I think you'll like it. It got me pretty spooked on a number of occasions, and the final part of the movie is what you'd call 'Grand Guignol'.
__________________ Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Yeah, I thought it was good, rabid fun. Obviously, it looked a little cheap, but 'The Descent' is cinematically more attractive.
__________________ Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
I caught a 10:30 showing this morning, and trying my best to expect very little. That way I can get more than I expected of course. But It’s hard not to expect a lot when it is directed by someone like Peter Jackson, Director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Hold on, I’m trying to get to the review here. Anyway, The story is about a film Director and Producer who is trying to get a film that will change the world; And by Doing so, he would go to a location that is has never been discovered. He has a Map that will show him the way. And on that Location, A sacred best (king Kong) kidnaps the leading actress, and then he is taken to new York to reek havoc on the city. I was surprised that Jack Black could redeem himself, He can play a serious role. The movie overall Is fantastic, 'King Kong' really made great use of the surround sound system, making it the ultimate Theater experience. I think King Kong is the greatest CGI character since LOTR’s ‘Gollum’, I really thought I was actually there IN the movie. To be honest I got very close to shedding a tear. I’m really trying my best not to spoil the movie, but I must say this will be up for an Oscar or 3. I’m expecting, ‘Best cinematic achievement’ ‘Best picture’ and possibly ‘Best actress in a leading role’. Peter Jackson Has dominated the theaters these past 4 winters. PERIOD
Verdict: 9/10 - Must see
Last edited by Dusty on Dec 18th, 2005 at 04:12 AM
Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is an alien on earth disguised as a human on a mission to save his family. Many years pass and Newton becomes head of a profiting business. While in a hotel near his big project to help his family is a distant planet, he meets a girl-next-door type maid Mary-Lou (Candy Clark) who soon becomes his lover. Then, on the site of his project, Newton meets Nathan Bryce (Rip Thorn) an ex-college professor who had a liking of women half his age. With the help of each he tries to complete his mission, yet many obstacles await stop his goal.
Unlike other big, raunchy Sci-Fi films, The Man Who Fell To Earth is much more subdued and realistic. Newton easily plays into the role in regular American life. He soon becomes more human, but sadly, also gaining humans many faults. This can be seen by Newton's relationship with Mary-Lou which at the very start they seem to be meant for each other, yet soon things deteriorate into shouting matches because of materialistic items such as TV or alcohol. Bowie is very good playing an alien (a part he was made for when you look at some of those costumes he wore during his rock career.) Clark is also very good when you look at her transformation from an 'aw-shucks' persona, to an intoxicated, pleading drunk.
One of Roeg's great points is made without words but with images. Whenever the film shows images of Newton home planet with his alien wife and kids, it always looks very peaceful. Yet most of the scenes on Earth are chaotic, depressing, and out of place. In a way, he is saying that our lives are a lot stranger than any alien ever could be.
__________________
“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport.”
Last edited by Dr. Strangelove on Jan 4th, 2006 at 09:26 AM
Just to retort, an opinion can infact be invalid if there isn't any support. I knocked "Spice World" out of my DVD library about 7 days after I bought it. Not that I seriously liked the movie to begin with.
As for "quickie" reviews, there's nothing to be gained from two or three sentences that accurately and effectively weighs a movie.
I think the purpose of a short review, is to get the reader teased so that they will go off and venture to buy the film, and fill in the rest of the Opinion with their own. Keeping the movie original, and still surprising.
But on a side note, I am seriously thinking about un-pinning this thread. It's reached a certain point of inactivness where it's just "there".
Prison drama directed by Steve Buscemi, adapted from the novel by Edward (Eddie 'Mr Blue') Bunker.
Every aspect of this movie, from the washed out colors to the grinding, bluesy score, defines the word 'gritty'. It's so gritty, I was groping around for a toothpick by the time the end credits rolled. Few movies, even prison dramas, are as relentlessly bleak as Animal Factory. The characters are cold and essentially unlikeable, but that's not a minus point, on the contrary, it's exactly what the (excellent) cast is aiming for. It stars Edward Furlong as Ron Decker, a 21-year old rich-boy rebel sent to a grim state penitentiary for selling marijuana. With his slight frame and relative innocence and naivety, he seems easy pickings for the various psychos and hardened lawbreakers he is surrounded by.
Luckily for him though, he is taken under the wing of violent but intelligent career criminal Earl Copen (played by a bald, intense Willem Defoe), who basically has the entire joint in his pocket. Through Copen, Ron is taught the do's and dont's of prison survival, and that's about it. Not a huge amount happens throughout the course of the movie, but when it does, the sparks of vicious, animalistic violence are all the more effective, and although it is by no means the most original or ambitious of it's kind, Animal Factory captures the claustrophobic monotony of everyday prison life better than any other I've seen. Also, watch out for Mickey Rourke as Decker's motherly but horny transvestite cell-mate. No, seriously.
Nice review there Deathblow, I enjoyed Animal Factory as well. Why Edward Furlong went from films like this to the horrendous Crow: Wicked Prayer really puzzles me.
