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Reviews
Out of Africa (1985)
One of the great epic romances
Out of Africa is simply a masterpiece of cinematic art. This film does an exceptional job of delving into each of the characters and creating an understanding of what it is that makes all lovers and humanity itself such a difficult and complex chain of events. Meryl Streep proves once again what an acting legend she is by playing Karen Blixen, a Danish "immigrant" to Eastern Africa and how she learned to fall in love with the land, the people, and of a British hunter named Denys, played by a very American Robert Redford. Their relationship is unique and genuinely romantic, certainly one of the great epic romances of all time. Their love is a play between what your heart needs and what your head tells you what you should do with your life. In the end, their love is not of this world, it is not ours. It is a lesson in learning that nothing is forever, nothing is owned by us, not even the love we create for ourselves and then discard. This earth, represented so well by Africa, owns everything we think we have, and ultimately, like Denys, we all go back to whence we come. Out of Africa is a gorgeously filmed movie, with some of the most spectacular scenery ever recorded on film. The flying over Africa scene is romance and adventure next to none. The film score by John Barry is certainly one of the best of all time, and it perfectly captures the romantic grandeur of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, and their glorious attempt at forever possessing each other's heart, only to learn that their love is not to remain constant, just like the beauty of the African savannah is not to be consistent. A romantic, visual, musical, and historical masterpiece, Not to be missed.
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Simply one of the greatest unsung war movies ever made
A Bridge Too Far was the first WWII movie I saw which actually depicted a German victory. There is none of the fake bravura and over glorifiying of Allied forces that the American audience is so used to. The all star cast is something of a rarity in Hollywood nowadays. Even though most of the stars had to share a little screen time, they made the most of it and turned their characters into something worthwhile to watch. The war scenes were terrific and well shot. The battlefield cinematography was beautiful, with my favorite being Robert Redford's crossing of the river by boat while continually muttering Hail Mary full of grace. This film has the perfect blend of bravura, sentimentality, and tragedy, and even a bit of comedy. In short, A Bridge Too Far depicted a human experience. Operation Market Garden was one of the unsung battles of WWII. This film is a moving and glorious tribute to those who died for one of the greatest causes in history. A must have for any war movie buff.
Titanic (1997)
Once More Into Movie Legend
Yes, Titanic is a rather simple film in terms of storyline and character depth. It is cliched and predictable. But even with this, Titanic is simply one of the most entertaining and engrossing fairy tales of all time. It is truly one of Hollywood's greatest guilty pleasures. Those who negatively criticize it do so simply because the film is popular. A lot of wannabe movie experts tend to look down upon it because it is their sophomoric opinion that anything popular or mainstream is simply not as good as the less popular art house or independent films. As much as I love these small independent films, I still believe that Titanic has a special quality to it which gives it an almost magical essence. It's hard not to like this film, assuming you can put all your jaded and cynical views aside. A film like this comes along once every blue moon, and millions of movie goers around the world did well to make it into one of the most popular films of all time.
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988)
A Magnificent Movie
This is my favorite film of all time. I first saw it in college while in my friend's dorm room. It was a rental, and I had the unfortunate experience of missing it in the movie theater. I expected little from it, but with every minute that goes by, the film draws you deeper and deeper through its charm alone. It's sweet and sentimental, romantic and a tad cynical ("Life is not like the movies - It is much harder and difficult") First love leads to lost love, memories serve as sad reminders of happier times, the ones you love are fading away. These themes are all played out in a charming montage of sublime scenes, each lovely word of dialogue revealing the pain and loneliness we all feel, the very loneliness which continually draws us to the movies to begin with. It is the movies which are some of the happy moments in life, it is the cinema which literally brings us all together, and for one transcendent moment, it is paradise.
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
Reliving the memories
I first this film on video in my young teenage years. The main reason I remember this film to this very day, even though I have not seen it since today, is that I fell totally in love with Sophie Ward. It was something about her beauty and innocence which I never forgot. I just bought the movie recently and saw it again. The film is classic 80's Spielberg. Even though he did not direct it, the film has his signature all over it. I loved the way London was portrayed, as a gothic and beautiful winter setting. The plot was a bit contrived, with the identity of the evil cult leader becoming increasingly obvious at mid-film. It was heartbreaking to see Elizabeth die, and it would have been a better film if there was more of a focus on her character. Nevertheless, this is a film best seen when you're young. A fairly good film, and something worth keeping as a token of your teenage golden years.