Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. I actually liked the first H & K movie--it was gross, but it was unpretentious and funny. This one is gross and tries to be political, so it's really not all that funny. It doesn't even break any new ground with its stereotypes: southerners as inbred Klansmen? Yawn.
My problem with this film is that its joke isn't enough to sustain a feature length film. If it had been a short film, or an episode of a TV show, I think it would been much better. There were funny moments, but generally speaking, I wasn't all that impressed. (Plus, many of the jokes were pretty predictable, considering that they all followed the same pattern of suggesting one thing, then doing something else.)
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
I picked up The Battle of the River Plate in a bargain dvd bin at a supermarket yesterday. For the price of a couple of chocolate slabs I figured it would be a good buy. It turned out to be a very good (and as far as i can tell, accurate) portrayal of the sinking of the Admrial Graf Spee in December 1939. It was made by the famed Powell/Pressburger duo and starred a great ensemble cast featuring quite a few actors who went on to appear in Bond films including Bernard Lee, Christopher Lee, Patrick Macnee, Michael Goodcliffe and Douglas Wilmer. Definitely was a bargain buy.
Hitch's final film(although he had others waiting in the wings, as I understand) is a lighter cat and mouse adventure, starring, predominently, some talented character actors. This film was a re-union, of sorts, for Hitch and NBN writer Lehman, and although this film does not have that stature, it is no less enjoyable. Barbara Harris steals scenes, left and right, as a dizzy con-artist psychic. Bruce Dern is the only bit of miscasting, as he doesn't really have the leading man persona to pull off the hero bit. Unfortunately, Cary Grant wasn't available. William Devane and Karen Black, to me, are the most enjoyable aspects of the film, as gleefully romantic jewel thieves.
Flashes of classic Hitch can be seen thru-out, especially an intricately executed kidnapping set piece. Production values are first rate(sometimes too glossy for the low rent characters being depicted). Hitch keeps the entertainment breezy, so you are not reminded of his previous Frenzy. John Williams was still relatively new in films, so his music hadn't taken on the generic Star Wars/Jaws qualities of his later work. He gives knowing nods to Herrmann(as he also did in The Fury) and it is one of the better non- Herrmann soundtracks.
I give this an 8/10. It is a very good last effort for a legend. And I've seen worse grand finales to directing careers(Lang, Kubrick, Preminger, Truffaut, Ford)
Funny isn't it, the early 70s paranoia films should have been well suited to Hitch. But he didn't quite mine that fold.
Mission Impossible III
Not much to see here. To paraphrase from another Cruise film, it lost me from 'hello'. It opens with Cruise strapped to a chair for info, about to watch his generic wife be shot dead, and reacting like he's Joel trying to bargain with Guido the killer pimp in Risky Business. It's like, why would I want to suspend my disbelief over CRuise's shaky acting so I can believe some poor woman is about to get offed? ?:)
15 mins in I was ready to switch off. I don't believe in the Tom Cruise persona any more, it worked for the 1980s and 90s but those days are long gone and he's doing the same thing, it rings a bit hollow and without going into details of his private life I don't buy his leading man persona. He doesn't seem to have a real relationship much with anyone in this, save the Ving Rhames guy from before. They're just actors brought in.
It picks up a bit with two good set pieces in succession and a bridge out Florida scene that should have been in LTK, but it's all so horribly generic. They try to make it like 24 but it doesn't quite work, it reminded me of that ho hum Sean Connery film Entrapment where they go off to foreign climes to try some heist you don't honestly believe in though it looks quite nice.
I'd like to see Cruise expand his range, play a neurotic husband being cheated on, or a pompous professsorial nervy type. He just can't do that earnest, young buck schtick any more and still be interesting.
Lowbrow, and very funny comedy about a bunch of inept hick cops forced to police Miami when all other law enforcement agents are infected with a virus.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Really poor big screen outing for Jack Black and Kyle Gass's comedy band. Not surprising that this bypassed cinema's altogether in the UK.
Hitchcock's earliest experiment in the use of claustrophobic surroundings(and it doesn't get much more claustrophobic than being adrift at sea with a group of people in a small boat). The cast, led by Tallulah Bankhead(the 40s version of Mommy Dearest) is first rate ensemble. Hume Cronyn seems to be the weakest link, as his performance does get tedious. I always liked William Bendix, and he seems to be the fella I'd most like to be stuck with, as he is the most clear-thinking of the group.
