further confirms that they can put Murphy down using a humane method of drugs, specifically sodium pentobarbital. The court order is rescinded and the case turns to a double murder investigation when Abel learns from the coroner's office that Jenny died from drowning, in fresh water made to resemble salt water, and that Jenny was three months pregnant when killed. Murphy's actions at the beach were his efforts to pull her out of the ocean and protect her body.During Abel's initial search through Jenny's home for clues, the house which looks as if there was just a party held in it, he seems most interested in the smell of the bathtub, and a bottle of Cromarty, a single malt scotch in the liquor cabinet, the bottle which he takes with him to consume himself at the diner owned by his friend Ernie (Arthur O'Connell) and which he later learns is not stocked at the local liquor store. He hears a noise sounding like someone else is in the house. He is only able to catch someone eventually running away from the scene.At a private club, Abel speaks to Jenny's ex-husband, wealthy non-local businessman Lee Campbell (Peter Lawford), who has an alibi for the time of the murder. Campbell tells Abel that Murphy was initially his, that the house belongs to him and that he was letting Jenny use it after their divorce which was the last time he saw her alive, and that he paid for but did not attend the funeral as the reason their divorce was because she left him for another woman. He notices that Campbell is drinking Cromarty. As such, he returns to Ernie's to retrieve the bottle he took from Jenny's house. Back at Jenny's house, he knows that beneath the mess, someone was careful to remove all incriminating evidence of the murder. But he does find something else that intrigues him: a photograph taken from the house toward the beach of a nude man and woman running toward the surf holding hands. He can't tell from the back the identity of either person. As she has a science background, Abel calls Kate to the house, she who is able to identify the smell in the bathtub as a disinfectant masked by deodorant, to hide the fact of where the drowning probably took place. He takes the opportunity to learn about Kate: that she is from New York where she was running away from a bad marriage. Unable to find a home for Murphy, Kate is able to convince Abel to take him. The two make plans for a date. After their dinner date at Abel's house, she spends the night. This date is the beginning of their relationship.Abel learns from Campbell that the woman in the photograph is not Jenny, that he does not know who either person is, and that Jenny liked to take photographs of her friends in compromising positions. Although the house used to be full of such photos, this one is the only one Abel found.Abel fills Streeter in on the case at Streeter's request, although Abel tells him they don't need the help of the sheriff's office. Streeter implies that it is his business as if things go sour on the investigation, he gets the blame.As Abel heads to Jenny's house late one evening, he sees a Chevy sedan speeding away in the opposite direction on the only road leading to and from the house. Arriving at the house, he sees that it is engulfed in flames. He notices Campbell's sports car on the scene. Fighting the flames, Abel enters the house to see Campbell fleeing, he who manages to escape in his car, while Abel's car is now disabled from a slashed tire and cut cord to the police radio. He is able to telephone the fire department from the house, the part of the house where the telephone is located not yet touched by the fire. While in the house, he sees an unconscious body inside. He is able to get the body out, that being Campbell himself, meaning that the persons fleeing, either in the Chevy or Campbell's sports car, were not Campbell. By the time the fire department, ambulance and police arrive, who were all delayed as the perpetrator was able to place up a roadblock, the house is totally destroyed and Campbell is dead.As Abel and Kate are in bed later that night, Murphy enters the bedroom snarling, as if he is ready to attack, which is the first time he's done such since either has known him. They are both scared, but Kate, using what she knows as his training, is eventually able to get Murphy back to a normal state. Although able to subdue him, she does not know what set him off. Because of Murphy's volatile behavior, Abel wants Kate to take Murphy back to Warren's office.Streeter and his men come storming into town, he telling Abel that he is taking over the investigation. A comment by Streeter before he leaves makes Abel wonder how Kate knew Murphy's name, as Warren's office had never treated him before. This question also makes Abel think that the woman in the photograph is Kate. Confronting Kate at her apartment, Abel manhandles her as her answers to his question about Murphy aren't being answered as he would like. Thinking about it, Kate remembers that Warren was the one who mentioned the dog's name to her, as he was the one who got the call to pick up the dog from the beach. Later, Abel heads to Warren's office, where he clandestinely watches Warren in the pen with Murphy, training him to attack. As Abel confronts Warren, Warren tries to dismiss what he was doing a friendly play with Murphy. Abel then arrests him for the murder of Jenny, her ex-husband, and his own unborn child. The one piece of the puzzle Abel has not yet figured out is the identity of the third party, the woman in the photograph who was the third in Warren and Jenny's ménage-a-trois. Just then, a patient (Norma Connolly) arrives with her dog. Warren asks if he can attend to this emergency, which was the reason he came to the office early. Abel allows him as much. Warren gets Abel to hold onto the dog, to who he will give an injection to reduce the swelling in the dog's prostate. Instead, Warren stabs Abel with the needle and runs off. A car chase ensues, with Abel able to radio in for help. The primary question is what was in the injection and if Abel will be either conscious or alive long enough from that injection to catch Warren. Abel does catch up to Warren but passes out before he can do anything. Warren drives off. One of Abel's officers, John (Christopher Connolly), arrives to take Abel to the hospital.When Abel awakens in the hospital, he learns from Streeter that he was injected with sodium pentobarbital, and that the dose would have killed a large dog. Based on information from John, Streeter also mentions that they have picked up Kate as the co-murderer, Abel responding that she is not the other person that they are looking for. Later that night, Abel, still in a groggy state, sneaks out of the hospital and heads to Kate's. Seeing him, Kate is concerned for him. He, in turn, is unable to say anything to her, and he walks off.Streeter and his men are unable to locate Warren, whose office is being packed up on the directive of an unknown woman. Warren's boat is also missing from the harbor. They assumed he has sailed away to parts unknown. But upon questioning Streeter, Abel and John realize that what Warren has done is hide out in his own house in town, his wife (June Allyson) who was able to provide Streeter with all the right answers.The moving company makes delivery of Warren's office items to his house. Across the street, Streeter, his team and Abel's team are on surveillance. In Warren's house, Abel appears from behind a door in the room where the delivery has just been made to confront Warren. Abel threatens to kill Warren, who states that he has killed no one. Abel is able to open the blinds to let the surveillance team see what is happening, before he takes Warren at gunpoint down into the kitchen, where Warren's wife is preparing lunch. As Abel and Warren are walking down the stairs, Abel is hit over the head from behind by an unknown assailant. Warren rushes out of the house, as the entire surveillance team pursues him. Streeter orders him to stop, which he doesn't. As Abel emerges onto the street, he orders Streeter not to shoot Warren, which Streeter does anyway. He shoots Warren dead. Abel then tells him that Warren killed no one. Mrs. Watkins then rushes out from the house to her dead husband. Abel confronts Mrs. Watkins as the murderer. Despite Abel's accusations of her and Jenny's affair, she calls Jenny a bitch, as a person whose love was not pure, in the sense that it was not solely in her direction as she wanted, but rather wanting to bring Warren in as the third, before a fourth and fifth in Jenny's pursuit of free love. The pregnancy was the last straw as a sign of how she was not truly a part of Jenny's life. She is handcuffed and taken away.As Abel is alone at the police station surveying the broken equipment received as part of the request from their latest budget, Kate arrives, announcing that she is leaving town since she is out of a job. Kate mentions that she never thought Warren a murderer, which he wasn't. He was just a man in love with his wife, he who cleaned up after her messes. Abel then confesses that it was him who thought, if only for a second, that it was Kate in the photograph. Kate leaves for good, Abel alone with Murphy. Abel looks out the window as Kate gets in a taxi, which drives away. Abel gets on the police radio to Streeter asking for a favor: to tell him where the taxi, which will be passing by his area, is going. | murder | train | imdb | Similarities abound (dead female washes ashore, sleepy town with ugly sexual underbelly, inept police force, quirky citizens, references to pie, to name a few....) Garner plays the police chief of a small coastal town called Eden Landing (mostly represented by the MGM backlot!) When a divorcée is found along the shore with her Doberman at attendance and bite marks all over her, it is presumed that the dog killed her.
Through his investigation, he interacts with quirky locals who are portrayed by a plethora of old time movie stars (some of whom hadn't worked on screen in years.) O'Brien looks really unhealthy and only worked another year or two after this.
That said, I decided to watch this film again...and you know what, it's a really good movie filled with veteran actors who know how to act.
Casting MGM veterans in small parts helped some but, this being a detective movie, Jim Garner has to carry it all the way.
It's a small-town murder mystery with a back story which might have come from a Playboy or Penthouse fiction piece; the type no major studio would have looked at just three years earlier (it was made in 1972), let alone in MGM's heyday.Faults aside, this movie has its interesting plot twists ratcheting up what little tension there is, so I was hooked until the end.
In other words, she's really there to become romantically involved with Garner's character (a cinematic must.) Harry Guardino's county sheriff brings in his boys when things get tricky but to no any real effect except the last scene.
Garner's character never feels the case slipping away from him or the noose tightening as with Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade in 'The Maltese Falcon.'June Allyson has a cameo, bringing in yet another plot twist.
By the Sea...By the Sea..By the Beautiful Sea. I agree wholeheartedly that this film is a screen writing mess, a rest home for aging once-great or near-great stars, and some of the sleaziest plot twists ever to come out of a pre-1975 MGM movie.
James Garner plays a sheriff in a small town out to find out what happened to a woman's body washed up to shore that had seemingly been attacked by her Doberman.
the dog is assumed to be the culprit, but soon new evidence shows Garner that the woman led a secret life full of sex secrets with members of the town of both sexes.
Anyway, we get lesbian overtones, three some references, love triangles, and so much more than you might expect in a film that was the last to be shot in MGM's Lot #2 with old friends like Arthur O' Connell, Ann Rutherford, Edmond O'Brien, Peter Lawford, June Allyson, and Tom Ewell showing up either in featured roles of cameos.
The cops investigate but are hampered by bureaucratic infighting, complicated relationships, and a vicious Doberman Pincher.Looks to me like the script was on a hurry-up schedule.
Unfortunately, the whodunit part, which is supposed to be the core, is developed in pretty ragged fashion with a number of hanging threads (who is it in the nude photo; what role did the sheriff have, etc.).The movie's appeal really comes from its unsparing and often humorous look at small town life, particularly the semi-competent 3-man police force.
Plus, there are the town characters, generally cameos from movie vets getting a few minutes back in the spotlight.
The small seaside town at the heart of "They Only Kill Their Masters" keeps promising to become its own character within the film (or, at the very least, a red herring).
With it's ocean-front home belonging to a kinky divorcée (whose body washed up on the beach), its neighborhood restaurants and watering holes, its veterinary office with a waiting room full of barking dogs, and a half-empty police station where chief James Garner works, the movie has the look of an old-fashioned detective yarn: charmingly phony and contrived.
Garner shuffles about, occasionally breaking up a fight or cooking dinner for Katharine Ross, a pretty working girl who may be a suspect (her naked rear end could provide a clue!).
Not to be confused with the other James Garner movie called "Murphy's Romance"..
The film opens up with a view of the ocean and their is a woman floating in the water and a Doberman is biting her and trying to pull her on shore.
Abel Marsh, (James Garner) is the Chief of Police and at first accepts the fact that this dog did the killing, until the CSI staff determine she was drowned in a bathtub and then placed in the ocean because she had fresh water in her lungs.
There are cameo appearances by some veteran actors like: June Allyson, (Mrs. Watkins), Tom Ewell, (Cop), Peter Lawford, (Mr. Campbell).
and Edmond O'Brien, (Liquor Store Owner) Abel Marsh and Kate Bingham, (Katherine Ross) meet and they both burn up the screen with some torrid love making.
If you like James Garner, you will enjoy his great acting in this film.
This film does feature a striking opening: a Doberman struggling with a woman's body in the ocean water.
This presents a fairly interesting case for cranky small town police chief Abel Marsh (James Garner, solid as always), who reluctantly takes possession of the dog after the canine has been cleared.
He also falls in lust with the assistant (Katharine Ross, looking quite fetching) who works for the local veterinarian (Hal Holbrook).Set in a coastal California town called Eden Landing, but largely filmed on the MGM backlot, "They Only Kill Their Masters" is no great shakes when it comes to the murder-mystery genre, but it kills (pardon the expression) time adequately enough.
Lane Slate (also writer of "The Car") scripted, getting some mileage out of a small town setting where there's some seedy things going on behind the picture-perfect facade.
The main problem is that some people may find the whole thing simply too easy to predict.The film boasts an incredible cast, including some old-school veterans (June Allyson, Tom Ewell, Peter Lawford, Edmond O'Brien, Arthur O'Connell, Ann Rutherford), but some of them are sorely under-utilized.
Today it would probably be on either Court TV or the Lifetime Channel.James Garner is the chief of police at a small California coast town of Eden's Landing and a woman's body is found on the beach, all chewed up with her Doberman standing over it.
Luminaries of Hollywood and MGM's days gone by like Edmond O'Brien, Arthur O'Connell, June Allyson, Tom Ewell, Ann Rutherford, Peter Lawford are all here.
So are Hal Holbrook the town veterinarian and Katharine Ross his lovely assistant.
A Doberman is trying to drag the body of dead woman to shore on a beach overlooked by a vintage shore front house where a lot of the action will occur in this film with a classic performance by James Garner as a small town detective who investigates the case, saves the Doberman from euthanasia, and in the process gets involved with sexy veterinarian assistant Katharine Ross, who's left New York and a failed marriage, and her boss, town vet Hal Holbrooke, who's involved in a weird marriage with June Allyson.
Edmond O'Brien also gets some strange lines as the owner of the town liquor store who's made a few deliveries to the beach house.
If you are interested in animal training or dobermans, you'll like this movie..
Whodunit with a full roster of old MGM players in support of James Garner, who's a rather nasty police chief we're supposed to like because he's James Garner.
He does bring a lot of his personal charm to this murder mystery involving a small coastal California town, a possibly homicidal Doberman, and some twisted sex play.
Katherine Ross, as a veterinary technician who becomes Garner's love interest, is profoundly uninteresting, and among the supporting players I liked Ann Rutherford as a clueless but salty secretary and June Allyson (not playing a sweetie for once, and she's good) as a woman with secrets.
The small-town, everybody-knows- everybody atmosphere is nicely maintained, and Hal Holbrook, as always, brings major acting chops, in this case to an underwritten part.
But Garner's character, forever ramming his police car into something deliberately or threatening violence against his girlfriend or a local sheriff (Harry Guardino with an amusing '70s mustache), isn't that easy to root for.
Not perfect, but James Garner, small town kinky murder and some great character actors carry the day.
It's not long before the newspaper pronounces the woman dead by dog and Murphy is scheduled for euthanasia by Dr. Watkins (Hal Holbrook), the town vet.
Then Police Chief Abel Marsh (Garner) has a talk with the town coroner.
And he finds he likes the vet's new assistant (Katharine Ross) well enough to invite her over for a meatloaf supper.
Through it all Abel remains skeptical, likable, wry and smart...just like James Garner.
Some fine actors join Garner in this flawed but interesting murder mystery.
