I decided to give this a 2nd viewing after a few months distance. The faults of this fantastic doc now come into much clearer focus for me. Like that war itself, it is not simple and is much like a bullet hole in a windshield with thousands of cracks spreading outward causing more damage than the hole (whole) itself.
This could have been the definitive documentary on Vietnam. It gives a full explanation of the escalation, wide ramifications and downfall of that horrid conflict: except it does not clearly explain the root problems of that war. It hints at it. It gives half answers. Half causes. The causes of World War 1 and 2 are well documented but this conflict is as murky now as it was when stunned American families sat for dinner watching the gory TV news during the 1960's.
Like an essay this documentary sets out its goal and in the first couple of minutes this doc blames five presidents.
This series is not wrong in implying that Johnson's ego and Nixon's paranoia fuelled that war when more stable minds could have pulled out and left the corrupt Saigon government to clean up its act and its own affairs. Yes, LBJ was the main contributor that turned it from a sideline mess to the outright war in 1965 and Nixon did everything wrong to end it properly. To paint Truman, Ike and JFK with the same brush as LBJ and Nixon is wrong, especially in Kennedy's case.
South East Asian came along with the swearing in for Kennedy just like the brewing Cuban problem. Truman was too weak and incompetent to use his own judgement in dealing with the growing Communist threat and Ike as we know from his famous farewell speech wasn't on the ball until it was too late, or simply too old to fight the military and big money powers that had wormed its way into Government after the Nazi and Japanese defeats. Only Kennedy committed to paper that the US advisors start to be pulled out in December 1963. Yes he arrived at it after making some mistakes but unlike LBJ or Nixon, Kennedy became a better man while in office and learned from his mistakes and tried to right his and other wrongs. Only the gunshots in Dallas ended those attempts. That same order JFK signed was overturned by LBJ before the body was cold. Less than 100 Americans had been killed in Vietnam since 1945 when Kennedy was murdered. Ike had tried and failed in his Crusade for Peace and Kennedy became a more socially minded person because of his office while LBJ and Nixon let their flaws overcome them.
These points are glossed over to serve the agenda of this documentary even though we now have come to understand that the all mighty President is not as powerful as once thought and he is a transitory figurehead at best that can be manipulated into action by the hawks in the government by simply altering or leaving out data on which these men count to make decisions. Even the president is on a need-to-know basis.
Like the fighting men of the US Marines, Mr. Burns and his co-director charge in giving 80-90%. But it is that last missing 10% of effort (in this case info) which the Vietcong and NVA were willing to give that made the difference to them winning in the end. It is that missing 10% which fails to explain the root causes of the Vietnam War and takes the simple approach of blaming five elected men. This doc seems to ironically do the same the military tribunal did with the soldiers guilty of the My Lai massacre; it ends up targeting one man for reprimand (in this doc 5) when many others were let off the hook.
Reviews
77 Reviews
Excellent version of the legend
2 May 2019
Like millions of people I love the Arthurian legend. This could have been one of those forgettable remakes...re-boots... whatever label you want to hang on a film that is regurgitating the past to make money but it sets its sights higher for the most part. I would love to give this film a 9 or 10 but have to give it an 8 for a few reasons forthcoming.
Few want to remember Richard Gere's turn at playing the hero King while most should watch John Boorman's excellent and faithful adaption of the Camelot lore in his 1981 film Excalibur. Well worth watching.
This version plays loose with the facts, wait... this is a legend so there are no true facts. Duh! But there are certain mainstays which this director has tossed aside to make this story fresh like his wonderful take on the Sherlock Holmes persona in the last decade. You may like what he added or dislike what he tossed.
