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tt0062711 | Barbarella | In The Future, a beautiful astronomatrix named Barbarella (Jane Fonda) floats through the galaxy in her spaceship, the Alpha-7. Suddenly she receives an urgent call on her monitor from none other than the President of Earth (Claude Dauphin). He informs her that a young scientist named Durand-Durand went missing sometime during a mission to the North Star and is believed to have landed somewhere in the Tau Ceti star system. Not much is known about this region of space-- the President worries that Durand's invention, the positronic ray, may fall into the hands of a primitive culture; beings who might seek to use this technology as a weapon and launch an intergalactic war. Since the Earth, free of all conflict for centuries, lacks military and police personnel, the President tasks Barbarella with a mission to find the scientist. He teleports her some weapons and a device that will signal the presence of Durand-Durand. The latter has a "tonguebox" incorporated in its design which can translate any language.Barbarella spends most of the journey to Tau Ceti in suspended animation. She awakens just in time to lose control of her spacecraft and crash land on Planet 16, which her spaceship informs her contains an atmosphere similar to Earth's. She changes into a new outfit to explore the arctic terrain. The first humanoids she meets are a pair of twin girls-- they jabber to her excitedly in a language she can't understand. Before she can adjust her tonguebox, one of them knocks Barbarella unconscious with a piece of ice. The girls then pull the dazed explorer along in their sled, which is attached to a manta ray-like creature that glides across the ice.The girls arrive with Barbarella at the wreck of another craft where several other sets of twin children are sheltered and indigo-blue bunny rabbits abound. Barbarella recognizes the wreck as the Alpha-1, former spaceship of Durand-Durand. The children tie Barbarella to a post and bring out several mechanical dolls that walk towards her. It soon becomes apparent that the dolls all have sharp metal teeth and hinged jaws. They bite Barbarella while the children giggle gleefully, amused by their game.Suddenly a man appears with several armored guards. He cracks a whip and captures the children in a net, then unties Barbarella. Once she gets her tonguebox working, she's able to understand him when he explains that he is a Catchman named Mark Hand (Ugo Tognazzi) and that all children are sent away to the forests of Weir "until they've reached a serviceable age," at which point he captures them and brings them back to civilization. He offers Barbarella a ride back to her spaceship. When she asks how she can repay him, he tells her that he'd like to make love to her. Back on Earth, when people want to bond, erotically, they each take an exultation transference pill and press their palms against one another's. Barbarella is prepared to do this with the Catchman, but he's not interested in all that, he tells Barbarella that he wants to have sex on the bed in his snowship. She reluctantly agrees to do it the old-fashioned way, but soon discovers that she finds the experience quite enjoyable. The Catchman gives her a fur and repairs her spaceship, only when she tries to fly off, the ship's computer informs her that it's been repaired in reverse. She crashes back into the planet and quickly activates the ship's terra-screws so that she can tunnel through the planet's core.She surfaces in the Labyrinth, amongst strange creatures including an "ornithanthrope," or angel, named Pygar (John Phillip Law), who was blinded in the city of Sogo. Pygar takes Barbarella to visit Professor Ping (Marcel Marceau) who explains that Pygar is aerodynamically sound, but lacks the morale to fly. Pygar, Professor Ping and all of the other unfortunates who roam the Labyrinth were imprisoned there by order of the Great Tyrant. They are not evil enough to be allowed to live in Sogo, the City of Night. Pygar takes Barbarella to his nest where they have sex. This restores Pygar's will to fly and Barbarella convinces him to fly them both to Sogo. Professor Ping meanwhile agrees to try and fix Barbarella's spacecraft.As they fly over the Labyrinth, Barbarella and Pygar are attacked by several of the Great Tyrant's black guards, but they destroy them all. They enter the city where Pygar's wings attract immediate attention. He is abducted and Barbarella is cornered by a pair of ruffians who seem to have rape on their minds, but before they can lay a hand on Barbarella, they're both stabbed in the back by a woman with an eyepatch. The woman wants to "play" with Barbarella, but Barbarella rejects her advances and runs off to find Pygar.She sees the angel up on another level of the city, drawing jeers from a mob. Shielding him from the mob, she tells Pygar to back up since there's a room behind them. The mob don't follow and Barbarella belatedly learns that it's because they've retreated into in the Chamber of Ultimate Solutions, which metes out various "exciting and surprising" forms of death. Before they're forced to choose one of the solutions, the Concierge of the Great Tyrant (Milo O'Shea) enters and escorts them both out of the room. He explains that the silvery slime moving under the floor is the Mathmos, the life-force that sustains all of the evil in Sogo. Pygar is immediately swooped up in a net, while the Concierge pushes Barbarella down a chute. She emerges in the court of the Great Tyrant. The twin girls from Weir, Stomoxis and Glossina (Catherine Chevallier and Marie Therese Chevallier), clamor to play with Barbarella, but the Concierge scolds them to let their aunt, the Great Tyrant, have her turn first. Barbarella is soon granted audience with the Great Tyrant (Anita Pallenberg) whom she recognizes as the "one-eyed wench" who rescued her earlier. The Great Tyrant drawls that she often likes to walk disguised among her people. She reveals that she's crucified Pygar and is holding him hostage so that Barbarella will play with her. Barbarella pretends to acquiesce but reaches under Pygar's loincloth and grabs a gun she'd stashed there. She threatens to shoot the Great Tyrant in the face unless Pygar is released. The Great Tyrant complies but her Concierge calls Barbarella's bluff when he notices that her power buckle is depleted. He suggests giving Barbarella "to the birds."The Great Tyrant absconds with Pygar and attempts to ravish him, but he doesn't understand her demands for sex, stating that "An angel does not make love, an angel is love." She sends him away to be devoured by the Mathmos.Meanwhile, the Concierge locks Barbarella in a glass cage. It's empty at first, but soon fills with hundreds of finches and parakeets that peck her mercilessly. In the middle of this ordeal, a trap door opens up and she slides down a chute into the secret headquarters of the Resistance, led by one Dildano (David Hemmings). Dildano informs Barbarella of his plans to overthrow the Great Tyrant by ambushing her while she sleeps in her Chamber of Dreams. He even possesses a key to this chamber, which is invisible. He asks Barbarella to help their cause and she agrees to do what she can once Professor Ping has fixed her spaceship. She offers to have sex with Dildano but he disdains sex, preferring to use the pill like a civilized Earthling. Barbarella reluctantly agrees even though they haven't exchanged psychocardiograms. After a session of hand-to-hand intercourse, Barbarella leaves the headquarters via another chute that deposits her somewhere else in the city. The Concierge finds her and takes her to his torture device, an organ-like machine that will cause Barbarella to die of pleasure. Barbarella's capacity for pleasure is so great that she breaks the machine, infuriating the Concierge. Just as the Concierge is deciding what to do with Barbarella next, her homing device begins to bleep, indicating that she is in the presence of Durand-Durand. Barbarella can't believe that the Concierge is the man she's been seeking; she was told that Durand-Durand was in his late twenties and the Concierge looks to be in his fifties. He attributes this to the lifestyle of pure evil he's been enjoying in Sogo.When he learns that Barbarella has the key to the Great Tyrant's Chamber of Dreams, he confiscates her copy of the key, throws her inside the Chamber while the Tyrant sleeps, steals the Tyrant's key and seals them both inside. He plans to take over Sogo and enacts a coronation ceremony, but before he can be crowned, the city falls under attack by the Resistance. Durand-Durand uses the positronic ray to send the resistance fighters to the Fourth Dimension. However, the Tyrant unleashes the Mathmos, which consumes everyone else, including Durand-Durand. Only Barbarella and Pygar prove immune to the Mathmos, which cannot digest their goodness. Pygar takes Barbarella in one arm and the Great Tyrant in the other and begins to fly to safety. When Barbarella asks why he's saving the woman who tried to kill him and has destroyed the entire planet, he replies that "an angel has no memory." | pornographic, avant garde, cruelty, fantasy, adult comedy, cult, good versus evil, psychedelic, romantic, entertaining | train | imdb | null |
tt0094963 | The Dead Pool | Fame finally catches up with Harry Callahan. His testimony against crime kingpin Lou Janero puts the mobster in prison and Callahan on the cover of San Francisco Magazine as the city's ace crime fighter. Callahan is attacked by Janero's men at a turnoff near the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge while driving. He knocks down one with his car and shoots the remaining men dead. Callahan discovers he has been assigned a partner: Asian American, martial arts-skilled partner Al Quan (Evan Kim). Unimpressed, he advises Quan to get a bulletproof vest, as his partners often get killed. They are assigned to investigate the death of rock singer Johnny Squares (Jim Carrey), who was killed in his trailer outside a meatpacking plant during filming of a music video for a slasher film directed by Peter Swan (Liam Neeson).
Later, Dean Madison, Swan's executive producer, is shot and killed during a Chinatown restaurant stickup. Harry and Quan see the holdup and rush to stop it. Harry manages to gun down four of the robbers inside the restaurant; the one who manages to escape out the front door is subdued by Quan, an expert martial artist. Harry wryly compliments Quan's skill, accepting him as his partner in fact. When they examine the dead producer's belongings, they discover a list in his pocket with Harry's and Johnny Squares's names on it. It turns out that the dead producer and Swan are participants in a "dead pool" game, in which participants try to predict celebrity deaths, either by natural causes, old age, or as a result of working in dangerous professions. In a turn of events, another celebrity on Swan's list, movie critic Molly Fisher, is stabbed and killed in her condominium by an intruder claiming to be Swan.
Callahan is asked to cooperate with the media, particularly reporter (and later love interest) Samantha Walker (Patricia Clarkson), to balance their interference with the investigation. Walker proposes to do an in-depth profile on Callahan for her news report, to make up for an incident earlier in the film where Harry threw and ruined Walker's camera in an attempt to stop her crew from harassing Squares' hysterical girlfriend. However, Callahan wants to simply perform his job and stay out of the limelight. Days later, Callahan apologizes for his rude exit at their first dinner, and he and Samantha have a second dinner date. Afterwards, they narrowly escape being killed by Janero's men, leading the reporter to reconsider the plight of police officers versus the public's right to know.
Callahan drives to San Quentin, where Janero is serving his sentence. He promises a huge, chain-smoking triple murderer named Butcher Hicks a carton of cigarettes for his help in convincing Janero that if anything bad happens to Callahan, the vicious Butcher will pay him a visit. This results in Janero calling off his men, and assigning a couple as Callahan's personal bodyguards to keep any other hoods from killing him.
Callahan and Quan receive a call that a troubled man named Gus Wheeler, claiming responsibility for the murders, is trying to get on the TV news by dousing himself in gasoline and threatening to immolate himself if he sees a fire truck or a hose. Ultimately, it turns out that Wheeler is just an attention-seeker desperate to appear on camera. He accidentally sets himself on fire, but Harry saves him, allowing officers to extinguish the flames covering him. Samantha is praised by Harry for showing professionalism and not allowing the attention-seeker to have his suicide filmed.
Harry and Quan later interview Swan and get the name of another suspect: Harlan Rook, a schizophrenic and deranged fan of Swan who thinks his ideas and work have been stolen by the director. Swan had obtained a restraining order against Rook about a year before.
Rook next kills controversial talk show host Nolan Kennard, another person on the dead pool list, using an ingenious device: he drives a remote controlled toy car filled with C4 explosive under the victim's vehicle as he is backing out of his driveway and detonates it. Rook's car bomb goes undetected by Callahan at the crime scene. Although he does find a wheel from the radio control car, he thinks nothing of it until he later spots a radio controlled car following him in the streets. Recognizing the threat, Callahan and Quan flee in their unmarked car through San Francisco's hilly streets, reminiscent of the famous chase sequence in Bullitt, pursued by Rook's radio controlled car and Rook himself in a real car. Eventually Callahan and Al Quan are trapped in an alleyway and the bomb car advances on them. Harry slams the car into reverse seconds before the bomb explodes, with the engine taking the brunt of the blast and the firewall protecting the two cops. Quan is injured but survived with only broken ribs thanks to his bulletproof vest.
When Callahan visits Quan in the hospital and asks about the vest, Quan reveals a piece of advice he was given by his grandfather: "When your partner gives you advice ... you TAKE it." Callahan leaves with a smile.
Rook, disguised as Swan, calls Walker at the television station and invites her to Swan's film studio for an interview, which is actually a trap. Meanwhile, the police raid Rook's apartment and discover torn posters of Swan's films and large quantities of explosives. Callahan hurries to Swan's studio, where Walker is being held captive by Rook. He reluctantly surrenders his .44 Magnum revolver after Rook nearly slits her throat. Callahan lures him to a pier after a chase through a warehouse, with Rook shooting at him with his own gun. Rook eventually runs out of ammunition, and Callahan takes the opportunity to shoot Rook with a Svend Foyn harpoon cannon, impaling him. Callahan leaves with Walker as the police arrive at the scene. | suspenseful, comedy, neo noir, murder, violence | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1073105 | The Descent: Part 2 | Two days after the events of the first film, a traumatized and blood-covered Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) escapes the cave with no memory of the events. She is taken to a hospital, where it is found that some of the blood on her belongs to Juno Kaplan (Natalie Mendoza). Sheriff Vaines (Gavan O'Herlihy) takes his deputy Elen Rios (Krysten Cummings), Sarah, and three spelunking specialists – Dan (Douglas Hodge), Greg (Josh Dallas), and Cath (Anna Skellern) – to the cave to find the missing women. The team members are sent down via an old mine shaft operated by the old, mysterious Ed Oswald (Michael J. Reynolds).
The group discovers Rebecca's mutilated body, causing Sarah to have flashbacks of the crawlers and causing Vaines to believe Sarah may be responsible for the girls' disappearance. While crawling through a tunnel, she attacks Vaines and the others, causing the others to split up. Vaines runs to search for Sarah, and in the process is surprised by a crawler, and fires his gun in a panic, causing a minor collapse in the cavern which traps Cath, separating her from Rios, Dan, and Greg. The three decide to find an alternate way around in order to try and free Cath and arrive in a room full of bones, where they find Holly's video camera. They watch it and realize the women were attacked by the crawlers. The three are then themselves attacked by crawlers and separated.
Rios starts calling for help, alerting the crawlers to her location, but is rescued by Sarah. The two then watch as a crawler kills Dan and drags his body away, prompting Sarah to inform Rios that the crawlers are blind and hunt via sound. After escaping from and killing a crawler Cath finds Greg before the two escape from another crawler and find Sam's body. They decide to try to use her to swing across a chasm, but are attacked again. Greg falls down the chasm, while Cath is killed.
Rios reveals to Sarah that she has a daughter. Elsewhere, Vaines is attacked by a crawler but saved by Juno, who is alive and adept at hunting the crawlers. They reunite with Rios and Sarah, who is shocked to see Juno alive. Juno is furious that Sarah left her to die but the four decide to work together to survive. Juno leads them to a feeding pit, which she claims has a passage to the surface that the crawlers use to gather food from above the ground. Vaines handcuffs Sarah to himself so that she will not abandon them like she did Juno. When he falls over a ledge, he almost drags Sarah with him. Juno orders Rios to cut off Vaines' hand to save Sarah. Despite his protests, she does so, causing Vaines to fall to his death.
Sarah, Juno, and Rios reach the exit, but are blocked by a group of crawlers led by their large leader. They try to quietly sneak past the crawlers, but Greg, who is dying from his injuries, appears and grabs Juno's leg in a last effort to save himself. This causes her to scream in surprise and attract the attention of the crawlers. Greg dies and the women are left to fight them off. After all the crawlers are killed, Sarah tries to rescue Juno from the leader, but it slashes Juno's stomach, mortally wounding her. Sarah then kills it before Juno dies in her arms. More crawlers arrive, but Sarah draws their attention to herself, giving Rios a chance to escape.
As Sarah is presumably killed, Rios escapes from the cave. When she tries to call for help, she is attacked by Ed, who drags her back to the opening as food for the crawlers. As Rios regains consciousness, a blood-covered crawler pops out and presumably takes her back into the cave. | violence, flashback | train | wikipedia | In fact, one scene at the end tries to tie up a major story thread from the previous movie, but it simply comes off as tacky and against the grain of the characters we have come to know.The final nail in the tragically shoddy coffin is the ending, which is also funny whether intentional or not.Related Recommendations: The Descent, The Thing, Eden Log, Pandorum, REC, Cube, Pitch Black.
THE DESCENT 2 is like FINAL DESTINATION 2 or WRONG TURN 2 or about 100 other horror sequels, in that we get more of the same and it's usually not as good as the original.
I'm sure this will be the general feel from the majority of reviews but I've got to say that the Descent part 2 is just what you should expect; Similar character development but less of; Similar direction/cinematography but less of; Similar jumpy frights but less of; Similar gore but less of; Similar crawlers but less of; Similar fun but less of.
The original Descent movie is one of my favourite horror films, so I was really looking forward to feasting my eyes on the second part.
To be fair, I wasn't expecting anything near as what the original movie offered.The Descent: Part 2 follows Sarah, the sole escapee of the cave in the first movie.
She then gets forced back down into the cave with a new team so they can discover what went on down there.The film follows on right after the ending of the American version of the movie which wasn't really to my liking, partly as it's a British horror movie and also because the British ending of The Descent is so much better.I was pleasantly surprised though, despite ridiculing the movie literally from start to finish by comparing it to the original (well I was watching it with friends).
There were a few scenes just too similar to the original movie and some where just plain ridiculous, but in a good way if that makes sense.The death scenes and the moments building towards them were executed brilliantly.
In the first The Descent movie, where Sarah was the only survival of a caving expedition, Neil Marshall (director and writer) chose to keep the ending open to different interpretations of the real cause of what happened.
In any sequel the storyline is simplified to a brainless horror movie with a fairly guessable storyline.There is also nothing to say about good acting or the development of characters.If you have seen The Descent this sequel is certainly not worth it.
Everyone here did a really good job at bringing their characters to life on screen, even the ones with small supporting roles.The Descent 2 is a thrill ride from start to end, just like part 1 was.
As with part 1, the creatures were nicely put together, good make-up, good prosthetics, and very believable.This sequel is a MUST to watch for fans of the first Descent movie..
I was honestly ready for this movie to be a complete fail for a film not only because of several different reviews iv read but also because of other movies that try making a second and change the setting and the main characters but keep the story in which the descent 2 did not do.
I was honestly ready for this movie to be a complete fail for a film not only because of several different reviews iv read but also because of other movies that try making a second and change the setting and the main characters but keep the story in which the descent 2 did not do.
After that it takes no time at all to reduce the cast down to just 3 people.The first 45 minutes we see Sarah the sole survivor of the first movie pulled from a hospital bed and taken by force to explore the cave in a traumatized state.
After watching the Trailers & hearing about A new Director, & the Negative reviews I watched this film with an opened mind, thinking "Oh great, this is going to be like The Hills have Eyes 2,Wrong turn 2, or even Final Destination 2." Because I thought they were going to Start this movie off with different characters, & a different storyline, but after the first 5 minutes,I suddenly had a light of hope left in me.I think its really cool that Some of the cast from the first one was in here, not many sequels do that.
The First one was the reason why I even got into horror films in the first place, Before I saw The Descent I wasn't much of a horror fan, actually my favorite Horror film was "When A Stranger calls" because I grew up watching Cheap slashers like The Friday The 13th saga, But After watching the Descent, I had no Idea what a scary film was, then I thought to myself, "God, are horror films like this" then I did my research & I really got into good horror films, like Aliens, The Thing, The Shining, Carrie, Etc. Then I thought to myself, "Man,WTF was I missing out."I just Love this Sequel,even though I'll have to admit, It could have used a 1 minute trim at the end, but oh well, this movie was so good, It didn't even matter.This film is REALLY good, but I'll have to warm you all,"WATCH IT WITH AN OPENED MIND,IT IS NOT THE RETURN OF THE SHINING SO QUIT ACTING LIKE IT"Congrats, John Harris, on your Film debut!.
It is all very soap opera in the sense that no matter where you join the show, you can instantly watch the show from where you start and there is no concern for what you may have missed previously.This is too highlighted in the fact that there are no opening credits, apart from its title it's straight into the thick of things and this does make it feel rather pushed and not at all like a film but a ninety-four minute let's-get-on-with-it-while-we-are-here, again, what development can be addressed in only ninety-four minutes?
I guess the movie makers thought they got away with it the first time, so why not just blatantly rip off the characters too with no credit?Anyhoo, both Descent movies are well worth watching if you're a horror fan, but if you're also a reader please pick up Jeff Long's novel as well.
The action scenes are thoroughly entertaining and really work well with those additional elements brought about within by tying the setting into giving this a great pace in a creepy location as efforts like stumbling upon their half-digested friends' remains, freaking out following the remembering of events from the first film or the series of fantastic encounters with the creatures as they appear far earlier here which sets this off rather well and the scenes of a swarm amassing behind the unsuspecting victims are quite creepy.
this is a brilliant second part you can see the director is a fan of the first one he has a good eye for detail it got some excellent gore effects and the story line is believable and thare are no bad actors in it like most horror films fans of the first one will not be disappointed i hope the director keeps up the good work in the future.
We all remember the effectiveness of "The Descent".It was an extremely gory attempt that tried to tangle our nerves and entertain us with extremely gory death scenes, and it worked.The sequel isn't QUITE up there with the first, but the scares, gore, and mutants manage to make this sequel a real jolter of a movie.It's a shame that I've seen the first movie on a small television, so I really didn't jump much.But this one I watched in my bedroom and Me and my friend watched it on my much bigger and better television set and I was quite scared.Sometimes you know that scare is coming, but you jump anyway.The film is not as good as the first.I'm going to throw that out.But you have to admit that it's a very solid piece of entertainment for a movie that didn't make it to theaters.Well, not my theaters.It's a shame to know that a lot of people disliked this movie.C'mon people, it ain't that bad.If your complaining that it's too gory for you or it takes too long to get to the first part with the mutants, you don't know sh*t about film criticism.I really liked it and I'm giving it a very positive recommendation whether you like it or not.
But they chose the ending which opened the doors for a sequel when it wasn't required.The movie opens just 2 days after the 6 women go missing and shows the sheriff and cave explorers trying to figure out where they were.
It's not the worst horror squeal of all time, but a film that has no reason and no right to be made.Overall: Some good gore, but fans of the original will be disappointed in this bland mix of meh and bad bad CGI.
I understand that this is the work of a completely different director (the editor of the first film), but it's like he completely abandoned anything and everything that mad the first movie memorable, plopped some hilariously generic new characters into the caves with the barest story to support their existence, and then just copied parts of the first movie in the most boring and amateurish ways possible.
The team of rescuers are no match for the creatures in their element and one-by-one they are ripped and eaten like a horror fan's wet dream.The Descent: Part 2 is not as good as the first film, but it is still miles above most other horror titles and is definitely a worthy sequel.
And the development of the Sarah character and her search for redemption (she did leave her friends behind after all) is a worthy companion to the original.It is likely there is going to be a Descent: Part 3.
Director Jon Harris brings a very powerful horror extravaganza to the screen with this sequel to the original film, The Descent.
The feelings of claustrophobia, things barely seen but noticed, and the dark pressing in at you.The descent 2 barely has any of these, most of the key scenes underground look like they were filmed on a massive brightly lit stage(as they probably were), not underground and the monsters are all to happy to dance around in front of the camera.
This is fine for action, but not the horror of the original.By all means it's an entirely serviceable B movie, nothing is massively grating about it, it just pales in comparison to it's predecessor.Go in expecting things to jump out and go "boo!" knowing who will die and feeling slightly unsatisfied at the end..
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad movie if you enjoy horror movies, but if you liked the first Descent movie then I doubt you'll really find this comparable.Too much use a lot of the same scare style scenes as the first movie, stupid acting by some of the characters, and poorer of the creatures makes a recipe for disaster....and the final scenes of the movie seemed like a stupid addition added on at the last minute and didn't make much sense in context to the rest of the movie...This is a sequel that should never have been made, and let's hope another isn't....
While Neil Marshall's The Descent was the very definition of horror in its purest form, The Descent: Part 2 continues the new & stupid tradition of sequels being shamelessly green-lighted by production studios who are desperate to cash in on the success of the original and comes out as a lazy, uninspired & needless attempt that shouldn't even have existed in the first place.Starting 2 days after the alternate ending present in US version of The Descent & dismissing the original ending as merely a dream, The Descent: Part 2 brings Sarah back into the nightmarish cave as cops simply refused to believe her story.
Convinced that her missing companions might still be alive, the authorities force Sarah to accompany them back into the caves where her recent past is waiting to haunt her again.Directed by Jon Harris who served as the editor of the first film, it's clear that neither the director nor the writers really understood why the previous chapter worked so well in the first place as the film is a dud in both departments like most soulless sequels are.
Still, for what it's worth, it might work for some viewers as the film is somewhat enjoyable in bits & pieces.As for me, this sequel never happened and if you've seen the uncut version of The Descent, then you don't need to watch any further & should simply ignore this chapter.
Good sequel, but I just can't understand why wasn't invested more in characters development, which was a very big addition to the first part and in the genre overall and ultimately makes a connection that makes You care much more for them and makes watching the movie more tensed.
But don't get me wrong, the characters are far from pale, through few scenes they are well portrayed and the addition of characters from previous movie makes a strong story that in the end is circled faithfully to the first part.And the last complain from me are few fight sequences that weren't match to the first part, but the rest was done faithfully and made me back to the cave jumping and gripping just like the first time and I loved it.And as a bonus there was a good unexpected twist in the very end..
It's also best to ignore that the team seems quite happy to be lowered to the caves in a mine elevator that looks as though it hasn't been used for the best part of a century and are also confident enough to crawl through passages that are obviously very unstable.Instead, just sit back and revel in the good stuff: the many moments of blood gushing, flesh tearing, and all-round splattery goodness (with the red stuff more often than not splashing directly into some poor sap's face); director Jon Harris' effective direction, which wisely imitates many of Marshall's tried and tested scare techniques from the original film; and the rather revolting scene involving the monsters' toilet habits (I don't know about you, but I find it hard to dislike any film that has one of its creatures narrowly miss taking a dump on the main characters' heads)..
This is great sequel , it start of two day after the first movie ended.Sarah wakes up in hospital and she can not remember anything that happen in last year,as she was asking to her for daughter who died in as we saw in the first with a flashback.Sheriff Redmond Vaines forces her back underground to help the rescue team which is desperately searching for her five missing girlfriends.
As the team moves deeper into the caves, Sarah soon start to flashback of what happened before.This movie had some really good scary scenes, which made me jump and some tense scenes to keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole movie,This movie did have a little bit gore then first movie.The whole movie was great, i really enjoyed the whole but until the ending was huge letdown, It was really boring and confusing twist, we made not sense at all, that it only bad think I can say about this movie.I am going to give this movie 7 out of 10.
The sequel is just the same therefore i wasn't so impressed because i like to see something a little different in a follow up.The special affects and the gore is the best thing about this movie which is helpful because the script is bloody awful.
The story follows the same formula many sequels tend to, which is, "Something bad happened in there so let's go back and take a closer look!" There is some fair character development, although the notion of a sheriff dragging a severely traumatized and unstable person into a situation she just escaped from is less believable than the idea of cave monsters.
Sarah,the last survivor of Neil Marshall's "The Descent" is back.She finally managed to somehow exit those horrifying caves only to return once more in them accompanied with a rescue party.The crawlers wait-thirsty for blood and guts..."Descent 2" is nowhere nearly as good as its claustrophobic and genuinely nightmarish predecessor.It lacks scares and creepy atmosphere of the original and is more action-packed.The script has some really random parts in it which still are very confusing for example Juno's comeback is never really explained.The gore is quite strong with plenty of arterial sprays and ripped out throats.The crawlers are never really menacing and their look is different than in "The Descent".There is even a short cameo by the female crawler which lasts 10 seconds or so.7 out of 10 and that's being generous..
Yes the ending is silly, yes it's ridiculous that Sarah ends up back at the cave, but it's a great fun, intense claustrophobic film with more gore and scariness than the original..
I thought the The Descent was a great horror movie, so I decided to check out the sequel.
Overall I guess if you try to recreate a solid horror movie but at the same time do a sequel isn't always as great but as far as creature features go it wasn't half bad and is entertaining compared to most but it's just not a good sequel.
What is surprising is that the sequel is actually pretty good, if only because it continues with many of the same elements in the original that made the film so fantastic. |
tt1982229 | Siti hyunteo | Lee Yoon-Sung (Lee Min-Ho) works at the Blue House for the National Communication Network Team. He graduated from M.I.T. in the U.S. and possesses elite skills as an I.T. engineer. At the Blue House, Yoon-Sung meets Kim Na-Na (Park Min-Young), who works as a bodyguard there. The two people fall for each other even though Yoon-Sung was warned not to fall in love. An elaborate plan for revenge is his ultimate mission ....Lee Jin-Pyo (Kim Sang-Jung) and Park Moo-Yul (Park Sang-Min) worked as bodyguards at the South Korean President's home the Blue House. While the president and other high ranking public officials were visiting Myanmar an explosion occurs there set off by North Korean agents. The explosion did not harm the South Korean President, but other South Korean officials were killed. To retaliate for the killing, five high ranking South Korean officials plan a covert operation to go into North Korea and kill North Korean agents. Without the president's knowledge, bodyguards Lee Jin-Pyo and Park Moo-Yul gather men who will take part in the dangerous mission. The men will be dropped near the North Korean coastline and then enter North Korea to carryout their assassinations. For their return, Choi Eung-Chan (Cheon Ho-Jin) promises to have a submarine waiting for them to carry them back to South Korea.Meanwhile, the five high ranking South Korean public officers, who initiated the covert operation, changes their minds while the operation is taking place. The officials decide to give up on the 21 special force members taking part in the covert operation.The special forces members complete their tasks and swim into the ocean looking for the submarine to take them back to South Korea. They spot the submarine waiting for them and attempt to board the submarine. A sniper on the submarine kills all of the special forces members except Lee Jin-Pyo - who survives and swims back to South Korea.Lee Jin-Pyo, carrying out a promise to his fallen comrade and good friend Park Moo-Yul, goes to Park Moo-Yul's home and snatches away Moo-Yul's baby, while Moo-Yul's wife hangs clothes outside. Lee Jin-Pyo then moves to Thailand with the baby. Lee Jin-Pyo sets up a camp in the jungles of Thailand, while growing and trafficking illegal narcotics. Jin-Pyo also raises the baby Lee Yun-Seong and eventually trains him into an elite soldier.Lee Yun-Seong, now a young adult, enters a village in Thailand and spots a Korean man, Bae Sik-Joong (Kim Sang-Ho), being shaken down by Thai gang members. On a whim, Lee Yun-Seong comes to his aide and helps Bae Sik-Joong escape. Lee Yun-Seong takes the Korean man back their camp. It turns out Bae Sik-Joong is quite a cook and he prepares dishes for Lee Yun-Seung and Lee Jin-Pyo. Lee Yun-Seong also spots a photo of a young woman named Kim Na-Na that Bae Sik-Joong carries with him. Lee Yun-Seong takes the photo and places it next to his bed. He becomes emotionally attached to the woman in the photo even though he has never met her.A few days later, Lee Jin-Pyo loses a foot while saving Lee Yun-Seung from a landmine. While Lee Jin-Pyo is recovering, he finally tells Lee Yun-Seung about his birth father and how he was killed by his own government. Lee Jin-Pyo then vows to exact revenge upon the five government officials responsible for his father's death. | revenge | train | imdb | I've been making the rounds here on IMDb offering up reviews of Korean TV shows over the last year or so (because they're sorely lacking), and tonight it's review time for City Hunter.
This show aired in the summer of 2011, and it's not half bad.SPOILERS AHEAD!I see four other people have reviewed this series already (to some wildly ranging opinions).
I watch these shows all the time, and have a pretty good handle on them, so perhaps I can be of some help in providing a more balanced review.
It's pretty decent overall.Here's your story: It's late 1980's or early 1990's, and North and South Korean tensions are mounting.
All the while, he plots eventual revenge on the 5 leaders back in Korea who killed his comrades in the past, and, he plans on one day using his "adopted" son to help him accomplish this goal.
He's rich, well educated, good looking, and armed with all the training he needs to ruthlessly take revenge on the people who caused the death of his father.
The 5 men he must dispatch have since risen to great power and are now well entrenched politically and financially, and one of them is now the South Korean President.
He also takes a liking to a pretty young girl along the way, who turns out to be an up and coming secret service agent in charge of protecting the president (i.e. the main target).
And every character is a rival to someone else; old against new, weak against powerful, good against evil, father against son, son against love interest, etc.
How will this particular show play out these themes in the end?...Watch and see for yourself!There's a god bit to like about this show.
It would have benefited from trimming its 20 show format down to about 12-16 episodes or so, but, I've been over this same ground too many times with other similar shows I've watched & reviewed; it's just the nature of airing KTV dramas, and, you're just going to have to get used to it if you endeavor to watch them.Bottom Line: I liked it for the most part, and it's certainly watchable.
It's worth checking out if you have 20 hours to kill and are looking for a Korean style love story/melodrama fix with a decent enough amount of action & intrigue.7 out of 10 stars!.
I had set it aside to watch, mainly because I'd recently become a fan of Lee Min Ho (main male lead) via his previous dramas.
Unfortunately, it took me a whole year before I finally sat down and watched this truly amazing drama.I was captured from the very first episode, where you witness the deaths of 20 Korean soldiers, betrayed by their own country.
I began to love each of the characters and watch them progress, some of them more than others.
The relationship between Lee Yoon Sung and his father is one of the core aspects of the drama.
I tell you now, if you have not seen this drama, go and watch it.
It left me wanting more..in a good way XD I would totally go for a second season, if the original cast remained :pFrom the astounding musical cores, the lovable characters, and engaging plot, I highly recommend this drama..
I would like to have seen more romance between the lead couple but their chemistry either way was evident.
The plot had a few loose ends and I hated the ending which left me feeling unfulfilled, but I'll forgive the makers on the grounds that I loved the series as a whole.
I would definitely recommend watching this to anyone who loves the good looking hero with a hidden identity trying to save the world and protect his lady love, etc etc..
The best of Lee Min Ho. In term of the look and age of Lee, this drama shows the best of him.
Towards the end, unfortunately, the story become a bit loose.
Or it will be a really classic action and romance drama..
I've seen many Korean dramas, and this one is on the top of my list.
I love action with a bit of romance, so this drama was perfect for me.
Only discovered City Hunter drama in last year 2016 after I started watching Heirs and Personal Taste which lead me to search for another drama under Lee Min Ho. After watching almost all drama acted by Lee Min Ho ,City Hunter is the best drama and i like it the most.
Not only the story line is interesting but both the lead actors (Lee Min HO and Park Min Young) is the most matching and perfect couple which make the drama so interesting.
But the ending part of the story is not satisfying because is a puzzle to the audience whether is Kim Na Na and Lee Yoon Sang will together happily ever after.
Been selecting the past Korean Drama to watch from the old kungfu series to new modern era.Trying a few numbers actually from the old era till the new era to be specific More like something decent to watch.
Great mixture of romance and action in the drama it is definitely not typical Korean love story per say.Most importantly it is a family safe to watch drama if of course one notion that you disregard the amount of fighting violence in a show ..
Korea has given us some amazing films over the past 15-20 years, and being a big fan of their action-thrillers, I decided to check out their TV programmes...
Films are seemingly honed to near perfection, whereas dialogue in Korean TV programmes (or, at least, in the handful I've tried to watch), meanders, repeats itself and is plain corny.City Hunter, unfortunately, isn't an exception to the above.
I got one and a half episodes in before I had to question why I was subjecting myself to such nonsense!The plot plays out like a teenage melodrama disguised as an action-thriller, but ridiculous coincidences, bad characters, slow pacing and action sequences massively below the level I was expecting (not to mention how infrequently their occur), soon nailed its coffin shut.
despite not being able to speak a word of English or having ever seen a computer!Oh, and working for and interacting directly with the Korean president is a given, when you have a fake degree from MIT.So, if you're a fan of Korean TV already (not that I can fathom why), you may be able to overlook all the stupidity and badness and enjoy the tall lead with his spiffy hair, or the admittedly gorgeous character of Kim Na Na, regardless of how preachy and imposing she acts, but for those who love Korean cinema and are looking to give their TV a go, look elsewhere (and I hope that you find higher quality programmes than all the "recommended" ones that I did)..
Unfortunately, this series starts out fairly well, but then about 1/3 of the way through it really starts going downhill.If the series had stuck to the main plot and characters it would have been OK, but the introduction of never-resolved subplots, and totally extraneous characters ended up spoiling it for me.
For example, far too much time was spent on the totally air-headed presidents daughter, who added nothing at all to the story, and is left at a dead end.
Flashbacks were way overdone - it seemed like the object was to fill up space rather than advance the plot.In general, the main plot and most subplots are so full of holes and unresolved issues that have to wonder if 3 hours or so was assembled from outtakes to fill the alloted number of episodes.If you are a Korean Drama fan, "Lie to Me" and "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho" are much better choices.
unfortunately i felt that feeling because of some stupid story lines !
that would be 1% all K Dramas in the worldSBS network has long drama list , but my opinion this one have same core plot like other all dramas ,if you willing to watch this drama again .
City Hunter was Amazing and Thrilling and Fast Paced Action-Romance-Heroic Thriller!!!!.
I am a type of person where it takes months to finish a show that is 12 episodes long, let alone 20 like this.But after each episode there would be a cliff hanger that made me not want to stop.
In the span of 2 days, I watched each and every episode and boy was I happy that I tried this and was a taken back by it's meaningful scenes, well placed and paced action and terrific writing.The story it's about a man, a son and revenge for a crime that happened in the past.
It might even be considered a superhero show by some.I do recommend skipping episode 1 simply because their is more mystery to the characters and I think you as a viewer will enjoy it slightly better by trying to figure out the relationships and the bonds each character has to one another.HIGHLY RECOMMEND 10 out of 10.
My favorite Korean drama so far.
City Hunter has the same elements that I love in these other stories--a good looking man as the star, who has a secret identity and even wears a mask at times.
He tries to help the innocent victims and ruin the evil guys without killing them.Usually, an episode ends on a cliffhanger, but with Netflix you don't have to wait to see what happens next.The first episode was not my most liked, but I stuck it out because the star, Lee Min Ho is my favorite Korean actor.
I love everything he has been in that I have seen so far.This Korean drama is the one I prefer most, now that I have seen at least 23 entire dramas.
Each series is a complete story that ends when it is complete.
City Hunter wrapped with a whimper not a bang and that's a shame....
City Hunter had focused, intricate episodes with many surprises in the series.
This series was billed as a prequel to the Japanese City Hunter manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo.City Hunter was a tale of revenge with key bromances as the linchpins for the series: Dad (Lee Jin-pyo) and City Hunter (Lee Min-ho), City Hunter and Prosecutor (Kim Young-joo), City Hunter and the sidekick (Bae Shik-joong).
City Hunter stalked, trapped, and turned over men that had done Dad wrong many years ago.
The revenge was satisfying for targets 1- 3, but the death of target 4 was too long in coming and didn't seem enough after brutal death of the prosecutor, the impeachment of the President seemed like a slap on the wrist, his term was almost up.The romance between City Hunter and Kim Na Na built steadily then was iced by the City Hunter so he could focus on the final targets and revenge.
This left the City Hunter alone and the story weaker by him not relying on Kim Na Na and Bae Shik-joong his sidekick (both characters were effectively neutered for the remainder of the series).City Hunter had well written episodes that completely hooked me but the pacing, the writing and wrap-up decisions of last 2 episodes bothered me and downgraded my overall feelings of the series to "missed it by that much" (very good but not great).
2. The reveal that the President was City Hunter's biological father was a non-event.
3. Having target #4 (Chun Jae-man) escape (who was the inside man that did that?) after City Hunter delivered him to the Prosecutor Kim Young- joo was annoying.
Revenge on target #4 took too long and consumed too much of the series energy.
4. Killing the prosecutor Kim Young-joo was unnecessary and harsh.
It seemed to leave a shell-shocked pall on all the characters in the finale episode.
Did City Hunter and Kim Na Na get together?
Throughout the series City Hunter stated he wanted to be able to achieve a normal life after the revenge was complete – did he?
The City Hunter said that he'd come back to Kim Na Na and Kim Na Na said she'd wait for him.
Did City Hunter continue as a vigilante with Kim Na Na waiting at home with dinner for him?
If so, was his father's sacrifice,declaring himself City Hunter, wasted?.
city hunter.
I think City Hunter is the best drama in the Korea.Because there are very talented actor in this drama.Lee Min Ho is successful and handsome actor.So I want to watch always Lee Min Ho's series.First;you will see action in this series.After you will see mysterious and romantic parts.But after than you will see lies,treachery,slander.Suddenly finally you will see blue and separation.But also surprises in this series.When I didn't bored,I was watching City Hunter.İf you watch the City Hunter you won't weary and also you never guess what will be in the finally and you be surprised.So I love City Hunter.if you want to watch City Hunter I will suggest you..
Most K dramas have plots that are not realistic or complicated love stories where either the man or woman refuses to admit their love.
I liked that this drama had a love story that was realistic.
I liked how they both were up front about their feelings but due to a psychotic dad, they couldn't be together which I found refreshing and realistic.I loved all the action scenes and although some people might have been disappointed about the ending, I loved it.
Watch it for the thrill, the emotions and the father-son relationship!.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*I was in two minds on whether to watch City Hunter or not, so I decided that I would take a call after seeing the first episode.
I just completed watching the entire series and I cannot not review it.City Hunter definitely is a very good show.
But the fact is it does leave you wanting for more, it gives you the feeling that the end could have been better, and that is exactly why it doesn't become outstanding!
Yoon Sung knew his father loved him, yet there were times he doubted it.
In the end though, that father, whom he thought did not love him after all, did make his last attempt to save his son.The scene when Lee Jin Pyo falls on the ground after being shot and holds Yoon sung's hand..They had their differences, they had their own ways of taking revenge, but the fact remains that they succeeded because they both worked on it together.The relationship between a father and a son who are not even blood related was depicted in an absolutely intriguing manner- They couldn't stay with each other nor without.
For me, Lee Jin Pyo will always be Yoon Sung's real father.
Whatever be his motive, Yoon Sung was precious to him.It would have been so much better had Kim Young Joo been there till the end.
He should have had at least unsolved the mystery of operation clean sweep before dying.Kim Na Na seemed like more of a side character towards the end.
I wish that had not happened given the fact that she really had some awesome chemistry with Lee Min Ho.Lee Jin Pyu always knew how this was going to end, but he ensured his son got the happiness he always craved for.
Only if he had understood long ago that in the happy world that Yoon sung dreamt of, he wanted his father too.
Then again, I am so glad Lee Jin Pyo killed 3 of them :3 And finally, Yoon Sung the city hunter- Lee Min Ho was absolutely worth watching through out the show.
His outstanding action skills were simply justified by the fact that he lived 28 years of his life learning them from a father, who appeared to be heartless from the outside.
He couldn't kill Lee Jin Pyo- he loved his father after all, so he decided to kill himself instead.
Only if there was a way for Lee Jin Pyo and Yoon sung to have a happy ending.Watch this show for father-son relationship.
It is worth it.I must admin that I love how the heroes in k dramas are not killers in the name of revenge- Healer, k2 and now City Hunter.
Anyway I have to say I couldn't stop thinking "what will happen next" in the break between episodes.
Every character in this film has his own story and you like it or hate it, but there are no moments where something is missing and you wonder "why happened this way and not that way"?
I hated to see how Jin Pyo was torturing his own "son" and the revealing the truth at the end was completely unexpected, their actions and decisions too.
I voted with 9 because this film left me with mixed feelings as I said - about every one character I loved and hated at the same time.
This show is absurd.There are some conventions in K-dramas that you know you must accept: people sleep fully clothed, doors are never locked, a few hospital scenes, one or both characters are orphans, mobile phones are used extensively except when most needed, and so on.
I accept all of those.But I can't get past the impossible coincidences, the gigantic plot holes, the irrational behavior...The screenplay is so consistently poor and childish that you wonder if the writers were elementary school kids.Once again I'm left with the impression that the only truly good K-drama is "My lovely Kim Sam-soon".
I watched this after "The Heirs" I thought this was different and exiting and thrilling, but as episodes went on it became boring and lame.Its just the same as other Lee Min Ho's Korean TV drama.
I love Lee Min Ho but I hope his next drama will not be just cuteness and sexiness.
I liked this drama more if its written in much more mature way. |
tt0082642 | The Last Chase | Movie opens with roar of race car engine, clunking out on the back stretch of deserted race oval. Stands are empty. Cut to the driver as he goes to the gas pumps and finds them padlocked. Next cut to him looking for someone - shouts back to guy sweeping up about the gas. The janitor says says something like "I can get you anything, but I can't get you gas. And I'm sorry about your family Mr. Hart; I'd have sent flowers, buy you can't even get them anymore.From this introductory exchange, the movie informs us through the narration of Lee Majors that we are in a post-apocolypic future in which a gasoline shortage and a plague outbreak have decimated the country. Cars are now illegal, and society has settled into a state of "utopian" existence where people drive get around by mass transit and the police drive electric golf carts and people have been consolidated into the major urban areas of the East Coast. We learn also that Mr. Hart lost his wife and son in the plaugue. During this narration the film shows him trailering his race car back to his home. It shows him driving his station wagon through a throng of people at an aid camp and being ordered out of it by a soldier. As he is riding the train back from working at the camp, time fast forwards about 10 years and Mr. Hart exits the train in a business suit, looking somewhat older and greyer, into the "utopian" future city of Philadelphia.He is now a lecturer at something that resembles the Department of Transportation, and his job is to talk about mass transit to high school students as someone who used to race cars.Meanwhile, on the campus of an unnamed prep school, there is a montage of scenes involving a nerdy kid who doesn't fit in. The other boys rip up his science notes. He blows up their baseball. They hang him upside down from the quad statue. He blows the head off the statue. Then we see him using an old school computer and modem to jam the government's computers.At home, while Frank Hart is watching home movies on the envisioned successor to the VCR, a broadcast from Radio Free California appears on his TV. They say they have returned to their city, their roads, and their cars.Things for Frank take a turn for the worse at work. He is called in for an interview with an agent from the "adjustment bureau", who shows confronts him about breaking in to a junk yard. They have an little raprte in which he keeps using "old" words, like junkyards and jail, and she corrects him with the new words, like "vehicle graveyard" and "rehabilitation center". In the final exchange he tells her there are too many "rules", to which she says they are "laws", and he replies, "Lady, you got too damn many laws."From this point on, the plot follows an arc in which Frank Hart flees Philadelphia in his old race car, bringing along the boy from the prep school, and travelling the back roads of an abandoned American heartland. The folks at the adjustment bureau, including a guy from Washington brought in specially to deal with the "car crisis", make a number of attempts to stop Mr. Hart, principal among them is hiring a former air force ace and retrofitting his old Korean War era sabre jet so he can hunt down Frank Hart. This ace has become a bit of a wine-o, and seems to be longing for the good old days himself. He initially strafes the car, as it pulls off the road, and Hart is wounded. He manages to get into the treeline, where a group of survivalists find him and the boy, and take them in. However a SWAT team is sent in to raid the camp and find the car, and the two must leave. Eventually the pilot and the race car driver face off mano a mano with their machines, and, not so surprisingly, it turns out that they are on the same side.Meanwhile, Hawkins, the "Washington" administrator and the bureau, has instructed Mr. Morley, the tech guy, to activate a "Star Wars" laser on the west coast and put it on automatic so that it will shoot anything that moves. The laser, however, is mechanically damaged with age, and will not shoot above a certain elevation. The laser cannot shoot down the plane. Captain Williams attempts to report the laser to Hart, but their radios are jammed by the bureau. Realizing that Hart will be targeted by the laser, Williams zooms ahead and destroys the laser with a kamikaze dive. Before going down, he radios in to Mr. Morley that he "Sees chance to wear medals again."With the laser destroyed, the car arrives in California and the closing scene shows people turning out in the streets and crowding around as they drive into San Francisco. An announcement of the cars arrival is narrated by the voice of Radio Free California.In the final scene, back at the adjustment bureau in Phili, Mr. Hawkins packs up his things, and before leaving gives a brief eulogy for their utopian world that this "will set us back to the 1980s". | cult, flashback | train | imdb | I first saw this movie,shortly after it came out--1981,and since then I have had the chance to see it at least three more times,(Wish I had the foresight to record it !)I really like the character that Burgess Meridith plays,he certainly know how to throw in a "Twist" or two.
OK, I'll be the first to admit that this film is nothing special in the grand scheme of millions of movies ever made.
That movie is "The Last Chase." Sometimes you don't want a movie to be technically correct with perfect continuity and a flawless believable story line.
Sometimes you see a movie at a certain point in your past and watching it again brings back great memories from that time in your life.
Lee Majors plays Franklin Hart an ex-race car driver living in a futuristic Boston who is tired of the laws of an America without oil.
Chris Makepeace (Meatballs) plays a brainy student who tags along and gives Lee someone to talk to in the film.
Longing for the days when America has gasoline and he could race his car and be a recognized sports figure Frank sees an illegal television broadcast from California (A Free State) and decides that Boston is no longer the place he wants to be.
Set in the United States and filmed in Canada, the Last Chase is a fun albeit silly romp that converts an interesting story to film.
Race car driver Franklyn Hart (Lee Majors) lost his family during the epidemic.
I like the operations room although I wonder if it's recycled from another movie.
The world in the movie makes little sense but the idea of the freedom of the road is very appealing.
Thus allowing it to fit in with the country's strange (to non-Canadians anyway) Canadian Content broadcast regulations.Lee Majors takes time out inbetween his Six Million Dollar Man/Fall Guy gigs and races around the countryside near my neck of the woods, while Chris Makepeace blows the head off a statue real good and Burgess Meredith talks to his kite.
What's not to like?Adding to the enjoyment is playing the game of "spot the location" and comparing places I've been to to how they're shown in the movie.
Nevertheless, this film scored a base-hit with me and earned the "somewhat watchable" rating of 5.If you have ever wanted to see Lee Majors siphoning regular gas from tanks abandoned 40 years ago and using it in a Formula I Car while chased by Burgess Meredith in a Sabre Jet, this is the film for you.
Majors plays a professional race car driver forced to give up his career and dismantle his car by a US government which has outlawed petroleum use.
Lee Majors' character decides to leave for, of all places, California, where people have not realized that petroleum use is a desire, not a right, and are carrying on the same sort of destructive culture the rest of the USA has apparently disavowed.
And if you start to wonder how Mr. Majors kept such a straight face throughout this film, just think back on his run in The Six Million Dollar Man. And when you get bored with the Roger Corman-like 2 minute pans across screen following the ancient Burgess Meredith and his Sabre Jet, just imagine him cackling like the Penguin, or focus on the other bizarre animal noises he keeps uttering in his aerially induced euphoria.This film is remarkably good for what it is.
Though this isn't a great movie it's a nice time killer for nostalgists.
Lee Majors gets sick of the government who wishes to restrain everyone's need for speed.
So he and a teen skip town and go cross country as a team that's like the Dukes of Hazard meets Batman and Robin (not the lame film, just the hero team).
It is great to know that once an incredibly bad movie gets worse, that it comes out on top again as an entertaining vision of our fears as they were in the early-Eighties..
Give it a better actor than Lee Majors as the "hero," and a better old fogey/jetfighter than hammy Burgess Meredith, and do a little more than just rehash Farenheit 451 with gas instead of books, and this might have worked.
Here I was hoping to see a tremendously cool car chase motion picture, in the same style as "Vanishing Point" only in a futuristic and thus even more desolate setting.
In other words, a virulent and adrenalin-rushing road adventure in which one awesome hero gets chased by an increasingly larger army of dim-witted cops that continuously crash their cars or drive into ravines.
The year is
um, I forgot already, but it's the not too distant future and the new fascist government prohibited all forms of private transportation due to the scarcity of oil products.
During a moment of clarity, however, he fixes his hideous old car (I think it's a Porsche) and heads out to California along with a rebellious teenager.
Let me assure you, it's a truly ludicrous sight to see a Sci-Fi movie using scenery from the Korean War. This could have been a great action/adventure flick, but instead became a boring and talkative drama with too much pretension.
Lee Majors clearly craves back to the successful days of "Six Million Dollar Man" and Burgess Meredith, although vivid and outrageous, looks just as antique as the plane he's flying..
In a future time when the government won't let you own private modes of transportation, a former race car driver (Majors) who now has to give commercial lectures on just how great it is in a world with no cars, gets fed up, rebuilds his Porsche, and hits the long abandoned highways to reach "free" California.A film nowhere near as good as its wonderfully daft premise suggests, the problem with it is that you can tell it's just playing it way too safe.
I'm not saying it had to turn into Death Race 3000 or anything, but there are parts where you can tell cuts have been made (the very brief glimpse at some kind of sex club) to get it a PG rating, and, besides one poor old man getting shot in the chest during a raid, the encounters with the government are handled in a pretty silly fashion.Still, the concept is fun as far as B films go, and when this does allow itself to just be what it wants to be (Major's barrel-chested macho rebel act in the first twenty minutes) it almost gets by.That Porche is a pretty lousy choice for a cross-country escape too as, again, it has no headlights, no storage compartments for food that I could see, and an open cockpit so he can freeze to death in the mountains..
Watch it now before we run out of oils and you'll be too busy surviving and you won't have time to eat popcorns and watch movie.
Also, be warned that the 6 Million Dollar Man and the kid that needed a Bodyguard and that old gruffy man are in this.
Stupid, mindless drivel about a jet assembled within hours by mechanics who have never worked on airplanes (piloted by Burgess Meredith) chasing a Porsche race car which runs on decades-old gasoline sludge, driven by Lee Majors, with Chris Makepeace as the runaway techno-wiz who can McGyver spare parts into a radio receiver which can pick up all frequencies simultaneously, and who somehow learned how to acquire and use chemicals to make high explosives in a perfectly peaceful society.
Terrible waste of Burgess Meredith, but Chris Makepeace may at least be forgiven on the grounds that this was only his second film..
I remember seeing this film at the theater with Robin Williams' Popeye" as afternoon double feature movie matinée when I was kid.
This was low budget Canadian film marketed as American film (Lee Majors made a couple of Canadian movies like this in early 80's such as Agency with late Robert Mitchum) The shortage of oils leading into ban of automobiles, epidemic wiped out the populations, and people are forced by government to live in suppressed society with ridiculous rules and restrictions.
The Six Million Dollar Man, Lee Majors, plays former race car driver who rebuilds his Porsche that was hidden underneath of his garage and breaks free to California where people are start living in free society like used to be.
Former World War jet fighter played by late Burgess Meredith is after him to kill.
It just failed to develop those interesting issues/setups/surprisingly great characters into some what successful movie.
However that didn't stop this movie to become fun/enjoyable vintage guilty pleasure low budget sci-fi action flick.
Movie stardom hungry Lee Majors with mullet, wearing silver racing jacket (I think stunt man, Mike, from recent Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof might be got the idea from Lee's character, Frank Hart.
The cross country chase between Porsche and jet was all old school stunts, and it also captured beautiful Denver/Rocky Mt. No CGI on this!!!
This movie also features Chris Makepeace from My Bodyguard and Vamp.
I really like to see this movie available on DVD sometime soon!!!.
After watching this on the MST3K episode, I have to wonder how many movies this film borrows from.
like the fact that, even though gas is unavailable, there is plenty of it in abandoned gas stations, and the stations are located close enough together to keep an F1 race car going all the way across the country..
While I like Lee Majors, Chris Makepeace (watch My Bodyguard (1980)if you would like to see a GOOD movie that he was in...
of Meatballs (also starring Bill Murray) for some laughs), and Burgess Meredith, this role does/did nothing for their careers.Anyway, Lee Majors character, Franklyn Hart, is an ex- race car driver who plans on driving his race car (which he had in storage) across the country to California.
Three "stars", Lee Majors, Chris Makepeace and Burgess Meredith, struggle through the worst batch of cinematography ever, delivering lines which must have been written by a secret Dick Cheney-style workgroup composed of Exxon and GM lawyers trying to cut funding for mass transit and energy efficiency research.
Clearly what's needed in Hollywood is some sort of 401K which prevents the need for actors to take on bad movies like this in order to pay for their health care.
I wasn't even alive then, but as a child who spent more than a few sick days with a TV, a VCR, no cable, and a couple Uhf bootleg movies, one of them "The Last Chase", I understood that even though "extremism in the defence of virtue" may not be a vice, I could tell you at age 8 that it was a bad policy to follow.
The emotional baggage of causing a fatal crash, or losing your loved ones to premature disease.Today all those things would be played out with color filters and weeping string accompaniments-over-dialuage that are the hallmark of post LORT "adventure" films.
Protagonists like square jawed Lee Majors looked you squarely through the camera lense and gritted out lines like "I've done a lot of losing in my life; I don't want to lose you too." All actor.
Got to play to the youth market if you want box-office $$$.All I can say it, the conflicts in this movie make it well overdue for a remake, but thankfully the wrong people haven't made one.
if the film sounds interesting to you, nothing for it but to start looking through those crates of VHS bootlegs at the next yard sale you drive by...
Majors and outsider Makepeace disobey the rules and take a racing porche on a journey cross country.
Still this movie is worth two and a half stars, at least for Burgesses Meredith's performance as the old army pilot..
A solid and provocative futuristic sci-fi/action car chase thriller.
Following a lethal plague which has wiped out millions of people and a severe oil crisis that has caused driving to be outlawed, an authoritarian government has come into power and set up restrictive, rigidly enforced codes of proper conduct that have made individual freedom a thing of the past.
Stubbornly rebellious former race car driver Frank Hart (an appropriately stalwart and rock-like Lee Majors), frustrated with the fascist society he can't comfortably acquit himself to the stifling dictates of, decides to drive his red Porsche to the still liberated California, taking equally recalcitrant electronics whiz kid Ring McCarthy (winningly played by Chris Makepeace) along with him on a perilous trek across America's desolate abandoned highways.
Shrewd regime toady Hawkins (finely essayed to smug'n'smarmy perfection by George Touliatos) assigns batty old ace Air Force pilot J.G. Williams (a delightfully spunky Burgess Meredith, howling like a crazed bloodhound and clearly having a grand old time mugging it up) to track Hart down and kill him.An on-target celebration of rugged individualism and a frightfully prescient pre-90's prediction of mass bureaucratic conformity taken to a hideously repressive extreme, "The Last Chase" really cuts it as a rip-roaringly exciting and effective futuristic sci-fi/car chase action thriller movie ode to "stand up to the Man and to hell with the System" status quo defying rebellion and independence.
Terrific film for those who fear government interventionism in daily life.
Have seen this movie and think it's terrific!
It gives us a taste of the sort of top-down, "obey the rules or else", brainwashing type of society we could find ourselves in if we're not careful.Having been 'convinced' over the years to submit to authority and preach the 'goodness' of the new oligarchical system compared to the 'badness' of the old individualistic system, Lee Majors' character, an ex-race car driver, find encouragement in a few short pirate television transmissions.
A single Vietnam War aircraft and its pilot (Burgess Merideth) are pulled out of mothballs and a bottle, respectively, for this task.Other means are also employed along the way to try and stop the car and its occupants, including a Stalin/Mao-esquire slaughter of a group of innocent people who took them in to give them medical care.Now in 2005, since California is literally going broke spearheading the Union away from individual rights and toward Socialism, the idea of "Radio Free California" returning to machines and to personal liberty takes quite a leap of faith, but it's a fun 3000 mile trip across the country nonetheless.As the story goes, the Social dystopia was able to take hold after a disease wipes out much of the population.
But yes, in the case of Lee Majors' character and the race car, it was a gasoline engine that was the appropriate, if not the only tool capable of escaping tyranny.If this movie is one big ad for big oil companies, does that mean every movie about police who use firearms to help arrest evil-doers, or which shows someone defending their own life with a firearm, is just a big ad for Colt or Glock?
But if you're into that whole "ride public transit or go to jail" thing, you'll only like the first 15 minutes of this movie...so have your Michael Moore tapes ready..
Not if you are a race car driver.Lee Majors is a race car driver in a future where mass transit no longer exists and must now travel around and preach the 'evils' of the automobile.
Once he comes across a young anarchist played by Chris Makepeace he begins to realize that things don't have to be this way and literally digs out his Porsche to drive it across the country as a symbol of the ridiculous nature of the existing law.Not too implausible considering all the pandemic threats of today and the ever increasing speed of today's mass transit.
Juvenile car flick about burning oil = old men reliving their hormonally challenged teenage years.
By burning up gas and equating a fast, reckless car (or plane) with freedom.The plot borrows heavily from Mister Rogers' neighborhood (if it were run my an oil conglomerate) and Logan's Run (if it were heavily sedated and lacked a clear sense of style).Starring Lee Majors and Burgess Meredith this film is set in a post-gas-crisis world in which an all-powerful government doesn't want you to (*ahem*) drive your car and burn gas.
Sort of the opposite of today's Enron-and-Bush, oil-grabbing, SUV-pushing government.This juxtaposition alone makes the film laughable.
all fall flatter than a paper doll under a briefcase.Continuity is lacking-- the jet flown by Burgess Meredith's character changes colors and configuration from moment to moment as the filmmakers insult our intelligence with unmatched stock footage again and again.The plot is as moronic and only half as exciting as a Dukes of Hazzard episode.Even die-hard car-film and SF fans should avoid this film like month-old roadkill, unless you enjoy heckling Exxon executives trying to make a movie as empty as the hero's gas tank..
To set this up, you have to get into a whole Battlefield Earth thing of ancient jets and racecars running on magic fuel that can sit around for decades in abandoned fuel storage tanks that the pilot and driver can find across the entire US but which somehow escaped detection throughout all the bad years of chaos when They turned the oil off.Then you get into the Final Sacrifice zone, where the non-hardware stuff in the movie just kind of happens because it's got to or the movie couldn't lurch forward, eh?
And an ancient golden city doesn't rise up out of an Alberta wheatfield, so I guess it isn't as bad as it COULD be.****SPOILER****Of course, the Sabre Jet and the Porsche never actually do anything more than roll/drive towards each other, once.
Nor does Chris Makepeace put on a Merry Widow and purple eyeshadow and do the Time Warp with Lee Majors, either.
Canadians, being a judicious and parsimonious race, will suffer not the slightest risk of losing a perfectly good television to burning-in, so create movies like this to keep the screen phosphors occupied and happy! |
tt2359810 | Raanjhanaa | Kundan Shankar (Dhanush) is the only son of a Tamil Hindu parents settled in Varanasi. Since his childhood, Kundan has had a strong and obsessive one-sided love for Zoya Haider (Sonam Kapoor), a Muslim girl residing in the same neighborhood. He always attempts to be around her but gets slapped several times in the process. Zoya finally changes her mind because of Kundan's consistency of affection. Her family is orthodox, preventing the lovers from being together. After Zoya moves to Aligarh for further studies, Kundan harmonizes with Zoya's family, assisting them with chores. Zoya gets into Jawaharlal Nehru University and discovers a long-lost strength as she confronts and then falls for student leader Akram Zaidi (Abhay Deol).
After eight years, Zoya returns to Varanasi, barely recognizing Kundan when she meets him again. Kundan again attempts to ask Zoya for her love but she is reluctant, revealing that she is in love with Akram. She urges Kundan to convince her family about her marriage with Akram. Kundan eventually agrees and gets their wedding arranged, promising Zoya that he will also marry someone else and forget her. He proposes to his childhood friend Bindiya (Swara Bhaskar), who has had a crush on him since childhood.
On the day of Zoya's marriage, Kundan finds out that Akram is a Sikh, whose actual name is Jasjeet Singh Shergill. This enrages him, as Zoya had used their religious differences to convince him that their match was not possible. He crashes the wedding ceremony and reveals the truth to Zoya's parents. Kundan is later informed that Zoya tried to commit suicide, and Jasjeet was mercilessly beaten by Zoya's relatives. At the hospital, Jasjeet tells Kundan that Zoya convinced him to portray himself as Muslim to marry her, a plan he should not have agreed to. While with Jasjeet, Kundan forgets about his own marriage ceremony with Bindiya, taking place that day, and is too late when he returns. Hurt and angry, Kundan's family disowns him. Jasjeet's parents take him back to his village. Kundan tries to redeem himself by taking Zoya to Jasjeet's village. There, he is devastated to find that Jasjeet has succumbed to his injuries, finally understanding that his one-sided love has resulted in an innocent man's death.
Kundan becomes a homeless vagrant and begins visiting various religious places and volunteering in their activities so that he can atone for his sins. During one such visit, a man advises him to do the right thing rather than run away from his sins. Motivated, Kundan locates Zoya to her university, where she is spearheading the political party "All India Citizen Party" (AICP), that had been created by Jasjeet. Kundan joins the nearby canteen and serves the party, while trying to get Zoya's attention. Over time, he becomes popular with the party due to his simple nature. They're also impressed when Kundan helps them in negotiating some tough situations by using his simplistic witty tricks. However, Zoya holds a grudge that the person who is responsible for Jasjeet's death is now taking his place. She tries to instigate party members against Kundan but Jasjeet's sister Rashmi (Shilpi Marwaha) tells Kundan to continue, as he is the best choice for fulfilling Jasjeet's vision.
Kundan, however, only wants Zoya to forgive him. The Chief Minister tells Zoya that she must get revenge on Kundan. To get back Jasjeet's position, she tells Zoya to let Kundan get injured as he delivers his campaign speech. Zoya apparently seems to get brainwashed by this plan and as the Chief Minister desired, Kundan is hurt badly and sent to ICU, thus fulfilling Zoya's revenge.
At a press meet, the Chief Minister denies having any hand in the blast that hurt Kundan. However, Zoya steps forward and reveals that the plan was plotted by her and the Chief Minister and that she is prepared to go to prison for this. Zoya then finds out that Kundan was aware of the plot and still let himself be injured. Shocked, she rushes to the hospital to be with him.
In a final voiceover, a dying Kundan wonders about letting go. He says he might have the desire to live again if Zoya called out to him, but then again, everything has become so tiring, he would rather let go and rest (euphemism for dying). He says that he can be born again and again in the same Varanasi, fall in love with a girl like Zoya again, and become a Raanjhanaa (Beloved one) in her love. Then he slowly dies. | romantic | train | wikipedia | Sonam looks sober and does her part with full conviction, Supporting cast especially Kundan's friend "Murari" is fun to watch.4> Dialogues has everything from catchphrases, roughness to desi gaaliyan of UP.Overall, it is a very good film after such a long time as we don't come across these days in bollywood :).
especially from a movie where d hero has so very unorthodox looks for a Bollywood actor but,wait ...u will forget that as d story moves on beautifully crafted on screen by the "tanu weds manu"(another interesting flick)director n acted upon by same guy..
PROEM: It was an intensely hued picture which showed a young boy standing with a fascinated glance in his eyes & a pretty girl portraying the semblance of cheerfulness amidst the vibrant colors of pink, green, yellow & red; thereby recreating the festival of Holi in a rectangular first look poster of 'Raanjhanaa' !!Colors always attract our eyes.Also I felt curious about the movie after knowing that it belongs to romantic genre.'Love' is probably the only word in a Dictionary which neither can be explained in a sentence nor has any perfect synonyms.Today while watching this love story, I could virtually visualize that thought of Rose Franken: "Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.." !!
Let me illustrate this journey of 'Raanjhanaa' in the following paragraphs !!MOVIE: Shot in Benaras & Delhi, 'Raanjhanaa' narrates a tale of love through Kundan (Dhanush), Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) & Akram/Jasjeet (Abhay Deol)..Kundan (a Brahmin boy) & Zoya (a Muslim girl) were brought up in Benaras, where Kundan expressed his love for Zoya during his teenage days.After growing up, Zoya took admission in Jawaharlal Nehru University where she fell in love with an university student cum socialist Akram..What happens next forms the crux of the story.'LIKE's: 1) Cinematography by N.
Rai is appreciable !!2) MUSIC: A big applause to A.R.Rahman for such an wonderful soundtrack (well supported by Irshad Kamil's catchy lyrics) & appropriate background score..For example,a) When Kundan showed his anger on Zoya for the first time, there the synthesizer chords fluctuated in a bizarre way to create the effect of displeasure & it was done repeatedly with different chords to break the harmony, so that audience could better relate to the scene.b) In a gloomy conversation between Kundan & Zoya, where Kundan suddenly felt the ray of hope, he turned up his head towards Zoya..In that split second, Rahman used the rhythm of 'Tabla' in a tricky way to express Kundan's expectation which struck the heart of viewers too !!3) A SPECIAL MENTION TO :a) That scene where Zoya was about to leave Benaras by train with teary eyes & Kundan ran to meet her, multiple water patches were shown in the rail station, as if rain just happened, thereby subconsciously magnified the mood of separation since rains are often attributed to a heavy heart..b) MakeUp Artists for giving Sonam the minimal touch up, which amplified the innocence of a face rather than glamour..Beauty can either flashes the eyes of a beholder like a mid-day sun or soothes the same like a morning dewdrop..Since the latter better suits the character of Zoya, so the lipstick/blusher/eye-shadow even eyeliners were absolutely unnecessary here apart from the marriage scene, where a loud make up was needed & make up experts also did the right job there by painting the line of eye-liner a bit above the corner of eyes + stark red lipstick..'DISLIKE's: Very few are there, for example; 1) In the song 'Tum Tak', the lip movements of Dhanush were not synchronous with the voice of the playback singer..Looked like, the song was coming from a mike & the actor was just singing on his own..2) First half was too romantic & at times, the efforts of Kundan to please Zoya looked silly..In Second half, the focus were more on politics, thereby concentration of romance got diluted by leadership activities..3) Both Dhanush & Sonam looked misfit in the role of school going teenagers + Opening sequence was dull + Too much slapping on Kundan's face by Zoya ultimately invited humor rather than sympathy..That profound scene where Akram's mother was about to touch Kundan's cheek for greeting, I heard some boys laughing crazily behind my seat & saying, "Stop..Stop..No more slapping" !!MESSAGE: There is a lyrics from the musical 'Cinderella' which says: "Do I love you because you're beautiful, Or, are you beautiful because I love you ?" !!
Life does not give us multiple chances..In this densely populated sphere of Earth, there is always a scarcity of those persons who can sacrifice his/her deepest desires to bring sunshine in the face of their loved ones..Don't let go that kind heart, if by chance you find him/her..With the mellifluous touch of Shehnai, 'Raanjhanaa' sublimely delivered this tacit message in a pictorial way, making the film worth a watch !!Absolutely Recommended !!.
After the flavour blend in the Kanpur for Tanu Weds Manu, Rai extends his ambitious to introduce the majestic of Varanasi city in this movie with a great blend of love story and moreover, since the film revolves around locals, it doesn't make sense to capture the visuals like some wide-eyed tourist.
Of course the main character is aided by a wonderful support cast from his friend Murari who gets the best one-liners, his childhood girlfriend, Abhay deol who plays his role with ease and surprisingly Sonam Kapoor who has dared to do something different & succeeded.But the movies greatest strength is Dhanush who can make you cheer for him even when he's slashing his wrist, or riding is love into the river when he realizes she in love with somebody else.On the flip side his role as a political leader seems over stretched after the racy 1st half and some of the actions of the lead female towards the end are not understandable.All in all if you want to watch desi realistic love story with raw human emotions and unpolished drama here's your chance.
Trust me, This is the 1st time I am writing a review about any movie, I never bothered to write a review but after watching this movie I simply couldn't resist myself to appreciate the work done in this movie.I have to say, no matter how good the story is or the music is if the lead role did not perform his or her acting well then its not going to be a hit.This movie has almost everything..
Dhanush's friend Murari plays the role of a typical guy from UP and never fails to amaze the audience with his humor and wit even at the serious scenes.The Writer has given sufficient time for the development of each of the characters plot and the actors have executed them well with a good performance.
So watch it for the excellent performances by the actors, for the best dialogues that u'll ever hear in a Hindi movie and for the refreshing and original story that is hardly portrayed by bollywood.
A very very good Hindi movie in a long time based on love and sacrifice, There is beautiful story followed by some brilliant acting.First go with the story it looks like a simple love story at the starting but had one or two unexpected twist which make this movie completely different from other Indian Movies.Now comes to acting, it is the first Hindi movie for Dhanush and he really did a great job it never appears that it is his first Hindi movie other characters also did good job, Sonam Kapoor was a pleasant surprise Ayyub Khan as Murari did equally good work.Overall this movie has fun, Love, anger and the unspeakable sacrifice.
Boy follows the girl relentlessly, almost stalks her, gets hysterical to the extent that he slits his wrist when his feelings are not reciprocated.Spurned and slapped for numerous times, he doesn't give up on his pursuit of love.With a lot of instilled poignancy, director Aanand L Rai brings out the complexity of love in all its colors in the vibrant town of Banaras.South heart-throb Dhanush plays Kundan,a Tam-Bram settled in Banaras who falls in love at first sight with Zoya(Sonam Kapoor),a Muslim girl from an orthodox family.She is his childhood fantasy, but love seems hopeless in the background of the communal divide and when her parents get to know of this Hindu obsessed lover,she is sent to another town to pursue further studies.Kundan is excited to see her return after 8 years, but his happiness is short-lived when he learns that she is deeply smitten by Akram(Abhay Deol in a pleasing special appearance), his senior with towering principles and political ideologies.How the love triangle ebbs and flows forms the crux of Raanjhana.
The initial reels arrest you with the invigorated proceedings, thanks to Himanshu Sharma's top-notch writing.With an eye for every detail, it encapsulates the Bollywood-bred youth,the stalking syndrome,the rich and playful hues of Holi and the vistas of the semi-urban Banaras.Kundan's chaddi-buddy Murari ( Mohd Zeeshad Ayub in terrific form) and foul- mouthed Bindiya(Swara Bhaskar exuding impeccable confidence), who pines for our hero unconditionally form the essential peripheral ingredients when Aanand exploits the verve of the place.The second half is intense with the focus shifting to the vivid youth politics in the JNU milieu.Kindan and Zoya share a peculiar chemistry and thats where the realism peeps out with its ugly head.What follows is a tale of betrayal, redemption and ultimately a shocking climax.AR Rahman's background score and music form the spine of the unconventional romantic saga.Raanjhana has a smooth cinematic texture and dialogues have a raw appeal.Raanjana is embellished with gutsy performances.Dhanush is immensely talented.Despite his wobbly Hindi accent, he delivers a nuanced act.His diction reminded me of Rajanikanth during his hay days.The earnestness with which his Kundan follows Zoya, makes you believe in his sheer love for her.Sonam Kapoor sheds her fashionista image this time and gets into the skin of the character.She displays the myriad traits, from giggly to grey , with raging intensity.Much of the film's supporting cast has been taken from the Asmita Theather group and they bore an imposing look!Sujatha Kumar(last seen in English Vinglish as Sridevi's sister) makes an impact with her cameo as the Delhi CM.It was ,however,disheartening to see a talented actor like Vipin Sharma(Ishaan's Dad in Taare Zameen Par)without any dialogues.Raanjhana is arguably the best love story of this year, its not a hunky- dory piece,makes you feel squirmish as it sticks to some deep-rooted realities and regales us with its inherent Indian touches.Do make your time for this!.
The film takes a turn when Zoya returns to her hometown after eight long years only to find some things changed, and others surprisingly the same"Character development: This movie is stands on the shoulder of two leads Sonam as Zoya and Dhanush as Kundan.
Yesterday I watched this movie on it's TV premiere and i was spellbound, for a single second I could not find any actor Kundan (Dhanush), Zoya (Sonam, Bindiya (Swara Bhaskar) and Murari (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) they looked like typical Banarasi and they took this movie to another level.
First of all salute to Dhanush for a classic and awesome acting and performance, I always thought that a hero could be like Dhanush a simple boy of street and I am happy cause they chose him, with Sonam Kapoor a celestial bride they pair a perfect couple like a average guy of city and most angel face girl of town.Like the turn out of story, its different, I grow up watching the Bollywood movies romance and love usually it ends up with the couple union , but I felt so sad after watching this that the girl betrayed him for her dead love and he accept death for his love, my nomination for Dhanush for best actor and Raanjhanaa for best film.I didn't know the director and but I believe that he made a Masterpiece hope I could find a love like this, of course I don't wanna die.and in the end for legendary music composer Mr. A.R Rahman, the soul of the music, his made music rocks the movie and loving and heart breaking moments.It is a must watch movie for every loving soul living on this planet.
But the biggest positive aspect that the film delivers, are its characters.Each of them are so very real,with so many shades and flaws that you can relate.The relentless hero cursing his love being rejected,the scheming heroine spitting on the hero-Raanjhaana does have a coming of age effect working for it.It has a genuine story though the screenplay, primarily in the 2nd half fails.With a very vibrant,fast and effective 1st half ,the film suddenly looses its steam in the 2nd, trying to push itself in uncomfortable zone (read politics).With more than a few far-fetched sequences,unnecessary comic reliefs & punch lines and a stiff Sonam lingering around, Raanjhanaa loses its holds,falters.Rehman too does not help with his tunes, though the background music is pretty good.But then you often move helter skelter while trying some new road,only promising to improve in the next venture.Anand Rai does exactly so and gives a far better love-story than the cliché,bore to the core YJHD..
This is one such movie which tries to cash in on your emotions without anything substantial to offer.But in every aspect it is better than mausam a story which just tried to glide through without any emotional moments.I don't think any actor could have made it believable so he deserves appreciation.Sonam was outstanding in the second half which was lot more unpredictable with lot many twists and therefore interesting to watch.But it downplays a serious issue like suicide with the hero slashing his wrists time and again n his friend joking about it.This is not a good message from the film.There was another with president of the party throwing things around while protesting in the office for sonam.This is not the right way i feel to project things even i as a former student from JNU know that we hardly resort to such things protests and reasoning your point of view are more than enough.The movie none the less was refreshing, well made and light hearted romantic to the core and deserves high ratings..
There was a time in 1959 when Satyajit Ray showed us Banaras in the second installment of The Apu Trilogy,Aparajito.That Banaras was black and white and he had only shown us the temples.Back then he won our hearts despite these limitations.But here in 2013 Anand L Rai showed Banaras which is so colorful,apparently it makes you feel that Holi isn't far away.He showed the streets of Banaras so efficiently and enthusiastically which became the first highlight of the movie.Raanjhanaa is a cracker of a movie as it moves until the curse of second half comes into being.If so many movies have been the victim of this curse,why don't the theatre owners dumps the concept of giving intervals then?.These movies names should have been XYZ-good and XYZ-bad for each half.The same concept should also go fro Director's name for the two halves respectively.Raanjhanaa works in most of the parts acting,music and dialogs.The national award winning actor yet again proves that good looks and 8 packs don't make you a good actor,your hard work and talent does.Dhanush's so-simple-yet-elegant performance is pitch perfect for the character Kundan.The simplicity in his accent and his expressions in certain scenes adds a new dimension to the movie.He keeps the movie going but the character of Zoya(Sonam Kapoor) may not get digested by many of the audiences.Sometimes Zoya shows simple,want-to-love,knows her boundaries type of characteristics and sometimes Zoya is trying to be over smart,want everyone's attention on her.As you have read you certainly get to know that these characteristics cannot belong to the same character.People will get confused about what actually Zoya wants.Nevertheless Sonam has done a good job whatever she was given to do.Abhay Deol is good in his extended cameo and Zeeshan Ayyub is wonderful in his presence and exemplary with his one-liners.The dialogs by Himanshu Sharma is another highlight of the movie.There was a time when everyone said after A R Rahman's Jab tak Hai Jaan,which to me wasn't that bad, that the music maestro has lost his touch.Here A R Rahman adds emotions to the movies characters and creates the world of love very efficiently.If it weren't for his music Raanjhanaa wouldn't have been half of what it is.Javed Ali is so classical in Tum Tak ,Shreya Ghoshal providing soul to Banarasiya, Raanjhanaa(title track) is very lovable and Tu Mun Shudi is really appealing.Overall the music is really soothing.
Kudos to the maestro for his hard work.If some more work had been done on the second half's script or adding some element to those politics portions in the script Raanjhanaa would have been a great movie.It just makes you feel dull whereas in the first half it is so much fun.Watch it for Dhanush,A R Rahman's Music,Dialogues and lastly Banaras..
The second half focuses more on the politics but yet the story is well narrated and handled superbly, though Zoya's character does seem mystified at times but yet the story is well handled and the climax is brilliant.Direction is good, Music by A.R.Rahman is amazing Dhanush doesn't have any qualities of a star but of an actor, he infuses life into Kundan that he becomes the character, Barring his Hindi which isn't perfect as he is south Indian yet he does a great job Sonam Kapoor who was never known for her acting talent surprises and does a perfect job, her diction too is off many times but she is simply superb Amongst rest Abhay Deol in a cameo is superb Swara Bhaskar is good, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub last seen in Jannat 2 is amazing, rest are all good.
AR rehman saves the movie by his music for a one time watch ....Danush, Sonam Kapoor Raanjhanaa is a love story directed by Anand L. |
tt0337824 | And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself | Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa (Antonio Banderas) finds himself without adequate funding to finance his war against the military-run government. He also finds himself at odds with the Americans because of the Hearst media empire's press campaign against him. To counter both of these threats, he sends emissaries to movie producers to convince them to pay to film his progress and the actual battles. Producer D.W. Griffith (Colm Feore) is immediately interested and convinces Mutual Film Studios boss Harry E. Aitkin to send a film crew. Aitkin's nephew Frank Thayer is initially a mere errand boy for the studio, but he makes a good impression with Villa, who demands that Thayer be placed in charge of the project. Thayer and a camera crew team film Villa leading his men to victory in battle. Despite the failure of this initial footage (which draws derisive laughter from potential backers) Thayer convinces Aitkin to invest even more money in a second attempt, and also convinces Villa to participate in making a more narrative film.
Thayer returns to Mexico with a director, actors, producers, cameramen and screen writers, and begin to film Villa's previous exploits using a younger actor, future film director Raoul Walsh (Kyle Chandler). The filming goes well, although Villa becomes angry that the screenwriters and the director have changed history to make a more dramatic film. However, he agrees to do a cameo appearance as an older version of himself. Meanwhile, Frank begins a romance with actress Teddy Sampson (Alexa Davalos) whom he's had a crush on since they first met. One night Villa announces that they will attack a Federal held fort at Torreon and win the revolution. The film's director and his crew tell Villa that they are not coming with him to film the battle. Villa scares them into going to the battle by having a firing squad shoot over their heads.
The next morning, Villa assembles his men to attack Torreon. Thayer and his team go into film the action. After a skirmish on the way to the fort, Villa's army arrives at Torreon and lays siege to the fortress. Villa orders an attack and personally leads the charge. Villa's army is initially successful, but they suffer heavy casualties and are forced to withdraw. That night, Villa orders his army to bombard Torreon into submission, and, after a long, brutal bombardment, Villa's cavalry finish off the last of Torreon's Federal defenders. However, Thayer and his camera crew team witness Villa personally shooting a Mexican widow in cold blood with his handgun during the aftermath of the battle. Disgusted, the team leaves.
'The Life of General Villa' is shown in theaters in America, and to great success, although Thayer and his camera crew members regret making the film.
Nine years later General Villa is driving his car with an associate and two of his bodyguards through Parral, Chihuahua. His car is flagged down by a Mexican civilian, when several Federals suddenly appear with machine guns. Villa reaches for his pistol, but is shot several times and is killed. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0154153 | Andha Naal | On the night of 11 October 1943, the Japanese bombed the Indian city of Madras (now known as Chennai), causing commotion all over the city. In Triplicane the next morning, Rajan (Sivaji Ganesan), a radio engineer and communications researcher, is found murdered with his own hand gun. His neighbor Chinnaiah Pillai (P. D. Sambandam) hears the gunshot and complains to the police. A local Police Inspector named Purushothaman Naidu arrives and investigates the scene. He is joined by C.I.D. officer Sivanandam (Javar Seetharaman)there. He concludes that the killer is some petty thief who must have shot Rajan for the lump of money found in the same room of the crime scene. However, Sivanandam states that to be of a bad solution, as the amount of money matches exactly with the withdrawal entry in the bank passbook found in the same room, without a single rupee's difference. Nonetheless, it was clear Rajan was making plans to leave Chennai, in anticipation of the bombings. Rajan's wife Usha (Pandari Bai) is almost dumbstruck and unable to speak during any inquiries. Sivanandam and Naidu feel reluctant and embarrassed to do any questioning to her.The two decide to investigate the case by questioning the people in and around the house, who are the family members or friends of Rajan. They first do their inquiry with Chinnaiah Pillai, the neighbour as he is the first to inform them. He tells that the killer could probably be Pattabi, Rajan's younger brother (T. K. Balachandran). He recounts an incident (as flashback), in which Pattabi confronts Rajan at the house's garage to ask for his share of the family property to be apportioned and given to him. Rajan, in good faith, denies to give Pattabi his share, feeling that he and his wife might squander it. Chinnaiah concludes that this would have kindled Pattabi to kill Rajan.Sivanandam and Naidu decide to inquire Pattabi. However, Pattabi had rushed to the Beach before their arrival, probably to commit suicide. They rush there themselves to inquire him. When questioned, Pattabi feels remorseful of his brother's death. He states that he did treat his brother well when he was alive and did not understand his good intentions. He recounts another incident where his wife Hema, had fought with him herself, during dinner for the apportionment of property herself. She is also a person who loses sanity when overpowered by anger. Pattabi believes of a very good possibility, that Hema used the Rajan's gun to shoot him for the money.Sivanamdam parts to meet Hema soon after, to do his inquiry. Hema was initially impudent and refusing to give her statement of the crime, but later gives in when threatened to be arrested for the same. She reveals a secret of Rajan. Rajan has had extramarital affair with a dancer named Ambujam. She knew this when she once found and overheard Rajan and Ambujam speaking together a week before the murder, where Ambujam unveils that she is pregnant. Rajan treats the news with a reckless attitude, infuriating Ambujam. Hema had received a letter addressed to Rajan from Ambujam, that had the address "No.15, Thoni Street". Hema proposes that Ambujam could have killed Rajan in retaliation to Rajan's lack of concern for her.Fatigued with the case's complicated nature, Naidu compares it with a supposed "Peruvala Vaikal" in Trichy, a river that has a lot of twists and turns. Sivanandam makes a better analogy of the case, to the story of "blind men and an elephant", where each suspect has a different and contrasting opinion to offer. In Thoni Street, Ambujam has made preparations to leave Chennai, at the news of Rajan's death. Half-an-hour after her departure Sivanandam and Naidu arrive there to find the house locked. They take with them Shanmugam, a boy in the street to the Police Station to inquire him on the physical features of Ambujam, to locate and recognize her. The boy knows and has seen her leave from Thoni Street. In a coincidence, Ambujam's bullock-cart and another car strike each other in a road accident, right in front of the very same police station. They identify and inquire Ambujam.Ambujam accuses Chinnaiah (Rajan's neighbour whom they had inquired as the very first suspect) of the murder. She explains that Chinnaiah was her foster father, who wanted her to stay away from Rajan. She started loving after the trio's meeting on a picnic. When their relationship started deepening, Chinnaiah got infuriated and wanted put an end to the affair. Ambujam gives a strong opinion that it must have been Chinnaiah who killed Rajan.Sivanandam does his homework by developing the film roll found in Rajan's camera, collecting and comparing all of the suspects' and others' fingerprints with those found in Rajan's shoes, finding a teardrop mark in Rajan's shoes and finding broken bangle pieces on the crime scene. He finds them further complicating the case and coming nowhere near the conclusion. He gets small clue at a sharbat shop, apparently making no sense. He make inquiries to Rajan's college (Victoria College) principal Ranganathan, who has a high opinion of both Rajan and Usha, his wife, both being his alumni. He says Rajan once broke into the college at night, to complete an experiment, for which he never felt guilty and also Usha once put up the Indian flag as part of Freedom Movement and she accepted doing it herself. This emphasizes her patriotism.Sivanandam inquires finally, Usha. She narrates an incident during college where Rajan spoke of individualistic needs that are equally as important as the country's freedom. He managed to convince the entire crowd of his viewpoint, who previously opined the opposite. However, he was bullied and disdained when Usha took over and changed the crowd back to "giving your life for the nation". Usha further tells Sivanandam on how she and Rajan came to love each other. In the process, he tricks into collecting Usha's fingerprints with a leaky fountain pen.On that eve, Sivanandam meets all the suspects along with Naidu at Rajan's residence. He caries our an exercise wherein the suspects including Usha must shoot Sivanandam, assuming that he is Rajan. They are given revolver's with false bullets. Usha is unable to shoot. Then Sivanandam orders an (apparent) arrest of Pattabi and Hema. Unable to bear the torture, Usha comes out with the truth. On the day of the murder when she entered the room she found Rajan working with something meticulously, with a radio equipment, powered by a generator. She doubts of something suspicious. The second time she enters she discovers that he is part of the terrorist activity of bombing Chennai, communicating to the Japanese bombers. He is a key part, of the bombing. Out of her extreme patriotism for her nation, and unable to bear the injustice she tries to talk and mend Rajan's ways. However, Rajan feeling that he should help the Japanese (who helped him with his Radio business), and does not mind betraying his own country. Usha attempts to shoot Rajan whose plan is to escape to Japan in a submarine after the bombing, for which he had packed the money. However, in an accident, fighting for the gun, the trigger is accidentally pressed killing Rajan. She has cried at his boots later, holding them, explaining the fingerprints and teardrop stain.Sivanandam and Naidu ask for the papers Rajan used to hatch the bombing plan. She goes inside to fetch them. Sivanandam tells Naidu that the fingerprints on the boots and hers which he collected, matched, which led him to suspect her. Also, her failure to shoot during the exercise confirms the fact. When Usha takes a long time to come back, the two hear a long silence followed by a gunshot and run inside. Sivanandam shouts "Usha!" followed by a screen closing behind them. | mystery, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0101917 | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | In 1999, Freddy Krueger has returned and killed nearly every child and teenager in the town of Springwood, Ohio, excluding Alice Johnson and her son Jacob, who are revealed to have moved away. The only surviving teenager, known only as "John Doe", finds himself confronted by Freddy in a dream and wakes up just outside the Springwood City limits and does not remember who he is or why he is outside of Springwood.
At a shelter for troubled youth, Spencer, Carlos, and Tracy plot to run away from the shelter. Carlos was physically abused by his parents, resulting in a hearing disability; Tracy was raped by her father; and Spencer was a stoner. John, after being picked up by the police, becomes a resident of the shelter and a patient of Dr. Maggie Burroughs. Maggie notices a newspaper clipping in John's pocket from Springwood. To cure John's amnesia, she plans a road trip to Springwood. Tracy, Carlos, and Spencer stow away in the van to escape the shelter, but they are discovered when John has a hallucination and almost wrecks the van just outside Springwood.
Tracy, Spencer, and Carlos, after trying to leave Springwood, rest at a nearby abandoned house, which transforms into 1428 Elm Street, Freddy Krueger's former home. John and Maggie visit Springwood Orphanage and discover that Freddy had a child. John believes he is the child because Freddy allowed him to live. Back on Elm Street, Carlos and Spencer fall asleep and are killed by Freddy. Tracy is awakened by Maggie, but John, who went into the dream world with Tracy to try to help Spencer, is still asleep. Maggie and Tracy take him back to the shelter. On their way back, Krueger kills John in his dream, but not before revealing that Krueger's kid is a girl. As John dies, he reveals this information to Maggie. Tracy and Maggie return to the shelter, but they discover that no one remembers John, Spencer, or Carlos except for Doc, who has learned to control his dreams. Maggie remembers what John told her and discovers her own adoption papers, learning that she is Freddy's daughter. Her birth name was Katherine Krueger. Her name was legally changed to Maggie Burroughs
Doc discovers Freddy's power comes from the "dream demons" who continually revive him, and that Freddy can be killed if he is pulled into the real world. Maggie decides that she will be the one to enter Freddy's mind and pull him into the real world. Once in the dream world, she puts on a pair of 3-D glasses and enters Freddy's mind. There, she discovers that Freddy was teased as a child, abused by his foster father, inflicted self-abuse as a teenager, and murdered his wife. Freddy was given the power to become immortal from fiery demons. After some struggling, Maggie pulls Freddy into the real world.
Maggie and Freddy end up in hand-to-hand combat against one another. While Maggie continues to battle Freddy, she uses several weapons confiscated from patients at the shelter. Enraged by the knowledge of what he has done, she disarms him of his clawed glove. Eventually, Maggie stabs Freddy in the stomach with his own glove while she is close to him. Tracy throws Maggie a pipe bomb. After she impales Freddy to a steel support beam she throws the bomb in his chest. She says "Happy Fathers Day", kisses him, and runs. The three dream demons fly out of Freddy after the pipe bomb kills him, unable to revive him in the real world. Maggie smiles at Tracy and Maggie says, "Freddy's dead." | comedy, gothic, murder, cult, horror, violence, flashback, good versus evil, insanity, psychedelic, sadist | train | wikipedia | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, the sixth installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street series and once again another bad sequel.
This is the last of the "Elm Street" films until Wes Craven resurrected Freddy into a different, darker style in "New Nightmare" and the silly but surprisingly enjoyable spin-off horror film "Freddy Vs Jason".
When they reach Springwood, Maggie discovers that she was adopted by her mother and her father is Freddy Krueger."Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" is the sixth part of this classic movie and is a very weak and disappointing sequel.
Often people will have low expectations going into a film like FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE.
But although I had an open mind while watching what was supposedly the last NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET film, I found it a bitter disappointment in every way.Once again, our favorite grotesquely-disfigured dream stalker is after a group of teens, dispatching them one by one as they sleep.
The only reason it holds it self up is the back story on Freddy.The one thing that is always great in Nightmare movies are the death scenes.
I think I still have those glasses somewheres.All of the Nightmare films are good,but I guess the best one would be the first.I think I was about 14 when I first saw it and it almost scared the pee out of me,heehee,but of course they don't spook me now.One of my favourite parts in Freddy's Dead is when Spencer is on the couch stoned and Freddy comes on the TV and goes "Hey Spence,let's trip out" and the funky music (which is the begining of Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida)comes on with the groovy swirls and colors and he pulls Spencer into the TV.I own the whole Nightmare series on video,and looking forward for their release on DVD!
Rachel Talalay,who has been contected to the nightmare series for a long time by now.Many people hate this film,but I liked it.It tried to bring out what FREDDY was doing with his wisecrackes...COMDEY and makes the series more funny than scary.So this film is really a comdey sore to speak.It is not the wrost in the series,part 2 still holds it..
Before long the truth about Freddy's origins as a dream demon are finally revealed.Okay, so the inclusion of 3-D is just a gimmick, but ignore that and this film comes across as one of the most well-made and entertaining of the Nightmare series..
It adds a twist to the other movies and helps in a positive way for the surreal dream sequences.I give it an 8/10 for the horror that is Nightmare on Elm Street series (NOES series)..
Quebec Rating:13+ Canadian Home Video Rating:18AFreddy's Dead The Final Nightmare was supposed to be the final NIghtmare On Elm Street film.There were 2 more films(New Nightmare and Freddy vs Jason if you want to count it).I have seen all six Elm Street films now and I am going to see New Nightmare fairly soon.Im surprised at the low rating of this film.I find it to be one of the better films in the series.Definitely better than 2,4 and 5.These movies are not about plot and acting, they are about entertainment.I give the first film a 10/10 because it was both very entertaining and it had a good and original storyline.The third film was the second best because it had a fairly good storyline as well and was entertaining.This one did not have much of a storyline but it is one of the most entertaining films in the series.This is the funniest film in the series by far.There are plenty of hilarious scenes in this film.Also the flashback's were interesting.In this one we see a guidance counselor who is Freddy's daughter.She works with a kid who has amnesia because of something Freddy did to him.The two find that they have similar dreams so they decide to visit Springwood and they end up in a town fair with some strange people.Three other kids sneak on with them.They spend a night in a house where two of them get killed.So now they all join forces to try to stop Freddy.Freddy's dead The Final Nightmare is one of the better films in the series..
Freddy Krueger the dream stalker from elm street returns,the great character actor Robert englund is back in this sequel of nightmare 5, dream child.i hope i got the number correctly.there's been so many,and this one is one of the best,especially for the cameos by;Rosanne Barr (then Arnold)tom Arnold,johnny depp,(who did the very first nightmare in 84)alice cooper(singer)you will see Freddy as a tormented child,a teenager who loves pain,and as a family guy(creepy)the effects are very funny and creative,the cast also includes Lisa Zane(Billy's sister) breckin Meyer(road trip)yaphet kotto(alien,live and let die)and Amanda Donahue(father knows best)i was one of the people 3who saw this in 3d,well the ending.i love 3d movies.i missed the first 3d wave in 1953(i wasn't even born yet)the second wave was in 1983.i like all the Freddy movies.this one stands out as one of the better ones not counting the first which was absolutely brilliant,Freddy became the new monster of the 80s and 90s,along with Jason voorhees,chucky,Micheal myers,and leather face.can you imagine a film with all of them?i recommend this to all Freddy fans and horror fans alike.that Freddy is such a cut up.8 out of 10..
'Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare' is easily the best of the sequels and is also the funniest.**SPOILERS**Freddy (Robert Englund) forces one of the last surviving Elm Street, John (Shon Goldblatt) children to do his bidding in the other world while he gains strength in the dream world.
Possessed by Freddy, Maggie unknowingly brings him back to the shelter where he begins a giant wave of horror on the unsuspecting staff and patients.The Good News: I really want to applaud the film-makers for making this movie so enjoyable.
This is my favorite of the sequels, right before 'New Nightmare.' The reason why this one is so good is that Freddy has some of his funniest lines ever in this film.
They're not really scary, just enjoyable, and the film makes them work quite easily.The Bad News: The only bad thing about this movie was how totally non-threatening Freddy was.
Freddy (Robert Englund) has killed off all the kids on Elm Street, so he decides to try and move to another town, but finds opposition from his until-now unmentioned therapist daughter (Lisa Zane), a dream specialist (Yaphet Kotto) and some troubled teens.
Cameos from Alice Cooper, Roseanne and Tom Arnold, New Line CEO Robert Shaye (who produced the entire series) and Johnny Depp (who got his start in the first ELM STREET movie) aren't funny at all.
At this point in the series it seems clear that the movies realize that they are no longer horror films but gory comedies, since they have long since lost what little power they ever might have had to be scary.
The kids in the movie come up with a pretty clever (and long overdue) plot to kill Freddy once and for all, but it's good that this was not the final installment in the series, if only because it would have been such an anticlimactic close to a series that had thus far spawned five sequels and fans around the world.The film originally featured a thrilling 3-D conclusion which, to the best of my knowledge, has been scrapped by the DVD production, I imagine because of the necessity for 3-D glasses.
It is not the most original but it is the most funny.Freddy's Death is a very good directed film in the series,which 3-D scenes are cool when it came out (1991).This film,with a independent story (it is not into the Nancy's series and Alice Johnson's one)has a correct plot and correct actors in perhaps the second best movie in the series.It is very funny at the beginning when it appears a sentence by Nietzsche and then a Freddy's sentence.
The best thing about this version of the "nightmare" series was the sound, which was the best of the six regular "Freddy movies." (That's not counting the subsequent "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" which had outstanding sound and visuals.)The sound might have been better on this latter-day Freddy film but the fun scenes where wild and memorable things happened were fewer.
Well, my favorite nightmare on elm street is the first one, and the seventh one, but the very first one I saw was part 6 when I was about 7 and i thought it was awesome but then when I saw them all it is one of the worst like dream child and Freddy's revenge, because the actors are so bad, except Johnny Depp the rest suck and the script sucks so much, the story is o.k. and the effects are pretty good too, for it's time.
But When Elm Street 6: Freddy's Dead shows everyone who thought the series got old, and wanted to stop seeing him, or people who wanted their hero (or Villian) just stops for his final breath, This film was it.This film starts with a parody of Wizard of Oz, Then you see a kid who is named only as John Doe, Who is the last child in Springwood, Ohio, leaves and gets out of Freddy territory.
Robert Englund will always be Freddy Krueger to us horror fans.This movie isn't bad at all, watched it more than God only knows how many times.
You've got two gorgeous ladies, Lisa Zane and Lezlie Deane, laying and kicking some chopsuey action with Shon Greenblatt, Breckin Meyer, Ricky Dean Logan and Yaphet Kotto against the Springwood Slasher himself - plus a cameo appearance by major stars.Every Elm Street film has its own creativity with its nightmares.
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare does little else but signify that this was the appropriate time to conclude the long-running franchise, which, at this point, had spanned a good seven years.
In efforts to try and stop Freddy once and for all, an older psychologist named Maggie (Lisa Zane), who is looking to treat John for amnesia and mental illness, as well as his prolific and lucid nightmares about Freddy Krueger, and her friend Tracy (Lezlie Deane) work to try and enter the realm of Freddy's dreams in order to stop him from the source of his madness - his mind.The concept of Freddy's Dead loans itself to a lot of introspection for one of the most recognized killers in mainstream horror.
Without Wes Craven's New Nightmare, a seriously underrated and commendable attempt at meta and psychological horror with Craven using his trademark Freddy character to bend reality and fiction in a far more believable and organized way, we could've ended this franchise on a film that is little more than a curious, early-nineties oddity that should be delegated to the back pages of a cult/forgotten cinema catalog.Starring: Lisa Zane, Shon Greenblatt, Robert Englund, Lezlie Deane, and Breckin Meyer.
Still wasn't close to the original, but my favorite sequel...I don't get why they said this was the final nightmare when there was the "New Nightmare" 3 years later..and I heard there's a prequel coming out!I like that this told more about Freddy's "Real life" and showed why he is who he is.
Look for Johnny Depp in a cameo as a TV commercial that gets silenced by Freddy.Overall, this movie is better than the last couple were, and it has a good ending that ties the series up.6/10.
The film appears to take place 10 years "from now", but that doesn't seem to matter, as the basis of the film revolves around one surviving teen from Elm Street, a "John Doe" (Shon Greenblatt) who manages to escape - but that's what Freddy Krueger (once more thank you Robert Englund) wanted, as Freddy is seeking out his daughter.Like part 5, "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" delves heavily into Freddy's past, and does so in a way that is not complicated nor condescending to the viewer and doesn't mess with pre-established continuity either, but very informative.
The DVD has the option of watching it in 2-D or 3-D, and special features indicate that Talalay herself was not completely happy with having her ending in 3-D.So while Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is no master piece like the first or 7th films, it is not without its redeeming features, and is really a good film when it comes down to it..
Director Rachel Talalay, who's been with the series for quite some time now, and writer Micheal De Luca has made a drop dead funny comedy to the brilliant horror film, A Nightmare On Elm Street.Ten years after PART 5:THE DREAM CHILD, and three after the battle in FREDDY V.S. JASON.
Director Rachel Talalay, who worked as a producer on the previous installments of the series, takes the lead here and steers the train head-first into a brick wall: Combining the what-is-real atmosphere of "Twin Peaks" along with the zaniness of an episode of "Pee-wee's Playhouse," the movie has little to offer longtime Krueger fans, and plays out instead like a live-action episode of "Tom and Jerry" to the enjoyment of no one.
Before I start this review,I'd like to say that I'm sorry that I'm reviewing this franchise out of order,but whatever.First,the good,Robert Englund,he's still great as Freddy Krueger and is able to pull off all the stupid jokes.Speaking of Freddy,I thought that his backstory was decent,and not as terrible as others would say.The death scenes were decent,definitely creative.Some of the concepts for the dream world were decent,just badly executed.I liked the fast pacing,and that it focused a bit more on story than death scenes.The end credit montage was great to see(though it's basically just a reminder of the movies in the franchise that were better than this one.)and some characters were entertaining.Now,the cons,the other characters,they were badly written and badly acted,the main character had basically no emotions.The references,they make the movie feel outdated and not fun.The overall feel of the movie is lazy and tired,the ending is pretty anticlimactic,and not as epic as it should have been.But the biggest flaw of the movie,it's "humourous" tone,it feels like Looney Tunes,and it is not funny at all,just stupid,the terrible outdated effects don't help either.All in all,Freddy's Dead:The Final Nightmare is a movie with forced humor,bad characters,and great death scenes..
It is the sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and is followed by Wes Craven's New Nightmare, which takes place outside the series' canon.Lezlie Deane as Tracy was tough and sexy as Tracy and her martial arts kicking Freddy was great watching her on screen.
After "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child", it was announced that another sequel was going to be made, but New Line Cinema wanted everyone to know that this would be the last film, so now, I continue my franchise review of A Nightmare on Elm Street, with "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare".This film follows the exploits of "John Doe", an amnesiac teenager from Springwood, who was sent out to find Freddy's daughter, Maggie, whom he needs to leave the children in Springwood.
It is considered the worst idea for the movie, but it works for me and to say the least, it is the best of A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, for me, along with the 1984 and 2010 versions of the original film, the 2003 crossover film with Jason Voorhees, the fourth film, the third and second film and Wes Craven's New Nightmare.Like I said, the only Nightmare on Elm Street film I have mixed emotions over is "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child".There's not much to say about the visuals and design, but they are incredible as they were back in 1991, when this film came out.
The rest of the cast is just out there at times, but the really cool thing about it is Lezlie Deane, Yaphet Kotto, Breckin Meyer and Ricky Dean Logan is really amazing and so great in some of the scenes.Overall, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is not a horror movie, it's like a horror / comedy movie and is not the best film in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse.5 out of 10 stars..
From the title of this film, it appeared that this was finally the final Nightmare movie, where Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) would meet his end.
Nine, Ten The Franchise Reaches Its End. It's blatantly obvious within the first five minutes that "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" is a different kind of "Elm Street" flick.
Freddy's Dead-The Final Nightmare would have been a good film IF it wasn't part of a horror series and IF it was intended to be funny - but unfortunately it DOES belong to a horror series and it WASN'T intended to be one big joke.
I'm glad Wes Craven decided to shoot a 7th Nightmare-film to fill the hole this movie has left.Maybe if I wasn't expecting a horror film I would have liked Freddy's Dead.
Rachel Talalay, producer of parts 3 and 4 of the Nightmare films, proves that it is possible to make a worse Elm Street movie than The Dream Child by directing Freddy's Dead, the poorest entry in the whole series.In this chapter, we discover that Freddy has a daughter, Maggie (Lisa Zane, who looks like a sexy cross between a young Madonna and Rachel Weisz), who is all grown up and working at a shelter for delinquent children.
It has as a result that "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" is often a silly movie to watch but at the same time that's what making this movie so fun and watchable.This change is definitely a step up for the series.
The original 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' is still to me one of the scariest and best horror films there is, as well as a truly great film in its own right and introduced us to one of the genre's most iconic villains in Freddy Krueger.
Sixth installment in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series has Freddy (Robert Englund) searching for his long-lost daughter (Lisa Zane) for a final showdown. |
tt0070634 | The Satanic Rites of Dracula | === Introduction ===
In 1974, a Secret Service agent (Maurice O'Connell) barely escapes from an English country house, in which satanic rituals are celebrated. Before he dies of his wounds, he reveals to his superiors that four prominent members of society – a government minister, a peer, a general and a famous scientist – are involved in the cult, led by Chin Yang (Barbara Yu Ling). Photos of the four dignitaries taken by the agent are developed, and a fifth photo, apparently showing an empty doorway, is assumed to be a mistake. In order to avoid any reprisals by the minister, secret service official Colonel Mathews (Richard Vernon) calls in Scotland Yard's Inspector Murray (Michael Coles) to work on the case independently. Murray (who had appeared in the preceding Dracula film) suggests consulting noted occult expert Professor Lorrimar Van Helsing (Peter Cushing).
=== At the House ===
The cult kidnaps the Secret Service secretary Jane (Valerie Van Ost), who is later bitten by Dracula (Christopher Lee). Murray, Secret Service agent Torrence (William Franklyn) and Van Helsing's granddaughter Jessica (Joanna Lumley) arrive at the country house. They separate; Murray and Torrence investigate inside the house, where they meet Chin Yang. Jessica enters the house through the cellar, where she finds Jane chained to a wall; she is revealed to be a vampire. The ensuing commotion awakens other female vampires who are likewise imprisoned, but they attempt to feed on Jessica. The agents hear Jessica's screams and come to her rescue. Murray kills Jane with a stake, and he escapes the grounds with Jessica and Torrence.
Van Helsing visits his scientist friend, Julian Keeley (Freddie Jones), whom he recognized among the four conspirators. The mentally unstable Keeley is involved in bacteriological research designed to create a virulent strain of the bubonic plague. Van Helsing is shot by a guard and passes out. When he revives, Keeley's dead body hangs from the ceiling, and the plague bacillus is gone.
Keeley referred to the 23rd of the month, which Van Helsing discovers is the "Sabbath of the Undead". Keeley's research notes lead Van Helsing to the reclusive property developer D. D. Denham, who funded Keeley's research. Van Helsing speculates that the fifth photo of an empty doorway may actually have been of Dracula, whose image cannot be captured; he suggests that Dracula wants to exact revenge on humanity. Van Helsing visits Denham in his headquarters (built on the church yard where Dracula died in the previous film) and discovers that he is actually Count Dracula. He tries to shoot Dracula with a silver bullet, but is beaten by the Count's conspirators. Dracula decides that killing Van Helsing would be too simple and has him moved to the country house.
Jessica, Murray, Mathews and Torrence, while observing the country house, are attacked by snipers. Torrence and Mathews are killed, and Murray and Jessica are captured. Murray awakes in the cellar and escapes the clutches of Chin Yang, revealed to be a vampire herself. After staking her through the heart with a mallet, he destroys the other female vampires with clear running water from the fire sprinkler system.
=== Denouement ===
Dracula arrives at the house with Van Helsing. He announces to his henchmen that Jessica will be his consort, uncorrupted by the plague that his "four horsemen" – including Van Helsing – will carry out into the world. The conspirators, who had considered the plague a threat not to be used, begin to question their master. Dracula's hypnotic command brings them back into his control. He commands John Porter (Richard Mathews) to break the vial, releasing the bacteria and immediately infecting the minister.
Murray overpowers a guard in the computer room. The guard's metal baton smashes a computer panel causing an explosion that starts a fire and unlocks the ritual room. Two uninfected conspirators escape, Murray rescues Jessica, and the infected minister and the plague bacteria burn in the fire. Dracula attacks Van Helsing, but his prey escapes through a window into the woods. Van Helsing lures Dracula into a hawthorn bush where he is entangled. Van Helsing grabs a fence post and drives it through his heart. Dracula disintegrates into ash. Van Helsing retrieves Dracula's ring from the ashes. | gothic, murder, paranormal, cult, violence, good versus evil | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0092513 | Adventures in Babysitting | Chris Parker is awaiting the arrival of her boyfriend, Mike Toddwell, to pick her up for a date. When he arrives, he devastates her by canceling their plans to go to a French restaurant in downtown Chicago due to his sister becoming ill. Brokenhearted, Chris has her best friend Brenda come over, and while she is there, the Andersons call asking if Chris can babysit their daughter Sara. Seeing no other plans for the evening, Chris agrees.When she arrives, she discovers eight-year-old Sara and her fifteen-year-old brother Brad in an argument. Sara had taken Brad's Clearasil and used it to paint another picture of her Marvel hero Thor, prompting Brad to call him a homo and upset her. She manages to blackmail him by telling him in front of Chris (without his knowing) that she would tell Chris about all of his love poems to her. Embarrassed, Brad admits defeat and apologizes to Sara.After the Andersons leave for the evening, Brad is visited by his best friend Daryl, whose house he was supposed to be staying over that night, but Brad cancels and returns to the living room where he shuts the blinds out from the "stray dog" as he describes him to Chris. Chris gets a call from a frantic Brenda, who had successfully run away from home, but unsuccessfully stranded herself at the bus station downtown. Without the money to pay for a cab ride, Brenda's fear prompts Chris to decide to drive into town. Sara and Brad won't let her leave them home alone, and Daryl's eavesdropping forces her to take him along as well.In the car, Chris tells Sara a scary story about a man with a hook who kills a babysitter and her children, and when a car tire blowout stands them on the expressway without a spare, she realizes that she forgot her purse at the Anderson's. A tow truck pulls over and "Handsome" John Pruitt offers them a hand, or a hook to the surprise and fear of the children. Offering to pay for the tire repair, Pruitt is distracted by a call and he diverts to his home where his wife is cheating on him. In a resulting shootout, Chris and the others get out of the truck and into a Cadillac, which is being stolen. The thief, Joe Gipp, promises to take them to safety after he drops off the car at a chop shop. However, leaders Greydon and Bleak detain them up in the office for a meeting they were involved in. Daryl boosts a Playboy magazine to replace his dad's, which had been thrown out of the car window earlier by Brad. They then make a tense escape crossing the girders in the warehouse ceiling, escaping outside. The thieves find the Playboy missing, and as it contains incriminating evidence that can be used against them, they give chase.The kids are chased into a blues club where they are not allowed off the stage until they reveal their predicament in song, much to the cheers and applause from the audience. When they are allowed to leave, they are reminded of their mission and predicament when Darryl attempts to pick up a prostitute on the street who turns out to be a seventeen yo runaway.Meanwhile Brenda is not having a very good time at the bus station. Having her glasses stolen while resting leaves her practically blind, she mistakes a sewer rat for a kitten, and is laughed at by pest exterminators when she attempts to defend it. A hot dog vendor will not accept her small check as payment, stating "You slip me the cash, and I'll slip you the wiener." But when she says, "I don't have any cash!" he proclaims, "Then I don't have a wiener!"Another chase from the thieves prompts them to board a monorail where a pair of rival gang members move in to kill each other. Chris intervenes to hold off the fight until they exit the train, and Brad stands up when she is insulted. Brad gets a knife thrown into his shoe, and Chris wields it against the gang, quoting her famous line: "Don't fuck with the babysitter." When they back off, the four of them leave the train and rush Brad to the hospital. After a scare where they think Brad has died, they run into Pruitt again, who tells them that they will need to pay $50 for the tire, as he had to pay for the windshield damage from the gunfight earlier.They arrive shortly after at a fraternity party. Chris meets a new love interest in Dan Lynch who manages to get together $45 toward the car's tire payment. Darryl gets into trouble with a jock whose lonely girlfriend attempts to have sex with him, and Dan takes them to Dawson's garage. Leaving, and expected never to be seen again as he did not give Chris an address to get hold of him to pay him back, upon entering the garage, they meet Dawson, whose long blond hair and physically fit appearance causes Sara to think he is the alter ego of Thor. Dawson, offended by the $5 shortage, refuses to relinquish the car, but Sara's selflessness in giving him her plastic Thor helmet prompts him to have a change in heart, he gives the car and her helmet to the kids, and lets them go.En route to the bus station, Chris spots the restaurant that Mike was supposed to take her to that night, and Darryl points out Mike's car in the parking lot. They go in to find that Mike is dating and flirting with the sleazy Sesame Plexer, and it is revealed that Mike was only dating Chris in interest of having sex with her. Brad stands up for Chris, but won't sink to his level. Darryl admits, "I will", and kicks Mike into a dessert cart.Meanwhile, Sara has slipped out of the restaurant to visit a toy store she had seen, and is approached by Bleak, who spots the Playboy in her backpack. They chase her down to the building that her parents are having their party in, and find through chocolate finger smudges on the elevator buttons which floors to check. Graydon exits in the renovated top floor of the building, and discovers Sara climbing out the window on a rope. Chris, Darryl, and Brad hot on their trail choose the wrong floor and accidentally crash the Anderson's office party. After a brief encounter with Bleak, both he and Chris notice Sara walking along the window ledge outside, and Chris causes Bleak to trip while she and Brad and Darryl go upstairs and discover Sara outside the window. After pulling her up to safety, Joe arrives and explains they were after the Playboy the whole time. They decide to leave Graydon outside and let him "sweat a little" while Joe shows his resignation from the car thieves by punching out Bleak, and they depart the building.Brenda discovers her glasses and steals them back, only to be chased from the bus station by everyone she had come across. Being chased by the homeless, she runs into the exterminators, past the hot dog vendor, and past the phone booth, which is a homeless man's house. After she gets outside, she is picked up by Chris and the others and she proclaims "What took you guys so long?!"On the way home, the kids pass the Andersons on their way home. Chris sends the kids upstairs and Brenda home before cleaning up the messes that had been made earlier in the day, coming to settle down just as the Andersons appear in the doorway, not suspecting a thing. Chris goes upstairs to say good night and announces her plans to retire from babysitting. They each admit to each other and thank themselves for "What was probably the greatest night of their lives... so far".As Chris leaves, Dan makes a surprising appearance to return Sara's skate, which she'd left in his jeep, as well as admit to Chris that he is interested in her. Sara shouts "Kiss him!" from the bedroom window, and they comply happily. Brad, who had come to realize that while they aren't boyfriend/girlfriend, he and Chris can still have a good friendship, accepts that Dan is better for her than he is. He closes the blinds to give the two some privacy, and the credits roll. | cult | train | imdb | I saw this movie when it first came out in the summer of 1987 (a year after "Ferris Bueller" which "Adventures" bares somewhat of a resemblence to) and while I was watching the film it felt to me like I was part of the adventure.
Elisabeth Shue is terrific in her first leading role as Chris Parker, a 17-year-old high school senior who prepares for a big date with her boyfriend at the beginning of the film.
The foursome experience car troubles; run-ins with a friendly car thief, a mob group the thief works for (who spend most of the movie chasing the kids through the streets of Chicago), and two gangs on a train; a short trip to a hospital (when one of the kids is slightly injured by a member of one of those gangs); a brief stop at a frat party; a chase to the top of a high-rise building; and a show stopping classic scene in a blues bar.
"Adventures in Babysitting" was directed by Chris Columbus in his directing debut after writing screenplays for a couple of Steven Spielberg produced movies ("Gremlins", "The Goonies", and "Young Sherlock Holmes").
"Adventures in Babysitting" is a movie that's great fun from start to finish and never lets up.
The movie opens with Chris Parker (played by Elizabeth Shue in a very early starring role) first finding out that her boyfriend can't make their big date that night.
Things go okay until Chris gets a call from her best friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller), who says that she ran away from home, and is now stuck at a bus station in the city with no money and no way home, and of course she can't call her parents.
This is probably the best part Penelope Ann Miller has ever had, and she demonstrates a surprising talent for screwball comedy.Like I said, the rest of the young cast is great; Shue pretty much began her career here, and Coogan, Rapp, and Brewton (who was also very funny on the also underrated TV show "Parker Lewis Can't Lose", which I'm dying to see come out on DVD) put in funny, though clichéd, parts.
"Adventures in Babysitting" is one of those movies that just sounded kind of dumb based on the title (like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), but if you haven't seen it, give it a try anyway; the brilliant gags and the strong acting made it work..
In the suburbs of Chicago, the seventeen year-old Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) is in love with her boyfriend Mike (Bradley Whitford).
Chris sees no other option and accepts the offer in the beginning of an unforgettable night of adventures in Chicago."Adventures in Babysitting" is one of those adorable cult-movies for the entire life.
For an unknown (to me) reason, when I saw this on British TV, it was called "A Night On The Town", a far inferior title than 'Adventures in Babysitting', although maybe they figured that parents would think this a children's movie...Anyway, the movie itself is charming in that way that only 1980s US comedy films are.
The characters, while not being very complicated, were warm and at least not entirely two-dimensional, and the little girl was quite cute and not extremely annoying as could have happened.Overall, I'd recommend it to hounds who love to watch 80s films..
Well, now I babysit and I'm glad I never got in the same situation, but it still made for a great and fun movie.Chris is a senior who has a big date planned with her boyfriend, but when he cancels, she is forced to babysit the Anderson's daughter, Sara.
Babysitting Was Never This Much Fun For Me. When I first saw this movie in the late 1980's I thought to myself how whenever I had babysat I had had a pretty boring night stuck in front of a TV hoping the kids wouldn't wake up crying and spoil the peace.
How I wish they had been more like this movie.Elizabeth Shue plays Chris Parker who is babysitting one night but due to certain circumstances ends up taking the kids out on the town in order to pick up one of her friends.
Uriel's Movie Reviews - Adventures in Babysitting***1/2 (1hr 39min)(Rated PG-13)The 1987 flick from future Harry Potter and Mrs. Doubtfire director Chris Columbus, Adventures in Babysitting is a good film and it has some fun moments in it.Its about a high school senior named Chris Parker(Elisabeth Shue) in a rich suburb of Chicago, where she has just been agrees to babysit for a pre-teen girl named Sara (Maia Brewton) and his older brother Brad(Keith Coogan), with his friend Daryl(Anthony Rapp).The children's parents leave for a party and the babysitter relaxes thinking this will be another boring night, however, she receives a call from her friend who just ran away from home and is at the train station in Chicago.
The babysitter cannot leave the children alone and so she takes them and one of the teenagers' friend on a wild and crazy adventure.In her pursuit to pick up her friend, they have to deal with being in a love quarrel where pistol is being fired, and then, being in a stolen car that results in gangster-like characters chasing them because they posses information about their operation.The reason why this movie is so good is that the characters are rich and come from a secluded suburban area who never had to deal with the hard life of the inner-city, and One interesting moment in the movie is when they were in a blues club and they were told they could not leave without singing the blues.This is really good, and also fun movie to enjoy..
Which is saying something.The characters are great, you've got Elisabeth Shue singing the blues, Penelope Ann Miller and Anthony Rapp with their funny lines and characters, Vincent D'Onofrio as Thor, handsome john pruitt with a hook for a hand, and not to mention Bradley Whitford as the always dirty scoundrel.
The opening scene of Adventures in Babysitting (curiously re-titled A Night on the Town for British audiences) has Elizabeth Shue's character Chris Parker dancing to an old record from the 1960s, as she gears up for a romantic evening out with a partner.
But then again, I'm a big fan of those two films and whilst Adventures in Babysitting is good fun; it does not hold up as a film nor as a realistic piece of entertainment.The most frustrating thing that glares the most out of the film, for me anyway, were the inconsistencies apparent within the character of Sara Anderson (Brewton) who is the youngest member of the family being babysat at eight years old; she is also the smartest and there's your problem.
The third example of Sara's inability to be an 8 year old human being, or indeed the writer's inability to create an 8 year old human being is when, shortly after they have been caught carjacking by a carjacker and are hurtling along to a gangster's warehouse, Sara pulls out a chocolate bar and finds it in her heart to offer some to all in the car she is not terrified like her brother, his friend and Elizabeth are even if she should be the most terrified.But then we have to suspend belief to go along with the film's running gag; that these incompetent human beings can get their way out of any jam, no matter how difficult.
If your idea of comedy and tension is to have the kids actually stop and sing to a crowd of blues fans, this is the film for you; otherwise I am surprised they did not merely barge through the barrier and continue to escape maybe they could've even asked for help from the musicians as they outrun the murderous gangsters.But whilst incompetence would have them go on this adventure in the first place as it is Brenda (Miller) who sparks the journey off, it is incompetence and inconsistency that actually gets them through the journey that matters.
Give it a try--it's not "rocket science" or Masterpiece Theatre, but it's good old fashioned silly fun.PS--watch ALL the movie--including the very end.
When she receives a frantic phone call from her friend who is stuck in downtown Chicago at night, suburban babysitter Chris (Elisabeth Shue) must head to the big city to help.
Adventures in Babysitting (1987).Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) has a date planed with her boyfriend but he has to cancel because his sister is sick.So she accepts an offer to baby sit a young girl and her older brother.As she is looking after them her fiend calls her from the city and tells Chris that she desperately needs her to pick her up from a bus station.Chris then has to drive herself and the 2 kids and and one of the kids friends into the city to pick up her friend.And as they are driving on the freeway they get a flat tire and they have no spear tire.And from there on lots of funny crazy stuff happens to them.This movie is a good 1980s comedy movie and if you like those kind of movies i highly recommend that you watch this movie.Elisabeth Shue is such a good actress she acts really well in this movie and you should watch her in her first movie The Karate Kid (1984) she is great in that movie.Over all i liked this movie a lot and my rating for this movie is six out of ten..
Little did she know that when she gets stood up that she would end up on the adventure of her life...with three little kids in tow.I've always like Elisabeth Shue, in everything she's done, but I feel that kudos in this movie don't go to her, but, rather, to the director, Chris Columbus.
It's so funny because he's in his teenage years where he is really awkward with girls but still tries to impress them.However, my favorite part has to be the beginning seen where Elizabeth Shue, the babysitter is singing and dancing aroung her room while she gets ready for her date..
This is a fun, humorous movie starring Elizabeth Shue as a high schooler who gets stuck babysitting hyper, manipulative kids.
The movie, while far from being great, is a lot of fun to watch, and has a lot of funny scenes and moments.
She goes to pick her up, with the 3 kids, and gets involved in some wild (and totally improbable) adventures while trying to find her friend.OK, this isn't a good movie--the plot is ridiculous, the kids act like adults (and vice versa) and most of the humor is pretty sophomoric.
He feels kind of sorry for these fish out of their own comfort pond and tries to help them as best he can.Adventures In Babysitting is a pretty funny teen comedy and definitely a Blockbuster Night's entertainment..
So, when I borrowed it from the library, learning that it was about a woman who agrees to take care of three kids and must revenge to save her friend who has ran away and spend the whole night trying to find her, I found the movie to be O.K. overall.I remember how it used to be called, "A Night on the Town" and I was baffled by the change in the title.17-year-old Chris Parker (Elizabeth Shue) is stood up by her boyfriend (Bradley Whitford).
While taking care of three kids, Brad, the older brother of the Anderson family, Sara, the bratty and bossy younger sister, and Daryl, the vigorous high-school boy whom we know is the best friend of Brad.
Adventures in Babysitting opens with a scene of a standard 80s teenager, Elizabeth Shue, dancing in her bedroom with white floral wallpaper while she puts her clothes on to 'And then he kissed me' designed to make all male viewers recoil within the first 15 seconds of the film and think of movies where Shue engages in a sex scene.
Shue, who plays Chris Parker, is then asked to babysit a young effeminate male with an attraction to older women and his younger sister who wears a distracting Thor helmet throughout the film only to be later joined by the young man's best friend, Dre-dog, who looks equally bi-curious but brings the funny.
I didn't like some of the other movies Elizabeth Shue made, but in this one it seems she made the audience happy.The characters are great, and the storyline is very good as well.
Whilst not the greatest premise ever seen (even for a teen movie) is not bad and when you sew in the sub plot of the relationship of the lead character (Elizabeth Shue) and a couple of cameo's by future television stars Bradley Whitford and Vincent D'Onofrio (with a particularly funny take on Thor).
I was 15 years old when I first watched this and while I knew even then that Adventures In Babysitting was aimed at a younger demographic like I was then,some of the content in this movie was appreciated even more by adults who had watched it.It's really a matter of individual interpretation what constitutes a great movie,but this one is actually a lot better than most give it credit for.Even though Elisabeth Shue was previously in The Karate Kid,I didn't really pay attention to her until this.She sure was a hottie then!Keith Coogan had pretty much fallen off the face of the Earth after this,Anthony Rapp has had a few projects on the go since,& I've seen Maia Brewton on an episode of The Wonder Years and appearances on a few other programs too.If you don't care to go out of your way to watch it,at least give it a chance if you're channel surfing on a lazy Sunday afternoon..
Well in this case we've got the very lovely Elisabeth Shue as a babysitter with three younger kids tagging along from the suburbs into the heart of the city's night life.So the starting point is not an original one, and neither is the plot.
It marked the transition of screenwriter Chris Columbus ("Gremlins", "Young Sherlock Holmes") into directing, and stars an incredibly appealing Elisabeth Shue as Chris, a high school senior who, unable to go on a date with her boyfriend (Bradley Whitford), reluctantly agrees to take a babysitting gig, even as she feels she's getting a little old for that sort of thing.
It has Chicago teenager Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) babysitting for some people, but a series of events lead her and the children on a wild goose chase all over the Windy City.
There are so many great quotes in this flick, but my favorite is at the end of the movie when after their "adventure", she says to the boy who is in love with her, "I don't ignore my friends!".
He was also in Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket the same year this movie was released.Adventures In Babysitting is not a great film, just a light hearted film that is fun to watch, especially Shue's appealing character..
When her best friend (Penelope Anne Miller) calls her up and asks her for a lift in the city, she drags the kids along when she tries to rescue her friend from the bus station, but a flat tire is the beginning of an adventure that leads to the Liz and the gang being chased by gangsters who want a Playboy magazine with important information written on it (and a woman who looks kind of like Liz).Liz herself isn't bad, and it's a bit of a shame that she didn't get the kind of career that Julia Roberts later racked up..
A fun movie that has Elisabeth Shue (Back to the Future Part II) babysitting a group of children who start madcap adventures.
ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING (1987) **1/2 Elisabeth Shue as a babe-o-licious babysitter who finds herself in many a predicament when she and her charges find themselves in the danger-plagued section of Chicago as she tries to help her friend Penelope Ann Miller get back home.
Elisabeth Shue (who does NOT look 35) is great as Chris the babysitter.
Titled 'A Night Out on the Town' here, this film was also one of my favourites when I was younger.'Adventures in Babysitting' is Chris Columbus' first film as director and it stars Elizabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Keith Coogan (Toy Soldiers), Anthony Rapp (Dazed and Confused) and Penepole Anne Miller (Kindergarten Cop).
Elisabeth Shue stars in an early role as a babysitter who leaves with the kids for downtown Chicago to help a friend..then she gets a flat and misadventure after misadventure takes place..A good little comedy that the younger ones can watch and enjoy the troubles that happen on an eventful night for Shue and the kids..on a scale of one to ten..6.
It may not even be a good movie, but Adventures In Babysitting is one of the most delightful comedies of the '80's.
This movie was 2 thumbs up, its a comedy starring Elizabeth Shue, as Chris Parker, she's supposed to be celebrating her anniversy with her birthday but he calls it off and she winds up babysitting, her best friend (Penelope Ann Miller) calls saying she ran away from home is at a bus station down town chicago, so Chris takes the kids and they go to pick up the friend but they have a tire blow out and from then on everything goes wrong for them and everything that happens to them is funny like they have to sing to leave a place and the bad guys are chasing them, Sara (one of the kids chris is babysitting) winds up out side a sky scraper, they wind up at the same building thier parents are having a party in and they its funny!
this film is enjoyable for the whole family elisabeth shue played this role nicely even though she does seem a bit old for the part. |
tt1413527 | Evil Things | Five college students leave New York City for a weekend in the country, and 48 hours later they vanished without a trace.
To celebrate Miriam's (Elyssa Mersdorf) birthday, Miriam's Aunt Gail (Gail Cadden) gives her use of a large country home in the Catskills for the weekend. Miriam invites her friends Cassy (Laurel Casillo), Mark (Morgan Hooper), Tanya (Torrey Weiss) and Leo (Ryan Maslyn) to join her to celebrate.
As an aspiring filmmaker, Leo brings his new video camera, hoping to create a short documentary of the weekend getaway. The five begin driving to the house. Whilst looking for a place to pull over because Tanya is carsick, the group notice they are being bothered by a dark red van whose driver incessantly honks his horn at them and overtakes them only to slow down in front of them. They pass the van and continue on. They stop at a small gas station where Cassy notices a dark red van pull in and slow down.
Spooked, the gang leave. As they are driving away, a girl from inside the gas station stops them to hand over a phone Cassy left in the bathroom. The group continue to Aunt Gail's home and are again tailed by the van. They stop at a diner and while eating, the van pulls into the diner parking lot and drives slowly by the window. Furious, Mark storms outside to confront the driver but he drives away when Mark gets too close.
The group eventually make it to the house and Aunt Gail comes to turn the power on and wish them a good night. The five surprise Miriam with a birthday cake and then party and drink with Leo filming the whole occasion.
The next day, the group take a hike to the snowy woods which they soon get lost in the dark. They hear noises that they can't identify, crackling sounds on their two-way-radio and branches snapping which scares them all into a run. They do eventually make it back to the house without further incident. Later when eating dinner, they receive phone calls with no one answering. A knock at the door is heard and Mark finds a video tape wrapped in brown paper on the front step.
The tape reveals that the group have been being secretly video taped since they were on the road, and are being stalked by the same person in the maroon van. There is footage of them at the gas station with the girl running out to give Cassy back her phone, and them at the diner when Mark attempted to confront the driver of the van, proving it is the same van who has been following them the whole time. Then the footage follows them to Aunt Gail's house and shows film taken through the windows of the group laughing and having fun, surprising Miriam with her birthday cake, and to their horror, the stalker inside the house filming them all as they slept.
The phone rings again with no answer, and then the line is cut. No one can get a signal on their cell phones. The group decide to leave but when they run out to the car they see that it is missing. A van pulls up in the driveway, scaring the group back into the house. As everyone tries to get a signal on their phones again, all the power in the house goes out. Miriam finally gets a signal on her phone and dials 9-1-1, but the call drops out.
Down the hall, the group hear a noise. Mark gets a knife and goes to investigate. He finds a two way radio that is on and crackling. The door suddenly shuts from the inside and Mark's cries of pain can be heard. Cassy bangs on the door and tries to open it, and then it opens just a crack which scares the group into running upstairs to hide.
Upstairs, the group see the van driving away from the house so they come back downstairs to leave. Leo gives the camera to Tanya and leads the way out, but once outside he sees something that makes him scream at the others to run back inside. Once inside, Tanya falls breaking the camera and all left is the audio sound of Tanya screaming and her and Leo's fate is left unknown.
On the video footage of the van outside, Miriam is shown to be running from the house. The van turns on its lights and creeps along to follow her. The van stops and the stalker gets out and chases a screaming Miriam into the woods.
Back inside the house, the other stalker is looking around the house for Cassy with his nightvision on the camera. He finds Cassy hiding behind a couch and, believing she is alone, creeping out wandering blindly around the home. The stalker follows her watching how far she will get. Cassy gets to the door but, it is pulled shut from the outside, and the camera man makes the same sound the group heard in the woods alerting Cassy of his presence. She screams as he then lunges out at her, and the camera freezes on Cassy's screaming face.
The view pulls back and shows to a dark room were the stalker is watching several videos on many monitors. As well as the stalkers footage, there is also the footage Leo shot implying the stalkers stole his camera.
The last piece of film shows the stalker with the camera in a park, surveying groups of friends. While looking around he spots another group of friends filming. He then follows them on their trip.
During the end credits the video of the stalker's movements are shown from the moment he first spotted the group on the highway, following them to the house, filming them through the windows and while they sleep. Many of the close up shots focus solely on Cassy. | violence, dark, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0381681 | Before Sunset | Nine years before, Jesse and Céline had met and had a brief encounter in Vienna. Jesse's new novel, This Time, was inspired by that night, and becomes a bestseller. He does a book tour in Europe, including Paris. He does a reading at the noted bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. Flashbacks express elements of his time with Céline in Vienna. Three journalists attend the reading to interview Jesse: one is convinced the book's main characters meet again, another that they do not, and a third who wants them to but is doubtful that will occur. As Jesse speaks with the audience, his eyes wander and he sees Céline there, smiling at him.
After the presentation, the bookstore manager reminds Jesse of his need to leave for the airport in about an hour for his plane. Céline and Jesse's time together is again constrained. They make the best of it, and their conversations become deeply personal. They begin with themes of work and politics and, with increasing passion, approach their earlier feelings for each other.
They touch on their failure to have met as planned six months after their first encounter. Jesse returned to Vienna but Céline did not, because her grandmother had died suddenly. Since the pair had never exchanged addresses, they had no way to contact each other at the time.
Their talk reveals how their lives have changed during the nine years they spent apart. Jesse, now a writer, is married and has a son. Céline has become an advocate for the environment, and has a photojournalist boyfriend. They each express some dissatisfaction with their lives.
They talk as they walk in Paris, with scenes showing a café, garden, bateau mouche, and Jesse's hired car. Their former feelings are slowly rekindled, as their one night together looms large in memory, unmarred by ordinary trials. Jesse says his book was inspired by his hope of seeing Céline again. She says that it brought back painful memories. They begin to approach each other tentatively but pull back.
In the concluding scene, Céline and Jesse arrive at her apartment. Jesse persuades her to play a waltz on her guitar. Her song is about their earlier brief encounter. Jesse puts a Nina Simone CD on the stereo system. Céline dances to the song, "Just in Time," as Jesse watches her. Céline imitates Simone, saying, "Baby ... you are gonna miss that plane." Jesse smiles and says, "I know." | boring, violence, flashback, psychedelic, philosophical, romantic, storytelling, sentimental | train | wikipedia | If, on the other hand, you like good dialogue, well formed characters, and aren't quite jaded enough to have given up completely on the idea of true love, don't miss this film..
I'd been longing to see this one as I'd always thought 'Before Sunrise' was one of the most honest, most real films I'd ever seen, but at the same time I held off seeing the sequel from fear of disappointment.
And then the details, the echoes of the first film in the settings but now with a world-weariness, an autumnal note and yet with still that fundamental freshness and optimism that revives the memories of Sunrise's youthfulness and reminds us, as our heroes discuss, that though time changes people, there remains an unchanging core.
A sequel to such a story seemed to be unnecessary, but apparently director Richard Linklater himself couldn't stop thinking about these two intriguing characters and had to envision their lives after this one fateful day in Vienna.Here it is now, the most unlikely sequel I have ever seen, "Before Sunset" - made not for money but for pure artistic purpose only.
"Before Sunset" takes place nine years after Jesse and Celine first met and as soon as the movie starts you feel like you meet old friends you haven't seen in a long time.
Their acting is as natural as can be, and thinking of Hawke's recent divorce in real life you wonder how much of his character in the movie is based on his own personal experiences.Unfortunately, the movie is over way too soon.
As part one, "Before Sunset" doesn't have a definite ending, though.It's sure nice to see that apparently Linklater cares about Jesse and Celine as much as I do and made such a good sequel.
"Before Sunset" is parallel in many ways.At one level we have a romantic story -- two people who'd briefly been lovers nine years before and lost touch meet again.
Etc.While Celine and Jesse have a capacity for relating and talking, they also have somewhat opposite ways of viewing the world and relationships -- Celine is more cynical and reserved; Jesse is more open to settling for the "not-perfect-but-good-enough."There are possibly a few people who have not had the personal experiences that at least somewhat relate to the premise in this film -- a relationship in which one wonders, "what would have happened if I'd pursued that relation?" but probably most people have.
Etc.The film, fortunately, gives us no answers to these essential questions but it does pose them in a way that makes us consider them.Delpy and Hawke are given screenwriter credits and I feel sure that they must've contributed a great deal to the feeling of seamless, natural dialogue.GREAT movie.
For instance, towards the end of the movie, after these "lovers" are fighting the clock (because Ethan Hawke's character needs to catch a flight) and are cruising down the river, they are so engrossed in their conversation and the fact that they are trying to get so much out of the last few minutes they don't notice their ride is coming to an end.
The dialogue is intelligent and insightful, but that is because the characters are intelligent and have a knack for being brutally honest with their thoughts and feelings.This is movie excellence, and I'm glad some film makers are still trying to make art.
Like the first movie they walk around Paris this time and talk about love, life, reality, what might have been--and it's all fascinating.
Just like the first film, time is of the essence again and we follow Jesse, now the writer of an international best seller who meets up with Celine again, this time in Paris.
That's not to say that Celine and Jesse have completely matured into well-rounded adults, on the contrary in fact; the immature irresponsibility that the characters once revelled in still remains, and this comes to a head at the film's conclusion.Amazingly enough, in spite of the fact that it's nine years since their first outing as Celine and Jesse; both Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply have managed to step back into their characters, and have once again achieved a glove-like fit.
While the two talk, people chat away on mobile phones, walk their dogs and drive their cars and the life around the two characters creates a wonderful atmosphere.You really need to see Before Sunrise before seeing this follow up in order to appreciate the tones and the beauty of this picture.
Jessie (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), who first met on a train in Vienna in 1994, meet again nine years later as Jessie has published a book which is based on that night they had together.
But then we also get to see something much deeper in each side that Jessie's book and mere re-appearance for Celine brings out a memory that has become hyper-realized, and vice-versa.Like Bergman's films, in particular Scenes From a Marriage (if not as wholly successful because of its short running time here), Linklater provides us with characters who have no problem saying what's on their mind, in the immediate sense anyway.
If the two of them were happy, to be certain, there would be no movie, but it's the characters' connection to that one night in Vienna, and the second meeting that was supposed to take place six months later and never happened, and how it cripples their own romantic lives that becomes very interesting yet shallow at the same time.
Perhaps this is the best way to show how smart, functional people become dysfunctional in their respective social stratospheres- Jessie is married and with a kid, but not very happy in it, and Celine is in bad relationship after bad relationship- but the singular, glossy night of years past has become a bitter shrine of sorts amid their respective neuroses.Linklater shares that incredible Bergman quality of cutting past the already sharp intellect to the emotional matter of the parties, even if it doesn't feel totally complete; I want to see how their story might end, however obvious it should and probably would be.
This, plus the incredibly natural repore of the actors, as Hawke and Delpy, as to be expected, seem like they aren't even on a script but are being filmed by Linklater on the fly as his camera captures the given-luscious scapes of Paris in afternoon, and the dialog is still as fresh and inviting as ever.
But as with the first one, I still loved being around these two, who can expound a mouthful on a subject that we all might talk about, almost shockingly similar (one bit I liked a lot was Celine's story of going to Poland), and then in a slight cloud of romanticism.It ends ambiguous, maybe too ambiguous, as I found myself saying 'huh, what', but it ties into what Jessie tells the reporters at the press conference early in the film: one may take away something from this tale, or someone else another, but there it is, clear as day.
The Sunrise movie takes us through a magical night in Vienna where two young (23 year old) adults fall in love.
There are almost no words to describe this film.Almost.I saw Before Sunrise last spring, and I remember being taken with the characters and the way the movie was filmed--almost entirely in real time, line after line of amazing and honest dialogue.
It came on TV one day a few weeks later, and soon after became one of my favorite movies.To start, these are two of the best, most human characters ever portrayed in a film.
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke (who collaboratively wrote the screenplay) left on an ambiguous note (just like the end of Jesse's book), a true test of whether the audience is a cynic, romantic or just not sure.
After revealing their characters' naked beliefs, hopes and fears, they turn to the audience in the end for a beautiful twist.Unfortunately there are so many people who will think this film is boring, but all I ask is that you open your mind and just listen to the two of them speak.
i will keep this brief because i do not want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it.i will say this : about halfway through this very brief film i thought it was a decent followup to a very good movie.by the end it was probably one of my three or four favorite movies of all time.If you had ANY interest in Before Sunrise, even if you only kind of liked it, see BEFORE SUNSET IMMEDIATELY.Plus, this is a movie that rewards multiple viewings.
Well I could have, but I'd like to let Before Sunrise sink it a bit, before finding out how my favourite lovebirds continue with their next encounter in this sequel, filmed some nine years later, which is a very, very long time to wait for a sequel to be made.I guess the length of time in between the making of the movies helped to bring about certain gravitas to the characters played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, in that they truly age physically, no two ways about that, and along with the physical age, come the emotional baggage and history they have built over the years.
In Before Sunset, we are nine years from the last meeting of Jesse Wallace (Ethan Hawke, with a last name to his character) and Celine (Julie Delpy), and he's now a published writer making his whirlwind book promotion in Europe.
They meet in a bookstore in Paris, which takes over Vienna, and now have to spend, in almost real time, a very limited late afternoon evening together reminiscing and catching up, before Jesse's scheduled flight home to the USofA.The narrative style has also matured together with the ease with which the actors play their respective characters.
Therefore their lines come across so naturally, you can't help but to start casting this voyeuristic look upon Jesse and Celine as you eagerly await their sharing of their lives from that moment in time, until now - their careers, their families, and the perennial what ifs, and there are many.I don't have a particular moment which I loved, unlike the previous movie, but there are certain dialogue discussed, especially during the limo ride, which struck a chord in me.
And it does make me wonder, what will happen if I chance upon her some years down the road too (I think it has now been 5?), how exactly we would react, and how we would have a conversation, if ever, during that chance meeting.To truly appreciate this movie, watch Before Sunrise first.
Before Sunset (2004) **** (out of 4) Nine years after the events in BEFORE SUNRISE, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) returns to Paris to do a Q&A for his book, which just happens to talk about that night in Vienna.
BEFORE SUNSET is clearly an improvement over the already very good first film but what makes this one here even more special is that it captures the magic of the first picture while at the same time taking a look at the darker issues in their lives.
As with the first film, it's really amazing how director Richard Linklater managed to make this feel like a documentary that you're watching and not once do you see Hawke and Delpy as actors but instead you see them as real people that are simply being filmed by an invisible camera.
It is also amazing the natural performances of Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy, who intensively live the characters of Jesse and Celine.
There is something that is entirely relatable here yet still far enough out of our reach that we are sucked into the film because we want to know that magic that exists only in movies.The story starts with a book signing.
Before Sunrise was a beautiful movie that catered to a romantic ideal: Jesse and Celine share a single day together, conversation flows like wine, and it all ends far to abruptly to ever know if the love was real, or merely a figment of their own hopes.
This "Part Deux," as it takes place in instantly recognizable Paris, contains less explanatory flashback material than the consequently essential trailer did, as the premise for the movie is a specific "what if?" portend of future potential regret that Ethan Hawke's Jesse used to seduce Julie Delpy's Celine for a night around Vienna almost ten years ago.
It is a wonderful premise and creative writing collaboration among director Richard Linklater and the stars to have the characters revisited in the real time of being older in a real time conversation that is filmed a la Eric Rohmer, like his "Les Rendez-vous de Paris." The movie carries an additional subtext that shadows the characters and adds to the complexity.
Before Sunset is movie so genuine and true to the heart, where two people fall deeply in love without even expressing the words "I love you" or even sharing a mere kiss on screen.I have never seen two people interact like those two in "real life" or in any other movie.
The original is almost as good, but this one had something extra in it to bring me to tears.If you don't understand even one part of what I'm talking about after you watched this miracle, then unfortunately you have zero chance of experiencing true love.This may me my favourite movie of all time!.
Well, this film not only grabs and holds your attention but makes you fall in love with the characters like the prequel "Before Sunrise".
In "Before Sunset", they are in Paris, 9 years from their tryst in Vienna, having lost complete contact of each other during the time.We follow these characters as they have grown from their previous romantic meeting, become more matured, responsible, more cynical and probably more regretful for their predicament to be apart.
Overjoyed to see her again but pressured to leave for the airport in an hour and a half, Jesse goes for coffee and a walk with her in order to talk and catch up.Its been almost 10 years since I saw the original movie and had a vague recollection of it but I wanted to go to the cinema to see a film.
The perfect ending for the perfect couple...Although i prefer realistic endings and i kind of hate the happy end,I wanted these two people together...The most romantic story for two great characters.Paris,also with its elegance makes the movie adorable.You almost forget that you are watching a film.You are just wandering around Paris.Nice and substantial conversations about life and love and a great end which leaves you with the sweet taste of love without giving all this useless information about their later life...They are together for now,and we don't care what is going to happen...They will find their way...
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke star in the sequel to the movie "Before Sunrise".
Everything is perfect, Julie Delpy as Celine, Ethan Hawke as Jesse, Richard Linklater the director, the cleverest dialogs in movie history, the less known sites of Viena first, Paris after, etc, etc.
The way Jesse and Celine look back at the time they shared 9 years ago, how beautiful their one night was together, how their lives have changed, and they contemplate what could have been, Linklater portrays not only a story of true love, but life in itself and it's never-ending series of ups and downs.I couldn't help but try to walk in Jesse's shoes in my own life 9 years down the road and wonder if I will make the same decisions.
In Before Sunrise (1995) Jesse and Celine had a romance that was over the next day.Now nine years later they meet again in Paris, where Jesse is talking about his book he has written.They end up talking like they did the last time and they start falling in love with each other like they did the last time.Are they meant to spend their lives together?
The way that both actors were on the first film was as they were connected somehow making it so real that you could caught yourself thinking and hopping that there will be a classic -Hollywood made- happy ending to make sure that's just a movie and nothing more!
Because the story knows it does, but it just wants to make you wonder too...Basically the movie is about two people who meet again, both thinking the other had forgotten about what they shared a long time ago.
But the conversation is so interesting - particularly since they have the first film to draw on - that it really holds your attention the whole time.I've heard that Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have toyed with the idea of making more movies about these characters every few years, and I hope they end up doing that.Overall, a great film, and one that really makes you think..
What makes this movie great is not the subject, reclaiming lost love/connection (I haven't seen Before Sunrise, I have to admit), but the honest and real way that the dialogue unfolds.
The best way to describe this movie is by the following comments of a film criticquote: -------- "Sunset" plays out in real time -- in 81 minutes of unfolding getting-to-know-you-(again) conversation -- and its tug of suspense comes not only from that waiting plane but from the need to grab at chance and from the larger looming deadline of age.It's a movie about how people woo each other with words, looks and glances.
The conversation they had about the environment, the politics of the world and things in the movie, is so much like what I would experience being in their age.Although the ending is not what I expected, I still think that the maturity and chemistry between these characters will live with me as I grow. |
tt0233841 | Baran | We do not accept embedded links in plot synopses, please remove it to continue.
It is winter in Teheran. Lateef is 17. He works in a building construction managed by MEMAR, the site foreman. Lateef's job is to serve tea and prepare food for the workers with whom he is always quarrelling. The workers come from all parts of Iran. Some workers are Afghans refugees from war torn Afghanistan. They have no identity card and are employed illegally as cheap labor. When the labour inspectors show up, the Afghan workers must hide.
As the story starts, an Afghan worker, NAJAF, falls from the building and breaks his leg. He is taken to the hospital. The next day, SOLTAN, another Afghan worker, brings in RAHMAT, Najaf's son, who is around 14 to replace his father. Memar soon realizes that Rahmat is not fit for this hard work and decides to switch the jobs between Rahmat and Lateef. Lateef is furious, threatens Rahmat, tries to sabotage his work and spies on him. One day, by looking through the door where Rahmat works, he is totally shocked to discover that Rahmat is a girl. As he is watching her combing her hair, he finds himself in a strange state and surrounded by unusual sounds.
From there on his attitude changes completely, he becomes protective, helpful and gradually desperately in love with Rahmat. While Rahmat does not express herself verbally at all, with time she seems to respond to this love. During a surprise visit of the labour inspectors, they find themselves face to face with Rahmat. She panics and runs away as they chase her through the city streets. Lateef runs after them, struggles with the inspectors while Rahmat flees. Lateef is beaten up and taken to the police station. Now Memar has to pay a fine, comply with the law and lay off all Afghans.
Lateef can't bear Rahmat's absence and decides to locate Soltan to get some news of her. He goes to the village where the Afghans live, walks around, meets an enigmatic cobbler and ends up in the courtyard of a shrine near a graveyard where Afghan families are gathered for a local milk ceremony. He inquires about Soltan but gets no clues. Among the Afghans in the courtyard, stands Rahmat with girl clothes. She notices Lateef, stares at him for a while before leaving the ceremony. Lateef is not aware of her presence. The next day on the road he finds Soltan and learns that Rahmat works in the village near the river. Lateef rushes there to find Rahmat in a pitiful state, working with other women at carrying heavy stones from the river. He is distressed and wants to find a way to help her out of that ordeal.
He gets all his accumulated wages from Memar and hands them to Soltan asking him to pass them on to Najaf. They agree to meet the next day at the shrine after Najaf has given the money to Najaf. The next day at the shrine, instead of Soltan, it is Najaf who shows up to inform Lateef that Soltan has gone to Afghanistan. He tells Lateef that Soltan came to him and offered him some money he had borrowed from someone. He also tells Lateef that he has refused the money and has advised Soltan to keep it for himself and use it to leave immediately to Afghanistan where he had a life and death issue in the family. Lateef is shocked and worried.
He gets even more worried the next day when he overhears a conversation in Najaf's house that Najaf is himself now faced with family problems in Afghanistan as his brother has just been killed in the war. He also hears that Rahmat's real name is BARAN. Lateef goes back to the river to find Baran, exhausted, now carrying logs of woods out of the river in an atmosphere reminder of a war field. Powerless in front of the hardship she is going through, he returns to the construction site in a state of depression. The next morning, Najaf on his crutches is in the construction site to meet Memar. Lateef overhears Najaf begging Memar without success to lend him some money.
Lateef takes a desperate measure to get money. He goes and sells the only valuable things he still has, his identity card. When he brings the money to Najaf, it is to learn that thanks to this money, Najaf and his family are returning to Afghanistan. Lateef is overwhelmed by this news and finds refuge in the shrine. There, in a state of anguish and despair, he hears coming from all around him the same sounds he heard when he saw Baran the first time. He surrenders to his fate.
The next day in a dreamlike atmosphere, while helping Najaf to load the truck with the house effects, Lateef, now with a serene look, is finally face to face with Baran. Through eyes contacts and physical proximity they exchange their love. As Baran covers herself and walks to the truck, her shoe gets stuck in the mud. Lateef gets on his knees, takes the shoe out of the mud and hands it to Baran so she can wear it and leave. The truck takes Baran away. Left alone, in the empty place, Lateef stares at the footstep in the mud left by Baran's shoe and smiles while the rain covers it. [http://www.cinemajidi.com/baran/synopsis.html] | romantic | train | imdb | What I initially perceived to be a movie about a group of men working at a building site, was indeed a powerful story of unselfish love.
With the way love and sex is treated in many movies, it was wonderful to see how one could feel the love and devotion of one person of another without as much as a touch or kiss.
I was also so touched by the lengths that the young man went through to help the girl he loved and her family.
There is so much that us take for granted in our daily lives that by seeing this movie we can start appreciate what we have.Latif gave everything in the name of kindness and love for his neighbor.
Well I don't have word for him.Baran is one such film from the director who has given us Children of Heaven.
If any one has noticed the film there are only on three instances that background score comes into play and during this time you will notice that we are watching a movie and not a documentary.
If films are about capturing a slice of human life, presenting it as justly as possible and thereby helping us understand ourselves better, than I think Iranian filmmakers have done just that...over and over again!'Baran' is again a gem of a film - basically a love story which beautifully talks about the prevailing socio-cultural dynamics in Iran at the time.
And Zahra Bahrami as Baran - a very controlled beautiful performance.The "still sad music of humanity" reverberates in Iranian cinema all the time except that it is also complimented with refreshing doses of humour and joy revolving everyday situations and actions.
Simple, Human, Beautiful, Touching, Sensitive, Irresistible
A Wonderful Love Story.
The master Memar (Mohammad Amir Naji) makes Rahmat responsible for feeding the worker, and brings the young Lattef (Hossein Abedini), who was responsible for this task, to the heavy work.
However, when Lateef finds that Rahmar is indeed a girl called Baran (Zahra Bahrami), he falls in love for her and spends all his savings and gives his best efforts to protect her family and her."Baran" is a simple, human, beautiful, touching, irresistible wonderful love story.
The actors and actresses have very realistic performances, showing an excellent direction and the character Baran does not speak any word along the story, using only her facial expression to disclose her inner feelings.
And the sacrifice of Lateef to please the family of "Baran" shows the essence of a pure and platonic love.
The story is in some scenes humorous, in others moving.This film has lessons to teach in humanity and generosity.It is also a window for viewers in Western countries (such as myself) whose lives are so far removed from those of the characters and real people like them.
Its unusual to find such a philosophical film that keeps both your eyes and heart wide awake.The truly altruistic nature of love, the crazy things it makes you do and not regret are born out in this film in beautiful ways.
From an Iranian perspective it is an interesting look at cross-cultural phenomena but I think the average American doesn't know enough about Afghani, Kurdish and Iranian culture to appreciate that.You see this coming from the start but I'll warn you that the next thing I say might spoil part of the film for you:My favorite scene is at the end when she drops her burka as she realizes he loves her, realizing how dangerous her beauty is, how it has left this poor boy in emotional and financial chaos and how she cannot do anything to help..
Baran is the story of an Iranian construction worker, Latif, who is not really doing his job - he serves tea and food to the rest of the workers, managing to avoid the really hard work.
He seeks to protect and help her, and his entire life is slowly and surely changed for the better because of her.Many people have critisized this film, saying it's poorly acted, the script is badly written, etc.
This movie is not in the least bit American, therefore the viewer needs to be open minded to the different culture of Iranian cinema.
He makes some astonishingly clever use of symbolism such as the last scene when Lateef looks back at Baran's footprint (after she has departed), it represents the print she left on his heart.
This is a film by Majidi Majidi the amazing Iranian director who's last film was "The Color of Paradise." At its center "Baran" is a love story that is about that most romantic of loves - the unrequited kind.
What makes the film so timely is that in involves an Iranian who is in love with an Afghanistan illegal immigrant.
Like Kandahar, our attention is drawn to the desperate plight of the Afghan people.Baran begins with a note about the reality of the 1.4 million refugees from Afghanistan living in Iran, a number that has probably increased substantially since September 11th.
Afghans are forbidden to hold jobs by Iranian law and must work illegally, usually in unskilled heavy labor jobs.Shot in the style of the Italian Neo-Realists (realistic stories told against real backgrounds with sometimes non-professional casts), Baran has a tone of drabness, only occasionally interrupted with bursts of color.
At a construction site in Northern Tehran, Memar (Mohammad Amir Naji) employs a large number of Afghans to work along side of Turks and Iranians.
A 17 year old Iranian tea boy, Latif (Hossein Abedini), an Iranian Azeri, feels his job is threatened by a new worker Rahmat (Zahra Bahrami) who comes to work when his father is injured on the job.
After Latif discovers Rahmat's secret (he is a she named "Baran"), the film is devoted to his transformation from a selfish wise guy to a caring and surprisingly generous young man.
The film becomes a series of encounters in which Latif, infatuated with Rahmat, secretly tries to help her in any way possible, donating his entire savings to her family and involving himself in protecting her from the hands of inspectors looking for illegal immigrants.
Though I found Baran to be, at times, somewhat repetitious and dramatically weak (it doesn't help that Latif and Rahmat never interact), it is a humanistic film, full of warmth and humor.
Though a film about dehumanizing working conditions, its true focus is the emotional awakening of a young man who has discovered his own self worth through the act of kindness to another, perhaps symbolizing the discovery of the plight of Afghans by the Western world.
Majidi's films are like simple beautiful piece of art, it's same as reading Oscar Wilde or O Henry's classic short stories.
This is a thoughtful, beautifully made film about very poor people, a film about the growth of spirituality within a young man who falls in love without saying a word to the beloved; it is a magical film made mainly on a second-rate construction site, a fascinating look into folks to whom the cheap thrills of most American films would be completely irrelevant.
The Iranian Majid Majidi directs his film with a natural, neorealist flair without effects or a big budget.
His story of forbidden love is classic; the principal characters Lateef and Baran start off awkwardly since Baran dressed as a boy Rahmat in disguise takes Lateef's job at a construction site in Iran.
So, I won't use many to review the film.Majid Majidi composed a poem in the form of 'Baran'.
After I watched this movie I feel not to watch American movies anymore because I realized how the movie should be.The meaning of "Baran" is rain it makes very good sense by finishing the movie with raining scene.
We need more of these films.Baran was a wonderfully written, wonderfully directed feel-good movie.
And by staying alive I mean rock-bottom, hand-to-mouth survival.It's also about self-realization, and how human beings are capable of putting others before them, and of sacrificing everything to help someone in need.When an Afghani worker is injured at a construction site, he sends his son to take his place so that he can feed his family.
The characters of Latif, Baran (the girl) and Memar (the overseer at the site) are especially strong.
I see this film after many years that I living out of Iran ,I think that maybe it is humdrum for someone but it have a really romance story .
not only me but many of the guy's that I know them ,see this film for more than one time.also I must say about actors and back ground of this , I think that it have a poor camera moving ,and also not have a wide back ground , but actors ,specially first boy and Afghans girl have a nice play in this film ,it has a simple story but have a deep looking to human life (real life) so I hope that this film director and actors make more film like this , I guess that it's have a many customer like us out of Iran ..
This romance tale, shot in contemporary Teheran, is a simple one of a young Afghani, Latif, illegally working as a bread and pasta deliveryman and tea boy for construction workers on a site in a Tehran outer suburb.
In the meantime the hero Latif, a romantic if quarrelsome lad lose his soft tea boy and deliveryman job in favour of a young and physically weak stand-in Afghani worker who has arrived to cover for a close relative who has a had a bad accident on the site and is disabled for several months.
The rest of the film is taken up with Latif falling in love with a beautiful but shy young Afghani girl (I'm not telling how this happens nor the secret which is revealed during the process).
It does mean that my students are reading subtitles rather than listening to English, but reading in chunks is a real-life reading skill, so I like to mix subtitled non-English movies in with English ones.Being Iranian, this movie is, of course, squeaky clean for showing to students in a conservative society.The character of Lateef is fun to do a character word-web about and my students came up with some great descriptive words, since his character is not all positive, and changes over time.
Like the Iranian film "Djomeh," which I saw in November, this film's main character is a young man living in Iran working for an older relative, this time in a construction job.
The main character of the movie Latif (Hossein Abedini) works as a cook at a construction site In Teheran where all sort of tribes come together to work: Kurds, Azeiris and illegal Afghans.
Latif is an aggressive person and he looses his easy job to an illegal Afghan boy and so he must do now the heavy work which makes him still more angry about his condition.
The movie is also in the same time a love-story with unreal aspects but the last scene with the girl going to Afghanistan and putting on her burqa on her face is again a jump into reality and the movie ends in the rain.
This movie is before all a social drama showing the inhumane conditions of one million Afghan immigrants in Iran but the director does not loose his optimism and some scenes are rather humorous..
Latif (Hossein Abedini) falls in love at a person, Baran (Zahra Bahrani), who is not the person that it is in reality.
However, as much as I enjoy these lovely little foreign flicks which spend huge gobs of time scrutinizing the miniscule details of their story, someone should point out that movies such as this are devoid of most of the things people go to movies to see and "so little" is at best a questionable foundation for any film.
"Baran" will play best with foreign films buffs.
A story of tender feelings of a youth against the back ground of the plight of construction workers,and refugees in Iran...Well this is BARAN for you.There is nothing much to be told about the story line which is weak, and which mostly revolves about the infatuation ( wrongly termed as "love" by many people )between a boy and a girl.The director has handled the theme in a soft and subdued way at times using idioms and avoiding excessive melodrama, which sets the film apart from the usual loud and lustful,so called love stories found in main stream films all over the world.The ending showing the footprint of the girl getting wet in the rains and yet not getting washed away is remarkable, which displays the deep and firm footed emotions the boy has in his mind for the girl.Good cinematography has helped this film in creating the necessary ambiance.However there are many flaws in the film.First the acting.The actress doing the role of baran is pathetic.
One of them is personal...I just don't like this kind of teenage love story but that problem can't be blamed on the movie.The other two were issues involving the casting.
Another thought-provoking, unique, deep, understandable, warm, loving and touching tale comes from Iran, by the hand of Majid Majidi, the one who brought "The Children of Heaven" to our eyes.
He has fallen in love.After this, nothing matters, only this girl (Baran, we hear from her father; and if you don't listen carefully, you'll miss it, because it's the only time the word is said).
A young man, Lateef, may be 18 years old falls in love with a fellow construction site worker Baran.
There's no way Lateef can win her hand but its a complete triumph of love.What a brilliant film.
Story looks like a love story but Majidi actually talks about women problems, refugees, illegal workers, immigration problems and of course conflict of right and wrong defined in a society.
There are so many things Lateef does for Baran which I ended up thinking 'not possible' but the real question is 'isnt love selfless?'.
There are actually so many things going on in this film.Hossein Abedini as Lateef is fantastic.
While I was not blown away by the film like I was by THE COLOR OF PARADISE (which, I would place in the top 10 best international films I have ever seen), the look and delicate directorial touch make this a wonderful film to see.The film is set mostly on an Iranian construction site.
*Spoiler alert*BARAN centers around 17-year-old Latif (Hossein Abedini), the cook and gofer at a Teheran construction site.
The camera work throughout BARAN is also exceptional - the construction site is captured in great detail through the graceful and uncluttered cinematography (by Mohammad Davudi), the harshness of Teheran's environment (this film features some of the most effective use of rain, snow and fog this side of a Kurosawa epic) is casually ever-present, and serves to underscore the intensity of the story, and the scenes set in the Afghan refugee settlement are uncomplicated in their minimal beauty, and are consistently devastating in their emotional power.
Baran is a dramatic love story written, directed, and produced by "Majid Majidi" in 2001.
Like his previous smashing hit works at that time, like "Children of Heaven", "The Colour of Paradise", and "The Father", Baran keeps on moving the audience emotionally in a slow pace, covering the story in a very cultural dramatic manner.
Baran's story is very close to human life scenarios that is beautifully visualized and written with a strong message for love and peace where people could actually relate to the strong portrayed characters to their real lives and feel every little emotion of the character throughout the movie.The story of Baran revolves around two very strong characters; 'Lateef', a seventeen years old Kurdish worker who works at a building site in Tehran; and 'Baran', an eight years old girl whose family is a poor illegal Afghani immigrant.
Every coming day, 'Lateef' feels that he is getting more emotional, sensitive and a better human being by admiring her, her simplicity and personality and tries to be like the person she is.
The conflict comes when the Iranian government issues an order to stop all Afghani immigrants to work in Iran and move back to their country and sends forces to arrest them.
He is in so much love that he wants to keep 'Baran' away from every pain and hurdle in her way and spends his money and everything that he had and makes her and her family to move back to their country.The ending scene of the movie is very beautifully and dramatically visualized.
The Tonga starts moving and 'Baran' removes her veil from her face and looks at 'Lateef' and gives him a smile showing that she's happy and thankful and she has felt his affection for her and 'Lateef' smiles back that he got her message and goes back happily.The amazing camera work, beautiful background score and amazing story keeps the audience engaged till the end of the movie, both emotionally and visually.
Baran fulfills every aspect to be a blockbuster emotional drama movie by touching audience's heart.
we see that though this movie is slow it is not static,the characters are well portrayed and the plight of the workers is brought out as a background theme.what is central to the theme is how love makes a person outgrow the limitations of his heart and teaches him to open himself up.selflessness is an endearing note,but sometimes i feel that why you do something matters as much as what you do.there is no rationale here.eternal lovers will tell me that love knows no reason ,but i somehow refuse to believe that.
i would say that this film is certainly worth a watch but do not expect a Marji majidi level movie...because for those who fell in love with "children of heaven:" this is surely a let down. |
tt0097368 | The Fly II | Several months after the death of Seth Brundle, his lover Veronica is giving birth to their son at Bartok Industries, the company that funded Brundle's experiments. The labor is very painful, and her accomplice Stathis Borans is dragged away from the procedure after he objects to her treatment. She eventually gives birth to a larval sac, causing her to go into shock and die. The larval sac is opened by the surgeons to reveal a seemingly normal human baby inside.The baby is named "Martin" by the scientists. He begins to age much faster than a normal human; the company's CEO, Bartok, tells him that this is due to an extremely rare disease called "Brundle's Accelerated Growth Syndrome", caused by inherited mutant DNA from his father (hence the disease's name). Martin is just as much of a genius as his father, and Bartok wants him to finish the work Seth started. One day, Martin sneaks into a room where animals are held for testing, and befriends a Golden Retriever. He slips out of his room one day to bring the dog some of his dinner, but he finds that it has been transferred to another section. Martin goes there to discover a new set of Telepods, like the ones his father invented; his dog is being prepared for teleportation. The scientists send the dog through, but it unfortunately emerges as a hideous mutant, biting off a scientist's fingers. A horrified Martin screams, as Bartok consoles him.Five years after Martin's birth, he is now physically 20 years old. He is taken to a new living space, which is much more luxurious and wide open. Bartok also tells Martin that he wants him to fix the Telepods; as Martin saw with the dog, they are unable to properly teleport anything, even inanimate objects like apples. Bartok assures Martin that the dog didn't suffer long, and apologizes for it. Martin is still skeptical about working on the Telepods, but Bartok gives him videotapes of his father being interviewed by Veronica to watch. On the tapes, Seth says that the teleportation somehow invigorated him and gave him more energy (though he was unaware of his eventual mutation at the time). Inspired by his father, Martin begins working on the Telepods.Martin eventually manages to send a telephone through the pods with no ill effects, but he quickly decides he needs organic matter to transmit. He befriends another Bartok employee, Beth, and tries to send a cactus she owns through the Telepods. It comes out heavily damaged. Beth then invites Martin to have dinner with her, and he agrees.One day, Beth takes Martin to a party in the Genetic Research area. He overhears someone talking about a hideous mutant the company has kept alive for two years. Martin slips away from the party and goes down to see it, discovering to his horror that the mutant in question is the Golden Retriever from his childhood. Outraged, Martin slips into the holding pen where the dog is to visit it. The dog is initially hostile, but it soon realizes who he is and relents. Martin sits and pets his dog for a while, before taking out some chloroform and putting it to sleep. The next day, Bartok asks Martin about a break-in at Genetic Research, which Martin denies knowledge of. Bartok realizes he is lying, and theorizes that Martin will eventually become just like him.Martin invites Beth to watch him teleport a kitten. While she initially reacts with horror, she is relieved when the kitten goes through unharmed. Later that night, Beth and Martin make love. The morning after, Beth notices what appears to be an open sore on Martin's arm. Theorizing that this is from the mutant DNA Bartok told him about, Martin asks the computer what can be done. It tells him that the mutant DNA can be replaced with healthy DNA from another donor, using a gene-swapping program built into the Telepod computer. Martin rejects this idea when he sees such a process would turn the donor into a horrific mutant.Martin notices the sore on his arm is secreting a sticky, web-like fluid. When Bartok finds out, he realizes that Martin will soon become a human/fly hybrid like his father. Beth then discovers she is denied access to Martin's work area, and is told that the company taped her and Martin in bed. She tells Martin, who angrily trashes his living area and eventually discovers the hidden camera inside. He destroys it and breaks into the surveillance area, discovering that every moment of his life has been secretly taped. He then runs into another tape of his father, this time in the initial stage of mutation, recounting how a fly had gotten into the telepod with him. Realizing what is happening to him, Martin escapes from Bartok's facility and goes to see Beth at her houseboat.Bartok's scientists attempt to activate the telepods, but they quickly discover that Martin has installed a password system (the computer asks for "the magic word"). If the wrong password is entered, the computer will use a tapeworm virus to completely wipe its memory. Realizing that Martin must be brought back, Bartok's henchmen chase him and Beth, who go on the run. The two visit Stathis Borans, now a reclusive drunk, who theorizes that a cure for Martin's condition involves the Telepods. He gives them his car, and they check into a motel for the night. Martin's transformation quickly becomes too much for Beth to bear, and she surrenders the two of them to Bartok.A now-cocooned Martin is brought back to Bartok Industries, while Beth is interrogated about the "magic word". After some time, Martin's cocoon bursts open and reveals a human/fly hybrid-- "Martinfly." Unlike Martin's father, who was a sickly, deformed mutant, Martin's transformed form is extremely deadly, likely owing to Martin having been born with fly genes rather than being fused with them. It goes on a rampage throughout the facility, killing several security guards. However, a trace of Martin's humanity remains intact; the creature simply strokes a guard dog sent to locate it, and also refuses to harm Beth when it encounters her. Eventually, it breaks into the Telepod bay, grabs Bartok, and uses his hands to type in the his password -- "Dad." The gene-swapping program boots up, and the telepod door opens.Martinfly drags Bartok into the telepod with it, and uses Bartok's hands to gesture at Beth, telling her to activate the teleportation sequence. Over Bartok's objections, she activates it, and Martinfly and Bartok are teleported just as security breaks into the area. Bartok emerges from the pods as a horrible mutant, but Martin is transformed into a normal human again. An exhausted Martin assures Beth that he is okay, and they embrace.Later, the Bartok mutant suffers an ironic fate; it is placed into the same area Martin's mutated dog was, doomed to messily eat gruel through its dying days. As the mutant crawls to the bowl of food, it notices a fly crawling on the rim of the bowl. With this shot, the film ends. | revenge, cult | train | imdb | But even though The Fly 2 doesn't quite pack the emotional wallop or sophistication of part one, it's still an enjoyable slice of hokey B-movie monster madness that should particularly appeal to those who love a bit of splatter with their big-bug action.Part Two begins as Veronica, the pregnant girlfriend of tragic deceased scientific genius Seth Brundle, dies whilst giving birth to son Martin under the watchful eye of Bartok Industries, the organisation that funded Seth's telepod experiments (baboons don't grow on trees, y'know).
Thanks to the unique human/fly genetic make-up he has inherited from his father, Martin experiences accelerated growth, and by the age of five, is a fully grown scientific whizz-kid (played by Eric Stoltz) working for his benefactor Anton Bartok (on the same telepod project that claimed his father's life) and romancing pretty computer operator Beth Logan (Daphne Zuniga).Bartok (Lee Richardson), however, is not as benevolent as he seems: with his own wicked agenda in mind, he has led Martin to believe that his rapid growth is the result of a very rare growth disorder, and has kept the lad under continuous observation, waiting for the day that his dormant insect genes fully awaken to transform him into a multi-limbed monster.Despite being a newbie in the director's chair, Chris Walas proves to be no slouch when calling the shots: working from a script by frequent Stephen King collaborators Frank Darabont and Mick Garris, he delivers a surprisingly polished product that offers spirited performances from B-list stars Stoltz and Zuniga, a touch of pathos with a memorable key scene involving a mutated dog, and a whole slew of top-notch special effects, the most stomach churning of which see one poor guy having his head crushed by an elevator!
I caught this movie on cable last night; this is one of those films where the memory of having seen it years ago is better than the actual film.The production design is actually quite good, surprising when, upon closer inspection, they apparently only built one set (the lab), and the rest of the scenes-- all brief ones-- were shot at cheap locations, such as Beth's houseboat, Martin's condo, and such.
Geena Davis wisely took a time-out, so a lookalike actress takes her place as Veronica "Ronnie" Quaife, who conveniently gets to die in the first few minutes, in a childbirth sequence that may make anything in the "Alien" series pale by comparison.As ooky and icky as Cronenberg's bodily mutation-horror point of view was in the previous outing, Walas takes those cues to the 'nth' degree here, so those who are animal lovers or possessing delicate stomachs are hereby given fair warning: this is NOT a pretty picture.Cinephiles who have wasted oceans of print criticizing THE FLY II should take note: the notices were equally severe all those years ago for RETURN OF THE FLY, when Fox tried to cash in then on the predecessor that had such a great pedigree.
Freeze frame the film and you can see it's not Fox. I always thought that footage looked odd - like it wasn't Fox doing the stunt...Anyway, I watched Stoltz and realized how bad he would have been as Marty McFly. He just isn't hyper enough - Michael J.
Anyway, he directs the film pretty good for a creature effects artist...I guess...What I like so much about this movie is its high campy quality.
If you take it seriously you're going to have a pretty hard time watching, but if you turn off the brain for two hours you'll have some fun.My only two complaints is that this movie is about a half hour too long, and the creature looks like a lizard and not a fly.
The only thing remotely okay in this movie is the FX, even though it's all used to show disgusting gore that the viewing audience doesn't really want to see.The Fly II should only be watched if you're curious about the continuing storyline, but be warned that it is nowhere close to on par with the original.2/10.
He grows much faster than a normal man and is intellectually superior even at the age of 5, he is asked to continue his fathers work and begins to mix with other people, finally developing his young emotions; that is until the part of him that is Fly begins to take control.The movie does start really well and has an interesting plot, but the acting is not sufficient enough to capture the complexities of the character and sell them to the audience.The horror is really just a gore-fest that fails to be scary despite the desperate efforts of the sound engineers and the music score.It's not awful, but it is inferior to the original 5/10.
What a brilliant movie, I found the new characters easy to keep up with, The movie moved at a quicker pace to the first and The Fly II has a lot more emotional grip on the viewer.I am not going to give too much away, The use of a cute dog being forced through the pod and the feelings of a youthful blundell for his four legged friend all made uneasy viewing, But this was a clever way of forcing the viewer to feel for young blundell towards the end of the movie when he goes nuts!I found The Fly II very easy to watch and i am now the proud owner of the original big box copy that has been deleted for some time.The fly II is a lot better than the first and the monster at the end deserves a mention too.
Trying to top Cronenberg's version was asking too much, but I honestly think Walas' did a very good job in carrying off the story of Seth Brundle's son into an entertaining movie.
Garbage sequel to David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly. This one's about the son of the Goldblum and Davis characters from that movie as he grows to adulthood in five years and eventually starts to turn into a human fly thing, all the while being manipulated by an Evil Rich Guy. Honestly, who cares?
The Fly II (1989) * 1/2 (out of 4) Silly and rather stupid sequel has Martin (Eric Stoltz), the son of the original film's fly, growing up in a laboratory where he thinks they are keeping him healthy.
There are some memorable gore sequences towards the end of the film that gives us a bit of energy but it comes way too late.THE FLY II is a really bad sequel that just doesn't have enough going for it to make it work..
"The Fly II" falls in with the other mentioned horror sequels as underrated, classic 80's horror flicks that should be enjoyed on their own merit."The Fly II" features a decent enough plot about Seth Brundle's son Martin (Eric Stoltz) and the evil corporation that is trying to control him.
Chris Walas took over directing duties from David Cronenberg in this sequel, which begins with the birth of Martin Brundle, the offspring of his late parents after his father Seth had been genetically altered by the telepods.
Unfortunately, Martin starts to change much like his father, and goes on the run from the corrupt Bartok, with his girlfriend Beth(played by Daphne Zuniga) with him, desperately trying to reverse the process, and avoid the tragic fates of his parents...Frustrating sequel is scrupulously faithful to the first, with solid continuity and performances, but somebody let it slip away into gory melodramatic foolishness.
Now Martin tries to find a way to turn himself human before it is too late.Directed by Oscar-Winner Chris Walas, who best known for creating Creature f/x work like "Enemy Mine", "The Fly" and "Gremlins".
Disc 2 including an documentary (Which it is more of long but interesting interviews with the director, producer:Steven-Charles Jaffe and a brief one with music composer Christopher Young-"A Nightmare on Elm Street 2:Freddy's Revenge"-The Grudge"-"Hellraiser"), another documentary about the history of the "Fly" movies with narration from Leonard Nimoy, featurettes and more.For those, who doesn't have much high expectations from the original will certainly enjoy the sequel.
As a child, I actually thought the fly-form of Martin would have made a great comic book hero.I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good science fiction film, and I'd love to see modern remakes of both the original film and this one.
Having seen the original film I thought the remake was,in some ways,not as good but the idea of the sequel where the story is extended to allow another generation was quite ingenious but never explained how the fly with the human head trapped in a spiders web ever got out.It was after all the woman's lover and whether she was expecting another child or whether visited in the night...this is the sort of wacky stuff writers think up to make something happen!.
It has an unpredictable plot, a neat ending, fairly good acting and satisfactory debut direction by effects man-turned-director Chris Walas.I was totally innocent when I watched the film and I was shocked to realize that Martin Brundle (Eric Stoltz) had been used, deceived and exploited by Bartok (Lee Richardson) and his staff all the time.
After watching The Fly 2 it is obvious to anyone with taste, sophistication and an appreciation for good acting can see that it is a bad movie and very inferior to the 1986 original.
Martin conceives a way to cure his mutation but it needs to transfer the mutant genes to another donor.Special effects head Chris Walas of the first movie takes over the directing role.
And that sequel was released in 1989- "The Fly II", from director Chris Walas, a special effects wizard who had worked on the previous film.
Eschewing Cronenberg's provocative storytelling and metaphorical imagery, this sequel instead focuses on zany, schlock-y gore effects, in a clear attempt to cash in on gore-hounds who were eating up the slasher-films of the era.We follow Martin (Eric Stoltz), son of Seth Brundle from the original film.
John Getz -- the only recurring cast member from the original -- shows up for a few scenes and while he hams it up with some choice lines ("That guy really bugged me" in reference to Brundle Sr.) he is ultimately inconsequential to the story.Music:Christopher Young's score is effective, even if it feels mostly recycled from the original.The Bottom Line(s): "The Fly II" isn't the worst sequel ever and in all fairness, its predecessor is a tough act to follow.
Following in Cronenberg's footsteps, The Fly II continues to shock and horrify, with a fresh new wave of grotesque mutations, gnarly blood and gore, and even more inhuman experiments in teleportation.Unfortunately, the film doesn't quite move along as smoothly or quickly as its predecessor; this sequel is laden with quite a bit of dragging at certain spots.
It has a nice build-up, some sweet moments between the two young lead characters, and it does actually seem like it's trying to continue the story instead of repeating the first film (like so many unsuccessful sequels tend to do).It should have been good, since make-up artist Chris Walas (who won the Oscar for Jeff Goldblum's transformation in Cronenberg's first film) is making his directorial debut here with this film.
In the opening sequence, his mother dies giving birth to him, leaving the insect-boy an orphan to Bartok Industries, the corporation that financed Seth Brundle's work, with much of his early life spent in isolation in a clinical environment and completely unaware of his imminent transformation.His insect genes allow him to age much faster than humans so that by the time he's only five human years old, Martin looks like an adult in his mid-20s (where he is now played by Eric Stoltz).
By the time Martin's a six-foot-tall insect-monster, he's on the loose in the Bartok facility and the movie quickly becomes an "Alien"/haunted house clone.And that's pretty much why this sequel blows the big one.It's unfortunate how quickly things go downhill in "The Fly II" because of what it could have been.
"The Fly II" is just a gross-out horror movie with a good-but-not-great beginning, semi-decent lead performances by Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga, and a few isolated moments of brilliance.Too bad it let itself go just when things seemed to be getting interesting.5/10.
Granted, yes the focus was more on sheer effects rather than story, but it still proved coherent and entertaining.As you have probably found out by now, "The Fly II" is a direct sequel to David Cronenberg's complex and rather though invoking film of the same name.
This is probably helped by the fact that Chris Walas the movie's director and effects expert is also the same person who did the effects in Cronenberg's film.Well, considering the limitations of "the sequel" as a whole, "The Fly II" did adequately well.
It's by no means even close to the quality of the first part but as a stand alone purely horror film it's enjoyable, thanks to the good effects and formulatic revenge finale.Special message to all those who thought the movie was crap because of the "Dog Scene" - talk about a bunch of P.E.T.A. lovers.
this sequel to "The Fly" isn't all that bad,all things considered.it is however,more disgusting,believe it or not.a lot of the really gross stuff was overkill and gratuitous,i thought.in the original,the gross scenes were sort of necessary to the story.not so in this movie.
also found the movie to have some slow spots at times,which in my mind,took away from the flow of the story.as well,this movie had a slicker more polished look than the original,which i think kind of takes away from the effect.the acting is not bad,and i liked the direction the story went.i really liked the ironic ending.i won't give it away,but let's just say that one S.OB really got what he deserved.i actually almost cheered at this.if you watch the movie,you'll know why.a word of caution:this movie is definitely not for the squeamish.for me,overall,i'd say i liked this movie as well as the first one.therefore,i give "The Fly 2" 8/10.
This time around, we are told the story of Martin Brundle, son of Seth (Jeff Goldblum's character from the 1986 film).
This movie is best watched with no expectations, except for that of a mildly entertaining horror flick with some good special effects..
After that I just saw an awful action flick, not worth being watched thanks to the far from original special effects and the worst acting in years.No, I don't like this movie at all.
though seth brundle died in the original directed by David cronenberg, the follow-up focuses on seth's son, martin, and his transformation from an infant to a young man within a short period of time as his appearance and intelligence accelerates due to experimental drugs and injections.i didn't mind the sequel though it could have taken a different turn in plot had cronenberg re-prised his role in the director's chair.
Not the biggest fan of Eric Stoltz but I liked him in this movie and it was refreshing to go back and see "Princess Vespa" in another role during that period (Spaceballs is an all-time favorite of mine).While I thought the storyline was pretty decent throughout, the final 30 minutes of the film was what I found to be the most exciting to watch.
man it could'nt be any worse , i really hoped it would not be i wasn't convinced at all with the whole plot,it's a bad copy of part one, only that part one was a lot better , it was so lame & so vague that you don't know where you are standing , if it's a horror movie or sci fi movie or one of those scientists movies ,unfortuonatly i cant mention the weak parts of the movie cos i cant find strong ones, not to mention the silly monster they created it didn't scare at all , the children channel have shows with monsters that scare more than that one as for the acting eric stoltz tried to do some good work but the story & the plot wasn't helping so it all went the drains ,i've seen daphne zuniga in better roles , cant compare her with gina davis part one it wouldent be fair anyway i don't recommend it at all specially if you watched part one & like it.
I love it Eric is a good actor for martin The fly II is a sequel to the first fly film.Martin finds out that he is the son of Seth.
And Lee Richardson, does a masterful job of a torn, yet despotic CEO of Bartok industries, becoming the surrogate father figure that Stoltz's rapidly aging Brundle so requires.Whether you watch this sequel immediately after the first film or years later, you'll soon realize that "The Fly 2" stands on its own merits as a crisp horror tale, as well as continuing a legacy with intellect and thrills.
This one however is the classic example of a bad horror sequel.The movie's plot is that Seth's son Martin has accelerated growth (what a way to speed up the plot!) and is trying to work on his fathers project.
Picking up where "The Fly" left off, this sequel offers a fresh, different story about the son of Seth Brundle, Martin (Eric Stoltz).
"The Fly II" is, unfortunately, just such a beast.We pick up where Cronenberg's creepy remake of this classic horror film left off, as we now follow the exploits of the son of Seth Brundle (played by Eric Stoltz). |
tt0060827 | Persona | Persona begins with images of camera equipment and projectors lighting up and projecting dozens of brief cinematic glimpses, including a crucifixion, an erect penis, a tarantula spider, clips from a comedic silent-film reel first seen in Bergman's Prison (depicting a man trapped in a room, being chased by Death and Satan), and the slaughter of a lamb. The last, and longest, glimpse features a boy who wakes up in a hospital next to several corpses, reading Michail Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time ("Vår Tids Hjälte" in the film), and caressing a blurry image of Elisabet and/or Alma's faces.A young nurse, Alma (portrayed by Bibi Andersson), is summoned by the head doctor and charged with the care of stage actress Elisabet Vogler (portrayed by Liv Ullmann), who has, despite the lack of any diagnosed impairment, become mute. The hospital administrator (portrayed by Margaretha Krook) offers her own seaside cottage as a place for Alma to nurse Elisabet back to health. Though Elisabet is nearly catatonic when the film begins, she does react with extreme panic upon seeing a Vietnamese Buddhist monk's self-immolation on television, and laughs mockingly at Alma's radio soap opera. As the two women leave the hospital together, Alma reads aloud a letter Elisabet's husband has sent her, which includes a photograph of her young son.Together in the administrator's cottage, Elisabet begins to relax, though she remains completely silent and non-responsive. Alma speaks constantly to break the silence, at first about books she is reading and trivial matters, then increasingly about her own anxieties and relationship with her fiancé, Karl-Henrik, who scolds her for lacking ambition "though not with my career, I suppose in some greater way." Alma constantly compares herself to Elisabet and begins to grow attached to her. As the act closes, Alma confesses to cheating on her fiancé in a ménage à quatre with underage boys. She became pregnant, and had Karl-Henrik's friend abort the baby; "and that was that". She is not sure how to process the abortion mentally. Elisabet is heard to say "You ought to go to bed, or you'll fall asleep at the table", but Alma dismisses it as a dream. Elisabet later denies speaking.Alma drives into town, taking Elisabet's letters for the postbox, but parks by the roadside to read what she wrote. She discovers in Elisabet's letters that Elisabet has been analyzing her and "studying" her. Alma returns distraught, accidentally breaks a drinking glass on the footpath, and leaves the shards there to cut Elisabet. When Elisabet's feet start to bleed, her gaze meets Alma's knowingly, and the film itself breaks apart: the screen flashes white, scratch marks appear up and down the image, the sound rises and screeches, and the film appears to unwind as brief flashes of the prelude reappear for fractions of a second each.When the film resumes, it is following Elisabet through the house with a thick blur on the lens. The image clears up with a sharp snap when she looks out the window before walking outside to meet Alma, who is weepy and bitter. At lunch, she tells Elisabet she has been hurt by Elisabet talking about her behind her back, and begs her to speak. When Elisabet does not react, the nurse flies into a rage. Alma tries to attack her and chases her through the cottage, but Elisabet hits her during the ensuing scuffle causing Alma's nose to start bleeding. In retaliation, Alma grabs a pot of boiling water off the stove and is about to fling it at Elisabet, but stops after hearing Elisabet wail "No!" Alma explains that Elisabet wouldn't have spoken had she not feared death. Alma goes to the bathroom, washes her face, and tries to pull herself together. She then goes to Elisabet and frustrated by her unresponsiveness tells her, "You are inaccessible. They said you were healthy, but your sickness is of the worst kind: it makes you seem healthy. You act it so well everyone believes it, everyone except me, because I know how rotten you are inside." Elisabet tries to walk away, but Alma pursues and continues to accost her. Elisabet flees, and Alma chases her begging for forgiveness. That evening, Elisabet opens a book she is reading and finds a famous Stroop Report photograph of Jews being arrested in the Warsaw Ghetto. Elisabet stares at details in the photograph, but mostly at the boy with his hands raised.That night, Alma watches Elisabet sleep, analyzing her face and the scars she covers with makeup. She hears a man yelling outside, and finds Elisabet's husband, Mr. Vogler, in the garden. Mr. Vogler (portrayed by Gunnar Björnstrand) mistakes Alma for his wife, and despite her repeatedly interjecting with "I'm not your wife", delivers a monologue about his love for her and the son they have together (repeating words he wrote to Elisabet in the opening act "We must see each other as two anxious children"). Elisabet stands quietly beside the two, holding Alma's hand, and Alma admits her love for Mr. Vogler and accepts her role as the mother of Elisabet's child. The two make love with Elisabet sitting quietly next to the bed with a look of panic on her face, and afterward, Alma cries. The image of Elisabet becomes blurry.The climax of the film comes the next morning; Alma catches Elisabet in the kitchen with a pained expression on her face, holding a picture of a small boy. Alma then narrates Elisabet's life story back to her, while the camera focuses tightly on Elisabet's anguished face: at a party one night, a man tells her "Elisabet, you have it virtually all in your armory as woman and artist. But you lack motherliness." She laughs, because it sounds silly, but the idea sticks in her mind, and she lets her husband impregnate her. As the pregnancy progresses, she grows increasingly worried about her stretching and swelling body, her responsibility to her child, the pain of birth, and the idea of abandoning her career. Everyone Elisabet knows constantly says "Isn't she beautiful? She has never been so beautiful", but Elisabet makes repeated attempts to abort the fetus. After the child is born, she is repulsed by it, and prays for the death of her son. The child grows up tormented and desperate for affection. The camera turns to show Alma's face, and she repeats the same monologue again. At its conclusion, one half of the face of Alma and the other of Elisabet's visage are shown in split screen, such that they appear to have become one face. Alma panics and cries "I'm not like you. I don't feel like you. I'm not Elisabet Vogler: you are Elisabet Vogler. I'm just here to help you!" Alma leaves, and later returns, to find that Elisabet has become completely catatonic. Alma falls into a strange mood and gashes her arm, forcing Elisabet's lips to the wound and subsequently beating her. Alma packs her things and leaves the cottage alone, as the camera turns away from the women to show the crew and director filming the scene. | mystery, avant garde, psychological, cult, violence, psychedelic, sentimental | train | imdb | Although Elisabeth remains silent, the relationship between the women is a pleasant one--until a rainy day, too much alcohol, and Elisabeth's silence drives Alma into a series of highly charged personal revelations.It is at this point that the film, which has already be super-saturated with complex visual imagery, begins to create an unnerving and deeply existential portrait of how we interpret others, how others interpret us, and the impact that these interpretations have upon both us and them.
In this respect, the theme is remarkably well-suited to its medium: the blankness of the cinema screen with its flickering, endless shifting images that can be interpreted in infinite ways.Bergman is exceptionally fortunate in his actresses here: both Liv Ullman as the silent Elisabeth and Bibi Anderson as the increasingly distraught Alma offer incredible performances that seem to encompass both what we know from the obvious surface and what we can never know that exists behind their individual masks.
And Bergman and his celebrated cinematographer Sven Nykvist fill the screen with a dreamlike quality that is constantly interrupted by unexpected images ranging from glimpses of silent films to a moment at which the celluloid appears to burn to images that merge Ullman and Anderson's faces into one.As in many of his films, Bergman seems to be stating that we cannot know another person, and that our inability to do is our greatest tragedy.
There is one immortal moment in the film when Bergman juxtaposes the faces of each woman onto the screen, merging Elisabeth (Liv Ullmann) and Alma (Bibi Andersson) into a single entity.Persona also includes one of the most vivid depictions of sex that I've ever seen.
Though the film shows us nothing, Alma's whispered description of an intimate encounter on the beach is staggering in its effectiveness; her words allow the viewer to formulate their own visuals, every emotion and nuance perfectly incorporated from the rich story we are being told.
Though I may exhaust hours spouting the merits of Ingmar Bergman's film, I can't escape the fact that watching 'Persona' felt very much like a chore.
In a hospital, young Nurse Alma (Bibi Andersson) is assigned to care for Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullmann), an actress who, for no apparent reason, has ceased speaking.
And I am inclined to think that the film is a cinematic expression of his own inward psychological struggles during that period of his life.In other words, "Persona" communicates to us as much about Bergman's mindset, and his ideas of suffering and reality, as it does about any deep, universal questions in a post-modern world, although to some extent, the two dimensions intersect and overlap.
Writing from a hospital bed (as he did with Wild Strawberries, two of these being films strung out from anguish), Ingmar Bergman put down almost anything that was in his head to start with (the first five minutes- some of the most startling and thoroughly symbolic minutes he's ever directed), then transposed into a story of two women, or one.
This was one of the landmark 'art-films' of the 1960's, with hints of the horrors of war (in one memorable scene, Elisabeth looks at a television screen at images of death), introspection regarding sex and identity, existentialism, and what it means to be an actor.
