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galvestonsteve
Reviews
2010 (1984)
Looks like a made for TV movie
My comments are solely about the look of this film. It looks really bad, one cannot even compare it to the original, and the insurmountable problem is the medium....... film vs digital.
Kubrick was a master cinematographer, maybe the best ever, and he was also a really good photographer. He understood optics and his medium, which was always film. Digital just can't cut it compared to film, and the first shots I saw of the not so special effects in this movie were real groaners. At no time do we marvel at what is up there on the screen because it looks almost cartoonish, like cheap models. Not much has changed in the digital realm since this film was made either.
The same thing happens w/ Blade Runner. What we see w/ the original film looked amazing because it was made on film. The lead in shots were awe inspiring. But by the time they got around to making the sequel they had gone to digital, and it just looks lousy in comparison.
At about the 35 minute mark I had to bail on 2010. Blown highlights, a surreal lack of detail, weak colours, every single sin that is foisted upon us from a digital image was on full display, and I hated every second of it.
Network (1976)
They sure don't make 'em like this anymore!
This is the film that should be shown to us every day online and every night on TV to snap us out of our stupor. In this time of corporate snooping and overreach, online tracking, cell phone tracking and government clamp downs on our freedom, this is the film that illustrates that the status quo is NOT OK.
A brilliant film on every level. Exceptional casting, great acting, spot on directing, and one of the best scripts ever written. Twenty minutes in we understand that this is a different sort of film, one that has really never been made before. It lays bare the truths of what we all know, but refuse to face. It illustrates how corporations, and governments which are run by corporations, are stripping away our freedoms and peace of mind in exchange for........what?
That's the question we ask ourselves when watching this film. What exactly are we getting in return? Momentary escape from our reality? That's really all I can think of.
This is the most subversive and revolutionary film to ever come out of Hollywood. Subversive to the power structure of government, to corporations, and especially to the powers that USED to be in Hollywood. The new Hollywood regime would never allow a film like this to be made today, and if someone did make it, it would be killed in distribution to the corporate owned movie theaters.
There has never been a film quite like Network, and it can't ever be followed up w/ a sequel because everything is exposed w/ razor sharp clarity.
They Came from Beyond Space (1967)
It could be worse!
This movie has it all. Boring British, understated exposition, a plot that meanders through time (often time seems to stand still, it moves so slowly), a pretty babe who runs the local Petrol station, the other pretty babe who is the somewhat dim hero's betrothed, the gang that couldn't shoot straight posing as alien rent-a-security, glowing meteors, one (1) classic car, and the much beloved tinfoil hat, w/ silver standing in for the more working class tinfoil.
The good news is the film looks really, really good, w/ great color, or is it colour? Film looks so much better than digital, and they knew what they were about when it came to the lighting. However, a coherent script and not so special special effects are what we're saddled with because someone had to pay for all that color film and processing. Still, it's a fair trade off.
The pacing is quite irregular, w/ some parts of the movie flying right by, and the other parts meandering around looking for a well hidden director's cue.
Things go off the rails the last 20 minutes or so, as the Master of the Moon and his entourage show up, complete w/ Star Trek like capes and costumes that could use a good ironing. The Moon Master is worrisome, as the aliens had tried to kill the good doctor hero about 20 times earlier, and insisted every time it failed that they had no intention of, you know, actually killing him. Sure, that's what they all say. Fortunately, the Moon Master and his pals are quite elderly and plain tired from all that traveling through the universe trying to find suitable bodies for their mind only states. But they fail once again in roughing up the earth doctor, and the day is saved for all of humanity, including the aliens in capes. The hero once again lives to, if not save the day, at least muddle his way on to the end.
Much of what is up there on the screen is unintentionally funny, especially the dialogue. The silver/tinfoil hat that is used for the earthling's secret weapon is one of the funnier things. Oddly, much of the inside of the rocket ship looks like a cross between a bank vault and a lighthouse, and I've seen a lot better plastic weapons on old Buck Rogers serials. But it all hangs together if you're patient. I give it a good rating because it's an original idea, the image quality is quite good, and we are treated throughout the film by some jazzy music.
Barbarella (1968)
This film is far too advanced for the current tame times
Judging by the low ratings I see here, you cats and gals are just not with it. Come on people! The first 30 minutes are better than any film I've seen in decades. Great sets, cool music, wonderful lighting and film outshines digital by a mile. Gorgeous colors and ultra high resolution. Oh yeah, a naked Jane Fonda ain't half bad either.