Tom Ewell is one of Abel's cops; June Allyson is the vet's wife; Edmund O'Brien is the liquor store owner; Arthur O'Connell owns the local diner and Ann Rutherford is Abel's police dispatcher.
This 1972 film is the first and probably the best of four, varied 1970s movies by the same writer about sensationalistic small-town murders solved by the local police chief against the backdrop of quirky town regulars and a casual romantic interest.
The others are: (1) Isn't It Shocking (Alan Alda, 1973); and (2) The Girl In The Empty Grave and (3) Deadly Game (both Andy Griffith, 1977).Here, Chief Abel Marsh (James Garner) returns from a Los Angeles vacation to read in the paper about a local woman's death while he was away.
Her ex-husband (Peter Lawford) tells Marsh that she ended the marriage because she was in love with a woman.
He also starts a romance with Katharine Ross, who plays the assistant to veterinarian Hal Holbrook, husband of June Allyson.Marsh arrives at the victim's house to meet Lawford.
His relationship, such as it is, with Ross, falls apart due to his work on the case, at least for now.Unlike Alda, Garner is credible as a police chief.
Garner's has pleasant music and some good use of locations.But problems spoil fuller enjoyment of the movie.
The director seems to go out of his way to present early scenes as unpleasant and loud (Marsh banging incessantly on the police car horn outside the station; a waiting room at the vet's with countless barking, jumping dogs; sickly lime green counter trim and wallpaper in the victim's house; Marsh clumsily knocking things on the floor there).Garner acts so sullen and cynical that he lacks his usual charm and energy.
Marsh is too rough with Ross and with Murphy.There is little depth to the characters or relationships.
Have you seen the women in this town?"; Ross remarks, "I guess dykes don't use the pill."; a deputy laughs hysterically when discussing with Marsh a young woman who had part of her anatomy bitten off by a guy with her in the back seat of a car that hit a bump in the road; Marsh mutters in response to Lawford's new teenage-looking floosie girlfriend's question about whether there are motels in town with vibrator beds "in the box," "In the box, neat....City folks."; and dirty old townsmen quiz Marsh about "Did he get much?" on his L.A. vacation..
Secondly, it reunited two of its top stars of the not-so-distant past, Peter Lawford and June Allyson, who starred in the memorable musical classic "Good News" filmed on that same lot 25 years earlier.
To add insult to injury--SPOILER ALERT--an unhealthy-looking Lawford played one of the murder victims, and guess who the killer is?
An all-around vile concoction that might have desecrated our memories of MGM for good, had not "That's Entertainment" (a compilation of MGM's greatest stars and musical numbers that became such an unexpected boxoffice hit that it spawned two sequels) come along 3 years later and put June Allyson and Peter Lawford together again exactly where they belonged--back on the (then-demolished) MGM backlot, singing and dancing up a storm to "The Varsity Drag" finale excerpted from.
Potential cult film has a pregnant lady found dead near her beachfront property in coastal Eden's Landing, a little California town, her body covered in dog bites perhaps associated with a pet Doberman.
A number of possible suspects include a visiting beauty (Katherine Ross), a veterinarian (Hal Holbrook), and a swinging aristocrat (Peter Lawford).
The police chief, Able Mars (James Garner, already rocking the effortlessly cool Rockford detective look) doesn't realize how complicated this case will become.
With a town of oddballs, some non-PC homophobic and sexist dialogue, a police force of two that Able has available to him, a casual, none-too-hurriedly pace to the ongoing investigation and apprehension of the soon-to-be-discovered suspect on the lam, and a California county police that love to stop by to flex their supposed muscle but are none too bright; this film caps it all off with a twist involving a ménage à trois that provided an incentive for the murder.Ross looks mighty foxy, Garner occupies the time on screen with a performance that is as laid back as the pace (he really doesn't even have to try because he's a natural actor allowing his character to function within the environment of his small town that rarely sees much excitement or intrigue besides the eccentrics that live there), and a cast of veterans filling out the characters of locals living in Eden's Landing (like Arthur O'Connell as the owner and cook of the only diner in town, Edmund O'Brien as a liquor store proprietor always poking Able for details in the investigation, June Allyson as the suspicious wife of Holbrook's veterinarian, Tom Ewell as the portly cop attending to the mundane activities and misdemeanors of the locals (like a man biting off a woman's nipple during a heated make out in the back seat of a car!!!) and Christopher Connelly as the inquisitive cop with suggestions that might be accurate about the case, Harry Guardini as an intrusive county law enforcer who thinks he knows better how to conduct the investigation than Able, and Ann Rutherford as Garner's secretary dealing with a station house containing equipment hand-me-downs "from the city").
Garner and Ross' romance gets some time on and off throughout the film, but when she becomes a possible member of the murder victim's social circle it throws a monkey wrench in their blossoming relationship.
Allyson is wasted in a rather small role while Holbrook does a great deal with a rather limited part that gives him few opportunities to leave a definite mark in the film, although his use of a drug on Garner, during one key sequence which could (or could not) reveal his guilt, taking advantage of the fallen, subdued police chief, after a car chase comes to its conclusion, is quite a memorable moment.
Garner's exhaustive tolerance of the locals in his town while investigating the murder case is part of the film's charm.
A specific sequence, besides Holbrook's "sticking Garner with the needle" in the vet's office and ensuing car chase, concerning the property of the crime, set afire by the killer (and his/her accomplice), with Garner interrupting (too late, unfortunate for Lawford) as they are about to (or already have) flee, is another memorable moment in the film, especially in why the Doberman didn't bark while in the chief's car
Garner waiting and waiting on the beach, as a body is lying right next to him (retrieved from the burning house), the Doberman his only live company, as the police/fire dept seem predisposed, describes the plight of a small town with limited resources and manpower.
I suspect "They Only Kill Their Masters" owes something to the previous year's successful "Dirty Harry." Instead of, "Do you feel lucky, Punk?", we hear "Neat." And, towards the end, James Garner as the police chief of a small California town, dispenses with his regulation snub-nosed .38 and produces a .357 magnum.
First, this is obviously no small town on the California coast named Eden Landing.
It's most notable for being the final movie made on the MGM Backlot, which stands in for a fictional California coastal town called Eden Landing, so small that it's literally a "one-horse" (ie, one-cop-car) town.
The nice twist to this setting is that hometown boy Garner is thoroughly sick of the place and his underlings, and everyone is pretty much an underachiever, which probably would have made for a great TV show a la Northern Exposure, come to think of it.Garner is quite good playing an uncharacteristically dour role as the police chief (who, strangely, wears a suit and not a police uniform, which I never understood) - he rarely smiles, not even when in bed with the lovely 70s starlet-of-the-moment Katharine Ross.
It's one of the only films James Garner didn't feel like discussing in his autobiography, and although he gives a fine performance, the movie probably wasn't anyone's finest hour.
Eden Landing (James Garner) is the sheriff of a small California coast town.
It's first believed her Doberman killed her but Eden finds out she was murdered, was pregnant and also a lesbian!
It was the last film shot on the old lots of MGM before they were sold and torn down.
It looks--and feels--like a made for TV movie.
Garner and Halbrook are good and the supporting cast is full of old MGM stars who seem to be having the time of their lives.
Especially good were Peter Lawford and June Allyson.
James Garner investigates several killings in a small town.
Peter Lawford, Hal Holbrook, Katherine Ross and Tom Ewell are in it, but despite the quirky cast, the film, blandly directed by James Goldstone, remains inert.
The film does get props for the unexpected casting of June Allyson in a most unusual role. |
tt1103275 | Two Lovers | Leonard (Phoenix) is walking along a bridge over a creek in Brooklyn, when suddenly he jumps into the water in an attempted suicide. He changes his mind and quickly walks home to his parents' apartment. His mother, seeing him dripping wet, tells her husband their son has tried it again and it becomes evident that Leonard has tried to kill himself before.
His parents tell him that a potential business partner and his family are invited for dinner that night and ask him to be present. When they arrive, Leonard finds that he had been set up with the other family's daughter, Sandra (Shaw). She inquires about his interest in photography and notices a photo of a girl above his headboard. He explains he had been engaged to the girl for several years, but the relationship was broken off when it turned out both he and his fiancée carried the gene for Tay–Sachs disease, which results in diseased children who generally don't live beyond age 12, so they would be unable to have healthy children.
Leonard meets a new neighbor, Michelle (Paltrow), and is immediately attracted to her, choosing to ignore that she has a drug usage problem. He learns that she is dating a married partner in her law firm, Ronald (Koteas). At her request, Leonard agrees to meet Ronald and Michelle for dinner at a restaurant. The couple leave him later that evening, as they have plans to attend the Metropolitan Opera. Leonard returns home upset, but to his surprise, Sandra arrives, sent over by Leonard's parents. She is under the impression that Leonard wanted her to come by, but realizes by his surprised look, that she was set up. She apologizes for the misunderstanding and says that if he isn't interested, a lot of other guys are. Leonard says that he likes her, and they kiss and eventually make love, and with time, his relationship with Sandra deepens.
Michelle calls Leonard and says she is sick. He takes her to the hospital, where she has a D&C for a miscarriage. She had not known she was pregnant and is even more upset that Ronald didn't respond to her calls. Leonard takes her home but Ronald arrives. Leonard hides while Ronald apologizes to Michelle for not having come to her aid. Michelle coldly asks Ronald to leave. She then asks Leonard to write something on her forearm with his finger while she falls asleep. Leonard writes "I love you".
Two weeks later, Michelle meets Leonard on the roof of their building and tells him that she has broken up with Ronald and is going to San Francisco. Leonard tells her not to leave and professes his love for her. They have sex and plan to leave together the next day for San Francisco.
On New Year's Eve, Leonard buys an engagement ring for Michelle. He is then summoned by Sandra's father and is offered a partnership in the family businesses, with the assumption that he is going to marry Sandra. Noticing the jeweler's gift bag Leonard is holding, the father assumes it is for Sandra; Leonard lies that it is.
During his parents' New Year's Eve party, Leonard ducks out to the courtyard to meet Michelle. Michelle arrives ten minutes past departure time and tells Leonard that she isn't going to San Francisco, because Ronald, having learned Michelle is leaving him for California, decided to leave his wife and children for her. Distraught, Leonard breaks things off with her for good.
Feeling desolate, Leonard heads to the beach, presumably intending to kill himself. When he drops a glove that Sandra had bought for him, he realizes that, in Sandra, he has found someone who loves him and with whom he can build a decent life. He picks up the glove and sees the boxed engagement ring lying on the sand, where he had thrown it from the boardwalk earlier. He returns to the party, where he gives Sandra the ring and embraces her in a prolonged hug. | dramatic, romantic | train | wikipedia | James Gray's latest film tells the tale of Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix), a man who had a problematic break-up with his fiancée two years ago, and has since been heading down a suicidal road.
4-months into living back home with his anxious parents (played by Moni Moshonov and Isabella Rossellini) and helping out at his father's dry-cleaning business, Leonard is introduced to Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), a sweet daughter of his father's business friend.
The music of the film is Jewish guitar-instrumentals that are carefully intertwined, but most of the film has got a blanket of quiet bleakness, and it's covering every little corner.The performances of Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw are great, and although the two never share screen-space, director Gray naturally and carefully shifts between the two lives Leonard is living, and so the two of them add lovely pieces to the story.
Leonard is a suicidal depressive that enters human-bounding and the give & receive of it, and this is a very difficult character to portray - but just look at Phoenix, he is phenomenal; the incredible naturalism of it shows Phoenix in the performance of his career.The melancholy of the film doesn't make it for the dominant audience, but I've never even cared a bit for that, and it's a delight that romance on screen can be thrown upon like this.
Because he wants her, but she thinks of him from the first as like a brother.So there are the "two lovers"--Leonard's two women, Sandra, who knows his problems and wants to take care of him, and Michelle, who knows them and takes advantage to make him a comforting pillow in her troubles with Ronald (Elias Koteas), her married lawyer boyfriend.
As this film began, I thought, "What have I gotten myself into?" Joaquin Phoenix playing a character, Leonard, who attempts suicide before the lights in the theater are down?
The story is simple but powerful in its reflection on love and choices, as guided by fate and impossibility.Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is a young man in his early 30's who has moved in with his parents following a devastating broken engagement and a suicide attempt.
His parents are concerned over his fragility and mental stability (there are whisperings of depression and possibly bi-polar disorder) and encourage his involvement with family friend Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) a young woman more than willing to "take care of him." But when Leonard meets Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), his neighbor across the courtyard, he soon becomes smitten with the fun, enticing blonde.
Both Moni Moshonov and Isabella Rossellini, as Leonard's parents, are great opposite Phoenix, the three share a believable comfort with each other.Two Lovers is a great character-driven drama centering on a troubled young man's impossible choice to either try for a life he never knew he could have, or the one he feels he's intended to have.
It is beautifully shot and quite brilliantly acted which together created the right, moody, slightly claustrophobic atmosphere for this rather bleak, sometimes humorous, story to progress.We're given a brief, intimate insight into three damaged individuals lives and I think ultimately shows us some conflicting concepts that arise from the pursuit of love and happiness, and familial duty.I'm pretty certain this is the best film I've seen so far this year.
The casting is very fitting: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow and Isabella Rossellini require no introduction - every film where they appeared was a kind of success.I liked the story line precisely for the reasons some of the critics did not - inconclusiveness of the situation.
James Gray's film is, too, more-so grown-up and about the state of mind of a person who's lost loved ones and gone through some mental and emotional distress.It also sometimes does ring of familiarity and those slightly weird and awkward (I won't say quirky) moments that come out of who this character Leonard is around.
He's a hopeless suicide attempter, at the start jumping into shallow water off of a dock in Brighton Beach, New York, and we see him after this go through and between two relationships: one with a normal, grounded woman who was partially set-up by her father who is close friends with Leonard's father, an owner of a laundromat (I say partially since she, Sofia, says curiously that she was attracted to Leonard when she saw him, without much explanation why), and the other a fairly dysfunctional "chiksa" (in Yiddish meaning "non-Jewish-woman") who is having an affair with a married man and is fairly screwed up in ways that, more likely than not, appeal to Leonard's own screwed-up ways.The will-he-or-wont-he quandary if leaving everything with Gwyneth Paltrow's chiksa is left only as a last act kind of question most prominently, but it's also something else that leads to a constant dilemma for Leonard.
This being the convention of a man choosing between a safe, grounded relationship in his own home environment, practically an arranged marriage (Sofia's father will set Leonard up as a manager of a soon-to-be branch of laundromats throughout Brooklyn if he doesn't "f***-up"), or leaving everything to chance with the one he 'really' loves.This material is familiar, but James Gray elevates it with a personal, touching mood with his direction and with the naturalism of the writing.
Nothing feels too fake, and the only real fault I could find (which is something of another convention in these stories) is that the grounded/safe woman isn't given quite as much screen time or much back-story or depth or emotional resonance as Paltrow's character (this isn't to decry Vinessa Shaw's performance since it's very good).