But keep this in mind- it's one of his most unique departures as a filmmaker.Two of his leading ladies (and, ahem, loves), Bibi Andersson and 25 year-old Liv Ullmann, star as a nurse and an actress, who for the bulk of the film are at a Doctor's cottage as the nurse tries to help and likely cure Elisabeth of her ailment (froze on stage, silent but incredibly observant).
In the meantime, Alma the nurse, in a role that gives Andersson more talking-points than any other film she's been in, goes through some hurtful parts of her past, and just tries to understand her counter-part.
Any lessor actresses might fumble up the whole lot of it.While it isn't my favorite Bergman film (though it is unfair to pick favorites sometimes when it comes to someone as huge in the cine-consciousness as him), there are many things that had me come back to it after being a little awe-struck on my first viewing last year.
In the first five minutes, of course, there is some fascinating stuff, but even in the scenes of long dialog and monologue (i.e. the unforgettable speech about being on the beach from Alma), where the lighting is so delicate and sharp with the shadows that you really feel like the weight of this situation is closing in on the characters.
And the question of soul."Persona" is an act of confrontation between Ingmar Bergman and God. The silence, the cruelty of letters, the cries and the confessions of Alma are only guns in a strange and ambiguous war.
And I still have it for a couple of days, the rest of my life be damned!All I can really comment on is the artistry of Sven Nykvist, the cinematographer, always been one of the very best, and on the acting skills of Liv Ulmann and especially Bibi Andersson, who gives one of the bravest and most powerful performances I've ever seen in a movie.
Here the film seems to investigate the line that is blurred between people's identities who are in close proximity over long periods of time.It seems the characters are established exclusively in order to explore Bergman's philosophical meanderings and musings, which involve the significance of the interior and exterior views of the self.
I really suspect that many individuals like this movie because they view it with the same self-impressed state of mind as Bergman did when he made it.I can certainly credit Bergman with having a knack for writing decent dialog and for being inspired in his film-making.
Having seen about 5 of Ingmar Bergman's films throughout the years I always end up extremely angry, literally FURIOUS, after suffering the man's boring, pretentious, inhuman stories and point of view.
Yeah, sure, one can definitely relate to that (NOT!).Of course this movie is filled with pseudo-intellectual clichés (Hallo Vietnam screening - Make our super-sensitive actress go completely insane from a TV programme) and "freudian" imagery that tries to point out hyper-OBVIOUS things about life and human psychology, in such a pretentiously artistic way that literally makes my blood seethe with anger.
We project a different persona than our real deeper self to the outside world - IT HAD NEVER EVEN CROSSED MY MIND BEFORE THIS MOVIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH INGMAR BERGMAN!
The only people liking it are those that haven't a brain cell working in their own skull.It pains me to say this because Bergman's Seventh Seal is one of the great films.
to the contrary, the nurse was being a total, insensitive "female dog" to the actress/patient.Having watched "The Seventh Seal" and "Cries & Whispers", I was rather hopeful that I would enjoy this movie (given that Bergman himself considered it to be one of his finest).
This theatrical film keeps the camera basically all the time focusing the two lead actresses, and Liv Ullmann, even performing a mute character, offers to the viewers magnificent expressions.
Bergman's Persona covers the loneliness and isolation of a character named Alma (Andersson) who is a nurse and her gradual appreciation for hospital patient Elizabeth (Ullmann) after so many deviations and, quite possibly, regrets to do with and into the past of the life.But the film is a little more than a psychological study, even if by not very much.
How did she become so 'unpopular' and secluded?There can be no denying that Alma comes across as a confident person and looking at the role she plays within the film, a nurse, you would think she needs attributes of charisma and a strong soul in order to combat any nastiness she might see on the job and to work up a strong communicative relationship with any doctor or patient she may come across.
Ingmar Bergman made films like "Persona" (and "Wild Strawberries" and "Cries and Whispers") that make me forgive him for making other films like "Hour of the Wolf" and "Winter Light." In "Persona," a nurse is charged with taking care of a mentally deteriorating actress, and through a series of enigmatic, dream-like scenes, we are left wondering which of the two actually exists and which is the figment of the other's imagination.
It's a sort of precursor to "Mulholland Drive," and the comparison is even more apt as both films are very much about the art of acting and the art of making movies.The most stunning (and stunningly simple) moment in the film comes when one of the actresses delivers a lengthy monologue while the camera slowly zooms into a close up of her face, and then the entire scene plays out again, with the other actress delivering the same monologue.
Someone who has read a biography of Ingmar Bergman would probably be able to offer an intelligent interpretation of this very personal film by the great Swedish director.
Since it stars his two most famous proteges, Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann, and is an intense focus on their faces as though to look into their souls, and further since during the film their personas merge as one--given all this, perhaps it could be speculated that Bergman is suggesting that his perfect love would be a composite of the two.
She plays, Alma, a young and naive nurse who is called upon to help rehabilitate Liv Ullmann's Elisabeth Vogler, an actress who suddenly stopped talking.
If I ever see this film again, and after reading up on the life and loves Ingmar Bergman, perhaps I will look for what Persona says about him.
After having seen The Seventh Seal (1957) and this one i can definitely declare that statement null and void.There's no doubt the black and white photography and the visual imagery are beautiful, and there is really nothing wrong with Bergman's skills with the camera itself, as he uses brilliant closeups and wideshots combined with great cinematography to create a visually impressive film.
These kind of experiences are never immersive, because we do not feel connected to the main characters in any way because their connection built in the first 45 minutes feels so wobbly and fake.So, in terms of visuals and camera work there really is nothing wrong with Bergman's way of directing, but it's the messy plot structure and the disconnected editing and sometimes addition of irrelevant images is what turns this film into a pretentious jumble..
I don't normally find myself picking apart Bergman films - the ones I've seen have been for the most part either searing emotional studies that feel like they tear off the skin to show what's underneath or odd movies that work on the level of philosophy and art.
My Rating : 8/10In Bergman's sensual psychodrama, a nurse, Alma (Bibi Andersson), takes care of stage actress Elisabet Vogler (Liv Ullmann), who has recently been struck mute.However, their personalities change completely and irrevocably by the film's finale, in which they are depicted as distrustful, angry and consumed by their own shortcomings.David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. was inspired by this and I love it so much.'Persona' is one of Bergman's most accessible films after 'The Seventh Seal' and is a must-watch..
It is almost impossible to praise this movie without sounding smart and cultured and it's almost impossible to criticize this movie without sounding like a bit of a philistine but...yeah, I don't like it.Now, I'm all for stylized cinematography, when "If" switched from color to black and white for no obvious reason I was so impressed because it's the kind of movie that can do that.But here I don't feel it works because, firstly, it makes the whole thing kind of risible, especially given how stone faced the tone is and secondly, the essence of the thing kind of gets drowned in bizarre angles and sudden blurriness.It could have been a fairly effecting exploration into the way, despite superficial differences we are all alike, and part of the same universal journey yet still determined to analyse others.
Gradually, Alma begins to be taken over by Elisabeth's persona, even though, or more likely because, she speaks only one complete line in the film.That's the famous capsule summary of the plot.
As the film progresses Alma takes on Elisabeth's persona, supposedly, and relates the dismal story of Elisabeth's son to her, apparently causing her great anguish.I think Elisabeth's experiment must have gotten out of hand, although it's possible she wanted such an extreme reaction.
The movie is close to perfect, it makes you wonder of the world art can be, and the technicalities achieved as perfection, with such simple elements, like light, direction, camera, location, and 2 peopleThank you Bergman..
I think that Bergman was sort of giving us a clue as how to go about interpreting his film.In conclusion, this movie is a masterpiece.
If you think you know anything about movies you'll be blown away, just extraordinary.The best thing about Bergamn and persona is that it makes you analyze your life and makes you want to be a better person.
Elizabet says nothing, and thus Alma feels free to talk at length, professing her hopes and her worries, and in time, confessing a truly sexy experience during which she was absolutely blissful.Bergman emphasizes the two actresses' resemblances in a disquieting shot where he merges halves of both faces.
Just before the end there is a shot of the actual movie crew, almost as if the film's central theme of merging is having a universal effect.The images and descriptions of the monologues in this sequence of variants on the subject of replication and coalescing is so commanding that Bergman truly reveals how ideas produce perceptions and certainty.
When the nurse becomes upset, she confronts and reproaches her own patient to shift the "spotlight" back on the patient (the actress).About the time we realize how complex this movie might be, Bergman starts to blend and morph one person's face into the other's (sort of a half Ullmann and half Adnersson shot).
Throughout `Persona,' Bergman seems to be taking aim at some vague statement about art: Mrs. Vogler comes from an artistic profession, the plot is based almost entirely upon storytelling and role-playing, and, most important of all, the director draws our attention again and again to the artifice of the cinematic form, with his film breaks, sudden `subliminal' images (usually, it should be noted, of actors in cheap costumes), and sudden shock-horror chords on the soundtrack.
Persona didn't register fully for me at first viewing, and as of now I can't consider it one of my favorite Bergman films - I didn't enjoy it half as much as I did The Seventh Seal the first time around.
Bibi Anderson as Alma has done a great job and her performance was one of the best I have ever seen in art films.
Stating that the enigmatic child seems to represent the viewer (not in vain, his role in the story is not other than to wake up and then decipher, first a book and then the film image of the two faces)...Ingmar Bergman's responds in a concrete way to the neuroses and the cinematographic challenges of his time.
It dwells on philosophical themes which are portrayed in the relationship between two individuals.When it comes communication, although Elisabet barely speaks, her expressions on different scenarios proves that an opinion, story, emotion can be tell without a single word coming out of the mouth.On the other side, we have Alma, a girl whose monologues treat nihilism, abortion, lesbianism, imposed maternity, guilt, insanity, schizophrenia trough not only an a well written and poetic script, but a magnificent direction...Bergman's frequent use of sunlight for a Rembrandt effect makes every shot a unique story, the beauty and precision with which he handles the dream elements make the cinema of modernity reach completely new possibilities.
art.Sometimes referred to as the Mount Everest of film critics, Persona by Ingmar Bergman is not an easy movie to get into.
When she finds out her trust has been betrayed Alma lashes out.I'm not certain how much of Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman's highly personal work I understand.
The film is pretentious, unashamedly, but the way Bergman takes the style from the narrative means that the pretension isn't a bad thing, because the images of Persona are some of the most memorable and haunting that any director has dared to show.
Similarly, Andersson's nurse Alma often comes off as being far too weak for her vocation, but is this a general character flaw, or just a continuation of the role reversal the two women are undergoing.There is still a great deal of Persona that I don't understand, and maybe I never will but this only makes me want to watch the film again and again, as it's the perfect film to just loose yourself in.
Persona was my first Ingmar Bergman film and it certainly makes me curious to check out more of his work.
This simple act of making her mute creates that contrast between the two that Bergman uses to it's fullest capacity.As their time together begins, Alma finds herself opening up to the silent Elisabeth, speaking about things that she never imagined she would tell another soul.
Few films can stay with you for years, haunting you like a ghost, that is Bergman's Persona.
Alma is clearly fascinated by Elizabeth, with this irrational veneration ordinary people feel for artists and all she does during the first act is speaking, telling her life, from the most banal to the most shameful secrets."Persona" is made of monologues and silences, and the genius in Bergman is to make it feel as dialogs, as if a human personality had unlimited ways for expression.
"Persona" is one of Bergman's most praised and talked-about films, so I was enthusiastic about watching it. |
tt0128445 | Rushmore | Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a precocious and eccentric 15-year-old attending the prestigious boy's school Rushmore Academy. Max is the president, and in some cases founder, of numerous extracurricular clubs and organizations within the school, and is infinitely more devoted to these activities than he is to his regular schoolwork, eventually causing him to be placed on "sudden death academic probation" by Rushmore's headmaster Dr. Guggenheim (Brian Cox). Despite the warning that one more failed class will result in expulsion, Max is determined to stay at Rushmore for as long as possible.Max's widowed father Bert (Seymour Cassel) is a blue-collar barber and a wise, loving father to Max, his only child. Max's mother Eloise died of cancer when Max was seven. The contrast of Max's middle-class background with the wealthy and privileged lives of most Rushmore students feeds Max's determination to make a name for himself. Max is a scholarship student, accepted to Rushmore on the strength of a one-act play he had written in second grade. During a chapel assembly, Max is deeply impressed with a brief speech delivered by local industrialist Herman Blume (Bill Murray), who seems to be addressing the non-wealthy underdogs like Max, reminding them that the rich kids "can't buy backbone." Though Blume, in reality, is a glum and disillusioned man despite his fortune, he is struck by Max's enthusiasm and confidence when the two meet after the assembly.After finding an intriguing quote handwritten in the library book he is reading, Max attempts to track down the person responsible. The search leads him to Ms. Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), Rushmore's new first grade teacher. Max develops an instant crush on her, and he introduces himself one afternoon when the two are alone on the bleachers. Ms. Cross, while slightly startled by Max's forward nature, is impressed by his intellect, and they strike up a conversation, during which Ms. Cross expresses displeasure at the school's decision to cancel the Latin program. Max, despite having tried to get Latin cancelled for years, switches courses immediately in order to win Ms. Cross's favor, and circulates a school-wide petition to keep Latin in the curriculum before making a personal plea to the school executives. The effort not only restores Latin, but makes it a mandatory course. Ms. Cross and others, including Max's younger friend Dirk Calloway (Mason Gamble), are impressed by Max's tenacity, while other students, including the brash and aggressive Magnus Buchan (Stephen McCole), resent Max's ability to manipulate authority, seemingly on a whim, to the point where the entire school body is affected.Max also finds a friend in Herman Blume, whose numbskulled and bratty twin sons Ronny and Donny (Ronnie and Keith McCawley) are students at Rushmore. Max falsely tells Blume that his father is a neurosurgeon rather than a barber, still feeling the need to impress the successful industrialist. Max is soon a regular visitor at Blume's plant. Blume is amazed at Max's cocksure attitude and dedication to goals, while he himself is in a failing marriage and a downward spiral.Max continues to pursue Ms. Cross, visiting her classroom after school. He learns that her late husband was a former Rushmore student, which directly influenced her decision to teach there after his death the previous year. Seeing that Ms. Cross has an interest in marine life, due to the fish tanks in her classroom and the library book by Jacques Cousteau they had both read, Max approaches Blume for $35,000 to build an aquarium at Rushmore. Though Max had not told anyone else, including Dr. Guggenheim, about the project, Blume indulges him with a check for $2500.Ms. Cross soon becomes concerned about Max's clear feelings for her, and attempts to make it clear that a romantic relationship will never happen between them. Max,though disappointed, appears to get the message.However, when Max's next play has its opening night at Rushmore, he is openly annoyed to see that Ms. Cross brought along a male friend, Dr. Peter Flynn (Luke Wison), as a guest. Blume, also in attendance, is introduced to Ms. Cross, and the four of them go out to dinner. Blume notices Max's irritation at Dr. Flynn's presence, and unwisely buys Max alcohol, which worsens his behavior. Max insults Dr. Flynn for coming along uninvited, and he admits to Ms. Cross that he is in love with her.A few days after the incident, Blume visits Ms. Cross at Rushmore to deliver an apology letter from Max, to whom she had not spoken to since. Blume develops an infatuation with Ms. Cross, and later tries to casually dissuade Max from continuing to pursue her. Max and Ms. Cross patch up their friendship nonetheless.When Max finally attempts to break ground on the aquarium project, for which he had never sought the school's approval, he is officially expelled from Rushmore. Max is crushed, but changes neither his attitude nor habits when he begins attending a local public school, Grover Cleveland High. He continues to engage in and start up multiple extracurriculars, though the other students don't show interest. Classmate Margaret Yang (Sara Tanaka) attempts to befriend Max, only to be ignored.Blume and Ms. Cross begin a secret relationship, which they take care to hide from Max, with whom they still spend time as a trio. Though Blume is married, he has long suspected his wife of infidelity, and feels something new and liberating with Ms. Cross.Max still visits the Rushmore campus on occasion, feeling angry and lost about his expulsion from the main focus of his life. Magnus Buchan taunts Max, accusing him of only being friends with Dirk Calloway because of Dirk's beautiful mother (Connie Nielsen). Max crassly tells Magnus that half the reason he was expelled was because he got a handjob from Mrs. Calloway in the back of her car. Magnus is unconvinced, but the rumor spreads, soon reaching Dirk, who becomes furious with Max. Dirk, aware of the secret relationship between Ms. Cross and Blume, ousts the affair to Max in hopes of hurting him.Max loses all sense, and confronts Blume about the affair. Blume admits to being in love with Ms. Cross but that neither of them wished to hurt Max's feelings. Max is unmoved, and promptly rats Blume out to Mrs. Blume (Kim Terry), who files for divorce, resulting in Blume taking up indefinite residence in a hotel. Max sneaks in, disguised as a waiter, and infests Blume's hotel suite with bees.Knowing Max is responsible for telling his wife about the affair and for the bee incident, Blume runs over Max's bicycle with his car. Max, in turn, cuts Blume's brakes, for which Blume has Max arrested. After being bailed out by his father, Max attempts to get Ms. Cross fired from Rushmore by showing Dr. Guggenheim photos of her and Blume together, but finds out she had already resigned. Max visits her in her classroom as she is packing up, and she angrily asks him to leave. Max gives up the revenge game and his former tenacity drains away. He stops attending school and begins working in his father's barbershop.Near Christmastime, Dirk stops by the barbershop to visit Max and make amends. He presents Max with a personalized Swiss Army Knife, commemorating his legacy at Rushmore. Dirk also brings the news that Dr. Guggenheim is in the hospital after suffering a stroke, and that Max should visit him. Max does so, and Dr. Guggenheim's rage towards Max results in him speaking for the first time since the stroke. Blume was visiting as well, and he and Max patch up their friendship. Blume, who is an outward mess, tells Max that Ms. Cross had ended the relationship. This news sparks Max's passion for extracurriculars again, and he goes back to Grover Cleveland High with renewed vigor. He finally accepts friendship from the kindhearted Margaret Yang, and casts her in his latest play.Max makes an irrational final attempt to romance Ms. Cross by pretending to have been hit by a car and climbing through her bedroom window with fake blood on his face. She sees through the ruse, but answers his questions about why she broke up with Blume. Ms. Cross says she ended the relationship because Blume was married, self-loathing, and petty enough to destroy Max's bicycle. Max tells her Blume's theory: that Ms. Cross is still in love with her late husband, Edward Applebee. Max leaves through the window, finally accepting that he will never win Ms. Cross.After apologizing to Dirk and Margaret Yang for his poor behavior, Max puts together a new play, partially inspired by the Vietnam War, of which Blume is a veteran. He casts Margaret, Dirk, and surprisingly Magnus, in leading roles alongside himself, and invites Ms. Cross and Blume to the premiere, assuring that they are seated beside each other. He also invited Dr. Peter Flynn as a means of atonement for past behavior. Max dedicates the play in part to "Edward Applebee-a friend of a friend." The play is a huge success, and Max, Blume, Ms. Cross, Margaret, and and incredibly proud Bert congregate at the party afterward.Blume and Ms. Cross consider giving their relationship another try, while Max and Margaret Yang become closer. Blume asks Margaret for a dance, leaving Ms. Cross and Max alone. Max signals the DJ, who begins to play The Faces' "Ooh La La" as Max and Ms. Cross approach the dance floor together. | cult, comedy, psychedelic, romantic, clever | train | imdb | Wes Anderson reaches cinematic excellence with Rushmore, a story about Max Fischer a young man who's trying to find his own place in the world.
Wes Anderson's Rushmore is a movie full of everything that modern day cinematic crap movies lack; dry humor, unique writing, music that makes a scene unforgettable, and real heart.
I feel as though Rushmore is cinematic excellence, Max Fischer is the perfectly flawed yet absolutely brilliant character who tries to find his place in the world, whether it's by engrossing himself in extracurricular activities or pretending he's the son of a neurosurgeon.
Wes Anderson picks the perfect music for each scene, especially for the heartbreaking scene at the end when Miss Cross and Max are dancing to the Faces "Ooh la la." But, what's most brilliant about Rushmore is how it makes you feel; pessimistic yet hopeful, sad yet joyful, confused yet clear-minded.
To quote Cousteau, as Miss Cross did in the Diving for Sunken Treasure book, "When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life he has no right to keep it to himself," and I'm glad that Wes Anderson created such an extraordinary movie and shared it with us all..
Rushmore was the first Wes Anderson film I saw, and I didn't think much of it the first time.
I thought Bottle Rocket wore its rookie status on its sleeve; I thought Rushmore was flawed; and I thought Tenenbaums finally showed that Anderson had honed his craft and he would start making great films.
I found the heart in Anderson's film.If you felt Rushmore was not all it could have been the first time you saw it, please give it another chance.
Granted, he brings to the movie his usual subtle quirkiness, but that humor isn't out of line with the general mood of the film.
The idea of the movie doesn't come off sounding like a very captivating plot: high school geek and middle-aged millionaire fall in love with the same first grade teacher.
I've watched this movie with people with a like-minded sense of humor and they always have a polarized reaction to it.
The genius of this film is how Anderson writes dialogue for his characters as adults but has kids saying the lines.
Although you could say this movie has a happy ending, if you have a smile at the end of the film, you're missing something.The characters are all disturbed on some level; Max, although giving the appearance of a mature young boy, really knows very little about life.
As I watched this film, I couldn't help but find brief and twisted similarities between Max Fischer's school days and that of Edward Albee of 'Who's Afraid of Virgina Woofe' fame.
At this point in time, this is Max's theatrical master piece, his 'Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolfe', if you will.Also, don't forget the name of Miss Cook's deceased Edward Appleby...Now, for those of you who have never been mistaken in reading the undertone of a movie, cast the first stone.
His frustrated friend (Herman Blume) tries to help but only succeeds in making things much, much worse and Max risks losing everything that is important to him.Having recently see The Life Aquatic etc I decided to step back to a film that I feel did Wes Anderson's humour and talent much more of a service and one in which he got the mix just right.
Special mention to Tanaka for being the sweetest redemption I've seen in many a film and pulls off the geeky but wonderful girl of many of our dreams.Overall this is a good film but not one that will appeal to the majority of viewers or be the one to win over those that just don't like Wes Anderson's films.
Plus, it has been reviewed over 500 times on this site alone.One important aspect of this film, which is overlooked in practically every online review that I've read, is Wes Anderson's nod to the world of J.D. Salinger.
The whole Ivy League (or whatever second level's called over there) system is debunked: whereas Rushmore will accept any trash as long as they're white, Max's multi-racial public school seems a much more vital place.What is great about this film is not these things, but its understanding of and sympathy for adolescent experience.
This actually makes his pain even more moving, and why he can sympathise with Hermann throughout on an emotional level, even when he needs to hate him on a narrative one.Bill Murray gives the year's outstanding performance, which will hopefully be ignored at the Oscars - there is such depth to his angst, such humour to his self-lacerating millionaire, a self-made man who tragically sees himself as a loser.
The movie is a bit surrealistic and sour but the humor is deep and when you think back about this movie you can remember lots of it's jokes like how the main character, Marx Fischer used Latin in his latest play.
I think that Wes Anderson is a really special director and his style is of that kind that not nearly all of people like his movies.Mr. Hawkins.
Judging from the slew of 10's, this movie has endeared itself to a great many viewers, but for me it was a misfired dark 'comedy' mired in quirky forced situations and unrealistic characters and dialogue.
If you like plot, characters that make any sense at all and humor, this movie is not for you.
These people constitute about .01% of the population; unfortunately, for reason I can't even imagine, their gushing about this waste-of-celluloid may make it appear to be one of those sleeper movies (like Office Space) that bombed miserably at the box office.This film bombed for a reason-- IT'S TERRIBLE!
I rarely turn off a movie before the ending, but this is one of those rare times that I and my wife just couldn't take it anymore (we shut it off about 3/4's through).Unless you have a fascination with how oddball people's minds work, don't watch this film.
This movie is about a 15 year old kid named Max in a private prep school called 'Rushmore' who gets a crush on an attractive 1st grade teacher.
This is the first time in my life I have EVER rented a film, tried to watch it, and got halfway and just returned the dam thing cause it was SO BAD!!
The loose plot line and dweeby dialog (let me tell you no real high school student talks like that) made me wish for interactive video so that I could yell at these people to get a life.
I would like to start out by saying I am a HUGE Bill Murray fan, I never miss any of his movies.
There's a lot to like about "Rushmore" - enough that I got my hopes up that it would be a better film.
To me - and I know many, many people will disagree - Wes Anderson is another one of those directors whose movies I only like one of - I actually quite enjoyed The Life Aquatic (mostly because of Bill Murray and the quality stop-motion animation), but that's it.
But director Wes Anderson is known for his "quirkiness"; and what that actually means, inevitably it seems, is films about implausibly odd people with improbable amounts of money dead-panning their way through a series of deliberately flat jokes whose main purpose appears to be to assert the cleverness of the writer/director in daring to defy the normal conventions of narrative and character.
Even some who dislike his later movies like 'Rushmore', one of his earliest; but having seen many of his other films first, I can only see the same self-indulgent smugness of his other films.
Max (Jason Schwartzman), a fifteen-year-old misfit in glasses and braces, a terrible student-but enjoys many extracurricular activities at Rushmore Academy.
It's also safe to say that Jason Schwartzman clearly tried all he possibly good so that the Max character rubs the audience the right way.
I guess I lack the proper eccentricities to enjoy such a picture.Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, and Brian Cox. Directed by: Wes Anderson..
The film is about a kid named Max(Jason Schwartzman), a student who spends most of his time with his extracurricular activities and not enough time with his school work.
As a matter of fact, watching Elections and the Virgin Suicide (yet another disappointment, just not as bad as Rushmore) last week enforced the feeling that this movie could have gone elsewhere..
It stands as their second prodigy-child, a brilliant masterpiece that paves the way for The Royal Tenenbaums.Rushmore is the story of Max Fischer, a nerdy, yet courageous, fifteen-year-old genius with unstoppable determination.
Consequently, the story takes a dive into an unwieldy love triangle that turns into a superfluous war and ironically ends with a play of the Vietnam War.Max's greatest virtuosity is staging elaborate high school plays which add another dimension to the film as they are presented to the viewer randomly.
The kid is only seventeen and plays his first movie with such confidence and authenticity that even at times outshines a veteran like Murray.
Rich boy (or in this case, not-rich prep school) protagonists, his frequent use of center composed framing, and quirky consistent costumes get added to the kooky characters and generally great selection of popular music for the scenes.While the direction is strong, the story has a few problems going on, story arcs fade in and out and it seems at time as though the movie should be over but it continues going on.
While I see room for improvement, Rushmore is a fine quirky film that I can recommend to those who like quirky comedies.
However on second viewing I realized it's very good and smart, and the dry humor is just Wes Anderson's style - something Bill Murray plays into perfectly.Murray is the rich businessman who befriends a smart 15-year-old named Max, both of whom fall for the same woman, a teacher at Max's school.
As I usually love irreverent, iconoclastic comedies, and the reviews I had read hailed this movie as such, I was expecting to like "Rushmore".
(In my mind, the screenwriters of "Rushmore" used Max's writing, as well as his relationship to his dead mother, as a sort of half-baked character attribute that they never put sufficient effort into fleshing out.) Worst of all, Max never changes (for better, or for worse.) He doesn't really learn anything or move anywhere, and he doesn't appreciably affect anyone's life.While I enjoyed Bill Murray's performance, I was continually distracted by the implausibility of a 45 year old man forming an intimate friendship with a high school student.
Written by Anderson and long time friend Owen Wilson, it is the screenplay of the movie which stands out.Max Fischer is the king of Rushmore.
What follows is how max tries to sort out his life.Brilliantly directed and written by Anderson, the movie is a little gem.
I've watched "Rushmore" with people who didn't even smile once, which seems impossible to me.Everyone knows what the film is about by now, so I won't go into any detail on that.
The romantic triangle here with Bill Murray's character Herman Blume, Jason Schwartzman as Max Fischer, and Olivia Williams as Rosemary Cross, a gorgeous young widow who teaches at the titular Rushmore Academy, is gloriously off-beat and improbable, but shockingly evocative of not only the feeling of being in love and the obsession that sometimes follows, but of the adolescent mindset and how it relates to adulthood, and how we probably never really leave it behind.
Now, I've seen the movie too many times to mention here without embarrassment and I'm pretty sure that we're not supposed to adore Max, accept all his actions (which involve sabotage, putting bees in Herman's hotel room, climbing up to Rosemary's window on a rainy night and pretending to have been hit by a car, and several other self-centered acts) as valid, or feel sorry for him.
Max Fischer ultimately feels human, and I'm sick of the need for audiences to have 'likable' characters (read: movie clichés, sometimes disguised, but still idealized).
It's got the dark humor, it's got the quirk which is still completely believable and real (people who complain about Wes Anderson being 'everything that's wrong with 'indie' film' are probably best left ignored or at least directed towards Diablo Cody, Mark Poirier, whoever wrote "Little Miss Sunshine", and all the rest of those hacks to see quirk for quirk's sake, and to an almost unbelievable extent), it's got the pathos, the dark, real emotion, and the phenomenal use of music.
The strange thing about this movie is that well it takes one back to their own time in high school and how they look peering in from the out-side wanting to be popular and liked and loved by the babes , also lets not forget about the crush everyone has on that one teacher .
The main character Max Fischer, played by the then fresh face, Jason Scwartzman is masterfully written in Andersons screenplay.
In the fall of 1997, my friend Bob Salari and I rented a movie called "Bottle Rocket", directed by "Rushmore" director Wes Anderson.
Many reviews I have read about this movie started with a comment to the effect of "Wes Anderson does it again!".
Laughably pretentious, one may think that this movie was apparently targeted towards the Brie and chardonnay crowd of moviegoers who need dweebish anti-heroes like Mad Max Fischer and Herman Blume to validate their own pathetic "Hey, I'm so tragically misunderstood and DIFFERENT than you but I've achieved success!" worldviews.The kid - Max Fischer (played by Jason Schwartzman) - was utterly unlikable (and I watched the movie several times before coming to this unshakable conclusion, just to make sure I wasn't unfairly being the high-school bully towards the class nerd).
Yes, I DID give it a fighting chance.If you want to see fantasy-type movies with unbelievable anti-hero youths who raise a ruckus with their surrounding environment, stick with films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Ferris (Matthew Broderick) was also a bit nerdish and perhaps annoying, and also quite "surreal" in the sense that hey, there just really AREN'T high school seniors like Ferris anywhere, and we all know that...
Bill Murray carries this movie with his great charm although he is given only a supporting role here.This movie touches the determined side of us.The part that keeps us going no matter what obstacles and limitations we have to deal with.For the underdog in us and the good things about that quality as well as the bad.The comedy is light and the love story is weak but the movie's philosophical atmosphere will go wellwith an audience that likes movies that makes one think.Thus,the movie is only for that certain crowd.
And then when they did, I felt like I'd been robbed of 90 minutes of my life.And what is up with people saying that Bill Murray is so great in this movie?
This movie had a great soundtrack, interesting dialong and a good feel with the characters and their schemes.
I think a big problem is that you don't really care what happens to any of the characters (except Murray).Do we really care that Max Fisher's life revolves around his school?
Furthermore, I didn't believe that the main character was fifteen, didn't understand his obsession with joining every possible school club, didn't believe any tycoon, such as Bill Murray's character in the film, would identify with such a wierd brat.On the plus side the movie did have solid acting, particularly by Olivia Williams, as Rosemary Cross, and also by a very cute Sara Tanaka as Maragaret Yang.
Bill Murray gives us one of his 'gruff yet tender' performances that never fail to enchant, and the lovely Olivia Williams matches him emotion for emotion, but the film really belongs to young Jason Schwartzman, who all but steals every scene he's in.
I suppose if I hadn't heard anything about the movie, I may have liked it more, but as it turned out, I wasn't all that impressed.Granted, the film did have some very good moments.
I would have loved to see some more of the school plays put on by the lead character, Max Fischer.
I won't ruin what they were, but they were both highlights of the film.I also really liked the interaction between the two leads, Max and the character played by Bill Murray (I can't remember the characters full name, but his last name was Blume).
Eventually, Max's friend, Bill Murray's character, also falls in love with her.
I suppose that the point of the movie was simply to introduce these two quirky characters to the world, but with the expectations I had set, I would have liked more.So, am I recommending this film or not?
For a 90-minute movie to drag on into what seemed like 3 hours is not a good sign, and Rushmore ranks as one of the bigger disappointments of the year..
Some parts of the film, I totally forgot Murray was in the movie.A wonderful, classic comedy?
Herman is the father of two students at Rushmore and he really enjoys watching Max at work.
I don't know why people liked this movie.
please don't take my comment as a hate letter to Anderson, I really liked tenenbaums, and co-writer Wilson is one of my top movie-comedians but Rushmore is so bad, i'd rather watch pearl harbor again than this one.
This is a romantic comedy filtered through a creative mind.One of the most interesting features of the film is that Jason Schwartzman's character is totally unlikeable.
Max is one of the most unlikable and unappealing characters to be the focus of a film in a long time.
Like its central character, the film itself brims with arrogance and contempt and seems to condescend to its audience in a flashy way as if almost yelling "Look how great I am.". |
tt0054033 | The Little Shop of Horrors | Seymour Krelboyne (Jonathan Haze) is a clumsy assistant at an unassuming flower shop on the dreary Skid Row in Los Angeles. His boss, Gravis Mushnick (Mel Welles) is constantly frustrated with him, and is on the verge of firing him. Seymour's co-worker, the beautiful and sweet Audrey Fulquard (Jackie Joseph) begs Mushnick to give Seymour another chance. A customer, Burson Fouch (Dick Miller), who has visited countless florist shops to indulge his flower-eating habit, advises them to feature more strange and unusual plants to attract more business. Mushnick is desperate for more customers, since their only steady client is the elderly Mrs. Shiva (Leola Wendroff), who buys flowers for the funerals of her constantly-dying relatives. Seymour mentions that he had been developing an odd new plant, a cross between a venus flytrap and a butterwort. Mushnick makes him a deal: if the new plant brings in more business, Seymour may keep his job. A hopeful Seymour rushes home to get the plant.Seymour lives in an apartment with his hypochondriac mother, Winifred (Myrtle Vail). The plant, potted in a coffee can, is a strange vertical pod surrounded by leaves. After bringing it back to the shop, Mushnick agrees it is interesting, but notices it looks sickly. Seymour promises to nurse it back to health, although he is unsure of how to feed it since water, sunlight, and high-quality plant food have seemed to do no good. Seymour shyly admits that he named the plant "Audrey Junior" after his crush. The original Audrey is delighted.Alone in the shop that night, Seymour continues to study the plant. Every night at sunset, its pod opens like a mouth. Seymour accidentally pricks his finger on another thorny plant and Audrey Jr's pod opens wider. Seymour now understands that the plant feeds on human blood. Desperate to save it, Seymour gives it a few drops from his finger and leaves for the night. The next morning, Audrey Jr has grown dramatically, and customers begin flocking in to see the strange new attraction. Though he is becoming increasingly weak, Seymour feeds the plant blood from his own fingers every night. He refraines from telling anyone the secret behind Audrey Jr's health.A dizzy and anemic Seymour can no longer provide his own blood for the plant. As Audrey Jr grows hungrier, it begins to demand food in a human voice (Charles B. Griffith). Frustrated, Seymour takes a walk at night and stops by the train tracks, chucking a rock in anger. To his horror, the rock hits a nearby man who falls onto the tracks and is run over by a speeding train. Seymour is terrified, but he collects the man's body parts and takes them back to the shop for Audrey Jr's dinner.Mushnick and Audrey are celebrating she shop's sudden success at a fancy restaurant, when Mushnick realizes he had left his wallet at the shop. While Audrey waits at the table, Mushnick returns to work and sees Seymour feeding human meat to the plant. Seymour is not aware he was being watched, and a shaken Mushnick returns to the restaurant (without his wallet) and demands copious amounts of alcohol.Mushnick considers going to the police and turning in Seymour, but decides against it to preserve the shop's steady business flow. Seymour arrives at work with a toothache, and Mushnick sends him to the local dentist, Dr. Farb (John Shaner), who is something of a sadist and attempts to pull several of Seymour's teeth. Seymour defends himself by attacking Farb with a sharp dental tool, eventually stabbing him to death. Horrified, Seymour arranges the body in the dentist's chair to resemble a patient, while he himself dons the dentist's uniform. An odd customer, Wilbur Force (Jack Nicholson), an extreme masochist who goes to the dentist for a pain fix, insists that Seymour (who he assumes is Dr. Farb) drill and pull his teeth. Seymour reluctantly agrees, and Force leaves happy. Seymour then collects Dr. Farb's body and brings it back to Audrey Jr.Two police investigators, Joe Fink (Wally Campo) and Frank Stoolie (Jack Warford) arrive at the flower shop to investigate the two recent disappearances. Mushnick acts very nervously, but the men assume he knows nothing and leave. Seymour is becoming a local celebrity, and has worked up enough courage to ask Audrey on a date, which she gleefully accepts. A representative from the Society of Silent Flower Observers of Southern California visits the shop and admires Audrey Jr, who is now seven feet tall. The woman announces that her organization wants to award Seymour a trophy, which they will present the following night when the plant's large buds are scheduled to open.Seymour and Audrey visit Winifred, who prepares a dinner solely consisting of different medicines. Mushnick stays at the shop, keeping close watch over the plant. Audrey Jr demands food, but Mushnick refuses to indulge it. Soon, a robber enters the store and threatens Mushnick at gunpoint for money. Disappointed by what he finds in the cash register, the robber demands to know where the rest of the loot is kept. Mushnick, attempting to kill two birds with one stone, lies to the robber and says that the rest of the money is hidden in the bottom of the huge plant. The robber climbs in to Audrey Jr's pod and is eaten. Audrey Jr quickly grows healthier.Seymour becomes fed up with the plant, as it is damaging his relationship with Audrey. He angrily refuses to continue feeding it, but Audrey Jr verbally hypnotizes Seymour, sending him out with the singular goal of bringing back another victim. A dazed Seymour encounters a persistent call girl (Meri Welles) whom he knocks unconscious with a rock and hauls back to the shop for Audrey Jr's next meal.The next evening, Seymour's trophy ceremony is underway. An audience, including Winifred and the two investigators, has assembled and waits eagerly for the plant's buds to open. As they do, the attendees are shocked to see a human face in each new flower, each belonging to one of the plant's meals: the man from the railroad tracks, Dr. Farb, the robber, and the call girl. In a panic, Seymour flees the shop and is pursued by Mushnick and the investigators who lose his trail when Seymour hides in a junkyard. He returns to the empty shop in a rage as Audrey Jr demands more food. Blaming the plant for ruining his life, Seymour grabs a knife and climbs into the plant in an attempt to kill it from the inside. When Mushnick and the others return, they see Audrey Jr has sent up a new flower; this one with Seymour's face. | cult, comedy, satire, murder, romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0082748 | Mil gritos tiene la noche | Boston, 1942. A mother walks into a room and catches her son, Timmy, doing a jigsaw puzzle of a naked female. Very irrigated, she says she is going to burn it. She order her son to get her a plastic bag which to dispose of the remains. Tommy instead takes an axe from a closet and murders his mother. He then saws her dead body into pieces and sits down to finish his puzzle. A woman neighbor shows up at the house and knocks on the front door where there is no answer. After phoning the house and still getting no response, she calls the police. Two policemen force their way into the house and enter Timmy's bedroom where they find blood covering the floor. One of the policemen says "Something's been butchered up here. Let's hope it was an animal". Inside a closet, they find the woman's decapitated head. In another closet in the hallway, they find the blood-splattered Timmy who screams "Mommy!" The policemen console him where he tells the officers that a maniac broke in and murdered his mother.40 years later. An unseen person enters a fancy apartment and goes to a closet where he recovers a box containing shoes and clothes, mostly covered in dried blood. Along with it is the remains of the nude jigsaw puzzle.Somewhere on a college campus, a girl is studying in the grass. Nearby, an unknown person is seen working on the shrubbery with a chainsaw. The man dressed in all black clothing approaches and saws off her head with the chainsaw. A little later, Lt. Bracken (Christopher George) and his partner Sgt. Holden (Frank Brana) arrive to investigate the killing. They talk to the college dean (Edmund Purdom) about the chainsaw murder and there were no witnesses and the girl's head is missing. Bracken tells the Dean that they have no suspects and says "We're just out buying clothes without labels and trying them on for size". Willard (Paul Smith) the burly and bearded groundskeeper is outside utilizing a chainsaw similar to the one the killer used.In the campus library that evening, a girl gives a note to a male student, named Kendall (Ian Sera), expressing the desire to "do it underwater". The unseen killer finds the discarded note nearby and goes to the gym swimming pool where the girl is. As the girl swims, the black-clad killer grabs her by her hair when she swims close to a wall and pulls her out of the water and attacks her with his chainsaw. A little later, Willard arrives and turns on the pool lights where he sees Kendall run from the area and finds a bloody chainsaw and the girl in pieces with her entire torso missing. The police arrive and arrest Willard when he attempts to run. The groundskeeper claims to the cops that he just discovered the body and had nothing to do with the killing. Both Bracken and Holden are stumped by the mutilated dead girl with her entire torso missing. "I wonder what he's doing with all the pieces that are missing" says Bracken.The next day at the police station, Dr. Jennings (Gerard Tichy) arrives to provide a profile of the murder. Lt. Bracken brings in Mary Riggs (Lynda Day George), a former tennis player-turned undercover-cop. Bracken explains to Holden that Mary is going undercover to pose as a tennis instructor at the college, and Kendall is going to assist her whenever he can.Sylvia Costa (Isabelle Luque), a Boston Globe reporter, tells Bracken about the rumors she has heard, leading her to believe that a maniac is running loose. Meanwhile, the unseen black-clad killer returns to his apartment and set out to get more pieces of dead women (while continually working on his human jigsaw puzzle). The killer has assembled the girl's severed head to the torso. He now needs a pair of arms and legs.That evening, the killer (his face still unseen and wearing all black clothing along with black leather gloves with a Fedora hat), stalks the deserted campus and follows a girl who has just finished her aerobics routine. She goes to wait for an elevator and appears to recognize him when he approaches. The girl says "oh, it's you." She tells the killer that she is worried about the two recent killings. The girl and man in black get into the elevator together. Soon, he reveals his chainsaw which has has been hiding behind his back. He starts it up saws both of her arms off (in close-up and graphic ultra-gory fashion). On the floor below, Kendall hears a scream and he and two policemen enter the elevator only to discover that the killer has already fled and the armless woman in the elevator. The police call in for medics, but the woman dies before she can tell them anything about what the killer looked like.A little later that night, Kendall sees Mary walking around alone at the deserted campus. While the unseen killer is near, Mary has an odd encounter with the kung fu professor, who attacks her and then explains he is not sure what happened after Mary has kicked him in the groin. Afterwords, Mary leaves with Kendall, but Sylvia is still snooping around. The killer follows Sylvia and murders her.The next day, Mary and Kendall are playing tennis. A fellow tennis player heads into the locker room to shower. The unseen killer appears again and attacks her with his chainsaw. She apparently knows the killer when she screams "You!" The killer chases her into a linen closet where he chainsaws the door down. The killer breaks in and cuts into her torso. At the same time, Mary and Kendall see Willard leaving the locker room and inquire about music being played loudly over the speakers. They eventually find the bloody, dismembered corpse inside the locker room with both of her legs cut off.Kendall then goes to the police station where he meets Holden and thinks that the killer must be part of the university faculty since the killer seems to know when and where to strike and avoid the police. The look into the Dean's past and they discover that when the Dean was younger, his mother was killed by a person who was never found and that he previously changed his name. They figure out that the Dean must be the killer. They figure out that the Dean must like jigsaw puzzles and has been taking pieces of the dead women to make his own human jigsaw puzzle.Meanwhile, Mary visits the Dean in his office where he takes her back to his apartment on campus (the killer's apartment). She is clearly in danger of becoming a victim herself. The Dean tells Mary that she has nice feet, so the Dean drugs her drink and plots to kill her to saw off her feet to fully complete his human jigsaw puzzle. Bracken, Holden, and Kendall burst into the Dean's apartment, forcing him to run. They find Mary sitting on the sofa, temporarily paralyzed by the drug.After the cops leave Kendall there alone, the Dean comes out from behind a curtain (he was only hiding and never fled the apartment) and attacks. Bracken returns and shoots the Dean who falls dead. Afterwords, Holden inadvertently discovers the Dean's human jigsaw puzzle when he leans against a bookshelf and it turns around; the body assembled from the various human parts falls onto Kendall. When Bracken, Holden, Mary and everyone else prepares to leave the scene as the cops take the Dean away in the body bag, Kendall goes for his jacket. Suddenly, the human jigsaw corpse, somehow comes to life and grabs Kendall's crotch and squeezes, vividly castrating him in revenge her her master's death.... | cruelty, grindhouse film, murder, cult, horror, violence, insanity, sadist | train | imdb | As in most slasher movies there are plenty of suspects to choose from, including a scary looking gardener (cult favourite Paul Smith, 'Midnight Express', 'Crimewave'), a Professor of Anatomy (Jack Taylor, who appeared in a few Jess Franco classics like 'Succubus' and 'Eugenie'), and the Dean (Edmund Purdom, 'The Fifth Cord', 'Ator').
It's bloody, completely illogical and contains the most unexpected martial arts scene in the history of horror movies (yeah, I know...).
What an amazing, totally hilarious, totally entertaining movie!After seeing a little kid hack up his mother with an ax (and the subsequent arrival of the police who have no reaction whatsoever to the woman's severed head lying in a closet), we jump to "forty years later" at a college campus in Boston.
He gets an equally stupid line in this movie with "Right now we're just buying clothes without labels and trying them on for size." He enlists the help of Kendall, a well meaning student who is played by the guy who says "It stinks!" in "Pod People".
Juan Piquer Simon's "Pieces" is one of the most hilarious slasher movies ever made.In the early 1940's a little boy is caught by his mother while he is assembling a puzzle with a naked lady on it.The boy gets mad when his mother takes his puzzle,so he kills her with an axe.40 years later somebody butchers random college chicks with a chainsaw."Pieces" is a highly entertaining gore trash filled with enough blood to satisfy horror fans.There is for example a lopped off arm,a severed flying head and a knife through the mouth murder scene.The ending is incredibly surprising and hysterical.There is also a violent kung fu teacher and death by mirror.So if you're a slasher/giallo fan give this one a look-you won't be disappointed.8 out of 10..
Forty years later, in an university campus in Boston, a serial killer kills young women and severs their bodies in parts, stealing body pieces from each student.
Lt. Bracken (Christopher George) makes a deal with the dean of the campus, and infiltrates the agent Mary Riggs (Lynda Day George) as if she were a tennis teacher and together with the student Kendall (Ian Sera), they try to find the identity of the killer."Pieces" is so bad, senseless and ridiculous, that contradictory becomes very hilarious and a slash, gore and cheesy cult-movie.
The dialogs, screams and situations are so absurd that become another attraction: the tennis player that is an undercover cop to survive; or the student that accesses the documents and help the police in the investigation itself; or the killer that starts killing forty years after his first death with unexplained reasons or trigger.
I personally liked this film a lot, but I only recommend it for fans of trash-movies.
Smith wins the honours for worse acting in this daft gore flick but he is also the most entertaining as the very unhelpful gardener whose chainsaw goes on walkabout (why he never feels the need to lock it up to keep it away from the deranged killer is beyond me, but then again there are many points like this in this film).
There is a God-awful and stupid plot twist 20 seconds at the end of the film that makes no sense whatsoever and almost destroys what is a daft but fun addition to the slasher cycle.
I fall into the latter; the film's gritty, low-budget presentation gives it something of a hard edge that I find appealing, especially paired with the gore effects.The acting is all over the place and the film suffers from bad dubbing (this was a Spanish production with token American actors Christopher George and Lynda Day George), though the finale, as rough and abrupt as it is, is rather unforgettable (and unconscionable).
Overall, "Pieces" is a mixture of both bad and good, and the kind of film that caters to a very specific audience.
0 points, if just for repeating "Bastard!" three times.Overall: Good for a laugh if you're into really bad horror flicks from back when.
Not really, unless you are going to go with the whole `if you have sex while you're a teenager you're going to die a horribly painful death' thing that many people have suggested, (not regarding this movie specifically, but the `slasher' genre) then I suppose it would be necessary to prove that point.
I don´t think so."Pieces" has more the style of "Halloween" or "Friday, the thirteenth" movies, only that perhaps it is a bit more gory but situations are similar although with the element of investigation by the police and one young student from the university in which the murders are happening.
I think it is probably the most entertaining movie directed by Piquer together with "Slugs" and if you like Slasher genre(with more gore as usual, that´s true)give this one a chance..
I like some of the murder scenes, but some parts of the movie are laugh out loud bad.
We first see the killer take out the good ol' jigsaw puzzle, complete with bloodstains still on it.He starts doing the jigsaw puzzle, you will see him complete the head portion, then he will go kill a girl and take her head, next you will see him put the arm pieces on, and go find a girl with nice arms and so on.He is trying to remake his mother out of other girls, he is really a twisted guy.
Since it's technically a piece of garbage, the redeeming value of the film is its series of extremely gory chainsaw and butcher knife murders, the best of which are a decapitation, an arm amputation, a knife through a head (shades of "House by the Cemetery"), and a chainsaw ripping into a torso.
I am not proud to be saying that gory murders make a film, but when it comes to pieces (no pun intended) of cinema like this, what else can I commend it?
There's not quite enough imaginative gore (there's plenty but it's straightforward in its application) to enjoy is as a piece of visceral entertainment, not enough crazy plot to enjoy it as comedy - it has some interesting eccentric characters and a nasty enough central gimmick but it's good not great in the slasher pantheon..
But while it's highly silly, it's also very entertaining.It's about a serial killer who collects female body parts to mirror the pieces of his naked lady jigsaw puzzle.It has a curious habit of mixing moments of the bizarre with alternate scenes of full-on excessive violence.
There's Lynda Day George (Mission: Impossible), her real life husband Christopher George (City of the Living Dead), Edmund Purdom (The Fifth Cord), Paul Smith (the sadistic warden from Midnight Express) and Jack Taylor (from a host of 70's Spanish low budget horror films).
It has the typical bad horror movie elements including the 3 B's (blood, boobs, and bad acting) and the last scene is completely obsurd and unexpected.
Forty years later, coeds at a Boston college are killed off by a psycho with a chainsaw so he can create a human jigsaw puzzle with female body parts.
Bad acting (what can you say about Lynda Day George's reaction to seeing a mutilated woman and screaming "Bastard!" three times?), directing, and editing kills this one.
i saw this movie as a kid and loved it i though it was great, but like i said i was young, well i own a copy of this movie the unrated version, and it sucks but you see that what makes the movie so good i could not stop laughing.
Agatha Christie fans wont be too satisfied with the whodunit aspect either, if you've got half a brain you'll guess the killer's identity in the first 20 minutes!But still like i said earlier it's not all bad, there's a lot of unintended laughs to be had, especially at the stereotypically sluttish female co-eds.
If you wanna see a sick movie where people get chainsawed by a masked killer, whom you'll probably guess his identity by the middle of the film, if not earlier, then this'll do it for you.
Like most horror films, it placing stereotypical characters (not to mention dumb girls) in ridiculous situations where they're asking to be killed.
Pieces has everything of a bad movie: unnecessary nudity, Violent acts performed with lewd gusto, Badly dubbed lines, and a pretty daft ending.
Years later the killer is loose making a puzzle of young girls body parts, one piece at a time!!
BASTARD!" dialogue, the scenes that were horribly, uh, pieced together most of which had nothing to do with the previous scene (I'm sorry, if you're headed straight towards a giant mirror, and you find yourself on a 'runaway' skateboard, never mind you really should know what to do), the characters gotta love the 'Bluto' gardener with the evil eye and laugh, police work so botched I can tell why the killer chose this easy-target campus and an action scene that's downright a highlight involving kung fu.
Even alone at home it's impossible not to howl as loud as possible.Made in Spain but set in New England (which perhaps may excuse the terrible dubbing), there's something resembling a plot line involving a series of murders on a Boston campus, though the movie's serious ADD makes sure no real story is told at all.
And the final revelation of who the killer is was predictable and there's a truly pathetic "shock" at the end.A very sick, nasty, stupid, dull horror film.
PIECES is worth watching for anyone who likes REALLY bad movies.
But the scene that sends this "horror" film into sheer "so bad it's good" nirvana is the "surprise" ending.
Like the best bad films, this one also delivers many unintentional laughs, or maybe they are intentional, who knows, its impossible to tell.Let's be honest, if you even had to read this review beyond "naked women , body parts being chainsawed off" before slamming the "PLAY" button this movie is probably not for you!.
Yes, Pieces packs more gore and strangeness into sixty records than most movies do in ninety minutes.Forty years later, a man in black opens a box that has the bloody clothing of Timmy's mom and a photograph of her.
Horror scripts move the plot between chainsaw trimmings.Actually, direction, pacing, lighting are pretty good and there are some very funny moments in the film, combined with horror shots.
The ending is really good as most reviewers have suggested.Pieces is really in the D'Argeno style of film making: bizarre, horrible and yet really, really inventive and original.
Nothing new here...some interesting chainsaw murders...but overall nothing to write home about.I bought the DVD cheaply (about 6.00), so this is entering public domain territory here.Try it if you want to remember the old days of slasher films..when the fake blood flowed and the dialogue was lousy and the plot development was razor thin :)I give it 4 stars out of 10 (an extra 2 stars for nostalgic reasons).Ronrego.
Full of cheap gore, naked ladies and nasty/degrading moments (the low point being a topless girl who urinates herself right before being sawed in half), the thin story involves a chainsaw killer hacking up women on an American college campus and taking body parts from each victim home for some reason.
*BASTARD*!!!!" after her tennis playing protégé gets hacked to pieces by a chainsaw.This movie definitely goes down as a classic in the horror genre.
Timeless!You also gotta love the scenes where the killer's gloved hand "presses" (more like FORCES) the jigsaw piece into the puzzle before he makes his next move.Too bad they never filmed a sequel to this movie...
Preces One Of The Most Notorious Slasher Movies Of The 80s, Filled With Some Of The Craziest Gory Death Scenes including The Opening Sequence Of a Young Boy Axing His Mother into Pieces That includes Her Head Cut Off, a Young Girl Trying To Her Homework on The Open Field Of The School's Campus And Getting Her Head Cut Off By a Chainsaw, And Another Young Girl Who Has Her Torso Cut in Half With Her Organs Hanging Out. When i Saw This Movie i Thought it Was One Crazy Slasher Film And i Liked it And To This Day is Has a Cult Following Fanbase..
Terrible voice acting, cinematography, gaffes and the most godawful ending in horror history - that back then when I first came to this film and watched that horrific scene - it utterly scarred me for life.
While the general gist of the plot doesn't stray too far from the countless splatter whodunnits released around the same time as Pieces, the clever overlaying premise and the generously graphic presentation of the killer's unique mission ensure that this film distances itself from many of its tepid peers and emerges as one of the most memorable offerings in the '80s slasher canon.The very first scene in the film features a young boy whose mother catches him the act of assembling a pornographic jigsaw puzzle, upon which he proceeds to cleave her skull with an axe and dismember her body with a saw.
While this is surely bad news for the mom, it bodes very well for gore fans, and lucky for us the film has plenty more nasty tidings in store.Fast forward to 40 years later, where we follow the trail of a shadowy killer who stalks a college campus and slays buxom co-eds before paring them down to size with his trusty chainsaw and leaving their scattered portions for the police to find.
Linda Day George is also delightful, and Pieces should be considered mandatory viewing for B-horror connoisseurs because of the contributions of those two beloved genre icons alone.The killer's reveal isn't particularly shocking (the "40 Years Later" sort of limits the number of viable suspects), but when the result of his psychotic handiwork is shown in all its ghoulish glory, the film ends on a sickening high note.
We have chainsaws chopping up women, axes to the head, dismembered body parts, and probably one of the best endings of a slasher film -- or any horror film -- to date.
It's well worth it.However, if you need some more convincing, then read on - Pieces is a ultra stupid hybrid of giallo and modern slasher movies (specifically those set on a college campus, like Graduation Day and Fatal Games)which has so many redeeming qualities that it's earned a special place in my collection.
Cigar chomping Christopher George and Linda Day are on hand to discover who is responsible for the carnage.Pieces has it all: random insanity (the kung fu attack, the girl skateboarding through a mirror, the utterly brain damaging ending), bad acting (Paul Smith's gurning, Linda Day's Oscar winning 'bastaaaaaaard' speech), contrived giallo set pieces (and the gathering of all the suspects in a crowd on a stormy night), nudity, and loads of gore.A film to be taken not with a pinch of salt, but with a full box of SAXA..
Well...not good but entertaining for us slasher fans, who are the only ones checking the film out anyway.Going into the story here...well heck if I know, this is all so stupid there's no point.
Apparently, this is a Spanish film posing as an American one, complete with ridiculous dubbing.As for acting; Christopher George is always a likable performer but he, along with everyone else, comes off bad due to horrible writing, idiotic character behaviors and really f***** up dubbing.In short; Tension: 0.
A psychotic killer is stalking a college campus hacking up girls with a chainsaw so that he can complete a "jigsaw" puzzle out of the pieces.
Pieces delivers with bad acting/dubbing, outrageous set design/continuity goofs, gratuitous nudity, and some of the goriest kills I've seen in any horror film.
For the very same reasons, I happily give this film an 8/10: non-stop graphic gore (severed limbs and arterial spray galore), frequent nudity from a bevy of pretty girls, and the occasional moment of complete and utter randomness make this film an absolute blast.Simon opens his masterpiece of trash with a brilliantly brutal and bloody prologue in which a young boy axes his mother to death for ruining his jigsaw puzzle (of a nude woman).
Detective Lt. Bracken (Christopher George) is given the task of solving the case, but it is a professional tennis player turned undercover cop (Lynda Day George) and the plucky young boyfriend of one of the victims who risk life and limbs to discover the identity of the murderer (which I guessed almost immediately).Written by infamous Italian sleaze director Joe D'amato and schlock producer Dick Randall, the plot for Pieces makes little sense and the script contains several priceless snippets of absolutely dire dialogue: in one scene the killer hides his chainsaw from his next victim behind his back; another features a completely pointless martial arts scene; and a final 'shock' before the end credits is totally bonkers.
This film is one of those movies that s so awful, so nauseatingly bad that it makes it an absolute MUST see!
Little of this film makes any real sense.For example: Why would a boy kill his mother simply because she got mad at him putting together a nudie girl puzzle?
Evidently they even let him keep it until he grew up into a chainsaw murderer that still puts the same freaking puzzle together.Cut to however many years later, and the story turns to focus on a college campus in which people have been getting chain-sawed to death.
So anyway, what amazes me is that sound films had been around for a good five decades by the time this thing came out, and yet dubbing was still so bad that I can't quite figure out why they did it in the first place.
It makes the film feel like half a movie.The end is pointless and makes no sense, but can you really blame Joe D'Amato? |
tt0087365 | Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes | Scotland, 1885. The young John Clayton of the house of Greystoke (Paul Geoffrey) plans a voyage to Africa, to one of the colonies near the coast, along with his pregnant wife, Alice (Cheryl Campbell). John bids farewell to his father, the Sixth Earl of Greystoke (Ralph Richardson).Months later, off the coast of Equatorial West Africa, we see the remnants of a shipwreck, the very one chartered by Clayton. He and his wife have survived the wreck, but are now marooned in the jungle. They set up a house in the trees using timber and decking from the ship. Alice soon gives birth to their baby, a son named Jonathan Jr., but develops a severe fever soon after. During her sickness, Clayton writes in his journal of the difficulties in caring for his ill wife and their baby. Alice's breast milk becomes virulent and she deteriorates further. One day, Clayton checks on his wife to find her dead. As he weeps over her body, a large primate called White Eyes, leader of a nearby clan of apes, enters the home. Petrified, Clayton lunges for his gun but is quickly overtaken by the ape and killed when the ape charges him and beats him to death. Several other apes from the clan enter the house and begin to curiously inspect the house. A female named Kala, mate of the ape Silverbeard, enters the home carrying the body of her recently deceased baby. When she discovers John Jr. crying in his crib, she drops her baby's lifeless body and claims John as her own. She flees the house with the rest of the apes as one of them accidentally discharges Clayton's revolver while examining it.John (at age five Danny Potts) grows, brought up as an ape with the assumed name of Tarzan, but falls under constant persecution from White Eyes, who considers him an outsider because of his hairless skin. Despite trying hard to fit in, Tarzan's human attributes prove beneficial to him. Sipping water from a stream with a peer, Droopy Ears, Tarzan is forced into the water when the two are attacked by a leopard. Tarzan's friend is killed but he finds that he has the ability to swim to safety, whereas the apes would have normally stayed out of the water.Later (at age 12 Eric Langlois), Tarzan eventually discovers the home his human mother and father built. He finds his mother's locket which contains pictures of the Claytons, though Tarzan does not recognize them. He also finds his father's dagger and finds that it can be used as a weapon. He fashions a belt for himself and carries the dagger with him. While foraging for food, Kala is attacked and shot with arrows by a native hunting tribe. Tarzan rushes to her rescue and tries to fight off the attackers. One of the hunters, wielding a spear, lunges at Tarzan who dodges the point as it hits his already dying mother. The blow finishes Kala and Tarzan, in a rage, breaks the man's back over his shoulder. As he crouches over Kala's body, Tarzan begins to moan and scream, a mournful sound heard by the rest of the hunters.Many years later another hunting party, this time English, enters the jungle near Tarzan's home. The party is led by the vicious Major Jack Downing (Nigel Davenport), a game hunter who's been charged with bringing primates back to Britain, alive or dead, to be studied or stuffed for museum displays. Among the party are Capitaine Phillippe d'Arnot (Ian Holm) and Sir Evelyn Bount (John Wells), both contemptuous of Downing's sadism. They find the Clayton home and set up camp but are later attacked by a native tribe. Downing is killed immediately along with most of the guides. D'Arnot is wounded when an arrow pierces his lower abdomen. He manages to escape the fray but is followed by a few natives. He loses them as he hides in a large tree and, shortly after pulling the arrow from his body, is found by an adult Tarzan (Christopher Lambert) and a few apes.Tarzan brings d'Arnot to the ape camp and tends to his wounds, much to White Eyes' disapproval. Tarzan also fends off the curiosity of his fellow apes while d'Arnot recovers. During this time he discovers that Tarzan is a talented mimic who can imitate most of the animals in the jungle along with d'Arnot's mumblings. One day, Tarzan begins to hum the same tune d'Arnot does. When d'Arnot finds that Tarzan has the ability to speak, he is delighted and teaches Tarzan rudimentary English. Tarzan shows d'Arnot the locket and takes him to the Clayton home where he found it. There, d'Arnot discovers Tarzan's ancestry from John Sr.'s journal and resolves to bring Tarzan (whom d'Arnot now calls "Jean"; the French pronunciation of "John") home to his family in England.However, Tarzan's first priority is to gain leadership of the ape tribe. Having been persecuted by White Eyes his entire life, Tarzan challenges the older ape to a showdown. The two engage in a vicious fight that continues through the jungle while d'Arnot and the other apes look on. Tarzan and White Eyes fall into a large pool and disappear under water. White Eyes appears at the surface revealing a large stab wound in his body. Tarzan emerges from the water victorious and is respectfully greeted by the other apes as their leader.D'Arnot continues to educate Tarzan, though he is met with resistance at first. Tarzan finds it difficult to easily discard his ape upbringing. Eventually, d'Arnot decides that John is civilized enough to return to the world & takes him out to a small settlement on the edge of the jungle where they make their way, by boat, back to England.Upon their return, John is brought to the home of his grandfather, the Sixth Earl of Greystoke, who is deteriorating a bit from age and exhibits some eccentric behavior, presumably from the loss of his son and daughter-in-law. Lord Greystoke welcomes his grandson, though sometimes forgetting that he is not his son returned. John meets Lord Greystoke's young ward, Jane Porter (Andie MacDowell), who is visiting from America and is engaged to another man. Finding it difficult to be seen as anything but a novelty in a social sense, and with his behavior seen as threatening and savage, John falls into a depression. His mood is lifted slightly when he befriends a mentally disabled worker on the Greystoke estate and, while in his company, is able to relax and act naturally.Jane takes it upon herself to teach John more English, French, and social skills such as table manners and dancing. The two become very close and develop feelings for one another, making love one evening in secret. Eventually, Jane leaves her fiance with the intent to marry John.During a large ball honoring John's return to the family, Lord Greystoke sneaks away from the crowd, appearing to enjoy a renewed vigor at the return of his grandson. Reminiscing of a childhood game he used to play, he uses a silver tray as a toboggan and slides down the grand staircase, only to crash into the railing at the bottom. John discovers him and holds his grandfather as he dies in his arms, apparently of a head injury. John reacts similarly as he did to Kala's death, devastated and confused by the loss and frustrated with his displacement in society.John is later on hand to cut the ribbon for a new wing at the Natural History Museum -- his grandfather was the chief benefactor. Bothered by the exhibits of preserved animals, John sneaks away into an alley and comes across an institute for the study of primates next to the museum. When he enters the lab he discovers, to his horror, several small monkeys and a gorilla that have been dissected. Several other primates are kept alive in cages, the largest of which contains an ape who John immediately recognizes as his adoptive father, Silverbeard. John frees him and the other primates and escapes. At the museum, Jane, d'Arnot, and Blount are informed by the police that John is running through the streets with an ape. John runs to a park where he and Silverbeard climb a tree as they are surrounded by police and a crowd. When Jane, d'Arnot, and Blount arrive, Blount gives the word to a rifleman who fatally shoots Silverbeard. John becomes enraged and sad, yelling that the ape was his father from Africa.That night, everyone discusses what is to be done with the distraught John. Jane and d'Arnot agree that he should be sent back to Africa. Because of the dual nature in his mind, he cannot adapt to life in the civilized world. Blount disagrees, stating that John is the last surviving member of the Greystoke family and that the legacy must be secured for the future. Suddenly, they hear John screaming and see him driving a team of horses around the circle outside. When he comes in, covered in mud, Blount assertively tells him that he must resume his life as a Scot Lord. John growls and forces Blount into a chair. He presses a hand to Blount's chest and tells him, "One half of me is Greystoke. The other half is wild!"John is taken back to Africa. At the waterfall in his former territory, he quickly meets another gorilla and runs off into the rainforest, while Jane and d'Arnot watch him leave. | comedy, murder, cult, violence, romantic, tragedy, revenge | train | imdb | null |
tt0063452 | The Power | Dr. Jim Tanner has always been an expert on human endurance. As the film opens, he is the chairman of a committee of scientists, based at the laboratory of the Space Research Commission in San Marino, CA, tasked to find the limits of human endurance, and those factors that could best enable a human being, say a prospective space pilot, to survive extreme stress and to make instant decisions that could save his life in an emergency. But never before has Tanner found himself pushed to the limits of his own endurance.On a day like any other, Mr. Arthur Nordlund, US Naval liaison, visits his laboratory and observes some of Tanner's work, as four test subjects are undergoing endurance tests of direct neural stimulation, immersion in freezing-cold water, extreme heat, and high acceleration in a centrifuge. Though impressed, Nordlund is skeptical of the expense, though Tanner seeks to assure him that the work is necessary to the continued viability of the US space program. Biologist Talbot Scott interrupts Tanner, asks to talk with him privately, and warns him that another of their colleagues, anthropologist Henry Hallston, is scheduled to present his report on his human-intelligence survey, and is somehow convinced that all the committee members are "being watched." Scott is afraid that Hallston will embarrass the Committee in front of Nordlund, who is scheduled to attend.Tanner cannot put off Nordlund, so when the Committee sits, Tanner tries to put off Hallston instead. But Hallston will not be put off. His survey, in which the Committee members participated, reveals that one member--unidentified because the questionnaires were coded--is an unmeasurable genius, so much so that his genius might reward him with preternatural powers that others would be helpless to resist. The other members are openly skeptical, and Tanner despairs of the impression that Hallston is making in front of Nordlund, but Nordlund wants to hear more--and the laboratory's chief administrator, Norman E. Van Zandt, insists on allowing Hallston to have his say, if only to falsify his seemingly outrageous theories. But when physicist Carl Melniker sets up a test of telekinesis by placing a sheet of notepaper on an improvised spindle, and Hallston insists that everyone in the room try together to make the paper spin without touching it, the incredible happens: the paper does spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster.Tanner is inclined to ignore the whole thing, but his colleague and paramour, geneticist Margery Lansing, is not so sure. She asserts that such a genius could be born today. Then the telephone interrupts them, and at the other end is a frantic Sally Hallston who tells Tanner that her husband had gone to the lab to pick up his questionnaires and had not returned home.(In fact, Hallston has gone to his office, but never made it out. Someone--presumably the unidentified genius--has impressed on Hallston's mind that the knee-level swinging door has become a gate taller than he, and then a solid wall. After that, Hallston has suffered a heart attack and collapsed at his desk.)Reluctantly, Tanner drives back to the lab, with Marge in tow. Together they look over Hallston's office, which is unusual in appearance except for some signs that someone has fallen over the desk and spilled some papers. Among the papers, Tanner finds a memo sheet with the name "Adam Hart" scrawled on it. As he is trying to figure out who that person might be, they overhear the centrifuge starting up. Tanner and Marge rush to the centrifuge control room but cannot stop the centrifuge. Tanner rushes down the hallway to pull the main switch, and together he and Marge wait for the centrifuge to stop, and then open it. There they find Hallston, dead, his eyes and tongue still protruding from the high-acceleration forces he has suffered.The next day, a police detective oversees the removal of Hallston's body and interviews Tanner. That is when things begin to go seriously wrong for Tanner. First, the centrifuge's controls now work properly, contrary to Tanner's story (and experience). Then, the detective and Dr. Van Zandt both accuse Tanner of academic fraud, after Tanner's degree-granting colleges and graduate schools disavow any memory of his having ever enrolled, much less graduated. Then Talbot Scott abruptly refuses to have anything to say to Tanner, this although they had had a friendly conversation only five minutes before. Forced to resign his position, Tanner leaves the laboratory, but not before the detective hints to him that he is now a "person of interest" in what is now a murder investigation.Unable to figure out what to do next, Tanner wanders aimlessly in the tourist section of San Marino, only to have more weird experiences. A water-dipping bird on display abruptly straightens up, winks at him, then drinks from the water glass and spits at him. In another display window, a company of toy soldiers march smartly into formation, unlimber their muskets, aim at him, and fire! Then he tries to cross the street, but the pedestrian-traffic signal changes its message from DON'T WALK to DON'T RUN. He runs from the intersection and into a fun house, where he finds himself on an empty carousel (with a horse that winks at him) that begins to spin as fast as the centrifuge, and the carousel operator has to pull a main switch of his own to stop it and get Tanner off.By now, Tanner has had it. He realizes that someone who was at that Committee meeting has set him up. That person, presumably the mysterious Adam Hart, first murdered Hallston, then framed Tanner with the murder, somehow erased Tanner's academic record, and just now tried to kill him--but for a reason that escapes Tanner, failed. Tanner does not want to wait for another murder attempt, but decides to track Adam Hart down himself.He goes to Joshua Flats, CA, Hallston's hometown, and starts asking questions about Hart, first of a local cafe waitress (who seems unusually romantically interested in Tanner, a thing that also happened to him in the tourist section, but to which he paid no attention), and then of Hallston's parents. The witnesses variously describe Hart, who had been Hallston's schoolmate, as a genius and a sexual magnet. Then the local fill-up station operator offers to take Tanner to Hart's old hangout--but instead dumps Tanner in the middle of the desert next to an Air Force firing range. Tanner is nearly killed again when a squadron of Air Force jets starts strafing the range. He escapes only because he has the presence of mind to light a fire in the brush on the range, prompting the pilots to break off. Furious, he returns to the fill-up station, bursts into the operator's bedroom, and interrogates the operator, who confesses that Adam Hart gave him a standing order ten years earlier to kill any person who dared make inquiries about him. That this operator would blindly obey such a dangerous order after all these years only convinces Tanner further that he is dealing with an assassin with the very preternatural abilities that Hallston most feared. Now he knows the reason for Hallston's attitude: Hallston, having grown up with Hart, had felt instinctively that Hart was a very dangerous person. But Hallston is dead, and Tanner is now Hart's target.Tanner next goes to see Hallston's widow, who is no help. She now doesn't remember the name Adam Hart (though she had said that Hallston had mentioned him once), doesn't remember what her late husband looked like, and doesn't even remember Tanner, though for some weird reason she also seems romantically interested in him, though Tanner puts that down to her being drunk. Next he goes to the home of Margery Lansing, but is violently attacked by Carl Melniker, who earlier has invaded Marge's home, bound her, and lain in wait for Tanner, thinking him to be the unknown genius who had killed Hallston. Tanner manages to subdue Melniker long enough to convince him that he means him no harm, and unbinds Marge. The three scientists then try to have a rational discussion about what they're facing, and how to combat it--or survive it. The three decide that for now they don't dare fall asleep, so they drive to a hotel in nearby Santa Lisa, that his hosting a salesmen's convention, and in effect, crash the party. While there, Tanner sees a newspaper with several copies bearing a partial headline: DON'T RUN! This turns out to be part of a legitimate headline--but why the newspaper would run a banner headline about the city's mayor telling an opposing candidate not to run against him seems most strange. Later, despite their best efforts, Melniker winds up dead, and Tanner and Marge have to flee.Tanner and Marge next drive to the apartment complex where Arthur Nordlund lives. As they drive into the parking garage, they notice Nordlund abruptly suffering an apparent heart attack and then stumbling into an elevator. The elevator starts to go up, then starts back down, then gets stuck between floors. Tanner climbs to the top floor, enters the elevator shaft, and tries to climb down to the elevator by rapelling down the cable--but then the elevator starts to go up, threatening to crush Tanner. Tanner quickly lets himself down to the elevator cab, opens the trap door, enters the cab, and finds Nordlund, who is near death.Now that Hallston and Melniker are dead, Nordlund seems to have been attacked himself, and Tanner trusts Marge implicitly, Tanner now narrows his list of suspects to Van Zandt and Scott. Nordlund, who has now joined their group, urges a homicidal counterstrike against the unknown genius, but Tanner does not wish to kill a man indiscriminately, not without knowing which man is the right man. Tanner then visits Van Zandt's home, but succeeds only in speaking to Mrs. Van Zandt before realizing that Dr.Van Zandt suspects Tanner of murder. Then Tanner barely escapes alive when someone (not Norman Van Zandt) tries to run him down. He drives away, only to find himself in an out-of-control car with brakes that don't hold. He splashes into a river and escapes by unfastening the car's convertible top, and then is picked up by police. They take him to a hospital, where the detective first tells him that he is under arrest--for the murders of Dr. and Mrs. Van Zandt, who have died when their house burned down shortly after his visit to it. The detective also informs him that Nordlund has disappeared.Then comes word that Talbot Scott has locked himself in the auditorium at the laboratory, is armed, and has demanded to see Tanner. Tanner insists that he can talk to Scott and reason with him, and reluctantly the detective lets Tanner go to the laboratory. There he listens incredulously as Scott babbles disconnectedly about Tanner being the genius, and Scott's willingness to serve Tanner however he wishes if only Tanner will not kill him. In the end, the out-of-control Scott dies in a gun battle with police.At last Tanner realizes who is responsible for his set-up and the murders of his colleagues: Arthur Nordlund, otherwise known as Adam Hart. Instead of running, Tanner walks the corridor and looks at some notes that someone had left, concerning the effect of intense pain on the heart. Marge then reveals herself, telling Tanner that she is glad that he has stopped running and will now stand and fight--because she, too, realizes that Nordlund is responsible.Tanner confronts Nordlund directly in the corridor of the laboratory. Nordlund then unleashes his full telepathic fury against Tanner, seeking to hypnotize him into believing himself plunged into freezing cold, then searing heat, and finally into the unforgiving void of outer space. Somehow Tanner survives, though he physically collapses--but does not black out. Now he knows why Nordlund/Hart wanted him dead: there are in fact not one genius, but two: Adam Hart and himself! Now he fights back directly, and kills Nordlund by telekinetically squeezing his heart and holding it compressed.Marge tells Tanner, in wonderment, that she ought to have suspected earlier: Adam Hart would never have revealed himself by making the paper spin at the original meeting, and everyone else (except Van Zandt) had tried individually to spin the paper and failed, so therefore Tanner had been the genius all along. Nordlund had tried to kill Tanner after deciding that the world wasn't big enough for two such geniuses, and had eliminated his colleagues to dispose of all possible witnesses (except for Marge, perhaps because he hadn't had a chance to eliminate her yet). Now that Tanner realizes the kind of genius that he is, he and Marge leave the laboratory, with Tanner speculating idly on whether his newfound power will corrupt him--and unable to answer his own question. | murder | train | imdb | null |
tt0099878 | Jetsons: The Movie | The company "Spacely Sprockets and Spindles" is in dire trouble. Their latest project, dubbed the 'Orbiting Ore Asteroid,' has had numerous technical setbacks, doing only 3 days of work in over 6 months. To make matters worse, the vice-president in charge of operations, Alexander Throttle-bottom, has run off, making this the fourth vice-president that the operation has lost. Matters are further compounded when the site's assistant refuses to press the start button to activate the factory, or accept Spacely's offer for a promotion or raise.Using his secretarial computer, Spacely pegs George Jetson to be the new vice-president, sending George home to pack and tell his family. However, the news is met with with sadness, as the move will interfere with Jane's recycling program, Elroy's spaceball tournament, and Judy's date with rock star Cosmic Cosmo.Even so, the family manages to come together (with the exception of Judy who is sad about her missed date), and the family arrives at the 'Orbiting Ore Asteroid,' which not only houses the factory, but a shopping center and housing complex. The Jetsons meet their new neighbors, including Lucy-2, whose husband Rudy-2 works at the factory, and son Teddy-2 plays on the local spaceball team. They also meet the Furbolo family, including their mischievous daughter, Fergie.The next day, George arrives at work and meets Rudy-2. Rudy verses George on the factory equipment, and they prepare for the official start-up of the factory. Meanwhile, Jane and Judy go shopping with Lucy-2. Still feeling depressed, Judy goes off on her own, and meets a boy named Apollo Blue, whom she quickly develops a crush on.Later on that day, everyone turns out for the re-opening of the plant, with George activating the controls. However, the machine malfunctions again, irritating Spacely. Shortly thereafter, Rudy-2 reveals to George about previous technical issues with the plant, and cautions that it may be safer if George were to go home. George refuses, not wanting to give up on being vice-president. The next day, repairs appear to be made but the factory again malfunctions. Spacely blames George for the technical glitches, and leaves Earth to check on the factory.After inspecting the factory again, Rudy-2 reveals that the incidents do not appear to be accidents, but 'warnings' to shut down the plant. Rudy then explains about the factory's troubles, and of the 4 previous vice-presidents. George decides to stay overnight at the plant, and figure out just what is happening.Elroy and Teddy-2 sneak off to follow him. However, when their disappearance is found out, Jane asks Judy and Apollo Blue to try and find them. Judy and Apollo find both Elroy and Teddy-2 at the plant, along with Fergie, who tagged along. They also find a strange little creature, whose species Fergie identifies as a Grungee. The Grungee leads them into the core of the asteroid, where it is revealed why the factory keeps being sabotaged: The factory's enormous drill is destroying the Grungee's habitat in the base of the asteroid. The Grungees have been making the plant malfunction to keep their homes from being destroyed.Jane and Astro soon make their way into the factory, along with Rudy-2. Rudy stays in the factory, as Jane and Astro go below. Soon afterwards, they all find George, who had been bound and gagged by the Grungees. George has no idea why this has happened to him, untill Jane and the others explain.Shortly after this revelation, Mr Spacely arrives, and against Rudy-2's protestations, reactivates the drill, almost killing Elroy when it's actions cause a large amount of rock to collapse. The other Grungees manage to help him, and they all head top-side. After Mr Spacely refuses to stop the drill, George manage to make the system malfunction. When Spacely demands an explanation, George explains about the Grungees, and Spacely is soon found to have ignored reports that the asteroid was inhabited.A deal is made by which the Grungees operate the plant, but instead of drilling for ore, they recycle older sprockets to make new ones. Spacely then decides to give George his old job back on Earth. The family says goodbye to their new friends, and head for home. | romantic | train | imdb | This movie with it's flaws made it great!
The message of the movie is that family comes first!
A Good Movie Based On The Classic Cartoon Series.
I've been watching Jetsons The Movie for many years.
Out of all the movies that were based on Hanna-Barbera cartoons, I have to say that is one of the better ones.
While it's not without it's problems/flaws, it's better than some of the animated films that are coming out today.
I love both the original Jetsons cartoon series and the movie.
If it wasn't for the film, I wouldn't be The Jetsons fan that I am today.
I even loved the new characters like Judy's boyfriend, Apollo Blue, the Grungrees and the Robot Family.
The voice acting was good too and I even have to admit that Tiffany did a good job voicing Judy.
I don't hate Judy's subplot but I wish it was done a little better.One of the things that the film did right was give The Jetsons friends.
Plus I wish that the film was longer so that The Jetsons could interact with their new friends/neighbors a bit longer and expand upon their new friendships (like Judy spending more time with Apollo and getting to know him better).
I still love this film even though it has it's problems and flaws.
The film does stay true to the original television series and like the television series, the film does have it's warm and loving moments.
It's a good film for the entire family and if you are an animation fan, I would give this a watch.
Plus I do know the story behind this film and how Judy's original voice actress Janet Waldo was replaced by Tiffany.
While I said that I thought that Tiffany did a good job voicing Judy, I have to be fair to Janet Waldo since she voiced Judy for a long time and really loved doing The Jetsons.
She was very hurt and heartbroken over the decision that Universal Studios made to replace her with Tiffany and I felt really sorry for her and half of me is mad at Universal for making that decision but I don't hate Tiffany or her performance as Judy Jetson.
To be honest, I love both Janet Waldo and Tiffany as Judy Jetson.
But one thing is for sure, Janet Waldo will always be Judy Jetson..
This was one of my favorite cartoons in my childhood, and i must say i first watched movie and then TV show, i see many negative comments about this movie, why so many hate, okay it is more commercial than TV show, but i really enjoyed this one as a child, and i am enjoying it now as an adult, it is very positive movie and great finish for whole Jetsons serial.
Only negative minus is maybe the voice acting of singer Tiffany as Judy, her voice just don't fit with Judy, that was a big minus and yes also i didn't like her space boyfriend, he looks like some alien/elf version of Peter Pan. But other things are great, i really love music you can really feel the mix between 80's and 90's decade, and the whole style of the movie is like that.
I will definitely love this movie and TV show and this memorable characters to the end of my life, and i hope i will play this to my children, to became better people in this dark world..
I finally did a few late nights/early mornings ago, after spending some time tracking down a copy of streaming video available for it that wasn't pay per view/on demand or recorded with a camcorder or I-Pod/I-Touch (as I found for a couple of copies on Youtube, each with a different, aforementioned problem with it as I just described).
The first thing that comes to mind and what I must mention is the crisper 2D animation as well as the CGI for some of the background scenes.
I love how the art style of the former is such an upgrade from that of the 1960s episodes (the animation in the '80s episodes may have also been an improvement a little at least, if not as much as in this), so that's a nice plus.
I know that the one notable beef that most would have with the movie is the fact that Judy Jetson's original voice actress, Janet Waldo, was replaced with the former teen pop singer Tiffany.
I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think I'd have to hear audio of Janet and Tiffany's takes on Judy's voice played back-to-back, since now I think they're nearly the same.
What else I love about this movie is the side plots, like the Jetsons meeting their new neighbors, the 2s and the Furbelows, and the eventual alliance between Elroy Jetson and Teddy 2.
I love the new characters introduced here and it'd be great if more could've been done with them somehow.
Another first and only (other than the film itself) is that, yes, George Jetson does stand up to his boss, Mr. Spacely, for a change at last, when he finds the destruction the machines making the sprockets in the factory over the asteroid are doing to the Grungees' homes and that helping to protect them is what's more important in the end.
I also learned that the subject of enviromentalism was taken on for this because it was one of the things that were heavily focused on and popular at the time (a couple of other animated media concerning this, Captain Plant and the Planeteers and Widget the World Watcher, come to mind).
Let me tell you, when I was a little girl, I HATED "The Jetsons" (even though they were re-runs put on tv like most old tv shows are now these days).
However, when I was at a slumber party one of my childhood friends was throwing for her birthday, they rented "Jetsons: The Movie", and from what I heard from one of the girls was that the movie was good.
Former teenage sensation, Tiffany, updated Judy Jetson to the 1990's, and I loved most of the songs that were in this movie!
I found this movie really interesting and I loved it!
It's a great idea to bring this movie into the 1990's since the show is from the 1960's (or somewhat around that time?) and obviously, the actual show is quite corny if you ask me.I really liked "Jetsons: The Movie".
JETSONS: THE MOVIE, in my opinion, is an excellent film adaptation of a classic TV show with appealing performances.
Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that everyone involved in this film did a very good job.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent film adaptation of a classic TV show with appealing performances to any fan who hasn't seen it.
You're in for a good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it..
My family bought the video one Christmas as a gift for my dad, who has been a Jetsons fan for years.
Our whole family enjoyed the Jetsons Movie.
Tiffany plays the voice of Judy and sings some really nice songs.
Besides, this film is the Jetsons!
*****,a perfect 5 stars,the movie based on the infamous space age family does something most TV-show based films fail to do..
One of the biggest reasons why I gave this film a ***** star rating is because it does something no other TV-show based movie has done a perfect flawless unerring(perfect) translation of the classic TV animated series(I certainly have no problem with artistic license WHATSOEVER!
but still its kinda nice on how they do a fully accurate translation for once) & besides the movie has a good story which wouldn't disappoint hard-core jetson fans(although I'll tell you know I'm not a jetson fan I liked the show & the movie did perfect justice to a good series) & it has beautiful CGI & great music(especially the jetsons rap) so all in all this is perfection for any Jetsons fan & even if you're not a jetsons fan (like myself) this film whould give ya fun time anyways,BYE!.
A Great classic that everyone will love!.
The jetsons movie is a movie that all kids will love!
Speaking of Tiffany, she was brought in to play Judy Jetson and replace Janet Waldo, the original Judy.
I loved the Jetson family as I grew up.
I wanted to see the movie, but I wish that Janet Waldo could have stayed as Judy.
George Jetson is forced to uproot his family when Mr. Spacely promotes him to take charge of a new factory on a distant planet.I can't say this is a great movie, but I guess it's not terrible, either.
The message is a bit heavy-handed and may not appeal to everyone, as it exaggerates the idea of conservation.The creators also seem like they really wanted to build the film around Tiffany / Judy, including a music video that was apparently illustrated by different artists.
Jetsons: The Movie is NOT really the WORST animated film anyone has ever seen, and it's not as bad as ANY movie with Adam Sandler in it, but it's still bland, lazy, generic, boring, and very unfunny.
I feel bad for Judy Jetson, because I can tell that in this movie, she is not the cutest blonde teenage girl in Orbit City that we all grew up with and had a crush on throughout our childhood.
Tiffany is a good singer, but as the voice of Judy, she's dreadful.
I don't mind a replacement actress for Judy Jetson, it just isn't supposed to be winy.
Jetsons: The Movie sucks.
The only thing I mostly like in this movie is the animation, which is shockingly the best part of the whole movie.
Giving the Jetsons a movie of their own for theaters was a great idea, it just never worked..
Tiffany's voice for Judy Jetson is super-super cute, she makes me wanna fall in love with Judy, and what makes this Picture so interesting, is that it's A UNIVERSAL PICTURE.
I like this movie because of the soundtrack and the adventure.
"Maybe Love" is one of my three favorite songs in the movie (my other two favorite songs are "Stayin' Together" and "You and Me") all the songs in this movie seem to have an uplifting beat and I like to sing along to them.
I also like to watch all of the adventures that the Jetsons encounter when they move to their new home.
Unfortunately for spacely in the end he ends up looking like a bad guy because he did not care if he was destroying the grungies universe, all he cared about was getting his one million sprockets.
After Judy's heart was broken over Cosmic Cosmo going out with one of her friends (when he was supposed to date her) Judy found a new boyfriend (Apollo Blue, who was also a musician like Cosmic Cosmo) at her new home.
The ending was extremely sad in my opinion, when the Jetsons had to return to their original home.
Although a Hanna-Barbera production, it takes a kind of Disney "musical" approach with animated song sequences - but with contemporary (for the time) production with the likes of Tiffany and others providing power ballads, pop-rock, swingin' beats and cheesy rap.The animation is perfect.
The colors are magnificent (e.g. during Judy's song sequence at the new mall).
There was an era when CGI complemented cel animation rather than dominating it, and Jetsons: The Movie fits into that happy medium.
(However there's probably nothing the marketing team could have done to say it was more a "kid's movie" than a "family movie".) I think the film should have focused itself more as a audiovisual feast and perhaps added just one more song.
Typical Jetson Family Antics with One Eye Popping Psychedelic Song.
Despite the Fact that the "Hanna-Barbera" Animation Studios Scored with Prime Time Hits like "The Flintstones" and had a Gaggle of other Characters become Household Names like "The Jetsons", "Huckleberry Hound", "Yogi Bear", and others, They will Forever be given a Dishonorable Mention as the Studio that Killed "Full Animation" Glory.The "Fleischer" Studio (creators of Popeye and Betty Boop), "Warner Brothers" (Bugs, Daffy, etc.), had Made Wonderful Fully Animated Cartoons for Decades, but when Sixties Television Came along "Art" was No Longer the First Concern, it was, You Guessed it, Economy.
Quicky, Cheap, Superficial Non-Art."The Jetsons" and the Rest of the Studio Lineup did have a Modicum of Charm and Except for the Aforementioned "Jay Ward" Studios, It was All there was for Kids and Grownup Kids at the Time on the Tube (new productions).
This Feature Length Movie was made Thirty Years After the Fact and is an OK Time Waster for Fans of "The Jetsons" Family.
The Most Controversy for Fans was Replacing Janet Waldo as the Voice of "Judy Jetson" with Pop Star "Tiffany".
I was so eager to see this one of my favorite TV shows.I saw Universal trademark followed with a newly acquainted title and theme song which still impress me.Computer animation on some scenery like a solid title name"The Jetsons" or a dimension view of a spaceship approaching an amusement park and more made this version splendid and fantastic.Shortly after that till the end...I couldn't believe my eyes!!!!How lucky I was that I could forget all I had seen.Just songs by Tiffany and its theme song in new arrangement were in my head.Anyway,I wish to see this space-aged family (also The Flintstones and Yogi Bear) in all graphic computer design as Toy story or Bug's life.The best style for Hanna-Barbera's in my opinion..
Spacely Sprockets and Spindles' new asteroid mining colony is being sabotaged.
After the latest VP for the plant goes missing after three others, Cosmo Spacely sends Geroge Jetson and his family to the colony as the new head of the plant.
George's job is to push the start button.The Jetsons are a bit before my time.
Since it's the Jetsons' first big screen film, Hanna-Barbera had to work hard to bring something fresh and original to their space-age series, right?
So the day begins with George heading off to his job, and getting caught in traffic.
Yes, Throttlebottom was the 4th vice president to run off the job at the asteroid, so Spacely needed a new man.
Right, when he had no other viable choice, he goes with his man Friday, and every other day of the week, George Jetson.
George comes home to tell the family that they have to drop all immediate plans because they're moving out to the asteroid.
They all fly off into space, eventually getting to where the ore asteroid is located as well as their new home: Intergalactic Garden Estates.
They meet their happening new neighbors, the big blue fur covered Furbelows...and sadly, we won't be seeing them again for the rest of the movie; VP George Jetson heads off to the plant the next morning, finally getting to be his own boss.
The plant's supervisor, robot Rudy 2, gives George the breakdown on operations, in a catchy song.Elroy joins a new basketball team and instantly meets his match in Teddy 2 who is a well known cheater.
Seriously, they collaborate on a really awesome rock song and a music video you'd never expect in a Hanna-Barbera cartoon; Opening day of the plant begins.
Well sir, Mr. Spacely is none too pleased about this and heads out to the asteroid on a really cheap flight; George decides to work late one night to catch the saboteurs, when he gets captured.
Meanwhile, Jane notices her son is gone and has no problem interrupting Judy's date to ask if Elroy were with them...Stupid question.
George is discovered bound and gagged, so before untying him, Jane decides it's finally time for him to fess up on how much he REALLY thinks about his family.
So they all go topside and George finally finds the guts to stand up to his evil little boss, and then each family member as well as Apollo preach to him about what he's doing to the environment...of the Grungies.
Spacely reluctantly makes them partners, they recycle old sprockets, so no more digging, all is well, but now George isn't needed there so the family has to move back.
Why didn't they call it The Jetsons Movie?
I guess Jetsons: The Movie sounded cooler.
It's just recycled plot lines from the TV series, and the voice acting is horrible, mainly due to Tiffany taking over Judy.
She was awful, and now Judy says things like "outergalactical".
This was probably the final word on The Jetsons and they STILL didn't give Judy much development.
Jetsons: The Movie could have been better.
It's better than practically anything animated coming out today..
Tiffany did an awesome job with her songs, as well as her overall performance as Judy.
"Ri Ruv Ru Reorge!" My favorite song was the finale, "Home" by Tiffany.
Jetsons: The Movie (1990): Dir: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera / Voices: George O'Hanlon, Penny Singleton, Patrick Zimmerman, Tiffany, Mel Blanc: From the company that had tremendous success with The Flintstones, which dealt with a stone age family, comes a futuristic family.
The Jetsons is headed by George who struggles to gain approval from his greedy boss Mr. Spacely.
He is late for work again but is surprisingly promoted to vice president of Spacely Sprockets and has to move to another location to "press the button" at the plant there.
George Jetson gets caught up in the job and neglects what is important, like his family.
This is the final film for George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc who passed away and left a legacy.
For those who enjoyed the classic cartoon will likely engage in this space age hocus. |
tt2855648 | Madras Cafe | The plot opens in Jaffna, where a bus full of passengers is stopped by armed men. They take all of them out and kill them mercilessly. A little girl tries to escape, but is shot and killed immediately.
The movie then moves to Kasauli, where a bearded man, later revealed to be Vikram Singh (John Abraham) wakes up after having visions of men getting killed. He then finds on TV that the Sri Lankan Prime Minister is killed by a human bomb. He purchases a bottle of liquor and goes to a nearby church. The priest of that church, who seems to know him for the past three years, asks him about his "conspiracy" when he says that "Our Prime Minister could have been saved from the conspiracy". The bearded man then starts narrating his story.
The film then goes five years back, when the man tells that the continuous battle between the majority in Sri Lanka Sinhalese and minorities Tamils had reached a dangerous level. In that battle thousands of Tamils lost their lives, causing their youths to take weapons in their hands and join the LTF leader Anna Bhaskaran (a character based on the real-life LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran). Due to the plight of Tamils there, the Indian Prime Minister (Sanjay Gurubaxani) decided to sign a peace accord with Sri Lankan Government and said that the elections should happen there peacefully before Diwali. However, Anna refused to accept the accord and the Indian Peace Keeping Forces were forced to withdraw from the island. A heated meeting in New Delhi between the Indian officials leads Robin Dutt aka RD (Siddharth Basu), the R&AW chief, to call upon his best man, Maj. Vikram Singh to find out the solution.
After meeting and discussing the strategy with RD and his deputy, Swaroop (Avijit Dutt) Vikram travels to Sri Lanka and meets a war correspondent Jaya Sahni (Nargis Fakhri) and tries to find out a way to stop the rebels. After reporting to his senior Bala (Prakash Belwadi) he tries to find some that may help to find Shri, the only man who can withstand and oppose Anna. After meeting with an informer called Narayanan, Vikram manages to visit Shri. Vikram promises Shri to help him rise against Anna by providing him with arms. The arms deal date is decided at 6 July. However, the deal goes terribly wrong and one of Vikram's associates is killed in a surprise attack by LTF. Bala scolds Vikram of his working style and tells him to go to Colombo Safehouse. Vikram meets Jaya to seek her help. Jaya tells him that they know his next step even before he implement it. However, she tells him that "a foreign agency guy met with an Indian official" before her arrival in the island. Next day, Vasu, Bala's associate, meets a man, gives him a photo of Vikram, telling him "to keep him alive".
Meanwhile, RD and his team is shocked to learn on TV that Vikram is kidnapped by LTF. However, he is left alive by LTF, but badly wounded. Bala visits him in the hospital and tells him to leave Sri Lanka as he is on the hit-list of both the camps. Vikram feels suspicious about Bala. He calls SP, one of his associates, and tells him to report all activities of Bala to him. Vikram, posing as a war correspondent, manages to reach Malaya, second in-command of Anna and persuades him to meet RD in Colombo. RD tells him that the only way this war could be won is by a political solution. He instigates Malaya to stand up as the only champion of his people, thus dividing the LTF in two. Vikram and Indian forces then launch a massive attack on the LTF base camp where Anna and his men (minus Malaya) were discussing strategy. A devastating gunbattle begins, and Vikram escapes from the island after being told by RD. Everyone believes Anna got killed in the fight. However, Anna survives and later kills Malaya and Shri. In the light of the resurfaced violence, the Indian Prime Minister resigns. Some months later, SP later tracks some discussion of Anna over the phone and tells Bala about this, but Bala tells him to ignore them, causing SP to believe that Bala might be a mole. He escapes with the intercepts and files of the case. Bala finds about it and burns the remaining papers, later telling someone over the phone that SP and Vikram are in Kochi and he should send some men there. Vikram later receives a call from SP who tells him to meet him. After meeting with SP, Vikram comes home to find Ruby (Rashi Khanna), his wife, murdered. Vikram's associate in Kochi, Kush tells him that Vasu has been tracked. He nabs Vasu from a theatre and asks him what he knows. Vasu tells him that indeed Bala was a leak and he was helping him along with a person named Reed from Singapore. Vikram calls Jaya and requests her to use her sources. She agrees to help and later consoles Vikram about his wife.
As told by Jaya, Vikram reaches Bangkok where a source of Jaya (Dibang) tells him that he has a tape. Vikram is shocked to see that Bala was honeytrapped, forcing him to divulge all the information about their movements. Bala later commits suicide by shooting himself. Back in Delhi, R&AW had decoded the intercepts and had also found out about Bala's fake passports and unknown bank accounts. RD realises that this might be a Code Red, to assassinate the ex Prime Minister. He asks Vikram to take care of this and tells his team to seal the coastline. A massive manhunt begins and hundreds of LTF associates are nabbed by Indian security forces and local cops. In the Madras R&AW office, Arjun, an officer tracks down the conversation of Vijayan Joseph, a bombmaker and Anna and tells this to Rishi (Tarun Bali). Rishi tells this to Vikram and further says that Kannan Kanan, an associate of Anna's man Kanda, is in Madurai Jail and might be helpful. Kannan reveals that some suspicious refugees came from the island to Tamil Nadu. After a short but important meeting with Jaya, Vikram sees X on a clock at the Airport and deduces that the LTF is going to assassinate the ex PM on the same day at X PM (10 PM). RD then calls the ex PM to cancel his rally, but he replies that he'll be alright. Vikram then manages to catch Vijayan from his hideout who tells that the refugees are going to assassinate the ex PM by plastic explosives which are untraceable to metal detectors.
Vikram rushes to the place where the ex PM is taking part in the rally. He reaches there nearly on time, but the suicide bomber manages to put the wreath on the neck of the ex PM and while bowing down, she pulls the trigger and kills him along with herself and many others. Vikram manages to recover but sits there dejected and defeated. Later, Vikram submits his report on the assassination to the investigation committee who considers his report. A few days later, RD too resigns, and Vikram, after taking a voluntary retirement, comes in Kasauli.
The movie comes to present where the priest asks Vikram who won the battle. Vikram says he doesn't know, but in this battle, Indians lost their Prime Minister and Lankan lost their future. He later walks away, reciting the lines of "Where the mind is without fear". He completes another report and sends it to Jaya in Singapore who starts her work on that report. In Kasauli, Vikram moves out of the house he was living in.
An epilogue tells that the civil war continued for 27 years, killing more than 40 thousand Sri Lankan subjects, 30 thousand Tamil rebels, 21 Sri Lankan forces and 1200 Indian forces, and still thousands of Lankan Tamils are homeless. In 2009, Sri Lankan forces launched a brutal aerial and land attack, finishing the rebels along with their leader. | violence, romantic | train | wikipedia | 'Madras Cafe' is unarguably a gem of a movie that belongs to a rare genre of Bollywood cinema and deserves much more attention and applause than what it's being receiving.The film is based on the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war in the late 1980's and early 1990's.
Its tells the conspiracy behind the assassination of ex-prime minister of India and the War situation in Baffna region of Sri Lanka...The movie is fast paced and is so intriguing and well-crafted that it can be easily this years best...With zero publicity stunts, Madras Cafe director Shoojit Sircar tries to go out of conventions and comes up with this masterpiece...Political thrillers are ones which people in bollywood rarely attempt, and Shoojit does it bravely...Right from the start, the plot involves you in such a way that it is hard to come out of it.The pace of the movie, entangled characters,series of events, unveiling of conspiracies and then finally the climax- all are up to mark and hence make this movie a spectacle to watch...The Screenplay is fabulous- it divides the movie in two parts efficiently.
First, the war conditions in Baffna and then the assassination plot.In between shocking plots are revealed and it covers a vast script in its runtime.The reason why i compare this with Hollywood masterpieces like blood diamond and green zone is not because of the similarity, but due to the fact that Madras Cafe maintains the originality of facts while imbibing the fast paced and thrilling plot.John Abraham plays the lead role and this could be his best performance after dhoom, and does total justice to his role.Nargis Fakhri is the surprise package and shows that she can be versatile...The supporting cast is totally naive but they give their very best...The only drawback or error you can say is relatively average editing.Its cliché and too short for many scenes...But as a whole, Madras Cafe is a sinister, evil political thriller which is supported by intense acting and direction and the plot is simply ravishing.Its a sign that bollywood has started making sensible movies on a large scale.Madras Cafe is not for crowd who like Chennai Express,Rowdy Rathore or Dabang, but it for those who acknowledge movies like A Wednesday, Shanghai and Rang De Basanti.
Rather than writing a long review explaining the Pros and Cons this is Indian Cinema which now is evolved.Rather than pleasing the masses they have now gone ahead and showed the truth.The beauty is that even when the audience knows that what has to happen in the end The director still holds us to the movie.It can be said now that filmmakers in India can boldly make real-life stories without fear of controversy or censorship, this may be the best way to approach important stories that must be told.
A Must Watch film and good job by Shoojit Sircar.Well Done Team of Madras Cafe..
I'm a stranger to Indian cinema, other than being familiar with the usual clichés of Bollywood-style song, dance and drama.I read some reviews here, recommending this movie, and calling it a genuine political thriller.
Entirely because they neither have the required competency in story telling nor in story enacting, the two vital components which Hollywood has mastered when it comes to war movies/political thrillers (think Argo, Platoon, Z, The Manchurian Candidate etc).Shoojit Sircar's "Madras Cafe" is a stupidly simplistic, glossing over the facts, adolescent comic book take on the vexed, complicated, multi layered, half a century old Tamil – Sinhala strife in SriLanka.
However not only the makers are to be blamed here for poor films for the whole year, it's the viewers who make a garbage throwaway.When masala trash of greedy producers holds back the Indian cinema from making a decent piece of work, movies like Madras Cafe catapults it in to the 21st century cinema.
Madras Cafe the reality of another War. Someone who wanted to get good idea about regional terror activities and banality of them should watch Madras Café, It is really good to keep balanced judgment and image about what was happened in past with dark clouds of terrorism in Sri Lanka, and Acting of John is really brilliant,without any doubt Madras café is one of the greatest war film that there has ever been,and as a director Shoojit Sircar has done his best to this movie,So it is very pleasure to watch this movie from start to end.
Madras Cafe is a 2013 political thriller film directed by Indian filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, starring John Abraham as an undercover Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent and Nargis Fakhri as an international war correspondent.
And the fact that films based on real-life sensitive issues and historical events in a country like India are believed to stir up political tension and cause chaos makes their effort even more commendable.Overall, Madras Cafe proves to be a great viewing experience for the serious audience.
The events leading up to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, India's ex-PM whilst he was campaigning for re-election in Sriperumbudur District, near Chennai in south India on 21 May 1991 by 'Dhanu', a female suicide 'Tamil Tiger', is the subject of this latest attempt at gritty political Bollywood cinema.Told largely in flashback, we follow Indian army officer Major Vikram Singh (John Abraham) who is appointed by the Research and Analysis Wing ('RAW'), the Indian equivalent of the CIA, to conduct covert operations in the then on-going civil war in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s.Patriotic Vikram ('My country's security is my responsibility!') leaves his teary but dutiful 'army' wife Ruby (Rashi Khanna, in her debut) and travels by boat from south India to the war-torn 'island of jewels'.En-route, he encounters a no-nonsense (she smokes!) British journalist, Jaya (Nargis Fakhri, last seen in 'Rockstar'), who speaks with an inexplicable American twang.Both are on the search for Anna (Ajay Bhaskaran) the leader of LFT which is clearly modelled on the real Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ('Tamil Tigers') who are fighting for a separate Tamil 'Eelam' ('homeland') for the Tamil minority away from the rest of the largely Sinhalese majority.Vikram wants to eliminate Anna; Jaya simply wants a scoop!
The events leading up to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, India's ex-PM whilst he was campaigning for re-election in Sriperumbudur District, near Chennai in south India on 21 May 1991 by 'Dhanu', a female suicide 'Tamil Tiger', is the subject of this latest attempt at gritty political Bollywood cinema.Told largely in flashback, we follow Indian army officer Major Vikram Singh (John Abraham) who is appointed by the Research and Analysis Wing ('RAW'), the Indian equivalent of the CIA, to conduct covert operations in the then on-going civil war in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s.Patriotic Vikram ('My country's security is my responsibility!') leaves his teary but dutiful 'army' wife Ruby (Rashi Khanna, in her debut) and travels by boat from south India to the war-torn 'island of jewels'.En-route, he encounters a no-nonsense (she smokes!) British journalist, Jaya (Nargis Fakhri, last seen in 'Rockstar'), who speaks with an inexplicable American twang.Both are on the search for Anna (Ajay Bhaskaran) the leader of LFT which is clearly modelled on the real Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ('Tamil Tigers') who are fighting for a separate Tamil 'Eelam' ('homeland') for the Tamil minority away from the rest of the largely Sinhalese majority.Vikram wants to eliminate Anna; Jaya simply wants a scoop!
With the exception of some pre-credit titles explaining about the then on-going civil war in Sri Lanka, the film is not interested in any meaningful attempt at a socio-historical-political explanation of the bloody civil war which had been brewing since the 1950s and, up to the cease fire in the early 2000s, claimed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives.Instead director Shoojit 'Vicky Donor' Sircar is intent on making an unapologetic, almost propaganda piece with the clear intent of absolving the Indian authorities of any mismanagement in the build up to and the prevention of the assassination.
With the exception of some pre-credit titles explaining about the then on-going civil war in Sri Lanka, the film is not interested in any meaningful attempt at a socio-historical-political explanation of the bloody civil war which had been brewing since the 1950s and, up to the cease fire in the early 2000s, claimed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives.Instead director Shoojit 'Vicky Donor' Sircar is intent on making an unapologetic, almost propaganda piece with the clear intent of absolving the Indian authorities of any mismanagement in the build up to and the prevention of the assassination.
Sircar incorporates an unnecessary and clumsy 'kiss n sex' scene.Some dialogue ('this is going to be a long war!, 'the first causalities are always innocent civilians', 'this conversation never happened!', 'You cannot give up on the system!', and my favourite: 'He got honey trapped!"), often repeated, is cringe worthy.The film ends with Abraham reciting a famous Rabindranath Tagore poem ('When the mind knows no fear') but by this time you probably will not care.If you are looking for Indian films which address, inter alia, events leading up to this sad event, it's probably worth seeking out Santosh Sivan's sensitive Tamil film 'The Terrorist' (1998), Mani Ratnam's moving Tamil hit 'Kannathil Mutthamittal' (2002) and even the Malayalam Mammooty potboiler 'Mission 90 Days' (2007).It's welcome that Bollywood is experimenting with new bold controversial subjects like this.It's a pity then that it gets it so wrong again.Even so, its fundamental flaws can even be forgiven (especially as there are no songs or 'item' numbers!).
Sircar incorporates an unnecessary and clumsy 'kiss n sex' scene.Some dialogue ('this is going to be a long war!, 'the first causalities are always innocent civilians', 'this conversation never happened!', 'You cannot give up on the system!', and my favourite: 'He got honey trapped!"), often repeated, is cringe worthy.The film ends with Abraham reciting a famous Rabindranath Tagore poem ('When the mind knows no fear') but by this time you probably will not care.If you are looking for Indian films which address, inter alia, events leading up to this sad event, it's probably worth seeking out Santosh Sivan's sensitive Tamil film 'The Terrorist' (1998), Mani Ratnam's moving Tamil hit 'Kannathil Mutthamittal' (2002) and even the Malayalam Mammooty potboiler 'Mission 90 Days' (2007).It's welcome that Bollywood is experimenting with new bold controversial subjects like this.It's a pity then that it gets it so wrong again.Even so, its fundamental flaws can even be forgiven (especially as there are no songs or 'item' numbers!).
Shoojit Sircar's MADRAS CAFE is perhaps the first movie to come out of Indian film industry that has has no actors, just characters, including the well known star John Abraham.
Siddharth Basu is flawless.Politically, there have been many protests on this movie about taking sides but if you watch it as viewer,Madras Cafe is one of the best movies to come out in Bollywood because of its different style of portraying the scenario.
Madras Cafe has its own share of story which has been blunt and hard-hitting and yet hair-raising.Set in 90's , Madras Cafe debriefs the true story of planning and assassination of Indian ex-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi by LTTE suicide bomber which shocked the entire world and led to a Indian politics letdown.From critical acclaim films like Yahaan and Vicky Donor , Shoojit Sircar explores a new area which I guess no other Indian filmmaker has attempted till now and gives heart-wrenching political thriller which is sure to give you a goose bumps.
Siddharth Basu , Nargis Fakhri and other star cast lends a good support.Overall , Madras Cafe is heart-wrenching , reality-based political thriller that is going to get goose bumps.
It is a high intense drama thriller where the tension is high, characters are there not just for the sake of it, absence of songs are there so as not to spoil the mood(they really were not needed) and finally the story is moving.Madras Cafe is set against the backdrop of Sri Lankan Civil War in the 1980s and is about the lives of civilian getting destroyed as they hang in the middle of the government and LTF.The main plot revolves around the,as they say, Grand-Conspiracy of the assassination of the Ex Prime Minister of India by many external forces so as to control the economy of the world.I am still amazed with the fact that Shoojit Sircar who made the light hearted Vicky Donor is the same man behind Madras Cafe.
He is the real hero behind the movie and certainly has become one of those directors to watch out for in future.The casting of the movie is very well balanced as Nargis speaks English because she is just terrible when she speaks Hindi(Rockstar), John Abraham makes you feel for the character Vikram.
Yes there was only one song which came when the end credits started to roll in the movie but still the background score provided by Shantanu Moitra was excellent and really keeps the tension alive which was certainly needed for a movie of this kind.Madras Cafe is one of those rare movies where thriller doesn't get converted into a comedy and obviously where second half is better than the first.Finally this film ends giving tribute to Shri Rabindranath Tagore by using his poem 'Where the mind is without fear.......' This film certainly means business..
This brings together the hit combo of director Shoojit Sircar and actor-producer John Abraham who wowed their detractors with the sleeper hit of 2012 -Vicky Donor.With Madras café, touted as one of the most compelling political thriller of recent times,Sircar examines the inexorable assassination of our Ex-PM, Rajiv Gandhi against the backdrop of the deadliest ethnic crisis which engulfed Srilanka during the 80's.Right from the outset, Sircar arrests your attention with the gritty and gloomy portrayal of the Srilankan civil war, the terrorist outfits and the responsive action by the Indian government to curb the growing violence.
John Abraham plays Vikram Singh,an Intelligence officer,Ex- Indian Army man who is deployed by his senior RD(Siddharth Basu,in a towering performance)to the war-torn coastal island to break a resolute group , LTF headed by Anna Bhaskaran (Ajay Ratnam)modeled closely after the LTTE Chief,Prabhakaran.With the help of a British journalist,Jaya Sahni ( Nargis Fakhri in a de-glam role),Vikram uncovers a deeper conspiracy of terrifying proportion and ramifications involving political figures, bureaucrats and economic 'hitmen'.Suspenseful, sweeping and piercingly intimate, this is a complex web weaved by Sircar and his team of writers Shubhendu Bhattacharya and Somnath Dey which rapidly shuttles between our capital, Singapore, Bangkok and Kerela.There is a lot of clumsy high-powered conversations, coded messages, intercepts and bloody betrayals on the ground which might irk the viewer.DOP,Kamaljit Negi effervescently captures the moribund civilization of Jaffna and the war belt where humanity is endangered.
I think the movie topped in many crafts - direction, acting, story, screenplay, cinematography, sound effects...Absolutely loved it and probably the only Indian movie in recent times I want to watch again in theater.The theme revolves around Srilankan Civil War. It expects you to be attentive and takes on a trip to serious study of an important chapter in Indian history.As I read somewhere, The film deserves an audience and may be the best political conspiracy thriller in Indian cinema.Kudos to the Madras Cafe team for making an impactful cinema..
Set in the late 1980s and early '90s, during the time of Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war, 'Madras Cafe' is A Solid Political Espionage Thriller by Director Shoojit Sircar.
What we see in Madras Cafe is totally gripping- when Vikram Singh and Jaya, a foreign journalist exchange some significant and confidential information about the LTF and the leak in the Indian intelligence agency that actually results in a total transformation in the set of international events.John Abraham has acted exceptionally well in the character- who tries his best to embark upon the precarious struggle going on in Sri Lanka.
Shoojit Sircar's 'Madras Cafe' is a tight and gripping account on the Sri Lankan Civil war and Rajiv Gandhi assassination.
Only people aware of the subcontinent's political history and turmoil can thoroughly enjoy this movie, and what a treat it is, right up to inevitable but well-shot climatic assassination scene which leaves you paralyzed.After their thought-provoking and entertaining comedy 'Vicky Donor', with this movie it seems like Sircar and John (who produced Donor too) are here to change the ways stories are told in Bollywood - it's quite a welcome change!.
Even though the movie is based on true events the story, screenplay is the true hero and well supported by all the actors specially John, Nargis and Siddarth Basu ( refreshing to see him after a long time).Hats off to John and Shoojit for making this great thriller, made under Rs 10 crores.Go enjoy a riveting thrilling and gripping 130 mins of Madras Cafe..
The story is gripping enough and manages to develop interest among the viewers.Shoojit Sircar yet another time, after Vicky Donor, has created a masterpiece, and Madras Cafe is the best of all his movies so far.Very rare number of Bollywood movies is made in such fashion, with no songs, no dance, and the only priority being the plot.John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri, both who are generally criticized regarding their acting skills have finely portrayed their character roles, one being an Intelligence agent and other a foreign journalist.In short words, it is an epic real life conspiracy thriller which is made into a film in the best possible manner!
Shoojit Sircar had a clear direction, pace of movie to narrate this sequence of events that led to one of the biggest disaster in Indian politics and its relation to Sri Lankan civil war.
Shoojit Sircar's Madras Cafe starring John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri is not just another typical Bollywood masala flick but is a thought provoking, heart touching political drama.
John Abraham surely needs many pats on his back for producing movie like Vicky donor and Madras Cafe. |
tt0816711 | World War Z | Former UN employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), his wife Karin (Mireille Enos) and their two daughters wake and enjoy a family breakfast. Gerry tells the youngest daughter he quit his job to spend more time with the family. On the TV is some news about strife and talk of martial law. Later, they sit in heavy Philadelphia traffic when the city is attacked by a horde of zombies -- these attackers move very quickly, biting people and the bitten being turned very rapidly. The Lanes are in a car crash during the panic stampede and Gerry notices it takes approximately12 seconds for a bitten person to change.As the chaos spreads, the Lanes escape from the city in a stolen RV trailer. They stop near Newark, New Jersey at a store where Karin stocks up on whatever food she can scrounge and Gerry is able to find medication for his daughter's asthma. His wife is attacked by looters -- Gerry shoots one of them and Karin is let go. Outside the store and take refuge in an apartment complex in Newark. Deputy Secretary-General Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena) - an old friend of Gerry's - calls and tells the family that he is sending a helicopter to rescue them, however it will take until the next morning to arrive. The Lanes hide out in a small apartment with a Latino family. One of the children, a boy named Tomas, speaks English and translates for the Lanes. Gerry, believing that the best chance of survival is to keep moving, is unable to convince Tomas' family to leave with them. The Lanes creep through the mostly abandoned tenement trying to find the roof but the undead detect them and they are chased to the roof. They find Tomas on the way. When Gerry is attacked by several zombies, they spew blood on him. Arriving on the roof, Gerry steps to the edge, ready to throw himself off if the blood spilled on his face makes him turn. He doesn't and, after holding off another horde of the undead, the family boards the chopper and escapes. The helicopter takes the Lanes to a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier off the coast of New York City, where a team of scientists and military personnel are analyzing the scope of the worldwide outbreak. Thierry is waiting there for them and fixes them up with bunks.A virologist, Dr. Andrew Fassbach (Elyes Gabel), argues that the plague is a virus, whose origin must be found in order for a vaccine to be developed. Because of his expertise as a former UN investigator, Gerry is tasked with helping Fassbach find the outbreak's source. Gerry reluctantly agrees to help, on given the word that his family will be safe, and is sent to Camp Humphreys, a military base in South Korea, where an email was received about 11 days prior that stated that the outbreak may have started there.Moments after arriving at the base, Gerry's team is attacked by zombies. Fassbach is killed after accidentally shooting himself. After being rescued by the base's surviving personnel, Gerry learns that the zombies are attracted to noise. The soldiers on the base, lead by Captain Speke, explain that a Korean soldier had been out in the field doing research when he was attacked and turned. His conversion took considerably more time than what had been witnessed more recently. The corpse of the infected man attacked the base doctor & both were incinerated. Speke tells Gerry how one of his men was able to stand in the middle of the infected people and not be attacked. When Gerry asks the soldier, who walks with a slight limp, how he injured his leg, the soldier tells him something's been bothering him lately.Gerry talks to a Ex-CIA agent, Haffner (David Morse), who'd been arrested for selling arms to North Korea. He tells Gerry a chilling account of how the North Korea government was able to contain the outbreak by pulling the teeth of every citizen within a 24 hour period, giving citizens no way to infect each other through bites.Haffner tells Gerry to go to Jerusalem, where the Israeli Mossad had established a safe zone just before the outbreak was officially acknowledged, implying Israel might have had prior knowledge of what was to come. To get the C130 refueled and Gerry aboard, the Speke's men ride in a fleet of bicycles to avoid making any noise. Gerry's satellite phone goes off when Karin tries to call him and the undead attack. The plane is refueled successfully and Gerry and the C130 pilot manage to escape.In Jerusalem, Gerry meets Mossad leader Jurgen Warmbrunn (Ludi Boeken), who explains that the Mossad had months earlier intercepted communications from an Army General in India, who stated that Indian troops were fighting the "rakshasa", or "dead spirits". Warmbrunn also explains how the center of Jerusalem was walled in -- the wall is formidable, at least 50 feet high and refugees are being brought in to the quarantine zone, including non-Jews and Muslims. While Gerry talks with Jurgen, a group of Muslim refugees begin to sing joyously at finding a safe zone to survive in. One of the women is able to find a microphone and the singing grows louder. The zombies outside begin to climb the protective wall forming a massive pile that eventually succeeds in entering the city. While fleeing, Gerry notices that an old man and an emaciated boy are ignored by the zombies. A young Israeli woman, Segen (Daniella Kertesz), Gerry's escort, is bitten by a zombie. Gerry quickly amputates her hand to stop the spread of the infection, counting to 12 until he's sure that she won't turn. Gerry and Segen eventually manage to board a Belarus Airways airliner after Gerry's pilot panics and flies away.Contacting Thierry, Gerry asks for the nearest WHO or CDC type lab, they are diverted to a WHO research facility in Cardiff, Wales. While in the air, a stowaway zombie is released from the cargo hold and attacks a flight attendant. She attacks the rest of the passengers. The plane crashes near Cardiff after Gerry detonates a grenade to kill the zombies. Segen and Gerry proceed as the only apparent survivors of the crash, Gerry has been impaled by a chunk of metal. Segen finds him and they walk to Cardiff and find the WHO facility. Out of contact, the US Navy assumes he is dead and deports his family to Nova Scotia.After arriving at the facility, Gerry passes out at the gate and awakes three days later strapped to a gurney -- his wound has been treated and bandaged. He is able to convince the staff of the facility that he's there on a specific mission -- the men watching him call his wife's satellite phone. Thierry answers the phone and tells Gerry that his family were considered "non-essential" personnel & were relocated to a land-based facility. Gerry is upset but Thierry is able to verify Gerry's identity to the suspicious WHO staff.Gerry reveals a theory to the wary scientists that since the old man and the sickly boy in Jerusalem were ignored, the infected do not bite people who are seriously injured or already terminally ill, since they would be unsuitable as hosts for viral reproduction. He volunteers to inject himself with a terminal but curable pathogen to see if his idea works. However, the wing of the building in which the pathogens are stored was overrun by zombies after a doctor accidentally infected himself. Gerry decides to go get a pathogen regardless, while Segen and one of the WHO doctors follow him for backup. They fight their way through the zombies, and Gerry finally gets to the pathogen vault.Inside, Gerry fills a small box with vials of pathogens from two separate cabinets. The scientists watch him on camera, remarking that the left cabinet contains deadly and incurable diseases. Gerry gets ready to leave and sees one of the undead doctors outside. Cornered and without a suitable weapon, he decides to inject himself to see if his theory will work. He shows the scientists a note saying "TELL MY FAMILY I LOVE THEM" and chooses a vial at random from the box. Gerry waits a short time and opens the door to the vault. The former doctor ignores him and Gerry is able to walk out, past the horde of zombies that have infested the facility.After he makes it back to the safe part of the facility, everyone rejoices at his theory's success, and the doctors cure him of the pathogen. Gerry returns to his family, in a safe zone in Freeport, Nova Scotia.A "vaccine" derived from deadly pathogens is developed that can act as camouflage for the troops battling the infected. Air drops are performed, delivering the pathogen to all parts of the world. Human offensives begin against the zombies, and hope is restored. Russia is particularly successful in halting the pandemic with military and civilian force. Gerry comments, "This isn't the end. Not even close." | boring, murder, violence, flashback, action, entertaining | train | imdb | What struck me about it was how much of a wasted opportunity it was, given how interesting and entertaining the source material is.Having read the book World War Z, I could tell from the trailers for this movie that it wouldn't exactly be a faithful adaptation.
The book features a lot of setpiece action scenes, and to be fair, many of these involve world cities falling to zombie infestation and the movie does do enough to cover this.
Not a literal apocalypse of course, just 16 dozen different zombie books, graphic novels, games and TV shows taking over the world like the plague, and you just had to have your piece of the pie, didn't you?World War Z is based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks.
It also caught the eye of producer and star Brad Pitt, who after a long struggle with studios, directors, producers and other Hollywood zombies, managed to put together a half decent movie with director Marc Forster.Half decent?
Sure, Gerry travels around the world and makes a few long distance phone calls, but there's never anything remotely compelling enough to warrant his travels and whenever the plot does manage to come close to something it quickly sets it aside in the interest of keeping this summer blockbuster light, family friendly and internationally marketable.After Quantum of Solace there was much uncertainty about Forster's ability to direct action and after WWZ, guess what?
The more hardcore genre fans might also want to look elsewhere if they're seeking gory zombie kills; there isn't much of that either as its PG-13 rating might suggest.Brad Pitt is really the film's only strength.
This is a fast paced, edge of your seat thrill ride led by one of the finest actors of this generation (Pitt's acting ability is far too underrated and lost in the kerfuffle of tabloid news).For those of you who stare at the ticket window debating whether or not to see a film in 3D or standard, you might want to spend the extra few dollars to see this one in 3D (I know it's asking a lot, but maybe you can sneak some candy or a bottle of water to offset the concession stand price - deal with it).
(And I'm a huge fan of all Max Brooks zombie books.) The movie begins with a short intro to the main character and his family (it was enough, it told me all I needed to know) before launching into a fantastic, break neck sequence that establishes the pace for most of the rest of the movie.
I learnt several things from this movie 1) to let go of my preconceptions about what a zombie film should be, 2) that a low rating doesn't mean its for kids - I have two sons and despite the lack of gore I certainly wouldn't let then see this.
And when most of your action scenes involve panicking people running away from what are allegedly zombies, having them pretty much indistinct from each other means you never get much of an inclination about the level of the threat or even what's going on.A possible solution would have been for the film to opt for the shambling moaning Romero-esque zombies of the book.
World War Z is a zombie outbreak movie that supposedly bases itself on the amazing book of the same name by Max Brooks.
However, the big studio disliked this and demanded rewrites and re-shooting that damaged the relationship between the director and Brad and results in a quick, intense action movie that lacks the character development and messages it needed to be a truly memorable movie because almost every one of those scenes were cut so much to the point that central characters get barley any lines.
Anyways, the film focuses on Brad Pitt's character (Gerry Lane) who's required to assist the UN with discovering a possible vaccine/cure to the horrifying virus that's spreading throughout the world and turning human beings into ghastly creatures.
As a result, conversations feel extremely and oddly brief and segments that could've been expanded on feel like they're set on "fast forward" in order to get to the "point." This means that there's much less space for character development and characterization in general, and zombie movies (or we can say Horror movies as a whole) definitely need to spend some time on their characters so that the audience is able to connect with them and feel for them as they progress on their journey.
So, to put it most understandably, if you're entering this movie the way it was marketed, you'll experience a wild, roller-coaster ride that's fairly effective in its capability of featuring some dramatic moments of diplomatic negotiations and political discussions over the world's collapse and then placing you into intensely impossible situations only to be followed by an incredibly suspenseful, nerve-wracking sequence.
In the end, World War Z is a fun, entertaining night out, but if you can't make it to the showing, don't feel too bad because you've most likely seen everything displayed in this film already..
I watched this with an open mind that it may be "altered" to be more entertaining as a movie.Still thought it was way too far off from the book to even have the name "World War Z".
World War Z (2013) ** (out of 4) Brad Pitt plays a U.N. worker who must leave his family behind and go search for a cause or cure for a zombie outbreak that is pretty much destroying every form of life.
tl;dr - Set aside expectations related to the zombie genre and enjoy World War Z as a disaster popcorn flick.**********Max Brook's muscular, world weary "oral history of the zombie war", a thinly veiled geo-political mouthpiece on the world at large seen through the eyes of an agent working for the UN, has taken shape and form through a movie of the same name — World War Z.
Combine that with Brad Pitt bringing his A-game, and you've got yourself a good time.As a zombie movie, there are some things to notice.
World War Z goes with type 2, clearly the worse of the two choices in terms of survival, but best in terms of an intense, action-horror movie.Now, this being a zombie movie at its core, there are a couple of clichés that even Brad Pitt can't avoid, like the mass looting of the surviving population, the fact that huge, technologically advanced cities and governments can't figure out how to keep a damn virus from wrecking everything, or the...ugh, going any further with this is a spoiler.
Just know that there'll be one point where you'll say, "there's always THAT guy..." But still, these are very minor complaints in an otherwise beautifully done movie.Some people might take issue with the lack of blood or gore, but in all honesty, I was so deep into the story and suspense that I forgot this was PG-13.World War Z is a great modern day zombie flick, and a great movie all-around.
I'm generally not a fan of zombie movies, not because I don't like them but rather because they seem to easily have an effect on me, chilling me to the bone and staying with me for days (no walking into dark rooms for me).
As a result I put off watching World War Z but I was still interested in seeing such a big budget zombie film.
When Gerry Lane, a former UN worker is tasked to help a scientist travel across the planet to discover a cure for the rapidly growing zombie infection, he also is troubled by leaving his family behind while the world around him collapses into chaos.Directed by Marc Forster, WWZ is easily one of the most entertaining and epic zombie films ever made.
But there is plenty of room to make a sequel or two because the story here is much to grand for one film.Overall, World War Z is one of the best blockbusters of the year, with good acting, directing, and polished visuals that have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
technical after 5-10 you had to walk out of this movie as your jumping from one plot hole to the next plot hole basically I should vote 0/10 but i could see it for free so 1/10 is OK besides from the plot holes (this movie has no real story) the directing and camera movement is awful too you cant see anything with this shaking and dark mess you cant even see who is a zombie from 3m onward distance to make a zombie movie with pg16 is genius too I don't even know why they are called zombies i am surprised they didn't call-in the Prometheus scientist team again which has already proved it can handle such stuffabout the people you know that brad Pitt will survive and about the rest you don't carelol lol lol what a crap movie.
How much did a drink company paid for the film to add the obvious subliminal message of "drink this s*** and your life will be good?" I thought I was watching a TV commercial from Asia rather than a zombie movie!The plot was horrible.
At least several movies could be made out of the book with each of them focused on few related person's story and their view point regarding the World War Z.
The performances at least made the non-action scenes quite entertaining.World War Z is somewhat gripping, but it's really cluttered with generic zombie movie plot points.
I saw the trailer for World War Z and I was absolutely excited, but unfortunately I was left feeling very disappointed.First of all, the 'zombies' in this film were created by a virus which came out of nowhere.
The film states that he's had experience in battle before so he knows his stuff but as of now he's abandoned that profession...so why do they need him when they have perfectly able marines and seals on hand?Additionally, World War Z continuously switches between the enemy being 'infected' or 'zombies' or 'undead'.
Overall, World War Z is a moderately good zombie movie; entertaining enough to be worth your money and time.
There's nothing wrong with that, but I suppose those(like me) that want story and character development ALONG with action, will be disappointed as World War Z, to them, only resembles the original novel IN NAME ONLY.
I think that says something about itAnyways on to the film, the plot so incredibly flimsy it makes houses of cards look like architectural wonders and Brad Pitt's character (Gerry, I think it was?) is one of the worst movie hero's I've ever seen.
I won't detail any scenes from the movie since I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but Pitt's character was shallow and unbelievable, and the only good filmography were the zombies.
Brad Pitt's performance was fine and I loved certain scenes and concepts (like the episode in South Korea) but overall I felt the movie was uneven and could have used a better edit.
I really liked this film.It was the perfect mix of intimate intensity, emotion and absolute, terrifying spectacle.Directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, Monster's Ball), and starring Brad Pitt, the film deals with a zombie outbreak on a global scale and the attempts to find the source and cure.Certainly, the film is barely ten minutes young when it all kicks off.
During the movie you never really 'see' the zombies as being blood thirsty cannibals as you've seen in other movies such as Dawn of the dead!The acting in the movie was OK but the performance by Brad Pitt was great so if you're a fan of him give this a watch!
Oh, did I mention that they adopted an immigrant in the process?I'm rating this movie as 1 not because of the terrible scene where Brad Pitt drinks a grape soda and the 15 minutes victory sound track, but because of the mutilation and degradation in the terrible adaptation of the book and the misconception created by the makers of the movie when they decided to name this a horror film...PG-13 contains suggestive themes..............
World War Z starring Brad Pitt is an uneven movie.
Here, Brad Pitt cannot even drive his kids down the road without being swept up in a world-wide zombie plague.This reviewer was offered a choice of 2D and 3D, and decided if the film was good enough it would stand on it's own merits in the 2D format.
However, World War Z has a much better plot than most other zombie movies.
The killing was off-screen, the acting was not believable (in fact Brad Pitt looked like he didn't care for the movie at all) and the violence was almost non-existent.
If you already have a working understanding of zombies or virus zombies and how best to survive a zombie infestation after watching 28 Days Later and/or The Walking Dead and/or Zombieland - skip this movie.The camera work is Parkinsonian at best; the lighting will strain your eyes 70% of the time because it gets hella murky; the family Brad Pitt is saddled with is so annoying you'll wish death upon them after 10 minutes.
Or if you hate gore, violence, suspense or general horror in your horror movies; if you've been on the hunt for a nice, family friendly zombie action flick; or if you want some 3D Brad Pitt and don't really need or want any plot or character development, then this is for you.Otherwise, it's a boring waste of money.
Saw the trailer, I thought it was good, went to the theater to watch this, stepped out of the theater after 30 minutes.The presentation is good, other than that it's so boring I just couldn't stand it.Most of the dialog is pointless and overacted, brad pitt's worst acting too.The effects are not interesting and don't give you that "woah!" feeling.I don't think most people will enjoy it or even the zombie apocalypse fans.This is truly the worst zombie apocalypse movie of all time..
Contrast that to another film in the same genre, Danny Boyle's 2002 critical success 28 Days Later, which had an estimated budget of US$8 million.So expectations are high for World War Z, which many may know as 'The Brad Pitt vs zombies show'.
Here in World War Z Pitt also plays against type, and does so to a fault -- many critics have lamented that, if you didn't see the Pitt name on the credits, you would have no idea you were watching a mega-star.Oops again.One good thing about film (aside from the fact that watching it is fully optional, no one is going to FORCE you to see it) is that the first 20 minutes probably set a record for non-stop action.
For the harden zombie fans there's atmosphere, finely executed visuals, memorably the immense birds eye views of the swarming population like ants and a calibre of realism not found in the majority of films this genre.With a genuine on location feel and despite being reminiscent of 28 Days/Weeks later with fast infected Forster delivers a globe trotting disaster flick with less deliberate rough edges.
Before my review, I state that Zombie-movies fans will not like this film.World War Z achieves success from the beginning at establishing the apocalyptic climate, and settling it's own plausibility (you believe the Zombie issue).
I gave it a chance since the book was great, but here are some problems:Bad acting - Brad Pitt is a great actor, but this movie was put together so quickly for the quick cash that it was so disappointing.
More like World War 'P'.What should have been a good, fun zombie flick is killed with such an overt political message, that's so in your face, I'm surprised there weren't any reps from big-pharma handing out drugs and administering injections in the cinema lobby after the film ended.Meh!
But I'd read enough reports beforehand to realise that aside from the name of the film and the soldiers calling zombies 'Zeke', everything else from Max Brook's work was pretty much discarded.That's frustrating to know given the source material, but as a fan of zombie movies in general I thought I'd at least give it a shot.
That shot means there's two hours of my life I won't get back.It's badly paced, the zombies are more like the a poor version of the 'infected' from films like '28 Days Later' or 'I Am Legend' and rather than be an interesting story, it's comes across as an excuse to show off Brad Pitt's acting chops.Now I know Brad gets grief for his celebrity lifestyle and some really really terrible perfume ads, but generally I quite like him as an actor.
The sheer scale of it, Max Brook's globe trotting masterpiece, written in the best traditions of the genre, equal parts good old fashioned gore fest and social commentary of it's age.Then there were the set pieces, Yonkers, Hope, the great battles never before envisaged in a zombie movie, and I read with glee, this movie was going to have the budget to meet expectations.Then it was announced Brad was going to star, that was the first warning sign.
But I can judge World War Z as a stand alone movie and I must say - it's not particularly good.The movie is mostly about Brad Pitt's character - a former U.N. employee named Gerry Lane - trying to find a cure for the zombie outbreak.
Still, if you're not really that interested in drama/characters/overall story and just want to watch action scenes and eat popcorn - World War Z is the movie for you, since there are some really impressive and tense action scenes.
There is no long exposition as to how the zombies came about or Brad Pitt's back story.The CGI is awesome and the film is shot well. |
tt0085959 | The Meaning of Life | The film begins with a stand-alone 17-minute supporting feature entitled The Crimson Permanent Assurance (directed by Terry Gilliam). Set in London, England in present day 1983, a group of elderly office clerks in a small accounting firm rebel against their emotionlessly efficient, yuppie corporate masters. They commandeer their building, turn it into a pirate ship, and sail into a large financial district, where they raid and overthrow a large multinational corporation (before ultimately sailing to the edge of the earth and falling off).The film proper consists of a series of distinct sketches, broken into seven chapters.Part I: The Miracle of BirthA woman in labour is taken into a hospital delivery room, where she is largely ignored by doctors (John Cleese and Graham Chapman) and nurses, who are more concerned with using the hospital's most expensive equipment to impress the hospital's administrator (Michael Palin). The woman in labour notices that hospitals are changing, with "lots and lots of machinery".The Miracle of Birth Part II - The Third World In YorkshireA Roman Catholic man (Palin) loses his employment. He goes home to his wife (Terry Jones) and an impossible number of children, where he discusses the church's opposition to the use of contraception, leading into the musical number "Every Sperm Is Sacred". Watching this unfold, a Protestant man (Chapman) proudly lectures his wife (Eric Idle) on their church's tolerance towards contraception and having intercourse for fun, although his frustrated wife points out that they never do.Part II: Growth and LearningA schoolmaster (Cleese) and chaplain (Palin) conduct a nonsensical Anglican church service in an English public school. The master lectures the boys on excessively detailed school etiquette regarding the school cormorant, and hanging clothes on the correct peg. In a subsequent class, the schoolboys (Idle, Palin, Jones, Chapman, and others) watch in boredom as the master gives a sex education lesson, by physically demonstrating techniques with his wife (Patricia Quinn). Later, a team of boys is beaten physically and on the scoreboard in a violent rugby match against the masters; the scene then match cuts to Part III.Part III: Fighting Each OtherA World War I officer (Jones) attempts to rally his men (Chapman, Gilliam, Palin, Idle, and Cleese) to find cover during an attack, but is hindered by their insistence on celebrating his birthday, complete with presents and cake.A blustery army RSM (Palin) attempts to drill a platoon of men but ends up left alone when he excuses them one by one to pursue leisure activities.In 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War in Natal, a devastating attack by Zulus is dismissed due to a far more pressing matter: one of the officers, Perkins (Idle), has had his right leg bitten off during the night. The military doctor (Chapman) hypothesises that, despite not being native to Africa, a tiger might be the perpetrator. Ainsworth (Cleese), Packenham-Walsh (Palin) and a sergeant (Jones) form a hunting party, which encounters two suspicious men (Idle and Palin) dressed in two halves of a tiger suit, who attempt to assert their innocence through a succession of increasingly feeble excuses to explain why they are dressed as a tiger.The Middle of the FilmA woman (Palin), as if on a talk-show called "The Middle of the Film", introduces a segment called "Find The Fish" a brief surreal piece in which a drag queen (Chapman), a gangly long-armed man (Jones), and an elephant-headed butler eerily challenge the audience to find a fish in the scene.Part IV: Middle AgeA middle-aged American couple (Idle as the wife and Palin as the husband) heads to a dungeon-themed Hawaiian restaurant at a holiday resort. They are presented with a menu of conversation topics by their waiter (Cleese), and choose philosophy and the meaning of life. Their awkward and generally uninformed conversation quickly grinds to a halt, and they send it back, complaining "This conversation isn't very good."Part V: Live Organ TransplantsTwo paramedics (Chapman and Cleese) arrive at the doorstep of Mr. Brown (Gilliam), a card-carrying organ donor, to claim his liver. He protests on the basis that he is not dead, but is nonetheless gruesomely operated on against his will. Cleese's paramedic unsuccessfully attempts to chat up Mrs. Brown (Jones), then requests her liver as well. She initially declines, but after a man (Idle) sings a song about man's insignificance in the universe ("The Galaxy Song"), she agrees.In a large corporate boardroom, a businessman straightforwardly summarises his two-part report on the meaning of life: that the human soul must be "brought into existence by a process of guided self-observation", which rarely happens because people are easily distracted; and that "people aren't wearing enough hats." This is followed by an attempted takeover of the building by the Crimson Permanent Assurance from the short feature.Part VI: The Autumn YearsA posh restaurant (complete with a pianist played by Idle, singing "The Penis Song" à la Noël Coward), is visited by Mr. Creosote (Jones), a morbidly obese man in his autumn years. Creosote swears at the unflappable maître d' (Cleese), vomits copiously, and consumes an enormous meal and a huge quantity of beer and wine to the disgust of other patrons. After he has finished, the maître d' offers him a small after-dinner mint; despite initial resistance, Creosote eats it then explodes, showering the restaurant with human entrails and vomit.Part VI-B: The Meaning of LifeAfterwards, two of the restaurant's staff clean up the mess left behind by the late Mr. Creosoto and offer their own thoughts on the meaning of life. The maître d' converses with cleaning lady Maria (Jones). The waiter Gaston (Idle) leads the viewer to the countryside where he was born, and explains that his mother encouraged him to notice the beauty of the world and love everyone. Realising that the audience is unamused, he angrily dismisses them and walks off.Part VII: DeathA condemned man (Chapman) is allowed to choose the manner of his execution: being chased off the edge of a cliff by a horde of topless women.A depressed autumn leaf "commits suicide" by falling off its tree. Distraught, his wife and children quickly do likewise, followed by the rest of the tree's leaves simultaneously. (Animated segment)The Grim Reaper (Cleese) visits an isolated country house, and finds himself invited into a dinner party. Not knowing who he is, the dinner guests spend a lot of time arguing with him before finally being told they've all died from eating contaminated salmon mousse. Their souls leave their bodies, and they follow the Grim Reaper to Heaven.The dinner guests arrive in Heaven, a bright Las Vegas-style hotel where every day is Christmas. In a large auditorium filled with characters from throughout the film, a cheesy lounge singer resembling Tony Bennett (Chapman) performs "Christmas in Heaven", while bare-breasted women wearing Santa Claus costumes perform an elaborate dance number.The End of the FilmThe hostess from "The Middle of the Film" is handed an envelope containing the meaning of life, and casually reads it out: "Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations." She retorts that "gratuitous pictures of penises" and other meaningless controversies would do a better job at bringing the audiences into the cinema, and bitterly announces the closing credits. | comedy, cult, violence, psychedelic, absurd, satire, philosophical, humor, entertaining | train | imdb | null |
tt0049096 | The Court Jester | During the main titles, Danny Kaye, dressed as a jester, sings the clever song, Life Could Not Better Be, with lyrics that are apropos to the actors or technicians who are being introduced. A narrator introduces the film while the audience sees a cadre of horsemen riding along the English coastline: "This is the story of how the destiny of a nation was changed by a birthmark, a royal birthmark, on the royal posterior of a royal infant child." Roderick the Tyrant had killed all of the royal family except for a baby boy who survived and has been cared for by a group in the forest. This band of loyalists to the throne is lead by a Robin Hood-type outlaw, the Black Fox (Edward Ashley). The scene changes to the castle where King Roderick (Cecil Parker) is considering an alliance with Griswold of McElwaine in which the King would offer his daughter, Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury), as Griswold's bride. Gwendolyn is completely opposed to this arrangement. Back in the forest, the audience is led to believe the Black Fox is singing "(You'll Never) Outfox the Fox." He is assisted by a band of midgets, all in Black Fox outfits. However, soon the real Black Fox arrives and we learn that the person who was impersonating the Black Fox is Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye), a former carnival entertainer, and the midgets are his pals from the carnival. When the Black Fox reprimands Hawkins for wearing his clothes, he responds that he is only trying to improve the morale of the troops. Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), who is a Captain in the Black Fox's band of outlaws, enters to announce that a group of recruits is arriving. The Black Fox orders Hawkins to get the child - the royal child. Hawkins retrieves the infant and holds the baby on his shoulder to reveal the royal birthmark - the purple pimpernel - for the recruits to see so they will know the Black Fox and his gang are fighting to restore the rightful heir to the throne. The Black Fox orders Hawkins and the Captain to transport the baby to the Abbey in Dover for safekeeping. Hawkins disguises himself as an old man, while Jean transforms from the Captain into a lovely young maiden. They conceal the baby in a fake wine cask. When the King's men stop them on the road, Hawkins claims he is Foutzingdale, the wine merchant, and Jean is his granddaughter. After safely eluding the King's forces, a thunderstorm forces Hawkins and Jean to spend the night in a woodman's hut. Hawkins sings "Baby, Let Me Take You Dreaming," as a lullaby for the baby. Since there is only one straw bed, Hawkins and Captain Jean share it. Hawkins has always been attracted to Jean and she now warms to him. They kiss, but Jean resists. She says, "We daren't think of ourselves until our fight is won." Jean reveals to Hawkins the existence of a secret tunnel leading from the forest to the castle. The problem is it is locked at both ends and the key is in the King's possession. However, if they could get someone inside the castle that could access the King's chambers and retrieve the key, it could be opened so the Black Fox's forces could launch a surprise attack against King Roderick. Suddenly, their planning is interrupted by a stranger entering the hut seeking shelter. He introduces himself as Giacomo (David Carradine; Giacomo is pronounced "Jockamo"), "King of Jesters and Jester of Kings." He is headed for King Roderick's court to become his jester. Jean knocks out Giacomo so Hawkins can become the jester. The wicked Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone) has hired Giacomo as jester because he is also an assassin. So Hawkins assumes the identity of Giacomo and heads for the castle, while Jean and the infant king continue their journey to the Abbey. However, Giacomo's wagon loses a wheel, so he is delayed on the road and Jean runs afoul of the King's men who are scouring the countryside for the fairest wenches in the land. Therefore, Jean and the wine cart with the precious baby hidden inside arrive at the castle before the new Giacomo has finished repairing his cart. Once at the castle, Jean whistles a secret signal. A blacksmith responds to the signal and takes the child to safety. When Giacomo finally arrives, he sings "My Heart Knows a Lovely Song," which includes the whistle signal. When Giacomo hears the signal returned, he thinks it came from Lord Ravenhurst. Meanwhile, Princess Gwendolyn is fretting to the witch, Griselda (Mildred Natwick), about being forced to marry Griswold. Griselda reassures her that she is destined to wed someone else. When Griselda witnesses the arrival of Giacomo, she tells Gwendolyn he is her intended. Ravenhurst introduces Giacomo to the King. Their conversation about the Italian court is a classic Danny Kaye tongue-twister that ends with, "Yes! The Duchess dove at the Duke just when the Duke dove at the Doge. Now the Duke ducked, the Doge dodged, and the Duchess didn't. So the Duke got the Duchess, the Duchess got the Doge, and the Doge got the Duke!" The King is on his way to select a wench from those who have been recently rounded up by his men. Ravenhurst convinces the King to allow Giacomo to make the appropriate selection. During all of this, the blacksmith is desperately trying to identify himself to Hawkins as his contact. Shortly after Giacomo is shown to his room, the blacksmith comes there, but is interrupted by the arrival of Griselda. Using her evil eye, she hypnotizes Giacomo. He can be brought in and out of this trance by the snap of a finger. She sends him to make love to the Princess. The blacksmith, who has been hiding behind a curtain, has overheard everything. Meanwhile, Jean has made her way to the King's chamber and has found the key to the secret tunnel. As she is leaving, she runs into Giacomo, who is under Griselda's spell. Jean, unaware of the trance, gives the key to Giacomo. When the King arrives, he thinks Jean is Giacomo's choice from the wenches and immediately takes a fancy to her. Giacomo continues to the Princess' chamber. Gwendolyn discovers the key and assumes he has secured it for their escape from the castle. She keeps the key and gives him her silk handkerchief. In several instances, finger snaps bring Giacomo in and out of the trance with comic results. When he leaves Gwendolyn, Giacomo goes to Ravenhurst's chamber, where again finger snaps cause hilarious results. At one instant he is Ravenhurst's assassin-for-hire, at another he is in Griselda's trance as the super confident romancer, and at another he is Hawkins, the scared former carnival performer. When he leaves Ravenhurst, he returns to his room where Griselda puts him to sleep. Meanwhile, Jean is being dressed by ladies-in-waiting for her presentation to the King. She sends the attendants away when she hears the whistle signal from the blacksmith. She tells him to take the baby to the jester. Once Giacomo awakens, he is the jester again. When he arrives at the King's banquet room, he sees Jean seated next to the King. During this sequence, there is great deal of confusion: the blacksmith delivers the baby to Giacomo in a basket, Ravenhurst confuses Giacomo by talking about Plan 1 and Plan 2 in the assassination attempt, and Gwendolyn tells him to meet her at midnight at the north gate. When he finally realizes that the infant king is in the basket, he diverts everyone's attention away from the basket by singing "The Maladjusted Jester." During his performance, Griselda puts poison pellets in three flagons. Just as Jean retrieves the basket and is stopped by some guards, Giacomo proposes a toast to the King. As the guards turn to participate in the toast, Jean gets away. Sirs Brockhurst, Finsdale and Pertwee fall over dead when they drink from the poisoned flagons. Ravenhurst is very impressed by Giacomo's tactics. A page announces the arrival of Sir Griswold (Robert Middleton) at the castle. Jean hands the baby off to the blacksmith again. Griswold enters and accepts the terms of the alliance, but Gwendolyn tells her father she loves someone else and refuses to marry Griswold. She has presented her loved one with her silk handkerchief. Giacomo is arrested and they find Gwendolyn's silk handkerchief stuffed in his blouse. The King throws Giacomo, or whoever he is, in jail. When Ravenhurst learns that Giacomo is an impostor, he suspects he is the Black Fox. He recommends the King knight the jester so he can legitimately joust Sir Griswold. The winner, which should be Griswold, would marry Gwendolyn. The King quickly agrees. It usually takes years to attain knighthood, but Giacomo is rushed through the tests with comic ease. Jean approaches the King in his chamber while his dressers are grooming him. She gets him to dismiss his attendants and while she combs his hair, she retreives the key to the secret tunnel. The King also reveals to her the plans to knight the jester so he can be killed in the fight with Griswold. As soon as she gets away from the King, Jean gives the key to the blacksmith to get it to the Black Fox so he can attack. Just before the knighting ceremony, Jean warns Giacomo/Hawkins about the plot and urges him to run. He doesn't get away, however, and the ceremony begins. It is speeded up with hilarious results to allow the tournament to commence before it can be delayed by a storm that is brewing. Immediately upon being knighted, Hawkins is challenged to a duel to the death by Griswold. Gwendolyn expects Giacomo to be killed, so she warns the witch that if he dies, she dies. Therefore, Griselda puts poisonous pellets in the vessel with the pestle. One of Griswold's men overhears the plot and informs his master. In a scene full of tongue-twisting confusion, the "Vessel with the Pestle (or The Pellet with the Poison)" routine begins. Lightning hits Giacomo's suit of armor making it magnetic. During the hilarious joust, Griswold's weapon sticks to Hawkins' shield, so Hawkins pulls him off his horse and wins the joust. When he is proclaimed the winner, Ravenhurst accuses him of being the Black Fox and Jean as being his accomplice. They are arrested and taken to the castle for judgement. In the forest, the Black Fox and his men prepare to sneak inside the castle, but the secret passage collapses. The Black Fox immediately summons Hawkins' midget friends to infiltrate the castle first. As Hawkins and Jean stand trial, the midgets attack. Jean runs to raise the drawbridge so the Black Fox and his men can attack. Hawkins engages Ravenhurst in a sword fight. Griselda hypnotizes him again into believing he is a great swordsman. In the hilarious scene that follows, finger snaps cause him to alternate between a cowardly carnival performer and a master swordsman. Eventually, with the help of Jean, Hawkins bests Ravenhurst. Once the usurpers of the throne are defeated by the Black Fox and the army of midgets, the rightful King is revealed by the distinctive birthmark - the purple pimpernel. Hawkins embraces Jean and sings a reprise of "Life Could Not Better Be." As the film ends, Gwendolyn and Griswold can be seen in the crowd holding hands. | fantasy, whimsical, action, humor, romantic, entertaining | train | imdb | From the finger snapping sequence through the end of the film is one long build up with increasingly outrageous situations, until we finally arrive at pandemonium, complete with tens of acrobatic midgets battling a cadre of knights in a scene remarkably prescient of the anarchic screwball comedies of the latter half of the 1960s.Kaye's vocal talents are also put to considerable use, both in songs and in rapid-fire, sometimes nonsensical alliterative rhymes.
There are a number of very famous--and rightfully so--instances of the latter throughout the film including the "vessel with the pestle/chalice from the palace/flagon with the dragon/brew that is true" bit, which has oddly taken on a life of its own outside of the film, and which like all of the comedy throughout the film slowly builds up to a hilarious climax.Kaye also does a lot of physical comedy, including my favorite bit--the super-fast knighting ceremony, and he even does a bit of mostly serious fencing with Rathbone.
Danny Kaye stars as Hubert Hawkins, an entertainer by trade, who due to circumstances within his control becomes jester to the court of King Roderick I (Cecil Parker).
And yea, verily, yea, the intrigue mounts as Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone) jostles for position within the court, while a rebel known as the `Black Fox' (Edward Ashley), along with his beautiful daughter, the Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), and his band of merry men attempt to install the true king to the throne.
From the `Initiation of Knighthood' sequence, to the famous tongue-twisting `The vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison, the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true' scene, to Kaye crooning a lullaby to a baby, this film is rich with humor and song that has an innocence and purity about it that makes it readily accessible to any audience.
The real key to the success of this movie is, of course, the multi-talented Danny Kaye, who sings, dances, jokes and mugs his way through one of his best performances ever.
A nice bit of work by Johns, who some eight years later would create one of her most memorable roles, that of Mrs. Banks in `Mary Poppins.' Basil Rathbone is a delight, as well, in a role that is essentially a parody of others he's played, specifically his Sir Guy of Gisbourne in `The Adventures of Robin Hood,' opposite Errol Flynn.
A fun, feel-good film, `The Court Jester' is a virtual showcase for the versatile Danny Kaye, and he responds with an unforgettable performance.
The inspired casting of Danny Kaye as a performer who wants to be a patriotic fighter, gorgeous Glynis Johns as his stern captain, Angela Lansbury as a love-prone princess, Cecil Parker as her lascivious and bumbling evil father (a usurper of course), Basil Rathbone and Michael Pate as his co-conspirators and Robert Middleton and Mildred Natwick as roadblocks to the restoring of a baby as the rightful king of the realm guaranteed a film filled with well-acted fun.
Millions to this day are still laughing about: the "An Unemployed Jester" song; the switches from hypnotized bumbler to dashing super-swordsman that afflict Kaye in the course of his penetration of the royal stronghold; the classic duel Kaye fights with with the Gruesome Griswold (Middleton); the switching of poisoned drinks that occurs just before the duel with everyone repeating "The poison is in the vessel with the pestle, etc."; and the high-speed knighting of Kaye that precedes both these scenes.
The story and the medieval setting also make a great showcase for Kaye's varied talents such as singing, dancing, role-playing, and his other comic gifts.All of this makes "The Court Jester" a wonderful and timeless film, great comic entertainment done with exceptional skill and talent.
Danny Kaye is an absolute delight as the young rebel impersonating a jester in the court of an evil king (although in this film, his evil is blunted) but mistaken for a hit man.
(Once seen, it is impossible to forget the repetitive flipping scene used to obtain more converts.)Everyone should by now know the plot: once the hapless carnival entertainer Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye) assumes the identity of the new court jester Giacomo (who happens to well deserve his reputation as a skillful assassin), Hawkins is thrown into one court intrigue after another, each beyond his control or understanding.As the socially powerless court jester, Hawkins has to survive not only accidents and royal petulance, but deliberate attempts at his execution as part of court intrigue.So I won't waste time recapping all that.Instead, I'd like to mention the still potent generation gap politics and gender politics that routinely consumed the weakest of mediaeval society, sometimes court jesters, or often just women.King Roderick has a rather cynical and self-possessed daughter in the Princess Gwendolyn (a shockingly young and beautiful Angela Lansbury), whom he nastily views as more a threat than a loved one, and their war of wills is hilarious.
A supremely wacky and delightful Danny Kaye comedy.Kaye plays a court jester impostor who infiltrates a king's court in order to put in motion a plan hatched by a scrappy band of Robin Hoodesque rebels who want to depose the tyrant and put the rightful heir on the throne.
Unfortunately for Kaye, but fortunately for us, the plot is not as simple as it sounds, not when a traitor in the king's court (Basil Rathbone) has formulated his own plan to have the jester assassinate the king, and especially not when the king's saucy daughter (Angela Lansbury) has set her sights on marrying the jester as a way to avoid having to marry a rival king with whom her father wants to forge an alliance.Kaye is absolutely hysterical, whether he's singing and dancing a big production number with a band of midgets or jousting with a rival knight while wearing a magnetized suit of armor.
Hubert's girlfriend Maid Jean (Glynis Johns) is on hand to try to assist, only to watch as Princess Gwendolyn finds the "jester" attractive - and when Hubert is hypnotized by Gwendolyn's sorceress maid Griselda (Mildred Natwick) he becomes - well a dashing swordsman and adventurer, like the real Giacomo...so long as he does not snap his fingers!
If you can watch this movie without laughing, please seek immediate medical attention -- you may not have a pulse!Much is made of Danny Kaye's outstanding performance in this film; it is clearly his best.
And that famous Danny Kaye routine about the poisonous vessel with that elusive pestle was taken from Bob Hope's 1939 movie Never Say Die.Well no one claimed The Court Jester was original, it's just very funny.
A spoof of the great sword-fighting movies of the classic era such as Robin Hood and Captain Blood, "The Court Jester" holds up even 50+ years after it was released.I grew up loving classic films a legacy developed by my father (of course these "classics" were films he often saw in the theaters) and I always enjoyed this movie, excited to find it on my local television station for the Sunday afternoon classic film festival (this was pre-cable and vcrs were not heard of at the time).
Now, my two daughters, ages 4 and 2 1/2, request to watch this movie which I purchased on DVD recently.However, don't think for an instant this is a "child's movie"; it is a movie full of intelligent wit at every corner, classic acting (a little hammy in some ways, but charming...quite a typical output for a film of this genre in this era) and entertaining songs.I think what attracted me as a child to this movie were the bright colors of the costumes and scenery, the sweet romance, fun musical numbers and the "incomparable Giacomo" Danny Kaye.
The script is chock-full of one-liners...some of the most memorable quotes in movie history...and they weave wonderfully into a plausible storyline.With a cast as experienced and strong as Danny Kaye, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, and Glynnis Johns, such a terrific script and rich visuals, you can't go wrong with this film, whether you're 4, 24 or 64!Now, if we could just get more of Kaye's classics released on DVD!.
They gave Kaye a first-rate supporting cast, among them Basil Rathbone, Glynis Johns and Robert Middleton, and two of the best comedy writers of the time, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, who also co-directed the film.
Basil Rathbone handles the job of bad guy perfectly and Cecil Parker is excellent in the role of the evil king who is not really so bad.One of Danny Kaye's best films and a must see for anyone interested in this wonderful actor's career..
Rarely in this new millennium of film making do movie makers find a way to convey a storyline without using all the newfangled technology that they can, and in doing so they loose the main point of the story- which is the characters, and it is possible to do this- I submit for example The Court Jester.
********* The Court Jester (12/25/55) Norman Panama, Melvin Frank ~ Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone.
Here he gets to play both the coward and the hero in a delightful dual role that is as energetic as it is mirthful, and luckily the supporting cast {Cecil Parker, Angela Lansbury and Basil Rathbone in particular} are clued into the nature of the film to bring about top entertaining results.
There are comics,and then there are comic geniuses.Danny Kaye,with his lightning quick delivery,was nothing short of the latter.This film was the perfect stomping ground for his remarkable talent.The story is very fast paced,and Kaye never misses a beat.His talent didn't stop at comedy.He had an unbelievable singing talent which is also showcased here.From the dazzling opening number to the very tender lullaby he sings to the baby,I was nothing short of amazed,not having seen any of Kaye's work for many years.He is supported well here,but with as much talent as the man had,he hardly needed it.Also worthy of note are Basil Rathbone,who obviously was not afraid to poke a little fun at his role from The Adventures of Robin Hood,and Angela Lansbury,who was delightful to look at even then.Need a laugh?You'll find plenty to spare here.Funny stuff!.
I find "The Court Jester a delight.Unlike some Danny Kaye movies it is an ensemble piece with other actors making vital contributions rather than just making up the numbers.And it is so wonderfully well written.
The basic plot:a court jester gets tangled up in palace affairs,while simply intending to usurp the throne from an untrue ruler.The praise:Danny kaye is great in a role full of puns,wisecracks,running jokes,wit,and crazy talking.Clever scenes abound : the Basil Rathbone duel,the midget attack,the joust,"the duke,the doje,and the duchess,"the pellet with the poison.....",and the change of demeanor by snap of finger,and the birthmark are only the more carried on ones.The Sylvia Fine songs are more than fine,and the technicolor is lively.Also,a lot of humor is based on how intertwined and complex Hawkins involvement in the multiple subplots is.It also takes it's action-adventure qualities seriously,and one can appreciate it from face even if one has not seen the swashbuckler Errol Flynn movies ("The Adventures of Robin Hood"'"Seahawk",etc.) which it satires.
He has a lovely controlled voice, he is very light on his feet as a dancer and has impeccable comic timing while making his character endearing rather than making him a total clown.He is wonderfully supported by an elegant, suave and suitably repellent Basil Rathbone as the film's villain (who plays it straight, which despite the film's silly nature contrasts very well), a hilarious Mildred Natwick and Glynnis Johns and Angela Lansbury who both have seldom looked more luminous and like Rathbone play it straight too while also being very charming and bagging just as many laughs as Kaye.
They are advantaged hugely by a deliciously witty and hysterically funny script, that is a non-stop laugh riot and filled with inspired wordplay and endearingly written characters that are essentially spoofs of pre-existing characters (Rathbone is like a Guy of Gisborne sort of character) and with every ounce of charm and spark.The story could have easily been tired (comedy of errors is not a new concept, and has had variable results when executed on film) and admittedly it's a bit sketchy, but that doesn't matter because the time just flies by, the spoofs are so much fun to spot and very cleverly incorporated and it's just so greatly entertaining, good-natured and warm-hearted.
The Court Jester's most memorable scenes have to be the sword fight duel which is so professionally choreographed, on par with the likes of The Adventures of Robin Hood as one of the greatest and brilliantly wild (how Kaye and Rathbone managed to keep a straight face when doing that particular take is amazing, reportedly Rathbone kept getting convulsed with laughter before) and most notably the classic "vessel-with-the-pestle" routine, which is one the funniest things Kaye ever did and is reason alone to see The Court Jester.The Court Jester looks absolutely beautiful, with ravishing colours, lavish costumes and sets that give off a real sense of the medieval period and meticulously loving colour photography, while the film is superbly directed.
The small number of songs, eight in total, fare memorably and have sweet melodies and extremely clever and witty lyrics (the same quality as the script-writing), Life Could Not Better Be and Outfox the Fox set up the characters nicely too without being heavy in exposition.In conclusion, The Court Jester is simply a delightful film which will be of no disappointment whatsoever to Danny Kaye fans.
The movie is superb with Danny Kaye in the title role and myriad supporting players including a deliciously sinister Basil Rathbone, and a young Angela Lansbury who combine to make it truly memorable.
I watched this movie at least a dozen times, and it keeps getting funnier, When you think of the great comic actors of the past you always think of, Chaplin, Marx Brothers, Abbot and Costello, Keaton and so on as well as all there classics, but Danny Kaye had so much talent that i dont think even he knew what he was capable of, this movie is in my top ten as funniest of all times and a great spoof of some of the great swashbuckling movies of all time, and also Basil Rathbone playing it straight just adds to the comedy.Sometimes overlooked but never forgotten, check this movie out, you wont be disappointed and always remember:The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!.
I doubt today's Hollywood COULD make a film as magical or funny or lyrical as `The Court Jester,' mainly because there will never be another Danny Kaye.`The Court Jester' works best if you're familiar with the conventions of the costume swashbucklers Hollywood used to make, but I think the uninitiated should have a good time, too.
There are so many great moments here: Hawkins' (Kaye) songs and his flirtations with the Princess (Angela Lansbury) and his plotting with Ravenhurst (Rathbone); the joust sequence with it's wonderful tongue-twister; the final sword duel between Hawkins and Ravenhurst.
The film can not only boast a superlative supporting cast of such film icons as Basil Rathbone and Angela Lansbury, but gives Danny Kaye his best role ever.
And there are three block comedy sequences that rank right up there with the best of Chaplin or Laurel and Hardy or the Brothers Marx: the finger-snapping swordfight between Kaye and Rathbone, the speeded-up ceremony investing Kaye's Hubert Hawkins as a knight, and the justly-famous "vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison" sequence with the wonderful Mildred Natwick.
The colors and costumes are gorgeous, the action scenes are well done, the doe-eyed Glynis Johns has never looked more ravishing, Kaye seems to have more chemistry than usual with his fellow cast members--especially Cecil Parker as the horny old usurper obsessed with "wenches"--Basil Rathbone looks like he's having the time of his life, and the picture is just loads of fun to watch, definitely the best and funniest one Kaye's ever done.
in days of yore, say the mid '50s, mgm created a masterpiece of knightly nonsense.comedy, music, courtly double dealing and dueling are combined into a feast of off the wall word play and timing as the protagonists try to restore the babe with the purple pimpernel to the throne.if you get this, then you got it, and that's good.danny kaye's talents are best shown here.
Hawkins [Danny Kaye] is trying to get the real king: a little baby, on the throne, and is forced to become Giacomo, the Court Jester.
Tonight, my 5-year-old boy, seeing COURT JESTER for the first time (insisting that Danny Kaye climb back into his "magnetic armor" for the climactic fight), would not go to bed until he had checked himself for royalty proving birthmarks and bid me good night by solemnly saying I love you, Black Fox.
It is not perfect, but any flaws it has are not memorable and in no way undo the enjoyable hilarity of the entire movie.With Danny Kaye as the hero and Glynis Johns and Angela Landsbury as the heroines and Basil Rathbone, as always the superb villain, and many other memorable performances makes this movie one the funniest of it's day and for today as well.I give it a 10 out of 10.
Basil Rathbone plays a perfect straightman foil to Kaye's cowardly jester.The Chalice from the Palace scene alone would rate this film recommend-worthy.
There are many exquisitely timed comedic moments throughout the film including a fanciful sword fight and Kaye's first song performed as a court jester before the tyrannical king.
But I picked up The Court Jester anyway, and am I ever pleased that I did.Where The Secret Life of Walter Mitty seemed sloppy, this movie takes Danny Kaye and makes the best use of him. |
tt0058548 | Santa Claus Conquers the Martians | On the planet Mars, the Martian's Leader named Kimar notices a listlessness that seems to be taking ahold of the children of Mars. This is evident when he finds his own children (Bomar & Girmar) spending much time watching Earth Programs on the videoscope. Kimar's wife, Momar, suggests that he seek advice from Chochem, the Ancient One.Kimar gathers a number of other Martians and goes to see Chochem. Though it is the middle of Septober on Mars, Chochem explains that on Earth, it is drawing closer to Christmas, and this could explain why the children of Mars are behaving so strangely. Chochem then goes on to decry how Mars tends immediately work on educating their young, giving no time for play or fun. Chochem finally decrees that the children must have fun, and says that Mars needs a Santa Claus, just as Earth has.Kimar takes Chochem's words to heart, and assembles a crew to go to Earth to capture Santa Claus. Of the crew, almost everyone is in agreement except for Voldar, who reluctantly comes along, even though he feels this is a mistake.Observing the Earth, the men are shocked to find that there seem to be hundreds of Santa's, many of whom are standing on corners ringing bells. Kimar believes that if they capture the real Santa, they then won't have any trouble with hundreds of Santa's running around.Setting down near a small lake, the martians meet two children named Billy and Betty. After explaining what they saw, Billy informs the Martians that the ones they saw were Santa's helpers, and that the real Santa lives at the North Pole. The martians then take the two kids with them, to prevent them from telling the authorities.On the Martian ship, Billy and Betty are supervised by a clumsy martian named Dropo. After sneaking them onto the ship's bridge, Dropo quickly hides the two in the radar box before Voldar enters onto the bridge.As the ship lands at the North Pole, the two children overhear the martians planning to kidnap Santa Claus, and also take the two of them to Mars. After the martians leave the ship, Billy and Betty escape, planning to get to Santa first to warn him. However, before they can get far, they encounter a Polar Bear, and then a robot named Torr, who captures them. The children are returned to the ship shortly thereafter.Torr and the Martians then head to Santa's workshop. Upon finding others there, Voldar and another martian use a freeze-ray, that stops several elves and Mrs Claus in their tracks. Kimar assures Santa the effect will wear off in a few hours, before taking Santa with them.Sometime afterward, Mrs Claus unfreezes, and alerts the media. The United Nations and the Space Program then immediately decide to send a rescue ship to try and catch the Martians, but it's too late as the ship is too far away.On the Martian's ship, Santa's jolly spirit infects many of the crew, but Voldar finds the entire cheeriness ridiculous, and attempts to shoot Santa and the kids out of the ship's airlock. Voldar is then captured and locked in a cell. Though right after the ship lands, several other martians instead find Dropo in the cell, and find Voldar has escaped the ship entirely. Kimar orders Santa and the Earth Children to have a constant guard, certain that Voldar will try something else.Santa, Billy, and Betty are then brought to meet Bomar and Gimar. Upon meeting Santa, he incites the children into laughter...something that Kimar and Momar have never heard before. After his greeting, Santa requests that a toy factory be built immediately, as he then plans to head back to Earth. It is then that Kimar explains that Santa will not be returning to Earth, and that he now belongs to Mars.Meanwhile, Voldar has taken into hiding in some caves along Mars' Transverse Canal. He is assisted by a nervous martian named Stobo, and another named Shim. Shim works as a double-agent, investigating Santa's toy factory. Voldar's original plan to kill Santa is dismissed in favor of trying to find a way to discredit him.Meanwhile, Bomar, Gimar, Billy and Betty assist Santa in working in the toy factory. Momar even makes Santa an extra suit (and fake beard to go with it). Dropo asks to wear it, which is meant with a jovial laugh by Santa, who claims the martian would need to fatten up first.Back at Kimar's home, Bomar and Gimar have grown much happier, but Billy and Betty have begun to seem sullen, much the way that Bomar and Gimar once were. Momar explains to Kimar that the two should be returned to Earth, but he refuses.Meanwhile, Droppo has gotten ahold of Santa's extra suit and beard, and after using a pillow, happily decides to go down to the workshop.Unknown to him, Voldar, Stobo and Shim have arrived there, and attempt to sabotage the machine. As they complete their work, they see Dropo enter, and mistake him for Santa (even though his face and hands are green).Dropo is taken back to Voldar's lair, but every question he is asked, is answered with 'ho ho ho.' | absurd, cult, psychedelic | train | imdb | null |
tt0165832 | Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road | The story begins in a bar, where two men are discussing a thesis statement for an upcoming paper. One of them asserts that out of all the different realms of the world, America has no mythological character that grants wishes. Their conversation is interrupted by a man (Wayne Robson) who claims that they are wrong, and that such a character does exist. The man goes on to explain that this character is a man named O.W. Grant, the son of a Leprechaun and a Cheyenne Indian. The man explains that O.W. is more so apt to play tricks on people, but that every so often, he takes a shine to some of them. When the two men ask this stranger just what O.W. Grant looks like, the fellow replies that he wears a red bow tie, and smokes a pipe carved in the shape of a monkey-head. As the man leaves the two, he mentions that O.W. can be found along Interstate 60. The two men go to a nearby map, and after looking over the roadways, think the guy they were talking to must have been pulling there leg, as there is no Interstate 60.The scene then cuts to real-as-life O.W. Grant (Gary Oldman), wearing a red bow tie, and smoking a pipe carved in the shape of monkey-head (just as the guy described). Going down a street, a guy in a parked car to his right opens the driver's side door, not realizing O.W. is about to pass alongside. O.W. falls from his bike, breaking the jaw on his monkey-head pipe. As the man apologizes and attempts to help him up, a truck comes along, running over Grant's bike, and destroying the man's cellular phone. The destruction of the cellphone causes the man to break into a fury, cursing how he wishes the incident had never happened. Grant asks if the man means the wish, and when the angered fellow replies positively, Grant places his pipe in his mouth, and green smoke envelopes the two of them.The scene begins again, with Grant riding along the same path (though his monkey-head pipe is now broken). Just before Grant reaches the car, he stops. The man on the phone inside, gets out of the car... and steps right into the path of the oncoming truck. As Grant observes the ugly incident, he mutters to himself, "Some people just don't know what to wish for."The scene then cuts to Neal Oliver (James Marsden), a young man from a wealthy family. However, while his father is a lawyer, Neal wishes to be an artist. On the day of his birthday, Neal (being unable to make up his mind), goes to a website to help him make his decisions. His girlfriend Sally (Melissa Ade) comes in, wishing him a Happy Birthday, and makes note of his little habits. These include how Neal peels his grapefruit instead of eating it with a spoon, and the myriad art pieces of a blonde-haired woman that Neal keeps drawing. Neal claims that he has no idea who she is, though.The scene then cuts to Neal's birthday dinner, in which Sally, his Mom (Roz Michaels), Dad (John Bourgeois) and sister Stacy are in attendance. When Stacy asks what Neal's birthday wish was, Neal claims that telling a birthday wish is bad luck. Just then, a waiter (O.W. Grant himself) overhears this, and tells Neal that that superstition is an old wive's tale, and that it is best to tell such wishes. With this information, Neal tells his family and Sally, that he wished for 'an answer to his life.' Grant ponders this as he takes Neal's cake to be cut in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Neal receives gifts from his family, and two rather big surprises from his Dad. The first is an acceptance letter to a prestigious law school, and the other is a BMW. Though these gifts seem to reflect more so on Neal's Dad wanting his son to become like him, than to Neal's own particular tastes and interests. As the family is inspecting the car, a bucket falls from an overhead ledge, and hits Neal on the head, knocking him out.Neal later awakes in the hospital. Shortly after he has awoken, he is visited by a doctor named Ray (Christopher Lloyed). Ray then plays an identification game with Neal, showing him cards, and having Neal guess the suit (Club, Diamond, Spade, or Heart). Neal thinks he's passed, until Ray reveals that there are red spades and black hearts in the deck. Ray then explains to Neal that not everything is what it seems. After Ray leaves, another doctor comes in, claiming he's there to test Neal. When Neal mentions Ray's appearance, the new doctor explains there's noone on staff by that name.Once he has recovered, Neal goes out for Chinese food with some friends and Sally. Neal is still unsure about the law school interview, but Sally thinks it's a good idea. As their fortune cookies are opened, Neal is surprised at his fortune: "October 15th. Are you sure?" This is the exact date of his law school interview. When one of his friends looks at the fortune, the paper appears to now be blank!Neal soon after returns to his late-night job of working in a warehouse, prepping food to be sent to local supermarkets. As he takes a break with another worker (John Henry Cavanan), their eyes alight on some billboards. Neal is shocked to see the girl he's been drawing appearing on one of the billboards. He assumes this must be where he got the idea to draw her: he saw her on a billboard, and that stuck in his head. His co-worker suggests that Neal try to find out who she is, and he takes the advice.The next day, Neal calls the billboard company, only to find that the billboard space is still for sale, and nothing is there. Neal thinks this must be a mistake. He drives back to the same spot, and sees the same girl on the billboard, only now, she has a phone number listed. Neal calls the number, and an automated voice tells him he has an appointment the next day at a specific building on the 13th floor, at 10am.Curious as to this whole thing, Neal goes to the building, only to find it doesn't have a 13th floor. Inside an elevator, he finds the same girl on an advertisement, that prompts him to push the '3' and '10' buttons on the control panel. This leads Neal to the non-existent 13th floor, where he encounters Ray again. Ray claims he has an assignment for Neal: he wants him to deliver a package. Upon reviewing the package, addressed to a Robin Fields, Neal mentions the name of the town (Danver) is misspelled. Ray just shrugs this off, and explains the terms of the delivery: If Neal wishes to go through with it, he must deliver the package on a specific date, and not open it or try to find out what's inside it. Neal decides to go through with the delivery, and signs a contract with Ray, as well as putting a drop of blood as well, as a sign that he is serious. Just before he leaves, Ray mentions that there is a killer on the loose, and gives Neal a playing card with a red spade on it. When Neal presses for more information, Ray refuses to divulge anything more. As he leaves, Ray mentions that Neal can find the town of Danver along Interstate 60.Neal checks several maps, and his local AAA, but there doesn't appear to be an Interstate 60. Throwing caution to the wind, he sets out West, just hoping to find it. However, he soon finds a billboard with the same girl on it, feeling it's a sign that he's on the right track. Shortly afterwards, he comes across O.W. Grant. Neal recognizes Grant from the restaurant, and is surprised when the man requests a ride, and presents Neal with a birthday present. This turns out to be a Magic 8-Ball, that Grant says can answer any Yes or No questions.As the two take off, Grant reveals more about himself. The O.W. stands for "One Wish." Grant was intrigued by Neal's wish to find 'an answer,' and that brought him into the young man's life. O.W. then instructs Neal to take several turns, and soon, they are on the non-existent Interstate 60.After discussing about possibilities and choices, the two end up in a little diner. As they sit in a booth, a man (Wayne Robson) enters the establishment (the same man who told the two men in a bar about O.W.). The man goes to the counter and orders 15 double-cheeseburgers. When he says he's going to eat them at the restaurant, the waitress doesn't believe him. The man then changes his order to an even larger serving of various foods. A man next to him wants to wager that this hungry fellow can't finish all his food, and pretty soon, people in the bar are taking bets on it. Neal asks the 8-ball if the man is really going to eat all the food he ordered. When the 8-ball answers an affirmative, Neal makes a bet on a sure-thing.True to his word, the man finishes the entire meal, and the man who bet against him wants to know his secret. The man then explains (with an eye on O.W. in the corner), how he used to always want to sample everything on a restaurant's menu, but was often frustrated with the size of his stomach. One day, he made a wish, that caused him to now have the equivalent of a 'black hole' in his stomach. The problem is, due to this, he has to eat meals of this size 4-6 times a day, which can get expensive. So, he expects people to make wagers on this, and that is how he pays for these extra-large meals. Overhearing this, Neal asks if the man still enjoys food, to which the man replies in the negative, before leaving.As Neal prepares to leave, a local Sheriff who was in the room stops him, saying how it seems that Neal was in on the whole thing, as he wholeheartedly put down so much money, and that it seems that his friend was in on the scheme. The Sheriff then requests Neal give over all his money, and Neal and O.W. leave with no money in their pockets.As they drive along Interstate 60 again, Grant reveals to Neal that due to an unfortunate accident, he has been castrated. Neal doesn't believe this, until Grant shows him. Shortly afterwards, the two encounter a young woman named Laura (Amy Jo Johnson), who has made it a hobby to try and sleep with as many people as possible, trying to find perfection. She attempts to entice Neal, but he refuses, claiming that he'll now be the one that got away, and how this will bug her for the rest of her life, if he was the perfect one or not. Neal enjoys this little mind game, which infuriates Laura. When she attempts to see if O.W. will 'play ball,' the trickster surprises her with his non-existent equipment, and she storms off in a huff. Both O.W. and Neal then share a laugh at their little game.As afternoon turns to night, the two encounter a woman named Susan Ross (Rebecca Jenkings), who claims that her son took her car. It is here that O.W. exits Neal's car, and suggests that he help the woman find her son. Neal and Susan head to the nearest town, which has numerous warnings about a substance called Euphoria. Upon entering the town, they see numerous camps, and buses leaving for a rave party in the city. There are some teens that are out and about, but they are doing menial tasks.Neal and Susan make it to the rave, where they are once again informed about Euphoria and it's effects, and that it is being served inside. They enter, and soon find Susan's son, Philip (Tyler Kyte). Susan pleads with her son to go, but he says he wants to stay. A scuffle ensues, and Susan and Neal are brought before Police Captain Ives (Kurt Russel) in his office.Ives explains how there were numerous problems with crime in the town. With the advent of the substance known as Euphoria, the once rampant teenagers changed: the substance allowed them to party all night, but then ran their system down by day. This strange substance managed to eliminate crime, but made whoever took it happy but dependent on Euphoria. Susan is saddened that it seems she's lost her son to this chemical. When she asks Neal what to do, he suggests that she try to stay for her son's well-being. Susan grabs a tube of Euphoria, and ingests it, soon acting as happy as the others.Ives offers Euphoria to Neal, who refuses. He then offers Neal a 'finders fee' for bringing Susan and her son to the town. Neal refuses the money, but takes the request to lodge in town for the night.The next day, Neal encounters a man hitchhiking on the side of the road, named Bob Cody (Chris Cooper). Cody requests a ride from Neal, but gives several conditions that Neal has to follow. Neal obliges, and the two begin to discuss things. Bob is a man who sees through numerous lies, and just wants the truth. This is seen as he takes note of several ads on the local radio (for example: he faults one that says a car is made with pride in the USA, when in fact the vehicle contains numerous parts that are from companies outside the USA).The two eventually stop for gas, and Bob is asked by a man for help. The man (Billy Otis) is holding a sign that says, 'Will Work For Food.' Bob offers the man an apple to wash Neal's car. The man refuses, and Bob mentions how the man appears to be delivering a lie: he says he will work for food, but he is refusing to provide a service for the apple. The man then gets irate and throws the apple away. Bob admits that since the man took the food, he is now obligated to wash the car. The man angrily pulls a knife on Bob, but Bob shocks the man (as well as Neal and the station attendant), by revealing a ring of dynamite and a timer on his belt. Bob delivers his ultimatum: the man has 10 seconds to agree to wash Neal's car, or the detonator will go off. The man gives in and washes the car, much to everyone's relief.Neal and Bob finally arrive at their destination, and Bob thanks Neil for adhering to his policy of honesty and playing by the rules. Bob gives Neal his business card before the two part ways. However, before leaving the town, he stops at a place called 'The Museum of Art Fraud.' It's curator there asks Neal for help immediately. As they watch a group walk through a small collection of great art, Neal is then asked (once the group is gone), to take them into another room, where they are explained to be copies. The group of people (oblivious to the fact that they had just seen the same works of art), express haughty comments and criticisms, claiming these 'copies' have faults compared to the other art pieces they saw.Once the group leaves, the curator (Jane Moffat) explains to Neal that these pieces are actually the originals. Her husband had a technique that allowed him to perfectly copy the famous pieces, and that the pieces in the large galleries around the world are all frauds, whereas the Museum of Art Fraud contains the originals. As they pass by a painting, the curator points out that the man in the painting is her husband. Neal is shocked to see that the curator's former husband was O.W. Grant himself.Once finished, Neal continues on his way to Danver. However, he soon finds himself at a crossroads, and heads towards a town called Havelock. He has not gotten within 10 ft of the city limits when he is pulled over by a cop, who says that Neal has been accused of running over a citizen's dog. Neal contests that he has never been in this town before, but is ordered to park his car and head into town.It soon turns out that Havelock is entirely populated by lawyers, who end up suing themselves and anyone who sets foot in the town. Neal is soon taken up with an attorney named Valerie McCabe (Deborah Odell). After 'hiring her,' he soon finds that his trial time will put him beyond that time needed to deliver his package to Danver, and is soon locked up to keep him from attempting to leave.In the local jail, Neal sees in a cell some ways down from his, the same blonde woman he's been drawing, and appeared on the billboards. Neal catches her attention, and claims he's going to get her out. At first unsure how to do this, Neal then remembers the card that Bob gave him.Bob arrives the next day to act as a witness to Neal. However, when Bob soon finds out about the 'white wash job' that the town is giving to people, he reveals his dynamite and detonator (which was Neal's plan all along). This causes the Judge (Ken Kramer) to dismiss the case, and order all persons being held under false charges be released.Neal soon after is there for the release of the woman in his pictures, though the first thing from her mouth a rather mawkish, expletive-filled voice. Neal attempts to ignore this, but soon says that he can't stand her attitude and vocal tone. It is then that she reveals this was a test, to see if he would be honest about his feelings.As they head back to Neal's car, the woman reveals that her name is Lynn (Amy Smart), and that she had meet O.W. Grant previously. However, when she wished to meet the perfect guy, she didn't expect to spend a year in jail to do so. As they talk, they soon realize how much they have in common.On their way out of Havelock, they come to a fork in the road, by a hotel. As Neal mentions how he has to get to Danver, Lynn remembers a note that O.W. gave her. Checking the note, it cautions her not to go. Both are a bit perplexed by this, and instead decide to spend the night at the hotel.The next day, Neal has spent the night working on a painting of the motel where he's spending the night. Neal considers backing out on his deal with Ray, but Lynn suggests that he still go, and she will stay at the hotel waiting for him to come back.Neal continues on his way, but has second thoughts about leaving Lynn. He tries to use his car's phone, but the signal strength is too weak. Pressing on, the radio gives information about a killer that has been spotted in the area. This happens just as Neal pulls up to a roadside checkpoint. The radio describes the perpetrator's vehicle as a red BMW with white paint on the trunk. The vehicle almost matches Neal's, except for the white paint. Neal then takes off from the checkpoint, breathing a sigh of relief.Some ways away, Neal pulls into a gas station, attempting again to call the hotel and Lynn. However, just as he gets some way from the car, a Jeep pulls up, and some guys throw a paint balloon at his BMW, leaving a large white splotch of paint on the trunk! Neal attempts to wipe off the paint, but finally panics and drives off. Attempting to get to Danver, Neal keeps driving, but now the reports talk of a suspicious package the murderous driver has. This causes Neal to wonder about his own package. Desperately, he asks his Magic 8-ball for answers, but it refuses to give him direct answers.Finally unsure what to do, Neal drives off-road, before pushing his car over a cliff. As he watches it for a few moments, a helicopter suddenly flies overhead. In the distance, Neal sees a red BMW like his own, speeding along a highway before erupting into a fireball as it collides with a Police barricade.Neal goes to investigate the crash, but there's not much left of the car or the driver. When Neal asks who the guy was, an officer (Ross Collins) says that the man killed his father and then attempted to escape. Neal believes this was a 'what-if' vision if he did go along with what his Dad wanted, vs what he wants. As he attempts to ask the 8-ball what he should do next, Neal suddenly realizes he can make his own decisions, and throws the toy away.Neal eventually gets a ride to Danver, and finds himself at the proper location. He is at first surprised to see Ray there, but is even more surprised to find O.W. Grant there as well. Grant explains that his nickname is Robin Fields, and that he sent the package to himself, as a test to see if Neal really would complete his task. Grant then opens the package to reveal it's contents: a new monkey-head pipe! As Neal watches, green smoke emerges from the pipe, and Neal suddenly finds himself back in the hospital. At first thinking it was only a dream, a playing card on the bedside table that mentions the hotel's name where he and Lynn stayed, confirms it was real.Once Neal gets out of the hospital, he goes to his Dad's office, saying that he will not go for the interview, and will live his life by his own decisions. As he is about to leave, his sister Stacy appears, wanting him to go to a local art gallery.This strikes Neal as an odd thing to do, given that he didn't enter anything in the gallery's recent competition. However, upon entering the gallery, Neal finds the painting he made of the hotel on a wall. It is then that O.W. Grant appears again, claiming to have entered it in competition on Neal's behalf. As they talk, Neal is approached by Lynn (the very same as before), who works for a company that would like Neal to do paintings of roadside motels for their business. Though she claims she has never met Neal, she swears he seems somewhat familiar. Neal admits to the same.Nearby, Stacy and Grant watch the two talk. Grant then turns the conversation to Stacy, who he claims has a birthday coming up. "Don't forget to make a wish," he tells her and let him know. | comedy, psychological, murder, whimsical, alternate reality, psychedelic, romantic, entertaining | train | imdb | null |
tt0097958 | National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | Open: A 2 minute animation of Santa arriving at the Griswold family house and putting presents under the tree.We open with Clark and Ellen singing Christmas carols in the car on the way to a Christmas tree lot out in the country. As Audrey and Rusty are increasingly uninterested in Clark's plan to put on the perfect Griswold family Christmas, Clark gets into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with some truck drivers after he's cut off and flips them off. This ultimately causes Clark to veer the car off the road and jump over 500 feet. As the Griswolds find their perfect tree, Rusty reminds Clark that he forgot to bring a saw.Back home, as Clark gets out his Christmas decorations and begins setting up the tree, he makes an off color joke to his pretentious yuppie neighbor Todd about where he'd like to put the tree. That night, the excess sap causes Clark to stick to everything he touches.The rest of the movie is told through the style of an advent calender. Starting with:Dec. 14th:The Griswold family is at a busy department store buying Christmas presents. Clark can be seen hitting on "Department Store Mary" in front of his son Rusty. That night Ellen's parents and Clark's parents arrive at the house.Dec. 15th:That night, Clark reveals to Rusty his plan of illuminating the house with some 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights. Audrey tells Ellen that her plan of sleeping in the same room as her brother is sick and twisted.Dec. 16th:Clark sets about illuminating the house with some 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights, and a few other decorations like a plastic Santa. His first attempt at setting the lights up ends in near disaster with several broken windows and Clark stapling the sleeve of his shirt to the roof. The yuppie neighbor Todd and his wife Margo are complaining about Clark destroying their stereo and carpet in the process.Dec. 17th:Clark is at a potentially very important meeting with his boss Mr. Shirley. He believes this is the key to landing a bigger holiday bonus. He and his associate Bill discuss what they're planning to do with their bonuses, and Clark reveals that he's going to put in a swimming pool.Dec. 18th:Clark is nearly finished setting up the 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights. As he makes for his big presentation, he finds that there's something keeping the big display from powering on. It's later revealed that a switch in the garage is what is keeping the display from turning on.Dec. 19th:Clark goes to hide some Christmas presents he bought in the attic and discovers some that he simply forgot about several years ago. Unfortunately he's locked in the attic and the family thinks he disappeared working on getting the light display up and running. They give up on tying to find Clark and head for the mall. Now trapped in the attic, Clark passes the time by watching some old family reels of Christmas past.