The opening scene, like many films in the post Lord of the Rings era, tries so hard to take that crown away with bigger and better stuff hurling at the audience at break neck speed and this film is no different. When you see it you'll know what I mean. After that scene passes then the film really starts to get involving and has great: art direction, locations, story, acting and directing...for the most part. Seems Mr. Ritchie is a very solid director when he wants to until he indulges in his gimmicky novelty directing stuff which pulls me out of the film time and again. This film could really be a great film experience if it weren't for a very small and annoying contemporary feel to either the dialogue, acting or directing that sprouts up now and again spoiling the rest of the film's great energy and flow. Perhaps Ritchie doesn't trust either his own directing skills or, what I suspect more likely... the 21st century Millennial audience's short attention span and lapses into moments of modern filmmaking gimmicks to keep the kittens attention on the bright and shiny object. He has crafted a very compelling and powerful re-imagining of the Arthur legend and doesn't need, like so many other filmmakers these days, have to resort to Matrix-like effects and bullet-time shooting to make this film work. Trust your audience to rise to the occasion and those who don't, they have plenty of other lesser films to keep them in a dull state of arrested development. Well worth watching this film despite the few moments that may or may not pull one out of the viewing experience.
Dracula A.D. 1972
(1972)
Blood gets 9, story gets 8, sex 6... music 0
17 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Let me start off by saying that I never read other reviews before writing my own so if I repeat some info that others have stated, please forgive.
This film has always been on my bucket list since I was a kid. I still have the same big Horror movie book filled with lots of stills/posters from this genre and while I have always had copies of the first 3 films of this Hammer series, I always feared that the remaining ones became lower in quality and with less scenes of Dracula so watching them did not became a priority. Thirty years later I finally sit down and watch this one and while I wasn't wrong in my thinking in some ways; it had cut corners and saved money by staging the story in modern London rather than find or build 19th century sets/locations but it was for the most part a pretty good story. It was well directed and shot, albeit some sloppy moments here and there. It also helped watching a beautiful full 1080 restoration rather than some old scratchy and faded TV print from the 1980's. Seeing glimpses into early 1970's London was a kick in itself as it is with any film shot in their own eras. The sexual suggestiveness is what one would expect but I was disappointed they didn't go a little step farther, after all it was the liberated 70's ha ha ha. Sorry but men do represent half the audience and this series was kicked off and became successful in some part by dripping Technicolor and the low cut 19th century Bavarian blouses worn by the female vampires.
The acting for the most part was pretty good all around, the only real false moment was when Gaynor first sees Dracula; her reactions are pretty low key for seeing the Prince of Darkness for the first time in a broken down church setting. There are some other poorly directed moments like when Johnny ends up in his own bathroom in agony from the sun bursts via Van Helsing and a handy mirror, he conveniently pulls the draping covering the ceiling sunroof and conveniently hits the water tap as he conveniently falls into the tub conveniently disposing him. Come on, man, give-me-a-break! That could have been staged way better...did you have to strike the set before noon so you shot it super quick?
However the worst offender is the musical score. It tries way too hard to be hip and of the time which of course has the exact opposite effect and becomes a silly and laughable soundtrack counteracting a really solid movie of its genre. Too bad. I can't say but I speculate it was corny with audiences at the time of original release as well. Perhaps a great deal of fans may like this type of cheese, the "its-so-bad-its-good" argument which is totally subjective anyway. Any-who because of that kitschy factor added throughout the film, it lost the suspenseful grip of the storyline rather than using it sparingly in certain scenes where it would have been effective with all the kitschy touches and added that good cheese factor. This "modern" pop score was also used instead of using a more traditional and effective haunting theme when Dracula or any hints of vampirism is being presented. The producers missed a chance to take a few extra moments in the huddle to really make a solid film instead of "just" churning out a quick money making sequel. This pop score also had an overly long intro in the second main scene of the film in the rich guys house with a live band playing in front of a stiff-as-statue geriatric crowd of 1 per centers. This scene, unlike the rest of the film which flows at a pretty steady pace, lumbers along as the band plays on, and on and on. I suspect the producers wanted to showcase them and/or it was a prerequisite for the band to be in the film. Whatever, it should have been cut down by 60% and would have made the point just the same.
