That is the general vibe I get from this film. It's a good movie on paper but it just fails to properly address race relations in the 1960's. I can think of many better movies about racism in America. Movies that aren't afraid like the creators of "The Help" were. This having a higher rating than "Do The Right Thing" proves how watered down IMDB users like their movies.
Reviews
59 Reviews
The Sting
(1973)
"C' Mon Linneman I was just starting to do good"
19 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This line uttered by Henry Gondorf during Doyle Lonnegan's card game is the perfect example of the witty humor you will find in this Best Picture winner. This film Directed by the underrated George Roy Hill revolves around small time swindler Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford). After his friend Luther (Robert Earl Jones) is murdered at the hands of notorious crime boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), Hooker enlists the help of famous swindler Henry Gondorf (Paul Newman). Gondorf and Hooker decide to get back at Lonnegan by using the big con. This plan involves a high stakes card game, creating a book with phony horse races and even the "FBI". Through all of this, Hooker is being chased by a dirty cop working for Lonnegan (Charles Durning). What a plot! But that's not all that's great about this movie. The acting by Redford, Newman and Shaw is also great. Not to mention the great adapted score. Although to some, the score might be more reminiscent of the 1910's, I believe it fits perfectly with 1930's swindlers on the Chicago streets. The film editing and cinematography are also handled well along with great direction by George Roy Hill. There is a reason this film won Best Picture over classics like The Exorcist and American Graffiti. It's that good!
The Birth of a Nation
(1915)
Gross
14 January 2022
I often catch hate for loving films that clearly can be seen as offensive in modern context. The most substantial of these films being "Gone with the wind". Many ask where I'd draw the line. How ignorant can a classic film be to get my disapproval? Well, I have found an answer. This horribly offensive film that pretty much set back race relations in this country by 50 years did it. This movie literally paints the KKK as the good guys. It made me disregard all the great cinematography and innovative directing. Any movie that idolizes the KKK (actually this movie even partially leading to a resurgence of KKK activity) is a no in my book no matter how good it looks. Watch literally any other silent movie.
Broken Arrow
(1950)
Broken Arrow v Winchester 73
13 January 2022
Both films came out in 1950. They both star Jimmy Stewart in his first western films since the classic "Destry Rides Again" over a decade ago. "Winchester 73" shows Stewart in one of his early anti hero roles that would define his films in the 50's . "Broken Arrow" on the other hand, continued the 40's tradition of James Stewart as a morally upright man. Although I prefer Stewart's acting style in the 50's, I prefer "Broken Arrow" over "Winchester 73". "Broken Arrow" is just so ahead of it's time with it's social commentary and positive image of Native American's. A clear catalyst for later films like "Little Big man" and "Dances with wolves". "Winchester 73" on the other hand has a pretty typical negative image of Native Americans. Besides the much better message, "Broken Arrow" has much more beautiful cinematography. The only thing it truly loses
to "Winchester 73" is in acting performances. Despite maybe not being as good of an acting show, "Broken Arrow" has a great performance by Stewart and Chandler. Highly recommend. This film even competes with "The Naked Spur", "The man who shot Liberty Valance" and "Destry Rides again" (my favorite Stewart westerns).
The Wild Bunch
(1969)
"It ain't like it used to be, but it'll do"
17 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The Wild Bunch is the story of five outlaws Pike (William Holden), Dutch (Ernest Borgnine), The Gorch brothers (Warren Oates and Ben Johnson) and Angel (Jaime Sanchez) on the run against a former fellow member Thornton (Robert Ryan). Thornton is forced to work for the law otherwise he will go to jail. They escape a trap set by Thornton and head for Mexico. Along the way they pick up an old friend named Sykes (Edmond O'Brien). They hide out in Angel's village in Mexico where they meet a War General. They make a deal to steal a gun shipment from the US army and give it to the General in exchange for gold. After this deal is a success, Pike allows Angel to keep a crate of guns for himself as Angels own village needs them to fight against the General. When this is found out by the General, he takes Angel captive and tortures him. This causes The Bunch to try to rescue him leading to the greatest gunfight in movie history. In the end, the bunch (Pike, Dutch, The Gorch's and Angel) dies right as their old friend Deke Thornton arrives on the scene. Deke in the end finds Sykes and they agree to ride again although it won't be the same as riding with the old bunch. What an excellent film about the end of the old west! It truly resonates with anyone who feels the values and ideals of their generation has started to fade. Highly recommend!
Do the Right Thing
(1989)
Love and hate
5 December 2021
The scene in which Radio Raheem tells the story of love and hate is inspired by Robert Mitchum's monologue as Reverend Powell in "Night of the Hunter". Smart screenwriting like this is shown throughout the film. Great cinematography is also displayed. This study on modern race relations is so accurate it is scary. Highly recommend!