That night, Clark is desperate to get the lights working. As the Griswold house is illuminated, it causes a massive power surge that requires the city's auxilary power to be turned on. As the family stares in awe, the neighbors nearly destroy their house, and Clark is stunned by the sudden and completely unannounced arrival of Cousin Eddie and his family.Dec. 20th:The Griswolds decide to have some weekend fun and go sledding. Clark reveals his big project that he's been working on with his chemical company: an experimental kitchen lubricant. He greases up his sled and sails down the mountain at an unusually high speed, electrifying everything in his path.Dec. 21stClark still can't believe Eddie crashed the party, and is stunned that he is emptying a chemical toilet out into the sewage drain underneath his house - which does not directly drain to the ocean. Eddie discovers that the experimental lubricant that Clark had applied to the sled had nearly destroyed it. While he and Eddie go shopping, Eddie reveals to Clark that he's flat broke and the RV is actually his real house. Clark then offers to get Eddie some Christmas presents.Dec. 22ndBack at work, Clark reveals to his associate Bill that it's his last day of the year and drops off his Christmas present to his boss Mr. Shirley, who doesn't seem too grateful about all the presents he's getting from his employees.Dec. 23rd:Clark is seen staring out the window at his future pool, fantasizing about Department Store Mary, who is appearing to give Clark a memorable daydream striptease. He's quickly interrupted by Eddie's daughter who tells him she believes Santa isn't coming. Clark reassures her that the opposite is going to happen. Eddie tells Clark that he's not leaving until the end of January.Dec. 24th:It's finally Christmas Eve. The rest of Ellen's elder relatives arrive. The Griswolds finally get to reward the fruit of their efforts to put on the perfect Christmas Eve dinner with a 20 pound turkey with all the trimmings. Clark has Ellen's 89 year old Aunt Bethany say grace. But Bethany due to her age has a very limited memory and instead recites the United States pledge of allegiance. Unfortunately they left the turkey in the oven too long and cutting into it means that they have nothing but scrap meat. Eddie's Rottweiler Snots drinks the water from the Christmas tree causing it to dry out. While that's going on, post dinner - Uncle Louis lights up a cigar and incinerates the tree in the process. Clark, desperate to relcaim his tree, instead takes a chain saw to one in his yard. Aunt Bethany's cat - which she had wrapped up and intended to give to one of the Griswold relatives - can be seen chewing on a strain of lights on the Christmas tree and incinerates itself.Post dinner, Aunt Bethany notices a squeaking noise made. It turns out the tree that Clark just brought in is the home of a live squirrel. Chaos ensues. Snots chases the squirrel around the house, destroying lots of objects in the process. A frustrated Clark informs the family that no one is walking out on Christmas despite the fact that it has become a total disaster. He then takes the chain saw to the staircase and fixes the null post. Finally having enough of Clark's madness, after Clark destroys another window in their house, yuppie neighbor Margo finally goes over to the house to take some action and punch Clark in the face. As she approaches Clark, she's greeted by the squirrel, followed by Snots. A battered Margo goes back home and punches Todd in the face instead.As the family begins to clean up from the disaster, Clark gets an envelope. He reveals to the family his plans of putting in the swimming pool, and if there's even money left over, he'll fly the rest of the family out to dedicate the pool. During the clean up process, Eddie discovers the remains of Aunt Bethany's cat and jokes about it spending all of its' nine lives. The envelope contains what Clark presumes to be his Christmas bonus. Unfortunately it's a check for the Jelly Of The Month club. Clark goes berserk, telling his family that he would like his boss in front of him with a big ribbon tied to his head. Eddie disappears.Later, the family is gathered around for the traditional reading of the classic story "Twas The Night Before Christmas". Clark's dad Clark Sr. officially passes the torch to Clark to read the story as it's his house and his Christmas. Mid story, Clark notices Eddie with a rather familiar looking man heading toward the front door. It's Clark's boss Mr. Shirley. Eddie had fulfilled Clark's wish of wanting his boss to tell exactly how he feels about the bonuses getting cut. This causes the boss to have a change of heart after seeing how it affects his employees first hand, but not before his wife and the Chicago SWAT team shows up to destroy the house further.After all the dust is settled, the family and the Chicago SWAT team are all gathered outside, where Uncle Louis lights his cigar once again. The sewage that Eddie emptied from his chemical toilet in the RV had caused a radioactive glow. Uncle Louis drops the lighter and that creates an explosion that launches the plastic Santa Claus in the air. Witnessing the explosion, mistaking it for fireworks and thinking that it's July 4th instead of Dec. 24th, Aunt Bethany begins singing the US National Anthem. The family stops fighting and joins Aunt Bethany singing the National Anthem and the SWAT team join in. The movie ends with them finishing the National Anthem and begins singing Christmas carols and Clark looking up at the radioactive Santa flying through the sky. | comedy, humor, entertaining | train | imdb | null |
tt0827990 | Aladdin | The story begins when a young boy named Aladdin is wandering the streets of his city in search of some sort of employment. Aladdin walks up to a seemingly noble man offering to be his servant for one day for the price of three eggs, however, the man rejects the offer even when Aladdin offers to work for the price of two or even just one egg. In another part of the Arabic city, a mysterious traveler by the name of Haseem seeks the advice and guidance of the city's medicine woman, Fatima. She tells him that the man he is looking for, the one who will help him obtain the treasure he seeks, is a humble young boy by the name of Aladdin. Haseem goes in search of the boy and finds him returning home to his mother bringing her cabbages and watches as he alone defeats three boys that had come to bother and humiliate him. Haseem congratulates Aladdin for his victory, telling him that he fights just as good as his father; for he had known him, Haseem said, for he was his brother and therefore, Aladdin's uncle. That night, the stranger Haseem is welcomed at Aladdin's home by his mother and together, the three of them enjoy a big feast given to them by their new relative. Haseem promises that from now on, neither Aladdin nor his mother shall be hungry ever again and both are delighted. The next morning, Aladdin and his uncle walk a long way to a place where Haseem said he and his brother had played when they were young. Haseem spots the right place when he finds three palm trees that grow as one and a camel made of stone. Then, to Aladdin's surprise, Haseem begins to make magic that makes the very earth shake. Aladdin then realizes that Haseem is not who he says to be and that he is not his uncle. As the earth under his feet begins to crack, revealing a large block of stone that seems to cover an entrance of some sort, Aladdin is frightened and attempts to run away, only to be detained by Haseem, who threatens to cut off his legs if he dares to run away again. Haseem orders Aladdin to help him lift the great block of stone and after a lot of struggling and several tries, they manage to remove the block, which is tossed into the sky and thrown aside by magic coming from within a hidden underground cave. Haseem explains to Aladdin that he is the one chosen to enter the cave and collect its greatest treasure, he gives him a magic ring which will allow the boy to wander through three underground halls unharmed and warns him not to touch anything, for if he disturbs the tiniest spec of dust in one of these halls, he will die. Haseem tells Aladdin that at the end of the three halls, he'll find a magnificent garden where the treasure is located: a small oil lamp. When Aladdin is told that he'll be given half of the treasure, he accepts and goes down into the cave, not without one clumsy fall, and walks through the three halls where he encounters all sorts of dangers: rocks covered in sharp spikes, cobra snakes and human skulls. Just like Haseem had said, Aladdin finds a beautiful garden at the end of the third hall where all sorts of animals live happily. Below the waters of a small waterfall, Aladdin spots the sparkling oil lamp, he grabs it and takes it away. Just then, Aladdin is marveled by the sight of a tree blossoming with beautiful flowers, thinking of his mother, he decides to take a few to take back to her, but then, right before his eyes, the beautiful flowers turn into even more beautiful, shiny jewels. Taking hold of a small sack, Aladdin fills it with jewels of all colors, sure that his mother will be happy with the riches. Shortly after, Aladdin makes his way back to the foot of the stairs that lead out of the cave, Haseem is waiting for him just at the top of the stairs. When Haseems asks him to hurry up bringing him the oil lamp, Aladdin tells him that it's too much for him to bring the lamp as well as the sack of jewels. Haseem tells Aladdin to leave the jewels behind but the boy refuses. Angry, Haseem swears that if he shall not have the lamp, no one else shall and then uses magic to move the block of stone over the cave once again shutting the entrance for all eternity. Discouraged, Aladdin sits at the foot of the stairs trying to figure out a way out of the cave, scolding himself for his big mouth. Suddenly, the oil lamp begins to glow and bright bolts of burning light shoot out from its interior. Scared, Aladdin throws himself on the ground and takes cover. Aladdin hears a deep voice coming from within the lamp and shortly after, he is frightened by the sight of a large genie. The genie, saddened by Aladdin's frightened reaction, begins to cry uncontrollably, almost drowning Aladdin and flooding the entire cave. Knowing that the genie can grant just about any of his biggest desires, Aladdin wishes to leave the cave and be returned home to his mother. The genie does just as his new master commands and in a matter of seconds, Aladdin and genie find themselves at the front door of Aladdin's home. The boy thanks his new friend for his service and kindly asks him to return to his oil lamp, for he will need time to explain to his mother about the lamp and the genie inside of it. Aladdin's mother, who had also learned that Haseem was an impostor, believes that magic is very dangerous and when he hears of the lamp and the genie, she tells Aladdin to take it to his room and forbids him from using it. The genie is upset with the decision of Aladdin's mother, but the boy asks him to wait patiently, for she is sure to change her mind.The next morning, Aladdin is returning from a walk around his city when he is harshly pushed indoors by his mother as he approached their house. His mother explains to him that today the sultan is taking his daughter, the Princess Leila, to the royal bath house and the sultan had ordered all of the male citizens to remain indoors and to shut all of their windows, for no man is allowed to look upon the sultan's daughter, if they did, they would be crushed beneath the hoofs of stampeding camels. Aladdin is curious about the order, he wonders whether the princess is so ugly that the sultan is ashamed of her or perhaps she is so beautiful that he wants to keep her all to his own. As his mother sleeps, Aladdin grabs a rope and leaves the house determined to get an answer. At the royal bath house, Aladdin climbs on top of the building's roof and makes his way into the bathrooms with the use of the rope he had carried with him. Inside, he is startled by the coming of three beautiful girls, one of which is the Princess Leila herself. Upon first sight, Aladdin is marveled by the princess' charming beauty and instantly falls in love with her. Aladdin is content with the answer to his question, but he is seen by the bath house owner as he is making his way out and several guards are sent in his way, determined to stop him from escaping. With the help of a horse, Aladdin is able to outsmart the sultan's guards and returns safely home. His mother hears the tale of her son falling in love with the princess, daughter of the sultan, and of his longing to marry the girl. The woman, seeing the humor in Aladdin's desire, can only laugh, for it would be impossible for the son of a peasant woman to be able to marry none other than the princess. Offended by her laughter, Aladdin decides that now is the perfect time to show his mother a treasure he had kept away in his room and brings down the sack full of jewels. Aladdin's mother asks if she has brought up a thief, but Aladdin explains that the jewels are rightfully his and that perhaps he may use them to convince the sultan to allow him to marry his daughter. The next day, the sultan is receiving many visitors from the city, nobles and peasants. At the palace, the vizier and his son are also present, the son is also longing to marry the Princess Leila, but his father cannot convince the sultan to allow his son to do so. Aladdin's mother asks to see the sultan and she is brought to him, the sultan asks him to make it fast for he is tired after such a long day of visits and requests. Aladdin's mother then tells the sultan of his son's longing to marry the princess and thinking her request nothing but a joke, everyone present bursts out in laughter. The sultan thanks the woman for making him laugh so hard and sends her on her way. Aladdin's mother explains that she does not joke and that they are willing to offer the sultan the sack with the jewels in exchange for his daughter's hand. The sultan examines the jewels and is about to consider the possibility when he is interrupted by the vizier, who tells him that his daughter is worthy of much more than a sack of jewels. The sultan then declares that only if the woman could bring him eighty men each carrying a chest full of jewels, would he allow Princess Leila to marry the peasant boy. Aladdin's mother returns home empty handed, for the sultan had held on to the sack of jewels, and explains to Aladdin of the sultan's impossible request. Aladdin then tells her not to worry, for he shall have the Princess Leila and his mother will have the proper house she had always deserved. Aladdin brings down the oil lamp and shows it to his mother, she tells him that there is a time for everything and that perhaps now is the time for magic. Aladdin explains his new need to the genie and shortly afterwards, at the palace, the sultan, the vizier, his son and even Princess Leila are surprised by the music of eighty men marching down the streets of the city, each carrying a chest full of jewels. When Princess Leila asks her father who the man riding with them is, the sultan explains that he is to be his future husband. Soon, the Princess Leila and Aladdin are married with the sultan's blessing, Aladdin's mother is given a luxurious house to live in and the genie creates for Aladdin a palace even more magnificent than that of the sultan himself. All of Aladdin's new servants are thrilled with their new lord, for they all agree that Aladdin is the most charming young man they could ever ask for and the love between he and his new wife grew deeper each day.In a land far away, Haseem discovers Aladdin's escape from the cave and seeks revenge. At Aladdin's palace, the Princess Leila is watching a group of knights practicing a performance which will be given to celebrate Aladdin's return from a hunting trip, when a stranger appears calling out that he will trade old oil lamps for new ones. Leila's friends laugh at such ridiculous offer, but Princess Leila figures that she would impress Aladdin with her shrewdness if she were to replace his old lamp with a new one. She asks one of her friends to fetch Aladdin's old lamp and to obtain a newer one in exchange of it. The trader, who is in reality Haseem in disguise, recognizes the lamp and quickly makes the trade. As soon as the girl disappears, Haseem holds the lamp and orders the genie to come out. When the genie does come out, he is shocked to find a new owner of the lamp. Haseem requests for Aladdin's palace to be taken far away with both him and Princess Leila inside of it. The genie sees no other option but to fulfill his new master's wishes and does as he asks. Shortly afterwards, Aladdin returns home from his trip and is chained by the sultan, angry that his precious daughter has been taken away and that her life might be in danger. The sultan is thinking of a punishment horrible enough for the one responsible for his daughter's disappearance when Fatima, the old medicine woman, appears with the information that a certain Haseem is the one to blame for having taken Princess Leila away. Aladdin asks the sultan to free him until the next full moon and before that time, he promises to be back with the sultan's daughter and his wife, he leaves his mother behind to ensure that he shall return. The sultan accepts and Aladdin soon sets off in his long way to the land where Haseem lives. Aladdin arrives in the middle of the night and finds the princess asleep. Aladdin kindly wakes her up and she is glad to see her husband again, she explains to him that Haseem keeps the oil lamp close by him at all times, even when he sleeps. Aladdin manages to steal the lamp back from Haseem as he sleeps and slowly makes his way outside where he calls for the genie. Rudely, the genie asks for his master's new request, but his tone changes as he discovers that the lamp is once again in the hands of the noble Aladdin. The boy asks the genie to return the palace to its proper place in the city close to where Princess Leila's father lives and the genie does as he commands. Haseem awakens to find the lamp missing and quickly runs to one of the balconies to see what is going on. The genie appears and tells him that the lamp is again in the hands of Aladdin and that the palace has been returned to its proper place. Haseem is angered and the next morning he goes to Fatima, for the last time, for this time, he kills her and steals her robes in order to disguise himself as her and be welcomed inside Aladdin's palace. The sultan, delighted to see her daughter safe again and even more delighted to find that she is bechilded, welcomes Aladdin back as his son-in-law. Haseem, disguised as the old medicine woman pays a visit to Princess Leila and tells her that her child will be guaranteed health if she were to obtain the egg of a Roc for the egg has special powers. Princess Leila tells "Fatima" that she will be rewarded when Aladdin gets the egg and quickly runs to tell her husband about it so he can find it. Aladdin promises to get the egg if it's what the princess desires and goes to the genie for his help. However, the genie is horrified by Aladdin's new request, he explains that all things have an ultimate master and that the Roc bird is his own, therefore, stealing his egg would mean death for them all. Aladdin then wonders why Fatima would ask for something that would endanger their lives and the genie then sees himself free to tell Aladdin that Fatima is not Fatima, but their old enemy Haseem. Aladdin quickly thinks of a plan to avenge the old villain and pretends to be ill. One of Leila's friends announces his illness and that Aladdin wishes Fatima to come and see him. Without any hesitation, Haseem enters the room in which Aladdin appears to be asleep and raising a sword attempts to kill him, but is stopped when Aladdin gets up. The two of them fight one-on-one until Haseem trips on his own robes and falls, stabbing himself on the stomach and killing himself. The dead body of Haseem vanishes and Aladdin says one final farewell to his enemy. Aladdin, Princess Leila and the rest go on to live good, happy lives, passing the story of the brave Aladdin down to their children and grandchildren for all time. | fantasy | train | imdb | "Bad Movie" to the 3rd Degree. Generally, when one watches a bad movie, it is in one of two categories: i) it is bad in a funny way, or ii) it is so bad that it isn't enjoyable, even to poke fun. This movie, however, transcends "normal bad" and becomes "Bad to the 3rd Degree," or "so bad that if you are not personally pained while laughing so hard, you aren't paying enough attention." From the paper-thin plot (pretty much the entire plot is on the back of the case, simply without the dialog and supposed wit), to the many continuity errors, to the over-all terrible production value, my friends and I highly enjoyed the hilarity that ensued.On the whole this movie made my stomach hurt from laughing, and my psyche from awe-inspiring lack of effort. Sadly, 1/10 is the lowest I can give this movie.. Well I liked it. I don't consider Golden Films' Aladdin one of their best like Thumbelina, The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio, but I personally found it good and I also think it deserves a fair chance in being judged on its own terms. If I were honest, I do prefer Disney's, mainly for the fact that it was one of my favourite movies as a kid, but the Golden Film version is in a way more faithful to the story. There are a couple of corny moments and the animation, with some of the characters designed rather stiffly and some flat colours, lacked the finesse and warmth of a Golden Film animation like The Three Musketeers for example. However, the opening theme song Rub the Lamp is amusing and catchy, there is some nice use of classical music and the script has several smart, funny wisecracks and jokes for especially children to enjoy that don't take over the seriousness of the story, which has its dark spots but still as engaging as you'd hope. The characters are great fun, especially the villain Hasseem and Aladdin himself is likable. The voice acting is suitably enthusiastic. In conclusion, I liked it. 7/10 Bethany Cox. A childhood favorite!. Golden Films' Aladdin is a wonderful children's adventure in which a young man who lives humbly but comfortably with his mother in his Arabian home one day receives the visit of the dreadful magician Haseem. Haseem impersonates the boy's uncle, brother of his late father and one morning brings Aladdin to the place he says he and his brother once played. Haseem uses his magic to reveal the opening of a secret cave where he asks Aladdin to bring out a magical lamp. Aladdin now knows Haseem is an impostor and manages to keep the lamp to himself. When Aladdin discovers the power of its inside, he wishes for a comfortable life for his mother and help to find his true love, the Princess Leila.Aladdin is a delightful children's film and I found it truer and more enjoyable than Disney's rather forgettable "Aladdin" released on the same year. This movie is not meant for adults, it is kept simply, yet nicely to be especially enjoyable for children. It features only one song, which is reprised at the end, the backgrounds and characters are colorful and well-designed and the voices fit the characters splendidly, even if none of the actors behind the characters are any well-known stars. The movie is magical on its own merit rather than relying on Robin William's stardom or Disney's name. A fine effort from GoodTimes Entertainment that is sure to delight little ones. 10/10.. Much Much better than Disney's. This is about a boy who finds a magic lamp, meets the genie and gets the girl of his dreams only to be challenged soon by the evil Haseem. Many differences than Disneys, character names and plots both are changed. I haven't read the original story of Arabian Knights so I don't know which is closest, but this one was way better than Disneys. It was creepy and dark at times. It was serious and to the point. The Genie was not all sarcastic and cute and stuff and that made it much better. The Villain was meaner and he's ultimately killed here, which Disney would never have the guts to do.Adults should like it better, I know I sure did, BUT don't get me wrong it still wasn't that great of a film. The story is darker, characters are better and more realistic, there's no stupid songs and it's less than an hour.. 3/10 stars |
tt0208092 | Snatch | The film opens as we see boxing promoter Turkish (Jason Statham) and his naive partner Tommy (Stephen Graham), sitting nervously before an unseen man, in London. Turkish gives a brief narration about the circumstances, then the movie really takes off. We then jump to Antwerp, where gangster and compulsive gambler Frankie Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro) and his buddies, dressed like rabbis, pull off a daring robbery and nab an 86-karat diamond (throughout the rest of the film, it's either 86-karat or 84-karat, depending on which character states it, or it loses value after going through so many hands). One of Frankie's men is the brother of ex-KGB gangster Boris the Blade (Rade Serbedzija), aka Boris the Bullet-Dodger, named due to his unique ability to defy death. Boris is now in the business of selling guns on the blackmarket, and lures Frankie to buy a gun, in order to steal the diamond.Meanwhile, Frankie has contacted jewelry retailer Doug the Head (Mike Reid) about the diamond. Doug lives in the Jewish community of London, although he himself is not even Jewish. Nevertheless, Doug contacts his Cousin Avi (Dennis Farina) in New York about the diamond. Avi sounds very interested, and tells Doug to keep Frankie close and interested in selling.At the same time, Turkish and Tommy are preparing for a big bout, using their premier boxer, Gorgeous George. Tommy is being overprotective these days, and carries a small firearm that he bought from Boris the Blade. Turkish and Tommy run a legitimate slot machine business on the side, to compensate for the illegal boxing that they participate in, and their office is a run-down caravan. Turkish is unimpressed by doing deals in such a crappy environment, so he urges Tommy to go buy a new caravan from a traveling band of gypsies (or pikies, as everyone else calls them). Tommy goes to the campsite, accompanied by Gorgeous George. It's there that they meet One Punch Mickey O'Neil (Brad Pitt), a tough, indecipherable part-time pugilist. Tommy buys the caravan, but as he and Gorgeous George are leaving, the wheels of the caravan almost immediately fall off. Tommy asks for the money back, but Mickey refuses. Gorgeous George demands the money back, and starts throwing his weight around, unti Mickey decides that he and Gorgeous George fight for it. They have a bare-knuckle brawl, and while Mickey is still removing his hat and shirt, Goregous George starts throwing punches. He beats Mickey up for awhile, until Mickey lays just one punch into Gorgeous George, knocking him out cold. Tommy reports back to Turkish about the bad news regarding Gorgeous George, but tells Turkish about Mickey's mean left cross. With Gorgeous George out of commission, Turkish is in dutch with debt to. Brick Top is very pissed that Gorgeous George is not going to fight, due to all the bets that were placed on him. Turkish, desperate, turns to Mickey, who says he'll do the fight if Turkish buys his mother a new caravan. Brick Top is not too impressed by this change in the cast, but allows Mickey to fight in place of Gorgeous George, granted that Mickey will take the dive in the fourth round.During his meeting with Frankie, Boris the Blade convinces the gambler to go place a bet on the fights that night. Frankie is interested, and does so. To get the diamond, Boris hires inept pawnbrokers, Vinny (Robbie Gee) and Sol (Lennie James), to rob the bookie and steal the briefcase (containing the diamond) from Frankie. Boris gets the briefcase (its contents unknown to Vinny and Sol) and the pawnbrokers get the cash, roughly 10,000 pounds. Vinny and Sol enlist a getaway driver named Tyrone (Ade), a man so large he has trouble getting out of the car. Also along for the ride is a dog that Vinny found. The dog is very restless, always chewing and biting things, and even swallows its squeaky toy, making it squeak whenever it barks.Frankie parks his van in front of the bookie's, and goes to the back to change. Just then, the pawnbrokers crash into his van, knocking Frankie out cold. The pawnrokers stakeout the bookie's, until it's time.Meanwhile, Turkish is very nervous about the fight, and urges Mickey continuously to go down in the fourth. Mickey just nods. When the fight begins, Mickey throws the first punch, and knocks the other fighter out cold. Now, Turkish and Tommy are in big trouble. Brick Top is not very happy.Vinny and Sol finally decide to rob the bookie's. When they enter the building and draw their guns, the girl working the counter immediately hits the alarm, closing off all of the windows and doors, trapping Vinny and Sol inside. Vinny is actually trapped in the closed window, half of his body hanging out. Sol blows a hole in the wall with his shotgun, and tells the girl to lower the window so Vinny can get free. She does, Vinny falls to the ground, and Sol tells the girl to hand over the money. She says there is no money, since all bets are off. There's only a few coins. When Sol accidentally places his shotgun down for a second, the girl grabs it, fires at them, and closes the window. Sol fires his pistol at the door trying to break the glass, but the bullet ricochets, hitting Vinny in the leg. Both men take off their masks, only to see the security camera looking straight at them. Suddenly, Tyrone pushes the door open, and the three run back to the car. As they are preparing to leave, they see Frankie, now awake, exiting his van. Tyrone walks up to him and knocks him out cold with the butt of his pistol. He tries taking the briefcase, but it's attached to Frankie's arm, so Tyrone puts Frankie's unconscious body in the car with him and the pawnbrokers.Back in New York, Avi is hounding Doug the Head about the whereabouts of Frankie. Doug says he's looking, but can't find him. Actually, Doug isn't looking, and Avi knows this, so he flies to London himself. Avi reems out Doug about not finding the diamond, and sets his sights on getting it himself.At the pawnshop, Vinny, Sol and Tyrone have Frankie tied to a chair, a sack over his head. Boris the Blade enters, and asks why they brought Frankie with them, instead of just cutting off his arm and taking the briefcase. Vinny tells Boris there was no money at the bookie, so Boris compensates them with the 10,000 pounds in cash upfront. Vinny declines, saying that he and his pals are more interested in the diamond. They opened the case, and found the stone, and demand half of whatever it's worth. Boris explains that whatever is in the briefcase is his, but Vinny won't listen and walks away. Boris, angry but cool about it, pulls out his gun, and shoots Frankie in the head. The pawnbrokers are now scared out of their wits. Boris demands the diamond, but the pawnbrokers had put it back in the briefcase and only Frankie knew the combination. Boris, getting very agitated, pulls out a meat cleaver, and hacks off Frankie's arm. He takes the briefcase, with the arm still attached, and tells the pawnbrokers they can keep the 10,000 pounds, as well as the body. It's now their problem.Turkish returns home, and finds Brick Top with two of his goons waiting for him. Brick Top explains that Turkish is in deep trouble, however, Brick Top was impressed by Mickey's style, and tells Turkish that he wants to use the gypsy in a bare-knuckle fight coming up, with Mickey still going down in the fourth. Turkish agrees, and Brick Top leaves, but not until taking most of Turkish's money to compensate for Mickey's stubborness. Now, Brick Top wants to know who tried to hit the bookie, so he and his goons watch the security tape. They don't recognize Sol and Vinny, but one of the goons recognizes Tyrone when he opened the door.Turkish and Tommy venture back out to the campsites, and find Mickey and his friends "coursing" , a game that involves hungry dogs chasing a hare. Turkish asks Mickey to fight in the bare-knuckle brawl. Mickey tells the promoters that he still wants the caravan for his mother, but he'll place a bet about his conditions of fighting. If the hare gets away, Turkish has to pay up, but if the dogs capture the hare, Mickey will fight for free. They let the hare go, and the dogs chase after it. This scene is intercut with Brick Top's goons locating, chasing and capturing Tyrone, putting him in a hole with angry dogs. Tyrone tells Brick Top everything about the robbery. At the same time, the hare, after some close calls, escapes with its life. Turkish has to look into getting the caravan. On the drive back to town, Tommy tries to test out the gun that Boris sold to him, but it's defective and won't fire.Avi, growing very upset with Doug, decides to hire a troubleshooter by the name of Bullet-Tooth Tony (Vinnie Jones), who, as legend has it, took six bullets in one sitting, and survived. Tony agrees to work for Avi, and the two, along with Avi's sidekick, Rosebud, go to get information. Tony grabs a con named Mullet (Ewen Bremner, "Spud" from "Trainspotting") off the street, traps his head in the car window, and drives down the street, with Mullet running along side the car, until Mullet spills the beans, and reveals to them about the pawnbrokers.Back at the pawnshop, Vinny and Sol are trying to dispose of Frankie's body, when suddenly Brick Top walks in. He explains to them the best way to dispose of the body is to feed the flesh to pigs. That's his method, anyways. Brick Top leads them to their outer office, where a group of goons wait, with bodybags, butcher knives, etc., basically preparing for the pawnbrokers' demise. Sol, in desperation, tells Brick Top about the diamond, and says that he and Vinny can get it for him in four days. Brick Top agrees, but gives them 48 hours instead.Turkish tells Brick Top the demands regarding the upcoming bout. He says that Mickey's mother wants a new caravan. Brick Top is very pissed that Turkish would have the balls to demand things of him, so he decides to put his message across. Some goons smash up Turkish's slot machines. Turkish knocks two of them out, but they eventually nab him, and are about to cut off his arm, when Tommy walks in, with his defective gun, and gets him and Turkish out of there. Brick Top also wants to make clear to Mickey about his point, so he burns down Mickey's mother's caravan...with his mother inside. Mickey tries to save her, but his friends hold him back, as the flames grow higher.Tony and Avi go over to the pawnbrokers, where Vinny reveals, with Tony's gun to his head, that it was all Boris the Blade's idea. Tony is surprised to hear this name, and tells Avi about Boris. While they are waiting at Doug the Head's jewelry shop, they see Boris enter on the security camera. Rosebud says he'll take care of Boris. The next cut shows Rosebud, Tony and Avi in the car, all a little beaten up. They got Boris, though, and put him in their trunk, with a little difficulty. They go over to Boris' house, and get the diamond.The pawnbrokers don't have any guns, but they purchase some replicas with extra loud blanks to get back the diamond from Boris. They're tipped off by Tyrone that he found Boris, but he wasn't alone. That's when the bizarre car montage begins...The pawnbrokers are following Avi and Tony when suddenly they hit someone standing in the street.Turkish and Tommy are driving along in their Land Rover, and Tommy is explaining why it's bad for Turkish to drink milk. Tommy grabs the milk, and tosses it out of the window, only to hear a crash.Tony is driving Avi and Rosebud, and Avi says that he wants to kill Boris. Tony suggests shooting him. Avi says it's too loud. Tony suggests stabbing. Avi says it's too cold-blooded. Tony says they should stab him, and tells Rosebud to pull out a blade from under the seat. Rosebud pulls out a large sword, when suddenly...a carton of milk splashes onto the windshield, causing Tony to crash. Tony and Avi are fine, but Rosebud is dead, the sword sticking out of him. Avi looks across the street and sees Boris, tied up with a sack over his head, walking around, until suddenly hit, by the pawnbroker's car.Turkish and Tommy are now at Boris', with Tommy ready to demand his money back for the defective gun. Suddenly, Boris, still very much alive and angry, walks by them. Tommy tries to talk to him, but Boris racks him. Boris walks inside his house, and grabs a large assault rifle, like the one in "Scarface."Tony and Avi, trying to keep it cool, go into a nearby pub to clean up. Avi goes to the bathroom with the diamond. Tony goes to the bar, and orders a pint. The pawnbrokers walk in, in masks with their replicas, and point them at Tony, who is very calm. They demand to know where the diamond is, but Tony says that they're not going to get anywhere with those guns, considering they have "replica" written down the side of them. Tony draws their attention to his gun, which has Desert Eagle .50 written down the side of it. The pawnbrokers leave, but while they are in the hall, Avi opens the bathroom door. The pawnbrokers point their replicas at Avi, and demand the diamond. Avi says they're going to have to shoot him. Suddenly, Boris enters, with his assault rifle, and he's about to shoot everyone. Tony is in the other room, but can hear everything. He finds the hall door is locked, and yells for Avi to grab his socks ("get down!"). Avi and the pawnbrokers drop to the ground, as Tony fires round after round through the wall, hitting Boris. Vinny and Sol get up, grab the case, and run, leaving Tyrone behind. Tony walks into the hallway, reloads, and shoots Boris a few more times. But Boris is still alive. It takes the entire round, and a shot to the head to finally kill Boris the Bullet-Dodger. Tony also tries to shoot Tyrone, but the gun is empty.Vinny and Sol, now that they have the diamond, are about to give it to Brick Top, when Tony suddenly appears. Vinny hides the diamond in his pants, and tells Sol to tell Tony and Avi it's back at the pawnshop. They all go back to the pawnshop. Vinny's dog has torn the place up, shredding papers and defecating on the floor. Avi tells Tony to open a window. Vinny says the diamond is missing, the dog must have eaten it. Avi tells Tony to open the dog up, but Vinny resists. There's a lot of commotion, and Vinny finally hands the diamond over to Avi. Avi admires the diamond, but the dog suddenly jumps up and grabs the diamond with its mouth. Avi is very angry now, and grabs Tony's gun and starts firing everywhere. The dog jumps out of the open window. Avi tells Tony to follow him, but Tony isn't going anywhere. Avi realizes that he just accidently killed Tony. This sends Avi back to New York.During O'Neil's wake, Mickey gets very, very drunk. Turkish and Tommy wake him up, and get him ready for the fight. Brick Top tells the gypsy to do as he says, considering there's a handful of men waiting at the campground, armed and awaiting Brick Top's instructions to kill the other gypsies, should Mickey disobey him. Mickey once again must go down in the fourth. Turkish yells at Mickey not to knock the other fighter out. The bout begins, and Mickey once again opens with his mean left cross, knocking the other fighter down, but not out. The fight really starts, and the two are merely trading licks. Mickey is not fighting like he normally does, and is soon taking a beating. Finally, in the fourth round, after taking some mighty hits, Mickey is knocked hard to the ground. As he hits the ground, the floor of the mat suddenly turns into water, and Mickey is swimming underwater, looking above to see himself lying down with the other fighter above him. All Mickey has to do now is stay down. However, Mickey swims back up into his body, and, with one swift punch, knocks the other fighter out cold. Brick Top rushes outside. He wants to shoot Turkish, Mickey and Tommy as they are leaving. Brick Top calls one of his men on his cell phone, and hears gunfire. He hangs up, and as Turkish, Mickey, and Tommy are getting to their car, Brick Top knocks on the window of his car, and demands that his goon give him a gun. Suddenly, there's a shot.We then retrace back, with Turkish's narration, that Mickey was expecting the ambush on the campsite. The other gypsies surround Brick Top's men, and blow them away. When Brick Top called one of his men, Mickey's buddy answers, and says that Brick Top is going to speak up if his friend wants to hear him. Mickey's friend then shoots Brick Top's man. The gypsies are also waiting in Brick Top's car, and when Brick Top demands a gun, one of the gypsies roll down the window, and shoots Brick Top in the face. Mickey takes off with the gypsies, leaving Turkish and Tommy a bit confused.The next day, Turkish and Tommy go to the campsite, to find it abandoned. The gypsies left in the middle of the night. Some police officers arrive, and ask Turkish what he's doing there. Suddenly, Turkish spots Vinny's dog, and tells the officer he was walking his dog. Tommy grabs the dog, and he and Turkish leave, only to pass by Vinny and Sol by their car on the side of the road, being questioned by cops why they have a dead man missing his arm in their trunk. Turkish goes on to explain that Tommy wanted to keep the dog, but Turkish made it go to the vet, to stop the squeaking. While at the vet, they discovered the diamond, and now we are back to the first scene of the film, with Turkish and Tommy sitting nervously across from an unseen man. Turkish is inquiring about the diamond, and the camera does a quick dolly to reveal Doug the Head, who says he might know someone interested in it. We cut back to see Avi boarding a plane for London. | comedy, dark, neo noir, murder, cult, violence, flashback, clever, psychedelic, humor, entertaining | train | imdb | This time however, it all looks somewhat slicker and better funded, and alongside the British regulars are the odd American celebrity (Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro).Everyone in the film puts in an excellent performance, but Pitt stands out as a charismatic and near-incomprehensible Gypsy boxer.Like Ritchie's earlier film, this one takes a little while to find its feet, but once it does the pace doesn't slacken until the finale.
The camera work and editing complement each other to keep the film's pace on its toes, much like the boxers at the center of the character's stories.Jason Statham has some of THE best lines in the movie, constantly slamming anything even slightly intelligent his partner Tommy has to say.
Even though the story line is only a simple one (following a massive Diamond through England's criminal underworld), it is the connections each character has to the diamond and each other that really makes this film stand out from all the usual jewel-heist films.Another 10 / 10 from me on this one, it's just a pity the follow up to Snatch was a "collaborative effort" from Mr. Richie and his um.......wife..
`Snatch', written and directed by Guy Ritchie is by far one of my favorite films of all time it is easily in my personal Top Thirty.
Let's see if we can keep this straight:Turkish (Jason Statham) and his partner Tommy (Stephen Graham) are amateur boxing promoters who, after their premier fighter is wounded, have to find a replacement to fight, or one of the meanest guys in London, Brick Top (Alan Ford), who just happens to run the boxing matches and stands to make a lot of money off of the fight is going to impart his unique brand of justice on them.
Every single actor in `Snatch' looks like they are having one hell of a good time working in the film.
`Snatch' would be a great film due to its story alone, but Guy Ritchie's direction is so dead on, the film transcends brilliant and becomes FAN-insert your choice of expletive here-TASTIC.
While this was not the first time I had seen the film `Snatch', it was the first time I'd watched the film knowing that I would have to analyze it slightly in order to funnel my thoughts from the film just being `Phenomenal!' to `Phenomenal because
..' While I can certainly be classified as an unabashed Madonna fan, and have been for the last two decades, I REALLY hope that Ritchie decides to drop his wife from his film work and not continue on the `Swept Away' path, rather, to get back to the work that has earned him well-deserved high praise.
Good preformances, fantastic characters, razor sharp diologue, expert direction and camera work and brilliant humour, Snatch will make you laugh more than any other movie this year.
(You should see him in anything he made, and read my comment about John Carpenter's movie: "Ghosts of Mars.")Alan Ford as "Brick Top" is terrifying - his forced speaking style made me think that he was chewing on the flesh of his previous victim.Vinnie Jones as "Bullet Tooth Tony" is total tough head to foot tough - a walking brick wall - a marine for all seasons - none tougher.Brad Pitt as "Mickey O'Neil" is utterly 110% convincing.
If you aren't confused yet, you soon will be."Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", Mr. Madonna's (Ritchie) first film, was shot on a small budget, with a no-name cast (except for football bad boy Vinnie Jones) and quickly became a rousing success at home and found receptive audiences abroad.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the dog that subtly stole every scene he appeared in.While "Snatch" initially struggles to find its stride, and is very similar to Ritchie's earlier film, it is fresh and funny enough to make you forget any minor shortfalls and stand on its own..
First off, for those of you who have seen Snatch's predecessor, (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), you know that Guy Richie (the writer and director of both films) has a very music-video style as far as the camera angles, movements, and cinematography goes.
I was expecting him to be a lead character, but he's not.So, in conclusion, if you have never seen Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, I would see that first before seeing Snatch so you can get adjusted to Guy Richie's style.
A gypsy, played by American Brad Pitt, is almost intelligible.This is why I strongly recommend you use English subtitles while watching this film, at least for the first viewing, or you will totally lost.
The characters are so strange, so cartoon-like, that - combined with the unique visuals - it makes it a fascinating film to watch every time.
There is a good mix of young and old actors in here.This is a guy's movie with the top dozen actors in this film all tough-talking, almost-crude men (plus a funny dog).
The film is much better cast that it deserves!Statham and Graham are the least colourful characters in the piece and Ritchie knows it so despite being the leads, they often play second fiddle and only act as the catalyst.
I'm 14 years old now, and I knew almost nothing about cinema back then, and I had never seen such a movie like Snatch, and it's style!
Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones and the rest were great, but Brad Pitt totally stole the show!I was thinking to myself "This movie can't be any better!", but then it got better!
Because if you come into the movie actually looking for a great story with great acting and diverse, interesting characters, well, you won't get it.
But if you've decided you like "hip, cool, wise cracking British gangsters" and Guy Ritchie's ADD style of directing before you even sit down, then you'll decide this is just what you thought it would be, and give it a 10.That's the only way I can fathom how people thought this was a great movie, let alone a good movie.
Not only was it from the director of 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', one of my favourite UK movies of all time, but it had Brad Pitt in, who since Twelve Monkeys and Fight Club is my numero uno cool actor.But I ended up greeting many of the attempts at humour with a stoney face, found some of the images (notably the one with the body bags) just gross and distasteful and the entire plot lacking in the FUN that had been Lock, Stock.The plot didn't seem to weave as much - the diamond changed hands predictably, the comedy dog wasn't and some of the gags were so...sitcom-like.
That's funny repetition.The violence didn't fit with the cheeky style the film attempted...It makes me angry to think how much better Lock, Stock is.
Though Brad Pitt's character is very funny, there is a moment, when his caravan is burning down, of a sad intensity in his eyes, there was nothing like this in "Lock Stock".
In this fast-paced thriller-comedy Ritchie again takes us into the 'underworld' of England and this time he does it with more assured direction than in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
It's pretty good yes, but not harmonic.When I say more 'assured' direction on Richie's part, I mean that in Snatch, every scene and character serves a purpose - unlike in Lock, Stock where longer segments were often used.
Have to see it again..I didn't see 'Lock, Stock,...' so cannot say Guy Ritchie made the same movie twice, which some reviewers have alluded to.
But if that is half as good as this, its got to be worth a look.Brad Pitt joins a distinguished group that includes Dustin Hoffman in 'Dick Tracy', and Robert Carlyle in 'Trainspotting', as Movie Characters Who You Don't Understand Half of What They Are Saying...but that didn't matter one bit, it added to the overall enjoyment..
The movie is made in the same style as the previous Guy Ritchie movie, "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels".
Jason Statham who made his debut in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" plays the main character in this movie.
Not that more of the same is a bad thing in this case but it's just of course not as refreshing and original as with "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" was the case.If you like a well constructed movie with a solid and complex story told from multiple points of views this is a sort of movie that you'll love.
SNATCH (2000) Director Guy Ritchie flix this must have movie into the South - English culture with brutal gangsters and one punching taters.Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, Benicio del Toro, Dennis Farina and Vinnie Jones, all this good actors operates in this violent crime comedy that really entertians you!
It may have some things like remind you off Fight Club and stuff, but it is without doubt very much the same of Ritchie's other English gangster movie Lock, Stock and Two smoking Barrels (also with Vinnie Jones).
The story is fast and very nice put together where you switch cameras sometimes and may in the background you can see things happening in the other camera view, very good Guy!Statham is great and together with his partner Tommy they work for a brtual and disgusting gangster boss.
So, if you are not an adolescent boy, don't waste your time and electricity watching this movie despite the talented actors who signed on to collect monies to pay their bills.That being said, IMDb's Guy Ritchie biographer quotes Ritchie as saying, "He never attended film school, saying that the work of film school graduates was boring and unwatchable." Really?
Filled with very memorable characters, very creative direction and editing and top notch performances from everyone involved, Snatch is very easy to recommend and is a riot when watching it with friends (Who have very dark tastes.) Go and watch this movie today if possible 10 out of 10..
Also there is a lack of "normal" characters for the eccentrics to play off of.The only positive thing I can say about "Snatch" is that this is the best acting I have ever seen from Brad Pitt.
And if anyone was up for the task, it was visionary director Guy Ritchie, sweeping into theaters fresh off his cult classic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels to deliver his most hard hitting, savagely funny and effortlessly stylish film to date - Snatch.
Though this may be familiar ground for those who have seen Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie's Snatch is no less enjoyable as a result - brutally violent, caustic and hilarious, with Ritchie's trademark sense of incomparable style.
Snatch is definitely much better than Ritchies first movie "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and is one of the most underrated films ever.
The acting is good, story is even better, Ritchie is one of the best new directors and everyone should go out and see his movies.
Why Guy Ritchie didn't do more like this I couldn't guess (Lock, stock & 2 smoking barrels is also a must see).
Add to that a fantastic cast, including Benicio Del Toro, Vinnie Jones, Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, the dog, and Alan Ford as the sweet-natured Brick Top. Add to *that* that Guy Ritchie's fantastic way of using his camera and music to give the fantastic flair that is the trademark of his "lorry-gangsta" films.
I saw Guy Ritchie's "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and thought it was an extremely disappointing piece of '90s cinema - I specify it was made in the 1990s because it's another one of those Quentin Tarantino rip-offs that borrow his directorial trademarks - the violence punctuated by irony and dark humor, the intertwining stories, the morally dark characters who have no remorse."Snatch" is a great deal better.
Brad Pitt basically mumbles his way through the movie and he and his pack really do come across as genuine Pikeys.I hate to sound like a typical American when I say "Snatch" is better than "Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels," but I honestly think the plot, the direction and the acting is superior here.
Guy Ritchie was brilliant to come out with that kind of scenario and the execution was great with good actors (Brad Pitt, Vinnie Jones....).
Vinnie Jones excels in the role of a London hard nut it's what he does best and the accomplices of the Russian are brilliantly funny and lighten the dark and gritty reality of the plot considerably A definite work of extreme style form Guy Ritchie with an urban soundtrack to match the plot, this film is a welcome follow-up to "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" which is also worth watching.
However, don't let this distract you from what is a very funny, well-shot and visually enjoyable film.Guy Ritchie propels the story along with blistering pace trying to fit a fast range of characters and in some cases this can become confusing to who is who and what is what.
All I say is that don't go and see this film and expect to see anything different to 'Lock Stock' in the story department, however, if you liked Ritchie's stylist touches then you will defiantly enjoy this cause it is full of them.
It never once bored me, and all the characters acted to the best the of their abilities, including the star of the show, Brad Pitt.I would recommend this film to anyone who likes London gangster flicks.
If anything, strangely enough, it feels like Lock was the more mature film made some years later, not before.It's not as smooth in the action sequences, it's got too much talking that doesn't amount to much effect, pretty stupid braindead type dialog, supposedly witty but really completely forgettable banal lines, tries hard in many places; something like Brad Pitt's character was good in concept but honestly could've been much funnier in execution, they could've really made him sound hilarious when here he's just confusing to listen to.Where 'Lock' had lots of well incorporated subplots and micro-twists, this here gets overcomplicated too fast, too many characters, and the viewer can't be screwed to put in all that effort to remember insignificant details, as the film never makes it a point to warrant your full attention on every aspect of this very ordinary production.
it was the first Guy Ritchie film i saw and since then i have been watching every movie he has ever made.
Brad Pitt plays a bad ass character as mickey he does some great boxing scenes.
Having seen Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels by the same writer/director, Guy Ritchie, and loved it, I very much looked forward to seeing this film.
And he wouldn't be totally wrong because "Snatch." can be looked as a plagiarism in tone and story structure of his 1998 hit film, same assortment of characters with colorful nicknames, same intertwined plots, same use of frenetic editing, slow, fast or stop motions, Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones and Tom Ford reprising different roles and a screenplay loaded of one-liners, quirks and wisecracks, though not as memorable as the first.So accusing Ritchie of the whole "style over substance" isn't just pointless, it's unfair in the way he didn't attend to do anything substantial, his "Snatch." Is as much a joke as "Lock Stock".But he can't get away with this argument either, not totally.
A comedy where the focus is the story can afford slower moments, in the case of Ritchie's movies, it depends on who's on the screen and on that level, there are three characters steal the show.Vinnie Jones, as Bullet Tooth Tony, provides a monologue that almost equals Dirty Harry's description of a Magnum, and with the same intimidating effect, Tom Ford as the nasty-looking bespectacled Brick Top is quite convincing as someone to make you curse your mother for giving you birth if you ever owed his money and Brad Pitt overplays his mumbling accent as if he was conscious that the whole thing didn't even need to be clear, a stunt that reminded me of Benicio Del Toro in "The Usual Suspects".
Guy Ritchie doesn't like flying!The main criticism I'd heard regarding this film was that it was just more of the same from its predecessor Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
This guy is such a good actor yet so under appreciated.....weirdly, although I had a problem with Lock, Stock's accents....i understood Pitt's Pikey accent at times when the movie characters couldn't.
Anyway, if you like movies, like Reservoir Dogs, or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, you'll enjoy Snatch..
nobody baby...Snatch is great ...beautiful made ...great script...excellent acting and actors ...i am not a Brad Pitt fan but as a gipsy he was fantastic.Jason Statham was at his best performance yet...and what more do i need to say about Alan Ford.He is the best SOB ever on screen.The director is a genius and has proven not to be a one hit wonder...The result: The best film since Pulp Fiction.And one more : thing beware Hollywood , England is just around the corner.P.S.Look for Vinnie Jones and J.
I thought the only good thing about this movie was Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro.
Also the humor is great at times, maybe at larger doses than expected, which makes 'Snatch' a comedy more than anything else.By the way, has anyone noticed that in Guy Ritchie's movies everybody pronounces 'TH' as 'F'?
"Lock, Stock.." also introduced Jason Statham with whom Ritchie went on to making two more films and Vinnie Jones, a football player turned an actor.
I loved it possibly my favourite film along side of lock stock also written and directed by guy Ritchie.
I've just watched Snatch and I must say that it is one worst films I've seen in quite some time.
Basically, if you like crime films, British folk, and good old fashion dry humor, then "Snatch" is a movie you need to see. |
tt0436058 | Band Camp | The spin-off movie focuses on Matt Stifler (Tad Hilgenbrinck), the younger brother of Steve Stifler from the previous American Pie films. Matt is eager to enter the family business of making porno films, so he can prove to his older brother that he is "up to the standards of the Stifmeister." Stifler and his friends play a prank on the band students during the seniors' graduation ceremony by spraying pepper spray on the mouthpieces of the band's instruments. Matt narrowly escapes getting caught and stows the can of pepper spray in his front pocket, which subsequently leaks onto his genitals. The band members begin to play "Pomp and Circumstance", only to become too irritated by the pepper spray to continue. During the commotion, one of the students trips and pulls down the back curtain, which reveals Matt, who is washing his pepper-spray-soaked genitals in a drinking fountain, in front of the whole school.The band leader Elyse Houston (Arielle Kebbel) demands that Stifler be punished for ruining their performance, stating that he always gets away with his pranks because he is the school's star football player. The school's guidance counselor Chuck Sherman ("The Sherminator") (played by Chris Owen from the original American Pie films) decides that a worthwhile punishment would be for Stifler to attend band camp, in the hopes that he would make friends with the "bandies" and not follow in the footsteps of his much-hated brother.When first arriving, Matt is very disrespectful to the rules and also everyone at Tall Oaks and gets his band group in trouble. He is sent to the office of Noah Levenstein (Jim's father) (Eugene Levy), who works as the camp MACRO (Morale and Conflict Resolution Officer; he's filling in for Michelle as she is now pregnant), recommends that he try to fit in and earn the band's trust, which is the last thing that Matt wants to do. However, a phone call from a friend, who says that earning their trust will get him better footage for his video, inspires Matt to be much more respectful and humble towards the band.Matt finds out that his dorky roommate Ernie Kapolwitz (Jason Earles) has an extensive knowledge of spy cameras and technology, so Matt agrees to let him help with the filming, making his first friend at Tall Oaks. As Matt "is earning the band's trust" he gets into a big confrontation with their rival band leader, Brandon Van der Camp (Matt Barr), and even goes as far as to accept a duel challenge made by him, having no idea what a "duel" is.It turns out that a duel is the two performers showing off their music skills, with Brandon playing the snare drum, and Matt playing the triangle. Throughout the majority of the competition it seems that Brandon is the heavy favourite; during Brandon's second round of performing, Matt walks away humiliated. As Brandon is about to be declared the official winner, Matt comes back playing the bagpipes to the tune of 'Play That Funky Music' showing that he is actually a decent player, surprising everyone, including Elyse, who is pleasantly surprised by Matt's performance.As Matt is still recording the various happenings at the camp, he gradually becomes friends with some of the band members from his school. He gains some respect from Ernie after Matt sets him up on a date with tattooed bandmate Chloe (Crystle Lightning). Matt starts falling for Elyse, who is revealed to have been a friend of Matt's in 8th grade but had a falling out after Matt started hanging around with Steve and his friends and acting like The Stifmeister. Matt is eventually caught with his movies, and his once-friends want nothing more to do with him.After another talk with Jim's Dad, Matt comes to realize that his brother is not as great or cool as he once thought and that following in his footsteps is not a good idea, so he deletes all the videos he recorded at band camp. He even enlists the help of the band to help Elyse get the band scholarship that Stifler accidentally made her lose in the final days of band camp.To make it up to Elyse, Matt decides to pull the whole band together to get Elyse the scholarship to the Robards Conservatory. Matt writes up a forged letter on his computer and sends it to Elyse's house. Elyse gets the letter when she is with her friend Chloe. Elyse then gets dropped off at Robards by fellow band member Oscar. When Elyse gets to the front desk she is told by the lady at the desk that the letter she has is a fake.When Elyse turns around and hears bagpipes, she says to herself "Stifler!" in an exasperated voice. The camera then moves in to Matt who is playing the bagpipes, and after Elyse expresses her anger with him, the rest of the band is revealed and start playing the song that Elyse wrote. When Dr. Choi and her assistant come out to see what the noise is about she mistakenly believes that the entire event has been orchestrated by Elyse and is sufficiently impressed to give her the scholarship.Elyse then thanks Matt and hugs him, who in turn gives back Elyse her piccolo which he'd thought was a dildo. They then kiss.Various deleted scenes are shown during the closing credits that did not make the cut. | prank | train | imdb | I have to admit, that i was expecting the forth edition to the American Pie series, with its almost complete absence of original characters (Except for Jim's Dad and the Sherminator) to be dreadful.
Thankfully its actually pretty good, Tad Hilgenbrinck (Matt Stifler) pulls off an incredible performance as the Stifmeister's younger brother; its like Steve Stiflers back (really he's that good) Matt Stifler is assigned to band camp, as punishment (revenge) by the Sherminator and that's where the trouble starts, more antic's involving instruments, cameras and Jim's dad follow and with plenty of laughs 'American Pie presents Band Camp' comes out with at least some credibility as a part of the American Pie Series.Missable, but worth a look 6/10.
I was impressed at the acting of the guy who played Stiffler's younger brother.As someone who basically grew up with the American Pie movie series, I'll always enjoy those movies, and watch them with a sense of nostalgia, for I was in similar points in my life to all the characters at the times the moview were originally released.
"American Pie: Band Camp" focuses mainly on just one character, Matt Stiffler, the younger brother of Steve Stifler who we all know from the previous 3 American Pie movies.
Tad Hilgenbrink really isn't bad as the new Stifmeister and he impersonates his older 'movie brother' pretty well and convincing but he however isn't given exactly wonderful material to work with.
The movie could had surely used some better sidekicks and other characters to help and make this movie a better one."American Pie: Band Camp" lacks some real good memorable moments and well executed jokes.
It's a very flat movie with some simple and not always funny jokes and moments in it.It's fairly good entertainment to watch but it lacks the characters and memorable jokes and moments from the previous 3 American Pie movies.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
I must say I like all the American Pie movies, but without the original cast I was a bit skeptical.
I mean, I even wondered if the actor playing the original Stifler's brother is his actual brother!Short story shorter: phony bad guy finds love and decides to come out of the closet and show the world his inner beauty.
After watching the previous 3 American Pie movies, i was eagerly awaiting the next installment...and as usual i was expecting the pointless storyline, heaps of laughs and a reasonable detachment from the characters.To my surprise, this movie is nothing like its forefathers, but to my delight it gave a new chapter to the American Pie meaning.
Detached as it was, they still managed to round up a few of the old stars, even though they only had small roles.Personally i thought Arielle Kebbel was absolutely amazing, and quite strangely i found that this movie had (in my eyes) a much deeper storyline than the others, and in the end pushed out some meaningful stuff.So after watching it 8 times in a row, i decided that it indeed failed my expectations of an American Pie movie, but greatly exceeded my movie enjoyment expectations.All in all this is a great movie, where you become more attached to the characters and even in its differences they still manage to get a few laughs in, a as usual a few nude scenes.ENJOY!.
So here Stifler's brother Matt (who's not even the same guy from "American Pie 2") is punished for pulling an on all levels pretty lame prank.
The Sherminator meanwhile has become a school counselor and sends him to band camp, which as it turns out, currently employs Jim's Dad. It's like bad fan fiction came to life.
The rest is filled up with very bothersome references to the actual "American Pie"-movies, semi-naked chicks and extremely irritating love subplots including a horrendously clichéd nerd you just can't possibly side with.
The entire cast has been recycled with the exception of Jim's Dad and the Shermanator.The movie has Stifflers brother going to band camp.
The aforementioned "nude scenes", by the way, are actually more or less left to the imagination, as each one cuts away before any real nudity happens (with the exception of Matt Stifler's corny bedroom game scene where you get to see 17 year old boy ass - who isn't looking forward to that!).
The hidden camera stunts are old and uninteresting.And I can understand Chris Owen may be short of work, but how did they manage to cast Eugene Levy in such a despicable role yet fail to cast the kid that played Matt Stifler from the first two movies, who was actually entertaining?
I saw that it was never released at the movies and that it was a lower budget film with rookie actors as opposed to it's older brothers (AP 1, 2 and the Wedding).So I started watching and from the start Tad Hildenrbink (who plays Matt Stifler) blew me away with his likeness to Steve Stifler and his charm and charisma.
Very good storyline and this installment flows in neatly with the other installments of American Pie. The new debutant who acts as Matt Stifler, is such a great actor and has shown evidence that he has influenced and used Steve Stifler's personality.
And believe me, there is so much to mock here...Where the original 'American Pie' was a surprise hit that showcased talented young stars and had a funny and even occasionally touching script, 'Band Camp' is filled with talent that could only have been culled from local high school drama clubs.
This is possibly the worst movie i have ever seen, as soon as i saw this in the video store, I thought "hmm, this movie doesn't look very good since only 2 of the characters from the first three were there (The Sherminator and Jims dad).
I'm hoping that if there is an American Pie 4 they will brush over the tragedy that is "Band Camp", perhaps even Stiffler could wake up (like in Dallas) thus making "Band Camp" a dream or rather nightmare, a nightmare that lasted way too long...by about 8o minutes i think..
I can still watch all the other American pies and laugh my ass off......this one..not so much.Also i just want to put this in here i saw some 9th grader asking for a copy of this movie then mimicking the wannabe stiffler they put in here.......wtf kids wtf this movie is NOT cool if u think it is you will never amount to anything...seriously wtf.
I had enjoyed fully all three previous American pie movies and could not wait to watch the fourth one-band camp.
The acting of all of them is very very wooden and unnatural (not like those in the original American pie films).Then there's stiffler's brother himself.
It's obvious that the actor is overplaying the stiffler character and doing it incorrectly (as you can tell by his unnatural facial expressions and his forced "f***ers!") Not a good movie at all, avoid like the plague if you don't want the originals ruined for you..
It doesn't really match up with his character.Although I have to say the 2 parts in the movie that were good, were definitely American Pie, but I still don't think it's worth any amount of money to watch this.
One thing I will complement this film on is that the girls they picked out for this film are pretty fine looking which is something I compliment the American Pie movies for in the past.This film if it had to be described in two words it is generally bad.
(BOMB)This one was simply dreadful and I think everyone knew it.It was totally inconsistent with the American Pie Series We all remember Stifler's brother's character in the earlier movies(F#$kers F*&kers F#$kers) This character was the absolute worst.No wonder only 2 of the original cast members were in it.I guess being a marching band camp alumnus I was drawn to this movie,however I wasn't expecting much and it was much worse than I had anticipated.I can't believe I actually sat through the whole thing.I'm not gonna say that this is the worst movie I saw,but I were to compile a list of "THE TOP 40 WORST MOVIES OF ALL TIME"I think this turkey will make the list..
That or let the series die.While most of the cast of the original two refused to do the third, a wise move, only one is actually still making major releases still (if you count Dukes of Hazzard), so I'm guessing those prematurely-swelled heads have been deflated enough to mean they could appreciate the work.In fact, come to think of it, this movie is so bad, I'm surprised it isn't "National Lampoon's Band Camp".
its so funny and very very good and is good if you are up for a laugh it is good for ages 15 up words and is really entertaining may make you laugh to much and the start is to funny were he is really popular and he goes and puts pepper mint spray on the bands instruments it looks like they are crying but they are not and then he gets it down his pants so he puts it in water and the curtains come down and he is naked and then he is sent to band camp were he starts to change.he meets loads of people who he makes friends with them and then he secretly films them on camera doing crazy stunts he calls it bandies gone wild he falls in love with a girl he made fun of in 8th grade..
I guess it's easier to find an actor to look like older stifler who can react the same way instead of taking the time to indulge on the new character's personality.The acting was terrible.
It was not a funny way to spend a Friday night.For those of you who haven't seen the three American Pie films, do yourself a favor and watch them.
A spin-off from the successful American Pie films, Band Camp features none of the series' central cast members, and only a couple of its peripheral ones, the action focusing on the antics of 'douche majeure' Matt, younger brother of the legendary Steve 'Stiffmeister' Stifler.
After Matt (played by Tad Hilgenbrink, who does a pretty good Seann William Scott impersonation) goes too far with one of his practical jokes, he is sent to band camp for punishment, where he continues to cause all manner of trouble, at least until the predictably cheesy finale when he has an epiphany and changes his ways.American Pie and its sequels are renowned for for their gross out humour, so Band Camp naturally does its best to emulate this style, being as outrageous as possible, with gags involving a variety of bodily fluids and bizarre sexual situations—some of which are reasonably amusing, most of which aren't.
This one is definitely the best of the American pie spinoffs but that really is not saying much.This movie follows Stiflers brother, Matt stifler as he pulls a prank on the graduating class.
So he decides to follow in his brothers foot steps and make a girls gone wild spin off video called band geeks gone wild.This movie is not terrible by any means there is some pretty funny jokes.
But overall If you like American pie movies i say its worth a watch..
There is a reason this went straight to DVD and not though theatres, its not a 4th in the series its simply crap that tries to play on the "band camp" idea mentioned in the other movies and it does a really, really, poor job.It doesn't have any of the stars from the first 3 movies, how it managed to get the name it beyond my understanding; if its actually made by the same director I must say I am very disappointed and quite surprised.
As in the great American Pie tradition this movie to me was so funny I had to watch it again right afterwords.
You could hate band camp from previous parts, but after watching this movie, you will love it!
Scott was funny in the first Pie movies because he wasn't the main focus, here we get Tad Hilgenbrink trying his best to due a Stifler impersonation, and failing completely.The crude teen comedy that made American Pie such a hit for the first movies, seems to try to hard in this installment.
This movie was great like all other in the American Pie series but I think it could have been so much better with Steve Stifler and all the original characters.
No one plays stifler role as good, going to have to face it, he is just hilarious, but this movie was still great, he did a great job as Steve's brother and his role.
Okay, bad pun, but you get the point.Unlike many other films that have cost a countries economic burden to make and produce and also cost me a fair amount of time and money to watch and then disappoint(like, "War of the Worlds" or "King Kong"), this little rental "flick" is entertaining and enjoyable in that irreverent, juvenile manner that typifies the "Howard Stern" generation.I have to give credit to the casting of the film-- I would be willing to bet that a few of the female actresses in this film go on to have lucrative careers as they are not only beautiful but do demonstrate a good deal of talent.Yep-- I expected light-hearted, minimally offense, gently sexy and silly sophistry and "American Pie: Band Camp" delivered.
I haven't actually seen all the other American Pie films but after I watched this one I thought it was pretty good.
So if you haven't watched the first American Pie films, watch Band Camp because it is very cool..
loved it laughs from start to finish and loads of new catchphrases :D glad the sherminator was in it and Jim's dad one word for him...hero!if your thinking "ahh nar its not got the originals in, it cant be as good" well you'd be very wrong its just as good, Matt is just like Steve which is the important part bit corny at the end when he realises the error of his ways...I've never met anyone who's done that but there's plenty of women, practical jokes and erm....women :D one thing it did lose out on...it wasn't in the cinema!!!
Bye, Bye American Pie. Tenacious young Tad Hilgenbrink (as Matt Stifler, brother of Steve) is sent to "Band Camp" for monkeying around with his school's instruments.
Beats unemployment.** American Pie presents Band Camp (2005) Steve Rash ~ Tad Hilgenbrink, Arielle Kebbel, Eugene Levy.
I watched the first 45 minutes of it, than wrote down what I thought was going to happen, then looked up spoilers, and I found out that what I wrote down, actually happened.In conclusion, the character of Stifler (Even Sean Willam Scott couldn't have made this story work) can't survive on his own, Stifler needs to be a supporting character, not main.So don't see this movie, I would advise to see any more American Pie movies.
For A Straight To DVD Movie, It's Not That Bad. American Pie: Band Camp is not great, but it's not terrible either.
Compared to the atrocity The Naked Mile, Band Camp is Oscar Worthy.It sticks to the humor of the original American Pie movies and does have some funny moments.
I've have just finished watching this movie and as an American Pie fan, this is a fair addition to the series.
The film is based around Matt Stifler (Steve Stifler's younger brother) so if you liked the Stifler character from the other films then this is definitely worth a watch.Jim's dad is in this film quite often and Sherman makes a cameo appearance too.
American pie bandcamp is such a funny and awesome movie because this movie isn't only about stiffler making a porn video, its about stiffler changing from being stifflers brother into a good hearted guy who doesn't want to be like his brother.
whatever happened to the original character who played stifler's little brother in the original American pie movies?
I can: Goddess That is why I give this movie a rating of 10, Excellent.I can summarize that 10 rating with two words: Arielle Kebbel.For her presence, the movie is well worth the watch.Oh, by the way American Pie Writers: We do not want our Stiffler Characters to have a Conscience.Nuff Said.Luke.
Never mind the fact that the only original characters are Jim's dad and "the Shermenator." Also never mind the fact that the only way to get people to watch this straight to video movie was to base the whole thing on one joke from the previous trilogy because people felt the need to go around wearing said joke out by saying "one time at band camp" every time you try and tell a story.
A friend of mine actually likes this movie (she had "One Time At Band Camp" printed on her section's shirts, which was pretty cool), but I just don't understand why.
He subsequently gets sent to a Band Camp to befriend the school band members as a way to make up.Many of the original American pie jokes are still here, and they are funny.
The movie is pretty funny, just in line with the other 3 Amrican Pie movies, but you have to make sure you like the jokes from Stiffler in the other 3 to enjoy this one!
it was good over all but didn't seem like an American pie movie at all.
This movie went along the same lines as the American Pie films, had some of the same characters, and on top of all that had awesome looking women!
Complaining that Matt in the movie acted too much like Steve Stiffler from the American Pie movies?
I hope this is the last American pie movie they do, because there just gonna ruin it pretty much don't you's think? |
tt0052293 | Thunder Road | Lucas Doolin evades arrest by agents of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Treasury Department, led by Troy Barrett. Upon returning to his home in a country valley, a local liquor transporter is killed in an ambush. His father suspects that the ambush was set up by Kogan, an outside racketeer trying to muscle in. Luke resists Kogan's pressure. and his father recommends that the locals contract out and change their routes to protect themselves. His brother wants to accompany him but Luke will not allow him in the business. Luke is ambushed by Kogan's men on a delivery but he escapes. Luke makes the delivery, and then resists pleas from his girl friend Francie to settle down with him and further attempts but Kogan to horn in. Luke assaults Kogan when the latter threatens him and is detained by Barrett. Barrett releases him on the theory that Luke will lead him to Kogan. Kogan orders another attempt on Luke after noting his quick release from custody. Unknown to Kogan, Luke has sold his car to another moonshine and he and a federal agent are killed by a car bomb. Luke feels guilt over the moonshine's death but will not stop the deliveries, despite many locals getting out of the business due to increased pressure from the government and Kogan. Luke is ambushed again by Kogan, escapes, and is warned again by his brother of Kogan. After being rebuffed again, his brother makes a delivery for another moonshine working for Kogan. Luke stops the delivery in time then threatens to kill Kogan. Luke's family then seeks out Barrett to find Luke before carrying out the threat. Barrett arrests Kogan for involvement in murder, then tries to intercept Luke. Luke's car runs through their roadblock, goes out of control and spectacularly crashes, killing him. Luke's family then awaits the return of Luke's body. | revenge, cult, murder, violence | train | imdb | The longest running feud in US history, the century-long White-Baker Feud (also called the Clay County Wars) was resurrected due to the two clans' competition in tanking the moon throughout Appalachia.Inherently a sad but realistic work, Mitchum's excellent performance and an honest, understated script give us a snapshot of an American way of life that few outside of the rural South could ever comprehend.
With his sleepy eyes, he slaps around the rival moonshiners, basically tells the ATF boys they'll never get him, tries to keep his younger brother (Played by Mitchum's 17 year old son, Jim.) away from the moon business.
"Let me tell the story, I can tell it well, 'bout the whipperwill that drove...", well you know the song if you have seen the movie.Imagine a drive-in filled with 'Rods'.
Mitchum also helped write the lead song "Thunder Road" and the second song in the movie, "Whipporwill." He also recorded the title song and it was high on the pop charts for months.
Though technically far from perfect (the cars seem to change styles during the chase scenes), and the acting in places leaves a LOT to be desired, old movie theater operators will tell you they can still fill all their seats with a double bill of "Thunder Road" and "Rebel Without A Cause." I'll certainly be there every chance I get..
An Overlooked Gem. Thunder Road is an outstanding film and occupies an interesting place in Mitchum's evolution as an actor.
Mitchum is shown as a man of great complexity--trying to encourage his younger brother to get involved with something other than fast cars and moonshine, recommending that he join the service and get involved with advanced aviation technology.
In the movie, Robert Mitchum plays a Korean war vet who has come back home to find he must fight for his way of life.
Mitchum also oversees his younger brother's film debut.NOTE: It is said that Elvis Presley enjoyed this movie so much he memorized bad Bob's lines of the script..
From the opening scene of a 1950 Ford coupe racing along a mountain road to the closing crash of a 1957 Ford - yes that must have been the product placement company, along with the tobacco industry, but the cops get around in great 1957 Chevy Bel Airs - this movie has plenty of involving drama centred around a guy who acts as a transporter for moonshiners.
Mitchum is wonderful as always, and this film must have meant a lot to him -- he wrote the story and starred, as well as co-writing and singing the radio hit that came out of it.
A major drive-in film -- it was more or less in continuous release from 1958 to the early 70s -- Thunder Road embodied an attitude that prevailed in the little Texas towns I grew up in, and that is still a part of America's strange outlaw subcultures.
More than a half-century before Yost The Younger decided to bring Harlan County back to the small screen in Justified (see my many reviews on the IMDb) you have this little gem.As one of the characters laments on screen, "We've been making shine here for more than 250 years" and that is all the reason anyone really needs for this film.Enjoy the chase scenes.
Just when it looks like he's about to get caught by a bumper clamping device on the front of the 57, he activates a lever that releases the rear bumper of the 50 Ford and leaves the G-men sitting there holding nothing but a bumper.With a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, Robert Mitchum as sleepy-eyed Lucas Doolin seems utterly cool and totally unafraid of anything that stands in the way of his way of making a living, which happens to be transporting illegal liquor.
The movie deserves better only because of the great performance by Robert Mitchum, one of the coolest actors of all times.The story, directed by Arthur Ripley, presents us with a situation that was deemed a problem back at the time when the movie was made, but wouldn't raise an eyelash now.
The illegal production of "moonshine" by the poor farmers of rural Tennessee was persecuted vigorously because obviously it was a money making enterprise and the government wasn't getting a cut, in the way of taxes.Lucas Doolin is a Korean War veteran who comes home to find no job awaiting him.
My dad's favourite movie is thunder road and he used to sing the song when I was young.
In backwoods Tennessee, slick cigarette smoker Robert Mitchum (as Lucas "Luke" Doolin) wins a car chase with federal agents.
Mitchum wants his son out of the family business, which has been bootlegging, way back to their ancestors in Ireland..."Thunder Road" is a great title, especially for a "drive-in" movie.
Thunder Road is the film that Robert Mitchum got to use all his many talents.
The other song, Whipporwill, he left to the considerable talents of Keely Smith who appeared in this film with him.The story is about moonshiners, those mountain people in the Appalachians and the Ozarks who distill their own spirits and sell it at a cut rate price.
He's after racketeer Jacques Aubuchon who wants to eliminate the independent moonshiners like Robert Mitchum and his family.
Barry would like Mitchum's help, but Mitchum says a plague on both your houses.Mitchum with his hobohemian life in his formative years which included jail time among such people learned their ways very well, knowledge put to great use in creating this story.
It's usually in the top 10 of anybody's list in the films of Robert Mitchum.Making his screen debut is Bob's oldest son James Mitchum whose resemblance is so uncanny he looks more like a clone than an offspring.
I was very surprised to see that Robert Mitchum wrote the story, and that he co-wrote a song used in the movie.I didn't realize he was so talented.I remember hearing the BALLAD OF THUNDER ROAD on the radio, recorded by Robert Mitchum, and was surprised to see the movie, where someone else (not identified) sings that song.It was fun noticing the differences between life in 1958 and how things are today.So, this was how NASCAR got started.Pretty interesting stuff!Thank you..
If you like car chases, you should enjoy this movie about a moonshiner played by Robert Mitchum who outruns and and outdrives the revenue men and also outmaneuvers the thugs of a dirty businessman who wants to put Mitchum's family out of business.
Despite it all, this film is often thrilling due in part to Robert Mitchum's very strong performance and charisma and in part to the many scenes which are very well shot with good camera work.
There's just something about a 1950's jalopy roaring down a winding dirt road in the mountains of Tennessee that makes our hearts race and few movies have captured that like this film has!
The cars are almost as big of a star in this movie as Robert Mitchum is.
The scene of a caravan of car headlights after dark on a winding mountain road bringing home the mountain's dead sons is touching and memorable and sad for what it represents and yet sometimes the characters and situations seem just a bit too much like caricatures instead of real people and real moments.
Also, watch for Robert Mitchum's son Jim in an interesting debut in this movie If you like car chases and moonshine runnin' movies, this is the one for you!.
Robert Mitchum plays Luke Doolin, a stubborn man who is a war defector and also in charge of the illegal moon-shining business run by his family for 250 years.
naturally doing the lead acting honours, is credited with the original story-line, cops a production credit and even co-writes the winsome "Whipoorwill" ballad which frequents the movie.The movie itself comes off like a contemporary "beat" novel set to film, an unglamorous story of moonshine whisky transporters living just outside the law with Mitchum's Luke Doolan's character as talismanic main driver, not part of any team, but somehow the lightning rod around whom the whole story sparks.While obviously low-budget, there's a good cast here who give the film an ensemble feel and if you can ignore the obvious process "driving in my car" shots, there are also some exciting car chases, particularly the concluding one which sees Doolan meet his demise.Mitchum even introduces us to his son James in a prominent acting role and while he, not unnaturally, seems too young to be his old man's kid brother, he certainly seems like a chip off the old block.
No beauty and obviously contrasted with the prettier more youthful girl with a major crush on Mitchum, their "love" scenes (I'm stretching the term) come across with engaging naturalism and realism.Perhaps the film has a little too many sub-plots and characters for its own good and it takes some while to find its rhythm, but once it settles, it finds a kinetic energy which keeps you watching and draws you into its small world, inspiring genuine interest in the characters.
The movie was called " Thunder Road" and stars Robert Mitchum as 'cool driving' Lucas Doolin.
The night time, high speed chases along some of the hottest roads in the back woods, makes for exciting, shoot-em up, roll-over action and Mitchem is superb as the ex-army veteran, turned moonshine runner.
Robert Mitchum's on screen persona is what makes this 50's film a true Classic.
This movie was ahead of it's time, in it's day, when it came to the car chase scenes.
Lucas tries to keep his teenage brother Robin(played by Mitchums lookalike son James) out of the business, but Robin hopes to be like his brother one day.
The sad part of all of this is, with a name like, 'Thunder Road', along with the subject matter and all that this conjures up, there is huge potential for a very good movie here.
Robert Mitchum stars in and developed the story for this popular drive-in entry about a moonshine family in the south harassed by U.S. treasurers and gangsters.
Me, being a car fanatic, I admired these guys, like my father's generation admired the outlaws of the old west.I was six years old when I first saw it, and the part where Robert Mitchum's '50 Ford drops oil on the road, sending the bad guys over a cliff was the neatest thing I saw.
Robert Mitchum was as his best when he played an outlaw, and this movie is no exception.
THUNDER ROAD is about the efforts of moonshiner Robert Mitchum to run carloads of illegal liquor past federal authorities AND avoid being killed by a mob that is attempting to corner the industry.
While I know this could not have been the intention, those who watch THUNDER ROAD are likely to assume that 1950s Southerners are all a bunch of hillbilly moonshiners!
The only item of minor interest was seeing Robert Mitchum's oldest son, James--especially since he looked like the spitting image of his old man.
Robert Mitchum is terrific as always in this drive-in classic, one of the all time great movies made about moonshiners.
He does his damnedest to keep his younger brother Robin (played by Bobs' son James, who makes his film debut here) from entering the business as a driver, while romancing a chanteuse named Francie (Keely Smith).
Lucas has his hands full dealing with a ruthless rival, Carl Kogan (Jacques Aubuchon), while a dedicated Treasury agent, Troy Barrett (Gene Barry) tries to make a deal with him."Thunder Road" might not appeal to B movie enthusiasts across the board, because, in the end, it's got more drama in it than action.
While watching, keep an eye out for a few prominent character actors, making their own film debuts in uncredited roles: Peter Breck, Jerry Hardin, Mitchell Ryan.Bob also co-wrote that plaintive song "The Whipoorwill", crooned in the movie by Ms. Smith, and got a hit record out of the title tune.Seven out of 10..
Enjoyed this Robert Mitchum film where he plays the role as a Korean War Veteran named Lucas Doolin who returns to his family and continues to carry on the family trade of running moonshine whiskey from the family still.
It was nice seeing Robert Mitchum's oldest son also giving a supporting role in this film..
Anyone who enjoys a nostalgic look back at the muscle cars of the '50's and the romance of running moonshine whiskey through winding Appalachian Mountain roads will fall in love with this film.
The merits of this film are its portrayal of the moonshine running lifestyle, which most people undoubtedly are unfamiliar with, the car chase scenes, which were spectacular for their time, and ofcourse Robert Mitchum.
Cars are wrecked, a few people killed along the way, but Thunder Road is basically just an old fashioned good guys vs.
It made me get in my car and drive like Robert Mitchum.
Moonshine,Moonshine quenched the devils thirst..............My dad always watched this movie.Every time I walked in Thunder Road was on!I never minded Black & White movies so one day I brought it in my room and TRYED to watch the whole thing.I fell asleep half way through it.There is about 5 minutes in the middle that I've never seen.One day I got home and it was in so I watched the last half.I don't think I'll ever see the whole thing!Because after thousands and thousands of times watching it my dad lost it!He loves Robert Mithum so he moved on to Track of the Cat!There are many good parts in that movie though.One part they are saying grace and his son says:"Good food,Good meat, it's getting late let's eat!".
For years I had been longing to watch it and I surely wasn't disappointed at all - that is, I missed "The Ballad Of Thunder Road" sung by Mitchum.
14 hours after seeing "Thunder Road" for the first time, I can say that alongside "Out Of The Past" and "Blood On The Moon" it is is my favorite Mitchum movie..
Thunder Road has it's great moments of character development, touching scenes, exciting car chases and glimpses of country charm and rural life.
Filmed on location in Asheville, North Carolina, Thunder Road has just what you'd expect from a movie in that part of the country: lots of driving scenes surrounded by a beautiful forest.
So, while you take in the scenery, you can also take in the scenery.Co-written, co-directed, and starring Robert Mitchum, this movie follows a man who illegally transports liquor and how his business affects his family.
In one scene, he wishes him luck before a transport; Bob responds, "Thanks, kid." So cute!Parts of Thunder Road are a little obvious, but if you want to see a very hands-on Mitchum movie-he even co-wrote the songs Keely Smith sings-you can rent it.
If you have to ding this very likable film, the story is a pretty corny one of Mitchum trying to keep his kid brother (played by his dead ringer real-life son instead of Elvis) while fending off Federal agents, rival moonshiners, and romancing nightclub singer Keely Smith.Still, Bob Mitchum running 'shine is pretty hard to resist, especially when you have some amazing stunt work from legendary stuntman Carey Loftin, the guy behind the car chases in "Bullitt," "Vanishing Point," and "The French Connection." This is easily THE definitive moonshine picture and a must see for fans of this type of picture..
Thunder road movie with robert mitchum was low budget but good.
The Story is a Good One and at the Time very New. The Film has a Quirky Charm from the Beginning and it looks like Nothing Out of Hollywood, resembling a Highly Independent Production made by just a Few Determined Folks.
The Energy also Wavers on and off with the Mitchum Love Interest mostly to Blame, it features the "Lounge" Singer Keely Smith, who could Sing a lot Better than She could Act. James Mitchum (Bob's Son), is given a Shot and Plays the "Virginal" Brother and is Passable.
I've always wondered what ever happened to the 50/51 Ford Robert Mitchum drove in the beginning of the movie ???
I first saw thunder road when I was about 9 or 10 years old, even then I knew this film would become a classic.
Mitchum plays Lucas Doolin; a hard-nosed war-veteran and moonshine runner who sees his fearless ferrying between the illegal still communities of the mountains and their buyers in Memphis as an individual right earned through the ways of his pioneering ancestors.
Doolin is equally determined to see that his devoted younger brother Robin (a role originally intended for Elvis Presley but eventually played by his own son, James) does not follow him into the whisky running business whilst he is emotionally torn between his life in the mountains, personified by the love of his parents and an adoring girl-next-door (Sandra Knight), and his desire to live in the wider World with his jazz chanteuse lover (Keely Smith).
I am 50 years old and I love the old black and white movies of the 1950s, but I hated Thunder Road.
**SPOILERS** Robert Mitchum's most personal movie where he not only stared in but has his 17 year-old son James playing his kid brother as well as having wrote the screenplay and even the films theme song "The Balled of Thunder Road"-as well as the song "Whippoorwill"-that he himself later recored.Lucas Doolin, Robert Mitchum, is back from the Korean War and back on his beat as a moonshine transporter in and around the Appalachians and beyond.
Things were looking kind of down hill to him by the time we bailed out of Nam. I'm just glad he passed away before 9/11 happened.Thunder Road is a tremendous movie.
But Thunder Road I have watched hundreds of time since i first saw it in the theaters when I was around 12 years old. |
tt0107076 | Hard Target | The film opens with a man being chased by a gang of armed men near New Orleans. One armed man in particular, carrying a hi-tech crossbow, seems intent on killing the man himself. The man being chased reaches the river and runs across a wooden boat dock but is shot twice by the man with the crossbow. One of the bolts hits him in the chest, piercing his military dog tags and he falls between the slats and into the water. His body is pulled from the river and one of the gang chasing him, Pik Van Cleaf, cuts a money belt from around his waist. The gang's leader, Emile Fouchon, asks the man hunting the victim if the experience lived up to his expectations and the man says it has.A young woman, Natascha "Nat" Binder, arrives in town from Detroit looking for her father, the man who was killed by the hunters. She searches for him at local missions and soup kitchens; her father was an unemployed manual laborer who was also a US Army veteran. Nat is unable to find out anything and goes to the French Quarter. At a seedy diner, she pays for her breakfast and is careless about concealing the money she has in her wallet, which is seen by several rough-looking goons. When she goes outside to her car, they attack her with the intention of robbing and raping her on the street. A man named Chance Boudreaux, who was also in the diner, beats them all severely, demonstrating high skill in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. He tells Nat that she needs to be more careful in New Orleans. Nat asks him to be her escort while she searches for her father. Chance turns her down, saying he's a stevedore and will have to leave on a ship soon.On the New Orleans docks, Chance is being told he can't work unless he pays his back union dues. Natascha arrives, looking for him and tells him she'll pay him to help her find her father. Chance accepts.Chance suggests they talk to the police, however Nat is reluctant since she already reported her father's disappearance and the police seemed unwilling to do very much. Chance and Nat talk to a homicide detective, Marie Mitchell, who only has scattered evidence to work with, however, Nat's father's remains have been discovered in a burnt out warehouse. Because he was homeless, it is assumed that he'd been squatting and was the victim of an unfortunate accident when the place burned down. Chance goes there and finds one of her father's dog tags; curiously, there is a hole in it which could only have been made by a sharp weapon. Chance takes them back to Mitchell and Nat and tells them that Binder's death was not accidental and he was definitely shot by a sharp, edged weapon.One of the men who knew Nat's father as a veteran and from the homeless missions, Elijah Roper, reveals that Binder had been passing out fliers for a sleazy local brothel owner, Randal Poe. Poe had also been working secretly with Fouchon and Pik, recruiting destitute men for their business: the two give rich men the chance to hunt human beings in various locations around the world for a price tag of $500,000. New Orleans has been their most recent base. Because the police have found Binder's body and are investigating his death as homicide, Emile and Pik go to Poe's office and torture him in order to find out how much Poe told the police. Pik uses a pair of scissors to cut off one of Poe's earlobes and threatens to kill him if he's forced to come back. Chance later drops in on Poe while he's getting a massage and works him over for information about Nat's father. Chance finds out that the city coroner, Morton, is covering up the murders committed by Fouchon and his men.Fouchon and Pik drop in on Morton at his home, where he's burning medical records. He'd previously informed Fouchon that Mitchell had ordered Binder's body to be re-examined. The doctor looks through the spyhole in his front door and is immediately shot by Pik. Fouchon tells Pik that, due to the increased police attention, they'll conduct one last hunt in New Orleans and leave for Eastern Europe where they can work for years under a lower profile.Poe, having employed Roper for some time, asks him if he wants to work for a $10,000 salary. Roper accepts. Meanwhile, Fouchon and Pik meet with another client, demanding payment for the game up front and arranging for a human quarry. Roper meets with Fouchon and Pik at an abandoned train yard, is given the $10,000 in cash in a money belt and is given a head start, just like Nat's father was. He is hunted through a cemetery, bullied in every direction by Fouchon, his crew and the client. Roper is able to hide briefly and attacks his would-be killer, seizing the man's automatic rifle and shooting him. He shoots briefly at Fouchon's crew and runs when the rifle is empty. Fouchon approaches his client, and kills him, knowing he already has the man's fee in the bank. His goons continue the chase, finally cornering Roper on a busy street in the city. Roper tries to get someone to help him but most people avoid him because he's homeless. Roper is finally gunned down by Fouchon's crew. Pik retrieves the belt containing the money.Chance and Nat meet again with Det. Mitchell. They are informed of Roper's disappearance and go to the French Quarter to talk to Poe. Poe, while packing to leave town, is met by Pik who kills him with a shotgun. While on the street, they are attacked by Pik and several of Fouchon's thugs. Mitchell is hit and killed by gunfire. Chance commandeers a motorcycle from one of the thugs he incapacitates and he and Nat take off with Pik in pursuit. They make it to a highway overpass where Chance unloads Nat. He races back towards one of the pursuing SUVs, jumping off the bike, over the roof of the truck and landing safely behind it. He opens fire with a pistol, igniting the gas tank and the truck explodes. Still being chased by Fouchon's crew, Chance and Nat leap over the side of the overpass and land in a cargo car of a moving train. Fouchon tells Pik they'll hunt Chance through the bayou and that he should get more men to join them.Chance and Nat make their way through the bayou. At one point, Chance catches a rattlesnake that was going to bite Nat. He bites the rattles off the snake's tail and plants it in a tree, creating a booby trap. Not long after, one of Fouchon's henchmen triggers the trap and the snake bites him on the face. Fouchon and Pik realize that Boudreaux will be a formidable quarry.Chance and Nat evade Fouchon's crew and retreat to Chance's Uncle Douvee's farm in the bayou. Chance gets the shotgun he'd been keeping at Douvee's and tells his uncle about his plan to lead them to the Mardi Gras Graveyard, an abandoned factory where the floats used in the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans are stored. Chance rides out on horseback while Nat stays with Douvee. When Fouchon and his men arrive at Douvee's, they trigger another booby trap that blows up Douvee's cabin and kills several of them. Douvee sends Nat to contact the sheriff, while he rides after Chance.Chance leads Pik to the Mardi Gras Graveyard. Chance uses the factory to hide and attack Fouchon's men. In the large warehouse used to store the floats, Chance takes out several more of Fouchon's men. Chance and Pik find themselves in a standoff that Chance wins when he shoots Pik dead. Nat and Douvee catch up and help Chance take out several more of Fouchon's party. Douvee is wounded, non-fatally, and Fouchon finds Nat and holds her hostage, forcing Chance to drop his shotgun. The two fight hand-to-hand for several minutes until Chance, using a grenade, beats Fouchon down. He drops the live grenade in Fouchon's pants and headbutts him back. Fouchon fumbles for the grenade, even managing to remove the fuse, however it goes off before he can render it completely inert and he's killed. Chance reunites with Nat and Douvee and the three leave. | comedy, murder, violence, cult, action, revenge, sadist | train | imdb | Hard Target (1993) is one of the greatest and the best action packed movie in a John Woo-Van-Damme Style!
International superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme teams up with world-famous action director John Woo for this electrifying thriller Van Damme is the target of an evil mercenary (Lance Henriksen) who recruits homeless combat veterans for the "amusement" of his clients - bored tycoons who will pay a half a million dollars to stalk and kill the most challenging prey of them all: Man. Laced with dark humor and slam-packed with electrifying action Hard Target is a must see for action fans.
Hard Target is not only my John Woo favorite film, it is also my Jean-Claude Van Damme favorite best action film from my favorite action star.
Hard Target is a 1993 action film that marked the US directorial debut of acclaimed Hong Kong director John Woo, who brought out his Asian style of action to Western cinema.10/10 for me I love this movie to death, It is my number 1 favorite action film..
Jean Claude Van Damme has many, many and many action films all in all...but none of them comes close to the art, fast-pace, intensity and entertainment of Hard Target.
John Woo's action scenes are very defined here, and thanks to those slow-mo scenes, you get to see Van Damme REALLY HIT HIS ENEMIES...as opposed to seeing him move too fast in other films, which made you wonder if his kicks were real or not.
It centres around a women searching for her father in New Orleans who enlists the help of tough cajun chance boudreux i don't wanna say any more about the plot cos i don't wanna give to much away.this is the part of Van Damme's career when his acting wasn't too bad, the rest of the cast are mostly a solid bunch of unknowns who prove they've got what it takes to make this a tight well made thriller.
Even though in my opinion this is Woo's best u.s film it took him 2 more attempts to breakthrough into the Hollywood mainstream in which he finally struck gold with Face/Off. Hard Target comes out a dark action thriller packed with a superb blend of martial arts shootouts and explosions.
Maybe frustrated at the censorship, Woo has later on stayed on the safe R-rated waters in Hollywood, not even trying to top himself (And again, STILL remaining the best bet when it comes to directing some serious action!)"Hard Target" puts Jean-Claude Van 'Damage' against one of the always trustworthy screen villains, Lance Henriksen, and his pack of urban-commando (all black outfits, combat vests and MP5's) goons, and that's all you need to know!
He may not be able to act, but Woo has made him look as cool as ever, seing Van Damme run around with two hand guns is cool, This movie runs on Van Dammes precence.Give this film a chance, get the UK version for a better time.I give this 5 outta 5.John Woo rules the earth..
HARD TARGET is a stylish, B-grade action/thriller directed by Hong Kong director John Woo (his first U.S. film).Hard Target stars Jean Claude Van Damme as an ex-military loner named 'Chance' whose ordinary life as a merchant sailor is interrupted by 'Natasha' an attractive innocent (Yancy Butler) who's come to New Orleans to look for her father.Unbeknownst to Natasha, her father (played by Hard Target's scriptwriter) became homeless and was enlisted by a group of ruthless entrepreneurs that organise human 'hunts' for the pleasure of privileged individuals.Hard Target's first half has a certain amount of depth and social conscience (for an action film).For instance, a homeless man 'Roper' (Willie C.
Carpenter) is gunned down in public after no one will help him.But Hard Target's second half (where it moves from the city to the swamps) degenerates, at times into downright silliness and has a rushed feel.The finale in the abandoned warehouse filled with old Mardi Gras paraphernalia was meant to be somehow meaningful, but it's not; it's just a finale in an abandoned warehouse filled with old Mardi Gras paraphernalia.Hard Target is a reworking of a much earlier film 'The Most Dangerous Game' (1932) about humans who kill humans for sport.However, I believe Hard Target got ideas from the James Bond film 'Moonraker' (1979); check out the scene where Jaws chases Bond's contact through the streets of Rio de Janeiro.Hard Target's scriptwriter (Chuck Pfarrer) probably thought no one would notice.Although it doesn't excuse Hard Target's failings, Woo was reportedly forced to edit Hard Target because of the violence (and it was edited again by Universal Studios).Hard Target was later released on DVD with most of the action and violence restored.Hard Target's still not as violent as some of Woo's earlier Hong Kong efforts e.g.
'The Killer' (1989), 'Bullet in the Head' (1990) and 'Hardboiled' (1992).And since Woo's action films rely on shoot'em ups which would be too violent for a mainstream U.S. film, Hard Target suffers accordingly.Although Woo's vision may have been compromised and even with most of the action and violence restored, Hard Target's still at times pretty silly e.g. Chance swinging from ropes in the finale and Chance's hillbilly 'Uncle Douvey' (Wilford Brimley) doesn't help the situation either.And the way some of the less important baddies wear black baseball hats as if they're there just there to be shot, beaten or blown up.Also, there's this flimsy plot device about the New Orleans police department going on strike which head baddie 'Mr Fouchon' (Lance Henriksen) and his team use as their opportunity to conduct a hunt in New Orleans.In Robocop (1987) the police strike was plausible because in that film the police had been taken over by a private corporation.But in Hard Target, the police strike doesn't ring true.Hard Target makes attempts at being topical e.g. Mr Fouchon refers to the war in Bosnia as an opportunity that allowed him and his men to conduct some previous hunts; therefore it would've been better if Hard Target had been more even toned and not allowed itself to mix violence with attempted humour.Woo's next U.S. cinema release was the disappointing 'Broken Arrow' (1996) and then the overrated 'Face Off' (1997) followed by the box office flop 'Windtalkers' (2002) and the forgettable 'Paycheck' (2003) then back to China to make the epic 'Red Cliff' (2008).Woo also continued his U.S. career directing a made for TV action flick 'Blackjack' (1998) starring Dolph Lundgren and a two hour pilot movie for the Canadian TV series 'Once a Thief' (1996) which was a reworking and Woo's same titled 1991 Hong Kong movie as well as producing 'The Replacement Killers' (1998) and 'The Big Hit' (1998).Although Hard Target is marred by silliness and implausibility, it's first half has a certain depth.That, coupled with it's polished look; it's style and some of it's action scenes, could lead you to believe you're watching something more than a B-grade action film.If Hard Target had more thought put in and stayed within the confines of the city, it could have stood out as a solid memorable and hard-hitting action film..
This is a ¨Sui generis¨ version from ¨The most dangerous game¨,it's a vivid recounting of Richard Connell's famed novel ,adapted previously in the 1932 classic(Joel McCrea,Fay Wray) by Ernest B Schoedsack and by Robert Wise titled¨Game of death¨ and by Boulting titled ¨Run for the sun¨with Richard Widmark and Jane Greer.This theme has been filmed many times since and utilized as a plot for countless television and cinema argument.The picture displays suspense,tension,thriller and non-stop action for 94 minutes .Breathtaking set pieces action well staged by John Woo with bound and leaps while are shooting.The film is set in New Orleans streets,marsh,bogs of Louisian and into abandoned factory, where is developed an overlong and incredible final duel.Special mention to pair sadist baddies,Henriksen and Vosloo,they're an excessive maniacal, exaggerated villains,they're the best of the film.John Woo direction is good ,he moves well the camera with spectacular scenes ,but doesn't match with his Hong Kong vehicles(Bullet in the head,The Killer,A better tomorrow I and II),John Woo followed with a successful American career(Broken arrow,Face off,Mission impossible II,Windtalkers).The motion picture will like to Jean Claude Van Damme fans and cinema John Woo-enthusiastic.
This is probably John Woo's best American film to date, possibly being surpassed only by Face/Off (1997).The story follows Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler, who would go on to star in Drop Zone (1994) with Wesley Snipes), who is travelling to Louisiana, New Orleans to find her father who went missing.
The leader of the men, Fouchon (portrayed spectacularly by Lance Henriksen) and his deadly assailant Van Cleaf (Arnold Vosloo) soon target Boudreaux and Binder as their next victims, unless they can escape, save themselves, and eliminate their predators.Hard Target definitely has it's share of action stunts, including incredible martial arts sequences, and one dis-believable, yet highly entertaining scene involving a motorbike, a car and a train, but as long as it's entertaining, who cares, right?This film is a rare occasion where Jean-Claude Van Damme's shocking acting doesn't ruin the movie, maybe because there is much more to focus on then him, or maybe just that his acting isn't too bad.Hard Target definitely has some memorable scenes that will stick out in your mind long after viewing it.
"Hard Target" stars Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a merchant sailer named Chance Boudreaux who comes across Natasha Binder, played by Yancy Butler.
After these group of mercenaries, led by sadistic Emil Fouchan,(Lance Henriksen) make it personal by killing a close friend of his, Van Damme goes on a rampage of revenge on Fouchan and his group of hunters, displaying some of his best fighting sequences, and an action packed finale, making Hard Target truly a movie any action fan should shoot for.Van Damme peaked with this film, showing improved acting skills, and proving he hasn't missed a step in his martial arts ability.
Van Damme's performance is as wooden as it always is and he only really does well in the action scenes, Henriksen is good as the bad guy and hams it up accordingly and Vosloo is good as his side-kick, however the majority of performances are only so-so (but then this is an action movie after all!).Overall the film is a solid action flick but lacks the full stylistic touch of Woo..
Let me start by saying that this is one of my favorite films, of Van Damme I consider this a true action classic.Director John Woo was the right choice for the film, he's style of film-making is cool and unique and for his first American feature he did a hell of a good job.I'm just going to go into what I liked on the film.Where do I begin, well just about every action sequence in the picture I liked, but most notably is the warehouse at the end.Overall a cool action film that I consider a classic.I give it an 8/10.
It very much makes the film worth seeing for action buffs, even though I'm reluctant to give a really high rating based on this alone.The plot is not too extraordinary: a homeless veteran gets murdered by a team of mercenaries led by Emil Fouchoud (Henriksen) and Van Cleaf (Vosloo), after which his daughter Nat (Butler) comes looking for him and commissions Boudreaux, a homeless Cajun merchant marine (!) to help her out after he rescues her from marauding thugs, raising the ire of the mercenary team.
While a lot of people claims that "Face/off" is the best American movie of John Woo, i mostly think that Hard Target is BETTER than Face/Off, i don't know why, maybe i hated how the "Gun Fu" was "Emulated" in Hollywood and the "sci-fi" elements.The cast was great, i liked Jean Cluade Van-Damme as the main action hero and Yancy Butler as the main female character, also Lance Henrisken and Arnold Vosloo did a good job as villains.Maybe the action scenes are not like a Hong Kong movie by John Woo, but i liked the action scenes, they where exciting and never boring.Oh, i watched the European version, it adds 3 minutes and it contains more violence in the first scene and in the final action scene.
Now Chance find himself in danger along with Natasha's daughter, who's along with the wild ride.Directed by John Woo (Broken Arrow, The Killers, Windtalkers) made an enjoyable if flawed action flick that was his first American film before he made better American movies like "Face/Off".
Hard Target is my favourite Van Damme movie and along with Face/Off, is John Woo's best Hollywood movie to date (none though come close to his earlier Hong Kong efforts).
I liked this movie a lot, and thought Van Damme the best person they could have used in this role, this film also had a bit of a westerny feel about it, with the music and camera work, which is good.
"Hard Target" is Van Damme's best movie by far, the main reason being, John Woo, what this man brings to action films is amazing.
John Woo's knack for violence combined with Van Damme's martial arts make for some cool action scenes, This film isn't as good ass Woo's Face/Off or Hard Boiled but it is worth a look..
In one corner you have Esteemed Hong Kong director John Woo making his US debut.In the Other,Jean-Claude Van Damme coming off a string of International hits.What could happen?Action movie Nirvana!
Leading up to a slam-bang finale that truly delivers.We get Woo's trademark two-fisted gun-work.Bullets fly everywhere in this movie.Some really great pryro work to boot.A lot of that trademark imagery Woo is known for like very moody shots.Smokey atmosphere.And close-ups galore.He is like a painter here.Did I forget to say he stages the action very well.Van Damme is good also.With a mullet and long hair,his demeanor and look here gives him a harder edge than his earlier flicks.More mature.He is also in peak form physically.The supporting cast is excellent.First Henricksen is simply amazing.He is on par with Tommy Lee Jones here in the Villain Department.He scowls.Rages.And is a bigger Physical threat than he looks.I almost feel sorry for his Henchmen who are always on the receiving end of his verbal abuse.He gets some great lines like "hunting drunks in alleys made you weak",and "don't make me look bad in front of my dogs".Yancy is passable here.Her expression comes from her eyes.Kasi Lemmons is good as the sassy cop investigating the sudden homeless disappearances.Arnold Vosloo is Henricksen's right-hand man.He is pretty menacing.With an Icy stare.The real hoot is Wilford Brimley as Van Damme's moonshine loving Uncle.His Cajun accent is on the money,and is mostly used for comic relief that is never undignified.The blues-like soundtrack is excellent as well done by Graeme Revell of The Crow.Great stuff.Remenicent of Ry Cooder from a Walter Hill movie.Yhe best score ever for a Van Damme flick.Hard Target is not perfect though.There is not much back story to the characters.Some of the one-liners JC throws out are kind of stale.At times Van Damme cannot decide to kick someone in the chops or shoot them in the Head and seems confused at times when he sounds like Ah-nold.When he should be channeling Chow Yun-Fat.A couple of goofy stunts threaten to undermine the credibility at times.But in the end a strong entry in the US film market for Woo.And a Very solid action credit for Van Damme.8/10.
Its the best movie I've seen Van Damme in and The Woo puts his mark on the film with well done action and pyrotechnics.
The action is over the top, The acting of Lance Henriksen is really good, Van Damme does what he is best at and this movie doesn't get boring at all.
One of the great action movies of Van Damme.Hard Target was the first contact of the Chinese director John Woo with the American machinery.
And for that debut he had nothing less than the muscles of Brussels, Jean Claude Van Damme.With a script that emphasizes the perverse fantasy that involves converting man, theoretically a predator, due mostly to their firearms, in the dam, the film shows us a dangerous criminal, Emil Fouchon, embodied by the fantastic Lance Henriksen, aided by a group of henchmen, including his lieutenant and right-hand man, Pik Van Cleef, a particularly violent and sadistic hunter and murderer, who is dedicated to organizing human hunts all over the world, in a kind of Private sport for the rich and wealthy, who pay to know how it feels to take life from another being of their own kind.This time Fouchon and his men, have taken their activities to the southern city of the United States, New Orleans, where they select beggars who have preferably had experience in the army and have notions of survival, so that hunting is more stimulating.
An Excellent,Explosive,Underrated Action-Thriller, John Woo And Jean-Claude Van Damme At Their Best..
All of those elements make Hard Target one of the better Action Films of the 1990s that is John Woo and Jean-Claude Van Damme at their best.Set in New Orleans,Louisana,Hard Target tells the story of Chance Doudreaux(Jean Claude Van Damme),who is asked by Natalie Binder(Yancy Butler)to track down her War Veteran Father who is homeless.
Now,it's up to Chance to take down Emil once and for all.Released in 1993,Hard Target is a terrific slam bang Action-Thriller that was a Box Office success for Jean Claude Van Damme and was John Woo's first Action film in America after making brilliant and unforgettable Action classics such as The Killer(1989),Hard Boiled(1992),A Better Tomorrow(1986)and A Better Tomorrow II(1987)in Hong Kong,China with actor Chow Yun Fat. And while Hard Target isn't as good as those films it's an outstanding and memorable movie and is one of the better Action films of the 1990s.
Great score,Revell.In final word,if you love Jean Claude Van Damme,John Woo or Action Films,I highly suggest you see Hard Target,an excellent,underrated Action-Thriller that you can watch again and again.
Jean-Claude Van Damme is "Hard Target" one of my personal number 1 action favorite films of all time. |
tt0264616 | Frailty | (some of the following content first appeared on realmoviereview.com)Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) walks into an FBI office late one evening and announces that he has information about a serial killer known as the God's Hands Killer that he will only give to the lead investigator. When Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) arrives, Meiks says the killer is his brother, Adam, who has just died. Fenton is cool and distant, and Doyle is obviously skeptical. Fenton admits to stealing his brother's body and an ambulance, to fulfill a promise to bury him in the "rose garden", and Doyle confirms this story by calling a small town sheriff's office. Fenton does not answer Doyle's direct questions about why Fenton knows Adam is the killer. Instead, he begins a long, involved tale about his family history.The small family of auto mechanic Dad (Bill Paxton) and two boys has survived the loss of their mother. Twelve year old Fenton (played by Matt OLeary) is cooking meals and supervising his younger brother, Adam (played by Jeremy Sumpter).In the middle of one night, their father wakes them to say he's received a message from God. An Angel appeared to him, saying that they (Dad and the boys) have been selected to be God's Hands and cleanse demons from the world. He's been told to wait, and God will provide weapons and more information. Adam is excited about being a crime-fighting superhero, but Fenton is alarmed, asking if Dad just dreamt it or imagined it. Dad is sure it was real, but admits he doesn't know how it will all work, and admonishes the boys to keep it secret. He says if they tell, "someone will die."Fenton's hopes that the idea will go away are dashed by subsequent events. Dad is drawn to ordinary-looking items by a beam of light from above, and proudly bears them home as weapons provided by the Angel: an axe, some gloves, a length of pipe. One night Dad comes home excited, showing a list of names the angel gave him in another vision. Fenton still can't believe this is happening. Dad states that these are not people, they are demons, and destroying them is God's will.Fenton hears a sound another night, and looking outside sees Dad carrying a wrapped body over his shoulder. Dad summons both boys to the shed out back, where he drops the woman, alive. She has tape over her mouth, and her hands and feet are tightly bound. Dad removes the gloves, as he's realised that touching a demon with his bare hands will reveal its true nature. He fearfully reaches towards her. When Dad's hand contacts her arm, his body stiffens and he seems electrified, shaking rapidly with an horrified expression. Dad, sure now that she is a demon, takes the axe and swings it high in the air toward her, and there's the sound of it striking home.Dad digs a grave in the rose garden behind the house. Fenton is crying that Dad has killed someone, while Dad is only sad that Fenton could not see her demon nature. Adam insists that he was able to see it, but Fenton says Adam is just lying.At times during this tale, Agent Doyle has pressed the adult Fenton for answers, which he does not always give. Fenton offers to prove it, to show him the rose garden where the bodies are buried. Doyle has him put on cuffs and get in the secured back seat of a car, and begins driving to the site. Fenton continues to tell the tale in response to Doyle's questions.Dad acquires a van and they seek out their next target, an older man who is walking into a grocery store. Dad explains that even in broad daylight, God will protect them from being seen. Dad forces Fenton to take part in the ruse to capture the man: pretending to call a dog out from under the man's car. As Dad knocks the man out, Fenton runs away crying, but cannot sum up the courage to tell the police and turn Dad in for murder.Dad assigns Fenton to dig a massive pit in the backyard, and charges him to pray, to accept God's will for their family's work. Fenton angrily digs for days, refusing gloves for his bleeding hands, and does not find spiritual comfort. They board the sides of the pit and add a roof, then slide the shed on top of it, creating a small cellar ... aware of its purpose, Fenton calls it a dungeon.When the next victim is brought, Fenton refuses to use the axe and flees, running to tell the sheriff what is happening. The sheriff pretends to agree to check, then brings Fenton home to Dad. The sheriff and Dad scoff at the story, but Fenton insists despite Dad's warning glances. Fenton brings the sheriff to the dungeon ... and Dad kills him. Then Dad vomits and cries that Fenton has made him a murderer, because he wasn't supposed to tell. Fenton says Dad is already a murderer, but Dad insists his other victims weren't people and had to be destroyed.As punishment, Dad locks Fenton in the cellar until he is in contact with God. After the first week, Fenton tells Dad there is no God. As his confinement continues, he begins to hallucinate. When he becomes unresponsive, they bring him out, and Fenton smiles and tells his father that he has seen God and understands his purpose now.Fenton is serene and confident as they go to the home of their next victim, a nasty man who is abusive towards his wife. They knock him out and bring him home. Dad performs the bare-handed touch ritual, and nods to Fenton to destroy this demon using the axe. Fenton raises it in the air .... and swings the axe sideways into Dad. Dad falls backwards across the room, the axe blade in his chest. Shocked, emotions race across his face. Adam runs to him, and Dad whispers in Adam's ear before he dies. Fenton turns to the prisoner on the floor and rips the tape from his mouth. The man cries out in warning as Adam runs towards them and swings the axe, completing Dad's intention.Fenton and Adam are burying their father and the demon in the rose garden. Fenton asks Adam to promise that "when you destroy me, you'll bury me here". Adam vows to do so.Agent Doyle expresses confusion - why did Adam promise Fenton to bury him there, when it is Fenton that has confessed to keeping a promise by burying Adam in the rose garden? The man known to us as Fenton Meiks reveals that he has concealed his identity, that he is actually Adam, and has buried his brother Fenton that night. Doyle suddenly realises he has put himself in danger, alone in a garden of graves with a killer. They struggle - and Doyle is knocked to the ground, wounded. As Adam touches him, horrible visions flash past - Agent Doyle killing his own mother with blood spattering everywhere, Dad's first female victim lying in bed with a man whose throat is cut, the older man luring a little girl with candy, then pulling her lifeless body from his car ... The last vision is of the real Fenton's death, at his brother Adam's hands. There is no struggle, they both have accepted the inevitable. Back in the present, Adam swings the family axe, then digs a new grave.At the FBI building the next day, those seeking the missing Agent Doyle are surprised to find that all of the security camera footage of "Fenton" is scrambled and distorted, so that his face cannot be seen. They travel to the real Fenton Meiks' house, and find his body, along with a list of his victims. The last name on the list is Wesley Doyle.One agent is sent to the small town sheriff's office that received Doyle's call at the beginning of the Meiks' interview. The secretary summons the sheriff - a neatly uniformed Adam Meiks. As he leaves, he tells Adam they wanted him to know about his brother before word got out to the press. Adam shakes his hand firmly, then holds on a bit longer, to the agent's confusion. Adam nods and says, "You're a good man." The secretary walks out and stands behind Adam, saying, "Praise God." | insanity, plot twist, psychedelic, murder, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0095271 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | The film opens on October 30, 1988, nearly ten years after Michael Myers's last murderous rampage in Haddonfield, Illinois. An ambulance from Smith's Grove, IL makes its way along the road in a thunderstorm toward the Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium, where Michael, who has been in a coma since then, has been incarcerated. After the apprehensive transfer crew is seen off by medical chief of staff Dr. Hoffman, the ambulance makes its way up the driveway in the storm and back out onto the highway toward Smith's Grove. While in the ambulance, he hears that eight-year-old Jamie Lloyd, his niece and the daughter of Laurie Strode, his first target, is residing in Haddonfield. He immediately grabs and repeatedly bashes a hospital attendant's head against the wall of the ambulance and stabs his finger right into his skull. The other attendant, trapped by the ambulance's locked doors, can only watch helplessly. Soon after, the film introduces Jamie, who has been adopted by the Carruthers family and is still mourning the loss of her mother. Laurie supposedly died in a car accident eleven months earlier. Her older foster sister Rachel comes into her room and consoles her, telling her that she will love her just as much as her mother did. Rachel sends Jamie off to bed and exits the room. Jamie kneels down next to the bed and says her prayers when suddenly, lightning and thunder crash outside, startling her. The door creaks open and as Jamie gets up to close it, the reflection of Michael, donned in his classic white mask and black coveralls, appears in the mirror. Jamie returns to her bed and instantly, Michael's hand reaches out from under the bed and grabs her by the leg. Jamie struggles, gets loose, and runs to her closet. Opening the door, a second Michael appears in front of her, raising his knife. Jamie screams again, attracting the attention of her foster mother, Darlene, who rushes into the room. She finds Jamie, shaking on the floor of her closet, traumatized after what was only a horrific nightmare.Dr. Loomis angrily marches into Hoffman's office the next day, berating him about the transfer of Michael Myers. Hoffman explains that it was mandated by federal law; as he does, he is interrupted by a phone call informing him of an accident involving the ambulance that was carrying Michael Myers. Immediately Loomis smells trouble, and the two men drive to the site of the accident. The state police have secured the scene; the ambulance is upside-down in a river with blood on both the outside & interior. One trooper tells Hoffman it was likely an accident, but Loomis does not believe it. Despite Hoffman's admonishments, Loomis wades into the river & walks round to the ambulance's rear. Inside is a scene of horror; blood is sprayed all over the walls & floor of the ambulance. Immediately, Loomis heads toward Haddonfield, certain that Michael Myers is headed there. Meanwhile, at a gas station, a mechanic works beneath a car, calling for someone to hand him a wrench. When he hears no response, he slides out. There is Michael, raising a long, sharp pole in the air. He thrusts it down into the mechanic's stomach, killing him instantly. Loomis soon after arrives at the gas station and finds the mechanic's body, hanging by a chain from the roof. He also finds several other bodies and immediately sees Michael, standing against the back wall. Loomis shoots at him, but Michael disappears. Loomis scurries out to the exterior of the gas station, barely catching Michael driving away in a truck. Just after, the entire gas station explodes. Loomis survives after crouching behind a nearby barrel.Meanwhile, Jamie is coming home from school to see several kids coming upon her, taunting her that she has no mother. Jamie runs from the scene, crying. At home, Rachel plans to go out for Halloween with her boyfriend, Brady, but her parents refuse and force her to take Jamie trick-or-treating. Rachel protests and Jamie overhears, upset at the fact that Rachel doesn't want to spend any time with her. After seeing Jamie's reaction, Rachel finally grudges to babysit her that night.At the city drug store, Brady and his friend, Wade, stand watching Kelly, a seductive young woman who is the daughter of Sheriff Ben Meeker. Wade wants to ask Kelly out on a date, but Brady and their other friends are worried because of her strict father. Wade ventures over to Kelly, but before he can say anything, she rejects him mercilessly. Wade stands there, totally embarrassed, as Brady and the other guys laugh hysterically. Soon after, Rachel and Jamie arrive to buy Jamie a Halloween costume. While there, Rachel leaves Jamie to tell Brady that they will have to cancel their date. Brady is frustrated and very angry with this last-minute blow-off. Jamie, left alone, finds a clown costume very much like the one that Michael Myers wore at age 6 when he murdered his sister. While looking in the mirror at the costume, Jamie sees her reflection change to that of a young Michael Myers who killed his sister 25 years before. Michael's hand seizes a white mask behind her; Jamie swirls around and sees him right there, pulling the mask down over his head & ready to strike. Screaming, Jamie backs into the mirror, shattering it. Rachel, at the other end of the store, kissing Brady passionately, hears Jamie's scream and rushes over to her. She finds her sitting there alone, unharmed. Rachel asks what is wrong and Jamie replies that she saw the "nightmare man." Rachel dismisses this as only Jamie seeing a creepy mask and takes her home. But immediately after they exit the store, they do not notice that Michael's reflection appears in one of the shards of glass from the mirror.By this time, Loomis has reached Haddonfield after hitching a ride with an eccentric preacher. He marches into the sheriff's office, asking to speak to Sheriff Leigh Brackett (from Halloween 1 & 2), but is told that Brackett retired 3 years later & moved to Florida. A tall man at the back of the room introduces himself as the new sheriff; Ben Meeker. Loomis explains to a skeptical Meeker that Michael Myers is on the loose again and is in Haddonfield, hunting for Jamie Lloyd. When one of his deputies is unable to reach the state patrol due to downed phone lines (caused by the fire Michael started at the filling station), and Loomis tells the sheriff that 6 people are already dead, Meeker believes him and starts a hunt for Jamie & Rachel. Radio & TV stations are also called by the sheriff's office, and told to broadcast the order to clear the streets so the hunt for Myers can begin.That night, as Rachel's parents are about to leave, Michael enters the house and walks upstairs into Jamie's bedroom. He sees the box of pictures of Laurie and picks it up with his severely burned hand. Afterward, Mr. and Mrs. Carruthers exit the house and Rachel takes Jamie out trick-or-treating. As they leave, Michael watches them carefully. Rachel and Jamie go to different houses, soon arriving at the Meeker house and Rachel sees Kelly, dressed in a t-shirt and panties and manages a "hello." Then, to her horror, Rachel sees Brady coming down the stairs! Rachel begins to storm off angrily, but Brady takes off after her. He tells her that he was only angry that she called off their date, but she accuses him of "just hopping off to the next best thing." Then, suddenly, without Rachel noticing, Jamie leaves with several other kids. Rachel soon after leaves Brady, who runs back into the house with Kelly. By this time, Rachel notices that Jamie is gone and begins to search the streets for her, panicking out of her mind.Meanwhile, at a bar in Haddonfield, a television blares out a news report about Michael Myers having escaped. Earl, the old hilbilly bartender, orders everyone to be quiet and listens carefully to the report. Apparently, the sheriff's office is ordering all businesses in Haddonfield to close down. This frustrates Earl, who calls the police station, but he receives no answer. This arouses the feeling of suspicion in him and he and a few customers head off with their rifles in a search for Michael.At this time, Dr. Loomis arrives at the Carruthers house with Sheriff Meeker and Deputy Logan. Dr. Loomis searches Jamie's bedroom upstairs and finds the overturned box of Laurie Strode's pictures on the floor. As Sheriff Meeker comes upstairs, Dr. Loomis tells him that he is sure that Michael has been here. Sheriff Meeker is not convinced until they both find Sunday, Jamie's dog, dead in her closet. Dr. Loomis suggests that he and Meeker go off to find Jamie. As they leave the house, Meeker orders Logan to stay behind in case Michael or the Carruthers return to the house.Meanwhile, at the local power plant, an electrician by the name of Bucky is working late. As he turns around from his work, he sees a shape lurking behind his truck. It is Michael! Bucky becomes angry, thinking Michael is a teen trying to perform a prank, and heads over to him. He tells Michael that he is going inside to call the police and threatens him if he moves one muscle. As Bucky heads inside for the phone, Michael begins to follow him. Bucky swirls around and Michael grabs him by the shirt, throwing him onto the power unit. Sparks fly as Bucky is electrocuted and Michael watches as the lights in several houses go out.At this time, on the streets of Haddonfield, the children are being picked up from trick-or-treating. It is getting late and Rachel is becoming increasingly worried that she still hasn't found Jamie, who is lost and afraid in the bad part of town where there is no one to help her. As Rachel continues to search for Jamie, Michael watches through the broken window of an abandoned house nearby. Rachel walks down an alley and finds a dead end. Around a corner, she sees the shape of a man shrouded in smoke. It is Michael! Frightened, Rachel runs through a yard and hops over a fence, barely escaping. Meanwhile, Jamie sees a bush rattling in front of her. She hopes that it is Rachel, but she knows better than that. She begins to threaten whatever the thing is in the bushes when Rachel instantly appears. They run towards each other and embrace. Soon after, Dr. Loomis and Sheriff Meeker arrive in a police car. They inform Rachel and Jamie of what is going on and put them in the back seat. Just as Meeker is about to drive away, he instantly sees a masked face behind a building. It is Michael for sure this time. But then, behind another corner, a second Michael stands, and a third. Meeker is confused, trying to decide which is the real one, when suddenly, two of them pull off their masks. They are only kids playing pranks. Meeker is distracted from the third Michael and yells at the kids to go home. He gets back in the car and he, Dr. Loomis, Rachel, and Jamie drive away. As the car speeds away from the street, the real Michael stands right behind them, silently watching.They soon after arrive at the police station. Dr. Loomis and Meeker go in, finding it ransacked and several bloody bodies on the ground. At this time, Earl and the hillbillies pile out of their truck and enter the police station. Meeker tells them that this is police business and to stay out of it, but Loomis tells Earl & the other men that Michael Myers is responsible. Earl and the others are furious when Meeker tells them to let the police handle it. One of Earl's friends, a man named Al, had lost his son 10 years before in Michael's first homicidal rampage. Earl angrily informs the sheriff that it will be handled HIS way. 'We're gonna fry his ass', Earl tells Meeker, who berates Loomis for starting a lynch mob. Loomis angrily counters by reminding Meeker his police force is decimated. Not long after, Meeker receives a call from Logan, who has heard about the catastrophe at the station. Meeker orders Logan to go to his house to call the State Force. Logan hangs up and as he drives away from the Carruthers house, Michael sits calmly in the back seat, waiting for a chance to strike. After his car is gone, Richard and Darlene Carruthers return home and find that Rachel and Jamie are not there. Darlene becomes very worried. Meanwhile, Earl and the hillbillies are driving down the road when one of them claims to have seen Michael behind a bush. They all get out of the truck and repeatedly shoot at the bushes until they are positive that he must be dead. Walking over to the bushes, they find the body not of Michael, but of someone they know. Earl becomes annoyed at the hillbilly for his mistake.Meanwhile, Brady and Kelly are on the floor of the Meeker house, making out when suddenly, the headlights of Meeker's police car appear on the wall. Brady and Kelly hurriedly get dressed and pretend to sit on the couch, reading magazines. As Dr. Loomis, Meeker, Jamie, Rachel, and Logan enter the house, Rachel sees how oddly Brady and Kelly are acting and knows exactly what happened. Meeker orders Rachel and Jamie to go upstairs and for Kelly to lock all the downstairs windows. He tells Dr. Loomis to go downstairs and watch the police radio and gives Brady a shotgun, asking him to secure all the beams in the attic. As Brady turns to go upstairs, Meeker warns him that if he catches him groping Kelly he'll have to use the shotgun on him. Brady runs upstairs, beyond frightened. Logan walks out to his car and sees that the back seat door is open. Worried, he gets his gun out of the trunk and goes back inside. Meanwhile, Brady goes upstairs to check on Rachel and Jamie. Not knowing what's going on, he asks Rachel, who informs him that Jamie's uncle, Michael Myers, is trying to kill her. After this, Brady arrives in the attic, nailing down all the loose beams. Instantly, he hears a noise, startled, and turns around, but nothing is there.After Jamie goes to sleep, Rachel heads downstairs and finds Logan sitting in a rocking chair with the shotgun. She asks when they can go home and Logan replies that it won't be for long, just not to worry. Rachel exits the room when suddenly, Michael's face appears out of the shadows, but this goes unnoticed to Logan. Meanwhile, down in the basement, Meeker and Dr. Loomis receive a transmission through the radio. It is someone by the name of Frank Bute in Tuckerville. Meeker informs him of Michael Myers; Bute angrily asks if it's a Halloween prank. Meeker informs him it is NO JOKE and the troopers are needed immediately. Frank says he must get some information and Meeker sits, waiting. Dr. Loomis heads upstairs to the living room and meets Rachel. He asks about Jamie, knowing how much danger she is in, and Rachel replies that she is fine. Dr. Loomis tells Meeker that he is going to the Carruthers house to search for Michael and exits the house, Logan locking the door behind him. In the kitchen, Kelly is making coffee. Rachel comes in, angry at how Kelly tore apart her relationship with Brady, and they end up getting into an argument. Kelly snaps back at Rachel that she had better wise up to what men want or Brady wouldn't be the last man she'd lose to another woman. This is the last straw for Rachel, who takes the cup of coffee and pours it onto Kelly's shirt. Flabbergasted, Kelly gasps at her.Downstairs in the basement, Meeker calls out through the radio, but no one is answering. Rachel goes down to see what is going on and he orders her to man the radio while he goes out to wait for the state troopers. As Rachel is waiting for a transmission, she hears a creak behind her, but sees nothing. Upstairs, Jamie wakes up, seeing that Rachel is gone, and is worried. Sitting up in bed, she begins to look around. In the kitchen, Kelly is finished making coffee and brings it into the living room to Logan, who is still seated in the rocking chair, shotgun in hand. Kelly sets the tray on the table and lights a candle. As the light floods through the room, she sees in horror Logan's lifeless corpse on the couch, blood trickling from his mouth. Kelly's eyes instantly dart over to the rocking chair. The man with the shotgun begins to stand up. It is Michael! As Kelly backs against a door, Michael raises her into the air and shoves the shotgun through her stomach and the door behind her, leaving her body hanging there.In the basement, Frank finally comes back on the radio. Rachel answers and Frank tells her that the troopers will be there in 35 minutes. Rachel, sure that everything is alright now, heads back upstairs to the living room. She sees the rocking chair empty and begins to worry, when suddenly, she finds the corpses of Logan and Kelly and screams out. Hurriedly, she runs upstairs for Jamie. Tripping on the stairs, she gets back up and enters the bedroom. Jamie is gone! Rachel runs back downstairs and in her haste, runs into Brady, who believes that Jamie is probably dead. Rachel fights against his opinion defiantly as Brady goes to the front door. But it is locked and they are trapped in the house! Instantly, Jamie appears outside another upstairs room. Rachel runs up to her when Brady sees something. It is Michael, slowly advancing towards them! Rachel, Jamie, and Brady all run upstairs. Rachel and Jamie reach the attic stairs, calling for Brady, but he is staying behind to fight off Michael. Soon after, Michael reaches the top of the staircase and Brady attempts to shoot him, but the bullet goes the other way. Michael throws Brady against the wall, causing his nose to bleed. Grabbing the shotgun, he hits Michael in the face with the gun's butt. Swinging it again, Michael grabs it from him and throws it over the railing. Brady punches Michael in the face, but Michael grabs his hand and squeezes, breaking it. Lifting Brady into the air, Michael digs his fingers into his cheek. There is a crunch as Brady presumably dies. Rachel and Jamie arrive in the attic and begin hastily throwing things down onto the staircase, attempting to block Michael's entrance. But Michael fights through the rubble, reaching the top of the stairs. Seeing a tin can full of butcher knives, he grabs the sharpest one and heads toward Rachel and Jamie. Rachel grabs a suitcase and uses it to break the window. Jamie gets on Rachel's back and they climb up onto the roof. As they try to reach the arched part of the roof, they miss and Rachel trips on a loose shingle, sending them sliding backwards. Jamie turns around and screams as she sees Michael climbing up with them. Rachel lowers Jamie down to the chimney, but upon seeing Michael again, Jamie slips and slams into it instead. Michael soon reaches them, taking a swipe at Rachel's face. Rachel dodges the blow and ties Jamie to a cord, lowering her off of the roof. Suddenly, Michael strikes again, causing Rachel to lose grip of the cord and forcing Jamie to drop halfway down. Michael tries to strike Rachel, sending her falling over off the roof. She grabs onto the edge and begins to move to the side. Michael brings the knife down one last time and Rachel lets go of the roof, plummeting to the ground. Michael, thinking she's already dead, heads down to ground level to continue after Jamie.By this time, Jamie has safely lowered herself to the ground and runs over to Rachel, who appears to be dead. Suddenly, Michael appears at the side of the house and begins to slowly walk towards Jamie. Jamie runs down the street, screaming for help, when instantly, Dr. Loomis leaps out from behind a tree and grabs her. He asks her where the schoolhouse is and she points somewhere behind him. They run off towards it, looking for a safe place to hide. Entering the schoolhouse, Dr. Loomis tells Jamie that they are safe, but Jamie knows that they both don't really believe that. Dr. Loomis tries to open the doors of several rooms, but they are all locked. As they turn to leave, Michael suddenly appears and shoves Dr. Loomis through the glass door. Jamie runs down the hallway, screaming, banging on all the locked doors. She crouches down in a corner, putting her hands over her face, sobbing. Looking up, she sees no sign of Michael. Jamie begins to stand up, walking back through the corridors, not believing that Michael is truly gone. She looks around every corner when she instantly sees him standing on a stairwell, knife in hand. Jamie screams again and begins to run down another staircase leading to another door, but trips and falls the rest of the way down. Michael slowly creeps down after her as she crawls toward the door. She is about to reach it when Michael grabs her by the leg! It appears he is victorious when suddenly, Rachel appears in front of Michael and sprays him with liquid carbon dioxide, blinding him & enabling Jamie's escape.The hillbillies arrive at the schoolhouse soon after, hearing the alarm sounding off. Rachel runs outside and tells them that Michael is inside. They begin to head inside, attempting to kill him, but Jamie warns them not to. The hillbillies eventually decide to leave and let the state troopers handle Michael. Earl, Rachel, and Jamie get into the front seat with the rest of the hillbillies in the back of the truck, shotguns at the ready. As they head out of town, they encounter 4 Illinois State Police cars racing down the highway with lights & sirens towards Haddonfield, in response to Sheriff Meeker's call. After 2 of the men signal the troopers, the last one stops & tells them to proceed to a highway patrol substation about 4 miles down the road. They are some distance away from Haddonfield when suddenly, Michael's hand appears at the back of the truck and he begins to lift himself into the back. One of the hillbillies notices his presence and attempts to hit him with his shotgun, but Michael is too quick and stabs him in the back. Michael grabs Al, another hillbilly and stabs him in the side, and grabs several other hillbillies and throws them against the tailgate, causing it to burst open and throw them out into the street. Inside the truck, this entire action goes unnoticed by Earl. Michael throws the last hillbilly off the truck and Earl finally hears a noise. He looks behind him through the back window when Michael's hand breaks through the driver's side window and grabs Earl's neck. Jamie and Rachel watch in horror as Michael's fingers stab into Earl's neck, drawing blood and twisting, breaking it. Earl is dead. The truck swerves, causing Jamie to fall into the floorboard. Rachel opens the door and shoves Earl's body out, taking over the wheel. She jerks the truck this way and that, trying to make Michael fall off, but he keeps his grip, reaching through the broken window and grabbing Rachel. Rachel fights him off and slams on the brakes, sending him finally falling off and rolling across the street. As he stands up, Rachel has an idea. She floors the accelerator and slams into him. He goes flying into the field nearby, his grip loosening on the knife, appearing to be dead. At this time, the police cars arrive and Rachel runs out to talk to them, ordering Jamie to stay in the truck. But Jamie is too curious as she walks over to Michael's lifeless body, taking his hand in hers and feeling along his burn marks. Rachel and Sheriff Meeker instantly see her and yell for her not to touch him. Suddenly, Michael's grip tightens on the knife as he slowly begins to rise. Jamie ducks down as the police repeatedly shoot him. He staggers backwards from the multiple shotgun/rifle blasts and soon after tumbles into an abandoned mine shaft.Sheriff Meeker escorts Jamie and Rachel home to a worried Richard and Darlene Carruthers. Dr. Loomis arrives as well, assuring everyone that Michael is buried in hell, where he belongs. Darlene goes upstairs to the bathroom and turns on the bathtub water, calling for Jamie to take a bath. Suddenly, someone appears in the hallway and puts on a mask. It begins to walk towards the bathroom, grabbing a pair of scissors. The shape approaches Darlene and downstairs, everyone hears her scream. Dr. Loomis runs to the staircase, raising his gun and watches in terror as he sees what is going on. Sheriff Meeker, Richard, and Rachel run after him. It is Jamie, wearing the clown mask, clutching the bloody pair of scissors with a menacing look on her face. Michael has been reborn! Everyone watches in horror as Jamie begins to raise the scissors high into the air... | good versus evil, cult, horror, murder, violence | train | imdb | null |
tt1483025 | Planet Hulk | The Hulk's allies on Earth decide he is too dangerous, so they put him in a shuttle and attempt to send him to a peaceful world. He awakens on board the shuttle before it arrives at its intended destination. When he goes into a fit of rage, breaking his restraints, he also causes enough damage to veer it off course, resulting in a crash on the planet Sakaar. Imperial guards appear and attach an obedience disk to the Hulk, allowing them to communicate. The Hulk is imprisoned with Hiroim, Korg, Miek, Elloe Kaifi, Lavin Skee, an Android, and a few hived natives.
The slaves are forced to fight for their freedom in three gladiator battles. Their first opponents are Korg's brothers. Lavin Skee and the natives die in the battle. Hulk attacks the Red King who presides over the arena, but is defeated by the emperor's lieutenant, Caiera. Red King allows the Hulk to live because the crowd is entertained, but secretly plots his death.
The other gladiators hold a service for Lavin Skee and form a Warbound pact, revealing their pasts to each other. Elloe also tells Hiroim that some civilians believe the Hulk is the true "Sakaarson," a foretold savior. Hulk refuses the title. The other gladiators fight their second round against the Wildebots, and are victorious.
Later, Caiera comes to the Hulk and reveals her past. As a child, creatures known as "Spikes" attacked her home-town. The Red Prince (now the Red King) killed off the Spikes with his Deaths Head guards (Hiroim called them Death's Hand), after which Caiera pledged allegiance to the prince. She worries Hulk's popularity will turn the people away from the Red King, and encourages him to escape. That night the resistance comes to rescue the gladiators but the Hulk refuses to go, warning there's a trap. Elloe leaves, and the rest of Warbound are forced to listen to the resistance fighters being attacked.
For the third and final fight, their opponent is Beta Ray Bill, compelled by an obedience disk to kill or be killed. The Hulk and Bill battle fiercely. During their fight Hiroim notices Hulks blood on the dirt is bringing plants to life - a sign of the Sakaarson. Hulk destroys Bill's obedience disk, but continues his attack, pummeling Bill to near-death.
The Red King announces the Warbound as free citizens, but asks them to show loyalty to him by executing Elloe. They refuse and the Red King orders their death. However, Beta Ray Bill awakens and uses the power of his hammer to destroy all obedience disks in the colosseum. Bill offers to take Hulk back to Earth, but he refuses. Bill leaves the planet as Warbound escape to the resistances hideout at a nearby town. The Hulk goes his own way.
Caiera catches up to Hulk after the Red King orders her to kill him. They fight until Caiera spots a Spike ship, which they follow to the town where the Warbound are staying. Caiera, Hulk, and the Warbound work together to protect the town. When she calls the Red King for help, he reveals the Spikes are his creation. A bomb hits, destroying almost everything except the protected civilians of the cave. After the smoke clears, the unharmed Caiera finds the Hulks body and informs the Red King he is dead. The King demands Hulk's body.
Caiera, the shackled Warbound, and the Hulk's corpse are brought to the Red King, who is wearing his imperial armor. As he gloats over the Hulk's death, Hulk's is revealed to be alive and attacks the king. Caiera sets the rest of Warbound free and they fight the guards. The Hulk and Red King continue to fight, and Hulk overpowers him. The Red King is infected by a spike bug and is killed by his Deaths Head guards.
Order is restored to Sakaar and the Hulk accepts the role of Sakaarson and the new king of Sakaar. He, his wife and queen Caiera, and the Warbound stood as heroes in front of the whole of Sakaar's citizens. | violence, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0425151 | Jimmy and Judy | Jimmy and Judy is the latest cross country crime spree film to appear on the silver screen,
and on dvd. The film follows the youth angst genre of crime films that was first started
by The Doom Generation, and Natural Born Killers.Edward Furlong (Terminator 2) stars as Jimmy, and Rachael Bella costars as Judy. James Eckhouse (Beverly Hills 90210) plays Jimmy's Dad, and William Sadler portrays
Uncle Rodney.The film uses a lot of hand held cameras, much like Blair Witch Project, and Cloverfield.
Jimmy records most of the sex scenes, and shooting sprees, with help from Judy.At the start of the film Jimmy spies on his Dad cross dressing, and having sex with
his mother (Gay Storm) getting into a bondage orgy.Jimmy and Judy then run over a street person, and get pulled over by the cops. Jimmy
shoots the officer, and we later find out the cop car had video camera running.There is another scene where Jimmy shoots down a speed freak, who is raping a female
druggie. Jimmy makes Judy hold the gun with him during the shooting.The fugitives then make their way to a ranch owned by Uncle Rodney. Uncle Rodney forces Judy to have sex with him, so that the couple can stay on the ranch. Jimmy
shoots Uncle Rodney, and rescues Judy from her.The outlaws get stopped by the cops at a roadblock, and are gunned down after Judy
refuses to stop the vehicle.Jimmy and Judy has a lot of gratuitous violence, and provides a kind of social commentary about a couple of doomed misfits. Uncle Rodney provides an interesting
observation about how the counter culture is dead, and how his group of bohemian
dropouts are garbage, that are going to burn down corporate capitalist society.Edward Furlong, and Rachel Bella provide strong performances. William Sadler also
does great acting as Uncle Rodney.The film is well directed, and written by Randall Rubin, and Jon Schroder.Jimmy and Judy does provide a compelling story of a Kentucky crime spree, but falls short of other films like Natural Born Killers. Jimmy and Judy will probably obtain a cult following much like the The Doom Generation has. | cruelty, murder, violence, cult, romantic, revenge | train | imdb | I then realized that that must be the reason why it's being shown at this mainstream theater rather than being confined to the Esquire or the Mariemont theaters.Jimmy and Judy is one of those relentless gritty and voyeuristic couple-on-the-run movies.
It's all about the effect of alienation, vindication most people only think of under the influence of serious bouts of anger, and other things that, in a movie, are not for everyone.
William Sadler's character alone is one of the scariest and most realistic people I think I've ever seen in a movie.Jimmy and Judy is not quite at the status where it can be called a great movie, but it has a very clear message and a very precise and innovative way of conveying it.
That period of life does not, however, extend beyond high school, which might be why 21-year-old Jimmy (played by a plump, 30-year-old Eddie Furlong) manages to get a high school girl to fall in love with him.
Judy is clearly a smart and successful student who one day is attacked by a group of girls, the bad kids (by the way, do high school girls really do this?
It's an extremely simply made film, shot almost entirely from the perspective of a home video camera and cut for the most part to run like an unedited MiniDV tape.
Personally, I knew a lot of people like Jimmy (minus the killing) in high school because I hung out with the wrong people for a couple years.
I don't know why people hang out with people like that, they are highly unpleasant to be around, particularly the nutty ones like the crackhead that Jimmy and Judy shack up with for a couple hours midway through the movie.
It's also interesting that he looks so handsome on the cover box, because little Eddie has become quite the meatball.Anyway, his Jimmy in this movie is an unhinged lunatic with absolutely no redeeming values whatsoever, while Judy is pretty and smart.
We do, however, see in great detail why Jimmy is so twisted (we are, after all, products of our environment, and his parents' relationship is one of the sickest marriages I've ever seen, in a movie or otherwise), but we learn nothing about Judy's past, including why she was being bullied at school.
WOW.I would hate to be the one to burst his balloon, but I have a feeling that the subtraction of a lot of criminals and junkies and drunks is not exactly going to make society weaker
Ultimately, the movie starts off as a serious downer and goes downhill from there.
And by the way, some lunatic from the San Francisco Chronicle has claimed that this is the movie that Natural Born Killers wanted to be, and at 1/20th of the cost.
Realistic, haunting, and down right disturbing, I couldn't stop thinking about this film for days - in a good way.The chemistry between the two leads, (Edward Furlong and Rachael Bella) is amazing.
First off, this film is shot entirely from a first person perspective, ala Blair Witch, but seriously, do NOT let that scare you away.The titular characters are played by Edward Furlong and Rachael Bella (both of whom attended the premiere in SF tonight).
Rachael Bella you may recall as the "crazy chick" who witnesses the bizarre death of her teenage friend in the beginning of The Ring (boy, I really hope I didn't give anything away there).The story unfolds exclusively from the perspective of Jimmy's video camera.
He's a video junkie (not unlike the neighbor character in American Beauty) and feels the need to "document" every important event in his life on tape (including certain aspects of his parents' relationship, and there's no way in hell I'm giving up *that* spoiler!).Jimmy's been in love with Judy all of his life, their parents having apparently been friends for quite some time, but that love has been unrequited until now.
He finally approaches Judy to show her how he's taken revenge on those that have wronged her in school (herself also being a social outcast, apparently) causing her to instantly fall in love with him.The remainder of the film is a high tension tale of the love between the two star-crossed lovers and the misadventures they become entangled in as they explore a life of crime and independence.
Jimmy is a first or second year college student suspended from school due to an incident involving his videotaping craze (at least partly to blame for his severe emotional scarring) and Judy is a high school junior or senior and their relationship is typical of that of late teenage/early twenties relationships when it comes to the sexual element (at least from my own personal perspective), so I'm sure you can figure out roughly what to expect.The film is a love story...
It's a very fast-moving story once things really get to happening and I soon found myself totally engrossed.I'm running out of words here, sadly, and I doubt I'm doing the film quite the justice it is deserved.
All I really do have to say, in the end, is that I truly hope that this film gets picked up for distribution (I believe it was mentioned that this has already happened, or is definitely in the works) and if you get any chance to see it, I highly recommend that you do.
And the writing is dull at best; every scene is PAINFULLY transparent in its intended character or plot development and basic, simple points in the setup of the story (why is Judy so horribly harassed at school?) go entirely ignored.Lacking any real style or purpose and with an irritating, smug arrogance, "Jimmy and Judy" is a self-indulgent parade of predictability and shocking images with no real counter-point.
Jimmy and Judy This clever, heartfelt piece of gonzo indie film-making is the movie Natural Born Killers should have been.
In the first reel, this conceit works a tad like Bogart's character just out of prison in Elmer Daves' Dark Passage, with the subjective camera point-of-view employed until after plastic surgery.Jimmy (a great turn by former child star Edward Furlong, whose career seems to be headed in the right direction again) reveals himself only in the presence of Judy (Rachael Bella).
He woos Judy by exacting revenge on the kids who have bullied her at school, films his parents' gender-switching sex, and, in a very funny piece of Americana, freaks out in a fast-food car lane after pickles are improperly included with his double cheeseburger.They hit the road for their obligatory crime spree.
When I saw this title I thought, Woo hoo another crappy film to watch and then to comment on, but what I didn't know was the reality of this movie was so real that it made me think really hard of what this world is like for kids who are not blessed to have parents and friend's to care for them.After watching this movie I found my self in a daze, sorta like a trance (something I always find myself in when watching these kind of movies') and I knew that all the things that Jimmy and Judy went through were things that could and DO happen to teenagers ever day.
I now know that life can be hell and that without someone to talk about it to you, you can really go crazy.People need to look outside of their own home and see what happened's when kids (mostly teenagers) can do with one gun a camera and a misunderstood life..
After watching this movie at the best screening I have ever been at, I was left thinking about this film for days.
I really connected with the characters, and fell in love with Jimmy and Judy.
Jimmy & Judy overcomes it's limitations to be a film I'd definitely recommend even if intriguingly it points to greater things that it never achieves.It's the first time I've seen a film filmed entirely from a first person point of view and I found this very striking.
It stuck me watching me Jimmy & Judy just how rich the possibilities are here, developed further it could become a new genre of film.
It's a tribute to the skill of the directors that all of this works as smoothly as it does.As other reviewers have pointed out another arresting feature of this film is the chemistry between to the two characters, fortuitously helped by the fact there was real off screen chemistry there as they actually ended up getting married in real life.
So hence Jimmy & Judy's Bonnie & Clyde style crime spree becomes a little, how can I say this, done so many times before.
Jimmy & Judy is one of the lesser known direct-to-video films he's done and with good cause.
From the cover this film looks like some modern version of Bonnie & Clyde and it's from the writers behind Natural Born Killers, so I was expecting good things.
The whole first half of the movie features a ton of sex and nudity and plays like a really high end porno, from there the story gets a little better, but not by much.
Edward Furlong co-stars in the film "Jimmy and Judy" as a junior-college dropout plagued by the deceptively normal facade of suburbia and obsessed with his hand-held video camera.Jimmy's camera thus becomes the lens for the entire film.
Jimmy has loved Judy (Rachael Bella) since childhood, and has the tapes to prove it.
When Jimmy, never one to let social norms hinder his impulses, takes revenge on Judy's bullies and shows her the footage, she is wooed and the two embark on an anarchic ride through the forgotten states of Middle America.Throughout their misadventures- ones involving drug abuse, sexual violence, and gunplay- Jimmy and Judy manage to retain an innocence not afforded to characters in flicks with similar concepts such as "Natural Born Killers." What provides this naive sincerity is the rare chemistry Furlong and Bella invoke coupled with the film's intimate home-video style.
At first, Judy repeatedly asks, "Why do you have to film everything?" Jimmy just wants to document all the important parts of his life.
This movie is hard core indie, so don't bother to watch if you are expecting some cheesy happy ending and are not prepared to be shocked.Jimmy and Judy, for better or worse, is in your face and not afraid to to be there.
The trailer makes it look good, like a typical bonnie & Clyde movie.However it wants to be to much like true romance or natural born killers In the way that the two characters care for nothing but each other and would rather die than be apart.some of the camera work is a bit amateurish too.
Jimmy and Judy is one of the most original movies I ever saw.I watched it a week ago and I was so impressed by this movie.First of all,both main and supporting characters were played perfectly and this person one view is just awesome.Story is pretty good,sick kid filming everything he think is important and it's almost every moment of his life.He met this girl played by beautiful Rachel Bella and they start their weird road trip.Movie is very realistic and shows examples society is trying to hide from public.I can say it's a must see movie that will make think about it for next two days.I didn't think this will be something extraordinary when I started watching it,I knew it's a low-budget and independent movie and I didn't expect too much from it.But it came out as a big surprise.But,even though movie is great I can't say it's ideal and i'll give it 9 out of ten..
Spoilers over.Final thoughts: Skip Jimmy and Judy unless you want to laugh at a horrible story, boring and pointless directing, and Ed Furlong looking like a fool..
There are times that Furlong's (as Jimmy) acting goes on and off like a light switch – probably equally as good as it was bad.
Then there's Bella (as Judy) whose acting more resembles a strobe light, again with both good and bad performances, only in her case it's within seconds.
'Jimmy & Judy' really isn't an original idea, aside from, of course, updating 'The Doom Generation,' 'National Born Killers' and of course, 'Bonnie & Clyde,' to the U-tube generation – i.e. the entire movie was shot via hand-held cameras.
He's infatuated with Judy who doesn't like Jimmy, then does.
The movie does have some shocks – not to spoil, as it was foretold to audience, it was still a surprise scene when Judy's life of crime really begins.The #1 thing that did freak me out, as this mirrors the myspace/utube generation, is that I actually saw a true life story like this unfold on Myspace in 2006 in the case of Jacob D.
Jimmy and Judy is far from one of these films.
Jimmy and Judy push the envelope in all that they do, and the film follows the same suit.
Jimmy and Judy,a well-made semi-remake of "Badlands" with some "Natural Born Killers" thrown in for good measure, isn't a bad time at the movies, to be sure, but also isn't near as good as it should be.I caught the world premiere of this movie at SF Indie, and I can certainly see why they picked it - edgy, counterculture, chock full of sex and violence.
But ultimately, the film goes nowhere, with characters that neither illicit compassion nor interest, and a story which seems to meander, predictability, to a place that has nothing really to do with either Jimmy or Judy.
Apparently, just because they're young, sweaty, unkempt, swear and screw a lot, they get to be angry and rebellious.The one moderately original thing about the film is that Jimmy videotapes everything (this is not a spoiler - it's evident in the trailer and from frame 1 of the movie), and this is used as a narrative device ala "Blair Witch".
Kinda nifty, but still, nothing else in the movie - either Furlong's character nor the story, pay this off in any way, and ultimately, it doesn't make sense.If you like angst for angst's sake, this is for you.
Compared to those films, however, this one suffers from lengthy unexciting intervals.Jimmy's (Edward Furlong) constant video documentation of his life is a throw-in gimmick, though it is well accomplished.
A far more charming aspect that elevates this film from mediocrity is the authentic aura of infatuation between Jimmy and his girlfriend Judy (Rachael Bella).
It was the real thing: the two actors did fall in love while making this film and married; their first child, a son, was just born (on September 21, 2006).With splendid cameos by Chaney Kley as an intoxicated meth-head and William Sadler as Uncle Rodney, the predatory leader of a drug besotted commune.
Jimmy & Judy left me disappointed because I did not find anything original in the movie.
While watching the movie many other better flicks similar to this one, came into my mind like Natural Born Killers, Badlands, Kalifornia etc.And I kept on hoping that there may be some twist in the plot but nothing happened.
Both Jimmy and Judy looked normal teens acting weirdly !I don't know why?
The movie is a dark look at how far teens will go for their crazy definitions of love.
JIMMY AND JUDY 2006 Written and Directed by Randall Rubin and Jon Schroeder (We Share Everything!) Starring Edward Furlong, Rachael Bella, William Sadler, James Eckhouse, Gay Storm and A.
The latter film is sooooooo much better than the former.Jimmy and Judy is (shockingly!) the story of Jimmy (Edward Furlong) and Judy (Rachael Rubin).
Judy, while initially repelled by Jimmy, eventually warms up to the only person she thinks loves her or pays attention to her.
The movie spends about an hour just defining these characters and their relationship, then Judy runs over a guy with their car.
The movie is shot hand-held video style, with the camera being passed back and forth between Jimmy and Judy, but unlike The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield, this movie won't make you motion sick.
The camera work in Jimmy and Judy is much steadier and more like a traditional film than the herky-jerky visual roller-coaster of those other two.
That distance, in turn, let's you see that Jimmy and Judy aren't very realistic characters.
While Furlong and Bella both give nice performances, you can't ever forget they're performances.The second half of the movie is also problematic because it stops being about Jimmy and Judy and starts being about all these other low-life, criminal types they run into.
The things that occur in the second hour of the story don't really flow out of who Jimmy and Judy are and how they relate to each other, but instead erupt when new characters enter the story and push our lovebirds in one direction or another.
When it's just Jimmy and Judy in the first half, what happens mostly makes sense.
There's a point in the story where Jimmy by all rights should be killed, but instead he's just beaten up a bit and allowed to live solely because the movie isn't ready to end yet.For all that, though, Jimmy and Judy isn't an aggressively bad film.
Furlong and Bella are good, there's a significant amount of female nudity (including a lot of looks at Bella's bosom) and if you've ever had a bit of Holden Caulfield in you when you were young, you might emotionally connect with this story.But as I mention at the start, Video X is sooooooo much better than this film.
But if you can't get your hands on a copy of Video X, Jimmy and Judy isn't that awful as a substitute..
After all, Natural born killers is the same thing, but filmed differently.
There's one thing about this movie you can compare is that In both stories, the killer couple is consisted of 2 lovebirds who believe they are hated, unwanted, abused, and neglected by everyone, and everything... |
tt0282209 | Darkness Falls | In 1827, a small group of people settled around a bay; among them was a newlywed couple, Sonny and Matilda Dixon. The town soon began to grow due to its quickly developing fishing industry. Local stores began to spring up, and people started to cultivate the land.However, in 1836, tragedy struck the small town, now called Darkness Falls, when Sonny Dixon was killed in a fishing accident, leaving his wife Matilda a widow. After her husband's death, Matilda became very close to the town's children. She would tell them stories, and give them gifts and gold coins when they lost a tooth, thus earning the nickname "Tooth Fairy".After a fire in her home left her horribly scarred, disfigured, and with an extreme sensitivity to light, she wore teeth-mask (which was made out of teeth), and only went out at night.One night, two of the town's young boys went missing, and they quickly blame Matilda. She was arrested, stripped of her mask, and hanged. Soon afterwards, the two missing boys returned home unharmed, and the town realized its grave mistake. A massive cover-up of the murder soon followed, and Matilda's body was buried.A year later, the first of many strange occurrences began. In 1842, the supply of whales and seals vanished from the sea; only their bones were left on East Beach. Freak storms began to terrorize the town and frequently resulted in the sinking of fishing boats. The two children who Matilda was accused of kidnapping vanished after leaving a suicide note at the town's lighthouse; their bodies were never found.Nearly 10 years later, the local cemetery was moved to make way for local expansion. During the move, Matilda's body disappeared and was never seen again. Since then, children have mysteriously disappeared from Darkness Falls, never to be seen again. Some claimed that they ran away, while others believed it was yet another chapter of the Tooth Fairy's curse.And so, the story of the Tooth Fairy was born. The vengeful spirit of Matilda Dixon would visit the home of children in Darkness Falls the night they lost their last baby tooth. If the child laid eyes on her, she would whisk them off and murder them. Her weakness in life remained with her in death; she had an extreme sensitivity to light.One boy, Kyle Walsh, learns that the story is more than just a story the night he loses his last baby tooth. He finds it hard to fall asleep after hearing stories of Matilda, and takes a flashlight to bed with him. As he tries to sleep, he hears a raspy breath over his bed, and dares to open his eyes. He sees the masked face of Matilda herself. Frightened, Kyle shines the flashlight into her eyes, causing her to recoil in pain. He runs out of his room to his mother, who assures him that there is nothing to be afraid of. As Kyle's mother goes to investigate, she sees Matilda for herself, and is brutally murdered by the angry spirit. Kyle, hearing his mother's death, hides in the bathroom with the lights on, preventing Matilda from reaching him. The next morning, the police show up and believe that Kyle has murdered his mother. They arrest him and take him away.Years later, Kyle has left Darkness Falls and moved to Las Vegas - a city where the lights never turn off. He always carries a bag of flashlights and lanterns with him in fear of Matilda finishing what was started many years before. One day, an old childhood friend, Caitlin Greene, calls to ask for his help with her younger brother, Michael, who also seems to have survived an encounter with the Tooth Fairy. Michael, like Kyle, now has a gripping fear of the dark, and is thought to have gone insane. Kyle returns, knowing that Michael is not crazy, and tries to help him. Since two people have now escaped from Matildas wrath, it has caused her to become more active; revealing herself to dozens of people, and killing them all in her quest to get Kyle and Michael.Kyle, Michael, and Caitlin now must escape from Darkness Falls while avoiding the darkness until morning, just as one of the freak storms knocks out all the lights in the town.Soon the storm hits the village with a loud bang and wallop and almost every light in the village is turned out. The last remaining light is only that of the Light House situated at the far coast of the village. A fight ensues between Kyle and Matilda, and he manages to knock her mask away from her face - revealing the scarred flesh. They then illuminate the Lighthouse's lantern and throw Matilda in to it, where she ignites and turns in to a ball of flame and is thrown off the balcony. As she catches fire her spirit is destroyed forever.(Source: WikiPedia) | revenge, fantasy, dark, murder, flashback | train | imdb | My husband is a pretty stoic guy, and because I love and have seen so many horror movies at this point, I'm afraid I'm a little jaded, and have frequently been disappointed when it comes to horror movies that have come out past 1983."Darkness Falls" delivered the goods.
The sets, lighting and sound effects were so creepy it made my skin crawl.Certainly better fare than some other pathetic excuses for horror movies that rely solely on special effects for creep..
Kyle Walsh (Chaney Kley) returns to the small town of Darkness Falls to help his childhood girlfriend, Caitlin Greene (Emma Caulfield), whose brother is hospitalized with severe night terrors.
Since I'm a big Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan, that might have supplied Emma Caulfield with some unconscious bonus points, but I loved her acting here.What really matters in a film like this is the horror material, and director Jonathan Liebesman handles it skillfully.
These types of scenes were handled well enough to make me either forget or not care if there were any rules broken when it comes to keeping the villain at bay.Although I'm not someone who finds films scary, I can see Darkness Falls working for many viewers in terms of frights.
This spirit takes her revenge on the children of the town after they lose the last of their baby teeth.An acceptable horror movie full of thrills , chills , and shocks starred by an ancient Tooth Fairy gone amok.
Years later, and still haunted by the experience of that night, Kyle must return to Darkness Falls to aid his childhood sweetheart Caitlin Greene (Emma Caulfield) and her kid brother Michael-who seems to be at risk from the Tooth Fairy this time around.
Can Kyle confront his fears and end the 150 years of terror that has blighted Darkness Falls?Pretty much despised by the discerning horror-phile, Darkness Falls, to me at least, is a creepy, interesting and totally enjoyable thriller/ghost picture worth reappraisals.
Hand on my heart I know the film isn't a scary boo jump picture, something that is unforgivable to many genre supporters, but atmosphere goes a long way to creating a good thriller/ghost story picture.
Up front: I've just read other IMDb members' reviews of Darkness Falls, and if this isn't just the darndest case of "I-must-have-been-watching-a-different-movie" that I've come across!
The following is clearly a VERY brief minority report.Decent acting, good story flow, nice special effects for the budget, honest scares, fine gore-avoidance, entertaining mood-setting opening credits, and cliches up the whazoo.
Darkness Falls follows a somewhat similar plot line as the previous year's entry in the genre,They,with a few differences.One,Darkness Falls has a fairly well fleshed out back story.Two,the acting is generally fairly good.three,the monster has a reason for being,a motivation for its actions.also,the monster has a weakness,which can be exploited.the core storyline is descent for this genre.the movie is better paced and much better edited.the monster itself is however,not so great.the look of the creature isn't the problem.the problem are its movements,which do not look authentic in some scenes.now,the characters themselves--very little in the form of character development.pretty much your stock horror characters.none too bright and reacting in ways which real people(hopefully)would not.yet,strangely likable somehow.you kind of take pity on them.suspense--there were some tense moments.there was a fair amount of action.however,at times the film became chaotic--lots of sounds and sights all at once,including the music.the purpose,to pretend to entertain the viewer,well hiding the movie's shortcomings.in essence disguising the fact that the movie isn't achieving its intended purpose.in this case,frightening the viewer or at least heightening his or her anxiety.and now the ending.it does nicely resolve things.no cheap setup for a sequel here.i think it's a better movie than They.is it a good movie?yes.it has some tense moments with a few decent action sequences and a decent,straightforward ending without the usual unexpected(but really expected))twist.for me,Darkness Falls is a 6.5/10.
The atmosphere is non-existent, the premise really isn't very promising, and the execution is even more lackluster.The film has a very simple premise: old lady killed over a hundred years ago is now a restless spirit who goes around murdering children who've lost their first tooth (they also have to see her face first, or something like that, not like the movie was holding my attention).
Anyway, after the film dispenses with TWO prologues which takes up nearly fourteen minutes of running time, we settle with our protagonist, Kyle Walsh (Chaney Kley), who encountered this evil tooth fairy as a child and wants to help his former girlfriend's (Emma Caulfield) younger brother through the same ordeal.
This is obviously a movie that doesn't have much in the way of plot, but you probably figured that when you saw the town's name was Darkness Falls (groan).
Darkness Falls doesn't have the look and feel of a horror/thriller, it certainly doesn't have enough plot (and what story it has is peppered with plot holes)(you'd think a town this cursed would have almost a minute population, but it's a rather bustling little place), and the acting is subpar.
Director Jonathan Liebesman seems perfectly content with trying to give us boo scares (which aren't the slightest bit effective), loud noises, lots of fast camera movements, and lots of running and chasing.Running and chasing is exactly what fills up the movie's last twenty minutes, when it suddenly opts for thrill ride mode, but even that is as completely unengaging as all the material that came before it.
I was able to overcome the rather silly premise of the tooth fairy being an evil character, but I couldn't forgive the complete destruction of any suspense that had been built up in the first half of the movie..
My husband and I saw Darkness Falls this weekend and absolutely loved it and my husband doesn't even like horror movies but he loved this one.
The pacing, the look, the blandness of both films, and the awful script, are very similar in quality.But the thing that's really disappointing is that the idea of an evil tooth fairy is actually cool.
We get another kid who tries to talk like an adult (most notably in his wishes for the Tooth Fairy to just get him rather than running away forever), and the rest of the cast is forgettable at best.Scares in this movie are nonexistant.
First time director Jonathan Liebesman shows potential with a strong visual style and a great dark atmosphere but the completely unimaginative, flawed script drags things down.
Once the creature (If you can call it that) shows up it looks pretty damn grotesque but like the rest of the film it's unimaginative (Surprising considering it comes from Stan Winston studios).A flawed, paint-by-numbers horror film that offers nothing new or fresh despite a decent monster, and muscular direction from Liebesman.3.5/10..
Darkness falls is a good horror film.
It is about the curse of an old lady on a town called Darkness falls in revenge for the town putting her to death for a crime she doesn't commit,in which she attacks kids on the night when they lose their first tooth.The rock song 'look out below' by Closure is noteworthy.Special effects are nice.Some thrills are scary.I wouldn't say it's the scariest movie ever made or anything like that.
The main character says the same phrase more then ten times witch shows that this movie has a really bad and predictable story tough it is better than some other movies of the kind like Jason X.
After seeing such cool horror flicks like "The Ring" and "28 Days Later", this movie was laughable at best.
Like A Fine Wine It Gets Better With Age. Darkness Falls is one and was one of those rare horror movies where all the pieces came together,the director,the crew and the performances by the actors,it simply is a rare example of a what I would consider one of the best and further more you certainly don't get many as good these days.
The legend of The Tooth Fairy is taken to a whole new level with Darkness Falls and Darkness Falls is best watched with the lights out and the volume turned up,the magic of this picture is as you would expect,you think you know what is about to happen next and then it doesn't,then again it does but when you least expect it..brilliant.
Its a shame that in todays horror genre that script writers cant come up with storys as downright spooky as this anymore,much like some of the classics that came aboard during the 80s Darkness Falls certainly falls into those gems category.
I like horror movies I tell myself but then I remember Feardotcom and Jeepers Creepers 2 and I start to fear that Darkness Falls will be as bad as they were.
The 'stay in the light' rule was fantastic just as well used here as in the season 1 X file episode, again titled, 'Darkness Falls'.My only real problem with the film is the ending.
Emma Caufield is pretty good, the action scenes or decently staged but the story is severely lacking and the tooth fairy despite the opening scene is just not scary.
DARKNESS FALLS in my opinion was a good horror movie and if I were to rate it on the traditional Hollywood four star system, I would award it at least two (2) stars which means, fair, or, worth a look.
The story and plot for Darkness Falls were great, but not represented well in the film.
It made me think, "Hey this film seems like it might be pretty good." One element that bothered me was the fact that they showed the Ghost too many times.
I was beginning to like it, but then it turned into modern day crap.The idea that this monster can't do in ANY light at all, and the fact that it can't attack you unless you have seen it's face, and once you have seen it's face, you can never be in the dark again without it killing you, is a novel and cool idea to me, and it seemed that they were going to make a disturbing film out of it.But they simply went too many times for the cheapest of all horror scares: the jump scare.
Stan Winston's puppet in the final sequence was so realistically believeable that I acutally thought it was a person with make-up prosthetics on, until I watched the 'making of' featurette on the DVD.Darkness Falls is one of those films you should avoid, unless you like movies that turn out really bad at the end..
okay.no one expects horror movies to have great acting, so I do not understand why so many people are dissappointed in this film.the use of Surround sound and the noise of the evil creature FREAKED OUT the audience.it was just like going to a mid sized amusement park roller coaster.
The logic of the storyline comes and goes as eventualy the tooth fairy causes a power outage in the town (seems it doesnt like light!) and starts reducing the population pretty quickly.
But, the tooth fairy is bad, she apparently only goes after a few kids at a time, wears a god-awful mask, and must have some severe respiratory problems because of all of the scary gurgling sounds she makes when she's near.Bottom line, don't rent this movie..
Uneven, dumb, laughable, with not a solitary original idea (but for the dead body gag) Basing ANY horror flick on the concept of an airborne Jason Voorhees in skirts is asking for trouble...without even the dubious touch of having children threatened by a feral tooth fairy?There were audible groans in the theater at the umpteenth pronouncement by Chaney Kley for everyone to "Stay in the light!" The general consensus by then anyway, was - lets hear it for Matilda!" Kley looked for the most part like he was doing a Pierce Brosnan take-off and it was open-slather on the "I see dead people" set, with Lee Cormie leaning at various times towards either Haley Joel Osmont or one of the Culkins!
This is a brilliant film, this is one of those film that really show why some people were scare of the dark as a young kid & why some time the fear of the dark goes to adulthood this is one example of a film that shows that.Inspired by the real dark fairy tale of the tooth fairy from brother grim story's & an age old story of waltzing Matilda known as the tooth fairy who's husband died at sea which gave us the famous song waltzing Matilda a famous Australian song.This story take you in to the heart of the darkness & your inner fears to truly terrify you to the bone.On the DVD is has a true history back ground story of waltzing Matilda which is a pretty sad story but a frightening back ground story for her, but this film is one of the best horror film's I've seen in a while.
The tooth fairy is seldom seen throughout the film, the sequences involving the supernatural character are heavily edited with very flashy, quick cuts that allow us to see little of her - although when we do, the special effects aren't too bad.
Again, the film relies a lot on jump scares, but there is some already-scary material that lies within the story, so it's a little spooky to begin with.Overall, "Darkness Falls" is your typical modern ghost film, and is very flawed in some accounts, but it has it's moments and at least tried to be something fairly original for the genre.
This movie goes very wrong, very fast, after the opening and it starts with the main character, this person could not act to save his life and it didn't help the film to get other actors who are as entertaining as a piece of wood floating down a river.
I've seen better stuff done in direct to video titles.The tooth fairy is one of the worst horror movie monsters to come to screen and I wish that the mystery behind this creature could have been more mysterious.
i can't say i've seen a scary horror movie in a long time, because scares lately rely completely on shock value.parts of movies that i can think of offhand right now that were really scary are like the first part of jeepers creepers, and the first part of house on haunted hill.
and so did a few IQs. A promising start (lasting about 2 minutes) rapidly deteriorates into an experience that's about as scary as watching a five-year-old running around under a sheet going "Woooooh!"It's not shoddy special effects, wooden acting or derivative, predictable, implausible plots that we horror fans mind - it's having our intelligence insulted.
More bad luck befell the woman when two local children went missing: the townsfolk blamed her for the disappearances and hanged her, but not before she cursed them for their actions (she was right to be miffed: the kids turned up alive soon after she was strung up!).Now, as legend has it, youngsters who lose their last baby tooth are paid a visit by the vengeful spirit of the woman, who whisks the child away should they see her, which doesn't seem very fair since the kids had nothing to do with her death - but then little about this film makes sense.When Kyle loses his last tooth, he can't help but take a peek at the 'tooth fairy', as Matilda is known by the locals, and as a result his mother is killed (thereby subverting the rules of the legend).
If the people of Darkness Falls have been disappearing or mysteriously turning up dead for the past century and a half, why would anyone doubt Kyle when he claims the tooth fairy killed his mum?
i'm OK with 75 minute running time,that was the norm for old school horror films..i'm OK with the plot holes,it IS a grade b flick,but i hate the laziness of the clichéd police who get a kick out of tormenting people who they believe to be disturbed(weak stereotype)and the equally careless casting of a much older actor to play what is supposed to be the 22 year old lead--had promise,but didn't deliver.some example of films that dealt with young actors and small town locations are LADY IN WHITE,CLOWNHOUSE and SILVER BULLET,all of which delivered realistic performers and realistic characters while maintainig a scary atmosphere..they had small budgets,but delivered big.
Worst films of 2003:Bad Boys 2, Dominoes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, House of 1,000 Corpses, Ken Park, Bad Guy, DARKNESS FALLS.Maybe it's time to stop making horror movies..
Maybe they can remake it sometime, because the idea of a tooth fairy who kills people in a movie is pretty good.
An old lady comes back to seek vengeance based upon the tooth fairy....Avoid this movie like SARS.
I seriously couldn't sleep in the dark that night!All in all, despite the weak plot line and average acting, this movie was pretty good, and made me jump when I least expected it.I give it a 6..
One of the reason i bought this film is because its horror (i love scary movies).
I would give this movie 8 out of 10, for being scary, jumpy, not too much gore (like most horrors today).
I didn't go in expecting a great little horror film like "The Ring" but went in with a open mind looking for a bit of escapism fun.
Darkness Falls looks as if at one time there was a strong movie there.
"Darkness Falls" has more faults than things to recommend it, but if you like the horror genre, and you'll put up with anything, it has it's moments.
Darkness Falls was rated PG-13, and for a horror film that's usually a very good clue that it is going to appeal more to the 13 or younger population..
It has to be seen two times to get the full conscept.Darkness Falls is one of the couple thriller movies out there that are worth seeing. |
tt0115956 | Courage Under Fire | While serving in the Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Serling (Denzel Washington) accidentally destroys one of his own tanks during a confusing night-time battle, killing his friend, Captain Boylar. The US Army covers up the details and transfers Serling to a desk job.
Later, Serling is assigned to determine if Captain Karen Emma Walden (Meg Ryan) should be the first woman to receive a (posthumous) Medal of Honor. She was the commander of a Medevac Huey that was sent to rescue the crew of a shot-down Black Hawk. When she encountered a T-54, her crew destroyed it by dropping a fuel bladder onto the tank and igniting it with a flare gun. However, her own helicopter was shot down soon after. The two crews were unable to join forces, and when the survivors were rescued the next day, Walden was reported dead.
Serling notices inconsistencies between the testimonies of Walden's crew. Specialist Andrew Ilario (Matt Damon), the medic, praises Walden strongly. However, Staff Sergeant John Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillips) claims that Walden was a coward and that he led the crew in combat and improvised the fuel bladder weapon. Sergeant Altameyer, who is dying in a hospital, complains about a fire. Warrant Officer One Rady, the co-pilot, was injured early on and unconscious throughout. Furthermore, the crew of the Black Hawk claim that they heard firing from an M16, but Ilario and Monfriez deny they had one.
Under pressure from the White House and his commander, Brigadier General Hershberg (Michael Moriarty), to wrap things up quickly, Serling leaks the story to newspaper reporter Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn) to prevent another cover-up. When Serling grills Monfriez during a car ride, Monfriez forces him to get out of the vehicle at gunpoint, then commits suicide by driving into an oncoming train.
Serling tracks Ilario down, and Ilario finally tells him the truth. Monfriez wanted to flee, which would mean abandoning Rady. When Walden refused, he pulled a gun on her. Walden then shot an enemy who appeared behind Monfriez, but Monfriez thought Walden was firing at him and shot her in the stomach, before backing off. The next morning, the enemy attacked again as a rescue party approached. Walden covered her men's retreat, firing an M16. However, Monfriez told the rescuers that Walden was dead, so they left without her. Napalm was then dropped on the entire area. Altameyer tried to expose Monfriez's lie at the time, but was too injured to speak, and Ilario was too scared of the court-martial Walden had threatened them with and remained silent.
Serling presents his final report to Hershberg. Walden's young daughter receives the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony. Later, Serling tells the truth to the Boylars about the manner of their son's death and says he cannot ask for forgiveness. The Boylars tell Serling he must put down the burden at some point and grant him their forgiveness.
In the last moments, Serling has a flashback of when he was standing by Boylar's destroyed tank and a medevac Huey was lifting off with his friend's body. Serling suddenly realises Walden was the Huey pilot. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | This movie has 2 stories that that run side by side, depicting the same image of war from different perspectives.Denzel's story is one of sadness and guilt over the death of a friend during the Gulf war, a friend that he himself killed in a 'Friendly Fire' incident, during the confusion of battle.
His country won't let him speak, and they shower him with medals; this only adds to the pain that begins to tear him apart.Denzel's Character is given an assignment to determine whether a female helicopter pilot (Meg Ryan) deserves the medal of honour.Meg's story, played out in flashbacks, is about a helicopter pilot and her crew saving a handful of soldiers, from the Iraqi onslaught.
She is the first female to be considered for the medal of honour, and the question is, does she deserve what the American people would so love too see her receive.Denzel, determined to get this one right, collects evidence and testimony from Ryans crew and the men that were saved.
These types of movies stemmed no doubt from Akira Kurosawa's epic RASHOMON, and while films that use this strategy rarely live up to Kurosawa's original in terms of intelligence and portrayal (the most recent being the slightly-better-than-mediocre VANTAGE POINT), COURAGE UNDER FIRE is still a rewarding Motion Picture.Denzel Washington is near his brilliant best as the troubled Lieutenant Colonel on the verge of alcoholism due in part to his overwhelming feelings of guilt following a military procedure gone wrong.
For me, the biggest surprise is Lou Diamond Phillips who is actually quite watchable, and does not overact, as is his tendency.Zwick's COURAGE UNDER FIRE is an examination of war from a less visceral point of view, and will stay with the viewer long after watching the movie.
It's the way the story is told: throughout the movie you see the same sequence, over and over again, and each time you understand what is happening just a little bit more, until at the very end the import of it all hits you like a locomotive.
A DESERT STORM veteran, Lt Col Nat Serling (played by Denzel Washington), is assigned the task of recommending whether or not to award the first (posthumous) combat Medal of Honor to a woman, Capt Karen Walden (played by Meg Ryan).
This movie is about many things, but to me, the story is about how Col Sterling is trying to manage his survivor guilt and PTSD from his incident on one hand, and deal with his task to validate the medal for his General, his wife, his kids, etc.
Courage Under Fire (1996) This is a war film about an Army officer, plagued about a deadly mistake he made, who investigates a female soldier's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.
After suffering a tragic incident during the 1991 gulf war Colonel Serling is asked to look into the case of Captain Walden a female helicopter pilot nominated for America`s highest decoration The Medal Of Honor
I`m actually glad it became a simple " Whodunnit " plot because LEGENDS OF THE FALL SET IN THE DESERT isn`t my idea of a good movie There`s only two things director Zwick should be criticised for , in fact one of them isn`t even his fault and that is the battle scene where the Iraqis surround the crashed helicopter , having watched BLACK HAWK DOWN several times I came to the conclusion the most awesome part of that movie is where the two Delta snipers Shughart and Gordon bravely but vainly try to stem the Somali hordes closing in on the Durrant crash site .
Plus, she was once considered one of America's sweethearts, so it's hard to picture her in a role like this.Denzel Washington, a Colonol in the Army, is investigating the death of an American soldier who died in the field, during the Iraqi war.
There are surviving members of her crew, and each one has a different version of the story, and what really happened the morning of her death.The first twenty minutes of the film are slow, and a bit hard to pay attention to (or maybe that's just me and military movies), but once you get into the story, it picks up quite a bit, and becomes very interesting and worth the watch.
In Edward Zwick's curious film, 'Courage Under Fire', we have to believe it does, as Denzel Washington's Colonel investigates whether an award should be given to Meg Ryan's deceased pilot after the first Gulf war.
Another contradiction is the way the film appears to want to honour the military, beginning with textbook action scenes and ending with sentimental reverence, in spite of the fact that the soldiers we see in action are all, frankly, pretty bad at their jobs.
Despite the pressure from his superiors, Serling continues to dig for the truth.Looking back at this film now it is perhaps a little frustrating how little it seems to critically analysis the issues behind war and politics and instead just plays it as a straight thriller with the Gulf only serving as a background and not as subtext.
Billed as the movie that made you take Ryan seriously, this is fairly lumpen melodramatic fare, more notable for its cameo turns by the likes of Lou Diamond Phillips and a fresh-faced Matt Damon than for its heavy-billed leads.
Denzel Washington and Lou Diamond Phillips merit the kind words other reviewers have left here, and certainly Meg Ryan deserves none of the harsh ones.Her performance was perfect, whether portraying the gutsy leader recalled by some narrators or the over-estrogened mess detailed by her bitter gunner.
Certainly the point is lost as the film goes on to lionize every American life lost while placing only target value on the deaths of opposing soldiers.This was a war movie that acknowledged cowardice as well as courage, shame as well as gallantry, deadly mistakes as well as brilliant tactics, all in the same arena and sometimes all in the same individual.
Denzel Washington (Glory, He Got Game) has the lead role as a Colonel who is giving the assignment of reviewing a case for the first woman ever to win the Medal of Honor.
Before his big leading roles Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, Rounders) gives a great supporting performance as Ryan's best friend and medic on her team.
This is one of those war movies where you feel how difficult it is to be a soldier in the middle of a war zone with bravery, cowardice, confusion, orders, and emotional turmoil taking it's toll on the human psyche while yours and your fellow soldiers' lives are perilously hanging in the balance during the first Gulf War. Showing why he is such a classy military actor, Colonel Denzel Washington encapsulates the emotional baggage of being participant as commander of a tank battalion that pulled the trigger in a "friendly-fire" scenario that continues to haunt him when he gets stateside.
Meg Ryan was surprisingly excellent at portraying a character who, through the stories changing multiple times, must be both heroic, cowardly, and still maintain dignity and honor in the face of overwhelming odds.
A United States Army officer (Denzel Washington), despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander (Meg Ryan)'s worthiness for the Medal of Honor.Let's talk about casting for a moment.
Excellent performances here from Lou Diamond Phillips and a painfully (painfully) emaciated Matt Damon.Denzel Washington plays a Lt Colonel reviewing a female soldiers (Meg Ryan) candidacy for the medal of honor.
I'm not sure the somewhat contrived structure served the serious subject matter wholly convincingly, the cinematic devices detracting somewhat from the otherwise lifelike depiction of action in the Gulf War. I also thought Denzel Washington's framing role as the senior army officer given the seemingly straightforward task of reporting on the apparently automatic eligibility of Meg Ryan's posthumous award of the Army medal of honour detracted from the central mystery, especially as he wrestles with his own demons after unwittingly being involved in a tragic friendly-fire incident of his own.
All that said, the dramatisation of the war is very well realised and the acting is of a high order, Washington giving it strong and silent in a commanding lead role, but there are even better performances from a young Matt Damon and Lou Diamond-Phillips as two of Ryan's crew who survive the ordeal physically but not mentally.Ryan does well too and I was also impressed by the actress in the menial task of playing Washington's wife.
Following the first Gulf War, Sterling is assigned to "investigate" the death of a female helicopter pilot in combat, Captain Karen Walden, played by Meg Ryan, so that the Defense Department can accede to the White House's wishes that Captain Walden be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor the first female ever to receive the award.
It's a shame really that Hollywood did this to Ryan, the movie and itself, because with a more appropriate actress in the Walden role, `Courage Under Fire' might have been a great film.
He's assigned to determine if medical helicopter pilot Cpt Karen Emma Walden (Meg Ryan) should be the first woman to receive a Medal of Honor for combat.
Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling, a US Army officer, is assigned to determine whether Captain Karen Walden should posthumously receive the Medal of Honor, making her the first woman to be given this award for valour in combat.
Meg Ryan, Hollywood's official Girl Next Door of the nineties, might have seemed a strange choice to play a tough Army captain, but this was the film which finally showed there was more to Meg's acting talents than the ability to look pretty in romantic comedies.
Denzel Washington is also very good as Serling, a very important role as the film is not just about Walden but also about the story of how Serling learns to forgive himself for his friend's death.
Of the supporting cast, the best is Lou Diamond Phillips as Monfriez.Unlike the standard World War II film, "Courage under Fire" is not a gung-ho patriotic adventure story; it remains neutral about the rightness or wrongness of the First Gulf War. Unlike the standard Vietnam movie, however, it is not an anti-war diatribe either.
U.S. Army officer Nat Serling (Denzel Washington) investigates the military actions of helicopter pilot Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) to see if she's worthy of receiving the Medal Of Honor.
In fact that's the story of Courage Under Fire.Matt Damon got some good reviews on his way up the Hollywood ladder of success as the drug addicted medic from Ryan's team.
Lou Diamond Phillips should have been given an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor as the chauvinistic sergeant who is quite reluctant to cooperate with Washington's investigation.Above all this film belongs to Meg Ryan.
It is not the best or the most realistic war movie out there, but it made me think about aspects of war that one tends to either forget or ignore.The acting by Denzel Washington was superb, Ryan was great, Matt Damon was young then, does not look anything like he does today, but his acting was nearly perfect.
"Courage Under Fire" features one of the best American actors, Denzel Washington and he is supported by a support cast that will go on to big things -- fine actors like Matt Damon and accurately portrays the gulf between a combat veteran and those that haven't experienced war.Unfortunately, Meg Ryan is in the movie -- in the leading female role.
In order to redeem himself and find some a way out of his own downward spiraling guilt (despite being cleared by the Army), Denzel Washington tracks down the truth behind Meg Ryan's nomination for the Medal of Honor.
The main cast members such as Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Matt Damon were wonderful.
And while this is going on he is assigned a task to investigate if Capt Karen Walden(played by Meg Ryan) deserves a medal of honor, since she would be the first woman to receive it.
Sorry, but I cannot stomach a movie that is pro-military when Meg Ryan, a devout Democrat and worshiper of John Kerry, the war-hater and devout liar, and Denzel Washington, a worshiper of President Obama and a devout Democrat who is said to be a devout Christian.
The film deals with an Army lieutenant (Denzel Washington) who is assigned to investigate whether or not a late helicopter command pilot (Meg Ryan) should receive the Medal of Honor posthumously from the U.S. government.
It is a true shame that the film and Washington and Ryan were overlooked, because it was truly the best example of movie making for 1996..
We had expected a lot: first movie from Meg Ryan in quite some time, rumors that Denzel would get another nomination, posters about town for nearly a year.It was the first movie about the Gulf War that I had seen, and it proved to add something significant to what otherwise was quite an open and shut case.When Bronson Pinchot came on the scene a hushed whisper left the mouths of each of the 1200 viewers present: "SERGE!"Ryan was up to par, even though some viewers might find it difficult to picture her in such a role.
It stars Denzel Washington as Col. Nat Serling, an army colonel investigating the legitimacy of a post humous Medal of Honor award going to Karen Warden, an army officer who was said to have died heroically while fighting the Iraqis during the Gulf War. However, there are too many discrepancies so Serling is enlisted to find out the truth about what happened to Warden the day her and her platoon went down in their chopper.
It starts out with Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling(Denzel) being assigned to investigate an incident that took the life of Captain Karen (Meg Ryan) during a rescue operation in Iraq (Operation Desert Storm).
Simply missed this film completely and just recently viewed it on TV and was amazed at this great story of our fighting men and women who fought in the Gulf War under President Geo. Bush Sr. Denzel Washington, (Lt.Col.Nathaniel Serling,"Man on Fire",'04 was deeply involved in bad judgment on his part in firing at the wrong enemy and was also involved in the background check of Meg Ryan,(Capt.Karen Emma Walden),"Against the Ropes",'04.
The investigation is given to, and carried out with a great amount of gusto by a veteran of the combat, but with his own hidden guilt complex, hidden until the very end.Good performances by all involved fail to cover up the main story and the problems with the delivery, it offers little in answers.Wonderful, one day the news will really come out on the events that occurred during the first Gulf War, this film release is about conflict within the combatants of one mission, it in no way gives answers to the real events of the whole allied push into the region.As someone else said, 'disappointing'.
Walden (Meg Ryan), also happens to be a woman, and is being touted by the Pentagon as a war hero who exhibited extraordinary `courage under fire' (quotes for both movie and real life).
Although the characters played by Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan are way too idealistic, the movie itself is a good picture of what the ugly thing war is and how the bureaucratic war machine is operating, consuming lives and souls of those who joined it.
The rest of the cast also did a great job, but Meg Ryan should stick to movies like `Sleepless in Seattle' and `You've got mail'.
As is obvious by my over-long comment, this is a great movie and a must see for any Meg Ryan or Denzel Washington fan, or for lovers of military flicks in general..
"Courage Under Fire" is definitely an excellent, moving and tragic film and it certainly ranks as one of the most outstanding war movies that I have viewed.
Denzel Washington gives a moving performance as Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Sterling, a conscientious military leader who is assigned to the investigation of a female officer being considered for the Medal of Honor.
But there are persons who accept the challenge.Denzel Washington was pretty good as usual, perhaps Meg Ryan was not the best choice for her role (not a problem of acting, she just does not match the character).There are perhaps a pair of details in the war scenes that does not make much sense, but they are not essential to the plot - this is not an action movie, but a think-maker.
Being a fan of Denzel Washington and a huge fan of Meg Ryan I was keen to see this movie.
Denzel Washington gives a great performance, and Meg Ryan was good (if miscast).Simply stated but beautiful, I think this is one of the ten best of 1996..
Karen Walden, a rescue helicopter pilot killed in action (Meg Ryan) deserves a Congressional Medal of Honor.
Outstanding Film About The 1991 Gulf War. Courage Under Fire is a film about the 1991 Gulf War.It stars Denzel Washington,Meg Ryan,Lou Diamond Phillips and Matt Damon.
It is one of the first great films to depict the 1991 Gulf War as it tells a story of a US Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.The movie was directed by Edward Zwick.Courage Under Fire has Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling involved in a friendly fire incident in Al Bathra during the Gulf War. He was an M1 Abrams tank battalion commander who, during the nighttime confusion of Iraqi tanks infiltrating his unit's lines, gave the order to fire, destroying one of his own tanks and killing his friend Lieutenant Boylar.
I thought it was a compelling story centering on parallel narratives involving Colonel Nat Serling (Denzel Washington), himself conflicted over a friendly fire incident in which his best friend was killed, while investigating the merit of awarding the country's first Medal of Honor to a woman who died in combat. |
tt0109424 | Chung Hing sam lam | The film comprises two different stories, told one after the other, each about a romance involving a policeman. Except for a brief moment when the first story ends and the second begins, the two stories do not interconnect. However, the three main characters from the second story each momentarily appear during the first.
=== First story ===
The first story concerns Taiwan-born cop He Qiwu, also known as Cop 223. Qiwu's girlfriend May broke up with him on 1 April (April Fool's Day). His birthday is on 1 May and he chooses to wait for May for a month before moving on. Every day he buys a tin of pineapple with an expiration date of 1 May. By the end of this time, he feels that he will either be rejoined with his love or that it will have expired forever. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman in a blonde wig (played by Brigitte Lin) tries to survive in the drug underworld after a smuggling operation goes sour.
On 1 May, Qiwu, looking for romance, approaches the woman in the blonde wig at a bar (the Bottoms Up Club). However, she is exhausted and falls asleep in a hotel room, leaving him to watch old movies alone all night and order take-out food. He shines her shoes before he leaves her sleeping on the bed. She leaves in the morning and shoots the drug baron (played by Thom Baker) who had set her up. Qiwu goes jogging and receives a message from her on his pager wishing him a happy birthday. He then visits his usual snack food store where he collides with a new staff member, Faye. At this point, a new story begins.
=== Second story ===
In the second story, the unnamed Cop 663 is similarly dealing with a breakup, this time with a flight attendant. He meets Faye, the new girl at the snack bar. She secretly falls for him. The flight attendant waits for the cop around the snack bar, and finds out he is on his day off. She leaves a letter for the snack bar owner to give to the cop. Everyone in the snack bar reads the letter, which is assumed to be the flight attendant's way of telling the cop that their relationship is over. The envelope also has a spare set of keys to the cop's apartment.
Faye uses the keys to frequently break into his apartment by day to redecorate and "improve" his living situation. She finally tells him of the letter but he keeps delaying taking it or even reading it. Gradually, her ploys help him to cheer up, and he eventually realizes that Faye likes him and arranges a date at the restaurant "California" (an actual place in Lan Kwai Fong at the time). Faye, however, never shows up for the date, and the snack bar's owner, who is her cousin, goes to the restaurant to tell the cop that Faye left for California. Standing the cop up after a last-minute decision to see the world before settling down, she leaves him a boarding pass drawn on a paper napkin postdated one year later.
In the last scene, Faye, now a flight attendant, returns to Hong Kong. She finds that the cop has bought the snack bar and is converting it into a restaurant. He asks her to stay for the grand opening in a couple of days, but she says she does not know if she can. 663 then asks if she can send him a postcard if she leaves, but she says he wouldn't read it anyway. As Faye's about to leave, he gets the boarding pass she gave him a year ago, wrinkled and water-stained, and asks if anyone will accept it. She doubts it and writes him up a new one. Faye asks him where he wants to go with the boarding pass, and 663 says he'll go wherever she wants to take him. Their future remains ambiguous. | neo noir, cult, psychedelic, murder, romantic | train | wikipedia | The two main characters in this half of the film, a police officer played dolefully by Takeshi Kaneshiro, and a heroin smuggler played icily by Bridgitte Lin, interact for only ten percent of the story, but their meeting leaves them both with memories that will last life time.
Wong Kar-Wai uses a decidedly unique filming technique for much of the first half of the film; a blurry hand-held technique (think Blaire Witch on drugs) used during the chase scenes.
A film about love that is mired in reality (though shot through the lens of alcehmist - truly a visual experience to be savoured)though not gritty reality, just every day boring life and love, the sort of love we go through each day ourselves, the kinda incomplete love where two people touch each other briefly and spend more time dreaming of what could be rather than it actually taking place.
Masterful Hong Kong film-maker Wong Kar Wai understands that love is about the unspoken moments between people, the hidden gestures betraying loneliness.
There are so many essential moments in this film - when Dinah Washington's 'What a difference a day makes' plays over two lovers cavorting, the moments when characters talk to inanimate objects to overcome their loss of love, the brief glances between the second policeman and the waitress across the counter of the fast-food restaurant.
Wong Kar Wai triumphs stylistically in Chungking Express, a beautiful movie that places two fingers right on the throbbing pulse of what it means to be lovesick.
Memorable use of music additionally adds to the film's strength, along with a number of unique vignettes and quirks of character (think expired canned pineapple, a toy airplane and new additions to a fish tank, for example) that take unsuspecting audiences by surprise..
(In particular one shot of shoes filled with cocaine/heroin being put away is shot upside down which for unknown reasons I really love) The editing is quick and fast paced, rarely lingering.Through the use of shaky held hand camera during chase scenes and the busy streets we feel disorientated and just as lost as the characters on screen.
Talking about getting over the pain, since it's a Kar Wai Wong nobody will dare thinking a typical work.At the first time i watched Chong qing sen ling, what hit me was director's original style in telling his stories, how he could make me feel exactly the same mood with the characters and still no tears in the whole movie.
Nailed It. Two stories, two lovelorn cops, two objects of desire: one a big-time heroin dealer in deep trouble with her boss after the cargo disappears, the other a seriously flaky take-out waitress who inadvertently gets hold of the keys to her admirer's apartment, all shot in a breathless kaleidoscope of color and hand-held camera work to create a mesmerizing portrait of Hong Kong in the 1990s.With the constant use of "California Dreamin" and "Dreams", do you think this is a film about dreams?
Chongqing senlin, released in 1994 and directed by Kar-wai Wong, takes place in Hong Kong and is the classic love struggle/heroine smuggling film.
Chungking Express, released in 1994 and directed by Kar-wai Wong, takes place in Hong Kong and is the classic girl meets guy, girl likes guy, girl breaks into guy's apartment with stolen key and plays with his possessions film.
The other story follows a young service industry worker named Faye, played by Hong Kong's pop queen Faye, who falls in love with Cop 663 and does her best to become part of his life without ever needing to talk or be with him by using his apartment only when he's not there.
From the mind of auteur filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai, comes a film told in the urban alienating streets of Hong Kong.
When his canned food expires, so does his love for May. Although on the eve of his birthday he meets a woman (Brigitte Lin), who is suffering from her own broken heart, whom he is able to share his pain with.The second story tells of cop 663 (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), who is suffering from romantic problems with an air hostess (Valerie Chow).
He eases his pain by going to a small time deli express, and meets one of the expresses lovely exployees named Faye (Faye Wong).A great, imaginative, and powerful film that should not be missed by anybody who is serious about movies.
Wong Kar Wai, one of the auteurs of world cinema, has made many great movies since, but to this day, Chungking Express stands out as his best, and one of the best movies, in my opinion, of all time..
Wong Kar-Wai's most acclaimed and certainly widespread film, helped by showings to film classes everywhere, Chungking Express is a meandering meditation of loneliness in urban Hong Kong.
The second watches a depressed cop's ignorance as a girl with a crush revitalises his life.The first segment is certainly a visual marvel, and Wong Kar-Wai (alongside cinematographers Christopher Doyle & Andrew Lau, the latter of Infernal Affairs fame) blazes through with a frenzy of action in a confined space.
The film offers a look at some of the things going on in the world of motion pictures in the early to mid-90's: international interest in Hong Kong cinema and Asian cinema generally; the influence of MTV-inspired film technique; a spike in the perennial popularity of romantic comedies; audience acceptance of combined stories with fragmented, braided narrative lines ("Chungking Express" was released at about the same time as "Pulp Fiction".) 6.
This combined with the sketchy and different camera movements/ angles made me very confused, but interested, in how the film's plot would play out.The two love stories that the movie portrays I think are really great.
Both of these stories are tied together by them sharing some of the same places they go to just at different moments in time.After watching this film, it can greatly change the way one views their life and reality around them.
The shot that Wong Kar-Wai captured in the second cop's apartment in which the heroine hid on the wall in plain sight and the cop looked in the bathroom missing her completely was a fair characterization of the film.
The characters are all so obsessive, neurotic and downright oddball that the film makes love seem more like a bizarre illness than something to be cherished.The narrative is awkwardly split into two distinct stories, both involving mopey guys who are mooning over girlfriends they've lost.
That's what I mean by "movie-land." Compounding my irritation, the characters sometimes decide to wax poetic about their personal philosophies, in that mock-deep movie way, saying things like "people remind me of expired cans of pineapples" or some such rubbish.
I've heard a lot of people saying the second half was better, but I thought both parts were equally effective."Chungking Express" was basically filmed while Wong Kar Wai was on hiatus from the "Ashes of Time" project.
It's obvious this film provided the director with an escape, or a freedom of expression that the audience feels from the opening credits until the end of the film.While the story may feel disjointed - the style is extremely consistent and the pacing and music in the film really balance so nicely here.I had enjoyed the two films I had seen from this director,"happy together" and "Fallen Angels", but I absolutely loved this one.There is something very real about this dreamlike world that the director has created here.
The acting and writing are sharp, but it is the overall mood/feel of this film that really makes it stand apart.Won Kar Wai throws in some parallel characters that resemble the leads, and he also jumps time within the main characters lives.
I really liked all the characters except the girl with the wig who just looked stupid and faceless with her big sunglasses on all the time.Sure some of the shaky camerawork and excessive use of the strob effect were a bit annoying, but the director's playfulness pays off as we get some really cool and original shots as well.In the end though this movie actually made me feel something and I think you should see it..
The second, however, made me fall in love with this movie completely.A cop (Leung) pining after his lost love pours out his sorrows to a fast-food vendor, attracting the attention of the young woman who has just started working there (the gorgeous Faye Wong).
Perhaps the movie was aimed at a mainly western audience, but I think Kar-Wai probably wants to emphasize that some people in Hong Kong are too much aimed at America (California in this story).
The story is very human as always in a Wong Kar-Wai movie: most of his ideas seem to deal with fear of (urban) loneliness.
This image is a reflection of what I was able to draw from the muddled combination of story lines thrown together by director and writer Wong Kar-Wai. On a second viewing of the film this blank screen was slowly filled in with slurred images of bodies in motion and a deep feeling of loss.
But what makes it so charming, and interesting ultimately in that European art-house way, is how Wong Kar Wai keeps a rhythm to his story that doesn't follow rules, but feels right in a sense like some off-beat song on an obscure album only your hip friend down the block has.
Probably film buff friends who enjoy obsessions over pineapple and girls.There's also a very good performance turned in by actress Brigitte Lin, who before this was a (enormously popular) pop star, and is slightly used as opposed to cast by Kar Wai as a figurehead, like some flashy, self-conscious symbol of a mystery in and of itself (blond wig, going about the crevices of town on some criminal mystery, the music playing in tight but sweet strings).
It's also great to see Tony Leung in an early role that allows him some space for some little notes of emotion we haven't seen in future Wong Kar Wai movies where he's the super-serious or melancholy lover.
It's a question of what makes up these characters, when romance throws caution into the wind.I've seen Chungking Express in bits and pieces over the years, and while I will eventually get down and watch it from start to finish, all the pieces together (not to draw any sort of parallel in what I described and how I view the movie) stay fresh in my mind.
I also love how Kar Wai flashes so many techniques into his story, the flashes of colors, the combinations and segues of film speeds and a kind of impressionistic style that puts up noir into a more emotional plane.
I have seen most of his work, but nothing compares to the strange and utter feeling you get whilst watching Chungking Express.This film is a two-parter: One story shows a couple-days-in-the-life of He Zhiwu aka Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who pathetically tries pursuing his ex-girlfriend, May, who is NOW moving on.
The cast-list only refers to him as "Cop 663" (played by Wong's alter-ego, Tony Chiu Wai Leung), who patiently is waiting for love to find him; not as assertive as our first protagonist, but still carries a great story.
Don't be fooled by the fact that this Hong Kong film about two cops was distributed in the U.S. by Quentin Tarantino; It's actually a very human story of love and loneliness in the big city.
Before Chung King Express i had never seen a Wong Kar-Wai movie, and as far as first impressions go this was a great one.
I was enjoying the first part until it abruptly stopped (it didn't "end", it just stopped in what appeared to be the middle of the story) to be replaced by an inane and totally unbelievable second part that seemed to focus around a girl rearranging and cleaning a guy's apartment (wow!) I look forward to the day when Wong Kar Wai is given a decent script to work with!.
Wong Kar-Wai's film is an aesthetic treat - it looks nice, sounds nice, I dare say it would even smell nice if it had a scent - but plainly and simply, Chungking Express lacks substance and it's 2D characters and muddled (not to mention slow) plotting with only leave you cold by the time the final credits (finally) role.
That's actually the kind of cops you can see in "Chongqing senlin."The film is unique because it presents two seemingly "different" and "unrelated" stories of broken-hearted cops and their new-found objects of affection, situated against the background of modern-day Hongkong.Thus, with regard to the element of chance and coincidence, of spontaneous and unexpected encounters, Wong Kar-Wai's film is in the same line with Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Trilogy of Colors," Milco Manchevski's "Before the Rain," Claude Lelouch's "Chance and Coincidence," Alejandro Inarritu's "Amores Perros" and Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction."The "first" story tells the story of Ho Chi-Wa (Takeshi Kaneshiro), who calls himself "police no.
663," a traffic police who was also dumped by his girlfriend, a flight stewardess.Depressed, he engages in a pouring out of sentiments to objects that remind him of his failed love affair, but ultimately, clearly "reflect" himself---soap, towel, uniform, stuffed toy.However, things might just start to fire up again for the law enforcer when a young and easy-going lady who works as a counter-girl for a food station (where he regularly buys fish and chips and black coffee) develops a crush on him and gets hold of the key to his apartment by chance.Hip, hypnotic and delightful;"Chongqing senlin" is something that shouldn't be missed.(No wonder "Pulp Fiction" megman Tarantino took it on him for the film to be released in the US.).
The biggest of them was: the director Wong Kar-wai apparently launched into filming this movie without even having completed its screenplay!
Of all the titles that the company released in the short while it was around, this one was the best and really turned me on to this great filmmaker, Wong Kar-Wai, who has made many great films.CHUNGKING EXPRESS is a fun story that is just so enjoyable to watch.