The film does tend, at times, to dip into mawkish soap-opera situations, but considering the predicament, it fills the lulls. The dialogue, of course, is smart, and production values(what little there are) work. The music is fairly generic Hwood 40s. Of course, that cameo of Hitch's is worth the price of admission alone.
There was some criticism of the film, for making the German character too sympathetic, but I feel it was needed, to keep the audience off-guard. After all, this isn't Das Boot.
I give it a 7.7/10 for it's uniqueness, and effective use of plot devices.
The Man Who Never Was from 1955--a crackerjack (and mostly true) thriller about the British plot to deflect Nazi attention from the Allies' plan to invade Sicily by planting false evidence on a dead body. There are plenty of great British faces in the cast, including Geoffrey Keen and Robert Brown in their pre-Bond days. (Speaking of Bond, those unenlightened few who think Dr. No is too slow should take a look at the stately pace of this film--then they'll see how DN ramped up the action!) The only unsatisfying bits are the performances of Gloria Grahame, bringing her ditzy comic persona to an otherwise serious role, and the always-mediocre-at-best Stephen Boyd--who I've heard was actually considered for Bond! Otherwise, good movie all around.
Wasn't Ian Fleming involved in that plot? Or was it David Niven?
Night Mail
Twenty-minute documentary of sorts from the mid 1930s about the special steam train that takes the post from London to Scotland. Quite atmospheric, reminded me of The 39 Steps of the same period when Hannay flees north.
Bags of mail would hang off posts along the line and the impact of the train would knock them into a carriage where they'd get sorted en route. What they omitted to say was that a bloke could get killed if hit by one of these things and that on icy days the soot and cold air and snow would make it pretty horrible.
It includes WH Auden's poem about the night mail at the end, though the delivery is disappointing, deliberately mechanical. Another doc on the disc, Night Mail II, is set in the early 1980s it seems and just as dated in its own way.
Not a bad modern western. Directed by John Sturgis, with Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin, Walter Brennan, Anne Francis, a totally outstanding cast.
Shot in the Mojave Desert with some surrealistic effects, reminded me of paintings by John Hopper, check it out if you haven't seen it.
Ernest Borgnine is at his trademark antics, enjoyed it immensely. 9.2/10
Michel Gondry's films always interest me, especially after 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This film is no exception - equally weird and wonderful, although perhaps a little self-indulgent at times with its many dream sequences. These are, however, stunning, and really capture the feeling of a dream. And I'm becoming quite a fan of Gael García Bernal.
Dolph Lundgren directs himself in what is essentially a low-budget modernised remake of Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider. Big guy rides into town and quotes from the bible while kicking in a few heads. Sadly it’s not very good, and nowhere near the high standards set by the holy trilogy of Dolph movies, The Punisher, Dark Angel and Showdown in Little Tokyo.
Mostly black and white animated French film about a girl growing up in Iran over the last few decades, and the way the country plunges into religious extremism and repression. Not Tex Avery, that's for sure. Some funny moments early on, but it's all about a woman being beaten down by men's petty ways, the toll it takes on the family and how religious authority figures are really just jobsworths with machine guns. Mind you, watching cartoons shed tears is somehow more moving than real life actors.
As Hardyboy opined some pages back, a brilliant movie. The best for me in a long time, great fun with Brendan Gleason and Colin Farrell as two disgrunted hitmen told to lie low in the Belgian city by their gangland boss.
Perhaps, ironically, the film didn't do well because people's view of Bruges is that of Farrell's, that it's a sh** hole! Or at least, a dreary place cinematically, not sexy like Paris or Rome or Naples.
Excellent stuff and I was giggling with glee at Farrell's unPC behaviour regarding 'midgets', women and fat Americans... reprehensible but in our PC Britain, like a release of pressure in a 'I know I shouldn't laugh at this but...'. He's as wild as Brosnan is as Julian Noble, but tho I reckon Brosnan was even better, the film The Matador wasn't as good as this, sadly.