The Purge
(I) (2013)
The worst kind of movie
4 December 2021
Just awful. The concept of the purge itself isn't very interesting. Therefore this movie had to do a lot to actually make me like it. It failed to really do anything. The so called "suspense" is only derived from characters doing unrealistically stupid things. Ethan Hawks who is a 4 time Oscar nominee gives an awful performance. The kids of the family are the worst though. The daughter and her boyfriend in particular gave some horrible performances. The cinematography isn't great either. Nothing positive to say about this mess.
Love Story
(1970)
"Love means never having to say you're sorry"
1 December 2021
A nearly good film about a Harvard student and hockey player named Oliver (Ryan O'Neal) from a rich family and the girl he falls for named Jenny. She is not from a rich family and this leads to conflict between Oliver and his dad (Played by Ray Milland). Their relationship is too important to Oliver who cuts off his dad in response to his dad refusing marriage. They do get married and try to have children but are unable to do so. When seeing a doctor it is found that Jenny is terminally ill with cancer. Oliver partially reconciles with his dad to borrow 5000$ to help pay her hospital bills. In the end, Jenny dies leaving Oliver crushed. The plot of this film is simple but affective in making you said. The dialogue is lacking at times but all other aspects pull together nicely. The score specifically is great. Would recommend a watch to this film but don't expect anything more than a simple love story.
The Greatest Show on Earth
(1952)
One of the lesser best picture winners
29 November 2021
Surprising that this beat "High Noon", "Signing in the rain" (not even nominated) and "The Quiet Man" for best picture. It's still a decent film with a great cast of characters, but clearly not deserving of a best picture. Stewart and Heston are the main attraction but fine support is found all around. I particularly enjoyed the competitive trapeze acts and one sided love between Sebastian and Holly. Cecil B Demile has done much better as has the cast but it's still not bad... just disappointing.
Patton
(1970)
"When you stick your hand in a pile of goo"
27 November 2021
Classic war film covering Patton's shear brilliance as a military commander in his campaigns in North Africa, Sicily and eventually France. Patton has a large downside though, being that he is arguably completely insane. His acts of negligence such as beating a shell-shocked soldier and talking to the press negatively about Russia gets him into a lot of trouble and stops his career advancement. However, due to his tactical brilliance, he is brought back over and over. This is more than a war movie, it's a portrait of a very eccentric man who had a place in WWII but no place in post war politics. Highly recommend.
House of Gucci
(2021)
This movie is chocolate
27 November 2021
This one was tough to get through. The performances were dreadfully overplayed. Jared Leto in particular is terrible. Lady Gaga does an okay job along with Adam Driver but their characters are just boring. They need 2 hours of set up for 10 minutes of murder and they still were unable to make me interested in any character. Pacino and Irons don't do anything special either. The accents and Ad-libs are also terrible. In fact the whole script needed a major overhaul that it never saw. The film has no pacing. Avoid this film if you can.
Inception
(2010)
Basil Exposition
4 October 2021
A nearly classic that has one flaw. Too much exposition. Besides that Nolan does a great job. The sound mixing is fantastic and the special effects are nice. The acting is solid from most of the cast with the exception of Joseph Gordon Levitt. He is literally only here to explain the plot. Ellen Page, Michael Caine, Tom Berenger and of course DiCaprio do very well. The movie is confusing but if that's for you go ahead. Would recommend Inception for sure!
The Many Saints of Newark
(2021)
Look how they massacred my boy
4 October 2021
Not it. I don't mind the focus on the Newark Race Riots but it has no pay off. How did these events change Tony Soprano? The truth is they didn't. This movie told me nothing about Tony and really not too much about Dickie either. Was hoping for more on how Tony became who he was in the show.
Chinatown
(1974)
Easy 10/10
15 September 2021
The greatest neo-noir of all time. One of the best films of all time. The LA water wars were a huge part of its history and I'm happy to say this movie fictionalizes the corruption perfectly. LA is a dark place. The world is a dark place. Nicholson, Dunaway and Huston are perfect. Polanski is perfect. This movie is perfect!
The Searchers
(1956)
Anything lower than 10? That'll be the day
26 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The perfect western. Ford did an amazing job of displaying how many white Americans used hate to essentially motivate western expansion. John Wayne's Ethan Edwards is a bad man. He had a relationship with his brothers wife (which fuels his hate for Comanche after her murder and Debbies capture). He shots a dead corpse and scalps scar after he dies. Edwards is however a necessary evil for finding Debbie. He also does the right thing in the end. However, he is subjected to live on his own in the end, because he is a loner. Travis Bickle is a spitting image of this. You can see this movies inspiration everywhere. Taxi Driver, Star Wars (Uncle Owen death being similar to the raid at the beginning of the searchers) and Lawrence of Arabia (cinematography). Perfect western.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
(1987)
Do the mess around
26 July 2021
A family friendly (except for one famous scene) crazy comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy by John Hughes. Absolute laugh fest throughout the film. Candy's performance is heart warming and Martin is his perfect opposite. Would recommend this to anyone looking for a good cheap laugh with sentimental and happy overtones.