As for Rourke, I didn't even catch on it was him until I read the end credits...
Black military comedy/drama directed by Gregor Jordan.
I forced my cousin to watch my DVD of this movie yesterday, and the fact that he'd never heard of it before inspired me to write a review. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Ray Elwood, this frighteningly realistic view into the lives of jaded US soldiers stationed in Germany just prior to the toppling of the Berlin Wall, drags the viewer into a world of backstabbing, drugs and an almost playground-style division between ''cliques'' of cool kids and not-so-cool kids. Or as Elwood refers to them in his cool as ice voice-over; ''the motherf*ckers, and the motherf*cked''.
Elwood works as a clerk on a major US army base by day, manipulating his honorable but naive superior officer, Commander Berman (good ol' Ed Harris), but by night he relieves his boredom through raucous partying, speeding in his prized jet-black Mercedes Benz, and manufacturing and wholesaling high-grade heroin from the basement of a near by tower block. He and his group of loyal followers have been gleefully capitalising and cashing-in on the drug addicts and general corruption running completely rife throughout the base for sometime, until a new Top Sergeant (Scott Glen) comes into the frame. That's when things start to get nasty.
Honestly, it wouldn't be far from the truth to say that this movie has it all. It's both hilarious (the stoned tank drivers) and horrific (the final scene...military-grade firearms and heroin do not mix), packed with immortal dialogue (see my profile for what deserves to stand alongside ''I love the smell of napalm in the morning'' and ''show me your war face...'' as one of the greatest military movie quotes of all time), the soundtrack is top-notch, it has possibly the best opening scene since Reservoir Dogs, and the entire film is scarily convincing. It is intended primarily as an indictment on the state of the US armed forces morally, but personally, I see it as an extended metaphor for the victory of capitalism over socialism. But even without looking for deeper meanings, Buffalo Soldiers can be enjoyed merely for all the features listed above. It's also the movie that endeared Joaquin Phoenix to me, both he and Scott Glen give possible career best performances, Ed Harris and Anna Paquin are also sharp. One of the most underrated movies of the last decade, and one of my favorites. See it.
I had researched a little into this film before acquiring it and was quite hyped for what was too be a good movie. I was not disappointed .
The basic stories premise is that hiding right under our noses are a group of 'Immortals' who never grow old and cannot die under any means (sans decapitation) , these immortals fight for the mysterious 'Prize' which if acquired by an 'evil' immortal will cause mankind to be forever shrouded in darkness.
The main character (Christopher Lambert) , is a scottish highlander and as the tag says his name is Connor MacLeod and he is immortal , he is evicted from his clan after living from a fatal wound caused by 'The Kurgan' (Clancy Brown) . He is soon found though by Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean connery) who takes it upon himself to teach Connor the ways of the immortal.
Fast forward four-hundred years and Connor is now named Russell Edwin Nash , living in America and awaiting 'The Gathering' where the last immortals shall battle for the prize . Of course things are never easy with the Kurgan returning and a new love interest being brought up .
I enjoyed this film greatly , Lambert did well in the role of Connor (although his accent wavered occasionally) and portrayed the brooding figure of the highlander superbly.
Sean connery as always did a good job , bringing charisma and humour to the film .
But the real award should go to clancy brown . The man made the kurgan into a truly malevolent and evil villain devoid of all kindness and humility.
The film was a little cheesy occasionally with special effects and sword fighting , but you have to expect that from a film made in the eighties .
Not many have heard of this movie, and I only heard about it because I was telling my friends I was going on a disturbing movie binge and this girl told me about it. Not disturbing as in the binge...disturbing as in the movies. Anyway, I'll get to others later. On to the review!
From the get-go this movie does not disappoint if you are looking for a good shock, with an opening scene of a man slicing his leg open and shoving in a metal rod, and then immediately followed by a car accident, for which is the basis of the events of the movie. Paying close attention, you will soon discover that the television, which makes frequent appearances, tells all, giving a good amount of foreshadowing, and then finally revealing the surprise you may receive if you don't figure out the exact details of the accident. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but the climax becomes very much like an action anime in the way the protagonist and antagonist gain super abilities due to the metal growing in their bodies. The movie has many more memorable moments, including the entire film itself, one of which is the giant metal drill penis, and another which will remind you very much of The Matrix and machines growing humans.
Now, none of the characters have names, nor do they talk very much. The story is almost entirely in the visuals, which are not too bad, and really get the point across. The editing of the film is it's strong point, because there are certainly no computer graphics effects. Everything from metal growing out of flesh to super-sonic running is done with physical materials and editing. But that's something to expect from a black and white film made in the 1980s.
The metaphors for the movie are numerous, ranging from man's obsessions with machines will be his downfall to man's quest for power. This is good because if there was no message, this entire movie masterpiece would be wasted as another independant mediocre shock-flick, but fortunately writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto knew he could get a good message across with gore when he made this film, and he does a stupendous job.
Even though this movie is fairly unheard of, it lives up to it's underground reputation. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.
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Dec 17th, 2005 02:02 AM