It wasn't perfect. The tone changes towards the end
as it gets too funny, and while Ralph Fiennes is a revelation as the gangland boss, he's a bit too funny too. Two funny blokes in a movie is one thing, have three and it's just a comedy. Also, it has too many climaxes, it gets too farcical and contrived towards the end, though it all has symmetry and a willingness to impress and please.
The two women in this are very sexually attractive too, not generic leading women you get in so many flicks.
I saw this again at the Prince Charles in London, which is under renovation so it's balcony only. I would have seen Indy V there today but didn't fancy it because of that, plus there was a whiney air con noise going on too.
Unequivocally , this is one of Hitchcock's finest films. 10/10 Watching this cat and mouser never ceases to entertain. Hitch contains most of the action to close quarters, as he had done, previously, in Rope, but somehow, you feel well-traveled by the final reel. The performances, by the cast, are first rate, bar none. Strangely, I am not a big fan of most of them, which is a testament to Hitch's directorial skills. Ray Milland is the most oily, conniving film villain, this side of Hannibal Lector. His early machinations and subsequent unraveling are a joy to behold. Grace Kelly never looked lovelier, and had a perfect grasp of the vulnerability of her character. Robert Cummings performed the clueless hero(who may not be that heroic) as well as he's ever done. Even John Williams cliche'ed mustache-combing British inspector seems to work in this film. Anthony Dawson, who specialized in hissable over-the-top lecherous villains, reigns it in admirably, as a shady small-time crook, trapped in Milland's designs.
The dialogue is crisp, with nothing left to chance. Especially the first half. Hitch gives us fairly straight-forward reporting, with his set-ups and photography. Hitch limits the 3D stunts he used, so as not to distract from the plot(the effect probably wasn't necessary anyway). This would have been a perfect collaboration between Hitch and Herrmann, but I have no problems with Dimitri Tiomkin's score. When people ask why they don't make good films anymore, I always think of this one.
Quite why this has been heralded as a return to form for Guy Ritchie is beyond me. I get the feeling Ritchie had little interest in revisiting this mockney gangster territory, but after the poor performances of his last two films delivering a Lock, Stock style movie probably seemed necessary.
Okay comedy with Russell Brand stealing the show as a debauched Brit rock star. I couldn't have cared less about the leading man, though the presence of Kristin Bell made me long for a fourth series of Veronica Mars.
Film noir with Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner, however in a way they aren't the stars as it's mostly in flashback. Lancaster dies in the first scene (a tense one, partly set in a roadside diner like the one in that Hanks hitman film) and from then on an insurance investigator wants to find out about this guy's history. This he does, but Burt is a muted, defeated character we don't engage with much and you had to concentrate a fair bit, plus I was downing the rose on an empty sotmach on probably the last summer evening of the year.
BTW should add a warning about the film In Bruges. For a couple of days I found it very tempting to be 'in your face rude' to people the way Farrell is in that movie...
BTW should add a warning about the film In Bruges. For a couple of days I found it very tempting to be 'in your face rude' to people the way Farrell is in that movie...
You didn't advise any large American tourists not to go on the London Eye because "you're a bunch of f*&%ing elephants," did you NP? Because that would be wrong. Quite, quite wrong.
A Guide to Recognising Your Saints
Now about half an hour in, this film was annoying me. Too much early Scorsese-style shouting and such, but it gets better as it goes on becoming a surprisingly tender rites of passage movie as New York 80's teen Dito (Shia LeBouef) strikes up a friendship with a Scots immigrant, Mike O Shea (a very likeable Martin Compston) and dreams of getting away. These scenes are undercut with scenes in the present in which a grown-up Dito (Robert Downey Jr, as fine as ever) now a successful writer, reluctantly returns to see his sick father. There's a contrast between Dito's youthful longing to escape and his adult self's understanding that where you are from is part of you and will never leave you that is intelligently realised and poignant.
On a personal level, this would get a 9/10 from me, but, based on it's rep, and the fact that I'd be burned at the stake, as a heretic, I must give this a 10/10. The reason for it's loss of esteem, IMO, is because of over-exposure, due in part, to repeated viewings, and also because of the countless parodies created over the years(Mel Brook's hilarious shower scene from High Anxiety, particularly sticks to my memory bank)and the vulgar scene-for-scene Gus Van Sant remake. On this basis, this film does not make my top 10 Hitch list. Maybe, if not viewed, or heard about, for a while, it may return to my good graces.