Poor Henry must have had a heart attack if he ever got even a glimpse of this movie. Everything is original, it appears to have been made by another, more advanced alien race. Those blue rabbits.....I want one! You can see where Stanley Kubrick got the idea of the two young female twins in the Shining. The dolls with steel teeth predated all the movies that ripped it off in those far inferior killer Chucky doll flicks.
The best thing about the film is that it's really, like, totally groovy, baby! Hip, and far out, and way, way out of sight. I think the squares and straights left the low ratings, and what a bummer, dude and dudettes. You people are too uptight, this film is out of sight. It will groove you right into another universe.
Conquest of Space (1955)
Glorious color, marred by a lame script and acting
This is a beautifully filmed movie. The color and sharpness are better than anything they can do today w/ digital. Sadly, the story and acting are sub par despite some good character actors and the script is maudlin and depressing. Hopefully some enterprising Italians can dub it into something better.
About that script....boy, is it lousy! The less said about it the better. I enjoyed the wonderfully lit models and the space suits that never had a mark on them. Things were nicely color coordinated from beginning to end too. If they had just ended the film a little before the General had his 19th nervous breakdown they could have had a winner.
The Cell (2000)
I'm not sick enough to enjoy this film
A seriously sick and twisted film about a serial killer set in a sci fi framework. At this point you could stop reading because that is really the extent of the entire movie. I didn't even like the visuals, which a lot of people have raved about. Allegedly, things were shot on film using an ARRIFLEX 35 III camera, but it's obvious that much of what we end up seeing is done in post production on a computer.
That's the part I really don't understand. Film has a much bigger exposure latitude than digital, which gives it such vibrant and saturated colors. It also has a higher resolution than digital, which means we SHOULD be seeing a lot more detail in landscapes and things like people's faces and bodies. But they took all that out in post and gave the movie a faux digital look. It looks really odd to my eyes. They either purposely threw out all the wonderful detail and depth of colors in the final product, or inadvertently lost it by over editing. Or maybe they wanted to give the movie a digital look? Then why not shoot it digitally from the get go? In any case, they wasted a ton of expensive film to just end up w/ a digital looking product.
The plot, such as it is, was known early on, so the only surprises are how many shocking scenes they could fit it to keep you distracted from the fact they don't have much of a story to tell. Weak acting and weak directing finish things up, and afterwards you're left trying to figure out what the movie was about because the film itself gives you little help.
The Brood (1979)
Makes the Exorcist look like a musical comedy
This is the most disturbing horror film you will ever see. So don't say you haven't been warned! It starts off slowly, then things literally go off the wall, and not in a manner you are going to expect either. The acting and script are superb. Especially Oliver Reed, I wouldn't let him in my house if he can act this particular part so well! Samantha Eggar is beautiful and crazy as a loon (you'll find out just how crazy, and you will NOT like it). The daughter is played by Cindy Hinds and deserves an Oscar. Art Hindle plays the husband, and he seems miscast in the part, but its an almost impossible part to play so he gets a pass.
I'm not going to reveal any of the salient facts here, it's better that you go into it cold and hopefully not alone. Seriously, this is a very, very scary movie. Cronenberg is one of my favorite directors, his 1983 film Videodrome is a true work of genius that never gets old, I don't care how often you see it. Videodrome is a scary film, but The Brood is in another league. I'm tempted to give this film a 10 but that's reserved for Videodrome because it has Deborah Harry in a killer part.
Down by Law (1986)
It ain't like that at all
I admire these folks for attempting to show what cannot be shown. The cinematography was the real deal, but the story line and script were just not up to par. Far too many ideas of what New Orleans stereotypes are like w/o knowing anything at all about them. I knew of that scene, or more accurately I knew of the edges, because if you lived it, that living wasn't much to write home about.
While people did once say "Weah yu at?" if they were Yats from 'cross the rivah, not much else here is accurate. Only the dangerous vibe and the third word feel of a place that is probably worse than any third world country could ever be. The people in this film would have had to flee to 'metry if they talked and acted like we see portrayed here.
Let's just say this is not A Streetcar Named Desire and let it go at that. Streetcar REAL, and it had something this movie completely lacks.....a Tennessee Williams derived script for one thing, and some of the best actors who ever appeared on a cinema screen. This movie is small time all the time.