Hitler's Circle of Evil
(2018)
Fascinating look inside the most horrendous cautionary tale of the 20th century
23 September 2018
This is an excellent doc on the inner workings of the Nazi top tier of characters. The re-enactments are well done, some of the actors don't look anything like their real life counter-parts but I guess they took what actors they could. Tons of little seen and rare footage. The historians give a balanced account of these horrible men in-the-making rather than the standard they are totally evil repugnant creatures stance seen in more unbiased documentaries that only serve to distance and turn-off the viewer and possibly taint the lessons needed to be learned by the Nazi era. This doc could easily have been named "Absolute Power corrupts..."
This film is sunk by poor CG effects, not a torpedo...
23 September 2018
To preface this review, I never read other reviews on a film before I write my own. This is a subject ripe for a film for decades. The film is worth seeing but not fantastic. Note: stating that the ship in question is sunk is not a "spoiler" but is common knowledge and if it is not, then pass the blame onto poor public school funding nationwide and not this review. We shouldn't compensate for stupid people, but raise the bar for everyone. Onward.
Good story, good acting, nice little nods to the movie Jaws but also flawed on actual facts, ie. the sharks. Quint's famous shark story got it right, the sharks were Tigers not great white's as this film portrays. The directing was competent but there were many moments he missed getting real "movie moments" which in a more, I would not say experienced but "filmic" directors hands, would have elevated this film to a higher bar. For those of you that don't know what a "movie moment" is... basically it's those moments in a film everybody remembers, if not consciously, at least leaves the imprint unconsciously on the viewer. A director like Spielberg is a master of "movie moments" and that is why his films are memorable. And now onto the weakest link in the chain...the CG effects, or defects if you prefer.
The budget of this film is $40 million, not a huge amount anymore for a Hollywood film but still a sizable sum. Perhaps it would have been wiser to cut down on the name actors in the film and hand that to the effects department. But Hollyrock producers still think that only name actors pull in the audience and not a good story. Some of the effects are really good, some good shark effects whether on set effects or CG, most are ok bordering on "iffy" while the rest are just at a student learning level of quality, that is piss-poor. Some of the ship de-fects would not even be up to video game standards. As a video game they are really good but for a realistic film...they really drag down the film like the great white sharks biting a sailor's leg.
Enter the Dragon
(1973)
B film raises the bar forever
19 September 2018
What a great film. Even 40 plus years after his death, no other martial arts actor comes close to Lee s charisma, speed and sheer skill at his art form. The film still holds up as an action piece even though at the time it was a lower budget film and some of the cheesy Hong Kong rock cave sets show the limitations the resources the US crew had to deal with at the spartan Hong Kong studio. The fight sequences have a stark, harsh yet balletic quality to them and all of them staged by Lee himself having honed his ability by his previous film experiences. The battle in the heroin plant is the center piece action and Bruce is in top form doing moves that still leaves one in awe of his excellent fighting skill. The co-stars all get their moments to shine, Jim Kelly bringing the macho-kick-shit Black Panther attitude to his character, John Saxon does a fair turn with his fighting all the while keeping his cheap hair piece in check.
Lalo Schifrin score, like so many in the late 60's-70's, is epic and underscores the action perfectly.
All in all, there were Chop-soki films before and after Lee, but he was the one who raised the bar making it a legitimate genre. Yes, Bruce is not the best actor, some claim to be faster in their fight moves today, etc. but no one has even come close to Lee's screen presence in the genre. It is something either you have or don't. Lee had it in excess.
Zulu
(1964)
Spears and blood
17 September 2018
I have always heard of this film since I was a kid and it was Peter Jackson's praising the film in the Lord of the Rings commentary that made me finally search out the film and watch it. Solid filming. Stream lined story of classic defenders vs. attackers scenario with the added element of treating the baddies (Zulus) as human beings and not just targets for the good guys to aim at. It does suffer from being a tad long, could have been tightened up in the editing room a little, not much, just a little.
Valkyrie
(2008)
Yes it stars Tom Cruise, but watch it anyway...