The grand-daddy of the slasher-horror-suspense genre, technically it is second to none. Starting with Saul Bass' simplistically effective title design, accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's compellingly edgy soundtrack, we are whisked into a wonderfully shocking noir world, so amazingly contrasting to Hitch's most recent previous works. Here, we meet Janet Leigh, who gives the signature performance of her career. Anthony Perkins trailblazing role, as Norman Bates, has weakened somewhat, for me, mostly due to the aforementioned parodies. Backup performances by Martin Balsam and Vera Miles(and to a lesser extent John Gavin) still hold strong high marks with me, tho. Hitch's bare-bones sets and bleak photography still hold up.
The importance of this film is not lost on me, as so much of it has been gleaned by so many filmmakers. It's importance, in cinematic terms, probably will never be equaled. But in my eyes, it is like a delicious gourmet meal, that must be enjoyed on rare occasions, and not devoured on a regular basis, to be appreciated.
Biopic of Edie Sedgewick, one of Andy Warhol's muses, who was probably a lot more interesting than this film portrays her. Sienna Miller tries hard, but to little effect as Sedgewick. Guy Pearce is better as a waspish, conflicted Warhol, but he's far too handsome for this role. The best part of the film is its demolition job on Bob Dylan, who is presented as being a narcissistic poser, and every bit as much of a user as Warhol. Nice hatchet job. Pity they couldn't use his real name thanks to Mr Keeping-it-real's lawyers.
Stylish 70’s thriller with Robert Mitchum as an ex-GI returning to Japan to help a friend who’s daughter has been kidnapped by the Yakuza. As with anything written by Paul Schrader, the women would be as well not turning up, because this is all about men, being macho men, and doing manly stuff. The plaudits go to Ken Takakura, as an ex-yakuza drawn back into the conflict when Mitchum reappears and asks for his help. Brilliant performance.
Career killer for Kurt Russell's A-list career and a one-way ticket to straight-to-DVD movies for Jason Scott-Lee. Yet its director Paul Anderson continues to work in Hollywood. Go figure.
As with anything written by Paul Schrader, the women would be as well not turning up, because this is all about men, being macho men, and doing manly stuff.
If I remember right, Taxi Driver contained 2 very powerful female performances in Jodie Foster's Iris and Cybil Sheppard. Obsession was one of Genevieve Bujold's biggest roles ever(and best film), Season Hubley virtually stole Hardcore right out from under George C. Scott's nose, and I can't even think about the Cat People remake without thinking of Nastassja Kinski. Cathy Moriarty gave a very strong performance in Raging Bull, Patty Hearst was about the most infamous woman of the 70s and American Gigolo would have been Midnight Cowboy without the actresses.
Mosquito Coast, Cat People, Affliction, Bringing out the Dead, Hardcore and Auto-Focus all presented weak male characters manipulated by forces beyond their control. As could be argued about Travis Bickle, Jake LaMotta and Julian Kaye.
I guess you meant Blue Collar and Rolling Thunder.
Shine a Light, Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert film. Given the shape the Stones are in, it was a bit like watching Night of the Living Dead: The Musical, but, dammit, those old farts still know how to rock and I had a good time. There were also some nifty guest performances by Jack White (yes, that Jack White) on "Loving Cup," Buddy Guy on "Champagne and Reefer"--actually an old Muddy Waters number, and Christina Aguilera on "Live with Me." Recommended!
German movie from 1980s I think, about a teenager who starts to investigate her small town's role in World War II and finds certain archives in the library barred to her, and evokes some unneighbourly reactions from the older generation around her.
It's done in a stylised way, a bit like Perspolis at first, it's about 30 minutes in when her history project gets underway. Hard not to get carried along by her mission, though the day after it seems a bit so what? A groundbreaking film for Germany, however, in that it attempts to address its past.
And I just saw a film in which Germany (well, it's produced by Austrians) addresses its past--Die Fälscher, aka The Counterfeiters. This is one of the most unique Holocaust dramas I've ever seen, focusing on a group of concentration camp inmates who, because of their artistic and printing abilities, are put on a top-secret project to counterfeit pounds, dollars, and passports. In exchange for this, the prisoners are given good quarters, plenty of food, and far more liberal treatment than others. The men, of course, are torn between enjoying life while they can and feeling guilty over leaving family and friends in places like Auschwitz and Birkenau. Good on every level.