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Highly Enjoyable Non Acting
You only got one "real" actor here, and that's the great Warren Oates. But Dennis Wilson and James Taylor were great at non acting and it was a brilliant pairing. Laurie Bird played The Girl, and later killed herself at age 25.
My only problem w/ the film other than the glacier pacing was how things were presented. No one would have been driving that Chevy on the street w/ that fuel system set up, a straight axle on the front, and a fiberglass lift off trunk and front end. Never mind the gearing, which would have been designed to top out in a 1/4 mile, so you weren't going to be doing any long distance, cross country cruising w/ that setup.
We raced our hot rods on the streets late at night back in the 60's, and you didn't want to make your car look like a street racer because the Highway Patrol were no joke, as we found out one night when I was racing my '66 Mustang at 3AM on a deserted highway against a friend's '67 GTO. We had already raced and were just sitting side by side on the highway and talking when a Highway Patrol car came down in the opposite lane very slowly. Then he turned on his blue light, turned sharply over the neutral ground and came after us. We got away and were in a friend's house shooting pool, but good 'ol Uncle Jack finked on us. Got charged w/ racing, speeds over 130 MPH, evading arrest, reckless driving and something else. Then we were escorted into town by 3 Highway Patrol cars and locked up until then someone from legal end got us out because we were under 18. We should never have been put into a jail cell to begin with.
So I wish the director had made at least an attempt to get things straight. These hotrods weren't made to go long distances and they weren't made to stand out because every cop in some rinky dinky Southern town was going to make his day by going after you.
The best thing about the film is that beautiful Southwest landscape. I lived many years in New Mexico, and while the ground was usually brown the skies, were just amazing, especially at night, and sunrise and sunset. It almost made it worthwhile dealing w/ the drug addicts, the criminals in the cartels and on the police force, and the total lack of culture other than what they tried to stamp out of existence many years ago.
Make sure you have plenty of time to watch this, it's best enjoyed in snippets over a few days.
The Day of the Locust (1975)
Poorly written and directed movie that was overly manipulative
I tried to like this film, but it was a chore to get through it. None of the characters were written w/ any depth, which doomed things right from the start.
If you're making a movie about a movie, it's a double fake right off the bat. These actors were over directed, and they underacted to compensate for it. It was just too much to believe that people are this 2 dimensional and unmoored from any moral compass. You've got phonies playing phonies, and that's not pleasant to watch. The editing was often so bad I had to turn the sound off and close my eyes.
That scene where the actors are standing on what was left of a fake battlefield, w/ the other actors on the floor just watching them before it came crashing down.....it would never in a million years have happened that way.
The other gig problem is that if you have all these unlikable people, and trust me, they all are, then you need someone who is likable. But no one here is a good person, so you don't have anyone to root for. That scene toward the end where Donald Sutherland's poorly written and poorly acted character melts down was just too much. I stopped watching at that point.
Is that the best they could do? Sadly, it was, and the whole film was like that. A dead horse in a swimming pool? Cockfighting? The call girls in an upper class bordello? The switch hitter who you knew was obviously a man 2 seconds after they hit the screen, and then the BiG Scene where they whip their wig off to show you they are, gasp, a man! How shocking! This was the 70's, an era when people were not naive bumpkins. Everyone and their grandmother knew the score.
Just a really bad film that was poorly directed and had bad acting, w/ only a few, and I mean a FEW, semi good scenes.
Love Streams (1984)
Why are Cassavetes' films more life like than reality?
I love Cassavetes. And I love Gena Rowlands. But his films are more on-the-edge than any other films I have ever seen. After watching A Woman Under the Influence twice in a row in a Portland, Or theater (the mgr let us watch it the 2nd time for free because he was watching it too, and gushing "My God, that red truck!") w/ a blind date I have never seen again, well, I am still not over that experience. I may never be over that experience. In fact, I think it led to me having a nervous breakdown afterwards because I wanted to strangle Peter Falk for what he did to Gina Rowlands.
The only other Casavettes film I had watched was Husbands, which was like a musical comedy compared to A Woman Under the Influence. So I was hoping for something more in that vein when I sat down to watch Love Streams. Wrong! It may even be more jarring. You get a heads up on this early on when you see Cassavettes because he looks like hell. This was just a few years before he died from alcoholism, and he looks it. Still handsome though, he had a face that looked like it was chiseled out of stone.