It's a romantic drama on the surface, but Gray is also very interested in Leonard's soul, what he feels and thinks in this very crucial time.And, as mentioned, Phoenix presents every little thing, or of course big thing (i.e. his tender and powerful declaration of love on the rooftop) like it's everything in the world.
I had to laugh when I read the sub-headline of his article: "Chased by both Gwynnie and Vinessa, and he thinks he's got problems ..." That actually also characterises the only little weakness I can see in the film, the Hollywood leaning that two such beautiful and, each in their own way, rare women are at the same time, again each in her own way, interested in the man Joaquin Phoenix plays.I can highly recommend reading the article.
Unfortunately, that's not what happens in James Gray's latest film, "Two Lovers." Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is a depressed man who is living at his parents apartment after he and his fiancée broke it off.
The only real stretch is that a young woman as beautiful as Vanessa Shaw (Sandra, one of the lovers) would so blatantly throw herself at Leonard, the depressed, hermit-like character, played to near-perfection by Joaquin Phoenix.The film revolves around a sad, lonely young man, still trying to recover from the loss of his finance.
Director James Gray, does an excellent job at highlighting time and place, and there are some beautiful shots of the Brooklyn landscape that we do not often get a chance to see.Leonard, Michelle, and even Sandra suffer from what many of us do; a myopic attraction to what we inherently know is probably bad us, in lieu of what we know might save us..
There is no histrionics or emotional trickery on offer here, this is a smooth, intimate character study that burns with a downbeat intensity.The movie follows troubled Leonard Kraditor {Joaquin Phoenix terrific and heartfelt}, who after a failed suicide attempt {his fiancée left him you see} finds his parents {Isabella Rosselini and Moni Moshonov} setting him up with Sandra Cohen {Vanessa Shaw} the cute daughter of potential business partners.
Every scene is crafted with utmost skill, every actor/actress is shining.There are two especially troubled characters, the hub of a chain of unrequited desires: Michelle (a Gwyneth Paltrow like we did not see for years) the secret lover of a married man (Elias Koteas, fine as well), and Leonard (Joaquín Phoenix) who adores her but himself the object of all attention by the beautiful Sandra (Vinessa Shaw, great actress).
On the other side this man meets and fell in love with another beautiful woman and now he is in a different situation in which he has to decide with who woman he wants to be.I liked this movie because it shows us many things about the personalities of people and how they react when something happen ether is good or bad.
I also liked this movie because of the interpretation of Joaquin Phoenix who plays as Leonard Kraditor a man who are in a dilemma, another good interpretation made by Gwyneth Paltrow who plays as Michelle Rausch a woman who Leonard Kraditor is in love.
Two Lovers serves almost as a deconstruction of that ages-old tale, it's one of the most honest romance films I've ever seen and it leads down to a crushing but inevitable conclusion.Phoenix is aided by a fine cast of supporting actors, all of them doing a terrific job but never stealing the show - Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw as the love interests, Isabella Rossellini as Phoenix's mother and a special mention for Moni Moshonov - one of the biggest stars of stage and screen in his native Israel - in a wonderful turn as the father.
The film is at its best when the director, James Gray, is drawing on inspiration from Mary Haron's American Psycho, and having his lead waltzing through the lamp-lit night streets of New York to Henry Mancini's "Lujon" - strolling to a luxurious restaurant to meet someone in spite of both his feelings towards, and her's towards other men, remaining what they are - the rest of the film mostly fills in for everything else, and it's then our attention wanes.Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonard, a New Yorker in his early thirties living with his parents in an apartment a stone's throw from the family's laundry service business at which he works, a fitting industry, because our Leonard has some serious psychological stains of his own to cleanse.
The man's reason for occupying the psychological squalor in which he is presently in is due to his former fiancée having left him when it became apparent, through tests, that neither of them would be able to have children whom could live beyond a certain young age.The film branches out into Leonard's confronting of one's past problems, principally the moving on and the inducing of a fresh relationship; the aforementioned teeth-and-perk-driven character Sandra, played by Vinessa Shaw, the first to arrive by way of a quaint family dinner with some of Leonard's parents' friends.
With Sandra comes Michelle, a woman entering Leonard's life by virtue of being a new neighbour in the complex; a woman whom enjoys a relatively high-life of night clubs and the presence of masses of friends at once once out, but a character we have a hard time entrusting with Gwyneth Paltrow when someone such as Maria Bello may have carried it a bit better.
The film toys with either of these women entering and leaving and then entering Leonard's life again and again; Gray doing an admirable job in executing what he sets out to do, but not doing enough to have the nihilists inside of us eventually question the necessity for the character of Sandra in the text, as we cover this man and his predominant tie with Michelle to whom he is persistently strained to form a concrete bond with.
At once quiet and likable; fragile, delicate and, we feel, vulnerable to the presence of the wrong individual in his life at this tough time, the man is another entity entirely once plunged into a different arena, when he takes on a foul mouthed, supremely confident individual capable to showing off his skills in rapping (surely a prelude to the following year's I'm Still Here) and dancing skills to a bevvy of women forcing us into reevaluating if we missed a trick during earlier sequences.On occasion, and at the most piercing and most engaging of times, the film feels like a depiction of a sickly unbalanced man occupying his surroundings we're unaware of how far he is away from proverbially cracking: Gray's utilisation of the extreme close up of his lead's eye, as he spies Michelle across the courtyard from the darkness of his bedroom whilst lying to her on the phone, a composition immediately calling to mind that of Bates' spying on Marion Crane through the spyhole in Psycho.
The cast is wonderful Joaquin Phoenix is excellent, he delivers a very credible performance, Gwyneth Paltrow is awesome, this role fits her really good, Isabella Rosellini as Phoenix mother is delightful and Vinessa Shaw as Sandra is also great.
The problem is that Leonard is really head-over-heels in love with the needy, self-absorbed and high maintenance Michelle (who is herself involved with a married man), and is really only using Sandra as a means of getting back at Michelle for not reciprocating his love.Based on the Dostoevsky short story "White Nights" and the 1957 Visconti movie of the same name, the inexorably sad and moving "Two Lovers" takes place in a world in which the characters rarely talk above a whisper and from which all possibility of joy seems to have been drained away.
Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw give heartbreakingly understated performances as the individuals involved in the messy triangle, as does Isabella Rossellini as Leonard's prying but devoted mother who always seems well attuned to the moods of her child.Joaquin Phoenix has stated publicly that "Two Lovers" will be the last movie he ever makes as an actor.
Vinessa Shaw and Gwyneth Paltrow star as Joaquin Phoenix' two lovers, who are involved in a time bomb of a triangle relationship; the film deals very well with how people are drawn to people who need them rather than people they need, how scarred people will fall back on self-destruction because they believe they don't deserve to be happy, and how difficult it is for a damaged person to dare hope again.
Leonard (Phoenix), a troubled (read suicidal) young man, has his life destroyed by a failed engagement to marry and later meets Sandra (Shaw) and Michelle (Paltrow).Let's see, boy meets girl.
Of course, there are certain moments where the often compulsive and erratic artist surprises not only himself but the viewer to jarring effect, yet such moments are what keep Two Lovers feeling fresh and alive.Without his lions however, the lion tamer would soon find himself out of a job—cue zesty and feisty party animal Michelle (Paltrow) who lives next door, and ironically enough girl-next-door type Sandra (Shaw) who is a daughter of Leonard's father's business partner.
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn is the shadowing decaying setting where we first meet Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) making a delivery for his father's dry cleaning business, deciding instead to jump off a bridge in suicidal dejection: Leonard is a lost soul, bipolar to boot, a wannabe photographer who has just been crushed by the end of a relationship (both partners decide that marriage won't work because they both carry the gene for Tay-Sachs disease, a fact that would prevent their having healthy children).
It is lovely that "Two Lovers" includes wonderful performances from the acting trio of Joaquin Phoenix playing the saddy Leonard, Gwyneth Paltrow playing the gabby neighbor Michelle, and Vinessa Shaw playing the "she likey Leonard a lot" admirer Sandra.
Almost 10 years ago, I saw the film The Yards, co-written and directed by James Gray, and I found it to be a very solid combination of family drama and thriller which avoided the easy clichés from both genres to produce something different, unpredictable and very interesting, although it was so soberly made that some people found it to be slow and boring.On his following film, We Own the Night, Gray tried to do something similar, but he added elements of the action cinema which broke the balance, and made the experience to be not very satisfactory.Now, with Two Lovers, Gray simplifies his formula focusing on the romantic drama, and the result is a very interesting film.The story from this film is deceptively simple, but in fact, it hides a lot of meaning and deepness behind its structure.Besides, the characters feel real, and on that element, the excellent performances from the cast help.Joaquin Phoenix is simply perfect on his role.Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw also bring brilliant performances, which are simultaneously subtle and credible.And finally, I also liked the performances from Isabella Rossellini and Moni Moshonov very much.I also liked Gray's direction, because he lets the story to flow on a natural and paused (but never boring) way, which lets us to know the characters in detail.The only fails I found on this movie are the appearance of some clichés and a few scenes which do not add to the story too much.However, in spite of that, I liked Two Lovers pretty much and I recommend it with confidence..
I Relay Liked The Acting Of Joaquin Phoenix As Leonard Beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow As Michelle, And Charming Vanessa Shaw As Sandra.
With Two Lovers James Gray made a wonderful true to life character study, I've been in Leonard situation as many of us have but the fact that he's a film buff is really cool and is rarely presented like this.
"Two Lovers" is a slow moving thoughtful drama that examines the lives of three vulnerable thirty something New Yorkers.We meet Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) at the start of the movie, as he attempts suicide.
In James Gray's Two Lovers, Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is torn between two women, each of whom is right for him, and wrong for him, in different ways.
I just finished watching this film and had thought to myself: "Wow, that ending really p!ssed me off." And here's why: Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix's character) is only staying with the girl because Gwyneth Paltrow's character doesn't want to be with him. |
tt0065852 | Horror of the Blood Monsters | Prologue: Infected vampire blood was carried to earth
millions of years ago by the Tubaton, vampire men from a distant galaxy.Dr Rynning [John Carradine], an aging scientist, is leading a space expedition into
Spectrum, an unknown solar system that he discovered. Along the way, the
XB-13 runs into a meteor storm and loses contact with ground controllers,
Dr Manning [Robert Dix] and his assistant Valerie [Vicki Volante]. Fortunately, neither Dr Rynning or
any of the crew, which includes Comnander Steve Bryce [Bruce Powers], Captain Bob Scott [Fred Meyers],
Willy [Joey Benson], and Linda [Britt Semand], are hurt, but the XB-13 is forced to make an emergency
landing on an unknown planet in order to make repairs. Fortunately, the
planet on which they land has an atmosphere exactly like earth, with the
exception of some chromatic radiation that makes it change colors.While Dr Rynning waits in the spaceship (he has a heart condition
that could cause him to experience a coronary attack in the new
atmosphere), the rest of the crew goes exploring. The planet seems to be
inhabited solely by prehistoric creatures until they happen upon two
groups of cavemen who appear to be fighting each other. Suddenly, a girl
wearing a white skin (that looks amazing like a prehistoric bathing suit)
runs past them, screaming as she is chased by three of the cavemen. Willy
tackles her and, while the girl is knocked out, Linda implants a
"communicator" in her brain so that she can understand and speak English.
When she comes to, she identifies herself as Malian [Jennifer Bishop] and tells them the
story of her people, the peace-loving Tagani, who are hunted by the
blood-thirsty Tubatons. At this very moment, the Tagani are engaged in a
fierce battle with the Tubaton, from whom Malian was running.Meanwhile, Manning and Valerie are having sex. Attached to their
heads are electrodes that lead to a machine with a lot of multicolored
tubular lights, a machine that supposedly give the best sex ever.
Unfortunately, Manning is too worried about the XB-13 and promises to
return a bit later and, this time, turn the machine up to the highest
setting.Malian mentions how some of the Taganis are trying to get to the cave
where they can get the "firewater" needed to keep their protective fires
going. Cmdr Steve thinks that "firewater" might refer to petroleum, which
Rynning says can be distilled for rocket coolant, so Malian leads them to
the cave where they fill two canisters that Cpt Bob has brought from the
spaceship. Steve and Linda then carry the oil back to the ship, while
Willy and Bob attempt to return Malian to the Tagani. However, Malian
doesn't want to go back to the Tagani without Willy. As Willy and Malian
are saying goodbye to each other, Bob is attacked and killed by a Tubaton.
Willy and Malian try to make it back to the ship, but Willy suddenly
passes out.Rynning orders Steve and Linda to immediately return to the
ship. It's a matter of life or death. Steve sends Linda on but goes back
to find Bob and Willy. Along the way, he meets with Malian who leads him
to dead Bob and passed out Willy. Steve carries Willy back to the ship,
where Rynning informs them that their blood tests reveal that the white
corpuscles are devouring the red corpuscles due to a deadly virus in the
planet's radiation-polluted air. All the people on the planet are doomed.