As with anything written by Paul Schrader, the women would be as well not turning up, because this is all about men, being macho men, and doing manly stuff.
If I remember right, Taxi Driver contained 2 very powerful female performances in Jodie Foster's Iris and Cybil Sheppard. Obsession was one of Genevieve Bujold's biggest roles ever(and best film), Season Hubley virtually stole Hardcore right out from under George C. Scott's nose, and I can't even think about the Cat People remake without thinking of Nastassja Kinski. Cathy Moriarty gave a very strong performance in Raging Bull, Patty Hearst was about the most infamous woman of the 70s and American Gigolo would have been Midnight Cowboy without the actresses.
Mosquito Coast, Cat People, Affliction, Bringing out the Dead, Hardcore and Auto-Focus all presented weak male characters manipulated by forces beyond their control. As could be argued about Travis Bickle, Jake LaMotta and Julian Kaye.
I guess you meant Blue Collar and Rolling Thunder.
I'm with both of you on this. :v
I agree with JD in that Schrader, like Scorsese, is very focused on masculinity or men in crisis.
On the other hand, although I think that Taxi Driver and Raging Bull's having strong female performances was really due to Scorsese's direction (arguably one of the absolute greatest actor's directors of all time), I do agree with Dr that several of the films that Schrader himself directed (such as Hardcore, The Comfort of Strangers, Cat People and American Gigolo) had strong female characters and/or performances.
You know, this reminds me of a joke where 2 people go to the rabbi to settle a dispute, and to each of them he says 'you are right.' His assistant turns to him and says 'but Rabbi, they can't both be right' to which the Rabbi responds, 'you are right.'
Anyway, in all seriousness, I don't think that Schrader can really be put in one box. Yes, he directed Affliction, arguably one of the all-time great representations of failing masculinity, but he also directed Cat People, which I loved but isn't exactly about masculinity.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
It could be argued that males have been predominent centerpieces of the bulk of films, since the dawn of structured cinema, regardless of the director. Especially in action genre's, females can sometimes be shuffled off into a corner, until needed. Some directors have given more equal playing time. But it is rare. The Bond films may actually have more female performances than male. Has anyone ever tabulated the male/female ratio of actors in the series?
Comments
Hitch's final film(although he had others waiting in the wings, as I understand) is a lighter cat and mouse adventure, starring, predominently, some talented character actors. This film was a re-union, of sorts, for Hitch and NBN writer Lehman, and although this film does not have that stature, it is no less enjoyable. Barbara Harris steals scenes, left and right, as a dizzy con-artist psychic. Bruce Dern is the only bit of miscasting, as he doesn't really have the leading man persona to pull off the hero bit. Unfortunately, Cary Grant wasn't available. William Devane and Karen Black, to me, are the most enjoyable aspects of the film, as gleefully romantic jewel thieves.
Flashes of classic Hitch can be seen thru-out, especially an intricately executed kidnapping set piece. Production values are first rate(sometimes too glossy for the low rent characters being depicted). Hitch keeps the entertainment breezy, so you are not reminded of his previous Frenzy. John Williams was still relatively new in films, so his music hadn't taken on the generic Star Wars/Jaws qualities of his later work. He gives knowing nods to Herrmann(as he also did in The Fury) and it is one of the better non- Herrmann soundtracks.
I give this an 8/10. It is a very good last effort for a legend. And I've seen worse grand finales to directing careers(Lang, Kubrick, Preminger, Truffaut, Ford)
Mission Impossible III
Not much to see here. To paraphrase from another Cruise film, it lost me from 'hello'. It opens with Cruise strapped to a chair for info, about to watch his generic wife be shot dead, and reacting like he's Joel trying to bargain with Guido the killer pimp in Risky Business. It's like, why would I want to suspend my disbelief over CRuise's shaky acting so I can believe some poor woman is about to get offed? ?:)
15 mins in I was ready to switch off. I don't believe in the Tom Cruise persona any more, it worked for the 1980s and 90s but those days are long gone and he's doing the same thing, it rings a bit hollow and without going into details of his private life I don't buy his leading man persona. He doesn't seem to have a real relationship much with anyone in this, save the Ving Rhames guy from before. They're just actors brought in.