17 September 2018
I knew about this real story two decades before the film was made so I knew a lot going in and was dreading in the back of my mind what they would "alter" for the movie and or to suit Mr. Cruise's ego and team of image consultants that he has employed since the start of his career in the early 1980's. Yes ladies he's "that" old. But I must say it was done very historically correct and yes Mr. Cruise fit himself in the real life character of Stauffenberg rather than "tweek" and leave out stuff, character wise for him to still pull off the movie star image he loves to protect and cultivate. Did I see "cult" in that last word...hum?
Any-who, this is one of the best interpretations of that event of July 20th 1944 that tried to kill Adolf Hitler and end World War 2 in the European theatre of war then and there. Many other films have included this day of attempted assassination since the 1950's and many have handled it very well. But this is the whole story, well most of the story, of that day and nights events that can be squeezed into a 2 hour film.
The Train
(1964)
Take the ride on this Train...
17 September 2018
This is truly a riveting and original film. Filmed in glorious B&W with mostly a 28mm lens, this crisp and stark looking film never lets up in suspense and tension. Lancaster is at the top of his form and Paul Scofield steals the scenes he is in. The train whistle always jolts one out of his or her seat.
I have every single video version of this film and I just never get tired of this film.
I implore everyone to take this ride.
Those ho-hum script writers...
17 September 2018
Things to Come
(1936)
Heavy handed...
17 September 2018
I have known about this film since I was a kid and had picture books from horror and sci-fi films. I never seemed to catch it on the late late show growing up. For those who don't know what that is...back in the stone age before media files and flashdrives, movies were shown on TV with commercials, the only way to see them unless you went to art houses showing old films. Moving on.... so I decided to final track down and watch this film and hopefully get one of those "hey-what-a-great-film-experience" experiences. I have lived long enough to know "that" doesn't always pan out on the shiny side. This film, taken from a novel by a great author of fantasy, H.G. Wells, is a verrrrrrrry pretentious film that hammers home it's themes with the delicate touch of a wreaking ball. Menzies is a famous and expert art director but none too subtle as a director.
The art direction is pretty cool and a superb example of what people in the 1930's saw as "the future look". Massey, while being a fellow Canadian, is a pretty stiff and pretentious actor and comes off as a tin God talking down to everyone with lofty dialogue. He fared far better playing James Deans father in East of Eden.
The plot seems to thud along like the Empire's AT-AT walkers on Hoth. Nothing could have been done about the acting or dialogue after production wrapped but it could have had another round in the editing department. While still a classic because of its stunning look, only hard-core sci-fi fans will not nod off through this one.
The Thing
(I) (2011)
Almost a very good film....
17 September 2018
This "prequel" has all the right ingredients but after coming out of the oven it's missing a small ingredient that's hard to pinpoint but does affect the final enjoyment of the experience.
The story is good and links up almost perfectly with Carpenter's remake, the actors are good, the locations and sets are good, there just seems to be that bit of directing that is missing the visceral energy of the 1982 film. It's like a can of pop that has lost its fizz.
I do like that it is not the average music-video hack directing job with the usual rapid fire editing that leaves you in a roadrunner swirl of dust not knowing which way you are facing and with being on the verge of a seizure. It has a great pace but when it needs the quick editing to make the action scenes emotionally stimulating, it does not deliver as it should.
This could have launched Mary Winstead's career into that much sought after "leading-lady" status that every actress' dream of, but it just didn't pull it off.
They Were Expendable
(1945)
A great anti-war film a little before its time...
17 September 2018
I am "not" a John Wayne fan. But I do like John Ford films and that is the only reason I like this film. Thankfully Robert Montgomery is the star and not the Duke. This brilliant and realistic, as much could be by 1946 standards, portrayal of the PT Boat service in the Pacific theatre of War is one of a very few and probable the best especially filmed in gorgeous B&W. Yes it suffers from the usual Hollywood "check list" of things to stuff into a film, like a romance, etc. but the battle scenes and portrayal of everyday naval life in this branch of the service is not only interesting as a film but important as historical preservation since even in its production period of 1945, finding several actual working PT boats was a miracle indeed, even though most if not all did not see any real combat service only a year after the war ended. Most were destroyed before this film was even an idea in the directors head. Unfortunately this film was poorly received upon its original release, having a much too sombre non uplifting ending like all good Hollywood films "should" have. But now we have a better film because of it and the loss of 1946 audiences is truly our gain.