Fortunately, the virus can't survive in the clean air of the earth, but it
is necessary to immediately leave the doomed planet."This was a highly civilized and brilliant society at one time. It
wasn't enough for them. Not only did they have to acknowledge having such
weapons...they had to use them. I have no doubt we'll be equally brilliant
one day." --Dr Rynning | violence, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0099685 | Goodfellas | The film opens with three men driving in their car late at night on a highway. In the car are Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). Jimmy and Tommy are asleep when Henry hears a loud thumping noise. Trying to figure out the source of the sound, Henry suddenly realizes they need to stop and check the trunk. When they open it, we see a beaten man wrapped in several bloody tablecloths. An enraged Tommy stabs the man several times with a kitchen knife and Jimmy shoots him four times with a revolver. Henry slams the trunk lid shut and we hear a voiceover (Henry) say "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster."We now go back several decades, to see the events that will lead up to this scene.In the 1950s, young Henry Hill idolizes the Lucchese crime family gangsters in his blue-collar, predominantly Italian neighborhood in East New York, Brooklyn, and in 1955 quits school and goes to work for them. The local mob capo, Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino) (based on the actual Lucchese mobster Paul Vario) and Cicero's close associate Jimmy Conway (De Niro) (based on Jimmy Burke) help cultivate Henry's criminal career.Henry is teamed up with the young Tommy and the two sell cartons of cigarettes, given to them by Jimmy, to employees of a local factory, a crossing guard and some cops. While selling them, two detectives show up and confiscate the money and the load, arresting Henry. Tommy slinks away to tell Tuddy, Paul's brother. Henry goes to court and is given a slap on the wrist. Jimmy gives him a substantial reward for his silence and the rest of the gang greets Henry with joyful acceptance.As adults, Henry and Tommy (Joe Pesci) conspire with Conway to steal some of the billions of dollars of cargo passing through John F. Kennedy International Airport. They help out in a key heist, stealing over half a million dollars from the Air France cargo terminal. The robbery helps Henry gain more of Cicero's trust, to whom Henry gives a sizable cut of the haul. However, because Henry is half-Irish, he knows he can never become a "made man", a full member of the crime family. Nor can Jimmy Conway, who is also Irish.Henry's friends become increasingly daring and dangerous. Conway loves hijacking trucks, and Tommy has an explosive temper and a psychotic need to prove himself through violence. At one point, he humiliates an innocent and unarmed young waiter "Spider" (Michael Imperioli), asking Spider to dance à la The Oklahoma Kid, then shooting him in the foot. A few nights later, when Spider stands up to an extremely intoxicated Tommy, Tommy (egged on by Jimmy) suddenly draws his gun and shoots Spider in the chest, killing him instantly. Jimmy is angry with Tommy for shooting Spider but Tommy is completely indifferent, callously asking where he can find a shovel to bury the dead man.Henry also meets and falls in love with Karen (Lorraine Bracco), a no-nonsense young Jewish woman; they go to the Copacabana club two to three times a week (and the site of a famous continuous steadicam shot). Karen feels uneasy with her boyfriend's career, but is also "turned on" by it. Henry and Karen eventually marry (which involves convincing Karen's parents that Henry is half-Jewish).In June 1970, Tommy (aided by Jimmy Conway) brutally murders Billy Batts (Frank Vincent), a made man in the competing Gambino crime family, over a simple insult Batts uses on Tommy. The murder is a major offense that could get them all killed by the Gambinos if discovered. After stopping at Tommy's mother's place for dinner (and also to pick up a shovel), Henry, Conway and DeVito bury Batts' corpse in an abandoned field, bringing us back to the car trunk scene from the start of the movie. When they discover six months later that the land has been sold, they are forced to exhume, move, and rebury the badly decomposed body.Henry's marriage deteriorates when Karen finds he has a mistress, Janice Rossi (Gina Mastrogiacomo). Karen confronts a sleeping Henry with a gun as he wakes up. As soon as she lowers the gun, Henry subdues her and screams that he has enough on his mind having to worry about being "whacked on the street" without waking up with a gun in the face. Henry is visited at Janice's apartment by Jimmy and Paul, who tell him that his philandering is bad for business. Paul promises that he'll convince Karen that Henry is worth taking back and that Henry will return to his home in a few days. In the meantime, Henry will go with Jimmy to Florida to find a deadbeat who owes Paulie money.After beating and dangling the debt-ridden Florida gambler over a lion cage at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Henry and Jimmy are caught and sent to prison for four years because the guy's sister is a typist for the FBI. There, Henry deals drugs to the other prisoners to keep afloat and to support his family, and, when he returns to them, he has a lucrative drug connection in Pittsburgh. Cicero warns Henry against dealing drugs, since mob bosses can get hefty prison sentences if their men are running drugs behind their back.Henry ignores Cicero and involves Tommy and Jimmy (as well as Karen and his new mistress, Sandy (Debi Mazar) in an elaborate cocaine smuggling operation. About the same time, December 1978, Jimmy Conway and friends plan and successfully carry out a record $6,000,000 offscreen heist from the Lufthansa cargo terminal at JFK Airport. Soon after the heist, Jimmy grows increasingly paranoid when some of his associates foolishly flaunt their gains in plain sight, possibly drawing police attention, and begins having them whacked. Worse, after promising to welcome Tommy into the Lucchese family as a "made man," the elder members of the family coldly shoot him in the head in retaliation for Billy Batts' death and his reckless behavior.In an extended, virtuoso sequence titled "Sunday, May 11th, 1980," all of the different paths of Henry's complicated Mafia career collide: he must coordinate a major cocaine shipment; cook a meal for his family; placate his mistress, who processes the cocaine he sells; cope with his clueless babysitter/drug courier, Lois; avoid federal authorities who, unknown to him, have had him under surveillance for several months; and satisfy his sleazy drug connection customers, all the while a nervous wreck from lack of sleep and snorting too much of his own product.Lois demands that Henry take her home so she can get her lucky hat, which she won't fly without. Henry and Lois are arrested by the police as he backs out of his driveway. Karen bails her husband out of jail, after destroying all of the cocaine that was hidden in the house and getting her mother to put their house up as collateral for bail money. Henry and his family are left penniless and Henry and Karen break down when Karen admits she destroyed the $60,000 in coke Henry had been planning to ship when he was busted.After Henry's drug arrest, Cicero and the rest of the mob abandon him. Convinced that he and his family are marked for death, Henry decides to become an informant for the FBI. He and his family enter the federal Witness Protection Program, disappearing into anonymity to save their lives, but not before he testifies against Paulie and Jimmy in court. He is now an "average nobody" and tells us "I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook." The movie's quick final shot is of Tommy firing a pistol directly into the camera, a tribute to the final shot of The Great Train Robbery.The film closes with a few title cards (over Sid Vicious's version of "My Way") showing what became of Hill, Paul Cicero (Vario) and Jimmy Conway (Burke). Henry's marriage to Karen ended in separation with her getting custody of their children, and Cicero and Conway will spend practically the rest of their lives in prison. Cicero died in 1988. Conway's title card explains that he was eligible for parole in 2004, though he died in prison of lung cancer in 1996. | dark, comedy, neo noir, murder, realism, dramatic, violence, cult, claustrophobic, revenge | train | imdb | null |
tt0105275 | Romper Stomper | A gang of violent neo-Nazi skinheads from Footscray, Victoria, Australia attack two Vietnamese-Australian teenagers in a subway tunnel at Footscray Station (filmed at Richmond Station). The gang is led by Hando (Russell Crowe) and his friend and second in command, Davey (Daniel Pollock). They meet drug addict Gabrielle (Jacqueline McKenzie) the day after her sexually abusive, highly affluent father Martin (Alex Scott), has her junkie boyfriend beaten up. Gabrielle starts a romantic association with Hando.Some of gang's skinhead friends visit from Canberra, one of whom has joined the Royal Australian Navy and is home on leave. After a long night of drinking, fighting, and sex, two members of the gang go to their local pub. Unbeknown to them the owner has sold it to a Vietnamese Australian businessman. Upon seeing the new owner and his sons, they inform Hando. Hando and his gang arrive and savagely beat the new owner's sons. A third Vietnamese youth phones for help, and several armed Vietnamese men descend on the skinheads. The Vietnamese outnumber the skinheads and a few are killed. The Vietnamese force them to retreat to their rented warehouse, where the Vietnamese ransack the building before setting it on fire.The skinheads find a new base at a nearby warehouse after evicting a pair of squatters, and plan their revenge against the Vietnamese. Learning that gang members plan to buy a gun, two female friends of the gang depart. Gabrielle suggests the gang burgle her father's mansion. They ransack the house, beating Martin up, smashing one of his cars and raiding his wine collection. Gabrielle tells Martin that the burglary is revenge for his years of abuse. Later she reveals to Davey her plan to take Hando away from his violent life. Martin eventually frees himself and uses a handgun to scare away the gang before they can take any of his property. Davey begins to have doubts about his violent life style.Gabrielle criticises Hando's handling of the robbery and he abruptly dumps her. Davey announces his intention to leave at the same time, giving Gabrielle the address of his German grandmother, where he will be staying. Gabrielle informs the police of the gang's location and then spends the night with Davey. Davey reveals his doubts about his violent lifestyle, having removed the racist patches from his flight jacket out of concern for his grandmother.The police raid the warehouse while Hando is out. The youngest skinhead is shot dead after pointing a non-working gun at police. Police arrest the rest of the gang. Hando watches from a distance and flees.
Arriving at Davey's flat, Hando finds his friend in bed with Gabrielle. Hando accuses her of informing the police, but Davey says they were together the whole time since leaving the squat. Hando convinces Davey to stick by him, and the trio go on the run. They rob a service station, and Hando strangles the Asian attendant to death. Driving all night, they stop at a beach. On the beach, Gabrielle overhears a conversation wherein Hando tries to convince Davey to leave her behind. Gabrielle then sets their car on fire. She admits to phoning the police. Hando attacks her, attempting to drown her in the surf. Davey stabs Hando in the neck with his Hitler Youth knife, killing him. Davey cradles a horrified Gabrielle on the beach watched by a busload of Japanese tourists, while Hando's bloody corpse gazes at the ocean. | tragedy, violence, murder | train | imdb | null |
tt0114924 | While You Were Sleeping | Sandra Bullock plays Lucy Ellenore Moderatz, a lonely fare collector on the Chicago elevated railway. The highlight of her days is selling a token to a handsome commuter, Peter Callaghan (played by Peter Gallagher), on whom she has a secret crush. Working on Christmas, Lucy witnesses Peter being mugged and pushed onto the tracks, and she rescues him from an oncoming train. Peter falls into a coma and she accompanies him to the hospital, where she fantasizes aloud, "I was going to marry him". A nurse overhears her and, misinterpreting the situation, tells the head physician, a policeman and Callaghan's family that Lucy is his fiancée. At first Lucy is too caught up in the madness of everyone's panic to tell the truth, and after that she is too embarrassed to.An orphan with few friends, she becomes so captivated with the quirky Callaghans and their unconditional love for her, that she cannot bring herself to hurt them by revealing that Peter doesn't even know her. She spends a delayed Christmas with the family so "they can get to know each other". Lucy then meets Peter's younger brother Jack (Bill Pullman), who has taken over his father's business and is always working. Jack is very suspicious at first, saying Peter never mentioned Lucy or a marriage, which is not like him. Later on, after spending some time together to get acquainted, Jack starts to realize that he himself has feelings for Lucy.Then complications arise. Peter wakes up, not remembering Lucy at all, but by this time the rest of the Callaghan family has become so enamored with Lucy that they all naturally assume that Peter must have amnesia. Forced by his family, Peter and Lucy spend time together, while Lucy doesn't know how to tell them the truth, especially now that she has fallen in love with Jack. Peter is convinced by Saul (Peter and Jack's godfather, who knows about Lucy's secret) that Lucy must be his true love if he really proposed to her, so he does it "again". Lucy freaks out by the unexpected questions and agrees. Lucy confides in the kindly Saul, who believes that Lucy belongs in the family. Yet the elderly widower can't bring himself to tell the family about Lucy either. Lucy forces herself to be happy; she's with the man she wanted to be with her whole life.The day before the wedding, Jack visits her to give her a present - a snowglobe of Florence, Italy, the place that she has always wanted to go to. As he leaves, Lucy asks him if he could give her any reason why she shouldn't marry Peter. Jack hesitates before saying that he cannot give a reason, and angrily leaves.On the day of the wedding, Lucy starts to feel more and more guilty over her lie and her feelings for Jack, when it's actually Peter she's marrying. She walks down the aisle, where Peter is waiting with Jack, who is his best man. The priest begins, but during the words "Dearly beloveds, we're gather here today...", Lucy suddenly objects. Jack is surprised and objects too. She tells the family who she is and what went wrong in the hospital. She tells the parents she's fallen in love with their son, but points out that it's not Peter, but Jack. Also showing up to object to the union is Ashley, Peter's real fiancee, whom the family learns also happens to be married. As the family argues, Lucy leaves, unsure of her future.The final scene opens with Lucy on her last day of work at the station. As she accepts tokens from passengers, an engagement ring falls through the toll window. When Lucy looks up, she sees Jack and his family standing. Jack passes the token collection line and proposes to Lucy.The film ends with the two happily married in wedding attire, on the back of a train departing from the station, complete with a sign reading "Just Married". | cute, boring, entertaining, romantic, feel-good | train | imdb | null |
tt0047478 | Shichinin no samurai | A gang of marauding bandits approaches a mountain village. The bandit chief recognizes they have ransacked this village before, and decides it is best that they spare it until the barley is harvested in several months. One of the villagers happens to overhear the discussion. When he returns home with the ominous news, the despairing villagers are divided about whether to surrender their harvest or fight back against the bandits. In turmoil, they go to the village elder, who declares that they should fight, by hiring samurai to help defend the village. Some of the villagers are troubled by this suggestion, knowing that samurai are expensive to enlist and known to lust after young farm women, but realize they have no choice. Recognizing that the impoverished villagers have nothing to offer any prospective samurai except food, the village elder tells them to "find hungry samurai."The men go into the city, but initially are unsuccessful, being turned away by every samurai they ask sometimes rudely because they cannot offer pay other than three meals a day. Just as all seems lost, they happen to witness an aging samurai, Kambei, execute a cunning and dramatic rescue of a young boy taken hostage by a thief. As Kambei walks towards town a young samurai, Katsushir, asks to become his acolyte. Kambei insists that he walk with him as a friend. Then the farmers ask Kambei to help defend their village; to their great joy, he accepts. Kambei, with Katsushir's assistance, then recruits four more masterless samurai (rnin) from the city, one by one, each with distinctive skills and personality traits. Although Kambei had initially decided that seven samurai would be necessary, he plans to leave for the village with only the four that he has chosen because time is running short. The villagers beg him to take Katsushir also and, with some prodding by the others, he agrees. A clownish ersatz samurai named Kikuchiyo, whom Kambei had rejected for the mission, follows them to the village at a distance, ignoring their protestations and attempts to drive him away.When the samurai arrive at the village, the villagers cower in their homes in fear, hoping to protect their daughters and themselves from these supposedly dangerous warriors. The samurai are insulted not to be greeted warmly, considering that they have offered to defend the village for almost no reward, and seek an explanation from the village elder. Suddenly, an alarm is raised; the villagers, fearing that the bandits have returned, rush from their hiding places begging to be defended by the newly-arrived samurai. It turns out that Kikuchiyo, until this point merely a tag-along, has raised a false alarm. He rebukes the panicked villagers for running to the samurai for aid after first failing to welcome them to the village. It is here that Kikuchiyo demonstrates that there exists a certain intelligence behind his boorish demeanour. The six samurai symbolically accept him as belonging with them, truly completing the group of wanderers as the "seven samurai."As they prepare for the siege, the villagers and their hired warriors slowly come to trust each other. However, when the samurai discover that the villagers have murdered and robbed fleeing samurai in the past, they are shocked and angry, and Kyz, the most professional and calm of the samurai, even comments that he would like to kill everyone in the village. The always clownish Kikuchiyo passionately castigates the other samurai for ignoring the hardships that the farmers face in order to survive and make a living despite the intimidation and harassment from the warrior class, in the process revealing his origins to Kambei, who suddenly perceives that Kikuchiyo is himself a farmer's son. "But who made them like this?" he asks. "You did!" The anger the samurai had felt turns to shame, and when the village elder, alerted by the clamor that this revelation instigates, asks if anything is the matter, Kambei humbly responds that there is not. The samurai continue their preparations without any animosity, and soon afterward show compassion toward the farmers when they share their rice with an old woman who, her family having been killed by bandits, cries out that she merely wants to die.The preparations for the defense of the village continue apace, including