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Reviews
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Mythological Documentary
**warning contains spoilers** In 2001: A Space Odyssey humanity has become so completely mechanized that computers are more human then people. There are still some comic elements the scientist posing for a conventional tourist picture against the moon monolith, Major Poole burning his surprisingly still sensitive flesh on a totally computerized meal but this is not a satire. Society has gone too far for that. Our civilization has come to an end, turned flat and weary and stale. There is no energy, no purpose, no creative intelligence. Each individual is merely a bored, faceless cog in a technological system. Kubrick conceived this film as a "mythological documentary," a modern legend of the origin and future of humankind. It is both realistic as a photo-essay and imaginary as a fable. It is essentially a religious movie. Replacing the traditional God of world religions is a cosmic intelligence that influences human evolution at certain pivotal moments. When the ape has evolved as far as it can as an instinctual animal, the first monolith appears, giving the power of creative intelligence that produces the tool-weapon. When that tool has been sophisticated as far as the human mind can conceive-the dramatic cut from the bone thrown into the air to the spaceship resembling it symbolizes this development-the monolith appears again to force humanity on to the next stage. Major Bowman, lacking character and personality as he is, still retains enough feeling to try to rescue his colleague, enough ingenuity to reenter the spaceship after he has been locked out, and enough dedication and courage to continue on his journey, to be chosen as the new human being. On the trip to Jupiter he transcends space, and once arrived there, he transcends time, watching himself age in minutes. As he dies, the monolith appears, he reaches out to it in greeting and gratitude, and is reborn into a creature that transcends his previous humanity. The change from human to Star Child is as drastic as from ape to human: the Star Child will continue our evolution with a radically new intelligence.
Vertigo (1958)
dream vs. reality
Warning contains Spoilers - Hitchcock beautifully explores the need for illusion in Vertigo. Scottie, played by James Stewart, is a man who drifts without direction, who can't make up his mind about anything. He is deeply dissatisfied with the real world. He seemingly has a choice between two women. Midge is open, practical, and unexciting a representative of life as it is. Madeleine is exotic, mysterious, complex, a perfect fantasy figure. He falls in love with Madeleine and lets her lead him into her world of drama and illusion. She becomes, for the audience as well as for him, the wish fulfillment of the dream woman. Two-thirds of the way through the movie, having strongly tied us to this character, Hitchcock betrayals us she dies suddenly and inexplicably, we are disappointed and confused. We are, surprisingly as disoriented as Scottie is. Soon after, Hitchcock explains what has happened, and we realize that we have been deceived, with Scottie, by a cheap trick. Neither audience nor hero wants to believe it. We both want her back. We prefer the illusion, false as it is, to the reality. Through Scottie we are made to see and feel the consequences of rejecting real people for a dream. Judy, a graceless, uninteresting girl, has been impersonating Madeleine all along. Still obsessed with Madeleine, Scottie forces Judy to recreate her role for him. At first she resists, wanting to be loved for herself, but then, like so many of us, she agrees to conform to his image of her. Otherwise she will lose him.
Citizen Kane (1941)
the music
With the help of the brilliant musical director, Bernard Herrmann, who had never worked on a film before, Welles Expands the use of music to build and structure his film. The same musical phrases will recur at seemingly unrelated moments, tying the scenes together. Or be subtly changed each time they appear anew. A melody such as the "What is his name?" tune is sung vigorously at the Inquirer Party, is heard again played more aggressively at the political rally, becomes sadder after the election defeat, and reappears behind the credits. The breakfast scene between Kane and Emily was cut to correspond to the music, Welles patterning the montage of shots, one shot successively superimposed on and then replacing another, to follow the movement of what Herrmann called his "ballet suite." Music had seldom been used so cleverly or given such an important role in a film before.
Crime Story: Pilot (1986)
Book em! Crime Story is great!
Growing up Crime Story was my favorite television show. I was watching a movie with my mother one night when she got a business call and so we stopped the movie for her. I flipped through the channels to see what was on and found this show on NBC. It was the first episode of the second season and picked up Mike Torello and his newly formed organized crime strike force Department of Justice. I watched religiously for the rest of the season. It is one of the most realistic cop and mob shows ever and come from the creative mind of Michael Mann. This series in large part come out of Mann's experience making the move Thief, which was based on a book by a famous thief and a character in Crime Story. Chicago and Vas Vegas never looked so good with so many classic cars and great rock and roll tunes coming from the radios. The production values are high and the acting is superb. I only wish it had stayed on the air longer.
Money Movers (1978)
Money Movers sure moves fast!