The Stranger
(1946)
Neglected Welles film
17 September 2018
I first saw this film on 16mm in high school film class, my first exposure to Welles. I loved it, and still do. While most Welles devotees tend to dismiss this film as Welles' lesser works, I disagree. It's not perfect and I'm not a lover of Loretta Young's acting, I find her a B version of Joan Crawford at the best of times but seeing Welles in his heyday, well just after it I guess, still pulls one into thinking what could have been. This is a taunt spy thriller just on the cusp of the coming Cold War when fears of escaped Nazi's were a real concern even though the war had just ended in Germany's utter defeat. Welles gives a wonderful performance that raises this from the usual cheap spy hokum of that era, to one of the better ones of the genre. His justification of Nazi thinking at the dinner scene, makes one think how deeply Hitler successfully mined the fears and wishes of a crushed nation after the Great War and turned a civilized nation into the epitome of the fascist Orwellian nation states. Welles becomes an interesting twisted fanatic to the cause rather than the standard card board Nazi villain like Strasser in Casablanca.
The prints of this film in post original release have always been sub-par due to transfers from dupes and not from the original, now missing, camera neg. This film also was put under the studio's scissors and Welles' well thought camera moves and pace were cut down to choppy editing to get-the-show-rolling in their minds. A heart breaking and reoccurring
One of the better versions
17 September 2018
This much neglected and forgotten film from 1984 is still one of the best versions of the Ape-Man legend. Beautiful cinematography, awesome locations and subtle performances enhance an already great and still original story one which Burroughs would be proud of.
In this new century of endless re-Boots of films not needing to be remade other than by greedy corporate exec's, this film if one were the only one to watch, would be it.
Tales of the Gold Monkey
(1982–1983)
What a time trip! Cheesy but really Great cheese
17 September 2018
I remember watching this show and loving it. Couldn't remember a single episode....so when I got a chance to re-watch the entire series, I was hesitant to destroy my fond memories and see how possibly cheap and bad the show actually was. Well it does have some bad acting, not from Stephen Collins, he is perfectly cast as a likable hero, but rather from some supporting and guest cast members. Some of the plots are pretty ludicrous and cheesy.... but damn, it's fun to watch! I have to say they did a great job at producing a high action & adventure show on a TV budget. Obviously some of the special effects don't stand up by today's standard but this was produced more than 30 years ago so you can easily over look it and find it amusing rather than be critical of it.
The one thing I was surprised by was the high body count that this supposed light hearted fun & adventure Indiana Jones TV show rip off actually contains...whether heroes or villains, they drop like fly's on this show.
Stephan Collins and "Jack" the one eyed patch wearing, beer drinking, English language understanding dog, both steal the show. It is a shame it only lasted one season but at least we have that much. This one does not disappoint!
The Cold War gets hot under the collar...
17 September 2018
I am a lover of the Connery Bonds and any kind of spy film actually. But this ain't no James Bond...thank God. This is a gritty, bleak, tense and slow moving film about the real world of Cold War espionage with all the types of un-heroic people you would not want to know in real life. But what a great film experience. Richard Burton and the entire cast give subtle performances, especially Bernard Lee playing a corner shop grocer. Oskar Werner is absolutely ruthless as the interrogator assigned to break Leamas and learn his deepest secrets. Burtons, dry and sardonic wit carries the heavy drama which in lesser hands would grind this film to an unbearable halt under the weight of the story. Filmed in gorgeous but stark B&W, the landscape becomes a character all on its own, enveloping all who trespass into it. This is not a grab-a-beer-and have-a-great-time-with-your-buds-on-a-Friday-evening type of film, this like many other superb films of this intense style, take a great deal of concentration and being-in-the-right-mood to take it all in. But if you can, it pays off more than any super-hero action film.