the construction of fortifications and the training of the farmers for battle. Katsushir, the youngest samurai, begins a love affair with Shino, the daughter of one of the villagers. Shino had been forced to masquerade as a boy by her father who hoped the deception would protect her from the supposedly lustful samurai warriors.As the time for the raid approaches, two bandit scouts are killed, and one is captured and reveals the location of the bandit camp. Three of the samurai, along with a guide from the village, decide to carry out a pre-emptive strike. Many bandits are killed, but one of the samurai, Heihachi, suffers a fatal sword wound when his villager friend lost emotion control upon seeing his imprisoned wife commit suicide. When the bandits arrive in force soon after this raid, they are confounded by the fortifications put in place by the samurai, and several are killed attempting to scale the barricades or cross moats. However, the bandits have a superior number of trained fighters, and possess three muskets, and are thus able to hold their own. Kyz decides to conduct a raid on his own to retrieve one of the muskets and returns with one several hours later. Kikuchiyo, jealous of the praise and respect Kyz earns, particularly from Katsushir, later abandons his post to retrieve another musket, leaving his contingent of farmers in charge. Although he succeeds, the bandits attack the post, overwhelming and killing many of the farmers. Kambei is forced to provide reinforcements from the main post to drive the bandits out, leaving it undermanned when the bandit leader charges this position. Although they are driven off, Gorobei is shot and killed and it is revealed that Yohei, Kikuchiyo's friend, was killed at his post.Apart from defense, the initial strategy of the samurai is to allow the bandits to enter a gap in the fortifications one at a time through the use of a closing "wall" of spears, and to then kill the lone enemy. This is repeated several times with success, although more than one bandit manages to enter the village several times. On the second night, Kambei decides that the villagers will soon become too exhausted to fight and instructs them to prepare for a final, decisive battle. During the night, Katsushir's affair is revealed, and after an initial uproar, his amorous adventures provide comic relief to the embattled militia.When morning breaks and the bandits make their attack, Kambei orders his forces to allow all 13 remaining bandits in at once. In the ensuing confrontation, most of the bandits are easily killed, but the leader takes refuge in a hut unseen. In what is portrayed as dishonorable act, he shoots Kyz in the back from the safety of the hut, killing him. A despondent Katsushir seeks to avenge his hero, but an enraged Kikuchiyo bravely (and blindly) charges ahead of him, only to be shot in the belly himself. Although mortally wounded, Kikuchiyo ensures he kills the bandit chief, finally proving his worth as a samurai, before dying. Dazed and exhausted, Kambei and Shichirji sadly observe "we've survived once again," while Katsushir wails over his fallen comrades. The battle is ultimately won for the villagers.The three surviving samurai, Kambei, Katsushir, and Shichirji, are left to observe the villagers happily planting the next rice crop. The samurai reflect on the relationship between the warrior and farming classes: though they have won the battle for the farmers, they have lost their friends with little to show for it. "Again we are defeated," Kambei muses. "The farmers have won. Not us." This melancholic observation sheds new light on Kambei's statement at the beginning of the film that he had "never won a battle." This contrasts with the singing and joy of the villagers, whose figuratively life-sustaining work has prevailed over war and left all warriors as the defeated party. | dramatic, cult, violence, atmospheric, action, tragedy, suspenseful, historical | train | imdb | null |
tt0367594 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) has built the greatest and largest chocolate factory in the world. After some of his workers steal his secret recipes, Willy Wonka kicks his workers out and closes the doors. For 15 years, no one has seen any workers entering or leaving the factory, yet his chocolate candy is still being produced and shipped around the world. One day when Willy Wonka is getting his hair cut, he realizes that he is getting old, and he needs a successor. He comes up with a plan to open his factory and reveal his secrets to five lucky children, who find golden tickets inside Wonka chocolate bars.The golden tickets are sent around the world and soon 4 winners are announced. The first to find a ticket is the greedy Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz). Second is the spoiled Veruca Salt (Julia Winter). Next is the competitive gum-chomping Violet Beauregard (AnnaSophia Robb). Fourth is the chocolate-hating techie Mike Teevee (Jordan Fry). There is one golden ticket left, and the achingly poor Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) finds it. Charlie chooses his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) to accompany him inside the factory, a place his Grandpa Joe once worked before it was closed. The other four children with their parents, and Charlie with Grandpa Joe, enter the factory and begin the tour of a lifetime.The factory is not like your standard factory, but a living factory which mixes chocolate by waterfall, and boasts a river of chocolate that enables the group to tour the factory by boat. They experience the great glass Wonkavator, which can go anywhere in the factory, in any direction, at the touch of a button. During the tour, the group learns that all the work is now being done by the Oompa-Loompa tribe, who are paid in cocoa beans. The factory is indeed fantastic: trees and grass are edible, trained squirrels shell nuts for the chocolate bars, entire meals are contained in a stick of gum, and incredible technology allows chocolate to be sent by television. The four rotten children get to interact with some of Willy Wonka's fantastic inventions with unfortunate consequences which force them off the tour before it is completed. Charlie is the last child left, and Willy Wonka awards Charlie the greatest prize of all, the keys to the factory, which Charlie refuses. Accepting the prize means living Willy Wonka's life: cut off from family and the world to devote oneself to the pursuit of chocolate perfection. After some time, Willy Wonka sees that while Charlie may be the right person for the factory, the life that Willy Wonka chose for himself isn't right for Charlie. He relents and allows Charlie to bring his entire family into the factory with him, and they all live happily ever after. | dark, fantasy, whimsical, violence, flashback, psychedelic | train | imdb | Though I never had a problem with the original "Willy Wonka" move with Gene Wilder (despite how unfaithful it was, it was still a cute and heart-warming movie), I was doing back-flips when I heard Tim Burton, quite possibly my all-time favorite director, would helm a new version of the movie.First and foremost, Johnny Depp is perfect as Willy Wonka.
Depp pulls out all of the stops as a new Willy Wonka, though there are times that any audience member will get just a bit freaked out.What I loved most about the movie was how faithful it was to the book.
It is in every way a genuine Tim Burton-movie, stacked with beautiful imagery, wacky humor and bizarre characters, but at the same time faithful enough to the spirit of the novel.
Johnny Depp gives us a strange, almost creepy Willy Wonka, Freddie Highmore is a perfect Charlie, the Grandparents are lovable and wacky, and the five other children and their parents are amusingly irritating.
All kinds of them: laughs (many the audience laughed almost every thirty seconds), tears of joy (we all know Charlie's gonna find that ticket but when he does, you just can't refrain your heart to beat faster), mercy (the way Burton depicts the social misery of the Bucket's family is really touching), amazement (the Wonka Factory and its many rooms is true wonder, one the most achieved design Burton ever offered us) and many mores.
Nobody else, therefore, was surely more suitable to adapt Dahl's much-loved novel, and nobody else was surely daring enough to attempt a re-make of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971, directed by Mel Stuart), that enduring classic starring Gene Wilder as Wonka.Burton's repeated use of Depp in previous films (Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and Sleepy Hollow to name just three) indicated him to be an obvious and, it could be argued, perfect choice to cast as Wonka.
Trying to ignore my obvious bias, I believe Depp does put up a good fight, and perhaps if the parents of the four terrible children had shown more spark, or been actors of a higher calibre, his comic moments would have had much more impact.Burton's other muse, Helena Bonham Carter, is mis-cast as Charlie's mother.
However, certain artistic license is always taken when adapting books and plays to the big screen, and this creativity is needed to keep images and story lines fresh and to prevent any static grounding.As regards the imagery of the film, well, it's a Burton film and true to form we aren't disappointed.
Tim Burton did a great job with musical numbers in Nightmare Before Christmas, but the same isn't true in the live action Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I think the story was better as it was, but the scenes do support the additional depth Burton injected into Wonka, so I do appreciate the scenes for what they do.Depp was fabulous (look for at least one Edward Scissorhands reference) though at times reminded me of a modern Michael Jackson (shudder).
The film is hilarious, speaking as an adult, I wonder how the youth responds to this, but I rate this movie 8 out of 10 stars!For those of you expecting a copy of the original with new actors, you'll be surprised how original this version is, go and bring your entire family with you!
I expected a wild, colorful ride with brilliant hues and good special effects...and I was not disappointed.It was inventively fun with those great visuals and another wonderful kid playing "Charlie." I doubted they could ever come up with another child as appealing and nice/wholesome as one in "Willy Wonka" but they found one in Freddie Highmore.
He filled the bill magnificently, as did the "brat" kids.A different feature of this version, as opposed to the 1970 original, was that here the Oompa-Loompas were all played by just one person, a very small Indian man named Deep Roy. One of the interesting "features" on the DVD details how difficult that was to do and how much time Roy had to put in to do all the things he did.Johnny Depp, meanwhile, "did" what he always does - do a good job of playing a weird person.
While some may say this terrible film is more like the original book that the 1971 movie, but overall, it really isn't.
My kids actually have the book and I read through it right after watching the DVD.This film may be more true to the book with some of the finer details (the original lyrics to the Oompah Loopah songs, Charlie having a living father who worked at a toothpaste factory), none of these details add anything to the story.On the other hand, the creepy, gray-skinned, androgynous Wonka is nothing like the original character in the book.
If you read a little about the history of the making of the movie (look online), you'll find that the script at one point was originally developed more for adults than children.
While no one will ever be able to replace the truly amazing Gene Wilder as quirky chocolatier Willy Wonka, Johnny Depp adds new life and oddity to the character.
The necessary chemistry required to make a movie actually work was extremely noticeable between Depp and Highmore because of their work together in the drama "Finding Neverland".All in all I thought "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was a wonderful movie but definitely not for the children..
Burton's direction removes a lot of doubt about Wonka's motivations, and makes it OK for us to love Charlie, both pity and admire Willy, and laugh guiltily at the four despicable brats who get what they richly deserve.The Oompa-Loompas are not orange, a little wackier, and don't have scary theme music.
I also thought it had some touches that actually improved on the original; the set pieces were amazing, and there was more with the great glass elevator (like the book) than in the original movie, which I was pleased to see.I thought I'd go into this being bored until they got to the factory because that was how I felt about the original, but even the opening scenes with the Bucket family, and Grandpa Bucket's flashbacks to his time working at the factory, are wonderfully entertaining.
I was most impressed with David Kelly as Grandpa Bucket, whose performance was all child-like wonder, and Helena Bonham-Carter and Noah Taylor were also good as Charlie's parents; and Freddie Highmore, who played Charlie, ought to have a decent career in front of him.Once they do get to the factory, though, things really take off.
Johnny Depp puts in an excellent performance as Willy Wonka, not an impression of Gene Wilder AT ALL, but as usual, making the character his own.
The result is amazing.The only slow parts, I think, are those dealing with Wonka's childhood (although Christopher Lee is good as his father, I just thought they were a little boring and wanted to get back to the factory when they were on) and the Oompa Loompas' musical numbers, which I didn't think had the charm of those in the original (actually, I thought the musical number with the puppets at the beginning of the tour was the best one in the movie).
You'll enjoy this movie, especially if you're already a fan of Tim Burton's work, but also, I think, if you're a fan of the original movie or the book; however, even kids who have never been exposed to any of this will be entertained.
I've been waiting for this movie to come out for ever, Tim Burton and Jonny Depp, what can possibly go wrong, I thought to myself.
I've been holding myself back not to watch the original Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory not to compare the movie to a classic.
We follow the group from room to room and are forced to endure cataclysmically puerile songs from cloned Oompa-Loompahs, all played by the same irritating midget.The film does not have the darker subplot of the original film and the wheelchair-like pacing drove me close to igniting the screen with the nearest blowtorch.Johnny Depp is just wrong as Wonka.
The original Willy Wonka left things unsaid for us, the Burton remake beats us over the head with elements because we must be too stupid to understand anything.
This is not the only awful film to be made from a children's book in the last few years: Lemony Snicket and Cat in the Hat spring to mind, and certainly, the Harry Potter movies are never much better than mediocre.But Charlie and the Chocolate Factory suffers from the fact that it must be compared to the Gene Wilder version, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which is not only superior to it in every way, but is truly a classic film.One might well ask why anyone would dare to remake a film that was written by Roald Dahl himself.
There is no narrative or melodic progression to the songs -- they are as two dimensional as cardboard cutouts.Add to this bland, unimaginative mix a few ghastly changes from the earlier movie: Charlie has a father now, his family magically gets "unpoor" at the end by the dint of their own optimism, and Willy Wonka learns -- get ready for this one -- that families are not a bad thing.It's beyond awful.
With Gene Wilder playing Willy Wonka, for that time period you knew that it would be a enjoyable movie at that.
With stupid sub plots and scenes that look like hallucinations, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a terrible and embarrassing mistake of a classic musical.
The Original was timeless, this version is extremely dated (note the hip-hopped up versions of the oompa loompa songs) the Wolper film might have strayed from the novel by adding in new songs and removing Charlie's father (Dahl himself suggested this), but it didn't invent and entire subplot such as Wonka's estranged father.
If Burton wanted a wonka that sounded and acted like Dave Foley from the Kids in the Hall, he should have cast he became totally obnoxious after only a few minutes on screen, and from then on it was almost painful to watch.
Tim Burton directing it made the movie good, but Johnny Depp made it even better.
The movie was also great because it followed the book more than the Willi Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Such a waste of good talent -- Tim Burton directing, Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka -- how could it be better?
Fortunately, there's always the book -- and the first film version -- if anyone could've matched Gene Wilder's performance as Willy Wonka, Johnny Depp could've, but he didn't....
I, like many others loved the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
I avoided watching this movie for a long time for mainly this reason: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory earned a place in my heart through much thought, discussion, and rewatches.
Johnny Depp who is a brilliant actor gave me the creeps in this new version, I did not feel comfortable with my young children watching such a weird character.
Johnny Depp can't hold a candle to Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, but this is still a good second adaptation of the book.
In 2005, I heard about this then-new version of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and how Johnny Depp played Willy Wonka in it.
It had been years since I had last read to book and seen the original 1971 adaptation, "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory", but I still remembered the story very well and went to see this second big screen adaptation in the theatre.
Over a week later, I watched this Tim Burton version again for the first time in several years, and thought it slightly inferior but still very good.Charlie Bucket is a young boy in a poor family, which consists of him, his two parents, and his four bedridden grandparents.
One of the major differences between the two movie adaptations is Johnny Depp's portrayal of Willy Wonka here.
They also got talented cast members to play Charlie's family members, including David Kelly as Grandpa Joe and another common Tim Burton recast (like Depp), Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Bucket.
This film has the usual dark and amazing Tim Burton visuals, and like the 1971 version, great sets were made for Willy Wonka's factory!
For the most part, the story is very entertaining as well, even if the ending could have been a bit better thought out.Some say it's best not to compare the two silver screen adaptations of Roald Dahl's classic children's book, but since I've watched this one again shortly after revisiting the original after so many years, it's kind of hard for me not to.
2005's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is unsurprisingly weaker than 1971's "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory", and I know many fans of the first adaptation have shown great disdain for this remake, but personally, I think both of them are highly entertaining family movies, though I can understand how Johnny Depp's portrayal of the reclusive factory owner could put many viewers off.
This Tim Burton film does take some liberties with the story, and I would be giving away too much if I mentioned many of them, though it also features aspects of the book not included in the 1971 version, such as Mr. Bucket being alive and working in a toothpaste factory and Grandpa Joe telling his grandson about chocolate palace in India, not that I'm saying any of this is good or bad.
When I was 8 years old, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory was my favourite movie.
