Change Your Image
stp_44720
Reviews
Bully (2001)
sad but true
Larry Clark, that voyeur of teenage decadence, has done it again Bully, easily one of the best movies this year. This true story of a group of socially retarded hedonists who murder one of their own, a twisted sociopath who rapes women who won't watch gay porn with him, is top notch. Calrk directs with a total sense of perversity as these aimless adolescents screw, drink, murder, and rape with raw abandon. Marty (Brad Renfro) is a high school drop out who has long been dominated by his sadistic friend Bobby. There is a disturbing undercurrent of homosexuality to their strange friendship (Bobby forces Marty to work on a gay phone sex line and rapes his girlfriend for kicks). Its not long before Marty and His new girlfreind begin to hatch a plot to murder this wannabe Marquis De Sade. Bully is an extremely graphic film, built to show you a world you would rather know nothing about. Yet, I'm sure it's a dark trip you won't soon forget, unlike your usual diet of Rush Hour 2 and Bandits. Enjoy!
Conspiracy (2001)
enthralling
This brilliant little film is just the type of work HBO is becoming
known for. The story of how the top Nazi and SS brass gathered together
in 1942 to decide the fate of European Jewry is stunning. The banality
and bureaucracy of evil is given full rein here. In particular Stanley
Tucci as Adolph Eichmann and Kenneth Branagh as Reinhard Heydrich the
"Butcher of Prague" are unforgettable. The film is staged quite like a
play with the principal action being confined to a couple of rooms. The
central act of the film decides how the "Final Solution" to the Jewish
question is solved. The dialogue in most scenes is sure to terrify as
mass murder, sterilization, and genocide are reduced to such words as
"evacuation", "cleansing", and "removal". This is a rare picture
indeed, a T.V. movie that rises above anything your bound to see at the
multiplex.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
utterly devastating
The multi-talented Darren Aronofsky follows up 1998's Pi with perhaps, the greatest film this year. The story of how searching for dreams in
the wrong places and utter horror of the drug world is nothing short of brilliant. The elder woman of the story (Ellen Burstyn) is ageing and alone. Her wish of being loved and important in someone's life is almost granted in an invitation to appear on t.v. Her attempts to crash diet for her alleged fifteen minutes go from hilarious to downright painful.
Jared Leto appears as Burstyn's drug addicted son. His dream of starting his own business and marrying his lover (Jennifer connely) go equally awry. His "partner" (Damon Wayans) is a small time hustler that attempts to move up in the drug world, all the time a junkie himself.Leaving the theater, I felt truly jarred. The final scenes of the film stayed with me for days. If there was any justice this film would have come away with more than just one nomination, while Gladiator basks in 10! A Requiem indeed.
Hannibal (2001)
Dante's Dream
Dante Alighieri would probably be pleased in the bizarre universe that is Hannibal. The film as well as the characters seem to occupy one of
the lower circles of hell. In this outing the regal Anthony Hopkins
matches wits with a vengefully, wealthy, pedophile. Gary Oldman (in an uncredited performance) brings lasting disgust as Mason Verger who's only point in life is revenge against Lecter. In the middle of this
byzantine plot is Julianne Moore as disgraced agent Clairce Starling. Lecter is in splendor retirement in Florence Italy. He is also being followed by a struggling police detective who has discovered Lecters identity. In Lambs Lecter was evil personified and captured the whole film indelibly. Hannibal is exploration of the dark undercurrent of that film. The intensely brutal happenings in Hannibal are sure to have people talking for some time. The grandiose and sickening finale sum up the whole picture. It's a new version of our cultured cannibal, love it or hate it.
DEFCON-4 (1985)
unfairly dismissed
One of the better eighties post-apocalyptic films was and is Def Con 4. It bombed in 1985 but has gone on to gain a small cult following. It is the story of three astronauts, one in particular, who witness war and nuclear holocaust from a satelite. The space footage is well shot and a genuine sense of dread reigns as we watch them contemplate the deaths of their families and of civilization.
When their satelite is forced to land they fall into a nuclear wasteland fillled with armed militants and plague ridden cannibals. This is perhaps one of the dirtiest looking movies of its day, which rather adds to the already oppresive atmosphere. Unfortunately Def Con runs out of steam toward the somewhat hurried finale. Yet if your not easily put off by the brutal tone of the movie, its science fiction worthy of 90 minutes of your life.
Giant (1956)
Giant indeed
Perhaps one of the few great 50's epics to stand the test of time. Giant is indeed epic, in it's length at two hundred minutes and it's grandeur in telling the story of three generations of Texas cattle ranchers. The story of Big "Bick" Benedict and his fiery wife Leslie Lynnton is just the lead in to surprisingly poignant tale of racial tolerance, women's lib and ambition gone awry.
Bick Benedict is an old fashion Texas rancher who has a plan. He's looking for a proper Texas wife to raise a family and a son to carry on the family ranching legacy. It's quite a sight to behold as his plans and old style values are challenged and turned upside down by a changing family. James Dean provides the counterpoint with his oscar nominated final role as Bick's life long rival.
It was rare thing for such a big budgeted fifties picture to readily portray the questioning of long held values and prejudices. This cinematic courageousness is perhaps the one thing that keeps Giant in the forefront of films from that period. It accomplishes this despite some stiff dialogue and atrocious makeup effects. James Dean remains a splendor to watch as Jett Rinker in a driven, haunting role. A baby faced Dennis Hooper appears as Bick's headstrong son as well as a cameo from the doomed Sal Mineo.
Shock Waves (1977)
An old drive in treat
Unlike some of the refuse that passes for modern horror, Shock Waves continues to be unique. This avantgarde Cult classic also saw the return of Peter Cushing to horror in high style. Cushing was a Nazi officer In charge of an SS experiment in creating underwater zombies. As ww2 ends Cushing sinks his ship and crew near a remote island. Thirty years later an eclectic group of tourists crash on the same island freeing the blond, goggled, rotting troopers. A great low budget atmoshphere and original music throughout as John Carradine and his crew are relentlessly stalked by the underwater Nazi dead. A rare emphasis on chills and not gore make this a dusty gem,well worth a look.
Summer of Sam (1999)
bronx bull
One of Spike Lee's greatest films is outside of his usual vernacular of cinematic visions. The story revolves around the brutal killing spree of the Son of Sam in 1977. However, this is not the focal point of the movie as you might think. The focus is on a typical Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn. The vivid portrayal of the two main characters, one the Brooklyn Punk rocker and two, the Italian player who can't keep it in his pants are both very honest and very brutal. The casual decadence of this movie will probably repel many but it brings the film its best scenes. The well punctuated sound'track brings us into the soul of the film and is stunning on it's own particularly the Who and their definitive anthem Babba O'Riley. All in all, a ride well worth taking.