It picks up a bit with two good set pieces in succession and a bridge out Florida scene that should have been in LTK, but it's all so horribly generic. They try to make it like 24 but it doesn't quite work, it reminded me of that ho hum Sean Connery film Entrapment where they go off to foreign climes to try some heist you don't honestly believe in though it looks quite nice.
I'd like to see Cruise expand his range, play a neurotic husband being cheated on, or a pompous professsorial nervy type. He just can't do that earnest, young buck schtick any more and still be interesting.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Lowbrow, and very funny comedy about a bunch of inept hick cops forced to police Miami when all other law enforcement agents are infected with a virus.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Really poor big screen outing for Jack Black and Kyle Gass's comedy band. Not surprising that this bypassed cinema's altogether in the UK.
Hitchcock's earliest experiment in the use of claustrophobic surroundings(and it doesn't get much more claustrophobic than being adrift at sea with a group of people in a small boat). The cast, led by Tallulah Bankhead(the 40s version of Mommy Dearest) is first rate ensemble. Hume Cronyn seems to be the weakest link, as his performance does get tedious. I always liked William Bendix, and he seems to be the fella I'd most like to be stuck with, as he is the most clear-thinking of the group.
The film does tend, at times, to dip into mawkish soap-opera situations, but considering the predicament, it fills the lulls. The dialogue, of course, is smart, and production values(what little there are) work. The music is fairly generic Hwood 40s. Of course, that cameo of Hitch's is worth the price of admission alone.
There was some criticism of the film, for making the German character too sympathetic, but I feel it was needed, to keep the audience off-guard. After all, this isn't Das Boot.
I give it a 7.7/10 for it's uniqueness, and effective use of plot devices.
~Pen -{
mountainburdphotography.wordpress.com
Night Mail
Twenty-minute documentary of sorts from the mid 1930s about the special steam train that takes the post from London to Scotland. Quite atmospheric, reminded me of The 39 Steps of the same period when Hannay flees north.
Bags of mail would hang off posts along the line and the impact of the train would knock them into a carriage where they'd get sorted en route. What they omitted to say was that a bloke could get killed if hit by one of these things and that on icy days the soot and cold air and snow would make it pretty horrible.
It includes WH Auden's poem about the night mail at the end, though the delivery is disappointing, deliberately mechanical. Another doc on the disc, Night Mail II, is set in the early 1980s it seems and just as dated in its own way.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Not a bad modern western. Directed by John Sturgis, with Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin, Walter Brennan, Anne Francis, a totally outstanding cast.
Shot in the Mojave Desert with some surrealistic effects, reminded me of paintings by John Hopper, check it out if you haven't seen it.
Ernest Borgnine is at his trademark antics, enjoyed it immensely. 9.2/10
Michel Gondry's films always interest me, especially after 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This film is no exception - equally weird and wonderful, although perhaps a little self-indulgent at times with its many dream sequences. These are, however, stunning, and really capture the feeling of a dream. And I'm becoming quite a fan of Gael García Bernal.
8/10
Dolph Lundgren directs himself in what is essentially a low-budget modernised remake of Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider. Big guy rides into town and quotes from the bible while kicking in a few heads. Sadly it’s not very good, and nowhere near the high standards set by the holy trilogy of Dolph movies, The Punisher, Dark Angel and Showdown in Little Tokyo.
Mostly black and white animated French film about a girl growing up in Iran over the last few decades, and the way the country plunges into religious extremism and repression. Not Tex Avery, that's for sure. Some funny moments early on, but it's all about a woman being beaten down by men's petty ways, the toll it takes on the family and how religious authority figures are really just jobsworths with machine guns. Mind you, watching cartoons shed tears is somehow more moving than real life actors.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
As Hardyboy opined some pages back, a brilliant movie. The best for me in a long time, great fun with Brendan Gleason and Colin Farrell as two disgrunted hitmen told to lie low in the Belgian city by their gangland boss.
Perhaps, ironically, the film didn't do well because people's view of Bruges is that of Farrell's, that it's a sh** hole! Or at least, a dreary place cinematically, not sexy like Paris or Rome or Naples.