That's nothing against Johnny Depp, because he's a good actor, I just didn't like his version of Willy Wonka.As for the Oompa Loompas, I wanted to shoot them every time they came on screen.
For those, this will be a far better version, more faithful to the novel in some ways (I liked the inclusion of the scene where Charlie, Grandpa Joe and Willy Wonka see the others leave the factory), but for me, this was just not up to scratch..
I'm not sure what book they're following, but there's stuff in this film that would make poor Mr. Dahl gag on an Everlasting Gobstopper.This is easily the weakest work for both Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.
In fact, the only good character in the whole movie is David Kelly as Grandpa Joe. I can even deal with Freddie Highmore as Charlie but the rest of it is full of deplorable performances and like I said, an evil and mean spirited overtone.
Granted I didn't have high hopes from this movie to begin with, but I believed it would be a more mature version of book than what was done in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (I happen to like this adaptation because Gene Wilder is enchanting as the eccentric factory owner).
You wonder why this adaptation wasn't called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory because Charlie had a much bigger role in the 1971 version.
Tim Burton took too many liberties, significant parts of the story from the book that were included in the original were cut from this movie.
I did not think a remake of this story should have been made, but when I heard that Johnny Depp was to play Wonka and that Tim Burton would direct I figured if any...these were the people who could pull it off.
Only a die hard Tim Burton fan would think this is better than the original and Gene Wilder is infinitely better than Johnny Depp who despite his considerable talent, cannot save this garbage..
Tim Burton's adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a visually spectacular film but it's not enough to make a good film.
The last twenty minutes of the film feel rushed and we have to think fast as to how Willy Wonka was so quickly welcomed by the Bucket family.Critics can see why Tim Burton chose to film this story.
He lived with all of his family who were poor, then Charlie found a golden ticket that will allow him and 4 of the childrens to go to the chocolate factory of Willy Wonka.
A Tim Burton and Johnny Depp masterclass, the best remake of any great movie to date!
This was filled with lots of bursting laughter when we saw this movie.This remake was a little make different than the one that was a long time ago in the 70's.Tim Burton really made this film according to the book than some different senses like the squirrels.In the old movie she fell from the garbage place,and in the old one they didn't had the huge boat and not so many Ompas.And the alternative end was very different,in here it showed what happened to the losers when they didn't listen.In the old movie it showed when Charlie learned a lesson of trust and ling but didn't showed what happened to the rest of them.And showed something new,parts of mister Wonkas' childhood life,that was something never seen ed.And when grandpa Joe was working in the factory.This was something be on good,it was even better than the original WILLY Wonka and longer,but this was still good..
The new Oompa Loompas look very creepy indeed but that could just be me..!But regardless of any little story and musical gripes, you're simply going to be sucked into the fantasy of this film and it's a great ride.I've never been a huge fan of Johnny Depp but this film did it for me and he does an amazing job with Willy Wonka with a lot of subtle nuances and quirks and some great lines.
When the original movie, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, came out I was 10 years old.
But i must say this time he delivers a good one."Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a film worth watching for a number of reasons.Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka was a lovable, trustworthy with kids kind of character.
Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka is a creepy, mysterious character. |
tt0099329 | Cry-Baby | In the school gym, students file in two lines for Polio vaccines. It is here that the audience is introduced to the main cast. The Drapes: Lenora Frigid (Kim Webb), Drape hussy with a manipulative streak and her eyes set on Cry-Baby, Mona "Hatchet-Face" Malnorowski (Kim McGuire), tough as nails, with a face that could shatter glass; Wanda Woodward (Traci Lords), obviously the school siren in tight clothes and too much make-up; Milton Hackett (Darren E. Burrows), Hatchet-Face's boyfriend, a light-hearted guy with a ever-present smile and a constant joke-maker; Pepper Walker (Ricki Lake), a teenage mother of two and pregnant, rough and tough and loyal; and Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker (Johnny Depp), the drape heartthrob that was raised a gentleman by delinquents like himself. His manners and politeness are a step above that of the average Drape; however, he loves his gang and his culture. They're Drapes, and they're proud.Here, we also meet the two main Squares: Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane), a Square with a rebellious side that's 'tired of being good', who, after one moment of eye contact has stolen Cry-Baby's heart, and her Square boyfriend Baldwin (Stephen Mailer), who is jealous and territorial and has two dreams in life: wife-ing up Allison and taking down Cry-Baby and his gang.After the vaccines are administered, the students are released. We meet Wanda's mother and father (Patricia Hearst and David Nelson), the school crossing guard and bus driver, respectively. They're both blissfully ignorant and extremely uncool. Allison introduces herself to Cry-Baby and his friends and Cry-Baby invites Allison to hang out with the Drapes. Allison's grandmother, Mrs. Vernon-Williams (Polly Bergen) and Baldwin show up with the same message for Cry-Baby: stay away from Allison.Though Cry-Baby, born and raised an outlaw, has trouble with listening, and he and his friends tail Allison and her grandmother on the street, driving up beside them and serenading Allison, complete with a blown kiss.After the Vernon-Williams' and Baldwin arrive at the RSVP Charm school, the academy run by Mrs. Vernon-Williams, Baldwin and his Whiffles (Drew Ebersole, Kenny Curtis and Scott Neilson) perform their act in the annual RSVP Talent Show, a lame Doo-Wop song {Sh-Boom}. Afterwards, Allison performs her own song {A Teenage Prayer}. This is where we see her and Baldwin's differing goals in life; while Baldwin watches Allison and imagines her in a wedding dress complete with bouquet and veil, Allison's imagination turns Baldwin and each of the Whiffles into Cry-Baby.Meanwhile, at Turkey Point, the Drape swimming hole (which Mrs. Vernon-Williams ungraciously calls the 'Redneck Riviera'), we meet Milton's parents (Joe Dallesandro and Joey Heatherton), a devout religious couple preaching to the delinquents to repent and accept Jesus into their hearts. As Cry-Baby's gang walks through Turkey Point greeting all their friends, Lenora once again tries to sink her claws into Cry-Baby with a 'CB' burned into her thigh via stickers and sun-bathing. She tells him that she needs a date for that night's Jukebox Jamboree, but Cry-Baby (and his gang) tells her that it's NOT gonna happen.After Cry-Baby's uncle Belvedere (Iggy Pop) and Grandmother Ramona (Susan Tyrrell) gift him with a brand new motorcycle, he travels to the RSVP talent show, politely asking Mrs. Vernon-Williams if Allison can join him at the Jukebox Jamboree at Turkey Point. Mrs. Vernon-Williams reluctantly allows when Cry-Baby shows his poise after Baldwin attacks him.At the Jukebox Jamboree, Pepper, Wanda and Hatchet-Face give Allison a 'bad girl beauty make-over', exchanging her elegant white gown for leather pants and a halter top, complete with a new hairstyle and a face full of make-up. Allison joins Belvedere and Ramona in the audience as Milton, Wanda, Pepper, and Hatchet-Face (as the Cry-Baby Combo) back Cry-Baby for his performance {King Cry-Baby}. Lenora, in true groupie fashion throws her panties at Cry-Baby as he sings, glaring at Allison as she does so. Cry-Baby, however, just kicks them aside before bringing Allison onstage to song with him. Allison sings a line as her 'good girl', and then exchanges it for roaring her second line, bringing her Drape side full circle.After the performance, Allison and Cry-Baby find a spot in a field where Cry-Baby confesses his love for Allison, and give her her first French kiss. Allison talks about her parents' death, telling Cry-Baby she's an orphan. Cry-Baby reveals that his father was The Alphabet Bomber, famous for setting off bombs in alphabetical order (airport, barbershop, car wash, etc.), and that he and Cry-Baby's mother both died in the electric chair.As Cry-Baby and Allison share their family pasts, Baldwin and a group of vengeful Squares sneak into Turkey Point to vandalize the Drapes' cars, Cry-Baby's motorcycle, eventually incite an all-out brawl with the Drapes.Lenora lies to Allison, telling her that she's pregnant with Cry-Baby's child, and Baldwin tells her that the Drapes started everything.All the Drapes, including Allison are arrested and brought to court, where Milton, Hatchet-Face and Wanda are released to their parents and Allison to her grandmother, Ramona and Belvedere are fined $1000 apiece, Peppers kids, Snare-Drum and Susie-Q (Jonathan Benya and Scout Raskin) are put in an orphanage, and Cry-Baby is sentenced to the Maryland Training School for Boys until his 21st birthday.Cry-Baby sings out his longing for Allison on his first night {Teardrops Are Falling}, while Lenora manipulates a clip of Cry-Baby admitting his happiness and pride at being a juvenile delinquent into his pride of being a soon-to-be father by telling the reporters that she's pregnant.Allison hears this on the radio and gives up her Drape style for a floral dress and her Square life once again. Baldwin convinces her to return to him (in the form of a serenade in the director's cut {The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane}) and Allison says live to reporters that she wants nothing to do with Cry-Baby anymore. Cry-Baby hears this on the radio and gets so angry that he breaks into spontaneous song and dance {Doin' Time For Bein' Young}, which lands him The Hole with his fellow Drape friend, Dupree (Robert Tyree), who gives Cry-Baby a teardrop tattoo for Allison. Cry-Baby uses the sewer in the room to try to escape, unknowingly passing right past Hatchet and Milton, who have stolen a helicopter to break Cry-Baby out, unsuccessfully. Cry-Baby eventually takes a wrong turn that leads him straight to the barbershop of the prison, and straight into the hands of a dozen guards.Meanwhile, Wanda runs away from home after her parents reveal that they've signed her up for an exchange program and she's scheduled to leave for Sweden that afternoon. Pepper, Ramona and Belvedere break all the children out of the inhumane Chatterbox Orphanage and head to the opening of the Enchanted Forest, Maryland's first theme park, and where Baldwin, the Whiffles and Allison are performing {Mr. Sandman}. Allison sees Lenora (now in Square fashion) blow a kiss to Baldwin and smacks him before being told by Cry-Baby's gang that 'she sung with the Squares, now sing with the Drapes'. Baldwin insists that he loves her; Lenora announces that she's now a Square, and Mrs. Vernon-Williams (now warmed up to Cry-Baby and his gang and even sporting a skull and crossbones pin) tells Allison to 'pick the man that loves her the most'.We cut immediately to Cry-Baby's gang and Mrs. Vernon-Williams outside the prison with Allison singing on a hot rod hood in a sexy red dress {Please, Mr. Jailer} vying for Cry-Baby's release from the Judge (Robert Walsh).Cry-Baby is summoned to the visitation room in the nick of time, right before his hair is shaved off. Allison dances for him and they sing to each other, Cry-Baby's need for Allison driving him to shatter the glass separating them, just as the Judge runs in to release him from his sentence.At Cry-Baby's formal release, the Drapes (complete with Mrs. Vernon-Williams) arrive to celebrate and the Squares (complete with Lenora on Baldwin's arm) arrive to jeer.Baldwin reveals that his grandfather was a prison guard, and the one that flipped the switch and electrocuted Cry-Baby's parents.Cry-Baby challenges Baldwin to a game of Chicken with a twist; he and Baldwin on top of the car. Baldwin agrees, and Allison and the Drapes perform a soundtrack to the game {High School Hellcats}.Baldwin chickens out and Cry-Baby wins. Everyone sheds a single tear, except for Cry-Baby, who has finally let go and is able to cry from both eyes. | cult, satire | train | imdb | There seem to be two types of folks who detest "Cry-Baby;" those who think Waters sold out by making anything that cost more than $500 and didn't include coprophagy, and those who insist that all movies be Art with a capital A.I was well into my 20's when the movie first came out, not a fan of 21 Jump Street, and no stranger to movies, including masterpieces and early John Waters, but I LOVED it, and have caught the uncut version on USA network quite a few times.Cry-Baby is no Citizen Kane, and it's no Pink Flamingos, but, at risk of being pretentious, I will say that its full of something that makes art: Truth.
John Waters' love for the fun parts of the 50's, (and hatred of the status quo that obviously made his teen years a living hell) is all over this film.Yes, scenes such as the orphanage are silly, but the cynicism of the orphanage workers and the angst of the mother are as real as can be.
The silliness works because the John Waters BELIEVES in what he is saying, and makes damn sure that his actors are with him!All of the actors, from Johnny Depp who (as with all of his roles) *becomes* the character to Joe Dallesandro who barely can get his lines out, believe in their characters."Cry-Baby" parodies 50's "Teen Rebel" musicals such as "Rock Around the Clock" and "Don't Knock the Rock", but with obvious affection.Yes, it's a musical.
They're not diaries, they're not reality, they're MOVIES!"Cry-Baby" is a lot of fun, and the soundtrack is terrific (and "Hairspray"'s is even better!).If you liked "Cry-Baby", I recommend "Hairspray" (not quite so silly, just as sweet.) and "But I'm A Cheerleader," which is definitely Waters-inspired, from its use of pink to its incredibly true emotions within very silly situations.If you didn't like Cry-Baby, how sad.
It's a good natured, never mean musical based in a world where a song can make jail prisoners dance and riot or make someone fall in love with you despite being from different worlds.
Wade "Cry baby" Walker (Johnny Depp) is considered a drape and a juvenile delinquent, and Alison (Amy Locane) is considered a square and a perfect angel.
Don't expect to watch a movie in the style of "Grease" when you watch "Cry-Baby." This is a John Waters musical-comedy, and it's full of his style and humor.
The dialogue and acting are usually out of the mainstream norm, and viewers who are not familiar with John Waters may not enjoy his films unless they open their minds to possibilities of silly, ridiculous, vulgar, and campy humor.
Ricki Lake returns in her second John Waters movie as Cry-Baby's pregnant sister.
"Cry-Baby" was a lot of fun to watch on the big screen, and I'm again enjoying it since it's been released on DVD (with added scenes that were cut for its theatrical release.) "Cry-Baby" is a snazzy and fun musical-comedy that seems to be pleasing people who are not regular John Waters fans!
John Waters' movies are perhaps acquired taste (read: first class TRASH!), but "Cry-Baby" is a fairly accessible and comical romp, complete with great music, very likable performances and a moody 50's atmosphere.
Obviously mocking "Grease", the story is set in a Baltimore high school where teen idol Johnny Depp leads the "Drapes" thug gang versus the chic and fancy "Squares".
Johnny Depp once again shows himself to be possibly the greatest actor of his generation as Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, a "drape" who falls for "square" Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane).
Naturally, her conservative family and acquaintances don't approve of this one bit, so trouble ensues.Probably the funniest scenes in the movie are as follows: an air-head mother (Patty Hearst) tells her daughter to stop and look both ways before crossing the street - this to a girl who prefers to hang out with the "drapes"; at a "square" party, some boys sing the most mind-numbing, idiotic song imaginable (it just goes to show what dorks they are); and the scene in jail, where a cop (Willem Dafoe) makes everyone repeat "God bless Dwight Eisenhower!
It's a brilliant send-up of the Grease story and Johnny Depp is perfectly cast in the James Dean-type role as a juvinile dilinquent who falls for a square.
After i saw this movie i said i love Johnny Depp and now i know everything about him .