Chunking Express 11/11/2009This amazing little piece of Hong Kong cinema, directed by Wong Kar-Wai, is a great example of a modern story told in modern times.
You actually feel as if there is chemistry between the two characters.A lot of people love the movie Amelie, but I think much of that movie was borrowed from this one - especially the scene in which she goes into the cops apartment and rearranges his furniture.Unfortunately, I don't think Wong Kar Wai has matched this films quality or randomness of story line since then..
The plot is rather simple, but the real beauty of the film is Wong Kar-Wai's ability to capture the moods of Hong Kong.
As the second half of the movie picks up, it consists of the romantic relationship between food service worker Faye (the musical sensation Faye Wong) and Cop #663 (Tony Leung Chiu Wai).
Kar-wai Wong's film `Chungking Express' is sure to leave you feeling differently than most films you have seen.
This tale of the love lives of two Hong Kong lawmen - Cop 223 played by He Zhiwu, and Cop 663 played by Tony Leung Chiu Wai - may leave you utterly confused after your first viewing, but is worth a second look.
When you first see Kar-wai Wong's film, `Chungking Express,' don't expect it to be love at first sight.
While these two love stories may seem unrelated and confusing, a second view sheds new light and restores the sanity lost in the first viewing.The camera techniques used in `Chungking Express' distort time and motion, giving the viewer the notion that at certain times the characters move at a different tempo from the rest of the world.
If you're looking for a different movie from the normal Hollywood genre, you might want to consider Kar-wai Wong's film `Chungking Express'.
Not the usually, run-of-the-mill movie you're used to watching, Chungking Express is full of love, romance, drugs, murder, and, of course, expired Pineapple!
This storyline is loosely connected to the second main character of the film, Cop 663, played by Tony Leung Chiu Wai.
Wong Kar-Wai redefines Hong Kong Film Noir with Chung King Express.
I think the film works on at least two levels, the first one being the personal love stories of young people in Hong Kong, and the second is a showcase of Hong Kong, giving the viewer a wonderful tour across parts of the city.
Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express is a breathless tour de force that will leave you feeling exhilarated.
Whatever it's influences, the look of the film is totally unlike anything else from Hong Kong before it.Of all Wong Kar-Wai's films, CHUNGKING EXPRESS is probably the most readily accessable and the most commercial.
Wong Kar-wai's romance-drama, Chungking Express (1994), is story told in in two parts, each consisting of two Hong Kong policemen who are heartbroken from their respective ex- girlfriends.
Chungking Express is a unique movie written and directed by Kar-wai Wong in 1994.
If you're interested in watching a movie which shows Hong Kong life as it is, check out Wong Kar-Wai's semi-sequel "Fallen Angels"..
Director Wong Kar Wai is a true artist of film and makes Tarantino's work look like campy self-aggrandizing shallowness).
I think it's fair to say that 'Chungking Express' is a movie more concerned with aesthetics and film technique than conventional plot or character development.
I'm usually wary of movies of this type, such as most of Jean-Luc Godard's work (Godard being an obvious inspiration to Wong Kar-Wai), but I surprised myself a little by liking 'Chungking Express'.
The film deals with two separate love stories, both featuring cops who frequent a takeaway food bar in Hong Kong. |
tt0079766 | Quadrophenia | The film, set in 1964, follows the life of Jimmy Cooper (Phil Daniels), a young London Mod. Disillusioned by his parents and a dull job as a post room boy in an advertising firm, Jimmy finds an outlet for his teenage angst by taking amphetamines, partying, riding scooters and brawling with Rockers, accompanied by his Mod friends Dave (Mark Wingett), Chalky (Philip Davis) and Spider (Gary Shail). One of the Mods' rivals, the Rockers, is in fact Jimmy's childhood friend, Kevin (Ray Winstone). An attack by hostile Rockers on Spider leads to a retaliation attack on Kevin. Jimmy participates in the beating, but when he realises the victim is Kevin, he doesn't help him, instead driving away on his scooter.A bank holiday weekend provides the excuse for the rivalry between Mods and Rockers to come to a head, as they both descend upon the seaside town of Brighton. A series of running battles ensues. As the police close in on the rioters, Jimmy escapes down an alleyway with Steph (Leslie Ash) a girl on whom he has a crush and they have sex. When the pair emerge, they find themselves in the middle of the melee just as police are detaining rioters. Jimmy is arrested, detained with a volatile, popular Mod he calls 'Ace Face' (Sting), and later fined the then-large sum of £50. When fined £75, Ace Face mocks the magistrate by offering to pay on the spot with a cheque, to the amusement of the fellow Mods.Back in London, Jimmy becomes severely depressed. He is thrown out of his house by his mother, who finds his stash of amphetamine pills. He then quits his job, spends his severance package on more pills, and finds out that Steph has become the girlfriend of his friend Dave. After a brief fight with Dave, the following morning his rejection is confirmed by Steph and with his beloved Lambretta scooter accidentally destroyed in a crash, Jimmy takes a train back to Brighton. In an attempt to relive the recent excitement, he revisits the scenes of the riots and of his encounter with Steph. To his horror, Jimmy discovers that his idol, Ace Face, is in reality an undistinguished bellboy at a Brighton hotel. Jimmy steals Ace's scooter and heads out to Beachy Head, where he rides perilously close to the cliff edge. Finally, he crashes the scooter over a cliff, which is where the film begins, with Jimmy walking back from the cliff top in the sunset back drop. | cult | train | imdb | A young man joins the British mod movement and gains a feeling of belonging and importance, but this makes him even more disenfranchised from his boring 9 to 5 life.Britain's answer to Rebel Without A Cause is based around a fair-to-middling Who concept album (they financed the movie too) and was made on a modest budget, but has far too much going for it to be ignored.
Especially if you are working class and come from the UK.(How it is viewed elsewhere is beyond my telling, but reading reviews on this site I get the impression that people from all over the world can relate to its central themes - even if the locations and accents are alien.)Director Franc Roddam was smart enough to cast a young Phil Daniels in the central role of Jimmy.
He has a boring job in the post room of an advertising agency (note the satire about pushing smoking - this is the "no health warning" 60's!) and rides around on a scooter with lots of lights on the front.Life, for him, is about getting through the day and partying at night/weekends to the hip sounds of the day - the non-Who soundtrack album is a taster to mid 60's Brit Pop.(His parents don't understand him either - but this could be taken as read in this style of movie!)As most of us know, and a few even tell Jimmy in the movie proper: Life cannot be all parties, cheap thrills and gang fights, but he doesn't seem to want to listen.
There is a good cast of British new wavers on show here: Leslie Ash plays Jimmy's love interest and Sting gets to be the "Ace Face" - the good looking top dog mod that Jimmy wants to be.
Watch as every important elements of a young man's (Jimmy's) life is stripped away, piece by piece, until he has no anchor, no magnet, and no direction in life.Without his familiar crutches (hooliganism, drugs, girlfriends, Mod clansmen, job, parents, home and 'scooter'), Jimmy is faced with a terrifying realization that he - alone - must completely rebuild and reinvent himself.In a way that is hard to describe in words, director Franc Roddam exposes the raw core of life, unadorned by all the temporal things by which we measure success, worth and happiness.
It's not even classifiable as a rock opera as a film, because it becomes a hybrid- it's part motorcycle flick, with some well staged, intense fight scenes, rumbles, riots, etc; it's part anti-establishmentarianist take on what it's like to be at an age when you don't know what to do you with your life, and outside of the pleasures of being with friends and kicking' ass you tend to be aimless or work for people you don't like.
It's also, major in fact, a psychological character study of one of these anti-establishment kids, a mod named Jimmy (Phil Daniels), who may be a little off balance in the head due to a fueling desire to be both with the excitement of his gang and with his need to find himself by himself, as well as to the "blues" pills.There isn't as much of a story as there is character development, which sticks true to the source material, written by the clever and driving force of The Who, Pete Townsend.
I'm just a bit too young to remember anything about the vicious Mods v Rockers pitched battles at Brighton or the Mod lifestyle (I'm not sure just how far north it made it up to Scotland, it always seemed to me principally a London-based movement).Nevertheless, the broader themes in the film of the generation gap between teenagers and their parents, the pain of rejection, youthful revolt against authority plus the less intellectual need for young kids to get drunk, drugged, violent and sexed up are universal and seemingly constant, which with the background of great 60's music, made for an engrossing and enjoyable if occasionally challenging watch.This is Phil Daniel's Jimmy Fenton's worm's eye-view of life in the mid-60's, working in a dead-end job, out of touch with his parents and although on the face of it, there doesn't appear to be much to rebel against, sure enough, he loses his way and his mind as he suffers rejection from his employer, said parents, would-be girlfriend Leslie Ash and after seeing his Mod Hero '"ace-face" played by Sting, meekly conform to society mores carrying bags at a hotel, he gets pushed over the edge (literally).
His only way out of the tormenting feelings he's experiencing for the first time sadly involve just a one-way ticket.The film adopts a realistic, warts and all approach, with no let-up in the levels of bad language used, scenes of drug use (although it is "only" pill-popping "uppers" or "blues" as they're called in the film) and of course the centre-piece of the film, the recreation of the infamous Mods and Rockers "Battle Of Brighton" of 1965.
Fan as I am, I could have done too without the too obvious genuflecting to the film's producers The Who (Jimmy putting on the "My Generation" single at a party, then gazing in awe at the band on "Ready Steady Go"), I guess he who pays the piper and all that.Central to the movie is a superb performance by Daniels as Jimmy, his mood-swings oscillating violently as he takes or comes off his pills, wired to the moon as we say today.
The iconography of its main protagonist has subsided to let the core sensibility of the movies theme shine thru, this is pure and simple a perfect depiction of fallen youth during a heady time, a tale of ones ideology crumbling so sadly over the course of one weekend.The period is captured vividly by director Franc Roddam, the stark threat of violence mixed in with the best music the 60s had to offer, serves to let the viewer feel they were there at the time, and the result is a perfect period piece.
He's a member of a posse of "Mods," a mid-sixties image- group that included quasi-Beatles-style clothes and haircuts, the use of Vespa scooters, and of course sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.Jimmy hates the conformity as symbolized by his TV-watching, emotionally-detached parents and dreads the prospect of becoming an ice-cold working stiff.
In the end, he finally realizes the source of his anguish, and, without giving anything away, addresses the heart of the matter.Excellent performances in this movie (though the accents will be downright impenetrable for some viewers), great directing, strong writing, and of course it marvelously portrays the Mod lifestyle.
It just wasn't my thing and it's hard to love a film where you cannot stand any of the characters.A few final observations: I don't think it was unintentional that the leading man, Jimmy, sure looked quite a bit like Townshend.
I knew little to nothing about the 'mods' and 'rockers' of Swinging Sixties London and the fierce rivalry that bristled between them before going into the film, but Quadrophenia, Franc Roddam's film based on The Who's rock opera of the same name, completely immerses the viewer in their world.
While Richard Lester's film has the fortune of being made at the time this movement was thriving, it's light-hearted fare, albeit a terrific one.Quadrophenia doesn't pull its punches, and portrays the mods, in particular the young, alienated Jimmy (Phil Daniels) in all of their rough-and-tumble, amphetamine-popping glory.
It all builds up to a visit to Brighton where, along with super-cool mod Ace Face (Sting), meet up for a huge brawl with a gang of rockers.Backed by a terrific soundtrack from The Who, Quadrophenia recreates a fashion craze now long-gone, and does so convincingly with a real sense of time and place.
It was also a good film because of Sting (Ace).Not many people know about the Mods or what teenage life was like back then in 1963; so I'm glad that this came out.
If you want to know what it REALLY feels like to be young again, then this is for you.Phil Daniels gives the film's best performance as the tortured Jimmy, torn between doing things the way he always has and the growing emptiness inside of him.
He's dedicated to his mod friends, but is repeatedly let down by them and his way of life.It's not a flawless film, but it is the best example of a rock opera movie adaptation, and it keeps in the spirit of the brilliant Quadrophenia album.Transport yourself back to the mod days.
True, one might identify with the lead's impatience for the distance between he and his parents, or the mundane work detail as a mailroom clerk, or that he can't seem to hang on to the girl he desires whenever they meet, or the contest for attention between he and the 'head' mod (played with little emotion by Sting), but unless you want to watch a character drown himself in his miseries and not do much else, then you probably won't have much fun with this film.
QUADROPHENIA is a cult classic movie that explores the life and loves of a Mod living in Britain in the 1960s.
The lead character is played by Phil Daniels, a familiar face from British television, and he gives an exemplary performance as an awkward but likable youth struggling to grow up and make it in the adult world.Produced by The Who, QUADROPHENIA offers as its backdrop a portrait of 1960s era Brighton and the like, where battles between the Mods and Rockers are just around the corner and a great soundtrack generally accompanies the action.
I'll be the first to admit I'm not a huge fan of this era - I missed it by a long shot - but this likable drama paints a solid picture of the times.It's also remarkable as a "before they were famous" movie, featuring performances from the likes of Ray Winstone, Timothy Spall, Leslie Ash, Phil Davis, Michael Elphick, even Sting before they hit the big time.
I'll grew up with this movie and The Who at that time....I was very impressed when i saw this movie...It is still a good one, good acting and beautiful music....When i was on vacation in England i visited Brighton, and still there are hanging several pictures from the movie and The Who....pretty cool....I guess there are still in England groups like mods and rockersLater at the time i bought several editions from Quadrophenia on cd, and watch a concert from The Who, playing Quadrophenia....Quadrophenia is still very important for me....
I love this film for its simplicity and its absolutely brilliant soundtrack by the Who. Phil Daniels stands out as the mod who changes from disillusioned to moody and then almost psychotic as he gets the 5.15 to Brighton out of his head on pills.
Jimmy Cooper is a Mod (short for Modernist) and the film tells the tale of his life growing up under difficult circumstances - his family are working class, his girlfriend is an easy lay, his job is dead end and the only real thing thats keeps him going is his love for mates, his music, his scooter and his drug taking!
Phil Daniels gives a career defining performance that should had got an Oscar nomination as Jimmy who has a mundane job , boring home life with parents who do not understand him and lives for the weekend clubbing with friends, popping pills and getting into scrapes with his mates.Jimmy and his friends go off to a bank holiday weekend in Brighton, he wants to get close with girlfriend Lesley Ash, in awe to cool dude Sting and gets in a rumble with greasers.However Jimmy gets more disillusioned losing his job, friends and family.
Quadrophenia (1979)*** (out of 4)The Who's 1973 rock opera was turned into a feature film and centers on Jimmy (Phil Daniels), a teenager in the U.K. who deals with a wide range of issues but most of them surrounding growing up in the era.
It's one of those films that is part of the folklore, although in this instance purely in England (not even Scotland or Wales).Quadrophenia is totally English; music by The Who, the infantile Mods versus Rockers debate, all down by the seaside at Brighton (where I lived for a year in 1991-92).Jimmy is just a confused, childish 19 year old (played very ably by Phil Daniels), who gets a bit too obsessed with the whole Mod thing.
If you weren't around the time this film was set, you may get a certain novelty value from seeing the quaint mode of transport which the Mods favour!If psychological portraits of gang members appeals to you, this movie will please, as there is much on how Jimmy requires his gang to feel he has a place in this world.
The Joy here is the Affection for those who Identify with the Characters, or the Peek at a Foreign Face of a Familiar Theme.The Lead Performance of Jimmy is Spot On, and the rest of the Cast does a Fine Job. The Who Songs from the Double LP of the Same Name are Welcome if Inserted Uneasily on Occasion and the Songs that Play in the Film by Phil Spector and Other Post Elvis Top Forty Hits are used to Elicit Time and Place Effectively.Overall it is a Fine Dramatic Representation of Teen Gangs, Disenfranchised Youth, Generational Gaps, and Coming of Age Situations.
Phil Daniels is fantastic as Jimmy, the story rips along at a fine pace, the scenery, the music, the clothes....no wonder all these years later i still watch this film...and still own a Lambretta scooter.
But the major thing about the films I loved is the scene between Jimmy and his rocker friend (i apologize that i forgot his name) as they talked one night about theyre lifes and how one became a Mod and ones a Rocker.
Set in London (circa 1964) - (The way I see it) - "Quadrophenia" was something of a "rebel without a cause" story (geared for the lost, 60s generation).But, when it came to this particular wayward, little rebel (in the incarnation of Jimmy Cooper) - The emphasis on his 4-sided schizophrenia was more decidedly pronounced, yet not so seriously dangerous.As I understand it - "Quadrophenia" was something of a biography tale closely depicting (guitarist/songwriter) Peter Townsend's nostalgic youth (as a "Rocker") in London.And, in those glory days - It was all about dancing, romancing, drugging, and, yes, slugging it out with the "Mods" over control of territorial turf, and such.*Note* - (singer/songwriter) Sting (of the Police) makes a cameo appearance in the story as the belligerent teen-idol, "Ace Face"..
A film by, but not starring, The Who. If you expect this to be something like its stablemate (Tommy) then you'd be very much mistaken.The main character, Jimmy Cooper, is excellently portrayed as the classic mixed up youth, by Phil Daniels; whilst the film itself is a brutally realistic portrayal of a London mod caught in the midst of the antagonism between the mods & rockers in 1964.
A very fascinating and often too realistic movie dealing with young adult angst and british pop culture torn between music and mode of dress.Not to mention lightly the Scooter's Vs. Motorcycle angle.All this and more play out nicely in a finely crafted youth picture that is dramatic,compelling and brings to life the mindset of 60's british culture.The lead character,Jimmy,is a pill addicted young lad who is just crazy about his rocker style of music,but totally turned off by leather dress and Rockers {Motorcycle riding ,leather toting} opposites.Quite reminiscent of the earlier british motorcycle film ,1963 "The Leather Boys" which starred Rita Tushingham and also dealt with angst and motorcyle riding and conflict with family and friends.Since Jimmy loves fast and hard driving music,especially The Who,he nevertheless chooses to ride the much less fast and easier but fun scooter.Those Vespa scooter's were the rage in europe and still are in Italy and other gigolo infested countries.So we are taken on scooter driven and early rock tour of london and streets with an ocassional weekend trip to Brighton for much anticipated frolic and mayhem,driven also by way of Blues[Jimmy's drug of choice].Enter his many scooter driven and skirt-chasing friends to help keep lookout for foe {Rockers} and also keeping up appearances of cool demeanor.With trouble on the homefront,due to late night rampages and also at work with overly smirky behavior,he quickly needs more than pick-me-up for comfort.This movie is a good character study on release,due to environment and bombardment of influences,which always are peer present within the youth of almost any era.How Jimmy copes or is lacking,develops with each scene and compells his activities.The music is right on and very true to early british rock.Even,STING makes his presence known in first film as distant hearttrob who makes the scene with as much google-eyed anticipation and hysteria as any rock star could hope for.He does look quite dapper and cool in and amongst other Mods,as if he were their leader of sorts.He's the best dressed and rides fanciest scooter,and also has biggest temper except for our Jimmy,who also dresses with Modish flair and lives for confrontation.The chicks are on hand to head spin and help all the boys to keep their libido's active and alive.Jimmy is no exception here,except for pill crazed mentality and dependance.Which could more than help explain his late hours and attitude towards work and friends.I think this movie is quite splendid as misinterpreted youth vehicle for both my generation and those to follow.Hasn't become dated so far.
However it is still a strong film with a fine lead performance by Phil Daniels as Jimmy- a teenager for whom being a Mod is a way of life from which he doesnt want to escape.
The film follows on the Who's 1973 album Quadrophenia which tells the story of Jimmy, a young MOD popping pills and out with his scooter riding mates. |
tt3195644 | Insidious: Chapter 3 | A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family. Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her spiritual ability to contact the dead in order to help Quinn Brenner, a teenage girl whose mother Lillith has recently passed. Quinn believes that Lillith has been attempting to reach out to her through the spirit world, so she visits Elise for a reading. Elise is unable to complete the reading, she stops after hearing a demonic presence who threatens to kill her. She warns Quinn that if, "you call out to one of the dead,all of them can hear you."Soon after the reading, Quinn begins to hear noises at night and notices more and more supernatural events occuring. She skips school to audition for a theater academy in New York. Before going onstage, she notices a figure waving to her from the offstage. This throws her audition off, and she stumbles through her lines. Later that night, Quinn meets with her friend Maggie. Maggie complains of her blown audition, and after they have a short conversation, both start feeling better. As they are crossing the street, Quinn sees the same figure waving down the street and stops to look. She is then hit by a car. The car accident leaves Quinn with two broken legs in casts. She is bound to a wheelchair. Her father, Sean, puts her in bed, with a bell to ring if she need him. Later in the night, she hears a knock on her wall. Assuming it is her next door neighbor Hector, she knocks twice. He copies her, and she knocks the "Shave and a Haircut" pattern. He finishes it. Quinn texts Hector, when he reveals that he isn't home. Fearing it was someone else next door, she turns the light off to go to bed. The bell rings itself, scaring her, and her dad comes in.These paranormal occurances become more and more frequent, each time Sean comes in and saves her. The demon is seen more and more frequently: a demonic corpse with a breathing mask, making a deathly rattling noise. Sean finds her thrown from her bed, on an entirely different floor, etc. Eventually, a version of Quinn without a face, hands or feet, is seen following under the demon's command. The odd version of Quinn is found by Sean on the ground outside of a broken window. When Quinn attempts to look over the edge of the window to see, the demon grabs her and tries to pull her down. Sean saves her, but her neck is injured in the process. Sean attempts to get in contact with Elise. She reluctantly comes, but as she enters the spiritual realm she finds herself afraid, and the demon very nearly kills her. She is brought back to living world, terrified, and refuses to continue. Sean has no choice but to call in someone else, a pair of bloggers: Specs and Tucker. Meanwhile, Elise seeks solace from her friend Carl with her same "gift". Carl reassures her that she is much stronger than she believes.After a terrifying experience with Quinn and her demon, the three men admit that there is no doing this without Elise. Elise is now willing to help, this time she is much more powerful and confident. She is easily able to defeat the demon, but as they are escaping, it grabs a hold of Quinn's limbless version. This version of Quinn is revealed to be the half of Quinn's soul that the demon controls. Elise returns to the living world, and tells the group that this part of the battle must be fought by Quinn alone. They all grab ahold of her, but it is shown that she is losing the battle against the demon, as her alternate version gains more of her features. Elise begins to hear a voice in the living world, leading her to Quinn's diary, revealing a letter that Lillith wanted her to see before she graduated. The power from this letter helps guide Lillith to save Quinn and banish the demon, returning her to the living world. Lillith leaves her with some parting words, and the family is finally back together, as Specs and Tucker join Elise to deal with other supernatural disturbances.Elise heads home to find that her husband's spirit has left his sweater on the bed. Overwhelmed with emotion, she holds his sweater close. Her dog then begins barking into the darkness. Elise approaches the area he's barking at, where she discovers the presence of two supernatural entities. | paranormal, flashback | train | imdb | I found the characters pretty flat and uninteresting and the story less imaginative than the previous installments.That said, as a stand alone it's not a bad horror film, especially considering it was a first attempt at directing by the guy who usually does the screenplay.
Supernatural horror plenty of weird phenomenon , frights , creepy beings , shocks , and eerie events .A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead and to resolve a ghastly mystery in order to help an adolescent girl (Stefanie Scott) who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.
The family looks to prevent evil spirits from a realm called The Further .This is how you die .The darkest chapter goes back to the beginning.Insidious: Chapter 3 results to be an adequate and passable prequel , but inferior than former chapters , being filled ,with scary deeds , thrills , chills and lots of scares .
Writer Leigh Whannell stated at the Toronto Film Festival that when he wrote the film he had a list of horror movie clichés posted above him, so he could avoid using them ; he said the first one was to make sure the family moved into a new house once the haunting started .
it was because it was able to mix a decent plot with a truly genuine scare galore coupled with some great classic tones.But in this insidious 3, we get a very predictable, stretched out and mediocre representation of a horror movie.
Fans of the original Insidious (especially fans of Lin Shaye's character, Elise) should find this movie very enjoyable to watch.
I was expecting this movie to have nothing to do with the first and second movie, but I really appreciated that they tied in plot lines from the previous movies.I have to say that I love Lin Shaye's character - I fell in love with her in the first Insidious and it was really great to see her kick some demon ass.
At some points in the movie, I could see classic Japanese horror elements and it works great here.After James Wan left the director position I was skeptical how well Leigh Whannell would do.
Me and wife wife loved the first two installments of the franchise, so we of course were really excited for a third part.Wow, what a let down.Besides just a few hints and pointers that make me say, "Oh, from the first film!" this movie had nothing to add to, or do with the original story.The scares were sub-par.
I few 'quiet for a little bit and than noise and jump' scenes, but nothing to write home about.If you want to see a good horror movie, might as well skip this one and stick with the first two films in the franchise..
Like I always said in all my previous review, "if that movie's genre is horror and it do make us feel horrified, so it's works.
But the help that Elise has reluctantly given Quinn, may have some horrifying consequences, and unluckily, their first meeting has only triggered more supernatural occurrences for Brenner.While this is your ordinary horror flick that teems with relentless hair-rising scares, INSIDIOUS 3 finds depth in its characters' emotional tragedies.
Like i mentioned, i'm not sure how scary the others are but this one will have anyone feeling unsettled at points and even made me jump out of my seat a few times, which was good because jump scares rarely have that effect on me.
No, because it was not one.all-in-all Insidious chapter 3 is an entertaining and tense film which is the right blend of jump scares and atmosphere, still not my favourite horror of the year (that goes to It Follows) but i enjoyed it more than Unfriended and The Woman in Black and liked the emotional twist it gave us.
the actors probably couldn't take serious such a poor plot since the actors are not convincing to me as well, though some of them I like to watch in many other movies, especially Lin Shaye.Funny or scary?
For a six I expect at least a little bit more convincing plot, I don't even expect it to be scary for a six, just to be interesting.When the industry chooses...And for a long time now, not just only about this movie or genre I ask myself - can't they really find some better scenarios, I feel like in Hollywood it's all about having connections to get the money, no matter how low the quality of the material is offered.
All successfully falling into bounds with the film.In the end, "Insidious: Chapter III" was terrifying, offering many well timed scares that gave the audience huge amounts of tension.
Fully making Insidious a franchise, chapter 3 tells the story of how the ghost hunters that connect all three movies first started working together, but don't worry, their origin story is only a small side subject to the haunting of a young girl who made the mistake of trying to contact her mom by herself and ended up attracting the attention of a much darker spirit.
The only good thing about this entire production is the acting.Just like Saw, Leigh Whannell has made the first two films have less of an impact thanks to a terrible and lazy third chapter.
A younger Elsie Rainier, still a gifted psychic, reluctantly uses her power to contact the dead when a young girl is targets by a supernatural entity.Well in Insidious: Chapter 3 we don't have James Wan on the directing chair this time but we do have Leigh Whannell directing this movie and he previous wrote the other Insidious movies and was in the 2004 film Saw playing a character.
Now this isn't very new with a first time director who previously wrote movies, did stunt work, acted and people who did the soundtrack to the movie have taken the directors chairs and most of the time it can come off good, but also bad, and in this one it comes off average at best when it comes to film making and the film itself.Leigh Whannell who has worked with James Wan in every movie that James did and in this movie I think Leigh cough the tone of the other two movies just about right, I mean this movie isn't has scary as the first movie (In my opinion) because the first movie had that unsettling tone and it's brilliantly use of it's shots which are terrifying and sets up the first movie, yeah it can get a bit ridiculous at times even towards the end but still the first half was some of the most best suspense horror film in recent history.
I thought it was better from some from horror movies I've seen so far this year, but the real stand out this movie was Lin Shaye as in this movie she gives a better and strong performance as I can see she really did care for this movie and I better the other cast members did too, but as I said before she was the true stand out of the movie as she did a excellent job.The movie does have it's scary parts and yes some of them involves jump scares, now listen you can hate this and the other two movies but you got to admit these movies take jump scares and at least do something with them and they use jump scares at perfect moments where the jump scare can be effective and actually make you jump with terror.Now for problems: All the positives for the film pretty much ends here as this movie really doesn't do anything new with storytelling and the movie is kind of predictable at times with it's scares and how it's going to end.
The movie doesn't do anything new as I said before and overall it's kind of forgettable, I mean I won't remember this soon as the year comes to a close.Overall Insidious: Chapter 3 isn't a god awful horror film, but it's nowhere near great or even alright, it's stuck in the middle of not so good but not so bad..
Being a fan of the first Insidious movie, I am still very disappointed with Chapter 2 and now after watching it today for the first and most likely last time, with Insidious: Chapter 3.The sequels to Insidious, which was directed by James Wan, took the things I didn't like about the first one (which weren't many, by the way) and made them like an essential part to their stories.
I seriously believe "filmmakers" put in this amount of jump scares in the movie when they run out of ideas to make a real horror film.
A good horror movie is based on atmosphere, not jump scares.There were some things I really enjoyed about Insidious 3, though: Lin Shaye was good, as usual and Steffanie Scott was great as Quinn.
I also loved how they tied in the other two Insidious movies, good job on that.Although I enjoyed some aspects of the movie, it is nothing more than a modern day clichéd horror flick, filled with unnecessary jump scares.
Some of what happens to certain characters or character do come into question by the end titles but this doesn't take away from this fun time at the movies and this was a thrilling ride, I'd recommend strictly to the fans of the other Insidious chapters or just horror junkies alike..
Best horror/supernatural franchise ever is Insidious, it seems though that I am one of the few who puts Insidious 3 in 3rd place behind Insidious 2 (1st place) and Insidious (2nd place) - Whilst Insidious 3 isn't bad, you can tell that James Wan did not direct it, the film for me had a different feeling to it altogether even though 6 of the characters are recurring (Black bride / Lipstick Demon / Specs / Tucker / Karl / Elise), it is almost de-realised, looks familiar but doesn't feel it.I felt too that Leigh Wannell as the writer/directer left it too long to get Specs and Tucker involved, whilst Lin Shea is a gem of the franchise, Specs and Tucker cleverly provide an almost comedic aspect without it being cheesy, to make the storyline more interesting they needed to be in as much as 20 mins earlier.Definitely worth watching if you are a fan, certainly darker than the other two as people have said but I won't be rushing to buy this on DVD when it comes out as I did for the first two installments.
I did like the Elise character, whose been in the previous Insidious movies but we have all seen the Quinn character, many times before in movies in this genre.
In lots of ways Insidious is one of the most unlikely franchise's existing today and unlike many of its other horror franchise counterparts it really is the film series that could, for over three films now Insidious has managed to be both profitable and also most importantly highly watchable and more than a little bit creepy.The first two Insidious tales saw Saw co-creators and Australia's unsung Hollywood hero's James Wan and Leigh Whannell deliver some otherworldly chills without resorting to OTT violence or gore splatter that has sadly been a staple of modern day horror films that think the more blood spilled the more effective the film will be and with this third entry to the franchise Leigh Whannell takes over directing duties from his now box office superstar buddy Wan which sees him do a more than admirable job.A long time player in the modern horror scene, Whannell surely knows a thing or two about what freaks us movie goers out and where the first Insidious scared us with its white faced man and then the second got us with its red faced demon, here in the third chapter which is in fact a prequel of sorts to the events of what has transpired before, Whannell creates a figure almost as scary as Jigsaw himself with the "Man that can't breathe".
A horrible and off putting creation this figure is a large part of the reason why this entry into the series keeps the chills coming and while Whannell relies on the jump scare and silent soundtrack situation quite a lot to make Insidious scary, there's little denying there's more ingenuity here than most other low budgeted horror flicks.There's also a surprising amount of heart thrown into the mix here and while it may come off as cheesy and sap-filled, it's nice for a film of this ilk to throw some emotional resonance into an otherwise highly unrealistic scenario of possessed teens and ghost worlds.While the dialogue can sometimes fall flat and Whannell and Angus Sampson's comical ghost hunters that played large parts in the first films still feel a little out of place, Insidious 3 is a highly watchable and often highly effective piece of horror filmmaking that never tries to outstretch its reach.After three solid films it feels as though the makers of Insidious know exactly what their films are and what they aren't and we as an audience can be thankful for that and now can look forward to what Whannell and his team have in store for us when chapter 4 hopefully eventuates.3 footprints out of 5.
Thought this one is much more jumpy then the first two so if you couldn't handle the other 2 don't see this one cause it has a lot more jump scares.so in the end this was a good movie not as good as the first one for me made better then the second one thought but if you like the first too go and watch this right now thank you..
Im very glad Insidious keeps making you jump scared while watching the movie without getting boring thus the high score..
Rather than go Further with the 'lipstick-face Demon', co-creator Leigh Whannell takes the 'Insidious' franchise to the next chapter by going back in time to explore the origins of the psychic Elise Rainier (reprised by Lin Shaye).
Good for him because, let's be totally honest, in case this particular story was released as a stand-alone horror film - rather than as a sequel (or prequel, whatever) in the "Insidious" series - it wouldn't have stand a change at success.
The movie tries to make up for this loss of tension by ramping up the jump scares, fortunately, it doesn't do a bad job.This series has slowly developed one of the most unlikely stars of any horror franchise: Lin Shaye's Elise, the psychic "woman of a certain age," who in this installment has a journey of her own to go on, in and out of The Further.
Although I do feel as though Elise, Specs and Tucker kind of just rammed into each other and they just decided to call it a team up.To summarize, this movie is as expected OVERALL from the franchise seeing as they now seem like a mindless horror jump scare fest.
However, if you are one who jumps at every thing in a horror movie, then none of this matters and you will still have a good scare.
Actually, from what the ending of Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) gave, it seemed as if this movie would be the prequel about the ghoul that Elise saw behind the girl in the wheelchair.
I was very sceptical going into this, since i was not that excited after seeing insidious part 2, but this movie delivered the suspense, great jump scares, awesome sound effects and good acting, which is was not expecting at all.Hard to say if this movie was necessary, since Elise was not really a hyped character after all, despite that i think it turned out to be an absolutely necessary part of the franchise.
Enjoyed Lin Shaye's performance here way more than in the first two movies.Fans of the franchise and the genre are not going to be disappointed after watching this.
Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Stefanie Scott's who played as Quinn Brenner and Angus Sampson's who played as Tucker and gave a different touch in the movie with his unique way.Finally, I have to say that "Insidious: Chapter 3" is a nice horror movie to watch, it has a simple but decent plot and a good direction.
There are big drawbacks but there are good things here too.First and foremost, 'Insidious: Chapter 3' looks great, especially for horror films released in recent years (too many of which have looked like they were made on the schlocky cheap).
But what I did like about both was that they didn't revolve around a teen protagonist, like so many horror movies.Insidious 3, on the other hand, does just that, presumably to appeal to the lucrative teen market, and it's all the worse for it, with a pretty but otherwise unremarkable lead in Stefanie Scott, and lots of mechanical scares (despite director Leigh Whannell's insistence to the contrary, claiming that he has stripped the franchise back to basics and concentrated on suspense and atmosphere).The predictable plot goes something like this: teenager Quinn Brenner (Scott) contacts psychic Elise (Lin Shaye) after her own failed attempts to contact her dead mother.
Actually, if you are a long time fan and follower of the horror genre, then chances are very likely that you have already seen numerous movies with a storyline similar to the one told in "Insidious: Chapter 3".The strongest side to the movie is the cast and the performances that they put on.
Personally, I would have liked to have had a bit more grotesque and scary appearance on the entities, just for shock effect, as there was little to be scared about with a frail man walking around with a breath mask."Insidious: Chapter 3" is not the most outstanding or entertaining of the movies in the franchise so far. |
tt1201167 | Funny People | George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is an extremely successful comedian and actor. But he is very self-absorbed, lonely and estranged from his family by choice. He is subsequently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and is informed that traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation would be unlikely to benefit him, so he embarks on an experimental treatment with an 8% chance of response. Consequently, he falls into a depression and upon seeing old tapes of his standup days, he decides to return to his roots and do stand-up comedy.Ira Weiner (Seth Rogen) is an aspiring stand-up comedian who dreams of quitting his day job. George and Ira meet at a comedy club, where George unexpectedly takes the stage to deliver a dark routine. Ira is forced to follow and draws some laughs by mocking George's morbidity as he watches from the back. George calls Ira the next morning asking him to write jokes for him to perform at a MySpace corporate event.The event goes well and George hires Ira as an assistant. George informs Ira of his condition and Ira cares for George through the treatment. Eventually, Ira breaks down, begging George to tell people about his prognosis. While in the process of telling his friends, George is visited by his ex-fiancée, Laura (Leslie Mann). She is married to Clarke, who is cheating on her while away on business. She regrets leaving George and they reconcile.George sees his doctor and learns that the medicine has worked; he has no traces of the disease, but it could resurface. Ira is happy but George is unsure what to do with his life. He decides he wants a long-term relationship and calls Laura, but does not tell her the news. George and Ira go to San Francisco to perform; Laura meets them there. George makes Ira tell Laura during intermission that he is better. George later explains that he didn't want to jinx it. They embrace and she invites George and Ira to her house in Northern California.George and Ira spend time with his and her daughters. George and Laura sneak into the guest house, and George performs cunnilingus on her. Ira tells both daughters that George is healthy now. Clarke unexpectedly arrives home; Laura asks George and Ira to keep up the façade of George still being sick.In the morning, Clarke gives George a tearful goodbye. His daughters reveal that George is actually healthy. Clarke confronts Laura and suspects she is cheating. Laura tries to explain that George may not be entirely better and calls Clarke out on his infidelity so Clarke drives off. Laura decides to leave him. Ira thinks George should leave because it is not worth it to ruin a twelve-year marriage, but George threatens to fire him.The next day, George, Ira, and Laura watch video of her daughter Mable performing a song. Ira and Laura find the performance moving, but George thinks it's hilarious and offends Laura. Laura leaves for the airport to tell Clarke she is leaving him. Ira lies to George and follows her. Clarke tells Laura that he wants to give their marriage another try. Laura agrees and says her fling with George was just a flirtation. Ira gets caught by Clarke trying to sneak away. Laura is forced to tell Clarke she slept with George.Clarke chases George out of his house, throwing fists at him. George asks Laura to explain but she sides with her husband. Heading back to Los Angeles, George berates Ira for his betrayal and fires him. Ira fires back at George for not learning from his experience and that his insensitivity hasn't changed.Ira goes back to his old job. George attends Ira's stand-up and watches him being much more confident on stage. The next day, George finds Ira at work and admits that even though he is no longer sick, his attitude needs improvement. George offers Ira jokes he wrote down, proving he is making an attempt to become a better person. | bleak, dramatic, comedy, humor | train | imdb | But I suppose that doesn't get people in to see the movie.After all, the film stars Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen (who have wonderful rapport), among many other, uh, funny people, and is written and directed by Judd Apatow, the director of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up." Of course the trailers have been playing up this angle but, as my wife commented, that's like marketing "Schindler's List" as "From the director of 'E.T.' and 'Jaws'." It doesn't tell you much about the movie you are about to see.This beef aside, what you will see is a very mature drama (yes, I said mature despite the rampant penis jokes) reminiscent of the best work of Hal Ashby and Cameron Crowe.
Sandler proves once again that he is a fine actor, and his performance as successful movie star/comedian George Simmons is tonally similar to his fantastic work in "Punch-Drunk Love" and "Reign Over Me." A very isolated man made rich by a number of films that look like rejected Wayans Brothers ideas, George lives in a castle of a house, complete with an indoor and an outdoor pool.
They have a big house and two beautiful and funny daughters played by Apatow's and Mann's real-life daughters Maude and Iris, who also played Mann's and Paul Rudd's daughters in "Knocked Up." George and Laura reenter each other's lives and try to pick up the pieces, much to the dismay of the reserved, more morally-centered Ira.There is an awful lot of movie to cover, so I will stop there.
The thing I appreciated most about "Funny People" is that Apatow takes huge risks with the ambitious goal of "making a very serious movie with twice as many jokes" as his previous films.
That he more often than not achieves his goals is a remarkable feat, and while "Funny People" isn't a great movie, it shows you a fascinating side of show business, and more importantly, it makes one believe that we can look forward to a wonderful and varied body of work from an original and, maybe someday, great filmmaker."Funny People"Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, many comedians as themselves.
His character, dying from a rare blood disease, is brought up almost immediately, so the movie moves right away.George decides to go back to the stage after making a handful of truly bad movies (An obvious look back at Adam's acting career) and bombs on stage, but Ira, played by Seth Rogen in a different kind of role, gets some big laughs.
She has a husband (Eric Bana, in a truly funny role) and two kids (Iris and Maude, Mann and Apatow's real life children), while George lives a life less fulfilling.The movie takes a real backseat to conventional rules of movies; There is maybe, at a maximum, of two real clichés in this movie, one mentioned in this review already, and the other for good measure.The movie feels a little long winded, running at nearly 2 and half hours, and the characters are sad, but interesting.
Seeing Adam playing a shadow of himself is certainly a depressing site, and Rogen doing all he can for the man that he admires, since he was a kid, no less, is even better, proving that Rogen isn't a one trick pony, hopefully making this a bit more noticeable for his performance in The Green Hornet next year.The movie also has some great performances from Jason Schwartzman as an actor starring in a horrible television sitcom and Jonah Hill as a competing comedy performer.But there has to be a reason why this movie is ranked so low, and it could almost be said of the running time, but its coming right back to my first paragraph about ironic titles in movies.
This is a movie not sitting at the dinner table with all the Apatow produced movies of the last three or four years; like George, he's sitting at his own table, not quite like everyone else.Perhaps now that I've seen the movie for what it truly is, a drama with some funny parts in it, I can now go back and see if maybe I can look at it any differently.Here is an Apatow film different from anything he's directed, written or produced lately, and deserves to be seen at least once, and while people will see this and perhaps, not laugh as hard, here is hoping Apatow doesn't lose face and give up on this kind of writing.
Definitely not what I was expecting from Judd Apatow after his previous fantastic movies - and I knew I wasn't getting another "Knocked Up".Funny people is a rather boring, depressing story with unlikeable and unmotivated characters that give you the feeling that they weren't having any fun making this movie.
Judd Apatow's third directorial feature, "Funny People" starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann, is not really about the titled "Funny People", but more about how their lives have shaped them, and how they cope and try to change things.Yes, the writer/director of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" has turned in a decidedly more dramatic direction than his previous features, but if you are willing to go in with an open mind, the film does not disappoint.
It is a touching, at times even heart-wrenchingly painful film, mainly because the realistic portrayal of its characters, and how corruptible they show the human condition as being.The film begins with George Simmons (Sandler), a wildly popular comedian who has done everything from stand-up to cruddy movies (including "Mer-Man" and the baby-body-swapping epic "Re-Do"), and has become quite shallow and empty from fame and fortune.
Now, he has been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, but because he is so starstruck by George, he doesn't necessarily recognize that the friendship is only one-way.The rest of the movie is a heartfelt struggle as George tries to rebuild his life, despite his life-threatening illness, including coming back into contact with "the one who got away" (Leslie Mann in a fantastic performance), while Ira must come to terms with the fact that his new friend still has a lot of growing up to do.The film is quite exquisitely written and directed, and the characters come off as perfectly real.
Sandler once again delivers a jaw-dropping dramatic role, as he had previously done in films such as the new classics "Punch Drunk Love" and "Reign Over Me." Rogen also shows he has some chops, delivering quite a stirring performance, and proving he isn't "just another funny guy." Mann has some amazing scenes herself, and in a way reminded me of people from my own past.
Other supporting characters, including Hill, Shwartzman, Eric Bana as Mann's husband, Apatow's children Maude and Iris, Aubrey Plaza as Rogen's potential love interest and even the RZA as Chuck, Rogen's co-worker, all deliver strong performances.The movie also has numerous comedian cameos, as people who know and love George, including Sarah Silverman, Norm MacDonald, Charles Fleisher, Ray Romano and Andy Dick, all portraying themselves, which gives the movie another breath of realism.Apatow's growth as a filmmaker is also shown, as this is certainly his most "cinematic" movie to date.
it was certainly the quickest two-and-a-half-hours I've experiences in a long time.Overall, the film is going to turn a lot of people off, with it's main focus being on drama, and not comedy, but if you are willing to open your mind, you will find an amazing tale to learn from and laugh with.For me, a perfect 10 out of 10, one of the best movies of the year so far..
There are no parts in it that I thought they could cut, or at least that I would have wanted to have been cut, and I guess that's how Apatow felt too.All of the characters served their purpose and had good character development, most of them great.Seth Rogen's character of Ira was my favorite, I think (I loved his eagerness in doing the right thing.
Nobody in the movie was likable (except for Seth Rogan's character) and the addition of Apatow's family in the flick turns it into a heavy production version of a home video.Funny People follows a famous and extremely successful comedian George Simmons (Adam Sandler) learning that he is dying from a rare disease, and his only hope for survival relies on a series of experimental medicines that has a track record of not working.
But little by little Ira realizes that George's life isn't clean-cut pretty, and that George isn't the best human being, even if he is the best comedian.The biggest problem with Funny People is that the film is supposed to be a mix of comedy and drama.
Funny People can be jumbled in; it was an epic massive dramedy that is much weaker in terms of writing, quality, and execution than 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and nearly every movie with Apatow's name.One can only wonder how much better and more focused Funny People would be if family wasn't involved in the filming.
Enter his latest foray of writing/directing, and a film I clamoured for advance tickets for: Funny People.George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is an aging comedian, hating the cards God has dealt him.
With his life slowly fading, George hires Ira on as his assistant to write jokes for him, and begins to try and make something of his life before it ends.While it sounds more like a drama than a comedy, Funny People does pack in the laugh-out-loud moments Apatow comedies are known for.
you'll be laughing at potty humor, and at the same time you'll be watching a beautiful story about characters you might normally take for granted.sure, eric bana is a little over the top, and a few emotional moments here and there aren't as strong as apatow probably thought they would be...
Apparently more than the cast of this whole movie.This is a great example of dumbed down comedy - if you thought it was funny, you're probably stupid.Remember that boy/girl in grade primary who said 'penis' for the first time, and everyone in the class laughed?
And we've seen everything here before and done much better: Adam Sandler trying to prove his dramatic muscle, Seth Rogen as hapless eyewitness to a band of juveniles posing as adults, loving close-ups of Leslie Mann and her daughters, semi-autobiographical details of Apatow's career in comedy.Obviously, Apatow couldn't step away from the work w/enough objectivity to cut anything: There are multiple series of affectionate but pointless cameos designed as "thank yous" to Apatow's real life mentors, side characters who promise to figure later but whom Apatow can only cut as he chokes under the "Love Actually syndrome" of too many sub-plots, ephiphanies, and life-lessons.
Judd Apatow has such a proud back catalogue of comedy hits, proving his talents as both a director and produce But it's difficult to live up to your fans expectations with such a grand reputation, but Funny People this time, is just a little different.
The film is clearly a drama even though it centers around stand up comedy.George (Adam Slander) is a very successful, famous and rich comedian who learns that he has a blood disorder similar to leukemia and he'll most likely die in a short amount of time.
This is not a bad film, and I think the premise is great, the problem here is that the movie is very,very uneven.The direction of the film changes a few times, sometimes it feels like its going on the right direction and sometimes it just falls flat.As I said, this is more a drama then a comedy, but the writing is what you usually see in the late genre; the characters are two dimensional and poorly written, specially the main character George who towards the end of the movie seems like a completely different person.
The stand up routines were pathetic (I also heard that were improvised by the cast, which saddens me), and the audiences in the movie laughed while the audience in my theater sat there, wondering "Why is that funny?" Despite being hilarious in their own ways, Rogen, Sandler, and Hill were cursed with scripted dialogue that was incredibly dry, predictable, and just downright disappointing.
I think I laughed 3 times during the entire film.I am not a big Judd Apatow fan but I liked "Super Bad" and "Forgetting Sara Marshell." Unfortunately, "Funny People" does not have any characters I could relate to and it just was not funny enough..
Minus the gratuitous male genitalia jokes, "Funny People" is about as far from anything Judd Apatow has directed or produced since he hit it big with "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Finally collaborating with longtime friend Adam Sandler, Apatow takes the creative license that his reputation as comedic master of the decade has afforded him and makes a more serious film about funny people.
But with more seriousness, the funniness must be more effective and that's hard in an unprecedented 146-minute-long comedy just sort of about a comedian's life.Sandler plays himself in the form of a fictional character named George Simmons, a comedian who hit it big, made some ridiculous movies and now is re-evaluating himself in the face of news that he has a rare form of leukemia.
"Funny People" is Judd Apatow's comedy Bar Mitzvah, which is to say a mature, mostly logical story about real adults, though to extend the metaphor, he sings flat on a couple of those Torah passages towards the end.The worst you can say about the film is that it's still a work of indulgence.
"Funny People" can hardly be said to be boring despite its length, and didn't wear me down nearly as quickly as "Transformers 2" or "Public Enemies." Apatow challenges the established filmic conventions of comedy, letting it play as more of an amusing drama than a faux-dramatic comedy.The film stars Adam Sandler as a version of himself called George Simmons, a miserable world famous comedian and actor diagnosed with a usually-terminal offshoot of leukemia, who hires a middling young comedian (Seth Rogen) to assist him both at home and on the stage.Sandler plays more curmudgeony than audiences might be used to, though it's a perfect foil to Rogen's absolute earnestness, and the supporting cast (Jason Schwartzman, Jonah Hill, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari) is terrific as well.
But when a movie like Funny People comes along with the push as a high end comedy drama, I'm sorry.
Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen star in "Funny People," a movie that is indeed about the strangely fascinating lives of several stand-up comedians in Los Angeles and contains a great many funny one-liners, but it's also about life, love, friendship, and trying to get through hard times one joke at a time.That the movie is written and directed by Judd Apatow, doesn't that just make your teeth want to fall out?
(The scene with Eminem is so incredibly well-written and acted by the rapper that either way you fall out laughing at the violent sexual aggression present in the humor.) And lastly, in a movie about penis and fart jokes, comedienne Daisy (Aubrey Plaza) provides an interesting contrast to her male counterparts."Funny People" is, in my opinion, Apatow's best film yet.
The director should forgot that people come to this kind of movie to laugh.It ends up being neither a comedy or a drama.A very bad dramady if can call this one.I guess he was trying to satisfy his creative need to move away from comedies or prove he can direct serious stuff.Utterly failing in the attempt.On a positive note were the performances.Sandler did a excellent Job.best VJ.
Watch the First Hour and a Half, Then Turn it Off. I'll admit I know this wasn't a typical Sandler movie as the near death experience added a bit of drama, and at first most of the characters were very likable and funny.
Names from real life such as Les Dawson and Harry Cooper and even Eric Morecambe spring immediately to mind, a film like that featuring the real folk who suffered and yet still made us laugh would have brought audiences in by the busloads.This was a desperately poor movie and while Knocked Up and 40 year old Virgin just about entertained a wider audience, 'Funny People' truly failed.
Hand on Heart, then I wasn't really expecting much from this movie, as I don't really think Adam Sandler is funny anymore, and Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill never were funny.The comedy in "Funny People" was forced and never really got up to a point where it brought about any laughs from me.
How can a movie starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman, and directed by Judd Apatow not be funny?
'Funny People' revolves around stand up comedian George Simmons(Sandler).One day he finds out that he has a rare disease, so he doesn't have too long for this world.Then he meets Ira(Rogen) who is willing to write some jokes for George and help him with his act.All goes well until George falls for his ex girlfriend.I went to see this movie with 2 of my friends who thought the movie wasn't very good.To tell you the truth, hearing from them that this movie wasn't good actually shocked me.How could people not like this movie?
The appearance of Eric Bana towards the end of the movie as Mann's cheating passive-aggressive Aussie husband comes as a boost as he is very good, although by this point you are wondering why new characters are being introduced to a movie which should probably have finished by now.Overall, 'Funny People' is a film that is worth watching, particularly if you are a fan of the two main stars, Apatow's previous work or if you are relatively open-minded about your viewing.
What 'Funny People' tells the story of is a famous comedian named George Simmons, played here by Adam Sandler, an old friend of Judd Apatow. |
tt0109676 | Drop Zone | Aboard a commercial airliner, U.S. Marshals Terry (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) and Pete Nessip (Wesley Snipes), are escorting computer expert Earl Leedy (Michael Jeter) to a high security prison. When an apparent terrorist hijack attempt blows a hole in the (Boeing 747) airliner, Terry is sucked out to his death, and the terrorists parachute out of the same hole, taking Leedy with them.
Ex-DEA agent and renegade skydiver Ty Moncrief (Gary Busey) is the mastermind behind the attack, which culminated in the first ever parachute jump from a commercial jet at 30,000 feet. Ty plans to use Leedy to hack into the DEA mainframe computer in Washington DC so Ty can auction off the names of undercover agents to drug cartels worldwide. Ty has scheduled this to be accomplished during an Independence Day parachute exhibition and fireworks display, which is the one day every year when security is loosened around the airspace above Washington DC.
Pete believes that the assault may have been an elaborate prison break meant to free Leedy. However, the FBI declares that sneaking a parachute through airport security is impossible, and that parachuting at the jet's altitude and speed is not survivable. A devastated Pete is blamed for overreacting to the incident, and forced to turn in his badge.
Undeterred, Pete consults a U.S. Navy High-altitude military parachuting instructor who confirms that he and his team have parachuted from that height and speed, but also states that the high-density metal rings in the parachutes would not pass airport metal detectors and that the operation required either rare skills or suicidal recklessness. The instructor believes the world class skydiver Dominic Jagger (Luca Bercovici) could perform the jump, but does not know his current whereabouts. Pete is instead referred to Jagger's reckless ex-wife, ex-con Jessie Crossman (Yancy Butler) - who is unaware that Jagger is part of Ty's crew. Jessie agrees to train Pete how to skydive, if he will sponsor her team for the parachute exhibition.
When Jessie's parachuting friend Selkirk (Corin Nemec) is severely injured after using a faulty parachute that Ty had intended for Jessie to use, Pete is appointed to take Selkirk's place. Soon after, Jagger is found dead, tangled in some high voltage power lines. Jesse breaks into the police impound to examine Jagger's parachute, declares that his death was a murder engineered by Ty, and swears revenge. Pete inquires as to the parachute's lack of metal, which Jesse explains is a custom "smuggler's rig" made with high density fabrics to deter radar.
When Pete discovers Ty's plan to hack into the DEA mainframe, the rest of the parachuting team agrees to help Pete with the situation. On the night of the Independence Day exhibition, Jessie sneaks into Ty's parachuting aircraft, holding them at gunpoint in order to determine an explanation for Jagger's death. But Ty's men kick her outside and then parachute out. Jessie, managing to grab hold of the aircraft door bar, lets go on a free fall just as Pete and the parachuting team arrive and rescue her, floating down safety to the roof of the DEA mainframe office building where Ty has already arrived.
Pete tries to find access to the DEA mainframe control room, eliminating Ty's men one by one, with the help of the parachuting team. He breaks in and holds Leedy (who has already started downloading the identities) as hostage. Ty, having kidnapped Jessie, appears and threatens to kill her unless Pete releases Leedy. A fight breaks out between Pete and Ty that results with both of them go falling out the building window. Luckily, Pete opens his emergency parachute as Ty tumbles to his death. Pete lands safely on the ground and is escorted away by paramedics, but spots Leedy wearing a DEA jacket leaving the scene. One of the team members, Swoop (Kyle Secor), leaps from the building, parachuting down onto Leedy and stopping him in his tracks. Pete tells Jessie jokingly that he would try skydiving again in forty or fifty years. | violence | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1976009 | Victor Frankenstein | Before meeting Dr. Victor Frankenstein, then-nameless hunchback Igor (Daniel Radcliffe) worked as a circus clown known as Felix the Clown, and as physician for a traveling circus. Due to his hunchback, everyone treats him poorly, but Igor is very smart and draws beautifully detailed pictures of human anatomy in his spare time. While performing in London, an aerialist named Lorelai (Jessica Brown Findlay) falls from her trapeze. Victor and Igor rush to her aid, and Igor impresses the doctor by saving Lorelei's life. That night the circus owner locks Igor in a cage for drawing portraits of himself and Victor. Victor liberates Igor, and most of the circus performers chase them. One dies in the melee. Back at his townhouse/laboratory, Victor deduces that the hunch on Igor's back is a cyst. He drains it and puts Igor in a harness to correct his posture: Igor can stand for the first time in his life. Victor descends to his basement laboratory, leaving Igor to clean himself up.The next morning Inspector Turpin (Andrew Scott) and his colleague Alistair investigate the murder of the circus worker. Turpin discovers Igors sketches and a bag that Victor dropped the night before: it contains a lions paw. Turpin turns the sketches into wanted posters: the men are wanted for murder. Turpin tells Alistair he believes neither Igor nor Victor killed the circus performer. However, over the past several months, a mysterious man matching Victor's description has been buying and stealing animals parts all over London. Turpin, a devout man, believes Victor is up to something blasphemous.Later, Igor finds the hospital where Lorelei was taken. He pays a maid to look after Lorelei. On his way back to Victors townhouse, he sees the wanted posters and panics. When Victor returns home from college, he assures Igor that the authorities are looking for a hunchbacked clown, not the new Igor. Victor tells Igor his life's work is to reverse death's permanence. He shows Igor his latest experiment: the eyes of a man who died months ago. By preserving the eyes in a conductive liquid and attaching them to electric wires, he can reanimate them by flipping a switch. The eyes come to life, and Igor corrects a mistake Victor made. Victor is impressed and grateful.Victor and Igor embark on reanimating different organs: lungs, a heart, etcetera. Weeks pass, and Lorelei finds a benefactor, so her life also improves. After Igor reanimates a pair of lungs, Victor takes him to a high-society soiree. Victor becomes drunk and makes a nuisance of himself with his friends. Igor sees Lorelei. At first she does not recognize him, but when she does, she greets him warmly. She now masquerades as the mistress of a gay baron. Victor interrupts their reunion and behaves rudely towards Lorelei. Although he intrigues her by talking about the reversal of death, she much prefers Igor. At the end of the night, Victor warns Igor about becoming too close to Lorelei, calling her a distraction.Soon thereafter, Victor takes Igor into his basement laboratory and shows him Gordon: the corpse of a gruesome chimpanzee-hybrid, made up parts he stole or purchased from zoos. Thanks to Igor's innovations, Victor now believes he can reanimate Gordon by charging him with electricity. Igor's confusion turns to absolute shock when Victor shocks Gordon and brings the creature back to life. The next day, Victor presents Gordon and his experiment to at his college. Few people attend the lecture, and the audience includes Lorelei (whom Igor invited) and Finnegan (Freddie Fox), Victors snobbish wealthy classmate. Initially, Victor cannot resuscitate Gordon, much to Finnegan's sneering delight. Lorelei looks disgusted by the proceedings.When Victor beats his equipment, however, the machinery shocks Gordon again, reviving him. Gordon goes berserk and tries to attack Igor and Lorelei. He escapes the classroom, so Igor chases him through the building. Eventually Igor corners Gordon in a stairwell, and when the two topple over the banister, they also plummet to their deaths. Victor finds them and pulls them to safety, though. At Igor's existence, he crushes Gordon's head, ending his second life. Later, Turpin arrives at the college to inspect the damage Gordon inflicted. Finnegan visits Victor and Igor at Victors townhouse. He commissions them to resurrect a human. Igor wants nothing to do with Finnegan, but Victor overrules him. Later, Turpin and Alistair pay them a visit. Turpin takes Victor to task for his experiment with Gordon. He wants to search the doctors home, but Victor tells him to get a legal warrant. Turpin and Victor clash over God and religion -- Victor disdains Turpin's Christianity -- and part on very bad terms.The next day, Igor meets Lorelei for a walk through the bustling streets of London. She tells him how uneasy Victors experiments make her: she believes Victor goes too far. Igor finds it difficult to chastise Victor because he believes he owes everything he has become to the doctor. Lorelei disagrees; Igor has always been kind and brilliant. Igor agrees he will speak to Victor. When he returns to the townhouse, he meets Mr. Frankenstein (Charles Dance), the doctors father. Mr. Frankenstein has come to inform his son that he has been expelled from the college. Igor overhears him tell Victor that now he has ruined his own life as opposed to that of his brother. Mr. Frankenstein's insults devastate Victor, and Igor decided not to voice his concerns. Instead, he snaps Victor out of his melancholy by pointing out that his sketches of Prometheus (the reanimated corpse) are too small. In order to make a reanimated body that can sustain a charge, they need to build a very large human. Victors enthusiasm returns. He and Igor believe that if they put two hearts and two sets of lungs into Prometheus and revive him via lightning, they could reanimate him. Igor sees Victors pocket watch and asks if it belonged to someone he loved.Victor and Igor work feverishly on building Prometheus. One night Igor goes to a dance with Lorelei. They have a wonderful time, and she takes him upstairs for some privacy. They spend the night together. Meanwhile, Turpin's rage towards Victor grows. The following morning, when Igor returns from Lorelei's party, he finds Turpin and a gang of policemen trying to break down the front door of Victor's townhouse. Igor sneaks and side and tells Victor they need to run. Victor has sent for one of Finnegan's carriages, but he wants to destroy his machines before they leave. Turpin sneaks in behind Igor and pulls a gun on the two men. Victor manages to knock him into one of his machines, and Turpin screams in agony as his hand is caught in a heavy gear. Victor and Igor escape through an underground passage and flee in Finnegan's carriage. Turpin bursts from Victors house, having lost his hand and an eye, just in time to see the Finnegan family crest on the carriage.Finnegan doesn't seem to mind that Victor and Igor are wanted by the police. He sends them to his family's castle in Scotland. When Igor refuses to go, Victor turns on him. He insults Igor, claiming Igor will never be accepted by society on his own. As Igor watches his former mentor leave, Finnegan's men sneak up behind him. They throw a bag over his head and bind his hands and legs. Finnegan has them throw Igor off of Westminster Bridge, explaining that he wants his family to control Victor's life-giving technology. He needs to clean up loose ends. Igor manages to untie his feet and swim to the surface. He goes to Lorelei, who nurses him back to health. After he recovers, Igor realizes he has Victor's watch. Victor told Igor that, as a child, he and his older brother went outside to play in the snow. A blizzard blew in without warning, and his brother Henry died. Victor has always felt responsible for taking his brother's life. Igor decides to go to Scotland to stop Victor's experiment, and Lorelei insists upon traveling with him.When Igor and Lorelei arrive at Finnegan's isolated castle, they encounter an army of guards. Lorelei distracts them while Igor sneaks past them. When Lorelei tries to leave, Turpin materializes out of nowhere. He didn't have a warrant to search Victor's home and was fired. He is desperate to stop Victors Satanic work. Inside the castle, Victor and Finnegan prepare for Prometheus's resurrection. A lightning storm brews and they have strapped the body into a cage attached to electrical wires. When Igor tries to stop Victor, Victor dismisses him. Turpin also manages to sneak into the castle in time to see lightning strike the body. Slowly, but unmistakably, the chest rises and falls. Finnegan and Victor rejoice, but when more lightning strikes the tower, the machinery explodes. Finnegan falls to his death.Turpin draws a gun on Victor, but both men are distracted when they realize Prometheus's cage is empty. Victor declares that there is no God, only man. Victor, Turpin, and Igor see Prometheus standing across the tower. Victor runs over to it while Turpin threatens to shoot. The creature moves slowly and does not react to Victor. The doctor quickly realizes what a mistake he has made: he has not created life at all. Turpin shoots Prometheus, and it attacks Victor in a rage. When Turpin continues to shoot Prometheus, it kills him. Igor jumps into the fray and stabs Prometheus through the heart with a spike. The creature collapses, but Victor reminds Igor that Prometheus has two hearts. It roars back to life just as Igor stabs its second heart. Igor collapses out of exhaustion. When he awakens the next morning, Lorelei stands over him. She has a letter from Victor. Victor figures that Igor has had enough of him. He apologizes for being cruel to Igor but also calls Igor his finest creation. Lorelei and Igor embrace. Somewhere in the Scottish countryside, Victor sets out on a new adventure. | flashback, revenge, gothic, sci-fi | train | imdb | null |
tt0026912 | The Raven | The Raven--synopsis**NOTE: Spencer Charters was billed as Geoffrey Pinkey in the credits but actually played Col. Bertram Grant.Ian Wolfe was billed as Col. Bertram Grant in the credits but actually played Geoffrey.The character of Dr. Jerry Holden is listed in the credits and captions as Jerry Halden.They are listed below in their correct associations.**Dancer Jean Thatcher (Irene Ware) is driving fast in a rainstorm. Losing control, she crashes and is brought to a nearby hospital. After examination by several doctors who say they cant do anything for her, Jeans fiancé Dr. Jerry Holden (Lester Matthews) suggests Dr. Richard Vollin (Bela Lugosi), formerly associated with the hospital but now a recluse doing only research.Meanwhile, Dr. Vollin is heard reciting Edgar Allan Poes The Raven to museum curator Chapman (Arthur Hoyt) who tries to buy Vollins collection of Poe memorabilia. He is told about his torture devices but is rushed out by Vollin.A phone call to Vollin is made, who refuses to help, citing that the other doctors are competent. Her father, Judge Thatcher (Samuel S. Hinds) takes the phone and begs Vollin to save his daughters life. He refuses and hangs up. Finding out where the doctor lives, he goes to Vollins home and continues begging in person. Vollin appears to have no compassion or sympathy for her and refuses. Thatcher appeals to him as a doctor who has taken an oath, to which Vollin replies, I make no such oath. I am a law unto myself. Death hasnt the same significance for me as it has for you, Vollin concludes. Insisting that Vollin save her life, Thatcher is told by Vollin that the other doctors are competent. It is only when told that everyone says that Dr. Vollin is the only one who can save her that he rises, puffed up, saying, So, they DO say that I'm the only one? Very well, I will go.The operation proceeds, with Vollin being shown as having an unusual interest in the patients beauty.One month later, Jean is being entertained by Vollin in his home. Having listened to him play Bachs Toccata and Fugue in D Minor on organ, she gushes that Vollin is not only a brilliant surgeon but a great musician. She intimates that maybe he is more than an extraordinary man, to which he eagerly answers a god? With the taint of human emotions. She tells him she wishes she could repay him for saving her life. Clutching her and staring into her eyes he tells her the restraint we put upon ourselves can drive us mad. Uncomfortable, she makes an excuse to leave, reminding him of her performance the following night. Nothing can keep me away, he promises. She tells him she will have a surprise for him that night and leaves.The next evening a show marquee sign tells of her performance in a dance interpretation of Poes The Raven . She dances while a man dressed as Poe (Raine Bennett) recites the poem. In one of the balcony box seats, Thatcher observes Vollin madly obsessing over his daughters performance.Afterwards backstage, Jerry reassures Jean that the audience liked her performance, saying that twelve encores was enough. Entering the dressing room to congratulate her include Pinkey (Ian Wolfe) and Mary Burns (Inez Courtney), her father and Dr. Vollin, who kisses her hand, gushing about her surprise Poe interpretation. Again, Thatcher observes Vollin taking more than a casual interest in Jean.The next day Thatcher arrives at Vollins to tell him to leave Jean alone. She is in danger of becoming infatuated with you. We cant let her get any ideas about you, can we? the judge intones, She is engaged to young Jerry Holden, he tells Vollin. Speaking of his interest in Jean, Vollin crushes a test tube in his hand. This convinces Thatcher that Vollin is seriously involved in a similar infatuation. Told to leave her alone, Vollin insists that the judge bring his daughter to him. I find you stark staring mad, Thatcher tells him and leaves.Edmond Bateman (Boris Karloff), an escaped convict trying to disguise himself is given the address of Dr. Vollin in a local tavern. He arrives that evening and is invited into Vollins office. When Vollin addresses him by name, Bateman wants to know who told him. It is explained that Batemans violent prison break and photo were in the newspapers. Vollin especially seems interested that Batemans bank robbery and mutilation of a bank cashier's face with an acetylene torch was especially torturous. Come to ask Vollin to change his face so he will not be recognized, Bateman is promised help but only if he agrees to commit murder and torture. Desperate, he agrees and is told the alteration will be done now. Bateman is led into a room and made to lie on a table for surgery.Later, a bandaged Bateman is checked on by the doctor. When the patient awakens, Vollin raises him up vertically and begins slowly removing the bandages. As his face is revealed, half of it is shown to be horribly disfigured and one eye dislocated. Bateman speaks in a raspy voice, asking if he looks different. Yes, Vollin replies with noted glee. Feeling something is not right with his face, Bateman feels with his fingers and demands to see his reflection. Dr. Vollin agrees and leaves the room, telling him to wait. As Bateman gets up and looks around, several curtains are opened, revealing a series of large mirrors, each one reflecting the ugliness of Bateman one by one. Horrified, he begins shooting, breaking each mirror. From a grate near the ceiling, Vollin appears, laughing hysterically at Batemans misery. Having run out of bullets, Bateman frustratingly throws the gun at Vollin's face.Moments later Vollin asks Bateman if he is ready to do the murder job, telling him he must answer yes or no. Bateman insists that his face be fixed but Vollin says he must do this job for him first. He agrees. Vollin returns to the room a moment later, giving Bateman some clothes to put on and then report for further instructions.Having invited Jean, Jerry, Pinkey, Mary and Col. Bertram Grant (Spencer Charters) and his wife Harriet (Maidel Turner) to a party, they make bets on a horserace game which is mechanically run in Dr. Vollins home. At one point Jean announces she will have to go upstairs to fix her hair and does so, which is noted by Vollin and Bateman, who now serves as the butler. Meanwhile, Judge Thatcher arrives home to find Vollins written invitation to the party, to which also a note added that Jean and Jerry decided to go and for her father to join them.When Thatcher arrives, Vollin immediately apologizes for what he said the other day, asking him to forgive him. The judge seems reluctant but is quickly reassured by Vollin, who joyfully leads him into the party. Bateman is told to go upstairs and tell Jean her father has arrived. When he opens the door and Jean sees Bateman in the mirror behind her, she screams and runs downstairs into her fathers arms. Everyone crowds around as she tells of this awful man who came into her room. Vollin interrupts and tells everyone to come and sit while he tells the story of his servants unfortunate disfigurement. His guests are told with some relish how he served with Vollin in his regiment and was tortured by the enemy, who mutilated his face. Describing his interest in death and torture, he makes a reference to Poe. Jean asks what is Vollins interpretation of The Raven and is told that Poe was a great genius who was denied his love, Lenore. Getting tired, it is suggested that they all retire to their rooms for the night and they begin going upstairs. When Jean passes Bateman, she apologizes, saying she was suddenly surprised and would not have screamed if she had known. Bateman sees this sympathetic gesture and acts as if he wants to tell his secret. Vollin notices Bateman talking to Jean and is concerned.Outside a windy thunderstorm is beating down trees.Upstairs, Judge Thatcher is shown to his room by Vollin, who is called over by Col. Grant and asked about drafts in the house. Assured they will be comfortable, the Colonel and his wife go upstairs to the third floor where their room is. Thatcher comes into Jeans room with Jerry and begins ranting again about Vollin being mad and dangerous. He tells the couple to come home with him now. His fears are laughed at by Jerry, who says Vollin is just being amusing and is too reputable and distinguished a surgeon to be considered dangerous. Against his better judgment Thatcher resigns himself to stay the night, but not before Jerry announces that he will switch rooms with Jean for her protection.Knocking on the door and entering, Bateman comes in to try to tell Judge Thatcher what is going on. Vollins voice is heard calling Bateman. Coming to the door, he chastises Bateman into going downstairs. Trying to reassure his guests, Vollin apologizes and says his servant probably just wanted to see if he could help them. Jean says they are now comfortable and Vollin bids them goodnight.Going down into a dungeon below, Vollin shows Bateman his instruments of torture, telling him many are described by Poe in his writings. He says they are very old but warns ready for use.
He shows Bateman a slab with manacles for feet and arms to hold a man still for the Pit and Pendulum device. Getting up on the slab to demonstrate, Vollin shows how a man may be held captive by throwing a lever. Bateman quickly throws the lever, which traps Vollin. Gotcha! Bateman says grimly. As the pendulum swings slowly back and forth over him, Vollin tells Bateman to release him, reminding him that should anything happen to me, you remain the horrible monster you are. Bateman reluctantly releases him. Vollin tells him the blade descends upon the victim in fifteen minutes time which can be seen on a clock built into the stone wall.Later Bateman comes up through a trap door into Jeans room, but suddenly the wind causes a tree to crash through the window, awakening Jean. Looking around, she sees Bateman, who retreats and closes the trap door. She screams and runs to Jerrys room, telling him she is frightened. They go into her room and Jerry tells her its only a tree which the storm blew into the window. She says she saw a man coming up through the floor, which he amusingly thinks is her imagination. He tells her to sleep in his room, and he will stay in hers.In Vollins office, he tells Bateman at gunpoint to leave the girl alone and strikes him with a small whip. Just then a knock at the door interrupts them. The Colonel wants a sleeping powder for his wife. Dr. Vollin comes back with two powders, telling him there is one for each of them. Vollin tells Bateman that now the job will begin.Sneaking into Thatchers room, Bateman strong-arms him out of bed and downstairs to the torture chamber. Along the way Thatchers cries are heard by Jerry, who attempts to locate him. They enter Vollins study through the bookcase panel entrance into a passageway down below. Bateman punches Jerry and prevents him from entering, closing the door. Below, Thatcher is brought before a waiting Vollin, who apologizes to the judge for the savagery of his servant. Bateman is told to put Thatcher on the slab. The blade is turned on and Thatcher asks about it. Vollin tells him it will reach him in fifteen minutes. He explains that he is the sanest man of all because he removes torture from his life by torturing others. Judge Thatcher nervously watches the swinging pendulum as Vollin laughs maniacally. Meanwhile, Jerry comes to and tries to find how to open the bookcase entrance.Vollin goes to a master control and throws a switch which lowers Jeans bedroom down to the dungeon. He watches Jean screaming as the large elevator reaches the bottom where he is laughing at her. Closing the door, he seems amused by her cries. Unable to open the panel, Jerry runs upstairs to Jeans room and opens the door as he hears her cries. Holding onto the doorknob, he swings in midair where the room has been lowered. He is barely able to recover and go out the door again. He calls for the others to help him and they follow. He explains that Jean and her father have been taken and to wake the Grants. A few minutes later Jerry is told that the Grants seem to have been drugged and cannot be awakened. They try to find the opening to the bookcase panel. Jerry picks up the phone to call, but this is anticipated by Vollin, who switches off the phones from his control. At the same time another switch lowers steel shutters on all the windows, sealing them in.Vollin tells Bateman to quiet the girl. As he goes to do this, Vollin tells Thatcher that he has a most delightful plan for her. Bateman opens the door and tells Jean he said to stop. She stares at his face. He tells her he knows he is ugly and that Vollin did it. Saying Vollin is mad, she asks Bateman to help her get out. He says no, because the doctor will fix his face. She tells Bateman that Vollin wont help him but that she will. He is called back by Vollin and told to attend to Thatcher.Vollin now opens the bookcase door and Jerry says he will go in. The others follow. Finding a passageway leading downstairs to the dungeon, Jerry sees Bateman standing by Thatcher and a fight ensues. Vollin holds a gun on Jean. Jerry runs to where Jean is standing with Vollin. Bateman approaches and holds Jerry. Meanwhile, Thatcher tells the others to release him from the slab. When told the lever is locked, Thatcher tells them the servant must have the key. They rush in and see Jean and Jerry held at gunpoint by Vollin. He tells them they are in time for a wedding. He tells Bateman to open the room door, and then tells Jean and Jerry to go in. The switch is thrown to close the steel door. They are told they will remain in this room forever and that their love will make it beautiful. Bateman comes over and asks Vollin what happens in that room. He is told that it is another of Poes stories: the room where the walls come together. Dr. Vollin now loudly proclaims that his torture is complete and that Poe is avenged. Bateman asks if they will be crushed. Vollin says yes, telling Bateman that he will fix his face now. Again Bateman asks if the girl will be crushed to death and is told yes. He tells Vollin no and goes to throw the switch. Vollin threatens him and when the switch is thrown Bateman is shot and staggers. Getting the key, Pinkey goes and frees Thatcher.There is a struggle between Bateman and Vollin, who is knocked out and dragged into the room by Bateman as the couple emerges. Bateman rushes to close the door. Vollin cries out to Bateman as the door closes and the walls close in to crush him. When Bateman and Vollin are dead, Mary screams and says we forgot the Grants! They are shown snoring in their beds.Jean and Jerry are seen driving home and she says she was almost crushed. He jokes that he will finish the process, only softer. She tells him that he is now the big bad raven. | insanity, revenge, cruelty, murder, sadist | train | imdb | null |
tt0061496 | Prescription: Murder | A wealthy, sophisticated middle-aged couple celebrates their 10th wedding anniversary with a well-to-do party of society's elite. Senators, judges, assistant district attorneys, and successful doctors.His wife, Carol Flemming (Nina Foch) brings out the cake, and just as the party's getting started - Dr. Ray Flemming (Gene Barry) is called away, ostensibly to respond to patient having an anxiety attack.Dispite wife Carol's angry protests - Ray leaves kissing her on the cheek.However when Ray arrives at the West LA apartment - his "patient" is his sexy young mistress - an unknown bitpart actress named Joan Hudson (Katherine Justice). Jumping out of the swimming pool she greets him in a string bikini, wrapping her arms & legs around him as she giggles.When Dr. Flemming returns home, his wife Carol tells him that she's fed up with his "extracurricular activities", that she wants a divorce, and that she will ruin him financially.To calm Carol's fury - Ray says that he's been preparing a second honeymoon in Acapulco, Mexico. Carol is overjoyed now. As they prepare their luggage, and are about to leave, Ray kills Carol in his apartment.He breaks a window, staging it to look like she was killed during a burglary. Joan arrives, and disguises herself as Carol Flemming for their trip to the airport.Once they've boarded the plane, the couple stages an argument so his mistress (still disguised as Carol Flemming) can return to the Flemmings' luxurious condo where she leaves Carol's dress in the laundry bag outside their door.Meanwhile in Acapulco - Ray Flemming has a wonderful time on his own, fishing and chilling out with the locals. While on one of his many fishing trips, Dr. Flemming throws the two heavy candle-holders and the "stolen property" into the ocean, and a box with compromising objects.Dr. Flemming returns home where's he's greeted by Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) who walks out of Flemming's master bedroom. Columbo takes out his notebook and begins his inquest by asking Ray Flemming if he can borrow a pen.Columbo tells him that Carol is at hospital, in a coma. At that moment Joan phones trying to tell Ray that Carol is in a coma but alive. Ray blows off the call, but Columbo smells something fishy.Ray goes to Foundation Hospital to see Carol, but the doctors and the main nurse (Ena Hartman) will not allow it.The hospital administrator is a personal friend of Flemming's, and grants access. But when Flemming & Columbo approach the door to his wife's room - they're blocked by a uniformed LAPD officer. As the cop explains why they cannot enter - the doctor emerges, announcing Carol has died.Ray tries to keep appearances up, especially with his closest friend Burt Gordon (William Windom), a prominent district attorney. Burt promises that he'll ask somebody important to take Columbo off his back, but the lieutenant will only find this more reasuring, telling him that if somebody is getting nervous that's only because he's on the right track. Nervous, Joan cannot wait to meet Ray.Suddenly Columbo tells Dr. Flemming that the culprit has confessed. An oddly behaving military veteran "Tommy" (Anthony James) confesses that he broke in and killed Carol Flemming, as he didn't expect anybody home. Ray says that he doesn't believe Tommy's confession: he must be a weirdo who gave false confession for any number of reasons; as Dr. Flemming says - "maybe he's crazy, maybe he just wants his name in the paper".Joan Hudson has found a good acting job, but can only see her lover sparingly, posing as a patient. Columbo visits her on the studio. She doesn't want to answer his questions and asks for a legal counsellor. Columbo says he knows she was an accomplice to the crime, and that he will follow her everywhere until she breaks down and confesses. She tries to look self-assured, but is very nervous.Soon afterwards, Dr. Flemming is told that Joan Hudson has commited suicide. When he goes to see the dead body at the swimming-pool, he sees a red-headed woman (presumably Joan Hudson) wearing the familiar green bikini she wore at the beginning of the film.Columbo presses him again, but Dr. Flemming tells him that this is no proof of Flemming's culpability. Flemming tells Columbo that he thought that Joan was dumb, and that he didn't love her at all, but she was "available" so he took the opportunity of using her. To his surprise - the real Joan Hudson (alive and well) hears him, enters the room heart-broken, and tells Columbo that she is going to confess. | murder | train | imdb | Filmed about three years before the great man was given a regular series, in an uncanny way it both stands alone and acts as a guide to what was to come.The Columbo formula is in place: immediate suspicion leads to the hounding of the suspect until Columbo's psychological pressure is too much to bear and the victim is helplessly trapped.I like to think that Columbo spent the years between 1968 and 1971 refining his methods, becoming subtler and more suggestive in his probing while letting his appearance become dowdier and even less threatening.
A baby-faced Peter Falk makes his first appearance in this 1967 TV movie as the world-famous detective Columbo, which was followed 4 years later by another TV movie and an exceptionally successful TV series.An excellent, well-paced, cleverly-crafted mystery which spends a lot of time establishing and developing Columbo's characterisation - the dogged determination and persistence through seemingly trivial questions; the display of deceptive absent-mindedness and ineptitude; the constant references to his family etc.
are all underpinned by the cigar, the mac and the generally scruffy appearance (although his overall appearance here is rather more tidy).Undeniably, in hindsight, Columbo characterisation and Falk's performance is a little raw here, for it would take a little more time to fine-tune both things: nevertheless, Falk still does a great job with the complexities of the character and gives a smooth, unruffled performance.The plot is purposely straightforward and relatively thin and there are not the plethora of accompanying clues and trivial pieces of evidence that invigorate the vintage episodes of the series, but you have to remember that this TV movies was the platform for the Columbo character.Gene Barry gives a fine performance as the murderer: he certainly relishes his role; effortlessly displaying his character's cold-heartedness, self-confidence and smugness in equal proportions.
His scenes with Falk have a marked air of tension about them, as Barry's character progressively shows disdain and arrogance towards the protagonist.The ending is clever, especially as the murderer continually thinks that he has got away with his crime; the way Columbo unmasks him is superbly ironical.The only problem watching this film is that most people encountered the Columbo TV series, prior to watching the "introductory" TV movies, so it can be a little unnerving, yet, on its own account, it's a very accomplished piece of work.
A successful California psychiatrist plots the murder of his wife of ten years using his actress-girlfriend as a ruse; Lt. Columbo gets the case.
The only problems with Link and Levinson's script come late in the game, after Columbo gets uncharacteristically tough and mean with Barry's girlfriend and then plays a little dirty pool.
Finally managed to catch the very first appearance of Colombo today and I must say my respect for the character and Peter Falk is not only supported but strengthened.Looking back 35 years it's hard to think that this is in fact the first appearance.
But this is the first time I've seen a genesis of a character so purely defined from the very beginning.Although the dirty long coat barely has a wrinkle, along with Falk's face, the man looks like he was born for the part.
Instead redefining and refining the character to the point where it becomes as much as a living breathing person as fiction could be.It is very fact that in this first appearance Falk is so suited to the role that you realise that the actor could not be wasting his time pursuing a role he was obviously born to play.Everything is here for an excellent murder mystery, the perfect plan, the cunning criminal and the dogged detective.
Now that the original 1967 pilot film for the Columbo character, PRESCRIPTION:MURDER (based on Levinson and Link's play), is available as part of the new Columbo DVD set, I hope that many more Columbo fans will be able to see the original interpretation of the character.
Peter Falk has done a lot of television over the past 45-plus years, but he is doubtless destined to be "Columbo" forever - not that this is a bad thing.I recall seeing this, the first entry in the series, sometime in the 1970s, as a rerun, and thinking just how good it was.
Not, however, Peter Falk as Columbo - the man was obviously born to play this part.Even if you've seen every episode of "Columbo" ever made twice, this one is well worth watching again.
A shabby detective called Columbo sets out to prove that a smooth talking doctor murdered his wife for his younger mistress.The pilot episode for the long running series which began four years later.
This probably stands as one of the best with good performances and a neat twist ending which many subsequent episodes lacked.The film is based on Richard Levison & William Link's Broadway show which starred Thomas Mitchell as Columbo.Prescription Murder has been released on video in the UK paired with the Dead Weight episode..
For the legion of Columbo fans, this is the one that began it all, "Prescription: Murder," a play about a sloppy, fumbling, genius detective that was to star Thomas Mitchell on Broadway.
We can thank, sadly, Mitchell's sudden death for the fact that they play never made it and was turned into a teleplay.This particular episode sets up the formula for future Columbos: A powerful, wealthy, and/or privileged person commits a clever murder, can't believe their luck that this idiot is on the case, and goes down in flames.
The powerful, wealthy, and/or privileged person is psychiatrist Gene Barry, who kills his wife (the always excellent Nina Foch) and sets himself up with an alibi with the help of his young patient, an actress.
And, as usual, 'twas ego killed the beast.It took a while for Columbo to actually become a series, but it eventually did, rotating with other shows on the NBC Sunday Night Mystery Movie.
The qualities that draw us in, and keep us there, are the ones that bloom, that burrow deep, without our even noticing.*It's because it's true.The Columbo we love — and the Columbo we love to watch annoy hell out of the murderers, until some of them beg to be caught and taken away just so the questions will stop — all of it stems from the deep truths of stories — and about human nature itself.There's the restoration of order of course, order of many kinds, and there's the reminder to the rich that the rule of the universe is you get what you need not what you think you deserve and that even money and power and your supposedly foolproof plan cannot protect you, if you kill.There is how Lt. Columbo solves the crime, which we the eyewitnesses have seen: namely by gamely paying attention and asking questions.
Those are deep practices not unrelated to love.There is also his essential kindness: how even when he's tracking the killer — even we know he knows and that realization is slowly dawning on the murderer, too
he's unfailingly
nice.He is nearly unfailingly good.Lt. Columbo is — to use words said to be more in demand today than 40 years ago, but that are actually ever-welcome — genuine, authentic, and real.
These are quirks, odd, whatchamacallit
idiosyncrasies
even to us
but that's because we're not that consistently questioning, caring, and kind.I think he truly is intrigued, curious — even at times in wonder — about such things.When in every episode, every
single
one
he notices at least a half-dozen details, niggling crummy little curiosities, it's because he really wants to know.
Of course — at times he's showing the murderer the game is not only afoot, but that it's almost up.But he also knows life isn't like that, or shouldn't be, and what we just saw just doesn't fit
and why not?He knows it should be otherwise, and if it's not, something's wrong and needs to be righted.And of course it's because the account of life the murderer gives — from who they blame for all their ills, to what they say, to how they leave the crime scene, to how they behave afterward, and the explanations they give for all of this — is utterly false.*The reason it works is because it's true and real and deep.
This very first Columbo murder mystery moves might not have the same distinctive class and atmosphere of the later movies, it still is a real good murder mystery movie in its own.This was the first of two pilot movies, which introduced Peter Falk as the scruffy Lt. Columbo.
But this is of course simply due to the fact that this movie was from the late 60's, while all the other Colubmo movies were from the 70's/'80's/'90's/'00's.The character of Columbo himself is of course also still quite differently looking, since Peter Falk was only in his early 40's when he appeared in this movie.
He still does some un-Columbo like things, such as shouting at his suspects during interrogations and putting pressure on them.The whole way the story is build up and Columbo investigates the case is done quite well, although the actual main story of a man killing his wife to be with his younger lover is of course not a terribly original concept within its genre.
42 years ago, NBC aired a "movie of the week" featuring entitled "Prescription: Murder," a tight and engaging film that starred Gene Barry, Katherine Justice, William Windom, Nina Foch, and Peter Falk as "Lt. Columbo." Little did the producers or the actors know that this would be the film that would introduce one of television's most enduring characters.Fans of the long-running series will notice a marked difference between Falk's Columbo in this film and his subsequent incarnation.
Windom plays Barry's best friend who threatens Columbo for the detective's pursuit of Barry.Also, veteran character actress Virginia Gregg - who provided one of the voices for "Mother" in "Psycho" as well as gave life to "Tara" on the animated "Herculoids" series - has a small part as Barry's receptionist.The jazzy Dave Grusin is another plus in a film that is a cut-above the norm of the period and stands as great television viewing, then and now..
The perfect crime and the perfect alibi he thinks but when he returns from his trip he finds that two things have ruined his plan his wife still being alive (although critical) and a muddled little police officer called Columbo.With Columbo being such an established part of daytime television schedules and with the series formula being so well established it is easy to forget that at some point it must have had a first outing and that this film is it.
The murder is clever but this never matters because it is the chase that we have come for because this is where the fun is in the Columbo series.
Barry matches this by not really playing the game as well as other actors in the series; he is a bit flat and lacking charisma and chemistry with Falk.
The chase is low key and not as fun as it could have been and the performances are pretty flat (Falk is yet to make the character his own and the one we know) but it is still an enjoyable tvm and worth seeing for being the film that started the long running series..
Here, in (Prescription: Murder), where a star is almost born, we have some frank chance to look into the deep of Columbo, and I mean the long scene of the psychoanalysis in which the obstinate shifty lieutenant goes to visit the conceited psychiatrist late at night.
But in (Prescription: Murder) you won't find the same image or identical behaviors of which would be familiar 3 years later and till his last appearance to date (Columbo Likes the Nightlife - 2003).
So thanks to the writers whom maybe put their own personalities right in the mix, and to the one who discovered the secrets & treasures, presented them to us excellently in almost 70 TV movies, and stamped Columbo as a cult in the American and the international pop culture : Mr. Peter Falk..
This murder mystery the first film of this fine television series starring Peter Falk as Lt. Colombo.
Gene Barry, who starred in the classic "War of the Worlds" and also the "Burke's Law" series is Columbo's first challenge as a crime solver.
One of them is the title movie here: Prescription For Murder, guest starring Gene Barry (which was not one of the better episodes, by the way, so don't judge the show by this film.)Each episode had at least one well-known actor, sometimes two or three.
I took my time with it, which I think is best because if you look at too many shows in a row, Peter Falk's "Columbo" character would wear thin on you.
The supporting players are good particularly Katherine Justice, but the two leads are excellent, Peter Falk owns the part of Columbo while Gene Barry is perfect as the smug psychiatrist who murders his wife.
Considering that the true pilot of Columbo (IMDB considers this a made for TV movie) aired 3 years later, and it took a few seasons for the series to gain traction, Falk's later character is 80% defined in this first appearance.
And of course the murder is shown up front, with the rest of the movie having him try to solve the crime by pestering his prime suspect.My favorite scene has Columbo asking the suspect psychiatrist if he could become a patient.
COLUMBO: PRESCRIPTION MURDER is a 1968 TV movie that acted as a failed pilot for the future TV series.
In this one, Columbo is a less developed character than he would be in the second pilot, 1971's RANSOM FOR A DEAD MAN; he's about 80% of the way towards the character we all know and love here, whereas in RANSOM he was 95% of the way there.Still, PRESCRIPTION MURDER has much for the viewer to enjoy, not least Peter Falk's youthful appearance as the detective.
He's very young-looking here, with short hair and smarter clothes, and his personality is different too: more steely, less laid-back, a little bit aggressive if I'm honest.Where the storyline is familiar is in the spousal murder, perpetrated by guest star Gene Barry.
PRESCRIPTION MURDER isn't quite COLUMBO as we all know and love it, but fans will enjoy it anyway..
PLOT: An arrogant, nonchalant psychiatrist (Gene Barry) murders his wife and uses his naïve actress girlfriend to get away with it (Katherine Justice), but Lt. Columbo strongly suspects the therapist and steadfastly works to obtain evidence.
As he ages they would naturally become more prominent in future segments, like his disheveled appearance.This is easily one of the best Columbo episodes ever (which are actually TV movies).
Prescription: Murder was shown in 1968, the Columbo mystery movies for television followed later in 1971.There is an economy in the storytelling here.
Well, if there was ever a case of an actor surpassing the writing it's Peter Falk in "Prescription Murder".
It was originally written as a one-off play by mystery writing legends Richard Levinson & William Link who had no idea Lt Columbo would prove to be such a brilliant character that he could support a series all of his own.
The interplay between Columbo and his suspect is engaging, witty and clever and the first half of it (that shows the murder being committed) has a wonderful kind of hypnotic concentration to it that really glues you to the screen, but it lacks that something that the later series had and that was brought in by the more strongly defined central character.
Peter Falk debuts as the indelible & ingenious Lt. Columbo, here investigating Gene Barry, who portrays a psychiatrist who has murdered his wife in order to run off with his mistress.
The plan that Barry concocts seems brilliant, but it doesn't take long for Columbo to be troubled by various loose ends that bother him no end.There is a scene later on where Columbo seems to get angry at a suspect he is trying to get to confess that is surprising, considering how he is usually portrayed as an affable detective, but this shows that, instead of being out-of-character, it reveals that Columbo is a very serious investigator whose bumbling nature is a facade.
Gene Barry says as much to him in a memorable interrogation scene.Good start for the long-running character..
A psychiatrist, Dr. Ray Flemming kills his wife Carol.A patient called Joan Hudson he has an affair with assists him.Columbo enters to solve the case.Prescription: Murder (1968) was the first entrance of Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo.With his trench coat and cigar smoking he became one of the most loved TV detectives.And the way he had one more question.Other actors are superb, too.Gene Barry plays the murdering doctor.His wife Carol, the victim is played by Nina Foch.Katherine Justice plays Joan Hudson.William Windom is Burt Gordon.This was shown in two parts here in Finland.There must be some modern viewers who would complain about the pace of Columbo.That he doesn't solve those cases fast enough.I think his pace is just right.That was just his technique.And it worked..
"Prescription: Murder", a 1962 play that became a well-made 1968 film, was extended into "Colombo", the long-running and popular TV series as well inspiring as many imitations of aspects of its presentations.
Dr Flemming (Gene Barry) kills his wife (Nina Foch) and uses his mistress (Katherine Justice) to get away with it.
In this case Gene Barry has worked out a really good scheme to murder his wife Nina Foch and he enlists the aid of mistress Katharine Justice to do it.
****SPOILERS**** Original of the Columbo Mystery Series that get's a bit too overdone with Lt. Columbo, Peter Falk, on the case of the murdered psychiatrist's wife or as it's titled " Prescription Murder". |
tt0374536 | Bewitched | After a couple of movies flopped badly, a film star, Jack, agrees to a TV role as Darrin in a revival of Bewitched. His intent is to make Darrin the major part. He wants an unknown to play Elizabeth Montgomery's role (Samantha) so she won't try to upstage him. A real witch trying to act human becomes romantically interested in Jack and is cast as Samantha because she can do the nose twitch. But the audience prefers her to him. She becomes disillusioned when she realizes what an egotistical jerk he really is. After quarrels in which she uses her powers, Jack finally realizes he's been a jerk and reforms.--------------------------------Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman), who has been a real witch her whole life, moves to San Fernando Valley to try to be a normal person. Isabel wants to feel the hardships that mortal people experience everyday by not using her powers. Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) is a movie star whose career has gone down since his last picture lost millions. His agent gets him a job on a remake of the Bewitched television show as Darrin Stephens. Jack wants an unknown actress to play the part of Samantha. The casting call goes out and the search is on. Jack sees Isabel twitch her nose at a book store and follows her. Jack thinks she is the perfect choice to play Samantha. What they don't know is that Isabel is a witch. While filming the show, Isabel uses her witchcraft to get events to go her way. Isabel has a little help from her father (Michael Caine). Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)Will Ferrell is Jack Wyatt an actor with minimal talent whose career has been declining steadily. Desperately seeking something that will boost his sagging career and his self esteem, Jack agrees to star in a re-make of the TV show Bewitched on the condition that he gets a complete unknown for the female lead to play opposite him. This will ensure that the audience will only be left with Jack to see with lots of screen time. Jack and the producers audition a long roster of wannabes, and in a period of frustration, he sees Isabel (Nicole Kidman) at a caf and begs her to become an actress and work in his TV show. He is confused when she initially rebuffs his advances, mistaking his attention as declaration of love. Since she is a witch and has been brought up in a world of spells and goblins, without TV, she is unaware of Elizabeth Montgomerys role of Samantha Stevens and the legacy of the TV show Bewitched. Isabel is trying to be a regular mortal person, and ultimately trying to catch a normal husband form the mortal side of reality. During the course of events she finds she must use her magical powers to help things along. But in the end she discovers that she must decide finally between a life spent on earth with mortal man or return home, where she will be a witch forever more. | romantic, comedy, cute | train | imdb | There were so many ways this movie could have went instead of disappointing the true die hard Bewitched fans.Weak plot, undefined characters, I truly felt as if someone said, "OK, we're bored with this, let's piece it together and call it a day." It would been nice if Isabel could have been seen as someone who was smarter and not so vulnerable and innocent.I would put this in the same category of any 12 year old "I wanna be a pricess" movie.
The movie isn't technically a "remake" of "Bewitched," since the witch played by Nicole Kidman isn't the Samantha Stevens of the series but rather a single woman named Isabel Bigelow who gets to PLAY Samantha Stephens on TV.
One afternoon while at a bookstore, she is spotted by one Jack Wyatt, a pompous, self-centered movie actor whose career and personal life have both been in the tank of late and who is hoping to at least jumpstart the former by taking on the role of Darrin Stevens in a new version of the old series.
One glimpse of Isabel's nose-twitching ability convinces him that this non-actress would be perfect for the part, so we wind up, in true Pirandellian fashion, with a fictional TV witch being played by an honest-to-God real life witch.The overriding problem with this film is that it completely undercuts the very elements that made Samantha such a likable and compelling figure for millions of spellbound American viewers.
The same goes for Will Ferrell in the role of the pseudo-Darrin whose over-the-top turn here is the movie equivalent of fingernails being dragged across a chalkboard for a grueling one hour and forty minutes (the combined running time of almost four episodes in the original series).
Michael Caine as Isabel's warlock father and Shirley MacLaine as a real life witch who happens to be playing Endora are both old pros enough to turn in decent performances, but even they will undoubtedly want to expunge this turkey from their otherwise illustrious resumes as soon as possible.In the TV "Bewitched," there was a certain subtle tension built into the premise that carried through from episode to episode.
The Stevenses had to find ways to keep the outside world from finding the truth out about Samantha's real identity, not always an easy task what with Endora or Aunt Clara or Uncle Arthur popping in unannounced at all hours of the day or night casting a spell on some poor, unsuspecting mortal or wreaking havoc on the young couple's marital harmony and domestic bliss.
One would certainly never know it by watching this film.The one positive thing to be said about this movie is that it doesn't come saddled with one of those insipid, mind-numbing laugh tracks that are regularly slapped onto TV sitcoms - but then again even a laugh track wouldn't find much to chortle over here..
Why did they have to devise this complicated and nonsensical storyline about a lousy movie actor (Will Ferrell) who plans on saving his floundering career by starring in a TV remake of "Bewitched"?
(Too bad they couldn't just rewind this whole movie and start over again.) Kidman has an appealing screen presence and probably could have done a good job in an actual "Bewitched" story.
The main difference between the remade TV show and the original is that Darren would be the focus and not Samantha, so for this reason, Jack decides he wants an unknown actress for the role, one he can virtually walk all over without knowing any better.Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman, who is perfect for the role) is a naive witch who has just decided that she no longer wants to live her life getting everything she wants at the snap of her fingers and chooses to live more "normal", against the wishes of her father, Nigel Bigelow (Michael Caine).Eventually, after many auditions, Jack runs into Isabel and is convinced she is perfect for the role.
I was convinced she was the original, right down to her voice.Overall, if you do not shoot your expectations too high, this is a nice little comedy featuring Ferrell, with Nicole Kidman more than holding her own with him.
The movie comes to a grinding halt when they appear.The script writing is quite clever, and Nicole Kidman (happy birthday today!) is great, as always.
Isabel Bigelow is a witch who is trying to stop relying on her magical powers and start a new and more ordinary life.A chance meeting with Hollywood actor Jack Wyatt leads to her being offered the lead role of Samantha in a remake of the TV series Bewitched.
Nicole Kidman is fresh faced and innocent as Isabel and Will Ferrell makes an adequate Jack.Michael Caine also makes a great star turn as Isabel's randy warlock dad.This is a sweet love story which doesn't rely too heavily on special effects as many such remakes have a tendency to do.
Aunt Clara doesn't appear in the show-within-the-movie (as much as we see), but other characters remember her from the old series - and are amazed that Isabel is playing Samantha and actually has an Aunt Clara!
It's like a love-letter to the original Bewitched TV series, which is why Aunt Clara and Uncle Arthur are there, and why there are some in-jokes that you won't get if you haven't watched much of the series.
It just sits there, lifelessly, on screen, reeking of rotten egg.There are so many talented people here -- Will Ferrel, Nora Ephron, Shirley Maclaine -- how could this movie be so bad?
"Bewitched"'s scenes include shots of Nicole Kidman watching Elizabeth Montgomery in the old TV series.
All these scenes did was remind the audience of how good Elizabeth Montgomery was at playing the role that Kidman was failing at, and how much better the old TV show was than this movie..
I think Nicole Kidman is a fine actor, and I have enjoyed her work, in her chosen profession, many times, in the past, but this film was really a terrible movie.
At least Chevy Chase could fall down and get a laugh when he needed to.There was no chemistry between any of the characters like there was in some of Efrons' previous work like Mixed Nuts.I was a fan of the TV series and as a TV comedy I was not expecting too much from it and therefore I was not disappointed.Finally, where was the magic?
They had look-alike actors playing the parts of Uncle Arthur (Steve Carell) & Aunt Clara (Carole Shelley) as well, but not on the TV set in the movie, they were shown as being related to the real life side of Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman), like they really were her true relatives.
I guess they thought that having a big star like Kidman or Ferrell would cause the audience to ignore the terrible writing but it definitely didn't do anything of the sort.Seriously, if you have any respect for yourself, do not go see "Bewitched.".
This is easily the worst movie of the year.So the movie is about TV producers who are re-starting the Bewitched TV series and cast a has been movie actor Jack Wyatt, played by Will Ferrell (Kicking & Screaming) and an unknown woman Isabelle Bigelow, played by Nicole Kidman (The Interpreter,) to play Samantha.
She is radiant in the film, looking like a porcelain doll come to life.As for the rest of the cast, Will Ferrell was good in his role, although I have never been a fan of his humor and the character was nothing new for him.
The only thing that saves this movie from drowning is the casting of Shirley MacLaine as Endora,and Micheal Caine as the father of Kidman's character.
Actor Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) is not happy about getting a job playing Darren on a remake of the '60s show "Bewitched" until he meets Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman), his beautiful co-star who will be playing the role of his witch wife, Samantha.
I was expecting a 2-hour version of a TV-like episode, with a cute, updated story line, and some laughs, but this was just not cute, and not funny, and even the talented Will Ferrell couldn't save it.
Will is OK, he gets to ad lib every so often (always comedic gold), but Nicole Kidman's performance is almost painful, she should maybe think about not signing on for the first movie she hears about as soon as she finishes one, maybe take a summer off (God knows she has a enough money to buy a moderately sized country).Hopefully Mr. Ferrell doesn't disappoint in Wedding Crashers.
With movies tickets at $10, I suggest people watch Nick at Nite reruns of the original series and save their money for something worthy of seeing on a BIG screen.
Appearances by Uncle Arthur, Gladys Kravitz, and Aunt Clara suffice any fans of the classic-show, while the fantastic writing and direction by the Ephrons suffices those who crave creativity at the cinema, which is to say the film has its own look, voice, and absolute CHARM.Nicole Kidman plays Isabelle Bigelow, a witch, hoping to shed herself of "instant-gratification" and simply be: in a world as beautiful as real life.
Meanwhile, Will Ferrell as Jack Wyatt, a washed-up movie star, attempts to remake the TV show Bewitched for modern times, with the clear goal of finding an unknown actress for Samantha.
Their undeniable chemistry makes the film most definitely fun to watch.With a magnanimous slew of supporting players, including Michael Caine as Isabelle's father, the legendary Shirley MacLaine as the remake's Endora, Jason Schwartzman as Jack Wyatt's ultra-power, sleaze-bag agent, and a very funny Kristin Chenoweth as Isabelle's neighbor, every second of Bewitched is filled with wonderful comedic energy.And all of this is to thank Nora Ephron, who skillfully crafts a comedy of great-expectations with creativity, style, experience, and fearlessness.
She at the same time pays homage to the original series, creates a new film, and tacks on some heartwarming messages.Thanks to the fabulous pairing and individual pairings of Kidman and Ferrell, a great supporting cast, and fantastic execution can turn a great "foundation" into a great movie, and it doesn't have to be a remake, either..
Instead of making this movie a straight remake of the original show's storyline, they made the story about a mediocre actor (Will Ferrell) who decides to make a remake of the show "Bewitched" and, just by coincidence, a real witch (Nicole Kidman) happens to be cast as his co-star.
As for the secondary characters, most of them, including some big names like Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, were just so poorly written into the story that most of the time they seem to have no clear purpose except to come in now and again just to break the monotony or advance the shaky plot.The story, itself, is laughable because the whole plot of the movie seems to hinge upon an ever-growing series of unbelievable coincidences that had to happen apparently for there to even be any action in the movie at all.
This is where some of the poor writing plays a big part because, while fans of the old show may be familiar with all the characters and everything, people who have never seen the show will probably feel a bit lost kind of like they're watching a sequel to a movie they've never seen before or more-so like they're the only ones who are left out of one big inside joke.
Nicole Kidman was delightful, and she and Will Ferrell have very good on-screen chemistry, but the story was weak, and the roles were written even weaker.
He ultimately made a very charming Darren, and I did enjoy him in the part, but there seemed to be a good bit of distracting personality conflicts there too, as if the writers couldn't decide what picture to paint of this guy.Some characters just shouldn't have been touched - if you can't create something entirely unique to draw the audience in, then please, please, don't put some otherwise talented actor up as shark bait in a role they can't possibly reach up to - I'm referring to Uncle Arthur, and poor Steve Carell's attempt to imitate the incomparable Paul Lynde.
I just thought it was the work of bad marketing which we have seen so many times before and looking at the cast consisting of Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Michael Caine, Stephen Colbert, Jason Schwartzman, and Steve Carell, I figured it had to be half way decent.
Well continue reading to find out.In the movie "Bewitched," Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) is a big time actor who has made some bad film choices and is now a down on his luck actor.
But then Jack finds out that Isabel is really a witch like the character Samantha, she plays on the TV series.
"Kicking and Screaming" was passable but was something I have seen 10 times before and now the incredibly awful "Bewitched." Please start reading your scripts again Mr. Ferrell you can be funny; you just need to actually be in a movie that has a funny or witty script There is no excuse what so ever for how badly this film sucked!
I am no Bewitched fan, so I was not going to this movie full of interest, but I think Nicole Kidman can act (great especially in Eyes Wide Shurt and The Others) and, in fact, she is the best thing in this piece of $%&*.
This film is not worth a dime and I haven't even seen it and never want to either, and what a dumb script, loyal fans will be disgusted with it, I personally cannot see anyone else as Samantha as I love Elizabeth Montgomery and feel this movie is just a cheap and cheesy way of ripping of Elizabeth Montgomery's trademark, her cute twitch, it should not have been allowed, what is Hollywood thinking?
How could Nicole Kidman ever decide to play such a terrible script?This is the WORST movie I have ever seen.
I have never seen a bad movie with either Nicole Kidman, Michael Caine or Shirley MacLaine in it and generally anything Penny Marshall is associated with is at least good.
Movies like Bewitched make me a little sad: Such a waste of talent, on all levels -- from the cast to the crew -- not to mention a waste of time and money.
The story is that Nicole Kidman, a real witch, gets hired to play Samantha in a TV remake and falls for the has-been movie actor (Will Ferrell) who is starring as Darrin.
Nicole Kidman is a talented and lovely actress, but Will Ferrell has less charm and acting ability than either of the two Darrens from the original show.
His character in the movie is supposed to be an egotistical ham actor, but all he succeeds in doing is demonstrating that he is, in fact, just an egotistical ham actor -- even when he's supposed to be displaying his "sensitive side".There were lots of things they could have done with the idea of a modern-day remake of "Bewitch" that unwittingly casts a real witch in the role of Samantha -- but what they actually did with it was just noodle around for two hours without ever realizing the potential the concept possessed..
The only good thing I can say about this film is that they did a great job making Shirley Maclaine look like Endora.
(and keep his clothes on) I loved him in Elf...but his last few movies...Wow. I am a huge fan of Nicole Kidman, Michael Caine & Shirley MacLaine, but even they could not save this piece of black cat vomit.
I'm a true blue "Bewitched" Fan as it is--and I was leery--especially because the Critic's are slamming the movie(and Nicole Kidman-and Will Ferrell)--but it was great!!
You can't take an old time favorite like Bewitched, try making it into a movie and completely mess it up!
The directors and producers and everyone else behind the makings of this movie should have sat down and watched every single Bewitched show and carefully try and remake it to be something like that.
I didn't have very high hopes for this film to begin with, but I like Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman, so I figured why not??!!
(And from what we see of the new version, I'd be surprised if it lasted more than a month before getting cancelled.) She then goes and breaks her own rules by playing mix-and-match with the show's characters (some, like Aunt Clara, are fictional; others turn out to be real - enter Gladys Kravitz in the movie's illogical coda), and also handles her own plot in a shockingly shoddy fashion - in particular the subplot with our heroine's father and her co-star as Endora (Shirley MacLaine), who herself turns out to be a witch, which is just left hanging."Bewitched" wants to have it both ways, as a send-up of the TV nostalgia business and as a movie version of the show, but all it succeeds in doing is infuriating viewers and wasting some fine Sony Pictures Imageworks effects and a lot of talent (though Will Ferrell does get one of the only two truly funny scenes as the egotistical has-been cast as Darrin, when he engages in some magically-assisted hamming over a dog; Steve Carell gets the other one as Uncle Arthur).
The only thing that felt more forced that the romance was Ferrel trying to make you laugh and instead making you wonder "what time is it?"2 stars because at least Nicole didn't act like a tool..
You can see Nicole Kidman working as hard as she can to breathe some life into the film -- alas, to no avail.I usually can find something good to say about most movies, in this case I really can't.
Will Ferrell is NOT Darrin Stephens; he is Jack Wyatt.I loved the way Nicole Kidman played Isabel! |
tt0102070 | Hudson Hawk | In an introductory scene, Leonardo da Vinci is in his studio, working on a variety of projects. The largest, a complex mechanical machine which focuses the sun's rays, is intended to turn lead into steel, but when activated, it turns out that the machine has turned the lead into something far more valuable: gold. Realizing the danger such a machine could wreak, he decides to hide the essential gemstone component, made of three pieces, by hiding them amongst his various works.In the present, Eddie "Hudson Hawk" Hawkins (Bruce Willis) is being released from Sing Sing Prison after doing 10 years, presumably for burglary. As he is checking out of prison, he is met by his corrupt parole officer, Gates, who offers to excuse him from community service in exchange for pulling off an art heist. Hudson declines, and meets his buddy (and presumable partner-in-crime) Tommy Five-Tone (Danny Aiello), who offers him his favorite drink, a cappuccino, but spills it when he slams on the brakes.The pair return to their old haunt: their co-owned bar Five-Tone in Hoboken, but when Hudson enters, he finds it converted from a comfortable hole in the wall full of working-class regulars, to an elite, upscale urban professional bistro. While attempting to enjoy a fresh cappuccino, he is interrupted by local crime bosses Cesar Mario (Frank Stallone) and Antony Mario (Carmine Zozzora), who reveal they are behind the art heist proposed by Gates, and try to pressure Hudson into doing it.Hudson decides to go through with the heist, and plans the job with Tommy, while his desires to live a straight life fight against it. Sneaking into an auction house, the duo mislead the guards by rewinding the security camera recorders, playing back earlier footage of a quiet building, while Hudson cracks the safe, retrieving a bronze statue of a horse. All the while, the duo are singing a song -- "Swinging On A Star" -- to themselves, separately, in order to keep time with each other. As they reach the end of the song, the guards discover them, but the two manage to escape by jumping off the building's roof.In a surreal cut-scene, Hudson, statue in hand, finds himself landing in an armchair in Gates' living room, with Gates and the two Marios waiting. Gates gleefully takes the statue from Hudson. Soon, an English butler, Alfred (Donald Burton) arrives, taking the statue from Gates, admiring it as one of da Vinci's finest works, then smashing it over his head. It shatters, and Alfred retrieves a fist-sized gemstone from the remains. Alfred then dispatches Gates, releasing a switchblade machete from his sleeves and slashing Gates' throat, and then leaves, with the Marios in tow.The next morning, Hudson appears at the Five-Tone, telling Tommy the story of the previous night, but Tommy is already ahead of him. Reading from the morning paper, he tells Hudson about their heist, which is reported as an attempted heist, foiled by guards, and the horse statue, the Sforza, will be auctioned off that night as planned.Intrigued, and confounded, Hudson rents a tuxedo and attends the auction, where he meets Anna Baragli (Andie MacDowell), a Vatican antiquities expert, who is invited onstage to verify the authenticity of the statue; to Hudson's bemusement, she does. During the auction for the Sforza, a flamboyant and impetuous man, Darwin Mayflower (Richard E. Grant) storms in and declares his bid of $1,000,000. Immediately afterwards, an equally flamboyant and impetuous woman (Sandra Bernhard) trots in, dog in tow, and declares a bid of $1,000,001, outbidding the man, who is identified as her husband. As the auctioneer calls for closing bids, the man and woman, as well as an assorted cadre of people eating candy bars scattered in the audience, duck; as the auctioneer's gavel hits the podium, it violently explodes, killing the auctioneer and scattering art pieces everywhere. The man and woman promptly leave, unscathed. Meanwhile, Hudson tackles Baragli to save her from a falling column; and is subsequently knocked out by a swinging hung sculpture.Hudson awakes to find himself in an ambulance, but instead of doctors, is surrounded by the Mario crime family, ecstatic about their latest gig. The Marios are planning to kill Hudson, but instead, he manages to hit the ambulance's driver, and incapacitate Antony with a rack of syringes. Cesar kicks Hudson out of the ambulance, shuttling the gurney he is lying on onto the freeway. The disruption in the ambulance causes it to run offroad and flip over, killing the Marios. Hudson, still strapped to the gurney, manages to dodge traffic and even a toll booth, and direct the gurney to an offramp, before it eventually comes to a stop in the industrial district, where he meets up with a group of characters he recognizes as the candy-eating people from the auction. The first introduces himself as Snickers (Don Harvey), who shocks Hudson with a cattle prod. Hudson is released from the gurney from a mute man (David Caruso) who shows him a white card identifying himself as Kit Kat. A young black woman appears (Lorraine Toussaint), identifying herself as Almond Joy, explaining their names as code names. A tall muscular man with a crew cut (Andrew Bryniarski) exits a portable toilet, which he accidentally knocks over, and then introduces himself as Butterfinger. Finally, the team is revealed to be led by a seasoned CIA veteran, and former nemesis of Hudson, George Kaplan (James Coburn). The Sforza heist is revealed to be part of a CIA sting operation against the Mayflowers, in which Hudson is now an unwilling accomplice. Hudson is knocked out and stashed in a wooden crate of packing peanuts.Hudson wakes up from his induced sedation, escaping from the packing crate, and finds himself in an ornate room. Looking out a nearby window, he sees the Coliseum; Alfred appears, and welcomes him to Rome. He is taken to the Mayflowers' corporate board room, where Darwin Mayflower announces his plan for world domination via recomposing da Vinci's La Maqunia d'Oro and convert lead into gold, flooding world markets and making the commodity worthless. The company has reverse-engineered da Vinci's plans for the machine, and have identified the three pieces containing the shards of the machine's essential gemstone; the Sforza was the first. The second is contained in a secret pocket of da Vinci's Codex, which is on display in the Vatican.Hudson visits the Lateran museum in Vatican City to case the joint; while there, he happens into Baragli, who is giving a tour. At the end of the tour, the Codex is shown, kept it it's own basilica and protected with a glass case and a security cage hanging overhead. Hudson grabs a young girl's toy elephant and flings it towards the case, which triggers proximity sensors, releasing a gas cloud and causing the security cage to suddenly drop over the glass case. Baragli finds Hudson, and brings him through a secret door which leads to the Vatican postal railway. Charming her, he arranges to meet her for dinner. Meanwhile, he has planned out the job to snatch the Codex. While phoning Tommy to tell him about his latest adventure, he manages to miss seeing Tommy, already in Rome, living it up with the Mayflowers just feet away from the phone booth. He runs into Kaplan's team, where Kit Kat warns him about "the blue wire." Snickers informs Hudson that he has to do the Codex job tonight, which he protests, but Almond Joy takes his materials list and the team begins procuring the items.That night, Hudson sneaks into the Lateran museum, using mirrors to deflect the security lasers, and a fishing pole to hook the Codex. When a security guard notices the mirrors missing, he runs down the stairs to the Codex, seeing Hudson's setup. Upon reaching the setup, frantically calling for backup, Hudson yanks the Codex off its plinth, causing the gas to escape and trapping the guard inside the security cage, while Hudson escapes through the glass basilica roof. Running from remaining gendarmerie, Hudson is chased along rooftops, eventually escaping by falling into a chicken truck, which, it happens, drives right past the restaurant where he is meeting Baragli for dinner. Kaplan's "candy bars" CIA team is also there, watching their table. Baragli fawns over Hudson, and they retreat to her place, where she gets intimate, but she demurely rejects his sexual advances. Suddenly, a secret intercom behind a crucifix in her apartment lights up and sounds an alarm, announcing that there's been a break in at the Lateran museum -- upon which, she trips over Hudson's satchel, revealing the Codex. Hudson tries to explain, but it turns out Baragli already knows he was going to steal the book, and confronts him with the fact he's working with the Mayflowers. They chat about his role in the Mayflowers' plot, but he insists that he's an unwitting patsy, "just a guy that's good at stealing stuff." Baragli knocks him out with a spiked cappuccino, and the Candy Bars enter; Baragli scolds them for not informing her and "her people" that the Codex theft was happening that night, and demands to meet with Kaplan.Kit Kat brings Baragli to see Kaplan, who tries to smooth out the rough edges with her. Upon leaving, she happens to spot the Mayflowers' dog there. After she leaves, Kaplan reveals that he's letting Baragli tag along in order to get closer to the "mysterious Vatican organization" she works with. Later, Baragli is seen in a confessional, talking to a priest, who it turns out is her superior in a clandestine Vatican counter-espionage operation. Upon exiting, she is wearing a nun's habit. She explains to her boss that, while the Vatican organization believes they are working with the CIA in order to stop the Mayflowers' plan, that in fact the CIA is working with the Mayflowers to help the plan succeed.Hudson is brought again before the Mayflowers where he is given the details on his next job, a heist of da Vinci's aerial screw helicopter from the Louvre. Hudson shuts them down, insisting he is not going to do another job for them. They blindfold him, then leave the room; he removes the blindfold to find Tommy, who explains that he was informed of the whole plot ahead of time, thinking it would be a lot of fun and give Hudson a breath of fresh air after his time in prison. Hudson and Tommy get into a struggle over a gun, bursting out of the room, past the Mayflowers and Candy Bars, and off the balcony, onto the ground below, where the gun goes off, and Tommy is shown bleeding. An ambulance appears, taking Tommy and Hudson away; the Mayflowers turn to Kaplan and direct him to execute "Plan B."The ambulance, then out of sight, drives into a rolling Vatican box truck, and Hudson, Five-Tone (unwounded, but covered in ketchup), and Baragli exit. They retire to Baragli's apartment, confident that the ruse has fooled the Mayflowers and the CIA team. With Hudson no longer working the job, the Mayflowers' plan is thus foiled. Hudson attempts another romantic advance on Baragli, which she again politely declines, to his dismay, asking him (and Tommy) to sleep on the couches.The next morning, Hudson and Tommy are awoken to find the Candy Bars in Baragli's apartment, with Baragli nowhere to be found. Almond Joy sedates the pair with curare-laced blow darts. Hudson insists that this will still not get him to pull off the Louvre job, but Kaplan tosses him a newspaper, showing that the Louvre was hit the previous night by a well-armed commando team -- Kaplan's team, who stole the da Vinci helicopter in a much more violent and excessive way than Hudson's cat burglar techniques. The last piece of the gemstone is revealed from the base of the helicopter, and Kaplan declares Hudson and cohorts to be "irrelevant." Just then, Baragli enters the apartment, aiming a gun at Kaplan, to Hudson and Five-Tone's joy. However, Almond Joy no-sells Baragli's threat, confident that Baragli won't shoot (over Hudson and Five-Tone's encouragement), because "I've read your dossier, Sister," and likewise immobilizes her with a curare dart. They then reveal that Baragli is a nun, which everyone in the room knew except for Hudson; Hudson is upset at the deception, but Baragli reveals that she does have special feelings for him.The Candy Bars take Baragli away, as they need her Vatican expertise for the "next level." However, they don't need two cat burglars anymore, and plan to set timed bombs in the apartment, using a unique adhesive-timed-bomb-launching gun. Hudson and Five-Tone begin to overcome the sedation of the curare, just as Almond Joy is about to re-administer it; they quickly get the jump on her, causing her to swallow a curare dart, immobilizing herself. As Snickers is about to set another bomb, they trip him; causing him to drop the gun, which spins around, launching a bomb onto his head. As Hudson and Five-Tone jump off Baragli's balcony, the bomb on Snickers' head explodes, destroying the apartment, with Snickers and Almond Joy along with it.Planning to stop the Mayflowers as well as rescue Baragli, Hudson and Five-Tone get to Castle da Vinci, where La Maquina is being restored, and proceed to breach the grounds, again timing their efforts with a song as they did in the auction house, this time singing "Side By Side." Meanwhile, the Mayflowers and Kaplan are trying to get Baragli to show them how to assemble the three shards into the correct final gemstone for the machine, but Baragli is feigning hallucinations from the curare. They then inform her that (as they believe) Hudson is dead. As the sounds of Hudson's and Five-Tone's breach (using the bomb-launcher taken from Snickers), Kaplan and Butterfinger leave to investigate, leaving Baragli alone with Minerva Mayflower and Kit Kat. Mayflower, with an iron crossbow trained on Baragli, suddenly turns on Kit Kat, shooting him fatally. Kit Kat, in his dying moments, releases Baragli from her bindings; meanwhile, Butterfinger, sent by Kaplan to report back to Minerva, is instead shot by her. Mayflower then returns her aim to Baragli, who overpowers her and escapes. Meanwhile, again at the moment the song ends, Five-Tone is caught by sleeve-machete-wielding Alfred, who takes him to the Mayflower's car, locking him in the back with Darwin, who he punches out. Hudson encounters Kaplan, who begins attacking him with martial arts; he seems to trap Hudson in an induced muscle spasm, but Hudson interrupts it, causing Kaplan to mis-aim a timed flying kick, sending Kaplan off the roof and onto the Mayflowers' car. Then, Baragli shows up -- "We're supposed to be saving you!" "I got bored, so I saved myself!" Meanwhile, with Five-Tone tied up in the back, Darwin leaves the car, and Alfred knocks it into neutral. Darwin calls up tauntingly at Hudson, as the car coasts off a cliff and explodes, with Five-Tone trapped inside and Kaplan on the hood. Hudson is devastated.Hudson and Baragli are taken inside the castle, where the Mayflowers are stumped, unable to combine the shards into the right gemstone. Hudson takes a shot at it, over Baragli's protests, and eventually crams the shards together into a completed gem. Ecstatic, the Mayflowers put the gem in place, and start the machine, proudly boasting their achievement. Baragli is disgusted at Hudson for helping the Mayflowers win, but Hudson reveals he left out one of the shards, which she happily acknowledges is "very bad." Shortly thereafter, the machine explodes, covering Minerva in molten lead, and burning Darwin to a crisp. Hudson and Baragli run, but are caught by Alfred, who extends both machetes. Hudson fights with Alfred, managing to shove both of Alfred's long knives into one of the castle's thick wooden doors, then slams the door shut, causing Alfred to be decapitated by his own blades. Subsequently, they are blocked by the Mayflower's dog, Bunny, who begins to attack Baragli's neck. Hudson, remembering that Bunny liked chasing tennis balls, takes a tennis pitching machine previously used by Darwin, and, getting Bunny's attention, launches a tennis ball out a window, which the dog gleefully chases out of it. With the castle rapidly catching fire and crumbling from the explosion of the giant gold machine, Hudson and Baragli escape using the da Vinci flying machine, landing eventually in a field near a small village. There, they visit a cafe and talk about their future, Baragli suggesting that God wants her to "keep an eye on him." Baragli mourns Five-Tone, but just then, to their amazement, Five-Tone emerges from a taxi, alive, declaring that the Mayflower's high-end town car had an interior fire suppression system, saving his life. With friends alive, love interest kindled, and having successfully defeated both the Mayflowers and the Candy Bars, Hudson finally gets to drink his cappuccino. | comedy, murder, cult, absurd, humor, psychedelic | train | imdb | When Bruce Willis made The Last Boy Scout later that year, one reviewer said "He gets punched in the mouth so many times, he must feel like he's still reading reviews of Hudson Hawk" Willis wrote the story for this film, so I'm sure this must have particularly hurt him, this film put his career in the toilet before Pulp Fiction revived it.
Along the way stupid jokes are told, the plot is ignored or twisted in the name of a joke and the entire cast winks at the audience repeatedly as if to say that even they can't believe the silly things they are doing in the name of fun.When this movie opened it was crucified by critics across the country as an unfunny vanity project.
Hudson Hawk is actually a wonderful little movie with a reputation is simply doesn't deserve.By the time July of 1991 rolled around the movie was getting its UK premier and the ad campaign had changed to play up the comedy and adventure more than the action.
As you can tell, I've been a fan of Hudson Hawk since I was a kid.Bruce Willis is Eddie Hawkins, the world's greatest cat-burglar, who is determined to go straight after a long stretch in prison.
Yes, Bruce Willis created Hudson Hawk himself.The movie is far from perfect though, even the biggest Hudson Hawk fans know that.
I do believe that kids and family audiences were the people that Hudson Hawk should have been sold to and the R-rating harmed the films appeal a lot.McDowell aside, the cast are all either wonderfully over-the-top or strangely quirky.
Some of my favorite lines from any movie are in this film."How long (were in you prison)?" "Let's just say I never saw E.T."Some of the references are very early-mid 90s, as to be expected.
It's not like Bruce Willis is doing any incredible movie these days...And if you haven't seen this because somebody told you it was a bad movie, open your mind and go watch it now!
Bruce Willis is Eddie "Hudson Hawk" Hawkins, a cat burglar intent on retiring but who is forced to steal Da Vinci works of art for a (gasp!) world domination plot.
Along for the ride are Tommy Five-Tone (Danny Aiello), mysterious nun Anna Baragli (Andie MacDowell) and conniving bad guy George Kaplan (recognize that name?) played by the late James Coburn.The plot sounds like it could have made for a good DIE HARD-style caper, but director Michael Lehmann had other ideas.
The whole world likes Willis's acting, action and the characters he portrays.Although this movie was recently rated among the 10 worst movies of all time at MSN, I found it quite refreshing, interestingly funny and downright campy.
We all know this was supposed to be a franchise, so you might as well cash in on this ridiculous Da Vinci Code craze and get on with "Hudson Hawk 2: Burgle Me These." The way I see it Hudson and Tommy, thinking they were free finally from the life of the singing cat burglars are forced back into action by a black ops government agency.
Bruce worked on this for a very long time.If you check out Willis' acting stuff, it is a particular style, very much like Mel Gibson's.
Bruce Willis is in cute smile / sarcastic wisecrack mode - more like his 'Moonlighting' days as opposed to his current action hero motif - he gets to deal with psychotic billionaires, the "MTV-IA", (somewhat) organized crime, and attractive nun from the Vatican.
I think most people that watch this movie go in having heard how amazingly bad it is and are just unable to believe it.
Bruce Willis gives one of his worst performances as Eddie Hawkins/Hudson Hawk, likewise Danny Aiello is not up to his usual standard as Tommy Hawks best mate, Andie MacDowell is very blah as Anna, Hawks love interest.
One thing I did like was a running joke in the movie that has Hudson and his partner Tommy (Aiello) singing songs concurrently but separately, to time and synchronize their exploits.
While I understand the filmmakers probably wanted to make a movie which was a kind of comedy-caper, much like similar films of the 1960's, they made so many over-the-top efforts to "to be funny" that "Hawk" is nearly unwatchable in some scenes.Usually heist films and other similar fair where the baddies are essentially the main characters have a lot of comedy which can evolve out of the situations rather than being forced.
This film was listed as number nine; a travesty.While true that the film did not make as much money as was spent, that seems to be a fluke combination of expensive sets, and just plain old bad timing in that the public wasn't in the mood for this movie at this time.The entire feel of the movie is very akin to the Fifth Element, also starring Bruce Willis.
Hudson Hawk is pun filled, featuring a plot starring the CIA, the Vatican (yeah, the Catholic Church is a main player), a common thief (Bruce Willis), and maniacal rich people (Sandra Bernhard in one of her few watchable moments).
Well, as time and Willis would have it, this movie that did much better over seas than in America, was still a fun romp into Bruce's creative head.
Grant does a great job of chewing up the scenery as the over the top bad guy, I even liked the "Swingin' On A Star" duet between Bruce and Danny.
Bruce Willis plays the title character (whose name comes from a song Willis was working on -- indeed the whole movie grew out of it; you hear it in the ending credits) with the same dry slapstick style he perfected on "Moonlighting".
"Hudson Hawk" takes the prize as the worst, most confused, ridiculous, unfunny, just plain stupid comedy adventure I have ever seen.
The plot, not that there really is one, is utterly ridiculous and totally unbelievable.The entire cast, which included Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, James Coburn and Andie McDowell, are all unimpressive, and even the action sequences manage to come off confused and unsure of themselves.I wonder if Michael Lehmann, so impressive as director of "Heathers", was ever in control of this mess?Saturday, June 22, 1991 - Knox District Centre.
You should do because Hudson Hawk is a dreadful, product placement veichle for Bruce Willis to mug the camera and do over the top things.It's a vanity project, and it's a shining example of what happens when people with power just don't give a rat's ass.
Hudson Hawk is the kind of movie made by stuck up, overpaid, clueless bastards with money to burn.Eddie Hawkins (Willis) is the Hudson Hawk, the greatest cat-burglar who ever lived and he has been blackmailed by the CIA and an OTT camp villain couple called The Mayflowers (Richard E.
STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits Freshly released from jail, cat burglar Eddie 'Hudson Hawk' (Bruce Willis) is approached by two crime brothers to pull off another caper.
But this turns out to be just the beginning of a crazy plot involving an eccentric couple (Richard E Grant and Sandra Bernhard), his best friend (Danny Aiello) and a curator (Andie McDowell) with a, er, holier real profession...In 1988, Willis had appeared in Die Hard, the unforgettable action classic that pretty much re-defined the genre and pretty much cemented him as a bona fide Hollywood star.
This film is so satisfied with itself, but it never lets the audience see something just remotely close to reality so that the absurdity can find a foothold.I knew of this movie just by reputation - it was a bomb so notorious in its time it almost (just almost) made the previous year's Bonfire of the Vanities (also, coincidentally, with Bruce Willis) not seem so bad.
Sure, you have a super-star like Bruce Willis (and other names like Danny Aiello and Andie McDowell and, uh, Richard E Grant and Sandra Bernhard and James Coburn, people who may not have cost much but they're there I guess).
But here, it's completely artificial.It's not that artificial can always be a death knell; filmmakers for decades have used a sort of heightened, stylized form of dialog for characters to be kind of cool and interesting - watch the Ocean's 11 movies and you see it done with actual style and sincerity, since a) it's actually funny lines being delivered, and b) the filmmakers know to give a few minutes to let the characters be sort of real people.
Here, from right after a prologue showing the DaVinci whatever thing, when Hudson Hawk is leaving prison onward, it's an onslaught of snappy dialog that doesn't snap, and things like, oh, musical numbers (?!) set as Willis and Aiello pull off a cat burglary/heist and it's so, so bad.This comes down to just being cartoonish; I almost wish it had been a cartoon, even an episode of f***ing Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers, whatever, and at least there could be some context for some of the things that happens with the supporting characters.
This is a movie where the writers and director think they've got a smash comedy on their hands - jokes about Nintendo and Cappuccino drinks abound, for example, and about stuff like the Vatican but it's so safe, even as it's an R-rated movie - but no arbiter of good taste seemed to be on the set while every actor made themselves into jerks.
Sometimes for things to be funny, you have to play it STRAIGHT, to not make it like you're in on the joke, and that is the central problem with this movie.There's actually one almost decent sequence, where Willis has to steal a sacred notebook from a Roman museum, and here there is very little dialog (there's no show-tune, thank god), and how Hawk goes about stealing this item and getting away shows a few good ideas that the filmmakers had.
Maybe this movie was not supposed to be high art but some of the jokes fall flat on their face, especially regarding David Caruso's non-speaking part as Kit-Kat.Andie McDowell does a fairly good job at keeping a straight face through all this but remember, this is definitely not a chick-flick and it is quite possible she would rather forget the whole experience.
My kind of chocolate pie.I like Bruce Willis in comedy and his acting works well with Andy and Danny's I think.
As my name applyes, i´m a great fan of Bruce Willis, which only make the movie better.
The music sequence of "Would You Like To Wish On A Star", sung by dangerous duo Willis and Aiello was admittedly and undoubtedly the best thing about this misfire of a movie, left in the hands of a trio of writers, one of them being Steven De Souza, where we would expect more from the guy.
Well, when I began to watch this movie, I knew it was a comedy and I thought I'll have a good (if not great) time.
It's just that this is too much : lots of money and a good cast spoiled !With Willis, I would much rather see the "die hard" movies over and over..., and that's just what I suggest you to do !.
Many things have been said and written about Hudson Hawk, but one thing that many people can agree on is the fact that the movie has a great soundtrack.
The scene is great because you learn two things 1) Stealing priceless art is easy and fun and 2) Bruce Willis can actually sing.Regarding the non-musical scenes, one might find themselves wondering "What the hell is going on?".
I got the feeling that the makers were taking the business of making something light hearted really really seriously.The jokes are so cheap ("There are 640 Wongs in the phone book!" "That's a lot of Wong numbers!") that it's hard to raise a smile at the script, but some of the set scenes, like the theft of the horse statue that starts it all, are actually really nice ideas.Presumably if Willis hadn't been behind it, it wouldn't have had a chance of getting great actors like Richard E Grant involved, or even of being made.
This comes from believing the critics and the (long dead) negative hype for this movie-- even after seeing most of it, and liking it, I still never bothered to rent the thing or watch it from start to finish.
Once we meet Bruce Willis's present-day Hudson Hawk, he jumps into his repertoire with buddy Danny Aiello so quickly, it's a jarring change in pace that takes the viewer several minutes to adjust.
Grant and Sandra Bernard make super-annoying megalomaniacs, James Coburn gives the other bad guys the necessary gravitas, and an evil butler has not a single funny line, but a great weapon of choice.I've always been on the fence about Andie McDowell, and this movie doesn't tip the scales either way.
I've often said that the worst movies in the world are comedies and Hudson Hawk helps to prove my point.
RELEASED IN 1991 and directed by Michael Lehmann, "Hudson Hawk" stars Bruce Willis as the titular expert cat burglar who has just been released from prison and intends on going straight, but he's blackmailed by the eccentric Mayflower couple (Richard E.
I love me some Bruce Willis as much as the next guy, but sometimes even he can't save a film from being terrible almost to the point of un-watch-ability.
Eddie 'Hudson Hawk' Hawkins (Bruce Willis) gets out of prison after 10 years.
Bruce Willis does a bit of comedy at times but this movie needs a real comedian as his sidekick.
Hudson Hawk is the most fun I've had watching a Bruce Willis movie.
Hudson Hawk is Bruce Willis' pet project in which he plays a world renown cat-burglar.
Hudson Hawk is a very clever spoof movie containing action, adventure, romance, humor, wit, friendship and a plot line that follows through.
Both James Coburn and Danny Aiello play wonderful supporting actors, and who doesn't love Bruce Willis and Andie MacDowell!
Bruce Willis again showed me that he doesn't take himself too seriously, and Richard Grant and Sandra Bernhard are perfect as the cartoon-like villains.
I thoroughly enjoyed it when I rented it way back then, and again even now in 2005.The movie laughs at other movies, itself, the actors seem to have a great time during the movie, and the chemistry between all the characters seems genuine and good.Enjoy the fun, and don't think too hard about it..
Don't ask me why people don't mind taking trash like that with a grain of salt, but feel the need to bash the hell out of a movie like "Hudson Hawk." I mean, how can you possibly hate a film where there's a chase between an ambulance and a gurney on the Brooklyn Bridge?
But to those of you who trash this film at every opportunity, I challenge you NOT to watch at least five minutes of it when it airs on Comedy Central on a random Saturday afternoon.Hudson Hawk may have come up on Premiere's Top 50 Hollywood Disasters of All Time, but you have to give it points for great casting, some memorable action sequences, a scene-stealing Andrew Bryniarski as the bumbling CIA meathead Butterfinger, as well as some admirable risk taking in the Willis/Aiello musical numbers.
Bruce Willis is hilarious as Eddie "Hudson Hawk" Hawkins and Danny Aiello as his partner Tommy Five-Tone was the perfect counterpart.
Willis and Aiello created characters that will last a lifetime in the hearts of everyone with a sense for adventure and a need to fill their lives with laughter.Eddie "Hudson hawk" Hawkins is the worlds greatest cat burglar.
What I notice about this film is that a lot of people expect this to be a true action movie, probably because of the other action movies Bruce Willis has made.
I had actually seen this movie in the theater, and expected to see a typical Bruce Willis action film.
Grant) and some clever gimmicks.Personally, it's always nice to see Bruce Willis having fun when making a movie.
When I first saw this back when it came out I thought it was pretty bad, having grown up watching "Die-Hard" Willis films, it wasn't what I expected.
I sort of fits in its own little category.Its one of the few times that Bruce Willis is funny and I love Sandra Burnheart(which is big considering I don't care much for her.) Its also weird how funny David Caruso as Kit Kat, colorful mime.If you want to sit down and watch a movie you don't take seriously(I mean it, do not try to think at all)then Hudson Hawk is perfect for you to watch..
If you feel that a movie should "make a statement" or, for that matter, have a point, you won't think much of Hudson Hawk.
HUDSON HAWK is a film people either love or they hate.
I personally greatly enjoy this movie, but the case can be made, if you look at HUDSON HAWK in a certain light, that it is a terrible waste of time and money.
Best Bruce Willis movie ever.
Hudson Hawk is the best Bruce Willis movie I have ever seen.
This film is not the best of Bruce Willis' career, but it's not as bad as everyone says.
This movie is funny, try watching Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello together, they look like they are having a blast filming this.A good comedic effort, and deserves better than it gets..
Bruce Willis has great comic timing and became a star in comedy long before he did action movies.
Totally crazy, lots of humor, absolutly not realistic and I think that both Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello are good comic actors. |
tt1212419 | Hereafter | On assignment in Thailand, French television journalist Marie Lelay (Cécile de France) is shopping for souvenirs for her lover Didier (Thierry Neuvic)'s children. She finds a stand where a mother and her daughter work; they sell gifts to Marie for a dollar. Didier looks over the balcony and witnesses the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami coming into shore. It hits as Marie watches from a distance. She grabs hold of the girl and runs away from the shore but is quickly swallowed by the wave. Pulled lifeless from the water, she is resuscitated by rescuers but is left for dead. She gasps back to life after having a near-death experience in which she sees a vision of human figures inhabiting a realm of light, among them the silhouettes of the mother and daughter holding hands. Marie and Didier are soon reunited as the disaster subsides and they return to Paris. Marie's experience, however, interferes with her work performance to the point that Didier (who is also her producer) sends her on a leave of absence to write the book they've discussed, which would add to her prestige.
The story then turns to San Francisco where former professional psychic George Lonegan (Matt Damon) is persuaded against his wishes to perform a reading for Christos (Richard Kind), a wealthy client of his brother Billy (Jay Mohr). A genuine medium with a gift for communicating with the dead, George abandoned his old career because he was unable to deal with the emotional impact of the reunions and the often disturbingly intimate family secrets revealed. While doing the reading, George hears the word June and asks if a date in June means anything to him. Christos at first denies that it means anything, but privately reveals to Billy that June was the name of his late wife's nurse, whom he was in love with for ten years.
From there, 12-year-old London twins Jason and Marcus (Frankie and George McLaren) try desperately to prevent their alcoholic, heroin-addicted mother, Jackie (Lyndsey Marshal), from losing them to social services. After evading the authorities yet again, the boys' mother sends Jason to the chemist (pharmacist) to pick up her detox prescription, having finally decided to get clean. On the way home, Jason is attacked by street thugs, and while trying to escape, he is hit by a van and killed. No longer able to protect his mother, and barely able to cope with life without the brother he idolizes, Marcus is sent to a foster home.
Now writing a book and with more time to contemplate her near-death experience, Marie travels to Switzerland to meet a renowned specialist in the field. As the director of a hospice who has seen her share of dying patients, the doctor describes herself as a former skeptic who was convinced by the evidence that the afterlife exists and that people like Marie have had a genuine view of it. She persuades Marie to write a book on her experience in the hope that the scientific community will ultimately accept the reality of life beyond death.
Desperate for one last reunion with his twin brother, Marcus steals money from his foster parents (Niamh Cusack and George Costigan) and goes around London seeking someone to help him contact Jason. He encounters only frauds and pretenders. While he is trying to board the underground at Charing Cross, Jason's cap, which has become a talisman for Marcus, blows off his head. Delayed by trying to find the cap, he misses his train and sees it explode in the tunnel during the 2005 London Bombings.
George enrolls in a cooking class taught by one of San Francisco's leading chefs. Its students are paired-up, resulting in George being partnered with a young woman named Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard). The two soon hit it off and after attending their second class decide to put their new culinary skills to use by preparing an Italian dinner at George's place. All goes well until they hear an ill-timed phone message from his brother, which inclines George to reveal his past as a psychic to Melanie. Curious, she presses George to do a reading for her. George explains his reluctance, but acquiesces. They contact the spirit of Melanie's father, who ends the session by asking her forgiveness for what he did to her as a child. Melanie flees George's home in tears, and she doesn't return to the cooking class.
Having been in talks with a publisher before her trip to Thailand about a biography of François Mitterrand, Marie now stuns them with her new manuscript entitled "Hereafter: A Conspiracy of Silence". The publisher (Jean-Yves Berteloot) rejects the manuscript but soon steers her toward other publishers who might be interested, the most promising of them in London.
Marie learns from Didier that he does not intend on having her back at the job he urged her to take leave of, because her public interest in the hereafter damages her reputation as a serious journalist, and that he is having an affair with the woman who replaced her on the TV news program.
George is laid off from his factory job, and is persuaded by Billy to revive his psychic practice. Still heartbroken over the fiasco with Melanie, he changes his mind and impulsively leaves San Francisco to make a new start elsewhere. He travels to London and listens every night to audiobook readings by Derek Jacobi of Charles Dickens' works. As a Dickens devotee, he also visits the Dickens Museum and attends a live reading of Dickens at the London Book Fair. There, one of the presenters is Marie, reading her now published book, Hereafter. While handing a signed copy of her book to George, their hands touch and George has a psychic flash of Marie's tsunami drowning.
Marcus and his foster parents are also at the London Book Fair. Asking leave of them, Marcus spots George, someone he has read about and seen online. Marcus attempts to speak with the medium, who brushes him off and returns to his hotel. Marcus follows him, standing outside the hotel until nightfall. Eventually George asks him in and agrees to do his reading.
Through George, Jason tells Marcus that he is happy in the afterlife. He instructs Marcus to stop wearing his cap and says it was he who knocked it off his head at the train station. It was used, he says, to keep Marcus from the doomed train but now he must stand on his own. Jason tells him not to fear this "because we are one". As Marcus leaves George, he says he is sorry about "the French woman" as he could tell that "you like her." The last time we see Marcus, he is visiting his mother in a rehab center. She is visibly better and he is not wearing Jason's cap.
Marcus lets George know where Marie is staying. George leaves an anonymous note for Marie, saying he believes her book to be true. She decides to join the anonymous fan for lunch and discovers George. While she is looking for him, George sees a vision of them kissing at the same meeting. Their shared glimpses of the hereafter having made them appreciate this life all the more, George and Marie walk away hand-in-hand. | paranormal | train | wikipedia | Moments arrive and disappear and the the people shift, move, appear and disappear.I think most of us need some kind of assurance that it all goes on forever, that our open windows aren't just blacked over and sealed at death.Clint Eastwood has made a quiet, reflective, thoughtful film on this condition, this need for forever.
I can see this film being a source of frustration for some viewers eager for a traditional conflict and resolution or character arc, but those things aren't really Eastwood's priority.The movie doesn't have much of a "point", other than how death is such an important part of all of our lives, even as it's also probably the most mysterious.
It sounds like Eastwood is employing the dreaded preference of "things" to "people," but in reality this is a perfect melding of characters to their environment.None of this is the kind of post-Elia Kazan acting our country is used to, but each of the actors do a remarkable job in communicating in this way.
Near-death experience, blessing or woe, cinematically described in the Peter Morgan scripted, Clint Eastwood directed enjoyable 3-fold poignant story.
There are vignettes depicting different social strata of life situations: rich and famous in the French television media and European publishing world as we follow a career-driven female journalist; quietly solo 'blue-collar worker' shying away from exposure of his 'possessed gift' in San Francisco; struggling addict, London single mom dealing with custody of her boys and the lone twin attachment to his lost brother.
Morgan skillfully scripted three intersecting story lines inclusive of contemporary social elements and events: natural disaster, bomb attack, fatal accident, culinary classes, corporate meetings, company layoffs, foster care, book fair.As in most of Eastwood directed films, there's never hurriedness or push for emphasis of themes.
I appreciate the palpable energy and loving care contributed to the accompanying music as the scenes reveal and the stories evolve - the guitar strains and the piano rhythm so aptly integrated to the movie experience.Along with screenwriter Peter Morgan, Steven Spielberg is one of the executive producers and it was said that he actually introduced the original draft to Eastwood, who promptly bought the rights to the book 'Hereafter.' There's an insightful article titled "Eastwood Breaks Another Mold" (by C.
Based on the trailers, I had a feeling it could be a bad film but nonetheless with both Matt Damon and Clint Eastwood behind it, I decided to give it a try.
Unfortunately, director Clint Eastwood, who I admire tremendously, lays an egg with "Hereafter", and produces a film that you can snore your way through.The thin plot centers around three characters and their stories: a French female reporter who has a near death experience; A twin who loses his twin to death; and a lonely factory worker who has a unique psychic ability to communicate with the dead, but is afraid to use it.All three stories unwind very, very slowly and then merge at the end.
All characters seem to resolve their personal dilemmas by the picture's end, but the audience is still left with an empty feeling of loss at having wasted almost two hours watching this boring charade of a movie.Like so many movies today, including "The American" this movie is truly a disappointment, given the hype in the trailers..
As much as I loved that great picture, it'll have to settle for second-place on my top five of the year list, right behind Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter." From the same man who first started acting in pictures and later directing them ("The Outlaw Josey Wales," "Unforgiven," "Million Dollar Baby," "Gran Torino," "Changeling", amongst others) comes a film that is as great as anything he had done yet.
It's one of the more touching and beautiful movies of recent years.I don't want to give too much of the surprise away, but I will tell you that is about three people, all of whom are seeking out answers concerning life and death...and the hereafter.
Is natural for people to be curious about death and this movie explores it gently.I liked very much watching George (Matt Damon) and Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard) together.
I never thought I'd hear Clint Eastwood and supernatural in the same sentence, but it has to be good for Clint Eastwood to be on board.The film is focused on three different people, first is a french talk show host(Cecile DeFrance) who while on vacationing in Mexico, has a near death experience while encountering a disaster, when she gets back, she wants to tell about her experience, but her producer/boyfriend, says that would not be a good idea.And a man(Matt Damon), who has the ability to talk in the afterlife, wants to leave that life behind, and lead a normal life, but his past never seems to leave him alone.
There is also a French woman who has a near death experience and a troubled British boy grieving over the loss of a loved one.I am not a firm believer in a hereafter life or psychic abilities, and what is great about this movie is that it addresses these issues in an intelligent way without asking the audience to debate their existence.
There is also a French woman who has a near death experience and a troubled British boy grieving over the loss of a loved one.I am not a firm believer in a hereafter life or psychic abilities, and what is great about this movie is that it addresses these issues in an intelligent way without asking the audience to debate their existence.
I know this movie won't be for everyone but this performance is one of the greats, a real tour de force of subtlety.Lastly, the writing, the story is something not seen often enough these days, a thoughtful movie about a complex and emotive subject that doesn't treat the audience like idiots.
At one time this was the purview of organized religion, but over the past century they've lost their monopoly.Hereafter concerns three people, American psychic Matt Damon, French journalist Cecile De France, and British adolescent Frank/George McLaren who are twins and play the same role.
I know that feeling too, a lot of it is losing someone and never having had a chance to say goodbye to them.Though Hereafter got an Oscar for visual effects both for the tsunami and later for a London Subway bombing, Clint Eastwood gets some good performances out of his human cast members as well.
Its hard to remember that great directors are the most versatile ones and Clint Eastwood simply proves this by making a sad, Babel-esquire movie about trauma and death.Hereafter follows three stories about death.
Morgan and Eastwood's ideas on death may not be for everybody, especially because the movie never deals with religion, but nevertheless, it is still an unusual and enthralling story.The acting from most of the main cast is very good as well.
Although the may just be children and one cannot expect much from child actors, there have been much more believable and better child performances.Clint Eastwood has made a good movie with Hereafter.
From a tour de force opening tsunami scene to a somewhat odd and disappointing, but quiet end, Hereafter is a unique movie from a person that one may not expect to make this kind of film.Note: My rating would be a 7.5/10 (or 3/4) if I could give it half-stars..
i'm sure i'm not the only one who wondered "where is this movie going!?" throughout the entirety of the film, only to be let down once you finally see the dull ending.i'm baffled as to how this worthless flick got a 7.6/10 rating on IMDb. and i'm as big of an eastwood fan as any.
For most of the film there seemed to be 3 almost totally separate plots -- the young French reporter in the tsunami (great special effects, BTW), the young British twin, and the American psychic (Matt Damon).
And the only reasonable sense is that whatever one may think, what urges to believe in something after death is the love for the dear ones who are no longer with us.The simplicity and the tact of perspective are clearly reflected by the form of the movie, marked as it is by a very simple but always successful narrative style, three stories which develop in a parallel way, until they meet in the end, satisfying also a viewer who often wants things to get together.
I respect the career which was forged by actor/director/producer/musician Clint Eastwood very much, from his humble origins as an actor in exploitation movies (let's accept it, the "spaghetti westerns" he was involved in are revered today, but in their moment, they were cheap Italian copies of a popular North American genre; and the films in which he interpreted the character Harry "Make My Day" Callahan belonged to the revenge cinema which was hugely popular in drive-ins and "grindhouses" during the '70s), to being an acclaimed director who received abundant awards and nominations.
I had high expectations for this movie being a big fan of other films that Clint Eastwood has directed, but this one was such a let down.
The film works best with George's story, Matt Damon, flabbier than his Bourne days, playing the nervous, jaded psychic as everyday man with a problem.
I figured taking advantage of the fair being in town and an early (saturday) showing to beat crowds for what looked like was gonna be a good movie since Clint Eastwood directed, well, I left wanting to demand my money back!
The film follows the individual stories of 3 different people living in different countries - a factory worker in San Francisco who has some degree of psychic ability to connect with the dead (Matt Damon), a French television journalist who survives a near-death experience(Cecile de France), and a London boy living with his drug-addicted mother whose twin brother has died in a tragic accident (Frankie McLaren).
It's a character study of human grief in different parts of the world and how all people can relate to the difficulties and sadness surrounding this issue.One of the interesting ideas I thought about while watching this film is how various individuals and groups in the world try to profit economically or politically in some way off of people because of these unknown questions surrounding the idea of death.
As death and the dead strike them, Morgan writes with an emphasis on ambiguity as to whether their beliefs in the afterlife are a truth of the film's reality, or a combination of illnesses, dreams, hopes and hallucinations.Thus, it's a credit to the actors, mostly graceful cinematography and Eastwood's (whose own score goes a long way) choices that the moody tone casts such a spell and the characters elicit real empathy in their plights (though some of the supporting performances, notably and somewhat understandably given Eastwood's one-take directing style, the young twins, are stiff and don't hold up to the captivating Damon and De France).
Nice, if contrived, details by Morgan do offer some light diversions and help to fill out the film, e.g., the psychic's obsession with Dickens, a wink to a writer who often explored death, redemption and fate.And yet, over and over, just at the moment where viewers would expect to be floored, most necessarily when the characters at last converge in a cathartic ending, a not-quite-believable special effect is implemented, the dialogue doesn't come through, or the acting falters, and the audience is instead left, at best, touched, or at worst, ponderous.Which might partially be the point.
Eastwood deserves high points for his sensitive approach towards this tender, yet tragic human-drama.'Hereafter' Synopsis: A drama centered on three people -- a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy -- who are touched by death in different ways.'Hereafter' is emotionally rich & so are its primary characters.
I don't want to tell you more about it, just watch it respectfully, knowing that it is a creation from a very great mind, a well-known film director winner of several awards and that it's a movie about people looking for answers about afterlife experiences, the same as many of us..
Hereafter focuses on three people: a French newscaster who is caught in a tsunami and has a near death experience; a young boy whose twin brother dies; and a psychic who believes his ability is a curse, not a gift, and therefore resists it.Now, I believe we have lost the art of the story buildup -- nowadays a story has to get to the point in the first five minutes of the movie.
Matt Damon hands in his usual internalized performance, and it works well here; and Frankie/George MacLaren are wonderful and heartbreaking as the twins.This film could have been much more powerful; I thought it lost its way as it was getting to the point of the movie..
However, with Clint Eastwood on board as director and a very impressive, even scary opening scene you could be forgiven for thinking that this was a big Hollywood blockbuster, which is misleading and probably inspires many of the complaints made about the movie.Although the theme of death runs throughout Hereafter it is actually a film about life and how to live it.
After Jason dies tragically in a car accident, Marcus is thrown into a downward spiral of depression.The lives of these three people are brought together as the all encounter each other at the London Book Fair.(Peter) Morgan's (The Queen, Frost/Nixon, The Damned United)script, and director Clint Eastwood's directorial vision make this movie as good as it is.
Up to today I cannot shed my anger with the teachings of my childhood which tried to make me believe that there is a God who observes each of my moves, robbing me of all privacy and that angels are watching over me and protecting me.The first belief ruined much of my youth until I was able to ignore it and the second teaching left me deeply disappointed that there was never an angel, who showed up to save me from my own mistakes.So any person who is able to connect with dead people and any movie suggesting intervention from an "angel" is highly suspicious to me and though I thought that this movie dealt more with loss than with the supernatural, that one character (played by Matt Damon) spoiled it a little bit for me.
Probably the most under-appreciated movie of the year, Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter" is a very thoughtful film that demands our personal reflection.
There is a soft emotional undertone throughout the movie as we see the slow development of the plot, in Eastwood-like fashion.The movie inches along at a deliberate and meditative-like pace as we see the incremental development of the 3 main characters: George Lonegan (Matt Damon), cursed with the ability to communicate with the dead, a boy in England who encounters death in his own family, and a French woman who dies and comes back to life, with occasional glimpses into her death experience, which is an all-knowing all-sensing state.The highlights lie in the depth of the characters and not the special effects of the movie, although the visions/connections we see and the tsunami are certainly well done.
During a good portion of the movie I sat in contemplative silence not really caring what happened to the characters, as the slowly-building plot line seemed to almost lead to nowhere, almost wondering "is this it?" I was not overly impressed with the London boy's acting, or the French gal's for that matter - a few of the supporting characters seemed much more believable, take for instance Damon's love interest in his cooking class.Overall the tone of the film was somber and contemplative, thoughtful, and seemed to offer hope that we aren't alone and things always have a way of working out in the end.
What Dreams May Come or Flatliners, this film definitely isn't.The movie had a few nice moments (such as the visit of the different "psychics"), but overall it felt disjointed, and the 3-way structure made the stories less developed and compelling.
I had the greatest expectations with "Hereafter" for many reasons: first, of course, a Clint Eastwood film; second, with Cécile De France and Matt Damon; about an interesting theme; and last but not the least, the trailer with the tsunami scenes is impressive.
for a movie meant to feel real.Now, regarding George, the film makes us believe in an afterlife or at least an existing frontier between life and death, which is well rendered in the opening sequences (although one can interpret them as hallucinatory visions).
Hereafter is a film that I would have never thought would be directed by Eastwood, not because he's not interested in great stories, but because of the nature of the story itself.Hereafter is a three-way approach to death and focuses on how three different characters experience it.
Leave it to Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon to take a pretty weak premise and deliver the goods.There's not a lot done in this movie that we haven't seen before in countless other films.
When it comes to movies about death, I personally prefer films like Meet Joe Black, but I still don't think Hereafter was as bad as many people considered it to be.
Not that the other actors aren't good- Eastwood has always had a knack of coaxing the best out of his actors, and the tender performances of de France and the McLaren twins attest thoroughly to that.As expected of a film with the subject of death and the afterlife, "Hereafter" is likely to divide audiences, as it has done for critics.
The third act also felt very rushed as forced, trying to find a way to get all the characters together and the ending came out of nowhere.A strength of Eastwood's direction was the film was grounded and underplayed, making Hereafter seem like it does take in the real world. |
tt0120211 | Still Breathing | As the movie begins we see Fletcher (Brendan Fraser) who seems very interested in a collage. He even needs an espresso to get him on the right track.In Hollywood, California we meet Rosalyn (Joanna Going) who seems to have given up on two things that she once thought were life's truths, one was that there was a perfect man for every woman and the second was that true love equaled happiness. Now she has grown up and no longer believes these are truths, seems she has met too many that do not even come close. Love has never meant happiness for her.As she walks from her truck to meet friends she is acosta by a man, we aren't sure what he wants, but certainly does not ask nicely and Roz is not waiting around to find out. He grabs her as she is moving and she manages to get her mace out of her purse and sprays him with it. She seems to get him really good with it, and yet as she is running away, now he has a gun pointed at her. She looks terrified, when suddenly we are with Fletcher again and he seems to see what is happening as yells out, "No!" It is all happening at once, the gun, Roz, Fletcher, when suddenly a car hits the man with the gun and drives off. A typical Los Angeles hit-and-run incident, but this one may have stopped a shooting. The man is out cold, Fletcher is relieved. Roz kicks him to be sure he is not conscience, then she kicks him again for her trouble and then takes his wallet and takes his money. As she walks away she kicks his gun into the gutter grate. Roz was on her way to meet friends and decides the idiot with the gun should buy a round, while the bartender tends to that she makes an anonymous phone call to 911 to report the hit-and-run but hangs up before giving her name.Fletcher now relieved says, "I got her" and now seems to know exactly what hair, eyes, and face to paste together to accomplish his goal. That together with the word "Formosa" and he is hot on the trail of his dream.
When he looks up Formosa he finds it is in China, so he plans a trip there with a layover in Los Angeles. We find Fletcher playing a trumpet on the river with his Grandmother (Celeste Holm) playing a tuba, she interrupts to state, "you sound different, something's changed, what's her name?" Fletcher pronounces he doesn't believe in all that stuff. His Grandmother reminds him that his Grandfather found her on a full streetcar and knew she had a mole on her back and she was still wearing her coat!" They continue to play. Then back at the house when speaking with her Fletcher shows her some of the collages he has put together. He believes she is in Formosa, China and that she is chinese. We also learn Fletcher is a very good Marionette operator who entertains with a group. Now he must tell them that he is leaving for China to find his dream girl, and shows them the collages of her.These scenes have jumped back and forth from Fletcher putting his girl together, speaking to Grandma and his friends to Roz setting up her latest con and finally getting him to buy her an abstract painting which is a story onto itself.Our girl who has out grown dreams has become a con artist with a partner in crime, Elaine (Ann Magnuson) who seek out rich men to fleece. Roz has begun to have odd dreams, that she is a little girl first laying in ivy, then playing with a little boy on a river, she does not know the boy or the place she only knows the dream makes her feel peaceful.She has to finish up this foreign con and does so easily. She invites to dinner. When he arrives she announces she'd rather order in and watch a video, she's feeling under the weather. He is interested in cashing in on his painting "investment" with her. When he asks if there is anything he can do to make her feel better. She asks him to get her some aspirin, when he goes in search of it he finds himself in her bedroom where he tests the bed. Then he notices an oxygen tank, a bed pan, and several prescriptions and brochures like, "Facts about AIDS" and "Now What?" Needless to say the guy practically leaves skid marks getting out of there.Roz continues to have the dreams of the river, the little boy, and her as a little girl. In this latest dream she hurts her knee and it's bleeding so the little boy uses the bottom of his shirt to dab away the blood. When she awakes she looks at her knee almost as if she expects to see something there. Elaine has her next mark lined but has to hand him off to Roz. Trouble is she hasn't all the information on him, She knows the family gets its money from gas and oil, that the man is not old, that he is peculiar, and he is from Texas and she will meet him the next afternoon at the Formosa.Fletcher is at the L.A. airport waiting for his connecting flight to China when he sees a woman reading an entertainment book about Hollywood and sees a photograph of the famous "Formosa" bar. Finally fate has put the two together at the same place.Fletcher arrives first and the place is all but empty. He shows his collages to the bartender and asks if he has seen this woman. Of course pieces of different women mean nothing to him and shakes his head no. Then a man comes in who is expecting to meet a woman. Fletcher immediately recognizes the man's Texas accent and the two briefly talk, and they find out they are both there to meet women. The mark goes off to use the phone leaving only Fletcher in the bar when Roz enters. So it becomes easy for her to find who she thinks is her mark and for him to meet who he thinks is his dream.They leave the bar and end up walking near Roz's apartment. Fletcher tells her he is an artist who stacks rocks. She doesn't undertsand so he shows her by stacking rocks on her hand. He explains that she needs to look at it from different perspectives. Once the rock scene is over, a large dog in a parked car barks and scares Roz and she falls down and hurts her knee which is now bleeding, so Fletcher uses the bottom of his shirt to dab the blood away. When he does this Roz is visibly upset, this is much too close to her dream and it frightens her.She just really does not understand how this could happen. She needs to continue her con, but the dream stuff really shakes her up. Her logical mind knows it isn't possible for someone to set something like that up, but her con-game self believes he's playing her somehow. This makes her double her effort to outwit this rich Texas man. She even finds herself leaving the comfort of her usual game at this man to make sure she has the upper hand at all times. The thing she doesn't know is, she has one directive and he has a completely different one in mind. They both are planning a con, but very different ones with very different outcomes. She plans to con him out of a lot money and flee, he plans to introduce her to his life in Texas and hope she finds both him and Texas impossible to not only leave, but to marry.Her best efforts in L.A. are not met with what she expects. In fact she ends up in Texas with the eccentric rich man waiting for her next move. The next move is not hers, Fletcher is called upon to entertain a dying little girl. Roz tags along but eccentric is not quite defining Flletcher's actions. His odd house, the fact that he likes to sleep on a piano, and that she still can not seduce him frustrates and confuses her.Then she finds out a party is to be thrown and she is the star. Fletcher finally tells her that the men in his family have traditionally dreamed about their true love, and when they have dreamed enough to know where they are they go find them and marry them. His Father found his Mother who was engaged to another man yet still won her.Roz begins to meet Fletcher's friends who have all seen the collage from before and can't believe what they are seeing. Fletcher dreamed of a woman, cut and pasted different parts of illustrations, drawings, and photos to get a good visualization of his love and found her.At the party all everyone can do is stare at her in amusement. Then Fletcher's Grandmother comes and recognizes her immediately and explains she knows exactly how she feels. Afterall, she has been through this herself and knows how uneasy the whole thing can make you feel. She then takes her in the house and shows her family memories and treasures. At the party she finds out that Fletcher is not an eccentric rich man, he is a kind man with a good life and good friends and family, things that she can't or wouldn't steal. She now doesn't feel good enough, and wants to leave.She leaves and resumes her life with Elaine, but while riding with the next mark, she sees unkindness and feels unfulfilled, she feels that no matter what dollar value goes with this man it isn't enough. She leaves him and goes back to Texas.The last scene is beautiful with Fletcher and Roz in tubes floating down a river, the one from her dreams and they are connected. It is a love story, but a very different one. enjoy.
Gremma, San Jose | romantic | train | imdb | Combining eccentricity with serendipity, Still Breathing is still, almost ten years after it was first released, one of the best fate-filled and wistfully magical love stories of all time.
Take one somewhat unusual street performer who is mystically drawn towards his soul mate - a hardened con artist miles away, and then back their journey towards, away and towards one another with a gorgeous soundtrack that moves effortlessly from Chopin to Carly Simon, and you've got one very touching if not markedly unique story.
The lovely locale of San Antonio, TX also adds to the charm of this special film that will leave you wondering if one soul is truly destined to be, exclusively, with another..
Brendan Frasier and Joanna Going have much more going for them then the typical fluff of Hollywood types and this movie displays their depth well.
It's the best modern movie about "true love" I've seen.
Like most people who discovered STILL BREATHING - written, directed, and produced by James F.
The beginning sequence just kept me curious and wanting to know more, what's going to happen to the two main characters and so on.
At the time, I just saw Brendan Fraser in "Blast From the Past" opposite Alicia Silverstone, and appreciated Joanna Going's role in another small gem, "Eden" (1997, written and directed by Howard Goldberg), as a wife-teacher-mother who has Multiple Sclerosis.
STILL BREATHING has magic, and it's so relaxingly delightful!You might say it's quirky, or want to dismiss it as mere fantasy romance.
The pairing of Brendan Fraser (as Fletcher, the goofy but smart, always a sincere aura about him) and Joanna Going (as the aloof, vulnerable and hesitating Ros) is a godsend unlikely possible couple.
It all seems so downright natural - even thought we know we're in a fantasy Hollywood movie.
Joanna Going's Ros seems perfect opposite Fraser's Fletcher.
(I'm repeating myself.) The supporting cast proves to be just as delightful: Celeste Holm as Fletcher's grandmother Ida who has versatile talents; Lou Rawls is the Tree Man who plays music; Ann Magnuson is Ros' social pal Elaine; Michael McKean is a momentarily rich business man.
Still Breathing is a cute, feel good movie for all romantics out there.
Brendan Fraser is terrific as Fletcher, and Joanna Going is splendid as Roz.
I enjoyed this movie very much and hope that, without becoming repetitive, there will be more like it..
I saw this at it's premiere in Austin at SXSW a few years ago--Joanna Going sat two seats over from me in the balcony at the Paramount on Congress Avenue in Austin--and the audience loved it.
The producer, a tall blonde BABE in a very lovely dress, gave me a CD of the soundtrack as I was leaving; I told her I thought the film was great and that I hoped she'd make a lot of money off it.
I can't remember how I came across this unheard-of movie a few years ago, but I am a fan of Brendan Fraser and so I settled back to watch it.
I'd never heard one little thing about this movie before, and I was so pleasantly surprised with the whole experience.
"Beautiful" and "Magical" are the only two words coming to mind to describe this movie.
Ladies...I guarantee that after this movie, your night will be filled with pleasant and slightly naughty dreams....especially the wife beater, personal serenity device...and OHMYGOD....the slide show scene.
I absolutely LOVED this movie.
Joanna Going's character, Roz, is a con artist but instead of disliking her you feel sympathy for her.
The music weaves throughout the film and makes you feel good..
Truly a 'feel good' movie to cheer you up.
Finally, a movie with a great ending!
Joanna Going and Brendan Fraiser are great together.
If only men do find their true love this way it would make a great reality-TV series.
If you get an opportunity to watch this movie, it is indeed, a true treasure of a film.
With "Still Breathing", Robinson takes a risky but brave approach to romantic comedy/light-drama with a dreamy concoction of unlikely bedfellows, quirky characters, implausibilities, capriciousness, paranormal events, art, and romance.
Fraser plays a Texas street performer who seeks out the girl of his dreams (literally) in Los Angeles, a hard-hearted and cynical scam-artist (Going).
The casting was really good in this movie.
This little film makes a simple statement about the much touted "family values" that Conservatives love to invoke.
However, what makes it work are solid performances by Fraser and Going.
Too, Going has a delicate beauty and solid talent, which she showed off to great display in the TV miniseries NetForce in contrast to Scott Bakula's hamboning.
The logic of the true love is braking the walls between the standard way of living and the wish for filling a peace of the soul, if there is something in the world that can be worth, is to find it.
This is hands down the best performance from Brendan Fraser EVER.
He makes his "odd" character likable and charming, which was a big surprise...he's usually way too over the top for me.
The movie has some slow moments (like most of the scenes involving Joanna Going's character and a Spanish dude, and some other girl who always shows her cleavage) but other than that the flick flows nicely.
It's pretty low budget, but the score really makes you feel like you're watching a bigger movie - the score helps many moments in the film.
The best thing about the movie is how it handles love and romance, which is done in a very subtle, methodical fashion that makes you really understand and associate with the characters.
I love this movie and have been hoping it would come out on DVD.
It blows me away when I see true losers on DVD, but then have such a great movie neglected.
The first time I saw the movie, it was playing on HBO, I think I watched every showing of it until they quit playing it.
It is totally a feel good movie.
I am a huge Brendan Fraser fan, there have only been a couple movies he's done that I really think stink.
I highly recommend seeing this film, although one might consider it a chick flick, my husband really likes it too..
Joanna Going was wonderful as a cynic vexed by love.
The last few romantic movies I have been to had sound tracks that were obtrusive.
Brendan Fraser's heart is as warm as the San Antonio sun in this movie, and he shows us all just how beautiful life - and love - can be.
sometimes you just have to love pay-tv for letting you see movies that you would otherwise never see in theaters or on video.
I was just flipping by when I saw Joanna Going (who is really a babe on top of being a good actress) and Brendan Fraser necking in her living room, and I was hooked.Maybe I'm just a mushy romantic, geek but I liked both the story and the acting.
The harshness of LA and the humid, languid beauty of Texas fitted the mood of the film greatly.Did I mention that Joanna Going (who I first saw in Wyatt Earp) is a great actress and a babe as well?.
I don't recall this film being released in movie theaters.
I decided to rent it because I am a big Brendan Fraser fan and figured it must be a direct-to-video lightweight romantic comedy giving me the opportunity to gaze upon the gorgeous Mr. Fraser.
But this movie made a big impression on me.I think the film has all of the elements to become a cult classic, in the same way "Harold and Maude" did in the 1970s and "Somewhere in Time" did in the 1980s.
But when I saw how completely he believed in his one true love--hopping a plane to Taiwan, no questions asked--I wanted to see more.One of the things I liked so much about the movie was that I did not feel manipulated.
Like Roz, most of the moviegoing public are cynics and would fight tooth and nail before letting go and enjoying the ride.There are images that stay with you from the movie.
The film allows the protagonist (Going)and the audience to discover the truth at the same time.
Fraser is solid as is Going and the solid cast.
I love this movie.
I love Joanna Going.Perhaps I see this differently because I know so many Texan artists (yes, even ones who build monuments), and I see a purity to their art which Brendan Fraser's character touches with accuracy and sensitivity.
Art is a passion which glows in both Fraser and Going, in radically different ways, grounded as they are in San Antonio and LA.Each time I see the movie, I catch a new nuance.
And the final phrase of her last voiceover, which puts her choices into perspective.The ivy.The impromptu performance art of the slide projector and Going's body shows the depth of both characters, as well as being one of the most sensual non-nude scenes I've seen.The style and feel of San Antonio is perfect.
another reason I think I disagree with the critics; the seduction _would_ be slow, and more lasting.This is a laid-back, slow moving movie, with a magic between two unrelenting opposites of great character, played by two very sensitive actors, unusual enough to be several rungs above a typical romantic comedy..
Even though Joanna Going plays a gold digging artist, she acts like a lady.
Have you ever dreamed of your true love?.
With the increase of romantic comedies revolving around sex, this is romantic on a new level.This movie brings to life the fantasy of uniting with the one person who is supposed to be with you.
Although Brendan Fraser plays an especially eccentric character, you really begin to enjoy him as the movie continues as does Ros (played by Joanna Going).
Joanna is an eyeful and Brendan is at his best.
Thats the best way to describe the movie.
Maybe things like this happen in real life and if they do, I want it to happen to me.
Fraser once again give a great performance, Ms. Going is beautiful and just as talented as she is beautiful.
The movie might not have worked so well as it did, if it were not for the chemistry they two of them shared in this film.
I really don't believe much in love, but the movie makes me almost think that there might be a thing called love.
If it comes on cable and your home watch the movie, or go rent it.
It will be the best decision you've made when it comes to trying to figure out what to watch on a Tuesday or Thursday night....DID I MENTION THAT I LOVED THIS MOVIE..
It's been a long time since I've seen a romantic movie I loved as well as this one.
'Still Breathing' was marred by tedious pacing, forced characters (I could have lived my whole life without seeing Brendan 'Encino Man' Fraser play with marionettes), and a story so threadbare it doesn't even wash as a fairy tale.
One senses that the plot got resolved when it did only because the director looked at his watch and realized how long the movie was getting.
Celeste Holme is stunning and perfectly cast.I just love this film..
The movie was ethereally beautiful.
Joanna Going is beautiful.
I'm glad this movie was done during Brendan Fraser's heyday!
Though it was underrated, it was actually a good romantic movie..
I'll watch this wonderful film anytime it comes up on Dish or cable.
It was captivating, yet low key; weird, yet very sane, even with the dreams.It was the first time I had ever seen Joanna Going - an exceptionally beautiful woman.
It has that feel.Brendan Fraser's character's stress on family and his relationship with his grandmother was something that is sorely lacking in films of today..
We have to keep dreaming that love is out there eh?Actors portrayed parts well and the movie works.One I'd watch again..
Do you believe in true love?.
Cynics and idiots have dismissed this movie as "unrealistic" or "a boring chick flick." Too bad.
They just don't get it.This is a romantic comedy in the old style, where a lovable eccentric dreams of his one true love and goes to seek her out.
We would all like to believe (at least I hope we would) in true love.The folks who dismiss this movie are like the heroine, Ros: cynical, hard edged and business like, with no room for dreams or fantasies in their cold cruel realistic worlds.
Brendan Fraser finds his voice as the eccentric and honest puppeteer and Joanna Going is impressive in one of her first lead roles.
This film is like a vacation, a breath of air if you will, from all of the special effects-packed blockbusters that fail in the area of plot and character development.
This is a movie for all those who like movies about love and life!
It's a real movie!It's beautiful, and looks great in my TV!Joanna Going looks amazing!
Brendan Fraser gives ones of his most superb performances in this off-balance romance about the power of love.
Fraser's character is almost saintly in his belief of everything right and good while his L.A. love interest provides an interesting counterpoint with her deviousness and jaded outlook.
This may just be my favorite Brendan Fraser movie!.
I liked a movie with Brendan Fraser.
I think so many people are going to miss this movie just because it had Brendan Frazer when he is one of the best reasons to so the movie.
This movie does not move very fast and it really is a character drama in the truest sense of the word but somehow all the things that make you wonder why?
after watching a bad movie make you think yes that was cool after seeing this one.
Everything works and the film is really beautiful and totally original, I think.
In all honesty this movie has helped turn me on to romantic drama just by itself.
I am not a big fan of either Brendan Fraser or of romance movies, but I was forced to watch this at a friend's house one evening, and it surprisingly good.
She thinks she'll never find real love, and so makes a living as a scam artist without a conscience, which is completely different from his very artistic, trusting soul.
Finally, a movie that deals with "true love" and not lust.
Brendan Fraser is splendid as a quirky, romantic, "knows what he wants" man..
Brendan Fraser and Joanna Going trust the script completely, they surrender to it.
It's also great to see veteran actress Celeste Holm infusing the film with her sparkle and intelligence.A real pleasant surprise, you just find yourself melting into its gentle rhythms and not wanting it to end..
Unfortunately I missed the beginning of this film, so I couldn't tell what was going on at first, but the girl, the gun, the dead guy and the black & white dream sequence caught my eye.
Although I've watched it at least six times on tape, I'm still kicking myself because I would have loved to experience watching this movie on the big screen.
To be engulfed by all that ivy..."Still Breathing" is the first film that I've seen where colour was used so well.
In the scenes where she's unsure of what may happen, particularly the one where she's with Fletcher (Brendan Fraser) and a scam partner at the Formosa, hours after she skins her knee, and in most of the ones set in San Antonio, she wears black.
Brendan Fraser was wonderful and cuddly and gentle and oh-so loving and delicious and handsome and so on and so forth.
Joanna Going's beauty is what dreams are made of.
Not only did they work so well with each other, Fraser and Going looked beautiful together.I read a newspaper review that said the story was sexist because it was all about Fletcher dreaming of his true love and finding her and bringing her back to Texas.
I particularly liked the sequence where Fletcher tells Roz to close her eyes because of the way Chopin's "Berceuse" sets the mood.I was left with such a peaceful and happy feeling when this movie came to an end, I cried.
There was just something about Roz's expressive eyes and about the way the music swells as she lies down in the ivy that moved me to tears.This is a love story like no other.I know for sure the ivy had something to do with it..
Engaging story and nice setting makes for a treat for Brendan Fraser fans.
Brendan Fraser and Joanna Going are missing something essential to any good love story: chemistry.
And I didn't see any evidence that Rosalyn loved Fletcher, let alone even liked him.
I'd say the worst part of this movie was when Brendan Fraser's character had these dreams of the girl he goes out with.
Passable film concerning a cynical woman who dreams of true love while fleecing hand picked lovers.
It was spoken by Rosalyn (Roz) Willoughby (Joanna Going), in this film: Paraphrasing it a bit (I am a straight guy): "There are two things I always wanted to believe in but didn't dare.
Roz is a very successful con artist who is on her way to a path of destruction (Either on her own, or by someone else) until she meets Fletcher McBracken (Brandan Fraser), who is her soul mate (He goes from San Antonio to LA, to try and save her (He has a gift passed down through generations which is through dreams, the ability to find their true love)).
One more thing: If she likes chocolate, do not forget the Godiva's for her while watching (Chocolate will pop up in the film, so spring them on her then). |
tt0037749 | The Great Flamarion | In a highly popular stage show sharp shooter Flamarion (Erich von Stroheim) keeps his audience enthralled with his keen abilities at target-shooting with a set of pistols in a high-profile display of talent. One of his assistants Connie Wallace (Mary Beth Hughes) dutifully plays the role of grateful actor as long as the money keeps coming in. The act is relatively secure except for Connies husband Al Wallace (Dan Duryea) who drinks a few too many some nights before going on stage. Connie and Al have a strained marriage partly from stress of show business but also because of Connies adulterous ways with other men, something that has eaten away at Als trust in her. Connie has tired of married life with Al and seduces the solitary and friendless Flamarion convincing him that he should make a mistake some night ridding her of Al so she and the great gun master can be together. After much soul searching Flamarion goes through with the plan eliminating Al, whereupon he and Connie make plans to meet and run away together. But Connie never shows up and Flamarion goes bankrupt on a drinking and gambling binge as he spends years searching the country for her, eventually finding and confronting her in a theater south of the border.THE GREAT FLAMARIONIn Mexico City in 1936 at a variety act theater, the show is interrupted by shots and screams during a clown act. The performers rush back stage, the crowd starts to panic and the clown Tony (Lester Allen) tries to convince the audience to keep their seats, as everything is under control. Meantime, a mysterious figure climbs a vertical ladder slowly, to the catwalk, as if wounded.The police arrives and start questioning, and find that a woman who was part of a bicycle act has been strangled. Her husband becomes the chief suspect and is taken away. Everyone has left except for Tony when the mysterious figure, badly wounded, slides onto the stage from above. Tony turns the man over, and recognizes him as The Great Flamarion (Erich von Stroheim), once the world's greatest sharp shooter. Flamarion begs Tony not to call for aid or police, but says he wants Tony to listen to why he killed the woman.From this point he film tells its story in flashback.Flamarion had a topdrawer variety act starring himself and his pistols. He used two assistants, former dancers Connie and Al Wallace (Mary Beth Hughes and Dan Duryea), a husband and wife. The act would begin with Connie and Al in evening dress canoodling at a table when Flamarion would knock. Al would hide, Connie would lift a glass of wine, and Flamarion, after entering in formal dress, would use his pistols to shatter the glass, light her match, shoot off a garter, use bullets to take off the tiny ornaments on her hair comb, and tear off the strap of her gown. Al would come out of hiding and weave back and forth among the light bulbs of a dressing table while Flamarion with split second timing would shoot out the bulbs, barely missing him at each shot.Flamarion himself was a stern, no-nonsense, arrogant, friendless, older man with a bull neck and a shaved head, bitter against women since his wife left him fifteen years earlier. Since then, Flamarion had lived only for his work. Connie, a great beauty, and Al seemed an outwardly happy couple. Connie had no problems with Flamarion as long as the money kept coming. On the other hand, Al had friction with Flamarion because he drank a few too many some nights before going on stage, and Flamarion was a perfectionist about their act, and did not tolerate anything that might lead to any mistakes, or in other words, someone getting shot.Connie and Al seemed happily married, but behind closed doors her ruthless ambition had turned him into an alcoholic and she was having an affair with Eddie (Stephen Barclay), a cyclist with the troupe. Al was jealous, but also a man of many weaknesses, particularly toward his wife."Connie," he tells her, "no matter what you do you're the only dame for me. You're a bad habit I can't cure, even if I wanted to. Any guy who wouldn't fall for you is either a sucker or he's dead."Al blamed her for his drinking, but he wouldn't divorce her. The marriage was strained also because of Connie's adulterous ways with other men, something that ate away at Al's trust in her.Connie had tired of married life because she couldn't take any more of Al's drunkenness, and decided to seduce the solitary and friendless Flammarion, convincing him that he should make a mistake some night, ridding her of Al so she and the great gun master could be together.Flamarion is a man of a certain age who had earlier sworn off women. He has no friends and practices ceaselessly with his pistols. It's not long before Connie breaks through Flamarion's reserve. When Connie professes her love for Flamarion and tells of her husband's abusive nature and hard drinking, Flamarion eventually opens his heart to this deceitful woman.Connie leads Flamarion to think she cares about him but her motive is to convince him to kill Al during a performance and make it look like an accident. Connie is careful never to suggest the murder directly, she just talks that she had a dream of it happening by pure accident. Flamarion is grim and impassive most of the time, but we also see his heart being torn apart by Connie, we see his smile of sheer happiness when he thinks she loves him. He also believes Connie when she says Al will never let her go. Flamarion has talks with Al, offering him money to get a new start in life somewhere else, but Al will not leave Connie.After much soul searching Flamarion decides to go through with the plan to eliminate Al. In his last moments before the show that will kill him, Al confesses his weaknesses to Eddie, who ends up lending him a fin, and he talks to Flamarion, who gives him 100 dollars. Just before the final act, Connie makes sure Al drinks an extra measure of whiskey. So, Flamarion makes an error in his stage act and Al has a bullet in his heart.The coroner rules the death an accident because Al was judged too drunk to perform properly and weaved incorrectly in what was otherwise a completely normal show. After the coroner's finding, Connie convinces Flamarion to wait three months before the two can show themselves together. Insisting they must lay low for a while, she tells him she will go back to Minnesota to be with her family. She agrees to meet Flamarion in exactly three months, in Chicago, at a specific hotel. Connie insists on no contacts, no phone calls, no letters, no gifts, but relents only to give Flamarion an address. Meantime, she makes actual plans to leave with Eddie on a tour south of the border, where she is sure the old man will not find her.Three months later, Flamarion shows up at the Chicago hotel, has the room filled with flowers, purchases gifts, and waits. Flamarion does a little dance in his eager anticipation to soon be with Connie. Connie never shows up. After waiting for days, Flamarion sends a telegram to the address Connie had given her in Minnesota, and eventually receives a response saying no such person lives at that address. Flamarion learns in a cruel way that Connie betrayed him.From then on we witness the downward trajectory of Flamarion as he realizes how he was used. He spends his money searching for Connie, first in Las Vegas, then in other cities. In Los Angeles, Flamarion asks his agent for information about where Connie might be. The agent tells Flamarion to forget about Connie, because he can get him booked right away and he would have an easy time getting a replacement. But Flamarion decides to continue looking, claiming he has no need for money. Flamarion goes bankrupt on a drinking and gambling binge as he spends years searching the country for her. He even sells his pistols, except for one. The only things he has in his pocket are a few dollars and a pistol. Finally, he gets a clue from Cleo (Esther Howard), a woman with a vaudeville act involving dogs, who tells him that in order to find Connie he needs to look for a bycicle act under the name of Eddie Wheeler.With this information Flamarion eventually traces both Connie and Eddie performing at the theatre in Mexico City. He sneaks into the theater, and, concealed behind props, witnesses Connie having first a tryist with yet another man, and an altercation with Eddie.After others are out of the way, Flamarion enters Connie's dressing room, and upbraids her for her duplicity. At first Connie pretends she still loves him, that others forced to do what she did, but Flamarion will have none of it. Once convinced that she is not going to be believed, she shames Flamarion by claiming he has never been loved, and she put up with his disgusting self just to use him to get rid of her husband. As she senses that Flamarion is about to choke her to death, she manages to grab his pistol. She is able to shoot him only after he has started to strangle her, but he keeps enough strength to finish the job. Bleeding from the shot, he crawls away to die.Policemen arrive back at the scene just as Flamarion dies after speaking his last words to Tony. | murder | train | imdb | Von Stroheim mavens should appreciate the movie, though, as should devotees of Dan Duryea, who plays a hard-drinking, done-wrong hoofer..
Film Noir Gem with great performances from von Stroheim, Hughes, and Duryea.
"The Great Flamarion" is an undiscovered little gem of a film from Rebublic that features von Stroheim as the title character, a cold and arrogant vaudeville performer who specializes in sharp shooting.
When Connie professes her love for Flamarion and tells of her husband's abusive nature and hard-drinking, Flamarion eventually opens his heart to this femme-fatale, played to the hilt by Mary Beth Hughes, a most underrated actress, who toys with men in the tradition of film noir greats such as Joan Bennett in "Scarlet Street," Jane Greer in "Out of The Past," and Yvonne DeCarlo in "Criss Cross." When Connie suggests that Flamarion accidentally hit Al, portrayed by the always terrific Dan Duryea, during their gun skit, Flamarion's life changes forever.
Directed by the great Anthony Mann, starring the even greater Erich von Stroheim, and including a strong supporting role for a memorable Dan Duryea, The Great Flamarion is a cult film waiting to happen.
Only in France apparently can there be found a decent edition, as over there they presumably know a good thing when they see it.Anthony Mann's career started in B-movies, where he quickly made a mark for himself with some superlative film noirs such as T-Men (1947), and Border Incident (1949), projects frequently characterised by striking monochrome cinematography as well as taut and assured direction.
Appearing a couple of years before this first great period in his output, The Great Flamarion anticipates some of the highlights of the films to follow, as it includes some especially noteworthy scenes with chiaroscuro and expressionistic lighting effects, as well as exhibiting what once critic has identified as a consistent theme of this director: that of a hero haunted by past trauma.
In the case of The Great Flamarion it's the turn of the eponymous, dying, theatrical sharpshooter, played initially as a martinet by Erich von Stroheim: a man driven by his most recent betrayal as well as haunted by a doomed romance of some years before.Von Stroheim's career as a great silent director arguably reached a pinnacle with Greed (1924) before crash-diving through allegations of budgetary extravagance, orgies on set, as well as his own professional disdain for the front office.
After Queen Kelly (1929) he never really directed again, instead existing as a character actor or technical adviser in the films of lesser men, his charisma and abilities on screen occasionally granting real star status in such classics as La Grande Illusion (1937).
His presence as Flamarion is a masterstroke, as the weight the actor brings to the role, and the sad decline of the proud, arrogant shooting master he portrays is inevitably complemented by the real life pathos of a giant of cinema, reduced Welles-like, to B-movie parts in order to keep the wolf from the door.
(A similar feeling attends another, ultimately pathetic, variety turn also essayed by Stroheim: the ventriloquist The Great Gabbo, 1929.) Not that Mann's film is at the poverty row level of inspiration of such other vehicles for the actor as The Lady And The Monster, made two years before.
I'm not a genius, I'm a worker." Von Stroheim apparently took a particular dislike to the flashback structure of Mann's work, perhaps not surprisingly for a silent director famed in his heyday for his realism, thinking that it was crafted to make the film seem 'more important' than it was.
Whether or not this is true, the device is typical of film noir a genre to which The Great Flamarion is closely related, through its portrayal of doomed and cheated character types, a splendid femme fatale in the form of Connie Wallace (Beth Hughes) as well as the presence of the archetypal noir fall-guy-come-villain, Dan Duryea.
As Von Stroheim's alcoholic stage stooge Al Wallace, Duryea is perfectly cast, jealous of his own wife, alternating between self-loathing and marital depression as he cadges his next drink from friends and boss.
As in his later noir work, Mann shows his skill in drawing out the perilous moments before violence, a process heightened in one scene here by having the unknowing Wallace act out the part of target on stage in a parody both of real peril and an unfaithful wife caught with her lover.Of course The Great Flamarion is not so great in all respects; the cuckold-revenge plot is hardly original, and the dialogue in some scenes has been criticised.
Arguably, Mann would not make a really psychologically acute drama until the start of his great series of westerns with James Stewart in Winchester '73, five years later - also co-starring Duryea - taking advantage of the bigger budget and an altogether better script.
"The Great Flamarion" has an interesting setting and a good cast that give life to an otherwise routine story of love, deceit, and revenge.
The rest of the film moves much more slowly, and does not match the first part, but it is pretty good.The main performers are quite good - Erich von Stroheim as a magician fanatically devoted to his act, Mary Beth Hughes as his manipulative assistant, and Dan Duryea as Hughes's drunken husband.
The Great Flamarion is directed by Anthony Mann and collectively written by Anne Wigton, Heinz Herald, Richard Weil and Vicki Baum.
It stars Erich von Stroheim, Mary Beth Hughes, Dan Duryea, Stephen Barclay, Lester Allen and Esther Howard.
Soon he falls to the ground, and cradled by one of the stage employees, he tells a story of lust, deceit, murder and broken hearts...Though it falls into a familiar subset of film noir that encompasses the obsessive dupe, reference Criss Cross, The Killers, Scarlet Street et al, Anthony Mann's film has a most interesting structure.
Story is essentially told from the mouth of a dying man, his guilt set in stone, we spin to flashbacks and narration as The Great Flamarion (Stroheim) himself clues us in to the dangers of not following your brain, but what's in your underwear.Flamarion, wonderfully essayed by the acid faced Stroheim, is a sharp-shooter on the vaudeville circuit.
His two assistants are husband and wife team Connie (Hughes) and Al (Duryea) Wallace, he's a drunk and she's out for what she can get, and what she wants at this moment in time spells trouble for Flamarion and Al. So begins a treacherous tale as a once wise and closed off man falls hook, line and sinker for a pair of shapely legs young enough to be propping up his daughter.Connie Wallace (Hughes excellent) is one of the classic femme fatales, she's not just duping one man, not even two, her capacities for feathering her own nest are enormous.
Watching her break down Flamarion's walls is pitch black stuff, as is Flamarion's pitiful descent into becoming a broken man, while Duryea's (another in his long line of great film noir losers) Al roams the edges of the frame as a pitiful drunk stumbling towards doom.
It's not front line Mann or as good as Scarlet Street (released after The Great Flamarion), but it is a little noir gem.
Von Stroheim plays Flamarion, a trick shot artist, who is in great demand.
A mild-mannered, melancholic and essentially decent man(Erich Von Stroheim) working as vaudeville star becomes romantically involved in a destructive affair with a predatory woman( the femme fatal Mary Beth Hughes).He falls fatally in love with his scheming and heartless assistant who's unhappy married to a drunk(Dan Duryea).
Erich Von Stroheim makes an absolutely hypnotic acting as upright man subtly destroyed by a bad woman.The smouldering predatory Mary Beth Hughes as manipulating assistant who destroys them all around and Dan Duryea as alcoholic husband winning get another awesome acting.
(If I had seen this in the cinema, I would have looked to see if she had picked my pocket during the screening.) Poor von Stroheim, fifteen years without touching a woman and suddenly Mary Beth vamps him.
Dan Duryea, who plays her alcoholic husband, has less acting to do than usual, partly because he is meant to be a victim this time instead of a heavy, and victims can coast in the movies, whereas villains have to work at it more.
Von Stroheim plays a super-marksman whose stage act consists of shooting cigarettes out of people's mouths, etc.
Or so the von Stroheim character begins his flashback narration.This movie has never quite worked for me.
And he was a fine actor in "Grand Illusion" and an interesting character actor in "Sunset Boulevard." Dan Duryea was good at playing heals.
Part of this was due to Von Stroheim's acting, but it also was fortunate that he was paired with a young but very talented director (Anthony Mann).
Because of his success with films like THE GREAT FLAMARION, Mann went on to direct many wonderful films and Von Stroheim had a mild resurgence in his prospects.The film begins with a murder at a theater in Mexico.
Since you know that the murder occurred, there isn't a lot of suspense about the whole thing, but the film did a wonderful job of making the viewer actually care about him and understand why he felt compelled to kill this particular woman.
The sweet and lovely Connie, you learn, is one horrible lady and her character is exceptionally interesting and gritty--sort of like an evil Noir femme fatale.
Little Republic studio must have been a come-down for the great European impresario Erich von Stroheim.
That is until trollopy assistant Mary Beth Hughes decides to rid herself of dipso husband Dan Duryea.