Excellent stuff and I was giggling with glee at Farrell's unPC behaviour regarding 'midgets', women and fat Americans... reprehensible but in our PC Britain, like a release of pressure in a 'I know I shouldn't laugh at this but...'. He's as wild as Brosnan is as Julian Noble, but tho I reckon Brosnan was even better, the film The Matador wasn't as good as this, sadly.
It wasn't perfect. The tone changes towards the end
The two women in this are very sexually attractive too, not generic leading women you get in so many flicks.
I saw this again at the Prince Charles in London, which is under renovation so it's balcony only. I would have seen Indy V there today but didn't fancy it because of that, plus there was a whiney air con noise going on too.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Unequivocally , this is one of Hitchcock's finest films. 10/10 Watching this cat and mouser never ceases to entertain. Hitch contains most of the action to close quarters, as he had done, previously, in Rope, but somehow, you feel well-traveled by the final reel. The performances, by the cast, are first rate, bar none. Strangely, I am not a big fan of most of them, which is a testament to Hitch's directorial skills. Ray Milland is the most oily, conniving film villain, this side of Hannibal Lector. His early machinations and subsequent unraveling are a joy to behold. Grace Kelly never looked lovelier, and had a perfect grasp of the vulnerability of her character. Robert Cummings performed the clueless hero(who may not be that heroic) as well as he's ever done. Even John Williams cliche'ed mustache-combing British inspector seems to work in this film. Anthony Dawson, who specialized in hissable over-the-top lecherous villains, reigns it in admirably, as a shady small-time crook, trapped in Milland's designs.
The dialogue is crisp, with nothing left to chance. Especially the first half. Hitch gives us fairly straight-forward reporting, with his set-ups and photography. Hitch limits the 3D stunts he used, so as not to distract from the plot(the effect probably wasn't necessary anyway). This would have been a perfect collaboration between Hitch and Herrmann, but I have no problems with Dimitri Tiomkin's score. When people ask why they don't make good films anymore, I always think of this one.
Quite why this has been heralded as a return to form for Guy Ritchie is beyond me. I get the feeling Ritchie had little interest in revisiting this mockney gangster territory, but after the poor performances of his last two films delivering a Lock, Stock style movie probably seemed necessary.
Okay comedy with Russell Brand stealing the show as a debauched Brit rock star. I couldn't have cared less about the leading man, though the presence of Kristin Bell made me long for a fourth series of Veronica Mars.
Film noir with Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner, however in a way they aren't the stars as it's mostly in flashback. Lancaster dies in the first scene (a tense one, partly set in a roadside diner like the one in that Hanks hitman film) and from then on an insurance investigator wants to find out about this guy's history. This he does, but Burt is a muted, defeated character we don't engage with much and you had to concentrate a fair bit, plus I was downing the rose on an empty sotmach on probably the last summer evening of the year.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Roger Moore 1927-2017
You didn't advise any large American tourists not to go on the London Eye because "you're a bunch of f*&%ing elephants," did you NP? Because that would be wrong. Quite, quite wrong.
A Guide to Recognising Your Saints
Now about half an hour in, this film was annoying me. Too much early Scorsese-style shouting and such, but it gets better as it goes on becoming a surprisingly tender rites of passage movie as New York 80's teen Dito (Shia LeBouef) strikes up a friendship with a Scots immigrant, Mike O Shea (a very likeable Martin Compston) and dreams of getting away. These scenes are undercut with scenes in the present in which a grown-up Dito (Robert Downey Jr, as fine as ever) now a successful writer, reluctantly returns to see his sick father. There's a contrast between Dito's youthful longing to escape and his adult self's understanding that where you are from is part of you and will never leave you that is intelligently realised and poignant.
On a personal level, this would get a 9/10 from me, but, based on it's rep, and the fact that I'd be burned at the stake, as a heretic, I must give this a 10/10. The reason for it's loss of esteem, IMO, is because of over-exposure, due in part, to repeated viewings, and also because of the countless parodies created over the years(Mel Brook's hilarious shower scene from High Anxiety, particularly sticks to my memory bank)and the vulgar scene-for-scene Gus Van Sant remake. On this basis, this film does not make my top 10 Hitch list. Maybe, if not viewed, or heard about, for a while, it may return to my good graces.