When i first saw the movie i had to take three looks before i realized that cry-baby walker was Johnny Depp the first two words out of my mouth were HE'S HOT.
When I see a film like John Waters' Cry-Baby it almost whispers to me that there should be no such thing as a "parody movie." There should only be homages to clichés, genres, and eras.
It's a film that follows the rebellious rocker Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, played fantastically by Johnny Depp, who occupies a strange ability to cry one single tear from his left eye.This ability woos all the girls, including Alison Vernon-Williams (Locane), a good girl who finally wants to cut loose and shy away from her cutesy image.
Especially Depp who basically tells us "whatever I act in you'll have to accept." Cry-Baby floats in a sea of innocence and isn't at all cocky with its material like some films are in the same genre.
It simply wants to show us the paradox of generations, a well done character study on multiple different people, a mixture of Elvis films, Grease, and others of the leather jacket-generation, and just a fun musical as well.
Its campy style will be disliked by some, questioned by many, but loved by the true cult-cravers.Starring: Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Kim McGuire, Darren E.
If you've never seen any of the old movies it's making fun of...or if you just don't get satire...then you may not like Cry Baby.
Even the choreographed, production numbers (which is something I'd normally hate) are extremely enjoyable because they're such obvious jabs at Elvis movie song sequences.The cast of this film is just amazing.
I know this movie isn't supposed to be taken seriously, but it goes far beyond being just good farcical fun and ends up being a dreadful waste of film.
Johnny Depp, in his first starring role in a motion picture, plays "Cry Baby", a young teen delinquent who's a cross between Elvis and James Dean and every other tough guy that came out of the 50s.
This film both made me laugh and swoon(of course) over Johnny's interpretation of a troubled teen-idol.This movie was full of so much enthusaism and great acting that I have been trying to find it on DVD.
With interesting dual performances byIggy-Pop and Ricki Lake as the hilarious Pepper, This movie got a "10" from me.If you are looking for a more light-hearted and clever film starring Johnny Depp, rent Cry-baby today!.
A good girl (Amy Locane) struggling with his primary roots and these juvenile teenagers (She's fascinated by them) but she's falls in love with "Cry-Baby" and then trouble follows them.Written and Directed by John Waters (Hairspary, Pecker, Serial Mom) made an amusing parody of the 1950's lifestyle.
This has to be the funniest send up of those teen musicals that could only come from the imagination of writer/director John Waters (Hairspray, Pecker).Starring Johnny Depp and Amy Locane (Blue Sky, Going All the Way) with a supporting cast that is familiar and fun: Polly Bergen ("Desperate Housewives"), Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake (both Hairsprays), porn queen Traci Lords, Troy Donahue, Willem Dafoe, and many more' with fantastic singing by James Intveld and Rachel Sweet (I have to get this soundtrack!).If you like John Waters and the music of the 50s, then this is a movie that you will not want to miss.
Anyway about the movie it is a great story about love and the life or a teenage boy named Wade or Cry-Baby Walker.
It is John Waters Best film (well in my opinion, you might not think its was his best, but I do maybe its just me)!!!!Sarah---loves Johnny Depp.
I expected it to be just as weird as it turned out to be (as all of Johnny Depp's movies tend to be, which is why I love them!), and I enjoyed it immensely.
John Waters is known for camp and although I personally am not a fan of his other movies he won me over with Cry Baby.
I first saw cry baby when I was about 14.Up until this point I was fairly satisfied to watch john Hughes teen movies.
Watching cry baby is watch so much better very kitsch cool clothes bizarre but strangely familiar people.All my friends wanted to be Alison and be with Johnny depp.he has never looked so pleasing!
Johnny Depp, of course, didn't become a marquee name until some time after this came out -- he was previously best known for his role on the TV show "21 Jump Street" and had also played Nancy's boyfriend in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" -- but afterwards he exploded, and I wonder if it's partly because of his role in this movie.
He's so successful here I wish he'd do a reunion movie with Waters as the two go together so well."Cry-Baby" takes place in Baltimore during the 50s and concerns itself with two opposing segments of society: the squares, who are the clean-cut types, and the drapes, who are juvenile delinquent types.
All of this leads to a great courtroom scene that helps set up the central conflict of the third act, with Allison not sure which path she wants to go down, and Cry-Baby locked up in reform school.The cast is hilarious.
Also watch out for Patricia Hearst and David Nelson (Ozzie's son) as Wanda's straight-laced, square-like parents (the courtroom scene involving Wanda and her parents is the funniest scene in the movie), Troy Donahue and Mink Stole(who, like Hearst, is a Waters regular) as Hatchet-Face's parents, Joey Heatherton and Joe Dallesandro as Milton's bible-thumping parents, and Willem Dafoe as a guard at the reform school.What will happen to Cry-Baby and his gang?
The first time I saw this movie, I didn't realize that this was Johnny Depp's first starring role.
The TV was created for entertainment - if a person were to watch Cry Baby with an over analytical mind set they would be sadly disappointed, but if you enjoy the greaser-square feuds or people bursting into song - then this the perfect movie to watch.
The songs are just great, the plot is silly, with an obvious happy end, everybody are happy, and i want to get to the fifties immediately because i was born too late and have a very vague idea about this time - based mainly on films like this one...
I loved how off beat and strange it was at time, and yet Johnny Depp was awesome as cry baby.
I also enjoyed the singin jailbirds scene.Most of I enjoy all of Depps films, he has great choice is style as well.Tracy Lords also I enjoyed she reminds me of all the wannabes nowadays trying so hard to look like her and be retro and the Betty Page wannabes..
Absolutely fabulous, i am a great fan of johnny depp i love all of his movies he is just a brilliant actor, and i am a great fan of musicals, its not the best film in the world but its a great laugh and i had a very entertaining time watching it!.
i am sure that anyone who enjoys romances, comedies and musicals (a.k.a the average woman) will absolutely love it and get a hysterically great time out of watching it.
One of John Waters' finest, Cry Baby is a hilarious film with some great songs.
This movie represents his crude sense of humor with his childhood yearning to be a "drape." I recommend this film to anyone who wants a musical that is ACTUALLY good..
I thought Cry-Baby was such a dumb movie, the plot anyway, but the singing and Johnny Depp and the comedy was great!!
But I would recommend that you see it with a group of friends or family...it's that kind of movie!Cry-Baby has a lot of familiar people like Ricki Lake (has her own show) Johnny Depp (obvious) Iggy Pop (band member) and Traci Lords (porn star).
I must say that up until this movie, I didn't like Johnny Depp.
That's why the plot looks a lot like 'Grease' - rebel teenager falls in love with a 'square' girl.
I would watch the movie again on mute just to see him, but unfortunately the tracking on the tape I rented is so bad that I can't.) It's fun to see Johnny so young and so long ago, and it's kind of amusing to see Ricki Lake pregnant as Cry-Baby's sister Pepper.
"Cry-Baby" is comedy musical that parodies movies about juvenile delinquency and teens in the fifties, like "Grease" or "Rebel Without a Cause".
It has an entertaining story, great music, and choreography, and well-developed characters, played by charismatic actors, among which are Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop, Tracy Lords, and Willem Dafoe.
Some examples that I liked about the movie were when Johnny Depp and his gang get out of their car and just get rough and tough with the squares.
This is one of the oddest high school musical comedy films you'll ever see - even stranger than the Grease movies.Johnny Depp is Cry-baby.
Her (ex)-boyfriend does not like the idea and seeks revenge on Cry-baby.Quite a bit of comedy - some sexy scenes - lots of musical numbers keep this film as a fan favorite.6/10.
Trouble brews in a small Baltimore town when pretty 'square' Alison (Amy Locane) falls for bad-boy 'drape' Cry-Baby (Johnny Depp), so called because of the single tear he sheds every time he does something rotten.Following the success of Hairspray (1988), cult director John Waters continues to flirt with mainstream movie-making with this trailer-trash musical, a gloriously campy effort inspired by '50s rock 'n' roll movies that boasts an extremely colourful cast, including rocker Iggy Pop, ex-porn-star Traci Lords, Waters regular Mink Stole, notorious kidnap victim Patricia Hearst, Warhol acolyte Joe Dallesandro, future chat-show host Ricki Lake, and '50s heart-throb Troy Donahue, plus a small but memorable role for Willem Dafoe.It kinda goes without saying that the film is just as kooky as its collection of off-beat performers suggests, with lots of crazy comedy, a touching love story, and plenty of well-executed musical numbers (Depp and Locane lip-synch—probably not a bad thing—but the songs are great).
Cult wizard John Waters' first major studio film at the heels of the moderate success of HAIRSPRAY (1988), CRY-BABY is Johnny Depp's springboard from small screen to silver screen in his salad days.It is 1954 in Baltimore, Wade Walker, aka, Cry-Baby (Depp) is the leader of the "drapes" gang, a group of delinquents including the core five, Cry-Baby, his litter sister Pepper (Lake), a chubby teenage mother of two and expecting a third, "bad girl" Wanda (the pornography actress Lords), the facially disfigured Gothic-looking Hatchet Face (McGuire) and her boyfriend Milton (Burrows).
I've gotta admit I was always skipping this film because it doesn't really sound like a great movie and stuff but when I gave it a try it wasn't bad as I thought it was although I feel awkward watching it like I can't help myself but hit the pause button for every single time and just recover myself from the awkwardness, I don't know Johnny Depp is kind of a bit wild and weird in this movie -in all of his movies this one is the weirdest if everyone thinks he is weird for portraying Edward Scissorhands, the mad hatter or jack sparrow then they probably have not seen this movie yet because it is the weirdest movies he had.
The movie is a parody of 50's teen rebel films and it spoofs musicals like Grease.
It's Johnny Depp who carries the film with his charm and good looks making fun of our conception of the cool rebel character, which in a way is the way audiences conceive the actor in real life.
In 1954 Baltimore bad boy Cry Baby (Johnny Depp) falls for sweet and innocent Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane).
She also falls for him to the horror of her mother (Polly Bergen perfectly cast) and her boyfriend who will do anything to get her back.This movie was obviously made to recreate the success of John Waters' earlier film "Hairspray" which was a huge hit.
Depp is fun in his first movie; Locane is very sexy; Ricki Lake is having a great time; Traci Lords wisely kids her porn star image.
Moreover he assembles a splendid cast that includes Johnny Depp, a very young Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Kim McGuire, Darren Burrows and Stephen Mailer.
If you are someone who is a big John Waters fan or has a unique and really good sense of humor, this will be a movie you'll love.
I watched "Cry-Baby" for two reasons: it was Johnny Depp's breakthrough role, his first lead after the TV series he did; and after watching (and thoroughly enjoying) "Serial Mom," I wanted to see what else John Waters had to offer.
Johnny Depp gives a great performance as a 'juvenile delinquent' falling for a good girl.
I love other Waters movies (Polyester is hilarious) but Cry-Baby is my favourite.
As with a typical John Waters' movie, it has a satirical edge and somewhat exaggerated characters, but is all good fun.
Slightly funny and musically entertaining movie that has Johnny Depp (not that well known then) as a delinquent who falls in love with a girl who wants to be bad.
that should be me hes kissing)if your a huge johnny Depp fan just like me u will love this film ! |
tt3332064 | Pan | In the opening scene, a young woman named Mary (Amanda Seyfried) brings her baby to the steps of the Lambert Home For Boys in London. She leaves the boy with a note and a necklace of a pan flute. Mary kisses her baby, Peter, and tells him she loves him before leaving.12 years later.Peter (Levi Miller) is still living at the Lambert Home, and he has only one friend, Nibs (Lewis MacDougall). Their time is made miserable by the cruel nun Mother Barnabas (Kathy Burke). Peter figures out that Barnabas is hoarding extra food for herself, so he and Nibs break into her office and uncover her stash of extra food and coins. The boys go into her private records and find Peter's file, which contains a letter from Mary that reaffirms her love for her son and says they will see each other again, in this world or another.While the boys sleep at night, some are snatched up into the air by men coming down on tethers. They were summoned by Barnabas, who raised a pirate flag at the top of the orphanage. Peter sees Nibs being grabbed, so he runs to save his friend. Peter ends up being taken after Barnabas kicks him into the path of one of the pirates. The boys are out on the ship, but Nibs jumps off and lands on the roof. As the ship flies toward the sky, Royal Army planes fly after the ship and shoot at it. The planes retreat once the ship rises above the clouds.Peter ties himself to the ship to keep from falling out. He floats through space and touches Saturn before getting yanked back to the ship. It flies all the way to Neverland. There, the boys are brought before a large quarry where the workers are singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Atop another floating ship emerges the dreaded pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman). He tells the boys they are digging for fairy dust in the mines.While working, Peter meets James Hook (Garrett Hedlund), an older man and fellow slave worker that's been there as long as he can remember, and that's why he's grumpy and disillusioned. Peter then finds a rock of fairy dust that an older man swipes from him. Peter argues with the man and insults his cohorts, leading to Blackbeard making Peter walk the plank along with two other boys that misbehaved. Blackbeard kicks Peter off the plank, but as he falls, Peter suddenly starts flying, to everyone's surprise, until he drops to the ground.Peter wakes up in a room in Blackbeard's ship. The pirate walks in and tells Peter of a prophet that states that a boy who can fly will fight Blackbeard and kill him. Peter says he doesn't believe in bedtime stories.Hook gets Peter and his accomplice Mr. Smee (Adeel Akhtar) to escape and try to make their way to one of Blackbeard's boats, on the condition that Hook helps Peter find his mother. They ride a cart up to the floating boats, only to get pulled back by Blackbeard's right hand man Bishop (Nonso Anozie). Peter cuts the wire and sends himself, Hook, and Smee toward one of the boats.The three ride the boat into the forest to find the natives. They are caught by a group of the natives, led by Princess Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara). Hook and Smee are almost executed until the Chief (Jack Charles) notices the pan flute around Peter's neck. Because the pan is the symbol of their tribe, the natives bow to Peter. Tiger Lily explains to Peter that his mother fell in love with the fairy prince, which made Blackbeard jealous, though it also means that Peter is part fairy. The natives helped bring Mary to the fairy kingdom to protect her, so that's where Peter can find her. Now, they just want to prove that Peter really is her son, so he needs to fly. However, Peter is unable to recreate the same flight as before, causing him to lose hope.Blackbeard and his men attack the natives after Smee cowardly gives away the location of the heroes. The pirates battle the natives, and Blackbeard ends up killing the Chief. He finds Peter and reveals that he killed Mary. Peter escapes with Hook and Tiger Lily.The three head toward the fairy kingdom on a raft. Peter is devastated to learn that Tiger Lily lied to him about his mother. Suddenly, a large crocodile attacks the group. Peter falls into the water and is dragged to the bottom by the crocodile, until a trio of mermaids (all played by Cara Delevignge) send the croc away and bring Peter back up to the surface. Peter then has a vision of his mother as a warrior, leading the natives and fairies to safety from Blackbeard. He sees Mary fighting Blackbeard until the pirate ran her through with his sword, and he screamed in regret and sorrow. Later, Hook leaves the two because he doesn't want to be there when they lose the battle.Peter and Tiger Lily locate the fairy kingdom, but unfortunately, Blackbeard had followed them. He takes the pan necklace from Peter and uses it as the key to enter the fairy kingdom. He ties the heroes to the ship as they enter. The fairies fly around the good guys, and Peter befriends one such fairy named Tinker Bell. The heroes break free and fight the pirates, with Hook returning on his own ship to join the battle. The three fight the pirates, with Hook taking on Bishop while Tiger Lily fights Blackbeard. Smee escapes on a boat. Hook's ship tilts over, causing Bishop to fall to his death in the abyss, while Hook hangs on. Realizing he won't make it, he lets go. Blackbeard taunts Peter until the boy jumps and flies to rescue Hook. After doing so, the fairies help fight the pirates, sending them off the ships to their doom. The fairies then swarm all over Blackbeard and cause his ship to crash into a wall, plunging it into the abyss, taking Blackbeard with it.A vision of Mary appears to Peter. He still doesn't believe he is the hero that was prophecized, but his mother disagrees and restates her love for her son, calling him her little "Peter Pan." As she disappears, Tiger Lily hugs Peter.The heroes return to London on Hook's new ship, the Jolly Roger, to gather Nibs and the rest of the orphaned boys to become the new Lost Boys, to the anger of Barnabas. As they fly back to Neverland, Peter asks Hook if they'll always be friends. Hook responds: "Sure. What could go wrong?" | fantasy, murder, violence, good versus evil, absurd, humor, action, psychedelic, revenge, sci-fi | train | imdb | If there was a more awkward movie than Pan released in the last few years I'd certainly like to know about it as Joe Wright's big budgeted wannabe franchise starter is a lavishly coloured and extravagant picture that lacks knowledge of what it actually wants to be or who in fact it's aimed at and judging by the films flopping at the box office the world over, it seems as though audiences too struggled to figure out who should be watching this revamping of J.M Barrie's classic material or why they should be watching it.Tonally all over the place and with a story that seems to meander about the motions until a highly lacking finale and lack of answers regarding certain story questions (a glaring one being how Hook and Pan in fact become enemies as they are adventures together here), for the first time in his quietly impressive directing career Wright seems completely lost within his narrative and fails to liven up proceedings despite throwing every known colour onto the screen, plopping in Nirvana songs and letting many of his actors ham it up to level 11 to try and cover up the fact Pan's story is actually rather dull in a world that should be anything but.Our Pan here is played by newcomer Levi Miller and the poor young performer labours in his first major turn injecting Peter with neither the charm, smarts nor emotion that was needed for the role.