Never mind the plot of Love Streams, just watch it because both John and Gina (I feel we're on a first name basis after what they have put me through after watching them in just three films) are two of the greatest actors in cinema. They ARE the parts they play. That's all you need to know. And don't blame me if you fall apart after watching them together in films. I warned you.
Hi, Mom! (1970)
Not a very good film
The movie just doesn't work. Quite a few people here mentioned that the man-in-the-street interviews on what its like to be Black were hilarious. They're not, they made me want to cringe. Oh, they could have been funny, but they just felt uncomfortable for the actors, and the viewer.
Over and over De Palma proves that he has no clear idea what he's doing, so we're stuck w/ watching him fumble around ande try to figure things out on the fly. Having the names De Palma and De Nero in a movie do not guarantee quality, and trust me, De Nero doesn't hold his end up very well either. Even the idea for the movie is dated and unoriginal. Thank goodness for Allen Garfield, he WAS hilarious. You need good timing for comedy, and even De Palma's didn't hold Mr Garfield's. Very good stuff, he's money in the bank in every film I've seen him in. Just his body language and tone of voice were enough to put me in stitches.
Sadly, he was about all that's good here. The director spends far too much time believing that the activity of filming is somehow funny and interesting in itself. It could have been if he had been working w/ a decent script or had given direction. At least the movie was mostly in focus, but the director probably wan't behind the camera so the credit goes to whoever was.
There were far too many scenes that went on and on and were not even mildly interesting. This could have been a good short student film, 30 minutes run time max may have produced something watchable.
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
Dontcha want ta meet my pig?
This is an incredible film from an era when directors could direct, writers could write and actors could act. You don't see that much anymore, if at all, and you sure don't see ii all in one film. Everyone is at the top of their craft here, especially Jeannine Riley and Elisha Cook Jr who just about stole the whole movie away from all them bigger, but not better, stars.
The directing and camera work are exceptional, and every actor is memorable. The movie is "real". It presents topical issues as well as stereotypes, which really aren't stereotypes, they're truthful representations of what was going down in the 60's, 70's and early 80's. Crooked cops, hippies being setup for busts, speed freaks in the Az desert, pretty women, ugly old coots in lowlife bars....... it's all on display in gloriously filmed color.
I saw this movie maybe 30 years ago and gave it another viewing tonight. Remember those films we thought were amazing back in the day, only to see them again at a later date and wonder why we liked them in the first place? Not this one, it's better than when I first saw it.
The film starts off a little slow, but it revs up to speed towards the middle. Just watching Jeannine Riley was nerve wracking and breathtaking at the same time. You felt that as soon as she appeared on the screen. She was on the edge of going right over the top, as she does in that bar when both her men show up together, Mr Tall and Mr Small. When she talks abut her lost love you want to cry, and when she sits down at the bar and suddenly rakes her arm across it and breaks about a dozen whiskey bottles, you knew she might do something, but you didn't think it would be that, and you didn't think it would happen like things happen in real life. Suddenly and violently. All in all, the movie is a professionally made work of art.
Cindy Goes to a Party (1955)
Should be required school viewing of teens today
I had no idea what to expect, as most of these instructional films are dreary, boring, or both. Not this one! The special effects" were unexpected, and, to misquote Philip Dick, "they were, well..... special."
I only knew of Herk Harvey from his masterwork Carnival of Souls, a movie I like more and more every time I see it. Its a shame that such a talented guy didn't do more "real" work in the film medium because of his unique style. Watching the handheld camera quickly move in for a closeup of the half sleeping girl's face as she goes to bed, you just KNOW that something unexpected is about to happen.
Later, we see the female model in the iconic Whistler's Mother's painting (a fine art reproduction that surely would not have been on someone's living room wall during that time, it would have been something by Norman Rockwell) ) magically turn into the fairy godmother, wow, that was genius. Later, the fairy godmother turns into the big sister of the girl who had the party.
In this short, as in Carnival of Souls, Harvey's perfectly chosen, untrained actors were exactly right for their roles, and Cindy does a great switchover from tomboy to cute little girl all in a wink. The fairy godmother also deserves praise, in that dress and her little tiara, she is actually pretty darned hot. How come she never paid me a visit? I guess I was too young, when this was made I was all of 3 years old. But if she had come by 10 years later, oh boy.
This is just a wonderfully made short film. Shorts are probably harder to make than the longer films because, just like a short story, every word has to count.