The Great Flamarion is so slow -- it's 78 minutes felt like 2 hrs.The script was poor, the dialog flat, the plot predictable and the ending telegraphed from the first scene.I guess everybody else was wowed by the big name director (Anthony Mann) and the big name director turned actor (Erich Von Stroheim) and the sort of big name producer (William Wilder - brother of Billy Wilder).
Although Erich Von Stroheim is top billed in The Great Flamarion this film really belongs to Mary Beth Hughes who was the model for playing two timing dames that others took as the standard.
Hughes and her alcoholic husband Dan Duryea, a former dance act work as Von Stroheim's stooges in the act with him throwing carefully timed shots.
In fact there's a lot of resemblance between The Great Flamarion and the Billy Wilder classic.Von Stroheim is a pitiable character in the end, his fall and degradation is like a Greek tragedy.
Anthony Mann directs Erich von Stroheim.
There were clashes between them during the shooting, and Mann was wise enough to duck: it's definitely von Stroheim's film, as he succeeds in realizing his perhaps most poignant and shattering film character.
The story of the perfect shot is Vicki Baum's, and the story as unfolded by Anthony Mann is shattering and in a way a parallel to Josef von Sternberg's "The Blue Angel", describing the same kind of long great fall from established greatness to pitiable misery by delusive love.
Erich von Stroheim is the Great Flamarion, a sharp-shooter stage act who uses real bullets in his set pieces that also involves husband and wife team Dan Duryea (Al) and Mary Beth Hughes (Connie).
Far from a bad movie the movie suffers from the fact that we know the ending (Erich Von Stroheim is telling what happened as he lays dying).
Even if we had seen this from the beginning we'd know it ends bad but we wouldn't be able to work out several of the twists that knowing the end imparts.If there is any real flaw beyond knowing how it ends, its the casting of Von Stroheim who seems too old and a bit too stiff for his man led astray.
If you love Erich von Stroheim and Dan Duryea, this early film by Anthony Mann is for you.
Duryea and von Stroheim are both great at all the little things that come between the words and the dialogue is good, too, not surprising as one of the screenwriters, Heinz Herald, won an Oscar for "Dr. Erlich's magic bullet" and was nominated for "The Life of Emile Zola".
Erich Von Stroheim,(The Great Flamarion),"Napoleon",'55, plays a sharpshooter or a type of William Tell, who can shoot a cigarette right out of your mouth.
Flamarion could also shoot the straps off a dress that Mary Beth Hughes,(Connie Wallace),"Close to My Heart",'51 was wearing in their act they performed on the stage.
This is a very serious crime drama in-spite of it being centered around the vaudeville circuit and 4 of it's members: Flamarion, Connie, Al, and Eddie.Definitely a recommended film.9/10.
Made By Anthony Mann,whose westerns are classics ,this is an interesting ,if very derivative ,thriller.A gorgeous woman (Mary Beth Hughes)uses Stroheim to get rid of her alcoholic hubby to get her hands on Eddie ....and probably other men.Watch it for Stroheim:this gentleman who once claimed he was Empress one of Elizabeth of Austria's ladies in waiting's son is always fascinating..
He doesn't disappoint in this story of love, betrayal and murder that is set among the vaudeville circuit of those years.We are introduced to the Great Flamirion, a man who is a sharp shooter, as he performs his act with the assistance of the Wallaces, a couple that move around the stage, as he shoots at different objects Connie and Al are holding.
But as fate would have it, Flamirion finds her.Erich Von Stroheim, a distinguished director himself, plays Flamarion with panache.
Robinson made a similarly—themed flick around the same time as THE GREAT FLAMARION, and a comparison of the two leading performances would be telling (Duryea was in that movie, too).
As a meditation on the psychological predetermination of the human in general, Mann's movie is not without its merits.Quite well written, intensely misogynistic, directed by Mann, played by Stroheim, Duryea and Mrs. Hughes, the story of Flamarion is an intensely interesting and very watchable, endearing and bitter drama about a loner's vulnerability.
It is Duryea who makes an impressive role here.Mrs. Hughes has, at times, a lousy diction.The title of the movie, and the name of the leading character, are wonderfully chosen.
The film's a poverty row knock-off of Scarlet Street, but it's not bad and has an interesting performance by Erich Von Stroheim.
The Great Flamarion might be a poverty row knock-off of Scarlet Street, but it has much to offer to those fond of noirs and who like effective performances from unexpected sources.
We learn that the man was The Great Flamarion (Erich Von Stroheim), an expert marksman, and this is his story...of a man brought low by his love of a heartless woman.
Erich Von Stroheim is the heart of the movie and he pulls it off.
In The Great Flamarion, Von Stroheim has to show us a man who has improbably fallen in love and feels the joy of something he never expected.
This is an overlooked film noir cleverly directed by Anthony Mann.
The Great Flamarion (Erich Von Stroheim) is an egotistical vaudeville performer that relies on his skills as an expert marksman.
His trick gun-shot act requires two assistants, Connie (Mary Beth Hayes) and Al Wallace (Dan Duryea), who must rehearse tirelessly to have every movement in the act perfect.
Connie becomes bored with her alcoholic husband and begins flirting with her hard nosed, no nonsense boss.Stroheim is stoic, solemn and unemotional and fits the bill as the Great Flamarion.
The character played by Mary Beth Hughes has to be one of the biggest tramps in a classic movie, leading on at least two men as far as the audience knows while her husband (Dan Duryea) remains unapologetically drunk.
Not only is there the handsome and noble Stephen Barclay, but moody specialty performer Erich von Stroheim who utilizes both Hughes and Duryea in his gun act.
Duryea, one of the great sleazy guys of film noir, is just pathetic here, but as an actor, simply delightful.
But thus is von Stroheim's film all the way, directed in a unique style by film noir and dark western veteran Anthony Mann..
In this case, "The Great Flamarion" was a trick shot artist, portrayed by German actor Eric Von Stroheim.
But that's getting way ahead of the story.I never really got the impression that Connie Wallace (Mary Beth Hughes) loved Flamo, he with the Nazi like exterior and the vein popping out of his head.
When it looked like she was getting ready to ditch alcoholic husband Al (Dan Duryea), the story started to come together with a bit more sense.
He didn't have a lot of flair but he did put Anthony Mann on the ladder to directorial fame and he also used a couple of great actors in Erich Von Stroheim and Dan Duryea.
The film had a European flavour (it was adapted from a Vicki Baum story "The Big Shot") and Stroheim was perfect as an obsessed vaudevillian - a role he had perfected in "The Great Gabbo" (1929).
He drew viewer's attention in every scene he appeared.A shot is heard throughout a Mexico City music hall - when a man falls from the rafters, Tony an old trouper, recognises Flamarion (Erich Von Stroheim), once the world's greatest sharp shooter.
Dying, Flamarion tells his story:- Flamarion lived only for his work until he fell in love with Connie (Mary Beth Hughes), who with her husband Al (Dan Duryea) form Flamarion's shooting act.
Connie leads Flamarion to think she cares about him but her motive is to convince him to kill Al during a performance and make it look like an accident.
To me, the best scene in the film is where Von Stroheim does a little dance in his eager anticipation to soon be with Connie.He sets out to find her and eventually traces both Connie and Eddie performing at a cheap theatre in Mexico City. |
tt1321511 | Old Boy | Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin) is a marketing salesman, but his drinking and roving eye causes him to lose deals. He's estranged from his wife, and misses his daughter's 3rd birthday party. He buys a toy duck from a street vendor, then disappears.Joe wakes up in a small room, where he is fed (primarily Chinese food) and provided for, but denied human contact. During his incarceration, forensic evidence is lifted from him and planted on the crime scene of his wife's murder. He makes friends with a mouse, only to have it served to him for his next meal. He's watched on camera by Chaney (Samuel L. Jackson), and has hallucinations about him. Joe is allowed to watch television, and he sees a story about his daughter, 8 years old, and tries to better himself in his cell.After 20 years, Joe makes plans to escape, but is suddenly gassed and released. He wakes up with a cell phone with his daughter's picture and a countdown timer. He sees the street vendor who sold him the duck (or so he thinks) and chases after her, using his new physical fitness to beat up a football team. He meets Marie (Elizabeth Olsen), a nurse who senses there's something wrong with him, but he won't open up her. She gives him her card.He returns to his friend Chucky (Michael Imperioli)'s bar and tells his story. He's then called by an anonymous man, who says Joe can earn forgiveness. Joe starts researching all the people he's wronged to see if he can find his captor. When Joe passes out again, Chucky find's Marie's number, and she comes over to help. She finds a stack of letters Joe has written to his daughter Mia, and agrees to help him. Joe starts sampling Chinese food at area restaurants, trying to find the same dumplings he lived on for years. In one restaurant, he sees a man picking up a large order and follows him. He finds Chaney and tortures him, only to find out he's only the caretaker of a facility that tortures many people. Joe fights off numerous guards and passes out from his wounds, only to be rescued by a mysterious stranger who drops him back at Chucky's.Joe recovers and finally meets the stranger Adrian (Sharlto Copley), who gives him proof of his involvement of his wife's murder. Adrian challenges Joe to find out who he is and why Joe was imprisoned, then leads him to Marie's house, where he's captured by Chaney. Before Chaney can start torturing him, Adrian pays him off. Adrian is seen watching Marie's house and she and Joe make plans.Joe and Marie track down Edwina Burke (Linda Emond), the headmistress of Joe's old prep school. While Marie distracts her, Joe finds Adrian's name in a yearbook. Chucky finds out something about Adrian's sister, but Adrian intercepts his message to Joe and kills Chucky. Joe and Marie make love, and Adrian watches.Joe and Marie break into the prep school and Joe begins to remember - Adrian's sister was caught having sex with her father, and the family was involved in a tragedy years later.Joe confronts Adrian and tells him what he knows. Adrian explains that their father was a pedophile who killed his own family (Adrian was wounded instead). He takes Joe to see Mia, and Joe sees that much of what he saw on TV during his imprisonment was faked. Joe realizes Mia is actually Marie; Adrian raised her as Mia to torture him!Adrian kills himself. Joe uses Adrian's money to try and make things right - with Marie/Mia and even Chaney, arranging to be re-imprisoned. End. | revenge, neo noir, murder, violence, flashback | train | imdb | For viewers unfamiliar with the history behind Spike Lee's "Oldboy," the 2013 film is a remake of the cult-classic 2003 South Korean film of the same name, directed by Chan-wook Park.
Iconic director Spike Lee's "Oldboy" is as a handsomely shot piece of genre entertainment, but it fails in its attempt to define itself, resulting into a completely pointless, watered-down underwhelming thriller.An alcoholic whose life is falling apart, Joe (Josh Brolin) is far from the ideal father who is willfully neglecting his three-year-old daughter, Mia. Drugged and kidnapped one night, Joe awakens in a small room with a television, only to learn that he's been framed for the murder of his ex-wife, and will spend the next 20 years trapped in this cell where he is held as a prisoner.
Hunting for the individual who locked him away, Joe spares no one as he works his way to Adrian (Sharlto Copley), a deranged man masterminding the mystery Joe and Marie are now determined to solve.Director Spike Lee, working from a screenplay by Mark Protosevich "I Am Legend" (2007), chooses to simply rehash the plot for his American remake, and quickly rushes through the unusual and unique storyline unable to establish an emotional connection with the audience which the original film develops so well.
The original film achieves a sublime blending of ultra-violence with extreme art, while the remake feels bogged down in its copycat status, and its overall lighter tone hampers its enigmatic, disconcerting story of revenge.
The original Oldboy is a 10 top to bottom, story, script, action, actors, direction, why did they try to remake perfection.
Spike Lee's 'reimagining' of the Park Chan-Wook cult classic 'Oldboy' is a queer creature despite the notable absence of the original's iconic octopus-slurping scene.
According to Lee, he and his writer Mark Protosevich had not sought to remake Park's movie; rather, they have returned to the manga by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi to shape a similar yet somewhat different story that keeps the essential baroque details intact.
And perhaps most significantly, Joe gets to restage the original film's iconic extended sequence where his character takes on an entire army of thugs with no more than a claw hammer and pure rage - a three and a half minute scene rehearsed for six weeks which to Lee's credit, loses none of its predecessor's visceral thrills.
Lee also does himself little favour by undermining an otherwise grim and thoughtful story with cartoonish elements, most notably Jackson's garish performance (complete with blonde ponytail we may add) as Joe's chief jailer turned tormentor.Thankfully, Brolin anchors the titular role with his compelling presence, built on a single-minded embrace of his character's vengeance.
Spike Lee's Oldboy isn't completely terrible, but it does lose quite a bit of the dark, bruising, ambivalent flavour of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 Korean classic.Josh Brolin takes centre stage in Lee's version.
Olsen, too, stumbles around a bit, as if never quite sure how to play her part, and Sharlto Copley comes close to overplaying his hand when he emerges from the shadows to drop a few hints about the reasons behind Joe's ordeal.There's enough on display in Oldboy for the film to jog by at a fairly quick clip.
If the original version of "Oldboy" has a perfect 10 out 10, this one has a mixed 6 out 10.At first, I just came back from the theater and I found this movie a very poor remake if I compare it with the excellence, the complexity and power of the Asian film.
I don't have the intellect to understand every (or indeed any) foreign film without having to miss half the cinematography reading.If you haven't seen the original, watch this.
The original was brilliant, but it wasn't without flaw, and neither is this one.If you hate when someone makes a remake of a cult classic you love and you're not open to a new vision on that movie, stay away from this one.
With plenty of homage's to Chan-wook Park's 2003 original Spike Lee adaptation makes some minor changes to the story some are for the better including a more fitting closing.
Ultimately, those who want a gritty psychological thriller with a spot of action and a fantastic twist look no further.Possibly curious viewing for fans of Park's original but a compelling must see for viewers not familiar with the story..
This movie is a remake of an Asian original film of the same name.
Spike Lee's Oldboy is a farcry from Park Chan-wok's original Korean film of the same name, and it's a farcry from a good film in general.
this only leads to questions being asked that I'll presumably never get a straight answer to.There's almost no need to reiterate the storyline for the film because if you're reading a review of the Oldboy remake you likely have seen the original film or, at very least, have a good idea of it.
We feel as trapped as Joe does, and the fact that Lee seems to have focused on this segment of the story longer than Park Chan-wook did for the original film.
There has been a lot of internal controversy surrounding this remake, be it Spike Lee fighting with the marketing team, or the fact that Lee's original cut was heavily edited down, but regardless, the behind the scenes drama may make the choppiness and easy thing to justify.
For as much controversy Spike Lee drums up, the Oldboy remake could've been his retaliation in the way of, "I make what I want and I succeed, so deal with me." Instead, it's the equivalent of the art student who dyes his or her hair blue, sits in a corner, and begs "notice me" without ever making or doing anything worth noticing.Starring: Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen.
They forced it to be there cause they thought it HAD to be there.So, if you don't know the original movie, just go watch this one instead, even as a standalone film oldboy isn't good cause it builds on relationship and charactermotivations that totally felt forced and driven by clichés.If you're a fan of the original avoid this movie at any costs cause it will only make you angry...
I hope that people will not associate oldboy with this movie and will instead go watch the original.
Personally I like it better the Lady Vengeance (2005) - Chinjeolhan geumjassi - same director, same felling, better ending....BUT...comparing the 2 movie Original Vs. Remakeit's a no-brainer:ORIGINAL: 9.5 /10 REMAKE: 0.3/10I could list the numerous plot flaws, the unnecessary misplaced violence (damnn, they accomplished the impossible: ruined the corridor fight scene!) - to me this scene was epic, almost like the punch on brad pitt on fight club...
Though I saw a couple of people who reviewed the movie talking about a "remake" if you've never seen whatever the original is and don't know anything about it, then you're seeing it through fresh untainted, unbiased eyes.
Remakes will rarely be as "magical" as the originals, but they sometimes offer an alternate take on a well liked story for us that are familiar - and a brand new experience for those that do not care to see the original or are unaware of its existence.If you have never seen the original - watch this film.
I love the original and I really thought the Hollywood remake might be OK 'cause the actors are actually pretty good.
While you do have "Hammer Time" and a couple of other things that might remind you of the Korean original movie (haven't read the comic the story is based on yet), this is far inferior to it's source film.
Min-sik's performance was dominant, he embodied the role and put out the emotion and attitude to express perfectly what the protagonist was going through.The remake stars Josh Brolin, directed by the legendary Spike Lee, featuring the beautiful Elizabeth Olsen.
The movie didn't deviate all that much from the original.Sure, the fight scenes weren't as good as the original's and the plot was altered a bit, but I thought it was a relatively tight movie, with a script that was basically delivered from the original.Being rated a 4.9, to me it is obvious people are just bagging on it because it has been judged 'bad' not because it really is.
If you watched the first one and spend the whole time comparing both, asking why, well, you aren't going to like it that much.Elizabeth Olsen and Josh Brolin performed well.
I had very low expectations about this remake, i usually hate remakes specially when they are unnecessary due to the great quality of the source material but with that said, i must say that i was surprised to find that Spike Lee did a very good job and the result is a gory enjoyable movie that respects and pays several homages to the original.
Although it isn't a masterpiece it's one of the best remakes i have seen and one that may be easier for non-Asian audiences to watch therefore letting people who aren't fans of Asian movies enjoy an amazing plot with only a few changes.I enjoyed it and recommend it..
It's a Spike Lee film for Christ's sake.To the people who rated this movie 1 star, you should get your heads examined.I saw a lot of movies and this one is very good.
OK to start of whats with the awful comments about this movie judge this movie by itself try not compare.I've Never seen the original gave this a chance after some terrible reviews..glad i gave it a go great fight scene great story kept me wondering till the end give it a go you wont be disappointedI also just created this account just to review this movie and actually on valentines night with my boyfriend and he also loved it.so if your a fan of the original by majority of comments here you should skip it.if you have an open mind and enjoy violence give this a view.
In the end, I thought an episode of CSI was better directed and scripted than this total mess.I feel bad for Sharlito Copley, he is a good actor in district 9 and the A-Team, but this movie made me laugh at him.
it is a remake, but it does have subtle differences, but the overall movie has its own style.I was pretty excited that they were going to make an Americanized version of Oldboy, I heard about it as it was just being pre-produced.
At times, it even gets diabolically funJosh Brolin in this film carries that quiet Charles Bronson-esque persona, he's bent on one thing and one thing only, too bad they didn't give Brolin's character, Joe Douchett, that Dae- su Oh crazy big Asian fro, but that would probably be distracting and it would end up be the only thing of Josh Brolin that people would talk about.
With OLDBOY, I feel that Protosevich and Spike Lee focus more on inviting the audience in on Douchett's investigation rather than trying to copy the Korean film or the manga comic frame by frame.
Samuel has a unique way of swearing in the entire Hollywood and you will love that in every movie.Technology is changing and telling an old story in a new way is not a bad thing.
first off i hate when people say it was not as good as the original foreign movie, or...it was not like the book, who cares !If you're like me and don't read books or watch foreign movies...i mean I speak English, subtitles,is like reading a book,and I don't read books.This movie was a good movie,It was entertaining,yes no academy awards for this movie,like Schwarzenegger will never get an academy award,yet the guy gives you 90 minutes of good entertainment....like the Ramones or Kiss will never be in the same camp as Beethoven...still they entertain you just the same.the movie had some dull moments and the main character didn't smile much,I mean if 20 years were taken away from you,you'd probably have little to smile about as well.
The performances aren't too bad either but then you'd expect that with the cast.In summary, whilst this has been created as a standalone it's still a decent film and stepping back from it, I can't help thinking that had this been 'the original' offering rather than the Korean version, it would have been well received.
You look at the cast - Samuel L Jackson, Josh Brolin and Sharlto Copley and say "wow, this film has to be at least decent because these guys would never sign onto a project that could be a total dud." This is an example of a one trick pony director (Spike Lee) who built a name around race-based films trying to actually do something other than his usual shtick and having his agents hook these names onto a project which they all probably regret.IMPORTANT: WATCH THE ORIGINAL FIRST.
THEN START THIS FILM, WATCH 10 MINUTES AND THEN DECIDE IF YOU REALLY WANT TO TORTURE YOURSELF FOR THE ENTIRE RUNNING TIME.Mistake #1 - You've got to be pretty darn arrogant to think you're going to do at least a good job if not better of remaking one of the greatest original films made.
The rating on this film is only in the 5.x grade because Spike Lee clearly had his marketing people stuff the ballot box.WATCH THE ORIGINAL FIRST.
I know the studio (releasing the film) cut over 30-minutes out of Lee's preferred version (Brolin preferred Lee's cut as well) and that possibly could have been an even better movie; supposedly the huge central fight scene (involving a hammer) was all done in one cut, originally (which was displayed in the extended version).
I liked Josh Brolin in 'Labor Day' and yet again he was not bad in this film except if you compare him with his counterpart from the Korean movie, Choi Min Shik.
In conclusion I liked this film, it was a good hour and 45 minutes of entertainment and I didn't based everything off the fact that its a remake and its directed by Spike Lee. I mean the point of seeing a movie is to be entertained by it because it is a form of entertainment, I understand if you just thought it was just boring, but giving it a poor review because it can't match the standards of the original is just silly, be honest and stop comparing..
This Movie is pretty good and you may want to switch off half way through but I bet you won't be able too.Although the endings twists and turns into what you'll least expect and quite frankly not for the easily shocked.This film overall is well worth a watch and is worth far more than the rating it has.Recommend a watch..
Not that I am saying that the 2013 version all by itself is a good movie - far from it, even if you have never seen the original, the Spike Lee's movie is pale and far from a masterpiece.
I had so much respect for Spike Lee, but that has changed with this movie - it seems like a painfully simplified, dull and dumb version of the original.
"Oldboy" (R, 1:44) is a terrible name for this movie because it tells you nothing about the film, but director Spike Lee took the name from the 2003 Korean version, so we can let it slide.
Ever since the success of the Grudge, 10 years ago, American filmmakers have been looking to popular overseas films for original ideas, many times simply remaking them.
It seemed like the entire movie was trying to be edgy, but at the very end, the writers took a much more conservative move.The acting was not convincing whatsoever, while Brolin played his character well at times, it also seemed very overdone at other moments.
Now 13 years after the original, Spike Lee Directed the remake of this movie.
So I actually thought remaking this movie make sense especially for English viewers who haven't seen the original.
Oldboy (2013) is, unfortunately, not a good remake.In some ways the movie smartly avoids trying to copy some things from the original that would not fit with an American version.
The remake was honestly just trying way too hard to be like the original rather than being it's own film and that's why it failed.
Especially if you haven't seen the original.I thought Spike Lee did a good job of keeping the original essence of the film and making tweaks to appeal to American audiences.
Great movie never saw the original, it's weird but keeps you watch till the end.
The original Oldboy is possibly the best revenge story of all time, but this film misses the point so far, the only thing loyal is the name.
I watched the original Korean movie, enjoyed it.
Seriously I was never a fan of original Oldboy(2003) movie..but this Spike Lee movie was a blast.Josh Brolin gave one of his best performance as an arrogant and carefree person who realizes his mistakes when he was confined to a small room for 20 years.The action sequences are very great.
There's a nice Hitchcockian quality to the new "Oldboy," Spike Lee's remake of Korean director Park Chan-wook's cult film of revenge and regret.
For me I found the movie very engaging.Josh Brolin performance is great, He really did a good job as far as acting goes.
If you've seen the original, then you know the power of truly good character development and you know how difficult it was to see the ending of this film play out the way it does.Spike Lee takes his version to a bit of a different level, while keeping very many of the same scenes and subject matter as the old one.
Many people who are huge fans of the original film will be divided by this remake, but I know I was very pleased with the end result.8/10. |
tt0094734 | Beverly Hills Vamp | Three nerds--Brock [Tim Conway, Jr], Russell [Tom Shell], and Kyle [Eddie Deezen] -- want to make a movie. They take their script to Brock's Uncle Aaron Pendleton [Jay Richardson], a "famous" movie director in Hollywood. While Uncle Aaron is reading the script, the boys do a little sightseeing. First stop is a call girl service in Beverly Hills where they meet Madame Cassandra [Britt Eckland] and her girls--Jessica [Debra Lamb], Claudia [Jillian Kesner], and Kristina [Michelle Bauer] --all vampires. Kyle, trying to be faithful to his girlfriend Molly [Brigitte Burdine], leaves the brothel. When neither Brock nor Russell return home that night, Kyle revisits the brothel only to find that no one remembers his friends. Kyle goes to the police, but they advise him to wait until his friends show up. Becoming worried, Kyle calls Molly who catches the next flight to Hollywood. While explaining the disappearance to Uncle Aaron, Brock shows up, looking pale and clammy and with two bites on his neck. Sure that they are dealing with vampires, they get advice (and props) from Father Ferraro [Robert Quarry] and, one by one, Kyle destroys the vampires...except for Brock and Molly. | adult comedy | train | imdb | Great movie.
I would like to say that i find Beverly Hills Vamp a great movie especially with Jillian Kesner in it.
She makes me hot like butter and i always liked films with female vampires in it.
You could say it's one of my weaknesses.Too bad we didn't see more of it, and that she died so soon.
A sequel would be in its place.Furthermore would I like to say that even if it wasn't always of a high level, it gave me some laughs now and then.
And what's wrong with a film where guys, nerds or otherwise, go looking for hookers.
Everybody has his preferences and it's a great movie for those who have wet dreams about female vampire hookers..
Beatlemania crosses paths with Peter Sellers's career (including a vampire) for the second time.
First, you have to realize that Fred Olen Ray's "Beverly Hills Vamp" is NOT intended to be taken seriously, so if you watch it and end up complaining that it's "mind-numbing drivel" (to quote the previous reviewer), then you totally missed the point.
The whole point is to be silly and show scantily clad babes, as Ray also did with "Evil Toons" and "Teenage Exorcist".
With the presence of Eddie Deezen (who played the chatterbox Beatlemaniac in Robert Zemeckis's "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and the obnoxious ventriloquist in Steven Spielberg's "1941"), you know that you're in for something zany.What I mean by the link to Peter Sellers and the Beatles is a loose connection.
Britt Ekland was one of the many blonde sexpots of the '60s.
She was married to Sellers for a few years.
Peter Sellers co-starred with Ringo Starr in "The Magic Christian", a mockery of the British class system.
Christopher Lee appears briefly in the movie as a vampire.
Years later, Eddie Deezen appeared in Zemeckis's movie as a man modeling himself on Ringo.
That's the connection.Anyway, this is a movie that you just have to accept as totally silly.
That's all that it is: nice, silly fun with a lot of hot babes.I'd bed Britt Ekland any day..
Boring garbage.
"Beverly Hills Vamp" is a movie made by Fred Olen Ray after the "success" of his cult flick "Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers"."Vamp" is basically just a retread with vampire hookers instead of chainsaw ones.The hero is not a private eye in this one.
He's a nerd with an irritating high pitched voice.
What was the point of having him talk like that?
As if we don't get right away that he's supposed to be a nerd.Ray stalwart Michelle Bauer is in it.The movie is nowhere near as fun as "Chainsaw Hookers".
There is too much dialogue, none of which is entertaining or well written.
In one scene, the nerd is in a hotel room and the maid shows up for service.
He won't leave so that she can clean the room.
She agrees to go away and come back.
You can clean the room now, the nerd says.
I'm on my break, says the maid.
End of scene.I'm not sure if the last part of that was supposed to be funny, or if I just expected some kind of a punchline to justify the inclusion of the maid in the story.
That scene adds absolutely nothing to the movie.Whereas no one is going to nominate him for an Oscar any time soon, Fred Olen Ray is nevertheless overrated in b-movie circles.
Fans of cult cinema know his name, despite most of his movies being boring garbage.
This one is no exception..
Awful, awful film..
This movie tries to be as bad as "Dinosaur Island" but only sucks as bad as "The Phantom Empire" The excuse for a plotline plods along, the acting is reminiscent of the 2 by 4 in the wall to my left, and the camera work isn't working at all, my etch-a-sketch showed more talent and innovation even when I left it untouched.
The script tries to have a constant stream of jokes, but none of them hits the mark, not even the one they stole from "Leisure Suit Larry".
The only good thing about this film is all the nekkid chicks, but we only see them for about 10 minutes altogether out of an hour and a half running time.
The rest of the time is spent watching 3 total nerds do nerdish things.
The 'plot' follows the 3 nerds that go to Hollywood to try and get their movie made, get shot down immediately and then decide to buy some hookers.
The hookers turn out to be vampires and they spend the last hour running about trying to kill the nerds, who are of course trying to escape.If you like the "So bad it's good" style of film making, then this film isn't for you.
If you like genuinely good films, then this film isn't for you, either.
Now if you into wasting your time with mind numbing drivel, then this is the perfect film for you..
Beverly Hills Vamp.
Goofy vampire comedy from director Fred Olen Ray has Eddie Deezen as an unlikely hero(as he was in TEENAGE EXORCIST)needing to save his pals from Madam Britt Ekland's bloodsucking hookers(including the luscious Michele Bauer).
Eddie is a screenplay writer, Tim Conway Jr. a director, Tom Shell a camera operator, all hoping lackluster movie producer Jay Richardson(dressed as Crockett from Miami Vice)will help produce their love story script.
When they are given instructions to work on another movie project(Motorcycle Sluts from Hell, I believe was the title!), the trio decide to visit a brothel, where they encounter Ekland's vampire whores.
Eddie, loyal to his girlfriend back home, Molly(Brigitte Burdine), is able to evade the vampire bite, but his friends aren't so lucky.
So Eddie will convince Jay to help him combat the vampires(which results in Jay unable to fire a gun prop used in another movie)with help from the expertise of priest Robert Quarry on how to defeat them(through the usual means, holy water, stake through the heart, crucifixes).
I think the best comedy derives from a phone conversation between Quarry and Richardson over how to kill the vampire with a stake with the obvious sex humor "subtly" implied as they talk about penetration and thrust.
Dawn Wildsmith has a brief appearance as Richardson's secretary, more concerned with her nails than her abilities in the office.
Richardson seems to spoofing a B-movie Hollywood producer, obviously more interested in titillation and nudity than performance and story.
Lots of dialogue zingers poking fun at vampire movies and the genre as a whole.
Everyone seems to be having a good time, but it doesn't have a high rating on the IMDb, so I reckon the sentiment wasn't felt from the audience at large.
Deezen yucks it up with his animated face and nerdy persona, Fred Olen Ray depending on plenty of sound effects to bounce off his star when he comes in contact with hot chicks at Ekland's brothel.
Amusing work from Ralph Lucas as Ekland's daylight "protector", butler Balthazar, who is very open about his sexuality, coming out of the closet and looking for action as Deezen comments about not being interested in the girls.
The special effects consist of those vampires harmed engulfed with a glow before disintegrating when a crucifix is applied to their skin, stake plunged through the heart, or holy water poured over them..
Moronic But Harmless No-Budget Hollywood Vampire Hookers Comedy.
Kyle, Brock and Russell are three aspiring filmmakers new in Hollywood.
They phone up an escort ad and take a trip to a Beverly Hills mansion, but unfortunately for them the call girls turn out to be fiendish vixens of the undead
This is an enjoyable enough no-brainer of the kind Ray managed to crank out every few months in his heyday.
As long as you don't mind Deezen's schtick - which is harmless and affable - there are some funny moments, busty babes and amusingly scene-chewing performances.
Ray deserves kudos for convincing Ekland to appear, Quarry (old Count Yorga himself) is goofy as a priest-wannabe-screenwriter, Bauer in a beautiful red dress should put starch in any man's strides, and Ray's wife Wildsmith is an airhead secretary.
Written as a sideline by Ernest D.
Farino (a top-notch effects man), with some witty dialogue; my favourite line is when Lamb gets an oversize stake through the pump and croaks, "My, that's a big one.".
As with most of Ray's films, there's a pleasing rinky-dink keyboard score by the talented Chuck Cirino.
If like me you have an affection for scuzzy little independent movies made by hacks, this is a pleasant enough time-filler. |
tt1179034 | From Paris with Love | The movie opens with James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) driving through the streets of Paris in a black SUV to work. Reece works in the American Embassy as an aide to Ambassador Bennington (Richard Durden), the U.S. Ambassador to France. Taking a delivery of some forms from the Ambassador's secretary, he goes over Bennington's itinerary for the next few days, centering around a major summit in which the U.S., France, and several other nations are preparing foreign aid to the African continent. Bennington shows that he is more absorbed right now in a chess game he's playing with Reece during all this time. Despite paying less attention to the board and the game than Bennington is, Reece quickly checkmates him to win.Reece receives a call from an unknown source (voiced by David Gasman) directing him to a silver BMW in the parking lot, excusing himself with a cover story to Bennington that he has to review the Summit's planned seating arrangement. Going to the parking lot, Reece opens a code-locked security compartment in the trunk of his SUV to reveal a firearm and several French license plates. He removes the license plate from the silver BMW and replaces it with one of the plates he has stowed away in his SUV. He then moves his SUV to another parking space and waits there, watching the silver BMW. He watches several men get into the vehicle, put a briefcase into its trunk, and drive away.Arriving home, Reece gets another call from the same source. Reece is in fact a CIA operative working in the Embassy as a cover. He does minor jobs for his superiors, and is eager to move up into Special Ops. His superior assures him he'll get his chance, but for right now he is needed to secure a hidden transmission chip in the French Foreign Minister's office during a meeting with Ambassador Bennington. Reece doesn't believe he was given a chip, but is told it's in his left jacket pocket. Checking his jacket, he finds the chip there.Sitting in his apartment, Reece examines the chip. He is interrupted by a knock on his door. It's his girlfriend, Caroline (Kasia Smutnak) (pronounced Cah-roll-een, the 'ine' being pronounced like in the word 'magazine'). Caroline kisses Reece and tells him she has a surprise. She sits him in a chair and makes him keep his back to her. He can hear her undressing and changing into a different outfit. When she tells him to look, his jaw drops at the sight of her wearing a sexy strapless dress. He thinks he recognizes the fabric, and Caroline tells him she made it out of their bedroom curtains-- Caroline is a clothing designer. The two of them quickly start to undress as they head into the bedroom to make out.Reece arrives the next day at the conference site to give Bennington a summary of what is intended to be discussed at the meeting. Bennington invites Reece to attend the meeting with him.During the meeting, Reece discreetly takes the chip (disguising it by putting a piece of gum in his mouth and offering another piece to the Minister's secretary) and tries to put it under the lampstand beside his seat, using his chewing gum as an adhesive. However, the gum fails to hold and twice it falls back to the floor in plain sight. Frustrated, and barely managing to keep the chip hidden, as a diversion Reece finally questions the Foreign Minister (Eric Godon) about his having several Goyas in his office. The Minister says he does, and offers to show them to Bennington, who is very interested in Goya art. As Bennington accompanies the Minister and secretary to see the Goyas, leaving Reece alone in the meeting room, Reece takes the stapler from the Minister's desk and staples the chip to the underside of the desk... but accidentally leaves the stapler open as he exits.Arriving home that evening, Reece is disquieted as the lights in the hallway go out. He finds what looks like a trail of blood leading to a door out onto the roof of the building. Grabbing a broom left in the hallway, he goes out to confront whoever left the trail. Caroline jumps, startled, and then chuckles sheepishly, remembering that she spilled a lot of tomato sauce from the take-out meal she's brought home for them to dine on out on the roof. Caroline kisses Reece and then says she has a gift for him. It's a jewelry box for a ring.They are again interrupted by another call from Reece's CIA superior. He's impressed at Reece's success in planting the mike in the Foreign Minister's office, and is giving him another task on very short notice. Reece is being assigned a partner, an American operative named Charlie Wax. Reece is not certified for special ops but he is assured that he will mostly be just driving Wax around. Wax is being held by French customs and Reece's first task is to get him through. He needs to head to the airport immediately. Reece is briefly hesitant, because this will ruin his evening with Caroline, but he is told that if he succeeds at this task, he has his foot in the door toward Special Ops.Caroline, who knows a few basics about Reece's line of work, is excited at hearing he's ready for promotion, and has him open the box. It's a beautiful pewter band that Caroline says belonged to her father. Reece realizes to his amazement that Caroline is proposing to him. She tells him that if she waited for him to do it, then their engagement would never happen. As she slips it onto his finger, Reece kisses the ring and then kisses Caroline, promising he'll never take the ring off.Arriving at airport customs, Reece is disturbed at the sight of Wax (John Travolta) arguing with the head customs agent. The customs officer speaking to Reece shows him Wax's passport, asking him to solve the issue before they lock Wax up. Customs is rigidly refusing to allow Wax to bring several cans of his favorite energy drink through Customs, sticking to a zero-tolerance policy on foreign liquids. Reece is frustrated at Wax's brazen attempt to push the customs officials' buttons by frequent use of the F-bomb and mocking France's relations with the United States.Reece takes Wax aside and tries to reason with him. Wax just shows him a card for a Chinese restaurant (Reece recognizes it and says the restaurant is only mediocre, but Wax says it's his destination), and says if Reece can't get him through, with his cans, he'll call the Embassy and ask for a different driver who will do things his way.Seeing that Wax and customs are at an immovable impasse, Reece finally slaps a Diplomatic Mail sticker on Wax's duffel bag, thus rendering Wax's possessions legally exempt under international law from all customs actions. Wax chuckles smugly as Reece leads him away, past the fuming customs officials.Driving Wax toward the restaurant, Reece questions Wax on his attitude. Wax concedes that he is simply scornful of customs as being 'self-righteous' and that he can get an energy drink very similar to the cans he brought, in any French supermarket. What those drinks don't have, that his does, Wax says, is his 'secret ingredient.' He breaks the cans open to reveal the disassembled components of Wax's custom firearm. Reece is authorized to supply Wax with any firearm he desires, but as Wax says, nothing like his, a weapon he affectionately calls, 'Mrs. Jones.'Reece and Wax are at the Lotus des Neiges restaurant (Snowy Lotus in French), having dinner. Reece is trying to explain (much to Wax's amusement) how most "Chinese food" is actually American in origin, particularly Wax's seemingly favorite dish, egg foo young. Wax calls a waiter over to verify Reece's claim that the Chinese word for egg is 'dan.' The waiter says he was born and raised in Belgium and doesn't speak Mandarin.Suddenly Wax slams the waiter's head down on the table and holds him at gunpoint, saying "Let's talk dessert then, a Pakistani-Chinese dish." The waiter is in shock and terror and completely confused. Wax suddenly clarifies, "something you sniff off a spoon, buy by the kilo." It's clear he suspects the restaurant as a front for cocaine distribution.At this point a huge shootout erupts, every employee of the restaurant turns out to be carrying firearms. Wax takes them all out in a scene that would make James Bond jealous-- all while keeping control of the lone waiter via his scarf. The restaurant cleared, Wax again pushes the waiter's head down on a table and demands to know where their 'blow' is. Despite Wax's continued insistence, the still-terrified waiter continues to insist there is none and the restaurant doesn't supply it.Wax slowly glances up at the ceiling, grabs an automatic firearm and fires a large number of rounds straight into the ceiling. Within seconds, a cascade of white powder is falling into the room from the room above. Wax tells Reece to empty a nearby vase and fill it with the cocaine. Wax also lets a bit of it fall on his fingers and tastes it, saying that it tastes pure enough that this restaurant's supply is only a step or two removed from the people who do the actual preparation of the drug. Wax finally tells the waiter that he is letting him go to deliver a message to his superiors: "Wax on, Wax off."Wax takes the keys to Reece's vehicle and hurries down the street, before finally turning and stopping in an area near the back of the restaurant (suggesting he knows the streets of Paris far better than ever alluded to), and explains his 'Wax on, Wax off' as a 'code' meaning that he (Wax) is going to take down the whole drug operation. From their current vantage point, they see the waiter running down the street. Wax follows him from a distance.As they follow the waiter, Reece questions Wax on carrying the cocaine-filled vase. Wax remarks that where they're going, it's better than cash. Reece wants assurance it's on 'official business' and Wax finally explains about a college-age woman named Charlotte who sniffed some of the drug at the restaurant and overdosed. This Charlotte is the niece of the U.S. Secretary of Defence, who has tasked Wax with shutting down the whole operation-- 'chef to chief.'They park in a back alley near the entrance to a nondescript warehouse/factory which the waiter ducks into. Reece notes a street gang nearby and recognizes them as 'Dragon Heads,' a seriously mean gang of Chinese-French people. Wax remains calmly unworried, correctly punching in the 'secret' code to Reece's hidden compartment in the rear of his SUV and handing Reece a .357 from inside it. He is in no rush despite the advance of the gang, acting like they are no problem, especially after the way he handled the restaurant staff (which were no mere 'kitchen staff' the way they were all packing heat, as Wax explains).When the leader of the gang pulls a switchblade on Wax, however, he springs into action, easily taking them all down without breaking a sweat. He and Reece enter the factory, stealthily making their way up a spiral staircase to the very top, where they encounter the kingpin of the Chinese operation, M. Wong (Bing Yin), who is with family and his closest friends watching their children doing a traditional Chinese dance performance. Wax discreetly presses his gun into the back of Wong's chair so he can feel the barrel, and Reece (who speaks Mandarin) translates as Wax tells Wong that he has an address book with every pimp, prostitute and dealer in Wong's network, and he will turn it over to French authorities and work with them in getting Wong deported from France unless he gives Wax the name and address of the man who delivers all his cocaine. Wax gives him half a minute to decide, but Reece, instead of translating this correctly, asks Wong to think of the children-- a subtle hint that Wax might harm them. Wong curtly and wordlessly writes down the address and hands the paper back to Wax.As Wax and Reece start to exit, a number of Wong's employees burst in, and Wong orders them to kill Wax and Reece. The two agents rush down the spiral staircase and through a double door into a part of the factory used for manufacturing clothing mannequins. Here another big shootout scene erupts in which Wax demonstrates more of his dazzling gunmanship, wiping all the thugs out. When the last one drops, Wax casually gestures with his head for him and Reece to leave.Later, Reece is on the phone with his superior, who is assuring him that he is moving up in the agency, on a mission given straight from the top. He also allays Reece's concerns about Wax, saying his playbook is unorthodox but he always gets the job done. When Reece still expresses concerns however (he's none too happy about carrying around a vase full of cocaine), his superior (a little curtly) tells him to stop thinking and just do whatever Wax tells him... and not to call again until the job is done.A moment after he hangs up, Caroline calls. Reece knows she is deeply concerned about his abruptly disappearing and not calling her in the meantime. He starts to try and explain to her, but suddenly his phone drops the call because of a low battery.Wax collects Reece and takes him for some coffee at the Eiffel Tower. Afterward, he sniffs a little of the cocaine and makes Reece do the same, so he will appear as a genuine user when they visit Mr. Wong's dealer. As the drug starts to take effect, Reece questions Wax on whether this is the same type of drug that killed Charlotte, the secretary of Defence's niece. Acting as though he doesn't understand how the point is lost on Reece, Wax tells him that 'Charlotte' was never a real person... the mission they are on is about taking down a Pakistani terrorist cell operating in Paris, using the cocaine to launder their funds before purchasing explosives that can strike anyone, anywhere, without warning.They make the meeting with the dealer, where Wax gets Reece to request a prostitute for Wax in a building up ahead. The dealer looks them up and down before signalling to one of the prostitutes to go with them. Wax hands Reece a couple of condoms and starts kissing the girl as they enter an elevator. Reece's frustration at Wax's methods-- and his own role in helping-- quickly fade into shock and horror as Caroline suddenly walks by carrying two rolls of clothing fabric, and spots them. The elevator door closes before Reece can try to extricate himself from the situation.Wax remains nonchalant as Reece grills him on the situation he's now in with his fiancee. He breaks into a room where another john is with his two girls, and orders them all out, but as the john tries to leave, Reece notes the man has a cell phone charger and forces him to hand it over, so Reece can charge up his cell phone and finally call Caroline. Wax tells him while he's busy with that, to come to the window and watch a bank on the corner where the terrorists do their money laundering. Reece watches the bank impatiently while Wax takes the hooker into the bathroom and starts making out with her.When Reece's phone is charged, he calls Caroline and tries to tell her that what she saw wasn't what it seemed-- she responds angrily that it seemed that her fiance was riding up an elevator with a hooker and her pimp. Reece desperately tells her that the man she saw wasn't a pimp, but Reece's partner that he had told her about before leaving. Caroline finally begs Reece to just come home, and he can bring this partner with him for dinner.The conversation is interrupted when men start pounding on the door. Emerging from the bathroom, Wax thinks it's the Pakistani pimp and tells Reece to shoot them. Reece has just enough time to say he doesn't want to kill anyone before two Pakistani men burst through the door and start giving him a beatdown. Wax, acting unconcerned, watches through the window as two men leave the bank carrying duffel bags. Finally he turns (very casually) and kills the two thugs, chastising Reece for not doing it himself.They follow the two runners down the street when Wax pauses to window-shop, much to Reece's shock. But again Wax is unconcerned, watching the two runners get into a van and using his watch to order a global satellite to track it. Using the satellite's tracking, Wax and Reece arrive in a very seedy part of the city; a run-down tenement area. Locating the correct building by which the van is parked, they approach some thugs standing outside it. They ask to be brought inside, saying they have cash to spend. The big thug looks them up and down and brings them inside, telling them to wait in the lobby while he gets Rashid. He also tells them not to look a particular youth in the eyes.Wax wastes no time disobeying this request, looking the boy in the eyes. The boy promptly pulls a gun and orders them to kneel down. Wax does so, making Reece do the same. The boy's gangmates start to divest them of their valuables, including Reece's ring. As Rashid (Chems Eddine Dahmani) enters, the boy gives the ring to Rashid, and he puts it on his finger.Rashid hands Wax a packet with five grams of cocaine, saying it will cost $50. Wax tastes a speck of it to determine its quality and says he'll buy an additional kilo. Rashid is incredulous at this, saying he doesn't sell in quantities that large. Reece explains that five grams is 'personal consumption,' a much lower grade of offence in Paris than a kilo, the dealing of which will land them 15 years in prison under French law. Wax then says aloud for all of the gang to hear, that it would be bad for them all to be caught with five kilos of their own product. Reece drops his vase, and it shatters on the ground and all the cocaine inside it spills all over the floor. All the gang members scatter and run, leaving Wax holding Rashid at gunpoint. Reece promptly jumps on Rashid and punches him out, taking back his ring. Wax eggs him on and then tells Rashid to take him to the senior members of the Pakistani cell.Rashid takes him to an apartment where Wax pushes his way in. He uses a scope to peer into the apartment directly below him and sees that terrorist operatives there are closing up shop. Directing Reece to go to the floor below and shoot anyone coming through the door of the apartment, Wax attaches a cable to the top of the window frame and rappels down to break into the lower-floor apartment through its window, promptly starting to take out all the terrorists in ways that all the other movie secret agents and action heroes can only dream about. As Reece gets in position, Wax warns him not to enter, noting the door is wired with heavy explosives-- the terrorists enter and leave through the apartment directly below on the 9th floor, connected to the rigged apartment through a pole (think Batpole without Batman). Wax uses the pole to go into the 9th floor apartment, picking up the gunfight from there, blowing away the last of the terrorists inside. Arriving on the 9th floor through the stairs, Reece confronts another operative, ordering him to get down on the floor. Instead, to Reece's horror, the man pulls Reece's gun right into his own mouth and makes Reece pull the trigger. Reece watches numbly as the man falls dead to the ground.Opening the apartment door, Wax commends Reece and then asks how many got out. Reece says maybe two or three, and Wax can't catch them now with their lead. Rushing to the window, Wax sees a getaway car ready to speed away. Doing some math calculations to estimate how long it will take the escaped operatives to reach the car, Wax spots several vests rigged with C-4 bricks for use by suicide bombers. Arming one vest, he takes it to the window and starts a countdown in his head. At the end of the countdown, he drops the vest outside the window. Just as the escaped operatives rush out the front door of the building and scramble into the car, the vest lands on the car and detonates from the impact, killing everyone inside the vehicle.Wax hastily grabs a number of items in the apartment and stuffs them into a duffel bag, ushering Reece out before the French police arrive. Reece takes the time to wash blood off his face at the washroom sink. As he finishes, Wax calls him into the next room. The room is covered with photographs of Reece. It's clear that many of the operatives in the terrorist cell have been following Reece and know a lot about him.They hear the sound of the police rushing in. Reece notes the police are rushing to the 10th floor door-- the one rigged to blow. He desperately tries to sprint forward to warn them, but Wax pulls him back, saying they are forced to let the police trigger the door in order to avoid detection and arrest. Insisting they're supposed to protect people instead of letting them die, Reece breaks free and rushes to warn the officers, but it's too late. They break the door down and many of them are killed in the resulting blast.Escaping the building with Reece, Wax jumps into an unmanned police car and drives off. They drive past Reece's SUV and Reece says he has to get his stuff from there. Wax says their arrival was expected and the vehicle was undoubtedly stripped by now. But Reece's prints are all over the car and the police will be able to trace it back to him. Wax throws the police car in reverse and slams into the cars parked right in front of Reece's SUV, knocking them back to jar Reece's vehicle and set off the booby trap linked to his hidden compartment. Reece's SUV is destroyed and Wax drives off with Reece.That evening, they meet with several senior CIA agents. Wax has Reece sit on a bench nearby and hands his colleagues the duffel bags filled with evidence from the terrorist apartments. They give him a brown paper bag in return, which turns out to contain one of Wax's indulgences-- cheeseburgers (Royale with cheese, as it's called in France). Wax gives Reece one of the burgers and they talk as they eat. Reece admits he didn't actually kill the man that he confronted near the stairway, and Wax says he knew this, but Reece will still get credit. Wax think Reece makes a perfect partner for him... a remark that Reece has to grin at. Reece's cell phone alerts him at that moment to a text message from Caroline. She's told him that dinner awaits, and she's asking him to bring Wax with him.Reece and Wax arrive back at Reece's apartment for dinner. Also joining them is Caroline's best friend, a young Pakistani woman named Nichole (Amber Rose Revah), with whom Wax quickly develops a mutual fancy. As everyone is getting acquainted and Reece is telling Caroline about their day, Wax's phone rings. He goes near Reece's stereo and turns it up for privacy as he talks to his superiors. He is heard asking his superiors 'how many?' and then telling them to 'call them all back.'The four of them are just finishing dinner and enjoying light conversation over a bottle of wine when Nichole's cell phone rings. She tells the caller that nobody named Rose is present, and politely tells everyone at the table that it was a wrong number.But Wax's expression has turned very stern and serious. He tells Reece that it was not a wrong number-- in fact, it was the very call he was waiting for. Without another word he whips out his gun and, to the utter horror of both Reece and Caroline, Wax blows Nichole's head off her shoulders and kills her.Wax tells Reece that 'Rose' is a code word used by his superiors. Nichole answering a phone call by people looking for a 'Rose' means that Nichole's cell phone is part of a cell network used by the terrorist bloc. Worse still, Nichole being Caroline's best friend, Wax says, means Caroline is also involved-- in fact, it explains all the pictures of Reece in the terrorist apartments. Wax quickly locates and pulls out a hidden bug inside one of Reece's lamps, which means there are undoubtedly numerous other such devices in the apartment. Getting furious, Reece shouts that he thoroughly checked Caroline's credentials when he started dating her (much to her shock), but Wax has more proof in store... Reece's ring, given him by Caroline. Wax realizes that the terrorists are tracking their movements through the ring. Reece reluctantly gives Wax the ring over Caroline's tearful pleas, and Wax demonstrates that the ring interferes with the stereo; proof positive that it is a transmission device.A devastated Reece confronts Caroline. She offers him no more words, but instead pulls a hidden gun taped under a lampstand and shoots Reece in the shoulder. Laying down more gunfire to pin Wax down, Caroline leaps through the living room window. Wax follows and pursues her across several rooftops and down several fire escapes. But before Wax can catch up to her, a green Volvo roars into an intersection just ahead of Caroline with its passenger door open. She leaps in and pulls the door closed and the car roars off. Wax grabs his phone and gives his superiors the make, model, and license plate number of the Volvo.Later, agents have finished pulling over a dozen hidden microphones and several cameras out of Reece's apartment. Reece is dazed and confused. He realizes he didn't really know much about Caroline and is angry at himself. Wax tells him he was just in love. Wax himself has had relationships with women-- as he tells Reece, he's not made of stone.Reece's cell phone rings; it's Caroline. Quickly he and the other agents plug it into a laptop in order to trace the call. Caroline tells Reece she will be off the phone before they can finish a trace. Holding back tears, she tries to tell Reece that she never meant for him to be hurt. For a number of years she has known a man who has been a second father to her; a man who gave her a purpose in life; a cause to serve. A man who helped her make sense of things.Caroline hangs up, and she is seen going up to a bearded man (Farid Elouardi) and kissing his hand as he touches her face; on his finger is a ring exactly like the one Caroline gave Reece.A trace lock from the call is incomplete. Wax tells his agents to replay the call and turn the volume up, and from the background noises, Reece guesses the rough area in which Caroline placed the call as the Périphérique. Wax realizes Caroline and whoever she is with are heading out of Paris. At that moment, Reece gets a call from a very concerned Ambassador Bennington-- the American Delegation for the US-African Aid summit has just landed at the airport and Bennington expected Reece to be there to greet them. Wax determines that the Delegation's motorcade is going to be the target of a suicide bomb attack. Grabbing one of his colleagues as a driver, he rushes out to intercept them.As Wax and his driver race to save the Delegation, Reece paces about his apartment. He knows that there has to be more than just the bombing of the American Delegation; why use him, through Caroline? Why did they bug his apartment so thoroughly? He begins going through the house, and all of Caroline's things that are there. He goes through her clothing sketches and finds a piece of cut fabric, a newspaper with a front page devoted to the African Aid Summit... and a design sketch for a hooded outer garment like an Arabian hajib-- the same type of garment that he knows will be worn by mid-Eastern women delegates at the Summit.Reece calls Wax and warns him that the attack on the Delegation is a decoy. While the bearded driver goes to strike at them, Caroline is making her way to the actual Summit conference as a suicide bomber. Trying to line up a shot on the bearded driver's green Volvo with a portable rocket launcher provided him by his own driver, Wax tells Reece he can see caroline in the passenger seat of the Volvo. Reece urges him to make direct visual contact. Wax gets his driver to move in closer, and he sees to his horror that Reece is right... in the passenger seat of the Volvo is a clothing mannequin. Wax calls the Delegation's security agent and warns them of danger, urging them to change course, but the Head of the Delegation (Alexandra Boyd) refuses to consent. Frustrated, Wax tells his driver to pull ahead of the bearded man and take him up to the bridge coming up ahead. Lining up his shot, he destroys the green Volvo a mere hundred yards in front of the Delegation's procession.Reece has made his way to the Embassy estate where the Summit conference is taking place. Wax calls him and tells him that Caroline will be wearing one of the shock-activated explosive vests like the one they found in the terrorist apartments, under her hajib. In order to save countless lives, Reece will need to shoot her in the head. Wax angrily insists Reece has to do this, over Reece's anguished protests.Reece uses his ID keycard at the security checkpoint but finds it denies him entry. The head of security (Nick Loren) informs him that the card has already been used by Ambassador Bennington's aide. Realizing that Caroline has his spare keycard, he tries to explain to security, but of course they respond with suspicion and try to forcibly lead him to the security office for questioning. Spotting Bennington, Reece urgently calls him over to verify his identity. But when Reece tries to walk through the metal detector, it immediately goes off, alerting security to Reece's gun, creating an even bigger problem. Even Bennington has no knowledge of Reece being authorized to carry firearms. Reece quietly tells Bennington that a suicide bomber is in the building. Caroline began dating and living with Reece to establish a cover for herself and ultimately give herself a means of entering the Summit conference. Bennington asks Reece if he's absolutely sure she's in the building, and Reece is forced to admit he isn't. Thinking quickly, Bennington asks Summit security to let Reece through. They say they will do so, but only if Reece is unarmed-- he cannot take his weapon. Bennington nods in agreement, and security lets go of Reece. The head of security discreetly follows behind him to watch him.Reece spots a woman wearing a hajib like the one in Caroline's sketch. He calls out to her; she half-turns and ducks into one of the conference rooms. Reece follows and sees the point behind Caroline's hajib-- it exactly matches those worn by all the other African and Mid-Eastern women delegates, making her indistinguishable from them, as they all have the hoods up.Following behind Reece, the head of security notes his agitation and quietly radios for backup, knowing a situation is about to start.Needing to pick Caroline out among the women delegates, Reece grabs a gun from one of the security officers and shouts in a loud voice for him not to move. He brandishes the gun so everyone in the room will see he has it. All the delegates and diplomats in the room begin to scatter or duck for cover. Reece's plan pays off as he sees one of the robed women's feet as she scurries away. She's wearing orange pumps: Caroline's shoes. He points his gun at her and orders her to freeze. Caroline complies, putting her hands up in the air, but she also is waiting to see if the security agents converging can disarm Reece. The agents repeatedly order him to drop his weapon, but refrain from opening fire as Reece is making no other threatening moves other than holding Caroline at gunpoint. Caroline finally turns to face Reece and slowly lowers her hood to reveal her face, and then she pulls her hajib open to reveal her explosive-laden vest. Instantly all the security agents' guns are turned to point at her. Reece shouts for them to hold fire, because the impact of the bullets will detonate her vest. Reece desperately tries to reason with Caroline, pleading to her that despite everything, he still loves her with all his heart, and that is all the 'sense' either of them will be able to make of anything that has transpired-- he still loves her. For a few instants it appears that Caroline is listening to Reece, but then her hand starts lifting up to tap the plate that will detonate her vest. Forced to react, Reece takes quick but careful aim and fires a shot right into Caroline's forehead. Arriving on the scene, Wax catches her falling body before it hits the floor, and disconnects the wires that charge her vest.Outside, the Head of the American Delegation is being required to remain seated in her car without an explanation, and she is getting angrier and more impatient by the minute. Her security agent recognizes Wax exiting the building and desperately asks him to explain to her. Wax gives a very vague story that a security problem has been handled and she is free to enter the Summit. The Head of the Delegation marches up to Bennington and curtly (and rudely) demands that the person or persons responsible for the delay be identified and fired.Reece is bringing Wax to the airport to return to the United States. He gives Wax a cheeseburger as a going-away present. Wax laughs appreciatively and tells Reece that his performance and heroics have almost assuredly earned him a big promotion that will more than likely take him on the road; though as Wax adds, he would certainly love it if Reece came with him. Reece wants to get back to his apartment, having a lot of things to take care of. Wax tells him that his apartment has already been 'packed up and shipped out,' but Wax has what he believes Reece wants-- a strip of photographs that Reece and Caroline posed for at a street-side automatic photo booth, the only memento Reece will have to remember Caroline by.The movie closes with Wax revealing that he is also a chess player, and invites Reece to play a game with him before Wax leaves. The camera pans out gradually as they set up the board and pieces, along with a good-natured trading of 'smack talk.' | violence, humor, murder, romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0397065 | House of Wax | The movie begins with a scene set in 1974. A woman is boiling hot wax to make wax masks while her young son is eating his breakfast in a high chair. Suddenly the father comes in holding a near hysterical second son who is kicking and screaming wildly. The second child needs to be strapped down in his high chair due to his apparently violent nature, and is compared negatively to the other child.The present. Six youngsters are on their way to a highly anticipated football game. Carly Jones (Elisha Cuthbert) is an ambitious young woman who is planning to move to New York. Her boyfriend Wade (Jared Padalecki) is a small-town boy who is hesitant about moving to the big city. They are joined on their trip by Carly's friend Paige Edwards (Paris Hilton) who may be pregnant with her boyfriend Blake's (Robert Ri'chard) child, although she hasn't told him yet. Blake has invited Carly's twin brother Nick Jones (Chad Michael Murray), a juvenile delinquent, to come along; Nick comments that their parents say Carly is the "good twin" and he is the "bad twin". Nick has brought along his rather annoying and immature friend, Dalton Chapman (Jon Abrahams). When night falls the group decides to set up camp for the night in a field. The campsite is visited by a mysterious stranger in a truck who shines his lights at the campsite, but refuses to leave, speak, or turn off his lights. Nick throws a beer bottle at the truck, breaking a headlight. Later that night, when everyone is asleep, Carly detects someone entering their camp.The next morning Wade discovers that his fan belt has been torn... or cut. Carly and Paige, meanwhile, discover a large ditch filled with roadkill. A disheveled man with poor hygiene and strange behavior adds a deer to the pile. He offers to drive Carly and Wade to the nearby town of Ambrose to get a new fanbelt, while the rest of the group goes to the football game. However, the rest of the group soon find themselves in a traffic jam and decide to return to the camp site to wait for Wade and Carly to return from Ambrose.Wade and Carly are creeped out by the roadkill transporter and get out and go to Ambrose on their own. The town seems almost like a ghost town, though the church is full. They visit the run-down wax museum, which is entirely made of wax. Scared by the rather eerie wax figures and the sudden appearance of a creepy man outside the window of the museum, Wade and Carly go to a garage where they meet with Bo, a mechanic who was in the church, who agrees to take them to his house and sell them a fanbelt. The handsome, charming man tells them the story of the Sinclairs (the former owners of the wax museum) while they walk to his house. Apparently Dr. Victor Sinclair and his wife Trudy moved to Ambrose when Victor was fired for performing experimental procedures on patients. Once in Ambrose, his wife Trudy discovered a passion for sculpting wax figures but eventually fell ill and died. A depressed Victor then committed suicide, leaving the Sinclair children as orphans.While Carly waits in the car outside of Bo's house, she discovers that the headlight of Bo's truck is broken. Realizing it must be the same truck that bothered them the night before, she tries to warn Wade by blowing the car horn. However, as Wade is trying to leave, someone comes from below and cuts his Achilles tendon, crippling him. Wade is subsequently stabbed and knocked out. Revealing his true intentions, Bo begins chasing Carly, and she eventually ends up in the church and discovers that all the funeral guests she saw earlier are actually wax figures. She is captured by Bo and imprisoned in the cellar of his gas station with her lips glued together, as well as cutting a part of her finger off. Bo's brother Vincent (the creepy man Carly saw outside the museum), meanwhile, starts to embalm Wade in wax.Nick and Dalton soon arrive in Ambrose to look for their friends and, upon encountering Bo, Nick asks him whether he has seen Carly or Wade. Carly hears Nick's voice and manages to rip her lips open and scream for help. Knocking Bo over, Nick rushes to the rescue and frees Carly. The siblings discover that the rest of Ambrose's population is dead, wax-preserved and displayed to make it appear that the town actually has living residents. At the same time, Dalton enters the house of wax and finds Wade covered in wax. Wade is alive, but unable to move. Dalton attempts to free Wade by peeling the wax. As he is doing this, he realizes that he is peeling Wade's skin off his face (which somehow fused with the wax). Vincent finds Dalton and starts to chase him, slicing off part of Wade's face off in the process which causes him to die from shock. Dalton falls down the stairs and Vincent decapitates him.Vincent then goes to the campsite where Paige and Blake are and kills them by stabbing Blake in the neck and impaling Paige on a metal pole. Back in Ambrose, Carly and Nick overhear a conversation between Bo and Vincent, who are the Sinclair children seen in 1974. It turns out that Vincent (the "good" twin who was seen behaving well in the opening scene) simply wanted to continue his mother's work of creating wax figures but Bo (the "evil" twin who had been violent and was tied down in the opening scene) manipulated him to start murdering people to make more realistic wax figures out of their victims. Carly also finds newspaper cuttings that report how Dr. Victor Sinclair separated his Siamese twin sons at birth, leaving one (Vincent) badly disfigured. Chased once more by Bo and Vincent they eventually end up in the wax museum. Nick starts a fire in the house of wax and the whole house begins to melt. The demented brothers die in the fire, with Bo's head being beaten by Carly with a bat. Upon seeing Bo's lifeless body, Vincent, in anger becomes fixated on killing Carly, despite her trying to reason with him over his family's history of corrupt ways. Vincent is then stabbed by Carly and pushed through the wax floor to his death by Nick, where he lands on his brother's corpse on the same place where they were both conjoined. Carly and Nick then manage to dig their way out to safety through the second-story wall. The smoke from the blaze eventually draws outside help. The siblings discover that the town had long ago been abandoned, and that it was no longer on any map. As the ambulance carries Carly and Nick away, the Sheriff learns that there were actually three Sinclair children. The film ends with a shot of the roadkill transporter petting Bo and Vincent's dog and waving to Carly and Nick as their ambulance leaves Ambrose, leaving audience to think if the seemingly innocent man is one of the Sinclair brothers. | good versus evil, violence, murder | train | imdb | Using their third brother as a connection with the exterior, it's pretty much arguable that the Sinclair twins should obtain the money necessary to buy the wax, in a WWII-type fashion.So, that aside, I think the movie deserves a lot more than it gets, and nobody should lose the chance to watch it.
House Of Wax is pretty much everything I like in a horror movie.
For those who enjoy Paris Hiltons stage presence, this may be a movie to see at home when its released on video, because at the screening I was at, we all laughed at her misfortunes through the movie and she is portrayed as a "woman of questionable values".The movie itself was pretty good (unlike the recent flood of weak horror flicks), it has everything a good horror should; a creepy villain, excessive violence, acts which make that average person cringe...this movie hit all the bases.
While HOUSE OF WAX will never be mistaken for Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE or HALLOWEEN, it does try and ultimately succeed in being a worthy addition to quality horror film making.
Vincent Price is nowhere to be seen and when you start seeing fingers being cut off and hot wax covering comatose bodies, you realize this film is a little on the edge.I'd like to see an uncut director's X rated version.
House of wax is a typical slasher in many respects but that does not take away from the certain charm it holds...it has pretty much everything you would want in a horror film.The plot is simple and standard for the genre.
What's nice about House of Wax is its relatively slow burning, sure there are some jump scares and creepy moments but the real action does not start until around the 40 minute mark, some might call this dull but for me it only makes the third act even more impressive.Despite the little character development, the acting is surprisingly good and helps make the characters likable.
In a time when most high-profile horror films are disappointments, latent with bad writing, static direction, and amateur acting, I consider myself lucky that Serra and the Hayes brothers took it upon themselves to make a good, old-fashioned, spook fest.
As seen in the trailer, one knock I had was believing that a whole town could be "forgotten" but this is a cheesy popcorn horror movie so I accept it for what it is.My only major complaint is I assumed Paris Hilton would touch wax or get dipped etc.
The characters are developed decently and are somewhat likable (not like Cabin Fever where you wanted them to die) and the movie has a decent pace although nothing happens in the 1st 30 minutes like most horror films.I give it a 8/10 as it delivered good scares and gore and I had low expectations going into it.
After a somewhat wobbly start introducing our young characters, "House Of Wax" shifts gears and becomes an extremely effective horror outing.The plot really doesn't matter too much here - I think most people know upon seeing this that these stranded kids are going to meet up with a nasty killer and find some awful things in the titular house of wax.
Chad Michael Murray, like Hilton and Cuthbert, is pretty to look at, but unfortunately is not very convincing as the "bad boy" of the group.I predict good things for "House Of Wax," as the audience at the screening I attended hollered, screamed and clapped through out many parts of the movie.
Carly (Elisa Cuthbert) and Wade (Jared Padalecki) decide to go to the nearest town to get a new fan belt while the rest of the group attempts to go to the game , while Paige (Paris Hilton) and Nick (Chad Murray) stay on countryside making love .
Some scenes are clumsily shot but the movie has some good moments here and there , the illogical parts in the argument are more than compensated for the excitement provided by the creepy wax models , eerie killers and many other things .
Lavishly produced including spectacular scenes by the successful American producer Joel Silver who along with Robert Zemeckis and Gilbert Adler created ¨Dark House¨ , a production company specialized on terror genre ; both of them have produced successful terror movies dealing with eerie tales about horror , grisly killings and lots of blood and gore such as ¨House of haunted hill¨, ¨Return to house of haunted hill¨ , ¨Gothika¨, ¨Ghost ship¨, ¨House of wax¨ , Whiteout¨ , ¨Splice¨ , ¨The reaping¨ , ¨Orphan¨ , among others .
Even her greatest haters like me and my friends had to agree that she surprised us greatly with her barely believable acting skills and a strip-tease that wasn't as nasty as anything an online pop-up would promise of her, but still not so unbearable as to fast-forward or turn off the DVD.The violence in this surprised me; nobody at school or on the horror board was talking about it like they were about "these new movies called 'Saw' and 'Hostel'" but I could safely say that "Wax" was more graphic than Saw, and some death scenes were actually quite disturbing.In conclusion, I'm not surprised House of Wax didn't make a place on the IMDb Top 250, but it is definitely worth a look..
I know a lot of people thought Paris Hilton was going to just be terrible in this movie, in my own personal opinion, I actually thought she did pretty good In her own respective role.
Chad Michael Murray is one of the main stars here, who actually acts well and looks hot in his role at the same time, hard to find in a horror movie!
Of course it isn't anywhere near Oscar material but compared with other remakes you can do a lot worse than this.As you already might know, this movie is a remake of the original House Of Wax from 1953 (which was also a remake of an earlier I've been told), starring the legendary Vincent Price.
Paris Hilton's acting was about as good as can be expected, which is adequate, and she by far has the most boring death, but with that exception being stated, some gnarly bloodshed ensues which had me, a relatively jaded horror aficionado used to the standard issue death scenes, saying "Damn-that's harsh!" It's one of those movies that has you (at least I hope I'm not the only one!) putting yourself into the victim's shoes, imagining both their pain and mental desperation.
I was scared a lot and if I'm watching a horror film, that's OK with me and therefore i'm recommending the movie despite all it's clichés you've probably seen 100 times before.
It is a cheesy style remake of a classic and doesn't really do anything that i've not seen before, but it has an Ora about it takes sets it apart from a lot of the mediocre horror flicks in recent times.The build up, although slow is well paced and introduces the characters well enough so that we 'the audience' develop a liking for them; and when the killing's start i'm sure you'll agree the wait was worth it.Overall, House of Wax has a decent cast, adequate story, great tension and wonderful over the top death and violence that make it a must see for cheesy horror lovers and a safe bet for any horror fan.8/10.
Still with the fantastic set design to make the whole house into wax the movie is a typical classic horror remake like Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre later remade, despite creativity and so-so acting the movie was still just a gore picture.
No real relation to the vintage 1953 Vincent Price film, this really quite demented little movie (overly castigated on first release) sees six teens getting lost in the woods and stumbling on a near-deserted town that the AA wouldn't recognise.
The scene where one character discovers another fully waxed up, his tear-filled eyes still moving, and attempting to save him, is a highlight.Paris Hilton, the only real major 'star' name to this movie, acts to the best of her ability.
I'll admit I rented House of Wax mainly to have a good look at Paris Hilton because I figured I was in for just another clichéd horror film.
Title-only remake of the 1953 Vincent Price thriller has more in common with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (or the lesser-known 1979 movie Tourist Trap) than with the original film, but still it's a surprisingly good ride for horror fans.College kids stumble upon a backwoods town and make a deadly mistake when they decide to visit the creepy local wax museum.Upon first viewing this film last year I admittedly enjoyed it but still I was rather critical of it too.
Elisha Cuthbert makes for a likable heroine, Chad Michael Murray does a good bad-boy performance as the bother, Brian van Holt is good as our villain, and Jared Padalecki is solid in the role of Cuthbert's ill-fated boy friend.So in retrospect House of Wax is a good time for horror fans, or those that would just like to see Ms. Hilton meet the wrong end of a spear.*** out of ****.
i simply loved it, it was pure horror, with a lot of suspense in between, and a lot of powerful scenes, this movie goes all the way to my top 10, in some scenes was breathtaking, and a little choking like when jared's character (wade) was sitting there, all covered in wax, and Dalton starts to peel it off to..
House of Wax was a freaking gory, graphic and disturbing movie with lots of weird ways of people getting killed, slashed or beaten up.
The formula for "HOW" is simple: take the sketch of an old idea (the 50's Vincent Price vehicle of the same name, and only that), borrow heavily from similar "remakes" (2003's Texas Chainsaw) and others (Joy Ride), throw in C-list WB white teen "stars" to save money (Chad Michael Murray, Elisha Cubert), someone who isn't an actor but will raise awareness of the film (Paris) and one brother for the sake of the ACLU (Robert Richard), and you have a movie that will most likely, top the box office.
I thought this movie was pretty good!OK, so maybe it had a few scenes that could make people think of other horror movies, but i have seen a lot more pathetic movies that got much higher ratings than this!
What were people expecting from a movie titled 'House of Wax' that starred Paris Hilton?
Elisha Cuthbert is the only worthwhile reason to watch this movie.House of Wax is probably one of the poorest horror movies I have seen.
If you are a fan of real horror flicks such as Halloween, Texas chainsaw massacre, evil dead just to name a few stay far away from this crap, I mean come on their are two crazed killers who have seemingly killed an entire town and they can't take out one guy and a girl ,in fact they get whipped by them.
Although the setup is almost an hour long, but long enough to find out who's too stupid to have a chance to live, the heart of the action at the House of Wax is absurdist horror, replete with demented or dumb sets of twins, a crazed scientist, and a Norman-Bates type holding the secrets of a town long gone to wax.In a year when the best horror films have been The Amityville Horror and The Ring Two, House of Wax is easily the winner, a meltdown if you will of horror expectations loaded with the usual vacuous young people, false frights, severed body parts, and gratuitous sex, only more of it.The climactic scene, when everything and everybody take the heat, is worthy of the original (shown in 1953, starring Vincent Price, and in 3D).
Meanwhile female and male boobs dominate a laughably entertaining slasher with CGI and old-fashioned makeup so effective that a severed finger looks like it came straight out of a Wendy's chili order.Notwithstanding the superior technology, what places House of Wax at the head of the horror genre this year is the inane dialogue: As heroine Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) exclaims, "This place is a freak show." Welcome to the best freak show so far in 2005..
You'll yawn through the rest of the film, if you haven't yawned through it so far, although there are some impressive special effects with the wax, some I've mentioned already, including an obviously CG but still interesting climax, which describes the fate of the House of Wax. Essentially, it's just another bad slasher movie from the 1980s, but with Paris Hilton and, the one thing that has caused horror films to lose their souls, computer generated special effects.
This is certainly not the worst modern horror movie you could watch, I'm mentioned in this review some that are at least as bad and some far worse (like House of the Dead), it's just so tiring to see yet another one come out with so little thought or effort put into it..
In the words of the great actor Jonathan Harris,who played the character of Doctor Zachery Smith on the classic TV science-fiction series of the 1960's,"Lost In Space",would actually say when the worst was yet to come,he would say....."OH THE PAIN,THE PAIN".And the remake of the 1953 Vincent Price classic horror flick,"HOUSE OF WAX",is a example of how much PAIN the producers at Dark Horse Entertainment can really,really torture the essence of a good horror movie and here they butchered it.
Gory Fun. i have not see the old House of wax so i can't compare it with that movie this movie and i really enjoyed watch this movie remake.it a nice build up to the characters which i really liked.I loved the Deaths scenes in this movie, they were great gory and nasty as the same time, The acting wasn't that bad.The killer in this movies were really creepy and i love chase was really well done.I think this great Fun, Gory , Nasty and little creepy at the same time.i giving this movie 8/10.
blood and violence every other minute brilliant acting especially by elisha cuthbert and chad michael murray, and thank god JC serra didn't give Paris hilton too much screen time.when i looked at the user ratings, the movie only has a 5.4 rating, but it definitely deserves better than that.
i gave it a 7 for the following reasons.1, it's very violent.2, it has many suspenseful moments3, elisha cuthbert is amazing to look at, both acting-wise and body-wise4, no Paris hilton making love with the wax.5, i am not sure, but i think this is an Asian movie adaptation, and if it is, it was the only one that was good.6, firm ending.7, awesome sculptures.P.S. can somebody please award elisha cuthbert with something, an emmy or a golden globe, anything useful, anything that will raise her reputation..
If you like good old-fashioned horror with random acts of senseless violence and just a tiny bit of sex - Paris Hilton is in this movie for a reason and Elisha Cuthbert almost looks as hot as Jessica Biel when being chased through a forsaken, rotten town by a serial killer - "House Of Wax" is the movie you should go and see..
I liked the Ring 2 but I had a better time at the movies seeing house of wax.
This is one of the best horror / suspense films that Hollywood has made in years or maybe even decades.Even though in my opinion this movie was predictable in parts, it has everything that a good film in this genre should had CHILL, THRILLS, AND yes a lot of GORE!!
In fact, House of Wax is filled with some great popcorn gross-em-out violence, and features some of the most creative death scenes since the last Final Destination movie (and parents, please note the R rating and don't come back complaining because you thought it was safe to take your daughter because she LOVES Chad Michael Murray).Of course this film cannot take itself too seriously; check out the mini-parody of the Hilton sex tape.
The film relies on lots of superficial shocks, the kinds that have been done millions of time before, so much so that you can easily see them coming (hinted by little things like camera work, and duration of pauses, misplaced sound cues)House of Wax starts off okay but the middle section is kind of boring, (the only good part being what happens to Paris Hilton).
House of Wax is one of the best horror that I have ever seen.I accidentally on TV saw trailer for the film and made me interesting, so I decided to watch it.
All in all, producers and writers have made a great film that is definitely worth watching and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good horror movies.So,my rating is 9/10..
House of Wax is a slasher movie that gets a lot of bad rep, really for no other reason than that Paris Hilton is in it.
"House of Wax" has a genuine creepy feel with good performances from Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Van Holt and Jared Padalecki.With the classic plot of a group of teens going on a trip when suddenly things go awry, there are moments that are unexpected and leave you thinking even after the credits have rolled.
Unfourtunetly "House Of Wax" could be any late 80's horror movie - minus the bad effects.
House of Wax exceeds expectations, and if you're looking for a good thrill, a substantial horror, and some stomach-knotting gore scenes, this is the movie for you.
After a long time, I found one great horror movie that is ''House Of Wax''.
Then there is a cool scene at the end where they are escaping the wax house.FYI: Paris Hilton still can't act.FINAL VERDICT: If you like teen horror movies, this is for you. |
tt0096463 | Working Girl | This film is the story of a young woman's rise to success and the unconventional road she took to get there. Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is a secretary trying to get ahead at her Manhattan financial conglomerate. She is 30-years-old and earned her college business degree at night school. She rides the Staten Island Ferry to work every day which is a large corporation called Petty Marsh. Her goal is to move out of the secretarial pool and into an executive position. Yet, her dream remains unrealized; because her education was not acquired at a prestigious school, she cannot gain entry to her firm's training program for recent college graduates. She reads everything she can get her hands on, and endures the too-often falsely dangled opportunities of her superiors.After being misled into thinking that her supervisor, David Lutz (Oliver Platt), is helping her get a better job, Tess finds herself set up with a lascivious and debauched colleague of Lutz, named Bob Speck (Kevin Spacey) who tries to seduce her in his private limousine. She is forced to run out of the limo onto the street to get away from Speck. An angry Tess returns to the office and then gets into trouble by publicly calling her boss a "sleazoid pimp with a tiny little dick" on the office's digital stock-ticker crawl display.Following this, Tess is reassigned as a secretary to a new financial division for Petty Marsh and goes to work for company's new mergers executive, Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver), who is two weeks younger than she and the first woman she's ever worked for. Katherine assures her that their relationship is a two-way street and offers to mentor Tess. Seemingly supportive and benevolent, Katharine encourages Tess to share any good business ideas she has.Tess is delighted to finally be getting somewhere much to the chagrin of her live-in boyfriend, Mick Dugan (Alec Baldwin), whose main ambition is to buy his own fishing boat and doesn't understand the time Tess spends in Speech and Management classes that she attends on the weekends since Tess still speaks with the voice of a 10-year-old girl. Tess presses on, despite Mick's indifference and the bewilderment of her best friend Cynthia (Joan Cusack), who is engaged herself, and doesn't understand why Tess doesn't just marry Mick. Tess tries to explain to Cynthia that her career comes first.Over the next few days, Tess observes Katherine's style, ease with power, and smooth handling of the lecherous men who seem to populate their world. One day, Tess comes to Katherine with an idea for one of the firm's clients. Trask Industries has expressed interest in acquiring television stations, but Tess says that her research shows Trask would be better served to acquire radio instead. Katherine quizzes Tess on the genesis of this idea and, once she's convinced it really is Tess' own, sends her on her way with promises to bring it up at the next meeting. Tess is elated.As Katherine prepares for a getaway ski weekend to Europe with her estranged boyfriend, she confides to Tess that she's sure this is the weekend he'll pop the question. Katherine learns that Jack can't join her skiing but decides she should have a good time anyway... and promptly breaks her leg while skiing down a slope. She calls Tess from her hospital bed with a flurry of instructions: answer invitations, inform people that she'll be incapacitated, and take care of things at Katherine's parents house in New York as well. She apologizes for leaving such a mess, but reassures Tess that she can "make it happen."Tess arrives at Katherine's family's elegant Manhattan townhouse and soaks up the life she wants for herself. She sits at Katherine's make-up table, uses her exercise equipment, and imitates recordings of Katherine's upper-crust cadence. Then she finds a memo Katherine recorded for herself about Tess' idea for Trask Industries. She checks Katherine's home computer and, sure enough, finds more evidence that Katherine is intending to pass off Tess' idea as her own.Tess returns home to Staten Island, crushed at Katherine's betrayal, only to find Mick engaging in a worse betrayal; having sex with another woman, whom is one of her friends named Doreen DiMucci (Elizabeth Whitcraft). Disillusioned with Katharine and disgusted with Mick (whom she calls a "snake"), Tess walks out into the night.Having nowhere else to go, Tess runs back to Katherine's house to shack up there. Cynthia brings Tess her clothes from the apartment and begs her to talk to Mick, but Tess has decided to take action. She sees Katherine's invitation for a party that night from Dewey Stone & Company, which Katherine had intended to bring in on the Trask deal. In a bold move, Tess sets up a meeting for the following morning with Jack Trainer of Dewey Stone (the radio expert that Katherine had mentioned in her memo) and accepts the invitation to the party herself. She and Cyn go to Katherine's to borrow a $6,000 dress for the party; and, at Cyn's suggestion to calm herself, she takes one of Katherine's Valium. With Cyn's help, Tess remakes herself and attends the party looking different but still feeling slightly out of place.Once at the Dewey Stone party, she realizes how remote are her chances of finding Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford), and getting a head start with him before their meeting has decided to leave; but a handsome stranger approaches and asks her to have a drink with him. Tess asks the stranger if he knows Jack Trainer; and, of course, the stranger is Jack Trainer, who conceals his identity from Tess. After a few drinks, Tess realizes how intoxicated she is and should leave and asks the stranger to please get her coat for her. He brings the coat to an incoherent Tess in a waiting cab and instructs the driver to take them to his place. Once there, he carries the now totally unconscious Tess up to his apartment and puts her to bed.The next morning Tess awakens, thinking the worst, and moves as fast as she can to get out of the apartment before having to deal with the sleeping stranger beside her. She escapes with seconds to spare and regains her focus for her meeting at Dewey Stone. Draped in one of Katherine's stunning suits, she quickly realizes that the handsome stranger from the night before was Jack Trainer. He and his colleagues praise her idea for Trask's acquisition of a radio network but are curious why (1); she's come to them, and (2); has no briefcase. She gives them a plausible story on both counts, and they agree to meet further within their company and let her know if they can be part of the deal.Back at Tess'--no, Katherine's--office, Tess is cursing her own bad judgment concerning men and alcohol; and Cynthia is cursing Tess' double life, warning that she'll be out of, not only her man and her home, but her job as well. Suddenly, Jack appears on the floor, asking to see Tess. Tess convinces Cynthia to pose as her secretary and meets with Jack. After Tess' questions about the previous night, Jack assures her that nothing untoward occurred and that Dewey Stone is ready to proceed on the Trask deal. He gives her a gift of a new briefcase to celebrate and invites her to dinner; but she declines in spite of the attraction growing between them.Now the frenzy of activity kicks into high gear: Tess playing her role as Katherine's secretary for Katherine when she calls and for everyone else at her company and the role of deal manager with Jack Trainer. They work well together, making it fun and flirty when they can. When Tess attends Cynthia's engagement party, she realizes how much she's changed in a short time, how she no longer fits into the world she once called home. After Mick's impulsive marriage proposal, Tess says good-bye to him for good.A few days later, Tess and Jack crash Oren Trask's (Philip Bosco) daughter's (Barbara Garrick) wedding, intending to make an appointment and pitch their plan. They succeed and meet with two of his executives. Trask is interested. After a successful meeting with Trask, Tess and Jack sleep together for the first time. The next morning, Jack confesses that he needs to break up with his girlfriend. For him it's already over, he just hasn't told her yet. Tess' disappointment is evident when she learns the mystery girlfriend is Katherine and decides to keep her identity as Katherine's secretary a secret.Everything begins to come to a head: Katherine is returning to Manhattan the same day Tess and Jack are scheduled to finalize with the principles of the Trask deal, including the owner of the radio network that Trask is acquiring. Tess quickly cleans up and moves out of Katherine's house, dry cleans all Katherine's clothes, and meets her on the company's helipad when she arrives.At Katherine's house, she wastes no time drafting Tess to help her unpack, bathe, and change into sexy lingerie so that she can reconnect with the man she is so sure will propose to her. As Tess is about to leave on an errand to get painkiller pills for Katherine, she mentions to Katherine the memo she found that started the whole chain of events and points out that it looks like she's proffering the Trask radio idea as her own. Katherine claims that it was a necessary measure, since once Jack was accused of stealing another's idea. Katherine calls Jack to come over and, after a brief struggle during which Katherine proposes to him, he leaves without telling her about Tess. Tess returns from the errand and hides in a coat closet when she sees Jack. After Jack leaves, Tess emerges from the closet, gives Katharine her pills and rushes out of the apartment, accidentally leaving her appointment book behind. Katharine reads it and becomes enraged after she discovers what Tess has been up to for the past few weeks.Before entering the boardroom to finalize the Trask deal, Tess quickly asks Jack if he's ever had any ethical problems about looking over the work of others--he says he hasn't. The two confess their love for each other and sit down at the table. Suddenly, Katherine, on crutches, bursts into the room, screaming that Tess is an imposter and merely her secretary. Tess is unable to make the others understand that Katharine is the liar and leaves the meeting in shame. All the deal participants, including Jack, are confused.A few days later, Tess attends Cynthia's wedding where she finds that Mick is going on with his life with his new girlfriend, Doreen. After the wedding, Tess returns to her office to clean out her desk where the rest of her co-workers wish her the best of luck.In the lobby, she runs into Katherine, Jack, and Mr. Trask along with a group of executive businessmen. The women confront each other and get into a huge shouting mach in front of everyone. Katherine again play-acts as the "poor innocent victim" and accusing Tess of being a thief and liar (Note: the sociopath Katherine is basically describing herself by passing everything onto Tess using the old fashion 'accuse-your-accuser' manipulation tactic), while Tess accuses Katherine of pretending to be her friend so she could steal her ideas... as well as ploting to fire her on trumped-up charges after the deal goes through. When Jack intervenes in the argument, Tess tells him that her impersonating an executive may have stared out that way, but everything else she told him, as well as their night together, was true and that Katherine was always the bad person hiding behind her charming facade. Katherine whispers to Tess at what she told her earlier that "it was all just business". As the crafty and manipulative Katharine tries to lead the group onto the elevator, Jack then refuses to come, stating that Tess is this team's leader and he believes her. Trask tells Jack: "you better not let your Johnson go on making business decisions for you."Katherine cautions Mr. Trask to ignore Tess and not to belive a word she say. Suddenly remembering a little tidbit about the Trask merger, Tess asks Trask if Katherine had told him about the potential dealbreaker. Tess explains about a conflict of intrest with a fellow Trask Industries client that could ruin the merger if it is to be made public within a week after the deal closes. Trask is stunned to hear Tess explain the potential loophole in the deal and realizes she may be telling the truth. Jack maneuvers himself, Tess, and Mr. Trask into an elevator alone; and Tess explains how she first conceived the idea for Trask to acquire radio and shows him the newspaper clippings that inspired her.When the elevator door opens again on the conference floor, Trask approaches Katherine and asks her where SHE got the idea for the deal? Katherine pretends not to remember and says that she needs to check her files in her office, but Trask refuses to let her go to her office and he again asks Katherine where she came up with the idea for the Trask Industries radio deal merger. Katherine tries changing the subject, and then says that it's complicated, but Trask tells her to uncomplicate it. When it quickly becomes clear to everybody present that Katherine cannot (and will not) provide an answer, Trask says he will insist to the Petty Marsh board of directors that she be fired for her deception. He then offers Tess a job at his firm if she promises to bring the passion and integrity she brought to his deal.A few days later, Tess moves in with Jack at his apartment and starts her first day of her new job at Trask Industries. When she arrives, she sees a woman in an office, talking on the phone, and presumes she is to be the woman's secretary. However, it is quickly revealed that the woman is, in fact, Tess new personal secretary Alice (Amy Aquino), and Tess realizes that Trask's definition of "entry-level" involves the opportunities she had dreamed of. She insists her new secretary treat her as a colleague, rather than a superior, proving she is going be a very different boss from Katharine. Tess then calls Cynthia at her secretary job across town, to tell her the good news by saying: "Guess where I am?" Cynthia shouts to everyone that Tess has finally made it out of the typing pool. | romantic, comedy | train | imdb | null |
tt0280665 | Femme Fatale | Mercenary thief Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn) participates in a diamond heist at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival in France. The plan is for Laure to steal a necklace of valuable diamonds from the ensemble of a female attendant named Veronica (Rie Rasmussen). Posing as a French photojournalist, Laure gains access to the festival gathering where she lures Veronica to the ladies room where she begins to seduce her in a stall, during which Laure's two accomplices "Black Tie" (Eriq Ebouaney) and Racine (Édouard Montrouge), plus a janitor co-conspirator, provide various support; while Black Tie, disguised as a security guard, subdues Veronica's bodyguards he sneaks into the ladies room and takes the diamonds as Laure removes them off Veronica and drops them on the floor where Black Tie puts them in a bag and replaces them with glass replicants, while Racine, dressed as another security guard, monitors the events from outside the ladies room. When the deception is discovered, Laure instead double-crosses her accomplices and escapes to Paris with the diamonds. Black Tie tries to stop her but gets shot by a security guard and gets arrested.In Paris, Racine persues Laure and tries to catch her to get her to reveal where she has hidden the diamonds. Through a series of events, Laure escapes to a country house where she is mistaken for her own doppelgänger, a missing Parisian woman named "Lily" (also portrayed by Romijn) who had recently disappeared. While Laure luxuriates in a tub in Lily's parents home, the real Lily returns and commits suicide while Laure secretly watches, leaving Laure the opportunity to take her identity for good and leave the country to America. On the plane to the USA, Laure meets a man seated next to her whom she introduces herself as her her alias Lily.Seven years later, Laure (still in her identity as "Lily") resurfaces in Paris as the wife of Bruce Watts, the new American ambassador to France (Peter Coyote). After arriving in France, a Spanish paparazzo named Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas) takes her picture. The picture is displayed around Paris, and Black Tie (recently paroled from prison) spots Bardo's photo while in the middle of killing Veronica by throwing her into the path of a speeding truck. With Laure exposed to her two vengeful ex-accomplishes, she decides to frame Bardo for her own (staged) kidnapping so she can claim a ransom that Bruce will pay for her release and flee Paris once again to begin a new idenity. Bardo is further manipulated by Laure into following through with the "kidnapping", and in the process, they begin a sexual relationship.The pair eventually meet with Bruce for an exchange on a bride on the Saine, however, Bardo has a crisis of conscience at the last moment and sabotages the scheme instead of killing Bruce. In retaliation, Laure executes both Bardo and Bruce, only to be surprised by her ex-accomplices afterward, whom promptly beat her up and throw Laure off a bridge to her seeming death in the river below....However, in an extended twist ending, the entirety of the movie's events after Laure enters the bathtub in Lily's home rewind and are revealed to be a dream or premonition of the entire seven years. Laure suddenly finds herself back in the bathtub at Lily's parents house where she is shocked to find herself back to where she began her new life. Laura spies Lily entering the home as before, but this time she stops her from committing suicide and gives Laura her plane ticket to America and tells her to rebuild a new life for herself there.Seven years later in Paris, Laure and Veronica, who is revealed to have been Laure's partner/lover all along, chat about the success of their diamond caper. All of a sudden, Black Tie and Racine arrive seeking revenge, but by a twist of fate, they are killed by the same truck that killed Veronica in Laure's alternate reality. Bardo, witnessing all these events, introduces himself to Laure, swearing that he has met her before, with Laure replying "Only in my dreams". | cult, suspenseful, murder, flashback | train | imdb | Brian De Palma's 'Femme Fatale' is pure movie-making.
Not if you love a film that embraces the visual splendour and techniques that make cinema a unique art form.Femme Fatale sees De Palma returning to his forte: the suspense thriller.
His first original screenplay in 10 years, De Palma writes a tightly-plotted tale that certainly does not lead the audience by the hand, and the resulting twists it provides will allow different perspectives on the film's events with repeat viewings.Antonio Banderas - usually lost without cause if not working with Robert Rodriguez - does what he needs to do with efficiency; Romijn-Stamos, the Femme Fatale of the title, provides the eye candy.
And that is good: a director should never be an autonomous entity, happy to turn out derivative drivel that get the masses in and out - directors for hire are too commonplace in Hollywood today - and that is something that De Palma could never be accused of.Femme Fatale is a great example of a director working in a genre he loves and understands, and given the freedom to create.
21 years before, "Blow Out", De Palma's most transparent reference to cinema craftsmanship and the relations between cinema and reality, and, what is most important, to cinema as knowledge (or even revelation), merged from an almost hopeless vision of the world: at the end of the film, Jack Terry, the character played by Travolta, had found the truth, but the price he paid for it is loneliness and madness maybe (just like Hackman at the end of Coppola's "The Conversation"); revelation is for him a sort of curse as he lost his second chance (one of the director's recurrent themes) as far as reality made the grade with its web of lies and corruption.
(And those who wonder about the snake, read the Bible --Genesis.) At the very beginning of the movie, Laure's reflection on the tv screen reunites she and Barbara Stanwyck as the summa and the evolution of the femme fatale kind of character.
But De Palma uses it masterfully, because dream is not a solution but a way: there are ten minutes of movie left after it to give that "dream strategy" a new sense and a justification that any film ever gave.
De Palma, at the end of the film, tell us: that is what cinema is made of -different scenes shot under diverse lights in separate times, joined under one look and put together to make sense.
This is clearly shown at the start of the movie from the shot where Rebecca Romijn Stamos is sat on a bed, watching the classic noir; Double Indemnity.
To pull off a twist like the one in this film, the storyteller needs to be talented enough to not make the audience demand their money back when the movie finishes.
When the twist first hit, my eyes were starting to role but credit has to be given to De Palma because even though the twist he's working with is silly, he manages to bring the film to a close which wraps it up, and does tie all the loose ends together.
The film also would have been much better with a different male lead than Antonio Bandaras, someone who could speak English so people could understand him!With Brian De Palma directing, you get some stylish camera shots in here, so it's a good visual movie....a lot more than just girl-watching.
Those where all films that require the viewer to participate, use their brain and have a good time.Brian De Palma is a master filmmaker.
The attention to detail in the opening and all through out is what makes the film great, you will watch this over and over and catch something new on each viewing.Some have argued that De Palma is not an autuer, but indeed he is.
Also the slow motion is used to perfection here at critical times, unlike Micheal Bay who uses it to make things look pretty.This is a great film, yes, it takes some suspension of disbelief but that is why its a movie.
Just when you thought Brian De Palma had got as low as he could, along comes Femme Fatale, a film so bad it's quite brilliant.
If you thought previous efforts like Raising Cain and Body Double reached new levels of absurdity, trust me they were just dress rehearsals for Femme Fatale.Any film which has in its opening moments a lesbian sex scene combined with a jewellery heist in the toilets of the Cannes Film Festival surely signals more bad taste scenes to come, and yes ole Brian doesn't disappoint.
The longer the film went on the more the audience laughed, with dialogue usually reserved for porn films - " I don't want you to kiss my ass, just f*** it' - you know you're onto a winner.The final 15 minutes provided more laughs than any comedy for many a year, surely De Palma's career can only go in one direction, it can't get much lower than this - can it?I have to give Femme Fatale ten out of ten for all the wrong reasons - truly a classic..
Every single camera shot has a meaning to it, and this film as many of De Palma's classic camera styles, such as split screen slow motion action sequences, long takes before a disaster occurs etc.A lot of the talent behind this movie also comes from the cast.
Those who have seen the movie would know what I'm talking about).Also, one there's one pretty major problem with the heist at the beginning, but you don't really notice it when you're watching(I only picked it up after my fifth viewing of it).Also,Femme Fatale wouldn't be the same were it not for the film's sweeping and riveting score, which sets the slightly mystical yet mysterious tone for the film.Overall, a top-notch De Palma classic, although no-lovers of Brian De Palma may not appreciate it in it's full brilliance.
Since De Palma directed the debacle that was Mission Impossible, it seemed like a genius director has lost it all but this latest movie by the "new Hitchcock" is perhaps one of his strongest since "Carlito's Way" and the masterpiece "Body Double".
The story itself is quite simple : during the filmfestival of Cannes is a bunch of diamonds stolen but then the fun begins...you really have to be attentive during the whole movie as every minute De Palma puts you on a wrong foot just like we're used to by the master of the black thrillers...
The movie leaves a messy, confusing impression afterward, which is simply due to the poor written story that 'tries too hard to be difficult' at times.For De Palma fans it simply still remains a must see but everyone else can better skip this one, or should stop watching after the 'Cannes' opening sequence.4/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
Filmmaker Brian DePalma once again goes to the Hitchcockian well one time too often in this dreadfully listless and incredibly pedestrian thriller' about a bad French girl (Romijn-Stamos doing a killer Sharon Stone cum Grace Kelly turn) whose identity as a criminal threatens to be usurped when she attempts a change in life by marrying a wealthy American diplomat and photographer Banderas (in one of his worst displays of acting) as the patsy she becomes embroiled with involving murder, blackmail and mistaken identity.
Retracing every cliché of film noir (vouyerism, femme fatales etc)from his own body of work (Body Double, Dressed to Kill), this feels like leftovers from De Palmas's fridge, well past its sell-by-date.
Femme Fatale is high grade stuff if one is either a De Palma fan or a lover of film noir.
Conversely if these two things don't tick your film loving boxes then the law of averages suggests you should have - or should - stayed/stay away from it.De Palma opens up the doors to his fun house and invites noir lovers to come on in and enjoy.
In truth the story and set-up is predictable, but the journey is what makes the pic ooze quality and bare faced cheek, with the director giggling away like a schoolgirl in the background.Opening up with a sequence that sees our titular fatale (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) watching famed noir classic Double Indemnity, De Palma proceeds to homage and love the film noir world.
The opening shot/scene is an eye-opener that makes a great re-creation of Cannes from last year (though East-West, the movie shown within the movie, was at Cannes in 1999), and throughout, DePalma has a breathtaking visual sweep again, like in his earlier films; his last three films (Mission Impossible, Snake Eyes, Mission to Mars) were mediocre at best and at worst awful.
The woman (or women) is played by Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, a hot firecracker of a babe who is in hiding after a jewel robbery, who has more hiding in herself as well.However, despite this being a cinema-verite type thriller with Mamet-esquire plot turns, the ending is a downer on a first viewing and had me turned off to see it again for a while (is it even needed, despite its connection to genre, one might ask).
As a loyal admirer of De Palma's previous world since Carrie or Phantom in Paradise, I felt terrible disappointed on the absurdity and mediocrity of his latest work FEMME FATALE.The story is so absurd and the characters so shallow defined, that there is no suspense; the bad guys has no presence or strength and there is only one good persons who is not even a secondary character (how could you care for the good husband if he is only shown in one 30 seconds scene, not even a close-up, with two lines of dialog).
Banderas has enough charisma to give some sympathy to a paparazzi with a never explained past, and Romijn- Stamos has some screen presence (which you could appreciate better in the X-MEN movies) but characters behavior have no explanation or reason there is no much they can do here.
That sounds like a tired pickup line, but it is significant to this movie in a way that cannot be explained without giving away the plot.I watched this to see Rie Rasmussen's (Angel-A) debut film.
This was Rebecca Romijn's and Antonio Banderas' film, and they did a great job of keeping me interested throughout.But, it is really Brian De Palma's film.
The story is a convoluted mess in which De Palma plays with the time domain, a cheap movie making ploy, punctuated with some gratuitous sexiness, violence, and serious silliness all serving to blow holes through the film's credibility.
De Palma's is an original story, not a retelling with an obligatory twist.Americans seem not to know what to do with deliberately artificial fare like Femme Fatale or, for that matter, Eyes Wide Shut.
Depalma both loves and laughs at Hollywood movies.Femme Fatale begins with a jewel heist that takes place in the midst of the Cannes Festival.
Ultimately he does and her picture is plastered on billboards all over France, putting Laurie's life in grave danger.Similar themes that exist in earlier Depalma films find their way into Femme Fatale, particularly the theme of "the double," in which there is either a case of mistaken identity, twin siblings with opposite personalities, or a character suffering from multiple personality order, as was the case in Body Double, Sisters, and Dressed to Kill, respectively.
He always seems to confound the viewer with plot twists (Body Double) and he does it one better here - Brian rewinds the film about 2/3's of the way through and gives you a whole new ending!
Antonio Banderas also gives a very strong performance as Nicolas Bardo, the retired photographer who is unwillingly caught in Laure's web of crime.If you are looking for a great time at the movies, look no further than FEMME FATALE.
Rebecca Romjin-Stamos is doing one of the best model-gone-big screen-jobs of the last couple of years, while her opponent Eriq Ebouaney (the black guy in the suit) is having a pretty tough time trying to look like Samuel L.
However, what you get during these two hours is a piece of mildly engaging erotic fluff, nonsensical as ever but not without some rewards: firstly, Rebecca Romijn is an unusually photogenic woman, has an interesting and occasionally even stirring screen presence, of which she has more than enough to carry the film comfortably, the camera loving her all the way.
Brian DePalma + Rebecca Romijn & Antonio Banderas = One of the most seductive, entertaining and riveting movies i have ever had the opportunity to lay my eyes on.
A woman (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) tries to straighten out her life, even as her past as a con-woman comes back to haunt her.The highlight of this film is the gay Antonio Banderas.
I do not think you have ever seen it before this or since (though I would love to be corrected).Roger Ebert says, "This is a movie about watching and being watched, about seeing and not knowing what you see." De Palma is known for his theme of voyeurism, and there is that aspect here: not only are we voyeurs to the film, but one of the main characters takes photographs of people who would rather remain private.Ebert also says, "Romijn-Stamos ...
On the one hand it rightly praises Romijn-Stamos (this is her best role), but also has that reminder that many people see De Palma as derivative of Hitchcock (among others) and not necessarily in a complimentary way.We also have his split-screen, which has been used in more than a few of De Palma's films ("Blow Out" and "Phantom of the Paradise" immediately come to mind).
To me, it's just another showy piece from De Palma.The opening scene brings to mind immediately two things about Snake Eye: Sakamoto's music and the one continues shot following Nicholas Cage wriggling through numerous sets, lasting for maybe ten/fifteen minutes (and that is a masterpiece).Here, the alternate version of Bolero takes you through another long (but less impressive) opening scene, with the characteristic erotic element that promises for more to come.
Still, it is a good movie, DePalma's best since 1993's "Carlito's Way." DePalma shows of his visual storytelling prowess in the films opening heist scene, which is exhilerating.
I speculate that those who loathed Mulholland Drive will be quite satisfied with Femme Fatale.While Rebecca Romijn-Stamos did a fine job in her role, the true surprise was discovering that Antonio Banderas really can act.
All this being said, Femme Fatale' isnowhere near to being a masterpiece, but it is indeed a step in the rightdirection for our newly rediscovered Director.De Palma wrote and lensed Femme Fatale' in a no-holds barred manner.There are enough plot twists and turns to outdo a roller coaster and while the acting is a tad on the shady side, De Palma compensates with some stunningvisuals courtesy of Cinematographer Thierry Arbogast (The Professional, TheFifth Element) and a visceral score by Ryuichi Sakamoto (The Last Emperor,Snake Eyes).Starring Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in a cataclysmic career turn and the genericAntonio Banderas who always strokes his hair to the back of his head, DePalma's script manages to make these two tepid characters actually watchableas he unravels a crafty and witty film filled with plot holes and irregularities.
One only has to study the dialogue (watch for Romijn-Stamos'dialogue with Banderas when they are about to have anal sex) and they willknow De Palma was going for a different type of film noir.
In a nutshell, the film is worth a look due to its' elevated filmmaking from De Palma and any movie that stars a generic Banderas that is actually watchablemust be well made.
This film is not even saved by the actors : Rebecca Romijn-Stamos seems to want to prove that she has a great body and can make use of it, and Antonio Banderas was probably asleep most of the time, just waiting to cash in the final cheque.
However director Brian De Palma reworked preoccupationsborrowed from Hitchcock, the French New Wave, and his ownearlier work into an erotic thriller whose complex puzzle pieces all,by movie's end, fit together seamlessly, is itself a mystery.
`Femme Fatale' is a maddening movie in that it makes you think you're watching a bad film - one filled with preposterous plot twists, implausible coincidences and logical fallacies - only to discover about two-thirds of the way through that there actually is a method to the filmmaker's madness.
The filmmaker in this case is Brian De Palma who continues his fascination with body doubles, telling the tale of a beautiful French woman named Laure who makes off with the booty from a heist gone wrong (a theft done at the Cannes Film Festival, no less) leaving her accomplices empty-handed and lusting for revenge.
But life can be a tricky business at times, and Laure finds herself back in Paris seven years later (actually 2008) with a number of scores still to be settled.For most of the film's duration, the plot is so preposterous and goofy that it plays more like a PARODY of a De Palma (and by extension, of course, Hitchcock) work than a straightforward mystery film in its own right.
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is slinky and sexy as the `bad girl' Laure and Antonio Banderas is nicely put-upon and befuddled as the photographer who gets pulled into her web of deception.`Femme Fatale' will probably irritate most viewers up until the point where the surprise twist occurs.
Have just watched Femme Fatale on DVD and thought it was fantastic.I notice alot of reviews say he is ripping off Hitchcock etc but what else do you expect from a De Palma film?
Overall, this represents some of Depalmas best work as a director.The twist in the film reminded me way too much of David Lynch's Mulholland Drive.
Critic and audience reaction to this incredibly stylish erotic thriller explains why filmmakers do that.Femme Fatale is at its heart, a movie about fate, which poses the question in the opening scene: What would it take to make a "bad girl" turn around? |
tt0113855 | Mortal Kombat | The series takes place in a fictional universe consisting of eighteen surviving realms which, according to in-game backstories, were created by the Elder Gods. The Mortal Kombat: Deception manual described six of the realms as: "Earthrealm, home to such legendary heroes as Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, and Jax, and also under the protection of the Thunder God Raiden; Netherrealm, the fiery depths of which are inhospitable to all but the most vile, a realm of demons and shadowy warriors such as Quan Chi and Noob Saibot; Outworld, a realm of constant strife which Emperor Shao Kahn claims as his own; Seido, the Realm of Order, whose inhabitants prize structure and order above all else; the Realm of Chaos, whose inhabitants do not abide by any rules whatsoever, and where constant turmoil and change are worshipped; and Edenia, which is known for its beauty, artistic expression, and the longevity of its inhabitants." The Elder Gods decreed that the denizens of one realm could only conquer another realm by defeating the defending realm's greatest warriors in ten consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments.
The first Mortal Kombat game takes place in Earthrealm (Earth) where seven different warriors with their own reasons for entering participated in the tournament with the eventual prize being the continued freedom of their realm, threatened with a takeover by Outworld. Among the established warriors were Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. With the help of the thunder god Raiden, the Earthrealm warriors were victorious and Liu Kang became the new champion of Mortal Kombat. In Mortal Kombat II, unable to deal with his minion Shang Tsung's failure, Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn lures the Earthrealm warriors to the Outworld where the Earthrealm warriors eventually defeat Shao Kahn. By the time of Mortal Kombat 3, Shao Kahn revives Edenia's (now a part of his Outworld domain) former queen Sindel in Earthrealm, combining it with Outworld as well. He then attempts to invade Earthrealm but is ultimately defeated by the Earthrealm warriors again. After Kahn's defeat, Edenia was freed from Kahn's grasp and returned to a peaceful realm, ruled by Princess Kitana. The following game, Mortal Kombat 4, features the former elder god Shinnok attempting to conquer the realms and attempting to kill the thunder god Raiden. However, he is also defeated by the Earthrealm warriors.
In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the evil sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung join forces to conquer the realms. By Mortal Kombat: Deception, after several fights, the sorcerers emerge victorious having killed most of Earthrealms' warriors until Raiden steps forth to oppose them. The Dragon King Onaga, who had been freed by Reptile at the end of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, had deceived Shujinko into searching for six pieces of Kamidogu, the source of Onaga's power. Onaga then confronted the alliance of Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Quan Chi and thus obtained Quan Chi's amulet, the final piece of his power. Only a few warriors remained to combat against the Dragon King and his forces. Shujinko eventually triumphed over the Dragon King and removed his threat to the Mortal Kombat universe.
In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon the catastrophe known as Armageddon starts. Centuries before the first Mortal Kombat, Queen Delia foretold the realms would be destroyed because the power of all warriors from all the realms would rise to such greatness it would overwhelm and destabilize the realms, triggering an all-destructive chain of events. King Argus had his sons, Taven, and Daegon, put into incubation who would one day be awakened to save the realms from Armageddon by defeating a firespawn known as Blaze. In the end, however, Shao Kahn is the one who defeats Blaze, causing Armageddon.
In Mortal Kombat (2011), it is revealed that the battle between the warriors of the six realms culminated into only two survivors: Shao Kahn and Raiden. Badly beaten, Raiden had only one last move he could make to prevent Shao Kahn from claiming the power of Blaze. He sends last-ditch visions of the entire course of the Mortal Kombat timeline to himself in the past right before the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament (first game). This transfer of information to his former self causes a rift in time, causing a new "reboot" timeline to be introduced that splits off from the original Armageddon timeline, with a new outcome of Mortal Kombat history to be written. But this story leads to even worse unforeseen events. It ends with many of the main game characters dying at the hands of Queen Sindel and Raiden accidentally killing Liu Kang in self-defense. Eventually, the Elder Gods aid Raiden in killing Shao Kahn and saving Earthrealm. But as the scene goes on it is later revealed that this was all a plan by Shinnok and Quan Chi.
Mortal Kombat X sees Shinnok and Quan Chi enacting their plan, leading an army of undead revenants of those that were killed in Shao Kahn's invasion against the realms. A team of warriors led by Raiden, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade oppose Shinnok, and in the ensuing battle, Shinnok is imprisoned, Quan Chi escapes, and various warriors are resurrected and freed from Shinnok's thrall. Twenty-five years later, Quan Chi resurfaces and allies himself with the insect-like D'Vorah in manipulating events that lead to Shinnok's release. Though Quan Chi is killed by a vengeful Scorpion in the process, Shinnok resumes his assault against the realms. After a grueling, protracted battle, Shinnok is defeated by Cassandra Cage representing the next generation of Earthrealm's warriors. With both Quan Chi and Shinnok gone, the undead revenants of Liu Kang and Kitana assume control of the Netherrealm and Lord Raiden now protects the Earthrealm not defensively but offensively with the help of the remaining revenants. | murder, cult, alternate reality, violence, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic, humor, revenge | train | wikipedia | Following up the spectacular disaster of competing fighting game turned movie, Mortal Kombat succeeded where Street Fighter failed.
Not a fantastic movie nor one that goes in my top ten, but Mortal Kombat (without a doubt) is one of the better game-based-films.MK wisely avoids inventing plot in unwelcomed places and sticks to the game as frequently as it can get away with.
The movie's premise is the first Mortal Kombat arcade game featuring a few plot hints (journey to Outworld) and a few characters from Mortal Kombat 2 (Kitana, Jax, a youthful Shang Tsung.)Christopher Lambert and Cary-Hiroyuki Takawa make the most memorable impact as Thunder God Rayden and Shape-shifting Sorcerer Shang Tsung.
At this point, however, I can't compare it to any other instantiations of Mortal Kombat.The film is basically a combination of a classic Hong Kong-styled martial arts actioner and a fantasy that leans slightly to the horror side of that genre.
It was easily the first video game-turned-movie to contain a halfway decent plot, exciting special effects, good acting and spectacular martial arts action, the latter which was before all the present-day "Crouching Tiger" wire-work nonsense.
Unlike previous video game movie washouts like "Double Dragon" and "Street Fighter," MK also had a comprehensible plot that remained faithful to the games, and in the end won a space in gamers' hearts.Along with the supporting cast of well-renowned martial artists, MK featured a nice cache of actors: Linden Ashby whose screen personalities have all had a bit of a humorous smartass element to them was perfect as Johnny Cage, likewise then-rising star Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade and Robin Shou as the film's centerpiece, Liu Kang.
(Heck, how many evil sorcerers get to wear cool black leather jackets?)Unfortunately, save for Tagawa and Wilson, MK unfortunately did not spell the worldwide exposure that many had predicted would come to the stars following the film's success, and the art of animatronics, used here to bring the four-armed Goro to life, is all but extinct in this day and age, but there was no denying that back in the day, the cast and filmmakers knew they had made an entertaining movie.
This is easily in a league higher than the likes of Super Mario Brothers, Double Dragon, Street Fighter, Wing Commander, the Tomb Raider movies, Resident Evils 1 and 2, House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark, not to mention that this was one of the few that actually stayed true to the game, from the costumes to the tourney fights, from the characters to the plot lines, everything was done right, and it makes for one hell of a fight-'em-to-the-finish type movie.But heed my warning: AVOID THE SEQUEL AT ALL COST!
"Mortal Kombat", simply put, is not only the best best game- to-film adaptations ever made, but one of my personal favorite movies of all time.
This film and franchise even encouraged me to study martial arts for almost 15 years now.Mortal Kombat, simply put, is a movie rendition of the original "Mortal Kombat" arcade video game.
Mortal Kombat (1995) is my favorite martial arts sci-fi action classic flick based on a video game that I have grown up!
In this movie we have a beautiful cast as Christopher Lambert from Highlander, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Robin Shou from Tiger Cage II and Beverly Hills Ninja, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as the bad guy, every time I watch a movie from the 90's, I see this guy in it been a bad guy!
It has a beautiful ending, a beautiful song to the movie, I love the fight scenes with Johnny Cage and Scorpion and it is the best one in the movie, the fight scene between Liu Kang and Reptile is perfect the second best martial arts scenes.
S. Anderson, produced by Lawrence Kasanoff.10/10 Score: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: New Line Cinema Starring: Robin Shou, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, Christopher Lambert, Trevor Goddard, Chris Casamassa, François Petit, Keith Cooke Director: Paul W.
No, we didn't kill each other, we just loved the characters.Yes, despite this being a typical video game movie, I still think it was cool to watch, still to this day I don't mind watching.
What it's missing, ironically, is the edge that's made Mortal Kombat the video game such a powerful icon in pop culture.It is one continuous fight sequence from opening scene to final credits, but lacks the blood, profanity, and gore that would have merited a more adult rating..
MK made part of my childhood, and it was rare, but great to see how the arcade game which I played in the mall, got sucked up in a film.I'll just recommend the film for those MK fans, or those of us which practice martial arts and enjoy a good two or three hit combinationMorfeo.
I recommend this movie to anyone looking for a great action/martial arts film that has a decent storyline combined with spectacular effects and martial arts..
Mortal Kombat makes only one promise and on this it delivers: viewers expecting a first rate martial arts action extravaganza will be more than satisfied with what it has to offer.I was extremely impressed with this film's choreography, in particular the stunt work of leading man Robin Shou as the heroic Liu Kang.
Certainly, the very ability to lift his leg high enough to throw a sidekick outdoes any physical feat ever performed on screen by Steven Seagal, the poor man's Van Damme.On the subject of Van Damme, one of the main characters from the video game on which this film was based was in turn based on Van Damme's portrayal of martial arts shyster Frank Dux in Bloodsport.
A fine martial artist in his own right, Togawa delivers the film's most memorable one liners ad nauseam, including in no particular order of importance "Finish him!" "Flawless victory," and of course, the spellbinding "Your soul...is mine!" Togawa nonchalantly oozes evil, stealing every scene with understated delivery.Rounding out the supporting cast, the heroes are guided on their quest by earth's sworn protector, the lightning god Rayden (Christopher Lambert).
Mortal Kombat is an extremely good looking movie in more ways than one.I already mentioned my dissatisfaction with the subplot of hinted romance between Cage and Blade, but let me take this time to mention how displeased I was regarding the general lack of character development of Blade.
especially the fight between scorpion and johnny cage, it's a superb fight and contains some of the best martial arts i have ever seen, also the fight between liu kang and reptile is very good.some of the scenes are very well made and the special effects are superb considering when it was made.
i have already mentioned it but the fight between scorpion and cage is good enough reason to watch this film, it is so well made and is just superb viewing, also some of the other fights including kang and sub zero, kang and reptile and kang and shang sung also help this film great entertainment.all in all this film is just loads of fun and is great for martial art fans and for some good Friday night entertainment..
I saw this guy's movies and they are pretty hot.Mortal Kombat,Resident Evil, and Alien Vs. Predator were his best.Mortal Kombat had cool,real martial arts characters(based on the video game),nice looking location fighting arenas and the music kicked ass,especially the Jhonny Cage Vs. Scorpian battle.This guy is one of the coolest directors I've ever read and heard about.His movie should have been one of the top movies there are, I like that much.I always want to know what other movies he has in store for.
Let's face it, Mortal Kombat is easily the best adaptation of a video game made for the big screen, everything about is indeed quite enjoyable in what it sets out to do.
Even the terrible performances are perfect for a movie like this, especially Christopher Lambert is brilliantly bad as Lord Rayden.I have to admit that the action looks pretty good and that is probably one of the reasons it works so well.
It is way better than previous game to movie attempts like the recent horrific Wing Commander, but by no means is it a good film on its own..
While it mainly appeal to the fans of the game, Mortal Kombat has some nicely choreographed fight scenes.Christopher Lambert takes on the role of Raiden, God of Thunder.
After the failures of Street Fighter and Super Mario Bros., several fans and moviegoers had mixed expectations going into Mortal Kombat, but thankfully, it turned out to be a fun and well made movie, and to this day, it still remains the best film adapted from a video game.
Performers such as Robin Shou as Liu Kang and Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage generally look and act like their game counterparts while Christopher Lambert as Raiden and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung deliver their lines in an over-the-top fashion while still offering a great deal of charisma.
Clinton.Mortal Kombat may not be the kind of movie that will change your life forever, but it's one of my personal favorites, and is the standard for what a solid video game adaptation should be..
The Good: coherent story, keeps you entertained, great actions scenes, stays faithful to the material, kick ass soundtrack.The bad: Not the strongest dialog, some characters not utilized properly.My only major complaint with Mortal Kombat is that certain fight sequences could have definitely been better, and could have shown off the characters better as well.
Exciting and Fun. Based on the popular arcade game, Mortal Kombat is essentially a film about 3 people, "Liu Kang" (Robin Shau), "Johnny Cage" (Linden Ashby) and "Sonya Blade" (Bridgette Wilson), who enter a martial arts competition in order to save the world from "Shang Tsung" (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and his evil subjects.
Three martial artists--Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby), Sonia (Bridgette Wilson) and Liu Kang (Robin Shou)--are gathered by Lord Rayden (Christopher Lambert) to enter a contest where they fight other opponents with the fate of the world hanging in the balance--or something like that.
It has diverse characters, awesome action scenes, an original story, great moments, and that famous catchy theme song that's appropriately played a few times here.Plot: Vengeful Shaolin monk Liu Kang, aggressive FBI agent Sonya Blade, and comedic Hollywood action star Johnny Cage join other great martial artists to a supernatural tournament, which is run by the evil soul-sucking sorcerer Shang Tsung.
Other than that, Mortal Kombat is a great movie and a faithful adaptation to the classic video game series.
But nothing Definably noticeable.The movie story follows Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade entering the Mortal Kombat tournament for their own reasons.
The Movie also holds a decent cast of actual martial artists as Kombatants (characters and originals for the movie) like Chris Cassamassa as Scorpion and Hakim Alstin as Liu Kang's first opponent.Over all the story progresses very easily and is not difficult to follow, the roles Shang Tsung and Goro play are exactly that of their game counterparts and the matches are choreographed very well.
We do also see some of the characters "special moves" we see Johnny Cage's Shadow Kick, Scorpion's Spear, Sub-Zero's freeze and Liu Kang's Bicycle kick (first seen in MKII) The overall movie I enjoyed and would recommend as a "Good" Video Game Movie, and actually a Good movie overall..
Amongst the genre of comic books, books, video games that become international films, Mortal Kombat takes the entire bakery on the adaptation to movie.As a kid, I played Mortal Kombat daily and it never got bland.
A really entertaining action packed martial arts movie a good adaptation to the popular video game..
I really do not see why this has got a bad rating i personally think that this movie did a great job of portraying the video game and the movie was entertaining.the acting was good it had a few laughs and very decent special effects and overall this movie was worthwhile.The fights were choreographed really well and also was performed quite brilliantly.the sequences were good and it was really worth while.
Mortal Kombat is a well adapted film from a game and I think you need to stop being a baby and watch this.
Our plucky trio of human heroes who enter the 'Mortal Kombat' tournament to defend our 'Earth Realm' against the evil forces of 'Outworld' are Robin Shou as Liu Kang, Linden Ashby (as the 'comic relief') Johnny Cage and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras as Sonya Blade (no, I've never heard of them either - not before and barely after!).
Fans of the nineties games/arcades should love it and anyone who likes 'good bad' movies should also find it a fun little offering.
Mortal Kombat (1995) may have lacked the gore and extremities that made the game so popular, but the visual effects are way cool (and fairly good for the time), the fight choreography is amazing, the sets are immersive, the soundtrack is badass (boasting names such as KMFDM and Sister Machine Gun), and the characters are truly likable (Ashby is a perfect choice for the egotistical and wisecracking Cage).
Johnny Cage is the most annoying and the most distasteful of all his one liners are clearly too much and sometimes ruin the movie experience.Sonya Blade and Liu Kang make a better figure and have at least a real story arc, but it is sad when in a big Hollywood movie in which the word Combat already occurs in the title, worse fight scene and character development occurs than with Power Rangers.
Being part of the 90's generatiton was to play alot of arcade video games, streets of rage tekken, street fighter ( let's not discuss that film adaptation) but the best for me allways was Mortal Kombat.
Based on the hit video game for the Sega Genesis, Mortal Kombat involves three great fighters, Lui Kang, a monk, Sonya Blade, a gun-wielding cop, and Johnny Cage, an actor, that are guided by fate to a tournament.
As a Video game adaption film this movie is by far the best Video game adaption film of all time,Mortal kombat tried to fit everything from the 1st video game & a little from the 2nd into the film & it did it very nicely,the fight scene's are straight to the point not much dialog & that's the way it should be.
Also, there was a sequel afterwards which wasn't really required, so that adds to my point that this Mortal Kombat film should've been a lot longer because the film was already good, and they could've even introduced more characters there rather than in the second movie.
But it's delicious, nostalgic and entertaining 90's cheese.A group of Earth's greatest warriors- including the vengeful Liu Kang (Robin Shou), special forces agent Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson) and washed-up action-star Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) are united by Thunder God Raiden (Christopher Lambert) to take part in a legendary tournament known as "Mortal Kombat." The goal is to pit fighters from various realms and dimensions against one another to find the greatest warriors in the known universe.
Mortal Kombat has the distinction of being the few of the better video game to movie adaptations.Based on the controversial best selling ultra violent video game, the movie centres on Shaolin monk Liu Kang (Robin Shou) out to avenge the death of his brother at the hands of Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), actor Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) out to prove that he is not just a pretty face, and special forces officer Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson) who is in hot pursuit of criminal Kano (the late Trevor Goddard).
Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade are handpicked by the god of thunder Raiden (Christopher Lambert) as contenders for the Mortal Kombat tournament to claim triumph over the Outworld to prevent the Emperor Shao Kahn from invading Earth.Assisted by Princess Kitana and Raiden, the trio must also battle a variety of opponents including Scorpion, Sub Zero, Reptile, Goro and lastly Shang Tsung.Director Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Alien Vs Predator) keeps the plot straightforward and ensures the movie remains faithful to the video game.
As a fan of Mortal Kombat in general this movie is a pretty good fighting movie which has been adapted from the video game series.
Mortal Kombat is one of those rare movies based on a video game that is actually enjoyable.
The film centers around our three protagonists Liu Kang (Robin Shou), Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) and Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) as they join Lord Rayden (Christopher Lambert) as they take part in the Mortal Kombat tournament hosted by Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) Also starring in this film are Talisa Soto as Kitana, Trevor Goddard as Kano,Chris Casamassa as Scorpion Francois Petit as Sub-Zero The film is full of wild fights that feel like the video game and there are some moments that make you "That's insane".
His skills as a director may be questionable but I believes he does a fairly good job with "Mortal Kombat" given its poor premise, much like Street Fighter, that being based off a fighting game with supernatural characters.
Mortal Kombat is a great adaptation of the video game and the casting is just perfect.
Granted, "Mortal Kombat" on video does not have the same impact as watching it in a theater, but for sheer action and a good time, this movie was made for you.
Mortal Kombat is a movie that only fans of the game will enjoy.
Mortal Kombat is a really, really good movie that's based on a video game no less.
Mortal Kombat is one of the best movies that are based on a video game.
But considering this film is based on a video game the movie isn't that bad.
For fans of martial arts films I recommend this one for the fight scenes, they are pretty good..
If you like mortal kombat it's a fun watch- otherwise you'll wonder why such a film was made. |
tt2085059 | Black Mirror | The show looks inwards, at the darker aspects of humanity and society. This is done through the theme of technology, hence the second meaning. The black mirror is the screen that rules our lives. Taking contemporary phenomena (ranging from the wild popularity of talent shows on TV to the impact of social media and smartphones on our lives) as a starting point and speculate how such phenomena could/would evolve in the future. Each episode tells a different story with different protagonists and focuses on a different theme.There are three episodes, each a bleak and dark story about how the modern, internet and technology filled world could plunge us into hell. The first, is one set in the present. A fictional princess is kidnapped by an unknown person and a video ransom is posted anonymously on YouTube saying that unless the (fictional) prime minister had sexual intercourse with a pig live broadcast on every British television channel in four days, she would be killed.The next episode is one about a hopefully-far future, where everything is commercial and false, and everybody is trapped and must play games to make false money to spend on false objects. They feed out of fake food-dispensing machines, which gives out fake, packaged fruit. It is an entirely commercial world, and there appears to be no outside.It shows two attempts to escape from the drag that life has become, each working, to an extent, before it becomes just as fake and dull as before. The way this is done is by going on an exaggerated, satire of a talent show and winning it. It features a lot of references to how people take the Nintendo Wii and gaming seriously, internet advertising and how wrong it seems and talent contests and how much they are a scam.The third is a dark 'love' story set in the near-future about how wrong it could be if people could re-watch their memories and show others. People seem to be forced to have small chips implanted behind their ears so their vision is being recorded and can be played back on any screen using a small tool and a super-fast, Wi Fi that is everywhere. It's idea is that people could become obsessed with the past and search their memories for tiny details, eventually causing insanity and a bad ending.It follows a man who obsesses over the behaviour of his girlfriend at a party the last night and the idea that she is having an affair with a man he clearly hates who was at the party. It psychologically goes through him trying to find out whether she is having an affair or not, and eventually completely losing it and using the memory-viewer, proves that she is. The 'proof' though, is never revealed to be completely genuine. | dark, satire | train | imdb | What makes "Black mirror" so great is the attention to detail and inter/intrapersonal relationships and how the main character would feel and experience its brave new world.
As the show's creator Charlie Brooker ('Dead Set') puts it: "...They (the different stories) are all about the way we live now – and the way we might be living in 10 minutes' time if we're clumsy."The resulting mix of bleak sci-fi, drama, satire and black comedy makes for highly intelligent Television and ranks among the most original and entertaining shows I've ever come across.
Just saw in a review that a guy stopped watching after 20 minutes at the second episode.
Brilliant.Absolutely brilliant.This is NOT anti-utopian, it is an actual mirror of a utopian idea gone terribly wrong.I've only watched 3 episodes so far and each one has made me think, made me go back and look again, made me ask myself why this had never occurred to me before.I would call this sci-fi in the richest sense of the genre....
The second episode in particular is storytelling of the highest form.Black Mirror is disturbing in the best possible way.
This picks out the darkest aspects of how are future in this this modern age could end up, in extremis....Personally, I think it's a Facebook/Twitter/Flickr/Android/iPhone/Tab/internet horror story and whilst I think it's probably too brutal for most people, it is a reflection of how we give up and of ourselves to the digital, overwhelmingly public way that the world now wants us to be.I love the show.
The cast and set are different every time, but one theme I found recurring was that each episode was extremely haunting, and it definitely gets the viewer thinking about what could be if the world was just a little bit different.
I don't think Black Mirror will appeal to everyone because some themes are a slightly uncomfortable especially in the pilot episode.
I don't want to write any spoilers, but what I will say is this if you want a drama with dark twist or a series that is completely Original make it Black Mirror..
The way it makes you question and think about reality and our modern technological ages it's brilliant!And although being fictional and mostly sci-fi, it's so realistic in the scariest way!
Thank you Mr Brooker and all the team!P.S.: the first two episodes are probably the most disturbing ones and it's curious that all the bad reviews focus only in the first one...
extremely far-fetched (Which is pretty absurd for a satire, but I digress.) I did thoroughly enjoy it however, it hit all the right notes.After watching the second episode, I was left in shock about the jarring contrast from the first episode.
Every episode is suprising and makes you feel small when the clue has been released during the time you are watching it as you think: this is not totally unreal....
It's one of the most fascinating TV shows ever.Favourite Episodes : Be Right Back, San Junipero, Hang the DJ, The Entire History of You, Nosedive and Fifteen Million Merits.Bring on Season 5!.
Black mirror presents scenarios which seem like a natural progression for the trends in the world, and also for potential trends which our society is already gravitating toward, in a way that shows you the benefits but focuses more on the potential negatives which seem to elude us.
I applaud the foresight of the writers who present these issues in a way that seems obvious while were watching each episode but probably have not pondered in our every day lives.
Black Mirror is heavy-going and encourages concentrated viewing and musing afterthoughts, personally I couldn't binge on it.I needed almost a month to watch all 19 eps, so about one a day which is as bingey as it should be.
Watch it in order as you get a little appreciation of how the BM-universe expands.One fine thing to point out is that Black Mirror's cast is genuinely diverse without making a crazed identity-politics agenda out of it...people are people, and that's how it should be.
Oddly enough those three weakest eps all came in a row, tho' of course your experience will differ.Weighting the balance positively Black Mirror deserves an overall 9/10 putting it right up there in my top 5 favourite series ever, above Game of Thrones & Breaking Bad. Alongside Twin Peaks & classic Twilight Zone.
Below only the modern Battlestar Galactica.So if you haven't seen any yet and my spoiler-free review speaks to you, I can only add don't judge the series on its very first episode (it strongly divides opinion), the next two however should blow you away!.
I watched the opening episode of this series in that faint hope that a series would come along that MAYBE had some really timeless qualities that the Twilight Zone had, namely, smart, innovative, fantasy, horror, science fiction.
Being funny and critical at the same time.What he clearly isn't good at, and this is made all the more apparent by the 2nd series of Black Mirror, is fleshing out basic ideas for a drama into anything more than a GCSE Film Studies project with a budget.
The constant references to social media and modern technology don't feel incidental, but desperate, like Charlie poking his head up from behind a prop screaming "Look how relevant this all is!" Twitter this, twitter that.
The 'what if' is answered with the expected pessimism present in all of the Black Mirror episodes, but it's still entertaining to watch the story unfold.
I keep hearing that it's satire, but I've watched the entire series and not one of the episode makes any sense too me, and I'm no stranger to weird science fiction.
Most episodes make their point within the first 10-15min and then they beat it into absurdity which makes the show a chore to watch.I don't understand what the hype is around this show, it's nothing revolutionary and most of the time it just comes across as pretentious, go watch the Outer Limits, it's much better written and the ending is almost always a surprise..
It made me feel like I did very young when seeing The Twilight Zone for the first time...a world like ours, but tilted slightly, an engaging story and often a twist at the end.
But when I've got through those two seasons, I felt something odd - why do I have the feeling that this artsy, independently presented thing seems to have a hell of a budget for the special effects department, and why do 90% of the episodes ramble about TV shows or the likes ?
Pure, black mirrory irony: the producer of this show is Endemol - pretty much THE production company worldwide who entertains or should I say renders people completely stupid in front of their TV set with exactly the type of shows criticized along the Black Mirror Episodes.
absolutely gripping intelligent humorous insight into modern culture with a media savi team of writers.Well worth a watch for the will he won't he suspense of the first episode.make some time in your schedule to see this and look forward to discussing it with people afterwards.Looking forward to this writing team coming back with more funds to deliver bigger and better.the ten lines of text minimum is a real pain when you are in a hurry to watch the next episode.enjoy..
Black Mirror shows you a reflection of the future you didn't want to see, but can't look away from..
In the vein of Rod Serlings Twilight Zone, Black Mirror shows us a bleak impression of the future if we succumb to the immediate gratification of technology and cynicism.
Each Black Mirror episode is it's own stand alone piece.
** This review contains spoilers **I was trying to find a new series to watch on Netflix, and, missing the amazing (but deceptive) Jinni, browsed 'similarshows'.
fell down for me when they didn't realise a dismembered finger was actually a man's; and as for the psychology: man kidnaps girl, man makes fantastically ridiculous demands, PM says no, one of his staff makes incredibly stupid mistake, his subordinates say he must comply, his wife cries, he decides he will (or more accurately, he's bullied into it), evidence is available to show the man is unlikely to kill the girl but they ignore it, everyone, including the kids, watches 'the act' on national TV, at tea time.
I watched half of episodes 2 and 3 in the first season, but couldn't get through either of them.
I feel like me typing out this review could be made into a Black Mirror episode that would scare the crap out of me.
We're always one second away from being a Black Mirror episode...or maybe we're already living in one right now.
No matter what device you're reading this review on right now, once the screen times out, there's only you, and your reflection in that Black Mirror..
The problem isn't that it's bent, but that it's so unrealistically bent and yet the entertainment world thinks this is some kind of commentary on the lengths to which social media/modern technology have eroded the moral fabric of society.
There is nothing decent about this show, it is not unique, it does not force you to think about things deeply(unless you have an IQ in double digits) and it might be the most boring show you'll ever come across that's rated close to 9 on IMDb. Every episode has a different story and the episodes aren't interconnected, all episodes are bad and kill your time in the worst possible way.
I watched the first episode, and it was the most extremely unrealistic thing I have ever seen.
None and I mean NONE of the Black mirror episodes are as good as Twilight Zone's "Nothing in Dark".If you expect the caliber of "Time enough at Last" you will be deeply disappointed..
My husband and I just watched the first episode of Black Mirror.
Just finished the second episode, and I have to say that this probably is the worst series I have ever seen.
Watched first episode of the series and found it to be one of the most vile, disgusting and disturbing things I've ever seen.
A friend recommended this show a while ago and to pass the time in between new Twin Peaks episodes we decided to binge this series.
I watched 5 episodes (1,3,4,5 and 6), but I really can't comprehend why so many people (including my friends) think so highly it.Call me critical, but I feel that if a show is sciency (projecting a view of the future and the technical advancements it holds), psychological (predicts how people behave in this futuristic setting) AND has a clear moral message, this projection should be VERY believably for the show to be any good.
Take episode 2 for instance, with the woman who cries the entire episode.there is just too little logic and sense of reality.It's like all the writers care about is getting their message across and shocking people with it, instead of coming up with a decent, believable story.
When I started watching Black Mirror I only knew that it's a criticism of modern society.
I watched and wondered which dark tale I would see next.I absolutely adore British TV shows, they are a gripping and unique blend of comedy and drama, and distinguished English humor is always a ray of light even in the most tragic circumstances.Black Mirror is not like that.
Well, Black Mirror shows it like no other film or show.
It shows how new gadgets, technologies, social media and entertainment industry imperceptibly slowly and steadily change our perception, change worlds (Waldo's Moment), societies (National Anthem, White Bear, 15 Million Merits), life of individuals (The Entire History of You, Be Right Back.)Each episode deserves a separate review, separate kudos, but I'll express my thoughts shortly on each of them here:1.
The future technology from this episode can be useful for people with bad memory, and can turn into in evil by creeps, who like to think about their past relationships.
I've just discovered the extraordinary showstopper, "Black Mirror", a British sci-fi television series that is part "Twilight Zone" but darker and more bizarre.
Each episode, like "Twilight Zone", has a separate story and a different cast.
Black Mirror's worst episode is better than a lot of series finales imo..
I had only seen the first two episodes of the series and the first was overrated but the better of the two.
Black mirror never made me think about it after watching it.
Well, because I am not really all that interested in technology.The acting in the three episodes that I watched was good, and it was nice enough to see story lines poke fun at things that are wrong with society today, such as how desperate for fame people are that they are willing to participate in "talent" shows, or the fact that most of our lives are spent online in one way or another, etc.I guess that "Black Mirror" would have a wide appeal, and at first glance it seems like it is something that might slip under the radar of most people.
I think calling Black Mirror SciFi is a bit offensive but technically it is indeed made of fictional stories on how science may evolve.Unlike other shows, this is essentially a collection of short movies, but each one succeeds in being very compelling, thought provoking and often has a thriler edge to it.So it is a drama, thriller and satire all rolled into one.
Which is what it makes it so good.Basically Black Mirror premise is to dive into (very plausible) scenarios into where technological progress may lead us if we are not careful, and just how f-ed of a world we may end up with it.Would recommend watching all of the episodes, and it is a perfect show to watch if you feel like watching something but maybe do not have time to watch a movie, while still getting that beggining, middle and end feeling - and most likely will be very philosophical after that.Strong 9/10.
One of the best tv series which has complete new story in every episode.
Almost didn't get through the first season without watching several episodes again.
The seasons have gotten better, so that I liked more episodes than not.
"Black Mirror" repeatedly and perfectly depicts what the future may hold for us as people of the world if we continue to increase our dependence and reliance on technology and social media respectively.
The character development leads you to easily empathize with the various situations the series puts them in, and by the end of the episodes you'll find yourself evaluating their decisions as if they were you're close friends.Brilliant execution, use of technology, and plot development - simply brilliant..
Black Mirror is a series of episodes that are not related to one another except for the fact that each of them deals with some aspect of how technology is able to shape human life.Reviewing this series would be like trying to review all nature programs.
I love how dark and semi realistic this show is but it feels like every other episode is not that interesting.
I love that this show focuses on the ways humanity can become perversed by technology but the more recent episodes look more like futuristic distopian stuff where the characters are all play into their most depraved desires rather than normal people being corrupted by tech or the opportunities it can bring.
If this stops only one person from sitting through this awful programme then I have done a good job.I sat through most of the first episode, screaming at my husband to turn it off before I was sick ended our experience of Black Mirror.
If you want to eat popcorn in your couch and watch something predictable where the bad guys are killed mercilessly by some agency one more time, wait for the decaf American remake, it could be even starred by Tom Cruise, of course, to add depth to the storyline, you know.But if you're after something fresh, thought-provoking and that for sure can happen in the not-so-distant future, if not already happening now, give a try to Black Mirror.A very interesting point is, they're not "distant-future" sci-fi stories, but relate to common people on the everyday use of our beloved gadgetry, the lack of regulation, the lack of privacy ...
If you like technology you'll love Black Mirror..
Which is what Black Mirror does every single episode.
Aside from one single episode, Season 3's "San Junipero", the entirety of Black mirror is totally ridiculous, pandering fearmongering, that exploits people's lack of knowledge about technology and sends a completely wrong message.
Dick influences.All in all, Black Mirror is very well made sci-fi series, that is just a bit too on the nose about it's hatred for modern technology and especially social media.
Black Mirror is an anthology series that taps into our collective unease with the modern world, with each stand-alone episode a sharp, suspenseful tale exploring themes of contemporary techno-paranoia.
Except, in Black Mirror the characters aren't really in another dimension per se, they're in the now and all the freaky stuff that happens is 'common' among the population.Technology, and how it can affect (sometimes adversely) everyday life is the centerpiece of each episode.
If you're looking for a feel-good series with predictable plots you're not going to find it in Black Mirror.
But it's that humor that makes Black Mirror a fun and addictive series to watch.
I have watched many episodes more than once and each time i get more out of it.
Just a slight correct to make to an IMDb user : " Nomolost " The T.V. Series Black Mirror is supposed to be " inconsistent " as it has been compared to the American T.V. show " The Twilight Zone " each episode is a STAND ALONE episode . |
tt0102492 | My Girl | In the summer of 1972, Vada Sultenfuss is an 11-year-old girl and a hypochondriac. Harry Sultenfuss, Vada's father, is an awkward widower and funeral director who does not understand his daughter, so he constantly ignores her. Their house, which operates as the town funeral home, has led his daughter to develop an obsession with death. Vada regularly tends to her grandmother, ‘Gramoo’, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease and whose wandering mind likewise affects Vada. Her Uncle Phil lives near by and frequently stops by to help the family.
Vada hangs out with her best friend Thomas J. Sennett, an unpopular boy her age who is allergic to "everything." However, other girls except Judy tease the two, thinking they are more than just friends. Thomas J. often accompanies Vada when she visits the doctor, who assures her that she is not sick and that she has no chicken bone stuck in her throat.
Vada's summer begins well. She befriends Shelly DeVoto, the new makeup artist at her father's funeral parlor, who provides her with guidance. She also develops a crush on her fifth-grade school teacher, Mr. Bixler, and hears about an adult poetry writing class that he is teaching. Vada steals some money from the cookie jar in Shelly's trailer to cover the cost of the class. When advised to write about what is in her soul, Vada fears that she killed her mother, who died two days after giving birth to her. Soon things start to fall apart.
When Harry and Shelly start dating, this affects Vada's attitude towards Shelly. One night, Vada follows Harry and Shelly to a bingo game and brings Thomas J. along to disrupt it. On the Fourth of July, when Shelly's ex-husband Danny arrives, Vada hopes that he is there to take Shelly back, but to no avail. Vada becomes even more shocked when Harry and Shelly announce their engagement at a carnival, which she contemplates into running away with Thomas J.
Vada is starting to see changes within herself, as she is running around screaming that she is hemorrhaging. Shelly politely explains to Vada that her first period is a completely natural process. As Vada realizes this only occurs with girls, she doesn't want to see Thomas J., who happens to come by shortly afterward. A couple of days later though, Vada and Thomas J. are sitting under a tree by the river, where they share an innocent first kiss.
Vada and Thomas J. come across a bee hive hanging from a tree, which Thomas J. decides to knock down. Vada loses her mood ring in the process, so they start looking for it, but the search is cut short as the bees start swarming, making them run away. Thomas J. later returns by himself and finds the ring. Unfortunately, because he kicked the bee hive beforehand, the bees begin to swarm Thomas J. just as he finds the ring. Unable to escape he dies from an allergic reaction.
Harry is left to deliver the tragic news to Vada, which devastates her so much that she will not even leave her bedroom. When she attends Thomas J.'s funeral, her emotions become so strong that she runs away. Vada hurries to Mr. Bixler's house, wanting to stay with him, and discovers that he is about to get married to someone else. She then runs to her and Thomas J.'s hangout spot near the tree to reflect on what has happened. When Vada returns home, everyone is relieved, including Shelly, whom Vada begins to accept as her future stepmother. Her grief also manages to mend the rift between her and her father. Harry explains to Vada that her mother's death wasn't her fault and things like that can happen without explanation.
Toward the end of summer, Vada and her father see Mrs. Sennett, who still struggles with her son's death. She gives Vada her mood ring back that Thomas J. had found and Vada gives Mrs. Sennett some comfort. On the last day of writing class, Vada reads a poem summoning the loss of her best friend before going out to spend time with her new friend Judy. | dramatic, sentimental | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0048424 | The Night of the Hunter | Night of the Hunter opens in the stars, where Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish) tells the children (and the audience) a Southern Gothic parable regarding the importance of childhood and the dangers of "wolves in sheep's" clothing.Several children play hide and go seek near a farmhouse. One of the kids finds a prime hiding spot: the cellar. However, when he opens the door, the twisted legs of a young woman appear on the top steps. Miles away, the perpetrator, Reverend. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) drives a stolen Model-T as he talks to the Lord about his earthly mission. He feels convinced that he is being led to punish some of the most wicked segments of society - "vain women", who use lust to ensnare men. At a peep show, Powell's disdain grows evident as his knuckles clutch his thigh - the words "LOVE and HATE" tattooed on his fingers. His weapon of choice, a switchblade rips through his pocket as the woman performs her striptease. However, the police stop the Preacher for car robbery, and he is charged with a thirty day stay in Moundsville Penitentiary.In another part of town, little John (Billy Chapin) and his young sister Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) play in their front yard; Pearl dresses her doll, Miss Jenny. Their father, Ben Harper (Peter Graves) rushes to the lawn clutching wads of money: $10,000. He has stolen the money, and is on the run from the police. Harper hides the money in a secure location off camera. He forces John to swear to protect his sister, and to never reveal the location of the money. As the police arrive on the front lawn to arrest his father, John clutches his stomach, "Don't...don't!" He exclaims.Ben Harper is tried, and sentenced to be hanged for murder. Awaiting his execution, he is incarcerated with Harry Powell, who learns of Ben's financial gain. While Ben does not disclose the location of the money, Powell thanks the Lord for giving him the opportunity to find Ben's future widow and supplying him with funds.The town's children taunt John and Pearl by singing a hangman's song. They draw chalk outlines of hangmen. Ever vigilant, John takes Pearl away from the school, stopping to admire a watch at the store, and continuing home past the local ice-cream parlor, Spoons. Despite the temptations of the watch or candy, John resists the urge to spend the money, and makes Pearl swear not to reveal the location. In Spoons, Willa (Shelley Winters) the mother of John and Pearl, talks about how she is not in any rush to marry. A train ominously steams towards the town - bearing the now freed Reverend Powell.That night, John tells Pearl a story about a King, who is captured leaving his son and daughter gold and orders to defend their treasure. As he tells the story, the foreboding silhouette of Reverend Powell almost supernaturally appears in their bedroom. He ominously sings the hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." The next day, John visits his friend, an outsider living in a house boat named Uncle Birdie. Uncle Birdie had been working on repairing Ben Harpers river skiff.John arrives at Spoons where Reverend Powell tells Icey (the store proprietor), Willa, and Pearl, how he had ministered with Ben Harper in his final moments. He explains the meaning of the tattoos on his fingers. His left hand has the word "HATE", and the right hand, "LOVE." They are in a constant struggle against each other since the fall of man, with "LOVE" winning out over all. Icey invites Reverend. Powell to come to the town picnic. John immediately dislikes the Preacher.At the picnic, Icey attempts to play matchmaker between Willa and the Reverend. He reassures Willa that Ben told him the money was at the bottom of the river. John knows this is a lie. That night John walks home from a visit with Uncle Birdie - the skiff not yet repaired - past the ice cream parlor. He sees his mom and Icey, ebullient over something. When he returns home, Reverend Powell corners him in the cramped hallway. Powell tells John that he is going to become his father and tries to convince him to reveal the location of the money. Pearl wants to tell; she has grown an affinity towards Powell.On the night of the honeymoon, Willa wears a neglige and tries to sleep with the Reverend. Powell humiliates her, forcing her to look into the mirror. Powell emerges from the darkness, illuminates himself for a minute, turning on a naked bulb, and once again floods the room with darkness as he chides her lust. Willa looks into the mirror uttering, "Help me to get clean.''On the newly repaired skiff, Uncle Birdie and John are fishing. Birdie reassures John that if John is ever in trouble, he can come for help. That night, it is Willa, fanatically leading a revival meeting, testifying how Reverend Powell had saved her. The torches in the foreground illuminate her zealous face. The next night, Pearl is cutting paper dolls out of the money. It is revealed that the money was hidden in her doll, Miss Jenny. John quickly scolds her for playing with the money, but is interrupted as Rev. Powell appears in the doorway. The two children are able to hide the money, and Powell does not notice the paper dolls swirling next to his feet.Willa's trust begins to split as she realizes that Powell has been questioning John. Powell manipulates Pearl into coming to the parlor to tell him the location, Willa hears the exchange outside of the window as Powell gets increasingly violent. She cannot accept this turn of events, and lies in bed helplessly. She deludes herself that they are a happy family. In their bedroom, which looks church like due to the shadows and triangular architecture, Powell slits Willa's throat. John is awakened that night by the sound of a sputtering engine.The next morning at Spoon's, Powell is devastated that his wife Willa had "run away." He claims that Willa had turned him down on their honeymoon night, and was a drunk. He decides to stay for the children. The truth is revealed, as the camera transitions to a beautiful shot of seaweed swirling under water, mingling with Willa's hair. Willa sits serenely underwater in the passenger seat of her car as light streams over the body of both the woman and the car. A fish hook tugs on the frame of the windshield. It is Birdie, who has discovered the remains.An iris shot reveals Powell calling for the children, as he moves into the house. Pearl and John hide in the cellar. Reverend Powell corners them, until Icey arrives with dinner for the trio. When she leaves, Powell deprives them of dinner until they tell him what he wants to know. Uncle Birdie is convinced that if he tells, he will be accused of murder. He begins to drink.When Rev. Powell threatens Pearl with a knife, John lies and says that the money is hid under a stone in the basement. Powell lights a candle and leads the children into finding the money. When he discovers that the floor is made of concrete, he grabs John the hair and threatens to split him open like a pig. Pearl spills the secret, but John knocks a shelf of preserves onto Powell. The kids run out and lock him in the cellar. They run to the drunk Uncle Birdie who is non-responsive. John puts Pearl in the boat, with Rev. Powell hot on their heels. As the little boat gets away, Powell lets out a shriek of anger and frustration. As the boat floats down the river, Pearl sings to Miss Jenny. Many woodland animals appear in the foreground of the camera. Powell has commandeered a horse, making his black preacher's suit look even more menacing contrasted with the white steed. The kids beg door to door, finding refuge in a barn. As the crescent moon rises high in the sky, John spots the Reverend singing his trademark song: "Leaning. Leaning. Leaning on the Everlasting Arm..."The two run back to the boat where they are found by Rachel Cooper, a woman who has adopted many abandoned children at the turn of the depression. She bathes the two children, and incorporates them into her large family, relating them to the story of baby Moses - an orphan in a basket rescueed by the daughter of Pharaoh. John likes this comparison - he realizes he can trust Rachel. The oldest child of Ms. Cooper's clan, Ruby, has a rebellious streak, going off to town to flirt with the boys. When Rev. Powell appears in town to woo her, she is ironically inspired by the preacher, and feels compelled to confess her wrong doings to Rachel.Powell rides to Cooper's ranch where he comes to reclaim Pearl and John. Pearl runs to hug him, but John is able to grab the doll before Powell can get his hands on it. Cooper forces Powell off her property with a shotgun. That night, Powell intimidates the family by singing on Cooper's front porch. The "Leaning" duet between Cooper and Powell symbolizes the standoff. When the light goes out, it becomes clear that Powell is inside the house. When a cat scares him, Cooper wounds him with a shot, cornering him in the barn. That night, John sleeps at Rachel's feet.When Powell is arrested, John has mixed feelings. As the police tackle Powell to the ground, John once again clutches his stomach, and murmurs "don't!" He then runs towards Powell, beating him with the doll, throwing the money at the arrested clergyman.Icey leads a fiery lynch mob against Reverend Powell, but even in court, John will not point out his mothers murderer - afraid of the consequence. Ruby is still enamored by the mystique Powell had held over her. While the state guards lead him from the back to avoid the mob, Cooper's children follow her like chicks following a mother hen.It is Christmas in the Cooper home, and John only has an apple to give Rachel. She accepts it gratefully and gives him a watch he had admired in the very beginning of the picture. John and Pearl finally have a safe home. | mystery, depressing, murder, allegory, atmospheric, good versus evil, romantic, storytelling | train | imdb | I still hear the lullaby singing sweetly in my head, like a hazy, haunting dream that won't go away.From the opening scene of the beautiful Lillian Gish and her children, watching over the world in a starry sky, this movie just sinks you into a mesmeric fairy tale land.
Robert Mitchum gives one of his very best performances as Harry Powell, the charming but evil preacher with "love" tattooed on one hand, "hate" on the other.
Powell is one of the most memorable screen villains of all time, and 'The Night Of The Hunter' is worth watching just for Mitchum, who is mesmerizing.
Shelley Winters is surprisingly effective as the widow Powell woos, Peter Graves has a small role at the beginning as her first husband, and Lillian Gish plays the saintly Ms. Cooper, guardian of unwanted children.
This film, which didn't receive the attention it got when it was released, has turned out to be something discerning movie fans saw from the start, a classic.Charles Laughton was basically a man of the theater, then came the movies, but he was at heart someone who was equally at ease working on the stage, or performing in front of a camera.
Mr. Laughton undertook to direct this screen play written by another distinguished American writer and critic, James Agee, based on the David Grubb's novel.The result is a magnificent film about to what extreme a man will go in order to steal from two young and innocent children something their father had left for them in trust.
He marries the children's mother, a widow who was hoping for some happiness in her life, only as part of his overall scheme of things.The film is a poetic account of the story with great emphasis on the kindness the children receive at the end from Rachel Cooper, a woman with a heart of gold who took John and Pearl into her home when they needed it.Robert Mitchum is the evil Harry Powell.
Also, the musical score of Walter Shumann adds another layer in the film's texture."The Night of the Hunter" is ultimately a work of art that moves the viewer because of the tremendous work its director, Charles Laughton, gave to the movie..
Veteran actor Charles Laughton's directional debut & perhaps the only feature film he ever directed is a rare breed that blends film-noir with German expressionism, resulting in a very unique looking cinema that unfolds its narrative in a lyrical manner but also makes up for some weird moments as the two styles are often at odds with each other.Based on the novel of the same name, the story of The Night of the Hunter focuses on one corrupt reverend-turned-serial killer who uses his charm to woo rich widows before killing them & fleeing with their money.
Jailed for driving a stolen car, he learns from his cell mate about the large sum of money he had stolen & goes after his family once he's out of prison.Co-written & directed by Charles Laughton, The Night of the Hunter really benefits from the few elements it borrows from German expressionism of the silent era like eccentric camera angles, unconventional settings, surreal photography or silhouette figures but its inclusion of stylised dialogues & unrealistic acting in a Hollywood crime-drama is also unintentionally hilarious at times.Production design work is excellent, Cinematography makes terrific use of lighting, contrast & shadows, camera placement is inventive & every frame is captured in crisp detail.
Editing is brilliant for the most part but its final act also feels overstretched, and performances are a mixed bag for the kids do a pretty good job in their given roles while Robert Mitchum's expressionist act borders on hamming.On an overall scale, The Night of the Hunter is experimental cinema at its finest for it tries to merge into film-noir what influenced the genre in the first place.
From a technical standpoint, the film is influential in every manner, especially the way it uses its camera to set a disturbing mood or introduce its themes but its overstretched ending, excessively dramatic lead act & depicted stupidity (or innocence) of children never allowed me to take its premise seriously..
One of my favorite images is the one wherein Willa Harper (Shelley Winters) lies in blissful repose on a bed as Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) stands by a window in an unadorned room with angular walls that slope upward, as if in a church.One of the most haunting, and famous, sequences has the two children, John and Pearl, in a rowboat, as they make a Homeric odyssey down a river, lorded over by giant spider webs, frogs, and rabbits.
And Shelley Winters effectively jitters her way through the film, ghostlike, her character lost in delusion.The film's original score is haunting and mournful, and could hardly set a more appropriate tone: "Dream little one, dream; dream my little one, dream; oh the hunter in the night fills your childish heart with fright; fear is only a dream; so little one dream".With its brilliant photography, its unpopular but deeply truthful theme, and its nightmarish story, Charles Laughton's "The Night Of The Hunter" is high up on my list of twenty best films of all time..
Charles Laughton had only one choice to pay the role of psycho-reverend- conman for his adaption of Night of the Hunter and it was Robert Mitchum.
After a while he let Mitchum actually direct Chapin and Bruce in their scenes.Lillian Gish gives one of her great performances in the sound era of her career as the farm woman who eventually takes in the kids as she does for a few others.
This masterpiece was wonderfully directed by great actor Charles Laughton , his only film behind the cameras , however being a flop on original release and he was never again to be offered the film-making another movie .
I think that if I had seen "Night Of The Hunter" on t.v. when I was six years old it might have left some kind of twisted, haunting impression on me; however, as an adult I don't see anything suspenseful about this film or for that matter anything of great value at all beyond its sheer ridiculousness.
Don't get me wrong- I thoroughly enjoyed it until the novelty wore off, but then I got extremely bored about the time the kids started drifting down the river and then all of a sudden it seemed like an entirely different film altogether and then Mitchum came back and nothing particularly climactic happened and then I was like, "what???!!!??" But don't look for a scare here- it's more like farcical comedy.
All the other actors give nice supporting performances as well: Shelley Winters is very likeable as the gullible widow that marries Mitchum, and Lillian Gish gives a strong performance as the old lady that defends the two children.
No director I know has managed to catch the soul language of the eyes better than Laughton, and he was a master actor with his eyes himself.The fantastic photography makes it vital though to watch it in as high quality as possibly, not to miss perhaps the most important element of the film.
(Other minor flaws: Mitchum's failed attempt to catch the children as they flee up the cellar stairs is unconvincing--as is his failure to catch them when they set the boat adrift from shore.)But the most wonderful thing about the movie is Robert Mitchum's flawless performance in a role in which he uses a great deal of expressions (rather than remaining deadpan as he so often does) -- which leads to a mystifying question.
Perhaps it can be argued that the sound studio river scenes are merely stylistic - they look like a filmed stage play set - but I thought it made the production look terribly cheap (as did Mitchum's acting)..
I heard that _The Night of the Hunter_ was a classic film noir and suspense movie.
1955 audiences laughed aloud at scenes Laughton meant to be terrifying; I found myself echoing those sentiments last night, including Mitchum's elongated Frankenstein-like chase of the children to the river's edge.
Mitchum's subsequent role in Cape Fear did not use his Night of the Hunter character as inspiration, rather, it showed what a great actor can do with a REAL director like J.
In his time, Robert Mitchum may have been a terrifying movie villain, but his performance here is so over-the-top it's almost camp; Evelyn Varden as his mother-in-law is simply laughable, Billy Chapin tries hard as a young hero (though when he is shocked his jaw literally drops, by about two inches) while Sally Jane Bruce, as his sister, is completely wooden throughout.
The ending is typical of this enigmatic film: a partial condemnation of lynch-mob justice is followed by an extended cringe-making homily, delivered by Lillian Gish (who was better in Robert Altman's 'A Wedding', in which she played a corpse and didn't have to speak).In depicting a serial killer, 'The Night of the Hunter' is also of note as an early entry in a subsequently common genre - Mitchum went on to make 'Cape Fear', in which he similarly plays a figure of pure evil.
After hearing the praises of "Night of the Hunter" for so long, and trying so hard to track down a copy of it, I was highly disappointed that the film was nowhere near as great/frightening/(choose your adjective) as I had been led to believe.Robert Mitchum is definitely this film's saving grace.
Sure, some things never change, but much of the tone of this film sounded "off", not matching current time at least.Personally I can add to it that I had little reason to sympathize with any of the victims as the most of them were too naive or even stupid - they should have seen what was coming too, just like the audience did.5 out of 10 predictable thrillers.
Robert Mitchum plays it for laughs and Lillian Gish sends the post war world home cosy and warm.If I were to try to describe the plot and interpret the motivation of all the characters, I would be doing the job Charles Laughton abysmally failed to do.The only good thing is he had his shot at directing, listened to the criticism and promptly threw in the towel.Buying big star names to sell a film didn't seem to work in 1955.
Director: Charles Laughton, Script: James Agee, Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelly Winters, Lillian GishThis is a great example of the "film noir" category of films of the 1930's through 1950's.
This is one of those films that "movie buffs" seem to agree is a "classic." I, on the other hand, who naively ask only to be entertained, instructed, inspired, astonished or something of that sort, found it quite "blah." The credits are overwhelming: from James Agee screenplay and Charles Laughton directing (the last film he ever directed), to Shelley Winters and Lillan Gish (yes, really) as the female leads and Robert Mitchum as the bad preacher.
I shall try not to make my praise of this movie come out like criticism of so many other movies, but I re-saw Night of the Hunter last night - after not having seen it for twenty years or so - and not only was it even better than I remembered it, but it also made me wonder whether this one-off by Laughton is not the overlooked masterpiece of all time.
Mitchum is on the trail of a hidden cache of stolen money after having already wooed, wed, and murdered gullible widow Shelley Winters, and now he thinks her two children will tell him where the loot is hidden.The first and only feature directed by Charles Laughton is more eccentric than many of the actor's own screen performances, enough to compromise the intended horror of James Agee's original script.
A fairy tale,a thriller,a parable,a horror movie,"The night of the hunter" is all this and more.Charles Laughton's only movie ,it's a riveting tour de force that pits two children against evil epitomized by an astonishing Robert Mitchum in an oscar caliber performance.The pictures take our breath away:Shelley Winters at the bottom of the water,the chidren fleeing from their home on a boat .Matching Mitchum and Winters every step of the way is Lilian Gish's sensational portrayal of the old lady (her career spans almost a century ,from Griffith to Altman,hats off!)She's the last refuge of innocence,delivering such memorable lines as "God bless the little children".For,if there's a message in this masterpiece,it must be this one :no more "burn baby burn",no more "suffer the little children"!In our world full of poverty and hunger,where a lot of them are starving,of appalling pedophilia and of antipersonnel mines,this message has a contemporary feel..
The whole movie has an absurdist, dreamlike quality to it, from Robert Mitchum's often over-the-top portrayal (He plays it like a psychopath would have been remembered in the children's memory..) all the way to the sets that often look like secondary, minimal stagesets.
Fascinating film of an evil preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) who is after two children, John and Pearl (Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce) who have a large amount of money that he wants.
Chapin and Bruce are good as the children--supposedly Laughton couldn't stand the kids and let Mitchum direct them--turned out very well.
It sees a fanatical murderous preacher Harry Powell (expertly played by Robert Mitchum), marry the widow of his former cellmate Ben Harper(Peter Graves), in an attempt to find the location of $10,000 that Harper had stolen in a robbery, prior to his arrest.This is one of the best films I've ever seen, and one of my all-time favourites, which is a phase I don't use lightly.
Winters gives a terrific performance of someone that is both smitten and trapped at the same time.The standout of the film without a doubt is Robert Mitchum as the Preacher Harry Powell.
"The Night of the Hunter" is a gem in the cinema community, and was Charles Laughton's only attempt at directing a movie.
Often classified as Film Noir, it shows us what is really terrifying in this life while making sure the audience leaves the theater well grounded Demonstrating real charisma and a credible singing voice, Robert Mitchum is devastatingly good as the serial-killing preacher, Harry Powell.
To counteract all of Powell's raging hate, the screenwriters (James Agee and Charles Laughton) introduce an essential character towards the end of the film (representing Love), aging matriarch Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish).
There is a fairy-tale side of "Night of the Hunter" that modern audiences, used to fantastic horrors appearing in the daily nightmare (i.e., news), may find a bit unnecessary.This is the only film that Charles Laughton ever directed.
When Harry arrives in her town, Ms. Cooper has to protect the children.What a great movie "The Night of the Hunter" is!
With a wonderful cinematography, that brilliantly uses the shadows in black and white; a magnificent performance of Robert Mitchum in the role of a modern Bluebeard, certainly among his bests; and a simple, tense, suspenseful and credible story, it is fair that this movie is in IMDb Top 250.
Laughton's surreal world and Mitchum's horrifying performance as preacher / serial killer Harry Powell will be a film to remember ..
It's a good movie, mostly due to Mitchum, but it does have some issues with choppy story telling and/or film editing.
He himself is believed to have once said he only worked with two directors who understood light, Welles and Laughton and it is clear from the outset and is sustained all the way through that he's working with a kindred spirit here.Some of the pictorial compositions are breathtakingly good - as well as the justly famous shot of Mitchum and his horse in silhouette travelling up and over a bridge in slow but sure pursuit of the two young children who are concealing the ill-gotten gains of their lately executed father (played by a young Peter Graves) there are memorable shots of Shelley Winters's doomed young widow returning to the house at night while Mitchum's evil preacher menaces her two children within and of course the scenes at the end when this situation is reversed and Mitchum is outside old Mother Goose Lilian Gish's house brazenly threatening intent as she devoutly out-sings him and reclaims God as being on her side in protecting her young charges.The story is as crazy as Preacher Harry Powell of course but helped by Laughton's sure direction, the viewer is held every step of the way.
The man gets hanged, but the preacher is released, and he promptly sets out to woo the widow and squeeze the hiding place of the money from the children.Laughton was heavily influenced by the German expressionism style of film making and it shows.
Granted, there are also some truly beautiful shots, especially when Laughton plays with silhouettes, but I was still pulled out of the story way too often.Full props to Robert Mitchum as the preacher Harry Powell.
I took the movie home and watched it the next day.The Night of the hunter is the story of a priest brilliantly performed by Robert Mitchum with a taste for not so holy pleasures.
This film is haunting in so many ways.To start, Robert Mitchum's performance as Harry Powell is genuinely frightening.
"The Night of the Hunter" starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, and Lillian Gish was a great movie.
In addition this I have to mention that the interpretation of Robert Mitchum who played as Harry Powell was very good and I believe that also the interpretation of Peter Graves who played as Ben Harper was equally good.Lastly I have to say that "The Night of the Hunter" is a great movie to watch because it makes you understand how people change when money is on the table.
One is a great example of social realism, the other a wonderful piece of film noir.OK, I'll start by saying that the villain is a preacher named Harry Powell, played by Robert Mitchum. |
tt0094137 | 3 Men and a Baby | Peter Mitchell, an architect, Jack Holden, an actor, and Michael Kellam, a cartoonist, move into & remodel a Manhattan penthouse. After a large housewarming party, Jack leaves to film a movie in Turkey. Before he leaves the country, he calls his roommates and tells them that a friend of his needs a small package held at the penthouse for a few days until his associates come to pick it up.Peter returns home from jogging one morning and finds a small basket with an infant girl in it at their door. Attached is a note from a woman named Sylvia, who writes in the note that she's leaving the baby, named Mary, with Jack, the father. Peter and Michael take the baby in, assuming it's the "package" Jack's friend meant to leave. Frantic because they don't know how to care for an infant, Peter rushes to the store for supplies and Michael entertains little Mary, who won't stop crying. When their building manager, Mrs. Hathaway, arrives at their door with a small package left for the men at the desk, Michael accepts it and throws it carelessly onto the couch. Peter comes back with diapers and food and the two spend a significant amount of time changing Mary's diaper and washing her when she soils herself and their couch. Caring for Mary quickly consumes all their free time and cancels their social engagements, though they do an admirable job.A few days later two shady men arrive and ask for the "package." Michael and Peter assume they've come for the baby and hand Mary over to the men. Peter is suspicious and sits down on the couch, finding the small package Michael had thrown there. Peter realizes that it is the actual package the men were after and rushes downstairs to stop them before they drive off. In the main foyer of their building, Peter trips and the package bursts open, spilling its contents: small bags of heroin. He meets the two men on the street and tries to take Mary back, saying he made a mistake. When a mounted New York cop becomes involved, the men speed off and the cop stops Peter from retreating. The cop demands to see ID and goes upstairs with Peter. Peter gives Mary and the drug-filled parcel to Michael, ordering him to hide it. When the cop sees Peter's ID is legitimate, he leaves, however a sergeant from the narcotics squad, Melkowitz, shows up and questions them both. Meanwhile, Michael has successfully stashed the heroin in Mary's diaper and has buried it with the other dirty diapers in the bathroom.Peter appeals to his long-term girlfriend, Rebecca, to help him take care of Mary, but she refuses. One day Peter and Michael have Mrs. Hathaway babysit Mary and when they return home they find her tied up and the place ransacked. Mary is found crying, but unharmed in a closet. In the middle of the night Jack (whose part in the film in Turkey was suddenly cut) returns and is nearly beaten up by both Peter and Michael, who think he may have broken in. They tell him about Mary and the drugs that his friend laid on them. Jack remembers that he'd acted in Stratford, England, in a production of The Taming of the Shrew, and had slept with Sylvia, however he wasn't aware that she'd become pregnant. Michael and Peter, angry at having to give up their free time and social lives solely because of Jack's irresponsibility, give Mary to Jack to care for, refusing to help him. Jack appeals to his own mother, who tells him that his life as a womanizer has finally caught up with him, and she refuses to help him as well.Realizing they're caught between violent drug dealers and Moskowitz' narcotics squad staking them out, the guys figure out a way to escape the mess they're in: Jack will sneak out of the apartment dressed as a pregnant woman (with Mary hidden under his dress) and Peter and Michael will go to a designated place to hand off the drugs to the dealers. The police follow Michael and Peter but lose them when Jack picks them up in a taxi and heads off in the opposite direction. The meeting place is a construction zone for a skyscraper Peter had designed; Peter will hand off the drugs, Michael will film it on a video camera and Jack will trap the dealers in the elevator after they receive their package. Peter stalls a bit, getting the dealers to admit their culpability just as Michael, hiding in an aluminum vent cover, slips and falls. Michael and Peter make it to the elevator and begin to escape, however Jack throws the wrong switch, trapping them. The dealers descend in a second elevator but are trapped when Jack finds the right switch. Melkowitz and his squad arrive and arrest the dealers, taking the tape Michael had made for evidence.Free and clear, the roommates take care of Mary for a few more months, working out a schedule beneficial to them all. One day Mary's mother, Sylvia, arrives; she has worked out a way to take Mary back to England and care for her while living with her parents. The guys are very upset at the new development, having grown attached to the baby. Sylvia leaves for the airport and the guys chase after her, arriving too late to stop the plane as it leaves. They return to their penthouse and find Sylvia & Mary at the door, who says she couldn't leave. The three men agree to let Sylvia move in with them. | comedy | train | imdb | The plot may be pretty unrealistic, the ending kooky & unbelievable, and don't get your morals from it, but all in all...it's great fun to watch.The story revolves around three carefree bachelors (Peter, Michael, and Jack) who share a New York City apartment.
While actor Jack is away shooting a movie, a baby is left outside their apartment door with a note indicating that this is Jack's child from an affair with his co star (though he's previously been unaware of this offspring's existence).
Then the bachelors have to contend with the baby's care as well as the drug dealers' demands for payment.The three bachelors are played by famous name stars...Tom Sellick (Peter, the architect), Steve Guttenberg (Michael, the artist), and Ted Danson (Jack, the actor).
The men's paternal instincts come into play and the bachelors grow quite attached to the little tyke.Directed by Leonard Nimoy (Spock, my favourite), this is a generally light, mindless, and entertaining movie that shows how these three 'hunks' & confirmed bachelors are won over by little baby Mary.
"3 Men and a Baby" is a comedy that's cute and funny.
Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson star as three bachelors who live together, and who's lives are changed forever when on one particular day a baby infant is left on their doorstep.
Plenty of wonderful comedy scenes throughout as the three stars go through the frustrations of having to deal with this infant girl in the early stages, then the baby eventually starts to win them over.
Three bachelors have their lives flipped upside down when little baby Mary is left on their doorstep.A remake of successful 1985 French film Three Men And A Cradle, this Hollywood version took the box office by storm to make a domestic profit of over $155,000,000.
Starring Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg as the "no parenting skills" bachelors, Leonard Nimoy's film , (yes, Spock) sees quality interplay between the guys and some bona fide funny sequences as they in turn attempt to do right by Mary.
Yep it's all telegraphed comedy, and the ending holds no surprises for anyone once Nancy Travis as Mary's mother comes back to claim the child.
But come on folks, three beefy bachelors trying to change diapers and entertain a wailing baby has to be charming; surely?
"Three Men and a Baby" is one of those movies like "Ghostbusters" that you enjoy in spite of the fact that you realize that they are only made for money and are otherwise empty.
This time, only a few of the jokes made me laugh such as the drug hiding jokes, the scenes of the three roomies being obviously outside of their element with the baby and that masterpiece of a scene where Tom Selleck tells off the pompous Hungarian celloist (I always loved that one).
Otherwise, the only other entertainment value is provided by the "goofball with a heart of gold" appeal of the three lead actors and a cute little baby for the more sentimental viewers.
Three men and a baby is a good example of a feel-good comedy/drama.
The cast is big named with stars like Steve Guttenburg, Tom Selleck, and Ted Danson as three bachelors living in an apartment (with a ghost) who gets a baby at their doorstep.
Leonard Nimoy aka Spock directs this and it is good.Overall the movie is a good feel-good comedy and I enjoyed it.
The cast is first rate with Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Gutenberg as the three fathers and Nancy Travis as British Sylvia.
Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg and Tom Selleck made this show their own.
Yes, if we are to believe this movie men who do not have a female present have absolutely no idea how to raise a baby are do anything.
If this is the case then you can easily title this movie Three women and a baby as they would be just as lost in that scenario as a guy would be, but for some reason people think women just magically know what to do and men are idiots when it comes to children.
The three idiots in question here are Tom Selleck and Ted Danson, known mainly for television work and Steve Guttenberg known mainly for being really lucky to have a Hollywood career.
In the end, this film is like a long list of crappy films that have babies and idiots raising them and for me it was not very good.
I like Ted Danson, but he is basically doing his Sam Malone here, in fact in every movie he was in during this era he was usually in Sam Malone character.
However, he is the best thing in the movie and has the funniest moments while Selleck and Guttenberg play lame clueless idiots..
Ted Danson, Tom Selleck, and Steve Guttenberg star in this light- hearted comedy about how 3 New York bachelors receive a big change in their lives after finding a baby on their doorstep.
But with good measure, a drug- smuggling subplot is thrown in (probably to make it not look like your a typical family-oriented comedy).
The same goes for the cute little baby Mary, and agood direction from an unlikely director, Leonard "Mr. Spock" Nimoy himself!.
Peter Mitchell (Tom Selleck), Jack Holden (Ted Danson), and Michael Kellam (Steve Guttenberg) are three carefree bachelors, living out their lives as room mates in a trendy New York apartment.They shoot pool, drink, party, date as many girls as they want, and live the life most men can only dream of.But that all changes one sunny morning, when a baby named Mary is dropped on their doorstep, with a note from her mother addressed to Jack (he's the father), saying she can no longer take care of the infant, and he will have to do that from now on.It just so happens that Jack is out of town shooting a movie, and it's up to Peter and Michael to take care of the frightened baby...which they have no clue how to do.And to make things worse, Jack has gotten himself involved with a drug dealer thanks to his less than honest agent, and a package of heroine is delivered to the apartment, which ultimately puts everybody (including Mary) in danger.Ironically, it is this disaster which ultimately warms the the bachelors hearts towards the child, in spite of how anxious they are to get back to their normal routine.But when her mother, Sylvia Bennington (Nancy Travis) decides she can't live without her daughter, and is going to raise her after all, the three men realize they can't go back to their former lives.Endearing, and very funny, this movie is refreshing in the wholesome values it embraces.One feels better about the world after watching it.Originally, Review #152Posted On:
It's basically Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, and Tom Selleck in an apartment looking after a baby.You can guess the easy, laid back nature of the film in this film and it really is an easy viewing experience.
The three main actors are all charismatic and you can easily see why women would fall in love with them, although it's worth noting that the baby is the real scene stealer here.THREE MEN AND A BABY frequently threatens to veer into cheesy sentimentality, particularly at the climax, but that it never becomes too overwhelming is testament to its success as a film..
Having only watched this movie once when it first came out, i decided to go into it with an open mind as its quite an old film, and i couldn't remember much about it, it was very funny but also at times a little daft, i didn't see the logic in bringing in the hole drug smuggling story line it did put a damper on things and ruined the story just a little, but all in all a really funny film with hilarious lines, and the 80s humour still sounds good today..
The movie was good, I loved the plot and I thought that Steve Guttenberg was not just taking up space, after all he was the artist (I'm an artist).
In the scene where Jack's mother visits the baby for the first time, there is a boy behind the drapes staring straight at the camera.
Fortunately the three bachelors are played by famous name stars in Tom Sellick (Peter, the architect), Steve Guttenberg (Michael, the artist) and Ted Danson (Jack, the actor).
We walked out of the theater and laughed about it saying how we couldn't believe that they missed this "goof" letting a kid on stage or something.Fast forward two years and everyone is talking about a ghost in the movie.
Or its seeing three bumbling guys trying to take care of one baby and I have always taken care of my all 4 of my children, a lot of times on my own.
but I could watch "3 Men and a Baby" a million times and STILL laugh at the funny bits, and cry at the sad or "mushy" bits.
The characters HAD to be played by Selleck, Guttenberg and Danson, simply because they're recognisable from their Magnum, Cadet Mahoney and Sam Malone roles (respectively), all of whom (incidentally) are synonymous with the "macho, womanising bachelor" lifestyle - THAT'S what make 'em believable here, and thus makes the film work so well.
Like my erstwhile colleague observed, you could well believe that Selleck was about to pull out a grand any minute to avoid changing nappies.I'm a fan of a GOOD Euro-to-UK/US-remake; since I have no real-world knowledge of world languages nor their dialects, I often have to resort to reading the subtitles on foreign films, which detracts and distracts from the action on screen, such as facial expressions, body language, etc.
After doubting my friends Brian and AJ for quite some time, we sat down and watched Three Men and a Baby.
This may be "Three" men, but it's really Tom Selleck's movie.
It could have been an interesting comedy about three men who have no idea what to do with a baby.
It's been quite a few years since I've seen 3 Men and A Baby (which was supposedly based on a French film), and I don't remember the ghost scene.
3 Men and a Baby (1987) *** (out of 4) Remake of a French movie about three bachelors (Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson) whose lives are turned upside down when one of their former lovers drops off a baby girl at their door.
Soon the three men have to put their lives on hold while they try and figure out the way to take care of a baby.
I know this happened in the original movie but when you're dealing with laughs and charm some of this stuff just goes over-the-top and all the time spent on it just takes away from the men and the baby.
Selleck, Guttenberg and Danson all have their own style of comedy and the film greatly benefits when they're allowed to just do their thing.
Twin girls were used for the part of the baby and even though they didn't have to "act", the child is so cute and adorable you can't help but fall in love with her just as the three men are doing in the movie.
I was actually surprised at how much I liked 3 Men and a Baby.
No matter how simple this story is it is effective too.Leonard Nimoy's direction adeptly keeps the entertainment and comedy afloat and it comes thick and fast, while the script has plenty of funny and engaging moments.
The acting I had little problem with either, Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg and Tom Selleck show great chemistry together and deliver great performances individually as each of their characters get increasingly harassed while adapting to changing, feeding and burping duties, and the baby was very cute.All in all, very enjoyable and fun.
I mean, it aired regularly on many channels and to be honest, it's a funny but naive movie that had a premise that was very popular at the time; making a baby or infant being the center of the plot.Tom Selleck is great as always and delivers a fine comedic performance.
Since we're on the topic of cardboard, Ted Dansons character on a cutout can be seen twice, once by the window, and another time when the apartment gets destroyed.About the movie, it's funny, it's probably my favorite movie, when i watch it i just cover my eyes when that freaking cardboard piece-of-crap jumps out at me.
THREE MEN AND A BABY has bad acting (anything with Guttenburg you know's going to stink to high heaven), bad screenplay, and not so funny humor.
"Three Men and a Baby" is a fine comedy about three bachelors who are forced to take care of an abandoned baby that was left on their doorstep.
But Selleck, Guttenburg, and Danson earn their laughs (although I fould the latter just a tad stiff) and after cherubic baby Mary enters their lives, they earn our hearts.
During the middle of the film after the drug dealers have tied up the babysitter, trashed the apartment looking for the heroin, and left the baby in a closet with threats to return, when Selleck finds the baby and says, "Nobody is going to hurt you, nobody is going to hurt you", despite the unsavory drug plot, the movie grabs you in its caring but firm embrace.
"Three Men and a Baby" demonstrates that the simple love of an adult for an infant is enough for a compelling story and will more than compensate for an awkwardly shoe-horned subplot and even Danson's (Mary's biological father's) negligence.There's a vital place on this planet for "feel-good" movies like "Three Men and a Baby"..
Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, Nancy Travis and Margaret Colin star in this 1987 comedy.
This tells about New York architect, Peter (Selleck) and his 2 roommates, Michael (Guttenberg), an artist and Jack (Danson), an actor who are all bachelors.
Soon, a baby girl, Mary arrives on their doorstep while Jack is away shooting a film.
Let's get this baby into production."Its times like this I fear for the future of film-making if this is the best they can churn out.
3 Men and a Baby is one of the most overrated comedies ever to hit cinemas.
A much better baby film of 1987 was the superb Coen comedy Raising Arizona.
Now that was a comedy classic!I'm hard-pressed to think of a single thing about the film that does work.
I think everyone (including Selleck) was expecting 3 Men and a Baby to be the film that would launch his movie career.
Despite numerous TV appearances and the occasional film role, Tom Selleck has almost completely vanished from the Hollywood circuit.The same goes for Steve Guttenberg, even more so.
Usually of the Christmas kind.Ted Danson is the only one to have had any kind of career beyond 3 Men and a Baby.
But the film doesn't give him much of a chance to show off his considerable talent for comedy since it sidelines him for most of it.3 Men and a Baby is miscalculated on all counts.
Until last night if someone had asked me about Three Men and A Baby, I would have said...oh great movie, classic eighties I loved it!
Success, gluttony (but in a good way), free love, spirit, bright bold and sassy with a touch of gaudiness and you will see all of that in Three Men and a Baby.
It also is unique in the fact that it really isn't a family film, it really was geared to adults making it a unique comedy in that way.I could start with any of the main three guys but I will start with my favourite, the unbeatable Mr. Tom Selleck.
I happen to think that he gets downplayed because of Selleck and Ted Danson but he is still a welcome member of the cast and has great comedic timing.
The movie is fun and light, cute and weepy at times but it just hits the right chords.
Basically bachelors Peter 'Pete' Mitchell (Magnum, P.I.'s Tom Selleck), Michael 'Mike' Kellam (Police Academy's Steve Guttenberg) and Jack Holden (Cheers' Ted Danson) share an apartment in Manhattan.
Actor Jack goes away to film in Turkey, and Pete and Mike find a baby, Mary (twins Lisa and Michelle Blair), left on their doorstep, with a note that it's Jack's from a woman named Sylvia.
After thwarting the gangster bust that Jack is involved in, the three men spend more time with baby Mary (shown in a montage).
Selleck, Guttenberg and Danson each get their equal amount of laughs, the baby situations they encounter are all both adorable and funny, the drug dealing plot perhaps slows things, but overall it is a charming and great comedy that may get men thinking twice about having kids.
The scene never cuts away and the boy is better viewed when to the right of Jack and his mother, not the left as the pictures I've seen depict.
"Three men and a baby" is very much a product of its time.
I mean Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg are all funny in their own right and I figured the three together would be really funny.
Accurately funny comedy about two swinging bachelors who are left stranded with a little baby girl which they are forced to look after.Leonard Nimoy's film (based on the French hit "Three Men and a Cradle") is spot on with its humour as it details the misadventures of the two men as they struggle to feed, wash and contain the noisy child.
Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson are a good team and the subplot fills in time quite nicely.When it starts to get sentimental, the film does weaken a little, however for the most part this is a comedy worth your while. |
tt0050766 | Night of the Demon | Before the credits, there is footage of a stone circle with a voiceover concerning demon worship and witchcraft over the centuries which still endure today.The film starts with Professor Harrington (Maurice Denham) drving through the night to Lufford Hall, the magnificent residence of Dr. Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis) with whom he pleads to "call it off". Karswell, noticing the time, ushers Harrington out and telling him he will do all he can.As he arrives home Harrington hears a strange noise and through the night can see a huge demon approaching. He attempts to drive away but reverses his car in to an electricity pole, staggers out of it and is caught in the sparking cables as the demon reaches down to claw at his body.Cut to the interior of an aeroplane where Dr. Holden (Dana Andrews) is attempting to sleep. Over his face is a newspaper and visible is an article headlined "Prominent Psychologist Flies to London for International Convention" bears his photograph. In the seat behind him is a young woman -- Joanna Harrington (Peggy Cummins).Holden is met at the airport and discusses the convention he is attending with waiting journalists. Meanwhile Joanna Harrington attempts unsuccessfully to telephone Professor Harrington's house.Holden meets up with two of his fellow delegates Professors Mark O'Brien (Liam Redmond) and K.T. Kumar (Peter Elliot). O'Brien and Holden discuss the case of Rand Hobart (Brian Wilde) -- a member of the Karswell "devil cult" which Holden intends to denounce at the conference. Hobart is in a lunatic asylum for murder, although he claims that the killing was done by a demon. Under hypnosis Hobart has produced a drawing of a demon which bears striking similarities to various other drawings of demons produced over the centuries.The telephone rings and it is Karswell, who attempts to warn Holden off.The following morning Holden goes to the reading room of the British Museum, where he discovers that 'The True Discoveries of the Witches and Demons' --- mentioned in Prof. Harrington's notes --- is missing.In the reading room, Karswell approaches him and offers to let Holden use his library of books on witchcraft and demonology --- which includes a copy of 'The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons', inviting him to visit him at Lufford Hall. Karswell gives Holden a card, and "accidentally" upsets the papers on his desk, apologises and hands them back to him. He leaves. Holden looks at the card and finds that as well as karswell's name and address it also has "In memoriam Henry Harrington allowed two weeks" in glowing letters. He watches Karswell walk away and is suddenly overcome with dizziness and blurred vision. He shows the card to an assistant in the library, but the "In memoriam..." text has disappeared. He next takes the card to a chemist (Chalres Lloyd Pack) who can find nothing wrong with the card.Cut to the church in which the funderal of Professor Harrington is being held. Holden and Joanna Harrington recognise each other from the aeroplane. Joanna tells Holden that they must speak and they meet at Holden's hotel that evening. She advises Holden to drop his investigation of the Karswell cult.She reads from her uncle's Diary, where he recounts that Karwell gave him a concert programme which contained a parchment with runes written on it, which acted as if it were alive and flew in to the fire and was burned; and that ever since he has been pursued by strange lights and has had various other signs of the supernatural. The chemist telephones Holden to inform him that the card on which he saw the writing has come back clean: there is no sign of any ink on the card.Holden and Joanna Harrington drive out to Lufford Hall, where they find Karswell performing magic tricks for a group of children. Holden and Karswell talk about 'The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons', which Karswell informs Holden was written in cypher, and that he has de-cyphered. Holden continues to be sceptical, so Karswell offers to conjure a wind-storm. He concentrates for a few seconds and a tremendous storm appears from nowhere.Karswell and Holden run indoors to avoid the storm. Karswell explains to Holden that -- like Prof. Harrington before him -- he has put a curse on him, which will lead to his death three days hence. Meanwhile Karswell's mother (Athene Sayler) is showing Joanna Harrington Karswell's copy of a book (presumably 'The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons'), which neither of them can understand. Holden and Joanna Harrington leave Lufford Hall.Back at the hotel, as Holden walks along the corridor he begins to hear the strange noise which preceded the manifestation of the demon which killed Prof. Harrington but it is interrupted by the door of a room opening. Talking with O'Brien and Kumar, Holden is still sceptical. O'Brien looks in Holden's diary and discovers all the pages after the date which Karswell has arranged for his death have been torn out.Holden has dinner with Joanna at Prof. Harrington's house. Joanna continues to read from her uncle's journal, and Holden discovers that the pages of Prof. Harrington's diary after the date of his death had been torn out. Still sceptical Holden tells Joanna that even if a curse did exist, he couldn't have been subject to it as a paper has to be passed -- secretly -- to the victom of the curse. He goes through the papers in his briefcase and discovers that amongst those returned to him by Karswell in reading room is one bearing a runic script. The paper flies from his hand towards the fire but is stopped by the fire-guard. Holden retrieves it.The following day Holden visits Rand Hobart's -- who are also members of the cult -- family to seek their permission for him to be released from the asylum temporarily to be examined at the conference. Hobart's mother signs the release paper and as he goes to put it in his wallet the runic parchment makes another bid to escape.Holden then arranges to meet Joanna, who has been invited to a seance by Karswell's mother. The seance is run by Mr. Meek (Reginald Beckwith). During the seance, Mr. Meek goes in to a trance and begins to "channel" Prof. Harrington who has a message for Joanna that Karswell has successfully translated the book and that the demon is real. Holden leaves the seance in disgust, still refusing to believe that demons exist. Joanna and Holden decide to drive out to Lufford Hall to try and find Karswell's translation of the book. Holden breaks in to Karwell's study, where he is attacked by what appears to be a wild-cat [more accurately, he wrestles with an evidently stuffed cat -- the effects in this bit are less than convincing]. Karswell appears and the "wild cat" has now assumed the form of an ordinary cat, and Karswell informs Holden that it is a minor demon.Against Karswell's advice, Holden returns to his car through the woods. On his journey he sees huge smoking footprints appear in the path at his side, followed by a strange smoky apparition and the strange noise. They phenomena disappear. Holden and Joanna go to the police who dismiss them as a pair of cranks.The following morning Holden is having breakfast with Kumar and O'Brien. He refuses to accept a call from Karswell's mother who keeps trying to call him. Karswell's mother then telephones Joanna and tells her to tell Holden that Rand Hobart knows how to reverse the curse. Joanna then goes to her car and is about to leave when someone steps out of the bushes and prevents her...Hobart is brought by ambulance to the conference, and Holden explains to the delegates that he and O'Brien will use hypnosis to bring Rand Hobart out of his catatonic state. Hobart is injected by O'Brien with stimulants, and regains consciousness but begins screaming wildly until Holden hypnotises him. Holden shows his runic parchment to the hypnotised Hobart who then he reveals that he was going to be the original victim of the demon, rather than the man of whose murder he is accused. In order to reverse the curse he had secretly to pass the parchment containing the runic inscription back the person who gave it originally. Hobart then breaks free and then dives through a window to his death.Finally convinced of the reality of the curse, Holden decides to return the parchment to Karswell and is informed by Kumar that Mrs. Karswell had told telephoned to say her son would be on the 8.45 to train to Southampton. Holden just catches the train as it pulls out of the platform. As it does so, visible on it are two plain-clothes police-officers. He finds Karswell, who has Joanna with him, whom he has hypnotised.Holden attempts to pass Karswell an envelope containing what he claims to be a retraction. Karswell refuses to take it, fearing it is the runic one. He similarly refuses a cigarette. As the time approaches 10.00 Karswell makes to leave, but Holden insists that he stay to be present when the demon is due to arrive. The police are, however, waiting for him and come in to the carriage and restrain Holden.Karswell makes to leave, and Holden passes his coat to the policeman -- secreting the paper in its pocket. The policeman passes the coat to Karswell who takes it but then instantly realises his error, and pulls the paper out of the pocket. It flies out of his hands and goes dancing down the railway track, with Karswell in pursuit. Holden observes that it is 9.58 ("Two of ten").Just as Karswell reaches the paper it bursts in to flames and is destroyed. The strange noise which preceded the arrival of the Demon at the beginning of the film is heard again, the strange cloud which pursued Holden through the woods also appears above an oncoming train and the demon appears and destroys Karswell.The police and railway staff rush to see what has happened, and even though he is lying onthe wrong track that a train must have hit him and dragged him due to the mutilation of the body. Holden and Joanna refuse to look because "it's better not to know".The end. | paranormal, cult | train | imdb | Niall McGinnis holds sway here as the impish leader of a Satanic cult, who swiftly dispatches of his critics by summoning a huge, horrific demon to rip them to shreds.Into this isolated world walks psychologist John Holden, played by yet another seriously underrated actor, Dana Andrews.
Andrews, who made a name for himself playing tough guys in films like "Laura" and "The Best Years of Our Lives" is wonderful here as the skeptical, even slightly smarmy, American who absolutely refuses to believe in demons, even when strange, unexplainable things begin to happen to him.
The demon looks a little corny nowadays, and was revealed much too quickly with no suspenseful build-up, but the movie is so smart, so moody, so creepy and well done with an excellent cast to boot, that one can easily forgive the demon, which looks a lot like a slightly deformed bear with a pig nose and goat horns.
But before long he finds himself cursed by the leader of a witch cult and disbelief becomes terrifying reality.Some superbly brooding shots of Stonehenge accompanied by a haunting speech about runic powers start what is without doubt one of the darkest and most solemnly atmospheric films ever made.
Both versions are contained on this DVD, with the English version the better for those twelve minutes, but in truth there is little significant difference between the two, and if you are a connoisseur of 1950s horror films you will find both equally fascinating.Based on the short story "Casting the Runes" by M.R. James, DEMON offers the tale of American psychologist John Holden (Dana Andrews) who travels to a conference in England, planning to debunk a devil worshiping cult led by Karswell (Niall MacGinnis.) Unfortunately for the professionally skeptical Holden, Karswell's powers are genuine: he has successfully translated an ancient text and, through runes written on parchment, casts a curse first against Holden's colleague and then against Holden himself.DEMON was directed by Jacques Tourneur, who worked with producer Val Lewton to create a series of memorable and distinctly noir-ish horror films at RKO in the 1940s: CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, and THE LEOPARD MAN.
All three films created a sense of unease and scream-aloud fear by implication and suggestion, and although DEMON is much more explicit in its effects, Tourneur brings the same sensibility to bear on DEMON, endowing it with remarkable authority and power in spite of several distinct flaws.Chief among these flaws is the script, which can best be described as somewhat abrupt in terms of dialog, and leading man Dana Andrews, whose performance is remarkably unsubtle even in a decade noted for a lack of cinematic restraint.