The films only saving grace acting wise is Hugh Jackman who has a blast playing Blackbeard the fearsome pirate who will stop at nothing to collect that sought after pixie dust but while he has fun it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense having Blackbeard in this beloved tale.Whilst normally it would not be something called out for by the masses it would've actually been nice for Pan to stick more closely to the original Peter Pan story that has enchanted readers and viewers for decades upon decades and while its commendable for a big budget film to take such a risk on a new take on a well-trod property, Pan is a stinging reminder of what can go wrong when money is thrown all over the place and scripts seem doctored to tick off as many set piece wish lists as possible and for the first time in his career Joe Wright has crafted an almost irredeemably bad piece of cinematic entertainment.All those seeking a Peter Pan fix are much better off seeking out a copy of Disney's beloved animated take or even the similarly styled Steven Spielberg event Hook.1 ½ awkwardly used Nirvana song out of 5.
The story focuses heavily on this boy's fate, and although he can seem rough at some scenes, he brings a commendable performance as the lead.Graphical prowess plays important role, almost too much, and on its better parts Pan definitely has the stylish charm of fantasy vista.
The film had its world premiere in London on September 20, 2015.Plot Of The Movie: The story of an orphan named Peter Pan (Levi Miller) who is spirited away to the magical Neverland.
There, he finds the fun and dangers in this world where he meets James Hook (Garrett Hedlund) and helps to fight the evil pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman).Truly an excellent family movie..
I liked the inclusion of modern music but instead of making it a theme with a story nope you get one cool song and then generic music for the rest of the film.(I know there was another one but it sucked) Damn you Warner Bros for greenlighting this garbage.Im giving this a 1/10 because of how insultingly wasteful they were with such a great idea.
Went to this movie without knowing Hugh Jackman was the black-beard.The best Pan i had ever seen in my life,Hugh Jackman outstanding!.Great movie and must watch.i hope there will be any sequel.Living a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter (Levi Miller) finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of Neverland.
They truly did an outstanding job creating a fresh way to present Peter Pan. This movie is a prequel that I feel definitely did an outstanding job filling in the questions we have about the loved character Peter Pan. The visual effects and design were amazing, in my opinion the movie looked as good as Avatar.
So while I realize that there's a lot of things that are problematic about the book, I still think there's incredible value in a story that suggest to children that viewing their own inevitable deaths as "an awfully big adventure."If you are not a person who appreciates Peter Pan, don't go see the film.
If you are going to watch this movie you must know it's not a remake of Peter Pan, this is a story about who Peter Pan actually is, how he became "the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" and how Hook became Captain Hook and who princess Tiger Lily is.It's amazingly beautiful and the soundtrack is phenomenal!
Ignore the negative reviews, leave the grumpy adult at the door and enjoy.NB: we saw this in 3D , and it was exceptionally good use of 3D visuals, I've seen a lot of 3D films (have 3D TV setup at home too) and rate this very highly for effects, I actually jumped/ducked on quite a few occasions!.
I have just reached home from the cinema, and want to go back so I can watch it all over again.I was able to watch this film in 3D boy did it stimulate my acrophobia,there was some view and angles from some amazing heights that I literally held my breath at times,The film had some truly amazing sets,and scenery with a melody of vibrant colors and musicality from you entered into Neverland, with the aforementioned heights and the displays of camera movements to fully embrace the dreamy state of it all was beautifully doneIt was great to see this rendition of Peter pan answering such questions as,why Pan is able to fly?
The Warner Brothers live-action feature, Pan, is an amazing film that is a great prequel to Peter Pan. This story starts when infant Peter (Levi Miller) is dropped off at a boys' orphanage by his mother.
I think he does a good job playing this mischievous boy who wants to know where he comes from and where he's headed.Pan is a beautiful film full of fun and adventure - giant crocodiles jumping high into the air, beautiful mermaids gliding through the water and pirate ships sailing through the sky.
The music is absolutely enchanting and the visual effects are gorgeous; one scene in particular, though barely a minute long, has a beautiful combination of music, cinematography, and character intensity.Fans of the source material may not like the changes they made, but try to watch this movie with the unbridled ambition of a child's imagination and judge the movie as a movie on its own merits first...
The story has too much repetitive fighting against Blackbeard and not enough use of the prequel to establish the main characters of Peter Pan like how Captain Hook got the way he did, Wendy, Tinkerbell etc.
Kid's Korner rating: 2.75 stars* Parent's Rating: 3 starsDo you know the story of Peter Pan, the legendary tale from J.M. Barrie about Wendy, Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, Neverland and the boy who could fly?
Wright provides the magical land that would be expected of the J.M. Barrie story, but like Peter and James Hook in the film, the director seems to get lost along the way.
Children and parents can enjoy the film together, but an explanatory discussion will be in order in the car ride home afterwards.As an origins story, The writers were not original in where they pulled their source material for Pan, which is not a bad thing.
Even though the overall story is a bit confusing at times, this film production paves the way for many discussions on who Peter is meant to represent and who the true Saviour of the world is for all of us.Dad asked the question on the ride home, 'What did we think of the film?' What was up with the Nirvana song in the introduction of Blackbeard.
Writer Jason Fuchs and director Joe Wright (Atonement, Hanna) have created a Peter Pan "origin" story that lacks any touch of whimsy or enchantment from the original books or the numerous film adaptations: the 1953 Disney animated classic, the 1991 Steven Spielberg/Robin Williams/Dustin Hoffman vehicle, the underrated 2003 live action version from director P.J. Hogan, or even last year's Live TV broadcast featuring Allison Williams as Peter.This one begins with a talented Parkour-enabled Mother (Amanda Seyfried) dropping off her infant son on the steps of an orphanage.
Chased by the pirate captain Blackbeard, played by Hugh Jackman, Peter finds new friends Hook, played by Garrett Hedlund, and Tiger Lily, played by Rooney Mara and answers about his family.As the movie ends several different questions are left up in the air.
Actor/writer young Jason Fuchs (using JM Barrie's characters) and director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, Hanna, Anna Karenina) have put together a prequel for Barrie's PETER PAN, cast a fine group of actors, included enough animation to bring the fairytale aspects to life, and the result is not only a fine film, but a very reasonable explanation for how Peter became Peter Pan.The line from the script that may answer the naysayers as to whether this story is plausible is, 'If you don't believe, Peter, then neither will they.' Opening in England during WW II and the London blitz 12-year-old Peter (Levi Miller, an excellent actor!) is an orphan having been left as a baby on the doorsteps of a Catholic orphanage by his mother (Amanda Seyfried).
One incredible night, Peter is likewise whisked away from the orphanage and spirited off to a fantastical world of pirates, warriors and fairies called Neverland where he is befriended by Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara), a new friend in James Cook (Barrett Hedlund), and encounters the pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman).
Amidst the fun and danger, Peter ultimately discovers his destiny -- to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.This is a film of fantasy and requires releasing disbelief in order to become involved with the premise of a prequel to Peter Pan. The acting, musical score, direction and special effects add to the spectacle – which in the end s simple a lovely little fairytale rethought..
Is like putting a romance out of nowhere in the film and then never talk about it, it just happened and now we have to deal with it.The dialogue is quite bad, the performances are not good (aside from one, but i will get there in a moment), Hugh Jackman gives a weird performance, and so does Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, poor thing, she does the best she can with what she has (which is barely something), but thats it, the performances are like this mainly because they don't have nothing to work with.
I came into this movie without any prior viewing experience with any Peter Pan story or film, so consider my opinion with a grain of salt.
Perfect to check out with your kids, but you'll notice that it just a few steps away from being a great movie.The movie tells the origin story of Peter Pan, how he came to Neverland, and how he started to fly.
Prequel stories like this are very popular these days, and although the telling of the story was solid, I can't help but to prefer that they just did another remake of Peter Pan.Hugh Jackman lends is charm to the movie has the villainous Blackbeard the pirate, but he was not as charming as the dude from Tron Legacy, who plays Captain James Hook in the film.
Levi Miller is a boring Peter Pan and Garrett Hedlund a terrible Captain Hook (they're best friends in this film - they're enmity apparently comes later).
This movie had so many good elements, i thought Huge Jackman was great and i loved Levi Miller in the role of peter he was so expressive and brilliant despite his young age.
I find the movie quiet awesome.The script,the cast everything was good..I don't understand the bad rating and the awful reviews.The movie was really interesting,they showed us a whole other story..they showed us how everything begins.I loved the movie ,it was really smart,everything in place ...i was intrigued by the fact that Hook was nice person ,i found it amazing ...and some reviewers are so stupid to judge that fact ..they've been expecting just to see what the already knew ..just Peter Pan and his fight against Hook but no small minded people NO.The movie was prequel (if you don't know what that means..
Get a moment to realize that and then watch the movie.It was fantastic side of the story I've couldn't imagined being better.Some parts were very intelligent .At the beginning of the movie, the prologue and at the end the dialogue between the two stars Peter and Hook.Great job..
the film work is first rate I give it Ten Stars and a Gold Plaque for excellence in story line, plot, execution and designee of sets and costumes Levi Miller is an outstanding Peter Pan. to entertain the audience...
Movie Review: "Pan" (2015)Despite having an outstanding cast surrounding Hugh Jackman, performing as Captain Blackbeard in stellar costume and make-up and bringing together actress Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily and Garrett Hedlund, giving face to an much more humanized 20-something Captain Hook, director Joe Wright, receiving the highest Hollywood high-end of his career, nevertheless losing the strings along the way through post-production, when the editorial of a 105-Minutes seems utterly unbalanced, where only single scenes as Captain Blackbeard's amazingly performed introduction with a singing and dancing Hugh Jackman on a massive sailing ship's deck in splendid production design by Aline Bonetto can convince.FAZIT: Picture rejected (butchered)Cinemajesty Entertainments 2018.
Wright and writer Jason Fuchs feel like they've concocted a checklist of events from the beloved story of "Peter Pan," so instead of spending time on each, they rush through them in order to make a film that isn't too long, but also isn't too developed either.
Pan is fun to watch, the story line is good and in the end of the film you get that warm fussy feeling.What I didn't like is that the jokes are too forced.
I found this to be a quite enjoyable family movie derived from the Peter Pan story we all love.
Pan. Eragon hear, here we go again with yet another riveting review, of a rather awesome film by director Joe Wright, Starring Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard Garrett Hedlund as Hook, Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily, and Introducing Levi Miller as PAN, this is the backstory to the Peter Pan Saga, I thought the story was well thought out professionally executed by a 10 star Director, I thought that Pan was played by a excellent young actor Levi Miller first rate.
I was pleased that there was enough differences in the story to make it feel new, interesting and exciting as it embarks on the journey of Peter Pan & Captain Hook before the story we know so well, and answers many questions the other movies have not, but which most probably didn't need answered.Its a great adventure for kids and visually beautiful to Watch and never boring.
I do not think it was better than Peter Pan, and I prefer Hook over both especially in acting, script, and plot, but also music score and editing.All in all its a good movie I think most especially children will enjoy, but it could have been so much more and in the end does not justify the remake in my opinion..
Usually everyone loved growing up watching the various film adaptations of original work by JM Barrie's a century old creation, 'Peter Pan'.
I thought the film was colourful and had a really interesting take on the beautiful classic story of Peter Pan. However terrible choice of actor for Hook and it felt such a shame for him to have a 'thing' for Tigerlily.
But, the flying thing did not interfere with the feel of the movie more than minimally, and the rest of the settings were so well done, that I assumed it was an issue of staying within budget, so where do sacrifices have to be made.If you like a fun adventure, especially one telling a very good "origin story" of a great Disney character, then I would think you would enjoy this very much.
The story line and characters were very well thought out and very well acted (loved every actor choice!), but overall the feel of the film was like someone shoved a few too many ideas into it.
Although the movie does look great, I personally think that the director went a bit too far with the green screen and I wasn't impressed with there choice of Pan (Levi Miller).
It's an enjoyable family film that I believe critics are being too harsh on, it's an original take on the beloved Peter Pan that tells the story of how he became the "boy who never grew up", with a charming performance from Levi Miller, a young and promising actor, as well as a great supporting cast from the likes of Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund and Rooney Mara.
The idea of making him and Hook friends in the beginning isn't anything new either, in fact the exact same thing happened in the British mini- series adaptation of the Peter Pan story, Neverland.
This rendition of the story of Peter Pan is decent but there has just been so many movies doing exactly this, that I am kind of over it.
I don't think I will be watching and reviewing any other Peter Pan movies in the near future. |
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