Amarcord (1973)
A very uneven Fellini film
I'm not sure what happened w/ this movie. Its a tale of 2 movies if I ever saw one. The first half is classic Fellini, and absolutely wonderful. Its very funny on many levels, the acting was top notch, and every scene was full of those amazing people we've grown accustomed to seeing in a Fellini film. Where he finds them, no one knows, but just their faces are worth the price of theater admission.
Unfortunately, the second half just falls apart and the family's matriarch suddenly becomes ill and dies. Nothing led up to it, it was as if a LOT of the film got chopped out during editing. This was a huge downer because she was such a great character, and played to perfection by Puppela Maggio. This tragedy had nothing leading up to it, and didn't contribute anything to the story. If anything, it felt like a fake attempt to get sympathy from the viewer. Up until then you clearly saw that although the father seemed to be the head of things, it always fell on the mother to hold the insanity together and get things done.
Then there was that sad excuse of a peacock w/ the ersatz snow falling on it. What could have truly been a magical moment became a bit of a joke, w/ an obviously fake peacock standing amongst some of the most pitifully fake snow in any movie.
Even the scene w/ the huge ocean liner in the water at night didn't work because once again, a fake model w/ obviously fake smoke coming out of the stacks was used. They didn't even bother to paint in some fake people in the windows, every one of them was lit in exactly the same manner. Thank goodness we didn't have to see the fake water, they kept the bottom of the liner in darkness.. Did they run out of money or something during filming? I'm not sure, and it doesn't excuse the awkward way the death of the family's mother came about. There was no reason for it to have happened. This is a promising Fellini film that experienced many unexpected problems in its editing and production, which surprised me.
American Psycho (2000)
An absolutely horrible, valueless film
In the beginning, everything about this movie sucked me in. I was laughing so much I was crying, thinking, I could write every word of this dialogue! And then the protagonist kills some poor man in an alley for no reason. THIS is what Hollywood thinks is acceptable? It just shows how sick they are in the movie "business" on the left coast (may it fall off the rest of the country tomorrow and take all these worthless weasels with it).
That's the best thing I've ever written......The Worthless Weasels. Could be the name of a punk band, except punk is dead. Or a high class L. A. restaurant, except L. A. is dead, and Hollywood is dead, and acting/directing/cinematography/film and any sort of intelligence or morals or inventiveness is dead in Hollywood too.
Did they think this film was daring? Cutting edge? Brilliant? Sorry, it is pure, sick tripe. Something you might drag up from the bottom of a polluted, putrefied river. It's impossible for a normal and sane individual to come up with a film like this. Hopefully karma takes care of everyone involved in this barf bag that has been foisted upon the movie going public.
At least I had the good sense to bail as soon as that poor man was stabbed violently. Why would anyone mix an over-the-top snarky comedy film w/ a slasher film?
Invaders from Mars (1953)
A very underrated film
This is an excellent film which deserves to be much higher rated. It scared the pants off me when I saw it as a kid, and it STILL scares me today in my 70's! It was made on a low budget, but the director, William Cameron Menzies, was a genius and a Yale graduate, with 3 Academy Award nominations and 2 Oscars to his name (all for art direction), as well as an honorary Academy Award for his work on Gone With the Wind's color imagery. He was also an uncredited director on the 1946 master work, The Thief of Baghdad.
The frightening image of the Martian leader in a globe from Invaders from Mars, made even scarier with his slowly waving, menacing tentacles, is still a heart stopper. What an idea. The photography for the insertion of the Martians device into the back of the adult's neck is amazing, and the composition and camera placement for the scene in the police station were as good as anything in Modern Art. It was a composition designed to show how powerful the evil police sergeant was, and how helpless the boy was in front of him. Needless to say, it worked.
I won't give anything else away, you should see the film like we all did, not knowing what was going to happen next. There is an air of sinister evil throughout the movie, and the ending was totally unexpected. One of the best endings of any film. Yes, the movie is padded out in places with the same shots of the oddly costumed Martians running here and there in the underground tunnels w/ that cheapo gun of theirs, but it's OK, it sorta works anyway.
Moon Zero Two (1969)
Best watched with earplugs. If you do that and close your eyes, its not a bad film!