The film also sports a host of memorable set pieces: the storm, the flying parchment, Dr. Holden's exploration of Karswell's mansion, Dr. Holden's run through the night forest, and the final train sequence, to name but a few.Although it is not well known today, like Tourneur's films with Lewton, DEMON has cast a very long shadow in terms of influence, and it is very difficult to imagine such films as ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE CHANGELING without both this film and those that proceeded it.
'Gun Crazy') and is directed by Jacques Tourneur who had already shown his talent for suspenseful films with the RKO classics Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie.
So you know what to expect: suspense and quality.By now of course, technology changed a lot of how films look and it is the "show less - scare a lot" attitude of Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie that made them into the classics that they are.
No matter how scary the film makes the demon, he looks like the thing you see on the cover of the movie box.
Other 50s film that depend more on the monsters and demons do have that problem: e.g. Roger Corman made some movies that could've been a lot better and scarier if the monster had either been more convincing or given less screen time.Like in the other two films by Tourneur I mentioned, you always sense something scary could happen.
And even now, at my age, it still gives me goosebumps.Dana Andrews plays the skeptical American psychologist investigating a devil worship cult in England led by Dr. Karswell, played by Niall MacGinnis.
"Night of the Demon" is, hands down, one of the most superb horror/occult thriller films ever made, and that's particularly remarkable because the original concept got pampered with a lot of additional ideas and effects the director didn't agree on.
Jacques Tourneur ("Cat People", "the Leopard Man") initially wanted to put the emphasis purely on the psychological aspects, but the money-suppliers didn't like this and insisted on bringing an actual demonic monster into the movie.
You can honestly trust the high IMDb-rating and the praising reviews on this one; "Night of the Demon" is one of those rare films that every self-respecting horror fan simply HAS TO see for him/herself..
"Curse of the Demon" aka "Night of the Demon" is a wonderful set-piece study of the macabre, skillfully acted by Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, and the delightfully malevolent Niall MacGinnis, and masterfully directed by Jacques Tournier, a director who can turn even the warmest smile into something sinister.
Instead of going into detail on everything that works, I'll give the laundry list of highlights: an interesting premise, an intelligently written script, good acting, atmosphere you can cut with a knife, nail-biting suspense, beautiful cinematography, and touches of humor that add to rather than take away from the film.
Something that may yet prove to be fatal to his well being?Prior to 1957, director Jacques Tourneur could boast on his résumé psychological horror classics I Walked With A Zombie & Cat People, the simmering pot boiling Western Canyon Passage and the rightly heralded film-noir piece that is Out Of The Past.
It's now all the years later considered across the board that it would have been better to not have seen the demon at all, certainly at the least to not see it at the beginning of the film.Thankfully though, and with much credit to Tourneur, his team and the cast, Night Of The Demon is still a nerve pulling piece of work that shines bright today as a true classic horror picture.
I can imagine the film without seeing the creature, and maybe that would have been even more effective, again like "The Haunting".I give it "A-" for effort and execution, and for avid horror buffs, it's definitely worth a watch or two.
Jacques Tourneur (the leading director for Val Lewton, and the director of the original "Cat People", "I Walked with a Zombie" and "Leopard Man") in 1957 made his quintessential tribute to Val Lewton with "Curse of the Demon" (originally entitled, "Night of the Demon") based on the classic ghost story by M.R. James, "Casting the Runes").
In this case Dana Andrews is with an all British supporting cast.But as another viewer pointed out the film really belongs to Niall McGinniss the scientist who summons up evil forces from another plane of existence he can't control.
If only they wud have stuck with it being more psychological n had not shown the demon, otherwise it is a very good atmospheric horror film with good performances n solid direction.
The skeptical Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews) travels to London to meet his friend Professor Harrington (Maurice Denham) and investigate Dr. Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis), who is the leader of a sect that worships the devil, to expose him as a charlatan.
"Night of the Demon" is a stylish horror movie directed by Jacques Tourneur that keeps the supernatural atmosphere.
That's deliberate: the main character can't understand it either, and our own confusion allows us to empathise.In "Night of the Demon", which is incorrectly regarded as a straight horror tale, despite coming from the man who brought us "Out of the Dark", another film noir masterpiece, we see a hero familiar from noir: a hardened, skeptical investigator who is tired of the world he is best suited for: one of illusion, gullibility and the strong preying on the weak.
He talks and acts like one who's seen it all; it doesn't take a genius to predict that the case at the centre of "Night of the Demon" will surprise even him."Night of the Demon" is brilliantly shot by the master Tourneur, and features special effects that still look impressive today.
Good performance by Dana Andrews as America occult expert but is Niall MacGinnis who steals the spectacle as sinister cult leader who attempts to put an end to his annoying investigations .
He quickly becomes intertwined with a black magician who puts a deadly curse on him.Alongside Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie, Night of the Demon is the third of director Jacques Tourneur's horror masterworks.
There is the passing of the runes moment in the museum, where the villain is seen walking off down a distorted corridor; the séance with creepy voices; the night-time walk through the woods where the hero is pursued by a ominous ball of smoke and invisible monster replete with advancing footprints; and, best of all, a black magician dressed as a clown casting a spell that brings forth a cyclone in the middle of the day destroying a children's party.
In other words, there is a great deal of invention here and the general creepiness of the narrative never lets up.Night of the Demon comes highly recommended for anyone seeking horror films in the old-style.
Adapted from M.R. James's classic Edwardian ghost story "Casting The Runes", "Night Of The Demon" remains a haunting and terrifying portrait of a skeptic being forced to believe that a world of demons does indeed exist.
Particularly spine-tingling is the masterful sequence in which Dr. Holden (played by Dana Andrews) breaks into devil-cult-leader Karswell's (a superb Niall MacGinnis) house and is followed by an unknown figure.
Night of the Demon (1957) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Classic horror film has Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews) going to a meeting in London where Satanic cults are being discussed.
The story of an American psychiatrist, Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews) who travels to England to debunk wizard, Dr. Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis) of his status as a true disciple of magic & Satan.
It is his great acting that really makes this film come to life, though Dana Andrews as Dr. John Holden, plays his role as a stubborn non-believer & debunker of the supernatural like a snapping turtle clamped on your finger that carelessly bumped it's mouth.
A war of reality verses the surreal, with a take no prisoners attitude.Helming this marvelous masterpiece of malevolency, is a director who has been noted for his apt handling of horror films, Jaques Tourneur ("I Walked with a Zombie & "The Cat People), he steers this macabre opus right into your deepest fears, the fear of not knowing what is real & what is not.
I myself feel the "Demon" is a asset to this movie, though the effects are dated, they were handled tremendously, the "Demon" looking frightfully great to me as a child in the 60's watching this film.
Sceptical even while Karswell summons storms on a sunny day, Holden laughs off predictions of his death or mysterious runic writing on a parchment but still continues his own investigation into the man.I'm not sure why I didn't expect much from this film but I did sit to watch it expecting typical black and white melodrama with sanitised themes and action.
The plot brings this along well, making good use of the increasing urgency that Holden feels as his scepticism fades and his time starts running out.Tourneur's direction is excellent, building a strong sense of dread and danger while cinematographer Scaife provides sharp black and whites.
Cummins is OK but the film is best when it keeps the focus on the two main men.Overall then an effective and atmospheric horror movie that is strong thanks to convincing delivery with music, direction, cinematography and cast..
But "Curse of the Demon" proves that skepticism can be a great dramatic device, especially when it's grounded in a compelling, intelligent character.That character is played here by Dana Andrews, who lends considerable class to the movie.
Jacques Tourneur directed this harrowing film based on a story by M.R. James, that stars Dana Andrews as Dr. John Holden, who is going to London at a paranormal researchers convention to expose demonologist Dr. Julian Karswell(played by Niall Mac Ginnis) as a fraud, and look into the death of colleague Professor Harrington(played by Maurice Denham) whose niece Joanna(played by Peggy Cummins) is also looking into.
They will begin a romance, and discover to their shock that(in this film) the supernatural is very real indeed, and that evil Karswell has placed a death curse on Holden that involves passing on a parchment of paper...
Whether you like the demon or not, it's still one of the best horror films ever made.
Directed by Jacques Tourneur, Night of the Demon is one of the finest examples of the classic story of GOOD VERSUS EVIL.
The film has been criticised over the years for overtly showing the title demon given that Tourneur's earlier 'Cat People' was a pioneer psychological horror movie where everything was implied rather than explicitly shown.
We do get to see the demon of the title, and while there may be people who would have preferred that we never see a thing (such as director Jacques Tourneur), the beast is decently designed and the special effects not too bad.
(It actually gets a reveal much sooner in the film than one might think.) There are some pretty good set pieces, such as the windstorm, Holdens' night time search through Karswells' mansion, and the final flight of one particular character from certain doom.Andrews is fine in the lead, and receives fine support from the very pretty Peggy Cummins as the niece to the demons' first on-screen victim, Athene Seyler as Karswells' meddling mother, Liam Redmond as Holdens' associate Mark O'Brien, and Reginald Beckwith as the medium Mr. Meek.
It's tense musical score and clever artistic direction paint the unfolding colours of the story as you witness Professor Harrington driving down a dark and winding lane in fear of what may be lurking in the shadows of the night.Based on the story "Casting the Runes" this 1950's British classic is more about the unseen terrors of the human mind than the horror of blood and gore.
Produced in England, directed by Franco-American Jacques Tourneur, Night Of the Demon is one of the handful of thoroughly adult horror movies ever made.
This is a superbly done combination of horror and suspense featuring top-notch actors, engaging dialog and excellent atmosphere.My only criticisms are that the demon appeared too early in the film and by modern standards is not very compelling as an object to frighten or terrify.
This is no surprise since the director was Jacques Tourneur, who worked many years with Val Lewton in the 1940s, producing many stylish horror films.
GOOD & BAD TOGETHER - The story starts off pretty cool, then lags terribly until the second half when time starts running out for "Dr. John Holden" and he has some suspenseful scenes inside a house (with a cat!), outside of it (with the demon) and then in a railroad car.
"Night of the Demon" placed at number 52 on their top 100 list.I have known for many years that this is one of the classics in the horror genre, one of the truly must-see films.
Jacques Tourneur is best known for his horror films with producer Val Lewton, but this movie clearly shows he was just as strong of a storyteller on his own..
The short comings of the actual demon and special effects do not diminish the atmosphere of this great film .
Directed by one of the great, more cerebral horror film makers, Jacques Tourneur, it does not need to show any gore or bloody special effects to make its case.
Night of the Demon(1957) is impressive because it uses the same kind of style as early Jacques Tourneur horror such as Cat People(1944) and I Walked with a Zombie(1946).
But in the same time the movie is really hampered by wishful thoughts of how much better it could have been 10 years earlier or under a different studio.Dana Andrews is Dr. John Holden, called to the UK to investigate a supposed devil cult and how legitimate it is.
About as Good as a Horror Film Can Be, Thanks to Jacques Tourneur.
What's interesting is how the skeptics like Professor Harrington, Maurice Denhan, at the start of the film and Dr.John Holden, Dana Andrews, at the end of it come to realize what the prologue of the movie said: "Man using the power of the ancient runic symbols can call forth the demons of hell".
Very effective use of fear from sounds and shadows by director Jacques Tourneur which makes the movie more tense and horrifying then the appearance of the Demon himself with the best line in the film uttered by Dana Andrews who plays Dr. John Holden.
Many of you know that Tourneur also directed 1942's The Cat People, and I am of the opinion that this film is every bit as good as that fine classic.
It relies on a creepy atmosphere instead of overt special effects and gore as well as genuine tension such as the scene where Andrews is pursued by an invisible demon in a dark wood; we see the creature's diabolic footprints as it tries to follow its quarry.Tourneur was critical of the film's delineation of the monster, feeling that it belonged in another type of film (the teenage horror).
The other is that the demon is seen in the first act but that was done without the directors knowledge for which Tourneur never forgave, so blame the producers for that.Above all else this is a great film regardless of its genre and a Horror I keep returning to. |
tt0377109 | The Ring Two | A nervous teen male tries to make his date watch a "scary" video. A friend calls to find out if he was able as it has been seven days, but water seeps into the room, going out he sees the girl has her eyes covered. Samara crawls from the TV and the teens (Kelly Stables and Daveigh Chase) scream.Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) and her son Aidan (David Dorfman) have moved to a small town, Astoria, Oregon, to get away from the terrifying events that happened to them in Seattle. Rachel now works for the local newspaper, The Astoria Gazette, when she hears on the police scanner that the police are investigating the mysterious death of a teenager.Rachel goes to the crime scene and discovers that Samara Morgan is back, starting a new cycle of death by taking her revenge on the people of Astoria. She sneaks into the teen's house, recovers the VHS, and burns it. Aidan then dreams he is taken inside the video. Samara attacks him because Rachel burnt the videotape.The next day mother and son go to a funfair, where the boy takes pictures of himself with Samara reflected in a mirror. Also, they are attacked by a herd of deer on the road. Aidan begins to lose body temperature, so Rachel takes him to her office. She asks a reporter, Max (Simon Baker) for help. They go to his house and Rachel runs a hot bath. She puts Aidan in the tub despite his fears and goes back to her own house to pick up some things. On returning the bathroom door is locked, water seeps out. Rachel manages to break in, Aidan is at the center of a reverse whirlpool. Rachel breaks the spell and water floods the room. Max takes Aidan to the hospital. Hospital doctors find bruises on Aidan, and Emma Temple (Elizabeth Perkins) believes that Rachel has been abusing him, so she forbids Rachel to visit him anymore. Aidan is asleep with severe hypothermia. When Dr. Perkins asks him about his mother, he only says he wants to go home and that he wants "mommy", instead of calling to her Rachel as he always does. When Dr. Perkins tells him he can not go home, he forces her to give herself an air embolism in order to kill her, while remarking, "it won't stop".To stop what is happening to Aidan, Rachel goes back to the home of Samara Morgan in Seattle to find the truth. Samara had been adopted, so she looks for the biological mother, Evelyn (Sissy Spacek), who has been in a mental hospital. Evelyn had gone through a very difficult pregnancy and a hard post-birth depression, and had tried to kill Samara as a baby (Caitlin Mavromates) without success. Evelyn tells Rachel the only way to save Aidan is by killing him by drowning him, and that he'll tell her so. The male nurse (Victor McCay) tells Rachel that she's not the first mother who has asked Evelyn for help.Aidan has left the hospital and goes back to Rachel's home. Max arrives and despite protests tries to take Aidan's picture. Max disappears, leaving behind only his jacket. Rachel returns and finds Aidan alone, and suspects it's not really him when he calls her "mommy". Rachel goes to look for Max and finds him dead in his car.Rachel notices drastic personality changes in Aidan. He continues calling her "mommy", as well as never sleeping and just watching TV. Aidan's spirit is only able to communicate with Rachel when she is asleep. In a dream state Aidan tells Rachel that she must drown him, otherwise Samara will never leave his body which is clearly possessed by Samara. Rachel drugs Aidan to put him to sleep, since the only way to get Samara's spirit to leave is to drown Aidan. As she begins to put him under the water, he awakens and protests that he is not Samara. However she realizes it is not him and continues to drown him. Samara's spirit rises from Aidan's nearly dead body and disappears. Rachel is able to revive Aidan, who now appears completely normal. The TV comes on with Samara, and Rachel realizes all Samara wants is a mother. She sacrifices herself and is pulled into the screen and down into the well where Samara died.Rachel sees the well is open, and begins to climb out. Samara races to try and grab her, but Samara is forced back down into the water. Rachel succeeds in getting out of the well while Samara again races to the top crying "mommy!". Rachel is able to close the big stone lid on top of the well with Samara inside. She then finds herself lost in a misty forest, and arrives at the cliff where Samara's adopted mother committed suicide. She hears Aidan's voice, and jumps off the cliff. It fades to black, and Rachel wakes up on her living room floor close to Aidan. She promises that it is all over, and asks Aidan to call her Rachel, "at least for while". | good versus evil | train | imdb | null |
tt1313092 | Animal Kingdom | After his mother overdoses, 17-year-old Joshua "J" Cody (James Frecheville) asks his estranged grandmother, Janine "Smurf" Cody (Jacki Weaver), for help, and she invites him to move in with her. Smurf is the affectionate matriarch of a Melbourne crime family that uses her home as a base. Her home is also being watched by cops who are looking for the oldest son, Andrew "Pope" Cody (Ben Mendelsohn), who is in hiding. The volatile middle brother, Craig (Sullivan Stapleton), deals drugs successfully enough to have bought the house for his mother. The youngest brother, Darren (Luke Ford), follows the lead of his siblings, while family friend "Baz" leads the gang, which specializes in armed robbery.
Craig takes J along to meet with a crooked cop from the drug squad, who tells him that renegade cops on the armed robbery squad are on the look out for all of them. Later, Baz goes to meet Pope at a shopping centre, where they discuss quitting crime and going straight. As Baz gets in his car to leave, police approach and kill him. Angry, Pope and Craig want revenge, and ask J to steal a Commodore and bring it to Darren's place. The car is then planted in the middle of a street. Two policemen are soon drawn to the scene, where they are ambushed and killed. The next day, Pope, Darren and J are taken in for questioning, where J meets Detective Senior Sergeant Nathan Leckie who also leads the armed robbery squad. Leckie, one of the few non-corrupt police officers, recognizes J's predicament and begins to lean on him. The three are later released from custody, but J returns with his girlfriend Nicky to her parents' home.
Craig, who has avoided being picked up by the police, Pope, Darren and Smurf meet at a diner, where they recognize J as the weak link. When told by Smurf to give himself up for questioning, Craig panics, and meets a friend in rural Bendigo. He learns that the house is already being monitored, and as the police arrive tries to flee through a field but is gunned down. Pope and Darren take J to meet their solicitor Ezra. He coaches him to not tell the police anything and pressure him to break up with Nicky, which he does. Leckie takes J into custody again, where he proposes that J be moved to witness protection, but J turns down the offer. Meanwhile, Nicky, unsure what to do, shows up at Smurf's home, where Pope gives her heroin, questions her, then smothers her to death to keep her silent.
When J returns to Smurf's house the next morning he discovers Nicky's bracelet outside the house. He calls Nicky's phone, and realising something is not right, flees to Nicky's parents house. Pope gets Nicky's address from Darren and arrives in time to intercept J. J flees on foot and is taken into a safe house. With Craig and Baz dead, Pope and Darren imprisoned, and J potentially being the star witness for the prosecution, Smurf decides, "J needs to go". Smurf uses her connections to procure J's address, and persuades the corrupt cop to help her. Police from the drug squad then raid the safe house. J jumps a fence and returns to Smurf's house, saying he wishes to help free Pope and Darren from jail. To do this, the family's barrister then coaches J's answers.
After his day in court, Leckie sees J before his departure from the safe hotel, and asks him if he has found his place in the world (a reference to Leckie's animal kingdom metaphor for J's predicament). Pope, Darren and Smurf celebrate with champagne while being interviewed after their controversial acquittal. Smurf later sees Leckie in the supermarket and taunts him. Later again, J returns to Smurf's home asking to stay, before going to his room. Pope enters and begins to talk to him, but is cut off when J shoots him in the head. In the final scene, J returns to the living room and embraces a now silenced Smurf. | comedy, suspenseful, neo noir, murder, boring, violence, romantic, tragedy, revenge | train | wikipedia | The other is Guy Pearce, who plays the detective trying to both solve the cases and rescue young Josh, played by newcomer James Frecheville.Not only is this the type of story that sucks you in, it is a reminder of just how distracting movie stars can be a to film.
Using the character of seventeen-year-old J as a sort of catalyst, the movie explores a variety of crime-related issues, from the effects of growing up in a world where criminal activity is the norm, to the escalation of crime that is a natural consequence of vigilantism (especially when the vigilantes are police).The characters are all played very well, with exceptionally good performances given by Ben Mendelsohn, Jackie Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton and young James Frecheville in his debut as J.While "Animal Kingdom" starts slowly (perhaps -too- slowly for some), it continually builds in intensity throughout the entire movie, culminating with an ending that is both shocking and yet inevitable.
Then, like the final dose of a patriotic inoculation to my anti-Oz entertainment views of old, comes first-timer David Michod's Sundance winning Animal Kingdom, gaining my first five-star rating for the year.With nary a flaw to be found, this crime-drama unfolds at a terrifically slow-burning yet somehow exhilarating pace.
The ambitious movie-making and successful result is even more remarkable when you consider that Michod never resorts to gratuitousness (with violence or sex) or over-the-top, colourful personalities – fallback devices for many modern 'gangster' pictures – instead allowing his immaculately constructed story and deeply invested characters, all of whom share a layered relationship with one another, to sweep us away.Jacki Weaver has received numerous critical plaudits for her unnerving performance as Grandma Smurf – a resourceful, persevering women who'll stop at nothing to protect her boys – and deservedly so; the powerful handle she has on her sons and her willingness to embrace the criminal environment is deeply disturbing and chilling.
Elsewhere youngsters Frecheville and Ford do a commendable job holding their own against such an experienced cast; Stapleton is fascinating as the drug-fuelled middle sibling; adding class and impact as always is international star Pearce whilst the immensely talented Edgerton presents a likable and charismatic alternative as Cody family friend Barry.A triumph of Australian cinema, this could very well be one of our nation's greatest.5 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic).
There are, of course, talented actors, writers, cinematographers and directors around the world, but at the moment Australia seems to have found its own voice, its own style which is not just unique, but interesting, accomplished and gripping.Unlike so much high-energy Hollywood dreck, Animal Kingdom relies on a good script, a gripping story, good acting, solid characterisation and great directing.
Every character is connected to every other as if by springs quivering with tension or compression and the movie really delivers holding the resolution to the final frame where everything shifts into a new alignment.I really enjoyed Animal Kingdom, it does not glamorize the life of these crims the way Underbelly or Sopranos does, and the cops reflect the dirty history of the Melbourne's finest too (Guy Pearce reprising his role in LA Confidential as a rare Mr Clean).
"Animal Kingdom" is a superior Australian movie about a 17-year-old high school teen named Joshua "J" Cody who suddenly gets captured into a crime-ridden animalistic family filled with bank robbers, drug dealers, and murderers; these predators just happen to be his ferocious uncles and his matriarch, manipulative grandma.
Yet his turning point comes three-quarters of the way in, when he proves himself worthy of the role when he breaks apart in a bathroom with an intimate, solitary crying scene.Animal Kingdom is a powerful film that examines seemingly strong but unstable family ties when caught in a web of deceit and murder.
Though well aware that he is living with a notorious family of criminals, Joshua feels protected and taken care of by his relatives, but when his eldest uncle Andrew returns home after having been in hiding from the police, Joshua realizes the gravity of what it means to be part of this family and what it demands of him.In his directorial debut, David Michôd stylistically and brilliantly directs this well-paced and character-driven family saga about a young man who finds himself entangled in a vital personal conflict when he recognizes that he has to sacrifice his own future in order to maintain his loyalty to his relatives.
This well-written fictional crime drama which examines themes such as family relations, loyalty, coming-of-age, survival, crime and love, has a rigorous narrative structure and draws a multifaceted portrayal of a heartless and vicious family which is headed by the conniving Justine Cody aka "Smurf".The shaded and aesthetic cinematography by cinematographer Adam Arkapaw and the distinct use of sound reinforces the ominous and austere atmosphere in this incisive and internal study of character, which provides a gripping depiction of the protagonist's relationship with a seasoned local detective.
This memorable Australian production is a dark psychological thriller with a fine score by Antony Partos, Sam Petty and David McCormack and substantial acting performances by Australian actress Jacki Weaver, Australian actors Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton, Sullivan Stapleton and James Frecheville in his debut feature film role.
No, it's the characterisation where ANIMAL KINGDOM really shines; this is a film for actors, showcasing a number of realistic performances from the cast.Ben Mendelsohn is the one who really stands out in his star-making turn as the thoroughly creepy guy at the top of the chain, while Joel Edgerton and Sullivan Stapleton bring depth to their otherwise thuggish roles.
Meticulous acting, thrilling set pieces and a gripping intelligent script combine to make Animal Kingdom one of the most original and realistic crime films in recent memory.Animal Kingdom opens with 18 year old Joshua 'Jay' Cody (James Frecheville) sitting in the living room of his suburban Melbourne home watching television.
Through all of the adversity he faces the battle to live a normal and peaceful life proves to be the most difficult of all.Surprisingly for a film which spends a lot of its time showing the relatively mundane suburban streets and houses of Melbourne Animal Kingdom also contains some astonishingly artistic camera-work.
Totally impulsive and thoroughly deranged it is impossible for the audience to take their eyes off Pope as we witness a thousand and one sick thoughts running through his mind.Guy Pearce, whose career is going from strength to strength coming off his portrayal of a self-indulgent Edward VIII in The King's Speech, is the moral conscious of film as Detective Leckie who attempts to advise Jay. In a world of corrupt police and lawyers no one can be trusted an intense feeling of claustrophobia encircles Jay as he is given the impossible task of having to navigate the legal system whilst trying to escape from his own family.For all of the immorality on display Animal Kingdom is an intensely moral film.
The matriarch of the family too will bring to mind a well known identity to Australians who live in the city where this is set...Melbourne, Australia.The plot concerns what happens to a lad - not yet 18 - who has his mother and sole parent die...he moves in with his grandmother, who happens to be the overly-affectionate mother of small time criminals who deal with corrupt police officers.Cast is uniformly excellent...James Frecheville as the orphan Joshua 'J' Cody is suitably expressionless throughout the movie.
It actually stood for "Special Operations Group".The use of music is effective in this movie...apart from some good cheesy songs, it has minimalist synthesiser music to create an air of dread.Not sure if the final scene in this movie has its real life counterpart, but it did bring a strangely satisfying sense of "closure" to the proceedings.This film has been in our top 10 at the box office for a while now and has done respectably for an Australian movie.You should see it.
"Animal Kingdom" is a highly respected Australian film that's apparently received a HUGE number of nominations for the Australian Film Awards--as well as an Oscar nomination for Jacki Weaver (as the matriarch of the family--who did a great job playing pure evil).
Animal Kingdom another Australian film with a passive protagonist, lots of padding, a great soundtrack, a title that tells you nothing about what the film is about and lots of pretension.Look I'm not wanting to be the one review who suggests that this isn't the greatest Australian film of all time but lets face it the film has some serious flaws.The narrative is pretty uninspiring, the performance by the lead actor is pretty dry and gives us little to invest in and the visual design is very deeply in love with itself.What's right with it: Its better than the average Australian film released at the box office.What's wrong with it: Everything I have mentioned above.Where to find it: DVD stores online and just about everywhere else..
He calls his grandmother, Janine, played by Jacki Weaver, and is deceptively welcomed with open-arms to live with her and his four uncles, all of whom are born and bred criminals."Animal Kingdom" has been labeled as a crime movie, but it's much more than that.
Joel Edgerton plays one of the brothers contemplating a future in the stock market as a means of escaping the violent and in his view, unsustainable underworld life that has put both his life and that of his family at risk, while former "Henderson Kid" Mendelsohn continues his dark ride following "Love My Way" as the volatile and unbalanced brother Pope.There's myriad doco's shown on Australian TV that dissect the events depicted in this film, and each of them would be more entertaining and coherent than this picture.
Animal Kingdom is a fascinating Crime Story of a family involved in a high profile robbery (the movie loosely depict the true events happened in 1988 "Walsh Street police shootings"Melbourne, Australia).
Their problems are all made by themselves, and it grows less complex for them morally- and only more and more for the one we see the story mostly through, J (James Frecheville)- as crimes mount and paranoia and police pressure continues.The air of this movie is thick with a kind of collective fear of the characters, hidden mostly by their criminal pride (as J notes in his narration, they know they're doomed as soon as they get into it), which adds a whole level of intensity to the main performances.
He can't rise to the standard that's set by actors like Guy Pearce and especially Weaver, though the latter gives a Oscar-worthy performance, if that means anything.But his acting being a flaw should not take away from what is so amazing about Animal Kingdom.
(Only Jacki Weaver's Smurf is allowed much in the way of coherent motivation; the only other female character of note, Laura Wheelwright's Nicky, feels entirely like a plot point rather than an actual person.) On the other hand, the dialogue is lively and original for the first two-thirds of the film (although it begins to noticeably degrade thereafter) and some of the performances are stellar: Jacki Weaver in particular stands out.
Its tone is cool and minimalist, its characters are flawed and not particularly intelligent or charismatic, its scenes embody everyday mundanity, yet the film draws you into its story of a 17-year-old youth joining his criminal uncles.The strength of the film rests on its avoidance of presenting ultra intelligent criminals, like in The Town or Takers, who perform superhuman feats outsmarting sophisticated digital systems, fighting martial artist cops, and escaping by driving against speeding traffic.
It's not a big plot twist in the traditional sense, but it nevertheless serves the same purpose as one, energizing the film while surprising the audience.Thus it's Jacki Weaver, as the mother, who raises "Animal Kingdom" a notch above the standard issue crime thriller.
It says more about these people's life and mind than about what makes a film good.In the brilliant crime drama Animal Kingdom there is some shooting, but nothing unnecessary or with very cruel pictures.
"Crooks always come undone, always, one way or another" – Joshua CodyUnwilling to glamorize predatory criminals as in other well-known crime films, David Michod's gritty Animal Kingdom portrays an Australian family of drug dealers and bank robbers as they are, disturbed sociopaths without a trace of conscience.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, this low-key thriller is a crime drama, a psychological case study, and a coming of age story about a young boy trying to get through his teenage years without being scarred for life by the people around him, none of whom he can trust.
James Frecheville, an unknown even to Australian audiences, is also strong as Josh – although his character has little in terms of range of emotion, Frecheville manages to hold his own and keep the story anchored in the face of the films more grandiose performances (and the same can be said of Pearce's level-headed Sergeant Leckie).After taking home the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Animal Kingdom promises' to be one of the few Australian films to receive distribution around the world.
The film's protagonist is Josh, played extremely well by James Frecheville, a somewhat relatable quiet, introverted teenage boy who must live with his extended family of criminals after his mother overdosed.
At this point I feel that I shouldn't explain anymore about the story with details because what I think made this such a fantastic movie was how shocked and disturbed while also being so fascinated watching this crime story unfold before my eyes.The writing and directing of this film, both done by David Michôd, are equally brilliant.
Animal Kingdom is a very confidence, well made debut by David Michôd, a gritty, realistic film set in the Melbourne underworld.Joshua, AKA J (James Frecheville), is a 17-year-old man whom mum has just died of an heroin overdose.
J is slowly brought into the family's criminal activities, but a senior police detective, Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce) believes he could turn the young man after the shooting of two uniformed officers.What makes Animal Kingdom work is it gritty, down to Earth nature of the film.
Michôd made a slow burning film where everything unfolds gradually; it was a film about characters, particularly J and about a dysfunctional family.The acting is great, it is really nature that you end up feeling like you are watching real people, not just actors.
As the film unfolds, slowly we begin to see how terrifying these people (animals) really are, even the most innocent looking ones: the figure of the mother, Smurf, played by Jacki Weaver is one of the scariest creation I've seen in a long time.
Considering I have watched the American TV series, the movie moved a bit fast, grandma surf in the Aussie film didn't seem to have a handle on the situation, killing off Bad from the start, you don't really get a sense of the depth of their crimes, Elene Barkin plays a better Smurf, she controls those boys.
It is here Josh – or J as he is known – sees a side of life that he was previously shielded from.The parallels between this film and The Town are a little unavoidable, both focus on small groups of people for which crime is a way of life, but where The Town showed all the heists and robberies in their full glory and added some convenient plot twists and developments, Animal Kingdom plays it straight as a die and doesn't even pretend to include any glamorous aspects.Although we hear first hand that Josh's cousins have been particularly naughty boys we meet Craig, Darren, Andrew and family friend Barry at a time when they are lying especially low.
Animal Kingdom (2010)*** (out of 4) Interesting crime-drama from Australia about a 17-year-old boy named J (James Frecheville) who moves in with his grandmother (Jacki Weaver) and uncles after his mother dies from a heroin overdose.
"Loosely" based on the Walsh St, Melbourne, police murders case of 1988, the focus is on Josh (James Frecheville), a younger member of a family of career criminals specializing in armed robbery who as the movie opens has not yet turned to a life of crime.
Things hot up after corrupt police execute on of their associates in a shopping centre car park and the gang retaliates by killing at random a couple of patrolling police the next day.Enter Guy Pearce (with silly moustache) in the unlikely role of an honest cop, anxious to prevent Josh going the way of his uncles Pope (a psychopathic Ben Mendelsohn), Craig (a drug-addled Sullivan Stapleton) and Darren (Luke Ford), a general purpose gangster who just does what he is told.This is a finely told but in the end a rather depressing tale.
"Animal Kingdom" is a movie which shows us a seventeen year old child who is trying to survive from his criminal family in which he necessarily entered when his mother died from overdose of drugs.Guy Pearce who played as Detective Senior Sgt Nathan Leckie makes a really good interpretation as the good guy who is trying to save this child (Joshua 'J' Cody) from his criminal family.
Based on a true story, "Animal Kingdom" is a gritty, gripping crime-family saga set in Melbourne, Australia.Josh Cody is just seventeen when his mother dies of a heroin overdose, leaving him an orphan.
A cop named Leckie (Guy Pearce) is quick to latch onto J to see if he will help them bring down the crime family because he knows the dangers that J and his girlfriend Nicky (Laura Wheelwright) are in.Animal Kingdom, directed by David Michôd, carries a sense of nostalgia for Australian cinema. |
tt0209958 | The Cell | Child psychologist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) is hired to conduct an experimental virtual reality treatment for coma patients: a "Neurological Cartography and Synaptic Transfer System" device managed by Drs. Henry West and Miriam Kent that allows her to enter a comatose mind and attempt to coax them into consciousness. The technology is funded by the parents of her patient, Edward Baines (Colton James), a young boy left comatose by a latent viral infection that causes an unusual form of schizophrenia. Despite Deane's lack of progress, West and Kent reject Deane's suggestion to reverse the feed to bring Baines into her mind, fearing the unknown consequences of him experiencing an unfamiliar world.
Serial killer Carl Rudolph Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) traps his victims in a cell in the form of a glass enclosure that slowly fills with water by means of an automatic timer, then uses a hoist in his basement to suspend himself above their bodies while watching the recorded video of their deaths. He succumbs to the same schizophrenic illness and falls into a coma just as the FBI identifies him, leaving them without any leads as to the location of his latest victim, Julia Hickson (Tara Subkoff). After learning of this experimental technology, Agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn) persuades Deane to enter Stargher's mind and discover Hickson's location.
Deane enters the dark dreamscape of Stargher's twisted psyche, filled with doll-like replicas of his victims. Stargher's innocent side manifests as Young Stargher (Jake Thomas) and leads Deane through his memories of abuse he suffered at the hands of his sadistic father. Deane nurtures Young Stargher in hopes of getting Hickson's location but she is thwarted by another manifestation: King Stargher, a demonic idealization of his murderous side that dominates the dreamscape. King Stargher torments Deane until she is mentally at his mercy, making her forget the world is not real. Dr. West discovers this while monitoring Deane's vitals. He warns that what happens to Deane while she is integrated into Stargher's mindscape will inflict neurological damage on her real body. Novak volunteers to enter Stargher's mind to make Deane remember herself.
Inside Stargher's mind, Novak is captured and subjected to King Stargher's torture while Deane looks on as Stargher's servant. Novak reminds Deane of a painful memory to reawaken her awareness that she is in Stargher's mind. Deane breaks free of Stargher's hold and stabs King Stargher to free Novak. During their escape, Novak sees a version of the glass enclosure with the same insignia as the hoist in Stargher's basement. Novak's team discovers that after the hoist's previous owner went bankrupt, the government hired Stargher to seal up his property. Novak races to the property, where the enclosure is completely filled but Hickson is treading water and breathing through a pipe. Novak breaks the glass wall and rescues Hickson.
Deane, now sympathetic to Young Stargher, locks her colleagues out and reverses the feed of the device to pull Stargher's mind into her own. She presents a comforting paradise to Young Stargher but he knows it is only a temporary reprieve from King Stargher. He shifts to Adult Stargher to relate a childhood story of when he drowned an injured bird as a mercy killing to prevent its torture at his father's hands. King Stargher intrudes as a scaly snake-man but this time, Deane is in control and she beats him to a bloody pulp before impaling him with a sword. However, Young Stargher exhibits the same injuries as King Stargher, and killing either manifestation kills Stargher. Adult Stargher reminds her of the story of the bird and implores her to "save" him. Deane carries Young Stargher into a pool, putting him out of his misery as Stargher dies in the real world.
In the aftermath, Deane and Novak meet outside of Stargher's house. The FBI has officially excluded the mind technology from their inquiry and Deane has gotten approval to use the reverse feed on Baines. The final scene is of Baines walking to embrace Deane inside the paradise of Deane's mindscape. | dark, psychological, cult, alternate reality, violence, horror, atmospheric, psychedelic, sci-fi | train | wikipedia | The last time I reviewed a film helmed by a music video director, I was very angry at what I'd seen (`Mystery Men'), but Tarsem Singh spares us the fish-eye lenses and commercial overindulgences and decides to concentrate on presenting an astonishing visual and audible journey into the mind of a serial killer in `The Cell'.Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) kills women by drowning them in glass cells, all the while videotaping the event.
Lovely.Meanwhile, FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn) is hot on the killer's trail, and although Carl's started to get sloppy, he's just kidnapped another girl and she has 40 hours before her cell fills with water.
Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) is a child psychologist involved in an experimental project that allows her to TRAVEL INSIDE THE MIND of coma victims.And so begins a strange array of visuals and sounds, blended together so unusually that you honestly feel like you're experiencing a dream
a not so pleasant dream.
To me, this would have taken this story to yet another psychological level, but perhaps it would have been too much for viewers.Despite this shortcoming, `The Cell' stills provides a myriad of images that will make you want to watch a lot of cute cartoons before turning in for the night.
Although the story may be impossible to believe and much of the dialogue seems contrived, the one and only important thing to remember when contemplating watching this movie is that it contains some of the most amazing and disturbing imagery ever put on film.
A must see for anyone seriously interested in cinematography and the use of the film cell as a canvas on which to display true works of visual art.
Enter Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn), a FBI agent tracking down a very sick serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio), who drowns his victims then dresses them up like dolls.
The Cell can only be described as a Sci-fi serial killer thriller that's visually disturbing, creepy, and one of the wildest films ever.
In fact, the story is pretty good.We start with Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) in the mind of a catatonic boy.
The style makes you keep watching till the end and provides the best moments of the movie.Vincent D'Onofrio is unforgettable as the serial-killer with a twisted mind.
The opening scene takes you into the seemingly innocent mind of a comatose little boy, and the things that Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) sees are first fascinating and then terrifying.
The things that she later sees in the mind of Vincent Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) are amazingly imaginative and fascinating, most of this stuff has never been seen in film before.The story of The Cell is not exactly something that is really groundbreaking.
This is the best movie of the year to date.I've read numerous complaints about this film, anywhere from all style and no substance to poorly cast characters and bad acting.
Personally, I would more than welcome another movie by Tarsem, and would love to see someone try to challenge him.We've all heard talk about going inside the mind of a serial killer, and yes, I do agree that the "genre" is a bit overworked.
But "The Cell" does not blaze down the same trail, we are given a new twist, we are physically transported into the mind and presented with nothing less than a fascinating journey of the most mysterious subject matter ever studied.I like how the movie does not bog us down with too much scientific jargon trying to explain how Jennifer Lopez actually gets to enter the brain of another.
True, I do like explanations with my movies, but when a movie ventures onto new ground you must let it do what it desires and simply take it in.I noticed how the film was very dark when it showed reality, maybe to contrast the bright visuals when inside the brain of another.
The acting is good without being outstanding but that does not matter because the subject matter and the way it is put on the big screen makes this one of the best horror movies i have seen for a long while.
Directed by Tarsem Singh (of R.E.M. music video Losing my Religion fame), he brings great visual and original quality to this picture that nowadays are being seen by quite a few music video/comercial directors turned film (Spike Jonze's Being John Malkvoich, David Fichner's Fight Club, David O.
And I think that shows that people who have experience directing off screen and then come into film, disrupt the film industry, in a good way.Tarsem has Jennifer Lopez back on the screen after a year absence (she was musical last year) playing a psychologist of the mind, who is hired by FBI to go inside the mind of a killer (Vincent D'Onofrio is a terrifying performance) who is the only one who knows where his last victim might be.
It's a great performance from an underrated actor.While "The Cell" doesn't work as well on every level it ambitiously attempts (some of the actions of the characters are not believable) and while it is all based on some fairly flimsy scientific logic, it is an occasionally shocking, visually astounding head trip that rewards multiple viewings..
Decent performances all round; particularly from Jennifer Lopez as Catherine Deane, I thought she played quite a tricky part very well and Vincent D'Onofrio as the serial killer, Carl Stargher.
Also worthy of note were; Vince Vaughn in a rare dramatic role as Peter Novak, Jake Weber as Gordon Ramsey, Dylan Baker as Henry West, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Dr. Miriam Kent and a special mention for Jake Thomas as the young Carl Stargher.I have rarely seen a film that has the scope of this one; it really tests the little grey cells to the maximum.
The psychiatrist is tasked with entering his mind in order to find the whereabouts of a girl he has captured and left in a deadly torture cell.This is essentially a serial killer film with a very original angle.
I must say that this is one of the unique film I have seen in years.I had low expectations about this one.This movie really amazed me!Jennifer Lopez was really good.The "dream sequences" were beautiful.A unique film to be seen more than once!8/10.
Ok so maybe Jennifer Lopez isn't a great actor,neither is Vince Vaughn..but they played their roles quite convicingly and Ms Lopez is a beauty whose presence gives a brilliant stark contrast to the dark images inside a serial killer's mind.
As for the plot, I found it compelling enough; I'm no crime/thriller connoisseur, but I had the same general reaction to this story as I had to "The Silence of the Lambs'." In the summer of "Hollow Man," it's miraculous to see an art film produced by a large studio (similar precedents include "Dark City" and "Being John Malkovich"); sometimes they slip through the cracks, and you just have to have to be able to discern them from the rest of the hollywood hogwash..
Actually "delight" is probably the wrong word, the movie being about a serial killer and all, but you know what I mean.This was the first time I saw a movie based on the director's music video reputation and I was expecting nothing more than flashy cool visuals.
Can you get rid of the evil side of someone and nurture the inner child?While that is going on Protosevich sets a traditional clock ticking as the FBI agent tries to save the last victim in time.Jennifer Lopez's character is only sketched but there is enough detail there to know where she is coming from.
She hasn't got a reflecting character - someone to talk to about her feelings and where she's coming from - so you have to learn about her mostly by her lifestyle.The Cell is not exactly feel good entertainment but it is still an exceptional piece of movie-making..
That's Jennifer Lopez's role here as "Catherine Deane." When she enters, the visuals are perhaps like someone on LSD, and they are very interesting, along with good sound effects.
Yes, I have to admit the story may be secondary, reminding one of The Silence of the Lambs, but remember, this film did dream heists before Inception did.With all this talk about the film's visual execution, some may say that The Cell is merely style over substance.
Things start getting hectic when she enters the mind of a psychotic killer named Carl Stargher (Vincent D'onofrio) in order to find out where he has hidden his latest victim.There were plenty of interesting scenes from a cinematic perspective, but the dialogue and story itself did little to make this movie very good.
With a girl still missing and no clue as to where she is slowly being drowned, the FBI turn to Deane and her team to go inside Carl's mind and try and find out where the girl is, before it is too late.I'm not sure if the plot is harder to swallow than Lopez's casting but certainly both these things take a certain amount of swallowing to get into this film.
Of course it never gets above the level of derivative serial killer movie and a load of obvious psychoanalysis stop it becoming very dark but in this area music video director Singh comes into his own.His visions are impressive and he directs really well with his expensive range of effects.
Support from Weber, Jean-Baptiste and a few others add a bit of interest and credit to Subkoff who produces a convincing turn despite being isolated from the majority of the story.Overall this is an average serial killer movie that is only really worth seeing because of the visuals.
The story could have been much stronger but it works as a frame for the visual effects which is pretty much the same for the cast, who are just part of the look of the film rather than well developed characters..
The Cell' is a sci-fi thriller set in a vaguely futuristic world in which psychologists like Jennifer Lopez can put on a body-suit made out of Twizzlers, drape a cyber-hankie over a patient's face, and transport themselves into the patient's dreams.
Anyway, the dream sequences aren't too good.This is a serial-killer movie so jaded that even the most horrific crimes elicit little more than a knitted brow from the main characters.
The serial killer plotline pushed the film over into exploitation movie territory; I think by now I've seen enough movies where the passive female victim waits to be rescued, and the periodic cuts to her in her "cell" failed to generate any suspense or sympathy and just served to underline the exploitation.
Lopez's voiceovers of "I'm already in", "His victims", and the overemphasised "Aha!" moment with the engraved metal plate), and the allegedly "original" visual imagery was pretty much without exception stolen from somewhere, especially the sequence which followed the Quay brothers' "Street of Crocodiles" (a great short film, by the way) almost shot-for-shot.
After the police track down serial killer Carl Stargher, they find he has fell into a coma, this is bad news as his last victim is holed up in a cell that fills with water at frequent intervals, she's still alive but only Stargher knows where she is......The Cell to me was working just fine as a standard serial killer maniac on the loose film, we are introduced to the maniac early on {Vincent D'Onofrio on disturbed form}, and we get repulsed to the point that we are in no doubt that this is a troubled mind.
The visual effects are stunning to the core and Jennifer Lopez's ass actually doesn't star in this movie.
Searching for last victim of mass murder whose gone to koma must young psychiatric Jennifer Lopez step into his terrible dreams and nightmares in which rules daemon to find clues about his life and wants to help him and last kidnapped women.She must fight his ruthless mind which is personalized into horrible monster to save her own life, women which is dying and defeat monster in Carls ( Vincent D'onofrio ) head to won.Surealistic dreams stars like Jennifer Lopez,Vincent D'onofrio,Vincent Vaughn in perfect shocking thriller with absolutely amazing story and casting.One of Jennifer Lopez's best performance as actress this movie becomes legend..
It's basically a two hour music video full of interesting ideas that achieve nothing in particular.The Cell has a reasonably promising premise: Jennifer Lopez using a scientific device that allows her to enter the head of Vincent d'Onofrio's serial killer while Vince Vaughan sits around looking like Vince Vaughan usually looks in a film.
Instead all we have is a lot of kind of arty looking stuff, some disturbing imagery, and talented actors struggling to bring life to characters straight from the cookie cutter.We are left with a film that despite having an interesting premise, good actors and stunning visuals, has nothing of value to say.
In essence, it's CSI by way of Paprika, with Lopez's character entering the dreamscape of a criminal to try and find his latest victim.It's in these dream sequences that the film really signs.
Sort of expanding on "The Silence of the Lambs", "The Cell" portrays a woman (Jennifer Lopez) entering a comatose killer's (Vincent D'Onofrio) mind so that he can help her find his latest victim.
Only in this case, the only person who knows, the killer himself (powerfully played by Vincent D'Onofrio) is in a coma and we need psychologist Jennifer Lopez' sci-fi mind-meld machine to get into his head and force him to tell all.
The inside-the-mind sequences are well realised and often pretty stunning, all the leads perform adequately, the gruesomeness is to the max if you like that kind of thing, but the hype around the whole thing led to a disappointment for me, as I had expected something completely new and unlike anything ever done before, not this fairly successful blending of serial-killer and special-effect-horror genre staples.
It is about a child psychologist, played surprisingly well by Jennifer Lopez, who enters the mind of a serial killer.
The story that goes along with the visuals seems like a totally separate movie from the mind sequences, you want to watch both.
In the new thriller `The Cell' first-time director Tarsem Singh literally takes us on a tour of the surreal world that is a serial killer's psyche.
As time grows shorter and shorter for the kidnapped girl, Dr. Dean begins to not only search for her, she tries to save the life of the serial killer himself who is also trapped with the demons of his own mind.Much like a music video without the music (Which is what `The Cell' ultimately becomes) this film is all visual and little substance.
However, these visuals are so much the foreground of the film that when Dr. Dean is not inside the killer's mind, the story lags so much that we cannot wait for her to go back in.
We are only left to speculate at how disturbingly mind-blowing this film's meaning could have been.For what it is worth, the images seen in `The Cell' are some of the finest uses of camera work and set design in recent years.
The special effects were amazing, as were the costumes, cinematics, script, and near everything else for this film.I have a $10 bet with a friend (who, as of right now, hasn't seen the movie) saying that The Cell will be nominated for at least one of the 5 big Oscars (Best Actor, Actress, Director, Picture, or Screenplay).
"The Cell" tries to use this visual eye candy as a substitute for story, plot, character, intrigue, and interest, and fails miserably on all counts.I'd give it 1 star for the only one real star in it; "Vincent D'Onofrio".
Soon, FBI agent, Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn), and the FBI turn to psychotherapist Catharine Deane (Jennifer Lopez), who (with brand new and interesting technology) goes into Carl's twisted mind to see where he is hiding Julia.
I didn't expect a few parts yet that's what movies offer unless the plot is pointless or one of those films that you say, "Seen it before...*yawn*!"Watching this film was like looking at a painting of pure surrealism.
This film is much better than "Silence Of The Lambs", where as it goes beyond just plain killings and actually into the killers mind, like a sort of playland.
It seemed to me that the story line for "The Cell" was a futuristic compilation of these three novels.I'll start first with characters: Catherine (Jennifer Lopez) seems very much like Agent Clarice Starling.
When The Cell originally opened five years ago, it was part of a smattering of movies about serial killers.
The Director made a huge visual movie,totally new and fresh at least unique and original....but the story is sooo predicable and no make sense at all and more Jennifer Lopez was a wrong choice for this kind of role,should be done for a better actress with more reputable career....Vincent D'Onofrio as the killer and Vince Vaughn as FBI agent are fine and delivery....but Jlo spoil the movie!!!
Vince Vaughn plays an FBI agent/profiler who is after a serial killer (Vincent D'Onofrio) who likes to do some pretty twisted things to his victims.
The Cell is a sci-fi thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh with Jennifer Lopez in the lead.
The Cell is all style and no substance, a movie that is visually impressive even by today's standards but with a cast you don't care for, weak dialogue/script including a hollow story that raises many questions about the technology used throughout the film.
Having a poor cast is one thing then to go and have no character depth, weak script/writing and clichéd lines these hamper the film even further.The only reason anyone should watch The Cell is for the creative visuals, costumes, set pieces displayed and Vincent D'Onofrio's strong acting, which shows how truly underrated he is as an actor. |
tt1082886 | The Wackness | In New York City in 1994, Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) is trading marijuana in exchange for therapy from his psychiatrist, Dr. Jeffery Squires (Ben Kingsley). Luke graduates from high school but while dealing at a party, he finds out that Justin (Aaron Yoo) and other people have gone away for the summer, except him and his classmate, Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), Dr. Squires' stepdaughter. When Luke returns home, he finds his parents arguing over money and their probable eviction.
Luke starts dealing more marijuana to make money for his family. After a session with Dr. Squires, he bumps into Steph and invites her to come with him dealing around the city. Steph has a great time and gives Luke her number so she will not be lonely in the city for the summer.
Luke phones Steph but ends up talking to Dr. Squires and they go out to a bar. Another client of Luke's shows up and while getting drunk and high, they get kicked out for underage drinking. Luke and Dr. Squires are walking from the bar and start tagging a wall but are apprehended by the police. Steph bails them out of jail and, against Dr. Squires' wishes, takes Luke out for the day. Luke and Steph end up kissing. When Luke gets home, he finds he has strong feelings for her.
Luke grabs a letter from his father and reads that his family is getting evicted. He tells his father to be a man and do something about it. Steph invites him to her family's house at Fire Island; Dr. Squires and his wife are going to try to fix their relationship on a second honeymoon. At the island, Steph finds out Luke is a virgin and offers to give him sex lessons. After taking a shower and having sex together, Luke tells Steph that he loves her. She reacts with astonishment and it's obvious (to the viewer, although not to Luke) that she's not looking for that kind of relationship with him. Justin later contacts Steph asking if she wants to hang out.
Luke asks Dr. Squires for help selling pot because he needs to make enough money for college. Luke introduces Dr. Squires to his client, Eleanor (Jane Adams), and they hit it off. Luke's family gets evicted and is forced to stay with his Grandparents in New Jersey. Luke visits Steph for companionship, but as she greets him at the door, Justin appears, to Luke's dismay, leaving with his heart broken.
Luke goes to Fire Island to seek counseling with Dr. Squires. Dr. Squires is on a bender because of his now inevitable divorce and invites Luke to join him. While high, Dr. Squires starts to walk into the ocean to kill himself. Luke goes in after him to save him. They both end up back on the beach, alive, more sober, and cracking jokes.
Luke later talks with Dr. Squires inside the Squires' home. Squires wishes him good luck and tells him goodbye. As Luke is leaving, Steph follows him to the elevator to talk to him. However, Luke says "Do me a favor Steph, don't say anything; I wanna remember this; I've never done it before." Stephanie replies "Never done what?" and Luke continues, "had my heart broken" and as he is on the verge of tears he goes into the elevator and Stephanie looks sad for a moment, before smiling and seeming to realize Luke will be fine. As Luke walks out of the complex, he puts in the mixtape Squires made for him and All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople begins playing. Luke is amused by it.
In New Jersey, Luke tells his family he plans to become a psychiatrist. He says that he will be good at it because "everyone around me is so fucking crazy." Back in the city, Eleanor beeps Dr. Squires and asks him what he's doing tonight. He says "No plans." It then goes to Luke who is smoking a joint while waiting at a train stop. He flicks the joint at the camera and the movie cuts to black as the credits roll. | pornographic, romantic, dramatic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0031381 | Gone with the Wind | The film opens in Tara, a cotton plantation owned by the proud Gerald O'Hara (Thomas Mitchell), a self-made man of Irish descent, in the Confederate State of Georgia near Atlanta. The date is April 1861. He and his wife, Ellen (Barbara O'Neil), have three beautiful daughters; Suellen (Evelyn Keyes), Carreen (Ann Rutherford), and the headstrong 16-year-old Scarlett (Vivien Leigh). Scarlett spends her days having fun, tormenting the household servants, and flirting, especially with twins Brent and Stuart Carleton (Fred Crane, George Reeves). The brothers anticipate the next ball and hope Scarlett will choose one of them to attend the ball. The Carletons speculate the impending war between the North and the South. Scarlett finds the latter topic boring and is certain that there will be no war. She runs off to meet her father who is riding home through the fields. He returns home with some news.Neighbor John Wilkes (Howard C. Hickman) hosts a barbecue party at his Twelve Oaks plantation. Scarlett pines for Wilkes' son, Ashley (Leslie Howard), a lanky, soft-spoken young man of refined bearing, though he doesn't reciprocate her feelings. Scarlett continues to flirt with other boys despite her willful obsession for Ashley. All the young women go inside for an afternoon nap while the men meet in the parlor for cigars and brandy. Most of them boast of how the South will surely win the war but one gentleman, Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), a visitor from Charleston, South Carolina, disagrees. He states that the South cannot win a protracted war purely through the exhibition of pride and notes how the North is better equipped and industrially superior, able to produce weapons of war quickly. Charles Hamilton (Rand Brooks) is offended by Rhett's opinion and openly tells him so, even going so far as to suggest a duel. Rhett, knowing full well that he's a much better shot than Charles and that this argument is not worth his life, leaves. Charles brands Rhett a coward but Ashley assures him that Rhett would have killed him in the duel.While the other girls are sleeping, Scarlett slips away from the nap room to speak to Ashley in the parlor. She declares her love for him but Ashley tells her that he intends to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland), Charles' sister. Scarlett is infuriated and berates Ashley for making her think he was in love with her. She maintains that Melanie is too fair and can't compete with Scarlett's looks, despite the fact that Melanie is admired for her kindness and altruism. Ashley then walks out of the parlor. In her anger, Scarlett throws a vase at the wall, breaking it to pieces. Rhett Butler suddenly pops up from the couch where he'd been resting and jokingly asks whether the war has begun. Scarlett is outraged and defends Ashley when Rhett mocks him. When Scarlett leaves, Rhett laughs to himself: Scarlett has announced that she would hate Ashley forever, but she defended him five seconds afterwards!The start of the war is finally announced and all the young gentlemen rush to enlist. Charles Hamilton is betrothed to Ashley's sister, India (Alicia Rhett) but, when Scarlett flirts with him to get a rise out of Ashley, he proposes to her instead. Still angry at Ashley for rejecting her, Scarlett agrees. They quickly marry before Charles leaves for the front lines. Scarlett offers herself to Ashley but he denies her again, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Just a few months later, news comes of Charles' death from illness while stationed at the front.Wishing for her widowed daughter to cheer up (though Scarlett is sullen for the wrong reasons), Ellen suggests that she go to Atlanta to live with Melanie and her Aunt Pittypat (Laura Hope Crews). Scarlett agrees to go, but only because it will give her the chance to see Ashley again. Her nurse, Mammy (Hattie McDaniel), believes this decision is not in Scarlett's best interest and tells her so.In 1862, Scarlett attends a fundraising ball for the Confederate Army in Atlanta where she, as a recent widow, is not supposed to enjoy herself and must remain off to the side wearing a black gown. She dances surreptitiously behind the counter of her charity stall, receiving looks of disapproval as the people around her whisper rumors of her supposed mourning. Rhett Butler is also in attendance, now known as an arms smuggler to benefit the Southern cause despite his cynical attitude towards the war's aims. His motivation is simply to make a profit and his skills in smuggling allowed him to obtain the ball decorations and make it past Southern blockades. Melanie, by now having married Ashley, offers her wedding ring as a war contribution, a generous move that Scarlett feels obliged to follow. This incites Rhett to sarcastically praise her consideration. An auction is then held for the men to bid on a dance with a girl of their choosing. Rhett wins the auction and chooses Scarlett, causing consternation in the crowd because of Scarlett's position as a widow. However, she accepts Rhett's invitation to dance and, while they do, Rhett tells her that he someday wants to hear her say that she loves him. Scarlett confidently proclaims that will never happen as long as she lives.Another year later, Christmas of 1863 arrives and Ashley returns home from the war front on furlough. Still in love with him, Scarlett once again attempts to woo him but with no success. Just before Ashley's departure day, Scarlett manages to see him alone and gives him a present, tearfully confessing that she only married Charles to hurt him. Ashley makes Scarlett promise to take care of Melanie before they share one passionate kiss. Ashley leaves once more to rejoin the war effort.Eight months pass, during which the war drags on and the situation in the South worsens. Food becomes scarce and nearly every family has lost loved ones to battle. Scarlett and Melanie, now pregnant with Ashley's child, volunteer as nurses caring for wounded soldiers. Scarlett despises her new role, doubled upon her responsibilities as the sole person to manage Aunt Pittypat's home since Pittypat is incompetent and Melanie grows weaker due to her difficult pregnancy. Scarlett faces the harsh realities of war as she listens to a dying soldier (Cliff Edwards) reminisce about his brother Jeff and witnesses another (Eric Linden) suffer a leg amputation without anesthetic. The useless Aunt Pittypat leaves the city, finding the noise of artillery annoying, and renders Scarlett to care for the weakened Melanie with no one but the house servant, Prissy (Butterfly McQueen), to help.When Melanie goes into labor, Scarlett, intent on keeping her promise to Ashley, employs the help of Dr. Meade (Harry Davenport) who had previously been watching Melanie's progress. However, he is unable to leave the train station where he is tending to hundreds of wounded and dying Confederate soldiers. When Prissy, who had claimed to know all there is to childbirth, admits that she knows nothing, Scarlett takes control, fueled by her anger. Though Melanie's labor is long and complicated, she eventually gives birth to a son (Patrick Curtis) but is left severely weak.Scarlett sends Prissy to find the one man who can get them all safely out of Atlanta before the approaching Union troops take siege: Rhett Butler. Prissy finds him enjoying himself at a local brothel run by Belle Watling (Ona Munson). Though Rhett mocks Prissy, he agrees to assist Scarlett who insists on returning home to Tara. Rhett steals a horse and cart and fetches Scarlett, Melanie, her baby, and Prissy, taking them through Atlanta as the city burns in wake of the Union advance. Once safely outside the city, Rhett leaves them to continue to Tara alone, telling Scarlett that he is to enlist in the Confederate army because he believes only in lost causes 'when they are really lost'. Scarlett begs him not to go and he professes his love for her, claiming to have never loved anyone else so fiercely. Scarlett rebuffs his advances but he kisses her, paying for it with a slap across the face. Rhett gives her his pistol and walks off, leaving Scarlett in tears.The women continue on their journey to Tara alone, traveling mostly by night to avoid enemy Federal troops. When Melanie can no longer lactate for the baby, they resolve to milk a stray cow for sustenance. They pass the Wilkes' plantation which has befallen the same fate as many others, having burned to the ground. Melanie tries to stand but collapses upon seeing the scorched crosses marking the graves of her entire family. Under moonlight and just as their horse dies of exhaustion, they arrive at Tara to find it still standing but derelict, having been used as headquarters for Northern troops. The fields are untended and the grounds have been pillaged but Scarlett finds that her father, sisters, and two of their servants, Mammy and Pork (Oscar Polk), remain, the rest of the servants/slaves having either run away or forced into the Union army. Scarlett discovers that her mother recently passed away from typhoid fever, leaving her already disturbed father practically insane. With barely any food, no livestock to speak of, and no money, Scarlett wanders into the fields to clear her head. She pulls a dried up carrot out of the ground to bite into it, only to throw up immediately afterwards. Resolving not to give up, she stands defiantly, saying, "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!"IntermissionMonths pass and the war enters its final stages. General Sherman marches his Northern armies through Georgia in his so-called 'March to the Sea', leaving destruction in his path. Scarlett and her sisters have been forced to make the best of things, performing manual labor themselves to keep Tara running and in repair. Melanie remains weakened from childbirth and is reduced to staying in bed for the most part. At the moment when Scarlett is scolding her for getting out of bed again, wishing to help, a renegade Union soldier (Paul Hurst) enters the home. He claims that he's simply looking for valuables to move on with but, when he threatens Scarlett, she takes a gun and shoots him in the face and he falls dead down the staircase. Melanie is a witness, having crawled out of bed with a sabre. She promises not to tell the others what happened while Scarlett searches the soldier, finding legitimate cash and other valuables. They dispose of the body and explain to Scarlett's father and sisters that her gun had accidentally discharged. Scarlett drags the body off, planning to bury it in the orchard.Some months later, in spring of 1865, the war is finally over. Confederate soldiers amble back home in the wake of General Lee's surrender. One of them, Frank Kennedy (Carroll Nye), arrives at Tara and, having long been in love with Suellen, asks Scarlett's permission to marry her. Tara soon becomes a haven for passing soldiers who are given food and rest, mostly at the behest of Melanie, much to the dismay of Scarlett. One soldier (Phillip Trent) gives Melanie the news that Ashley is still alive but is a prisoner at a Yankee camp. Soon enough, Ashley arrives at Tara and Melanie rushes to embrace him. Scarlett is urged to do the same but is held back by Mammy; she has no rights to him. To her torment, Ashley stays at Tara with Melanie and his son (Ricky Holt).During the first year-and-a-half of Reconstruction, high taxes are imposed on the Southern plantations by Northern carpetbaggers, much to Scarlett's dismay. Terrified that she will lose Tara, she seeks comfort from Ashley though Mammy doesn't believe a thing of good will come of it. Scarlett begs Ashley to come away with her to Mexico where they can start anew. He kisses her and admits that he loves her and admires her courage but simply can't leave Melanie and his son behind. Ashley reminds Scarlett that she still has Tara which she should love more than him and thrusts some of its red dirt into her hand. He tells her that the Southern civilization is and way of life with slavery is lost forever and that he intends to move to New York City with his family to work as a banker. Scarlett throws a tantrum and, when the commotion attracts Melanie's attention, she naively suggest that she and Ashley remain in Tara to help Scarlett. Dejected, Ashley gives in.Jonas Wilkerson (Victor Jory), former overseer of Tara, now prosperous due to collaboration with the carpetbaggers, offers to buy Tara from Scarlett. Though the tax has risen to nearly $300, Tara rejects the offer and humiliates Jonas by throwing a clump of dirt in his face. As he leaves, Scarlett's father, his mind all but completely lost, chases him down on his horse, attempting to upbraid him. However, the horse falls while attempting to jump over a fence and O'Hara is killed in the fall.After burying her father, Scarlett seeks the help of the only man she knows of, yet again. Rhett Butler, despite holding a Captain's rank, is being held in jail in Atlanta by Union forces who are threatening to hang him unless he hands over his Confederate gold; prior to the war, Rhett had moved all his wealth to banks in London where it would be safe. Conditions in the jail, however, are hardly bleak: Rhett gambles and drinks with Union soldiers and receives female visitations. Scarlett decides to dress up for the occasion and enlists Mammy to create a new dress for her out of the curtains hanging at Tara. Mammy accompanies Scarlett to Atlanta to keep her out of trouble. Scarlett is allowed visitation to Rhett at the city jail and attempts to present herself with an air of elegance, claiming that life at Tara is like paradise. Rhett, however, sees through the deception when he notices her roughened hands from working the fields. Despite her anger, she continues to beg for money and even offers to be his mistress. Rhett dismisses her. On her way out, Scarlett passes Belle Watling waiting for a visit. Noticing how well-dressed she is, Scarlett figures that she knows how to get the money.While walking through town, Mammy and Scarlett come across Frank Kennedy, now a successful businessman selling hardware and wood for which the city is being rebuilt. Frank claims to be saving all his money to marry Suellen and bring her to the city. Sensing an opportunity, Scarlett tells Frank that Suellen has married another man and presents herself open to Frank, despite Mammy's disapproving looks. Arriving back at Tara, Suellen is heartbroken and sullen as a widow, having just learned that Scarlett hastily married Frank and that he has paid off Tara's debts. She scolds Scarlett for having been married twice already and relents that she seems to be destined as a spinster.Throughout that year (1866), Frank's hardware and lumber store flourishes under Scarlett's management. She refuses credit to her poor neighbors and makes lucrative deals with Northern businessmen. They expand further, buying a sawmill, and Tara starts to regain part of its former splendor. Scarlett hires hungry convicts who are exploited by a cruel, former prison overseer (John Wray). Ashley expresses his discomfort at the thought of the convicts being abused, starved and used as slave labor but Scarlett is determined to allow it.One day, Scarlett comes across Rhett Butler, who is now free and very wealthy. He laughs, saying that she could have married him and become rich if she had waited. She brushes him off and leaves alone for the sawmill. Rhett points out that the shantytown on the way to the sawmill is full of dangerous criminals and deserters but Scarlett shows him that she carries a gun.On the way to the sawmill, two men attack Scarlett from behind and overpower her before she can use her gun. Panicked, Scarlett faints. The men appear to be on the verge of raping her when Big Sam (Everett Brown), a former slave at Tara, saves her by beating up the two men who flee. News of the event spreads quickly through the town. That evening, Frank drops Scarlett and Mammy off at the Wilkes' home while he and Ashley go out to a political meeting. The women sense that something is afoot and Melanie reads aloud from the book 'David Copperfield' in an attempt to relieve the tension. Rhett appears and tells the women that the men have formed a vigilante group to punish the attackers but that the Union army has been tipped off and those at the meeting are now in danger. Melanie tells Rhett where they are meeting, considering him trustworthy despite Scarlett's advice to the contrary. Rhett says he will do what he can.Several hours later, Rhett appears back at the home with Ashley and Dr. Meade, with a squad of Union soldiers right behind them. The three men seem to be completely drunk and Rhett tells the Yankee captain (Ward Bond) that they have just spent the evening at the bordello establishment of Belle Watling, who should confirm their story. The women are shocked and embarrassed, but the captain believes the explanation and departs (he is a frequenter of Belle's bordello as well). Rhett drops the curtain and instantly sobers (having just pretended to be drunk), revealing there was a skirmish in the shantytown. Ashley is wounded, having been shot in the shoulder but the two men who attacked Scarlett are now dead, along with several others. More worried about Ashley, Scarlett neglects to inquire about her own husband, Frank. Rhett finally mentions that he was killed in the skirmish and is still there, lying dead in the road.Some days later, Melanie meets with Belle Watling and thanks her for helping their men stay out of trouble by backing up their false alibi. Belle says that she has a son studying up North and helped the men because of Melanie rather than Scarlett. Belle cautions Melanie about speaking to her in public from now on as it would damage Melanie's reputation but Melanie persists that she would be happy to speak to Belle anytime.A few days later Rhett visits Scarlett, again a widow. He realizes that she has been drinking heavily despite her attempts to cover up the smell with cologne. She tells Rhett that she will never love him because she's in love with another man, but she will marry him because of his money. Rhett says that they are two of a kind; partners in crime, and he marries her anyway. Rhett and Scarlett have a luxurious honeymoon in New Orleans and return to Tara so that Scarlett can use her new riches to restore its full glory. Rhett also buys a large mansion in Atlanta where they will live on a regular basis. In time they have a child whom Rhett confidently names Bonnie Blue Butler after Melanie remarks (newborn: Kelly Griffin, 2 year-old: Phyllis Douglas) on her brilliant blue eyes.After her daughter's birth, Scarlett becomes depressed over her waning youth and her unrequited love for Ashley. She informs Rhett that she wants no more children and will no longer sleep with him. Furious, Rhett storms out to find consolation at Belle Watling's. Although he has grounds for divorce, Rhett continues with the sham marriage in order to keep up social appearances for Bonnie's sake. Bonnie becomes a sort of substitute for Scarlett in Rhett's eyes. Over the next few years, Rhett dotes on the child, spoiling her and giving her the best of everything, including a pony and riding lessons.In 1871, India Wilkes and Mrs. Meade (Leona Roberts) discover Scarlett hugging Ashley at the hardware store. Although the hug was rather innocent, Scarlett knows that rumors will fly. That night is Ashley's birthday party and Rhett, who has heard the gossip, forces Scarlett to go in a daring red taffeta dress which would be considered very inappropriate for the occasion. Melanie is the only person who welcomes Scarlett. Back at the Atlanta mansion, Scarlett finds Rhett completely drunk. They have an angry confrontation and, this time, Rhett refuses to take no for an answer. He carries Scarlett off to the bedroom. The next morning, Scarlett seems deliriously happy. When Rhett arrives to apologize and propose a divorce, her good mood vanishes. Rhett promises to take care of Scarlett financially but insists on taking Bonnie away with him. Scarlett rejects his offer, as it would be a disgrace. Rhett then leaves on an extended trip to London, England and takes Bonnie with him.In London, five-year-old Bonnie (Cammie King Conlon) has nightmares and can't sleep in the dark. Her stuffy English nurse (Lillian Kemble-Cooper) believes that the ordeal will build the child's character but Rhett dismisses her and lets Bonnie sleep with a candlelight on. The homesick Bonnie begs to return to her mother. When Rhett and Bonnie return to Atlanta, Scarlett tells him that she's pregnant again. Rhett reacts coldly and Scarlett ups the ante by saying she wishes the baby were not his, to which Rhett retorts, "Maybe you'll have an accident." In the ensuing row at the top of the stairs, Scarlett takes a blind swing at Rhett who dodges it. The momentum causes Scarlett to fall down the stairs and lose her baby.Later, at the behest of Melanie who has become pregnant again, Rhett makes an effort to be kind to Scarlett. Sitting on the back terrace of their Atlanta mansion, Rhett and Scarlett discuss the possibility of Scarlett giving up the lumber business to devote herself to her husband and child. A reconciliation begins to seem possible when, at that moment, Bonnie insists stubbornly on jumping a fence with her pony after she raised the bar. Scarlett remembers her father's death and has a premonition of disaster. Her worst fears come true as the pony refuses to jump and fatally throws Bonnie over the fence. Rhett is devastated by Bonnie's death and refuses to release the child's body for burial for several days despite Scarlett's wishes. Rhett locks himself in his room with the body after shooting the pony, refusing to allow anyone in, including Scarlett who can only bang on the door screaming at him.Melanie arrives at the mansion and is led upstairs by Mammy, who tearfully relays the past few days events. Melanie manages to allow Rhett to come out of the room and allow undertakers to take away Bonnie's dead body. But Melanie, overwrought with emotion, collapses and goes into labor. Upon a doctor's examination following the birth, he determines that Melanie is dying from internal bleeding. In a final meeting with Scarlett, Melanie asks her to look after Ashley. When Melanie dies, Ashley is left a broken man and he tells Scarlett that Melanie was always his true love, a devastating revelation to Scarlett, who then realizes that he never really loved Ashley and can only wish that he had been clearer about his own feelings for her. Rhett, witness to the scene, stalks off to his and Scarlett's home.Scarlett returns to the mansion seeking Rhett. Having seen Scarlett with Ashley at Melanie's house, Rhett tells her that she will never stop loving Ashley and so he is leaving her, for good, to start a new life back in his hometown of Charleston. As Rhett begins to pack his suitcase to leave, Scarlett insists that she now realizes that she loves Rhett and never truly loved Ashley but Rhett maintains that any chance of saving their marriage died with their daughter Bonnie, and on top of all that, he's tolerated Scarlett's drama long enough. As he prepares to walk out the door, Scarlett begs him one last time, asking what will happen to her if he leaves. Indifferent, Rhett replies, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." and strides out of the house into the evening fog.Scarlett collapses on the stairs in anguish. She pulls back from despair only when she thinks of the other great love of her life, Tara, through a series of reminiscences in voice-over . Scarlett is determined to return to Tara, make a new start, and try to somehow get Rhett back, saying to herself, "After all, tomorrow is another day!"In the final shot, we see Scarlett silhouetted against Tara as the sun sets over the hill, having arrived back at her childhood home and now facing an unknown, but new, future. | romantic, boring, historical, murder, melodrama | train | imdb | null |
tt0120917 | The Emperor's New Groove | Kuzco, a young selfish Inca emperor, rejects the appearances of potential brides and throws an elderly man out the window for "throwing off his groove." After Kuzco fires his conniving advisor, Yzma, for abusing her power, she comes up with a scheme to take the throne with the help of Kronk, her dim-witted but jovial henchman. Later, Kuzco meets Pacha, a kind peasant and village leader, and tells him that he plans to demolish his hilltop family home to build himself a lavish summer home called "Kuzcotopia". Pacha protests, but is dismissed.
Yzma and Kronk later devise a plan to assassinate Kuzco through having him drink poison at a supper, but end up giving him the wrong potion that instead transforms him into a llama. After knocking Kuzco out, Yzma orders Kronk to dispose him and hide the body, but Kronk has a stroke of conscience and saves him. He accidentally drops him on the back of Pacha's cart as Pacha leaves the city. Pacha returns home but does not tell his pregnant wife or children about Kuzco's decision. After awakening in the cart, Kuzco reveals himself as a llama and orders Pacha to take him back to the palace, but Pacha will only do so if Kuzco agrees to spare his family's home. Kuzco haughtily sets off into the jungle alone, only to be chased by jaguars. Pacha rescues Kuzco and he promises him, as they make their way to the palace.
Meanwhile, Yzma takes the throne, but Kronk reveals that he had lost Kuzco. The two then set off to find him. Pacha and Kuzco fail to return to the palace, when Pacha falls through a bridge and Kuzco refuses to help him up, admitting he never meant to keep his promise. However, he soon finds himself in danger too, and they work together to save both of their lives. Without the bridge their journey is delayed, giving Pacha hope that Kuzco will change his mind. They stop at a jungle restaurant at the same time Kronk and Yzma do. Neither party realizes the other is there until Pacha overhears Yzma and Kronk attempting to kill Kuzco. However, Kuzco does not believe Pacha's warning and leaves him. Kuzco only then overhears Yzma's plot and that the kingdom doesn't even miss him. Realizing Pacha was right Kuzco finds he has already left and wanders in the jungle alone. That night, Kronk learns that Pacha must had brought Kuzco to the village.
A repentant Kuzco is soon reunited with Pacha, and they enlist the help of Pacha's family to keep Yzma and Kronk occupied while they make head start. The race to the palace seems to end with Yzma and Kronk falling off a cliff, but they still inexplicably reach the palace first. Yzma orders Kronk to kill the both, but Kronk cannot bring himself to commit murder, which leads Yzma to insult Kronk and his cooking then resign to do it herself. Yzma calls in the guards (who do not recognize Kuzco) while Pacha and Kuzco escape with all the potions in hopes of turning Kuzco back to a human. After several guards are transformed into animals while testing potions and Yzma is transformed into a kitten, Pacha and Kuzco work together try to get the last vial. Yzma steals it, but is surprisingly defeated by Kronk.
Now human again and a more selfless ruler, Kuzco decides to build his summer home elsewhere, and Pacha suggests a neighboring hilltop. In the end, Kuzco is shown living next door to Pacha's in a modest cabin, sharing a swimming pool with Pacha and his family. Yzma, still a kitten, grudgingly joins Kronk's Junior Chipmunk troop. | cult, entertaining, flashback | train | wikipedia | "The Emperor's New Groove" is stylistically a break from Disney tradition - it's closer in tone to the Genie in "Aladdin" or some of their TV shows than most of their movies, making a refreshing change.
the only talking animal has a good excuse for yapping in the voice of David Spade, the only romantic relationship is that between Pacha and his wife (and even there it's more the sign of a happily married couple), and apart from the Emperor's Theme Song Guy ("He's the hippest cat in creation...") - and Sting over the end credits, but we'll forgive that - no one bursts into song.
No wonder it was a disappointment at the box office; not your traditional Disney movie.Then again, "The Rescuers Down Under" was an underrated pleasure as well.The story isn't particularly different - you've got the ruler who has to change externally before he can change internally ("Beauty and the Beast"), Kronk, the good-hearted sidekick of the villain (Yzma) who can't bring himself to kill the hero ("Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"), and so on - but as is often the case it's not so much what the plot is as how it's handled.
The movie's also a bit more self-reverential than other Disney movies, notably in our hero's narration (plus at one point Yzma and Kronk notice they're leaving a blue trail behind them, which turns out to be the trail they leave on the map to the palace illustrating the race between them and our heroes).The surprising thing is that it even works with character - though the Emperor is enough of a self-absorbed hedonist (to a prospective wife: "Let me guess - you've got a really great personality") to turn off Paris and Nicky Hilton, he and Pacha have a believable relationship throughout the movie, so that by the end we're rooting for him to get turned back into a human.
An adventure, a comedy and a drama all in one, "The Emperor's New Groove" has everything that was notably absent from DreamWorks' own South American-set cartoon "The Road to El Dorado" (charm, interest, no Elton John overdose and so on) and is the funniest movie from the House of Mouse since "Aladdin." It's easier to forgive them for giving the world "Dinosaur" in 2000 as well.Why DOES she have that lever, anyway?.
"For the last time, we did not order a giant trampoline!") improves upon each viewing, and the voice work is uniformly excellent, from David Spade's hilariously bratty emperor to Patrick Warburton's dim boy-toy Kronk to Eartha Kitt's Yzma (an over-the-top screeching Erte-style villainess with an alleged "secret lab" who is also "scary beyond all reason").
It is certainly the most underrated Disney 'toon, and I find that impossible to understand; it's bright, colourful, witty and, most importantly, completely hilarious!The story is a kind of demented fairytale: spoilt young emperor is accidentally turned into a llama by his bitter advisor and teams up with a local peasant to undo this crime and return him to his human form.
The characters are wonderfully drawn and are some of the most memorable in Disney history; Kronk is hilariously naive and simple (Patrick Warburton does a brilliant voice-job here), David Spade is on top form as the cruelly sarcastic Kuzco (Disney's most despicable "hero") and Eartha Kitt's Yzma is a gloriously over-the-top riot - a Disney villainess who tries so hard to be bad and scary that she ends up simply looking a fool who can't even impress a squirrel (if you watch the movie, you'll know what I mean).While the awful - and, crucially, unfunny - "Shrek" wowed the masses and got labelled one of the best comedies ever made, "The Emperor's New Groove", despite glowing reviews, only has something of a cult following, and anyone who didn't ignore it upon its release is glad of it.
On top of this Dreamworks Animation was gearing up to be a serious competitor while Pixar was hogging all of the glory.Such was the success of the Lion King that director Roger Allers was given permission to indulge himself in a vanity piece called Kingdom of the Sun. It was to be an epic, mystical spin on the Prince and the Pauper set in Peru during the time of the Incas as well as a romantic comedy musical with serious weight to the mythology.Honestly, this sounds like the kind of movie that I would have hated.
I can't call it anything other than my absolute favorite Disney animation (Big Hero 6 coming in at a close second) but I'm sort of annoyed that it gets such a bad reputation and that its often forgotten.Released in the US in late 2000 the movie received little fanfare and had a horrible dated marketing campaign that was stuck in the mid- 90s.
(Kuzco is a rarity for a Disney film: a main character that we're actually NOT supposed to like!) John Goodman is in Dan Conner mode (his character from TV's "Roseanne") as Pacha, the kind-hearted llama herder.
Who would have thought the writers at Disney would ever come up with enough courage to do a whole movie that takes the genre and smashes it over the heads of everybody who expected to see an old-fashioned musical?This film is about as funny as a Douglas Adams novel - it's full of self-irony and you get the suspicion that some of it is a bit mean-spirited, but enjoying it means laughing your belly out and you just have to show it to all your friends.
It's stuffed with tongue-in-cheek dialogue (I L O V E the scene, in which Yzma and Kronk discuss whether to get rid of Kuzco before or after dinner - look for it in the quotes on this site!) and incredibly fast and funny animation with a sense of irreverence that not even Disney's "Hercules" was ready to deliver.
He should probably be awarded a special Oscar for every new film Disney chunks out in memory of that performance with a great cast like this!And one last thing: Kronk definitely is the greatest stupid henchman in recent memory.
Funny, slapstick-y animated Disney yarn about a spoiledbrat young ruler (voiced to snarky perfection by Spade) whoseauthority is undermined by his ruthless, power-hungry adviser (Kitt,purrrfectly announciating vile thoughts) and her dense, yetwell-meaning henchman (Warburton, in all his scene-stealingglory), when she turns him into a llama and dispatching him into ajungle encroaching village where he is befriended by a kindpeasant (Goodman at his jovial best) who teaches the punk somelife lessons.
The Emperor's New Groove is a delightful film, occupying a concise runtime, unstoppable action scenes, and fierce and interesting characters rarely striking a wrong note.The story focuses on Emperor Kuzco (voiced by David Spade), the selfish, manipulating emperor of the Inca Empire.
Emperor's New Groove is the best Disney movie I've ever seen.
With Disney's recent stunning works such as Dinosaur, Atlantis, and yes, The Emperor's New Groove, I have a new outlook.David Spade is the perfect voice for Kuzco.
The audience is thrown from conflict to conflict, each containing their own hilarious twists.Disney has put together yet another superbly animated film, and dubbed it with a name like no other and enlisted a cast so brilliant that it's hard to find any flaws with this movie..
The Emperor's New GrooveVoices of David Spade, John Goodman, Wendie Malick, Eartha Kitt and Patrick WarburtonGenre: Animation/Family/ComedyRated: GThis is one of my most favorite animated Disney movies yet!
The movie is about a young emperor named Kuzco (voiced by David Spade) who is the big time ruler of the land and then one day when he catches Yzma (voiced by Eartha Kitt) sitting in his throne he fires her.So now Yzma is wanting to get revenge on Kuzco, along with Yzma's big and funny sidekick, Kronk (Warburton).
The Emperor's New Groove has two qualities that separate it from the rest of the Disney animated pack: humor that can actually be enjoyed by someone over the age of five and only one musical number and it's at the beginning.
Not everyone loves singing animals so Emperor's is a good movie for those of you who didn't like the squealing songs of Aladdin of The Lion King.The cast is what really makes this movie funny.
Great writing coupled with the talents of David Spade, Eartha Kitt, John Goodman, and Patrick Warburton make this movie a laugh riot.
It is just a clean, entertaining story packed with visual and auditory jokes that demand a repeated viewing (actually our family has probably watched it upwards of 20 times now, as it is a favorite of our daughter's).Anyone who claims that this is the worst movie made by Disney (or any of the actors associated with it) just did not listen closely enough to what the characters say.
I'm 14 and you would think this movie for just be for little kids because its by Disney but its really funny even my parents like it lol and my little brother loves it!
But here, out of the blue with no previews in the movie theaters I frequent, comes this wonderful movie!Once again, Disney has used a classic tale, of a powerful but cruel and self centered individual being thrown into a scary situation with one of his lowliest underlings, and coming out a much improved person for the experience (the examples are many, but A Christmas Carol is a good example of the genre.) In this film, the powerful one is the Emperor (Kuzco - voiced by David Spade) of a Mayan/Aztec type rural kingdom.
he does the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the TV show version of the Toy Story spinoffs...same kind of voice as Tim Allen in the same role.) The neat thing about the voice talent is that the characters are made to look pretty much like the actors (Eartha must have a really good sense of humor!)Anyway, it is no spoiler to say that the Emperor gets turned into a llama (she was trying to kill him with a magic potion, to be administered by Kronk, who screws up the dosage hence the odd result) and the advisor takes over the kingdom.
I know that this isn't considered one of the Disney "Classics," but Emperor's New Groove has some of the sharpest humor of any animated film that I know.
I like the way things like school, family and friends are presented in a way that shows being nice can be more fun than being mean.Along the way, there are jokes at many levels -- like some of the older cartoons -- so the kids will laugh at some, and the adults will smile at each other at the "in" jokes for grown-ups.Disney has a long history of putting talent into movies that we wouldn't normally expect to work well together, and making it work.
This movie however,proved me wrong.This movie is about a self-centered,spoiled and seemingly heartless young Emperor named Kuzco.With the snap of his fingers,he can get anything he wants even if it's a summer home.He only worries about himself and his needs and no one's whatsoever.That all might change with Pacha,a generous,thoughtful,and intelligent everyday peasant.He seems like your average peasant with a middle-class family and some farm animals of his own.He and Kuzco have nothing in common and have a bad start(Kuzco demands that Kuzcotopia,his new summerhouse to be built on top of the hill where Pacha and his family live)but they overcome that throughout the story.Yzma,Kuzco's cunning,stubborn and pessimistic adviser was recently fired and she wants revenge.In return,she decides to poison him with a potion with the help of Kronk,her lovable,dim-witted and humorous right-hand man.
Unfortunately,he transforms Kuzco into a llama instead and when he tries to get rid of him,Kronk accidentally drops him on Pacha's cart which Pacha brings all the way to his village without knowing that the emperor is actually in a bag on his cart.With Kuzco far from the palace,leaving Yzma to rule the empire and leaving Kuzco and Pacha to triumph over the obstacles to travel to the palace,what will become of the story?Watch it and view good quality comedy with a pinch of drama and be amazed.I believe this movie is a Disney classic.The magic of Disney returned in this enjoyable story.The characters are well-developed and all three dimensional.Kuzco begins as the spoiled brat who can literally get anything that he wants and throughout the story,he learns the value of friendship and generosity.At first when he turns into a llama,the teenage audience want Kuzco to stay as a llama because of his bad attitude yet later in the story,they're rooting for him to transform back into a human.Pacha may not be the best character but there's no one who can hate him.Pacha already has compassion and generosity from his family life and may seem speechless in some scenes but most of that changes when he meets Kuzco.Pacha is also the one who gets him and Kuzco out of sticky situations in the jungle.In most Disney movies,the villains are serious and seemingly boring but this movie changed that Disney law.Yzma was hilarious as an old and ugly woman who is almost as spoiled as Kuzco.She has clever lines and has impatience which is what makes her humorous.However,Kronk deserves most of the credit for the humor.Kronk is the most lovable character in the whole movie.He delivered his humor with enthusiasm.The squirrel scene cracked me up.I'll rate this movie a 7.9/10 for memorable quotes and a deep friendship built..
Hey, you don't want your kid ends up like Kuzco, do you?Whether or not your a fan of David Spade's or Disney's, this movie is worth seeing!.
Disney scrapped the singing animals for once and just went for outright laughs, and they scored big in this tale of an emperor with an attitude that gets taken down a peg when he gets changed into a llama.Casting Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfeld) as the Cronk, the lackey to Ertha Kitt's Yzma was sheer genius...if it was possible to receive an academy award for voice work in an animated feature, he'd have it locked up.
When we returned to my parents' house, he called his 40-something sister, urged her to see the movie, and confessed that he nearly cried from laughing so hard.The humor works better if you are familiar with the brands of humor exhibited by David Spade (Kuzco) -- think Tommy Boy or Just Shoot Me -- and Patrick Warburton (Kronk) -- Seinfeld but more conscientious.The Emporer's New Groove is the kind of movie experience that an entire family can enjoy..
He needs the help of llama herder Pacha to regain his throne, who is the one with the village he plans to destroy.This movie is soaked with slapstick comedy and modern-day clichés, from the hip-sounding Kuzco to Pacha's typical Hollywood-acting family, and from David Spade's narration to Kronk's (Yzma's sidekick) big oaf personality.
And ultimately, Emperor's New Groove can't help but feel like a shallow Disney effort.Its still an easy, fun watch, but its a more inferior Disney film and you'll get far more enjoyment from watching the superior aforementioned Shrek and Toy Story 2..
Stranded in the jungle with his new llama body, he entrusts Pacha to protect him and return him to his palace, without having any intentions of changing his holiday home plans.After a hugely troubled production (the title was originally Kingdom in the Sun and the plot involved a peasant look-a-like and a llama herder love-interest), The Emperor's New Groove arrived in 2000 to enjoy slim box-office success, something that Disney would have to get used to.
The decision to swap the old-fashioned love story and moral preachings for a more silly and modern buddy-movie was a wise one, and film benefits especially from the work of Patrick Warburton, the man with possibly the best voice in comedy (he also does the voice of paraplegic Joe in Family Guy).
After test audiences responded poorly, it lost a co-director and was eventually overhauled and salvaged into "New Groove." The movie has all the trappings of a classic Disney fairytale, but only one opening song.The story of selfish young Emperor Kuzco's (David Spade) ego check feels as though it should be a much more dramatic and emotional tale.
Although the stupid henchman thing had been done countless times, there's a refreshing charm to Kronk.The best way to phrase it — "The Emperor's New Groove" is like the cult hit of the hand-drawn animated age.
This is one of those rare Disney films that isn't a musical but manage to hold up on it's own against other movies from Disney.The Emperor's New Groove is a comedy animation movie that tells the story of Emperor Kuzco (Voiced by David Spade) after he is turned into a llama by Yzma (Voiced by Eartha Kitt) with her henchman Kronk (Voiced by Patrick Warburton) must seek help from Pacha (Voiced by John Goodman).
THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE is not the best Disney movie, and maybe not even for a long time, but that's alright.
It may not rise to the classic level such as films like Aladdin (the best disney movie ever), Beauty and the Beast, or even Mulan, but it is a very funny flick that is worth seeing.
In particular the really irritating and crass Ice Age.I thought the voices were great, in particular David Spade and Patrick Warburton, but then I really like their TV and film work anyway.I would recommend this movie for adults and kiddies alike and I gave it a solid 8 out of 10.
Renting this movie, I had my doubts (MANY doubts) about Disney's animated feature The Emperor's New Groove.
While David Spade (as Kuzco) and John Goodman (as Pacha) deliver hilarious and warming performances, Patrick Warburton (as Kronk) and Eartha Kitt (as Yzma) are two of the most enjoyable villains in Disney's pantheon of characters. |
tt0054632 | L'année dernière à Marienbad | Since man first became aware of time with the passing of the seasons, the nature of time has been challenging philosophers and scientists alike. Starting with the "flux doctrine" of "Heraclitus," according to which everything is constantly altering ("You cannot step twice in the same river"), to Henry Bergson, who was one of the first philosophers to incorporate cinema into a philosophical discourse, philosophers have wrestled with the concepts of time and memory. In literature, Marcel Proust of course comes to mind with his huge novel "Remembrance of Things Past," and on the scientific side, Albert Einstein with his "Theory of General Relativity." Einstein posited that time is simply another dimension, which with space forms a four-dimensional space-time continuum (that was until recently, when seven more dimensions were added with the M-theory, the "theory of everything").Stephen Hawking distinguishes three different "arrows of time": thermodynamic, cosmological, and psychological ("A Brief History of Time," 1988). Although all of these three time arrows enter in our daily lives to a greater or lesser extent, we are here only concerned with the psychological arrow of time. Bergson, whom Proust admired, made a distinction between the concept ("clock time") and the experience of time ("real time"), arguing that "real time" is experienced as "duration" and apprehended by "intuition." He further stated that time is in constant flux, with moments of the past and the present having equal reality.This leads us to Alain Resnais' film, "L'année dernière à Marienbad" ("Last Year at Marienbad," 1961), which appeared on the French screens in 1961. To say that this film shocked the film audiences is an understatement. Nobody had seen anything like it, although Resnais' "Hiroshima mon amour" should have prepared us by the way it explores his favorite themes: the anguish of oblivion and the fixity of time. In Resnais' film traditional realism is no longer, replaced by a deeper realism, that of the mind.For "L'année dernière à Marienbad," Resnais collaborated with Alain Robbe-Grillet on the scenario. Robbe-Grillet should also be credited as co-director, as he wrote a detailed shooting script that Resnais followed faithfully, with a few exceptions. As such, some words are also in order regarding Robbe-Grillet.Alain Robbe-Grillet is a French author and literary critic. In the mid-1950s until the early 1960s, he was the theorist and leading proponent of a new movement in French literature known as "le nouveau roman" (the new novel). This new novel is characterized by stark descriptions which often shun allegory and metaphor in favor of precise physical details, an enhanced sense of ambiguity with respect to points of view, and an extreme disjunction of time and space. The new novel lacks the conventional elements of the traditional modes of literary realism, such as dramatic plotting, psychological analysis, and its adhesion to the unities of time and place, which creates an illusion of order, in contrast to modern life's discontinuities and randomness. Robbe-Grillet's novels are characterized by the destruction of the plot in favor of a clever construction where the protagonists no longer have any psychological dimensions, nor time and space any objective reality. They are composed largely of recurring images, impersonally depicted physical objects, and the random events of everyday life. Robbe-Grillet has written eighteen novels of various kinds and directed ten films. He was made a member of the prestigious "Académie Française," in 2004. The most famous dramatization of his literary theories came to life in the present Resnais' film.The film is about the dream of a man in love with an inaccessible woman. But the dream is also a nightmare. He comes to take her away, but she does not, or does not want to, remember him. When he seems to have finally reached her, she has moved into another time, into another memory. As he renews his efforts to convince her, new nightmares arise. He is not even sure of loving her, or even if it was she who was or the object of his love. The film ends with his taking her in the nightuntil the next dream."Marienbad" is a love story, although not a "story" in the conventional narrative sense, since the fragmented images cannot be scanned chronologically. The "story" is not told rather it is described using a juxtaposition of physical images, through memories and associations, projected through a space-time continuum, which destroys both linear chronology and fixity. Resnais built a captivating puzzle-like film, a labyrinth, which at time resembles the optical illusions of Escher or the surreal world of Magritte.Any attempt to provide a satisfying chronology for the film would contradict the assumptions upon which it was built, as well as the manner in which it is presented. However, we can describe it. The setting is a luxurious hotel, lush with furnishings, paintings, moldings, and sculptures. There are endless formal gardens surrounding the hotel. The principal characters go only by letters, A (Delphine Seyrig), X (Giorgio Albertazzi), and M (Sasha Pitoeff). X attempts to convince A that they have met last year in this hotel (or maybe it was in a different one), that they loved each other, emotionally and physically, and that she had agreed to elope with him, away from M, her husband (or lover). At the last moment, she had refused (for whatever reason) and asked for a one year postponement. Now, the year has passed and X has come to their agreed rendezvous to take her away. A claims she does not recognize X, and cannot remember any agreement between them. At first, X is surprised, and he recounts conversations the two of them had, supporting details, relating scenes convincingly. A persists in not remembering, even though X produces a photograph of her as a proof of his claim.However, X could be mistaken about his last year's affair. If X is not mistaken, could his affair have been with another woman? A could have also had an affair with another man, "Frank," whose name recurs during the film in several of the other hotel guests' conversations. As the film progresses, X is insistent, as if the strength of his conviction in recounting what he believes are actually the events themselves. At this point, facts and arguments are so mixed up that nothing is any longer verifiable. And to top it all off, at the end of the film, the lovers (A and X) run away together into the night, but this flight is recounted to us by X, in the past tense. The result is that the story can be re-started from the beginning: the whole thing took place last year, and it can be repeated ad infinitum.The woman, A, moves about the hotel in a series of stylized poses. She spends her time reading, watching a play, walking about the gardens, and having conversations with X. M hovers throughout the film, drifting from room to room, engaged in a multitude of pursuits. In particular, he gambles and plays a variation of the game of "Nim" with the other guests, which he claims he always wins.Surrounding these three main characters are the other personages of the film: the hotel itself, the gardens, and the other guests. The guests take walks along statuaries, hedge-mazes, fountains, and long gravel paths. Everyone appears in evening clothes to attend a dinner, a concert, or a play presented at the hotel's theater, a play that resembles the events that are unfolding in the very film we are watching. Conversations are overheard. Words float in the air as if trapped inside the hotel, in search of a listener. Time itself moves forward or backward, depending on the subject of conversations, or the mood of the people. | avant garde, mystery, cult, alternate reality, flashback, psychedelic, romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt2402157 | The November Man | In the opening scene set in Montenegro in 2008. A man, David Mason (Luke Bracey) is having lunch with a woman he is attracted to. He flirts with her and kisses her. His mentor, Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) walks up to him as the woman leaves and chides him for trying to have a relationship in their line of work. Peter imagines a scenario where David is on a mission and the enemy finds out about his girl and uses her to make him give up his sources; what would he do? Peter points to a nearby man that has been photographing David. David asks if he the CIA or someone else. "Does it matter?" Peter asks, proving his point. "You feel the need for a relationship, get a dog."Peter and David prep for an operation in a car, putting on body armor. David gets out with a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder while Peter is driven to another destination. Peter arrives at the house of an ambassador they have been sent to protect. Peter requests his clothes, saying the attempt on his life is real.David sets up in a house overlooking the town square with a sniper rifle. Peter talks to him via com link asking if he sees a target that might target the ambassador. David says there are too many possibilities, and says they should cancel the operation. Peter wants to go ahead as planned. "Wanna bet your life on that?" David asks. No, Peter replies, "I'm betting on you."Peter gets out of the car and is posing at the ambassador. David is wary, telling him the vest cannot help him in the case of a headshot. Peter deadpans it will help him get over his headaches. David sees a potential target pull a gun and wants to fire. The gunman however, has caused a panic and people are running around. Peter tells him NOT to fire. The assassin shoots Peter several times, the vest taking the shots. David disobeys Peter's direct order and kills the assassin, but in the process gets a young boy killed, something Peter sees and is horrified by. David says the guy was going to kill Peter and what was he suppose to do. "Learn to take orders", Peter says, enraged.SWITZERLAND. FIVE YEARS LATERPeter has retired from the CIA, and now runs a small coffee shop. When he arrives one day, an employee tells him that a man is waiting to speak to him. The man turns out to be John Hanley (Bill Smitrovich), Peters old boss. Hanley shows him the files of three dead agents, agents Peter worked with. Peter says they knew the risk, but Hanley says there weren't meant to be killed. Hanley tells him that a Russian assassin, Alexa (Amila Terzimehic) has been contracted by presidential candidate Arkady Federov (Lazar Ristovski) to eliminate all traces of his past crimes since he wants to be president.Peter asks Hanley what this has to do with him. Hanley shows him another file, containing the dossier of Natalia Ulanova (Mediha Musilovic), an agent that has gotten close to Federov and has evidence that can bury him for good; a witness that can tie him to war crimes. Natalia wont give up the name without being brought in and Hanley wants Peter to do it, by extracting her from Moscow to St. PetersburgRussian Parliament, Moscow.Federov is there to give a speech, with Natalia being his right hand woman. While he gives the speech, Natalia breaks into his safe and takes photographs of photos Federov has in his safe. They all apparently are of the same girl. Federov returns from his speech and Natalia is able to get everything back into the safe in time. Feigning normalcy, she leaves the office.David, with a CIA team and drone, follow Natalia as she drives away.Federov notices the key in the door that leads to the safe and that the safe door is open. He realizes something is up and that Natalia is missing.U.S. Embassy, Belgrade, Serbia.Hanley and his op team including Celia (Caterina Scorsone) watch Natalia as she drives away. Hanley gets a video conference call from Perry Weinstein (Will Patton). Hanley tells him they got it handled and they don't need him. Perry tells him since Federov is involved, a lot of people are interested.Natalia thinks she got away when she notices two large SUVs pursuing her. It's FSB. Her cover has been blown. Just as they corner her, Peter arrives and shoots two of the FSB agents and yells at her to get in. Natalia is surprised that he is there, and asks about Lucy, their daughter. Peter says she is well and that she misses her mother.Hanley and his team don't realize who has Natalia. Perry makes the call for Directive 42. Hanley is staunchly against it, but Perry gives the order. Celia calls David and tells him it is Directive 42. David says he understands.Peter tells Natalia that he knows she has a name and she needs to give it to him now. Natalia says Mila Filapova. Peter calls Hanley to find out what went wrong. Hanley tells him he's blown.David and his team park at the top of a parking garage. He gets out his sniper rifle and fires on Peter's car, mortally wounding Natalia. In her final moments, she gives Peter a cell phone, and dies. Peter is devastated by her death (she is after all the mother of their daughter) and kisses her one last time before going after the man who shot her. Peter sees the CIA drone and that it is headed towards the parking garage.David and his team try to leave but as they get to the exit, Peter shows up and shoots the driver in the head. He then kills two other agents and finds himself face to face with David, his protégé, and the killer of Natalia. They look at each other in shock, unable to fire. They drop their weapons and allow each other to leave alive.Perry sees the feed and doesn't understand what is happening. Hanley asks why they killed one of their own. Perry says she was dead the moment the Russians figured it out. They at least made it quick. David calls Hanley and asks why Peter was there. Celia doesn't know about Peter but Hanley and Perry do. Meanwhile, David blows the van with hidden explosives to protect the agency from blowback.Peter grabs a taxi and looks at the photos on the phone. He takes the memory card and throws the rest of the phone out of the window. He tells the driver to take him to the airport.Hanley is at home on his computer, looking at the file on Mila, when a CIA strike team breaks into his house. Hanley grabs his gun and shoots up his hard drive before they taser him unconscious.David goes back to his apartment. As he is going to make some food, he notices his neighbor's cat has gotten in. He knocks on her door and returns it.Belgrade, Center for Refugees.A woman, named Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko) is approached by Edgar Simpson (Patrick Kennedy) a New York Times reporter who wants to do an expose of Federov and his alleged war crimes.At the Belgrade International Airport, Alexa, the assassin, arrives and grabs a taxi. Checking into a hotel, she unpacks three guns and begins to stretch.U.S. Embassy, Serbia.David is debriefed by Perry and Celia who asks why he didn't kill Peter after killed his entire team. David says he was disoriented and not a threat. Furthermore, Peter acted just like David would have if the roles were reversed. Perry speaks to David privately and shows him the file on Natalia, revealing to David that she and Peter were in a relationship. They have just killed someone Peter cared for and that makes this personal for him. The orders have come down for Peter to be terminated. Perry asks if David has a problem with that. David says "no".Peter arrives in Belgrade and goes to Hanley's apartment to see two CIA techs trying to recover his hard drive. Peter sneaks in and knocks them both out.Alexa heads to a web café and meets with a hacker that gives her information on her target, Mila. Mila has been found to have had correspondence with Alice, so Alexa will be going after her to get to Mila.Back in Hanley's apartment, Peter has tied up the two men and calls the CIA office and pretends to be them in order to put a trace on Alice's cell phone since he has discovered she is Mila's contact. Alice is tracked to a restaurant. Peter hangs up. David senses something is up and tells Celia to call the other tech. Peter sees the other phone ring and doesn't answer it. With no answer, David deduces Peter just got a lead.Alice and Edgar meet at a restaurant. Edgar wants to do an expose on Federov and the things he apparently did during the 2nd Chechen war. Alice shrugs at his story, noting, "Atrocities are reality TV to the world, that continuously get replaced by new ones". However, Edgar says since Federov is running for President, they are there to be busted wide open.Alexa, posing as a waitress tells Alice she has a call from work. Peter is in the restaurant and sees this and calls her cell, warning her that Alexa is an assassin. Alexa reaches for a knife, as David and his CIA team burst in. Peter yells at her to run and Alice does, following him out the back.Peter and Alice evade Davids team taking back alley into a crowded marketplace. Davids team uses a cell phone scanner to try and find Peter. Peter calls David and they trade barbs about their present situation.Alice wants to know what is going on but Peter doesn't have time to explain everything. Peter tells her if she wants to live, she will have to trust him. Alice pretends to walk alone in the subway tunnels with one of David's men sees her. He gives chase only to get knocked out by Peter who was waiting for him. Peter messes with his cell phone and then continues on with Alice.David and his team continue to look for Peter and Alice but Peters tinkering with the agents phone has distorted their technology. Peter and Alice run into a parking lot, where Peter kicks in a car window, setting an alarm off, and pulls the fuel line. When David and his team get there, they see the car and David senses a trap. Sure enough, Peter hot-wired another car and is already leaving with Alice as David arrives. Peter shoots at the spilled fuel, causing the other car to explode, and allowing them to escape.Meanwhile, Alexa is seen tailing Edgar Simpson as he leaves the restaurant.Peter explains the situation at hand to Alice. Federov is looking for Mila Filapova because she can tie him to war crimes. If they can't find her, they will go after Alice instead. They get out of the car, and they take a train to get some distance between them and the CIA.Alice asks Peter why he hates David, the man pursuing them so much. Peter says he doesn't hate him. "He's probably the best friend I've ever had". "All your friends try to kill you?" Alice asks. Eventually, Peter deadpans.That evening, Alice and Peter go to her office and he sees the file for Mila. He asks her where Mila is but Alice says she hasn't seen her in three years, and for good reason. Mila pretended to be a mute around Federov, who kept her like a pet. She heard many things, including the conspiracy to bomb the building that started the 2nd Chechen War. Peter sees a photo on the wall and asks who he is. Alice says he is Denisov (Dragan Marinkovic) a pimp who sells girls for sex. Peter tells her that actually, he was Federovs right hand man during the Chechen war.Peter and Alice go to Denisov's strip club and Peter talks to him. Peter tells him Federov is cleaning house of everyone that knows about the war and what he did and that Denisov is probably next. Peter wants to know what he did. Denisov says the Chechens had oil and wouldn't sell it. So Federov blew up a building with his own Russian soldiers in it and got the justification to start the conflict and get the oil. The entire war, causing the deaths of countless thousands, was nothing more than a false flag operation. Denisov reveals that not only did the CIA know about it, they helped. Peter is stunned.The next day at a CIA black site, Hanley is being interrogated by Celia. Hanley is belligerent and rude to her, call her Tits. He is unwilling to tell her much of anything.Back at his office, Perry replays Davids conversation with Peter saying Peter is getting into Davids head and he needs to stop that immediately. He gives David a flash drive. "Here's what he thought of you", he says.David goes home and opens the files. He sees files of Peter and Natalia together and seethes and Peter's hypocrisy; he continuously told David he couldn't have attachments yet Peter did. David then finds reports by Peter about him. Peter said he was reckless and made a habit of making impulsive decisions and recommended firing David from being a field agent. David seethes in anger. Looking down he sees his neighbors cat got into his apartment again. He goes back to return it again and goes to leave when she stops him. His neighbor, Sarah (Eliza Taylor) says they have crossed paths numerous times but she knows nothing about him, including his name. David introduces himself.Peter, with Alice, buys numerous burner cell phones. Peter tells her that someone will find Mila and it will not be pleasant when they do. Seeing a couple leave a nearby apartment, Peter breaks into their building and gets into their apartment. Peter takes a bottle of alcohol from a cabinet and has a drink. Alice asks what David meant about what happened in Moscow (the incident with Natalia). Something unfortunate, Peter says looking out the window. He sees David and Sarah get a taxi. The apartment is right across the street from his.David and Sarah go a nightclub. David and Sarah kiss. David has apparently decided he wants to live for more than just his job.Alice plays the piano and Peter compliments her. Alice says a phrase in Russian, and tells Peter it means the piece is her favorite. Peter is surprised she knows the language, but Alice says her parents were professors that taught her. Peter watches and sees Sarah and David have returned back to their building.Sarah and David have passionate sex.Alice asks what will happen to Mila. Peter tells her if Federov finds her, he will kill her to bury his crimes for good. He gives her cash and a phone and tells her she cannot follow to what he has to do next. Peter tells her to wait for his call.David wakes up to find Sarah gone. His phone goes off, from Sarah. David texts back where she is. Her phone goes off in the kitchen. He checks his dresser for his gun. Its gone. He checks two other hiding spots. The guns are gone too. Going into the kitchen he finds Peter holding a gun to Sarah's head. David tries to calm her but Peter messes with her head, telling her David is running through his head whether she is worth saving. Peter forces her to ask David if she is worth saving. David hesitates, and Peter says that proves his point, which makes David yell that "yes, she is worth saving."Peter, remembering Davids previous conversations about not caring about the people he killed on the job, or dying himself, wants to give him a final lesson. "You can be a man or a killer of men but not both, because one will eventually extinguish the other," Peter says. Holding a knife to Sarah's throat, and leaving his gun, David grabs for the gun and tells him to let Sarah go. Peter decides to make one final test of David's true character and envisions a scenario; his enemy has just cut the femoral artery of his hostage. Does David save her or pursue him? David screams at him not to do it, but Peter cuts Sarah's femoral artery on her right leg and leaves. David chooses to save her and begins to put pressure on the wound. An ambulance is called and she presumably survives.The next day, Celia continues to interrogate Hanley. Hanley asks her what they really do. Celia says they collect information. Hanley tells her that is so very wrong. They don't collect information, they collect people. People that have done things so horrible that they blackmail them into doing whatever the U.S. Government tells them to do like puppets on a string.Federov arrives at the Belgrade hotel for a commission meeting with other leaders. He speaks to Alexa in the hallway and gives her new directives.Alice meets with Edgar at his home, willing to tell him Mila's story. As he goes for a recorder, Alexa steps out of hiding and stabs him several times to Alice's horror. Alexa sees Alice and rushes her, but is stopped by Edgar who in his final moments, trips Alexa so Alice can escape.David is at his apartment, cleaning Sarah's blood off the floor. He looks at Peters files again and takes a second look at the photos. He realizes that Peter has a daughter, Lucy, and reports this to Perry.At the CIA black site, Peter arrives and knocks out the two agents guarding Hanley. He enters the room where Hanley and Celia are and tells Hanley to stop playing games. He knows the CIA helped with the bombing that started the 2nd Chechen War and he wants to know who the CIA agent that helped Federov do it was. Hanley says it was Perry. Peter asks about Mila and Hanley says her parents were professors that taught her fluent Russian. In that moment, Peter figures out the truth: ALICE FOURNIER IS MILA FILAPOVA!!!!Alice goes to Desinov's club and tells him that Peter needs a big favor.Back at the CIA station, David and Celia realize the real Alice Fournier died years before and Mila took her identity. David realizes she is going after Federov and asks where he is right now.Alice makes herself up as a prostitute with a short-tight black dress and purple-colored wig and goes to the hotel to kill Federov herself. Peter calls her and tells her what she is doing is suicide but she is unwilling to listen.Alice goes up to Federov's room and is once again, inches away from a monster. Alice tells him she wants to use the bathroom to freshen up. Looking into a mirror, Alice flashbacks to the war, and how she watched Federov murder her mother, father, and brother. She wraps a mirror in a towel and smashes it, looking for a knife like piece to use as a weapon. Another flashback occurs, in which we see Federov rape her, in what would be the first of many incidents.Alice pretends to undress for Federov and grabs the glass shard and holds it to his throat. Alice tells him this is for her family, and he recognizes her as Mila. He tells her if she wanted him dead, she would have done it already. He begins to once again psychologically torture her, causing her to hesitate. He then pins Alice to the bed and tells her making her a woman is one of his fondest memories.Peter, realizing where she is, comes to the hotel and kills Federov's security and bursts into his room, saving Alice. He then tells Alice to get her phone recording Federov so he will confess to what he did. When Federov wont comply, Peter plays Russian roulette with him, firing an empty chamber at his head twice. Federov eventually admits it was John Hanley who conspired with him. Peter is confused and unwilling to believe him, believing Perry to be responsible and holds up a photo of the three of them (Peter, Perry, and Hanley). However, his worst fears are confirmed when Alice recognizes Hanley. Realizing he was set up from the beginning, he tells Alice they have to get out now.By this time, David and several agents have come to the hotel. Peter gets into a gun battle with the agents killing two of them. Slipping away, and stealing a master key card from a maid, he tells Alice to hide in a room and wait for him. Pursued into the basement by David, they get into a brawl which ends with Peter choking him out. He drops Alice's phone which has Federov's confession on it, and tells him to watch it.After he recovers, David goes back to the CIA office and finds Celia. They watch the confession and realize they are over their head and go to give the evidence to Perry. When they get to his office however, they find Hanley, promoted to Perrys job. Hanley orders Celia out and orders David to sit. David sits knowing the situation has changed drastically.Peter reunites with Alice in the hotel. Peter wants Alice to disappear and is willing to help her, seeing that running away is better than dead, but Alice says she is no longer running. Alice asks about Peters life. Peter said he had retired, opened a small business and was a father to a daughter that barely knows him and will now never know her mother. He calls his daughters phone only to find Hanley has picked up. Hanley has kidnapped his daughter. Peter says if Hanley hurts her he will kill him. Hanley says he will trade Lucy for Mila. Hanley says that they only knew about Lucy due to David and that he did well. Yeah, the kid did good, Peter said, hanging up.Hanley tells David that the CIA decided Federov is worth enough to look away from the awful things he has done and is allowing Hanley to do things his way.The next morning, Peter and Alice get up. He tells Alice to go to the train station and buy three tickets so they can escape. Alice is willing to give herself up for Lucy but Peter knows that wont work and everything will be for nothing. Alice says that they are all going to die then and asks about how their deaths will be like. Peter relates that "a bullet travels faster than sound and it is quick and you just cease to exist". Alice agrees to go to the train station and tells Peter just to make sure that he and Lucy make it there.Peter meets with Hanley, David and his other men. Hanley explains by owning Federov, they basically own Russia. When Federov becomes President, Hanley will force him to join NATO and thus they all will now be able to attack the Middle East, a common and easy enemy.Alice arrives at the train station and buys the tickets. She sits down at a nearby web café and begins to write out an expose on the crimes of Federov against her, her family, and the people killed in the Chechen War. She authors it with her real name and gives Edgar Simpson credit as well.Peter is given a phone to talk to his daughter so he will have proof of life. Afterwards, he gives a bogus bus station address to send David on a wild goose chase. David drives with another agent.Hanley talks to Peter about his spy nickname, The November Man. They called him that because, "after you passed through, no one lived."Unknown to the other man riding with David, they are not going after Alice. David and Celia, now knowing the full scope of what is happening, want no part of it, especially the kidnapping and potential killing of a child. So Celia traces the phone used for Lucy's call to her location. David then causes a car accident that kills the other agent. Storming the hideout, he kills the three kidnappers there and saves Lucy.Alexa goes back to her hacker contact who finds out Alice bought train tickets with a credit card and tells her where. She thanks him with a bullet in the head.Hanley continues to talk to Peter trying to justify what he has done. Peter tells him that perhaps he has gone too far this time.Alice continues to write her ordeal when Alexa arrives and see her. Recognition hits both of them and Alice runs. Alexa pursues her through the subway and into the street. However, Alice is waiting with a shovel, one that she hits Alexa hard in the face with, hard. Alexa tumbles down the stairs and drops the gun she was carrying. Alice picks it up and points it at Alexa but realizes she is most likely dead and no longer a threat. She goes back to her computer and continues writing her story.David returns apparently without Lucy. Hanley yells at him, telling he was supposed to bring him the girl when it was done. David tells him it is done and begins to attack Hanley's men. Together, Peter and David kill the three agents guarding Hanley and hold him at gunpoint. Hanley tells them they just cost the world a decade free of turmoil. Peter says he doesn't care since he likes the world the way it is, and obviously would not sell his soul and his conscience for a facsimile of peace if it meant letting evil men like Federov get away with rape and murder. Peter thanks David and escapes with his daughter.Peter and Lucy arrive at the train station just as Alice finishes her story. She sends the email and joins Lucy and Peter and they escape together.Later, we see Alice, now acknowledging her true name of Mila Filapova give a deposition to government officials about the murder of her family, the numerous rape committed against her by Federov, and her knowledge about his conspiracy with CIA agent John Hanley about causing the building explosion that started the 2nd Chechen War in the first place. In the audience, Peter watches her stoically.Understandably, the news is a firestorm of controversy, ending Federov's attempts to become President. We are not told what happens to Hanley but given we don't see David kill him, can assume that he will be locked away for life, if not given a death sentence for treason. Federov meanwhile has denied all charges and has gone on extended vacation to plan his next move.In the final scene, we see Federov on a yacht surrounded by young women thinking he got away with everything. As he stands on the deck, he is suddenly and unceremoniously shot in the head, causing his body to fall overboard while the woman next to him screams.Note: while we don't know who killed him per say, but it is implied to be David (as he was an excellent sniper) trying to rectify some of his mistakes and to make sure that Federov finally pays for what he has done. | revenge, neo noir, murder, violence, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0181875 | Almost Famous | The film is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story concerning William Miller.The story opens with William (Michael Angarano) at a young age, where we find him living at home with his mother Elaine (Frances McDormand) and his sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) in San Diego, California. While William gets along well with his mother and sister separately, both of the women in his life are at odds with each other: Elaine struggles to keep some form of control over Anita, who feels that her mother is too overbearing. One day Anita brings home a copy of Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends album and her mother confiscates it, say that the songs are about drugs & promiscuous sex. Anita leaves in a fury.During this time, it is revealed to William that his Mom skipped him ahead 2 grades, as all his classmates around him are 13, and he's 11. During the summer, Anita decides to leave home to become a stewardess, leaving her record collection to William. Before she leaves in her boyfriend's car, she pointedly tells William "One day, you'll be cool." Later, William finds a note in his sister's copy of The Who's Tommy which tells him to listen to it with a candle burning and he'll see his future.Time passes, and a more grown William (Patrick Fugit), now 15, enters high school. In that time, he has become interested in rock music and journalism, writing for several underground newspapers, and Creem Magazine, edited by one of his idols, famed rock writer Lester Bangs. One day, William meets Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who gives him some pointers about interviewing and the world of rock n' roll. He also claims that William has arrived in time for the "death rattle" of the musical genre. However, Lester sees a determination in William to succeed, and offers to pay him for an interview of the band Black Sabbath, who will be playing that night at the San Diego Sports Arena.William attempts to get in, but is rebuked by the doorman at the arena. Unsure what to do, he meets a group of girls who call themselves Band-Aides. William is introduced to their leader, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), who explains their philosophy, of how they are not groupies but are there to support the music.Shortly thereafter, William manages to get into the arena when he meets the opening act for the night: the band Stillwater. Complimenting them on their sound and musical talent, they invite William to join them backstage. During this time, William ends up interviewing them, with the bulk of the interview coming from member Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee). William ends up watching the concert from sidestage, as the band opens for Black Sabbath, performing the song "Fever Dog."After the show, Lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) invites William to meet them at the Continental Hyatt House in Los Angeles, and tells William that they'd like Penny Lane to come along. William informs Penny and as they exit the sports arena, she gives him her contact information, and tells him of her life's goal: she plans to live in Morocco for one year.A few days later, unknown to his mother, William sneaks off to Los Angeles with Penny, where they meet up with the band at the Hyatt House (nicknamed 'The Riot House'). It is here that William sees there may be some chemistry going on between Russell and Penny.A few days later, William gets a call from Ben Fong-Torres (Terry Chen) of Rolling Stone. William disguises the fact that he's 16 years old, and pitches his voice lower. Fong-Torres compliments him on his work, and asks William about any bands he'd like to cover. William suggests Stillwater, and soon joins the band on the road, traveling with the Band-Aides as well on the band's bus, named 'Doris,' much to the horror of his mother, who fears that this will interfere with his school work & derail Williams' future.Along the way, a number of incidents happen to which William is privy:- At an outdoor stage event, Russell is electrocuted, sending the band scrambling from the venue, much to the anger of the show's promoter. The band trashes the trailer provided by the promoter, who seems unconcerned about Russell's injury. When the gates are locked, the band has their driver crash the bus through them.-Jeff Bebe gets into a heated row with Russell when the band's first t-shirts arrive and Russell is the only recognizable person in the band while everyone else is out of focus. The argument is indicative of the problems that have been plaguing the band for an indeterminate time - Russell feels his talent has allowed him to grown beyond the band's limits and Jeff feels Russell is overshadowing his bandmates.-Following the argument, Russell and William end up at a house party in Topeka, KS, where he drops acid and climbs up on a rooftop, proclaiming to be a 'golden god.' (Moments later he jumps off the roof into the swimming pool.) William calls Dick, who comes to the house & convinces Russell to return to the band. As they leave the house, Russell, still tripping, yells at William, believing him to be a cop. Shortly after they drive away in the tour bus the band and Band Aides all reconcile a bit while singing Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" together. William insists that he needs to go home & Penny tells him he is home.-The record company sends a renowned band manager named Dennis Hope (Jimmy Fallon) to replace their current manager, Dick Roswell (Noah Taylor). The band is apprehensive, but give in to Dennis' grand plan for the band to make more money, turning them away from their philosophy of playing 'for the fans.' Dennis is also instrumental in adding more tour dates, getting the band better treatment from concert promoters and stage managers and the band ditches their beloved tour bus 'Doris' in favor of an airplane.As the tour winds down, William is able to interview almost everyone, but still is not able to get his key interview with Russell. What should have been a simple task becomes mind-numbing, as William is swept up with the tour, causing him to field questions from Ben Fong-Torres about the story, and rousing the ire and worry of his mother, who in one of her classes, proclaims: "rock stars have kidnapped my son." One night while he talks to his mother, Russell seizes the phone from William and tries to reason with Elaine, who immediately cuts through Russell's charm and lectures him on being more responsible, however respectfully. Russell is somewhat shaken by the conversation.At one of the stops, William is privy to a poker game, in which Dick and Russell wager Penny Lane and the Band-Aides in a game without Penny or the girls knowing. The girls must leave the tour before they arrive in New York where Russell's wife will meet the band. The band Humble Pie ends up "winning" them, and pays Dick and Russell $50 and a case of Heineken beer. William tries to put this out of his mind, but upon hearing how Penny seems to have stepped over the line of supporting the band and fallen for Russell, tells her about the bargain Russell and Dick struck. The news has a devastating effect on Penny, however she takes it good-naturedly at first, asking "What kind of beer?" she & the girls were wagered for.The Band-Aides and Penny end up leaving the tour before the band arrives in New York. Upon arrival at their hotel, William gets a call from Jann Wenner, chief editor of Rolling Stone and Fong-Torres, telling him that the band will grace the cover of their next issue, and that he is permitted to share this news with the band.At a restaurant in New York, this news is met with enthusiasm by the band. However, Russell's girlfriend, Leslie (Liz Strauber) sees Penny in a nearby corner watching Russell. Dick goes over to talk with Penny, who rushes off. William takes off after her, finding her at the Plaza Hotel, where she has downed an entire bottle of Quaaludes. William manages to keep Penny conscious until the doctors get there, even kissing her to keep her awake. After pumping her stomach, Penny and William go for a walk through Central Park, where she tells William the story behind her real name, 'Lady Goodman,' proclaiming that he now knows 'all her secrets.' After their stroll, William takes Penny to the airport, where she flies home to San Diego.William joins the band on the plane as they fly to a new venue. Everyone questions where William went in the middle of dinner the previous night, but he is hesitant to tell them what happened. Suddenly, the plane is caught in the edge of a storm, violently shaking everyone around. Feeling like the plane may crash or break up at any moment, everyone begins to reveal secrets. Dennis reveals that he once hit a man with a car and kept on driving, not taking responsibility for the accident. Dick reveals that he took more money than his regular fee, claiming 'he knew he earned it.' Jeff reveals that he slept with Dick's wife after they broke up, and also slept with Leslie. Two more in the band also reveal they slept with Dick's wife. Jeff, in a moment of rage at Russell, reveals his true anger at Russell, and tells Leslie that Russell had been sleeping with Penny. William, angered at how the band treated Penny, finally tells them what happened to her, and proclaims his love for her. Ed Vallencourt (John Fedevich), who has been silent, comes out of the closet.After Ed speaks, the plane makes it through the weather, and everyone stays silent, not speaking for the remainder of the trip. When the plane lands, Russell tells William, that he can write whatever he wants in regards to the band.Exhausted William reports to Rolling Stone's headquarters in San Francisco, armed with his notes, but still without his key interview with Russell. The editors are astonished to see that William is so young and their fact-checker rants about his notes, saying that they're so disorganized that she'll have a difficult time doing her job. William asks for a single night to finish the piece, and calls Lester Bangs, who tells him to be honest and truthful, suggesting that William shouldn't have allowed himself to befriend the band.The story that William types reveals everything, including Russell's 'golden god' speech and the airplane confessions. Once the band is contacted by Rolling Stone's fact-checker (Erin Foley), the band denies 90% of the story, and William is sent back to San Diego. At the airport, he runs into his sister Anita. Anita offers to take William on an adventure to anywhere... but the only place he wants to go is home. Anita joins William and they go to their home where Anita and Elaine reconcile and William crashes in his own bed.Sometime after, as Stillwater is going their separate ways, one Band-aide whom Penny knows named Sapphire (Fairuza Balk) meets up with Russell, chastising him for what happened to Penny as well as his ruining Williams' story. Nearby, some new groupies are mingling with the band. Sapphire comments how the new girls are not really fans, seeing as they don't love the music, are only into sex without birth control & eat the best food the caterers offer.After talking to Sapphire, Russell is compelled to call Penny and apologize, requesting to meet her. Penny gives him an address, but it is not until he arrives there that he realizes she has given him William's address. Russell first meets Elaine, whom allows him to talk with her son after telling him sternly that William is a fine young man and a trustworthy friend. Russell explains that he retracted his statement to Rolling Stone, confirming that the story was true. William then takes the opportunity to get what he never could before: a one-on-one interview with Russell about what he loves about music. Russell eagerly agrees and tells William that he loves "everything" about music.The film then ends with a montage of different clips that play over Led Zeppelin's "Tangerine": Stillwater goes back on tour, with their old bus 'Doris' as their main mode of transportation (with their 1974 tour called the 'No More Planes Tour'). Russell and Bebe have reconciled. William sits down to breakfast with Anita and his mother, who have reconciled. Finally, we see Penny at an airplane ticket counter, fulfilling her decision to go to Morocco. | dramatic, romantic, humor, boring | train | imdb | Aside from bringing up questions of journalistic ethics, this dilemma mirrors much of what people in all wakes of life deal with daily.Almost Famous is realistic, funny, touching, and one of those rare movies that makes you feel like you've gained something just for having seen it.
Fox without ever getting corraled into being the "cute but troubled young kid".Frances McDormand is amazing and well-cast as Elaine the Mom, someone so wrapped up in creating a safe, healthy environment she drives both her children far away from home.Billy Crudup & Kate Hudson create the tension filled romance that drives the story along; both did a great job & were adroitly evocative of those fast times in the rock & roll fantasyland of the 70's.
A walking oxymoron, he exudes a callous arrogance and at the same time expresses genuine affection for the up-and-comer, sometimes giving William the exact advice he needs to get him through the toughest moments as a rock critic & dealing with the love/hate relationships they seem to engender with everyone in their world of music.I can't say enough about the awesome casting job, as well as the very detailed set design, costuming & realism to the times.
Writer-director Cameron Crowe takes us to that infamous scene of sex, drugs and rock n' roll in the 1970's with this semi-autobiographical work, which is not only equipped with his brilliant direction and screenplay, but also by decent performances by some relatively lesser-known actors.Here the introduction of a not-too-famous band, an imaginary one called Stillwater, was important.
On a rating scale of 0 to 100; I gave Almost Famous a score of 95.One of the most critically acclaimed movie experiences of the year 2000, Almost Famous is the second feature film to come out Cameron Crowe, and he beats his first effort, Jerry Maguire by a mile.
It's a movie not only for people who love 70's rock bands, but for all movie-goer's who really love the feeling of coming out of the cinema feeling totally fulfilled.A 15 year old boy named William Miller (Patrick Fugit) gets an opportunity to travel with a rock band, Stillwater on a 1973 tour.
While accepted by the band (other members are Jason Lee, John Fedevich and Mark Kozeleck), they nonetheless refer to him as "the enemy - a rock critic".The film is classically cool and endlessly enjoyable, making it by far one of the top 5 movies of last year.
I am personally not a big fan of 70s music, but it is used very well in this film, most of my favourite scenes are made all the more memorable by the music, which includes America (Simon & Garfunkel), Tiny Dancer, Mona Lisa's and Mad Hatters (both Elton John), River (Joni Mitchell) Paranoid (Black Sabbath) and Feel Flows (The Beach Boys) Most of the actors and actresses in this film give the performance of their lives, Frances McDormand being especially comical as William's mother, and many of the best moments are all hers.
At 15 William manages to land a assignment with Rolling Stone Magazine to interview an up and coming band called Stillwater, and he quickly finds himself immersed in the life his mother so desperately wanted to protect him from.And so the story begins, as William tours with the band, we are taken on a journey of mistrust, discovery, deceit and disappointment; interlaced with the hard truths about the bands lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, sex and music.Almost Famous pulls no punches, and is a deep insight into the dream that became an ambition, that became a harsh reality.Packed with top class performances all round and great music score Almost Famous delivers, and delivers with attitude and realism that is rarely captured on film.A must see for Fans of the genre, but there's certainly enough here for everyone.9/10.
It was during the main credits written by hand in a paper that I felt something, but then, when William's (Patrick Fugit) sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) leaves the house to become a stewardess, and tells him: "Look under your bed; it will set you free"; I was introduced to a new world.William's mother Elaine (an excellent Frances McDormand) raised him and her sister forbidding them to use bad words, making them go to school, making them religious, but most importantly not letting them listen to rock music.
Some years later he is writing rock articles and he knows enough to talk with the best music critic in the United States: Lester Bangs (a brilliant and Oscar-caliber supporting performance by the great Phillip Seymour Hoffman).They talk for a while and the critic says: "Well, I've got to go; I can't spend my whole day talking to my fans".
This personal list of best performances is short, and Hudson's Penny Lane is in it, and she deserved an Oscar for it; and many will agree.Because of how life goes, William stays alone outside
Until Stillwater arrives, the kid uses his musical knowledge and he is inside backstage before he knows it.
Here, we see the autobiographical tale of Cameron Crowe (writer/director and co-producer of this film) in his days as a young writer for Rolling Stone (one story I think) as seen by William Miller.
In 2000, writer director Cameron Crowe rocked audiences worldwide with his semi-autobiographical portrait of a 15 year old commissioned as a rock journalist for Rolling Stone magazine to profile one of the nation's hottest up and coming bands (the fictional "Stillwater") while accompanying them on tour.
But what really makes the film excel apart from Crowe's spectacularly believable narrative and excellent screenplay is the soundtrack, pumped full of old rock and roll classic hits such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple and Elton John than any self respecting rock fan should be belting out the lyrics along with.
Newcomer Patrick Fugit is wonderful in an understated yet charismatic fashion as William Miller, Crowe's film counterpart, the young, idealistic rock journalist who finally gets his big break.
Almost Famous follows the adventures of young rock journalist William Miller (a character loosely based on the experiences of writer/director Cameron Crowe in the same role during the 1970s) as he tries to get his first big story.
The film is shot from the perspective of a relatively clear-headed fifteen-year-old - our protagonist is too good to be true, some of his experiences are just a bit fantastic, and the love triangle between Fugit, Crudup and Hudson has magic around its edges.
there are groupies whom we never see having sex, very little drug taking, not much boozing, but most clankingly of all a love story between a child, a guitarist and the apparently irresistible Penny Lane, who I guess is supposed to be enigmatic but is really just vapid and if Hudson's performance is all it takes to get an Oscar nomination then get you daughter on the stage Mrs Robinson, it's there for the taking.hilariously we have continually "just missed" various real rock stars who are "next door", and "by the pool" which at least provided some light relief throughout this too-long clunker, but I am sure it wasn't meant to.Yet this is 150 ALL TIME movie.
As it is, it is a very good story that captures the period pretty well but not at the expense of the characters, which is where the film takes place.Fugit brings out Miller really well and serves as our eyes into this world (in the same way, of course, as Crowe does).
Finding himself backstage with the rock group Stillwater, William Miller (Patrick Fugit) embarks on a road journey with the band that's awash with egos, groupies, perils and pleasures, all of which change his life forever.Lets go find something real!The most striking thing about it is that it's not overtly funny or sensationalistic, it's a production that's full of love, real love, for the subject matters to hand, and it's very often a moving experience to be part of.
The music of course rocks, from metal and progers, to folkers and bubblegum, to some punk godfathery, these sounds feature on the soundtrack and kick the decade into orbit - while the Stillwater scenes are effective and the use of Elton John's Tiny Dancer will land in your heart and stay there.Cameron Crowe has created a smashingly memorable film that will stand the tests of time.
Almost Famous is the story of an excluded high school student/rock writer that gets a chance to write an article for Rolling Stone about an up-and-coming band; much to the dismay of his over-protective mother.
The film includes extraordinary performances by Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, and Jason Lee, but every Almost Famous fan would agree that the real stars are Frances McDormand and Kate Hudson.
Almost Famous (2000) **** (out of 4)Cameron Crowe's masterpiece about high schooler William Miller (Patrick Fugit) who gets a job with Rolling Stone to do a story on an upcoming band named Stillwater.
ALMOST FAMOUS is one of the greatest coming of age movies ever made and it's perhaps the greatest love story to rock 'n roll ever filmed.
The overly worried mother (Frances McDormand) is perfectly written and thrown into the story for some comic relief but even the smaller characters are so well-written and detailed that by the time the movie is over it's almost like you've seen a documentary of a real band.
"Almost Famous" is nearly perfect as a film about the glory days of rock 'n' roll, when we thought our music just might change the world.
The film is a thinly disguised, sentimental flashback to when writer-director Cameron Crowe was a precocious teenage music journalist, coming of age while covering for Rolling Stone magazine the ups and downs of life on the road with the (here fictitious, but entirely convincing) band Sweetwater.First-hand experience and a pitch-perfect memory put Crowe in full command of his material, but it's too bad he couldn't assert the same authority over the editing table as well.
Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll were never quite such wholesome fun; a distinction is even drawn between the usual clutch of groupies and much more lovable 'band aids' like Kate Hudson, whose fresh, photogenic appeal was obviously meant to charm viewers in much the same demure way that she romances Crowe's love struck young protagonist.So why did the movie, contrary to critical expectations, fail at the box office?
Ambitious journalist William Miller (Fugit) sets out on tour with a rock and roll band who is trying to make it into the music business With everything printed in gossip magazines and internet blogs it is sure difficult to think of a time when we were reliant on a minimal selection of reading material to find out about the rock stars of the 60's and 70's.Almost famous makes me sad.
But Crowe's scripting leaves an underlying feeling of sadness for the music industry and the central character, of himself played with quiet solitude by Patrick Fugit.Fugit balances the need to do the right thing and the urge to be his own person well, balancing on teenage hormones and aspirations, whilst a sparkling sophisticated Kate Hudson gives him food for thought.
It's a coming-of-age story that is loosely based on Crowe's personal experiences; 15-year-old William Miller is a hardcore fan of rock-n-roll and is given the opportunity of a lifetime when Rolling Stone magazine hires him to write on article on the band Stillwater.
(This basically is the story of writer/director Cameron Crowe's fifteenth year.) This movie is rockin' awesome, for the following reasons: 1) Great quotes, including the afore-mentioned one, spoken by the film's Lester Bangs (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is always a joy).
Through the eyes of our main character, (portrayed by wide-eyed newcomer Patrick Fugit) we experience the ups and downs of an up and coming band (the fictional Stillwater) as he fools Rolling Stone into thinking he is older than his actual age (15) and goes on tour with the band.The evolution of the band's rise and it's (somewhat) deconstruction makes for interesting viewing, but the true star is Fugit as the young journalist.
Many people watch this film without realising that the true story being told is not that of "a mid-level band" trying to make it while in the "harsh face" of stardom, but really that of Penny Lane and two men that love her and the subtle ways they show it and well..just go see the movie.The plot?
It's 1973, San Diego, California; an exceptionally bright fifteen-year-old aspiring journalist with his heart in rock n' roll goes after an interview with a heavyweight metal band in town for a concert, and winds up tagging along on tour with a band called Stillwater, in `Almost Famous,' a semi-autobiographical story from writer/director Cameron Crowe.
And once the bus leaves, it's music, mirth, mayhem and an unforgettable, career-launching experience for young William Miller (Patrick Fugit), as he gets a first hand look at what living the life of a rock musician is all about.
It's a lot to take in, but Miller's intelligence and adaptability belies his youth and he eases into his role quite naturally, with a little help from a couple of new friends: Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), leader of the groupie elite `Band aids,' following Stillwater on their tour; and Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), who plays lead guitar for the band.
This is a semi-autobiography of writer/director Cameron Crowe, who at age 15 toured with a rising rock band and described it in Rolling Stone magazine.Patrick Fugit is wonderful as the young boy(William Miller) getting ready to take his first bite out of life.
Based on Crowe's own experiences as a teenaged rock journalist, `Almost Famous' tells the unusual story of a 15-year old writer named William Miller who finds himself composing a behind-the-scenes article for `Rolling Stone' on an up-and-coming rock band called Stillwater.
With a let down ending, a sappy, meaningless story, (that caters to people who think nsync is great music)Crowe manages to create an unheroic and inferior movie which is perfect for a society that doesn't bother looking for anything better.Almost Famous, Almost Friends, Almost Britney Spears, call it what you will but I call it a cataract.Maybe these comments don't sit well with people, but do keep in mind they were well thought out and have a right to be seen..
This movie is worth watching for most fans of sixties rock'n roll, people looking to find out more about the environment, or just fans of Cameron Crowe.
"The film's about a band, a girl, a mother
all these people realising that they've reached one person – William." (Cameron Crowe – director and winner of the Best Screenplay Oscar for this film)* 'Almost Famous' follows the story of 15 year-old music fanatic, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), growing up in the 70's.
Having no pass, William can't even meet the band, but it is here that famous band aid, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) and 'Stillwater', an up-and-coming rock band, enter his life.
When you watch the film it almost makes you want to be back there, experiencing it for yourself.What makes Almost Famous intriguing is that it is a semi-autobiographical film, with William playing a young Cameron Crowe – who is the youngest journalist to write for the renowned Rolling Stone magazine.
The fictional band "Stillwater" replaces a few of the famous musicians interviewed by Crowe in real-life; Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Lynard Skynard
an impressive list for anyone, let alone someone so young.The best thing I could do to sum up the film would be to play you the soundtrack, which would tell you everything you need to know.
It shows the touch of a true music lover and provides an entertaining plot to take us through the crazy world of seventies rock."Almost Famous" should appeal to anyone interested in a humorous and heartfelt coming of age story but it is also one of the best rock & roll movies ever.
With a director like Cameron Crowe you know its good, in this case, Its a classic and perhaps one of the best films of that decade.The cast as a whole did a great job in adapting to their characters.
This is a beautiful coming of age movie about a 15-year-old boy from San Diego who gets to live his fantasy when he lucks out and lands an assignment from Rolling Stone to tour with the band Sweetwater and write an article about them.William Miller, played by Patrick Fugit, is sweet and innocent and not at all like the band he's traveling with, but during the course of the film, he falls in love with one of the groupies, Penny Lane (played by Kate Hudson) and learns that the truth isn't always the easiest path out there.The cast is very good.
Patrick Fugit isn't an accomplished actor but his character isn't polished either so his performance fits the role.The music from the era - early Seventies - is terrific, and the story of life on the road with an up-and-coming rock and roll band is fun and has a touch of reality to it.A very enjoyable film and one of my favorites..
A fifteen year old blags his way in to writing about an up-and-coming rock band (Stillwater) with Rolling Stone magazine.An Oscar winning screenplay is one thing, but this a film that never found its audience.
It is classic Cameron Crowe - a semi-autobiographical film that pulls from his own experience as a young journalist with Rolling Stone magazine in it's glory daze in the early 1970's.You care about the characters and combined with the spot-on casting and directing ability of Cameron to draw out and inspire the best in actors, it is an ensemble tour de force.It is a must-see for any classic rock fan and you get to witness several breakout performances including Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschannel, Billy Crudup, even Jimmy Fallon! |
tt0120693 | Half Baked | Thurgood (Dave Chappelle), Scarface (Guillermo Diaz), Brian (Jim Breur) and Kenny (Harland Williams) are childhood friends who discover marijuana. They grow up together and live in an apartment in New York. During a smoke, they send Kenny to get food. Kenny sees a horse, and starts feeding it treats. The horse dies (it's apparently diabetic), and Kenny goes to jail. His bail is set at $1,000,000. The guys get a lift home by a hot Mary Jane Potman (Rachel True), and Thurgood falls in love.Thurgood is given some medicinal marijuana by a scientist, and the guys decide to sell more of it to raise bail money. Meanwhile, Thurgood and Mary Jane go on a date, and Thurgood promises not to smoke. He fails.The weed sales go through the roof, and many customers partake (John Stewart, Snoop Dog, Willie Nelson, Stephen Baldwin, Jeneane Garofalo, Bob Saget and others). Scarface and Brian leave their jobs to spend more time selling. Thurgood tries to stay righteous as Brian and Scarface start spending their profits. When Mary Jane breaks up with Thurgood, he promises to stop smoking.Meanwhile, Samson, a rival drug dealer, discovers the guys and trashes their apartment. He demands a meeting with the guys and tells them to pay him half their profits. The Guy on the Couch (Steven Wright) suggests they rob the lab for weed, but get caught. Thurgood offers to set up Samson. The cops allow them to get high before the deal, and the cops get high and forget to make the bust. The guys defeat Samson's hench-women, and Brian summons the spirit of Jerry Garcia (David Bluestein) to defeat Samson.The cops honor the deal to release Kenny, and Thurgood reunites with Mary Jane, giving up pot for good. The end. | cult, comedy, storytelling, flashback | train | imdb | Dave Chapelle is very funny in the lead and to me is a better lead comedy actor than the likes of Martin Lawrence and even Chris Rock.
Its a funny screenplay, decent comedic direction and good performances, worth a look for any fan of comedy, pot or cinema..
Especially with the funny acting of Jim Breuer, Dave Chappelle and Harland Williams.
Even the cameos are humorous- including Jon Stewart, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Willie Nelson, and Tommy Chong (Chong is perfect as a small role in the movie).
The plot seems kind of basic, but its spiced up for laughs and for people who know what being a dope head is like.
Hilarious...or is it?...flick concerning an apartment full of pot-smokers who get themselves in trouble with the law and end up going on a series of the most funny adventures ever put to celluloid.
I know people who worship this movie...of course, they've more than "smoked themselves retarded." If you're "feelin it," then you'll laugh your @ss off, I guarantee..
because he thinks WWF wrestling is the best thing on t.v, but i watched it anyway, i'm glad i did, it was hilarious, i'd highly recommend this film to anyone, unless they are specifically looking for a good plot or if they are dead against drugs, i've read some of the comments on here and they haven't been that good, maybe you have to know someone like the people in this movie to get it.
Tamra Davis is an underrated director, with other cool movies like BEST MEN and his other retarded comedy masterpiece, BILLY MADISON.
There are numerous cameos by tons of varied people: Snoop Dogg, Jon Stewart, Janeane Garafalo, Willie Nelson, Stephen Baldwin, Clarence Williams 3, Tommy Chong, Bob Saget, and others, they're all funny in their own ways.
The Plot: Loaded with some of today's hottest young comedy stars, Half-Baked is the hilarious adventure of three lovable party buds trying to find cash to bail their friend out of jail.
with numerous cameo appearances.My Spiel: Half-baked is a movie I remember back in the day and still watch to this day.
I loved watching Dave Chappelle's role as Thurgood Jenkins and compared to when he did the comedian on The Nutty Professor in 1996.
This movie is funny if you smoke weed otherwise you will find it a boring movie,Dave Chappelle is a funny comedian i've watched loads of his stand-ups on DVD but he wasn't really that funny in this film he was more of a serious stoned guy,All the other actors in this film i've never heard or seen of them,If you like silly fun films then you should see this,If you do like this film also watch Harold and Kumar go to white castle its also about stone heads but its way more funnier and it has better acting and a way better story line, Also try watching Chappelle's Stand ups they are Very Very Funny I'll give this film 8/10 because its funny in its category!!.
I'm gonna make this short and sweet like skunk.PRO's- really funny, has interesting characters, a movie about best buds, colorful, has dave chapelle, nice story, and makes you feel good.CON's- um...
The first time i saw this movie i was laughing really hard and not under the influence.If you never saw this movie and need a good laugh.This is it.Get the DVD or rent it if you're not sure or borrow it from your friend or bother your neighbor whom you don't really know well enough to borrow sugar let alone a DVD..
the humor is right on target of someone completely high, there's a plot line thats interesting enough to not fall asleep to, not so complicated so that you get lost in it and forget what its about, and you know you'll enjoy it even if you're really stoned, its even entertaining to those who don't smoke.
And No you dont have to be a stoner to love this movie it makes me laugh and I am far from one.
What absolutely "makes" this movie (besides Dave Chappele as Sir Smoke-A-Lot) is the cameos.
The currently best rated comment mentions: Snoop Dogg, Jon Stewart, Janeane Garafalo, Willie Nelson, Stephen Baldwin, Clarence Williams 3, Tommy Chong, Bob Saget, and *others*.
=) This movie is sooo good, that I suppose you could even watch it sober and *still* find it entertaining.
But I laughed several times in the movie, and the characters are very likable.
There is no shortage of laughs in this one, for those who enjoy stoner humor this movie is a must see.
I viewed this film during a time when I had many problems: School-like and relationship problems, but let me tell you that one school night I watched this movie because my friend had lent it to me and I literally forgot all about these problems.
I read on an IMDb board that someone compared Half Baked to Pineapple Express, but that's something I don't understand because Half Baked is a much different movie than PE who has a bigger budget, thus better cinematography, leads, etc...The story is fairly original: Talks about Thurgood (Dave Chappelle), Brian (Jim Breuer) and Scarface (Guillermo Diaz) who are trying to sell Marijuana to bail their friend Kenny (Harland Davis) out of jail after ''Killing a cop'' (those who have seen the movie will understand).
Anyways in a nutshell, you won't see time pass as you laugh yourself retarded while watching this movie (PS: That last part was inspired by a quote from the movie) :-).
I don't remember if it's for a fine or for bail or court costs--It's been a year or two since I've seen it--and the guys end up dealing pot to make it happen.The main thing I do remember is that every time I see it on TV or at a friend's house, I always end up watching it all the way through and laughing like mad.
There are never any dull moments with comedians like Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer, two of funniest guys from the 90s.
The marijuana related humor is still funny for most people because the characters remind you of people you probably know and their idiosyncrasies.It's not a serious movie by any means, and obviously not for little kids.
If you love watching movies with a high count of drug use with a very stupid plot then this is for all of those people including myself.
I found this movie to be a really hilarious stoner comedy starring the very hilarious Dave Chapelle.
I desired to rent this awhile ago because I do enjoy the Cheech and Chong movies a lot personally.
As contradictive as it sounds, Thurgood, Scarface, Brian and Kenny are some of the least-believable yet believable characters I have seen.The only reason this movie isn't down as a classic is because a lot of people have a lot of hangups when it comes to the evil green stuff or anything or anyone who mentions it.
Dave Chappelle, Harland Williams, & Jim Breuer are so freaking funny I just couldn't stop laughing.
If you are looking to laugh I think this movie is the one for you.It's about 4 friends.
You honestly think Cheech and Chong movies had any good plots?
I really wish people would stop over analyzing stoner movies and just get high and enjoy them.
Along the way, Thurgood (Dave Chappelle) meets this girl he really likes but she is totally against pot.
Jim Breuer, Guillermo Diaz, Harland Williams, and Dave Chappelle are really great at playing stoners.
I recommended this movie to anyone with a good sense of humor, it will keep you laughing forever!
Though the drivers of the plot are really the protagonists, there are elements of romance, action, and suspense as the crew makes their way in the drug scene in order to rescue their friend from an undeservedly cruel fate.Obviously, the most recurring theme of the film, namely marijuana, makes this appealing to those who either indulge or know about the topic; however, familiarity is hardly a requirement to appreciate the humor or characters.
Naturally, the majority of those who've seen the film remember it for Jim Breuer's hilarious character.
He is a great comedian and this is one of my favorite movies.Chapelle plays Thurgood the narrator, a pothead who works in the 'custodial arts' at a pharmaceutical company.
Naturally they're all brain-dead morons, especially Brian who delivers some of the funniest lines in the whole movie.The supporting cast includes Harland Williams as the hilarious Kenny.
Thurgood becomes involved with a girl named Mary Jane, (jokes about her name abound) and has to hide his pot addiction from her.This movie is full of celebrity cameos like Bob Saget (don't worry, he only has one line and it's hilarious), John Stewart, Janeane Garofolo, Stephen Baldwin and comedian Steven Wright as 'The Guy on the Couch'.
This movie has some great cameos and the characters are all hilarious, especially my main man Scarface.
I was expecting a sort of "second coming of Cheech & Chong" from Dave Chappelle, one of the best stand-ups working today (and a scene stealer in such films as "The Nutty Professor").
Unfortunately, despite the presence of such hilarious performers as Jim Breuer and Harland Williams, "Half Baked" ends up being just that.
Breuer, who - with his dropping eyelids - looks stoned no matter what condition he's in, is a perfect choice for the picture, but doesn't get to cut loose like he did on "Saturday Night Live." Williams, who practically walked off with "There's Something About Mary" during his one short scene, is the most endearing of the four leads and very funny, to boot.
But there is still a (terribly silly) story, there's certainly a real soul and character to it, and it isn't boring by any stretch of the imagination, for the reefer-enthusiast or the others in the room.It's short and sweet, stupid at will, and doesn't ever try hard like absolutely every other such film.
You don't watch something like this expecting to see a good movie.
So I watched 1998's stoner comedy half baked starring Dave Chapelle.
'Half Baked' is certainly no 'Harold and Kumer Go to White Castle' or 'Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantamano Bay', and it's definitely no 'Knocked Up', but 'Half Baked' is actually a pretty decent stoner comedy with some funny and interesting moments.Dave Chappelle also does a good job as the main character.The movie is basically about a bunch of stoners who must try to get enough money to get their friend out of jail.You're probably wondering why their friend got in jail.He killed a police officer's horse by feeding it to death.Typical stoner comedy, right?
But besides from some dumb moments, 'Half Baked' is a pretty good stoner comedy that actually teaches a valuable lesson: if you see a horse and you want to feed it, don't feed it too much.Also make sure that it isn't a police officer's horse.You'll be thanking me when you don't end up in jail..
Thurgood (Dave Chapelle, who also pulls double duty as Sir Smoke-a-lot) also has to hide his habit from his new pot-hating love interest.
And while this film isn't quite as funny those said movies, it's still enjoyable enough fluff, filled with many highly quotable lines, some cool cameos (including Bob Saget in his only funny thing he ever did in film or TV), and some hilarious moments.Eye Candy: C.J. Fidler shows her fake left tit My Grade: B+ Special Edition DVD Extras: Commentary with director Tamra Davis; two different types of main menus; 8 Deleted Scenes (not in the best shape video-wise, and the DVD case lied saying there were 10 deleted scenes); Alternate Ending (which made more sense); and 3 Featurettes (that all suck equally): Five Minutes With The Guy On The Couch,Different Types Of Smokers, and Granny's Guide To Bakin'; Trailers for "Ray", "Seed of Chucky", "Shaun of the Dead", and "Friday Night Lights".
The cameos were great (especially Snoop Dogg's) and Dave Chapelle is one of my favorite stand-up comedians who actually bearable to watch as an actor.
I'm a big Dave Chappelle and Jon Stewart fan, plus I enjoy the old Cheech and Chong movies.
Half Baked is one of the funniest movies I've seen in the last 10 years.
The main cast is solid and very funny, but the cameos are the best part of the movie.
I personally thought Half Baked was hilarious, as have most all my friends.
If you just want to enjoy a good laugh and simply be entertained, I definitely suggest this movie.
I will say this though, if you've ever known anyone who HAS smoked pot, then the movie moves from hilarious into the realm of your stomach and jaw aching from laughing so much and so hard..
(And is one of the few movies I'll watch again and again.)Who can forget The Guy on the Couch, the kids getting high for the first time, Jerry Garcia in a pouch, "Sucks to be YOU man!", the diabetic horse, the Squirrel Master, Billy Bong Thorton, the flying Rottweiler (and the fantastic flashback sequence involving his life), among many other things I'm surely forgetting?Not everyone is cut out to enjoy movies like this that make light of drugs (like the Cheech and Chong movies, for example), and those who aren't shouldn't write reviews of them.
Whether our anonymous Canadian friend who also commented on this movie, here, falls into this category or not, I don't know, but it sure seemed like it.
Because me and my friends found ourselves, literally casting the movie (I was unanimously voted Jim Breuers character ).
The movie is a lot more fun to watch, if instead of seeing the actors, seeing you and your friends, because you can literally see yourself doing those stupid things.
It's a great movie if you haven't seen it, with loads of new age jokes, and 4 rising stars....
Half Baked is an absolute classic movie even if your not a pot smoker, you may choose to laugh with these potheads or at them but either way it manages to be funny whichever way you look at it.
I don't smoke marijuana, but this movie is just hilarious.
Dave Chappelle has turned in his finest performance since Robin Hood Men in Tights...Now some might say that this movie is just stupid and has no plot but it's funny.
I have actually never smoked pot, but this movie is still screaming hilarious after about 80 viewings.
If you are looking for a good laugh , you should definitely watch this excellent film.
It's loaded with humorous scenes of people getting high and dumb pot-heads scheming ways to get their friend , Kenny , out of jail.If you are a fan of movies such as Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary , this flick is in your best interest..
imagine the fabulousness of Cheech and Chong's "Up In Smoke" or any Cheech and Chong movie for that matter, combined with the comedy stylings of Dave Chapelle and Jim Bruer...
But when it was recommended to me buy a true stoner and loser but still a good guy I wanted to see why he and his friends were making such a big fuss about this movie.
I loved the part where they rationalize why the dog "killer" died and that huge bong was so freaking funny that I could not stop laughing throughout this movie.
But if you want to just sit back, put your thinking cap on the shelf, and just laugh your head off at four stupid people (I'm sure you'll recognize the characters in someone you know), then go get this film.
The movie uses many different angles and tangents (hence the lack of plot) to poke fun at things such as people who think marijuana unlocks their real genius, cannibis loving rappers, and "the munchies" while at the same time saying "Hey, what's the big deal, pot isn't such a bad thing".
So long as you know about weed, smoke weed, and like comedys then you will like this movie.
The next day I watched it with a clear head......This is a really funny movie.
If high intensity drama with multi-layered characters and a gripping story is what you're looking for in this film, then you were most likely smoking a lot of pot when you rented it.
Its a light hearted comedy, with some great cameos and some funny bits that amuses and makes you laugh out loud at times.
The movie isn't just about a bunch of guys smoking pot!
Half Baked is the absolute funniest movie ever made on the subject of weed.
I find jokes about pot very funny and I'm sure if I was watching it stoned it would be even more hilarious.
Mark my words -- I have never, and probably will never, smoked marijuana.How can you possibly think this movie is not funny???
THIS MOVIE IS FUNNY!Havent watched it?
How can you guys not like this movie?
I thought Half Baked was a hilarious movie...the only grudge I have is that it was so short...Jim Breuer stole the show as far as I'm concerned...& I always knew about Bob Saget...hehehe.
Overflowing with drug-related humor, and a character for every type of stoner to sympathize with, this is truly a movie to give a try, or a second go-round if you were too high to catch all the funny-stuff..
A stoner movie that's even funny sober..
The movie had a ton of cameo appearances from some famous actors, not to mention the hilarious comedy of Jim Bruer and Dave Chappelle.
Half Baked is a very funny movie.
Half Baked is a very funny movie.
I think in order to watch this movie you have to be a huge fan of silly comedies.
Are u people(or some of u) even watching movies?! |
tt1174732 | An Education | It is the early 1960's, and Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a bright young schoolgirl quickly approaching her 17th birthday. Jenny's parents have sacrificed much so that her schooling can get her into Oxford, with her doing everything from learning Latin to playing the Cello.One day, having been caught in the rain, a much older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard) helps Jenny get home. Jenny is rather impressed by David's taste in music, as well as his maroon-colored Bristol, a very rare car.David soon after leaves a bouquet of flowers on Jenny's family's doorstep, and when she sees him in town (with a couple of her classmates in tow), she thanks him for the kind gesture. David then mentions how he would like to invite her to a concert Friday evening. Jenny is unsure if she can get permission, but when David shows up and charms both her Mother and Father, she finds herself spending an exciting evening listening to a concerto, and having a late supper at a supper club.David then comes calling again, offering to take Jenny on an outing with his friends, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike). They partake some time at an art auction, before going to Danny's place, which is a lavish and luxurious residence. After this, Jenny watches as David moves some West Indians into an apartment house (much to the disdain of a couple neighbors).David soon after invites Jenny to accompany him and some friends to an outing in Oxford. To get Jenny's parents to consent, David lies about having studied there, and knowing famed author C.S. Lewis, who he claims lives there, and whom Jenny (playing along with his 'game') pretends to want to meet.David, Jenny, Danny and Helen head off, and while away their first day at a pub, with David forging C.S. Lewis' signature on a copy of "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" to pull off the prank.Later that even, being in the same room as David, Jenny confesses to him that she is still a virgin, and wishes to stay so until she is 17. David tells her he has no problems with this.The next day, the party stops at a small house, where after a short time, David and Danny emerge from the house with a framed map, and demand the girls return to the car. After they take off and return to London, Jenny stalks off, feeling that David and his friends are a bunch of thieves.David confesses that they do steal some items for sale, and admits to why he was helping the group of West Indians the other day. This practice, called "blockbusting," involves moving West Indians families into areas where elderly women don't wish to live by them. Wanting to vacate (fearing a possible overflow of 'others'), the old women tend to sell their flats for a cheap price. Jenny then forgives David, and continues on with their relationship.Soon after, Jenny tells her school friends how David is planning to take her to Paris for her 17th birthday (a place she's wanted to visit for some time). Her friends eagerly give her a wishlist of gifts to bring back for them, but word quickly spreads through the school. Soon, Jenny's teacher Miss Stubbs (Olivia Williams) and the Headmistress (Emma Thompson) have heard, and caution Jenny about what she is doing. However, Jenny still intends to go.On the day of her 17th birthday, David stops off to deliver a number of gifts to Jenny, and to ask her parents if she can go with him to Paris. Jenny's parents are against this, but David soon manages to charm them into letting her go.In Paris, the two enjoy a romantic time, before Jenny final 'gives' herself to David.Upon returning, Jenny attempts to give Miss Stubbs a package of "Chanel No. 5" as a bribe to help her pass over some of her current papers and scores...many of which have suffered from Jenny's lack of attention. Miss Stubbs refuses the bribe, and attempts to talk sense into Jenny again, but Jenny just feels that her teacher is grooming her for a boring and unexciting life, unlike what she is currently experiencing with David and his friends.A few nights later, David, Jenny, and their friends attend a dog race, at which time, in the parking lot, David proposes for Jenny to marry him. Jenny does not answer right away, and discusses the matter with her parents. Her father (still believing that David is a man from Oxford), sees no reason why the two shouldn't be married.Soon after, Jenny's schoolmates are shocked when she is seen wearing an engagement ring in class. This soon catches the eye of both Miss Stubbs and the Headmistress once again, whom Jenny has some rather harsh words towards, before deciding to quit the school altogether.Shortly thereafter, David arranges for a night out with Jenny and her parents. After stopping at a petrol station to refuel, Jenny checks the glovebox for a cigarette (where David usually keeps them), but finds just an empty carton. As she continues sifting through the glovebox, a series of letters catch her eye. When David returns to the car, she demands that he take them home.After her parents go into the house, Jenny angrily chastises David for the letters...as they are addressed to Mr and Mrs David Goldman! Jenny is hurt by what has happened, and demands David tell her parents. When he still seems unable to cooperate, she says she will give him a few minutes alone, before she will come out and 'drag him in.' After this, David simply leaves without saying a word...leaving Jenny (unseen by the audience) to tell her parents the truth. Jenny also is sad in regards to how she has quit school and possibly lost out on going to Oxford.Still knowing the address on the letters, Jenny visits the house (not very far from her own family's), where she finds a woman and a child. The woman soon realizes why Jenny is there, and claims she is not the first that her husband has tried to seduce.Jenny soon returns home, where her Father says he will tell David off for what he did, but Jenny delivers some harsh words at her parents, who seemed perfectly happy with her marrying David, after some time before saying how important school was. Jenny then retreats to her room, when her Father comes to the door sometime later, apologizing for his actions.Jenny then returns to her old school, asking to be let back in to repeat her final year of study. However, the Headmistress refuses. Jenny then goes to see Miss Stubbs, who is now glad to see that Jenny does not want to throw her life away, and helps her study and work hard to re-learn what she missed out on her final year in the school.With her old teacher's help, Jenny is accepted into Oxford. The film ends with a narration by Jenny:"So, I went to read English books, and did my best to avoid the speccy, spotty fate that Helen had predicted for me. I probably looked as wide-eyed, fresh, and artless as any other student...But I wasn't. One of the boys I went out with, and they really were boys, once asked me to go to Paris with him. And I told him I'd love to, I was dying to see Paris... as if I'd never been." | romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt1951266 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 | In the opening scene, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is getting vocal therapy after being nearly choked to death by Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) in the previous film. Once she can properly speak, she sees her younger sister Primrose "Prim" Everdeen (Willow Shields) entering Peeta's cell. The programming inflicted on Peeta in the Capitol eventually makes him freak out. He thinks that Katniss is a dangerous Capitol-created mutation, and tells Prim to kill Katniss.Katniss goes to District Two with her military escort to film more propaganda videos for the rebel cause. Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) accompanies her. He admits that he has seen Peeta, and realized that if he stays this way, Katniss will always chose him over Gale out of pity. On the way, she kisses Gale, but he calls it "the kiss of a drunk person." She jokes that with Peeta safely in Thirteen, he doesn't have to be jealous anymore.Katniss overhears Gale and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) discussing a dubious trick they mean to employ. It involves setting off a bomb that will kill many people and force the survivors to flee, and then deploying a second bomb in their direction to maximize the number of victims. Once in District Two, Commander Paylor (Patina Miller) mentions that the Rebellion failed to capture the arsenal from the Nut, a huge mountain containing Capitol infantry. Gale suggests that they use the special bombs that he and Beetee designed to blow up the Nut and take it over from the inside. Katniss protests, saying that there are a lot of civilians in there, but the rest are convinced that those people made their choice by collaborating with the enemy.When the hovercrafts go, Katniss says that it's horrible as lives will be lost. Gale tells Katniss that this is war. Katniss is rushed off to shoot a propaganda speech, and then the captured refugees arrive by train. The rebel troops treat the refugees with suspicion, ordering them to drop their weapons and shooting some who don't comply. Katniss stops her speech and screams at everyone to stop.... and then a refugee holds her hostage. He tells Katniss, "Give me a reason why I shouldn't shoot." Katniss replies that she can't, but that the Capitol has been setting the Districts against each other, providing them with plenty of reasons to kill each other. She's so tired that dying would be a relief. The refugee lets her go and Katniss begins an anti-President Snow speech, only to be shot. Chaos ensues.In the Capitol, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) celebrates with his delegates with a toast at his dinner table, but they all drink without stating what it is they're drinking to. Snow asks one of his ministers, Antonius (Robert Knepper), what they are celebrating. He replies that it's Katniss's death. Snow replies that if Katniss were really dead, the resistance would have made a martyr out of her already. Antonius then says that they toast since Katniss has failed. Snow disagrees and tells him that they are celebrating the ending of an era. Antonius drops dead, having been poisoned.Katniss wakes up from her injuries to find a bald, morphine-crazed Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) in her room. Johanna is mad at Katniss and blames her for everything, although she admits her anger is partially jealousy, since Katniss was always intended to be irreplaceable for the uprising. She pulls out Katniss's morphine drip and attaches it to her own arm. Katniss manages to ease Johanna's sarcasm by admitting that Johanna would have made a better Mockingjay.Next, Katniss visits Peeta, who's still locked in a cell and strapped to his bed. Peeta is no longer enraged but still blames Katniss for everything, going so far as to say if he'd never given her the overdone bread from his parents' bakery, they would never have ended up in that state.Katniss is visibly upset and goes on to a conference with President Coin (Julianne Moore) and Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Katniss wants to go to the Capitol and fight, but Coin, saying she's in no shape to fight and too valuable to lose, orders her to stay and shoot more propaganda films. Plutarch offers no objections, so Katniss agrees.Katniss then attends the wedding of Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) and Annie Cresta (Stef Dawson). At the reception, everyone is happy and dancing except Katniss. Johanna finds her brooding and when Katniss says she wants to kill Snow, Johanna offers to cover for her and suggests a plan: sneak on board a medical supply hovercraft headed for the Capitol. Katniss goes off to dance with her sister Prim, hugging her before following Johanna's plan.When the hovercraft drops Katniss with the medical supplies outside the Capitol, Katniss tries to be unobtrusive but is recognized by almost everyone she encounters. She finds Gale and people crowd around, curious about why she's there. Commander Paylor makes a speech. The Capitol is surrounded by rebels and its citizens are abandoning the streets. The Peacekeepers have placed deadly "pods" all over the Capitol. The pods are traps armed with deadly weapons, similar to traps used in the games created by the Capitol. Being unable to control her, President Coin has integrated Katniss into Squad 451, whose job it is to shoot propaganda videos while locating and destroying the pods. They are ordered to remain behind the front lines to stay as safe as possible, while boosting morale with their propaganda videos. The squad is commanded by Boggs (Mahershala Ali) and includes Katniss, Gale, Finnick, filmmaker Cressida (Natalie Dormer), Homes (Omid Abtahi), Lt. Jackson (Michelle Forbes), Mitchell (Joe Chrest), Messalla (Evan Ross), the twins Leeg 1 and 2 (Misty Ormiston and Kim Ormiston) and Castor (Wes Chatham) and Pollux (Elden Henson), an avox (mute). They are each given a Nightlock pill, which causes instant death if they need to commit suicide to stay out of the Capitol's hands. Boggs has been issued a holo, a device that displays a holographic map and helps detect pods; however, the information on the pods is based on intelligence from spies, and may be outdated. The holo can also act as a bomb if the word "Nightlock" is repeated three times (important later).The squad assembles and finds the first pod. Katniss fires an arrow toward it, which triggers a giant explosion. The squad decides to camp out in an abandoned restaurant for the night, when Peeta is unexpectedly dropped off by a military escort. Katniss is on edge, but the soldiers delivering him explain that President Coin wants Peeta in the videos as well, to show him actively fighting the Capitol alongside Katniss. Boggs takes Katniss aside and tells her about Coin. He says Coin wanted Peeta saved and not her; now that victory is at hand, Katniss may be a liability for Coin, who wants to be the next President of Panem. Though Katniss has no political aspirations, her allegiance to any candidate carries considerable weight. Because Coin can't be sure Katniss will endorse her, she prefers to be rid of Katniss now. She may have added Peeta to the team in the hope that he would kill her in a fit of rage and fear. Boggs tells Katniss to watch out.Night falls and Peeta can't sleep. He and Katniss talk, and they play a game to help Peeta figure out what is real and what parts of his memories are planted by Capitol programming. As day comes, Finnick helps Peeta as they explore the city, entering an oval courtyard surrounded by abandoned apartment buildings. They're getting ready to shoot a propo. A pod of machine guns appears, but everyone dodges the hail of bullets. As they walk forward, Boggs is suddenly shot in his chest and Leeg 1 takes a bullet in the leg. Boggs, with his dying breath, gives Katniss full security access to the holo. He also tells her not to trust them, and to kill Peeta if necessary. Leeg 2 accidentally activates a trigger hidden under the pavement, releasing a torrent of black ooze which floods towards the team and quickly submerges the courtyard. While escaping, Peeta becomes frightened; his Capitol programming is activated and he tries to kill Katniss with a bow. Mitchell intervenes and in the process, Peeta shoves him in the ooze which causes him to fly up and get impaled by spikes.The surviving members of Squad 451 run inside a building. Jackson, as Boggs' second in command, demands the holo from Katniss. Katniss says that Boggs transferred the voice-activated holo to her (which is true) and that she is on a personal mission to kill Snow, on orders of President Coin (which isn't). Cressida backs up Katniss' story, saying that Plutarch wants the assassination of Snow to be televised, hoping that it will quickly end the war. Jackson doesn't believe it and commands Katniss to transfer the holo to her (Jackson). Katniss shows her it's programmed for her, but Jackson still has doubts. A Mexican standoff occurs, but eventually Jackson backs down and allows Katniss to keep the holo as long as she obeys orders. Leeg 2 decides to stay behind with her injured twin; Jackson promises to send help as soon as they can. Peacekeeper soldiers arrive as soon as the rest of the squad exits the building and they take refuge in a vacant apartment across the courtyard. They watch in horror as the Peacekeepers blow up the building they just left, killing the Leeg twins.Peeta feels extremely guilty over snapping and killing Mitchell and nearly killing Katniss. Suddenly, a broadcast pops up. Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) announces the death of Katniss and her squad as the building blowing up is televised. Snow pops out and says that he's happy to see Katniss dead and that the rebellion is over. Then Coin hijacks the broadcast, defending the Mockingjay (Katniss) and asserting that she is still the face of the revolution, even in death.The squad heads for the president's mansion, but the holo shows multiple traps on the street. Pollux signs to Castor that they can go down into the sanitation system instead, a place where he did slave labor and is reluctant to go back to, but they have no choice. Underground, they hide from the peacekeepers but are seen on the security camera. President Snow, whose nose is bleeding, then sees the security camera footage and is surprised.In the sewage system, after narrowly avoiding a steam pipe burst, the team decides to sleep. Katniss indulges Peeta in more games of 'Real or Not Real' and then Peeta reveals that the Capitol used wasp Tracker Jacker venom in his programming. Katniss promises to keep them alive. Katniss then hears something and the group investigates. Something has been sent after them.After some intense searching (almost like a horror movie), suddenly dozens of hideous, lizard-human hybrid creatures which are called "mutts" (short for mutants?) appears from all directions and attack. Jackson is quickly overwhelmed and is either torn apart and/or bitten to death by the weird creatures. The remaining group fights them off and tries to escape. Castor is trampled and killed by the creatures. Cressida and Messalla are separated from the rest of the group as more creatures converge on them. The squad is corralled into a junction area space with a ladder leading up to the ceiling. Here, Katniss is nearly killed by one creature but she and Peeta fight them off (she with her bow and explosive-tipped arrows, and he with his assault rifle) as they stand back to back fighting. Cressida and Messalla reappear where they assist the group and order them to escape up the ladder. Cressida takes on and guns down several of the creatures herself, showing more of her fearless combat skills. Finnick uses his trident to fight off the creatures while the remaining members of the squad escape up the ladder. Unfortunately, this turns out to be his sacrifice; as he tries to ascend the ladder, the creatures overwhelm him. Not wanting Finnick to die in vain, Katniss says "Nightlock" three times and throws the holo into the melee of mutts and a screaming Finnick. The holo explodes, killing the creatures and ending Finnick's suffering.In an underground space that looks like a subway station, the surviving members of the squad run across a floor, fired upon by Peacekeepers. As the floor begins to collapse, lethal beams in the light fixtures kill those who pass under them. Messalla runs into a beam and disintegrates into black ash while Peeta panics, thinking he's about to activate again. Katniss stops and kisses him, which fixes him right up. They get out to the surface and Cressida takes them to a fashion shop owned by Tigris (Eugenie Bondurant), who sports elaborate tiger-stripe tattoos and has apparently had some surgery to make her mouth and nose look more feline. She hides the five surviving members of the squad in a secret basement under her shop. Katniss eventually recognizes Tigris as one of the stylists who worked with contestants at the games. Tigris indicates that her tiger makeover was forced on her by President Snow "because I wasn't pretty enough any more."While hiding underground, Pollux weeps over the loss of his brother Castor, while Cressida tends to Gale's wounds, sustained while fighting the mutts. A distraught Katniss says that her mission was fake and that she feels responsible for all those deaths. Cressida tells her that they all knew she wasn't on a mission ordered by Coin. But everyone, even Jackson, decided it was worth the risks. Peeta mentions his Capitol programming and tells Katniss to end all of it. He tells her that if Snow dies, all of the deaths will be for something. He tells Katniss to handcuff him again to be safe from him.(Peeta has been handcuffed most of the time he's been with Katniss's squad.)While Katniss tries to sleep, Gale and Peeta reconcile. Gale tells Peeta that she loves Peeta, not him ("she never kissed me like that"). An emergency broadcast pops up with President Snow ordering Capitol residents to take shelter in the presidential mansion -- the Rebellion has arrived. As the pods near the mansion will presumably be deactivated, Katniss decides to walk with the refugees and take down Snow once and for all. Gale decides to go with her; Katniss uncuffs Peeta.While Cressida and Pollux will have to stay behind since their rugged appearances are too noticeable -- and someone needs to watch Peeta -- Katniss and Gale, wearing coats with hoods that partially obscure their faces, march towards Snow's mansion with the other refugees. Katniss is almost recognized by a little girl who is carried by her mother. When they see Peacekeeper soldiers checking everyone's faces, they try to go back, but are forced to follow the crowd when the Peacekeepers start closing in from behind as well. Just as a Peacekeeper is about to expose Katniss, a nearby tank explodes -- the Rebellion soldiers have arrived in the Capitol. Katniss sees the little girl weeping over her dead mother. Gale is captured by the Peacekeepers and dragged away. He screams at her to shoot him with her bow, but she doesn't. Katniss runs to the front of Snow's mansion, where she sees parents passing their crying children from hand to hand through the crowd to get them through the mansion's gate -- children were the first priority in the evacuation. Then suddenly, a plane carrying the Capitol logo drops dozens of small, odd silvery pods on little parachutes. The crowd watches them fall; some people even reach out for them. The pods explode, killing many in the crowd, both adults and children. Katniss sees Prim, now a combat medic, trying to tend to the children. She screams a warning at Prim, only for another batch of bombs to drop and explode, killing Prim and knocking Katniss unconscious.A wounded and burned Katniss wakes up inside Snow's mansion while her mother (Paula Malcomson) tends Katniss's wounds. Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) informs her that the rebellion was successful, and that Coin is now leading them. From the moment that the Capitol bombs fell on the citizens, the Peacekeepers immediately turned against the Capitol, and the palace was taken within a short time. From her mother's wordless tears, Katniss learns that Prim died.When she's in shape again, Katniss explores the mansion and eventually goes to the garden, where Snow is held under guard in the conservatory. Though no one is allowed access, Commander Paylor grants her an audience with him. Snow is his cheery old self, as always, not seeming to mind his defeat. He tells Katniss that he was not responsible for the parachute bombs; he may not be above killing children, but he does not approve of waste either. He reveals that the bombs were part of Coin's secret plan to discredit him, and they worked -- even his guards turned against him for killing the children. He coughs up some more blood and wipes it away with his handkerchief. Katniss says in disgust, "I don't believe you." Snow answers, "Oh, my dear Miss Everdeen, I thought we had agreed not to lie to each other."Katniss is awaiting an audience with Coin. She meets first with Gale. Katniss indirectly blames him for Prim's death, as the circumstances of her death closely resemble the 'bomb trap' she heard him discuss earlier. He admits that he honestly doesn't know whose bombs killed Prim, though he apologizes for not protecting her. Katniss bitterly says "Goodbye, Gale." A meeting takes place with Coin and the surviving victors. Coin has appointed herself interim President of Panem and says she'll call elections when the time is right, but the people are currently in no state to vote yet. Snow is to be executed, but Coin fears that this will not satisfy the need for vengeance among the citizens of Panem. She has an idea: she wants to have another Hunger Games, but with Capitol children. She asks the victors to vote on it. Peeta, Annie, and Beetee are strongly against the idea, but Johanna and two other victors are in favor. It's all up to Katniss and Haymitch. After demanding that she be allowed to execute Snow, which Coin agrees to, Katniss says 'yes' for Prim, although she becomes aware of Coin's motive. Haymitch, after looking at Katniss as though she's lost her mind, nonetheless says "I'm with the Mockingjay," meaning the vote goes in Coin's favor, 4 to 3. Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) dresses up Katniss for the execution, and Katniss pockets a Nightlock pill.Katniss marches alone into the arena, the large parade ground where the tributes used to be showcased, and where Snow is bound to a pole. President Coin (who is conveniently standing on a stage just beyond Snow) makes a speech before saying to Katniss, "May your aim be as true as your heart is pure." Katniss aims her arrow at Snow, who appears unfazed. Thinking of her last conversation with Snow and the meeting with Coin before the execution, Katniss realizes that Snow was telling the truth about Coin: she ordered the bombing of Capitol refugees that caused Prim's death. So rather than shooting Snow, Katniss turns her arrow and shoots Coin, killing her. The crowd is shocked as Coin tumbles to the ground, dead, while President Snow almost chokes from laughter. As the livid crowd charges towards the laughing Snow, Katniss tries to commit suicide by taking the pill, only for Peeta to smack it out of her hand. Katniss is dragged off and taken into custody as the crowd reaches Snow and they brutally beat him to death.Katniss is placed in a vacant, guarded room where Haymitch soon arrives and reads a letter written to her by Plutarch. Plutarch says that he regrets not meeting face to face, but in the light of what happened, it is better if he is not seen with her. He expresses his approval of what Katniss did. Nevertheless, she will be exiled for some time to her old District Twelve. He says the leaders of the districts are choosing an interim leader to replace Coin. It will probably be Commander Paylor, who will eventually pardon her for killing Coin. Plutarch says at the end: "We may mess up, but perhaps we may learn from our mistakes this time."Katniss is sent back by train to her home in the Victors Village in District Twelve, accompanied by Haymitch. After saying goodbye to Effie, Haymitch tells Effie not to be a stranger and kisses her.Back in Twelve, when Katniss enters her home, she sees Prim's cat Buttercup in the kitchen. She has an emotional meltdown over Prim, shouting at the cat that Prim is gone and never coming back. Then she hugs the cat and cries. She slowly builds herself up again by hunting. One day she finds Peeta planting primroses in her garden -- the flower her sister was named for. They hug and then after a montage of them living together, Peeta asks Katniss: "You love me. Real or not real?" Katniss answers: "Real."Several years later, Katniss and Peeta are married and have two children. Peeta is playing with the older child while Katniss peacefully holds the sleeping baby in the same field that opened the first Hunger Games film. The baby wakes up and fusses a little and Katniss asks, "did you have a nightmare?" She says someday she'll tell her children her story, and that nightmares are like a game played over and over again, and can feel tedious at times... "but there are worse games to play." | suspenseful, murder, anti war, violence, good versus evil, romantic, brainwashing, revenge, sci-fi | train | imdb | You can sense this in the film which does not have much of a plot, scenes that are purely filler and the story just crawls because the book that it is based on has been split into two which means more padding than a model wearing a Wonderbra.Panem is in chaos Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) plans to assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland.) Snow meanwhile wishes to spring a trap to finish off the rebels.
I haven't felt like this since listening to Jar Jar Binks.The first two Hunger Games movies prepare you for an epic battle between the rebels of District 13 against the Capitol, which could just as well be the Empire of Star Wars, led by an equally cunning president/emperor.However, instead of using all the lore that has been carefully built up, especially in Mockingjay Part 1, the producers/writer decided to keep the main cast as far away from action as possible.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) is a very slow paced film with 3 actual action scenes; most of the film looks as if it were filmed inside one location of green screens as the cast slowly moved from right to left for scenery alignment.
Thinking of the great arch of character and story encompassing the 3 books and 4 movies, this forth movie captures the book extremely well and is an amazing end to this exceptional series..
Somehow it makes this particular 'Hunger Games' even more interesting than I thought.Taking off directly from 'Mockingjay: Part 1', Katniss, now slightly damaged, and her team of rebels are still trying to end President Snow's tyrannical leadership and create a revolution.
Now that Snow has filled the Capitol with booby traps that resembles the actual Hunger Games, it is up to Katniss whether her nation can live in peace once and for all.It might sound like it is kind of an all-out-war type of movie with many thrilling obstacles to overcome.
Script writers Danny Strong and Peter Craig keeps the film sturdy and solid without going on to cheese and cliché, and that is true and faithful to the book.For someone who was expecting a great feeling leaving the theater, I got more than I've bargained for, and in the last scenes (which I won't spoil any of it) I didn't really realize that I'm crying.
Horrible acting, full of cliché lines, completely out of context, story-line, you name it...I try to understand fans, try to understand people that loved the books, but oh lord, how can someone rate this with more than average ( at best ) is beyond me.Add to it horrible cgi, LOL-what-did-just-happened moments, just a total mess...I tortured my self to watch it to the end, just to be able to see how much nonsense one can fit into a movie, and oh boy was i not disappointed.
Most endings to book made into movies are so horrible but Hunger Games Part 2 was not a disappointment to me.
The Hunger Games series has finally come to an end with the fourth and final film in the franchise and serves as a continuation of Mockingjay - Part 1.
Part 2 makes up for Part 1's lack of action by being the darkest, most violent and grittiest Hunger Games film, even with the standards set by the previous films and succeeds in ending the saga in a suitably epic fashion.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 ends one of the most exciting and relevant franchises today in a gripping, emotional and brutal way, and it might be the feel-bad movie of the year..
The book Mockingjay contains details that are important to the end of the story, so obviously you need two parts to explain it all.It was one of the best Hunger Games movies.
After seeing Jennifer Lawrence in the first movie, I was so taken with her magnificent portrayal of Katniss Everdeen, that I very deliberately decided i would not partake of the final novel in the trilogy, but would instead put all of my chips on the last two films.
Here's why.In "The Hunger Games:Mockingjay Part 2" , Katniss leads the thirteen districts of Panem in the rebellion against the Capitol, and where she aims to ultimately kill President Snow.I love how the characters are explored, with their good and bad sides.
With the final chapter of the series having finally hit theaters, The Hunger Games film franchise comes to a very satisfying conclusion that puts a very nice punctuation mark on this whole enterprise.Mockingjay - Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 left off and really doesn't let off the gas until the finale.
Thankfully, director Francis Lawrence and company managed to keep the spirit of the book in tact and surpass it with some truly phenomenal filmmaking craft.The Hunger Games books were already so cinematic in the way that they played out on the page, that the idea of adapting them into movies was a no-brainer, and Mockingjay - Part 2 accentuates why with ease.
Of course, a large part of that success stems back to the exceptional cast of these films.From Julianne Moore to a final screen performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Hunger Games movies have always been stuffed to the gills with great established actors.
The three stars all manage to round out the series with some of their finest work to date, allowing all of the many emotional gut punches that this film packs, really leave their mark.Now sitting here at the end of this whole thing, it really is astonishing to see how great The Hunger Games movies are as a whole.
With a number of films to its credit , "The Hunger Games : Mockingjay - Part 2" shows the best side of all the series and makes it the most superior manner.
Thanks to Gary Ross , Suzanne Collins and Francis Lawrence, the fearless story of rebellion , revenge , love and social order ( districts) between Katniss Everdeen and Coriolanus Snow, remain etched in the soul , heart and mind of each of the fans.You can not deny that thanks to the boom that caused The Hunger Games different sagas quite similar in the way of narrative , history and most linked to a social order which is then implemented by some tragic event for humanity were produced "The Maze Runner", "The Giver", "Divergent".
The first "The Hunger Games" disappointed in its development with respect to the book, for rampant deaths but as the saga arose its quality increased to the beautiful " Mockingjay — Part 2 ".Wisely, Lawrence has made her war in Capitol and also with other interpretations , and because this is pointed his bow at the prestigious awards Oscars.
This release has the best action sequences of the entire series, bringing us a lot of oil to a mine field with millions of traps with a single purpose "Kill Katniss" The road since the district until Snow's mansion is a perfect and dangerous journey that will slowly killing each of the characters , wounding our hearts more and more ( journey through the sewers).
It has each of the genres of the film world drama , action , adventure, science fiction, horror, suspense, thriller and even a little comedy but more importantly, the story unfolds to perfection leaving the name of The Hunger Games at the top.
The ending in the book was too abrupt, but it worked great as the final movie scene.
It is much better in all sorts of aspects, for example its "war time," the visual-effects are awesome and finally we get to see the Capitol and more of President Snow!Finally,if you feel dissatisfied with the previous film you truly need to let it go and watch this film that brings the franchise to its glorious end that contains action, great acting (especially Jennifer Lawrence's performance) and amazing visual effects.Ido Yam - 10/10.
Now, I'll conclude and write my review about a story that's better than Harry Potter and it's Hunger Games.This movie was awesome, and it's a good way to end the series.
Well...I can definitely say that wasn't the case, and the film was a sort of disappointment, but i have to say that it could be much worse if it wasn't for the humongous love i have for the first 3 installments, especially the first 2, and the epic amazing ensemble cast lead by the scene stealing, one in a million Jennifer Lawrence.
they speak on and on about the war plans but we don't get to see nothing of that, and even when there's an action scene here or there (theres like 3 in the entire film) the camera never gets away from katniss face for we actually see what is happening (i mean i get it, its Jennifer Lawrence, but for gods sake!).We also never get to see Snows side, and instead of making an interesting analysis of the two sides, we get to see Snow for like 2 minutes and then they sort of make that analysis in the end but in a very sublime way, so overall we never get to see whats really so bad about Snows dictatorship aside from the obvious things that we assume and get to know in talks, but would it be so hard to actually show what the heck is happening, it all feels like a biography of katniss and Katniss Face.
There's a huge twist that i really enjoyed, and in the end that leads to a huge, very smart take on what has happened and is happening in the real world, something that has tons of potential but once again is shown in a very sublime way, but thats the thing, the film has tons of potential on political analysis, on tons of themes discussions, the narrative could have gone in so many great directions it's astounding, but what gets to appear on scream is all in the underlines and so sublime if you blink you wont see it.
It is completely out of character for Katniss, and feels so forced, so out of place , its like they took an ending from another completely different film and attached it to this one.
The Hunger Games : Mockingjay -Part 2 is a very good film and a fine conclusion of the movie saga.
It contained plenty of action,emotion, and great acting it,.Jennifer Lawrence is amazing and you really feel for her throughout the movie.
As a fan of both the books and preceding movies I'm afraid to say the finale was just, dare I say, boring?I have never been a purist when it comes to adapting established works in film.
'THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2': Five Stars (Out of Five)The epic conclusion to the immensely popular sci-fi saga; based on the bestselling YA book series, of the same name, by Suzanne Collins.
The action sequences are quite good but not enough are thrown into what was supposed to be an all out war movie.This is the second best entry in The Hunger Games series, following Catching Fire.
Overall, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is the best movie out of the entire series, the best movie of 2015, and the best ending to an uplifting saga that no one will ever forget.
After the events of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1(2014), Katniss, Peeta Mellark(Josh Hutcherson), Gale Hawthorne(Liam Hemsworth), Finnick Odair(Sam Claflin), Boggs(Mahershala Ali), Cressida(Natalie Dormer) & the rest of the Rebels will have to take down President Snow(Donald Sutherland) & the evil Capitol, once & for all.
Director Francis Lawrence has given fans a perfect end to The Hunger Games movies.
It was very dense already - things happen quickly but there is still time for important dialogue.The music in these films is almost unreal because of how beautiful it is - and it still is astonishing in the last one.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 is dark and brutal, but it has hope, some amazing hope that after all that darkness makes everything better.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is a perfect ending to an amazing series.
Of course, with 3 Oscar winners in the cast, the acting was magnificent, and as expected, the talented Jennifer Lawrence , who plays Katniss Everdeen, makes this film so good.
It's a shame that the academy usually doesn't look at films like this for best actress or actor in a leading role, because Lawrence's performance in this movie is Oscar caliber.
What in my opinion started out as a problematic and messy franchise has progressively evolved in quality with every entry, culminating in this finale which I can confidently call one of the crowning jewels of contemporary multi million dollar filmaking and a lesson for all of us on many, many things all of which I will write down in this review.Now I will say up front that I have never even touched a book of the Hunger Games series so I cannot comment on anything regarding adaptation or the decision of splitting the last one in two.
No matter if you read the books or not, I would even say no matter if you've seen the other films: this is a movie which justifies to itself every scene thanks to great work by all the talented people involved..
Sticks true to the book while providing brilliantly carried out action scenes, good special effects, and several highly emotional moments.100% better than Mockingjay part I and at least as good as or better than the first 2 movies.Katniss truly comes across as a heroine and advocate for freedom, for me the first time I could fully embrace her character.
With so many real-life and character-related goodbyes involved with the ending of this series of movies, having a strong final film to enjoy would likely soften the blow.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the Hunger Games victor turned reluctant warrior has given way to a darker and more worldly (and world-weary) young woman who is anxious for an end to Panem's civil war – and obsessed with getting her revenge on the man whom she blames for it all – President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland).
This movie hits right home with this theme in a way that democratic and luxurious societies won't understand or enjoy.Mockingjay pt2 delivers a suspenseful and emotional ride as Katniss and the other rebels set out on a mission to kill the ruthless president Snow.
In short, it's a analogous to the fisheye lens.In this final chapter of the Hunger Games film series (the last book broken up into two installments), the rebels are close to taking over District 1, the capitol of Panem.
It was a surprise as usually when you cut a movie/book into two parts, the first part usually is slow and dull (as still building up the background), and Pt2 you have this big finale and take you to the climax at the end (like Harry Potter 7).
Over the last four years, this franchise has evolved substantially from a more typical teen dystopian action movie in The Hunger Games, to a dark and intriguing political thriller in Catching Fire and Mockingjay – Part 1, before ending in this chapter as a full-blown war movie, complete with some of the most astonishing action and tension in recent years, ending the series on a brilliantly high note.There are few other movie series around nowadays that have the incredible intelligence of this one, and that makes it uniquely thrilling, and as it reaches its climax, it's a euphoric and exhilarating film to watch.The film throws you right in with the drama and action that many felt the previous edition was missing.
The screenplay (and the book it's based on) is so fantastically written, with such brilliant attention to detail that makes it a war film that is completely and utterly convincing every step of the way, and the story remains totally unpredictable right up to the thrilling finale, and although the final ending is a little long-winded (similar to Return Of The King), it's still an astonishing watch.Overall, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is an astonishing finale to this series, not just because of its thrilling action, but its ability to tell an intelligent, convincing, tense and very dramatic story that you just don't get to see on a regular basis..
The movie follows exactly where "MockingJay" part 1 left off, Katniss Everdeen is out to put an end to this war President Snow has started once an for all.
Although still not be released will be very convinced that this last part will be fantastic and memorable, where the first gave yourself as a volunteer to protect your sister , to deliver everything in the Hunger Games to survive, when you showed courage for the things Snow that has made against you , because you supported your friends , do feel the incredible book adaptation Collins has become an unforgettable adventure.I want to congratulate Jennifer Lawrence by this magnificent role of Katniss , where I play an actress of world class and one of the heavyweights of Hollywood , which never ceases to amaze with its distinctive and unbeatable talent, I also congratulate Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth , Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks, and even Phiip Seymour Hoffman who is in heaven , and at least congratulate Donald Sutherland for the role of villain hated by fans of the saga, and i commend especially the director Francis Lawrence and his team for what he has shown us in this amazing story .Katniss, Thank you Forever!.
Three-and-a-half years and four movies later, "The Hunger Games" franchise has finally reached its end.
And just like the The Hobbit should have been one film, definitely not three, Mockingjay should have been one great movie.