The grand-daddy of the slasher-horror-suspense genre, technically it is second to none. Starting with Saul Bass' simplistically effective title design, accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's compellingly edgy soundtrack, we are whisked into a wonderfully shocking noir world, so amazingly contrasting to Hitch's most recent previous works. Here, we meet Janet Leigh, who gives the signature performance of her career. Anthony Perkins trailblazing role, as Norman Bates, has weakened somewhat, for me, mostly due to the aforementioned parodies. Backup performances by Martin Balsam and Vera Miles(and to a lesser extent John Gavin) still hold strong high marks with me, tho. Hitch's bare-bones sets and bleak photography still hold up.
The importance of this film is not lost on me, as so much of it has been gleaned by so many filmmakers. It's importance, in cinematic terms, probably will never be equaled. But in my eyes, it is like a delicious gourmet meal, that must be enjoyed on rare occasions, and not devoured on a regular basis, to be appreciated.
Biopic of Edie Sedgewick, one of Andy Warhol's muses, who was probably a lot more interesting than this film portrays her. Sienna Miller tries hard, but to little effect as Sedgewick. Guy Pearce is better as a waspish, conflicted Warhol, but he's far too handsome for this role. The best part of the film is its demolition job on Bob Dylan, who is presented as being a narcissistic poser, and every bit as much of a user as Warhol. Nice hatchet job. Pity they couldn't use his real name thanks to Mr Keeping-it-real's lawyers.
Stylish 70’s thriller with Robert Mitchum as an ex-GI returning to Japan to help a friend who’s daughter has been kidnapped by the Yakuza. As with anything written by Paul Schrader, the women would be as well not turning up, because this is all about men, being macho men, and doing manly stuff. The plaudits go to Ken Takakura, as an ex-yakuza drawn back into the conflict when Mitchum reappears and asks for his help. Brilliant performance.
Career killer for Kurt Russell's A-list career and a one-way ticket to straight-to-DVD movies for Jason Scott-Lee. Yet its director Paul Anderson continues to work in Hollywood. Go figure.
If I remember right, Taxi Driver contained 2 very powerful female performances in Jodie Foster's Iris and Cybil Sheppard. Obsession was one of Genevieve Bujold's biggest roles ever(and best film), Season Hubley virtually stole Hardcore right out from under George C. Scott's nose, and I can't even think about the Cat People remake without thinking of Nastassja Kinski. Cathy Moriarty gave a very strong performance in Raging Bull, Patty Hearst was about the most infamous woman of the 70s and American Gigolo would have been Midnight Cowboy without the actresses.
Mosquito Coast, Cat People, Affliction, Bringing out the Dead, Hardcore and Auto-Focus all presented weak male characters manipulated by forces beyond their control. As could be argued about Travis Bickle, Jake LaMotta and Julian Kaye.
I guess you meant Blue Collar and Rolling Thunder.
German movie from 1980s I think, about a teenager who starts to investigate her small town's role in World War II and finds certain archives in the library barred to her, and evokes some unneighbourly reactions from the older generation around her.
It's done in a stylised way, a bit like Perspolis at first, it's about 30 minutes in when her history project gets underway. Hard not to get carried along by her mission, though the day after it seems a bit so what? A groundbreaking film for Germany, however, in that it attempts to address its past.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I agree with JD in that Schrader, like Scorsese, is very focused on masculinity or men in crisis.
On the other hand, although I think that Taxi Driver and Raging Bull's having strong female performances was really due to Scorsese's direction (arguably one of the absolute greatest actor's directors of all time), I do agree with Dr that several of the films that Schrader himself directed (such as Hardcore, The Comfort of Strangers, Cat People and American Gigolo) had strong female characters and/or performances.
You know, this reminds me of a joke where 2 people go to the rabbi to settle a dispute, and to each of them he says 'you are right.' His assistant turns to him and says 'but Rabbi, they can't both be right' to which the Rabbi responds, 'you are right.'
Anyway, in all seriousness, I don't think that Schrader can really be put in one box. Yes, he directed Affliction, arguably one of the all-time great representations of failing masculinity, but he also directed Cat People, which I loved but isn't exactly about masculinity.