The film has some of the most annoying music I have ever heard! It really grates on your nerves. Getting through the initial title sequence was almost impossible. Thankfully, the film is so bad that I finally turned the sound off after fast forwarding all the way to the 30 minute mark, which was far enough. The only thing that's any good is the title sequence animation, so if you take my advice and use ear plugs or just mute the sound, this really is not a bad film! The babes are babe like, the men studly, and the dialogue throwaway.
Most of those initial 30 minutes was spent mumbling "It could always be worse". I'm not sure how, but it's at least theoretically possible. Long odds, you'd be better off playing the lottery.
Blade Runner (1982)
As close to a perfect movie as there ever will be
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Blade Runner is a work of art as important as The Mona Lisa or Picasso's Guernica. It asks the fundamental question of our lives...... what is it to be a human? What does being human really mean? Which is ironic, as the film's non human has the most poetic and heroic way of dying, even as his "humanity" outshines all the other humans. He shows that he has learned empathy, forgiveness and compassion.
Philip Dick was a genius, and an amazing writer. His novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was the model for Blade Runner, and while the film made major changes in Dick's story, it somehow, as if by magic or fate, is even greater than the book. The mystery is how that could happen? His main characters of Detective Deckard and Rachel are not like the book's, but they are also much more than the book's characters.
There are a lot of changes in the way the book and movie play out and end. Entire major scenes and characters from the book are left out or only hinted at, yet the story as filmed, is nothing short of a masterpiece. The mood it presents us is one of darkness with little light. Even though great violence is shown, they somehow turned things into a classic love story in the end, something the book didn't even attempt.
Needless to say, the casting, acting, directing and cinematography are all 10 out of 10. Every time I watch this film I have to pick my jaw off the floor. It's magical, and there will never be another one like it.
Monkey Business (1952)
The best comedy, ever
I'd like to state right here in the beginning that people who have no sense of humor should not review comedies. Maybe th is one should come w/ a warning.....If you aren't up for some zany and wacky fun, please don't watch this film.
This really is a perfect movie. The writing is just great, as is the casting, acting and directing. Of course, we know that Grant and Rogers are seasoned comedy pros, but it turns out that Marilyn Monroe is a wonderful comedy actor herself. It's a lot of fun watching Ginger Rogers & Cary Grant interact, they actually seem like a real life married couple.
The Little Indian scene that seems to have gone right over some people's heads is one of the funniest scenes in the film, mostly because we know that Ginger Roger's old flame deserves it!. Charles Coburn shines in his role, and Hugh Marlowe plays his usual part of the stilted lover.
As funny as the grown ups are, the chimpanzee and baby almost steal the show. Where on earth did they find that lovably little guy? He was born for the part (and not so long ago either). The scene where Cary Grant and the baby lay down together is hilarious. I love this film, and everyone I've shown it to feels the same way. They don't make them like this anymore.
Paris, Texas (1984)
Four stars in generous, all things considered
One of my favorite movie lines from The Wild One is where the waitress asks Brando what he's rebelling against, and he says "Wadda ya got?" That's how I feel about this film, wadda ya got? And truthfully, it ain't got much. The desert is well filmed, but anyone who has ever lived in the Southwest understands that it just sorta films itself. For 10 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening it's beautiful, surreal and otherworldly. In between, it's contrasty and has a lot of glare.
They should have made this film like the Southwest looks, because 25 minutes should just about do it for such a poorly written script and an even more poorly paced film. You don't need a watch for this, you need a sundial. Now I don't mind a slow film if there's a reason for it, or if something slowly unfolds. But neither of those is present here.
For me, this is another head scratcher in terms of the undeservedly high rating, and the folks who gush poetic because the director shot a lot of film that they had no idea how to edit later on.
Blow Out (1981)
Too many mistakes to take the film seriously
I really wanted to like this film. Nancy Allen, John Travolta, Brian De Plama, John Lithgow....it should make for a great film, right? Unfortunately, I was having serious doubts 5 minutes into the film. As someone mysteriously looks at people in their apartment windows, all I could think of is, who dances in their apartment window w/ practically no clothes on while someone else masturbates in their apartment w/ all the lights on in direct view of their windows? This just doesn't happen in real life.
The hospital scene that's shot after Travolta saves the girl's life was terrible. Just an amateurish, rushed together scene w/ bad acting and poor dialogue all the way through it. OK, so I'm trying to suspend belief at this point since it's a movie, but when Nancy Allen's accent seems to be different for each scene, things are getting harder to ignore.