The Maltese Falcon
(1941)
The first and maybe best noir
25 July 2021
Not much to say about Falcon's greatness but I will anyway. Humphrey Bogart shines as detective Sam Spade who has to solve the murder of his partner. He is a cynical fast-talking man with a quick draw that won't fold under pressure. He finds himself immersed in a plot to find a treasured artifact. He has a femme fatale in Mary Astor who won't give him enough information to work on. He is berated by the Fat-man (Sydney Greenstreet) and his goon (Elisha Cook Jr) as well as the perfectly played Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre). Won't spoil the movie for you but just know it's the perfect film noir. Highly recommend.
On the Waterfront
(1954)
Even better than Streetcar
22 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Who would have thought they could've made a better movie than Streetcar. 1954's On the Waterfront was proof that Kazan and Brando could remake the magic again. The story of a former boxer Terry Malloy whose brother is in the mob. The mob controls all jobs at the waterfront so Terry has a good gig. He is used for favors including sending a man "Joey" to his death. Terry feels awful having thought they were just going to rough him up a bit. He gets in a relationship with Joey's sister after spying on a meeting of locals for the mob. After a man gets knocked off for testifying against the boss Johnny Friendly, Malloy decides to testify himself. Malloy's brother is tasked with bringing him in to be murdered before he testifies. When he finds his brother they talk and Terry blames Charlie for his career taking a turn. Charlie had told Terry to take a dive on a fight he could've won. "I could've had class" "I could've been a contender" "Instead of a bum which is what I am". Unbelievable scene as Charlie let's him go and sends himself to the mob without Terry. The mob kills Charlie under the orders of Johnny Friendly and makes sure Terry can't get a job anywhere. Terry meets Friendly to fight. Terry has him on the ropes but Friendly sends in his men to help. Terry comes out beaten and bruised but all of his fellow longshoreman unite against Friendly and say he won't work unless Terry does. This renders Friendly powerless as he wallows in anger. What a movie!
Team America: World Police
(2004)
Mixed feelings
22 July 2021
Their are some funny moments (puppet intercourse, blowing up Paris and saying they saved the day, throwing up in the street, Hans blix) and some good puppetry. However, sometimes this movie seems like it was directed by Tucker Carlson and written by Donald Rumsfeld. Is this an allegory for the invasion of Iraq?
2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968)
A truly perfect film
20 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
2001 has four chapters in my opinion. Chapter one is the chimpanzees and their encounter with the monolith. Chapter two is the monolith on the moon. Chapter 3 is all about HAL and the "mission to Jupiter". Chapter 4 is the mind bending end that has gained so much fame. To describe the plot of 2001 destroys the point of interpretation so I won't, but I will say why I love it. The way the movie connects human evolution to aliens is such a great plot, HAL is a great character (AI gaining human emotion is a great subject), the cinematography is also amazing and lastly the shots in space look so real. Kubrick could've gone into the future and used real footage of spaceships docking in the moon and it would look worse than in this movie. The effects and the plots deep and interpretable meaning were truly ahead of its time.
Bonnie and Clyde
(1967)
Movie history was made
17 July 2021
"Bonnie and Clyde" ushered in the new-era of Hollywood in 1967. Seeing the movie now one might not think it anything special, but the blood, the anti-hero mentality and the hail of machine gun bullets changed movies forever. Faye Dunaway gives an amazing performance as Bonnie Parker. Beatty does a swell job also along with support by Gene Hackman. This is not at all accurate to the true Bonnie and Clyde story, but that doesn't make it not great. Think of it as partially fictionalized like the film "Badlands", but even better. It is better trust me. It is one of the best films from the 1960's and probably would make my top 100 films list if I had one.
Anaconda
(1997)
Jon Voight in the middle of his mental breakdown
16 July 2021
This thing should have never been made. It's as simple as that. Not going to be a very in depth review but, it will be comedic. The film after all was a festival of comedy. The longest constricting snake in the world is about 20-22 feet give or take. These snakes are huge and don't even mention the bull excuse they give. They twirl multiple characters around like it's nothing. The constricting is mostly accurate at least and so is the part in which Jon Voight is consumed, although it looks terrible, it is accurate. This movie sucks though no way around it.
Big
(1988)
Solid Tom Hanks comedy
16 July 2021
A very solid comedy about a kid who wants to be big. He wants to impress the girl, ride the tallest rides and be a big shot. This turns out to be more than he bargained for. I won't spoil the movie but you have many great scenes like his first night out at a hotel after becoming big, his piano playing, and his newer fancier apartment turning into Michael Jackson's house. Very good movie would highly recommend.
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