Money Movers really shows what can happen when greed and temptation come together. The money movers of the title handle millions of dollars each day in armored vans completely ready for an outside attack. But what happens when the danger comes from the inside? The answer is everything: Murder, double-cross of thieves, rival gangs, intrigue, suspicion, and the list goes on. This movie is packed with testosterone and has all the action you could ask for. Bruce Beresford directed who would latter come to America and did the Oscar winner Driving Miss Daisy. Based on the book of the same title by Devon Minchin this movie boasts one of the best robberies ever filmed climaxing in the bloodiest, fastest, hottest shootouts ever put to film. This movie is hard to find in the US but if you come across a copy watch it!
Women in Love (1969)
You'll love Women in Love!
One of the best literary adaptations ever to grace the screen this wonderful movie does justice to Lawrence's novel but more importantly to his vision. The cast is magical bringing to life Lawrence's characters at perfect pitch. Alan Bates IS D. H. Lawrence/ Rupert Birkin and Oliver Reed, Jennie Linden and Glenda Jackson, who won an Oscar for her role, are superb. The script is excellent and draws on Lawrence's writings in addition to titled novel. For instance the scene where they are having lunch in the garden and Rupert (Bates) expounds on the fig fruit is actually taken from a poem by Lawrence called The Fig. It is little touches like this that really show the research and respect that went in to the adaptation. I don't know of a braver writer of relationships then Lawrence and this film is unflinching in its portrayal of every kind.
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
A crown jewel
Crimes and Misdemeanors may be Woody Allen's best film. He makes wonderful use of transitions, visual imagery, and time as memory. He also examines the topics of sex, death, love, women, and God. The story consists of two separate but parallel story lines. The first storyline revolves around an affair that Judah (Martin Landau) has be having with Delores (Anjelica Huston). This storyline really explores the nature of sex and death. The other storyline also revolves around sex, but in a more social sense. Clifford (Woody Allen), trapped in a marriage going nowhere attempts to start an affair with Hally (Mia Farrow). This leads storyline explores the topic of women and love. The film is a crown jewel in an already distinguished career.
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
A thinking man's western
The Left Handed Gun is a thinking man's western and a great film. Sheriff Pat Garrett, is and admirable figure and established member of the community. Although he understands and sympathizes with Billy, he also sees the value of social order and self-restraint. He had a almost ambivalent attitude towed Billy he both admires and disapproves of him. The irresolvable conflict between these two valid points of view is shown in the scene of Garrett's wedding, a symbol of the social institutions Billy threatens. Garrett tells him that there will be no shooting at the affair. But when Billy sees one of the men responsible for the murder of his friend Tunstall, he is unable to restrain his impulse for revenge. Billy shoots the man, and Sheriff Garrett eventually turns on him. Billy is wrong, and though society isn't right, he had no place in it. He faces this fact when confronted by his only remaining friend at the end of the film. When Garrett draws, Bill doesn't bother to defend himself he accepts the judgment of a society he doesn't understand.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Errol Flynn IS Robin Hood
This is undoubtedly the best filmed version of the Robin Hood legend ever made. Errol Flynn leads a remarkable cast that seems to jump off the screen in their Technicolor brilliance. Flynn seems born to play this role (or any Swashbuckling Role for that matter). I urge all fans to read his highly entertaining autobiography My Wicked, Wicked Ways. After reading it you see that if he wasn't born to play these types of roles then he certainly spent his life practicing for them. The co-director Michael Curtiz is responsible for so many of the films one thinks about when the 'golden age of the studios' is mentioned the list is amazing with Casablanca and Yankee Doodle Dandy among them. And just listen to the music! Erich Wolfgang Korngold's musical score is without a doubt one of the finest pieces ever written for the silver screen. If you are a listener of classical music on the radio you are bound to hear the score to this film at least a few times a year. One cannot blame Hollywood for not matching this level of perfection in other Robin Hood versions. Does lighting ever strike in the same place twice?
Mad Max 2 (1981)
Mad Max 2 is great!!!!
Mad Max 2 may be better then the first Mad Max movie (and that's saying a lot). George Miller says that he was deeply influenced by the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell while writing this wonderful film. And to Mr. Miller's credit it shows the story is more refined and story-conscious then the first. This sequel was not made just for Box Office dollars as we see so often today but by filmmakers that had the opportunity to expand on their original vision and do it even bigger and better. A film steeped in mythology it holds up to repeated viewings and one can easily see why this franchise helped to put Australian cinema on the map and also how they launched Mel Gibson into the blockbuster star he is today. Although the other two films in the trilogy are just as entertaining, Mad Max 2 (or The Road Warrior) is the heart and soul of the three films.