Sid and Nancy
(1986)
Great film about a couple of Losers...
17 September 2018
I saw this film on opening night and loved it. But then again I was 23. I had an old copy of the VHS tape for years taped at 6 hr speed on one of those expensive TDK tapes and watched it repeatedly but then it got lost or taped over in the ensuing decades. A brand new blu ray comes out and comes the time to watch it again. Still a great film but still about two losers without any discernable talent amongst the both of them. Not a great loser like Cool Hand Luke who fought against the Man on principle and lost, but two junkies who I would not let in my front door even if they were on fire. I guess that aspect of it now overwhelms me rather than the film itself. Still well worth watching if you haven't but does not age well like other films from that era.
The only shining grace in re-watching this film repeatedly is the young and intense Gary Oldman who was the epitome of great, young acting talent coming of age in the early to mid 80's. Oldman, Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke were the kings of method acting back in the 80's and they all made great but not very successful box office films. Alas they all faultered in their rise to fame for one reason or another and only recently have made come-backs, or as Norma Desmond would say; ..." I hate that word, it's a return." Chloe Webb holds her own against Oldman's scene stealing.
The Shining
(1980)
Chilling in more ways than one
17 September 2018
I remember my mom taking us to a drive-in to see this film upon original release but it was sold out and we were resolved to watch some 2nd rate National Lampoon comedy on the 3rd screen. While the rude/raunchy comedy entertained us, both me and my sister kept sneaking peaks at the Shining screen and mesmerized by the images sans sound. I've seen the film many times on video and really liked it but it wasn't until many repeated viewings on video increased my love of this film in the last few years. Even knowing what's coming up next doesn't take away from the viewing experience. Kubrick is still unmatched as a filmmaker. Never having read the book but hearing the changes made to the script, I can't imagine enjoying the book more than the film, but that's just me. Stephen King would argue that point.
The film contains all the classic, if not cliché, elements in making a typical horror film but Kubrick, as always, puts his unique spin on things to make it refreshing on every single viewing elevating this far and above all the slasher horror films that came and went in the ensuing 80's and beyond.
Rollerball
(1975)
Bone crushingly great!
17 September 2018
This film still holds up in dramatic tension. Yes, the art direction is the weakest link in the film revealing the love of chrome and funky fonts in the early to mid 1970's that everyone agreed was a future look.
The Rollerball game sequences are gripping and action filled with awesome camerawork considering it was the time before the Steadycam was invented. This film really shows off the use of zoom lens work that was pretty clunky/crude/overused most of the time in the late 60's but in this film is used to perfect use in creating a weird alternate universe in found locations with the spare use of created sets.
Houseman is a great corporate villain a decade ahead of Gordon Gekko and Ralph Richardson steals the movie with his small cameo scene. Cann's performance as the calm and almost robotic and sedate Jonathan E. while "off" the track and commanding and fierce while "on" the track, gives the film the weird flow that adds to the alternate future place the film lives in.
I'm a great fan of John McTiernan and excitedly awaited for his remake in 2002. Omg! Why on earth he agreed to direct that hollow script is beyond comprehension since that version had "Not-a-shred" of the original story that raises this film from just a cool/violent exploitation drive-in flick to a superb sci-fi film with visceral action and a unique and chilling story of corporate America that is more relevant today than it was in the blood soaked cinema of the 1970's.
Planet of the Apes
(1974)
Guilty pleasure
17 September 2018
I loved this series as a kid. Upon re watching it I knew it would be a lack-luster experience compared to the films from that era. But it does have some good stories and hit on a lot of socially conscious story lines despite the low production budgets to be expected back in the day. As is so common in the past, and even still today with regard to some projects , there are inconsistencies of logic and time frame compared to the films that preceded this TV show. The show takes place in the year 3084 AD, according to the title credit sequence, while the first film takes place in 3955 AD. It is clearly stated in one early episode that the events of the original Planet film is referenced and that talking humans appeared and that the Apes managed to suppress the event and turn it into a myth rather than fact. In this show humans talk, with rather contemporary speech and hair styles, 900 years before the events of the 1st film. Logical background info delivered through dialogue doesn't cost an extra penny in regard to production cost. Just bad, sloppy writing, no other excuse. This is probably the main reason , I suspect, the show was canned mid season. The cheap budget didn't help matters. If it wasn't for the existing props and costumes left over from the films I doubt they would have green lit this show in the 1st place. But I have to say, even in this show the ape make-up is very good and carries the show.