Just watched this, the final installment of The Hunger Games movies based on the books of Suzanne Collins, with my movie theatre working-friend who had seen this before and liked it. |
tt0430105 | Four Brothers | On a cold, snowy night in Detroit, an El Camino car follows another around town. The car that the Camino is following parks and the driver gets out and walks into a convenience store. The driver is Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan), a good-natured, elderly woman. She catches a young boy named Darnell (Tahliel Hawthorne) stealing a candy bar and reprimands him before telling the cashier, Samir (Pablo Silveira), to call the police. We see that Evelyn is bluffing but she uses her threat to talk sense in Darnell who promises to never steal again before he leaves the store. Evelyn admits to Samir that Darnell just needs an older brother as she walks to the rear of the store to pick out a Thanksgiving turkey. The El Camino occupants (Richard Chevolleau and Awaovieyi Agie) get out of the car and enter the store, clad in black hoods and wielding shotguns. They demand money from Samir as Evelyn hides behind a counter. She listens as Samir hands over the money before they shoot him dead and gasps, a sound that the hoodlums hear. Outside the store, a second gunshot is heard before the robbers leave the store and take off.Bobby Mercer (Mark Wahlberg) drives back into Detroit after an absence to attend his adopted mother, Evelyn's, funeral. He greets his brothers Jeremiah (André Benjamin) and Jack (Garrett Hedlund) who gives an emotional eulogy on how Evelyn taught him that he didn't have to be afraid anymore and what it meant to be part of a family. Everyone goes to Jeremiah's house later for reception where Lt. Green (Terrence Howard) briefs his partner, Fowler (Josh Charles), on the Mercer brothers before joining. All wards of the state, the four brothers, currently minus Angel ([linknm0879085]), were raised and adopted by Evelyn herself after she failed to find them appropriate homes elsewhere. Bobby, the oldest brother, holds a reputation as a heavy weight, getting kicked out of hockey after multiple offenses. Jack is the youngest and a "first class fuck-up, third class rock star". Jeremiah is the only brother to move on from his past, a successful businessman with a wife and kids. Green grew up with the brothers, often playing hockey with Bobby, and is on good terms with them despite their reputations as trouble-makers. He admits surprise at seeing Bobby in town but pays his respects for Evelyn.Bobby and Jack introduce themselves as uncles to Jeremiah's two daughters, Daniela and Amelia (Riele Downs and Riele Downs), and tell them that, though they don't look like Jeremiah, they are still brothers. Jeremiah's wife Camille (Taraji P. Henson) expresses concern with him about Bobby's presence and doesn't like the idea of having him stay at their house. Green speaks to Bobby and tells him that they are investigating Evelyn's murder, informing him that they are speaking to a basketball player who witnessed two men running out of the convenience store the night she was shot. Fowler treats the issue with indifference, inciting Bobby to request that the officers leave.The three brothers drive to the old Mercer home where Bobby and Jack will be staying. They find Angel waiting for them on the porch, evidently having just returned from the Marines, and berate him for missing the funeral. They enter the house and the weight of the situation starts to hit home; their mother is not there and will not come back. Bobby informs Angel and Jack that they are to stay in their old rooms while he sets up in Evelyn's room. There, he is overwhelmed and breaks down in the bathroom. He washes up and comforts Jack in his room, crying silently as he fiddles with his guitar. Jeremiah announces that he's going out to get a turkey, saying that they should still celebrate Thanksgiving despite everything. As he leaves, Angel expresses the wish to get some air but Bobby reads him like a book: he tells Angel not to mess with the sassy girlfriend he used to have who now has a new boyfriend. Despite Angel's assurances that he won't go, we next see him running half naked through the snow with her as they escape her apartment, her boyfriend (Jay Hunter) chasing after them in his car, firing shots into the night. Angel and his girlfriend, Sofi (Sofía Vergara), make it back to the Mercer home.Bobby makes fun of Angel for bringing Sofi back and tells him that he doesn't want her there, despite Angel's protests that he really cares for her. This only encourages Bobby to make fun again. Angel starts tossing things around the room out of bitterness and to get a rise out of Jeremiah who is trying to watch a football game. This leads to the two of them rough-housing while Bobby cheers them on until Jeremiah manages to tackle Angel to the ground and pins him. Later, they all sit down to eat together. Bobby leads them in saying grace and they silently start to serve themselves and eat, all aware of the empty seat at the head of the table. Jeremiah imagines seeing Evelyn there and she reprimands him for eating with his mouth open. He corrects himself and relates this advice to Angel before looking down at his food again. Angel imagines that he sees Evelyn, asking about his tattoos before showing one of her own, a rose. Angel smiles before he hears her reminding him to keep his elbows off the table. Jack, visibly having the hardest time dealing with Evelyn's absence, imagines her assuring him that, despite all the bad things that happened to him, he is safe now.Bobby is the last to look up but notices nothing but Evelyn's empty seat. However, he becomes distressed and stops eating before proposing that they play The Turkey Cup, their traditional hockey game. They go out and enjoy the cold night air and festivities before heading to a bar, drinking in memory of Evelyn. Jack becomes drunk but the others are clear-headed enough to further discuss Evelyn's murder. They agree that the police won't get far, though Jeremiah asserts that they should leave the investigation to them. The bartender (Conrad Bergschneider) comes over and gives his condolences before informing the brothers that he heard the shooting was gang related. Bobby demands to know more but Jeremiah becomes irritated and leaves to go home, refusing to 'get shot up' with his brothers. With some new information from the bartender, Bobby takes Angel and Jack to the car where they arm themselves with some light weaponry (Jack getting stiffed with a crowbar) and head out to an old gang hideout where a party is taking place. Following the bartender's lead, they crash the party, firing a few rounds into the air to scatter the revelers. They confront the gang leader (Mpho Koaho) and douse him in gasoline, demanding answers about Evelyn's death. Jack casually lights a cigarette as the leader babbles that he had nothing to do with the shooting but does say that the basketball-playing witness the cops interviewed was lying. He backs up this statement by saying that the witness saw the shooters leave at 11 but the basketball court lights go off at 10.Bobby takes the gang leader out to the very court near the convenience store where, just as he said, the court lights shut off at 10 pm. They allow the gang leader to leave as they wonder why the witness would lie. They return to the house and discuss their findings with Jeremiah while Bobby takes time to make fun of Sofi. Angel, however, is not amused.The next day, the brothers go to meet with Evelyn's lawyer, Robert Bradford (Kenneth Welsh), where he reads her will and presents a box to be left for the brothers. He says that Evelyn left quite an impression on him and leaves the brothers alone to divide her belongings. Jack and Jeremiah find their birth certificates which details where they were born and whom to. Bobby finds an envelope full of money and splits it between himself, Jeremiah, and Angel, leaving Jack with a piece of jewelry, joking that it will look good on him. Jeremiah takes the brothers to an abandoned parking complex which he reveals as his latest project to refurbish and make some money off of, stating that the money to start the project shouldn't be an issue. They then go to the convenience store where Evelyn was shot and request to view any security cameras that were recording that night. They watch apprehensively as the shooters enter the store and Evelyn takes cover. When the shooters discover her, they hold her at gunpoint and pause while she speaks to them. Bobby notes that none of what happens makes sense; the shooters have their money and there is no reason to kill Evelyn. They turn their heads away as Evelyn is shot down. They ask the new owner if he knows who the witness was who spoke to the police. The man does not know a name, but describes him to the brothers and says that he plays basketball at a nearby community center. Bobby leads his brothers to their next destination, pissed knowing that their mother was set up and that her murder was not random.They arrive at the community center where a crowd is watching a basketball game. The brothers interrupt the game, brandishing guns and describe the witness to everyone, demanding to know where he is. Jack notices a kid nervously leave the auditorium and follows him into the hall where he chases him to the end. Angel tackles the kid and they collect Bobby and Jeremiah. They interrogate the kid, named Keenon (Kevin Duhaney), and ask him why he ran. Keenon admits that the man they're looking for is his brother. Bobby tells Keenon that the three guys behind him are 'his' brothers and all they want from Keenon's is to talk to him. Keenon looks at the four suspiciously despite Bobby's assertion that they are his real brothers but admits that his brother is named Damian (Lyriq Bent) and tells them where he lives.The brothers wait outside Damian's apartment before Jeremiah says he has to bail to take his daughters to dance practice. The others make fun of him and snidely remark that he doesn't want to find out who killed their mother. After he leaves, Jack notices Damian by his described 'big hair' and the brothers get out of the car. When Bobby pulls out his gun, Damian gets spooked and runs inside, getting into the elevator before the brothers can grab him. Bobby and Angel run up the stairs while Jack waits to see what floor the elevator stops at. He yells up the staircase that Damian's on level 6 and Bobby runs ahead to catch up. However, as Damian runs into his apartment, he sends his two rottweilers out which attack Bobby. He fires his gun at them, missing, and suffers bites to his arm and leg. Angel uses a fire extinguisher to repel the dogs and they follow Damian into his apartment. They find that he's taken a rope and rappelled out the window, halfway down the side of the building. Bobby shouts down that they only want to talk but Damian unpockets his gun and fires up at them. Fed up, Bobby cuts the rope, sending Damian crashing to the ground.The three walk calmly outside and find Damian in agonizing pain on the ground. His leg is broken and he can't move. Bobby threatens to leave him there to die unless he gives them information. Damian admits that he was paid off to lie to the police but refuses to tell who the shooters were. Bobby bluffs leaving and Damian cracks, giving the identities of the shooters. Bobby, Angel, and Jack follow his lead to a bar where Jack points out one of the shooters, described with a goatee. Seeing that they're noticed and suspicious, the shooters pull their guns and fire at the brothers before running out of the bar and getting into their El Camino. The brothers run to Bobby's car and give chase through the streets as it begins to snow. Bobby's car takes a beating, skidding on the slick streets and suffering bullet fire from the shooters. However, he manages to maneuver the car to collide it with the Camino, sending it tumbling to a halt. Bobby and Angel get out of the car and tell Jack to stay behind while they confront the shooters. They don't give them the chance to speak, angrily pulling them out of the wreckage and beating them before shooting them dead. Jack watches in shock before Bobby and Angel pull him away and leave together.Green and Fowler investigate the scene the very next morning, concluding the fact that the two men were murdered with purpose. They suspect the Mercers. Back at the house, Sofi is attempting to bandage Bobby's dog bites as Green and Fowler come knocking. Bobby quickly dons a (very effeminate) robe to hide his wounds and Jack answers the door. When Green questions the brothers on their activities, Bobby plays dumb, even when Green presses that it's curious that Evelyn's killers turn up dead execution style. Angel asks how two robbers would turn into contract killers before Green notices blood trickling from Bobby's arm. Bobby defends that he was just playing hockey as Fowler produces an evidence bag with a sample of hair they claim is Bobby's. Bobby laughs it off, saying that's the oldest trick in the book and Angel pokes fun at Fowler, nearly instigating a brawl. Fowler warns the brothers to tread lightly before he and Green leave.Later, Bobby takes Jack with him to have a closer look at Damian's apartment, leaving Angel with a very irritated Sofi. However, when she orders him in the other room, he finds her sitting on top of the washing machine, set to spin. As they get intimate, they are interrupted by a knock at the door. Angel answers it to see an insurance agent (Greg Ellwand) who is delivering news regarding a claim that Jeremiah is to collect. Angel forces Sofi out on the porch while he speaks to the man who reveals that Jeremiah is actually bankrupt and is receiving $400,000 from Evelyn's death.At Damian's apartment, Bobby and Jack discover a cache of guns beneath the mattress. They collect them in a large bag and Jack finds a digital camera that might be useful. They return home where Bobby unloads the guns, wondering how Damian could have gotten them, while Jack looks through the camera. He is shocked to find that the shooters were following Evelyn, taking pictures of her. Jeremiah and Angel walk into the room. Angel throws Jeremiah a suspicious glance as they all see a picture of Evelyn with her lawyer, Mr. Bradford, the day she died. This prompts curiosity, since Bradford said he only met with Evelyn once, and they decide to investigate him next.Meanwhile, at a fancy restaurant downtown, a gang is eating dinner together, including members Charlie (Tony Nappo), Evan (Jernard Burks) and his wife (Stefanie Samuels). Their leader, Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor) walks in, clearly irritated. He angrily exclaims that he had asked for out-of-town shooters, not the in-town shooters who are now dead. There would not have been any problems, no investigations, no heat on his back, if the shooters had been from out of town. He quips that you pay out-of-town shooters to go back to where they came from. Evan eats a little while Sweet is talking and this angers Sweet. He empties the plate onto the floor and demands that, if Evan's hungry, he should eat and orders him to eat the food off the floor like a dog. When Evan's wife protests, Sweet demands that she join her husband.That evening, the brothers break into Bradford's home to search for clues. Jack logs onto Bradford's computer and sees in his daily planner that he met up with Evelyn many times. Sofi unexpectedly shows up at the house and honks her car horn, shouting that a robbery is taking place. Bobby yells at Angel to get a leash on her until Bradford arrives home. Bobby confronts him and pushes him in the snow, demanding to know why he would lie to them about Evelyn. Bradford admits that he was romantically involved with Evelyn and they wanted to keep their relationship a secret. Bobby apologizes for roughing him up, assuring Bradford that they only want to find out who killed her, and the brothers leave.The next day, Angel follows Jeremiah around town and watches as he goes into a bank with his check for four hundred grand. Looking further into Jeremiah's financial troubles, he finds that Councilman Douglas (Barry Shabaka Henley) was responsible for closing down Jeremiah's project. He relays this information to Bobby and Jack who decide to follow up on the councilman while Angel continues to follow Jeremiah. Bobby and Jack meet up with Douglas in a parking garage as he is walking to his car, though Douglas dismisses their request to talk to him. As he enters his car, he finds that the seats are drenched in gas. Bobby pours more gasoline over the car as Jack lights his cigarette and yells that he wants to know why Jeremiah's business was shut down and who Douglas answers to. Douglas rolls down his window and gives them a name: Victor Sweet.They leave the councilman and meet Angel in a bowling alley. It turns out Victor Sweet started out small-time a few years back but now pretty much runs Detroit. He has connections in congress, the police department, everywhere. When Bobby asks why they had to meet in a bowling alley, Angel directs them to a few lanes over where Evan is accepting a yellow envelope from Jeremiah. When Jeremiah leaves, the brothers move in and inquire about the envelope. Later, in the car, Bobby sits with tears rolling down his eyes. The envelope had contained a wad of cash. Angel keeps Bobby from acting out as he calls Jeremiah at home and requests to see him the next day. Meanwhile, Douglas goes to the home of Victor Sweet who is playing cards with Evan, Charlie, and other goons. Sweet congratulates Charlie on becoming engaged and offers to show his fiance some useful tricks in bed. Douglas informs Sweet that the Mercer brothers approached him that day. Sweet asks if Douglas gave his name, which Douglas denies, but Sweet sees past the lie. He sends Douglas to the kiddie table where one of the children asks if he's in trouble. Sweet dismisses the women and children and stands loomingly over Douglas before asking for a pistol.At the police station, Green reviews surveillance tapes from the station, following up on something Bradford had mentioned to him when going over his statements, something about a police report filed that Green was initially unaware of. His suspicions are confirmed when he sees that Evelyn stopped by the precinct before she died. What he eventually finds surprises him; Evelyn was greeted by Fowler upon entering the station and he evidently spoke with her for an hour before she left. Fowler made no previous statement that this ever happened.Jeremiah arrives at the Mercer house the next morning and asks his brothers what they found out. Bobby pushes him to the floor and he and Angel tell him that they know about his financial problems and that he is the reason their mom is dead. Jack watches from the sofa as Jeremiah denies everything. He says that the claim he received was an amount that Evelyn put in for his daughters. He fights back, getting off the floor and punching Angel, yelling at him and Bobby for leaving home and leaving him to pay for their mother's bills. Jeremiah wanted to stay legitimate in his business and turned Sweet down when he offered to be a partner in his project. Sweet then pulled strings, making it impossible for Jeremiah to get financial aid. Evelyn tried to help him and this is why he thinks she was killed. As they continue talking, Jack gets up to answer the doorbell. He opens the door to see someone walk away, flipping him the finger and calling his mother a whore before throwing a snowball at him. Jack chases after the assailant, who suddenly turns in the street, shown to be wearing an ominous hockey mask, and shoots Jack in the chest. Jack collapses as Bobby, realizing that Jack is gone, runs out and returns fire with a shotgun. A van pulls up and more hooded men emerge with automatic weapons. They spray the house with gunfire, forcing Bobby back inside, and riddle Jack with more bullets. He crawls to a telephone pole and screams for Bobby.Angel and Bobby use the weapons taken from Damian's apartment to return fire as the bombardment continues resulting in the deaths of more gunmen. Jeremiah retreats to the kitchen as another attacker enters from the back door. Jeremiah stabs this man to death before dropping his knife in horror and leaving, thinking of his family. As Jack cries on the side of the street, Angel runs upstairs to get a better angle on the shooters before they momentarily run out of ammo. Bobby takes this opportunity and throws a brick at one of the men before tackling him. Angel runs downstairs again as the driver of the van goes into reverse and begins to back up into Bobby. Just before he can hit him, Jeremiah rams the van with his own car. They all run over to Jack who begins to choke on blood. Bobby cries, telling Jack to breathe, but Jack struggles and groans one last time before dying. Bobby takes his gun and opens the driver-side door of the van where the driver is moaning in pain. Bobby points the gun at him and demands to know whether Victor Sweet ordered the hit. The gunman nods and when Bobby lowers his gun, mutters 'thank God'."Thank God? You killed my mother and my brother. Thank Victor Sweet," Bobby says before aiming the gun at the driver and pulling the trigger.The police arrive and Green approaches the brothers, sullen over Jack's death. Bobby becomes angry but Green tells him he has his own problems and is dealing with a dirty cop within his department. Angel asks if it's Fowler, but Green won't openly admit it. He apologizes for Jack's death before leaving, making mention that no charges will be filed against the brothers since they acted in self defense.Green goes to a local bar where Fowler is playing pool. Green confronts Fowler about failing to mention that he'd met with Evelyn but Fowler simply states that he didn't think it was that important. He apologizes when Green says he should have been told regardless and hands him a pool cue to take a shot. Green takes a swing with it and knocks Fowler's legs out from under him, telling him he can't stand dirty cops before removing his gun and badge. Green exits the bar out of the back where his car is parked and Fowler follows him, saying that he forgot to mention one thing. He takes a hidden gun out and shoots Green in the chest, then again multiple times, killing him. He wipes down the gun and tosses it into the alley. He then takes Green's gun and places a call on the car radio for police backup, officer down, as he fires random shots into the air.Both Green and Jack are buried and the brothers return home, unsure of what to do. They know that Fowler was involved in getting Evelyn killed and they reason that Evelyn had tried to file a police report against Sweet for complicating Jeremiah's business. Fowler interjected and, since he works with Sweet, got rid of the file and alerted Sweet who ordered the hit on Evelyn. Bobby discusses killing Fowler but Angel disagrees, saying that a lot of heat would come down on them for killing a cop and they already have a contract out for their lives from Sweet. Jeremiah suddenly comes up with a plan.Jeremiah sends his family away for a few days and Camille makes Bobby promise that nothing will happen to him. Then he goes to Evan's house to propose his plan, knowing he can trust him since they were in a union together. The offer on the table is $400,000 paid to Sweet to remove the hit on their heads. He returns home to tell Bobby and Angel that Sweet took the hook and is planning to meet that very afteroon. This doesn't offer Bobby and Angel much time, but it is agreed that Jeremiah will leave to meet Sweet with the money while Bobby follows. Angel will make sure that Fowler is kept occupied.Angel heads over to Fowler's house immediately and uses a kid (Mathew Peart) practicing baseball to falsely sell candy bars at Fowler's front door while Angel sneaks in the back. Angel takes Fowler by surprise and puts a plastic bag over his head, wrapping it with a belt. He calls Bobby, giving the signal that allows Jeremiah to leave with the money. Fowler manages to tear at the bag at the last moment and is held at gunpoint by Angel. Meanwhile, Sofi arrives at the police station to confess that Angel was talking about killing a cop. This incites a squad to head out to Fowler's house where they set up a perimeter. Fowler revels at the sound of sirens and tells Angel that he's finished. Angel disagrees, stating that he knows Fowler killed his partner. Fowler admits to the crime and says that he could kill the entire police department if Angel was the only witness; no one would believe a Mercer over him. Angel chuckles and reveals that he has a hidden wire on him feeding their entire conversation to a surveillance unit outside. Though this is a bluff, Fowler takes the bait and turns the tables on Angel, bringing him outside as his hostage instead. This confuses the police stationed in front of the house and, when Fowler fires shots at them, they return fire, incapacitating and killing him.Meanwhile, Jeremiah rides with Evan and Charlie to the meeting spot in the middle of a frozen lake. In the distance, he sees Sweet's goons using chainsaws to cut large holes through the ice. Sweet arrives moments later, half surprised to see Jeremiah there. Jeremiah hands over the money and reiterates the terms, that Sweet will lay off him and his brothers, especially seeing as burying a mother and a brother is payment enough. Jeremiah then tells Sweet that he and his brothers came up with a new plan, that the money given to Sweet will be distributed to his mistreated goons instead. Gravely insulted, Sweet orders Evan to hand over a pistol but Evan refuses, reminding Sweet that he was in the union a long time and never missed a meeting. When Sweet threatens that he told Fowler about the meeting, Jeremiah reveals that he won't be coming. Sweet faces off against his goons, asking which one will be man enough to take him down, before he sees a figure walking across the ice towards them. It's Bobby, walking tall and with vengeance in his eyes.Sweet begins to laugh as they remove their coats and begin to fight. Jeremiah and Sweet's goons egg them on as Sweet and Bobby beat each other. Finally, Bobby gets the upper hand and deals a severe blow under Sweet's chin, knocking him out. He tells the others to dump him in the hole. The goons drag Sweet to the edge of the hole in the ice and toss his limp body in the freezing water as Jeremiah and Bobby leave. Jeremiah asks if the cops will give them much flack but Bobby isn't worried, saying that the police love the Mercers.The three brothers are subjected to beatings in their own interrogation rooms as the cops demand to know how it went down with Fowler and what happened to Victor Sweet. The brothers refuse to talk, joking with the cops that all they did the previous night was bed their wives. This does nothing but bring on more severe beatings but the brothers are eventually released, to the relief of Camille and Sofi.By Christmas time, the brothers work hard to bring the Mercer home, still riddled in bullet holes, to its former glory, fixing windows and doorways. Sofi and Camille bring everyone inside for food as Bobby finishes sawing some wood planking. A street hockey puck hits his leg and he returns it to the kids who had been playing behind him. One asks if Evelyn is coming back, to which Bobby says 'no'. He tells them to enjoy their game as he turns to go into the house. Sitting on the front steps, he sees Evelyn crocheting and smiling before she tells Bobby that it's good to see him again. She asks if he will stick around for a while and Bobby smiles and says, "Thinkin' about it, ma. Thinkin' about it." She smiles back at him. Bobby turns his head for one moment and, when he looks back, she is gone. Having made peace, Bobby goes inside to join his family. | comedy, neo noir, murder, violence, cult, humor, revenge | train | imdb | If you had ever told me that I would end up really liking a movie starring Marky Mark from the Funky Bunch and the lead singer of Outkast (the perpetrators of one of the most annoying songs in recent history - Hey Ya) then I would've laughed right in your face.
Wrongs have to be made right, and the brothers decide they're the ones that have to make it right.This is one of those movies that I figured I'd somewhat enjoy, but I walked out of the theater thinking, "Man, I didn't expect it to be THAT good!" It's rare that I find such a diamond in the rough, so I savor it as if I'm Rob Schneider at a stupid movie convention.One reason I had my doubts going in was I feared it might be drowned in loud, annoying hip-hop stylings.
Instead, we're surrounded by a world of crooked cops, bad guys who wear man-furs, surprisingly good acting, believable chemistry, a couple of subtle twists, and a really cool car chase on ice.
I'm drawn to movies whose trailers inspire a visceral reaction...This one's is so clichéd...Poor old Mom gets whacked and her adopted sons go after the crooks...Still, the action in the trailer inspired me...gave me that feeling of wanting to see the bad guys get it, and after seeing the film, I can say I was not disappointed.
I think that he is a reasonable actor and has potential beyond the action movies in which we've become accustomed to seeing him.The plot is quite simple: adoptive mother of four and town saint gets killed by thugs.
I loved the Motown music played throughout the film which was very apropos for the setting.Even though the acting was first-rate throughout, I especially liked the performances given by Josh Charles as Detective Fowler and by Garrett Hedlund as Jack Mercer.
It is the new John Singleton movie Four Brothers, and what a good one it is.Four Brothers is about four adopted degenerates whose mom is murdered and they come back to their old camping ground to, one bury her, and the other, to look for her killers and bury them as well.
It starts out fantastic, then loses a little steam, and at the end comes together perfectly to have you talking about it at the water cooler the next day.Mark Walbergh, Garrett Hedlund, Andre 3000, and Tyrese Gibson play the four brothers and do a fantastic job as playing the delinquents.
I've always loved revenge movies, and this one fits the bill because it has four brothers trying to find out the truth of their mother's murder.
OK, I'm a girl who normally loves "chick flicks" and comedies, so when I had nothing to do this evening and decided to go see a movie with my parents, (I thought they were seeing "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalo"...but alas I was incorrect.) and discovered we were going to see "Four Brothers", I was a little upset.
It takes a lot to get emotion out of me in a movie, I'm talking the beginning of Saving Private Ryan a lot, so I unfortunately didn't feel as much as some of the other people in the theater, but you know something is right when people cheer when the main characters kill bad guys and yell "NO!" when things don't go right.
Like mentioned before, the chemistry between the brothers was great, but there were many simple one-liners and Mark Wahlberg seems to play the same character way too often.
Not really acting so much as reading lines in a tough way.While this isn't the #1 movie of the year it definitely met my expectations and is a very, very good summer action flick of not more..
It's also not a brilliant piece of film making.The characters were so stereotypical and predictable (cookie-cutter gangster, generic tough guys with hearts of gold, good cop, bad cop, crooked politician, kind old lady, fiery Latina, etc...), it was hard to develop much serious interest in any of them.
Well, if you do have high expectations, you better lower them, because "Four Brothers" is not a deep and involving picture but is really more of a straight-forward action flick with a few sly one-liners thrown in for good measure.There's not a single wince of brain activity throughout it, though the four "brothers" of the title (Mark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin, Tyrese Gibson, Garrett Hedlund), explained by one character as being "total f**k-ups," do express a convincing degree of unity in that you actually believe they're related through their deceased, adopted mother Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan).Wahlberg is Bobby Mercer, the courageous tough-talking eldest brother and the one with a chip on his shoulder.
It shouldn't be any surprise that they find their mother had been inadvertently drawn into the middle of some big insurance scheme or something along those lines (it's not really all that well explained), so the brothers look to settle the score with anyone - everyone.As directed by John Singleton (whose outstanding landmark 1991 debut "Boyz N the Hood" remains the pinnacle of his career), "Four Brothers" is loud, dumb, and violent.
The plot does a little more than resemble "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965), which I haven't seen, but I doubt it was as lacking in intelligence as "Four Brothers."However, the movie should be praised because it is strangely appealing (the totally PC leads notwithstanding), and the action is fast and furious, culminating in an impossible car chase through the ice-slicked Detroit streets during a snowstorm.
And Singleton shows he hasn't completely lost my respect in that he's a good director during these scenes and succeeds in creating a believable atmosphere of unity amongst the four brothers.I expect this movie to be a success, since it's the last week of the summer and the August season of blockbusters has passed.
This film deals with four brothers (Mark Wahlberg , Andre Benjamin, Garret Hedlund and Tyrese Gibson) .
Cool performances by Mark Wahlberg as tough and hard-edged brother and Terence Howard as good police inspector, among them .
He's a nice director , his first movies were quite thoughtful and brooding (Boyz in the Hood , Poetic justice , Higher learning), but today he usually makes intelligent action films (Fast and Furious 2 , Baby boy , Shaft).
Now as i find, this movie has so many holes in its plot, one might assume the script got shot during one of the action scenes.
not to mention the unreflected use of violence against ANYBODY with a big smile on the face which makes the major premise of the film that the old lady did a good job raising problematic boys and changing their life to the better, a big fat lie.
This is not the case with some of the really bad action movies, especially the ones that contain some decent action but besides from that are completely worthless.This is the case with Four brothers, the story makes no sense, and the acting is very poor.
In the same way that the titular 'four brothers' of this movie demand justice and attempt to bring down the bad guys, so I demand justice and attempt to bring down the ridiculously high rating (6.8) that this corny revenge actioner currently enjoys on IMDb.Mark Wahlberg turns in yet another dreadful performance as Bobby Mercer, one of four delinquents adopted by a saintly old woman.
Cue car chases, shootouts and punch-ups.What could have been a gritty tale of revenge is spoilt by ham-fisted direction from John Singleton, some awful performances and a terrible script loaded with stereotypes and clichés.There are so many reasons to hate this film, but if I have to choose the one that nailed it for me, it has to be the spectre of dear old Mom present at the Thanksgiving dinner.
I could rant on all day about weak characters, self indulgent over the top scenes with bad acting but I wont, I'll just say this -The dinner sequence - Obviously those who are rating this Richard III highly were at the toilet or buying hot dogs when this scene played in its 5 minute granulocytic entirety.If you rate this higher than a 4 (and thats being kind) you should have your eyes plucked out with a red hot spoon no wait I think thats quite an appealing alternative...Ill take the eye pluck you just keep watching Four Brothers.
In one scene (the brothers are looking for people who have information about their mothers death), Mark Whalberg busts into a crowded high-school basketball gym, throwing his gun around and screaming like a maniac.
When she is killed in a convenience store robbery, the quartet launches into action, seeking revenge against the perpetrators and becoming slowly convinced, through their investigation in the neighborhood, that the killing might not have been as random in nature as they had been initially led to believe.The main weakness of this film is that it gives us virtually no reason to care about any of the characters.
By not showing us any scenes between the boys and their foster mother (except for one embarrassingly bad Thanksgiving dinner fantasy sequence that looks as if it were conceived by a first-year film student), we are forced to take their relationship totally on faith, rendering the boys' thirst for revenge arbitrary at worst and academic at best.The acting is uniformly flat, with the characters little more than wafer-thin stereotypes, and even the action scenes come across as surprisingly mundane and second-rate given the Singleton pedigree in this area.
The boys' running around from venue to venue in their Detroit neighborhood, brandishing guns in full view of the populace and screaming for information about their mother's killer, is ludicrous on the face of it and often reduces the film to the level of cheap low comedy burlesque.With nary a single moment that rings believable or true, "Four Brothers" is by-the-book film-making from a director who has proved that he has the wherewithal and talent to do so much more..
Even the action sequences are below standard, and only surprising because they are so nonsensical.I wanted to like this one, but there's just too much frustration in the viewing, and I'll have to think twice before checking out Singleton's next film; this one is just plain bad.
I think you can do a lot better at the movies this weekend, and I hope you choose to spend you 10 dollars elsewhere!Mark Wahlberg was bland and unbelievable, Andre (3000) Benjamin was even worse, and the other 2 actors were barely even blips on the radar.
Sadly, I think John Singleton had one movie in him.It's a good thing that Bobby Mercer (Mark Wahlberg) commented on the poor police work in Detroit in the beginning of the movie.
obviously Singleton believes that a lot of stupid people are going to watch this film so that he needs his characters to ham-handedly spell out the plot twists.
If Singleton was going to go out of his way to make Detroit a part of the movie, the least he could do is lead us to believe that the characters might actually be from Detroit.I also found it amusing (not in a good way) when Angel (Tyrese Gibson) calls Jeremiah "white boy" in a derogatory tone.
Set aside the horrible dialogue and super thin plot along with bad script supervising and you've still got a bunch of scenes and one liners that a bunch of twenty three year old's that like Schwarzenegger movies would think was cool.
And for a cold tale of revenge like this, they're too jokey and light-hearted about it all, constantly blurting out wise-cracks and getting into silly situations, unbalancing the tone of the film unacceptably.As for the cast, as the leading brother, Mark Wahlberg is on fairly good form, doing some funny impressions in his light-hearted scenes, fairly moving in the film's more emotional ones, and Tyrese Gibson is in fare a notch above 2 Fast 2 Furious and there's pretty good support from Garrett Hedlund and Andre Benjamin (even if, altogether, they kept reminding me weirdly of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with the old lady as Splinter.) Early on, director John Singleton seems to be aiming for some kind of art house feel as Wahlberg drives to the funeral, but he ditches this pretty early on and we're left with the film we have.But above all, I just couldn't get over what an incredibly boring experience I found the film to be, with large segments just dragging by and failing to engage, not to mention the plot being a little too complicated for a film of it's kind.
FOUR BROTHERS (2005) ** Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Howard, Josh Charles, Sofia Vergara, Fionnula Flanagan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taraji P.
hey, i know how excited everyone is about seeing a new 'Mark Wahlberg' movie, but i have to say that this wasn't worth my time.
it was set in a great city (detroit) and there were good actors but the 'brotherhood' storyline seemed to get lost quickly during the movie.
and the violence and disrespect towards women (particularly women of colour) made me physically sick and numb.i'm really embarrassed for john singleton--i think he needs to get Ms. Banks back in his life to straighten his head out!i left the movie feeling cheated out of my $10 and will ask for my money back today asap..
I didn't expect to have to think much when I started this movie, but when the holes in the plot open up, they swallow up almost-good scenes.
The acting is decent, Wahlberg is a fine job and did some of the other brothers, but the pathetic story is just horribly stupid and overwhelmes any redeeming qualities this film has.The final action scene...what a revenge movie is all about...was boring it also was one of the stupidest three minutes of my life.
I got this movie because i really like mark, he is such a good actor.
I saw this movie August 12, the day it came out and I liked it.This is a nice action movie and probably the best action movie of 2005.But I don't understand the "R" rated it should be rated 14A because there nothing serious in it except for language and action but action is what most of the kids 14 and older prefers for movies.**SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH**In this movie every thing was perfect like the action scenes.The actors all did a perfect job.But the only thing I did not like is the fight scene between Bobby Mercer (Mark Wahlberg) and Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor) at the end of the movie because the camera was moving too much and it was going around people and behind wild the camera could've just stayed in the middle of the circle.You have a hard time keeping your eyes on the fight scene.But anyway this is a good movie and anyway who is an action fan should go see it, it's worth watching..
The mother in the movie was also badly casted and in the few scenes in which she plays her part, you hardly develop sympathy for her because she looks and acts ridiculous.
The directed is just horrible, he has no idea where the story is going, the film also has more noticeable flaws than Ihave ever seen in another movie, and I mean stuff like continuity.
All right, how many of us would actually expect a movie like this to be good or above average?
When they discover their mother has been killed, the four brothers come together for the first time in years to avenge her death.This movie stars Mark Wahlberg in his best performance that I've seen, Andre' Benjamin who proves he is a true actor, Tyrese Gibson in his perfect character roll, and Garrett Hedlund, who is definitely the breakthrough actor of the year (in my opinion).I was completely taken by surprise when I saw this movie.
"Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund co-star in this gripping tale of brotherly love, betrayal and revenge from acclaimed filmmaker John Singleton.
But, this is all finding "anything nice to say." **** Four Brothers (8/12/05) John Singleton ~ Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund.
In my experience, people who dislike action movies like this film.
Great acting jobs by Andre Benjamin, Tyrese Gibson and Garrett Hedlund as three of the four brothers.
Without giving anything way, this is a tough guy movie about 4 "brothers" who've come home to bury their mother.
A very good movie about four brothers who battle against those who may or may not have plotted their adoptive mother's murder.
Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund, Andre Benjamin and Tyrese Gibson are flawless playing the adopted Mercer brothers in this movie, they play off each other like they're real brothers; it's amazing to watch.
This movie has great comedy, intense drama, sweet action, and a lot of Mark Wahlberg fighting.
And I have now decided that a movie with Mark Wahlberg can not be good unless he punches someone in the face a few times.
4 Brothers is definitely one that you should go see if you like revenge stories and want to see a great mixture of comedy, drama, and action (and who wants to miss Mark pound faces in?)..
Terrence Howard and Mark Wahlberg who are both dynamic and rangeful actors, should be given a head start on this one so to speak because after all, they were working with John Singleton and the "Four Brothers" script..
This rock-solid plot is coupled with strong acting performances from the entire cast and some very intense action, including an excellent chase scene and an awesome firefight.In the end, Four Brothers looks at this summers release of movies, the Deuce Bigalows, the Dukes of Hazzards, the Stealths, and it tells them that they suck, that they shouldn't have been released, and then it shoots them.
John Singleton put it all out on the line with his new movie titled Four Brothers. |
tt3039902 | Candy from Strangers | A strange boy is being chased by a suspicious white van. He hides from his pursuers, stumbling upon a young girl playing outside with her 2 best friends. He motions her towards him. For a split second, the young girl thought she saw the boy's eyes change yet she remains unafraid as he was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. As quickly as he came, he was gone but he leaves her with a gift. A single, mysterious blue lollipop.Fast forward 10 years. The young girl and her friends now grown up, decide to embark on a coming of age road trip adventure. As they drive on the open highway, they come upon a lone hitchhiker. Locking eyes with the mysterious stranger, the girl hit with a sudden pang of dejavu. Though she would never pick-up someone she didn't know, she ignores her friends' pleas and offers the strange boy a ride. As he gets in the car, he opens his duffle full of candy that he offers the girls.The "candy" lets those (the stranger allows) have temporary access into his "world". They see what he sees, feel what he feels, (and for a short time), they in essence become what he is.Who or what is the mysterious Candyman? Where is he from? No one knows. And no one can predict what happens when you take candy from a stranger. | romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0218067 | The Calling | The movies opens with an American girl, Kristie [Laura Harris] being shot at the ocean shore and falling into the surf. She awakens in the hospital and Father Mulin [Peter Waddington] is with her. He asks if she wishes to be forgiven; initially unable to speak, she squeezes his hand. She then tells the story in flashback. After a fairy tale romance and wedding, she marries dashing Englishman Marc St. Clair [Richard Lintern]. The wedding occurs on a full moon, which he tells her is perfect for fertility and is no chance; it was the result of years of planning. He takes her to a dark and windy outcropping of rock. She is frightened and wants to go back, but he begins kissing her and she becomes faint. As she passes out, her wedding dress is pushed up and a man is making love to her; she sees his bare chest, which covered with scars. Kristie becomes pregnant and gives birth to a beautiful dark haired son, Dylan [Alec Roe-Brown]. Coincidental with Dylan's delivery, the 6 year old son of the TV station owner is shown being led into a dark place, where he touches a Bible embossed with an inverted cross; he is later found murdered. There are flashes of the same runes that Kristie saw on the stones. After a difficult delivery, Dylan is born healthy and his idyllic childhood is shown in glimpses of home videos, where they live on the Isle of Man. In a bathtub scene, young Dylan is seen wearing a crucifix, which is giving him a red rash; Marc removes it. In another scene, Dylan quits playing card game concentration because it is too easy.Later, Kristie becomes concerned about Dylan's increasingly violent behavior, which includes the impaling of his pet guinea pig on a stake and his annoyance at her saving a friend of his from an impending accident on the playground. Kristie cannot understand how her son, who she had focused so much energy and love on since he was born, could have turned out to be so heartless.Meanwhile, Elizabeth Plummer [Alice Krige], the wife of the TV station owner and whose son as murdered the night Dylan was born, is trying to replace Kristie and keep her away from Marc and Dylan as often as possible. She sabotages Kristie's trip home on Christmas and strands Kristie at an airport so she can come and spend Christmas with Marc (whom she kisses) and Dylan. Elizabeth and Marc take Dylan to the room with a large inverted wooden cross. After looking at the cross, Dylan says, "Youre not my father," and Marc says, "No, Im not."On the road to the house from the airport, a strange cab driver (who we later learn is named Carmac) begins telling Kristie that 2,000 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, suppose the devil wants to have a turn and he also needs a virgin, but that, like God, he doesn't tell the woman in advance. He then calls Kristie by name, telling her it has already happened and only Kristie can stop him. Surprised that he cab driver knows her name, Kristie demands to be let out of the cab.Kristie arrives at home to be told that the family dog has bitten Dylan; Marc demands it be put down, or he will do it himself. Kristie takes the dog, purporting to have it put down, but plans to avoid this fate. She takes the dog to the home of a friend, Lynnette, only to find Lynnette murdered, bleeding and hung in a plastic bag. Returning home, Kristie finds Dylan is completely apathetic. Kristie then receives a phone call from the veterinarian, saying the dog had been to sleep (at Marcs instructions).Carmac [Francis Magee] then appears unexpectedly when Kristie is at a cemetery. He introduces himself and reminds her about he told her about the Virgin Mary; No one ever told her. "Its time someone told you," he says. Carmac then departs and Kristie finds he has left her a business card and a rock (Amber) with Celtic writing on parchment in it, wrapped in a distinctive cloth. She meets with a university professor who explains some of the words and who offers to take a closer look. Kristie looks up at the TV to see that Marc had brought Dylan as a guest on his TV show. Dylan demonstrates that he can talk backwards. Kristie abruptly leaves the pub and a man stares at the screen while Dylan talks backwards. Kristie confronts Marc, Elizabeth and Dylan at his office. They all claim Kristie knew he would be on the show, while Kristie denies even knowing that Dylan could talk backwards.The movies cuts to the professor's lab where says he has made a discovery. He tries to telephone Kristie but the phone goes dead and his office lights go out. He walks into a classroom to find a woman spray painting on a blackboard; the man from the pub also appears behind the professor and says, "We heard the calling."After dinner with Marc at a restaurant, Kristie is awakened by knocking at the door. She goes downstairs and looks through the peep hole to see the professor. She opens the door and the man from the pub (and later, the professor's office) is standing there, holding the professor's decapitated head. Kristie faints and the man steps back, holding the head up to Dylan's window; Dylan gestures to the man to be silent.In the next scene, Kristie is in a parked car with Dylan. She asks if the dog really bit Dylan; he is silent. She asks if Dylan's father did anything to hurt him; Dylan replies that she doesn't know his father. Just then, the woman who had been spray-painting in the university classroom commits suicide by falling from a water tower, where she lands on the windshield of Kristies car. Dylan takes from her dead hand the amber with the Celtic parchment, wrapped in the cloth as Carmac had left it for Kristie at the cemetery.Kristie then calls on Carmac to get more answers. She gives him the amber and asks him what it means. She asks how she can save her son. He hands her a Bible and tells her there is another book, of which the parchment is a fragment; and that she "got pregnant on your wedding night, and certainly not by your husband." Carmac tells her that on the day Dylan was born, Marc killed his first born son (Sammy Plummer, the station owner's son) and that Dylan is not Marc's son. At night, Kristie goes to the TV station to review the tapes of Marc's reporting of Sammy's death, here she learns that Sammy's heart was cut out (contrary to what Marc had told her earlier). Marc unexpectedly comes to the station and discovers Kristie reviewing the tape of his report. He denies her accusation that Sammy was his son; Kristie accuses him of lying and flees the station with Dylan in the car. Dylan tries to stop Kristie and the car crashes. Kristie brings the unconscious Dylan to a church and asks the reverend [Roger Brierly] to baptize him. The reverend goes to call the police. While he is gone, Dylan awakens. Sunlight begins to shine through the church's stained glass windows and on the statues. Dylan screams in pain, just as the police arrive with Marc, who takes Dylan away.The movie cuts to Kristie in her hospital bed. She tells Father Mulin that the false prophet, who is the mouthpiece of the Antichrist, is television, with its reporting of news. The movie returns to the flashback, where Kristie says that everyone on the island believes she is "mad." Kristie tries to make amends with Marc, but Dylan starts throwing stones at her and Marc tells her to leave. Kristie recounts that Marc filed for sole custody of Dylan. Despondent and feeling that everything seemed to be her fault, Kristie packs and decides to return to the states when, on her way out, she sees Lynette's earring on the ground of her property. Another flashback shows Lynette discovering Marc and Elizabeth nailing a willing Dylan upside down to the large cross previously shown in an earlier scene. Lynnette tries to flee but is caught and killed by Marc. Kristie tries to convince the police to investigate to no avail.She decides to go to the masked ball birthday party for Dylan being hosted by Elizabeth Plummer and her husband. She finds it is a black mass orgy. Dylan stares as a chain holding a fluorescent light over a hot tub; at the stroke of midnight, the chain breaks and the light falls into the hot tub, electrocuting a man in the hot tub, who had previously been fondling two bare-breasted women. Everyone applauds Dylan's accomplishment. It is later revealed the man is Elizabeth's husband, Jack Plummer.Kristie flees and is met by Carmac, who drives her to the beach. He tells Kristie she has to drown Dylan because they have inverted the sacraments. Armed with a rifle, Carmac and Kristie enter the Plummer mansion. They find everyone asleep, including Marc, with Elizabeth lying in his arms. They take Dylan to the shore, where Carmac tells Kristie that she alone must drown Dylan. She starts to carry him into the water and tries to drown him in the surf, reciting the Hail Mary. She wavers and Carmac enters the water and helps her. Kristie stands up in the water and faces the beach, where the coven members are assembled, with Elizabeth standing by Marc's side. Marc points a shotgun at Kristie and fires.The movie resumes with the priest in Kristie's hospital room, asking why the coven waited until Kristie had finished and why they wanted the Antichrist dead. The priest asks for Kristie's confession, and she says she has nothing to confess. The priest tells her she is asking too much and leaves the hospital.The movie cuts to a live newscast of Dylan's funeral procession, which Kristie watches on TV from her hospital bed. It turns out to be Easter Sunday. The priest officiating at the funeral discusses Christ's resurrection. The camera pans the mourners and Kristie sees Carmac. Carmac's voice-over mentions "the rules of the game." During the ceremony a dark storm occurs and a raven sits on a tombstone. The earth shakes and people seek shelter, except for Carmac, who tears open his shirt and stretches out his arms to the storm. Kristie sees the same scars on Carmac's chest that she remembers from having sex on her wedding night, and Carmac is revealed to be Dylan's father. It is further revealed that the coven members were all gathered around Kristie and Carmac for the occasion. The storm subsides and Dylan is found to be alive in his coffin, pounding on the inside for release, despite being pronounced dead three days ago. On TV, Dylan says to his mother that he is not mad at her any more and he needs her. She says "go to hell" to the TV and Dylan apparently hears her, because he looks at one of the mourners, who then goes to the hospital intending to shoot Kristie. However, she has fled in a car driven by Father Mullin. Meanwhile, the TV talks of the event as being a "resurrection" and that the Vatican is getting involved.As they drive away, Father Mullin removes his collar, kisses it, and throws it out the window of the moving car. It is picked up by a man on a motorcycle who is following them--the same man that came to Kristie's door with the professor's head. It is unclear whether Father Mullin discarded his collar because, as Kristie says to him, it is a "new time," or whether he did so to aid the man in following them. | murder | train | imdb | A young American woman gets married with a famous British newscaster, and apparently lives a perfect life in the Isle of Man until she discovers that his husband is part of a satanic cult trying to start the Antichritst's reign over Earth.Sounds familiar?
This movie gives more than a nod to horror classics "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Omen"; as its plot is like a mixture of both story lines with not even a quarter of the magnificence of those movies.Richard Caesar's debut is a low-budget movie that puts Laura Harris in Mia Farrow's role as Kristie, the woman trapped in a blasphemous conspiracy by her husband Marc St. Claire (Richard Lintern).
Betrayed by everyone, it is up to her to save the soul of her son Dylan (Alex Roe) who plays the role of hateful evil kid perfectly.The movie's main problem is the lack of originality and poor development of the script, nothing really outstanding happens and it is quite formulaic; the characters' actions are unrealistic, and the dialogs are uninspired.
However, the ending is particularly good, and it is a shame that one has to endure more than 70 boring and tedious minutes to arrive to the only good part of the movie.The acting is nothing special and while Laura Harris makes a good lead, her character has some of the worst lines in the movie.
On the other hand, Francis Magee has the best part in the movie as the mysterious taxi driver Carmac, and he easily steals every scene he is in.The movie has a nice photography considering the low-budget, and the Isle of Man serves as a beautiful and different location.
Caesar's direction is quite typical for modern day suspense thrillers but it works and the movie flows at good pace.It is definitely not a bad movie, as even with its flaws it still manages to entertain and has a few good things to offer (specially the ending); however, there are similar movies that are far superior than "The Calling" as it stays in a mediocre level.
Let there be no mistake: The Calling is not a very good movie.
Off hand I can only think of a few...The Omen, The Exorcist (the best of them all), The Shining, Poltergeist, The Blair Witch Project and The Changeling amongst a few others perhaps (I also liked The Ninth Gate).
As for The Calling I think it is an OK movie for the genre, and well worth seeing for those who enjoy this type of movie.
This typical straight-to-video release (complete with washed up actors that used to belong to the C-list) goes where countless films have gone before: a young mother gives birth to a child that seems to be uncommonly fascinated by morbidity, torture, death, or generally speaking all things evil.
People, it has all been done before in a much more satisfying fashion, see Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, or even The Devil's Advocate, Eyes Wide Shut or The Ninth Gate for all I care but don't waste precious time that could be spend delving into the many great works that cinema has to offer..
Someone should tell the director and writer that there is a huge difference between a heroine who is naively innocent and one who is criminally negligent in ignoring the obvious goings-on and behavior problems of her little boy (the kid kills his guinea pig on a stake and then hangs his dog alive and this mother accepts a "boys will be boys" explanation!?
The unintended real horror of the movie is the writing).Luckily, I spent only $1.98 for this flick where plot, continuity, and creativity were kept to a minimum; and overwrought ham acting ruled the day.
If you like cult movies like Army of Darkness, Starship Troopers, The omen or End of Day, anything that has to do with the world ending or the world ending with a religious theme then you might like this.
The movie is good but not worth ten lines, so you can submit it or not.
The acting was a little dry, I guess, but the kid who played Dylan was definitely creepy.
There was a lot of symbolism, or maybe I was just making some up to make the movie seem more profound, but the raven part was pretty cool, and plus, the raven is also a Carrie thing...
Heh, so all in all, this wasn't so bad, and it reminded me of Rosemary's Baby, what with the devil's child and all.
While it certainly trudges along like "The Omen" it misses the impact of "Rosemary's Baby." Another huge problem is that the acting is terrible.
Laura Harris looks as if she was plucked from the cast of "Beverly Hills 90210" and acts like it.
Although there's been MANY films where I left the cinema early as I didn't like them this is truly the one which has been UNBEARABLE to watch!
Surely, you all know the situation when you watch a film the umpteenth time and can mouth along the dialogue?!
Well, I watched this film once (not even actually) and after 10 minutes a friend and I started "predicing" what was going to be said next and hey we were right - word by word by word.
The actors are bad (and by that I don't mean the characters they are supposed to impersonate) and the story is weak - it's been done too many times before.
If you have a gripping story and use flashbacks to build up the tension that's fine, but as everything is o too predictable in this film they only fill the time till a long awaited and long anticipated end.
At the beginning of the movie "The Calling" we see Kristie St. Clair, Laura Harris, being chased into the sea by a group of black-clad Satanist and then shot.
In the hospital Kristie under intensive care is attended by her priest Father Mullin, Peter Waddington, whom she tell her story, as we go into flashback, about the string of events that ended up almost costing her life.Being married to top Isle of Man TV news commentator Marc St. Clair, Richard Lintern,Kristie's life could never be more happier until she gave birth to her son Dylan, Alex Roe. On the very day that Dylan was born Marc's station's manager Jack Plummer, John Standing, and his wife's Elizabeth (Alice Krige)seven year old son Sammy, Liam Hess, disappeared.
Found some time later Sammy had his heart cut out in some kind of gruesome Satanic ritual but the story was kept from the public by news-reporter Marc; it was reported that Sammy was strangled.It becomes obvious that young Dylan is some how connected with Sammy's murder in that the dead boy's parents Jack & Elizabeth become his surrogate parents.
Growing up Dylan get's influenced by both the Plummers and his father Marc in the black arts which includes the unchristian rites of Satanism like reading backwards as they do with passages of the Bible in some of their secret rituals.Kristie's friend Lynette, Camilla Puner, about the only person in the movie, besides Kristie, who isn't a Satanist later interrupts an ungodly act preformed on young Dylan by his father Marc and Elizabeth which later cost Lynette her life.
Dylan in a mocking of the crucifixion was himself crucified by Marc & Elizabeth , but lived to tell about it, upside down!"The Calling" get's very confusing with it's attempt to show how powerful the grip of Satan is on the people of the Isle of White by over doing a number of wild crazy and ungodly scenes.
Earlier a woman, for what seemed like no reason at all, jumps from a tower and lands on top of Kristie's car almost killing her and Dylan who was with her at the time.
You sense right away that this Carmac knows a lot more then what he's saying and as the movie moves to it's predictable conclusion you start to realize that he does a lot more then drive a taxi for a living in fact he drives almost the entire cast of the movie into a wild and hysterical frenzy in the films end-of-the-world-like final scene.Even though nowhere near as effective as "The Omen" the film "The Calling" has the same eerie and disturbing look to it, in fact it's one of the most shocking and unnerving TV movies that I've ever seen.
The ending of the movie like in "The Omen" leaves you with a bad feeling in your heart and mind in that there's no way in stopping Satan, or the Devil, from doing his evil deeds on earth.
Even the priest Father Mullin get's so disturbed by what he sees that he just rips off his collar and throws it away.The movie ends almost crying for a sequel, like in The Omen, but now some six years later that sequel has yet came to pass; maybe it's because the movie was such a flop in the box office that it wasn't worth, for it's financiers, in making one..
Despite of all the other negative comments, I personally found this movie worth to watch.
To my surprise, it came out to be a "not-bad" movie.
Especially the ending, it was totally beyond my prediction !Overally speaking, this movie is not that bad !
Laura Harris has proved herself a good actress in other films, but this one does not do her justice.
See it if you're into religious, cult type movies, but even then you really might not enjoy it much.
I can normally talk about stuff until even i am bored but this film was so dire that i want to talk about it to warn others to not waste their time with it yet i still don't want to waste anymore of my life on this waste of time film.Laura Harris is a pretty good actress and always seems wasted in most of her roles, she could be doing something so much more worth while.
She's very pretty and always seems to be very good in her roles but even she seems like she can't be bothered to try too hard in this film.
Even the "male" in me didn't kick in during the film, it was more like "well she is very, very attractive but this film sucks too much to even keep watching for the good looking actress".
I mean the kid kills all of his pets and the mother (Harris) doesn't really see this as a sign of anything even slightly wrong at all, its like "well i did that at his age, so boys will be boys".I advise anyone who enjoys a film like this to just watch The Omen or Rosemarys Baby instead, believe me you'll thank me later.At best i'd give this this film 4/10Rotten Addict.
In this film there is a very young pretty gal who gets married to a handsome guy who has the large home and everything to go with a prosperous person.
If you like this type of film and especially,"Rosemary's Baby", you will enjoy this film..
Damian...err Dylan speaks backward, spikes pet rodents, kicks dogs, makes people to kill themselves,spends his spare time hanging upsidedown nailed to crosses and woofs at the most interesting times.Not too shabby for a baby devil.
The plot has definately been seen elsewhere and as the Antichrist horror movies go I really liked this one.This particular subgenre is always gonna be bogged down by the same old plot devices.
However I enjoyed pretty much every aspect of the film and even play the devil's advocate by saying that I would like to see another one.
No, seriously, i saw lots of films talking about Antichrist but this one is a load of crap, actors seem boring, script is filled up with pouncing patterns (blood, upside down crosses, number 666, Christ stigmas...).
Finally it really looks like a painful "Rosemary's baby" remake, made for those who like gory movies.
If you made a B-Movie that was deritive of The Omen and Rosemary's Baby then this would be that movie.
Do not see this movie, see The Omen and Rosemary's Baby instead, their way better.
Now there are worse horror movies, but this is pretty crappy.
And that one scene where the kids parents are giving him a bath and videotaping it - he's like 12 years old!
I was never scared watching it, you can see the killings done by Dylan, the devil's child, coming from take one.
But what takes the movie down is the way they made it, a complete rip off of The Omen.
Yes there was the birth of a child but you know, even Rosemary's Baby had that which came long before the Omen movies.
They did some things I haven't seen prior in a movie pertaining to this topic.
I liked it and would watch it a second time..
It kept my interest throughout, was filmed wonderfully, using the Isle of Man locale effectively (at times the sky and landscape looked like out of a fantasy) and overall the plot held up.
This film was truly chilling from the sacrificial murder of the first born child, the other murders that follow, the hedonistic masked birthday party for the Devil's spawn, the Satanic crucifiction, up to the emotional matricide and the astounding prophetic climax.
Of course, it certainly doesn't come close to the best of this type of film, but it's an entertaining little time-waster.
*SPOILER* At the end when Dylan's mother drowns him, there is a reporter on TV talking about how people all over the world were attending Dylan's funeral because he'd touched their lives so deeply (although we only see a handful of mourners).
The photography is above average and there's an interesting little character called Cormack who provides a decent surprise towards the closing of the film, which leaves us with the possibility of a sequel.
I'd like to see the end showdown between God and Satan portrayed (with Satan getting his butt kicked, of course), hopefully in a film with a bit higher budget.
Watch it if you like this kind of thing.I do have to say that ultra-religious or easily offended people might want to skip this one.
If you feel OFFENDED by Movies like Omen & co.
It might not be Omen but its worth Watching and a lot better then Rosemary's ABaby.
It has a Creepy moments, but I began to enjoy the Movie when the Taxi Driver appears.
if you like bad horror movies, you'll still hate this..
If you haven't watched the Omen, then I suppose you could watch this, it's not really that different, except it appears from the beginning to maybe have a happier ending.
Laura Harris is convincing enough as the mother of the Antichrist (nice performance by Alex Roe), and Richard Lintern plays the part of the smarmy husband very well.
The party scene near the end is the most lively part of the whole movie, and a very good part.
The Calling fits well for a movie made in 2000, as it seems entertainment at the start of a new decade is usually sort of experimental, in what appears to be attempts at finding answers to an uncertain future.
I turned the film off when the child kicked his dog - and I'm glad, after reading another review which says that he then goes on to hang his dog.
But other than what I've pointed out, the acting is terrible, the film didn't explain itself very well - I didn't know what was going on.
What I did get from this film is that it was trying and terribly failing to be The Omen.
This movie appears to be low budget and did admirably.
She comes to realize what is happening but doesn't see that all through this she is being manipulated until almost the end of the film.
The film at one stage is her telling a priest what has happened and he doesn't believe her of course until something happens he can't ignore.I liked the fact that they chose to parallel things that happened to Jesus but in the reverse in certain cases.
If you like religious horror movies, I think you will like this one.
It really isn't that bad a movie.
If you saw the omen films and enjoyed them, then you can safely give this one a miss.
I wanted to like this film, but it rambled too much only to arrive at...
"The Calling" is a really dull and lifeless horror film.**SPOILERS**Recovering in a Church hospital, Kristie St. Clair, (Laura Harris) reveals how her romance with journalist Marc, (David Lintern) soon transferred into marriage.
There's others spread out through the film, including the conversation in the car and the birthday party celebration that get quite entertaining, but only the funeral scene comes close to the beach moment.
This is one of the best scenes in the film, and ends the film on a great note since it's just as action-packed and chilling as anything that came before.
This here really makes the film watchable.The Bad News: This here has a couple of really big flaws.
There are large portions of the film where nothing happens and it gets old and dull quite easily.
This happens far too often in the film, and that makes for some really dull viewing amidst the missed opportunities.
Another part is that the film hardly ever goes for horror on-screen.
The real moments where it tries to get to be a horror film are beset by the fact that it will cut away before anything can happen, and in turn not even being granted much in the way of aftermath violence makes it feel like a really weak horror film.
These here all really lower the film.The Final Verdict: Not a whole lot of time spent on the horror and too many flaws makes this one a really dull experience. |
tt0029811 | Young and Innocent | Christine Clay (Pamela Carme), a famous actress, receives a surprise visit from Guy (George Curzon), a husband she hasn't seen in eight years. Guy reminds her he "dragged her out of the gutter to make her a star". He's furious that she left him, outraged over her "silly Reno divorce" and indignant that she is playing around with young men, in particular a struggling writer staying near them at their retreat on the English coast. They argue vehemently until a furious Christine slaps her husband's face four times. He keeps calm except for his eyes, which twitch uncontrollably, and departs.A day or two later, Robert Tisdall (Derrick De Marney), a local writer, happens to be walking along the seaside cliffs when Christine's body washes ashore and he sees her body on the beach. He runs to get help or call the police and is seen by two young female swimmers who think that he is the escaping murderer.Police arrive and arrest Tisdall on the testimony of the two witnesses. Also, he is known to own a raincoat matching the murder weapon, a belt coiled in the form of a large question mark that lay near the corpse. Robert claims innocence, but in the crowd that has gathered, none believe him. At first Tisdall is confident that it's all a misunderstanding.After an overnight interrogation at the police station, it's established that he knew Christine and is struggling economically, so his motive seems to be £1,200 left to him in her will. Robert faints, and is revived by Erica Burgoyne (Nova Pilbeam) the attractive young daughter of the Chief Constable, Colonel Burgoyne (Percy Marmont), and whom was one of the two women who witnessed him fleeing the beach scene. She seems quite at ease in ordinary male company, talking back vigorously to make her points or get her way.Saddled with a hopelessly inadequate greedy barrister Briggs (J.H. Roberts), Tisdall believes his innocence will never be proven, as the claim that his raincoat was stolen at a lorry station a few days before is not believed. As he is about to go on trial, he escapes from the crowded courthouse corridor by donning his defense lawyer's glasses, then stows away in Erica's dilapidated Morris automobile. A reporter with a camera (Alfred Hitchcock) is as at the steps of the court house.Robert explains his situation to Erica and vows to recover the lost raincoat, identify the real killer and prove his innocence. At first, Erica doesn't believe Tisdall is innocent, but she is attracted to the young man, so she continues to help him elude capture and search for the stolen coat that might lead to the real killer. She drops him off at an abandoned mill so he can hide out.At dinner at home, Erica's brothers discuss the suspect's escape, his need for money, sleep, and food to stay on the run.The next day she brings him food, a bit of money, and they have a talk in depth which changes her attitude towards him. "I can laugh because I'm innocent," he tells Erica. "You don't believe me. I wish you did." After eating, Robert nonchalantly flips a wrapper through a broken window at the precise moment that local foot policemen happen to glance in that direction. The policemen come into the mill, and Erica and Robert must rush off in the Morris. They are spotted together, so the police suspect she is his accomplice.During their flight, they stop at the home of Erica's aunt, where her seven year old daughter Felicity is having a birthday party. Erica enters alone, planning to just call her father and check in, but she is dragged into the party. Uncle Basil (Basil Radford) arrives and finds Robert waiting outside and brings him inside, assuming he is Erica's beau. Aunt Margaret (Mary Clare) becomes suspicious. Just as they get away in the Morris, Margaret calls her brother Chief Constable Burgoyne, who in turn alerts police to be on the lookout for them.Their search takes them to "Tom's Hat", the diner where the raincoat was stolen, where they learn that a china mender known as Old Will got a new raincoat recently, and that he hangs out at a lodging named Nobby's. Erica's attitude ends up triggering a brawl and Robert needs to rescue her.They find Nobby's, Robert changes into seedy clothes, enters and asks about Old Will, after leaving Erica to sleep in the car hidden behind the freight train, as she can't stay awake any more.The next morning, in the lodging house full of snoring vagrants, dead cockroaches, and peeling paint, Tisdall finally meets the colorful hobo named Old Will (Edward Rigby). After hearing the story retold, Will agrees to help them find the man who gave him the garment, a stranger with noticeably twitching eyes who presumably is the murderer.Erica's dog, meantime, has smelled that Will is actually wearing the raincoat in question, three layers down from the outer one.Police cars come chasing, and they succeed in losing them by crossing railroad tracks in the nick of time before two long trains block the way, and a huge trailer truck further delays them at the gate beyond.They attempt to hide by driving into an abandoned mine, where the Morris starts to sink into tunnels below, and Erica has to be pulled to safety by one hand by Robert in the nick of time. The police find the mine, Robert flees but Erica is brought to her father who is about to tender his resignation over the incident.That night, after she has a serious talk with her father, who shows her a letter of resignation, she is in her bedroom when Robert comes in the window, and she rushes to hug him. He tells her lovingly that he will turn himself in, shortly, to spare her anguish and relieve her conscience. As they talk, he learns that in a pocket of the coat, matches from the Grand Hotel have been found, a place where Tisdall has never been.Together they decide that's a last clue worth pursuing. Erica will take Will there to see if the twitchy eyed man may still be around, and Robert will find his own way there independently.Old Will dresses up in a new uncomfortable morning coat in order to infiltrate the hotel with Erica, but spotting a man with a twitch in the large crowd proves impossible.In a memorable sequence, the camera moves forward through the hotel lobby to the ballroom and the dancers to finally focus on the drummer in a dance band performing in blackface.... and his eyes twitch.The drummer, Guy, recognizes Old Will in the audience, and seeing the policemen, unaware that they are there to arrest Tisdall, the man performs poorly due to increasing nervousness and fear, to the point he is berated by the musical conductor. Guy proceeds to have a breakdown, precipitated by a drug he takes to excess to try to control the twitching. He begins banging drums and cymbals out of synch, helplessly falling over the instruments, and passes out while the other musicians stare at him.Just then, the police have found Robert and Old Will and Erica, and are escorting them out. As hotel staff ask around to find medical help for Guy, Erica offers her experience, and the police, who know her, allow her to approach the unconscious Guy. As Erica tends to him, his eyes twitch, she realizes who he might be. Immediately after being revived, Guy confesses his crime and laughs hysterically. The police drag him away, cackling maniacally.In the final scene, Robert Tisdall and Erica Burgoyne are united. Her father arrives and seems happy to shake his hand, as if welcoming him into the family.THE END | comedy, mystery, murder | train | imdb | Derrick de Marney is engaging as the unjustly accused hero Robert Tisdall, and his character is balanced nicely by good performances from the rest of the cast (several of whom appeared in more than one of Hitchcock's British movies).As is often the case with Hitchcock's British pictures, the title is capable of multiple interpretations.
Three sequences are especially worth noting: (i) the renowned tracking shot at the climax of the film, which is not only a fine technical achievement but also an ideal way to set up the suspenseful conclusion; (ii) the birthday party in the middle, which encapsulates in very subtle ways most of the themes and contrasts of the movie, and (iii) the sequence towards the beginning involving the hero's conference with his lawyer, his court appearance, and his escape, a sequence which is filled with comic details too numerous to catch all at once (including one of the director's most humorous cameos).Any Hitchcock fan should thoroughly enjoy "Young and Innocent".
Nova Pilbeam (The Man Who Knew Too Much) was a rather strange looking girl but is perfect for the part of the young woman who helps a stranger; Percy Marmont (Secret Agent) as her father; Mary Clare and Basil Radford (The Lady Vanishes) as the aunt and uncle; John Longden (Blackmail) in his usual role as the detective......all these players are top drawer.
As the police begin their hunt, he runs into the police chief's daughter, played by Nova Pilbeam, a tomboyish answer to Katherine Hepburn, and the real star of the movie.This is a late British Hitchcock film, and it feels slightly raw around the edges, but it's so fast and likable and well constructed, you have to love it.
Never mind a killer is on the loose, because if one man is innocent of murder, another, out there somewhere, it not.This is 1937, and by 1939 Hitchcock has moved to the U.S. to do Hollywood movies (including the amazing Rebecca in 1940), and so Young and Innocent and The Lady Vanishes (which has a similar quaint feel) wrap up his long British period.
In my estimation, "Young and Innocent" is just a hair's width from being as good as the other two early directorial triumphs made by him in his British era which are considered classics: "The Thirty Nine Steps" and "The Lady Vanishes." For Hitchock fans, this is one of his must see films.
Quickly he wins her over and, against her better judgement she helps him as he tries to recover his missing coat and prove his innocence.This film opens with a wonder scene that is just one of the things that makes me love Hitchcock so much.
Not only did it get more exciting but it also produced a brilliant "reveal" shot that deserves to be considered as one of Hitchcock's classic shot as we slowly go from a wide shot of a ballroom right into the eyes of the killer on the other side; it is a brilliant shot and made all the better by having the cheeky "Drummer Man" being sung at the same time.De Marney struggles to inject urgency into his character in the same way as the material prefers the charming fun of the piece.
Nevertheless, "Young and Innocent" is an excellent thriller, that represents another step in the development of Hitchcock's favorite theme: the innocent man on the run.One morning, writer Robert Tisdall (Derrick De Marney) is taking a walk along the seaside cliffs to clear his mind when he makes a gruesome discovery: the dead body of actress Christine Clay (Pamela Carme) washes ashore.
On the run, he'll find Erica Burgoyne (Nova Pilbeam), a young woman who begins to believe him, even when she is the daughter of Col. Burgoyne (Percy Marmont), the man in charge to find him.Written by Hitchcock regular collaborator Charles Bennett (with Edwin Greenwood and Anthony Armstrong), the movie is very loosely based on "A Shilling for Candles", one of the Alan Grant series of novels by Josephine Tey. The adaptation is not faithful, as what happened was that the writers took only the chapters where Tisdall is a fugitive and built their movie from that (it doesn't even include Tey's signature character, Inspector Alan Grant).
The dynamics between the characters is what sets this movie apart, as the main characters have remarkably well developed and have some nice jabs at some screwball comedy during the movie that gives it a charming tone.As written above, "Young and Innocent" is essentially a thriller on the vein of "The 39 Steps", but while the tone of this story is considerably lighter, the Master manages to shows off his dominion of suspense through the film.
Derrick De Marney is quite effective as our innocent man on the run, Robert Tisdall, delivering his lines with a charming wit that forecasts the characters that Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant would play years later.
The film's blend of suspense and humor wasn't new to Hitchcock, who always liked to spiced up things in order to break the tension, but "Young and Innocent" took this one step forward and set the basis for many of the Master's future films.
The theme of a man wrongly accused of a crime was to become a familiar one in the works of Alfred Hitchcock, and he had already used it in another film from his British period, "The 39 Steps" from two years earlier.
Like a number of Hitchcock's films, Young and Innocent" combines a basically serious theme- Robert is, after all, accused of a crime which in 1937 could have sent him to the gallows- with a good deal of humour.
Some of this humour is satirical, aimed at the incompetence of the police force and court system, although there are other humorous scenes, such as those involving Erica and her three younger brothers or the one at the children's party.Derrick De Marney is not a very charismatic hero, not in the same class as Robert Donat from "The 39 Steps" or Michael Redgrave from "The Lady Vanishes", although the young Nova Pilbeam, only eighteen at the time, makes a fresh and charming heroine.
In this one, we have clues about the way Hitchcock would develop in later films: the seagulls' screeching superimposed on a woman's scream as compared to "Frenzy" when the secretary's reaction to her boss's corpse is drowned out by sounds from the street as the camera retreats, the helping hand in the mine and a scenes at the end of "North By Northwest", the villains eye tic vs the man with a missing finger joint in "The 39 Steps" and, most delightfully Hitchcockian, the McGuffins!
Great fun with good performances by the stars and some pretty good effects and miniature models (another Hitchcock trademark) for 1937.Percy Marmont is the police official, Mary Clare is delightful as the puzzled aunt, Basil Radford is her husband, Edward Rigby is Will, J.H. Roberts is a hoot as the dim solicitor, and Hitchcock himself has a cameo.DeMarney is especially appealing as the innocent man, and Pilbeam has her most memorable role as the girl.
An actress, Christine (Pamela Carme) is murdered by the jealous husband.A man who knew her finds her lying dead on the beach.This man, writer Robert Tisdall (Derrick De Marney) runs away to call the police but two female witnesses think he did it and so he becomes a murder suspect.He manages to escape from the courthouse and takes the young police constable's daughter Erica (Nova Pilbeam) on the run with him.Together they have to find a raincoat that was stolen from him.The victim was strangled with the belt of such coat.They find old Will who has the coat and it was given to him by a man with twitching eyes.Alfred Hitchcock had the ability to make it work.That's what he's done with Young and Innocent (1937).He's made it work.With some untalented director this movie could have bombed.In his movies there were usually just the right actors playing the right parts.Nova Pilbeam is just wonderful as our heroine Erica Burgoyne.It's a sad thing she didn't become a bigger name.She stopped acting completely in the 40's and now at the age of 88 her comeback doesn't seem very likely.Then there's Derrick De Marney playing the part of Robert Tisdall.Also very fine.Percy Marmont plays Erica's father.Edward Rigby is Will.This time Hitchcock does his cameo appearance outside the courthouse as a photographer.Throughout the movie there are suspenseful scenes.In the end where they go to the Grand Hotel there is this band with blackened faces and the drummer is twitching his eyes.There's some tension there.Hitch hasn't also forgotten the romance, and from time to time it's also quite funny.Something for everyone, I could say..
It is actually more suspenseful and believable than "The Lady Vanishes" which gets the better rating among the critics.Nova Pilbeam's performance is the best of any actress in a Hitchcock film.
Nova Pilbeam and Derrick de Marney are both outstanding in their portrayal of the young pair in comedy and in romance, and they make a delightful couple in whom one can believe wholeheartedly.Notable also is Mary Clare in a small but memorable part as Erica's Aunt Margaret, in whom the family detective instinct clearly runs strong, with a brief appearance from Basil Radford playing 'Uncle Basil' as a well-intentioned ally.
This early talkie from Alfred Hitchcock would stand a little taller in his catalog had it not come two years after his greatest "wrong-man" chase story, "The 39 Steps".This time the wrong man is Robert Tisdall (Derrick De Marney), in trouble when a female acquaintance washes up on a quaint English beach while he is walking by - along with a coat belt which choked the life from her and apparently belonged to him.
Rather than trust John Law to sort things out, he runs off to find the story behind the belt, taking with him Erica (Nova Pilbeam), the young and innocent daughter of the village police chief.If "The 39 Steps" is about the man running away, "Young And Innocent" a.k.a.
It is strange that this film often isn't mentioned amongst other classic Hitchcock titles as Young and Innocent is an excellent thriller loaded with many of the master's elements we've come to love.
"Night Train to Munich"?I think most people will not have heard of the male & female leads and I was surprised I had not considering I'm now 58 and have seen countless films from many decades.Yes, it seems to have the basic "39 Steps and North by North West" plot so beloved by Hitchcock.What attracted me was being able to see one of Hitchcock's films for the first time.Certain enlightened video dealers have taken to regularly hiring St. Albans town hall (Hertfordshire, England) on Saturdays and apart from the usual modern titles, to include some obscure and old ones that never get transmitted on tv, even on vintage movie channels.As stated by other reviewers, the long tracking shot in the dance hall to the drummer close up is the highlight and a patent Hitchcock device.I rated it 7/10 based on 1930s material I have seen.
Dashing Derrick de Marney (as Robert Tisdall) sees the body of an actress acquaintance wash up on the beach; and, this being an Alfred Hitchcock film, he is directly accused of her murder.
The two are mutually attracted, and Ms. Pilbeam eventually comes to believe the police are wrong, and de Marney is "Young and Innocent".This relatively unrecalled, but excellent film, is one of the most quintessential Alfred Hitchcock pictures.
Derrick De Marnay and Nova Pilbeam(much improved from her acting in The Man Who Knew Too Much) are likable leads, and the supporting cast don't put a foot wrong either, nobody gives one of the all-time great performances in a Hitchcock film but they didn't try to.
Good directing, pretty good script, and great cast combine to make "Young and Innocent" well worth watching, but I didn't find the total so great I'd champ at the bit to see it again.The basic story, by crime story veteran Josephine Tey, is more than interesting, and provides a realistic enough scenario that one should be moved to object strenuously to capital punishment.The accused in a murder really does have a strong case against him, and one cannot blame the police for suspecting him, and if it were to get to a jury, one could not blame it for convicting him.The cast is much more than adequate, and only because the performers are not well known to a modern United States audience would there be any hesitation in offering them as reason enough to watch "Young and Innocent." Of course, there is the usual fun in looking for Hitchcock's cameo, and the only serious carp I offer is the apparent lack of motive in the crime.I won't explain further, so as not to ruin anyone's fun..
Despite the tragic find, there is a humorous undercurrent even as a couple of nerdy girls find the body, and Tisdall runs to assist them only to be deemed the main suspect.That comic undercurrent runs right through the film and, in my opinion, raises it to masterpiece levels.The brief sequence in which Tisdall is scammed by his defense lawyer is as succint as it is deft, but three sequences have stayed with me for all time: the bar brawl, the one in which the car taking the female lead falls into a mine shaft, and the famous long tracking shot in which the murderer is identified.Cinematography is superlative in its simplicity, dialogue is dated in parts but saved by wonderful comic touches, and only the leads left me feeling that if Robert Donat and Madeleine Carrol were in this film, it would be rated at least as good as THE 39 STEPS.
The murderer is introduced to the viewer in the first scene, so the film is not classical whodunit unlike the novel it is based on, but rather action packed adventure film about how to catch the killer.Nova Pilbeam is wonderful as the daughter of police chief, and Derrick de Marney shines as charming and wisecracking romantic lead.
He bumps into the police Chief Constable's daughter and they start liking each other - she tries to help him as their on screen romance unfold in a sweet, young and innocent way.The movie is not a bad film - but it's not really the crime thriller or mystery it's made out to be.
Again we have an innocent young man charged with murder who goes on the run in tow with a pretty young female who at first dislikes and disbelieves him but who before too long has fallen for him and helped clear his name.The best thing in front of the camera is the 18 year old, strikingly named Nova Pilbeam, (wonderful name for a debutante!) who is pretty, sunny and charming in equal measure.
There are some nice Hitchcockian touches that as a fan I enjoyed, like the way he starts the film right in the middle of a bitter argument between the soon-to-be-murdered film actress and her jealous, twitchy, in more ways than one, husband, the way Tisdall distracts the courtroom staff to make his escape, a ruse similarly played out in more than one subsequent Hitch feature, most notably "North By Northwest's" auction scene, the saved-by-her-fingertips rescue of Pilbeam after the car crashes down an old mine shaft, featuring a subjective face-shot we'd see again in "Saboteur" and of course "North By North-west" plus most famously the great tracking shot near the end which literally eyeballs the guilty man.Lots of the rest of it, to be honest is a little stiff and creaky, like the scenes with Pilbeam and her family round the breakfast table and of dull, plodding policemen on their tails.
Young and Innocent is a very good and unique Alfred Hitchcock film that has a great cast!
Following the classic Hitchcock themes that he was well known for in "The 39 Steps" and his later works, "Young and Innocent" is a well made movie with strong tension, great characters, exciting premise built up terrifically within the opening minutes and is an exciting adventure of a wrongly accused man attempting to his clear his name from wrongdoings.
Nova Pilbeam plays plucky chief constable's daughter Erica Burgoyne, who becomes involved in a murder case when she helps prime suspect Robert Tisdall (Derrick De Marney) to prove his innocence.
As such, some of Hitch's film-making techniques are a little crude compared with his later movies, and the story creaks at times (a children's party scene is interminably dull), but for fans of the master of suspense, the film provides enough fun and intrigue to make it worth a watch.Especially enjoyable moments include a terribly, terribly exciting scene in which Erica almost comes a cropper in an old mine, and a well executed finale in which the beastly killer is identified, Hitch using a particularly impressive crane shot to close in on his face (which, incidentally, is blacked up as part of a minstrel show.
There follows the sort of comic yet thrilling Chase that Hitch's fans are familiar with from others of his film like "Saboteur" and "The 39 Steps." Nova Pilbeam -- great, imaginative name, by the way -- realizes along the way that De Marney is innocent and she falls in with him as they track down the one or two clues they have to the identity of the real murderer.
Robert Tisdall (Derrick De Marney) finds the body but because he is seen running from the scene he becomes implicated in her murder.Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is as a reporter at the steps of the court house.
"Young and Innocent" is probably not the best known of Alfred Hitchcock's British films, but it a classic thriller in every sense.The story begins with a quarrel between movie star Christine Clay (Pamela Carme) and her boy friend Guy (George Curzon). |
tt0243327 | Ides of March | Stephen Meyers is the junior campaign manager for Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris, a Democratic presidential candidate, competing against Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman in the Democratic primary election. Both campaigns are attempting to secure the endorsement of North Carolina Democratic Senator Franklin Thompson, who controls 356 convention delegates, enough to clinch the nomination for either candidate. After a debate at Miami University, Meyers is asked by Pullman's campaign manager, Tom Duffy, to meet in secret. Meyers calls his boss, senior campaign manager Paul Zara, who doesn't answer. Meyers decides to meet with Duffy, who offers Meyers a position in Pullman's campaign, an offer Meyers refuses. Zara calls Meyers back and asks what was important, but Meyers says it was nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, Meyers starts a sexual relationship with Molly Stearns, an attractive intern for Morris' campaign, and daughter of Jack Stearns, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
Meyers admits to an angry Zara that he met with Duffy, and that Duffy said his candidate will offer Thompson the position of Secretary of State, guaranteeing Pullman's victory. Zara and Meyers discuss the matter with Morris, saying they must make the same offer to Thompson to secure his endorsement and his delegates' votes. Morris refuses on principle, as he thoroughly disagrees with Thompson and his policies, and wants a "clean" campaign without such deals.
Late one night when Molly is sleeping, Meyers discovers that Morris is trying to call her after he picks up her phone by mistake. Meyers finds out that Molly and Morris had a brief sexual liaison at a campaign stop in Iowa several weeks previously, and Molly is now pregnant by the Governor, which will cause a scandal. Molly needs $900 for an abortion, but cannot tell her father because her family is Catholic. Meyers helps her with the money but warns her not to tell anybody, and fires her from the campaign to make the problem go away. Ida Horowicz, a reporter for the New York Times, reveals to Meyers that an anonymous source leaked his encounter with Duffy to her. She also knows the Morris campaign has talked to Thompson. She says she will publish an article on the Duffy meet unless Meyers gives her all of the details about the Thompson meeting.
Meyers comes to Zara for help, believing the story would damage him, Zara, and the campaign. Zara reveals that he leaked the meeting to Ida with Morris' approval in order to justify firing Meyers. He states that he did this because Meyers was disloyal and traitorous for meeting with Duffy. Zara makes it clear that he holds no personal animosity against Meyers and values him, but cannot trust him any more. An angry and desperate Meyers then offers his services to Duffy, who admits he only met with Meyers to influence his opponent's operation under the likelihood that either Meyers would leave Morris and come to work for him or Meyers would tell Zara, and Zara would fire him. Either way, Duffy would win.
Duffy apologizes for using him, saying that he also wanted to help Meyers, and advises him to quit politics and the campaign before he becomes a cynic like him. Meyers offers to sell out Morris completely but Duffy declines, thinking that Meyers cannot hurt him and he has Thompson wrapped up. Meyers takes Molly to an abortion clinic and then callously abandons her there with an unfulfilled promise to come back when it's over. Alone in a hotel room, and having been equipped with pills from the clinic, she dies from overdose. Meyers comes on the death scene and sneaks Molly's phone from the bed into his pocket.
Unbeknownst to the Morris campaign, Meyers meets with Thompson to arrange for Thompson's delegates in exchange for a spot on the Morris ticket. It is clear that Thompson prefers Morris over Pullman so all Meyers has done is get Thompson to commit if he is offered the post with Morris. Meyers meets Morris in a dark bar, telling him he will expose the affair with Molly if Morris does not accept his demands: fire Zara, place Meyers in charge of the campaign, and offer Thompson the role of Vice President. Morris coldly says that there is no proof of the affair, but Meyers claims to have a suicide note found in Molly's room. Morris relents, clearly giving up what is left of his personal integrity, and meets Meyers' demands. Zara takes his firing philosophically and is still positive with the press about Morris.
Zara chats with Meyers at Molly's funeral and is amicable, letting Meyers know that he is certain Meyers must have had something big on Morris to get him to fire Zara and promote him. Zara has options and states that he is taking a million dollar a year job at a consulting firm, for him basically a retirement from politics. Later, Thompson's endorsement makes Morris the de facto nominee despite losing the Democratic Party's Ohio primary. Duffy, who put Meyers' back against the wall and who rejected Meyers' offer of dirt against Morris, is seen trying to put up a good face in what is now obviously going to be a defeat for his candidate.
Now senior campaign manager, Meyers is on the way to a remote TV interview with John King, when Ida ambushes him and says her next story will be about how Meyers delivered Thompson and his delegates and got his promotion. Meyers reacts by having security bar her from coming any further. Meyers takes his seat for the interview, just as Morris finishes a speech about how 'integrity and dignity' matter, and is asked for insight as to how the events surrounding the primary unfolded. | suspenseful, violence | train | wikipedia | On Video?.
I saw the trailer for this on You Tube, it looks fantastic, Does anyone have a copy on DVD, I"ll even take a copy from another region besides the USA.
Its the only Gary Daniles film I don't have yet.
The acting and the fight scenes seem really good, I also see that it has a been given another title in the USA, COuld this mean they are getting ready to release it somewhere?
Seems to me it has some names in it people will recognize and will want to see, plus Gary Daniles seems to have a pretty good following already here in the USA and in Europe, Does anyone know who owns the rights to this film or how we can get it released?Ron.
"Sometimes a man has to lose everything he's got to get even".
IDES OF MARCH (A.K.A. ULTIMATE TARGET) has yet to see an official release – at least in North America – and it's not difficult to see why.
Since it was produced, other films have taken several of its tactics and executed them much better, to the point that if this were released today, viewers who didn't know better might assume that it's a cheap homage to KILL BILL.
It's an interesting film, though not nearly as much now as it may have been 15 years ago, and is only worth hunting down online for hardcore fans of Gary Daniels.The story: A brotherhood of elite assassins turns against one of its own (Daniels) when an underhanded deal threatens to expose them.Part of what probably stood against the film's release was its rough presentation.
As is, the movie gives the impression of being incompletely edited: there's nothing wrong with the audio or video quality, but the narration, the flashback-laden structure, and the frequent use of paused footage looks like something that would be handed back to post-production with a list of things to change.
Then again, I have seen plenty of vehicles for Daniels that look a lot worse than this but have actually gotten proper releases, so these imperfections should not make a difference to fans.The screenplay and the performances it inspires make for a very mixed bag.
Both offer amusing highs and embarrassing lows on an even scale, making for a thoroughly B-grade presentation.
I'm a fan of the varied cast and the fact that almost all supporting characters enjoy a decent level of exposure, weird as they can be.
Overacting is the name of the game, and some performers handle it better (e.g. Michael Madsen) than others (e.g. George Cheung).
Daniels himself is relatively low-key, which is fine because this goofy, postmodern script needs at least one straight man.Daniels' frequent collaborations with the Alpha Stunts team often disappointed me, and even this movie makes me wish they had done more.
Most of the action is martial arts-related, though the film doesn't reach the brunt of it until its final third.
Though the five fights have a very pleasing pace and nice choreography, they're oftentimes too short for my liking or have unrelated scenes edited into them.
Two good fights – involving John Koyama and a couple of masked ninjas – help keep things bearable, but I was hoping for more than just that.This one may remain simply another casualty of the direct-to-video recession, but no one should feel heartbroken that it never got a release in the Americas..
A great script underneath an over produced movie..
For the genre this is a very good movie.
The story and script are quite strong but somewhere along the way it gets lost.
It is almost as if someone took over the film as it went on.
It is worth watching for the very good acting by Michael Madsen and the strong script with crisp dialogue and character development by Jim Chadwick, (has he done anything else?) This movie is a notch above the typical film in this genre and my guess would be a director's version would be great, if the original director (Darren Doane?) did it.
Worth the time to watch if you can find a copy..
Not worth the wait or the effort.
I waited for years for this movie, only to discover that after a decade it got uploaded to youtube, where I was eager to watch it.
I am a hardcore fan of Gary Daniels and various of the action actors is in this film.
I waited years for it and finally got to see it, hoping for some amazing action.But I have to be honest, it sucked.
Almost as if it was filmed with a handycam and there was no post production.
Even for the genre, the movie, story, camera work and editing were pretty bad and the whole thing felt as if it wasn't really finished.
It'll be fun if you waste 5 minutes while forwarding to the action scenes, but if you have seen any Gary Daniels movie, than this one is no different.Watch it out of curiosity and because you're a GD/action fan, but nothing more..
Not worth the effort to see this..
Thomas Kane (or is it Cane?) (Daniels) is a hit-man.
He works on sort of a "board of directors" of other hit men and hitwomen.
These hitpeople are overseen by their boss, a guy named Raymond (Cheung).
It's Raymond's job to keep people like Uncle (Madsen) and Johnny (Fralick), among others, in line.
Kane gets out of line when he begins double-dealing: he takes money from his intended victims as payment for sparing their lives.
When the organization finds out about this, they get mad and send all their employees after Kane, thus making him the ULTIMATE TARGET.
The only problem is, his wife Jody (Denier) and his daughter didn't know about his profession and now they're on the run from the baddies.
Holing up in yet another dusty ol' town, Kane prepares to take on the dangerous people he once worked with.
But will he be successful?
We hate to be the bearer of bad news.
I mean, we really, really do.
It pains us to report that, after fifteen years of waiting to see this quasi-unreleased movie, we found that it was a disappointment.
We understand that it was plagued with production problems and was swept under the rug, along with a lot of DTV product of that time (and a decent chunk of Michael Madsen's career), becoming another casualty of the low-budget DTV downturn of the late 90's/early 2000's.
It was around this time that the DTV bubble went bust, and items like Ultimate Target make it easy to see why.
Not only is it a Tarantino Slog (a term we coined), but, at this point in time, it's safe to say that it's also a Guy Ritchie slog.
Let's just say it hasn't withstood the test of time.We were truly excited to see one of our favorite actors, Gary Daniels, team up with Michael Madsen.
Even the (unnecessary?) narration from Daniels's character is helped along by his mellifluous voice.
This is countered by Madsen's gravelly voice, which is ALMOST enough to keep the movie afloat, but the only problem is that we hear way too much of their voices.
In true Tarantino Slog style, this movie is extremely talky.
We needed less talk, more rock.
Characters gratuitously eat/talk about breakfast cereal, reminding you instantly of Eric Stoltz's character in Pulp Fiction.
There's a ton of other yak-yak, and when we finally get to see some fight scenes, they are pulled and stretched in varying combos of slow motion and fast motion.
As we have stated before, we really hate fast motion.
Another thing we hate, bathroom humor, is also, sadly, here.
Maybe the characters talked about everything else there is to talk about and finally reached the bathroom.
Not good.
Another strike.On the bright side, Daniels is good in the movie and tries against all odds to make everything work.
Even when what surrounds him is weak, Daniels always remains watchable.
The pairing with Madsen didn't live up to its full potential, but Daniels was reunited with his old Deadly Target (1994)/Fistof the North Star (1995)/White Tiger (1996) co-star George Cheung.
We have always admired Cheung and his impressive resume.
But this whole outing doesn't FEEL right.
Almost like it wasn't fully completed, which perhaps it wasn't.
It's all very similar to the comparable Double Tap (1997).
In that particular T-Slog, Stephen Rea is the hit-man, and the rest of the cast jabberjaws on about a bunch of needless topics.
Please consult that review for a more in-depth analysis of the aforementioned Tarantino Slog.In the end, Ultimate Target (AKA Ides of March, not to be confused with the Ryan Gosling movie of the same name, though it would have been cool to see Gary Daniels in Gosling's role) proves definitively that characters walking in slow motion either with or without sunglasses is not enough to make a complete film.
2000 was just about he moment when the shorthand replaced the substance.
Much like Hostile Intent's beloved Pastebucket McWoo, the last thing we as viewers see, if you stick it out all the way to the END of the end credits, is this, and we quote: "2001 Giants Entertinment".
Yes, that's right.
They misspelled "Entertainment". |
tt0097179 | DeepStar Six | In the opening scene, McBride (Greg Evigan) and Joyce Collins (Nancy Everhard) are woken when their alarm clock goes off. He mumbles something then passes it off as a dream about being underwater. She recalls it is the third time he's had the same dream. They go on to discuss Captain Laidlaw, how good his life is, with a great wife and perfect children. She then asks the man why he never married. He claims he's never been in one place long enough to get to know anyone well enough to marryLater the crew assembles in a smaller sub (DSRV2) and launch from the SEATRAK installation. The two pilots, James Richardson (Matt McCoy) and McBride discus how dreary six months underwater have become. They pick up a location transponder which belongs to a second installation Deep Star 6 (DS6) Snyder (Miguel Ferrer) contacts them to complain they are late; shift change was 20 minutes ago.
The sub moves in and quickly docks at DS6, John Hodges (Thom Bray) has fallen asleep during the brief trip and has to be woken.Overnight the on-board team had maneuvered the missile sled into position and the day crew are to begin excavation. Hodges warns the site has to sounded first to confirm there are no geological faults.Over breakfast Capt. Laidlaw (Taurean Blacque) insists that Scarpelli (Nia Peeples) take the rest of the day off. She protests she has far too much work to do but the Captain orders her to stand down.The designer of DS6 Dr. John Van Gelder (Marius Weyers) contacts Collins by radio at the main base. She advised him that the findings look wrong, there is a cavern and the regulations say the missile sled can't be mounted there. Van Gelder tells Collins he wants the cavern collapsed and missiles installed by the end of the week.Scarpelli is immediately interested in the cavern; she wants to do a survey of the cavern. She is aware of strange reports of marine life in the area going back 150 years. Van Gelder, while sympathetic to her desires, refuses the request.Dr. Diane Norris (Cindy Pickett) treats Snyder for a rash on his skin, he is concerned about the rash because the mission is running well over time and budget. He wonders if Van Gelder knows what he is really doing, and why the Navy put him in charge to begin with Scarpelli goes to see the captain about Van Gelder, and the rejection of her request. Laidlaw reinforces Van Gelder's decision. He has less than a week to get the project completed.The charge to break open the cavern is deployed by a underwater tractor (SEACAT) driven by Hodges and Osborne (Ronn Carroll) The detonation breaks open the cavern but causes the seafloor to subside. The tractor has to reverse at emergency speed to avoid disaster. Collins aboard SEATRAK asks the crew of the tractor to release a small remote probe to investigate the breached cavern. The probe continues down into the depths until something attacks it and snaps its guidance cable Hodges makes a decision to go and investigate what happened to the probe. He releases the control section of the tractor which becomes a mini sub. They locate the probe and begin the process of retrieving it when Osborne reports a sonar contact closing very fast. At the last second Hodges sees the object and panics over the size and speed. He begins to report an emergency to Collins when contact is lost.Burciaga (Elya Baskin) begins trying to locate the sub using SONAR but finds no contact at all. Collins questions how the craft could have simply disappeared. Burciaga tries various telemetry feeds but fails to find the craft. Suddenly they pick up something else, moving too fast for it to be the SEACAT. Collins contact Deep Star 6 to tell them of the loss and to warn that something else is moving around down near the base. The object suddenly changes direction and hits SEATRAK. Collins reacts to the situation by declaring a mayday. Snyder has left the control room of DS6 and her plea goes unanswered. The object repeatedly attacks SEATRAK almost pushing it over an underwater cliff before breaking contact. Onboard Collins is badly hurt and Burciaga possibly dead.Snyder returns to the control room with the captain but there is no contact. Captain Laidlaw decides to go with McBride to SEATRAK and investigate whats happened. On SEATRAK, Collins begins moving around. She checks on Burciaga who is trapped by the legs and cant move. Collins tries to free him but he is pinned by some heavy equipment. She is concerned over the rising water from ruptures caused by the attack.Laidlaw picks up the same SONAR contact that Collins did. Laidlaw is stunned by the speed of the object. Laidlaw orders the sub to be brought to a stop, blow ballasts and shut down the running lights. After about a minute, the object seems to lose interest in them and continues on until contact is lost.They arrive at SEATRAK and see the damage that's been caused. Although the installation is on an angle they manage to dock cleanly. They can see the leaks flooding the control room and they detect evidence of fires on board. Working through the installation they find Collins and the trapped Burciaga in the control room. As they begin the rescue operation the installation shifts considerably threatening to collapse over the cliff at any moment. They realize Burciaga is dead and as they evacuate the installation shifts again. The movement causes a hatch to slam shut trapping Laidlaw. Laidlaw orders them to leave him. His back is broken and there is no hope of getting him out. They refuse to go, however while they manually try to reopen the hatch, Laidlaw throws a switch that floods the SEATRAC forcing Collins and McBride to leave him. Collins and McBride reach the sub and manage to un-dock just as SEATRAC lurches one more time and collapses over the side of the cliff.Back at DS6, Collins explains the events leading up to the loss of the SEATRAK. Scarpelli thinks it might be the lights on the probe and SEATRAC that provoked the aggression from the unknown creature. Word comes through that extraction from the base has been authorized and team are to begin preparations to evacuate.During Collins medical examination, the doctor catches the sound of a second heartbeat. Collins admits to McBride she is pregnant; McBride reacts very positively to the news and seems to indicate he may marry her. As the preparations for leaving DS6 progress, Van Gelder raises the question of what is to happen to the missiles. The base can't be abandoned till the weapons are secure. Snyder is sent to begin the procedure so the rest can leave.However, Snyder is queried by the system computer as to the reason the missiles are to be abandoned. He enters "aggression", but the computer assumes he means "enemy aggression" and begins detonating the missiles. Van Gelder becomes angry at Snyder for detonating the weapons. He tells everyone to hang on because a force 20 G shockwave is about to hammer the installation.The structure survives the concussion but suffers huge electronic and structural damage. Once the fires are extinguished and flooding stopped, Van Gelder informs them along with the flooding of the crew quarters; the oxygen unit has been destroyed; leaving them possibly eight hours before they run out of air and suffocate to death. The greater concern is damage to the reactor feeding power to DS6. At most they have a few hours before the reactor explodes. Finally the escape pod is unusable because of damage to the decompression system. Collins realizes they can re-route around the damage lines and get the decompression system working again. The crew set to work completing the modifications Collins recommends.To complete the rest of the repairs, Richardson dons a deep dive suit and goes outside DS6. He completes a weld on EZ6358, as he reports his success; he realizes something is out there with him. He sends a panic message about the airlock. Assuming he is trying to return, the crew trigger the retrieval system to bring him back on board. As the suit is raised from the water separating the airlock, they try to release Richardson from the diving unit. Snyder reports something else has also entered the airlock. Before Richardson can be released, a huge crab-like sea monster (seen for the first time) emerges from the water where it reaches up and bites Richardson and the suit in half from the waist down.As the remaining crew try to evacuate the room, the creature attacks and kills Scarpelli. Snyder, reaching safety, panics and closes the hatch while the others are trying to get out. Collins realizes what he's done and frees the others. McBride sees Snyder's actions as cowardice and attacks him before being pulled off by Collins. The survivors realize they have to fight the creature off and out of the diving room so they can try again to get the decompression system working.Van Gelder and Collins discuss the nature of the creature. He believes from what he saw that it is an arthropod crab of some sort, only many times larger than anything ever seen. The crew finds spear guns and CO2 cartridges and pump-action shotguns. There plan is to try and hit the creature with the cartridges and make it expand till it bursts.The reenter the flooded chamber and deploy a series of strobe lights to try and confuse the creature. As they spread out through the room they seem to be unable to locate the sea creature. Confident, McBride begins the needed repairs to the air lines. As he begins to get clear, the creature appears and the crew opens fire with shotguns. Van Gelder slips and falls backwards onto Snyder's spear causing a part of Ven Gelder's chest to expand and explode. Snyder completely panics, drops his weapon and runs to safety.Now safe, the crew tries to deal with Snyder. He believes they are blaming him for all the deaths, even though everyone saw the Van Gelder death was not Snyder's fault. Dr. Norris gets him calm enough to give him a shot that further sedates him.Collins, McBride, and Norris go off to prepare the decompression pod for the evacuation. Left to his devices, Snyder has a vision of Van Gelder appear and blames him for his death. Snyder, now completely insane, races to the escape pod, bypassing the decompression system and launches the rescue pod to the surface. We follow the pod's progress to the surface as at first Snyder's nose beings to bleed then lesions form on his arms and face, these gather intensity till they begin to also flow freely. Finally, Synder's body, overloaded by the changed atmospheric pressures, explodes.In the remaining safe area of the installation the three survivors, Collins McBride, and Norris weigh up their options. They now only have three hours before the reactor blows. McBride asks Collins to marry her. She accepts. McBride realizes if he can get through the flooded section of the DS6 he can bring the remaining mini sub around to the lock with the decompression chamber and possibly save everyone.McBride succeeds in reaching the mini sub and begins to pilot it back to the other side of the station. Collins and Norris hear a tapping sound at the locking hatch, think it is McBride and get hit by a wall of water. Finally they get the hatch closed again. Norris orders Collins into the pressure chamber, as she waits for it to open; they hear a noise in the water. Norris believes the creature is in the room with them. She slides over to a medical station and charges up a defibrillator. As the creature attacks she tries unsuccessfully to shock it. Surviving long enough for the paddles to recharge, she sticks them in the water killing her and badly injuring the creature. As Collins scrambles into the decompression chamber she finds McBride already there. They watch stunned as the creature seems to go through its death throes before slipping beneath the water.Sometime hours later, an alarm goes off indicating decompression is complete. With only minutes to go, McBride and Collins quickly evacuate to the mini-sub and launch just as the reactor explodes. They work their way to the surface fighting through a series of shock waves thrown out by the explosion. They reach the surface and deploy the life raft. Just as they climb in, the sea creature suddenly surfaces and attacks. McBride is trapped on the sub. He releases the remaining fuel and then fires a flare gun igniting a raging inferno around the sub. After a few minutes the sub explodes, presumably killing the creature at last. Collins looks on horrified thinking he's just died. On the verge of giving up she sees him surface.In the final shot, as the camera pans back, we see the couple in joyous embrace floating in the life raft on a calm empty sea.Original synopsis written by Chapman_glen@yahoo.com | suspenseful, sci-fi, claustrophobic, flashback | train | imdb | null |
tt0758730 | AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem | Two Predators load several live Alien facehuggers and his dead comrade onto a ship, intending to return to the Predator homeworld. Unbeknownst to all, the dead comrade was impregnated with an Alien before dying. The alien bursts from the corpse's chest, then quickly grows into a Predator-Alien hybrid (Tom Woodruff, Jr). The hybrid attacks the crew, killing them and forcing the ship to crash land in Gunnison, Colorado. Before one of the Predators is killed, he sends a distress call to his homeworld. His message is received by a veteran, hardened Predator soldier (Ian Whyte) who immediately embarks on the journey to Earth to "clean up" the situation. Meanwhile, the facehuggers escape from the crashed ship and impregnate a father and son hunting team (Kurt Max Runte and Liam James) and, later, two homeless men living in the sewer system.Dallas (Steven Pasquale) returns to Gunnison after being released from prison. He is picked up at the bus station by Morales (John Ortiz); Dallas and Morales used to be partners in crime, but Morales is now the county's sheriff. Also arriving home is Kelly (Reiko Aylesworth), after being deployed overseas as a soldier of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. Her husband, Tim (Sam Trammel) is overjoyed to see her, but their daughter, Molly (Ariel Gade), is unsure of how to react to her mother's return. She does, however, enjoy the night-vision goggles Kelly brought home as a souvenir. Meanwhile, Dallas's younger brother Ricky (Johnny Lewis), is beaten up by Dale (David Paetkau) and his friends. Ricky has been flirting with Dale's girlfriend, Jesse (Kristin Hager). The fight is the last straw and Jesse breaks things off with Dale. She invites Ricky to go skinny-dipping with her at the high school's pool later that night.The Predator arrives and scavenges weapons from the downed vessel then destroys it. He uses an acidic fluid to destroy the corpses of the alien's current victims as well as the facehuggers he finds. When Deputy Ray stumbles upon the scene, the Predator kills him and skins his corpse. When Morales and Dallas find Ray's body, they realize that something horrible is stalking the town.The Predator tracks the aliens to the city's sewer system. He dispatches several but is caught off-guard by the Predalien. The Predalien and other aliens escape into the city and begin to attack the citizens. The Predator follows one to the city's nuclear power station. In the ensuing battle, the station is damaged and the city loses power. Morales realizes that the entire county is in danger and orders the town evacuated. He also requests National Guard assistance. The Predalien realizes he can use fertile women to create hordes of aliens without needing facehuggers. At the local hospital, it injects alien larvae into all of the pregnant mothers in the maternity ward. Within hours, a small army of aliens has been created.At the high school, Ricky's swim date with Jesse is interrupted when Dale and his friends arrive and attack Ricky. Before they can drown him in the pool, an alien arrives and kills Dale's friends. Jesse, Ricky and Dale escape and find Morales and Dallas at the power station. They tell them what has happened, which Morales and Dallas largely confirm by visiting the school. They don't find any corpses, however, as the Predator has already been there to kill the alien and destroy the evidence. Morales, Dallas, Ricky, Jesse and Dale realize they need weapons to protect themselves and break into a local sporting goods store. They are joined by Kelly and Molly, who have been attracted by the flashing lights on Morales's squad car. Earlier, an alien had attacked their home, killing Tim.Morales makes contact with the arriving National Guardsmen. All he hears, however, is the sound of them being slaughtered by the aliens. Then aliens appear in the sporting goods store. However, the Predator has followed them there and kills the aliens. Dale's face is melted off by alien acid blood but the others escape. They make their way to the scene of the Guardsmen slaughter. Kelly knows how to drive the tanks, so they all climb in. Morales contacts Col. Stevens (Robert Joy), who tells them to head to the center of town to be airlifted out of town. However, the plan is not to airlift anyone to safety but instead to use the townspeople as bait to draw the aliens to one area and then destroy everyone with a small nuclear bomb. Kelly realizes that they will all die if they do as Stevens tells them but Morales doesn't believe her. When they encounter a number of other people headed towards the center of town, Morales joins them; Kelly, Molly, Dallas, Ricky and Jesse head for the hospital, where they will use the medevac helicopter to fly to safety.The hospital is overrun with aliens, and the Predator arrives to destroy them. Making their way up the stairs, the humans run into the middle of a Predator-Alien battle. Jesse is impaled by the Predator's flying daggers. Enraged, Ricky attacks the Predator with a machine gun but before the Predator can kill him, the aliens knock it down an elevator shaft. Ricky is wounded but will live. The Predator leaves behind a pulse rifle, which Dallas picks up. They make their way to the roof, but aliens block their path to the helicopter. As Dallas uses the pulse rifle to hold off the aliens, Kelly gets the helicopter started. Just as the aliens are about to surround and kill Dallas, the Predator arrives and kills off the remaining aliens. Dallas boards the helicopter and they fly away as the Predator and Predalien duel to the death.At the center of town, the humans are surrounded by aliens. Looking up to the skies in hopes of seeing rescue helicopters, Morales instead sees a jet fighter drop a bomb; he realizes Kelly was right as the town and all of the remaining aliens are incinerated, including the Predator and Predalien who are locked in each others death grip. Kelly manages to pilot the helicopter to a fairly safe crash landing. They are surrounded by other Colorado National Guardsmen of the U.S. Army Special Forces who disarm them and provide medical care to Ricky. They confiscate the Predator plasma rifle from Dallas.Col. Stevens takes the Predator pulse rifle to Ms. Yutani (Francoise Yip). She tells him that the earth is not ready for the technology it represents. Col. Stevens knows Yutani doesn't want the technology to be used on Earth. | violence, cult, murder, sadist | train | imdb | As warring alien and predator races descend on a small town, where unsuspecting residents must band together for any chance of survival and they find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legend beings .Stirring but inferior sequel with plenty of thrills , chills , suspense , disgusting special effects and lots of blood and gore .
It was at one time hoped to include scenes of the Aliens' home world ; conceptual art was created and it was even storyboarded to be used as the closing shot of the movie, but ultimately the idea was dropped in favor of using it in a potential third film .
Now this sequel was so badly filmed and edited, made worse by the dull, wooden acting and the Predator's 'What the hell' incoherent MO and Aliens' 'mere cannon fodder-ish' portrayal...It has a less budget than AVP and given the story and setting, it required two or three times that...The movie falls more to the lower teen slasher movie genre, with gratuitous violence shown inflicted on pregnant women, newborn babies (though only implied) and a child, with a chestburster coming out of him...
So, this is a step backwards regarding AVP in every way, from script to technical issues, and not a good prognosis for an Alien 5 or Predator 3 at all...The money this movie makes will be the judge of that...Although, given the fact that since ALien 3, the movies have been decreasing in terms of quality, I find it difficult to believe that someday, down the road, we will be having any more movies featuring these two creatures on their own...which is how they work best...Only time (together with a good script surfacing and an adequate budget with it) will tell....
I didn't read any reviews of AvPR before going to see it, as I feel they skew the experience, but afterward I read several to see how the movie was received, and I'm disappointed at the number of people who are bagging this movie, when simply compared to previous Alien titles.I loved the original Alien movies, 1 & 2 especially, not so much 4 and I disliked 3, and while AvP1 wasn't a smash hit, it had the elements and hallmarks present that made the original Predator and Alien movies a hit, and the same can be said for AvPR.The movie is slanted toward horror and gore, rather then the suspense that made the originals so unique, and while thats not my cup of tea, I did enjoy the action and thrill of the movie that was there.When you compare AvPR to the original Alien or Predator movies, I agree that it in no way stacks up, but thats comparing it to the best in the business.
This was a decent Horror flic with great CGI and several plot twists, was it a credit to the Alien or Predator franchise, no - but you'd want to make one hell of a movie these days to compare to a classic of that caliber..
I really, really don't understand how that movie could get a rating bigger than 4 here on IMDb. It's simply a huge mess, and I have to admit that I actually liked AvP 1: Close to no story, okay, I can live with that, but at least they got to the point pretty much at once.
After the stupid premise has been presented there is well over half an hour of stupid and unfitting teenager clichés, dumb as hell dialog and close to nothing else, except for a few Alien scenes that feel like an excuse to have that first half of the movie and Predator scenes that make you ask yourself whether those guys making the film even watched any other Predator movie or just didn't care enough to be bothered.After that, that crap-fest finally gets to the point where the Predator starts attacking the Aliens, or at least pretends doing so.
There are a few sad examples of earlier special-effects people who also thought they can bring it as a director:Spawn by Mark Dippé, Starship Troopers 2 by Phil Tippett, The Fly II by Chris Walas and some other more.Maybe next time, in 5 or 6 years, when it's all water under the bridge, they choose a really talented director, who makes a totally new beginning of it all with a higher budget of 150 million dollars, a fascinating script and some really strong actors.I want a huge difference between the movies like it was between Batman & Robin and Batman Begins!.
I am not even going to dream of comparing Requiem to any of the Alien or Predator series' movies,this is a HORRIBLE TEENAGE B-HORROR FOOTAGE SET IN AN American SMALL TOWN NO ONE CARES ABOUT.AvP1 at least had heaps of handcrafted art carved into the movie sets,it had bags of eye-candy not previously seen in any of the original movies - but was ruined by unconvincing characters/acting.Requiem takes bad acting to the lowest imaginable level,and it also lacks in every other department just as much...it's a sacrilege to include alien and predator suits in this kind of rubbish..
They just seem like someones desperate attempt to make money off of the good name of the original aliens and predator films but instead of delivering a well thought out, quality production, they came up with the predaturd.The original Alien/Aliens/Predator/Predator 2 films were great, they redefined the horror/thriller genre by inventing these insane (and yet still believable) creatures who took the role of the 'serial killer', as opposed to a human.
AVP2 Wasen't as bad as i had been told but there was still something lacking that made both AVP movies not live up to their original standards it felt as if two movies were kinda spliced together with the Alien vs Predator battles happening outside the town and near the ending happening in the town and watching the town people get on with their daily life it didn't feel like a alien or a predator movie but still i did like the fact that only one Predator could take on so many foe's and made it feel again the Predator is a one man army but the Predator is seen too much for my likening unlike in the 1st Predator movie were he is not scene fully to nearer the end and the main characters are really underdeveloped and give me little to no interest at all about their fate and it feels like the story was kinda rushed throughout but despite this not a bad movie to watch and get some friends round and watch with a few beers probably better to rent this movie rather than buy it and blu ray really makes a difference.
Thats not the iconic setting you come to expect from an Alien movie or the true AVP series which are the comics and games which are set in the same murky dark settings of the Alien films.
I just can not get over that, you have a great series of AVP comics and games that helped to create a truly great setting ,atmosphere,locations, characters and some great stories but no they went with the biggest horror movie cliché of all setting it in a small suburban town ignoring all the potential the AVP series and giving us a cheap horror flick, honestly sometimes when i heard an alien creep up on someone i almost expect Jason Voorhees to kill them instead.But lets talk about the Aliens and Predators, what can i say about them?
The Predator is best example...hes meant to be hunting the Aliens but they manage to get the best of him a lot in the this, sneaking up behind him and if you know anything about Predators you'd know there's no way this would happen, they're highly trained killing machines and i just thought the whole thing was like cops and robbers, the Predator is the cop after the Aliens (the robbers) and they go around town running riot out witting him on every turn and quite frankly hes a joke, he cant even hit them with his shoulder cannon.The fight scenes...they where none in this movie, it was so dark i could never make any of it out.
Even a short exchange between Ripley and Newt only available on the extended edition of Aliens is milked for a sick joke in a particularly unpleasant scene in a maternity ward.All this could be forgiven if it was at least entertaining in a brain dead kind of way, but the titular beasts aren't given enough screen time, and much of the action consists of people shooting in the dark at shadows off-camera.
The film-makers probably think they're cleverly wrong-footing us, the way that Ridley Scott did by killing off Tom Skerritt's character in Alien, but they'd be wrong, they're just rubbish.I haven't even started on the script and cast of characters, they're both laughable.Anybody with any influence in Hollywood, I implore you: never let Beavis and Butthead behind the camera again.I can only hope that many people lost their jobs after this debacle and returned to lives of crushing drudgery.
And in fairness there is a part of it that is enjoyable purely as a short of hybrid of the slasher movie (people picked off one at a time) and sci-fi.Fortunately, as a normal person, I do not come to this film with the concerns over whether really one predator could take on so many aliens or who should win really and the time I save by not wondering how Batman or Superman would fare in similar fights allows me to watch the film.
What I was hoping for was a darker film than the original, something that is less an action buddy movie with a predator/human combo but more an exciting and thrilling sci-fi; not an unfair expectation since this is also what the Strause brothers said they wanted to make.Unfortunately what this translated into was just the studio going for a higher rating in a way to tell fans that it is not the kids movie that the first one was perceived as.
All these failings are irritating but the action just plods along and is distracting enough to carry it but the thing is, with any visual media it always help to be actually able to SEE what is happening.It has been said countless times before but for some reason someone decided that to make it more menacing and dark, the film itself needs to be dark because, hey, the Alien movies in particular are all about what is in the shadows.
I don't know if either can even be saved now that they've had this done to them.If you're the most rabid Alien or Predator fan you might want to see this movie just to witness those creations on the big screen again, but if you genuinely admire and enjoy such great films as Predator, Alien and Aliens then you'll probably come away feeling slightly sickened, if only because the satisfaction you were looking for isn't to be found in this film..
How wrong I was!Okay, first of all, there's no story, no feelings, no sense at all in fact, just a cliché-ridden bloodbath where annoying people, random aliens and a very stupid predator muck up each other's bodies for the sheer, unadulterated hell of it.Secondly, this was supposed to be a horror film.
And the gallons upon gallons of blood sloshed over every available surface, obviously an effort to please the computer-game-junkie thirteen-year-old males this movie was meant for, made me go 'Oh come on...' instead of 'Aargh!' So, to put it in a nutshell, if you want to waste an hour of your life, go do something else, and don't even bother watching this appalling excuse for a sci-fi horror film..
But it was the worst movie ever of the alien and predator history, including the separate ones...it was so bad that 1 month ago on the internet released a fan movie called "alien vs hunter" I think something like that...it was a "b" movie...I can tell you this that I enjoyed more the fake "b" movie than the original AVPR.
It maybe a teenage monster-slasher- horror flick, but considering its lineage this is a crap offering.The beautiful detailing of Geiger's art in the Alien series, Arnie and Glover's excellent performances in the Predator series, even the fun of the puzzles in AVP 1 are all lost in a maelstrom of flying limbs and no subtly.Sure it'll do with a pizza as a laugh but as part of one of the best sci-fi series ever - I think not.
Don't go in expecting a life-altering experience; go in expecting two warring alien races, complete with all the requisite carnage and mayhem, and you'll be just pleased.I'll leave the more shocking moments to other reviewers to divulge, but just be bear in mind: the events aren't actually happening, and everything that happens just makes it all the more believable that these aliens/predators are just as brutal as we've come to expect.All in all, another reviewer said it perfectly: it's a terrible film and an awesome movie..
It took a completely different turn from the first AVP movie, it's not a bad idea that they took Alien and Predator and put them in the up class suburbs, but from the idea of the first one explaining their reasons for existing, this was just an average and predictable horror sequel.
Because he is ticked off at the Alien, I guess for starting the party without him, lol, just kidding, actually for killing some of his friends.AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem isn't the worst movie by any standards, it's still pretty cool with a lot of the visual effects and the fight sequences between Alien and Predator are so cool to watch.
Predator, the cast is the thing that ruins the film and just seems like they were not well developed, I know it's horror, but the original Alien and Predator films had characters, that you cared about and wanted to win.
After the 2004 debacle that was the original AVP, consumers of good movies were left with a bad taste in their mouth and still hungry for the true showdown between Aliens and the Predator.
"Alien vs Predator: Requiem" is in my opinion a good entry to the alien and predator franchises, and I found it to be an entertaining movie despite the fairly low rating it had scored on IMDb.I especially liked the glimpse we were given of the home-planet of the predator species.
There is hardly no suspense in the movie, the action scenes fail absolutely (the Alien and Predtor nearly black fighting in the night or darkness - its left for you to figure out what happens), stupid dialogues, the worst of worse actors.
Like the title - The worst movie in both Alien and Predator franchise!
Why film companies like to spoil movie plots before people even see them is beyond me, and it certainly ruins the movie going experience when you know one of the main plot points before it happens.The main monsters, the Predator and the Predalien, are the only two things the movie has going for it, but they still aren't enough.
I found myself stifling laughter throughout the movie.If you want a newer, more enjoyable monster movie, watch something like The Descent or maybe go see The Mist, but don't waste your time or money sitting through this new disgrace to the Alien and Predator franchises.
At times it was like they thought the audience never saw an Alien or Predator movie.
With such great characters like the Alien and Predator, how could the movie miss so badly.
Sure, it has a very straightforward plot (predators aren't known for their complex motives or multifaceted personalities), and neither the writing nor acting are going to win any Oscars any time soon, but as a sci-fi action/thriller, it delivers all that it advertises.I'm not sure what kind of portrayal of the alien xenomorphs people were expecting; they're pretty one-dimensional murder machines in all of the franchise movies.
Not once during the film did i feel suspense as the director seemed to not want to hide the aliens and had the predator running around like some madman.
(especially the sheriff, the cheerleader & 2 boyfriends who wanted her)In trying to "honor" all the other Alien & Predator movies that came before it; these guys ended up regurgitating all the key moments from each film.
I enjoyed The Predator & Alien Action Loved the Fights but I could care less about the Subplot not as good a characters just meant for the meat grinder An OK Sequel The Subplot Drags The Film .
Set in Gunnison Country where a Predator spaceship carrying a hybrid alien crashes, the film continues the war between the two iconic-but-now-turned-idiotic species with stupid humans caught in between.Terribly directed by Brothers Strause, the movie marks a new low for any cinema that has featured either creatures so far and is an absolute trash from start to finish.
The directors appear to have love and affection for the franchises they are building off of, but the script doesn't seem to understand what made either film great in the first place, amounting to a b-grade sci-fi monster mash-up that marks a low point in the 30+ year history it draws from.With bad characters, bad dialog and nothing to justify its existence outside of sheer goriness and impressive creature design, "Aliens Vs. Predator - Requiem" is pure guilty pleasure material.
The one thing you can say about previous alien and predator films is that they have always been character driven, thats where the Strause brothers tripped up.
(I know, its actually more complicated than that, but thats what it looks like).Why do all AVP-Directors (The Brothers and Paul W.S. Anderson) pretend to be die-hard Alien & Predator Fans,if they obviously do not understand what the original movies were about? |
tt1974419 | The Neon Demon | The movie opens up with beautiful blond teenage girl, named Jesse (Elle Fanning), sprawled out across a love seat. Blood trickles down her body and onto the love seat and the floor beneath her. She is being photographed by Dean (Karl Glusman), a young amateur photographer whom she met on the Internet. The shoot gives Dean to practice his craft, but its mainly so Jesse can get headshots. After the shoot, she struggles to get the fake blood makeup off her body when makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone) offers to help her. Ruby learns Jesse just moved into town and that this is her first photo shoot. Jesse also says that she is currently staying at a junky flea-bag motel in Pasadena. Ruby offers Jesse friendship and to take her to a party later that night.At the party, Jesse meets two Australian-accented models, Sarah (Abbey Lee) and Gigi (Bella Heathcote) -- Gigi continuously brags about her extensive plastic surgery, and Sarah insists the only thing that matters in this town is "who you're having sex with". Despite the hostile tensions Jesse receives from the veteran models, she enjoys herself at the party by watching a naked model seemingly fly over a stage and hover under a mysterious blue upside-down triangle all to the pulse of flashing strobes lights.The following morning, Jesse interviews at a prestigious modeling agency. Her interviewer, Roberta Hoffman (Christina Hendricks), showers her with compliments on her beauty and the prediction that she will be great. Jesse informs Roberta she's only 16 -- Roberta fixes this with a parental consent form (she pretty much fires two other models while going to retrieve the form) and by getting Jesse to start telling people she's 19 because age 18 is too on the nose.Jesse celebrates her signing that night with Dean. They celebrate by driving up to the Hollywood Hills and looking down at the city below. Jesse talks about how she's always felt talentless but is confident she can make money with her looks. Dean clearly has a crush on her, but is cautious due to her young age. She obviously looks to him for moral support, asking if she should really lie about her age. Dean encourages her to do what she thinks is right.Jesse's next step is a photo shoot with a prestigious photographer named Jack (Desmond Harrington). After Ruby does her makeup, Jack gets one good look at her and announces this photo shoot will be a closed set, leaving him completely alone with Jesse. He tells her to take off her clothes and turn around -- he proceeds to erotically rub her body with gold paint and shoots an amazing photo session. When she finishes, she meets up with Ruby outside who tells her to be careful around guys like Jack. Jesse appreciates Ruby's friendship and the offer to call her if she needs anything.Ruby meets up with Gigi and Sarah at a diner later, where they all take notice of how quickly Jesse is rising in the model circuit. Ruby admits that there is something rather unique with Jesse, which annoys Gigi and Sarah. Meanwhile, Jesse finds something rummaging around in her motel room that night. She informs the unpleasant manager Hank (Keanu Reeves), who inspects the room and finds a cougar has snuck into her room (she left the sliding glass door open while she was gone) Hank demands she pay for the damages left by the wild animal.Jesse finds herself at a casting call the next day. Sarah is also here, and doesn't take kindly to Jesse's presence. The unnamed fashion designer (Allesandro Nivola) is unimpressed by most of the models but takes on an immediate infatuation with Jesse as she auditions. She's immediately hired which crushes Sarah, who breaks down in a bathroom and throws a trash can at the mirror. Jesse walks in and compliments Sarah, but she asks her what it feels like to walk into a room and be loved by everyone Jesse says, its everything. When Jesse cuts her hand on a broken mirror shard, Sarah tries to drink her blood by licking her hand. Jesse panics and runs to her motel. Dean finds her some time later bloody and unconscious. He looks after her by getting the shard out of her hand then paying Hank for the door. Hank taunts Dean by claiming she isn't worth it if he isn't having sex with her he even offers a 13-year old runaway in the room next to Jesse's, which disgusts Dean.A fashion show ran by the unnamed designer is held. Jesse and Gigi both take part of it, but the designer specifically wants to use Jesse as the coveted closing model. As expected, this drives Gigi and the other models crazy. As the show begins, Jesse has an intense hallucination where she sees the mirror images of herself inside making out with each other inside another blue triangle.A little later, Jesse brings Dean to a private event with the designer and models. The designer can't stop talking about how second-rate Gigi is due to all of her plastic surgeries and how Jesse is a diamond in a sea of glass. Dean argues with him over claims that beauty is everything; when he insists Dean would've never bothered with Jesse is she wasn't beautiful, he gets fed up and leaves the party. Jesse finds him waiting for her at the hotel later; he asks her if she seriously wants to be like them Jesse claims they actually all want to be her, and dumps Dean.That night, Jesse dreams that Hank comes into her room and slowly pushes a knife down her throat while softly demanding she open her mouth wider. She wakes up to an unseen man actually trying to enter her room. After getting to get through the locked door, Jesse hears him break into the room next door and rape the 13-year old runaway. Disturbed by this, she calls Ruby who invites her to stay the night at an elegant mansion she's house-sitting. Ruby comforts her, then slowly tries to force herself on her. Jesse assures her she has the wrong idea and claims that she is straight and also a virgin. When Ruby tries again to be intimate, Jesse forcefully pushes her off.The next morning, a frustrated Ruby goes to her second job at the morgue, where she does makeup for bodies awaiting burial. She imagines one of the female corpses as Jesse and pleasures herself while on top of it.Back at the mansion, Jesse dons an elegant gown laid out for her and spends the day applying an elaborate layer of makeup. When Ruby returns home, she finds Jesse standing on a diving board above an empty swimming pool. She tells Ruby that people have always wanted her looks and goes so far to say some people would do anything to achieve her beauty. Jesse retreats back inside the house and finds Gigi and Sarah here; she asks the two girls if they're having a party before they viciously attack her. They chase her back outside to Ruby, who echoes her earlier statements before pushing her into the deep end of the empty pool. The fall kills Jesse and her body is taken by the three girls they then proceed to horrifically eat parts of her body and bathe in her blood (finally revealing that Ruby, Gigi and Sarah are a type of Elizabeth Báthory vampires).The three Bathory-vampire girls wake up the next day and go about their lives. Ruby waters the mansion's plants topless and reads a book while laying on top of Jesse's freshly dug grave. Gigi accompanies Sarah to a beach house photoshoot directed by Jack. Jack stops the shoot to compliment Gigi's beauty as he abruptly fires another model and has Gigi take her place, putting her in the shot right next to Sarah. However, she gets extremely sick and retreats to a bathroom. Sarah rushes to Gigi's aid and witnesses her regurgitate one of Jesse's eyeballs. Panicked, Gigi screams "I need to get her out of me" and stabs herself to death with a pair of scissors. Barely fazed, Sarah eats the regurgitated eyeball and returns to the shoot as the film suddenly ends. | comedy, avant garde, suspenseful, murder, neo noir, violence, flashback, psychedelic, romantic, revenge | train | imdb | null |
tt1979320 | Rush | The following is based on a true story. The film opens at the German Grand Prix in Nurburgring in 1976. Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) looks to the sky and narrates that he and James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) have long been considered rivals, though he doesn't know why people think that. As the race commences, the two of them, along with the other racers, speed off around the track.SIX YEARS EARLIERWe see James Hunt going into a hospital with his uniform looking dirty and his nose is bloodied. When he introduces himself, everybody is stunned. He's is treated by a cute nurse named Gemma (Natalie Dormer). She tends to a wound on his abdomen done by another man using a crowbar. He tells Gemma that they had a disagreement over the man's wife. She asks what he did, and he says only what she asked him to, which he offers to show Gemma. Cut to the two of them having sex at home...more than once.James takes Gemma to the Crystal Palace circuit to meet his crew for a Formula Three race. He starts puking, which concerns Gemma, but she's assured that he does this before every race. That's when James sees Niki Lauda coming around for the first time. The two enter the race, with Niki nearly winning until he spins out and his motor heats up, giving James the victory. Niki confronts James afterwards, calling him an asshole, but he gets laughed off by James and his mates.We learn from Niki that he comes from a family of politicians and economists. He asks his father for a loan to allow him to enter a Formula One racing team, but he refuses. Niki takes out a loan from the bank himself and uses it to buy his way in. He has his own car made as fast as he deems it should be, and has racer Clay Regazzoni (Pierfrancesco Favino) drive his car across the racetrack, proving it to be faster than the team's previous car. Niki convinces manager Louis Stanley (David Calder) to let him enter with his own car under the conditions that he has a spot on the team and he gets a two-year contract even though he's just a rookie. Later, Regazzoni bumps into Niki, saying he noticed he was talking to the pretty track manager. He informs her that her last boyfriend was also a racer, who was crazy and "an immortal fucker". It was James.James's team, Hesketh Racing, gives him a new car to race with, which he loves. He takes it to the racetrack at Watkins Glen as they drive for Formula One now. An accident takes place there, putting James's nerves on edge and causing him to throw up later.While in the Hesketh garage, he visualizes himself racing when he meets a model named Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde). Within a short amount of time, the two are married. After the wedding, James is told that Niki is set to drive for Ferrari.Niki is seen driving one of Ferrari's car, saying it's a piece of crap. He later officially signs on for the team. Afterwards, Regazzoni drives with Niki to a party, but Niki stays outside. He spots a beautiful woman leaving the place. Her name is Marlene Knaus (Alexandra Maria Lara). He asks for a ride and she allows him to join her. On the road, he critiques the car and her driving, up until the car breaks down in the middle of the road. Marlene manages to get two Italian men to stop, and they get excited when they see Niki. Marlene doesn't realize who Niki is, but she convinces him to drive fast for her. He does so, speeding through the road and thrilling her and the other two men.The 1975 Formula One racing season takes place, with Niki winning the world championship. Later at a party, James speaks to Niki, who thinks all of James's flash and showboating doesn't mean anything. This gives James more of an incentive to prepare for the following year's championship to beat Niki.James goes to the Hesketh Racing garage to find that it is closed because they missed the deadline to secure sponsors. James drowns his sorrows in booze and cigarettes, then gets angry and lashes out at Suzy. He later meets with the managers of the McLaren racing team, in which he is able to secure a position.The 1976 season begins. Niki wins in Brazil and South Africa with James placing second. James comes in first in Spain but is disqualified because the back of his car is deemed too wide. Niki secures more victories in Monaco and Belgium. To make matters worse, James learns that Suzy is having an affair with actor Richard Burton. After meeting with her one last time at a bar, they settle on a divorce. When he steps outside to greet the press, he makes a joke of the divorce as his easiest win. Later, James's disqualification is removed and his car is adjusted to fit the standards.Niki and Marlene get married in a private ceremony and spend their honeymoon in Spain. That evening, after some fun in the pool, Niki tells Marlene that now that he's found happiness, it has become an enemy of his, because he now feels he has something to lose.During practice for the German Grand Prix, an accident takes place and a racer's leg is terribly broken. Niki holds a meeting with the other racers and racing officials, saying that because of the rainy weather, it would be too risky to race, and so it should be canceled. James then leads the others to think that Niki's doing this so he can maintain his racing points, while another racer suggests that Niki is frightened. Niki admits that he is frightened, as the rain increases his risk of dying out there, but he knows everybody else is just as scared. Although some racers join the vote to cancel the race, the majority rules that the race continue as planned.The race goes on, with both James and Niki using rain tires, which they are forced to change at the pit stop because the track dries up quickly. During the third lap, a suspension arm in Niki's car breaks, causing him to swerve off the track and crash into a wall, resulting in the car becoming engulfed in flames. Two other cars hit him, and some racers run to pull Niki out as he catches fire. He is taken to the hospital where six doctors and 34 nurses tend to him, and it is reported that his condition is worse than it was previously believed. Marlene hears of this news over the radio.Over six weeks, Niki recovers in the hospital, albeit with third-degree burns to his face and toxic fumes in his lungs. His lungs are vacuumed out, and the top half of his head is disfigured. All throughout his stay, he watches James continue racing and earning more points. When he is able to get back on his feet, Niki tries to put his helmet back on, but the burns on his face make it painful. Marlene tells him to stop, but he tells her that if she loves him, she'll let him do this.Niki makes his return to the racetrack. He is met by James, who says he tried to write him a letter while he was in the hospital and that he feels responsible for what happened to him. Niki responds that James is equally responsible for getting him back behind the wheel after watching him racing on TV.During a press conference, Niki answers questions regarding his recovery and plans to continue racing. One reporter asks how his wife reacted when she saw his face. Niki replies that she told him he doesn't need a face to drive, but rather, the right foot. The reporter asks again if he thinks his marriage will suffer because of his disfigurement, to which Niki says "Fuck you." After the press conference, James confronts the reporter and punches him repeatedly in the face for the question, then telling him, "Go home to your wife and ask her how you look. Prick."The final race comes at the Japanese Grand Prix, where it is raining harder than in Germany. Before the race starts, James and Niki acknowledge each other and give a friendly wave and nod to one another. As the race goes on, Niki takes the lead over James, but he begins to think of Marlene. He forfeits the race to avoid risking his life again, and he rejoins his wife. James continues the race under the intense conditions, and he is forced to make a late pit stop when the rubber on his tires starts wearing out. As he finishes the final lap, the scoreboard reads that he placed fifth, which would mean he missed out on the championship. However, it is reported that he finished third, allowing him to win. While he celebrates his victory, Niki and Marlene leave in a helicopter. She asks him if he's alright, and he says yes, because he has no regrets.Following his win, James continues about his playboy lifestyle and endorses several products. While in Bologna, Italy, he goes to an airfield to find Niki, who has taken up flying planes. Niki implies that he would have won if he continued the race, and it was unacceptable for James to take all those risks. Before James leaves, Niki tells him that he had gotten something big in finding an enemy. James smiles and goes back with his friends.The film ends with brief footage of the real James Hunt and Niki Lauda.Niki narrates again saying that James retired two years later. When he died of a heart attack at the age of 45, Niki felt sad, as James was one of the few people he respected, and, to this day, the only person he envied. | flashback | train | imdb | In 1976, the rivalry between two brilliant racing car drivers, the British James Hunt and the Austrian Nikki Lauda, came to a head in the almost literally life-and-death struggle of the Formula One championship.
American director Ron Howard ("Apollo 13", "A Beautiful Mind", "Frost/Nixon") and British scriptwriter Peter Morgan (both play and screenplay of "Frost/Nixon") have done a terrific job bringing the titanic struggle to the big screen, aided by some excellent casting and powerful sound and cinematography.
Mr. Ron Howard is a great story teller, this movie is about human nature, love and tears.It is difficult to make a good movie about car racing, especially to make one for the time period from 1970 to 1976.
You will feel like you are really there watching the racing, it's really unbelievable.It is truly touching to see each character played their perfect role for this movie, Chris Hemsworth did a great performance, he is such a talented and devoted actor.
The sport nowadays is little more than advertising on wheels, but when the likes of James Hunt and Niki Lauda battled it out on the track, epic rivalries were created, and no matter how talented these men were at driving these "coffins on wheels", every race could spell out death.
Having seen the trailers and TV set-up (BBC as a Grand Prix insert) I was thinking OK so I've probably seen the best of this and it's going to be 'clunky' in parts or too far up it's own a$$.But hey we can all be wrong, Ron Howard has added depth to a story I knew well, the presentation has a feel for the era the colour's are sometimes harsh and edgy.The set pieces are well researched, the owners of some of the classic F1 hardware must have had an enjoyable time (not quite so sure about the Insurance Underwriters).Where the story hits the spot for me is the acting of the main protagonists, they have life and depth.
Hemsworths presentation of James Hunt is uncanny it's like a documentary he's almost as good as Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln.If your not a F1 fan or from the 70's it may not be more than a blokes film, but give it a go it is going to end up being a important as Apollo 13 in the life of Mr Howard and quite frankly is by far the best car racing movie ever.
As a Cineworld Card Holder I was invited to a screening last night of Ron Howards new movie Rush.Before I start...I am not a F1 fan, but I knew enough of the history of the main protagonists to appreciate the film.
I'd seen James Hunt in interviews and recently watched footage with Niki Lauda so got an idea of the characters.The film is bang on in period, cars fashion and sets the tone excellently, the cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking and the fx are very much in keeping with the period, no ridiculous CGI.The acting, on the whole is nothing short of miraculous, Hemsworth and Bruhl are fantastic, particularly Hemsworth, who's accent, mannerisms and natural acting was a big surprise.
All the support actors are very good in smaller roles.The film is well paced for 2 hours and quite graphic, particularly a few accident scenes.Direction: Ron Howard - nice job, I'm not a massive fan and particularly after the da vinci/Angels fiasco's a big return to decent form.
Amazing direction by Ron Howard, strong performances by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl (he exactly sounded like Niki Lauda).
Such an amazing night.The movie is based on the rivalry of Britain's McLaren F1 driver James Hunt and Austrian driver Niki Lauda who represented Ferrari at the time.
''Rush'' is a very good film about the rivalry between two Formula 1 race car drivers and their lives behind it.
Despite it being a sports film about racing, ''Rush'' never fails to develop its characters, its story and its suspense thus delivering a deeply satisfying conclusion.Beginning with the film's performances, one would expect to see little character development, acting and emotion but a whole lot of action.
From its brilliant script that infuses humor, drama, and a story about a fascinating rivalry to its impeccable and detailed oriented direction, this film succeeds on every level.Ron Howard's direction is extremely noteworthy as I felt like a part of the journey and involved with the characters as I cheered them on.
In what is the best film that Ron Howard has done in years, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl give excellent performances as James Hunt and Niki Lauda: Formula One drivers whose rivalry gave each other purpose and motivation to succeed.
This movie is the most apt adaptation of the real life events between the F1 racers Niki Lauda and James Hunt.It is obvious that the crew and cast have worked sagaciously to make this as good (and better) to describe the relationship between these two racers perfectly to the real life characters that the movie is based upon.Every scene in the movie has been exciting till the very end and towards the end the viewer would only feel the awe of the whole experience.
It's a lean, mean telling of the intense rivalry between race car drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Luckily Howard's directing and the performances of these two are some of the finest I've seen in a long time.I also really like the fact that Rush is more than just a sports film about racing.
Fortunately two men with great experience at adapting true life stories, Ron Howard and Peter Morgan, have taken this project on, giving us a movie that is about a clash of ideals and personalities as well as about the drive of motor sports.James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) are racing drivers with different approaches and philosophies whose rivalry starts in Formula Three racing.
Soon the men's rivalry see them battling it out in Formula One leading to the 1976 season where back-stabbing, danger and disaster affects the sport.As a sports movie Rush is a very well made and entertaining film that focuses on its characters ideals and differences.
Morgan also uses a similar montage trick he used in The Damned United to quickly build a picture of the '76 season with Howard using title cards to the sequence a bit of flash.The story about James Hunt or Niki Lauda could have made for a compelling movie on their own terms, but Howard and Morgan give us two films in one.
The drama centers on the rivalry between two drivers, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, and the movie follows each man's unlikely rise to the top ranks of the Formula One circuit.
The Two lead actors are well cast and convincing even the makeup for Lauda's facial injuries are near perfect, it just goes to show that when Ron Howard when he's on top of his game what he can give to the screen.Very little archive footage is used and this is at the end of the film which follows up life after the 1976 championships.
Rush tells the true story of the heated rivalry between two Formula 1 drivers; playboy and hot head James Hunt (Thor) and level-headed and calculated Niki Lauda (a brilliant Daniel Bruhl).
The amazing true story about the on-and-off-the-track rivalry of racers James Hunt (Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Bruhl) should be ripe pickings for good filmmaking.
By concentrating on the relationship between two drivers and with a great screenplay by Peter Morgan, Ron Howard gives the best film ever about motor racing .
When I finish watching this film, I thought "who else but Hemsworth and Bruhl could act Hunt and Lauda?" While some films that based on a real story chooses to use the actor who is in totally different impression to the original person, this film makes you feel like you are watching real Hunt and Lauda racing each other again.Spectacular story (of course), awesome CGI (especially the "heavy rain") and again, the noise of engines....If you are F1 fan, watch it.
Rush (2013) Director: Ron HowardThis movie narrates the true accounts of the sporting rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt, F1 racing champions in the mid 1970's.Director Ron Howard returns to his brilliant version as a story-teller after crowd-pleasers like the two Robert Langdon movies and the middling movie 'The Dilemma'.
Didn't realize then that I was going to see it in a movie.Howard does a good job setting up the back story of characters – Hemsworth (Thor) as Hunt and Bruhl as Lauda – about their appetite for racing, cars and success.
'Rush' is a biographical sports drama, capturing the drama off and on the race track between rival race car drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 Formula One motor-racing season.'Rush' builds up well, and after a decent first half, it delivers with an immensely satisfying and exciting second half, complete with powerful acting, excellent music score, intense race sequences, and firm direction.A dramatic and highly watchable movie not to be missed, Hans Zimmer is as reliable as ever when staging moving music, and during the final races his score is profoundly important to getting your nerves on edge for the showdown between the two Formula One racers.
The cinematography was amazing, the performance with Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl as James Hunt and Niki Lauda respectively was phenomenal, the race scenes were really exciting and all in all it was a great experience.The film did have bad language, but in drama films, the bad language does work to its advantage.
I finished seeing this movie with no words on how to talk about it, its simply superb, I had already known all of the history and what happened between Hunt and Lauda, but it was told so perfectly by Ron Howard that it made me run trough the room shouting, of course its not a movie for everyone, its a movie for few people, people that know the automotive culture and people that know what rivalry can make you do, and of course, besides all the history there is the amazing photography and acting, that alone make this movie one of the best things I have ever seen, this is whitout any doubt a must see if you are a real fan of the whole automotive culture, only because, for me, it is the greatest racing movie ever made.
From the fast pace story narration due to the fine editing to background score and visual effects, we must recognize the A1 quality of the production house.This movie portrays about the 1976 Formula 1 season where two new comer drivers from Europe, James Hunt and Niki Lauda are considered the top rivalries to grab the world championship title.
With Schumi lying in a coma, this movie is really painful to watch, knowing just how dangerous a life he lived on the tracks for two decades, only to be bought down by another sport which doesn't even remotely compare to the Grand Prix tracks' fatality
.the wretchedly twisted ironic face of life, that is
I was skeptic about this movie at first, it being a car racing movie with Hemsworth in the lead role and the only face on the poster
but in the first ten minutes of viewing it, my skepticism just blew away like marbles off a race car tire
Although Hemsworth's performance was surprisingly great, the shining diamond of this movie is, without questions, the lesser known actor, Daniel Brühl.Both actors perfectly grooved into their characters as history's greatest Formula 1 rivals, James Hunt and Nicki Launda, right down to the accent and mannerisms.
A period biopic, it has a similar look and feel to Tom Hooper's The Damned United, and while it also shares a writer (Peter Morgan), this film isn't buoyed by the same standard of cast.The story concerns the rivalry between Englishman James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) as they work (or buy) their way up from Formula 3 and compete for the 1976 World Championship.
Ron Howard, i have to take my hat off to you, you have annoyed me on the grid walks at the F1 races for the last 6 months with his over the top American nature but his excitement must have been fuelled by his masterpiece that he has created.I Highly suggest, either prior to watching it or post film, you watch the documentary on them with the real life footage and you will see how to each minor detail of Niki Lauda's (Daniel Brühl) facial expressions, his rat like teeth, his confident yet calculated persona and James Hunts (Chris Hemsworth) arrogant, lavish, reckless aura.
The script is solid and I think really encapsulates the era of Formula 1 when more often that not drivers either died or got seriously injured as a consequence of participating in the F1 world championship.The film is also beautifully shot, and really takes the audience back to that era in a visual sense.The best racing movie ever made is an understatement, this was an excellent job all round by everyone involved and did justice to one of Sport's most intense rivalries.Highly recommended..
It's an excellent film, great cinematography, great acting, it's Chris Hemsworth best performance, and the actor that plays Nikki Lauda, Daniel Bruhl, what great actor, he was in the movie inglorious bastards, couldn't really tell at the moment cause he looks so different.
Racing fans will appreciate the mild technicality of the F1 scenes, but EVERYONE will love the meaningful message and themes that Ron Howard successfully portrays through these two characters.I wasn't fully familiar with the Hunt-Lauda rivalry prior to the movie, but even if I was, I really think this movie is a fresh new look at these two important F1 figures and their interaction with each other.
Based on the true story of the Formula 1 racing rivals brash English playboy James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and his tough methodical uncompromising opponent Austrian driver Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) during the 1970s.Director Ron Howard has great skills to put together a top notch movie.
Based on the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, Rush is a magnificent movie that will grip the audience even if they have no interest in racing.Nicki Lauda, played by Daniel Bruhl, gave up the chance to manage his family's business back in Austria in order to become a racer.
"RUSH" is the incredible true story of Formula 1 drivers Jim Hunt and Niki Lauda in the epic 1976 Grand Prix.
Its a a biographical movie based on professional rivalry of two Formula 1 drivers in 1970's;Austrian driver Nikki Lauda(Daniel Brühl) and British driver James Hunt(Played by Chris Hemsworth).Kudos to director Ron Howard and writer Peter Morgan,direction is crisp and enthralling.
To create a story of real life events and famous people require a talent,never even heard about this two formula biggies ever but characterizations and story is so compelling that for me now Nikki Lauda and James Hunt are more dominating better Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alanso the F1 drivers who i have seen driving and know about.Power of movie is that it seems literally like a biopic as happens with food everything is refined and balanced to create a perfect taste.Racing sequences of 70's are portrayed authentically.Acting almost flawless: Both drivers in reality were pole opposite;Nikki lauda as more serious and unsociable taken to a awesome performance by Daniel Bruhl and reckless James Hunt played By Chris Hemsworth to a new degree of For me one of the best movie of the year till now,many will not agree with me,but its based on real people and as per that frame ,Director had created masterpiece.
One of the best scenes in the film shows, in amusing fashion, that for Italian men the only things in the world more exciting than a beautiful woman are a fast car and Formula 1 driver.Jame Hunt, a brash and sometimes offensively arrogant playboy, navigates his McLaren "bomb on wheels" by instinct and guts; Nikki Lauda, a calculating and sometimes offensively arrogant technician, drives his Ferrari by the book, assessing risk and reward like a bond trading statistician.
'Rush' is a grand prize from Ron Howard and should be cherished by fans of Formula 1 racing as well as movie-goers who simply like a tale of triumphant human spirits.
The script is great, the director does a fine job to get you to the edge of the seat as you watch the racing scenes as well as the strong dialogs.Hunt and Lauda are the most interesting characters since a long, long time.
Chris Hemsworth stars as James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl (whom you may remember as the lovestruck Nazi soldier in Inglourious Basterds) as Niki Lauda, two Formula 1 race car drivers in the 1970s who had a fierce rivalry.
Rush is not your run-of-the-mill movie in the sporting drama bandwagon which caters only to F1 enthusiasts.F1 fan or not, the way Howard has showcased the legendary rivalry between F1 greats, Niki Lauda and James Hunt makes for compelling and intense viewing.
Combining larger-than-life characters with white-knuckle racing thrills, 'Rush' Is not just one of the best sports movies we have seen, but indeed one of the very best films that you'll see this year..
I think those merits alone would already make Rush a great movie.The film contrasts between Hunt and Lauda by their traits and goals.
This is the first film I've seen in a while where I can see myself watching this over & over again in the years to come.The movie is based on the unbelievably true story of James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) & Niki Lauda's (Daniel Brühl) rivalry during the 1970's in Formula 1.
This is an incredible movie and I'm sure even if your not a Formula 1 fan, or even a sports fan, you will find something in the drama of the legendary rivalry between Hunt & Lauda, that is Rush! |
tt0335245 | The Ladykillers | [In this adaptation of the original, the setting of the film is moved from London to Saucier, Mississippi, home of a riverboat casino. Actual filming, however, took place in Natchez, due to the real Saucier being situated in Harrison County and not bordering the Mississippi River.]In a quiet, beautiful community Mrs. Marva Munson, an elderly, God-fearing widow lives. She answers the door one sunny morning to find the charming Professor Goldthwaite H. Dorr, a pretentious Southern dandy, darkening her doorstep. He explains who he is and expresses his interest in Mrs. Munson's spare bedroom, which she has advertised to let. He explains that he is a musician and asks if it would be all right for him to use her basement as a place for recitals with his fellow "musicians". She accepts the terms and agrees. Mr. Dorr's fellow "musicians" are actually a gang of criminals, consisting of:-Lump, the incredibly dumb but tough football player.
-The General, a quiet tough-as-nails donut cook with expertise in tunneling and garroting troublesome individuals. -Garth Pancake, a mustached animal trainer for TV commercials with expertise in explosives.
-Gawain, their "inside man", a young janitor who works on the "Bandit Queen", a riverboat casino.With all of their talents combined, the group of criminals plan to dig a tunnel from Mrs. Munson's basement to the casinos' underground counting room. To avoid Mrs. Munson's hearing the digging, they play orchestral CDs as to seem that they are rehearsing, so she will not get suspicious. They dispose of all the unused dirt in Hefty trash bags.After a series of comical mishaps that threaten to derail their plan, which include Gawain getting fired from the casino and Garth blowing his finger off in an accidental explosion (while demonstrating the 'safety' of C4 to the others), they break through the wall of the vault and snatch the loot, a scheme made even easier by Gawain, who has been rehired at the casino and is able to quickly repair the puncture in the wall. Mr. Pancake is able to rig a small explosion that will collapse the tunnel so it will never be discovered. The explosive seemingly turns out to be a dud, so Pancake ventures down the tunnel and, after examining it, inadvertently re-activates its timer. With about ten seconds before the tunnel collapses, Pancake crawls with all haste to escape, but his Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) starts to act up and this slows him down. It suddenly explodes and he is shot out of the collapsing tunnel and smashes into a table which has the money on it. Upon hearing the rumble, Mrs. Munson walks downstairs and finds out what her tenants have done. Outraged, she tells Dorr in a private conversation to either return the money to the casino and go to church to repent their sins, or else she will call the police. Dorr tells her he will consult the group. Not willing to give up the money, the gang decides to murder her and draw straws to do so.Gawain loses, and must therefore shoot Mrs. Munson. When he goes to shoot her, he has a flashback of himself at ten years old, coming home with a spaniel puppy in his arms and asking his alcoholic, couch potato of a mother if he can keep it. She refuses and slaps him, claiming "you wait 'til your daddy gets home, he gonna lay into you proppa!" Upon hearing him murmuring "please momma, I love you. He won't shit in the house, I'll train 'im up proppa and wipe his butt an' everything", Mrs. Munson (whom Gawain was visualizing as his mother) demands to know what he is doing with her pillow, and snatches it away. After receiving a slapping, Gawain informs his fellow comrades he can't shoot her. An outraged Pancake tells him to accept his responsibilities and shoot her or face the prospect of being a coward, to which the group concurs. During an argument and brawl with Pancake, Gawain accidentally shoots himself in the chest and dies.Lump and the General dangle the trash bag with Gawain's body over a bridge and drop it when a huge garbage barge heading out to the garbage island passes below them. Meanwhile, Pancake steals the money and attempts to escape with his girlfriend, Mountain Girl. However, Dorr is no fool, and checks to confirm the money is still present. Dorr sends The General chasing after them, who promptly kills them both with his patented strangling wire, and their bodies are then dumped on the barge.This time, the General pulls the short straw and walks up to Munson's bedroom with his wire strangler, planning to strangle her in her sleep. He also back-flips his cigarette into his mouth so that the pungent fragrance of tobacco doesn't wake Mrs. Munson. As he is about to kill her, he is surprised by an alarm clock sounding and accidentally swallows his lit cigarette. He reaches for a glass of water on the nightstand to get a drink, only to realize this is where Mrs. Munson kept her denture. In disgust, he retreats, and still choking, he staggers backwards into the stairwell, trips over the cat, and falls down the stairs, smashing his head against the wall and cracking his skull, dead on impact.When Dorr and Lump dispose of the General on the bridge, Lump suggests to Dorr that they give the money back to the casino. Dorr insists that he is stupid and tells him that he has to do the killing. Lump refuses and tries to shoot Dorr instead because he doesn't "want to harm a nice old lady". The gun doesn't fire, so Lump peeks down the barrel while pulling the trigger. It turns out that Dorr deliberately left the chamber under the hammer empty, and Lump tests the revolver to see if it works. He shoots himself in the face and falls over the bridge rail onto the garbage barge passing under the bridge, timed perfectly due to Dorr's ability to anticipate Lump's every thought and move.Dorr, left standing, sees a raven sitting on a statue of death, which reminds him of Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven". Being a great admirer of Poe, he pauses to reflect. When the raven flies off, the head of the statue breaks and falls off, whacking Dorr on the head. Dorr too, falls over the bridge, but his coat catches on the bridge's underside railings, thus hanging him. His coat soon tears and he falls onto another garbage barge.Mrs. Munson wakes up, ignorant of last night's proceedings. She sees a crack in the wall where the General's head impacted, though she can't figure out how it got there. She then goes down to the basement to discover that the gang has apparently disappeared, leaving all the money behind. She decides to return the money, but when she shares her story with the sheriff, they think she has gone batty, refuse to believe her story. To humor her, they tell her to keep the money, and agree that she can give it to the "bible school" in South Carolina, Bob Jones University. In the film's last moments, Pickles, the cat, is seen scurrying across the bridge and poking his head over the side with Pancake's finger in his mouth. He then drops it onto the passing garbage barge, disposing of the last remaining piece of the villains. | entertaining, comedy, boring, murder, flashback | train | imdb | As a remake this movie falls flat, as a stand alone movie its not too bad and will appeal more to a younger audience and probably mostly American one at that.Here is the problem with remakes - If you make it exactly like the original then there is little point in remaking it, if you just change the country what is the point when the dialogue and the setting is the exact same almost, with a few words changed here and there...
the scenario is quite different except that they are both about stealing money.Not a bad or great movie by any means, and i think Hanks character tried to be like the Alec Guinness one, a little strange, and it didn't quite work, for me anyway....
Tom Hanks was simply delightful pretending to be refined, highly educated, charmingly polite and smooth talking Rococo music lover Professor G.H.Darr who in reality was a very dangerous, ruthless and devious criminal that assembled the most hilarious gang of thieves (each has his special talent) to dig the tunnel through his landlady's root cellar to a casino vault and to steal 1.6 million dollars.
The slight difference here is that instead of seeing the mastermind (Tom Hanks) actually recruiting each one of them, we are shown what looks like a cartoon quip of each, with some good laughs but at the same time highlighting their individual characteristics.Tunnelling for a robbery is not new, and the classical one has to be The Red Headed League in the Sherlock Holmes short stores.
Another contrast played upon a lot by the Coen Brothers is the Hanks' talking 'genteel' (as Eliza Doolittle would have said) and the proliferation of obscenity from the 'punk', the insider member of the gang.Funny right from the start, this movie gradually reveals more and more of the Coens' brand of dark humour when eventually the title 'ladykillers' take on a literal meaning.
The supporting characters are nicely fleshed out with some helpful introductory vignettes and although some of the film comes across as a little too "Uncle Tom's Cabin" at times; I think we can forgive the Cohens.
So when she rents a room to Professor Dorr P.H.D (Tom Hanks, Philadelphia) little does she know that her annual contribution to Bob Jones University will never be the same.Dorr turns out to be a criminal mastermind, trying to pull off a simple casino robbery.
A band of botcher thieves (Marlon Wayans , Tzi Ma , Ryan Hurst) led by a cunning man (Tom Hanks) attempt a great robbing , but their scheme is foiled by an allegedly innocent old lady (Irma P.
The picture is a good adaptation of the classic British film of the golden decade of Ealing studio , a droll black comedy with the same title and featured by Alec Guinnes , Herbert Lom and Peter Sellers and written by Willian Rose .
Tom Hanks was appalling in the Alec Guinness role, the 'lady' in question though well acted missed the whole point of the plot, and the black character with verbal diarrhoea and a foul mouth was a disgrace to the memory of the Ealing Comedy of old.If you have a modicum of good taste, do not go to see this execrable nonsense..
The Coens are probably my favorite living directors and among the more distinctive currently working, and they certainly put their own spin on an established comedy classic with this film.I think that the poor reception this film got is largely due to its sense of humor.
The Coens' dry wit present in several of their films is present here, mostly through the main character Professor Dorr, portrayed excellently by Tom Hanks in one of his better performances, but there's also a lot of low-brow humor, and not even distinctive or interesting low-brow humor, just 'haha he dropped an f-bomb' sort, which is really at odds with the rest of this film.
I love the original Ealing comedy this is based on & was so excited when I heard the Coen brothers were remaking it, with Tom Hanks to boot.
Hall, the Coens got her character completely wrong.What made the original so good was sweet Mrs. Wilberforce's (played by the incomparable Katie Johnson) naivete and vulnerability.
Hall's character just doesn't work in this story.Marlon Wayans grates as the foul-mouthed "inside man" - unable to extract any humor from their remake, the Coens resort to Wayans spewing profanity pretty much in every line of dialogue.
Made in 1955 and featuring such wonderful talents as Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom, it has earned a reputation as a minor classic.One can only assume that the Coen Brothers never saw the original, or if they did they decided that to Americanize the tale they had to strip it of anything that might even vaguely seem whimsical -- or funny.
For no particular reason, this tired tale about thieves tunneling into a vault has been transported to the Mississippi Delta and populated with a cast of characters trapped in racial stereotyping of every sort.Doing a crude parody of a southern gentleman, Tom Hanks plays unpleasantly against type as Prof.
The Coens have proved they know how to embrace malevolence, but not since BLOOD SIMPLE have they shown the devilish wit of Alfred Hitchcock or Tim Burton or Charles Addams or Edward Gory or even Edgar Allen Poe. In their inexplicable attempt to mix modern film sadism with quaint British irony, they let the former suffocate the latter; and like the poor dog in the film, THE LADYKILLERS dies a slow and painfully unpleasant death..
The story might have looked funny on paper but by the time it reached the big screen Tom Hanks had taken the Coen Brother's hostage.
A group of thieves disguised as musicians hiding out in a sweet old lady's house sounds like a pretty hysterical premise for a movie, and Alec Guiness proved it was in the original film.The new version, however, only demonstrates how you can start out with a great premise and completely destroy it.While Hank's performance was funny, it certainly didn't out way all the foul language and meaningless interludes that were supposed to "modernize" the movie.
I am so disappointed in Tom Hanks for appearing in this TERRIBLE remake of a really good movie.
However Dorr's real plan is to tunnel out of the basement and into the underground money store of a nearby casino.However, the plan doesn't go exactly to plan and the one thing Dorr hasn't accounted for is a little old lady discovering what's really going on.Having spent last Saturday afternoon in the company of the original (very good if not a classic) I decided to spend part of this Saturday in a cinema with the remake.
So MacSam becomes a lazy 'mo-fo' talking black character, The General is a quiet, calm Oriental and Pancake's twist is that he has IBS practically giving us fart jokes, in a Coen brothers movie!These secondary characters deliver very little whereas usually the Coens provide much to love in their support.
For that reason Hanks is great and adds cream to the top of Guinness' performance in the original he is funny and well worth watching but the film dips when he is offscreen.
Hall is very good and it is not her fault that her character is misjudged; she works her facial expressions very well and I enjoyed her even if I longed for a role like the original had.
Wayans is not the sort of person I ever thought I'd see in a Coen brothers movie and he just does his usual 'mo-fo' ethnic stereotype thing here, he is annoying and his character just smacks of a complete lack of imagination.The soundtrack is full of good gospel stuff and it makes it feel a lot more lively than the original and this energy does help cover some of its failings but not that well.
Overall it is fun and it is worth a look, but if you have seen the original or like the Coens then you will struggle to see past its failings at times.
While usually a fan of the Coen Brothers and certainly of Tom Hanks, I sit stunned after viewing this poor, ill-conceived remake of the original 1955 classic.
The original film from 50 years ago brims with a highly intelligent, wonderfully imaginative screenplay which is structured brilliantly; the 1955 film shines with wit and HEART throughout -- despite the thoroughly dark humor, and boasts wonderfully fine-tuned performances from Alec Guiness through Peter Sellers and the absolutely amazing Katie Johnson as the intended victim; her work in this film is hilarious in its subtlety and it's conceivable she truly might be a vulnerable victim of this gang, which is completely the opposite of the impression one gets of the Coen Brothers' Marva Munson.
It's an exercise in bad decisions and choices from beginning to end; it's not often I feel filmmakers have blown it on so massive a scale that I feel compelled to vent my irritation at having had my time wasted, but everyone involved in this terrible production certainly know better than to foist this dreadful trash on anyone who enjoys and salutes film entertainment.
So when their 2004 film remake of The Ladykillers was announced, it was not much of a surprise that none other than Mr. Revered Tom Hanks attached himself to the project in the starring role.
The rest of the movie, without spoiling it for you wanna-seers, surrounds the groups efforts to dig the tunnel and steal the money all the while trying to hide their intended scheme from the curious old lady up the stairs.In the hands of the Coen's, The Ladykillers shaped up to be one of this years must sees.
The Coen's have always brought us memorable demises (remember the Wood Chipper in Fargo?), and in Ladykillers, as the members fall to the hands of their own greed one by one, they are offed in a way that made me laugh and was unique enough to go on their wall of accomplishments alongside the flood in O Brother Where Art Thou or Dan Hedaya in Blood Simple.So if I was forced to watch the film history of the Coen's, I would have to put this film towards the bottom just above Intolerable Cruelty.
I have to say that The Ladykillers is the first time I've really enjoyed a Coen Brothers movie since Fargo.
And while I do say that this is the first time I've really enjoyed one of their movies since Fargo, I still think Ladykillers came up short in a lot of ways.
The script and their direction puts them back on track, yet I wonder if the Coen's will ever capture the brilliance they displayed so well in Fargo and Raising Arizona.Tom Hanks does give one of his most interesting performances ever.
They must know that Wayans didn't belong in this movie.Just as much as Tom Hanks deserves an Oscar for his role, so does Irma Hall.
I was looking forward to this, so far for me the Coen Brothers have never put a foot wrong, I admire Tom Hanks' work and have no problems with updating what is a classic of the British cinema.
There was a time in my film watching life when I would have said that there's no such thing as a bad Coen brothers movie.
Everyone looks so psyched to be in a Coen brothers film since they've seen what it's done for their peers in the past yet they're desperate with little to work with.3.This film is not only bad, it's a bit offensive with it's cheap racial humor and vulgar jokes about flatulence and bowels.
My daughter, from the youngest generation comments, as follow:As a 22-year-old college senior, I've seen a lot of good movies in my day, but "Ladykillers" certainly isn't one of them.
So, in conclusion, other than the last 15 or 20 minutes (which did bring a quite clever ending to this film) and the mere fact that Tom Hanks was the star (who is, in my opinion, quite an exceptional actor) nothing much more can be said in this movie's defense..
It featured the most annoying performance by Tom Hanks and an even worse film by Marlon Wayans.
The quirky character by Tom Hanks is probably one of the Coens' best ones, he is well-developed, humorous, and weird-looking.
The Ladykillers isn't better than the original and it is definitely flawed, but Tom Hanks' likable character and the bold directing made the film worthwhile..
If you are going to remake a film starring the great Alec Guiness, then you need someone who at least has a small modicum of the talent and gravitas that the late Sir Alec brought to the screen and the woful Hanks is not even worthy of mentioning Guinness name, let alone trying to emulate a role played with such panache.
And how did they feel that it would be improved by using non-stop obscenities and a whole bunch of wooden clichéd characters.It is said that Tom Hanks didn't watch the original Ladykillers.
The 1955 "Ladykillers" is a great sarcastic black humor British comedy, with five elegant small-time thieves and an irritating old lady.
This version of the Coen brothers brought the same story to the Mississipi, changed the armored car by a casino and lost all the glamour of the original movie.
Tom Hanks is excellent, as usual, but for those who have appreciate the original movie, I believe it is impossible to like this remake.
I wasted $10 on Tom Hank's worst performance ever, four overused jokes (the IBS, cigarette in the mouth, the black lady hitting people and whichever Waynes brother it was cursing) and a plot, if you can even call it that that goes no where.
And once again Tom Hanks plays a great character and was a perfect choice.FINAL VERDICT: This movie was better than reviews made it out to be when it was in theaters.
The gospel-infused soundtrack is rousing but I got the feeling that the Coens were just trying to recreate the musical success that they enjoyed with "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".When you get down to it, I think that this is a worthwhile comedy but when you compare it to the likes of "The Big Lebowski" it's really no comparison at all.
The Ladykillers is quintessential Coen Brothers a seemingly straight-forward plot gone horribly wrong, bizarre characters and since the Big Lebowski, a rousing soundtrack this time it's gospel music that literally made me want to start moving my feet and clap.
STAR RATING: ***** Unmissable **** Very Good *** Okay ** You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead * Avoid At All Costs Marva Munson (Irma P Hall) is an up-front elderly lady who has just been approached by a charming, well-spoken Southern gentleman named Professor GH Dorr (Tom Hanks) to rent space in her house.
The first Ladykillers, a black as you like British comedy from the 1950s, was a smart; often funny and interesting film detailing a perilous situation a handful of thieves wedge their way into following a successful cash heist.
I can remember watching the original quite recently, and in knowing the Coen Brothers had remade it several years ago, it dawned on me what it was that attracted them to this sort of material: a film whose premise revolves around an immoral swiping of some money; deathly black comedic overtones; an array of oddball characters and that sense of both asking and exploring where one's morals truly lie.
Tom Hanks gives a great performance as an over-loquacious southern flimflam man right out of an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show." It is his first flat out comic turn in many, many years, and it is wonderful to see that he is willing to still be funny after playing such a long line of painfully "good," and pretty damn bland, characters.
Similarly to the uneven Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers, a remake of an Ealing classic starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers, started as a simple writing gig for the Coen brothers (their former cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld was going to direct), before becoming a lot more.
If only the supporting cast were as good: Hurst and Ma are practically useless, standing in the background as the action unfolds; Wayans tries to do a better version of his dope-head from Scary Movie and, not surprisingly, fails; Hall, who mysteriously won a Jury Award in Cannes for her performance, is pretty imposing but too earthy to really fit in (so maybe there's a point in dismissing the Coens' work as cold).
Tom Hanks is their leader, and the fine actor enjoys himself in the bad guy role, playing the erudite university professor, combining a Southern accent with the charm of a Bernard Shaw character quoting from Edgar Allan Poe. Of course, as the film develops, the old lady will over-wit the criminals plans in a story that has nothing to do with real life logic, but has a lot to do with comedy logic.
(Tom Hanks in a wonderfully over-the-top performance) rents a room from a little old lady (Irma P.
Part of the problem was that the comedy styles of Tom Hanks and Marlon Wayans just didn't work.
You didn't really feel for any of the characters, except for the old lady and Tom Hank's character, because none of the characters were well developed or were just plain not likable.This movie has too many obscenities that are very unnecessary, including the "n" word, in my tastes unless it is necessary to the plot is not needed and I don't like it.
Let's Just Pretend Allen Smithee Directed It. I do not recommend this movie to comedy fans and have, instead, included recommendations of better Coen Brothers films below.
Tom Hanks does yet another great job as does the little known support cast.But I do think it's about time the Coen Brothers start producing some better work... |
tt1027820 | The Incident | Asylum Blackout is a horror thriller from the movie director Alexandre Courtes. The story starts with George (Rupert Evans) working in the kitchen of a mental hospital called Sans Asylum. Georges dream is to hit it big in the rock industry with his band mates Max (Kenny Doughty) and Ricky (Joseph Kennedy) but unfortunately the band hasnt made a name yet. George manages to get his two unemployed friends a job at the asylum and so all of them try to earn their bed and butter by serving in the kitchen at the mental asylum. The job at the mental facility pays well and there is virtually no contact with the inmates as there is a plastic window through which the food is passed to the inmates and so the trio isnt really worried of getting into any kind of dangerous situation. Little do they know that soon a storm is going to hit and everything is going to go wrong. Some minutes into Asylum Blackout and the audience witnesses a huge storm that blows out the electricity completely. The electric doors inside the mental hospital open and all the inmates break free. Now because this is a very high security prison, most of the inmates are very dangerous. They havent been taking their medications under the direction of a particularly bad inmate for long and so they are out for blood. The three group members try to save themselves from the crazies and stay alive until help can arrive. Luckily, one of the band members, Ricky, manages to hide himself in the freezer but George and max are still running from the inmates. When the inmates cannot get their hands on the three, they feed on the other inmates who are weaker than them. They also kill off the guards as well as the nurses and receptionists etc. It gets even darker as the night progresses but still there is no evidence of police.
Finally, by the end of Asylum Blackout, we realize that not all of the kitchen staff will make it out alive but the movie does wrap up quite suddenly. | insanity, murder | train | imdb | I was watching this expecting it to be another run of the mill low budget flick, especially with the rating which almost convinced me not to watch it at all.Any movie that has you really thinking about it after its over is way better than the fluff I have seen come out recently and this one had me pondering the ending over and over.IMDb should start having some categories based on genre that can be rated so the ratings are not so lump sum weighted.Anyway anybody looking for a good weekend movie this one is worth a watch..
Inmates rioting in the asylum is a good idea for a movie and can be great if done right.Watch this movie you'll enjoy it especially if you like insanity like me.7/10.
But i was delightfully mistaken.it's Not great but for a low budget horror film its pretty darn good.
very good for what it was and better than a lot of big budget films out there.
Two aspiring musicians whom are working as cooks in a secluded mental asylum to make ends meet and to further finance their dead-end dream job are in the aforementioned hospital when the power goes out and the patients revolt, leaving the cooks and rest of the workers to fight for their lives.Apart from some brutal scenes the movie seemed a tad on the tame side considering a promising set-up premise.
Great acting, Great production, decent gory shots, but a weak script and sad storyline with not much going on besides.I would recommend this movie to those who like a good torture porn flick..
What horror concept is more traditional and effective than the setting of an asylum for the mentally insane during a thunderstorm and a power blackout?
"Asylum Blackout" which naturally is a much more appealing and appetizing title for a low-budget horror flick, first caught my attention because it's a partially Belgian co-production (I'm from Belgium, hence
) and it premiered at the Brussels' International Festival of Fantastic Films a few years ago.
Either way, being a Belgian horror freak, I'm still very proud to see a link with my country, especially because I liked "The Incident" quite a lot.
Admittedly the film starts out a little too slow and primitive, while the confusing and open-for-interpretation climax is arguably annoying, but everything in between is a nice demonstration of sadistic, raw and nerve-wrecking terror!
Near the end of a long working day, a heavy thunderstorm breaks loose and lightening causes a power failure inside the asylum.
George and his friend attempt to hide in storage rooms and offices but the crazies, led by the vicious inmate Harry Green, hunt them down as well.
The film allegedly takes place in the year 1989, which is quite clever because this way the writers didn't have to take into account mobile phones, GPS systems etc
I'm not going to go too much into detail about the bizarre ending.
In Alexandre Courtès' film The Incident, the setting is Washington 1989 where we are introduced to a group of young band members that work in the kitchen of an insane asylum.
Patients in the asylum walk around like zombies and follow strict patterns in an effort to get fed at the fortified kitchen.George (Rupert Evans), Max (Kenny Doughty) and Ricky (Joseph Kennedy) have just played a gig the night before when George is requested to come in early to accept a delivery of supplies for the kitchen.
On little to no sleep, George makes his way to the compound and begins prepping for the daily meals when he is met by his fellow workers/band members.But on this dark and rainy evening, a power outage throws the asylum into darkness.
George and the others are asked to assist in getting the excited patients back to their holding cells, but when two patients violently escape their escort, it begins a night of terror where the patients indeed run the asylum and where the guards and the young kitchen workers run from their lives from the horde of dangerously rabid maniacs.Director Alexandre Courtes makes his feature film debut with The Incident after a fairly successful career directing music videos for bands such as U2 and The White Stripes.
Courtes takes his time in unleashing the terrors that will be the mainstay of the film and uses the first 30 minutes to introduce us to the characters on both sides of the protective glass.
We are also introduced to Harry Green (Richard Brake) – an asylum patient that George believes is the ringleader of the horde when the proverbial poop hits the fan.When the patients begin to overrun the facility, the screenplay as written by S.Craig Zahler and Jérôme Fansten has the characters doing what is rarely evident in today's horror films – he has the characters acting intelligently and making the right decisions (even if it comes with unexpected consequences).
They also equip themselves with knives and other weapons and hide out when they find safe haven rather than wandering the halls as bait for the manic fish.The film is complimented by the great atmosphere of the setting much like the abandoned asylum in Session 9 and without windows or doors leading to an escape, you can't help but feel for the helplessness of the situation.Courtes doesn't spend time on the background of the inmates or the guards.
Backstory does not matter.There is a bit of a letdown in a twist implemented near the end of the film.
Night itself and we think it would have had a more satisfying ending if things just ended as they were (thought to have) played out.Still, The Incident is an above average horror film with a few good kills (ok, one) and one scene that had two audience members at the Toronto International Film Festival faint in recognition.
It might not be the best asylum film ever (or even in the top 25), but it was refreshing to watching smart individuals acting smart when their lives were on the line and we appreciated the effort.www.killerreviews.com.
In 1989, in Washington, the friends George (Rupert Evans), Max (Kenny Doughty) and Ricky (Joseph Kennedy) are aspirant musicians that play in a band in their leisure time.
With the mental hospital in the darkness, the inmates led by the cruel Harry Green (Richard Brake) attack the guards and staff.
Will they survive?"The Incident" is a sadistic torture film with an unclear and unintelligible conclusion.
The situation is absurd since there are just a few guards to control violent criminals and the security is based on systems that stop working with a power outage.
I am sure you will enjoy this film just don't watch it if you have a weak stomach, or after eating a big meal lol.
It's a movie about an Asylum (as an alternate title does suggest, original title being "The Incident") and the people within.
I just love films set in a dilapidated derelict insane asylums/prisons.
In fact, just tune out five minutes early and you've got a really good movie.What I want to point out is this film's satisfying dramatic structure.
The character of George made me care about this horror movie.
Asylum Blackout works because it gives its characters dignity and its story world depth.
The Incident is the closest we can get to a live action of Outlast minus the first person view and government experiment.It short and the ending is not on high note but the look and feel is right there with the right amount of blood and gore in about 85 minutes of pure horror and mayhem make The Incident a great watch for brainless movie night.
Just finished watching The Incident (Asylum Blackout) after coming across it in one of the Horror lists here.
It's a pretty decent Horror films with a very original set up story - very much like Zombie Apocalypse only without the zombies.
The "bad guys" being insane convicts in an asylum made it all the more realistic and horrifying.Film was good in all aspects, but didn't shine.
Acting was good (especially on the convicts' part, I've seen the inside of a psychiatric ward before and I can tell the director must have done some very thorough research!), screenplay and script were OK, all in all a decent film.As for the ending - a swing and a miss.
The ending here was simply too puzzling for my own personal taste.Like I said film was good, didn't shine except for the convicts' acting and the original story.
First of all, I get the "Blackout" thing, but that doesn't mean that the screen has to be so dark that you can't even see what is happening during the whole movie.
That being said, I think asylums or mental hospitals are great place to set horror movies, but this one manages to make even those creepy places unscary.
"The Incident" (aka "Asylum Blackout") turned out to be nothing at all as to what I had expected it to be.
Especially with the rating it had scored here on IMDb.The story is about a group of cooks at an asylum for deranged criminals.
The cooks get trapped in the dark bowels of the asylum one day as the power disappears, and with the inmates on the prowl, neither cooks nor asylum staff are safe.Well, the story was adequate, but it just trotted along in a slow, dull pace and never really picked up pace before the last 10 minutes of the movie or so.
Well, right up to the ending, which was just a slap in the face to the audience.The good part about the movie is the atmosphere in the asylum, both with and without power.
Both were actually nicely done here - just a shame the rest of the movie failed.The acting in the movie was good enough, given the fact that people didn't have the best of script to work with.
Nothing out of the ordinary here though, mind you."The Incident" is not really a particularly great movie, it was slow and uneventful to say the least.
My wife and I just watched Asylum Blackout (or The Incident...which one is it) last night and I have to say, we mostly enjoyed this movie.
At one point, shortly after the blackout (this isn't a spoiler since its in the name) we both agreed that this movie was doing a real good job at showing what it might be like to be trapped inside a building with the criminally insane and having no power.The look, feel, setting, and plot to this movie are all well done.
Even the acting, especially the performance of the main character George, done by Rupert Evans, is very good.
When things start to go badly, George's decisions don't follow the typical 'forehead slappers' that often happen in movies like this.
Instead, the filmmakers tried to add depth to the story by including twists, that simply did not need to be there.I am actually getting sick and tired of movies with twists in them.
M. Night Shyamalan did a good job early in his career with the twist ending, but come on people, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar!
Asylum Blackout is a good movie, with a good plot, a creepy setting, good acting, and lots of gore, but the filmmakers tried to make it into something that didn't, and by the end of the movie, I found myself frustrated and disappointed.
If any aspiring filmmakers read this review, please understand that not ever movie needs a twist or some type of profound deeper meaning to be revealed at the end.
Movies with twists have become so common these days, that I think a good twist ending to a movie would be no twist at all!.
The dark and gritty setting of the Asylum is well done especially given the low budget they were dealing with.
I thought they were going to really go somewhere with the character played by Kenny Doughty but the depth is just not there although he gives a great performance in a small supporting way.If you can get past the lack of characters you'll really enjoy the rest of the movie for its story and gore and horror genre elements.
Especially towards the end of the film you'll really see some really twisted kills and torture scenes but without being completely gratuitous.
As with many indie films, especially horror ones, the director is a newcomer to the scene.
The concept of how the film plays with your mind and really shows you the mental instability of Evan's character will appeal to those that like a really twisted story.
For a low budget horror film this was worth seeing and while it isn't perfect, it fills the quota well.
Creepy twisted good time & great addition to the genre.
This movie was a special treat for me, something I was waiting for that was totally original with good tension, good gore, great atmosphere, and great acting by the lead character George, the cook at a lock down facility for the criminally insane.
I had quite a bit of fun too as my sick humor was in full engagement.Although it was a great film it chose to do what many films in this genre do, leave a spacey surreal ending that I believe some people may interpret in the wrong way.
I left the theater shaky and disoriented, kind of like when you narrowly miss being in a terrible accident, but I was left ultimately disappointed in the uncapitalized promise of the movie.So what if the inmates really did run the asylum?
Like most aspiring rock stars, George and his friends have day jobs, in this case they cook and serve to inmates at the Sans Asylum for the criminally insane.
I think I can tell you, with out spoiling because you'll see it a mile away, George ends up quite mad.
When an electrical storm blows out the asylum's wiring the inmates are let loose and the cooks face a battle for survival.What director Alexandre Courtès and writers S.
Craig Zahler and Jérôme Fansten fail to understand in setting their plot premise is that asylums of this type simply do not exist.
A complete blood-fest free-for-all, akin to a prison full of zombies rather than human beings, is what we get instead.So there's a suspension of disbelief problem here, in no way shored up by the long winded prologue revealing George's musical ambitions, his life with girlfriend Lyn and the activities of his fellow band mates.In short, this is an excuse to put a few 'victims' in a horrific situation then enact some cruel torture and imaginative killing.The 'twist' at the end was a confusing addition, revealing this to be something more than just a gore-fest.
Though quite why more was not made of this cross-genre attempt is hard to understand since it would have fleshed out and made interesting an otherwise one dimensional story.Frankly, the final twist will be utterly lost on the kind of bloodthirsty bottom feeding gore-fan for whom this movie will hold the most appeal.
I really wanted to see what he got out of the ending as everyone seems to have an opinion about it, but no one really knows.I really liked George (Rupert Evans); whom the movie mostly focused on.
Rupert Evans did a great job and he looked good too!
This makes me think he was not in fact crazy all along as some have suggested.The bottom line is this, if you want to see something creepy and a little gory at times, this is the movie to watch.
It's not as popular as some other horror movies we've grown to love or hate, but it's worth viewing.
George, Max and Ricky are musicians who work as cooks in the Sans Asylum to earn money to rent a studio to record their songs.
The asylum is in an isolated area and is monitored by a team led by the security guard J.B. George has a concert but J.B. asks him to arrive early in the morning to receive the supplies for the kitchen.
George and the other kitchen workers hide from the horde of violent madmen.....Well here we go, it's another one of those silly movies, where people run around dark corridors flashing a torch, and saying to the inmates 'look, here I am, I'm supposed to be hiding, but I'm flashing a torch'.But this one tries to be clever by adding a really intelligent ending, which falls flat on its face.It's not the actors faults, they are really good, especially the performances of the inmates,its just the slap dash writing, they had something good to work with, but instead go for the awful stalk and slash and up the gore, whilst thinking 'it doesn't matter, we have this great ending'.It's not great, and the film fails..
I went into this thinking it would be a dumb, low budget horror movie.
I would have preferred if the ending could have explained what happened that made the patients go crazy, instead of leaving things to interpretation.
In 1989, in Washington, the friends George, Max and Ricky are aspirant musicians that play in a band in their leisure time.
The asylum is located in an isolated area and is monitored by a team led by the security guard J.B. The deranged inmates are criminals and they take pills to stay calm.
George leaves his girlfriend Lynn without sleeping and heads to the asylum.
While he is preparing the meals for the insane inmates with his colleagues, there is a storm and a power outage in the area and the monitoring system fails.
While he is preparing the meals for the insane inmates with his colleagues, there is a storm and a power outage in the area and the monitoring system fails.
With the mental hospital in the darkness, the inmates led by the cruel Harry Green attack the guards and staff. |
tt0156408 | La classe de neige | La Classe de NeigeA grey Renault is being driven along a highway leading into the mountains. Nicolas (Clement van den Bergh), a boy of about twelve, is sitting in the back seat, napping. On the dashboard are photos of Nicolas, his little brother Tom, and his mother. His father (François Roy) is driving.A teacher, Miss Grimm (Emmanuelle Bercot), is orienting parents, telling them what their children will need for a stay at an outdoor education centre in the mountains. Nicolass parents arrive late, and scoff at the idea of not telephoning their son while he is away. The father reminds everyone of a group of schoolchildren who were recently killed in a horrible bus accident, and asks what guarantee they have that their children will be safe. Miss Grimm says matter-of-factly that there is Nothing. The father announces that he will drive Nicolas himself, claiming that his son arriving in his fathers car will not make him an outcast.On the drive to the class trip, the father offers to stop for gas so that Nicolas will at last have enough redemption points to get the gift he has been eager to have: a flap book of human anatomy. The father asks Nicolas if he feels he deserves it.Nicolas is anxious he might wet the bed. His father expects him to put an undersheet on his bed in front of the other boys, and dismisses his apprehension with: You cant be the only one.Nicolas wakes from a nap when backed-up traffic finally gets to move past a bad road accident. Nicolas stares at the mangled cars, while his father concentrates on driving. Nicolas recalls the family watching on television the gruesome news coverage of the recent bus accident.They arrive at the outdoor education centre, where a class is already in progress. They can see Hodkann, the class tearaway (Lokman Nalcakan), acting up. The father prompts Nicolas for a better kiss good-bye, and parts awkwardly.Miss Grimm has said they will need snow to ski, but that they will have fun in any case. Nicolas recalls a visit to a fun fair six months before. He had wanted to go on a roller coaster, but he needed his father to accompany him. His father had refused to leave the little brother with a stranger who had offered to look after him.On the way to the dorm, Nicolas realizes that he has forgotten to get his bag from the trunk of the car. Miss Grimm elicits that he is worried about wetting the bed and sometimes tries to stay awake to avoid having nightmares. Nicolas again recalls the visit to the fun fair, where his father explains to him that there are very bad people who kidnap children and operate on them in ambulances to acquire human organs to traffic.When the students are asked to loan Nicolas a pair of pyjamas, it is Hodkann who volunteers. Nicolas helps to set tables in the dining hall. He is pretty innocent: he does not understand another boys ribald riddle. Patrick(Yves Verhoeven), one of the centres teachers, gives Nicolas a string bracelet for his good helping. Patrick tells him to make a wish, and that when the bracelet wears out and falls off, his wish will come true.Nicolas recalls doing his homework while his little brother plays on the floor. The father comes in, still dressed in pyjamas though it is bright day, and sits morosely on the bed, and sobs, and draws Nicolas to him. There are recent scars across the inside of the fathers wrist.During dinner, Hodkann talks with Nicolas. It is unusual for Nicolas to be on an outing with them, because the father is so overprotective. Hodkann invites Nicolas to use the empty bunk above his. Hodkann is fascinated that Nicolass father sells artificial legs. He jokes: If I were your dad Id cut off your limbs and use you for demonstration. Nicolas seems to be able to imagine his father could do that.During the night, Nicolas wakes up and checks that his mattress is dry. He dreams that his father returns the next morning, and Hodkann opens the trunk of the car to look at the plastic legs. It turns into a nightmare of masked assassins with assault rifles. They shoot the father, and go through the centre slaughtering the students. Nicolas calmly eats in the middle of all this. The teachers escape to the bus, so only Nicolas can protect his friend. He rescues Hodkann. The assassins carry bodies down to a row of ambulances. Hiding in a dark attic, Nicolas holds Hodkann. Besides gunfire, there is only the sound of piano chords and words of the Agnus Dei of Rossinis Petite Messe Solennelle.The next morning, Miss Grimm calls Nicolass mother to try to contact the father, only to find that he cannot be reached when he is on the road. She had expected the father to show up with the bag of clothes. She tells Nicolas not to worry about him. Nicolas fantasizes that the television shows his fathers car swerving off the road and crashing. He looks almost pleased. He continues to fantasize that Miss Grimm caresses, kisses, and comforts him while Hodkann peers through the door approvingly.Nicolas goes with teacher Patrick to buy some clothes. He starts to get in the rear seat, but Patrick says, Hey Im not your chauffer! Nicolas has more gruesome daydreams about his father being in a car crash. He asks Patrick: If you think hard about something, can it really happen?Patrick is easy-going and cheerful, and Nicolas enjoys the shopping trip. He smiles for the first time. On the way back, Patrick asks: Apart from worrying, what do you do? Besides television and Gameboy, Nicolas likes to read fairytales. His favourite story is The Little Mermaid, whose scales turn to soft skin, but who loses her beautiful voice. Patrick calls Nicolas a dreamer.Patrick leads relaxation exercises for the students, asking the students not to think of anything. Were always busy doing things, thinking about things, he says. But Nicolas cant stop thinking. Patrick says: Well get to know our selves, our bodies. For Nicolas, body awareness is nightmarish. He imagines opening the flap in his anatomy booklet to see a real, pulsating internal organ, and imagines the heart beating in his chest. He turns Patricks directions about breathing slowly into nightmares of not being able to blow into a spirometer, of gasping, of his father pushing him into a swimming pool, where he flails in terror. He only relaxes when Patrick presses fingertips on his chest and repeats directly to him: Slowly.Dorm highjinks reveal an appendix scar on a boys buttock, which is viewed with scepticism because normally the scar would not be on the back. This is precisely the kind of scar Nicolass father had described being found on a boy whose kidney was stolen.Nicolas wakes again during the night and checks his mattress. He dreams of riding the roller-coaster with Hodkann, and seeing the man at the midway lead his little brother Tom away towards a waiting ambulance. But the nightmare turns to the thrill of enjoying the exciting ride, and he wakes up to find he has had a wet dream.Nicolas goes down to the kitchen to wipe off his pyjamas. On his way back, he sees that it is snowing. He goes outside, and gets locked out. He gets into Patricks car and wraps up in a blanket. He dreams of Patrick finding him frozen the next morning, of his funeral, and of waking up inside a glass-topped coffin. The Rossini Agnus Dei plays again.Patrick finds Nicolas while it is still dark, as Nicolas wakens from his nightmare. Patrick carries Nicolas back to the dorms. There is an aerial shot of snow-covered forest, and the piano chords from the Agnus Dei play again. There is a dissolve to the following morning.Nicolas has a temperature, and is resting in the office. Miss Grimm is speaking to the mother on the phone, only to learn that the father hasnt been heard from, which she calls strange. She assumes Nicolas had been sleepwalking, but the mother doesnt think it is serious. Nicolas does not want to talk to his mother. He asks Miss Grimm if a sleepwalker can be deemed guilty if they do something bad. Nicolas is thinking about his nocturnal emission, but Miss Grimm assumes Nicolas is worried that his father has had an accident. She jokingly says, Maybe you dont want him back. Nicolas seems to have a tranquil look.Nicolas can hear a language lesson going on in the next room, while he lies in bed. He recalls taking a book from his parents bedroom and reading the story The Monkeys Paw. He imagines his parents acting out the story, finally ending with his father stomping on his severed hand, shouting the final wish: Make him die forever!Hodkann is fascinated by the idea of sleepwalking, and wants to know all about it. Nicolas strings a tale of seeing organ traffickers outside and following them.The next day, the students go skiing. Nicolas sits in the ski lodge with some comic books, and sees the police arrive to inquire about a local boy, René, missing for two days. Nicolas asks for a copy of the poster, saying: I disappeared two days ago, too.Hodkann asks Nicolas about the police. That night, Nicolas elaborates his story of kidnappers and organ traffickers. He says he is helping his father settle the score for the theft of his little brothers kidney. Hodkann is sure the father is in danger, but Nicolas swears him to secrecy.On the bus to the next days skiing, Nicolas and Hodkann are both very sombre, while all the other students sing joyfully. When they arrive at the ski hill, however, there are police on the scene. Patrick learns that the body of René had been found about 180km awayin another region. The police are heard mentioning that a grey Renault was seen. The teachers suggest that the students pray. Nicolas prays, and recalls praying alongside his mother.The teachers are upset. Miss Grimm cannot teach her math lesson. They do their best to quell morbid talk and maintain calm. They distract the students with a dance that evening. While he dances, Nicolas visualizes a spinning drive shaft on his fathers car propelling it relentlessly along the road. The police arrive to ask the teachers if they can recall anything useful. Nicolas sees Hodkann sneak outside.That night, Hodkann explains to Nicolas that he had overheard the police ask the teachers about a grey Renault. He had gone out to meet the police, because Miss Grimm had failed to tell them that Nicolass father had a grey Renault. He is convinced that he needed to tell them so they could protect Nicolass father from the organ traffickers. Nicolas knows his father may be in deep trouble because of his story, or that he himself will be in deep trouble because his story has misled the police, and he faints.The next morning, the doctor says that Nicolas is reacting to the news of the murder, and that it is a cry for help. He is seeking attention from his mother because he did not get enough love or attention from her. He advises that Nicolas and Miss Grimm should both rest, so they stay behind while the others go off skiing.Miss Grimm takes a phone call concerning Nicolas. Seen indistinctly through the pebble glass of the office, Miss Grimm is very upset by the call. The Rossini Agnus Dei plays. When Patrick returns with the other students, he and Miss Grimm have a serious conversation. When he comes out of the office, he tells Nicolas that there is a problem at home, and that he will take Nicolas back the next day. Nicolas descends the stairs in a daze as the other students stream past back up to the dorms.Patrick gives Nicolas part of a sleeping pill so he will sleep soundly.Before leaving, Patrick talks with the teaching assistant about who will tell him, and they decide his mother can: She mustve expected it. The father was in trouble two years ago. An ugly situation.Patricks car speeds away down the road.Eating breakfast beside Nicolass empty place setting, Hodkann is told to go see Miss Grimm.In Patricks car, Nicolas is silent, looking resigned.Miss Grimm tells Hodkann she has something to tell him.At a rest stop, Nicolas catches sight of his father arrested on TV. He realizes that it is not himself who is in trouble, but his father. He watches his father with what appears to be pity. The piano chords of the Agnus Dei play. As he waits for his drink, he watches a beautiful mother cooing and playing with her baby lying on a change table. Nicolas,s tense face relaxes a little, and he and the mother exchange little smiles. Nicolas fantacizes about walking up behind the mother and reaching out to touch her hair. The string bracelet falls to the floor.Patrick tells Nicolas he will take him to his door, but say good-bye in the car. The piano chords of the Agnus Dei play as they walk down the hallway of the apartment building. Nicolas reaches up to ring the doorbell.Hodkann is staring at the television in the teachers office. He sees the footage of Nicolass father in police custody, his head being covered by a trench coat. Hodkann looks dismayed, confused, perhaps even in shock. The piano chords of the Agnus Dei begin again.The credits roll over an aerial shot of snow-covered forest, and the whole Rossini Agnus Dei continues Lamb of God, have mercy on us reaching the closing phrase Dona nobis pacemGrant us your peace. | fantasy, murder, sadist, violence, haunting, flashback, romantic, storytelling | train | imdb | Simply ,"la classe de neige" is Claude Miller's best work since "la meilleure façon de marcher" (1975,his debut).These works comprise intriguing similarities: both take place in a children community.The first movie,which featured the excellent Patrick Bouchitey and Patrick Dewaere,focused on two camp counselors ,and the dark side of their minds .Bouchitey's devils only woke up at night ,when he dressed up as a woman.His relationship with Dewaere was frighteningly intense and culminated in a violent scene in which the transvestite forced his pal to dance.Miller's sophomore effort "dites-lui que je l'aime" tackled deviancy again but he cheapened Patricia Highsmith's first-class thriller.Since,Miller made quite entertaining works ("garde à vue" which was remade as "under suspicion" ),endearing ones ("l'effrontée") ,and also pretentious ones ("mortelle randonnée" which was remade too).But he was never again able to equal his sensational first work,which seems as strong as it was a quarter of century ago.But in 1998,he really outdid himself,and gave a stunning work ,the first to be on a par with "la meilleure façon de marcher".Should you give another title to "la classe de neige'" ,it could be " cries and whispers" .The title is incredibly trite "skiing with the school" and reveals none of the horrors the movie depicts.Nicolas is a perturbed child probably because he's poisoned with protection by an omnipresent father;but it's not that much simple: the scene at the swimming pool shows another side of this monstrous daddy.The parents ' gathering before the class leaves for the mountains is realist to the core:I organized myself a lot of "classes de neige" and I can say I've met a lot of parents who fret about their dear little ones .Sometimes they refuse to sever the umbilical cord and the child -most of the time very disappointed- stays home.Whispers:Nicolas lives in his own world where his demons never leaves him alone.His only moments of peace occur when he confides to his teacher,Miss Grimm (what a name!)-see how he refuses to talk to his mother on the phone -,or to the young man to whom he says :"when you think too hard about something,does IT happen"?,scary ,isn't it?).He finds a pal but the secrets he exchanges with him are so morbid and so terrifying it cannot bring him any help.Most of the time,the adults whisper behind closed doors,the gendarmes outside the bus,the teachers in their office.Cries:we never see Nicolas scream, or even cry.His mind creates monsters ,at night when his nightmares come to visit him -these scenes make the audience think of an horror movie,which Claude Miller's work is not.He managed to blend dream and reality in such a subtle way that it's sometimes hard to tell them apart;take the central scene which climaxes the movie:Nicholas is out in the cold ,the snow's falling,and he cannot open the house's door.Then begins a series of dreams which show a child's fear of dying as never before.In the daylight,terrors do not fade away:Nicolas turns the TV screen into a mirror of his own horrible visions-this is not as strong as the nightmares scenes ,though,since this device has been used before-.Claude Miller does not do what the audience expects:a Hollywoodian treatment would have solved the problems ,with a family happy again and plenty of violins in the background.There's an extremely moving scene :on the highway,in the restaurant ,the boy sees a young mom change her baby's diaper,then the proud couple leaves the place,as Nicolas' s eyes catch what happiness may look like.The ending will leave you completely numb:you are in front of a huge hole ,you do not know exactly what happened .It's perhaps even worse than you think it is.A black fairy tale revisited by Bruno Bettelheim,a psychological drama, a thriller,"la classe de neige" is all this and so much more.Emmanuel Carrière's eponymous book is highly recommended..