What tipped the scales was watching Travolta cut the 35mm movie frame shots from the magazine (who prints an entire series of frames in a magazine???) and begins to photograph them w/ a copy camera that has NO light for the shots? I'm a photographer, you need light for this, and the idea that someone who is a sound guy would even know how to go about using that camera (he forgot to have a light meter as well) is a major flaw. THEN he opens the camera and puts the film into canisters w/o a safe light! There is obviously light in the darkroom for the movie camera to shoot this scene, but it isn't a red safe light. That film would have been completely fogged. Hey, it's the movies. Just not a very good movie.
Annihilation (2018)
I made it to 32 min and 40 seconds, and feel I deserve a medal
What a ponderous, pretentious mess. Not that I didn't expect that, first time directors who hit grand slams their first try usually go this route. I was done the moment when all of a sudden the movie seemed to end, followed by a written announcement that we were now ending that part, and beginning a new part. Like a chapter in a book. But nothing made any sense in the first part, so why should I stick around for a repeat?
The look of the film is digital, lousy and awful, and those ridiculous carny floating/melting faces in the beginning....come on! That's the best you can do? Everything looks washed out and faded. Please use film, digital is crap. Maybe its fine for emailing, but on a movie screen it spells "cheap and quick".
The plodding music score didn't help things, and once again we're introduced to main characters w/ NO background information. If they're not important enough to be described properly then they're not important enough to be in in a film. I swear, the depth of this film is about 2", and you can see that the director is just reusing a formula that worked in his first film.
Sorry, save yourself a lot of grief and pass on this film, it's just a boring, muddled mess, peopled w/ folks we know nothing about, or care about.
Silent Running (1972)
Had promise, but a wow, what a one note movie
I really liked the little models and the photography in some places, but we have to know more about the characters to identify w/ them. Due to the snail-like pace of the film and the 2 dimensional characters. That never happens. Then there's the dialogue, which is sorely lacking.
They give away the whole movie inside of the first 20 minutes too. So no excitement, no mystery, no build up, it's all spelled out in the beginning, and then straggles along for 90 minutes!!! The story board for the film was probably more exciting to look at.
Our well meaning protagonist comes off looking like a Yule Gibbons zealot on steroids. The science behind the film is another low point. What science? None of it makes any sense, things don't work like that. So we have characters we can't identity with because they're uninteresting, a poor script, ludicrous science (which in a science fiction movie is a unforgivable) , and a bizarre ending. I should give it 2 stars.
Not a fan of the film's music either. I saw Joan Baez live in Mobile, Al with Dylan and the Band. It was a high point in my life. Joan stood up there alone dressed in white on a darkened stage and sang Amazing Grace acapella. After it was over I caught a rose she plucked from a bouquet she held. Her voice was like an angel. But on this sound track she warbles so much I didn't even know it was her! OK, if they screwed even that up, I am giving it 3 stars as a compromise.
The Dunwich Horror (1970)
A tough film to sit through for 90 minutes
I kinda enjoyed this film until about the 2/3 mark, when they seem to have run out of special effects money, and Quaaludes for Dean Stockwell, who literally sleepwalked through the entire film. A shame, because the movie really looks good and the old mansion is absolutely beautifully creepy inside.
Until things went South it had possibilities, w/ an oldish "Hammer style" color palette and interesting camera angles. Then things began to repeat themselves, and the special effects became not so special. I loved the shots that appeared to have been shot w/ a pair of stockings over the lens. You could clearly see the grid lines on the print. Editing was hit and miss throughout, and almost a half hour could and should have been lopped off the run time. I got the feeling they were running out of money and time toward the end, so things ended w/ a money shot of a sad and obviously plastic baby embryo.
Sandra Dee just had to look fetching and not flub the few lines they gave her, since most of the dialogue came from Dean Stockwell, who read them w/ a deer-in-the-headlights unblinking manner and a dead monotone that almost put me to sleep. That was unfortunate, because appearance wise he looked to be the perfect villain. But at some point you have to act, you know?
Sam Jaffe looked appropriately crazed. Unfortunately, he was only given a few weak lines. Most of the time he looked like your typical San Francisco crazy w/ a ludicrous lolly pop staff and pop eyes. Ed Bagley, as usual, did a fine job w/ what he had. His eyebrows alone were worth the price of admission. Poor Michael Fox was barely there, and played a very minor role. All things considered, it was a letdown after a promising beginning .