Once Upon a Time in the West
(1968)
A great lip-synced, shoot-em-up western fable from a Master
17 September 2018
The first time I saw this film a buddy hyped it up and when I saw it I was...meh. But on the 2nd viewing a year later I got what he meant and it keeps getting better every time. I'm not a Western fan per say but the Leone revisionist westerns hit home with me and this is more of a bittersweet fable than a straight cowboy story as most, as far as I'm concerned anyway. Stunning photography and landscapes abound in this retro western.
Fonda takes a stunning turn as a pure evil gunslinger leader. Cardinale rivals any of the sex kittens of the day like Raquel Welch, Jane Fonda and Bardot with her beehive wig and sparse flowing wardrobe. She commands the lead as a strong willed, intelligent, independent woman not afraid to let her casual feminine wiles loose in an age where being seen and not heard was the norm. Bronson's is at his hard faced and subtle best, rivalling only Eastwood in cool & dangerous attitude. Robards is a much welcome calm relief in all the stare down confrontations within the film.
Morricone's score is breath taking in scope and infusing the film with a strong fable-like theme as well as separate and memorable scores for each of the four lead characters.
Few directors can use long, slow scenes and successfully build up the tension rather than bore the audience. Leone is but the few who succeeds at this and it is this technique which became his trade mark.
Once Upon a Time in America
(1984)
A great gangster fable from the spaghetti-western Master
17 September 2018
The first time I saw this film was opening day in 1984. I liked his Clint westerns from the mid 60's and always love a good gangster film. All of us left the theatre 139 mins. later less than satisfied. Unfortunately we had no idea we had watched a completely butchered version of the film that jumped around too much and made little sense. We quickly forgot the experience and watched much more satisfying films for the rest of the summer popcorn infused flicks of the 1980's.
Years later the complete version finally surfaced with little fanfare. This film is one of those that gets better every time you watch it, "if" one takes the time to sit down and really watch and absorb it.
The Most Dangerous Game
(1932)
Classic B&W Gothic hunt-n-chase
17 September 2018
I finally saw this film after growing up with my large hardcover Horror and Fantasy picture book or issues of Ackerman's magazine with great stills from this film appearing once in awhile. I knew the story decades before from great rip-off adaptations like in Star Trek and the seemingly hundreds of other films and shows that borrowed the concept. But I had to see the original especially with actors like Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray in the cast. I knew going in that made in 1932, it might suffer from that early 30's stagey look and thin & linear storylines. I wasn't wrong but I was also impressed nonetheless. Utilizing some of the Kong sets was a pure thrill well worth the watch in itself.
I am not one to endorse remakes... sorry the politically correct, corporate branding and user friendly term is re-booting, of old films but this one is due a serious re"make" with much needed story lines fleshed out or discarded elements from the book re-inserted.
Ministry of Fear
(1944)
Ministry...ho-hum
17 September 2018
So I finally saw this film. I skimmed through a review on dvdBeaver.com and it praised the film saying it was one of Langs finest U.S. productions. I didn't read anymore since I didn't want to know anymore and read any spoilers on the plot and wanted to be surprised while watching the film. So based partly on that one line review, on the great title, which coming from a German filmmaker escaping Nazi Germany I figured would have great input into the sub-text of the film and I hoped to see a great film. Was it good, yes....was it great, nope. Unfortunately being a film lover, one expects more from the better directors and hold them, whether it is justified or not, to a higher level of expectation. If I had just stumbled across this film on TV and watched it without any pre-conceived notions perhaps I would have enjoyed it more but the story is lacking and could have benefited from a strong rewrite.
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