Screenplay coauthored by Miller and Emmanuel Carrière from the latter's successful and disquieting little mystery-thriller novel about an overprotected, highly sensitive boy whose dreams and fantasies of danger while on a stay in the mountains with his school may or may not presage real events.
Such a movie has plusses and minuses: it allows the filmmakers to bring the feverish visions of young Nicolas (Clément ven den Bergh) to vivid life, but it somewhat undermines the sense of uncertainty about what is real or imagined that makes the book effective.
Beautifully done with excellent restraint, true to the book's muted style, a minor triumph for the underwhelming Miller, whose last admired film was The Little Thief/La petite voleuse with Charlotte Gainsbourg in 1988.
The humor is dark humor (very dark), but there's a good bit of it, as when Nicolas imagines making out with the teacher and when the hooded terrorists swarm over the school mowing everybody down with machine guns while Nicolas calmly eats food the other kids have left behind in panic.
In this TV movie Nicolas has an over-protective father who will not allow his son to ride on the school bus on their holiday excursion to the mountains.
Nicolas being a sensitive child elaborates on his father's fears and has regular bouts of day-dreaming as well as horrific nightmares.
Nicolas also reads horror stories at bed-time.
Nicolas asks his tutor if it is possible to make things happen just by thinking hard enough about them.
This theme is pursued in many scenes where Nicolas manipulates scenes on the television screen e.g. he imagines his father in an automobile accident.
I have the feeling that Nicolas is a really mixed up kid and his psychological problems result in worrying bed-wettings.
Clement van der Bergh with his sad and unsmiling face is admirable as young Nicolas, and in contrast we have his happy-go-lucky friend Hodkann in constant awe of Nicolas's imaginative stories.
The casting is as well crafted as the direction, performances and music; as soon as we see him we know that Nicolas is a shy, sensitive boy and that such physical and psychological changes which happen at his time of life will have melancholy and confusing effect.
We are led in to the mind of Nicolas through the music and the elegant flashback, nightmare and daydream sequences some of which verge on the intensity of the Hitchcock-Dali connection.This is a film of opposites; the new-found friendship between the shy Nicolas and the class rebel and between both of these boys and the sympathetic teachers.
Childhood's End. A very humane and insightful piece of work, this film is really an examination of how a boy escapes the bizarre world that his father has created for him.
Some parts of this film might seem to meander but don't let that put you off this movie - the last few minutes justify waiting through some of the character and plot development in the middle.If anyone likes to discuss this film feel free to mail me, in English or in French..
This is a quite fascinating French movie, that I wouldn't call great but is a throughout good watch nevertheless.Thing that really uplifts this movie is its directing.
The movie at times picks a surreal approach and the story is being told and developed slowly.And while the movie is intriguing to watch throughout, I still wished it had a somewhat better story to work with, or that it got told just a little bit better all.
This doesn't really ruin the movie or anything and it's still a good and intriguing watch but I feel that with some more story and some better development this could had been a so much better and more memorable, unique little film.
It's one that tells the story from the perspective of a young boy but I really wouldn't call this a children's movie.
It's also not really a coming of age flick and its more being a drama-thriller, told from the mind and viewpoint of a child, which still leaves the question to what audience this movie is aimed to.
The movie doesn't feature the best acting I have ever seen in a French movie and I actually thought at first that this was one of those movies that used non-professional actors, to make the movie and story work out more as a realistic one.
Most definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen, a bit on the strange side sometimes, but a very moving film.
Much of the advance publicity for this quiet little slice of a child's life seem as if it's going to be sadism in the school and kids doing cloak and dagger work; neither is really true of this film, although there is a major discovery to be made as the main character (subtly etched by a preteen with an appealing sensitivity) negotiates his way among the strangers he is suddenly stuck with when his parents pop him down in a children's winter camp.The lad has visions, but not without reason, and once seen, all the disparate pieces fit very nicely indeed; there is a fascinating music score that ranges from Rock to Rossini, and if I haven't said a good deal about what happens, it's because what happens to the boy is a mystery: the wish bracelet he wears tells the story.
Using dreams as a means of expressing a character's hidden fears and desires is an old trick, and Claude Miller overdoes it; there are probably more dream sequences than actual events in this movie.
Some of them are startling (one involving a severed talking head, another a machine-gun massacre), but the story is boring (you don't have to be a detective to figure out the truth), and the kid is boring, too, with a fixed stare that never changes throughout the film (though it's probably not his fault, but Miller's).
Child actor Clement Van Den Bergh appears to be on valium throughout the film and displays a kind of passionless zero interest in the events and things going on around him.
He tells Nicolas a gruesome story about organ traffickers to explain why he will not leave the little brother in the care of a stranger.
He should be fascinated by the impending changes of puberty, but he does not understand a classmate's ribald riddle, and he thinks he's done something "very bad" when he has a "wet dream." During a relaxation exercise, "getting to know his body" brings a series of nightmarish thoughts.
Nicolas spends so much time worrying about what terrible things could occur that he has begun to wonder if his "thinking hard" about them can cause them to actually happen.At the outdoor ed.
The nightmare of seeing his little brother kidnapped by organ traffickers turns into a dream of sharing with Hodkann the thrill of the roller coaster.
Nicolas also gets to spend some time with Patrick, a teacher who is easygoing and fun.
Nicolas satisfies that curiosity by spinning a tale of seeing organ traffickers outside, and embellishes it with the claim that his father is tailing them, waiting for an opportunity to "settle the score" of the theft of the little brother's kidney.
The "Agnus Dei" from Rossini's Petite Messe Solonelle, which has been used repeatedly during the film, plays to the end, repeating at last the "Dona nobis pacem," or "Grant us your peace." Nicolas's wish may have been to be rid of his father— a wish Miss Grimm actually suggests, as a joke.
Perhaps his wish was simply to be at peace— free of anxiety and nightmarish thoughts— and he now feels able to cope with his worries and can return home and ring his doorbell and face whatever awaits there.The film ends, though, with Hodkann.
At the end, he is summoned to the teachers' office, and shown the news item of Nicolas's father in police custody.
Nicolas is deeply troubled inside, and the actor has to keep it hidden inside to make it convincing why the kid has a lot of bizarre daydreams and nightmares.
The actor has to make us understand that Nicolas cries for help all the time, but not by his voice or obvious expression, but by something hidden under his expression, something hidden in his eyes, and by his imagination.
I was quite impressed with her talent in the latter part of the movie after the news of the crime starts spreading.The story is really moving, especially when it deals with the growing friendship of the two boys, and the rollercoaster scene is strongly intriguing.
I couldn't guess if the story would turn out to be one of those children films in which everybody understands one another at the end, or if it would belong to a serial-killer genre.
A possessive father objects to having his son Nicolas traveling on the chartered bus that will take his class to the mountains for skiing lessons.
Later, we see Nicolas, his parents and younger brother watching a newscast in which a horrible accident has killed young school children because of a driver that fell asleep at the wheel.As they arrive in the chalet where all Nicolas' classmates are being housed, the father leaves with his son's bag in the trunk of his car, leaving the boy to depend on the kindness of his friends to lend him pajamas to spend the night.
Nicolas also suffers deeply because of his strange relationship with his father.
In the dorm, he becomes friendly with an unruly kid, Hodkann, who is the one that lends him his extra pajama.In flashbacks we see Nicolas with his father and younger brother at an amusement park.
He explains how some evil persons lurk in public places to steal children, as was the case with a small child that was recently found after his disappearance, but without a kidney.Things around the chalet suddenly become menacing when the police comes to inquire about the disappearance of a boy, Rene, who might have encountered foul play.
Nicolas, who has suffered one of his worst nightmares and locked himself out of the dorm by taking refuge in Patrick's car, develops a fever.
When he sees the police arrive at the school his fears suddenly make him realize who might have something to do with Rene's fate.Claude Miller the director of this film is a man that is attracted to themes that involve children in perilous situations.
The film seems to dwell on the mind of Nicolas.
This is a boy that has been traumatized by his monster father in this psychological drama.
There are things that are merely hinted at, such as the incestuous relationship between father and son.In Nicolas mind some of the horror he experiences take a sexual nature, like in the night when instead of urination, the boy experiences his first orgasm, which totally confuses him.
Our subconscious world's still a scientific mystery and sometimes we think we have some answers to our dreams, and our nightmares but we don't.
"La Classe DE Neige" (or "Class Trip") is all about dreams, nightmares, dreams capes and dangerous thoughts that may become reality.Nicolas (Clément van den Bergh) is a 12 year-old and extremely shy boy that is sent to a Class Trip in the France country side.
His father (François Roy) doesn't allow him to go to the trip in the same bus where the other boys go fearing an accident because something similar happened a few days earlier.
Nicolas have several nightmares and not only sleeping, sometimes he has some flashes of terrible happenings just looking to some person or watching the news on TV.
His nightmares are very awkward, almost all of them related to his father, whether him suffering an car accident or Nicholas being keep apart from his dad while playing at the park.
To help him during these hard times Nicolas got the support of the teachers (played by Yves Verhoeven and Emmanuelle Bercot) and Hodkann, who seems interested in all the things that happen with Nicolas.
One day after locked himself out of the camp house (he lied to his teachers saying that he's sleep-walker) Nicolas tells Hodkann what's happening saying that his father is a detective investigating the kidnap of children that has their organs removed.
Writer and Director Claude Miller made a great film here but something could be more developed, more mystery could be added and the ending doesn't explain the nightmares, and not even if some of the Nicolas thoughts were real or not.
That scene is never explained if he's cruel father did that to him or if it's just another dream.
Another thing that bothered me was the flashback during a moment with Nicolas, his brother and his father in a park.
This was very good, it give suspense and weirdness to the movie but their appearances doesn't explain a single thing and leaves the audience with questions that might sound useless to the story.
Why he kissed the female teacher in that way after knowing that his father died in the dream?
(there's a few undertones here: in his dreams Hodkann appears behind him in the roller-coaster, smiling while Nicolas father is kidnapped; and in his first nightmare, look the way the hands touches when Nicolas saves Hodkann from the terrorists).
Anyway, I got the feeling that this movie pointed in so many directions and in the end the mystery was not much interesting, doesn't have a big plot twist.
The boy that plays Nicolas has a incredible performance.
He made of Nicolas a unique character, very original not only in its terrifying nightmares but in the quiet moments too (his conversation with the teacher about the Little Mermaid is one the best scenes of the movie).
It wasn't focused in the relationship between all the kids and/or they being cruel to Nicolas because he's a little different of the other kids, something that doesn't happen in Americans film.
It didn't need to show cruel acts towards a kid, it followed in other way, showing that friendship is possible between different people and different behavior.Enjoy the mystery, the story and the great credit opening that resembles "Frantic" directed by Roman Polanski. |
tt0295297 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | While home with the Dursleys for the summer, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is not getting any mail from his friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). On his twelfth birthday (July 31) Harry is visited by Dobby, a house-elf, who warns Harry that he will be in mortal danger if he returns to Hogwarts. Harry ignores Dobby's warning and is determined to return. It turns out that Dobby has been collecting Harry's letters to make it seem as though his friends had forgotten him, hoping Harry might then not want to return to Hogwarts. Seeing that he will have to use force, Dobby decides to destroy, by the use of a charm, a large cake that Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw) has baked for an important dinner party attended by Vernon Dursley's (Richard Griffiths) boss and his wife. Harry is blamed by the Ministry of Magic for Dobby's charm, and is told that if he does magic outside school again, he will be expelled. On learning that Harry cannot perform magic outside school, the Dursleys, previously fearful of his wizarding, lock Harrys books and wand away and Vernon Dursley fits bars onto his bedroom window, making Harry a prisoner.A few days later, Fred, George (James and Oliver Phelps) and Ron Weasley come to his rescue in their father's enchanted Ford Anglia. After a pleasant summer together in the Weasley house, everyone heads to Platform 9¾ to take the Hogwarts Express back to school. To their shock, Harry and Ron are unable to enter the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. In desperation, they fly to Hogwarts in the car, crashing into the Whomping Willow and damaging Ron's wand. The semi-sentient car ejects them and their belongings and disappears into the Forbidden Forest.Harry soon finds he is the unwanted centre of attention of three people: the vain new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), admirer Colin Creevey (Hugh Mitchell), and Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), who fancies Harry. Events take a turn for the worse when the Chamber of Secrets is opened and a monster stalks the castle, with the power literally to petrify several students. According to legend, the Chamber was built by Salazar Slytherin and can only be opened by his heir, in order to purge Hogwarts of students who are not pure-blood wizards. Many suspect Harry is the Heir of Slytherin, especially after he inadvertently speaks Parseltongue (the language of snakes), a rare ability Harry gained after Voldemort's murderous attack upon him when he was an infant.Harry, Ron, and Hermione attempt to discover the Heir of Slytherin's true identity. Using Polyjuice Potion brewed by Hermione, they disguise themselves as Slytherin students, Crabbe (Jamie Waylett) and Goyle (Josh Herman), hoping to learn from Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) the identity of the Heir. Malfoy, they learn, does not know who the Heir of Slytherin is, but he inadvertently provides Harry and Ron with an important clue about the Chamber of Secrets.Unfortunately, the hair that Hermione took from Millicent Bullstrode's uniform was from a cat, and as the polyjuice potion is only intended for human transformations she assumes a feline appearance; it takes a little more than a month to restore her normal human form. She is released from the hospital wing in early February, her normal appearance restored.The attacks increase throughout the year, petrifying more students, including Hermione. Most horribly, a message written on a wall declares that Ginny Weasley has been taken into the Chamber, where "her skeleton will lie forever".With the help of Ron and Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson), Harry discovers the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. They force Gilderoy Lockhart, a fraud who wipes clean other wizards' memories and claims their achievements, to go with them. Once they find the entrance to the Chamber, Lockhart attempts to use Ron's broken wand to erase Harry and Ron's memories, but the spell backfires on to himself and brings the ceiling caving in, separating Harry from Ron and Lockhart. Lockhart revives, but has now lost his own memory.Harry makes it to the Chamber where he finds an unconscious Ginny. He also meets a young man named Tom Riddle, who claims to be a "memory". Harry learns that Ginny, under the control of Lord Voldemort, opened the Chamber. Voldemort, whose real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle (the anagram of which is "I am Lord Voldemort"), imprinted his memory in an enchanted diary, in order to one day continue the work he began when he reopened the Chamber fifty years ago ridding Hogwarts of non-pureblood witches and wizards. It was Hagrid, a Hogwarts student at the time, who was blamed for the attacks and expelled.Tom Riddle's memory grows more powerful as it steals life from Ginny's body, and it tries to kill Harry by setting loose a basilisk (the monster responsible for petrifying the students). But Dumbledore's (Richard Harris) phoenix, Fawkes, arrives carrying the Sorting Hat, from which Harry draws out the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Fawkes blinds the basilisk, destroying its fatal gaze, and Harry slays it with the sword. In attempting to slay the basilisk Harry's arm has been pierced by the creature's fang. Harry stabs the diary with one of the basilisk's fangs, and the memory of Riddle is destroyed, while Ginny revives from her near-death state. Harry seems to be dying quickly from the venom but Fawkes comes to heal Harry with his tears (phoenix tears have healing power). Ginny and Harry both recover fully, along with those who were petrified: Hermione, Mrs Norris, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Nearly Headless Nick (John Cleese), and Colin Creevey.Harry realizes it was Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), Draco Malfoy's father, who slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron when he encountered the Weasleys in a Diagon Alley bookshop, but he is unable to prove it. Dobby reveals he is the Malfoys' servant, and knowing their treachery, had been trying to protect Harry all year. In gratitude, Harry sticks one of his old socks into the diary and hands it to Lucius. Lucius throws away the diary, but Dobby catches it and finds the sock hidden in its pages. This constitutes, in Dobby's eyes, a gift of clothing the traditional manner in which a master frees a house-elf from servitude. The freed Dobby declares he is eternally grateful to Harry and protects him from an attempted reprisal from Lucius. The word "Avada" is used as the beginning of Lucius Malfoy's curse, suggesting that it is the Avada Kedavra (the killing curse).Dumbledore dispels Harry's fears that he could have been put into Slytherin rather than into Gryffindor when he tells Harry that it is his choices that define him and not his abilities, and that Harry could not have wielded the sword of Gryffindor if he did not truly belong to that house. | good versus evil, cult, fantasy, action, mystery | train | imdb | Just the movie "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" became more sinister, frightening and full of dangers.Characters have not changed.
His choice."Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" - a magical, mysterious, full of magic, amazing and terrible creatures canvas director Chris Columbus.
Apparently J.K. Rowling has hit upon the fact that kids love to be scared stiff along with being entertained by touches of humor and excitement--although I think her imagination works overtime on scenes like the vomiting fit for Ron, one of the more tasteless sequences.And apparently the makers of this Potter film have met the challenge of providing spiders and snakes that are hideous enough to have Ron and the audience in a fit of hysterics.
Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy has a commanding presence and an amusingly wicked final scene involving the computer created Dobby who steals every scene he's in.Should keep Potter fans happy--and for a movie two-and-a-half hours long it moves along at a brisk pace from one adventure to another with what by now appears to be mechanical skill, thanks to artful direction by Chris Columbus who knows how to keep this sort of thing moving.
Sure, some things were left out undoubtedly due to time constraints, but overall, it conveyed the story well.Chamber of Secrets did this even better.As an avid reader, I am quite hesitant to see my beloved books displayed on screen only to have the directors do them no justice.
There's a darker atmosphere this time around and more characters are introduced including Gilderoy Lockhart (hilariously played by Kenneth Branagh), Draco Malfoy's father, Lucius (a great performance by Jason Isaacs, exactly how I imagined the character from the books!), Ron's father, Arthur, and the mysterious Dobby the house elf (fortunately he isn't anywhere near as annoying as other CG characters in other movies, but I won't name any names...
*cough*JarJarBinks*cough*)The movie sticks closely to the novel, but as in the last movie we miss some of those scenes where we start to learn a little more about the characters, especially the hate-hate relationship between Harry and Professor Snape (who was seriously underused in this movie!)All in all it's definitely worth checking out, the running time of 160 minutes may seem a little long but it doesn't seem that long when you're watching it.
It is much darker and sinister than the first film and Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint give good performances and give us a glimpse of the fine actors they are becoming.Kenneth Branagh and Jason Isaacs are perfectly cast as Gilderoy Lockhart and Lucius Malfoy and truly bring the characters from the book to life.
In fact the CG character of Dobby is very similar looking to Gollum in Lord of The Rings and the CG Asgard in television series Stargate SG-1 (speaking of textures) which which speaks well for Stargate SG-1 if it can do just as good as a top movie like this...and top it is.
Well, it's Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) second year at Hogwarts, and everything should be fine, given he defeated Voldemort in the previous film and there are no other threats lurking in the magical world.
All this seems to be connected to the Chamber of Secrets, but that isn't of much help, especially considering the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, famous writer Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), is a complete idiot.Darker and faster, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets repeats the Philosopher's Stone's mistake of being slightly too faithful to the literary source, but Columbus manages to compensate this flaw with better visuals, some really creepy set-ups and improved acting from the younger cast members (Emma Watson in particular).
He has also made interesting choices when it comes to the new faces in the adult group: Branagh is very, very funny as the ego-fueled Lockhart (a role originally intended for Hugh Grant), but the most interesting addition is Jason Isaacs (whom I can't wait to see again in the fourth film) as Lucius Malfoy, an intriguingly sinister wizard who is as racist and arrogant as his son, Harry's arch-nemesis Draco.
As for Dobby, a CG creature voiced by Toby Jones, he is interesting at first but rapidly becomes annoying, his masochistic antics being repetitive and a little dull.Finally, a special mention for Chamber's best element: Richard Harris, who sadly passed away a few weeks before the movie's premiere.
I thought this was better than the first Harry Potter movie because it didn't overdo the action scenes as the first film did, and the special-effects were better.
He was excellent.Hogwarts itself really comes to life, largely due to the camera shots sweeping in through a window or over the castle - it feels a lot more 'rounded' and the Quidditch match benefits from a makeover and improved SFX.Unlike some other fantasy films the CGI is not over used and doesn't smother the screen.If you've read other reviews you'll know Kenneth Branagh is wonderful as Lockhart (and you have to stay to the end credits to see what happens to him)Jason Isaacs is great as Lucius Malfoy, and overall the film is scarier and darker then the first film, and there is a very touching moment involving Hermione and Ron which was performed with wonderful understatement by Rupert and Emma.Throughout the whole 2 hours I don't think I stopped smiling.
The Whomping Willow, the flying car, the duel between Draco and Harry - every scene was a joy to behold.To those critics who keep on comparing Potter to Lord of the Rings and finding the former wanting (one person even laughingly suggested Christopher Columbus was ripping it off)bear in mind that Philospher's Stone is the second biggest film of all time behind Titanic - beating Rings.
At times I find the Harry Potter world has so many wonderful things happening at the same time that you tend to overlook the smaller things (ergos the Weasley's residence and the great Hall) The Chamber of Secrets is a darker tail but is well within the tolerances of most children's ability to handle.
Chamber of Secrets is about Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe) second year in Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and something is attacking the students.
He and Tom Felton not only look like father and son but in a minute-long scene they were able to portray Draco's hero-worship of his father and Lucius' impatience with his son.The main problem with the film is that it has been produced in a very dull, bland manner.
Instead of focusing on Harry's uncomfortable realisation that the wizarding world has problems and his shock at how quickly the school turn against him at the barest of evidence, scriptwriter Steve Kloves and director Chris Columbus seem intent on making the film a magical version of an Enid Blyton boarding school where kids merrily skip around solving problems.
Character development hasn't improved much either with Ron continuing to be dumbed down for comic relief while we have Hermione getting Ron and Dumbledore's lines (and in the case of the latter, it just sounds odd hearing words of wisdom said by an powerful, elderly wizard in the book being uttered by a child of twelve in the film).CoS also drops a number of points, in my mind, for the crass, cheesy overly-sentimentality of the ending.
Columbus's style fits the bubble-gum kiddie movie tone of the first two books, but would have been completely mismatched with the later installments.The fun of all the Harry Potter movies lies in seeing what big-time British talent will pop up as the various adult characters, and in this one it's Kenneth Branagh as the preening Gilderoy Lockhart who gets most of the fun.Grade: B.
In fact as the closing credits rolled I felt like I had seen it before...This isn't a criticism at all, the film-makers have done a great job of translating this book to the big screen, far more thoroughly than Philosopher's Stone.
Problem is, rather than write a new score that kept the main spirit of the original (which John Williams did brilliantly in the Star Wars trilogy), they seemed to have lifted entire bits of music used in the first film, particularly the dramatic parts that you associate with a certain scene from Philosophers Stone, and transplanted it into Chamber Of Secrets!
I had to run out myself once, cursing, just when they were about to "follow the spiders"...)I found the casting to be clever and appropriate; of special note is, of course, the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore (and I wonder if they will make the obvious choice to replace him in the next movie with Max von Sydow, who could be made to look and sound exactly the same?) as well as the return of Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was a wonderful movie, just as good as the first.
One might imagine that because Chris Columbus pulled off a faithful, yet exciting, movie adaptation of the first Harry Potter adventure that he would be able to it a second time.
And he suffers from the incompetence of the new Defence Against The Black Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh, totally miscast), who is not as funny as in the book.Five minutes after we are re-introduced to the students and teachers, the film slips into a clumsy mishmash of poorly staged scenes and bad acting.
Maybe it was keeping on Chris Columbus as director- he helmed the first Harry Potter and did an OK, if not that terrific, job at it- or in making it about as long as possible (whether or not everything in the book, as someone who's seen the films but not read the books, I can't say, though it feels like they crammed it all), or in making it a wee bit too corny, but Chamber of Secrets is a bulky kids movie.
I consider myself a good critic of fantasy/children films...Mostly due to my attention span never developing beyond the age of 7 and my hunger for magical things being so alive I kept the stupid window to my room open for Peter Pan at the age of 14...Oh I knew he was not real, but what is the point of rubbing that in...Therefore, me falling asleep during the first Harry Potter film and fighting with sleep during the second one definitely means SOMETHING...I must admit I didn't really expect much in the first place; creating a huge movie from a popular book ON DEMAND can never spell art, but I thought maybe, MAYBE, it could be fun...Not only was I disappointed by the fact that bits and pieces were cut out completely (Ok, I understand the necessity) but why add USELESS parts then that could be found nowhere in the book and add cheapness to the already bad movie??
What art?) Not to mention the fact that if we hadn't read the book we would not care at all about the characters of the film since they are never really developed in the movie...It is hard for us to notice this fact since we do heavily rely on our memory of the book to follow the movie; yet the fact that there is very little connection between the audience and the kids does subconsciously ruin a great deal...Bland conversations, overdone special effects (was Dobby really THAT freaky and unlovable looking??
Basically, it is sad to note that this may be the fantasy children movie of the new generation...No memorable original moments, humor or truly magical scenes (ET, Goonies, Time bandits, Mary Poppins etc)...Basing it all on computer animation, special effects, plot and mooooney...Brainwashed kids will like it, adults will forget what to look for and we can all be convinced that since the media tells us it is grand, then it must be so...A good fantasy movie is not supposed to make us bored, not even for a minute; it is supposed to keep us wanting to see certain scenes again and again, making us remember the movie as something we find special and original, and I just cannot wait to see that scene where Harry is walking and then he stops and says something!!!!!
Being the second book of Harry Potter better that the second one I couldn't believe how bad the movie was.
Director Chris Columbus has actually made a very good film!This film follows Harry Potter in his second year at Hogwarts with a much darker tone than the first film.
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is an ultra-long, boring mess of a movie.
Heck, I'll even smile at the thought that she's managed to turn the image of sorcerers, witches, and such evil, into a pleasant little happy-go-lucky book that thins the line between Good and Bad. Christian fundamentalist groups originally held anti-Harry Potter ceremonies after the initial novel and film's release a few years ago.
Watching this movie will do that to you.Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), now in his second year at Hogwarts, is faced with the reality that recent student paralysis may be attributed to a dark lord who killed his parents and gave him a lightning bolt scar across his forehead (which mysteriously disappears between shots).
And of course I'm not talking about *the* Christopher Columbus, but rather Chris Columbus, who is the writer of "Gremlins" and who directed the John Hughes-scripted "Home Alone." Columbus was very good during the '80s and early '90s, but it seems he's lost his sense of utter imagination that he used to have."Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" might have made a good 90-minute kiddie movie.
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione and Rupert Grint (which could be a great character name itself) as Ron Weasley act like they are true friends to the end.
At least the first movie was fun to watch.The guy who plays Harry Potter is a bad actor.
I will wait for it to come out on video so I can fast forward or turn it off when I like, which judging by the first two movies won't be long after it starts.Harry Potter will be FORGOTTEN in the next 10 years thanks to these movies, Thank goodness for The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, A fantasy movie that even with one movie released has become a MASTERPIECE.
This adventure sees them tackle another quidditch match, a flying car, giant spiders and the like.Made at a time when the Harry Potter book series had been fully recognized for what it was - an unstoppable literary phenomenon - Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, the movie, embodies a disappointing lack of courage and compromise from its ,makers: adapt as much as you can from the increasingly long books seems to be the motto du jour.
In 2001 I saw Harry Potter 1 and that movie bored me,my wife and my son.I went to see the second one and it is better than the first one but it could be way better.Kenneth Branagh made a great performance as a professor.Like I said before,this is better than the first one but it could be great and some scenes are boring.But some scenes have sense of humor and they are fun.It could be shorter and not so slow.Rupert Grint made a great performance and I think he is one of the best young actors.This is better than the first one but I thought that it was going to be better.The kids will love it,but I think that the adults will not love it and they are going to be a bit bored..
For as I held my breath alongside my friends and fellow fans, I couldn't help but keep thinking: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was being made into a film!Within a few minutes I was hooked.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is coming soon - I felt like I was sentenced early with 'Chamber'.This film is a painful 2.4 hours long.
Never once during either Harry Potter film have I felt like I am watching a fantasy come to life: all I see are bad child-actors interacting with poor-quality special effects.
Due to this, and the exhausting running time, Chamber of Secrets is the worst of all 8 films.Still stuck with his horrible adoptive parents (Richard Griffiths and Fiona Shaw) for the summer while he awaits another year at his beloved Hogwarts, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is visited by house-elf Dobby (voiced by Toby Jones), who warns him that he must not return to the school of wizardry this year.
In my opinion Harry Potter is a very very good movie because the specials effects are beautiful.
If you like fantasy movies, you should buy Harry Potter on DVD or you should buy the books.
There is no need to explain the entire contents of This film as so many have but to say that it's entertaining, magic and with some great actors both old and new...even the score is pretty good.If you've not seen the Harry Potter series get it, it's not just for kids, its fun.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets may be one of the weaker movies, but it's still a good adaptation of the novel.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a film directed by Chris Columbus.
After watching it I can say that I enjoyed this particular part too.Plot: Harry Potter is warned by Dobby, a House elf not to attend Hogwarts School of Magic as danger awaits him.Story and direction: This film is one of those rare sequels which improve upon the first.
The first Harry Potter movie broke some big records and started one of the biggest and beloved film franchise of all time.
This is Chris Columbus second Harry Potter movie, and the direction is, like in the first one, good. |
tt1707386 | Les Misérables | === Volume I – Fantine ===
The story begins in 1815 in Digne, as the peasant Jean Valjean, just released from 19 years' imprisonment in the Bagne of Toulon—five for stealing bread for his starving sister and her family and fourteen more for numerous escape attempts—is turned away by innkeepers because his yellow passport marks him as a former convict. He sleeps on the street, angry and bitter.
Digne's benevolent Bishop Myriel gives him shelter. At night, Valjean runs off with Myriel's silverware. When the police capture Valjean, Myriel pretends that he has given the silverware to Valjean and presses him to take two silver candlesticks as well, as if he had forgotten to take them. The police accept his explanation and leave. Myriel tells Valjean that his life has been spared for God, and that he should use money from the silver candlesticks to make an honest man of himself.
Valjean broods over Myriel's words. When opportunity presents itself, purely out of habit, he steals a 40-sous coin from 12-year-old Petit Gervais and chases the boy away. He quickly repents and searches the city in panic for Gervais. At the same time, his theft is reported to the authorities. Valjean hides as they search for him, because if apprehended he will be returned to the galleys for life as a repeat offender.
Six years pass and Valjean, using the alias Monsieur Madeleine, has become a wealthy factory owner and is appointed mayor of a town identified only as M____-sur-M__ (i.e., Montreuil-sur-Mer). Walking down the street, he sees a man named Fauchelevent pinned under the wheels of a cart. When no one volunteers to lift the cart, even for pay, he decides to rescue Fauchelevent himself. He crawls underneath the cart, manages to lift it, and frees him. The town's police inspector, Inspector Javert, who was an adjutant guard at the Bagne of Toulon during Valjean's incarceration, becomes suspicious of the mayor after witnessing this remarkable feat of strength. He has known only one other man, a convict named Jean Valjean, who could accomplish it.
Years earlier in Paris, a grisette named Fantine was very much in love with Félix Tholomyès. His friends, Listolier, Fameuil, and Blachevelle were also paired with Fantine's friends Dahlia, Zéphine, and Favourite. The men abandon the women, treating their relationships as youthful amusements. Fantine must draw on her own resources to care for her and Tholomyès' daughter, Cosette. When Fantine arrives at Montfermeil, she leaves Cosette in the care of the Thénardiers, a corrupt innkeeper and his selfish, cruel wife.
Fantine is unaware that they are abusing her daughter and using her as forced labor for their inn, and continues to try to meet their growing, extortionate and fictitious demands. She is later fired from her job at Jean Valjean's factory, because of the discovery of her daughter, who was born out of wedlock. Meanwhile, the Thénardiers' monetary demands continue to grow. In desperation, Fantine sells her hair and two front teeth, and she resorts to prostitution to pay the Thénardiers. Fantine is slowly dying from an unspecified disease.
A dandy named Bamatabois harasses Fantine in the street, and she reacts by striking him. Javert arrests Fantine. She begs to be released so that she can provide for her daughter, but Javert sentences her to six months in prison. Valjean (Mayor Madeleine) intervenes and orders Javert to release her. Javert resists but Valjean prevails. Valjean, feeling responsible because his factory turned her away, promises Fantine that he will bring Cosette to her. He takes her to a hospital.
Javert comes to see Valjean again. Javert admits that after being forced to free Fantine, he reported him as Valjean to the French authorities. He tells Valjean he realizes he was wrong, because the authorities have identified someone else as the real Jean Valjean, have him in custody, and plan to try him the next day. Valjean is torn, but decides to reveal himself to save the innocent man, whose real name is Champmathieu. He travels to attend the trial and there reveals his true identity. Valjean returns to M____-sur-M__ to see Fantine, followed by Javert, who confronts him in her hospital room.
After Javert grabs Valjean, Valjean asks for three days to bring Cosette to Fantine, but Javert refuses. Fantine discovers that Cosette is not at the hospital and fretfully asks where she is. Javert orders her to be quiet, and then reveals to her Valjean's real identity. Weakened by the severity of her illness, she falls back in shock and dies. Valjean goes to Fantine, speaks to her in an inaudible whisper, kisses her hand, and then leaves with Javert. Later, Fantine's body is unceremoniously thrown into a public grave.
=== Volume II – Cosette ===
Valjean escapes, is recaptured, and is sentenced to death. The king commutes his sentence to penal servitude for life. While imprisoned in the Bagne of Toulon, Valjean, at great personal risk, rescues a sailor caught in the ship's rigging. Spectators call for his release. Valjean fakes his own death by allowing himself to fall into the ocean. Authorities report him dead and his body lost.
Valjean arrives at Montfermeil on Christmas Eve. He finds Cosette fetching water in the woods alone and walks with her to the inn. He orders a meal and observes how the Thénardiers abuse her, while pampering their own daughters Éponine and Azelma, who mistreat Cosette for playing with their doll. Valjean leaves and returns to make Cosette a present of an expensive new doll which, after some hesitation, she happily accepts. Éponine and Azelma are envious. Madame Thénardier is furious with Valjean, while her husband makes light of Valjean's behaviour, caring only that he pay for his food and lodging.
The next morning, Valjean informs the Thénardiers that he wants to take Cosette with him. Madame Thénardier immediately accepts, while Thénardier pretends to love Cosette and be concerned for her welfare, reluctant to give her up. Valjean pays the Thénardiers 1,500 francs, and he and Cosette leave the inn. Thénardier, hoping to swindle more out of Valjean, runs after them, holding the 1,500 francs, and tells Valjean he wants Cosette back. He informs Valjean that he cannot release Cosette without a note from the child's mother. Valjean hands Thénardier Fantine's letter authorizing the bearer to take Cosette. Thénardier then demands that Valjean pay a thousand crowns, but Valjean and Cosette leave. Thénardier regrets that he did not bring his gun and turns back toward home.
Valjean and Cosette flee to Paris. Valjean rents new lodgings at Gorbeau House, where he and Cosette live happily. However, Javert discovers Valjean's lodgings there a few months later. Valjean takes Cosette and they try to escape from Javert. They soon find shelter in the Petit-Picpus convent with the help of Fauchelevent, the man whom Valjean once rescued from being crushed under a cart and who has become the convent's gardener. Valjean also becomes a gardener and Cosette becomes a student at the convent school.
=== Volume III – Marius ===
Eight years later, the Friends of the ABC, led by Enjolras, are preparing an act of anti-Orléanist civil unrest on the eve of the Paris uprising on 5–6 June 1832, following the death of General Lamarque, the only French leader who had sympathy towards the working class. Lamarque was a victim of a major cholera epidemic that had ravaged the city, particularly its poor neighborhoods, arousing suspicion that the government had been poisoning wells. The Friends of the ABC are joined by the poor of the Cour des miracles, including the Thénardiers' eldest son Gavroche, who is a street urchin.
One of the students, Marius Pontmercy, has become alienated from his family (especially his grandfather M. Gillenormand) because of his liberal views. After the death of his father Colonel Georges Pontmercy, Marius discovers a note from him instructing his son to provide help to a sergeant named Thénardier who saved Pontmercy's life at Waterloo—in reality Thénardier was looting corpses and only saved Pontmercy's life by accident; he had called himself a sergeant under Napoleon to avoid exposing himself as a robber.
At the Luxembourg Garden, Marius falls in love with the now grown and beautiful Cosette. The Thénardiers have also moved to Paris and now live in poverty after losing their inn. They live under the surname "Jondrette" at Gorbeau House (coincidentally, the same building Valjean and Cosette briefly lived in after leaving the Thénardiers' inn). Marius lives there as well, next door to the Thénardiers.
Éponine, now ragged and emaciated, visits Marius at his apartment to beg for money. To impress him, she tries to prove her literacy by reading aloud from a book and by writing "The Cops Are Here" on a sheet of paper. Marius pities her and gives her some money. After Éponine leaves, Marius observes the "Jondrettes" in their apartment through a crack in the wall. Éponine comes in and announces that a philanthropist and his daughter are arriving to visit them. In order to look poorer, Thénardier puts out the fire and breaks a chair. He also orders Azelma to punch out a window pane, which she does, resulting in cutting her hand (as Thénardier had hoped).
The philanthropist and his daughter enter—actually Valjean and Cosette. Marius immediately recognizes Cosette. After seeing them, Valjean promises them he will return with rent money for them. After he and Cosette leave, Marius asks Éponine to retrieve her address for him. Éponine, who is in love with Marius herself, reluctantly agrees to do so. The Thénardiers have also recognized Valjean and Cosette, and vow their revenge. Thénardier enlists the aid of the Patron-Minette, a well-known and feared gang of murderers and robbers.
Marius overhears Thénardier's plan and goes to Javert to report the crime. Javert gives Marius two pistols and instructs him to fire one into the air if things get dangerous. Marius returns home and waits for Javert and the police to arrive. Thénardier sends Éponine and Azelma outside to look out for the police. When Valjean returns with rent money, Thénardier, with Patron-Minette, ambushes him and he reveals his real identity to Valjean. Marius recognizes Thénardier as the man who "saved" his father's life at Waterloo and is caught in a dilemma.
He tries to find a way to save Valjean while not betraying Thénardier. Valjean denies knowing Thénardier and tells him that they have never met. Valjean tries to escape through a window but is subdued and tied up. Thénardier orders Valjean to pay him 200,000 francs. He also orders Valjean to write a letter to Cosette to return to the apartment, and they would keep her with them until he delivers the money. After Valjean writes the letter and informs Thénardier of his address, Thénardier sends out Mme. Thénardier to get Cosette. Mme. Thénardier comes back alone, and announces the address is a fake.
It is during this time that Valjean manages to free himself. Thénardier decides to kill Valjean. While he and Patron-Minette are about to do so, Marius remembers the scrap of paper that Éponine wrote on earlier. He throws it into the Thénardiers' apartment through the wall crack. Thénardier reads it and thinks Éponine threw it inside. He, Mme. Thénardier and Patron-Minette try to escape, only to be stopped by Javert.
He arrests all the Thénardiers and Patron-Minette (except Claquesous, who escapes during his transportation to prison; Montparnasse, who stops to run off with Éponine instead of joining in on the robbery; and Gavroche, who was not present and rarely participates in his family's crimes, a notable exception being his part in breaking his father out of prison). Valjean manages to escape the scene before Javert sees him.
=== Volume IV – The Idyll in the Rue Plumet and the Epic in the Rue St. Denis ===
After Éponine's release from prison, she finds Marius at "The Field of the Lark" and sadly tells him that she found Cosette's address. She leads him to Valjean's and Cosette's house on Rue Plumet, and Marius watches the house for a few days. He and Cosette then finally meet and declare their love for one another. Thénardier, Patron-Minette and Brujon manage to escape from prison with the aid of Gavroche. One night, during one of Marius's visits with Cosette, the six men attempt to raid Valjean's and Cosette's house. However, Éponine, who has been sitting by the gates of the house, threatens to scream and awaken the whole neighbourhood if the thieves do not leave. Hearing this, they reluctantly retire. Meanwhile, Cosette informs Marius that she and Valjean will be leaving for England in a week's time, which greatly troubles the pair.
The next day, Valjean is sitting in the Champ de Mars. He is feeling troubled about seeing Thénardier in the neighbourhood several times. Unexpectedly, a note lands in his lap, which says "Move Out." He sees a figure running away in the dim light. He goes back to his house, tells Cosette they will be staying at their other house on Rue de l'Homme Arme, and reconfirms to her that they will be moving to England. Marius tries to get permission from M. Gillenormand to marry Cosette. His grandfather seems stern and angry, but has been longing for Marius's return. When tempers flare, he refuses his assent to the marriage, telling Marius to make Cosette his mistress instead. Insulted, Marius leaves.
The following day, the students revolt and erect barricades in the narrow streets of Paris. Gavroche spots Javert and informs Enjolras that Javert is a spy. When Enjolras confronts him about this, he admits his identity and his orders to spy on the students. Enjolras and the other students tie him up to a pole in the Corinth restaurant. Later that evening, Marius goes back to Valjean's and Cosette's house on Rue Plumet, but finds the house no longer occupied. He then hears a voice telling him that his friends are waiting for him at the barricade. Distraught to find Cosette gone, he heeds the voice and goes.
When Marius arrives at the barricade, the "revolution" has already started. When he stoops down to pick up a powder keg, a soldier comes up to shoot Marius. However, a man covers the muzzle of the soldier's gun with his hand. The soldier fires, fatally wounding the man, while missing Marius. Meanwhile, the soldiers are closing in. Marius climbs to the top of the barricade, holding a torch in one hand, a powder keg in the other, and threatens to the soldiers that he will blow up the barricade. After confirming this, the soldiers retreat from the barricade.
Marius decides to go to the smaller barricade, which he finds empty. As he turns back, the man who took the fatal shot for Marius earlier calls Marius by his name. Marius discovers this man is Éponine, dressed in men's clothes. As she lies dying on his knees, she confesses that she was the one who told him to go to the barricade, hoping they would die together. She also confesses to saving his life because she wanted to die before he did.
The author also states to the reader that Éponine anonymously threw the note to Valjean. Éponine then tells Marius that she has a letter for him. She also confesses to have obtained the letter the day before, originally not planning to give it to him, but decides to do so in fear he would be angry at her about it in the afterlife. After Marius takes the letter, Éponine then asks him to kiss her on the forehead when she is dead, which he promises to do. With her last breath, she confesses that she was "a little bit in love" with him, and dies.
Marius fulfills her request and goes into a tavern to read the letter. It is written by Cosette. He learns Cosette's whereabouts and he writes a farewell letter to her. He sends Gavroche to deliver it to her, but Gavroche leaves it with Valjean. Valjean, learning that Cosette's lover is fighting, is at first relieved, but an hour later, he puts on a National Guard uniform, arms himself with a gun and ammunition, and leaves his home.
=== Volume V – Jean Valjean ===
Valjean arrives at the barricade and immediately saves a man's life. He is still not certain if he wants to protect Marius or kill him. Marius recognizes Valjean at first sight. Enjolras announces that they are almost out of cartridges. When Gavroche goes outside the barricade to collect more ammunition from the dead National Guardsmen, he is shot by the troops.
Valjean volunteers to execute Javert himself, and Enjolras grants permission. Valjean takes Javert out of sight, and then shoots into the air while letting him go. Marius mistakenly believes that Valjean has killed Javert. As the barricade falls, Valjean carries off the injured and unconscious Marius. All the other students are killed. Valjean escapes through the sewers, carrying Marius's body. He evades a police patrol, and reaches an exit gate but finds it locked. Thénardier emerges from the darkness. Valjean recognizes him, but his filthy appearance prevents Thénardier from recognizing him. Thinking Valjean a murderer lugging his victim's corpse, Thénardier offers to open the gate for money. As he searches Valjean and Marius's pockets, he surreptitiously tears off a piece of Marius's coat so he can later find out his identity. Thénardier takes the thirty francs he finds, opens the gate, and allows Valjean to leave, expecting Valjean's emergence from the sewer will distract the police who have been pursuing him.
Upon exiting, Valjean encounters Javert and requests time to return Marius to his family before surrendering to him. Javert agrees, assuming that Marius will be dead within minutes. After leaving Marius at his grandfather's house, Valjean asks to be allowed a brief visit to his own home, and Javert agrees. There, Javert tells Valjean he will wait for him in the street, but when Valjean scans the street from the landing window he finds Javert has gone. Javert walks down the street, realizing that he is caught between his strict belief in the law and the mercy Valjean has shown him. He feels he can no longer give Valjean up to the authorities but also cannot ignore his duty to the law. Unable to cope with this dilemma, Javert commits suicide by throwing himself into the Seine.
Marius slowly recovers from his injuries. As he and Cosette make wedding preparations, Valjean endows them with a fortune of nearly 600,000 francs. As their wedding party winds through Paris during Mardi Gras festivities, Valjean is spotted by Thénardier, who then orders Azelma to follow him. After the wedding, Valjean confesses to Marius that he is an ex-convict. Marius is horrified, assumes the worst about Valjean's moral character, and contrives to limit Valjean's time with Cosette. Valjean accedes to Marius' judgment and his separation from Cosette. Valjean loses the will to live and retires to his bed.
Thénardier approaches Marius in disguise, but Marius recognizes him. Thénardier attempts to blackmail Marius with what he knows of Valjean, but in doing so, he inadvertently corrects Marius's misconceptions about Valjean and reveals all of the good he has done. He tries to convince Marius that Valjean is actually a murderer, and presents the piece of coat he tore off as evidence. Stunned, Marius recognizes the fabric as part of his own coat and realizes that it was Valjean who rescued him from the barricade. Marius pulls out a fistful of notes and flings it at Thénardier's face. He then confronts Thénardier with his crimes and offers him an immense sum to depart and never return. Thénardier accepts the offer, and he and Azelma travel to America where he becomes a slave trader.
As they rush to Valjean's house, Marius tells Cosette that Valjean saved his life at the barricade. They arrive to find Valjean near death and are reconciled with him. Valjean tells Cosette her mother's story and name. He dies content and is buried beneath a blank slab in Père Lachaise Cemetery. | suspenseful, sentimental, murder, historical, melodrama | train | wikipedia | Featuring some bravura performances from an all-star cast including Anne Hathaway (Oscar winner), Hugh Jackman (Oscar nominated), Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter.
Set against the sweeping backdrop of 19th-century France, 'Les Mis' tells an enthralling and emotional story of passion, love and redemption, accompanied by some stunning cinematography, uplifting musical numbers and flawless direction.
Tom Hooper's direction and the cinematography, costumes, art design and editing are nothing short of genius.Hooper's idea to have the actors sing live really brings a deeper emotion to the film not seen in other movie musicals.
Anne Hathaway is magnificent in her fleeting role as Fantine - the film's sequence in which she goes on a downward spiral is one of the it's best moments, and her ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE HEARTFELT rendition of 'I Dreamed A Dream' will win her the Oscar by itself.Also, a great supporting turn from newcomer Samantha Barks as the heartbroken Eponine (look out for her waist - it's absolutely tiny!), who is sure to be shot into stardom.
Nevertheless I was happy to take the opportunity of a private viewing of "Les Misérables" at the London office of distributors Universal - the day after the London première and a month before the UK release - because of the outstanding success of the original stage show (a run of 27 years with a total audience of over 60 million) and the surprising and impressive cast list (Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne).
The showing was introduced by producer Eric Fellner of Working Title who underlined the commercial challenge of making a film in which all the dialogue is sung and the themes are so political and praised director Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech") for his insistence that every take was sung live.The two main characters are presented in the opening seconds of a sweeping introductory sequence: the police inspector Javert (Crowe) and the prisoner 24601 Jean Valjean (Jackman) in post-revolutionary France.
If Crowe and especially Jackman are excellent, Hathaway - who lost 25 pounds and most of her hair for the role - is outstanding as the destitute Fantine and Cohen and Carter almost steal the show as the comical Thénardier innkeepers.I'm not sure how long it will take for "Les Misérables" to recoup its investment cash- wise, but it's going to win award after award and rightly so..
What an innovative film!Contrary to one of the reviews which canned everything about the movie from the plot to the actors' singing voices to camera angles (by someone who, to me, is obviously not familiar with the live theater productions of this musical nor it appears the he has ever been to any), I find this movie version is a a state-of-the-art capture of one the world's great musicals for the cinema screens!The live singing is superb, showing the fragility (and flaws) of every performer ...
The beauty and squalor of 19th century Paris was showcased magnificently and it really allowed you to become engrossed in story.This is a movie that both fans of the novel as well as fans of the musical can both fall in love with, since even though there are some deviations from the novel this is still the closest a film version has ever come to being completely faithful to the book.
And she's great and she deserved the Oscar but we all (who where aware of the story of les mis) knew that the role was going to win the actress best supporting no matter who it was or how good she played it.I really wanted to like this film and I tried pretty hard but considering a movie this boring goes on for an unforgiving 160 minutes I just couldn't stop pleading for the movie to end.
The real tragedy of this movie is that the people who could have done it justice, those with musical stage capability, never got the chance to make the kind of money Hugh Jackman, et.
The only real weak link is Crowe and it is a shame because he actually fits his character very well, it is just the fact that his singing voice is strained that poses a problem – but it is a big problem when you're making a musical.
Often his portrayal fails to convince me, his expression becomes 'comfortable' looking, failing to exude that sense of despondency that Jean Valjean experiences throughout his life, the subject of the ruthless tyrant Javert's (Crowe) relentless pursuit and character assassination.Big Russ actually seems restrained, almost pensive in some respects and I was glad to see the make-up crew didn't give him a Bonaparte hair-do; Helena Bonham-Carter's, on the other hand, has the look of an electrified troll doll - not to take away from her talents as a thespian, but the look was truly maniacal.I reserve my most ardent criticism for Anne Hathaway.
"The Devil Wears Prada" suited her style, whereas she doesn't seem "mature" enough for this role, she always looks adolescent, her porcelain skin defying the rigours of her character's desperate predicament.If perchance you're a fan of the epic film-musical set to battle hymns, then this version of "Les Mis" might pique your interest once more.
Now I'll admit the only song I really knew going into this movie was " I dreamed a dream" however, the endless non melodic off key vocalization by the entire cast with the exception of Anne Hathaway in my humble opinion simply ruined any chance this production would work for me and those movie goers who were seeking a memorable story put to music.
This movie is an excellent attempt to capture Les Mis on film which mostly succeeds.I've read many of the reviews posted on this site and firstly would like to clear up a few inaccuracies.
Two of the three (in my opinion) gut-wrenching musical numbers come in this section- Anne Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" (which, if I recall correctly, was filmed largely in a single take) and Hugh Jackman's "Who Am I?".
So, I was utterly disappointed when I saw that Tom Hooper did not achieve anything better than the old-timey Italian TV directors could do with staged opera.That is even more surprising because Hooper is working on Les Miserables---the longest-running, most beloved musical of all time.
I confess that I got surprised in the first 15 minutes of the movie, when at no time did the actors stop singing for "normal lines", I had never seen a movie with that format.So I say that the feature film is surprisingly good, even if it seems strange at first.In at least three moments in the story I really was prone to crying (Anne Hathaway simply destroys her role, even though she appears a little bit lightly) and this is something that does not happen often when I watch movies.The plot brings a sad story that at the same time criticizes ancient times of humanity, but can also be understood as a parallel with the world today.The actors are all incredibly good in their roles, both in acting and singing.
Where is Susan Boyle when you need her ?From Hugh Jackmans wondering accents to the little boy on the barricades doing his artful dodger impression and Amanda Sefreid warbling like an anaemic canary this "musical" was a travesty.Surely when you are casting a musical the requisite should be for singers who can maybe act and not actors who think they have a bit of a singing voice in the shower.Les Mis is my favourite all time musical but no-one in there wildest dreams would consider buying the sound track to this hack job.To be fair my wife said it was OK but even she got bored towards the end and there were a few boxes of hankies being used around me but it wouldn't do if we were all the same , would it..
It was simply dreadful.It must have taken a great deal of care and effort to seemingly ruin one of the worlds greatest musicals by simply casting people with weak and utterly uninteresting singing voices that are totally unsuitable for the parts that we all love and cherish.
Russell Crowe, which did seem to be good casting, does manage to impart the feeling of menace to some degree but that is probably just his own character coming though but again, while slightly better than Jackman, does fail in expectation to the stunning songs that his character of Javert has throughout the play.
With such expectation it was just so disappointing to hear the sound track and I would recommend that any one who wants to see Les Mis should see it in a theater where it seems this show belongs but not in a cinema where everything that this show had that made us all love it for so many years has been destroyed by Hollywood or who ever had the nerve to put this film out there.
I didn't even make it through the entire film, walking out after an hour or so.I never had the chance to see the Broadway play, but was introduced to the music by my parents years ago when they brought home the cast recording after attending a performance during a vacation trip.
Russell Crowe played a great 'baddie' but his signing wasn't really the highlight of his role.Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were both excellent for the roles they played of the innkeeper and his wife, the lightness in the darkness of the film, very funny.Without giving away and spoilers, its difficult to describe how truly emotionally charged the film is, but as soon as the haunting music and chilling lyrics start, you do get a rush of pure sadness in places.
I think that this time, thankfully, they got it about as "right" as it's ever going to get.Don't get me wrong, it certainly has its flaws, but it rises well above all the other musicals-turned-movies I've seen with the possible exception of RENT.
On the bright side, though, at least the man can carry a tune most of the time, unlike other stars cast in leading singing roles Gerard Butler...My other complaints are solely about some of my favorite lines that were omitted, so not even worth going into detail on, but it leads me to a commendable point: as long as the stage show is, this film did an amazing job keeping it intact!
Not the most outstanding performances of the movie, but the actors did a lot with characters who have so little content, so kudos to them.I live in a city full of pretty shallow people and not a single person I know around here had ever even heard of Les Mis unless I happened to drag them to the Twin Cities to catch a production when it passes through, musicals are NOT these people's thing, yet when the credits rolled, our theater erupted with applause.
That alone speaks volumes to me of the quality of the movie and it's performances.On a side note now - look, I know how a lot of people feel, those who are longtime Les Mis fans and who have a hard time accepting some of this casting.
What a shame that the miscasting of Russell Crowe and Eddie Redmayne should ruin a good half of the movie.A most deserving Hugh Jackman gets to show a wider audience his charismatic Broadway and West End performer side.
What a great movie and such AMAZING acting.Actors that i didn't really know much about such as Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and Isabelle Allen really moved me.I was pleasantly surprised by Sacha Baron Cohen.
The intricacy at which the script revolves around the lead characters and some trivial plot kings is marvelous and unlike Cloud Atlas blunder, everything gels here to bring out a perfect musical.Hugh Jackman is great, so is Russell Crowe but I didn't like Hathway much, maybe because of a personal whim since I saw The Princess Diaries.
This one's got emotions like real life!BEST THING ABOUT Les Misérables: soundtrack, lyrics and music.Can be watched with a typical Indian family?
A truly epic, emotional stage musical is turned into a frustrating and annoying, TV adaptation due to several bad choices made by the director, Tom Hooper, who did the excellent "The King's Speech." Which classic film musicals has Mr. Hooper seen?
Tween girls will fall in love with Marius and songs like "On My Own" all over again and Les Mis the musical is going to have an enjoyable second life.Ultimately, it's a story about Hope, and there's nothing wrong with that.
In fact, you don't even notice when they are going from straight spoken dialogue and back to singing, sometimes even mid-sentence, and sometimes a character is replying to singing with spoken dialogue, as the two get mixed right in together perfectly.It you just want the Les Miserables story in a movie but without the music, then watch the 1997 version directed by Bille August, as that is a really good movie.
Just the same, no matter how well done, a good Broadway quality stage performance of Les Miserables is going to be 5 times better than even a perfect Les Miserables musical movie.
Stand-out song performances included Anne Hathaway (I Dreamed a Dream), Russell Crowe (Stars), Hugh Jackman (Who Am I?), Eddie Redmayne (Empty Chairs and Empty Tables) and Daniel Huttlestone (Look Down).
In another century Les Miserables might very well be labeled an opera.And it's interesting in that the leads are done and well by a pair of non-singers Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and his tormentor Inspector Javert played by Russell Crowe.
Well, I watched the movie a few hours ago and I have only one thing to say: remarkable.It touched me deeply and the performances were astonishing.People in the movie theater started to applaud right after the movie was over as if we were in an opera house and cheering ''Bravo''...I think everyone shared an overwhelming experience watching this film.Even though I already knew the story(obviously),and had watched an earlier version of it,I have never imagined that it could turn out to be one of the most amazing films ever watched in my life.If you are planning to go see it you won't regret it and personally i believe it's one of the best musical made for the wide screen.I didn't even notice how quickly time passed and most important I didn't want it to end..That is all..Hope you'll enjoy it too..
By the end of the film he feels more like a close friend than an actor.All other actors such as Ann Hathaway and Russell Crowe deliver near-perfect performances and are also amazingly talented in the singing department.
Les Miserables is an incredible story of how a man can turn his life around from a position of utter despair to a position where he can positively influence the lives of the people round him.The film was beautifully choreographed with fantastic solo performances from Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman in particular.
This film takes a chance and decides to finally do something new.The movie was filmed with two major risks involved: first, the actors were to sing live on set, and second, Hooper did not use film transitions, rather he devised a new way of editing I have never seen before in which the cuts are not transitions, rather they follow the songs and the emotions of the characters.
Hugh Jackman sings a touching "Bring Him Home," Russel Crowe sings a rousing "Stars," and Anne Hathaway will break your heart with "I Dreamed a Dream." Even Samantha Barks in her film debut brings acting on par with that of the former when she flawlessly moves you with "On My Own." The emotions brought forth by the actors are often more powerful than the songs themselves.
The rest of the cast was either underwhelming (Helena Bohnam Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen) or bad (Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russell Crowe).
I have seen Les Miserables 3 times as a stage musical.
This must be a very dramatic event in a person's life as much as the movie is.The characters all did an outstanding performance but I must give the highest credits obviously to Hugh Jackman who not only gave a realistic portrayal of the melancholic Jean Valjean but who carried the story very well to the end, and to of course Anne Hathaway who had a brief but very pivotal role as Fantine.
It makes for an engrossing watch, but for the quality art direction and lush production values to be appreciated, your eyes have to quickly dart around before the next musical number comes on.You'd have your own personal favourite scenes from the musical, and I have three - with the three way romance between Cosette, Marius and Eponine (Samantha Barks) which is ever so brief but no less making a tremendous impact, having Jean Valjean go up against Javert in every instance to allow one to determine whether Hugh Jackman or Russell Crowe would fare better than the other when they sing, and the limited scenes in which Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter make their appearance as the thieving Thenardiers, providing comic relief for the very heavy themes and story line involving one man's redemption, rivalry, tragic romance, all against the backdrop of a student led armed revolt.Not having the luxury of sitting through a live stage performance of this musical, Tom Hooper has done enough to drum interest to a level high enough to want to do so when Les Miserables comes to town the next time round.
Being in love with the actual Les Mis musical, and having seen it 5 times on Broadway I was disappointed with the movie adaptation.
Les Miserables is my favorite musical and I thought the movie was great and the casting was spot on. |
tt0482088 | Hors de prix | Jean (Gad Elmaleh) is a waiter and bartender at a luxury French hotel. He is shy and soft-spoken, and seems out of place among the wealthy and pretentious patrons who surround him. While working the nearly-empty barroom one night, an elderly guest invites him to take a break, smoke a cigar, and have a drink. Jean eventually falls asleep on the barroom sofa.Irene (Audrey Tautou), is a beautiful young woman who has made quite a career of gold-digging. She seduces rich and lonely gentlemen, which results in them footing expensive bills for her clothes, food, and board. Her current beau, the much-older Jacques , is staying in a suite with her at the hotel and promises to take her out on the night of her birthday. However, he drinks too much and falls asleep before he can keep his promise. Irene glumly visits the bar alone and finds no one in it but the sleeping Jean. Noticing his tuxedo (not realizing it is merely his uniform), Irene assumes he is wealthy hotel guest and awakens him. She chats him up casually, revealing it is her birthday, and that she would kill for a cocktail and some music. To cheer her up, Jacques mixes her a champagne cocktail, but does not reveal that he works at the hotel. Several drinks later, Irene asks his room number and he takes her to an empty suite on the fifth floor. They spend the night, and Irene leaves in the morning.A year later, Jean is surprised to see Irene return to the hotel, still with Jacques. In the dining room, Jean spies Jacques giving Irene an engagement ring which she accepts with enthusiasm. She encounters Jean again, remembering him from the year before. They again meet for drinks and end up in bed. Irene wakes in the morning and rushes back to her suite, realizing she had neglected Jacques for the entire evening. He angrily confronts her, as he had seen her kissing Jean in the bar the night before. He breaks the engagement, and Irene is left desperate for financial support. She returns to the suite, relieved that Jean is still there, and flatters Jean by claiming that she chose him over Jacques. Secure for the moment, Irene settles in. They are mortified the next morning when they are awakened by a hotel employee showing the supposedly vacant suite to a family. Jean is recognized by the employee, and Irene realizes he is not wealthy after all. Frustrated, she takes off.Irene spends the day at the park, calling a long list of rich men she had met over the years and hoping to find financial security again. She finds that many of the men are now married, dead, or otherwise involved and cannot help her. At the end of the day, she finally snares a dinner date with a possible new suitor (the grandson of a deceased former beau). At the restaurant that night, Irene encounters Jean who humbly apologizes for the events of that morning. Irene is still miffed over her miscalculation of his wealth, and rebuffs his invitation to dinner. Her date, Francois, arrives but is soon made uncomfortable by Jean's lingering presence and departs. With no other choice, Irene goes to dinner with Jean.Irene insists they eat at a very expensive restaurant, where she orders pricey champagne, lobster, and caviar (which she does not even like, but is attempting to develop a taste for). Floored by the bill but desperate for Irene's attention, Jean frantically calls his banker and has extra funds moved to his account. He continues to pursue Irene, using his limited cash to fuel her shopping habits. When he is nearly broke, she prepares to move on to a richer man. He uses his last euro to pay for ten more seconds of Irene's company. Now alone and in debt, Jean is noticed by an older female hotel guest. He soon finds himself in the same position as Irene. The woman, Madeline, allows him to stay in her suite and buys him expensive clothes in exchange for his company and attention. Jean encounters Irene again, and they form a legitimate friendship over their shared careers as gold-diggers. Irene provides Jean with tips and tricks to keep his patron interested and the cash flowing. She has moved on to another wealthy man and is staying in the same hotel as Jean. After Madeline forces Jean to have plastic surgery on his ear, Jean uses Irene's advice and sulks, resulting in Madeline buying him a scooter and an extravagant watch.Irene begins to develop a deeper attraction to Jean, and sneaks out of her suite one night to accompany Jean on a trip to the beach before she leaves for Venice with her new suitor, Gilles. She attempts to say goodbye to Jean, but they are spotted kissing on the balcony by Gilles, who leaves her and takes all her belongings. Irene is presented with this news while lounging at the pool, and now has nothing except the swimsuit and sarong she is currently wearing. Jean sells his valuable watch and buys Irene a new dress, an invitation to an exclusive party, and a week's stay at the hotel. Jean soothes Madeline (who was angered that he had sold the watch) by presenting her with diamond earrings he had also bought with the money.Irene spots her ex-benefactor, Jacques, at the party with another young woman, Agnes. She persuades Jean to help her win him back. Jean pretends to be a wealthy prince, and both attracts Agnes and drives away Madeline. He takes Agnes to his room while Irene sits with Jacques on a balcony across the way, hoping he will see Agnes kissing another man on Jean's balcony. However, Irene herself becomes jealous and leaves Jacques, racing to Jean's apartment to express her feelings. She tells Agnes the truth, that Jean is not wealthy, causing Agnes to leave in disgust. Irene and Jean are finally free to be with each other, and give up their complex lavish lifestyles. They leave together on Jean's scooter, and pay a tollbooth with the euro Jean had once used to spend ten more seconds with Irene. | psychedelic, satire, entertaining, romantic | train | imdb | null |
tt0086320 | Sleepaway Camp | Over the opening credits, we see a closed-down summer camp in the fall that is called Camp Arawak.The film opens in the summer of 1975, with a family consisting of divorcée John Baker (Dan Tursi) and his two children, Angela and Peter, out on a lake near a summer camp in upstate New York. After their small boat accidentally flips, John and the children begin to head ashore, where John's lover Lenny (James Paradise) is calling to him. As the family swims, a pair of teenagers named Marianne and Craig are pulling a water skier named Dolores in a motorboat. Craig and Marianne switch places to that the girl can drive the boat, but they fail to notice the family in the water in time and hits them, which kills both John and Peter. The survivor, Angela, is sent to live with her eccentric aunt, Dr. Martha Thomas (Desiree Gould), and Martha's son Richard "Ricky" Thomas.Eight years after John and Peter's deaths, Angela, now age 14 (Felissa Rose), and Ricky, now age 15 (Jonathan Tiersten), are sent to Camp Arawak by Martha, who reminds them not to tell anyone how they got the signatures for their physical exams. The buses arrive at the camp, and Artie (Owen Hughes), the creepy head cook, admires the children with no reservations in front of his coworkers calling them "baldies". Ricky introduces Angela to his best friend Paul (Christopher Collet), and he shows Angela around the camp since he was there last summer. Angela goes not respond when Paul talks to her and backs away after he finishes the tour. Ricky tries to talk to Judy (Karen Fields), his former girlfriend from last summer at the camp, but she hardly acknowledges him.Because of her introverted nature and her shyness, Angela is ridiculed and bullied--her main tormentors being Judy and camp counselor Meg (Katherine Kamhi). During lunchtime, Angela, having not eaten for some time, is taken into the kitchen by the sympathetic head counselor Ronnie (Paul DeAngelo) to see if there is anything in there she would like to eat. Left alone with the greasy head cook Artie, Angela is taken into a back room by Artie, who intends to molest Angela. Before any harm can come to Angela, Artie is found in the midst of unfastening his pants by Ricky, who flees from the kitchen with Angela after Artie threatens him. After the incident in the pantry, Artie is seriously injured when he is knocked off a chair by an unseen figure while tending to a large pot of boiling water that spills on most of his body. Artie's injuries are deemed accidental by camp owner Mel Costic (Mike Kellin), who pays off the rest of his kitchen staff, including the assistant cook Ben (Robert Earl Jones), to keep the event quiet and tells the replacement cooks to tell the campers that Artie left for another job.The next day, Ricky, Paul, and the rest of the boys in their cabin, including geek Mozart (Willy Kuskin), are playing baseball with Kenny (John Dunn), Mike (Tom Van Dell), Billy (Loris Sallahian), and the rest of the boys from another cabin. After Ricky wins the game to the older guys, Kenny talks with Mike about how to get back at Ricky.Later that night in the recreation cabin during a dance, Angela is accosted by Kenny and Mike, who begin mocking her for not speaking, which prompts Ricky and his friend Paul to get into a fight with the boys in which several others join in, which fulfills their plan of getting back at Ricky. After the brawl is broken up by counselor Gene (Frank Trent Saladino), Ricky and the rest of the boys involved in the fight leave while Paul stays behind and succeeds in befriending Angela by telling her about misadventures he and Ricky would get into when they were younger. The shy Angela still does not talk, but when Paul begins to leave, she speaks for the first time and tells him "good night".Later that night, Kenny is rowing a boat with his girlfriend Leslie (Lisa Buckler), and he rocks and overturns the boat. Leslie angrily swims away as Kenny, underneath the overturned boat, is attacked and pushed underwater by an unseen person. In the morning, Kenny's dead and decomposing body is found, and his death is also ruled accidental by Mel, despite suspicion from Ronnie and the police, especially a cop named Frank (Allen Breton).Later that day, Angela walks up to Paul and begins to talk to him as he watches the girls play volleyball, much to Judy's irritation. Meg tells Angela that she either must participate or do nothing, which includes talking with boys.That evening, Paul and Angela go to the rec room to watch a movie, and they later leave when the movie is over, hand in hand as Angela slowly starts to become more friendly with him. When they are alone, Paul attempts to kiss Angela, but she gets uptight and walks back to her cabin.The next day at the lake, Paul sits beside Angela, who tells him that she cannot go in the water. Paul gets up and leaves when Meg arrives. Meg then asks Angela if she is going to swim, but Angela stops talking. Meg angrily shakes the silent girl until Ronnie pulls her away and tells her to leave Angela alone.In the girls cabin, Judy approaches Angela and is angry, thinking that she got Meg into trouble. Then Judy begins mocking Angela again and asks her why she will not shower or go swimming, or change clothes with the other girls. Angela continues to be silent, (but it is clear at this point onward that she is hiding something).Later that day, Angela is hit in the face with a water balloon by Billy and his friends, who are on a cabin rooftop throwing water balloons at passersby. Mel reprimands the boys on the roof and then grounds Billy for the rest of the summer. Ricky comes to the aid of Angela and tells her, "I'll kill him!" A little later, while his friends go off to play basketball, Billy stays behind in the cabin and goes into the restroom to take a "wicked dump". An unseen person locks him in the toilet stall. The unseen person then cuts the screen behind Billy and shakes a hive full of live bees into the room. Billy eventually breaks out of the stall but is stung to death, with bees covering his face.When Mel learns about Billy's death, he becomes more unsettled because he thinks that the camp will be shut down. Mel also grows suspicious of Ricky, whom he believes is killing those who bully Angela.The relationship between Angela and Paul grows strained when, that evening, Paul attempts to make out with Angela on the beach, which causes Angela to have a flashback to her youth when she and her brother Peter witnessed their father in bed with Lenny. Angela rejects Paul, who tries to have sex with her, and runs away.The next day, Paul, being confused and angered by Angela's rejection of his advances, is easily seduced by Judy, who lures him away from a game of capture the flag, a game assembled by counselor Jeff (Rick Edrich). In the woods, Angela and Ricky talk about Paul and his intentions where Ricky expresses to Angela that he does not trust him, but Angela reminds Ricky that Paul is just a friend. They both happen by Paul and Judy kissing which prompts Angela to run off. A little later, feeling guilty about what happened between him and Judy, Paul attempts to explain himself to Angela while on the beach at the lake but this time, she does not want to talk to him.Later that day, as Paul tries again to talk to Angela, he is shooed away by Judy and Meg, who pick up Angela and throw her into the water. After being taken out of the lake by lifeguard Hal (Mike Mahon) and having sand flung at her by several small children, a clearly disturbed Angela is comforted by Ricky, who swears vengeance on her aggressors.That evening, Meg, while preparing for a date with Mel, is murdered with a knife while taking a shower, having her back sliced open. Meg's disappearance goes largely unnoticed and camp activities go on as usual with a social being held. While there, Angela is approached by Paul, who again tries to apologize over the incident with Judy. Angela, for some strange reason, tells Paul to meet her later that night at the waterfront after the social.Next, six young children, the ones who threw sand at Angela, are taken camping with counselor Eddie (Fred Greene), and when two of them ask to go back because they feel sick, Eddie takes the two back to his car and drives back to the camp. But when Eddie comes back, he finds the other four children in their sleeping bags, hacked to bits with Eddie's ax, which was used to cut wood, lying on the ground, dripping with blood.Meanwhile, Mike and Judy are kissing, and Mike hides when Mel stops to ask where Meg is. After Mel leaves, Mike decides that he'd better leave. Mel finds Meg's dead body in the shower stall and thinks that Ricky killed her to get back at him.Judy, who had decided to skip the social to be with Mike, goes back to the girls' cabin, and he is killed when the unseen killer enters, and pushes her out. The murderer shoves a pillow on her face and forces a curling iron somewhere unknown (possibly her vagina).After the social, the camp is thrown into a panic when Eddie arrives and tells the counselors about the deaths of the four children. Ricky, who missed the social because he felt sick, overhears this news before being attacked by Mel, and he accuses him of killing Meg and all the others. After beating Ricky seemingly to death, Mel stumbles into the camp archery range, where he is shot in the throat with an arrow by the real killer.Ronnie calls the police and then tells Marie (Dee Dee Friedman) to gather the other counselors to round up the surviving campers to put them into one cabin until they can root out the killer. As the counselors and the police scour the camp, Angela meets Paul on the beach, where she tells him to undress, which Paul enthusiastically agrees to do.Ronnie and Marie find the dead Meg and Mel, while Frank the cop and Gene find Ricky, who is still alive. Gene carries the badly beaten Ricky away to a waiting ambulance as Frank radios for backup.Ronnie and Susie (Susan Glaze) find Angela nude on the beach, softly singing to herself and clutching a large knife and Paul's severed head in her hands. Angela is revealed to be both the killer and a boy--the thought-to-be-dead Peter.Through flashbacks, it is shown that after Martha gained custody of him, she decided to raise Peter as a girl, already having a son and coming to the conclusion that another boy simply would not do. It's also implied that Peter/Angela was mentally affected in a very negative way by seeing his/her father sharing a homosexual embrace with another man. The film suddenly ends with the nude and blood-covered Angela, male genitalia in full view, standing before Susie and Ronnie, letting out an animalistic hissing sound. | grindhouse film, murder, cult, horror, violence, flashback, insanity | train | imdb | And the ending, my friends, is what makes Sleepaway Camp worth the watch.
Robert Hiltzik's "Sleepaway Camp" is one of the most memorable slasher movies ever made.Of course the acting and dialogue are terrible,but writer/director Robert Hiltzik manages to create very creepy atmosphere throughout,the killings are original and gruesome and the ending is very shocking and twisted.Felissa Rose is marvelous as Angela,especially with her creepy stare."Sleepaway Camp" is a little bit different than your standard slasher fare-it's filled with strange and deviant characters,disturbing flashbacks and sexual subtexts.There is only a little bit of gore,still we do get an arrow through the neck,severed head,a bloody stabbing and death by hair curler.Overall,"Sleepaway Camp" is a fast-paced slasher flick with a wonderful central character of Angela.Highly recommended..
It was the best damn slasher film with a camp setting of all time.
Not long after Angela's arrival, things start to go horribly wrong for anyone with sinister or less than honorable intentions.This film is either loved or hated, and with good reason, but it has been embraced more and more as the years go on by fans of the horror genre.
The acting isn't great, but this slasher uses actual teenagers in the roles, instead of 20 somethings playing teenagers, which I feel really enhances the film.
The kills, despite not being that gory are well done.It also has some funky 80's electro-music on the soundtrack, if I remember correctly.If you like old school slashers you'll probably love Sleepaway Camp..
My dad didn't really like us watching it alone because we were so young, so he was watching it with us.Right away, we realized this was a really corny movie, and my dad took off after the curling iron scene...and then came the ending.
If you want to just kick back late at night and enjoy a good movie, then this is worth it.And to answer my own question...those who hate it don't appreciate the genre...and they don't know how to handle such an awkward ending..
In fact, it's probably the scariest movie I've ever seen--just not for the reasons that it intended to be scary.Sure, on paper, it looks to be just your run-of-the-mill cheap slasher flick, but, in actuality, it is so much more.
Everything about "Sleepaway Camp" makes one uncomfortable.If one ignores the much talked about secret ending, there is still plenty in the film to act as nightmare fuel.
"Sleepaway Camp" had been talked up to me by friends and associates as a unique entry into the slasher film sweepstakes, and they're right.
And most of them get killed off.There's an uneasy sexual undercurrent plodding about this film, from the camp chef (who calls the kids "baldies") to the treatment of homosexuality to the shot of a dozen bare-assed guys going for a night swim ...
Normally, one would be looking forward to the end (just to end the agony of watching such an abomination of movie), but then they had to go and have that horrible horrible ending (did they buy that prosthetic from an adult sex shop)!Words cannot accurately describe how atrocious "Sleepaway Camp" was.
Having watched what I have now discovered to be a cut release of Sleepaway Camp, I wasn't entirely sure that it was fair to write a comment based on an 'incomplete' movie.
However, after checking the exact contents of the cuts (a little nudity, some swearing and a tiny bit of gore) I am pretty sure that my opinion of the film would remain the same: it's undoubtedly a memorable movie, thanks to its its lurid plot and shock ending, but it still failed to impress me as much as I had hoped.Felissa Rose plays Angela, the only survivor of a boating accident, who goes to live with crazy Aunt Martha and cousin Ricky.
But with a homicidal maniac on the loose, does Angela's new relationship really stand a chance?Director and writer, Robert Hiltzik, has the basic ingredients for a good shockeran unusual set of characters, some reasonable effects, and a handful of particularly repellent moments (which include a paedophile trying his luck with Angela, a gay sex scene witnessed by young children, a death scene featuring curling tongs put to use in a very nasty manner, and THAT ending), but with a pretty poor cast spouting some lousy dialogue, and rather lacklustre direction, the movie struggles to maintain momentum between the 'good' bits.Sleepaway Camp is worth watching if you're a horror completist, or if you wish to see one of the most bizarre end scenes of all time, but it really amounts to nothing more than a fairly enjoyable entry in the stalk 'n' slash sub-genre..
Sleepaway Camp, an early 80's slasher set at a Summer Camp where young teens and perverted camp workers are dispatched in an increasingly gruesome fashion is surely just another Sean Cunningham knockoff yeah?No.Not at all.What we have here is Friday the 13th in drag; an offbeat, bizarre journey into the mind of a director with some clear obsessions made in a time where originality, even in an overwrought genre, wasn't subdued by marketing pressures.
I suppose the film starts in a normal enough fashion, featuring promiscuous teens carelessly careening a jet-ski on a picturesque lake, but as soon as they're distracted and fail to notice an overturned boat and our family of a dad and his 2 kids treading water, we're swept away into what on the surface may seem a sub-grade and perhaps even listless B-grade horror, but in reality is one troubling little classic.Angela, the survivor of this incident which leaves her father and brother dead, is raised by her eccentric (I was contemplating writing flaming bonkers, but thought I'd stick with proper grammar) Aunt Martha, who one summer decides to send her and her cousin Ricky to Camp Arawak to partake in various social and team-work orientated activities.
(note: this second question isn't actually answered, and it does appear to just be caused by some terrible screen writing).Of course you can't review Sleepaway Camp without mentioning the ending, often referred to as being that of a far better film and amongst the more disturbing in memory.
The ending caught me off guard like no other horror movie I have ever seen at that time.
The only other movie that caught me off guard that scared me just as bad was the ending of the Ring but, with that said, I think the ending of Sleepaway camp was a lot freakier.
I didn't enjoy this movie at all but, a buddy of mine got me to watch Return to Sleepaway Camp this weekend.
Plus, this film really captures the essence of what the 80's was all about: bad music.Not much can be said about the plot; it's like so many other 'camp' movies of the 80's.
But as I'm sure other reviewers have stated, this one has a nice little twist at the end that will make all the guys in short shorts and girls with bad hair worth it.6 out of 10, kids..
Many years later, Angela along with her cousin, are sent to Camp Arawak where a series of grisly murders take place.Sleepaway Camp is one of the most outrageous slasher movies you'll ever see.
In the lead up you get your usual high body count slasher flick, but it's somewhat unique because of its tone- a mix of schlocky horror and a certain self awareness to subvert the genres conventions.This also features one of the most unexpected plot twists to a movie of all time!
...but who are we kidding: Sleepaway Camp is the best summer-camp slasher movie ever made.I compare this movie (and the original, underrated Friday the 13th) to getting on a sketchy-looking carnival ride.
The ride looks old, it seems to have been carelessly assembled, and the ride operator is drunk; you never feel that your life is in the hands of capable, trustworthy people, and that's half of the fun.The weird appeal of Sleepaway Camp starts pre-credits, with its bizarre dedication, and continues all the way to the closing credits, with its freeze-frame and its magnificently horrible would-be pop hit, "Angela's Theme."I don't know, man.
This is obviously an irresponsible movie, with some very outdated ideas about gender and sexuality, but I think we just have to love it like the weird cousin we see at Thanksgiving.As is true with the best cult genre movies: sometimes Sleepaway Camp is so bad it's good, and other times it's just good.
But with that said the movie is a regular 1980s slasher flick with all the clichés, now that is not a bad thing just It kind of gets old after seeing hundreds of horror films with basically the same premise.
Before I go on about this, the ending of this movie was spoiled for me years ago before I had seen the entire thing...Family tragedy displaces young girl.
After watching movies like Scream, I know what you did last summer, Urban Legend, and many other titles who surround the ending twist, wile watching Sleepaway Camp, I doubt that you can't find out who's the killer!
The image presented on the Special edition from Anchor Bay, makes this old, low budget movie worth to watch.
Yes, a curling iron to the crotch is never a pleasant experience R.I.P Judy, R.I.P. The plot really is secondary, a tragic boating accident leaves a newly orphaned Angela, who looks a lot like Sarah Silverman, with her aunt Martha and cousin Ricky, and off to camp the kids go, where bad things start to happen.
This is from a time when horror was an odd creature, the film is clearly made for 12 year olds, much in the way that Deadly Friend was too, but contains fairly graphic, albeit silly, death scenes and strings of profanity designed to make the young ones giggle.
Most of the film is your standard summer camp horror movie - though the body count is rather high - kids getting it on, pranks etc.I recommend this film for its 80s value AND shock ending, though now everybody has told you the ending is shocking then you will probably spend the whole movie trying to figure out what it is..
This movie is shocking, disturbing (kinda perversed), full of horror, and definitely not for the squeamish.Good acting (if it's bad I must've just overlooked it), fits the genre, lots of violence, a "different" kind of plot, plenty of profanity, and this movie was good overall (definitely memorable).
The majority of Sleepaway Camp is just an average slasher movie, as could probably be guessed.
Kids and camp workers get killed off in creative waysyou've seen the plot in every slasher movie ever made.
I'd take Friday the 13th over this any dayit was better done, less cheesy, had more blood, and was less predictable.Though the last few moments reveal one of the weirdest possible endings the movie could have had, it was yet again nothing new or original.
First off, Sleepaway Camp is not a very good movie.
There are some great kills not to mention a couple of truly weird scenes in the film (besides the end).
Sleepaway Camp is a bit of an off-beat edition to the wave of early '80's slasher films.
In fact, at times it seems like it could be a cross between after school special and slasher flick.But the real strangeness of this film is its leading character.
The youthful stars are quite good, even though as a whole the casts performances are uneven.Like the Friday the 13th films, the original Sleepaway Camp is the best of its series.
But i had fun.First, let me put your attention on the positive things : the movie wasn't boring to watch and the ending was cool and (even if you had read about it) surprising, even when the ending was over way to soon (you know what i mean when you see it).
I don't know why it does, but at least it's better then a "summer camp slasher movie where all people are 21 years or older", like 'Friday the 13th'.
At first you think it's going to be just another 80's slasher movie about a homicidal maniac going around and killing teenagers at summer camp, and at first it seems that way.
The writing starts getting good; characters start to develop, there are some funny snippets of dialogue and realistic scenes of life in a summer camp.Angela is a highly unusual heroine for a slasher film.
On top of all of this, Sleepaway Camp boasts one of the most shocking and surprising "twist" endings in horror history.
But now, I look back on it with fond memories - and can laugh at the inane wardrobe and poor dialog (all which heightens the fun - it IS a horror movie after all).The murders are all effective, using first person perspective and appropriately nasty effects.Looking forward to the fourth entry, Return to Sleepaway Camp, as it is the first true sequel - parts 2 and 3 don't count as they seemed to forget Felissa and cast Pamela Springsteen in the role of Angela.This is one of the most overlooked horror films of the 1980's, and a true gem.Make sure to pick up the DVD for a great commentary!.
You have this whacked pedophile cook drooling over the fresh meat running into the camp, and the rest of the staff are just yucking it up over this freak's comments.Fans of 80s horror would do best to avoid this and just go watch Friday the 13th for the 100th time..
Sleepaway Camp?.you' d probably be better off sleeping and keeping this movie AWAY from your DVD player..
The first time I saw "Sleepaway Camp", I was hanging out with some friends, it was somewhere around four in the morning, and I was the only one in the group with a fetish for b-movies.
The most SHOCKING/DISTURBING ending of any movie I have ever seen !!!!.
I have to say, it has been 8 hours since I watched it, and my stomach still hurts from the "disturbing" ending and, THE FINAL SHOT OF THE MOVIE.
I was pretty interested in this films through its run and even found some parts a little creepy,but when I seen the ending it gave the film a whole new creepy feel to it what a movie and it should be in the same vain of horror films like Halloween,a nightmare on elm Street,the Texas chainsaw massacre,and Friday the 13th..
A rip off of movies like Friday the 13'th, but with a twist ending.
Regarding "Sleepaway Camp," I've seen the movie a number of times and I'm consistently perplexed that serious horror fans take it so seriously because, as far as I'm concerned it's one of the worst movies I've ever seen and my appreciation is largely ironic, but it's great to watch it accompanied by both Briggs and Rose.
Much has been said of the ending and, especially if you were a kid watching this in '83, it's pretty shocking.
Sleepaway camp is probably one of the best teen slashers ever made, and one of the best 80s film for the movie industry.
The movie is described as "original" by many solely because of its twist, which is extremely unique and affecting (especially how it is shown and presented and hinted at throughout the film; plus, the final image is genuinely unsettling and will likely haunt my mind for years to come), but throughout there's just so much weird things going on that I think it really is one of the most unique slasher films ever made.
I wanted to watch an old school bad / not-so-scary slasher flick, and when I typed that into google it gave me Sleepaway Camp.Firstly, I love old school horrors.
I had to finish it that way!Sleepaway Camp is fun and constantly has you trying to guess the killer until the very end!
The summer camp is overrun with pedophile staff, unusually aggressive kids (played by actors ranging from 12 years old to 35 years old, it seems), and multiple gruesome deaths that go largely unnoticed.The plot is copied straight from the slasher films of the era, with slews of victims being brutally murdered by a faceless killer (from their POV) for no good reason.
'Sleepaway Camp' is worth a watch just for the insane ending, which, if you haven't read up on this movie, you won't expect - but it will stay with you..
Rose is good in the central role, and the late, great character actor Mike Kellin, as camp director Mel, is wonderful as always; Mel turned out to be his final film role.This is pretty much essential viewing for new fans of the late 1970s and 1980s slasher craze.Eight out of 10..
But it DOES have its little 80s slasher charms and if you're watching this movie, then you probably know how it goes with these movies (i.e. bad acting, script, etc.)But it is worth watching if just for that ending!
The sole reason for me to watch this movie was the twist ending that every reviewer was raving about.
And I think that ending alone makes it worth watching the movie.
"Sleepaway Camp" is defined as a slasher movie.
"Sleepaway Camp" is certainly not the most well done slasher movie and at times seems cheap, but when you are finished with it you will never forget it.
The Ending , You Have To Watch The WHOLE Movie.
I had to buy it and I have to say , even though the first hour of the film is anything but good - the ending was well worth the watch!
The last 5 or so minutes are just great and I won't even dream of spoiling the ending for you (you probably know it by now anyway, if not DON'T READ ANYTHING ABOUT THIS MOVIE BEFORE YOU'VE SEEN IT ! |
tt1480684 | The League | The beauty of search engine optimization is the simplification in finding exactly what you are looking for with as little as three key words. And, finding The League was exactly that typing sport movies into the search engine and refining the search by adding soccer; I found a show that would stay with me for a while to come. Heres why!
I instantly knew this was the type of series that I could draw momentary thinking strategies from, believe to be an extension of my personality and mull over with like-minded folk isnt that the point of TV series anyway?!And, like all new successful shows, this one is semi-scripted, an increasingly addictive style that is soon to become convention. Lets spare a moment of thought for the employment of scriptwriters.
So, whats great about a group of friends playing soccer in a grown mens fantasy football league? Its the seamless movement from real life to virtual life, for one; and, the characters themselves, a hallmark of any notable show. It also worked in my favour that my group of friends and I share similar fantasy premier leagues where the struggle to possess the topmost authority of bragging rights is close to being the king of the world. When such power, both in life and in The League, is at stake, its mind games galore stewed with interpersonal politics and brewed to a genius level of function or dysfunction, rendering the perfect cup of comedy. Throw some pure evil intentions and passions to the mix and you have a wonderfully engaging TV series to retreat to at the end of the day, or as soon as you wake up, which is what happens to me 10 out of 12 months.
With a slowish by surely not a sluggish start, the pace picks up after the characters are sufficiently and interestingly introduced. Ticking all boxes of unique and stimulating depiction, the series disembarks on a journey of reaching a common goal-the glory of the Shiva Bowl- in myriad ways due to myriad personalities. In my opinion, that is the genius of any series characters for everyone and everyone for characters. Watch the series if you like football and have at some point believed that the ecosystem that exists on the field is comparable to the universe and all its humans at large.
Its a thing of beauty this search engine optimization, because with 6 series of binge watching ahead of me, I will have no trouble finding my next addiction. | humor | train | imdb | None of the characters are particularly likable (I personally like Pete best), but you end up really attached to them, but the comedy is just so clever, fast and observational as well as horrible but there are some big names that have graced it's episodes from the world of Football and there's a great few eps with Jeff Goldblum to name one familiar actor - and he's his fabulous self as ever.Basically set around the antics of six friends who are part of a fantasy football league, and the lengths they will go to to win their league trophy - the Shiva, named after a plain girl who went to their highschool with them who is now a very attractive doctor and friend.
The League is a show about 5 high-school buddies facing everyday life concerns while mercilessly ridiculing each other and placing way too much importance on their fantasy football league!From the outset this show is way funny, making use of the relaxed boundaries cable TV offers.
A good comparison is 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' but having more likable characters and relying more on good humour than shock value (for the most part).The chemistry of the cast is great.
I would agree with this assessment in that it has intricate, often intersecting story lines, while having everyday situations with absurd outcomes and definitely prescribing to the 'no-hugging, no learning' ethos of Seinfeld.Setting it apart is the 'dude' humour, and a level of crassness you can't get away with on network TV.I was not surprised to find out the creator, directors of 'The League' had written for Seinfeld and directed episodes of another brilliant comedy 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.'Standing on the shoulders of giants indeed but definitely succeeding in delivering a hugely funny, unpredictable show with brilliant moments of dialogue and a developing world within the show!
We can enjoy playing it while carrying on a normal life.Even if I didn't play fantasy football I'd watch this series.
Supposedly, and I believe it, the main actors are all friends in real life and even do a fantasy league with the shows creators.
Just the way the characters talk is so believable, its like they are not actors, they are just a group of friends on film.
It appears FxX is repeating a bunch of the 2013, so people should be able to catch up.While it is based off a group that does fantasy football, they do an extremely great job of explaining things that require no football knowledge at all (even though, you may miss out on all the football player cameos that hit).
About the only thing that is not explained well, that adds to the humor of many episodes, is the importance of the "first pick" when you create your team for the first time.
Some people, such as myself, will actually enjoy this aspect, however if you are one who likes to pick and choose, a lot of the in-joke humor will not be as funny as it otherwise could be.Still, I am extremely pleased with The League, and hope it continues on for many seasons to come.
The show has so many great moments, it features a lot of clever musical comedy throughout both series' and it is full of shocking and hilarious antics as the main characters all battle, far too seriously, for their fantasy football league trophy.
I also recently discovered the cast and the director all actually play in a fantasy football league of their own; just a little fun fact.
She won't tell...if you trade Payton Manning.Mark Duplass is damn good as the central character whose fantasy football really keeps him going.
He's the guy who needs his lucky shirt for fantasy draft day and when he can't find it...suspects his wife through it out.The cast is awesome...and it is a show I'm going to love to watch throughout the football season..
This show feels more like an internet series, yet that very same, raw, atmosphere helps develop the characters and the plot.I find this show to be similar to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, yet it's slightly less raunchy, but a bit more sexual.
Shows like Lost, House, and Arrested Development are beyond amazing, but they are lengthy (which is great when you have the time to invest).
First let me say that while I am a HUGE football, and fantasy football fan, I have shown this show to many of my friends who know nothing about football and they still love it.An often overlooked fact about this show is that it is "Semi-Scripted" meaning that instead of a script the actors get more or less an outline of what events need to happen in the scene.
I'm not a huge football fan, but i never miss an episode of the league.
'The League' gained inspiration from 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' (like most shows that strive to simulate realistic humor while incorporating celebrities in an unconventional manner) as well as 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (in terms of visual style, cast and breed of humor) though the scenes are not as seamlessly integrated as the former while the humor is sharper than the latter.
Overall, it is funnier than most comedy and the natural flow of the show as well as the charming improvisation of many of its characters give it great potential (if the two aforementioned problems are fixed, namely: being less obvious with the football references and trying to appeal to a broader audience by cutting down on the sexist images of women and offensive humor)..
Except for the ever horrible Mark Duplass, the cast actually does good in other things (like Nick Kroll's great job in The Life & Times of Tim).
The 3rd season is taking a different turn as it has hardly any connection with the league itself, but I am having a great time watching it cause you will love the characters.In short "the League" is a great comedy series with very few watchers but still not under- rated.
You don't have to know anything about football to enjoy the show but if you are a big fantasy football fan like I am then this show will be even funnier and make even more sense to you.
I can basically see myself doing some of the things they do in the show for my love of fantasy football, but yes of course some of the stuff they do is way too crazy, but it is a show after all.
It gives a perfect blend of over the top humor, with how fantasy football fans conduct themselves during the season.
At first i didn't think i would be much of a fan because i don't really care for football but it wasn't completely about football its the perfect mix with many other funny things going on, they make a fantasy football league look so fun that i actually started getting into the football parts, it almost makes me want to start a league of my own.
it was cheap and just felt desperate all in all I will not be wasting anymore time watching this show.P.S. the acting is horrible especially Katie Aselton i am sure she has no comedic training she was only cast because of her look and she is really bad..
Where did they graduate from, the University of Beavis and Butthead?Perhaps making a comedy about sports isn't easy, since football seems to be just a backdrop in the episodes I've watched so far.
I think it's important I mention first that I have below zero interest in American football or 'fantasy football' and my interest in the show was piqued originally by my being a fan of the Duplass brothers and because I knew it was a show recommended along with good comedies such as Always Sunny, The Office and Archer.
I'm happy to say that the football subject matter never steals the focus away from the core relationships between the characters and someone who knows nothing about the sport and its star players will not be left confused or patronized whenever they are actually talking about it.
The League is definitely a dialogue-driven show and the writers deliver, I think its where the comedy is strongest, as I am not particularly a fan of a lot of the visual humour thrown in along with it: think sex comedy, gross-out, 'insane' characters like Rafi and a hell of a lot of Paul Scheer's Andre being mocked or belittled in some way - it gets old fast, to say the least.Another particular thing about the League which I would say is a strength but could put some people of is basically how unsavory most of the characters are; only to each other, generally, but this is a show where you find competition, feuds, 'trash-talking' and bullying instead of endearments and 'traditional' friendship.
Nick Kroll's Ruxin takes a more over-the-top spin on how 'evil' he is, as he would certainly go the furthest to win against the others, and the subsequent development of his anger and stubbornness actually made him my favourite character - but on the other hand you have Andre who never really gets the credit he deserves, at least as practically the nicest, most caring member of the group, and Taco who ironically never gets the comeuppance he deserves as the uncaring, stoned sexual genius that mostly just Flanderizes him in the later seasons.
I have respect for Jason Mantzoukas as an actor and I've seen that he can play it straight and bring characters to life, but man has he had to play this character in half of his acting roles at this point.With a show that lasted this long, there's the big question that you might want answering before you start at Season 1: does it remain consistent in quality until the show ends?
Honestly at least they let the show end before dragging it any further into mediocrity, it's clear scheduling was becoming an issue with Nick Kroll and Mark Duplass absent from some episodes in the last season, and the jokes were becoming tired and overdone.
I liked the final episode, anyway, and I think it closed the show in a decent way, though it was just another diss on Andre.Overall, The League is a competent, funny, easily digestible show that I think rivals the likes of Always Sunny and Archer for unlikable characters and entertaining dialogue.
Picked this for an easy bit of entertainment on the morning commute, quite like NFL and thought this would be a fun look at how they do their fantasy league.
Initially this was a bit of fun, found their jokes/pranks on each other pretty darn mean spirited at times, some messing with your friends is one thing but often i couldn't understand why these guys ever hang out with each other.The main issue i had was the last season, the wheels well and truly came off this show at the end.
Sometimes the plot just isn't good enough, the characters may not be entertaining, however, one show that should be held above the rest is based on a fantasy football league.The League, which began its first season in October 2009, is a sitcom about a coveted fantasy football league, its dedicated members, and their quirky everyday lives.
The show is a semi-improvised comedy who follows a group of friends whose lives revolve around their fantasy football league and their league prize, The Shiva.
Many viewers, who also play fantasy football, see this as the ideal plot for entertainment and it is very attractive for them to watch.
Each episode focuses on one hurdle that each of the main characters has to get around, whether it's something at work, in the fantasy league, or with their family, the show seems to always find just the right amount of comedic spin to add.The main characters have been shaped to form a diverse group of friends in order to provide maximum entertainment for the audience.
Many times, like the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, the selection of characters is far too similar and there is little diversity for the audience to choose from.
This hasn't been an issue for fans of The League because of their assortment of characters and personalities.Also, The League's directors and creators have done a masterful job bringing on guest stars to improve the appeal for viewers.
The League's casting department has done a fabulous job of bringing in actors and actresses that compliment the main characters.
Which is a shame, especially knowing ahead of time that this was the end, you would hope the creators and writers would try to give the fans some sort of memorable send off, but it feels as if they gave up long ago.The first 4 seasons are great comedy, very wonderful and funny.
Each season has an overarching plot, the characters and situations are funny, all of that.
I really love this show, i find it hilarious, the characters are great.However, when i first started watching this show i loved how much they cared about their league and fantasy football and how their lives revolved around it.
Once the series went on it sort of drifted away from this side of the story, basically making it about 5 guys and 1 of their wives, who seem to have a hobby that pops up, the league itself becomes a small factor in what should be the centrepiece of the whole show, I loved at the start where they went different places for the drafts and that they cared so much, but now it seems the only episodes related to the league are the first and last on each season..
Based on a group of friends in a fantasy football league.
The jokes attached to him are bafflingly lame, the characterization is bizarre, and the character adds absolutely nothing to the mix.I'm going to continue to watch because of Mark Duplass, who is a real comer.
I started watching this series cause i had actually a lot of time.
I was awaiting this first episode of FX's new The League like many of my friends, but now that it is here, I am feeling a lot letdown.The cast is mostly made up of unknowns and lesser stars.
It kinda feels like the Always Sunny boys did the writing for The League as well and that would make sense considering the Thursday night time slot.
This cast can do amazing things with comedy and I hope this one is around for a long time.
I thought the show started off great in seasons 1 and 2, but as it continues on, it just seems like they cannot come up with anything new or funny anymore, as many shows do.
It just becomes such bad repetitive toilet humor at times, and the only thing that saves an episode is a few good one-liners.
There are a few funny episodes and scenes but the vast majority is the same joke repeated over and over.The main character Pete is the biggest buddyf**ker I have ever seen.
The only one that is almost normal is Kevin who is completely brow beaten and p**sy whipped.I have watched every single episode because a friend wanted me to and I don't have a life I guess but the unrealism of this show and 6th grade jokes do nothing for me.
My brother got me into this show awhile back and at first it was hilarious but by the beginning of the 5th season I've began to lose interest in the direction the show was going in it's premise.The character Pete seems to be like this perfect smart ass who seems to go unscathed in his actions.
Very rarely do I ever see him get put down a peg and the only time that I ever showed interest in his character is during the episode "12, 12, 12" where he's made a fool of by his old crush from high school, Gina Gibiatt (who was a total c*nt by the way.)And another factor that really annoyed the hell out of me was the constant torment towards Andre, by the 5th season he became the live embodiment of a human punching bag and I always felt so bad for him in the worst way.
Each episode usually has a scene where everybody makes sexual innuendo jokes at Andre and Andre never notices, and if that doesn't happen, they go out of their way to make a fool out of him in some other stupid way.The other characters weren't that much better than Pete.
The only character I've seemed to ever enjoy is Rafi, and he's suppose to be a disgusting pervert.All in all, the show can be so much better, but with the way things are going I don't think I have it in me to continue to watch this show....
I won't give examples in case of spoilers but I hope someone reads this review and takes my advice to watch it (that will be my mission accomplished!) My favourite's in the programme are definitely Raffi (purely for shock factor and how much Craic he can be!) and Taco (for sheer stupidity laughs)And another factor that makes me love the programme is if you watch Pete and Kevin when there's a truly funny scene it is clear as day to see that they are genuinely laughing and not acting (especially Pete) don't know about you lot but It always makes a show better for me when you can see an actor enjoying it as much as the viewer.
I think his character needs to expand, he needs to face a semi-depressing life beyond fantasy football.
Duplass cant do funny as much, he can do jerk, and he can do squabbling with his wife but he can also be a convincing friend, make him defend andre once in a while, but also enjoy things like tattooing his face on his back. |
tt0120889 | What Dreams May Come | While vacationing in Switzerland, pediatrician Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) meets artist Annie Collins (Annabella Sciorra). They are attracted to each other, and bond as if they had known each other for a long time. They marry and have two children, Ian (Josh Paddock) and Marie (Jessica Brooks Grant). Their idyllic life ends when the children die in a car crash. Life becomes difficult: Annie suffers a mental breakdown and the couple contemplates divorce, but they manage through their losses.
On the anniversary of the day they decided not to divorce, Chris is also killed in a car crash. Unaware that he is dead, and confused that no one will interact with him, Chris lingers on Earth. He sees Annie's attempts to cope with his loss and attempts to communicate with her, despite advice from a presence that this will only cause her more pain. When his attempts cause more sorrow, he decides to move on.
Chris awakens in Heaven, and learns that his immediate surroundings can be controlled by his imagination. He meets a man (Cuba Gooding Jr.) he recognizes as Albert, his friend and mentor from his medical residency, and the presence from his time as a "ghost" on Earth. Albert will guide and help in this new afterlife. Albert teaches Chris about his existence in Heaven, and how to shape his little corner, and to travel to others' "dreams". They are surprised when a Blue Jacaranda tree appears unbidden in Chris' surroundings, matching a tree in a new painting by Annie, inspired by Annie's belief that she can communicate with Chris in the afterlife. Albert explains that this is a sign that the couple are truly soul mates. Annie decides that Chris cannot "see" the painting, however, and destroys it. At the same time, Chris sees his version of the tree disintegrate before his eyes.
Chris laments that he can no longer see his wife and soon encounters a woman who he comes to recognize as his daughter Marie, living in an area resembling a diorama that she loved in her lifetime. The two share a tearful reunion.
Meanwhile, Annie is unable to cope with the loss of her husband and decides to commit suicide. Chris, who is initially relieved that her suffering is done, grows angry when he learns that those who commit suicide go to Hell; this is not the result of a judgment made against them, but rather their own tendency to create "nightmare" afterlife worlds based on their pain. Chris is adamant that he will rescue Annie from Hell, despite Albert's insistence that no one has ever succeeded in doing so with a suicide. Albert agrees to find Chris a "tracker" to help search for Annie's soul.
On the journey to Hell, Chris recalls his son, Ian. Remembering how he'd called him the one man he'd want at his side to brave Hell, Chris realizes that Albert is truly Ian. Ian explains that he chose Albert's appearance because he knew that Chris would listen to Albert without reservation. Before they part, Ian begs Chris to remember how he saved his marriage following Ian and Marie's deaths. Chris then journeys onward with the tracker.
Chris must walk across the field of Faces of the Damned, stepping on their faces as he navigates across it. The damned can be heard talking, including a businesswoman who says she never over-billed her clients. Chris and the tracker arrive at a dark and twisted version of Chris and Annie's house. The tracker then reveals himself as the real Albert and warns Chris that if he stays with Annie for more than a few minutes he may be permanently trapped in Hell, advising that all Chris can reasonably expect is an opportunity for a final farewell to Annie.
Chris enters their now-horrific looking home to find Annie suffering from amnesia, unable to remember her suicide, and visibly tortured by her decrepit surroundings. Unable to stir her memories, the tracker sees Chris give up his quest to save Annie from Hell. But instead of returning to Heaven, Chris chooses to join Annie forever in Hell. As he declares to Annie his intent to stay, his words parallel something he'd said to her as he left her in an institution following the children's deaths, and she regains her memories while Chris is making her nightmare his. Annie, wanting nothing more than to save Chris, ascends to Heaven, bringing Chris with her.
Chris and Annie are reunited with their children in Heaven, and all appearances are restored. Chris proposes reincarnation, so he and Annie can experience life together again. The film ends with Chris and Annie meeting again as young children in a situation that parallels their first meeting. | thought-provoking, alternate reality, flashback, psychedelic, philosophical, romantic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt3205802 | How to Get Away with Murder | The first eight episodes alternate between small flashes of events happening on December 12th,2014 (the night of Sam Keatings' murder) and the main part of that episode. This main part of these episodes takes place some weeks before December the 12th (a countdown is shown in each episode).At the start of the semester, Professor Annelise Keating tells the students she will teach them "How to Get Away with Murder". Based on the proposed defenses in the first case offered, Keating selects five students who will help her in her real life law practice. These five are Connor Walsh, Michaela Pratt, Asher Millstone, Laurel Castillo and Wes Gibbins.The body of a fellow student named Lila Stangard, who was missing for several weeks, is found in a water tank. Prime suspects are her boyfriend Griffin O'Reilly and Rebecca Sutter. The latter lives in the same building and on the same floor as Wes Gibbins. Over the course of the weeks Rebecca and Wes fall in love. Rebecca is a suspect because she was caught having sex with Lila's boyfriend. To the audience, she is even more suspect because she has got Lila's phone, which she hides in Wes' bathroom. Lila's phone contains a sexting picture sent by Sam Keating to Lila. In the picture he is identified by the wallpaper in the Keating bedroom.Wes convinces Professor Keating to defend Rebecca in the murder case. During the investigation, it is revealed that Lila Stangard was having an affair with Professor Keatings husband Sam Keating, that she was pregnant and that Sam Keating tried to conjole her into having an abortion.On the night of the murder:
- Sam and Annelise had a vicous fight about their respective affairs.- Police officer Nate Lahey sends Rebecca into the Keating house to download the data of Sams smartphone from his laptop.- At the same time, Michaela wants to return a stolen trophy.- Wes discovers Rebecca's plans annd follows her to the Keating house along with Connor and Laurel.Sam discovers the intruders and thinks Rebecca wants to steal data. He chases her upstairs and a fight ensumes. During the fight Michaela pushes Sam over the bannister and he falls and appears to be dead.A few minutes later, while the team discusses what to do next. Sam suddenly leaps up and starts strangling Rebecca. Wes grabs the trophy and hits Sam, who is now really dead. All five students run out into the woods but decide to return to the house and dispose of Sams body.The body is rolled into a carpet and shoved into Connors car. As they leave the house they are nearly caught by a campus guard, but saved by a campus party. The body is brought into the woods and burned; the remains are put into plastic bags and thrown into a dumpster. Somewhere Michaela loses her engagement ring.Annelise is complicit in the murder. She discovered the body when she came home and is the mastermind of the plan to get rid of the body. In order to get herself an alibi she drives to her lovers house and has sex with him. The team creates an alibi for themselves by joining the campus party and taking selfies.In court, Annelise proves that Sam was the father of Lila Stangards baby and shows him driving to the murder location on the night of the murder, where he was for nineteen minutes. Based on this evidence the charges against Rebecca are dropped.In episode eleven Hannah Keating (Sams sister) shows up. She is convinced that Anelise either killed Sam or is complicit in the murder. Annelises' apparent lack of grief when the body of Sam is found at the end of the 11th episode is all the more proof for her. The team of studens is trying to cope with the events. Mutual distrust and emotional breakdowns start to occur.In the 12th episode, Hannah testifies in court about an alleged death threat which Annelise would have made three years earlier. Based on this testimony the Keating house is searched and sprayed with luminol. Due to a vigorous scrubbing by Annelise no blood traces are found.Sams wedding ring is found in the woods behind campus. On it is a fingerprint, which matches Nate Lahey's. He is arrested.In the 13th episode, the mother of Annelise Keating visits. In Annelise's absence, Bonnie Winterbottom narrowly wins a rape case with the help of her students. It is revealed that Annelise was abused by a family member, whom was killed by her mother by setting fire on the family residence.Wes and Laurel visit the mental hospital where Rudy (the former occupant of Wes' room) is held. When shown a picture of Rebecca, he says "Wet". The episode ends with Rebecca checking for Wes' location by means of tracing his cell phone.On the last (double) episode we learn that Lila was killed by Frank Delfino, an emloyee in Annelises form, on request of Sam. Rebecca had become wet because she hid in the water tank with Lila's body. Rebecca threatens to betray the group to the police and is found dead in the cliffhanger moments of the episode. Her killer is yet unknown. | murder | train | imdb | null |
tt0480687 | Hall Pass | Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are best friends, as are their wives, Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate). They are both unhappy with their married lives and missing the old days when they were single. Realizing this, their wives talk to their friend Dr. Lucy (Joy Behar) and decide to give them a "Hall Pass": a week off from marriage during which they can have sex with other women. They are skeptical at first, but ultimately accept the offers and try to pick up women with their friends Gary (Stephen Merchant), Flats (J. B. Smoove) and Hog Head (Larry Joe Campbell). Maggie and Grace spend Rick and Fred's "Hall Pass Week" at Maggie's parents' house in Cape Cod, where Grace flirts with athlete Gerry (Tyler Hoechlin). She says that if their husbands have Hall Passes, so should they.
With their wives and children away, Fred and Rick check in at a hotel and prepare for their Hall Pass Week. On day one, they decide to eat before going to a local bar and get too tired to spend the night there, preferring to stay at the hotel.
On day two, they eat hash brownies and decide to play golf, but get too high and wreak havoc on the golf course.
On day three, Rick and Fred go to a bar with their friends but fail to impress the women there. They decide to get drunk in order to become more loose, but go too far and wind up getting into a fight with other customers. They spend day four at the hotel suffering from a hangover.
On day five, Rick goes to a local coffee shop where he flirts with an attractive waitress named Leigh (Nicky Whelan), much to the annoyance of her co-worker Brent who insults Rick. When Rick answers him back, Leigh is impressed and tells Rick that they might see each other at the local gym. They later meet there, and Leigh invites Rick for a beer after they work out. Rick decides to sit in the hot tub instead, but falls asleep and stays there for several hours, ending up with his muscles too weak to use and forced to accept the help of two naked men to leave - much to his dismay. Meanwhile, Grace and Gerry get closer, while Maggie finds herself attracted to Gerry's coach.
On day six, Rick and Fred go to a bar called Enter the Dragon with their friend Coakley (Richard Jenkins), where Rick meets his children's babysitter Paige (Alexandra Daddario), who has just turned 21 and is with her aunt Meg. Paige is attracted to Rick, but he shoots her down to dance with Leigh. Brent, the party's DJ, is angry at this. After the party is over, Rick goes to party at Coakley's while Fred takes a girl to his hotel room. However, she feels sick, and after a minor incident in the bathroom, is sent back home by Fred before they can have sex. Later that evening, Paige's aunt shows up at the room and mistakes Fred for Rick, eventually seducing him. Fred begins to fake oral sex on Meg.
Meanwhile, Gerry's coach tries to seduce Maggie, but she rebuffs him. Grace, on the other hand, has sex with Gerry, but tells him it will be just that one time. On her way back home, she feels guilty about cheating on Fred and has a car accident.
At Coakley's house, Rick is approached by Brent, who is angry at Rick for going out with Leigh. Leigh calms Brent, then finds Rick alone in a bedroom and offers him a one-time fling. He initially wants to do it, but ultimately rebuffs her, unable to cheat on Maggie. After answering Fred's phone, Rick learns of Grace's accident and makes his way to the hotel to tell him. In the lobby he finds Paige, who thinks he was having sex with Meg. They enter the room and find Fred having fake sex with her. After finding out the truth, Meg kicks Fred in the face.
Upon hearing about Grace's accident, Fred tries to go to the hospital but finds Brent vandalizing what he thought was Rick's car. Upon seeing Meg, his mother, at the hotel, Brent thinks Fred has had sex with her and tries to kill him as well, but runs out of bullets and is tackled by Paige and Meg. Rick and Fred make their way to the hospital with Brent and the police chasing them. At the hospital, Brent is arrested for attacking them and Fred finds out Grace only broke her nose.
Rick goes back home to Maggie. He tells her he did not use the Hall Pass and remembers the time he lost his virginity to her. She is the only woman he has ever been with. Moved by his declaration, Maggie tells him she did not use her Hall Pass either, and they reconcile and have sex for the first time in months.
Fred and Grace also reconcile and decide to hide their cheating from one another. However, Fred ultimately confesses that he used his Hall Pass with Meg when Grace asks him to take her to see Kathy Griffin.
During the credits, Fred hosts a barbecue where he pays Kathy Griffin to be present. Noticing how happy Maggie and Grace are following the Hall Pass week, Gary's wife suggests that she give him a Hall Pass. After a fantasy where he sleeps with a married woman, resulting in the death of her, her husband, her grandmother and several innocent bystanders (and ending with him getting raped in prison), Gary agrees to "give it a whirl". | comedy, entertaining | train | wikipedia | I wish I had not watched the movie because I will never get the time I spent watching this garbage back and should sue the idiot directors This is a non stop penis joke and awkwardly explicit male nudity type of movie that fails to deliver anything original tries to force its jokes to happen.This movie is pretty much for females and bi/gay males as with many comedy that have been coming out in the last decade and a half.
The wives take note of this behavior and after a lengthy dialogue with a minor character literally detailing the title of the film, they pave the way for a wild week of orgies and freedom by issuing their husbands a "hall pass" a.k.a. a week free from marriage in which they can sow their wild oats.
This is about two guys who tend to not try and hide the fact that they notice a lot of women and their wives grow tired of it, so they take the advice of an older friend and give their husbands a 'hall pass' from marriage.
I have to say that the absurd version of the perfect suburban family led by the characters Ed and Britney made me to have some laughs, something which is also a merit of the competent performances from Rob Moran and Lauren Bowles; and I also liked the character of the classic old-young man, which is well interpreted by Richard Jenkins.I think it would have been more interesting to see an interpretation of the story told by Hall Pass made with the style of films like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice or An Unmarried Woman, but well, I guess that the political correction has became more important for the Farrelly bros.
At least, Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis managed to take the maximum advantage out of the mediocre screenplay by bringing good performances, something which also applies to Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate as their characters' wives.
There are better R-rated comedies out there, but this still is a respectable one with lots of funny and dramatic moments.This film is about two friends who are given hall passes from their wives.
I think Jason Sudekis will be a big comedy star because he had some really funny moments.Overall, Hall Pass is another good entry in the R-rated comedy category of which 2011 was famous for.
It's been four years since The Farrelly Brothers' forgettable remake of The Heartbreak Kid had it's brief run in the theaters, now we have a much funnier film called Hall Pass about Rick (Wilson) and Fred (Sudeikis) who are given a week off from marriage from their wives Maggie (Fischer) and Grace (Applegate).
Too bad he didn't replace Sudeikis in the film so I could laugh more and give this film a higher rating, but oh well.The big problem with this film is not that not all the jokes are funny, that the drama element at the ends sort of ruins the outrageous comedy film the movie had going, but the fact that it's February and a movie like this is coming out.
You can't always get what you want, but in Hall Pass it delivers most of what you would want in an outrageous comedy.Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, and LArry Joe Campbell.
Hall Pass is a silly movie for all those guys who wished they could still fool around when married, all the while thinking it's their wife's fault.It's funny, it has ridiculous ideas that it pulls off by sheer force, and it will go at some length of ridicule to extract a laugh from its audience.
Just don't tell the Farrelly Brothers that, because such things are their bread and butter and they've slathered it up again for "Hall Pass."Two best buds, Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (SNL's Jason Sudeikis), have lust and female anatomy on the brain, like all men stuck in good but stale marriages, and their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) have gotten tired of it.
Those moments feel disjointed and these pivotal jokes don't pack the punch they used to back in the days of "There's Something About Mary." Comedy evolves faster than cell phones these days and the Farrellys have only proved they can't exactly keep up.Among the few things they understand perfectly is middle aged men trying to act cool; kudos to Owen Wilson for breaking his "free-spirited sexual hippie and/or moron" type casting and pulling off the awkward family man with zero sense of style or any semblance of "game." He and Sudeikis in their tucked-in Hawaiian shirts among other things successfully prove the Farrellys' hypothesis that 40-year-old married men suffer nothing short of de- masculinization after 15-20 years of marriage.
Instead, their thought process says "ok, we just have to go bigger and dirtier next time." I'd like to give them credit for sticking to their guns and doing what they know, but it taints "Hall Pass," which might have otherwise been a fairly (Farrelly?) decent movie.Honestly, the Farrellys, being about that age themselves, have an intuitive understanding of middle-aged guys and this makes the pathetic escapades of Rick and Fred appear to have some actual intention.
Their "failures" coupled with the Farrelly's "Law and Order" inspired title cards for each day of the hall pass make for the funniest parts of the movie and give it a vague sense of depth, but they can hardly outshine a slow beginning, forced antics and tired shock humor.~Steven CVisit my site http://moviemusereviews.com.
Lots of gross out raunchy humour thanks to the Farrelly brothers.The plot is nothing remarkable, predictable even but honestly that's not what I'm watching a movie like this for; following two best buds (Owen Wilson & Jason Sudeikis) who are granted permission to take a week off of marriage, only to realize that the reality of single life is not as appealing as they remember after bumbling in their efforts to "charm" women.A couple of scenes that I really laughed at were the girl "sneezing" into the bathtub and the gym-hot-tub-penis scene.
Owen Wilson was at his best just making the film funny as hell the cloths definitely didn't match him but it just made you think that he's definitely been out of the game the movie was great The movie was way better than expected i definitely wanted to punch Owen Wilson for doing what he does but i would love to be in his position when he did something really stupid .
But for best friends Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis), having a six day pass in their hands as given by their wives Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate) respectively means a window of so many opportunities being opened, one doesn't know where to start, as the days zip by one by one in episodic fashion that counts down the type of shenanigans the guys get themselves into.
being toothless, domesticated predators thrown into the wild to seek out easy prey ripe for the picking.As an adult oriented comedy, expect the usual bag of jokes that stem from rude lines of dialogue (insulting an uppity mutual friend and his family got brownie points), plenty of bodily fluids released on screen (you will never forget that scene with the girl at the edge of the bathtub), enough body parts on display including male genitalia, and sometimes plain slapstick action, but don't judge me when I say I enjoyed almost every single joke that made it through, right up until the end of the credits - so don't leave your seat just yet when the credits start to roll.But those looking for a raunchy good time as the Farrelly's are known for, may find this film a wee bit disappointing, as much as how one character lamented that in a group gathering that they aren't seeing enough woman action since they're but a bunch of dudes getting together talking about geeky stuff.
You may think that a Hall Pass means a guy given the permission to do as he pleases, but the truth is that it works both ways as well, with the wives also enjoying some time off with some jocks, and this forms the other half of the equation in the film, which actually has a lot more provocative issues thrown into the works that make the men's shenanigans look like child's play.It's a very different Owen Wilson role here, as his usual characters usually have him in a cavalier sort of demeanour and being the chief jokester.
The trailers may be misleading and it may not live up to their best films but it's a decent comedy flick with enough good laughs to please most Farrelly fans.The film stars Owen Wilson (who's past his prime as well) and Jason Sudeikis (of 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' fame) as two married men who are given a week pass to pretend like their not married and sleep with as many girls as they want.
It's not quite as hilarious as the films from the Farrelly Brother's glory days but it's still a pretty funny and effective comedy.Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j95Zjdlcbe0.
The movie starts great, it's extremely sweet in it's first 30 minutes, then it goes from nice to average when all we see is these guys suffering misery while their wives are enjoying the good life, suddenly, the movie just chicken's out in the end and gives a glorious HORRIBLE ENDING.The movie fails MISERABLY in the end, because, the whole premise of the movie is to take the sex lightly, sex has nothing to do with true love and should't matter, but then, the Farrelly's throw away the whole concept for a typical romantic comedy with the gold old values of "marriage is everything".Please, GIVE ME A BREAK, If I go see a movie about a hall pass, I expect at least these guys to get some fun, not that they suffer through the whole movie to then mysteriously find that they love their wives and they had been wrong from the start.Sex drive is in each one of us, it doesn't go away because of love, nor does the desire to be with other girls/guys, no matter how in love we are and is not BAD because it's part of human nature, again, the movie "A good old fashioned orgy" get it right in all it's points while this miserable movie get it all wrong.I do love my wife and I do not think that having desire for other women destroys my marriage and I do think the Farrelly's only seem to be open minded when in the end, they are just seriously stuck on in the last century.The last 10 minutes are not loving, they are horrible and painful.So, if we man desire other women is because we didn't found out that our wives are the best, utterly awesome beings of light that never fails at anything and we should have eyes for her and only for her for the rest of our lives?
I do love my wife but i'm human, realistic love is much more fun and light hearted than this piece of garbage is trying to sell us, but, as always, Hollywood has a tendency to give sermons about morality and concepts like we don't have neurons in our brains.I totally hate movies that pretend to give us fun and in the end, they try to indoctrinate us to the "real moral values" that a good society should had.Shame on you Farrelly's brothers!4 out of 10..
Two wives, Maggie(Jenna Fischer) and Grace(Christina Applegate) are annoyed when there husbands Rick(Owen Wilson) and Fred(Jason Sudeikies) constantly look at other women, and feel they miss the single life, and sleeping with other women.
But the slow pace and forced tender moments had us both wondering aloud if this movie wasn't secretly produced or directed by Nora Ephron.A half-baked plot, an unconvincing performance by Owen Wilson and shock humor that felt way too forced all made us kind of regret wasting time on the couch..
Wow after i watched The Hangover i thought wow this is a good comedy after watching Hot Tube Time Machine i thought wow nothings going to beat this and now HALL PASS has done it it's hilarious funny from start to finish even the credits is funny as hell and Owen Wilson has not lost his funny bone if anything his funniest has improved great movie great cast and Excellent movie but it is a good movie and everyone should watch it very funny.
Now, and I say this again, you may find some repulsive moments, but if you take this film at face value, it's all about having a few laughs, which you will find as you go along.As with most comedies these days, wait for about 30 seconds once the end credits roll up for one last but ultra hilarious scene, thanks to Stephen Merchant; the only British character in the movie.
I watched this movie with some beforehand impressions because I had read some lukewarm reviews, so the movie wasn't looking too good from the very beginning.The story in "Hall Pass" is very nice, in my opinion, because it deals with friendships, middle age and the trouble that comes with it, and men's stupidity in general.
(Mind you, I am a man myself!) However, the concept of getting time off from your marriage to do whatever you like, seemed a bit too far out there in my opinion!Being a comedy, I found myself laughing only two or three times throughout the movie, so to me it wasn't particularly funny.
Hall Pass (2011) ** 1/2 (out of 4) A couple married men (Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis) annoy their wives (Jenna Fisher, Christina Applegate) due to their obsession with sex so the wives agree to let the husbands have a hall pass, which means they can break their marriage for a week and do whatever they want with any woman.
The guys go to the gym, clubbing and for a 'massage' and are embarrassed and publicly humiliated at every turn.Hall Pass is one of those films where there are 5 or 6 primary characters, and for the week in question it seems that every time Rick or Fred do something silly or potentially embarrassing – which being in a Farrelly film means every seven minutes or so – those same characters are there just in time to witness it and be suitably appalled.Meanwhile the wives have departed for the week to give the guys their space, but they aren't spending the week doing crosswords and drinking tea
I laughed out loud twice during Hall Pass, once at the delivery of the word "Clones" (you'll have to watch the film for the context) and once when a peripheral character played by Stephen Merchant gets his own fantasy sequence during the credits.That's not to say they didn't try to wring every single chuckle from the premise, it's just most of them were contrived or didn't work so well.
owen Wilson isn't a comedian, he gives the same stupid look every time he "tries" to be funny...Jason Sudeikis can play the role well, however with this screen play this movie is more like a pathetic love story not a comedy.
"Hall Pass" is not thoughtful, but they did take that premise and turn it into something that is funny, heartfelt and almost meaningful.The movie mostly succeeded because the men, Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis, were not just sex-obsessed, but also considerate and loving fathers and husbands, or at least Owen Wilson was.
This film is about two sexually frustrated married men getting a week ff their marriage to do whatever they want to do.It's a Farrelly brothers movie, so I expected "Hall Pass" to have loads of crude sexual humour that is outrageously funny.
However, in hindsight it could be argued that the American duo, now both in their late-fifties, have only ever made three great movies: Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, and There's Something About Mary, and that everything that followed has been a shameful exercise in film-making, and a sad display of two men feebly trying to recapture some magic by repeating their tired and worn tricks.Hall Pass is the latest in a decade's worth of misguided blunders, and essentially encapsulates everything that is wrong with a Farrelly Brothers film, and a comedic style that became outdated in 2000 alongside the release of Me, Myself and Irene.Owen Wilson plays Rick, a frustratingly bland business drone who is granted a week to essentially seduce someone who isn't his wife Maggie (Jenna Fischer).
Wilson and Sudeikis play two married men with dreams of sexuality and profanity, and their wives decide to give them a hall pass, letting them do whatever they feel like doing for the whole week, which involves hooking up with other women.
Rick and Fred, two husbands who are having difficulty in their marriages, are given a Hall Pass by their wives: for one week, they can do whatever they want.I admit, I had some sort of "expectation" from this film.
I'm a pretty big fan of the Farrelly Brothers and I loved their other movies (Dumb and Dumber & There's Something About Mary) but I really think Hall Pass beats them both.
"Are you sure Applebee's is the best place to meet hot women?" After Rick's (Wilson) and Fred's (Sudeikis) wives decide the best way to fix their marriages is to give them a "Hall Pass" (a one week break from being married).
The premise of the film isn't terrible and usually, Jason Sudeikis is pretty funny, but Hall Pass falls flat on it's face.
"Hall Pass", the latest movie from the Farrelly brothers starring Owen Wilson (Rick) and Jason Sudeikis (Fred), is a raunchy comedy that serves up "distasteful" humor.
If you thought "Dumb And Dumber" was just plain stupid, then you will probably not enjoy "Hall Pass".The Premise: Two married, middle-aged men, Rick (Wilson) and Fred (Sudeikis) are in loving but sexually-unexciting marriages.
Two middle-aged husbands (Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis) are granted "hall passes" from their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) which mean they are permitted one week freedom from parenthood.
Funny movie and very realistic about a couple of men who are married, and their wives invent a hall pass so their men can do whatever they want for a week. |
tt1278340 | Død snø | A woman, Sara, is being chased through the snows of Norway. She is ultimately cornered and eaten by zombies wearing World War II Nazi SS uniforms.
Seven students on Easter vacation arrive at a small cabin near Øksfjord. The cabin is owned by Sara, Vegard's girlfriend. The group begins to drink and party until a mysterious hiker arrives. He tells them the dark history of the region; during World War II, a force of Einsatzgruppe, led by Standartenführer Herzog, occupied the area. For three years, the Nazis abused and tortured the local people. Near the end of the war, with Germany's defeat looming, the soldiers looted all the town's valuables. However, the citizens staged an uprising and ambushed them, killing many. The survivors, including Herzog, were chased into the mountains, and it was assumed that they all froze to death. The hiker then continues on his way. That night, Vegard wakes to a figure placing something beneath the floorboards of the cabin. He calls out, believing it to be Sara, but she ignores him and leaves. Vegard follows, and finds her outside covered in blood. Vegard suddenly jolts awake in his bed, revealing it was a dream. Meanwhile, the hiker has set up camp in the mountains and is eating dinner when he is disturbed by a noise outside. He investigates, and is attacked and killed by a zombie.
The next morning, Vegard, out looking for Sara, discovers the hiker's body. He searches the area, falls through the snow into a cave, and is knocked unconscious. After sunset, Erlend finds an old wooden box filled with valuables and golden trinkets. They celebrate, and one of them pockets a gold coin. They eventually return the rest of the treasure to the box. Erlend goes to the outhouse where he and Chris have sex. Afterwards, Erlend returns to the cabin, and drops a gold coin. Chris is attacked by a zombie, and killed. The others leave the cabin to look for her, and find Sara's rucksack buried in the snow.
Upon returning to the cabin, they are attacked. Erlend is killed in an attempt to defend the cabin, and the others secure the building. Vegard comes around in the cave, discovering German firearms and helmets, as well as Sara's severed head. He is attacked, but escapes to the surface, where he is confronted by a zombie. Vegard stabs the zombie in the eye, but is knocked from the cliff side by a second assailant. Vegard is bitten in the neck by the zombie, whilst the two hang from the cliff using an intestine as rope. He climbs back to the snowmobile, stitches his wounds, and mounts a machine gun to his snowmobile.
Meanwhile, the remaining four students decide to split up. The two men, Martin and Roy, attempt to distract the zombies, while the two women, Hanna and Liv, run for the cars and go for help. En route to the cars, the girls are ambushed. Liv is knocked out by the zombies and awakens to them pulling out her intestines. Using a hand grenade, she commits suicide and kills her assailants. Hanna leads a zombie to a cliff edge, breaks the ice, and they fall. The pair survive, and Hanna kills the zombie.
Martin and Roy accidentally set fire to the cabin with Molotov cocktails. They escape, and arm themselves with power tools. More zombies attack, but they are aided by Vegard. During the attack Vegard is killed and Martin accidentally kills Hanna, who has returned to the cabin. Herzog arrives, leading a group of zombies. They attack, and Martin is bitten on the arm. To avoid becoming infected, he cuts off his arm with a chainsaw. After killing the remaining undead, Martin and Roy attack Herzog, who calls upon hundreds of zombies, that rise from under the snow. Whilst running from their attackers, Roy is hit in the head by a hammer, disemboweled by a tree branch, and killed by Herzog, who retrieves a watch from his pocket.
Martin realises the zombies' intent, and retrieves the box from the ruined cabin. He returns the box to Herzog, and escapes to the car. There, he finds a gold coin in his pocket, just as Herzog smashes the window of the car. | cult, comedy, violence | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0790724 | Jack Reacher | In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a man drives a van into a parking garage across the Allegheny River from PNC Park (home of the Pittsburgh Pirates) and parks in a space that had been blocked off to keep cars from parking too close to some construction materials. He oddly puts a quarter in the parking meter for thirty minutes parking, then positions himself and his sniper rifle behind the front facing wall of the garage. He rises up over the edge of the wall and starts scanning the area along the North Shore Trail (between the stadium and the Allegheny River) with the scope on the rifle. Finally he takes aim and starts firing, killing a man sitting on a bench, then a woman in a business suit carrying a briefcase up some stairs, a blond woman carrying a shopping bag on the walking path, another woman who has seen the others go down and is simply trying to run away, and finally a young woman also hurrying to get away while carrying a little girl. The shooter then jumps back in the van and flees.The police arrive, headed by Detective Emerson (David Oyelowo), and after determining there's no suspects around, they begin assessing the crime scene. Emerson discovers a shell casing lying in a crack on the garage floor, and he also decides to empty the parking meter. A fingerprint taken from a quarter in the meter is determined to belong to a James Barr (Joseph Sikora), a former U.S. Army sniper. The police raid Barr's house and find him sleeping. They also find the van (recorded on a security camera entering and leaving the parking garage), equipment for precision hand loading of ammunition (not making bullets as stated in movie), and a sniper rifle.When Barr is encouraged to confess during his interrogation by Emerson and the District Attorney, Alex Rodin (Richard Jenkins), he writes on a notepad the words, "Get Jack Reacher." It's determined that Reacher is a former U.S. Army Military Police officer who's been out of contact with the world for the past two years. Rodin asks Emerson how they might be able to find Reacher. Emerson responds that they won't, if Reacher doesn't want to be found. At that moment, Rodin's secretary announces that there's a Jack Reacher there to see him.Reacher had seen the television news stories about the shootings, including a photograph of James Barr, so he immediately interrupted his dalliance with a woman in Florida and boarded a bus for Pittsburgh.Rodin and Emerson take Reacher to the hospital, where Barr is lying in a coma. Barr had not been placed under protective custody, probably on purpose, and was brutally attacked by other prisoners while being transported to jail. Reacher asks to see the evidence against Barr and Rodin refuses. Rodin's only interest is learning why Barr would have asked Reacher to come be a witness for him.Since he's not allowed to see the evidence, Reacher decides to leave. Rodin grabs him and demands that he first tell them what he knows about Barr. Reacher doesn't believe Barr asked for him to come. Rodin tells Reacher that Barr asked for him by name. Emerson wants to know why Reacher was prepared to just walk out on his friend. Reacher tells them that Barr is not his friend, and if he had in fact asked for Reacher by name, it was for the same reason he shot five people, that he's crazy.At that moment, Barr's appointed defense attorney, counselor Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), walks up. Helen is the DA's daughter, which amazes Reacher. He thought that might have been unethical or something. Her job will be trying to save Barr from the death penalty. She chastises her father and Emerson for attempting to interrogate Barr without first notifying her. They explain they hadn't been trying to interrogate Barr. She is also upset that they had found Reacher and hadn't told her. They explained that they had not found Reacher, that he came to them.Helen wants to depose Reacher for the case, but he explains to her that he's not a defense witness, is not Barr's friend, and came to Pittsburgh to bury Barr, not to help him, which no doubt surprises her. He does agree to answer her questions before he leaves town. They go to a café, where Reacher eats while Helen records their conversation. Reacher learns that Helen is not a public defender, but represents a firm that she said believes her father had unjustly convicted other felons for crimes they hadn't committed, and that she and the firm just want to make sure Barr gets a fair trial.Reacher tells Helen that there's no doubt Barr did the crime and she asks how he could know that if he hadn't seen the evidence. Jack then turns off the small voice recorder Helen was using and tells her that he investigated a case involving Barr in the Army, and that Barr confessed to shooting to death four Department of Defense contract employees. Barr was not prosecuted for the murders because the Army and the contractor didn't want it revealed that the four victims, and many others, had been involved in an illegal "rape rally" that provided local women and children for the men's sexual relief.Reacher said Barr had done the shootings in Iraq simply to relieve his own built up tension from having trained as a sniper for two years, but never getting an order to kill anyone. Reacher explains that some people join the military as a way to legally kill people and Barr was one of those. Reacher told Barr that if he ever heard of him doing anything like that again, he would find him and kill him.Believing Helen when she tells him that her father never lost a case and never takes a case he can't win, Reacher determines there is no need for him to take down Barr after all. He prepares to board a bus and go on his way. Helen is still concerned that Barr won't get a fair trial and she can see that Reacher is curious as to why Barr had asked for him. She tells Reacher that her lead investigator has access to all the evidence. When Jack asks who her lead investigator is, she says "he's about to board a bus out of town." Jack thanks her for the coffee and gets on the bus anyway. As Helen is leaving the parking lot, Jack has gotten off the bus and is standing in front of her car.Reacher agrees to help investigate the case if Helen agrees to visit the victims' families to learn more about the victims. Helen's visits with the victim's families aren't well received and she actually fears for her life when Rob Farrior (James Martin Kelly), the father of Chrissie, a young woman working as a nanny, who was shot while trying to escape with the little girl she was looking after. Mr. Farrior was upset at Helen for choosing to defend Barr, and when Helen saw that he had a pistol sitting on a table next to his chair, she quickly apologizes and runs from the house.Alex Rodin confronts his daughter outside Mr. Farrior's house and demands to know what she's doing. He counsels her that she's making a big mistake, both in taking on the defense of Mr. Barr and in the way she's conducting her investigation, particularly in associating with Jack Reacher. He tells her that she's going to ruin her career and tells her it's not worth it if she's just doing it to try and change or hurt him in the process. He wants to know if she'd told Reacher that she can't afford to pay him and that her firm disapproves of what she's doing. She jumps in her car and storms off.Reacher visits the crime scene and is being watched by a man named Linsky (Michael Raymond-James) who'd earlier been over at a business called Brookseal Construction, collecting a bag of money from a man who worked there.As Reacher walks and examines the North Shore Trail near the stadium, the parking garage, and the nearby Fort Duquesne Bridge, he comes to realize that the evidence against Barr is almost too perfect. He doesn't believe that a trained sniper like Barr would have chosen the parking garage to shoot from, but that he would more likely have stopped his van on the bridge, opened the door, and shot people who would have been more in a perpendicular line rather than moving parallel to him, then made his escape.Among the items in evidence were a bullet from one missed shot that entered three plastic jugs of flavored liquids near a concession stand, the brass cartridge that Emerson found in a crack at the parking garage, the quarter in the parking meter that had Barr's finger print on it, and the video showing his van entering and exiting the garage. In Reacher's mind, it all indicated someone who was careless or not interested in getting away.Reacher goes to the police station and looks over the evidence there. Detective Emerson wonders why he didn't take any notes about what he looked at. Reacher told him he didn't need to, inferring that he has perfect awareness and recall. Reacher asks Emerson for his opinion on why Barr paid for parking that day. Emerson speculates that Barr did it as a reflex, without realizing he was even doing it.Reacher goes into a very busy local bar to have a cup of coffee and is approached by a young woman named Sandy (Alexia Fast) who asks him if he'd like to go somewhere more quiet, that she has a car. Reacher tells her that he can't afford her. She tells him that she's not a prostitute. He clarifies that he can't afford to get involved with her. Sandy suddenly stands and loudly proclaims that she is not a hooker. Five men immediately appear, one of them claiming that they are the girl's brothers. Skeptical about that, Reacher sarcastically asks the man if Sandy is a good kisser.The biggest of the five men, Jeb Oliver (Josh Helman) tells Reacher to get outside. Reacher tells him to pay his check first. Jeb says he'll pay later. Reacher says "you won't be able to." Jeb then tells Reacher that he's going to beat his ass, but it's his choice to do it inside the bar or outside in the parking lot. Reacher resignedly says, "outside." Jeb tells Sandy to stay inside, but she says she doesn't mind the sight of blood, to which Reacher responds, "well it means you're not pregnant anyway."Outside, Reacher tells Jeb that it's his last chance to walk away, even telling Jeb and the others beforehand how the fight would go. He tells them he'll take out the leader (Jeb) first, then two of the four "wingmen" would probably have the guts to try it themselves, while the remaining two would run. Jeb asks Reacher if he has done this before. Reacher gives something of a yes-you-idiot nod and tells Jeb that it's getting late. Then, as Jeb moves forward, preparing to throw his first punch, Jack says, "remember, you wanted this."Jeb swings with a roundhouse right that Jack ducks under. Jack then twists and brings up his left elbow connecting solidly with Jeb's face. Jeb falls to the ground and Jack pulls him to his feet. While Jeb is bent over, struggling not to fall down again, Jack kicks him from behind, between the legs. That takes care of Jeb.Partly as Jack had predicted, two of the other men position themselves to attack, but the other two are still there and haven't run away. As Jack is dealing with the second and third guys, the fourth man gets in a quick punch. The fourth and fifth guys do finally decide to run after seeing what Reacher has done to the other three. Curiously enough, the police came roaring up to the scene almost immediately. Reacher is ordered to lie on the ground face-down. As he's lying there waiting to be handcuffed, he turns and asks Jeb who hired him. Jeb doesn't respond.At the police station, Emerson and Helen enter Reacher's cell. Emerson has to admit that he can't hold Reacher, as no one was pressing charges. Jack tells Helen that when he was at the bar, the girl Sandy was expecting his name to be Jack Reacher, not the name he gave her, Jimmie Reese (Reese was a former NY Yankees second baseman - Jack's aliases are always former Yankees second basemen). He also told her that the police were rolling before the fight even started and that someone obviously sent the five men to put him down. He also tells her that someone had been following him. Helen speculates as to whom that might have been, but neither she or Jack have any good clues as to whom that might be, or why.Reacher asks Helen how her day went (visiting the victims' families) and she says, "exactly as you hoped it would." Once he confirms she's ok following the experience, he asks her what she learned. Helen reports her findings about the victims, who were Chrissie Farrior, Rita Coronado, Nancy Holt, Oline Archer, and Darren Sawyer.At the Three Rivers Motel, where Reacher is staying, he asks Helen to find out from Barr's credit card records all the places he hung out, including bars, bowling alleys, strip clubs and particularly gun ranges. He wants to find someone, anyone, who associated with or would remember Barr.Linsky meets with Charlie (Jai Courtney - the actual shooter) in a dark alley and hands him the bag of money he'd collected earlier from the man at Brookseal Construction. He also gives him a police file on Jack Reacher. Linsky is the local person that Charlie has been depending on to manage the upfront operation for his group, while Charlie and his group provide the behind the scenes maintenance of things. Linsky explains how he hired five local guys to take out Reacher, but it didn't work out. He also tells Charlie that he had killed and "distributed" the body of the only one of the five men who knew him (that was Jeb). Charlie was not happy about any of these developments. Linsky was not supposed to be doing those sorts of things, especially without first discussing it with Charlie. He tells Linsky that Jeb was now going to be a "missing person" and that was a huge loose end for the group to have to deal with.Also in the alley, standing in the shadows, is a man called the Zec (Werner Herzog). The Zec comes forward and makes it clear to Linsky that he has truly screwed up. Linsky promises to do better and make it up to them, that they just need to tell him what to do. The Zec tells Linsky about his time in a Siberian prison, how during the winter it was so cold, and he had so little clothing, that he had to chew off some frostbitten fingers on his left hand to keep from losing his entire hand. He'd also chewed off some fingers on his right hand to avoid having to work in a sulfur mine.The Zec tells Linsky that the decision to chew off his own fingers was what he had to do to survive. He wondered what Linsky would do to survive, to prove that he's among those people who are so "rare" that they would do anything to survive and thus would always prove that they are somehow useful in the world. He then orders Linsky to prove his worth by chewing off the fingers of his left hand. Linsky is horrified. He can't believe what he's hearing, but seeing the gun in Charlie's hand, he realizes that he'll be shot if he doesn't do it.For some reason, Linsky puts his left thumb in his mouth and appears to be chewing down. He twists and goes down on his knees, howling in pain, but after a few seconds, he cries out that he can't do it. Zec motions to Charlie and Charlie shoots Linsky in the head. Charlie then takes out a small hand saw and appears to be intending to do something to Linsky's body.Helen doesn't come up with any leads in Barr's credit card report. She tells Reacher that Barr bought mostly groceries and gas. Reacher thinks Barr was probably taking trips to a gun range every Saturday, based on his gas purchases. He asks Helen to find any ranges within 150 miles that had ranges up to 700 yards long.Reacher has Helen drop him at the DeFault Auto Parts Store, where Sandy had told him she worked. He encounters the store manager, Gary (Dylan Kussman), who demands to see some identification and to hear a good reason why Reacher wants to speak with Sandy. Reacher threatens bodily harm to the manager, then forces his way into the back office, where Sandy is working. Sandy asks Gary to leave them alone for a bit.Sandy is obviously worried that Jack is there to hurt her. She tells Reacher that it was all Jeb's fault, that he told her at the bar that Reacher was a pervert and would start groping her. She was paid $100 for her part. She tells Reacher that she pretty much did whatever Jeb told her to do. She said Jeb was supposed to be an employee at the same auto parts store (he hadn't come in to work that day), but she said he really made his money from crystal meth. Reacher has Sandy write down Jeb's address and promises he won't get her in trouble if she loans him her car. She says the car she's driving is actually Jeb's, so she is reluctant, but then thinks better of it and hands the keys to Reacher.As Reacher turns to leave the auto parts store, Sandy tells him she gets off at six and suggests they might get together. It's apparent she would much rather be with a man like Reacher than the lowlifes she usually associates with. Jack thinks she's sweet and he tells her that she doesn't have to do what those guys tell her to do. He asks her if she has any money and advises her to get out of town for a few days.Reacher heads for Jeb's house and this time he's followed by another of Zec's cronies, Vlad (Vladimir Sizov). Jack takes a paper from the glove box of the car and flashes it at a woman (Jeb's mother) sitting on the porch, telling her he has a warrant to search the premises. The woman is staring vacantly and doesn't speak. Reacher notices drug paraphernalia on a nearby table and figures the woman is under the influence. He goes ahead and opens the door and walks inside the house. The woman then pulls a cell phone from under a blanket on her lap and makes a call.Reacher checks each room of the house. One bedroom appears to have been ransacked. He picks up the phone receiver in the hall and is about to make a call when he changes his mind, hangs up the phone and wipes his prints off. Then he enters the bathroom and is curious as to why the shower curtain appears to have been ripped off it's hooks. As he stands by the door pondering things, two men sneak up on him from behind. One of them has a baseball bat and he uses it against the back of Reacher's head, knocking him into the bathtub.The two attacking men then struggle to enter the bathroom and be the first to get at Reacher in the tub. The man with the bat swings again, but misses Reacher and hits the wall. He rears back for another attempt and his buddy pushes him from behind and sends the bat crashing into the bathroom window. The second man pushes the man with the bat out of the way and brings a crowbar down towards Jack, but he misses the mark too. The man with the bat yells at the guy with the crowbar to stand back. As he pulls the bat backwards for sort of a stabbing attack, the small end of it hits crowbar guy in the forehead and knocks him down some stairs.The next attempt for the bat guy goes badly, as Reacher ducks and grabs the guy by the head and smashes him into the tile wall, then gouges his left eye with his thumb, causing the man to scream in pain. Crowbar guy has recovered and comes up the stairs swinging, so Reacher pulls bat guy's body in front of him and the crowbar hits the bat guy across the back. Jack then pushes bat guy into crowbar guy and knocks them both on the floor. He then grabs bat guy's head and repeatedly smashes it against crowbar guy's face, until both of them are knocked out.Jack is pausing to recover from his exertions when a third man comes up from behind, holding a hand gun to Jack's head and telling him not to move. Jack makes a quick move anyway, grabbing and twisting the man's gun hand, his trigger finger trapped in the trigger guard and painfully bent back. The man goes to his knees. Reacher asks the man where Jeb is. He doesn't know, saying that Jeb appeared to have cleared out, that his mother had told them Jeb had removed all his stuff from his room and was gone. Reacher demands the keys to the man's car. He asks the man if he is of the opinion that Jack is stealing his car. The man, after glancing at his two buddies sprawled out on the floor, tells Reacher to use the car as long as he likes.Reacher tells Helen that Jeb Oliver was murdered and someone tried to make it look like he'd only left town. Jack then explains to Helen all his latest theories regarding the evidence against Barr and how it's all just too complete and too convenient, especially the pristine bullet trapped in those flavored liquid containers on the shot that missed. It was that bullet that tied Barr's rifle to the killings. Jack is convinced that Barr asked for him because he knew Reacher would take a hard look at the evidence, even if others would simply accept it all at face value. He tells Helen that Barr is innocent.Helen has a brief moment where she seems convinced that Reacher is delusional, that her father was right in warning her about her hiring him without knowing anything about him. Reacher waxes philosophical for awhile, as he explains to her why he is the way he is, then he suddenly asks her to run the license plate number on a silver Audi that has been following him all day.Zec receives a phone call, then makes one to Charlie. Charlie is sitting in the Audi with Vlad. Charlie tells Vlad that his cover was blown, that the lady lawyer had run the license plate for the car. Zec issues new orders to the men.Helen is having a hard time understanding or believing that there's some sort of conspiracy involved in the seemingly random killings. She can't see what the motive would be. Reacher writes something on a small piece of paper, telling Helen it's a motive and she should just hang onto it. Helen receives a call, informing her that the Audi is registered to Lebenhauer Enterprises, the company involved in the lawsuit against the Archers. Helen then unfolds the piece of paper Jack had given her. He'd written "Oline Archer" on it.In her review of the victims, Helen had determined that Mr. Archer had run upon some difficult times with the business, which in combination with his declining health and a lawsuit between him and Lebendauer Enterprises, had forced him to make arrangements to sell his company, Brookseal Construction. However, after Mr. Archer died at his office desk, Mrs. Archer decided she wanted to keep the company.Reacher then explains to Helen that Mrs. Archer, who'd assumed ownership of her husband's business, was the lone intended victim and that the killing of the other four people was simply intended to cover up that fact. Although Mrs. Archer had reached a settlement of sorts with Lebendauer Enterprises, she was shot the day she was on her way to get a loan for the business.Reacher further explains to Helen how the longer time between the first and second shots fired by the sniper (compared the to the shorter time between the other shots) was so the shooter could make absolutely sure of the second target, the only truly intended target. He tells her that the shooter had to know about Barr and Barr's history in Iraq in order to set him up for the murders. He tells Helen that if she finds the person who is a friend or associate of Barr then she'll find the real shooter. Helen tells Jack that she's just a lawyer, not a cop, and finding the real killer is not her job. She says she can't do this anymore. Reacher walks out.Sandy is dressed up to go meet some friends when she's approached outside her apartment building by Charlie. She doesn't remember Charlie, so Charlie reminds her that he's Jeb's friend and that they'd met once before, even though they were both drunk. He pretends that he's just moved to a nearby apartment. He invites her to go get a drink, but she declines. Vlad had snuck up behind Sandy and at a signal from Charlie, Vlad delivers a huge punch to the side of Sandy's head, knocking her out. Charlie then leans down and places his fingers on her nose and mouth, suffocating her.Helen runs after Reacher, hands him the keys to her car, and tells him about a shooting range in Ohio that meets his stated requirements for the type of range that Barr would have used. She tells Reacher that she was going to go look up Oline Archer's legal history. Reacher warns her not to do that, as it would attract attention and put her in danger.Emerson examines Sandy's body, which had been dumped near the motel where Reacher was staying. Emerson asks the desk clerk for the name of any guests who look like they might be capable of killing the girl with one punch. She gives him the name "Ernie Johnson" (another NY Yankee second baseman). Reacher returns to the motel for the night and sees the police standing out front. He watches as two men from the Medical Examiner's office put a body in their van and he can see that it's Sandy. That distresses him. Then he sees Emerson walk out and they make eye contact. As Emerson reaches for his gun, Jack puts his car in reverse and peels out, whipping the vehicle around and taking off. The police scramble to get to their cars and take out after him.As he's evading the cops, Reacher comes upon the Audi, with Charlie and Vlad inside. They had been observing from nearby. Jack begins chasing them. With the help of a police helicopter, the police soon have Jack's escape routes closed off. Realizing that, he brings his car to a crawl and calmly steps out and walks over to join a group of people at a bus stop. The car continues rolling until it softly collides with a police car and comes to a stop. A black man at the bus stop apparently figures Jack is worth helping (or, more likely, that the police are not to be assisted), so he hands Reacher his ball cap, allowing Jack to hide his face from the police who are driving by. Another man at the bus stop then steps in front of Jack, shielding his body. Jack then gets on the bus with the others and makes his escape.Emerson and Alex Rodin go see Helen, and ask her where Reacher is. They explain to Helen Jack's suspicion in the murder of Sandy, his driving around in Jeb Oliver's car, and that he'd put three more men in the hospital after a fight at Jeb's house. Jack calls Helen while she's talking to Emerson and her father. He tells her that whoever killed Sandy wants him to run and he's not going anywhere. He offers Helen a way out of the entire mess by telling her that he stole her car and she might want to report it missing. He also tells her to be careful about what she says to Emerson and her father, as one of them might be part of the conspiracy, reminding her that only Emerson, her father and she knew that he was in town that first day, and he'd been followed around town since day one.The next day, Jack drives out to the Hinge Creek Gun Club and talks with the owner, a Mr. Martin Cash (Robert Duvall), an ex-Marine gunnery sergeant. Cash denies knowing James Barr, but Jack will have none of it, realizing that Cash is most likely worried that if he's associated with the man accused of the shootings in Pittsburgh, that might be the end of his business. The men exchange a few threats, but Jack has the upper hand. Even so, Cash decides to make one other demand before he agrees to talk about Barr. He tells Jack that if he can put three shots in the center of a target, maybe they'll talk.They go out to the range. Jack is allowed one shot for practice. It's six inches right. He makes a two click adjustment to the scope and puts the next three shots just within the outer band of the center ring of the target. Cash looks at the target and says, "you're a little rusty, Mr. Reacher." Cash then explains that he saw a man with similar mannerisms shoot like Jack did at a competition 10 years ago, and he was pretty sure Jack hadn't played second base for the Yankees in 1925, so that's how he figured him to be Reacher.Cash tells Jack that he'll answer just one question. Jack asks him who his best shooter is. Cash said it was James Barr. He shows Jack the targets Barr had used. They were the best he'd seen outside the military. Jack tells Cash that Barr couldn't shoot like that on his best days in the Army. Jack wants to know if anyone came to the range with Barr. Cash can't recall, so he gets out his videotapes, and sure enough, there's bad man Charlie arriving at the range with Barr. Jack figures that Charlie did the shooting and allowed Barr to claim the targets as his, for bragging rights. Barr apparently confided in Charlie about his history in Iraq as well.Jack calls Helen and tells her what he has discovered and that he'll be back to Pittsburgh in three hours. Helen is talking to her father at the time, telling him what she'd learned about Lebenhauer Enterprises. She tells him that Lebenhauer has a shell corporation in Georgia (Russia) and work their devious system in one city at a time. The acquire local construction concerns, just ahead of major projects that are coming up for bid. They always win the bids. They had moved to new cities 12 times in 15 years, and every move was surrounded by allegations of corruption and was accompanied by millions of dollars in missing public funds, yet there had never an investigation, or even an inquiry. Alex Rodin suggests that it might just be bitterness on part of the companies who lost the bids, since it was those companies making the accusations. When Helen suggests that there is apparent collusion with corrupt officials, and in some cases killings of those who refuse to play along, her father thinks she's delusional.Helen tells her father that if Reacher is right, her life is now in danger because she'd signed out all the documents pertaining to Lebenhauer in her name. She tells her father that his next move, as district attorney, will indicate to her which side he's on. Mr. Rodin thinks it's absurd, but he agrees to look into it for her. He then picks up the phone to arrange for protective custody for her, but she says no, realizing that she would be even less safe if her father or Emerson are actually part of the conspiracy.As Helen gets on the elevator at the courthouse, Detective Emerson appears and enters the elevator with her. She becomes agitated and tries to stop the elevator and get off. Emerson produces an electric prod and shocks her unconscious. When the elevator door opens, Charlie and Vlad are there. They pick up Helen and carry her away.Reacher calls Helen's cell phone. Charlie answers. Reacher figures he has a wrong number, but then he recognizes it as the man in the Audi. Charlie puts Helen on to demonstrate to Reacher that she's with him and ok. He then tells Reacher Helen won't be ok if he doesn't get to where they are within one hour. Reacher decides to tell Charlie about his trip to the Hinge Gun Range and how he has Charlie's prints and pictures and will be going to the Feds with it. He tells Charlie that the lawyer is all his, then he hangs up. That wasn't what Charlie had expected to hear and he tells one of the men to go get the Zec. Reacher then calls back and says, "on second thought, I'd like to kill you. Let's say winner takes all."Charlie calls Jack a prick and threatens to kill the bitch Helen if Reacher isn't there in one hour. Jack again slams the phone down, but he quickly calls a third time and tells Charlie that he's not happy that Charlie killed Sandy just to frame him. He tells Charlie that he intends to beat him to death and drink his blood from a boot. Reacher agrees to come to wherever Charlie and Helen are, but he'll do so in his own sweet time and if he even suspects that Helen has been hurt, he will disappear and take his time in tracking down and killing Charlie.That night, Helen, the Zec, Emerson, Charlie, Vlad, and three other men are all on high alert at a large rock quarry, waiting for Reacher to appear. Reacher is at the rim of the quarry, looking things over when Cash comes driving up. Cash brought a sniper rifle and Jack was expecting to get to use that, or another gun. Instead, Cash hands Jack a large knife, telling Reacher that he doesn't want him shooting anybody with one of his guns. Reacher is incredulous, but at least glad to have Cash there to help.As Reacher and Cash discuss their plan of attack, Jack is having second thoughts about how much help Cash may prove to be. Cash tells Jack that he isn't going to start shooting until the men below shoot first. His plan is to have Jack drive down there and get prompt Charlie and the others to start shooting at him, while Cash remains on high, returning fire once he locates the shooters below.In the office, Helen asks Zec how he can kill so many people just for money. Zec replies that it is just what they do, because they can. She then turns to Emerson and asks him why he is involved. He infers that he had no choice in the matter, telling Helen that she'd understand what he means before long. Helen tells the men that she'd already taken steps in the event something happens to her. Zec tells her that if anything happens to her, it will happen to her in front of her father, while he begs for her life. It's clear that the Zec can't allow any "loose ends" at any level, and if anyone refuses to accept that, or can't demonstrate their "rareness" to do what's necessary to survive, then they will be killed.Reacher calls Helen's phone and tells her he's coming to get her, that they won't hurt her until they have him, and that won't happen. Jack gets in Helen's nice Mercedes car, reclines the driver's seat, and goes barreling down the road in reverse, using the rear view camera for guidance. He says to himself, "this was a bad idea," just before Charlie and the others open up on the car. They shoot out the mirrors, the sun roof, the windows, and eventually the rear view camera. Jack can't see where he's going and high centers the car on a rock.Gunny Cash has yet to return fire, sitting on the rim of the rock quarry with his eyes closed, apparently getting a sense of where the shots are coming from. Reacher is freaking out, wondering why Cash isn't shooting. Cash does finally raise up and starts firing, quickly locating where each of the three men firing are located. That causes them to pause long enough for Reacher to jump from the car and run behind a large rock. Cash continues firing allowing Reacher time to dash for another rock. The Gunny is then able to place a shot through the end of a trailer house and hit and wound one of the shooters hiding around the corner.Vlad decides to go on the attack and approaches the rock that Reacher is hiding behind, alternately firing at the rock and at Gunny Cash. Reacher has dropped his knife, so he can only pick up a rock for defense. He bolts from behind his hiding place just as Vlad is directing fire towards Cash. He hits Vlad in the face with the rock, then again flush against the back of Vlad's head, either knocking him out or killing him.The third shooter revives and comes around the trailer preparing to shoot Reacher, but Reacher has Vlad's gun in hand by then and shoots the man dead.Charlie has made his way to a large portable search light and turns it on, the beam directed at Gunny Cash's location. He then shoots and causes some rock chips to cut Cash's face. Before Charlie can fire at Cash again, Reacher fires and knocks out the search light. As Charlie then takes a bead on Reacher, Cash recovers and fires again, putting a bullet into the side of Charlie's weapon, rendering it useless.Jack runs up to the quarry office and kicks open the door. No one is inside, but he sees a chart on the wall showing that there's also a main mine office building. He grabs the keys to a large dump truck and exits the trailer.Charlie goes to the main office building and sends the last two men outside to go carry on the fight, leaving himself, the Zec, Emerson and Helen in the office. The dump truck comes roaring down the road and the two shooters are ready, but they are shocked when the truck just roars on by. As they step out from behind their cover, Reacher appears and shoots them down. In the truck is Gunny Cash, providing the diversion and laughing at what suckers those two guys were.Charlie advises the Zec to get out of there, then he opens the office door and goes outside to find out what's happened, although he probably has a pretty good idea. It's raining hard now and Charlie is sneaking around looking for Reacher when he feels a gun barrel at his head. Reacher orders him to put down his weapon, then Jack steps back, facing Charlie. Jack tosses his weapon aside and the two men prepare for hand-to-hand combat.The blows are brutal on both sides and Charlie eventually produces a knife, which Jack knocks away. He puts Charlie down with a vicious punch, then grabs Charlie's arm by the wrist and twists, breaking it. Zec, Emerson and Helen can all hear Charlie's screams from inside the office. Reacher then places his foot on Charlie's head and firmly pushes it down on the ground. Then he lifts his foot and brings his boot down hard, crushing Charlie's head.Inside the office, Emerson gets ready, taking two handguns and positioning himself behind Helen, a gun in each hand, one pointed towards the door, the other at Helen's head. Jack creeps up to the edge of the door and tells Emerson that he knows he's in there. He tells Emerson that no one would have thought to dump the coins from that parking meter, not even him, and that's put him on to suspecting Emerson. Jack then jumps into the doorway, Emerson fires twice and misses, then Jack fires once and hits Emerson in the head, killing him.Helen is sitting there petrified and Jack walks slowly up to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. She relaxes and hands him Emerson's pistol. She says, "you were wrong about my father," then rolls her eyes as Jack says, "I wouldn't make a big thing of it."Jack approaches the Zec and asks Helen who he is. She tells him. He asks Zec what his real name is. When the Zec stays silent, Jack points the gun at him and tells the Zec that he was born in October and when he counts up to the number for that month, he will kill the Zec. The Zec then tells him his name is Zec Chilovek. Jack speaks enough Russian to know that the words mean "prisoner human being." Zec says it is the only name he can remember being called in his lifetime.Jack tells Helen to call the police. She gets put on hold. While waiting for the police to answer, Jack tells Zec he should feel right at home in jail. Zec infers that he would consider an American prison a country club in comparison to what he's experienced, but he figures he probably won't even go to jail, because Jack, already wanted for the murder of Sandy, had killed all the people who could prove Zec was a criminal. When Zec says "we'll see which one goes to prison," Jack responds, "my bet, neither one," and he shoots Zec in the head.Helen is shocked and asks Jack about bringing out the truth and providing justice to those who deserve it. Jack says, "I just did." Jack is preparing to leave again and Helen is concerned about clearing both he and Barr from any murder charges. Jack tells her he thinks that she and her father will be able to work that out. Jack and Cash jump in Cash's truck and take off as the police are arriving. Helen is upset that Jack is leaving, that he will disappear again and she won't be able to find him.Helen goes to see Jack Barr, who's out of his coma. He doesn't remember the shootings, but heard the nurses and cops talking about it. He figures if they said he did it, then he did it, because he'd done something similar before and got away with it. With Alex Rodin standing nearby listening, Helen shows Barr photos of the stadium, parking garage and bridge and asks him how he would have done the job. His assessment is exactly what Reacher said it would be.Helen tells Barr he's going to be all right, that she's going to take care of him, but he is remembering Jack Reacher's promise to come get him. He figures he's a dead man. Helen will no doubt explain that to him later. Meanwhile, Jack is again traveling on a bus and he hears a man in the back of the bus yelling at a woman, threatening her. Jack gets up out of his seat and turns to walk back to where the couple is sitting.The movie ends. | comedy, mystery, neo noir, murder, violence, plot twist, flashback, action, suspenseful | train | imdb | I have never read the Jack Reacher books, so cannot compare Cruise to the title character.
Like the action movies just referenced, you thrill to watching a strongly defined protagonist outsmart, outfight and outmaneuver the bad guys.Which brings me to the character of Jack Reacher and the casting of Tom Cruise.
In the series of novels by Lee Child this movie is based on, Jack Reacher is an ex-MP detective.
This was definitely a movie about Lee Child's hero Jack Reacher, physical differences be damned.Would I have preferred an unknown actor closer to Child's description to play Reacher on screen?
Like crafting an action movie that's longer on character and occasional brutal violence and short on mindless action and impossible nonsense.JACK REACHER was a very satisfying action thriller for me.
I went in thinking, thanks to some slightly misleading trailers, that this was going to be a high octane action movie with a bunch of gun fights, car chases, and explosions but little development and quality.
Maybe Tom Cruise is leaving his Mission Impossible movies behind and is now centering on another action hero: Jack Reacher, who is described as someone who seems to only wear the clothes on his back, doesn't care about the law and is only concerned with one thing: justice, and the way he goes about achieving it may shock you.
I liked that the film had a legitimate beginning and end, even if there are subsequent Jack Reacher tales to follow, there was no gaping wide open door of a final scene leaving the audience wondering 'What's up with that?!?'.
In truth Tom Cruise is very good in this role, the movie is fast paced and action packed, the writing is cleaver and spot on, so to those who would continue to pan this movie I say lighten up and relax.
This was a very good movie, Tom Cruise was good in the lead role, the several one-liners were very cleaver and kept a sense of humor in a plot with plenty of violence and too close for comfort realism.
The film has a good twisting plot and Jack Reacher is a mix between James Bond and John McLane from Die Hard.
So it didn't feel too original, but three things worked so well that "Jack Reacher" isn't just a mediocre movie: 1) Christopher McQuarrie knows how to put a story on the screen (as we know from "Usual suspects").
I'd never read any of the Lee Child 'Jack Reacher' novels so I went in with no particular expectations about the portrayal of this character.
But this film can certainly live up to ANY expectations thriller fans might have had of it, in my opinion!Having seen Tom Cruise as the flamboyant, charming and somewhat Boy Scout-ish Ethan Hunt in the past, its refreshing to see him as someone almost as ruthless and taciturn as Jason Bourne or Daniel Craig's rendition of James Bond.
Jack Reacher's appeal doesn't lie in the fact that he's a 'larger than life' figure, or the world's biggest bada##...it lies in the fact that he's a normal, perfectly relatable and very realistic human being, albeit a trained and skilled soldier and detective.Rosamund Pike does a great job as the lawyer, Helen-a far cry from glamorous 'Bond girls' (one of whom Pike herself has portrayed), and Lara Croft styled action heroines who normally populate the action film genre.
Instead she's a three dimensional character with her own doubts, anxieties, convictions and flaws.One of the great things about this movie is how, without wavering from its narrative, it does highlight several significant real-world issues; ranging from the political debates over gun control, to legal representation for terrorists, to the politics surrounding the actions of military personnel overseas, to the corrupt political-industrial nexus...without necessarily taking sides or trying to come across as being preachy of moralistic.To sum it up, Jack Reacher is virtually a 'slice of life' piece...albeit, a very dark and grimy slice of life..
Jack Reacher here is nothing more than another Tom Cruise character with a leather jacket and do what this old man usually do.
Cruise was not being buffed up by any type of body suit, he wasn't being made to look taller with trick photography and he wasn't putting on the raspy 'animal-like' voice I always imagined Reacher to have.Lee Child once made a great analogy to Jack Reacher.
Did Tom Cruise pull off the great character of Jack Reacher?
For someone like me who has read all of the Jack Reacher books, the film was a real disappointment.
Almost all of the action scenes that the so called (short stature) action hero, good old boy Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) was in.
Those people who are knowledgeable about the Jack Reacher books would be aware that Cruise is wrong for the role.Too short, not broad chested enough and too dark haired.
He's a bit like Chuck Norris really, you don't find him he finds you, he can beat five guys up and barely break a sweat and he has a very strong sense of right and wrong.Now the trailer for Jack Reacher does slightly deceive the audience into thinking this is an action film, it does have action but it's actually more like an old school detective thriller, playing out at times quite slowly.
Of course our hero soon gets involved and things start to unravel.Tom Cruise is very good as Jack Reacher, the whoop de doo caused by fans of the books over Cruise's lack of height never plays into it.
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday MorningA group of people are seemingly randomly targeted by a roof top sniper, and it doesn't take long for the powers that be to point the finger at former war veteran James Barr (Joseph Sikora) who asks for the help of only one man: Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), a man with much specialist experience who officially doesn't exist.
But as she and Reacher dig deeper in to the circumstances surrounding Barr's arrest, they uncover a tangled web of conspiracy that puts them both in the firing line.I've never read any of Lee Child's 'Jack Reacher' novels, but it's testament to what a dedicated fan base they must have that there was much consternation at the lead role being given to mega star Tom Cruise, who apparently was unsuited to it on account of his miniature size, with the novel version being notedly taller.
While it's understandable the fans might be up in arms at something like this, it might have been a shame if someone else had been given the role, because this is one of those roles where Cruise steps out of that 'movie star' persona his name always seems to generate, and is genuinely rugged and convincing in a strong, silent type role that requires him to be one of those 'outsider' types who's more of a force to be reckoned with than anyone could let on.While with Cruise involved it inevitably becomes about spectacle and scope, Jack Reacher is still an intelligent and intricate adventure, full of twists, turns and red herrings, that doesn't play out the way you expect it to and is all the more of a thrilling experience because of it.
While catching us out with this unexpected depth and substance, director Christopher McQuarrie, who's behind the camera for the first time again after twelve years since 2000's Way of the Gun, never lets up of the thrilling action, including at least a couple of exciting car chases, the odd injection of exciting hand to hand combat and a neat little shoot out battle at the end.While fans of the books may have quite a big thing to nit pick about, the casual viewer will be in for an explosive, thrilling ride that also has the good grace never to insult it's audience's intelligence.
Lee Child has written 17 Jack Reacher books since 1997, and it's a bit surprising that it took Hollywood this long to latch on to this enigmatic lone wolf drifter who doesn't so much care about laws as he does right and wrong.
Fans of the books were outraged when it was announced Tom Cruise would play the 6'5 hulking Reacher, as much of the character's appeal stems from his ability to physically dominate a situation while using very few words.Unfortunately I can't ease the minds of those fans of the pulpy series, but rather to encourage them to give this a shot.
The most interesting character to me was Jai Courtney, who will be seen next as Bruce Willis' son in "A Good Day to Die Hard".If you haven't read the Lee Child books, you will probably readily accept Cruise as Reacher.
If you can get over the fact that Tom Cruise is no Jack Reacher in stature (in the novels, the character stands out in a crowd, at 6'4' and 240 lbs.), you will enjoy this film.
Tom's attempt to portray this just doesn't work.I can understand the high ratings that people who haven't read the books give this movie, as Lee Child's story is excellent and makes a great action movie.
In the Lee Child books, the Jack Reacher character "thinks" the script.
Honestly speaking, Tom Cruise doesn't look like the original Jack Reacher.
Further, if you're watching after reading all novels of Jack Reacher series, you'll definitely hate the movie!.
Other reviewers who obviously love the Jack Reacher character in Lee Child books seem to give their loyalty to Cruise a little too blindly.
On a positive note the original stories are strong and I hope that the film gets ReCast using one of them, a more accurate portrayal of Jack Reacher could make movie goer's and producers very happy..
While the lead actor, Tom Cruise, is believable in the role he would not have to continue playing the lead character to keep the story interesting.
I will begin by saying that I have read all Lee Child's novels and even if my idea of how does Jack Reacher look is questionable because subjective, the fact remains that Tom Cruise doesn't have the look or the behavior of Reacher.
Phrases like "Now what" or "Where are you going now" or "What shall do without you" (as examples) at the very end of the movies are good examples of C-rated movies from the 70-80's, but don't have a place in a high speed action-thriller as should have been "Jack Reacher".
After all this, I can say that the movie is a typical American action-thriller, not bad at all, but has nothing to do with Jack Reacher books or characters.
Tom Cruise was believable in the action scenes.The other characters were good but irrelevant.
Five people are killed mysteriously by a lone sniper.A soldier from the US army is the prime suspect with flagrant and overwhelming evidence found against him in the form of fingerprints,parking ticket and the like.On interrogation the soldier replies with three simple words-'Call Jack Reacher'.But Reacher(Tom Cruise),an ex soldier from the army himself has long since disappeared from the scene and little is known about his whereabouts.Oddly enough,Reacher shows up stylishly out of the blue at the investigators' doorstep.An attorney(Rosamund Pike),fights to defend the accused from the death row.Together the two team up to uncover the truth in a case where everything is so obvious it seems wrong and discover that there's something amiss.There are many things I like about Jack Reacher.
The pace of the movie especially the first half is exhilarating and the plot intriguing.The writing is great with some crisp dialogues and witty one liners.There is a certain sizzling chemistry between the lead pair.Tom Cruise is convincing in his role as the enigmatic and charismatic Jack Reacher.
Well, anyone who had never read any of the Reachers might think this was a good action film.
But I have read them, and I just couldn't force myself to see in Tom Cruise the Jack Reacher I know and love.
But next time, whoever writes the screenplays, please don't leave unexplained the motives of the bad guys; please don't insert any needless comic bits like the Three Stooges bathroom scene wherein two bad guys try to beat on Reacher with a baseball bat and a crowbar, succeeding only in whacking each other; please don't feel that your audience needs to see a female lawyer's boobs hanging out; please don't include any conveniently located large chunks of concrete behind which Reacher can take refuge from the bad guys' bullets; and don't, please don't, invite Robert Duval to play the comic sidekick to Tom Cruise, or, I guess I mean, Jack Reacher..
Jack Reacher on the other hand may not necessarily be a super smart movie, but I was surprised to find in it a relatively interesting and intelligible detective story instead of an over the top action movie I would normally expect Tom Cruise to star in.The main issue I have with this film is the dialogue.
I have not seen a good detective story in a while and this is definitely one.Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher, a guy who comes in when a murder suspect asks for him by name, and Jack is an interesting character to base a movie around.
To my delight and not popular opinion Jack Reacher plays out much more like the books than a normal Tom Cruise action film.
With fight scenes, car chases and suspense it's the typical action man movie.Tom Cruise plays a convincing, entertaining and overall brilliant action hero.
If you want a film that makes you think hard and sink your teeth into then don't watch this; but if you want an action hero movie chockablock with explosions and the like this is definitely for you.Wouldn't be surprised if most people portrayed Jack Reacher as nothing mega award winning it's just another Tom Cruise movie in my eyes.4/10.
Jack Reacher, like almost all of Tom's movies is intense and full of word play.
Excellent movie, but a bad portrayal of the 'Jack Reacher' character from the novel.
But therein lies my point: which is that the 'Jack Reacher' movie by itself stands strong, what with the decent script and solid performances from Tom Cruise & Rosamund Pike, an assessment I could present as an impartial judge having not read the book before watching the film.
This mystery thriller worked really well thanks to some great comedic moments.Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is a former military operative who has been living off the radar in the past year like a John Doe. He is the kind of person who can't be found, but rather he finds you.
Tom Cruise may have found yet another franchise in Jack Reacher as his character is very likable by remaining very quiet, mysterious, calm, but at the same time very tough.
Based on Lee Child's novel "One shot" Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) agrees to help out attorney Helen (Rosamund Pike) who believes her client is innocent over 5 shootings.Having worked in a library for numerous years I have heard many people praise Lee Child's books and get them recommended them to me weekly but I have never picked one up.
No drug could impair someone to write such dribble like, "Cruise is back on top" or "Best action movie ever." Only TC would think 22yo women are ga-ga over his character as a 50yo actor!
Heck, I thought War of the Worlds was bad and that was the beginning of the end for you bud.I have not read any of Child's books and thought at first the badness of this movie (I want to keep writing the word bad) was because the Tom Cruise fire has burned out significantly over the past few years.
Likewise, he looks good when he plays an action role but in JACK REACHER, it's a different story altogether.
All in all, this was an OK Tom Cruise movie, but a very bad Jack Reacher movie.
I thought 'Jack Reacher' was going to be a great movie compared to the book 'One Shot'.
It's a great book and it doesn't really matter if the actors were changed a bit to reach a bigger group, but the movie is way overrated.There's way too less action and Tom Cruise just doesn't fit in as main character.
The story itself was great, the movie was just okay, and the casting of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher was extremely bad.
Those of us who have read the series know Jack Reacher, and Tom Cruise doesn't even come close.This movie is no reflection of the books, which are terrific.
The characters were glossed over and most of the movie centers on Cruise trying to be Reacher - he never quite comes across as believable.
Tom Cruise is no Jack Reacher, end of story..
This review is written from the point of view of someone who has read the book before watching the movie and is a big fan of the Jack Reacher series of books by Lee Child."How to screw up a book in two hours?".
The popular Lee Child character has finally come to the screen; but as I understand it, Tom Cruise diminutive size (like many action actors though) does not match the novel's character Jack Reacher.
The acting was top draw too.The only draw back which is why I've given it a 9, is the choice of Tom Cruise, he doesn't match the description of Jack Reacher in the books.
Hopefully, if they decide to make another movie about Jack Reacher they'll read the book first and give us someone more believable..
Really enjoyed "Jack Reacher", even though I'm not a big Tom Cruise fan.
tom cruise as jack reacher yuck!.
just couldn't see the jack I've come to know and love being represented by tom cruise BIG Disappointment!!!I TRIED WATCHING THE FILM BUT LOST INTEREST VERY QUICKLY. |
tt0206634 | Children of Men | On November 16th, 2027, a brief newscast (done by newsreaders Mishal Husain & Rob Curling) reports on the state of the world: women have become infertile and no children have been born for 18 years. Most of the world's societies have collapsed and in Britain all foreigners have been declared illegal immigrants and are rounded up by British military forces to be deported. Additionally, the youngest person in the world, the Argentine Baby Diego (Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi), has been murdered by one of his fans when he refused to give them an autograph. The newscast is watched by a crowd in a coffee shop.Theo Faron (Clive Owen), leaves the coffee shop and stops to add liquor to his coffee when the shop is blown up by a bomb. The act is attributed to an underground guerrilla group, the Fishes. Theo is shaken by the incident and leaves work early to visit his friend, Jasper (Michael Caine), who lives outside London. Jasper, a former political activist, now lives in seclusion in a well-hidden house with his catatonic wife, Janice (Philippa Urquhart), growing variants of cannabis.The next day Theo is captured by The Fishes and is reunited with his former wife, Julian, who leads the group. She and Theo have not seen each other for nearly 20 years after their son, Dylan, died in a flu epidemic. She first tells him that the Fishes were not responsible for the bombing of the cafe the previous day. She also asks for his help in securing transit papers; Theo's cousin, Nigel (Danny Huston), has influence within the government. Theo is able to get the papers but they specifically state that Theo himself must accompany the refugee they are meant for. Theo agrees and he joins Julian (Julianne Moore), her associate Luke (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the refugee Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) and her midwife, Miriam (Pam Ferris) as they drive to the southern coast of England. Along the way, they are attacked in a forested area by a large mob and Julian is killed. As they flee the scene of the attack, they are pulled over by the police. When asked for their papers, Luke kills both policemen. A small funeral is held in the forest for Julian and Luke drives them to a safe house on a farm after finding another car.At the farm, Kee, reveals to Theo that she is eight months pregnant. She also tells Theo that Julian had told Kee that she could only trust Theo. The Fishes hold a meeting to decide what to do with Kee. They conclude, despite Theo's objections, that Kee should stay with them until the child is born. Theo thinks the pregnancy should be made public, the Fishes think that the British government would seize both Kee and the baby for their own political ends. Kee agrees to stay in the custody of the Fishes.Later that night, Theo awakens to a commotion outside. Two of the men who attacked the travelers that day have come to the safe house, one of them badly wounded. Theo discovers that the attack on the car and Julian's murder were both arranged by Luke and the Fishes, who wish to use the baby for their own ends. They plan to kill Theo the next day. He quietly awakes Kee and Miriam and convinces them to leave with him. They steal a car and narrowly escape the farm. Theo takes them to Jasper's house. While there, Jasper promises to arrange for Kee to meet a ship called the Tomorrow, a vessel belonging to a group called the Human Project, a collection of scientists based in the Azores off Portugal, and dedicated to restoring human fertility. Jasper arranges for his friend, Syd, to help Kee, Miriam and Theo enter the immigrant camp at Bexhill. From there, they will make arrangements for Kee to slip into the waters near Bexhill to meet the Tomorrow.The Fishes find Jasper's hidden home, setting off the alarms. Jasper lets Theo take his car and gives them an escape route. From a nearby bluff, Theo watches as Jasper refuses to give the Fishes any information and is cruelly murdered by Luke. Before the Fishes arrival, Jasper had euthanized his wife and dog.Theo drives himself and his charges to a nearby school to hide out and wait for Syd. While there, Miriam talks of her past work as a midwife and the onset of female infertility 18 years prior. A guard arrives, acting very intimidating at first, but takes the fugitives in his truck to Bexhill once they say the password. As they approach the detention center, Kee goes into labor. When they arrive, Miriam, while trying to protect Kee from the guards, fakes religious mania and is taken off the bus, hooded and detained, however, her fate is not revealed. Theo and Kee manage to enter Bexhill with her pregnancy undetected and meet a woman named Marichka who takes them to a dingy room. Right after they reach the room, Kee gives birth to a girl.The next morning they are met by Marichka and Syd, who tells them about an uprising that has taken over Bexhill. The Fishes have broken into the city and the national guard have been called out to restore control. Both Syd and Marichka (Oana Pellea) are astonished to see the baby. Syd, having seen Theo on television the night before, plans to turn him in for a large reward, Theo being a prime suspect from the attack on the road. With Marichka's help, they escape from Syd and find a temporary haven with Marichka's people. Marichka is also supposed to take them to a boat that will get them to the Tomorrow in Bexhill's harbor.Theo, Marichka and Kee enter the city and are quickly found by Luke and his cohorts. They take Kee and her baby and leave Theo and Marichka to be executed by Patric (Charlie Hunman), one of Luke's lieutenants. They are able to escape when a skirmish erupts nearby. Theo goes looking for Kee, finding her in a decrepit apartment building which is under fire from the military. Theo finds Kee with Luke, who is firing at the British forces outside. As Theo attempts to take Kee and the baby out, Luke opens fire in Theo's direction -- Luke is killed a few moments later. As Theo and Kee walk out of the building, everyone who sees the baby stands in awe and the fighting stops, many of them break into prayer. The two walk outside the building and begin to walk away. The fighting resumes. They find their way back to Marichka and the rowboat she's holding for them and float out into Bexhill's harbor. Marichka refuses to leave with them and pushes the boat out.The two make it out to a nearby buoy which marks the rendezvous point. As they wait, jets fly overhead and begin a bombardment of Bexhill. Kee sees blood in the bottom of the boat and panics, thinking it's hers. Theo tells her he was hit in the abdomen when Luke shot at him. Theo has just enough time to teach Kee how to burp the baby and she tells him that she'll name her after Theo's son, Dylan. Theo loses consciousness just as the Tomorrow arrives. Just before the closing credits roll the sound of children laughing is heard. | mystery, neo noir, murder, depressing, realism, bleak, allegory, violence, cult, thought-provoking, atmospheric, romantic, sci-fi | train | imdb | It's a cinéphile's dream come true; it's a masterpiece in the true sense of the word.'Children of Men' is a gut-wrenching look at an all too possible future, but it also works as a heart-stopping, adrenaline-rush-inducing piece of entertainment featuring some of the most breathtaking camera work you'll ever see.The performances are flawless.
P D James, the "Baroness of Bad" is famous for her well-written and absorbing police procedural novels ("Inspector Dalgliesh") but in the early 90s she produced a vision of a world only 20 years into the future in which for unspecified reasons all the women on earth have become infertile and no babies have been born for the last 18 years.The rest of the world has lapsed into chaos but the British, stoically, have put the remainder of their civil liberties into the fire and have settled down under an oppressive dictatorship to ward off foreign boarders and await inevitable extinction, though there are some violent dissidents called the fish.Theo (Clive Owen), a journalist with connections to the top, is "persuaded" by his ex-wife and fish member Julian (Julianne Moore) to obtain some exit papers for Kee (Claire Hope Ashity) a young black woman, who, it turns out, is pregnant.
The motley characters he meets along the way his ex-wife, the fish rebels, the refugees who help him, the "fascist pig" border guard and above all Michael Caine's aging hippie are all wonderfully realized.It has been suggested that Cuaron has really made a film about today, not 20 years into the future.
Of all the visions of the future movie audiences have been treated to over the past few years, the world of Children of Men may be the most frightening and allegorically effective yet.Directed by Alfonso Cauron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), and set in 2027 London, the film takes place at a time when the planet is in the grip of an infertility crisis.
The film blew away nearly everyone in the audience as one of the best action movies we have seen lately, with extremely exciting and brutal chases, gun fights, etc.
Again, a clear reference to todays world.This is an outstanding piece of film making, I agree totally with previous reviewers comments, especially regarding the battle scenes, which have an immediacy, bringing to mind COME AND SEE or APOCALYPSE NOW.
"Children of Men" does this better than most, since -- with the exception of the infertility theme -- it does not highly disconnect us from what our future is likely to be.Other than that, however, the movie lacks what it was claimed to be; it is not "Bladerunner" Redux -- not even close.
*Truly Amazing that someone would spent enormous amounts of money on expensive filming equipment only to make the actual picture look like it was shot by my Uncle Fred (who has Parkinson's) who just got his Handicam yesterday for Christmas and is still working his way through the manual which is written in Chinese and which apparently only describes how to deprive the picture of colour.In Children of men subtlety was not allowed.
The overemphasized way of portraying such a dull and drab doomsday landscape as was done in Children of Men, surely would bother anyone who is not into cartoonistic film-making but in stead likes some subtlety on any subject matter if indeed this is presented in a serious movie.
Seriously, you'd think all these glowing reviews and those on this website, were written by people who had somehow managed to miss the entirety of Western cinema.The gourmet-fare that is Children of men is actually a night out at the McDonald's of film-making where the second bite of your food is already spoiling the experience of the first.
Like the headline-reading buffoons or game-console addicts they are.Shame, especially to the professional moviecritics who along their careers surely must have seen movies like The Usual Suspects for plot and suspense, Full Metal Jacket for steadycam cinematography, It happened One Night for social commentary and God knows how many other quality films that have been produced over the years.No, these movies were in fact never made.
Caine's cameo was the odd one out and made me feel like watching a completely different movie every time he's making an appearance.Good story/complex story.
Yeah sure, if you consider vapid and cliché open endings which didn't give the film some sort of closure it desperately needed a dramatic ending, then by all means people...The movie seems to want us to see a possible world future, and that's all fine.
The same goes for the motivations of most of the characters in the movie.Sure, most mainstream productions hit us over the head with exposition making such productions not very challenging to watch, but to simply reverse it and unaffectedly explain nothing is just the opposite side of the coin and equally insipid even if it was shot from a first person perspective.
By God, I think not.I think I speak for the four of us who saw this movie tonight that we were all totally underwhelmed considering the acclaim and current ranking of Children of Men. The acting felt labored, especially by Caine whom we adore, the script embarrassingly poor in places, nothing really profound or philosophical to sink your teeth in and the ending, if one could call it that, was unimaginative and completely devoid of any intelligence to it.
At best it's a silly reminder of things we learn in school at age 10 and up or see in the news every time we turn the telly on.The film itself plays out like a big formulaic chase in which our protagonists, mainly Theo (Clive Owen) and a black pregnant woman, 'mysteriously' named Kee (Claire Hope Ashity), are chased down by a terrorist group named The Fishes who want the soon to be born child for themselves in order to
cuddle it?
The symbolism and churlish nods to contemporary issues is far too conspicuous and highly annoying as such (The one captured immigrant they allow to be heared, speaks German!, yeah, let's deport a former Nazi...seriously people, who writes this stuff?) And the logic of the plot that a single baby/person will be able to save the world in a movie that is supposed to have a serious message, is, to put it kindly, ludicrous, puerile and as original as a beer commercial.Although there is some fancy camera-work and editing in especially the last segment of the movie (a Kubrick homage?), I would not go as far as recommending this movie for just that bit alone as others have suggested.
And many many complaints, along the lines of "I will never again believe a movie reviewer."And by the way, since the sequence and plot are rushed and over-edited, why such a short film for the eleven bucks I paid per ticket tonight.
CHILDREN OF MEN is a fairly good futuristic drama --- with holes in its story a mile wide --- most of the premise unexplained and unresolved --- relatively unsuccessful at the box office; yet it becomes one of IMDb's All Time 250 --- and with a number of votes out-of-proportion to the number of people who have seen the picture.When I rented the DVD last night, they had over 20 copies of this film whereas most other new releases were all checked out.Results on IMDb will always be biased, as are the box office figures that reflect huge success of recent films with their $10 admissions mixed in with older films when admissions were 50 cents or less --- with no adjustment to constant dollars.
Children of Men starts off looking like it'll be a rarity, a good Clive Owen film.
And that end looks weirdly like a setup for Owen's next movie where he once again plays bodyguard to a baby people want to kill.
I've read so much hype and positive comments on this film before watching, and regretfully, it did not live up to the expectations.The film starts with an interesting, original basic story point: a future where the human race has become sterile.
I would be interested to know why those who made this movie felt compelled to make these changes - the story P.D. James wrote was excellent the way it was - and what the author herself thinks of this film.
Theo is a character who goes through a complete transformation as he deals with the people he meets (such as Julian, whose role in the book is central to the plot and she certainly is not a terrorist, but instead the first woman to bear a child in 25 years).
The words are constructed to move things along not build character and situations.I know part of the problem is changes from the book (which I haven't read) Julianne Moore's character is actually two characters combined, and there are other changes that probably didn't help.Again its not bad, its just not one of the best films of the year, technically maybe, and certainly Michael Caine should be up for an Oscar, but the story as told on screen doesn't amount to much..
Animals in Children of Men. All the important points about this film have been well covered by other reviewers, so I would like instead to draw your attention to a smaller sub text that is well worth keeping an eye on within the film's wider themes: Animals are utilized in incredibly effective ways in this film, from the horror of watching piles of burning cattle carcasses in the countryside (drawing our attention to environmental / food disasters) to Theo's surreal encounter with a startled deer within a long abandoned school (reminding us we now exist in a world where the teaching of the next generation is no longer an issue).
Also do not expect to have to think anytime during or after the movie.Children of Man's story ignores so much the fertility issue that it could be easily transplanted to any other war-like/runaway context without major adaptations (besides the motive of the runaway, which by the say is no big deal at all).The reason for the movie's background of a chaotic society is also left blank.
It has taken me 13 years to get round to watching Children of Men and I have to say, it's an absolute masterclass in film making - the execution is astonishing (cinematography, sound design/soundtrack, set design, etc) and it's arguably quite scary in the way it paints a somewhat feasible vision of our future.The acting and characters in this film are very grounded which reels you in and makes me feel invested.
This central conceit is mildly interesting, but the screenwriters populate the allegorical fiction with stock characters: people and ideas painted with broad strokes and little development, and peppered with quirky side-stories and characters who are often more interesting than the overly symbolic main plot line.What emerges is quasi-entertaining movie bubbling over with overcooked details and a few good scenes.
Despite three really good scenes, "Children of Men" unfortunately solidifies Cuaron's status as the best director yet to make a great film..
The premise is introduced very well as everywhere people are mourning the death of the world's youngest person - watching the future disappear before their eyes.This film does convey the look and feel of the above quite well through credible character exchanges and technical work.
However, the film's potential is hampered by the story - Theo (Clive Owen) trying to secretly transport a miraculously pregnant woman to the shadowy 'The Human Project,' who they have to trust have her best interests at heart as opposed to the openly brutal and corrupt government.
Very good support cast such as Michael Caine , Pam Ferris , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Charlie Hunnam , Danny Huston , Julianne Moore and cameo by P.D. James: author of the book 'The Children of Men' plays the old woman in the cafeteria with Theo .Colorful and evocative cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki , Alfonso Cuaron's ordinary .
However, at the end you are left thinking "what was all that for and what happened next?".It's almost as if somebody scripted a great story about a dystopian future and somebody else was briefed to strip all the interesting stuff away and leave a fairly brainless 'damsel in distress' film in its place.
This is my kind of genre and I love Owen and many of the other actors in this movie, so to watch them read poor dialogue like this and act un-actable scenes was painful.
It seems that a lot of people went to see this film not expecting much and were pleasantly surprised by its intelligence and non-derivative execution.However, having seen that this film was in the IMDb top 250 I came to it with somewhat higher hopes and came away slightly let down.The plot is fine in so far as it goes and there are some nicely done set pieces - the giant shoot out among the street ruins is particularly impressive and realistic - but really the only outstanding performance is from Michael Caine.
The look of the film is good as is some of the plot and music, however the acting of the main characters and a lot of the script is weak.
The story was dull and uninspired, the near future world that it was set in was cliché and the action, if you can call it that, was pathetic.Clive Owens performance was good, but even a talented actor like him could not save this film.The only reasonable explanation for all these rave reviews is that these people want to sound like high brow critics praising a crap-fest like this for its "fine cinematography ".Don't waste your time with this film..
It's just so difficult to get into this film because it doesn't even really catch your attention nor does it hold your attention but turns into one of those movies you impatiently and angrily await to end so you can know the plot's resolution obviously that means Children Of Men has great storytelling.
It is difficult to let people know the problems I have with this movie without giving a bunch away, but let me just say that it takes a highly improbable and unexplained event (all mothers on earth somehow stop having babies at the same time), adds some vivid imagery and a few half-baked ideas, and caps it off with a set of characters that we have little or no investment with at the end.
I guess some people might say the movie is slow, but Owen was on the screen the whole time and I AM biased, so I think at about 1 hour 35 minutes, it moved fine and overall I think it was a great film.
Clive Owen and Chiwetel Ejiofor were great, but everyone else seemed to be overacting to me, Julianne Moore's, Clare- Hope Ashitey (as the character of Kee, and for all intense and purposes the virgin Mary), Michael Caine, and Pam Ferris's characters feeling particularly forced, and annoyingly so.It was also trying too hard to make some deep, intellectual comments about our world today and the religious and cultural divides we are currently living in, hinting at the current political environment, and what consequences it could have, especially the last third of the film set in Bexhill.I had read the other reviews on here before seeing this movie, but now I've seen it, I'm quite under awed by it all, and the ending does leave you hanging and several plot holes unresolved, leaving me with a sense of not seeing what all the fuss is about, so if you haven't seen it, I personally wouldn't get your hopes up of being blown away by it..
The characters have absolutely zero depth, the setting is more artificial than a Borg cube, and the storyline....well, I'm still trying to figure out what the storyline WAS, exactly.Things not explained in this movie include: the title, The Human Project, the infertility, the reason for the treatment of the immigrants, what happened to the rest of the world, why Julianne Moore is offed by the Fishes, what the Fishes actually DO to help immigrants (other than kill every native they encounter???), how the Fishes believe that having the baby will save THEM (not just provide hope for humanity), why the army wouldn't immediately take the mother and child into custody rather than letting them stroll through a gun battle, why they wouldn't have gone worldwide public with the news of a pregnancy or birth to begin with, given the celebrity of the youngest person on earth, and I could go on and on and on.
The good thing about the film is that at least its below two hours runtime, which now seems to be the "least standard time", given to any movie no matter if it has a story to match the runtime.
The movie is almost nothing like the book, they only share a title, character names, and the most general tag-line of a plot "In the near future, people are no longer able to have children...".
If you read the book first the problems with the movie make it hard to enjoy.Acting:Clive is pretty good, I am assuming he was doing exactly what the director wanted (which is nothing like the character Theo).Julianne Moore's 'Julian' is a very shallow character (as directed I assume), would have been a much better performance if she had been given the role of Julian in the book.Michael Caine plays a caricature of a ridiculous hippie (again, as directed), he does it well. |
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